Fiction Friday: Book Review- Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Picking up shortly after “Six of Crows”, “Crooked Kingdom” follows Kaz and his gang as they plan their revenge after being double-crossed. Kaz wants his money and he wants his Wraith back. This is both personal and business. But while Kaz and the team are trying to stay alive, avoid the police and save Inej, Ketterdam is overrun with foreigners hoping to cash in on jurda parem in some way. There is also a new threat to Grishas (because when it rains, it pours) everywhere- a new type of being hunting the Grisha.
I felt like this book had a slower pace than “Six of Crows” but I enjoyed how this book showed that even the great Kaz Brekker makes mistakes and can be caught in his own traps. After finishing this book, I was left heart-broken and desperately needed more. After binge-reading this series it was impossible to think that I would no longer wake up and go to work while listening to this story. I needed to know more about these characters and their lives. What were their childhoods like? When would I see them again? What were they doing at this exact moment? Are they okay? I developed a very unhealthy attachment to this world and I love it. This was a compelling read and I loved the many plot twists and turns. I can’t wait to read the other books set in the Grishaverse.

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Fiction Friday: Book Review- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Six of Crows follows dirty hands Kaz Breker as he tries to assemble a crew to do the impossible – break into one of the most heavily guarded prisons and kidnap a prisoner.
His team consists of a gambling sharpshooter, a heart render and the man who wants to kill her, a girl who specializes in secrets and a privileged youth.
If they don’t get killed, this job will leave them rich and able to achieve their wildest dreams. Of course the tensions between them mean that they will have to learn to work together first.
Compelling, well-written with incredible world building this book was such an adventure. The characters are funny and colourful. The plot was surprising and suspenseful. There were crazy twists around every corner which I loved! After finishing this, I had to get the next book immediately. This book is definitely worth all its hype.

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Book Review- The Wren Hunt by Mary Watson

The Wren HuntThe Wren Hunt by Mary Watson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and I loved it so very very much. There are no words to express how delightful I found this book but I will try.
Wren is an augur- she sees patterns that predict the future. But the augurs powers are slowly draining away. In order to save her family, Wren takes an internship with the mysterious and powerful judge Cassa Harkness. Wren’s real job is to be a spy and report anything that could help the augurs win against the judges. It also involves Wren spending constant time in the presence of the boys who chase and humiliate her as part of a “game”.
From the very start of this book I was just as terrified of these boys as Wren was. They are bullies who think nothing of using physical violence to get their way.
This was a well-written book with flawless world-building and many twist and turns. The day that I received this book, I had previously seen it all over my social media feeds and for good reason. This is a pretty unique read and I would love to read more. Because of what I had heard about this book, I made a game out of guessing the plot and while I was pretty close, this book still managed to throw me for a loop which was so fun! Definitely read this if you’re a fan of fantasy fiction. THIS BOOK IS GOLD!!!

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Excerpt from “Death Doesn’t Bargain” by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Synopsis:

The Deadmen are back…

But so are the demons who have broken free of their eternal prison and are bent on mankind’s destruction.

The worst of the lot is Vine, determined to claim their lives for taking hers. She will see the world burn…and has the perfect lure to destroy them and Thorn, leader of the Hellchasers, once and for all.

Kalder Dupree has never known a day of mercy. Born to a mer-race who prides themselves on cruelty, he sacrificed himself for the only woman who has ever shown him kindness. Locked in a hell realm, he doesn’t expect anyone to come to his rescue. He accepts the fact that he was born alone and that he twice died that way— once by his own mother’s hand.

Cameron Jack is determined to set Kalder free. As a Hellchaser Deadman, it’s her calling, but her resolve stems more from the fact that she’s the reason he died in the first place. If not for him, she’d still be suffering. And she cannot allow even a not-so-innocent to be tortured for an act of kindness that spared her damnation.

To defeat evil, it sometimes takes an even worse evil, and Cameron is willing to do whatever she must to make this right. Even make a bargain with the Devyl and the devil himself. If Vine thought she had her hands full before, she hasn’t seen anything nearly as powerful as Cameron’s resolve.

Hell hath no fury as a woman wronged, and two of them are now about to face off, with the very fate of humanity hinging on the one who emerges victorious.

Death Doesn’t Bargain is the second historical fantasy title in New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Deadman’s Cross series. Where Deadmen tell their tales, and every soul is damned or redeemed by the final choices they make.

 

Excerpt from “Death Doesn’t Bargain” by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Leucious cursed under his breath. “I’ve had so many enemies throughout the centuries . . . hard to keep track of them all.”
“True. Sooner or later, we all want to kill you.”
Thorn glared at him.
“What?” he asked innocently. Not like it was his fault. Leucious Thorn had a way of getting on pretty much every one’s kill list. And he’d once been at the very top of Devyl’s.
Some days he still was.

 

About the Author:

New York Times and international bestselling author, Sherrilyn Kenyon, is a regular at the #1 spot. With legions of fans known as Menyons (thousands of whom proudly sport tattoos from her series and who travel from all over the world to attend her appearances), her books are always snatched up as soon as they appear on store shelves. Since 2003, she had placed more than 80 novels on the New York Times list in all formats including manga and graphic novels. Current series are: Dark-Hunter®, Chronicles of Nick®, Deadman’s Cross, Nevermore, Silent Swans, Lords of Avalon® and The League®. Her books are available in over 100 countries where eager fans impatiently wait for the next release. The Chronicles of Nick® and Dark-Hunter® series are soon to be major motion pictures while Dark-Hunter®, Lords of Avalon® and The League® are being developed for television. Join her and her Menyons online at SherrilynKenyon.com and www.facebook.com/AuthorSherrilynKenyon

Fiction Friday: Book Review- Shadow and Bone (Grisha Verse #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone (Grisha Verse, #1)Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ravka is divided by a creepy place of darkness called the Shadow Fold. The Shadow Fold is crawling with bloodthirsty creatures such as the volcra who eat humans. Plain Jane (and utterly boring) Alina Starkov crosses the Fold with her regiment and is attacked. Several people die but when her best friend is attacked, Alina manages to save him wiith a mysterious power she didn’t even know she had. (Can you tell how skeptical I am about Alina? Because I am really trying to hide it. She’s a sweet girl. Just very boring. And not smart. Anyway…)
Alina is sent to train as a member of the Grisha- a group of people with special powers. However, Alina isn’t just any Grisha. She is one of her kind and incredibly power. And her power could save Ravka.
This is all incredibly cliche but let’s go with it (you’ll see why in a minute). As Alina adjusts to her new life as a Grisha, she discovers that nothing is as it seems in her new home.
This was a great read but I didn’t think that the ending was much of an ending. It just felt kind of incomplete. It was like the story was pausing when I desperately needed more (thankfully I had the next book already). Definitely DO NOT read this unless you have the entire series. I’m currently dragging myself through the second book because I don’t want to finish it without having the last one with me.
This was a well-written book with an intriguing plot. Alina annoyed me with her obsession with Mal and their love story seems forced to me (I support another ship) but I’m hoping she’ll grow out of it with time.

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Fiction Friday: Book Tour- Excerpt from A Duke Like No Other by Valerie Bowman

Summary:

First comes love, then comes marriage. Unless it’s the other way around. . .

General Mark Grimaldi has sacrificed everything for his military career, working his way through the ranks without the benefit of a nobleman’s title. Now, his years of dedication are about to pay off—with an offer for a prestigious promotion to Home Secretary. There’s only one condition: Mark must be married. Aside from the small matter of not actually wanting to be wed, Mark faces another troubling problem: he already has a wife.

Nicole Huntington Grimaldi has spent ten contented years in France without her husband—and without regret. When Mark asks her to return to London and play the part of his beloved wife, she sees her chance. But neither of them is prepared for news that will throw Mark’s future into chaos…nor the undeniable desire they’ve rekindled. Maybe happily-ever-after can happen the second time around in A Duke Like No Other, the next Regency romance from Valerie Bowman.

EXTRACT:

Mark quirked his mouth into a half smile. Nicole had always been direct. It was one of the things that had first drawn him to her. She wasn’t about to let him get away with arriving unannounced without admitting that he wanted something. Good, because he liked to be direct too. “You’re right. I do want something from you.”
“Say it.” She crossed one leg over the other and for the life of him he couldn’t stop staring at how those breeches hugged her long legs. Outside, he’d been slightly obsessed with how they hugged another part of her anatomy. And that shirt . . . the one that was exposing her chest in a way that made the back of his neck sweat. Leave it to Nicole to have her hair down and to be wearing breeches while riding around a French château on a horse named Atalanta. She’d been besting the comtein the race they’d been engaged in. That was also like her. She adored competition and hated to lose at anything. If he had any hope of her saying yes to his proposal, he needed to make certain he didn’t become her adversary . . . again.
He glanced around the drawing room. Outfitted in rose and cream silks with the occasional hint of green, the room was tastefully decorated. The château itself was large and well appointed without being ostentatious. She had access to his money but had never spent a shilling of it. No, this was all a result of her own money or her family’s.
He spread his arms wide along the back of the settee. “No reminiscing? No catching up? No discussing the good times?”
Her dark red eyebrow inched even higher. “Were there good times? I seem to recall those being few and far between.”
“There were a few.” In bed. He tugged at his collar.
She poked at the chignon on the back of her head. Only she could make a quickly put-together hair arrangement look effortlessly gorgeous. Several tendrils of the long red locks fell to frame her face, which wore a decidedly disgruntled look. “Out with it. I’m quite busy. I’m attending a dinner party this evening and I must dress.”
Mark bit the inside of his cheek but ultimately he couldn’t keep the comment that had sprung to his lips to himself. “A cleaner pair of breeches?” Damn, she looked good in those breeches. She looked good altogether. Better than good. The years had been kind to her. The fresh-faced plumpness of her cheeks had given way to a slenderness that made her cheekbones prominent. Her lips were still full and pink and inviting. Her hair luxurious, soft and smooth. Her eyes looked more world-weary, to be sure, but their sea-foam-green depths were still astute and intelligent. Her body was still trim and fit. Her thighs looked even fitter, probably from riding astride. Ahem. What he wouldn’t give to see those thighs once more, to have them wrapped tightly around his—
“Despite my present appearance, I do own a gown or two.” Her words snapped him out of his indecent line of thought. She gave him another tight smile.
He stood, crossed to the nearby sideboard, and poured himself a brandy. “Going to meet the comteagain?”
“Careful,” came her throaty voice from the settee. “It’s nearly sounding as if you’re jealous.”
Still facing the sideboard, he cocked his head to the side. “Jealous? Whatever does that word mean?”
“The comteis a friend, nothing more.” Her voice sounded dismissive. He didn’t believe her, however.
Mark splashed more brandy into his glass. “I’m certain you’d tell me if he weren’t.”
“I’m certain you’d care.”
Mark turned back toward her and took a healthy swig of his drink. “A man doesn’t like to think of his wife in the bed of another.”
She actually rolled her eyes at that comment. “Oh, you’ve been celibate all these years then?” she countered, her voice dripping with skepticism.
He had been, but he’d die a slow death back in the French prison camp before he told her that. However, he wasn’t so unrealistic as to think Nicole would have remained untouched. They had agreed to part ways, hadn’t seen each other in ten years. She was a beautiful woman in the prime of her life. Still, the notion of punching the comtedead in the face held a great deal of appeal at the moment. “I’ve never been one to kiss and tell, love.”
She gave him a tight smile, which clearly indicated she didn’t believe him, either. “You’re a general now?” she asked abruptly, clearly ready to change the subject.
“I am.” He moved to the window and looked out across the lavender fields, one arm held behind his ramrod-straight back as if he were surveying a battlefield. The stance was still comfortable for him even after all these years of working for the Home Office.
“I suppose congratulations are in order.” The tea arrivedand Nicole poured a cup for herself and splashed in a liberal amount of cream. He remembered that about her. She took her tea with no sugar, just cream.
“No congratulations needed,” he intoned, taking anotherswig of brandy.
The silver spoon she used to stir her tea clinkedagainst the delicate china teacup. “I must admit, I’ve often wondered when I’d get a missive that you’d been killed.”
His chuckle was humorless. He turned to face her.“Such little faith in me? Or wishful thinking?”
“Neither,” she replied, lifting the cup to her pink lips.“Just a profound knowledge of how reckless you are.”
He inclined his head. “Used to be.”
“Really?”She raised a brow. “Is that why you’ve come? To tell me you’ve changed?”
He chuckled. “I haven’tchanged that much.”
“I’m not surprised.” She set down her teacup andcrossed her arms over her chest. “Tell me, Mark, why have you come?”
He saluted her with his glass, the amber-colored liquid shining in the afternoon sunlight. “You were right. I need a favor from you.”
She didn’tso much as bat an eyelash. “Of course you do. What’s the favor?” She picked up her cup once more and took a sip.
He downed the final splash of brandy and met hergaze. “I need you to return to England with me for a few months and pretend to be my loving wife.”

Author Bio:

VALERIE BOWMAN grew up in Illinois with six sisters (she’s number seven) and a huge supply of historical romance novels. After a cold and snowy stint earning a degree in English with a minor in history at Smith College, she moved to Florida the first chance she got. Valerie now lives in Jacksonville with her family including her mini-schnauzer, Huckleberry. When she’s not writing, she keeps busy reading, traveling, or vacillating between watching crazy reality TV and PBS. She is the author of the Secret Brides and Playful Brides series.

Buy Links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
Indie Bound
Powells

Social Links:
Author Website
Twitter: @Valeriegbowman
Facebook @ValerieBowmanAuthor
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Fiction Friday: Book Review- The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton

The Perfect GirlfriendThe Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

“The Perfect Girlfriend” follows Juliette, a possessive and slightly psycho ex-girlfriend who is determined to show her ex, Nate that she’s perfect for him in every single way and dumping her was a mistake. She gets a job as an airhostess at the airline he works at, she stores his favourite snacks in his apartment and she tries to stop him from dating anyone else.
The first 150 pages was painfully slow and I didn’t enjoy it at all. And then I did what I always do when it comes to mystery novels and I skipped to the end (DON’T DO THIS). What I found left me speechless and I picked the book back up with renewed enthusiasm.
However after reading the entire book I don’t feel like the end is an end. It’s certainly interesting but I feel like there could have been more to the book afterwards.
This was a shocking unpredictable read which I enjoyed however I don’t think it was that memorable (i.e there will be no rereads here). Juliette was great as an unreliable narrator and while her past was tragic I found it overdone. I especially enjoyed her character. She is intriguing, twisted and so very terrifying. It was great seeing everything from her viewpoint and that put an interesting spin on this book.
I don’t think I’ll recommend this to anyone because I simply found it okay (although if you’re someone who enjoys mysteries and thrillers, you might be interested in this book).

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Book Review- Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands #1)Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I decided to reread this series before I tackle Hero at the Fall. I was in a reading slump when I read Rebel of the Sands AND Traitor to the Throne so I needed to renew my excitement for this series before it ends.
Amani dreams of leaving her deadbeat town and when she encounters Jin, she gets the opportunity to do so. But on their way out of the town, the two of them keep getting caught up in trouble, adventures and encountering mystical creatures (none of which I have EVER seen before). The only way I can describe this novel without spoiling anything is to say that it is totally unique. It was surprising and unpredictable and I loved every second of it. Since I read this so long ago and was in such an awful book slump , I also couldn’t remember lots of details about this book. Rereading was a great way to get back into this world and I can’t wait to binge-read the rest of this series. If you haven’t read this yet, now is the perfect time to binge the series.

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Fiction Friday: Book Review- Winter Glass by Lexa Hillyer

Winter Glass (Spindle Fire #2)Winter Glass by Lexa Hillyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I cannot remember the last time I binge-read a book especially one that was over 300 pages. This was a wonderfully compelling read and I couldn’t go to bed until I finished it.
Winter Glass picks up immediately after Spindle Fire (so if you haven’t read that already, pick it up before you get this). Aurora’s engagement to William is planned while Isabelle plans to create an army to fight the upcoming war. However, much like the first book the sisters are soon separated and left to find their identity independent of each other.
I love how this is a story of two sisters who love each other so much that they would do anything to save the other.. This book was compelling, well written with great world-building. I kind of wish that the world was expanded on though because I loved the fae and their customs here. I also enjoyed how the cliche love triangle plot device was used in this novel. It is done very cleverly and very beautifully. (Again, for the first time in a long time, this was a love triange that DIDN’T make me roll my eyes.
I found the ending a bit lacking- after so much doom and terror, I had expected more. However I did love the way this book ended. It was beautiful. READ THIS BOOK NOW.
Four stars because this isn’t a book I would reread in a hurry (it is great but I feel like it is too heavy for a reread) but I did enjoy this book immensely. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy or books about the fae.

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Fiction Friday: Book Review- The Rogue is Back in Town by Anna Bennett (The Wayward Wallflowers #3)

The Rogue Is Back in Town (The Wayward Wallflowers, #3)The Rogue Is Back in Town by Anna Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rogue Sam is given the task by his brother to empty a rundown house or be cut off. Sam agrees but is surprised when the occupant of the house, Miss Juliette Lacey refuses to leave. She believes the property belongs to her family while Sam and his brother are sure that it belongs to them. Determined not to fail in his task, Sam decides to move in to the ramshackle house. After all, the house belongs to his brother and it would not be a hardship to live under the same roof as the attractive Julie. What Sam doesn’t realise is that Julie has a past with his brother.
I was really intrigued by this whole storyline. Julie and Sam have a clear attraction to one another but she kissed his brother a while back. I found the whole “decent brother, scoundrel brother” part cliche at first but it played out wonderfully.
This was a great read and I enjoyed it immensely. I’m only sad that it took me so long to finish this book because I was in a book slump. Definitely give this a try if you enjoy historical romance fiction.

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