Slayer by Kiersten White

This book just came out recently and I am so happy its out in the world! I had requested this book on Netgalley and I was quite happy that I was able to read it last year!! I used to watch Buffy on TV as a teen, and since then I've renewed my interest in it.

This book is about The Watchers, the ones who are left, and the last Slayer to exist after Buffy. Basically things are in shambles due to what Buffy did (which since I haven't watched the whole show I have no real frame of reference for) and it follows the lives of Nina and her twin sister Artemis who grew up at the Watchers Academy. There are only a small number of Watchers left, and they are focused on being ready when needed for any future Slayers.

Nina gets quite a shock when she discovers she's the last Slayer. Ever.

There's demons, monsters, all the baddies from this world you could think of. There's betrayal, secrets, and anger. It's one heck of a journey.

I read this all at once and I liked it. There were moments where I was wondering why bits were necessary, but I think perhaps there's a larger story at work here and as the series goes, more will be known.

Slayer was well written. I was glued to the page and had to finish it in one sitting! It's just one of those engrossing reads that pulls you out of your everyday life and throws you into an adventure to the point where you forget your troubles. 

I'm happy to have read gotten the opportunity to read this before it was released. It wasn't what I was expecting but it was quite good!

Since I've only just begun to re-watch all of Buffy, I am looking forward to needing to re-read this novel again once I'm finished, and to follow along with the series!

Recommendation: For the lovers of Buffy and vampire/creature type stories. For the lovers of books about finding out who you are and those who just love one heck of an adventure

July Wrap Up!

July was a busy month. In fact, the last few months have been pretty darn busy for me. My reading is suffering a little, but I'm not giving up! 

One of the things I think that really help are readathons! I can knock out two books in a weekend if I make it my goal to read for however many hours in two days. I think I might do my own little mini readathons more often! After all, to stay on track of reading 75 books this year, I need to be reading two a week (according to Goodreads!). 

On to the month of July: I read three books and two ebooks! 

It was funny, I went to do my wrap up the morning of July 31st but when I realized that I'd only read four books in total, I didn't feel like that was enough. Instead, I went and read another book! If only I could get myself to do that more often, I would have reached my goal for the year months ago!

The Dire King by William Ritter. 🌟🌟🌟

Brownies and Betrayal by Heather Justesen 🌟🌟🌟

The Beau & The Belle by R. S. Grey 🌟🌟🌟

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomson 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman 🌟🌟🌟.5

My review that includes The Dire King can be found here. As for the rest of the books, my reviews for them will be popping up soon (I hope!) 

I think for the month of August I want to shoot for 6 books read (hopefully more like 12 but let's start small!) 

The Crow Trap by Anne Cleeves

This is the first book in the Vera Stanhope series. I was not aware of this series or the author before reading this book. I've since learned that it was made into a t.v. series and it's part of a bigger series.

I picked this book up on my Kobo with a coupon, I believe. It was one of the oh so many recommendations that Kobo loves to give, and seeing as it's a British mystery (spoiler alert: I love British mysteries) I picked it up for next to nothing.

This book took me quite a long time to read. I tend to read e-books at work on my lunch break and occasionally late at night when I can't sleep. Because of this, I was reading this book for quite a long time.

Parts of it felt a little long winded and a little too detailed about things I didn't feel were important to the main story. It did pick up at the end though and I enjoyed the twists and turns the story took to solve the mystery.

I was a little surprised to learn that this was the first one in the series, because that is when you first meet the detective that will become the centre point of the series and I felt like I didn't get enough of her to connect with, that she wasn't the centre of it for me, that she didn't thrill me enough to make me run to the library for the second book.

This book follows three women who come together to do an environmental survey on some land. For one of the woman, the owner of a cottage on this land is a friend, and upon arrival, she finds her friend dead. There are secrets, lies, and many things that are not as they seem.

It's definitely a complex book, and even though it wasn't my absolute favourite, I do think I might pick another book up in this series at the library if I come across one. I will say that a lot of my feelings about this book might have to do with how I read it in little fits and starts here and there over a long period of time.

Recommendation: Check this out for yourself for sure, especially if you've got a hankering for British mysteries like I do.

Better Off Wed by Laura Durham

I grabbed this one for free a couple months ago as an ebook. I am a huge fan of BookBub and I always look forward to the deals that appear in my inbox. Especially when I'm trying to save money.

Anyway, this was a super cute looking cozy mystery that I snapped up and read fairly quickly.

It's about a wedding planner named Annabelle Archer who finds herself involved in murder. During a wedding she had planned, she finds the bride's terrible mother dead on the floor under suspicious circumstances and her friend and sometimes business partner is the one who ends up under  investigation!

There's humour, romance, intrigue, and of course good old fashion mystery in this one. It's totally a cozy mystery, so it's easy to read but involving at the same time.

I really liked this one. It was a little different than some of the other cozy mysteries that I find myself reading. A lot of the cozies I read revolve around someone and their family with a love triangle and a little shop on the small town street. Since this one only had one romantic interest and didn't involve family of the main character, it was different.

I liked this one, and I think that if I came across more of these at the library or as a super cheap ebook I would pick it up. Like most cozies, I tend to read through them quite fast and it makes more sense for my bank account if I don't collect them as real books on my shelf.

Recommendation: For the lovers of cozy mysteries with a bit of humour. This one is for you.

Arrogant Devil by R.S. Grey

I have been following this lovely lady for a long time on Instagram and I figured it was about time I read one of her books!

She writes romance and romantic comedies which are my least read genres, but I felt in need of a change. After all, a story I've been playing with myself has a little bit of romance in it. How can I write it if I don't read it!?

Well I took the plunge and I gobbled this up pretty fast, reading it all in a day or two I believe. It's an easy read but that is in no way a bad thing!

I really enjoyed this. I had no idea what to expect (because of my lack of romance novel experience) but I was thrilled with what I found. I was glued to the page and taken along for quite the ride.

The characters are so defined on so many levels that you really don't know what they are going to do next. The story was interesting and compelling without being one I've read before. She took a typical girl and a typical boy, then flipped it on it's head, dug through the misconceptions, and gave you love.

If you had asked me what I felt about romances prior to reading this book I would have told you that it really wasn't my thing. I would have told you that I find them interesting but repetitive. That the same tropes are used over and over to the point where eventually I felt like I'm just reading the same book over and over.

Boy, was I wrong! This was not one of "those romances"

I will be reading more of her books for sure. Romance doesn't have to repeat itself, and it can certainly contain comedy! After all, no two loves are the same!

Recommendation: Even if you aren't into romance (or you think you aren't) give this a try. You will probably be pleasantly surprised just like I was!

A Throne for Sisters by Morgan Rice

So let's just talk about Book Bub for a quick second. If you aren't signed up and getting their emails about super cheap and free(!) ebooks every day then what are you waiting for!?!

Anyway, this was a lovely freebie that I found through Book Bub a little while ago and I snapped it up. Partly because of the cover and partly because it sounded pretty cool.

This book is about two orphaned sisters who want to live the lives they dream of. They both have the special ability to read the minds of others, which comes in handy with their pursuit of their ideal fantasy. One sister dreams of the good life, living rich as royalty. The other dreams of a life fighting like a solider and being tough and brave. 

This is a fantasy set in a world of its own, not one really like ours so it's got that older, almost medieval feel to it. 

I have mixed feelings about this book though. I liked it, but I wanted more out of it. I felt like the main premise of the story wasn't fully resolved by the end, but it wasn't like a cliffhanger in the traditional sense. It just kept going then stopped. It's hard to explain. Like I was pretty into what was going on, but then it just kind of ended. 

Without giving anything away, it was like things were working out for them and I spent a good chunk of time reading this waiting for the other shoe to drop because there has to be bad with the good. Then for there not to have been a final resolution in the end did kind of bug me, but I don't know if it was really compelling for me to read the second one, because what if it happens again? 

I never really give star ratings for books but if I had to, I'd say like 2.5 or 3 stars out of 5. It was good, but there was just a little missing for me. I wanted more in this book without needing to continue the series to find out more. Needed some more meat on the bones for me. 

Recommendation: It's an easy YA fantasy read. It had good elements and was interesting while I read it. I would get this at the library or like I did though if you're thinking of reading it. 

A Fatal Collection by Mary Ellen Hughes

This is the first book in a new cozy mystery series by Mary Ellen Hughes. You all should know about my love of cozy mysteries by now, but if not let me fill you in on their greatness.

You've got a main character facing some turmoil in their lives, a dramatic murder takes place (usually someone close to them for the first book) and then you get to watch them bloom as they work to solve the case. There's always a great cast of interesting characters, a town so cool that makes you wish you could visit, a couple of love interests, and a mystery that keeps you guessing. They are simple, fun, and totally engrossing. Like chocolate for your mind.

This one was just what I was looking for. It's about Callie Reed who makes an over due visit to her aunt in the little village of Keepsake Cove which is home to a bunch of collectible shops. Her aunt runs one that sells music boxes. When she finds her aunt has passed away on the floor of her shop from an apparent fall, she stays, believing that her aunt was actually murdered and seeks to find the truth of what happened. She enlists the help of her aunts next door neighbour who was also her aunts best friend, as well as a few other shop keepers in this small little village.

It was easy, but lovely. A quick read, but still one that kept me from putting it down. The characters, the shops, the feel of the town seems like it could really be a real place that would be wonderful to visit. The characters are so interesting that I really do want to know what happens next for Callie and the rest of the people living in Keepsake Cove.

This book will be hitting shelves in November and I do recommend snapping it up! I was given the e-book version of this book by NetGalley to review and I am so happy that I did!

Recommendation: This is for my cozy mystery people out there. You will not be disappointed!!

A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

Half the time when I write these reviews I feel like I'm simply rewriting the blurb on the back of the book in my own words without really telling you much about the book but I hate spoilers and I actively try to avoid writing them. Bear with me while I try to tell you everything without telling you everything.

This is the first book in The Agency series. Set it 1850's London, it's about a girl named Mary who's life is saved from the gallows by these women who run a school for girls that helps them get ahead in life with education and manners, all the things girls need. Turns out the school is a cover for a secret group of women who call themselves The Agency. They are a group of all female private investigators who work behind the scenes going where only women can go, gathering information and helping elite organizations with their expertise.

Mary jumps at the chance to work with them and her first mission puts her in the home of a business man acting as a companion to his daughter. She is out there on her own, told only to pay attention and gather information if she can about his business practices. Things take a turn for the dangerous and Mary is in deeper than she thought.

This book has deception, intrigue, a little bit of romance, and a lot of action to keep you on your toes. Nothing is quite what it seems and with trouble lurking around every corner, as well as a deadline looming, Mary does whatever she can to find the truth.

This book was a simple read, didn't take me very long to finish. I bought it with a good discount because I had seen the cover a couple times, and I was intrigued. I really liked the idea of the all female investigative agency set in this time period and this book didn't disappoint. I do think I'll read more in this series if I can get my hands on them at the library.

Recommendation: For those who enjoy young adult mystery type Victorian intrigues. It's an easy, but interesting read.

The Elven Tales: The Company of the Rose by Fabi Ghittoni

Let me start off by telling you that I was given an e-book form of this book by the author to review.

I came across Fabi on Instagram and through following her I found out she was looking for reviewers for her new book called The Elven Tales: The Company of the Rose. Anything to do with Elves and other creatures like that I am all over it, so of course I asked if I could read and review it!

This book is about a girl named Prudence who is going about life as a normal girl living with her best friends family. After being attacked, she finds herself in a new place with new creatures who are telling her she needs to help them stop this evil being Alanel who has escaped from prison. She must help retrieve the King's runes and learn about who she really is in order to save Arkana. She is aided by the warriors who make up The Company of the Rose who are by her side through the harrowing journey. It's got action, adventure, a little intrigue, and a lot of fun.

First off, the book is gorgeous! It's really stunning! Even the pages are beautiful! It's just an amazing looking book. Every chapter had a different picture in shades of grey on its chapter page and it was just visually interesting to read.

Now, have you ever been so excited about a book that you had to immediately explain the whole entire story to a friend in order to get them to understand how great it was? Well, reading this book felt a little like that.

There were moments where everything was sped up so quickly that I found myself being a little left behind in some places. Like the story teller was saying, yes, those moments are important to the story, but so is this and this and this and this. Like a friend was hurrying to get to her favorite part and didn't have time to slow down and explain it all.

Some parts of the book totally slowed down though, and I felt like I was actually with the characters experiencing what they were experiencing (which is what I love). There were a couple places towards the end that totally grabbed me up and really engaged me which is why, if I had to give this book a rating, I would give it a 3/5.

The bones of this story were so good though. It was such an interesting idea and I was excited to see how it was going to turn out. I did feel though that I had many questions that weren't getting answered and that did take away a little of the fun for me. All in all, it was a good first book from a new author.

Recommendation:  Check this book out on Goodreads and on Instagram. If you are interested in the synopsis, don't pass this by. You kind of have to work with this book for it to work for you, but the story is pretty cool!

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

A few years back I was reading a lot of thrillers to the point where I think might have almost ruined thrillers for myself. They tend to be rather repetitive in their storylines and I've been finding myself underwhelmed quite often by the new ones.

I got the chance to buy this book as an e-book at a really great deal so I had to give it a chance.

I was afraid that was going to happen this time with this book. I was about half way into it when I was getting bored thinking it was repetitive and stereotypical but... It totally redeemed itself by the end. 

This book is about two women, both dealing with their lives the best they can. One loses their husband and the other rejoices by the loss of someone who hurt them badly. Their stories intertwine and there's a whole lot of mystery and intrigue that comes. I want to say more but I'm afraid that I might unleash a spoiler which I really don't want to do. Check this out on your favorite book site if you want to know more. 

I didn't know where this book was going, but I'm really glad I stuck it out to the end. It took a lot of twists and turns I wasn't expecting, and I definitely felt like it grabbed my attention and kept me on the edge of my seat. This is one thriller that actually thrilled me.

Recommendation: Must read for all fans of thrillers. You won't be disappointed.