UF Book Review: Venom & Vanilla by Shannon Mayer

Title: Venom and Vanilla

Author: Shannon Mayer

Series: The Venom Trilogy #1

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: 47 North

Pub Date: November 1, 2016

Pages: 240

My Copy: Courtesy of NetGalley and 47North

Book Summary:

Successful Seattle baker Alena Budrene doesn’t want to die. But when she’s infected with a lethal virus spread by supernatural beings, her only chance for recovery is to make a deal with the devil—or in this case, a warlock.

Though he saves her life, it looks nothing like the life she once knew—and neither does she. Alena is a new breed of “Supe” no one has ever seen before. Even the supernatural police don’t know what she is. Now exiled to the northern side of the Wall, which marks the divide between humans and Supes, Alena is thrust into a dark and magical new world.

But just as she begins to adjust to all things supernatural, she realizes that her transformation is the least of her worries—and it was no accident. She was chosen…to be killed by a Greek hero trying to make a name for himself once more.

Alena was brought up to be subservient, preferring creating to fighting, and vanilla and honey to blood. But that was then. Now, to survive, she must stand up for herself—and this time she’s got fangs. But will she be ready to use them?

Book Review:

A wickedly good fun novel that really shows that sometimes life can have other plans for you. Alena Budrene is not a person who expects that while she is dying, that her life is going to get a lot more complicated.

I like that Alena is someone who at the start of this book is accepting of her situation, but yet her friends and relatives, think that there might be a way out of her illness. Yet Alena’s douchebag husband has already moved on with another woman and asks Alena to transfer her bakery to him. Her relatives are upset, but her grandmother knows a warlock who might be able to cure her illness. Alena knows there is a cost to dealing with a warlock and the cure might be more painful than she thinks. We find out that there is a cost but Merlin is quite a character himself. He doesn’t sell it to her quite as well. Yet, eventually she agrees to become a paranormal.

When Alena becomes a paranormal or a Supe as they are called in this wall, she learns that her brother, Tad was the one who paid for her to become a paranormal creature. We learn that Alena is now considered dead and no longer can have legal rights. Yet we learn that Merlin made her into something very interesting, a Drakina, a Greek mythological creature. We also learn that there is a conflict between Zeus and Hera. 

Then we also learn that Achilles wants to kill Alena. She doesn’t know why this is happening. We learn that there was a curse place on Alena’s family from a long time ago, because of Zeus having an indiscretion with one of Alena’s ancestors. This leads to Alena and Achilles having some fights with one another. Achilles believes himself to be the hero and that it’s his mission to get rid of certain supes, who he believes are evil.

This book was really good. I also enjoyed a lot of the other characters we got introduced. Alena has to make some deals and decisions that she would haven’t made pre supes life. Remo, Tad, Dahlia. This world is filled with vampires, snakes, Gods, Warlocks, and other creatures. The characters are interesting. I think this makes me much more interested in what will happen next in the series.

Achilles gets beaten, but not in the way you expect. Alena finds out that she is much more powerful than she thought possible. I also love how we learn how many people have secrets. Yet, we haven’t even scratched the surface of this world. 

I really enjoyed Alena and the cast of characters in this world. Can’t wait to read the next few books in this series.

Rating:

Four Hearts

The Color of Love Coloring Book Review and Flip Through

Stacking The Shelves, Bought, Borrowed and Bagged, Coloring Book Updates

Stacking The Shelves is a meme hosted by Team Tynga's Reviews and Bought, Borrowed and Bagged is hosted by Braine over at Talk Supe Blog.

 NetGalley/Edelweiss

E-Books Gotten

Print Books

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Adult Coloring Book Update

Love Between the Lines Coloring Book Update

Magical Jungle Coloring Book

Pusheen Coloring Book

Sweet and Simple Whimsical Girls

The Calm Coloring Book

The Official Game of Thrones Coloring Book

Book Review: Ashes to Ashes by C.J. Archer

Title: Ashes to Ashes

Author: C.J. Archer

Series: The Ministry of Curiosities #5

Genre: New Adult, Steampunk, Paranormal

Publisher: Self-Published

Pub Date: April 26, 2016

Pages: 126

My Copy: E-Book That I bought

Book Summary:

Charlie is gone, and Lincoln finds that Lichfield Towers offers no sanctuary. With reminders of her at every turn, and employees threatening to mutiny, he must try to find the murderer who is killing supernaturals on his own. And keep the murderer away from Charlie. 

When the strongman from the visiting Barnum and Bailey's circus is murdered, Lincoln suspects a link, but piecing together the clues becomes dangerous and difficult work. He can't afford to be distracted, yet he finds he can't concentrate fully on the task. Even worse, Seth's mother, the incomparable Lady Vickers, has come to stay. 

Book Review:

I totally enjoyed this book. Having this book told from Fitzroy’s point of view was interesting, as he is wrestling with the consequences of his actions from the last book. Sending Charlie away has left Lichfield Towers with a void. 

I like how Lincoln seems to be investigating the murder of supernaturals with both Gus and Seth’s help. Yet he has to deal with other things as well. Most of the household is mad at him for sending Charlie away, which I kind of hated he did that to her. You get to see him feel bad about it, but he keeps that part of him away. He gets to learn information, but there seems to be things developing with other characters.

Yet we get to meet Seth’s mother, Lady Vickers who definitely is a piece of work. She is staying and tries to do what a meddling mother does. Lady Vickers thinks that both Lincoln and Seth need to make good matches as this is expected of them at first, but as we get to learn about her, we learn that her life was not what you thought. She also gives Fitzroy a piece of advice, that Love grows over time, not fade. Lady Vickers was glad to have loved her second husband.

We also get to learn that one of the committee members has a wife that’s a paranormal shape shifter and this is going to be important I feel perhaps in later books. It’s also information that’s been withheld from him. Yet he feels sympathy for this woman’s situation. I also found that the investigation into who’s been murdering paranormals is taking some weird turns and that every time he finds a lead or new avenue, it gets taken away by someone being murdered. 

It’s also a shorter book than the other books. He also realizes that Charlie is in danger right at the end and now he is truly worried for her and has to get her. So it will be interesting to see what happens in the next book. I like how this book ended and how it gave us some insight into Lincoln’s mind.

Rating:

Four Hearts

Month 9 Books: Soulmated Release Day Celebration Blitz

I am so excited that SOULMATED by Shaila Patel releases today and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Shaila Patel, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a Perfectly Posh, Posh To Meet You Set ($20 value), US Only courtesy of Month9Books. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

Title: SOULMATED (Joining of Souls #1)

Author: Shaila Patel

Pub. Date: January 24, 2017

Publisher: Month9Books

Format: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 300

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | TBD

Two souls. One Fate.

Eighteen-year-old Liam Whelan, an Irish royal empath, has been searching for his elusive soulmate. The rare union will cement his family's standing in empath politics and afford the couple legendary powers, while also making them targets of those seeking to oust them.

Laxshmi Kapadia, an Indian-American high school student from a traditional family, faces her mother's ultimatum: Graduate early and go to medical school, or commit to an arranged marriage.

When Liam moves next door to Laxshmi, he’s immediately and inexplicably drawn to her. In Liam, Laxshmi envisions a future with the freedom to follow her heart.

Liam's father isn't convinced Laxshmi is "The One" and Laxshmi's mother won't even let her talk to their handsome new neighbor. Will Liam and Laxshmi defy expectations and embrace a shared destiny? Or is the risk of choosing one's own fate too great a price for the soulmated?

Excerpt:

My mind wandered to a vision of what Laxshmi’s eyes would look like if I kissed her. It caught me by surprise, making me cough. Grand. Now I was the one with the concentration problem. If I kept this up, I’d have a hard time blocking out my classmates’ feelings. I stretched my legs a bit and tugged at my jeans. Jaysus.

Was I thirteen again?

Keeping other people’s emotions out of my head was like blocking calls on my mobile. Normally, most empaths had about a ten- to twenty-foot reading range, so it wasn’t too taxing on me, having been an empath since childhood. Unless my concentration was shot to hell, blocking was as simple as breathing. Soon, staying open to Lucky meant she’d have her own ringtone in my head, and I’d be able to lock on to her feelings without having to do anything at all.

When the class bell rang, Lucky bent to pick up a small pile of textbooks from the floor. I hoped she wasn’t one of those geeks who carried her books around with her all day. Then again, maybe she was avoiding her locker because of me. The thought left me frowning.

As she got ready to leave, I waited for her. “Going to your locker?” I pointed at her books.

Her surprise came over to me in a gentler ripple than had her other emotions. The gentleness reminded me of a calm day on Galway Bay—the sand, small waves nipping at my toes, and the sun, glorious on my back. The surprise felt like a warm ocean spray I hadn’t been expecting.

“Yeah,” she said with a sheepish grin.

“Brilliant. I’m heading there too.”

She bit back a smile, her excitement feeling like a frothy surf tickling my toes.

When we approached the door, she rushed to catch it before it shut, almost dropping her books. Most girls would’ve stood back and waited for me to make a dash to open it, making sure I was being attentive. Lucky didn’t seem to want any such nonsense, and I felt a bit off, like I’d put my trainers on the wrong feet. I couldn’t shake the feeling of being in unchartered waters.

She stepped to the side and held the door open for me—for me—and I had to dive forward to help her steady the load of books threatening to fall.

“Here,” I said. “I’ll help you carry these—”

“No. I mean, that’s okay. You’ve got your own to carry.”

I sensed a genuine concern from her, as if she were afraid to be imposing on me, not something I’d been expecting. I stepped closer, meaning to convince her to let me help, but then her eyes snapped up and met mine. The softness and sincerity in them froze me to the spot. Lighter and more vibrant than the other brown eyes I’d forced myself to stare into—all in the name of being romantic— her eyes drew me in like a kaleidoscope, with amber and black flecks peppering her irises. A soft gasp escaped her lips, and I understood how she felt. With each blink of her long eyelashes, it felt like an eternity before I’d see her eyes again. I had a strange urge to brush my finger over the tips of her lashes.

I swallowed against the dryness in my throat. “I–I just have one book. In my bag.” Jaysus Christ. What is she doing to me? I couldn’t get sucked in. I wouldn’t. If I expected anything, it’d only turn into another disappointment.

About Shaila:

As an unabashed lover of all things happily-ever- after, Shaila’s younger self would finish reading Cinderella and fling her copy across the room because it didn’t mention what happened next. Now she writes from her home in the Carolinas and dreams up all sorts of stories with epilogues. A member of the Romance Writers of America, she’s a pharmacist by training, a medical office manager by day, and a writer by night. She enjoys traveling, craft beer, and teas, and loves reading books—especially in cozy window seats. You might find her sneaking in a few paragraphs at a red light or connecting with other readers online at: www.shailapatelauthor.com

Find Shaila:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

(1) winner will receive a Perfectly Posh, Posh To Meet You Set ($20 value), US Only.

(10) winners will receive a SOULMATED Swag Pack, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday Brunch: The Rogue You Know by Shana Galen

Title: The Rogue You Know

Author: Shana Galen

Series: Covent Garden Cubs #2

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Pub Date: September 1, 2015

Pages: 384

My Copy: Courtesy of NetGalley and Sourcebooks

Book Summary:

Gideon Harrow has spent his life in London's dark underworld-and he wants out. A thief and a con, he plans one last heist to finally win his freedom. But when everything goes wrong, he finds himself at the tender mercies of one of Society's most untouchable women-Lady Susanna Derring.

Susanna has spent her life in London's glittering ton, under the thumb of a domineering mother-and she wants out. When a wickedly charming rogue lands at her feet, she jumps at the chance to experience life before it's too late. But as she descends into London's underworld, she finds that nothing- not even Gideon-is as it seems.

Book Review:

A delightful book about two opposites finding that they have an attraction to one another. Gideon and Susanna both have desires to be free for very different reasons. I like that these two individuals grow up in a lot of ways through the book.

Susanna feels like her mother suffocates her so very much. She tells her and accompanies almost to everything. Susanna feels like she doesn’t have a voice at all. Every moment of her day is planned out, plus her mother tells her what to say and what not to say. Also to stand up straight. Everything is so rigid. She feels like she is drowning and there is no one to help her.  During a party on a trip to the bathroom, Susanna meets a woman who gives her some disturbing information about her mother’s past and Vauxhall Gardens. She wants to learn what happened in the past after hearing this information.

Gideon is trying to pawn a necklace. He is a thief and a con artist and finds himself one day in a place he never expected. Gideon finds himself at the last place and Susanna knocks him out, when she thinks he is a robber. Of course, she is surprised to see a good looking man in her library. She also takes the necklace he has on him and hides it. Gideon tries to get it back but gets roped into or blackmailed into taking her to Vauxhall Gardens. What happens is that he learns that she is nothing like what he thought she would be.

Susanna and Gideon learn a lot about each other. They also have a dog with them that somehow manages to attach to both of them. Susanna and Gideon go on quite an adventure and both of them start to fall for one another hard. Of course they get into arguments, trouble, a lot of it courtesy of Gideon’s old buddies, now enemies of his. Things happen that no one can expect. Gideon really does want Susanna, but is afraid that he will never be good enough because of his past. 

Things happen and of course, we learn a lot more towards the end of this book about Susanna’s mother and why she has been so overprotective of her daughter. It makes a lot of sense and we learn that sometimes parents do what they think is our own best interest. I really love the dynamic between Susanna and her mother at the very end. It also has been a journey of self-discovery for Susanna as she finally gains a voice for herself.

I also like how she fights for what she wants. Gideon tells her about something that happened in his past that was very traumatic. Susanna comforts him and doesn’t care about that. She wants Gideon, all of him, the good and bad. I really did like their scenes together, passionate, wonderful and full of intensity. This book did have a happily ever after, which is what you want and expect of a romance. I like the happily ever after, but sometimes it is with the person you least expect or ever thought about. Her mother also learns to let go of the past and be honest with her daughter.

Overall a great historical romance for me.

Rating:

4 Hearts

Stacking The Shelves, Bought Borrowed and Bagged, Coloring Book Updates

Stacking The Shelves is a meme hosted by Team Tynga's Reviews and Bought, Borrowed and Bagged is hosted by Braine over at Talk Supe Blog.

NetGalley/Edelweiss

Print Books

Coloring Book Haul

You can only get the Rainbow Brite Coloring Book at Hallmark, and look under the toy section, it's not in the Coloring Book Section

Mermaids, Fairies and Other Whimsical Girls

Sweet and Simple Whimsy Girls Coloring Book Update

The Official Game of Thrones Coloring Book Update

Bonus For You Guys: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Flip Through Video:

Book Review: White Heart of Justice by Jill Archer

Title: White Heart of Justice

Author: Jill Archer

Series: Noon Onyx #3

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Ace

Pub Date: May 27, 2014

Pages: 304

My Copy: E-Book From my E-Book TBR Pile

Book Summary:

Since Lucifer claimed victory at Armageddon, demons, angels, and humans have coexisted in uneasy harmony. Those with waning magic are trained to maintain peace and order. But hostilities are never far from erupting...

After years of denying her abilities, Noon Onyx, the first woman in history to wield waning magic, has embraced her power. She’s won the right to compete in the prestigious Laurel Crown Race—an event that will not only earn her the respect of her peers but also, if she wins, the right to control her future.

However, Noon’s task is nearly impossible: retrieve the White Heart of Justice, a mythical sword that disappeared hundreds of years ago. The sword is rumored to be hidden in a dangerous region of Halja that she is unlikely to return from. But Noon’s life isn’t the only thing hanging in the balance. The sword holds an awesome power that, in the wrong hands, could reboot the apocalypse—and Noon is the only one who can prevent Armageddon from starting again… 

Book Review: 

An enjoyable delight of an urban fantasy. I really love how much fun Noon and Rafe have in this adventure/quest. She wants to win the Laurel Crown Race, so she can control her own destiny. To Noon, the winner gets to choose their own career path.

I like that Noon wants to make her own way in life. This Laurel Crown Race is important because various competitors are given contests and items to retrieve if they make it to the finals. The finals are basically a race and a quest to get certain things that have gone missing or disappeared. She really feels like because of certain events that have happened and her destruction of a certain piece of their history, Noon gets a quest that she could have never expected. Yet someone was telling her about the history of this object, the White Heart of Justice. There is a lot behind this object.

So of course, Noon gets assigned to find it. Only problem the item is in hell. So getting the item is going to be a challenge. She will get an Angel to help her in retrieving the item. She picks Rafe to help her. Noon really doesn’t have a choice, because the council puts her in a position where she has no choice but to accept this or else she will get no position or future or they will assign her wherever they would like. This makes her determine to get the White Heart of Justice. Noon also learns that Ari’s mother has information about this object. Ari’s mother claims that she is the rightful owner of the White Heart. She also has letters that Noon is going to need as they might provide her information and clues as to what to do.

During the course of the journey, Noon and Rafe start to talk about things. Also Rafe tells Noon that he wishes that he had spoke to her sooner about his feelings for her. They also talk about Rafe feeling guilty about his brothers death, yet Rafe doesn’t know a secret that Noon is keeping from him. She doesn’t tell him that Ari is his half brother, so there are things that both of them know, but don’t. They instead focus on the clues and information that was given to them by Ari’s mother. They learn a lot. Rafe comes out and tells Noon that he wishes that she would have given him a chance. 

There is a lot of action. Noon learns things about herself in the course. A lot of crazy twists and turns. Plus she gets a new pet in the course of this book after her crazy trip. People tried to tell her certain things, but Noon can be stubborn and she has to do things her way. This book took some interesting developments and also Noon learns to concede some things and how to give in at times, but she gives in. Also she learns how to compromise and learn how to move forward with her life. Love the ending with Ari and how she is going to  be working for him at her new post.

This was a great third book with all the action and puzzle solving. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Rating:

Four Hearts

YA Book Review: Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

Title: Wayfarer

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Series: Passenger #2

Genre: Young Adult Time Travel

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Pub Date: January 3, 2017

Pages: 532

My Copy: Hardcover that I bought

Book Summary:

All Etta Spencer wanted was to make her violin debut when she was thrust into a treacherous world where the struggle for power could alter history. After losing the one thing that would have allowed her to protect the Timeline, and the one person worth fighting for, Etta awakens alone in an unknown place and time, exposed to the threat of the two groups who would rather see her dead than succeed. When help arrives, it comes from the last person Etta ever expected—Julian Ironwood, the Grand Master’s heir who has long been presumed dead, and whose dangerous alliance with a man from Etta’s past could put them both at risk. 

Meanwhile, Nicholas and Sophia are racing through time in order to locate Etta and the missing astrolabe with Ironwood travelers hot on their trail. They cross paths with a mercenary-for-hire, a cheeky girl named Li Min who quickly develops a flirtation with Sophia. But as the three of them attempt to evade their pursuers, Nicholas soon realizes that one of his companions may have ulterior motives. 

As Etta and Nicholas fight to make their way back to one another, from Imperial Russia to the Vatican catacombs, time is rapidly shifting and changing into something unrecognizable… and might just run out on both of them.

Book Review: 

A fantastic sequel that i loved from start to finish. What I love about this book is that there is a lot more at stake in this book, the timeline is in danger and that a lot of people are after every one of our three main characters. We get a lot more humor in this book as well.

One of the things that I really enjoyed more in this book was Sophia. Sophia who annoyed me so much in the first book, became one of the more fun characters. She definitely had some of the best comebacks in this book with so many different and new characters that both her and Nicholas come back. I also like how they are trying to find Etta but don’t realize that Etta is on her own journey as well. Etta also gets to meet some interesting people. She gets to meet Julian Ironwood and finally meets her father. Her father is not what I thought he would be. He is actually an interesting character in his own right.

There were a lot of things that happened during the journey as we are time traveling with both sets of our time travelers. They get to meet some famous people from history like Nicholas the II of Russia. I thought that this was one of the most interesting parts of the book, as Nicholas was a very important person in world history and Russian history. I thought the moment that Etta, her father, Nicholas all played together seemed really like one of those moments where it was just pure enjoyment on all of these characters.

Sophia and Nicholas also have a journey where they meet two characters who seem to put the two of them in quite bad spots literally. I really hated Belladonna who really wants Cyrus Ironwood dead and decides to blackmail Nicholas into killing him. Belladonna has also injected poison into the ring and Nicholas can’t take it off or he will die because of the poison, so he now has no choice. Also history can change if they do anything drastic as Nicholas, Sophia and even Etta learn unfortunately.

Things happen to every character that you don’t expect. They are also 

not expecting to be hunted by certain groups and the reasons are all about the astrolobe. So sometimes our characters also go to time periods and learn that history has changed. So their lives go to an alternate timeline at certain periods. I thought that this was important because it meant that they have to stop Ironwood.

Stopping Cyrus Ironwood sounds easy, but every character realizes that if they kill him, they might disappear and go back to their original timeline or something worse if they don’t. They also have to be careful of when they kill him in a certain time period. There a lot of bad things and twists that you don’t expect. I certainly loved the way this book ended. It was a very unique twist, but on someone else. Also love how Etta and Nicholas found a way to be together.

A great sequel that I loved.

Rating:

4.5 Hearts

Stacking The Shelves, Bought, Borrowed and Bagged, Coloring Book Updates

Stacking The Shelves is a meme hosted by Team Tynga's Reviews and Bought, Borrowed and Bagged is hosted by Braine over at Talk Supe Blog.

Note: I've been so sick, that I haven't been able to do much. So this is what came in this week. Some of the coloring pictures took me like a month, like the Alice in Wonderland...because I work in multiple coloring books at the same time.

NetGalley/Edelweiss

Print Book Haul and Adult Coloring Book Haul

E-Books Gotten

365 Days of Mindful Coloring

Alice in Wonderland Coloring Book

Creative Christmas Coloring Book Update:

Debbie Macomber's Come Home to Color Coloring Book Update
Note: This is the final image in the coloring book

Mermaids, Fairies, and Other Whimiscal Girls Coloring Book Update:

The Calm Coloring Book Update: