Saturday, August 26, 2017

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




Coloring Book Haul







Won These Two Books and Two Pens from You Tuber Jada Clark



Enchanted Fairies Coloring Book Update:



Fantasy Faces Coloring Book Update


Foxes and Fairies Coloring Book Update


Jade Summer's Grimm's Fairy Tales



Rhapsody in the Forest Coloring Book Update



Romantic Country I Coloring Book



Wednesday, August 23, 2017

YA Book Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Title: Stalking Jack The Ripper
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Series: Stalking Jack the Ripper #1
Genre: Young Adult Mystery. Young Adult Horror
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson-division of Little Brown 
Pub Date: September 20, 2016
Pages: 326
My Copy: Digital Book on my Kindle

Book Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world. 

Book Review:

A very good book that has you guessing right from the beginning and keeps you absorbed. Love how Audrey Rose grows as a young woman and person. I like how we are given a mystery and things need to get solve.


I like that Audrey Rose Wadsworth is not like other girls of her time. She is very different in a time when women were not given that many opportunities because of the time period. Audrey is actually assisting her uncle in dissecting dead bodies. She thinks this is an opportunity for her to learn and pursue her interests in medicine and not have to worry her brother or father, or her aunt even when she comes to visit. Things happen that she has to be aware of. We learn that someone is killing women and that they are at first of a certain economic status.

We also learn that Audrey has to disguise herself as a boy when she attends her uncle’s lectures during his class lecture. So during the lecture, Audrey meets Thomas, the boy who had informed her uncle of more murders and that this might be the work of the serial killer. I also like how her two worlds, start to collide in ways she doesn’t expect.

Audrey and Thomas begin a spirited debate on why this serial killer is picking the women he does for various reasons. Then we later find out that the killer has started removing organs. What happens is something very interesting. Audrey has a brother, Nathaniel and her father starts not to be well. So when her father leaves to get some rest in the country home, her aunt comes to help make sure Audrey behaves like a young woman of her standing. She does like getting new clothes and decides to play it very good.

I also like how things get more intense and surprising when her uncle is accused of being the ripper. So this makes her father and brother really upset and they forbid her to pursue anymore medical studies or even try to help his brother and their uncle. Yet things get more intense as more women are dying and Jack as he now has identified himself is getting more bold and somewhat more grotesque. There also seems to be a connection forming with Thomas and Audrey as they are trying to decipher clues…

These clues lead to some scary conclusions and things you don’t expect. Also Jack writing a letter that helps clear her uncle’s name leads to some other disturbing things about her family and their past. Things she never even knew about. I also like how Thomas is there for Audrey when something goes wrong or her assumptions are accurate. He also protects her as well and doesn’t let her do stupid things. I feel like Thomas really cares about Audrey and his feelings seem genuine. They have to work together for a lot of reasons. I thought it was well done.

The twist at the end of this book really was unexpected and not what I thought it was going to be. What happens near the end was totally a surprise. We find out who Jack the Ripper is and it was someone that Audrey knew or thought she knew. We learn this family member kept a lot of secrets and this went back to her mother’s death. What ensues is absolute chaos, a sad but tragic death and somehow a new future. 

Audrey and Thomas are going somewhere new and exciting. To a medical school abroad. Plus this makes things much more interesting to see what’s ahead in book 2 of this series. 

Rating:


Four Hearts

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Stacking The Shelves, Bought, Borrowed and Bagged, Coloring Book Updates (Went Crazy Again)

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










Creative Haven Magical Landscapes Coloring Book


Creative Haven Ornamental Fashions Coloring Book


Rhapsody in the Forest Coloring Book



Summer Nights Coloring Book




Thursday, August 17, 2017

Book Review: Only With You by Lauren Layne

Title: Only With You
Author: Lauren Layne
Series: The Best Mistake
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Forever
Pub Date: July 29, 2014
Pages: 260
My Copy: Courtesy of NetGalley and Forever 

Book Summary: 

Love is the Biggest Gamble of All . . . 

Cocktail waitress Sophie Dalton doesn't exactly have a life plan. She's perfectly happy being everyone's favorite party girl. But when a Las Vegas bachelorette party goes awry and an uptight businessman mistakes Sophie for a prostitute . . . well, Sophie wonders if it's time to reevaluate her priorities. Swearing off her thigh-high boots for good, Sophie slinks back home with damaged pride-and a jackpot of a hangover.

Yet what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay there. On a trip to Seattle to open a new office, Grayson Wyatt meets his latest employee-who turns out to be the same woman he recently called a hooker. Wealthy and gorgeous, Gray is a man used to getting what he wants. And it doesn't take long to figure out that smart, sassy, sexy Sophie is everything he's been looking for. As their late nights at the office turn into hot morning-afters, they realize their Vegas misunderstanding may lead to the real thing . . .

Book Review:

This was an awesome book filled with a lot of surprises that I found great. I really found myself loving Sophie as a heroine & what she goes through in the book, definitely makes you like her even more. The relationships she has with everyone in her life changes as she changes. I totally found myself liking the romance between her and Grayson.

I found the very first meeting between Sophie and Grayson to be one that you could totally find in real life. Things are mighty interesting. She dresses up very sexy and finds herself stuck in an elevator with a very handsome stranger who thinks she is a prostitute and that of course enrages her. She really finds that this stranger has insulted her. Of course this is in Las Vegas and Sophie finds that she hopes to never see this guy again. Things don’t work out that way at all.

Sophie always is in some ways trying to find herself and what she wants out of life. She finds that her sister Brynn can do no wrong at least in her parents eyes. Brynn is so sickeningly perfect at times, I think. Sophie I think feels like she is always never going to measure up to Brynn. So when Brynn bring homes a boyfriend, it turns out that it was the guy who assumed she was a prostitute. This leads to some mighty interesting things happening. Of course during this family dinner, Brynn convinces Gray to hire Sophie, since Sophie had gone to law school supposedly. He does so begrudgingly.

I totally found it so ironic that Gray feels nothing for Brynn, but feels a deep attraction for Sophie. He finds that Sophie is a really good asset to have around the firm. She helps him with one of his most difficult client. It helps to soothe any nerves. He also finds that Sophie is a very capable secretary. She dresses very professional. Gray feels like that Sophie might be like Jessica, his ex-girlfriend who things didn’t work out. He is very stiff and not trusting of women. I like that this issue gets addressed, as it helps us understand who he is as an individual and why he is the way that he is towards Sophie at times.

The progression of the book was well paced and thought out. I also like how they explore the possibility of another couple as well. Brynn and Will were interesting as they both are total opposites and Brynn thinks that Will would be a huge mistake. Brynn doesn’t understand why Gray and her didn’t work. She is beginning to question things about her own life.

The relationship between Sophie and Gray definitely changes and develops into something very different. I think the fact that they learn what they need to be better through each other. The work environment also makes things more interesting. Plus the way Sophie and Gray get on each other’s nerves and how they both confront one another about things. Sophie has never been able to stick anything long term and Gray feels like he isn’t good with people. His people skills quite frankly suck. Sophie challenges him in ways he needs. I think their romance was great and their love scene was terrific. I do enjoy that they have realistic fights and issues. Yet, they find their happiness.

Rating:


4.5 Hearts

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Stacking The Shelves, Bought Borrowed and Bagged, In L.A. Right Now

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'm in Los Angeles Right Now visiting my brother and sister in law as we are celebrating the upcoming birth of my niece. So this haul is everything up to  Wed night.

                                                      NetGalley/Edelweiss

                                                                    



No Print Books, E-Books, or New Coloring Books this Week as this is only up to Wednesday....


Art Over Madness Coloring Book Update


Creative Haven Alice In Wonderland Designs


Jasmine Beckett Griffith Coloring Book



Sagor Och Sagnor Coloring Book Update



Seasons Coloring Book Update




Steampunk Fashions Coloring Book



Tuesday, August 8, 2017

YA Review (ARC) Secret of Souls by Aubrie Nixon

Title: Secret of Souls
Author: Aubrie Nixon
Series: Age of Endings #1
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Shadow Wolf Press
Pub Date: November 24, 2017
Pages: 247
My Copy: Advanced Reader Copy that I picked up at Book Expo America

Book Summary:

The Empire of Lucent has stood for centuries as a beacon of strength and light. But now an otherworldly realm has unleashed an army of nightmarish creatures upon the peaceful empire, spreading a lethal plague called The Decay which consumes its victims mercilessly from the inside out.

The king of the Empire of Lucent calls upon “Lady of Death” Zephera Travelle—an infamous assassin with a weakness for braided cinnamon bread and a striking aptitude for murder and mayhem. He sends her on an impossible quest to find the one person who can concoct a cure and save the realm from total annihilation. Together with her best friend Zadkiel, mage extraordinaire Brenner, girly city-guard Oriana, and broody warrior Daegan, she embarks on a journey that will test her wits, will, and sanity. Along the way, she discovers that no one—and nothing—is as it seems, including herself. 

Book Review:

This was an enjoyable fantasy to read. I totally found myself enjoying Zephyra and her companions. It had some major surprises and twists in a way that I didn’t see coming. I really found myself liking this story.

We begin this book with our main character Zephyra hunting something for her boss, a stag. The stag proves to be difficult and we learn that there is some kind of plague now on the loose and she sees a horrible creature, fights it and it gets something on her. Zephyra, thinks she is going to be sick or become one of these creatures. We learn that she is immune. This is going to be an interesting thing.

Zephyra, finds out that there is much more that her boos, Belem hasn’t told her. There is a lot of her past she doesn’t know. All she knows is that she is immune and there is something that she must do. We get to meet some of the other people who will be going on this journey to find a person, who might have a cure and answers that Zephyra and her group of companions will need to why the realms are starting to fade and these creatures are coming into our world. We learn that there is an evil sorceress, she is trying to get into Zephyra’s head and tell her things. Daegan can be a bit of a jerk at times. Yet we find out that Daegan is also immune. So this makes things a bit more interesting as there is some chemistry between them, but we find that Zephyra and Zadkiel are now in a relationship. This relationship between them is going very well. The other characters at times got on my nerves, but they prove to be useful at times. 

So while on the journey, they get to meet some interesting people and go to very interesting places to get objects and information. We learn that not everybody has the same agenda in mind. Zadkiel is very much in love with Zephyra and this is going to cause some issues later on in the book. Daegan is also immune because he has lived through several lifetimes we learn. We also learn in the previous cycles that he knew Zephyra as a different person. This will be important later on in the book.

I love how all the challenges and obstacles that are put in our heroes way. We all learn what each character is good at. Plus they all start to work as a team. Then things happen, some characters get hurt. Then we learn that not everything is at it seems. Zadkiel gets offered to drink something so that he will be able to help Zephyra when the time comes to help her. We also learn that a powerful sorceress has more ties to Zephyra more than she ever thought.

There are so many twists and turns you can’t even imagine. Relationships change in so many ways. People have reasons for doing the things that they do. Then something happens that you don’t see coming. We learn right near the end that Zephyra, Daegan and the sorceress all formed a pact in a former life. Zephyra is definitely shocked by this turn of events. She doesn’t want to believe it. Zadkiel is disgusted by what Zephyra did in her former life. Crazy things happen. Unbelievable hurt & pain ensues. A lot of awesome fights occur in this book. Plus there is an incredible display of magic. 

We think the end is near for Zephyra, as her father, we will learn right near the end of her book is someone very powerful indeed. He is about to sentence her to death, when her old boss opens a portal  to another dimension and Zephyra chooses to go to the darkness completely. It definitely was a shocker to say the least.  I liked the cliffhanger in this book a lot.

Rating:


4 Hearts

Saturday, August 5, 2017

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 BOOKS

                                                                   Nothing

                                                           E-BOOKS GOTTEN







                                                          Chibi Girls by Jade Summer



Fantasia by Nicholas F. /Nicholas C.



Fantasy Faces by Molly Harrison




Magical Dawn by Hanna Karlzon 


Steampunk Fairyland by Deborah Muller