Tag: ARC Reviews

The Empress (Towerfall #1) by Kristen Cast

4 Stars

Hard to get into the story

But I continued to the end.  The beginning of the book introduces us to Hannah, from Chicago, and Kane Blackthorne of Towerfall from the Kingdom of Pentacles.  Hannah is not a normal, run of the mill working class woman, she is having issues at work with a co-worker who takes credit for others work including hers, and a breakup with her boyfriend.  As she walks homeward and passes a storefront offering Tarot readings, Hannah is given a card, The Empress.  Which promptly deposits her into Towerfall where she is accused of being a witch and nearly killed.  Saved by Kane, Hannah makes a deal with him to help the Kingdom from being destroyed in exchange for his assistance in finding The Empress card which she’s lost so she can return to Chicago.

Confusing?  Just a bit, but this book caught me by being the first in a series that uses Tarot as real characters and places.   Our main female character, Hannah, doesn’t seem to be in her 20s, she is more like a 16–17-year-old high school student.  Hannah grows a little through the story and finally acts almost her age by the end of the book.  Kane is older than her and has more life experiences, which make his character more interesting, but he could have been much more developed in the story. 

I did enjoy the book after about the halfway point, but the ending seemed to be rushed.  I hope the author, Kristin Cast, works harder to leave the Young Adult writing that keeps this book from being more satisfying to adult readers.  Using the Tarot as important characters is something I’ve never read before and can give this series a distinctive edge over other books.  I look forward to reading the next book. 

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and this is my honest opinion. 

The Duchess Takes It All by Michelle McLean

5 Stars

An Outsider in Society

This story features a newly widowed Duchess of Clevesly, Tamsin Palmer, who is the daughter of a merchant.  She has a toddler whom she adores, her deceased husband not so much.  Being an outcast in high society is not easy, and to make matters harder, her husband had appointed a co-guardian for the son, the German Count of Rauchberg Christian august.  The story of the two of them is interesting and well written, a little slow in the middle, but an enjoyable book.  Michelle McLean does a great job of giving the details of both London society and German city-states political stresses.  The characters were written mostly in the time period the story is set in, and the author did a wonderful job of keeping Tasmin within the constraints of the period.  I have read other books by her that were set in the American West and enjoyed them also.  Ms. McLean does a thorough job of detailing the environment that surrounds her characters.  I’m looking forward to reading more books that she has written.

I received an ARC of the book through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

The Mirror (Lost Bride Trilogy #2) by Nora Roberts

5 Stars

Another Excellent Read!

Continuing on with Book 2, Sonya, Trey, Cleo, and Owen have more challenges to meet in dealing with the Evil that is residing in the mansion that Sonya has inherited.  To get the best experience the reader should read the books in order starting with The Inheritance.

With intricate plotting, great characters, wonderful world building and as always near perfect Grammer, Nora Roberts has written another outstanding book. Cannot wait for the final book!

I received an ARC of the book through NetGalley, and this is my honest opinion.

Dark Heart (Elven Kingdoms Book 2) by Donna Grant

5 Stars

Interesting and involved.

This is Book 2 in the Elven Kingdoms series, which is part of Donna Grant’s much larger Dark Universe.  This series deals with multiple types of Elves located on the planet Zora, so each books spends time explaining the Eves involved.  Our two main characters, female Arya and male Jai, both are Dark Elves looking for vengeance.  Secondary characters supporting Arya are her mentor Dain, and mates Yasmine and Ravi.  Jai, and his best friend, a female named Priya are tied to an evil group called the Masters, which sets up the underlying plot.  Donna Grant takes these characters and these plot points and weaves an intricate and compelling read.  Detailed enough to make the reader feel the betrayals and darkness but with enough violence to give it realism, and hope that the characters will survive.  While slow in spots, the story moves along in a steady stream to the conclusion.  Well written with good characterizations, I enjoyed this second book dealing with mostly the Dark Elves. 

I was given an ARC by the author through BookFunnel, and this is my honest opinion.

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst

4 Stars

Loved the ending.

I wanted to read this book because it’s set in North Carolina on the Outer Banks (OBX) and touches on the wild horses located around Corolla.  After visiting the area, I am familiar with both the location and the horses. Both were treated accurately.   Our two main characters are Aspen Lourde, a writer of one best selling fiction book that was based on her breakup with her boyfriend, and Brick Babel who has returned to the OBX to run a horse tours business he’s inherited from his grandfather.  Side characters include Aspen’s sister Sierra who lives on the Outer Banks, and Brick’s best friend Kane who arrives late in the story, along with others who provide interest and color.  Aspen is desperately trying to write a follow-up to her first book using the plot of a fake boyfriend, which turns into real feelings and then a break-up. 

While the writing is excellent, the middle part of the book dragged for me.  It seemed to repeatedly cover the same themes, with Aspen becoming more and more desperate to write the follow up to her first best seller. A plus is that Brick is also given a voice which I find lacking in other books.  Knowing more about his history and his thoughts did add to this slow part.  Once the plot has moved to the last quarter of the book the story picks up and brought me back into the story, and the ending is excellent. 

Both main characters are well developed, maybe Aspen to much so, and the secondary characters detailed enough for the reader to care about them also.  Along with a dog, who plays an important part, the parts about the horses ring true to their existence on the Outer Banks.  This would have been a 5 Star read for me, except for the middle, which slowed down the story.  I like Jennifer Probst’s writing and have already found the next book by her to read.  And hopefully, she’ll write more set in the OBX.

I was given and ARC of this book through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Death at a Scottish Christmas (A Scottish Isle Mystery Book 3) by Lucy Connelly

5 Stars

Great Series set in Scotland

In this well written series set in Sea Isle, Scotland we continue to follow former Seattle Emergency Room Doctor Emilia McRoy as she continues to become comfortable with her new position of Town Doctor and Coroner.  This 3rd book is set a few months after she’s arrived and is now settling into her position and the home and office provided by the Laird and Town Constable Ewan Campbell in a former church.  A complete cast of characters is now present with well created backstories.  A tension between Emilia and Ewan is secondary still to the mystery of the death of a Sea Isle born Rock star.  This enjoyable series only has gotten better and better with each book written by Lucy Connelly.  Wonderful details of the town and its inhabitants combine with the American born Doctor and Scottish Laird who are both trying to do just what the small-town needs.  Each book builds upon the previous one, so for the best experience read from the beginning.  Death at a Scottish Christmas could be read as a standalone but will give the reader a few What? and How? and Why? if read that way.  I’m looking forward to additional books by Ms. Connelly.

I was given an ARC of the book by NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens

4 Stars

More than a Romance.

Thinking about this book, I really enjoyed reading it.  The story features two writers, Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm.  Both are Native American, and while Neil has broken into the field of most popular writers, Penelope has not.  The two had a public argument at a book convention on how they treat writing about their culture, and since that Penelope has had writer’s block.  So, she decides to attend a writer’s workshop being held in Scotland in a supposedly haunted castle.  From this beginning, the plot develops into a ghostly mystery with no visible ghosts with a slow to develop romance.  Colby Wilkens did a great job of creating two main characters and two supporting characters who are believable.  The plot is straightforward in moving Pen and Neil from antagonism to a believable friendship.  I have not seen another book that combines a mystery and a romance as the most important elements, but the author makes this work.  A bit of Paranormal is worked into the story, but it adds to the main mystery.  Hopefully the author will write more in this crossover style.

I received and ARC of the book from NetGalley, and this is my honest opinion.  

The Bastard King (The Bastard Duology #1) by Donna Grant

5 Stars

An amazing story….

This is book 1 of a duology, but it’s really a part of a much bigger set of books that are all a part of Donna Grant’s Dark Universe.  This particular book features Derek, a Dragon who is not a part of Donna’s regular Dragons.  This separation is what makes this story so different from the others.  We know nothing about him, except his thoughts and memories.  Our second main character is Kora who isn’t human but tries to appear so.  They are on the planet, or realm as they call it, Zora where there are Dragons, Humans, Fae, and Star People.  If you haven’t read any of the other books in this series, you will have questions.  Donna Grant is an exceptional writer, and it would be worth your time to read the other books, at least in this part of her Universe first.  But this book!  It is an intricate weaving of so many bits and pieces and interwoven characters that I didn’t want to stop reading.  Our two main characters are not what a dedicated reader would expect, but this gives us so many new and interesting plot points that I can’t wait for the 2nd book to be released.  As always, Donna’s writing is masterful, with grammar and storyline well done.  Her characterizations are always fresh and insightful.  Take the time to read the series of books, and this one will be a favorite.  I would say that this book is on par with Darkest Flame, Hot Blooded, Fire Rising, and Torched.  This book is escapism at its best.

I received an ARC of the book from the Author and BookFunnel, and this is my honest opinion.

Still of the Night (Skye Druids Book 5) by Donna Grant

5 Stars

Oh, my word!

This is book 5 in the continuing series of Skye Druids, and in a much larger collection of books that Ms. Grant has written in her Dark Universe.  Centering on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, our two main characters, Ariah who is a Druid who get her magic from forests, and Killian Flanaghan who is human but vacationed every year in summer with his family on Skye.  They grew up together, fell in love, and then Killian left to pursue a career in his family’s business as a lawyer.    

This book is very complex, with backstories given for both Ariah and Killian.  Everything Donna Grant writes is necessary to follow the twists and turns that surround Ariah and Killian, and also to add to the previous books with the supporting characters who may have been main characters in earlier books, and others who will be main characters in future books.  Also, the author continues to fill out the “evil” side that is on Skye, Edinburgh, and now London too.  I enjoyed this book so much because Donna provides so much information in her writing and doesn’t loose the threads of the story, she is telling with Still of the Night but also the prior books in this series.  For the reader, your best experience with this wonderful series is to read the earlier books in this series, the Skye Druids.  If you are a reader who wants to know about all the characters that are featured in this book, I would suggest getting Donna Grant’s Reading Order of her Dark Universe and start with Dangerous Highlander where you’ll meet a Warrior. 

Still of the Night is well written, with characters that are multi-layered and well developed.  The plotting is consistent with the prior books storyline, and the supporting characters are a bonus to this story.  I can’t say enough about Donna Grant and her storytelling ability and how she continues to manage to bring new original characters to her books.  You can read this as a standalone but know that there are more to most of the secondary characters than what is written in this book.  5 Outstanding Stars for this exceptional book!

I received an ARC of this book through the author and BookFunnel, and this is my honest opinion.

De-Witched (Toil and Trouble Book 2) by Sophie H. Morgan

5 Stars

A hidden secret

Book 2 in the Toil and Trouble series can be read as a standalone.  Some characters from the first book are in this one, but they are explained in this book if you’d not read book 1.  Our main character is Leah Turner, human, with two best friends who are witches and use magic around Leah so she knows about it.  Our second main character is Gabriel Goodnight, warlock, from on of the highest families.  Leah and Gabriel meet, and this book tells the story of a non-magical outgoing friendly woman and a magical self-centered grumpy man and how this changes both of them. 

Sophie Morgan has written a fun book, with well developed characters and a good plot.  Easy to read and follow, I enjoyed this book and hope she continues to write about these characters she’s created. 

I was given an ARC of the book by NetGalley, and this is my honest opinion.