Friday, March 15, 2024

This Was a Disappointment I Didn't Expect

 

TITLE: Episode Thirteen
AUTHOR: Craig DiLouie
PUBLISHER: Redhook
PUBLISHING DATE: January 24, 2023
PAGES: 437   
SOURCE: Own


FROM GOODREADS: Fade to Black is the newest hit ghost hunting reality TV show. Led by husband-and-wife team Matt and Claire Kirklin, it delivers weekly hauntings investigated by a dedicated team of ghost hunting experts. Episode Thirteen takes them to every ghost hunter's holy grail: the Paranormal Research Foundation. This brooding, derelict mansion holds secrets and clues about bizarre experiments that took place there in the 1970s. It's also famously haunted, and the team hopes their scientific techniques and high-tech gear will prove it. But as the house begins to reveal itself to them, proof of an afterlife might not be everything Matt dreamed of. A story told in broken pieces, in tapes, journals, and correspondence, this is the story of Episode Thirteen -- and how everything went terribly, horribly wrong.

MY THOUGHTS: I've wanted to read this book ever since I first heard of it and had a thrifted copy on my shelves for over 8-9 months. I was almost sure I would love it because one, it's horror and two, it's told in epistolary format.  Man was I ever wrong.

The book features a Matt and Claire who are married and host the first series of a ghost hunting TV show.  The season is coming to an end, and they hope to go out with a big bang and score an infamous site for their final episode of the year.  While Matt loves what he does, Claire is actually a scientist who spends all her time debunking paranormal activity when she would rather make her mark in the scientific world.  When the team actually starts to experience things they cannot explain, things start to shift.  Claire becomes obsessed with the house and its history, some crew members start acting odd, and one is running scared.  Can they secure a second season and if they do, will anyone still be around to film it?

I really disliked most of these characters but will admit it was fun cheering some of them on to their demise.  Claire was tolerable until she became weirdly obsessed with house and for some reason, I also liked the cameraman.  Kevin, a retired police officer in my opinion was a stereotype off a lot of bad things you hear about cops, and Jessica, the one real actress in the show, was ok.  Actually, not sure her name is actually Jessica.  I guess a found-footage book just didn't work for me like movies of this type usually do.  

If you love horror, ghost hunting and creepy settings, this book will probably work for you.  Most of our book club liked it, I just wasn't one of them, which really stinks because I thought for sure it would be a winner.  I still have a few books by this author I want to read, and this one didn't put me off from trying additional titles in the future. Hopefully if you pick it up, it will work for you.

MY RATING: 2 PAWS


Thursday, March 14, 2024

I Felt Like I Was Sinking on the High Seas!

 

TITLE: Hunt on Dark Waters (Crimson Sails #1))
AUTHOR: Katee Robert
PUBLISHER: Berkley
PUBLISHING DATE: November 7, 2023
PAGES: 320   
SOURCE: Library


FROM GOODREADS: Evelyn is a witch with a perfect storm of impulses: terrible taste in bed partners, sticky fingers, and a lust for danger. After she steals from her vampire ex and falls through a portal to another realm, she’s fished out of the waters by a band of seafarers and their telekinetic captain. She’s immediately given a choice—join their group or die. 
Bowen has no memory of his life before he became one of the Cŵn Annwn. He and his pirate crew are bound by vow to patrol through Threshold, the magical sea in between realms, keeping the portals to other worlds safe. When he rescues Evelyn, he doesn’t expect to be attracted to the unflappably brassy pickpocket. The longer he spends in her presence, the more he begins to question if his heart is the next thing she’ll steal. 
But as tension heats up between Bowen and Evelyn, danger escalates as well. Because Evelyn has no intention of keeping her vows to the Cŵn Annwn, and if she betrays the crew, both she and Bowen will pay the ultimate price....

MY THOUGHTS: This freaking book took me over two months to read.  For a 320-page book that isn't non-fiction, that's unheard of in my world.  But hear me out, I don't think it was the book's fault.  It was a physical loan from the library and one that I picked up here and there between other things. I'd read a chapter or two, sit it down and move on.  This past week it was making me feel slumpy, so I made a commitment to finish and I'm glad to report the overall result was really interesting read that definitely has me interested in the next installment.

Evelyn is a witch who is having a fling, for lack of better words, with a powerful vampire. Things go wrong one evening and to escape Lizzie's mother, Evelyn jumps through a portal and lands in Threshold, a completely different land.  The only problem is she took many of her lover's precious and expensive jewelry with her.  Evelyn lands in the middle of the sea and is rescued by Bowen, captain of the Crimson Hag.  Sparks fly and soon Evelyn has Bowen questioning his purpose in Threshold, which centers around killing mythical and magical creatures on demand without question.  Evelyn is trying to get back to her world while managing to stay alive.  Can she do so without leaving her heart behind and what will happen when Lizzie catches up with her.

I really liked Evelyn's character.  She is pretty carefree and reckless, but she has heart and spunk.  She is also quite comical at times and a expert thief, which sometimes gets her into a lot of trouble.  Bowen is don't-ask-questions kind of guy who takes orders from the
 Cŵn Annwn without thinking of the overall consequences or why he is being asked to do certain things.  Evelyn makes him start questioning this which in my mind was a good thing.  

This book has some fairly spicy scenes, and it was definitely interesting to see magic infused into them.  I've read another book by the author, so I knew what to expect but I think her scenes throw some people off. There are tons of pirate action throughout and never a dull moment which really makes me question why it took me so long to finish. Basically, that alone took away one rating paw but overall, I loved Hunt on Dark Waters and am looking forward to the next installment in the series.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS


Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Feed Your TBR - Long Live Evil (Time of Iron #1)

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.



July 30, 2024

FROM GOODREADS: When her whole life collapsed, Rae still had books. Dying, she seizes a second chance at living: a magical bargain that lets her enter the world of her favorite fantasy series.

She wakes in a castle on the edge of a hellish chasm, in a kingdom on the brink of war. Home to dangerous monsters, scheming courtiers and her favorite fictional character: the Once and Forever Emperor. He’s impossibly alluring, as only fiction can be. And in this fantasy world, she discovers she's not the heroine, but the villainess in the Emperor's tale.

So be it. The wicked are better dressed, with better one-liners, even if they're doomed to bad ends. She assembles the wildly disparate villains of the story under her evil leadership, plotting to change their fate. But as the body count rises and the Emperor's fury increases, it seems Rae and her allies may not survive to see the final page.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I love a good villain and the idea of entering a new world through a book intrigues the book lover in me. 

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK????

Monday, March 11, 2024

Who Knew I'd Enjoy a Golf-Centered Book

 

TITLE: Fangirl Down (Big Shots #1)
AUTHOR: Tessa Bailey
PUBLISHER: Avon
PUBLISHING DATE: February 13, 2024
PAGES: 380   
SOURCE: Library


FROM GOODREADS: Wells Whitaker was once golf’s hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his “promising” career is a killer hangover, a collection of broken clubs, and one remaining supporter. No matter how bad he plays, the beautiful, sunny redhead is always on the sidelines. He curses, she cheers. He scowls, she smiles. But when Wells quits in a blaze of glory and his fangirl finally goes home, he knows he made the greatest mistake of his life. 
Josephine Doyle believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn’t believe in himself. Yet after he throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money. And considering Josephine’s professional and personal life is in shambles, she could really use the cash… 
As they travel together, spending days on the green and nights in neighboring hotel rooms, sparks fly. Before long, they’re inseparable, Wells starts winning again, and Josephine is surprised to find a sweet, thoughtful guy underneath his gruff, growly exterior. This hot man wants to brush her hair, feed her snacks, and take bubble baths together? Is this real life? But Wells is technically her boss and an athlete falling for his fangirl would be ridiculous… right?

MY THOUGHTS: I absolutely could not get into the first 50 or so pages of this book so imagine my surprise when I ended up loving it.  This is exactly why I have such a hard time DNF'ing a book.  I considered it with this one and if I had, I would have missed out on something I really loved!

Joey has always worked at her family's golf pro shop in Florida and secretly has dreams to amp it up to being the best in the state.  She lives, eats and breathes golf and loves following her favorite golfer, Wells Whittaker. Wells is the resident bad boy of golf and his negative attitude is quickly tanking his career.  He finds his number one fan extremely irritating until a hurricane ruins her shop and she lands in a predicament that only he may be able to help her with.  Together they team up and Joey becomes Wells' caddie.  She wants to help him revitalize his career and save her shop, as well as her health insurance.  Wells doesn't know what he wants from Joey, but he soon finds out it's much more to her than her annoying behavior.

While I thought Wells was a grade-A jerk, he quickly grew on me once the author helped me understand what made him tick.  And overall, this is a grumpy sunshine trope at its best.  I think what helped sell me on this book is how the author handled Joey's Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis.  The book really showed everything Joey did to manage her health and some of the decisions she had to make regarding it on a day-to-day basis.  Add in Wells' response to finding out Joey's diagnosis and everything just seemed to click. Of course, I also loved the banter between the two.

This book contains quite a bit of spice so if that isn't your thing, then you might bow out of this one.  Of course, if you've read Bailey's past books, you probably know what to expect.  I also think Wells comes across pretty cavemanish at times which might make some people hesitant but rest assured, it all plays out in the end. I would recommend this to any rom-com lovers as well as the tried-and-true Bailey fans.  Book #2 features hockey but I sure hope there is a football one planned somewhere because golf isn't the sport for me, but I loved this one, nonetheless.

MY RATING: 5 PAWS


Friday, March 8, 2024

Reading "Firsts" for 2024

I saw this tag over at Books, Bones & Buffy this week when Tammy did.  She credits girlxoxo for creating it.  I thought it looked fun so I'm jumping in with me answers as well! 


First Book Read in 2024


I am glad I held off and didn't read this one until AFTER Christmas.  It really isn't a Christmas read as it advertises and that's probably one of the reasons it worked for me.

First Review of 2024


This technically isn't my first review of the year but I didn't want to feature the Tessa Bailey book twice so here is the second one!

First Debut Read in 2024


I just read this one over the past weekend and will definitely be looking out for what this author writes next.

First "New to Me" Author of 2024


Reading this Kimberly Lemming book was so much fun.  And my hold just arrived for the second one last night!

First Book of 2024 that Slayed Me


When I say this book broke me, I mean I sobbed!

First Book of 2024 That I Wish I Could Get Back the Time I Spent Reading It


Is anyone really shocked here?  I'm not.

First 5 Paw Read of 2024


This book was so good it deserves to be mentioned twice.


So how has your reading year been so far?  If you decide to do this, let me know so I can check out your answers!

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Demons, Werewolves and Lamias Oh My!

 

TITLE: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (Mead Mishaps #1)
AUTHOR: Kimberly Lemming
PUBLISHER: Orbit
PUBLISHING DATE: January 2, 2024
PAGES: 288   
SOURCE: Library


FROM GOODREADS: Spice trader Cinnamon's quiet life is turned upside down when she ends up on a quest with a fiery demon in this irreverently quirky rom-com fantasy that is sweet, steamy, and funny as hell—perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes and The Dragon's Bride. 
All she wanted to do was live her life in peace—maybe get a cat, expand the family spice farm. Really, anything that didn't involve going on an adventure where an orc might rip her face off. But they say the Goddess has favorite, and if so, Cin is clearly not one of them... 
After saving the demon Fallon in a wine-drunk stupor, all Fallon wants to do is kill an evil witch enslaving his people. And, who can blame him? But he's dragging Cinnamon along for the ride. On the bright side, at least he keeps burning off his shirt.

MY THOUGHTS: I would love to be able to explain why I picked this up but I can't.  I've seen the series here and there and one night last week my curiosity got the best of me and I snagged it from Libby.  I'm glad I did and now I'm eagerly awaiting my hold request for book two.  

Cin is a spice trader who lives in a magical land protected by a Goddess.  She tries to stay as off radar as possible in order to keep her life free from the Goddess's intervention.  One night when stumbling home intoxicated from a local fair, Cin stumbles across an individual trapped in a rockslide.  She manages to free Fallon and in the process, almost becomes demon food.  Soon she learns that the Goddess is not true and pure and is instead an evil witch using her powers to control the mythical creatures within the land and make it look like she is actually protect her people.  Cin is tasked by Fallon to help him free the others, as it seems the cinnamon she harvests actually breaks the spell and tames the creatures under the Goddess's control.  Cin never wanted adventure and never wanted to fall in love with a demon, yet somehow her path seems set on both.

I loved the dynamic between Cin and Fallon.  It's basically an enemies to lovers trope set in a fantasy world and I found myself all in.  I enjoyed their banter and it was interesting seeing Cin change her opinion of Fallon while they are on their quest.  The reader gets to meet some new creatures along the way and the book easily sets the stage for future installments while wrapping up its plot so no loose strings are hanging at the end.

If you like quirky books and don't mind a bit of spice, you might want to check out this series.  I can't wait to continue and am so glad I took a chance. 

MY RATING: 4 PAWS


Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Feed Your TBR - This Cursed House

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.




October 8, 2024

FROM GOODREADS: In this Southern gothic horror debut, a young Black woman abandons her life in 1960s Chicago for a position with a mysterious family in New Orleans, only to discover the dark truth. They’re under a curse, and they think she can break it. 

In the fall of 1962, twenty-seven-year-old Jemma Barker is desperate to escape her life in Chicago—and the spirits she has always been able to see. When she receives an unexpected job offer from the Duchon family in New Orleans, she accepts, thinking it is her chance to start over. But Jemma discovers that the Duchon family isn’t what it seems. 

Light enough to pass as white, the Black family members look down on brown-skinned Jemma. Their tenuous hold on reality extends to all the members of their eccentric clan, from haughty grandmother Honorine to beautiful yet inscrutable cousin Fosette. And soon the shocking truth comes The Duchons are under a curse. And they think Jemma has the power to break it. 

As Jemma wrestles with the gift she’s run from all her life, she unravels deeper and more disturbing secrets about the mysterious Duchons. Secrets that stretch back over a century. Secrets that bind her to their fate if she fails.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  New Orleans setting, cursed families, family drama (that isn't mine).  Sounds like a wonderful October read for me.  I may even preorder it!

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???