Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym M. Martineau

Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym M. Martineau

Available June 25, 2019

This was so good!  The world building was amazing and if any book gets the Netflix treatment this year-it needs to be this one.  I would love to see all of the beautiful, colorful beasts brought to life.

Leena is a beast charmer, gifted with the magical talent to tame wild beasts and bond them to her.  Betrayed by her first love and ostracized by her people, Leena is on the run trying to curate a collection of beasts that will give her enough power to finally clear her name.  After surviving a murderous attack, Leena is forced to join Noc and his clan of formally dead assassins known as Cruor. 

Leena has two choices, die or supply the group with beasts. 

Leena chooses to live.

Surrounded by people who would love to see her dead, Leena must find the assassins their beasts, discover who put a hit out on her, and survive falling for the deadly leader of Cruor.  

This one is so much fun!  I love all the descriptions of the beasts and their special gifts.  Not only can Leena bond with them and make them appear, but they live in a magical beast realm that sounds amazing.  A little like Fantastic Beasts but way deadlier and infinitely sexier.  

Leena is incredibly strong and intelligent.  She has a lot going on-death threats, being exiled from her people, dangerous beasts, a man that can kill her if he falls in love with her-it's a lot to process.  Because yep, not only is Noc a formerly dead assassin tasked with killing her, he's also cursed.

I love a good curse.

Magical worlds, beautiful beasts, intense fight scenes, found family, super steamy love scenes-this checks all the boxes.

And, it's the first book in a series…

 Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for letting me read an advanced copy of this title.  All opinions and mistakes are my own. 

 If you would like to dive into the magical beast world of Kingdom of Exiles, you can do so here:

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald

Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald

Available June 11, 2019

Reader Friends, this book is beautiful.  Absolutely lovely in every way. From the clothes, to the city, to the way people speak to one another, it’s just lovely.  I’m also not going to apologize for my overuse of the word “lovely.”

On a beautiful December morning while on his way to a prayer meeting, Joe Reynolds meets a young woman wearing a disheveled dress, no coat, and looking completely out of place at the train station so early in the morning.  It’s when he stops to offer her assistance that he realizes something is slightly off. Her clothes don’t seem quite right, it’s too cold to not have a coat, and how did she get to the train station?

One year later, he sees her again.  The same Nora from a year ago. Same dress, same pearls, same perfume.  How is that possible and what is going on? Together, Nora and Joe begin a complicated and magical relationship revolving around her mystical appearance and the confines of the train station.  

This is one of the stories that the less you know, the more amazing it is.  The twists and turns are revealed slowly throughout the story and each one adds a complication that Joe and Nora deal with together with love and respect.  I really loved how the author made the city itself an integral part of the relationship. Grand Central made a gorgeous backdrop for this novel.  From the ladies’ lounge to the hotel, the restaurants and shops, the station provided everything Joe and Nora could need.  However, even with the luxurious hotel rooms and room service, being confined to one location is still a limitation that will tax anyone.  Joe and Nora have a truly loving relationship that is tested over and over again by family, war, and time.  Even with the magical existence of Nora, their relationship is still just like that of anyone else. Lisa Grunwald does an incredible job of exploring the lengths we are willing to go to ensure the happiness of those we love.  When Nora fully realizes that the passage of time is affecting her very differently than those around her, her actions are quite different than other novels I’ve read that deal with the same concept.

I loved this story.  I loved how Joe and Nora were with one another.  I loved the setting and the writing. It’s just a lovely, lovely story.

If you would like to fall into this gorgeous story, and help support the site, you may do so here:

Recursion by Blake Crouch

Recursion by Blake Crouch

Available June 11, 2019

This was fantastic!  Absolutely amazing! More exclamation points please!

If you enjoyed Dark Matter or the Wayward Pines trilogy, definitely pick this one up.  By the way, since no one asked, the Wayward Pines books lead to me binging Twin Peaks last summer and that show was so incredibly odd and I never quite knew what was going on.  

Anyways.  

Recursion is the story of what happens when brilliance meets desperation.  Searching for a way to help stop the dementia that is slowly stealing her mother, Helena creates a device that will change the history of medicine.  What was meant to be a way to preserve a person’s precious memories turns into a potential weapon that could have devastating effects.

Barry, depressed and steal grieving for his daughter a decade after her death, is investigating a woman’s suicide after he is unable to talk her down from the ledge.  Plagued with FMS, False Memory Syndrome, the woman is devastated by the memories of a loving husband and son. But she was never married and has never been a mom so how does she know about this other life?  Why does it feel so real? With more and more FMS cases coming to light, Barry gets swept up in a mystery so profound it’s capable of destroying the world.

This is one of the fabulous sci-fi books that are better when you know nothing about it.  I went into this not knowing the plot, only the author. The characters are great, the science went way over my head, and the story moved very quickly.  There are so many twists and turns and explosive events that it just got better and better the further you read. Fast paced, gripping, and emotional, Recursion is an incredible story of strength and perseverance.

If you would like to get your hot hands on this book, and help support the site, you can do so here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title.  All opinions are my own.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

Available now

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is an incredibly engaging and well-written story of a therapist, her therapist, and the clients that have impacted her life.  Lori Gottlieb’s writing makes you feel like you are sitting next to her-but not too close or too far away-enjoying a great cup of tea and chatting with your best friend.

After the breakup of a long term relationship, Lori Gottlieb, a therapist, finds herself not only heartbroken, but unsure of how to cope with her new reality.  Under the guise of needing a therapist referral for a client, Lori finds herself in the office of Wendell, her new therapist. From his quirky double knee tap to signal the end of the session or his comfortably frumpy office, Wendell proves to be an excellent therapist. Kind, compassionate, and caring, his guidance leads Lori on to the path that is best for her life. Many of the answers that she seeks for her own life come from the very questions that are asked of her by her own clients.  

Gottlieb gives us a behind the scenes glimpse of therapy sessions with a high maintenance Hollywood producer, a young woman dealing with a tragic illness, and a woman trying to find a steady and healthy relationship.  Gottlieb writes with such care for her characters and her own story. I found this to be highly engaging and flew through this book in one sitting.

If you would like a copy of this book for yourself, and help support the site, you can do so here:

The Living God by Kaytalin Platt

The Living God by Kaytalin Platt

Available May 21, 2019

The life of a princess is supposed to be filled with opulence, wealth, and filling your time doing good deeds and getting your hair done.  Saran, daughter of the King of Adrid, lives in constant danger and violence. With the ability to alter time, she is used as a weapon and a pawn in his political endeavors.  Along with her lover Keleir, she works to overthrow her father and end his cruel reign. But when she uses her magic to save a village, the King binds her magic leaving her feeling helpless and putting Keleir’s life at risk.  Keleir is possessed by an Oruke, a demon that overtook his body at birth. Saved by Saran’s powerful magic, Keleir’s power over the demon is threatened after Saran loses her magic to the bind.

Together with Keleir’s brother Rowe, they race to find the key to Saran’s magical bind, overthrow the King, and save as many innocent people as they can.

This book is fast paced and action packed.  I really enjoyed the author’s vivid descriptions of Saran and the others using their magic.  Saran is an incredibly powerful and intelligent character and her loyalty to her people becomes the key to her survival.  She is raised by her Healer after her mother’s death and even after years of her father’s abuse, she is able to focus on the people of her kingdom and protecting others. One of the more interesting aspects of the book is the setting.  In this world, there are three worlds-The First, The Second, and The Third. Saran lives in the First, a medieval and magical world where mages rule. The First is very much like where we live currently. The Third is a world of death and destruction ruled by horrid rulers that steal slaves from the other worlds.  Crossing between the worlds requires magical ability and meetings between important officials from the different worlds do occur. The ending definitely set up this up to be a series and I’m very curious if the next book will focus on the same characters but in one of the different worlds-or maybe new characters working with the old characters but in a different world?  The possibilities are endless.

I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend it for anyone who loves, or wants to try out, fantasy.  

If you would like to get a copy of this book, and help support this site, you can do so here:

Full Disclosure Time:  Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions are my own.  

Hazel and Holly: A Fantasy Adventure by Sara C. Snider

Hazel and Holly:  A Fantasy Adventure by Sara C. Snider

Available May 16, 2019

Ok Reader Friends, isn’t this the most gorgeous cover? Every time I look at it I want to pick out one of the colors and paint a room in my house.

Hazel and Holly is a fun and rollicking adventure through magical woods, mystical spells, and finding hope in unlikely places.  

Hazel and Holly are sisters who share a home in the Grove, a wonderfully slow and magical place where magic is divided into schools such as Hearth and Wyr, each with their own special focus.  When the sisters are invited to the home of Hawthorn and Hemlock, warlocks and very eligible bachelors, Holly is insistent on their attendance. Hazel, on the other hand, would rather stay home and away from the nosey gossips who spread nasty rumors about their family and their father’s dabbling in Necromancy.  Necromancy is the one magical discipline that is not tolerated in the Grove.

But Holly wins and the sisters attend the ball and true to fashion, nothing goes as planned.  The one bright moment from the disastrous night is a new alliance with the brothers. With their help, the sisters might finally be able to track down their father and free their mother’s soul that has been entrapped for years.  

Together, the witches and warlocks face one obstacle after the other, and all the while, they become closer and better friends with every mishap.  With the help of a magical mouse, Holly’s innocent eagerness, Hemlock’s dry humor and reluctance to dirty his clothes, and Hazel and Hawthorn’s focus and planning, the group sets out to find the secret hiding place of the necromancers.  Unfortunately for our adventurers, nothing ever goes as planned or remotely close to easily. Their one promising link to their father, a necromancer named Elder, betrays them. Spells misfire, intentions are misinterpreted, and along the way, they pick up a cellar gnome with a penchant for beer who turns up in the most unlikely of places.  

Full of humor, magic, and adventure, Hazel and Holly was a fun and entertaining read.

If this sounds like something you would enjoy, you can get your copy here:

The Philosopher’s Flight by Tom Miller

The Philosopher’s Flight by Tom Miller

Available now

Set in an alternate history America, The Philosopher’s Flight is a delightful, and insightful, coming of age story set in the early 20th century.  Empirical philosophy, the ability to control the wind to fly, heal, and move objects is a science dominated by women.  Female Philosophers have long used their abilities to fly great distances while transporting critically injured patients, move large armies across countries to surprise enemies, and are just all-around badasses who are counted on to save the day.  

Raised by one of the greatest fliers of all time, Robert Weekes is determined to become one of the first male members of the US Sigilry Corps’ Rescue and Evacuation Department members.  Considering men have barely enough ability to get their toes off the ground, Robert is soundly laughed off. But when he proves his skills during a daring mission he is given the chance to study at Radcliffe and pursue his dreams.  

Or so he thinks.  

The women at Radcliffe make their disdain and disgust about a male student joining their female dominated studies very well known.  Struggling against deep rooted sexism and constant harassment, Robert is forced to prove himself at every turn. When Robert falls for Danielle Hardin, an outspoken activist, their relationship quickly catches the attention of the Trenchers, a group determined to end the philosophy movement at any cost.

FIghting for his place amongst the elite fliers, against the growing threat of the Trenchers, and for his love of Danielle, Robert will be pushed to his limits.

This was such a great book!  There is so much to unpack with how Robert and the other male students deal with the sexism and disrespect every day at Radcliffe-and just every day in general.  The women truly dominate the field of flying and they have no patience for a man trying to enter their domain. Danielle has to deal with constant anti-semitism and constant attacks from the Trenchers on top of dealing with-what I assume is-some form of PTSD from serving in the Great War.  Robert’s mother has a long history with battling the Trenchers and leaving her behind in Montana is incredibly stressful for him. It’s just an incredibly tense story but there are plenty of times that it becomes quite whimsical and funny.

I found this book absolutely delightful and I couldn’t recommend it enough.  This was a backlist title that I picked up through Book of the Month and I can see why it was selected-it really is that good.

If you would like to grab a copy, and help support the site, you can do so here:

How it Feels to Float by Helena Fox

How it Feels to Float by Helena Fox

Available May 7, 2019

How it Feels Float is a beautiful and heartbreaking novel about love, loss, friendships, and family.  Elizabeth, better known as Biz, has her best friend Grace, her mom, and her brother and sister-the twins.  She also has her dad, who visits her when she needs him most, except that her dad died when she was young.

Biz has a lot on her mind.  She’s struggling with who she is, who is she attracted to, should she reach out to the new guy, what does she want to do with her life, why does she feel like she can float above herself?  When Grace gets a new boyfriend, Biz feels left behind and confused by all the changes to their core group of friends. After a drunken party, Biz’s rejection of a popular boy turns into slut shaming and rejection by everyone, including Grace.  When Grace finally comes to her senses, her and Biz seek retribution only to find themselves cooling their heels in a jail cell. What follows is a slow spiral into depression where Biz is left completely adrift without anyone or anything to ground her.  

When her mother finally forces her into therapy, Biz begins the slow recovery process of therapy sessions, medication, and a plan for photography classes to try and find some direction with her life.  New friendships and a quest to learn about her father lead Biz on a new path, but it will be a path full of obstacles and heartbreak.

Beautifully written, this novel sucks you on the first page and doesn’t let go until the very end.   I found myself thinking about this novel for days after reading it. It’s an incredible look at mental illness and how we deal with grief through the eyes of a teenager in today’s society.  

If you would like to get your own copy, and help support the site, you get one here:

The Farm by Joanne Ramos

The Farm by Joanne Ramos

Available May 7, 2019

If you could live rent-free at an inclusive resort with daily massages and yoga classes would you?  What if meant you only had to carry a child for nine months, willingly hand it over, and never question what will happen to the child?  What if it also meant you could never leave, were constantly monitored, and had your diet and exercise routine strictly enforced? Would you still do it?

When Jane finds herself a single mother struggling to pay her bills and living in a less than ideal apartment situation, she jumps at the chance to become a Host-a surrogate mother for someone who desperately wants a child but is unable to carry one herself. Leaving her infant daughter is incredibly difficult, but with the extremely high paycheck she will be earning, Jane will be able to provide the very best for her daughter-in nine months.  

But will all things, what seems to be too good to be true, often is.  Jane discovers that the women they carry babies for are not infertile, they are highly successful women who don’t want a pregnancy to interfere with their career plans.  When Jane discovers that her own daughter is ill, she isn’t allowed to leave the Farm to see her. If Jane leaves without permission, is she also kidnapping the child within her?  Does she have any rights left? Why are all the Hosts young and mostly immigrants? What power does the Farm have over the women’s bodies?

The Farm raises all of the BIG questions about women’s rights over their bodies and how we view unborn children.  The Farm seems like such a great idea-help out young women who need to make money by providing surrogacy services to women who want to focus on their careers.  But how far will people go to monetize their services? Whois truly benefiting from these services and who is having their rights trampled on. How much is a child worth?  

The Farm is a gripping and chilling novel about what happens when we monetize women’s bodies.  It’s a completely plausible and realistic premise that feels innocent on the surface, until we dig deeper and start asking the really important questions.  

Extremely well written, I loved this novel and read it two short days-on the beach.  Yep, on the beach. Just rubbing that in. I found it completely fascinating and couldn’t put it down.  

If you would like a copy, and would like to support the site, you can get one here:

Dead Things by Stephen Blackmoore

Dead Things by Stephen Blackmoore

Available now

I’m pretty sure I heard of this series on one of the gazillion bookish podcasts I listen to but I can’t remember which one.  What really caught my attention about this backlist series was the premise- a necromancer who hates his job. So many fantasy/urban fantasy/paranormal series focus on the supernatural characters who are true to their species/creature/mythological figure and just go about their business doing what their nature dictates.  To find a series focused on a character who is really sick and tired of constantly running for his life, dealing with ghosts, and needing to use his own blood in rituals and spells-count me in!

Eric Carter is a necromancer.  After leaving town after his parent’s death from a fire elemental, Carter has spent his days putting evil spirits to rest-for a price.  When his sister is brutally murdered, Carter is forced to return home and face everything he has been running from. Gangsters with a grudge, friends he left behind, broken hearts, and the guilt of leaving his sister behind threaten to overwhelm Carter and divide his focus from the real threat.  Carter has gained the attention of Santa Muerte and she wants to hire Carter to kill an enemy of hers-and an enemy of his. But the job turns out to be more complicated than Carter could imagine and in the end, he loses far more than he gains after agreeing to take on the job.

I really loved this story.  The world building is fantastic and all of the spell work and magic was really well done.  Carter has immense power-and doesn’t realize he has it-and his ability to jump to the land of the dead was really interesting. There’s some really interesting characters that show up-goddesses, the Loa, different spirits and ghosts-and all of them felt very well developed.  Carter also possess the scariest magical device I have ever read about-a watch that can do some seriously scary shit. I’ll let you discover that one for yourself.

The book had a bit of a Supernatural  feel to it-in a good way.  Carter has a special attachment to his car, plenty of seedy motels, and magic that requires complicated rituals and a body covered in protective tattoos.  

I thought this was a great start to a series.  I already have the next books on order and I can’t wait to find out what happens to Carter next.  

If this sounds like a book you need to get your hands on, you can grab one here:

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

Available April 30, 2019

If you have ever dealt with postpartum depression, please know that this book deals heavily with this issue.  There is an incidence of potential harm to small children and discussions of mental illness. This book may also be incredibly terrifying for new mothers-there is no way I could have read this in the first year of my child’s birth.  

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding is a chilling, disturbing tale of a new mother, her babies, and an ancient myth that has terrified parents for centuries.  

Following the long and painful birth of her twins, Lauren Tranter is immediately caught up in the constant feeding, changing, and care of her babies.  Exhausted and wrung out mentally, she is devastated to realize her husband has no interest in helping her care for the twins and is overwhelmed by the amount of responsibility now placed solely on her shoulders.  After a terrifying encounter with a woman at the hospital, Lauren is convinced her twins are in danger. Even after the police investigate and find nothing to back up Lauren’s claims, she remains steadfast in her belief that the unidentified woman is after her children.  

Now at home, Lauren cuts off her family from the outside world.  Refusing to leave the house and completely at the mercy of the babies feeding and sleep schedules, Lauren is exhausted and wrung out.  Living on little sleep, bags of chips and cookies, and eventually going so far as to keep her and the babies locked in her bedroom, Lauren is locked in a cycle of fear and paranoia.  Throughout all of this, her husband is only concerned with his own well being and offers criticism, but not help.

After a friend finally confronts Lauren about her behavior and lack of interaction with her friends, Lauren works up the courage to take the children on a play date with the other mothers from her parenting classes.  When Lauren suddenly finds herself waking up on a park bench and the infants nowhere in sight, she becomes hysterical. After the police become involved, dark secrets and betrayals come to light that will turn everyone’s lives upside down.  

This book was absolutely mesmerizing!  I was completely absorbed by every word on the page.  Melanie Golding weaves a magical tale that could be read as horrifying supernatural tale and at the same time, be read as a critical take on the stress and pressure we put on new mothers.  Patrick, Lauren’s husband, is the most worthless piece of trash. He is constantly thinking only of himself, offers no help to Lauren, and can’t tell his own kids apart. When someone finally takes an interest in Lauren’s health and well being, he is instantly concerned about how it will impact him.  Ugh. He’s horrible.

Alongside the story of Lauren, we also have the story of DS Joanna Harper who takes an interest in Lauren’s case and is convinced, even without solid evidence, that Lauren and the twins are in danger.  She is a wonderfully written character that is full of flaws and is willing to break the rules if she feels it’s justified.

This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it for lovers of horror, dark fairy tales, and suspense.  

You can get your copy, and help support the site, here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.  All opinions are my own.

Write here…

Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin

Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin

Available now

Outer Order, Inner Calm:  Declutter & Organize to Make More Room for Happiness is the book I’ve needed to jump start my own home organization project.  Gretchen Rubin provides us with practical advice on how to get rid of the excess clutter in our homes to create a more peaceful and thoughtful environment.  Throughout the book, Rubin uses humor and grace to help guide us through the tricky situations of eliminating unwanted items from our home, even if those items are family heirlooms.  

After reading the first half of the book I promptly tackled my office.  Now, my office is a very small space and yet somehow I had managed to pack away two large garbage bags of unneeded papers, outdated electronics, dozens of half-used chapsticks, and assorted junk that had no business being there.  Just disposing of those two bags feels like a huge victory and I’m reading to tackle the next room in need of a giant purging-my bedroom. One of the best tips I took from Rubin’s book was to not try to organize as you are cleaning out a room.  If you focus on eliminating items that aren’t needed first you have fewer items that need organizing. Seems incredibly obvious but seeing on paper really drove the point home.

The book itself is a cute little hardback in shades of calming blue fading into yellows and oranges-a bit like a sunset.  At only 208 pages, it’s the perfect size to keep in your bag or gift to someone special.

If you’d like a copy for yourself and would like to help support the site, you can do so here: