I read behind this mask from the book, Curses. I really liked that story. I read a little bit of The Ring as well, and it was good too but I liked Behind this Mask a lot more.

I felt so bad for Gracelyn. What a awful curse to have put on you. No one could remember her, even after just talking to her. Even her oldest family and friends could remember her. It must have been awful! I just wanted to someone to really see her. I can't imagine how lonely she must have felt. I will say that once she got to the party, I didn't like how she couldn't tell who "Leo" was. If she saw this man every single day, you would think that a little mask would not completely hide his identity from her. Especially since she knows what it is like to be forgotten.

What I really enjoyed about this short story was that it flowed right along, and yet I never felt like it was rushed. Jacqueline is really great at pacing her story lines. Behind the Mask is engaging and has a happy ending, which is exactly what I was looking for when I picked this book up.

Overall, the writing is good. There are a few little slip ups like, “He crushed her mouth to hers” but nothing too major. I would reccomend this book for people that are looking for a light and short happy read. It has a cute halloween costume party theme and I enjoyed it. This book did not change my world or anything so dramatic but it was a fun read. And sometimes that is just what you are looking for.

Deeplight  is a young adult standalone fantasy adventure by Frances Hardinge. The summary describes the book as Frankenstein meets Twenty Thousand Leagues under the sea. While I think that is a pretty good description, I also think it doesn't do the book justice. Frances Hardinge is a magical story teller. She can take the macabre and scary and twist the tale into something you simply cannot put down. No matter how creeped out you are. And I was very creeped out while reading Deeplight. By all accounts, Deeplight is a departure from my normal story and genre preferences. There is not a stitch of romance in the book, and very little humor. Instead there are tons of creepiness and plenty of truly scary monsters, and in spite of all of that I found myself totally ensnared by this book. I absolutely loved the story that Frances Hardinge told. Deeplight is a wonderful blend of a monster tale, a fantasy with a fresh, unique world.

Deeplight is told by a male protagonist, which I loved. Hark is born into a harsh world. A sea faring world of secluded islands, and gangs filled with orphans who have to steal to survive. Our book starts out with Hark getting caught and arrested. The crime for an arrest is a period of indentured servitude. (like I said, it's a harsh world) But the world building and the setup was the most fascinating element of the story in my opinion. I could not get enough of it. In this world, the old Gods were sea monsters. Powerful entities that lived deep within the ocean. But 50 years ago the gods got into an epic battle and destroyed each other. Fisherman and salvage divers have been pulling up God parts ever since because they have great powers within them. 

To make the world even more fascinating, there is also the layer of aging priests that served the old gods. They are all elderly and have various conditions from deep diving to commune with the gods. Contact with the god parts affects a person, and Frances did an amazing job describing everything. This is a very complex world and she introduces many players and aspects of the world, and not once did I find myself confused. That is no easy feat, and it really helped to create a rich atmospheric read that held me completely captive while I was reading. Hark is bought at a slave auction and sent to work in the Priests nursing home. I loved this unexpected element of the story. And I loved our main character Hark. He clearly cares deeply about the people in his life, including his friend Jelt. 

Watching Jelt transform was eerie indeed. I would have liked even more description of the various stages of Jelt's transformation out in the daylight. He completely creeped me out, but it was a fantastic element of the story. Overall, the adventure that Hark goes on is so richly fleshed out that I felt in love. This book is not the normal read for me, and I loved it even more than I thought I would. I think everyone needs to read Deeplight and experience the magic that is Frances Hardinge's world and writing. She is a magical storyteller. This book needs to be made into a movie. I feel like I watched it play out in my brain and I want to see it play out on the big screen. What a fantastic story! 

The German Heiress is an adult historical fiction standalone by Anika Scott. The German Heiress is set in post-World War II Germany. Historical fiction is not a genre that I typically read a lot of, but I am never really sure why. I love history, and every time I read good Historical Fiction, I really enjoy it. I think the problem is that historical fiction has a tendency, in my opinion to be a bit heavier and drier if the plot or characters does not capture my attention relatively quickly. (tell me in the comments below your thoughts on historical fiction. Do you agree with me? Am I crazy?) Either way, that is neither here nor there because The German Heiress was great! I was immediately drawn in to the story, and I loved the characters. This book is blurbed as being perfect for fans of The Alice Network and The Lost Girls of Paris. I loved the Alice Network, so I knew I had to give this book a chance, and I am really glad that I did because I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to see what Anika Scott is going to write next.

In The German Heiress we meet our main characters, Clara. Clara was once heir to a powerful ironworks empire, however; since the end of WWII, she has been living under an assumed identity. I liked Clara. She is plucky and fearless. When Clara can’t get in touch with her friend Elisa, she heads off in search of her. Clara’s quest to find her friend is fraught with danger, capture, escapes, deception and plenty of suspense. I loved the mysterious and suspenseful air of the story. Anika Scott does a great job creating a world that kept me on the edge of my seat. I honestly had no idea what direction the story was going to take and almost all of the twists took me by surprise, which made reading The German Heiress a pleasure.

There are obviously some deeper topics explored as well. With any war novels, we have themes of good and evil, but there were also more social aspects of the war explored. The effect that wartime has on society as a whole, and on the people. The characters were also wonderfully developed shades of gray. There is no black and white 100% good or 100% evil in most cases, and wars bring out those shades of morality on an even larger scale. I really enjoyed exploring all of that as Clara met different people on her quest. (and with Clara herself.) Clara made me feel a variety of things, I wanted to root for her, but sometimes I was also rooting for something very different. I think the best part of The German Heiress is that it explores deeper concepts, while still keeping the book easily accessible for a variety of readers. It is really easy to feel very heavy and bogged down with war-centric books, and while there are certainly sad and dark moments, I didn’t really feel too bogged down by the weight of everything going on while reading the German Heiress. Overall, this was a book I really enjoyed, and one I would recommend to both new and old fans of historical fiction.

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
Heir of Lies  is the first book in a new adult fantasy Black Dawn series by Mallory McCartney. I have classified this book as new adult because the character are in their 20s, but the content is very clean so I can very easily see this also appealing to younger readers and lovers of young adult fantasies.The Black Dawn series is re- releasing and “Heir of Lies” (book one) is coming April 21 2020! This edition will have an exclusive map and bonus content! I first read this book in 2017 when it was first released, and I enjoyed it. I did a re-read with this new edition, cover and name, and I have to say I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. Heir of Lies is a really cool story, and is the set up for what looks like it is going to be an awesome series. I really enjoyed book one, but because there was a lot of world building and background setting, I did have some bumps along the road. However, Heir of Lies is a story that just kept getting better and better as it went along. And I think I am going to love book two even more than I did book one. Can I please have book two now Mallory??

Heir of Lies starts off in multiple perspectives, rapid fire three different people in the first three chapters and throughout the book we get to see even more perspectives, with random chapters thrown in from Nyx and Adair. Because we started out with three chapters from three different characters perspectives, I was a bit jumbled at the beginning of the book. However, after the very quick start the book falls into a pattern of multiple chapters from the main woman's point of view.Most of the book is told from our main character, Emory's point of view.  I liked this more because I was able to better get to know Emory. I really liked Emory, but I felt awful for her, to be dumped in this world that is in turmoil, with her memories all mixed up must have been really hard. But she didn't waste any time jumping in.

The world in Heir of Lies was really interesting. The crazy, and very violent King, Adair was a great villain character. And I loved how multifaceted the group of main characters were. There are lots of shades of grey with each of them, and I loved that most of all. Throughout the story, especially towards the end, I found myself wishing the book would slow down from its very rapid pace because I wanted more of the story. I wish this book was about 100 pages longer because I didn't want it to end. I really am hoping that the second book is closer to 300 pages, rather than the 180 this one was. There is so much more that I want to see in this world.

Bottom line: The Black Dawn series is great for young adult and new adult fantasy fans alike. I loved the magic, the world and the characters. If you are looking for a quick, fast paced fantasy read, Heir of Lies is the book for you. I really enjoyed it. Plus, isn't the new cover just beautiful?!

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

Cutie and the Beast is the third book in the Cipher Office series by M.E. Carter. Cutie and the Beast is a standalone adult contemporary romantic comedy series, published by Smartypants Romance. If you are new to Smartypants Romance, here is the quick breakdown of how this publishing company works. Smartypants Romance is the publishing company started by Penny Reid, which as most of you know, is one of my all time favorite romance authors. Smartypants romance brings on new authors to write their own series or stories, and the cool feature is that all of their stories will be set in the Penny Reid universe! I love this idea so, so much. It is perfect for new fans and old fans because we get all new story lines and characters, but we get to see plenty of character crossover. The Cipher Office series is set in Chicago in Penny Reid's Knitting in the City series.

Cutie and the Beast follows Elliot and Abel. Both Elliot and Abel work at the gym Weight Expectations. Abel is a trainer and Elliot works in the daycare. Both of them are single parents, which I am going to be completely honest, is not my favorite trope to read about. But I really enjoyed M.E. Carters last book, so I wanted to give this one a try as well. And I am glad I did, because Elliot and Abel's romance was funny and super cute. I really enjoyed Cutie and the Beast. 

If you will recall from Weight Expectations, there was a fire in the gym. Cutie and the Beast takes place after that fire, and the consequences of that fire. Yes, the gym gets repaired, but that takes time, and not all clients are willing to wait it out. And when trainers work on commissions based on the number of clients they have, Abel's paycheck takes a big hit. Which leaves him struggling to make ends meet for him and his daughter. Enter a roommate to help with expenses. (hint: the roommate is Elliot!) The blended family aspect of this story was an unexpected surprise for me. I ended up really liking it, though the main stars were Elliot and Abel for me. If you are a fan of single parent romances with plenty of humor and heart, and you like the roommates to more trope (which I do!) then Cutie and the Beast may be a cute book for you to check out. You do not need to read the other books in this series first, but reading them in order has added something extra to my enjoyment.

Last Chance Academy is the first book in the new adult fantasy series, called Immortals of Talonswood by Alex Lidell. I love Alex Lidell’s books. Her series, Power of Five is one of my all time favorites, and I already know that this series will soon be joining my favorite shelf as well. Alex writes addictive fantasies that I never want to put down. I finished this book in one sitting, and I know that it is going to be too long of a wait until I can get my hands on the next book because I need it right now. Last Chance Academy is one of my favorite reads of the 2020. If you are a fan of new adult fantasies, and of reverse harems (even though there is no harem action yet), this is a must read.

In Last Chance Academy we meet our main character, Sam. Sam is an orphan who does odd theft jobs to make ends meet. When her latest job gets her arrested, she is offered a spot at Talonswood Reform Academy instead of jail time. Sam accepts, and is thrust into a vicious world of cadets and military academies. Oh yea, and also Fae, Vampires and Witches. Sam learns that not only do these previously thought of as fictional creatures do exist, but she is one of the last known witches in the world. It’s a lot to take it, when you also have to factor in you are the only human at this ruthless academy. I loved Sam. I thought she was plucky and strong (even when she is physically weak) But more than I loved Sam, I loved the setup of the story. The world of Fae, Vampires and demi-fae/demi-vamps in an academy setting ticks all the boxes for me. Plus there are plenty of political power plays, secrets and lots more to discover in the upcoming books. Like what the Ruby egg was that Sam was tasked to steal. I can’t wait to learn more about that.

At the academy, we meet several other characters. We have Ellis and his brother Asher. Ellis is tasked with keeping Sam alive for some sectret reason. I am dying to learn more about Ellis and Asher’s high fae father. Asher is the lead instructor at the academy and his second in charge is Reese. We didn’t really get to see much of Reese or Asher, and I can’t wait to get to know each of them better in the next book. Last on the list is Cassis, a vampire. I like the more playful Cassis. The four guys have known each other for hundreds of years, and they have a complicated past with witches. I am sure there will be more on this to come in the future, but I am super excited to see it all play out.

The Immortals of Talonswood series is going to have plenty of secrets, action and of course lots and lots of romance. I can’t wait to get to know the characters better in the next book. I need it in my life right now.