I loved the Ruby Red series so when I heard Kerstin Gier had another series coming out this year I was super excited to get my hands on it. I was immediately pulled into this story and found myself enjoying not only the story but the characters too!

Liv and her sister, Mia, don’t have a normal life. They spend their time moving around a lot and are seriously looking forward to the time with their mother where they will have an actual home to live in and won’t have to worry about packing up their possessions again in less than a year. As they show up in London and meet their mom at the airport, Liv finds out that her mom has met someone (Mr. Change of Plan) and this is going to have a bigger impact than she expected.

As far as characters go, I liked Liv and found her to be a solid main character. She was smart and loved her family. She also loves to dig into a puzzle and is willing to take risks if something is important to her. Her mother was somewhat frustrating to me and thank the lord that Liv and Mia had Lottie, their au pair. Then we also have the four boys (Grayson, Henry, Jasper, and Arthur) who happen to be the most popular at school and also happen to be involved in something that Liv inadvertently gets pulled into. More to come on that piece but two of these boys have swoon potential.

As Liv is introduced to Grayson, who happens to be the son of her mom's boyfriend, she is also pulled into an unexpected situation. One where she thinks she is just dreaming but really, she is pulled into a shared dream where she sees the boys performing a ritual and this is the start of something she never would have believed could happen. Also…a bit of danger.

I can’t say too much here because as usual, I don’t want to give anything away. What I will say is that Gier does a wonderful job of creating this world of dreams and the rules around it. I loved how everyone’s dream doors were different and protected by things that were important to them. It all happens to be tied to something dark and dangerous but through this avenue, Liv is able to learn more about Grayson and Henry than she probably ever would have in the real world. She also meets Anabel Scott who is Arthur’s girlfriend, and the reason they are all in the mess they are in and linked to this demon, the Lord of Shadows.

I’m going to take a moment to talk about Henry because I love that he calls Liv “Cheese Girl” and come on, he’s described as the tall, tattooed type with pale skin, tousled honey-blond hair, and slate-gray eyes.” You had me at tattooed but really, I also love that he does whatever he can to learn as much about Liv as possible, and he really does care about what happens to her.

The one piece of the story that I am hoping we get more of is the around the Tittle-Tattle Blog and who Secrecy is. I honestly have no idea who it could be (although some solid suspicion was thrown a certain way in the story, I’m not sure I am on board with who is identified) and I NEED to know more about this. I am definitely going to check out the next book in this series as I can’t wait to see what happens next for this group! Consider checking this one out if you enjoy a story with a bit of mystery, some interesting characters, and solid dream-world building.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the review copy!

Wolf Bride by Elizabeth Moss was a book I came across due to a book blogger friend’s review. I have to admit, I love everything tied to the Tudors and at first I glance I almost passed this one up but after reading the review, I went ahead and requested it. If you love the story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn you might enjoy this story. They both make appearances and while they aren’t what I would consider the main characters, both Eloise and Wolf are tied to the royal family.

Wolf Bride is the story of Eloise Tyrell, a lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn, and Lord Wolf, one of the King’s favored soldiers. Lord Wolf is ready to marry and having grown up near the Tyrell’s he decides to negotiate with Eloise’s father for her hand. Unfortunately for Eloise, she had her eye on someone else and when she is told about her upcoming betrothal, she isn’t exactly excited about it. With that said, she accepts the decision but Wolf does not make it easy.

As the story continues, they both make mistakes in their interactions with each other and a little conversation could have probably fixed some of the problems. As they both figure out how to live with each other, they are pulled into the drama of what is happening with Henry and Anne. As Anne’s lady-in-waiting, Thomas Cromwell is looking to question Eloise about Anne’s activities while married to Henry.

Navigating the politics of the royal court as well as a new marriage isn’t easy for either of these two but they continue to be drawn to each other and work to figure out what to do in order to get back to their manor in the North and away from the danger of the court. One thing is certain, regardless of their feelings toward each other, their chemistry is there and the only thing that might have made it better was if I was more invested in either of these characters.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It has a great mix of history tied into a fictional story and Moss has created the beginnings of a solid series. I am definitely interested to see where Moss takes the story with Eloise’s sister as she was one of the more interesting characters introduced in this book. Consider checking this one out if you enjoy a historical that has an interesting story and some definitely hot times.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the review copy!

Powerless was one of those books I came across while scanning through upcoming releases and I am glad I did! As soon as I read that this book was about heroes and villains and their superpowers, I immediately had to request it.

Kenna is the main character and she is sick of being “normal” and being treated differently from everyone around her because they have some sort of superpower and she doesn’t. This is the catalyst to Kenna’s secret experiment that she happens to be working on in her mother’s lab after hours when she is taken by surprise by some villains who are looking for something specific. After her father was killed by a villain, Kenna has some pretty strong opinions about villains and when she thwarts their plans, Kenna is pulled into something bigger than she expected.

As Kenna realizes things aren’t black and white in the world of superheroes, she finds herself working together with some villains to protect her friends and family from those she thought were there to protect her.

I liked Kenna and if I were dodging some dangerous people, I wouldn’t mind being on the same side as her. I also would want to be working together with the group she is working with. Not only do they each have their own specific powers but they are also great characters. Childs and Deebs did a great job developing these characters and I found myself enjoying each and every one.

This story has a solid foundation of sci-fi and the story was good but I wanted to know more about what was going on outside of the lab and this world of heroes and villains. We never really got a glimpse outside of a news story and the fact that Kenna’s father was killed by a villain of what they did that was so bad. I guess I wanted more story to show why the villains were really….villainous.

Once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down so that hopefully tells you that it was good. Along with the science fiction stuff, the story has plenty of action and some definitely swoony bits. I loved seeing the relationship develop between Draven and Kenna and I also appreciated seeing the friendship Kenna had not only with Rebel but also with her ex, Jeremy. This was a fairly quick read and add to that the fact that it was entertaining and had some fantastic characters, I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series to see where Childs/Deebs goes with the story.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the review copy!

2.5 stars

I was immediately interested in reading Blood, Ink, & Fire when I read the summary because I found this idea of a dystopian world where reading is something forbidden, interesting. Also, I absolutely love the cover on this book - It is absolutely stunning! No spoilers below and I will be writing this one a bit differently to make sure I don’t give anything away.

Noelle has always seen words and regardless of what the government allows, she is always trying to figure out what they mean. As a member of the Vale (Valer) she is supposed to be immersed in the feed that Verity controls and as her birthday nears and her immersion right around the corner, Noelle is continually questioning her fit within Vale.

What I liked about this book:
• I thought Mansour did a great job of building up the world Noelle lived in and she even provided a lot of information on how things ended up the way they did.
• The idea behind this story – the idea that there is a world where reading isn’t allowed and books are destroyed makes my heart hurt but I loved the premise.
• Noelle’s friendship with John and her relationship with her grandfather.

What I struggled with:
• Ledger – perhaps I am super dense but I spent a good portion of the book not really understanding who/what he was and how he was linked to things
• Tied to Ledger – I thought the relationship would have been more believable had John been linked to the story somehow.
• The pacing of the story felt off. There were parts that felt really (unnecessarily) drawn out and others that moved so quickly I had to flip to make sure I didn’t miss something.
• The “bad” guy – I needed more information and that’s all I can say about this.

Overall this book has a great message and while there were pieces that I struggled with, I thought this was a solid story. If you love books and the dystopian genre, consider checking this one out when you can.

Just lovely.

I don’t normally do reviews for novellas but I have to put my thoughts out there for this one by Tracey Garvis-Graves since Covet was one of my favorite books I read last year and I have told just about everyone I know that they need to read it. Admittedly, the one thing that I wanted was more Daniel and Garvis-Graves came through with Cherish.

I loved that I was immediately pulled into Daniel’s past by finding out that Daniel has been injured and at the same time, being introduced to Jessie. It was important to get Jessie’s point of view in this story since we had the opportunity to know Daniel from Covet. I went into this book with some ideas of who I thought Jessie would be and I have to admit, by the end of the story, I felt completely different about her.

I don’t want to go into a ton of detail about this story because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone but I will say that I was happy to get Jessie’s point of view of what changed in their relationship with the death of their son but also understand what she went through and the impact it had on them individually as well as a couple. Garvis-Graves shows us that their feelings for each other were never really changed, they just didn't have the tools to figure out what to do. Seeing these two characters find their way back to each other was wonderful and the thing that I loved was the idea that a twist of fate (like not updating emergency contact information) is something that can get life back on track and ultimately lead to two people being able to help each other heal.

If you enjoyed Covet, definitely check this one out!

Review to come

I could not wait to get my hands on The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker. The description told me this book was going to have everything I love in books – magic, deception, and great characters. And…it did!

Elizabeth Grey is a Witch Hunter and one of the King’s best. After the plague took her parents, Elizabeth crossed paths with Caleb and from that point on he became her family. Elizabeth is a fighter and she is willing to do whatever she can to protect the people she cares about – Which I loved about her. As she learns more about what is really going on around her, Elizabeth begins to realize who is really important to her and who she can trust.

The story begins with Elizabeth and Caleb on a hunt and although Elizabeth is still very much a strong fighter, something has been off with her. Something she hasn’t been able to tell Caleb (Sorry – I’m not saying what) and when the unthinkable happens and she finds herself accused of witchcraft, she thinks Caleb will be the person to save her. But the last person she even imagined would come to her rescue, Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful wizard (and most wanted wizard) in the kingdom, is the one who saves her and things get even more interesting.

Boecker has created this world where magic is something to hide and it is the Reformers that are trying to change the way things are. There are rules and if someone is captured by the Witch Hunters, they are taken to Blackwell, the man who trained and leads the Hunters. It is very clear that Blackwell has a plan and he doesn’t care who gets in his way. He will have what he wants and sacrifice anyone who will further his goals.

We also find out that Nicholas is sick and he has been directed by a seer to find Elizabeth as she is the one who will save him from the curse he is under. While they head off on their mission, there is plenty of action, some mysteries are uncovered, and there are definitely some swoony bits – which always make me happy.

I loved the way Boecker developed all of the characters in this book – the only exception being Malcolm, the King. He was made to be a “bad” guy but I never really got to understand why outside of the things we were told about him and his actions. I wanted to actually meet him and see for myself who he really was.
I talked about Elizabeth but let me chat about the others for a few minutes. First there is Caleb – he is the only person she feels like she can trust and it is clear that he cares about her, just not in the way she was hoping. As Elizabeth begins to learn more about Blackwell, she comes to realize just how important a role Caleb has in what is going on with everything.

Amongst the Reformers you have Nicholas, George, Fifer, and John. I loved how Boecker introduced Elizabeth and her background to these characters. They all fear and hate the Witch Hunters and for good reason. As they realize who she really is, they each come to terms about her background in their own way and it was done in a way that made it believable. Each of these characters has their own personalities and as I said, I liked them all. The banter, the friendship, and the loyalty they have amongst the group…if I were on the run and trying to stop something horrible, I would want them all by my side.

Ok, I can’t say anything else for fear of giving anything away. Overall I thought this was a fantastic story and I couldn’t bring myself to put it down. Considering how impatient I am with series books, I have to admit I am happy I forced myself to wait. I don’t know how I am going to wait so long for the next book to come out as I’m excited to see where Boecker takes the rest of the story based on the ending and if anyone wants to give me an early copy, I’m definitely okay with that (I want to do my part in supporting this series, you know). If you’re looking for a book with plenty of action, some deception, some swoon, and characters that will have you rooting for them all along the way, definitely check this one out when you can.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

Exquisite Captive by Heather Demetrios may not be for everyone. With that said I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the next one in the series.

Nalia is a jinni from Arjinna and the only survivor of her tribe. We are actually introduced to her as she lives today, a slave to Malek, the man who controls her every move. He is obviously not human and we don’t really find out what he is until later in the story but we do find out that Nalia and Malek have not had an easy relationship. He bought her a few years ago and she has done everything within her power to fight the constraints Malek has put on her but because he is her master and she is bound to him, she must grant his wishes.

Because Nalia has always challenged Malek, she also knows that his way of punishing her is in the form of a bottle coated in iron which is uncomfortable and painful for Nalia. This is essentially what keeps her just toeing the line. She is willing to challenge him just enough to feel like she has a semblance of control but not enough that he will stick her back in the bottle. As the story opens we find that Nalia is noticing a change in the way Malek interacts with her and it is throwing her off. She doesn’t really know what to expect and she isn’t really sure what it means.

In Arjinna, Nalia was a member of the Ghan Aisouri which was a group that was essentially royalty. They controlled everything and the lower class definitely didn’t like this which led to an uprising led by the father of a character named Raif. When his father died, Raif took over leading the rebel group and in working to find a way to help his people; he ends up on earth with Nalia, the last Ghan Aisouri and the person who has something he needs. As Raif bargains with Nalia, she has to decide what she is truly willing to risk for her freedom in order to save her brother. As the story progresses, Nalia has to trust Raif in order to save her brother and is putting everything she has believes in on the line.

Nalia is an interesting character and it is clear that she struggles with who she was before she became a slave to Malek. She appeared to never really enjoy it but she also didn’t do anything to change who she was. It led to her being put in situations that she completely regrets now and will definitely have an impact on her and her relationship with Raif going forward.

I enjoyed the other characters as well. Raif is definitely a solid hero and I loved how he was so loving and protective of his sister. As the relationship changes between Raif and Nalia, it is clear they have a lot to figure out but once Nalia became a part of his bubble, he was fully invested and willing to do what he needed to in order to get her away from Malek and protect her from the Ifrit that is hunting her down.
Malek absolutely fills the role of the villain. Don’t get me wrong, he had me fooled for a bit but there was always that underlying issue around the fact that he “owned” Nalia and I can’t even fathom why he thought they could ever be more than just master and slave know her the way that he did.

I loved the world building in this story. Between the flashbacks/memories that Nalia provides and the rest of the story, Demetrios has created this other world that seems fantastically real. I think anyone who enjoys fantasy with a bit of romance mixed in as well as plenty of action will want to check this story out when they can. I am looking forward to the next book to see where Nalia’s story leads us next.

Thank you to Balzer + Bray for the review copy.

Full review to come closer to publication.

Also...OMG so many things happen in this book I don't even know how I'm going to wait for book 3.

Review to come.