The Uninvited is the first book I have read by Cat Winters but it won’t be the last. I love most historicals and when you mix in ghosts and fantastic writing, I’m completely on board.

Set in the year 1918, the story pulled me right into the life of Ivy Rowan. Ivy is a twenty five year old woman who lives with her parents and brother on their farm when the war and the Spanish influenza hits their small Illinois town. A bit of a twist here is that both Ivy and her mother have always been able to see the ghosts of their family and when they did, it was typically an omen of something else. The story begins with Ivy waking up from being knocked off her feet by the flu to a nightmare. After finding out her brother was killed in the war, she finds out her father and brother did something unimaginable to a local German man and that is the act that pushes her to leave.

On her own for the first time in her life, Ivy heads to town and walks right past the scene of the crime. As she does, she sees the brother of the man who was killed by her father and brother and Ivy immediately feels the need to figure out a way to overcome the guilt she feels. This is where her relationship with Daniel begins. It starts as one where they attempt to comfort each other but it eventually turns into more.

I loved seeing the change in Ivy. She is initially presented as this sheltered, homebody but now that she is on her own, she really does anything she wants to, including helping gather the sick, go to a jazz club, and even have sex for the first time. As she struggles to balance her feelings for Daniel and the anger she has toward the government/war and her family, Ivy also has to figure out what she really wants out of her life now.

One thing I will say here is that Cat Winters writes so beautifully. The way the story flows and the writing itself, pulled me into this time where people were afraid to be seen as unpatriotic and panicked that either the APL or the flu would come for them next. As Ivy begins to connect the dots, she realizes what she needs to do. I can’t really say a lot about what happens as I don’t want to ruin this story for anyone. Just know that while it is a bit of a slow ramp up, the rest of the story moves along well and I thought the ending was perfectly done for these characters.

If you are looking for a story that combines interesting characters, a bit of paranormal, and a twist you may not see coming, definitely check this one out. I am glad I finally had the opportunity to read one of Cat Winters’ stories and I will absolutely be checking out her other books.

Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the review copy!

This one was interesting. I found the sci-fi aspect of this story the thing that made it more than just a story about sex. In a world where sex is another commodity, Chloe Shaw is an anomaly. There is something about her that makes her the one person who is perfect for the O Corporation's launch of an elite service that will vault them to the top of the market for sex.

i thought this intro to the series was a solid beginning to this story and I am interested to see where the rest of the story goes.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

Dead Girl Walking grabbed my attention as soon as I read the summary and although this one started out a bit slow for me, it definitely picked up toward the end and I found myself enjoying the story.

Cassie, the main character, died. That’s right, she was in an accident with her family and everyone died. The difference for Cassie was that for some reason, she came back. Now she is on her own and seeing a therapist to figure out what she should do with herself as well as why she is even alive. By chance, she notices a boy, Dante, in the waiting room and is drawn to him.

Dante has horrible dreams…or nightmares. He sees the exact moment of his death but doesn’t know how to stop it. When he continues to encounter Cassie, they begin to develop a friendship and eventually more.

Neither of these characters is particularly stable. They are both struggling with coming to terms with their situations and they lean on each other to cope. On top of that, girls are being killed and Cassie ends up right in the middle of the danger. Because she is somehow able to see pieces of a person’s death by touching them, she is pulled into the investigation being done by the police. Eventually Cassie becomes a target and this is the catalyst to putting both Cassie and Dante in danger.

I won’t say much more about the story here as I don’t want to give anything away but overall I thought this was an interesting story and although it did have a slow start, once it started to get into the mystery of the story, I found it pulled me in more. This story combines a bit of the paranormal with a mystery – if you’re looking for something a bit different, definitely consider checking this one out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

3.5 stars on this one.

I have mixed feelings about this book because there were things I liked and things I didn't really like on this one. I love Brackston's other stories so I immediately requested this when I saw it. Overall I thought the story was great - I loved how Brackston mixed in the past with Laura's story. The things I didn't like were mostly tied to Laura's interactions with Rhys, her neighbor.

I haven't read many books about Merlin and that was one of the things that drew me into the story. I loved the historical parts of the story and honestly wished I could have had more of that.

Rhys was creepy and as his story was revealed, he became even creepier. On top of that, I was not a fan of the way Laura handled the situation with him.

Overall, this story was only ok for me. With that said, there were parts that I really did like and because of that I would encourage people to check it out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

Review to come

3.5 stars

I had been looking forward to Court of Fives from the moment I read the summary and I was so excited when I actually got my hands on a copy of it. Kate Elliott does a fantastic job of creating the world these characters live in as well as building out a story that makes you feel something for the main characters – good and bad.

Class and status play a fairly big role in this book and as we are introduced to the main character, Jessamy, it is clear she is in a tough position. She is continually balancing making her family happy as well as making sure she doesn’t cause her father any embarrassment alongside the one thing she loves, the Fives. The Fives are a competition that only the best athletes in the kingdom compete in but they do so masked so no one knows who is competing. The masks are the only reason why Jes is willing to risk participating in the next competition. Even though she knows she will have to lose, she wants to see if she can do it and win.

Jes’s family is in a precarious position as it is since her father is a Patron and her mother is a Commoner. As her father was continually promoted with the military, it was expected that he would put her mother to the side and marry a Patron woman. Since he has stayed true to Jes’s mother and they only have daughters to show for their relationship, certain people are watching their family and this is one of the things that makes Jes nervous about participating in the Fives.

I thought the characters were fairly well developed and I liked how the friendship started between Jes and Kalliarkos. I will admit, I couldn’t really figure out why the bad guy in this story was making it his life’s mission to destroy Jes’s family. I also thought that Jes’s father made some very questionable decisions…I don’t really care what position he was put in. There wasn’t much time spent with Jes’s sisters so outside of glimpses into their characters, I didn’t really feel connected to them. Of course, Jes and Kal are the main characters and I liked them both. I think Kal felt a little flat at times but I’m looking forward to hopefully getting more of him in book two.

Overall I thought this was a solid book one. There was action, danger, and definitely some interesting characters. I thought Elliot did a great job of not only building out the world but also pulling me into this time where gods are worshipped, magic is real, and there is danger around every corner. If you are looking for something a little different, consider checking this one out. I will definitely pick up book two when it comes out as I am curious to see what happens next. Elliott left me wanting more and that’s always a good sign with a series.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.

Evolution is book three in the Extraction series and it picks up shortly after book two (Rebellion) wraps up so you aren’t missing anything. I have really been enjoying this series so as soon as I was able to read it, I dove in. If you haven’t read any of these books yet, you might want to stop here (and of course, go read them) so I don’t ruin any of the story for you.

As the story begins, Clementine and the rebels have to figure out what to do now that their headquarters is destroyed and aliens from Marden are invading. Clem has to figure out who she can (and will) trust and it definitely isn’t an easy decision. The one thing she and the group do know is that they can’t do anything about the aliens on their own. Because of this, she and the small group decide to head to the core but on their way, they are attacked and some of the group are taken by the aliens. When Clementine gets to the core, she is face to face with Commander Charlie again and has to make a deal with him to save her friends and Logan.

We have the normal cast of characters in this book as we had in the past and I thought Diaz did a wonderful job of giving us more of each of them while still keeping the focus on Clem. I did think Clem showed some growth in this book and although she definitely needs to watch Sam and the Commander, she holds her own with both of them. I also like that we get to see more of Logan and Clem together again.

As always, Diaz does a fantastic job of developing the world these characters inhabit. From the space ships to the planet Marden, all have a real feel to them. It also helps that the writing is well done and paced in a way that keeps the story moving but still spends some time on the important parts.

Overall I thought Diaz tied this story up well. Not only do we get explanations around what really happened with Marden so long ago, but we also learn more about why the aliens are back and what they are looking for. I won’t lie, things don’t go 100% perfectly for the group and there are some unexpected twists but in the end, the story concludes with some hope.

If you are looking for something that has plenty of action and a story that will pull you in with some great characters, aliens, and deception, consider checking this series out. I will definitely be waiting to see what Diaz writes next and will be reading it as soon as I can.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy!

I absolutely loved this story and everyone should read it!

I have been waiting to get my hands on Heart-Shaped Hack by Tracey Garvis-Graves since the second I read the blurb. If you follow the blog at all, you know how much we love Tracey’s books and I have to say, this book did not disappoint at all. It has a wonderful balance of well-built characters, great banter, swoony parts, and a bit of danger. As always, I will try to keep this review spoiler free!

Kate left her job as a lawyer to open up a food pantry but she had no idea it would be so difficult to keep her shelves stocked for those who really needed help. When she goes on a local news show to ask people to consider donating, she draws the attention of a mystery donor and it becomes her mission to find out who this mystery guy is who continues to give her pantry so much.

First, Kate was a wonderful character. She clearly wants to do something good for those who are less fortunate and she cares…a lot. She also isn’t afraid to take a risk and that is what I loved about her. She quit a job that had a lot of security (and by doing so, also created a bump in her relationship with her father) and her relationship with Ian was itself, a huge risk for her. I also loved getting glimpses of her with her family and seeing how rooted she was with them. The fact that she could rely on them for anything, especially when she needed them, was great.

Ian…I admit it – I love him. He is cocky and smart and there is definitely a balance between making those characteristics annoying or making it absolutely wonderful. If it isn’t clear, Tracey Garvis-Graves does this in a way that made me want to find my very own Ian. He is a mystery and while not completely forthcoming, he is still able to wiggle his way into Kate’s life and wins her over. Ian is definitely keeping secrets from Kate and lives a life she has no familiarity with. I can’t blame him for his secrets – as he explains, he does it more for her protection than anything else but even with that being the case, she definitely had to trust him and take his word for a lot.

Let me take a moment here to say, I loved that this story had me smiling from the moment Ian and Kate met. The banter between these two was fantastic and one of my favorite parts of the entire book. In addition to that, the story felt real. While I have no idea what the life of a hacker is, Garvis-Graves does a wonderful job of conveying the rush Ian would get when he was working on something as well as the pressure of the work. I would imagine the secrecy and way he lived would be a necessity and it honestly made me think about all the things someone can find out about someone online.

As Kate and Ian’s relationship progresses, they are thrown into a situation neither of them were prepared for…well, in a way. Ian was prepared to an extent but here is where I get super vague. Something happens that knocks Kate off of her feet and she has to figure out what she will do. As she comes to terms with everything, she also has to figure out what is important to her and how she will move forward. While the twist was something I figured out, I didn’t really care. The aftereffects were the things I wanted to dig into and I loved how it was handled.

I will leave you with that…don’t hate me for the vagueness – really you will thank me later on. If you are looking for a story that pulls you in and doesn’t let you go until you turn the last page, you will want to read this book as soon as you possibly can. This book has wonderful, real characters, a page-turning story, and finally, a relationship that will have you experiencing the highs and lows right alongside the characters. I couldn’t put this book down and I can’t wait to add the hardcopy to my shelves alongside some of my other favorite books.

Thank you to the author for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.