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Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott is a Sci Fi story that mixes in odd animals and a crazy race. Scott pulls you into Tella’s story and drags the reader through a jungle and a desert while trying to figure out who Tella can really trust. Despite a start that didn’t pull me in immediately, I found myself turning the pages to see just what was going to happen next.
Tella is sixteen and due to her brother’s illness, she and her family have moved to Middle of Nowhere, Montana. Out of nowhere, she is given a device that tells her of a race called the Brimstone Bleed that if she can win, could give her a cure for her brother’s illness. With that as motivation, Tella decides to take the device and attempt to save her brother.
This is where things get interesting. Scott introduces not only this race but also something called a Pandora which appears to be an animal that has been created in a lab. All of the Pandoras have hybrid abilities that will help their contender survive the race if they know how to communicate and use them.
I have mixed feelings about Tella. I honestly didn’t really care for her as a main character at first but it was more because she only talked about how much she disliked her life in Montana and didn’t have her friends around. I found her voice to be a bit annoying until we got pulled into the race portion of the story. As she started to realize and figure things out, I started to like her more.
Guy is still a bit of a mystery to me. I liked him but he definitely has his secrets. It was interesting to see the change in him from day one to the time when they were together after getting through the desert. I will be curious to see how his and Tella’s relationship changes going into the next book of the series.
I don’t want to give anything away with this story so I won’t be giving a ton of detail away. I will say I thought Scott did a great job of creating these characters and the world they are racing through. With that, I still have a ton of questions that I hope will be addressed in the next book. As I mentioned, I thought this one had a slow start for me and that was mostly due to me not immediately loving the main character. She grew on me though and I look forward to book two in this series.
If you like a lot of action mixed in with some science fiction definitely check this one out.
Tella is sixteen and due to her brother’s illness, she and her family have moved to Middle of Nowhere, Montana. Out of nowhere, she is given a device that tells her of a race called the Brimstone Bleed that if she can win, could give her a cure for her brother’s illness. With that as motivation, Tella decides to take the device and attempt to save her brother.
This is where things get interesting. Scott introduces not only this race but also something called a Pandora which appears to be an animal that has been created in a lab. All of the Pandoras have hybrid abilities that will help their contender survive the race if they know how to communicate and use them.
I have mixed feelings about Tella. I honestly didn’t really care for her as a main character at first but it was more because she only talked about how much she disliked her life in Montana and didn’t have her friends around. I found her voice to be a bit annoying until we got pulled into the race portion of the story. As she started to realize and figure things out, I started to like her more.
Guy is still a bit of a mystery to me. I liked him but he definitely has his secrets. It was interesting to see the change in him from day one to the time when they were together after getting through the desert. I will be curious to see how his and Tella’s relationship changes going into the next book of the series.
I don’t want to give anything away with this story so I won’t be giving a ton of detail away. I will say I thought Scott did a great job of creating these characters and the world they are racing through. With that, I still have a ton of questions that I hope will be addressed in the next book. As I mentioned, I thought this one had a slow start for me and that was mostly due to me not immediately loving the main character. She grew on me though and I look forward to book two in this series.
If you like a lot of action mixed in with some science fiction definitely check this one out.
Fighting Love is the first in the new Crestler’s Key series by Melissa West and if you have read any of the Hamilton Stables series, you know that this means we now get to have the Littleton brothers’ stories which makes me happy!
This book focuses on Zac Littleton. He was first introduced to us in one of the Hamilton books and I was happy to see that we were going to learn more about him in this first book. Zac is a single dad whose only focus most days is his daughter and the family farm. He has some things in his past that makes him ok with avoiding dating and focusing on his daughter but all of that changes when he learns more about Sophie Marsh.
Sophie Marsh is a newcomer to Crestler’s Key and she has some competition with her organic produce company. She is trying to make a name for herself but everyone in town loves Zac and his brothers and because she is an outsider, they don’t trust her. The only way Sophie sees around this is to make a deal with Zac.
I loved how these two started out and the banter between them is one of my favorite things. They are both pretty competitive and while they are competing for business with each other, they also know they can help one another out. For Zac, Sophie can help him make his daughter happy by getting him out of the house and dating. For Sophie, Zac can be the “in” for developing some trust in the people of Crestler’s Key. What they didn’t really count on was that they would start feeling like this fake relationship could be something more.
Another layer to this story is Sophie’s backstory. I won’t say much here as I don’t want to give anything away but she was definitely running away from something. As the story moves forward, it is clear that Sophie has something in her past that impacts the way she sees herself as well as makes her wary of men. As things are revealed it made me like Sophie even more because she has shown her strength and determination to start over.
I know I have said this before but for anyone new reading my reviews, I love Melissa West’s stories. She develops such wonderful characters and the stories are usually more than just fluff. Fighting Love was a fairly quick read but it gave me everything I was looking for – great characters, an interesting story, and of course, some swoony romance. Definitely check this out when you can and don’t forget to read her other books as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
This book focuses on Zac Littleton. He was first introduced to us in one of the Hamilton books and I was happy to see that we were going to learn more about him in this first book. Zac is a single dad whose only focus most days is his daughter and the family farm. He has some things in his past that makes him ok with avoiding dating and focusing on his daughter but all of that changes when he learns more about Sophie Marsh.
Sophie Marsh is a newcomer to Crestler’s Key and she has some competition with her organic produce company. She is trying to make a name for herself but everyone in town loves Zac and his brothers and because she is an outsider, they don’t trust her. The only way Sophie sees around this is to make a deal with Zac.
I loved how these two started out and the banter between them is one of my favorite things. They are both pretty competitive and while they are competing for business with each other, they also know they can help one another out. For Zac, Sophie can help him make his daughter happy by getting him out of the house and dating. For Sophie, Zac can be the “in” for developing some trust in the people of Crestler’s Key. What they didn’t really count on was that they would start feeling like this fake relationship could be something more.
Another layer to this story is Sophie’s backstory. I won’t say much here as I don’t want to give anything away but she was definitely running away from something. As the story moves forward, it is clear that Sophie has something in her past that impacts the way she sees herself as well as makes her wary of men. As things are revealed it made me like Sophie even more because she has shown her strength and determination to start over.
I know I have said this before but for anyone new reading my reviews, I love Melissa West’s stories. She develops such wonderful characters and the stories are usually more than just fluff. Fighting Love was a fairly quick read but it gave me everything I was looking for – great characters, an interesting story, and of course, some swoony romance. Definitely check this out when you can and don’t forget to read her other books as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden is a book I came across while scanning the shelves on NetGalley. It immediately caught my attention because of the cover but then as I read the summary I was hooked. This story is part fantasy, part historical, part fairytale and it all comes together magically.
Arden has created an atmosphere for this story that pulled me right into the winter forests of Russia. Vasilisa is the main character and while the story revolves around her and who she is / will be, the characters around her definitely push the story forward.
Vasilisa is an interesting character. She is the baby of the family so she gets away with quite a bit but she was born with a gift, which is what her mother was hoping. She can see the spirits that surround her home and village which helps her understand what is happening as she grows older and sees how things are changing. I liked Vasilisa because she stood up for herself and was willing to do anything for those she loves. Her family was the most important thing to her and she was always willing to do whatever she could to help and protect them.
There are demons and spirits that surround Vasilisa’s home and as I mentioned, she is one of only a handful of people that can see them. When her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new stepmother, things start to change for the once happy family. Anna really is an awful person. Granted she was put into a situation she never asked for but she took out her fear and anger on those around her, specifically Vasilisa, and that made me dislike her immensely. Because she could also see the spirits, Anna was a little crazy. She didn’t believe, like Vasilisa did, that they were there to help and protect, instead she thought they were all devils and because Vasilisa didn’t, Anna thought she was evil too.
When a new priest comes to the village, things start to get worse. At first he is angry that he has been sent away from his admirers in Moscow but when he gets to the small village and he realizes there is so much opportunity for him to be loved and make an impact to the village. His biggest accomplishment will be in correcting everything he sees wrong with Vasilisa.
Because the household spirits are no longer honored and supported by the family, things start to go downhill in that their crops fail, people are being attacked in the woods by strange creatures, and the village is in danger. As the protection of the village starts to fail, everyone is in danger and Vasilisa is the one who will save them all.
Another character I haven’t mentioned yet is the Winter Demon who has plans for Vasilisa. He makes appearances throughout the story and at first it is hard to tell whether he is good or bad. Honestly he could probably go either way and he definitely has an agenda in his push to get Vasilisa where he wants her.
At times the pacing felt slow with this one but I still enjoyed the whole story. I find myself struggling with an explanation about this whole book because there are so many different pieces that Arden ties together and I applaud her for the way it all comes together in the end. If you are looking for something a little different you might check this one out. I also just realized that this is a series so I will be keeping an eye out for book two in this series as I’m interested to see where Arden takes these characters next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
Arden has created an atmosphere for this story that pulled me right into the winter forests of Russia. Vasilisa is the main character and while the story revolves around her and who she is / will be, the characters around her definitely push the story forward.
Vasilisa is an interesting character. She is the baby of the family so she gets away with quite a bit but she was born with a gift, which is what her mother was hoping. She can see the spirits that surround her home and village which helps her understand what is happening as she grows older and sees how things are changing. I liked Vasilisa because she stood up for herself and was willing to do anything for those she loves. Her family was the most important thing to her and she was always willing to do whatever she could to help and protect them.
There are demons and spirits that surround Vasilisa’s home and as I mentioned, she is one of only a handful of people that can see them. When her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new stepmother, things start to change for the once happy family. Anna really is an awful person. Granted she was put into a situation she never asked for but she took out her fear and anger on those around her, specifically Vasilisa, and that made me dislike her immensely. Because she could also see the spirits, Anna was a little crazy. She didn’t believe, like Vasilisa did, that they were there to help and protect, instead she thought they were all devils and because Vasilisa didn’t, Anna thought she was evil too.
When a new priest comes to the village, things start to get worse. At first he is angry that he has been sent away from his admirers in Moscow but when he gets to the small village and he realizes there is so much opportunity for him to be loved and make an impact to the village. His biggest accomplishment will be in correcting everything he sees wrong with Vasilisa.
Because the household spirits are no longer honored and supported by the family, things start to go downhill in that their crops fail, people are being attacked in the woods by strange creatures, and the village is in danger. As the protection of the village starts to fail, everyone is in danger and Vasilisa is the one who will save them all.
Another character I haven’t mentioned yet is the Winter Demon who has plans for Vasilisa. He makes appearances throughout the story and at first it is hard to tell whether he is good or bad. Honestly he could probably go either way and he definitely has an agenda in his push to get Vasilisa where he wants her.
At times the pacing felt slow with this one but I still enjoyed the whole story. I find myself struggling with an explanation about this whole book because there are so many different pieces that Arden ties together and I applaud her for the way it all comes together in the end. If you are looking for something a little different you might check this one out. I also just realized that this is a series so I will be keeping an eye out for book two in this series as I’m interested to see where Arden takes these characters next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
Take Me Harder is the third book in the Texas Bounty series by Jackie Ashenden. I just randomly came across this series and was interested in these bounty hunter brothers as they have some interesting stories. This book focuses on Rush, the brother who went to jail for a crime he didn’t commit.
While I liked this book I don’t think this was my favorite of the series. Rush is an interesting character but he has some demons that will be difficult for him to shake. When he went to jail, just about everyone abandoned him and now that he is out, he isn’t pulling any punches with his brothers or anyone. He is also pretty open about his love of alcohol and strippers and considering the fact that most days when he isn’t at the office he is at a specific strip club, you can guess where he is in moving forward with his life.
Enter Ava St. George. She’s a cop…specifically the Sheriff’s daughter, and she and Rush go back. When her mother was killed Rush is the one who would sit with her and talk. So when she finds out something about her mother’s death that requires someone who knows the players in town, she goes right to Rush. She knows he has connections with some of the seedier people in town and she needs to get to them to find out what really happened to her mother and get revenge.
As these two come together, Rush does everything he can to get Ava to stay away from him. Unfortunately she is determined and she also cares about him. She regrets that she never went to go visit him in prison but now that he is home she isn’t going to just sit back. Eventually she breaks through the barrier that Rush has put up and just when Rush seems to be happy and seeing a future for them, Ava does something that she feels she needs to in order to protect her heart. This is the part that threw me…she was so sure of him and them together that when she flipped, it felt forced. Regardless, the separation forces them to figure out what they really want and what they are willing to face for the one they love.
Overall I enjoyed this one but there were pieces that felt rushed or just didn’t fit. With that said, consider the series. I have enjoyed it so far and look forward to the future books.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
While I liked this book I don’t think this was my favorite of the series. Rush is an interesting character but he has some demons that will be difficult for him to shake. When he went to jail, just about everyone abandoned him and now that he is out, he isn’t pulling any punches with his brothers or anyone. He is also pretty open about his love of alcohol and strippers and considering the fact that most days when he isn’t at the office he is at a specific strip club, you can guess where he is in moving forward with his life.
Enter Ava St. George. She’s a cop…specifically the Sheriff’s daughter, and she and Rush go back. When her mother was killed Rush is the one who would sit with her and talk. So when she finds out something about her mother’s death that requires someone who knows the players in town, she goes right to Rush. She knows he has connections with some of the seedier people in town and she needs to get to them to find out what really happened to her mother and get revenge.
As these two come together, Rush does everything he can to get Ava to stay away from him. Unfortunately she is determined and she also cares about him. She regrets that she never went to go visit him in prison but now that he is home she isn’t going to just sit back. Eventually she breaks through the barrier that Rush has put up and just when Rush seems to be happy and seeing a future for them, Ava does something that she feels she needs to in order to protect her heart. This is the part that threw me…she was so sure of him and them together that when she flipped, it felt forced. Regardless, the separation forces them to figure out what they really want and what they are willing to face for the one they love.
Overall I enjoyed this one but there were pieces that felt rushed or just didn’t fit. With that said, consider the series. I have enjoyed it so far and look forward to the future books.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
I loved getting the first meeting between Helen and Carlston from his POV. It was exactly as I expected it to be!
