I received an eARC of this book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Des is back! This is not a drill. DES IS BACK! A Strange Hymn by Laura Thalassa is the second book in The Bargainer series and I seriously couldn’t have been more excited to dive back into the Otherworld. For those of you that have not read the first book in the series ([b:Rhapsodic|25820414|Rhapsodic (The Bargainer, #1)|Laura Thalassa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466107203s/25820414.jpg|45677320]), there may be minor spoilers to that book in this review. Read at your own risk!

[b:Rhapsodic|25820414|Rhapsodic (The Bargainer, #1)|Laura Thalassa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466107203s/25820414.jpg|45677320] left me dying for more. I wanted to know how Callie would come back from Karnon’s torture and Des’s darkness. I wanted to know more about the secrets the Bargainer keeps and oh God did I ever want to know who the Thief of Souls was as the soldiers still slept. Unlike most of Laura Thalassa‘s books, [b:Rhapsodic|25820414|Rhapsodic (The Bargainer, #1)|Laura Thalassa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466107203s/25820414.jpg|45677320] didn’t end on a bad cliffhanger, instead it just ended leaving you with this feeling of dread that Thalassa carries over into the beginning of A Strange Hymn.

Callie has been throughly broken. All of those defenses she spent building while Des was kept away from her, all of her emotional armor from what her step-father done to her….Karnon broke. This is not the same sassy chick we met in [b:Rhapsodic|25820414|Rhapsodic (The Bargainer, #1)|Laura Thalassa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466107203s/25820414.jpg|45677320]. Instead Callie starts off a victim and it takes her mate’s pushing for her to move past that and begin to accept the things she cannot change like her wings, scales and talons (just for starters). I loved reading Callie’s POV. Her struggles are real and relatable even in this fictional Otherworld. What I love the most though is her transformation in this book.

And Des *sigh* I love Des! He is Callie’s rock, her mate, and oh so much more. He is a king, a thief, a war hero, and a rebel all rolled into one. Yet the events that surround him and Callie cast Des in a sinister light. Even I doubted his innocence. He is sweet and kind to Callie, everything a man in love should be. BUT he is the Bargainer. He knows how to twist words to his own advantage. He deals in secrets. His secrets he keeps close, letting no one in. However with Callie, his guard begins to come down and we see a different, more vulnerable side than we’ve ever seen before. They are kindred spirits in more ways than one.

With Karnon dead, the curse/magic he placed on the soldiers should have lifted, yet it didn’t. The female soldiers still sleep, and male soldiers are still going missing. And now it is Solstice, a time when all the Fae kingdoms come together in peace to celebrate and discuss treaties. Yet doubts and accusations fly and Callie finds herself doubting her mate. The Solstice celebration is an interesting addition to this book. I enjoyed seeing the other kingdoms and learning about their cultures. It also gave Callie a chance to see Des in his official role as King of the Night.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I couldn’t read it fast enough. There were enough surprises and twists to keep me guessing right to the end and then OH MY GOODNESS!!!! That ending is brutal. I cried, like big ugly sobbing crying. And then I relaxed and then that ending….I don’t know if I can wait for winter to find out the conclusion. If you enjoyed [b:Rhapsodic|25820414|Rhapsodic (The Bargainer, #1)|Laura Thalassa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466107203s/25820414.jpg|45677320] or you enjoy urban fantasy/paranormal romance, I highly recommend you grab a copy of the book. Just be sure to read them in order, otherwise you will be lost.

I received an eARC of this book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Oh Desmond *swoon* The Emperor of Evening Stars by Laura Thalassa is everything I wanted and didn’t know I needed from The Bargainer series. Told exclusively from the King of Night’s perspective, this novella is a glimpse into the life of Des, before and after Callie entered it.

Des is my favorite male character written by Laura Thalassa (sorry Pluto). So getting a novella from his POV was, to say the least, exciting. Des is a complex character that I don’t think I understood fully until reading this book. I knew that like Callie he was a tortured soul. But I don’t think I got just how tortured he was. This is a man who witnessed the death of his mother and killed his own father….why didn’t that register with me until now?! Everything Des does is in direct contrast to his father. He wants to be his opposite. Where his father was cruel, Des wants to be just. He has built his kingdom on the ashes of his father’s barbarity.

I think the reason I loved this novella so much is because as the reader I got to see some of my favorite scenes from the perspective of Des. All the stories he’s shared with Callie (even a few Malaki shared) from Des’s perspective. This helped to flesh his character out, not that he wasn’t already, but it does help in understanding his motives. There is even the story of how he became the Bargainer which I think I fell in love with the boy more (which I didn’t think possible) after reading it!

Overall I loved this novella! I loved seeing Des in a new, vulnerable light. I loved the scary parts and the hurt parts and the all-consuming love parts. This is a man who would die for those that love him and his thirst for vengeance hasn’t quite been quenched yet. While there is no new information, fans of the series will love Des’s story.

I don’t know where to start!!! Dark Harmony by Laura Thalassa is the final installment of The Bargainer series which I absolutely love. Prior to starting the book, I decided I needed to reread the previous ones. It’s been a while, and well I can always use more Des and Callie SO I dove into [b:Rhapsodic|25820414|Rhapsodic (The Bargainer, #1)|Laura Thalassa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466107203s/25820414.jpg|45677320] and fell in love all over again with the Bargainer and his siren.

Please note that if you have NOT read the prior books in this series that there may be minor spoilers to them in this review.

Dark Harmony picks up right where [b:A Strange Hymn|32871581|A Strange Hymn (The Bargainer, #2)|Laura Thalassa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1486499111s/32871581.jpg|53479582] and [b:The Emperor of Evening Stars|36321115|The Emperor of Evening Stars (The Bargainer, #2.5)|Laura Thalassa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1506641600s/36321115.jpg|56625319] left off. The sleeping soldiers have awoken and are attacking all the Fae kingdoms at once with the goal of taking over. By dropping the readers right into the heart of the action, Thalassa creates a foreboding sense that carries through the entire book. Literally I was on the edge of my seat, holding my breath, unable to turn the pages fast enough.

Callie is adjusting to her new fae-like body. Thanks to the Thief and lilac wine, she is now immortal-ish and the Night kingdom is looking to her as Queen. This is not a role she ever wanted, and she finds herself at a crossroads. Is this the life she wants? She can have it, it’s hers for the taking or she can step back, but they may mean losing Des.

Des is as secretive as ever, however I find him endearing in this installment, especially after reading his novella. My heart aches for the Night King and the life he’s lived. I love how he gives Callie all the power. She is his equal, his match, and he never lets her feel as anything less than that. In fact, he takes pride in letting her run the show.

The plot is the culmination of the series. The Thief and the undead Gallagher are working together. Des and Callie are no closer to determining who the Thief really is. And fate is catching up. I’ll be honest that I felt like this was a retelling of [b:The Damned|28205893|The Damned (The Unearthly, #5)|Laura Thalassa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466170057s/28205893.jpg|44809112] the final book in Thalassa’s Unearthly series. It’s even hinted that this has happened before, yet it is also completely different. Y’all I was shocked! I laughed, I cried (like ugly sobbing) and sighed with relief multiple times throughout the book. Think of it as cycle: just when you think things are looking up, another twist comes to knock you for a loop 😉

Overall, I loved Dark Harmony. I might have needed a hug from my husband when I finished it, but it was perfect! It was the perfect ending to Callie’s story. I ached for her, but was like the Bargainer proud of the siren as she became who she was made to be. I LOVED Thalassa’s creation and I’m SO excited that there will be more stories set in this supernatural world. If you are a fan of the series, this final book will not disappoint. Haven’t started Des and Callie’s story yet? What are you waiting for?!?! I highly recommend you grab a copy ASAP if you enjoy urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

I picked up The Military Wife by Laura Trentham after reading [b:Dark Harmony|42042471|Dark Harmony (The Bargainer, #3)|Laura Thalassa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1543531987s/42042471.jpg|56566485]. I needed an HEA, a light hearted read to break my book hangover. Y’all this ain’t it! The Military Wife wrecked me. Like utterly destroyed me. I sobbed and woke my husband up needing a hug. Don’t get me wrong. This is a fantastic read, but it is heartbreaking all the same.

The Military Wife follows the story of Harper Lee Wilcox five years after the death of her Navy SEALS husband. She’s walking through life like a ghost of her former self. She’s convinced herself she’s happy, but it’s clear to the reader she isn’t. She’s living her life without taking any risks, she’s not dating, she’s wholly focused on her son and protecting what is left of her heart. When she discovers that an award her husband was given posthumously is a fake, she decides to hunt out the man who gave it to her and seek answers surrounding her husband’s death.

Bennett Caldwell was Noah Wilcox’s best friend and witnessed his death. He kept up his promise to take care of Noah’s wife and unborn child by giving the widow a bunch of money. He never expected to see her again, much less fall for her. Bennett is a deeply broken man who in the last five years discovered how to live thanks to Noah’s sacrifice. Now Harper is in his life and may derail his progress.

In addition to being a romance, the plot of the story centers around helping military wives while their husbands are deployed. It touches on the wives’ need to contribute to the household and their inability to find jobs. The guilt of forgetting to be worried when they are deployed to the sleepless nights of worry and then the adjustment when the husbands return home. I found myself aching for these families. The author writes with real-world experience and it shows in the details.

I loved the alternating time line as well. While most of the book is set in the present, some chapters are in the past. This allows the reader to fall in love with Noah as Harper did, which again utterly broke me.

Overall I really enjoyed The Military Wife. This is the first book by Laura Trentham I’ve read and it certainly won’t be the last! And y’all I’m really hoping that Darren and Allison get their own book. Their story was a side story to the main plot and ugh!!! I need more of them 😀 If you enjoy contemporary romance, I highly recommend you grab a copy with a box of tissues.

I read Ash Princess last summer and yes I know it has taken me a long time to write a review for a book I read in less than two days. But hey….2018 was long and stressful 😉 I digress….Ash Princess by debut author Laura Sebastian was everything I love about YA fantasy. It whisked me away to a different world, gave me a strong yet broken heroine, a little romance and a ton of action. The unfortunate part of it is if you read a lot of YA fantasy, you’ve read this story before: girl loses kingdom, girl vows to avenge family and get kingdom back, oh and girl falls for evil prince while still lusting for best friend who has now grown up. [b:Red Queen|22328546|Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)|Victoria Aveyard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449778912s/22328546.jpg|25037051] anyone? But again, I digress because Ash Princess is SO much more than the trope it falls into.

Theodosia “Theo” is the princess in question. At the age of 6, she watched as her kingdom fell, witnessed her own mother killed and then was forced to kill her father. Ummm….traumatic doesn’t cover it. Theo was kept alive for one reason and one reason only: to instill fear in her people of the new regime. If her people rebel, Theo is the one punished. Her back is a mess of scar tissue, and don’t get me started on the emotional/mental abuse she is subjected too *shudder* Despite all of this, Theo clings to one thing: revenge. She will bring the Kaiser down and she take her mother’s crown back.

Theo has one friend in the castle, Cress. Cress is the daughter of the general who killed Theo’s mom. Talk about awkward! Yet they share a common bond. Both lost their mothers at a young age. These two have a sisterly relationship. Theo is conflicted though. While she has grown to love Cress (Cress is the only person she truly trusts), Cress is still the daughter of the enemy. She is blind to the suffering Theo faces, or refuses to accept that this is Theo’s life. I’m not really sure. I liked Cress, but at the same time was annoyed with her. How could she ignore her friend’s suffering? Theo was like a doll to her not, not a person.

In addition to Cress, Theo crosses paths and well falls for two boys. First the Prinz, Søren, and her childhood friend Blaise. Søren is not his father’s son. At least he doesn’t seem to be. He cringes at Theo’s torture and at times steps in offering other, less painful methods. It seems to me that the Prinz is falling for Theo while he tries to establish that he is not and will not rule as his father does.

Blaise reappears in Theo’s life working for the rebels who plan to get Theo back to the throne. He’s angry when he first appears, thinking Theo lives a life of luxury while her people die in the mines. What he didn’t realize is the true suffering of the Ash Princess. Their relationship is strained from the start by the years and trauma that separates them.

Overall I loved Ash Princess! It’s dark and twisted at times while light-hearted with an edge at others. Theo is a force to be reckoned with. The love triangle (could you hear my eyes roll?) I could have done without. However Sebastian has written it so well that I find I can’t choose between the boys either. I’m anxious to pick up [b:Lady Smoke|40702154|Lady Smoke (Ash Princess Trilogy #2)|Laura Sebastian|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1532535833s/40702154.jpg|60796563] and find out how these relationships progress. AND the ending?!?! I’m dying to find out more!!! I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys YA fantasy.

I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

When I first came across Second Star by J.M. Sullivan on another blog, I noticed two things: the sci-fi cover and PETER PAN. Y’all this is not a drill! Second Star is a sci-fi/space opera-ish retelling of the famous boy who never grew up. It took me a few days to read all the way through the book, but I was captivated from the first words.

Second Star begins with a mechanic taking down a ship to prevent his captain from continuing with a mission that would ensure death to the crew. Except things don’t go quite as planned, and the ship winds up crashing into an uncharted planet. The ship was the Jolly Roger, the captain is the notorious Hooke, and the mechanic is none other than Pan himself.

Meanwhile back on Earth, we the readers meet a young prodigy being dropped off at the academy. The prodigy is Wendy Moira Angela Darling, and she is determined to become a captain worthy of her missing hero Captain James Hooke. I must say I loved Wendy. She’s introverted, but it serves her well. She can size up a situation and people quickly. But she is also loyal to those who she loves. It serves her well.

The plot of the book is quite simple. A mysterious transmission is received by the Londonierre Brigade from a captain that’s been missing, presumed dead for a hundred years. A newly promoted Wendy leads a small crew to Neverland on a rescue mission. However things are not as they seem, and it quickly becomes a mission to save themselves as much as the crew they were sent to save.

I think what I love most about Second Star is Sullivan’s references to the original story, and not just the Disney version. From characters like Tinc, a nanobot that Peter built, and SMEE, the captain’s Synthetic Maintenance Engineering Emissary, to the landscape of Neverland, it is clear the author loves Peter Pan as much as I do. I loved how Sullivan intertwined the original elements to tell her own story. I love the setting of a futuristic society and of course Neverland being it’s own microplanet.

My favorite thing about this story though is Wendy, Johns, and Michaels. Elias Johns is Wendy’s best friend from the academy. And it is clear the love they have for one another. It’s a sibling type love, and Johns is fiercely protective of Darling. I’ll be honest I may have shipped them a little 😉

Overall Second Star is a fantastic read. I was left breathless and unable to read fast enough at times to needing to put the book aside and ruminate for a while at others. Alternating between Wendy and Pan’s POV is genius and flows so well. I loved getting to see this world from both perspectives. And the Shadow, the big bad of the book, is not at all what I expected. Seriously y’all perfection!! If you are a fan of Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles, I believe you will enjoy this. Second Star is a must-read for any [b:Peter Pan|34268|Peter Pan|J.M. Barrie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1337714526s/34268.jpg|1358908] fan!

The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross broke me! This is such a beautiful tale, written from the perspective of the Beast. I’ve always enjoy the original Beauty and the Beast and so far all it’s incarnations. This one is unique in that it puts the reader in the mind of the Beast for the entire story. I was mesmerized. It’s achingly beautiful and poetic.

I need to be honest before I continue. I started reading an eARC of this book prior to its release and just couldn’t get into it. I read roughly 15% and had to put it down. Why? Well, to be blunt, it’s quite wordy. As I’ve already mentioned, The Beast’s Heart is beautifully written with lush detail. It’s akin to reading someone’s most private thoughts. I struggled, but because I was intrigued and enjoying the Beast’s tale, I thought I’d listen to the audio…..I mean it’s Jim Dale, he’s fantastic. And I’m SO glad I did. I preordered the audiobook and listened to the entire thing in about three days. Jim Dale brings the Beast to life and I found myself enthralled. The only thing that could have made it better is if Dan Stevens was reading because well….



Seriously I totally pictured him the entire time I was listening 😂

Back to the story. It opens with the Beast realizing he is in fact a man and attempting to recover the humanity he’s lost while he was terrorizing the forrest around his former home. The Beast is a complex character. It’s very obvious to the reader that he thinks poorly of himself and his past choices, even if he never discloses what those were. He’s a creature who is lonely and painfully ashamed of what he has become. Yet determined to break his curse, he finds Isabeau.

Isabeau is a beauty, inside and out. She’s not the dark headed bookworm of Disney, but a fair headed artist who loves the simple things in life. I found her charming, and I loved that the Beast didn’t scare her at all. In fact, she sees the man behind fur. And as she does, you fall more in love with our narrator.

Overall, The Beast’s Heart is a unique take on the classic. There’s enough of the original woven into the story that it’s fun to pick those things out, yet there is plenty new to it. I really enjoyed the narration. If you enjoy audiobooks, I recommend this one for Jim Dale alone! If you are a fan of Beauty and the Beast, don’t let this one sit on the shelf. Read it asap.

I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of this book or the content of my review.

Wild Country by Anne Bishop is everything I wanted [b:Lake Silence|35463752|Lake Silence (The World of the Others, #1; The Others, #6)|Anne Bishop|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497821052s/35463752.jpg|53651626] to be and more! While I enjoyed [b:Lake Silence|35463752|Lake Silence (The World of the Others, #1; The Others, #6)|Anne Bishop|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497821052s/35463752.jpg|53651626], it wasn’t what I had come to expect from The Others series. Wild Country however is everything I wanted in a spinoff series with some Wild West flare thrown in. Following the people and Others sent to resettle the town of Bennett, the book is a thrill ride from start to finish.

The Bennett Humans and Others
So in the Lakeside Courtyard, humans and Others have been working together for a while. The addition of Meg Corbyn helps with any tension, because Meg isn’t all human but she isn’t Other either. I say all this because there is no Meg in Bennett.

Tensions remain high. The sheriff and his deputy are Wolfguard, the only surviving members of their pack. The mayor is Sanguinati. The saloon owner is a Harvester (like Tess, except she’s never been around humans before). I could keep going, but I think you get the picture. These are not like the Others from Lakeside. These Others are not used to humans. Humans are prey to them, and at best only minimally tolerated.

The humans of Bennett are endearing though. I loved Barb Debany and Jana Paniccia! Barb is Michael’s little sister, the would-be vet. She is in charge of the pets and animals left behind after the Elders wiped out Bennett. Her duty is to find feed, care and find new homes for them.

Jana is the unfortunate young deputy assigned to the Sheriff’s department. I love her encounters with Virgil, the Wolfguard sheriff. It reminds me so much of Meg and Simon without the romance. Their relationship is great, and I found myself laughing out loud through most of their interactions.

In addition to Jana and Barb, there are Jessie and Tobias Walker, a mother and son Intuit family from a small town just below Bennett. Jessie is older and the only human the Others seem to trust, specifically Tolya the Sanguinati mayor. Tobias unlike other Intuits has an affinity for animals which seems to extend to the Others. This comes in handy as they can tell when to approach and how to approach them.

The Blackstone Clan
The story revolves around two things: the resettling of Bennett and the Blackstone Clan. Resettling Bennett comes with challenges of its own. The Elders are watching closely. The Others who live in Bennett are in just as much risk as the humans. The Elders won’t hesitate to wipe them both out if need be, creating an edge-of-your-seat read.

The Blackstone Clan though is a problem. They are a family of Intuits that use their gifts to gamble and swindle away money and jewels from others. I knew from the moment this family was introduced that they would cause trouble, and that they do! I found myself amazed at their stupidity. Obviously they’d never dealt with Others before. As a reader, I almost felt sorry for them….almost.

Final Thoughts
Wild Country is a fantastic, high stakes read. I could not sit it down. I read it in under two days. Seriously, y’all it is that good. What I enjoyed most is that it took place concurrently with the final book in The Others series that featured Meg. So if you’ve read it, you may recognize some events in this book. I loved finding those easter eggs, but I also loved all the new. I really hope the author continues with stories from Bennett. I’m not ready to say good bye to these characters just yet.

I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not effect my opinion of the book or the contents of this review.

Where do I begin?! White Stag by Kara Barbieri is the book I was waiting for. I’ve been craving a fantasy that could sweep me away from reality for a little while, and this was it. A hunt, a dead king, Goblins….it’s all very Labyrinth-esque. To be honest, I was a little hesitant going into the read. While I was excited, I was remembering my disappointment in Wintersong. Y’all there’s no comparison. While Wintersong was romantic and whimsical, White Stag is dark and haunting. Be prepared for a dark read.

Dropping the reader right into the action, the author creates a suspenseful read from the first page. Janneke is a thrall (re: slave) of a high-goblin lord, and as a result is perpetually 17. At the opening of the book, she’s been 17 for almost 100 years, taken as a slave after her village and family were killed. Now she is fighting becoming a changeling, fighting her growing feelings for the goblin who keeps her enslaved, and fighting to return to the human world. Janneke isn’t an easy character to empathize with. She is dealing with a lot of trauma (i.e. rape) and not fully recovered from it.

Soren, Janneke’s owner (I don’t think that’s the right word, but I’m going with it), comes off as a little cold to start. However what isn’t obvious to Janneke is very clear to the reader: he cares for her.

When the Erlking dies, the stag awakes and runs off, starting the hunt. This is the main plot of the story and follows Soren and Janneke as they hunt. I struggled a bit through the middle of the book. The writing felt rushed and dialogue stilted. I needed more detail personally. I also felt that the book itself needed a polish with an editor. (Please note though that I read an advanced copy, I’m hoping these issues have been resolved prior to release).

Overall, I liked White Stag and cannot wait to read more of Janneke’s story in the second book. If you enjoy high fantasy, suspense, and a little romance, I recommend it.