Review: Then, Now, Always

Then, Now, Always by Mona Shroff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't read many adult titles but when I saw this one I fell in love with the cover and just had to read it. Once I started the story I was drawn in and became addicted to the story and fell in love with the characters. This one is told in alternating time lines as well as a dual POV and it worked wonderfully!! I don't think this story could have been told any other way. It was one of those stories that is a slow burn and so worth the ride. You find out tidbits about what in the world happened tear this family apart as they found each other again. I will seriously be adding this to this years awards because it was just that good. The author has so much culture in this story that I would love to know more about it. She added two of the recipes in the back of the book that I can not wait to try out. And an epilogue that made me cry happy tears as I was finishing up the story that has touched my heart so much!

Don't miss this debut!!


Go Into This One Knowing: Dual POV, Dual Time Lines, Indian Culture, Blended Culture

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Review: When Stars Are Bright

When Stars Are Bright by Amber R. Duell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such an amazing story!! The ending will having you grabbing for the tissues and the story will have you reading until you are finished. I am so happy that I was given the chance to read this amazing retelling of Thumbelina and I really hope we get another story set in this same world. The cast of characters and the use of magic was wonderful. My only issue with this one was the pacing. It was a little slower in places than I would have liked but other than that it was a stellar story that I will read again in the future.


Go Into This One Knowing: Light Love Triangle, Magic, Left Open

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Review: Tweet Cute

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story was so ADORABLE!! It really reminded me of You've Got Mail for a new generation. The story flowed wonderfully and the ending was perfect! I loved how the romance was a slow burn and the story had so much yummy food. I'm still holding out hope that they add all the recipes to the end of the finished copy as my eARC didn't have any of them (I totally cried).

The story itself was pretty easy to follow and I can't wait for another one by this author. It was full of sassy comebacks and so much humor that I just couldn't put it down!! So just know that once you start this one you won't be stopping until the last page.

The rival of the Grilled Cheese was perfect it really showed you how fast a spat on Twitter or really any social media could get out of hand very quickly. I felt so sorry for these kids or at least for Pepper because he mom just couldn't hire someone who knew how to use social media correctly and was totally relying on her teenage daughter to deal with a corporate account. Although it did feel very believable.

Overall, I would love a movie out of this one. I really do think that those who loved You've Got Mail would die hard love this one!! It was cute, sweet, and so funny! Just make sure to have some sweets around because your gonna need them!


Go Into This One Knowing: No Love Triangle, No Cliffhanger, Slow Burn Romance

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Review: Jane Anonymous

Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book grabbed me from the very first page!! That prologue was a hit and I could not put this one down at all!! I loved that it was told from Then and Now chapters and these chapters didn't follow a pattern it was a few Then chapters than a few Now chapters. It helped weave this story about a girl who was kidnapped and then broke free from her captor.


So to start off let's unpack some of the issues I had with this one. There are really only three that I had. One was word choices it made me feel that this book was from the 50s but of course we didn't have cell phones then. And the other was that when Jane was kidnapped she talks about having a flashlight app. Which yes those do exist but phones past 2007 all had flashlights in them already. At least as far as I have searched and found. So it made no sense. The last issue I had was that towards the end of the title when Jane is finally coming to terms with what happened to her it felt very rushed. One second she's still having panic attacks then the next chapter she's coming to terms with the twist in this title and moving on with her life. PTSD doesn't work that fast. I would have liked to see this happen gradually throughout the Now chapters and you just don't really see that. The ending of the title felt like a light switched on and off and all of a sudden a wonderful therapist shows up and fixes everything. It felt very convenient.


Other than those three issues this was an amazing story. I think that the only thing that would have made this one even better would have had one page chapters from Mason's POV. It was very interesting in reading about Jane's spiral into madness and insanity. I think that it really very real and showed us how easy it really is to loose yourself. I don't really agree that this was a thriller it was more a psychological stalker story. I felt this way because although Jane was kidnapped she was never in any real danger. . The emotional turmoil that Jane and her family and friends go through felt very real and I really liked that we saw the turmoil that her family and friends went through as well as just Jane.

The twist in the book wasn't so much as obvious but it had that feeling that nothing was what it seemed to be. When the twist was revealed I wasn't so much as shocked that I was right about the twist, but one other twist I didn't see coming.

Overall, this book will not be for everyone. If you have trauma with this topics that this book covers. Then you might want to skip this one. However, if this is a book for you, what you will find is a fabulous story about a girl that never gave up. Even after she got away from her captor her thoughts were on finding help for the other two people that were taken.


Go Into This One Knowing: Kidnapping, Being Held Captive, No Rape, Dual Chapters of Now and Then, Emotional Manipulation, Self Harm (Not Suicide)

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Review: Sisters of Shadow and Light

Sisters of Shadow and Light by Sara B. Larson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well me and this book had a time. I started out wanting to DNF it and I am so glad that I didn't. By 80 pages I was hooked and I couldn't put it down!! This book is told by one POV then splits to both sisters which was a wonderful way to tell the tale. I loved knowing what was going on in both worlds and I wouldn't change it for the world. It was like at the end of each split chapter something would happen or be revealed and I just could not stop reading.

I would love to have another title about the other world where the Paladins come from etc. I think that would be an epic tale to read about. This one gave me the feelings of Tower of Dawn by Maas and I loved every page. (that is after those 80). The sisters were glorious and their bond was one I won't soon forget. It reminded me when twins feel each other's pain.

The worlds that the author created I loved and I still hope that we get to learn more about the other world though the door. I need a movie of this one my goodness I loved it.

Overall, this one might have a slow start but by 100 pages if you aren't hooked then man I don't know what to tell you. Fans of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo will fall for this one hard.

Go Into This One Knowing: Family, Cliffhanger (light)

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Review: Shades of Human

Shades of Human by J.L. Myers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such an amazing story!! I chose it totally because of the cover for this years reading challenge to get at least 8 book off my shelf. 4 print books and 4 ebooks. So this one I started on the first and finished it three hours later and now I am totally sad because book two doesn't come out until Feb. this is one of those tittles that you finish it and you just want to read book two right then and there.

I thought that this was a young adult title but as it turns out its a new adult title and that worked out even better!! I loved all the tension that built during the story and the romance. The humor that Calli has was great and I loved all the inner banter that she did with herself. I must have wrote down so many quotes. Which are below.

The story itself had a mystery to it that I loved. It was nice not figuring something out before the story told you. And then even when I thought I knew what Calli was going to be I was wrong. That was an amazing feat with me since I always seem to figure it all out.

I just really don't know what to really say about this amazing story other than it was funny, sexy, and its one of those gems in the world of Indies.


Go Into This One Knowing: Sexy, Funny, Twists and Turns, Cliffhanger

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Review: The Hunted

The Hunted by Bethany-Kris
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Unfortunately this one just was not for me. It felt dialogue heavy which really bogged the story down. And I felt that the descriptions were confusing. Overall I think this one was just not my cup of tea.

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Review: The Guinevere Deception

The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought this was going to be a gender swap of King Arthur but it wasn’t. Which was kind of sad. But it was a kick butt retelling of the Camelot take which was so much better. I really loved that when this book takes place everything that happened early in the tale of KA was already done. Morgan Was gone he had defeated the Dark Queen and he was trying to keep his kingdom going. It made the book that much faster!

The character of Guinevere was wonderful! I loved her spirit and determination. But also that she wasn’t invincible, she had fears, failure, and needed help. She wasn’t per say a damsel in distress. But she knew who she could count on to help her by the end. That she didn’t need to be alone. It was great.

The story itself was a great pace and the ending was wrapped up for the most part. There is one event that happens that could be seen as a cliffhanger. But for the most part this one was a full fledged story in its own right. I am excited to see what happened next though. And this one worked well to introduce us to this new world of Camelot and the characters that live there.

If you are a fan of retelling a or just a lover of anything dealing with Camelot then this one is totally for you!!

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Review: Nameless Queen

Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an amazing debut!! Man if you don't have this book on your TBR you need to add this one right now!!!! I really loved the snark that is in this title. It take a very serious topic and kind of makes it just a little lighter.

This story about a world where if you could be what is called Nameless and have no rights and no home, is one that I haven't encountered before and I have to say that it worked well. The twist kept me going and the reveal shocked me to no end.

I could not put this one down and I loved how it ended and just everything about it. It was a wonderful title about family, finding where you belong, and accepting those who are different. The pacing was well done for a debut and I can not wait to see what McLaughlin does next. A definite must read for 2020!!

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Review: Girls of Storm and Shadow

Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was so excited to read this book after the events of book one. I needed to know what happened to Lei and her friends. This one picks up a fews past the events of book one and goes from there. They learn early on that the king isn't dead, something that we have known for a while and we make new friends. Overall, this story has what we have come to know as book two syndrome. It was slow and nothing really happened and I have to say that I was pretty bored. Now that being said, I will go back and read book one and this one again when book two comes out. But this one really lost the spark that book one had. It lost that edge that I was hoping for. For the most part I think a lot of this book could have been cut completely made shorter and maybe just been a novella between book one and three.


Go Into This One Knowing: Book Two Syndrome, Boring, Slow

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Review: Girls of Paper and Fire

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first time I read this it was as an ARC. It was such a magical world with amazing characters. This time around I finished this one as finished copy that I had gotten from Owlcrate and I have to say that the magic is still there. This story is such an empowering world to read about. The story starts out with a bang as we are disked away with Lei along with her being kidnapped and taken to the king. The mystery surrounding her mother's abduction and her golden eyes was one that I am still reeling about. And I am very happy that I get to read book two right now. I can not wait for book three!!

The romance in this book was introduced about half way through and I am happy to say that it was a revelation that I loved. When Wren and Lei finally showed their love for each other I about screamed yes out loud and I loved every second they are together.

The world building in this one was amazing however, the look of each demon in the moon and steel chase I would have loved to have some kind of artwork to get a better idea on what they look like. That was pretty much the only confusing thing for me.

The ending of this one was amazing it was so stressful and I was on the edge of my seat on what was going to happen. This LGBT Fantasy novel is one that is a must read!!

This was such an empower story about girls tossed into a situation of being rapped to only rise up and burn the place to the ground.


Go Into This One Knowing: Violence, Sexual Abuse, Animal Murder, LGBT


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Review: Containment

Containment by Caryn Lix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am so sad to say that this one was not as good as the first. But the ending made up for it!! This is a full 4 star book in my eyes. It picked up a few weeks after the ending of the first book and things got real!! I did like that the author split the kids up because that was a ton of people trying to keep track of. Most of them we didn't even know their name so this really worked out as a benefit. It made the cast of characters at lost more manageable. And well ya know as far as we know they are all still alive. So if need be they could maybe pop back up later.

This one has us going to four locations. Unlike book one where we were pretty much on Sanctuary this one were on the alien ship, Mars, another station, and another planet. This travel worked out well. It kept the story going and made it not stagnant at all. Although I did feel that parts of the story were unneeded for the most part everything was great.

Characters especially Kenzie go through beginning stages of full on PTSD. Which made this story feel very real. I mean you have a bunch of kids that are older teens going through seeing people being ripped apart. Kenzie has lost her mom and friends and now the aliens that she thought she escaped are back and stronger than ever.

This one is another story that of course ends on a cliffhanger really Lix you are killing me!!!! And at this point we don't know who has survived and who hasn't and I am like dying here!!!!


Go Into This One Knowing: PTSD, Aliens, Superpowers


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Review: Sanctuary

Sanctuary by Caryn Lix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was like a blend of the movie Aliens and The Darkest Minds all set in space! I loved every second of this!! I am really not sure how to tell you the epicness of this story. This is a science fiction story with horror and light romance all tied into one. We have Kenzie who really finds her way in this story. She finds out secrets she didn't know about and comes to terms with who she really is. The one issue I had with this was that a lot of the side characters get blended into the story so other than the main characters I kind of just forgot some of the other characters that were pretty glazed over. But that doesn't really take away from the story at all.

Parts that I really loved were that the author didn't spend a lot of time on things that she didn't need to spend time on. Like when they were going from ship to ship. It was done very quickly and well. This made the story flow a lot better than others that I have read.

The ending bits of this story stressed me out so much!! And let me tell you I have already read book two and it does the same. Lix with these cliffhangers is gonna kill me!!!!


Go Into This One Knowing: Aliens, Kids with Powers, Death of a Parent

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Review: Regretting You

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such an amazing book that I thought I wasn't going to like. Which would have been a first for me with the queen of stories Colleen Hoover! I actually loved how this story was split up with two POVs one of Clara who is almost seventeen years old and the other Morgan her mom. It gave us a well rounded story and let us know what both characters were feeling during the devastating loss within this story.

Colleen's titles have a way of taking you through the darkness only to find the light on the other side. And this one was no different. It really made me feel like it was two books in one. A young adult title with Clara's chapters and then a regular adult contemporary with Morgan's. It was a wonderful blend of age groups and relationships in this breathtaking story. Regretting You pulled me into the story early on and I fell in love with the humor, love, and even the hurt that goes thought the story.

I could not put this book down so be warned!! When I got going I was SO glad that my paper white was one of the newer models that was waterproof!! YES I was reading in the shower!! Don't judge me!! It was just that good that I didn't want to put it down!!


Go Into This One Knowing: Adultery, Underage Drinking\Sex\Drug Use (all very light), Loss of a Parent

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Review: The Queen of Nothing

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book started off with a bang and ended the same way. Although the story does wrap up compeletely I could see places that the author could come back and add more to the story. Which I really REALLY hopes that she does. This was one series that I will remember for a good long while.

This last installment to the Folk of the Air series starts off a few months after Jude has been exiled to the mortal world. She is doing odd jobs and really just sulking. The romance in this one has been kind of all over the place as you don't know who to trust etc. But that all gets cleared up by the end of this story.

It was a wild ride as there were twists and turns and man this book killed me by the end. I just don't know what to say about this story other than I loved it completely and I am just so sad now that its over.

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Review: The Wicked King

The Wicked King by Holly Black
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was one great story. I will say that the first part of it was kind of on the slower side but I kept going and was rewarded with this killer second part. I wished that this one would have either been sped up just a little or reworked. I am really not sure. It just slightly suffered from that book two syndrome. But the second half of the story totally made up for it and that ending I about died!!!! This one picks up a few months after the events of the first and man o man I don't know how book three is going to end but I am ready!!

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Review: The Lost Sisters

The Lost Sisters by Holly Black
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

This little novella was wonderful!! We got to see what Taryn was all about during the events of The Cruel Prince and how she really felt. This gave the reader just a little more background and in-depth look at another character in this story. I think that those who enjoyed the first book should totally check this one out!!

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Review: The Cruel Prince

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I received this book in my Fairyloot forever ago I knew it was coming. it was one of those months when I had both Fairyloot and Owlcrate and well me and Holly Black's writing just weren't meshing well. So I skipped my Owlcrate that month and just got my Fairyloot and man let me tell you how much I wished I wouldn't have done that!! Because this was the first book from Black that I fell in love with!!

This is one of those titles that you will either love it or hate it. There is no in-between!! It is a story about a girl trying to find her way in a world that she was never supposed to be in and how far she is willing to go to get what she wants. I really loved Jude and what she was trying to do. The enemies to lovers trope works well in the world of the Fat and it worked well in this story. The pacing was well done and the characters were just so amazing. The world that Black has created in this title was breathtaking and I loved her imagination of the world of the Fair Folk. They are both cruel and beautiful and I loved every second of it. This book is not for the faint of heart in any way!! It has adventure, a little gore, love, romance, and a lot of family. The ending to this one ends on a massive to me cliffhanger and I am so glad that I am reading this again when all of the books are out.



Go Into This One Knowing: Hate to Love Romance, Cliffhanger


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Review: Every Stolen Breath

Every Stolen Breath by Kimberly Gabriel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I started this book I thought I was getting your every day average contemporary story. But, what I found in these pages was one story I will not forget anytime soon. This story follows the main character Lia after her father was murdered by a mob of people called the swarm. I have to say that is my first story about a mob of people killing someone but man this could be a series that I would totally devour!

I loved Lia and her determination to find out who killed her dad and why. She was strong and empowering and she is who I would love to be when I grow up. She didn't stop and she went head first into the situation to get justice for those who couldn't get it for themselves.

The pacing in this one done very well. The story was smooth sailing in its showing/telling and I wouldn't have changed anything!! It ended on a great note and although I would have loved to see an Epilogue set maybe a year in the future but other than that I loved the ending. The romance in this one worked very well and I would love another story set in the past before this one to learn more about Ryan and those who were forced into the Swarm.

I also just realized that this was a debut title which I have to say that this doesn't feel like a debut at all!! It felt like it was from a seasoned author that knew what they were doing and now that I know that I will be auto buying stories from Gabriel from now on because WOW!!


Go Into This One Knowing: Light Romance, Murder by Mob group of people, Death of a Parent

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Review: The Lady Rogue

The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such an amazing story!! I fell in love with Jenn Bennett's writing when I read Starry Eyes!! The Lady Rogue brings the wonderful contemporary stories I have come to love from Bennett and blends it with aspects of historical themes, and a dash of paranormal aspects. I could not put this book down!! I do think that parts of it were a little slower than I would have liked and in those part it dragged just a little. But overall this is one story that I could see myself coming back to later. I loved Theo and Huck and their romance. It was already going so no insta-love to speak of in this one which was a nice break from the norm. This book is pegged as The Last Magician meets A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue and I have to say that I totally agree with this one. Although there are no LGBT themes in this one like A Gentleman's Guide. The travel parts and money issues that is in Gentleman's Guide are spot on this title as well. As for The Last Magician I have to say other than the aspects of stolen artifacts and magic I can't say that this one has a lot in common. However, The Last Magician is one of my favorite stories!!


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