Review: Can't Help Falling in Love

Can't Help Falling in Love by Sophie Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.7 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

  

“And as far as second dates go, getting engaged is unique.” 

Ever since her father died three years ago, Lexi has felt like her life has been on hold and she's been trying to catch her breath. A high-school track star who got a full ride to college, she had to drop out a while to help her grieving mother. Working two jobs and selling her dad's business has finally got her caught up on the bills, leaving her just enough to pay tuition on the three classes she needs to graduate at twenty-five years old. Life is starting to settle until she runs into some old high-school friends and doesn't want them to know Alexandria The Great is waitressing. Lexie suddenly finds herself “dating” the cute and flirty customer who turns out to be Will, Seattle's most eligible bachelor and the man who just might be able to get her to risk her heart. 

No strings. Just a break from regularly scheduled programming. 

This turned out to be a super cute and sweet “fake engagement” but not dating romance. I'm an angst monster but I appreciated how, even though Lexi's mother and herself to a certain extent, were still dealing with grief, it's more towards them finally being able to breathe through the loss. The majority of this was getting to watch Lexi and Will sweetly fall in love and it was so enjoyable. Will grew up rich, with his grandfather's business but he's sick of his mother pushing society women on him, he finds Lexi's realness refreshing and I thought their chemistry was evident in how they played off of each other. The first half of this had me grinning and getting that warm feeling in my heart as Will tries not to push Lexi too hard, she wants to keep things casual as she thinks her life is too busy for her to take time for herself, thinks she's not good enough for Will, and after seeing how her father's death wrecked her mother, is afraid to let herself love. Will, for his part is instantly charmed by Lexi and is trying to keep the outside forces, his family, gossip papers, at bay so that he can get to know Lexi. They were pretty much together from the beginning with Lexi's reluctance having her drag her feet a bit. 

Will’s gaze was locked on Lexi. “Lexi.” Despite the chaos swirling in her head and her gut, she took a moment to drink him in. She hadn’t imagined those gorgeous, intense eyes or the wide set of his shoulders. He looked like GQ personified in his dark suit, lightly pin-striped tie. His hair was a little mussed from the wind and she had vivid images of mussing it another way. 

I loved the first half of this but the second started to pop in too many tangents, this was at it's best when Lexi and Will were together. Will had some family business drama (the merger with the bad reputation son felt useless after it fizzled out so much) and family relationship drama that helped flush out his character but I still don't know if I felt he was a completely filled out. He was the sweet and perfect prince for Lexi, which usually feels cardboard cutout but he worked for me in this story. Lexi got a bit too stretching out for page count sake mulish in the second half and I could feel the story pace losing me a little. I wish we could have seen these two be more physical in the bedroom, the scenes are fade-to-black-ish, as I think it would have heat things up but this was steady in it's sweet vibe. 

Maybe that’s what was missing from his life: something real. 

The later second half gives us a quick third act breakup with Lexi deciding that telling the truth is the only way she'll be able to move on and give the romance a real chance and has her and her mother finally talking things out. Will also has a moment with his family (his mom and dad did a little too unbelievable 180 for me) and creates a romantic moment to fight for Lexi. The secondary characters were all great in this, Lexi's mom, friends, and sisters, I wouldn't be surprised if this was turned into a series. A little too filled with tangents second half but a Cinderella-ish story that was sweet and had me loving how the romance simply felt good to read about. Lexi and Will had chemistry, they genuinely liked and enjoyed each other, gave us fun scenes, Fall seasonal vibes, squee feelings, and delivered a happily ever after epilogue.

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Reading Update: Page 1

 

Nashville Hot Meatballs and me sneaking reading in while football's on in the background, must be a Fall Sunday 

I've become a seasonal reader over the years and love when I can find books to match the vibes 

Lexi needs some fun, she was forced to drop out of college when her dad died and has become a not so great waitress. When she spills on a charming stranger named Will, she thinks he's the distraction she's been looking for 

Turns out Will is rich Seattle royalty, and she's now in a fake engagement with him. Will needs to look settled down to the company he wants a merger with, so who better than the woman who wants to keep it casual, but Will's beginning to care for 

Fake engagement amongst apple picking, flannel, and Halloween preparations! 

Can't Help Falling in Love by Sophie Sullivan purchase link

Chicken Meatballs recipe

I used Nashville Hot and loved the taste

Review: Truth Hurts

Truth Hurts by A.R. O'Brien
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

1.5 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

Truth Hurts was a romantic suspense story about Assistant District Attorney Sylvie Dunlap going back home for the first time after her sister's death eight years ago. The story gets going right away with Sylvie hiking the mountain that her sister Elaine was found dead on, with a six months investigation finding the death to be accidental. Along with Sylvie on the memorial hike, Duncan, who was Elaine's on again and off again high school boyfriend. Duncan had plans of leaving their small Idaho town too, but after Elaine died, who was also his younger sister Jackie's bestfriend, their mother dies soon after on a hiking accident. Duncan is crushed when Sylvie leaves town right after high school graduation without saying goodbye, having had a crush on her but never acted on it because he felt she was too young for him at the time. Sylvie also had a crush on Duncan but with him being her sister's ex and just wanting to escape the town, she leaves without telling him her feelings. Reunited again after eight years, they find their crushes are going stronger than ever and that their hometown isn't done trying to claim the lives of it's young women. 

I found this story to need a lot of editing, there were numerous point-of-views from secondary characters that went off on tangents that I felt could have been cut for streamline purposes. The pace was slow for me and I felt like I was slogging through for the vast majority of the middle. Even with the book starting right off into the story, I felt like it wasn't really explained why Sylvie decided now was the time to come back home, it just starts with her there. This also was heavier on the romantic thread for the majority than I thought it would be, the suspense lingers around the edges but doesn't really get going until the later second half. There are no flashbacks to give readers a sense of the relationship Sylvie and Duncan had back in highschool, so when Duncan is pretty much all in for Sylvie in the beginning first half, it felt like insta-love to me; within the first thirty pages we have them kissing. What keeps them apart, and felt dragging, was Sylvie's M.O. of only sleeping with men causally, instead of having relationships with them. There's some bedroom scenes between the two and then jealousy when men from Sylvie's past keep showing up, but not a lot of emotional development between the two. 

The killer gets a pov, so readers know they are around but while there are numerous red-herrings, the identity mystery is left until the later second half. I thought it was pretty easy to guess the killer but there were two other suspects that could catch other's attention. I usually like to get some insight into the villain in stories, but I felt their pov was over-the-top, went into torture porn territory for me with not for the sake of the character but gratuitous shock value. Along with the suspense thread reveal we get a Duncan reveal that I felt came out of left field and didn't make a lot of sense, how I felt about a good amount of threads in this, if things weren't meandering, they felt unneeded or not developed enough. 

The later half definitely picked up the pace with Sylvie in danger and it's reveals but I'm not sure I cared enough after having to slog through the middle part. The ending kept going, giving us some role reversal with what's now keeping Sylvie and Duncan apart after the danger was over. Each added chapter just felt like dragging the story on to me and I'm not sure it made complete sense how quickly and easily it was for a character to work for the FBI, not to mention Sylvie felt mostly in name only as an A.D.A. This wasn't for me but if you're looking for a long winded, heavier on focusing on the romantic part in the first half, meanders in middle, but picks up the pace when suspense thread comes back into play, this story had decent secondary characters to wander off with for a while.

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Reading Update: Page 1

 

This Thursday feels like such a Thursday 

So, let's try to jump-start it with a sammy and romantic suspense 

It's been 8 yrs since ADA Sylvie has been back to her Idaho hometown after her sister's death. It's supposed to be a short weekend visit, but it's becoming obvious that someone is out to get her. 

Staying longer to figure out who wants her dead, she's going to have to wade through old heartbreak, friends, and memories. Fortunately, a local rancher and old friend is going to try and help her out. 

Secrets, murder, mystery, lies, and romance! 

Truth Hurts by A.R. O'Brien purchase link 

Chipotle Chicken Salad recipe

Reading Update: 25%

He pressed me up against the side of the wall, and kissed me like I hadn’t been kissed in—well, at least a year. The night was cold, but he felt like a furnace. I curled my fingers around the collar of his dark coat and pulled him closer. As close as I could. His hands were warm as his fingers came up to cradle the sides of my face, and we danced in the dark alley while standing still. 

Feeling a certain way about "and we danced in the dark alley while standing still." I love it? But also maybe don't because feeling it's cheesy? My brain can't decide and move on

Review: Evil in Me

Evil in Me by Brom
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.7 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

Devil wants me in his belly like a wiggle worm. 

Evil in Me started off on a fast chaotic note, Adam is trying to fight the voice in his head telling him to kill. He's powerless as he watches himself burn down a synagogue and stab the Rabbi and his wife to death. Readers are let in that it's a ring that has clamped itself onto Adam's finger and is feeding him these urges. As Adam hacks off his fingers trying to get the ring off, it just keeps spider crawling back onto another one until Adam takes his own life. The story then jumps from 1951 Brooklyn to 1985 Enterprise, Alabama and twenty-three year old Ruby. 

“I am Lord Sheelbeth...your savior, your master.” The flames flared as she spoke. 

One of my favorite parts of this story was how the author took the time to develop the supernatural background. Taking from religious mythology and giving it some spin, Brom gives us the ring's story. It's from a time when gods ruled and Lord Sheelbeth was in her heyday, until the Baalei Shem cut the ring off Sheelbeth's finger, cut out her eye, tied her to the ring, and imprisoned her in a hell. While Sheelbeth can weave urging magic into songs sang by the souls she has taken throughout her life, that are manifested as worms in her belly, she can't force anyone to act on these urges. This is done by Beel, a shedim (one of god's unfinished souls), who Sheelbeth had previously imprisoned and can possess the body of the ring wearer, controlling their body. I wasn't well versed in these religious stories, so don't fear if you aren't either, I had no problem understanding everything. We get povs from Sheelbeth, Beel, and later another demon, Vutto, controlled by Sheelbeth, to expand their characters and even though they come from a hell, don't be surprised if you start to feel for them. 

With the beginning giving us the introduction to the ring, it sets-up a great foreboding feeling as we get to know Ruby. She's on her last week of community service, stopped taking her medication for bi-polar, and just trying to white-knuckle it and not lose it over how everyone aggravates her. Listen, she had some legitimate reasons to. When she heads over to Mr. Rosenfeld's home, the same last name of the previously murdered Rabbi, you know things aren't going to go well for her. Sure enough, the ring ends up on her finger and then we're on a ride to save her life. Josh was the Rabbi's brother and manages to give Ruby a heads-up on what's happening, even manages to douse the ring in red powder (angel's blood) to cloak Sheelbeth's power, while they try to find a way to get it off Ruby's finger. While the ring is cloaked, Ruby is still possessed by Beel, but he's been looking for a way to get from under Sheelbeth's control and helps as much as he can with finding a way to break the ring's grasp. 

I got . . . bored. 

Help is to be found in Atlanta where Josh knows a Dr. who specializes in ancient Hebrew mythology and theology. There, they learn that if Ruby sings a song from the heart, with the help of many souls, they can compel the ring off. Which is perfect, because Ruby used to be in a punk band and her ex-bandmate just happens to be in Atlanta. The second half gives us ghosts, demons, murder, redemption, and a serial killer. I wasn't really a fan of the Richard serial killer addition, his pov and addition felt clunky added on and honestly the story would have been better without it, wanted kick him out of the band. Along with Richard, Ruby's almost step-father had a story arch that made me think there can be too many musicians in a band, Ruby was the lead singer and could carry this story without those two. 

The ending was a wild ride and had some of that chaotic punk music feel but like Ruby's band The Night Mares, this story needed a drummer to anchor it, Ruby had enough characterization for lead singer and Sheelbeth and Beel easily could have anchored but they got pushed and rushed aside too much by those characters I wanted cut-out; the story threads were riffing all over the place without a solid connecting feel. This was a supernatural story that had horror, punk music and satanic panic '80s highlighting, and heart from some unlikely places, fun but off the tracks at times. 

(The author also did a really cool collaboration with a punk band, The Maxines, to produce some of the original songs created in this, make sure to check those out!)

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Reading Update: Page 1

 

Back from vacation and with the beginning of Fall, let's hit up some horror! 

Can Punk rock save a soul? 

(Hell yeah!) 

Ruby has dreams of her punk band making it big and helping her escape her small rural town. 

But when she has a falling out with her bestfriend and bandmate, she sees those dreams slipping away. 

When she's helping an eccentric neighbor organize his religious artifacts, an ancient ring clamps down on her finger and suddenly she's possessed with a blood thirsty demon. 

(I hate when that happens!) 

With a ring that's a beacon for evil, it's time to get the band back together and Ruby's going to need to put her whole soul into a song, if she wants to save it. 

Maybe a little American Satan and Deathgasm? 

Time to rock out 🎸🔪 

Evil in Me by Brom purchase link

Chili Crisp Chicken Mango rice bowl recipe

#TBRChallenge Review: Wild Bells to the Wild Sky

Wild Bells to the Wild Sky by Laurie McBain
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars 

*This is a #TBRChallenge review, there will be spoilers, I don't spoil everything but enough, because I treat these reviews as a bookclub discussion. 

TL;DR - More sedate Bodice Ripper, more like historical fiction saga, very little romance 

"Now, that is what I call a fateful sighting," Valentine murmured, his gaze narrowed as he stared at the shore. "Do you see what I do, Mustafa, or have I been misled by the mists? Is she mortal, or a Nereid sent to bewitch a weary sailor?" The Turk followed his captain's gaze to the riverbank. Sitting astride a white horse galloping along the shore was the most beautiful woman either man had ever seen. Dressed in green velvet, like the tall grasses growing along the river, her red hair flowing out behind her like a wild flame, she raced the wind with innocent abandon. She would disappear, then reappear almost magically out of the mists rising from the river. Only once did she seem to pause, and then she sat staring at the river, as if searching the clutter of masts for a certain ship. "I wonder who she is," Valentine murmured, vowing he would find out. 

'Sdeath! It's Bodice Ripper time! When the TBRChallenge theme for September was Drama!, I knew immediately I had to pick one of the Bodice Rippers on my tbr. Published in 1983 (what a great year ;) and with a parrot AND a jaguar on the cover, I knew this just had to be the one. Surprisingly, while the cover fits in to what is commonly thought of for this period in romance, this is what I would call a more sedate one. In fact, I don't think I would call this a Bodice Ripper but a historical fiction saga with romantic element. I think if you've always wanted to try a Bodice Ripper but, understandably, stayed away because of the many content and trigger warnings that abound in these, this could be the one you'd feel safer trying, if you wanted to experience some of that sweeping epic feeling readers talk about in this romance era. There were a few lines discussing slave routes/trading, a quick, don't really see though, attempted rape, “gypsy” hate (not so much from author's pov as she breathes life into them like any other secondary character, but from English characters), and that old go to of the male main character saved the life of a “Turk”, so he follows him in devotion (Mustafa got an at least shaded in backstory), that I would point out if you're a no go on anything. 

Broken up into three parts, the first part starts in 1558 Tudor England. It's the time of Elizabeth and you'll get a history lesson (not footnotes though, lol) on the Catholics and Protestants and why there's bad blood and Reformation. I'm aware and decently versed in this time period, so I could take in all the names as I already knew the whos, whats, and whys. If this is brand new information, you're probably going to get lost in all the names and want to bounce when you showed up for romance. Along with taking extra time to set the reader in the story, we get the background romance, on who our female main character is eventually going to be, parents. That's right, this starts before our FMC is even a glint in an eye. Her father was an English privateer and her mother the daughter of a Spanish Don. The Drama! Spanish and English aren't exactly besties at this time and in 1571 when Geoffrey Christian captures the ship of Don Pedro, a Don's daughter's, Magdelena, intended they are brought onto Geoffrey Christian's ship. Clashing and Passion ignites! This is all told in flashback form and, yes, I was hoping at this time that the book was about the parent's romance. Daddy Don is not happy to say the least and disowns Magdalena in typical male hysteria, the intended Don Pedro vows revenge, even though he ends up marrying Magdalena's sister. Geoff and Mag live happily in England and have a daughter named Lily Francisca. 

When Magdalena gets word that her mother is dying, Daddy Don works on his emotional outbursts and agrees to let her come see her mother one last time. Family trip! But our ol' gal Queen Elizabeth is up to her wily ways and sees an opportunity to send a spy with the Christians to see what the Spanish are up to. A friend of the Christian's, Sir Basil joins the trip, along with a seven year old Lily Francisca. At Santo Domingo, Magdalena gets to say goodbye to her mother, Daddy Don is now a Grandpa Don and delights in precocious Lily Francisca, so, most, is forgiven. It's not all sunshine and roses though, Lily Francisca sees a man with two different colored eyes and overhears something that she can't quite make sense of but knows is wrong, Sir Basil also overhears and sees things that make the spying trip worth it. Englishman Valchamps, the man with two different colored eyes and another man, never named to the readers but known by Basil and written in his journal, are found to be traitors. Knowing they've been outed, they team up with revenge seeking Don Pedro and devise a plan to sink Geoffrey Christian's ship. Geoffrey is mortally wounded but before he goes down with his ship, he manages to get Magdalena, Basil, Lily Francisca, and a seaman to row them to one of the many islands around to try and save their lives. When the seaman sees the ship going down, he panics and takes the boat out alone to try to save lives, only to never return. 

This is all in the first 15%, then to Part Two and seven years later. With more flashback form, Lily Francisca, who is now fourteen, relays to readers what seven years stranded on an island was like. Her mother was pregnant, just told Geoffrey the night before, and had a son, Tristram. And after five years of loneliness, Magdalena and Basil find love and have a daughter named Dulcie. This is where we also meet the book cover's parrot Cisco and the jaguar Choco, who Lily took care of when he was baby. There's also a monkey called Capabells and I'm very affronted on his behalf that he didn't get cover billing like the other two. A storm brings a Spanish shipwreck to their shores, where no crew survived but they're able to salvage some trunks full of gold and squirrel them away in a hidden cove, along with Basil's and Geoffrey's journals. Then tragedy strikes when a small boat of a few passengers finds their island. Magdalena and Basil send the kids away as they try to nurse the fever ridden passengers. Magdalena dies first and as he's sickening, Basil makes Lily promise to always take care of her siblings and not to forget the fable he taught her about wild white horses, a different colored eyes witch, and trying to save a Queen. Basil dies soon after and the flashback being told by Lily ends as we're brought two years forward for the Part Two seven years jump. 

As this was all happening on the island, Valentine, Basil's late twenties sea adventuring (he name drops sailing with Drake) brother learns of his death. Basil's wife and son mourns until she remarries a family friend named William and Valentine vows revenge on Don Pedro and contemplates marrying his lover Cordelia. Cordelia was the beautiful social climber well known in this type of story. 

I feel like I could be losing some people, I get it, the book almost lost me too. Re-hydrate, bookmark, nap, or DNF, these types of stories are A LOT 

It's when the seaman who initially rowed Mags, Bas, and Lil to the island finally escapes the ship he was imprisoned on and makes his way to England that Valentine learns his brother might still be alive, that the story gets moving again. With a crudely drawn map from the dying seaman, Valentine sets sail for the island, only to find that, yes, his brother may have initially lived but is now truly dead. There's mistrust from Lily as Basil enforced to her the need to be cautious but eventually Valentine, with some trickery, get her and the other two kid's on his ship back to England. Lily cautiously? forgets to tell Valentine about the treasure cove and Basil's journal. So at this time, the readers know of one traitor, Valchamps, and are trying to figure out from some redherrings who the other could be, infusing some mystery/thriller into the story. 

Lily's fourteen, so we get major hero-worship love from her towards Valentine but overhears him talking to a jealous Cordelia and says he could never look at Lily in a romantic love way because she's just a child. Lily vows to never reveal her love to him. There's some Drama! over Dulcie being the love child of Mags and Bas, and questions if Tristram really was Geoffrey Christian's or Basil. The cousin who inherited Geoff's estate is of course horrible and by default becomes the kids' guardian, until either it's believed Tristram really is the true heir or Lily comes of age and gets the estate. There's some Valentine leaving for his adventures but promising Lily he'll always be there for them, always can ask him for help and Lily and the kid's suffering having to live with their guardian. 

Part Three! 

Jumps three years and we have a seventeen year old Lily. She's too brass and beautiful for the small village and when her guardian decides one night to rape her to make her have to marry him so he can inherit the estate, he actually almost rapes their maid and she screams thinking she killed him. Ten year old Tristram is no help at all and amps everyone up claiming the townspeople will call Lily a witch and burn her at the stake. So, Lily, Tristram, Dulcie, the maid, and two of the stablehands they're friends with, take off to find their nursemaid in the north to help them. Totally best plan. Why no one else? Valentine's off adventuring, Dulcie's halfbrother, from Basil's side is only a couple years older than Lily, and Dulcie's aunts are something something busy. As the group is trying to get away, they run into Romney. A twenties something half-Romani, who has the hots for Lily. He hides them away, goes to the estate to learn what's happening and with some selfishness and good intentions, takes them to his wandering band of Romani and our island kids are now traveling puppeteers. With some bad luck, Valchamps sees the puppet show, based on the fable Basil told Lily, and figures out that Lily may remember more than he wants her too. Valentine also runs into the Romani camp and sees a woman who takes his breath away. Y'all. I know it's been three years and I had quite the glow-up myself from 14 to 17 but, come on. He doesn't recognize Lily. He kisses her and can't wait to get her to his ship but is drawn away for an important meeting. Lily is crushed and more mad at him. Valchamp burns the Romani camp trying to kill Lily, Romney dies, our little group is on the run again. Valentine learns of the children on the run from Simon (Basil's son and who also loves Lily) and they're off to find the nursemaid thinking the kids are going to her. 

William Shakespeare gives shortcut directions (the randomness of this had me laughing for a good five minutes, it was so wildly out of nowhere) to Valentine and they surreptitiously run into the kids and Valentine saves Lily from drowning, she saw Valchamps club her on the head before she fell into the water. 

It may feel like I'm long-winded in this review, but this was 600pgs and when I tell you the numerous side-stories and characters I'm leaving out. 

This is around 66% where Valentine and Lily meet back-up. What's your alls problem, have some patience, my gosh, wanting the romance to start earlier than 50%?? 

Valentine is mad Lily didn't tell him who she was, Lily's mad he didn't recognize her. There's a Drama! slap Lily gives Valentine. This is around 80% and when I would say (Finally!) the romance feels like it starts up. 

Lily tells Valentine about Basil's journal, gets him to promise her she can go along to get it and they set sail but the other traitor isn't known and being in their trusted circle, alerts Don Pedro about their sailing plans. 

They get to the island, Spanish attack, Choco saves the day!, Lily and Valentine get captured only to escape and hide out in the hidden cove. We get our first sex scene between the two at 92%(!!!) and Valentine reads Basil journal to learn who the other traitor is. Val's also a wily one and brought along some other English ships, defeating the Spanish, so they get rescued and head back to England. 

The cove sex had Val and Lil admitting their love for each other but it's all save the reputation distance until the traitor is dealt with back in England. The traitor is revealed and I kind of guessed it because of how secret the author was keeping it, kind of impactful and kind of, 'kay, moving on. 

Ends with Val and Lil getting married. If you made it through all that epic journey, you'll realize, not much romance at all and I was kind of disappointed in it all. But, like I said, if you've been afraid of Bodice Rippers, you could safely get a taste of them with this one but just know it's more historical fiction saga than anything else.

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15%

Back from vacation and managed to read Part One on the plane rides (no one asked what I was reading, for shame!) 

Y'all, this first part was a history lesson and the romance between the actual heroine's parents. 

The heroine has now been stranded on an island with her mom and the brother of who I'm pretty sure is going to be the hero. 

Starting Part Two with the heroine being 14yrs old and the hero, wait for jt, Valentine!, being late twenties?, and going to set out to try and find his brother. Let's hope there is a good amount of only hero worship in this part and Part Three jumps us yeeeears into the future. 

Parrot and panther watch: have met parrot, no panther yet

Reading Update: Part One (!!!)

 

I have missed last 2 #TBRChallenges, but this month is Drama! themed. 

I'm NOT MISSING 

I leave for a trip on Monday, so my review will be late but NOT MISSING 

(please let someone on the plane ask me what I'm reading) 

Anyway, there's a parrot AND a panther on this cover, Drama! about to be exquisite 

Also, this starts Part One... (iykyk)

Review: A Sorceress Comes to Call

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.4 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

No one noticed that Cordelia moved in unison with her mother. No one ever did. 

When a Sorceress Comes to Call was a historical magical realism story about a coming of age girl gaining the strength to fight back against her mother. Cordelia is fourteen years old and having stopped attending school years ago, only gains a sense of normalcy when a local girl Ellen can randomly meet up with her on one of her rides. Cordelia begins to realize that having a mother that is so controlling, not only of her thoughts but through what Cordelia calls “obedience”, where her mother actually controls her body, is not normal. It's when Cordelia gets a painful realization of betrayal that the only other friend she thought she had, her mother's horse Falada, tells her mother everything as her familiar and her mother does something that shines the light on what a true monster she is, that Cordelia begins to fight back, with some help. 

Fear took her suddenly by the throat, a formless dread with no name, no shape, only a sense that something was wrong, something terrible was coming this way. 

I thought this was a little less eerie than What Moves the Dead but you'll still find gruesome animal body horror, magic, supernatural elements, and thriller aspects. This was mainly told through Cordelia's eyes and the creepy tension and fear she feels from her mother was woven in strongly throughout the book. Once of the most powerful scenes for me was when Cordelia learned of Falada's betrayal. At this point, he's been her rock and the only one that seems to give Cordelia strength and when she lost that I hurt so bad for her and felt the numbness this gave her. (I must have some residual horse girl leftover from childhood because I refused to stop thinking that Falada wasn't on the side I wanted them to be for an embarrassing long time) We get a different pov when Cordelia's mom decides it's time to get a new benefactor, after she deals with her old one in a gruesome manner, and sets her sights on a squire a few towns over to marry. The squire's spinster sister Hester comes into the picture and with a little bit of magic herself, she senses right away that this new woman is “Doom”. 

My mother is a sorcerer. 

Around the midway point, Cordelia confides into Hester her fears of what her mother is and that she needs to be stopped; after what Hester has felt and seen, she doesn't need much convincing. The second half brings in more characters with friends of Hester that she writes to, under the guise of a house party, but really she's calling for reinforcements. Along with friends, she invites Richard, her old lover and the man that once asked her to marry him. Through them we get a little tiny romance thread that I enjoyed with their second chance romance and Hester finally mature enough to decide love is more important than letting the glare of societal expectations rule the day. Hester's more mature pov paired with Cordelia's youth, delivered a well rounded hitting all those emotions story. 

And part of her— a tiny part that she had never quite lost— wanted to be there and wanted it all to be true so that her mother would love her and maybe things would change. 

The ending delivered a, kind of quick, magical explanation (hitting the right “notes”??), along with the story's continued message of “water, wine, salt, and holy ground” dramatic end. There were winners, losers, and probably a lifetime of trauma from what was witnessed. The story was an enjoyable ride with it's really likable characters, a great seasonal read to pick up.

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Reading Update: Page 1

 

Finally getting to my first Halloween Bingo book of the season! 

👻🎃 

A retelling of the Brother's Grimm Goose Girl 

Cordelia knows her mother isn't usual, she's eccentric, forces Cordelia to be silent and motionless for hours, and oh yeah, is a sorcerer. 

With only her mother's horse as her friend, Cordelia is forced to flee with her mother after a suspicious death. While Cordelia's mother tries to woo a country squire, his sister Hester tries to save him from the bewitchment and rescue Cordelia. 

We've got a wicked witch 🧙‍♀️ 

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher purchase link

Chicken Cheesesteak recipe

Review: This Will Be Fun

This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.5 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

What was a hero's purpose after the villains were vanquished? 

This Will Be Fun was a fantasy story about the emotional cost to saving a realm. The story starts from Galwell the Great's point-of-view as he's in his own head watching his three friends the night before they take on the dark powers Fraternal Order in a final battle. There's his sister Elowen who has Heart magic (ability to read people's emotions), and his friends Beatrice, who has Head magic (can “visit” memories), and Clare, a mercenary who keeps silent on what his magic is. They've been battling to save the realm of Mythria and it's the night before they reach the capital Queendom, where they'll hopefully rescue the land and the princess Galwell is betrothed to. After we get this quick introduction to the world and characters, the story then jumps ten years. 

Fame, and guilt. 

With alternating chapters from Beatrice, Clare, and Elowen's pov, readers learn what happened that final battle and the emotional fallout. They're heroes for saving the realm, celebrated each year with The Festival of the Four, but they haven't spoken to each other since that night ten years ago. Elowen keeps herself isolated in a tree house, Beatrice married a noble but is currently getting divorced, and Clare travels around the realm taking all the lauding the citizens want to heap on them. It's when the princess they saved is finally getting married that they must come together again. By thirty percent they're all together again, with added reformed assassin Vandra who now works for the princess. Beatrice's guilt, the horrible fight that broke up the friendship between Beatrice and Elowen, and the love that has been buried under hurt and anger between Clare and Beatrice bubble around them and keep the relations tense. When they get to Queendom and realize the princess', now queen, fiancé has been kidnapped, they realize they'll have to do one more quest. 

It was amazing how she'd helped save the entire realm and she'd come out of it as nothing but a loser. 

The searching for the fiancé sends them all out to travel around the mid-way point of the story, which I was kind of glad because while I was interested reading about the deep turmoil of what these characters had been through, it honestly got a bit slow and repetitive as the characters sat in their emotions. I think the lack of more solid character development, we get such a brief first introduction to them, and the immediate plunge into “I want to shun everything and everyone”, kept me from really getting into the characters; I didn't know them enough yet to feel for them.

Being together was only a reminder of who they'd lost. 

As they travel, it's Clare and Beatrice, Elowen and Vandra reaching and pulling away from each other for two second chance romances. I felt like the issues between the two did some repetitive saying their issue until suddenly, abrupt 180 into physical scenes. I missed more of seeing and feeling a working through to get to that awesome fireworks moment, there wasn't enough of building up for payoff, for me. The romances didn't quite deliver what I wanted and while the worldbuilding started off intriguing, it never developed enough for me either. The magic people are endowed with is relayed but not really woven into the world, plus Clare's magic reveal just felt quickly thrown out. I didn't mind the modern meshing, coffee shops, soap operas, face-timing, Uber, added in with a bare Medieval cloaking but I can see this as a your mileage may vary additive; kind of gave me movie A Knight's Tale vibes. 

“Each of us needs to face the Order.” He stared right into Beatrice's eyes, reminding her of their conversation. “For peace.” He looked next to Elowen. “For revenge.” He rounded, facing the queen. “For Galwell and for Hugh.” 

The first half felt dragged out to me and then the later second half ending felt rushed from jumping to resolution to resolution with half-explained, developed, magical moments (Sword of Souls, Beatrice's “new” magic) and romances that felt abruptly come together, I wanted more developmental work to feel those emotional payoffs. The characters were thirties and while I didn't get YA fantasy vibe, I'm not sure I felt their maturity either, the lack of character development. Even though there wasn't enough delving into the characters and world building for me, if you're looking for a first half that addresses hero emotional fallout and a second half that has them quest traveling, with magic and some cloaked modern additives, this would be a lighter fantasy to think about.

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Reading Update: 10%

 

How about a little lighter fantasy for midweek? 

10 years ago, a group of friends saved the realm, but at a high personal cost. 

After scattering, they must now come together for a wedding and face their demons and each other. 

With povs from all of the four heroes, we'll get two second chance romances and a shot at them finally getting their happily ever after. 

This sounds so intriguing, usually we get the initial adventure and saving the day, really curious about exploring the emotional fallout and learning to forgive and heal from the toll such things take. 

This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher preorder (Oct. 29) link

Shrimp Pasta with Garlic Sauce recipe

Review: No Ordinary Duchess

No Ordinary Duchess by Elizabeth Hoyt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.7 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

The girl from the library was a de Moray. The sister of Ranulf de Moray. His enemy. 

There was something absolutely comforting to me when I read that first excerpt of fairy tale, a tricorn was settled, and a greatcoat draped a set of wide shoulders. The first half and middle had me imagining a patchwork quilt where the design wasn't quite right. The recapping of the continued storyline of the first two books is done well enough but I still think you might want to brush up on the cold war between the de Moray's and Greycourt's. There is a lot of family member names thrown throughout and it could get confusing if you're not sure who is who. What started everything was Ranulf de Moray was accused of killing Aurelia Greycourt, causing him to be beaten, lose a hand, and now live as a recluse. The stars of this book are Ranulf's sister Lady Elspeth de Moray and Aurelia's brother Julian Greycourt. Elspeth and Julian meet in the Duke of Windemere's library and from there attraction and circumstances have them invading each other's orbit. 

His every expression, every little move was studied, picked apart, and held against him until Julian had learned to hold himself still, to express neither joy nor sorrow nor anger. He’d buried all his thoughts and feelings so deeply inside himself that sometimes he thought he’d lost them altogether. 

After the drama of Ranulf and Aurelia, the siblings are left with the fallout. Julian ends up being sent to live with his uncle, who he's the heir, with his brother Quinn and mother, while his sisters were sent to a different uncle. Elspeth, with her two other sisters, get sent to live with an aunt, who then dies and they get taken in by the Wise Women. If you read the first two books, you'll remember some of the story around the Wise Women, a group whispered to be witches but really just a commune of women living on their own terms. At this point, there is a sort of civil war going on between the Wise Women and Elspeth is determined to find a diary, rumored to be hidden in a Greycourt library, of one of the first Wise Women to help her advocate for them to get back to their original intent. Julian has forever been looking for ways to put a stop to having to bend to his uncle's evil machinations and finally gets word that his mother wrote her own diary hidden in the margins of a book and what she wrote will destroy his uncle. To the library, everyone! 

He drew her to her feet with no effort but then pulled her closer so that they were nearly embracing. She could feel his breath on her lips when he spoke. “I hope, for your sake, that I can trust you.” 

With Elspeth's background of growing up in a matriarchal commune, she doesn't understand or want to adhere to societal norms, and Julian's cold childhood and being taught to hide his feelings for fear his uncle will go after whatever he loves, you can see the grumpy/sunshine forming. There's also the added “unnatural” desires Julian has, he's a submissive in the bedroom. Fortunately, “I've read about it in a book” Elspeth takes to dominating him like a duck to water and the second half gets to deliver on one of Hoyt's strengths, hot bedroom scenes. There was also the added danger of if there are one or two assassins trying to kill Elspeth or Julian or both. 

Dear God, Elspeth de Moray was dangerous, but not for the reasons he’d first assumed. 

Now, with all the patches I've laid out, you can see how this would be a complicated quilt design, and the flow kind of took a hit at times. There came a point where there were a lot of familial and Wise Women characters to keep track of, the Wise Women storyline I was finding hard to care about, and the evil uncle stayed a little too much to the background for me to really feel the danger. The romance felt like it got boxed in a bit and came down to Elspeth instantly just knowing how to dominate Julian, which did provide some hot but I wanted more of the emotional outside of the bedroom to feel the love building and growing. But, if you're a library scene person, you'll get plenty of that here. 

“I’ve tried resisting you,” he murmured, his voice deep. 

The ending gave us a betrayal by Elspeth, which felt a little forced because I think the groundwork was there character wise and how she thought/felt about Julian to trust him more, to deliver the black moment. Things move kind of quickly from there and the wrap-up felt a little everything working out with a bow and then a very last second danger moment (seriously, my Kindle said 93%) that delivered an ending that felt somewhat abrupt in action but character wise, emotionally was alright, plus there was a “one month later” little epilogue to give us more of a solid closure. There are plenty of siblings left for their own story, added clues to further some story plots, and dangling threads with the Wise Women and Aurelia and Ranulf storyline to keep this series going. It's a series you'll have to want to stay on your toes with but Hoyt is usually worth it, in interesting plot (albeit disjointed this time), a setting, Georgian, that doesn't get published as much, and hot chemistry. 

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50%

I'm halfway through, so I feel secure enough to say that the GRs synopsis needs to be changed. 

I'd forgotten how much it strikes a cord in me to read the words "tricorn" and "greatcoat" 😍 

Also, you're going to want to brush up on the de Moray and Greycourt family beef. It's recapped fine but the beginning could hurt you getting into this as this starts pretty much were the second left off

Reading Update: Page 1

 I held off as long as I could, a long weekend calls for it

I am about to have myself a time! 

I've been waiting for the icy Duke Julian and the shy Elspeth's story for YEARS 

He's cold and calculated, she's thoughtful and compassionate and she's hoping a marriage between them will strengthen the truce between their families. 

Feed this kind of setup into my veins! 

No Ordinary Duke by Elizabeth Hoyt preorder (Dec. 10th) link

Review: Ain't She Sweet

Ain't She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.7 stars 

Quick wrap-up: Woman limps back to her hometown where she was a capital B, trying to find a painting left to her by her aunt. The teacher who she lied about and got fired owns her childhood home now and is out for revenge, along with everyone else in town. It was all “young tough girl in a push-up bra” because her dad ignored her but showered love on his illegitimate family, but she still refuses as an adult to let down her wall but everyone eventually figures out she's got some caring in her. 

Fighting, flirting, grit, tears, dated-ness, and laughter. 

And Gordon, he should have gotten a pov! 

It was cold outside. She rested her cheek against his shirtfront. He wasn’t even breathing hard as he carried her across the yard with Gordon leading the way. 

“Furthermore,” he went on, “you will be rested. And”—he gripped her tighter—“sweet-tempered.” 

“You had more to drink than I thought.” She yawned and closed her eyes. “Go ahead and admit it. You’re afraid of me.” 

“Terrified is more like it.” 

She burrowed deeper into his chest. “I’m a handful, all right.” 

“My worst nightmare.” 

Oof, this story. It is, obviously, aged in some areas. He was her high school teacher and some of the lines he has when he thinks about how she looked back then, Cringe. But, also, there was a raw fearlessness to the writing, the characters make mistakes, they're so far from perfect, but gah, that delivered hit you in the gut emotion. This was also that blend of funny wild, almost off the rails that the late '90s-early-to-mid 00s had. 

He wore the raunchiest pair of Levi’s she’d ever seen—threadbare in the right knee, a hole in the butt—an equally ratty gray T-shirt, worn work gloves, and scuffed, dirt-encrusted brown work boots, one of which had a knot holding the shoelace together. An honest-to-God smudge ran up alongside that gorgeous honker of a nose. And he’d never looked more irresistible. She scowled. “Even your hair’s a mess.” 

I don't even know how to articulate how this descriptive scene makes me feel, but it does, and it's such a blip on the radar scene but I see his hotness and I feel how it makes her feel. It's one of those, we're losing the recipes examples for me. 

He didn’t say it sarcastically, but she stiffened, and he cursed the part of him that was so terrified of the sentimental that he tainted everything with cynicism, even when he didn’t intend it. 

I hate when books personally call me out. 

Anyway, this felt Adult, whether it was the emotions, actions, or words, relentlessly adult. 

Since you are a lunatic, however, this is the only way.” 

“You planned this from the beginning, didn’t you?” 

“Let’s simply say that you’re not the sort of woman who can be permitted to run amok.” 

One of the best love you warts and all story 

*I didn't know you used to have to get a blood test before you got your marriage license??? I was enjoying the HEA ending and this little line “Leeann dragged Sugar Beth to the lab for her blood test.” had me losing my mind and Googling for an hour. I hate I'm this way but now I can say, “I learned it from a Romance book!”

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Review: The Cinnamon Bun Book Store

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

She’d recruited the sexy, town fisherman to help her have an adventurous end of summer/end of her twenties and she was suddenly feeling as though she was in way over her head. 

Hazel has worked at the same bookstore since the end of her sophomore year of highschool, about to turn thirty she's suddenly realizing that she's never done anything wild and crazy. When books start popping up in her bookstore, dog-eared (the horror!) and highlighted lines such as ‘Come with me, lass, if you want an adventure.’, she decides it's time to be a little reckless and follow the clues for a sort of scavenger hunt of adventure. Add in Noah, the new cute fisherman in town, who agrees to help her on the hunt and Hazel's about to have the summer of her life. 

He was looking at her like he knew that she had taken that book home and read it cover to cover and that the pirate she was picturing looked nothing like the one on the cover... 

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store was a cute small-town read about two people who thought they weren't good enough, only to discover they're perfect for each other. Hazel has lived in Dream Harbor all her life and feels boring, as she's the stay at home snuggle with a book over going to a party kind of gal and Noah never finished highschool and feels like his boat tours isn't successful enough compared to his family's seafood company empire. They're both attracted to each other, but Noah doesn't feel good enough for Hazel and Hazel thinks the younger by five years Noah is too hot and cool for her. As they spend time together with the clues leading them to getting tipsy in a blueberry patch, kissing on a Ferris wheel, and getting caught up on a boat in a storm, they realize they actually have things in common and genuinely like each other. 

The cutest guy in town had given her his sweatshirt and she could barely stand it. 

Everything is kept pretty light vibes in this, Hazel and Noah's self-confidence are their main hurdle, coming to terms her path in life is perfect for her and someone as good-looking as Noah would be attracted to her and Noah realizing he is smart and responsible enough to hold his head up around his family and friends. This had a little bit of a Jill Shalivs feel to it, with the big friend group and series baiting characters, cute moments, and plenty of bedroom scenes. I thought the second half started to feel slower as their self-esteem issues seemed to get dragged out for more page count. The ending had three scenes where I was like “Ok, this is the end. Oh, wait there's more”, and it kind of killed some of those finalized HEA moments, but maybe others will enjoy the more than one HEA. 

Maybe she hadn’t needed to change her life, maybe she’d just needed to change how she saw her life. How she saw herself. 

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, I just think it needed to be wrapped up a bit quicker. If you're looking for sweet, sexy, and a small-town ripe with singles that have potential future book hook-ups written all over them, this would be a great pick-up.

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