Tome Thursday: Midnight Secret

 

Hello everyone!

 

Serenity Woods returns to the blog tonight in this book of choice, not that it's any surprise.

 

At this point, I'm only missing a handful of her works to both read and review on here, and I'm doing pretty well, I'd like to think!

 

Especially as she keeps on writing these amazing stories.

 

Tonight's is a little different in that it's an age gap romance, which I don't remember her taking a shot at before (I could be wrong, please correct me if I am!).

 

And also, there's a lot of modern day problematic included in this as well.

 

This isn't to discourage you, only to ensure you pay attention as you read and so you don't get fooled into thinking this is one thing, then emerge to find it's something else entirely.

 

I love the author. I want people to buy her books. And I want her readers to know what they're getting themselves into!

 

So without further ado, let's dive right into Midnight Secret.

 

Tome Thursday: Magicom

 

Hello everyone!
 

Welcome to this week's bookish blog post.

 

And apologies for missing last week's. Unfortunately, RL conspired against me so I had to be responsible for a bit and skip some of the things I otherwise love dearly.

 

Don't you just hate when that happens?

 

Either way, I'm back tonight, and unless there's more unforeseen problems on the horizon, I'm hopeful I won't have to be skipping anything else any time soon!

 

Onwards.

 

Tonight's choice of book is another ARC I was very kindly sent by a lovely Goodreads author, which I totally wasn't expecting, by the way. I generally don't jump around waving ARCS AHOY THIS WAY! haha.

 

But I picked it up, and was very easily and quickly hooked. It's just that kind of a great book, you see. So why don't we take a brief look what I'm talking about with Magicom?

 

Tome Thursday: Beyond the Veil

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to tonight's book review of choice.

 

It's one that's been a while in the making, in the sense that the author took her time to ensure the book would be written well, consistently, and wrapped up in a neat bow to finish everything off.

 

We love authors like that!

 

Overall though, I just love interacting with THIS author in particular, as she's a total sweetheart. I was lucky enough to be sent an ARC directly from her, but I'd highly, HIGHLY recommend you look into purchasing these books to lend your support.

 

This is a very fun retelling of Sleeping Beauty, in which the "beauty" happens to be reversed, aka it's the prince rather than the girl, and the girl rescues him.

 

Then they go off on a quest together, discover her long-lost lineage, and then decide hey, maybe they'll take on that magical separating border between one realm and the next!

 

That's all (and more!) you get when you pick up the last book in the trilogy, Beyond the Veil.

 

Tome Thursday: Deeper than Black

 

Hello everyone!

 

Tonight, I'm bringing you a very special ARC.

 

Mostly because I feel super lucky that the author (who's stupendously lovely, by the way) reached out to me in the first place, asking if I'd like to have a look-see through her debut novel.

 

Um, where do I sign my soul away???

 

Opportunities like these didn't exist when I was first starting on my reading journey all those years ago, so now to HAVE them means I'm going to snatch them up just as fast as I can!

 

So I said yes, of course. Duh.

 

And embarked on the journey.

 

It took a little bit - the book has some heft to it! - but it was one hell of a ride, and I'm about to explain parts of it to you, but more importantly, I'm going to urge you to get a copy of this book as soon as you can. Yes, it's THAT good.

 

Without further ado, grab your diving gear, we're going under in Deeper than Black!

 

Tome Thursday: Claimed by the Undead

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to the beautiful beginning of a brand new series on this blog.

 

I say this quite confidently, as I'm reasonably sure that the couple whose story we're covering in this particular book WILL return for SEVERAL more books, not just one or two more, which makes me all giddy and excited!

 

C. L. Carhart is an author I've been following since very randomly picking up Gift of Fire over on Booksirens, and I have to say I haven't been disappointed yet.

 

She writes magnificently well, and as I'm currently slowly making my way through His Name Was Augustin series - with gusto and much enjoyment, taking my time - I can definitely say that each new book seems to get better than the last.

 

So without further ado, let's jump right in, shall we?

 

We're headed to the 19th century with a brilliant witch of light and the undead Black Priest who claims her as his consort, which unleashes a whole host of problems ... in Claimed by the Undead.

 

Tome Thursday: Fated Salvation

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome back one last time to this trilogy.

 

I say 'this' because, I'm fairly sure that Ms Hefner isn't going to leave us hanging, but she'll make certain that she returns to writing dystopia which she does SO amazingly well.

 

As I've said before, I couldn't for the life of me get into the vampire stories she writes for some odd reason, because I do enjoy her writing style. But these, her dystopian trilogies? Oh sign me UP and sign me up AGAIN.

 

I'm actually kind of sad that this one's now over, it's a rather unique take and could really be pulled right out from our own world somehow, as well.

 

But enough about me and my mind processes.

 

We need to figure out whether the world as we know it is actually saved, or if it falls to the hands of an evil dictator.

 

Fated Salvation solves all those mysteries, and leaves us thirsty for more!

 

Tome Thursday: Provenance of Power

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to an exciting addition to this blog post!

 

See a while back, I was approached by an Indie author through Facebook, and she asked me if I'd like to join her ARC team for a novel called Her Latent Charm.

 

Now, considering I read anything and everything that I can possibly get my grubby little mitts on, I said yes, of course. That one never has to be under any kind of question.

 

What I wasn't expecting was to truly ENJOY the book so much.

 

Don't get me wrong, I generally speaking always pick books that I know I'll at the very least like, if not outright love, but every now and then you do run into mishaps and end up, er, disappointed.

 

Not so here.

 

So when emails finally went out regarding the second book of the series, I was STOKED. I signed up immediately, and when the thing arrived in my inbox, I jumped.

Which means that, without further ado, we're looking at the sequel tonight: Provenance of Power!

Tome Thursday: A Wingless Hope

 

Hello everyone!

 

And if you're tempted to start singing and dancing the conga ... be my guest.

 

There aren't really any toads along for this one BUT, that doesn't mean we can't have fun, eh?

 

In any event, I picked the book off BookSirens, like I do with so many of my other choices, naturally.

 

Why?

 

Well, because it was a Thumbelina re-telling, of course!

 

I'm a sucker for Thumbelina. It's a lovely tale and it's been adapted into probably one of my favourite cartoons of all time, with just the right amount of comedy and romance to make it amazing.

 

So naturally, when I randomly stumbled over the copy of this book on BookSirens, I had to grab it.

 

Make sure to shake off all that fairy dust from your wings, then, as we take flight and learn all about secret heritage and family manipulation in A Wingless Hope!

 

Tome Thursday: Arcane Gateway

 

Hello everyone!

 

And oh boy, I'm sure you're thinking to yourself 'welcome back' as well.

 

Because it really hasn't been THAT long since I last picked up a book from this author, but to me it does feel like it's been a bit. Why?

 

Well, unfortunately, I had to finish some other ARCs before I could dig deep into this one, and I'm so happy I waited to be able to take my time with it.

 

It would have been such a shame to rush!

 

Especially since I really enjoyed the Elemental Bloodlines series, and I mentioned at the end of it that I would be backpedaling to the original which started it all.

 

As you can see, this is the start ... of everything.

 

C. L. Carhart really knows her stuff. So you best be prepared for some really witchy business, age gaps, demonic laughter and time travel as we head into Arcane Gateway!

 

Tome Thursday: Scottish Witches Mysteries

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome back to the weekly blog post in which we take a look at different books or book series that I happen to be enjoying at the time.

 

Or, alternately, occasionally - and this is VERY occasionally - I run into something I don't like as much as I had hoped I would when initially picking something up.

 

Tonight is such a night, aka, the second option.

 

I had such high hopes for the series that I grabbed off BookSirens, like you wouldn't believe.

 

Then the more I read through it, the less I ended up liking it.

 

It's a crying shame really, because all the foundations for a great book series are right there! I don't really know what exactly went wrong, yet here we are.

 

We'll be talking about the Scottish Witches Mysteries, by Felicity Green.

 

Tome Thursday: Scorched Redemption

Hello everyone!

Welcome back to another interesting book we're reviewing tonight.

Well, in all fairness, I've read and reviewed it on other platforms a while ago but, I had some others lined up that REALLY needed to be put up for viewing first so, here we are!

Sometimes, you just need to juggle a whole bunch of lemons altogether, and hope that you get either a lemonade or a martini out of it by the end, not just some lemon splat on the floor.

Rebecca Hefner is one of those authors I stumbled on completely by accident, and yet I've now managed to keep tabs on her for quite some time.

I'm not all that into her vampiric series BUT when she writes dystopia?

HOO BOY! She writes it BUT GOOD.

So here we go one more time, for the second book in the current dystopian tale, Scorched Redemption.

Tome Thursday: Frozen Flowers Fallen

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome, yet again, to ANOTHER story which happens in our favourite post-apocalyptic world, Sziveria!

 

Yes, yes, I know, you're probably asking yourself 'does this woman read anything else?!' and I promise that I do.

 

In fact I have like, five other books lined up from BookSirens right now that I have to chew through at some point, not to mention Sarah J. Maas and her Crescent City series, or even J. R. Ward with her Black Dagger Brotherhood and other spin-offs, really.

 

BUT.

 

When I got the email that Sarah Westill listed a new ARC on my favourite ARC site? I just had to look. It turned out to be of a novella I've been DYING to get my hands on, but that can be tricky given that they were originally only published through Amazon.

 

Now I had the chance. I JUMPED. Duh. Because it's a prequel to Guardians of Sziveria and is called Frozen Flowers Fallen.

 

Tome Thursday: Wolvenguard

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome back.

 

As you can see, we're more on track this week with the blog posts and everything, so hopefully I don't derail again in the coming weeks as work gets busier.

 

But that aside, do I have a treat for you!

 

BookSirens just remains the gift that keeps on giving, and it keeps supplying me with absolutely wonderful stories to read, or in this case, continuations to the series that I started on there.

 

Sarah Westill, as well, is an author I never would have picked up otherwise, yet here we are, seven or eight books in, and I'm still just as much on the edge of my seat now as I was when I picked up Wintersfall way back when at this point.

And the story keeps getting better with each new book in the series!

Guardians of Sziveria is a really, really riveting read, and I highly recommend it, which is why tonight we're taking a look at its newest installment: Wolvenguard.

Tome Thursday: Mistletoe and the Billionaire Boss

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to a very fantastic opening into our Christmas book reading extravaganza.

 

We already had a heap of luck with our movie choice this week (have you seen My Norwegian Holiday yet?), and now our streak continues with the book I've chosen.

 

Or, well, had chosen for me! LOL.

 

See, when you open up your mailbox during a routine daily check, and see an email from your favourite contemporary romance author saying that the ARC for her next book in a series you adore is ready for you to read ...

 

You drop everything - and I mean literally everything - and set aside a time to gobble it up!

 

It took me a little longer than normal to finish this because work is turning into insanity as we head further into December, but, I thoroughly enjoyed every single moment.

 

So buckle up, we're heading back to New Zealand with Serenity Woods' latest installment in her Boss in a Billion series, Mistletoe and the Billionaire Boss.

 

Tome Thursday: Shadows of the Dark Realm

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to the last "regular" book review until 2024, because as of next week, we begin our Christmas-themed extravaganza which has seen us through many a-holiday season here on this blog, of course.

 

Hey, let a girl live. I LOVE me some Christmas!

 

But I also love picking up new and exciting stories, too.

 

Tonight's choice is one of them, although it still has some ways to go before it can be perfectly polished and on par with the greats like Tolkien and Jordan.

 

Nevertheless, it's good. It drew me in and made me want to figure out where the heck it was going, and how it was going to end, and definitely gave me some twists along the way as I read it.

 

I was also pleasantly surprised to be approached by the author who so graciously sent me an ARC of his book in the first place. Doesn't matter for how long I've been doing this, it still humbles me immensely when people reach out like that. I'm here for it!

 

And so without further ado: Shadows of the Dark Realm, by Tyler Edwards.

 

Tome Thursday: The Enchanted Bird

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome back to the realm of Calatini, where magic is used openly, balls are inspired by Regency, and love flourishes.

 

Isn't that a poetic kind of introduction?

 

But as I stated last week, I'm going to be making my way through the books written by Katherine Dotterer as I'm enjoying the world-building she's investing into.

 

Some of the characters could potentially sometimes use a bit of additional work, but that aside, it's actually an enjoyable investment.

 

As always, a huge thanks to BookSirens for allowing me to grab these ARCs to begin with, as I'm reasonably sure there would have been no other option for me to find this particular series otherwise. I didn't even know I was looking before the site sent me an email with one of the books in there for a suggestion!

 

So without further ado, let's slip into our best attire and shake off the dancing cobwebs.

 

The Enchanted Bird is here.

 

Tome Thursday: The Spellbinding Courtship

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to the beginning of what will hopefully be a full series review, if I can make it happen.

 

I do know there's three books after this opening novella out right now, and a fourth one on the way, so I'm thinking this can very much become reality!

 

As you know, if I have nothing better to read, it's to BookSirens I go. The online service that connects authors with reviewers is really, really good for people who may not have the funds to be able to support their reading at the moment, because you get books for absolutely free - all you have to do  is read them within the time frame the author asks for, and leave a review.

 

Easy, right?

 

Right!

 

So that's how I bumped into this particular series. And honestly, I wouldn't have even read this prequel if not for the fact I'm organized enough that I don't want to just start a series in the middle. Since I really want to get to the third book, I had to start at the beginning, first.

 

Which is how we ended up with the review of The Spellbinding Courtship.

 

Tome Thursday: Survaine

 

Hello everyone!

 

Back to the inhospitable lands of Sziveria we go!

 

Honestly, I'm SO stoked, and so excited to be reviewing this book. I didn't anticipate to enjoy the series as much as I am, because originally when I picked up the first book I totally expected it to just be a sort of easy-read, mind-numbing romance where the main characters do the deed more than there's substance to plot.

 

Turns out, there's plenty of that to go around AND the plot is even better!

 

I'm all for espionage and grand conspiracies, and the theories are thickening now more than ever, the further we go into the universe at large.

 

We started in a pretty self-contained group, but it's expanded SO. FREAKING. MUCH.

 

And I'm totally here for it, particularly with what I can see coming in the not-so-far future.

 

Before I get carried away, though, let's just sit down and review the latest installment in this riveting series, shall we? Survaine, if it pleases the audience.

 

Tome Thursday: Tides of Torment

 

Hello everyone!

 

I come bearing gifts.

 

Or at least, a sequel to a book we read a little bit back, and which will conclude with the third part coming in early 2024.

Yep, yep indeed this is a slated trilogy, and I'm here for it, because one of my personal pet peeves is when you think you have it down pat - you've blocked out reading time, you know how and when and why - and then all of a sudden it's not a trilogy but it's ballooned into eight books.

I'm sorry, what now?

I mean OKAY I do get it, sometimes stories happen that way and you don't really see where it's going until you're on book three and you haven't told even half the story yet, but most of the time lately it just feels like expansion for expansion's sake not for plot's sake.

This one will hopefully stay a trilogy, it's definitely sounding like it.

So let's get our goggles and our best Ariel voice, because Tides of Torment are taking us both above and under water!

Tome Thursday: Her Latent Charm

 

Hello everyone!

 

This week, we continue our journey through The Ambience Series, which tells the story of how certain individuals can access a well of power, or a lake of power, called the Ambience, and which allows them to perform some pretty amazing feats on the regular.

 

It can also, like any other magic or power out there, be used for dastardly and evil things, and it's one of those situations where you really just want to keep to the bright side, you know?

 

Dana C. Brentson is an author I would say really bears watching and paying attention to, if her debut full length novel is anything to go by.

 

And what's better, the book's official release date is TODAY!

 

Yep, that's right, you can go ahead and pick up your copy right now if that's what you want, and honestly why wouldn't you?

 

There's action, there's magic, there's mystery, there's love ... it has a little bit of everything.

 

Even the pickiest of readers should enjoy it. So without further ado, let's have a look at Her Latent Charm, shall we?