Tome Thursday: The Grand Shahala

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to tonight's book of choice!

 

I'm so very, very excited to share this one with you, because, one, I've loved this author from the minute I picked up her very first book release, and two, it's just such a good story!

 

I mean, does it have a few kinks that maybe could do with some ironing out? Yes, of course.

 

But what book doesn't?

 

I think the only one I ever read where I DIDN'T feel that another edit might be appropriate was The Lord of the Rings, and THAT should tell you something LOL.

 

In any event; I was super lucky to join the early ARC team for this one, so I got to read it before it even released. How's that for some charm, eh??

 

And now it's been officially released into the wider world on June 16th, so my review is basically right on time!

 

Without further ado, we're jumping straight into The Grand Shahala.

 

Tome Thursday: A Baby for Christmas

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to tonight's choice of book review which, I'll be honest, I was skeptical about going in.

 

Then again, it's been a while since I could read a holiday-themed romance and feel like it actually hit all the right beats, you get what I'm saying?

 

But this one was good.

 

Actually, this one was kind of GOLD, rather than just good.

 

Which means my hope in all of these has been restored, at least for the time being!

 

So make sure you've got your favourite drink and/or snack ready, cozy up under a fluffy blanket in your favourite reading spot, and pick this one up so you can bring some holiday cheer into your life.

 

Even if only for a moment.

 

Because nothing says Christmas more than a couple lonely hearts finding their happily ever after, like in A Baby for Christmas.

 

Tome Thursday: The Christmas Deal

 

Hello everyone!

 

Yes, finally, we'll have the entire series here on the blog, as it should have been all along.

 

And ironically, I kind of did the reviews backwards a little bit, seeing as last week's book was the current - and thus far LAST - book in the series.

 

BUT that said, we've now become the ultimate Pokemon trainers and caught them all!

 

Ha.

 

Of course this is also the spot where I learn it really is the way Miss Andrews writes her twenty-somethings that apparently doesn't sit well with me anymore, but that's beside the point, because I'm also rather sure that I've read some of her books with twenty-somethings and LIKED them.

 

I digress, and I'm rambling.

 

So without further ado, let's take a look at how it all started, shall we? In a nifty little book that's only about two hundred pages long, titled The Christmas Deal.

 

Tome Thursday: The Christmas Veto

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to the next installment in our Christmas book review saga, which has unfortunately rather missed its mark.

Ah well, there's bound to be some, when you read as many holiday-themed books as I do!

I'm not too fussed about it, but I'm minorly disappointed, because I tend to enjoy books by this particular author for the most part.

It just feels like something's missing in this one.

Interestingly, I've also noticed that I'm missing the very first in this little grouping of hers, so I may go back and read it again to put it on here, finally, and have the full collection that way.

That sounds like fun, doesn't it? Especially since I DO have book numero due while I'm at it.

My logic is impeccable, obviously.

Without further ado, however, let's dive right into The Christmas Veto, by Keira Andrews.

Talkie Tuesday: Red, White & Royal Blue

 

"It isn't what we say or think that defines us, but what we do." 

Hello everyone!

 

This week, I'm back with what's probably the most beloved or at the very least the most anticipated (at the time) movie of summer 2023.

 

Just like the book which it adapted, this movie covers the perfect story, in my personal opinion.

Why?

Well, because the world has seen a thousand iterations of ‘princess meets first son’ or ‘first daughter meets prince’, and we usually love them because we care about the stories BEHIND the amalgamation of whoever it is that’s falling in love.

Here, however, we get the prince meets the first son, and for some reason, because it’s a gay romance, it becomes even better.

In my opinion, at least.

Red, White & Royal Blue, everyone.

 

Tome Thursday: Gift of Darkness

 

Hello everyone!

 

I'm back with another fresh installment from the Elemental Bloodlines series, which if you haven't discovered or picked it up yet, you absolutely should.

 

It's been a while since I've last read anything about magic which would cover the elements as well as this one does, though I'll admit it occasionally does leave something to be desired and you might struggle on moments.

 

BUT the important thing?

 

Is that these are fun, heartwarming books with an underlying tension that's slowly starting to come to the fore, and I love it.

 

I also love how even though we're seeing repetitions of certain elements, we also get to see slight differences of them and how people use them.

 

Besides, it's not like we have a ton of said elements to begin with, after all.

 

But enough blathering on my side. Because it's time to dance with the darkness and see if we can come out unscathed. Gift of Darkness will tell us all about it!

 

Tome Thursday: Lumberjack under the Tree

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to the last book review of 2022.

 

That's right, we're headed into 2023 at full-tilt now, which means that we're only about one blog post away from completely wrapping up.

 

So I picked what I hope is a good one.

 

At least, I liked it!

 

Which is saying something given I can be the world's harshest critic sometimes, even if I like the other books written by the same author.

 

But that's beside the point.

 

Thing is, I wanted a do-over from the book I DID pick from Keira Andrews for this holiday season, which I didn't love as much as I hoped to. I was cautiously optimistic about her novella, however.

 

And boy, did it turn out to be more than just alright!

 

Lumberjack under the Tree brings all the holly jolly you may have missed, plus more.

 

Tome Thursday: The Christmas Leap

 

Hello everyone!

 

This feels like it's a bit of a trend now, if I'm being completely honest.

 

And it probably is!

 

I mean, thus far, we've been surprised and excited by a Christmas-themed book every year for several consecutive years in a row when it comes to Keira Andrews.

 

Is it any surprise whatsoever that there would be ANOTHER one this year?

 

AND the promise of what's hopefully going to be a new one in 2023, too!

 

But I'm starting to just meander without purpose.

 

Keira Andrews was probably the first gay romance author I ever stumbled upon when I was trying to find books that I'd thoroughly enjoy in that particular genre.

 

I've since read quite a few, potentially all of them from her, but I'd have to double check.

 

The Christmas Leap is a sequel to another one of her works, and I'll be telling you all about it down below.

 

Tome Thursday: Bound by Blood

 

Hello everyone!

 

Yes, you're seeing this right, this is once again NOT an ARC that I' reviewing.

 

What news, huh?!?

 

LOL.

 

Anyway, a while back - and I think it was quite a while back - I picked up a retelling of the Arthurian legend and fell in love with it, for multiple reasons.

 

One, it felt much closer to what might have actually happened back in the day, in terms of realism and the fact that Arthur was not actually a medieval king riding around in full armour, and two, because it was a story in which he didn't want Guinevere, but her brother.

I mean COME ON.

I was hooked, but it took me a bit to return to the series, which is what I'm doing tonight as you can see. The Sons of Britain has six books overall so I play to go through all of them, slowly.

Tonight it's Bound by Blood's turn, the sequel one.

Tome Thursday: In Step

 

Hello everyone!

 

I have a really, REALLY good book for you this week, and I'm not just saying it.

 

A while ago I ran into a blurb telling me about a book that was GOING to be released sometime in early 2022, and I added it to my 'to be read' list on Goodreads.

 

Turns out, I'd been right to do so.

 

I've had a soft spot for same-sex romance books since I discovered that they even exist, because a lot of the time, the tropes that have become so incredibly boring and over-written in heterosexual romances take on a new life when it's two men or two women.

 

I don't know what it is!

 

This one tonight isn't exactly outdated, it's just a really clever one, but it's DEFINITELY worth the time and the read. I think I managed in about three sittings, and each sitting I found something to bawl my eyes out over.

 

No joke.

 

So without further ado: In Step. Because everybody needs a little dance in their life.

 

Tome Thursday: Cold War, pt 2

 

Hello everyone!

 

And here we are as February draws to a close, with the second half of a review that we began last week.

 

Have you enjoyed the book? I hope you have!

 

See here's the thing, as far as I can understand it: it was originally published as a duology but then edited and re-published as one single book written in two parts, which actually works in its favour, come to think of it.

 

Ms Andrews has released an actual duology earlier this year, but the problem there was that the second book certainly suffered from the fact that it was second.

 

It would have maybe been better if it had also been done like this one in the past.

 

But I don't claim to be an expert and certainly not on publishing methods, nor writing! In any event, I enjoy Ms Andrews' writing regardless, and so here we are.

 

Let's head back into the world of figure skating for another week, shall we?

 

Cold War is up, for a second time - and has nothing whatsoever to do with real life situations right now.

 

Tome Thursday: Cold War, pt 1

 

Hello everyone!

 

Now I'm not reviewing this particular book - or part one of the book - because of anything that's happened at this year's Winter Olympics, because I haven't really been paying attention to the games.

 

Well, at least to the ice skating portion of it. I did watch the ski jumping, or some of it.

 

But for the rest I really haven't even lost sleep over what has or has not gone down, so don't mistake this for anything other but me enjoying a good book.

 

See it's come to my attention that, despite the fact I say I've read most of Keira Andrews' published works, I actually haven't.

 

There's a BUNCH of them I still need to either pick up or finish, and it's just so much fun to explore, I'll be honest with you guys! Because Ms Andrews tends to write some of the best contemporary fiction I've had the privilege to read.

 

Tonight's book, or the first part of it really, is no exception, so why don't we stop dropping hints and whatnot and simply get right into it?

 

It's titled Cold War, and you'll figure out the reasons VERY quickly!

 

Tome Thursday: Kiss and Cry

 

Hello everyone!

 

Are you surprised?

 

No one should be surprised. I tend to be like a bloodhound on a scent whenever Keira Andrews releases a new book!

 

Which was exactly what happened this week.

 

If you've been following this blog for a while then you'll know that I pretty much have Anderson books galore in review on here, and I'm STILL not finished, because I keep finding more that I haven't picked up yet.

 

However, as I was reading her latest holiday-inspired one, I was very much aware that it would lend itself very well to a sequel, which means that I was super stoked when the author actually announced one!

 

I mean, come on. When you have characters that seem to just pop off the page in a way that makes it impossible to ignore them, what else are you going to do but write their story, correct?

 

I know. Absolutely correct.

 

So lace up those skates and let's head on into Kiss and Cry, shall we?

 

Tome Thursday: Eight Nights in December

 

Hello everyone!

 

So going through my Christmas blog posts, I realized that I seem to be missing things, specifically holiday-related, and especially from one of my favourite authors.

 

This is, as the Grinch would say, an audacity!

 

I've somehow missed one or two holiday books by Keira Andrews, despite the fact I've done reviews during separate years where ALL I've focused on were her books.

 

It's a mystery how this happened!

 

But as I like to occasionally dig through and pull out stuff I haven't poked at yet, this year seems to be the catch-up kind of year.

 

I may not have done Booktober BUT my goodness, I'll be doing these Christmas ones right!

 

So without further ado, let's have a look at a really cute novella, shall we?

 

Eight Nights in December is absolutely adorable.

 

Tome Thursday: Only One Bed

 

Hello everyone!

 

You knew this was coming. You HAD to have known this was going to happen!

 

Keira Andrews releases a new holiday-flavoured romance every single holiday season, and if you ever thought I wouldn't be reviewing them ... well, you've gotten up on the very wrong side of the bed haha.

 

I'm pretty sure that I've covered almost all of them thus far, though of course I may be wrong and have missed one or two, which if I have, I'll just have to remedy at some point, no problem.

 

News of this year's found its way to me at the best possible time when I needed the extra distraction, and as always, it did not disappoint at all.

 

As far as I'm concerned, if you want fluffy, happy, merry holiday reads, Ms Andrews should be your go-to!

 

Also included are some steamy moments and all the happily ever afters you could possibly want.

 

So without further ado, let's not waste any more time, shall we?

 

Because Only One Bed is up, and man, it's a good one!

 

Tome Thursday: The Barbarian's Vow

 

Hello everyone!

 

This is the last pre-Christmas book-related blog post that I'll be doing this calendar year, as next week begins the extravaganza that is running up until the holidays are over!

And as I promised you guys last week, it's time to wrap up the duology we started then.

Keira Andrews has ALSO promised another holiday romance coming around this time next week as well, so I'm pretty excited about that, I always am about the themed books she writes, because I normally fall in love with her characters and plots pretty easily.

I did with the Barbarian too, at least in the first book.

But I will warn you - and this is only fair - that I wasn't as enamored with this second one as I was with the first, and it'll probably show in the review.

Nothing against the writing (which is still superb), and everything against how the plot turns out, sadly! However I will say I enjoyed aspects of it, and at the very least there is a HEA in here as well.

So without further ado, let's just get right into it, shall we? The Barbarian's Vow has been waiting all week, after all.

Tome Thursday: Wed to the Barbarian

 

Hello everyone!

 

It's been a little bit since the last time I reviewed a book by Keira Andrews, and I'm super happy to be able to say tonight is the night again.

 

I accidentally stumbled across Ms Andrews's work when I was looking for something new and exciting to read, and since then, I've probably gone through most of her written works, if you ask me, though I don't think I have them all reviewed.

 

But every once in a while, usually before or around Christmas time, I do get back to it at least.

 

Tonight's book isn't exactly holiday-related - that one's coming in December! - but it IS amusing nonetheless.

 

You know how you always read stories about barbarians (usually Scottish) who come to sit on a council or whatever or they have to be appeased somehow, and the only solution everyone can think of is marrying one of them to one of their delicate ladies?

Well, this is about the same story, only it's a turnaround into gay romance.

Wed to the Barbarian, here we go!

Tome Thursday: Long Winter

 

Hello everyone!

 

So I had a plan for this week's blog post and figured I'd follow it to the letter, until the moment I picked up a very random e-book on my Kobo reader ... and the plan went right out the window.

 

As far as things go, my plans often don't stick, this is the truth of it.

 

I just read too much!

 

And this particular book went and managed to break my heart, which was just as well after the disappointment that the book previous to that one managed to dredge up.

 

Sometimes, I swear, I manage to pick up the most ridiculous books to read, but thankfully tonight's topic isn't one of them.

 

No, tonight's one is just so beautiful and heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time, I can't even begin. I'm going to have to though, as the intro is getting long and I bet you'd all just want to jump straight into the post from here on out.

 

So without further ado, I present to you: Long Winter!

 

Tome Thursday: Marked by Fire

 

Hello everyone!

 

Tonight we're covering a slightly different take on a well-known legend, and to be honest it was the best thing to happen to me in a while.

 

See, I've probably looked at or at least taken a peek at seventy percent of what's out there about this stuff, and most of it is pretty straight-forward at the end of the day. One guy, becomes king, marries a woman, second guy comes in.

 

I'm still salty because of First Knight but, I mean, what can you do?

 

This though, this is a little bit ... new.

 

Well alright, new to ME, maybe, would be better if I said it that way.

 

And man did I love it.

 

I didn't expect to as much as I ended up doing, but here we are, and I'm including it in my blog, so it MUST be that good, right?

 

Marked by Fire, by Mia West, is here.

 

Tome Thursday: Lord John and the Haunted Soldier

 

Hello everyone!

 

So alright, I'm fudging a little this week since this isn't a full book that I'm adding into my collection.

 

HOWEVER, considering the way Diana Gabaldon herself looks at her second, off-shot series, it's still better than an actual novella would be, you know?

 

Every once in a while I'll go back and read some of the shorter stories the author's written, because while I do thoroughly enjoy her longer novels (and by longer I mean, as long as the day you're going through is with their thousands of pages), sometimes it's nice to be able to read through something in an afternoon.

 

No way this happens with, say, Voyager!

 

And I've been on an Outlander, or more specifically Scotland kick lately, thanks for Sam and Graham, so I mean.

 

If you're like me and you want to have a look at some other adventures that are just as fun but don't take as much out of the reader - read no further!

 

Lord John Grey is back. And he has a Haunted Solider to deal with.