Water Viper by R.J. Blain

5 Stars

Review contains spoilers

Magic flooded the earth during Starfall.  It destroyed most technology and changed some humans into have magical powers.  Jesse was born to a male-dominated clan where at a certain age they pick their own gender.  Jesse was supposed to be a boy but made a mistake and became a girl.  She now travels the continent as an assassin.  Needing a break from being an assassin she heads to the coasts of Florida where she encounters a Starfall stone and a Siberian Tiger shifter.  All starts the beginning of the end to her old life and a whole host of woes.  When two Starfall stones are stolen it is up to Jesse to find them and protect them. 

I enjoyed this story a lot.  Considering I hate post-apocalyptic stories I was very surprised how much I enjoyed it.  I loved the interaction Jesse had with everyone else.  Her friends have her back.  I love that Nate lets her be even though they are meant to be together he lets her grow and learn.  He lets her be her own woman until he is needed.  Was well worth the read and I can’t wait to read the next book.

Promo: Lasaran by Dianne Duvall

I've read Dianne Duvall for years.  The Immortal Guardians series just gets better every time I re-read.  The newest book is a spin off from the original series.  Taelon is the brother to Ami from Night Reigns.  I can't wait for this book to come out April 21.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗡
New York Times bestselling author Dianne Duvall brings readers the first novel in a thrilling new sci-fi romance series full of action, intrigue, humor, and happily-ever-afters.

𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞
Taelon searches the galaxy for his younger sister, who mysteriously disappeared while on a diplomatic mission. When an ally reveals that she was seized and is being held prisoner on Earth, Taelon descends upon the blue planet, intent on freeing her and exacting vengeance. However, all does not go as planned. Before he can find her, Taelon is captured and becomes the subject of torturous experiments. For what feels like an eternity, all he knows is pain and fury... until a mind tentatively touches his own and a woman's voice forever changes his world.

After suffering tragic losses, Lisa is finally beginning to carve out a future for herself when chance sends her to the Anomalous Cognition Research Institute. What at first appears to be a benign organization seeking participants for a psychic study instead turns out to be a government facility harboring a much darker intent. Lisa discovers this too late and soon becomes the unwilling subject of a terrifying experiment. Just as fear and desperation threaten to consume her, a deep, compelling voice penetrates the looming insanity and lends her hope.

Having seen only the worst of humanity, Taelon is shocked when Lisa risks everything to free him. Together the two make their escape, and Taelon finds himself fascinated by the small human woman who--despite all she's suffered--can still laugh and tease and lure smiles from him. Friendship swiftly grows between them as they work together to evade soldiers intent on capturing them and find themselves hunted by mystifying preternatural beings. Through it all, Lisa steadfastly remains by his side, stealing more of his heart each day while she helps him unravel the mystery of his sister's fate. Can they find his sister before the hunters find them? If they survive their quest, will Taelon have to bid Lisa farewell... or can he coax her into leaving her planet and joining him for the adventure of a lifetime?

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Death and Desire by Deborah Wilde

5 Stars

Ash and crew are back.  Ash is trying to discover more about what it means to be a Jezebel while still investigating cases.  She gets roped in by the Queen of Hearts to investigate the mysterious death of a young man.  The case is strange from the beginning.  When things go really wrong with her case it might end her permanently.

I loved this story.  It progressed nicely from the last book.  The story moved nicely.  There wasn’t a lag from the last book to this one in the timeline.  The characters continued to develop and grow.  The interaction between Ash and the supporting characters continued to be a really interesting read.  The back and forth between Levi and Ash was so good.  I love how they needle each other.

I cannot wait for the next book to come out.

Audio book:
5 Stars

Hollie Jackson did an amazing job with this book too.  She continued giving each character their own voice/tone.  Loved listening to her read the story.

Book 2 of the Jezebel Files

Promo: Grave Humor by R.J. Blain

In the last year I discovered a new author, R.J. Blain.  Her main series is Magical Romantic Comedies (with a body count).  I blew through them so fast and now I wait impatiently for the new one to come out.  She has other series and books that are awesome and I will be reviewing them soon.

The newest book the Magical Romantic Comedies (with a body count) will be coming out May 12.  Here is the blurb for the book:

Most days, Anwen regrets working at a funeral home. With the residents no longer inclined to stay in their coffins where they belong, she’s got her hands full making sure everyone follows the rules:

In the funeral home, there is no screaming, no murdering, no mutilation, no possessions, no kidnappings, no resurrections, and no cursing of any type. Be quiet and stay polite.

The day Old Man McGregor decides to take a walk and disturbs her peace, Anwen learns there’s a lot more to the basement in the funeral home than a vampire and a handsome gentleman on ice.

If she’s not careful, she’ll learn first-hand why ‘eternally yours’ is the most potent of threats.

Warning: this novel contains romance, humor, bodies, shenanigans, and mythological puppies. Proceed with caution.

Here are the links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2RE88rN

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grave-humor-r-…/1133374336…

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/grave-humor-3

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/grave-humor/id1479114815

Blood and Ash by Deborah Wilde

5 Stars

Ashira Cohen is the only female private eye in Vancouver.  With her skills she should be able to solve the missing person case without any problems.  However, nothing is ever easy.  A bashed skull, hidden tattoo, and the discovery of magical abilities screws Ash’s day life.  This brings her into contact with the infuriating leader of the magical community Levi.  They reluctantly team up to protect the magical community.  The question is if Ash can prevent herself from killing Levi before the case is solved.

I loved this book.  I started it on audio and was almost done with the book and didn’t want to wait until the next day to finish it so I switched to digital to finish it.  The interaction between Ash and Levi were hilarious.  They loved to hate each other but it very much turns into I love to fight you for the sexual tensions that come from the fighting.  Ash also has a love for Sherlock Holmes and it’s referenced throughout the book.  Who doesn’t love Sherlock references?  I cannot wait for the next book!

Audio Book:

5 Stars

Loved the narrator Hollie Jackson. She did an amazing job with each of the characters she narrated.  Each one had a different personality and it made the story even more amazing.

Book 1 of the Jezebel Files

To The Rude Guy in Apartment Five by J.S. Cooper

2 Stars

Spoilers throughout!!!!!

This is a story of friends coming back together after being separated for 10 years and how they end up together.  It starts with notes left on each other’s doors until they run into each other in the hall.

I wanted to love this book but it kind of sucked.  The writing was good which is why I gave it 2 stars.  The plot sounded like a good book and the sample I read was awesome so I splurged and bought it.  The best I can say is that the writing was spot on. I hated both main characters.  They both kinda sucked.  Magnolia when she was 18 she tried to seduce her boyfriend’s brother.  They were neighbors and she had loved him forever and just had to have him.  But she was dating the brother!  Speaking of him Jagger was pretend dating Magnolia’s sister.  He also claims to have been in love with Magnolia forever. He admits he only started pretend dating the sister to make Magnolia jealous.  So that was when they were 18 and 20 can totally understand their thought process at that age and forgive them but they are just as childish now 10 years later.  It was so frustrating to have Magnolia come home mostly drunk spitting mad at Jagger for his behavior and 2 seconds after entering his apartment she’s reading to fuck him.  Really he gets naked and all is forgiven.  Just very frustrating.  Jagger wasn’t any better.  He cracks jokes throughout the book and they are not funny and made at inappropriate times.

Save your money for something better.

Lemon Sisters by Jill Shalvis – 5*

Mindy Lemon has never understood how her sister Brooke could lead a life of wild adventures. Mindy settled down with her high school sweetheart and had 3 kids. It isn’t until Mindy shows up at Brooke’s door having a break-down Brooke agrees to take the 3 kids back to Wildstone and give Mindy a much needed break. By going home Brooke is forced to confront her past to move on. 

I loved the dynamics between the sisters. It was interesting to see the relationships between the siblings, the significant others, and in laws.

Brooke gets Mindy a little bit better and way sooner than Mindy does. At times in the book I really hated Mindy. I am guessing the author wanted you to hate her but Mindy has no understanding at all what Brooke has been through. Brooke is all in in supporting Mindy but when push comes to shove Mindy is judgmental. It isn’t until Brooke lays everything out, things that she shouldn’t have to tell her sister that her sister finally understands why Brooke is the way that she is.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It was interesting to see the give and take in relationships and how they finally seem to understand each other.