Month: January 2022

Review: Sliding Home

Title: Sliding Home
Author: Joyce Grant
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Publisher: Lorimer
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: August 1, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Miguel hasn’t missed El Salvador since arriving in North America with his mother and sister. But with his father still in El Salvador and gangs shaking down the old neighborhood, life isn’t easy for Miguel.

When his father’s situation becomes critical, Miguel becomes desperate to bring him to North America. But he can’t even afford to join his baseball team on a road game–how can his family possibly pay his father’s way? A solution comes from Miguel’s teammate, who proposes a big baseball fundraiser. As the team learns about the hard realities some new immigrant kids face, Miguel and his family learn to trust their neighbors and teammates.

Review:

Three years ago, Miguel moved to Canada from El Salvador with his mother and sister. His father remained in El Salvador, looking after their bakery, but he is constantly terrorized by gangs. Thirteen-year-old Miguel has to work as a babysitter to help support his family. He plays baseball with a local team, but he’s constantly reminded of how much less his family has when his teammates get new equipment and are able to afford to go to an out-of-town tournament. Miguel has to find a way to bring his father to Canada, which may mean opening up to his teammates about his problems.

This is a great baseball story. Though it was mostly about Miguel playing baseball, there were some important issues addressed. Miguel had to work, which his friends and teammates didn’t understand. He was constantly worried about his father and had to help his mother figure out how to bring his dad to Canada. Miguel had to deal with a lot of adult issues that his friends never thought about before Miguel told them about his life.

Sliding Home is a great short middle grade novel! Be sure to look out for Joyce Grant’s upcoming book about spotting fake news for young readers, which is releasing later this year.

Thank you Lorimer Books for providing a copy of this book.

Tagged Out by Joyce Grant

Have you read Sliding Home? What did you think of it?

TBR Thursday – January 6

TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.

My pick this week is A Deal with the Elf King (Married to Magic #1) by Elise Kova.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The elves come for two things: war and wives. In both cases, they come for death.

Three-thousand years ago, humans were hunted by powerful races with wild magic until the treaty was formed. Now, for centuries, the elves have taken a young woman from Luella’s village to be their Human Queen.

To be chosen is seen as a mark of death by the townsfolk. A mark nineteen-year-old Luella is grateful to have escaped as a girl. Instead, she’s dedicated her life to studying herbology and becoming the town’s only healer.

That is, until the Elf King unexpectedly arrives… for her.

Everything Luella had thought she’d known about her life, and herself, was a lie. Taken to a land filled with wild magic, Luella is forced to be the new queen to a cold yet blisteringly handsome Elf King. Once there, she learns about a dying world that only she can save.

The magical land of Midscape pulls on one corner of her heart, her home and people tug on another… but what will truly break her is a passion she never wanted.

A Deal with the Elf King is a complete, stand-alone novel, inspired by the tales of Hades and Persephone, as well as Beauty and the Beast, with a “happily ever after” ending. It’s perfect for fantasy romance fans looking for just the right amount of steam and their next slow-burn and swoon-worthy couple.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Cover Reveal: The Cassandra Curse

The Cassandra Curse
Hope Bolinger
Publication date: February 1st 2021
Genres: Middle-Grade, Young Adult

STRANGER THINGS X CURSED PRINCESS CLUB

Charity’s acts of kindness always end in disaster, but when one clown costume too many lands her in the Vice Principal’s office, she receives a mysterious note from a group called “The Cassandra Coalition,” asking her if she wants to be rid of the curse that seems to follow her.

The teens of the coalition claim to be cursed by a mirror world connected with their hometown known as Delphos. To make things worse, Delphos appears to be invading their world and turning people into zombies—either that, or someone switched all the coffee to decaf.

When one of their members goes missing, they’ll try to track her down, close the portal to their world, and find a way to end their curse, before the curse ends them.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order


Author Bio:

Hope Bolinger is literary agent, freelance author and editor, YA novelist, and obsessed with anything to do with theater.

Books include The Quiet and the Storm (Taylor University Press), Blaze (IlluminateYA), Den (IlluminateYA), Dear Hero (INtense Publications), and Dear Henchman (INtense Publications). She’s also contributed to books that were published by Broadstreet Publishing and New Hope.

When she isn’t busy adding to her 600+ bylines, or showing up in her town square dressed as Red Riding Hood, she loves to connect with readers. Find her at hopebolinger.com or connect with her @hopebolinger

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


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Blog Tour Review: Love at First Spite

Title: Love at First Spite
Author: Anna E. Collins
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Graydon House
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: January 4, 2022
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

They say living well is the best revenge. But sometimes, spreading the misery seems a whole lot more satisfying. That’s interior designer Dani Porter’s justification for buying the vacant lot next to her ex-fiancé’s house…the house they were supposed to live in together, before he cheated on her with their Realtor. Dani plans to build a vacation rental that will a) mess with his view and his peace of mind and b) prove that Dani is not someone to be stepped on. Welcome to project Spite House.

That plan quickly becomes complicated when Dani is forced to team up with Wyatt Montego, the handsome, haughty architect at her firm, and the only person available to draw up blueprints. Wyatt is terse and stern, the kind of man who eats his sandwich with a knife and fork. But as they spend time together on- and off-site, Dani glimpses something deeper beneath that hard veneer, something surprising, vulnerable, and real. And the closer she gets to her goal, the more she wonders if winning revenge could mean losing something infinitely sweeter…

Review:

After breaking up with her cheating fiancé, Sam, Dani wants revenge. Since her fiancé didn’t buy the extra lot next door to their home like she asked him to, she decides to buy it along with her cousin and her new landlady. Dani decides the best way to get back at Sam is to build a rental home that will block the view he loves. To build the house, Dani asks her coworker, Wyatt, a serious and unfriendly architect, to help her draw up the blueprints. As they spend time together, Dani realizes Wyatt isn’t as unlikeable as he seemed. Dani doesn’t want the project to end, because then she wouldn’t have a reason to spend time with Wyatt. She has to prolong the project, and maintain her new relationship with Wyatt, before they both end in disaster.

This was a great enemies-to-lovers revenge story. There was also some forbidden romance, since Dani and Wyatt worked together and had to keep their romance a secret in the office. These were really well developed romance tropes.

The ending was suspenseful and thrilling. It was a little predictable, but still exciting. I won’t give away what happened, but I think Dani’s goal of getting revenge had a satisfying ending.

Love at First Spite is a great revenge story!

Thank you HarperCollins for providing a copy of this book.

Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

About the author:

Anna E. Collins is a Seattle-area author who writes stories about the lives and loves of women. Once upon a time she was a teacher, and she has a master’s degree in educational psychology. LOVE AT FIRST SPITE is her first novel.

Have you read Love at First Spite? What did you think of it?

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – January 5

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is Bright Ruined Things by Samantha Cohoe. The expected publication date is February 15, 2022.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The only life Mae has ever known is on the island, living on the charity of the wealthy Prosper family who control the magic on the island and the spirits who inhabit it. Mae longs for magic of her own and to have a place among the Prosper family, where her best friend, Coco, will see her as an equal, and her crush, Miles, will finally see her. Now that she’s eighteen, Mae knows her time with the Prospers may soon come to an end.

But tonight is First Night, when the Prospers and their high-society friends return to the island to celebrate the night Lord Prosper first harnessed the island’s magic and started producing aether – a magical fuel source that has revolutionized the world. With everyone returning to the island, Mae finally has the chance to go after what she’s always wanted.

When the spirits start inexplicably dying, Mae starts to realize that things aren’t what they seem. And Ivo, the reclusive, mysterious heir to the Prosper magic, may hold all the answers – including a secret about Mae’s past that she doesn’t remember. As Mae and her friends begin to unravel the mysteries of the island, and the Prospers’ magic, Mae starts to question the truth of what her world was built on.

Forbidden magic, a family secret, and a night to reveal it all…

What books are you waiting on this week?

Happy Pub Day – January 4

Happy Pub Day to all of these new books!

The Maid by Nita Prose

When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

In Every Generation by Kendare Blake

Echoes and Empires by Morgan Rhodes

Love at First Spite by Anna E. Collins

The Kindred by Alechia Dow

Serendiptiy edited by Marissa Meyer

It Will End Like This by Kyra Leigh

The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman

Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

Waking Romeo by Kathryn Barker

African Town by Irene Latham and Charles Waters

One True Loves by Elise Bryant

Heartstopper, Vol. 4 by Alice Oseman

Spin Me Right Round by David Valdes

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

Anthem by Noah Hawley

The Starless Crown by James Rollins

The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

Salaam, With Love by Sara Sharaf Beg

Let’s Get Physical by Danielle Friedman

The Last Beekeeper by Siya Turabi

What books are you most excited for this week?

Top Ten Tuesday – Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2022

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2022. Here’s my list:

1. Gallant by V.E. Schwab

2. Only a Monster by Vanessa Len

3. The Book of Living Secrets by Madeleine Roux

4. This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi

5. The Maid by Nita Prose

6. The Last Grand Duchess by Bryn Turnbull

7. Reputation by Lex Croucher

8. Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto

9. The Rumor Game by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra

10. The Lady Tempts an Heir by Harper St. George

(All book covers from Goodreads)

What’s your list of books on your Top Ten Tuesday?

Blog Tour Review: My Darling Husband

Title: My Darling Husband
Author: Kimberly Belle
Genre: Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Park Row
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: December 28, 2021 (paperback will be published March 8, 2022)
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Jade and Cam Lasky are by all accounts a happily married couple, with two adorable kids, a spacious home and a rapidly growing restaurant business. But their world is tipped upside down when Jade is confronted by a masked home invader. As Cam scrambles to gather the ransom money, Jade starts to wonder if they’re as financially secure as their lifestyle suggests, and what other secrets her husband is keeping from her.

Cam may be a good father, a celebrity chef and a darling husband, but there’s another side he’s kept hidden from Jade that has put their family in danger. Unbeknownst to Cam and Jade, the home invader has been watching them and is about to turn their family secrets into a public scandal.

With riveting twists and a breakneck pace, My Darling Husband is an utterly compelling thriller that once again showcases Kimberly Belle’s exceptional talent for domestic suspense.

Review:

Cam Lasky is a famous chef in Atlanta with a few high-priced restaurants. He arrives at his biggest restaurant to find that it’s burned down. While he’s dealing with the insurance, his wife, Jade, is confronted with a masked intruder who has trapped her and her two children in their home. The kidnapper is asking for a specific amount in ransom, which Jade thinks won’t be a problem for her successful husband to put his hands on in a few hours. However, Jade doesn’t know about the secrets her husband has been keeping from her, that could determine if anyone gets out of this situation alive.

This was a fast paced and suspenseful thriller. There were great cliffhangers at the end of chapters that made me keep reading. It was really hard to put down because I needed to know how it ended.

There were a couple of surprising twists at the end of the story. However, some of the subplots weren’t related to the main plot. I won’t mention them and give them away, but they were really good subplots, yet they didn’t really add to the main plot. I would have loved it if all of these plot threads came together at the end.

My Darling Husband is a fast paced thriller!

Thank you HarperCollins for providing a copy of this book.

Tell Me My Name by Erin Ruddy

Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle

About the author:

Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of seven novels, including her latest, My Darling Husband (December 2021). Her third novel, The Marriage Lie, was a semifinalist in the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Mystery & Thriller, and a #1 e-book bestseller in the UK and Italy. She’s sold rights to her books in a dozen languages as well as film and television options. A graduate of Agnes Scott College, Belle divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam.

Have you read My Darling Husband? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – January 3

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished My Darling Husband by Kimberly Belle.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading Love at First Spite by Anna E. Collins.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Compass to Vinland by Dani Resh.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap Up – January 2

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 7 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?