Review: Lightfall by Ed Crocker

Lightfall by Ed Crocker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was amazing!  I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however I did end up borrowing the audiobook from the library and listened to about half of it while following along with the ARC.  As always, all opinions are my own.

The audiobook has a single narrator, and while I thought she did a wonderful job, I do think this is the type of audiobook that would have benefited from multiple narrators or even a full cast as there are so many characters.  

It has been quite a while since I've come across a unique fantasy book, and this has alot going on to make it so.  This is a tad on the long side, but it crosses several genres and follows a cast of characters to keep the reader invested and wondering "What the heck is going on?"  Some readers are going to hate the way this is structured as it jumps around from character to character within the chapters, while others are going to love it.  I loved it and didn't mind the character jumps as each piece of the story was relevant and eventually leads somewhere.  This follows several of our main characters as main perspective, and there are some random side character and truly random perspectives thrown in throughout.  Each perspective brings something to the table and were clearly thought out.  If you aren't a fan of alot of characters and genre blending they may not be the book for you, but I thought the author did a great job keeping things moving forward and moving each of the intertwining plots organized without giving too much away too quickly.

This has court politics, magic, vampires, sorcerers, werewolves, a murder mystery, and more all rolled up into fantastical tale.  I thought the world building was excellent as this takes place mainly in First Light, home of First Lord Azzuri who is one of our main players. It is home to the vampire race that survived a long ago war.  There are some other locations as well that are well described and the backstory that we get regarding Lightfall and Greyfall are also well told, though I still think there is more information to come.  First Light is full of secrets especially when the First Lord's youngest son turns up dead under mysterious circumstances.  His spymaster and captain of the guard don't seem very invested in uncovering information, when two sorcerers from the desert with no magical abilities show up under the guise of research and a palace maid team up to figure out what is going on.  Sage and Jacob belong to a sorcerer cult dedicated to finding proof that mortals once existed, but they will never admit what they know.  Sam is a maid who has revenge on her mind and wants to be more than a to clean for spoiled lords and ladies for the rest of her life.  The three of them find themselves caught up in an investigation bigger than themselves and on quite the adventure to start a rebellion within the vampire city and to stop the mysterious Greys who are determined to wipe out the vampire race entirely.

I loved this.  I was completely invested in this book.  It felt a bit on the long side, but that is because there are so many characters and complexities to keep track of.   This delivered on all of the things I love in a more epic fantasy.  The pacing was good, there was action and conflict to keep you invested.  I enjoyed the characters and while we have sorcerers, the two main ones don't have magic so we don't really need any explanation of the magic system to complicate things.  There other types of sorcerers but the author does briefly explain their abilities.  He did do a good job of explaining how the types of blood works for the vampires and the commerce system which I thought was really well thought out.  I can't wait for the rest of the series!  I hope to see this book pick up more popularity as the year goes on within the fantasy community.

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Review: The Soccer of Success: How the Beautiful Game Can Help You Achieve Goals in Business & Life by Ciarán McArdle

The Soccer of Success: How the Beautiful Game Can Help You Achieve Goals in Business & Life by Ciarán McArdle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC and an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.  I found it helpful to have both formats available as there are some lists in the e-book and as I was listening along with the audiobook I always find it helpful to refer to the print version when lists are being read aloud.  The author did a good job with the narration and explaining his points, giving examples, and giving us his perspective.

This was a great common sense approach to achieving goals and setting yourself up for success.  The author uses soccer as an example for how elite professional soccer/football players around the world achieve their goals when it comes to training and living their dreams both on and off the field/pitch.  Having played soccer through high school and for fun through my adult life, the comparisons made a lot of sense to me.  His advice is common sense and straightforward, but sometimes you need to hear it to put it into action.  I've been struggling to get back into an exercise routine since COVID, but his method of prioritizing your top three at work and at home and eating the frog really resonated with me.  I found myself listening to this while I was getting some exercise, and thinking to myself "This isn't that hard, I can do this!  I really need to eat that frog."  Eating the frog refers to a concept of performing and prioritizing undesirable tasks, like exercise, first so you get them out of the way instead of putting them off until last so you never get them done.

My own kids want to be high achievers when it comes to sports and have high aspirations in their future careers.  I think this book would be great for a new high school or college grad.  The author speaks to breaking your day up into chunks to increase efficiency and prioritizing tasks, and most importantly turning off your phone to prevent internet distractions.  The book is not very long but McArdle gets to the point and lays out his keys to success in an understandable way.  If you are fan of soccer I think this will really hit home if you are struggling to prioritize or looking for some perspective on goal setting.  

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COVER REVEAL: The Merger by Adriana Locke

THE MERGER by Adriana Locke

The Merger is the next interconnected standalone in the Brewer Family series, and is filled with heat and humor, spice... and secrets.

Releasing: February 10, 2025

Model Cover Design: Kari March Designs

Model Photographer: Julia Mindar

Special Edition Cover Design: Books & Moods

Crushes are harmless—unless they involve your best friend’s grumpy, off-limits
brother.

Gannon Brewer is the epitome of my type. He’s at least ten years older than me, emotionally unavailable, and highly disagreeable—a walking red flag in a tailored suit. But do I listen to that? No. In fact, when his office plants start dying, I convince myself that I can ignore the pheromones and save the philodendron.

Now I’m in his office every week, dodging sinful smirks and heated stares, reminding myself to reach for the watering can—not him. But one late-night “ivy incident” changes everything. Suddenly, we’re sneaking around, indulging in a steamy, forbidden fling that’s supposed to be nothing more than (a lot of) fun.

After all, he swears he’ll never fall in love. I assure him that I only want one thing, and it’s not his heart. But the closer we get, the more lines we blur, and the harder it becomes to keep 
our promises …

Especially when the secret I’m keeping threatens to shatter everything.

Amazon Preorder: https://geni.us/TheMergerPO

Goodreads: https://geni.us/TheMergerLocke

Review: An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided and ARC of this book via Netgalley and the Berkley Besties program, all opinions re my own.

If you like dark academia with a hint of horror and gothic fantasy, this is a wild ride. The concept was really unique, but this book is either one you are really going to love or it is going to leave you wondering "what just happened?". It certainly left me thinking "Did I even like this?" There were aspects that I enjoyed, while others I thought fell flat in execution.

This follows Lennon in the wake of discovering her fiancé's infidelity. Her self worth is wrapped up in her relationship which is a theme that continues throughout the book, but a mysterious phone call invites her to an interview at the strange and exclusive Drayton University. Upon her arrival at Drayton she is put through a very odd admittance process which includes a written exam as well an in person interview. Lennon finds that she has the gift of persuasion, where she can assert her will on others and at Drayton she will learn to hone that gift and in her case her abilities surpass those of her classmates. She struggles with the morality of persuasion and the mission of Drayton. Her abilities put her in a different category of student and she is pushed harder to develop these abilities than the others for reasons that are revealed much later in the book. Lennon has some issues with her self-worth, so when she is given an opportunity to be loved and praised by her professors, she jumps at the chance and poor decisions are made for the sake of progress. I found Lennon to be immature and unlikable, but I think that was done purposely by the author. The author had the opportunity to explore mental illness, jealousy, toxic relationships, and boundaries but none of those were really fleshed out in the book as Lennon figures out where she fits at Drayton and in the world.

This book is very atmospheric, but left me with a feeling of dissatisfaction. There really isn't a ton of world building as this takes place in Savannah, Georgia; however I thought that the campus of Drayton and the "magic system" could have been described much better. The characters just accept everything a bit to easily when they arrive and the training they participate in. I really liked the idea of the magic and the concepts presented at Drayton, but I would have liked more explanation of how it all worked and more development of the characters. There are a ton of side characters that we never really get to know. There is mention toward the end that "they are Lennon's friends" but they never really develop relationships with her and she is kind of a terrible friend.

In the end, there were concepts I enjoyed but I wanted more explanation of what was going on. I was often confused about what was happening. I feel like the author was trying not to give too much away until the twists and reveals, however by the time we get to the end I wasn't satisfied with the conclusion. I do think there are readers who are absolutely going to love this, but I didn't connect with it the way I had hoped.

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Review: Spied: A Romantic Comedy by J.M. Miller

Spied: A Romantic Comedy by J.M. Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an Audible code for this book via the author, all opinions are my own.  I had previously purchased a kindle version of this book, but had not read it yet.  I've been a fan of the author's contemporary and fantasy novels for quite some time and this was a great romcom to read over the snowy, freezing cold weekend we are having here this weekend.  

I thought the two narrators were excellent.  They really brought  Gia and Mark to life.  This book really lent itself well to the dual narrated format alternating between Gia and Mark.

This was a hilarious romcom following an amateur private investigator Gia, who also helps out at her family's bridal shop.  Gia was inspired to start a secret business to uncover unfaithful partners, after she herself was cheated on by someone she thought was "the one".  She is pretty jaded about love and relationships, but she loves her family and aspired to be a real PI one day.  While on a job she runs in to Mark, a maintenance man at a local resort.  She escapes unscathed, but she and Mark will meet again sooner than she expects.  Unbeknownst to her Mark's sister has ordered a custom wedding gown that her sister is making, and they keep running into each other after that.

Gia keeps showing up in unexpected places that Mark just happens to be at with convenient excuses.  Turns out she is spying on Gia's fiancé, Guy, and Mark is at all of the prewedding festivities.  As he gets pulled in deeper and deeper to Gia's antics, Gia feels worse and worse about lying to him about why she is always around.  Gia is constantly finding herself in awkward situations in order to take pictures of her target, and Mark is always interrupting aka distracting her while she is on the job.  These situations make for very comedic and sweet interactions between them as Gia tries to come up with a feasible explanation for why she is there in the first place and she tries to ignore her growing attraction to Mark.  She is terrified to be hurt in another relationship, but Mark may just be the right guy to let in.  His willingness to be patient with her and help her was endearing and their banter was excellent.  This gets pretty steamy in parts so be prepared for that.

I enjoyed the cozy mystery aspect as Gia tries to determine if there is a scandal going on with the upcoming wedding or if everything is on the up and up.  Her antics are pretty laugh out loud.

If you are looking for a cozy read this winter or a fun beach read this summer, I highly recommend picking this up in whatever format you prefer, it is available on Kindle Unlimited at the time of this post as well as paperback, audiobook, and ebook.

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Review: Babylonia by Costanza Casati

Babylonia by Costanza Casati
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I was a huge fan of Casati's [book:Clytemnestra|61361681], and this has that same slower paced build up and similar world building style that I enjoyed so much.  The author took great care to ensure that the historical aspects of the real people and events in the book were portrayed to the best of her ability and that her characters felt real.  Her writing is descriptive and doesn't hold back when we get to the battle scenes.  In her author's note she explains her research and where she took liberties with this retelling.

Much like in Clytemnestra, we get another strong willed female lead in Semiramis who makes her own way in the male dominated world she lives in and captivates the men around her to establish her own future and power.  We get to see Semiramis rise from a mistreated orphan to the ruler of an empire.  She had goals and ambitions, and she wasn't afraid to go after them.  

This book is full of political posturing, the court reminded me of King's Landing from Game of Thrones where everyone has their own goals and will stab their neighbor in the back to get what they want.  There is war, love, death, betrayal, guilt, and so much more going on but the author does a great job stringing everything together.

I really enjoyed this but I wasn't as drawn into this book as I was Clytemnestra.  I enjoyed the narration and felt the narrator did a great job telling the story.  If you enjoy mythology and retellings this is well written and well researched.  

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Review: A Language of Dragons: An Epic Tale of Forbidden Romance, Dragon Languages, and Civil War in an Alternate 1920's London

A Language of Dragons: An Epic Tale of Forbidden Romance, Dragon Languages, and Civil War in an Alternate 1920's London by S.F. Williamson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I was drawn to this book after having read several books set at the secretive Bletchley Park over the last several years.  This is set in an alternative London/England, and while it takes some elements from the original Bletchley and codebreaking mission of the park, the war they are fighting is very different.  This is not a WWI/WWII historical fiction as one might expect based on the setting, it is a completely different alternative history and fantasy story.  There is quite a good bit of discussion about politics, corruption, class systems, oppression, and of course there are dragons.  

This follows Vivien, a polyglot, fluent in several human languages and several dragon languages.  Dragons live along side humans, and a Peace Agreement between the British Prime Minister and the Dragon Queen keep their violent natures at bay, atleast outwardly.  Vivien hopes to become a famous dragon translator, and will do anything to ensure her future is secure.  All of her plans come to a halt when her parents and uncle are arrested for treason and being members of the rebellion.  In an attempt to destroy evidence Vivien concocts her own plans to save hwe family, which only sets off events that she never anticipated.  She finds herself assigned to Bletchley Park to learn a new dragon language to pay for her crimes against her country and save her family.  She and a group of "criminals" have been assigned to the Park to work on various dragon projects to help the Prime Minister save the country from a devastating war with the dragons, or so they think.  The longer they are at Bletchley, the more Vivien and her cohort discover that corruption is all around them, and the language she is learning isn't a mere code to break, but something so much more.

I really enjoyed this!  Vivien struggles alot with her self-worth and guilt.  She was brought up in a class system where performance is everything and the threat of losing your status is worse than death.  She is naive when it comes to trusting people, always expecting they will do what they say and hold up agreements.  Betrayal is a huge part of her character arc and the reason she has so much guilt.   We see Vivien struggle with doing what she knows is right versus doing what she thinks will either get her ahead or later on protect her loved ones.  She then has to come to terms with corruption and what is best for the greater good while still trying to figure out what will save her family.  I really enjoyed all of the side characters as well that helped Vivien on her journey to crack the dragon code, and figure out what kind of person she truly wants to be.  There is a light bit  of romance. 

I'm not sure if this is the first book in a new series, but it does read as if there will be more to come.  I do feel like this installment had a fulfilling ending, but there is still more story to be told.  If there is another book, I can't wait to find out what happens next!  This was so unique and I'm completely invested in the characters and the plot.  I would really like to see more of Chumana the dragon, I really enjoyed her!  I also hope to get to know the side characters better if there is another book.

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