Review: Twilight Tides by Samantha Young

Twilight Tides by Samantha Young
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided and ARC of this book via the author, all opinions are my own.

This does read as a standalone but I do highly recommend reading the series in order as it will give some context and background to the other characters in the book and several events that happened in those books that are mentioned in this novel.  The author always does a great job giving a nice recap of what happened so you don't feel lost or like you missed something, but the series is great and I feel like you will have a much richer reading experience if you start at the beginning.

This installment follows London and Murray, who we've met in the previous 2 books.  London is a chef and Tierney's best friend from New York, and Murray is a successful local fisherman.  London left the US to escape an abusive relationship.  She's now working as the chef at Tierney's bed and breakfast.  Naturally she is working through her trauma and figuring things out as she moves on, but when her ex won't leave her alone and her visa renewal is being threatened it makes things much harder for her.  Murray's life situation while different isn't much better.  His ex-wife is making his life hell and she is putting him through a terrible custody battle making things difficult for their daughter.  Murray suspects that his beloved 14 year old may be neglected and possibly in danger by his ex's lifestyle but he needs proof and the legal system is slow.  A marriage of convenience may not be "legal" but it would help out both London and Murray, it also helps that they have both been attracted to one another from the day they met.  Neither one of them is looking for a relationship, especially since their previous ones ended so badly, but they can't deny that there is something between them.

As they spend more time together, Murray and London learn that they have lots of things in common but they have a hard time talking to one another initially.  Through their love of music they find common ground and a way to break the ice.  They both have precarious situations to deal with that become much easier to bear when they lean on one another.  This only makes things heat up more between them.  Determined to protect each other and the ones they love, London has to deal with her ex harassing her and Murray has to deal with a crime family trying to infiltrate his business.  Things heat up not only in the bedroom but on the shores of their island community.

I really loved getting to know London, Murray, and the rest of the group.  They have both been through alot, and we get to see them both be vulnerable for the sake of Murray's daughter Kelly and for each other as they learn to trust one another.  I appreciated that while they were attracted to each other there was a bit of a get to know you period before they acted on anything.  There is a good bit of discussion about domestic abuse and verbal abuse, so take care of yourself if that is a trigger.  I also appreciated that there was good communication between several different characters in the book.  Overall, I really enjoyed London and Murray's story and I can't wait for the next one!

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Review: The AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, Smarter Decisions

The AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, Smarter Decisions by Geoff Woods
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

This is geared more toward C-suite and executive leadership and how to get your company to adopt AI, but I still found some interesting takeaways.

We are starting to adopt AI at work, but not everyone has a full license to use the tools yet.  The author addresses how to get your teams excited about adopting AI.  We are all excited to use the tools, however we are limited in capability by the license issue and by the data it has access to because of the type of work we do.  The author addresses these types of issues which made me think a bit differently about how I can use the tool in my day to day.  He also addresses better ways to use AI and how to learn how to use it to start getting the returns you want.  It works better if you start asking it the right types of questions using it as a thought partner but you have to know how to harness it.

Overall, this gave me some ideas on how to think about using AI tools in the future.  While I'm not in an executive position, I can still use the framework Woods lays out to use in some of the work I do.

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Review: Wisdom Corner: A Novel by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

Wisdom Corner: A Novel by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I didn't realize this was a follow up to Winter Counts, but I'm so glad I picked this up. I wouldn't necessarily call it a sequel, because it reads as a complete standalone.  But both books follow the same main character as he attempts to solve a crime on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

In Winter Counts Virgil Wounded Horse was more of an enforcer who took the law into his own hands when the Native Police and the FBI ignore the crime on the reservation or take too long to investigate.  Vigilantes like Virgil mete out justice as needed when someone steps out of line or wrongs his tribe.  In Wisdom Corner, Virgil has given up the enforcer life, but it hasn't quite let him go.  He is trying to do honest work, be a good role model, and help the tribe where he can.  When his mentor is found murdered he is determined to find out what happened and his former lifestyle and skill will come in handy.  His girlfriend, who doesn't love the enforcer lifestyle is always supportive of him, but she is running for the tribal council and is stressed as the election nears.  Virgil may not be better at enforcing than he is at detective work but he slowly gathers all of the pieces and puts everything together.

This was a great read.  It hits on the social commentary aspect of Native American culture and treatment historically and in today's society.  It also speaks to the Native boarding schools that tore families apart in the United States and Canada giving a historical and educational element to the book as well as educating the reader on the rampant drug and alcohol problems within Native society today.  The author does a wonderful job of weaving all of the elements of the story together in a seamless way while taking you on a thriller journey to find out  who is at the center of the crime.  I was immersed in the story, location, and connected to the characters.  While I enjoyed the fictional plot I also learned real things from this book as well, it is rare that an author can keep you entertained while teaching you something at the same time.  

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Review: Letters from the Last Apothecary by Bita Behzadi

Letters from the Last Apothecary by Bita Behzadi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This was delightfully cozy.  The letters back and forth between Ms. Davis and Mr. Clarke definitely reminded me of Divine Rivals.  Our main characters begin writing letters to each other under pen names when Josephine Pinova can't find a book at the magical library as she studies for entrance into the Institute of Magic.  Aufidius Reid happens to have the book Josie is looking for as he too is studying for entrance into the Institute, and they begin exchanging letters about their studies and experiments with magic.  They fall for each other through their letters, but when they meet it is not the meet cute you would expect.  Reid works at one of the last magical apothecaries where Josie happens to be shopping.  Her knowledge is exceptional as is her customer service, and he finds her infuriating.  Little does he know she is the sweet, kind, helpful Ms. Davis whom he has been writing to for months.  Josie and Reid must work together to save the shop from closing both financially and from the external dangers that threaten the shop.  If only they could work together like Ms. Davis and Mr. Clarke do on paper.

I can't wait for more books in this series!  I loved Josie and Reid.  You go in knowing who their pen names are and that they don't know each other's real identities.  You also know that it is only a matter of time before they figure it out.  I didn't expect the murder mystery aspect of the book to play such a prominent part, but it worked well as a plotline as Josie and Reid were figuring out their relationship.  I look forward to seeing what happens next in this world whether it be with Josie and Reid or different characters.  I love a good cozy fantasy, and this had a nice blend of other genres to keep the reader interested and the pacing was good as well!

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Review: The Gilded City of Dreams: A Novel by Luanne G. Smith

The Gilded City of Dreams: A Novel by Luanne G. Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This is the second book in the Golden Age of Magic series, and while I do think you could get away with reading this as a standalone, I do think readers would benefit from reading book 1 first.  The first book sets up things in this book and the Fée Gardienne aka Fairy Godmothers that main characters Celeste and Anaïs are members is explained.  I think parts of this would be confusing if you haven't read the first book.

Celesete and Anaïs have found themselves in NYC on their way to Paris to return the elder staff to the new head of their order.  The staff is stolen shortly after their arrival in the busy city and the pair is split up when their ideas on how to get it back differ.  Celeste finds herself in the center of yet another magical mystery using her magical abilities and new acquaintances to help not only find the staff but Anaïs  as well.  Anaïs on the other hand has her own ideas as to how to get the staff back from the darker side of the city's magic users.  

I really enjoyed this audiobook.  I loved the first book, and while Celeste does maintain a level of innocence and naivety in this she shows a level of confidence and capability that was missing in the previous installment.  Now that she has proven herself she has really come into her magic and abilities.  She is much more sure of herself.  Anaïs being the much older mentor, is very confident almost to a fault, and always has a plan for every situation.  I enjoyed watching these two women work together and separately to find the staff and figure out what was going on.  I also liked that while there was a romance element to the book, it wasn't the main focus.  

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Review: The Children by Melissa Albert

The Children by Melissa Albert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book.  This follows Guinevere aka Guin for short in the present as an adult as she releases her memior about growing up with a famous author for a mother and being the muse for one of the main characters in her mother's beloved books.  Guin paints a picture that everything was great and living off of her mother's estate she is the picture perfect face of her mother's beloved legacy.  She hasn't spoken to her brother Ennis since they were orphaned as children, and as he announces a secretive art show, her facade begins to crumble.  Guin's carfully crafted persona begins to crumble as people begin to ask questions about their childhood that are off limits and she desperately seeks out her brother ahead of his show.  

As Guin spirals in the present we are alternately taken back to the past where we find Guin and Ennis running barefoot through the forest playing make believe and fending for themselves most of the time.  Their mother is holed up in her writing room or throwing lavish parties, while their father is trying to make a comeback in acting or the arts.  Those who spend too long in their farmhouse experience strange dreams and recognize that there is something strange about the house.  As adult Guin faces these strange events in her childhood she realizes that they were the key to her mother's success as and author, and perhaps the key to her brother's eerie success as an artist.  

Overall I liked the concept of this book, but there were parts that dragged on for me where nothing happened.  The narration was very good, but every time I put this down, I found myself not wanting to pick it up again, but then something would happen to pull me back in.  The reveal at the end, while creative and interesting, I do feel could have been don't earlier and flushed out a bit more.  The author always does a great job building a great atmosphere in her books and did a great job building up to the reveal, letting the reader know that while the children were being neglected by their parents, something just wasn't right.   I wanted more time with the house and the gothic aspects of the past versus present Guin trying to find Ennis to figure out what he was going to reveal in his art.  Overall this was good, but didn't check all the boxes for me.

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Review: The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden

The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I loved this historical fantasy centered around the Duchess Anne of Britany.  Anne is such an interesting character both in the book and in history.  The author went to great lengths to make clear Anne's love of her country and people.  The afterword gives some historical context about the real Anne, and the historical influences used in the book.  This is not the first book I've read about the Duchess, and they all paint Anne as a strong willed, intelligent, and courageous woman and as Arden mentions there is always an air of romance about any tale I've read where she is involved.

I loved the lore that the author wove in to the historical aspects of the story surrounding Anne and her impending and unwanted marriage to the King of France.  Anne and her most trusted inner circle plot to out maneuver the French at every turn to delay the marriage as long as possible and find a better solution and keep the Duchy out of France's hands.  She tempts the king's lackey with a unicorn hunt in the Lost Lands, only to find that the mythical creatures are in fact real and might just be the aid she is looking for to evade the French.  Blessed by the unicorn, Anne and her entourage are determined to utilize the Lost Lands to their advantage only to find themselves not only in a political game but one of sorcery as well.  Anne finds herself questioning who she can trust at every turn as well as questioning if magic is real and if she can save her lands from going to war.

This story was so well written and the characters were so well crafted.  The myth and lore was woven throughout while taking place in lands inspired by actual people, places, and events that once occurred.  I  love historical fantasy when it is based a bit in reality and a bit in fantasy.  I loved Anne from the very beginning and while it took me a while to warm up to Orleans, he eventually won me over.  Their romance was slow to develop, but worth it in the end, and I really appreciated the ending.  There was also a great supporting cast, Elsebed and her cat Butter were my favorites!

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