Review: Bridget & Gabe Are Not Okay by Lex Croucher

Bridget & Gabe Are Not Okay by Lex Croucher
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

This was a fabulous discussion of mental health and PTSD, that being said this lacked what I loved so much about Gwen & Art Are Not in Love.  This lacked the banter between the characters and the fun personalities that were so present in the first book.  This is appropriately somber given the topics and the aftermath if the battle they fought in the first book.  I was hoping that our two couples while dealing with their struggles of grief, anxiety, stress, and more would show a bit of their former selves especially as they quest for the famed holy grail.  It was quite the deviation from the first book and that really threw me off.

I love a good quest story especially if it deals with Arthurian lore.  This while extremely well written and developed was too slow and too sad for my tastes.  The world around me is too bleak, and I don't personally like reading sad stories right now.  I can deal with a bit of realistic emotion and plot in books, but I need fun and fast paced action to balance that out.  Part of the reason I love fantasy is that provides an escape from reality and this didn't provide the experience I was looking for despite the great social commentary and excellent writing.  This is going to be a smash hit for alot of readers, but as much as this is a great book it didn't land with me the way I had hoped.

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Review: Brimstone Hollow by Archer Sullivan

Brimstone Hollow by Archer Sullivan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

This follows Annie on another investigation, this time she has been called to investigate the death of a snake preacher by his estranged daughter.  His death while not strange as he handled poisonous snakes regularly isn't out of the realm of possibility, everything that followed including the funeral was wrapped up in less than 24 hours.  His daughter wasn't notified and has alot of questions, while they hadn't spoken in years, he was still her father.  Annie, having ties to Appalachia herself, takes the case.

As Annie begins her investigation around the small town she begins to learn that not everything is as cut and dry as it may seem.  Her own memories of growing up in a similar environment begin to surface, especially as she becomes a target and it becomes clear that someone wants to stop the truth of the preacher's death from coming out.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, however I felt this one missed the atmospheric element that The Witch's Orchard had.  You don't need read that book first, the books read as complete standalones.  I did enjoy the tangled mess that the small town aspect the storyline with everyone being in everyone else's business and Annie getting everyone stirred up the more questions she asks.  This also didn't have the folklore aspect that pulled me into the other book, instead it had a dream element that wasn't really explained and a heavy focus on the religious element of the community.

As far as a thriller goes, this felt more procedural and was your standard detective story.  I prefer a little more atmosphere and want to feel a little scared in my thrillers, and this was a bit lacking in that department.  I'm looking forward to seeing where the series goes in the future.

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Review: Silver & Blood by Jessie Mihalik

Silver & Blood by Jessie Mihalik
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however I did end up listening to the audiobook borrowed from my library.  As always all opinions are my own.

Based on the synopsis and comparisons I expected to love this book, however I did not.  I'm torn between giving this 1 and 2 stars.  This is supposed to be a romantasy, but there is no chemistry between the main characters and the plot was really lacking to keep me interested in the fantasy side of the storyline.

Riela is a mage who has no control over her magic.  She finds herself in a forced proximity situation with fae king Garrick who can help her learn how to control her power, but all she can think about is sex and how sexy he is.  Garrick thinks she is some kind of spy but can't help but lust after her too.  I didn't really like either of them.  I can see readers who have no interest in fantasy but are here for the spice loving this, but I'm a fantasy lover and I need a plot to keep me interested.  The lack of explanation of the magic, character development, plot, and world building didn't work for me.  

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Review: Twig's Traveling Tomes by Gryffin Murphy

Twig's Traveling Tomes by Gryffin Murphy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

I found this book one night while scrolling Facebook or TikTok from Meg's Tea Room.  She recommends alot of  cozy books, and I believe she has an imprint under Bindery Books.  She was talking about Twig's Traveling Tomes in one of her videos and I immediately went to see where I could find it and it was available for early review.  If you are a fan of cozy fantasy with a found family and cute romance this is a great read.  

This follows Louella Twig, a book witch who may not provide her customers the book they came in asking for, but they always leave with the book they need.  Louella feels more comfortable with her books, but she longs for companionship at times.  She never finished her studies, which causes her magic to  overwhelm her and make socializing uncomfortable sometimes.  When her old mentor and a handsome rouge land in her shop needing her help she finds herself forced to socialize and tackle some uncomfortable situations.  As Louella agrees to help her mentor she finds herself surrounded by new friends and falling for the former thief Everett, and learning that she was always enough just as she was and there was nothing wrong with her magic.

This was a lovely story about self-acceptance and finding your own happy.  This is so warm and cozy and the characters were wonderful.  There is a sweet, slow burn romance between Louella and Everett with some humor mixed in as the group tries to recover the lost grimoire for the cooky wizard.  I loved every minute I spent reading this.

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Review: The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen

The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This bounces between present day and the 60's when 4 women took place in a groundbreaking experiment for the time.  In the present the only surviving woman from the experiment hires a caretaker in the wake of her husband's passing, but her home and life experience is still stuck in 1964.  She doesn't talk to her neighbors or know about cell phones or the internet.  When Riley comes to work for Betty she isn't sure what to think of this lovely woman who seems quite capable of taking care of herself but doesn't know any current events, but makes a mean martini.

As Riley gets to know Betty, she learns about her time at Marquis University where she and 3 friends were part of an experiment to measure physic abilities.  As the women showed more promise, Dr. Trimble the head of the experiment kept pushing their abilities, which not only stressed the women physically and mentally but their relationships with their husbands.  Not much is known about the experiments, but Riley is determined to find something or someone for Betty to connect with.  As she pushes forward with her research, she finds that someone may be trying to recreate some of Dr. Trible's more horrible experiments which may have caused dire consequences for 3 of Betty's best friends.

I thought this was very interesting.   I know studies on abilities like Betty's have been done, perhaps not exactly like those done in the book.  There is no denying that sometimes you get a feeling or some people have better intuition about things.  I thought the concept was intriguing and the characters were easy to connect with, I also love a good conspiracy.  This was a bit different than the other books I've read from the author as it wasn't a straight up domestic thriller and I liked that deviation.  You weren't sure who was a good guy and who was a bad guy until the end.

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Review: Immortal Game by Allison Saft

Immortal Game by Allison Saft
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

This was an interesting tale about a teenage chess prodigy, who's entire life has been consumed by playing chess to get her sister back from the Fae King.  Shea's older sister is married to the king, and Shea has been under the impression that he "took" her even though she said she wanted to go with him.  Now a chess grandmaster at 18, the King is hosting a tournament where the winner  will be granted a boon, and Shea intends to ask for her sister back.  The stakes are high for all of the players but for Shea, she has dedicated her entire life to beating King Midir and getting her sister back.

I found it hard to connect with the main character and the love interest.  I didn't feel the chemistry between them unless they were discussing chess, I didn't really feel the romantic spark between them.  I'm also not a big chess player, I've tried learning but I can't see the board more than one move ahead, so while it was a unique element to use as the basis for the high stake competition.  I'm not sure if the strategies and moves are real or pure fiction but I appreciated the effort and research the author had to have done to make it realistic.  The plot overall fell short for me.  I liked the lore aspects and the different challenges, but the fantasy elements and mystery elements weren't to my taste and everything wrapped up to easily and neatly at the end.

Overall I think there are going to be people who really love this book, and while I found it just OK, I think there are others who are going to love the slower pace and the unique world the author has built for the tournament.  

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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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