Review: Make Me: A Second Chance, Marriage of Convenience Romance by Adriana Locke

Make Me: A Second Chance, Marriage of Convenience Romance by Adriana Locke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This follows former flames Mira and Hartley.  They were mentioned or side characters in the prior books, but this reads as a complete standalone.  If you want to get to know the other couples and characters mentioned I highly recommend reading the previous 3 books as they are all equally great!  I love the series and the setting of Sugar Creek.

Mira has moved away and runs her own social media business.  Hartley runs his family farm and hasn't really left their hometown of Sugar Creek.  Losing her parents at a young age has caused a sense of wanderlust in Mira that she hasn't been able to shake.  She never truly dealt with her grief and doesn't really want to or know how.  Her wonderful grandmother, who has always been able to see what Mira needs, decides to meddle a bit and decide to leave Mira an inheritance she can't refuse, but there is a catch.  She and Hartley have to marry and stay married for 1 year.  Grandma is hoping that Mira finally deals with her grief and feelings for Hartley.  Harley has never stopped having feelings for Mira, and the whole town has been trying to get him settled down since Mira left.

I love it when Addy writes a grandparent character into her books, and this one was hit.  Mira's grandma was loving while being funny at the same time.  Because Hartley and Mira grew up together and had a romantic relationship previously, I didn't mind that things picked up quickly when they reunited during their marriage of convenience. It never felt like insta-love or insta-lust, it felt like they naturally fell back into something that was always there after desperately trying and failing to stay apart.  You always knew that they would fall back in love and I appreciated that there wasn't a third act breakup and no miscommunication trope.  This had the authors trademark banter, humor, lovable main and side characters, with a sprinkle of seriousness mixed in.

I loved the narrators.  They were both new narrators for me, but they were wonderful as Mira and Hartley.

View all my reviews

Review: Mary Sue by Meghan Fitzmartin

Mary Sue by Meghan Fitzmartin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

This is a compilation of volumes 1-5.  The art is stunning.  The storyline follows introverted teenager Cassie who loves to write fanfiction about her favorite show.  She has has dedicated online fans who love her work and give her feedback as well as friendship that she lacks in real life.  Her mom is worried about her and her school mates think she is strange.  Things do get a bit strange when the main character of her fanfic, a vampire named Jessica shows up in real life and things take off from there.

I'm not a big fanfiction reader, but you don't have to be to enjoy this.  The creators do a great job with the storyline and art to explain what you need to know about fandoms, tropes and anything else to understand what is going on.  I appreciated that they took familiar tropes and character arcs and explained the history of the Mary Sue character and created a whole fantasy world around it.  There is more to this graphic novel than just fanfiction, there is friendship and self-reflection as well.  This does end on quite the cliffhanger and I'm looking forward to seeing where things go with Cassie and Bennett in the future.

View all my reviews

Review: A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett

A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This is the third book in the series, and while you could probably read this as a standalone, I do recommend reading the series in order as there is information in the first two books that will be helpful in understanding Din and Ana and their abilities and the world they operate in.  Their investigations however are unrelated.  

This particular investigation sees our quirky investigators on a murder investigation that seems cut and dry.  At first glance it doesn't seem to warrant the skills that our pair possess, but given the location of the crime and the families involved they are sent to deescalate and provide an unbiased eye.  The very simple case becomes very convoluted and complex as Din begins asking questions.  Ana's ability to uncover the unseen and strange in a crime uncovers a strange plot involving fungus that no one could have imagined.

I love Din and Ana, and this series just keeps getting better and stranger.  The author masterfully crafts this strange world with wonderful characters.  It is weird and dark at times with just a touch of humor.  I love getting to know Din and Ana a bit more in each book and watching them work together.  We get to know him a bit better in this book as we meet his sister and learn a bit more about his family.  Ana is such a strange character, but she makes me laugh and she is always able to put everything together so neatly in the end.  

I absolutely love this series and can't wait for another installment!

View all my reviews

Review: Jem and the Holograms Book One

Jem and the Holograms Book One by Kelly Thompson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

When I saw this as a review option on the monthly offerings from Boom! I knew I had to read it! As a child of the 80s, I loved Jem and was a loyal watcher of the animated series. This graphic novel takes the beloved characters and storyline and brings it into the present day while giving nods to some favorite pop-culture nods to the 80s. Fans of the 80s and those like myself who grew up in the 80s will appreciate the references to other 80s series and movies.

This begins as an origin story for Jem and the Holograms and sets up the rivalry with the Misfits another already established band. The storyline keeps alot of the elements of the original show, while adding some unique twists and bringing the band into the present day. We have social media and the internet that wasn't even a thought back in the 80s. There are lyrics present on the pages to represent the music we used to get in the show. The graphic novel delves into the relationships between the characters in each of the bands, the music, and the developing rivalry between the

I absolutely loved this. Jem was a staple in my after school routine in the 80s. The art style captures the bright colors from that time and captures the darker punk style to represent the Misfits and the lighter pop rock style to represent the Holograms. This graphic novel made me so happy! I loved the storyline and I can't wait to see what happens in the next volume.

View all my reviews

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.

View all my reviews

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.

View all my reviews

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.  

View all my reviews