Review: The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this via netgalley, however I opted to listen to the finished version of the audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, but this kind of fell flat for me. I think what didn't work was the length and repetitiveness of the book. The concept and mystery part was fine, it just took far too long to get to it. The information about the "devil" aka Old Tom was repeated several times throughout without revealing anything new, we are also reminding multiple times how cruel and violent the Governor General is to his wife. The pacing was very slow, and for a book over 400 pages (the audio is just over 17 hours) you need a fast paced, action packed story to keep you turning the pages. I didn't find that to be the case here. I think there were too many characters to keep track of, I think this was to keep you guessing as to who the culprit was, but I ultimately lost track of who was who other than Arent and Sara. I also quickly lost track of what was happening with the plot. Evelyn Hardcastle was a fairly long book but it kept me turning the pages to find out what was going on.

I will say that the reveal at the end was good. The concept of Old Tom and the Eighth Landten kept me interested and I kept reading to find out what was really going on. I will say Turton gives you just enough spooky events to keep you wondering if something paranormal is going on during this sea voyage and just enough information to make you speculate about what is really going on.

Overall, I think this had a very interesting concept, but for me it was far to long and slow paced for my taste. There seem to be fairly polarized reviews of this book, so take this review with a grain of salt. Many people loved this book, but I found it lacking the suspenseful feel I need to stay interested in a mystery.

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Release Blitz: The Revenge Pact by Ilsa Madden-Mills

 

The Revenge Pact kicks off an all-new series, The Kings of Football, with an emotional and super-charged new adult standalone romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is available now!

River Tate is a god on campus.
The king of football.
A tattooed bad boy with gunmetal eyes that see right through you.
The only chink in his armor is her, the girl he pretends doesn’t exist, the forbidden one with the shy smile and lavender hair.

Anastasia Bailey is a nobody.
The queen of nothing.
An outsider with the face of an angel and a body made for sin.
The only chink in her armor is him, her boyfriend’s frat brother, the football player who hates her.

But when Anastasia’s life crashes down, River’s the one who sweeps in and picks up the pieces. Torn between loyalty, lies, and secrets, he battles the temptation to take everything from her when they make their revenge pact.

He can’t tell her no.
Because revenge (or love) is sweet, and once you get a taste, the craving never ends.

Download your copy today!
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Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/RevengePact

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About Ilsa Madden-Mills
Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.

Eight of her eleven novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Fake Fiancée and I Dare You #2; I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.

A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She's addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online.

Connect with Ilsa
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CHECK OUT THE OTHER STANDALONES IN THE SERIES!

Best-selling authors Ilsa Madden-Mills, Meghan Quinn and Adriana Locke,deliver three stand-alone romances about college football players finding true love while on the verge of losing everything.

THE ROMANTIC PACT by Meghan Quinn
Release Date: December 10th

Synopsis:
I haven't seen her in three years.

I haven't talked to her since the kiss.

So why am I on a plane, flying across the world to spend a week with her in Germany?

One word: Pops.

My life’s a mess.
My possible football career is hanging on by a thread.
I'm driving the roads of Germany in honor of Pops with the one girl I can never have.
And I’m sharing a bed with her, the girl I've measured everyone else up to, while desperately trying to not to touch her.

We made a pact growing up, never to get romantic with each other - never fall in love.

And I'm about to break that pact. For good.

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THE RELATIONSHIP PACT by Adriana Locke
Release Date: December 17th

Synopsis
How hard can it be?

That was the question rolling around Larissa Mason’s mind just before she asked Hollis Hudson to be her fake boyfriend.

It was only supposed to be for five minutes, after all.

Granted, that was also before she felt his hand on the small of her back as he charmed the heck out of her family.

She hadn’t heard his laugh yet either.

And it was definitely before she saw the football god shirtless. Otherwise, she would’ve had an idea of just how hard some things could be.

It turns out that pretending to be in love with a crazily handsome, somewhat enigmatic, and absolutely unforgettable tight end (that has an amazing tight end) is easy.

Reminding herself that just because opposites attract doesn’t mean they’re forever is much harder.

What they have isn’t love—it’s a relationship pact. Right?

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Review: The Revenge Pact by Ilsa Madden-Mills

The Revenge Pact by Ilsa Madden-Mills
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via the author in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fantastic!  I loved River an Ana.  He is the football superstar, frat president, comes from a wealthy family, and exudes the overall bad boy persona.  She wears quirky clothes, has lavender hair, has had an unconventional childhood, and works hard to be successful.  Ana also has a heart of gold and wants nothing but to become a lawyer so she can help those less fortunate than herself.  She and River have a contentious relationship, but she's dating his frat brother so he deals with her by avoiding her as much as possible.

River's life is spiraling out of control as the semester comes to a close.  His football career is on the line after a bad season, his grades aren't great, and he is distracted by some personal issues at home.  In a moment of weakness he asks Ana for help in a class they share so he doesn't fail the class.  In the meantime, Ana finds that her own future is not shaping up as she hoped.  As she and River finally discuss the issues between them, they grow closer together and when they finally decide to put themselves ahead of everyone else...let's just say its explosive.   The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife, but this is a slow burn that is worth waiting every second for. 

The character development in this was great.  We had so many good character arcs that were working around our two main characters.  River has great friends and roommates as does Ana.  I really loved how each of them had so much compassion for others.  I'm really looking forward to the remaining two books in the series.  This is the perfect read for this stressful time of year and I highly recommend it!

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Review: Her Top Dog by Katana Collins

Her Top Dog by Katana Collins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a really a really cute, steamy novella.  

Love at first...soup...I mean sight is the name of the game between funny man Sam "Smurf" Murphy and executive producer and lawyer Nina Miller.  Nina was brought in to Silhouette Studios to help management stay out of lawsuits and cut shows that aren't doing well.  The Murphy's prank show does well in ratings, but could be cause for a lawsuit if they don't clean up their jokes which Nina has experience with firsthand.  When Sam comes to apologize for involving her in their show the tables are turned as neither of them can deny the attraction between them.  Both of them fall hard and fast for each other and the rest is history.

If you like apha dog romance stories, this is a fun one!  I'm really enjoying these novellas and can't wait to see what is in store for the other brothers.

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Blog Tour: The Not Outcast by Tijan

 

The Not-Outcast and all-new emotional slow burn romance from New York Times bestselling author Tijan is available now!

Cutler Ryder was everything I wasn't.
He was the hockey star. I was an outcast.
He was best friends with my stepbrother, that same stepbrother who hated me.
His two parents loved him. My mom was a junkie. My dad barely knew me.

Years passed.
I got my life together.
Cut went onto NHL stardom.

Then there was a text.
I was drinking.
There was a party.
Cut was there...

I loved Cutler Ryder since the first moment I saw him.
The only problem? He never knew I existed.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon:https://amzn.to/2KJ1q2S
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/TheNotOutcast
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3lmAgeM

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Excerpt

“Stars. You made me meet them.” 

I was still seeing them. His eyes. So smoldering. 

He continued to stare at me, as if seeing me for the first time. 

I tensed. 

Maybe he was regretting this? Was my one-night stand a one-night finger bang instead? 

I tried to stem the disappointment, but… Okay. 

A girl had coping mechanisms. I could pull mine up, if I needed to. I was hoping I didn’t need to. I didn’t know how I’d handle that either. Then he must’ve made his decision. 

He readjusted his hold on me, standing back from the door and his mouth twitched. “One rule.” 

“Yeah?” 

I was about to see stars again. 

“Don’t call me dude again.”

About Tijan
Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores.

Connect with Tijan
Amazon: https://amzn.to/30oxe0f
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2vreAub
Facebook Reader Page: https://bit.ly/32hsdsq
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Review: The Bookworm's Guide to Faking It by Emma Hart

The Bookworm's Guide to Faking It by Emma Hart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author in exchange for an honest review.

This was really fun! This follows Holley, one of the owners of Bookworm's Books in the small town of White Peak, Montana. She was once best friends with superstar pro baseball pitcher Sebastian Stone. Sebastian broke her heart on prom night and they haven't spoken in 8 years. Sebastian has suffered a major injury so he is back home to rehab and spend time with his family. He also wants to reconnect with Holley and explain what really happened that night. Holley can hold a grudge and doesn't want to let him back into her life, but when their crazy grandparents and Seb's stressed out mom get involved suddenly the whole town thinks they are dating. Unwilling to fake their relationship Holley is always willing to give Seb a hard time, but she's never gotten over him. Fortunately for her, Sebastian isn't really faking anything.

I really like this series. The bookshop girls are hilarious and I love the scenes at the nursing home with the ducks and the wacky grandparents. The banter between Holley and Sebastian is awesome. She constantly snarks at him, and he never stops pushing back and calling her on her crap. I love the dynamic between her and her friends.

If you are looking for a fun, quick, enemies to friends to lovers romance with a happy ending pick this up. This is the second book in a series, but it can be read a stand alone. I do recommend reading The Bookworm's Guide to Dating and The One Night Stand Next Door & The Girl Next Door as they will introduce the characters and explain a few things, but it isn't 100% necessary.

One-Click Today!

Series Amazon: https://amzn.to/3gDoUlk 

TBR: http://emmahart.pub/TBGTFI-GR

Amazon US → https://amzn.to/3eFnxlb 

Amazon UK → https://amzn.to/3dqG1UT 

Apple Books → https://emmahart.pub/TBGTFIapple 

Nook → https://emmahart.pub/TBGTFInook 

View all my reviews

Release Blitz: The Not Outcast by Tijan

 

The Not-Outcast and all-new angst filled sports romance from New York Times bestselling author Tijan is available now!

Cutler Ryder was everything I wasn't.
He was the hockey star. I was an outcast.
He was best friends with my stepbrother, that same stepbrother who hated me.
His two parents loved him. My mom was a junkie. My dad barely knew me.

Years passed.
I got my life together.
Cut went onto NHL stardom.

Then there was a text.
I was drinking.
There was a party.
Cut was there...

I loved Cutler Ryder since the first moment I saw him.
The only problem? He never knew I existed.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KJ1q2S
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/TheNotOutcast
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3lmAgeM

Add The Not-Outcast to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/37njNSW

Celebrate the cover reveal with this amazing giveaway→ https://bit.ly/3llWVrB

About Tijan

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores.

Connect with Tijan

Amazon: https://amzn.to/30oxe0f
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2vreAub
Facebook Reader Page: https://bit.ly/32hsdsq
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2Vx4DpD
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2PyLhwy
Reader Group: http://bit.ly/38bz8nQ
Audiomen Group: https://bit.ly/3bFFKgB
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2EcGBqB