Tag: Penguin

Joint Review: Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs

Posted July 26, 2021 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments

Joint Review: Wild Sign by Patricia BriggsReviewer: Holly and Rowena
Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs
Series: Alpha & Omega #6
Also in this series: Burn Bright, Burn Bright, Alpha & Omega, Cry Wolf, Burn Bright, Dead Heat, Hunting Ground, Fair Game
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: March 16, 2021
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Third Person
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 368
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Holly's 2021 Goodreads Challenge, Rowena's 2021 Goodreads Challenge
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars

Mated werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham must discover what could make an entire community disappear — before it's too late — in this thrilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Alpha and Omega series.

In the wilds of the Northern California mountains, all the inhabitants of a small town have gone missing. It's as if the people picked up and left everything they owned behind. Fearing something supernatural might be going on, the FBI taps a source they've consulted in the past: the werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham. But Charles and Anna soon find a deserted town is the least of the mysteries they face.

Death sings in the forest, and when it calls, Charles and Anna must answer. Something has awakened in the heart of the California mountains, something old and dangerous — and it has met werewolves before.

Anna and Charles have worked with the FBI in the past, and they have a tentative truce between them, but not the kind where they’re prepared for the FBI to show up on their doorstep. They’re requesting assistance to help locate a missing mountain community. Anna and Charles agree to investigate, and they set off into the Northern California mountains.

Holly: I love Charles and Anna. They’re so great together. I really liked seeing them at home in the beginning of this novel. We learn a lot more about Leah in this book, and I am here for it. What did you think?

Rowena: I really love Charles and Anna too. It’s amazing that after all of these books, their chemistry is still just as great as when we first met them. They’re an amazing team that I love to go on adventures with.

Holly: You’re right about their chemistry. I love how solid they are now, and yet how they are still figuring some things out. They’re a real true-to-life couple.

Rowena: So many couples that I’ve read and watched on TV become so boring after they finally get together but that’s not the case with Charles and Anna. I love how strong their bond is and how strong and confident Anna is these days. Briggs does a really good job of keeping her characters interesting but still true to the characters that we’ve come to love over the course of this series.

Holly: That’s the thing about Briggs, she makes these characters interesting even after all these books (same with Mercy and Adam). I am always left wanting more.

Rowena: I haven’t been the biggest fan of Leah’s ever since we met her but I agree, I’m here for getting more of Leah’s story. getting to know her in this book and seeing the pain of her past made my heart hurt so yeah, I want more.

Holly: I haven’t always liked Leah, but I’ve come around to her the last few years. Plus, I’m always here for a redemption arc.

Rowena: Leah’s redemption arc was a solid one. Once I finally dived into this book, I was all in and Leah was a big part of the reason why. I’m glad that we got her back story and everything about her relationship with Bran makes so much sense. I don’t think I would have survived a life like Leah’s so my admiration for her shot right through the roof while reading this.

Holly: I hope we get to see more of Leah in the future, and that maybe things change with her and Bran. I don’t know that she’ll ever be my favorite, but I’m definitely here to learn more about her.

Rowena: Overall, I enjoyed the story. The mystery of the town, wondering where everyone and everything went had me turning the pages real fast. I’m mighty curious about where our Alpha & Omega crew goes from here though. That was a big bomb that Samuel threw Charles and Anna but I loved how swift their decision-making was. There was no haggling, no hesitation, just straight up, yes. Whatever you need, I’m here for you because you’re family. This is definitely a good one. I’m giving this one 4.25 out of 5 stars. You?

Holly: I, too, enjoyed the mystery. I also liked how things between Charles and Anna played out. That bombshell at the end got me super excited! I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

I’m giving this 4.25 out of 5 as well. Bring on the next book!

Holly: 4.25 out of 5
Rowena: 4.25 out of 5

Alpha & Omega

four-stars


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Review: Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

Posted June 9, 2021 by Rowena in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Wicked Fox by Kat ChoReviewer: Rowena
Wicked Fox by Kat Cho
Series: Gumiho #1
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: June 25, 2019
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: First Person
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 448
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Rowena's 2021 Goodreads Challenge
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

A fresh and addictive fantasy-romance set in modern-day Seoul.

Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret--she's a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt.

But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead--her gumiho soul--in the process.

Jihoon knows Miyoung is more than just a beautiful girl--he saw her nine tails the night she saved his life. His grandmother used to tell him stories of the gumiho, of their power and the danger they pose to humans. He's drawn to her anyway.

With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, the consequences are disastrous . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon's.

I read reviews about this book around blog land before I purchased it and though there were a bunch of reviews that said this book was just okay, I was still intrigued to read it myself. I didn’t read it immediately after I purchased it but I did read it while I was watching the k-drama, Tales of the Nine-Tailed with Lee Dong Wook.

I will say that it took me just a smidge longer to get into this story and connect with the characters than I thought but overall, I really enjoyed this one. I really loved Jihoon’s character and though I wanted to smack Miyoung a time or two, I ended up really enjoying her character as well. There were moments during this book that I thought dragged on forever but for the most part, I was entertained and invested in everything that was going on. I also really enjoyed reading a story that is set in the same

The tale of the Gumiho is interesting to me so I’ll give anything that has to do with gumiho’s a chance. I watched Tale of the Nine Tailed and enjoyed it so when I finally got this one, I couldn’t wait to read it. This was a pretty quick read for me though I will admit that the beginning was a little on the slow side. This story follows Gu Miyoung, a teenage girl who is in a new school and one of the guys at her new school has discovered her secret. Her secret of being a gumiho. The gumiho can be pretty ruthless in their everyday life but Miyoung isn’t like that. She only goes after the bad guys and she wants nothing to do with being like her careless mother. Her mother thinks that humans are for eating and being a gumiho and keeping the gumiho secrets are the only things that matter. When Miyoung loses her fox bead (her soul), things really jump off.

Jihoon, the boy that discovers Miyoung’s secret when she saves his life vows to be Miyoung’s friend, and of course that turns into more over the course of the story, and while I enjoyed Jihoon’s character, Miyoung made it hard to full-on cheer for their romance to blossom.

There were times when I wanted to strangle Miyoung but she could probably kick my ass so I let a lot slide, haha. The background story was pretty interesting and I did really love Jihoon’s character. He had a depth to him that I connected with and I adored his relationship with his grandma. It took me quite a while to warm up Miyoung’s character but I did eventually do it. It’s hard not to sympathize with everything she goes through but I don’t know, I guess I had hoped that she would warm up to Jihoon a lot sooner than she did.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and am looking forward to continuing the series. I liked Kat Cho’s writing style and agree that it was like reading one of my k-dramas. I’m looking forward to what’s next for the gang so yes, I recommend this one if you’re into the high school k-dramas with a little bit of fantasy thrown in.

Gumiho

four-stars


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Review: Heart on a Leash by Alanna Martin

Posted April 26, 2021 by Holly in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Heart on a Leash by Alanna MartinReviewer: Holly
Heart on a Leash by Alanna Martin
Series: Hearts of Alaska #1
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: April 27, 2021
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Alternating Third Person
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 368
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Holly's 2021 Goodreads Challenge, Holly's 2021 New to Me Challenge
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-stars
Series Rating: three-stars

A pack of rescue huskies inspires love and romance in a coastal Alaskan town fractured by feuding families—but can young pups really teach frozen hearts new tricks?

Taylor Lipin has made it her life's mission to leave her hometown and its ridiculous, century-old feud with the Porters behind. But when her sister needs help running the family inn, Taylor agrees to return to Helen, Alaska on a temporary, definitely not longer than two weeks, basis. Or so she thinks, until she's quite literally swept off her feet and into enemy territory by three happy huskies and their drool-worthy owner, Dr. Josh Krane.

Though Josh didn't grow up in Helen with the rest of his Porter cousins, he's heard the stories: Porters rescue huskies. The Lipins are cat people. Keep to your pack. But Taylor is too tempting to give up—plus, his dogs love her.

As Taylor and Josh grow closer, tensions in the town escalate and the need for secrecy starts taking a toll. Soon they'll need to decide whether their newfound love is just a summer fling or if they've found their forever home.

I adopted a husky puppy a few months ago, so the cover and blurb immediately caught my attention. I was a little sad the puppies didn’t play a larger part in the story (they were present, but I thought they’d have more on page time or play a larger role), but they were still cute and made this a fun read.

Taylor Lipin left home for college and never looked back. She’s happy living in California – until her sister calls to tell her their parents are getting a divorce and she needs to come back home to help out with the family Inn. Taylor has no intention of agreeing, but an unexpected layoff means she has no good reason to refuse. She’s determined to find another job ASAP, so she doesn’t have to deal with her crazy town and a wacky family feud between her family and another in town. Of course she never planned for a hot romance with Dr. Josh Krane…

Josh moved to Helen, Alaska after medical school to take part in a loan forgiveness program – if he works in Helen for 5 years a major part of his student debt will be forgiven. He didn’t expect to love it, but the town has grown on him. Sure, they have some weird quirks – like that strange family feud – but overall the town is charming. It becomes even better when Taylor moves back. Josh is immediately smitten, but their families are on opposite sides of the feud and no one is happy about them being together.

I liked both Taylor and Josh. I thought their romance was cute. They had really fun, witty banter that made for an easy read. But I had two major issues with this story.

1) Taylor is allergic to dogs and Josh has 3 very fluffy huskies. She mentioned, several times, needing to take her allergy meds to be comfortable around them. I love dogs and I completely understand why she’d want to spend time with them. But spending a few hours with them is not the same as living with them full time. I realize it’s a fictional story, but I kept thinking about how uncomfortable it would be to live your every day life like that. If she and Josh end up married, she’s going to take allergy meds every day for the rest of her life just to be comfortable in her own house? I don’t know, that seemed like a stretch.

2) The family feud was ridiculous. It wasn’t just an argument between two families that was out of control. It was a multi-generational thing that included violence. I expected something kind of light-hearted based on the cover/blurb, but it was very toxic and awful. I was very dissatisfied with the lack of resolution on that score. Breaking and entering, vandalism, smear campaigns against Taylor and Josh both from members of their families…it was horrible. Having that as the mail conflict really took away from the romance and my overall enjoyment.

I enjoyed parts of this story and thought there were some really cute elements, but the family feud thing really made it hard to get through. I don’t know if I’ll continue the series.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5

three-stars


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Review: Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews

Posted December 21, 2020 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Magic Binds by Ilona AndrewsReviewer: Rowena
Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels #9
Also in this series: Magic Shifts, Magic Shifts, Magic Binds, Magic Bites, Magic Strikes, Iron and Magic, Magic Triumphs, Magic Bites, Magic Bleeds , Magic Burns, Magic Strikes , Magic Slays , Gunmetal Magic , Magic Rises , Magic Strikes, Magic Mourns, Magic Bleeds, Magic Dreams, Magic Slays, Gunmetal Magic, Magic Gifts, Magic Rises, Magic Tests, Magic Stars, Magic Shifts, Magic Steals, Magic Breaks, Magic Breaks, Iron and Magic, Magic Triumphs , Magic Triumphs, Magic Claims
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: September 20, 2016
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: First
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 333
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-half-stars

The new, “heart-stopping”* novel in the New York Times bestselling series that “defines urban fantasy.”*

Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she’s faced could have prepared her for this…

Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar…

Kate’s father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power. A Witch Oracle has predicted that if Kate marries the man she loves, Atlanta will burn and she will lose him forever. And the only person Kate can ask for help is long dead.

The odds are impossible. The future is grim. But Kate Daniels has never been one to play by the rules…

Magic Binds is the ninth book in the Kate Daniels series and this book had a lot of the end is near vibes going for it, at least for me. Kate and Curran are planning their wedding and stuff just keeps coming up that they have to deal with and most of the shenanigans start and end with her evil ass manipulator of a father, Roland.

It took me a while to get this book read because I was super distracted by a bunch of other stuff going on in my life. This pandemic has introduced me to a bunch of new to me things and reading kind of fell to the side but I knew that I wanted to read this book and I knew that I was going to finish the Kate Daniels series this year and so I kept right on pushing through until there was no turning back. The Ilona Andrews duo are really good at their job. After nine books, you’d think that they would run out of steam but nope, they just keep right on delivering the goods.

I enjoyed this one a lot and I didn’t think I could love Kate and Curran any more than I already did but reading this book made a liar out of me. I loved them both more. I really like that though they’re both these serious badasses, at the end of the day, they’re just as normal as you and me. Kate had a job, she had a family and friends and she had a whole lot of responsibility. She didn’t take any of these things for granted and she worked her ass off to be there for everyone, get the job done, and made sure to be home every night to make dinner. It’s so easy to see yourself in Kate and in each and every single book, I connected with what she was going through, what she was feeling, and even though I didn’t always agree with her, I still really loved her character.

In this book, she’s dealing with her father taunting her, trying to drag her into one mess after another mess and she doesn’t have time for him or his shenanigans but when he kidnaps her friend, she can’t just sit idly by while Roland tortures him so she decides that she’s had enough of Roland’s shit and goes to get her friend.

This one is another winner and I am so sad that my reading adventure with Kate front and center is coming to an end. I’m really looking forward to continuing in the same world with the Aurelia Ryder and even the Iron Covenant series but I’m sad that Kate and Curran’s series is coming to an end. It’s been a really great reading adventure and this book was just one of many wonderful journeys. I love seeing everyone come together to help Kate fight the bad guys and there’s just so much goodness in this one. The humor that we all know and love, the action is there, and the characters are all shining examples of why this series is so popular. If you haven’t read this book (I’m looking at all of my So Cal blogger buddies), you should definitely fix it. It’s SOOOOO GOOOD, I promise!

Final Grade

Grade: 4.25 out of 5

Kate Daniels

four-stars


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Throwback Thursday Review: Key of Knowledge by Nora Roberts

Posted July 16, 2020 by Rowena in Features, Reviews | 2 Comments

Throwback Thursday Review: Key of Knowledge by Nora RobertsReviewer: Rowena
Key of Knowledge (Key Trilogy, #2) by Nora Roberts
Series: Key Trilogy #2
Also in this series: Key of Light (Key Trilogy, #1), Key of Valor (Key Trilogy, #3)
Publisher: Penguin, Jove
Publication Date: November 25th 2003
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy
Pages: 338
Add It: Goodreads
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

You are the Key. The lock awaits.

What happens when the very gods depend on mortals for help? That's what three very different young women find out when they are invited to Warrior's Peak.

To librarian Dana Steele, books and the knowledge they hold are the key to contentment. But now that search for knowledge must include the second key needed to release three souls held captive by an evil god. In each generation three are chosen who have the power to release them - if they dare accept a challenge that could promise them great riches but also grave danger...

And now it is Dana's turn.

She won't be alone, for she's formed fast friendships with two very different women. But she can't allow herself to be distracted by the return of the man who broke her heart so long ago, for a danger beyond anyone's imagination is determined to keep her from completing her quest.

*** Every Thursday, we’ll be posting throwback reviews of our favorite and not-so-favorite books. Enjoy! ***

This review was originally posted on May 13, 2007.

Book Two in this trilogy follows Dana Steele through her journey of finding the key of knowledge that will free the second daught of the glass. It follows her while she finds her destiny and deals with her past, her present and prepares for her future.

Dana is straight up and takes no bullshit from anyone. Most especially her exboyfriend, Jordan Hawke. The man who walked away from her and what they shared in the two years that they were together with no backward glance.

His up and leaving left her very bitter with him and men in general. She doesn’t trust him farther than she can throw him which isn’t at all. And with him back home and mixed up in this key business right along with her makes her madder than all get out. She hates that he’s back and in her life again because the last time he was in her in life and in her heart, he crushed it. She doesn’t trust herself to keep things light and friendly with him and she gets all pissed off when she finds out that in order for her to find the key that she needs to find, she needs to make things right with Jordan because Jordan is part of her quest in finding the key.

Dana needs Jordan in order to find her key and she needs to get to the bottom of why he left and see things from his perspective in order for her heart to survive another encounter with Jordan Hawke, who is the only man that she has ever loved.

This book was the bomb.

I’m serious, there wasn’t much I didn’t like about this story, I loved Dana’s hardheadedness where Jordan was concerned and I understood it. It did get on my nerves a bit but more over, I just plain understood why she was with the way she was with him but she wasn’t playing stupid over why she was acting unreasonable where he was concerned. She didn’t deny that she was still in love with him which made her the way she was around him, all surly and bullheaded.

I loved Jordan and all of his issues, his sense of humor and just everything about him. Jordan was a fantastic hero and I hella enjoyed reading about him trying to make things right with Dana. I loved reading his reasons for leaving and I loved reading how he wooed Dana back into his corner, I loved that he didn’t try to breeze right over what he did to her before but really wanted her to understand and forgive him for what happened between them before.

I loved his writing, I loved his role in all of this, I just plain loved Jordan Hawke. He was my most favorite thing about this book, maybe this series. He was my favorite hero in Key of Light and I really enjoyed him in this story but I have a feeling that Brad is going to be my favorite hero in this series…there’ s just something about Brad that I’m looking forward to reading in his book.

I loved how Dana and Jordan fought to overcome the evil bastard in this series, I loved how they fought together and their love was what got them through, corny as all get out but I was diggin’ it.

This book was another definite winner from Nora Roberts, although I’m having a hard time believing that Nora Roberts will write something that I don’t like. I just like her writing style, it’s the bomb diggity for me! She knows just how to rock her stories to get the most out of them and make me love the characters, the storylines and just everything about them!

One thing I didn’t really care about in this story was Jordan’s nickname for Dana, which was Stretch. That’s no fault of the author though since it only reminds me of a harsh nickname that a woman that I know was called when she was younger. They called her Stretch for an entirely different reason that Jordan called Dana that and so everytime Jordan called her Stretch, I cringed because I kept thinking about poor Amy.

But aside from that, the book was fantastic!

Grade: 4.75 out of 5

four-half-stars


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