January Reads

I have a lot of good books to share with you this month. To see my reviews, make sure you check out my Goodreads page and click on my read list, or search the side bar to find the review on my blog. You can also see what I'm currently reading and have upcoming on the TBR list.

Some of these books I received from the authors on Netgalley, some I borrowed from the library and some I purchased from Amazon. Yes, I did read all of them in the month of January. Enjoy!

Life as we knew it - 4 Stars
On the Prowl - 4 Stars

The Archived - 3 Stars
A Court of Thorns and Roses - 5 Stars 

The Winter People - 4 Stars
I am Malala - DNF

The Queen - 3 Stars
Wintersong - 3 Stars 

The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett - 3 Stars
The Rewind Files - 5 Stars 

Catalyst - 4 Stars
Obsidian Sky - 5 Stars

Silence Fallen - 3 Stars
Frost -  4 Stars

A Stolen Crown - 3 Stars
Zero G Green Space - 3 Stars

The Daughters of Maine by Tish Thawer #BlogTour @TishThawer @Xpressoreads


The Daughters of Maine
Tish Thawer
(Witches of BlackBrook #2)
Publication date: March 7th 2017
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance
“With vivid scenes and likable characters, Thawer’s series is a definite winner! Come for the adventure – and stay for the awesome witchery.” ~ #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, PC CAST
Through space and time, sisters entwined. Lost then found, souls remain bound.
After being reunited in the present day, three sister witches are forced to separate once more in an effort to save their newly formed coven and themselves.
Foes from their past now threaten their future, and a trip that spans centuries is their only hope of survival. Chasing their enemy back through time seems like the right choice, but will walking in the footsteps of their previous lives provide the answers they seek?
Only time will tell.
A Witches of BlackBrook novel.
Sequel to:
25271311


Author Bio:
Award Winning Author, Tish Thawer, writes paranormal romances for all ages. From her first paranormal cartoon, Isis, to the Twilight phenomenon, myth, magic, and superpowers have always held a special place in her heart.
Tish is known for her detailed world-building and magic-laced stories. Her work has been compared to Nora Roberts, Sam Cheever, and Charlaine Harris. She has received a RONE Award nomination (Reward of Novel Excellence), as well as nominations for Best Cover, Reader’s Choice, and Author of the Year (Fantasy, Dystopian, Mystery).
Tish has worked as a computer consultant, photographer, and graphic designer, and is a columnist for Gliterary Girl media and has bylines in RT Magazine and Literary Lunes Magazine. She resides in Arizona with her husband and three wonderful children and is represented by Gandolfo, Helin, and Fountain Literary Management.
You can find Tish on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorTishThawer
A common FAQ: "How do you pronounce her last name?"
Answer: Think "Bower" or "Thow-er". It's Persian!

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#Review - Zero G Green Space by William Shatner

Title: Zero G Green Space
By: William Shatner
Genre: Scifi
Release Date: September 19th, 2017
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary from Goodreads: In the second installment of William Shatner s Zero-G series, Director Samuel Lord must identify a mole sabotaging the top-secret NASA project aboard the US space station Empyrean, while also fighting a fast-replicating virus that threatens humanity. 
In the year 2050, the United States sends the FBI to govern its space station, The Empyrean. Under the command of suave, eighty-year-old director Samuel Lord, the Zero-G men are in charge of investigating terrorism, crime, corruption, and espionage, keeping an eye on the rival Chinese and Russian stations as well. 
Lord and his team are assisting NASA in conducting a top-secret project in the agricultural center of the Empyrean. Using microscopic robots called nanites, they plan to construct a vine that can survive in space. The vine will grow structural material for an elevator that will reach from the Empyrean to Earth. Unfortunately, a Russian spy inadvertently causes the growth to rage out of control, not only threatening the Empyrean, but the Russian space station Red Giant. 
Under the guidance of Director Samuel Lord, Zero-G must not only identify the spy, but help find a way to stop the fast-replicating vine and a form of space zombie birthed by the nanites. The surprising solution takes Lord and a Russian pilot on a dangerous mission to Venus where a shocking discovery awaits."



Review: Wow! This book is jam packed full of science jargon and situations. I was a little lost in the beginning and I think that had something to do with my lack of world knowledge. I should have probably read the first book. With that being said, the story was interesting and unique. The story line moved along at a quick pace and the characters were well written and had depth. This was a good scifi read and I think I'll go back and read the first book.


Course of Stars by Donna Compositor #BlogTour @dcompbooks @Xpressoreads


Curse of Stars
Donna Compositor
(Diamond Crier #1)
Publication date: February 19th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Sabi Perez is the last Diamond Crier, only she doesn’t know it. Not until a crazed ruler from another world comes to collect her priceless tears and won’t take no for an answer.
Living in New York, Sabi’s seen some nasty things, but the lengths to which her captor will go to keep his crown are things found only in the darkest nightmares. Afraid and alone, Sabi finds solace in her cellmate, Anya, and Cabal, a fellow Crier who also has powers, a rare combination that buys his favor from the ruler. Only it’s a favor he doesn’t want.
In a fit of rage, power erupts out of Sabi, the same power Cabal has, and a spark of hope ignites. Together they may have a chance at escape, something no other Crier has done. Except a ruler hellbent on draining them of every last diamond tear isn’t their only hurdle. If they escape they’ll be hunted to the ends of the earth, if they survive the trek to safety. If they stay the ruler will leech them dry. Sabi would rather die trying than lie down and die, even if that means running away into even more danger.
“. . . vividly imagined and deftly plotted dark fantasy . . .” BookLife Prize in Fiction
EXCERPT:
“You must be Sabina,” he said.
Her heart felt ready to explode. Ringing in her ears made it hard to hear but she could have sworn he called her Sabina. She didn’t know whether to answer him or not. She went by Sabi but her birth certificate said Sabina. He wasn’t wrong, but she wasn’t about to admit that.
“Sabina Petris.”
The sound of his voice was soft, almost welcoming. But the way he looked at her, how his gaze bored directly into her eyes, it sent goose bumps across her skin. All she wanted to do right then was leave.
“Sorry,” she choked, the word barely making it out. “You have the wrong house.”
The thin smile that sliced across his face like a paper cut cracked open to reveal gleaming teeth underneath. Sabi couldn’t help but think of a wolf and how he would eat her with his big teeth.
“I don’t think so. But maybe it’s Perez now, yes? At least that’s what my sources say.”
Every thought she had smashed together in her head. He had her name. Her name. But who was Sabina Petris? And why did he say Perez like that wasn’t her real name? Crap, she needed to get out. Now.
“Baby, you okay?”
Sabi jumped and nearly choked on her heart. Keeping her eyes on the man in front of her she called down to Mrs. Wexler in the steadiest voice she could muster, “Fine. I’m fine.”
Nothing about her cracking voice sounded fine.
“Why don’t you come on down? Come sit with me until your Mama gets home?”
Yes! That’s what she’d do. Nothing could happen if she stayed out in the open with Mrs. Wexler. She took a step backward, not daring to turn her back on the man, but she stopped when he spoke.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t. Or your sister, Matti is it? Could feel the effects of that poor decision.”
Bile burned Sabi’s throat and her vision swam. The man took a step closer.
“You are my property, Sabina. Your parents knew this. They knew this would happen. Come with me now and I’ll forgive their indiscretions. I can’t say the same for their people, of course. So many deaths piling up behind your parents. Something like that is hard for people to forgive.”
Everything in Sabi’s head cleared and one thing rang out above it all: Matti. Get to Matti. Whoever this guy was, whatever he was saying, he wasn’t right. In the head, in life, in anything. Except just looking at him Sabi knew he was far from harmless. He was too casual, too confident. He was the wolf and she the prey and she was getting too close to backing into a corner.
With every ounce of air she had in her lungs Sabi screamed Mrs. Wexler’s name and booked back down the stairs. Footsteps thundered up to meet her and Mrs. Wexler mumbled ‘outside’ and nearly pushed Sabi down the rest of the stairs. But she didn’t need any help. And she didn’t stop on the stoop or to see what her neighbor was going to do.
Guilt slowed her down, but the way Matti rolled off the man’s tongue made her pump her legs harder. It was blocks to the school, but Sabi wasn’t about to wait at a subway stop, sitting like a duck with a price on its head. She needed to get to Matti.


Author Bio:
Donna has been writing since she was in the single digits when she first realized she needed to do something about all the thoughts in her head. After a stint with bad poetry she finally found her way to novels, mainly of the young adult fantasy variety. When she’s not cranking out more stories she works a regular 9 to 5, reads anywhere from 2 to 3 books a week, drinks copious amounts of tea, eats way too much, and makes her own beauty products because her skin turns into a sentient hive if she uses anything else. This is mostly because she lives in the desert where the air siphons water clean out of her. She lives with a man named Steve and several quadrupeds: three cats named Renfield, Sam, and Dean; and a MinPin named Malfoy.

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#WeeklyMenu Week 182

Welcome back to Monday. Another week and more chances for the unimaginable to happen. I can't wait to see what it brings.

I was looking back on the books I read this month and there have been a lot of good ones. Fifteen in all. I never imagined that I would be able to read fifteen in a year, let alone fifteen in a month. Thank goodness for audio books. There are a few already on February's TBR list, like the new Zero-G by William Shatner and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas to name a few. TO check out the rest of my January reads list, come back tomorrow or stop by my Goodreads page.

Enjoy this weeks menu!

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

- Tuna Sandwiches

Court of Vampire by Megan Linski #BlogTour @GryfynPub @Xpressoreads


Court of Vampires
Megan Linski
(The Shifter Prophecy #1)
Publication date: January 31st 2017
Genres: Mythology, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Vampires and werewolves shouldn’t fall in love.
Lysandra was born for one reason; to kill shifters. Princess of vampires, the heir to Vlad Dracula’s throne and the last descendant of Princess Anastasia, Lysandra lives in a castle of witches and human slaves,engaged to a dark vampire prince and prophesied as the one who will end the war between vampires and werewolves forever.
Everything changes when Lysandra finds a dying werewolf. She takes him into her care and quickly falls in love, unable to explain the magical connection between them. If she’s discovered, she will be put to death. But how can she stop the war when her worst enemy is her true love?
A heart-stopping love story filled with shocking twists, Court of Vampires is a thrilling young adult fantasy that readers will devour over and over again. The legend of what really happened to the Romanov family is retold in Megan Linski’s newest haunting paranormal romance.


Author Bio:
Megan Linski is the owner of Gryfyn Publishing and has had a passion for writing ever since she was a little girl. Her specializations are romance, fantasy, and contemporary fiction for teens and adults. When not writing, she enjoys ice skating, horse riding, and being outdoors. She is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention, and is an active fighter against common variable immune deficiency disorder.
In December 2016, Megan signed a deal with Amazon's Kindle Press for her Kindle Scout Winner, Court of Vampires, due to be published 2017. You can find Megan at www.meganlinski.com, and receive a FREE book, The Witch's Curse, by signing up for her VIP List there.
Megan Linski also writes under the pen name of Natalie Erin for the Creatures of the Lands Series, co-authored with Krisen Lison.

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#Review - The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti @Sourcebooks

Title: The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett
By: Chelsea Sedoti
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: January 3rd,2017
Publisher: Sourcebooks

Summary from Goodreads: A teenage misfit named Hawthorn Creely inserts herself in the investigation of missing person Lizzie Lovett, who disappeared mysteriously while camping with her boyfriend. Hawthorn doesn't mean to interfere, but she has a pretty crazy theory about what happened to Lizzie. In order to prove it, she decides to immerse herself in Lizzie's life. That includes taking her job... and her boyfriend. It's a huge risk — but it's just what Hawthorn needs to find her own place in the world.



Review: I was really interested about getting into this book after reading the description. Murder Mystery in a sleepy town, that's always interesting. I found myself disappointed though. The main character, Hawthorn becomes obsessed with the disappearance of Lizzie Lovett, a girl who was popular in highschool, and decides to find out where she went. Right off the bat, Hawthorn runs into Lizzie's boyfriend at the dinner Lizzy used to work at and they form a friendship. I felt like that's as much investigating that happens. There is a lot of wandering around in the forest and talk about werewolves, but nothing really happens. Now if there really were werewolves in this story, then I would have been super stoked. 

The writing was good and the concept was good. I felt like it was a little slow at times. All together, I think someone who exclusively reads contemporary fiction would love this. It just wasn't my cup of tea. I gave it three stars since it didn't really capture my interest but was still a good read.


Author #Interview with Betsy Schow @BetsySchow @SourcebooksFire @JabberwockyKids

Recently I was blessed to be able to review Wanted by Betsy Schow. You can find my review here. I've also been blessed with the opportunity to have some questions answered by Ms. Schow and I'm excited to share them with you.

When did you decide to become a writer? 

I’d toyed with the idea off an on since I was in Jr High. I enjoyed telling stories, but music was my passion. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out so well. After that I got really depressed and lost myself. Eventually, I found my voice and finally had something to say. And that’s when I wrote my first book. 

Do you write full-time or part-time? 

Part-Time. I’m a mom first and foremost. I’ve got a special needs kiddo so she and the well- being of my family comes first.

Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you? 

I used to rigorously detail everything in an outline, but that took out a lot of the joy and wonder for me. So now I plot out the major events. Beginning, turn, middle, plot twist, and ending. I discover the details as I write.

Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors? 

Before I started writing, I read one book a day. I love Stephen King, Terri Pratchett, George RR Martin, and just about anyone with a good deal of snark.

What book/s are you reading at present? 

The Peculiar Children’s Series

What advice would you give to your younger self? 

You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to never give up.

How can readers discover more about you and you work? 

I’m terrible with the whole social thing. But you can go to my rarely updated website, find me on Facebook, or email me.
Website: http://www.betsyschow.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBetsySchow

Make sure to check out Spelled and Wanted by Betsy Schow.




#WeeklyMenu Week 181

Happy Monday! Finally, the boys went back to school. Its been a long week with the snow melting and bus routs being changed and delayed, but super glad to back to normal.

I also got my car back today. It broke a few weeks ago and its been so cold that my husband hasn't been able to work on it. Finally today he changed the alternator. I'm back in my comfy car.

Enjoy this weeks menu! 

Monday
- Sloppy Joes

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday
- Tuna Sandwiches


#Review - Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

Title: Wintersong
By: S. Jae-Jones
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: February 7th, 2017
Publisher: Thomas Dunne

Summary from Goodreads: Beware the goblin men and the wares they sell.

All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns.

But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go—for a price. The life of a maiden must be given to the land, in accordance with the old laws. A life for a life, he says. Without sacrifice, nothing good can grow. Without death, there can be no rebirth. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts.

Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her—musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl’s life is slowly fading away, the price she paid for becoming the Goblin King’s bride. As the two of them grow closer, they must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.
 



Review: To tell you the truth, I found this book a little slow. There was a lot to do with music, which was very interesting, but it didn't seem to move the story along fast enough for my taste. With that being said, I thought the story was excellent. The author came up with a unique story that captured me. It painted a picture of the goblin world, but yet I still found myself wanting more. 

The love story was intriguing, but at times I felt like it came out of the blue and then hid away again. 

The ending left me sad. I wanted more. I wanted the characters to finally find peace, but the story ended with me having lots of questions and no way to answer them. 

I still gave the book three stars because it was very well written and the story line was well constructed. I would recommend this read to anyone who loves fantasy and fairy tale style stories.