My Tentative July TBR

My romance binge is continuing this month and I’m making sure to cross a few more TikTok hyped books off my list. Yes that means I’m heading off-world for some blue alien sexy time. Not gonna lie, I’m kind of terrified about that one.

Once again, I’m taking full advantage of kindle unlimited, I’m hoping to limit my purchases to 4 books total for the month. I figure one book a week should be enough to scratch my shopaholic urges.

From the dark depths of KU

For Review

An Uneasy Alliance by Kyra Radcliff

Purchased

I’m very interested to see how far I make it through my tbr as I actually finished it last month. Have you read any of these? 

Rare Vigilance by M.A. Grant

Rare Vigilance is book 1 in the Whitethorn Agency, a fast paced, m/m romance with vampires.

Rare Vigilance by MA GrantSynopsis – Former marine Atlas Kinkaid knows not to ask questions about the clients he protects at the behest of the elite Whitethorn security agency. Just like he doesn’t like anyone asking about his scars—scars left by a mysterious attack that haunts his every waking moment.
Consumed by the need to find out what happened to him, Atlas takes a job providing security to Cristian Slava, the indolent—and gorgeous—son of a notorious businessman. Cristian seems to be just another entitled client, but when nights at the club turn into secret meetings and people start going missing, Atlas realizes there’s more to Cristian—and to protecting him—than meets the eye. Continue reading “Rare Vigilance by M.A. Grant”

Welcome to Blackwood by Khaiah Thomson

A chance encounter at the hairdresser brought this book to my attention and I’m very glad it happened. So thank you to my hairdresser for fitting me in and introducing me to the author in the basin next to me.

Welcome to Blackwood is Khaiah Thomson’s debut novel and she has smashed it out of the park with an engaging, well written story.

It is set in the lush, secretive town of Blackwood. The descriptions are fantastic and I want to live there. Not even for all the supernatural shenanigans, but for the absolutely beautiful setting. It has the forest, beach and small town vibes. It sounds like heaven. Continue reading “Welcome to Blackwood by Khaiah Thomson”

Did someone say Wyrd and Wonder?

It’s time for my favourite event of the year. WYRD AND WONDER!!!!! The entire month of May raving about all things fantasy. Every type of fantasy. High, low, epic, magical realism, grimdark, urban, paranormal… All of it.

I think the big challenge this year will actually be producing reviews for what I’ve read and what I will be reading. I just counted and I have 15 partially written reviews that I could finish and post during May. All wonderful books, but I haven’t written a review in over a month, so you can see why I would be concerned about my ability to get shit done. Continue reading “Did someone say Wyrd and Wonder?”

Karolina Dalca, Dark Eyes by M.R. Noble

Well, well, well, my first blog tour of the year. And my first review in over a month. Once again Dave @WriteReadsTours has delivered the book goods, serving up another winner.

Fast paced, sexy, Non stop action

Karolina Dalca coverBlurb- Blindsided by an attack that destroys her home and blamed for murder, Karolina Dalca, a half-vampire, escapes, only to plunge into the magical societies from which she was sheltered.

Betrayed by those around her, she abandons her dreams of becoming an investigator and flees, trusting only herself. Her police internship would never prove more useful. Hoofing it through the wilderness, she makes it to her university dorm, dishevelled but delightfully deflowered.

Enter a full vampire: one wielding dark magic and a ride out of Canada. A fugitive from the law, Karo complies with his demands to escape, unsure whether his requests are bewitched. She vows to clear her name and avenge her mother’s death, but Karo’s family secrets aren’t so easily left behind.


What I wanted from this book – A fun adventure with vampires and werewolves.

What I got – A fun, sexy, bloody, adventure with vampires, werewolves, magic and family secrets.

There is a lot of good stuff in Karolina Dalca, Dark Eyes, but first we need to get to something important, the sexual tension… So much sexual tension. I’m not mad, I loved it and there was a certain scene in the woods, that well… Phew… You will know what I’m talking about when you get to it. That in itself makes this book worth reading.

So a big tick for the sexy levels.

And now the less smutty stuff. Dark Eyes weaves magic and myth to bring the fantastical elements to life and gives us an often unseen touch of elemental magic. Tied in with demons, vampire royalty and shady agents, we get to discover all the different aspects of the world as Karo does. Because unfortunately for Karo, she has been deemed to powerful by those who care about her; unable to control her powers, so they keep the majority of her history hidden from her. In usual moronic fashion, they think they know best and think that it will work out for her in the long run.

Side note, it doesn’t matter who you are, friend, family or foe, you don’t get to decide what’s best for other people and keep them in the dark about their abilities or their history. 

As often happens, keeping Karo sheltered doesn’t prepare her for life. She is thrown into situations that cause her to act rashly. Because she is naïve about the consequences, she almost gets everyone killed quite a few times, she is easily manipulated.

It does allow for a decent character arc, because she is definitely a changed woman by the end of the book.

Our two male side characters were somewhat typical of the genre, but that doesn’t change the fact I enjoyed them. I liked the way they interacted, the way their relationships with Karo develop and I just know there is going to be some more love triangle action in the next book.

I did have an issue with the final conflict in the book, everything about it was to easy. I don’t think the suspense was built well, it felt as though it was written at exactly the same pace as the rest of the book and I need more than that. And it felt like it was over way to quickly, like hardly any space on the page was dedicated to it. It could have been so much better.

Overall Dark Eyes is a solid read, it’s fun, easy, sexy and it has definitely set up book two well. There are so many elements that have only been briefly touched on that will hopefully be fleshed out in book two and I’m 100% down with Karo’s attitude at the end and her plans for revenge.


Goodreads  –  Amazon


Author Bio

M. R. Noble has played a tug of war between science and art her whole life, but the rope broke when she wrote the first line of The Dark Eyes Series. Immersed up to her keyboard in paranormal romance and urban fantasy, she enjoys blending the real with the surreal. The only drawback is she misplaces her mug while dreaming up her next scene, and soon finds herself six cups overpoured.

Keeping to her Lake Simcoe roots, she is a member of the Writers Community of York Region (WCYR), where her muse is made not found . . . over a hefty cup of coffee.


TwitterWebsite


WWW Wednesday

Today I have a super simple post to let the world know what I’m reading. Hosted by Taking on a World of Words, you answer 3 questions and hey presto, you are all done.

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently reading –

Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long is my main read at the moment. I’m not quite 50% of the way through this one, but I can confidently say I’m loving it so far. It’s due for release on the 19th, I hope to have it finished and reviewed by then, but life is bloody hectic at the moment. I think a lot of people are going to love it. Here is a snippet from the blurb that was pretty much the point I pounded the request button – Continue reading “WWW Wednesday”

WWW Wednesday

Today I have a super simple post to let the world know what I’m reading. Hosted by Taking on a World of Words, you answer 3 questions and hey presto, you are all done.

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next? Continue reading “WWW Wednesday”

Stacking The Shelves

A weekly post where I can brag about my new books? Yes please. Granted I definitely won’t have something to post every week, I’ll just do it as required. I will be including everything from my purchases, to NetGalley, gifts and books from authors.

For more information head over to Tynga’s reviews

Stacking the shelves Picture - Saturday meme

This covers the last few books I picked up in 2020. I was in a pretty specific mood, plus I was lucky enough to be approached by an author which is always cool and 100% daunting. 

Ebooks:

  • Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost – After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to come: terrifying powers that let her channel electricity and learn a person’s darkest secrets through a single touch. Leila is doomed to a life of solitude…until creatures of the night kidnap her, forcing her to reach out with a telepathic distress call to the world’s most infamous vampire…
    He’s the Prince of Night…
    Vlad Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all—but whatever you do, don’t call him Dracula. Vlad’s ability to control fire makes him one of the most feared vampires in existence, but his enemies have found a new weapon against him—a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own. When Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites between them, threatening to consume them both. It will take everything that they are to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down in flames.
     

Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost

  • Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost
  • Bound By Flames by Jeaniene Frost
  • Into The Fire by Jeaniene Frost

NetGalley:

The Moonsteel Crown by Stephen DeasThe Moonsteel Crown by Stephen Deas – The vast Empire of Aria is in crisis. The Emperor is dead, murdered. The heir is a nine-year-old boy whose older sister, a potent sorceress, is manoeuvring to act as regent. Factions are forming within the Imperial family, the Southern lords are edging towards open rebellion, and on the far-flung borders an ancient darkness stirs.
Myla, Fingers and Seth couldn’t care less. All members of Fat Al’s Teahouse gang, they’ve found themselves in somewhat of a pickle, caught at the scene of a crime stealing to order, what they only just now realise might well be linked to the Emperor’s untimely demise. Stuck in a city on lockdown they’re forced to lay low, but the wolves are circling, and rival gangs are smelling blood…


Publisher – Angry Robot   Due For release – 9th Feb 2021


Vasilisa by Julie MathisonVasilisa by Julie Mathison – Three witches, two children, one ogre — and nowhere to run.
It’s 1919, but in Edenfall, Pennsylvania, the Great War is not over — not for Vasilisa, at least. Papa is presumed dead on the fields of Flanders, Mama is being courted by an absolute ogre, and now Babka, her beloved grandma, has had a bad spell. Or has she fallen under one? Only the Old Tales, the Russian fables Vasilisa was raised on, offer any comfort or counsel.
But what if they are more than child’s tales?
Enter Ivan, who jumps a train for Edenfall at midnight and finds Vasilisa in a real fix. Old Rus is calling from across time and both worlds, and if they heed the call, they might both get what they want. It won’t be easy. Three witches, two children, one ogre – they’re outnumbered and outclassed. Baba Yaga and Old Koschei are after the same thing — and each other — and the children are caught in the crosshairs. Vasilisa has a secret weapon, in the humblest of guises, but will the meek truly inherit the earth? Or will the mighty prevail? One thing is certain: it’s a fairy tale of their own making, a tale whose happy ending is ever in doubt.


Publisher – Starr Creek Press   Due For Release – 23 February 2021


The Descent of the Drowned by Ana Lal DinThe Descent of the Drowned by Ana Lal Din – She is bound to serve. He is meant to kill. Survival is their prison. Choice is their weapon.
As the sacred slave of a goddess, Roma is of a lower caste that serves patrons to sustain the balance between gods and men. What she wants is her freedom, but deserters are hunted and hanged, and Roma only knows how to survive in her village where women are vessels without a voice. When her younger brother is condemned to the same wretched fate as hers, Roma must choose between silence and rebellion.
Leviathan is the bastard son of an immortal tyrant. Raised in a military city where everyone knows of his blood relation to the persecuted clans, Leviathan is considered casteless. Lowest of the low. Graduating as one of the deadliest soldiers, he executes in his father’s name, displaying his worth. When he faces judgement from his mother’s people—the clans—Leviathan must confront his demons and forge his own path, if he ever hopes to reclaim his soul.


Publisher – White Tigress Press   Due For Release – 15th March 2021


The Treason Of Robyn Hood by D. LieberThe Treason of Robyn Hood by D. Leiber – What is the price of justice?
As a ward of the Lacklands, Robyn Loxley has lived a privileged life. Even now, in 1942, when another war ravages the world and people on the home front must do without, her adopted family is not affected by the rations and shortages.
That’s not to say she hasn’t been affected by the war personally. As Robyn hits yet another roadblock in her quest to see her best friend Will, trapped in a Japanese-American concentration camp, she stumbles onto the people of Sherwood.
With dark truths revealed about the Lacklands and what really goes on in Midshire, Robyn must answer what justice means to her and what she’s willing to do to exact it.


Publisher – Ink & Magick   Due For Release – 9th March 2021


For Review:

The Lightning Knight by Sean P. ValienteThe Lightning Knight by Sean Valiente – Po Pondarion has always dreamed of becoming a true knight. What he doesn’t know is that he’s destined to save the world and reignite the spark of magic within it.
But this isn’t his story, it’s mine. See, I once thought magic was only the stuff of fairytales, and I was wrong. I’m doing my best to protect, train, and mentor Po as we search for the key to unlock magic before a dangerous secret group gets there first.
I mean, while that all seems a bit much to take on for a sixteen year-old, that’s because it is. Here I was just planning on courting the girl of my dreams, figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, and trying not to get into too much trouble. But things can never be that easy, can they? I guess if it were easy, it wouldn’t be me.
I am Oliver Quartermaine, and my life is about to get a lot more complicated.


Due For Release – 5th January 2021


 

 

 

Pack Bound by Leisl Leighton

Aaah, paranormal romance. This genre is my fairy floss. I love it and tend to overindulge and then avoid it for a while, before coming back and repeating the cycle.

Pack Bound

Skye has magic, she has grown up with it but she fears it. She has been told she has great power but because she can’t control it, she is dangerous and must be bound. She hurt her twin River as a child and has never forgiven herself. An adult now, she lives with her friends, runs a successful childcare centre and visits her housebound brother as often as possible. Continue reading “Pack Bound by Leisl Leighton”

Prince of Air and Darkness by M.A. Grant

A mini review

Prince of Air and DarknessPhineas Smith is the only human at a Mathers University, the power of the ley lines run through him. A place for a magical folk, the Seelie and Unseelie have an awkward truce on the grounds. Roark is Prince of the Unseelies, Phineas’ roommate and a pain in his ass. He always turns up when Phineas is being attacked by a monster and saves his ass, but complains about it the entire time. Someone is trying to upset the balance though, the Unseelies are getting attacked and the power-hungry want Phineas’ power. Continue reading “Prince of Air and Darkness by M.A. Grant”