Tag: fantasy

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (12/13/21)

I feel like this weekend I checked several things off the to-do list. Cookie’s have been exchanged, presents wrapped, and I had to work for a few hours to prepare for our Nashville’s Nutcracker opening this Wednesday. The next twelve days are packed, so it’s good to get some of the Christmas preparations out of the way. I didn’t spend a lot of time reading, unfortunately, but here are the two that I touched.

JUST FINISHED

I know, I read this one a few weeks ago, but I went ahead and got the audiobook too because it was on sale for $2.99 and I couldn’t resist. It’s a novella, so I was able to listen to it quickly. I’ll admit that I caught quite a few more details the second time around. This is a good story!

JUST STARTED

The next installment of the secret Library series. Our heroine has just found out she’s the daughter of the bad guy they’ve been chasing or at least avoiding in the last few books. I’m looking forward to the action getting started! This series is all fantasy, but there are historical mystery elements that I really enjoy digging into. Can’t wait to see how it concludes!

I hope you all had a great weekend! Please share the wonderful books you’ve been reading. I love to add new ones to my TBR!

Happy Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: My Top 5 Book Releases – Dec’21

It’s always a shock when you hit that last month of the year isn’t? With everything else I’m working ahead. I have my tree up, the majority of my presents purchased, and plans made for the holidays. I just forgot to take a look at the book releases for next month, but hey! It’s only Nov. 28th so I’m not too far behind.

#5 MOST ANTICIPATED

It only takes two words for me to want to pick up this book. Penny Reid. She has escapism reading down to an art form. Her writing is sweet, funny, and romantic. Enough said.

Synopsis:

Rex “TW” McMurtry’s perpetual single-hood wouldn’t bother him so much if all his ex-girlfriends didn’t keep marrying the very next person they dated, especially when so many of those grooms are his closest friends. He may be a pro-football defensive end for the Chicago Squalls, but the press only wants to talk about how he’s always a groomsman and never a groom. Rex is sick of being the guy before the husband, and he’s most definitely sick of being the best man at all their weddings.

Bartender Abigail McNerny is the gal-pal, the wing-woman, the she-BFF. She’s dated. Once. And once was more than enough. Privy to all the sad stories of her customers, ‘contentment over commitment’ is her motto, and Abby is convinced no one on earth could ever entice her into a romantic relationship . . . except that one guy she’s loved since preschool.

The guy who just walked into her bar.

The guy who doesn’t recognize her.

The guy who is drunk and needs a ride home.

The guy who has a proposition she should definitely refuse.

Click this link to purchase this book. Homecoming King (Three Kings Book 1)

#4 MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK RELEASE

I might have put this one on November’s most anticipated list because the drop date is 11/30, but I’m just going to add it to the December list as well. It looks so good!

Synopsis:

Their union is his revenge.

Isolde de Lara considers her wedding day to be her death day. To end a years-long war, she is to marry vampire king Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, and kill him.

But her assassination attempt is thwarted, and Adrian threatens that if Isolde tries to kill him again, he will raise her as the undead. Faced with the possibility of becoming the thing she hates most, Isolde seeks other ways to defy him and survive the brutal vampire court.

Except it isn’t the court she fears most—it’s Adrian. Despite their undeniable chemistry, she wonders why the king—fierce, savage, merciless—chose her as consort.

The answer will shatter her world.

Click this link to purchase!* King of Battle and Blood (Adrian X Isolde Book 1)

#3 MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK RELEASE

I am totally invested in this series. It’s fantasy, mystery, and action adventure all rolled into one. Plus the main character is a strong willed female who is in charge and takes no prisoners. These novels are totally fun.

Synopsis:

In this thrilling historical fantasy, time-traveling Librarian spy Irene will need to delve deep into a tangled web of loyalty and power to keep her friends safe.

Irene is trying to learn the truth about Alberich-and the possibility that he’s her father. But when the Library orders her to kill him, and then Alberich himself offers to sign a truce, she has to discover why he originally betrayed the Library.

With her allies endangered and her strongest loyalties under threat, she’ll have to trace his past across multiple worlds and into the depths of mythology and folklore, to find the truth at the heart of the Library, and why the Library was first created. 

Click this link to purchase!* The Untold Story (The Invisible Library Novel Book 8)

#2 MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK RELEASE

So many of us fell in love with Amanda Gorman’s gorgeous poem at the inauguration and even if it might be the first book of poetry I read, I am curious enough to give it a try and see if she can inspire me with her words and imagery as she did on that day.

Synopsis: Formerly titled The Hill We Climb and Other Poems, the luminous poetry collection by #1 New York Times bestselling author and presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman captures a shipwrecked moment in time and transforms it into a lyric of hope and healing. In Call Us What We Carry, Gorman explores history, language, identity, and erasure through an imaginative and intimate collage. Harnessing the collective grief of a global pandemic, these poems shine a light on a moment of reckoning and reveal that Gorman has become our messenger from the past, our voice for the future.

Click this link to purchase!* Call Us What We Carry: Poems

MY MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK RELEASE

I work for a ballet company and despite how I hear that no one ever gets details right in a novel, I have to read this one! It sounds so good and it might be an edge of your seat thriller. I can’t wait.

Synopsis:

Dare Me meets Black Swan and Luckiest Girl Alive in a captivating, voice-driven debut novel about a trio of ballerinas who meet as students at the Paris Opera Ballet School.

Thirteen years ago, Delphine abandoned her prestigious soloist spot at the Paris Opera Ballet for a new life in St. Petersburg––taking with her a secret that could upend the lives of her best friends, fellow dancers Lindsay and Margaux. Now 36 years old, Delphine has returned to her former home and to the legendary Palais Garnier Opera House, to choreograph the ballet that will kickstart the next phase of her career––and, she hopes, finally make things right with her former friends. But Delphine quickly discovers that things have changed while she’s been away…and some secrets can’t stay buried forever.

Moving between the trio’s adolescent years and the present day, Rachel Kapelke-Dale’s The Ballerinas explores the complexities of female friendship, the dark drive towards physical perfection in the name of artistic expression, the double-edged sword of ambition and passion, and the sublimated rage that so many women hold inside––all culminating in a twist you won’t see coming, with magnetic characters you won’t soon forget.

Click this link to purchase!*The Ballerinas: A Novel

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase any of these books through the above links I’ll receive a small stipend.

These are the book releases I am most looking forward to reading next month. I’m sure they are not the same as your own. Please feel free to give your favorites a shout out in the comments.

Happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads2 Comments

This Chick’s Audio Review: Shifting Shadows (Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson) by Patricia Briggs

Shifting Shadows came out in 2014 and despite loving the Mercy Thompson series I didn’t have that sense of urgency about reading it. I had an Audible credit to use so I finally pulled the trigger and purchased Shifting Shadows. These short stories are narrated by Lorelei King who narrates the Mercy Thompson books and Alexander Cendese. I was expecting Holter Graham for the male voice and wasn’t familiar with Alexander Cendese but thought his narration excellent. As the narrator started reading the first short story, “Silver”, I was immersed in the origin story for Bram and Samuel, wondering why I had let this book lie in those shadows for so long.

For me, there were a couple of stand out novellas in this compilation. As a big fan of Patricia Briggs and both the Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega series I was really interested in the above mentioned “Silver”. Bram is the Moroch, or leader of all of the packs in the United States and he raised Mercy, and is Charles’s father (Alpha and Omega). I’m already invested in their story and so learning their origin and how they became werewolves was particularly interesting. Also, this was the origin story for Samuel and his mate Ariana, who were separated for centuries. Their story was interesting and heartbreaking and explained quite a bit about their motivations in later novels.

Possibly because I’ve been listening to the Alpha and Omega series recently I immediately knew who the characters were in “Seeing Eye”. Moira and Tom are side characters in one story featuring Anna and Charles. This novella is the origin of how the two of them met and how they were drawn to each other right from the start. Tom, a werewolf, comes to Moira, a witch, to ask for help in locating his brother who has disappeared. It’s a really quick, fast paced story and truly enjoyable.

“Alpha and Omega” is the first story in the Alpha and Omega series. Charles, is Brams son, but he’s also the enforcer for his father and is sent to clean up problem situations. He is sent to Chicago because some things have come to light that all is not as it should be with the Chicago pack. Anna, abused in her own pack, has seen something that her alpha has done that she knows is not right. So she calls the Moroch, Bram, and is put in charge of driving Charles around as he investigates. What they both don’t expect is that Charles’s wolf declares Anna his mate and he has to fight his instincts to protect while also deciding the outcome for her pack. This novella is so good!

The last story I’ll speak about in this review is also the last novella in the book, “In Red, With Pearls”. Warren, the openly gay werewolf gets his own story and it is a fun one! A woman in red, wearing pearls comes into the law firm where Warren’s boyfriend Kyle works. Something about her is suspicious and Warren suspects there is ill intent. Boy is there! This novel has the humor you expect from his character but we get a little more insight into he and Kyle’s relationship. Warren is a fan-favorite and this is a truly fun glimpse into their relationship.

If you like Patricia Briggs novels, short stories, have a commute, or like to listen while you work (gasp!), please check out this compilation. The Mercy Thompson universe has a lot of action and fantasy-filled drama and I promise there won’t be any regrets! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this audiobook!* Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (11/1/21)

It was a perfect fall weekend, just begging for me to spend time outside, so I spent it inside reading! LOL. I was a serious couch potato this weekend and enjoyed it so much!

JUST FINISHED

A really entertaining and quick read. A Twist of Fate was a haunting mystery and our heroine had an enduring love that survived throughout the centuries. What more could you ask for?

JUST STARTED

I started this audiobook on my walk this morning. I’ll admit this one’s a re-read. I really enjoy the mysteries in this series and Anna and Charles as a couple evolve over the length of the series. It’s deftly written and really great!

Have a wonderful Monday! I hope you don’t miss that book you put down last night too much. 🙂

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chicks Audio Review: Hammered (Iron Druid Chronicles #3) by Kevin Hearne, narrated by Luke Daniels

Leif Helgerson, vampire, attorney, and friend to druid Atticus O’Sullivan, helped him wipe out an evil coven of witches in the last novel and it’s time for Atticus to return the favor. However, what Leif wants is to kill Norse god of thunder, Thor. Despite being warned by two other gods against killing Thor, he teams up with werewolf Alpha, Gunner, a Russian sorcerer, and some frost Giants and they head to Asgard for an epic battle.

Luke Daniels, as usual, does an amazing job with the narration of the Iron Druid Chronicles. There are so many characters and many different accents, I am amazed with how well he nails it and how much life he puts into these characters. My favorite again is Atticus’s dog Oberon who has a voice more intelligent than Scooby Doo, and it is an admirable sidekick and adds great comic relief.

Hammered has been the most difficult to get into of the three I’ve read in this series so far. When you read a series there are sometimes books that feel like filler or like you’re being set up for future plots. This book feels like one of those. You do learn Gunner and Leif’s back stories and also why all of these characters have a beef against Thor, which is semi-entertaining. I don’t get the feeling that this advanced Attitcus’s character but may in fact set him back a bit. You can’t help but think when Jesus warns you against killing Thor that it might not be a very good idea to do it.

This isn’t the first novel I’ve read that describes Thor as a big bully and not so nice god and I can’t help but think that a certain movie studio may have changed that character to fit female fantasies and sell tickets. When we meet Thor in this novel I did not visualize Chris Hemsworth’s handsome face. Hearne does a great job of wiping away any fantasy vision of Thorne to portray him probably as he was in the original myths, a big jerkwad.

Even though I felt slightly let down by the pace of this novel, I’m still a big fan of the series and I love the narration by Luke Daniels. I did immediately turn to the next novel, Tricked. This is one addictive bit of fantasy! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this audiobook!* Hammered: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 3

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick’s Audio Review: Hexed (The Iron Druid Chronicles book #2) by Kevin Hearne, narrated by Luke Daniels

Atticus O’Sullivan, is the last Druid standing, and is much older than his 25 year old appearance, by about 20+ centuries. He doesn’t usually think much of witches but is about to sign a treaty with the local coven when another coven tries to drive stakes into their territory. A witch coven who are breeding with demons. Tempe Arizona seems to be a hotbed of activity lately with a fallen angel eating the local high school population and a horde of Bacchants wreaking havoc at a local concert when I Atticus going to find the time to witch hunt?

I’m late to the party discovering Kevin Hearne’s fun fantasy novels set in current time but I’m certainly not going to let all of these books go to waste! Luke Daniels narration is spot on and imbues humor, wit, and a certainly surfer sang-froid to the main character that is truly enjoyable and his adorable Oberon voice (Atticus’s trusty hound) is enough to keep me coming back for more. However, it’s Kevin Hearne’s writing that has me hooked with new characters popping up in every chapter that keeps me reading to discover what the heck is going to happen next!

There is a lot going on in this novel but the main story regarding the above witch takeover is the most interesting. It opens the dialog to learn little bit about Atticus and the covens actions during WWII which were pretty interesting and bare details that may bring fruit in future novels. At least I hope because it was super interesting. I love it when fantasy authors weave real life into their totally fantastical fiction.

Admittedly, I don’t read a ton of novels by male authors and truly I’m not sure why that is? However, now that Kevin Hearne (and Luke Daniels!) are on my fantasy radar I’m excited to see the backlog of books available that will keep me busy for a couple of years at least!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this audiobook!* Hexed: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 2

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads1 Comment

This Chick Read: When Night Breaks (Kingdom of Cards #2) by Janella Angeles

Starting up right where “Where Dreams Descend” left off, Kallia has been swallowed into the mirror in her magic performances during the Spectaculor, a magician’s contest. On the other side of the mirror is a whole different world where sunlight is obliterated by “devils”, and magicians duel for power and status. Kallia’s power has been depleted and navigating this new world takes wit, courage, and magic. When Night Breaks shows us a different world, where darkness reigns supreme and only the absolute best magicians survive.

Confession time! I struggled with this novel. It’s only because I liked the first one so much that I was able to stick with it and make myself finish. If it had been any other book I would have put it down and picked up a different novel. Maybe it’s because this is my second fantasy novel in a row where the story was desperately dark, a sign of a writer trying to create during a pandemic. I felt that pain too, but my own pain was in trying to see the light and find something positive to talk about in my review. Here’s what I found.

  1. Jack- Whereas Kallia felt less interesting to me, her nemesis Jack became even more interesting. He was also confusing, but I’ll stick with why I thought he was interesting. Jack was always a dark horse. The magical being who held Kallia captive in “Where Dreams Descend”, and who she had a love hate relationship. She still does, but in this new world, Jack’s back story is revealed and we see why he is what he is, and how he struggled to break out from the hold Roth (a new character in this book) had over him.
  2. Eva- or Vain as she’s named in this novel. The famous Daron DeMarco’s assistant, and sister, who disappeared into a mirror during an act. She is alive and has risen to the top in this new world. She was way more interesting than Kallia and I found myself looking forward to the pages with her story.
  3. World building- The author didn’t do herself any favors by having to create a brand new world in When Night Breaks. As it’s ‘through the looking glass’, it runs parallel to the real world from which Kallia arrived. Dark to the other world’s light, the differences were surprising and kept me reading.

Everything in this book led us toward the big conflict at the end, but that conflict was a confused mess. I had trouble following what was going on and the reasons for why these things were happening. The conflict didn’t feel too different from the rest of the book, and therefore not enough of a conflict for me to feel any sort of resolution for the characters, even with the built-in happily, happily. It was just ho-hum.

Despite my overall feelings of doom and gloom, I couldn’t give the novel lower than a three rating. Yes, if I hadn’t loved the first novel so much I wouldn’t have finished this one, but it’s because I loved that first novel so much that I am giving this an average rating. Please feel free to disagree and read this book and pass your own judgement. My bad 4 days of reading this book may be the best in your life. ❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase!* When Night Breaks (Kingdom of Cards Book 2)

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson

Artemisia is in training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass, but Artemisia also has a special talent…she can discern the different types of spirits in one of the highest orders and this talent changes her future. When possessed soldiers arrive and attack her convent, Artemisia takes up the relic of a fifth order revenant and allows it to possess her in order to save the other nuns. The story of her fight sweeps the countryside and her history is rewritten. Vespertines are priestesses who can wield a high relic, but how they do that has been lost and Artemisia turns to the revenant inside herself for the knowledge to beat the evil that is sweeping the country.

Once again Margaret Rogerson has created a really interesting world. This story is much darker in feeling which is portrayed really well by the cover. Artemisia is a rather dark soul even before a revenant takes residence inside of her body. Possessed by an ashrim, an evil spirit, when she was a child, her parents kept her locked in a shed for years. It was only by burning her hands in a fire that she removed the spirit, but the horrors of her past have left scars, both internal and external. I really liked her evolution from solitary scared girl to a young woman who decides to fight instead of surrender to evil.

Written during the pandemic I drew a parallel between the spirits ravaging Artemisia’s world and the virus which is ravaging our own lives. Artemisia stepped out of her comfort zone, her solitariness, and leaned on the people around her and trusted in others to help her fight her battles. In comparison, I wish our real world chose to fight the virus together instead of skirmishing individually about vaccinations and masks. However, unlike my world and all that’s going on within it, it was nice to see her conquer evil. The way the novel ended I felt like the author may have left the door open for another book? I kind of hope so. I am now invested and would love to see where these characters lead us next. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Vespertine

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (10/4/21)

This weekend I read a romance, a fantasy, and listened to one of my all time favorite women’s fiction novels. What a great weekend of reading! Let’s get down to it!

JUST FINISHED

I love Margaret Rogerson’s novels and while this one started a bit slower and was a LOT darker, I really loved the unlikely heroine that Artemisia ended up being. I wish I knew who the cover artist is so I could throw out a big kudos. This cover got the feeling of the novel, spot on!

JUST STARTED

This is the second novel in the Kingdom of Cards series and it’s just as magical as the first. It starts off quickly and I’m not having trouble picking up where the story leaves off.

If Monday is your favorite day of the week, kudos to you! I hate Mondays because most of the time I’m in the middle of reading a book and I’d much rather stay on the couch finishing up that novel. What book is pulling your attention away from work today?

Happy Monday!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Hollen the Soulless (Dokiri Brides #1) by Denali Day

The Dokiri guard the mountains on their dragons and make sure that those within don’t make their way down to the lowlands to wreck havoc and kill. They are a race that bears only men and so they have to get their brides by stealing them from the lowlands. Hollen is the leader and when he see’s the Lady Joselyn riding her horse he knew she was the wife for him. Unfortunately Joselyn was on her way to her wedding and is furious to be taken, despite fearing the man she was to marry, she is a dutiful daughter and her marriage was to keep her people safe. She’s determined to escape and bides her time until she has the chance to make it off the mountain.

This was a really interesting book! Definitely a romantic fantasy but there were some very dark themes. One of which is that the Dokiri carve a brand into their chosen brides, the day they meet. You can see how that might put a woman off the romance of the whole thing! Hollen is determined that over time Joselyn will come to love him and will stop making her attempts to leave. Despite starting out branding her he does not make a move to complete their union wanting her to choose him herself. If I were Hollen I may have gotten tired of Joselyn’s shenanigans. He had so much patience, much more so than I.

I couldn’t help but make comparisons to Kristen Ashley’s Golden Dynasty novel which was also romantic fantasy. The Dokiri went around bare chested and scarred themselves for every significant life event. KA’s Dax Lahn were barbarian-like and chose their wives by chasing them and raping them. (Yep, very disturbing). Hollen, as a comparison wanted Joselyn to choose her fate and come to him, so not rape, thank goodness. Branding was bad enough.

There was so much more to this novel than the whole bride thing but that was certainly at the heart of the story. As with any great fantasy novel there was a lot of world-building and character building as well. The other people in the Dokiri tribe were interesting and Joselyn made a couple of friends who also put up with her questionable behavior. I guess the good thing about bride-stealing is that there are normally a lot of bad behavior until everyone settles into their place in the tribe.

So what did I think?? I actually liked it! I did get tired of Joselyn pushing back but couldn’t really blame her at the same time. I am very interested in Hollen’s brothers. They are all so different and I want to see their stories. I loved Hollen. He was just a guy that wanted to be loved. Who could blame him? I am totally reading book #2, I just don’t know when! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* Hollen the Soulless: A Fantasy Romance (Dokiri Brides)

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads