Tag: fantasy

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (8/14/23)

Busy weekends and busy work weeks has really been cutting into this woman’s reading time! My husband and I have bought a house and we close at the end of the month, so most of my time has been spent organizing and packing. I’ve only been reading at the end of the day and only for about a half hour. I’ve been pooped! Despite that, I am currently listening to a good novel and just finished an old favorite. Here’s what’s on my shelf, virtual or otherwise.

JUST FINISHED

When I’m stressed I always pick up an oldie but goodie because it helps me relax. I know what I’m getting and there’s something soothing in that re-read. At Peace is an old school Kristen Ashley and one of my favorites of hers. Violet and Cal’s story is a romantic thriller and has moments of sass, gooey emotion, and true love. Always a five star read for me.

JUST STARTED (OR HAVE BEEN LISTENING ALL WEEK)

Sometimes it’s hard to listen to an intricate world-building new novel, but I am not having that problem with House of Earth and Blood at all. What a fascinating world! I am so enjoying listening to this fantasy novel.

Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (7/31/23)

OK, I know I said a couple of weeks ago that I love the summer when it’s hot outside and I can curl up inside in the air conditioning with a good book, but this weather is ridiculous! In Nashville it’s been triple digits and it’s pretty hard to cool down even with air conditioning. Regardless, I am still curling up with a good book… or two.

JUST FINISHED

It’s a good thing the weather was so hot because I chose to listen to this novel and it’s fast paced action sequences, fight against good & evil, and love story were hard to set aside. Oh, and did I say there was dragons????!!! I LOVE dragons!

JUST STARTED

After the action in Fourth Wing, I needed a genre switch and chose Beneath Dark Waters. This novel started off with a jolt and I’m loving the heroine so far. Can’t wait to see where it leads.

Are you staying out of the heat? Hang in there with a good book!

Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (7/17/23)

JUST FINISHED

My first novel by Sara Desai and I had so much fun with it! It was silly, irreverent, charming, and emotional. Everything you could ask for a weekend read. This book comes out tomorrow!

JUST STARTED

Book #3 in the Grey Gates series by Vanessa Nelson. I am loving this fantasy series. Party investigative, part magic – it’s everything I’d hoped for!

What books are you reading today?

Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (7/10/23)

Summertime, when the reading is easy… I love summer and hot weekends and staying inside with a good book. This weekend I enjoyed a graphic audiobook and realized, yes, their tagline “a movie in your mind” is totally appropriate! I also started a new book that got off to a wild start and I can’t wait to keep reading. Life is good!

JUST FINISHED

If you haven’t tried a graphic audiobook then you are missing out! Magic Bites is the first novel in one of my favorite series and I’ve got to admit, it’s probably my least favorite in the series as well. However, listening to it backed by music, sound effects for the fight scenes, and a different actor for every character is truly an experience and made me like this book more than ever!

Magic Bites Graphic Audio

JUST STARTED

This one is off to a quick start and I’m curious to see where it leads. I’ve heard many great things about this author but this is my first time reading her. So far, so good!

Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads2 Comments

This Chick Read: Magic Claims (Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years #2) by Ilona Andrews

Kate and Curran are living their “retired” lives in their new home outside Wilmington. When they receive a guest at their door who asks for their help in saving their small town from evil, they decide retirement might not be their purpose in life and accept the job and the offer of a large chunk of land in the forest. This job will forge a path to a new beginning, a keep for the new Wilmington Pack, and embracing their true nature’s and what that will mean in raising their son, Connor.

If you are a fan of Kate Daniel’s books, then you most likely did as I did and downloaded a copy as soon as it came out on June 13th, and then voraciously read it. The Wilmington Years is an offshoot of Kate’s original series and continues the story of she, Curran, and their son Connor, who they are trying to raise “normally” in a large home on the shore near Wilmington. However, normal is not who they are and despite their best efforts, they keep heading off to save the locals, or fight the unruly, not really giving a hoot that they are blowing their cover. Kate is the daughter of Roland, who once ruled the world and despite not wanting to rule as he did, she does have a boatload of power that she lets loose in small amounts. Her mate, Curran, used to be the alpha of the Atlanta pack and despite his “retirement” the shapeshifters in their area still consider him to be their leader, and he really doesn’t do anything to negate that impression. Instead he embraces it. Both of them make for interesting parents to Connor, who has inherited his father’s shapeshifting and strength, and his mother and grandfather’s magic. Their efforts at parenting are often hilarious and make for some great reading material.

This novella takes up right where Magic Tides left and Kate and Curran’s decision to help the town of Penderton means that they are about to make a decision that will alter the way they live their future lives, and Connor’s. I loved how both of them made their own decision, supporting each other, and owning what was to come in the future. I just wish that that future was now and that I had the next book in hand. I am that eager to see where this new fork in the road takes them.

As with all Ilona Andrews novels, this one was chock full of action sequences, witty reparteé, and much needed humor to break up the gore. I loved every moment! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Magic Claims

Copyright 2023 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? (6/26/23)

Sorry for my absence, but I’ve taken a few weeks off from some of my weekly posts. I have not, however, stopped reading! I can’t imagine what it would take for me to not crack a book open, seriously. With a couple of weeks on vacation, here’s what is now on my nightstand.

JUST FINISHED

I had recently read Kate Clayborn’s ‘Georgie All Along’ and realized there were quite a few novels she’d written that I hadn’t read. I wanted to get caught up and this was the first in the lot that I’ve managed to read. Loved it! Cute premise and very realistic response to winning the lottery. I liked these characters a lot and found myself not wanting to put this book down.

JUST STARTED

I started this series when I was on vacation and have gotten hooked! The audiobook is narrated by Christie Moreau and does a great job with all of the accents and male/female voices. This series is totally fun and absolutely unbelievable, but who needs a believable plot in order to be entertained?

I’d love to hear what you all are reading right now. Share in the comments!

Happy Monday and happy reading!

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chicks Audio Review: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Mika Moon meets with other witches only once every few months because of the rule that when too many witches gather together there can be a magical backlash that might out their society to regular folks, and as history has shown, people are not kind to witches. As witches are always orphans, her life has been very lonely. She keeps herself from getting attached to people by moving locations every few months. When she is contacted to tutor three young witches at Nowhere House she is extremely surprised. Three young witches are not supposed to be living together, so she goes to the home to check them out. What she finds is a group of people who have formed a family, one that they will allow her entry into if she will help them keep their secret.

Narrated by Samara MacLaren in a lovely accent, this novel immediately swept me into the story of this young lonely witch who dreams of belonging to a family. When she arrives at the isolated Scottish estate, she meets the motley crew who are watching over the young ladies, including the handsome and surly librarian, Jamie. Mika signs on to help the young girls for a few months and see’s how wonderful they have it, safe behind some magical wards, being raised by a group of people who care for them, something she and other witches have not had. Wanting to preserve their upbringing she does everything she can to teach them about their magic and hold reality at bay.

This was such a wonderful story. I loved Mika and how finding these people, and Jamie, made her dream of a life where she could be safe and have the family that she’s always wanted. She does, of course, have some obstructions in her way, one of which is her love interest, Jamie. His over-protective nature gives way a little to a gentleness with Mika that created all of the romantic vibes. The other adults at Nowhere House were lively, fun, and if not completely believable, at least they added to the family atmosphere this author was trying to create. I would call them quirky and eccentric for sure. Everything wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine as Mika soon discovers and she has to choose whether to support their decisions or go on with her life as it was before landing at Nowhere House and meeting Jamie.

This novel was on the best of 2022 lists on both Goodreads and Amazon and after listening to this story, I would have to agree that it was certainly enjoyable! If you have the time to listen to it, the Scottish accents were dreamy and totally understandable. LOL.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Copyright 2023 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 Chicks Sunday Commentary: My Top 5 Most Anticipated Book Release- June’23

This is a special Memorial Day edition of my Top 5. Thursday is June 01 and I haven’t even looked at the book release lists until now aaahhhhh! Ok, OK, I got this! Accepting the challenge of culling through all of the many books because of course, June is a HUGE summer book release month, I’ve narrowed it down to my top 5. Here goes!

#5 BOOK RELEASE

A Jill Shalvis romance is like mac and cheese, fried chicken, or ice cream. The ultimate comfort book reading I reach for her novels knowing that I will love the friendships and ship the romance. This novel is in a series I’ve come to love and I can’t wait to fall in love with these characters!

Synopsis:

What makes life sweet?

  • Freshly baked bread
  • A cool lake on a hot summer day
  • The comfort of a cozy bookstore
  • Second chances and new beginnings

When Harper Shaw’s life falls apart, she knows it’s time for a change. She removes everything that doesn’t spark joy—from her soul-sucking job to eating kale to making lists—and sets off for the last place she was happy, Lake Tahoe (who wouldn’t feel good there, right?) to fulfill her dream of opening her own bakery.

With her Sugar Pine Bakery in between a tavern, owned by sexy, grumpy Bodie Campbell, and a bookstore, run by her new BFF, she feels a peace she’s never experienced since…well, forever.. Then she meets Ivy, a teenage runaway, who barrels into her heart. She sees a lot of herself in Ivy and takes her under her wing, but the teenager has secrets…

When those secrets explode, it changes Harper’s new world, and she’ll learn, it’s never too late to start over, it’s never too late to figure out your life, and best of all, it’s never too late to let yourself believe in love.

Click this link to purchase!* The Sweetheart List

#4 BOOK RELEASE

If you know me at all you know that any book by Ilona Andrews falls in my top 5. This one is out on June 13th and I can’t wait to carry on with my favorite fantasy characters.

Synopsis:

Kate and Curran have just settled into their new home and their ‘low profile,’ when a local businessman approaches them with an offer they can’t refuse. A mysterious evil has spawned in the nearby forest and is holding a defenseless town hostage. The ‘due date’ is rapidly approaching.

It’s exactly the kind of fight the Lennarts can’t resist, not for the prize the town offers, but for the people who will surely die if they ignore it. If they succeed, they’ll be rescuing an entire community and can build a strong new base for their family and the Wilmington Pack. If they fail…well, fail is a four-letter word.

Nothing comes without a price. Now Kate must decide if she has what it takes to pay it.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Magic Claims

#3 BOOK RELEASE

I loved Uzma Jalaluddin’s debut novel Ayesha at Last and know that Much Ado About Nada is going to give me a love story unlike any other, culturally rich with a multi-faceted story and great characterizations. This author is a go-to read.

Synopsis: A sparkling second-chance romance inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion…
 
Nada Syed is stuck. On the cusp of thirty, she’s still living at home with her brothers and parents in the Golden Crescent neighbourhood of Toronto, resolutely ignoring her mother’s unsubtle pleas to get married already. While Nada has a good job as an engineer, it’s a far cry from realizing her start-up dreams for her tech baby, Ask Apa, the app that launched with a whimper instead of a bang because of a double-crossing business partner. Nothing in her life has turned out the way it was supposed to, and Nada feels like a failure. Something needs to change, but the past is holding on too tightly to let her move forward.

Nada’s best friend Haleema is determined to pry her from her shell…and what better place than at the giant annual Muslim conference held downtown, where Nada can finally meet Haleema’s fiancé, Zayn. And did Haleema mention Zayn’s brother Baz will be there?
 
What Haleema doesn’t know is that Nada and Baz have a past—some of it good, some of it bad and all of it secret.  At the conference, that past all comes hurtling at Nada, bringing new complications and a moment of reckoning. Can Nada truly say goodbye to once was or should she hold tight to her dreams and find their new beginnings?

Click this link to purchase!* Much Ado About Nada

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

#2 BOOK RELEASE

I love STEM romances. I like the smart dialog and interesting characters and in this case (I’ve read this one already) I love the flawed but totally likable characters! A fun enemies to lovers romance this is a sure fit for your own TBR.

MOST ANTICIPATED JUNE BOOK RELEASE

There is magic in every one of Ashley Poston’s adult romance novels. I loved The Dead Romantics and am saving the ARC I received for my vacation this week. I can’t wait to dive into this book!

What books are sitting in your own top 5? Can’t wait to hear about them.

Happy Reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (5/22/23)

I’ve been on a bit of a fantasy kick over the last week so I was both reading and listening to fantasy novels. It’s funny how reading moods change on a whim. Or at least mine do. Here’s what I was up to this last week.

JUST FINISHED

I’ve read this book before but because the book is coming out in a month or so I decided to listen to the audiobook. I liked the narrators but I think I preferred the pace of reading this novel instead of listening to it. You know that does happen sometimes! LOL

JUST STARTED

Did I say I was going to start this book last week? I know it’s on my list to read and I want to get started on it. I just need to not get distracted by a different title in the meantime.

Happy Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

Can’t Wait Wednesday!

The title of this post is self-explanatory I think but for those of you who may need clarification… I can’t wait to read this book that is coming out next month!

I am a huge fan of this author duo and the Kate Daniels series is a favorite. So, when they ended the series and then a couple of years later started up again with an off-shoot, no one was more excited than me!This book comes out June 13, 2023.

Synopsis:

Kate and Curran have just settled into their new home and their ‘low profile,’ when a local businessman approaches them with an offer they can’t refuse. A mysterious evil has spawned in the nearby forest and is holding a defenseless town hostage. The ‘due date’ is rapidly approaching.

It’s exactly the kind of fight the Lennarts can’t resist, not for the prize the town offers, but for the people who will surely die if they ignore it. If they succeed, they’ll be rescuing an entire community and can build a strong new base for their family and the Wilmington Pack. If they fail…well, fail is a four-letter word.

Nothing comes without a price. Now Kate must decide if she has what it takes to pay it.

Click this link to purchase! Magic Claims

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads