Hexed by Kevin Herne

Let me tell you, while I was listening to this book, it was like I was wearing a shirt that said: please ask me questions.  My family kept interrupting my listening!  This is why I usually do most of my book listening while I'll out running.  However, I have a boot on my foot for likely stress fracture so I was trying to listen around my house, and that is why I listened to chapter 18 three times!  

This is the second book in Kevin Hearne's series and if I had to sum it up in just a few words I would say, it's giving me Harry Dresden, Wizard vibes.  That is, of course, a very good thing. My love for Oberon, Leif, and the Widow continues to grow and I like that Atticus has to navigate solving paranormal problems without getting on the wrong side of the human police.  He also has to work with witches, and that I think is a good thing because he complains in book one about how he can't stand witches and that they are all terrible--well now in this book he is learning not all witches are the same. When I'm reading I enjoy seeing the main characters having to confront their own prejudices; it's a fine area for growth in a character arc.

This was a solid 4 read for me and I am ready to see what happens next! 

Anne's read along are always fun, join us! 

 

Writer and Narrator of his own Book- A mix of cozy mystery and fantasy: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree was a February selection by Ben's Cozy Book Club. Alas, my library hold came up in March.  I listened to the audio version of this book, which is voiced by Travis Baldree, who in addition to being a writer is also an audiobook narrator!  

For your information, I checked on whether this is the first book in a series.  According to Mr. Baldree, there will be at least one other book in this world, but he is writing the books so that they stand alone, which is nice. Legend & Lattes is the story of Viv, an Orc, who retires from fighting to pursue her dream of opening a coffee shop. Now, the thing is that no one in this city or country has ever had coffee before or visited a coffee shop. Coffee/Lattes/Scones don't exist here until Viv arrives. So that aspect adds to the story. Viv is also a stranger in a strange land and she has years of walls built up from her mercenary days. Hence, we are along for this new adventure as she begins a relationship with Tandi who is a succubus and an excellent barista. It's a lovely light Sapphic romance that grows alongside the main story about new beginnings and friendships. Of course, there is some trouble from Viv's past, what is a book without conflict, right? 

Overall this book is fun, light fantasy that is a joy to experience and ends very satisfactorily. 

4.5 stars

 

The Cozy Mystery Club March Edition --Tomorrow Night on You Tube!

 

It seems like I was just sharing the link for February's Cozy Mystery Book Club live stream, and here we are already on the cusp of March's live stream. This month's book is Murder in a Scottish Shire by Traci Hall. You can watch the live stream and join us for the fun in the comments where we all share what we loved (and what left us lacking) in this month's club selection. Angela enters all comments for a chance to win books so it's a good time to chat with your fellow cozy lovers! 

This book is the first book in the Scottish Shire series. The book is written with lots of Scottish dialect, which can be distracting, I got the vibe that the book was not written by someone who is Scottish. Our Amateur Slueth is Paislee who is a single mom of a 10-year-old who owns a knitting shop. There is a nice amount of knitting talk in the book and it factors into the murder, so that is what you want to see when you read a crafty cozy. 

The book was published in 2020, but the sensibilities of our main character were a real throwback. She often talks about the shame and embarrassment she has from having a kid out of wedlock.  She goes on to say that she has not had sex or dated since her son was born and won't do either of those things until he is finished with school. I don't want to go on about how that rankled me, so I'll leave it there.

There are several subplots going on throughout this book, and much is not resolved at the end of the book,  so if you enjoy Paislee or the town of Nairn,  you can go right on to the next book from this one and hopefully find out more about the Knitting Shop and Grandpa's missing son. 

I found the reveal of the murderer and circumstances in the book to be on the darker and more depressing side.  So keep that in mind if you are looking for a cozy, cozy. 

My Spring Break Is Here! #TheSundayPost

  

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

My goodness, the last week of March is here already! I have the week off school and I am looking forward to more reading and more K-Dramas! How about you? Do you have any plans for the upcoming week? 

Last week I didn't do a good job of managing my time so that meant the posts I had planned to post didn't happen -so here is what I'm blogging about this week:

#TheNewTownLibrarian Thanks #NetGalley !

As an avid reader, some of my best childhood memories involve trips to the library and long summer days spent reading in my backyard. So it's no surprise that I am drawn to books featuring libraries and librarians.  I saw this book on Net Galley and couldn't click the request button fast enough.  This isn't my usual genre, and our MC isn't a typical heroine. Nan is a 50-year-old who has been stuck in her life for at least two decades, she is a low-level library at a Philadelphia library branch and has had a string of short-term girlfriends.  Nan likes to spend some of her spare time drinking wine and applying for amazing librarian jobs she knows she will never get, until one day when she applies to work in a small rural New Jersey library and gets the job!

Finally, Nan's life is getting unstuck! Will she make a difference in this small town?  Will she build friendships and will she make better life choices? You will have to read to find out. I found this book to be delightful and so interesting to read about the interworking of a public library. This book is truly cozy--but without any murder mystery.

5 stars! 

 

The Official Start of Spring Is Almost Here- The Sunday Post!

 

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

Spring is beginning soon but we had snow showers yesterday, March weather is usually doggone cold in the Chicago area, so the snow is no surprise. I am hoping April will be warmer with more days in the 50s (or 10s for Celsius).  As I mentioned last Sunday my husband I and I walked with our Congressman, Sean Casten, in the South Side Parade (Chicago) 

Here is a picture! 

I'm getting a Blue Apron delivery tomorrow so I'll be trying a couple of new tasty recipes. I like to treat us to a Blue Apron delivery once a month.  How about you? Are you treating yourself to something this week?

Books I'm finishing up and planning to write about:

Yolk by Mary H. K. Choi

This is the first book I have read by Mary H.K. Choi. I borrowed the book in part because there is a restaurant in Chicago called Yolk that has a fantastic brunch. I've never eaten there because the wait was always too long when I was downtown. This book is partly based on Mary H.K. Choi's personal life. I have no idea what parts are fiction and what parts are reality. It doesn't really matter.  What matters is that this is an excellent book worth reading --or listening to, which is what I did.

The story is told from Janye's perspective. TW, Janye has an eating disorder. At one point there is a long and detailed binging and purging scene, so bear this in mind if it's something you need to avoid.  Janye is a college student in NYC, though it was unclear to me if she was actually attending school or not during the time frame of this book. She is 19 and she is making terrible decisions over and over again throughout much of the book, but there is growth if you stick with it. The book focuses on the relationship between Jayne (the spare) and June (the heir). I don't have a sister so I don't know how accurate this portrayal of sisters is to real life, but gosh I was really rooting for them. 

This book deals with heavy themes so it's a good book for when you want to feel and think and aren't feeling low yourself.

4 stars

1

 

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

 

This week some of my library holds came through so I bumped down books I was planning to read so I could read these long-awaited books.  The Villa is by Rachel Hawkins who wrote the very, very popular thriller The Wife Upstairs.  I have not read that one, so if you think it is awesome comment below! I follow Rachel Hawkins on Twitter because she also writes fun witchy-rom-com books under the pen name Erin Sterling (ie. The Ex-Hex) 

This book held my attention, I listened to the narration which is very well done and I got some extra work done around the house because I needed to find out what happened! This book has two timelines with two sets of characters and the only throughline is "The Villa" in Italy.  I found this to be quite clever. The Villa contains some nice red herrings and a couple of plot twists. One of our main characters ends the story going from one albatross to another and I think that is what I liked the best. 

Even though this book is centered around The Villa, the story is very character driven. I don't even recall many of the details of the setting because the characters in the 1970s and 2022 are so interesting.

4 stars for this book. I could definitely see this as a Netflix or Hulu limited-time series of 6-10 episodes. 

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

This story of Dora who has lost half her soul to a fairy and as such has little emotions is captivating.  It takes place in regency times only in this version of the world; there are fairies and actual magic, and ways to go between the more mundane world and the faerie realm.  Olivia does a beautiful job of writing a fantasy that shows the struggles of women and the poor as well as the stifling nature of expectations for men and women to marry. 

Half a Soul is easy to get lost in, the characters and scenes are well-written and the ending is satisfying. This book has a complete resolution and a far-reaching epilogue.  That being said there is another book to come from this universe. When the character for the second book is introduced briefly in this book, you'll know that is who will be the main character in this upcoming book. 

This book has one of the best declarations of love that I've read in ages, I don't think it spoils the book to share it, so see it below: 

5 stars, a book worth reading! 

 

Spring Forward! The Time Change is here - #TheSundayPost

   

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

The time change is here, are you feeling a little sleepy today?  It should be an interesting week at school for all the kiddos--will the lack of sleep make them tired or wired as we adjust?  I usually wind up more wired than tired myself.  Me and the Hubs are going to be in a St. Patrick's Day parade today, we are walking in the parade with our congressman.  I volunteered during the campaign, knocking on doors and putting out signs, and mailing postcards.

Hopefully, we will have good weather and a safe day. What are your plans for today and this week? 

Here is what I'll be talking about:

 

Friday, I'm in Love! by Camryn Garrett

 

I borrowed this book from my local library's Libby App. I was looking for a book for the Kensington Book Challenge to fit the category of LGBTQIA joy. The cover exemplifies joy to me, but it was doubly nice that the story was also joyful. 

There is one POV in this book and that is our MC Mahalia, Mahalia is a high school junior who lives with her mom, works part-time, and is stressed about the SAT, going to college, and has a crush on the new girl at school--Siobahn.  So we are along for the ride as Mahalia and Siobahn begin a friendship, Mahalia's mom has surgery, and Mahalia deals with casual racism at school. There are ups and downs in the story but all the main characters have parents, no one is sexually assaulted, or kicked out by their parents because they identify as queer. The book ends with a lovely party and the song this book is titled after is used in the story to lovely effect. 

5 start for this fun fluffy first love story. 

 

Thank you NetGalley for the Latest Lynn Cahoon's Kitchen Witch Series!

 

This is the fourth book in Lynn Cahoon's delightful Kitchen Witch Cozy Mystery series. I was happy to receive an ARC from Net Galley and dive back into Mia's world. I thought this was a pretty good mystery.  This series has a substantial amount of scenes showing the day-to-day life of Mia and her catering business.  If you don't like reading about the interworking of a small business person who is also a kitchen witch, this is not the series for you.  For me, the scenes of daily life focused on the preparation and sharing of food is cozy to read.  I also find comfort in the idea of magic all around us. 

In this book, Mia has become a go-to source for Magical Springs when a mystery needs to be solved, so it is no surprise when Mahogany asks Mia to solve the death of her mother.  The police think her mother died of old age, but Mahogany is certain it is murder. Mia, of course, helps and ultimately solves the murder. Unlike many cozies, Mia doesn't confront the murderer herself in a desolate area, she calls the police. 

I was surprised at the ending point, we don't get any resolution to Mia's job situation and we don't get to see the wedding. I wonder if the next book will take place seconds after this one ends? 

My rating for this book is 4 stars. 

Thank you #NetGalley for this book! All opinions are mine! #FourCharmingSpells 

It's time for the 2023 Read-Along w/Anne! The Druid Chronicles

I started this series a few years ago and I think I only read the first couple of books. I really enjoy Atticus and his canine companion Oberon, but for whatever reason, I can't recall I got distracted and didn't finish the series. So I am excited to join Anne's Read-Along and read this series all year long. 

Hounded is a nice first book in a series. Kevin Herne blends together well-known folklore with actual history and then builds that out with his own creativity to make a world I will enjoy visiting this year. In Hounded we meet vampires, werewolves, fae queens, and other mythical gods all of who are living in the world either unseen by humans or with glamours to hide their true natures. I like that Atticus has to avoid human authorities and run his shop in addition to whatever fae-related drama he gets mixed up in as the story unfolds. 

4 stars! Already have book two downloaded and ready to go! 

 

Hello March! The Sunday Post!

  

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

March was supposed to come in like a Lion with four to ten inches of snow, but lucky for us, we got some rain and snow showers that didn't stick. This week temps look to be mainly in the high 30s, which is not great, but it could be worse! 

I've taken down my winter decorations and put up some fun St.Patrick's Day decor, I have some green mms left over from Christmas and am planning to make some Peanut Butter MMs cookies sometime this week. Any excuse for peanut butter cookies, right? 

How was your week? Did you watch or read anything fun?  I watched Goblin, a K-Drama this one is basically a contemporary fantasy. We also watched Vagabond, an action-packed K-Drama. And of course, we watched the latest episode of The Last of Us. 

And here are the books I'll be talking about:

ACOTAR - Beauty and The Beast

 I think I would have been better off not knowing this book is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I was too old for the Disney Princesses and not even Anna was into them when she was a kid.  In any case, I do like fantasy, especially if I can listen to it, so I borrowed this book from my library.  

This book is very popular and I think there are over 100,000 reviews on Goodreads. So do I even need to add my two cents? 

Here are my main thoughts:

1. I liked that our MC is a hunter and basically the one keeping her family alive at the beginning. She has skills and isn't afraid to work hard and she knows adversity.

2. This book is long and takes a good long while to get going. 

3. The romance fell flat for me and the actual love scenes were very fleeting.

4. My favorite characters were Lucien, Rhysand, and Feyre's sister Nesta.  

Overall I enjoyed listening to the book. I didn't really like what happens to Feyre at the end, as far as her leveling up so to speak -- I don't want to spoil anything. And I would like to know if I would get more of Lucien's POV in book two? I don't really care all that much about Feyre or Tamlin. So I'm not sure if I will read more.

I googled to double-check the spelling of Nesta's name for this post since I had only listened to the audio, and when I did the first thing listed was a  spoiler for her story. BOOO Google.

My rating is 3.5

If you have read this series, please let me know what you thought of the second book!