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! 

 

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:

 

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! 

 

Nice Start to a New Series- Dead Man's Hand

This name may look very familiar to you. I took a second take the first time I saw this book.  Then I realized this isn't a new book in the Harry Dresden Series, it's a new book by Jim Butcher's son. Like his father, this book is written in the Urban Fantasy AKA the Contemporary Fantasy genre.  I added this book to my library holds weeks ago and as it often the case, a bunch of my holds came in at once. I might not have had time to read this book if I'd gotten the e-book, but fortunately my hold was for the audio version.

The reader for the book is James Patrick Cronin and he does a wonderful job voicing the various characters and bringing the action to life. The story is engaging it has a nice blend of action and exposition.  The main character is a down on his luck witch who works at a place that sounds like Mideval Times Chuck E. Cheese. His name is Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby--what a fun name! 

The book begins with a different POV character, but soon it is clear that this series is going to be about Grimsby's hero's journey.  He is a scrappy young man with low self esteem who as this book goes along pairs up with a grizzled old guy who was sort of like a cop in this world and then you have Wudge who is a troll or maybe a goblin or maybe Wudge is just a a wudge? Anyway you look at it this trio is fun to read about. The plot involved some shady witches trying to get a very powerful item, and all that stands in the way is our intrepid hero and his buddies. 

I can't wait for more!  I love these sorts of stories.  Found families are so delightful to read! 

5 stars

 

A Wish Granted - Bones POV

I won a ecopy of The Other Half of the Grave from Anne's Read-Along! Halfway to the Grave is a very good first book in an Urban Fantasy series so I was excited to re-read the book from Bones' perspective. 

I am sure that over the years Jeaniene Frost has received thousands of requests for a Bones book as he is who is a beloved Vampire in the Urban Fantasy universe.  He is right up there with the Vampires from True Blood and Anne Rice's vamps so it is safe to say that this book was very wanted.

I enjoyed reading the book and knowing all the events of the first book. Since the original book is told from Kat's anti-vampire perspective, it's good to see what was going on in Bones' head while she was projecting upon him her worst fears. 

If you enjoy urban fantasy or vampire romance, I say go read this book if you have already read Halfway to the Grave or get both books and read either one first --or if you are new to the series, I'd love to see what you think of book two after just reading Bones point of view.

4 stars for The Other Half of the Grave it's a solid read.

 

Wanna Know a Fun Fact?

 

If you are a person who likes a good fun fact or likes to play trivia games this is a book you might just want to pick up. It was included with my Audible subscription and as I mentioned, I have a goal to read at least one non-fiction book per month, so here we are this is my February Non-Fiction book!

I listened to this book and what is nice about it is that basically, it's a long list of historical facts, most of which people don't readily know.  Frankly, and I mean this in the nicest way, this is a good bathroom book. 

It covers a lot of historical facts from America and England. I definitely didn't know most of the information related to England. 

When it comes to major historical events, in almost every case, a slight change could have made a huge difference. This book is filled with all the if not for X, X would not have happened. 

Case in point, the title of the book, Napoleon was having a bad morning due to hemorrhoids and didn't get on the battlefield in a timely manner and the battle was lost. 

Or that President Kennedy was wearing a back brace that keep him upright and like contributed to his death. Or that the Eiffel Tower was supposed to be torn down after it was up for 20 years, and the only reason it was kept up was that it had a radio transmitter. 

4 Stars this book is easy to read and is packed with interesting facts about history. 

#TheSundayPost Last Sunday in January!

  

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 

We are on the cusp of February. How was your January? We have a few days left if there is anything you'd like to do to button up your month or end it with a bang! Tomorrow I get to attend a cooking demo at my local library. The cooking demos always fill up fast so I set a reminder earlier this month so I didn't forget to register the moment registration opened. 

Later today the last post for the #SIAM will be posting it's the final book in the Night Rebel series Wicked All Night.  I enjoy participating in these #SIAM a trilogy of three books is really manageable for me!

What else am I talking about this week?  We will be starting February

and I have a non-fiction book to share- 

Plus a 5 star book by Charlaine Harris

The Devil Downtown by Joanna Schupe

I picked up this book because it was my book club's January selection. I have heard many great things about Joanna Shupe's writing so I was happy to have a push to read one of her books. This is a historical romance as you can see from the swoony cover. 

NOTE: I don't mind the cartoony romance covers that are currently popular, but as someone raised on Johanna Lindsey, this cover worked for me. 

This book is the third book in the Uptown Girls series, in it we get some scenes with Justine (our MC) and her sisters who were the main characters in the other two books. You don't need to have read any other books to enjoy this one, but if you like Romance or Historical Romance, you will most likely enjoy the other two books.

This is my first time reading Joanna Shupe's work and I get why she is award-winning.  This book takes place in the 1890s in New York City. Justine comes from a wealthy family but she is an advocate for women and children. A Feminist in the best sense of the word. She tracks down deadbeat dads and tries to get them to support their families. She does this in a system that doesn't think men should have to take care of their own children and who don't see women as equals.  She is a force to be reckoned with in this story.  The male lead is Jack Mulligan, a top-tier rough-around-the-edges character. The main conflict to their becoming a couple is that Jack is a gang leader in NYC. 

I'm not one for gang-related romance, but in the context of late 19th Century New York, it's more tolerable. It's clear throughout the book that if Justine and Jack are to find a HEA together one of them needs to give up their current livelihood. It is obvious which one of them needs to make better choices, the tension throughout the book lies in how we get to the right conclusion, and this is done very well.  

Joanna Schupe makes sure that Justine clearly consents as the romance unfolds, and I loved that while Justine was a virgin, she wasn't ignorant about sex or about pleasuring herself. 

5 Stars

 

Wicke Bite #SIAM Review Day! Did I like book two better than Shades of Wicked? Read on to find out!

 

Happy #SIAM review day!  Today I'm sharing my thoughts on Wicked Bit  by Jeaniene Frost --along with other participants in Anne's Read Along

Here is the schedule of the review posts where you can read everyone's review of this book. There is always a wide range of opinions! 

Jan 8:    Shades of Wicked              –  Review from Carole @ Carol’s Random Life in Books

Jan 22:    Wicked Bite                        –  Review from Robin @ Books of My Heart

Feb 5:       Wicked All Night             –   Review from Anne @ Books of My Heart

If you recall my review of Shades of Wicked from earlier this month, you'll know that the main character Veritas was not my favorite. I liked her in earlier books, but this series is told from her POVmaking her the main focal point of the books. Overall book one in the Night Rebel series was a 3 for me. 

SPOILERS AHEAD-

Wicked Bite wasn't available to borrow from my library in any form, and I didn't want to buy a kindle or paperback copy, so I used an audible credit to listen to the book. The reader for this book and the Night Huntress series is Tavia Gilbert. I like her interpretation of the accents for this book series and I think listening to her act out the book as opposed to me reading it did enhance my enjoyment of the book. 

This book being the second in the three book series, was all about managing expectations. There would be some things resolved but also there would be cliffhangers and I reminded myself--Dagon isn't going to die--he is going to keep popping up. 

What I liked about the book:

1. Action packed plot.

2. Veritas/Ariel has a family member--I'm hoping he is decent part of book three.

3. Veritas/Ariel accepts her dual nature. Thank goodness!

What is not my favorite: 

A secret betrothal.

Also the characters keep almost getting killed because they are being foolish, either by not questioning what they are being told or not listening to themselves. If at some point someone said: "We should stop relying on our physical prowess and magical abilities and start using our brains more then we'd stop getting into so many dire situations." Then I'd be super happy! 

What I'd love to read:

Veritas and Ian go on vacation and Ashael is dog sitting Silver who meets another demon dog at the dog park!

#TheSundayPost So Many Books, Only So Much Time-

  

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, my library holds are coming up fast! I just got the latest Charlaine Harris book and I've had that on hold for while! I am bumping up this book to the top of my TBR pile.  How about you? Do you plan your reading?  I try to map out a month at a time. If I don't then I find that I don't do a very good job of blogging! 

Last week I was planning a post on the Ilona Andrews Innkeep Chronicles series, but it didn't happen. However, you will see it this week and I have all of next week's posts ready to go! Exciting!  This weekend I get to enjoy a 3 day weekend from working at the school and I am planning to finish and write up reviews for two books.