Book Review: Even the Losers by Bryant Delafosse

     It was the summer of 1980 and Neal had just moved to a small town in Texas with his father and older brother. While his brother was able to live rent-free on the couch his father told him to get a job. Setting him up with a position that could lead to the union he was a part of was the first step, but Neal had other asperations. The town had two movie theatre's and the goal for young Neal quickly became to learn everything he could about this place of wonder. 

    I received a copy of this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review. This book took some time for me to get through and while it told a story of Neal's first summer in 1980 I didn't get a sense of real purpose for it. He started work, met a girl he liked, was an absolute geek (obsessed with Star Wars, played D&D, and Risk), was friend zoned and so on. He grew as a character and achieved some goals, but largely it was just what a random boy did over the summer in 1980. 

    I will say that I enjoyed seeing how rare arcade style games were and the fact that The Shining was just being released at this time. If you are into coming of age stories this may hold more interest for you. It was well written and engaging. Be warned there is a fair bit of Star Wars hype in this book. While I was never a fan, my husband definitely is. 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $10.95 by clicking here. 

Book Review: Wolves and Daggers by Melanie Karsak (The Red Cape Society Book 1)

 

    Agent Clemeny has been a member of the Red Cape Society for years, but when her long-time partner disappears she is partnered with a werewolf, Sir Lionheart, to track down those who are capturing the cities alchemists. While "Little Red" has made a name for herself amongst the supernatural community partnering up with one has never happened before. Can the pair work together before their foes develop their secret serum?

    I got this book in a box set of books 1-3 and I loved them. That being said, if I happen to mention something from the other books versus just one I apologize. Once I finished book one I immediately began the next two. This book is engaging, set in a steampunk Victorian London. As with all my favorite period pieces Agent Clemeny is a far cry from meek and mild. In this fascinating dark fairy tale retelling it is the big bad wolves that should fear little red. 

    We start strong in this book jumping into some action with an abduction followed by an unlikely partnership. Unfortunately this is not an enemies to lovers book, just an action packed paranormal mystery type. We follow Clemeny and Sir Lionheart as they track the abductions to their source. They must stop those behind it before they complete their goal. Otherwise, the Red Cape Society, and likely the world as a whole, is going to have problems. 

    I am trying really hard not to give anything away in the book. I loved it from the characters sass to the suggestion of romance to the violence that reigns rampant. 

    This book is available on Amazon for FREE by clicking here. 

Books by this author: 

Alphas and Airships (Red Cape Society Book 2)

Peppermint and Pentacles (Red Cape Society Book 3)

Book Review: The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith (The Vine Witch Book 1)

     For centuries the vineyards of France have relied on vine witches to help cultivate their crops for their wine. They have the ability to know exactly what the grapes need to become perfect and young Elena loved being a vine witch under grand mère's tutelage. When a curse is placed upon her she vows to find her way back to herself and exact revenge, but when she gets home seven long years later much has changed. Grand'Mere has sold the vineyard to a handsome young stranger, Jean-Paul Martel, and her magic remains largely out of reach. Can she still exact her revenge and save her home? 

    This book was an impulse purchase forever ago and it took me a while to actually get to it. I loved it, don't get me wrong. My TBR is always forever long, but once I started reading it I loved it. 

    We start just as Elena is breaking the curse that was put on her. We occasionally backtrack to get information needed from before the curse was placed on her, but it never takes you out of the story. We also get to see how Elena's relationship with Jean-Paul changes as he slowly becomes more open to things outside of his understanding. 

    I enjoyed the twists and turns as we learn more about the curse and how it affects Elena even after it is broken. The story was well-written and engaging and I would definitely read more by this author!! There is fantasy, magic, betrayal, and a dash of romance thrown in. We even get a bit of budding friendships within the pages. I don't have any complaints on the story from the characters, story-line, or writing. 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $4.99 by clicking here. 

Book Review: The Mayor of Noobtown by Ryan Rimmel (Noobtown Book 1)

     After a fatal car crash Jim finds himself being cast as a new character for a demon's game of D&D. Except he is still cognizant and soon finds a way to travel to this new world under his own control. Unfortunately, there is no way back to his family and now he is stuck with an annoying shoulder demon whose only goal is to retrieve his levels and once more become the all powerful creature he was before. He has fallen into an old world style area in a noob area. Except the area has long since been abandoned and no one bothered to tell the creatures to take it easy. Can Jim and Shart team up long enough to survive? 

    My husband suggested this book to me as soon as he read that Jim named the demon Shart. Yup. It stands for EXACTLY what you are thinking. The verbiage is crass. The violence is at a ten. And the attitudes are real. So of course I LOVED this book. Seriously though, if you are a fan of the tabletop game, role playing games, and are fine with the type of talk that those games almost always have you'll love this book. 

    This is real world/game world combined. Death is real and permanent, but leveling up a character is also possible. We start out low level, but because he was offered a unique build Shart isn't very helpful other than by telling him he shouldn't be able to do some of the things he does. We follow Jim as he travels to a nearby abandoned town. Along the way he does some minor animal hunting and runs across some goblins that are a bit smarter than the wolves before them. Then the wolves of the goblins are even smarter. Defeating them will be a challenge, but the possible reward is more people for his new town. 

    The writing in this book is not awe-inspiring. There are typos, grammatical errors, and incorrectly used words. Still. The book was good and the quests we began and finished kept my interest and I would definitely be willing to read more on the series. I think my husband actually did finish the series and I heard no complaints about it. There are also stat sheets in the book. For some this is a good thing for others it is a detractor. Personally, I skipped them. It didn't take away from the story and I didn't feel like I was missing anything not knowing the information. 

    This book ties up the quests that had begun while being a bit of a cliff-hanger. There is still plenty of opportunities where this story will go and I hope for good thing. 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $2.99 by clicking here. 

Book Review: The Magick of Chaos by Ricardo Victoria (Tempest Blades Book 3)

     Now that the games are over our band must figure out their place in the world. Be it revisiting old homes, self-discovery, tracking down a missing crown, helping an amnesiac deity, or choosing between two love interests. Will the groups inner struggles block their way from stopping the oncoming war?

    I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This is the third book in a series and it cannot be read as a stand-alone. If you haven't read them already, click the links at the bottom of the page to see my reviews of the other 2 books with a purchase link for Amazon at the bottom of the reviews. They are well worth the read. 

    In this book rather than the entire group being together they are split in half. Gaby, an old friend, and Fionn in one group on a mission to track down a crown of death to stop an on-coming war. Meanwhile the rest of the group have found a deity that has lost her memory. In order to help her they need to find a way to restore her memory. If their missions weren't enough there is still the inner turmoil we have seen budding or delved into in the other books. 

    Alex is still struggling with his depression. Sam is trying to figure out a balance between her human and Fae side. Gaby is trying to figure out not only her music, but her relationship with Fionn. More and more it feels like a comparison to his dead wife. Then there is the tension between Sid and his cousin. 

    The action and the story-line are always amazing with Ricardo, but it is the depth of the characters that keep you invested. You want to see how your favorite character can solve their problems while they complete the quest that they are on. This book like the others ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger. The main points of the story were covered, but there are still threads that need tied.     

    This book is available on Amazon for $7.99 by clicking here. 

Books by this Author: 

The Cursed Titans (Tempest Blades Book 1)

The Withered King (Tempest Blades Book 2)

Book Review: Justice Rides by SaddleTramp 1956

     After Sargent Eli was shot and killed in 1864 in battle he learns he has been recruited by an immortal being named Adrestia to help dispense justice amongst the living. To complete his training he must spend the next five years as a Texas Ranger, under Captain Bill McDonald. He will face some of the worst humanity has to offer and maybe catch a glimpse of his family from time to time. 

    I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This is a western period piece, but since it isn't a historical romance I had high hopes for it. Afterall, who doesn't love a cowboy. The book was an avenging force that was still wrapped in sweet. 

    I don't mean that the man was sweet. Eli held no qualms against punishing the wicked for their crimes, once the crimes were confirmed. But, he did it justly. I will warn you there is a fair bit of Christianity in this book. He also cared deeply for his family throughout the story, even though he was dead he made sure he was able to check in on them occasionally. 

    We get to see how certain people tried to gain as much as an upper hand over others as possible through deceit in the Wild West and how these things were addressed. I don't want to go into too much more detail and give away the entire book. It was sweet and if it didn't have so many religious undertones I'd likely read more on it. 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $4.99 by clicking here. 

Book Review: The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh (The Beautiful Quartet Book 1)

 

    Celine was forced to leave her home and dress-making apprenticeship in Paris after an unfortunate event. On the run, she finds herself in a convent bound for New Orleans. The church has agreed to take in the girls until they find suitable matches and are married off. Celine quickly finds herself caught up not only in the entertainment of her new home, but in La Cour des Lions and their leader, Sebastian. Still, this mysterious man and her keepers are not Celine's biggest concern. A murderer stalks the streets and it soon becomes apparent they are targeting her. 

    I was lent this book by a friend of mine and I really enjoyed it. This is a dated book, if the dress-maker description didn't give that away along with the suitable matches to be married off to. It takes place in the late 1800s, which isn't something I read a lot of simply because I am not big on women being treated as little more than property. Still it was a YA vampire book, so I was going to give it a shot.     

    The book started off with some concerns. First, of course, was the time frame. Followed closely by the fact she is in a convent. We know I don't do religion so I was concerned. But, I kept reading and it paid off. While there are some minor religious contexts this is not a down your throat Christian book. In fact, it's a morally grey male main character book. We do have a good guy to choose from too, but the morally grey's are so much more fun. 

    Celine does not fit in the tiny boxes women used to fit into and by the time we finally discover what she was running from it wasn't even a surprise. I kind of assumed from the beginning, but there were a lot of clues leading up to. I genuinely loved Celine almost as much as Sebastian. Although the woman she made the dress for was very close to being my favorite character. So much attitude and did not care what anyone thought. She was wonderful. 

    Then, of course, we have the added thrill of murders happening around town. Bodies of women who were being courted by others found drained of blood. Celine keeps showing up in the wrong places until it becomes clear that she is the killers newest target. We get to flop back and forth between perspectives in this story and it provides an added element of fun. Especially when we see through the killers thoughts but not enough is given away to know who they are. 

    This book is available on Amazon for $5.99 by clicking here. 

Book Review: Ricochet by Krista Ritchie (Addicted Book 2)

     Lily and her long-time boyfriend Loren have addictions they both struggle with. For Lily she is a sex addict while Loren is an alcoholic. While Loren is in rehab Lily must face her own addition so that they can stay together and move forward together. She must go 90 days completely celibate. The reward is the only man she has ever loved. But, addiction is hard and even self pleasure comes at a cost. 

    I was handed this book by a friend of mine with absolutely no warnings. Just said that her sister enjoyed it and she thought I would too. After reading it I realized that she knows I read waaay too much smut. If there is such a thing. Once I read the back of it I had to read the book, even if I typically avoid books that deal with addictions. I have been getting out of my comfort zone a fair bit recently and haven't been disappointed in what I've found. 

    This book jumps time periods with some frequency. Jumping between things that are happening in the present with Lily and things that happened in the past between she and Loren, primarily. The couple is extremely co-dependent and are both enablers of the other's addictions. This time apart will either tear them apart completely or let them move forward together towards a better future. That being said, the time jumping helps to tell of the couple's history without taking away from their current struggles. 

    There is addiction (obviously), porn use, and cheating depicted in this book. These are your trigger warnings if any of these things bother you. Personally, I think the book was great and I look forward to reading more by this author in the future. This book nicely sets up a tension between Lily's little sister and Lo's brother. This could go really well, if done right, and how this book went I have no doubt it will. Unfortunately, I can't go into much more detail with the book without giving things away. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did, though. 

    I will say that you can read this as a stand alone. I have not read book 1 and did not feel like I was missing important bits. 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $4.99 by clicking here. 

Book Review: Splintered by A. G. Howard (Splintered Series Book 1)

     Alyssa Gardner had always been a bit different. Her mother had been locked into the ward for most of her life. Ever since she was a child and her mother had taken after her with scissors. She didn't really want to hurt her daughter. In fact, she wanted to protect her from the butterfly. So, when the flowers began to talk to Alyssa she ignored it until she couldn't any longer. After-all. She was the descendant of Alice and she too was destined to fall down the rabbit hole. What she finds was more intoxicating and amazing than she could have guessed. 

    I got this book as a gift from a friend of mine years ago and it has just sat on my shelf as a beautiful trophy. Given, I'd never read the back of it to know that it was Alice in Wonderland themed. Otherwise I would have read it long before I did. Bear in mind I am still ridiculously behind on my reviews. I finished this book August 2nd, 2023. I keep a notebook filled with my read dates just for moments like this. On to the good stuff. 

    This is and isn't an Alice in Wonderland retelling. We pick up on Alice's family a few generations later. She is living a mostly normal life, even if her mother long ago went off the rocker. She visits her mother frequently, has a crush on her best friend's brother, and has favored hobbies. Normal enough life. But, when the opportunity presents itself to see if Wonderland is real she has to travel there. Even if she accidentally takes her crush with her. 

    This isn't the wonderland she read about. Chaos rains and it is up to her to set things to rights. Undo the damage done and regain her life. Can she right the wrongs without losing herself to a certain mischievous creature?

    This book...gods. There is nothing I want more than to finish this entire series. It is on my list. While the person she ends up with hits all the right feels something is off. I may be reading way too many dark romances but there is just something about that morally grey character that will melt me every time. As I mentioned a bit above when Alyssa gets to wonderland she realizes things aren't the same as in Lewis Carroll's book. Not just that that was romanticized.  

    Alyssa has to go through wonderland fixing the things Alice unintentionally broke from her sea of tears to waking a slumbering tea party. The goal is setting her family free of it's curse. Along the way she must decide who to trust. 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $8.26 by clicking here. Personally I suggest getting a physical copy. It does make such a beautiful shelf trophy.