Cherry Blossom Book Tag

 

I once again found another fun book tag from Lili Lost in a Book! It looked like fun and I couldn't pass it up! So I borrowed her image you see above. I learned that she saw this tag at Jane @ All She Wrote! Jane created the headers you will see below as well!

To absolutely no one's surprise, I chose a Stephanie Garber book! But you were probably wondering just which one would I choose? Lol! I went with the UK paperback of A Curse for True Love! Honestly, I was fretting between all the UK paperbacks of the trilogy in "Evangeline" fashion! Lol. I briefly considered the B&N OUABH but then remembered all the gorgeous details of the UK covers that I had to go with one of them and I decided the yet to be released ACFTL would be the perfect choice! 

Heh heh. Well, I have to say that the only one recently coming to mind is the romance between Jacks and Evangeline in A Curse for True Love! I just loved it so much because I don't think it was ever in Jacks plan to fall in love and it was seriously just the most touching love story to come about!

 

Well, since you all probably know from me that Stephanie's next book doesn't release until fall, I had to choose an actual "spring" release! Tracy Wolff's Sweet Nightmare releases next month and I am so excited for it! I loved her Crave series and am excited for the continuation of that world with some of the "younger" characters. Younger really by just a year or two, they were all high school students and Grace graduated by the end of the series!

Well it's been a hot couple of years since I read Julie C. Dao's Forest of a Thousand Lanterns but I remembered loving it! It had a Snow White vibe to it but set in Asia. It was a very intriguing story and I loved the fairy tale vibe in a different culture setting! I still have 2 companion books to this one that I need to read. I can't remember if they told different fairy tales or just more of the same fairy tale vibe. But yeah, definitely loved this one!

 

Kim Harrison's Hollows series is my longest running series and is still one of my faves! Troubled with the Curse is the last one I read, I still need to read last year's release before this year's releases in October! I'm aiming to read it soonish but with recent mail woes it just got bumped back a bit! But this series continues to stay fresh after 20 years and I continue to love every moment of it!

Just so every answer isn't Caraval/OUABH related I will go with Jackal (ironically, his name is very close to the one I was going to choose, lol)! He's one of my favorite secondary characters from Julie Kagawa's long ago Blood of Eden trilogy! I had always hoped that he'd get his own book or series but alas that has not happened! I just thought he was such a fun character. He starts off somewhat villainous and you don't really like him but he sticks around and grows into a very different kind of character! His story arc was surprising and I loved every minute of it and I miss the guy!

Oddly, I have to go with my first vampire book, Demon in My View! It's a very short book compared to today's standards, but I absolutely loved this book! I don't think many older YA readers would like it as much now as things were "simpler" back then. Books didn't always have such deeply intricate plotlines. Plus this was a standalone of sorts. It was in a series that was all part of the same world, but you know, different characters and stories each time with the occasional cameo appearance. But I guess the nostalgia and love I have for this book and still do, always make me think fondly of it! I'd totally re-read it right now (after my current read) while I wait for the book I really want in the mail, but alas, this is in storage. 

I'm going to go with Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead! I read this in the year of starting my blog, so 2 years after it released. I was still on a discussion board for a favorite author and some friends recommended it to me. I had stayed away from YA at that time as all it had to offer was contemporary books and I couldn't handle those anymore. But my friends were like no, this book is good. You'll love it. Trust us. So I did and did! Lol. I read the first book and then had to run back to the store and buy the next two as there was only 3 at the time. I say it "surprised" me as I guess I was expecting there to be too much teenage angst. Yes, I know it was YA so there's teen drama in it, in a way, but it wasn't presented at all in the way I thought it would be. So yes, the book that brought me back to YA was one that surprised and delighted me!

With the blogging world being a little quieter these days, I am honestly not sure what is currently on everyone's minds! I feel like Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame is still a hot topic (lol, no pun intended!)! Especially since the third book was just announced. I still need to read this one but had heard about its cliffhanger's intensity so I decided I would wait until I knew when the third book would release before picking this baby up!

I won't tag anyone again, but if you're wanting to do this one give a go and leave me a link so I can check out your answers! ;)

Books from the Backlog #79

 

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. This is a fun meme hosted by Carole @ Carole's Random Life in Books.

 

For a moment, a face flashed before my eyes—the most hideous face I’d ever seen. No matter how hard I tried to forget what had happened, I saw him everywhere I went. It was Loki—the evil god that I’d helped set free against my will.

I should have known that my first official date with Logan Quinn was destined to end in disaster. If we’d gotten into a swordfight, or been ambushed by Reapers, I’d have been more prepared. But getting arrested mid-sip at the local coffee hangout? I didn’t see that one coming.

I’ve been accused of purposely helping the Reapers free Loki from his prison—and the person leading the charge against me is Linus Quinn, Logan’s dad. The worst part is that pretty much everyone at Mythos Academy thinks I’m guilty. If I’m going to get out of this mess alive, I’ll have to do it myself…

 

 

I added Jennifer Estep's Crimson Frost to my TBR pile in September of 2015. It's possible that it might have been earlier, as I still find myself forgetting to add TBR books to my Goodreads account! Like I legit forgot a Summer 2023 book! Whoops! Lol. I obtained nearly this entire series at RT Conventions during my run with them! I think I had to buy one of them and I got an ARC of the last one in the series...and yet...they are still unread! I do want to read them one day as they sounded interesting and getting 6 books for the price of 1 is a deal you can't pass up! Lol. Let's ignore what I had to pay to get into each convention though!

 

 

 
 

 

Review--The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong

Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell―even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body―and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs point to the grieving widows… the latest of which is Gray’s oldest sister.

Poison is said to be a woman’s weapon, though Mallory has to wonder if it’s as simple as that. But she must tread carefully. Every move the household makes is being watched, and who knows where the investigation will lead.

 

 

I finally picked up Kelley Armstrong’s The Poisoner’s Ring, the second book in the A Rip in Time series and it was a very intriguing mystery! My fascination with this series might be hard to come by but really it’s mostly because it’s Kelley Armstrong and the fact that there’s a time traveling element going on! While that part of the story wasn’t really looked at this time around, I suspect it will come back into play at the end of the series with the big question: will Mallory ever get back home, is answered. 

In the meantime, Mallory is content to spend her time continuing to moonlight as a house maid while also helping Duncan and the police investigate the occasional murder! This time the murder hits closer to home when Duncan’s sister, Annis, is accused of murdering her husband. Duncan believes she’s innocent in this matter, but the evidence tells another story. So naturally, Mallory and Duncan are on the case Sherlock/Holmes style. 

Mallory and Duncan soon learn that there are more suspicious looking murders in town, all involving men and poison. It’s starting to look like wives are offing their husbands for financial gain, but naturally, Mallory thinks something else could be afoot. 

It was refreshing to once again follow a modern day detective try to solve crimes several centuries before her time. Mallory will have to fall back on some serious old school skills while also trying to avoid plagues of the time period. Also being a woman is t really in her favor in this male driven society, so she’s met with all kinds of challenges that she wouldn’t normally face plus the usual challenges of trying to solve a murder. 

There continues to be a kind of hot/cold friction between Mallory and Duncan. Since Duncan is one of the few who knows Mallory’s secret, a romance isn’t likely wise since Mallory hopes to return home one day without having to die to do it. It’s mostly just some heated tension but also a good dose of comradery. 

The mystery itself was well written too. I struggled to figure out my whodunit right away as I guess I was leaning towards a different type of character, but I won’t get into those details. But when the reveal came about I felt like it made the most logical sense! Lol. 

All in all, The Poisoner’s Ring was an engaging mystery following a modern day detective a few centuries before her time! It’s a read that will keep you guessing but enjoying every minute of a heroine who feels very real and is a likable sort you can’t help but root for! Looking forward to the next mystery and the ever present question of just how Mallory will get home…or if she’ll still want to go back home!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars 

 

 

 

 

Can't Wait Wednesday

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

 

Disturbing the Dead is the latest in a unique series with one foot in the 1860s and the other in the present day. The Rip Through Time crime novels are a genre-blending, atmospheric romp from New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

Victorian Scotland is becoming less strange to modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson. Though inhabiting someone else’s body will always be unsettling, even if her employers know that she’s not actually housemaid Catriona Mitchell, ever since the night both of them were attacked in the same dark alley 150 years apart. Mallory likes her job as assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray, and is developing true friends―and feelings―in this century.

So, understanding the Victorian fascination with death, Mallory isn't that surprised when she and her friends are invited to a mummy unwrapping at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. When their host is missing when it comes time to unwrap the mummy, Gray and Mallory are asked to step in. And upon closer inspection, it’s not a mummy they’ve unwrapped, but a much more modern body.

 

Well, you won't be surprised to hear that I am yet again behind in another of Kelley's series! But you're probably not at all surprised to hear that I can't wait to read this one once I get to it! I pretty much love everything Kelley writes! Thankfully I'm only 1 book behind in this series so I hope I can get caught up soon! I never thought I'd reach the stage of being utterly behind in everything! Lol.

 

TITLE: Disturbing the Dead
AUTHOR: Kelley Armstrong
PUBLISHER: Minotaur Books
GENRE: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2024

 

 

A single mother working in the gothic mansion of a reclusive horror director stumbles upon terrifying secrets in the captivating new horror novel from the national bestselling author of Good Girls Don't Die and Horseman.

Harry Adams has always loved horror movies, so it’s not totally a coincidence that she took the job cleaning house for movie director Javier Castillo. His forbidding graystone Chigago mansion, Bright Horses, is filled from top to bottom with terrifying props and costumes, as well as glittering awards from his career making horror films that thrilled audiences—until family tragedy and scandal forced him to vanish from the industry.

Javier values discretion, and Harry has always tried to clean the house immaculately, keep her head down, and keep her job safe—she needs the money to support her son. But then she starts hearing noises from behind a locked door. Noises that sound remarkably like a human voice calling for help, even though Javier lives alone and never has visitors. Harry knows that not asking questions is a vital part of keeping her job, but she soon finds that the forbidding house may be home to secrets she can’t ignore.

 

Omg, this sounds freaking amazing! It's Christina Henry and it's horror, I am in love! I love Christina's books and this is just yet another one I know I am going to love!

 

TITLE: The House That Horror Built
AUTHOR: Christina Henry
PUBLISHER: Berkley
GENRE: Horror
RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2024

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

Let's Discuss: Deliberate Duplicate Copies

 

So it's Sunday morning and I am currently waiting on books that should have arrived on Friday! If you read my Stacking the Shelves post, you might have seen my ranting about B&N once again delaying my mail. And it really sucks as one of the books that is coming to me I REALLY want to read! I had actually expected to be starting it this week, but now that will not be happening at all.

Deliberate Duplicate Copies?

So my question to you is, have you ever decided to buy a book that you already preordered but haven't received in a timely manner? I was hard pressed to just buy a copy of Against the Darkness by Kendare Blake at B&N this weekend when I went for Member's Day. But unfortunately, the store did not have it at all. So that was another rant in my head! How can a bookstore not have a book on release day?! And even with my local indie stores that I follow on Instagram, not one of them had it included with the YA books and I was like WHAT?!

But I was just sooooo angry with B&N for once again doing whatever it is that they do with my preorders that they take longer than media mail to get to me! I mean it's truly ridiculous that I can get mail shipped via media mail faster than my B&N membership shipping! 

I was SOOO angry that I was willing to just buy a second copy of Against the Darkness and return the other whenever it got here, but sadly that plan was smashed to pieces when no one had it on the shelves! Not even Target! I was like, what the heck?!

But anyway, my main question is, have you ever decided to buy a book off the shelves because the one you ordered was taking too long to get to you? I don't usually see anyone else having these kinds of issues with their mail, so I'm curious. Do you have issues and aren't as vocal as I am? Lol. Sorry for my constant ranting too, I just need to vent and my family is just like, "you have too many books!" So they're no help! Lol. This book in particular is a series finale so I am dying to see how it all ends! Luckily, book 2 didn't end with a massive cliffhanger or anything, but still...I have that desire to see how it all ends! It's the Buffyverse folks!

I honestly can't really remember if I ever went out and bought a copy of a book that I knew was on its way to me. Honestly back then, B&N had their act together and my preorders always arrived on the Friday of release week. I knew to expect them then. If signings happened prior to then, I'd try to cancel the book and just pick it up at the signing anyway. Other times, if there was no signing involved, I would just tell myself to read another TBR book and continue to wait for the book that should've been delivered already. But seriously, prior to this year I NEVER had this problem of delayed book mail. Every other thing I order arrives when they say it will if not a day earlier, so there's truly some force working against me and my books and I. Do. Not. Like. It.

I came close to breaking that rule this week. I mean, I already need to return one of the other books that is on its way so I figured it's not going to save me a trip if I don't buy the other book, but alas, all the bookstores in the county were against me. So hopefully I can read it next week...if it ever arrives. Or it the replacement copy arrives before then too.

So have you ever intentionally bought a second copy of a book that you knew was slowly making its slow, slow, ever so slow way (slower than media mail, which I didn't think there was anything slower than media mail) to you? 

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker. 

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

 

"'Dear God,' I say as I open another drawer and pull out a wrapped piece of hard cheese. 'The man is a squirrel. There are stashes of food everywhere.'" p 177

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TITLE: The Poisoner's Ring
AUTHOR: Kelley Armstrong
PUBLISHER: Minotaur Books
GENRE: Mystery
RELEASE DATE: May 23, 2023

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

This week's topic is: Top Ten Characters I'd Like to Go on Vacation With

*in no particular order
**I'm assuming we're talking book characters, the description afterwards had me thinking it was real life friends and then it got me confused! Lol. So going with book characters!
***Also, I have zero clue as to what kind of vacation we'd all take? Book trips for some for sure! Maybe an amusement park for others? Lol. I'm bad at this part! Just no beaches for me.

10. GRACE--I just loved her character! I feel like we'd get along well!
9. FINLAY--the adventures this woman has delight me! Though I still need to get caught up, especially since she has a roadtrip book coming up!
8. MERIT--Merit is a lot of fun and I think hanging out with her would be great! Plus she likes food! Lol.

7. VIOLET--she's also a quiet sort, though she becomes a force to be reckoned with naturally! But her love for books in the beginning would mean we'd get along swell!
6. ANNELISE--Annelise was a brainy sort and while I'm not on that level of smarts, I feel like we'd still get along well enough as I recall seeing myself in her at times.
5. BELLE--I mean obviously, right?! Lol.

4. GEORGINA--she works in a bookstore and likes to read so of course we'd get along swimmingly!
3. KATY--my girl! Bloggers and readers, we'd have a blast! Send us to a book convention and we'd go nuts! I'd say we'd do the divide and conquer...but we'd want to meet all our favorite authors so it'd be more like us dive bombing from line to line together!
2. EVANGELINE--loooved her and her belief in magic and fairy tales and all things magical! We'd have fun together too!

1. TELLA--I mean obviously, I want everyone from the Caraval and OUABH world on my trip but I thought I'd limit myself to one from each series! Lol. Tella was my fave after reading Legendary! We just have that same kind of attitude and mindset, we're like two peas in a pod!