REVIEW: Ain't She a Peach by Molly Harper

*Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for an ARC*

 
Expected publication: June 12, 2018 

Publisher's Summary:
An Atlanta ex-cop comes to sleepy Lake Sackett, Georgia, seeking peace and quiet—but he hasn’t bargained on falling for Frankie, the cutest coroner he’s ever met.

Frankie McCready talks to dead people. Not like a ghost whisperer or anything—but it seems rude to embalm them and not at least say hello.

Fortunately, at the McCready Family Funeral Home & Bait Shop, Frankie’s eccentricities fit right in. Lake Sackett’s embalmer and county coroner, Frankie’s goth styling and passion for nerd culture mean she’s not your typical Southern girl, but the McCreadys are hardly your typical Southern family. Led by Great-Aunt Tootie, the gambling, boozing, dog-collecting matriarch of the family, everyone looks out for one another—which usually means getting up in everyone else’s business.

Maybe that’s why Frankie is so fascinated by new sheriff Eric Linden...a recent transplant from Atlanta, he sees a homicide in every hunting accident or boat crash, which seems a little paranoid for this sleepy tourist town. What’s he so worried about? And what kind of cop can get a job with the Atlanta PD but can’t stand to look at a dead body?

Frankie has other questions that need answering first—namely, who’s behind the recent break-in attempts at the funeral home, and how can she stop them? This one really does seem like a job for the sheriff—and as Frankie and Eric do their best Scooby-Doo impressions to catch their man, they get closer to spilling some secrets they thought were buried forever.

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Harper successfully charms readers again with this second in the Southern Eclectic series.  What's not to love? Harper can write humor effortlessly while blending great snarky, romantic tension with an intriguing, well paced plot. She truly excels with bringing characters to life who are rich with detail, while being vulnerable, eccentric and purely loveable.

Truly, there was nothing that disappointed me about the book other than the fact that I finished it so quickly, that now I'm left wanting more from the Lake Sackett crew.

Final rating: 5 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.

Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird. She travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, Leigh is determined to find her mother, the bird. 

In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.

This is truly an elegantly poignant read filled with just as much realistic emotion as it is magical realism.  Readers are in for a real treat with Pan's debut novel.  Having myself recently experienced grief upon losing multiple loved ones, I found this narrative not only mesmerizing as well as haunting but also cathartic and hopeful. Perhaps this final quote sums up the novel's prose and experience best:

What is memory? It's not something you can physically hold, or see, or taste. It's just nerve impulses jumping between neurons. Sometimes it's a matter of choice. Other times it's self-preservation, or protection [...] Because the purpose of memory, I would argue, is to remind us how to live" (p. 464).

This is a beautiful book. Have your tissues handy.

REVIEW: Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs

*Thanks to Netgalley & Ace for an ARC in exchange for a review*

Publisher's Summary:

Now mated werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham face a threat like no other–one that lurks too close to home…

They are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind. For their own good, they have been exiled to the outskirts of Aspen Creek, Montana. Close enough to the Marrok’s pack to have its support; far enough away to not cause any harm.

With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf–but can’t stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills–his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker–to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn.

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Another highly enjoyable novel by Briggs. I enjoy the Alpha & Omega series because Charles and Anna are unlike most couples portrayed in paranormal romances. Briggs always adds complexity and a layer of intrigue that make her characters and books stand out against others in the genre.  Great pacing and creativity.  

I was hooked from the initial prelude. There was a sense of intensity as to learn just what act had taken place and more about these mysterious wildlings. 

I enjoyed the audiobook as well.

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: Glimpse by Jonathan Maberry

*Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for a review*

Expected publication: March 27, 2018

Publisher's Summary:
Rain is a young woman trying to rebuild herself after years of drug addiction and abuse. Ten years ago, at age sixteen, she gave up her baby after the father, her first love, dies in Iraq. Now, three years clean and on the way to a job interview, Rain borrows a pair of reading glasses from an old lady on a Brooklyn train. The lenses are cracked and through the crack she catches a glimpse of a little boy running and screaming. The boy looks so much like Rain’s dead lover. Like their son must look now. 

Rain realizes that the glasses give her quick glimpses of her lost son, Dylan, who needs her to find him. Dylan is important to our damaged, hopeless world. But he’s in terrible trouble because evil creatures - the Shadow People - are trying to corrupt and destroy him. If Dylan dies, then hope dies. 

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Where should I start?  I was hooked from the first word.  Rain's is a compelling story that had me on the edge of my seat the entire read.  This novel has on the components of a chilling yet fascinating read. Rain is a dynamic character whose vulnerabilities make her intriguing and reader's can't help but be entranced by her journey. Maberry does what he does best, write with purpose that is both satisfying for those wanting creative, well developed characterization, action, an interesting plot and enough creepy horror elements to have you sleeping with the lights on and checking all nooks and crannies for any number of evil creatures!

I read in chunks and with the lights on to savor the experience and soothe my overactive imagination.  Maberry remains one of my absolute favorite authors. I devour everything he publishes and pine until I have another fix!

Final rating: ALL THE STARS!!!!!!

REVIEW: Tart of Darkness by Denise Swanson

*Thank you to Netgalley & Sourcebooks for an ARC in exchange for a review*

Expected publication: April 1, 2018

Publisher's Summary:
Right when Dani thinks she’s hit a dead-end in her career, she unexpectedly inherits an enormous old house in a quaint college town. This gives her the perfect opportunity to pursue her true passion—cooking! So Dani opens Chef-to-Go, preparing delicious, ready-made meals for hungry students attending the nearby university, as well as providing personal chef services and catering events for the local community. To help support her new business, she opens her home to a few students, renting them rooms and becoming almost like a big sister figure in their lives.

But just as Dani is relishing her sweet new life, the friend of one of her boarders is murdered, and Dani becomes one of the primary suspects! She’ll have to scramble to clear her name and save her business before the killer reappears—perhaps to silence the new chef forever.

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I have a passion for 'food mysteries' so I was excited about a new series.  This first book is likable--Dani is an interesting female protagonist, down on her luck with new opportunities for a career and love on the horizon.  I thought it was funny that she essentially becomes a den mother to college girls but it the basis for a good premise.

General assessment--the plot works but felt a little clunky at times, especially with the suspect development, the investigation and the wrap up.  It all felt a little forced and as a reader I wanted more finesse. I also think I'd prefer the POV from one character rather than shifts from time to time.

Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: Paris Adrift by E.J. Swift

*Thank you to Netgalley and Solaris for an ARC in exchange for a review*

Publisher's Summary:

Determined to escape her old life, misfit and student geologist Hallie packs up her life in England and heads to Paris. She falls in with the eclectic expat community as a bartender at the notorious Millie’s, located next to the Moulin Rouge.

Here she meets Gabriela, a bartender who guides her through this strange nocturnal world, and begins to find a new family. But Millie’s is not all that it seems: a bird warns Hallie to get her feathers in order, a mysterious woman shows up claiming to be a chronometrist, and Gabriela is inexplicably unable to leave Paris.

Then Hallie discovers a time portal located in the keg room. Over the next nine months, irate customers will be the least of her concerns, as she navigates time-faring through the city’s turbulent past and future, falling in love, and coming to terms with her own precarious sense of self.

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The cover is what drew me to this book.  I liked the concept. The novel begins with a bleak glimpse at the future.  The world as we know it is in ruins and the humans left have little hope.  Their only chance is one last mission go back in time, find a particular person and hope that they can re-write history.

Time travel books have a tendency to get messy and often complicated.  In general, I enjoyed Paris Adrift.  The story was engaging and I liked Hallie as the main protagonist.  I did; however, find fault with a few aspects.  Some reviewers argue that the pacing was off.  I did not have to slog through, per se, but I will agree that I wold have liked to see the writing tightened a bit for general aesthetic. The whole purpose for the mission is revealed and wrapped up far too quickly. 

Overall, the general characterization could have been polished, giving more depth to some of the secondary characters and I wanted significantly more world-building for the futuristic premise.  I do not believe that readers need to constant hand holding for science fiction; however, there are a significant amount of undefined terms which need better definitions to round out the reader's experience.

Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: The Rogue Queen by Emily R. King

*Thank you to Netgalley & Skyscape for an ARC in exchange for a review*

Publisher's Summary:
Despite the odds, Kalinda has survived it all: Marriage to a tyrant. Tournaments to the death. The forbidden power to rule fire. The icy touch of a demon.

That same demon now disguises itself as Rajah Tarek, Kalinda’s late husband and a man who has never stopped haunting her. Upon taking control of the palace and the army, the demon brands Kalinda and her companions as traitors to the empire. They flee across the sea, seeking haven in the Southern Isles.

In Lestari, Kalinda’s powers are not condemned, as they are in her land. Now free to use them to protect those she loves, Kalinda soon realizes that the demon has tainted her with a cold poison, rendering her fire uncontrollable. But the lack of control may be just what she needs to send the demon back to the darkest depths of the Void.

To take back the empire, Kalinda will ally with those she distrusts—and risk losing those most loyal to her—to defeat the demon and bring peace to a divided nation.

Thoughts:
The Rogue Queen is an action packed adventure full of peril, uncertainty, betrayals and heartbreak. The novel is another strong addition to the series. King excels at world-building of a fantasy realm with loosely inspired ties to Sumerian and Indian cultures. Kalinda is an admirable female protagonist and readers connect with her readily on her journey for her strength and vulnerability.  She is quickly learning that sometimes to right choices are the hardest ones.  

King continues to alternate voices by assigning chapters and the parallel story to Deven.  He does his fair share of soul searching throughout the book and fans of his and Kali's romance must weather the storm of their relationship once again.  Fair warning, have tissues handy near the end.  Here's hoping that fairer skies might be on the horizon for these two after more BIG challenges must be faced in book 4, The Warrior Queen, due out in August 2018.

The narrative benefits from its host of well developed secondary characters as well as a really great villain with clear world domination goals and good dialogue with some YA books often lack.

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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Also recommended...

Publisher's Summary:
As an orphan ward of the Sisterhood, eighteen-year-old Kalinda is destined for nothing more than a life of seclusion and prayer. Plagued by fevers, she’s an unlikely candidate for even a servant’s position, let alone a courtesan or wife. Her sole dream is to continue living in peace in the Sisterhood’s mountain temple.

But a visit from the tyrant Rajah Tarek disrupts Kalinda’s life. Within hours, she is ripped from the comfort of her home, set on a desert trek, and ordered to fight for her place among the rajah’s ninety-nine wives and numerous courtesans. Her only solace comes in the company of her guard, the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik.

Faced with the danger of a tournament to the death—and her growing affection for Deven—Kalinda has only one hope for escape, and it lies in an arcane, forbidden power buried within her. 

Thoughts:
This first book of Kalinda's journey had me spellbound from beginning to end.  She begins naive and rather fragile but blossoms to embrace newly discovered abilities all to save herself, her best friend and her newfound love. 

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Publisher's Summary:
Though the tyrant rajah she was forced to marry is dead, Kalinda’s troubles are far from over. A warlord has invaded the imperial city, and now she’s in exile. But she isn’t alone. Kalinda has the allegiance of Captain Deven Naik, her guard and beloved, imprisoned for treason and stripped of command. With the empire at war, their best hope is to find Prince Ashwin, the rajah’s son, who has promised Deven’s freedom on one condition: that Kalinda will fight and defeat three formidable opponents.

But as Kalinda’s tournament strengths are once again challenged, so too is her relationship with Deven. While Deven fears her powers, Ashwin reveres them—as well as the courageous woman who wields them. Kalinda comes to regard Ashwin as the only man who can repair a warring world and finds herself torn between her allegiance to Deven and a newly found respect for the young prince.

With both the responsibility to protect her people and the fate of those she loves weighing heavily upon her, Kalinda is forced again to compete. She must test the limits of her fire powers and her hard-won wisdom. But will that be enough to unite the empire without sacrificing all she holds dear? 

Thoughts:
Kalinda's journey is far from over despite the death of her tyrant husband.  While her powers seem to grow, she learns even more secrets about her ancestry, finds new allies and must participate in another trial to secure her freedom and those she holds most dear.  Well written with an intricate, fast paced plot and good characterization. I did like the addition of Deven's POV in alternate chapters to add depth to the story.

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars