Review: Fast Women

Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was a fun and fast read. I did get a little confused by all the characters and the back story and the mystery plot. But it was a good book and held my interest.

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Review: Maybe This Time

Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The story was funny and kookie. Good fun read.

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Review: Blood Song

Blood Song by Anthony Ryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is fantastic. Not what I typically read, but the narrator's voice was excellent. There were some part that were confusing because I was listening to it and maybe not paying as much attention to names, in which there are many. This author is rather fond of a huge cast of characters. But I will go back and read. I love Vaelin Al Sorna, he is an extraordinary and beautiful character. I understand why the princess and the sister love him.

This book is almost entirely comprised of male characters and lots of violence, but it is so worth it!

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Review: Queen of Fire

Queen of Fire by Anthony Ryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was good and I liked different voices. It was expansive and had so much going on. The depth of the history of this world was amazing. The ending was okay, it was just an ending and I didn't want it to end. I didn't feel like Vaelin had a great emotional depth and his grief wasn't as profound or touching as I thought it would be but possibly he is just so closed off. He is the ultimate mans-man. Again, I love Richard Brand's voice and he IS Vaelin Al Sorna.

And it didn't end on a very high note or even a note of good things to come for these people, they were so battered and bruised from the war, so I didn't see a lot of hope even at the end.

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Review: Tower Lord

Tower Lord by Anthony Ryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Again, I listened to the audio of this book and I LOVE Richard Brand's voice. And I really enjoyed the varied POV and expansion of the world. My heart hurt for Vaelin after he left Sharon and basically gave up himself. Then he meets someone else, it was very action packed and the characters were awesome. The world that Anthony Ryan builds is so intricate and deep that it seems so real. My only complaint is the amount of characters and the names, while I like them, it make it very hard to keep them straight. I had to just let it go. I will most likely read this series again and possibly reading it rather than listening to it would help, but Richard Brand's voice will be in my head.

Love Vaelin and Frentis!

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Review: My Cousin Rachel

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was really a cautionary tale and the naivety of Phillip was hard to identify with. Despite Rachel's sweet nature there was enough inconsistency of emotion that I always suspected her guilt. I was furious with Phillip for most of the book at how stupid he was even with all the red flags. But I was very satisfied with the ending. It is typical of her other work and very good.

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Review: Jamaica Inn

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great suspense and interesting story. I did figure it out but it was still good.

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Review: Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wasn't sure what to expect for this. Fantasy books aren't ones that I typically read, but I have in the past and I have liked them. So I started this one off and although there were some awkward sentences, I loved the book. For instance, a few too many exclamation points for Celaena character. But as the story grew and expanded, I loved every minute of it. I loved Dorian and Choal. The dialog was very good, the witty comeback and everything. It wrapped it's warm assassin cloak around me and wouldn't let go.

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Review: The Winner's Kiss

The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book redeemed the series after the Winner's Crime. I was so disgusted with Kestral in the last book. And so heartbroken for Arin. I loved the character of Roshar, the Eastern prince, and his wit and lines brought such levity to the book. Arin is still wonderful and fierce and romantic. And I was pleased with the storyline for Kestral and felt the rebuilding of her was so necessary. A great book and finale to end this series. The war and fighting scenes were heart pounding and very detailed!

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Review: The Winner's Crime

The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was infuriating simple because of Kestral's character. I hated all the lies and the tremendous hurt she inflicted on Arin. Time and Time again. I just couldn't understand it. She was so smart but yet just like Arin when her feelings got mixed up in her decision she made horrible ones. The story was good and progressed well but it was so hard and heartbreaking to read, I didn't want to continue. But I did. I had to find out if Arin got his happiness and if Kestral stopped all the lying. So I do recommend it but beware of the hard parts are many.

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Review: The Winner's Curse

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was again swept up in the YA book that took a different turn as well because it was set more in the past but with different players. The author says she took much from the Roman Empire's expansion for this and the slaves and the research and storytelling was amazing. I really enjoyed it and the characters. I liked Kestrals character immensely and also Arin and how their growing friendship became so important to her. It was a great story. I can't wait to read the next.

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Review: A Torch Against the Night

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a great 2nd book. Sabaa Tahir introduced some new voices and it added to the story so we could know what was transpiring on the other side. I should have known that the story wasn't over since no one writes only 2 books now. But I was saddened by the fate of a character hoping that the character won't be gone. I can't wait to see where she takes it! Very exciting.

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Review: An Ember in the Ashes

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such a good book. I really loved the characters and the story. It was very different and compelling read. I liked the intriguing story of the subjected people and the growing rebellion. The point of views of both main characters was very good and held my attention. I want to read the next book!

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Review: Red Queen Collection: Red Queen, Glass Sword, Queen Song, Steel Scars

Red Queen Collection: Red Queen, Glass Sword, Queen Song, Steel Scars by Victoria Aveyard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I started reading the two novellas: Queen Song and Steel Scars at first. Queen Song drug me in this world of Red and Silver blood. I couldn't stop reading and finished the whole five books in less than a week. The characters are enthralling, and the story is so good. I know there are other books out there that give the characters powers, but that takes nothing away from this book. It is wholly alone in its gripping story and development. My only irritation is that there is another book that has yet to be published. So I have to wait for the finale! I can't wait. But I'll have to. It was an amazing adventure and the I loved all the characters. It was equally sweet, adventure, and heartbreaking. I highly recommend.

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It started with a memory....

of a book, well, actually a scene of a noble girl in a garden bumping into a prince or some other royalty. I remember reading it, and I didn't recall more than that and what the story was.  Which isn't common for me, as I can recall so many of the books I've read.

So I scoured mGoodreadsds, Amazon, and Kindle for clues and history about a book I may have read.  After much searching, I found Queen Song by Victoria Aveyard. I'd read it back in September of 2016, and I don't know why I didn't continue, but I began again. And I recalled the story of Lady Corianne and the Prince of Calore.  And the meeting in the garden after she escapes from Elara.

That began the sweeping obsession I had while reading The Red Queen after finishing the other novella, Steel Scars.  (Cruel Crown has both novellas in one book.)

This started Friday, and I have not slept a whole night or ate properly since because just like Mavin is consumed with Mare, I was consumed with this series.

I highly recommend all 5 books, but be prepared that the last book, which I just finished King's Cage isn't the end.  It was crushing, and I will have to wait. Because obviously, I can't.

This isn't my official review, but run out and read these books.

Review: The Other Einstein

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very interesting story that I wasn't sure that I would like at first. It is a novel about the first wife of Albert Einstein. I listened to the audiobook and I love the narrator as she is a favorite character of mine off of The Blacklist. So she did a fabulous job bringing the story to life. It was a interesting story about a women who overcame so much but was thwarted by the man that she loved in a time when that was very common.

There were heartbreaking moments and I felt the story gave a picture of the woman and man that I knew little about except for the E=mc2. The characters were well developed and it was easy to follow. I recommend it as a great women's fiction book or a historical fiction book.

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Review: The Castaways

The Castaways by Jessika Fleck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great story

This is such a good story for teens about the horrible realities of bullying and the power of family and facing your fears. The characters grew and developed well. Very exciting story with action, love, hope, and fantasy.

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Review: Defending Jacob

Defending Jacob by William Landay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this for a new book club I am in and it isn't one that I would normally pick up for myself. It is dealing somewhat with criminal law which I am very interested in and it held my attention throughout. I listened to the audiobook of it and I thought the narrator did a good job.

The father, Andy, was a very frustrating character to me but only because he is so entirely different and handled himself and the situation so opposite of the way I would have. I was astounded by the length he went and the delusion he maintained. I figured out what might happened towards the end but not all of it and it was still very intriguing. I have lots to say in my book club and I would consider reading more from William Landay.

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Great Coffee!

Up until a few days ago, I would brew up some Folgers or Maxwell House in my Keurig (my fav Christmas present) and then dump almost 4 tsp of sugar, and a healthy pour of Hazelnut flavored non-dairy creamer. And it was delicious, but all that sugar isn't helping my waistline, and neither is my love of food for that matter, but I thought there might be a better way.  I considered learning to like the taste of bitter coffee just like I learned to enjoy the taste of drip coffee over 4 years ago when I stopped working and knew I couldn't afford Starbucks regularly anymore.

Then I was invited to a local coffee shop, Gather to talk with a group of great women, and it was there that I ordered the house coffee.  The service was eh, but it was a relatively new place, and I suffered the wait, but then when my coffee came, we were moving tables, and so I scrambled to pour in the half and half provided and only grabbed 2 packets of sugar.  I figured I could get up and get more in a few minutes.  I doctored it up and took a drink and was shocked at how much I loved it, just like that.  And it was a lot more than my normal 10 oz for a cup of coffee, it had to have been almost 15 oz because of the large cup size.  But that would normally mean I would have to add even more than 4 tsp of sugar to get the right taste.  But not this time.

I left there that night thinking maybe there was an alternative to drinking bitter coffee for the rest of my days or shoveling sugar into my java.

So I made a call to the coffee shop a few days later and then made a trip to buy a small package of freshly ground coffee that had no preservatives (oil) for about $15 (yikes).  But I thought if it meant I would have better tasting coffee without all the extra sugar, then it would be worth it.

And now I am on my fourth day of drinking this heavenly sent coffee that I barely need 1 tsp sugar and a dash of creamer.  I just even tried it with just the creamer and it tasted wonderful. I am a changed woman (hopefully my waistline will change as well, but miracles don't happen everyday!).

For those coffee lovers in the area (Ft. Worth), it is locally roasted.  And you can buy online as well, I am drinking La Pastoria, and the link to buy:   http://www.avocacoffee.com/shop/la-pastoria/

Spring Sale of The Swallow!

Not sure if you have sunny weather and spring blooms where you are, but here in Texas the Bluebonnets are out.  I wanted to showcase those gorgeous spring flowers while promoting the Spring Sale of The Swallow.

2017 Reader Views Literary Award Winner in the Romance category

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