ARC Review: Tin Man by Lisa Henry & Heidi Belleau

Tin Man (Bliss, #1.5)
by Lisa Henry & Heidi Belleau
Published by Riptide Publishing
e-ARC (received via Netgalley)
Adult, LGBT, dystopia, sci-fi

Petty thief Ashoka “Ace” King knows better than to get in the way of Tophet’s Anti-Terrorist Unit. Rightfully feared in Tophet’s crime-ridden underbelly, a face-to-face encounter with an ATU is almost certainly a death sentence. But Ace has never been one to follow the rules.

Soren Lau might be an ATU rookie, but he’s not naive enough to believe everything his superiors tell him. Then again, he’s not stupid enough to disobey them, either. If he doesn’t shoot and kill as ordered, he might be next on their list.

But when Soren meets Ace, a moment’s hesitation is all it takes to put both their lives on the line. They don’t know each other, they don’t trust each other, and there’s no way in hell they can both walk away from this alive. But with suspicion and mortal danger mounting against both of them—and the forbidden attraction blazing between them—there’s nothing they can do but try.

Tin Man can be read as a standalone, but it compliments beautifully Bliss as it's set in the other side of the tracks than the full length story.

Tin Man is edgy. The world, the city of Tophet, is grim and dark, and it seems there's little to no hope for the better. However, the characters, especially Ace and Soren, makes what they believe is best for them out of the situation. I really liked the contrast between the characters: Ace as a thief, living on shadows and on the edge of society, whilst Soren was a rookie for Anti-Terrorist Unit (mix of police and military), hunting down criminals. Ace and Sore are very intriguing characters and I feel like there could have been a bit more development and more detailed descriptions if the story wasn't as short as it is (a bit over hundred pages).

The plot was good for the length of the story but it had potential to be longer, especially since that would have made the story even better; more detailed, more development, and probably give a bit more closure at the ending. The ending came too soon, in my opinion, but it was left hopeful and a bit open, which fit the story well enough.

Overall, it was a very good complimentary novella. I'd just wish it was a full length novel, which would have made it even better.

4 of 5 stars

Add on Goodreads.

Thank you, Riptide Publishing, for giving me a chance to read and review Tin Man!

(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)

GenreCRAVE Mega Giveaway Party

Welcome to the Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Dystopian Reader Appreciation Giveaway!

We’re so glad you stopped by! In this giveaway, EVERYONE who enters will win TWENTY FREE – EXCLUSIVE – ebooks by the sponsoring authors (to be delivered at the conclusion of the giveaway), and one GRAND PRIZE winner will also receive a $1000 Amazon Gift Card! The Winner will be announced on February 1st at our Facebook Event. The winner will also receive an email directly.

There will ALSO be other prizes and giveaways happening at that event between now and our Grand Prize announcement! So make sure you mark yourself as attending so you don’t miss those great opportunities to win more prizes and snag more freebies!

VIEW BOOKS FROM THE SPONSORS HERE!

—

Here are a couple of sneak peeks!

ETERNAL NIGHT, by Jade Kerrion

Ashra’s hand trailed across Jaden’s muscled torso. He made it easy for her to be gentle. His body trembled as if he longed for her. His mouth was hungry for her kiss. He arched up against her, as if craving more. His need was like a living creature, wild and aching for her touch.

Eyes closed, Ashra shivered. Only one other person had desired her as much.

And he was dead.

She forced her way through the memories of pale bodies tangled upon cool silk sheets. When her soul-sucking power leeched out, it found no opposition. Images of the human’s life rewound in a blaze of vivid sights, sounds, and sensations.

Ashra looked up at Tera, her smile little more than a barely perceptible curve of her lips. “He fancies himself the protector of the child of prophecy. Was she among those taken tonight?”

Tera nodded.

Ashra chuckled, the sound without humor. “It’s a pity her genetic heritage wasn’t sufficiently superior to prevent her from being culled.”

“There’s more. Go deep.”

She pushed past the blackness at the start of his memories, expecting deeper darkness. Instead, the colors shifted into shades of ochre and gray. Memories, older than his body, resided in his soul; memories of an Earth long since lost to them—a planet surrounded and nourished by water; images of tall buildings glistening beneath a benevolent sun, and of thriving cities filled with the bustle of humans; memories of quiet and intimate conversations beneath a silver moon, the same silver moon that now graced Malum Turris with its light, though a thousand years older and viewed only from beneath the protection of the dome.

She saw herself as he must have seen her, a much-younger icrathari, still hopeful for the future, never realizing that the Earth they had all known and loved was irretrievably lost. Had she ever looked that vulnerable? Had her smile ever been so beautiful, so filled with love as she looked upon—

“Rohkeus?” Oh, blessed Creator, was that stricken whisper her voice?

Ashra pulled back and stared at the human. Her mouth dropped open. Her heart pounded in her chest, its beat erratic. It couldn’t be. It simply couldn’t be—

She looked up at Tera. The other icrathari nodded.

Rohkeus’s soul reborn…in a human.

Ashra threw her head back and laughed, a despairing sound. Her prince, her love, reduced to a human? Her slender fingers coiled into fists. Her golden eyes glittering, she pushed away from him, though her body trembled from the loss of his warmth. No, the human was not Rohkeus; he could never be Rohkeus.

Steeling herself against the gasp of pain that escaped from his lips as the anesthetizing effect of her kiss faded, Ashra rose to her feet with sinuous grace. “He is not one of us. Not anymore.” Nothing had been more devastating than losing Rohkeus to a human assassin. To see his soul reborn in that contemptible and weak race was an insult to the person Rohkeus had been.

“Should we turn him into a vampire?” Tera asked.

“Kill him. Set Rohkeus’s soul free.”

—

A Cross to Bear: A Gabriella Cross Paranormal Romance Book 1

All around her, the sounds of baying wolves echoed in the night. Trees slapped her face as she ran, and she tripped more than once. She was crying now and mumbling to herself, terrified. She dared not look back, knowing that the wolves were pursuing her. She came out of the woods into a clearing leading to a tall hill. The howls came from all directions. Shadows flew through the woods in her peripheral vision, and Gabby cried out. She fell again, skinning her knee badly on a jagged rock. In her terrified state, she felt no pain, but continued as fast as she could and ran up the hill.

A snarl came from directly behind her, and she instinctively turned and cried out. A wolf was bearing down on her fast. She turned and raised a hand as the beast leapt at her with gleaming claws leading the way.

“NO!” Gabby cried.

To her amazement, the wolf changed form in mid-flight and turned into a naked man. He landed at her feet on all fours and snarled at her.

“Get away from me!” she screamed.

The naked man backed away from her warily, glancing down at his human hands with a look of confusion and shock. More wolves were coming out of the woods. They stopped when they saw the one who had turned into a human in the light of the full moon.

Gabby wasted no time considering her luck and ran as fast as she could up the hill.

“Gabriella Cross, stop!” Michael’s voice rose up over the howls.

Gabby could hardly see through her tears. She didn’t dare look back, knowing that she would find death closing in on her. She reached the top of the hill and ran across the flat expanse of rocky earth.

“Gabriella!” came the voice again.

The wolves were gaining on her.

She darted between two pines blocking her way, receiving many scrapes on her face and arms. Half blinded by tears and slapping branches, she stumbled out from between the trees and suddenly came to a steep cliff. She tried to stop, but her momentum was too great. With a terrified cry she fell forward over the cliff.

She frantically thrashed her arms as she fell to her death. Above, on the ledge, a mournful wolf cried out. The ground was coming up fast to crush her, and Gabby closed her eyes, not wanting to see her death.

Then. Suddenly. Gabriella was weightless.

Strong arms held her firmly. She opened her eyes to find a winged beast staring back at her.

Gabby passed out.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE!

Wrapping the Month: November

What's greater way to start new month than taking a look at previous one?

It seems nothing goes like I plan it. Don't get me wrong, I had a good reading streak and I read total of eight books in November, which is great! But I'm disappointed in myself when it comes to blogging. Essays took their own time as well as exam preparations but what really took a lot of time, was that my internet crashed and I was without it for five days or so. Doesn't sound much but after that I had a lot of studying to do to catch up the days I couldn't do so - which is why I didn't have time or energy to blog pretty much anything. However, I have already planned some posts for December and even few for January, so let's hope that I can keep up with my plans. University shouldn't take much of my time in these months but we'll see what life throws on my way.

I got nice amount of books - especially since I got three ebooks besides of these physical ones. Isn't Fantastic Beasts gorgeous? It must be the most gorgeous book published this year.

November's reviews:

Daring Fate (4 stars)

Mad About the Hatter (3 stars)

I'm delighted of how many books I managed to read in November, especially since it was the month filled with essays and exam preparations. I've been on a M/M streak for a while now, mostly because it takes of my mind from the uni stress so nicely. Anyway, here's what I read in November:

 

I've seven books to read in December in order to reach my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal. It should be manageable as I only have three exams in December. However, I'll go back to Finland for Christmas so that might take some time off from reading - or then I'll read even more because of all the travelling. In either way, I really hope I can manage to read seven books at least.

Hugs,

Henna

(I got inspiration from Saruuh @ Syntax Reviews to display the covers of books I read instead of listing them. So all the credit for her for inspiring me.

ARC Review: Mad About the Hatter by Dakota Chase

Mad About the Hatter

by Dakota Chase

Published by Harmony Ink Press

e-ARC (from publisher via Netgalley)

LGBT, YA, retelling, fantasy, romance

This isn’t his sister’s Wonderland….

Henry never believed his older sister, Alice’s, fantastic tales about the world down the rabbit hole. When he’s whisked away to the bizarre land, his best chance for escape is to ally himself with the person called the Mad Hatter. Hatter—an odd but strangely attractive fellow—just wants to avoid execution. If that means delivering “Boy Alice” to the Queen of Hearts at her Red Castle, Hatter will do what he has to do to stay alive. It doesn’t matter if Henry and Hatter find each other intolerable. They’re stuck with each other.

Along their journey, Henry and Hatter must confront what they’ve always accepted as truth. As dislike grows into tolerance and something like friendship, the young men see the chance for a closer relationship. But Wonderland is a dangerous place, and first they have to get away with their lives.

I was super excited about Mad About the Hatter because of the idea that it would be Alice's brother Henry going to the Wonderland, and of course, about the possibility of romance between Henry and Hatter. While the writing was good, the story itself fell a little flat. I felt like it focused on all the wrong things, and that's why I couldn't connect with the story as much as I wanted. It's more like a description of all the madness in Wonderland rather than romance between Henry and Hatter, or even any sort of self-discovery journey. It was more like a walk through Wonderland where so much stuff happened that it became predictable and boring. The best part of the book was when they were actually in England; that was the part I enjoyed the most. Otherwise, I feel like the title should be 'Mad About the Wonderland' because that's what the story focused on.

The focus on scenery and the madness in Wonderland left a little place for actual character development. Or even a character study in the first place. There was always something happening or somewhere to go, which meant that the story didn't take a breather and focus on the characters even a bit. I like character driven stories, and while I don't mind action at all, I mind quite a bit when there seems to be all the action and no character development. That's why I felt a little distanced from the story, and I never became too invested on the characters fates. The story was okay, but it wasted the huge potential it had.

I can recommend this to those who want to read pages after pages of description of everything that goes on in the Wonderland, and who don't mind the romance - or the characters - being side tracked by that. But if you want passionate romance, then this might not be for you.

3 of 5 stars.

Add on Goodreads.

Thank you, Harmony Ink Press, for giving me a chance to read and review Mad About the Hatter!

(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)

Stacking the Shelves (50)

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, and is all about sharing the book you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Purchased

Free

Gifts

Top Ten Tuesday: All Time Favourite Movies

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week participating bloggers can create lists of topic given by the host, and share them with others!

In no particular order, here's my all time favourite movies:

Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback is probably the only movie that manages to make me cry, no matter how many times I've seen the movie (or read the short story). It's a beautiful, heartbreaking story, and the actors were spot on. Absolutely beautiful, and definitely my favourite.

The Maze Runner

I loved the book but I was a bit nervous with the movie adaptation, mostly because there has been so many mediocre book-to-movie adaptations lately. However, Maze Runner was brilliant! Different from the book, yes, but it worked so well. I loved Dylan O'Brien before and this just shows how brilliant actor he is. The rest of the cast were spot on, too.

Gladiator

I'm sucker for historical movies, especially those about ancient Greek and/or Rome. Gladiator is brilliant in many way but mostly I love the storyline and the actors.

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

The 2005 movie is the one for me - I have tried some other adaptations but this is the one for me, especially since I loved Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen as Elizabeth and Darcy. The movie is atmospheric, and the scenery is so beautiful, and it just does justice for the story.

Atonement

I don't have many words for this one, it's just so full of feelings and so brilliant. Everything was a spot on, the movie does justice for the book but works beautifully without it, too.

Bang Bang You're Dead

Originally I only watched this because Randy Harrison was in it, but I fell for the whole storyline. I think this is just one of those important contemporary movies that summaries the problems and the possible horrors of school shootings.

Underworld

Paranormal action movie that I just love. I love the whole saga this far, but the first one is my favourite. I like to watch action films but I prefer them with a fantastical twist such as vampires and werewolves - and no one does that better than the Underworld movies.

Beauty and the Beast

Naturally I couldn't leave out my favourite Disney film. And the new live action movie trailer seems so awesome that I'm pretty sure I'm going to love it too!

3:10 to Yuma

My dad got me into western movies because he used to watch them so often. This one got to my list because it's full of actors I like, and I really liked the storyline.

Pirates of the Caribbean

No list of movies is ever good enough without pirates, and Pirates of the Caribbean is the one for me. I loved the original trilogy, and I can't wait for the new one because for me, it's not the same without Will Turner. Luckily he's back for the new one so I'm overly excited about it!

ARC Review: Daring Fate by Megan Erickson

Daring Fate (Silver Tip Pack, #1)
by Megan Erickson
Self-published
E-ARC
Adult, LGBT, paranormal, dystopia, romance

We all have tragic backstories in today's world.

I wake up chained to the wall of a dark cell aware of two things: I failed my sister, and I smell my enemy.

When I’m taken to meet Dare, the alpha of the Silver Tip pack, I’m sure I’m about to lose my throat. The last thing I expect is for the Alpha to recognize me as his fated mate. No way is he going to let me go now, and I still have to find a way to rescue my sister.

As I plot my escape to save her, I find that if I leave, Dare could be killed by power-hungry members of his pack. And now he’s more to me than my fated mate—my heart is involved. With time ticking by on my sister’s life, I have to make a choice I never thought I’d face—my sister’s life or my mate’s? That’s if I can survive the undead shifters intent on killing me first...

When it comes to contemporary M/M romance, I trust Megan Erickson. The stories are always full of feelings, relatable characters, steamy scenes, plot, and well, just about everything a perfect contemporary romance needs. So when it was announced that she was about to tip into paranormal romance mixed with dystopian themes, I was all for it - even if I have some problems with paranormal romance tropes.

Daring Fate was great, and even the few paranormal tropes, which I usually have problems with, didn't bother me too much (namely the mates and the alpha behaviour). There's an actual world-building, and lore that is very original for a werewolf story. The lore is quite unique with three types of werewolves; the ones who have human shape and wolf shape, the ones who have human shape, wolf shape, and hybrid shape of those two, and the undead who are stuck in the hybrid shape. And of course, the fact that in this world the humans have ceased to exist so there's only different types of werewolves left. I have to admit that I'm not huge fan of zombies of any kind, and I usually avoid anything involving them, but the Noweres (undead werewolves) were actually very fascinating.

As much as there was world-building, Daring Fate is a very character driven story. I loved Reese, and especially his devotion to his siblings, as well as his developing loyalty to Dare. Dare was a good match for Reese as he's the protector type of person, which does not come as a surprise as he's the alpha of the Silver Tip pack. Whom I loved the most, however, were Jude and Bay; the brothers of our respective main characters. Jude, brother of Reese, was just darn lovable and brave, and so cute. Bay, who's Dare's brother, is an enigma and charming character, and I really hope that the next book in this series will involve him as a main character!

As a story, Daring Fate was intense read and it kept me engaged thorough the story. The romance was very steamy and there were plenty of steamy scenes - maybe a few too many at one point before the plot and action really kicked in. The last half of the book was full of intense action, emotions and fighting scenes that just left me breathless. The fight scenes played out like in the movie Underworld, which was one of the things that inspired the book, and I really loved that as much as I love the Underworld movies.

I highly recommend Daring Fate to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance types of books - or even to anyone who wants to try one. And if you're a fan of Megan Erickson, then Daring Fate is a must for you. The only reason why I am not giving the story full five stars is because at one point I got a bit bored with the constant steamy scenes (until the plot really kicked in, and then I was in for a intense ride).

4 of 5 stars.

Add on Goodreads.

Thank you, Megan Erickson, for giving me a chance to read and review Daring Fate!

(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)

Stacking the Shelves (49)

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, and is all about sharing the book you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Purchased

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
Percy Jackson and the Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan

I got a giftcard to Amazon and naturally I had to use it immediately. I can't wait to read these, I'm especially intrigued by Prince of Thorns!

Waiting on Wednesday #41

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's cannot-wait book is:

This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston!

This Is Our Story

by Ashley Elston

Published by

Expected publication: November 15th 2016

YA, thriller, mystery, contemporary

No one knows what happened that morning at River Point. Five boys went hunting. Four came back. The boys won’t say who fired the shot that killed their friend; the evidence shows it could have been any one of them.

Kate Marino’s senior year internship at the District Attorney’s Office isn’t exactly glamorous—more like an excuse to leave school early that looks good on college applications. Then the DA hands her boss, Mr. Stone, the biggest case her small town of Belle Terre has ever seen. The River Point Boys are all anyone can talk about. Despite their damning toxicology reports the morning of the accident, the DA wants the boys’ case swept under the rug. He owes his political office to their powerful families.

Kate won’t let that happen. Digging up secrets without revealing her own is a dangerous line to walk; Kate has her own reasons for seeking justice for Grant. As she and Stone investigate—the ageing prosecutor relying on Kate to see and hear what he cannot—she realizes that nothing about the case—or the boys—is what it seems. Grant wasn’t who she thought he was, and neither is Stone’s prime suspect. As Kate gets dangerously close to the truth, it becomes clear that the early morning accident might not have been an accident at all—and if Kate doesn’t uncover the true killer, more than one life could be on the line…including her own.

I only found about this book this week but I'm already excited because the cover is stunning and it sounds like a detective story, and I love detective TV shows so I'm hoping that this will have the same kind of vibe!

Add on Goodreads.

Wrapping the Month: October

What's greater way to start new month than taking a look at previous one?

I swear, I will never work on October again. As you might have noticed, I have been pretty much offline because I got swamped with life in October. I got a temporary job and I worked almost three weeks with thirty hours a week, and on top of that I had lectures to go and three essays to prepare for. And of course, the move. I don't honestly know how I managed to work that much, deal with everything to do with the move, and study a bit. Naturally, I didn't have any energy for reading for fun or blogging. Now I'm just so happy that the move is finished and the job is over so I can focus on books, blogging, and studying.

So yeah, October was pretty dead for this blog, even more so than I anticipated earlier.

Moving is a costly thing to do, so the new Magnus Chase was the only thing I bought.

October's reviews:

Omega In The Light (4 stars)

Here we go with the few books I managed to read:

 

I'm hoping that November will be less busy for me - and it should be as I don't have work anymore and the move is done. But as the first semester is coming to an end fast, that means essays and exams next month so it'll be quite busy. However, I'm behind on my Goodreads goal so I'll try to read as much as I can so I could catch up a little bit.

Hugs,

Henna

(I got inspiration from Saruuh @ Syntax Reviews to display the covers of books I read instead of listing them. So all the credit for her for inspiring m