For Review
13 October 2018
Stacking the Shelves (82)
9 October 2018
Top Ten Tuesday: Longest Books I've Ever Read
Review: When the Devil Drives by L.J. Hayward
When the Devil Drives (Death and the Devil, #1.6)by L.J. Hayward
Self-published
LGBT, romance, thriller
Work-life balance for a spy may be an oxymoron, but Jack Reardon likes a good challenge. And he's almost bested this one. He's settled into his Meta-State promotion as a field leader and into his new team with a second he can trust. Shop in order, he can take a day or two off when Ethan blows into town, their bargain finally starting to paying off.
Assassin Ethan Blade has few pleasures in his life - a decent cup of tea, a job well done, racing his fleet of supercars, and Jack. With plans to combine the last two into one thrilling weekend, Ethan's attempt at having a normal, happy life may deliver everything he's ever desired - or backfire spectacularly.
Jack and Ethan made a bargain, but the deal is thrown into jeopardy when the expectations and identities of the dealmakers shift - stoking the fires of doubt and jealously. Not to mention a contract killer out for revenge and an illness that threatens to reveal closely guarded secrets. Rewards are on the table for both men, maybe bigger than they even realize, if only they can renegotiate - and survive.
When the Devil Drives has two novellas; the titular one and another called At Death's Door. I have come to love Hayward's word play with the titles and their double meanings, and it just adds to the story. Mainly I wonder, how do these novellas get better and better? I need more, but mostly I just need the next full novel. I can never get enough of Jack and Ethan, and their complicated relationship.
When the Devil Drives was fun all the way around - Ethan invited Jack to join him to a trip to Gold Coast, where he's going to race one of his supercar. There's fast cars, racing, and so much adrenaline it's almost unbelievable. As a lover of fast cars and racing, I truly loved the novella! There's also plenty of Jack contemplating their relationship and how well they actually know each other, when he comes face to face with people who are very familiar with one side of Ethan.
At Death's Door has entirely different tone to it; Jack gets a bad case of flu and he's mostly delirious with fever - and of course Ethan comes for a visit then. There's a lot more about Jack's past, when he has fever dreams and memories that explain a lot where his problems with intimacy comes from. This aspect of the story got me so hyped up for the next full novel; I hope we'll get more glimpses of Jack's past and actually have him acknowledge his problems.
Definitely recommend to pick When the Devil Drives and the other novellas: they are essential for the story. More than that, pick up Where the Death Meets the Devil if you haven't already.
5 of 5 stars
8 October 2018
ARC Review: Love at First Hate by J.L. Merrow
Love at First Hate (Porthkennack, #11)by J.L. Merrow
Published by Riptide Publishing
eARC
LGBT, contemporary, romance
First impressions can doom second chances.
Bran Roscarrock has been living in the closet all his life. As heir to an expansive family legacy in the town of Porthkennack, old-fashioned ideals of respectability and duty were drummed into him since childhood, and he's never dared to live - or love - openly.
Sam Ferreira, and old friend of Bran's brother, Jory, is a disgraced academic desperate to leave his dead-end job. When Jory asks him to take over as curator of a planned exhibition on Edward of Woodstock, the fourteenth-century Black Prince, Sam leaps at the chance to do what he loves and make a fresh start.
But Bran's funding the exhibition, and though sparks fly between the two men, they're not all happy ones. Bran idolises Prince Edwards as a hero, while Sam's determined to present a balanced picture. With neither of them prepared to give ground, a hundred years of war seems all too possible. And if Bran finds out about Sam's past, his future may not be bright, and their budding romance may be lost to history.
I had mixed feelings about Love at First Hate ever since I read the synopsis for the first time: Bran Roscarrock has been secondary character in Merrow's previous installments in this series, and neither book has painted Bran in a good light. Bran's been described as stuck up traditionalist, who didn't accept his nephew, who came looking for his mother, and judged his brother's choices every chance he got. He wasn't a character I particularly liked. However, I was intrigued by the synopsis and I have enjoyed every book by Merrow I've read, so I decided to give this one a chance. And I'm extremely glad that I did so.
Love at First Hate turns the tables and challenges reader to change mind about Bran; the story has flashbacks, which will explain a lot of Bran's actions and feelings, and it goes in depth with Bran's character and the inner struggle he goes through. In fact, I felt for Bran and I began to like him, even more than any other characters in this series. Bran's not perfect and in a sense he's duty bound to the idea of what is expected from him as a heir to large estate. But he's long way from being heartless; he loves his nephew, Gawen, and has tried from his best to be there for Gawen when Gawen's father Jory lived in Edinburgh for years. Bran wants to do better and be better, which makes him likable character as he doesn't deny his past wrongdoings. Bran's definitely the best part of the story and his redemption arc is beautiful thing to read about. Other characters, mainly the other main character Sam Ferreira, are interesting but just didn't stood a chance with Bran's presence. I did enjoy Sam's chapters, especially to see him interact with Jory and Mal, and to follow him to built his life after a scandal that caused him to loose his academic career.
Easiest way to summarize the significance of proper and deep character and story development that Love at First Hate has, is that the main character's don't meet each other until around third way in the story. And when Sam and Bran meet, sparks fly and chemistry is palpable - their arguments make their blood boil, but they still respect each other even if they don't agree with other's arguments. It's wonderful to read about, especially to see the change and how they manage to win each other over.
I do recommend Love at First Hate. I dare to say it's best of Merrow's Porthkennack stories.
4 of 5 stars
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Thank you, Riptide Publishing, for giving me a chance to read and review Love at First Hate!
(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)
1 October 2018
Wrapping the Month: September
What's greater way to start new month than taking a look at previous one?
September continued with me being incredibly busy, barely writing reviews and reading five books. University was the main reason, it seems that the fourth year might be the one to kill me - expectations are high, dissertation takes up a lot of time, and there's just so much to do in every class. I also picked up extra shifts at work in the beginning of the month so I haven't had much free time, which shows at how inactive I have been here. Still, I read when I have time and I try to blog as well, especially since reviews keep piling up - and I want to write them! There's also a huge pile of books I want to read as soon as possible, I've been especially keen to read high fantasy lately.
Working at a bookstore is bound to make your book hauls big, let me tell you. I have to restrain myself so much, because otherwise I'll spend my paycheck for books. I also got two ebooks, one of them about pirates because yes, I'm still obsessed with pirates.
September's reviews:
I'm happy with five books I read, especially since I was so busy. I'm also almost done with another and DNF'd one, so I read more than the five I finished. Anyway, here we go;
I anticipate that I'm only getting busier as the year goes on - uni won't get any easier with assignments looming around and everything else, including work. However, there's still so many exciting books on my TBR which I'll want to talk about. I'm not going anywhere, just going to be a little bit more irregular with posts and such.
Henna
25 September 2018
Top Ten Tuesday: Books By My Favourite Authors That I Still Haven't Read
Review: Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Vicious (Villains, #1)by V.E. Schwab
Published by Titan Books
Fantasy, sci-fi
Victor and Eli started out as college roommates - brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same ambition in each other. A shared interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.
Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl with a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find - aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the arch-nemeses have set a course for revenge - but who will be left alive at the end?
I read Vicious for the first time two years ago, and I have been meaning to write a review ever since, but I can never find the words. After a re-read, I still don't have the right words to describe the utter awe and love that I have for Vicious. Vicious is an embodiment of everything I have ever wanted from a story; antiheroes, villains, betrayal, and revenge. Villains and antiheroes have always intrigued me and more often than not, I root for them in books and movies. More than that, I find the line between villains and heroes, and what makes a person one of either, absolutely fascinating. Vicious tackles all of that and Schwab delivers magnificent story with so many favourite quotes of mine. Needless to say that Vicious has been one of my all time favourite books for years - and a re-read only solidified more.
I could wax poetry for hours about Vicious. It's so insightful and deep, but there's plenty of action and mystery to make it captivating and a ultimate page turner. The structure is perfect for the story, the multiple timelines are woven together so seamlessly that the story flows oh so beautifully. It's brilliant. Even more so are the characters. In Victor Vale's words, there are no good men here - and it can be applied to the female characters, too. No one's innocent and that's what makes it all interesting. It's fascinating to be inside the heads of people who aren't good but not necessarily bad either (well, not all of them, I maintain that Eli and Serena are worst). Victor Vale is my favourite and I will never stop rooting for him. Mitch and Dol are precious and should be protected at all cost. Nevertheless, Schwab's magic here is that she makes a reader to understand everyone's motives and perspective; I did understand everyone, even if I didn't like them.
I cannot recommend Vicious enough. Read it!
5 of 5 stars
20 September 2018
Release Day Blitz + Giveaway: The Heights by Amy Aislin
The Heightsby Amy Aislin
Self-published
Release day: September 20th, 2018
Length: 320 pages
LGBT, contemporary, romance
Twenty-one
years ago, a four-year old child was kidnapped from his front yard. He was
never found. Until now.
All Nat Walker wants is to make his late
father’s dream of running a father/son woodworking shop come true. And he had
the perfect building in mind—until the new guy in town came in and bought the
place right out from under him. The fact that the new guy is adorable means
nothing. For all Nat cares, he can take his new dance studio and waltz back to
New York City.
Professional dancer Quinn Carroll couldn’t
be happier that he made the move to the small town of Lakeshore, Oregon. Sure,
it’s not New York, but now he’ll be living closer to his adoptive brother. And
since his studio will be the only one in the area, he should get enough
business to keep him busy. Besides, there’s something about this place that
seems familiar...
He doesn’t expect to fall hard for the
local, grumpy woodworker who won’t even smile at him.
Or find out that his entire life is a lie.
Get your copy
Kobo
Teaser:
“You’re not
choking to death, are you?”
Nat’s eyebrows
pulled together and he pushed away his empty bowl. “Do I look like I’m choking
to death?”
“Kind of.”
Quinn placed the last of his ice cream on his cookie and finished it off.
“Also, do you know that you have a habit of answering a question with a
question?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.”
From the top
of the jungle gym, Jeremy waved at them frantically. “Hi, Uncle Nat!”
Nat smiled,
dimples in full view, and waved back.
Quinn melted. God, that smile was killer.
Soft and sincere and full of love for this little person who wasn’t even his
own. It was the first time Quinn had seen it. One day he’d get Nat to smile at him that way.
About the author
Amy started writing on a rainy day in
fourth grade when her class was forced to stay inside for recess. Tales of
adventures with her classmates quickly morphed into tales of adventures with
the characters in her head. Based in the suburbs of Toronto, Amy is a
marketer/fundraiser at a large environmental non-profit in Toronto by day, and
a writer by night. Book enthusiast, animal lover and (very) amateur
photographer, her interests are many and varied, including travelling,
astronomy, ecology, and baking. She binge watches too much anime, and loves
musical theater, Julie Andrews, the Backstreet Boys, and her hometown of
Oakville, Ontario.
Giveaway
18 September 2018
Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Autumn 2018 TBR
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