BSG 4 Stars, ARC, Review

Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha

Kit Rocha had me at Mercenary Librarians, for reals. Plus, they’re freaking Kit Rocha, you put on your big girl panties and settle in ‘cuz they are going to take you on a crazy ride. And oh-my-god, did they ever with Deal with the Devil. I may have screamed a bit when I saw I was approved for this Fantasy novel from Netgalley.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world with genetically engineered bad-assery, clones, yummy super soldiers and a whole slew of awesome, this was a fun book. The world building is, as always stellar and intriguing. Sucking you right in to the atmosphere of this broken dystopian world.

Deal with the Devil is exactly that, a deal between two people that the other knows they shouldn’t trust and wam bam, thank you m’am, we are off to the awesome. . .from the moment Nina comes roaring to life on the page, I found her interesting. Who she is, her beliefs, her secrets, her abilities. It was a new twist to see where Nina comes from and why she is the way she is. Her inner circle, is awesome, I loved her tribe of two.

Then you’ve got Knox, who has massive secrets of his own. You know from the get-go that he is lying to Nina, hence the title, and yet. I loved Knox, I loved the conflict within him, I loved his team of men, I loved the rebellion of these men. And I loved him with Nina.

These two were fun to watch crash into each other, I enjoyed every second of it.

If you’re looking for a well thought out, amazingly written, interestingly crafted out fantasy/dystopian/sci-fi/post-apocalyptic novel with just enough romance to whet the appetite – then grab this gem.

Did I love Deal with the Devil as much as the Beyond series, no. But I have a hardcore love for that one. Did I enjoy this with every beat of my bookish heart and can’t wait for more? Yes, hell yes. I can’t wait for book two and three. . .hopefully more!

Four Apocalyptic Stars

Thank you NetGalley for this Advanced Reader’s Copy!

. . . .

Synopsis:

Orphan Black meets the post-apocalyptic Avengers in the vein of Ilona Andrews’ Hidden Legacy series by USA Today and New York Times bestselling author duo Kit Rocha

The United States went belly up 45 years ago when our power grid was wiped out. Too few live in well-protected isolation while the rest of us scrape by on the margins. The only thing that matters is survival. By any means. At any cost.

Nina is an information broker with a mission: to bring hope to the darkest corners of Atlanta. She and her team of mercenary librarians use their knowledge to help those in need. But altruism doesn’t pay the bills—raiding vaults and collecting sensitive data is where the real money is.

Knox is a bitter, battle-weary supersoldier who leads the Silver Devils, an elite strike squad that chose to go AWOL rather than slaughter innocents. Before the Devils leave town for good, they need a biochem hacker to stabilize the experimental implants that grant their superhuman abilities.

The problem? Their hacker’s been kidnapped. And the ransom for her return is Nina. Knox has the perfect bait for a perfect trap: a lost Library of Congress server. The data could set Nina and her team up for years…

If they live that long.

Release Date, July 28th 2020

AMAZON | GOODREADS

BSG 2020, 5 Stars, Favorite, Review

A Five Minute Life by Emma Scott

Oh, be still my heart.

What a beautiful, stunning novel. Mesmerizing from the moment Jimmy and Thea lock eyes. With every reset and every conversation and every moment of music and pain and joy, this book stole my heart.

Told mostly from Jim’s point of view with just enough of Thea’s point of view, I’ve got goosebumps and tears after reading this.

Jim is one of the greatest men I’ve ever read. the sincerity and sweetness etched in this man is staggering. With every moment of his unwavering dedication to bringing Thea life, he just seals the deal to being truly wonderful. I loved Jim’s evolution as a character, from a man who’s never been loved or wanted, abused and made fun of for his stutter, this quiet completely unaware of how wonderfully good and kind and worth love he is person, to a man fighting for a woman others had given up on to find life and joy in the minutes. Swoon worthy. Truly.

Thea is a joy, an absolute unforgettable joy. I loved her character so much and it broke my heart as she wandered lost in her own mind. Her point of view was gorgeous and completely on point. These two are. . .so beautiful.

A Five Minute Life is one of the most gorgeous unforgettable stories I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I stayed up until after 2am desperate to find out if Thea would remember, would Jim follow through with his promise, would these two beautiful wonderful characters get their HEA?

I recommend this book wholeheartedly, may you find love and joy and heartbreak.

Goodreads | Amazon

BSG 2020, Review

You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle

You Deserve Each Other is a wonderful enjoyable read. With a deceptively simple premise that manages to be way more than the simplicity of a hate to love you, second chance love story.

I’ll be honest, the beginning threw me for a tiny loop, as the heroine, Naomi, was strongly dislikable for the first almost half of the novel. Initially it felt as if I was reading a thriller, with the way her thought process worked.

And then Sarah Hogle flipped the script and did it so seamlessly that I slipped into a free-fall of hilarity that had me laughing so hard I was crying. Squeeing as I felt butterflies in my stomach and feeling ALL the feels.

Naomi and Nicholas, oh how I adore these two. Once I got over my initial feelings of dislike for Naomi and my irritation with Nicholas, I greatly enjoyed their shenanigans. The beginning made me want to reach in and shake them and then with the flip of a coin, I didn’t feel like shaking them anymore.

By the by, Nicholas’ Mother is C-R-A-Z-Y. Seriously. She’s also the reason for many a funny scene.

I’m so glad I didn’t give up on this book, because once these two began to fight dirty with each other, it just evolved into the most adorably sweet novel.

I had all the feels while reading, there were moments that intertwined throughout the hilarity and the makeup of a romantic comedy, that revealed the blooming of a wonderful friendship and oh-my-gosh, I felt it in the pit of my stomach as I free-fell in the best possible way.

Adorable, delightful, hilarious, sweet. This book will make you laugh, it’ll make you cringe through the flaws of these characters and it will make you smile with happiness.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

BSG 2020, 5 Stars, Favorite, Review, Series Love

Ruthless Gods by Emily A Duncan

Emily A Duncan’s Ruthless Gods is gorgeous gothic goodness, drenched in blood, and dripping in melancholic beauty. I adored this novel from the very first sentence to that brutal heart stopping epilogue.

I don’t know if Duncan sold her soul to a deity that blessed her with her gift for writing, but wow, she has an incredible talent. Lyrical, bloody, stunning, heart-breaking, savage, all-consuming. She’s a genius world-crafter with a stunning gift for penning words.

Ruthless Gods is the follow up to Wicked Saints, which was one of my favorite books last year, so much so that I have three copies of the book. I know, excessive, whatever. I love this series. I was heartbroken over the ending for book one and the end of book two just shattered me.

The characters of this diabolical tale are stellar. Nadya, Serefin and my absolute love, Malachiasz, are everything. It is so unendingly intriguing to be pulled apart and spliced back together by the flaws and motivations of these three. Told from their points of views, with some side characters that steal the show, it’s wonderful. Purely wonderful.

This is a dark YA novel, it’s entrancing, magical, bloody, stunning, creative, wonderfully addictive awesomeness. I can’t recommend the series enough, and this beautiful gem, Ruthless Gods just upped the ante. I can’t wait to see where Duncan takes the story next, will these beautifully doomed relationships survive or will I be left on the floor weeping with the conclusion in book three. I don’t know, I’m here for it though.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read an ARC and review this beautiful novel.

FIVE GLORIOUSLY BLOODY STARS

“. . .he always made her feel like there were stars in her blood.”

BSG 2020, 5 Stars, Fantasy, Favorite, Review, SJM

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas

How do I pen a love letter to the epic awesomeness that I just read? Without a single doubt, House of Earth and Blood was my most anticipated novel of 2020. I have been waiting like an addict for her next fix. When it downloaded on my Kindle at 8pm the night before release – I freaked. Somewhere around 12 hours of reading later. . .’cuz this book is massive. . .

All that was left of me was that this book was and is EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING.

Sarah J Maas is a queen. A writing wizard. As a reader I am incredibly, tremendously proud to be a die-hard reader of hers, I am proud of her as a writer. This is her best book to date and honestly, I believe she has nowhere to go but up, up, up. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

This book, y’all. This. Book. It killed me. Gutted me. I laughed, I screamed – literally, I cried – ugly sobbing, I happy danced. When I finished this epically massive tome, I felt like I had been run over by a bus. . .but in the good way. I felt ALL the feelings and enjoyed every single moment of it.

House of Earth and Blood enthralled me from the moment it began to that epically intriguing epilogue. Stunning. Full to the brim of twists and turns, I had NO IDEA where SJ Maas was going with 90% of the story. Every revelation, every character, the relationships, the world building, everything – stuns and surprises.

I’m not going to go into the premise of the story, go read the synopsis – better yet, just go read the book. I don’t want to spoil this story on any level. I do want to talk a bit about the characters though.

Bryce. Danika. Connor. Ruhn. Hunt. ALL THE CHARACTERS.

Okay, never mind. I can’t even articulate my love for these characters. I’m overwhelmed with my love for these wonderful characters that SJM has penned onto paper and into the immortal world that is book world.

So many characters, so much happening, so much awesomeness.

If you are looking for a fantastic fantasy with a dollop of romance, friendship that will break your heart and then fix all the pieces, love that makes you sob ugly tears of utter pain and joy, world building with so much more to come, an unpredictable rollercoaster storyline, characters that defy the odds and pack a punch. . .read this book.

My favorite book of the year and it’s only March. One of my favorite books period. I can’t wait to see what happens next, I am so here for it.

Thank you sooooooo sooooooo soooooo much Sarah J Maas for this beautiful stunning creation. Thank you.

“Through love, all is possible.”

xx, BSG

#1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas launches her brand-new CRESCENT CITY series with House of Earth and Blood: the story of half-Fae and half-human Bryce Quinlan as she seeks revenge in a contemporary fantasy world of magic, danger, and searing romance.

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love.