Marry in Scandal by Anne Gracie

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Marry In Scandal by Anne Gracie - Penguin Books Australia

Title: Marry in Scandal
Author: Anne Gracie
Series: Marriage of Convenience #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Regency romance
Dates read: 18th – 24th April 2021
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: “No, of course not.”

Synopsis

Shy, young heiress Lady Lily Rutherford dreams of true love and a romantic courtship. But when disaster strikes, she finds herself facing a scandal-forced marriage to her rescuer, Edward Galbraith, a well-known rake. In the gamble of her life, she agrees to marry him, hoping to turn a convenient marriage into a love match.

As heir to a title, Galbraith knows he must wed, but that doesn’t mean he has to share his secrets with his tender-hearted young bride. When he spurns Lily’s efforts to get close to him, she retreats to the place he’s avoided for nearly a decade: his childhood home. To reclaim his new bride, Galbraith must confront the darkness of his past, face a future he never expected – and discover that love is the ultimate prize.

Thoughts

Lily had a great introduction as a character in Marry in Haste. Which meant that reading her novel was always going to be seriously looked forward to. Really, same as Rose and George, but they’re next in line… I did wonder how Lily would get her happily ever after. And honestly, it was nothing like what I expected. Which I’m not really sure why that’s surprising… that seems to be the trend with many of the stories that I’ve been reading lately.

Lily’s greatest flaw and failure is hinted at in Marry in Haste – she can’t read or write properly. It was interesting how this was built upon in Lily’s story – after all, this is all set in a time that would make this seriously inconvenient and horrible. Yet, she is a great female lead. She is filled with patience and understanding, this great sense of hope and wonderful wisdom. Alright, she’s also a little naïve. But that naivety stems from her hope that things will work out perfectly. I think that all of us jaded people could take a page out of her book…

Nixon and Sylvia were both brilliant and horrible villains in this tale. Which, ultimately is what a villain should be in my books. The poetic justice that they receive at the end is brilliant. It’s bloodthirsty and kind of horrible. But it left me grinning (let’s not think too deeply about what that says about my psyche)…

This is yet another great Regency romance – light, easy and fun. With just enough horribleness and intrigue to really pull you in and make it impossible to put down. Definitely falling for Anne Gracie’s writing more and more with each story that I read.

<- Marry in HasteMarry in Secret ->

Image source: Penguin Books Australia

Anna: A Teenager on the Run by Anna Podgajecki

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Anna: A Teenager on the Run by Anna Podgajecki

Title: Anna: A Teenager on the Run
Author: Anna Podgajecki
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Biographies, Memoirs, War
Dates read: 2nd February – 23rd April 2021
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Publisher: Amberly Publishing
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: The unfinished building had two giant windows facing the yard where the murderers were standing, but above me there was an attic.

Synopsis

Part of a new Holocaust remembrance series of important testimonies and memoirs from the unique collections of Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre.

Anna Podgajecki was born in Korzec, on the Polish–Russian border. As life for the Jews became steadily worse, Anna’s parents insisted that she, the oldest of their seven children, try to escape, survive and report to the world on the atrocities that were taking place.

For three years Anna lived in constant fear of discovery. She wandered from place to place and found work as a translator, a housekeeper and finally a nurse on the Russian front. Through luck, good timing, personal charm, a talent for languages and her special beauty, she was able to avoid death.

Anna’s reflections on her escape and survival are both remarkable and touching, arousing our curiosity about the human instinct to survive, despite all odds.

Thoughts

This novel is fucking brutal and heartbreaking. In a way that I can’t even begin to describe. It is just…. Wow. Not for the faint of heart. And even difficult for people with a strong spine. It took me forever to get through because I could honestly read a maximum of three chapters in one hit before I started getting dragged into a really dark place. Which, honestly, is kind of exactly what this story should be doing. After all, it’s about the holocaust.

I’ve read a few stories about World War II and the holocaust. And even accounts of other wars. But this is most definitely the most brutal I’ve read. Other stories offer an almost sense of hope, and you can see where certain aspects of the tale are kind of glossed over. That is not the case with Anna’s writing (I can’t even use her last name like I do with many other reviews because of the honesty). Anna takes you right into the heart of her heartbreak and horror. And she leaves no stone unturned. There is zero glossing over and nothing, and I mean nothing, is hidden.

This tale doesn’t just talk about what Anna experienced to survive as a Jew in WWII, but it also talks of the aftermath. After all, even though the war was over and occupation ended, there were (and still are) many scars and divisions that were left behind. It took her a long time to be able to feel safe even admitting that she was a Jew – even though technically she could.

Even writing this review, I can feel that uncomfortable swelling in my chest that was my companion throughout this whole story. Reading a war memoir should never be comfortable. But the horrors that are recounted in this writing… I just don’t have the words.

<- UnmaskedA Woman in the Polar Night ->

Image source: Goodreads

Angel’s Flight by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , , , , ,
Overview
Angels' Flight

Title: Angel’s Flight
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter Companion
In: Angel’s Flight (Nalini Singh)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Paranormal romance, Short story collections, Strong women, Vampires
Dates read: 26th March 2018 – 16th April 2021
Pace: Medium
Format: Collection
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: We need to sort this out fast.

Synopsis

In Angel’s Wolf a vampire becomes fascinated with the seductive angel who rules Louisiana. But all is not what it appears to be in her court.

In Angels’ Judgment a hunter must track one of her own gone bad, while surviving the deadly tests placed in her way by the archangels themselves. Unexpected backup comes from a stranger who might just be the most lethal threat of all…

Plus FIRST TIME IN PRINT

In Angels’ Pawn a vampire hunter faces off against two rival factions and the angel manipulating them both, and a vampire whose help is not entirely selfless…

And NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED

In Angels’ Dance an angel trapped in the mountain stronghold of the Refuge finds herself under siege by a warrior angel from a martial court.

Thoughts

I absolutely adored this collection. It took me forever and a day to get through because I wanted to read each of the novellas in the order that they take place in the Guild Hunter series. And, honestly, since I’m a bit of a series slut, I kept picking up other series in between books. Trying to work on that habit this year…

This is definitely a collection that I’ll pick up again and again to fill my happy place in reading. It is fun and wonderful and filled with very fun romances that will make you want to pick up more and more of Singh’s books. Or at least, that’s how it all feels for me.

Many of the cute couples in this story may have a happily ever after, but the part that I love the most about their connections… it’s all about acceptance. Every relationship in this collection is about accepting one another and finding a way to create their own future. It makes the romances feel far more realistic in this story…

I love that I finally got to finish this collection! But I was also kind of sad. After all, it’s a bit of a pity that it’s all over. Now I’ll just have to dive headfirst into Archangel’s Blade…

<- Archangel’s SunMore Nalini Singh ->

Image source: Goodreads

Penguins by Simon James Green

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Proud by Juno Dawson & various (9781788950602/Paperback) | LoveReading

Title: Penguins
Author: Simon James Green
In: Proud (Juno Dawson)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Humour, LGBTQI
Dates read: 16th April 2021
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Little Tiger
Year: 2019
5th sentence, 74th page: It’s a family zoo.

Synopsis

Cam is trying to figure out a way to come out to his family and friends. But then the damn penguins beat him to it…

Thoughts

Oh hot damn. This story is just way too cute! And funny. And just all around adorable. I spent the entirety of this story grinning and smiling. There were just so many wonderful moments throughout that I enjoyed way too much. Even sitting down to write this review, all I can think about it Cam yelling penguins at the end of the tale.

I love that throughout this story, Cam is trying really, really hard to come out to his friends and family. And ultimately finding out that it probably isn’t all that necessary – they already know. And accept him as he is. With no strings attached. It just creates an all-round feel-good tale that will make your heart grow larger and larger.

All in all, I absolutely love the ending of this tale. It was just the cute cherry on top of the cute sundae that left me grinning and clutching my heart in happiness. It was all just beautiful and fun. The most adorable of short stories.

<- Dive BarOn the Run ->

Image source: LoveReading4Kids

Friend Robin by Maile Chapman

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for xo orpheus book cover

Title: Friend Robin
Author: Maile Chapman
In: Xo Orpheus (Kate Bernheimer)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Mythology
Dates read: 16th April 2021
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Penguin Books
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: We’d seen it before we made an offer, of course, but we hadn’t been back inside since the inspection, not until after the house closed, when, keys in hand, we came to make plans.

Synopsis

I knew well that my mother had been wanting to move closer to me for some time, so when she took a fall on the sidewalk outside her senior apartment complex back east I broke her lease and brought her to Nevada.

Thoughts

I love any tale that there is about Brownies. They are just such a great form of fae. One that I am more than a little obsessed with. But I really wasn’t expecting to find a brownie story in a collection of mythology retellings. Not really sure why though…

This is a great modern-day version of the brownie tale. And a warning about thanking these fae. I love the connection between Robin and the narrators’ mother and how protective Robin is. What a wonderful modern-day version of an age-old tale.

Honestly, this is the whole reason that you should always try and honour brownies or spirits. Try not to be aggressive and disrespectful in the moments that you can be.

<- SawdustThe Veiled Prophet ->

Image source: Goodreads

Bloody Sunrise by Neil Gaiman

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for teeth ellen datlow terri windling book cover

Title: Bloody Sunrise
Author: Neil Gaiman
In: Teeth: Vampire Tales (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Poetry, Vampires
Dates read: 16th April 2021
Pace: Fast
Format: Poem
Publisher: Harper
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: something else that I can blame on

Synopsis

A great poem about the pitfalls and sunrises of vampirehood.

Thoughts

At the beginning, this poem felt a little bit humorous. A little bit quirky and seriously cute. And then it started to take a darker turn. Darker and darker and darker with each line. Which, honestly, is kind of what I think a good vampire poem should be about.

Even though this story took a bit of a darker turn, I definitely had the song Girls Just Want to Have Fun playing through my head. Although this version was Vamps Just Want to Have Fun. I never said that my brain was a normal or safe place to be…

The bloody sunrise ruins the magic of the dark. And this poem just shows how much it can ruin if you really think about it…

<- Gap YearFlying ->

Image source: HarperCollins

Delta Sly Honey by Lucius Shepard

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Hauntings: Datlow, Ellen: 9781616960889: Amazon.com: Books

Title: Delta Sly Honey
Author: Lucius Shepard
In: Hauntings (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, Horror
Dates read: 16th April 2021
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: But it stains you alla same.

Synopsis

They’re in a warzone and constantly battling for a future. But there may be someone haunting their world.

Thoughts

This short story was a bit of a skim read for me. It wasn’t the kind of story that I’d necessarily return to and be obsessed with, but it was enjoyable all the same. Just an easy and fun read altogether.

The confusion and multiple deaths in this story definitely have a haunting feeling to them. But it was about war, so that kind of lent itself further to this storyline. I mean, war is seriously confusing and terrifying. So why wouldn’t a story about it be seriously confusing?

There is a lot of death in this tale. Mostly I just felt confused and trying to count the number of deaths in this tale. Which kind of works when it’s a story all about hauntings…

<- CargoNothing Will Hurt You ->

Image source: Amazon

Marine Biology by Gail Carriger

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of paranormal romance 2 book cover

Title: Marine Biology
Author: Gail Carriger
In: The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance 2 (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 16th April 2021
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: The woman gave him that look.

Synopsis

Alec isn’t quite what you would think a werewolf should be. He’s skinny, nerdy and gay. But he’s got more than one secret in his closet. And a fishman is about to help him bring them all to light.

Thoughts

I really didn’t expect… any of this story. Like. Any of this. The title just… gives you nothing to work on and I’ve never read anything by Carriger before, so I was all pleasantly surprised at reading this. I loved the fact that I was surprised time after time in this story. And just constantly found enjoyment in the whole tale.

The idea of a gay, closet alpha werewolf… it was funny. And a lot of descriptives really. It had me giggling right throughout this story and grinning like somewhat of a fool. Then, the guy that he falls for… a wonderful mix of characters.

Alec has got to be one of my favourite short story characters that I’ve been introduced to in a while. I kind of wish that he had more of a longer storyline… I wasn’t quite ready to leave him behind. But then, when am I ever?

<- The Demon’s SecretZola’s Pride ->

Image source: Amazon

Angel’s Wolf by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , , , , ,
Overview
Angels' Flight

Title: Angel’s Wolf
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter #3.5
In: Angel’s Flight (Nalini Singh) & Angels of Darkness (Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh, Meljean Brook & Sharon Shinn)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Paranormal romance, Strong women, Vampires
Dates read: 16th April 2021
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: “Thanks, but it won’t be needed.”

Synopsis

In Angel’s Wolf a vampire becomes fascinated with the seductive angel who rules Louisiana. But all is not what it appears to be in her court.

Thoughts

The vampire that was tortured in Archangel’s Kiss had a pretty hard run of things. And he is briefly mentioned in Archangel’s Consort. So I love that there is a novella that is just about him finding a happily ever after. It helps to tie up a few loose ends and brings a whole new angels court to the forefront.

Both Noel’s assignment and Nimra’s court and terrifying-ness are mentioned in Archangel’s Consort and it completely intrigued me and pulled me in. What a fantastic way for me to finish out the Angels’ Flight collection (it may not be the final novella in the book, but it was the final one that I read).

Noel and Nimra gave me that warming of the cockleshell heart feeling. Something about their ability to love one another warmed me up and made me smile. The fact that it’s alongside the race to find out who is trying to kill Nimra… well, that just made me happier and happier.

I may not be a cat person, but there is a total love of cats and pets in this story. They are incredibly important, and the love of pets is something I can completely understand. This whole story made me want to pick up my puppy and give them a huge hug.

<- Archangel’s ConsortArchangel’s Blade ->

Image source: Goodreads

Archangel’s Consort by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunter, #3) by Nalini Singh

Title: Archangel’s Consort
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter #3
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Paranormal romance, Strong women, Vampires
Dates read: 14th – 16th April 2021
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: It was locked.

Synopsis

Nalini Singh steps back into the shadows of her “heartbreakingly original” world where angels rule, vampires serve, and the innocent can pay the greatest price of all…

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux and her lover, the lethally beautiful archangel Raphael, have returned home to New York only to face an uncompromising new evil…

A vampire has attacked a girls’ school – the assault one of sheer, vicious madness – and it is only the first act. Rampant bloodlust takes vampire after vampire, threatening to make the streets run with blood. Then Raphael himself begins to show signs of an uncontrolled rage, as inexplicable storms darken the city skyline and the earth itself shudders.

The omens are suddenly terrifyingly clear.

An ancient and malevolent immortal is rising. The violent winds whisper her name: Caliane. She has returned to reclaim her son, Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena, the consort who must be destroyed.

Thoughts

I was wondering how terrifying Raphael’s mother was going to be. I mean, she’s mentioned constantly and she’s definitely somewhat terrifying. But, a bit less than I was expecting. Having said that, I’m pretty sure she’s going to become more and more terrifying as this series unfolds… there is just so much potential there. I can’t wait to see how Elena confronts and deals with her!

This Guild Hunter novel really explores the past beautifully. Both Raphael and Elena have a lot of past issues that they have to deal with. And these seriously begin to come to light in this story. Everyone has a past, and everyone has to battle with that in their current relationships – but Elena and Raphael have a particularly bad set of issues that they have to deal with. As do the Seven. So now I want to know more about the past and the tribulations of Raphael’s Seven.

The first two books in this series are the beginning of Elena ad Raphael’s relationship. Particularly Elena finding her place in Raphael’s life and holding her own against his seriously dominant personality. But, in this novel she is really beginning to find her feet and sense of self. Her drive to be able to stand on her own two feet and fight her own battles is beautifully impressive. And impossible to forget and put down. It’s just… gorgeous and glorious. Most definitely the kind of woman character that I love – finding out who you are and where you fit in a decidedly dangerous society.

One of my favourite things about Singh as an author is that her stories aren’t sappy. They’re all romances and they most definitely make your toes curl. But they aren’t sappy. Even the times when there is that love at first sight zing, they still aren’t sappy. And, ultimately, they are about truly accepting one another. And finding a way to work together to achieve your happily ever after.

I honestly could not put this novel down. It was fantastic and wonderful and everything that I love in a paranormal story. Now I can’t wait to dig through my TBR pile (it’s ginormous) and read Archangel’s Blade.

<- Archangel’s KissAngel’s Wolf ->

Image source: Goodreads