March Wrap-Up

Books I Read This Month:

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

The Ship Beyond Time by Heidi Heilig

The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon

Shadow Magic by Joshua Khan

Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell*

All links lead to Goodreads. Reviews to come for starred books! I didn't have a great reading month in March, I only read six books (and literally all of them were fantasy, so you can tell what kind of mood I was in). The Song Rising was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it was definitely worth the (loooong) wait! I also really liked Daughter of the Pirate King, and I'm glad we're getting a sequel.

Blog Posts:

Confession: I Like Spoilers

Review: The Ship Beyond Time by Heidi Heilig

Review: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

I had a bit of a crappy blogging month too - March generally hasn't been good for me. I've not been well, and I've also just been feeling a bit unmotivated - I've been job-hunting for a while now with no luck, which isn't fun, and coupled with being ill, it's made for a bit of a rubbish month!

TV Shows I Watched/Started:

Supergirl season 2 (currently airing on Sky1)

The Flash season 3 (currently airing Sky1)

Legends of Tomorrow season 2 (currently airing on Sky1)

Scorpion season 3 (currently airing on ITV2)

Timeless (E4)

Emerald City (currently airing on 5STAR)

The Magicians season 2 (currently airing on 5STAR)

Shadowhunters season 2 (mid-season break, Netflix)

Marvel's Agents of SHIELD season 4 (currently airing E4)

Legion (FOX)

Riverdale (weekly on Netflix)

The Middle (currently airing on Comedy Central)

12 Monkeys season 1 (Netflix)

Killjoys season 1 (Netflix)

The Replacement (BBC1)

BoJack Horseman seasons 1-3 (Netflix)

Designated Survivor (weekly on Netflix)

So all my usual things with a few new shows. I really enjoyed 12 Monkeys and hope Netflix gets season 2 soon! Killjoys was decent, though way overacted at points. The Replacement had a really disappointing finale and words can't really describe BoJack Horseman... The musical episode of The Flash was pretty cool, but had a weak plot, and I have gotten really into Designated Survivor.

I did attempt to watch Iron Fist but it was so awful, and after reading all the reviews, I thought it wasn't worth even trying to finish it. I also started Big Little Lies but couldn't get into it. In good news, however, we are FINALLY getting season 4 of The 100 in the UK! It starts next week, yay!

Films I Watched:

Back to the Future parts I & II (I have lost count how many times I've seen these)

Cinderella (2014)

Doctor Strange

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

Music I Listened to:

So. Much. Disney

The Maine, old and new (in particular, Diet Soda Society and Black Butterflies & Déjà Vu)

All the songs from the musical episode of Buffy, "Once More, with Feeling"

Hamilton

Ruelle
One Day More - Les Mis

Anime openings (the Yuri on Ice song though?!)

Songs from all the A Very Potter Musicals

At Least it Was Here - The 88 (the Community opening theme song)

Notable Events:

For my birthday last month, my brother and his fiancée got me tickets to a double feature marathon of Back to the Future parts I & II (Back to the Future being my favourite film of all time) at the Prince Charles Cinema, which was so awesome! The Prince Charles Cinema is a really relaxed cinema where you can bring your own food, sit in comfy seats and bring blankets and whatnot. The screen has a curtain like at an actual theatre and it was generally a really cool place to watch the films - especially since everyone else there obviously also also loved Back to the Future.

And that is my month in a nutshell! I really want to read more in April because I have so many books to get through. I'm also taking part in a blog tour for the second book in the Shadow Magic series by Joshua Khan if you're interested - my post will be up Saturday 8th April! More info on the blog tour banner at the bottom of the sidebar.

Also if anyone wants to hire me...I mean, I have a Law degree. And a year's experience in a really busy office. I analysed data and everything...

What are your bookish (and non-bookish) goals for next month?

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Book Blast: Ivory Queen (Order Of The Bell #1.5) By Jacob Devlin + Giveaway!

Hello readers!

Are you looking for your next read?

Well, let us help make things easier for you!

Welcome to the Book Blast for

Ivory Queen (Order Of The Bell #1.5) by Jacob Devlin

presented by Blaze Publishing!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Looking for more books to read? Read on and find a book that’s waiting for you to devour!

   

Ivory Queen (Order of the Bell #1.5) 

by Jacob Devlin 

Publication Date: January 10, 2017 

Publisher: Blaze Publishing

Twenty-five years ago, the venomous Queen Avoria was banished from the enchanted realms of Florindale and sentenced to spend eternity inside a cursed mirror.

After a seemingly endless tumble through the mirror’s abyss, Avoria awakens in a gloomy metropolis in the darkest corner of Wonderland. There she meets the shrewd King of Hearts, Cornelius Redding, and the two strike a turbulent alliance. As Avoria helps Cornelius execute his conquest of Wonderland, she plots her own vengeance against the world that cast her out. In the city's cold shadows, Avoria finds pawns in the souls that defied her, truth in the reflection that calls to her, and power in the past that forged her. And thus, the Ivory Queen begins carving a path to the ultimate throne.

Chapters | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

WHAT READER'S ARE SAYING:

    "a well-written glimpse into the magic mirror." - Janelle  

  " Avoria is a really fascinating villain" – Samantha  

When Jacob Devlin was four years old, he would lounge around in Batman pajamas and make semi-autobiographical picture books about an adventurous python named Jake the Snake. Eventually, he traded his favorite blue crayon for a black pen, and he never put it down. When not reading or writing, Jacob loves practicing his Italian, watching stand-up comedy, going deaf at rock concerts, and geeking out at comic book conventions. He does most of these things in southern Arizona.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

 

YOU SHOULD ALSO CHECK OUT:

 

 Shadow Fall (Shadow Fall #1)

by Audrey Grey 

Publication Date: November 22, 2016 

Publisher: Blaze Publishing

The asteroid hurtling toward the earth will kill billions.

The Emperor and his Gold Court will be safe in their space station, watching from the stars. The Silvers will be protected underground. But the Bronzes must fight it out at the Shadow Trials for the few remaining spots left on the space station.

When an enigmatic benefactor hands Maia Graystone a spot in the Trials, she won’t just get a chance at salvation for her and her baby brother, Max: She gets to confront the mother who abandoned her in prison, the mad Emperor who murdered her father, and the Gold prince who once loved her. But it’s the dark bastard prince she’s partnered with that will make her question everything, including her own heart. With the asteroid racing closer every day, Maia must trust someone to survive.

The question is who?

BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

   

After a financial collapse devastates the United States, the new government imposes a tax on the nation’s most valuable resource—the children.

BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

The Carver by Jacob Devlin 

Publication Date: July 19, 2016 

Publisher: Blaze Publishing

Crescenzo never would’ve thought his father’s figurines were modeled after real people, but when his loved ones start vanishing from his life, he must unite their real life counterparts and seek their aid to save his family.

BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

 

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Review: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1) by Rin Chupeco
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Released: 7th March 2017
My Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Find it on Goodreads

Tea is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy makes her a bone witch, who are feared and ostracized in the kingdom. For theirs is a powerful, elemental magic that can reach beyond the boundaries of the living—and of the human.

Great power comes at a price, forcing Tea to leave her homeland to train under the guidance of an older, wiser bone witch. There, Tea puts all of her energy into becoming an asha, learning to control her elemental magic and those beasts who will submit by no other force. And Tea must be strong—stronger than she even believes possible. Because war is brewing in the eight kingdoms, war that will threaten the sovereignty of her homeland…and threaten the very survival of those she loves. (from Goodreads)

The Bone Witch suffered from a few cliché tropes here and there but overall, I quite enjoyed it. It’s not the best fantasy book I’ve ever read, but I would be interested in reading the sequel.

Tea was a fairly likeable main character. Okay, at times she was a bit boring and a stereotypical overpowered heroine dithering over what to do, but I was really intrigued by her story, and how she ended up having a black heartglass in present day. We got a few hints (the chapters were set up in a way where bits from the present day were matched with what was happening in past – think The Name of the Wind) but a lot was still left a mystery, and I do want to find out what exactly happened. For example, Tea stated that she had visited the Oracle 28 times, but we only saw a handful of visits in the book. I am wondering when the rest occur (and why!), because there isn’t that much of a time gap between the present day and the story from the past.

I have to say I wasn’t a fan of the romance, but luckily, there wasn’t much of it. There was a hint of a love triangle with Prince Kance and his cousin? Guard? (I have honestly forgotten his name), but I wasn’t really interested. I’d rather have learnt more about heartglasses. The whole idea of giving your heartglass to someone else if you loved them seemed entirely too risky to me, especially since there wasn’t really a benefit, and I would have liked to have learn more about this practice, as well as more about heartglasses in general and the different colours they could be.

Plot-wise, admittedly, not a lot happened. As I said before, the book was split with some scenes from present day, and some in the past, and I was reading mostly for clues as to how Tea changed from a seemingly innocent girl who was just trying to bring back her brother, to a killer who had no qualms about hurting people. Present day Tea was a lot more interesting that past Tea but we didn’t know what caused her to become that way or how things changed so drastically. Not a lot actually happened in the past scenes to show why this occurred, but there were some signs that got me interested. While I had a lot of issues with the pacing of this book and some of the characterisation, I think I’ll read the next one purely because I want to know what happens to Tea to change her so much.

Overall, this was a fun read to pass the time, and while it had its issues, if you like this sort of split narrative with a continuing mystery, you may enjoy this book.

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Blog Tour: The Fortune Teller's Secret by Ron D. Voigts | Character Interview + Giveaway!

Welcome everyone to the BLOG TOUR for 

The Fortune Teller's Secret 

A Cavendish Brown Paranormal Mystery Book 2

by Ron D. Voigts!

In this post, you can learn all about this amazing book series, meet Alex one of the main characters in the book as Ron interviews her and enter to win a giveaway for a $10 Amazon GC! Enjoy!

The Fortune Teller's Secret

A Cavendish Brown Paranormal Mystery Book 2

by Ron D. Voigts

Genre: Paranormal Mystery

A dead man on a Ferris wheel and a cold-case murder take Cavendish Brown into a world of carnival freaks, ghosts, and killers.

The annual carnival comes to Maiden Falls, a small town in the West Virginia Mountains, but everything is not merry.

The ghost of a woman appears to Cavendish Brown, a carnival worker lies dead aboard a car on the Ferris wheel, and a bullied teenager plots to kill people at the carnival with a homemade bomb. More complications arise. Cavendish again butts heads with the local sheriff, Clinton Pike. 

Marbella Wellingway, owner of the newspaper where Cavendish works, receives a visit from the Angel of Death. And a Fortune Teller at the carnival knows something that could forever change Cavendish’s life. 

With the aid of Jane, a disturbed psychic, and Alexandra, a Goth witch, he must find the killer, help the mystery woman, and risk his life to prevent more deaths.

Purchase at Amazon | Smashwords | Kobo

The Witch's Daughter 

A Cavndish Brown Paranormal Mystery Book 1

by Ron D. Voigts

Genre: Paranormal Mystery

Investigative reporter and recent widower, Cavendish Brown, is unemployed and floundering. Coerced into returning to his childhood home by the town's eccentric matriarch, Cavendish finds himself involved in murder, deceit, and a not-so-subtle attempt at matchmaking. Joined by Jane, a disturbed psychic, and Alexandra, a young Goth woman with uncanny abilities, they follow leads into the hills of West Virginia to catch the killer. A sheriff who shoots first and asks questions later makes solving the case difficult for the trio. Adding further complications is an ex-girlfriend with a mob hitman on her trail who seeks Cavendish’s help.

Immersed in a never-ending spiral of clues and secrets, he must unlock the darkness that surrounds the enigmatic Jane, stay ahead of the law, and come to terms with his own grief.

Purchase at Amazon | Smashwords | Kobo

Recent Interview with a Pretty Witch

(w/ Alex, a character in the books)

By Ron D. Voigts

Running late for a meeting with Alexandra Wellingway, I push open the door to the Rusty Nail, a small coffee shop with a steampunk décor. Since my last visit, the place has some new pieces in the design—a vintage electric fan, a ceramic statue of a poodle wearing goggles and an aviator hat, and a poster of the 1956 movie Forbidden Planet.  The java house serves an excellent caramel latte, something I’d planned to try.  

Alex: You-who! (She waves at me from a corner table)

Ron: You look stunning. I like the shirt. (She’s wearing a lavender colored shirt with black lace fringes and the words: “Me? Sarcastic? Never.”)

Alex: Thank you. The shirt is from my pastel Goth collection. (She waves to the barista who brings me a drink.)

Ron: You ordered me a caramel latte.  How did you know I wanted one?

Alex: I’m just a good guesser, I guess.  (She giggles.)

Ron: (I sip, and it’s really good.) You and Cavendish went to a carnival in The Fortune Teller’s Secret.  What was it like going there with him?

Alex: Sometimes he can be a fuddy-duddy.  Getting him to go on rides is hard, like tying knots in spaghetti with your tongue. (She smiles.) But that would be a talent.  I did finally get him on one called The Galaxy Smasher.  I think he had fun.  Getting him on the Ferris wheel didn’t work out--a problem with a dead body in one of the cars.

Ron: In the first book, The Witch’s Daughter, you and Cavendish dig up a dead body. Anything like that in Book 2?

Alex: (She taps her chin) Well, I don’t want to give too much away, but…maybe some digging goes on, and they may find something that once was alive. But I am not saying what. (She runs a finger across her lips like pulling a zipper.)

Ron: In Book 1, you and Cavendish get a little emotionally involved. Anything like that in the second book?

Alex: Well, I am not one to kiss and tell, but something may happen. Enough said.

Ron:  What about Jane? Does she use her talent to see the past again and help solve the murder?

Alex: Jane, as always, is extremely helpful and discovers a few clues on her own. And she has a new thing, but I’m not telling. I’ll give you a hint. Look up into the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s Jane.  (The corner of mouth turns up into a half-smile, and she sips her drink.)

Ron: Anything else you want to tell us about the book?

Alex: Hmm.  I don’t want to give too much away.  (Checks her watch.) Oh, I’m late. Got to be somewhere. (She stands.)

Ron: Please, just a tickler about The Fortune Teller’s Secret.

Alex: Okay. (Sighs.) The ending will blow you away. (She runs, stops, and throws me a kiss.) Ta-ta.

Ron D. Voigts lives in Raleigh, North Carolina and sometimes somewhere else. When back in Raleigh, he enjoys time with his family, watches old movies and shoots lots of pool. He has his own private writer’s retreat in La Vale, MD where he spends lots of time working on his next novel while enjoying the mountains and eating ice cream.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads

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Book Blitz: Birthright by Jessica Ruddick | Top Ten List + Giveaway!

Welcome to the book blitz for 

Birthright by Jessica Ruddick! 

Enjoy!

Birthright
by Jessica Ruddick
Genre: YA Supernatural
Release Date: March 20th 2017

  

How do you live with yourself when you decide who dies?

Ava Parks would have killed for an iPod for her sixteenth birthday. Anything would have been better than coming into her birthright of being a seeker for the Grim Reaper, an arrangement made by her fallen angel ancestor in exchange for his re-admittance to heaven. And she isn’t just any seeker—she finds souls that have the potential for becoming angels and sentences them to death. A year and two souls into her role as a seeker with her conscience overflowing with guilt, Ava comes up with a plan to thwart the system. When it goes awry, she is forced to submit the name of a classmate, Cole Fowler, an ornery, rough around the edges guy who always seems to come to her rescue, whether she likes it or not. Her feelings for Cole prompt her to intervene, and she saves him from death, upsetting the Grim Reaper’s agenda. 

While Ava schemes to find a way to save Cole, she learns he has some secrets of his own. She lets him believe he is protecting her, and not the other way around, until a final showdown with the Grim Reaper forces Ava to make choices Cole may never forgive.

Birthright can be purchased at any of the following retailers:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

Top Ten Books/Series You Should Read (in no particular order)

**Keep in mind I have a master’s degree in English literature and I was an English teacher for thirteen years.

1. Shakespeare’s plays, specifically Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Othello. You’d be surprised how relevant these works are today even though they were written four hundred years ago. Also, people often refer to Romeo and Juliet as a love story. Not really. It’s a tragedy about two lust-driven teenagers.
2. The Harry Potter series. Do I even need to explain this one? ☺
3. 1984. This book is another one of those that remains relevant even though it was written decades ago. There are still traces of it in pop culture today. Big brother, anyone?
4. The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. I absolutely love these books. I’m a little bit obsessed, actually. They made me laugh, cry, and everything in between.
5. J.D. Robb’s In Death series. A neighbor I babysat for introduced me to these way back when I was a young teenager and I still enjoy them now.
6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Some consider this the first romance novel. Isn’t that reason enough to read it?
7. The Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series by Charlaine Harris. These are a fun read. I also loved the TV show. The first season followed the first book pretty closely, but after that it veered off dramatically. Both are excellent in their own right, though.
8. Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld series. There are thirteen books in all and it’s complete. (I read so fast I prefer a series to be complete when I start so I don’t have to wait.) There are also various novellas and short stories. The series is unique in that the narrators change from book to book, which keeps it fresh.
9. Indie author Kate L. Mary’s Broken World series. Kate is actually a friend of mine and these books are addicting. They read like a TV show, similar to The Walking Dead. Full Disclosure: I don’t actually watch that show because it would give me nightmares! But anyway, the series is well written and I devoured them.
10. Rachel Vincent’s Shifter series. This series is complete at six books. It was her first series and has been out for a while now. They were actually new adult before new adult became a thing.

So I know I’m forgetting about a million great books that deserve to be on this list, but these are the first ten that came to mind. The good news is that a lot of them are series, so I actually managed to sneak in over a hundred books! Pretty sneaky, right? ☺

   

Jessica Ruddick is a 2014 Golden Heart finalist for her new adult novel, Letting Go, which was inspired by her own college experiences. She lives in Virginia and is married to her college sweetheart—their first date was a fraternity toga party (and nothing inspires love like a toga, right?). When she doesn’t have her nose in a book or her hands on a keyboard, she can be found wrangling her two rambunctious sons, taming two rowdy but lovable rescue dogs, and battling the herd of dust bunnies that has taken up residence in her home. To learn more about Jessica, please visit her website at www.jessicaruddick.com.

Enter to win a Kindle copy of the Author’s first award-winning book, 
Letting Go.
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