Wow. Just wow. This is book two in the Graveyard Queen series, and normally, sequels disappoint me. They are rarely as good as the first. Not so, this one.. This was even better.
This one delved more into the dark side...as Amelia travels to a town called Asher Falls to restore a graveyard. The whole town is weird. Something sinister is going on. There's a new love interest...maybe. And Amelia's mysterious past comes into it. She has ties to this awful town full of ghosts... And it is IS full of ghosts.
I'm going to do something different here and just mention all the stuff that had me scared out of my wits.
An underwater graveyard...in which the dead had been buried with bells in the coffins. You can hear their bells tolling as they rise with the mist on the lake.
There's a moment in a tomb where Amelia and Thane are alone and suddenly a gust of wind slams the door, and they are in complete darkness with a decaying corpse. That's bad, right? Well, how about when he's speaking to her from another part of the room entirely...whose hand is on her? Who is breathing on her?
And there's something in the woods...something evil, something monstrous, that is accompanied with a high wind and darkness and you can hear it and you know it's coming...and fast.. and OMG. Need I say more?
Do not read this book right before bed!
The ending tied up wonderfully, but left enough loose ends to really leave me frothing for the third one. Really, just blown away with this book. It's the kind of book one must take their time with and savor.
Five bikes. I got this from netgalley.
What happens in Vegas...sometimes goes to Minnesota too.
When Tawni, a dancer at the most elite Vegan hotel and casino finds out her boyfriend is involved in drug dealing, she unknowingly hauls a secret code, a special key, a drug stash, a bunch of ill begotten jewels, and a line of thugs with guns all the way to her sister's in Minnesota.
Enter Tracy, Cari, and all the chicks from Men, Murder and Margaritas. This time, the sexy man is the town sheriff, Chuck... and when he pulls Tawni over for speeding, one thing leads to another and he ends up protecting her body. *snickers*
The story goes to Vegas too where there's cocaine in elephants, gambling, drug dealers, breaking and entering.. Just another fun romp with these ladies. I really like these books.
My one quibble: It needs another round of editing. You and you're were wrong in places, women and woman.. there were a few areas.
LOL Moments:
"Mavel Wilson (a 90 some year old woman) heard about the incident this afternon and wants to know why she never gets frisked. She says she's driven without insurance and a driver's license many times and has never once been felt-up. Her words, not mine. She's demanding equal treatment or she's screaming age discrimination."
Mammmograms...
"You should have knockers my size. And then have them smash them about the size of a pancake. Talk about painful! I swear the person that invented the mammogram machine was a man! I'd like to stick his penis in a machine and then smash it flat. I bet mammograms would become extinct!"
Priceless. I can't wait to read the next book. I understand the gals are going on a cruise.
Four bikes and this was a pleasant surprise in my mailbox from the author. Thank you, Bren Austin
This wasn't what I was expecting. For some reason, I thought it would be really heartwarming stories about pilots and their dogs. (Yes, I know, I got so excited, I didn't read the blurb thoroughly. Actually, there wasn't that extensive a blurb at first.) Well, the stories are heartwarming, but told in a way that made me think of a really long magazine article.
Though taken aback, I still consider it a very good read. It's not about pilots and their dogs, however, but about Pilots N Paws. There is a network of dog rescue crews on the ground and in the air. PNP consists of pilots that donate their time, their gas, their planes, their flight hours to make sure dog reach potential adoptive home across the country
The first 18 percent was just about the origins of the group. I started losing interest there.. I wanted the dog stories. We finally get them and they're sad and happy. There's a dog who was hit by a train, military service dogs suffering cancer and getting a Veteran's Day honor, dog that crap and pee all over the pilot's plane, a misunderstood herd dog.
Thanks to PNP, however, the dogs got happy homes. There's also a chapter dedicated to the New Orleans dogs that had to be transported out and there's a pilot who uses snaked as neck warmers. Yep, he transports them too. Pretty interesting.
Some of the stories will make you cry at the abuse these animals have suffered, but in the end you turn the last page with smile, glad there is an organization such as PNP.
Four bikes. I got this from netgalley.
A very unusual book...think Love Boat in 1904 and take away the humor.
You have a group of people thrown together on a ship. Love blooms, promises are broken, secrets are revealed. And the most fascinating thing of all and what makes this book quite incredible is that was inspired by a newspaper article of a woman stowaway in a white evening gown. This is how this story was born. "Every one deserves a story."
Valentina is fleeing a very unhappy life. Imagine being drive away from your home, you husband, you money, all that is familiar to board a ship one night, no luggage, no money, no ties.
On this ship, many stories besides hers unfold. Henri...is a disturbed man whore of sorts. I didn't like him. I found him disturbing. From desire his father's mistress to his memories of Lisette to his replacing Lisette with Billie and him just basically thinking about every woman on the boat. He was weird.
Billie a 1904 type tramp/mistress. William the cheater who wants to have it all. There's a disturbing brother/sister relationship and numerous other couples just give brief but insightful insight into what relations were between men and women back then.
Though told through alternating POVs, interviews, and flashbacks, the story didn't lose a beat. I was quite entertained by the interviews and sadly disappointed when they disappeared toward the end of the novel.
Well done, but I didn't like Henri, thought there was WAY too little of the most fascinating character on board: Lily, and didn't once buy into the immediate LOVE between Valentina and Thomas.
Four bikes. I got this from Amazon Vine.
This was a surprisingly quick read, not due to length, but the fact that one can't really put it down. It's fast paced, to the point, rich in history.
The Spanish Inquisition is wreaking havoc all over Spain. Isabella doesn't quite understand why. She just knows it's because of the Jews, and she's been taught they are horrible people. Imagine her surprised when she finds out that she's one of them. Her father, the court physician, is a descendant of Jews... The story unfolds, revealing to the reader the desire of a young girl to find her roots, honor her family, and that you can't believe everything you hear.
In times of peril, you find out who your real friends are...as is the case for Isabella and her family. Some will shun them, some will aid them, love can be found or destroyed.
Though engaged to a Spanish noble, Isabella's heart is with a Jew. Will she be allowed to make a choice, or will the Inquisition make it for her? A letter can determine their fate.
Quibbles: 1. I was a bit put off by the fact the family owns slaves, especially after they speak of their own people being enslaved. 2. The family and Isabella are at times, TSTL. I mean, really, you think you're in the clear once you hand over that letter? And Isabella's mother.. I hated her, really. "Let's go to my sister's even though she slammed the door on our face...????" And her father, what kind of father lets his daughter risk her life for him? That really raised my eyebrows.
Despite that, it was a very enjoyable read and extremely engrossing. I recommend it for anyone that wants to understand the plight of the Jews in the time of the Inquisition. It educates while it entertains.
Four bikes. I got this from netgalley.
What would possess a freed slave in the pre Civil War south to risk her freedom and go back to Richmond where any person of color can be grabbed and sold?
The chance to be spy, of course...and in the process free ALL the slaves, not just herself.
Though a very long read, I enjoyed immersing myself in Mary's story the last four days. It starts with her as a child and her mother keeps telling her that Jesus has a plan for her.. (No, this isn't a religious book.)
There's so much food for thought in this book, I can't possibly cover it all... from "we in the house" to African Americans that are free looking down on those that aren't to the big question, "Why stay in slavery?" There's prejudice, there's white people that say their abolitionists yet boss servants around just like slave owners, there's a young African American woman trying to get educated and make the most of herself, realizing her place in life, risking all for family and love. There's Quakers, snotty Philadelphia people, brash Confederate soldiers, Jeff Davis and his horrid wife... There's an incredible cast of characters and at the middle of it all is Mary.
Having already ready much of Civil War history, I grew a tad bored as it got into war details, but I still learned something new here and there or read a different POV. I especially was impacted by the whole, "Lincoln isn't fighting for us. He's only freeing us to increase his army" part. That's not a direct quote, but a part of the book's story line. Too often, we nowadays forget some of the real history behind that war. It's been sugar coated to make people look like heroes.
In my opinion, the real heroes were people like Wilson and Mary Bowser, and even Miss. Bet.
Favorite quote: "History's not so bad once you get past who's who and start learning what they did to each other. Those whites can be as nasty to one another as they are to us, if they're kings and queens and whatnot."
This was an ARC from Amazon Vine.
Modern day chick discovers she's reincarnated and in one of her past lives, she was a samurai warrior. Buffy meets Kill Bill. Whoa. What's not to like?
I'll tell you.
Great premise and plot. The fighting was well done, the samurai stuff superb and suspenseful, but what really put me off about this book was the stereotypes. First, the gay friend. He does hair, believes he may have been Marilyn Monroe, and moans about stupid stuff such as sitting on his Fendi glasses. And he and the heroine, Rileigh kiss and hold hands and declare they love each other. Um, they're only in high school. Gay or not, I don't see this comfort level occurring with high school kids... And did I mention he calls her "Ri-Ri?" So ANNOYING. I don't have a problem with gays at all, but stereotypes make me sick.
Then you have the martial arts expert. He's Asian of course. (But the rest of the reincarnated group is white?) And a bar full of biker chicks wanting to kick ass. (Um, I am offended by that. Biker chicks aren't really like that.) And let's not forget the tattooed guy. He's psycho, of course.
It was a little too predictable too. I knew whodunnit way before the book actually told me whodunnit though the book earns one point in surprising me regarding the doctor. I honestly thought the other way around. I won't explain. And what was up with "Ri-Ri?" She fought hard NOT TO Senshi, but when denied, she's all upset because she is going to die as nothing but "Ri-Ri." So I think the heroine is bipolar.
It wasn't a bad book. I would have liked to have seen some things done differently, obviously, and due to the extremely annoying stereotyped gay friend, I won't be reading the rest of the series, but the fighting was cool. My eyes did some rolling at the magical wind stuff though. That was a bit much. Reincarnation I can fathom. Magic wind? Eh.
Something I really liked: the descriptions of silk taking over her body when her past life character took over. That was pretty neat. Gave me tingles.
Wow. Just wow. This is book two in the Graveyard Queen series, and normally, sequels disappoint me. They are rarely as good as the first. Not so, this one.. This was even better.
