Tag: reviews

Review: Her Dark Promises by E.H. Raven

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

Stuck in a dead-end job and unable to afford independence, Jamila’s dreams of success fade daily. Desperate, she agrees to an arranged marriage orchestrated by her father, but it backfires, deepening her depression. 

She finds solace in horror movies about demonic possession, leading her to research real-life cases. Discovering some achieve success through dark means, she decides to summon her demon, hoping to change her fate. Possession grants Jamila immense confidence and success, but the dark alliance exacts a steep price.

The demon consumes her sanity, blurring reality and nightmare.

Can Jamila escape the darkness she unleashed?

Favorite Lines:

“Nothing I eat satisfies my hunger. This must be what stress eating is.”

“She recognized the tragic irony in humanity’s plight: their yearning for a better life had led them into an inescapable trap.”

“In her moments of clarity, Jamila realized the irony of her situation. She had sought possession to gain knowledge and power, but it was only in her damnation that she truly understood the depths of the world’s corruption. The knowledge she had gained was vast, but it came at the highest cost imaginable: her soul.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion and just in time for spooky season to begin!

Can I start this review off by saying that something that really drew me in to this book was the cover alone. It was the perfect level of creepy and ends up fitting this book very well!

This story follows Jamila, a young woman who feels trapped in a mundane existence with a draining job who is unable to see a light at the end of the tunnel. To make matters worse, her father keeps insisting on an arranged marriage that she is less than thrilled about. To escape her reality, Jamila watches a lot of horror movies and becomes interested in real-life stories of people who have summoned demons. Taking inspiration from these stories, Jamila tries to summon a demon herself. What starts as a confidence boost for Jamila, quickly spirals out of control and readers follow along as Jamila fights a darkness as it begins to consume her.

I am a sucker for any psychological thrillers and this one did not disappoint – and it came just in time for spooky season! This is my first book by Raven and I loved the way that the world was set up only to have a purposeful tone shift once Jamila summoned the demon. Raven did a great job at setting up a terrifying and thrilling plot that had me on the edge of my seat. Throughout reading this, I regularly found myself picturing this on the big screen and think it could be a great plot for a scary, demon possession movie!

If I had to nitpick one thing, it would have to be the flow of the book. As some points, it came off as a bit choppy and could have probably flowed more smoothly from one scene to the next. However, I want to emphasize that this didn’t take away from the overall plot which I still found to be creative and interesting.

I wanted to put a trigger warning that this book does contain graphic violence, self-mutilation, sexual content, horror themes, and more and may not be suited for everyone.

Summary:

Overall, while this was my first book from Raven, I am confident that it won’t be my last. This was the perfect blend of creepy, thrilling, and addicting and I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of horror and psychological thrillers. Happy reading!

Check out Her Dark Promises here!

Review: Too Much to Lose by Melody Carson

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

DON’T MISS YOUR SECOND CHANCE.

It’s not often that we get to try again, cuz life very seldom deals a second chance.
Most people don’t even notice when they get one dropped in their lap like a miracle.
But I noticed.

I’ve lost Cassidy once, and come hell or high water, I won’t make the same mistake twice.
Turning a losing hand into a winner might take the whim of Lady Luck herself, but I’m up for the challenge.

However, fate is not always kind, and sometimes overcoming the evil in this world comes at a terrible price.

Cassidy has a monster to face down, but I’m not going anywhere. When it comes to the love between us, there’s simply too much to lose.

Favorite Lines:

“Must of used up all his brain cells in law school, ’cause he sounds like an idiot.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story follows Wyatt and Cassidy who had a history in Montana before Cassidy went off to college in California. This history seems to have been forgotten because while she is away, she ends up getting engaged. They are reunited when she comes back to her hometown because she caught her fiancé cheating on her. Not knowing what to do next, she is hoping to lay low for awhile and collect her thoughts. Little does she know that Wyatt and his friends had made a bet that required Wyatt to ask out the next eligible woman to walk through the door and you guessed it… that woman was Cassidy. Now they are faced with what could have been and what could still be but they have to balance the fact that Madison’s ex-fiancé comes to town to try and take her back, and the little part where she is Wyatt’s best friend’s sister. Nothing too complicated…

I though this was a cute, second chance at love contemporary romance. I really enjoyed Carson’s writing style as I found it to be an easy to follow story that was especially easy to get addicted to. The conversations amongst the characters really shined through and I though that the plot had a perfect amount of suspense, action, intrigue, and romance. I do want to give a trigger warning that there are some mentions of domestic violence and abuse so this book may not be suitable for everyone.

Summary:

Overall, if you like contemporary romances featuring second chances at love in a small town, action, suspense, intrigue, and of course romance, then this book could be for you. Happy reading!

Check out Too Much to Lose here!

Review: To Do Justice by Frank S. Joseph

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

Set during the riots of 1965-66, To Do Justice tells the story of Pinkie, a mixed-race child of Chicago’s meanest streets … and Mollie, a lovelorn (white) reporter in the Chicago bureau of The Associated Press. Together this unlikely pair will track down the white woman who gave Pinkie birth, and score a Pulitzer-worthy scoop in the bargain.

Favorite Lines:

“Now I’m a pretty solid person. Most of the time I’m good at ignoring my impulses. It’s the German blood on Mom’s side maybe.”

“I responded that I’d felt discriminated myself – about my weight, my acne, the fact that I’m a single woman in a man’s world.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

To Do Justice is book three in Joseph’s The Chicago Trilogy. I have not read the other two in the series yet but it seems like each book can serve as a stand alone. In this book, readers find themselves dropped in the middle of the 1960s Chicago riots and all that comes with them. While there are many characters in this story, the main characters include a biracial girl who is forced to the streets by her foster parents and a white reporter who befriends her and agrees to help solve the mystery of her parentage. This vaguely reminded me of the TV show “I Am the Night” which also takes place in the 1960s and has a reporter helping a girl uncover her heritage. The show is set in Los Angeles and Nevada and is inspired by true events with secrets surrounding the Black Dahlia murder.

This story is for anyone who is interested in reading about the conflicts that arose during the 1960s, especially in Chicago. I felt immersed in the world that Joseph created from the descriptions of the scenes to the dialogue used during the conversations. Joseph does an excellent job at examining questions around gender and identity, racial politics, and the over arching question of what the value of human life is. While the story takes place in the 1960s, a lot of these themes are still prevalent today and Joseph shines a light on them in a creative way.

Summary:

Overall, if you like historical fiction that revolves around racial conflicts that examine race, identity, and politics especially in the setting of the Chicago riots in the 1960s, then this book could be for you. You can find the book trailer here. Happy reading!

Check out To Do Justice here!

Review: Paris Lost and Found: A Memoir of Love by Scott Dominic Carpenter

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

After his hilarious introduction to Paris in French Like Moi, Scott Dominic Carpenter returns to the scene of the crime with more tales of intrigue. 
 
This time, though, the story takes a surprising turn as his wife struggles with dementia. Humor may be the best medicine, but even the antics of a vandal in their building can’t cement the tiles of her memory for long. Before he expects it, Carpenter finds himself alone in a capital that is also blighted by the pandemic. 
 
It’s against this backdrop that the city comes roaring back to life. From bizarre encounters on the Metro to comical clashes with authority figures, and even a quixotic battle against a flock of migrant parrots, Paris Lost and Found unveils sides of the great city that are as quirky as they are authentic. With his unique blend of wit, insight, and wistfulness, Carpenter charts a path through his new labyrinth of solitude—only to emerge on the other side, squinting into the bright light of hope and new beginnings.

 

Favorite Lines:

“France is a paradise inhabited by people who believe they’re in hell.” (This is technically cheating because it is a quote by Sylvain Tesson in the start of this memoir but I thought it really set the tone for what the rest of the memoir would be and I loved it)

“It confirmed my hunch that emotion is the mortar that cements memoires in place.”

“In France, the experience is different. If you want to get a handgun here, there’s really just one recommended course of action: forget it. They put you through an obstacle course of required training, applications, waiting periods, and even letters of recommendation from the head of your local shooting club.”

“They say the senses compensate for one another. You lose you your sigh, but your ears perk up. You go as deaf as a post, but suddenly you can read the bottom line of the eye chart. So, too, with people. You lose one, and others grow in importance. It was the unknown population around me who mattered now.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is a follow up to Carpenter’s first travel memoir, French Like Moi: A Midwesterner in Paris, which I have not read but will definitely be reading after this. This memoir details Carpenter and his late wife Anne’s adaption to living in France. Carpenter not only takes us on the journey of their start in France but also the journey Carpenter must later embark on alone through loss and new beginnings after the passing of his wife.

I thought this book flowed very nicely and kept me engaged throughout. Carpenter did an excellent job at making me feel like I was right there along with him and Anne, living the experiences they were living. As an American who has never been to Europe, I thought the comparisons between French and American mentalities were really helpful, and quite frankly, sometimes humorous, to understand how different life can really be over there. Carpenter did a great job at combining serious topics and experiences with humor in a way that kept this book light-hearted and most definitely a page turner.

Summary:

Overall, I thought this was a really engaging read that gave a Midwesterner’s perspective on life in France. If you like travel memoirs that detail culture and are full of humor, life, and love then this book could be for you. Happy reading!

Check out Paris Lost and Found: A Memoir of Love here!

 

Monthly Features – March

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Beguiled Persuasion by K. Reagan Zell

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Living her normal everyday life, Cait had everything a woman would ever want; a career, a wealthy boyfriend, and a doting father who was her world. Her life began to quickly unravel once she found out that her boyfriend was married and then her father died. With the dramatic events pushing her empathic sensitivities to the brink, she took one sleeping pill to help her find some relief from the emotional chaos. But it would be a prophetic pill that would forever change her already unraveling future plans. Setting off a chain of uncontrollable events of supernatural encounters with just one pill, Cait was involuntarily pulled between unimaginable parallel timeline journeys and all that she once knew…a destiny that she never imagined possible. But sometimes, one’s fate is already sealed.

Summary: Overall, if you like time travelling romances, the supernatural, and/or just romance period then this book could be for you! 

See the full review here: Beguiled Persuasion
Purchase here

 

Dissonance: Volume I: Reality by Aaron Ryan

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: There are some rules you never forget. Above all else, whatever you do, you never look directly at a gorgon.
Now, plug your ears… because the war for humanity has begun.

Sergeant Cameron “Jet” Shipley was there when they first arrived in 2026. For 16 long years, he learned to hide. To never make a sound. Learning the most important rule of all about the gorgons: You just… don’t… look. The year is now 2042, and humanity is eking out an existence in the shadows. Shipley and his team are sent out on a recon mission with developments that may alter the trajectory of Earth’s fate… and his own. Joined by newcomers Bassett and Trudy, Cameron and his brother Rut will have to contend with a terrifying alien species that has annihilated eighty-five percent of mankind. Will his mission lead him on a slippery slope of discovery that demands accountability? Or will it plunge humanity, and everything in it, into further dissonance?

Summary: If you like science fiction that features dystopian worlds, aliens, action, adventure, thrills, and some romance then this book could be for you!

See the full review here: Dissonance: Volume I: Reality
Purchase here

Six Moons, Seven Gods by Robert A. Walker

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: “One must be careful practicing deception. The easiest to deceive will always be one’s self.”

The skilled thieves of the Takers Guild plot to overthrow the kingdoms of Baelon, but when their plans are thwarted by a prescient woman and her brooding daughter, they must turn to the League of Assassins for assistance. Meanwhile, retired royal guard Rolft Aerns returns to the palace of King Axil with an old score to settle. When they all cross paths–and swords–in the dark shadows of Fostead’s south end, nothing is as it seems and the murder count rises quickly.
The long fingers of the Guild reach everywhere, and one overly ambitious thief is all it takes to spark a chain of events that will haunt the world of Baelon for many years to come.

Six Moons, Seven Gods is book one in The Legends of Baelon.

Summary: If you like fantasy, action, adventure, and political intrigue then this book could be for you.

See the full review here: Six Moons, Seven Gods
Purchase here

A Chef on Ice by Sebastien JM Kuhn

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Join a talented chef as he embarks on a life-changing journey to Antarctica. From grueling recruitment to months-long expeditions, experience the challenges and triumphs of living and working in one of the most remote places on Earth. With breathtaking landscapes, unexpected connections, and a newfound sense of purpose, this is a story you won’t want to miss. Get ready to be captivated by the adventure, resilience, and inspiration of this unforgettable tale.

Summary: Overall, if you like travel, food, reading about cold regions, and especially if you want to know what daily life at a base camp in Antarctica is like, then this book could be for you. 

See the full review here: A Chef on Ice
Purchase here

Freaks by Tam A. Athot

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: “Syranda and magic are an interconnected tree with the same root, with many branches, and beautiful fruits in many shapes and colours.”

 Syranda is a hidden country whose peaceful, democratic system drifting almost unnoticed into dictatorship. An integral part of the people of Syranda are individuals with special skills who have been a great asset to the country’s prosperous development throughout history. But in the last decade something has changed, and democracy has slowly eroded, slipping into dictatorship, led by Angelus, the Minister of Defence. The main pillar of the dictatorship’s construction was the production of an enemy image. Anyone with ability began to be excluded and eventually persecuted.

 Angelus’ daughter Vitu was also born with a special gift, which her father tried to hide from the world. When Vitu became a teenager, she had to face the fact that her father was more concerned with serving the regime and his own ambition than her life, and she too was forced to flee. In her search for a way out, she learned a lot about her abilities, her fellow human beings and herself.

 “Many people think that dictatorship will come suddenly, spectacularly, with a great blare of trumpets and horns, and that everyone will notice it, that one sacred moment when the trumpets blare and the drums beat, and a loudspeaker shouts, “Attention, attention, the dictatorship has arrived, the dictatorship is here, everyone should lock themselves in their houses, because the oppression has arrived, from now on it’s what I, the dictator with the big hat and the red nose, dictate.”

 “The prey within us dies tonight and at dawn the predator will awake along with the sun!”

Summary: I thought this was an interesting idea and Athot brought a vision to life in a creative way. If you like supernatural/fantasy themed books with touches of politics and psychology, then this book could be for you.

See the full review here: Freaks
Purchase here

The Festival of Hungry Ghosts by Stephen Frame

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: He was a big bad wolf, and he left Fairyland in 1929 to go work as a private detective in Los Angeles. He’s got a new case he doesn’t want; finding the kidnapped son of a local crime lord. He’s got a new partner he doesn’t trust; a chaotic female gangster who likes dames, booze, and bullets. Those are just the start of his problems. There are monsters in his way. And not all of them are human.

Summary: Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. Don’t be thrown off or misled by the cover, if you like a twist on classic fairy tales, action, adventure, and/or cop dramas (or in this case private detective dramas), then this book could be for you!

See the full review here: The Festival of Hungry Ghosts
Purchase here

 

Review: Goyhood by Reuven Fenton

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

Funny, poignant, and revelatory while plumbing the emotional depths of the relationship between estranged brothers, Goyhood examines what happens when one becomes unmoored from a comfortable, spiritual existence and must decide whether coincidence is in fact destiny.

When Mayer (née Marty) Belkin fled small town Georgia for Brooklyn nearly thirty years ago, he thought he’d left his wasted youth behind. Now he’s a Talmud scholar married into one of the greatest rabbinical families in the world – a dirt poor country boy reinvented in the image of God.

But his mother’s untimely death brings a shocking revelation: Mayer and his ne’er-do-well twin brother David aren’t, in fact, Jewish. Traumatized and spiritually bereft, Mayer’s only recourse is to convert to Judaism. But the earliest date he can get is a week from now. What are two estranged brothers to do in the interim?

So begins the Belkins’ Rumspringa through America’s Deep South with Mom’s ashes in tow, plus two tagalongs: an insightful Instagram influencer named Charlayne Valentine and Popeye, a one-eyed dog. As the crew gets tangled up in a series of increasingly surreal adventures, Mayer grapples with a God who betrayed him and an emotionally withdrawn wife in Brooklyn who has yet to learn her husband is a counterfeit Jew.

Favorite Lines:

“He burst into another mercury-popping day, the sun a white disk in the immutable blue, and took his first breath of air since discovering that hell had no bottom.”

“You know how sometimes you don’t appreciate the constants in your life until they’re not there?”

“Goyhood…the state of rebounding from one travesty to the next.”

“I’m giving you the shittiest Yelp review you’ve ever seen.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

When I received the request for a review on this book, I thought it sounded like a cute, slice-of-life story and I was partially incorrect. It does fall into what I would consider the slice-of-life category but it is so much more than that.

This story follows Mayer,  a Almud scholar who is married into a great rabbinical family. When his mother dies, he and his brother, David, find out that they are not even technically Jewish. This somehow turns into David insisting on a road trip where they bond and discover/rediscover who they are as people.

This was an enjoyably funny novel that touched on surprisingly deep topics in a light-hearted way. I am not Jewish myself but Fenton did a great job at writing a story that can resonate with anyone regardless of religious views. I was really impressed and a bit skeptical that this is Fenton’s debut novel! I found this to be amazingly well written, witty, and overall fantastic at capturing what it means to belong. Fenton did an incredible job with this one and I can’t wait to see what he comes out with next!

Summary:

Overall, if you like slice-of-life stories full of humor, heart, family, faith, and so much more, then this book could be for you. Happy reading!

Goyhood

 

Review: You Are My Sunshine by Nabilah Khan

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

Diana Dawson, an Abu Dhabi based author, has a rare allergy to sunlight, which makes finding love a struggle.

At least her career is on the rise – that is, until her editor (and best friend) quits as she’s preparing for a writing competition that could skyrocket her to fame.

To add to Diana’s luck, fate throws two men her way. Theo, her gorgeous new editor, is off the cards. Lucas, her sexy neighbor, is the outdoorsy type.

Diana’s love life is turning into one hot mess and the competition is fast approaching. Will she be able to keep her dreams sizzling or is she setting herself up for the worst burn ever?

Fans of romantic comedy will enjoy this novel by Nabilah Khan.

Favorite Lines:

“‘Nah, I just cook for survival,” he says casually as if knowing exactly exactly what I’m thinking. ‘I could teach you,’ he offers. ‘You’d be wasting your time. I can burn ice.'”

“Rosie is right. He is a good editor. She never cooks for me.”

“I’m not adventurous. I don’t just try new things. I think about them first, make a list of the pros and cons of doing said new things; I get anxious, and then I don’t do them.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m a huge sucker for romance so when Khan requested a review for this book, I knew I had to read it. The story follows Diana, a woman who is allergic to the sun, who finds herself in an upwards trajectory with her career until her editor has a baby and she has to be replaced. As if her luck hasn’t suffered enough, two men are thrown into her life but neither are a good idea. Her new editor is attractive but out of the question due to their working relationship and the fact that he has a long-distance girlfriend and her neighbor loves the outdoors which might be just a tiny bit of a problem when Diana can’t go out in the sun. We quickly find ourselves living alongside Diana as she gets caught in a love triangle of sorts with the man she does have and the man she finds herself unable to stop thinking about. 

If I had to be nit-picky, I think my one complaint is the lack of descriptions for the characters. Diana would acknowledge someone was attractive but there was no description as to what they looked like for readers to picture them. This may have been an intentional choice by the author so that readers can imagine whatever they wish but it was something that caught me a bit off guard and is definitely not the norm. 

Nonetheless, I thought this was a really cute book and made for a great romantic comedy. I could definitely see this being made into a rom-com movie that I would most certainly watch.

Summary:

Overall, if you like fiction, romance, comedy, and romantic comedies then this book could be for you!

You Are My Sunshine