Tag: romance book

Review: Chooser of the Slain by E.S. Oliver

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

From felling dead trees in the Colorado Rockies to slitting the throats of her enemies, Antje had her work cut out for her. Too bad the Norse gods don’t offer paid time off.

After a premonition of a terror attack nearly kills her, the god Odin jolts Antje into a violent and confusing spiritual awakening. Seeking answers, she travels to the world’s most exclusive school for magic concealed beneath Copenhagen. Immediately thrust into a world of dark magic and global conspiracy, Antje discovers she’s no mere mortal—but the incarnation of a valkyrie.

With the help of Cole—a charming CIA agent—and the school’s eccentric professors, Antje unravels a sinister plot: the Dark Queen and her putrid army are planning a siege on humanity. Antje must thwart the carnage, not only for Midgard’s sake—but to prevent all of the nine realms from plunging into eternal darkness.

There’s just one problem: there’s no manual on how to be a valkyrie.

CHOOSER OF THE SLAIN is a dark fantasy thriller packed with magic, Norse mythology, gore, dark humor, and a cast of lovably complex characters. With copious twists and turns, this book will keep you guessing until the end. This is book 1/9 in the WATERS OF WYRD series

Favorite Lines:

“My first boyfriend in forever literally just vanished into thin air on our first date.”

“So, in exchange for a lethal weapon, they require wine? These gods sound like my people!”

My Opinion:

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

This story follows the basic structure that many fantasy books do. An individual learns they are gifted and joins a school to learn more about their history and their abilities while other major plot points are also at play. While Chooser of the Slain seems to follow this general formula, Oliver makes it all her own.

I thought this was a unique twist on a classic fantasy book formula/theme and the Norse mythology just added bonus points to really make this book stand out. Oliver did a fantastic job at world building, character writing, and I especially liked the magic system in this one. I personally also thought it was great that the main character was close to my age – I found I was able to relate to her more. Sometimes I read books and these main characters are accomplishing fantastic feats at 16 or 18 and I find it hard to picture.

I also want to put a plug in for the chapter titles, I thought they were witty and I enjoyed them throughout. I also thought the illustrations that accompanied them were a nice touch.

If I had to complain about one thing, it would be that it felt a bit too fast paced. It felt like a lot was crammed into a short period of time especially the romance; it developed too quickly. While I am a sucker for a good slow burn, I’m not saying that this had to be a slow burn but I think it unraveled too quickly in book one and I think that it could have been more spread out especially with so much more left in the series.

Summary:

Overall, I thought this was an addicting read. If you like Norse mythology, action, adventure, romance, and dark fantasy then this book could be for you!

Check out the book trailer here
Check out Chooser of the Slain 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: 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

 

Review: The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

When a princess is kidnapped by an alpha , war rages between the humans and the wolves. But soon, forbidden attraction starts to grow. . .

Princess Aurora longs to escape the castle and the marriage that has been arranged for her.

But on the night before her wedding, at a dog fight where captured werewolves are made to fight for sport, she spares the life of a young wolf. It puts her on the radar of the powerful alpha who was going to kill him. And it changes everything.

That night, when the alpha escapes, he kidnaps her and takes her to the rugged lands north of the border — where the once warring werewolf clans are beginning to unite. He thinks that she is the key to winning the war against the humans.

Only, as they spend time around one another, forbidden attraction starts to grow. And as Aurora learns that not all wolves are bad, the alpha discovers that she is in danger from both his enemies, and those he once considered friends.

With monsters on both sides, a bloodthirsty war between humans and wolves raging, and undeniable passion growing between them — will their story end in love? Or tragedy?

And will Aurora ever get home?

Does she even want to?

Favorite Lines:

“I am envious of the Northlands winds that rattle the window and howl against the stone walls. How good it would feel to unleash that rage with no thought to the consequences.”

My Opinion:

I saw this book on social media and decided to read it on a whim with low expectations because other werewolf books that I have read have always been kind of meh but I was pleasantly surprised with this book and ended up devouring it in one sitting.

As a warning, this is an NSFW book so consider yourselves warned. The story follows Aurora as she is taken from her human home and dropped into the wild world of (were)wolves. What starts as an escape from an arranged marriage transforms into her questioning everything she knows about the world she grew up in and where her allegiances lie.

I thought this book was well written, had an interesting and addictive plot, and left me wanting more. It flowed nicely and I found myself turning page after page needing more until I was at the end and realized I may have to wait another year for the next book. This book has strong ACOTAR vibes and I hope the potential love triangle comes to fruition with my ship coming out on top. Once question I do have is who decided werewolves are Scottish and their packs are clans? Who makes these decisions?

Summary:

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am excited to see where the author takes it next. If you like fiction, paranormal romances specific to werewolves, action, and some mystery then this book is for you. Happy reading!

The Wolf King