Woo hoo! I got my groove back! I finally got back on track and finished reading books that were looming on Goodreads list. I don't know why I was in such a funk trying to finish Third House by Heather Karn because oh my goodness, she saved the best for last.
I kicked the month off with a middle grade horror rec from Kelly Martin. The Collector by K.R. Alexander was a spine tingling page turner. This author is moving to the top of my TBR list.
I also completed the Chantilly Adair series by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson with Praying for Peace. I had this one in audio but I wasn't thrilled with the narrator so I grabbed the ebook to finish. I also read Spooks For Sale, a new series from this author. It wasn't my fave but I still enjoyed the story.
I read an ARC from one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Kirke. She has a brand new serial about her More Than Magic crew. Book 1 dropped on June 20th. The new series is more a urban fantasy mystery. i am stoked to read it!
Lastly, I caught up on the audiobooks from the last two installments in the Vesik Series by Eric Asher. This man is a genius at world building. I am just in awe of his work.
I also finished the week with The Ghost Files Book 3 on audio too. My word, this one nearly gave me a heart attack! I thought I was going to have to call Apryl Baker out.
***Click on the author's name to be taken to their Amazon page. All books EXCEPT K.R. Alexander are available in Kindle Unlimited at the time of this post.
I kicked the month off with a middle grade horror rec from Kelly Martin. The Collector by K.R. Alexander was a spine tingling page turner. This author is moving to the top of my TBR list.
I also completed the Chantilly Adair series by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson with Praying for Peace. I had this one in audio but I wasn't thrilled with the narrator so I grabbed the ebook to finish. I also read Spooks For Sale, a new series from this author. It wasn't my fave but I still enjoyed the story.
I read an ARC from one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Kirke. She has a brand new serial about her More Than Magic crew. Book 1 dropped on June 20th. The new series is more a urban fantasy mystery. i am stoked to read it!
Lastly, I caught up on the audiobooks from the last two installments in the Vesik Series by Eric Asher. This man is a genius at world building. I am just in awe of his work.
I also finished the week with The Ghost Files Book 3 on audio too. My word, this one nearly gave me a heart attack! I thought I was going to have to call Apryl Baker out.
***Click on the author's name to be taken to their Amazon page. All books EXCEPT K.R. Alexander are available in Kindle Unlimited at the time of this post.
Third House by Heather Karn
With the identity of their enemy coming together piece by piece, Koda, Raven, and the team race against the clock to find him before he finds Koda. That isn’t easy with their list of limited safe places dwindling one by one. Somehow, the Lich is always one step ahead of them, and suspicion falls on one person: their prisoner. But all may not be as it appears.
In this epic continuation of Koda’s story, trust will be tried, tears will be shed, and bonds of love will be formed. The fate of Third House hangs in the balance, as does the fate of the world. Can the last Head of Third House save those she loves or are they all doomed to fail?
Author Note: It’s recommended for full details about the fall of St. Louis that you read Zero Tolerance before Third House as this incident will not be discussed in detail so that it will not ruin Raven’s prequel novel.
In this epic continuation of Koda’s story, trust will be tried, tears will be shed, and bonds of love will be formed. The fate of Third House hangs in the balance, as does the fate of the world. Can the last Head of Third House save those she loves or are they all doomed to fail?
Author Note: It’s recommended for full details about the fall of St. Louis that you read Zero Tolerance before Third House as this incident will not be discussed in detail so that it will not ruin Raven’s prequel novel.
Review...
Third House is the thrilling conclusion to the First Blood Trilogy. We see Koda as the leader she was born to be. Non stop action filled with plot twists the reader does not see coming.
This series by Karn is my absolute favorite of her body of work!
This series by Karn is my absolute favorite of her body of work!
What’s worse than being abducted by aliens? Being told you have to choose one as a mate.
Cammie's having an average teenage bad day, complete with her car dying on the side of the road, when she’s attacked from behind. As soon as she wakes up, everything Cammie knows about space and extraterrestrials is turned on its head. First, she’s on a real spaceship whose crew proves that aliens aren’t little green people. Second, there are more alien races than she’d considered, and some are at war. If that wasn’t enough, the ship’s captain, Kilani, is adamant he’s not taking her back to Earth for one glaring reason: she’s classified as a Mate, a female able to bear children.
With Kilani’s race dying out, they’ve become desperate to find a solution, but Cammie wants nothing to do with it. All she wants is to return to Earth, that is until Kilani starts showing her what space travel is all about, and that a lonely captain might be just what she’s looking for. However, the question remains for both of them: by the time they reach Kilani’s home world, will he have convinced Cammie to choose him as a Mate, or will she continue to fight to return home?
Cammie's having an average teenage bad day, complete with her car dying on the side of the road, when she’s attacked from behind. As soon as she wakes up, everything Cammie knows about space and extraterrestrials is turned on its head. First, she’s on a real spaceship whose crew proves that aliens aren’t little green people. Second, there are more alien races than she’d considered, and some are at war. If that wasn’t enough, the ship’s captain, Kilani, is adamant he’s not taking her back to Earth for one glaring reason: she’s classified as a Mate, a female able to bear children.
With Kilani’s race dying out, they’ve become desperate to find a solution, but Cammie wants nothing to do with it. All she wants is to return to Earth, that is until Kilani starts showing her what space travel is all about, and that a lonely captain might be just what she’s looking for. However, the question remains for both of them: by the time they reach Kilani’s home world, will he have convinced Cammie to choose him as a Mate, or will she continue to fight to return home?
Review...
Coming off the high that the author's First Blood Trilogy left me on, the bar was set way up high for this one. Mate Level 8 is a scifi romance from Heather Karn. This story already had two strikes against it for me. 1. Enemies to lovers (sorta) 2. Alien abductions. Despite that, I found this to be a quick fun escape from reality.
Cammie is kidnapped by aliens who are studying other races for an infertility cure for their own race. The author took Cammie (and me) on an inner galactic adventure to new planets. Cammie is full of spunk and sass. Despite the differences in species, she takes it all in stride with an open mind and an open heart. Cammie's love interest, Ki, is amazing. All races of males could learn the art of wooing a woman from Ki.
The reader could easily parallel things happening in our world today to this story. If only everyone were as open minded and loving as Cammie.
Cammie is kidnapped by aliens who are studying other races for an infertility cure for their own race. The author took Cammie (and me) on an inner galactic adventure to new planets. Cammie is full of spunk and sass. Despite the differences in species, she takes it all in stride with an open mind and an open heart. Cammie's love interest, Ki, is amazing. All races of males could learn the art of wooing a woman from Ki.
The reader could easily parallel things happening in our world today to this story. If only everyone were as open minded and loving as Cammie.
The Collector by K.R. Alexander
Josie always liked visiting her grandmother in the countryside. But when her mother loses her job in the city and they're forced to relocate along with Josie's sister, Annie, she realizes she doesn't like the country that much. Especially because Grandma Jeannie has some strange rules: Don't bring any dolls into the house. And never, ever go near the house in the woods behind their yard. Soon, though, Josie manages to make friendds with the most popular girl in the sixth grade, Vanessa. When Vanessa eventually invites Josie back to her house to hang out, Hosie doesn't question it. Not even when Vanessa takes her into the woods, and down an old dirt road, toward the very house Grandma Jeannie had warned her about.
As Josie gets caught up in her illicit friendship with Vanessa, Annie is caught in the crossfire. What follows is a chilling tale of dark magic, friendship, and some very creepy dolls.
As Josie gets caught up in her illicit friendship with Vanessa, Annie is caught in the crossfire. What follows is a chilling tale of dark magic, friendship, and some very creepy dolls.
Review...
The Collector is a spine tingling page Definitely not for the faint of heart or doll collectors. Part mystery, all horror.
Rundown house in the woods✔
Scary witch✔
Creepy dolls✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔times a billion
I loved this middle grade horror and definitely plan on snagging up more books by this author.
Rundown house in the woods✔
Scary witch✔
Creepy dolls✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔times a billion
I loved this middle grade horror and definitely plan on snagging up more books by this author.
Carolyn Ridder Aspenson
My name is Alyssa Grey, and I have no idea what I’m doing… in life, love, with my magic powers—you name it.
Working as a personal assistant to the busiest realtor in the small Southern town of Swan Hallow always kept me plenty busy, but then my boss’s partner died and I got a promotion... Just without the extra pay.
Now I’m showing old homes, and every single one of them is haunted. As a witch, I’m not supposed to be able to see ghosts. But I do. And they know I do. And I know they know I do. And, oh boy.
Worse yet, an apparition that looks an awful lot like my boss’s dead partner has come knocking, and demanding I solve her murder. I’ve been given an ultimatum: help or die. It looks like I can’t really trust anyone any more. Will my cat, mouse familiar, and a new shapeshifter friend be enough to help me get the job done in what little time I have left?
Working as a personal assistant to the busiest realtor in the small Southern town of Swan Hallow always kept me plenty busy, but then my boss’s partner died and I got a promotion... Just without the extra pay.
Now I’m showing old homes, and every single one of them is haunted. As a witch, I’m not supposed to be able to see ghosts. But I do. And they know I do. And I know they know I do. And, oh boy.
Worse yet, an apparition that looks an awful lot like my boss’s dead partner has come knocking, and demanding I solve her murder. I’ve been given an ultimatum: help or die. It looks like I can’t really trust anyone any more. Will my cat, mouse familiar, and a new shapeshifter friend be enough to help me get the job done in what little time I have left?
Review...
One of the keys to a great mystery is keeping the suspense and surprising the reader when the 'whodonit" is revealed. Aspenson nailed it in this one. I definitely didn't see that one coming.
Ghost talking can be murder…
Castleberry Historical society manager Chantilly Adair is excited to finalize the proposal plans for the old Baptist church just outside of town, officially marking it as a registered historic property.
But that excitement turns to confusion when she finds a dead body hidden in a janitor’s closet in the basement, and the former pastor’s spirit hovering nearby.
Impeded by the cantankerous spirit Chantilly knows is hiding something, she must pick her way through the mystery of a long-ago fire and the dead guy stuffed inside the closet.
Can Chantilly discover how the two crimes are connected, and will she find out who the killer is before she becomes the next victim?
Castleberry Historical society manager Chantilly Adair is excited to finalize the proposal plans for the old Baptist church just outside of town, officially marking it as a registered historic property.
But that excitement turns to confusion when she finds a dead body hidden in a janitor’s closet in the basement, and the former pastor’s spirit hovering nearby.
Impeded by the cantankerous spirit Chantilly knows is hiding something, she must pick her way through the mystery of a long-ago fire and the dead guy stuffed inside the closet.
Can Chantilly discover how the two crimes are connected, and will she find out who the killer is before she becomes the next victim?
Review
Another 5 star installment in the Chantilly Adair series.
I love that in Praying for Peace a potential crime from decades ago is died to a present day murder. To solve this 'whodunit' Chantilly must unravel today's mystery but finding outwhat really happened at the church fire all those years ago. This one weaves a suspenseful web.
For me it is Thelma and Charlie's love that steals the show. Aspenson writes the best secondary characters.
I love that in Praying for Peace a potential crime from decades ago is died to a present day murder. To solve this 'whodunit' Chantilly must unravel today's mystery but finding outwhat really happened at the church fire all those years ago. This one weaves a suspenseful web.
For me it is Thelma and Charlie's love that steals the show. Aspenson writes the best secondary characters.
Magic Betrayed by Elizabeth Kirke
Never again must another Arcanist rise…
They say it took one hundred magical beings to defeat the first Arcanist. Great care was taken to ensure the secret to his malevolent power died with him. Now the brutal reign of the Arcanist has become little more than a scary bedtime story. And yet, the descendants of his loyal followers are sworn to find a way to bestow his dark magic upon another. If they succeed, they’ll unleash a new terror upon an unsuspecting world.
Now, magics are vanishing without a trace. It’s up to Jen Maddox, a young witch working for the Magical Enforcement and Secrecy Agency, to find out why. Jen soon learns that those responsible for the disappearances will do whatever it takes to stop her investigation... including using an ancient, forbidden magic. With each clue uncovered the mystery grows, pointing towards one unthinkable scenario — an Arcanist is once again rising.
Magic Betrayed is Book One in the Urban Fantasy series, Rise of the Arcanist, featuring witches, vampires, werewolves, and more. It is a New Adult spin-off of USA Today Bestselling author Elizabeth Kirke’s award-winning More than Magic series. If you like your magic mixed with a little mystery and sweet romance, dive into your copy today.
*Rise of the Arcanist is a six book serial, with each installment releasing a month apart. You do *not* have to read the original More than Magic trilogy to enjoy it.*
They say it took one hundred magical beings to defeat the first Arcanist. Great care was taken to ensure the secret to his malevolent power died with him. Now the brutal reign of the Arcanist has become little more than a scary bedtime story. And yet, the descendants of his loyal followers are sworn to find a way to bestow his dark magic upon another. If they succeed, they’ll unleash a new terror upon an unsuspecting world.
Now, magics are vanishing without a trace. It’s up to Jen Maddox, a young witch working for the Magical Enforcement and Secrecy Agency, to find out why. Jen soon learns that those responsible for the disappearances will do whatever it takes to stop her investigation... including using an ancient, forbidden magic. With each clue uncovered the mystery grows, pointing towards one unthinkable scenario — an Arcanist is once again rising.
Magic Betrayed is Book One in the Urban Fantasy series, Rise of the Arcanist, featuring witches, vampires, werewolves, and more. It is a New Adult spin-off of USA Today Bestselling author Elizabeth Kirke’s award-winning More than Magic series. If you like your magic mixed with a little mystery and sweet romance, dive into your copy today.
*Rise of the Arcanist is a six book serial, with each installment releasing a month apart. You do *not* have to read the original More than Magic trilogy to enjoy it.*
Review...
Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of the MTM Trilogy and I am stoked to be back with my friends. This new series takes place five years later and while You do not have to have read the More Than Magic Trilogy to follow along with the new serial but it will add background on all the characters and their relationships.
Magic Betrayed is book one in the author's six-book serial, Rise of the Arcanist. The new series is much darker and more sinister than the trilogy. Magics have been disappearing and it is up to our group to figure out why. Part fantasy, part mystery, all awesomeness, I flew threw the pages of this story. And that ending! Edge of my seat! Of course I can't go into detail because of spoilers but trust me, one-click now.
Magic Betrayed is book one in the author's six-book serial, Rise of the Arcanist. The new series is much darker and more sinister than the trilogy. Magics have been disappearing and it is up to our group to figure out why. Part fantasy, part mystery, all awesomeness, I flew threw the pages of this story. And that ending! Edge of my seat! Of course I can't go into detail because of spoilers but trust me, one-click now.
Audiobook Reviews
Eric Asher ~ Vesik Series
A haunted mage. A weapon lost. Sometimes, the dead return...
To save a life, Zola must find an anchor to transfer a blood knot of untold power, and she knows exactly who to turn to. An old ally, Ward, is gifted in the ancient arts and may hold the key to Vesik’s salvation.
With his team by his side, Ward embarks on a quest through the outskirts of The Golden City, which is rife with Unseelie Fae and Irontouched alike. Their only hope is a dangerous meeting with a highly trained cadre - who balance their loyalties on a knife’s edge.
As they embark on their path of knowledge and terror, tables take a jarring turn when a long lost apprentice, believed to be claimed by the darkness, makes a ghoulish return. The time for peace is near the end, and Ward must trust in those who rarely trust themselves in order to fulfill his mission
To save a life, Zola must find an anchor to transfer a blood knot of untold power, and she knows exactly who to turn to. An old ally, Ward, is gifted in the ancient arts and may hold the key to Vesik’s salvation.
With his team by his side, Ward embarks on a quest through the outskirts of The Golden City, which is rife with Unseelie Fae and Irontouched alike. Their only hope is a dangerous meeting with a highly trained cadre - who balance their loyalties on a knife’s edge.
As they embark on their path of knowledge and terror, tables take a jarring turn when a long lost apprentice, believed to be claimed by the darkness, makes a ghoulish return. The time for peace is near the end, and Ward must trust in those who rarely trust themselves in order to fulfill his mission
Review...
I love that this series literally picks on the next page from the previous one. The war rages on while Zola and crew try to find another piece of the puzzle to create a new anchor for Sam and Vicki. In this installment, we focus on Ward and met his long lost apprentice, Heather.
The world building and layers make this an epic series. While I love delving deeper into the many characters, the suspense of Damien's predicament is killing me!
Eric Moon is a fantastic narrator for this series. It amazes me who she can keep all the individual accents and nuances for each voice she lends to the story.
The world building and layers make this an epic series. While I love delving deeper into the many characters, the suspense of Damien's predicament is killing me!
Eric Moon is a fantastic narrator for this series. It amazes me who she can keep all the individual accents and nuances for each voice she lends to the story.
A demon unleashed. A queen restored. A quest into a realm of fire and death...
The Burning Lands once again beckon Vicky as she and Zola fight to release Tessrian on the realm of the fire demons. Traveling aboard an ancient ship known as the Bone Sails, the infamous pirate Graybeard takes the helm. But all is not what it seems.
Together, they must fulfill Vesik’s promise on their journey to obtain an ancient and powerful coin that can restore the power of a Titan and sever the magic of the Mad King. Time is running short, and failure will shatter the world around them.
But the Burning Lands have sunk their spindly claws into Vicky once more. Danger lurks around every corner after the fall of Prosperine left the realm in chaos. Completing their quest falls on the shoulders of a forgotten destroyer, a necromancer’s master, and a pirate who’s stolen history might prove the end of them all...
The Burning Lands once again beckon Vicky as she and Zola fight to release Tessrian on the realm of the fire demons. Traveling aboard an ancient ship known as the Bone Sails, the infamous pirate Graybeard takes the helm. But all is not what it seems.
Together, they must fulfill Vesik’s promise on their journey to obtain an ancient and powerful coin that can restore the power of a Titan and sever the magic of the Mad King. Time is running short, and failure will shatter the world around them.
But the Burning Lands have sunk their spindly claws into Vicky once more. Danger lurks around every corner after the fall of Prosperine left the realm in chaos. Completing their quest falls on the shoulders of a forgotten destroyer, a necromancer’s master, and a pirate who’s stolen history might prove the end of them all...
Review...
I love that the author is delving into other characters' backstories while completing their quest to find an anchor to transfer the blood knot and ultimately try to save Damien but... I NEED THE ENDING! I am on the edge of my seat. I love the series, the people, the world, and one the hand I don't want it to end but I can't take this abuse. I need to know how it all ends.
Erin Moon, the narrator, is fantabulous at tearing this story from your speakers and bring it to life.
Erin Moon, the narrator, is fantabulous at tearing this story from your speakers and bring it to life.
Apryl Baker's The Ghost Files
One, two, the ghosts are coming for you…
Three, four, better salt your door…
Five, six, death and hatred mix…
Seven, eight, help will come too late…
Nine, ten, never reap again…
Seventeen year old Mattie Hathaway has enough on her plate without having to deal with the latest teenage ghost drama. The ghosts of eight murdered girls are out for her blood. They blame Mattie for their deaths. She has to figure out what happened to them before they make sure she ends up just like them…dead and angry.
Not only that, but she has to face the greatest fear of her young life, the death of the only person she’s ever loved. Can she let nature take its course or will she interfere and cause the balance of life and death to spiral out of control?
She’s out of time, and doesn’t know if she should trust Silas, the demon who has taken a very disturbing interest in her, or her father, a man just as evil as Silas. Either way, she has to make a choice. But what will it cost her and those she loves?
Three, four, better salt your door…
Five, six, death and hatred mix…
Seven, eight, help will come too late…
Nine, ten, never reap again…
Seventeen year old Mattie Hathaway has enough on her plate without having to deal with the latest teenage ghost drama. The ghosts of eight murdered girls are out for her blood. They blame Mattie for their deaths. She has to figure out what happened to them before they make sure she ends up just like them…dead and angry.
Not only that, but she has to face the greatest fear of her young life, the death of the only person she’s ever loved. Can she let nature take its course or will she interfere and cause the balance of life and death to spiral out of control?
She’s out of time, and doesn’t know if she should trust Silas, the demon who has taken a very disturbing interest in her, or her father, a man just as evil as Silas. Either way, she has to make a choice. But what will it cost her and those she loves?
Review
I read about half of this one and then I picked it on audio and started it over. This installment was gut wrenching! How many concussions are too many concussions? #AskingForAFriend Poor Mattie cannot catch a break in this one. Between constant head trauma, meeting her bio dad, and the death of someone close to her, the author did everything she could to destroy Mattie and quite frankly me. This one packed the feels. I seriously balled like a baby at one point.
This is a phenomenal series from Apryl Baker and the narrator Krista Kurtzberg was fantastic at bringing the story to life.
This is a phenomenal series from Apryl Baker and the narrator Krista Kurtzberg was fantastic at bringing the story to life.
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