"Killers of a Certain Age" by Deanna Raybourn

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn is about how four retired women assassins scheme, plot and fight for their survival against the very organization that hired and trained them to be killers.  This book moved slow for me, but had me interested right from the start.  It had a bit of humor but not enough to say it was humorous.  It is narrated from the point of view of Billie, one of the old women assassins.  The characters seemed shallow.  I felt they could have been developed more.  I'm glad I stuck with it though because the last few chapters were very good!  (Karen's review, 3 stars)

To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Billy Summers" by Stephen King

Billy Summers by Stephen King is a long book, 1,042 pages of large print but worth it.  Billy Summers gets paid, and paid very well to take out bad men for good.  He wants to get out, but decides to take one more job.  The pay is too much to turn down.  Can he pull it off again without getting caught?  

I think this book could have been shorter and just as good.  Billy was a great character and he drives the book.  The story line was also good and kept me interested, but could have had more action.  That being said, I still give it 5 stars because the character of Billy was that good!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Heart of Betrayal" (Book 2 of Remnant Chronicles) by Mary E. Pearson (UPDATED)

The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson is book two in the Remnant Chronicles series, the sequel to Kiss of Deception, which I LOVED. Lia and Kaden are taken as prisoners by the barbarians of Vaden and deception is prevalent in this book throughout, but not for the reader as it was in book one. Lia continues to be both feisty, brave and deceptive. She pretends not to care for Kaden in order to save his life while relying on Rafe, the assassin, to protect her. Tension between Kaden and Rafe continues to escalate, but they both love Lia. Lia and Kaden catch short times together to hatch an escape plan, that is even more urgent as Lia’s wedding to the Komizar fast approaches. There is some brutality in this book with lots of interesting characters and relationships. Will Rafe betray the Komizar to protect Lia? Will he kill Kaden? Will Griz get his revenge? Will Kaden and Lia be successful in their escape?

I LOVED this book so much! It moved along quickly and was as much fun to read as Kiss of Deception. I thought the funniest part was when Lia beat Griz at cards, but the saddest was when the Komizar killed the little girl. This is a good series that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys adventure, romance and fantasy with royalty. I look forward to the next book to find out what happens! (Karen's review 8/1/15, 5 stars)

Gerard read this too 12/8/16, but didn't like it as much as I did:
This book is the follow up to Kiss of Deception which I liked better.  Lia is being held captive in the city of Venda and Kaden is keeping an eye on her, making sure no harm comes to her.  Rafe is also captured and is waiting for his army to come and rescue him and Lia.  As in book one, the part that Lia tells were the highlight for me.  She is really good!  There is some action finally near the end which sets up the final book.
(4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Nevernight" by Jay Kristoff

In Nevernight by Jay Kristoff, Mia Corvere is a young girl whose father was executed for being a traitor and her mother put in chains.  Mia wants revenge in the worst way, but how?  She is befriended by an old man who put her in a place with the deadliest assassins on earth--Assassin School.  She must beat her fellow students to get revenge but can she?

I enjoyed this book a lot.  Mia is a great character and the story flowed along well.
(Gerard's review, 9/9/16, 5 stars)

Karen's thoughts:
This was a Did Not Finish one for Karen.  She barely started and gave up on it because of the writing, the narration was annoying for her (reminded her of The Book Thief which she did not care for either for the same reason.  She just couldn't get into it.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Mass is Fantastic! (UPDATED)

Here is my Booktube spoiler free review of Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas:

The Assassisn’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas is amazing! It has action, betrayal, romance, humor, and shows a softer, caring side of Celaena that I wish I had known going into the Throne of Glass series. This book is about two assassins, Celaena and Sam, who like each other in spite of being competitors. We also see Hamel Arobynn’s dark, cruel, mean side--he's a real scumbag. There are five novellas that comprise this book that were all very good. I particularly liked the first three better than the last two just because the last two are so heartbreaking and so sad. After reading this book, I like Celaena even more than I already did.

This book is a page turner that had me from start to finish. I liked this one even more than those I’ve read in The Throne of Glass series because this book does not have any magic in it, just action and a lot of character development. I enjoyed this book very much and wish I had read it before starting the series so I knew Celaena better. I think Celaena and Sam should have went back to the Red Desert and worked for the mute assassin when they decided to leave Arobynn. In the second story about the healer, I found the self-defense lesson by Celaena very interesting and liked how she was willing to train Yrene, the barmaid at the White Pig Inn, how to defend herself. In the third story, Celaena finally finds a friend in Ansel and has some fun for a change. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy adventure, action, and well developed interesting character interaction. 
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Mass is made up of five short stories that give background on Celaena, the main character in The Throne of Glass series.  This collection could have easily been a novel because the stories follow in chronological order.  The three big things I got out of this book were:  (1)  I got to see a different side of Celaena; (2) Got to know Sam and about his relationship with Celaena; and (3) got to know more about Arobynn Hamel (the guy who trained her to be an assassin).

Wow!  This book is fantastic!  The stories are very good and filled with twists and turns.  I LOVED IT A LOT!  I would recommend reading this first before the Throne of Glass series although I didn't do it that way and still enjoyed it.  I just think reading this one first would give you helpful background on Celaena going into the next books.
(Gerard's review 7/22/15, 5 stars)

Review of the previous books in this series:
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight
Heir of Fire

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Heir of Fire" by Sarah J. Maas (Updated)

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas is the third book in the Throne of Glass series so read the first two first!  In this book, you will be introduced to yet more new characters.  My favorite is Rowan and hope he is a main character now.  Of course, we get more of Chaol, Dorian and Celaena.  This series seems to get better and better with each book!  This is another action packed book full of twists and turns that I didn't want to put down with a fantastic ending!  I want more, Wow!  Can't wait to read the next one in this series!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:
I thought this book started out very slow and was very confusing but the second part really picked up and got very good.  Things I liked about it are:  Celaena learning to use and control her magic fire power, Manon training Abraxos, her wyver and how they sort of bond, Rowan finally being nice to Celaena and them fighting together, Celaena's confrontation with her Aunt Maeve when she demonstrates her power, the showdown with the King at the end and Chaol still protecting Celaena's dog, Fleetwood. 

I think I'm probably the only person who liked the first two books better than this one.  I am looking forward to continuing on with this series because there are enough characters that I like and want to see how it all turns out.

Here are my two favorite quotes from this book:

The witch, Manon, trying to get her vicious wyver, Abroxos, to eat meat:

"He moved to sniff some white-and-yellow flowers.
A nightmare.  this was a nightmare.  "You can't really like flowers."
Again those dark eyes shifted to her.  Blinked once.  I most certainly do, he seemed to say." p. 261

Aelin to Rowan at the end when arguing about her plan of action:

"And, just like I said, magic doesn't work there anymore.  you'd be trapped in that form.  Though I do hear that Rifthold rats are particularly delicious, if you want to eat them for months." p. 560

Review of the previous books in this series:
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!