"Frost" by M. P. Kozlowsky is Really Good!

Frost has spent her whole life in an abandoned apartment building.  She lives with her Broot and a robot.  But now her Broot is very sick and Frost will do anything to make her Broot get better, including going outside where it is not safe!

I thought this book was really good!  There is lots of action and a fantastic twist at the end that I did not see coming at all!  LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review, 5++ 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!

"Empire of Storms" by Sarah J. Maas is one We Both Liked

In Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas, Aelin is looking for a way to save her homeland before it is overtaken.  Manon has a big part in this book surrounded by good action.  Her and Aelin together are really good!  Lysandra also has a major role and I also enjoyed the parts with Rowan.  In this book, the author concentrates on other characters besides Aelin which I was fine with.  The pages leading up to the ending were the best part of this book.  It is action packed for sure and impossible to put down!  I LOVED IT and am looking forward to book 6.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas is the second to last book in The Throne of Glass series and is full of adventure, battles, plotting and romance.  Aelin continues her quest to save the world to make it better and it is good to see her rally her friends to help her.  If you have been reading this series, definitely continue on with this book but don't read this one until you have read all the previous ones.

Parts of this book were puzzling to me; however, the action scenes are very good and I cheered for Rowan and Lysandra in the battles and also for Mannon and her Wyvern, Abraxos!  I really liked these characters especially in this book!  Aelin now fights with her magical fire more than her swords which is okay, but I liked the sword fighting better.  This book has very strong female characters who always seem to stay one step ahead of the males in this book.  It was good to see Ansel back too.  I liked her and Aelin working together.
(Karen's review, 4 stars because I didn't like the raunchy sex scenes in this one)

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 Midnight Star" by Marie Lu

The Midnight Star by Marie Lu is the final book in The Young Elites series. Adelina aka "The White Wolf" is now the queen.  She takes care of people who get in her way.  But now she finds out that she has to make a deal with her enemy or else!

Marie Lu shows that she does not have to take a back seat to anyone.  This book had loads of action and the ending had plenty of twists and turns.  I LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review, 5++ 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!

Teaser Tuesday

Gerard's:

A loud boom ripped through the building.  Next came a deafening thud; glass shattered high above them.


From page six of prologue of The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts.

So why should I help a liar and a traitor?  After everything the Daggers have put me through, does Raffaele honestly think I am going to fight for their lives just because he is using my dying sister against me?

From page 128 of The Midnight Star by Marie Lu.

Karen's:

Aelin was insane, Dorian realized.  Brilliant and wicked, but insane.

And perhaps the greatest, most unremorseful liar he'd ever encountered.

From page 303 of Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. 

Happy Reading!

"The Perfect Horse" by Elizabeth Letts

The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts is one of my favorite books to read.  This is a good non-fiction book on a subject that I knew nothing about.  In the last few days of World War II, some U.S. soldiers capture a German spy and he has pictures of beautiful horses with him.  Colonel Hank Reed and his men decide to save the horses from certain death.

I found the first 100 pages slow, but the action picked up soon enough.  It is interesting to follow the thinking of the men who played the big roles.  I enjoyed it!
(Gerard's review, 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!

"Crooked Kingdom" by Leigh Bardugo has Tons of Action

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo is the follow-up to Six of Crows.  This book picks up where Six of Crows left off.  I was into it from page 1.  It was so good to be back with Kaz and the gang as they make up plans to out-wit their enemy!  There is tons of action in this book as they get in and out of trouble and always remain one step ahead.

I LOVED IT!  I am happy the author got it done in two books, but would love more!  This is my new "book of the month"!
(Gerard's review, 5++ 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!

Teaser Tuesday

Gerard's:

When Kaz had outlined this part of the plan at the hideout on Black Veil, Wylan had been incredulous, and for once, he hadn't been the only one with questions.


From page 14 of Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo.


Karen's:

It felt like it had been raining ever since the day of the barbecue, although she knew this wasn't true.  When she thought of her life before the barbecue, it was suffused with golden sunlight.

From page 25 of Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. 

Happy Reading!

"Truly Madly Guilty" by Liane Moriarty is One We Did Not See Eye to Eye On (updated)

I read Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty on my husband's recommendation and because he laughed out loud as he read through it.  Unfortunately, I did not find it all that funny and plowed through it.  (To be fair though, I just got done reading A Torch in the Night by Sabaa Tahir which was one I could hardly put down which had lots of adventure, action and interesting characters.)  Compared to that, this one really fell flat.

The tiny bit of action in it was alluded to all through the book in an attempt to build up some mystery, but moved along much too slow for my taste.  It is primarily about three couples and their marriages.  I really hated that the chapters went back and forth between the day of the big incident and the present and the past.  I just wanted to know what happened already and found the writing annoying.  Of the characters, I found the girl Dakota interesting and liked Tiffany and Sam best of the adults.  I also thought Harry, the grumpy neighbor was an interesting character but he wasn't in it much.  I loved Big Little Lies by this author so expected to like this book as well, but I didn't. 
(Karen's review, 2 stars)


Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty is about three couples and their children who gather together for a backyard barbecue.  What could possibly go wrong?  First of all, this is an adult novel.  I read a lot of YA and fantasy novels so this was a change for me which I thought was fantastic but find I am in the minority compared to other reviewers on Amazon.

I enjoyed all the characters and laughed out loud through it!  The dialogue among the characters made this a very enjoyable read.  This is the third book I have read by this author and I loved them all!  You cannot zoom through this book, because if you miss one thing, you miss a lot of the story!  LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review 10-9-16, 5++ 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!

"A Torch Against the Night" by Sabaa Tahir is as Good as the First in This Series!

After reading An Ember in the Ashes, I went right into the next book--A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir and loved it too.  In this one, Helene's point of view is added in the telling of the story and it is exciting right from the start.  Much of the book is Elias and Laia on the run with Helene and her three black guards chasing after them but the author has a way of having things happening in different places at the same time and making great use of cliff hangers at the end of the chapters to keep your interest.  There are some sad parts and the characters did some things I didn't like or understand; however, it did make for a good story.  I really like Helene who is put through the ringer in this book. 

This book has some surprises and again, some tight situations where. I felt I was on a roller coaster with all the ups and downs in this book.  It moved a bit slow at the beginning, but the last third of the book made up for it!  I had to take a break after several of the chapters to let things sink in and then go right back to it to see what would happen next. I look forward to reading the rest of this series!   
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir is the follow-up to Ember in the Ashes.  Usually I have trouble getting into book Twos because it was so long since I read book 1, but not so with this one.  I was into it from page 1!  It was so good to re-connect with Laia and Elias!  Both are wonderful characters.  This book flows very well and I was surprised more than once.  A lot happens in this which made it just as good as book 1, if not better.  I LOVED it!
(Gerard's review 10/5/16, 5++ 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!

"The Midnight Dog Walkers" by Annie Phenix

The Midnight Dog Walkers--Positive Training and Practical Advice for Living with a Reactive or Aggressive Dog by Annie Phenix is non-fiction.  The author works with overly aggressive dogs and their owners.  She tells about the way she trains dogs.  The best part of this book was when Annie told about the dogs she owned.  If you have an aggressive dog or just love dogs in general (like I do), this you would probably like this book too!
(Gerard's review, 4.5 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!

Teaser Tuesday

Gerard's:

She had a feeling Rowan would very, very much enjoy the task of shredding Darrow into little pieces.  She also had the feeling that she'd very, very much enjoy joining him.


From page 55 of Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas.


Karen's:

 Any elation I felt at destroying Blackcliff Academy or rescuing Elias from execution vanishes.  The Empire hunts us.  If it catches us, we die.

From page 3 of A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir.

"And I don't want to compete with you, Elias.  The moment we start working against each other is the moment we let Marcus and Zak win."

From Page 109 of An Ember in the Ashes by by Sabaa Tahir.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. 

Happy Reading!

"An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir is Fantastic YA Fantasy

Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir lives up to all the hype and I agree with the reviewers who loved this book.  The characters are well developed and very interesting.  The story is told from alternating points of view of Laia, a slave girl who is a spy trying to find and free her brother who was arrested by the Empire because of his weapon drawings in his sketchbook, and Elias (a mask), a soldier of the Empire who really wants out because he does not want to kill innocent people.  He has been trained at Blackcliffe to kill since he was 6 yrs. old along with his best friend, Helene--the only girl mask in their class.

I loved this book and am glad I finally got around to reading it.  Can't wait to see what happens in the second book of this series!  The world building in this one is pretty simplistic (which I liked) and the action and dialogue if fun to read.  There is a lot of personal dilemmas that different characters face as well as the overall plot of Laia trying to rescue her brother before he gets killed.  Helene, Izzi and Cook are also fantastic supporting characters!  The woman commandant of the school is unbelievably cruel, even to her own son but it makes for a great story! 
(Karen's review, 5 stars)


(Gerard's review 5/27/15, 5++ stars):
 An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir is told by two people.  Laia and her brother are captured by the empire forces.  Laia becomes a slave girl all the while trying to find a way to get her brother out of prison--even to the point of being a spy.

Elias is the best soldier in the empire forces and stands a very good chance to become the head of the empire.  The problem is he does not want this at all.  Elias wants to escape this life and become free.

Does Laia free her brother?  Does Elias get his freedom?  Read this to find out!

This is a fantastic read especially for an author's first book!  I was glued to this book right from the beginning.  If you like YA fantasy, this is a must read!  It kept me turning pages for sure.   I hope there is a book two!  Click here to view my video review of An Ember in the Ashes.


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!

"Obsession" by Karen Robards is Quite the Page Turner!

Obsession by Karen Robards begins with a mystery right off the bat and is filled with action, mystery and suspense throughout. This is a book about an FBI investigation against the head of the CIA whose personal assistant, Katherine, is caught up in the middle and in great danger throughout the book. Katherine doesn’t know who to trust and finds herself in several life and death situations. This novel is full of betrayal, suspense, mystery and action with a bit of humor and romance.

This book kept me guessing all through, but at least I picked the right person that Katherine should trust, well, sort of. This has a wild plot and interesting characters. I especially liked Katherine’s cat, Muffy! Loved the ending! The one explicit sex scene I could do without, but other than that, I liked this contemporary thriller which is a page turner I recommend to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and unusual plots.
(Karen's review, 5 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!

Teaser Tuesdays

Karen's:

As last thoughts before dying went, it lacked something, and Katharine Lawrence knew it.  Still, there it was:  Her kitchen floor was filthy.


From page 9 of Obsession by Karen Robards.


Gerard's:

 "Laia--" I begin, but a low groan rolls down the tunnel, and the ground trembles.  Through the sewer grates I hear screams, shouts, and the deafening reverberation of an enormous explosion.

From page 13 of A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir.

Twenty-one men with intellectual disability, all Texans, living hard in a run-down Pee-Wee's Playhouse in Nowhere, Iowa.  How the hell, she wondered, did this hot mess happen? 

From Page 18 of The Boys in the Bunkhouse by Dan Barry.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. 

Happy Reading!