The Echo Wife - Book Review

 

The Echo Wife

by Sarah Gailey

What is it about:

I’m embarrassed, still, by how long it took me to notice. Everything was right there in the open, right there in front of me, but it still took me so long to see the person I had married.

It took me so long to hate him.

Martine is a genetically cloned replica made from Evelyn Caldwell’s award-winning research. She’s patient and gentle and obedient. She’s everything Evelyn swore she’d never be.

And she’s having an affair with Evelyn’s husband.

Now, the cheating bastard is dead, and both Caldwell wives have a mess to clean up.

Good thing Evelyn Caldwell is used to getting her hands dirty.

What did I think of it:

I've loved everything I've read by Sarah Gailey so far, so once again I preordered this as soon as it became available.

This is a beautiful, but also difficult book.

Evelyn Caldwell is very detached from her feelings, and as this book is written from her perspective it's difficult at times to connect to what's going on. But as the story progresses it becomes clear why she is as she is, and I could understand why there's so much emotional distance.

So yes: I struggled with the story at first, but a few chapters in I fell for it hard and couldn't stop reading. I had to know everything that had happened to Evelyn, and I had to know how she and Martine would solve their problems.

All in all this is yet another beautiful and thought provoking book, and you bet Sarah Gailey will stay on my auto-buy author list. This book will get a place next to their other books on my keeper shelves.

Why should you read it:

Its a beautiful and thought provoking read.

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Teaser Tuesdays - The Body Finder

 

Violet couldn't shake the melancholy feelings that clung to her, infiltrating every pore of her body. She leaned back and closed her eyes, wondering if the nightmares from her childhood were about to return, to haunt her sleep once more.

(page 69, The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting)

buy from amazon

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Dealbreaker - Book Review

I have been gaming more than I've been reading the last few weeks, so that's why I took a break from reviewing. But I did read some books, and I'm getting my reading groove back, so now it's time to end my break and get back to reviewing.

Dealbreaker (The Bounceback #2)

by L.X. Beckett

What is it about:

Rubi Whiting has done the impossible. She has proved that humanity deserves a seat at the galactic table. Well, at least a shot at a seat. Having convinced the galactic governing body that mankind deserves a chance at fixing their own problems, Rubi has done her part to launch the planet into a new golden age of scientific discovery and technological revolution.

However, there are still those in the galactic community that think that humanity is too poisonous, too greedy, to be allowed in, and they will stop at nothing to sabotage a species determined to pull itself up.

What did I think of it:

I loved Gamechanger so you bet I preordered Dealbreaker as soon as it was available. Then I had to (im)patiently wait for the release.

And it was totally worth the wait.

This book takes places several years after Gamechanger and it's up to the next generation to show that they are capable of keeping up with the rules set by the galactic community. But there are people who don't want mankind to succeed, and they're willing to kill for it.

I was invested from the start. Some of the characters from Gamechanger didn't return or only had a minor role, but the cast of characters was amazing. I especially loved Frankie, Maud, and Crane. There was also a character that technically belonged with the bad guys, but who I fell in love with.

As with the previous book you have to keep your attention on the story to get all the nuances. There are many unfamiliar terms, and lots of people who are connected to what's going on. I was  on the edge of my seat to see if my favorites would survive, and if they would manage to stop those who were working against humanity.

All in all a wonderful sequel that would also work as a standalone. I'll be keeping an eye out for more by Beckett.

Why should you read it:

It's an amazing Futuristic read

buy from Amazon

 

Taking a Break. Back Soon

Morrigan's Bite - Book Review

 

Morrigan's Bite (Crow's Curse #2)

by Laura Bickle

What is it about:

Becoming a vampire was the worst thing to ever happen to Garnet Conners. But does she have to become a monster, too?

Garnet had a beautiful life…and it was stolen from her when she was turned into a vampire against her will. Once a successful trauma surgeon with good friends, she now finds herself hiding out in the basement of a coven house governed by hostile witches. Struggling with her vampiric urges, she despairs of ever returning to her former life.

Garnet’s discovered that she’s an incarnation of the legendary Morrigan. She dreams in blood, of the Morrigan’s other bloodthirsty incarnations over the centuries. Garnet’s dreams reveal her previous existence as Erzebet Bathory, and Garnet fears becoming that monster once again.

With the help of the witches, she attempts to learn to use her magical powers to control her vampiric nature…an experiment that ends in disaster. When her sister and friend go missing, Garnet knows she’s being hunted by vampires who will stop at nothing to bring her back into their fold.

Merrel, the vampire who turned her, offers her a bargain. He will return the abducted women, but Garnet must agree to spend three nights with him, training as a vampire. Garnet reluctantly accepts, but she fears giving in to her vampire nature and becoming the killer of the previous lifetime she’s reliving in her dreams.

What did I think of it:

This is yet another great read!

Garnet has to learn what it means to be a vampire. She doesn't like it at all and with the help of the witches she tries to look for loopholes so she can live her life as she wants.

She is afraid to become closer to the mortal Sorin, and there's the dreams she has of her former lives where Merrel was her lover. I have my favorite and that's Sorin, I can tell you. Merrel seems like a huge jerk. I like the witches better than the vampires overall in this book, to be honest.

I was hooked from the start and was eager to see what choices Garnet would make. And then the stakes got raised when her sister and a character I really liked in the first book get abducted. The character didn't get too much screen time this book (what with being abducted and all), but it seems like there might be more about her in the last book.

All in all a great read, and I'll pick up the last book soon.

Why should you read it:

It's a cool Urban Fantasy read with witches, vampires, and lots of crows.

buy from amazon

On McPig's Wishlist - The Bone Way

 

The Bone Way

by Holly J. Underhill

Teagan’s wife, Cressidae, is missing. She has left for the Shadow Realm, a kingdom of the dead filled with untold nightmares—and the only place that can save Teagan from a lethal poison that’s killing her slowly. It is ruled by a princess said to make powerful deals with those brave enough to find her, and Cressidae has gone to bargain for Teagan’s life. Cressidae has forgotten one very important thing: no one makes it out on their own.

Despite the risks to her own safety, Teagan is determined to save her wife—and perhaps even herself in the process. The princess of the Shadow Realm, however, doesn’t let mortals roam her territories without opposition. In this thrilling tale inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Teagan and Cressidae must face both the horrors of the Shadow Realm as well as their own past.

Expected publication: June 26th 2021

Morrigan’s Blood - Book Review (repost)

 

Morrigan’s Blood (Crow's Curse #1)

by Laura Bickle

What is it about:

Garnet has the blood of the legendary Morrigan – and legions of vampires and witches will go to war to possess that power.

As a trauma surgeon, Garnet Conners has seen more than her fair share of blood. But when one of her patients walks off the operating table and disappears into the night, she finds herself caught in a war between legions of vampires and witches in her city.

Garnet has dreamed of bloody battlefields for years – and a mysterious lover who controls a kingdom. In her waking life, Garnet is shocked to meet that man in a club. Merrel knows her from another life, a life in which she was the legendary Morrigan, goddess of death and war.

Garnet rejects the notion of magical incarnations altogether. But she falls in with Sorin, a handsome warlock who’s determined to protect the former bootlegger city of Riverpointe from a secret society of vampires. Haunted by crows and faced with undeniable proof of magic, Garnet scrambles to protect her career and loved ones from magical violence.

Abducted by vampires who seek to turn her into a vampire against her will, can Garnet seize the power of the legendary Morrigan to forge her own path in her embattled city? Or will she be forced to serve as a fearsome weapon in a deadly nocturnal war?

What did I think of it:

You bet I jumped on the chance to read this book early, I love Laura Bickle's writing!

And with Morrigan's Blood she once again drew me in and kept me engaged from start to finish.

Garnet is a cool heroine. She had many setbacks in life, but kept going and is now working as a trauma surgeon, but then suddenly disaster seems to follow her where ever she goes. 

The mood and atmosphere were really intense and fittig the story.

I was eager to find out about Garnet and about the Morrigan she dreams about. I also loved Garnet's friends and was rooting for them all to stay safe. And then there are Merrel and Sorin. They clearly both have their hidden agenda, so I wasn't sure who was to be trusted.  

There was also a character who kept turning up, who seems unrelated to the events, but I really do wonder if there's more to her. I hope to find out more about her in the next book.

I couldn't put this book down until I finished it, and I can tell you I'm more than eager for the next one, because I want and need more!

Why should you read it:

Vampires, witches, crows... what more could you want!

buy from Amazon

Teaser Tuesdays - Bitter Blood

She felt a surge of feelings so fierce that it burned in her cheeks and made her stomach churn, and for a second she didn't even know what it was, until her brain kicked back in.

It was shame.

(page 144, Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine)

buy from amazon

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!