On McPig's Wish List - And What Can We Offer You Tonight

And What Can We Offer You Tonight

by Premee Mohamed

In a far future city, where you can fall to a government cull for a single mistake, And What Can We Offer You Tonight tells the story of Jewel, established courtesan in a luxurious House. Jewel’s world is shaken when her friend is murdered by a client, but somehow comes back to life. To get revenge, they will both have to confront the limits of loyalty, guilt, and justice.

 

Teasing on a Wednesday - What Moves the Dead

 "Aye. Familiars to devils. You shoot one and the next day you find a witch with a bullet in her heart."

(page 38, What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher)

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, previously 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!

Release Day Alert - Rogue's Possession

 

Rogue's Possession (Covenant of Thorns #2)

by Jeffe Kennedy

What is it about:

One does not break an oath to the fae…

But I am getting much better at finding and exploiting the loopholes. I may have promised the ruthlessly sensual fae lord, Rogue, that he can sire my firstborn child—but I never said when. And I’m not giving into his will-eroding attempts to seduce me until he tells me what will happen to my child.

Which he refuses to do.

So, I’m holding out against his allure, no matter how he tantalizes me, because the one way to protect my child is to make sure they’re never born. Unfortunately, Rogue is as wily as he is persistent, and soon I find myself in more bargains—I must give him a kiss every day and sleep by his side at night. Even as I travel through Faerie, perfecting my sorceress skills and seeking the answers to the questions Rogue won’t—or can’t—answer, he is constantly by my side, working his way through my defenses.

He refuses to let me go. Most terrifying of all, I’m finding I don’t want him to…

buy links

Two-Damage My Heart - Book Rant by Voodoo Bride

 

Two-Damage My Heart (Nerds of Happy Valley #2)

by C.N. Holmberg

What is it about:

Broken hearts meet foam swords in a new contemporary romance novel by bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg.

Eight years ago, Rue Thompson fell in love with her brother’s roommate. From across the country, he started writing her letters out of the blue—letters that encouraged her, amused her, and healed her.

Then he ghosted her and broke her heart.

Fortunately, Rue’s now stone-cold heart protects her from anything that dare make her feel, except when she’s live-action roleplaying with her friends in the park. When in costume and wielding a foam sword, Rue can be whatever she wants.

But then the boy—now most definitely a man—suddenly reappears in her life and shows renewed interest. The catch? He doesn’t recognize her. Apparently eight years and new hair masks all wounds. But Rue remembers everything. No amount of make-believe can change that. She’s taken enough damage, thank you very much.

But this time, Landry Harrison plans to convince Rue he’s leveled up—even if it means dressing up in tights and a cape to prove it.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:

*spoilers ahead!*

After really enjoying You're My I.T. I immediately picked this up, hoping for more nerdy goodness.

Yeah...

First there was the hero being a Mormon. I will confess that threw me. Nothing against them, but it made that I didn't really connect with the hero. Him also being kind of bland and beige overall didn't help either.

Still I read on, as Rue was an interesting heroine and I was interested in seeing how the romance would turn out. Then it turns out one of the nerdier LARPers is a creepy stalker who even goes as far as to impersonate the hero! I get so sick and tired of this trope and it should be banned! Can we just not make the alternative/nerdy/goth person in a book the villain?! It wasn't even needed for the romance, it was just extra unnecessary drama. 

I did finish the book, but it was with a lot of grumbling, I can tell you.

I'm now wary of any other books by Holmberg sadly enough.

Why should you read it:

If you like bland heroes and the nerd being the villain you might like this.

On McPig's Wishlist - Sisters of the Vast Black

 

Sisters of the Vast Black

by Lina Rather

The sisters of the Order of Saint Rita captain their living ship into the reaches of space in Lina Rather's debut novella, Sisters of the Vast Black.

Years ago, Old Earth sent forth sisters and brothers into the vast dark of the prodigal colonies armed only with crucifixes and iron faith. Now, the sisters of the Order of Saint Rita are on an interstellar mission of mercy aboard Our Lady of Impossible Constellations, a living, breathing ship which seems determined to develop a will of its own.

When the order receives a distress call from a newly-formed colony, the sisters discover that the bodies and souls in their care—and that of the galactic diaspora—are in danger. And not from void beyond, but from the nascent Central Governance and the Church itself.

You're My I.T. - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

 

You're My I.T. (Nerds of Happy Valley #1)

by C.N. Holmberg

What is it about:

Dice meets derby in a new contemporary romance novel by bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg.

Fourth try’s the charm… or is it?

The first guy Blaine ever confessed her feelings to dismissed her. The second made her friendless. The third, a viral internet sensation.

And Blaine is praying the fourth will be different.

After two years of pining for the aloof and secretly hilarious IT guy at work, roller-derby-warrior Blaine creates a master plan: after Lysander returns from his transfer in California, she’s going to spill everything. And why not? She’s got a killer undercut, thighs of steel, and shares his love for superheroes. In her book, they’re a match made in heaven.

Lysander has enough self-esteem to fill a thimble and has always struggled with his place in the world. When his father has a health scare, Lysander takes charge of his own, and consequentially loses fifty pounds. Suddenly the people around him think he’s worth his space—especially the women. And when Lysander fishes the literally shallow waters of dating and returns with a girl on his arm, Blaine fears she may have lost her chance with him entirely.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:

I will confess I pre-ordered this book as I loved the idea of a shy nerdy hero. Still took m a while to pick it up and read it after it landed on my ereader after release.

And this is a really fun read full of nerdy goodness.

Blaine might come across as confident, when it comes to confessing her feelings she is painfully shy. Lysander on the other hand is not only shy he's as oblivious as they come.

 I loved both of them, and could understand why neither of the two has made a move for two years. I was rooting for the two to confess their feelings and see how perfect they were for each other. I didn't even mind the much used 'misunderstanding' that kept them apart even longer, it really fit with who both of them are.

I did start to loose interest at the end a bit, as I think it went on a bit too long after the main conflict was resolved, but overall I had a really good time with this book and immediately picked up the next book in this series.

Why should you read it:

It's a really enjoyable Contemporary Romance

buy from Amazon

 

Teaser Tuesdays - Bloodchild

 

My last night of childhood began with a visit home. T’Gatoi’s sister had given us two sterile eggs.

(page 8, Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler)

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, previously 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!

Improbably Yours - Early Book Review

 

Improbably Yours

by Kerry Anne King

What is it about:

An unusual inheritance leads to a life-changing journey in a novel of romance, secrets, and the treasure of found family.

Blythe Harmon is on the fast track to a life she never wanted. On her thirtieth birthday, just as she’s about to lock herself into a high-powered job and accept a marriage proposal to match, an unusual bequest from her beloved late grandmother, Nomi, offers an escape and an invitation to adventure.

Equipped with Nomi’s urn of ashes and a treasure map, Blythe sets off for a small island in the San Juans where she rents the mysterious and unsettling Improbable House. Secret by secret, clue by cryptic clue, she begins to unravel the puzzle her grandmother has left her to piece together. Her quest is complicated, though, by a powerful attraction to an enigmatic islander and empathy for his orphaned niece, both of whom are inexorably tied to the old house.

Just when Blythe thinks she’s on the verge of solving the mystery, her quest takes an unexpected turn and she discovers that the treasure she’s really seeking is something that could never be buried in the ground. On the treasure hunt of a lifetime, the past and the future are coming together in this magical novel by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Whisper Me This.

What did I think of it:

This is such a beautiful read!

Blythe is a really fun heroine. She starts out as someone who's going along with what her family expects of her, but when she gets a strange bequest on her 30th birthday from her grandmother, who died when when Blythe was a kid, she decides to go against her family's wishes and goes on an adventure to an island.

Blythe immediately has to deal with problems when she arrives on the island though. It seems like her quest is more challenging than it looked at first. And then there's the slightly grumpy Flynn and his niece Savannah who add to the difficulties.

I loved Flynn and especially Savannah. Their story interweaves with Blythe's in a compelling way. As the book progresses you learn more about their past, and about the past of Blythe's grandmother. Some things I could guess long before they're revealed, but I didn't mind that. I was too invested in all three of them overcoming their problems and finding happiness. I loved seeing Blythe move away from the rigid life she put herself in and open up to new possibilities.

I loved the setting as well. The island sounded really cool! I definitely would love to visit an island like that. There's also a touch of the supernatural in this story, just small enough to ignore if you're not into that, but big enough for this piggy to lap it up!

All in all I couldn't put this book down and was both happy with the conclusion and sad that I had to say goodbye to the island and characters. You bet this book goes on my Keeper Shelves and will be reread!

Why should you read it:

It's a wonderful Contemporary Fiction read with just a hint of magic.

Expected publication October 18, 2022

pre-order on amazon

On a Break, Back Next Week

Teasing on a Thursday - You're My I.T.

 

It was hard to believe this was the same guy who had just been teasing me on the company's instant messenger. This Lysander was ... well ... awkward.

(page 7, You're My I.T. by C.N. Holmberg)

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, previously 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!

Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach - Book Review (repost/reread)

Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach

by Kelly Robson

What is it about:

Discover a shifting history of adventure as humanity clashes over whether to repair their ruined planet or luxuriate in a less tainted past.

In 2267, Earth has just begun to recover from worldwide ecological disasters. Minh is part of the generation that first moved back up to the surface of the Earth from the underground hells, to reclaim humanity's ancestral habitat. She's spent her entire life restoring river ecosystems, but lately the kind of long-term restoration projects Minh works on have been stalled due to the invention of time travel. When she gets the opportunity take a team to 2000 BC to survey the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, she jumps at the chance to uncover the secrets of the shadowy think tank that controls time travel technology.

What did I think of it:

I have wanted to read this book for a while, but never got to it, so my attempts to read some of the Hugo nominations was a good excuse to finally pick it up.

And this is such a great story!

Maybe you know I have a weakness for time travel stories, but that I'm often disappointed or frustrated by the flaws or logical errors in those stories. This story did everything right in my opinion. I loved the time travel theory that was used here, I loved how Robson applied it to the story, and I could actually believe it would work like this. Just for that this novella deserves praise!

But that's not the only praise it gets! I also loved the characters, the world building, and the story. That Minh has tentacles for legs was just the yummy icing on an already delicious cake. I was hooked from the start and wanted to find out more about this future, Minh, her coworkers, and if they could pull off the project they set themselves.

There's more I want to tell you, because it was so cool in my opinion, but that would lead into spoiler territory, so I'll just say I recommend this novella to everyone who loves a well thought-out time travel story.

I'll be investigating what other stories Robson wrote.

Notes on rereading:

I was once again totally hooked! On reread the time travelling still hold up as well as the first time I read this, and I loved Minh even more. I'm holding out hope there will be a sequel one day.

Why should you read it:

It's a really cool Time Travel story.

Buy from:

Bookdepository - Amazon

Release Alert: Rogue's Pawn

 

Rogue's Pawn

Be careful what you wish for…

When I walked out on my awful boyfriend, wishing to be somewhere—anywhere—else, I never expected to wake up in Faerie. And, as a scientist, I find it even harder to believe that I now seem to be a sorceress.

A pretty crappy sorceress, it turns out, because every thought that crosses my mind becomes suddenly and frighteningly real—including the black dog that has long haunted my nightmares.

Now I’m a captive, a pawn for the fae lord, Rogue, and the feral and treacherous Faerie court, all vying to control me and the vast powers I don’t understand. Worse, Rogue, the closest thing I have to a friend in this place, is intent on seducing me. He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen, enthralling, tempting, and lethally dangerous. He’s as devastatingly clever as he is alluring, and he tricks me into promising him my firstborn child, which he intends to sire…

I don’t dare give into him. I may not have the willpower to resist him. He’s my only protection against those who would destroy me

Unless I can learn to use my magic.

Out Today!

Buy Links

The Tin Rose - Book Rant by Voodoo Bride

 

The Tin Rose (Elemental Steampunk Stories #1)

by Anne Renwick

What is it about:

A gypsy's promise. A clockwork poison. A race to save a love balanced on the edge.

On the night they were to elope, a spurned lover returned. A gift, she claimed. But the clockwork contraption unwound a poisonous bloom, sending Lady Emily and Luca, her gypsy love, on a desperate race to reach the cure.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:

I think I got this short story when it was free on amazon over 3 years ago. Recently I decided to give it a try.

First: I must say I was very put off by the use of the word gypsy. This book might be a couple of years old, but when this released in 2017 gypsy was already considered a slur. I tried to read past it though.

And then there was the second problem with this short story: the main villain is a Roma woman who is alluring, jealous, and sly, while the heroine is a nice and sweet high born lady. Even with these stereotypes that throw even more shade on the Roma, I stuck with the story though. 

Was it worth it?

Meh... The story annoyed me more than it entertained me. The writing was pleasant though, so maybe, just maybe I'll investigate if Renwick has other stories that don't feature blatant stereotypes and slurs.

Why should you read it:

I'd advice you to read another one of Renwick's books

January Fifteenth - Book Review

 

January Fifteenth

by Rachel Swirsky

What is it about:

January Fifteenth—the day all Americans receive their annual Universal Basic Income payment.

For Hannah, a middle-aged mother, today is the anniversary of the day she took her two children and fled her abusive ex-wife.

For Janelle, a young, broke journalist, today is another mind-numbing day interviewing passersby about the very policy she once opposed.

For Olivia, a wealthy college freshman, today is “Waste Day”, when rich kids across the country compete to see who can most obscenely squander the government’s money.

For Sarah, a pregnant teen, today is the day she’ll journey alongside her sister-wives to pick up the payment­­s that undergird their community—and perhaps embark on a new journey altogether.

In this near-future science fiction novella by Nebula Award-winning author Rachel Swirsky, the fifteenth of January is another day of the status quo, and another chance at making lasting change.

What did I think of it:

Did I totally fall for the cover? Yes! Yes, I did!

But the story sounded interesting as well, so it wasn't a total cover buy.

So this story is set in a future where every American gets a Basic Income. I will confess I'm all for a basic income. Multiple studies and tests have shown it works if done right. And here is the first flaw in this story: Swirsky picks and chooses how she thinks a basic income would work, and skips over lots of other important things. I could rant about all the things I think were wrong in her approach, but as the basic income is mostly window dressing for the stories that are told, I'll refrain from ranting.

There are four stories being told. They never interweave with each other, but stand on their own. I really liked three of them and wasn't too impressed by one. Those who know me might not be surprised that it was the story about Olivia, a wealthy college freshman, that fell short for me. There's a message in there, but it's drowned in booze and drugs.

My two favorites were the stories about Hannah and Sarah. Hannah's story is at heart about learning to trust again after being badly hurt in the past, and Sarah's story is about finding the strength to stand up for yourself. I also liked Janelle's story that's about choosing what's the most important in life for you.

All in all I mostly liked this book once I looked past the half-assed basic income stuff. I might see what other books Swirsky has written.

Why should you read it:

It's an interesting read.

Buy from Amazon