Teaser Tuesdays - Shadowscent

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I hear Barden's voice. Be careful. I shake my head, trying to clear the last of the wooliness.

(page 27 Shadowscent by P.M. Freestone (US ARC))


buy from bookdepository

---------

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 sh"are 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!

Chaos Choreography - Book Review

Chaos Choreography (InCryptid #5)
by Seanan McGuire

What is it about:
Destiny, Noun:
1. The inevitable or irresistible course of events.
2. The inescapable future.
3. See also "Screwed."

Verity Price is back on the West Coast and getting back into the swing of the family business: cryptozoology. She's rescuing cryptids from bad situations, protecting them from monster-hunters, and generally risking life and limb for the greater good, with her ex-Covenant partner/husband, Dominic, by her side. Her ballroom dance career is behind her...or so she thinks.

When Verity gets the call from the producers of Dance or Die, the reality show she almost won several years before, she finds the lure of a comeback impossible to resist, and she and Dominic are off to L.A. for one last shot at the big time.

Of course, nothing is that simple. When two of her fellow contestants turn up dead, Verity will need every ally she can find--and a couple she wasn't looking for--in order to navigate the complicated steps of both the tango and a murder investigation without blowing her cover. It doesn't help that her official family backup is her grandmother, Alice Price-Healy, who thinks "subtle" is something that happens to other people.

Winning this competition may have just become a matter of life and death.

What did I think of it:
This is my favorite of the books in this series so far!

Verity is returning to the stage to find out once and for all if she made the right choice in giving up her dancing for cryptozoology. She didn't expect things to get quite so dicey though, and soon she's dancing for her life.

I love Verity and Dominic and was hooked from the start. Some really cool other characters got added to the action, grandmother Alice not even being the coolest in my opinion - and she is an awesome lady, I can tell you. The mice are also once again present, and I rooted for them to help save the day.

All in all this book is fun, action-packed, and suspenseful. I did have some suspicions as to who or what was behind it all, but there were some surprises along the way. The ending was totally awesome and promises lots more cool action and adventures for the Price family. You bet i'll get my trotters on the the next book soon.

Why should you read it:
It's a fun and very entertaining UF read.


buy from bookdepository

Eighth Grave After Dark - Book Review

Eighth Grave After Dark (Charley Davidson #8)
by Darynda Jones

What is it about:
With twelve hellhounds after her, pregnant Charley Davidson takes refuge at the only place she thinks they can’t get to her: the grounds of an abandoned convent. But after months of being cooped up there, Charley is ready to pop. Both metaphorically and literally since she is now roughly the size of a beached whale. Fortunately, a new case has captured her attention, one that involves a murder on the very grounds the team has taken shelter upon. A decades-old murder of the newly-vowed nun she keeps seeing in the shadows is almost enough to pull her out of her doldrums.

Charley’s been forbidden to step foot off the sacred grounds. While the angry hellhounds can’t traverse the consecrated soil, they can lurk just beyond its borders. They have the entire team on edge, especially Reyes. And if Charley didn’t know better, she would swear Reyes is getting sick. He grows hotter with every moment that passes, his heat scorching across her skin every time he’s near, but naturally he swears he’s fine.

While the team searches for clues on the Twelve, Charley just wants answers and is powerless to get them. But the mass of friends they’ve accrued helps. They convince her even more that everyone in her recent life has somehow been drawn to her, as though they were a part of a bigger picture all along. But the good feelings don’t last for long because Charley is about to get the surprise of her crazy, mixed-up, supernatural life…

What did I think of it:
This is yet another delightful addition to this series.

Even when stuck in one place Charley still manages to find trouble. The fact that she's about to deliver doesn't slow her down either. As she's finding trouble and is dealing with her sick lover, she also has a wedding to oversee. So fun times and more!

I very much enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. It's once again full of the snark, humor, and wacky situations I've come to expect from this series. Next to all the craziness there's also a lot of suspenseful things going on that kept me on the edge of my seat.

The ending of this book had me hungry for the next book, so you bet I'll read that soon.

Why should you read it:
It's a fun UF read.


buy from bookdepository

Valiant - Book Review (repost)

I did a reread ofthis book, but pretty much still agree with my review from 2014 (except that I now have read the first book), so here's a repost.


Valiant (Modern Faerie Tales #2)
by Holly Black

What is it about:
When seventeen-year-old Valerie runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.

But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends.
And when one talks Val into tracking down the lair of a mysterious creature with whom they are all involved, Val finds herself torn between her newfound affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.

What did I think of it:
This is the second book in a series, but as it has different characters than the first book (as far as I understand) it can be read as a standalone. I haven't read the first book, but I didn't feel like missing out on anything.

I will confess being surprised by how dark and gritty this book is. I've gotten used to YA books that shy away from really serious topics, but this book takes you down in the underbelly of society. There's drug use, abuse, bad language, and more. It made for intense reading and I really liked it, but I can understand how some people could be disturbed by the grittiness of this book.

For me the darkness of the world building fitted with the story. I was drawn into the events and couldn't escape until I finished the book. I liked getting to know Val, and to see how she handles being out on the streets. The people she hooks up with are also very intriguing, and the events that unfold had me guessing at what was going on, and what would happen next.

There were some things I'd have wanted to read more about. Especially Ravus, one of the creatures Val encounters, didn't get enough scenes in my opinion. He does play a rather important role in the story, so I wanted to learn more about him, and see more interaction between him and Val.

That grumbling aside I really enjoyed this book and finished it way too fast. I will most certainly try to get hold of the other books in this series.

Why should you read it:
It's a dark and gritty YA Faerie Tale in a modern setting

Tithe - Book Review

Tithe (Modern Faerie Tales #1)
by Holly Black

What is it about:
Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms - a struggle that could very well mean her death.

What did I think of it:
I was not a fan of The Cruel Prince, but I read Valiant, the second book in a trilogy, in 2014 and really enjoyed it. It was perfectly readable as a standalone, but when I saw this omnibus that contains all three books would be released I pre-ordered it. When it arrived I immediately dove into the first book: Tithe

Ant this is my kind of faerie tale.

Kaye returns to the place she grew up, and when strange things start happening to her she tries to find her childhood friends, who may or may not be imaginary. When she stumbles upon a wounded faerie and helps him her life gets even more complicated and she is made aware of Faerie and its different factions.

Kaye is both world wary and naive at the same time. It was an interesting mix and I really liked her. It was more difficult to see what the motives were of those around her. As she gets mixed up with faeries from a couple of different factions, she will have to decide who to trust and what she will do with the secrets she uncovers.

You bet I was hooked soon after starting this book and I read it in almost one sitting. What a cool story and world building. This is what The Cruel Prince could have been if Cardan hadn't been the bully he is.

You bet I did a reread of Valiant soon after finishing this book, and I'll read the last book in the trilogy soon as well.

Why should you read it:
It's a really cool YA with Urban Faeries.


buy from bookdepository

Out Today: Protect the Prince

Out Today:

Protect the Prince (Crown of Shards #2)
by Jennifer Estep


Magic, murder, adventure, and romance combine in this second novel in the exciting Crown of Shards saga from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep.

Everleigh Blair might be the new gladiator queen of Bellona, but her problems are far from over.

First, Evie has to deal with a court full of arrogant, demanding nobles, all of whom want to get their greedy hands on her crown. As if that wasn’t bad enough, an assassin tries to kill Evie in her own throne room.

Despite the dangers, Evie goes ahead with a scheduled trip to the neighboring kingdom of Andvari in order to secure a desperately needed alliance. But complicating matters is the stubborn Andvarian king, who wants to punish Evie for the deaths of his countrymen during the Seven Spire massacre.

Dark forces are also at work inside the Andvarian palace, and Evie soon realizes that no one is safe. Worse, her immunity to magic starts acting in strange, unexpected ways, which makes Evie wonder whether she is truly strong enough to be a Winter Queen.

Evie’s magic, life, and crown aren’t the only things in danger—so is her heart, thanks to Lucas Sullivan, the Andvarian king’s bastard son and Evie’s … well, Evie isn’t quite sure what Sullivan is to her.

Only one thing is certain—protecting a prince might be even harder than killing a queen…

~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

I stared up at the queen’s throne sitting on top of the dais. The chair was crafted of jagged pieces of tearstone that had been dug out of Seven Spire and fitted together centuries ago. The throne gleamed with a soft, muted light, shifting from starry gray to midnight-blue and back again, just like the columns did. The changing colors represented the Summer and Winter lines of the Blair royal family, as well as the everlasting strength of the Bellonan people.

I had seen the throne many, many times before, but now that it was mine, I found it far more intimidating, especially since the top featured the same crown-of-shards crest that adorned my tunic, bracelet, sword, and dagger. I had never paid any attention to that symbol before the royal massacre, but now, it was everywhere I went. Sometimes, I thought I would have been far happier if I had never seen it at all. I certainly would have been much safer.

Summer queens are fine and fair, with pretty ribbons and flowers in their hair. Winter queens are cold and hard, with frosted crowns made of icy shards.

The words to the old Bellonan fairy-tale rhyme echoed in my mind, as though all the queens who had come before were whispering them to me over and over again. I listened to the phantom voices a moment longer, then exhaled, slowly climbed up the dais steps, turned around, and sat down on the throne.

That was the signal everyone had been waiting for, and all the lords, ladies, senators, guilders, and others strode forward, stopping a few feet away from the bottom of the dais. They split into their usual cliques and began gossiping, while servants handed out sweet cakes, fresh fruits and cheeses, and glasses of blackberry sangria.

I looked up at the second-floor balcony. More nobles milled around there, eating, drinking, talking, and watching me, although they were all poorer and thus far less important than the ones on the first floor.

I started to drop my gaze when I noticed a man sitting by himself in the top corner of the balcony. He was wearing a long gray coat over a black tunic, and his dark brown hair gleamed under the lights, although a bit of stubble darkened his strong jaw. His handsome features were as blank as mine were, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, although his blue eyes burned into mine with fierce intensity.

My nostrils flared. Even though he was as far away from me as possible, I could still pick out his scent—cold, clean vanilla with just a hint of spice—above all the others in the room. I drew in another breath, letting his scent sink deep down into my lungs, and trying to ignore the hot spark of desire it ignited inside me.

Lucas Sullivan was the magier enforcer of the Black Swan troupe, a bastard prince of Andvari, and my . . . Well, I didn’t know exactly what he was to me. Much more than a friend, but not a lover, despite my pointed advances on that front. But I cared about him more than I wanted to think about, especially now, when I was facing another battle inside my own palace.

So I dropped my gaze from his and studied the nobles again. Even though I had been queen for about three months, ever since I had killed Vasilia, the crown princess and my treacherous cousin, this was my first formal court session. Practically every noble from across the kingdom had journeyed here to discuss business and other matters, and it was important that things went well. I doubted they would, though. The nobles weren’t going to like some of the things I had to say.

While the nobles chattered and downed their food and drinks, I discreetly drew in a breath, letting the air roll in over my tongue and tasting all the scents in it. The people’s floral perfumes and spicy colognes. The fruity tang of the sangria. The pungent aroma of the blue cheeses that the servants were slicing on the buffet tables along the walls.

I opened my mouth to start the session when one final scent assaulted my senses—hot, jalapeño rage so strong that it made my nose burn with its sudden, sharp intensity.

Most people scoffed at my mutt magic, but my enhanced sense of smell was quite useful in one regard—it let me sense people’s emotions, and very often their intentions. Garlic guilt, ashy heartbreak, minty regret. I could tell what someone was feeling—and often what they were plotting—just by tasting the scents that swirled around them.

I’d had years to hone my mutt magic, so I knew that jalapeño rage meant only one thing.

Someone here wanted to kill me.



~~~~~~~~~~


About Jennifer Estep:

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.

Jennifer writes the Crown of Shards epic fantasy series. Protect the Prince, book #2, will be released on July 2.

Jennifer is also the author of the Elemental Assassin, Mythos Academy, Bigtime, and Black Blade fantasy series.

For more information on Jennifer and her books, visit www.jenniferestep.com.


PROTECT THE PRINCE BUY LINKS:

EBOOK

Amazon Kindle - Barnes & Noble NOOK - Apple Books
Google Play - Kobo:

AUDIOBOOK

Amazon.com digital audiobook - Amazon MP3 CD - Audible:
Kobo - Libro:

PRINT BOOK:

Amazon print - Barnes & Noble print - Books-A-Million - IndieBound:


ABOUT KILL THE QUEEN:

“KILL THE QUEEN is the definition of epic fantasy: exciting, original, and filled with characters who jump off the page. Jennifer Estep enters the arena and takes no prisoners. Long live the Winter Queen.” — Ilona Andrews #1 New York Times bestselling author

“KILL THE QUEEN rocked my world! With court intrigue, a cast of fantastic characters, epic political sweep, and a slow-burn romance to die for, this book had me rapt. I only regret I devoured it so fast. And that I didn’t write it. More please!” — Jeffe Kennedy, RITA® Award winning author of The Pages of the Mind

“Jennifer Estep takes the world of high fantasy by storm with a book so perfectly plotted and executed that I gasped out loud at each new reveal and unexpected turn. Evie is the heroine we all want to read about: as compassionate as she is ruthless, as cunning as she is kind, and as fierce and focused as anyone must be in order to KILL THE QUEEN.” — Amanda Bouchet, USA Today bestselling author of The Kingmaker Chronicles

“Gladiator meets Game of Thrones: A royal woman becomes a skilled warrior to destroy her murderous cousin, avenge her family, and save her kingdom in Kill the Queen, the first entry in a dazzling fantasy epic from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep — an enthralling tale that combines magic, murder, intrigue, adventure, and a hint of romance.” — PopSugar

“Kill the Queen is a sweeping, addictive adventure with a tiny hint of romance that will leave readers clamoring for more of this universe as soon as they reach the last page.” — Culturess

“Full of magic, fierce women, and revenge.” — Booklist

ABOUT PROTECT THE PRINCE:

“Estep (“Elemental Assassin” series) follows up Kill the Queen with a tale as action- and character-driven as its predecessor, proving that strong female protagonists are still in fine form.” — Library Journal

Fortuna Sworn - Book Review

Fortuna Sworn
by K.J. Sutton

What is it about:
We were meant to be seductive. We were designed to lure humans in.

Fortuna Sworn is the last of her kind.

Her brother disappeared two years ago, leaving her with no family or species to speak of. She hides among humans, spending her days working at a bar and her nights searching for him. The bleak pattern goes on and on... until she catches the eye of a powerful faerie.

He makes no attempt to hide that he desires Fortuna. And in exchange for her, he offers something irresistible. So Fortuna reluctantly leaves her safe existence behind to step back into a world of creatures and power.

It soon becomes clear that she may not have bargained with her heart, but her very life.

What did I think of it:
This is a really cool read.

Fortuna is desperate to find her brother so when a very attractive faerie named Collith implies he can help her she's eager to make a deal with him. But we all know how dangerous a faerie deal can be...

I liked Fortuna although she at times doesn't listen close enough to others. She is sure she knows how the world works, and it is this that brings her into danger even more than Collith's manipulations at times. Still I could understand her and root for her.

I also was very intrigued by Collith and wondered what his motives were. There were also other men and women with their own agenda, making that Fortuna had to keep her wits together to survive. All in all a delicious read with intriguing characters and suspenseful situations.

I will most definitely keep an eye out for the next book.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool UF read.


buy from Amazon