Fantasy/ Sci-Fi
The Lights of Sugarberry Cove
The Lights of Sugarberry Cove by Heather Webber
This one is loaded with Southern charm!
Sadie has been avoiding her hometown of Sugarberry Cove, Alabama since she almost drowned in the lake, eight years ago.
Sadie has always wondered why she was saved. Her sister carries unknown guilt about that night. When both are called home to run their mom’s B&B, the sisters are faced with repairing their relationship. They then rediscover lake magic as they take care of the inn’s quirky quests.
This is a wonderful story of love, healing, forgiveness and family, - and some magic!
I loved this enchanting story! The characters were wonderful and it was just so well done! 5/5⭐
Dark Matter
This was a sci-fi thriller of self-discovery.
Jason gets kidnapped on the way home from a bar. He is drugged and when he wakes up in a strange place, nothing is familiar.
Even more confusing, when he escapes and goes home, his home is not his own, neither is his wife, and his son doesn’t exist.
Nightmare of nightmares – what if every thought, every choice created an alternate world? Could you find your way back or is that place where you came from real?
This was a fascinating story with lots of action! I did find a couple of things that seemed unresolved, so I gave it 4/5⭐.
Excellent writing but I wanted more at the end.
Small Town, Big Magic
Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck
This was a fun book!
Favorite quote: “Magic, real magic, isn’t about tricks and hexes and little glamours. It’s about connecting, To the Earth, the Moon. The divine within, the rivers without.”
In this one, you have a magic infused rom-com complete with sinister dark-magic, an evil Mayor, a bold young witch and her coven that fights evil to save the town.
Emerson is immersed in setting up for an annual festival when she notices strange happenings around town.
She is on a mission to revitalize and save her home town of St. Cyprian, Missouri. The battle is on with her nemesis, Skip, the Mayor. He sends paranormal creatures to defeat her. She doesn’t even know she’s a witch, but finds evidence that she is descended from a witch that hanged during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692.
She failed a coming-of-age test at 18, but now, when challenged, her powers awaken. Her cranky friend Jacob becomes a formidable ally and more.
Emerson and her friends have to challenge an ancient evil and she has to decide what she is willing to risk to save her town.
This was a captivatingly fun story of self-discovery and love. I really enjoyed it! 4/5⭐
Big Little Spells
Big Little Spells by Hazel Beck
In this sequel, Rebekah Wilde returns to St. Cyprian. At 18, she was banished and stripped of her magic by the Joywood Coven.
Ten years have passed and as Rebekah is summoned home, she reunites with her sister and her friends.
The implications with her return are darker and bring more danger than they imagined.
The Joywood coven is determined to show that the Wilde sisters and their friends are a danger to witchkind. If the friends can’t show up and show themselves worthy, they face a death sentence.
Rebekah looks to Nicholas Frost for help. He’s a notorious immortal and they have a secret history.
Nicholas is arrogant and unreadable, it’s impossible to tell if he feels anything for Rebekah- or witchkind.
I absolutely loved this! Magic, a found family and love! 4/5⭐
Clean Sweep
Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
This was a fun fantasy book – I have to thank my friend Char for the recommendation!
Dina runs a quaint B&B in a small Texas town, with her dog named Beast.
Dina is different, her broom is a loaded weapon and her inn is alive with magic. The inn is meant to host guests from other worlds. One permanent guest, a Galactic aristocrat, has sought sanctuary because of her roll in the deaths of many and a possible threat if she ever leaves.
“Normal” is different for Dina, but now even that is interrupted with a night hunting creature bearing claws and canine teeth leaving victims lying around.
Dina gets involved for the sake of protecting her clueless neighbors. She has to contend with a cosmic vampire soldier and an alpha werewolf in addition to chasing the unknown.
This one was a fast read – very entertaining! I enjoyed it and hope to have time to continue the series. 4/5 ⭐
The Forget-Me-Not Library
The Forget-Me-Not Library by Heather Webber
Some places just draw you in. Forget-Me-not, Alabama is one of them. With a strange detour, Juliet Nightingale ends up stranded in a small town. After a freak accident, she is lucky to be alive and decided to take a solo road trip to find her purpose.
Tallulah Byrd Mayfield is down on her luck with two small children, newly divorced, she is living with her grandfather. The two women meet in a chance encounter.
Tallulah has taken a new job at the library, where you find more than words in the books.
When Juliet’s detour lands her in Tallulah’s front yard, the two soon discover that there is magic in the pages between memories of the past and hope for the future. Happiness can always be discovered when you open your heart.
This was a magnificent story! It is full of wonderful endearing characters. Some are quirky and have fun pets. There is found family, friendship, and love in this one. It is magical! I loved it! 5/5⭐
I would like to Thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of this novel.
The Haunting of Hecate Cavandesh
The Haunting of Hecate Cavandesh by Paula Brackston
This was an entertaining story!
Hecate was a young woman paving her own way in 19th-century England. She lands a job as a librarian assistant at Hereford Cathedral. The position proves more interesting than she could have imagined as she develops her gift of seeing and communicating with ghosts.
There is a mix of mystery and adventure with delightful characters and fantasy elements. I really loved it! 4/5⭐
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall
This was a great story!
Favorite quotes: “Magic wasn’t always spells and curses and charms. Sometimes it was the comfortable silence of a good meal, and smiling eyes that met across the room and spoke more than words.”
“A little bacon, butter, or sugar can improve just about any recipe.”
Sadie is heartbroken when her grandmother is diagnosed with cancer and only has a few weeks left. Then her first love, Jake, returns to town after a decade. Everything about her life is falling apart.
Her estranged twin, Seth, returns with word spreading about her grandmother. Secrets start to unravel her world. She had always believed that her curse of four heartbreaks was worth the sacrifice for her magical gifts.
Gigi has always been the glue to hold everything and everyone together. Sadie isn’t confident she can fill those shoes. Her feelings for Jake are rekindled. She isn’t sure if magic is worth the heartbreak or if love is more important than magic.
A journey of self-discovery, this story exhibits a beautiful family dynamic. I love the relationship between Sadie and Gigi. The food magic was cozy and inspiring. The descriptions were delightful and inviting.
The use of food to influence emotions and behavior was brilliant.
I really enjoyed this one! It was the October choice for my cozy book club. 4.5/5⭐
Hawt Flash
Katie hits the mark at 50 and begins a new adventure. Ancestral; secrets and magical legacy unravel as she deals with her husband’s infidelity.
Her dog now talks to her – really talks! She has a ball-busting attorney, a self-center soon to be ex-husband and a lot of family secrets.
This is a book of self-discovery, empowerment and magic.
This was a cute book with a few giggles and laugh out loud moments.
It’s silly and a little unraveled, but totally entertaining. I enjoyed it and the humor. 3.5/5⭐
The Spellshop
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
This was a beautiful whimsy story. If you love cozy fantasy books, this is for you!
Kiela loves books way more than people. She spent the last decade sequestered in the stacks of the Great Library of Alyssum with a magical spider plant named Caz.
A revolution, a fire, and a great desire to save the books sends Kiela and Caz on a grand adventure.
She ends up on the little remote island where she was born. With a handsome neighbor, forbidden magic, and the love of the town, this cozy fantasy will take you away.
Beautiful magical characters and places with a sweet hint of adventure and love will make this a favorite. 4/5⭐s
The Change
The Change by Kirsten Miller
Three women, all with different "gifts", find a body. When the women push for more answers, they find more bodies and have more questions. They bond in friendship and menopause to find a family among themselves. In a modern world, the rules don't always apply to the rich and famous, and sometimes the villains are protected. Enjoy this paranormal tale, where the living and the dead want justice. 4/5⭐s.
Fourth Wing
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
What can I say? I absolutely loved this one! I don’t often read fantasy and I purposely avoided this one for a while because of that personal preference. This one sets a new standard! This was my second book by Rebecca Yarros and although the two are completely different genres, they both captured me, heart and soul. Amazing storytelling skills, Rebecca Yarros has gained a true hard core fan!
Dragons, fairy tales that may be true, love and heartache – AMAZONG elements in this phenomenal book! I consumed the book and I also listed to the graphic audio productions, volume 1 and 2, which elevated listening to a book to a whole new level! It’s like watching a movie in your mind with all the sound effects and a full cast of readers!
Underneath, this is a coming of age journey, finding your place and your family- those you can trust with your life and your heart. Violet Sorrengail is an outstanding character!
Violet has lived her life hidden in the glorious pages of books, completely content with the history and stories she reads. One day her mother, the commanding general sends Violet into the throngs of peril among the hundreds vying for an elite position in the Navarrre, dragon riders.
The dragons incinerate the weak and being the smallest, Violet’s frail existence seems doomed. Fewer dragons are willing to bond and even the candidates are willing to kill to level the playing field. Xaden Riorson, the most fierce wingleader has a grudge and Violet has to proceed with caution. She needs every advantage she can use. With war waging, everyday promises death, Violet suspects terrible secrets that jeopardize everything.
Everyone at the Basgiath War College has two options once they enter, they graduate or die.
I would give this more than 5 stars! I was captivated!
The characters are built and interconnected to let the reader connect and chase the story from one volume to the next! I can’t wait to read the next one!
- There are two significant sex scenes in Part 2, and some language thrown in throughout as explicatives but not too offensive, it’s well within the context of the story. I mention the scenes for those listening to the graphic audio volumes because the sounds were a little over the top if you know what I mean, just fast forward.
- There is violence of course they are riding dragons in a war.
5+/5
The Ministry of Time
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
This one was a hot mess for me. I just couldn't get into it. I read it for a book club. It just fell flat for me, purely on the connectivity to the reader.
I think I finally found some connection around chapter five but in chapter nine I was still struggling to find purpose. The concept of this book is beautiful but the execution does not meet expectation. I couldn't follow any central plot.
I liked Graham, he was interesting. There were some cool quotes I found interesting.
"Careful," he said. "Your germs are showing."(pg. 18) I thought it was funny.
There were redeemable parts but when finished, I felt like "What the heck did I read?"
The best quote (pg. 332): " Forgiveness, which takes you back to the person you were and lets you reset them. Hope, which exists in a future in which you are new. Forgiveness and hope are miracles. They let you change your life. They are time-travel."
The quote that kind of sums up everything (pg. 307): "Think of this as a mission of discovery."
I didn't hate the book but I definitely didn't love it either. I am sure many will love it, fantasy isn't my favorite genre. 2.5/5⭐
The Seven Year Slip
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
He calls her “Lemon” and I love it! What a great book!
Clementine West, a book publicist learned to imagine life with a bit of wonder, thanks to her Aunt Analea. When her aunt dies, Clementine burrows into her job and keeps her head and heart guarded against romance and love. Her aunt left Clementine her apartment, a gem and a wrinkle in time.
Clementine moves in and finds a handsome stranger standing in the kitchen. He was a vision, with those eyes and a sleek southern drawl, she was reeled in. The problem, she exists seven years in his future.
Her aunt told her, “In love, timing is everything.” Clementine isn’t sure if she is seven years too late to find true love.
You have to experience her career turmoil and her friends to enjoy this journey with Clementine. I loved it! I just walked right into the story on the first page and I was hooked!
A love story where books are the background is just awesome! This was a cute Rom-com fantasy – time travel, romance, and books, who could ask for more? 5/5
A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas
What a phenomenal romantasy! I wasn’t sure that I would like it, but I loved it!
Feyre, a bold, brave nineteen-year-old provide for and protects her family. When she kills a wolf and sells the pelt, she gets dragged to a magical land that she had only imagined from legends she had heard as a child. She is captured by an immortal faerie and she is relieved when she finds he isn’t a beast all of the time. Her feelings change as she acclimates to her new surroundings. In the mysterious lad of the fae, Feyre finds danger lurking with an ancient shadow. She must find a way to stop it and save both worlds.
This book was awesome! It’s an enchanting read with faerie lore, romance and adventure! You won’t put it down! 5/5 ⭐
*I also listened to the dramatized adaptation of the book with a full cast. It is unforgettable and outstanding! The full cast will completely immerse you into the story!
Starling House
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
A creepy house sits at a crossroads in the small town of Eden, Kentucky. The town is known only for the legend of E. Starling, a reclusive 19th century author/illustrator who wrote “Underland” and then disappeared.
Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. The town thinks it best to let the property and its last heir Arthur Starling, just waste away.
Opal, needs a job and wants to find a way for here brother to leave the shackles of the town of Eden.
Starling House becomes a daunting hazard to Opal as it starts to feel like home, something she has never had.
Together Opal and Arhtur have to dig up the past and face long buried secrets, while confronting their own nightmares to save the fate of the town. Opal wants a home and she has to fight to keep it.
This was a bizarre story, a little long winded. All of the individual elements are great. Nothing seemed as developed as it should or could have been. The prose was moody and not cohesive. The description and character given to the house was the best developed part. The back history was not cohesive or engaging to me as a reader. I wanted it to connect more to the town but I just didn’t get that.
I did enjoy it but I didn’t love it. It was interesting but not outstanding. 3/5⭐
The Lost Story
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
Two best friends disappear in a vast state forest in West Virginia. They return six months later with no answers about their missing time.
Fifteen years later one is a reclusive artist and the other finds people that no one else can.
Emilie Wendell shows up to find her sister that vanished in that same forest. Jeremy and Rafe agree to help her find a sister that she doesn’t remember ever meeting.
Jeremy knows about the magical realm in which he was lost in, and he has kept Rafe in the dark all these years. It’s time to unbury secrets and face the danger of going back in with Emilie on a mission.
This was a wonderful story full of magic and beauty reminiscent of Narnia. I really enjoyed it! 4/5 ⭐