Friday Face-Off: A cover featuring something sweet

Jackie

June 15, 2019

Friday Face Off is a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy and run by Lynn’s Book Blog.

This weeks theme:

14th June – “Coraline opened the box of chocolates. 
The dog looked at them longingly.” 
– A cover featuring something sweet

The first book that came to mind was When Dimple Met Rishi but I haven’t read it yet and it’s such a popular book I don’t want to risk it already being taken. You know the book with the East Indian-American girl drinking an Iced coffee/drink? sweet right?

Then, I searched my list of books and the Southern Eclectic series by Molly Harper popped up. I really like Molly Harper as an author so out of all her book titles, I picked Sweet Tea and Sympathy. There is another title with a sweet cake on the cover called Give Me Some Sugar, but it didn’t have different covers to choose from.

Sweet Tea and Sympathy
(Southern Eclectic #1)
by Molly Harper

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From beloved romance author Molly Harper (Half-Moon Hollow and The Nice Girls series) comes the first title in her new rom-com women’s fiction series, Southern Eclectic, which features the lives, losses and loves of the McCready family as they manage their family’s generational funeral home and bait shop (you read that correctly) on the shore of picturesque Lake Sackett, Georgia.

Type-A Margot Cary is the leading event planner for the crème de la crème of Chicago high society. No request is too extravagant for her to execute with trademark perfection. That is, until an unfortunate incident involving a shrimp tower, live flamingos, and a shellfish allergy puts her on the black list of the rich and social and out of a job. With the lights about to be shut off in the trendy condo she can no longer afford, and her savings account dwindling, Margot’s situation is near to desperate.

In steps her birth father’s side of the family (who she’s never met), the McCreadys…the McCreadys of the McCready Family Funeral Home and Bait Shop in small town Georgia—and as luck would have it, they’re looking for an event planner and don’t care about her reputation among the A-list crowd. As Margot tackles small town life—where everyone knows everything about everyone—and builds a relationship with a father who she’d never known, she discovers the comforts that community, a rather large extended family, and a rugged, unpretentious country man can offer…

I like the first one with the big tea jar dispenser. Which cover do you like best?

The Treasure of Paragon #2 Windy City Dragon

Jackie

2 comments

June 2, 2019

Review:

(The Treasure of Paragon #2) by Genevieve Jack

Kindle Edition
Released April 23rd, 2019
Published by Carpe Luna Publishing

Publishers Summary:

Chicago is the Windy City, where something dark lurks just below the surface

For decades he’s fought to be human…
It’s been a long time since Tobias spread his wings. The exiled dragon prince has worked hard to blend into the human world and practice his love for healing as a pediatric cardiologist. But when magic proves the only way to save a beloved child, he’s tempted to reengage with his past.

She awakens the monster within…
As a vampire-human hybrid, Sabrina is used to being different from the rest of her community. But all vampires need to feed. The night she chooses Tobias as her next meal, everything changes. He’s far more than he seems, and if she doesn’t protect his secret, it could cost him his life.

It takes a monster to know a monster…
One kiss thrusts Tobias into the dark underground world of Chicago’s vampires, where his dragon nature is his only hope of protecting Sabrina. But Sabrina knows the only way to keep him safe is to push him away.

Witches, Vampire political intrigue and danger abound in the Treasure of Paragon #2 Windy City Dragon.

I did not like Windy City Dragon as much as The Dragon of New Orleans because of Tobit and the half-vampire half-human, Sabrina. Everyone knows what vampires are like if you are a fan of paranormal fantasy. Sometimes they are violent and ruthless, uncaring and unremorseful but more importantly, they eat your blood. Sabrina puts on a good show when she appears as an innocent medical worker in a hospital, meanwhile, she is stealing blood bags right under peoples noses for members of her clan!

Her power to compel doesn’t work with Tobias. One day she bumps into him and kisses him and she tries to erase his memory but it fails to work because he is a dragon. His secret is safe with her as he also manages to keep his dragon nature free from scrutiny from everyone including vampires and werewolves.

Tobias prefers his life as a human and a pediatric surgeon, but when his brother Gabriel and Raven are in need of a place to stay while in Chicago, his real identity becomes a safety concern. I was happy to see that Gabriel and Raven are still very much involved in Windy City as well. I love Raven for her ability to talk sense into Tobias to accept his family after 300 years because whether he believes it or not their mother is alive and is dangerous not only to them but all of Paragon.

Between Paragons forces and the Vampire’s Forbears, the Treasure of Paragon is at an even greater risk of extinction.

In due time, Sabrina and Tobias become mated and forbidden lovers. It is forbidden for a vampire to fraternize with shifters of any kind, therefore she is bound to keep Tobias’ true nature a secret only it is next to impossible with an asshole like Tristan, who challenges Sabrina for the throne of Chicago’s vampire clan.

I fell in love with Raven’s new cat artemis because he’s so fierce around Tobias lol. While in Chicago Raven learns of some good news. Let’s just say she has cravings for spicy food mmk?

Some Quotes:

“Logic is highly overrated, Doctor. You should ditch logic in favour of magic.”

“Artemis arched her back and flicked her tail, guarding her domain like Cerberus at the gates of the underworld.”

Source:
www.goodreads.com/review/show/2839163895

Original post:
Jackiez.booklikes.com/post/1896392/the-treasure-of-paragon-2-windy-city-dragon

STS Weekend ~ New Books on my shelf

Jackie

14 comments

June 1, 2019

The Sunday Post

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Tyngas Reviews &Reading Reality

I decided to participate in the usual suspects starting with Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post, and IMWAYR.

While I was out shopping at the mall, I stopped in Chapters to have a look around and I found two novels that were in the fantasy section that I could not live without. Let me share them with you, ’cause baby I am dying to show you what I picked up! I cannot wait to dive into their world again.

It hasn’t been too long since I finished Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind←(link to my review) I loved it so much, however, I was going to wait until the third book was published before I continued with the series, but I can’t. I had to get a copy of The Wise Man’s Fear (#2 The Kingkiller Chronicles: Day Two). I also got the audiobook from audible. I know it’s overkill but it only adds to my reading experience and The Wise Man’s Fear is a huge novel.

Sometimes, to give my eyes a break, I like to listen solely to the audiobook while I’m doing other mundane things. At other times it’s all-hands-on-deck, with my eyes in the pages and buds in my ears holding the book in hand. More often than not, I like to simply and quietly read my book comfortably sitting on my couch.

The other book I bought is the seventh installment in the Harry Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Dead Beat. The audiobook is narrated by James Marsters, who played Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yes. I got the audiobook as well. Might as well face it I’m addicted ;p

I also finished reading a new first in a series by Genevieve Jack. You can read my review on Goodreads of The Treasure of Paragon #1: The Dragon of New Orleans. She is a great story writer and is high up on my list of favourite authors. H.P. Mallory and Genevieve Jack are both fun paranormal fantasy writers IMO. I loved The Dragon of New Orleans so much, that I had to get book #2 on my kindle as well. The Windy City Dragon #2 The Treasure of Paragon.

Ok, that about wraps it up for the new and exciting books I’ve added to my virtual and physical shelf this week. I also can’t take pictures of my book haul because I lost my camera. Bummer. So I’ve added magic links to Amazon where you can purchase these too.

The Wise Man’s Fear

(The Kingkiller Chronicle #2)
by Patrick Rothfuss
In The Wise Man’s Fear, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, forced to reclaim the honor of his family, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived…until Kvothe.Now, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time.

Dead Beat

Dresden Files 07 by Jim Butcher Narrated by James Marsters Published by Penguin Audio and Roc Publishing

“The wildest, strangest, best Dresden adventure to date…Butcher’s blending of modern fantasy with classic noir sensibilities ensures that there’s never a dull moment.”—SF Site

Paranormal investigations are Harry Dresden’s business and Chicago is his beat, as he tries to bring law and order to a world of wizards and monsters that exists alongside everyday life. And though most inhabitants of the Windy City don’t believe in magic, the Special Investigations Department of the Chicago PD knows better.

Karrin Murphy is the head of S. I. and Harry’s good friend. So when a killer vampire threatens to destroy Murphy’s reputation unless Harry does her bidding, he has no choice. The vampire wants the Word of Kemmler (whatever that is) and all the power that comes with it. Now, Harry is in a race against time—and six merciless necromancers—to find the Word before Chicago experiences a Halloween night to wake the dead…

Windy City Dragon

(The Treasure of Paragon Book 2)
by Genevieve Jack
A dragon prince. A vampire heiress. A kiss that could bring Chicago to its knees.

For decades he’s posed as a human…
It’s been a long time since Tobias spread his wings. The exiled dragon prince has worked hard to blend into the human world and practice his love for healing as a pediatric cardiologist.

She awakens the dragon within…
As a vampire-human hybrid, Sabrina is used to being different from the rest of her community. But all vampires need to feed. The night she chooses Tobias as her next meal, everything changes. He’s far more than he seems, and if she doesn’t protect his secret, it could cost him his life.

Can love remind him of who he truly is?
One kiss thrusts Tobias into the dark underground world of Chicago’s vampires where his dragon nature is his only hope of protecting Sabrina. But Sabrina knows the only way to keep him safe is to push him away.

I’m on Fire for The Dragon Of New Orleans!

Jackie

2 comments

May 31, 2019

The Dragon of New Orleans - Genevieve Jack

Review:

The Dragon of New Orleans (The Treasure of Paragon #1)

by Genevieve Jack

Publisher Summary:

New Orleans: city of intrigue, supernatural secrets, and one enigmatic dragon.

A deadly curse….
For 300 years, Gabriel Blakemore has survived in New Orleans after a coup in his native realm of Paragon scattered him and his dragon siblings across the globe. Now a jealous suitor’s voodoo curse threatens to end his immortal existence. His only hope is to find an antidote, one that may rest in a mortal woman.

A lifesaving gift…
After five years of unsuccessful treatment for her brain cancer, death is a welcome end for Raven Tanglewood. Her illness has become a prison her adventurous spirit cannot abide. Salvation comes in the form of Gabriel, who uses dragon magic to save her.

A harrowing price…
To Raven, the bond that results from Gabriel’s gift is another kind of captivity. Can Gabriel win Raven’s love and trust in time to awaken the life-saving magic within her? Or will his fiery personality and possessive ways drive her from his side and seal his fate?

bookreview

The Dragon of New Orleans is an exemplary paranormal romance, although it starts off with two people dying. Regardless, it brings all the feelings I like not because of the sex but because Dragons! C’mon! Paranormal Romance is one of my favourite genres, and yes, there is the sexy time if that sorta thing turns you on.Ravenna Tanglewood is suffering from brain cancer – a bitch, no doubt about it- and she is very near death when a mysterious dark figure appears before her. She thinks Death has come for her and is just a figment of her imagination but, his name is actually Gabriel Blakemore and he has come to save her by giving her his tooth. This is his price to saving someone he deems worthy, in turn, they must be willing to work for him. He’s gentle and reasonable and doesn’t force anyone really, but if they want to live? They do what he says or not.

A dragon from Paragon, Gabriel Blakemore is dark and drop dead gorgeous with a voice like Clint Eastwood 🙂 There was something about Ravenna that drew him to her and in the course of history, literally, we find out she is descendant of a powerful witch/sorceress. She didn’t know that about herself, neither did he, only she had psychic powers before cancer. Her history proves interesting, the paranormal aspect, and New Orleans? I Love. She was fortunate Gabriel saved her. After 3 months they meet again because with his tooth they are bonded moreover, Ravenna’s witchy powers become more prevalent. One night she comes close to being raped and he senses something wrong and rescues her yet again. He is protective of his investments because Dragons are like that. They like to sit on and fiercely protect their treasures. Smaug anyone?

What a wild and perilous adventure they embark on! Gabriel needs her like a moth to a flame or something cool and metaphorical like that lol

A witches curse was slowly killing him, draining him of his magic, which if he didn’t find a cure, he would die or turn to stone. In the realm of Paragon, there is a mountain and magic. His mother was supposed to be dead because Gabriel thought his uncle Brynhoff (fuckhead) killed her and his brother, Marius, the ruler and king, but Raven and Gabriel portal to that realm and learn that his mother IS VERY MUCH ALIVE and ruling beside Uncle Brynhoff! What an interesting world that was! It was amazing they got out alive but barely.

Back in New Orleans…
We were introduced to Gabriel’s brother, Tobias who is the main character in the next book ‘Windy City Dragon‘. He’s a doctor in Chicago. That brings us to why they are living in our world. Let’s just say it was Eleanor, their mother who sent them here. And the plot thickens 🙂

I Loved It! 5 amazing skulls because dragons duh 😛

“The smile he gave her was sexy enough to melt her dress.”

The Slow Regard of Silent Things (The Kingkiller Chronicles #2.5)

Jackie

1 comment

May 28, 2019

The Slow Regard of Silent Things (The Kingkiller Chronicle #2.5) by Patrick Rothfuss,
Illustrated by Nate Taylor

Review:
srost

The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a very charming book. It didn’t matter about it not making sense half of the time, because, for me, that is what made it so different and appealing. I mean, the words Patrick Rothfuss has strewn together are way superior to any other normal story we’ve read countless of times over and over again. For example. I just finished reading Courting Darkness, and it didn’t even come close to being as good as this was IMO. I am one of those people who likes this story. Just like his friend Vi whom Patrick mentions in the endnote

I needed to hear these words “It was the worst sort of selfishness to force yourself upon the world.” page 108. Wow! So fun and captivating!

Original post:
Jackiez.booklikes.com/post/1893417/the-slow-regard-of-silent-things-the-kingkiller-chronicles-2-5

My Review of Shadow of the Fox

Jackie

5 comments

May 22, 2019

Review:

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa

Kindle Edition, 416 pages

Published October 2nd, 2018 by Harlequin Teen

One thousand years ago, the great Kami Dragon was summoned to grant a single terrible wish—and the land of Iwagoto was plunged into an age of darkness and chaos.

Now, for whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, a new wish will be granted. A new age is about to dawn.

Raised by monks in the isolated Silent Winds temple, Yumeko has trained all her life to hide her yokai nature. Half kitsune, half human, her skill with illusion is matched only by her penchant for mischief. Until the day her home is burned to the ground, her adoptive family is brutally slain and she is forced to flee for her life with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll.

There are many who would claim the dragon’s wish for their own. Kage Tatsumi, a mysterious samurai of the Shadow Clan, is one such hunter, under orders to retrieve the scroll…at any cost. Fate brings Kage and Yumeko together. With a promise to lead him to the scroll, an uneasy alliance is formed, offering Yumeko her best hope for survival. But he seeks what she has hidden away, and her deception could ultimately tear them both apart.

With an army of demons at her heels and the unlikeliest of allies at her side, Yumeko’s secrets are more than a matter of life or death. They are the key to the fate of the world itself.

My Review
Shadow of the Fox is amazing! I love Yumeko-san the Kitsune. Kitsune is a Fox with magic abilities that mostly trick people into seeing things that aren’t there. They are demon like but Yumeko isn’t a bad kitsune, she doesn’t use her powers to harm anyone. She is useful.

The books intrigue begins and ends on a mysterious note surrounding a very young and seemingly ordinary servant girl named Suki, who lived and died in the royal palace chambers of Lady Sitome, the king’s concubine, who is also a powerful blood witch. In fact, she kills Suki for insubordination. Now Suki is a ghost aka a Yurei, who sticks around for reasons unknown, probably because she wasn’t ready to die, and she wants vengeance on Lady Sitome. It appears the ghost succeeds when the very same handsome flute player she meets, in the beginning, ends up stabbing Lady Sitome in the heart. I thought Shadow of the Fox was so well written, I never saw that coming.

The story takes us on a journey of sorts with Yumeko-sans being entrusted with a piece of a Dragon’s Prayer in the form of a small scroll. It is an important piece of paper because Legend has it, that every one thousand years, a mortal is given the opportunity to summon the Dragon and ask to grant 3(?) wishes for good or bad, only the person’s heart has to be pure, otherwise the dragon will tear its soul to shreds. Or something like that lol.

There are evil beings who are trying to find the 3 parts of the Dragons Prayer for themselves as well.

Anyway, Yumeko is given specific instructions by her Monk Master to find a certain man in the feather temple in a city far away. He will give her what information she needs, and where to take the scroll. I can’t remember the exact names and places off the top of my head, so you just have to bear with me 🙂

Yumeko encounters lots of trouble with weird creatures who would kill and destroy her. She knows she is being followed. She also meets a couple of travelling companions, who unbeknownst to each other have their own agenda for accompanying Yumeko along her way. Her companions are quite remarkable and if I am not mistaken one of them is the flute player guy that Suki met? I could be wrong. I haven’t checked but I am almost certain he is.

Original post:
Jackiez.booklikes.com/post/1890333/my-review-of-shadow-of-the-fox

Shadow of the Fox FREE on Audio

Jackie

no comments

May 18, 2019

Julie Kagawa is a great author. I’ve had Shadow of the Fox on my kindle that I received from Netgalley as an e-arc for awhile. Recently it has been made available on Audiobooksync for FREE, so if you are looking for a fantasy title you can listen to, I’d get it there while you can. I love the story so far as I am only at 22% but the protagonist is quite impressionable.

Description
by Julie Kagawa | Narrated by Joy Osmanski, Brian Nishii, Emily Woo Zeller
Published by HarperAudio
One thousand years ago, the great Kami Dragon was summoned to grant a single terrible wish—and the land of Iwagoto was plunged into an age of darkness and chaos. Now, for whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, a new wish will be granted. A new age is about to dawn.

Original post:
Jackiez.booklikes.com/post/1888204/shadow-of-the-fox-free-on-audio

Tiger’s Dream – It’s fantasy Month!

Jackie

no comments

May 14, 2019

In the month of May, we are reading and reviewing fantasy books. Tiger’s Dream is the continuing Saga about Kelsey, Kishan and Ren, two brothers who were cursed to become Tigers. When Kelsey applied for a job at a Circus, she meets her lovely tiger, Ren. When she discovers his true human form, she is smitten and falls in love with him because he is so beautiful. Tiger’s Dream is the 5th and final book in the Tiger’s Curse series. I have waited so long for it. 6 years? Idk exactly, but, when it was available I jumped. The cover is gorgeous and it probably is one of my favourite series of books I own. Now, is the right time to read it! Yay! I have the large print edition but I am also listening to the audiobook. I just hope it is worth the wait.

Original post:
Jackiez.booklikes.com/post/1885772/tiger-s-dream-it-s-fantasy-month

My Review of The Name of the Wind

Jackie

2 comments

May 14, 2019

Review:

I came to realize the Prologue and Epilogue are written about the same time of night inside the Waystone Inn. Kvothe had red hair which was of some significance apparently. He obliges to tell his story to the Chronicler, Devan Lochees. Both parts end with the same words

…”It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die”.

Kvothe is both a legend and a myth. He and his Fae-student Bast, are posing as InnKeepers for reasons I don’t know about yet.

Kvothes’ story begins when he was a child before he enters University.
He was orphaned after losing his parents and his entire travelling troupe on the road. All his life he has made it his business to seek the culprits who killed his parents. He believes them to be The Chandrian because of the ‘Blue Fire.’

Patrick Rothfuss’ story fluctuates back and forth to the present at the Waystone Inn and is told as a retelling of Kvothe’s past to The Chronicler Devan Lochees. It is quite good and interesting. I liked it a lot. I liked both time periods.

Kvothes parents used to be singers and played music. Kvothe learns to play the lute that belonged to his father. One day as he was practicing, his lute strings break. Determined to find new strings in the city, he finds someone who he catches a ride with and climbs aboard a caravan headed for Tarbean.

I thought it was a shame that he didn’t earn money by playing his lute but external circumstances prevented it. He becomes a beggar and gets into trouble with another group of kids. Pike breaks his lute, unfortunately. It was all he had left of his parents. He gets pretty beat up too and for the rest of his time in Tarbean, Kvothe is tormented and lives in fear of this kid called Pike. It was brutal living on the streets begging for money but he learns to survive with some luck.

He is taken in by Trapis the monk who cares for the poor and the sick children. Trapis tells a story about Tehlu and Encanis which I found fascinating lol. Living in Tarbean was a dark, unpleasant and painful time for Kvothe. He learned things he never would have known otherwise like Denner resin bleaches your teeth! lol

There are many things and reasons as to why I loved this book and I actually think it is amazing. Denna was Kvothe’s love interest and even though she might’ve liked Kvothe back, she becomes more elusive and difficult to track down when other prospects vie for her attention time and time again. I am quite curious to know what happened to her over the time we don’t hear anything from her. She would be an interesting story as well.

Original post:
Jackiez.booklikes.com/post/1885702/my-review-of-the-name-of-the-wind

Free Audiobook of Shadow of the Fox

Jackie

no comments

May 9, 2019

Every week of summer starting in April through July, Sync Audiobooks delivers two audiobook titles for your listening pleasure. This week’s FREE audiobooks are Shadow of the Fox and The Epic Crush of Genie Lo. Once downloaded it’s yours to keep.

shadow-of-the-fox-150747-sync2019-2400x2400 Description
by Julie Kagawa | Read by Joy Osmanski, Brian Nishii, Emily Woo Zeller
Published by HarperAudio
One thousand years ago, the great Kami Dragon was summoned to grant a single terrible wish—and the land of Iwagoto was plunged into an age of darkness and chaos. Now, for whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, a new wish will be granted. A new age is about to dawn.

AudioFile Review
SHADOW OF THE FOX
This YA fantasy celebrates Japanese folklore and the legend of the Kitsune. Subtle cultural influences abound in the descriptions, but what really brings the atmosphere to life are the slightly accented performances of narrators Emily Woo Zeller and Brian Nishii. While Joy Osmanski’s portrayal of main character Yumeko is sweet and earnest, making her more relatable, her American accent distracts listeners from the setting of the story in a way that the other two performers’ deliveries do not. While the simplistic dialogue and slow pace of all the narrators make the story come across as meant for a much younger audience, the plot has plenty of exciting demon-battling moments to keep listeners’ attention. N.H. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2018]

Jackie's Forget Me Nots

No vase can overflow if you never fill it up.

Friday Face-Off: A cover featuring something sweet

The Treasure of Paragon #2 Windy City Dragon

(The Treasure of Paragon #2) by Genevieve Jack

STS Weekend ~ New Books on my shelf

The Wise Man’s Fear

Dead Beat

Windy City Dragon

I’m on Fire for The Dragon Of New Orleans!

The Dragon of New Orleans (The Treasure of Paragon #1)

Publisher Summary:

The Slow Regard of Silent Things (The Kingkiller Chronicles #2.5)

My Review of Shadow of the Fox

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa

Shadow of the Fox FREE on Audio

Tiger’s Dream – It’s fantasy Month!

My Review of The Name of the Wind

Free Audiobook of Shadow of the Fox