Anticipated July Releases

In July there are quite a few books I'm anxiously awaiting. Even though I am trying to read my own books and wait to buy books until the fall, I'm still excited to see what other have to say about these titles.

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

First up is a little mermaid retelling, but it is from the Sea Witch's point of view!

Expected Release: July 31st

Everyone knows what happens in the end.
A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss.
But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends.
One feared, one royal, and one already dead.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch. 

A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.

But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain. 

Hullmetal Girls by Emily Strutskie 

Next up is a Science Fiction space story featuring a f/f romance. I loved Strutskie's first novel An Abyss Surrounds Us

Expected Publication: July 17th

Aisha Un-Haad would do anything for her family. When her brother contracts a plague, she knows her janitor's salary isn't enough to fund his treatment. So she volunteers to become a Scela, a mechanically enhanced soldier sworn to protect and serve the governing body of the Fleet, the collective of starships they call home. If Aisha can survive the harrowing modifications and earn an elite place in the Scela ranks, she may be able to save her brother.

Key Tanaka awakens in a Scela body with only hazy memories of her life before. She knows she's from the privileged end of the Fleet, but she has no recollection of why she chose to give up a life of luxury to become a hulking cyborg soldier. If she can make it through the training, she might have a shot at recovering her missing past.

In a unit of new recruits vying for top placement, Aisha's and Key's paths collide, and the two must learn to work together--a tall order for girls from opposite ends of the Fleet. But a rebellion is stirring, pitting those who yearn for independence from the Fleet against a government struggling to maintain unity.

With violence brewing and dark secrets surfacing, Aisha and Key find themselves questioning their loyalties. They will have to put aside their differences, though, if they want to keep humanity from tearing itself apart.

Competence by Gail Carriger

Once more I am anticipating a Gail Carriger release. Though I am not quite caught up on this series, I am still excited for the release and cannot wait for the finale. This is the third book in the series so beware of spoilers!

Expected Release: July 17th

Accidentally abandoned

All alone in Singapore, proper Miss Primrose Tunstell must steal helium to save her airship, the Spotted Custard, in a scheme involving a lovesick werecat and a fake fish tail.

When she uncovers rumors of a new kind of vampire, Prim and the Custard crew embark on a mission to Peru. There, they encounter airship pirates and strange atmospheric phenomena, and are mistaken for representatives of the Spanish Inquisition. Forced into extreme subterfuge (and some rather ridiculous outfits) Prim must also answer three of life's most challenging questions:
Can the perfect book club give a man back his soul?
Will her brother ever stop wearing his idiotic velvet fez?

And can the amount of lard in Christmas pudding save an entire species?

Let me know what books you are excited to get your hands on in July and what you think of my picks! Here's hoping I read a lot this summer so I can pick up all the books I'm excited for this fall.

Review - An Unsuitable Heir by KJ Charles

Series: Sins of the City #3 (final)

Genre: Historical Fiction Romance

Age Group: Adult 

Ebook: 246 pgs

Source: Overdrive

Published: 2017 

Add it // Buy it

Rating: 3/5

On the trail of an aristocrat’s secret son, enquiry agent Mark Braglewicz finds his quarry in a music hall, performing as a trapeze artist with his twin sister. Graceful, beautiful, elusive, and strong, Pen Starling is like nobody Mark’s ever met—and everything he’s ever wanted. But the long-haired acrobat has an earldom and a fortune to claim.

Pen doesn’t want to live as any sort of man, least of all a nobleman. The thought of being wealthy, titled, and always in the public eye is horrifying. He likes his life now—his days on the trapeze, his nights with Mark. And he won’t be pushed into taking a title that would destroy his soul.

But there’s a killer stalking London’s foggy streets, and more lives than just Pen’s are at risk. Mark decides he must force the reluctant heir from music hall to manor house, to save Pen’s neck. Betrayed by the one man he thought he could trust, Pen never wants to see his lover again. But when the killer comes after him, Pen must find a way to forgive—or he might not live long enough for Mark to make amends.

Sadly this last book in the series didn't work as well for me. The first two books in this story were weaker than other books I've read by KJ Charles.

Unfortunately the most essential element, the romance, didn't gel with the rest. Overall the timeline was fast, even for a romance novel, and I wasn't invested in either of the characters before they became a couple. The romance felt slapped together and forced. Unlike so many of Charles' books this romance just failed to really spark my interest and I was left wanting a lot more from it.

Because the romance fizzled I expected the mystery to pick up the slack. Though the pacing and language is as good as ever, this also didn't work for me. The resolution of the story just felt anti-climatic. Charles really tried to split the story between the romance and the mystery. In the end the balancing act took away from both. I would've preferred if we focused more on the characters and the romance than the mystery.

Pen is gender-fluid and Mark has a disability. I cannot speak to the depiction of disability or gender fluidity (Goodreads reviews seem split), but I appreciate seeing both represented on the page. Just like in her other books, KJ Charles creates a great atmosphere and her language transported me to 19th century London. The historical accuracy is one of my favorite parts of her books. 

Overall, this isn't a bad series, but it didn't wow me. Luckily the next thing I read by KJ Charles was an absolute gem.

My Last Review ⇰ The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal

Happy Friday Book Lovers!

It has been a long hard week here at KCWB&C I’ve been really busy unpacking in my new place and I was sick on Monday. I think all the work over the weekend was finally catching up with me. Anyway, I haven’t been reading much, but this weekend I want to change that (maybe?) and sink my teeth into some good books! 

Here's hoping because it is going to be a busy weekend. Check out what I picked up at the library this week and my plans for the upcoming weekend! 

Top Five Wednesday - Summer Reads

Happy Wednesday!

This week on Top Five Wednesday we are recommending Summer Reads. The definition is a little flexible so this week I'm recommending five reads to myself for this summer. I've turned the topic into a bit of a TBR for myself this summer. Here's hoping I actually listen rather than ignoring it like I normally do with TBRs. 

1) Flash Bones by Kathy Reichs - This is one of the oldest books on my TBR and I really enjoy the Temperance Brennan novels. I'd like to catch up on this series since I am at last four books behind. They are great fast paced read for the summer and I always buy copies second had so I can take them on the beach with me!

2) Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan - I read the first book in this trilogy last year and really enjoyed it. Though, of course, I haven't picked up the sequel! Hopefully this summer I'll listen be able to get my hands on the audiobook because the narrator is one of my favorites. (She also did the first Queen of the Tearling book and was fantastic)

3) Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta - A few years ago I read the first two books in this trilogy and for the life of me I cannot remember what happened. I keep meaning to reread them or find a good synopsis for them. Hopefully this summer I will finish off this emotional series.

4) Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce- I'd like to catch up on all my backlist of Pierce titles by the end of the year. I think I have three on my shelves, but two of them have been there for a LONG time! I always forget how much I adore her books until I read them.

5) The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove - Actually, I've already started this one, but my audiobook expires soon and I hope I can make myself finish it in physical form. It is an adventurous story so far and I'm really enjoying it.

If you have any thoughts on which one I should pick up once I finish The Glass Sentence, please let me know! I'd love to have a recommendation as a starting point!

  

 

My Last Top Five Wednesday → Top Five Books I Didn't Read in 2017

Pretty Book (5)

It has been a long time since I've talked about the beautiful books on my shelves. These videos are all about the beauty of book covers and the beautiful details about books. I'm really excited to share these pretty books with all of you today!

Review - The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by KJ Charles

Series: Standalone

Genre: Historical M/M Romance

Age Group: Adult

Ebook - 232 pgs

Source: Overdrive

Published: 2017

Add it // Buy it

Rating: 5/5

A note to the Editor

Dear Henry,

I have been Simon Feximal’s companion, assistant and chronicler for twenty years now, and during that time my Casebooks of Feximal the Ghost-Hunter have spread the reputation of this most accomplished of ghost-hunters far and wide.

You have asked me often for the tale of our first meeting, and how my association with Feximal came about. I have always declined, because it is a story too private to be truthfully recounted, and a memory too precious to be falsified. But none knows better than I that stories must be told.

So here is it, Henry, a full and accurate account of how I met Simon Feximal, which I shall leave with my solicitor to pass to you after my death.

I dare say it may not be quite what you expect.

After several books by KJ Charles that disappointed me, I was thoroughly pleased with this one. Not only are Simon and Richard incredible characters, Charles' writing style sinks you into their world and their  lives so much that it is difficult to move on after this book. England at the end of the 19th Century is one of my favorite setting and KJ Charles has proven many times she can construct a magical world set in this time period with beautiful precision. The language she uses to describe and the dialogue from the characters are on point.

The novel is set up in a series of short snapshots of our magician, Simon, and his chronicler Richard. The first story is the hook and it does its job well. It is sexy and steamy and totally drew me in. The two of them have fantastic chemistry and when Richard breaks the fourth wall to speak to the reader the story gains a feeling of realness and believably I wasn't expecting. Over the course of the book I became incredibly absorbed in all the characters' lives and stories. I was very attached to our two main characters, of course, and the end of this book wrecked me. It destroyed me. It was incredibly moving and I highly recommend it.

Beyond the romance between our two main characters, are the ghost stories they solve. The cases these two work together are incredibly dark in some instances. I appreciated some of these stories were gruesome while others were dark and twisted in other ways. The stories are short, but all of them are complex and multifaceted. Charles builds up a dark magical underbelly to the world we know just like in her other series and dives even deeper into the grim and gritty side of London in this book.

I could continue to gush. I've picked up a copy of this book for my collection since borrowing it from my library and as soon as I feel emotionally ready, I'm going back to enjoy this again.

My Last Review → An Unseen Attraction by KJ Charles 

May Wrap Up (2018)

This month has been a slow reading month. Life has been wild and busy because I am moving into a new place. I've mentioned this a lot so forgive me if you've heard it before. I only read a few books this month but I've just hit the half way point on my Goodreads goal a month early! Hopefully you had a better reading month than I did.

I'm disapointed this video turn out so dark, you can barely see the covers, but I filmed in a corner. It was silly but I was running out of places to set my camera! Next month will be better!

Because I've been struggling to find time to read, I'd love your recommendations for books that are fast paced. I need books that are easy to get into so when I have time to read I don't get frustrated with the book. Any suggestions would be welcome!

15 Before 30

You may have heard people make goal lists that are thirty things to do before they are thirty. However I'm a little late to the game. I'm turning 27 this year so I decided to make a list of just fifteen! Five goals a year seems reasonable so that's my focus. I hope you enjoy and if you have any suggestions for goals to add, I would love to hear them.

Reviews - The Diviners by Libba Bray

Series: The Diviners #1
Genre: Historical Fiction/Paranormal

Age Group: YA
Hardcover - 578 pgs

Source: Purchased
Published: 2012
Add it // Buy it

Rating: 5/5

Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.

Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.

As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.

To quote Whitney Novels: " The best way I can describe this book is The Great Gatsby meets Buzzfeed Unsolved." 

After owning this book for years, and trying it several times, I finally picked it up and read the entire thing! The Diviners has slowly picked up steam over the past few years and I've heard more and more about it. After watching the series go through three cover changes, I was intrigued enough to try again. I am so glad I did. This book is fantastic.

There are a lot of different perspectives to follow and a lot diversity contained as well. We have a POC as a lead character as well a character with a disability. There are several strong women in this book. We address abortion, abuse, war and loss, workers rights, murder, racism, homophobia, xenophobia as well as the influence of hate and fear. All of these are rolled together and viewed through different lenses as we follow characters that represent a spectrum of New York at the time.

The audiobook really helped me through the first one hundred pages, which is where I stopped reading before, and made the reading experience absolutely stellar. The narrator is exceptionally talented and I plan to read the other two books in this series as audiobooks as well. I was completely drawn in by the narration. Each voice is distinct and January LaVoy did an amazing job with the effects and sections that required her to sing as well. I could not stop listening to this book.

Libba Bray did a wonderful job of creating mood of the book. The setting and even some of the characters feel veiled in shadows and mystery. The atmosphere is divine and everything from the bright lights of the stage to the dark dank house on the hill felt like I was there with Evie. Not only that, but the slang and dialogue between the characters was on point. The Diviners was incredibly well researched. In so many historical novels I've read, the descriptions are historically accurate, but the conversations feel modern. I admire how much time Libba Bray must have put into researching the 1920's and I appreciate her efforts.

Bray created a unique story that blends paranormal abilities with mystery and historical fiction. This book was crafted and I fully intend to pick up book two very very soon. 

My Last Review → Rebel Magisters by Shanna Swenson

Bookshelf Reorganization and Unhaul

This month I've been going through a lot of my books. Moving makes you rethink what you want to keep and what you can part with. Even though I've done even more cleaning out since I filmed this, I feel like I've lifted a weight off me by donating some of these. Hopefully someone will find joy in a book I'm no longer interested in or didn't enjoy.

Bout of Books 22 - Vlog and Wrap Up

Bout of Books is over! Commence the tears. I love this readathon and today is the wrap up and conclusion of a week of fun and reading. There is no way to fail during this readathon so I can count it as a complete success. I abandoned my TBR as is typical so you'll need to watch my vlog to see exactly what I chose to read!