Norse Mythology

 A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen 

I am not super familiar with the Norse gods, so this was a nice change for me. It was well written. Slow burn which got on my nerves. I'm glad that the readers didn't know about the secret keeping until Freya found out, because I hate secret keeping as a plot device. Freya was the worst. She was so dumb and so easily manipulated. Some of that definitely comes from her being 20 and her brain not being fully developed and some comes from not having enough experience to deal with anything. I was actively hoping for Snorri's death and was left disappointed that it didn't happen. He is a fanatic and does NOT need let alone deserve to be king. Bodil was my favorite and I am pissed that she died. That was the wrong death. Bjorn was everything. Until he wasn't. He was the one working with Harold. And I don't feel like we got a sufficient explanation from him as to why. And why he considers Harold Father and not Snorri. Not that I blame him; nobody wants Snorri as a father. Book two better get here quick. And it better start with Bjorn giving an real, full, detailed explanation because I'm not ready to forgive him. Also, who is Harold's god blood from? And yes, we find out towards the end that Hel is also part of Freya, not just Hlin, and that's why she makes such bad decisions. But, good grief. Girl needs to grow up and start thinking things through. Book two needs to hurry up and get here. And if it's a good conclusion (I think this is just supposed to be a duology) then I might have to add this to my permanent collection.

Light on the Historical. Heavy on the Fiction.

 The Paris Deception by Bryn Turnbull 

I LOVE historical fiction, I just with this was more historical than fiction. Rose, the only real character of the "heroes" was only a side character in this book. Yes, the art forgeries was an interesting concept. But, unfortunately it didn't happen. And Rose, who really did work at one of the art museums, and who really did work to track all of the art that was stolen by the Nazi's, was not a focus of the story. I get that her work with the resistance was very subtle and would not have made for as exciting of a story, but it would have been interesting. Instead, I am left sat that Sophie, Fabien, and Sebastian were not real.  Despite that, I adored this book. The audiobook narrator was spectacular. I am not a huge fan of time jumps and but the few glimpses of the past were not too jarring and did not take away from the flow of the story. Very much recommend. I would definitely read more from this author.

Made to be Adapted

 House of Secrets by Christopher Columbus and Ned Vizzini 

Three stars because it was well written, but this book was a lot. Like a lot a lot. There was so much happening that it was almost overwhelming. So this family moves into a house that ends up being haunted. Except it's not haunted by a ghost but by a 100 year old witch. She doesn't want them in her house, but she also needs their help to get this magic book. She causes a huge disturbance which kills the parents and send the kids into a world that is a combination of three books written by her father. And then she sets the storybook characters on them to kill them. But, she still needs them to get the book for her. The kids survive with the help of some of the characters. Then, while the witch is going full bad guy, her dad, the Storm King, shows up and they fight. Meanwhile, the youngest of the kids is in a chimney, using the book to end the fight, get them back home, revive their parents, and save one of the characters. And it works. But the Storm King shows up and vows revenge because they hurt his daughter. I could see this being great on TV or as a movie. But, a lot happened. I will probably read book 2, but not any time soon. I need a break.

I LOVE Fake Dating

 Accidentally Engaged  by Farah Heron 

This is a stand alone book, but it also has characters from the previous story. But, I didn't know that until I was about halfway through this one. I LOVE fake dating. It is one of my favorite tropes. But I HATE secret keeping; it's one of my least favorite tropes. Unfortunately, this book had both and the secret keeping is what kept this from a higher rating. Reena is so relatable. Wanting to stand on her own and be a good daughter so she keeps things from her overbearing parents, while also comparing herself to her successful siblings. Nadim is great, but also frustrating because he is so clearly into Reena, but also doesn't want to tell her about himself or his past. And that catches up to them and temporarily breaks them up. Which sucks because they are pretending to be engaged for a cooking competition. It's almost too late when Reena starts communicating; first with her sister, then her parents, and finally Nadim. The eloping was so cute. Using their reception to film their final entry for the competition. And the little epilogue showing they won and that she and her sister are going into business together. This book was charming and funny. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

Adventures and Time Travel

 Lost in Babylon by Peter Lerangis 

It's been years since I read the first book in this series, so I forgot a lot. However, it was fairly easy to get back in to after reading the synopsis and my review of the first book. I was too old for the 39 clues books, so I never read those, but you can definitely see the mystery aspect in this book. I have no idea who to trust, but like Jack I am more inclined to trust the KI than the Massa or however it's spelled. Marco is the worst. I know he's 13 and nobody makes good decisions at that age, but it's the lying and manipulation for me. Jack thinks about others and how his decisions will impact them, but Marco is so selfish. I really do not like that kid. And then, Jack spent YEARS thinking his mom was dead just to find out that she is running the organization that we don't trust? Talk about betrayal. This was a strong second book and has me intrigued enough that I will probably not wait years before reading book 3.

Monster, but Pretty

 Fire by Kristin Cashore 

It has been years since I read the first book and I had to re-read my review to know what was going on. But, it really didn't matter since this is a completely separate story from book 1. This has a different cast of characters, who don't even know about Gracelings. This is a land over the mountains where there are monsters and the main character is Fire, a monster girl. Think of the most beautiful person you know, Fire is better. More. Because of this she keeps herself hidden so as to not deal with the issues that come with people seeing her. Her best friend and sometimes lover is Archer, so named because he's the best archer anyone has ever seen. He's also jealous and a whore. Fire travels to the King and during her travel she meets his brother, commander of the military. He gives her a personal guard who are great. She gets to the castle and after a while starts using her powers to interview prisoners trying to discover plots and plans about the upcoming war. She also spends more time with Brigan, the commander. She gets kidnapped by Leck, a grace who fell through the mountains and ended up in the Dells. She escapes him with the help of a horse. Before she gets away she finds out that Archer is dead so she burns his body, and the entire house. She is found by her guard. The war is well underway. She helps in the hospital and with interrogations. She finds out that Brigan is really Brocker's son, not the former king's and that is why Brocker is in the wheelchair. Also, two of the characters are carrying Archer's babies. They win. She confesses to Brigan that she loves him and the queen gives her a house; the same house Brigan has been living in with his daughter. I am expecting that all of this is going to be relevant to the first book in some way in one of the three upcoming books. It was good, fast paced, and enjoyable. I will be interested to see how this links back to book 1.

Not Hallmark

 No, We Can't Be Friends by Sophie Ranald

I thought this was going to be very Hallmark, but it wasn't. I thought the book was going to focus on bad dates and finding the good one, but instead it was all about the destruction of her marriage. Literally 60% of the book was dedicated to watching her marriage fall apart. Then, she gets approached by the woman who her husband had an affair with, not her friend like she thought, and finds out the truth. She did everything right and he cheated. And it takes her a long time to realize that it wasn't her; he was horrible. He lied to his mistress too; she thought he had already divorced her. Then, she meets a good guy and breaks it off with him so she can heal, which is the right thing to do. But, she finds out she's pregnant and he steps up. I hate a pregnancy trope so I'm glad that was only at the very end of the book. I liked the growth she experienced personally and professionally. But this was not great for me. It was well written and engaging, but it was not my cup of tea and I will probably not be reading anymore from this author.

Fast Paced and Full of Adventure

 The Magician by Michael Scott 

It has been a long time since I read the first book in this series so I'm not sure if this picks up right where the previous book left off or not. The twins are in Paris with Nicholas. Pernelle is on Alcatraz. Sophie is dealing with all of the memories of the Witch, and trying to learn how to use her new power of air. Josh is jealous and worried. Machiavelli has entered the chat and has teamed up with John Dee, but unlike Dee he worries about the outcome of actions and does not act rashly. Josh and co end up with St. Geramin who is married to Joan of Arc who is friends with Scatty. There are more attacks. Valkyrie's show up. Nicholas gives Josh a sword. Scatty gets pulled into the Seine and Josh thinks she's dead until the end of the book when Nicholas tells him that she doesn't need to breath and therefore didn't drown. Josh ends up with Machiavelli and Dee and they take him to get awakened by Mars. Sophie shows up and almost brings Mars back to his humanity, but Dee turns him into a statue. Josh is reunited with Sophie and co. Pernelle makes friends with the ghost of the island and then finds the Elder that's a spider and they put aside their issues to deal with the Morrigan. There was a lot of action and adventure in this book. I will read book 3 at some point.

Memoir/Self-Help

 F*ck Your Diet by Chloé Hilliard 

This was more memoir than advice/self-help, so it was not what I was expecting when I started listening to it. However, it did include some good advice and helpful tips. Not, necessarily diet focused, but mentality and self-esteem based. Chloé has a great flow to her writing that is extremely consumable. While the book was not what I was expecting, it was funny and heartwarming.

Pagents and Politics

 Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

This was a social commentary on society's obsession with youth and beauty. I never knew where the story was going. There was no one main character, although some characters had more of an impact on the story than others. Teen beauty queens get stranded on a desert island and have to survive. Their survival is not important to The Corporation so even though they are on the literal same island they let the girls deal with it on their own, hoping they die because it will be better for them if they are dead.  But, the girls not only survive, they thrive. When they discover the hide out the realize they are not going to be rescued, but sacrificed, and they plan their own rescue. I did not like that when the book ended and they characters were getting their where are they now Taylor was not included. She stayed on the island. Did she die? What happened to her? I like that the book addressed real concerns held by the girls and women of the world. It handled the LGBTQ+ characters well; they were fully developed and not just plucky sidekicks. This book also tackled the inherent racism of the beauty industry. And, it focused on the development of female friendships. I was mad at Libba Bray because of how she ended the "Great and Terrible Beauty" trilogy and avoided reading this for years, but I'm glad that I got over that and finally read it.

Time Travel

 Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

This was a time travel book with two POV and multiple narrators. It took me almost half of the book to really get a grasp on what was happening because time travel is such a hard concept. I knew that father had to be immortal, but I didn't realize that he was one of the robots until it was revealed. I was shocked by the actions of Mother. I wanted to like General Citizen and was disappointed when he ended up not being on team Rigg. I like the solider who ended up joining them, and Leaf was probably my favorite character. I'm not sure I enjoyed this book. I read the entire thing and I'm not sure I understand what happened. But, I am intrigued enough that I will be reading the next book in the series.

No Tears, Unlike the First Book

 The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

I sobbed during the first book in this series. I enjoyed it, but I sobbed. And it made me very interested in this book, since Sloan was the reason I was crying in book 1.  Sloan has been in a funk for two years. The book starts with the anniversary of Brandon's accident. She almost gets into an accident, thinks she hit a dog, said dog jumps into her car via the sun roof. The owner of the dog is not responding to any class or texts. The dog brings her back to life. It's been two weeks and she put up fliers, posted in lost dog forums, and has decided that she is keeping him. Then, Jason calls. He has been out of the country, and without a cell signal for two weeks. He thought he left his dog with a a trustworthy person; he was wrong. They develop a friendship over calls and texts until he gets back. Then, they start seeing each other in person. She tells him about Brandon, slowly over time. He is so patient and understanding. She learns about his life; he is a famous musician. He takes her home to meet his family and they love her. He takes her on tour. She gets sick and returns to his parent's house. She comes back and thinks she has caught him cheating. He decides that instead of telling her the truth he is going to lean into it so that they can have a "clean" break because he loves her too much to have her live on the road. The character he "cheats" with is giving Britney Spears, but without the conservatorship. She keeps the dog. Then, he is back in LA for a show. She gets a package from Zane, his assistant (who is amazing and deserves her own book) with a note telling her the truth of what happened and giving her two front row tickets. She grabs Kristin and they leave the double date to go to the show. They trade seats with a couple in row 10 and watch the show. He is just going through the motions. Then, when he should be doing the "so happy to be here" part of the show instead he tells them he was afraid to be here because he met the love of his life here and blew it. Then he dedicates a song to Sloan. Then, he sees her in the audience and jumps off the stage. The crowd rushes him and she can't move, until he points and yells her name then they help them get to each other. She decides to paint on the road and they get back together.  It was very sweet. I like that Kristen and Josh played a decent sized role in this book. I am looking forward to more in this series!