Audio. The Duke´s Christmas Bride by Anna Bradley

By: Anna Bradley

Narrated by: Gabrielle Baker

Series: Drop Dead Dukes, Book 3

Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins

Release date: 09-24-24

Historical romance/to review

It starts with a bang. A mansion that is falling apart, and Rose waking up and then realising someone is in the house. Bang. Damn it was a Duke!

Max hated her dad because he thinks he got the mansion by trickery. Rose and a servant are the only ones left in this crappy house that both she and Max now owns.

He wants the house. She wants to live in her house that is falling apart. They grow closer, but he is a wicked Duke and he has plans to get rid of her and get the house. Though no murder in involved.

Then there is a houseparty too, and xmas around the corner. The perfect time to fall in love. And to have a little drama at the end before a HEA.

Good narration. She has a good voice for this story. I always enjoy her narrations

Alarmed by the sound of an intruder, Rose St. Claire fetches her pistol. She’s shocked to discover that the trespasser is a handsome gentleman—one who states that the house, which Rose recently inherited from her late benefactor, was stolen from his father decades ago. He claims it is now his. And it is—but not entirely. As it turns out, Hammond Court has been left to them both—and neither can evict the other without forfeiting their right to the property . . .

Wealthy and ruthless, Maxwell Burke, Duke of Grantham, has spent years regaining the many properties his father lost to bad wagers. Only Hammond Court remains. But Rose has no intention of leaving. In fact, as Christmas draws near, circumstances force Max to plan a holiday party, and Rose is all too happy to help. Max despises such merriment—until he sees it as an opportunity . . .

Max will forgive the debt of another young duke’s family if the attractive gentleman woos Rose at the party, ultimately marries her—and returns her share of the estate to Max. It’s foolproof. Except that Rose’s spirited joy is seductive, recalling within Max long ago feelings of happiness—and awakening a deep attraction. Has Max cooked his own Christmas goose—or is there a chance love will prevail? . . .

TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

10/29/2024 How do you like to be scared? Horror or thriller?

No thriller. Those do not scare me as a good horror. But I do not need blood or gore. I want the unknown, the not shown. Like with Birdbox. Damn that book was scary. And this book I read long ago where not much happens, but something is outside the window...something.

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

Carole´s review The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Title: The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Length: 2h 2m

Released: 2024

Genre:  War, Comedy, Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Where I Got It: Delta

SUMMARY:

The British military recruits a small group of highly skilled soldiers to strike against German forces behind enemy lines during World War II.

Trailer

REVIEW:

I watched this on the plane while flying out to LA. I've been meaning to watch this so why not on a 4 hour flight??

The British are struggling against the flood of the Nazis. They are up against the wall, so Churchill and his group recruit a small group of highly skilled soldiers to strike against the Nazis behind enemy lines. They need to strike them where it hurts and in the most ungentlemanly way possible. 

So this was based off a true story. Records were recently released that Churchill authorized an unauthorized group of saboteurs to do what they can to give the US the open they need to enter the war and help the British. I feel like we keep finding out more and more about WWII. I don't think we'll ever know everything those men and women did to fend off the Nazis. It's unbelievable sometimes. 

I really enjoyed this. It was..........fun. I hate to say a war movie is "fun" but it really was. These guys in this group really don't take themselves seriously. They don't even really care about King and country. They want to kill Nazis and win and live. So yes there really was a humor behind all the seriousness of a serious war. 

The acting was great. I loved everyone they got. They worked well off of each other. 

The ending was great. I wouldn't mind seeing more of their adventures, but they gave the "what happened to them after the war" thing so I doubt we'll get more. 

All-in-all, I had a great time watching this action-packed war movie while flying. I was chuckling and rooting for these guys. I'll stamp this with 5 stars. 

ONE WORD SUMMARY: Absorbing

Hell for hire by Rachel Aaron

By: Rachel Aaron

Narrated by: Nicholas Cain

Series: Tear Down Heaven, Book 1

Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins

Release date: 05-22-24

Urban fantasy/bookbeat.fi

It took me a while. I did not get into it, and then like 2 weeks after I tried again. It took a while but then I got into it.

I also felt the world maybe needed some more explaining.

Anyway, Bex is a demon who gets hired to protect Adrian who is a witch. He likes being a witch, but the powers that be wants him to be a nasty warlock and he is all f that! And he will hurt anyone trying.

So the book is building up for that final showdown when they are coming for him, and then slowly it turns out Bex is in trouble too.

In the end I did like it, but for a Rachel Aaron book is sure took time for me to enjoy it.

The narrator was good, but who knows, maybe I needed someone else

The Crew

A hulked-out wrath demon who eats gamer rage and loves cats, a shapeshifting lust demon who enjoys their food a bit too much, and a void demon who doesn’t see the point of any of this. They’re not the sort of mercenaries you'd hire on purpose, but Bex wouldn’t trust her life to anyone else.

Ever since the ancient Mesopotamian king Gilgamesh decided death wasn’t for him, killed the gods, and conquered the afterlife, times have been rough for a free demon. But the denizens of the Nine Hells aren’t the quitting sort, and Bex and her team have been choking a living out of the Eternal King’s lackeys for years. It’s not honest work, but when Heaven itself declares you a non-person, you smash-and-grab what you can get.

This next gig looks like more of the same…until Bex meets the client.

The Job

Adrian Blackwood is a witch with a problem. His family has skirted the edges of King Gilgamesh’s ire for centuries, but thanks to a decision he made as a child, Adrian is personally responsible for putting his entire coven in Heaven’s crosshairs.

Determined to set things right, Adrian drags his broom, caldron, and talking cat thousands of miles across the country to Seattle where he can fight the Eternal King’s warlocks without bringing the rest of his family into the fray. But witchcraft--like all crafts--takes time, and if the warlocks catch him before his spells are ready, he’s dead. So Adrian does what any professional witch would do and hires a team of mercenaries to keep the warlocks off his back. He didn’t expect to get demons, but when you’re already on the killing-edge of Heaven’s bad side, what’s a bit more fuel on the fire?

Sometimes you get more than you paid for.

Neither Adrian nor Bex knew what to expect when they signed their contract, but witch-plus-demon turns out to be a match made in the Hells. With this much chaos at their fingertips, even impossible dreams can come back into reach, because Bex wasn’t always a mercenary. She used to be the Eternal King's biggest nightmare, and now that she’s got a witch in her corner, it’s time to put the old magics back on the field and show Adrian Blackwood just how much Hell he’s hired.

The tainted cup by Robert Jackson Bennet

Series: Shadow of the Leviathan (#1)

Format: 320 pages, Paperback

Published: February 13, 2024 by Hodderscape

Fantasy/own

This book was amazing. I knew it from the moment I opened it and read the first words, I knew that this will be good. It was written with such ease and skill. The words just flowed and the pages flew by. I can not do it justice. It is the kind of books where I want to tell the author what a great book it is! Like, thank you for writing it.

The world was great and strange. With modifications being done to people, with monsters called Titans being held back by sea walls and often breaking through causing havoc. With the plants being able to infect you and a bunch of other dangerous things. It was a wild world that they were trying to control.

But this is a murder mystery as investigator Ana Dolabra and her assistant Dinios Kol is called to a horrible sight. Kol is the one who is doing most of the legwork, while she is the brain. They both have skills. He can see a room and remember everything. And this horrible murder leads them to bigger things.

A great book, what more can I say than that. Loved it. I liked fantasy that is a detective story too. And the world was so fascinating.

Just read it.

In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.

Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

10/22/2024 What are the top three items on your bucket list?

I do not have a bucket list. I do not need a list that I know in my heart I will never do anyway. But....it would be something like.

Visit Ireland

Visit Scotland

Publish a book ;)

10/29/2024 How do you like to be scared? Horror or thriller?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

Carole´s Monday: Ink and Sigil

 

Author: Kevin Hearne

Narrator: Luke Daniels

Title: Ink and Sigil

Series: Ink and Sigil #1

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery

Format: Audiobook

Published: August 25, 2020

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Al MacBharrais is both blessed and cursed. He is blessed with an extraordinary white moustache, an appreciation for craft cocktails – and a most unique magical talent. He can cast spells with magically enchanted ink and he uses his gifts to protect our world from rogue minions of various pantheons, especially the Fae.

But he is also cursed. Anyone who hears his voice will begin to feel an inexplicable hatred for Al, so he can only communicate through the written word or speech apps. And his apprentices keep dying in peculiar freak accidents. As his personal life crumbles around him, he devotes his life to his work, all the while trying to crack the secret of his curse.

But when his latest apprentice, Gordie, turns up dead in his Glasgow flat, Al discovers evidence that Gordie was living a secret life of crime. Now Al is forced to play detective – while avoiding actual detectives who are wondering why death seems to always follow Al. Investigating his apprentice’s death will take him through Scotland’s magical underworld, and he’ll need the help of a mischievous hobgoblin if he’s to survive.

Review:

This was another book club book. I read book one of the corresponding series....I really need to go back before reading more of this series. 

Here we follow Al who is both blessed and cursed. He has a lot to be thankful for including having a unique magical talent....he can cast spells with magically enchanted ink and use his gifts to protect our world. However, he was also cursed. Anyone who hears his voice will eventually feel an inexplicable hatred for Al. Also, his apprentices keep dying in weird freak accidents that are unexplainable. His luck gets worse when his latest apprentice, Gordie, turns up dead and Al discovers that Gordie was not a good man. He has been living a secret life of crime. Al is forced to play detective and avoid the actual detectives who are suspicious of him. 

Awwwww I adore Al. Can he be my grandpa? He is so sweet and funny and COOL! His powers are pretty awesome. I just hope he can lift the curse soon because he doesn't deserve it. I want him to be reunited with his family. I nearly cried when we seen that relationship crumble before he realized what was going on. Literally broke my heart. 

His comrades are fun. I especially loved Buck. He was hilarious. 

Speaking of humor....the humor was here just like in the other book. I do think the author tries a wee bit too hard sometimes to be funny. But I applaud the effort. Ironically when the author isn't TRYING to be hilarious...he is actually funnier. His subtle humor is best. 

Parts of me enjoyed this much more than the Druid series. I liked Al way better. Al has to be more clever since he is older and doesn't have the fighting abilities. He also has that pesky curse on him. Eeee. 

The mystery aspect was okay. I enjoyed watching Al need a lot of people to help him really uncover what is going on.

The ending has me needing and wanting more. However, I was told by a couple of people I should finish the Druid series first before getting deeper into this one. WAAAAAH!!!!!! But I love Al. And Nadia. And Buck!

The narrator was great. He had a LOT of accents he needed to do. Bless him. I hope they paid him really, really well. Especially because I felt he nailed EVERY accent. Kuddos there. 

In the end, I did enjoy this. It was different and fresh. Al was a gem and a hero that isn't your a-typical hero. Fun characters and interesting hurdles our heroes had to jump over. I want more that is for sure. I'll give this 4 stars.  

ONE WORD SUMMARY: Refreshing

Challenge(s):

- Audiobook #49

- Cloak & Dagger #21

- Library Love #28

The last word by Elly Griffiths

Series: Harbinder Kaur (#4)

Format: 352 pages, Paperback

Published: July 18, 2024 by Quercus Publishing

Crime/ from the  Library

Do I remember these people from PSmurders? No, not really, but that did not matter since this is fully their book.

Natalka and Edwin have a detective agency and they are contacted by someone to solver a murder. But things gets complicated, many authors seem to have died. And I had no idea what was going on or who had killed someone. I would be a lousy detective and die at once.

Edwin was this charming older man, Natalka is Ukrainian with a drive. Her boyfriend Benedict who also helps out, used to be a monk. They are quite the trio. This is in the Harbinder Kaur series but she is not in it a lot, they call her up for help but this is their story.

A good book. I could not guess anything

Natalka and Edwin, whom we met in The Postscript Murders, are running a detective agency in Shoreham, Sussex. Despite a steady stream of minor cases, Natalka is frustrated, longing for a big juicy case such as murder to come the agency's way. Natalka is now living with dreamer, Benedict. But her Ukrainian mother Valentyna has joined them from her war-torn country and three's a crowd. It's annoying to have Valentyna in the tiny flat, cooking borscht and cleaning things that are already clean. To add to Natalka's irritation, Benedict and her mother get on brilliantly.

Then a murder case turns up. Local writer, Melody Chambers, is found dead and her family are convinced it is murder. Edwin, a big fan of the obit pages, thinks there's a link to the writer of Melody's obituary who pre-deceased his subject.

The trail leads Benedict and Edwin to a slightly sinister writers' retreat. When another writer is found dead, Edwin thinks that the clue lies in the words. Seeking professional help, the amateur investigators turn to their friend, detective Harbinder Kaur, to find that they have stumbled on a plot that is stranger than fiction.

Audio: Christmas in Chestnut Ridge

By: Nancy Naigle

Narrated by: Virginia Rose

Series: Chestnut Ridge, Book 2

Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins

Release date: 10-08-24 by Tantor Audio

Romantic fiction/to review

It looked sweet, cute and xmassy and it was all those things.

Sheila is visiting her friend and taking part in a Christmas Tree decoration. She seems like she needs a break.

The town was sweet, everyone are nice and friendly. Then she meets a hunky fireman, and even though she has seen him before she is all damn. Ok not really but yes sparks fly and they try it out.

Then there is a fire and the town rally to help the family. And Sheila too.

The only drama is like can they really give it a try because she does not even live there. But honestly the drama is so tiny that it is not even there. It is a heartwarming book where people have good hearts.

Good narration. She did voices and moods well and it really fit the book

In the enchanting mountain town of Chestnut Ridge, where tree farms blanket the hillsides and the promise of a white Christmas is ever-present, a heartwarming holiday romance is about to blossom. When Sheila's best friend convinces her to help decorate a tree in the annual Christmas Tree Stroll fundraiser, she embarks on an unexpected journey of self-discovery, all wrapped in the cozy embrace of a tight-knit community. As she immerses herself in the joy of twinkling lights, hot cocoa, and the camaraderie of the townsfolk, Sheila's world begins to transform, and she finds the sense of belonging she never knew she needed.

Meanwhile, Tucker, the town's reliable fire captain, is gathering volunteers to help a family with four young children who have just lost their home to a devastating fire weeks before Christmas. Sheila offers her helping hand, and as the town rallies to support the family in their time of need, sparks of love begin to flicker between her and Tucker.

In this charming town where dreams come true, and Christmas magic is everywhere, come along for a tale of love, community, and the true spirit of the season.

TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

10/15/2024 Who is your ideal book boyfriend/girlfriend?

Now that is something that will not come to me now. That is something that when I am reading I am all awww. I am also old so when I was watching Bluey with my kid I was all damn Bandit is the best dad ever, love him, lol.

I feel like most book boyfriends are those that you love and then leave cos they would never last. 

But I will just go with Julius from Heartstrikers cos he is a cutie and so damn sweet

10/22/2024 What are the top three items on your bucket list?

10/29/2024 How do you like to be scared? Horror or thriller?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

Carole´s Monday: The Pumpkin Spice Cafe

Author: Laurie Gilmore

Title: The Pumpkin Spice Cafe

Series: Dream Harbor #1

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Cozy mystery, Chick Lit

Format: ebook

Pages: 286

Published: August 30, 2023

Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

A spicy small-town romance,

When Jeanie's aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job.

Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor's gossip at all costs. But Jeanie's arrival disrupts Logan's routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.

Will Jeanie's happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won't fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes…

Review:

I had a couple of friends suggest reading this recently and it is simply perfect for October. I decided to try my library but the wait for this was 7 weeks!!!! EEEE too long, so I used my digital reward points I have been saving on Amazon to buy the ebook of this. Yayy. 

This is a small town and Jeanie is excited to start her new life after her aunt gifts her the Pumpkin Spice Cafe. Dream Harbor will give Jeanie a fresh start away from her dull desk job and hectic life. She meets a lot of folks, but there is something about Logan. He is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor's gossip at all costs. However, Jeanie's arrival disrupts Logan's routine and they can't stop thinking about each other. At the same time....weird stuff keeps happening. Jeanie will have to figure out who or what is going on.

This was simply perfect for the fall season. It made me want to eat all of the pumpkin glaze donuts we got from the cider mill. Nommmmm! 

I loved Jeanie. She was simply so adorable. Logan? He was okay. He annoyed me a little bit with his inner monologue. Yes, yes. I'm sorry your ex sucked but please.....talk to a therapist or something. Jeanie OBVIOUSLY is 1000000% better and ADORES YOU! *shakes fist* Once he got out of his own way I found him tolerable. 

Hazel and Annie were very endearing. Loved them. 

The mystery felt lacking to me. I wish they would've beefed that up a bit. Jeanie didn't seem as concerned as she should've been LOL. I know I would've been on a warpath!!!

The love was sweet and when we FINALLY got to the spicy bits it got really good. It took eons (I blame Logan). 

All-in-all, this was an adorable book for the fall. Very sweet love, a cute town, and entertaining banter. This would make a good Hallmark movie. I do wish the mystery bits were beefed up a bit though. I do want to read book 2 someday! I'll stamp this with 3 stars. 

 

ONE WORD SUMMARY: Sweet

Audio: The Mountain crown by Karin Lowanchee

By: Karin Lowachee

Narrated by: Julienne Irons

Series: Crowns of Ishia, Book 1

Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins

Release date: 10-10-24 by Tantor Audio

Fantasy novella/to review

Something went wrong...what? I have no idea because I have no idea what I listened to. 4 hours and not a single clue. Was it the book? The narration? I should have given up but I had a little bit left, the thing is there was always a little bit left because I could not concentrate.

No idea what happened, no connection to the people in it. The story felt confusing. I could not picture anything.

Maybe reading would be better?

Méka must capture a king dragon, or die trying.

War between the island states of Kattaka and Mazemoor has left no one unscathed. Méka’s nomadic people, the Ba’Suon, were driven from their homeland by the Kattakans. Those who remained were forced to live under the Kattakan yoke, to serve their greed for gold alongside the dragons with whom the Ba’Suon share an empathic connection.

A decade later and under a fragile truce, Méka returns home from her exile for an ancient, necessary rite: gathering a king dragon of the Crown Mountains to maintain balance in the wild country. But Méka’s act of compassion toward an imprisoned dragon and Lilley, a Kattakan veteran of the war, soon draws the ire of the imperialistic authorities. They order the unwelcome addition of an enigmatic Ba’Suon traitor named Raka to accompany Méka and Lilley to the mountains.

The journey is filled with dangers both within and without. As conflict threatens to reignite, the survival of the Ba’Suon people, their dragons, and the land itself will depend on the decisions – defiant or compliant – that Méka and her companions choose to make. But not even Méka, kin to the great dragons of the North, can anticipate the depth of the consequences to her world.

City of the lost by Kelley Armstrong

Series: Rockton/Casey Duncan (#1)

Format: 408 pages, Trade Paperback

Published: January 17, 2017 by Minotaur Books

Crime/own

I read the spin off book first, that would be book 8? So I decided to go back and see what Rockton was all about.

..not a good place at all. This should be a place where people could escape too, but soon I saw that everyone escaped here. The bad guys too, and the abused. This system was broken. Not to mention you were not allowed to go beyond the city. And trust me this was for your own good because outside there were hostiles, and those were not friendly.

To this mess Casey arrives because she killed someone 10 years ago, and her bestie who was in an abusive relationship. Oh and Diana was toxic!

People have vanished and are found dead. Casey is put on the case with the town sheriff. No idea who to trust. Seeing that the system is not really working. But I guess she has 6 more books to see if this town has a future.

And what to I see when I finish. Yes the next book is out of stock. Come on!! Sigh.

A good start to this series. They are all alone out there.

Casey Duncan is a homicide detective with a secret: when she was in college, she killed a man. She was never caught, but he was the grandson of a mobster and she knows that someday this crime will catch up to her. Casey's best friend, Diana, is on the run from a violent, abusive ex-husband. When Diana's husband finds her, and Casey herself is attacked shortly after, Casey knows it's time for the two of them to disappear again.

Diana has heard of a town made for people like her, a town that takes in people on the run who want to shed their old lives. You must apply to live in Rockton and if you're accepted, it means walking away entirely from your old life, and living off the grid in the wilds of Canada: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, no computers, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council's approval. As a murderer, Casey isn't a good candidate, but she has something they want: She's a homicide detective, and Rockton has just had its first real murder. She and Diana are in. However, soon after arriving, Casey realizes that the identity of a murderer isn't the only secret Rockton is hiding—in fact, she starts to wonder if she and Diana might be in even more danger in Rockton than they were in their old lives.

TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

10/8/2024 Tell us about your favorite fall comfort foods.

I do not know if I have anything special? I mean sure when Fall comes, rain comes, so soup gets yummy to eat. But something else? Nope same thing year around. But yes soup is not  a summer food.

10/15/2024 Who is your ideal book boyfriend/girlfriend?

10/22/2024 What are the top three items on your bucket list?

10/29/2024 How do you like to be scared? Horror or thriller?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

Carole´s Monday: Never seduce a Scot

Author: Maya Banks

Title: Never Seduce a Scot

Series: The Montgomerys and Armstrongs #1

Genre: Historical Romance

Format: ebook

Pages: 418

Published: September 25, 2012

Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Eveline Armstrong is fiercely loved and protected by her powerful clan, but outsiders consider her “touched.” Beautiful, fey, with a level, intent gaze, she doesn’t speak. No one, not even her family, knows that she cannot hear. Content with her life of seclusion, Eveline has taught herself to read lips and allows the outside world to view her as daft. But when an arranged marriage into a rival clan makes Graeme Montgomery her husband, Eveline accepts her duty—unprepared for the delights to come. Graeme is a rugged warrior with a voice so deep and powerful that his new bride can hear it, and hands and kisses so tender and skilled that he stirs her deepest passions.

Graeme is intrigued by the mysterious Eveline, whose silent lips are ripe with temptation and whose bright, intelligent eyes can see into his soul. As intimacy deepens, he learns her secret. But when clan rivalries and dark deeds threaten the wife he has only begun to cherish, the Scottish warrior will move heaven and earth to save the woman who has awakened his heart to the beautiful song of a rare and magical love.

Review:

I picked this up for two reasons. One being that it fits into a couple reading challenges and two, one of the mains has a disability and I love inclusion like that in stories. Plus I can't remember the last time I read a HR in Scotland. It was time!!

Eveline and Graeme are our mains here. Eveline is fiercely loved and protected by her clan, but outsiders consider her "touched". She hasn't spoken since her accident. She doesn't speak to anyone including her family. After her accident she lost the ability to hear, but she can read lips, but she is allowing everyone to think her daft so she can avoid marrying a bad man. However, she is forced into a different marriage with Graeme. This is an arranged marriage to try and end war and the clan rivalry. She is intrigued because she can sort of hear his extremely deep voice. 

This took me forever to read. I was moving at a snail's pace. Why? Not sure. The story was interesting enough and I liked the characters. Maybe it was just me? It just felt like it was dragging forever in some spots. 

The love was a little too insta for my liking and some plot points/issues were resolved extremely quickly. However, I did enjoy the simplicity of their romance. Yes, they are being forced to wed, but they are both good people and they are obviously meant for each other. It was sweet. 

Ugh Ian. That is all. 

Screw all the McHughs. Hopefully their actions will fully unite Montgomerys and Armstrongs. 

I am curious about the next book. I believe it is Graeme's brother. Oooooo!

All-in-all, I did like this one. It was very sweet overall even with the issues I had. I'll stamp this with 3 stars. 

ONE WORD SUMMARY: Okay

Challenge(s):

- Library Love #26

- Romance Reading Challenge #25 (Arranged marriage/Marriage of convenience)

Audio: Sanctuary by Ilona Andrews

By: Ilona Andrews

Narrated by: Chris Brinkley

Series: Roman’s Chronicles, Book 1

Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins

Release date: 07-30-24 by NYLA

Urban fantasy novella/ From storytel.fi

This novella was about Roman who is getting a guest around the holidays. And a bunch of people who is trying to catch that guy and kill Roman.

I am not in a review mood today, and this review is a week late. So...

Action, Gods, bad guys and everything works out. I enjoyed it. It was a good novella

Good narration too

It’s not easy serving the Chernobog, the God of Destruction, Darkness and Death…especially during the holidays; and especially when you’re out of eggnog and one of your pesky, freeloading mythic creatures has eaten your last cookie.

Roman would like nothing more than to be left alone, but when a wounded boy stumbles into his yard and begs for sanctuary, Roman takes him in. Now elite mercenaries are camped out on his property, combat mages are dousing the house with fire, and strange priests are unleashing arcane magic. They thought Roman was easy pickings, just a hermit in the woods, but they chose the wrong dark priest to annoy. For while Roman might be patient, he is the Black Volhv, filled with the love of his terrible god. For his adversaries, it's a fight to the death, but for him, it's just another day in the neighborhood.

Best of September

 

Here are our bests from September!!!! 

Best Book of the Month:

Blodeuedd - City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong

"Best book. Not a place I want to visit."

Carole -  Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

"So good. So sad. A must-read"

Best Movie of the Month:

Carole - Nadda again. Whoops. 

Blodeuedd - Barbie (2023)

"I finally watched it!"

Best TV show of the Month:

Blodeuedd - Rick and Morty & Emily in Paris

"Rick and Morty is always fun. Emily in Paris, well ditch that toxic Gabriel."

Carole - Tacoma FD

"Rewatching this gem now that it is on Netflix! Looks like there is a new season. Getting there but I am rewatching the other seasons because why not?"

Best Cover of the Month:

B's Favorite: Says a lot about the book

C's Favorite: So pretty