Daughter of Redwinter by Ed McDonald

352 pages, Paperback

Series: The Redwinter Chronicles (#1)

Published: September 12, 2023 by Tor Books

Fantasy/own

My bookclub theme was Finish that book. So this poor book was it. I started it last summer and never got far.

So what was the problem? I think it was Raine, the main character. I did not like her. If she had died at the end I would have been all meh, shit happens.

The world was interesting, but yeah Raine was pretty meh. Everyone around her is killed, she is pretty meh about it. She rides out with the people who was there doing that. She makes some friends, bad things happen.

I just never warmed up and it sort of ruined things for me :/

Those who see the dead soon join them.

Raine can see―and speak―to the dead, a gift that comes with a death sentence. All her life she has hidden, lied, and run to save her skin, and she’s made some spectacularly bad choices along the way.

But it is a rare act of kindness―rescuing an injured woman in the snow―that becomes the most dangerous decision Raine has ever made.

Because the woman is fleeing from Redwinter, the fortress-monastery of the Draoihn, warrior magicians who answer to no king, and who will stop at nothing to reclaim what she’s stolen. A battle, a betrayal, and a horrific revelation force Raine to enter the citadel and live among the Draoihn. She soon finds that her secret ability could be the key to saving an entire nation.

Though she might have to die to make it happen . . .

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.

4/15/2025 It's been a while... tell us more about you!

I do not have a lot to say. Life goes on. I am trying to get some reading time in. 

I made a Booksta account, then realised that life is too short to go in 150% so I chilled and I am doing it for fun now.

Spring seems to be here, but the roads were hell last Friday. Luckily I had my winter tires on. But winter always comes back in April so nothing strange there. It comes and then it goes away.

4/22/2025 What types of music do you enjoy?

4/29/2025 What is your favorite thing about spring?

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. A rogue´s rules for Seduction

 

Author: Eva Leigh

Title: A Rogue's Rules for Seduction

Series: Last Chance Scoundrels #3

Genre: Historical Romance

Format: ebook

Pages: 355

Published: April 25, 2023

Where I got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

After Dominic Kilburn left Lady Willa Ransom at the altar, she vowed never to reveal how badly she was hurt. Following a year abroad, Willa wants to move on with her life, so she accepts an invitation to a house party. She's determined to leave her humiliation behind, as well as the scorching attraction she still feels for the man who jilted her.

When dark secrets from his past surfaced right before his wedding, Dom knew he didn't deserve Willa. So, he bolted. But he still burns for the only woman who ever claimed his heart. To escape the memories of all he lost, Dom heads to a friend's estate on an isolated Scottish isle. Yet one of the other guests is the very woman who haunts his every thought and makes him wish for the impossible.

Thrown together by well-meaning family and friends, Willa and Dom try to resist the fiery pull between them. Soon the line between love and loathing begins to blur, and their attraction explodes. But Dom's past lurks on the edge of their rekindled passion and Willa fears she'll be devastated all over again. Can these star-crossed lovers find their happily ever after, or will everything detonate a second time?

Review:

This is the final book of the series! WAH! It's been a long build and a long time coming. We seen the unraveling of their relationship in like the first chapter of the series. Been excited to see them rekindle their love. 

Dom left Willa at the altar and she didn't know why. She escaped for a year abroad to nurse her bruised heart until the rumors have settled down. On the other side, Dom still loves Willa but the secrets of his past resurfaced right before the wedding so he felt he had no choice but to bolt. They are thrown together by well-meaning family and friends on an isolated estate on the Scottish isle. Can they talk it out and maybe have a second chance at love?

Communication people. I think all of this could've been avoided BUT they were SO immature back then so I'm glad it happened. They needed time to grow up before finding one another again. However, I would be pissed off if I was them being chucked together again. Her brothers drive me insane man. Love them from the past, but I don't think they take a moment to think stuff out. 

We do find out WHY Dom left Willa at the alter and I guess I get it but....again....communication man. I won't spoil anything, but yeah. TBH Willa should've made him beg a bit more. She deserved more and better from everyone. That poor sweet bean. 

Oh. My biggest issue was the repeative scenes and conversations. IF HE CALLS HER A LIONNESS ONE MORE TIME I WILL SCREAM!!!! *eye twitch* And we GET IT. He's a big boy. Muscles galore. Okie. 

Overall, I did enjoy this one. I enjoyed watching the couple talk and rekindle their love. It was a nice second chance even though I feel like Willa needed to make him beg for a scene or two more ;) 3 stars from me. 

Favorite Character(s): Willa

Least Favorite Character(s): n/a

Challenge(s):

- Romance Reading #13 (Forced Proximity trope)

  

A stranger in town by Kelley Armstrong

356 pages, Hardcover

Series: Rockton/Casey Duncan (#6)

Published: February 9, 2021 by Minotaur Books

Thriller /own

This hellish town filled with hellish, and some very nice people, is coming to an end. In this one Casey finds a wounded hiker and takes her back to town. And things gets bad.

And we finally learn what the hostiles are about. There have been clues and more through out the series. Crazy hippies going around killing people. But now I know. And it was crazy.

Hunt for, well everything as things are getting intense. And this town, well, the whole idea behind it is so good. But when money talks and they are getting serial killers with women fleeing abusive exes. Well then the whole idea behind the town has gone down the drain.

One more! Eeek, but hey I have already spoiled it for me since I first read the series after this one.

Detective Casey Duncan has noticed fewer and fewer residents coming in to the hidden town of Rockton, and no extensions being granted. Her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, presumes it’s the natural flux of things, but Casey’s not so sure. Something bigger is happening in the small town they call home.

When an injured hiker stumbles from the woods, the sole survivor of a hostile attack, it’s all hands on deck. Even a member of the elusive Rockton council comes in to help. This council member also comes bearing news: Rockton is being shut down due to the hostile situation.

Casey and Eric must now race to save the town that has allowed residents to have a fresh start, away from the mistakes of their past, while also getting to the bottom of this latest attack.

The river knows your name by Kelly Mustian

Release date: 04-01-25

Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher: Tantor Media

Narrator: Lisa Larsen

Categories: Literature & Fiction

Received from Tantor

The book takes place in the 30s and 70s. The dual timeline worked well.

In the 70s we have Nell starting to wonder what really happened back in the 30s. Suddenly she had a sister from nowhere and they moved around a lot. What did her mother Hazel hide?

In the 30s we have a young mother struggling to make a good life for her and her daughter. This part was sadder. She tried so hard, but it is in the middle of the great depression.

It takes a long time for all the pieces to come together. Nell does a lot of investigation, but the past has its secrets.

It made me so angry at times. How can people be so cruel!? It moved me.

A good book that had me wondering through out what was going on.

Good narration. It feels like I have listened to her before, because her voice was familiar. Anyway, she did well with voices and brought true emotion into the story

For nearly thirty years, Nell has kept a childhood promise to never reveal what she and Evie found tucked inside a copy of Jane Eyre in their mother's bookcase—a record of Evie's birth naming a stranger as her mother. But lately, Nell has been haunted by hazy memories of their early life in Mississippi, years their reclusive mother, Hazel, has kept shrouded in secrecy. Evie recalls nothing before their house on Clay Mountain in North Carolina, but Nell remembers abrupt moves, odd accommodations, and the rainy night a man in a dark coat and a hat pulled low climbed their porch steps with a very little girl—Evie—then left without her.

In dual storylines, Nell, forty-two in 1971, reaches into the past to uncover dangerous, long-buried secrets, and Becca, a young mother in the early 1930s, presses ahead, each moving toward 1934, the catastrophic year that would forever link them.

From a windswept ghost town long forgotten, to a river house in notorious Natchez Under-the-Hill, to a moody nightclub stage, Evie's other mother emerges from the shadows of Depression-era Mississippi in a story of hardship and perseverance, of betrayal and trust, and of unexpected redemption in a world in which the lines between heroes and culprits are not always clearly drawn.

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.

4/8/2025 Which author do you wish you could meet? And what would you say to them?

Omg, like everyone...ANYONE! Srsly, why hold out on one author when I would be lucky to talk to anyone. Totally never going to meet anyone either `*cries*. You do not meet anyone in the middle of the woods, or the whole of Finland.

I would just say, hey I love your book!

4/15/2025 It's been a while... tell us more about you!

4/22/2025 What types of music do you enjoy?

4/29/2025 What is your favorite thing about spring?

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: Cold Mountain

Author: Charles Frazier

Title: Cold Mountain

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Classic

Format: paperback

Pages: 449

Published: January 1, 1997

Where I got It: My shelf (Gift)

Summary: 

Cold Mountain is a novel about a soldier’s perilous journey back to his beloved near the Civil War's end. At once a love story & a harrowing account of one man’s long walk home, Cold Mountain introduces a new talent in American literature.

Based on local history & family stories passed down by Frazier’s great-great-grandfather, Cold Mountain is the tale of a wounded Confederate soldier, Inman, who walks away from the ravages of the war & back home to his prewar sweetheart, Ada. His odyssey thru the devastated landscape of the soon-to-be-defeated South interweaves with Ada’s struggle to revive her father’s farm, with the help of an intrepid young drifter named Ruby. As their long-separated lives begin to converge at the close of the war, Inman & Ada confront the vastly transformed world they’ve been delivered.

Frazier reveals insight into human relations with the land & the dangers of solitude. He also shares with the great 19th century novelists a keen observation of a society undergoing change. Cold Mountain recreates a world gone by that speaks to our time.

Review:

One of my absolute favorite books. I felt it was time to revisit it since I haven't picked up this book since 2016.

This story is about WP Inman and Ada Monroe. They find love but due to war he puts on the uniform to fight for North Carolina. He may not believe in the cause, but it would be cowardly to not join. After he is injured horribly, he decides to walk away and go back home. The war is nearly done anyway and he can't take one more moment on the frontline. At the same time as his perilous walk, we also follow Ada. She was born and raised to be a lady. She only knows how to do frivolous tasks, so with her father gone and the money drained because of the war....she is struggling to survive. In walks Ruby who trains Ada to be a farmer.

This book always gets me. It is so tragic. I know how it ends, but I always have hope. Maybe it'll end differently this time!

I always wish that these two have more time together, but that is the tragedy. They are apart for so long, but I wish we had more scenes with them. Sighs. 

The format is always wild to me, but I've grown to look past it. It works for this story for some reason. Maybe I am blinded by love of the story and characters? 

What else to say?

The way the author describes our scenes is beautiful. It is majestic in a way. 

Yes, this is a love story but it is also shows a different side of the war. It really dives into the true human element. War makes monsters of us all. It may start with a noble cause but it can destroy everything and everyone. Along with the war and love element, the book does poke at deep issues at the time like racism, sexism, human rights, society, male/female gender roles, and etc.

All-in-all, this book always leaves me breathless and in tears. Now I have to watch the movie. Sigh. ;) 

5 stars from me of course. 

Favorite Character(s): Inman and Ruby

Least Favorite Character(s): Teague and his crew. 

  

Challenge(s):

- Romance Reading #12 (MC's name starts with 'M')

The Cat who saved books by Sosuke Natsukawa

Original title: 本を守ろうとする猫の話

Series: The Cat Who... (#1)

Format: 220 pages, Hardcover

Published: September 16, 2021 by Picador

Fiction/library

Well this was a lovely little book. Very short, but packing a lot.

Rintaro inherits his grandfather´s bookshop. He is still in school, a minor, and now without family. He is a recluse who loves books. Then comes a talking tabby who tells him he needs to save books. Magical labyrinths, and making the first real friend ever.

Lovely, I can´t say if well translated, but it felt like it was. It was just perfection in its very short form.

Grandpa used to say it all the time: books have tremendous power. But what is that power really?

Natsuki Books was a tiny second-hand bookshop on the edge of town. Inside, towering shelves reached the ceiling, every one crammed full of wonderful books. Rintaro Natsuki loved this space that his grandfather had created. He spent many happy hours there, reading whatever he liked. It was the perfect refuge for a boy who tended to be something of a recluse.

After the death of his grandfather, Rintaro is devastated and alone. It seems he will have to close the shop. Then, a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears and asks Rintaro for help. The cat needs a book lover to join him on a mission. This odd couple will go on three magical adventures to save books from people have imprisoned, mistreated and betrayed them. Finally, there is one last rescue that Rintaro must attempt alone...

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

Format: 290 pages, Hardcover

Published: August 30, 2022 by St. Martin's Press

Fiction/own

It has been ages since I read this author, I like her magical realism books. Though here the magical realism, well it was so real so...well I have to doubt things a bit. But here there clearly are ghost.

Zoey moves into a flat. She has her own problems, horrid family. Her mum died long ago. She befriends other in the building, all with their own ghosts. And then of course someone dies the first day too.

Old secrets are slowly coming to light and all these strangers will become friends

Trying to make it shirt. Good book. Very lovely

Between the real and the imaginary, there are stories that take flight in the most extraordinary ways. Right off the coast of South Carolina, on Mallow Island, The Dellawisp sits—a stunning old cobblestone building shaped like a horseshoe, and named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy.

When Zoey comes to claim her deceased mother’s apartment at the Dellawisp she meets her quirky and secretive neighbors, including a young woman with a past, two estranged middle-aged sisters, and a lonely chef, and three ghosts. The sudden death of one of Zoey's new neighbors sets off a search that leads to the island's famous author and to a long-estranged relative of the sisters.

Each of them has a story, and each story has an ending which hasn't yet been written.

Best of March

Here are our bests from March!!!! 

Best Book of the Month:

Blodeuedd - The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa

"This one gets best book because it was a well written story."

Carole - The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

"Such a powerful book. 100% recommend."

Best Movie of the Month:

Carole -  Nosferatu (2024)

"Creepy....weird....odd....but oh so good."

Blodeuedd - Paddington in Peru (2024)

"Best movie. Saw Paddington 3 in the cinema :D"

Best TV show of the Month:

Blodeuedd - Ghosts (s2)

"I watched s2 of Ghosts and now Netflix have no more cries!"

Carole - Ghosts (s4)

"Is the season over? I need more! I'm not ready for the season to end!"

Best Cover of the Month:

C's pick:
Sooooo pretty! Even prettier live!

B's pick:
It also gets best cover cos look what a cutie

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.

4/1/2025 What is your current genre of choice? Has it changed recently?

It used to be UF and fantasy. But honestly I hardly read any UF anymore, except for those that I am still reading 10 years later. I feel like the BIG UF days are gone.

Still loving fantasy, oh and yes obvi romance! But like with UF, it feels like HR has been pushed out. Like where is all the HR!?

4/8/2025 Which author do you wish you could meet? And what would you say to them?

4/15/2025 It's been a while... tell us more about you!

4/22/2025 What types of music do you enjoy?

4/29/2025 What is your favorite thing about spring?

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.