Audio: The half-orc´s maiden bride

By: Ruby Dixon

Narrated by: Dan Calley, Carmen Rose

Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins

Release date: 11-29-22

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Aspect and Anchor #3.5

Fantasy romance /to review

I liked this one. Some romance and lust thrown in over a few days.

Iolanthe is tall and not the kind of wife a man wants. She would make a great wife though, she loves taking care of her father´s castle. But yes she is taller than most of her father´s soldiers. So her father makes a match and she is sent on her way...

But he is a halforc! Like wtf dad?! Her dad just saw a way to make some easy money. Such an ahole.

Luckily a big strapping halforc likes his women tall. It is a perfect match, if she can get over the green orc thing with tuscs.

Oh these two lusted so hard, and the wedding was quite the affair. It is not a long book, but it was a fun ride.

Great narration too. It was two narrators as it was his and her pov and they worked well with each other´s characters. 

Lady Iolanthe of Rockmourn Keep expects to be a spinster all her days. She is very tall. She is very poor. And she is thirty. What lord could possibly want her?

But then her father returns with news that he has found a bridegroom for her—one that is impressively tall. One that is strong, and bold, and wealthy. And best of all? He wants Iolanthe. It seems too good to be true.

And when Iolanthe gets her first look at her husband-to-be, she realizes why.

No one mentioned the 'orc' part of things . . .

Audio Review: Dead Things

By: Stephen Blackmoore

Narrated by: Rudy Sanda

Series: Eric Carter, Book 1

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Release date: 10-18-22

Urban fantasy / to review

I do not want to call it dark, just gritty you know. Shitty life, shitty things happening. Poor Eric doesn't have it easy. He is a necromancer. He left his only living family member 15 years ago. And everything is very dark.

His sister is killed and he comes back to LA. A town he left under penalty of death if he comes back.

The hunt is on. Who killed his sister, and are they after him?

It shows to be an interesting world. There is a Aztec Goddess of Death that we meet, and it makes me wonder what else is out there. Except for the ghosts, demon, zombies and what else we meet.

I liked it, it kept a fast pace and stuff was always thrown at the poor guy.

I have listened to this narrator before and he is very good. He really lived into this world and his words. 

Necromancer is such an ugly word, but it's a title Eric Carter is stuck with. He sees ghosts, talks to the dead. He’s turned it into a lucrative career putting troublesome spirits to rest, sometimes taking on even more dangerous things. For a fee, of course. When he left L.A. fifteen years ago he thought he’d never go back. Too many bad memories. Too many people trying to kill him. But now his sister’s been brutally murdered and Carter wants to find out why.

Was it the gangster looking to settle a score? The ghost of a mage he killed the night he left town? Maybe it’s the patron saint of violent death herself, Santa Muerte, who’s taken an unusually keen interest in him. Carter’s going to find out who did it and he’s going to make them pay.

As long as they don’t kill him first.

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.

12/6/2022 Which character from a book would you like to be friends with and why? 

There are lots of characters I like, but to be friends with..ehhh. No. Like all my UF heroines, hell no, they live so dangersously that I would end up dead or in danger too.

It would probably be someone from a historical romance or contemporary. They tend to live quiet nice lives ;) But who? No idea. Whoever is kind, stands by you, funny and whatever else makes a good friend

12/13/2022 Do you have a favorite quote/s from a book? 

12/20/2022 What are your favorite holiday-centric movies? Do you rewatch them every December?

12/27/2022 What are your favorite books/audiobooks that you read in 2022? 

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: Hooked

Author: Emily McIntire

Title: Hooked

Series: Never After #1

Genre: Retellings, Dark, Contemporary Romance, & Fantasy

Format: ebook

Published: September 7, 2021

Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

A dark and delicious fractured fairy tale reimagining of Peter Pan.

He wants revenge, but he wants her more…

James has always had one agenda: destroy his enemy, Peter Michaels. When Peter’s twenty-year-old daughter Wendy shows up in James’s bar, he sees his way in. Seduce the girl and use her for his revenge. It’s the perfect plan, until things in James’s organization begin to crumble. Suddenly, he has to find the traitor in his midst, and his plan for revenge gets murkier as James starts to see Wendy as more than just a pawn in his game.

Wendy has been cloistered away most of her life by her wealthy cold father, but a spontaneous night out with friends turns into an intense and addictive love affair with the dark and brooding James. As much as she knows James is dangerous, Wendy can’t seem to shake her desire for him. But as their relationship grows more heated and she learns more about the world he moves in, she finds herself unsure if she’s falling for the man known as James or the monster known as Hook.

Review:

This was picked for our book club. Seen it before and it seemed interesting, but never picked it up. 

This is a retelling of the classic 'Peter Pan'. James, aka Hook, has always had one agenda...destroy his enemy Peter Michaels. When Peter's twenty-year-old daughter, Wendy, shows up in his bar...he finally has the perfect plan. Seduce the girl and use her to help unfurl his plan. It goes perfectly until things in James's organization begin to crumble. There is a traitor in his midst. On top of that, his plans for revenge get a little more complex when he starts to see Wendy as more than just a pawn in his game. Wendy has been cloistered away most of her life by her absent father. She is pretty much the mother of her little brother. When she agrees to a spontaneous night with her new friends, she finds herself in an intense and addictive love affair with James. He is dangerous and the world he lives in is dangerous...but she can't stop herself. 

This was certainly intense at times. James isn't messing around with his charms and good looks, plus Wendy is the perfect victim so it wasn't too hard for him to seduce her. She has been emotionally abused and neglected by her father after her mother died. She's been alone and taking care of her little brother for years. 

I felt so bad for Wendy. She was a pawn for her dad and then, for a time, a pawn for James. The girl has a heart of a saint. She was never allowed to stick up for herself. Joining James in his dark world does toughen her up a bit and helps her find her voice. 

And maaaan this version of Hook....dang. He reminded me of the 'Once Upon a Time' version, but darker and more tragic. This James/Hook went through some stuff especially because of his Uncle. He is damaged and angry....as we all would. And then what Peter did? Oof! You can't help but root for Hook here.

There was one twist that angered me. I mean...it was good and surprising...but it made me really, really sad. I can't say because it literally is the big reveal near the end. Sobs!

I will say the resolution of the conflict was....too easy. I wasn't a fan. I feel like it was anti-climatic in a way. And I feel like a certain character wouldn't do what they did and be okay with it at the end of the day. Just didn't sit well with me. 

The epilogue had me "aww"ing the whole time. It was perfect. 

All-in-all, I did like this. It was certainly a dark retelling so be warned! I liked Hook and Wendy was certainly a darling. The ending resolution was too easy and I was bummed with the big reveal/twist because it made me super sad/mad. Other than those couple of things, I liked this. It was fun and steamy. If you like darker romances and retellings....I suggest this one. I'll give it 3 stars.