A Trial of Sorcerers by Elise Kova

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Eira Landan lives her life in the shadows — the shadow of her older brother, of her forbidden magic, and of the person she killed. But her life changes when she decides to compete for a spot in the Tournament of Five Kingdoms. Pitted against the best sorcerers in the Empire, Eira fights to be one of four champions. But stepping into the spotlight is not without risk. By day she navigates the royal court with the "Prince of the Tower," by night she prepares for the trials with a handsome elfin ambassador, but the greatest threats are secrets she never knew were haunting her. 

She went into the trials ready for a fight. She wasn't ready for what it could cost her.

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Y'all this book is dangerously engrossing.
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Literally
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Late last night I sat down to read A Trial of Sorcerers and before I knew it I was 30% in and craving toast. What my family calls 'Nanny Toast' to be specific, which means it has to be made in the oven. So I set my book aside and gave in to the allure of buttery, carb-y goodness and threw a batch together real quick. While it was in the broiler I picked my book back up for what I swear was less than five minutes and the next thing I know the TOAST WAS ON FIRE and my kitchen and living room were so filled with smoke they could have filmed a Snoop Dogg video in there.
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My poor toast was, well, toast. Or charcoal to be more specific. So I opened up all the windows and doors, turned on the fans and sat down with some chips & guacamole to finish the book.
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And it was GOOD.
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(I'm talking about the book, but so was the guac)
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Imagine Sarah J Maas wrote a story about Elsa competing in the Triwizard Tournament and you would probably come up with something similar to ATOS. I really loved the structure of the magic and world building for this book. And if you know me then you know I'm a sucker for Enemies to Lovers stories, so fingers crossed that Eira and Cullen get closer in Book 2!
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Do yourself a favor and check out this series but learn from my mistakes and consider snacking on some charcuterie or midnight cereal, because you will be distracted!

America For Beginners

 

America for Beginners by Leah Franqui
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⭐⭐⭐⭐
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CW: Suicide, homophobia, caste and classism
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After her husband died, Pival Sengupta suddenly found herself with something she'd never really had before - freedom. Freedom to live as she chooses, and more importantly, to die as she chooses. She plans to kill herself in California, but first she has to get there, so she books a trip with the First Class India USA Destination Vacation Tour Company and leaves Calcutta for the first-and last- time. From the outside looking in the tour seems like any other, starting in New York City and snaking across the country before arriving in Los Angeles, but for Pival it's a journey of discovery. Not just of America, or even of self, but of possibilities. Namely the possibility that her beloved but estranged, and supposedly deceased, son Rahi had once been in the same place and had seen the same sights. The possibility that maybe just maybe she will find him again out West along with a reason to live. Or if he's not there, the strength to die.
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I randomly came across this book on Libby and I enjoyed every minute of it. Even while dealing with heavier topics the book manages to remain light and hopeful. There are several narrators that alternate chapters giving the story lots of depth and dimension. I love how they each contribute to the journey but they also each benefit and grow along the way too. This was a great find!
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Following You

Following you by Eva Lesko Natiello
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3.5⭐
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Synopsis:
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A fear-induced split-second decision goes terribly wrong, altering the fate of three strangers.

It's New Year's Eve. Shae Wilmont, the adored celebrity host of IShop—a popular shopping site—is ready to reclaim her life. Her stalker has been caught. But en route to a party, a harrowing encounter lands her in the wrong place at the wrong time. She panics. And trusts her gut. It's a devastating mistake.

Only one person knows where she ends up. It's where no one can find her.
Shae's stunned fans quickly galvanize to track her down. Yet the charismatic Shae they know, who delivers digital intimacy to viewers who'll buy anything she sells, off camera is an enigma—private and strangely insecure—unable to let anyone get close. When startling personal secrets are exposed during the investigation, the paradox of Shae begins to unravel.

In this dark psychological suspense, the lives of three strangers collide irreversibly. Honey, a displaced Southern girl with a painful past, is fiercely protective of her friends at the expense of her own safety, derailing her new life in California. Creepy Lawrence, a Detective Bureau fast-tracker with a penchant for latex gloves and a perverse obsession with Shae. And Shae, with millions of fake friends but hardly a real one. All three are hiding something, but only two of them are lying.
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Wow!
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This book is pure chaos and bad decisions and genuinely kept me guessing! I thought I had it all figured out but I was surprised through the very end, which pretty much never happens. I found the characters to be very well written, especially Lawrence who is generally creepy but also left me feeling icky after reading about his weird sweat kink. Nasty and effective.
 

Love and Other Moods by Crystal Z Lee

 

Love and Other Moods by Crystal Z Lee
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3.5 ⭐
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Synopsis:
Naomi Kita-Fan uproots her life from New York to China when her fiancé’s company transfers him to Shanghai. After a disastrous turn of events, Naomi finds herself with no job, no boyfriend, and nowhere to live in a foreign country.

Amidst the backdrop of Shanghai welcoming millions of workers and visitors to the 2010 World Expo, we meet a tapestry of characters through Naomi: Joss Kong, a Shanghai socialite who leads an enviable life, but must harbor the secrets of her husband, Tay Kai Tang. Logan Hayden, a womanizing restaurateur looking for love in all the wrong places. Pan Jinsung and Ouyang Zhangjie, a silver-aged couple struggling with adapting to the ever changing faces of their city. Dante Ouyang, who had just returned to China after spending years overseas, must choose between being filial and being in love. All their dreams and aspirations interweave within the sprawling web of Shanghai.
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"For so long she had felt like a creature in flight, lost in the dark expanse, floating directionless, aimlessly always on the run"

Through vivid imagery and descriptions of architecture, food and familial drama this book completely immerses you in the culture and complexities of life in Shanghai. It is real and gritty and relatable, which I didn't expect considering how vastly different our lives are. The book is very fast paced and actually takes place over several years of life in the city, and through the experiences of multiple different people. The lost-but-finding herself foreigner, the best friend who married into Shanghai elite, the modern and eligible businessman, his traditional parents. Unique and at times brutally honest perspectives of life in the city that never stops.

There is also another layer to the story in the World Expo that is taking place in the city during the same time. I especially enjoyed reading about how extreme the different exhibits and crowds were as it is on my bucket list to attend one day.

Enchanting the Elven Mage

Enchanting the Elven Mage by Alisha Klapheke
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⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Y'all. Sleeping Beauty inspired High Fantasy.
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With Dragons.
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Water Mages
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And Hot Elves.
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Need I say more?
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Blurb:
Today, Aury learned three things: One, she is the princess. Two, she might be a powerful mage. And three, a brutal mountain elf is on his way to the kingdom for their marriage. 

Aury can’t escape her newly revealed royal parents quickly enough. If they think she is going to marry some vicious elven warrior mage, they have another thing coming. They claim she’s a mage too, but she has yet to prove it. She heads to the magic military order to get her rune-marked staff and learn everything she can. If she becomes the weapon they need instead of her not-if-she-can-help-it husband, they’ll send the mountain elf packing, right?

If they don’t, she will.

Filip is certain of three truths: One, he is bound to wed a stubborn mule of a princess. Two, the union will give his people the farmland they desperately need. Three, his nightmare of a bride has wild magic that will probably kill him before their wedding day.

But he will die before he gives up on winning her hand.

War is coming, and the first battle will be fought in the heart.

Inspired by Sleeping Beauty, Enchanting the Elven Mage is the first standalone book in the Kingdoms of Lore fantasy romance series and is perfect for fans of Elizabeth Vaughn's Warprize and Tara Grayce’s Fierce Heart.
 

The Chicken Sisters by KJ Dell'Antonia - Bookin' It With Jen

As a southerner and consummate couch potato there are few things I enjoy more than fried chicken, family drama and food tv, so when I read the description of this book I knew I had to read it.

It did not disappoint.

I was drawn in from the very first line on the very first page, a casting call for a tv show called Food Wars, which our protagonist Amanda is in the process of applying for. Through a series of drafted emails we learn about the century old family history of feuding and finger lickin' chicken between the two local chicken shacks, Mimi's and Frannie's.

What follows is a series of unfortunate events orchestrated by the shrewd producer of the show, Sabrina, who will stop at nothing to ensure high ratings, even at the expense of the contestants lives. I really expected this to be a fun, light read but was pleasantly surprised by the underlying themes of loss and betrayal  reinforced by the subsequently concealed and revealed dirty little secrets of our characters, as well as the aspects of mental health and hoarding, which I have never encountered in a book like this before.

There were a lot of moving parts to this story, but somehow the author managed to weave them all together to create a beautiful portrait of small town life, family and forgiveness.

Thanks to Edelweiss and Penguin for providing me with a copy of this book to review.

The Rural Diaires by Hilarie Burton Morgan

 

The Rural Diaries by Hilarie Burton-Morgan
Release Date: May 05, 2020 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I requested this one impulsively on Netgalley and I absolutely loved it. It might be my favorite celebrity "memoir" of all time. It reads like a Hallmark movie, our protagonist's seemingly perfect life falls apart, then she meets a great guy and falls in love instantly, they buy a farm in a quaint town with a Christmas festival and live happily ever after. And yet it is refreshingly real and relatable. She is honest about their relationship issues, her difficulties getting pregnant, the babies they lost and the depression that followed but also about their quiet triumphs, a garden planted, a home remodeled, friendships made and a life well lived.

Hilarie summed the book up perfectly when she wrote "Folks, this is a love letter. To a town. To a farm. To a man."

Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras - Bookin' It With Jen

Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras
Pages: 352
Release Date: April 28th, 2020
My Rating: 5 Stars

Once upon a time I was fortunate enough to live in the Florida Keys. The slow pace, afternoons spent in blue water, staring up at bluest skies and taste of fresh key lime pie will never leave me. Alas, I did not have a sexy Cuban-American firefighter as part of my time spent there. Which is a good thing, because I was in 4th grade at the time.

This book has me wanting to throw caution to the wind, pack my bags and book a ticket in hopes of finding my new favorite book boyfriend, Luis. In him the author has written the perfect male lead. Alpha yet sensitive, responsible and thoughtful, yet a little tortured. A family man through and through with a body worthy of being Mr. July in the charity firefighter calendars that are apparently a thing but no one ever tries to sell me.

Oh and there is a really good story-line with some excellent chemistry that doesn't cheapen itself with overly graphic sex details.

There is literally nothing I would change about this book. Five hundred stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for providing me with a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own!

Dreamland by Nancy Bilyeau - Bookin' It With Jen

Dreamland by Nancy Bilyeau
Pages:386
Release Date: Jan 16, 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars

Ahh! This book was SO good.

I am a huge fan of books set in a circus/carnival/vaudeville setting (particularly historical fiction set in the late 1800s and early 1900s) so this cover immediately drew me in.

Dreamland is a murder mystery taking place primarily at Coney Island and the upscale hotels on the shore involving the uber rich families of New York City during their summer vacation. And it is good.

Our MC Peggy is a fiercely independent and reluctant elite who would rather be working in a bookstore than spending her days lounging at the shore but her attendance was demanded not requested, so she grudgingly finds herself staying at the Oriental Hotel with her family and the family of her sister's fiance' - who happens to be Peggy's ex suitor. During the first day of her trip she stumbles into a crowd and finds herself face to face with a dead body,a girl who has drowned. As the days go by and the bodies continue to pile up Peggy finds herself in the middle of a police investigation, and she is determined to find the killer and put a stop to the suffering.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Don't Go Stealing My Heart by Kelly Siskind - Bookin' It With Jen

Don't Go Stealing My Heart by Kelly Siskind
Pages:333
Release Date: April 22,2020
My Rating:5 Stars

My heart has been stolen by this book.This is probably my favorite rom-com of the year and it's only March.

As a kid my nickname was Hound Dog and I was convinced I was going to be Elvis when I grew up, so this book taking place surrounding an Elvis festival and Impersonator Contest was right up my alley! The whole concept of the book is absurd in the best way possible; Clementine a modern day Robin Hood falls for her rich but humble, Elvis loving mark Jack, when she decides to steal an expensive painting from his family estate. This book was just so charming and perfectly captures the small town feel you want in a book like this.

I will be honest, I have read a book by Kelly Siskind before and absolutely HATED it so I am so surprised by how much I loved this one. Like if I had realized that it was by the same author I probably wouldn't have picked this one up, so I'm glad I overlooked that and gave it a shot! They say don't judge a book by its cover, but maybe it should be don't judge a book by other horrible books the author has written? Yeah that has a ring to it.


Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.