REVIEW: Pieces of a Life by Jewel E Ann

 OUR REVIEW:

 It's been a while since I've picked up a novel by Jewel E. Ann and I cannot for the life of me think of why that is. The last series I read of hers was hard to put down, just as Pieces of a Life is. In this first novel of a duet we follow the story of Josie and Colton. They're childhood best friends, first loves, and definitely not friends 17 years later. The why of that is revealed to us in flashbacks from both Josie and Colton's viewpoints as to what exactly happened and why. Mixed between those chapters are who they are now. It's the chapters from their childhood and young adulthood that really solidify the angsty bits that come later. They're so connected and integral parts of each other's lives that all the strong feelings 17 years later make sense. 

I can't lie, I really appreciated Josie's infuriating stubbornness. I liked her tenacity and her grudge, even if it maybe was a little over the top. I have a thing for my heroes and heroines really digging in when they feel wronged, and she most definitely felt that way. That being said, I liked Colton's refusal to let her stubbornness get in the way of anything they could have in their adult lives. So all in all, I really enjoyed their back and forth; they could equally give and take a lot of grief from the other one, seemingly in stride. They both have really strong personalities that clash in the most perfect way. 

Being new to this Life series, I didn't know that I was not just reading an intense romance but also a story that has a mysterious, otherworldly experience to it and I'm curious and not quite sure what to make of it, especially how book one ends. I suspect that book two will get more twisty and intense before it's all said and done, if the prologue is indicative of anything and I can't wait. Hurry up, book two!

Pieces of a Life, part one in an all new duet in the Life series by Jewel E. Ann is now live!

 

The summer before fourth grade, Colten Mosley moved into the house across the street from mine, and we became inseparable.

He played the piano and baseball.
I had a penchant for dead things while at the same time imagining what it would be like to kiss Colten.
We were filled with curiosity and overly active imaginations.

We were also forbidden to be more than friends.
But that didn't stop us.

Weeks before graduation, he annihilated my heart, and it's been seventeen years since the day I knew I'd hate him forever.

Now he's back in my life--a single dad and a homicide detective looking over my shoulder while I perform autopsies as one of Chicago's most gifted forensic pathologists. Then fate throws us a curveball.

Colten saves my life, but he can't erase the images that now keep me awake at night. And I can't explain them.

Am I still the girl he's always loved? Or nothing more than pieces of that life?

Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/38WiQpr

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3apPlwn

Nook: https://bit.ly/38Liim8

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3JXAya3

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3tdytQ1

Pre-order Memories of a Life releasing 9/27

https://books2read.com/u/4DPeYk

 

Meet Jewel E. Ann

Jewel is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author with a quirky sense of humor. When she's not saving the planet one tree at a time, you can find her role modeling questionable behavior to her three boys, binge-watching Netflix with her husband, and writing mind-bending romance.

Connect with Jewel

Website: https://www.jeweleann.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7505427.Jewel_E_Ann

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jewel-E-Ann/e/B00IJYHDIG/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjeweleann

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/485996228236493

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjeweleann/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JewelE_Ann

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jewel-e-ann

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jeweleannauthor/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeweleannauthor

REVIEW: The Agathas by Kathleen Glascow and Liz Lawson

 

OUR REVIEW:

The Agathas is a young adult whodunit that will entertain you as you try to follow the clues to who murdered a popular girl in a small affluent town. The story is told through the alternating perspectives of Alice and Iris. Alice comes from affluent parents who are almost completely absent in her life, other than providing monetary support and paying for a caretaker who actually cares for her. Iris comes from a single working parent household, a household she's determined to protect and support. So obviously, these two are completely opposite in many ways...most ways, really, but they unite to try to solve this murder and go from frenemies to true friends. As Alice uses Agatha Christie's methodology and Iris uses her friends and their broad knowledge base, they go step by step through the events leading up to the death, relentlessly trying to get to the bottom of what happened. There's humor and emotion and twists and The Agathas left me with hope that we'll see these characters team up again.

BUY IT HERE.

BLURB:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Who killed Brooke Donovan? It’s the biggest mystery of the summer, and everyone in Castle Cove thinks they know what happened. But they're wrong. Two unlikely friends come together to solve the case in this fast-paced, fun, modern Agatha Christie inspired thriller.

"Part Agatha Christie, part Veronica Mars, and completely entertaining." —Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Of Us Is Lying

A PEOPLE MAGAZINE BEST BOOK OF SUMMER

Last summer, Alice Ogilvie’s basketball-star boyfriend Steve dumped her. Then she disappeared for five days. She's not talking, so where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove. Or it was, at least. But now, another one of Steve’s girlfriends has vanished: Brooke Donovan, Alice’s ex–best friend. And it doesn’t look like Brooke will be coming back. . .
 
Enter Iris Adams, Alice’s tutor. Iris has her own reasons for wanting to disappear, though unlike Alice, she doesn’t have the money or the means. That could be changed by the hefty reward Brooke’s grandmother is offering to anyone who can share information about her granddaughter’s whereabouts. The police are convinced Steve is the culprit, but Alice isn’t so sure, and with Iris on her side, she just might be able to prove her theory.
 
In order to get the reward and prove Steve’s innocence, they need to figure out who killed Brooke Donovan. And luckily Alice has exactly what they need—the complete works of Agatha Christie. If there’s anyone that can teach the girls how to solve a mystery it’s the master herself. But the town of Castle Cove holds many secrets, and Alice and Iris have no idea how much danger they're about to walk into.

REVIEW: Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert

 

OUR REVIEW:

I have to admit that I have a thing about vampire novels; ever since I read the Interview with a Vampire series by  Anne Rice, I pick up vampire novels in the hopes that they'll sweep me into a world of otherworldly creatures and make the real world fade away. (And to be honest, it's been so long since I've read that Anne Rice series, I have no idea if it holds up, but I do remember being completely absorbed by it way back when). Anyway. Court of the Vampire Queen definitely holds up. It's got that balance between a world that we can all recognize and then one that is completely foreign...but not so foreign that we feel lost. This is probably because Katee Robert does such a good job of making us care about the lives of Mina, Malachi, Wolf, and Rylan. While a large part of their story involves them trying to figure out how to escape Mina's evil father with their lives intact (and then overtake him with their lives intact), it also delves into tapping into who you are, who you want to be, and how you want to live your lives. Each of these characters is battling a past that threatens to overtake the happiness of their futures and together they help each other figure some things out. 

But let's not overlook the pure fun. They're vampires. Sexy vamps. And did I mention that this is a reverse haram virgin situation? Because it is. Lots of steam. Lots of humor. Lots of world building. I had a ton of fun reading it and the only reason I knocked a star off is because I wanted a little more at the end--more in the compound, more of the aftermath. Otherwise this was a quick, sexy, fun escape. 

BUY IT: here.

Synopsis:

Three Powerfully Alluring Vampire Men

And One Queen to Rule Them All

All Mina ever wanted was to escape her father's control. Half human, half vampire, she lived eternally torn between two worlds, never fully experiencing the pleasures of either―until her father chose her as the pawn in his latest political move, gifting her to the darkly powerful and dangerously seductive Malachi Zion.

Malachi is not a vampire to be trifled with. He rules with an iron fist and has a reputation for the darkest of sins. But the longer Mina spends with him, the more she realizes he's not the monster she first thought―and as fear bleeds into lust, then trust, then something more, Malachi opens Mina up to a world she never knew could be hers for the taking: including the love of Malachi's two closest friends and companions.

Now surrounded by all three men, the center of their shockingly seductive world, Mina may finally have the power to face down her father and take back the life―and crown―that by all rights should be hers.

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN.

Author Note: For all tropes, tags, and CWs, please check the author's website. Court of the Vampire Queen is the compilation of the Bloodline Vampires trilogy (Sacrifice, Heir, and Queen).

REVIEW: LIzzie Blake's Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings

 

OUR REVIEW:

While Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake has many recognizable features to us romance readers and lovers, the thing that made this novel really unique was being in the mind of Lizzie Blake. I've never experienced being in the mind of a character who has ADHD and if what I read is anything close to what some experience, hat's off to them! As someone who is neurotypical, it was was interesting, and sometimes challenging, to wrap my brain around how Lizzie walked through a normal day--what seemed like tasks I wouldn't really question or do grudgingly, but do fairly uncomplicatingly enough,  could be obstacles to productivity to her. Honestly, reading Lizzie's parts gave me a lot to think about when it comes to how the world understands adult ADHD and the unseen challenges and beauty that that diagnosis can be--I truly had to check myself and I love it when a novel requires that of me. I also really enjoyed the whole set up with Rake. From the one night stand to the surprise pregnancy, their dynamic was fun and funny to read. 

Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake was a thoughtful, laugh out loud romance that I think you should pick up and devour this weekend. 

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/3abUgkF

Lizzie has made endless mistakes. Kitchen fires, pyramid schemes, bangs (of the hair and human variety), you name it, she’s done it… and made a mess of it too. One mistake she’s never made is letting anyone get closer to her than a single hook-up. But after losing yet another bakery job due to her uncontrolled ADHD, she breaks her cardinal rule and has a two-night-stand that changes everything.

Once burned, twice shy, Rake has given up on relationships. And feelings. And any form of intimacy for that matter. Yet something about charming, chaotic Lizzie has him lowering his guard. For two nights, that is. Then it’s back home to Australia and far away from the pesky feelings Lizzie pulls from him. But when Lizzie tells him she’s got an unexpected bun in the oven, he’ll do whatever it takes to be a part of his child’s life… except be emotionally vulnerable, obviously. He’s never going to make that mistake again.

Through a series of mishaps, totally “platonic” single bed sharing, and an underground erotic baking scheme, Lizzie and Rake learn that even the biggest mistakes can have the most beautiful consequences.

REVIEW: The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

OUR REVIEW

 The Dead Romantics, on my initial perusal, isn't my usual read but something about the synopsis piqued my curiosity so I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did. The story of Florence and Benji is so wonderfully unlikely and yet so addictive that even if you don't normally read a novel that requires that you suspend belief about ghosts, you willing do so and you love every second of it. 

Florence comes from a family who runs a funeral home and they're every bit as wonderful and quirky as you'd want them to be. She's escaped their small town to write in NYC (and to escape the unwanted and mean spirited attention of her peers...because of a ghost story) which is how she meets Benji. He's her new editor who refuses her request for a deadline extension...one that she's pushed back quite a few times. Her night only becomes worse when she discovers her dad is gone and she must get home to help bury him and navigate a hometown she hasn't been in in over ten years. You can only imagine her dread and then her surprise when Benji shows up as a ghost.

While their story is unlikely, it's so much fun to read. Both of them have interesting personalities that compliment each other, if for no other reason than for how different they are. She's free spirited, he's a little more uptight; she seems to be in avoidance mode, he tends to be more direct but it works. As she works through her grief, he does too. As she remembers what she loved about love, he also learns some things about himself when it comes to love and relationships. As the novel and their relationship progresses, you can't help but root for them.

While the big reveal wasn't all that much of a surprise to me, I didn't care because I loved all the moments leading up to it. The execution of the funeral, her fun family, the interesting townspeople, and both Florence and Benji's backstories all made this such a fun read; I really hated saying goodbye to them at the end. 

BUY IT HERE.

BLURB:

The New York Times Bestseller and Good Morning America Book Club Pick!

"I LOVED this book! ...Funny, breathtaking, hopeful, and dreamy.”—Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

"One of the Summer's Hottest Reads"—Entertainment Weekly

A disillusioned millennial ghostwriter who, quite literally, has some ghosts of her own, has to find her way back home in this sparkling adult debut from national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.
 
When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won't give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.
 
For ten years, she's run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.
 
Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.
 
Romance is most certainly dead . . . but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.