Review: Up in Smoke

Up in Smoke by Annabeth Albert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin's Carina Press for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've really enjoyed Annabeth Albert's Hot Shots MM series. Hot firefighters? Check. Relationship goals? Check. Light easy escape reads? Check.

Unfortunately, this one wasn't my favorite. The author's notes afterwards indicate that this is the last in the series, and it was sort of a weak entry to end the series. I loved Brandt. I loved Shane. I loved their chemistry. But my biggest issue was that the book dragged an extra 40% because they tiptoed around their feelings and just wouldn't say anything. I felt like there was a lot of filler just to meet a page goal, and that some tightening up of the plot and relationship progress would have made it a better book.

It was also a a little sad, the whole story with Jewel and Shelby, and with as much tension was created by the looming threat of Shelby's return that didn't payoff with the eventual return and easy-out ending.

I still enjoyed the book, and I really loved the first three in the series, so I'll still recommend Hot Shots!

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Review: Gilded Serpent

Gilded Serpent by Danielle L. Jensen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Macmillan/Tor-Forge for providing me with a review copy in exchange for nothing more than an honest review. It is most appreciated.

That being said, I'm also a little mad that you provided me with this review copy... and now you're making me wait an entire year to get more of this story... after that ending! Book torture is the cruelest of all tortures, I think!

Just kidding (mostly). To be honest, this book was fantastic. We get a lot more development of character relationships in this book, and we get to see that not all of our main characters are perfect. We see the ugly sides. We see the amazingly strong sides. We get to see what some of them do when thrown into completely new situations, cut off from everything they know. While much of this book was moving the chess pieces to where they needed to be for the final tale, it was done in a way that led to all of this development, growth, and revelation - an indication of Danielle Jensen's writing talent.

And we get to see the setup to what is now one of my most anticipated books of next year. It's going to be a wild ride, and I am totally here for it. If I survive the book torture waiting until then. :)

Highly recommended, but please start with Dark Shores and Dark Skies first.

5 Stars Marked by the Gods
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I am not pleased to have to wait a year for the last book. Or longer. Omg please don’t be longer than a year.

Anyone know how to bribe an author? :)

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Review: Near the Bone

Near the Bone by Christina Henry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Berkley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is how you do a horror and thriller combo! It was just the right blend of scary and mysterious.

Mattie lives high in the mountains with her husband, William. While checking their animal traps one day during the winter, she finds a dead fox on the path, cut open but not eaten or taken by the predator that killed it. What follows is classic horror movie - discovery of a creature, the hunt, other people getting involved, and the long night fight for survival... and the author has done an amazing job at that.

But where the book truly shines is in the element of character. You see, the creature in the cold, dark forest isn't the only monster that preys on Mattie, and sometimes, you don't have the sharp claws and vicious fangs to reveal a predator's nature... sometimes, humans are the worst monsters of all.

While this book definitely shows that dark side of human nature, it also excels at showing the resiliency, hopefulness, and brave sides of humankind as well.

Highly recommended. For non-horror fans, this one is only moderately scary in the creature-feature department. If you like thrillers, the horror in this one probably won't phase you much.

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Review: The Girl and the Mountain

The Girl and the Mountain by Mark Lawrence
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley publishing for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mark Lawrence, you wily minx, you've tricked me. You somehow got that one big character introduction over on me (I blame my failing memory and how many books I read in between releases for yours). Then you made me think I could read this trilogy, having only read the Ancestor trilogy so far, when clearly you have your own little universe of interconnected books going on and I was completely unaware. My plan for this year was to read this ARC and then pick up the Impossible Times trilogy and save the other two series you've written (Red Queen and Broken Empire) for next year... I need stuff to fill in between releases but don't want to binge them all so fast and be out of them. But you messed with my brain, Mark. You've made me want to read them all this year and dig in for connections.

If you've not read Mark Lawrence, give him a shot, but don't start with this one. This one is second in a new trilogy, and book three won't come out until next year. I started with Red Sister. It's not a bad place to start. I'm pretty sure you can start with any of his trilogies you like. But be warned, you'll want to read them all.

When it comes to the nitty gritty of this book, The Girl and the Mountain, I do have one complaint amidst all the glowing praise. There's a point in the book, around halfway, that this book feels like it ends and another starts, and that second book starts with a part that drags a bit. Yes, that's a semi-intended pun that you'll understand when you read it. Some action still occurs, but that was the hardest part of the book for me. That's why I gave the book the rating I did (4.5 stars, rounded up since I can't do half stars).

I love the characters in this world. The magic system is freaking cool. And this book delves even deeper (another intended pun) into the history and mythology of the world they live in and the planet they live on.

Highly recommended - but again, don't start with this book. :)

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Review: You Love Me

You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for providing me with a copy of this in advance of the publication date in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know how Caroline Kepnes does it, over and over again. She puts us inside the head of a person that for all intents and purposes is not a good human, and she makes us root for him. She makes us empathize with him. She makes us FEEL for him and with him. It's pretty incredible, really.

I loved book one, You, and I thoroughly enjoyed (but didn't love as much) book two, Hidden Bodies. I didn't really like Love or Forty from the beginning, and so I didn't get invested as deeply as I had in book one. This book stepped it up a notch. I was SO invested in this one that, just like Joe, I was blinded to some very clear truths that I should have noticed... and that made me happy. It's not often that I get stunned by a book, especially one with some things I absolutely should have seen coming and was too distracted by other things to pick up on them.

Ironically enough, though, this one is also probably the saddest one in the lot, at least for me, which is a pretty weird thing considering the series is about a creepy stalker/killer dude.

Five stars from me, and go ahead and sign me up for book four.

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