"A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah Maas

Lately Instagram has been my go-to for finding new books to read.  The Young Adult #bookstagram movement is as strong as it is fabulous.

Summary:  Feyre lives in a small town with her depressed, emotionally dead father and two older, ungrateful and nasty sisters, in a shack that is all the family can afford since their fall from grace, money and power.  In order to survive, Feyre does what she can to put food on her family's table.  She hunts, she trades and she works twice as hard as she should to keep her family alive.  During a hard winter with death looming over her shoulder, Feyre takes to the woods to find meat - any meat - for her family.  She spies a deer in the forest and can't believe her luck...until she sees a larger-than-life wolf hunting the same prey.  On instinct, Feyre shoots the wolf, killing him almost instantly while the deer gets away.  Feyre soon learns that the wolf wasn't an ordinary wolf, that she in fact killed a member of the high Fey in disguise.

In order to keep peace between their two peoples, Feyre must trade her life for that of the Fey she murdered.  But there's a twist.  Instead of being put to death, Feyre must live in an enchanted castle at the Summer court of the Fey, surrounded by creatures she can't always see and magic she can feel but cannot touch.  What at first seems like a land of plenty and prosperity soon begins to wither, as Feyre learns that even the Fey are not all powerful.  An evil greater than she can understand threatens all she knows and all she's come to care for.

My Thoughts:  I loved this book.  The pacing was excellent, the story unique, characters vivid, and the plot as twisty and deep as an old river.  What starts out as a Beauty and The Beast retelling soon turns into its own saga, complete with magic, forbidden love and a battle to the (literal) death.

I mostly liked Feyre...as much as I can like any teenager.  Maas does a superb job capturing the iron will of someone who's had to grow up too soon and mixing it with the rash decisions and selfcentric world view of the young.  Feyre is both strong-willed yet scared, cunning yet naive, compelling yet shallow.  She is real in all her imperfections and I couldn't have asked for a better young adult heroine.  (Note:  I had no idea how to pronounce Feyre, so I called her Farrah the whole time.)

I also enjoyed the secondary characters.  Tamlin is fascinating in his strong yet silent way.  He suffers in a role he did not want yet works hard to succeed at anyway.  He loves, but must hide it.  And he comes off sexy in an alpha-male sort of way.  Rhysand is the classic bad boy/dark lover character.  He is both evil (like really evil) and alluring and I can't wait to see where book 2 takes his character.  (But please not a love triangle.  That is too expected and honestly, that would be disappointing.)

I did feel like the book was 100 pages too long.  Don't get me wrong, it was good, but good lord did it take forever to read.  If I was the editor, I would have cut the scene where Feyre goes home to her family.  I understand that her family finally comes to appreciate her, and that this is (hopefully) set up for the sequel, but it was slow going for me.  I also would have shortened the final challenge scenes, because this is where the book feels disjointed and rushed to me.  I understand that Feyre needs to kick ass and prove her worth, but in the end it felt like the entire sequence was set up for Rhys instead of closure for Tamlin.

Rating:  I'll read it again.  Check it out if you like Young Adult or Fantasy.

Also Read By:  N/A

Reviewed By:  Tami

"Cooking as Fast as I Can" by Cat Cora

Image via GoodReads

I don't even know how I came across this one.  It magically appeared in my library queue so I read it.  (Or at least that's my story.)

Summary:  I'm a sucker for a biography for a lot of reasons; I like to learn about people's lives without actually having to interact with them.  I'm endlessly fascinated by seeing what drives the people at the top of their game to keep pushing for more.  And I love me some good old fashioned drama.  Cat Cora's first biography doesn't disappoint.

Raised in the deep South, Cat Cora had a childhood that set the framework for her meteoric rise in the world of fine dining.  Cora was adopted by parents that showed her love and support, taught her to work hard and think for herself.  Her dad taught history, her mom was a nurse, and her brothers helped her raise hell during the long hot summers.  While her childhood was mostly a good one, full of food, love and family, it was also haunted by her repeated molestation by the son of a family friend.  Cora's childhood trauma triggered a need to prove herself as worthy in all she did.

"Cooking as Fast as I Can" is a painfully honest look at Cat Cora's life, from her childhood nightmares to her single-minded drive to cook in the top kitchens in the predominantly male dominated world for haute cuisine.

My Thoughts:  I've read a few celebrity chef biographies and one thing I've noticed about the folks that have made a name for themselves in the fine dining industry is that they have a definite cocksure swagger to their personalities.  Maybe when you've hit a certain level of excellence at something you just know your shit.  Or maybe the brutal hours and constant drive to be different, new and noticed drives a person to be heard.  Whatever it is, I find the almost forceful self-assurance both compelling and exhausting.  Cat Cora definitely has this swagger, which I noticed the most when she talked about cooking and women.

I enjoyed this book.  It had a good pace, was candid in its telling and was fascinating to read.

Rating:  This is a nice book to pick up if you're a foodie, fan or iron chef, or curious about the lives of the famous.

You May Also Like:  "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain, "My Life as a Professional Eater" by Gail Simmons, "Yes Chef, A Memoir" by Marcus Samuelsson, 

Reviewed By:  Tami

"World War Moo" by Michael Logan

I found this book at an independent bookstore called Uncle Hugo's and knew that I just had to read it. I did not see the first book, though, so I picked it up at the library and read that first.

Summary: The biological weapon accidentally released from the government facility has infected nearly every mammal living in Britain. Luckily, the ocean and the Channel have provided a barrier to prevent the spread so far, providing that the blockade does not fail. The virus makes the infected seek out and violently attack the uninfected, but as there no longer are any uninfected available, the is dormant. The infected humans have stopped rioting and destroying, and have begun to rebuild.

China, the United States and Russia control the main military response to the outbreak and are eager to nip it in the bud before it crosses the water, while Brits for the Rights of the InfecTed (BRIT) is scrambling for a way to prevent an attack.

While the international tensions are building, Geldof, our young hero from Apocalypse Cow, is living with his wealthy grandfather when they learn his mother is still alive in Britain, and uninfected. A rescue attempt is organized while Lesley the reporter finds herself in trouble after asking too many questions.

What I Liked: This book has the same style of humor I loved from the first book and provides more insight into the characters I loved. I also really love the interesting scenario that BRIT finds itself in, struggling to make peace with an enemy that they view as prey.

What I Didn't Like: One of the reasons I love apocalypse stories is because they often take a regular guy at the grocery store and suddenly, he has to create a plan to survive the zombie wars. This book doesn't have that feel, as that all happened in book one. Since this is the sequel, the pace is a little different, with some tension from high stakes global politics and some from people taking on dangerous missions.

Rating: Recommended.

Also Read by this Author: Apocalypse Cow.

Reviewed by: Nick

"The Bourbon Kings" by J.R. Ward

I'm a big fan of J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series.  I enjoy her over the top characters and her heavy hand with rap references gives me shivers of pure glee.  "The Bourbon Kings" is the first book in a new, non-supernatural series.

Summary:  The Bradford Family is Southern Royalty.  Extremely wealthy and even more entitled, the newest generation of Bradfords play hard and spend harder, without really caring where it comes from or how its made.

Tulane "Lane" Bradford is the youngest son of the family.  Devastatingly handsome and very charming, he lives in New York to escape an unhappy (understatement) marriage, a domineering father, absent mother, messed up siblings and the love of his life, who's heart her broke when he married someone else.

Lane gets a phone call that brings him home to the family's estate, Easterly, where the glamour and privilege enjoyed by the Bradfords starts to crumble.  As Lane realizes he needs to man up, his romance with Lizzie rekindles as his family falls apart.

My Thoughts: I'm still torn about "The Bourbon Kings" and its been a few weeks since I've read it. Part of me enjoyed the story in a rubbernecking, guilty pleasure sort of way.  I am endlessly fascinated by the train wreck lives of the idle rich.  Add in dark family secrets, a little bit of intrigue and a quickie in the million dollar wine cellar and I'll be turning the pages faster than a Kardashain can take a selfie.

"The Bourbon Kings" had all of that, but...the characters also left me so cold that I couldn't find it in my bookwormy heart to sympathize with them when the choices they made brought them to the lowest of lows.  These characters aren't just the idle rich, they are entitled to the point of ridiculousness.  They don't own their mistakes unless forced to, don't work for anything they're given, and really have almost no redeeming qualities.

Lane thinks he impregnates a college fling and marries her, despite being in love with someone else.  Then, instead of facing the fact that he made a mistake he runs off to a life of alcoholism and gambling.  Even after he learns that his gold-digging wife aborted their baby.  Although Lane is the male lead of the romance in "The Bourbon Kings", I didn't find him worthy of the leading lady.

Lizzie King, the leading lady of the book, is an an independent, strong willed woman.  She's the head gardener at Easterly, works hard and knows her worth.  Except amid the chaos of the Bradford family, she ends up feeling like a supporting cast member.  I was far more interested in the messed up Bradfords than the romance between Lane and Lizzie.  Plus, I wanted Lizzie to see that she could do better than Lane and run away as far as she could.  A hot body and a Porsche aren't worth it.

My gut reaction to the miserable characters and their glamorous lives is that Ward is bringing each member of the Bradford family to their low point before raising them up.  Towards the end of the story Lane filed for divorce and even took a minor interest in unraveling the mess of the family business.

Point of interest, I still can't wrap my mind around the only lady Bradford.  Ginny, the only daughter of the family, is filled with so much self loathing and fear that she agrees to marry her rapist instead of get a job.  SAY WHAT?  Add in the fact that she doesn't interact with her teenage daughter and can't be bothered to pick up her own clothes, I found absolutely nothing likeable about her except for her taste in accessories.

Rating:  I found the romance lack luster but the family drama titillating.  I'm glad I read it, moreso that I got it from the library.

Also Read by This Author:  All of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, most of the Fallen Angels series.

Reviewed By:  Tami

"Exist" by Jennifer Cazey Daniels

I saw an instagram post soliciting bloggers to read an ARC of "Exist."  The book would be free in exchange for an honest review.  Here are my honest thoughts.

Summary:  Ember is a psionic, or a person who is more than human.  She has powers that allow her to read minds and feel/broadcast emotions.  When her soulmate breaks her heart, she disappears.  Although she is no longer visible, the Shadows are able to find her, and Ember must run for her life before they take her over.  As she searches New York City for others like her, she comes to terms with her powers and a legacy she didn't know she had.

My Thoughts:  I think Daniels has several good ideas throughout Exist.  Psychics + love stories + epic battles are a sure-fire recipe for an entertaining book.

However, I feel that Daniels put a lot of plot into her story without truly exploring any of the details for very long.  "Exist" almost feels like a summary an entire series instead of a standalone novel.  I want to read the story of Ember's past:  Ember grew up an orphan, raised by a government agency.  What happened to her while she was there?  The reader is told that she escaped the agency and I'd love to read about her daring and probably brutal escape.  Shortly after her escape she met the love of her life, Aden, and it was a love like no other.  Tell me more...was she able to instantly trust him, or was it a long process for her, seeing as she hadn't ever loved or trusted before.  (Or had she?)

Ember's life changes after her breakup with Aden.  She disappears for goodness sake!  I'd like to read more about why this happened---was it just because the breakup left her feeling insignificant or is there something deeper?  After the breakup, Ember takes off to hide from the Shadows chasing her.  This could be a tale on its own.  How does she get to NYC?  Does she meet anyone or learn anything on the way?  I'd love to see this story end with the epic first showdown with the shadows.

Finally Ember learns about the guild, her past, and the expectations her new society has for her..  This is a great opportunity to go into detail about the different kinds of psionic powers.  Let's see them in action.  Ember suddenly goes from shy girlie girl to warrior, without much in between.  I want to see her transformation!

There is so much unexplored potential in this book - I'd like to read more than what there is.

I'd also like to see Daniels take the time to polish her work.  There were some errors that could be fixed that I personally found distracting, and think others would as well:  the dialogue formatting was inconsistent, making it hard to tell who was speaking.  There were some situations where spell check chose the wrong word (ie her instead of he).  And towards the end of the story some of the sentences changed tense in the middle of the line.

Finally, I'm the type of reader that is frustrated by being told instead of shown.  I had a hard time connecting to Ember because of this.  I felt like she endured crazy, intense, interesting transformations but instead of seeing them unfold, I was just told they happened.  The only times I felt like I got to see what the characters were thinking were through massive chunks of monologue that seemed to go on for longer than was needed to get the point across.  But then again, I'm older than the target audience so it could only be a matter of taste.

Overall I think this is a decent first attempt at a young adult novel.  I like the plot lines and appreciate the creativity and effort that went into the story. It feels like a first draft to me, rather than a second draft or ARC ready copy.  I hope Daniels finds a professional editor who can help her break the story down and refine her ideas.

Rating:  "Exist" has a Mocking Jay meets New Moon vibe that I think the young adult audience will enjoy once the book has been polished and reworked.

Reviewed By:  Tami

Note:  Although I received an Advanced Reader Copy of "Exist" for free, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

"The Liar" by Nora Roberts

Oh Miz Roberts.  You do it again.


Summary:  The first time Shelby fell in love, she was young.  Her whirlwind marriage to the rich and handsome stranger swept her off her feet and into a world of glitter, glamour and privilege.  Until he died in a freak boating accident that left her and their small daughter alone and unsure of how to move ahead with their lives.  But her husband's death wasn't the worst thing that happened.  As Shelby begins to recover from her husband's loss and begins looking into managing her own future (or "adulting" as I like to call it) she learns that her husband wasn't who he appeared to be, that her very marriage was a sham, and that cleaning up someone else's lies is more expensive than she could have ever dreamed.

My Thoughts:  I imagine writing Contemporary Romance is incredibly hard.  Or maybe it's just hard to write a good Contemporary Romance.  And near impossible to write a Contemporary Romance that is good and that I also like.  Unless, of course, you're Nora Roberts.  Nora (as I call her in my head.  Lord knows if I bumped into her in the street I'd call her Goddess of All Things Romance.  Or just stand there mouth agape and beet red.  But I digress.) knows how to write a strong heroine that can still fall head over heels in love---without losing an inch of herself.  In fact, that's why I enjoyed "The Liar" so much more than I expected.

I can appreciate Nora's set up for the romance between Shelby and Griff.  The first time Shelby fell in love, she was consumed by her husband's overpowering personality.  She wore her hair how he preferred, she lost touch with her friends and family, and she let him run her (and her life) until she was little more than a trophy.  And she was horribly burned because of it. Shelby lost herself and paid the price for trading herself for a man.

Shelby has to build her life, and her self, back up from scratch on her own merits.  She's smart enough to swallow her pride (and this I can admire, as I'm not sure I could do it) and move home to her family, who she knows still love her even after she cut them from her life.  What I like best about Shelby's phoenix moment is that while Shelby is brought low, she relies on her family - and herself- to rebuild her life into something of which she can be proud.

If I had to pick out one flaw in the book (and its not so much a flaw for me, but may be for others) is that I found Shelby's fall and rebirth far more compelling than the love story.  Don't get me wrong, the love story was sweet, romantic and honest....but also very familiar to the avid romance reader.

There were also some resemblances to the In the Garden trilogy that might turn some readers off.  (Not me...I hadn't yet read the trilogy so the similarities weren't apparent until after I'd read the earlier trilogy.)  The biggest similarity was between Shelby and Roz Ashby's scoundrel ex-husbands.  They were both liars, cheats, and out to get their ex-wives.  I actually had a moment where I wondered if they were the same guy.

Rating:  I'd read it again.  (And probably will.)


Also Read By This Author:  I've read almost all of Roberts' catalog, which you can find at her website.  You can check my other reviews on Robert's books by searching for Nora Roberts in the quick search on the right hand side of the page, or by clicking individual links here:  Shadow Spell   |   Dark Witch   |   Thankless in Death   |   Concealed in Death  |  The Collector  |  Blood Magick  |  Blue Dahilia

Reviewed By:  Tami