Wolves What Follows Fall by R.L. Hemlock KU

Blurb

Orphaned by her father’s death, Victoria finds herself taken in by her estranged uncle, moving her far from the familiarity of England to the quiet countryside

of Norway. This was her father’s childhood home, a home riddled with long forgotten memories and a mysterious history just waiting to be unraveled, but

at what cost?

Upon Victoria’s arrival to Lovik Manor she is faced with the challenge of learning the language. Her world has already been turned upside down, but news

of past and present murders are not far behind. Surrounded by superstition and fables, most people stay out of the Innerdalen woods, but curiosity gets

the better of all of us sooner or later.

Review

This book was awesome because it was a mix of historical romance, fantasy, and mystery. Since there is a surprise at the end, I will try not to include spoilers. The story begins with an English teen named Victoria. She has just lost her father, and an uncle that she has never been acquainted with shows up and brings her back to Norway. Since her uncle doesn’t have any heirs, he names Victoria his heir. Being his heir means that Victoria will one day be a lady, which is a huge adjustment. Victoria is well educated and is used to getting her hands dirty, which I love. She is kind and approachable.

Victoria catches wind of the murders of beautiful young women, that seem to occur in the fall. The bodies of the women are posed, in such a way that suggests that their murders are ritualistic. Of course, one family has been rumored to be the culprits. I won’t spoil any more. Let me just say that a sweet unlikely romance does occur between Victoria and a emotionally damaged guy. But the supernatural aspect is the “are they or aren’t they?” kind of thing.

If you enjoy a historical novel with elements of mystery and fantasy, this is the book for you!

A Chance for Charity (The Immortal ones #1) By S.L. Baum PF

Blurb

A new family has just arrived in the isolated mountain town of Telluride, Colorado. Welcome the Johnstons – Jason (a doctor), Rachel (a designer), and their niece Emily (a current High School Senior).

Emily has lived the life of a quiet loner in the past, trying to go unnoticed. But with Telluride being such a small and welcoming town, she finds a group of friends at school almost immediately. When Emily meets Link (another new transplant in town) her world turns upside down. She doesn’t understand why she feels a magnetic pull toward him, or why she unknowingly lets her guard down around him. Link is just as confused by his own need to be with her.

Emily knows she is playing with fire. She should be doing whatever she can to keep herself isolated, to keep Link from getting too close. Danger has a way of finding Emily’s family – that is what keeps them on the move. They arrive in a new town every few years – it is safer that way.

Because… Emily isn’t really Emily… her real name is Charity – and Charity has an even bigger secret. Charity and her family are not like other people, they have “skills” that mere mortals cannot begin to comprehend.

Before long, Charity is struggling with the reality that her two lives are coming closer to each other with each passing day. Soon Link will find himself wrapped in a supernatural world that he never knew existed – and discover that mortals are not the only beings that walk this earth.

Review

What a refreshing book! Anyone that knows me, won’t find this surprising, but I’m all about the sweet paranormal romances. In fact, I can get lost in those feel good novels for hours. This read was no different.

So, the novel begins with Emily, whose real name is, Charity. And, yes, she’s the one that is a part of the supernatural world. She has decided to stick with her friends, who pose as her aunt and uncle. They travel every few years in order to stay undetected by hunters, and suspicious humans. Of course, she meets Link, who is completely human and unaware of the supernatural. Link is in his early twenties, and Charity is posing as a 17-year-old, don’t worry she’s actually much older. In fact, Charity has a heart-breaking past and by the end of the novel, an unknown aspect of her history will be revealed.

Charity is transformed by the relationships she makes, both romantic and platonic. I have to mention that Charity and Link’s chemistry is lovely, beautiful and makes me nostalgic. I don’t want to give away too much, but I will mention some cool aspects of this book. The author incorporates witches, vampires, and shifters. Meanwhile, she also created a race of beings that have something in common with vampires. I also love how the author brought Telluride to life. She wrote in such a way that I felt like I was on the slopes with the lovebirds.

This book will appeal to anyone that enjoys a feel-good novel that has magic, hilarious side characters, love and awesome dialogue.

https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-chance-for-charity-the-immortal-ones/id443234490 https://www.amazon.com/Chance-Charity-Immortal-Ones-Book-ebook/dp/B003PPCTS8

Korrigan (Secrets Of The Fae #1) By Rebecca F. Kenney KU

Blurb

A girl at night, a caged monster during the day. Aislinn has lived in darkness as long as she can remember. She is Korrigan— and only by Life-Stealing can she keep her human shape from dawn to dusk. When she finally steps into the sunlight, the first person she sees is Zane. He’s everything she wants— handsome, sweet, and normal.
But an encounter with the Far Darrig, the malevolent trickster of Old Irish myth, changes Aislinn’s future. He opens a new realm of possibilities that are anything but normal— and with them, brings dreams and desires as dangerous as he is.
Above all, Aislinn craves choice— the right to decide her own path. But what if gaining power for herself means giving up something much more precious?

Review

Wow! I finished this book in one day. I am hooked and can’t wait to read the next book in this series. So this young adult book focuses on Aislinn, who is a 17-year-old girl who lives with five shady, uncaring guardians. All of the Korrigan are cursed, forced to pay a price, in order to go out in the day. I won’t spoil that part, since that will ruin some of the book. But let me just say, the curse on the Korrigan is truly horrible. So, once Aislinn is able to walk around in the day, she meets Zane, a handsome guy who is sweet, kind, and good. Of course her guardians aren’t thrilled with her making friends with humans. In fact, most of the women that Aislinn lives with, treats her like she is a bother. She is often times controlled and ridiculed. Aislinn also has nasty nightmares and is being harassed by the fae. When you find out the real reason why Aislinn and her guardians were cursed, you’ll be shocked. There is sort of a confusing love triangle that goes on. I like how it’s resolved in the first book. Aislinn also has to decide if she will walk down the path of good or evil. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys an all-consuming paranormal romance about the fae.

Gnotret (The Accidental Heroes Chronicles #1) by S.E. Cyborski

Blurb

While he doesn’t like the sound of the experimental drug trial his girlfriend Amy Veksler found a flyer for on campus, George Ormond still lets himself be persuaded to join it. He, Amy, and three other students go to a warehouse where Doctor Adam Carnesby, the biology professor who’s running the study, has everything set up for the month long trial. Everything seems to be going well even though all five of the students become sick for a week after their first injections. At the start of the second week, they all recover, feeling better than ever. Then, they start to discover that there were more side effects to the drug than just a cold.

Review

Attention to all of the super hero lovers in the world, this is the read for you! During this pandemic, I’ve tried to find books that can bring me to another location. This author does a great job of making the reader feel like the characters are all real people. Everyone has their clear traits, and friendships have been made. George is what a guy would call “whipped.” But I feel that he would do anything to keep his hot girlfriend. Amy is outgoing, but through no fault of her own, becomes annoying after the trials begin. Then, we have my favorite character, Billy, who is smart, quiet, and powerful in his own way. Sandra is ambitious, while Michael is the party boy. The plot is that kind of plot that is safe enough that you don’t need tissues, but unpredictable in the way that digging into a box of chocolates is. I did not see the end coming. I mean, I thought that this would be like most super hero books. But guys be warned, this book doesn’t follow all of the same plot lines as every other book. I think anyone looking for a fast pace read will enjoy it.

Gnotret (The Accidental Heroes Chronicles #1) by S.E. Cyborski KU

Blurb

Review

Solving For X by Ellie Lieberman KU

Blurb

It’s been at least a decade since words like “outbreak” turned to “epidemic.” The suburban population has retreated to apartment complexes, where they created miniature societies. Garrett, Erik, and Jenna try to survive this world any way they can.

Will Garrett get stuck in the fear of the unknown like everyone else? Can Erik keep his world from crumbling? And, how much more can the epidemic and new world take from Jenna?

Review

Damn! Who knew that a book about zombies could actually connect with me emotionally? I had no idea how attached I would become to certain characters when I first began reading. I actually teared up a little during one part of the book. I’ve got to hand it to the author, this read was anything but predictable. This book is the first in a series. The narrative switches between the prospective of a couple, Erik and Jenna, and Garrett, a teenager that the couple looks out for. Jenna and Eric have knowledge of what life was like before the world was infected, but Garett, who’s younger, has little memory of a pre-zombie period. Jenna is an artist who paints designated areas of the compound. Eric has a dangerous job that Garrett covets. You know how teenagers are. They are always longing to grow up, even when they aren’t ready. Some parts of this book get’s kind of philosophical, which is how the title comes into play. I won’t spoil any more of this read. But I promise there is a council, like there is in every great dystopian novel. Of course the leaders make a bunch of decisions that I most definitely don’t agree with.

I would recommend this read to anyone who loves dystopian novels that focus on the emotional impact an outbreak can have on a society.

In Between (Katie Parker Productions, 1) by Jenny B. Jones KU

https://books.apple.com/us/book/in-between/id1509805466

Blurb

Unlike most kids, teenage Katie Parker never got a fair shot at a normal life. With a mother in jail and a missing-in-action dad, she’s never known what it’s like to truly be loved. Low on options and family members, she’s soon shipped off to a foster home. Now in an unfamiliar town, Katie’s rebellious attitude is at odds with her new family, school, and classmates. And after falling in with all the wrong people at school, things go from bad to really bad after she takes the blame for vandalizing the local performing arts theater.

But in the midst of a dark situation, Katie finds light in the most unexpected places: through her new friendship with an eccentric senior, the commitment of her foster family, and a tragic secret that changed them forever. And as she inches closer to acceptance and forgiveness, she finds that God has been there all along.

Review

Dear Lifetime,

Can you please make this into a movie? It has all of the things that all of us sappy television viewers love, a lost foster kid, kind foster parents, an eccentric senior citizen, bullies, the nerdy best friend, and the sort of love interest. In all seriousness, this book is amazing! It isn’t overly preachy. In fact, Katie struggles with the idea of God through the entire novel. Katie is winy, but humorous. She makes a lot of bad decisions, and that’s okay.

I think that the drawback is that there isn’t more romance. I don’t want to spoil the rest of the series for you. But I will say that Katie does eventually fall in love. I just wished that it happened in this book because I’m a hopeless romantic. I loved seeing Katie find her way and enjoyed all of the comedy that was provided.