Date Night Review of In Her Sights by Katie Ruggle

Read for: Recently Added & I love her books

Synopsis: "Five bounty-hunting sisters

Deep in the heart of the Rockies

Fighting to save each other

...and the men who steal their hearts

Bounty hunter Molly Pax fought hard for everything she has, turning the bail recovery business she shares with her sisters into an unqualified success. So when their sticky-fingered mother jumps bail and puts the childhood home up as collateral, Molly's horrified. To make matters worse, every two-bit criminal in the Rockies now sees her family's misfortune as their next big break.

She needs help, stat.

Enter rival bounty hunter John Carmondy: six feet of pure trouble, with a cocky grin to match. John's the most cheerfully, annoyingly gorgeous frenemy Molly's ever had the pleasure of defeating...and he may be her only hope of making it out of this mess alive."

My Review: For some reason I really struggled to get into this book, it was most likely my own personal reading mood because I always love Katie Ruggle's books. I didn't really click with Molly the way I usually do with the strong Alpha women in Ruggle's stories. I could not stand Jane and maybe the fact that I wouldn't tolerate her made it difficult to sympathize with the sisters. I of course instantly loved Warrant! Carmondy was a fun and quirky character, I loved the banter between him and Molly. I did enjoy the constant action throughout the book, it kept the pages moving, but again the Jane drama really irritated me. For being a bounty hunter, Molly is awfully non-confrontational on that end. I did appreciate the slow burn/enemies to lovers tropes in this one, those are always my favorite romances. I will of course continue reading all the books in this series as they come out, I am hoping my difficulty with this one was just a mood reading fluke.

My Rating: While I didn't get into this one as much as I usually do, I did end up really enjoying it. I really appreciated that while it is a romance book, it didn't take over the story, all the characters are still bad-asses that get their jobs done! I give it a rating of Three Paws.

Bedtime Story: Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman & Illustrated by Ben Cort

Read for: Children's Book Challenge

Synopsis: "This humorous tale describes how aliens, rather than visiting Earth to take over the planet, really visit to steal your pants."

My Review: Nothing cracks a little kid up (especially it seems little boys) quite like underpants and this book certainly delivers that to its readers! We read this as a family (including Uncles and Grandparents) and we were all laughing throughout the story. There is also a great rhyme and rhythm to the story to keep the words flowing even through the giggles. The illustrations are just as fun as the story itself. It may not be the best book to read at bedtime because it does get the energy levels up but it is definitely a book to pick up.

My Rating: We all got a good laugh with this book, it was fun and lighthearted and Munchkin has requested it be read again and again! We give it a rating of Four Paws!

Good Night! Sweet Dreams!

Review of The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

Read for: Recently Added. & I love Ashley Poston's writing

Synopsis: "The Prince and the Pauper gets a modern makeover in this adorable, witty, and heartwarming young adult novel set in the Geekerella universe by national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary fangirl on an impossible mission: save her favorite character, Princess Amara, from being killed off from her favorite franchise, Starfield. The problem is, Jessica Stone—the actress who plays Princess Amara—wants nothing more than to leave the intense scrutiny of the fandom behind. If this year's ExcelsiCon isn't her last, she'll consider her career derailed.

When a case of mistaken identity throws look-a-likes Imogen and Jess together, they quickly become enemies. But when the script for the Starfield sequel leaks, and all signs point to Jess, she and Imogen must trade places to find the person responsible. That's easier said than done when the girls step into each other's shoes and discover new romantic possibilities, as well as the other side of intense fandom. As these "princesses" race to find the script-leaker, they must rescue themselves from their own expectations, and redefine what it means to live happily ever after."

My Review: I loved Geekerella when it came out, it had pulled me out of a reading slump with all it's adorable geekiness, so I was really excited for this one. I had a bit of a hard time getting into this story, I didn't really feel like I connected with the characters as much as I had in the first one. It did come together for me a little over half way through and I really became invested in the story. The statements made throughout the book about the way fandoms have a good and a not so good side, the way the mob mentality kicks in and attacks new actors and actresses cast in remakes of favorites or new branch off series/movies, really struck home. There is also the divides in fandoms between old and new fans, it is a shame to see but is so prevalent (even I have left most of the My Little Pony collecting communities due to this). I really appreciate the way these mentalities are pointed out in a eye opening yet enjoyable way. I have to say as much as I enjoyed the relationship and friendships that develop in this story, the one that really stands out to me is the sibling relationship between Imogen and Milo. All in all it took a bit to get into this one but I ended up really loving it.

My Rating: While it wasn't quite to the level of Geekerella (I might be a bit biased with that one) it was still a really great read and I love how it tackles issues within fandoms while still having that sense of unity.  I give it a rating of Four Paws!

Review of Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

Read for: Recently Added & Booktube SFF Shortlist

Synopsis: "Sancia Grado is a thief, and a damn good one. And her latest target, a heavily guarded warehouse on Tevanne’s docks, is nothing her unique abilities can’t handle. 

 

But unbeknownst to her, Sancia’s been sent to steal an artifact of unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic--the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience--have already used it to transform Tevanne into a vast, remorseless capitalist machine. But if they can unlock the artifact’s secrets, they will rewrite the world itself to suit their aims. 

 

Now someone in those Houses wants Sancia dead, and the artifact for themselves. And in the city of Tevanne, there’s nobody with the power to stop them. 

 

To have a chance at surviving—and at stopping the deadly transformation that’s under way—Sancia will have to marshal unlikely allies, learn to harness the artifact’s power for herself, and undergo her own transformation, one that will turn her into something she could never have imagined."

My Review: I picked this book up because it made the Booktube SFF Shortlist this year, I didn't really know anything about it before starting to read. I did nearly DNF it several times, especially at the beginning. I found Sancia to be a very tedious character, I didn't really enjoy her and never really grew to like her. When Clef joined the story I found it a lot more interesting, I ended up really enjoying his character and while I figured out his origins early, I still wanted to learn more about him. I also really enjoyed Gregor as a character, he is just so good. This was a pretty complex world that leans more towards math and science, maybe along the line of steampunk, which I generally avoid because I often can't wrap my brain around the intricacies of the magic systems. With that said I do love the way the heists are written in this story, action packed, constant danger and always having problems to solve. Even though this wasn't quite up my alley, I did enjoy it and am glad I read it, I doubt I will continue the series but I know other readers will really enjoy this one.

My Rating: This was a little outside my comfort zone but that is why I enjoy reading the Booktube SFF shortlist, is to discover the best books to try by new authors and in different genres.  It was an entertaining read with some really unique characters and ideas, but again it was outside my comfort zone and had too many technicalities for my liking.  I give it a rating of Three Paws.

Monday Reading List

It is Monday again, and time to update with what I read last week, what I am currently reading and what to look forward to next week.

Reviews Posted Last Week:

Links will take you to my review

Newt by Matt Novak (Early Reader)
The Last by Katherine Applegate
Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth (Bedtime Story)
Fox the Tiger by Corey R. Tabor (Early Reader)
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
P is for Pterodactyl  by Raj Haldar (Bedtime Story)
Swindle by Gordon Korman
Pete the Cat and the Tip Top Tree House by James Dean (Early Reader)
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton (Graphic Novel)
The Unicorn Anthology by Various Authors & Edited by Peter S. Beagle & Jacob Weisman

 Books Finished Last Week:

Reviews will be posted at a later date

Princess & The Fangirl
Unicorn Anthology
Fox the Tiger
Pete the Cat and the Tip Top Tree House
Aliens Love Underpants
Her Royal Highness Sneak Peak

Currently Reading:

A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer - Print/Ebook - on Page 375 of 496
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend - Audio - 78%

Pages Read/ Time Listened
267:51 Hours Listened (9:03 listened this week)
11,977 Pages Read (452 this week)

Books Added to Shelves Recently: TBR
The Snow Gypsy
WarDance
Warsong

Lost Boy
Year One
Girl Who Drank the Moon
King of Scars
Dactyl Hill Squad
The Darkdeep
Lord of the Fading Lands

 Crown of Feathers

 Argos: The Story of Odysseus as told by his Loyal Dog

 Trial of Lightning

Wundersmith
A Curse So Dark and Lonely
Shadow of Doubt
Gates of Stone
Nevermoor
A Conspiracy of Truths
Viper
Vortex Visions
Through the White Wood
Descendant of the Crane
The Princess and the Fangirl
Holy Sister
Rhapsodic
A Strange Hymn
The Emperor of Evening Stars
Dark Harmony
The Black Bull of Norroway
We Rule the Night
The Opposite of Always
The Sea Queen
The Mountain of Kept Memory
Metamorphica
Misfits of Avalon Vol. 1
Misfits of Avalon Vol. 2
The Sea King
Ride Hard
Ride Rough
Ride Wild
Irresistible Force
Force of Attraction
Primal Force
Rival Forces
A Rogue by Any Other Name
A Scot in the Dark
The Day of the Duchess
The Pirate Bride
Pirate Stories
Man Made Boy
This Monstrous Thing
The Case of the Missing Moonstone
Dear Santa
An Endless Christmas
Christmas Magic
Falling Softly
Christmas Town
The Christmas Star
Crazy Rich Asians

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



So I hope you all had a great week last week! It was totally insane here, between an extremely busy work week, 3 baseball games, Children's Book Week, Star Wars Day, Free Comic Book Day (which I had to miss out on this year) and Hubby starting a new shift today.  Somehow we all survived so far and have actually enjoyed ourselves a bit.  I hope you enjoyed all the great Children's books I posted last week, I know I didn't have quite as much going on as usual but I had some really great books to share.  The great news is that because it is the 100th Anniversary of Children's Book Week, we get to celebrate again November 4th - 10th this fall!

While I have been doing a pretty good job on my reading challenges and have kept my book buying under control so far, all was lost with this most recent sale from Book Outlet.  I ended up adding 29 new books to my shelves this week!  I guess I better really buckle down and get to reading, and maybe it is time to do a really critical analysis of my TBR shelves.

Anyway, I best get back to work so I can have some reading time later today.

Happy Reading Adventures to You!

Review of The Unicorn Anthology by Various Authors and Edited by Peter S. Beagle & Jacob Weisman

Read for: Netgalley/Requested Review & I Love Unicorns

Synopsis: "Unicorns: Not just for virgins anymore. Here are sixteen lovely, powerful, intricate, and unexpected unicorn tales from fantasy icons including Garth Nix, Peter S. Beagle, Patricia A. McKillip, Bruce Coville, Carrie Vaughn, and more. In this volume you will find two would-be hunters who enlist an innkeeper to find a priest hiding the secret of the last unicorn. A time traveler tries to corral an unruly mythological beast that might never have existed at all. The lover and ex-boyfriend of a dying woman join forces to find a miraculous remedy in New York City. And a small-town writer of historical romances discovers a sliver of a mysterious horn in a slice of apple pie."

My Review:  As with many other girls, I was completely obsessed with unicorns when I was younger, and I would be lying if I said I ever outgrew that love. So when I saw this book available, I jumped at the opportunity to read a bunch of unicorn stories by different authors. As with any anthology collections, some stories I really enjoyed, others were not my favorites. I usually enjoy the more sword and sorcery fantasy stories with a historical type setting, but was very surprised to find that a lot of the stories in this book that are set in modern times ended up being my favorites. Maybe it was my wish that unicorns do exist in our current world, hidden away only to be spotted on occasion. All in all I really enjoyed this eclectic collection of unicorn stories, it was fun to wrap up each day with these magical creatures, whether they were beautiful and enlightening or slightly frightening.

My Rating: I enjoyed reading short stories from some of my favorite fantasy authors, as well as discovering some new ones. It was entertaining to read the different visions of unicorns authors can create.  I give it a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag.

I received this complimentary book via Netgalley, the above is my honest opinion.

The Unicorn Anthology was released on April 29th and is now available in print or digital format from Barnes & Noble or Amazon or check with your local bookstore or library.