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Black Water Tales: The Unwanted, from JeanNicole Rivers (Black Water Tales #2)
(Alternative title: HOLLY F*, THE CREEPS. ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE! =OOOOOO)
Hello to you that decided it was a good time to seat and read a review! Or not sit, but happily scroll down through your phone. Oh, well. Welcome to you, no matter if you are seated, on your feet or laid down. My only piece of advice before cutting the crap and start talking about today’s book is: do not read this with the lights off. You know, safety matters and all. Thanks!
Without further ado, today I took the day to review a DELICIOUS book that I received from the author in exchange for an honest review: Black Water Tales: The Unwated, from JeanNicole Rivers! Technically, this is the second book in the series, but they are totally unrelated to each other, so I will just treat is as a standalone 🙂 Thanks so much for sending me your book, JeanNicole! I don’t have the words to describe what it meant to me! Actually I kind of do, as I am writing all about my feels for the book as we speak, but never mind that.
Blaire Baker is one of those people who is in a serious need to find a purpose in life. Which better way than to volunteer herself to teach special children at a poor orphanage in eastern Europe? St. Sebastian sounds like the perfect place to escape her problems and make herself useful, maybe even changing some lives for good. Paired up with Travis, a funny and easy-going nurse on the same mission as her, Blaire heads to Borslav to start her life.
She knew not to expect a nice looking place or even healthy children, but nothing prepared Blaire to the eerie creeps that St. Sebastian gave her. She also wasn’t prepared to deal with emotionless and stoic children that couldn’t care less what happened around them. Or even to hear so many whispers about the basement.
As if caring for those lost children wasn’t already a big deal, Blaire also started to be haunted by her own past. She would have to fight her own demons before trying to dig up the mysteries around the night noises and voices of St. Sebastian.
The only question is… Will she survive long enough for that?
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
DEAR HEAVENS, WHERE DO I BEGIN?! This book scared me on a whole new level. I admit not being an avid reader of terror books so far in my life, but NOT A SINGLE BOOK THAT CAME BEFORE THIS ONE WRACKED ME SO HARD! Nearing the end, I would shiver in broad daylight, with the sun on my back and many people around me, feeling utterly alone in the world. As I finished it on a very crowded subway station, I kept looking over my shoulder, being sure that ~something~ was watching for me, if you know what I mean. I only avoided a panic attack because I managed to run home and burn my energy. And when I say run, I mean it. I must have looked absolutely crazy, because I only stopped to cross streets and to enter my building… Oh well, it happens to the best of us. For all those sensations, that are priceless on their own twisted way, A MILLION STARTS FOR THIS BOOK!
The narrative had to be my favorite style: third person with switching points of view between Blaire and Travis. As both them are oblivious to the things that really happen at the orphanage, the narrative choice fit as a glove. Even when one of them discovered something else, we all kept in the dark (quite literally) about what was real and what was paranoid delusion. In the end of the book, I truly didn’t know any more if things were actually happening of if it was a glitch from one of their minds. Rivers plays with your mind that hard.
The plot was all kinds of brilliant. I admit that the story starts off a little slow with Blaire going to Borslav with Travis, but as soon as they step on St. Sebastian for the first time, you are doomed. It’s a mix of morbid curiosity with pure agony that makes you go on. You want to see these poor children winning in life after so many problems. I have to also admit that I was actually cool in the scary side while I thought things were supernatural. While I thought that ghosts were behind the bad things and that was a simple matter of calling Sam and Dean, you know?
However, Rivers played me like a puppet and laughed (metaphorically) at my face. No Sam and Dean were required and just like that my biggest fears came alive: REAL PEOPLE DOING NASTY THINGS. This is what truly scared the shit out of me and Rivers had me at my fear of real people. Well played, Rivers. Well played indeed.
Ok, focus. Now we have characters. Oh, the characters. I was soooo in love with Blaire and Travis once that I got to know them! What I really liked about this book is that the author didn’t push the romance – no, it’s all about the mystery and remaining true to yourself. Despite some facts, it would have been really easy to turn Travis and Blaire into a couple and I am so proud of Rivers for not falling into that trap ❤ From the bottom of my heart: THANK YOU!
What I really love about Black Water Tales: The Unwanted is that every character has a shady edge, even the children and St. Sebastian building. By the way, the building pulses with life, which is so freaking odd and creepy. I love decadent places, but I doubt I would have the courage to enter St. Sebastian.
The only complaint that I have is that I ended the book without many vital details. I felt more tying up right before the end and I doubt that the next instalment of this series will also be in Borslav, so it is a bit disappointing. I only overlooked this on my rating because all the rest is SO FREAKING AMAZING that I could deal with some plot holes, haha!
I think I have already went on too much today, so let me just wrap things up by saying that if you love mystery and terror, you simply have to read this book asap. After that, message me for us to fangirl about it together, please! =D
Thanks for reading another unnecessary long and fangirling review, you rock if you reached the bottom of my post! Also, another round of thank-yous for JeanNicole herself for being incredible in both writing this masterpiece and sending it my way ❤ ❤ I loved this experience! But of course you couldn’t tell by this review. #sarcasm
Love you all and see you again any other time,
The Dreamer, from E.J. Mellow (Dreamland #1)
(Alternative title: The book that I was dying to read since I entered bookstagram on 2015 and disappointed me more than the new chicken sandwich at McDonald’s)
Hi, there! I knooow, twice in the same week? It must be a miracle! HAHAHA
Anyway, hope you all are doing ok! Today I’ll talk about one of the books that Jess, from the Mud and Stars, and I read on our book club: The Dreamer, first book in the Dreamland series, from E. J. Mellow! Jess posted her review up here and, while I know I won’t do such a good job, I wanted to share my opinions on it as well 🙂
Oh, and I received my copy of the book from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. I can’t even begin to apologize to them for the delay in reviewing it, but better late than never, right??
Anyway, let’s talk about The Dreamer 🙂
Molly hasn’t slept well since the night of her twenty-fourth birthday. Being struck by lightning might have something to do with it, but then again, her chicken did look a little undercooked at dinner. Whatever the culprit, her life quickly catapults from mundane to insane as, night after night, Molly is transported through her once dreamless sleep to a mysterious land illuminated by shooting stars.
There she meets the captivating but frustrating Dev, and together they discover Molly possesses a power coveted by his people—the ability to conjure almost anything she desires into existence. Seduced by the possibilities of this gift, Molly shifts her attention from waking life toward the man, the magic, and the world found in her dreams.
But Molly must ask herself—does something truly exist if you only see it when you close your eyes?
Faced with the threat of losing everything—her job, best friend, boyfriend, and most importantly, that little thing called her sanity—Molly will learn just how far she’ll go to uncover what is real and what is merely a figment of her imagination.
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
As I mentioned above, I was dying to read this book since the moment I entered bookstagram, in 2015. When I had the opportunity to do so, I actually giggled in joy and high-fived the universe. Everybody said such good things about it! The concept was amazing – I mean, who never wanted to consciously be able to go somewhere else when sleeping? – and the mystery sounded delicious. It’s with a heavy heart that I announce that I was a victim of foul marketing. The reading experience of this book for me was very bad. I only ended up rating it 3 stars because the concept was so amazing and I have to keep recognizing that. I just wished the execution was better. Oh well. Now let’s get even more ranty, shall we?
The narrative was one of the few things that pleased me. The pace was good – not too fast, not too slow – and we are introduced to Molly’s reality and dreams on a sane level. I mean, don’t expect a hundred pages explaining why things are happening and revealing it all right before the end. I liked to be slowly presented to the reality of things 🙂 Also, Mellow’s writing is very good and she has good humor catches. You have to take the hat off to her!
BUT we have a first person narrator – Molly – and if you used to hang around here much before my crisis, you know how I have a… Difficult?… Relationship with first person narrators. I usually love or hate them and the hate usually surpasses the love. And oh God, how I hated Molly. It wasn’t unusual for me to start conversations with Jess by saying “OMG JESS I HATE HER SO MUCH”. I know, poor Jess! Hahaha!
Now, as I’m talking about Molly, let me just skip over to the characters. I didn’t like a single character on this book. I know I am a bore and have really high expectations, but no one in this book has a hobby. Molly and her bff only talk about boys, her life is her work and her boyfriend, her boyfriend’s hobby seems to be hang out with Molly, the people on her dreams only seemed to be around doing nothing, even when they were on their break from their “work”. I can’t relate to this. Even workaholics have a hobby: THEIR JOB! Not Molly’s case, I assure you.
To be honest, I could have overlooked all of this if it wasn’t for this really tiny detail: INSTALOVE.
And not only that. Instalove + amorous triangle + a forceful male + the chosen one. I can’t respect a girl that allows a guy to try to hurt her just to make a point, sorry. This was so not sexy! But again, everything about Dev just made me mad. If you are thinking me a heartless bitch just by reading this review, imagine what Jess had to go through during the month of this reading, haha! Just go there and offer a virtual hug, she deserves it!
Okay, now the plot. As I said, I really like this concept and I think Mellow had a wonderful idea. Another land reachable only through dreams? A girl hit by a lightening? The border between dreams and reality? PERFECTION!
Oh, also! Can we just take a moment to forget all my ranting and just appreciate the MARVELOUS cover of this book? I wish I had a poster of it! SOOO PRETTY *–* I’d totally buy it just for display purposes as I’m sure as hell I won’t be reading it again.
I do apologize to Mellow, as I don’t want to be mean, but I felt like she said “great, I have a million dollar idea. Now let me just add here every cliché that I know of”. My other bff friend, @thepagemistress (if you are on Instagram, you just have to follow her!), taught me to flip a switch in my head every time I read the line: “I released the breath I didn’t realize I was holding” and all its adaptations. She really hates it, as she claims it is overused (and she is so right!), so I ended up always noticing when this is used and Mellow uses it SO MUCH! Honestly, it was a deal breaker for me. I don’t have many problems in seeing it being used at some point of the book, but more than once? Come ooooon!
I wanted to wrap it up by saying that, while I won’t keep reading this series, I wanted for you all to understand that if I am laying such heavy critics on something, it was because I cared about what I was reading. When I don’t, I simply say the book wasn’t for me (it has already happened). But I cared about The Dreamer. I think this book was meant for me, but for my 12-year-old self. Sometimes, it sucks to be a journalist and seeing all that could have been instead of what it really is, haha!
Wow, that was a heavy and boring review! What are you guys still doing here? HAHA! Thanks for reaching the bottom of this post and thanks once again to Xpresso Book Tours for my review copy 🙂 I hope you guys aren’t feeling discouraged to read this book – I mean, have you seen the amount of 5 stars reviews it has? I mean, what do I know about life? I’m just a vampire with the 16 face and the 86 mind. I’m sure that, if you like fantasy and Red Queen, you’ll love this one. Actually, I’m glad to see an indie author to gather so much attention, so keep reading E. J. Mellow’s books, guys! And tell me bellow what you thought of them, please, haha! 🙂
Love you all and see you another time,
27 Days to Midnight, from Kristine Kruppa
Hi, there! I’m back with a review for a book that destroyed me. Seriously, this book just grabbed my heart, squeezed, stomped on it and left me. Just like that. I’m talking about the painful standalone 27 Days to Midnight, from Kristinne Kruppa!
I’ve received my copy from YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
Everyone in Dahlia’s world knows when they’re going to die. Except her.
Her father has never shown her the pocket watch counting down the days she has left to live. When he sacrifices himself to save her from her scheduled death, Dahlia abandons her comfortable home and sets off after his murderer to uncover the secrets her father died to protect…and the time research that could bring him back to life.
Then she meets Farren Reed. She should hate him. He’s an enemy soldier, a cowardly deserter, and the most insufferable man Dahlia’s ever met. Still, she needs all the help she can get, and Farren is the only chance she has to find the man who murdered her father. But Farren has only twenty-seven days left on his watch.
In that time, Dahlia must recover her father’s time research, foil a psychotic general’s plot, and learn to survive in a world that will never be the same. But the research holds secrets more dangerous than she had ever imagined. She will have to choose what is most important: revenge, Farren’s life, or her own. And time is running out.
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
Did I mentioned that this book destroyed me? Seriously, it did. The notion of having your exact lifetime engraved in a watch was so romantic and so creative! I loved the world building, the characters, the narrative style, the humor, the drama, the steampunk element, EVERYTHING! I fell in love with both Dahlia and Farren and I couldn’t get enough of them. The end was so perfect that led me to tears in my second confirmed case of tears due over-perfection. Five stars is not even close to watch this book really deserves: A MILLION INFINITE STARS!
The narrative style was third person with switching points of view. We follow Dahlia and Farren most of the time, but we can also see the story from the POV of other characters whose identifies will be kept a secret due spoilers. Despite being a mystery book, the switching is very well done and helps the reader to have all the pieces to put together. However, Kruppa waits until the very last moment to give us the glue, haha! You saw what I did there.
Kruppa’s writing also was wonderful, as the book had a good pace, was packed with feelings, a lot of humorous moments to break the dramatic and desperate scenario of both Dahlia and Farren, and a fluid language that made the reader fly through the pages without noticing it.
The plot was BRILLIANT AND A WORK OF ART! Ahem, ok, I’m controlled. I think. Maybe not. Let’s move on? Hahaha!
I loved how Kruppa slowly eases the reader into her world, without rushes or endless pages of explanations. Each time that she switches POVs, the author manages to bring her own world in a new way, on the way in which that particular character sees it, giving more importance to some elements over others. For example, when we follow Farren’s mind, the nature and the freedom are the main themes, because those are the things that matter for him. Isn’t this magical?
As I already ran myself over, let’s get deep on characters, haha! Talking about Farren: he is one of the sweetest boys ALL TIME and made it to my bookish boyfriends list with ease since his first scene. I love smooth talkers, oops! Also, come on: the guy is gorgeous. You have to give me a break, haha!
I loved how Kruppa portrayed his struggle to accept his eminent death and how not okay he was about it despite the brave face he put on. Farren gives value to every breath that he has and he honestly loves to be alive, so it makes us think. Would he be like that if he didn’t know how much time he had?
Oh the other hand, we have Dahlia. She didn’t know how much time she had until the incident with her father and she lives as if life isn’t a present, but a granted deal. A scene that really dug on my heart was right on the beginning, when a street lady freaks out because her watch is about to stop and asks Dahlia for help. Dahlia has a very immature and selfish behavior towards the woman and never gave her a second thought. I was so shocked then that I swore I’d hate Dahlia. Well, I didn’t know how much she would grow as a person during her adventure or how much Farren would change her for good. I just wished Dahlia had remembered that woman at some point after her change, to seal it, but I guess she doesn’t need closure as I do, haha!
Also, I thought it amazing of Kruppa to come up with a heroine that wasn’t white. YA books are notoriously in need of more diversity of gender and race without the big drama behind being anything other than straight and white. Double round of applause for Kruppa, that managed to have a non-white heroine and not make a big deal about minorities at the same time!! ❤
I fell hard for the villain, as he was crazy, sexy and murderous at the same time, haha! Oh, and beautiful. I love beautiful, crazy and very fictional men on those circumstances ;D And he took the final steps into the madness hole for love. I find this so romantic, in a dramatic and gothic way! I may need therapy.
Everything has been wonderful, everybody is happy, the book is perfect and made me cry and I need more. Cool, nice. HOWEVER, I did have some problems with it. As I mentioned above, I’m one of those people that need closure in life, of any sort. It just needs to close, seriously. And there were many loose ends on this book AND THE END SHOT ME IN THE HEART AND KICKED ME IN THE BACK WHEN I FELL ON THE FLOOR. As it is a standalone book, I got really angry and cried more, as I’ll never see this characters again in new situations. I may re-read and find new bits, it’s true, but nothing major. Not straight forward answers. I DON’T KNOW HOW TO LIVE WITH THIS.
Also, I didn’t like the fact that the chapters had titles. THEY WERE HUGE SPOILERS D: Sometimes, this works in books. This isn’t one of those cases.
Okay, I’m good now. Let’s go back to the place where this book is all perfect and move to the cover, because I decided to always make a meaningful comment on the covers now. (#what) The cover was what drawn me to this book in the first place. Then I read the summary and was done for, haha! I usually am not a fan of illustrations, but this one was so delicate and romantic and mysterios AND BEAUTIFUL that I couldn’t bring myself to be a bore about it. I just want to hug it, haha! Also, the golden details really matched the blue shades. This one made it to my personal list of beautiful covers ❤ (Yes, I have lists for EVERYTHING. Judge me)
However, despite the dramatic and brilliant title, this book may be misjudged for a children’s book easily, especially the ebook version in which you can’t see how long it is. Just saying.
Now, I took the liberty of selecting some of the most awesome quotes in the book for you to understand how cool it is 🙂
“Dahlia tried to ignore him (as much as anyone could ignore an eight-foot-tall cyborg). She was too busy putting together a few choice phrases to use in her argument once he [the cyborg] quieted down.”
~*~
“The physical wounds were infinitely more manageable than the emotional ones.”
~*~
“He was back at the beginning, more alone than he’d been before he knew what it was like to not be lonely.”
~*~
And this killer dialogue:
Farrren: You okay, sweetheart?
Dahlia: Yes. I was just thinking.
Farren: Ah. Dangerous stuff.
Dahlia: Dangerous, yes, but necessary. It’s a pastime you might want to consider.
Farren: Ouch.
~*~
If you ask me, the strongest points on this book are the steampunk element, the characters construction and the humor behind it 🙂
Overall, this book had some flaws, but nothing that shadowed its perfection. Kruppa made a hell of a job here and I find it hard to believe that this is her debut novel. If you like steampunk, adventure and heart shattering books, you need 27 Days to Midnight in your life. NOW.
Thanks for reading my review and thanks so much to YA Bound Book Tours for my review copy and spot on this tour!
Threshold, from Jordan L. Hawk (Whyborne & Griffin #2)
Hello, good night! Once upon a time, in last April, Jess, from the Mud and Stars, I read Threshold, the second book in the Whyborne & Griffin series, by brilliant Jordan L. Hawk and only now I realized that I never posted my review for it. I’m a lost cause, seriously, haha! Anyway, better late than never, so here we go!
Whyborne has all the reasons to be happy. He’s been living with his lover, Griffin, for a while now in blissful peace. That is, until his fox of a father hires Griffin to investigate strange events on one of his coal mines, located at Threshold Mountain.
As strange happenings have been reported with a high frequency lately, Whyborne decides to accompany Griffin on the investigation and his best friend, Christine, decides to just the same. After a huge finding at Egypt, the archeologist has a great deal of paperwork and any excuse to avoid it sounds great.
As if fatal accidents, disappearances and hushed secrets weren’t enough to creep Whyborne out, he finds out that a former work colleague of Griffin is also working on the city. Elliot wasn’t simply beautiful, good humored and smart: he also had to be Griffin’s ex-lover.
Things are looking great already.
Just remembering that those are my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
As if it was possible to not like anything that Jordan writes, haha! I loved Threshold even more that the first book! It was darker, funnier, sexier and totally swoon worth *–* Whyborne once again made his way into my heart and the mystery always drove me nuts! Seriously, just five stars aren’t enough!
The narrative was once again first person styled, from Whyborne’s point of view. I really love his as a narrator, so I didn’t even bat an eyelash to this aspect, haha! Also, I really think that first person works well in mystery books – assuming that everything will be revealed in the end to the reader, of course!
The plot was complex and had many mysteries to keep the reader guessing. From the moment that Whyborne, Griffin and Christine left Widdershins, the roller coaster had only one way: down. I was surprised to find a way more darker and creepier atmosphere in Threshold than on the previous book. Hawk’s writing also was fantastic and somehow even better ❤ Seriously, this whole book is too good!
The characters were once again so lively and real that I wanted to hug them! Whyborne grew up so much in this book, even more than he did in the last. Griffin also evolved a lot and now I’m more sure that he loves Whyborne just as much as Whyborne loves him. I often felt like it was a one sided relationship, but it was awesome to be wrong, haha!
Also, Christine was seriously badass and made all the males in this book – Whyborne and Griffin included – look like whining slackers, haha! The woman can shoot like a damn soldier =O And was the reason behind many of my our loud laughs while reading Threshold, haha!
Once again, I can’t say a thing about villains and culprits as to not spoiler the book, but know this: YOU WON’T SEE IT COMING AND EVEN AFTER IT DOES COME, YOU WILL KEEP WONDERING HOW IT WAS POSSIBLE!
Now let’s get serious for a moment. I need to highlight the amazing historical research behind this book. Hawk describe the life on the mines in the end of the 19th century so vividly and accurately that my heart clenched. Being a History nuts, I had already made some previous research on miners lives in that time and it is not pretty. Hawk didn’t glamour up anything in the experience, but also didn’t bet on the melodramatic. Her tone is one of conformity while facing one more awful thing engraved on Human’s History and I thought it very appropriated. We can’t deny it happened, we don’t need to make a scene because it happened. We acknowledge and keep going.
Another highlight were the sex scenes. OMG IT WAS HOT! I loved every second of them and I love how Hawk doesn’t abuse on hot scenes to keep her reader interested 🙂
Oh, and I brought some of the best quotes of the book for you to understand why you NEED this series on your life:
“A great deal of whiskey had been consumed, and I wondered what Father would think if he knew how his money was being spent. Actually, never mind. If he knew I’d spent the night surrounded by female prostitutes, he’d probably consider it a sign of improvement.” – Whyborne
~*~
“If you find you need anyone shot, send word and I’ll come at once.” – Christine
~*~
“Please stop reading the licentious affairs of others and return to the task at hand.” – Griffin
~*~
“I’d managed to disappoint everyone among the living, so I might as well start adding the dead to the list.” – Whyborne
~*~
And this killer dialogue:
Whyborne: “My dearest pudding pie,” I read aloud.
Griffin: Yes, my little turnip?
Whyborne: Hilarious. If you ever call me anything of the sort again, we shall have words.
~*~
I told you that you needed Whyborne & Griffin in your life ❤
Overall, if you like paranormal, mystery, historical and gay romance, stop sitting or standing there reading this review and come join me on the fandom army of Whyborne & Griffin!
Thanks for reading my review and a special thanks to Jess for indulging me on book club and bearing with me on diet-coke-drunk nights and a high amount of fangirling over those boys, haha! Love you, Jess!
The Only Option, from Megan Derr
Hi, there! Welcome to another gay book review and I got to say that this one is on fire! Haha! Annelise, dear, this joke is so old when referring to dragons, please pull yourself together. Yeah, sorry guys 
Anyway, I was talking about The Only Option (haha), from Megan Derr! I received my review copy from Bewitching Book Tours in exchange for an honest review, so thank you a lot! Let’s go 😀
A desperate dragon. A lonely necromancer. A marriage neither wants.
When he is summoned to the royal castle, Rochus anticipates nothing more than a particularly difficult assignment. The bothersome journey is almost made worthwhile when he is propositioned by a young, beautiful dragon, Tilo, who seems untroubled by the fact that Rochus is a necromancer.
When Rochus arrives at the castle he is ordered to marry the very same dragon he spent the night with. Though Rochus would rather sign papers and return home, he is helpless against Tilo’s pleas for help, even if it means spending more time around a man he is desperately drawn to but who doesn’t seem to want him.
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! Actually, it’s a novella and honestly? The size was just right! Don’t get me wrong, I would gladly have read more about Rochus and Tilo’s romance, but I think Megan was a queen executing a great plot without that feeling that something was left off or that it has too many pages. Perfection, seriously. I loved every aspect of The Only Option: the narrative, the characters, the necromancy ( ❤ ), the shifting deal, the battle scenes, sex scenes, the cozy mystery… PERFECT. Five stars!
The narrative style was third person from Rochus point of view and I found that awesome, as he is funny, awkward, powerful and dangerous all the same time! I really liked him being a necromancer and how Derr didn’t try to beautify this on him: Rochus had black teeth, for goodness sake! That is so not sexy, haha! You know what would probably help him?
Annelise, dear, he would end up eating the poor dentist’s hand, stop joking around and review the book.
Back to business, I also adored Derr’s writing style: it was simple, with a fine humor behind it, cliché-free, entertaining and really fluid. I flew by this book and almost cried when I saw it ended, haha! Any chances we will have more adventures from Rochus and Tilo??
The plot was simple but with layers of complexity. At first, we have an unknown problem that summons Rochus and a fateful meeting with Tilo. Then, a mystery is added to the mix of guilty, anger and lust that the couple experiences by being forced to stay together. And as Rochus fights to help Tilo, a new layer of complexity is laid for us in the book until the reader has as many – or more – doubts as poor Rochus, haha! I really liked this simple start with a complexity added in bits 🙂 OH, AND NO INSTALOVE!!!! /o/
The characters were very developed and complex, especially Rochus, our narrator. He is a bit self-conscious despite being an experienced necromancer, as being physically different often causes social trouble – come on, it happens to the best of us and we don’t even have a full set of sharp and pointy black teeth, haha! I admit I felt the other characters aside Rochus and Tilo a bit superficial, but I think it isn’t a surprise in a novella. There is so much one can do with 30k words and Derr slayed nevertheless.
No surprises that both men ended up on that list, right? 😉
I really need to spotlight the necromancy details and explanations that Derr gives to her reader, as they were fascinating and totally didactic without falling on the boring side. It was awesome to see Rochus’ mind working and putting together his power and spells *–* I really want to dig more into this theme, Derr opened a reading appetite I didn’t even knew I had, haha!
And then there is this cover.
I arrest my case, haha!
Overall, if you enjoy fantasy, shifters, quick reads, macabre themes like necromancy, magic and steamy sex scenes, you really need to read The Only Option!
Thanks for reading my review! Bellow you can find more info on where to find this book, about the author, an excerpt and the giveaway prepared for this tour 🙂
You can find The Only Option in ebook format only 🙂
Megan Derr is a long time writer of LGBTQ romance and keeps herself busy reading, writing, and publishing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she’s not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her cats, or watch movies. She loves to hear from readers, and can be found all over the internet. For more information on other books by Megan, visit her website.
Rochus briefly considered changing into fresh clothes, but there was little point until after he’d had a bath—and no telling what would happen in the dining hall. It would hardly be the first time some country bumpkins or foreign nitwits wailed superstitious nonsense and tried to kill him, nevermind he reported directly to the crown.
He smoothed out his robes, frowning at a small tear in the right sleeve. He’d have to stitch it later after his bath.
For the moment, it was time for supper, and hopefully he’d get to enjoy it in peace.
Heading back downstairs, Rochus walked into and through the dining hall, keeping his head up even when the whispers started.
Necromancer.
Half-dead.
Blood-drinker.
His lips curled briefly when he heard someone ask their companion if Rochus was a vampire. As though he was one of those needle-teethed, full-dead mongrels. He drank blood and his teeth were meant for hunting, but it wasn’t the same thing. His teeth were more like those of a wolf—teeth he did not use thus because he was a civilized, capable necromancer of forty-three, not some ravening monster.
Rochus sat down at a table in the corner where he wasn’t too close to the fire but would still be warm and would be able to see anyone who tried to approach him.
A couple of minutes after he sat, a pale-faced young man brought him a pitcher and cup with faintly trembling hands. Rochus slid a coin across the table, nodding for him to take it. The boy took it and skittered away, and the whispers increased as Rochus poured himself a cup of blood and sipped it. Pig, which he preferred, save for those rare occasions he was able to get something as decadent as human.
He took several more sips, savored the way it warmed him through. There was nothing he hated more than being cold, but it was the one thing he would always be due to what was called his half-dead state. He wasn’t actually dead, half or otherwise, but necromancy demanded a high price, drained away half his spirit, replaced it with those unique spiritual energies he needed to wield his strange magic. The physical effects—the corpse white skin, the death-black bones, the need for food replaced by a need for blood—were what earned necromancers the reputation of being half-dead.
Three lucky winners will take home each a digital copy of Jumping In, by Cardeno C.!
To enter, just click here and good luck: GIVEAWAY!
That’s it, thanks for reading the whole post 🙂
3 days, 3 quotes challenge – Day 3!
Hello 😀 Welcome to the last day of my 3 days, 3 quotes challenge! Once again I’d like to thank the wonderful girls that tagged me: Jeany, from jeanyjanez, and Rachael, from 3 Fates Books! I had fun choosing my quotes, hope you liked them all ❤
Da Rulez:
Thank the person who nominated you (thank you!)
Post three different quotes in three consecutive days
Nominate three new bloggers each day
DAY 3
“He couldn’t do this – couldn’t say it out loud. Saying things out loud made them true.”
– Cicero, from Hexbreaker, by Jordan L. Hawk
You can check my review for Hexbreaker here 🙂
~*~
Day three: check. Oh, that’s a shame that it has already ended, haha! For the final day, I tag three very cool bloggers. Don’t feel pressured to do this, I just wanted you to know that you’re cool 🙂
Also, anyone else that found this cool, please feel free to say I tagged you and please leave the link to your posts here, I’ll love to see your quotes ❤ Thanks for reading!
3 days, 3 quotes challenge – Day 2!
Hi, there! Welcome to the second day of my 3 days, 3 quotes challenge! I was tagged by lovelies Jeany, from jeanyjanez, and Rachael, from 3 Fates Books! Thanks so much, girls! 😀 (again, haha!) Let’s go through the basic procedures so I can reveal my second quote 🙂
Da Rulez:
Thank the person who nominated you (thank you!)
Post three different quotes in three consecutive days
Nominate three new bloggers each day
DAY 2
“I suppose of the many ways to die, being done in by a big is not high on my list.”
– Davey, from The Quartermaster & The Marquis’ Son, by A. E. Kendall
You can check my review for The Quartermaster & The Marquis’ Son here 🙂
~*~
Day two: check! One more to go 😀 Now I’m tagging some of my best online friends that also happen to be bloggers:
~> Vinnieh
Of course you guys don’t have to do it, I just wanted you to know that I love you ❤
Thanks for reading, y’all! I also love you, haha 😀
PS: You can check Day 1 of the challenge here 🙂
3 days, 3 quotes challenge – Day 1!
Hi, there! Welcome to another Saturday with a tag, yay! I’m delighted to let you know that I was tagged on the 3 days, 3 quotes challenge by two amazing bloggers! I’m talking about one of my best online friends, Jeany, from jeanyjanez, and Rachael, from 3 Fates Books! Thanks so much, girls! 😀 I hope you enjoy my quotes ❤
Da Rulez:
Thank the person who nominated you (thank you!)
Post three different quotes in three consecutive days
Nominate three new bloggers each day
Let the challenge begin!
DAY 1
“It’s kind of scary, telling other people what words have power over you.”
– Claudia, from Playing Defense, by Cate Cameron
You can check my review for Playing Defense here 🙂
~*~
Day one: check. Two more to go! I’ll try to tag some of the most recent lovely people that I’ve met here on wordpress, but you don’t have to do this challenge if you don’t feel like it or have already done it before, okay? 😀
Thanks for reading, love you guys ❤
Keeper of Pleas, by Annelie Wendeberg
Hi, there! Good afternoon, hope you’re having a wonderful Saturday so far! I’m here today to talk about my last finished book: Keeper of Pleas, by wonderful Annelie Wendeberg. She was awesome and great and sent me a review copy, but my cold got me a week later in finishing it 😦 Anyway, better late than never, right? Haha! Thanks again, Annelie!! What a mystery!!
December, 1880.
Coroner Sévère gets himself into one of the most macabre cases of his career when nine corpses are discovered by chance in England. The macabre part? All are newborns with obvious signs of violent deaths.
The mystery gets bigger when the mortician responsible for the bodies goes missing and it’s found dead in the Thames. What at first seemed two very distinct cases without any relation between themselves soon get trickier.
To be exact, everything gets set into motion in the second Sévère steps on Miss Mary’s room. Both found their fighting matches. Who shall be the winner? Who shall solve the mystery?
Who shall be the surviviour?
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
I was beyond excited when Annelie send me her new book. I already explained how her work was a key piece for me to pick up more books for reading in this post, so I’ll skip that part, haha! But seriously, she never seizes to stop impressing me. Even though I had some problems with this book – especially in the beginning, as it all sounded so confusing – but as soon as I got my mind together, I flew through it. Who did it? Why? Will it happen again?
I found myself lost in a very vivid and alive London in the 19th century, running along Sévère and Mary to find answers and see who would win their private social war. This was a first class mystery that made me grab my seat and have a very intense ride. I only took a star off because of the confusing beginning and because I was bothered by most of the sex scenes. I understand what Annelie did, animalizing things on purpose and I think it was necessary in many points, but I shivered a lot, haha! Four proud stars 🙂
The narrative style was third person with alternating points of view between several characters and that was what made me so confused in the beginning. You see, I have a very shitty memory and am particular awful with names. Sometimes, I finish books without being sure of the characters’ names, especially if they are first person narrated. However, in Keeper of Pleas’ case, it went beyond that. The mystery dominates the pages since the first line and we didn’t know whose point of view we were reading until the middle or end of it
I have to say that, after my brain was able to process the beginning and understand who were the protagonists (yes, you read it right, unfortunately), I dived head first in this 19th century London. Every corner hid more mystery and every answer raised even more questions. IT WAS SO COOL AND AWESOME!
Wendeberg writing style is impeccable. She makes everything so human, so real that I felt like being physically sucked to my iPad’s insides were starting to sound like a possibility. Several times I had to force my eyes out of the screen and take a deep breath, study my surroundings and make sure I was still on 21th century before resuming my read. Wendeberg truly wraps her reader into the story.
The plot was complex, intricate and I didn’t know who had done it until the last second, always second guessing every witness, every clue, every evidence. I JUST NEEDED TO KNOW WHO DID IT! And even after it was revealed, I didn’t know if I could trust if it was the real deal or not, haha! Seriously, I was a goner for Keeper of Pleas. The elements entwined won me over – London, 19th century, mystery, thriller, the macabre, the action, the romance. I’m pretty sure this simply wasn’t that perfect for me because Sévère was straight, haha!
Anyway, let’s talk a bit about characters now. Wendeberg’s construction was impeccable, I haven’t a word against her. Every character was remarkable in a subtle way, all so painfully human in their qualities and faults. The relationships were also built very well and she makes a point of expressing how it was all about the lust between Sévère and Mary at first and how they took their time building trust. To be honest, I still don’t know if they ever really loved each other and the end of the book doesn’t help matters, haha! Don’t worry, I wont’t spoil anything, but brace yourself for several bombs to fall off your head, haha!
Keeper of Pleas left me breathless, confused and in a severe (haha) need of a hug, so I think it’s safe to say that Wendeberg slayed it once again 🙂 If you enjoy good mystery, thrillers, intellectual wars and face-slapping ends, you need to stop everything and get yourself a copy of Keeper of Pleas *–*
Thanks so much for reading my review! Also, thanks again for the book, Annelie! I’m delighted to have read another book from you and Keeper of Pleas was SUCH A RIDE, haha! ❤
Do you guys like books that make you second guess everything all the time? 🙂
The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange 