Review - Queen by Mary Duke

Title: Queen

Author: Mary Duke
Series: The Bloodline Series
Pages: 103
Release Date: October 4th 2018

Genre: 
Publisher: Crazy Ink
Source: Amazon
Format: Kindle

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: After having to spend nearly a month apart, getting their new lives pieced together, the four friends come back together ready to face this war head on.

While Narah, Damari, and Storm have been on the hunt for rings and bones, Foley has taken to her new role as Queen of the Dark fairies, while Kyrell has struggled to keep his cool with the Reapers. 

With the war now looming just off in the distance. Narah has to decide whether or not to continue the Night Family Legacy and become the Queen of the Hollow Wolves, as her mother wanted her to be. 

Though fate has brought these four young men and women together, its twist and turns isn’t going to make it easy for them to remain that way.

My Review: The third and final story in the series starts off a month after the ending of Warrior and everyone is just getting used to their positions in life but they come together one final time to face the imminent war.

          Narah, Damari and Storm have been searching for the rings that make the wolves stronger and the bones while Foley is getting used to being the Fairy Queen and Kyrell is struggling to control the Reapers.

          There were many storylines that intertwined with each other that there was a lot of different things happening.

          There were a few visions that provided so many paths each character could choose and I could not wait to see how the one picked would work out.

          The whole story was action packed and I enjoyed the entire series.

Currently Reading: A One Horse Open Slay by Tara Meyers
Read in 2018: 27/35

Review - Sleigh Bells and Sleuthing: A Collection of 16 Cozy Mystery Novellas Featuring Female Sleuths by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson, Larissa Reinhart, Ritter Ames, Sam Cheever, Abby L. Vandiver, Ava Mallory, Carolyn Dean, Lorraine Hudson, Mona Maple, J.C. Wing

Title: Sleigh Bells and Sleuthing: A Collection of 16 Cozy Mystery Novellas

Author: Carolyn Ridder Aspenson, Larissa Reinhart, Ritter Ames, Sam Cheever, Abby L. Vandiver, Ava Mallory, Carolyn Dean, Lorraine Hudson, Mona Maple, J.C. Wing
Series:
Pages: 101
Release Date: November 20th 2018

Genre: Mystery Paranormal
Publisher: Good Fortune Farm Refuge
Source: Author ARC
Format: Kindle

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: A COZY MYSTERY HOLIDAY NOVELLA COLLECTION WITH ALL PROCEEDS GOING TO SAVING ANIMALS! Get comfy this holiday season with a cup of tea or cocoa, and while you’re enjoying a delightful seasonal cozy mystery, you’ll be helping rescue animals with Good Fortune Farm Refuge, a NO KILL animal refuge located in Alabama.

You’ll love these sixteen cozy mystery stories, many from Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Amazon best-selling authors! Murder, mystery, magic, and mayhem don’t stop just because it’s the holiday season!

All profits from this collection go to Good Fortune Farm Refuge. Find out more about them at www.goodfortunefarmrefuge.org.

Each author is a member of the Sleuthing Women author collective, a select group of women mystery authors who have joined together to connect with our readers through a Facebook group called Sleuthing Women—Read. Sleuth. Solve. Repeat. Check us out on Facebook.

Stories come from both traditionally and independently published authors Abby L. Vandiver, Ava Mallory, Clare Kauter, Larissa Reinhart, Loraine J. Hudson, Mona Marple, Morgana Best, Ritter Ames, Sam Cheever, S.E. Babin, Tara Meyers, Tricia L. Sanders, Carolyn Ridder Aspenson, Jenna St. James, K.E. O’Connor, and Laina Turner.

GRAB YOUR COPY NOW!

My Review: This review is for A One Horse Open Slay which is a Secret of Sanctuary Cozy Mystery short written for an anthology whose proceeds go to charity. It is written from Sandy’s point of view.

          Sandy has a business meeting with Wesson Parker one of the family members from the town of Parker near her home of Sanctuary.

          The meeting is meant to help bring the two families together and he ends up inviting her on a date to ride with him on his Christmas float in the parade only once the parade starts the float breaks and Wesson Parker ends up getting hurt.

          Sandy goes to Ember to get help in figuring out what really happened that night.

          Ember and Sandy become closer while figuring this out and Ember invites Sandy to the towns Christmas dinner.

          When the culprit is revealed I wasn’t expecting it I thought it was someone else entirely.

          This is another great story by Tara and I am looking forward to seeing what will happen next.

Currently Reading: Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Read in 2018: 28/35

Review - Warrior by Mary Duke

Title: Warrior

Author: Mary Duke
Series: The Bloodline Series
Pages: 98
Release Date: September 4th 2018

Genre: 
Publisher: Crazy Ink
Source: Amazon
Format: Kindle

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: As all-out war looms in the distance, the sides become clear and the stakes grow more dire while Narah’s unlikely alliance with The Keepers proves too good to be true.

With death and deceit reaching for them from every side, Narah and her friends must remain focused on the end game 

The Reapers are thrown from one power shift to another, leaving Kyrell with power over the commanders. 

Meantime, all Foley’s life, she has lived based on a prophecy that she would end her kind’s way of life. But when the prophecy comes to light and the events are played out, the truth leaves her with a much different fate. 

Narah now finds herself front and center before her people. All eyes look to her for hope and their next step. 

Will Narah survive long enough to live up to her family’s legacy, and save the Hollow Wolves? 

My Review: Although this book was good I was a little disappointed with how the storyline kept bouncing around, one minute they were off to one place next minute they were off to somewhere else the other journey abandoned. This however did not stop me from keeping on reading.

          Narah and Damari are still trying to deal with what has been happening to their kind and Narah has to try and deal with how to be the head of The Hollow Wolves Clan.

          The characters all keep going even when they keep getting all sorts of obstacles thrown at them.

          I just kept getting pulled deeper into the story and there is a great big surprising discovery in the story that I will not reveal.

          The banter between the four main characters is great as well as the introduction of new characters who are really important to the stories progression. I found myself laughing throughout.

          Kyrell’s sister is funny and awesome but Foley is still my favourite.

Currently Reading: Sin Eater by Alice La Roux
Read in 2018: 25/35

Review - Cat's Got Your Arsenic by Tara Meyers

Title: Cat's Got Your Arsenic

Author: Tara Meyers
Series: Secret of Sanctuary Cozy Mystery
Pages: 
Release Date: October 1st 2018

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: 
Source: Author
Format: Kindle ARC

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: Water and ravines run deep in Sanctuary -- so do the secrets.

When a traveling salesman dies under suspicious circumstances, the implications span decades of hidden truths. Veterinarian Ember Burns is no stranger to the long shadows of the small mountain town. But as winter settles into the rugged terrain, and a veil of snow descends, ghosts from the past begin to surface.

As old friends, foes, and lovers collide in a bid to discover who's been keeping the biggest secret of all, will Ember solve the mystery of disappearing animals? Or will she find herself in the path of a killer with a personal agenda?

Recipes included!

My Review: Once again Ember finds herself solving a mystery; this one is ‘the mystery of the missing animals’. All the animals that seem to go missing are valuable pets.

          I love Ember and Mel’s little chit-chats and how well they get along after only knowing each other for a short time.

          As well as trying to solve a mystery Ember is helping her Aunt Becky and the Mayor with their towns Christmas dinner and building her budding relationship with the sexy Nathan.

          This story nearly had me crying because while solving the mystery Ember finds out how her father died and who did it and it all started with the grumpy old vet assistant bringing in her poorly cat.

Once again this story will have you flipping pages so you can find out who the culprit is. I never suspected the culprit but this time I was closer than in the last two books to getting it right.

All I can say is Tara bring on book 4.

Currently Reading: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
Read in 2018: 22/35

Review - Hunted by Mary Duke

Title: Hunted

Author: Mary Duke
Series: The Bloodline Series
Pages: 
Release Date: August 1st 2018

Genre: 
Publisher: Crazy Ink
Source: Author
Format: Kindle

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: Even the strong retreat to shadows.

The firstborn of the werewolves, and once alpha of their kind, hollow wolves now hide in fear as they are hunted and their souls harvested for power. 

But not Narah Night, the last hollow alpha. 

Most of her kind have either been slaughtered, kidnapped, or hide in fear. With no one left to protect, Narah refuses to live in the shadows and has made an unlikely friend with a dark fairy. Together, they hunt down the wolves who want her dead.
When a lead takes them off the coast of the Carolina’s, everything changes. Narah finds another of her kind who has teamed up with a reaper hell bent on saving hollow wolves. But this isn’t the only things she discovers.
Even the sunlight has secrets. 

When those lurking in the shadows are exposed, everything Narah knew about the other wolves and what they were fighting for and against has changed… 

My Review: I was given this book and the series for an honest review by a new to me author and I have to say for the first in the series it was great and I could not wait to start book two, I was drawn in right from the prologue.

          My favourite character is Foley a Dark Fairy and the main character Narah’s best friend. I think she’s my favourite because she is sassy and a fairy – I love fairies.

          The story flow’s very well and in parts I felt sad because of the things that happened but happy when it works out.

          There are two other characters Damari who is a werewolf like Narah and Kyrell who’s a Reaper. Each of the characters has a unique ability and personality so it is great when the characters all team up.

          The four characters team up to help Narah’s pack The Hollow Wolves who have been taken, held prisoner and experimented on to become very powerful wolves. There is plenty of action and for four characters who have just teamed up they work very well together and you can feel the chemistry between Narah and Damari just ooze off the page and Foley’s flirting with Kyrell is just amusing.

          Once starting the story it was so hard to put down, I am glad that Ms Duke had given me the entire series to review. I look forward to reading any and all of Ms Dukes upcoming series.

          This is a book that I defiantly will recommend to anyone who loves to read about wolves or just loves fantasy stories.

Currently Reading: Warrior by Mary Duke
Read in 2018: 24/35

Review - Tricks or Treats: An Anthology for Charity by Tiffany Carby, Toni Bolton, Roux Cantrell, T. Elizabeth Guthrie, Chandra Trulove Fry, Lorah Jaiyn, Cassandra Jones, Alice La Roux

Title: Tricks or Treats: An Anthology for Charity

Author: Tiffany Carby, Toni Bolton, Roux Cantrell, T. Elizabeth Guthrie, Chandra Trulove Fry, Lorah Jaiyn, Cassandra Jones, Alice La Roux
Series:
Pages: 373
Release Date: October 11th 2018

Genre: 
Publisher: 
Source: Author
Format: Kindle

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: The season that surrounds Halloween is the perfect time to sit back, relax, and tell scary stories. Whether around a campfire or sharing stories in your living room, the fun of telling spooky tales is a tradition that goes back for generations. In this collection, find stories that scare the heebie-jeebies out of you, some that provide a little comic relief during this scary season and others that make you realize later on things were not as they seemed.

Authors have been given the choice - to trick you or to treat you. Beware as you read stories that may twist... in the end.

My Review: My review is based on Alice La Roux’s A Darker Shade of Crimson.

          I love reading Alice’s stories and this one is darker than all her others and I loved every minute of it and I could not put it down.

          Xavier is a rich guy who attends a Halloween party just to pick up a girl to spend Halloween with and that girl ends up being a curator named Sarah Donaldson.

          The two end up spending the night together which might be something she later may regret as Xavier is evil and after doing what he does to Sarah he just leave’s with no chance of making it home.

Currently Reading: Queen by Mary Duke
Read in 2018: 26/35

Review - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Author: J. K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter
Pages: 766
Release Date: July 10th 2004

Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Source: Mums bookshelf
Format: Hardback

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it’s haunting Harry Potter’s dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror?

Harry has a lot on his mind for this, his fifth year at Hogwarts: a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey; a big surprise on the Gryffindor Quidditch team; and the looming terror of the Ordinary Wizarding Level exams. But all these things pale next to the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named---a threat that neither the magical government nor the authorities at Hogwarts can stop.

As the grasp of darkness tightens, Harry must discover the true depth and strength of his friends, the importance of boundless loyalty, and the shocking price of unbearable sacrifice.

His fate depends on them all.

My Review: The fifth instalment of this series starts off with Harry at the Dursley’s upset that he has not heard from his friends and not hearing anything about Lord Voldemort return on the Muggle news.

          Harry tries to listen to the Muggle news for information on Voldemort’s return but there are no news reports about it which frustrates Harry. Harry goes for a walk and sees his bully of a cousin with his friends but on their way home they are attacked by dementors and he has to use magic to get rid of them and is then summoned for a hearing for using underage magic.

          Harry learns that his friends have been staying at Sirius’ family home with Sirius who with Professor Lupin, Snape, Mad-eye Mr and Mrs Weasley, Hagrid and Tonks has been helping Dumbledore create a new Order of the Phoenix, which is to recruit people to their side to fight Voldemort when the time comes.

          Sirius tells Harry why they have all been evasive in their owls and a bit about the Order but Mrs Weasley does not want Harry to worry about the Order she wants him to focus on his school which is hard.

          Harry doesn’t want to go back to Hogwarts but while he is there they get a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher (if you can call her that). No one is happy with Professor Umbridge as she does not teach the students any Defensive spells and to top it all off Dumbledore is ignoring Harry.

          Hermione has an idea that Harry should teach students Defence Against the Dark Arts spells so they start a secret club which they call the D.A – Dumbledore’s Army.

          These D.A meeting are the only reason that Harry stays at Hogwarts, the new teacher is horrible, he keeps having bad dreams, the first one about Mr Weasley getting attacked which came true, he keeps messing things up with Cho, then he has to have special lessons with Professor Snape to help him stop with the dreams, Professor Umbridge kicks him and the twins off the Quidditch team and she later finds out about the D.A which ends up with Dumbledore being fired and going on the run as well as having to deal with ten escaped Death Eaters from Azkaban and the new dream about a door and his God Father being tortured.

          This is one of my favourite film of the series because of the introduction of Luna who is awesome and Bellatrix who I like too.

          This story has a sad ending R.I.P Sirius but at least Dumbledore gets his job back as Headmaster and the world finally hear the truth about Voldemort’s return and the world realises that Dumbledore is not crazy like the Ministry of Magic have been claiming.

Currently Reading: A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody
Read in 2018: 29/35

To Read in November

I need to read a lot of books to keep up with this years Goodreads challenge of 35 but I have picked 4 books for this month.

Just because I have set 4 books this month that does not mean that I will finish all of the books on the list as I do beta reading.

This month I have picked.

1. Heritage by Tara Ellis
2. A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody
3. Cruel Summer by Alyson Noel
4. Ragdoll by Daniel Cole