Review: That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming

 

The hype got to me and I am so glad that it did. This was a fantastic time. I laughed and related to it. I didn't have to wait long for my library hold to come in and I jumped on the hold list right when they ordered books 2 and 3. I have those on my bedside waiting. I am reading through series this year and I feel like a whole new person.

This were indie published and then they got picked up by a traditional publisher and I am so glad they did. It is a cozy fantasy and it is spicy spicy. It is full of hilarious moments.

Our main girl Cinnamon is celebrating with her village. There is a festival being thrown for the chosen girl to go fight demons. It is a high honor bestowed by the goddess who keeps the village demon free. Cinnamon is getting wasted and hanging out with her friend Briewhen there is a massive earthquake. They chock it down to Priscilla who was the chosen one already kicking demon ass.

 Cinnamon and her family live on a spice farm where they grow CINNAMON! Cinnamon is on the way home through and she gets stopped by a wanna be bandit who tries to take her cloak and she chases him threw the forest. She starts slowing down because she is tipsy as hell when she starts to hear groaning. She sees a guy trapped under debris and she helps him escape. Turns out the dude is a demon. Cinnamon throws a cinnamon stick at him and she runs for home. He chases her and thats where things start.

The next morning, her brothers Cumin and Chili are giving her the ultimate mocking. Her mom is so freaking relatable because she can't get their names right and it's all middle child stop badgering the girl child and spare male child and shit like that. I mix up my kids names all the time, so that bit had me rolling.

While they are eating breakfast, they start talking about the demon and he just pops up in the kitchen window like here I am. He tasks Cinnamon to help him destroy the goddess chalice at the temple because there had been  700 years of lies and demons being tortured. Cinnamon is given an ultimatum, help the demon or he kills her family and friends. They do the task and then they have to go on a quest because Cinnamon opens her mouth and mentions three other temples with three other chalices.

Along the way they form a crew of friends who are down to help them destroy the witch who is posing as a goddess. We meet the werewolf who is the main love interest in the second book and the one I am looking forward to the most solely because of the title.

There were a lot of spicy sex scenes and a couple of the scenes were a little uncomfortable due to what was said and some of the actions that Fallon did with Cinnamon. But other than that, I ended up giving this a 5 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Runaway Max by Breena Yovanoff

 I am continuing my read/watch order of Stranger Things and this was the second book to be released before the third season. The synopsis of this book claims that this is a must read before season 3 so we can get background on Max and I am here to say that is a LIE!!!

This book is mainly a recap of all of season 2 from Max's POV. When we are not reading about her arrival in Hawkins, we are getting her life with her mom and stepdad and Billy. She compares everything to her time in LA and how her dad never had a decent job and he was a jack of all trades. He was a bookie and made fake ID's. He would take her to hole in the wall bars when she would visit him after the divorce. 

I wanted to learn so much about Max because this is supposedly an official Stranger Things novel but it didn't give any new information and the background that we did get was just boring. Also it hints at why they possible left California and moved to Hawkins, but if that was the case, then why the hell didn't Neil just put Billy in a military school like he threatened. Well, technically he threatened JROTC, but that isn't much. 

I hope that the next three books are better and don't be a complete waste of time and trees. I would be highly upset. So far out of the three books I have read, my rank is book 1,2 and then this one.

I do not reccomend reading this at all!

Review: Smoke by Ellen Hopkins

 

I have another series done on my shelves and sadly this didn;t meet my expectations. I was so excited to get to the conclusion and have answers about what Pattyn did and where she ended up. We get answers as to why and who she did it for but we also get a repeat of book one for her little sister Jackie.

Pattyn is on the run because she allegedly killed her father because he was beating Jackie. I am going to spoil what happens because it is a massive trigger and the detail made me shuddered and put the book down for a couple hours. Jackie gets raped in the shed by a boy she liked and thought was a god mormon boy. Her dad comes in all drunk to high heaven and Caleb runs past him and leaves Jackie on the floor. Jackie gets yelled at that she is now ruined and no one will want her and she starts getting beat. Pattyn comes in with her gun that Ethan gave her for protection and she "shoots" him because he is coming at her.

Pattyn is on the run and on her way to the ocean to see it before she gets caught. She meets a girl named Adriana. Adriana is a tough girl and when the bus that they are on takes a break at a rest stop, Pattyn ends up saving the girl from getting raped by a guy from their bus who had stolen Adriana's wallet.

Adriana takes Pattyn back to her house until the next day and then Pattyn becomes a major helping hand when it turns out that Adriana's baby niece contracts measles. Pattyn knows what to do and helps the baby recover which earns her respect from the Medina family. They don't know who she is and they wouldn't turn her in if they did because they are illegal immigrants.

Pattyn then gets introduced to Adriana's brother Angel who works for a rich family who owns an orchard and he gets Pattyn a job under a false name. The Mister and Missus is nice but stern and great employers. Their teenage daughter is the main antagonist in Pattyn's story line where as in Jackie's it is everyone in the church and her own mother.

Jackie ends up forming a relationship with her tutor Gavin who is also a protective person and whenever Caleb is around, Gavin is not far from Jackie. Jackie's mom is sweeping everything under the rug and forming a bond with the father of the evil monster who raped her. 

There is also a lot of hate towards Mexicans from the employers daughter and I feel that the author didn't give the characters justice after a particular scene. It was that a character pleaded guilty instantly and the other two put up a fight but were eventually caught and in jail. Also that the victims family and the employer family settled. I felt like that was such a shitty thing to do. This major plot point gets a simple result. 

After reading this sequel, I highly believe that it did not need to be written. The first book did not leave off on a cliffhanger. Pattyn's story was finished. I feel that the reader could have made up their own thoughts about what Pattyn would have done after the death of Ethan and their baby.

BLOG TOUR: Being Free by J.H. Lyons

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the BEING FREE by J.H. Lyons Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

About The Book:

Title: BEING FREE

Author: J.H. Lyons

Pub. Date: November 1, 2023

Publisher: J.H. Lyons

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 273

Find it: Goodreads, https://beingfreebooks.com/

Based in part on the author’s own spiritual journey, Being Free: On the Inside is a magical realism novel of hope and redemption.

Corey Astin is a lawyer who will spend the next six years in prison.  He knows he did wrong, and wants to make amends, but needs guidance and protection.  The nature of his crime makes him an instant target for other inmates.  As you might expect, county jail offered only a tiny preview of the harsh environment in the maximum-security state prison.  Corey arrives in shackles in the middle of the cold Maine winter, to a poorly-heated cell block, knowing only one person, Carl, from his time in jail.  Corey soon meets Dalton, a man who will become his mentor and teacher of a special way of seeing and using energy called The Choice.  Being chosen is a great honor, but Corey doesn’t know it yet.  He is just beginning to understand what kind of magical world exists within for those who can manifest it.  Told from a first-person perspective, Corey explains his experience in the prison, and his growing friendship with Dalton.  He tells the story as if you are with him, listening to his concerns, and baring his soul.  Get ready to experience the first part of a private and perilous journey into a world that few have ever known.

 Review: coming soon

About J.H. Lyons:

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, but raised in New England, J. H. Lyons now lives in rural Maine with his husband, their Mini Aussie dogs, and a cat in a "big house, little house, barn" farmhouse. He holds degrees in law, political science, computer science and French.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of BEING FREE, US Only.

2 winners will receive audiobook codes for BEING FREE, International

Ends April 30th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

4/15/2024	Writer of Wrongs	Excerpt
4/15/2024	Comic Book Yeti	Excerpt/Twitter Post
4/16/2024	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt/IG Post
4/16/2024	@darkfantasyreviews	Excerpt
4/17/2024	Karma Zee Readz	Excerpt/IG Post
4/17/2024	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt
4/18/2024	Fire and Ice Reads	Excerpt/IG Post
4/18/2024	nerdophiles	Excerpt
4/19/2024	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Blog Spotlight/IG Post
4/19/2024	@evergirl200	IG Review

Week Two:

4/22/2024	Lifestyle of Me	Review/IG Post
4/22/2024	Rajiv's Reviews	Review/IG Post
4/23/2024	The Book Critic	Review/IG Post
4/23/2024	One More Exclamation	Review/IG Post
4/24/2024	Books and Zebras	IG Review
4/24/2024	GryffindorBookishnerd	IG Review
4/25/2024	@dana.loves.books	IG Review/TikTok Post
4/25/2024	Country Mamas With Kids	IG Review/TikTok Post
4/26/2024	Brandi Danielle Davis	IG Review
4/26/2024	The Momma Spot	Review

Review: Burned by Ellen Hopkins

 

This has been on my TBR for 8 years and last year I had been eyeing it every month on my shelf and I finally picked it up and it got me. I am not a big reader of books in verse and I figured this would be a quick read but this took me a week and I gave it a 4 star. The content is so hard to digest and fly through. I wanted to take my time and also speed because I needed to know what was going to happen to Pattyn and how she would deal with her situation.

Pattyn is our main character who is 17 and she is a Mormon. She is the eldest of 7 girls and her father wants a boy so damn badly. Her mom is described as a lazy breeder who doesn't fight back when Pattyn's father goes hitting. Her father is a former Vietnam vet who joined as soon as he could. He is now an abuser and an alcoholic who have the church leaders in his pocket because he is a man. The church believes that everything belongs to man and that his wife and daughters are property to do to as he pleases.

Pattyn starts having "impure" thoughts about boys and one day she is out shooting in the desert and one of the guys she has a crush on comes by with his girlfriend and his buddies. One of the buddies Derek gets close to Pattyn and they are an item for a couple weeks. She almost gives up her virginity and then her dad catches them in the desert while they are drunk and he threatens Derek. Derek ends up dumping Pattyn and getting with another girl named Carmen and it enrages Pattyn. She starts a fight and causes damage to the school. Her father decides to send her away to his sister's in the middle of no where and he thinks that will be a punishment, which it backfires because it becomes a saving grace and life changing summer for Pattyn.

She learns to question the world around her including her faith. She learns to drive instead of waiting for permission from a future husband if he wished her to learn. She learns to ride a horse and be free. She falls in love properly with a boy who is so perfect. Then the end of summer comes around and she has to go back to her old life. Her mom is pregnant finally with a son and Pattyn is getting physically abused by her father. 

I will not spoil the ending because I was fliping through the book before I finished and sadly I spoiled myself and ruined the "twist". I have read another book this year with this same plot device and I honestly hate that plot device because what it includes is a phobia I have and it impacts my life on the daily.

I am going to be starting the sequel right after I publish this post because I need to know what happens to Pattyn and her family. I want to know what happens to Aunt J and if there will be any justice.

BLOG TOUR: A Thundering of Monsters by S.A. Patrick

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the A THUNDERING OF MONSTERS by S.A. Patrick Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

About The Book:

Title: A THUNDERING OF MONSTERS (Songs of Magic #3)

Author: S.A. Patrick

Pub. Date: April 2, 2024

Publisher: Peachtree Publishing Company

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 400

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/A-THUNDERING-OF-MONSTERS

The spell-slinging, shape-shifting, and epic fantasy adventure concludes in Book Three of the Songs of Magic trilogy!

After confronting the evil Hamelyn Piper, Patch Brightwater, his dracogriff friend Barver, and an army of Pipers have been transported to a mysterious island where they find themselves trapped with monstrous beasts. Meanwhile, their shapeshifting friend, Wren, has been captured by the nefarious villain and is working hard to escape a pair of magic-dampening manacles.

Clad in his suit of impenetrable black armor, with traitorous dragons on his side, the Piper of Hamelyn hunts for a mythical amulet to achieve true immortality. But Erner Whitlock, an apprentice in the Piper’s Custodian Elite, is on the verge of discovering yet another foe with even more sinister plans . . . Can Patch and friends reunite in time to prevent destruction from raining on the world?

S.A. Patrick’s Songs of Magic trilogy is a brilliant retelling of one of the darkest legends of all time, "The Piper of Hamelyn." Combining folklore with the very best of modern storytelling, the books will delight young fantasy fans who are hungry for perilous quests, friendships forged on the road, and an inventive magic system that thrills the imagination.

 Buy the complete series now!

 

Review: One of my favorite middle grade series. Review coming soon

 

About S.A. Patrick:

S. A. Patrick was born in Belfast. When he was a child, he wanted to write video games, become and author, and have magical powers. The first two came true. If he ever does get magical powers, he hopes people like dragons and griffins because there will suddenly be a lot of them around. He lives in England.

Goodreads | Amazon

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of  A THUNDERING OF MONSTERS, US Only.

Ends April 23rd, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

4/8/2024	@darkfantasyreviews	Excerpt
4/8/2024	MoonShineArtSpot	Excerpt/IG Post
4/9/2024	GryffindorBookishnerd	IG Review
4/9/2024	@thepagelady	IG Review
4/10/2024	@callistoscalling	IG Review
4/10/2024	onemused	IG Post
4/11/2024	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
4/11/2024	@dana.loves.books	IG Review/Tiktok Post
4/12/2024	Log Cabin Library	Review
4/12/2024	@stargirls.magical.tale	IG Review

Week Two:

4/15/2024	jlreadstoperpetuity	IG Review/Tiktok Post
4/15/2024	@pagesforpaige	IG Review
4/16/2024	One More Exclamation	Review/IG Post
4/16/2024	Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's	Review/IG Post
4/17/2024	More Books Please blog	Review/IG Post
4/17/2024	The Book Critic	Review/IG Post
4/18/2024	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
4/18/2024	Lifestyle of Me	Review
4/19/2024	Nonbinary Knight Reads	Review
4/19/2024	The Momma Spot	Review

Review: Darkness on the Edge of Town by Adam Christopher

 

My daughter and I have finished watching season 2 and I got to read this. I have the watch and reading order and I am loving this order. It is immersing me more into the show. I also started this when I had three episodes left of season 2 and I got spoiled, so I definitely learned my lesson for the next book which I currently have out from my library.

This book is all about Hopper and his time as a detective in New York post his Vietnam service. He is telling his story to Eleven in the cabin in the woods. This takes place at Christmas time two months after the end of season 2. So IF YOU KNOW YOU KNOW!!! If not, then I will not spoil you. She is asking questions, wanting to know more about him. She asks about New York and pulls a piece of evidence from his New York box that is essentially the whole book.

The only connections to Stranger Things is Hopper and Eleven and the cabin. No other characters and anything in Hawkins. Hopper tells Eleven how he got his new partner who was a Cuban woman from Queens and they get handed this case where the killer is leaving white cards with shapes and the shapes are also on the bodies. After working on the case for a couple weeks, it gets taken from them by the feds because it turns out that the victims were part of a special task force who are looking for someone who calls himself the saint and is targeting vulnerable veterans.

Hopper and his partner Delgado decide to still work on the case even though they can both get in trouble, but Hopper gets found out and gets offered to go undercover. If not, his wife and his daughter Sarah will not be seeing each other again. 

Hopper goes deep undercover and it is all disturbing and very upsetting that this villian served his country and then tossed aside by said country and he is taking out his revenge with other vulnerable Vietnam service men. 

I ended up giving this a 4 out of 5 stars. I wanted more of present day other than the story telling and I was annoyed by all of the descriptions of the characters clothing when they were introduced. Paragraph upon paragraph and I was skimming it. All of it took me out of the story because it did absolutely nothing for the story. Agent Gallups slicked back hair that was so glossy it could have blinded someone did nothing to fight agaist The Saint.

The next book I have to read is Runaway Max and that comes before season 3.