Rose Petal Graves by Olivia Wildenstein

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to YA Bound Book Tours and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Rose Petal Graves by Olivia Wildenstein. Cat returns home from college to a drunk father and her mother’s funeral to prepare for. Her mother was Native American and believed in the magical legends of her ancestors. Part of the legends include fae and fae hunters. As the story is told, Cat learns how much her family roots are tied into the faerie world. She loses people she cares about and gains a relationship with others and she also has to resolve some guilt issues. The mix of good and evil and everything in between kept Cat alert and unsure of who she could put her trust in. I like the story and the fae and fae hunter concept, but I am a bit mad at Cat for turning Blake away when she falls for someone with his memories and similarities. It makes me wonder if Blake’s injuries were the reason for her distance. I rate Rose Petal Graves 4 stars for a mysterious fantasy story with more to tell!

Mosaic by Sarah Fine

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and 47 North for the opportunity to read and review Mosaic by Sarah Fine; the last book in the Reliquary trilogy. Asa and Mattie travel around the world together. Asa is captured and Mattie spends her time frantically trying to figure out how to get him back. Mattie discovers a lot about Asa and his family as she searches for him. This new adult story is like a maze of uncertainty and heartbreak with an ambiguous ending, 4 stars!

Crochet Stories: Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland by Pat Olski

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to Dover Publications and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Crochet Stories: Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland by Pat Olski. This book is a feast for crocheters and readers combined. The crocheted characters are introduced through excerpts from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and right after the story sections, comes the crochet projects’ details. The key of crochet abbreviations is at the beginning of the book and each pattern uses these abbreviations. The detailed instructions give information on finished measurements, materials needed and the gauge of stitches per row and number of rows when complete. The colored photos of the finished products are too cute to not crochet! My favorite photo is of Alice, the dormouse, the Mad Hatter and the tea set – all crocheted pieces. The Queen and King are comically cute. The skill levels for crocheters are easy and intermediate. There are even patterns for a croquet card arch and a flamingo mallet. Adorable and fun! 5 stars!

Secrets of a Reluctant Princess by Casey Griffin

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Secrets of a Reluctant Princess by Casey Griffin. This silly, charming and sometimes cheesy clean read tells the story of Adrianna Bottom, Andy for short. Andy has to deal with being called Porcelain Princess because of her family’s toilet accessories business as well as the reality TV show highlighting them. Since her real name is Adrianna Bottom, Andy has already been bullied endlessly about her last name, even before becoming the Porcelain Princess. Her family has now moved, so Andy is attending a new school and the bullying doesn’t take long to start. On top of the bullying, she has to deal with the producer of the reality show being pushy and invading every aspect of Andy’s life that he can. This quick read has romance, humor and the lesson of keeping secrets, 4 stars.

Proof of Lies by Diane Rodriguez Wallach

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Proof of Lies by Diana Rodriguez Wallach. Anastasia lives with her sister Keira in their family home after their parents died in an accident a few years earlier. Keira gave up medical school and works as a nurse to take care of her younger sister. The morning after a party, Keira disappears, leaving behind a bathroom full of blood and no sign of a body. A distraught and depressed Anastasia knows Keira is alive and needs help. Their mutual best friend Charlotte is amazing with technology and she’s helping with Keira’s case. Charlotte’s parents are Anastasia’s legal guardians now. As Charlotte and Anastasia hunt for clues, the mystery deepens and more people become a part of the mystery, either as suspects or helpers or both. I love this book and it made me realize how much I enjoy mysteries. Proof of Lies became unputdownable and I was pulled into Anastasia’s life and her searches across the globe. The author’s writing is flamboyant, smooth and believable. The clever writing and word play are entertaining, such as, “It felt like I was one giant headache lately – eat, sleep, breathe, Tylenol.” Great humor! I appreciate the facts at the end of the story and the excerpt of book two of the Anastasia Phoenix series, Lies That Bind. Clean read worth 5 stars!

Fanning the Flames by Chris Cannon

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Fanning the Flames by Chris Cannon, the fourth book in the Going Down in Flames series. It has been a while since I read the first three books in this series, but the author’s writing brought the setting and the characters all back seamlessly and I was happy to be back in Bryn’s world again. The humor is refreshing and makes the story even better. The young dragons have now paired with friends to make temporary bonds that strengthen both individuals. Each class of dragon has a pair and together they are searching for hidden doors beneath the library that conceal artifacts and weapons from generations of dragons. The Directorate wants to study these finds and keep on top of any rebellions that might pop up. Bryn continues to stir things up in the stuffy, uptight dragon society while she continues living with her grandparents. She seems to be softening her grandparents up also. I can see this series continuing because of the added plot twists and surprises. This enjoyable fantasy series is fun and intense at the same time – 5 stars!

Garden of Thorns by Amber Mitchell

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Garden of Thorns by Amber Mitchell! The story begins by showing the setting of captured girls and young women kept in cages. Some women are forced to entertain, they are called flowers, while their cage mates, called the wilted, take the punishment when the flowers do something wrong. The captured young girls are being trained to become flowers or wilted when they are teenagers and the cycle continues with young girls being kidnapped, trained and eventually taking the places of the flowers and wilted that are no longer serving their entertainment purposes and are expired or killed. The Gardener runs the Garden with a strict hand and his helper, Shears, enjoys the violence and gladly harms the entertainers. Entertaining is forbidden by the Emperor of Imperial City, but he has seemed to have recently changed his mind. After Rose’s friend Fern is killed, Rose decides to plan a distraction during entertaining the emperor so she can escape and eventually free all of the other girls. Rose uses a member of the audience as a hostage and runs. Little does she know that her hostage is the leader of the rebellion against the Emperor, Rayce. Rose is harboring a secret and she’s terrified to trust any man. She also has a lot to learn about the rebellion and the histories of the people involved. The intrigue and secrecy kept me interested and I liked the unique story line. I grew to care about several of the characters and found myself rooting for them when they were up against danger. I figured out some of the back story on my own, but not all and I appreciated the unpredictability-4 stars!

Splinter by Sarah Fine

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Splinter by Sarah Fine is the second book in the Reliquary series by this same author. Mattie has lost tremendous weight and seems unhealthy. At this point, she’s preparing for her wedding. Ben continues to make bad choices for the sake of his relationship with Mattie and Mattie continues to suffer the consequences. This sequel to Reliquary holds just as much suspense, excitement and action as the first book in the series. Mattie and Asa help each other out of more tough situations and drive each other crazy the whole way in this series geared towards adults. 5 stars for the believable world building and the intense characters in the Reliquary series!

The Last Shadow Gate by Michael W. Garza

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to YA Bound Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review The Last Shadow Gate by Michael W. Garza! Gavin and Naomi are staying with their great grandmother (Mama Walker) for the summer and they are not sure what to expect. They have heard strange tales of shadow gates from Mama Walker. Their great grandfather has been missing for years and Gavin and Naomi search the woods where he disappeared. They end up in another world and the creatures that reside their know of Papa Walker, their great grandfather. Tiberius, half spider/half human, helps them search for Sir Walker, as he is known in this world. The siblings are told that just trying to return home is not a worthy quest. They are told to bring freedom to the world they are now in and to restore Alandra’s rightful heir because that is a worthy quest and Sir Walker’s dream. They make friends in unlikely places and see strange creatures on their journey. There is so much more to come of this story and I am looking forward to it! 4 stars for this fantastical adventure!

Relic by Renee Collins

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Relic by Renee Collins! The story begins when three siblings run from a fire and only two survive with the help of an Apache. Maggie and Ella survive, but their brother Jeb does not. Now it’s up to Maggie to raise Ella on her own. Maggie waitresses at the local saloon and restaurant. She meets Landon and his two friends there. At first, Maggie trusts no one, but she soon sees that Landon, Bobby and Adelaide are true friends. The fires continue to be started in different towns and the communities are blaming the Apache people. Maggie isn’t so sure about this because her Apache friend saved her and Ella from the fire. I love the western setting within this fantasy story and the broad group of characters keeps the story interesting. The characters are all very dynamic and surprises keep coming. 5 stars for this imaginative and original story.