"You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book." Dr. Seuss
Do we as readers not long for deliciously flawed protagonists, flagrant lies, and potently malevolent villains? For stories that unfold in uncommon and innovative ways. For an author drop us unceremoniously in the middle of the plot, making us scramble to gain our footing. I love to be lied to, led astray. My mind toyed with. At least where my reading is concerned. Sometimes, the best parts of a book are the parts that simply didn’t happen the way we’re told they did. If you are prepared to be enthralled, confounded, and outsmarted, for a narrative that deviates from the usual, follow me…
I was bitten by the vampire bug early. Ever since the tender age of thirteen, I’ve been obsessed with the undead rulers of the night, Vampires. Whatever trope an author embraces; stake through the heart, the must have invitation; the hot mesmerizing, undying love…I’m there for it! Don’t get me wrong, I fear the reaper. Yet I am drawn in by the allure of the Vampire. They surpass many other folklore monsters and continue to spark our imaginations, not to mention our libidos. So, if you are prepared to be seduced beyond your wildest imagination…the wait is over. Come in.
As mentioned, I love a small-town story. Even with the understanding that rarely are they easy ones. That often the only thing that thrives in these places is the past; never to be buried, never to be forgotten. Cast with characters that always have one foot in the past, unable to ever let it go. With resentments that have been allowed to fester and flourish. With endless machinations to avoid the contemplation of the sins of the past ensure the reader an absorbing narrative. Come along, if you’re up for it!
There are many reasons to love the Empyrean Series; room wrecking sex, hero’s with “I’d die for you” energy, smartass dragons, jaw dropping endings, and a bookish and brave protagonist. What’s not to love?! If you think you learned everything there was about this world in book one, think again. If you think there can’t possibly be any more secrets to be laid bare, think again. If you think the author can’t top the ending of the first book…shame on you!
Who would have thought a tale of the secrets behind some long-forgotten dollhouses would be a page turner? Not me that’s for sure. I was happily proven wrong. The story moves back and forth in time between a librarian and an artist. An artist that used her talent to help keep other women’s secrets, making miniatures that document it all. Accomplishments, betrayals and forbidden loves. Enchanting!
I adored twenty-three-year-old Joe and his beautiful, big-hearted story about friendship, resilience and empathy woven with gems of wisdom that stay with the reader long after the final page is turned. To keep company with someone who sees the best in everyone, even if they aren’t being their best selves, is something we should all be lucky enough to do. Joe’s rules for true friends are ones we should all follow! Read with tissues!
Frank arrives at his estranged daughters wedding to find a secluded private estate, a mostly absent and evasive groom, a mother of the groom being kept away from the guests, neighbors with accusations of murder, and that’s only the beginning. I had serious Get Out and Glass Onion vibes as the story unfolded. Keep in mind that old adage…maybe it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie.
Looking for some book recommendations? Tell me a book or two you have loved and I will put a list together for you. Totally gratis!
