Review: The Price You Pay by Aidan Truhen

Title: The Price You Pay

Author: Aidan Truhen

Publisher: Knopf
Publication Date: July 10, 2018
Pages: 288 pages

Where to buy: Amazon

Stars: 3 stars

Summary: In this audacious, lightning-paced thriller, a smart-mouthed, white-collar drug dealer--a hilariously irreverent antihero--seeks revenge when an unknown enemy takes out a contract on him.

All is good in the life of Jack Price. His drug operation is the Amazon of cocaine trafficking, and no one can breach his complex security system. But then: His downstairs neighbor is professionally executed. That the murder is a sign for Jack becomes perfectly clear a few days later when he arrives home and is beaten to a bloody pulp by a squad of enforcers. Now revenge is on his mind, and he reaches out to his ex-Soviet associate. Unfortunately, she's just taken a gig with the Seven Demons, the most feared underground assassination squad in the world--and Jack is their next target. Anyone else would disappear as soon as they learned they were being targeted by the Seven Demons. But Jack Price cannot abide a betrayal. With the help of his contacts in a deep web network called Poltergeist, he fakes a getaway and begins scouting the Demons. He intends to take them out one by one...

Review:
I received this book for review. Once I got past all of the "I" statements it was a pretty great book. When your creative writing teachers drill that into your head to not start your stories out like that it kind of really shows up when reading other people's work. It was a little hard for me to get past I won't lie. The summary of the book is obviously what made me decide to review it. It kind of sounded a bit like something I've never heard of before and I was intrigued. I love a good mystery. Trying to figure out who killed your neighbor even if it's only because you are worried it was because they were after you. But this was just so hard for me to get into and trust me I got past the page of "I" statements. It could be because it's "Jack Price" telling the story and for me that is just not flowing for me. Due to me trying to push through the book I did not fly through this book. The guy is a total asshole, not one part of me wanted to root for him getting away from those assassins. I really wanted them to get him and torture him. The further into the book I got the worse it really got for me personally. I just hated him more. I continued to try to push through the book in hopes that it would get better or I would be able to stand him. I took a break and went to read some reviews to see what other people though. So far other reviewers seem to like it so I would say give it a shot. Check out some other reviews, just because it didn't work for me doesn't mean you won't like it. 

Review: Daddy Darkest by Ellery Kane

Title: Daddy Darkest

Author: Ellery Kane
Series: Doctors of Darkness

Publisher: Ellery Kane Publishing
Publication Date: May 2, 2017
Pages: 358 pages

Where to buy: Amazon

Stars: 5 stars

Summary: Bury your secrets. Bury them deep... 
​ 
A month after her high school graduation, small-town-girl Samantha "Sam" Bronwyn boards a plane with her best friend, Ginny. Destination: San Francisco. But when Ginny disappears inside an airport bathroom wearing Sam's letterman jacket, it doesn't take her long to figure out she was the intended target. Alone in a strange city, Sam's on a run for her life--drawn into a dark past she never knew existed. A past where secrets aren't all that's buried and where revenge comes at the highest price. 

Who is Sam really--and who can she trust? The mysterious stranger in 4A who secreted a gun in his backpack? The guilty ex-con? The disarming FBI agent? Her own mother? 

Only one thing is certain. Someone is after her. Someone who knows more about her than she does. Someone who wants to teach her a hard lesson: There are worse things than murder. 

Daddy Darkest is a standalone and the first in the Doctors of Darkness series.

Review:
I really didn't know what to expect from this book. Honestly I was going to try to read the Price You Pay first as it's release date is coming up but once I started this one I simply couldn't stop myself. I was at work, I was watching Limitless with my boyfriend, in the car with my boyfriend. Even at my boyfriends friends house none of those things stopped me from reading this book. This book is so good and very unpredictable. Even though I generally don't like when books go back and forth between time periods they do it perfectly and it really assists on catching you up to speed on who is after Sam. Character wise I really like Sam and Levi. Ginny is a strong person but not my favorite in the book. This is honestly a well written well rounded book. At some points I really wish it would focus more on their present time and a little less on the past. I completely understand having to understand the past to be able to understand where the story is going but parts of the past seem almost unimportant. I absolutely cannot wait to read more of this series!

What am I reading?

What am I reading?

Finished:

Daddy Darkest by Ellery Kane

Currently reading:
The Price You Pay by Aidan Truhen


Bench warmers:

Life Happens to us by Ashta-deb
What if This Were Enough? by Heather Havrilesky
The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain

Up to bat:
My Beautiful Despair by Kim Kierkegaardashian

Won:
The Exes' Revenge by Jo Jakeman (Physical)
The Infinet (Trivial Game, #1) by John Akers

Don't forget about the Giveaway!

Review: Darkest Night by Megan Erickson

Title: Darkest Night

Author: Megan Erickson

Publisher: Forever
Series: Wired & Dangerous (Book 2)
Publication Date: July 31, 2018
Pages: 320 pages

Where to buy: Amazon

Stars: 3

Summary: USA Today bestselling author Megan Erickson turns up the heat in her sexy and thrilling Wired & Dangerous romantic suspense series.

Bodyguard Jock Bosh has one job: keep Fiona Madden safe. Safe from the men who've been hunting her. Safe from the bastard responsible for ruining her life. And with the attraction sizzling white-hot between them, that means keeping Fiona safe from him too.

Fiona has spent the past decade on the run. Her survival is the single greatest weapon she's had against the men out to destroy her. Until Jock. Now, with him by her side, she finally has a chance to bring them down. But when her enemies make their next move and Jock puts himself in the line of fire, Fiona realizes that there's more at stake than just her life-she's also risking her heart.

Review:
The book was a little hard to get into, as a person who has been through a very slightly similar situation to Fiona I think that was why I was able to get into the book. Jock was kind of a non dimensional character but in some aspects I also understand where he came from. Being hurt having those you love hurt makes you not want to have someone who can be hurt. But beyond that he didn’t have much shape to him. Their relationship came almost out of nowhere. I read this book really quickly. Although a lot of this book gets to be extremely unrealistic. I did enjoy bits and pieces of it. 

Review: Low Chicago by George R.R. Martin

Title: Low Chicago

Author: George R.R. Martin 

Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: June 12, 2018
Pages: 432 pages
Series: Wild Cards (Book 17)

Where to buy: Amazon

Stars: 

Summary: In Low Chicago, a gang of criminals scattered throughout the past threaten the stability of the world in George R. R. Martin's latest Wild Cards adventure.

The stakes were already high enough at Giovanni Galante’s poker table that night in Chicago. Poker. Dealer’s choice. Seven players. A million-dollar cash buy-in.

But after a superpowered mishap, the most high-profile criminals in the city are scattered throughout the past and their schemes across time threaten the stability of the world.

Perfect for current fans and new readers alike, Low Chicago is an all-new time travel adventure that highlights the criminal underworld of 1920s Chicago, featuring a fresh cast of characters from the Wild Cards universe.

Edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin, Low Chicago features the writing talents of Saladin Ahmed (author of the bestselling comic Black Bolt), Paul Cornell (screenwriter, Doctor Who), Marko Kloos (author of the bestselling Frontlines series), John Jos. Miller, Mary Anne Mohanraj (Bodies in Motion, The Stars Change), Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy and Theodore Sturgeon Award finalist Christopher Rowe, Kevin Andrew Murphy, and Melinda M. Snodgrass (screenwriter, Star Trek).

“Martin has assembled an impressive array of writers. . . . Progressing through the decades, Wild Cards keeps its momentum.”―Locus

Now in development for TV: Rights to develop Wild Cards have been acquired by Universal Cable Productions, the team behind The Magicians and Mr. Robot, with the co-editor of Wild Cards, Melinda 

Review:
I am a lover of Game of Thrones so when I saw George R.R. Martins name come up I jumped at the opportunity. I had no idea this series had been going on for this many years. I feel my biggest downfall will be that I don't understand cards so I may have an issue understanding this book a little bit. But so far from what I've read just as an introduction of the many characters and their background to Nighthawk they are very interesting and complex. I really do hope that card games to not mix into what happens in this book or I will be questioning my boyfriend at every turn as my knowledge of card games is limited to Kings Corner, solitaire and go-fish and the like. It is very interesting to have a world based off of a society names after jokers, queens and such. The crazy characters are kind of cool. Some portions of of the first authors story doesn't make much since. Some parts remind me of Austin Powers. I hope these stories tie together because it kind of just drops off after the first story portion. The second one starts very slow and was more difficult for me to get into. Once it started explaining more I got into it. However, but had slow starts and then built up just before going into the next story. I feel like for the second one there was something I had read that actually given some information away about a character so that was slightly unfortunate for me. I want to like this book this book so much. But it was honestly so hard for me to read. I think I will love it as a show as much as I loved Games of Thrones as a show. At this time I suggest anyone who loved reading Game of Thrones to read this series and I will have to come back to this book at another time.

What am I reading?

What am I reading?

Finished:

Darkest Night by Megan Erickson
Hanger by Hirotaka Kisaragi Vol. 1

Currently reading:
The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain
What if This Were Enough? by Heather Havrilesky

Bench warmers:

Life Happens to us by Ashta-deb

Up to bat:

#MoonStruck by Sariah Wilson
Royally Arranged by Nora Flite
Good Little Girls by Rita Herron
The Price you pay by Aidan Truhen (physical)
Safe Houses by Dan Fesperman (physical)

Won:

For review and upcoming giveaway:
Widows by Lynda La Plante

Review: Mae by Gene Ha

Title: Mae Vol. 1

Author: Gene Ha
Series: Mae

Publisher: Lion Forge
Publication Date: July 3, 2018
Pages: 208 pages

Where to buy: Amazon

Stars: 3

Summary: Mae's beloved older sister, Abbie, has been missing for years. Mae has her theories about where Abbie might be. But nowhere in her wildest imagination do those theories encompass a fantasy world full of terrifying monsters, power-hungry nobles, and nefarious scientists. That is, until Abbie suddenly reappears in Mae's world. And not alone.

Review: 
I love the drawing, it reminds me a bit of Life is Strange, well at the beginning anyways. I absolutely love the nerdy references. Of course who doesn't love nerdy references when you are a nerd though. What kills me is the fact that this is based in Indiana and I want to go buy this and show my cousin and his friend in Indiana because they hate being in Indiana and living there. This is great I really want to read the next one to see what happens next just because of the way it left off I was a little frazzled. It went into a bit of a hey here's the back story here's the this and yada yada. But it didn't get back to the story itself. I am happy that Gene did decide to go with Mae as the focus instead of having her sister as the main character because I very much enjoy Mae. She really focuses with her head and doesn't just go and gets herself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Giveaway: Widows by Lynda La Plante

The Giveaway is in the United States only. It goes from 6/13-7/13.

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Review: Note to Self by Andrew Milner

Title: Note to Self

Author: Andrew Milner

Publisher: Andrew Milner Books
Publication Date: March 4, 2018
Pages: 258 pages

Where to buy: Amazon

Stars: 3

Summary: Emily is rapidly approaching fifty and thinks her life is just plain sailing. 

When her husband leaves her for a twenty five year old and her dad dies, it leaves her facing an uncertain and lonely future. She has two friends, Sally who is a gold digger yet hopeless in love and the pretty but dippy Dawn a police officer, who each have their own issues for Emily to deal with. On top of that her mum who is easily confused, and refers to cappuccino as Al Pacino, needs her full attention. 

Just when things start to hit rock bottom she meets an Italian stallion who turns her head so far she cricks her neck. In actual fact he’s called Kevin and has probably never been to Italy, but with lessons learnt she decides that maybe the devil that she already knows isn’t so bad after all.

Review:
When I read the summary for the book I was kind of excited about it. Although the book doesn't particularly hit my age demographic I thought in some ways I could connect. Before I meet my current boyfriend I was with a serial cheater. This book was a bit difficult to go through. It was a real slow start. I tried to get into the characters mindset especially as I had been in her shoes in some aspects. It was a little difficult honestly. She was very negative. Although her "self notes" were cute. She seemed very self destructive. Rather than she was trying to build herself up. She didn't seem to have many supportive people around her. Her relationship with her father was the only supportive relationship and she lost it. Her focuses were not seeming to be in the right place. She did marry a real a**hole. That is one thing I can say for sure. Personally for this book I had to go to another book so I did not get behind on my reviews. It is not because this book is unreadable. It is because this book is very slow moving. I don't know if it is the age demographic or just the pace of this book. Maybe it is because this character has a really poor support system around her a very little love for herself but I found it, it relate-able in the fact of the cheating lovers (which were in the past) and that was about the extent. Yes, I have family I have to take care of but. I couldn't finish this book maybe at another point in life I will give it another shot but right now... I just don't think it is going to happen. If you find that the summary jumps out at you please give it a shot. Maybe it is for you, unfortunately it is not for me at this time. 

What am I reading?

What am I reading?

Finished:

Low Chicago by George R.R. Martin 
Mae by Gene Ha Vol. 1

Currently reading:
The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain
Hanger by Hirotaka Kisaragi Vol. 1

Bench warmers:

Life Happens to us by Ashta-deb

Up to bat:

The Art of Healing by Jeanne Felfe
M.F. By Lisa Mackay
The Break up by Erin McCarthy
One Day Like This by Laura Briggs
Overdrive by Juanita Kees

Won:

Review: Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill

Title: Wild Hunger

Author: Chloe Neill 

Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: August 14, 2018
Pages: 352 pages
Series: An Heirs of Chicagoland Novel (Book 1)

Where to buy: Amazon

Stars: 5 stars

Summary: In the first thrilling installment of Chloe Neill's spinoff to the New York Times bestselling Chicagoland Vampires series, a new vampire will find out just how deep blood ties run.

As the only vampire child ever born, some believed Elisa Sullivan had all the luck. But the magic that helped bring her into the world left her with a dark secret. Shifter Connor Keene, the only son of North American Central Pack Apex Gabriel Keene, is the only one she trusts with it. But she's a vampire and the daughter of a Master and a Sentinel, and he's prince of the Pack and its future king.

When the assassination of a diplomat brings old feuds to the fore again, Elisa and Connor must choose between love and family, between honor and obligation, before Chicago disappears forever.

Review:
I was beyond excited when I was approved to review this book. I absolutely loved so many of Chloe's books. When I first started this blog her books were spread across my reviews. When I started this I will be honest I was terrified that I didn't enjoy her writing any more as it had been a couple years since I've read her writing. But the further I got into the book the more I fell in love. I was back to being overwhelmed with excitement that I was able to read this book before it was published and to be able to review another of her titles. The further into this book I got the more of a feel I got for the other series Chicagoland which is what made me fall in love with Chloe's writing. This book is fantastic. I found myself staying up at night reading, having a hard time going into work to find out what was going to happen next. Would everything get resolved? Would there really be peace among the vampires? Honestly once I got past my teen years I thought I was past all that vampire, werewolves, stuff. But I guess Chloe just captures my soul. I am ready for the next book in the series.. Is it here yet? I am also ready to pick up where I left off on the Chicagoland series as well because I know I never finished that either. I may have loved that but my TBR pile was bigger than my love of my love of that series unfortunately. I totally recommend this book.

Review: Hidden by Kelli Clare

Title: Hidden

Author: Kelli Clare

Publisher: SparkPress
Publication Date: June 5, 2018
Pages: 328 pages

Where to buy: Amazon

Stars: 5 stars

Summary: Small-town Connecticut art teacher Ellie James finds the intense connection she’s longing for when she meets Will Hastings, a seductive Englishman with an alluring darkness. But just days later, her sister and grandmother are murdered and she must confront the unthinkable: is Will a man she can trust, a killer―or both?

After surviving a near-fatal attempt on her life, Ellie makes a desperate move: she takes her young niece Lissie and runs to England with Will. There, fiery passion becomes possession, London paparazzi call her by another name, and assassins of a secret society close in after the stunning truth about Ellie’s family is exposed. When Will suddenly disappears after putting a ring on her finger, Ellie must find the strength to elude assassins, disentangle herself from the haunting lies she’s lived for twenty-seven 

Review:
This cover kind of makes you think it is a YA novel... As the saying goes do not judge a book by it's cover. I was very excited to read. OH MY GOSH. The start of this book, the description the just. WOW. I honestly didn't know what to expect from this book because at the beginning so much had already happened. It had its grips in nice and firmly. There were it's moments of cheesiness. But by goodness I wish I could have dedicated a whole day to just reading this book. Every moment in-between calls I just took my time soaking up the words of this books and enjoying every moment. I love a lot of this book there is very few things I don't love about this book. I love the primal love between the two. I find the construct of the story line to be very interesting and something I've never heard of before. Some of it seems a bit... unbelievable but at the same time you want it to be real, not in the sense of someone's whole family being murdered. I have unfortunately been on the end of that where I never want someone to suffer through that but the romance they have. The immediate draw, the ability to protect those the love. I don't like in the synopsis how it says Will disappears.. at no point does he disappear his brothers know where he is the whole time. That's just misleading. Honestly the synopsis is meh but the book is amazing. The synopsis should have written better. I don't think it fits the book well at all. I think that's my biggest complaint about the book. 

What am I reading?

What am I reading?

Finished:

Currently reading:
Low Chicago by George R.R. Martin 

Bench warmers:

Life Happens to us by Ashta-deb
The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain

Up to bat:

Zero Sum Game by S.L. Huang
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (gift)
Guess Who by Chris McGeorge
The Other Woman by Sandie Jones
A Wolf Apart by Maria Vale
Unstolen: You can steal, but you can't hide by Tony Batton

Won:
Devices by Kenna Jefferies
Thief in Law by Michael Dirubo

Review: A Wedding on Bluebird Way by Lori Wilde, Janet Dailey, Allyson Charles, Stacey Keith

Title: A Wedding on Bluebird Way

Author: Lori Wilde, Janet Dailey, Allyson Charles, Stacey Keith

Publisher: Zebra
Publication Date: May 29, 2018
Pages: 336 pages

Where to buy: Amazon

Stars: stars are listed by each story 5+

Summary: The sun is shining, the garden’s in bloom and every detail is perfect as the wedding of the year gets underway at the charming Bluebird Inn. But when the Big Day becomes an even bigger fiasco, the surprises unfold in four entwined tales featuring the unforgettable Loving family . . .
 
The moment for “I do” has arrived, and all eyes are on the bride . . . until she turns heel, hijacks a Ducati, and speeds out of town! Now everyone entangled in the wedding that wasn’t takes off on an unexpected adventure of the heart: A down-on-her-luck B&B owner who needs a little help finding her own bluebird of happiness. . . . A big city cop with small-town roots who pulls over the girl he could never have. . . . A jilted groom and a Type A wedding planner with mischievous twins who discover a little chaos can make life—and love—wonderfully exciting. And of course, the caterer—a hometown girl who risks getting burned when she reconnects with an old flame.
 
That loving feeling is sweeping through tiny Serendipity, Texas, and second chances are turning into happy endings as sweet as the bluebirds coming home to nest . . . 

Review:
All together I absolutely love how the stories come together. It is kind of a beautiful thing how authors can work together like that. This is absolutely an amazingly beautiful story and I love how it all works together in one small town. Just like the gossip in a small town. Each story has their own ups and downs to go through. They are short yet quick and you kind of fall in love with each of their stories quickly. Honestly I really want this book in physical form.

The Wedding that Wasn't by Lori Wilde:
This quick short story is beautiful and I am absolutely in love. Honestly I want more. Felicity believes she is cursed and everything in life ends up being against her but it doesn't always have to end that way. It peaks my interest into looking into more of Lori Wilde's books. I want to know what happens in that cute little B&B, with their romance and lives. I am happy that the story went beyond just the romance even in the short time it also focused on the Lovings and the brothers relationship. For anyone who says that relationships like this don't happen this quickly have never been struck by that lightning. 5 stars.

There Goes the Bride by Allyson Charles:
I absolutely love the relationship that becomes between the runaway bride and the man that comes home after running away from his past. It is unexpected yet so meant to be. They knew each other from when they were younger all the elements were there. It was quick and beautiful. I wish I had been able to see how this builds and continues. 5 stars.

Loving Hailey by Stacey Keith:
When love falls apart because someone thinks it shouldn't be there in the first place and then it prevails because it always belongs is always the best love story of all time. This one may be my least favorite out of the four stories in this book. Not to say it is bad in anyway but the best part about it is the end. The ending is beautiful and heartfelt. But the rest of it is a little bit struggle. 4 stars.

Bachelor Honeymoon by Janet Dailey:
This story was honestly the quickest read I wanted to hate this doctor. I really really did. In honesty this comes together so beautifully and so well you can't hate any of it I think the thing I hate is how much she pushes him away but being in her place at one or three times in my life I 100% get it so my struggle to love hate both of them was real. I cannot pick a favorite story out of all of these. But I absolutely loved the way this one ended. 5 stars.