This Week's Reads

by Thomas Wightman (blog)

The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May
The Falconer #2 (Goodreads)
**I think I love the covers of these books better than the actual books. Already finished this one and I love the side characters so much more than I like Aileana and Kiaran.
It is a very readable series and I feel bad that I don't love these two characters as much as everyone else seems to. That said I will probably still read the third book just to find out what happens in the end.

Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley
The Checquy Files #2 (Goodreads)
**I really loved book 1 (The Rook) and am hoping that this book is just as good.

Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh
Ivory and Bone #1 (Goodreads)
**I'm intrigued by the premise of this one. It's not just a historical fantasy, it's a prehistoric fantasy. I'm interested to see if the characters feel prehistoric not modern placed in prehistoric time.

New Releases ~ week of 06/2702016

A Summer to Remember by Marilyn Pappano (#6 Tallgrass)

Addicted by Elle Kennedy (#2 Outlaws)
Age of Myth by Michael J Sullivan (#1 The Legends of the First Empire)
All Kitten Aside by Milly Taiden (#11 Paranormal Dating Agency)
And I Darken by Kiersten White (#1 The Conquerors Saga)
Awakened by Kate Douglas (#3 Intimate Relations)
Borrowing Death by Cathy Pegau (#2 Charlotte Brody Mysteries)
Buffalo Jump Blues by Keith McCafferty (#5 Martha Ettinger & Sean Stranahan Mysteries)
Caught Bread Handed by Ellie Alexander (#4 Bakeshop Mystery)
Chaos Bound by Sarah Castille (#4 Sinner's Tribe Motorcycle Club)
Chasing Lady Amelia by Maya Rodale (#2 Keeping Up With the Cavendishes)

Conquering by Ryan Michele (#2 Vipers Creed)
Cowboy Player by Mia Hopkins (#3 Cowboy Cocktail)
Cracked to Death by Cheryl Hollon (#3 A Webb's Glass Shop Mystery)
Daredevil Snared by Stephanie Laurens (#3 The Adventurers Quartet)
Darkstalker by Tui T Sutherland (#Special in Wings of Fire)
Deceived by Kate SeRine (#1 Dark Alliance)
Defender by Diana Palmer (#51 Long Tall Texans)
Defending Hayden by L.P. Dover (#7 Second Chances)
Demon of Vengeance by Brenda Huber (#4 Chronicles of the Fallen)
Drive You Wild by Jennifer Bernard (#3 Love Between the Bases)
Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman (#2 Blood of Gods and Royals)
Engaged in Death by Stephanie Blackmoore (#1 A Wedding Planner

Mystery)
Fated Identity by Kennedy Layne (#6 Red Starr)
First Strike by Ben Coes (#6 Dewey Andreas)
Fly Guy Presents: The White House by Tedd Arnold (#9 Fly Guy Presents)
Forevermore by Kristen Callihan (#7 Darkest London)
Friendly Fire by John Gilstrap (#8 Jonathan Grave)
Ghosts of War by Brad Taylor (#10 Pike Logan)
Grace Sees Red by Julie Hyzy (#7 Manor House Mysteries)
Hard to Serve by Laura Kaye (#5.5 Hard Ink)
Hope and Red by Jon Skovron (#1 Empire of Storms Trilogy)
How Secrets Die by Marta Perry (#3 House of Secrets)

Ice Station Nautilus by Rick Campbell (#3 Trident Deception)
Icon by Genevieve Valentine (#2 The Personal Sequence)
Marriage, Monsters-in-Law, and Murder by Sara Rosett (#9 Mom Zone Mysteries)
Mission Atomic by Sarwat Chadda (#4 39 Clues: Doublecross)
Murder Has Nine Lives by Laura Levine (#14 Jaine Austen)
Murder on Brittany Shores by Jean-Luc Bannalec (#2 Commissioner Dupin)
On the Brink by Kate Willoughby (#0 In the Zone)
Once a Soldier by Mary Jo Putney (#1 Rogues Redeemed)
Order of The Wicked by Danielle Paige (#0.7 Dorothy Must Die)
Ping Pong Heart by Martin Limon (#11 George Sueno & Ernie Bascom)
Race to the South Pole by Kate Messner (#4 Ranger in Time)

Restless & Edgy by Kendall Ryan (#3 Alphas Undone)
Seconds to Live by Melinda Leigh (#3 Scarlet Falls)
Shadow Rider by Christine Feehan (#1 Shadow)
Snap of the Super-Goop by Troy Cummings (#10 Notebook of Doom)
Something's Knot Kosher by Mary Marks (#4 Quilting Mysteries)
Stepping to a New Day by Beverly Jenkins (#7 Blessings)
Sticks and Stones by Michael Hiebert (#4 Leah Teal)
Summer in Good Hope by Cindy Kirk (#2 A Good Hope Novel)
Sweet As Honey by Jennifer Beckstrand (#1 The Honeybee Sisters)
Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis (#1 Heartbreaker Bay)
The Consummation by Shay Savage (#3 Unexpected Circumstances)
The Curse of Tenth Grave by Darynda Jones (#10 Charley Davidson)

The Darkest Magic by Morgan Rhodes (#2 Spirit and Thieves)
The Devil In Disguise by Cynthia Eden (#1 Bad Things)
The Night Is Deep by Joe Hart (#1 Liam Dempsey)
The Nightmare Stacks by Charles Stross (#7 Laundry Files)
The Perdition Score by Richard Kadrey (#8 Sandman Slim)
The Seascape Tattoo by Larry Niven, Steven Barnes (#1 Magic Goes Away)
The Tick-tock Man by Kersten Hamilton (#3 Gadgets and Gears)
Then He Kissed Me by Laura Trentham (#2 Cottonbloom Novels)
United as One by Pittacus Lore (#7 Lorien Legacies)
Warning Order by Joshua Hood (#2 Search and Destory)
Your Name In Lights by Miranda MacLeod (#2 Love's Encore)

Book Review ~ Age of Myth

Age of Myth (Legends of The First Empire #1)

by Michael J Sullivan
published by Del Ray
expected release date: June 28, 2016
genre: Adult, Fantasy, 

**Received e-galley from NetGalley/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary (Goodreads): Michael J. Sullivan's trailblazing career began with the breakout success of his Riyria series: full-bodied, spellbinding fantasy adventures whose imaginative scope and sympathetic characters won a devoted readership. Now, Sullivan's stunning hardcover debut, Age of Myth, inaugurates an original five-book series, and one of fantasy's finest next-generation storytellers continues to break new ground.

Since time immemorial, humans have worshipped the gods they call Fhrey, truly a race apart: invincible in battle, masters of magic, and seemingly immortal. But when a god falls to a human blade, the balance of power between men and those they thought were gods changes forever. Now, only a few stand between humankind and annihilation: Raithe, reluctant to embrace his destiny as the God Killer, Suri, a young seer burdened by signs of impending doom, and Persephone, who must overcome personal tragedy to lead her people. The Age of Myth is over; the time of rebellion has begun.

My Thoughts: I decided  to read this after seeing that I did not need to read the Riyria series in order to follow the story. We start with Raithe and his father coming in contact with a Fhrey who is not happy that they are hunting on the wrong side of the river. Through a series of events involving the Fhrey, his servants, Raithe, and his father, the Fhrey ends up dead and Raithe ends up as the god killer. While Raithe and one of the servants are around for the rest of the story this is really his biggest part of the book. I did like him and Persephone together and can't wait to see what happens with them next.
While trying to outrun the Fhreys that are hunting them down, Raithe ends up at Persephone's clans home. This is when everyone comes together in one place. Persephone and her friends, Raithe, a rogue group of Fhreys, and Suri. Suri was definitely my favorite and I hope we get more of her in the books to come.
The only thing I did not like was the showdown between the new clan chieftain and his group against Persephone and her friends/ allies. The only reason I didn't like it was where it took place. Up in the mountain away from the rest of the clan. Persephone got to find out what happened to her husband but no one else really does. They know what they are told by Persephone but, for me, it's convenient that they all just believe everything she tells them when just the day before they were fully behind the new chieftain and his group.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to finding out the ramifications of the final battle. I feel like I should be wary of the conversation between the rogue Fhrey and the servant but I find myself more curious than disappointed. Unfortunately, even though all the books are written, we still have to wait a year for the next book to come out.

Rating: 4

Some Thursday Randomness

I haven't done one of these in awhile. Some old stuff and some newer stuff to peruse.

Art
Lips Art by Jazmina Daniel (instagram)

While looking for dragons came across Alvia Alcedo (DeviantArt) not only is there great artwork, you can get the artwork on jewelry.

Tropical Fairy Dragon
by Alvia Alcedo (DeviantArt)

Red Mountain
by Alvia Alcedo (DeviantArt)

Art By Aelia (Esty)

Reading Lists
Just a couple of articles I found on Epic Reads. One is the best YA book trailers of all time and the other is YA Fairy Tale retellings. These are just a few of my favorites from each list.
Trailers (website)
Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger. The quirky feel to this trailer goes so well with the series.


A Study In Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro. This made me really want to read this book and would watch it if it was a series.

YA Retellings (website / graphic)
I realized that I've read some from most of the categories but the most has been from Little Red Riding Hood, which surprised me.

Goodreads

One of my favorite authors or retelling is Jessica Day George. This series is a retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses

Goodreads

This Week's Reads

Paper Girls Vol. 1 by Brian K Vaughan
(Goodreads)
**I'm one of the few that just couldn't get into Saga but did like Vaughan's writing so giving this one a try.

Jessica Jones: Alias Vol 2 by  Brian Michael Bendis
(Goodreads)
**Trying to learn more about characters I'm not as familiar with.

New Releases ~ week of 06/20/2016

A Sinful Calling by Kimberla Lawson Roby (#13 Reverend Curtis Black)

Born of Legend by Sherrilyn Kenyon (#10 The League)
Boundary Born by Melissa F Olson (#3 Old World)
Cowboy After Dark by Vicki Lewis Thompson (#6 Thunder Mountain Brotherhood)
Dirty Sexy Cuffed by Carly Phillips (#3 Dirty Sexy Series)
Downtown Devil by Cara McKenna (#2 Sins in the City)
Driftwood Point by Mariah Stewart (#10 Chesapeake Diaries)
Easy Kisses by Kristen Proby (#4 Boudreaux)
Eye of the Storm by Emmie Mears (#4 Ayala Storm)
Fatal Pursuit by Martin Walker (#9 Bruno, Chief of Police)
Ignite by Nicole Helm (#3 Firefighters of Montana)
International Incident by Melissa F. Miller (#9 Sasha McCandless)
Lost In You by Jenika Snow, Sam Crescent (#6 Soldiers of Wrath MC)

Miss Daisy Is Still Crazy! by Dan Gutman (#5 My Weirdest School)
My Guardian by Alanea Alder (#6 Bewitched And Bewildered)
Oliver Twisted by Cindy Brown (#3 Ivy Meadows)
Poison or Protect by Gail Carriger (Delightfully Deadly #1)
Pride's Spell by Matt Wallace (#3 Sin Du Jour)
Secretly Hers by Jamie Beck (#2 Sterling Canyon)
Stay Until We Break by Mercy Brown (#2 Hub City)
Sunshine Beach by Wendy Wax (#4 Beach)
Texas Sweet by Jean Brashear (#18 Texas Heroes)
The Asset by Mark Dawson (#2 Isabella Rose Thriller)
The Billionaire’s Favorite Mistake by Jessica Clare (#4 Billionaires & Bridesmaids)
The Bourne Enigma by Eric Van Lustbader (#13 Jason Bourne)

The Detective & the Chinese High-Fin by Michael Craven (#2 John Darvelle)
The Final Chase by Jessica Florence (#2 Final Love Series)
The Pursuit by Janet Evanovich, Lee Goldberg (#5 Kate O'Hare)
The Secret Fire by Whitaker Ringwald (#3 Secret Box)
The Weaver's Lament by Elizabeth Haydon (#9 Symphony of Ages)
Unbreakable Stories: Lucas by Jocelynn Drake, Rinda Elliott (#1.5 The Unbreakable Bonds Series)
White Sand, Volume 1 by Brandon Sanderson

Stacking the Shelves ~ Thanks to Armchair BEA

Just a quick post to thanks the people that put together Armchair BEA (learn more here) and the publishers/ authors that donated books for the event. I was lucky enough to win three books this year.

Luring Shadows by Kristina Rienzi
(Goodreads) Author Website (here)
**The author also sent a bunch of swag plus the book was signed.

The Pages of The Mind by Jeffe Kennedy
(Goodreads) Author Website (here)

Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History by Sam Maggs
(Goodreads) Author Website (here)
**Received from Quirk Books (publisher)

This Week's Reads

**I only got one new book from the library this week. With school ending and everything that goes into the end of the year I'm way behind in reading.
***I did grab Passenger by Alexandra Bracken again since I did not get a chance to read last time.

Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes
Queen of Hearts Saga (Goodreads)
**Alice in Wonderland has always been one of my favorite tales. I've seen good things about this one and have been looking forward to getting a chance to read it.
I also really like how simple the cover is but still ties into the story.

New Releases ~ week of 06/13/2016

Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh (#15 Psy-Changelings)

Bay of Sighs by Nora Roberts (#2 Guardians Trilogy)
Blood In the Water by Taylor Anderson (#11 Destroyermen)
Charcoal Joe by Walter Mosley (#14 Easy Rawlins)
Claim Me by Anna Zaires (#3 Capture Me)
Death On the Sapphire by R J Koreto (#1 Lady Frances Ffolkes Mystery)
Dominance Never Dies by Lexi Blake (#11 Masters and Mercenaries)
Duty and Honor by Grant Blackwood (#9 Jack Ryan, Jr.)
Escape from Asylum by Madeleine Roux (#4 Asylum)
Falling Free by Tina Wainscott (#3 Falling Fast)
Fixin' To Die by Tonya Kappes (#1 Kenni Lowry Mystery)
Foreign Agent by Brad Thor (#15 Scot Harvath)

Gods by Ednah Walters (#3 Eirik)
Going Deep by Jayne Rylon (#2 Divemasters)
Ink Enduring by Carrie Ann Ryan (#5 Montgomery Ink)
Into the Light by Aleatha Romig (#1 The Light)
Jack by Grace Burrowes (#4 Jaded Gentlemen)
Last Kiss by Laurelin Paige (#2 First and Last)
League of Dragons by Naomi Novik (#9 Temeraire)
Lost Dog by Alan Russell (#3 Gideon and Sirius)
Murder on the Quai by Cara Black (#16 Aimee Leduc)
Nightstalkers by Steve Alten (#5 Meg)
Out On Good Behavior by Dahlia Adler (#3 Radleigh University)

Project (Un)Popular by Kristen Tracy (#1 Project Un-Popular)
Reliquary by Sarah Fine (#1 Reliquary)
Rise of the Robot Army by Robert Venditti (#2 Miles Taylor and the Golden Cape)
Saving a Legend by Sarah Robinson (#2 Kavanagh Legends)
Scorch by Dani Collins (#2 Firefighters of Montana)
Sea Spell by Jennifer Donnelly (#4 Waterfire Saga)
Sidney Chambers and The Dangers of Temptation by James Runcie (#5 Grantchester Mystery)
Some People Talk with God by John Enright (#2 Dominick Chronicles)
Steeplejack by A J Hartley (#1 Alternative Detective)

Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley (#2 The Checquy Files)
The Devil's Cold Dish by Eleanor Kuhns (#5 Will Rees)
The Ghostfaces by John Flanagan (#6 Brotherband Chronicles)
The Kidnap Plot by Dave Butler (#1 Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie)
The King Slayer by Virginia Boecker (#2 The Witch Hunter)
The Rise of Earth by Jason Fry (#3 Jupiter Pirates)
The Saddle Maker's Son by Kelly Irvin (#3 Amish of Bee County)
Title Wave by Lorna Barrett (#10 Booktown Mystery)
Unchained by Elisabeth Naughton (#7.6 Eternal Guardians)
Widowmaker by Paul Doiron (#7 Mike Bowditch Mystery)
Wyvern's Mate by Deborah Cooke (#1 The Dragons of Incendium)

This Week's Reads

Midnight Blue-Light Special by Seanan McGuire
InCryptid #2 (Goodreads)

The Mark of the Tala by Jeffe Kennedy
The Twelve Kingdoms #1 (Goodreads)
**I recently won book 4 in this series so thought I should finally start it.














These next two I saw on a list about female characters by female authors but cannot find the list/site it came from.

The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker (Goodreads)
**It has magic and other worlds. Just sounds like something I would enjoy reading.

The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore
(Goodreads)
**I don't generally read  a lot of non fiction. This caught my attention because of all the superhero movies and shows I've been watching. Having not read the comics I don't really don't know a lot about them.

New Releases ~ week of 06/06/ 2014

A Gentleman's Guide to Scandal by Kathleen Kimmel (#2 Birch Hall)

A Golden Cage by Shelley Freydont (#2 Newport Gilded Age)
A Premonition of Murder by Mary Kennedy (#3 Dream Club Mystery)
A SEAL to Save Her by Karen Anders (#5 To Protect and Serve)
A Shattering Crime by Jennifer McAndrews (#3 Stained Glass Mystery)
A Study in Sable by Mercedes Lackey (#12 Elemental Masters)
All Summer Long by Melody Carlson (#2 Follow Your Heart)
Books of a Feather by Kate Carlisle (#10 Bibliophile Mystery)
Break Me Like a Promise by Tiffany Schmidt (#2 Once upon a Crime Family)
City of Jackals by Parker Bilal (#5 Makana Mystery)
Close to Home by Deborah Raney (#4 Chicory Inn)
Cross Kill by James Patterson (#23.5 Alex Cross)
Daring In a Blue Dress by Katie MacAlister (#3 Matchmaker in Wonderland)

Dark Horse by Rory Flynn (#2 Eddy Harkness)
Dead End Street by Sheila Connolly (#7 Museum Mysteries)
Dead of Night by Erin Hunter (#2 Survivors: The Gathering Darkness)
Deadly Medicine by Donald Bain (#29 Capital Crimes)
Death's Bright Day by David Drake (#11 RCN-Danial Leary)
December Boys by Joe Clifford (#2 Jay Porter)
Dishonorable Intentions by Stuart Woods (#38 Stone Barrington)
Dr. Doa by Simon R Green (#10 Secret Histories)
Dry Spells by Margarita Gakis (#4 Covencraft)
ÉClair and Present Danger by Laura Bradford (#1 An Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery)
End of Watch by Stephen King (#3 The Bill Hodges Trilogy)
Fan the Flames by Katie Ruggle (#2 Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue)

Hanging by a Thread by Jenna Sutton (#3 Riley O'Brien & Co)
Ink & Bone by Lisa Unger (#4 Hollows)
Judgment by Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant (#5 Alien Invasion Series)
Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan (#1 Julia Vanishes)
Knit to Be Tied by Maggie Sefton (#14 Knitting Mystery)
Like a Boss by Adam Rakunas (#2 Windswept)
Love on Lavender Island by Lauren Christopher (#2 Lavender Island)
Love Thy Enemy by Katie Reus (#13 Red Stone Security)
Murder at Fountainebleau by Amanda Carmack (#5 Elizabethan Mystery)
Murder at the Mansion by Janet Finsilver (#2 Kelly Jackson)
Murder on a Designer Diet by Shawn Reilly Simmons (#3 Red Carpet Catering Mystery)
Murder, Handcrafted by Isabella Alan (#5 Amish Quilt Shop Mystery)
Not Dead Enough by Warren C Easley (#4 Cal Claxton Mysteries)

Relentless by Tera Lynn Childs, Tracy Deebs (#2 Hero Agenda)
Rock Steady by Dawn Ryder (#2 Rock Band)
Rootbound by Shannon Mayer (#5 Elemental)
Savage Sanctuary by Ellis Leigh (#2 Dire Wolves Series: Part of the Feral Breed World)
Sea Rose Lane by Irene Hannon (#2 Hope Harbor)
Smolder by Tracy Solheim (#1 Firefighters of Montana)
Snow Wolf by Heather Long (#9 Wolves of Willow Bend)
Stirring Attraction by Sara Jane Stone (#2 Second Shot)
Sweet Resolve by Jill Sanders (#2 Lucky)
Swimsuit Body by Eileen Goudge (#2 Cypress Bay Mysteries)
Sword in the Stacks by Jen Swann Downey (#2 Ninja Librarians)
Targeted by Kendra Elliot (#4 Mason Callahan)
Tea Cups and Carnage by Lynn Cahoon (#7 A Tourist Trap Mystery)
Test Drive by Marie Harte (#1 Body Shop Bad Boys)
The Black Cat Knocks on Wood by Kay Finch (#2 Bad Luck Cat mystery)
The Calamity Café by Gayle Leeson (#1 A Down South Café Mystery)
The Cavendon Luck by Barbara Taylor Bradford (#3 Cavendon)
The Colour of Darkness by Ruth Hatfield (#2 Book of Storms)
The Diva Serves High Tea by Krista Davis (#10 Domestic Diva)
The Harder He Falls by Lynda Aicher (#1 Kick)
The House of Secrets by Brad Meltzer (#1 The House of Secrets)
The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (#2 Fixer)
The Shadowsteel Forge by D.K. Holmberg (#5 The Dark Ability)
To Love A Wolf by Paige Tyler (#4 SWAT)
Wicked Burn by Rebecca Zanetti (#3 Realm Enforcers)