This Week's Reads

Deadmen Walking by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Deadmen's Cross #1 (Goodreads)
**This is one of my favorite authors and have been looking forward to this one since I first saw it. Love the cover and the historical pirate aspect of the story.

Camp So and So by Mary McCoy
(Goodreads)
**I hadn't heard of this one before I saw it at the library. Something about the summary drew me in. I liked the breakdown of what is going to happen to each of the cabins.

Kinslyer by Jay Kristoff
The Lotus War #2 (Goodreads)
**I'm not sure why I haven't gotten to this book before now. Looking forward to find out the aftermath of the assassination and Yukiko's growing powers.

New Releases ~ week of 05/29/2017

A Deeper Grave by Debra Webb (#2 Shades of Death)

A Fine Retribution by Dewey Lambdin (#24 Alan Lewrie)
A Hiss Before Dying by Rita Mae Brown (#26 Mrs Murphy)
A Kingdom Rises by J D Rinehart (#3 Crown of Three)
About a Dog by Jenn McKinlay (#1 Bluff Point)
Aunt Dimity and the Widow's Curse by Nancy Atherton (#22 Aunt Dimity)
Bearly Departed by Meg Macy (#1 A Teddy Bear Mystery)
Beyond Doubt by Kit Rocha (#1 O'Kane for Life)
Beyond Reason by Kat Martin (#1 Texas Trilogy)
Blaze by Donna Grant (#11 Dark Kings)
Bow Wow by Spencer Quinn (#3 Bowser and Birdie)
Chasing Love by Melissa West (#2 Littleton Brothers)

Cherished by Christina Bauer (#3 Beholder)
Chief by Kris Michaels (#7 Kings of Guardian)
Close the Tab: Nomad Bikers by Chelsea Camaron (#3 Devil's Due MC)
Come Sundown by Nora Roberts
Dark Zone by Tom Clancy (#16 Tom Clancy's Op-Center)
Death by Vanilla Latte by Alex Erickson (#4 Death By Coffee)
Desperate Fire by Christopher Nuttall (#4 Angel in the Whirlwind)
Destroyer by Shannon Mayer (#7 Elemental)
Dying Breath by Heather Graham (#21 Krewe of Hunters)
Forbidden Promises by Katee Robert (#4 The O'Malleys)
House of Furies by Madeleine Roux (#1 House of Furies)
Jake by Kym Grosso (#9 Immortals of New Orleans)
Lightning in the Blood by Marie Brennan (#2 Ree Varekai)
Marriage Is Pure Murder by Staci McLaughlin (#6 Blossom Valley Mysteries)
Maybe This Love by Jennifer Snow (#2 Colorado Ice)
Monstrous by Thomas E Sniegoski (#2 Savage)
Mulch Ado about Murder by Edith Maxwell (#5 Local Foods Mysteries)
New York, Actually by Sarah Morgan (#4 Made in New York)
Night Magic by Jenna Black (#2 Nightstruck)
Night Resurrected by Colleen Gleason (#6 The Heroes of New Vegas)
Nighthawk by Clive Cussler, Graham Brown (#14 The NUMA® Files)
No One but You by Brenda Novak (#2 Silver Springs)
One Fete in the Grave by Vickie Fee (#3 A Liv & Di In Dixie Mystery)
Outlaw's Honor by B J Daniels (#2 Cahill Ranch)
Persuasion by Jaymin Eve (#2 Curse of the Gods)
Return to Huckleberry Hill by Jennifer Beckstrand (#7 Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill)
Shadow Found by D.K. Holmberg (#6 The Shadow Accords)
Shadow Reaper by Christine Feehan (#2 Shadow)
Spectacle by Rachel Vincent (#2 Menagerie)
The Antique House Murders by Leslie Nagel (#2 OakWood Mysteries)
The Cajun Doctor by Sandra Hill (#9 Cajun)
The Case of the Forked Road by John Allison (#7 Bad Machinery)
The Clover Chapel by Devney Perry (#2 Jamison Valley)
The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband by Julia Quinn (#2 Rokesbys)
The Most Dangerous Duke in London by Madeline Hunter (#1 Decadent Dukes Society)
The Sixth Victim by Tessa Harris (#1 Constance Piper Mystery)
Toughest Cowboy in Texas by Carolyn Brown (#1 Happy, Texas)
Truly Dead by Anne Frasier (#4 Elise Sandburg)
Until You by Denise Grover Swank (#2 Bachelor Brotherhood)
When to Engage an Earl by Sally MacKenzie (#3 The Spinster House series)
White Hot by Ilona Andrews (#2 Hidden Legacy)
Wrecked by Cynthia Eden (#6 Last Option Search Team)
Yews With Caution by Kate Collins (#19 Flower Shop Mystery)

Early Review ~ Spectacle

Spectacle (Menagerie #2)

by Rachel Vincent
published by Harlequin MIRA
expected release date: May 30, 2017
genre: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

**E-Galley received from publisher and netGalley in exchange for an honest review

Summary (Goodreads): When their coup of Metzger's Menagerie is discovered, Delilah and her fellow cryptids find their newly won freedom brutally stripped away as they are sold into The Savage Spectacle, a private collection of "exotic wildlife." Specializing in ruthless cryptid cage matches, safari-style creature hunts and living party favors, the Spectacle's owner, Willem Vandekamp, caters to the forbidden fetishes of the wealthy and powerful. At the Spectacle, any wish can be granted—for the right price.

But Vandekamp's closely guarded client list isn't the only secret being kept at the Spectacle. Beneath the beauty and brutality of life in the collection lie much darker truths, and no one is more determined than Delilah to strip the masks from the human monsters and drag all dark things into the light.

My Thoughts: I had a hard time reviewing this one. I liked the first one so much and could not wait to read this one. I wanted to know what the menagerie group would do with their freedom and what would cause them to end up at the Spectacle. Unfortunately, that was not to be found. We know from the summary that they get captured but it happened so fast and the reason that "they were found out" was just an excuse to get to the Spectacle.
Delilah is as she was in Menagerie, worried about everyone else and doing everything she can to try and free them all. There is a lot more mental torture in this one based on Vandekamp's technology that leads to many of horrible things that are done to the cryptids.
Speaking of horrible, the things that the clients pay for are as bad as you think they would be. Most you are told or hinted at and are (thankfully) not actually detailed, but some are. We usually just get the aftermath of preparing the cryptids for the next client, party, or sporting event.
Overall, this was a well written book but had too much of the same theme/storyline as book one. I'm not sure how I feel about where Delilah ends up at the end or how she got there. It kind of ruined a relationship that I liked the aspects of in Menagerie. Also, am I the only one that wanted to know what happened to the two little girls in the "secret hallway"? Delilah was the only one that could have remembered them and saved them but she doesn't do this. Are they still there locked in their cages? Will probably read the next book just to see what happens but not as enthusiastically waiting for it.

Rating: 4 

This Week's Reads

Source

Black Arts by Faith Hunter
Jane Yellowrock #7 (Goodreads)
**Already started and read. Most of this made it one of my favorites in the series. I liked seeing Jane and Beasts understanding of each other grow. I still don't like Rick and him being in this book did nothing but make Jane's character feel like less than she normally is.

The Librarians and The Lost Lamp by Greg Cox
The Librarians #1 (Goodreads)
**I've really enjoyed this show, just wish the seasons had more episodes. Was curious about these books when I came across them and decided to give the first one a try.

New Releases ~ week of 05/22/2017

A Counterfeit Heart by K. C. Bateman (#3 Secrets and Spies)
Aliens on Earth by Wendy Mass (#6 Space Taxi)
Badass Bear by Bianca D'Arc (#9 Grizzly Cove)
Blood Oath by Melissa Lenhardt (#2 Laura Elliston)
Bodyguard with a Badge by Elizabeth Heiter (#1 Lawmen: Bullets and Brawn)
Buns by Alice Clayton (#3 Hudson Valley)
Cheater's Regret by Rachel Van Dyken (#2 Curious Liaisons)
Distant Illusions by Kennedy Layne (#3 Safeguard)
Falling for the Rancher by Roxanne Rustand (#5 Aspen Creek Crossroads)
Feel Me by Cecy Robson (#4 O'Brien Family)

Getaway by Fern Michaels (#9 Godmothers)
Hot Zone by Elle James (#3 Ballistic Cowboys)
Just One Touch by Maya Banks (#5 Slow Burn)
Lion's Claim by Crissy Smith (#6 Shifter Chronicles)
Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare (#2 The Dark Artifices)
Master of Solitude by Cherise Sinclair (#8 Masters of the Mountain)
Murder in Black Canyon by Cindi Myers (#1 Ranger Brigade: Family Secrets)
Perish the Day by John Farrow (#3 Storm Murders Trilogy)
Preservation by Kate Canterbary (#7 The Walshes)
Radiate by C A Higgins (#3 The Lightless Trilogy)
Refuge for Masterminds by Kathleen Baldwin (Stranje House #3)

Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan (#3 Rich)
Rise of the Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz (#3 Descendants)
River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey (#1 River of Teeth)
Roses of May by Dot Hutchison (#2 The Collector Trilogy)
Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love by James Runcie (#6 Grantchester Mystery)
Son of the Sheik by Ryshia Kennie (#3 Desert Justice)
The Darkest Corner by Liliana Hart (#1 Gravediggers)
The Gauntlet by Megan Shepherd (#3 Cage)
The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels and Other Gentlemen by Victoria Alexander (#1 The Lady Travelers Guide)

The Last Lullaby by Amy Sumida (#1 The Spellsinger)
Until The End Of Time by Jillian Hart (#1 Pocatello, Idaho Territory)
Watching the Detectives by Julie Mulhern (#5 The Country Club Murders)
Wilde Horses by Jannine Gallant (#4 Born to Be Wilde)