#booktour Sisters of the Moon by Alexandrea Weis #bookreview & #giveaway

Sisters of the Moon
Alexandrea Weis
Published by: Vesuvian Books
Publication date: September 22nd 2020
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

** A Novella ***

A monstrous fate will turn a girl into a legend.

On an island in Lake Obersee, where The Sisters of St. Gertrude abide, a destitute Moor named Durra arrives. Sold for taxes, she and her two companions tend to the nuns and their collection of cats. At night, she combs the library for details on the order, the remote island, and the beasts howling outside her window.

But when a prank reveals the sisters’ gruesome secret, Durra is forced to accept a new fate. Bestowed an unearthly power, she must choose between life as a nun or living among the monsters beyond the convent walls.

Her path is about to change the tide in the ultimate war. The war between good and evil.

Goodreads / Amazon

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review:

Durra and two other girls have been taken to an island in which a convent lies. The Sisters of St. Gertrude, live a simple life, they do their choirs, eat no meat and have cats up on cats up cats. They take in unwanted women, sold to them. Former slaves, those sold for money to pay off debts, those who have had been touched by a men then deemed unworthy.  The island on which the convent is built on is surrounded by woods and feels off, it feels evil. 

There are secrets in this place, the walls have paintings of  religious scenes Durra has never seen before, books in the library talking about saints she's never heard of and at night the girls are made to go to their rooms, or rather cells and are locked in. They are to not be out walking the halls at night, because at night it's when you hear the howling. You don't go out at night. 

What are the nuns hiding? What is really going on in this place? Where are all these cats coming from? 

I liked this story, the concept is fascinating. It is a quick read that holds the promise of more books to come. 

I look forward to reading more

I was torn between 3.75 and 4 so I rounded it to 4 stars

*Book review is part of xpresso booktours*

Author Bio:

Alexandrea Weis, RN-CS, PhD, is a multi-award-winning author, screenwriter, advanced practice registered nurse, and historian who was born and raised in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Having grown up in the motion picture industry as the daughter of a director, she learned to tell stories from a different perspective. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her novels, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story moving and memorable.

Weis writes romance, mystery, suspense, thrillers, supernatural, and young adult fiction and has sold approximately one million books. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans where she is a permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries and rescues orphaned and injured animals.

She is a member of both the International Thriller Writers Association and the Horror Writers Association. www.AlexandreaWeis.com

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#BookReview: Focus (Focus #1) by Naomi Charles

Focus by Naomi Charles
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Told in a series of flash backs and present day. Focus is story that is full of twist and turns, it grabs you and keeps you coming back for more.

Nicole got into something so much deeper then she ever imagined possible the day she walked into Noah's, her then boyfriend's house, two years earlier. When he told her to leave, when she saw all the blood, when she promised to help cover for him, to help cover the murder of his uncle.

She wasn't prepared for him to just up and go, to never see or speak to him again. She wasn't prepared to have nightmares, to be jumpy. She doesn't like surprises now. So now two years later, she's moving forward in her life, she's in NYU, she's made a new friend, of the boy type, Jason. She wasn't prepared to run into Noah, to have all the memories flood back. To have the worry and fear come to the surface because the new guy is pre-law and some how he has stumbled upon the murder of Noah's uncle. And this case getting looked into isn't good for anyone involved.

She's now looking over her shoulder, trying to throw Jason of the case and get through her first semester away from home.

Like I said twists, on top of twists.

This book did not disappoint, unless you are talking about it ending in a cliffhanger. I'm disappointed that I have to wait to know more. Because that ending. That ending left me going , 'oh shit'. What is going to happen next. It just ends, and I'm hanging and I want more. I need to know what is going to happen. What has just went down?

This story is like an onion, so many layers, I can't even talk about it, because spoilers and you need that shock and information discovery yourself. So if you like cover ups, twisty twisty turns, and to be glued to your book then this will not disappoint you.

But yes that ending....is the second book written yet???

Thank you Naomi Charles for giving me the opportunity to read and review your book. I'm on the edge of my seat needing to know what next.

Pick up your own copy on Amazon    and    Find me on Goodreads 

#bookreview Dear Girl by Aija Mayrock

Dear Girl by Aija Mayrock
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Staying true to the book, my review will be in poetry form.

Dear Girl,

A collection of poetry
to bring you to tears.
Some you feel
Some you might never know,
while wishing you did.
I found myself clapping,
shouting yes this is true.
Rivers forming in my eyes
because I have worn these shoes.

****

Aija Mayrock's poems will connect
all women kind to another.
We have fought,
we have cried.
This our truth.
We must love each other,
love ourselves,
speak out for one another,
hold the candle,
hold the door.
Scream a little louder for the voices of the unsure,
the timed,
the scared,
the forgotten and the lost.

I cried. I connected. I smiled.

Well written, broken up into sections and 100% real.
*Thank you Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing

View all my reviews

 

#bookreview Smash It! by Francina Simone

Smash It! by Francina Simone
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5

Oliva is like so many other teenage girls lacking confidence, insure with their body, in love with their best friend, who by the keeps on giving her those mixed signals. After a moment self reflecting after some unwanted advice from a bartender at Halloween party she decides to make same changes. To take charge of her life, to be seen, to do it, to say yes more. So she makes herself a list, "the year of fuck it" And well things they are starting to go well....until they don't.

The story it's self is a play on Shakespeare's Othello, which also just happens to be the school play that O wants to try out for as part of her year of yes, her year of "fuck it".

I liked how the story it's self is broken up in to Acts, like they would be for a play with a modern spin on the lines, because the play in the book is a modern rap musical version.

I'm torn, torn when it comes to this review. One side I laughed so much, I was feeling Liv's nerves and insecurities. But then on the other hand I was like this is a bit much.

Over all I liked the story, it kept my attention, made me laugh, had me hooked but still it had some problematic areas.

My copy is an uncorrected proof from Netgalley so maybe things got ironed out before published.

Do I want to read book 2?
Of course I want to see how Oliva's live turns out, what's next for her, to see her grow some more.







View all my reviews

#bookrewview The Crowns of Croswald (The Crowns of Croswald #1) by D.E. Night

The Crowns of Croswald by D.E Night

Book 1 in the The Crowns of Croswald series

Fanstay: Middle Grade/Young adult

Publish: July 21, 2017

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ pulse so many more

If you love whimsical magical stories then The Crowns of Croswald by D.E Night is the perfect book for you.

I LOVED this book!!!

Ivy Lovely has lived her sixteen years as a scaldrony maid, working in the kitchen of Plum Castle surrounded by Slurry fields tending to the scaldron's who cook/prepare the food. Thinking nothing special of herself, until Rimbrick a dwarf and dear friend, her only friend try's to tell her otherwise. She doesn't believe that she has any magic in her, even after receiving her letter to the Halls of Ivy, a magic academy. How can she be a squinch? And yet there she goes, whisked off to the Town with no name to join the academy along with the other squinches and royals. The squinches have picture perfect memories and are the researchers and record keepers, the sketchers for the Royals. The Royals have special stone in their crowns tuned to the magic abilities that each person has. Some can shapeshift, control elements and so forth.

The school it's self is filled with magical creatures, magical books that never run out and a forgotten room, who's door is carefully guarded in The Selectors office.

Not all is whimsy in this story, no there is the Dark Queen with her Cloaked brood whom everyone fears.

Strange things seem to happen to Ivy once she lands in the Town with no name, things that seem to happen to only her.

Come join in her adventure has she learns more about herself and what the Halls of Ivy have hidden in it's walls.

So if you take Harry Potter and Studio Ghibli blend them up, you have the magical wonder of The Crowns of Croswald. Like I said at the start, I loved this book. I would give it beyond 5 stars if I could. I don't say that often if you follow my review's, only certain books get my beyond 5 stars stamp.

I REALLY want to read the next book, this was an arc that I was asked to review and I am soo happy I was asked. This will be a series that will one day sit on my shelf in it's forever home and be loved over and over again.

Rebirth (Divinity's Twilight #1) by Christopher Russell #booktour #bookrevew & #giveaway (US)

 

Divinity’s Twilight: Rebirth by Christopher Russell

Published: June 2, 2020

Genre: Fantasy

Age Group: Adult

Pages: 498

A world consumed by war . . .

 An ancient evil resurrected . . .

 A millennia old bargain comes due . . .

 When two blades clash, the third will fall, and the fate of all will be jeopardized. To save Lozaria, the failures of the past must be atoned for by a new generation of heroes. The time has come for mortals to cast off sight and, in doing so, truly come to see . . .

 Victory is never absolute.

 Seven centuries ago, the forces of order won the Illyriite War on the plains of Har’muth. Darmatus and Rabban Aurelian slew their elder brother, Sarcon, the despotic architect of the conflict, then sacrificed themselves to banish the cataclysmic vortex opened with his dying breath. The first advent of the Oblivion Well was thwarted. Even without their vanished gods, the seven races of Lozaria proved themselves capable of safeguarding their world.

 Or so the story goes.

The year is now 697 A.B.H (After the Battle of Har’muth). Though war itself remains much the same, the weapons with which it is waged have evolved. Airships bearing powerful cannons ply the skies, reducing the influence of mages and their spells. Long range communication has brought far flung regions of Lozaria closer than ever before. At the center of this technological revolution are the three Terran states of Darmatia, Rabban, and Sarconia, who have fought a near ceaseless campaign of 700 years in an attempt to best each other. The roots of their enmity lie buried beneath the wasteland of Har’muth, a place all three nations consider best forgotten.

 However, an ancient power sealed within Har’muth has not forgotten them, and the descendants of those who fought on that field must now take a stand to rectify the mistakes of the past.

 

Review:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

100% spoiler free

"Time passes, but the actors and their actions are merely replayed from age to age."

The story opens up and we are thrown into an ongoing war, between two brothers and their allies against a third brother. This all takes place 697 years before the events of the story happen. It sets the stage while giving us a history of a of the power and destruction of said third brother. 

Fast forward to the present time and the land of Lozaria is still at war, the states/kingdoms of Darmatia, Rabban, and Sarconia named for the three brothers, at the center. 

Rebirth is the first book in a epic fantasy series Divinity's Twilight by debut author Christopher Russell. It is the start of what will be a much longer story arc. Like many epic fantasy's the first book is the info dump. The world building, the character introduction and magic systems while the plot is being set up to follow us through out the rest of the books. 

This particular book is mix of the traditional epic fantasy and science fiction, more so steampunkish. From fly airships, to the magetec. With a lot of attention on war.

There is a large cast of characters, that once we get finished with the prologue we get introduced to. I have some favorites. Spunky Sylette, fearful Matteo and egotistical Vallen to name a few.

I really like the different magic systems in this book, from sensory to weapon shifting. 

The over all story kept my attention, I'm so very interested to know more. But I can't lie I found my mind drifting during some of the battle scenes, which made me place the book down for a moment. And by me saying this has zero reflection of the book it's self, because there are others who probably loved each moment. I personally think they could have been cut a little shorter, the prologue alone was longer then most. With that being said, it was well written and you can tell that the author put a lot of time and heart into this story, which is a great story with the potential to be an even greater series. Which is precisely why I kept on picking it back up.  For me, and I'm just speaking about me, this is a book that needs to be savored, like a fine wine not sucked back like shot of whiskey.  

If I was to compare Rebirth to another author, it would be Mr. Brandon Sanderson. I also savor his books to. So Christopher Russel you're in good company. 

Added it to Goodreads

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Buy it here Amazon

Meet the Author

Christopher Russell (native of Williamsburg, VA) is a 27-year-old mechanical and aerospace engineer (graduate of the University of Virginia) who has loved reading since the day he picked up a book and writing since he could scrawl his first letters. After voraciously consuming titles from every genre—ranging from Star Wars to Lord of the Rings—he decided to combine the expertise from his professional education, passions, and Christian faith into a fantasy epic bridging the gap between magic and science. He currently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia, with his loyal dog, Vallen, named after the protagonist of his first work. For behind-the-scenes information on all of Christopher Russell’s works, visit christopherrussellauthor.com

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A Ritual of Flesh Cover Reveal Blitz #coverreveal

A Ritual of Flesh by Lee C Conley

      Series: The Dead Sagas (#2)

Published: October 2020

Genre: Dark Fantasy/Horror

Age Group: Adult

As evil ravages the north and the dead walk, all eyes fall to Arn… The apprentice journeys south, home to the College, unaware of the dark events that transpired in the High Passes after his departure. His leg in ruins, and haunted by watching shadows, the College council in Arn awaits him, but he does not travel south alone.

 Arnulf and his warriors must travel to Arn also, with tidings for the king of the risen dead and the terrible curse which has destroyed all that he knew. Arnulf seeks vengeance upon the College, but must choose wisely if he is to save his son.

 Meanwhile in the west, Bjorn and his strange Wildman companion report back to High Lord Archeon at Oldstones with grim news of cannibal Stonemen encroaching from the Barrens, but is embroiled in news of war and invasion as Archeon requests his service once more.

 In the capital sickness awaits them all, Nym has fled to the city and must now continue her struggle for survival on the plague ridden streets of Arn, keeping all who she cares for safe from the halls of Old Night.

 The many threads of this Saga converge on the city of Arn, but amid plague, invasion and terror, a greater darkness is looming. Dark forces are seeking to unleash evil upon Arnar, honour and renown is all, and sword, axe and shield is all that stands between the living and the grasping hands of the dead.

               Cover art: Andrey Vasilchenko                              Cover design and layout: Lee C Conley

Pre-Order your copy today!

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Meet Lee C Conley

Lee is a musician and writer in Lincolnshire, UK. He lives with his wife, Laura, and daughters, Luna, and Anya, in the historic cathedral city of Lincoln. Alongside a lifetime of playing guitar and immersing himself in the study of music and history, Lee is also a practitioner and instructor of historic martial arts and swordsmanship. After writing his successful advanced guitar theory textbook The Guitar Teachers Grimoire, Lee turns his hand to writing fiction. Lee is now studying a degree in creative writing and working on his debut fantasy series The Dead Sagas as well as also generally writing speculative fiction and horror.

 

If anyone would like to sign up for occasional (once or twice a year) email of news and updates on Lee’s work, with the occasional competition or giveaway too, please sign yourselves up to Lee’s mailing list. 

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The Skald's Black Verse (Dreadbound Ode #1) by Jordan Loyal Short #booktour #bookreview

 

     The Skald’s Black Verse by Jordan Loyal Short

Published: November 6, 2018

Re-Released: August 6, 2020

Genre: Epic Grimdark Fantasy

Age Group: Adult

Pages: 330

When a soldier’s murder sparks rebellion in the tiny village of Skolja, Brohr’s past marks him as the prime suspect. Haunted by his brother’s ghost, and drawn into a web of dark pacts and tangled loyalties, Brohr must choose between the path of vengeance set before him, and a chance to forge his own fate.

 From the shadows, an all but extinct race of alien demigods have begun the end game of their millennia-spanning war, and one has chosen Brohr for his closing gambit.

But Brohr’s grandfather harbors a dark secret that will change everything.

 Above it all, a dread portent looms in the sky, spelling the death of Brohr’s world. With doom spiraling toward them, Brohr must lead an unlikely rebellion, unearth disturbing family secrets, and tame the raging ghost that haunts him. Can Brohr lead his people out of darkness, or will he succumb to his own terrifying bloodlust, and destroy the very people he has sworn to save?

Review:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Brohr has always been shunned and hated, an outcast. His very existence the result of his mother's rape. Living with his grandfather in their village hoping to get away with one person who he thought loved him but after an incident in which she see's his rage, something that Brohr hoped to never reveal. A month lapses and he discovers that she's now with another at the Tavern, things go from bad to worse. Resulting in Brohr have too much to drink and ending the night in a fight at the docks. All while a comet is streaking across the sky, which sets so many things in motion and his life is never the same again.

This novel might not be everyone's horn of mead, it is brutal at parts, but if you enjoy your fantasy on the darker side then you are in for a treat with The Skald's Black Verse. There is a lot happening in this novel. A blend of science fiction and fantasy, black magic, Norse mythos and interplanetary race who have conquered and oppressed.

Secrets and truths, sinister beings. 

Well written, fast paced with a wide cast of characters. A fantastic debut novel from author Jordan Loyal Short, looking forward to book 2. 

Goodreads/Amazon

Jordan Loyal Short is a debut author of epic fantasy. His first novel, The Skald’s Black Verse, is a dark and beautiful story about families, cultures, and beliefs at war with themselves. The protagonist, Brohr, must navigate the tangled loyalties and unforgiving biases of a planet conquered by invaders from another world. Using black magic, and the bizarre bond he shares with his stillborn brother’s spirit, Brohr unravels the truth about himself and an eon spanning war that has reached its end game. Jordan has worked in a variety of industries, as a waiter, bartender, copywriter and more. He lives in Washington state with his wife where he is currently daydreaming about the end of the world

Website/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads

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