Nettie Lonesome lives in a land of hard people and hard ground dusted with sand. She's a half-breed who dresses like a boy, raised by folks who don't call her a slave but use her like one. She knows of nothing else. That is, until the day a stranger attacks her. When nothing, not even a sickle to the eye can stop him, Nettie stabs him through the heart with a chunk of wood, and he turns into black sand.
And just like that, Nettie can see.
But her newfound sight is a blessing and a curse. Even if she doesn't understand what's under her own skin, she can sense what everyone else is hiding -- at least physically. The world is full of evil, and now she knows the source of all the sand in the desert. Haunted by the spirits, Nettie has no choice but to set out on a quest that might lead to her true kin... if the monsters along the way don't kill her first.
What I thought:
The voice in this is spectacular. It's absolutely f*ucking amazing how well the author strings words together. The story is dark and gripping and the world-building is flawless. ♡♡♡♡♡
Rating: ***** (5 stars)
*I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and I honestly loved it.
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The Bourne Identity meets Minority Report in this first highly anticipated installment in number-one New York Times best-selling author Kim Harrison's sexy new romantic suspense trilogy, featuring a brilliant special task agent at the top of her field and set in a futuristic Detroit.
During a routine but dangerous Opti task, Peri Reed finds out her trusted partner has made her a corrupt agent. Her unique ability to jump back 40 seconds in time to correct a mistake leaves her vulnerable when her partner, who is responsible for replacing her memory of the event, gives her a false one. But Peri lives and dies on her intuition, and she begins to piece her twisted reality together as she flees her one-time secure situation at Opti and tries to find the truth with a sullen but talented psychologist named Silas who works for the very agency trying to bring the Opti corruption to light.
With Howard, tech and med specialist, and Taf, gun-toting daughter of the opposing grass-roots agency, Silas and Peri try to rebuild her memory of the night she killed her partner, knowing it will put her mental stability in danger. Peri remembers, and thoughts of revenge keep her alive and moving forward as she tries to put an end to Opti, working with the very faction that wants to see her dead.
What I thought:
Wow! Not what I was expecting. I loved Kim Harrison's The Hollows series. Well, most of it. I only liked the last two books. It felt like she was just phoning them in. I was reluctant to start this series figuring I'd be disappointed. Now I know why those last two books felt rushed. She'd already moved on to Peri.
If you're not into complex, twisty stories, then this probably isn't for you. I am and I loved it. Peri is amazing. I loved the world-building. The pacing is flawless and the story telling is so well done. Sorry I waited to pick this up but so glad book 2 is already out.
Rating: ***** (5 stars) |
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On-the-run ex-agent Peri Reed returns bigger and bolder than ever in this second highly-anticipated installment in #1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison's new suspense trilogy, The Peri Reed Chronicles.
Peri Reed’s job eats her mind, but for a special task agent in hiding, forgetting the past can be a blessing.
Betrayed by the man she thought she loved and the agency who turned her into the very thing she fought against, Peri abandoned the wealth and privilege of Opti for anonymity riddled with memory gaps and self-doubt. But when a highly addictive drug promises to end her dependency on those who’d use her as a tool for their own success, she must choose to remain broken and vulnerable, or return to the above-the-law power and prestige she once left: strong but without will—for whoever holds her next fix, will hold her loyalty.
Yet even now as then, a love based on lies of omission might still save her life.
What I thought:
I love this series. Pleasantly surprised by how much I'm enjoying Peri's story. I love the action. The pace is quick and the story is complex and twisty. I adore Silas and can't wait to see where this goes.
Rating: ***** (5 stars)
*I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Bestselling author and television host Clinton Kelly pens a hilariously candid, deliciously snarky collection of essays about his journey from awkward kid to slightly-less-awkward adult.
Clinton Kelly is probably best known for teaching women how to make their butts look smaller. But in I Hate Everyone, Except You, he reveals some heretofore-unknown secrets about himself, like that he’s a finicky connoisseur of 1980s pornography, a disillusioned critic of New Jersey’s premier water parks, and perhaps the world’s least enthused high-school commencement speaker.
Whether he’s throwing his baby sister in the air to jumpstart her cheerleading career or heroically rescuing his best friend from death by mud bath, Clinton leaps life’s social hurdles with aplomb. With his signature wit, he shares his unique ability to navigate the stickiest of situations, like deciding whether it’s acceptable to eat chicken wings with a fork on live television (spoiler: it’s not). Clinton delves into all these topics—and many more—in this thoroughly unabashedly frank and uproarious collection.
What I thought:
So funny. Plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Clinton Kelly is candid and delightful and damn funny.
Rating: **** (4 stars)
*I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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During the tempestuous reign of Henry VIII, London alchemist Bianca Goddard has seen up close what keeps a man alive and what can kill him. A good thing, for she will need all her knowledge to keep a friend away from the gallows . . .
Bianca and her husband John are delighted to share in the glad fortune of their friend, Boisvert, the silversmith, who is to wed Odile, the wealthy widow of a goldsmith. But a pall is cast over the upcoming nuptials when the body of a pregnant woman is found beneath the bell tower of St. Vedast, the very church where the betrothed are to be married.
Tragedy strikes again at the couple s reception, when Odile suddenly drops dead in the middle of the wedding feast. The constable suspects Boisvert poisoned his new bride for her money, but there s not a trace of poison in her food or wine. Could the two deaths be connected? To prove their friend s innocence, Bianca will need to employ her knowledge of alchemy for if she can determine how the bride was killed, she may find the person responsible for her murder before another victim is added to the death toll . . .
What I thought:
A very good read. I read the first book in this series and I liked this one even more. The pacing was quick and the mystery was nicely woven into the history. Bianca is a great character.
My Rating: **** (3.5 stars)
* I received an eARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Reality bites. Hard.
The last time Raven did “real” was sixteen months ago, when she spent one unforgettable night with the tattooed, impossibly sexy Nico, and then he disappeared the next day. Since then, she’s kept her guard up and her feelings to herself. She doesn’t have time for relationship drama when she’s busy searching for her long lost sister.
Nico hasn’t stopped thinking about Raven—her sultry curves, inked skin, and the fact that he ditched her after their night together. Now that they’re living in the same city, he knows this is his chance to make things right. What better way to prove to Raven he’s for real than helping her find her sister? But when the lines between right and wrong start to blur, putting his job on the line, Nico has to decide if the risk is worth the ultimate reward.
What I thought:
Rating: ***** (5 stars)
*I received an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
That's all for December. I'm currently reading:
Happy Reading. Read any of these? Loved them? Hated them? Drop me a comment with recommendations. And find me on Twitter: @chellypike
Chelly
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