A DEVIL IN SCOTLAND by Suzanne Enoch

A Devil in Scotland (No Ordinary Hero #3)

by Suzanne Enoch

From Goodreads:

1806, Scotland: Wild, reckless Callum MacCreath is in no hurry to become someone’s husband. But when his responsible, steady older brother Ian announces his engagement to their childhood friend Rebecca, Callum makes a startling discovery: he wants the lovely young lass for himself. But it’s too late, and when Ian banishes him for his duplicity, he’s only too happy to leave Scotland forever…

1816: Marrying Ian was the practical, logical thing for Becca to do. But once Callum sailed away to America, she missed his rakish charm and lust for life. Now, ten years later, Becca is a widow when a much-changed Callum returns to his Scottish homeland. Will he remember their spirited, fiery connection, or does he blame her for his brother’s unexpected death? This time neither of them can deny their scorching attraction, but will their hearts be burned in the blazing heat of scandal? 

What I thought: 

I really liked the premise and the opening hooked me. I mean there's a wolf. And Scotland. And Callum MacCreath is... (insert dreamy sigh). But then the story really seemed to slow down in the middle and I wasn't as into it. The plot was very straightforward, with things neatly lined up, and it felt like the romance was resolved way before the book ended. I wanted more tension, I guess, and maybe a few more twists and turns. Overall a decent book and I liked it, but I didn't love it. But I've been favoring darker, more complicated reads of late, so maybe it's just me. 

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Anyone got any dark, or dark and twisty romances to recommend? Pretty please tell me. 

Happy reading,

Chelly

P.S. If you want to make me smile, follow my blog. Options in the sidebar. :D

Tithe / Valiant / Ironside by Holly Black

              

Tithe (Modern Faerie Tales #1)

by Holly Black 

Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms - a struggle that could very well mean her death.

Valiant (Modern Faerie Tales #2)

by Holly Black

When seventeen-year-old Valerie runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system. 

But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends. And when one talks Val into tracking down the lair of a mysterious creature with whom they are all involved, Val finds herself torn between her newfound affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.

Ironside (Modern Faerie Tales #3)

by Holly Black

In the realm of Faerie, the time has come for Roiben's coronation. Uneasy in the midst of the malevolent Unseelie Court, pixie Kaye is sure of only one thing -- her love for Roiben. But when Kaye, drunk on faerie wine, declares herself to Roiben, he sends her on a seemingly impossible quest. Now Kaye can't see or speak to Roiben unless she can find the one thing she knows doesn't exist: a faerie who can tell a lie. 

Miserable and convinced she belongs nowhere, Kaye decides to tell her mother the truth -- that she is a changeling left in place of the human daughter stolen long ago. Her mother's shock and horror sends Kaye back to the world of Faerie to find her human counterpart and return her to Ironside. But once back in the faerie courts, Kaye finds herself a pawn in the games of Silarial, queen of the Seelie Court. Silarial wants Roiben's throne, and she will use Kaye, and any means necessary, to get it. In this game of wits and weapons, can a pixie outplay a queen? 

Holly Black spins a seductive tale at once achingly real and chillingly enchanted, set in a dangerous world where pleasure mingles with pain and nothing is exactly as it appears.

What I thought:

I'm doing one post for all of these because I devoured CRUEL PRINCE and then immediately had to read the earlier books in Holly Black's Fairie world. 

I'm obsessed. 

CRUEL PRINCE stands alone in terms of Holly Black's earlier works, but a couple of characters, Kaye and Roiben, show up in it and I needed to read their story, which starts with TITHE and ends in IRONSIDE. 

And, while I didn't love love love their story as much as Jude's story (CRUEL PRINCE), I did really really like it. I mean, it's hard to top CRUEL PRINCE. 

The second book in the Modern Faerie Tales features a different group of characters with a tie-in to Kaye and Roiben's story and I really liked it too. Overall, gritty urban fantasy with tough female protagonists and great story-telling. 

Ratings: 

TITHE  ***** (4.5 STARS)

VALIANT **** (4 STARS)

IRONSIDE **** (4.5 STARS)



Now I need all the fairie book recommendations. All of them. If you have any favorites, please place them gently into my comments. Thank you. 



Happy Reading,

Chelly

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1)

by Holly Black

Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself. 

My Thoughts:

This book wasn't on my radar until the the pre-order campaign came stomping through my twitter feed with this gorgeous cover. Sure, I'd heard of Holly Black. I easily have half a dozen of her books on my bookshelves... But I hadn't read any of them yet. 

Shame on me. 

Let me tell you, the innards of this book are as pretty as the outside. I loved it. L. O. V. E. It's beautiful, dark, and dangerous. I adored Jude, and the relationship she has with her sisters. The world is rich and nuanced. And the villains are villainous. So delightfully so. The writing is amazingly well-done. Flawless.

I cannot get enough of this world. As soon as I finished it, I devoured TITHE and then immediately started VALIANT. 

I need the next book now, please. Ugh. So many feels. I highly recommend this one. Go read it now.

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Have you read THE CRUEL PRINCE? Is it in your TBR pile? Seriously, move it to the front of the line. You won't be disappointed. :D 

And if you're interested in Holly Black's Modern Fairie Tales series, you can find my review HERE.

Happy Reading,

Chelly
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RATING SCALE: 

 5* = OMFG loved it. Will read it again. Touch my book and I will cut you. 

 4* = Really good. Highly recommend. Miiiight reread. Maybe. Don't touch my book. 

 3* = Good. I liked it. Go ahead and touch it. 

 2* = Not for me, finished but struggled. Didn't connect. Here, have a book.

 1* = DNF. Couldn't do it.

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Click on the cover to link to Goodreads and leave your book recs in my comments. Oh, yeah, and find me on twitter: @ChellyPike

Best Books for 2017

      

These are my TOP 10 for 2017. Yes, there are 15 of them, which is sort of cheating, but I've listed multiples in a few series, so, really, there are only 10.

Click on the covers for links to Goodreads and Happy New Year. I'm so ready for 2018 and all the new books to hit my shelves. What are you waiting for? Drop me a comment with your most anticipated reads of 2018 so I can add them to my list, please. There were plenty of other books that I loved this year that aren't here, but are in my reviews if you want to check them out. Oh, and find me on twitter: @ChellyPike

Happy Reading,

Chelly

P.S. Let me know if any of my links are broken. Thanks. You're the best!

Ash and Quill (The Great Library #3) by Rachel Caine

Ash and Quill (The Great Library #3)

by Rachel Caine

Words can kill.

Hoarding all the knowledge of the world, the Great Library jealously guards its secrets. But now a group of rebels poses a dangerous threat to its tyranny…

Jess Brightwell and his band of exiles have fled London, only to find themselves imprisoned in Philadelphia, a city led by those who would rather burn books than submit. But Jess and his friends have a bargaining chip: the knowledge to build a machine that will break the Library’s rule.

Their time is running out. To survive, they’ll have to choose to live or die as one, to take the fight to their enemies—and to save the very soul of the Great Library… 

What I thought:

Since this is the third book in The Great Library series, here are my reviews of the first two books: INK AND BONE and PAPER AND FIRE 

ASH AND QUILL picks up where PAPER AND FIRE left off, and the story takes off running and doesn't stop. Rachel Caine's writing never fails to amaze. This is one of my favorite series ever and I'm dying, dying, dying, to get my hands on the next one. 

Why? Well, first there's Jess, the MC, and, as always, I'd follow him anywhere, especially when things get all dark and twisty. I'm a huge fan of dark and complicated, and this book, this book, this book! There are twists. OMG twists, and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next. Everything in this series is so beautifully fleshed out--the characters, the setting, the plotting--and I'm so invested. And--no spoilers--but where this book leaves off... Gah!  

I could make a list of all the other characters and why I love them, but it might get spoilery, so I'll just add that Wolfe and Santi are my favorite ship of all ships. <3 <3 <3 

And now that I'm finished with this one, I'm in sort of a reading slump, because all I want to read is the next book, SMOKE AND IRON, and it's not out until July, 2018. *sobs* I'd offer my kid's soul for an ARC but she informs me that she's already traded it for a potato chip. SMH. Kids. 

At least I know the next book will be worth the wait. Because Rachel Caine never disappoints. I highly, highly, highly recommend this series. Go read it. Now. Right now! And then gush with me while we wait together.

Rating: ****** (5 stars--all the stars, really)

And here's the link to my Best Books of 2017: Best of 2017

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RATING SCALE: 

 5* = OMFG loved it. Will read it again. Touch my book and I will cut you. 

 4* = Really good. Highly recommend. Miiiight reread. Maybe. Don't touch my book. 

 3* = Good. I liked it. Go ahead and touch it. 

 2* = Not for me, finished but struggled. Didn't connect. Here, have a book.

 1* = DNF. Couldn't do it.

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Click on the cover to link to Goodreads and leave your book recs in my comments. Oh, yeah, and find me on twitter: @ChellyPike

Happy reading,

Chelly

Waiting on Wednesday: The City of Lost Fortunes by Bryan Camp

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY

The City of Lost Fortunes

by Bryan Camp

The fate of New Orleans rests in the hands of a wayward grifter in this novel of gods, games, and monsters. 

The post–Katrina New Orleans of The City of Lost Fortunes is a place haunted by its history and by the hurricane’s destruction, a place that is hoping to survive the rebuilding of its present long enough to ensure that it has a future. Street magician Jude Dubuisson is likewise burdened by his past and by the consequences of the storm, because he has a secret: the magical ability to find lost things, a gift passed down to him by the father he has never known—a father who just happens to be more than human.

Jude has been lying low since the storm, which caused so many things to be lost that it played havoc with his magic, and he is hiding from his own power, his divine former employer, and a debt owed to the Fortune god of New Orleans. But his six-year retirement ends abruptly when the Fortune god is murdered and Jude is drawn back into the world he tried so desperately to leave behind. A world full of magic, monsters, and miracles. A world where he must find out who is responsible for the Fortune god’s death, uncover the plot that threatens the city’s soul, and discover what his talent for lost things has always been trying to show him: what it means to be his father’s son. 

Why I need this book:

1.) A book set in New Orleans. Check. By a New Orleans author. Check. Check. I'm a hard-sell on books set in New Orleans written by people who have never lived here. I've seen it go very badly. This is not that. 

2.) I've read an excerpt (there's one on NetGalley) and it's fabulous. You should read it too. But then you'll want to read more. Just like I do. ;)

3.) Magic. Gods. Monsters. 

Yep. I'm sold. Can't wait for this to hit the shelves. In April, 2018. In the meantime I'll be sitting here, petting the cover on my computer screen. And re-reading that excerpt. As one does. 

Happy Reading,

Click on the cover to link to Goodreads and leave your book recs in my comments. Oh, yeah, and find me on twitter: @ChellyPike

And if you missed last week's: WoW

THE FOLK KEEPER by Franny Billingsley

The Folk Keeper

by Franny Billingsley

She is never cold, she always knows exactly what time it is, and her hair grows two inches while she sleeps. Fifteen-year-old Corinna Stonewall--the only Folk Keeper in the city of Rhysbridge--sits hour after hour with the Folk in the dark, chilly cellar, "drawing off their anger as a lightning rod draws off lightning." The Folk are the fierce, wet-mouthed, cave-dwelling gremlins who sour milk, rot cabbage, and make farm animals sick. Still, they are no match for the steely, hard-hearted, vengeful orphan Corinna who prides herself in her job of feeding, distracting, and otherwise pacifying these furious, ravenous creatures. The Folk Keeper has power and independence, and that's the way she likes it.

One day, Corinna is summoned by Lord Merton to come to the vast seaside estate Cliffsend as Folk Keeper and family member--for she is the once-abandoned child he has been looking for. It is at Cliffsend that Corinna learns where her unusual powers come from, why she is drawn to the sea, and finally, what it means to be comfortable in her own skin. Written in the form of a journal, The Folk Keeper is a powerful story of a proud, ferociously self-reliant girl who breaks out of her dark, cold, narrow world into one of joy, understanding, and even the magic of romance. 

What I thought:

Beautiful story. Beautiful language. I loved how ruthless the MC is and how she navigates her life with such confidence. 

I think my favorite thing about this book is how succinctly it's written, and how Billingsley manages to say so much with so few words. 

Highly recommend. 

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Happy Reading,

Chelly

P.S. Click on the cover to link to Goodreads and leave your book recs in my comments. Oh, yeah, and find me on twitter: @ChellyPike

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RATING SCALE: 

 5* = OMFG loved it. Will read it again. Touch my book and I will cut you. 

 4* = Really good. Highly recommend. Miiiight reread. Maybe. Don't touch my book. 

 3* = Good. I liked it. Go ahead and touch it. 

 2* = Not for me, finished but struggled. Didn't connect. Here, have a book.

 1* = DNF. Couldn't do it.