Book reviewer for all Genres

Redemption of the Fallen by Wendy L. Anderson: A Book Review

(#2 in the Kingdom of Jior Series)

Blurb: Five years have passed since Lorn liberated himself from Lan-Loe, his evil father’s Sorcerer. Legends were born from tales of the great battle between Lorn and a black-winged demon, of Lan-Loe’s death, and the defeat of demon-kind. Ever since that time, people have been flocking to Jior to make their homes there, and the Kingdom of Jior is revived. Lorn is crowned King of Jior, Lililaira is Queen and they rule peacefully side by side.
Now a new war threatens everything they have built and everyone they love. One hundred miles away from the City of Jior, the combined armies of Vedt march toward Jior intent on slaying everyone in the kingdom and taking revenge for Lorn’s past evil deeds. With the forces of the whole country coming against them, Lorn and Lililaira have little hope of defeating their enemies.
In the midst of impending war, strange dreams plague Lorn’s sleep at night. He feels that something is waiting, something he needs very badly, something is calling him!
When he answers the call, he learns that he is a descendant of a race of winged people that profess to be from the Heavens. He also learns more about his past and is given hope for the future, but that hope comes with a high price. Lorn is given a choice: he can save his family or watch them die.
Lililaira and their daughter are taken prisoner by her father, the King of Skoria, Lorn must call on all his resources to rescue them. Forced out of the protective walls of Jior, he must face his many enemies who use his wife and daughter as bait. King Lorn must deal with old enemies and new friends, but will he be able to tell the difference?

My thoughts: This book was gifted to me for an honest review. It is now the 4th book by Wendy L. Anderson I have had the pleasure of reading, and like I said before, I am not left disappointed. Redemption of the Fallen is the second of a five book series, a series I will definitely be continuing with.

Redemption of the Fallen continues to follow King Lorn of Jior, his wife Lillaria, and his two children. I suspect the whole six book series will continue to follow them and I am looking forward to watching (reading) the children grow throughout. That’s the great thing about this book, the characters continue to develop and you can’t help but become attached to them – even the secondary characters. This book was able to actually pull some emotion out of me too. At one point, when Lorn is been affectionate towards his son, I actually had real tears escaping my eyes. I also ended up with that feeling in the pit of my stomach, you know the one… the one where you know something bad is going to happen and you really don’t want it to. I mean, how amazing is it that somebody can write some words on a page and those words can make you feel like that. Just pure talent!

What I loved about this story is that it delved in to the main characters histories and we finally found out some answers to questions I was asking myself in the first book. I also like how their is a heaven/hell element to the book. I’ve read books before in which they feature a hell of some sort but yet don’t ever mention the possibility of a heaven. I loved the characters that were introduced from this and I hope (and think) that we will continue to read more about the Ny-Failen in the upcoming books.

There are so many things I want to touch on, I haven’t even talked about the storyline yet. Well, I thought it was absolutely fantastic and had me on the edge of my seat from the off. It was cleverly put together and came with some unexpected twists and turns. The introduction of ‘enemy’ characters was on point, and I could feel myself disliking some of them very much. I loved how at some intervals the same scene would play out but it was from another person’s viewpoint.

The novel concludes well and doesn’t really have a cliffhanger but it still makes me want to continue reading.

Again, from this book I definitely got The Lord of The Rings vibes and of course it was the Battle of Helms Deep again that sprang to mind. The words I read seemed to form a movie in my mind. My boyfriend even said my eyes glazed over whilst I was reading – weird eh?!

This book, along with the other books I have read by Wendy L. Anderson, are genuinely some of the best work I have ever read and I look forward to reading more of her work hopefully for years to come. The problem is, I’m going to be hounding her now to write some extra novels following other characters. I have a list. I’m not joking, I actually do.

Redemption of the Fallen is available in the UK for just:

£2.29 on Kindle here: Redemption of the Fallen: Book Two in the Kingdom of Jior Series (Kingdom of Jior Fantasy Series 2) eBook: Anderson, Wendy L.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

£12.21 on Paperback here: Redemption of the Fallen: Book Two in the Kingdom of Jior Series (Kingdom of Jior Fantasy Series): Amazon.co.uk: Anderson, Wendy L.: 9781644561799: Books

For the US you can buy Redemption of the Fallen for just:

$2.99 on Kindle here: Amazon.com: Redemption of the Fallen: Book Two in the Kingdom of Jior Series (Kingdom of Jior Fantasy Series 2) eBook: Anderson, Wendy L.: Kindle Store

$13.33 on Paperback here: Redemption of the Fallen: Book Two in the Kingdom of Jior Series (Kingdom of Jior Fantasy Series): Anderson, Wendy L.: 9781644561799: Amazon.com: Books

Thank you for reading

Gee Liz Reads ❤

The Phone Box Library Adventures: Cheshire

It was my 30th Birthday yesterday so I booked this week off work. I was meant to be going to Spain but you know… Covid. Anyway, my friend and I decided to visit some Phone Box Libraries so we stayed close to home and visited the ones around Cheshire. Here’s our adventure…

1st Stop – Cotebrook, Tarporley

Flaking paint, weeds and spider webs at Cotebrook, Tarporley

With this being our first stop, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed as we pulled up to this very run down phone box. I was expected bright red, fresh paint, clean windows and neat bookshelves. Instead we were welcomed by flaking paint, weeds and spiders webs. I didn’t go in to the box properly as I didn’t fancy any spiders jumping on me. Neither of us fancied any of the books so we decided to move on to the next one.

2nd Stop – Crowton, Northwich

The best one of the day – Crowton, Northwich

After a slight detour to empty my friends extremely small bladder, we ended up in an absolutely stunning village that goes by the name of Crowton. Spotted by my friend who shouted ‘Ooo, ooo, ooo!’ in delight, The phone box lives on a corner. In my excitement, I hastily swerved on to the pavement and parked pretty darn close to the phone box library. I was delighted to see bright red paint, neat shelves and clean windows here – this is what all book boxes should look like.

I was tempted by a few books here but they were damaged and I only like books that look new. My friend swapped some books here and she donated some extra ones too to fill the gaps. We hopped back into the car and set off for our next destination.

3rd Stop – Comberbach Post Office

Silly me didn’t take a photo of inside and I can’t upload a video my friend took of inside because I can’t afford premium for this website lol. So yeah, this isn’t exactly a book box but I thought it was cute that a Post office had a book swap in it. There were a good selection of books here – I would say at least 100 books and I ended up swapping three books here and my friend got a few too. The disappointing thing about this place however was the woman working there. She was rather rude and didn’t make us feel welcome at all. She didn’t seem happy that we were there just for the books though we were not making a mess and were very quiet. We decided it might help if we bought something from the shop but then she was rude again when she decided to comment on me paying her £1.90 (a crunchie ice cream) in change (£1 coin and the rest in 20p’s, 10p’s and 5p’s). Just rude.

Anyway, we headed back to the car feeling slightly deflated but we decided not to let one rude person ruin our day. So with that in mind we headed to our next destination.

4th Stop – Great Budworth

It all looked so pretty…. – Great Budworth

Our next stop was a place called Great Budworth. As we approached, I thought it all looked so pretty. Then, we reached the phone box and again, I thought it was promising. The paint was still quite a vibrant red, the windows were clean, but then we opened the door. I looked up and there was a humongous spider which would have been directly above our heads if we had stepped inside the box, so of course we stayed outside. The books in the boxes on the floor were mouldy but the books on the shelves themselves were fine. I ended up swapping a couple of books here but overall was again disappointed at the lack of care there seems to be for the box as well as the books.

Our next destination was Lach Dennis, but we ended up detouring quite significantly here.

Detour

Driving around looking for toilets again and my friend starts freaking out. Something about a milkshake farm. We turn around in a not so safe area and we get a lot of angry car drivers waiting for me to finish my manoeuvre before heading back to see what all the fuss was about. It seems that a farm had come out with a pretty amazing idea to have a ‘Milkbot’ where members of the public could make their own milkshake.

There were plenty of flavours to choose from and it only costs £1.50 (and that includes the bottle). You can pay via card for the bottle and flavour, and card or cash for the milk – but let me warn you it doesn’t take 1p’s, 2p’s or 5p’s.

Still in need of a toilet, we continued towards our next destination of Lach Dennis but with a slight detour into Northwich centre to find a toilet. The Sat-Nav was doing my bloody head in to the point where we ended up going round London Road at least three times and for some reason we ended up making up our own lyrics at this point to the Song Here I go again on my own by Whitesnake.

Here we go again London Road
Goin' round the only road we'll ever know.
Like a tourist I was forced to drive this road.
And I've made up my mind,
I ain't wasting no more time.
DAMN YOU LONDON ROAD!

Anyway…

We finally got to the car park we needed to park in so we could then find the toilets, park the car…badly, go to the pay and display, get my card out to pay… wait a minute? Where’s my card? Ah yes, on top of the Milk Bot machine back at the farm – 15 minutes drive away. Back in the car, my friends bladder will have to wait. Call up the farm and the lovely farmer goes and gets my card for me and keeps it safe till I arrive. Little gem!

Back in the car and we decided, lets just head to our next book box because their might be a toilet near there.

5th Stop – Lach Dennis, Northwich

We reached Lach Dennis Book Box and unfortunately it was really run down. There weren’t any books we wanted to swap here either. The box is actually next to a Pub called something like Cheshire Grill so, seeing as my friend was about to pee herself we decided to go and eat there hoping it wasn’t too expensive. The food was absolutely amazing, the service was great and it was just a really nice place in general. The mac and cheese was just perfection and the chocolate torte was out of this world though I recommend you ask for the mango sorbet instead of the champagne sorbet – trust me!

So after this we decided to go to our final destination as I had to get back home to the doggo’s. We travelled 32 minutes to Timbersbrook, Congleton just to find that the phone box was NOT a book box but a defibrillator box instead. Google lied to us. We headed home and that was the end of our adventure.

All in all, it was a fantastic day but I would say it’s more so because of great company and lush food than the book boxes. If I had decided to do this adventure by myself, I probably would have stopped 2 or 3 book boxes in.

I hope you all enjoyed my blog. I know it’s different to what I usually post.

Thanks for reading.

Gee Liz Reads ❤

My Complete TBR List: Books I need to Review

So this list here is all the books I’ve been asked to review and haven’t reviewed yet, in no particular order. I’m making my way through them as quickly as possible

The Book That THEY Do Not Want You To Read – Andy Ritchie
The Book That THEY Do Not Want You To Read: Part 2 – Andy Ritchie
The Book That THEY Do Not Want You To Read: Part 3 – Andy Ritchie
God, Aliens, Death and Teapots – Andy Ritchie
Redemption of the Fallen: Book 2 in the Kingdom of Jior Series – Wendy L. Anderson
Heirs of Jior: Book 3 in the Kingdom of Jior Series – Wendy L. Anderson
Iron and the Arrow: Book 4 in the Kingdom of Jior Series – Wendy L. Anderson
The Last Ny-Failen: Book 5 in the Kingdom of Jior Series – Wendy L. Anderson
Early Retirement – Luke Ethan Knight
Ecclesia’s Table – Mason S Haynie
Don’t Date the Haunted – C. Rae D’Arc
Killing the Reapers – Jeff Debing
Eyes – Nghich Tu
Life Eternal: Book One of the Saga of Unlife – Aaron J. Booth
Weatherman – Price Doom
Song of Echoes – R.E. Palmer
The Never Dawn – R.E. Palmer
The Gates of Dawn – R.E. Palmer
Cloud Cuckoo – R.E. Palmer
Bloody Spade – Brittany M. Willows
Comagique Azmodia’s Liege – Justin Ketter

So, only 21 books left to review. So far…

As always, thanks again for reading 🙂

Gee Liz Reads ❤

Of Demon Kind by Wendy L. Anderson: A Book Review

(#1 in the Kingdom of Jior Series)

Blurb: Prince Lorn of Jior is the only one left in the evil empire called the Kingdom of Jior. King Kullorn, his father, was the epitome of evil. Together they led demon hordes reaping death and destruction. When Kullorn is killed, Lorn must face the aftermath of their defeat alone. Years later, Lorn is accused of following in his father’s footsteps and also of kidnapping the Princess Lililaira of Skoria. Forced out of hiding, Lorn must risk capture, imprisonment and death to find out who is using his father’s name to start another war. During an unplanned rescue of the Princess, Lorn is badly wounded and they must fight to remain together as he is healed by her, body, heart and soul. Creating a passionate bond, together they embark upon a journey to clear Lorn’s name and fend off the war that threatens them both.

My thoughts: This book was gifted to me for an honest review. It is the 3rd book by Wendy L. Anderson I have had the pleasure of reading, and yet again I am not left disappointed. Of Demon Kind is actually the first book written by Wendy L. Anderson and is the first book of a six book series, of which I am looking forward to devouring.

Of Demon Kind follows Prince Lorn of Jior, a Demon who is at first presented to us in his empty castle a few years after his evil father King Kullorn was defeated at war. His one remaining servant, Lan-loe, brings terrible news to his Prince; news of lies and rumours in which the Prince is being held accountable for destruction across the lands of Vedt and the kidnapping of Princess Lililaria, the beautiful daughter of King Koran of Skoria.

Prince Lorn ventures out to search for the perpetrator and to clear his name but ends up on a great adventure where he finds out who is causing the destruction, rescues Princess Lililaria, but becomes extremely wounded. From here the romance between Princess Lililaria and Prince Lorn evolves and this romance creates and builds other plots within the story which end in war between good and evil.

Prince Lorn is a really strong character who grew on me as I continued to read and then I absolutely fell in love with him. Princess Lililaria was a character who I adored straight from the off and I feel I would be friends with her in real life. I love how their relationship builds throughout the story. Throughout the novel, there are more characters introduced and some of these are very strong side characters. Sorrell, for example, is a character I would like to read more about. Possibly a novel of his own about his history or a series on his own adventures.

The novel concludes well with all questions answered and everything wrapped up nicely, and then, showing her own evil side (haha) she decides to throw a cliffhanger in to the mix. The cliffhanger opens the way nicely to the next book which I can not wait to get started on.

From this book I definitely got The Lord of The Rings vibes with the Battle of Helms Deep being at the forefront of my mind during the battle that concludes this novel. The world of Vedt that Anderson has created reminds me also of The Lord of The Rings type of landscapes with open valleys and dense woods, deep caves and large castles. I would love to know if somewhere in the real world gave the author inspiration for this beautiful world she has created as I would love to visit these places.

The romance in this book is enjoyable but I felt that there were slightly too many love scenes though not enough to put me off continuing to read and I think it was important to show the bond between the two characters grow. I do think that the fantasy and romance genres go well together and the author really does have exceptional talent in writing ‘Romtasy’ (I’m not sure how I feel about that portmanteau…).

This book, along with the other two books I have read by Wendy L. Anderson, are genuinely some of the best work I have ever read and I look forward to reading more of her work hopefully for years to come.

Of Demon Kind is available in the UK for just:

77p on Kindle here: Of Demon Kind: Book One in the Kingdom of Jior Series (Kingdom of Jior Fantasy Series 1) eBook: Anderson, Wendy L.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

99p on Audible (with a membership) here: Of Demon Kind: Book One in the Kingdom of Jior Series Kingdom of Jior Fantasy Series (Audio Download): Amazon.co.uk: Wendy L. Anderson, Adriel Brandt, Wendy L Anderson: Audible Audiobooks

£13.17 on Paperback here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Demon-Kind-Book-Kingdom-Jior/dp/1644560542/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1622663110&sr=8-5

For the US you can buy Of Demon Kind for just:

$1.07 on Kindle here: https://www.amazon.com/Demon-Kind-Book-Kingdom-Jior-ebook/dp/B07WXKX35D/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=of+demon+kind&qid=1622663366&sr=8-1

For free on Audible (with a membership) here: https://www.amazon.com/Demon-Kind-Book-Kingdom-Fantasy/dp/B095PVRK68/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1622663366&sr=8-1

$15.95 on Paperback here: https://www.amazon.com/Demon-Kind-Book-Kingdom-Jior/dp/1644560542/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1622663366&sr=8-1

Thank you for reading

Gee Liz Reads ❤

Car Boot Haul – 30th May 2021

Holy moly! I had such a fun time at the car boot sale this morning. I got so many cool things, from a Compound Bow to some Fuggler Teddy Bears with human teeth. It was so busy with so many stalls. Actually, as I was walking around I realised I had forgot to take my FitBit off charge and put it on my wrist so my team mates are not going to be happy about that (workplace competition) and I also realised, I don’t like seeing hamster cages at car boots – it usually means a death occurred!

Anyhoo, here are the books I bagged today!

The Chosen (#15), The Sinner (#18) by J. R. Ward

RRP: £9.99 and £8.99 <> Paid 50p each <> Condition 7/10

These are novels of The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series. I have I think 14 of these books so I was very excited to be finding two of the newer books of this series at a boot sale. I can’t wait to re-read the entire series!

Heart of the Dragon (#1), Jewel of Atlantis (#2), The Nymph King(#3), The Vampire’s Bride (#4) by Gena Showalter

RRP: £6.99 each <> Paid 50p each <> Condition 8/10

These are all books in the ‘A Tale of Atlantis’ series. O I already have some Gena Showalter books on my bookshelf which I haven’t read yet… I’m getting round to it. I’m also heavily in to my Paranormal Romance novels especially vampires, so these were a no brainer really.

Here’s the blurb to book one:

Searching for her missing brother, Grace Carlyle never dreamed she would discover a secret world populated by mythological monsters – or find herself facing a sword-wielding being whose looks put mortal men to shame.

But there he was Darius en Kragin, one of a race of shape-shifting warriors bound to guard the gates of Atlantis and kill all travellers who strayed within its borders.

Now Grace’s life was in his hands and Darius had to choose between his centuries-old vow and the woman who had slipped beneath his defences and stolen the heart of Atlantis’s fiercest dragon.

Dead Witch Walking (#1), The Good, The Bad and The Undead (#2), Every Which Way But Dead (#3) by Kim Harrison

RRP: £6.99 each <> Paid 50p <> Condition 7/10

I picked these up for a few reasons; 1, the books were in good condition; 2, the books were cheap as chips; 3, they remind me of the Urban Fantasy novels I enjoyed by Ilona Andrews. These are all from The Hollows Series.

Here’s the blurb to book one:

Forty years ago a genetically engineered virus killed half of the world’s human population and exposed creatures of dreams and nightmares that had, until then, lived in secret alongside humanity.

Rachel Morgan is a runner with the Inderland Runner Services, apprehending criminals throughout modern-day Cincinnati. She is also a witch.

Used to confronting criminal vampires, dark witches and homicidal werewolves, Rachel’s latest assignments – apprehending cable-stealing magic students and tax-evading leprechauns – have prompted her to break her thirty-year contract with the I.S. and start her own runner agencty.

But no one quits the I.S.

Marked for death, Rachel is a dead witch walking unless she can appease her former employers and pay off her contract by exposing the city’s most prominent citizen as a drug lord. But making an enemy of the ambiguous Trent Kalamack proves even more deadly than leaving the I.S.

Wickedly Lovely (#1), Radiant Shadows (#4), Darkest Mercy (#5) by Melissa Marr

RRP: £6.99 each <> Paid 50p each <> Condition 7/10

Not ideal having book 1 and then missing book 2 and 3 but I had to leave them behind as they were just too badly damaged for my liking. I like the look and the sound of these hence purchasing them.

Here’s the blurb to book one:

Rule 3: Never stare at invisible faeries. Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world.

Rule 2: Never speak to invisible faeries. One of them, a beautiful faery boy named Keenan, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule 1: Don’t ever attract their attention. Now it’s too late. Keenan is the Summer King and is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost. Without her, summer itself will perish.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Liani Taylor

RRP: £6.99 <> Paid 50p <> Condition 6.5/10

This is book one of the Smoke and Bone Series. I decided to buy this purely because it was in the box with the J. R. Ward books and I liked that it had a perfect spine (haha).

Here’s the blurb:

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she’s a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in Elsewhere, she has never understood Brimstone’s dark work – buying teeth from hunters and murderers – nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn’t whole.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

The Memory of Midnight by Pamela Hartshorne

RRP: £7.99 <> Paid 50p <> Condition 8/10

Again, the only reason I bought this book was because it was in the box with some of the others.

Here is the blurb:

One hot day in Elizabethan York, young Nell Appleby is trapped in a wooden chest. The horror of the stifling dark – and of the man who trapped her – haunts her for the rest of her life. Years later, wed to the sadistic Ralph Maskewe, Nell must find joy where she can. But when her childhood sweetheart returns and offers a chance of flight to the New World, Nell is faced with a dangerous decision. Will she risk all to escape the dark at last?

Four and a half centuries later, Tess and her small son Oscar move to York. Eager to start a new life away from her overbearing and manipulative husband Martin, Tess tries to put her marriage behind her. But time in York has a way of shifting strangely, and memories of a past that is not her own being to surface with disturbing effect. Living two lives, torn between two worlds, Tess must unlock the secrets of the past before she can free herself – and Nell – once and for all.

What do you all think of my haul? Pretty neat, right?

Have a good one and thanks for reading!

Gee Liz Reads ❤

My Complete TBR List: Kindle

This weekend I managed to organise all my books and compile all of my TBR lists. I’ve got 4 actually, and the others will come but for now… here is my kindle TBR list (in no particular order):

Be Brilliant Every Day by Andy Cope and Andy Whittaker
The Teacher’s Billionaire by Christina Tetreault
The Concealed by Sarah Kleck
Moon Dance by J. R. Rain
Her Vampire Husband by Michele Hauf
The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt
Thirst by Claire Farrell
Foundations of the World by Jason Tesar
Hidden From Men by Jason Tesar
Seeds of Corruption by Jason Tesar
Hands to Make War by Jason Tesar
Paths of Destruction by Jason Tesar
A Demon’s Promise by Kristie Cook
Amber Moon by C.L. Bevill
Silver Moon by C.L. Bevill
Black Moon by C.L. Bevill
The Vampire’s Warden by S.J. Wright
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Bats Sing, Mice Giggle: The Surprising Science of Animals’ Inner Lives by Karen Shanor and Jagmeet Kanwal
The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
Demon Girl by Penelope Girl
The Woodcutter by Kate Danley
The Blight of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler
The Wretched of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler
The Scourge of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler
Knight Awakened by Coreene Callahan
Student Cookbook for Dummies by Oliver Harrison
A Dark Kiss of Rapture by Sylvia Day
Seasons of the Moon Boxed Set by S.M. Reine
Smolder by Penelope Fletcher
Wolf’s Head by Steven A. McKay
The Immortal Circus: Final Act by A. R. Kahler
The Immortal Circus: Act Two by A.R. Kahler
The Immortal Circus: Act One by A.R. Kahler
Cecilie by Penelope Fletcher
Born by Tara Brown and A.E. Watson
How To Be A Productivity Ninja by Graham Allcott
The Little Book of Thinking Big by Richard Newton
The Art of Conversation: Change Your Life with Confident Communication by Judy Apps
Emotional Intelligence: Managing Emotions to Make a Positive Impact on Your Life and Career by Gill Hasson
Mindful Eating for Dummies by Laura Dawn
Willpower for Dummies by Frank Ryan
The Soulkeepers by G.P. Ching
Marked by Sarah Fine
Fireblood by Jeff Wheeler
Sugar by Deirdre Riordan Hall
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
A Dark Lure by Loreth Anne White
Kindred by Nicola Claire
Creative Writing for Dummies by Maggie Hamand
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Intimate Deception by Laura Landon
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Awaken His Eyes by Jason Tesar
Through the Door by Jodi McIsaac
Loki’s Daughter by Delle Jacobs
Ghost Gifts by Laura Spinella
Spirit Legacy by E.E. Holmes
Spirit Prophecy by E.E. Holmes
Spirit Ascendancy by E.E. Holmes
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Lucas Knox: Blood Retribution by Blake Hudson
Wolf Nation: The Life, Death and Return of Wild American Wolves by Brenda Peterson
Witch’s Reign by Shannon Mayer
Devil in Me by Stephanie Hudson and Blake Hudson
Vincent’s Immortal Curse: Kings of Afterlife by Stephanie Hudson
Revelations by Harper Maze

So only 67 to read on my Kindle. I’m not really one for downloading books, I prefer paper copies. I have got books that I’ve been asked to review by authors but I can never seem to get them on to my kindle so I just use an app called ReadEra for those books.

Have you read any of these? If so, which?

As always, thanks again for reading 🙂

Gee Liz Reads ❤

Book Drops – The Vampire Protector and an Unnamed Release by Juliette N. Banks (and a free book too!)

Juliette N Banks, author of Paranormal Romance Novels, The Vampire King and The Vampire Prince dropped the news today that the latest in the series, The Vampire Protector is now with the editor and ready for release on the 6th July. Not only that, The Vampire Protector is now available for Pre-order here:

UK (£2.87): The Vampire Protector (Moretti Blood Brothers Book 3) eBook: Banks, Juliette N.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

US ($3.99): The Vampire Protector (Moretti Blood Brothers Book 3) – Kindle edition by Banks, Juliette N.. Paranormal Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Not only that, Banks also states that the fourth book in this series will be out later this year too!

I’ve not actually read this series yet, I’ve got a huge list of books I’ve been asked to review which obviously take precedence, but The Vampire King and the rest of the series are up there on my IRRWTRY list which stands for ‘I really, really want to read you’.

If you’ve not read The Vampire King yet it’s actually Free on Kindle at the moment! The links are just after the blurb.

Blurb: Will the vampire king fulfill his deadly promise to his queen?

Powerful vampire king, Francis Moretti, travels with his sons to the Yorkshire coast in 1891 where he’s confronted by one of the rebels of the race.

When Robert Russo throws down an official challenge for the throne, he is unconcerned. He knows his royal blood holds great potency and he will walk away unscathed. He’s more concerned about the promise he made to his queen nearly one thousand years ago. The deadline is drawing near and his sons, the Moretti princes, are unaware of the destiny about to catch up with them.

Brayden and Vincent Moretti are eager to return home to Castle Moretti, where the season is kicking off, and females are lining up to attend one of their infamous orgies. When the king shares his darkest secret, the two big alpha vampires are in shock. They now face one of the biggest decisions of their lives, that will change their future forever.

Can Francis follow through on the thousand-year promise, and will his son’s help him prove his love to his queen one last time?

The Vampire King is book one in the Moretti Blood Brothers series – a steamy new paranormal romance series filled with powerful alpha males and independent females who aren’t afraid to give them a run for their money.

Here are the links I promised you:

UK: The Vampire King (Moretti Blood Brothers Book 1) eBook: Banks, Juliette N.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

US: The Vampire King (Moretti Blood Brothers Book 1) – Kindle edition by Banks, Juliette N.. Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

I know this blog is full of exciting news but there’s more. Banks is also launching an Archangel series. At the moment none of the books have names but what we do know is that there are seven Archangels and therefore there will be seven books. Banks states that the first will be about Archangel Michael.

“He’s the alpha of all alphas, and when he meets human, Sara, she turns his entire universe upside down. Along with the rest of the Archangels. It’s beyond hot and steamy so prepare yourselves”
– Juliette N. Banks

This book will be out before the end of the year and you can stay up to date with how it’s going, as well as for sneaky chapters and the cover as Bank’s progresses by following her Facebook group here:

(1) Author Juliette Banks Readers Group | Facebook

What do you all think readers? Are you going to give them a read? Let me know what you think about them.

As always, thanks again for reading!

Gee Liz Reads ❤

Unboxed : A Box of Stories – May – My Last box of Stories

I came across A Box of Stories through Facebook back in April 2020, when I was absolutely bored out of my mind due to being furloughed. The company wasn’t as big as it is now and they only had a few boxes to choose from; a Surprise Box of 4 Fiction Books (£14.99), a Surprise Box of 4 Mixed Fiction Books (£14.99), and I want to say a Crime, Thriller and Mystery Box of 4 Surprise Books (£21.99) though I’m not 100% on that one. Now however, they have all of those I’ve said above plus a Young Adult Box of 4 Surprise Books (£21.99), a Light Reads Box of 4 Surprise Books (£21.99) and a Historical Fiction Box of 4 Surprise Books (£21.99).

This is the what I got in my May Fiction Box. This will actually be my last box as I just have way to many books to read and need to focus on the books I have been asked to review.

Sugar Money by Jane Harris (RRP £8.99).

Blurb: Martinique, 1765, and brothers Emile and Lucien are charged by their French master with a mission. They must return to Grenada, the island they once called home, and smuggle back forty-two slaves claimed by English invades. While Lucien, burly in his teens, sees the trip as a great adventure, the older and worldlier Emile has no illusions about the true dangers they will face…

My thoughts: Doesn’t sound like my kind of book to be honest. I’m not really into history to be honest, I find it a bit depressing.

Jack of Spades by Joyce Carol Oates (RRP £16.99).

Blurb: I am a good person.
I am a person who loves his family.
I am a citizen who care about his community.
You will not vilify me!

From one of the most highly regarded writers of her generation, Jack of Spades is a psychologically complex thriller that examines the fine line between genius and madness.

Andrew J. Rush has achieved the kind of commercial success most authors only dream about: a top agent, publisher in New York, and twenty-eight mystery novels to his name. He has a loving wife, three grown children, and is well-known in his small New Jersey town for his charitable work.

But Andrew J. Rush is hiding a dark secret. Under the pseudonym Jack of Spades, he has penned another string of novels – dark, violent, masochistic tales of murder, lust and madness.

When a court order arrives accusing him of plagiarism. Rush fears his secret may be exposed. Rush fears his secret may be exposed. And unbidden, in the back of his mind, the Jack of Spades starts plotting his survival.

My thoughts: This one sounds a bit more exciting than the book above but again, I’m not jumping in excitement for this one either. What’s wrong with me? Am I in some sort of readers slum?

The Pill that Steals Lives by Katinka Blackford Newman (RRP £8.99).

Blurb: While going through a divorce, documentary filmmaker Katinka Blackford Newman took an antidepressant. Not unusual – except that things didn’t turn out quite as she expected. She went into a four-day toxic psychosis with violent hallucinations, imaging she had killed her children, and in fact attacking herself with a knife.

Caught up in a real-life nightmare when doctors didn’t realise she was suffering side effects of more pills, she went into a year-long decline. Soon she was wandering around in an old dressing gown, unable to care for herself, and dribbling. She nearly lost everything, but luck stepped in; treated at another hospital, she was taken off all the medication and made a miraculous recovery within weeks.

By publicising her story, Katinka went on to make some startling discoveries. Could there really be thousands around the world who kill themselves and others from these drugs? What of the billions of dollars in settlements paid out by drug companies? Could they really be the cause of world mass killings, such as the Germanwings pilot who took an airliner down, killing 150, while on exactly the same medication as the author when she became psychotic? And how come so many people are taking these drugs when experts say they are no more effective than a sugar-coated pill for people like her; who are distressed rather than depressed?

Moving, frightening and at times funny, this is the story of how a single mum in Harlesden, North-West London, juggles life and her quest for love in order to investigate Big Pharma.

My thoughts: This wouldn’t usually be a book I read. I’m not really in to documentary type books. However, this book really does hit home. I went on anti-depressants and took myself off them only a couple of weeks later. I was being aggressive towards my partner, I was having suicidal thoughts, and all I wanted to do was hurt myself. I really want to know what Katinka found out.

Family Trust by Kathy Wang (RRP £18.99).

Blurb: Meet Stanley Huang. Father, husband, ex-husband, man of unpredictable temper, aficionado of bargain luxury goods. He’s just been diagnosed with cancer, and his family are dealing with the fall-out.

Meet Stanley’s Family. Son Fred, a banker who never has enough money; daughter Kate, juggling a difficult boss and her two small children; ex-wife Linda, suspicious of Stanley’s grand gestures; and second wife Mary, giver of foot rubs and ego massages.

Meet Stanley’s fortune. As the Huangs come to terms with Stanley’s approaching death, they are starting to fear that there’s a lot less in the pot than they thought. And that’s a problem when you live in one of the wealthiest parts of California…

My thoughts: Maybe a Schitt’s Creek kinda vibe here? Not sure… We will have to see. Can’t tell if I’m looking forward to this book or not.

This box cost me £14.24 (you get 5% discount if you set up a subscription) and the cost of the books totalled £53.96 meaning a saving of £39.72. If you would like A Box of Stories for yourself, use this link for £4 off your first box – http://aboxofstories.refr.cc/geelizreads

What did you think of this selection? What book would you want to read the most out of these and which book would you want to read the least? Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Look forward to hearing from you all soon.

Gee Liz ❤ x

Synchronicity by Michaelbrent Collings : A Book Review

Blurb: Some call it the Machine.
Some call it the SINC.
It’s the most dangerous thing ever created.
And it’s fallen into the wrong hands.

Tyler “Book” Malcolm has lived a life on the run. Off the grid, out of sight of the authorities. Hoping to escape a terrifying secret; to outrun what he has seen and what he has done.

Kane is an assassin who, with the help of the Machine, possesses the ability to assume the identity of anyone he wishes. He can strike without warning, and kill without mercy. Stronger than a dozen men, faster than sight itself, he can be anywhere, anytime.

When Book catches Kane’s eye, he discovers the world is even more dangerous than he knew. Now, Book must ally himself with people who, like him, know that Kane is on the verge of remaking the world in his image.

But how do you know who to trust, when the man who wants you dead can be anyone he pleases?

How can you fight for the one you love…

…when you can’t even believe who you see?

My thoughts: I received a free electronic copy of this book for an honest review.

I had never read a Michaelbrent Collings book until this one. In fact, I had never actually heard of Michaelbrent Collings until an email popped in to my inbox asking for me to review Synchronicity. A quick google search showed me that I should have heard of Mr Collings, seeing as he is an internationally bestselling novelist, a screenwriter, and a multi-award winner, amongst other things. He has a list of novels as long as my arm, which after a quick read of the blurbs, the majority were added to my already out of control TBR list with a note to myself to quickly remove them if this book didn’t tickle my fancy.

The good news is, they get to stay on my TBR pile because WOAH, this book was fantastic, and not like anything I had read before. I’ll admit, the first few chapters of the book, especially the chapters from the point of view of the villain, were really confusing. I had to go back and re-read them and finally got my head around it. I think it was the fact they were written in the present tense in 1st person but the character was talking about himself in the 3rd person… does that make sense? Literally though, after the first few chapters there was no more confusion and I just couldn’t get enough.

From early on in the book, I felt a familiarity with the style in which the book was written. I can’t really describe it; it’s quite a casual style with a natural, unforced sense of humour but the style reminded me very much of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Books by J. R. Ward, another series of books I thoroughly enjoyed, though a different genre to that of Synchronicity.

As for the plot, I had The Terminator vibes very early on in this book which then developed to The Matrix vibes so if you want to read a Terminator meets Matrix novel then this one’s definitely for you. I don’t want to divulge too much information about the plot as I really think you all needed to start reading this novel yesterday, but I’ll just let you know that it is an action-packed thriller with lots of twist and turns, amazing descriptive scenes, some gruesome violence that will make your toes curl, and not in a good way (unless you’re in to that sort of thing – no judgement here), and a lot of unpredictability throughout.

Something I always comment on when reviewing books is characters because in my opinion this is JUST as important as the storyline. I don’t think you can ever, EVER have a good novel if you have poor characters. For me, I need likable or at the very least well-developed characters and this is something Collings has managed to do exceptionally well with all of the characters, even the ones who’s time in the story came to a quick(?) end. There are a few ‘main’ characters of this novel but the ‘good guy’ is by far my favourite. I think it helps that his name is Book, so seeing as I’ve got just under a million of those on my shelves, I already hold him close to my heart. Book is a cheeky chappy who never knows when to keep his mouth shut. You can’t help but love him and root for him throughout.
I don’t want to delve too much in to the characters as I really want you to meet you themselves, but what I loved about Synchronicity is that you are in the head of the villain a lot. He is truly evil but I loved being in his psychotic head just as much as I enjoyed being in Books hilarious ‘what the **** is going on’ head too. I also loved that the villain, Kane, had the power to jump from body to body, so you never knew when he was going to turn up!

If I was to sum this novel up in three words – Read. It. Now!

If you would like to get your hands on this book, then it is available here for $0.99 – Amazon.com: Synchronicity eBook: Collings, Michaelbrent: Kindle Store

For those in the UK you can grab it here for £0.99 – Synchronicity eBook: Collings, Michaelbrent: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Just FYI, all of the authors books are currently $2.99 on Amazon including bestsellers and boxsets plus, forty of his titles are available on Kindle Unlimited meaning you can read these books FOR FREE! Furthermore, lending has been enabled so you can share them with your friends and family!

As always, thank you all for reading!

Gee Liz Reads ❤

Book Haul : Charity Shops

This was a very small haul but I promised myself that I would only buy a few books as I no longer have room on my bookshelves. I really need to go through my books and yep, you guessed it, get rid of some! Noooooooo! Anyway, look at these beauties…

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

RRP: £8.99 <> Price: 99p <> Condition: 7/10

Blurb: Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows that everything feels very small and rather joyless now, and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time.

My thoughts: I’ve only recently got into Chick Lit/Romance but I’m really enjoying it. I haven’t yet seen the film but I keep hearing that the book is amazing too, so I decided, seeing as the book was only 99p, that I would risk it for a chocolate biscuit and go ahead and purchase it.

Black Powder by Ally Sherrick

RRP: £6.99. <> Price: 99p <> Condition: 8/10

Blurb: England, 1605.

Twelve-year-old Tom is in a terrifying race against time to save his father from the hangman’s noose. In desperation, he makes a deal with a fearsome scarred stranger, known only as the Falcon. But what’s really at stake in this murky world of plotting and gunpowder? Tom must rely on his wits and courage, as his loyalty is put to the ultimate test…

My thoughts: I think the cover was what really pulled me to this book. I then read the blurb and thought it sounded quite a good story line. What do you think?

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

RRP: £6.99 <> Price: £2 <> Condition 8/10

Blurb: Janie Scott has just moved to London from sunny LA, and she’s finding it forbidding, dreary and cold. That is until she meets Benjamin Burrows who dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin’s father – a mysterious apothecary – is kidnapped, he entrusts Janie and Benjamin with a powerful book, full of ancient spells and magical potions.

But there are others who seek the book’s secrets – spies in possession of nuclear weapons that could destroy the world…

My thoughts: What drew me to this book was that absolutely gorgeous cover. Look at it! The blurb also sounds good and I’m looking forward to reading it.

The Finisher by David Baldacci

RRP: £7.99 <> Price: £1 <> Condition: 6.5/10

Blurb: Enter a village imprisoned by its fear of the unknown. Where curiosity is discouraged, and no one has ever left – or wanted to. Until now.

Then a mysterious bequest turns one teenage girl’s life upside down. A curious map and a ring which connects Vega to another time lead her to discover an unknown world beyond the perimeter walls. A world filled with possibilities, and creatures beyond her imagining. But before Vega can experience it, she will be forced to fight for her freedom. And unravelling the truth of what exists beyond the confines of her village may cost Vega her life…

My thoughts: Again, it was the cover that drew me to this book. I felt that it looked similar to some books I have previously enjoyed such as Hunger Games but with a Lord of the Rings element to it. It seems slightly Young Adult which is fine but I am starting to enjoy Young Adult books less as they all seem to be rather predictable.

What do you think of my latest haul? Have you ever read these books? Which book would you want to read first?

As always, thanks again for reading my blog!

Gee Liz ❤