Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Review: Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Title: Obsidio
Series: The Illumine Files #3
Author: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published: March 13, 2018
Pages: 618
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Source/Format: Audiobook
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza--but who knows what they'll find seven months after the invasion?

Meanwhile, Kady's cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza's ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys--an old flame from Asha's past--reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heros will fall, and hearts will be broken.

From bestselling author duo Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff comes the exciting finale in the trilogy that broke the mold and has been called "stylistically mesmerizing" and "out-of-this-world-awesome."










This author duo has ruined me for all other science fiction authors. I will be forever comparing all future sci-fi reads to The Illuminae Files and the duo's other god-tier sci-fi series, The Aurora Cycle. Their combined writing style is my preferred brand of heart-stopping, jaw-dropping science fiction. There is just something magical about their writing that clings to my heart and casts a spell over me.

Again, I may sound like a robot repeating points from my review of Gemina but it can't be understated how innovative and fun the epistolary format of this series is. It is such a genuinely unique experience. And the audiobooks of this series are outstanding. I initially read the hardback copy but listening to the audiobooks is an entirely different experience.

I was absolutely in love with the overall plot of this series from the very start. I loved the conclusion and the journey from start to finish was incredible. This series boasts so many of the things that I love about space stories: excellent battle scenes, corrupt companies, biotech plagues, rogue AI, space stations, space colonies, spaceships, and the list goes on. I love how the authors incorporated so many amazing ideas into the story.

The characters in this series were fantastic. I loved the found family aspect that was present in each of the books. The reader really grows fond of each of the main characters throughout the course of the story. I loved how each character was distinct and vibrant to the reader.

The romances in the story were subplots so they didn't get a lot of page time. At least, not in a traditional love story sense. There is plenty of romance but it is more subtle. The characters express how much they mean to each other through actions and words while they are in dire situations. There isn't a lot of time for making out when you are fighting for your life. That said, I felt that the chemistry between each of the couples in the story was strong and written beautifully. I loved all of the banter as well. It really put a smile on my face.

Overall, this is an outstanding finale of a perfect series. I couldn't have asked for a better ending. That ending was so perfect and it got my brain whirling about possible sequels. I doubt there will ever be a sequel but one can dream, am I right? If you like your science fiction dosed with lots of explosions, excellent fight scenes, questionable AI, and characters that you would definitely want on your team when things get dark then this series is perfect for you. I hope and wish and pray to any and all gods with all my might that this author duo decides to write us another epic science fiction masterpiece.


Do you read books in an epistolary format? If so, what do you like about them? If not, what is stopping you?

Cover Reveal: End Game by Serena Akeroyd writing as G.A. Mazurke




Title: End Game
Series: New York Stars #1
Author: Serena Akeroyd writing as
G.A. Mazurke
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Brother's Best Friend/Hockey Romance
Cover Design (Illustrated & Discreet): Chelsea Chira
Cover Design (Hardcover): RBA Designs
Photographer: Rafa G Catala
Release Date: September 7, 2023


BLURB

She’s my lifeline, my rock…

When I was billeted with the Bukowskis, I made a mistake.

I didn’t lock Gracie Agnieska Bukowski down.

Instead, like a 16-year-old idiot, I became best friends with her brother, Kow, and now, the family considers me one of their own.

Until her, hockey was my only refuge. So, when I’m traded to the New York Stars, my first move is to change my number to 35. See, we made a vow, one that she might have forgotten, but I haven’t.

Gracie’s about to be swept off her feet.

I’m going to prove to her that not only is she not my sister…

She’s my end game.







AUTHOR BIO


G.A. Mazurke is the crazy lady behind Serena Akeroyd, crafter of smexy heroes you just wanna lick. While Serena has us expecting dark romance with lots of twists and turns … G.A. is her more mainstream/contemporary personality.

She explores her sweeter side while keeping the sexy we love, where the women fall hard but the men fall harder.

Some of G.A.’s books will cross over into Serena’s universes… so expect a cameo or two from beloved characters, while discovering new bands of brothers, with the banter, the laughs and the tears you are used to.


AUTHOR LINKS




Thursday, August 10, 2023

Review: Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff


Title: Gemina
Series: The Illumine Files #2
Author: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published: October 18, 2016
Pages: 659
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Source/Format: Audiobook
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.










I didn't write a review the first time that I read this so this review was written after reading it a second time. The first time I read the hardcover and this time I opted for the audiobook. (And honestly, the audiobook brings a whole new experience to this book! It was amazing!)

Yowza! The genius of this series is astounding!

I am salivating over the complexity of the plot and the arrangement of the overall story arc. The plot is so clever and all the pieces are expertly woven together to create something totally unique and monumental. I am a huge fan of this author duo and I love how seamlessly they collaborate. They have something special going on and I can only hope that they continue to collaborate and bestow the world with more marvelous stories. I loved the atmospheric world-building and the scientific components of the story. The storytelling was so immersive.

The way that the characters in this book capture your heart cannot be understated. To be honest, when I first started this series I was unsure if the character development would be enough to make me care about the characters because of the epistolary format of the story. I was wrong. The story may be told through a dossier of text messages, surveillance footage, and the like but these authors really bring their A-game because these characters were incredible. The reader really comes to care about them and their plight. I initially imagined that they would feel abstract because of the epistolary format of the story but they feel significant and the reader really grows to love them and root for them.

The story had a small romantic aspect, though it wasn't the main focus. It was a slow-burn romance that was really endearing. The two main characters are from different sides of the tracks and they grow to care about each other and trust each other throughout the events in the story. The romance is a tad more involved than that but it would get into spoiler territory so I'll keep it brief. I will say that Hanna and Nik had excellent and believable chemistry and their banter kept me perpetually amused. They were just so in sync.

Overall, this is a mind-blowing story that is expertly crafted by an author duo that pretty much has the Midas touch when it comes to creative writing. If there is a way to fangirl harder then please tell me now because this book series is really something special and it is so hard to put into words the magnitude of my love for it. If you love science fiction with a unique flair, unorthodox story formats, and sensational plots then you need to start this series! 



Do you read books in an epistolary format?  If so, what do you like about them? If not, what is stopping you?

Monday, August 7, 2023

New Release & Release Blitz: Second Down Darling (Varsity Dads #4) by Lex Martin



Title: Second Down Darling
Author: Lex Martin
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Single Dad/Forbidden Romance
Release Date: August 7, 2023


BLURB

Jake’s my best friend and first love. There’s just one problem—he belongs to my sister.

I’ve been crushing on Jake for years, but never had the guts to tell him. One drunken night with my sister and two pink lines later, and he’s lost to me forever.

She doesn’t care that I met Jake Ramirez first. That he and I were best friends first. That I fell in love with him first. Because what my sister wants, my sister gets.

When she video-calls me and Jake accidentally walks by in the buff, something in me snaps.

Transferring to a different college might seem like a copout, but I have to get away from Jake and my sister before I say or do something I’ll regret. In an act of desperation, I ghost my old life.

For the next two years, everything is great—until I come face-to-face with Jake and his son, who my sister abandoned.

Jake’s the new wide receiver at my school, and he wants nothing to do with me, which is fine because I plan to keep my distance. Except we’re thrown together in the most dire circumstances that bring back all those old feelings.

They say everyone deserves a second chance, but my heart can’t handle breaking one more time.

Second Down Darling is an angsty, friends-to-lovers, forbidden romance, featuring a sexy single dad who’s a down-and-out college football player and a nerdy girl determined to overcome her wallflower ways. It has major second chance vibes and lots of steam! Second Down Darling is a dual POV standalone in the USA Today-bestselling series Varsity Dads.







PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited






AUTHOR BIO

Lex Martin is the USA Today bestselling author of The Varsity Dad Dilemma, the Texas Nights series, and the Dearest series, books she hopes readers love but her parents avoid. A former high school English teacher and freelance journalist, she resides in Texas with her husband, twin daughters, and a bunny named Dandelion.


AUTHOR LINKS





GIVEAWAY


Friday, August 4, 2023

New Release & Review: The Way I Hate Him by Meghan Quinn

 twihh-banner-availablenow_Newsletter.jpg

 

From USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author Meghan Quinn, comes a new age-gap standalone romantic comedy featuring a new cast of characters that will immediately have you hooked. This steamy, enemies-to-lovers small town romance delivers the perfect happily ever after every romance lover craves. One-click your copy of THE WAY I HATE HIM today!

https://mybook.to/TheWayIHateHim

 

And don’t miss the Illustrated Hardcover? It's NOW LIVE and has over 30 hand-drawn illustrations so you can take a deep dive into Hayes and Hattie's love story! You can get your copy HERE!


MQTheWayIHateHimCover55x85_MEDIUM.jpg

 

About THE WAY I HATE HIM:

Why am I holding a box of stolen memorabilia in my arms? It's called . . . revenge.

After failing my last semester of grad school, I decided to come back to my hometown and wallow in my boyfriend’s sympathetic arms. Instead, he proceeded to dump me . . . for being boring!

Now, I'm not typically a spiteful person, but there's only so much I can take. Hence why I’m holding the box of his most cherished possessions…stolen possessions no less!

The plan? To give the box back to its rightful owner and rat my ex out. How’s that for being boring?

But plans never go the way you want them, because instead of dropping off the box with a note, I’m pinned with the crime by the true owner of the box himself.

Hayes Farrow is grumpy, arrogant, and stupidly hot in a way that makes it hard to even look him in the eye. Not to mention he’s my brother’s nemesis so I fully intended to stay far far away from the gorgeous jerk.

But to add insult to the injury that has become my life as of late, Hayes gives me two options: turn me into the police and press full charges . . . or work it off. How could I possibly work for someone I can't stand? Easy, I don't look good in orange.

But working for Hayes isn't as horrible as I thought it would be. The way I hate him begins to turn into something else - something I never thought I'd feel. But the way my brother reacts when he finds out I’m working for his enemy? He’d prefer me in prison orange.

https://mybook.to/TheWayIHateHim

 

 

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REVIEW

Disclaimer: I received this book at no cost from the publisher/author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I am leaving a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

A Meghan Quinn book does my soul good. I love how her books put me through the wringer when it comes to feels. Her books make me experience a gamut of emotions that range from laughing out hysterically to weeping in bed while gasping for air. This book is one that did just that.

This book pretty much has it all. A list is necessary for me for this review because I just can't get my thoughts straight enough otherwise. Here's my bullet list of reasons why I loved this book:
 
- A clever, absorbing plot that makes you want to keep reading.
- Unforgettable characters that will win over your heart.
- Family, family themes, sibling bonds. All the good and the bad.
- A forbidden, age-gap, enemies-to-lovers romance with all the tension in all the right places.
- Friendships to write home about.
- A quirky, meddling grandma.
- There was one scene in particular where I laughed out loud, absolutely in hysterics, for about ten to fifteen minutes nonstop. I may have frightened my family but it was the deepest bout of laughter that I have had in a while.
- A journey through grief that is heartbreaking and sad and a reflection of deep love.
- The most adorable pre-schooler!
- An epic best friend that is ride or die and will call a famous musician an asshole to his face (and not his elbow) for her best friend's honor.
- A slow-burn love story that is both heart-melting and panty-melting.
- Looking at the stars!
- I loved all the Easter eggs about some of her other books and characters. Pigeons, Brentwood, baseball hotties. Oh, and that reference to one of her own books by the main character made me giggle.
- Side characters that I will be obsessing over and writing fanfiction for in my head until Quinn graces us with their own stories.
 
Overall, this is an outstanding story so full of emotions that will make you laugh and cry and swoon. The two main characters form a real connection and get to be each other's person. It's such a delight to see their story unfold. I love all the bridges that are mended in the story and how so many characters grow through their grief or their acceptance of the past. There is so much love in this book from so many characters and there is also so much to love about this book. I really hope that Quinn gives the secondary characters their own stories.


MQTheWayIHateHimAudioBookCover_2400.jpg

 

Vanessa Edwin and Teddy Hamilton narrate in duet and are a dream team in THE WAY I HATE HIM! They are sublime in these roles and bring Hattie and Hayes to life! Pop in your earbuds and give it a listen today!

https://mybook.to/TheWayIHateHim

 




ABOUT MEGHAN QUINN:

USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.

Never miss another NEW RELEASE, text READ to 474747.

 

Connect w/ Meghan:

Website: https://authormeghanquinn.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meghanquinnauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meghanquinnbooks/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorMegQuinn

 

twihh-squarebanner-availabenow_Newsletter.jpg

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Release Blitz: The Way I Hate Him by Meghan Quinn

  twihh-banner-availablenow_Newsletter.jpg

 

From USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author Meghan Quinn, comes a new age-gap standalone romantic comedy featuring a new cast of characters that will immediately have you hooked. This steamy, enemies-to-lovers small town romance delivers the perfect happily ever after every romance lover craves. One-click your copy of THE WAY I HATE HIM today!

https://mybook.to/TheWayIHateHim

 

And don’t miss the Illustrated Hardcover? It's NOW LIVE and has over 30 hand-drawn illustrations so you can take a deep dive into Hayes and Hattie's love story! You can get your copy HERE!


MQTheWayIHateHimCover55x85_MEDIUM.jpg

 

About THE WAY I HATE HIM:

Why am I holding a box of stolen memorabilia in my arms? It's called . . . revenge.

After failing my last semester of grad school, I decided to come back to my hometown and wallow in my boyfriend’s sympathetic arms. Instead, he proceeded to dump me . . . for being boring!

Now, I'm not typically a spiteful person, but there's only so much I can take. Hence why I’m holding the box of his most cherished possessions…stolen possessions no less!

The plan? To give the box back to its rightful owner and rat my ex out. How’s that for being boring?

But plans never go the way you want them, because instead of dropping off the box with a note, I’m pinned with the crime by the true owner of the box himself.

Hayes Farrow is grumpy, arrogant, and stupidly hot in a way that makes it hard to even look him in the eye. Not to mention he’s my brother’s nemesis so I fully intended to stay far far away from the gorgeous jerk.

But to add insult to the injury that has become my life as of late, Hayes gives me two options: turn me into the police and press full charges . . . or work it off. How could I possibly work for someone I can't stand? Easy, I don't look good in orange.

But working for Hayes isn't as horrible as I thought it would be. The way I hate him begins to turn into something else - something I never thought I'd feel. But the way my brother reacts when he finds out I’m working for his enemy? He’d prefer me in prison orange.

https://mybook.to/TheWayIHateHim

 

 

twihh-teasers-sqaure1_Newsletter.jpg

 


MQTheWayIHateHimAudioBookCover_2400.jpg

 

Vanessa Edwin and Teddy Hamilton narrate in duet and are a dream team in THE WAY I HATE HIM! They are sublime in these roles and bring Hattie and Hayes to life! Pop in your earbuds and give it a listen today!

https://mybook.to/TheWayIHateHim

 




ABOUT MEGHAN QUINN:

USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.

Never miss another NEW RELEASE, text READ to 474747.

 

Connect w/ Meghan:

Website: https://authormeghanquinn.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meghanquinnauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meghanquinnbooks/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorMegQuinn

 

twihh-squarebanner-availabenow_Newsletter.jpg


Stay tuned for my review of The Way I Hate Him coming on Friday!
 

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