Feed Your TBR - Ghost Music

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

November 7, 2024

FROM GOODREADS: The dead can't seek justice, can they? - Gideon Lake, a successful composer, is immediately smitten by Kate Solway, who lives below him. They begin a passionate affair, and Kate invites him to Europe so that they can be together without her husband finding out. But when Gideon witnesses all kinds of strange and terrifying events, he soon realizes that nothing in Kate's world is what it seems. Gideon must work out who, and what, Kate really is, and what she wants from him . . .

WHY I CAN'T WAIT: I am pretty sure this is a reprint, but the cover immediately caught my attention, I think because of the bold colors.  Either way, I think it sounds really good and I've read a Masterton book before and really enjoyed it. Plus, I am pretty sure Masterton has a huge backlist, so I'd love to give more of his works a try.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

Talk About Major Life Events!

 

TITLE: Love of My Afterlife

AUTHOR: Kirsty Greenwood

PUBLISHER: Berkley

PUBLISHING DATE: July 2, 2024

PAGES: 369   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: If she wasn’t dead already, Delphie would be dying of embarrassment. Not only did she just die by choking on a microwaveable burger, she’s also now standing in her "sparkle and shine" nightie in front of the hottest man she’s ever seen. And he’s smiling at her. 

As they start to chat, everything else becomes background noise. That is, until someone comes running through a door yelling something about a huge mistake and sends the dreamy stranger back down to Earth. And here Delphie was thinking her luck might be different in the afterlife. 

When Delphie is offered a deal in which she can return to Earth and reconnect with the mysterious man, she jumps at the opportunity to find her possible soulmate and a fresh start. But to find him in a city of millions, Delphie is going to have to listen to her heart, learn to ask for help, and perhaps even see the magic in the life she’s leaving behind...

MY THOUGHTS: Sometimes as a reader you just suspect that a book is really going to be a hit with you for one reason or another.  This book presented as that for me and I'm so glad to say my instincts were right on the mark.

The book opens with Delphie choking to death on a fast-food burger.  This is not a spoiler, I mean the title even implies what we are working with right?  So she arrives in Heaven, which looks like a laundromat for some reason, and is met by her afterlife coach, Merritt.  While conversing with Merritt, she is faced with how unlived her life actually was, plus she meets a man she has an instant attraction with only to have him vanish before her eyes when he is revived on Earth.  Merritt, who loves a good love story, makes a deal with Dephie that if she can locate the man within 10 days, and get him to kiss her unprompted, she can return to Earth to live the rest of her life.  Only problem is that Delphie only knows his first name and that he lives somewhere in London. 

This book was so much fun.  Delphie, due to her own childhood baggage, is pretty much a loner and in order to find her soulmate, must start relying on the few people in her life to assist - workmates, the grumpy downstairs neighbor, the local librarian and even a stranger she meets in the park.  Because of this, underneath it all, this book is really about found family.  Delphie was such an interesting character and I loved seeing her come out of her shell and realize how much living she still has to do.  She also has a wonderful relationship with her neighbor, an elderly man who does not speak and I'm a sucker for an older character in a book.  The ending was a bit predictable but even then, the author added an extra layer which caught me off guard.

Overall, if you love rom-coms and don't mind some speculative fiction/magical realism thrown in, then I think you would enjoy this book. I found it to be a quick read and one I had a hard time putting down.  The only reason it didn't get a complete 5/5 rating is because I would have liked to have more of a resolution with Delphie's mother. This book is one I will be recommending to my friends and family.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

August 2024 Wrap Up

 

August was a slower reading month for me. I did read a couple of longer books as well as one or two which were a tad bit slower than I wanted.  I also had a 1-paw read, which is rare for me, and while it didn't cause a slump, it did make for slow going for a while.

Grave Peril (Dresden Files #3)

Notes on a Zombie

Corrupt

Black Bird Oracle

Bully

Ghost Station

We Love the Nightlife

You May Now Kill the Bride

I have to say we all know what my least favorite book was, and I even did ranting and raving review in case you missed it.  And I can't believe I had only one 5-paw read all month - of course it had a dog!  

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE READ THIS MONTH???

Talk About a Weird Party

 

TITLE: So Thirsty

AUTHOR: Rachel Harrison

PUBLISHER: Berkley

PUBLISHING DATE: September 10, 2024

PAGES: 304   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: Sloane Parker is dreading her birthday. She doesn’t need a reminder she’s getting older, or that she’s feeling indifferent about her own life. 

Her husband surprises her with a birthday weekend getaway—not with him, but with Sloane’s longtime best friend, troublemaker extraordinaire Naomi. 

Sloane anticipates a weekend of wine tastings and cozy robes and strategic avoidance of issues she’d rather not confront, like her husband’s repeated infidelity. But when they arrive at their rental cottage, it becomes clear Naomi has something else in mind. She wants Sloane to stop letting things happen to her, for Sloane to really live. So Naomi orchestrates a wild night out with a group of mysterious strangers, only for it to take a horrifying turn that changes Sloane’s and Naomi’s lives literally forever. The friends are forced to come to terms with some pretty eternal consequences in this bloody, seductive novel about how it’s never too late to find satisfaction, even though it might taste different than expected. 

MY THOUGHTS: I've read one other Harrison book, Cackle, and really enjoyed it so when I saw she was releasing a vampire-focused tale, picking it up was a no-brainer. And it became even better when Berkley granted me an early digital copy to review.  

Sloane is living a pretty mundane life.  She constantly worries about turning older and all the things in life she might have missed out on because of something that happened while she was in college.  In addition, Sloane is also ignoring the fact that her husband is a lying cheat because it's easier to stay with him and not risk too many changes than it is to leave him.  Sloane pretty much buries her head in the sand several times throughout the day.  

As her birthday nears, Sloane receives a surprise gift from her husband, a weekend getaway with her long-time bestie she hasn't seen in years due to her boyfriend touring overseas.  Sloan has always been envious of Naomi's life and the two couldn't appear more different.  However, as the book progresses, the reader learns they are more alike than they initially seemed.  While away, Naomi meets a mysterious man and arranges for her and Sloane to go to a private party.  Sloan is afraid of going somewhere to party with complete strangers but is tired of playing it safe.  She has no idea how unsafe things are about to get because look at the cover, we just KNOW there are gonna be vampires. 

I really loved this book, and it was a perfect read for my #Vamptember reading challenge.  Sloane wasn't the most likable character, and Naomi was pretty annoying, but I enjoyed seeing their story progress and learning more about how they became such close friends. And surprising enough, this book was pretty savage at times.  These are not your glittery romantic vamps.  I mean, a few of them do have a few morals, but overall, they go after what they want and need, and it isn't pretty.  There's plenty of carnage and dare I say it, blood to go around.

I definitely plan on going back and reading Harrison's backlist at some time.  She has yet to disappoint me and the only reason this isn't a 5-star read for me is that I felt I needed a bit more filler between the last chapter and the epilogue.  Another 40 or 50 pages couldn't have hurt in my opinion.  If you love vamps and don't always want the fluffy, romanticized type, then this is the book for you!

MY RATING: 4 Paws

Feed Your TBR - Rest Stop

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

October 15, 2024

FROM GOODREADS: From the author of MARY and NESTLINGS...A young musician finds himself locked inside a gas station bathroom in the middle of the night by an unseen assailant, caught between the horrors on the other side of the door and the horrors rapidly skittering down the walls inside.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT: I know it's not a very in-depth synopsis, but since it's only a novella, it makes sense.  I think this sounds like a perfect shorter read to work into spooky season.  Plus, that cover really grabbed my attention.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK????

2 Bloggers 1 Series - Grave Peril (The Dresden Files #3)

 

So far, I'm managing to keep up with the monthly Dresden file readalong.  I am really enjoying the series but have to admit I found this one a bit slower than the previous one. Don't get me wrong though, I'm still enjoying it. So read on for my thoughts and then hop over to Stormi's and see hers.

 

TITLE: Grave Peril (The Dresden Files #3)

AUTHOR: Jim Butcher

PUBLISHER: ROC

PUBLISHING DATE: September 1, 2001

PAGES: 378   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: Harry Dresden has faced some pretty terrifying foes during his career. Giant scorpions. Oversexed vampires. Psychotic werewolves. It comes with the territory when you're the only professional wizard in the Chicago-area phone book. 

But in all Harry's years of supernatural sleuthing, he's never faced anything like this: The spirit world has gone postal. All over Chicago, ghosts are causing trouble - and not just of the door-slamming, boo-shouting variety. These ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly. Someone - or something - is purposely stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc. But why? And why do so many of the victims have ties to Harry? If Harry doesn't figure it out soon, he could wind up a ghost himself....

MY THOUGHTS: Slowly but surely, Harry is encountering all of my favorite supernatural beings.  And seriously, I'm starting to think "Trouble" is actually his middle name.

Harry and his friend, Michael, who is a demon-hunting knight, are fresh off a case which happened off scene. Now, Chicago is being terrorized by ghosts each night - and not the Casper kind.  These ghosts are infiltrating people's nightmares and causing some serious bodily and mental damage.  Harry quickly learns that they are tied to baddie he and Michael last fought so we get to see what unfolded off-book while the story progressed.  To make matters worse, Harry had to return to Nevernever to figure out what is going on which has his Fairy Godmother hot on his tail again. And finally, to top it all off, the vampires are in town and Harry can't work fast enough to find out how everything ties together.

I had a harder time getting invested in this book, but I think it was because it kept referencing a case the reader never encountered.  However, once all the pieces fell into place, I started enjoying it more.  We get to see how Harry and Susan's relationship has developed but I admit I was saddened that Murphy didn't have a bigger role.

Overall, this is another solid installment in Harry's ever-growing adventures.  I'm excited to see what happens next and I'm sure I can't imagine the trouble he will find next.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Vamptember TBR

 

So, the quickest way for me to break a TBR is to make one but since Stormi and I are cohosting this challenge, I felt it was only appropriate that I share some vampire books on my "stack" which I might pull from starting September 1st.  They cover everything from middle grade to literary horror to some unusual finds on Kindle Unlimited.  I'm not providing full synopsis but only a sentence or two but if you click on the titles, they should take you over to Goodreads. And be sure to visit Stormi's booktube to see what she has planned.

Thirst - Mariana Yuszczuk, Heather Cleary:  This is a translated literary fiction book dubbed as "A breakout, genre-blurring novel from one of the most exciting new voices of Latin America’s feminist Gothic."

So Thirsty - Rachel Harrison: I have an arc of this one and have read from the author before.  I won't lie, I'm mainly picking it up for the cover.

Lucy Undying - Kiersten White: "Lucy Westenra has been a tragically murdered teen, a lonesome adventurer, and a fearsome hunter, but happiness always eluded her. Can she find the strength to destroy Dracula once and for all, or will her heart once again be her undoing?"

My Vampire Plus-One - Jenna Levine: I've been waiting for this sequel as Reginald was my favorite character from the first book.  So glad he got his own story.

A Bite Above the Rest - Christine Virnig: A MG book where a kid moves to a town that celebrates Halloween all year long and the mayor just might be a vampire.

Mistress of Lies - K.M. Enright: A vampy fantasy read.

Fang Fiction - Kate Stayman-London: A romance where the MC gets a chance to visit her favorite fantasy novel world, but it just happens to be filled with vampires.

Cloak of the Vampire - Sapir A. Englard: Don't know a lot about this one other than it a romantasy filled with vampires.

The Curse of Ana Dalca - D.S. Quinton: A KU find featuring historical vampires set in 1780 Romania.

Blood in the Water - Carolina Cruz: Another historic KU grab.  Apparently, I have a thing for fangs and ships.

American Ghoul - Michelle McGill-Vargas: Couldn't resist this quote "American Ghoul deftly combines horror and social commentary—with a dash of a buddy comedy—in an innovative twist on the vampire genre."

My Vampire vs Your Werewolf - Paul Tobin: Another MG that features my two favorite creatures.  What's not to love.  Plus, Stormi and I will be buddy reading this one.

Now I know I won't get all of these read but I at least hope to get Bingo on the Vamptember Bingo Board and enjoy a few others along the way.  If you missed my announcement post, you can check it out here.  The more the merrier so please join if you like!