Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet By: Charlie N. Holmberg

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Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet By: Charlie N. Holmberg

Plot:

Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from.

When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.

During her captivity, Maire is visited by Fyel, a ghostly being who is reluctant to reveal his connection to her. The more often they meet, the more her memories return, and she begins to piece together who and what she really is—as well as past mistakes that yield cosmic consequences.

From the author of The Paper Magician series comes a haunting and otherworldly tale of folly and consequence, forgiveness and redemption.

Review:

I’m not a fan of first person present as a writing style and it takes me a while to get into when I actually do read it. I liked Holmberg’s series The Paper Magician, there were things I didn’t like but overall it was an interesting world so after reading the blurb for Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet I thought why not. The idea was very interesting at the very least.

Maire was not a very compelling lead and since the story was in her voice that’s not a good thing. She has amnesia and can’t remember anything before the last four years. All she knows is baking and that when people eat what she bakes she can make them feel certain ways.

Stuff happens, she still knows nothing, but she starts learning little clues. There isn’t much world building and Maire is about as interesting as a damp rag. The most compelling part of the story is when you find out why she lost her memory and that is at the end and I wouldn’t say worth it.

Disappointed overall.

2/5

Stars of Fortune (The Guardians Trilogy #1) By: Nora Roberts

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Stars of Fortune (The Guardians Trilogy #1) By: Nora Roberts

Plot:

To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars, one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces…

Sasha Riggs is a reclusive artist, haunted by dreams and nightmares that she turns into extraordinary paintings. Her visions lead her to the Greek island of Corfu, where five others have been lured to seek the fire star. Sasha recognizes them, because she has drawn them: a magician, an archaeologist, a wanderer, a fighter, a loner. All on a quest. All with secrets.

Sasha is the one who holds them together—the seer. And in the magician, Bran Killian, she sees a man of immense power and compassion. As Sasha struggles with her rare ability, Bran is there to support her, challenge her, and believe in her.

But Sasha and Bran are just two of the six. And they all must all work together as a team to find the fire star in a cradle of land beneath the sea. Over their every attempt at trust, unity, and love, a dark threat looms. And it seeks to corrupt everything that stands in its way of possessing the stars…

Review:

This series felt almost like a fusion of my two favorite Nora Robert’s trilogies, the Gallaghers of Ardmore and the Key Trilogy. This one did have a much stronger paranormal plotline though.

SPOILERS

There was a seer, a magician, a time and space traveler, a lycan, a mermaid, and an immortal.

END of SPOILERS

The last series I read from Nora Roberts left a bad taste in my mouth and I still haven’t read the last book even though it’s been sitting on my kindle for months. I am beyond thrilled by how much I loved this book and the only thing keeping me from buying the second one is the massive stack of library books I have checked out.

There was romance and action and world building and, of course, a beautiful setting. Roberts already makes me want to go to Ireland pretty much any time I read something from her, but now she’s got me yearning to see Greece.

The characters were fun and a nice variety. Sasha was the meekest, but she wasn’t passive and didn’t let people walk all over her. Their romance did come on a bit fast, but considering she’d been dreaming about him for months, not really.

Loved the book and I’m waiting impatiently for the second to come in from the library and already sad that the third doesn’t come out until December 6th.

5/5     

Timeless (2016-?)

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Timeless (2016-?)

Network:

NBC

Starring:

Abigail Spencer

Matt Lanter

Garcia Flynn

Malcolm Barrett

Plot:

An unlikely trio traveling through time to battle unknown criminals in order to protect history as we know it.

Review:

First, it’s a time travel show, I had to at least watch the pilot. Second, it started with an LBJ dick reference, how can you not like that? My biggest concern now is that I might like it too much which means it’s probably going to get canceled.

The way they handled time travel wasn’t groundbreaking, but that’s honestly what I want in a time travel show. I loved the fact that they came back to present day at the end and little things had changed, but only they knew about it. I liked Abigail Spencer’s character and Malcolm Barrett’s, but thought they were pushing it with Matt Lanter. I can suspend my disbelief that a pretty boy is delta force, but then he gets his ass handed to him in his first real fight and only survives cause a woman from the 30s jumps in with an iron skillet. Also, what little we know about his backstory so far is pretty cliché, all in all not my favorite character. Still, with all the time travel things could change, we’ll see.

Excited and hopeful but also cautious. In the past my favorite new shows were Almost Human and Limitless, not to mention a few other one season cancelations. Hopefully Timeless breaks the cycle.

5/5

Ever After (Nantucket Brides #3) By: Jude Deveraux

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Ever After (Nantucket Brides #3) By: Jude Deveraux

Plot:

Jude Deveraux’s eagerly awaited third novel in her blockbuster Nantucket Brides trilogy continues the spellbinding saga of the Montgomery-Taggerts, set on an island steeped in beauty and unforgettable romance.

Life is anything but perfect for Hallie Hartley, a young physical therapist who has given up nearly everything—even her love life—for her beautiful blonde stepsister, Shelly. Though Shelly’s acting career has never taken off, she has certainly perfected the crocodile tears to get what she wants—which all too often means Hallie’s boyfriends. When Hallie arrives home early from work one fateful day, she makes two startling discoveries that will turn her life upside down: Not only has a mysterious relative left Hallie a house on Nantucket, but Shelly has been trying to steal it. Desperate to put her troubles behind her, Hallie impulsively flies to Nantucket.

New trouble, however, has already settled into Hallie’s guest room in the form of her newest client. Hallie is told that wealthy, young James Taggert has injured his leg in a skiing accident. Assuming that the devastatingly handsome man has led a charmed life, Hallie is surprised by Jamie at every turn throughout his recovery. His attentions draw her out of her shell—but he has a dark secret, and is tormented by nightmares that only her presence can keep at bay. She suspects there’s more to his injury than he’s letting on.

On this gorgeous island rich in history, magic is everywhere, even in Hallie’s own backyard. As Jamie’s relatives arrive for a wedding gala, something wonderfully unusual is in the air. There’s an aura of romance—enhanced by a pair of matchmaking ghosts and a colorful island legend. In their own little corner of the world, Jamie and Hallie unravel the timeless secrets of their own hearts, and a very special story of True Love destined to last forever after.

Review:

So sweet and romantic, I really enjoyed this book. It’s been a while since I’ve read the previous two in the series, but that didn’t leave me lost or confused.

I was very weepy while reading this so I ended up crying a lot, it wasn’t overly sad, but there was a soldier with PTSD as a main character.

Loved how strong Hallie was, though when you hear about her past it’s kind of odd that she’s able to stand up to everyone all of a sudden. Maybe it’s just because she couldn’t stand up to her family but other people were okay? Either way, it didn’t bother me while reading it wasn’t until afterwards that I started to think about it. Still really liked her.

Also, I’m definitely team Taggart, I love books about the Taggart’s and Montgomery’s and I hope she give us more. There are so many of the family unpaired.

5/5

Double Down (Lois Lane #2) By: Gwenda Bond

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Double Down (Lois Lane #2) By: Gwenda Bond

Plot:

Lois Lane has settled in to her new school. She has friends, for maybe the first time in her life. She has a job that challenges her. And her friendship is growing with SmallvilleGuy, her online maybe-more-than-a-friend. But when her friend Maddy’s twin collapses in a part of town she never should’ve been in, Lois finds herself embroiled in a dangerous mystery that brings her closer to the dirty underbelly of Metropolis.

Review:

This time around I wasn’t thinking about how much I dislike Lois Lane or wondering if I was about to get drowned in teenage angsty drama. Bond already sold me on her world and Lois Lane with Fallout so this time I was just super excited. The fact that it took me so long to read had nothing to do with my anticipation and everything to do with me being pregnant and unable to do pretty much anything but be miserable. The book sat on my shelf for months, since I pre-ordered it, taunting me. I’m finally feeling well enough to read something new and this was the first book I picked up.

I can’t write about a Lois Lane book without mentioning how much I love the cover, even the crisp white paper in the book seems high quality. I love it all.

I’m happy to say that I enjoyed Double Down just as much as Fallout. There was a bit more teen romance this time around, but since I like the characters it didn’t bother me and it was never the sole focus in the story, there was always a lot going on. In fact there might have been too much, I’m actually glad that not everything was completely wrapped up at the end because it would have been too neat.

Lois is still very much an intrepid reporter doing some pretty daring things to get to the truth, though, she never did anything outright stupid. Her main villain this time was a mob boss named ‘Boss’ who I actually don’t even think she ever met. Which is probably a good thing, cause a mob boss with that name is probably not someone you’d want to mess with. Since this is a kids book it never got too dark, though.

The virtual reality from the first book was still used, there were also a few more Sci-Fi elements that I appreciated and a few comic nods. Bond has done a good job making these characters and the world her own without ignoring the source material and I really appreciate that as a fan.

Love this series and I’m excited to see a third book in the works already, but I’m concerned about the long term plan for these. Is it going to be an ongoing series like Nancy Drew that sees new writers come in and the characters never really aging? Is there an end game in mind with a finish for the series? Will there be more books that aren’t comics starring these characters as they get older? That would be pretty awesome, I love comics but to see these characters in full books would be so much fun.

I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

4.5/5