Carries Book Reviews

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lady Midnight is the first in the new Dark Artifices series by Cassandra Clare but it continues with the entire Shadowhunter world from the Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series. The main characters in Lady Midnight were first introduced in the last of the Mortal Instruments series as young children and now five years has passed in which they’ve grown and trained and become the new generation of Shadowhunters. This could be read as a standalone series but a reader would be missing the ties from earlier novels and would probably be best to start with the other series.

Emma Carstairs had never believed her parents were victims of the Dark War but the Clave had refused to investigate further into their murders. When Emma comes across a lead that involves faerie activity Emma, Julian Blackthorn and the other Blackthorn siblings begin to investigate on their own since the Clave prohibits for Shadowhunters to have any involvement in the faerie world after the Dark War.

Lady Midnight was one of those books that I was highly looking forward to reading having enjoyed all of the other Shadowhunter novels but I was hoping it wouldn’t end up disappointing me when I did. Thankfully that was not at all a problem, if anything it’s possibly a little better than those before it.

The characters in the series were all quite likable. Emma was incredibly strong and determined. Julian has had to age way beyond his years to keep his family together which just breaks this readers heart. The rest of the Blackthorn siblings and new characters to the story all had their own personalities and different reasons to root and care for them.

With all of the Shadowhunter world the books seem to follow some sort of loose formula but there’s never a moment that I feel anything repetitive to the plot. Events in the stories never fail to shock or entertain me. Always full of twists and turns to keep a reader engaged all throughout the read. And even with this particular book being over 700 pages I was never once bored with the story.

I have to say I’m a huge fan of this series and the ones before it and do hope the books continue on for years to come. I’d say to those that complain with Ms. Clare continuing on with the Shadowhunter world, please just find something else to read and let the rest of us dive back into this world as often as she let’s us.

Overall, yes, I would definitely recommend, this book will be on my top reads of 2016 and can’t wait to read the next in the series.

Last Kiss Goodnight: A heart-breaking story of lost children and the power of a mother’s love by Teresa Driscoll
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After a heartbreaking tragedy in Kate’s life she finds herself lost and not knowing how to move forward or deal with her pain. When she comes across Martha one day by chance the two find that they are inexplicably drawn to one another. Both are hiding their past and not wanting to confront their nightmares. The two form a bond and friendship and begin to heal each other.

First I’d like to say this is a really great book, well written and I believe it will be very well liked as some of the earlier reviews are showing. However there were a few things that kept me personally from rating a bit higher and can almost hear the boos from me giving it three stars.

To start with I did find it a bit slow moving in the beginning. Not too terribly much but once I found myself a few chapters in I pretty much figured out the basics of the entire story from there and in the end it did turn out the way I’d expected so that’s a tad disappointing to work it out so early on.

Another thing bringing my rating down a bit more was a disconnect with Matthew and how he handled early events in the book. Having personal experience with certain situations and a lifetime of debates and discussions I just had a personal dislike for some of his actions that I don’t think are going to bother most but made me dislike him to start and didn’t get as drawn into the story that I would have liked otherwise.

Last Kiss Goodnight is still a read that I would recommend checking out. Heartbreaking and heartwarming all wrapped into one in the story. One to have tissues on hand but also be prepared to laugh.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cloaked in Secrecy
T.F. Walsh
(The Wulfkin Legacy #2)
Published by: Crimson Romance
Publication date: March 14th 2016
Genres: Adult, Paranormal

What better way for a pack of wulfkin shifters to remain in seclusion than to hide in plain sight?

Death has followed Alena Novac’s circus family for years, but when the police arrest her brother for murder, she must rescue him before he transforms behind prison walls. With less than a week to execute her plan, a member from the Varlac family who murdered her mother reappears. Now, Alena has to decide whether to make good on her promise to avenge her mother’s death or risk rescuing her brother.

Enre Ulf has one mission – prevent Alena’s father from claiming his territory and slaughtering his wulfkin pack in Transylvania. Enre may have turned his back on his Varlac heritage, but that doesn’t mean he won’t impersonate one to infiltrate the circus clan and take out their alpha. Knowing that his secrets will lead to his demise, Enre takes the risk in order to save his home. What he never planned on was his wolf claiming Alena as his mate.

Now with the police closing in, and the real Varlac threatening them, Alena and Enre must overcome their pasts to save their packs’ futures.

Cloaked in Secrecy is the book 2 in the Wulfkin Legacy series, but can be read a stand-alone-book.

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EXCERPT:

ALENA

“Girl, you going to stand there all day?” Sonia’s voice turned loud as she snapped me back to the here and now.

She sat at the table, both hands clasped around at least a dozen twigs, each about half a foot long. Balancing the ends on the center of the table, she let the twigs fall and studied the way the pieces of wood collapsed on top of each other. The majority crisscrossed each other, others rolled away from the pile.

Sonia’s dark-blonde curls were pulled off her face with a headband. She wore no makeup or her usual fake gypsy jewelry reserved for the circus customers.

“Have a seat.” She spoke without taking her eyes from the pile of sticks in front of her, her head tilting from side to side.

Taking a chair at the table and kicking aside a boot, I reconsidered telling her about my dream with Enre. The more I replayed the vision in my mind, the more I was convinced it was me lusting over him. Heat radiated down my neck at the thought of telling Sonia that I’d turned into some horny nymph.

“What do you see?” No matter how many times Sonia read my future, my insides still fluttered.

“He’s at the circus for you.”

“The Varlac?” I slouched into the chair, arms folded across my chest, fire scaling my cheeks. “I doubt it.” Not the first time the twigs would have been misinterpreted.

“You’ll bring a change out in him. How exciting.” She flashed me a cheerful smile.

A thousand possibilities swirled in my head, but none of them made any sense, except the one where I hated being paired with Enre. “What does that even mean?”

Sonia inched closer. “The universe has a sick sense of humor. It shows us only snippets of events. You know that.” She twisted in her seat and retrieved a pack of tarot cards from the bookshelf behind her. The top card had a brightly colored parrot painted on it. She sighed, stashed it back on the shelf, and continued to fumble through her numerous other decks.

“That’s for the tourists.” She spoke with her attention still on the bookshelf. “Anyway, what about you? Had any dreams lately?”

I licked my lips, deciding not to share the memory of what Enre had intended to do to me in the dream. “Not much.”

“So you dreamt about him? The shake of your head says no, but your tone tells a different story.” She giggled, a piercing laugh, as she retrieved another pack of cards, the backs printed with a kaleidoscope of colors in a diamond patchwork design. “Weeks ago, I told you a visitor was coming.” Sonia settled in her seat to face me.

Author Bio:

T.F. Walsh emigrated from Romania to Australia at the age of eight and now lives in a regional city south of Sydney with her husband. Growing up hearing dark fairytales, she’s always had a passion for reading and writing horror, paranormal romance, urban fantasy and young adult stories. She balances all the dark with light fluffy stuff like baking and traveling.

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Speaking with TF Walsh, Paranormal Romance Author

What is the best thing you’ve learned about writing and/or the publishing business?

How important it is to build a strong band of friends who share your passion for writing. I’m talking about writing and critique friends who stick by you and prep you up when needed. Many of my friends who don’t write find it so difficult to understand the pressures of writing and publishing, so it’s always great to have people who are in the same situation to have on your side.

How do you balance the demands of your everyday life and your writing life?

To be honest, I haven’t quite mastered that one yet. I tend to squeeze my everyday life into my writing one, but at the moment that could have to something to do with the book launch.

Do you have a job outside of writing? What is it and how does it mesh with your writing?

Sure do. I work in marketing and social media during the day. So even when I’m not writing, I’m online. When I go on holidays, I try really hard to leave the Internet behindJ

What was one of the best Christmas presents you ever received?

It would have to be a BMX bike. When I was young, I was a bit of tomboy and I desperately wanted a BMX. That was a Christmas to rememberJ

Name your favorite children’s story.

Little Mermaid. I’ve always loved this tale, and who secretly doesn’t want to be a princess mermaid. Come on, fess up.

Who was your hero when you were a child, and what did you do to be like them?

During high school, I was obsessed with Madonna. Now I remember back then I was dating this guy who had some issues with me wanting to go to University, and things were not going to work out, but I didn’t know how to break it off. One day, Madonna’s song, Express Yourself played on TV, and I recall how determined it made me to stand up for myself and to finally break it off, which I did that very afternoon. Poor guy, he kind of didn’t see it coming. Best decision ever!

What is your concept of a fruitful day?

Writing over 2000 words and then editing a whole chapter.

What one thing (modern convenience) could you not live without?

Internet

What are your three favorite smells?

The three Cs. Cinnamon. Coffee. Chocolate.

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Breaking the Story
Ashley Farley
Publication date: March 17th 2016
Genres: Adult, Suspense

Passion, peril, and a scandal that will rock American politics.

Scottie Darden’s life is a disaster. Her marriage has become toxic, and her career as a photojournalist has stalled out. To attract the attention of the main players in the news industry, she needs a standout story with a unique perspective. What she finds is a scandal that could turn the 2016 presidential election upside down. But before she can release her damaging images to the media, Scottie must uncover the truth behind the photographs. She turns to handsome mystery man Guy Jordan for help. When they join the campaign trail in search of answers, their investigation quickly becomes deadly.

Hop on board for a wild ride of adventure where desire ignites, lives are threatened, and secrets are revealed.

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BOOK TRAILER:

EXCERPT:

Her cell phone lit up on the seat beside her, and Brad’s name appeared across the screen. She reached for the phone and powered it off. The next time she communicated with him would be through an attorney.

Scottie contemplated her options for a place to spend the night. Already approaching the fifty-mile mark, she couldn’t drive much farther on her spare tire. Her best friend, Anna, had been avoiding her since Christmas, since Scottie had inadvertently placed Anna’s husband in danger of losing his medical license. The rest of her friends would undoubtedly be spending quiet weekends at home, nursing their babies and making love to their husbands. She could drive to Church Hill to her brother’s house, where she knew she’d find a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. But Will would want all the details, and she wasn’t ready to give voice to her drama. Tonight, she needed time alone to think. Tonight, she needed to drink tequila.

She took a right-hand turn onto the Boulevard, drove one block, and then turned left onto Franklin Street. She parked under the portico in front of the Jefferson Hotel, handed her key to the valet, and went inside to the front desk. After booking the cheapest room available, she wheeled her suitcase around the corner and rode the elevator to the third floor. The consolation prize to having the smallest room in the most luxurious hotel in the city was the stunning view overlooking downtown Richmond.

Author Bio:

Ashley Farley is a wife and mother of two college-aged children. She grew up in the salty marshes of South Carolina, but now lives in Richmond, Virginia, a city she loves for its history and traditions.

After her brother died in 1999 of an accidental overdose, she turned to writing as a way of releasing her pent-up emotions. She wrote SAVING BEN in honor of Neal, the boy she worshipped, the man she could not save. SAVING BEN is not a memoir, but a story about the special bond between siblings.

HER SISTER’S SHOES—June 2015—is a women’s novel that proves the healing power of family.

Merry Mary—October 2015—a holiday novella, a young woman longing for a child stumbles upon a Christmas miracle.

BREAKING THE STORY is scheduled for release on March 17, 2016. A romantic political suspense. Passion. Peril. And a scandal that will rock American politics.

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Welcome to the cover reveal for

Under My Skin by Laura Diamond

presented by Swoon Romance!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Bookish Brit Adam Gibson is one wonky heartbeat away from a fatal arrhythmia. But staying alive requires Adam to become keenly focused on both his pulse and the many different daily medications he must take in exactly the right dosages. Adam’s torn between wanting to live and knowing that someone else must die in order for him to do so. He needs a new heart.

The pressure is getting to him. Adam stops talking to his friends back home, refuses to meet kids at his new school, and shuts his parents out entirely. His days are spent wondering if can cope with having a dead man’s heart beating inside his chest, or if he should surrender to the thoughts of suicide swirling around in his head.

And then a donor is found…

Outspoken artist Darby Fox rarely lets anything stand in her way of achieving her goals . Whether it’s painting, ignoring her homework (dyslexia makes a mess out of words anyway), kissing a hot boy she doesn’t even know, or taking the head cheerleader down a peg , no one has ever accused Darby of being a shy. She also happens to be the twin sister to a perfect brother with good looks, good grades, manners, and the approval of their parents – something Darby has never had.

Darby’s always had bad timing . She picks the worst time to argue with her brother Daniel. In a car with bald tires, on an icy road in the freezing cold, the unthinkable happens. In a split-second, everything changes forever.

Under My Skin by Laura Diamond

Publication Date: April 12, 2016

Publisher: Swoon Romance

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Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist currently specializing in emergency psychiatry. She is also an author of all things young adult—both contemporary and paranormal. An avid fan of sci-fi, fantasy, and anything magical, she thrives on quirk, her lucid dreams, and coffee. When she’s not working or writing, she can be found sniffing books and drinking a latte at the bookstore or at home pondering renovations on her 225 year old fixer upper, all while obeying her feline overlords, of course.

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