Teaser Tuesday: A Curse So Dark & Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

January 22, 2019January 20, 2019 Ali@abookishlifeLeave a comment

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purple Booker. If you want to join in grab your current read, flick to a random page, select two sentences (without spoilers) and share them in a blog post or in the comments of The Purple Booker.

This week my teaser comes from Beauty and the Beast retelling A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. I received this from NetGalley during the summer last year and being the biggest fan of retellings I couldn’t resist reading immediately. Needless to say while I loved it I did not write a review or any kind of notes after I finished so ended up re reading it over the weekend to refresh my memory. And, it was just as good as the first time. I’ve read quite a few Beauty and the Beast retellings and I think this is one of the best.

My Teaser

“What would you have done,” I ask quietly, “if we had not arrived?”

“Did you see their swords?” she says against my back. “I’m pretty sure I would have died.”

loc 718 A Curse So Dark & Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Blurb

In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s instead somehow sucked into Rhen’s cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

WWW Wednesday: 16th January 2019

January 16, 2019January 14, 2019 Ali@abookishlife13 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Pretty safe to say my reading plans went out the window when my NetGalley request for Slayer by Kiersten White was approved. I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer so I’ve been really looking forward to this book and while it’s still relatively early days it is not disappointing. There’s a lot of the same humor the show has and I’m loving all of the references to the characters I love, although so far none have actually appeared yet 😦

On audio, I’m still working my way through The Diviners by Libba Bray. I did manage to make some decent progress at the weekend while I was out digging up the garden (I’m starting a veg garden in preparation for the Brexit food shortages … no not really). Not convinced though I’m going to get it finished before it returns itself to the library this weekend.

Recently Finished

I’ve had a great reading week with three books finished and all of them pretty great albeit very different. The first book finished was Fallen Angel by Chris Brookmyre which I’d received from NetGalley. I’ve been a big fan of Brookmyre for a long time so I was very excited about a new standalone contemporary thriller from him (he’s been venturing into some unusual territory with his last few books) and it proved to be a great read. Conspiracy theories, narcissistic personalities and family secrets (pretty much all of my fave things) play a big part of this story and there are some wonderfully well developed, and horrid, characters to enjoy. A little too early for a full review but yep, I’d recommend.

Next up was Eighth Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones, the eighth book in the Charley Davidson series. I am completely addicted to this series about a private investigator who’s also the grim reaper. I have to admit however that while I did enjoy it I do think this is the weakest book in the series so far. There were some big events and reveals but I felt like not very much happened. There were also a couple of little inconsistencies and actions that didn’t really make sense and some foreshadowing of what’s to come that’s rather concerning. It did still make me laugh and I love the characters so will read on but keeping everything crossed what I think is coming won’t actually happen.

Third and final book finished was I Owe You One by another long time fave author Sophie Kinsella. It feels like forever since I managed to read a book by Kinsella so it was really nice to sink into one again, and yeah I really disappeared into this one. I started it early afternoon on Saturday and read the whole thing in pretty much one go (I did break for food occasionally). I should hopefully have review up this week but if you’ve read Kinsella’s other books, think Got Your Number. It’s not quite as funny but has the same kind of characters and chemistry.

Reading Next

I probably need to slow down a little on my reading to catch up with some reviews but if I get the chance I would like to pick up Twisted by Steve Cavanagh, I did read the first few pages on Friday but then Slayer came in so it got kind of bumped down the list a bit. I may also attempt to pick up one of my older galleys. I’m thinking possibly The Trouble with Emma by Katie Oliver which has been on my shelf for almost three years.

Twisted The Trouble With Emma

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading ❤

Teaser Tuesday: Slayer by Kiersten White

January 15, 2019January 14, 2019 Ali@abookishlife5 Comments

This week my teaser comes from Buffy the Vampire inspired/spin off Slayer by Kiersten White. I am the most humongous fan of Buffy and have watched every episode of the show multiple times so I was ridiculously excited to get this book from NetGalley at the end of last week. I’m only around 20% in and am just so happy to be back in this world I’m pretty much just fangirling rather than paying any attention to the story.

My Teaser

“Didn’t you notice that day the sky burst open and there were earthquakes and tsunamis and stuff?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Global warming.”

loc 330 Slayer by Kiersten White

Blurb

Into every generation a Slayer is born…

Nina and her twin sister, Artemis, are far from normal. It’s hard to be when you grow up at the Watcher’s Academy, which is a bit different from your average boarding school. Here teens are trained as guides for Slayers—girls gifted with supernatural strength to fight the forces of darkness. But while Nina’s mother is a prominent member of the Watcher’s Council, Nina has never embraced the violent Watcher lifestyle. Instead she follows her instincts to heal, carving out a place for herself as the school medic.

Until the day Nina’s life changes forever.

Thanks to Buffy, the famous (and infamous) Slayer that Nina’s father died protecting, Nina is not only the newest Chosen One—she’s the last Slayer, ever. Period.

As Nina hones her skills with her Watcher-in-training, Leo, there’s plenty to keep her occupied: a monster fighting ring, a demon who eats happiness, a shadowy figure that keeps popping up in Nina’s dreams…

But it’s not until bodies start turning up that Nina’s new powers will truly be tested—because someone she loves might be next.

One thing is clear: Being Chosen is easy. Making choices is hard.

WWW Wednesday: 9th January 2019

January 9, 2019January 8, 2019 Ali@abookishlife19 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Not sure why but I seem to be in the mood for crime and thriller books at the moment so when my request for Chris Brookmyre’s latest novel Fallen Angel was approved on NetGalley I couldn’t resist jumping straight in. I’m currently around a third of the way through and very much enjoying it.

On audio, my hold on The Diviners finally came in so I’ve started listening to it again. It’s been a couple of months since I last listened to it so I ended up jumping back a little to remind myself what was happening but starting to make some progress again. I really must make an effort to spend more time listening to it before it returns itself again.

Recently Finished

I haven’t done a WWW post since before Christmas so I’ve included pretty much everything I’ve read since mid December. Have to admit I wasn’t in the mood for anything too serious over the holiday period (I was ill, my central heating packed in and it was the holidays) so there’s an abnormally large number of books with shirtless men on the cover on my list but I needed something to heat me up 😉 And they fit some challenges I was doing.

The Christmas Sisters: The perfect feel-good and romantic read to curl up with this winter! An English Bride In Scotland (Highland Brides, #1) Sixth Grave on the Edge (Charley Davidson, #6) Seventh Grave and No Body (Charley Davidson, #7)

The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan (4 stars) – This was more family drama than romance but it was a really enjoyable and emotional read. You can read my full review here.
An English Bride in Scotland by Lyndsay Sands (3 stars) – The first book by Sands I’ve managed to finish and it was a pretty good read, although given I’m struggling to remember what happened in the story, it must not be an especially memorable one.
Sixth Grave on the Edge by Darynda Jones (4 stars) – There seemed to be a lot of different stories mixed together this time around rather than one big mystery to be solved but the romance, which has been my main niggle in this series, is much improved.
Seventh Grave & No Body by Darynda Jones (4.5 stars) – Think this may be my fave in the series so far. Loving how the characters are developing and while the focus is more on the grim reaper side than the PI again it feels a bit more cohesive.

Captive (Lace Underground, #1) Roomies A Place in the Sun

Captive by Tess Oliver (3 stars) – A very problematic storyline but an incredibly addictive read. This is one of those stories I feel like I shouldn’t have enjoyed (but I kinda did). Not sure I’ll be continuing on with the trilogy though.
Roomies by Christina Lauren (4 stars) – I love the whole fake relationship that might be real trope so I was always going to love this story and it’s especially good as it’s set in a theatre
A Place in the Sun by R.S. Grey (3.5 stars) – I didn’t realise when I started this it was kind of a sequel to the first Summer Games book but it can easily be read as a standalone. Like all of Grey’s books it’s an enjoyable and quick read. Didn’t feel much of a spark in the romance but the Italian setting was wonderful.

The Glass Woman Verity Cold-Hearted Rake (The Ravenels, #1)

The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea (???) – My review will probably be going up next week (if I manage to write it up) so I’m not rating just yet. It is however a wonderfully atmospheric read and one I definitely recommend if you like historical mysteries with a little bit of witchcraft and superstition in the mix.
Verity by Colleen Hoover (3.5 stars) – Something a bit different from CoHo and while I do love her writing and found this an engaging story it didn’t really wow me. I kind of wish she’d pushed things a little further or put a real twist into this mystery.
Cold Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas (3 stars) – I think I’ve been reading too many historical romances as they’re all starting to get a bit samey. This is still an enjoyable read (and I read it in one sitting) but nothing really stood out about it and I found myself more interested in the secondary characters than the leads.

Reading Next

I foolishly decided it was a good idea to grab the thirteenth and final book in the Charley Davidson series from NetGalley (it was Read Now) despite only having read the first seven so I think I’m going to try and read book eight next (they’re addictive and easy reads so it’s not exactly a hardship). After that I’m kind of tempted to return to my reading life of crime with Steve Cavanagh’s new book Twisted before jumping into a new romance from Sophie Kinsella 🙂

Eighth Grave After Dark (Charley Davidson, #8) Twisted I Owe You One

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below. I am still having issues with my phone at the moment (the battery dies if I use wifi/data for more than 10 mins) so I will apologise in advance for my delay in responding.

Happy Reading ❤

Teaser Tuesday: The Glass Woman

January 8, 2019January 7, 2019 Ali@abookishlife3 Comments

This week my teaser comes from The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea, a book I received from the publisher via NetGalley and which I read last week. It’s a wonderfully creepy mystery set in Iceland in 1686 and makes for a fantastic wintry read.

My Teaser

But life has taught me that darkness resides in every human heart, a tiny smudge of sooty smut on even the whitest of souls. And I must admit that the same stain marks my humanity, as it does the soul of every man and woman.

44% The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea

Blurb

1686, ICELAND. AN ISOLATED, WINDSWEPT LAND HAUNTED BY WITCH TRIALS AND STEEPED IN THE ANCIENT SAGAS.

Betrothed unexpectedly to Jón Eiríksson, Rósa is sent to join her new husband in the remote village of Stykkishólmur. Here, the villagers are wary of outsiders.

But Rósa harbours her own suspicions. Her husband buried his first wife alone in the dead of night. He will not talk of it. Instead he gives her a small glass figurine. She does not know what it signifies.
The villagers mistrust them both. Dark threats are whispered. There is an evil here – Rósa can feel it. Is it her husband, the villagers – or the land itself?

Alone and far from home, Rósa sees the darkness coming. She fears she will be its next victim . . .

WWW Wednesday: 19th December 2018

December 19, 2018December 18, 2018 Ali@abookishlife19 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Holidays are coming so I’m getting in the festive spirit by reading The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan (and listening to Aussie Christmas Carols – why am I only discovering these now?). I do love Sarah Morgan’s writing, it’s just so easy to sink into, so I’ve only been reading since Monday and am already well past the halfway mark. It is a little more family drama than romance (I love Morgan’s romances) so it’s probably not going to be my favourite book from her but it’s an enjoyable story.

Recently Finished

Only one book finished this week but The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell was a good one. It’s a horror story set in Czechoslovakia in 1935 and is told from two point of views. The first is a young psychiatrist Viktor who has a new job treating six of the country’s most feared serial killers. The second is a detective based in Prague who is on the hunt for a new serial killer known as Leather Apron. I found it quite a slow read (hence only one book finished) as there’s a lot of detail and history (something I always struggle with) but I did like the mystery and investigation. It’s not out till March so I do unfortunately need to hold off on a review but if you’re a fan of Silence of the Lamb type stories I think you’ll enjoy.

Reading Next

Only three days of work left and then the reading binge can begin 🙂 I’m not entirely sure what I’ll be reading but I’d like to still keep clearing my Netgalley shelf, read some of my physical books (that are too heavy to carry around), and catch up on the odd guilty pleasure book so probably some of the following.

Verity Daisy Jones and The Six A Place in the Sun Sixth Grave on the Edge (Charley Davidson, #6) Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass, #7) Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle, #1)

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below. I am having issues with my phone at the moment (the battery dies if I use wifi/data for more than 10 mins) so I may be a little slow responding but I’ll get there.

Happy Reading and (if you celebrate it) a Merry Christmas ❤

Teaser Tuesday: 18th December 2018

December 18, 2018 Ali@abookishlife1 Comment

It’s only a week till Christmas so for this weeks teaser I’ve gone for historical horror The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell. This was a NetGalley pick which I actually finished over the weekend and very much enjoyed. It’s set in and around Prague in the 1930’s so there’s lots of historical detail, a little bit of psychology and a few gory murders so, you know, nice and festive 🙂

My Teaser

Novotny knew only too well that suspicion was a stain to darken one man’s career, lighten another’s. These were times of uncertainty, where the future constantly changed shape; times such as these tended to bring out cold opportunism in the ambitious and the young.

39% The Devil Aspect

Blurb

A terrifying novel set in Czechoslovakia in 1935, in which a brilliant young psychiatrist takes his new post at an asylum for the criminally insane that houses only six inmates–the country’s most depraved murderers–while, in Prague, a detective struggles to understand a brutal serial killer who has spread fear through the city, and who may have ties to the asylum

In 1935, Viktor Kosarek, a psychiatrist newly trained by Carl Jung, arrives at the infamous Hrad Orlu Asylum for the Criminally Insane. The state-of-the-art facility is located in a medieval mountaintop castle outside of Prague, though the site is infamous for concealing dark secrets going back many generations. The asylum houses the country’s six most treacherous killers–known to the staff as The Woodcutter, The Clown, The Glass Collector, The Vegetarian, The Sciomancer, and The Demon–and Viktor hopes to use a new medical technique to prove that these patients share a common archetype of evil, a phenomenon known as The Devil Aspect. As he begins to learn the stunning secrets of these patients, five men and one woman, Viktor must face the disturbing possibility that these six may share another dark truth.

Meanwhile, in Prague, fear grips the city as a phantom serial killer emerges in the dark alleys. Police investigator Lukas Smolak, desperate to locate the culprit (dubbed Leather Apron in the newspapers), realizes that the killer is imitating the most notorious serial killer from a century earlier–London’s Jack the Ripper. Smolak turns to the doctors at Hrad Orlu for their expertise with the psychotic criminal mind, though he worries that Leather Apron might have some connection to the six inmates in the asylum.
Steeped in the folklore of Eastern Europe, and set in the shadow of Nazi darkness erupting just beyond the Czech border, this stylishly written, tightly coiled, richly imagined novel is propulsively entertaining, and impossible to put down.

WWW Wednesday: 12th December 2018

December 12, 2018December 11, 2018 Ali@abookishlife18 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

So I’ve wandered a little off my reading plan this week and picked up The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell. I received this a few weeks ago from the publisher via NetGalley and started it on Monday. It’s a horror/mystery set in Czechoslovakia in the 1935s and has a real gothic feel to it. I’m only around a quarter of the way through but so far I’m really enjoying it (if you can enjoy a gory horror story set in an asylum – I can).

Recently Finished

Two books finished this week, the first of which was The Lost Man by Jane Harper. Harper is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors and I very much enjoyed this new standalone set in the Australian Outback. It’s a combination of family drama and mystery, with main character Nathan trying to figure out how his brother ended up dead in the middle of nowhere. It’s not a particularly fast paced plot but the author does a great job in setting the scene and there are some very intriguing characters. I found it very difficult to put down.

Second book finished was Hotshot Doc by R.S. Grey. I spied this was available on Kindle Unlimited and couldn’t really resist as I almost always enjoy Grey’s books. This is an enjoyable enough read but while I pretty much read the whole thing in one sitting I’m not sure it’ll be a particularly memorable one.

Reading Next

This has been on my reading next list for the last few weeks but hopefully this week I will finally pick up The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan. I love Sarah Morgan books so I’m really looking forward to this one, I just haven’t been in a very Christmassy mood so far. I also want to knock another book off my NetGalley shelf so think I’ll probably pick up The Beauty of the Wolf (it fits a challenge). I also discovered CoHo’s latest Verity was available on Kindle Unlimited so I have that lurking on my kindle too. It sounds so good I doubt I’ll be able to resist for long.

The Christmas Sisters: The perfect feel-good and romantic read to curl up with this winter! The Beauty of the Wolf Verity

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading ❤

Teaser Tuesday: The Lost Man by Jane Harper

December 11, 2018December 10, 2018 Ali@abookishlife1 Comment

This week my teaser comes from The Lost Man by Jane Harper, a book I’d received from the publisher via NetGalley. I actually finished this book on Sunday but wanted to post a teaser from it as I really like the author’s writing style. She has a knack for creating an atmospheric and tense story that really draws you in.

My Teaser

He had felt himself, for the first time, simply giving up. Not all at once, and not entirely willingly, but a little at a time, slipping away, day after day.

74% The Lost Man by Jane Harper

Blurb

He had started to remove his clothes as logic had deserted him and his skin was cracked. Whatever had been going through Cameron’s mind when he was alive, he didn’t look peaceful in death.

Two brothers meet at the remote fence line separating their cattle farms under the relenting sun of the remote outback. In an isolated part of Western Australia, they are each other’s nearest neighbour, their homes three hours’ drive apart.

They are at the stockman’s grave, a landmark so old that no one can remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last hope for their middle brother, Cameron, who lies dead at their feet.

Something had been on Cam’s mind. Did he choose to walk to his death? Because if he didn’t, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects…

The Lost Man is the highly anticipated new book from the bestselling and award-winning Jane Harper, author of The Dry and Force of Nature.

WWW Wednesday: 5th December 2018

December 5, 2018December 4, 2018 Ali@abookishlife28 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Another week and another new book started on a Monday 🙂 This week I’m reading The Lost Man by Jane Harper, a copy of which I received from the publisher via NetGalley. I’m getting the bathroom in my house replaced this week so I haven’t had a huge amount of reading time but so far so good. I’m a big fan of Jane Harper, I loved The Dry and Force of Nature, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what she does with a different cast of characters.

Recently Finished

Despite the fact that I really should be unpacking some more boxes and wotnot I have to confess I went on a bit of a reading binge over the weekend and consequently finished three books. The first of these was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and seriously, this book blew me away. I did find it a little bit slow in the beginning but by the end I was a big blubbering wreck. I suspect a lot of people probably won’t like Evelyn as a character much, she’s pretty selfish, ruthless and willing to do whatever, but I liked her a lot. Yes she does some not very nice things but she stands by her actions and refuses to regret them.

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (Charley Davidson, #4) After such an emotional rollercoaster I needed something much lighter and funnier so switched back to the the Charley Davidson series and the fourth book Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet which I’d grabbed from the library. I am absolutely loving this series about a private investigator/police consultant/grim reaper. It’s a little bit silly but it’s fun and I love how the characters do develop over the course of it. I loved it so much that I also ended up reading book five, Fifth Grave Past the Light on Sunday. Thankfully I haven’t as yet managed to get my hands on books six and seven or I wouldn’t have been able to stop. It’s possible I may have an addiction.

Reading Next

Next up I think I’m going to finally pick up The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan. Other than singing along with some of the songs on the radio I have been really struggling to get into the festive spirit so hopefully this will give me the kick I need. I’d also really like to pick up either The Beauty of the Wolf (a Beauty and the Beast retelling) or The Enchanted Sonata (a Nutcracker retelling). Both seem like they’d be perfect for the season – and they’re sitting on my NetGalley shelf.

The Christmas Sisters: The perfect feel-good and romantic read to curl up with this winter! The Enchanted Sonata The Beauty of the Wolf