Stillhouse Lake ~ Rachel Caine

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, I was totally impressed by this book. I typically don't choose first person naratives so for me to enjoy this novel is saying alot.

Summary:
Gina Royal is the definition of average—a shy Midwestern housewife with a happy marriage and two adorable children. But when a car accident reveals her husband’s secret life as a serial killer, she must remake herself as Gwen Proctor—the ultimate warrior mom.

With her ex now in prison, Gwen has finally found refuge in a new home on remote Stillhouse Lake. Though still the target of stalkers and Internet trolls who think she had something to do with her husband’s crimes, Gwen dares to think her kids can finally grow up in peace.

But just when she’s starting to feel at ease in her new identity, a body turns up in the lake—and threatening letters start arriving from an all-too-familiar address. Gwen Proctor must keep friends close and enemies at bay to avoid being exposed—or watch her kids fall victim to a killer who takes pleasure in tormenting her. One thing is certain: she’s learned how to fight evil. And she’ll never stop. 

My Take:
I found this novel while looking through Amazon for a novel set at the water for the OWLs reading challenge. Since I've been in a crime serial reading soree I figured this was a good choice.  Maybe its because I am a mother so I can really feel the distress and determination of the mother. There is something truly primal about this mothers need to protect her children. This novel also explores the truly disturbing aspect of humanity, not just the serial killer fans but the vengful public who want to make his innocent family "pay".
The author does an excellent job keeping your adreneline running all the way till the end. Making this an excellent first book for a series I can't wait to finish! For those of you with Kindle Unlimited this novel is currently free to read.

Blog Challenge Day 02 Travel/Vacation - Wild Card ~ Rachel Vincent

Wild Card by Rachel Vincent
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I found out today's Blog Challenge theme was Vacation and Travel I knew I needed to get this review ready! Wild Card follows Kaci and Justus as they make an exciting trip to Las Vegas, to out run a murder charge. The road trip almost ends up as a long time Island vacation but of course there are a few detours and a murder trial to attend..

Summary:

Kaci Dillon is a man-eater.

She’s grown up on the fringes of shifter society, hearing the whispers. One desperate act as a starving, terrified child has made her the first tabby in history with no romantic prospects. But whatever. Eighteen is too young to get married anyway. Still, when she stumbles upon an opportunity to get away for a few days, who could blame her for seizing it?

Justus Alexander is screwed.

Confined to the South-Central territory, awaiting trial for crimes he committed as a traumatized, newly infected stray, Justus has discovered that the tribunal already intends to vote for the death penalty. He has no choice but to run. Too young to touch the trust fund that could finance his escape, he’s betting on a big win at the poker tables—until Kaci, his secret crush, catches him sneaking out and demands that he take her with him to Las Vegas

My Take:

This is the third novel in Rachel Vincent's spin off series. For those of us who are fans of the original series this novel gives us a chance to check in with some old favorites and see how they are doing. I also enjoyed how these three novels are linked allowing us to have contact with some of the newer characters as well. You could read this book as a stand alone but I did reread the original series before starting this new one. Just to refresh my memory. The shifter society Vincent has created is expertly done. I've always enjoyed the way she pushes the society to equality but in a believable way. It would make sense that a society of shifters would have strict codes of secrecy or they wouldn't have survived this long. It also begs to reason the whole group would be a little sexist, sense female equality has been a battle for a long time.
To balance that we have some strong willed modern female leads. Each book in this series follows one tabby in her search for love, respect and independence. This novel follows Kaci who has spent the last few years being raise by Faythe and Marc since being found alone and in cat form in the Montana
Wilderness.
Kaci is all grown up but unable to escape the stigma that comes with being a Man Eater. Feeling alone and pretty down on herself she decides to hitch a ride with Justus who is headed to Las Vegas for a little pre-trial Vacation. Little does Kaci know this is going to be the trip of a lifetime!
I really enjoyed this novel. It was fun and exciting with a dash of romance. A perfect read to keep you up late into the night.

#BookReviewBlogChallenge

Check out Great New Reads for info on the blog challenge and to check out some other great books.

Last Girl Standing ~ Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush

Last Girl Standing by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was excited to read this ARC from Netgalley. The first Lisa Jackson book I ever read was one that she and Nancy Bush had done together. After that I managed to score a whole slew of Lisa Jackson novels and I've enjoyed everyone.

Summary:
First they were five. Then they were four. Who's turn will it be next?

New York Times bestselling Sisters of Suspense join forces for a gripping novel about a clique of popular girls whose high school friendship is marked by a tragedy that continues to haunt them decades later

My Take:
This one did not disappoint. Suspenseful till the last moment. The main characters are the mean girls from high school everyone loved to hate. Although this story is filled with small town secrecy and big time trouble. There was a level of intensity from each of the First Five, which can be hard to maintain with so many characters in play. I think the authors have done an excellent job building believable teenagers who are so wrapped up in their emotional lives that can't truly see whats going on around them. It also shows how sometimes tragedy shapes a community more than anyone might realize.
As the storyline heats up you realize things are even crazier than you thought.I promise you this one will keep you guessing till the very end.

Circle of Desire ~ Keri Arthur

Circle of Desire by Keri Arthur
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has been sitting in my digital TBR pile for far to long! Lucky for me I got a great deal on a used Kindle Oasis and now I can clear my digital TBR shelf. I received the digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Summary:

In ten years of working for the Damask Circle, shapeshifter Katherine Tanner has never come across anything that goes after kids the way this monster does, and she has never met anything that does to them what this thing does. And it’s not something she wants to confront. But with the Circle’s resources stretched to the limits, she’s given very little choice. The last thing she needs is interference from a cop who has no idea what he’s up against.

Ethan Morgan’s niece is one of the missing children and he has every intention of not only defying the odds and bringing her back alive, but of catching the monster behind these kidnappings and bringing her to justice. Even if he has to break every law in the country to do it. And he's willing to use anyone and everyone to achieve those aims--even a crazy woman who claims to be a witch.

Forced to join forces, Ethan and Kat are drawn to each other, but fight their feelings as they struggle to uncover clues that will lead them to the monster’s lair and battle a seemingly endless supply of zombies and other dead things determined to stop them. But time is ticking away and both know the monster behind these kidnappings rarely keeps her victims alive for more than seven days. And four of those have already gone.

But the greatest threat to Kat might not come from the forces of darkness gathering around them, but from the man she is beginning to love.

My Take;

Being the 3rd book in the series it took a few chapters for me to catch up with what was going on. After that the storyline moved in a well paced way. Mixing action scenes with steamy romance. The first few encounters with Kat and Ethan are a little rough. There isn't the romance and longing you would usually expect in this kind of fantasy. The casual nature of their relationship does begin to change for the better and you end up with a good read.
There is also a new and interesting supernatural predator. I wish we had been able to spend a little more time with the Mara. Learning about the creature. Maybe I've been just reading too many crime serials. This really wasn't that kind of novel. Worth the read but I do think you'd be better off starting at book 1.

Blog Challenge Day 01~ Dreams and Ambitions ~ Dressage for the Not-So-Perfect Horse

Book Review Blog Challenge Day 01- Dreams and Ambitions
Alright here we go. For today's installment in the blog challenge I've decided to go with an equestrian self help book. Since I am still recovering from a broken ankle this is the perfect time to expand my craft through reading.

Dressage for the Not-So-Perfect Horse: Riding Through the Levels on the Peculiar, Opinionated, Complicated Mounts We All Love by Janet Foy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary:
Thousands of riders pursue the sport of dressage across the globe, and the majority do so on a budget and with the horse they already have, or quite simply, the one they can afford. This means riders daily face the challenge of mastering one of the world’s most esteemed equestrian pursuits on horses that may not be bred specifically for the task, or even if they have been, may not be top prospects for any number of reasons—behavioral quirks, conformational impediments, age or soundness issues, you name it.
International dressage judge, clinician, and riding coach Janet Foy has ridden many different horses in the course of her riding and horse training career—different sizes, shapes, colors, and breeds—to the highest levels of dressage competition. Now she has compiled her best tips for training and showing the horse you have (or the horse you love, despite his “faults”) through the levels. With lists of the common “imperfections and evasions” experienced when riding movements—from simple transitions and leg-yield to zig-zags, tempi changes, and piaffe— followed by training tips and creative ways to “perfect” the “imperfections,” riders are bound to discover countless ways to apply Janet’s advice in their dressage pursuits.

My Take:
Easy to understand and logically broken down this book de-mistifies some of the more confusing "basics" that many people struggle from. Myself included.
 I chose this book beacause the title really grabbed me. As an equestrian I am always trying to do things better. With more feel, or more accuracy, more impulsion or more control. Since my own horse would often prefer a lesiorly trail ride to flat work in the ring, finding new ways to engage his brain (and body) is of the utmost improtance. Just like people horses have diffrent learning styles and behaviours. Understanding your horse and diffrent methods to help your horse understand you can make all the difffrence in training.
I'll be honest with you. I have often found Equestrian non fiction to be kind of dry. Not nesecarily hard to understand but just hard to relate to. That is really where this one stands out. Each step is broken down and explained in an informative but relatable way. If you start at the begining and work your way through you can easily see the building blocks to each movement . If you are a more experienced rider or if you are thinkong of resolving just a certaian problem you can quickly find the chapter that interests you. I often enjoy learning how other instructors teach the basis since I teach beginners. Either way I'm sure you will learn a lot and be ready to put it into practice. Once we all get out of quarentine.

There is also a second book that focuses on training which I hope to pick up in the near future.

Special Thanks to Great New Reads for picking such a good topic for today!

#bookreviewblogchallenge

OWLS readathon update

Well here we are more than half way through April so I figured it was time for an update.

I have finished the following "courses" and submitted my Tomes

Transfiguration - Night of the Billionaire Wolf by Terry Spear
Muggle Studies - Thicker than Blood by Mike Omer
History of Magic - Capturing the Last Welsh Witch by J.M. Davies

Now on to finish ;

Divination  - Wild Card by Rachel Vincent

I also have a few I haven't found books for yet

Astronomy - read at night

Charms- White cover

Potions- under 150 Pages

Herbology- Tittle starts with an I

DADA- Set at the sea or the coast

Care of magical creatures- Beak on the cover

If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them!

Interested in joining all the fun? Check out the Magical Readathon page. There is still plenty of time!

Night of the Billionaire Wolf ~ Terry Spear

Night of the Billionaire Wolf by Terry Spear
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another win for Terry Spear! If you look back into some of my old reviews you'll learn I am a big Terry Spear fan. So I was very excited when I got the chance to read the ARC from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review. If you are looking for romance and an upbeat story line she never lets you down. I also have always enjoyed the world she has set up for her wolves. The Lupus Garou shift seamlessly between wolf and human, mate for life, and have strong family bonds. They also tend to be pretty honorable (at least the main characters) so overall they are almost always likable. I've always though if shifters could exist in our world it would have to be more like that. If there was some moon obsessed magical killers running around human would have hunted them into extinction years ago.

Summary:
It's not easy being a billionaire, a wolf shifter, and a woman...

Lexi Summerfield built her business from the ground up. But with great wealth comes great responsibility, and some drawbacks Lexi could not have anticipated. Lexi never knows who she can trust... Even on vacation, Lexi has a hard time trying to relax. And for good reason―the paparazzi are dogging her, and so is someone else with evil intent.

Then Lexi meets bodyguard and gray wolf shifter Ryder Gallagher, who's also vacationing at Redwood National Park. When the two run into each other on the hiking trails, and then serendipitously rescue two bear cubs, Lexi feels safe for the first time in she can't remember when. But secrets have a way of surfacing... With the danger around Lexi escalating, Ryder will do whatever it takes to stay by her side...

My Take:

This book centers on Lexi a smart and wealthy female wolf who has had her world turned upside down after the death of her mom and loss of her dad. Not just dealing with the running of her business but also trying to weed through a sea of suitors who are only after her money. Lucky for Lexi she manages to cross paths with a wolf who is more interested in protecting her and things heat up.
I don't want to give any spoilers but I was excited to meet up with some characters from previous books. Having been a long time reader its nice to have a touch base with some old friends.
If you enjoy paranormal romance this is a great read.