Book Review: Crossroads of Bones by Luanne Bennett

Crossroads of Bones is the first book in the Katie Bishop series by Luanne Bennett. Katie Bishop would have taken her secret to the grave, but a bunch of fat cat society folks smelled her out and made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. Katie just wants to run her tattoo business quietly under the radar. But when a man walks into her shop and hands her a drawing of the same tattoo she’s been dreaming about for weeks, things start to spin out of control. The last two people who tried to apply that tattoo are dead. Only half human, it’s her other half that an elite group wants to hire—a group of Savannah’s more privileged citizens, including the city’s reigning coven of witches. There’s a rogue god on the loose, and Katie is the only one who can send him back to hell before he breaks open the crossroads and lets the underworld waltz right in—if he manages to get that deadly tattoo inked onto his back.

Crossroads of Bones is a solid urban fantasy, with plenty of character and world building. I have read a lot of this genre, and that left me with mixed feelings. There were moments that felt like I had missed a previous book and others when things seemed a little too familiar. I think I must have read a short story or excerpt from the author before and forgotten. However, that is my personal issue, and not something that is actually wrong with the read, I just want to preface my review so readers will know what colored my take on the story.

I really liked Katie's character. She hit a good blend of badass and vulnerable, and was honest with the people she cared about most. I enjoyed the paranormal world building, and like that there were some new takes and types that I do not remember ever having seen before. I found the cast of characters to be nicely varied, and like that some things were more slowly revealed than others. I think the big bad and layers of conflict and secrecy was fairly well done, although I was almost expecting another layer at some point but that could always come along in a future book. I will admit that I do get a little annoyed with the constant romance and being controlled by the beast or hormones that seems ingrained in the genre. Not everyone needs to be attracted to the main character, and said lead does not need to hop in the sack just because. And, if they are going to, at least make sure they make the pretense having of safe sex and having a mature discussion at some point- regardless of if pregnancy is even a consideration.

Crossroads of Bones is a good start to an urban fantasy series. I am not sure if I am going to keep going, but I think it will be a good choice for many readers.

Early Book Review: Circle of the Moon (Soulwood) by Faith Hunter

Circle of the Moon is the fourth book in the Soulwood series by Faith Hunter. It is currently scheduled for release on February 26 2019. This series is set in the same world as Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series and there is some significant cross over. However, you can enjoy one series without the other. I do recommend reading the Soulwood series in order, as newcomers will be missing quite a bit of important backstory. Those that read all of Hunter's books (like me) will get the most out of the story because of the interrelated characters. 

Nell can draw magic from the land around her, and lately she's been using it to help the Psy-Law Enforcement Division, which solves paranormal crimes. Joining the team at PsyLED has allowed her to learn more about her powers and the world she always shunned--and to find true friends. Head agent Rick LaFleur shifts into a panther when the moon calls him, but this time, something has gone wrong. Rick calls Nell from a riverbank--he's naked, with no memory of how he came to be there, and there's a dead black cat, sacrificed in a witch circle and killed by black magic. Then more animals turn up dead, and team rushes to investigate. A blood-witch is out to kill. But when it seems as if their leader is involved in the crime, the bonds that hold the team together could shatter at any moment.

Circle of the Moon is just as complex and exciting to read as everything else I have read from Hunter. I will admit that it has been long enough since the previous book in the series that I had to go back and look at my thoughts on the previous book to make sure I was up to speed before getting too far into the story, and I wished I have revisited the most recent Yellowrock book as well. There is a lot going on here, and I had to give the book my full attention to take in all the character and story line development. Nell continues to grow into her independence and understanding who and what she can be in the world. Mud, Rick, and Occam are only a few of the secondary characters that I loved getting to know better as the story progressed. The mystery and case that the unit is working on, and the people that become part of the larger story because of it, are very well done, and some are fascinating in their own right, even without the ties to Jane's story. The magic circles, vampires, and magic flying around are complicated and tangled, leaving the characters and most readers puzzled as to the end game, at least until it is almost too late. My only complaint with this book is that at times it felt too complicated and tied in with Jane's story that I think those that for one reason or another have not read those as well will be even more lost in the tangle of stories than those of us who think we are all caught up. That being said, when the book was over, I only wanted more, so I still consider it a must read for fans.

Circle of the Moon is another wonderful read by Hunter. This book had me wanting to go back and reread some Jane Yellowrock, and hoping that the stories written in this world continue on. 

Book Review: Liam Davis and the Raven by Anyta Sunday

Liam Davis and the Raven by Anyta Sunday is a stand alone romance, although I could not stop myself from looking for characters I might recognize and hoping for more on some of the secondary characters as I read. 

Liam Davis is a serious journalist, and he’s good at it. Or at least, he was. Until the chief of Scribe, the campus magazine, makes him give up his politics column to write for the party page —the party page that is problematic for two reasons: One, it threatens Liam’s chance of getting the traineeship with his apathetic father at his prestigious newspaper company, and two, he has no idea what it means to party, let alone how to capture this new audience’s attention! But Liam Davis is no quitter. He’s determined to prove to his father, the chief, and above all himself that he can do it—and do it well. Life doesn’t make it easy. Not when Freddy Krueger comes stalking out of the shadows to attack him. Luckily the Raven, the campus vigilante—the vigilante getting hate mail sent to Scribe’s opinions page—comes to his rescue. Now, between finding the perfect angle for his party page columns and making friends (and perhaps something more?), Liam needs to find this mysterious Raven — not only to thank him, but to warn him to watch his back.

Liam Davis and the Raven made me smile, cringe, and sigh in turn. Liam is a all work and no play kind of guy. He does not do well with emotion, and spends more time working for the college magazine than doing anything else.l When he does not get the paper assignment he wants and an attack makes him much more aware of his loneliness the world starts to shift. I completely related to Liam, as he struggled to understand the social and emotional cues he never really had to deal with before. He is trying to make friends, write a column he is uncomfortable with, and reach the level of success with his writing he needs to reach his long term goals. Watching Liam discover the good and annoying bits of having people involved in your life was enthralling, and his complete honest about what he was feeling and wanting to be sure was sweet and frustrating in turn. I liked how he was both so smart and clueless at the same time. Quinn, Hunter, Sam, and the rest of the secondary characters were fantastic and added a great deal of depth and emotion to the story as a whole. Now I need a story just for Hunter, because I need more of him and want him to get his own happy ever after.

Liam Davis and the Raven hit all the right notes and left me wanting more from the author, and about a few favorite characters from the book. I just love the depth and realistic nature of the characters. 

Early Book Review: Mini Meadows: Grow a Little Patch of Colorful Flowers Anywhere around Your Yard by Mike Lizotte

Mini Meadows: Grow a Little Patch of Colorful Flowers Anywhere around Your Yard by Mike Lizotte is a nonfiction gardening book that is currently scheduled for release on March 5 2019. The word “meadow” conjures images of wide expanses of land, but a mini meadow, a kind of informal flower garden started with seed sown directly into the soil, can be any size. It can also be fun, easy to grow, and good for the planet. With as little as 50 square feet and for less than $20, gardeners can plant a colorful meadow that demands little in the way of space, mowing, or maintenance, uses less water than a traditional lawn, and provides habitat for pollinators, not to mention a natural exploration space for children. From choosing the right variety of seeds, preparing the soil, sowing evenly, and watering well, this book guides readers through the process of successfully creating a miniature meadow that suits their climate, soil, and growing goals, whether planting to beautify a hellstrip, halt erosion, fill a boggy spot, or establish a nesting area for bees and butterflies.

Mini Meadows is detailed and well organized, with a pleasant conversational feel. Towards the end ogf the book there are some regional planting guides that I found particularly helpful. I know my planting zone, but I think the regional breakdown is slightly more accessible.  I liked getting to know a bit about the author and his family as I learned about planting, planting, and caring for meadows. I love the look of fields of flowers, but I never thought my small yard and small gardens could be anything like a meadow.  This book offered me ideas and inspiration to take some of this space and enjoy some mini meadows. The fact that they can be so low maintenance fits in my my increasingly busy life, and how little I have been enjoying the summer heat each year. I like how the author gave additional resources in the endpages, including seed sources, gardens to visit, and further reading. 

Mini Meadows is a book that I will be looking to revisit in the late winter. It has given me many ideas, and I think it will help other gardeners looking for some information and inspiration.

Early Book Review: Owling: Enter the World of the Mysterious Birds of the Night by Mark Wilson

Owling: Enter the World of the Mysterious Birds of the Night by Mark Wilson is a children's nonfiction book currently scheduled for release on March 5 2019. Wildlife photojournalist and nature educator Mark Wilson presents a look into the mysterious lives of these distinctive birds. Images of the nineteen owl species of North America nesting, flying, hunting, and catching prey are accompanied by information about the birds’ silent flight, remarkable eyes and ears, haunting calls, and fascinating night life. Kids will learn how to spot owls; identify their calls, plumage, and pellets; and even carry on a hooting conversation with a nearby owl.

Owling is a well written book about owls. The pages are bright and bold, with full color photographs and diagrams. The text is broken into manageable portions, with fun questions and facts scattered through the pages to further engage readers. I really enjoyed seeing the differences and similarities between different kinds of owls. I also found the detailed information about each of the native North American owls to be well organized and written. I found the information on finding owls, and on how to make my yard and the environment in general, more owl friendly to be very helpful and responsibly done. I like getting information like this, which benefits the wildlife I love as much as myself. I also found the chapter on working with owls to be extremely interesting, since animal rehab or working in a zoo environment is likely to be in my daughter's future is current trends continue. The glossary and other resources in the endpapers were useful as well, and I think will help encourage young readers to explore further.

Owling is an interesting and well organized non fiction book for middle grade and older readers. I thought I knew a lot about owls, but I was glad to learn some new information here and will be using resources like ebird.org to help find owls with my children. 

Book Review: Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (Charley Davidson) by Darynda Jones

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet is the fourth book in the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones. I highly recommend reading the series in order, it is just much more fun that way. Trust me.

Sometimes being the grim reaper really is, well, grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple of months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity. But when a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above...or at least get dressed. It becomes clear something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she’s insane. But the more they refute the woman’s story, the more Charley believes it. In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, is out of prison and out of Charley’s life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats. But his absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that the city of Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved.

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet is exactly what I was hoping for as a follow up to book four, but still full of surprises. I like that while the heat and attraction between Reyes and CHarley is off the charts, they have not fallen into the trap of insta love and assumed partnership. Just like real relationship, they have to figure things out and deal with other issues. I found CHarley's investigation and dealing with her personal crises to be very well done, and how even when she is scattered and terrified Charley is still fighting to find the perfect come back or quip. I liked the amount of surprises and sub stories that tangled together. Some authors try to have this many storylines in a single book and it gets tangled and confusing, but Jones pulls it off beautifully. Anyone that has read this far in this series is likely to keep going, like myself, to see what befalls Charley next. 

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet is another highly entertaining book with enough heat and feels to keep me up well past my bedtime. Now on to book five!

Book Review: Rattlesnake Rules by Conrad J. Storad, Nathabiel P. Jensen

Rattlesnake Rules by Conrad J. Storad is a children's non fiction picturebook. Rattlesnakes have rules?! If these babies shake their rattles, you had better pay attention! Misunderstood, rattlesnakes have gotten a bad rap over the years.  This book demystifies the world of rattlesnakes and introduces children to such topics as who, when, and what rattlesnakes eat. It shows readers why rattlesnakes have rattles and what it means if you hear one. You will learn how the snakes forked tongues help them survive. The delightful and colorful illustrations of Nathaniel P. Jensen help bring the story alive.

Rattlesnake Rules is a good introduction to rattlesnakes and their behavior. I like that it offers the rules rattlesnakes live by to survive, and the rules people should follow when exploring the outdoors. The illustrations are cute, and I like the realistic colors used in the snakes and the landscapes, but it did not wow me with detail work. The text of the story is told in rhyme, and is easy to understand and remember. My favorite aspect of the book is the additional information and resources included at the end of the book. There are some interesting facts that were new to me, and some activity and craft ideas for caregivers, parents, or teachers to take part in with young readers to get them more engaged and interested in the story and information. 

Rattlesnake Rules was an informative read, and I think it could be very useful in teaching young children how to behave in rattlesnake territory, and to understand rather than fear them. I found the story itself to be alright, but the picturebook portion did not stand out or wow me in any way.

Book Review: Calm the F@ck Down: How to Control What You Can and Accept What You Can't So You Can Stop Freaking Out and Get On With Your Life by Sarah Knight

Calm the F@ck Down: How to Control What You Can and Accept What You Can't So You Can Stop Freaking Out and Get On With Your Life by Sarah Knight is a self help book for those with too much anxiety in their lives. It is a no-f*cks-given guide to taming anxiety and taking control of your life. Do you spend more time worrying about problems than solving them? Do you let unexpected difficulties ruin your day and do "what ifs" keep you up at night? Sounds like you need to CALM THE F*CK DOWN. Just because things are falling apart doesn't mean YOU can't pull it together. Calm the F*ck Down explains:The Four Faces of Freaking Out--and their Flipsides How to accept what you can't control, Productive Helpful Effective Worrying (PHEW)The Three Principles of Dealing With It, and more.

Calm the F@ck Down is a down to earth, honest book that acknowledges the reality of both anxiety disorders and the situational anxiety. I like that the author not only recognizes the existence and validity of the anxiety readers might be struggling, but makes it clear that she has been there and not only understands what readers might be feeling but makes it clear that those emotions are real, and not something that ignoring or pretending that they do not exist will help. Knight has struggled with anxiety and found tools that work for her, and shares those tools, her experiences, and hope with readers that they can find tools that will work for them. 

I really enjoyed the blunt and honest talk, and thought the regular reminders that she is not a doctor but is sharing what works for her in hopes it can help others with plenty of support for seeing a professional for help was well done and might give someone the encouragement to seek help if they need it. This balance of suggestions and support is pretty perfect. I also enjoyed the humor that is liberally sprinkled through the book, I find the ability to laugh at myself, and situations, to be helpful to me and it seems that Knight feels the same way. I think this book is a helpful and fun read for those that deal with anxiety (both capital A and lowercase, situation anxiety) to focus their energy and effort in productive ways. 

Book Review: Unwritten by Tara Gilboy

Unwritten by Tara Gilboy is a middle grade fantasy. Twelve-year-old Gracie Freeman is living a normal life, but she is haunted by the fact that she is actually a character from a story, an unpublished fairy tale she's never read. When she was a baby, her parents learned that she was supposed to die in the story, and with the help of a magic book, took her out of the story, and into the outside world, where she could be safe. But Gracie longs to know what the story says about her. Despite her mother's warnings, Gracie seeks out the story's author, setting in motion a chain of events that draw herself, her mother, and other former storybook characters back into the forgotten tale. Inside the story, Gracie struggles to navigate the blurred boundary between who she really is and the surprising things the author wrote about her. As the story moves toward its deadly climax, Gracie realizes she'll have to face a dark truth and figure out her own fairy-tale ending.

Unwritten started of as a hard read for me, be quickly changed to an engaging adventure. When readers meet Gracie she already knows that she came out of a fairy tale along with some others, and that the author is coming to visit a local bookstore. I found all the information to be a little overwhelming and it felt a bit like a recap so I felt like maybe I had missed a previous book . However, once the major action got moving I was fully engaged i the story and it worked much better for me. I liked the struggle of the main characters in dealing with the two sides of themselves and their two stories. I really liked the idea of how we can overcome what is written, or destined, for us by taking the time and care to make the right choices. I found the secrets and lies to be good plot devices, and realistic for people to cling to in situations like the ones they faced. The thoughts and ideas about people and characters shared by Winters (the author in the story) were profound, although a little heavy handed at times. I liked the general feel of the characters, and how the interacted. I also like the fairy tale world building and character building that was done. So much really worked, but when the story was finished I had mixed feelings. I liked it, but I did not love it, and could come up with no definable reason why. 

Unwritten is a solid fantasy, with good amounts of action and character development. There is room for a sequel, but still a satisfying conclusion- so who knows there could be moren in the future.

Book Review: Last Night With the Earl (Devils of Dover) by Kelly Bowen

Last Night With the Earl is the second book in the Devils of Dover series by Kelly Bowen. I did read the first book in this series, but think that while some of the characters and situations are set up and developed in the first book, they can be read alone as well.

Earl. War hero. Notorious rake. After the Battle of Waterloo, Eli Dawes was presumed dead-and would have happily stayed that way. He's no longer the reckless young man he once was, and only half as pretty. All he wants is to hide away in his country home, where no one can see his scars. But when he tries to sneak into his old bedroom in the middle of the night, he's shocked to find someone already there. Rose Hayward remembers Eli as the arrogant lord who helped her late fiance betray her. Finding him stealing into her art studio doesn't correct her impression. Her only thought is to get him to leave immediately. Yet the tension between them is electric, and she can't help but be drawn to him. He might be back from the dead, but it's Rose who is suddenly feeling very, very much alive.

Last Night With the Earl is an engaging read and I found myself very interested in the characters and what makes them tick from the very beginning. Eli might have once been a golden boy and a rake, but war and life have forced him to grow up, and he wants to do better, be better. He is reluctant to face his demons, but does what he must to gain what he wants. Rose has been hurt, and has emotional scars, but has turned her lesson into fodder for art and helping others see themselves as they truly are rather than how society talks about them. She still has her own issues with taking her own advice, but does the best she can. When these old friends come together they have to face those demons and issues, as well as betrayals. I like how honest and open they were with each other, and how hard they each had to work with their own issues, and helping each other face up to the things they did not really deal with. That pushing each other and coming to terms with their own faults, wounds, and worries was very well done. I thought Eli and Rose were well matched, and complemented each other, and challenged each other, almost perfectly. I enjoyed the read, and was glad that I picked this one up. I think I will be continuing the series, mostly because of my curiosity about just what is going on with Rose's brother Harland. 

Last Night With the Earl is an entertaining read. I enjoyed returning to a good group of characters, and am curious about what will happen next.