One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence

 

"In January 1986, fifteen-year-old boy-genius Nick Hayes discovers he’s dying. And it isn’t even the strangest thing to happen to him that week.

Nick and his Dungeons & Dragons-playing friends are used to living in their imaginations. But when a new girl, Mia, joins the group and reality becomes weirder than the fantasy world they visit in their weekly games, none of them are prepared for what comes next. A strange—yet curiously familiar—man is following Nick, with abilities that just shouldn’t exist. And this man bears a cryptic message: Mia’s in grave danger, though she doesn’t know it yet. She needs Nick’s help—now.

He finds himself in a race against time to unravel an impossible mystery and save the girl. And all that stands in his way is a probably terminal disease, a knife-wielding maniac and the laws of physics.

Challenge accepted."

⭐️⭐️

Unfortunately this book just didn't do it for me. I have read several of Mark Lawrence's books in the past and I was very excited to read this one, especially because of the references to D&D. However, I found the pacing to be very slow and it was hard to keep myself interested in what was going on. I didn't really connect with the characters, except for Simon. I will absolutely read more Mark Lawrence books in the future, but I think I'll be skipping the rest of this series. *Thanks to Netgalley I received this book as a free ARC

Lost In Me by Lexi Ryan

Lost In Me

by Lexi Ryan

Lost In Me was a quick read with a whole lotta angst and drama.  I happen to love angst and drama, so that suits me fine.  This was soap-opera level drama, folks.  
The characters were interesting, but I feel as though they could have been fleshed out more.  I think the author refrained from adding too much backstory to keep the reader in suspense, but it did leave the characters feeling rather...flat.

This was a fun little romp and a good palate cleanser.  I wouldn't go out of my way to buy this book, but I did enjoy my time with it.

*I received a free copy of Lost In Me via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Iron Wolves by Andy Remic

The Iron Wolves      

Andy Remic

Thirty years ago, the Iron Wolves held back mud-orc hordes at the Pass of Splintered Bones, and led a brutal charge that saw the sorcerer Morkagoth slain. This ended the War of Zakora, and made the Iron Wolves heroes.

Now, a new terror stalks the realm. In hushed whispers, it is claimed the Horse Lady, Orlana the Changer, has escaped from the Chaos Halls and is building an army, twisting horses, lions and bears into terrible, bloody hunters, summoning mud-orcs from then slime and heading north to Vagandrak where, it said, the noble King Yoon has gone insane...

After hearing a prophecy from a blind seer, aged General Dalgoran searches to reunite the heroes of old for what he believes will be the final battle. But as mud-orcs and twisted beasts tear through the land, Dalgoran discovers the Iron Wolves are no longer heroes of legend... Narnok is a violent whoremaster, Kiki a honey-leaf drug peddler, and Prince Zastarte a drinker, a gambler, amoral and decadent: now he likes to hear people scream as they burn...

United in hate, the Iron Wolves travel to the Pass of Splintered Bones; and as half a million mud-orcs gather, General Dalgoran realises his grave error. Together, the Iron Wolves hold a terrible secret which has tortured them for three decades. Now, they only wish to be human again...

*Thanks to Netgalley for sending me a free copy for review*

I've had the Iron Wolves on my Netgalley shelf for an embarrassingly long time, my friends.  Every time I began reading it something else would come along to distract me.  It's just not a book that captured my attention for long periods at a time.

In places the writing style was very good, but I just couldn't bring myself to care overly much what happened to the characters.

A List of Cages by Robin Roe

A List of Cages

by Robin Roe

When Adam Blake lands the best elective ever in his senior year, serving as an aide to the school psychologist, he thinks he's got it made. Sure, it means a lot of sitting around, which isn't easy for a guy with ADHD, but he can't complain, since he gets to spend the period texting all his friends. Then the doctor asks him to track down the troubled freshman who keeps dodging her, and Adam discovers that the boy is Julian--the foster brother he hasn't seen in five years.

Adam is ecstatic to be reunited. At first, Julian seems like the boy he once knew. He's still kind hearted. He still writes stories and loves picture books meant for little kids. But as they spend more time together, Adam realizes that Julian is keeping secrets, like where he hides during the middle of the day, and what's really going on inside his house. Adam is determined to help him, but his involvement could cost both boys their lives.

I finished this book at two in the morning because after reading the first few pages I just could not put it down.

At times touching, at times devastating, A List Of Cages is the type of book that will make you feel every emotion.  It can be difficult to read at times because of the heavy subject matter but the ending is worth it.

I loved the writing style and am amazed that this is a debut.  Robin Roe is definitely an author to keep an eye out for.


*I received a free copy for review via Netgalley*

Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall

Waiting for the Flood 

by Alexis Hall

People come as well as go.

Twelve years ago, Edwin Tully came to Oxford and fell in love with a boy named Marius. He was brilliant. An artist. It was going to be forever.

Two years ago, it ended.

Now Edwin lives alone in the house they used to share. He tends to damaged books and faded memories, trying to a build a future from the fragments of the past.

Then the weather turns, and the river spills into Edwin’s quiet world, bringing with it Adam Dacre from the Environment Agency. An unlikely knight, this stranger with roughened hands and worn wellingtons, but he offers Edwin the hope of something he thought he would never have again.

As the two men grow closer in their struggle against the rising waters, Edwin learns he can’t protect himself from everything—and sometimes he doesn't need to try. 

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me a free copy for review.

This book, my friends, is a gem. 

I can tell you honestly that there wasn't a damn thing wrong with this book.  Except maybe that I would have loved for it to be twice as long. 

It's a good thing I'm not the author then, because part of the perfection of this book is that it is short and sweet.

The Shadow Revolution by Clay Griffith

The Shadow Revolution

by Clay Griffith

They are the realm’s last, best defense against supernatural evil. But they’re going to need a lot more silver.

As fog descends, obscuring the gas lamps of Victorian London, werewolves prowl the shadows of back alleys. But they have infiltrated the inner circles of upper-crust society as well. Only a handful of specially gifted practitioners are equipped to battle the beasts. Among them are the roguish Simon Archer, who conceals his powers as a spell-casting scribe behind the smooth veneer of a dashing playboy; his layabout mentor, Nick Barker, who prefers a good pub to thrilling heroics; and the self-possessed alchemist Kate Anstruther, who is equally at home in a ballroom as she is on a battlefield.

After a lycanthrope targets Kate’s vulnerable younger sister, the three join forces with fierce Scottish monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane—but quickly discover they’re dealing with a threat far greater than anything they ever imagined. 

Thanks to Netgalley for sending me a free copy for review!

If you like fantasy and steampunk, then you are going to want to read this book.  I read it in the midst of a book-slump and it pulled me right out of that funk. 
If you like badass characters and some good old fashioned swashbuckling (with the added interest of romance of course), then you will probably love this. 
It had everything I usually look for in a book: great characters with complex personalities, adventure, fighting, and romance.  Added on top of that was a setting that felt as though you could immerse yourself in.

The Irresistible Miss Peppiwell by Stacy Reid

The Irresistible Miss Peppiwell 

   by Stacy Reid

   With a longing for adventure, the last thing Phillipa Pippiwell wants is to marry. After a painful betrayal by a man she trusted, she is wary when she unwittingly catches the attention of roguishly handsome - and sinfully tempting - Lord Anthony Thornton. Forbidden desires she secretly yearns for threaten to crumble her icy facade and reveal a past scandal best kept buried.

Dissatisfied with his empty life, Lord Anthony seeks a deep and lasting connection... and finds himself intrigued by the Ice Maiden of the haute monde. Undaunted by Phillipa's aloof nature and her distaste for the idea of matrimony, he sets out to thaw the bewitching beauty by enticing her with adventures of the most sensual type. But he, too, hides a scandalous secret... and if it's discovered it could rip them apart. 

This was a great book with wonderful characters and so much romantic tension between the Hero and the Heroine.
I loved Phillipa's fierce desire to remain independent and Lord Anthony's understanding and commitment to help her.
If you love historical romances, you'll love this one!

*I received a free copy for review via Netgalley*