Du Livre

Reviews | The Blood Trials and Gallant

Thursday, April 21, 2022

Hello, fantasy lovers! Today, I’m reviewing two books that held my attention until the very end. And bonus, they’re both great on audio!

Title: The Blood Trials
Series: The Blood Gift Duology
Author: N.E. Davenport
Publisher: HarperVoyager
Publication Date: April 5, 2022
Source: Publisher
Format: Audiobook

The Blood Trials was a mix of The Hunger Games and The Poppy War; it will have you on the edge of your seat.

When Ikenna should have been celebrating her upcoming graduation, she was mourning her grandfather’s untimely death. After she learned that her grandfather’s death was a targeted assassination and her close family friend suspected a Praetorian Guard as the murderer, Ikenna dedicated herself to surviving the Praetorian Trials and bringing her grandfather’s murderer to justice.

The Blood Trials was a bloody book that surprised me, but it was also difficult to set aside. Ikenna was unhinged; she had bloodlust in her eyes and a secret magic that she could barely control. It was easy to understand her emotions and I enjoyed that Kenna had opportunities throughout the novel to grow. The first two-thirds of the book was very reminiscent of The Hunger Games; Kenna and her class of Initiates were put through the wringer and many ended up dying throughout the Trials. In addition to the constant murder, Kenna had to deal with the bigotry from those who hated her because she was Black. Davenport penned a world that was easy to understand and the prejudices that Kenna experienced were reflective of our own world.

As I stated, the Trials were a good portion of the book, and I was surprised that Davenport introduced new characters and a new struggle in the last third of the novel. I would have preferred that content be saved for the next book to allow readers to understand the new characters more. Despite that, I enjoyed reading The Blood Trials, but you need to be in a specific mood for all of that murder.

I hadn’t listened to a book narrated by Jeanette Illidge before which is surprising because she has a backlist of books I’d be interested in reading. I enjoyed her narration and the slight accents she gave to characters to differentiate them. Even if you are hesitant to listen to fantasy on audio, but I highly recommend her performance!

The Blood Trials was an intense start to a new series, but I thought the ending was a bit rushed.

Book Lists

Audiobook Narrators for Newbies

Monday, April 18, 2022

I don’t know about you all, but reading physical books has become a hassle lately. It’s a lot easier for me to pop in my headphones, put on an audiobook, and go about doing chores or commuting. It’s so freeing, friends!

I know a lot of folks struggle with audiobooks, but it’s honestly like learning how to drive a car; it just takes practice. When I first started listening to audiobooks, I stuck to contemporary romances because they were easier to digest, but now I’m a voracious listener of fantasy audio too. The only downside is that I don’t know how to spell anyone’s name, oh well.

So I’m here to help you get into audiobooks, step by step! Here are the narrators that I think are perfect performers for those seeking to start their audiobook journey.

Book Reviews

Reviews | The Wedding Crasher and Below Zero

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Spring is in the air and so is romance! I’ve got reviews for a romance full of wacky hijinks and a sweet conclusion to Hazelwood’s STEMinist novella series.

Title: The Wedding Crasher
Series: n/a
Author: Mia Sosa
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: April 5, 2022
Source: Publisher

The Wedding Crasher was full of laughs and steamy chemistry between two people who seemed like opposites on paper.

Dean had his whole life planned out. He was on track to make partner at his law firm and he was marrying a woman he respected and believed would challenge him. What he didn’t expect was for his best friend’s girlfriend’s cousin, Solange, to object to the marriage on his wedding day. Weeks after his catastrophic wedding day, Dean and Solange found themselves back in each other’s orbit with a fake dating scheme.

If wacky hijinks are your jam then you’re going to love The Wedding Crasher. Mia Sosa wrote hilarious scenes and I was invested in Dean and Solange’s budding romance. Admittedly, a lot of the comedy felt shoehorned in for the sake of marketing this as a romantic comedy, and I felt myself cringing at some scenes. Despite that complaint, I enjoyed The Wedding Crasher and found it impossible to put down at times.

Readers looking for lots of laughs and who don’t want to ask a lot of questions will have a blast with The Wedding Crasher.

Other reviews:

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

Recaps

March 2022: The return of “firsts”

Monday, April 4, 2022

March felt exceptionally long, but I’m happy to welcome April. Maybe I’ll even get back into routines this month!

I feel like I say this a lot, but March was a meh month as well. It’s been hard for me to make time for my usual interests and I feel tired all the time. I don’t know what it is, but something has got to change.

We had a couple of warm days in March which was refreshing. We played outside a lot a took Aria to the zoo, she is a BIG fan of the zoo.

In late March, I went to my first library conference since 2019. I also went on my first plane ride since 2019 and I was feeling a bit panicky leading up to the trip. The library conference was in Portland, which as it stands, is not a favorite city. However, the conference was a lot of fun and I hugged so many human beings, it felt good.

Oh! USA qualified for the World Cup, y’all!

Book Reviews

Reviews | Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May The Love Connection by Denise Williams

Thursday, March 24, 2022

I’ve got two great books to talk about today, and I highly recommend that you all get the audio!

Title: Wild and Wicked Things
Series: n/a
Author: Francesca May
Publisher: Redhook
Publication Date: March 29, 2022
Source: Publisher
Format: Audiobook

Wild and Wicked Things is an engrossing story that will delight fans of The Great Gatsby.

Annie was summoned to Crow Island after her father’s unexpected death and she was wary to go to a place where magic and money ran wild. While sorting through her father’s things, she made plans to find her best friend who had run away from home without saying goodbye. After reconnecting with her friend Bea, Annie found herself at the center of glittering magic and murder.

Wild and Wicked Things was an unputdownable, character-driven story that weaved together magic, war, and women trying to find a better life for themselves. The characters resembled those from The Great Gatsby, but Francesca May gave each of her characters a moving backstory that kept them from feeling like caricatures. The mysterious Crow Island was alluring and I was intrigued by the political hierarchy that controlled magic and witches. Wild and Wicked Things’ strongest feature was its characters and while there was an underlying romance, it was not the focal point of the book. Despite that, it was heartwarming to see Annie recognize her attraction to women and acknowledge what she wanted in life.

The audiobook for Wild and Wicked Things was a beautiful production that captivated me from the first chapter. With Marisa Calin, Gemma Dawson, and Ralph Lister making up this full cast, the audiobook greatly enhanced my reading experience.

Wild and Wicked Things is a book for my character-driven friends; I highly recommend that you pick up the audiobook!

Book Lists

Spring 2022 Books I’m Excited For!

Monday, March 21, 2022

Yesterday marked the first day of spring, some days it’s 60 degrees and lovely, and other days it’s 30 degrees. Is anyone else tired of the whiplash? With the change of seasons comes a whole new crop of books to get excited about. I’ll be completely honest and say that I’m not hip with all of the 2022 releases, but these are the books releasing from March 20 to May 31 that caught my eye!

A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Caña: A restauranteur and whiskey distiller are forced into a fake-dating scheme in Chicago. Nuff said.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry: This is probably my most anticipated release. A literary agent and a book editor who hate each other??? I can’t stop smiling.

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah: A criminal who deals in magic has no choice but to go on a journey to reclaim a lost artifact.

Book Reviews

Reviews | Hunt the Stars and Count Your Lucky Stars

Thursday, March 10, 2022

Reviews Hunt Your Stars and Count Your Lucky Stars

What a fun coincidence, I’m talking about two books that have “stars” in the title. ✨ I’m reviewing an incredibly fun space opera and a second-chance romance that didn’t grab me as much as I hoped.

Title: Hunt the Stars
Series: Starlight’s Shadow #1
Author: Jessie Mihalik
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Source: Publisher
Format: Audiobook

Hunt the Stars was a fun escape into a galaxy far from here.

Years ago, the war between humans and alien race Valoffs ravaged planets and took an emotional toll on squad leader Octavia Zarola. After a tentative peace was reached, Octavia became an infamous bounty hunter and put the war behind her. When a Valoff general, Toran, approached her to locate a stolen family heirloom, Tavi couldn’t say no to the money.

Hunt the Stars was downright fun and Mihalik’s characters made it even more memorable. Like in her last series, Mihalik wasted no time in getting to the action, but the camaraderie between Tavi and her crew was evident and the secondary characters all carved out space for themselves. The romance had a stronger storyline in Hunt the Stars compared to Mihalik’s previous series, but I still had some hang-ups on how quickly and easily Tavi and Toran fell for each other. The two species fought a hard war and there was tension between the two groups of people so I was surprised by how Tavi let go of her prejudices. Despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed the twisty storyline and I look forward to seeing how the author unravels this galactic romp.

Audiobook listeners will be no stranger to Hunt the Stars narrator, Frankie Corzo. Frankie’s voice perfectly matched Tavi’s gruff attitude and I enjoyed her affected lilt for Toran.

Readers who don’t mind a fast-paced romance and are salivating for a space opera will fall in love with this series.

Other reviews:

Aurora Blazing by Jessie Mihalik
Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik

Recaps

February 2022: Too Much to Do, Not Enough Time

Monday, March 7, 2022

February is such a ridiculous month, it’s only short by two days, but I feel like people try to jam so much more into it.

At some point, I stopped updating my bullet journal and that has really confused me. I use it to keep myself on task and when I don’t update it, my life just falls apart. I barely updated my blog, rarely drank water, and I have no idea how many books I read. So let’s try our best with this wrap-up.

I can’t even think of anything interesting that happened this month. I’ve been mostly working, trying to entertain a cabin-fever(ed?) baby, and going to class. The highlight of our month was going to my cousin’s baby’s birthday party. He is exactly 31 days younger than Aria and she is terrified of him, but to be fair, she is terrified of all children. It took her almost 3 hours to stop crying and holding on for dear life and there were only three other kids there, all her age. After she got a little sugar in her and some belated Christmas gifts, girlfriend was running around hugging people. It was a journey y’all.

Book Reviews

Reviews | Stuck with You by Ali Hazelwood and Daughter by Kate McLaughlin

Thursday, February 24, 2022

It’s been a while since I’ve shared my thoughts on some upcoming books. Stuck with You was a highly anticipated read that didn’t hit the spot, and Daughter was more heartbreaking than I expected.

Title: Stuck with You
Series: The STEMinists Novellas #2
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Publisher: Berkley | Penguin Audio
Publication Date: March 8, 2022
Source: Publisher
Format: Audiobook

Stuck with You had some sweet moments, but too much of the plot relied on miscommunication.

A few weeks ago, Sadie met a tall hot Viking who she thought could have been her forever. That all fell apart after a few short hours and she thought she would never see him again, but fate had other plans. While going to work, Sadie and Erik found themselves trapped in an elevator during a power outage, and they were forced to acknowledge what happened that fateful night.

I adored Under One Roof and was slightly deflated while reading Stuck with You, mostly because the tropes weren’t one I typically meshed with. Like in Under One Roof, Hazelwood relied on time jumps to tell a complete story, but since Sadie and Erik only had one day together, there wasn’t too much to explore. This book also relied heavily on the miscommunication trope which may work for some, but it didn’t work for me. What I did enjoy was the soccer banter. Erik and Sadie bonded over their love for various U.S. and European soccer players, and I grinned like a fool.

Meg Sylvan was a new-to-me narrator and her performance, unfortunately, did not work for me. Sylvan had a younger voice and it didn’t seem to fit superstitious Sadie’s persona. Readers may want to try the sample before diving in.

Stuck with You brings Hazelwood’s trademark voice, but it wasn’t as memorable as her other books.

Other reviews:

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood