Audiobook Review: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

🏴‍☠️ The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

Rating: 🥃🥃🥃🥃

Heat: 🔥🔥

Let me just say, if you're looking for historically accurate regency romance, bless your heart and move along. But if you’ve ever wanted to read a book where lady pirates live in flying mansions and casually lob grenades between tea services, then congratulations, you’re my kind of unhinged—and The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is your new favorite fever dream.

Our heroine, Cecilia, is all prim manners and deadly precision—like if Mary Poppins joined a fight club. She’s been raised by a league of proper piratical aunties who judge everything from posture to pistol technique. And she is done with everyone’s nonsense, especially when it interferes with her schedule or threatens her reading time.

Audiobook Review: Sweep in Peace

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Sweep in Peace is the second book in The Innkeeper Chronicles, featuring intergalactic innkeeper, Dina Demille and her snarly shihtzu, Beast. I really enjoyed this pair in the first audiobook, Clean Sweep, and Renee Raudman’s narration was superb. I tried this installment in the graphic audio version, which I had not experienced before. The sound effects gave the story added dimension and fun, but I did miss some of Renee’s southern accent for Dina.

In this story, to ensure the prosperity of her inn, Dina accepts a questionable offer from an intergalactic arbitrator, George. This agreement will require that Gertrude Hunt serve as a mediation point for alien factions warring on the planet Nexus. This will challenge Dina to feed large hordes, maintain peace among hothead military leaders, and keep all her guests safe against inside and outside threats.

One of my favorite aspects of this installment was the addition of Orro, the overly dramatic (former) red clever chef. Orro is a Quillonian, which I am having a hard time picturing but I imagine to be somewhat of a large hedgehog. His dramatic antics were a nice addition to Caledonia’s spry wit. The two of them add some comedic relief to the action points in the story and Dina’s reserved nature.

Although warring factions were residing within Gertrude Hunt, I found this installment to be lacking in the action/excitement that we experienced in the first book. There was more intrigue, but less fighting. It fell on Dina to discover the motivations of all the parties, including the “neutral” arbitrator. I think we will see a lot of machinations come along from George in the future, and I am looking forward to that. As a lawyer, I would have had more interest in the arbitration proceedings, but we were left somewhat on the periphery of those. So I would have preferred a peak into what was happening in the walled off room with the sect leadership.

This story did have some nice twists and turns, a little heartache, and the reappearance of a favorite secondary character. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and performance, just not quite as good as the first and third installments.

3.5 stars

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Review: Rogue's Pawn

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Rogue's Pawn is the first book ever written by Jeffe Kennedy, and is being re-released with some slight updates. As much as I love this author, I can't believe I hadn't actually read this series!

Audiobook Review: Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym M. Martineau

Series:	Beast Charmer #1
Pub. Date:	June 25, 2019
Publisher:	Sourcebooks Casa Recorded Books
Narrators:	Brian Pallino Jennifer O'Donnell
Length:	438 pgs 12 hrs 43 min
Source:	NetGalley / RBDigitial

Kingdom of Exiles is a creative debut from one Sourcebook's newest authors, Maxym M. Martineau. I got to meet Maxym at Book Lovers Con this year, and she was lovely. I am stoked she has decided to write in my favorite genre - fantasy romance - as it seems the books in this genre are fewer and far between these days. I can definitely say that this author has been added to my auto-buy list, and can't wait to see where she takes this series in the future.

ARC Review: Protect the Prince by Jennifer Estep

Series:	Crown of Shards #2
Pub. Date:	July 2, 2019
Publisher:	Harper Voyager
Length:	448 pgs
Source:	Edelweiss

Magic. Murder. Mayhem. Romance. That certainly sums up this series in four words. When I started Protect the Prince, I was a little worried that I wasn't going to remember enough of what happened in Kill the Queen to enjoy the story. However, Estep did a good job at putting in subtle (and not so subtle) reminders so that everything started coming back to me fairly quickly. This is definitely a series that must be read in order, as it's a continuing story arc. So this review will contain spoilers for the first book, Kill the Queen, so proceed at your own risk. 

Audiobook Review: Fireborn by Katie MacAlister

Series:	Born Prophecy #1
Pub. Date:	Nov 20, 2018 June 11, 2019
Publishers:	Tantor Audio Kensington
Narrator:	Zehra Jane Naqvi
Length:	10 hrs 1 min 298 pgs
Source:	Hoopla / NetGalley

I had this book in my TBR on Hoopla when I saw it come across my NetGalley feed, and realized that Kensington was doing a re-release this past June. That having renewed my interest, I decided it would be a good time to do an audio/print read along, so I snatched this one up. Unfortunately, life and work travel got in the way that prevented me from getting the book read (and reviewed) prior to that re-release date... which seems to be the story of my life this year. But I'm glad I finally got to enjoy the story and meet a new cast of characters from Katie MacAlister.

ARC Review: The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter

Series:	Forest of Good and Evil #1
Pub. Date:	June 25, 2019
Publisher:	Inkyard Press
Length:	544 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

The Evil Queen is the first installment of the Forest of Good and Evil series, which will apparently be a retelling or reimagination of our favorite fairytales a la Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, etc. 

ARC Review: The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross

Pub. Date:	Feb. 12, 2019
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	416 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

It's been a while since I've read a retelling, and I have always been a sucker for Beauty and the Beast themes. So I was intrigued by the premise of this story, as a retelling from the Beast's perspective. And I have to say, I was not disappointed.

Audiobook Review: The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Series:	Gilded Wolves #1
Pub. Date:	Jan 15, 2019
Publisher:	MacMillan Audio
Narrator:	Laurie Winkel P.J. Ochlan
Length:	11 hrs 55 min
Source:	Publisher

I have been a fan of Roshani Chokshi since I first picked up The Star-Touched Queen. I was expecting The Gilded Wolves to be similar in nature, with loads of beautiful prose and maybe some Hindu and Indian Folklore. So I was quite surprised by this book, as it stepped away from the prose and focused more on dialogue, character relationships and a linear plot.

ARC Review: Oria's Enchantment by Jeffe Kennedy

Series:	Sorcerous Moons #5
Pub. Date:	Jan 25, 2019
Publisher:	Self-Pub
Length:	166 pgs
Source:	Author

Admittedly, one of my favorite aspects of the Sorcerous Moons series is the outlet it provides for my Jason Momoa fantasies in the guise of Lonen, our barbarian king. But over time, I have come to love Oria just as much, and I really enjoy the interactions between our Destrye king and his Baran queen.

Audiobook Review: The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman

Series:	Invisible Library #4
Pub. Date:	Jan 9, 2018
Publisher:	Audible Studios
Narrator:	Susan Duerden
Length:	10 hrs 23 min
Source:	Audible

The Lost Plot is the fourth installment of Genevieve Cogman's unique and fascinating The Invisible Library series. The release of this book snuck by me, and I didn't realize it was out until I went to read the ARC of the next book, The Mortal Word. So I listened to this one on my recent road trip over the holidays, and it made the drive home go by relatively painlessly.

ARC Review: The Arrows of the Heart by Jeffe Kennedy

Series:	Uncharted Realms #4
Pub. Date:	Oct 7, 2018
Publisher:	Brightlynx Publishing
Length:	297 pgs
Source:	Author

It's no secret that The Uncharted Realms has been one of my very favorite fantasy romance series since its inception with The Pages of the Mind... and the series is still going strong with this fourth installment, The Arrows of the Heart.

ARC Review: Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven

Series:	Fallen Empire #1
Pub. Date:	Sept 25, 2018
Publisher:	Ace Roc Books
Length:	400 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

Phoenix Unbound is an exciting start to the new Fallen Empire series by Grace Draven, an epic fantasy romance sure to appeal to those who like to see a little romance with their Game of Thrones type stories. In true fantasy style, this story is not for the faint of heart. There are vile villians, abhorrent behavior and treatment of people, slavery, and a manner of forced activities that may be triggers to some.

ARC Review: Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep

Series:	Crown of Shards #1
Pub. Date:	Oct. 2, 2018
Publisher:	Harper Voyager
Length:	480 pgs
Source:	Author/Publisher

Crown of Shards is the first installment of a dynamic new series by Jennifer Estep that I couldn't wait to get my grabby hands on... and let me tell you, this story did not disappoint! I can't wait for the next book to come out, but we will have to wait until 2019. 

Audiobook Review: Lady of Light and Shadows by C.L. Wilson

Series:	Tairen Soul #2
Pub. Date:	Nov. 1, 2011
Publisher:	Audio Realms
Narrator:	Amy Cardy
Length:	12 hrs 45 min
Source:	Audible Romance

Lady of Light and Shadows is the second book in one of my favorite series - Tairen Soul by C.L. Wilson. I have been wanting to re-read this series for quite a while, and I'm so glad I've been able to start fitting it in by audio. This was one of the series that got me started on fantasy romance, and I so wish there were more of these types of books being written right now. I just love the genre... but I'm very picky! Luckily, C.L. Wilson is a master at her craft and draws us in with both engaging characters and fabulous world building.

ARC Review: Exile of the Seas by Jeffe Kennedy

Series:	Chronicles of Dasnaria #2
Pub. Date:	Sept. 4, 2018
Publisher:	Rebel Base Books
Length:	206 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

Exile of the Seas is the second installment of the Chronicles of Dasnaria series, featuring our lost princess, Jenna, the Imperial Princess of Dasnaria, and runaway wife of Rodolf, the vile and sadistic lord with eyes to the throne. The first book, Prisoner of the Crown, was a good, but heartwrenching read. But Jeffe really hit it out of the park with this second installment, I was totally captivated by Jenna's journey. So much so, that I found myself stretching this read out because I didn't want it to end!

ARC Review: Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi

Series:	Star Touched Queen #2.5
Pub. Date:	Aug. 7, 2018
Publisher:	St. Martin's Press
Length:	304 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

Roshani Chokshi has a beautiful flowery writing style. Her writing seems rich and decadent to me, and I enjoyed the first two books of this series very much.

ARC Review: Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope

Series:	Earthsinger Chronicles #1
Pub. Date:	May 1, 2018
Publisher:	St. Martin's Press
Length:	384 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

I really wanted to like this story, and I tried really hard, giving it much longer than I normally would when I do not enjoy a story. I gave this one to about 72% before I had to DNF.

The premise was very interesting. The focus is on two kingdoms separated by a magical barrier (the mantle), one side bearing magic users (Lagrimari) and the other side as non-magical (Elsira). The Lagrimari are persons of color and the Elsirans are pale and flame-haired. The races have been at war for a very long time, with an evil ruler in Lagrimari who steals his people's power and seeks to shatter the mantle and invade Elsira. 

Audiobook Review: Deerskin by Robin McKinley

Pub. Date:	May 15, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Xe Sands
Length:	11 hrs 54 min
Source:	Publisher

This is my first read from Robin McKinley, and the beautiful cover with the hound really drew my eye. Deerskin was first released in the early 1990s, but is just now being brought to audio by Tantor Audio. The narrator, Xe Sands, did a great job with the performance, pacing and characters.

This is the story about the coming-of-age of Princess Lissla Lissar, a quiet child largely ignored by her larger-than-life parents. The King and Queen were beloved by their people, seemingly more for their beauty and fairytale origins than for any good deeds or benevolence. When the Queen's beauty fades and passes away, Lissar is thrown more into the spotlight than she has been in the past. This draws some horribly unwanted and incestuous attention from the King, which leads to a series of tragic events. Trigger warnings weren't the thing back in the 90s, but this story probably warrants one with today's societal trends.

ARC Review: Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine

Series:	The Great Library #4
Pub. Date:	July 3, 2018
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	448 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

I have been thoroughly impressed with Rachel Caine's The Great Library series since it's inception, and I'm so happy that we have more books to come. The world-building is complex and detailed, and just superb from beginning to end. I also love the diverse cast of characters from just about every walk of life - there is someone for everyone to identify with.