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. 

ARC Review: One and Only by Jenny Holiday

Series:	Bridesmaids Behaving Badly #1
Pub. Date:	February 27, 2018
Publisher:	Forever Romance
Length:	368 pages
Source:	Netgalley

This is my first read from Jenny Holiday, and I was excited to pick it up as I was in the mood for something light and fun. I'm not typically into the bridesmaid and wedding theme, but I an excerpt that was floating around for One and Only and the steamy selection piqued my smutty interest.

So Jane Denning is our responsible introvert of a bridesmaid - a nerdy girl author who writes fabulous young adult fantasy novels. After a failed relationship, Jane has stuck to the solo life for the last six years... something that definitely resonated with me. Sometimes its just easier to be in your own space than it is to think of inviting someone into your life and all your "stuff." But her long bout of celibacy and tendency to wrangle her girlfriends has earned Jane the reputation of being a responsible, boring, wet blanket. This was a bit harsh because there is nothing wrong with being responsible and not sleeping with half the town. We aren't supposed to slut shame... but how about we don't single shame either, okay ladies? And besides - Jane wasn't TOTALLY an adult. She lived in fantasy worlds and dressed up for Comicon! That's not boring! So I connected with Jane a little bit with her single life and nerdy girl introvert tendencies. I also didn't like Jane sometimes though, particularly when she was judgy and willing to believe the worst of people despite evidence to the contrary.

ARC Review: The First Kiss of Spring by Emily March

Series:	Eternity Springs #14
Pub. Date:	Feb. 27, 2018
Publisher:	St. Martin's Press
Length:	368 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

I'm not gonna lie - I was totally sucked in by this cover. I just love the look of the colorful house in a small town Colorado setting... the whole thing is just appealing. I have not read any of Eternity Springs books, and I have not previously read Emily March. So I was trying something new here. And I'm glad I did! I want to move to Eternity Springs now... and I definitely need Celeste working her matchmaking magic to set me up.

Side note - while I didn't feel lost without having read the earlier books in the series, there is a ton of character crossover and maybe some spoilers for previous books. There was probably also some world building having to do with the town as the series has progressed. So you may want to start at the beginning instead of jumping in at Book 14 like me.

ARC Review: A Devil in Scotland by Suzanne Enoch

Series:	No Ordinary Hero #3
Pub. Date:	Jan. 30, 2018
Publisher:	St. Martin's Press
Length:	320 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

I started this book when I was sitting on an airplane last week (right before I got the dreaded flu from one or more plague passengers), and I had to put it down. The prologue made me feel a bit like I was missing the backstory, so I was worried that this was not a series that you could read out of order. However, I gave it another shot today and I read it in one sitting! For anyone else who hasn't read the earlier books... you are fine reading the series out of order. The prologue confused me at first because you come into the story in the middle of an argument. But that was cleared up and I understood the structure once I got to the first chapter (which takes place 10 years after the prologue).

ARC Review: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Pub. Date:	Feb. 6, 2018
Publisher:	St. Martin's Press
Length:	435 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

This book is outside of my normal genre, but I have been wanting to try this author for quite a while. When I saw the blurb was about Alaskan homesteaders, I knew that I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and start with this one. I get sucked into those Alaskan Bush People type shows from time to time, and I have always wanted to go to Alaska, so I knew that the subject matter would be interesting. I have to say that Kristin Hannah is a master storycrafter and I will definitely be adding more of her books to my TBR.

The Great Alone is not a happy story by any means, but it is poignant and captivating. The narrator of the story is Lenora "Leni" Albright, whom we followed as she came of age in the 1970s following the Vietnam War. Leni's father, Ernt Albright, has returned home a changed man after years as a POW in Vietnam. As he suffers from (likely undiagnosed) PTSD, Leni and her mother, Cora, do everything they can to appease Ernt, including following him to the Alaskan wilderness to get away from what he sees as the deterioration of society.