• Books

    New Release Book Blitz: Amethyst, The Shallows

    Today I’m with Lone Star Book Blog Tours to celebrate Kellye Abernathy’s newest release, Amethyst the Shallows! I’ll be back next month with a full review, but today, enjoy a sneak peek at this delightful book. It’s the sequel to her Young Adult tale titled The Aquamarine Surfboard, which I absolutely fell in love with. (You can read my review of it HERE!) Read on to learn about this delightful novel with a touch of magical realism – one of my favorite genres for any age. AMETHYST, THE SHALLOWS The Companion Novel to The Aquamarine SurfboardBy KELLYE ABERNATHY Young Adult / Magical Realism / Coming of AgeAtmosphere Press296 pagesFebruary 6, 2024…

  • image of ocean water and a book cover with a dark haired girl in a black wetsuit sitting astride a turquoise surfboard in the ocean
    book review,  Books

    Review: The Aquamarine Surfboard by Kellye Abernathy

    I was looking for an engaging, easy read that was positive and bright. The Aquamarine Surfboard by Kellye Abernathy – a young adult magical realism/coming of age story – was just what I needed. Read on to learn more about this book! MY REVIEW OF THE AQUAMARINE SURFBOARD Where to start? As the quote reads, “Age never matters, these things are about bravery and heart” – and that extends to this book as it is a delightful read suitable for for older middle grade, young adult, AND adult readers. I have a deep appreciation for a book that can be enjoyed by multiple ages. Part of the reason for this…

  • Image of two books - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries and Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherworlds.
    book review,  Books

    Reviewing EMILY WILDE’S MAP OF THE OTHERLANDS (and Fixing An Terrible Oversight)

    Tuesday was release day for Heather Fawcett’s newest book Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands and THIS review should have come out then but for two things. The first little thing is the cold wave choking Texas AND how much it’s become a pain in the keister for me and my pool. (I hope to never have one again.) The second was that I was horrified to discover that I didn’t write on the blog about her FIRST book in this series, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, which was, quite frankly (and in a poor but accurate choice of words,) amazeballs. (My apologies to the kind people at Del Rey/Penguin…

  • book review,  Books

    Book Review: Morning in This Broken World by Katrina Kittle

    I read Morning in This Broken World by Katrina Kittle a few months ago. It was a book I’d been awaiting, as I’m a huge fan of Kittle’s novels. It was well worth the wait. And needless to say, a review here is more than overdue here. To be clear: the delay is more a factor of life getting in the way than any reflection of my opinion on the novel – because I loved it. Synopsis My Thoughts At this moment, I’m sitting in my bedroom, currently isolating with Covid. The irony of this is not lost on me, but it feels all the more relevant to write the…

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    The Sparrows of Montenegro – Book Tour and Review

    I’m back! Did you miss me? I have SO many books to talk about in the coming weeks, and I’m kicking it off by jumping into a Lone Star Book Blog Tour of BJ Mayo’s western The Sparrows of Montenegro. Read on to discover why this book surprised me and what I loved about it. I received an advanced copy of the book from the author via Lone Star Lit; all opinions are my own. THE SPARROWS OF MONTENEGRO by BJ MAYO Categories: Western / Historical Fiction / TexasPublisher: Skyhorse PublishingDate of Publication: February 8, 2022Number of Pages: 312 pages  Scroll down for Giveaway! Tree “Bigfoot” Smith and Cedar Jones…

  • book cover image for The Road Trip
    book review,  Books

    The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary: Book Review

    It’s release day for Beth O’Leary’s newest book, The Road Trip. I found this book to be a lot more layered and with more complicated and deeply-flawed characters than her previous books. It’s definitely a change from the typical feel-good book, and I think that’s ok. I really enjoyed it all the same. I received an advanced copy of the book from Berkley | Penguin Random House via NetGalley; all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them. SYNOPSIS MY REVIEW OF THE ROAD TRIP Beth O’Leary is one of the many authors on my reading lists who…

  • People We Meet On Vacation book cover image
    book review,  Books

    People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry

    Pour Y’all. I’m so ready to travel. I’m BEYOND ready to travel. Except people. I’m an introvert, and the downside of travel is travelers. You know the kind. The ones who are impatient. Rude. Pushy. And, you know, this pandemic isn’t over, so that makes travel so much more fraught with…feelings. That’s why I loved People We Meet On Vacation. It has two great main characters, witty dialogue, an easy-breezy plot, ALL of my favorite romance tropes, and packs it all into a series of summer vacations – some lovely, and some “what else could go wrong”. It fed my wanderlust. It was also a great escape for the usual stormy…

  • book review,  Books

    Book Review – Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

    I loved Andy Weir’s upcoming release Project Hail Mary so much I want to shove a copy in everyone’s hands – it was that much fun. Clever, exciting, funny, smart, and fast paced…I could go on. (And I do, in my review below!) Read on to learn more about the book (but just a little) and why I loved it (a lot). I received an advanced copy of the book from the publish via NetGalley; all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them. SYNOPSIS MY ECSTATIC THOUGHTS ON PROJECT HAIL MARY If you were a fan of…

  • cover image for school for psychics
    book review,  Books

    School for Psychics by K.C. Archer – (a flashback book review)

    Nobody’s perfect – not the main character of K.C. Archer’s School for Psychics, Teddy Cannon – and clearly, not me. Because despite loving this book and reviewing it’s sequel here on the blog (spoiler – there is a sequel), I apparently only reviewed the book itself on Amazon and Goodreads. And since I enjoyed it so much, I thought I’d do a bit of a flashback review and share it now. (And if you decide to read it now, YOU don’t have to wait for the sequel. See how thoughtful I am?) I received an advanced copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley; all opinions are my own.…

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    Magic For Liars by Sarah Gailey – Book Review

    I’m catching up on all the book reviews I meant to do just before a polar vortex gripped Texas and knocked out all power1. The only writing I did last week was on paper, and unfortunately, the writing the week before that was mostly in my head. Sorry you didn’t get to read it. It was really good. Just like Magic for Liars was REALLY good. I loved it! (How smooth was that segue???) This post contains some affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them.   1At least, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. SYNOPSIS     REVIEW I ADORED Magic for…