A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang

A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang

My Rating: ★★★★★

I absolutely love this book. I couldn't get enough of it! A Beautiful Poison follows three friends, Allene, Birdie, and Jasper. Two of the three have been at odds with Allene's family for four years, but the trio is brought back together at Allene's engagement party. However, the engagement party ends on a sad note when one of the guests falls to her death. The trio realizes that this was no accident; it was murder, spurring them on a quest to solve it as the people close to them start to fall victim to the killer and a deadly influenza spreads through the city.

Told from rotating perspectives, we get an idea of how each of these characters are as people. Allene comes from money and views everything as a bit of a game and how it will affect her. Birdie is a factory worker struggling to make ends meet in combined effort with her mom and to care for her little sister. Jasper is a janitor struggling to make ends meet while trying to save up for medical school. I struggled to like Allene because she's so blind to the realities of people not in her status or situation, but I really enjoyed Birdie and Jasper as characters as well as the other people who surrounded them.

Two of the things that I love about this book is that it is beautifully written and the mystery is well crafted. I was glued to the pages because it was just so compelling and beautiful.  It's just such a rich book filled with interesting people, beautiful places, but also a sense of realism. It's a historical fiction novel, so it draws from true events and practices of the time. It also brings us into the lives of people from different walks of life during this era with good and bad from each place. The mystery has many twists and turns. I had my own ideas about who the killer was and I was still wrong. I love it when I can develop my own theories, and it's even more fun when the answers make perfect sense even if I am totally wrong.

This is at the top of my list of favorite books of the year. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for future books from Lydia Kang!

Birthday Witch by Billie Dale

Birthday Witch by Billie Dale

My Rating: ★★★

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Shayden is having one hell of a 40th birthday. She hits her head, suddenly has magic powers, her cup of coffee is running away from her, and her crabby cat is talking to her. On top of that, she opens a door that reveals a shape shifter guardian and a goddess who say she's the queen of another world selected because of her power and wisdom that comes with her age. Poor Shay doesn't know what to do with this revelation, but accepts that she must train to use her new abilities and work to save Erigate while navigating her new found love life.

I was drawn to this book because it sounded fun. Shay just hit a big and dreaded milestone when her life suddenly turns upside down. Again. Still healing from her divorce, she's thrown into a magical world that she's the queen of. What in the what?! I knew I was in for a wild ride, and Billie Dale did not disappoint! I loved following Shay as she navigated her new life with sass and humor. We have a collection of sassy, rude, and downright hilarious characters.

Shay stumbles around trying to balance her love life, which is suddenly on fire, single motherhood, and life as a badass queen while stepping on toes every step of the way. She's got a sexy shape shifter who claims to be her soul mate, a vampire on a mission to seduce her, a goddess trying to teach her, people trying to assassinate her, and a cat peeing on the floor while sassing her. We get a glimpse at the characters living throughout Erigate, both good, evil, and everything in between. Plus we have her two daughters who are oblivious to their newly found royal life until they are informed as eve of the war is upon Erigate.. This energetic book is absolutely hilarious. I will definitely be recommending it to my friends because it's such a fun read and it's a perfect book to take on summer travels.

Sadly, we do not get to know many of the characters and different magical races throughout Erigate. I wish there was more world building outside of the human world. We mostly hear about Erigate through others and do not spend too much time there. The book is fast paced and extremely entertaining, but the fleshing out of the lore behind the people of Erigate is a little canoe that flies in and out dropping bits of info throughout the story. Birthday Witch packs a punch and has a lot to give, and this its only rough patch.

Mistress of the Crossroads by Kayci Reid

Mistress of the Crossroads by Kayci Reid

My Rating: ★★★

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Saraphine has been a crossroads demon for a little over 1500 years. She had everything many people would kill for: immortality, good looks, smooth moves, and close friends that she's had for centuries. So what's her problem? She's not actually a demon, she never sold her soul into servitude, she hates her job, and her boss just handed her shady list of wanted souls that's shady even for a high powered demon.

I absolutely love the plot. A crossroads temptress is what drew me to the story; the plot and supporting characters is what kept me there. I've never read a book about a crossroads temptress, so I absolutely had to jump at the chance to read it. I've seen them in movies and on television; most notably in Supernatural. I couldn't wait to read a book from the point of view from what most would perceive as a crossroads demon. However, Sera's not your average crossroads worker, and she's stuck in the middle of a death trap and is pissed that she doesn't have all the info. Not only that, but she still has her soul and she despises having to trap people into being marked for hell. It was fascinating to read about her friends, her life, and the mystery plot she's stuck in. What's with this list, and why is it so important? And who is this mysterious immortal man following her? It's such a page turner.

That said, there are two minor things that disappointed me. I have a minor bone to pick with Sera her about her maturity level. For someone who's been around for 1500 years, you'd think she was a hot headed teenager at times. I can't hate on her for that though. She's got a heart of gold and truly looks out for her friends and anyone she cares about. No one messes with her friends or they'll have to face her, and I've got to say that I think I'd find a pretty good friend in her if she was real. The other thing that disappointed me is the ending. Don't get me wrong; it's a great ending. It was just too short. I personally wish the ending was expanded over an additional chapter or too, but it's nothing serious. Maybe I really just didn't want it to end! All in all, it's a great book and I look forward to future novels from Reid!

Last Wool and Testament by Molly MacRae (A Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery #1)

Last Wool and Testament by Molly MacRae

My Rating: ★★★★

It recently came to my attention that there's a haunted yarn shop cozy mystery series floating around. Cozy mystery? Check. Paranormal novel? Check. Yarn? Check, check, and check! I had to read it ASAP, and I was not disappointed. It has a variety of fun to quirky characters, funny moments, and a ghost sidekick. What's not to like?

The series starts out as Kath Rutledge is attempting not to drive like a bat out of hell to Blue Plum, Tennessee. She's distraught because her dear grandmother, Ivy, has passed away and she's late to the burial just to top things off. Upon arriving, she discovers there's some kind of mystery going on behind her grandmother's house, which was apparently sold to a man who was murdered shortly before her grandmother's passing. Plus, she's got a ghost on her hands, and she doesn't even believe in ghosts. We follow Kath around as she tries to sort out her grandmother's affairs while getting to the bottom of the mysteries that greets her like a Blue Plum welcome party.

The story is a mystery of mysteries. Poor Kath has a lot on her hands as the mysteries keep piling up. Who killed Em? Why did Ivy sell her house to him? Who is the ghost haunting her temporary home? The mysteries birth new mysteries. It's rather fun following Kath around trying to get to the bottom of them. I enjoy the story as well as her interactions with the members of the town, the memories she and others have of Ivy, and seeing the series set itself up. There isn't a dull moment, and it produces some well needed laughs. It's everything I didn't know I wanted from a paranormal yarn cozy. This is a series that I will be following until it eventually reaches its conclusion.

The Ex by Alafair Burke

The Ex by Alafair Burke

My Rating: ★★★★

Olivia is a defense lawyer who is called on to defend her ex fiancé when he is arrested as the main suspect for a triple homicide case. She tries to get Jack to let her pass his case onto someone else because of their past, but he begs her to stay on because she knows him… or does she? One of the victims is the father of the man who killed Jack's wife in a shooting spree, and Olivia begins to ask herself if she really knows Jack the way she thinks he does as the evidence stacks up.

Burk produces a page turner that falls somewhere between being a courtroom drama and personal drama. Olivia narrates the story, and she has a lot of energy on Jack because of their past. Her guilt about how their relationship ended casts a long shadow on how she views Jack as she collects evidence that goes in his favor as well as against him. We learn a lot about these two characters and how the two have been holding a torch of sorts for each other for all of these years. This is certainly not how they thought they'd be entering each other's lives again. In the midst of Olivia's reminiscing, we learn about Jack's living family, which consists of his teenage daughter and his best friend. These two are integral to his impending trial because they both want to be knee deep in helping a man they believe to be innocent.

I honestly thought I knew exactly where the plot was going and how it was going to end, but I was oh so wrong. Burke really pulled one on me! I was glued to the pages even when I was confident in thinking that I knew exactly where this was heading. I side eyeing Olivia at times because I thought she was blinded by the past. Even when things seem obvious, there's still a bit of a mystery going. If this was a movie, I would watch it again so I could see how view it after knowing what I know after it ended, so I will definitely have to reread because it's that good.

Rejected Princesses: Tales of History's Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics by Jason Porath

Rejected Princesses: Tales of History's Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics by Jason Porath

My Rating: ★★★★★

This book is amazing from start to finish with many of the chapters devoted to women who have almost been erased from history many times over. I'm a history nerd, but I can tell you that you will most likely love it even if you normally swerve away from anything having to do with history. Porath's style is the furthest thing from dry, and his approach is fun. It's almost like he's holding a conversation with us readers. Plus, he starts every chapter with a picture he designed and ends each chapter with the inspiration behind it. Not only that, but he also has color coded trigger warnings at the beginning of each chapter that lets you know what's ahead.

These stories are a combination of real women, legends, and oral tales. They're short and to the point while also sparking an interest in finding out more information about these ladies. At some points, we come across women who are well-known, but he talks about the things that usually get left out when we hear about them. It's more of a collection of very interesting biographies and tales that make you never want to reach the end. I already recommended this to some friends before I even reached the halfway point because it's definitely a must read.

Still Life with Tornado by A.S. King

Still Life with Tornado by A.S. King

My Rating: ★★★★

I absolutely loved reading this book. It's definitely not what it seems at first. Sarah appears to be having some kind of mental break that stemmed from growing up with an abusive father. As the book continues, it turns out that she's having an existential crisis stemming from a variety of things including her home life. Rather than just being her story, we get the occasional point of view of her mother, the wife of a physically and verbally abusive man. In the midst of it all, Sarah is trying to get to the bottom of what she doesn't remember, why she doesn't remember these things, and why she keeps seeing herself in the past and future.

A.S. King had me glued to the pages from beginning to end. I was captivated by the story, which is absolutely heartbreaking. King touches on a very tough subject, but chose to tell this story in a unique way that draws you in as you continue to read. I also think that it is interesting that King chose to have Sarah aware but also unaware of her home situation, so that all of the puzzle pieces fit together when she gets the full picture later on. I think that this is relatable, especially for anyone who has been through something that they knew was bad, but couldn't put their finger on why or what exactly was going on for various reasons.