The Flaming Sword by Heather LL Fitzgerald

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 320
Series: The Tethered World #2
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Christian
Published: Nov. 1, 2016, by Mountain Brook Ink
Rating: 4.5 STARS

Synopsis:

Sadie Larcen and her family are slowly recovering from their life-altering trek to the Tethered World. That is until their aunt arrives clutching a mysterious letter and sporting a black eye. The letter that Aunt Jules shares with the family writhes with sinister implications. A new and menacing enemy has slunk from the shadows and is conspiring to seize the most powerful piece of weaponry in the land: The Flaming Sword of Cherubythe. The sword must—at all costs—be kept from the enemies who lust for its power.

The threat extends to Sadie’s autistic brother Brock. As High King in training, he now resides in the Tethered World, within close proximity to the sword. It’s apparent that drastic measures will be required by all in order to protect what’s most important. Can Sadie once again confront her disabling fear, stare evil in the face, and walk away whole—let alone alive? How can one teenage girl and her family save a sword with the potential to start a world war? Will lines be crossed even as Sadie’s faith is tested? Sadie knows it’s going to take a lot more than strength, grit, and courage to survive.

Review:

My life has become a roller coaster with no chance of getting off. And I hate roller coasters.

Sadie is back, along with her family. This book doesn’t suffer second book fill syndrome. It started out at a good pace and kept up with a fast pace. I believe I read this faster than the first book.

The Tethered World is back in trouble. This time not only with the trolls but a new enemy is introduced. We see many of the characters we were introduced to in the first book as well as being introduced to some new characters as well.

Once again, I would love to thank the author for writing a terrific heroine. I love that Sadie isn’t controlled by her feelings. When her, I guess you could call him love-interest, asks if he is misreading her, he asks if she has feelings for him. He’s a GENTLEMAN about it too. She is honest with him. She says she has feelings but she doesn’t want to enter into a relationship with him because she belongs topside and he belongs in the Tethered. Plus once he said his age, I am okay with her being single for the rest of the series.

I have the third book and will try to finish the series by next week.

The Tethered World by Heather L.L. Fitzgearld

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 304
Series: The Tethered World Chronicles #1
Genre: Fantasy, Christian, YA
Published: Feb. 1, 2016, by Mountain Brook INK
Rating: 4 star

Synopsis:

“Normal” means different things to different people. For sixteen-year-old Sadie Larcen, family dynamics look a little different than most. Parents with oddball occupations? Normal. Five homeschooled siblings—one with autism? Normal.

Police knocking on the door and parents gone missing? Definitely not normal!

When Sadie uncovers the reasons behind her parents’ disappearance and the truth about her heritage, she despairs of ever feeling normal again. Especially when she learns that her mother’s interest in Bigfoot, Dwarves, and other lore extends beyond her popular blog. Sadie’s family has been entrusted with keeping the secrets of the Tethered World—home to creatures that once roamed the Garden of Eden.
Sadie and her siblings must venture into this land to rescue their parents. Stepping out of reality and into a world she never knew existed is a journey Sadie fears and resents. But she chooses to risk all to save her family.
She’s just not sure she will survive in the process.

Review:

TW: Graphic battle scenes, Torture scenes involving ogres using humans in bloody games.

Sadie is awoken in the middle of the night by police knocking on her front door. She discovers her parents are gone and the family van is parked illegally. When her Aunt Jules arrives, she explains that there is a whole other world under the earth’s surface. This world is known to such as the Tethered World. Only a few humans know of it. Those humans are guardians. Sadie’s mother’s family are such guardians.

Now Sadie along with her twin brothers, Brock and Brodie, and one of her little sisters, Sophie have to go into the Tethered World to rescue her parents. A world filled with creatures of folklore that no one believes exists.

I loved the world-building. The Tethered World is a bit like our world but there are differences that the author shows. I won’t explain it in detail because I don’t want to spoil it.

The characters surprised me. At first, I didn’t think I was going to like them. I felt like I might have some problems, but upon further reading, but I fell in love with them. I also love how much sarcasm is in this book.

I confess, I’m a homeschooler. Beware! I’m weird and unsocialized.

Babysitting and Troll slaying. It’s what I do.

I didn’t count birth order as a natural talent.

Sadie felt relatable. She doesn’t take to the Tethered World as well as her siblings. She has bouts of anxiety, but she still pushes through for her siblings. She doesn’t have it all together. Plus she isn’t a lucky novice.

I tried to get used to the stiff feel of wearing a chain-link fence around my middle. I felt as graceful and coordinated as the Tin Man and hoped I wouldn’t slow everyone down.

There were times I admit that Sadie got on my nerves, but then I remembered she is a sixteen-year-old girl who just discovered a whole other world her mother was keeping secret from her. Now she has to go rescue her parents in said world and not liking it one bit. Sadie wants her adventures in a good book, not living them out. With that info, it makes sense at times when Sadie just wants her parents and go home. She is still a kid herself.

Books such as this, at times, have these teenagers seem almost adult, so it was nice to see Sadie at times not wanting the adventure. She just wants to be at home with her parents and her siblings. She doesn’t want the responsibility of watching out for her siblings while trying to rescue her parents. I personally love that.

Also… a spoiler ahead… She turns down a guy (even though he is gorgeous and a paranormal being) because she knows they will not mesh well. Thank you, Heather!!!

Thief of Corinth by Tessa Afshar

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 368
Standalone
Genre: Biblical fiction, romance
Published: July 3, 2018, by Tyndale House Publishers
Rating:

Synopsis:

First-century Corinth is a city teeming with commerce and charm. It’s also filled with danger and corruption—the perfect setting for Ariadne’s greatest adventure.

After years spent living with her mother and oppressive grandfather in Athens, Ariadne runs away to her father’s home in Corinth, only to discover the perilous secret that destroyed his marriage: though a Greek of high birth, Galenos is the infamous thief who has been robbing the city’s corrupt of their ill-gotten gains.

Desperate to keep him safe, Ariadne risks her good name, her freedom, and the love of the man she adores to become her father’s apprentice. As her unusual athletic ability leads her into dangerous exploits, Ariadne discovers that she secretly revels in playing with fire. But when the wrong person discovers their secret, Ariadne and her father find their future—and very lives—hanging in the balance.

When they befriend a Jewish rabbi named Paul, they realize that his radical message challenges everything they’ve fought to build, yet offers something neither dared hope for.

Review:

Ariadne has an abusive mother and grandfather. When they are about to force her to marry an evil abusive man, she runs away back to her father. After one night, Ariadne finds out her father is the honorable thief. A Robin Hood of sorts. Ariadne helps her father. Then one day her brother comes home and is a friend to Paul of Tarsus.

Tessa Afshar’s writing is once again amazing. This book I would say isn’t my favorite of Afshar’s writing, but I liked it still.

This story is told in three parts. The first part, Discovery, gives the background of Ariadne. How she escapes from Athens to Corinth and who the people are in her life. The second part, The Unknown God, is the lead-up to when Ariadne meets Paul and learns the beginning of the gospel. The final part, Love Never Fails, tells of what happens after Ariadne meets Paul for the first time. I can’t explain too much because then I would have to do a spoiler alert.

Again, not my favorite of Afshar’s but I did like it. It was fast-paced enough for me that I go through it easily. I have a few Afshar books I plan to get through in the coming months. I really do love her writing.

Shattered Rose by Tammy L Gray/ TL Gray

My edition: Kindle Owned
Pages: 384
Series: Winsor #1
Genre: Contemporary, Christian Romance
Published: April 16, 2013, by Createspace
Rating: 2.5

Synopsis:

“For any girl who has struggled to love herself.” –T.L. Gray

Avery Nichols knows how to wear the mask. Perfect student, perfect daughter and perfect friend. Nobody would ever guess that inside, Avery is a prisoner to her own self loathing.

Then she meets him…and everything changes.

Handsome, charming and self assured, Jake Matthew sweeps Avery off her feet in an effortless fashion. Avery knows that Jake is everything she needs and all she has ever wanted.

She would destroy herself to be loved by him…until he walks away.

Broken and lost, Avery meets Parker. His genuine, caring nature reaches past the mask and the shattered pieces her heart begin to slowly heal. But just when Avery starts to feel whole again, she realizes the impossible.

Jake never really left.

Review:

TRIGGER WARNING!!!! This book as far as I can see doesn’t have a trigger warning. The heroine deals with body image issues and suffers from Bulimia disorder. The synopsis only says that she deals with self-loathing. With self-loathing I can deal with some things, this book though brought back some memories from college. I didn’t suffer from ED. I dealt with my self-loathing through sex. I thought the more guys that paid attention to me, the more I would feel accepted. Only it made me end up hating myself even more. If you have dealt with anything like this, I highly caution you upon reading this book.

I will say the author does show Avery go from one extreme with her ED to being so wrapped up in Jake. With addictions/obsessions, it can be transferred. I also love that her best friend confronts her about it. I’m also glad that the author didn’t make her ED just go away either. In the end, Avery starts seeing a counselor to help learn new coping skills and how to not give in to temptation.

I’m not an Avery fan. She does so much stupid when it comes to Jake. Even after Parker. It got very annoying. If it wasn’t for her stupid decisions, I would have been able to finish this book in a day. Avery just grated on my nerves. The ending made this worth reading through though. I liked the ending better than the last book. It’s because of the ending that this isn’t a low rating.

I have one other book by this author, but I think I am going to hold off on reading it. I need to read another author. Don’t have a full care of what it is as long as it’s not Gray.

Mercy’s Fight by T.L. Gray

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 308
Standalone
Genre: Christian Romance, Contemporary
Published: Aug. 19, 2014, by Waterfall Press
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis:

He feared no one…but himself.

Recovering from a past shaped by violence, Matt Holloway has sworn to live a different life than his parents did. Matt has found a purpose that keeps his lingering pain and fear at bay: helping others to heal. Yet the nightmares continue to haunt him.

Grace has lived a life of luxury, sheltered by her family’s money and connections. When a betrayal forces her to question everything, she leaves her family and accepts an ambitious position in a career for which she may not be ready.

When the two first meet, they cannot deny their instant, intense attraction. While Grace is willing to take another risk with her heart, Matt remains chained by his past and struggles to trust their future together. Fighting to save the children they’ve pledged to help, Matt and Grace must learn to overcome the pain in their past and find their true courage.

Review:

Spoilers ahead!

Matt has grown up on the wrong side of town most of his life. He comes from an abusive home. Grace grew up in the ritz in New York City. She has never had a want in the world. When her best friend and fiance betray her, she realizes she has no idea who she is. She decides to move and try to find herself. That is when she meets Matt who wants to protect her but is scared that he will turn into a monster just like his father.

Setting-wise, all I can really say is that it’s in a bad neighborhood in some city in North Carolina. That is all I can really sum up.

I was okay with Grace and Matt. While they had to battle their pasts, I feel like Matt had more personal demons to wrestle with than Grace. She didn’t seem to really overcome much of a past. I wish there could have been little more trust issues with Grace than all of it being with Matt.

The writing wasn’t bad. It wasn’t my favorite. I have a few more books that I have seen being recommended by the author. I will give them a try and see if her writing is for me.

I would also like to point out that I wasn’t a fan of the ending because I felt like it was rushed and that everything seemed to add up too nicely. It was the fairytale ending with no real expectations. She could have so had another book out of this. Grace could be dealing with working for Sam after he had just confessed his feelings and trying to navigate through mending the friendship. She and Matt while working with Sam and the others could help with fighting back against the new gang and the drugs. The ending seriously need to be flushed out and it wasn’t.

Wings of the Wind by Connilyn Cossette

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 351
Series: Out of Egypt #3 Final book
Genre: Biblical Fiction
Published: May 1, 2017, by Bethany House
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis:

Motherless and raised alongside her brothers, Alanah, a Canaanite, is no stranger to fighting. When her father and brothers are killed in battle with the Hebrews, she disguises herself and sneaks onto the battlefield to avenge her family. The one thing she never counted on was surviving. Tobiah, a Hebrew warrior, has spent his share of time on the battlefield and is shocked to find an unconscious woman among the casualties. Compelled to bring her to a healer back at the Hebrew camp, he’s unprepared for the consequences of what he intended as an act of compassion. In order to survive, Alanah must unite with her enemy. But will a terrible revelation drive her toward an even greater danger?

Review:

Alanah would rather go to battle than live a life of prostitution. With her father and brothers dead, she has no one. So she dresses herself up as a man and heads into battle against the Hebrews. Tobiah finds a woman fallen among the dead. He sees she is still alive and takes her back to his tent to protect her from others who would take advantage.

The setting is in the wilderness. The story takes place near the end of the forty years of wandering, going through all the way until they settle into the land of Canaan.

I liked Alanah and Tobiah together. I wasn’t as big of a fan of the characters in this one as much as the first book

The writing… It started off wonderfully. But I felt the end was dragging out and what the author did at the end I wasn’t really liking. I didn’t like what she did with Rahab’s story. It almost felt cheapened. I loved the beginning of the book, but when the “twist” happened I started not to like the writing.

Shadow of the Storm by Connilyn Cossette

My edition: Audiobook
Pages: 349
Time: 11 hours 32 minutes
Narrator: Sarah Mollo-Christensen
Series: Out of Egypt #2
Genre: Biblical Fiction, Historical Romance
Published: October 1, 2016, by Bethany House
Rating:

Synopsis:

In the darkness of the storm’s shadow, only truth can light her way.

Having escaped Egypt with the other Hebrews during the Exodus, Shira is now living in freedom at the foot of Mount Sinai. When the people rebel by worshipping a golden idol, the ensuing chaos gives Shira an unexpected opportunity to assist a midwife. When the experience awakens a new desire in her, she defies her mother’s wish for her to continue in the family weaving trade and pursues her heart’s calling as an apprentice midwife.

But when a delivery goes horribly wrong, Shira finds herself in an impossible situation and bound to a man who betrayed her. As contention between the Hebrew tribes and the foreigners fans the flames of another dangerous rebellion, Shira comes face to face with the long-hidden pain of her past. Can she let go of all that has defined her to embrace who she truly is and believe in a hopeful future?

Review:

 I should put trigger warnings up: Rape and adultery

This is awkward…

I literally, five-starred the first book yesterday. Now I am DNFing the second book. I do plan on reading the third book. I have high hopes for Connilyn. I will not hold my big dislike for this book and what happened in it against her.

Spoilers ahead!

We do learn that Shira is raped when she was 13. I figured this out in the first book. Her love interest in this book Ayal is not a great example of a love interest. First of all, the dude was married. He had a wife and twin boys. The wife was pregnant with another child. I learned from spoilers in another’s review that the wife had cheated on Ayal, but that doesn’t give him an excuse to cheat. Shira doesn’t act like a rape victim should around Ayal. Other men she does but not Ayal. Devorah was annoying. I really hope I am spelling her name right because I listened to this so I didn’t have the spelling before me.

I really wish that she would have fallen in love with Jumo. I feel like she was done dirty in this book.

Counted with the Stars by Connilyn Cossette

My edition: Kindle Unlimited (soon to own a physical copy)
Pages: 348
Series: Out of Egypt #1
Genre: Biblical fiction
Published: April 5, 2016, by Bethany House Publishers
Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis:

A Story of Love, Desperation, and Hope During a Great Biblical Epoch

Sold into slavery by her father and forsaken by the man she was supposed to marry, young Egyptian Kiya must serve a mistress who takes pleasure in her humiliation. When terrifying plagues strike Egypt, Kiya is in the middle of it all.

To save her older brother and escape the bonds of slavery, Kiya flees with the Hebrews during the Great Exodus. She finds herself utterly dependent on a fearsome God she’s only just beginning to learn about, and in love with a man who despises her people. With everything she’s ever known swept away, will Kiya turn back toward Egypt or surrender her life and her future to Yahweh?

Review:

When her father lost everything, Kiya was sold into slavery to keep her disabled older brother from being sold. After a year of being in servitude, Kiya befriends a Hebrew girl who works next to her. While gathering water from the Nile, they see it turn crimson red. A red they weren’t used to seeing the water turn. This story is about Kiya living through the ten plagues of Egypt and then making the exodus with the Hebrews.

The story takes place in Iunu. I loved that it wasn’t in Avaris where Pharaoh and Moses were. It was cool to get a perspective of what it could have been like in an Egyptian household while the plagues were going on.

I loved the characters. Even some of the people who are supposed to be a villain, like Tekurah, was shown a side that showed she wasn’t just a mean person to be mean. But not all villains were portrayed like that, because some people are just evil.

I love the slow burn of the relationship. I also loved the confusion and the warring that went on in Kiya with her beliefs.

I really did love what Connilyn did. She stayed pretty true to scripture. Choosing to focus on Kiya and not making Moses a center point, she was able to take liberties on how this would look to someone who didn’t have all the information of what was going on.

The second book focuses on Shira, who was the Hebrew that Kiya befriended. I have it on audio and plan on listening to that when I can.

Lady Jayne Disappears by Joanna Davidson Politano

My edition: Kindle Unlimted (soon to own)
Pages: 411
Standalone
Genre: Christian, Mystery, Historical Romance
Published: Oct. 1, 2017, by Fleming H Revell Company
Rating: 4.5

Synopsis:

When Aurelie Harcourt’s father dies in debtor’s prison, he leaves her just two things: his wealthy family, whom she has never met, and his famous pen name, Nathaniel Droll. Her new family greets her with apathy and even resentment. Only the quiet houseguest, Silas Rotherham, welcomes her company.

When Aurelie decides to complete her father’s unfinished serial novel, writing the family into the story as unflattering characters, she must keep her identity as Nathaniel Droll hidden while searching for the truth about her mother’s disappearance–and perhaps even her father’s death.

Review:

There is only one thing I don’t like about this book, the portrayals of corsets. For better accuracy, youtube Abby Cox or Bernadette Banner. These are the lovely ladies I follow who have debunked many myths about the corset and dress history.

Aurelie must continue with her father’s work after his death. Her father under a nom de plume, wrote a series of novels, about his romance with Aurelie’s mother. Now to finish the series, Aurelie has now arrived in Lynhurst where her father met her mother. She tries to find out who her mother was and what happened to her while navigating a society she didn’t grow up in. Upon doing all this she has to keep her secret… she is now Nathaniel Droll.

To be honest, I am not well versed in the 1800s era. It’s not one that really fancies me. Especially the latter half. I mean I read Regency era from time to time, but I really love medieval time periods. But I do watch a few dress historians who are well-versed in this era and they give the low down on fashion. So at least I can picture the dress, but I’m still not knowledgeable on what was available technology-wise if that makes sense.

Aurelie’s character is very true. While at times she does show the naivety of a girl who only knew the debtor’s prison, she still treats people with kindness. She knows what it’s like to be treated unfairly and for society not to care if you are innocent or not.

Silas, if I am being honest, don’t know what to think of him.

I don’t think I can feel sorry for Juliette. I feel that she puts herself into situations that cause her not to have friends. Now do I believe that Aurelie should have continued to be her friend, yes. Juliette only knows how to play the social scene. That’s what has been taught her and what she feels is her worth. The way her mother acts and how her father just follows suit, it’s quite understandable why Juliette has her outlook on life.

The rest of the family, at first wasn’t a big fan. But when Joanna dug deeper and the revealed that first twist. I was shook. Then the second and third twists happened, I was not expecting the story to go in that way.

As for the writing, I absolutely loved it! I had many highlights. It captivated me. I will definitely be reading more of Joanna in the future. If you are looking for a good suspenseful, historical vibe, I highly suggest this book. Especially, for October. It feels like an opener for the month. Or a perfect read on a dreary day.

April has been weird…

What is going on?

A reading slump, that’s what. I can’t seem to want to read. It’s kind of annoying. I had big plans for reading this April, but they haven’t panned out.

I wanted to finish the rest of the Twilight series and start a few new series and a couple standalone. But that hasn’t happened. I pick up a book and don’t want to read it anymore.

I’m hoping this slump ends soon.