A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas follows the life of a 19-year-old huntress, Feyre Acheron, who was brought into an unfamiliar magical realm after killing a faerie in the forest. Upon entering the world of the faeries, she was forced to adapt and live in a world where humans don’t belong. As Feyre becomes more involved with the people around her, she becomes aware of the looming catastrophe she must face to save everyone.
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Book Review
From the description alone, most people, like writer Anjitha M, will say that it’s a simple retelling of the classic Disney movie Beauty and the Beast. However, despite the obvious reference to the Disney classic, Maas was able to craft something different on her own that makes the book unique from the movie.
A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first book in the series of the same name. The author’s strong worldbuilding immerses readers in a setting that offers both excitement and uncertainty as we, the readers, set foot in the world of Fae through the eyes of Feyre. In A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR to its legions of fans), we get to meet various characters who all have different backgrounds and perspectives, and we get to journey with a female protagonist who can stand on her own and shoot arrows with her bow.
The story starts with Feyre’s life-changing encounter with a faerie in the woods, which obliged her to leave her family in the human world for a place she had only heard of in stories. Even though Feyre is human, the story revolves around her journey as she interacts and connects with the fantastical creatures of the Fae. As readers, we get to acquaint ourselves and learn about the world’s culture along with her. Feyre’s determination to remain strong despite being thrown in an unfamiliar place with no allies is something worth admiring about her.
Although the first part was a bit slow-paced, the latter half brings so much action and drama. It makes it impossible to not pick up the second book and read what happens next. Reading ACOTAR on its own isn’t enough to fully understand and appreciate the world that the author has created for us. If you plan to read the following book, A Court of Mist and Fury, you can expect more gripping drama, intense romance, and exceptional worldbuilding from Sarah J. Maas.
ACOTAR is a page-turner if high fantasy, adventure, and romance suit your preferences. Once you finish you will want to check out the entire series since the beginning only gives you a glimpse of what’s to come.
Now may just be the best time to read it too as Deadline announced that producers plan to release an ACOTAR TV adaptation on premium cable and streaming networks. If you want to delve into the world of the Fae with vibrant visuals, you can check out the TV adaptation soon. However, if you’re interested in more action-packed adventures and romance books than fantasy, you should add Guild Boss by Jayne Castle to your to-read list. Accompanied by Lucy and Gabriel, you can discover the lawlessness of Illusion Town.
BAYOU BOOK THIEF (Vintage Cookbook Mystery Book #1) by Ellen Byron is an enjoyable contemporary cozy mystery set in New Orleans with everything I am looking for in a cozy mystery, wonderful characters, well-paced plot, and writing that gives colorful visual imagery of the setting.
Miracle “Ricki” James-Diaz is a twenty-eight-year-old widow who is beginning a new life in the place of her birth, New Orleans. She is excited to land her dream job of running a gift shop featuring vintage cookbooks and kitchen gadgets in the former home of a New Orleans legendary restauranteur at Bon Vee Culinary House Museum.
While opening several boxes of donated books to Bon Vee, Ricki and Cookie are shocked to find the dead body of a recently fired tour guide who was caught stealing books from the gift shop. Ricki decides to put her research skills to work investigating the death when one of her new friends is considered a suspect. Will Ricki be able to find the killer without getting herself in hot water?
This is a perfect cozy mystery read to me! I loved the main character, Ricki and all her quirks and her messy background. The cast of secondary characters are all fully fleshed and realistic window dressing to the city of New Orleans. The plot builds steadily to the climax, and I was guessing right up to the end. Ms. Byron uses her characters, red-herrings, and plot twists to full advantage to keep me turning the pages. New Orleans lifestyle and culture is seamlessly woven into the story without slowing the pace. An all-around enchanting cozy.
I highly recommend this cozy mystery and I am looking forward to revisiting these characters in the next book in the series!
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About Ellen Byron
Ellen writes the USA Today bestselling Cajun Country Mysteries and Catering Hall Mysteries (under the pen name Maria DiRico). MARDI GRAS MURDER won the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel and was nominated for a Best Humorous Mystery Lefty Award by Left Coast Crime. A CAJUN CHRISTMAS KILLING and BODY ON THE BAYOU, both won the Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery, and were nominated for Agatha Awards in the category of Best Contemporary Novel. PLANTATION SHUDDERS, the first book in the series, was nominated for Agatha, Lefty, and Daphne awards. Cajun Country Mysteries offer “everything a cozy reader could want,” according to Publishers Weekly, while Library Journal says, “Diane Mott Davidson and Lou Jane Temple fans will line up for this series.” HERE COMES THE BODY, the first book in her Catering Hall Mysteries, is inspired by her real life. LONG ISLAND ICED TINA, the second in the series, recently launched, with both books in the series garnering great reviews.
Ellen’s TV credits include Wings and Just Shoot Me; she’s written over 200 magazine articles; her published plays include the award-winning Graceland and Asleep on the Wind. She is a native New Yorker who lives in Los Angeles and attributes her fascination with Louisiana to her college years at New Orleans’ Tulane University. She also worked as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart, a credit she never tires of sharing.
After a harrowing attempt on a judge’s life at the courthouse, Deputy US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are tasked with finding a missing woman and an endangered child in connection to the murder of the judge’s wife. What seems like a fairly straightforward case becomes hopelessly tangled when the marshals discover that the woman they are searching for is in witness protection and the Amber Alert put out for the missing child has put two lives in danger.
Madison and Jonas are forced into a race to find the woman and the child before the men who want her dead discover her location. And in a final showdown that could cost her everything, Madison will come face-to-face with the person who murdered her husband.
USA Today bestselling author Lisa Harris concludes her thrilling US Marshals series with this breathless tale of secrets kept, lies exposed, and ultimately, justice prevailing.
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Elise’s Thoughts
The Catch by Lisa Harris is an intense mystery. In the final book of the series the plot brings to close all the extending arcs.
This story is multilayered. These sub-plots had Madison searching for the person who killed her husband Luke, a search for the murderer of a judge’s wife, and a kidnapped child. The suspense ratches up after the child’s babysitter is found to be in the witness protection program and having an amber alert put out on her and the child put both lives in danger. As these three plots are weaved together readers realize nothing is as it seems.
Book three of the series gave readers a thrilling and captivating ride. All the loose threads tie together in a surprising yet inspiring ending. Readers will get their fill of suspense, action, and twists.
There is also a novella, Point Blank,part of a compilation with three other authors titled, Heroes in the Crossfire. In Point Blank, the last two series Lisa Harris has written, “The Nikki Boyd Files,” and “US Marshals,” are combined. It is interesting how she was able to compare the lead characters, Madison James, and Nikki Boyd. Both had feelings of “what if” and struggled with out-of-control feelings while attempting to let go of their guilt.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Why include Nikki Boyd in Point Blank, the prequel to the Madison series?
Lisa Harris: I was asked to write something for a compilation so I decided this novella would be perfect for it. In the US Marshal series book 1 there is a little bit about the loss of Madison’s husband, and with Nikki Boyd books, they take place over 48 hours. They both want to make a difference in the world. Both had different careers: Nikki was a teacher and ended up in the missing person task force while Madison was a policeperson and ended up as a US Marshal. They lost someone close with neither of them having closure. At the end of the series, they do find the answers they are looking for.
EC: The scene of the silo, wow?
LH: I did a lot of research. There are a lot of accidents that happen in the silos where people can drown in the grain. I knew I had to put this in the novella. It is hard to write action scenes and I am always looking to find something different to write about.
EC: The idea for the story, The Catch?
LH: The first book had a fugitive chase. I wanted each book to highlight a different skill used by the US Marshals. This third book had a combination of witness protection and a task force looking for a child endangered. I weaved together these two elements in the story along with the Washington state setting that has beaches and a rain forest. The arcs between Jonas and Madison’s romance as well as the arc of who killed Madison’s husband gets resolved in this book.
EC: Did you know anyone who had a child who disappeared?
LH: No, I did not, thankfully. The Nikki Boyd series was all about missing children. I learned through my research. I thought about those parents who had the drama in real life versus writing fiction. It would be one of the worst things that ever happened in life, the threat of losing a child. Because there is so much darkness around us, thankfully I could have happy endings in my book, a bit of light.
EC: Do you have a crystal ball because one of the stories has a judge threatened?
LH: Sometimes it is scary how some of the things I have written about have come true. I should get my ideas from the newspaper and not the other way around. This plot includes drug trafficking, extortion, kidnappings, and revenge.
EC: How would you describe Becca?
LH: She got in way over head. She was missing something in her life and lost her heart. She smudged the line between right and wrong. She is vulnerable, troubled, frustrated, and desperate.
EC: How would you describe the relationship between Jonas and Madison?
LH: I like that it was resolved over the course of books. For example, each Nikki Boyd book took place over 48 hours. A romance cannot be resolved over that short period of time. The relationship went from admiration and respect when they first met to trying to keep at arm’s length while US Marshal partners to Madison bowing to her fears that something would happen to Jonas like her husband to a happy ending.
EC: Next books?
LH: A prequel to this series will be out June 1st, an e-book novella, Point Blank. It covers when they first met while training. Jonas was training a group of officers that were not US Marshals yet, which included Madison. Nikki Boyd is also in the novella.
I am also self-publishing. It is a series where the town is off the grid without technology. It is Longmire meets Jericho. It is a modern western, solving crimes without technology, titled “The Fallout Series.” The third book just came out which is titled Frequency. There is also a novella to this series.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
POISON EVIDENCE (Evidence Book #7 on Goodreads, Book #8 on Amazon) by Rachel Grant is another thrilling installment in the Evidence series featuring another brilliant member of the Naval History and Heritage Command team. This book is easily read as a standalone, but there is carryover of characters from previous books in this series. Any history from previous stories between characters is explained without going into detail and seamlessly keeps the current story flowing.
Ivy MacLeod is sent to the islands of Palau with her new advanced remote sensing technology known as CAM to map a WWII battle site. Ivy is happy to leave the states and distance herself from her ex-husband’s trial for treason. When she is attacked at a party for dignitaries on the island, she escapes with the help of Jack Keaton, an American on vacation in Palau.
Jack Keaton is not who he seems, but he has saved Ivy’s life. When Ivy learns the U.S. government has betrayed her, she must make up her own mind who is the spy, who is the protector and who is the villain.
I love this series! The heroines are accomplished, intelligent women with intriguing jobs whose personal lives become very complicated with heroes that are alpha males and over-achievers in their own right. Ivy has always been socially awkward due to her intelligence and then she suffered the ultimate betrayal from a husband she loved. Her invention is her life until she meets Jack, but he has many identities and Ivy has to trust him with her life even as he could be as bad as her ex. Jack’s backstory and the reasons for the way he lives his life make him a sympathetic character and the author does a great job of keeping him on that fine line between hero or villain. The plot is an intricate, edge-of-your-seat, fast paced spy thriller that leaves the reader questioning the motives of most of the characters right up to the climax. The sex scenes in this book are all smokin’ hot and explicit, but never gratuitous.
I highly recommend this romantic suspense/spy thriller, as well as every other book in this series!
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About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Rachel Grant worked for over a decade as a professional archaeologist and mines her experiences for storylines and settings, which are as diverse as excavating a cemetery underneath an historic art museum in San Francisco, survey and excavation of many prehistoric Native American sites in the Pacific Northwest, researching an historic concrete house in Virginia, and mapping a seventeenth century Spanish and Dutch fort on the island of Sint Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and children.
Today I am sharing by Feature Post and Book Review on the Blackthorn Book Tour for RIEBECKITE by O.R. Lea.
Below you will find book description, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Dangerous spores gather on Earth after an asteroid strikes the moon. Humanity watches the skies…but the real danger is at their feet.
After an asteroid strike on the moon, a strange blue dust began to flow down through Earth’s atmosphere. It’s harmful to breathe, but at least the microscopic creatures within the dust are dormant. Or so we thought.
Tahira made a childhood promise to a friend that the crisis would bring their people together… before a violent riot tore their lives apart. Now, as an adult, Tahira works as a biologist for a corporation constructing experimental towers to force the spores—known as riebeckites—to germinate into harmless colonies.
Except they’re about to learn everything they think they know about the dust is wrong. The real threat isn’t the asteroid that struck the moon and by the time humanity figures it out, it might be too late.
Riebeckite combines suspense and conspiracy with heart-in-mouth action sequences and nightmarish encounters, all in an immersive near-future setting and, at its core, a heartwarming story of friendship against the odds.
RIEBECKITE (Bruised Moon Sequence Book #1) by O.R. Lea is an engrossing mix of speculative fiction, sci-fi and horror that comes together in a story that is impossible to put down. It is also a story of friendship that spans not only years but cultural prejudice and politics.
We meet best friends Tahira who is Azerbaijani and Zareen who is Iranian when they are eight years old. They are separated as children when the Iranians are annexed and held behind an electrified cable wall.
Decades later, the two may be separated by a wall, but they are in touch and friends once again. Tahira studies the biology of the riebeckites that large turbines clean out of the air and deposit in the seas. They are from the moon dust and may not be as benign as the population has been led to believe. She discovers the monsters Zareen has been telling her about in the Annex, that the Azerbaijanis believe are urban legends, are real monsters. The riebeckites are a bigger threat than anyone believed. Will humanity survive?
I loved this novel! It was in a genre I usually do not gravitate toward, but I could not stop reading it. Not only is it in a different genre, but it is set in the Persian Gulf, which is unusual too. Tahira and Zareen are both strong female characters, but in differing ways. It is partially due to their circumstances, but their personalities are very different even as young girls. The riebeckites are such an interesting new biological species that are equal parts believable and disgusting. The author’s descriptive writing at times sent shivers up my spine as well as turned my stomach. The plot moves at an ever-increasing pace with plenty of action scenes especially in the second half of the story. There is a satisfying climax and conclusion to tie up many plot threads, but there is an opening for more.
I highly recommend this unique book and I am excited to read future books in this series.
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Author Bio
Raised and educated in North Wales, Oliver spent his early 20s working for a theatre-in-education music troupe for as long as it took to feel like his GCSE in Welsh language had provided its money’s worth. Since then, he’s lived in Portsmouth and currently works as a laboratory analyst. His biggest failure as a writer has been in his attempts to settle on a genre, having written about Middle Eastern vampires, African mercenaries and supernatural Welsh murderers. His first ‘properly’ published novel, “Riebeckite”, is a near-future speculative fiction story set in the Persian Gulf.
After an early spring thaw on the Alaskan coast, Anchorage police discover a gruesome new piece of evidence in their search for a serial killer: a dismembered human foot.
In Kincaid Park, a man is arrested for attacking a female jogger. Investigators believe they have finally captured the sadistic serial killer. But one deputy is sure they have the wrong man.
In the remote northern town of Deadhorse, Alaska, Deputy US Marshal Arliss Cutter escorts three handcuffed prisoners onto a small bush plane on route to Anchorage. The men have been charged with racketeering, drug trafficking, and kidnapping. But Cutter doesn’t expect any trouble from them. It’s a routine mission and a nonstop flight—or so he thinks. When the plane makes an unexpected landing in the middle of nowhere, all hell breaks loose. The prisoners murder a pilot and guard. The plane is torched and blown up. And the last few survivors are forced to flee into the wilderness. But their nightmare’s just beginning. Back in Anchorage, deputy Lola Teariki has traced the dismembered foot to a missing girl—and the serial psychopath who slaughtered her.
It’s one of the prisoners on Cutter’s flight. . . .
Now it’s a deadly game of survival. With no means of communication, few supplies, and ravenous grizzly bears and wolves lurking in the shadows, Cutter has to battle the unforgiving elements while the cold-blooded killer wants his head on a stick. Here in Alaska, nature can be cruel—but this time, human nature is crueler. . . .
Drawing on his experiences as a deputy US marshal in Alaska, Cold Snap rings terrifyingly true.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Cold Snap by Marc Cameron is another riveting novel featuring his main character, Deputy US Marshal Arliss Cutter. The author worked in law enforcement as a US Marshal, so he keeps the plot realistic. In this installment, there are gruesome murders, family issues that need resolving, and transporting lethal criminals as they battle the Alaskan elements.
Lola Tuakarie, part of a Fugitive Task Force, and Arliss are investigating a serial killer after women’s body parts are washed ashore. Cutter is called away on a prisoner transport leaving Lola to work the serial killer case with the Anchorage police. On the transport plane heading to Fairbanks are four very dangerous prisoners. Unfortunately, the pilot takes a detour, unknown to Arliss, where things go from bad to worse. Now it becomes a matter of surviving the elements and the prisoners.
Cameron puts the reader in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness. They feel the wind at their face, and the bitter cold from the downpour of snow. Animals also become a factor with wolves and an 800-pound grizzly bear trying to get their next meal. There is no means of communication, few supplies, and prisoners who want nothing more than to kill Cutter. He must use all his skills to protect himself and others found in the wilderness.
There is also a sub-plot regarding how Arliss’ brother, Ethan, died. Was it an accident or murder?
All these sub-plots will hook the readers into the series. The plot and characters are enthralling and allow everyone to see the hardships and danger those living in Alaska must face.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?
Marc Cameron: I wanted to show how Marshals transport prisoners all the time. They could be out in rough country. I played a ‘what if game,’ using my professional experience. I moved prisoners in very cold conditions but never was stranded in an airplane with one. Small bush planes had six people. It is less about tracking down the prisoners and more about survival with those who want to kill Arliss Cutter.
EC: Who is to blame for the prisoners and Marshal being stranded?
MC: It is just a series of situations. The pilot veered out of the way to check on a friend. Jill Phillips, the Chief Deputy played a central role because Arliss worked under her. She was the one to ramrod the situation to find him.
EC: Besides the prisoner transport there is another sub-plot?
MC: There is a hunt for a serial killer who is chopping females up and letting their body parts wash up on shores around Anchorage.
EC: The influence of the grandfather?
MC: He was in law enforcement in the Florida Marine Patrol. Arliss’ valued weapon, the Colt Python revolver, was his. He raised Arliss and his brother Ethan. The grandfather was a role model who calmed and steadied Arliss. This book begins with a flashback when the boys were little. Readers get to meet him on the page for the first time. In getting to know the grandfather people can see why Arliss turned out the way he did. He is modeled after my own grandfather.
EC: In what way was Arliss’ grandfather modeled after your grandfather?
MC: Mine was a cowboy and a farmer who did not smile a great deal. He was a tough guy. When I was a little boy, he was one of my best friends. He taught me how to fire a gun, fish, and hunt. I drew some wisdom from him, especially manners. Both grandfathers were not “grumpy” but never smiled or laughed a lot.
EC: There was a scene between Mim and her daughter Constance. Who was the adult in that scene?
MC: Her daughter just accused her of sleeping with her brother-in-law when her husband was alive. She was very upset. I would leave it to the reader if they thought Mim went a little overboard in her reaction. Plus, her daughter thought she was sleeping with Arliss because she looks like him and Constance knows Arliss loved Mim his whole life. I guess I meet lots of grown-ups that act like children.
EC: The elements of Alaska are front and center?
MC: I did encounter bears several times. Sometimes, we have bears in our yard. We look out the door before we walk to our car. Every time is different. I wrote in the animals including bears and wolves plus the havoc the weather created. It would be impossible to write a realistic book about Alaska without writing about the animals and elements. Unless someone lived in or walked in deep snow it is hard to imagine how exhausting it is. It is very easy to overexert, getting sweaty, getting cold, and having fatigue. It can be deadly. Tea is very common here to warm someone up.
EC: Why the Kipling reference?
MC: Kim, is my favorite novel written by Rudyard Kipling about a child that grew up in India. He became a spy for the British. Kim’s game is a parlor game made famous by this book. A bunch of items are put on a tray. It is uncovered for a minute and people try to list all that was on it. It is a memory game. Snipers and spies play it. Trackers can use it because it is an observation game. It teaches people to observe and memorize things systematically.
EC: Readers learn a lot about trackers?
MC: They will rarely arrest someone. For example, there was a missing hunter in Alaska. Troopers knew he was in the mountains. I was one of trackers in the area. I was flown to where they had last seen him and asked to find his camp. I had to track backwards. I did find his camp. I told those in the helicopter he was headed in this direction. It is not like the old days where there was one tracker, but a whole team. We did find him. If we are tracking a fugitive, we inform the others. The best way to explain it is that the tracker is like a tool to find the person.
EC: What about your next book?
MC: The Ethan investigation is convoluted and will be reoccurring. In the next book a lot of stuff comes to light. The title is Breakneck and it comes out this time next year. A Supreme Court Justice visits Alaska and someone is trying to kill her on the wilderness Alaska train. Arliss and Lola are guarding her and trying to protect her on that train. Meanwhile Mim is in far North Alaska in the same area where Ethan used to work, and she is looking into his death.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
