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Month: July 2020

Book review: You don’t belong here, By Michael Peter

. tata.lifepages | Gifted | general fiction |

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

You don’t belong here by Michael Peter is a captivating story that brings you along the journey of Ben and Robin through the woods. Ben and Robin start their journey to the basin up in the mountains a year after Ben was attacked by a bull moose in that basin. More important, the bull moose talked to Ben and since then he is questioning his sanity. Ben and Robin go back to the place where it all first started looking for answers. The story consists of three parts; the first part was very complete own on its own and I felt like it should have included some form of a cliff-hanger in the end, in order to make the reader eager to jump to part 2. 

“I can’t believe you told your parents what happened,” Ben said.
“Well I can’t believe a moose talked to you Ben, so I guess we’re all a little bit surprised.”

As you read further you get pulled into the story more and more and you don’t want to stop until the end, so don’t let part one fool you! I really needed to comprehend whether or not the unrealistic elements that appear in the story are real. How is the writer going to justify supernatural things in a natural world? Or is it all Ben’s illusion? Is it all inside Ben’s head? I enjoyed this book because the author makes you really feel like you are truly part of every scene in the story.

photo by @tata.lifepages
I felt empathy towards the marital struggles of Ben and Robin and could understand the point of view of both sides. Especially Ben’s character, which is quite complex. The reasons behind his complexity is explained with flashback chapters, which give you more insight to his character.
 This book is a good fit for people who relate with relationship struggles, as well as enjoy a suspense and psychological read that relates to mental health issues. You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Beyond Forever, by Annie Woods

. tata.lifepages | Gifted | YA Contemporary |

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I took my time into reading the third and final book of the Angelheart saga, I didn’t want it to end! I loved the third book even more than the previous books, I felt attached and connected to the characters and didn’t want to let them go.

The story reads like a beautiful fairy-tale, it will make you weep and trust me I did. The author often does a recap of the previous books in the series, which I think is great for readers who want a quick refresh to remember all the details and could potentially also be useful for someone picking up the series in the middle.

Book #3 Angelheart Saga

I am overjoyed by how diverse the plot is, it includes a variety of modern day concepts, such as cultural and genre diversion and a lot of FEMALE EMPOWERMENT! Erica is such a strong and independent female character. She is her own woman, fighting for her love, for her friends, for freedom of love, for her career, and for what she believes in. Although, my favorite character is Prince Sasha, you guys know I can’t resist charms, he is very romantic and sweet, I rooted for him all the way. It truly makes us wonder about true love and first love, which would your heart go for?

photo by @tata.lifepages

The author really brings out this feeling for doing whats right and good in the world. There is so much respect and altruism, making us readers wonder how much good a person can do in life, if they really put an effort to it. The ending gives a hint of a possible upcoming spin-off to the series which I am definitely looking forward to! ❤
 You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Eudaimonia, by Cedric Aubert

. tata.lifepages | Gifted | YA fantasy |

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The story follows young Maya, who is swept away unexpectedly to Eudaimonia, a magical land full of mysterious creatures and kingdoms. As Maya progresses on her journey trying to find a way to return home to Earth, she makes various allies from unique lands who join along with her on her mission. The plot is direct and simple, it does not linger on world-building or character development. It is intended for a younger audience (middle grade and young teens) who like an action-packed story that flows easily, without being too descriptive. I would have definitely LOVED this book when I was a teen, the creatures that Maya encounters are all so unique, I found the Anthrolite the most intriguing!

Eudaimonia book 1#
"They were colourless, dressed in grey rags, and if it was not for the fact that they were moving they would be indistinguishable from the rocky surroundings."

There are a lot of unique and intriguing creatures throughout the story which gives it a lot of potential for a very fun and magical series. There are some loose ends throughout the book that very likely will be answered in the sequels. Maya has an mysterious connection to the land and creatures of Eudaimonia. The ending was unexpected and I am anxious to know what it means in the next book of the series.

photo by @tata.lifepages
 I recommend this series if you are looking for an fast paced adventure full of magical creatures and action-packed! You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Terraleise, by C. L. A. Simpson

. tata.lifepages | Gifted | YA fantasy |

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I already had some expectations that this would be a good read, considering that it has some of my favorite tropes (friends-to-lovers, secret-heir to the throne), and it definitely delivered! The story follows Terra, who lives a very simple and humble life with her family in a cabin at the edge of the woods. Terra is mistreated and unloved by her parents, and feels this deep connection to the woods, the plants and the earth, where she often escapes to when she isn’t spending time with her best and only friend, Prince Silas.

Lost child of the crown series
"...I had always thought there was something beneficial, something undeniably important to being surrounded by the sort of beauty you find in a garden, or in a forest."

On her 18th birthday, changes start happening to Terra, and her connection to the earth becomes real, as she discovers she is gifted with an affinity to the earth, which is impossible considering only royals have elemental affinities. Silas and Terra embark on a quest to discover Terra’s past and end up uncovering terrible truths which could potentially cause war. The author writes beautifully, I was taken by the flow of her words and how they touched my heart. Her dialogues are real and vivid, showcasing human emotions perfectly. The romance between Terra and Silas was a beautiful slow-burn, that starts off as a genuine friendship. By the end, I was feeling butterflies in my stomach.

photo by @tata.lifepages

“It was then that I realised, in these stolen seconds that were perhaps not for us to have, that the horrible truth was that we had to be the ones to shoulder the responsibilities of our kingdoms and a thing like love maybe wasn’t written in our destinies;“

 I am super excited for book 2 of the series which is coming out this year and can't wait to get my hands on it! I recommend this series if you are looking for a book with royals, magic, elemental powers, friends-to-lovers romance! You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Alex Six, by Vince Taplin

. tata.lifepages | Gifted | Suspense |

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Wow! Alex Six was definitely a shocking and intense roller-coaster ride! The story reads super fast paced, my eyes were glued to the pages! It flows with a very catchy narrative which is focused mainly on the plot and not on descriptive settings, the author writes straight to the point! The story is told in two different point of views, from Alex, a rich psychopath stalker that will do everything and anything to get what she wants, and Victor Miller, a married ordinary guy that is very unfortunate to look identical to Alex’s late husband, who she must have by all means…

and it has a pastel cover! 😀
My sweet, sweet sleepyhead. I sing to him and pet his forehead. "Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are." Don't worry, honey. I'll be here when you wake up.

Alex power-handles everything and everyone to control the situation around her and obtain her ultimate goal: Victor Miller. The novel is very intense, filled with murder, stalking, obsession, persuasion, all put together in a expertly elaborated master-plan. The author certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and keep us intrigued! I will never look the same at vanilla bottles again! The ending is shocking and unexpected!

“Do you know how hard I’ve worked for this? Do you? Do you, Vick?”

photo by @tata.lifepages
 I recommend this novel for those looking for a suspense read filled with plot twists and secrets.. You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Daggers and Smoke, by Avery Song & Quinn Ashwood

. tata.lifepages | Gifted | NA fantasy |

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This book is full of SASS! The story follows Willa, who is one of the worlds only infinite mage’s and daughter of two of the most powerful M.E.I.D agents, who must together with her new assigned partner, William, discover the magical daggers hidden in unique elite academies throughout the globe, to save the world from impending doom. Willa is sassy, confident, powerful and this books just screams female empowerment! Willa and William HATE each other at first, so enemies-to-lovers trope is on point in this book (which I LOVE!), and there is a third wheel (Adam, former ex-lover and ex-partner) who keeps getting in the way.

The cover is so cute!
"If you're going to make it into a challenge," William began, "I actually would have tolerated her just to prove you wrong.”
"Aww." I clapped. "So romantic."

The world building is at first a bit difficult to grasp, it is a lot of information, but as soon as you get deeper into the novel it becomes clearer. As a reader, my favorite part of the book was the confrontation in Willa’s bedroom between her, William, Adam, her parents and her boss. This section is full of witty and sassy remarks, I laughed and felt myself blush many times! This book sets the stage very well for what I expect to be an action-packed series FULL of magic. The character development is very well done, I felt an easy connection to Willa and William and could visualize clearly their personalities and traits. There is a lot of chemistry between the characters which is something that is really important to me (you guys know I love chemistry!).

photo by @tata.lifepages
 I recommend this novel for people looking for LOTS of MAGIC, secret societies, enemies-to-lovers trope and academy settings! You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: The Amicable Pact, by Ana K. Anderson

. tata.lifepages | Gifted | Romance |

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Amicable Pact delivers a extremely addictive comical romance with sizzling sexual tension between Dawn and Quinn. Dawn is a beautiful hardworking Scottish red-head that has an arranged marriage with Quinn’s 91 year old grandfather (yes, ninety-one years old!). Quinn is a handsome Scottish man (gives me all the Jamie Fraser feels) who works as CEO to the MacFayden family business, and is VERY AGAINST this absurd marriage (which he and everyone else agrees is nothing but a gold-digging scam).

I laughed so many times while reading this hilarious romance. It delivers enemies-to-lovers trope on point! Quinn can’t allow this fortune hunter to steal the families wealth, and while that, Dawn has her own secret reasons for going through with this.

The cover is so cute!

“Dawn Fleming is a witch and she has cast a spell on me, as well as on my aged grandfather”

It tells the story in alternating point-of-views between Quinn and Dawn, so we get to see inside the head of both of them. I loved Quinn’s POV the most, he is very masculine, hilarious and determined to bring this wedding to a stop, he will stop at nothing to make Dawn run back to Edinburgh. However, he can’t control the crazy attraction that he feels for Dawn! It has some triggers (suicide, cancer) however it is very light. The first half of the book is super fast paced and you fall head-first into this battle filled with sexual tension between Quinn and Dawn, the second half slows down a bit once the family comes into focus more.

photo by @tata.lifepages

“Behind the obvious animosity between us, a twisted game of seduction has begun...”

 I recommend this book if you are looking for a summer read, funny, super sexy, with very emotional and beautiful family moments. You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Of Dreams and Sorcery, by Heather Renee

. tata.lifepages | Gifted | YA fantasy |

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Royals? Yes! Fae? Yes! Dragons? Yes! Guardians? Dark evil fae that wants to dominate the world? Yup!! 😀

Of Dreams and Sorcery tells the story of Kaliah, who discovers on her 19th birthday not only that she is a fae AND a princess, but also the strongest light fae descendant ever born. Her reality is completely altered as she returns to Arvayta to face an evil dark fae who will stop at nothing to have her at his side. I enjoyed the book, it is a very short and fast read. It has elements of one of my favorite tropes ever, enemies to lovers, and it is has some sarcastic and funny moments which I adore.

I absolutely love this cover!

“What do you say, my love? Will you leave this world behind and be mine forever?”

The only thing that lacked for me was the world-building, which I felt was sort-of sprung at us and it was hard to grasp. My favorite character was of course Ryland the guardian, tasked to protect Kaliah and her family. However the character that I am most curious and want to read more about is the Dark fae! He gives me some “The Darkling” feelings from the grishaverse which I absolutely love. I really love the idea of the animal bonds and the Meraki bond, which makes me very curious for how they will be developed in the sequel. The plot is focused on Kaliah’s training and learning about her new abilities and this new world of hers, the action really starts at the second half of the book. The ending was a bit brutal and shocking, however now that I had the time to ponder more it makes complete sense. I can’t wait to read n#2!

photo by @tata.lifepages
I recommend this novel if you are looking for a fast paced fantasy read with enemies to lovers trope and magical creatures! You can check out more about the book and the author here, or get the book over at the amazon page here.

Cover photo by Natasha weedman

Book review: Hold me still, by Britaini Armitage

. tata.lifepages | Gifted | romantic suspense |

Rating: 3 out of 5.

The story follows the romantic suspense between Ella, a young billionaire business-woman, and Elliot, her security expert (ex-military). Their relationship evolves from a professional interaction to passion right in the first chapters, they are immediately attracted to one another and the chemistry is played out in a slow and pure burn. The plot is intriguing and fast paced, I got hooked on from the moment the suspense surfaced, with numerous life-threatening occurrences, as our sweet and hardworking Ella is pursed by an unknown threat. The tension builds-up chapter by chapter, and continuously this hidden threat pursues and attacks Ella. I find it very romantic how Elliot, her security, attempts to protect her nonstop with every new danger that appears.

You and Me, book n#1

“Everything is going to be ok, Ella.” a smooth male voice crooned her. “Try not to move too much. Can you open your eyes sweetheart?”

The story has a very religious backbone to the plot, which wasn’t something that really appealed to me. Ella is faithful and a God devoted person, very beloved and who deserves to find happiness, as she was brought up by a difficult past, with no family and just a few friends. Both Ella and Elliot are longing for something to fill up the pain from their past and finding each other just might be the way. Ella’s pursuer becomes more aggressive and dramatic events take place, that make us wonder if Elliot is indeed capable of protecting the woman he is falling for, and what will be the ultimate price?

photo by @tata.lifepages
 The story ends in a cliffhanger, which already makes me long for book n#2. I recommend this book for those looking for romance and suspense. You can check out more about the book and the author here, or get the book (which is currently FREE on kindle) over at the amazon page here.

Book review: Pawn, by Angela Ford

. tata.lifepages | Gifted | fantasy |

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I was completely drawn by this STUNNING cover, I knew I had to read it right away. I am glad that my cover instincts were matched by a glorious action-packed story!

Pawn follows the story of Maeve, an unmatched warrior with amazing skills. After-all, she is the last descendant of Carn, a powerful species that has been wiped out. After being captured by the Dark Fae due to her twisted dark soul, Maeve struggles with guilt, ashamed of her past of selling her strength as a mercenary for all types of wrong and deadly deeds. She is then forced into the dark fae’s command, which she must obey in order to regain her full strength and freedom.

Love the character art!

“Your power is mine, and until I see fit, you will wear the collar. If you think you can blindside me, betray me, and escape, think again.”

This is definitely a DARK fantasy, which is EXACTLY what I have been looking for. It portrays very well suffering and anguish throughout Maeve’s redemption arc. The world building is excellent, with all types of wicked and magical creatures that we crave for (dragons, faes, goblins, orcs…). It also has some romance and chemistry, however slow-burn, which I hope is picked up in book two (you all know how I am a sucker for chemistry). I only hope to see Maeve’s strength returned to see the world tremble at her feet. I can’t wait to pick up book 2 and be immersed in battle galore!

photo by @tata.lifepages
 I recommend this book if you enjoy a darker, bitter and intense fantasy. As well as action packed battle scenes, all types of evil magical creatures and a strong female warrior character! You can check out more about the book and the author here, or the amazon page here.