Review of Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

/ authoramysbrown / 2 Comments

Synopsis:
Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Maehrer’s laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain…and their unexpected romance.

ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem, terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage’s employment status isn’t just important, it’s vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.

But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain—and his entire nefarious empire—out.

Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.

After all, a good job is hard to find.

Review:
Firstly, while it took me a while to get around to reading this book, I had actually preordered it the day the preorders opened. I absolutely adore the TikTok series and highly recommend her series of “what it would be like if I was the morally grey villain’s personal assistant”. That being said, this book was an altogether different feel and story than the short videos. While I didn’t hate the book, instead of being urban/modern fantasy it was pushed back to some sort of medieval-ish time which changed the entire feel of the story. The back and forth of trying to use modern food and explaining things away with magic made the book feel a bit hard to truly fall into.

There were definitely some elements of other stories woven throughout such as Ever After and Ella Enchanted, which I loved. While it was interesting to see Evie’s home life developed, it seemed to merely be a small plot to show another few form of villainy that were dropped at plot points far too quickly and without thorough examination. Unfortunately there were many times in the book where the heroine came across as self degrading as opposed to the obliviousness featured in the videos. The book also seemed to be written down in level than what I perceived the videos to be; more of a beginner level young adult novel.

While the story could have been a bit further developed, I did still quite enjoy it and look forward to reading the next installment. That being said, I still vastly prefer the video series to the book. If you’re looking for a very light cozy romantasy read, this is it, though there is a content warning at the beginning.

Star rating: ✯✯✯

Review of A Hoot and a Hex by Leanne Leeds

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Synopsis:
The Ides of March bring mayhem and magic when Astra Arden and her sisters host the Roman-themed festival of Hilaria in Forkbridge. But the revelry comes screeching to a halt when Councilwoman Viola Tullus is found dead, entombed in concrete like a modern-day Roman building sacrifice.

With angry accusations flying as swiftly as Archie, Astra must sift through a myriad of motives to cement the truth. Could the killer be a disgruntled citizen seeking revenge against the controversial councilwoman? Was her desire to bulldoze family farms to make way for new developments simply too much for someone to bear?

Between keeping the festival running smoothly, managing her annoyed owl, and juggling her romantic relationship with the werewolf, Astra has her hands full. And with a clever killer masking themselves in the festival crowds, danger lurks around every toga-draped corner.

Can Astra catch the killer before Forkbridge falls like the Roman Empire? Or will the dark deeds continue under the cover of festivity? Find out in this delightful tale filled with twists, turns, and a talon-ful of trouble.

This paranormal cozy mystery is perfect for adults and free of gore, intimate scenes, and profanity.

Review:
Another sweet jump into Astra’s life. It’s neat to see how she’s doing in terms of building better relationships, especially with her father and Lothian. I do love that there is always so much background done on festival and mythological things in these books. Even Noctua’s name had an interesting meaning and backstory, and it was very neat how Leeds had them discover it in a totally relevant and believable way. While the cse seemed quite obvious, I loved all the twists and turns and reveals that I didn’t see coming. I quite loved this story and hope that in the future Emma goes back to full time police work, and that Lothian offers Logan a job!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Frost Gate: A Retelling of Snow White by Hanna Sandvig

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Synopsis:
Mirror mirror made of gold,
Here’s the story you were never told . . .

I’ve always suspected some sort of mystery surrounding my adoption—I mean, who doesn’t remember anything before they were five? But the tall, dark, axe-wielding fae huntsman showing up at my door yelling that I’m a lost princess and the Unseelie Queen is coming to kill me? That I didn’t see coming.

It’s hard to argue with a pack of evil wolves on your doorstep, so I grab my sword, my cookbook, and my seven chickens (yes, you heard me right), and follow him to Faerie. I’m all for not being eaten by wolves. I’m less excited about the fact that the huntsman seems to think I’m the only one who can defeat the Unseelie Queen and save Faerie. I’m not powerful or magical, even if my baking skills are legendary.

But the longer I stay in Faerie, the more I want to help its people. And the more time I spend with the terrifyingly handsome huntsman, the more I want to convince him that he’s who I need by my side while I do. He’d do anything to protect me, but it’s my heart he’s putting in danger.

Do I have what it takes to go from baking pies to saving kingdoms? Who will take care of the chickens if I fail?

Review:
One thing I absolutely love about the princesses and female main characters in Sandvig’s works is that they all have hopes, desires, dreams, and things they have spent their life doing- a plan they intended to follow for their life. It was incredibly amusing that Neve had an obsession with a particular fruit. I absolutely loved Kylian. I thought his development, motivations, and what he has done were all greatly thought out and fit the other books in the past series that he appeared in as well. It was great to see how well Kylian and Niamh support each other; strong where the other is weak, and always encouraging each other that they are more than they realize. Sometimes it can be hard when you feel like a big position or job is thrust upon you, but just because it is daunting doesn’t mean you aren’t the correct person for the job. In the end, Kylian and Niamh telling stories… just how precious.

I absolutely love this series of very likeable characters and very realistic situations/reactions of a startled human (or human like creature) being taken away from the life they’ve known. I would highly recommend Sandvig’s works to anyone who loves empowering female characters, fairy tale retellings, and happily ever afters. This book is, as stated on amazon, rather “cottagecore”. It’s a nice cozy romantasy, and I highly recommend it.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Sparkle Witch: A Novella by Helen Harper

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Synopsis:
Snow. Santa. Snuggles… Stress.

You would think December would be Ivy’s ideal time of year. After all, festivities abound and witches everywhere are encouraged to put their feet up and relax. That’s not quite the case when she has various Order members attempting to finagle her into Christmas activities and a special artefact from the top of the Christmas tree goes missing. Either someone is attempting to sabotage Winter or something very strange is afoot indeed.

This is a short holiday novella.

Review:
It has been ages since I read this book but I instantly fell right back into love with Ivy and Harper’s writing. This was a very sweet little story in which you see Ivy’s snark, her delegation, and some great and beautiful moments with some familiars. I absolutely loved how this gave a little snippet into everyone’s lives, Ivy got to interfere with people’s lives a bit and blow off the work she should have been happily doing. All in all, very on par for Ivy, and such a very sweet and lovely little novella.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Synced by Rachel Rener

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Synopsis:
War is coming – and this time, I swear it’s not my fault.

Sol and his reanimated Unseelie army are hell-bent on destroying the Seelies once and for all. Worse, he’s stolen the most priceless relic in this land – Zayn’s grimoire – along with my magic-unleashing gilded blood.

Oh yeah, and Sol’s claim is slowly killing me (though I’m so pent-up, I might actually die of horniness first).

But not all hope is lost. I somehow led the elves through the mountain, arriving at the Summer Palace in one battered, weary piece. Bonus points: I’ve expanded our ad hoc army by two hundred more soldiers – never mind the fact they’re completely untrained, three-foot-tall tommyknockers.

And, for better or worse, while Zayn was busy prepping the castle for battle, my loud-mouthed Jewish mother gained the “support” of our equally-shrill family members. Unfortunately, banshees have the power to predict the future, and our outlook isn’t looking so good.

The only way we’ll survive the impending war is by finding some mysterious “ally” in the most inhospitable, remote corner of the Fae Realm: a ghost from Zayn’s past who will either help lead the Seelies to salvation…or doom us all.

Review:
This was a very sweet and somewhat bittersweet ending to Zayn and Talia’s adventures. I hated how much Talia had to go through but it was neat that she had a true adventure and really had to push to prove her merits and that she wasn’t just lucky because of the blood she’d been born with. I absolutely love the ending; I think it was quite sweet and well done. Probably my favourite in the series after the first book, there were lots of twists and turns that weren’t expected about Talia’s heritage.

This book did use some language that I found interesting as none of the other books contained similar writing. At first I thought that it might have just been a choice for one particular character that appears for the first time in this novel, but then Zayn also used very interesting vocabulary once as well. There was also a continuity error that seemed out in far field with the royal blood being Jaina’s; so one not related to her but related to her husband wouldn’t have “the family blood”. That being said, this was still a much stronger book than the 3rd, and I was quite happy with how the ending played out.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Linked by Rachel Rener

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Synopsis:
A lot can change in a week.

Seven days ago, I was just Talia – an art school drop-out with an affinity for tattoos, a hopeless crush on my boss, and a knack for finding trouble.

Now, I’m a gold-blooded, magic-harnessing, Runemaster-in-training.

The good news is, all of that has resulted in one hell of a promotion. Instead of sweeping floors, I’m sweeping swarms of venomous squatters out of castles. I’ve been enrolled in accelerated, hands-on rune lessons – super handy for those, like me, who are death-adverse. Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my incu-boss’s upgraded benefits “package,” which has been particularly generous.

Sadly, promotions aren’t just about the perks. There are increased responsibilities as well: amassing a magical army alongside the newfound fae king, repairing centuries-old divisions among the Seelies and Unseelies, and vanquishing a completely unhinged demon lord whose ego may have gotten the teensiest bit damaged when I became the first woman with a pulse to ever spurn his advances (oh, and nearly kill him too).

But hey, when you’re the most coveted tattoo artist in two realms, it’s all in a day’s work.

Review:
This book entirely dragged for me. I quite liked the action, learning more about familiars and magic, having Dee Dee and “Lambchop” around, but there were whole sections that I had to completely skim. While the plot was great, the intimacy has been steadily becoming a bigger point in the books, and I’m sorry to say but I didn’t find the prose very well done. The very first book in the series would have likely been considered a 2 on the spicy scale, and it was well written and sweet, but the steamy scenes have been growing book by book. This particular book used some language and descriptions that I found altogether off from the feel/vibe of the earlier scenes as well as the nature of one being an incubus. That being said, the plot was alright when it got back on track. The “big reveal” of WHO Zayn’s father is seemed quite obvious to me from the first book.

Star rating: ✯✯✯

Review of Jinxed by Rachel Rener

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Synopsis:
I keep telling myself things could be worse.

Okay, so my mom’s been harboring some hefty family secrets. Big deal.

And, yeah, maybe there are still two or three teensy details about Zayn that I don’t know – his backstory, his private life, or his real name, for starters.

Oh, and let’s not forget that there’s a bloodthirsty, power-hungry, magical mob boss who’s due to appear at any moment. No biggie.

So long as there are no more family bombshells, incubus-related heartbreaks, or unexpected, terrifying journeys into the Fae Realm, I’ll be completely fine. Because, as I’ve already reminded myself at least twelve times since breakfast, there’s no way things could possibly get worse.

…Right?

Review:
This book has so many revelations within it and honestly, I was wondering how Talia kept it together. There were a few times I was surprised she didn’t spit out that she was hungry, or had asthma, but perhaps she was merely trying to keep herself from falling apart. I absolutely loved Biscuit’s role in this story, and how he’s become a strong little… Biscuit… in his own right. It was interesting to see how Zayn acted with Talia despite both of their feelings being quite evident. His compliment of her light touch, and his belief in her abilities in chapter two was very sweet.

The “bad” guys in this become very easy to dislike but at times you find yourself somewhat empathizing with them. I am quite looking forward to continuing with this series and figuring out exactly what happens. If the series wasn’t already completely out I would have gone MAD with the cliffhanger ending, so be ready for that!

As Biscuit would say, to all my readers/review readers out there, Luvya!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Synopsis:
Before Miss Peregrine gave them a home, the story of peculiars was written in the Tales.
 
Wealthy cannibals who dine on the discarded limbs of peculiars. A fork-tongued princess. These are but a few of the truly brilliant stories in Tales of the Peculiar—the collection of fairy tales known to hide information about the peculiar world, including clues to the locations of time loops—first introduced by Ransom Riggs in his #1 bestselling Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series.
 
Riggs now invites you to share his secrets of peculiar history, with a collection of original stories in this deluxe volume of Tales of the Peculiar, as collected and annotated by Millard Nullings, ward of Miss Peregrine and scholar of all things peculiar. Featuring stunning illustrations from world-renowned woodcut artist Andrew Davidson this compelling and truly peculiar anthology is the perfect gift for not only fans, but for all booklovers.

Review:
If you are a lover, a connoisseur of fairy tales, folk tales and folklore this is a book you want to pick up. While fairy tale retellings are a genre of their own Riggs went forward and created his own set of peculiar tales, that whether or not you’re peculiar, offer quite a lot of insight to what is wrong, right, moral and just. The stories are at times somewhat reminiscent in the back of your mind to tales you may already know (The Fork-Tongued Princess and The Paper Bag Princess bare a striking moral resemblance) but they are all filled with knowledge and warnings to be careful of what you have, what you wish to accomplish, and the mark you may make on the world.

This was on the pile of “books I bought and never read for years so maybe I should get rid of them” but I picked it up and started reading it instead… needless to say, it won’t be returning to the pile. The hardcover edition of this book is also gorgeous, with gold leaves on the front, black and white pictures for every story, and a black ribbon to keep your place.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Inked by Rachel Rener

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Synopsis:
When Zayn, your smoking hot boss, tells you never to touch the cache of deluxe tattoo ink locked away in his office, you listen to him… until the day you run out of your own ink, your squirming client is on the verge of peeing his pants, and your boss is nowhere to be found. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right?

I fully expected Zayn to yell at me when he returned to the shop. What I didn’t expect was the fresh cobra tattoo on my client’s butt magically springing to life. Or the interdimensional filing cabinet hiding in the back of Zayn’s office. And, oh, did I mention that my gorgeous, magic-ink-hoarding boss is actually an incubus?

Now – through (mostly) no fault of my own – we have to venture into a strange and distant land where a never-ending list of lethal flora, fauna, and fae await us. When you add in my Jewish mother’s string of poorly-timed, hysterical phone calls, there is one thing I’m grateful for: there’s no cell service in the fae realm.

Review:
From the beginning I was wondering if I’d really find this that appealing; it’s about tattoos, and I’m not a tattoo girl, but as I read about Talia going through a tattoo with Roy, I found myself more and more intrigued. The descriptions were absolutely breathtaking and beyond perfection. At the very beginning it did seem a big slow paced, but once the action picked up the book became impossible to put down. There were so many little unexpected twists and turns of how, exactly, Zayn and Talia find themselves in the situation that one has to keep reading just to find out exactly how it all comes together and it all ends.

This book did an amazing job of using all sort of different types of fae and a hierarchy of mages that I hadn’t seen before and felt, like Talia, quite frazzled trying to keep up which made me feel even more invested in watching her learn more and hope that she can figure out what’s going on and help. All of the creatures seemed very true to the nature as depicted by how they are in this universe, and I absolutely loved how the tie in with Talia’s mother occurs. There were several times that the damsel in distress card appeared, but it was never in the typical way that she became helpless and I quite enjoyed how that played into her own psyche. While I am not Jewish, I do believe that there was quite a great use of both Yiddish and much about being of that religion worked in, and I thought it was really well done and neat.

I absolutely love Zayn and Talia’s interactions and relationship and I believe you, too, will come to love them and Biscuit! (P.S. Biscuit is my favourite!!!)

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Synopsis:
“They’ve never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart. And they never will.”

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:
1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.

But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?

Review:
This book was riveting from the moment I started. A second born daughter who is an afterthought, left to dwindle and do whatever pleases her until after her sister, the golden child, is married off- who could blame her for wanting to change the world? There were so many points throughout this novel that would resonate with women now, such as sometimes finding it hard to befriend other women who may see them as “competition”, and that women are often objectified by their sexual experiences or lack thereof. The issues dealt with, specifically of women, are very serious things often overlooked in literature and life as “not that big a deal”. There is high magic, great cunning, and amazing scenes of court sprinkled throughout this novel. I couldn’t seem to put it down, and only wish the ending had been a bit longer/stronger. While there is mention of intimacy and going against tradition, this is quite an empowering book.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯