Adult Review: You Say It First

 * First in a new series *

Pallas's new  business is struggling. Having inherited it, she's not sure she wants to keep it. She likes planning weddings, but it feels stale. Luckily, she just hired herself a handyman artist who convinces her to think outside of the box.

Nick's in limbo, waiting to hear about an overseas art project. So, he doesn't mind helping out someone in need. Plus, it lets him go back to working with a familiar medium.

Together, the two of them fall into an easy relationship. But Nick doesn't do long term and he's leaving soon. Should Pallas risk her heart anyways?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this spin off of Fool's Gold. I loved seeing the brothers from Fool's Gold and their relationship after the bombshell that changed their lives. I loved watching them create art and dabble in new projects. I really loved Pallas. I loved her loyalty, loved her group of friends, and I loved how she started to take chances. I felt terrible for her in regards to her relationship with her mother, but I love how she started feeling more confident in herself. A wonderful start to a surefire hit! 

Cover Thoughts: Perfect
Source: My Library
Library Recommendation: Grab this one for your romance section!

Review: Dash of Dragon

Lailu graduated as a master chef and finally found someone to back her restaurant. Little does she know that her master made a deal with the devil in order for funding. Now he's come calling and Lailu learns the truth.

If they don't pay  back the loan within a year, they will lose the restaurant and also their freedom. Lailu is not about to let this happen, she'll do anything in power to stop it - even if it means spying for the elves or fighting dragons.

With the help from a friend and one rival, she comes up with a plan to make her restaurant filled with people. She hates depending on her rival for help, but she can't do it without him. Is her pride worth the sacrifice for her future?

My Thoughts: I really loved this book. I loved the banter between Lailu and Greg (her rival). It added humor to the story. I enjoyed the moments between Lailu and her fashion loving friend. I loved the world and understanding the hierarchy. I loved the mystery and the spying (along with with the action and danger of course.) I enjoyed the cooking parts, even if they were dishes I would never eat! I loved Lailu coming up with plans. I really hope there's a sequel in the works! 

Cover Thoughts: Love it!
Source: My Library
If you like:

Library Recommendation: Grab this one for your public library and school library! 

Books and Treats (9)

A new blog idea inspired by Andi @ http://andiabcs.com/2014/08/01/pub-date-1/ with the Pub Date where a few bloggers share book and beer pair ups.  Andi states that the idea is the brain child of Brittany at The Book Addict’s Guide.

https://www.browneyedbaker.com/thick-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Lara Jean spends a lot of time trying to bake the perfect chocolate chip cookie. And it's no wonder that after reading the end of the trilogy that I'm craving chocolate chip cookies. I might have to whip up a batch, although they might not be as good as Lara Jean's....

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Food

This week's topic is books with food. I read a lot of books with food in them. Yum! Here's the list of books so far I've read with great descriptions of food. 

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish 

Review: The Gauntlet

They're celebrating Farah's birthday. Because of a move, she hasn't seen her two best friends in a while. They head upstairs to try to escape her younger brother. Her aunt left her a birthday present. When they unwrap it, they find the strangest game they've ever seen: The Gauntlet of Blood and Sand.

Before they realize what happened, her younger brother vanishes into the game. They go in after him, knowing they must beat the game or be trapped inside forever. 

My Thoughts: I really loved this book. I loved the Middle Eastern flair. I loved how the friends had to come together to save Farah's little brother. Of course I loved the description of food. And the board gaming. I loved reading about the puzzles and the challenges they had to solve. I enjoyed the characters (especially the giant lizards) in the game who wanted to help them and get out of the game itself. The world building was amazingly good; I loved the descriptions. The action and the danger pulled the story along making me not want to put the book down. 

Cover Thoughts: Really Great
Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A must have for both middle school and public libraries

Cozy Review: Grace to the Finish

 * Book 8 in the Manor House Mystery series *

Grace's concerned about her sister exiting jail and reentering society. Now that Grace has become Bennett's heir, she knows that Liza will do everything in her power to get her fair share of the money. Grace's happy to finally convince her Aunt Belinda to come help out with Liza's reentering. But Aunt Belinda has her own view on the sisters' relationship.

With all the family drama, Grace can't wait to move forward with her new business adventure. She's the new silent partner in her roommates' business. They have a new building. But during a walk through, they discover the bank manager at the bottom of the stairs - murdered. Could this halt their project for good?

My Thoughts: I'm sad to see this series end, but I loved hanging out with the characters once again. The solving of the murder was well done, the climax terrifying. I love that the murder brought up romantic drama in Grace's life. I love how Frances tried to manhandle her love life - that made me giggle. I enjoyed the family drama - especially how it ended. I'm happy where the characters left off; the series ended well. 

Cover Thoughts: Amazing
Source: Reviewed for Fresh Fiction

Library Recommendation: Grab this cozy series for your library!

Anthony Horowitz Book Tour

On Tuesday, I left work early to go to an author event - Anthony Horowitz. I've been reading his books for years and I was SO happy to meet him.

If you're not familiar with him, he's the author of the Alex Rider series. Which I adore. I'm a huge fan.

Here he is chatting.

Alex Rider first came out in 2000, now 17 years later the 11th book came out. But he swore he would stop at 10. So for the last five years, there hasn't been any new Alex Rider stories.

Then his publishers asked him to polish up some short stories for publication. And he fall back into the rhythm of Alex Rider's life. We left Alex in a dark place, hoping that he would get better as time passed. He started writing new stories about Alex and this one wouldn't let go. Thus we have book 11 (which is amazing - read my review here) and book 12 will be out next year (or so). 

He had a boring childhood, but he used to play spies with his sister in their neighborhood. They would sneak about the garden and spy on their neighbors.

Anthony Horowitz hated school, but he loved the library. It was the one place he felt happy. He read action adventure stories. He loved James Bond - first the films and then the books. He hated how old Roger Moore was in the last films, he wanted someone much younger and cooler. A light bulb went on, and Alex Rider was born.

He had written kids books about roughly 10 years with mild success. His wife advised him to give up writing, but he wanted to write one more: Alex Rider. 

The first book sold double of his previous books and then the series took off. And millions of readers enjoy Alex's adventures. 

There's a new TV series in the works, starting with book 2 coming from British TV. I'm quite looking forward to that. 

Besides Alex Rider, he's done quite a lot with British television. 

It was a really fun night and I'm so glad I finally got a chance to meet him!