Random Book Musings
Welcome to my humble book review blog. My reading tastes are eclectic, spanning various genres including but not limited to: fantasy, romance, young adult titles, erotic adult titles, and most anything with vampires that isn't horror. Some reviews may contain spoilers, but they will carry a warning if so. Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All Amazon links are affiliate links and can earn me a small commission if you use them.
Friday, September 21, 2018
Covering the Lies by Sofia Grey
Adele is looking for a fresh start. A change of scenery sounds like the perfect solution, in this case a transfer overseas to the London office.
An embezzlement scandal coming from the upper ranks of her employer’s company isn’t what she had in mind. Especially when the Chief Financial Officer is found dead on the train tracks.
One of her oldest friends is accused of the fraud. The guy she’s falling for is being investigated for the murder. And someone is working overtime to make sure Adele doesn’t uncover the real story.
Everyone is keeping secrets. Can Adele pick her way through the web of lies to find the truth before she becomes the next victim?
PLEASE NOTE, this book contains sensitive material such as the aftermath of sexual assault (off the page). Reader discretion is advised.
Where to Buy
This book could be alternately titled Issues: We've Got Them because oh man are these people messed up. They weave such twisted, tangled webs with their interwoven relationships that they themselves get lost as often as not. It's part of what makes this book so compelling though, because you don't want to look away from the train wreck of their lives. At the same time as you're boggling at how they could make such an utter hash of things though, you're also rooting for them and hoping they'll all pull through and everyone will find their happily ever after because the author does such a great job of making you care about them and what happens to them.
You can easily read this book without having read the first book and still understand everything just fine though I'd highly recommend you read the first book as well since it is equally good. As are all of the related books. Just read them all, you won't be sorry.
Saturday, September 2, 2017
Isabella's Airman by Sofia Grey
Time travel student Isabella Gillman is about to embark on her most challenging assignment--leaping back to 1941 to observe World War II. The rules are simple: don’t get emotionally involved, and don’t interfere.
She breaks the first rule when she falls in love with rear-gunner Davy Porteous. The second is on its way out as well when she realizes history says he won’t survive the war. Torn between the fundamental laws of her society and the man she loves, Isabella faces a harsh reality: does she risk both their lives for a future that may not happen?
She can’t predict the results if she corrupts the timelines, but without her actions, Davy is out of time.
Where to Buy
One of the many things I have come to admire about Sofia Grey's work is that nothing is ever formulaic. Even within the same series she mixes things up and throws in unexpected twists so that you never quite know what to expect. Even when you have a fairly good notion of how the story will turn out in the end it is rarely possible to predict how it will get there. This story does not disappoint on those scores, for even though the blurb tells us that Isabella isn't going to be the mild, meek, obedient, and conformist girl that she initially appears to be in the book, it's still a bit surprising to see just how she evolves. Nutshell review: A wonderful read that will take you through a gamut of emotions. Your heart will be warmed, it will be broken, but in the end I think it will rejoice at the clever ways in which the cast of characters works around the obstacles placed in their path.
Monday, June 26, 2017
Lila's Wolf (Revised) by Sofia Grey
When Lila Cammell is abandoned by her time-jump partner, leaving her alone in Britain in the Dark Ages, revenge is the only thing on her mind. She’d trusted Jared Grohl with her life and her heart, and bringing him to justice will be sweet.
Finding him captured and enslaved by the Saxons changes all her assumptions. Now it’s a fight for survival, but the only way to save him, might be to leave him behind.
Where to Buy
I reviewed this title a few months ago, but the author has just released a revised version and I agreed to have another look at it. You can read my previous review here. Overall nothing much has changed with my review because I honestly didn't notice anything major that has changed with the book. The plot is still the same, the characters are largely still the same, though we might get a slight bit more on some of them. I think mostly it's been tightened up so that some superfluous stuff has been taken out and the whole thing flows just a bit smoother than it did. I also didn't notice any of the seeming anachronisms I commented on before, but that could be because I sort of expected them so didn't notice or pay so much attention to them. I don't really know what exactly was changed in this version to comment on things more precisely. I can say that I think this new version is improved a bit and is a smoother read, so I definitely still recommend it and the series as a whole as well.
You may wish to read Marc's Conflict first if you want some background on Marc that helps explain some of his actions here, but it isn't necessary. This one is fully understandable on its own.
Note: I received a free ARC of the revised version in exchange for an honest review. I purchased the older version that my main review was written about.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Marc's Conflict by Sofia Grey
Marc has been accepted as a ghardian, one of the elite soldiers who protect the timelines of the future. He's eager to prove himself and experience combat on his first training op to Ancient Europe: joining the conflict and fighting alongside the Gauls against the Roman invaders.
A true ghardian puts his emotions aside, and functions purely on logic, but that lesson is easy to forget in the heat of battle, especially when Marc's closest friend is in danger.
Where to Buy
This novella serves as a prequel to the rest of the series. It tells the story of how Marc became a ghardian, shows us his first major test in the line of duty, and establishes the beginnings of his relationship with Lila to help set the stage for the next book. In the process he comes to see that, unlike what he's always been taught, emotions aren't always a bad thing and that sometimes rules are meant to be broken.
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Two Nights in Houston by Sofia Grey
Rock God Alex is in love with Sylvie, the bass guitarist in his band. Alex longs to tell her how he feels, but with the change and tragedy that have shaken her world, it never feels like the right time.
Event Horizon's two-night layover in Houston could either be the perfect opportunity, or the mistake that pushes her away.
Where to Buy
This book was fairly short and my review of it will be as well. For the most part, I think the 5 star rating I gave it speaks for itself here, though perhaps a bit more detail is in order. In short, I loved it. In long, I loved it and it was a completely satisfying read in the way that Lying in Shadows wasn't quite. It stayed focused on the two main characters, and while it didn't rush anything with finally getting Alex and Sylvie together, it also didn't drag things out for a needlessly long time or throw in a lot of unnecessary obstacles either. Two thumbs up and 5 bright stars to a wonderful, quick little read.
Warning: Some spoilers beyond the break
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Lying in Shadows by Sofia Grey
Marianne needs to find who's leaking secrets from her company, before they lose another major contract. What she doesn't need is an affair with her married boss. Even worse, to fall in love with him.
She discovers the security leak is more than a case of commercial espionage: someone is lying in the shadows, playing games with them. Now more than her heart and career are at stake--her life is on the line.
Where to Buy
Note: I received a free review copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I've made little secret in the past about how much I love Sofia Grey's Talisman series as well as the stand-alones that are set in the same world and involve some of the same characters. Thus I was fairly confident going into this one that I was going to love it just as much as I have all the others. We've met most of the main players here in previous books (and if you've read them you kind of have a few spoilers for some of what happens here), but there are a few new faces as well. Their stories here are engaging, and the writing is certainly up to Ms. Grey's usual standards, but something wasn't fully there for me with it as a whole. Perhaps I simply was deliberately staying disengaged from some of the characters because I knew from previous books generally how their story would play out, even if I didn't know the specifics. Or perhaps having to read it in bits and pieces over the course of several weeks as I have to read most things these days is to blame. Whatever the case, though it is definitely a solid 4 stars for me, perhaps pushing close to 4.5 stars even, there were a few things that were a bit off-putting for me.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Lila's Wolf by Sofia Grey
When Lila Cammell is abandoned by her time-jump partner, leaving her alone in Britain in the Dark Ages, revenge is the only thing on her mind. She’d trusted Jared Grohl with her life and her heart, and bringing him to justice will be sweet.
Finding him captured and enslaved by the Saxons changes all her assumptions. Now it’s a fight for survival, but the only way to save him, might be to leave him behind.
Where to Buy
This book was quite different from some of Sofia Grey's other books I've read. It's less about atmosphere and mystery and more about action and raw emotions. Instead of being a book you want to curl up with on a rainy, gloomy day, it's more edge of the seat, nail biting suspense that keeps you turning the pages anxious to find out what comes next or how they'll get out of the scrape they're in. This isn't a bad thing, as it gives a different reading experience and shows off the range of the author's skill in handling different settings and different types of stories.
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