Rennie St. James's Blog: Ramblings, page 2

2023 Books 1: City of Wishes

It was a deliberate choice to start another year of Book Chat with a fun Cinderella re-telling. I needed something fun and light…but before we chat, let’s cover the basics!

City of Wishes 1: The Memory Thief by Rachel Morgan
Published: April 20, 2019
Book 1 of 6: completed SERIALIZED series
Ratings: Amazon 4.4 avg, 462 ratings; GR 4.02 avg, 1,411 ratings
Cinderella re-telling; FMC and MC points of view

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Cinderella retold: Fae, vampires, shifters, and a Godmother who’ll grant you ...

2023 Books & Cats Chat

I’m so excited for another year of books and chats! If you’re new to my blog, this is my 3rd year sharing a monthly fantasy book review which always includes a picture of the read with one of my cats. Yes, I’m both a crazy cat lady and a crazy book lady…and I’m happy about that!

Without further ado, I want to share the:

2023 Book Chat List  [individual post links will be added]
Jan      Rachel Morgan, City of Wishes 1
Feb    Lindsay Buroker, The Emperor’s Edge
Mar    Isla Frost, Dragons are ...

2022 Book Chat 12: Greywalker

Yes, it’s already 2023 but I’m determined to finish this 2022 blog series before moving into 2023. We are ending it on a high note though! 

Greywalker by Kat Richardson 
Book 1 of 9 in the Greywalker series
Published: March 30, 2009 
Amazon ratings: 360 ratings; 4.4 avg
Goodreads ratings: 13,629 ratings; avg 3.5
First person POV/ magical world reveal

Harper Blaine was your average small-time P.I. until a two-bit perp’s savage assault left her dead for two minutes. When she comes to in ...

2022 Book Chat 11: Succubus Blues

Sometimes, you just want to cheer for a character who is less than angelic…a succubus seems like a fun option! We’ll cover the usual book basics first, of course.

Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead
Book 1 of 6 in the Georgina Kincaid
Published: April 29, 2010 
Amazon ratings: 956 ratings; 4.4 avg
Goodreads ratings: 55,747; 3.94 avg

In this fun urban fantasy, a lovelorn succubus keeps the peace in Seattle’s demon underground when she’s not working at a local bookstore.

When it comes to ...

2022 Book Chat 10: Moon Tortured

October seems like a great month to read a fantasy with were-animals and vampires and McKenzie Hunter’s Moon Tortured has both! Let’s start with the usual book basics before diving into readers’ reviews and my thoughts.

Moon Tortured by McKenzie Hunter
Book 1 of 7 in the completed Sky Brooks series
Published: May 11, 2014
Amazon ratings: 2,022; 4.2 avg
Goodreads ratings: 5,957; 3.73 avg
1st person POV; female lead

Nothing is ever what it seems—including me. The Midwest Pack has three...

2022 Book Chat 9 – Rivers of London

One of the things I love about reading is that I get to travel to so many new places! I was able to have a brief 1 week visit to London a few years ago, so it was great to include a book set in the city in this year’s blog schedule. This is another one you’ll see recommended often so let’s get to the basics so we can chat!

Midnight Riot/ Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Book 1 of 9 (Rivers of London)
Published: Feb 11, 2011
Amazon: 7,795 ratings; avg 4.3
Goodreads: 116,053 ratings; avg 3.8...

2022 Book Chat 8 – Slave to Sensation

I’m not gonna lie – I ended up binge reading this in a single weekend! It definitely gave me vibes from the romances I read years ago so that nostalgic feel might had heightened my appreciation. However, this is another one that is frequently recommended so I’m not alone in my enjoyment. Let’s start with the basic details below.

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
Psy-Changeling series: book 1 of 15
Published: March 31, 2009
Amazon: 1,622 ratings; 4.5 avg
Goodreads: 70,379 ratings; 4.0...

2022 Book Chat 7 – Skinwalker

As I didn’t find urban fantasy until recent years, I’ve missed a lot of the ‘classics’. Almost every favorites list of UF characters includes Kate Daniels (Ilona Andrews), Mercy Thompson (Patricia Briggs), Rachel Morgan (Kim Harrison), and Jane Yellowrock (Faith Hunter). I’ve read the first three and did Book Chat reviews so it’s only fair I give Jane a try! We’ll start with the usual book basics then jump into negative reader reviews.

Skinwalker by Faith Hunter
Jane Yellowrock Book 1 of...

Bad Readers Unite

Until I became an author and joined various reading groups, I was definitely a lone bookworm. I shared some books with a few family and friends but basically kept my reading to myself. In all fairness, I’m a bit of a loner in most areas of my life, but I digress.

Authors are told to know who our readers are to know how/ where to reach them. As a struggling writer, I’ll admit I haven’t worked that out yet. However, I have made great progress on knowing what type of reader I am.

I am a ba...

2022 Book Chat 6 – Dead Witch Walking

The Hollows series by Kim Harrison is another perennial favorite often mentioned in readers’ group. It’s certainly well past time for me to dive into this one, don’t you think?? Let’s start with the usual book basics then see which negative reader reviews say (there are always some of those) and start our chat!

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
The Hollows Book 1 of 16
Published October 13, 2009
Amazon: 2,682 ratings, 4.5 avg
Goodreads: 121,998 ratings, 4.03 avg
1st person POV

All...