Natalina Reis's Blog, page 9

The Promised Neverland 2 – Review

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 2 by Kaiu Shirai
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I didn’t think this story could surprise me any more. In fact I thought this was going in a very predictable direction. But then BOOM! Nope, it went in another completely different direction. I’m loving this dark/sweet manga and can’t wait to see what’s next.
Highly recommend it for anyone who likes their stories unexpected and a bit twisted.

View all my reviews

The Golden Girls – My Trip to Portugal

My little students often refer to their cousins as sisters and brothers. At first I thought it was weird but I now totally understand it. Sometimes your cousins feel more like siblings than anything else.

My cousin and I were born a little over a month apart. Our moms, who were best friends, were pregnant at the same time and our fathers were brothers. Until my sister was born, a year and a half later, she was the only sibling I had and we grew up together–the three of us–until we were ten years old. We pretty much wore the same clothes, had the same toys, lived literally across the street from each other (we could wave at each other from the window if we chose to), went often to the same school and even the same class, and spent most of our weekends and vacations together.

Then my aunt and uncle immigrated to Canada and at the age of ten we were separated by an ocean. I remember the day she left clearly, how I was torn inside and even as a child I realized that it’s easier to leave than to stay behind. Ahead there was a whole new and hopefully exciting life for her, for me it was going home and not being able to look across the street without wanting to cry.

Fast forward almost fifty years with sporadic visits in between (we visited them in Canada a few times, they came to Portugal a couple of times) and very little communication otherwise (the odd letter, a phone call here and there) imagine my surprise when she tells me she’s moving back to Portugal with my elderly uncle. I was beyond excited. Despite the time and the distance my feelings for my cousin had not changed. She was still my sister even if I knew little about her life for the past few decades and I couldn’t be more thrilled she’d be in Portugal when I visited my mom and sister.

Unfortunately, the pandemic hit right after they moved and even more tragically my uncle passed away before I could come visit. We began planning for a Golden Girls’ vacation. We would rent a place by the ocean and spend a few days there altogether. It became a running joke between us.

Two years ago as the pandemic started to fade away, I got to go visit but our plans for a Golden Girls’ vacay was not possible. Most vacation rentals were still under pandemic restrictions and a few days before our trip my mom was stricken with sudden deafness which caused her to not be able to even stand by herself, much less walk. It was a vacation of doctors’ visits and looking for solutions. But I did get to be with my cousin who now lived an hour and a half away from Lisbon. And for that I was very grateful.

It was not all doom and gloom. We got to visit a place I had always wanted to see and where one of my books was set. It was a lovely outing in Sintra, one of my happy places, and even though we were much older and heavier, it felt as if we were kids again, discovering the magic in this wonderful world of ours.

Last year, I finally got to rent a beautiful place with an amazing view of the ocean and thought we would get our Golden Girls moment. But alas, life has a tendency to surprise us and not always in the best way. We barely saw each other, but the few hours we did only reenforced my feelings toward her: she was still my heart sister.

This year I didn’t make any plans other than just hanging out with family and enjoying the good food and the sunshine. After a tough year at work, plus family issues, I was full of anxieties and needed to unwind. So when our Uber pulled up in front of my mom’s condo building and I hear, not one but two voices yelling out a greeting, I couldn’t believe it. There she was, my cousin/sister, waving at us from the window. It was the best surprise ever. I’m not sure I had the chance to tell her how happy it made me. I will always savor that moment as an amazing memory.

Later joined me and my sister at the Feira do Artesanato and that was another great day, walking around and shopping. Great memories that I will never forget.

I’m so fortunate to have not one amazing sister but two, and as I get older those ties become that much more important. It makes me happy to think that she will be there next year when I visit again and that despite all these years apart we’re still the three Golden Girls.

Next year it will be even better. Just wait!

My sister and my cousinThe Golden Girls (ignore my teeth)Me and my cousin

Welcome Home-My Trip to Portugal

Last month, as soon as school was out, I boarded a plane and flew home to Portugal. And yes, even though I haven’t lived there in over thirty years it is still home.

I started feeling “home” at the airport (Dulles in Washington DC) as soon as I saw the Portuguese flag flying over the gate and heard my native language being spoken around me. And as soon as the plane landed, my past came rushing in. You might not be aware but my dad worked for TAP-Air Portugal and I basically grew up in and out of planes (quite literally. Back then we were allowed on the tarmac and often even inside the planes while being worked on). I admit my heart has a special place for this airline (bad picture, I know).

It was a pretty smooth flight and the crew was kind and helpful even though they literally served us “breakfast” at the same time as dinner. Basically they handed us a box with a sandwich and a granola bar and said, “For breakfast”. Never seen anything like that, lol. But airline food being what it is, I packed it away and threw it in the trash as soon as I landed.

My first sight of Portugal was the opposite bank from Lisbon with its miles and miles of beach. A sight for sore eyes. And soon we were flying over the Tagus River, the Cristo Rei monument sticking out from the morning fog and all the red roofs from my birthplace emerging underneath us.

Passport check was easy and fast, the bags were already on the conveyer belt and a very nice airport worker helped me get a cart (which was free of charge) so I didn’t have to lag my heavy suitcases around.

The best part was leaving the arrival doors and seeing my sister. It never gets old. Ever!

We had an espresso (welcome home) and then got on an Uber to go home. That was the longest wait of the arrival because the airport is now too small for the traffic it gets and Uber cars have to go through the underground parking. Messy with bad WiFi reception, but we finally got out of there in the capable hands of our driver, Bruno (which is also the name of one of my nephews so I took that as a good sign).

Arriving at my mom’s neighborhood is always an emotional event. I lived in that condo from the age of 18 to the time I left to the US. So driving down the street is a trip down memory lane.

The best was yet to come though. At the window of the third floor not one but two lovely women awaited. My 84-year old mom and–totally unexpected and what a lovely surprise it was–my cousin. I was finally home!

Eating lunch at Assador, a great restaurant in my neighborhood. From the left, cousin, Mom, and sister.

Where is home for you? Do you have more than one? Because we lived in so many places I have several “homes” because after all home is where the heart is.

When a Man Loves an Alien – Book Tour

/

Chloe Archer has a new MM sci-fi romance book out, Tentacular Tales book 3: When a Man Lies an Alien. And there’s a giveaway.

A grumpy-sexy alien and his (mostly) human mate are just trying to get married for goodness sake! But the road to matrimony is riddled with obstacles that could prove deadly…

RIVER

Being engaged to my adorable alien boo is a dream come true. Too bad there’s a target painted on my back. Come on universe, quit messing with true love! For reals. Kai and I need to plan our wedding—which is going to be hella quirky and fun, because I say so.

Cue Shilgar the Deadly, who’s screwing up everything—what with trying to kill me and all. My life is becoming even more unbelievable than my fictional characters, Lord Vardox and Captain Starblade.

There’s no way I’m not walking down the aisle with Kai, so help me! I fully intend to ‘get me to the church’—I mean Vegas wedding chapel—on time. This fool of an assassin thinks he can mess with my dreams of wedded bliss? I don’t think so. He’s about to learn he’s met his match in River Sullivan!

KAI

My relationship with River is solid and wedding bells are in the air. Unfortunately, other parts of my life are…less stable. Between juggling a highly inconvenient Mating Fever that can strike at any time, and dealing with an investigator from Intergalactic Alliance Headquarters, I’m finding it hard to hold onto my usual equilibrium.

When Shilgar the Deadly finally shows up on Earth, gunning for River, the control I cling to is stretched razor thin. I’m desperate to do whatever I can to keep my mate safe—but I’m not sure if I can.

Yet things aren’t all that they seem. New secrets come to light and we’re all left reeling. Apparently, that famous Earthling playwright was correct when he wrote, “the course of true love never did run smooth….”

When a Man Loves an Alien (Tentacular Tales #3) is a (96k words) M/M sci-fi rom com and the third book in the series. It should be read in chronological order. This installment features an assassin who just won’t quit, little old ladies at slot machines who should NOT be messed with, a zipline action-hero moment, shocking secrets and revelations, a death-defying climax, and just maybe…a zany Vegas wedding? This book has an HFN ending and no cheating. Never fear—there is a guaranteed HEA by the end of the series!

Warnings: sex involving tentacles, some violence

Series Blurb

Tentacular Tales is an M/M sci-fi rom com series that follows the adventures of humans falling in love with aliens who are living incognito on Earth–in the wild and fabulous, Las Vegas. Of course that’s where aliens would be hiding right under our noses! Enter a world full of plenty of geeky humor, zany shenanigans, sexy aliens, and tentacles galore! Think Men in Black meets The Princess Bride–but hella gay! Note: This series should be read in chronological order.

Universal Buylink | Goodreads

Giveaway

Chloe is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card with this tour:

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47286/?

Excerpt

RIVER

“Step right up and get your Tentacular Tales merch! We’ve got T-shirts in all sizes, made to accommodate folks of various shapes and appendages.” My old neighbor—and incognito alien—Tom Jones holds up one of the aforementioned shirts. “For those die-hard fans of our favorite villain out there, we have our brand spanking—no pun intended—new Team Vardox FTW tees!”

There’s an enthusiastic murmur among the crowd. Tom drapes the shirt over his shoulder like a bar towel and plucks up another. “For the more daring among you, we have I got tentacled by Lord Vardox…and I liked it or Villain in the streets, Tentacled-Lover in the sheets.”

There’s some enthusiastic whistling at that one. He tosses it aside and grabs a different one. “And let’s not forget about our Starblade stans in the crowd.” There are answering whistles and cheers. “Of course we have Team Starblade FTW. We can’t let Team Vardox have all the fun! We also have I’m too sexy for this shirt, and so is Captain Starbladeor Tentacle Lover on the DL. Get your favorites before we run out!”

Aliens of all shapes and sizes begin surging forward, cash in hands and other appendages, as they surround the folding table where Tom is selling his wares.

I shake my head in awe, turning to my super-sexy alien boo, and now fiancé, Kai. “Did you know about this?”

He shakes his head. “Nope. Looks like Tom took a cue out of your book and went the route of T-shirt design.”

I glance down at the black cotton tee I’m wearing. On the front, in multicolored sequins, it reads Team ANAL,and on the back it says in shiny metallic gold font, Kicking butt from here to Uranus. My design is a work of art and classy as fuck—it also promotes team spirit, thank you very much. I’ve had quite a few orders from folks at work already. “Just so you know, I’m going to keep wearing this until it grows on you.” I beam. “I’ve got a different colored one for each day of the week!”

Kai rolls his eyes but favors me with a teasing smile. “Save me now.”

I give his arm a light and playful smack. “You know you love it.”

His mouth twitches and he arches an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t go that far, darling. But I’ll put up with it for you.”

I clutch my hands to my heart. “OMG, honeybuns. You’re getting to be sooo romantic! You just called me darling. It’s like we’re an old married couple already.”

Kai flushes adorably pink and sputters. I love getting a rise out of him at moments like this. He can be a bit too tightly wound, so I have to help him let go of his iron grip on duty, responsibility, and propriety.

I’m like Yoda, teaching him the ways of the Fun-Loving Force.

A microphone crackles to life and my new friend Nirblob addresses the crowd from atop the small impromptu stage against the wall at the far end of the bar. “Good evening, friends, and welcome to Vardox’s Cantina. Tonight, it is my supreme pleasure to usher in our very first Open Mic night!”

There’s an enthusiastic round of applause and some loud whistles.

Nirblob grins, which admittedly is a little freaky since he has no lips. I still haven’t quite gotten used to that. “This evening, we are most fortunate to have a very special guest. Here to kick things off with a sneak peek from the next chapter in the Tentacular Tales of Captain Starblade, please join me in welcoming the one, the only, River Sullivan, a.k.a. KirklovesSpock4eva!”

The crowd goes wild, which in a super-secret alien bar can be a bit surreal. After all, this bar is mainly for extraterrestrials who don’t pass easily in human society, or ones who do but want the opportunity to be their true selves in a safe space. Some folks here make even Nirblob look somewhat ordinary. It’s a bit like being a real-life version of the Mos Eisley Cantina in Star Wars—only less violent!

“Looks like you’re up,” Kai murmurs, giving my arm a squeeze.

I grin. “Give me a kiss for luck, boo.”

He sighs at the endearment, but his eyes darken as he leans down and takes my lips in a way that makes me want to ditch this event and go get our freak on.

When Kai pulls back, I’m tingly all over and more than a little hot and bothered. But I’m pleased to notice, as he adjusts himself discreetly, he isn’t exactly unaffected either.

“Knock ‘em dead.”

I give him a jaunty little salute. “Aye, aye, captain!”

He can’t keep the fondness from his eyes when he tries to glare at me, which turns my grin into that of a lovesick fool. And I basically am. I have no qualms about owning it.

I make my way over to the stage, offering variants of high fives along the way—to a tail here, a hand with eight fingers there, a furry paw every now and then. Two months ago, I never could have imagined this would be my life. A longtime Roswell alien conspiracy believer and total X-phile, I—by some remarkable twist of fate—actually foundaliens here on Earth, living incognito among humanity.

What are the odds?

Author Bio

Chloe Archer writes M/M sci-fi and paranormal rom coms with laugh out loud humor because she’s all about bringing the funny-sexy back. Oh, yeah!

She currently calls Minnesota home, but has lived abroad in places like Montreal, Edinburgh, and Tokyo. She’s hoping to relocate to Scotland permanently one day if the stars align.

Chloe is a fur mama to two adorable Yorkies, Jasper and Teddy, and she loves them in a crazy dog mama kind of way. When she isn’t busy writing, she enjoys visiting friends and family, traveling, reading, binge watching movies and TV shows, and practicing her karaoke skills. She does a mean cover of Pat Benatar and Cher, or so she’s been told.

Author Website: https://chloearcher.com

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071621497295

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/chloearcherwriter/

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chloearcher_author/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22694415.Chloe_Archer

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Chloe-Archer/author/B0BB1CCYM9

The Promised Neverland – Review

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 1 by Kaiu Shirai
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such a great surprise for me. It was recommended to me by a coworker who warned me it was a dark story. When I saw the cover I thought she was joking. But she was right. Delightfully dark and twisted, the contrast of the plot with the cuteness of the characters really works to give it an extra layer of creepiness. Just ordered a box set. Great series!

*I ordered the first one as an e-book which made it hard for me to read it as the print was pretty small for these old eyes and I had to constantly blow it up. Paperbacks for the rest of the series for me*

View all my reviews

The Love You Give Me – Review

Once in a while I break from my obsession over Chinese period dramas and fantasies and watch a contemporary romance. The Love You Give Me is such a “break” in my period diet.

This is a rom com and it’s absolutely adorable. I recommend it full-heartedly. The story is great, the acting fantastic, and the cast of characters fabulous.

In fact, you should watch it even if only for Min Quan Quan, the main couple’s five year-old son. This kid just made me smile throughout the whole 28 episodes. What a great little actor (the child actor is actually seven-years old) Cui Yi Xin is.

Cui Yi Xin (MyDramaList)

But the fun doesn’t stop with this little guy. The main couple, Min Hui and Xin Qi (played by Wang Wu Yen and Wang Zi Qi) have great chemistry and are a believable couple. The rest of the cast is just as much fun to watch.

The plot follows a single mom (Min Hui) and her struggles to make it in the medical AI business world and her son’s genetic heart disease. Add a father who has no clue he has a child and who falls head over heels in love with his son even before he knows who he really is, and you have all the ingredients for a heartwarming, funny, and romantic series.

Even though mostly a light romance, it touches on some serious issues such as women’s rights and sexual harassment in the work place among others.

If you’re up for a feel-good show, this is it! Loved it.

Image by WeTV

A First Look at Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

So I’m reading Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros as part of my “research” as to why people keep saying my books feel young-adultish even though the characters are all aged from the late 20s to middle 40s (except for the Jewel Chronicles). Also to figure out why I can’t break through even after twenty-one published books, lol.

You might (or not) know that Yarros’s book went so viral that even Amazon sold out of her physical books. I don’t think that’s happened since Harry Potter and that was before e-books.

Anyway, this book is listed as New Adult since the main character is 26 years old even though officially NA is college age and at 26 you’re officially a full-fledged adult.

I’m about 40% into the book and here’s what I think so far, with the following caveat: I couldn’t grab a physical copy so I got the audio book. I’m willing to accept that maybe the voice actress has something to do with how I feel. She’s great and very expressive but she sounds pretty young, like middle grade or low-YA young to me.

I’m loving the story so far. It has action, a lot of humor (which I love), it hints at romance but nothing too solid as yet, it has an outcast/underdog as the main character, dragons, no fear of being dark-ish. It’s definitely a page-turner and well-written. The characters are well-developed and the worldbuilding is great.

But there are a few things I don’t understand. I don’t understand the hype. It’s very good but I have read books that were as good or better without half the hype (like Laura Sebastian’s books). Did the publisher (Entangled) have something to do with it? Or did she just get lucky when some big Booktokers went bananas over the book (and OMG did they ever)?

I also don’t understand (I know I shouldn’t compare, but I am researching, remember?) why my books have been dubbed “young-adultish”, but when hers sound very young nobody seems to notice? I haven’t got to the alleged sexy-parts so maybe that’s why? If you have read any of the popular academy books, this one fits well within the sub-genre but with dragons (and I agree that’s a huge plus, lol).

It’s being hailed as “a fantasy like you’ve never read before” but really—and again, nothing against it because I’m loving it—it HAS been done before. It has a lot of the Hunger Games vibe but with dragons (have you noticed a pattern? LOL). After all everything has been done before, right? Authors just put their twist in old ideas, old stories. That’s where the originality comes to play. And yes, Yarros has game for sure.

And as fantasies go this one is very romance trope-heavy (nothing wrong with that. I personally love it). So far we can smell enemies to lovers, underdog to the win, forced proximity, love/comfort, found family and a few others.

I will definitely return here with a full review once I’m finished reading the book. I’m excited to see what happens and I do hope I get surprised (I do love a good plot surprise). So far Yarros has indeed surprised me once, but as for the rest of the story it has been rather predictable so far: young, small, plain bookish girl with a boatload of sass and guts who defies all odds by becoming the strongest warrior of all. Let’s see how the rest goes, shall we?

*If you read it, feel free to comment below but please no spoilers.*

Homecoming – Book Review

Homecoming by Kate Morton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had forgotten how much I enjoy reading Kate Morton’s books. Her expertise at weaving a mystery with family drama all in an architectural background that doubles as a character in its own right. Homecoming is not an exception. I couldn’t put the book down. I listened to the audio book (paperback ordered) every chance I had.
The thing about Morton’s mysteries is that they’re like onions; you peel one layer just to find out there’s another and another beneath. Nothing is predictable in her stories. Yes, I suspected who Polly was for at least half of the book but the story that went along with it just blew me away. Such an intricate web, masterfully unraveled one strand at the time by Ms. Morton.
And her love for old homes and the strange and almost magical pull they have as if buildings can absorb memories and replay them later came through loud and clear in Homecoming as well. As always a very atmospheric novel, heartbreaking and so very human. One that proves that you never really know the people around you and that history can be, and often is subjective.
Claire Foyle, the voice actress who read this fabulous story, did an amazing job at making the characters and the settings come alive. Give it a listen if you have a chance.
Highly recommend it. Now to search for that one Morton book in my library I never got around to read…

View all my reviews

Romancing a Change

Disclaimer: in this post I only address my fantasy romances, not my rom coms.

If you ever went through some sort of existential crisis, you’ll sympathize with what I am about to say. Specially if you’re a writer like me who does not know where she stands as an author anymore. If you didn’t, maybe this blog won’t make any sense to you, but I must write it anyway. As a writer I have always found that sometimes the mere act of writing things down helps alleviate stress and confusion.

Not that this is a new question in my mind, but it came back in force after the release of my latest book, Foxy Tails. Reviews for this book have been a true mixed bag, and if you follow me you will remember that I even wrote a blog recently about how confused I felt with some of those same reviews. Now that I had some time to think about it, I believe that the biggest problem with my book is that it’s been misunderstood. The other possibility is that my writing totally stinks, but I prefer to go with my first option.

The truth is that I have been having serious doubts about the wisdom of marketing my fantasy/paranormal books as romances. Romance lovers, don’t get all upset. I’m not putting the genre down at all, but hear me out.

To make some sense of it, I must go back to when I fell in love with a good love story. I have always been a bit of an eclectic reader, going through stages when I read all mystery or fantasy or what they called mainstream fiction. The one thing in common among all the different genres I have been reading since I was old enough to do so (maybe even a little younger) is that my favorite reads were always the ones that had some kind of love story within the plot. I think I have always been in love with the idea of love so when I started writing for publication I immediately turned to the romance arena. However, what I didn’t realize at the time was that what I call romance is not necessarily what others call it.

Let me explain.

For me, romance is all about the longing glances, the touch of the hand, the sexual tension between two characters, the things they are willing to do for each other, the developing friendship, the passionate kisses…

For most people today though, romance translates in great part (I’m totally generalizing) to sex. More specifically to in how many different ways the couple can have sex and make it as detailed as possible, please.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with that. Reading, like everything else in life is a personal choice catering to a personal taste. The problem is that that’s not how I like my romance.

I suspected I was on the wrong track when I found myself going back to finished manuscripts and inserting sex scenes (which I try really hard to make as romantic–my definition of romantic–as possible) just because I knew that readers would want them, not because I felt they were necessary for the plot. Furthermore I realized with some measure of surprise that I don’t read that much romance at all.

Many years ago I would read a lot of Harlequin romances (historical and contemporary) but in recent years I read mostly other genres with romance sub-plots. I also was shocked with myself when I quickly tired of watching the ever-popular Bridgerton TV series despite the hot male lead and the interesting take on the historical setting. But I am yet to tire of Grantchester or Miss Scarlet & the Duke which both feature strong romantic sub-plots but are not marketed as romances.

I’m also a huge fan of Chinese period fantasies/romances where sex is non-existent and even simple kissing is normally just a touch of the lips. But man! are they romantic. Even my toes tingle when the main couple kiss for the first time…

I love a good sex scene when the couple reaches a new level of intimacy, but I don’t need all the details. I like allowing my imagination to run wild while I read. And I don’t want to read chapters-worth of very detailed sex scenes described sometimes in crass language that I will always associate with not-so-romantic things (see my blog about this here).

So, my question is: am I doing the right thing by marketing all of my books as romances first and then either fantasy or paranormal? Am I really doing my books and my readers a disservice by “promising” something I won’t deliver? Or should I change things around?

I would love to hear your take on this.

Warm in a Cold Night -Review

It’s been a while since I have watched something that is has I enjoy in a good show. Warm in a Cold Night is one of them. It has drama, mystery, romance, fantasy, and lots of humor.

This Chinese mystery period fantasy series features Li Yi Tong as Jiu’er, a young female detective, Bi Wen Ju as Han Zheng a handsome lone wolf-shifter, Chen He Yi as Prince Wen Jun, and He Rui Xian as Chi Lan a kick-ass female who grew up with Han Zheng.

In some ways this show reminded me so much of what I liked best about Buffy the Vampire Slayer: the Scooby gang that stuck together through thick and thin despite their many different personalities and backgrounds. The chemistry between these four young actors was so good, it was easy to believe they were real friends. The mysteries they solved were fun and weird enough to grab your undivided attention and I found myself binging on episode after episode.

The romance between the two main characters was believable and adorable, and their stories heartwarming.

Even the minor characters were absolutely delightful, from Han Zheng’s personal guard played by Hu Cheng Yi to Jiu’re’s mother, Deng Ying and Wen Jun’s guard, Li Shi Peng. They were all played to perfection.

And interestingly enough, despite being a not-so-serious show, it dealt with a very relevant theme for today’s world: tolerance, equity, and understanding between races.

I highly recommend it. It has one of the best–and most appropriate–endings I have seen in a long time.

Warm in a Cold Night- Photo by IQIYI TV