Natalina Reis's Blog, page 9

The Promised Neverland 3- Review

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 3 by Kaiu Shirai
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another excellent installment in the series and what a few surprises. I was floored with a couple of them. Still love the mix of sweet illustrations with the darkness of the twisted plot. Brilliant! Starting volume 4 right away.

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Love on the Brain – Review

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ali Hazelwood is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. Yes, it is true–like other reviewers pointed out–that this story shares a lot of resemblances to The Love Hypothesis, but it also departs from it enough to stand on its own.
I loved the Marie Curie recurring theme, the bits of obscure science trivia, Bee’s inner dialogue, her friend/assistant Roccio, even the antagonist (which I wasn’t totally surprised by). The humor throughout the book made me smile. But I think what I liked the most is that Hazelwood manages to turn pretty graphic sex into real heartthrob romance, a rather endangered skill these days.
I didn’t give it five stars because I thought Bee’s reluctance to accept she was indeed in a relationship with Levi might have been believable in the beginning, but toward the end it just became an obvious plot device to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Minor annoyance really in the grand scheme of the whole lovely and hilarious story.
And, Ms. Hazelwood, please no more “big-everything” guys. Smaller guys are just as sexy as they are
Great job. Can’t wait to read her next book.

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Tiger Daughter-Book Review

Tiger Daughter by Rebecca Lim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reading this book was purely coincidental. I happened to be doing a signing at a super cute indy bookstore and this book was displayed right behind my chair. I had a lot of time in my hands so I started reading it just to see if it was good and the next thing I knew was I couldn’t put it down. I bought it, of course and just finished it yesterday.
It’s a quick but hard read in terms of thematic content. It reminded me of so many of my students who come from impoverished immigrant families and who often have to face a lot of discrimination or be stuck between their family’s cultural traditions and their new lives.
This book touches on more than just cultural and ethnic discrimination. It also touches heavily on misogyny, losing oneself, emotional abuse, suicide…
But on the upside, it also offers a bright side of hope, of believing in second chances and change.
Well done, Ms. Lim. Highly recommend it.

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Paralyzed by Fear

I’d like to say I have writer’s block, but I’ve had it before and this is NOT it. I wish it was since it would eventually pass on its own. But this is more of a paralysis caused by bitter frustration and fear and I can’t seem to be able to get rid of it.

I have been published for over seven years now and I am yet to create some traction. In fact, my writing career is more similar to a cheap pair of flip-flops, skittering around a wet surface than anything resembling a pair of sport shoes or hiking boots.

This has always bothered me, of course but I’ve never been a quitter so after the initial blues my new releases always seem to drag in, I shake myself off and set my intentions on the next book.

The next book is IT! The one that will put me in a reasonable number of readers’ radars.

Then the next one comes along and it falls flat again. I cry a little, then I shut my inner critic up and start again.

Except, I am finding it very hard to do that this time. I am not sure what changed. Maybe my antidepressant meds are not working as effectively as they were before. Maybe age is making me less resilient. But what I know for sure is that ever since my last release, one I put more work behind than ever before, I have been terrified of publishing anything.

The irony of the whole thing is that I have a book ready, one that I had so much fun writing and yet, here I am paralyzed by doubt and the fear that once again, my newest “baby” will not make it very far. It’s taking me forever to format it and even longer to set up a simple cover reveal day and even more importantly, a release day. I haven’t hired any tour companies or lined up any ARC reviewers. I stare at the calendar and all comes back blank.

I have also started a prequel for this book. I even hired a graphic artist to custom design a cover for it. I have a sequel planned (as much as this pantser plans for her books) and yet, I can barely write one hundred words without being assailed by fear and doubt.

I was at a book signing just last week, one I have been going to for years now. It’s always a well-organized event where I get to meet writers I have now known for years but who I only see once a year. My table looked beautiful. It really did. I went in with a writer friend and 23 other writers and participated in a bingo that forced those playing to come to our tables to get a signature. Many people did come and it was great to talk to them, but only two or three even gave my books a second glance. I’m not going to lie, I had to fight tears of frustration.

Me at my table- 2023

Why aren’t people even curious about my books? In comes doubt flooding in. I must be doing something wrong. Maybe I was never meant to be a writer. I probably suck big time. I just don’t have what it takes to be successful.

*Sigh*

Today I made myself look at the calendar half-way objectively and set myself some dates. I do now have a launch date, a cover reveal date, and I even contacted a tour company to see if I can get some reviews for my book around release day. But I am still moving at the speed of a slug and sweating bullets (you know what happens when you throw salt on slugs, right?) with each move.

Image from Canva

Have you ever felt this way? And if so, what did you do to “snap” out of it? I’m open to suggestions. And maybe a pat in the back, lol. *sigh*

Chain of Thorns – Review

Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cassandra Clare is back in force with The Last Hours. After a disappointing Dark Artifices, she more than made up for it with this series. I loved everything about it: the characters (Cordelia, James, OMG Matthew, Alastair and Thomas, Lucie and Jesse, Anna and Ari, and even Grace) both good and evil and those in between were well developed and awesome, the sarcastic bite and funny banter we got used to in Mortal Instruments is back, and the writing is fabulous as usual.
One of the things that didn’t work for me in The Dark Artifices series was the chaos of characters. There were so many and they were so obviously there to check an item in the diversity list that it just didn’t work for me. It just didn’t flow naturally. Things have changed with this series. Still a lot of characters and POVs as per Clare’s usual but very well managed and the diversity card is seamlessly and masterfully incorporated in the story, giving it a very natural flow.
Congrats Ms, Clare, you’ve done it again. Love it and highly recommend it for fantasy and romantasy lovers YA and adult.

P.S. – that bonus scene at the end was awesome.

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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.

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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

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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*

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