Abbie Lynn Smith's Blog, page 6

Book Review: Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

This has been a popular book for quite a while.

This will probably have spoilers, so you should click away if you don't want them.

Everyone knows the story of Achilles. But do they really

The only things I knew were that he was the greatest Greek warrior who ever lived and subsequently died because of a weak heel (Achilles heel).

I'd heard through the grapevine that it's a tragic story and all that, so I was expecting a full-blown romance. Admittedly, I'd never read anything by Miller before, so I couldn't be sure what I was getting myself into.

While I'm not saying I didn't like it, or you should read it, it definitely didn't feel like a romance. I wasn't very invested in the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus. I had hoped it would be more like Red, White and Royal Blue. Alas, it was not.

What it was, was a fun rendition of the Trojan war as told from Patroclus's perspective. Rife with Greek mythology and famous characters we all learned about growing up, I thought it was fun to see Odysseus and Agamemnon.

I wanted more. That's truly the only way to put it. It was definitely not a romance and it wasn't even historically accurate (I looked it up after, you should too if you're interested).

One aspect that I did like was the push and pull between Achilles's mother and Patroclus and how she was the one to release his soul to the afterlife in the end.

If you're looking for an easy read with lots of fun Greek lore, this is for you. If you're looking for a sizzling, heartbreaking romance, this is not it.

Abbie

Book Review: Pistol Daisy by Natalia Leigh

In doing genre research, a friend suggested Pistol Daisy as a potential comp title for Guns & Smoke, so you know I just had to go for it!

My biggest surprise was how short this story was. When I received my paperback, I was shocked that it wasn't a full length novel. I put off reading for a bit because of this, but I needed a bit of a lighter read, so I decided to jump in. I finished it in basically two sittings.

Pistol Daisy is a western novel. The main character, Daisy, experiences a great loss from the beginning. She survives with two things: her life and the name of the man who killed her family. Vowing for vengeance, Daisy finds herself in a ragtag band of Outlaws and comes across other pieces of the web woven in with her own story.

While I absolutely did enjoy this story, there really wasn't romance. There were hints of it, but only small glimpses and things that might have been.

The story ended on a hopeful note, but it didn't deliver on the initial goal: to take out the man who murdered her family.

All in all, I thought it was far too short, but I understand why. I feel like Leigh is angling for a large volume of books in this world, which I can't say I'm mad about. I look forward to the next novel and seeing if Daisy gets any closer to the revenge she seeks!

Abbie

Earth and Ember by Lindsey Pogue

This is the follow up to Dust and Shadow. I was stoked to get my hands on this one!

In Earth and Ember, we return to Sagebrush. The official story begins roughly two weeks after the ending of Dust and Shadow, and let me tell you, it's action from start to finish.

Readers are introduced to Kaia, what the residents of Sagebrush would call a drifter. She is a descendant of the remaining native americans in the area, poised to become their etsi, which is a leader amongst the unified tribes that first went to the mountains at the same time as the shift.

Whereas the residents in Sagebrush are losing access to water, those who live in the mountains have plenty of water, but not nearly enough food. There's been a war between the two peoples.

The story opens with a couple of flashbacks. One, to the death of Kaia's father. The second, is to the two drifters Jo saw in Dust and Shadow, and the men that killed them.

Since Jo and Clayton have taken over Sagebrush's leadership, they're determined to reach out to the drifters and sue for peace. So they send Luke, one of the men that killed the drifters in book one.

I adored Kaia's voice. To see someone coming into adulthood, having to face the expectations of everyone around them, and embracing them instead of shirking them off was a refreshing way to see a female main characters arc.

Pair her with the animosity between her people and those in Sagebrush, when she comes across Luke, she vows to hate him forever.... until she doesn't.

Earth and Ember expanded on the world Pogue built in Dust and Shadow. It was exciting, the romance was enticing, and I can't wait to check out the next one: Tide and Tempest!

Abbie

The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The From Blood and Ash series has taken the literary world by storm. I first came across this series on BookTok about a year ago, and, since then, JLA has published three additional books in the series, and the first in a prequel series.

At the end of The Crown of Gilded Bones, our favorite lovers, Casteel and Poppy, are separated by the woman who birthed Poppy!

I'm going to be honest, one gripe that I have about this series is how overcomplicated everything has gotten. I will keep reading it until the story is over, but I feel like I should point this out now before I go any further.

That being said, this was probably my favorite in the series so far. Not because of the heat or the romance, but because of the world. In this book, the characters are literally going to war. They're trying to take down the blood queen, while saving each others lives, and, oh yeah, the king is a prisoner, so we gotta save him too.

This book was different in that there wasn't a sex scene every other chapter, and let me say, sometimes, I get exhausted from the heat in these novels. It feels like the same thing over and over again, and while I read it because I enjoy the story and the characters, it was refreshing to have at least half the book where that wasn't a thing. So that when the characters did finally reunite, the steam was well earned.

One of my favorite parts of this book is seeing Poppy as she comes into her own as queen. She's devastated that Casteel has been taken, but there's more at stake than just the man she loves. Seeing her balance the need to save him alongside moving forward in the war and bonding with those around her was incredible. I especially loved seeing the growth in her friendship with Kieran.

Now. I must address the controversy. I'd heard from the time TWOTQ came out that there was some giant issue with the novel. I couldn't understand why. I had a feeling it had to do with the Joining (where Poppy would bind not only Casteel's life to hers, but Kierans).

First: the Joining has been foreshadowed for three books.

Second: If you didn't think it would happen, you obviously haven't been paying attention.

Third: there is absolutely nothing wrong with how JLA wrote it. The Joining itself was less detailed than your average sex scene in a JLA book.

I was shocked to see all of the controversy was because she did include the Joining. Angry readers attributed it to JLA wanting to "please her FB moms" in her FB group, but come on. She's been building to this point.

Quite frankly, if I didn't get the Joining in this one, I was going to be mad. Because we got TEASED by Sarah J Maas that there would be a threesome scene in ACOSF and it DIDN'T happen.

All that said, the Joining was incredibly tasteful. JLA didn't harp on which body parts go where but rather the emotional connection between the three of them. This isn't to say that they're a throuple or that Kieran and Poppy will ever even have anything aside from the Joining. I thought it was beautifully written.

Honestly, anyone who's mad about it surely hasn't been paying attention.

Being an author is hard, y'all. You won't please everyone.

Abbie

The Witches' Blade by A.K. Mulford

I read The High Mountain Court last year, and I was super excited when I found out the sequel was already releasing.

To be honest, though, I read so much that I couldn't exactly remember what all happened in the first book. It took a minute for me to get my bearings and to understand that this novel was from the perspective of Remy's younger sister, Ruadora, or Rua.

One thing I think Mulford did a good job of was reminding the readers what happened in the prior book. Sequels are hard, y'all. You have to figure out what is okay to include and when it becomes too info dumpy, but I found that she gave just enough information to set up the characters.

I read a good part of this while I was still finishing House of Sky and Breath, so I didn't read a ton of the beginning in one chunk. Once I was able to sit down and focus on the story, however, it really picked up.

I adore authors that can blend multiple races of magic into one. It's a challenge, of course, but Mulford managed to do it seamlessly. In Okrith, there are humans, but there are also witches and fae, and some that are crosses of any of those races.

The reader can tell how much of her heart was put into developing the world and the story. Whereas The High Mountain Court was about regaining the past, The Witches' Blade was about finding redemption after darkness. Rua's done some stuff she's not proud of. She was also raised in an emotionally repressive society, so she was never properly taught how to feel her emotions and process them. Conceal, don't feel, Elsa.

While I did enjoy the romance, I didn't feel terribly invested in it from the start. I thought there were a couple of missed opportunities by the author toward the middle of the novel, but by the end, I was totally on board. I wanted to fight beside Rua as they took down the bad guys that tortured and killed witches.

I think my favorite thing about this series is how much it relies on the found family trope. That one is near and dear to my heart. I truly believe that friends are the family you choose.

I would highly recommend this one if you're looking for a new romantasy series, but definitely start with The High Mountain Court.

Abbie

Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Yall. I am obsessed with this author. I'm only slightly ashamed of how much I love her writing. To the point that I placed an order at her local indie bookstore so I could get copies of all three of her currently published works.

I've previously reviewed the first two novels in this series: Written in the Stars and Hang the Moon.

Alexandria Bellefleur writes fun, flirty, contemporary queer romance. I knew based on prior readings that I'd love this novel. I've also been in a big second chance romance mood lately, so this was published at exactly the right time.

Margot, the best friend of Elle from Written in the Stars, suddenly finds herself without a roommate and the fifth wheel at every gathering. Her closest friends have all paired up. Annie and Brendan, the characters in Hang the Moon, are about to get married. When they meet with the wedding planner, Margot is equally horrified and delighted to learn that it's Olivia, her once flame and former best friend from high school.

When Olivia is forced out of her apartment, Margot offers up the spare room in her place, and shenanigans ensue.

I could never imagine what living with someone that I'm super attracted to, not to mention having a past with.

One thing I've learned that Bellefleur loves doing is placing her characters in incredibly embarrassing situations. In Hang the Moon, Annie had to pee when they were stuck on top of a ferris wheel. In Count Your Lucky Stars, Margot is on her way to the bathroom to have a little personal time with her favorite vibrating toy when they bump into each other and Olivia's cat bites the vibrator after its dropped on the floor.

I love authors that don't stray away from the cringe. It was such a hilarious moment.

I really, truly adore Bellefleur's writing, and I cannot wait until her next novel releases. If you're looking for heartwarming, funny, queer contemporary romance, definitely check out her work. I promise, you won't be disappointed!

Abbie

Jake's Redemption by Jamie Schulz

In doing genre research to find books similar to Guns & Smoke, I came across Jake's Redemption. While the main plot is very different from G&S, I was excited to find a romance story set in a similar western-inspired world. Of note, this was a prequel for a larger series, but it was just as long as a novel.

I was a little confused in the beginning of reading this one. While it's absolutely acceptable to thrust a reader directly into the action, this one was almost jolting with how face you were thrown into it.

Jake gets captured in this woman eats woman world after hiding. After the end of the world as we know it, gender roles have changed. Women, due to some genetic mutation?, are now the stronger sex. Men are captured and abused, used for their bodies for breeding and working.

Seems like a pretty good premise. This is the type of world that people think feminists want, which isn't true at all. Equality. Not dominion.

So, Jake is captured while his best friend manages to escape. The story snaps forward in time. How long, I'm not exactly sure. But Jake has been beaten and abused and used and he's basically in a black cell. Someone comes along to offer him a temporary reprieve from his cell, saying an agreement was made with another slave owner to give him an opportunity to do manual labor as a foreman on a new farm. Cool. The story really should have started here, in my opinion.

This one has a pretty standard romance between Jake and Monica, the slave owner. She handles things much differently than what he's used to. Schulz spends a lot of time showing how Jake has managed to heal and grow, even though there's a constant deadline looming over their heads for him to go back to his original owner.

There were a few things I didn't necessarily like.

While yes, the romance is the main plot point, we didn't get nearly enough world building. I wanted to know what triggered this dystopian world. What made women have this mutation? How and why was a fear serum developed to deploy on men? I had a lot of questions.

The author had a habit of jumping ahead by days and weeks, then immediately going back and giving you a play by play of what she jumped over, instead of actually just writing it in the moment. It was jarring.

This story was clearly meant to set up the Angel Eyes series, as it felt like Jake talked more about his friend that left him the beginning, Bret, than himself. I understand being excited about writing another story, but for me, its really important to explore current characters and plotlines instead of just building up the later ones.

By the time the characters got together and most of the plot resolved, there was still a bunch of the novel left. I was exhausted. So I just kind of skimmed the last handful of chapters.

I did enjoy getting to see another dystopian/western romance, but I'm not sure that I'll keep reading in the series. I didn't get invested enough in the main characters for the series to keep going.

Abbie

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

I didn't think SJM could shake me anymore. I thought I could predict even the most outlandish twists.

I. Was. Wrong.

[MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD SO WATCH OUT]

In all honesty, I wasn't too crazy about House of Earth and Blood, the first novel in the Crescent City universe.

I didn't really have too many feelings about Bryce, the main character. She was okay, but in all honesty, I don't always like SJM's main characters. I felt for her the same I feel for Aelin from the Throne of Glass series: I'm here, I'm reading, but really I just care about the side characters.

That rings true here as well. I only read the second novel for one character: Ruhn Danaan.

And y'all. That man. He could get it. All the time.

If there's one thing I love, it's a morally gray bad boy with a heart of gold. Ruhn is that AND MORE in this novel.

So the main plot has to do with locating a missing kid believed to have special thunderbird powers, which is all and good, while trying to avoid political interference from the higher ups who have questionable morals. There are a lot of side plots, involving multiple characters, including the younger brother of Bryce's initial love interest, who is, unsurprisingly, in love with Bryce (yuck, let's stop doing this. not everyone has to love the main character).

So the romance from the first novel, Bryce and Hunt, is still going strong, even though they never had sex in the first novel. There was a very, very hot moment on a couch, but still, no payoff. That may be part of my dislike for the original. Who knows? They've made some sort of pact that they won't get physical until months later. Which, lets be real, that never sticks.

So while plot shit is going on, Ruhn has been tasked with reaching out to an undercover agent of the rebellion forces. He doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know who he is. But, over a period of weeks and months, the two find themselves attracted to one another.

Let me just say, SJM did a wonderful job redirecting our attention. I spent three-quarters of the book thinking it was one character, and when she showed that it wasn't, I had a freak out. My poor friend Liz had to deal with my bazillion text messages as I was trying to figure it out.

So, it turns out. This person that Ruhn has fallen for, who he's also fucked in this weird mind-bridge-dreamscape thing---IS A VILLAIN.

Of course it is. Mwahahahaha that's my kind of twist.

Either way, more plot shit happens, and Bryce, Hunt, and Ruhn end up captured by the Asteri--basically the big bad guys. In the end, Ruhn finds out the woman he loves is bad, spurns her while also showing some male dominance bullshit. Hunt sacrifices himself. And Bryce then TELEPORTS OUT OF MIDGARD.

But... where does she end up?

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LAST SPOILER WARNING. I'M SERIOUS, EXIT NOW!

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PRYTHIANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!

From the moment she's approached in this new world... I knew it. I KNEW IT. The way she described the person who found her, I was like... it's a bat boy. It has to be a bat boy. And it was. She's taken to a fancy manor house, which is Feyre and Rhysand's home in Velaris.

The book literally ends on "My name is Rhysand."

I was literally messaging my friend holy shit about ten thousand times because I was so shook.

This ending wasn't totally a surprise. If you've read the Throne of Glass series, you'll know that SJM hinted at crossing realities between her worlds when Aelin "fell" at the end of the series. She saw Rhysand and a pregnant Feyre, and Rhysand helped her coast the rest of way on her fall.

So. What happens next? Truly. Who the hell knows at this point.

I've heard the next release is Crescent City 3, which I'm torn about. Cause I really want my Azriel novel.

Highly, highly recommend to anyone who loves SJM's writing and her worlds. Even if you don't like her main characters, there really is something in all of her novels for everyone. I can't wait.

Thanks,

Abbie

The Laws of Founding by Nicole McKeon

I've been wanting to read this one for a while! I met Nicole through a mutual friend a few months ago and had the honor of beta reading one of her current works in progress. The woman is an amazing drafter, so I was super excited to read what she'd published so far!

I was intrigued from the beginning. The main character, Allie, wakes up in a world that is not so different from her own, but it's definitely not the same. The first thing she notices is the decorations in the bathroom she shares with her roommate have been changed to a previously unapproved color. This little detail stuck out to me. The rest of the opening is full of little moments like this. Things that don't quite make sense.

Then a man Allie doesn't know shows up, and he tries to kiss her. She freaks out. They take her to the hospital.

All of this happens relatively quickly.

The next time Allie wakes up, she's in the hospital practically on lock down. One thing I felt was super effective was limiting the story to Allie's perspective, because the reader was just as confused as the main character, but not to the point where they'd want to put the story down.

A woman breaks her out of the hospital and this is when Allie learns that she's special. She's a Walker. There are many realms and worlds out there that regular people don't know about, but Allie and Walkers like her, they can sense the frequencies between worlds and can travel to and from them.

What follows is an adventure to find out who is trying to murder her.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. My main complaint was the length. It was much longer than I would have liked. This story fell more into the speculative fiction genre than romance, so that certainly didn't help.

If you want to support an incredible indie author, chec out The Laws of Founding by Nicole McKeon. It is currently on Kindle Unlimited!!

Thanks,

Abbie

Dust and Shadow by Lindsey Pogue

I have been on a bit of a crusade to find titles similar to Guns & Smoke. Well, dear readers, let me tell you: I have found it!

Thirst rules. Ignorance is power. Nothing is as it seems.

Centuries after the boom of the Industrial Revolution, sandstorms ravage the land, chivalry is dead, and the frills and frivolities of the Romantic Era are a distant memory.

Marshal Cunningham rules Sagebrush Canyon with lies and an iron fist. But after the horrors he wreaks on Jo’s family, she’ll do everything she can to expose the tyrant he truly is.

Just when Jo plans to make her move, the marshal plays a card of his own—his notoriously scandalous son, Clayton.As Jo and Clayton are forced together, painful truths are revealed, lines become blurred, and Jo must decide if she is willing to sacrifice her heart or Sagebrush for retribution.

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First off, I must say, Pogue is fantastic at descriptive writing without overkill. In each scene, I felt like I was physically there, because I could see the settings, smell the air, taste the dust. I literally stopped at one point so I could highlight a particularly visceral scene that I am studying to enhance my own work.

From the start, the reader is thrown into the action. The main character, Jo, experiences the tragic loss of her mother, but that isn't the ending: it's only the beginning. Flash forward several years. Jo and her father run the farm that feeds the majority of Sagebrush. Water is king.

I loved Jo's cynical voice. I loved that she abhorred having to follow societal norms. While she'd never judge anyone who did, I admire that she wanted to be true to herself and went out of her way for it.

I love a romantic interest with shades of gray and questionable morales. Clayton was just that.

While Jo searches for truth, she and Clayton get thrown together in an engagement that neither of them truly want.

Full of gunslinging, wild west references, and unexpected romance, Dust and Shadow was one of my favorite reads so far this year.

I have two complaints: 1. that we didn't get more of Clayton's perspective. We would get multiple Jo chapters, then one Clayton and repeat the cycle. 2. the sex was fade to black. As a romance writer, I need the payoff of sex on the page.

That's not to say it wasn't a fantastical, fun story. I already have the second book on my shelves, and I can't wait to read it!.

If you're interested in learning more, check out this link.

Also, as a bonus, Lindsey is going to be offering a giveaway for a FREE e-book copy of Guns & Smoke in her newsletter on 4/19. Sign up here if you're interested!

Thanks,

Abbie