Book Beginnings, First Line Friday, & Friday 56: Darkfell by Amanda Wright

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading. I'm also linking up with Carrie at Reading is My Superpower for First Line Friday. Friday 56 asks you to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and share a non-spoilery sentence or two. It was started by Freda at Freda's Voice, but Anne over at My Head is Full of Books has taken over for the time being.

This week I'm featuring Darkfell by Amanda Wright. This is a fun epic fantasy! 

About the Book

His is a life of books and peace...
Until a dying warrior’s touch ignites an ancient magic within his blood.

For years, Thom Darkfell has used his cartography skills to advise Lomair’s king of the country's shifting borders. A valued academic, Thom is excluded from the military drafts until whispers of dark abominations and mass casualties reach the king’s ears. The resulting conscription thrusts Thom into Lomair’s losing army. A realist, Thom ignores the wild myths circling through the ranks—until a monster’s jaws snap through the folds of reality and crush a man before Thom’s eyes. With his dying breath, the Realm Walker passes an impossible task to Thom.

Hours later, the visions begin. The Creator, a deity Thom knows only from rituals spoken over meals and graves, appears to him while a girl with starlight in her blood calls from beyond the veil.

Armed with a cryptic map, a biscuit-loving tutor, and the brawn of his best friend, Thom sets out to find the star daughter and lock the barrier to bind the dark realm of Zakar.

If he fails, it will be the end of all.

Book Beginnings / First Line Friday

Titus, immortal master of the realm of Zakar, stood in the center of his courtyard. 

Friday 56

They stepped out of the forest onto a small beach, and Thom shook his head in wonder. The lake was narrow, but it glimmered like a diamond between the forest walls. The snow-capped mountain at its end cast a perfect reflection across the icy blue water.

What have you been reading lately?

Can't Wait Wednesday: Beneath False Stars (Project Integration Book 1) by S.D. Grimm

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights and discusses the books we're excited about that we've yet to read. Generally, they're books that are yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm featuring Beneath False Stars (Project Integration Book 1) by S.D. Grimm releasing September 9. 

About the Book

What they don’t see will hurt them.

The day to open the centuries-old Dome gates and reintegrate genetically engineered people back into normal society has arrived. There's one caveat—their powers must remain suppressed.

Amidst this Project Integration Initiative, hacker Ryleigh Stevens has her whole life planned out. The plan? Prevent a second Universal Tech War in two simple steps. First, help Project Integration Phase One succeed—but not for the reason she pretends. Next, infiltrate the rebellion and sabotage Phase Two—the part that would grant people unbridled access to their superhuman abilities.

Too bad the one person who can make her plan reality is her sworn enemy. He’s dangerous. He’s Powered. And he’s the reason her brother is dead. Faced with an impossible choice, Ryleigh must decide how to do what’s right for the good of all humanity, even if it means sacrificing everything she holds dear—again.

What upcoming release are you eagerly awaiting?

Review: The Crier Stone (The Chaos Grid Book 2) by Lyndsey Lewellen

About the Book

Brave the Plex. Unleash the stone. Embrace your destiny.

Freshly freed from an earth-dwelling monster, Juniper Conway is stuck with a promise she never intended to make. But if rescuing Plex City from a deadly nano drug is what she vowed, it’s what she’ll do.

Miles of wasteland stretch between Juniper and the domed city. In the Texas Outer Grid, following a tribe of whalers seems to be her best bet at surviving the chaotic storms. But when the nomadic tribes prove just as dangerous as the Grid itself, Juniper realizes her streak of bad luck is far from over.

Only her shipping crew friends can help her through the waste and into the Plex. When the crier stone guiding her mission only shows her fragmented steps, Juniper will need more than the stone around her neck and a halfhearted promise to make it out alive.

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Enclave Publishing Store / Goodreads / Author Website

MY THOUGHTS

What an epic sequel to The Chaos Grid! This high-stakes story exceeded all my expectations! I was hooked from the very first sentence and flew through the pages. The lightning-fast pace had me catching my breath as I tried to keep up!

The worldbuilding in this series is fantastic! As a lifelong Texas native, it’s been really interesting to see this possible future! Slightly terrifying too, lol!

I loved how, despite all the dangerous and crazy things Juna encountered, she still trusted God and His plans. She might not have understood why He was calling her to do it, but she knew there was a purpose to it all. I absolutely loved seeing that kind of strong faith!

This is one of the most imaginative dystopias that I’ve read. If you’re a fan of this genre, pick up a copy of this series! You won’t be disappointed. Be sure to start with book one.

I received a copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

FIVE STARS

Review: Burning Secrets (Chasing Fire: Alaska Book 4) by Susan May Warren

About the Book

RESCUE. DANGER. DEVOTION.
THIS TIME, THEIR HEARTS ARE ON THE LINE.

Wrong place, wrong time…

Wildlife biologist JoJo Butcher isn’t just a smokejumper for the Midnight Sun crew—she’s also in Alaska to finish up her wolf research…until, oops, she finds herself face-to-face with a wolf with nowhere to go…
And then she’s rescued by a hero from the woods. Who exactly is he, and what secrets is he hiding?

He's living a double life...

Undercover FBI informant Michael Crew Sterling hates his life. Buried deep inside a domestic terrorist group, he’s in over his head, trying to discover their lethal plans. And then he saves the life of JoJo Butcher, and suddenly she is sunshine to his dark soul…

Until she accidentally walks into nightmare.

Now Crew must keep her alive by proving that she’s his girlfriend. And she has to play along, or they’ll both be killed. And when they discover what the group is really doing, Crew will have to make a choice that could cost him everything he’s sacrificed to save the woman he’s falling for.

Book four in the epic Chasing Fire: Alaska series is an edge-of-your seat tale of danger, loyalty, and the power of hope in the darkest night.

Amazon/ Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

This high-stakes romantic suspense kept me glued to the pages and reading as fast as I could. This series just keeps getting better! This is my favorite yet. (Do I say that every time? Maybe, lol!)

JoJo is a smokejumper and also studying to become a wildlife biologist. She’s been studying a wolfpack in the area and finds herself in a terrifying situation while checking up on them. Crew, who’s been undercover in the militia that’s been terrorizing the area, saves her. What follows is a gripping tale of rising danger and sweet romance.

JoJo and Crew had amazing chemistry right from the start, and I was rooting for their fake relationship to turn into the real deal. They were so great together. I loved that they both had a very strong faith. It was inspiring to see them lean on the Lord throughout some seriously dire situations.

I appreciated getting more information on the militia. I’m very eager for the next book to see what happens next! If you’re a fan of exciting and fast-paced romantic suspense, I highly recommend this series. Start with book one, and you’ll be hooked!

I received a copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

4.5 STARS

Book Beginnings, First Line Friday, & Friday 56: Burning Secrets (Chasing Fire: Alaska Book 4) by Susan May Warren

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading. I'm also linking up with Carrie at Reading is My Superpower for First Line Friday. Friday 56 asks you to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and share a non-spoilery sentence or two. It was started by Freda at Freda's Voice, but Anne over at My Head is Full of Books has taken over for the time being.

This week I'm featuring Burning Secrets (Chasing Fire: Alaska Book 4) by Susan May Warren. This series just keeps getting better and better! 

About the Book

RESCUE. DANGER. DEVOTION.
THIS TIME, THEIR HEARTS ARE ON THE LINE.

Wrong place, wrong time…

Wildlife biologist JoJo Butcher isn’t just a smokejumper for the Midnight Sun crew—she’s also in Alaska to finish up her wolf research…until, oops, she finds herself face-to-face with a wolf with nowhere to go…
And then she’s rescued by a hero from the woods. Who exactly is he, and what secrets is he hiding?

He's living a double life...

Undercover FBI informant Michael Crew Sterling hates his life. Buried deep inside a domestic terrorist group, he’s in over his head, trying to discover their lethal plans. And then he saves the life of JoJo Butcher, and suddenly she is sunshine to his dark soul…

Until she accidentally walks into nightmare.

Now Crew must keep her alive by proving that she’s his girlfriend. And she has to play along, or they’ll both be killed. And when they discover what the group is really doing, Crew will have to make a choice that could cost him everything he’s sacrificed to save the woman he’s falling for.

Book four in the epic Chasing Fire: Alaska series is an edge-of-your seat tale of danger, loyalty, and the power of hope in the darkest night.

Book Beginnings / First Line Friday

Normal people, on their day off, might go into town, grab a pizza, a chocolate shake, maybe hang out with the other smokejumpers.

But apparently, she wasn't normal.

Friday 56

Rio's words played in JoJo's brain, thumping as the campfire sparked into the hazy dim-lit night. She sat on a half-hewn log facing the campfire, wrung out but wanting to linger.

What have you been reading lately?

Can't Wait Wednesday: If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights and discusses the books we're excited about that we've yet to read. Generally, they're books that are yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm featuring If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair releasing August 5.

About the Book
In this enemies-to-lovers romance, school nurse Josie and her brother's best friend--hockey player Wyatt Jacobs--are tricked into spending a summer together that's anything but smooth sailing.

When Josie's brother sends her to a random address for their (sometimes) annual Super Summer Sibling Extravaganza, she finds neither siblings nor extravaganzas. Instead, ends up at a run-down cottage on the Northern Neck of Virginia occupied by a hockey player she knows and loathes.

A hockey player who isn't just one of her sports agent brother's clients. He's also his best friend. And Josie's sworn enemy.

Oh--and her brother wants Josie to help Wyatt recover from his injury.

Dragging grumpy hockey players to physical therapy is a far cry from bandaging skinned knees, but for the price her brother offers to pay, Josie is willing to try.

Even if it means sharing what she dubs the quaint little murder cottage with Wyatt.

Begrudgingly, Josie starts to see a little more of the man behind the grumpy exterior. And when she finds out he was supposed to sail the Intracoastal Waterway south to Savannah scattering his uncle's ashes, Josie surprises even herself by offering to be Wyatt's first mate.

Smooth sailing is nowhere to be found, and Josie begins to wonder if they'll be able to make it home without killing--or kissing?--each other.

And yet, the longer they share cramped quarters and canned food, the more of Wyatt's layers she peels back until Josie realizes she misunderstood him, their shared history, and perhaps herself as well.

What upcoming release are you eagerly awaiting?

Review: Fire Mountain (Elements of Danger Book 1) by Dana Mentink

About the Book

Fire rains from above as they fight to discover the truth and stay alive.

In the shadow of a threatening volcano, long-haul trucker Kit Garrido wakes up in her crashed big rig, unable to recall what happened or why she's suddenly in possession of someone's baby. Fiercely independent, she has to admit that perhaps this time she could use a little help.

As the threat of eruption grows, former cop Cullen Landry refuses to leave his cabin in the evacuation area, which is why he's the only one left who can help Kit escape the crumpled cab of her truck. He doesn't want to get tangled up in the mystery of the beautiful woman with an abandoned infant, but when he sees the bullet hole in the windshield and the bloody handprint on the interior, he realizes that he's in this thing, like it or not.

When two armed men with ill intent approach, the race is on to stay alive, discover the truth, and find the baby's missing mother--all while a deadly mountain rains fire from above.

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Baker Book House / Author Website / Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

Y’all! This book was so good! It completely grabbed my attention and still hasn’t let go. Fast-paced, action-packed, and with danger coming from all sides, this book is the very definition of unputdownable. I couldn’t read fast enough. It’s my favorite Dana Mentink book yet!

Kit has no memory of how she crashed her big rig or why there’s a baby in the backseat, but with a volcano ready to erupt and the mysterious bullet holes in her truck, danger is quickly approaching, and she knows she has to act now. With the help of former cop Cullen, it’s a race against time as they try to reach safety before disaster strikes.

I really liked Cullen. He was just an all-around good guy. It took me a little bit to warm up to Kit, but it wasn’t long before I ended up liking her too. I also really liked Archie. He was awesome!

When I was a kid, I had a major fear of volcanoes. Like, I was terrified! So, you could say that my anxiety was a little (okay, maybe a lot) high with the threat of the imminent eruption. I had no idea how these characters were going to make it out of the dicey situation they were in. Add in the baby and the bad guys who were after them, and that fear went even higher!

I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it! If you’re looking for a suspenseful, high-stakes story of survival, you’ll love it!

I received a copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

FIVE STARS