Can't Wait Wednesday: The Architect by Jonathan Starrett

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 The Architect by Jonathan Starrett releasing February 7.

About the Book

There’s a golden rule in Phantom City: “No one about when the Zeppelin is out.” But one night, twelve-year-old Charlie Crane comes face-to-face with the Zeppelin, and instead of finding trouble, she is awakened.

Determined to find the truth in a city plagued with lies, Charlie, along with a quirky band of unlikely heroes, works to free the people of Phantom City from the clutches of a shadowy, evil villain. Helped by a mysterious Architect who only communicates over radio and telephone, Charlie wrestles with two big questions: Can she trust a guide she can't see? And is the truth actually worth the trouble?

Filled with sinister schemes, bumbling superheroes, unexpected friendships, and plenty of humor and plot twists, The Architect keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Boys and girls alike will be fascinated by the unique world of Phantom City, with its steampunk and Gotham City–type elements and will quickly find themselves cheering for our heroes in their fight against evil.

What upcoming release are you eagerly anticipating?

Review: How Her Ex Stole Christmas by Christy Barritt

About the Book

The countdown to disaster is on, and time is running out . . .

Event planner Kaylee St. James didn’t expect to see her ex-fiancé again after he broke her heart. Especially not now . . . two days before their canceled wedding. But when Ethan Sloan waltzes into her premier Christmas party—uninvited—with danger close on his heels, she realizes there’s much more to Ethan than she ever knew.

Ethan, a CIA operative, must keep dangerous information out of the wrong hands or people will die. He found the perfect hiding place, but he’ll need Kaylee’s help to retrieve the classified intel. Unfortunately, his jilted bride-to-be isn’t in the mood to talk, much less cooperate.

When Kaylee is swept into the middle of the ensuing chaos, she soon learns that danger is closer than she could ever imagine. Will her Christmas be totally ruined—if she even survives? Or is it possible that Ethan might not only save Christmas . . . but also save Kaylee?

Amazon / Goodreads

Available in Kindle Unlimited at time of posting

MY THOUGHTS

This was so much fun! It's the perfect mix of suspense, romance, and comedy.

Kaylee was so relatable. There was a line where she described herself as being a perfectionist but was actually so far from perfect it was laughable. Yep, that's so me. And Ethan? I didn't know what to think of him at first, but (this is gonna sound so shallow, lol) as soon as it was mentioned that he looked like Henry Cavill, I was a goner. Couldn't resist him, lol!

Some suspension of belief was needed at certain points, but it was so much fun that it didn't bother me a bit. If you're looking for a romantic comedy that's jam-packed with action and suspense, pick up a copy of this book.

FOUR STARS

Book Beginnings, First Line Friday, & Friday 56: Calor (The Nightingale Trilogy #1) by J.J. Fischer

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. Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice and 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. I'm also linking up with Carrie at Reading is My Superpower for First Line Friday.

This week I'm featuring  Calor (The Nightingale Trilogy #1) by J.J. Fischer. This is a really spectacular read. I'm loving it!

About the Book

What if you could edit memories with a single touch?

The world-that-was is gone, lost to everything except living memory . . . but remembering comes at a terrible price. Sixty-two years after the apocalypse, a new society has emerged from the ashes of the old world where highly valued memories are traded and nostalgia is worth dying—and even killing—for.

Enslaved by a cruel master, Sephone Winter is forced to use her rare ability to manipulate memories to numb the darkest secrets of the ruling aristocracy.

Then Lord Adamo appears, speaking of a powerful relic capable of permanently erasing memories and recovering Sephone’s own lost childhood. But not everything about the young lord is as it seems, and soon Sephone must choose between helping Lord Adamo forget his past or journeying deep into the land of Lethe, where the truth about who she really is might finally be revealed . . . and a long desired future restored.

The Nightingale Trilogy is a fantasy transformation of Hans Christian Andersen's beloved 1843 tale The Nightingale, with echoes of the myths of Hades and Persephone.

Book Beginnings / First Line Friday

His father might be in the middle of saving the world, but Dorian was still bored. Nulla was about as close to the apocalypse as a place could get, and that was saying something, because the world had already ended once. It was certainly no place for a fourteen-year-old boy to spend the best days of the summer.

Friday 56

The journey that should have lasted no longer than a week now threatened to stretch into two.

What have you been reading lately?

Review: Between Friends: A City Between Compilation (The City Between #11) by W.R. Gingell

About the Book

What happened to the tie frog? What is the best way of disposing of vampiric watermelon? Exactly how do you get rid of goblins in the spare room?

Friends and foes, Between and Behind—all the little pieces and curiosities that make up Pet’s new world—are here to be seen and delighted in, and put on the shelf beside books 1-10.

Featuring Cloudy with a Chance of Dropbears, All the Different Shades of Blue, and every other Short Thing formerly found on the WR(ite) Blog, along with previously unpublished novelettes and three new, never-before-seen short stories, this compilation completes the main City Between series.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

I loved this collection! It was so great being back in this world with these wonderfully weird characters. I didn't realize how much I had missed them. I'd read a couple of these stories before, but most of them were new to me. There were even a few stories that take place after the last book in the series! And, oh my goodness, they made me so happy! This collection is a must for any fan of the series.

- Training the Pet - Training the Pet? More like Pet's training the others, lol!

- Pet vs. Vampire - This was really funny. Pet does what she loves best: annoy the vampire! LOL!

- Widdershins to Deiseil - Pet calls Detective Tuatu for advice.

- Zero Sum Game - Pet gets to ask Athelas three questions.

- Cloudy with a Chance of Dropbears - I'd already read this one, but it was just as good the second time. Five-Four-One, a leprechaun, unwillingly gets sent to the human world. The only way to get home is to kill the kid. ... But, then, the dropbears show up...

- North by Tuatu - This was a Tuatu and North story and it just reiterated the fact that I'd LOVE more tales with these two. Tuatu is such a normal guy and North is this otherworldly being, but together they're this weirdly awesome team! And I'm so here for it!

- All the Different Shades of Blue - I'd already read this one, but, again, it was just as good this time. It's a story following Marazul, a hacker and merman, who gets stuck inside a cafe with Pet. So fun!

- Ties That Bind - The tie frog makes an appearance and annoys Athelas. Too funny!

- Watermelon in the Moonlight - Vampiric watermelons? What? This was crazy, weird, and totally awesome.

- Hockey Sticks at Midnight - A very short story about a girl whose items keep going missing.

- Talking Shop - This takes place after the final book in the series. A guy being chased by tentacles seeks solace inside a tailor's shop. This had a very big twist that totally caught me off guard. Loved it!

- Pins and Needles - Ah! Another one that takes place after the series ends, and OMG! There's so much I want to say, but it's all MAJOR spoilers. This was hands down, my favorite story of the bunch.

- Zero Responsibility - This Zero-centric story took me a minute to get into, but I ended up loving it. What a great way to end the collection!

FOUR STARS

Can't Wait Wednesday: The Weight of Air by Kimberly Duffy

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 The Weight of Air by Kimberly Duffy releasing February 7.

About the Book (From Amazon)
Two women--bound by blood, torn apart by circumstance--find together that true strength comes in many forms.

In 1911, Mabel MacGinnis is Europe's strongest woman and has performed beside her father in the Manzo Brothers Circus her entire life. When he dies unexpectedly, she loses everything she's ever known and sets off in the company of acrobat Jake Cunningham in hope of finding the mother she thought was dead.

Isabella Moreau, America's most feted aerialist, has given everything to the circus. But age and injury now threaten her security, and Isabella, stalked by old fears, makes a choice that risks everything. Then her daughter Mabel appears alongside the man who never wanted to see Isabella again, and she is forced to face the truth of where, and in what, she derives her worth.

As Mabel and Isabella's lives become entangled beneath the glittering lights and flying trapeze of Madison Square Garden, their resiliency and resolve are tested as they learn the truth of what it means to be strong.

What upcoming release are you eagerly awaiting?

Review: Yesterday's Tides by Roseanna M. White

About the Book

In two world wars, intelligence and counterintelligence, prejudice, and self-sacrifice collide across two generations

In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same--until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie's inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling's injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the SS officer he's tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own.

Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, never expecting to fall in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper's daughter. But when war breaks out in Europe, their relationship is put in jeopardy and may not survive what lies ahead for them.

As the ripples from the Great War rock Evie and Sterling's lives in World War II, it seems yesterday's tides may sweep them all into danger again today.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

Wow, where do I even begin? What a masterful story. I was instantly pulled in, captivated, and completely engaged in it. It's the kind of book where the real world fades away and the words on the page come to full-color, vivid life.

This is a dual-timeline story, but a little different from the norm since both timelines are historical, taking place during WWI and WWII. I will say that in the beginning I was more drawn to the WWII timeline, but it wasn't long before the other one grabbed me and I found myself enjoying it just as much, maybe even more. Both timelines were chock full of wonderful, authentic, and three-dimensional characters. And while it was a little hard for me to keep them all straight at first, it didn't take long before I had them all figured out.

This book started great, but, somehow, just kept getting better and better. I loved it so much and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical romance.

I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

FIVE STARS

Cover Reveal: Fraser (The Minnesota Marshalls #1) by Susan May Warren

I'm so excited to be part of the cover reveal for Susan May Warren's upcoming release, Fraser! It's the first book in The Minnesota Marshalls series, which is all releasing this year! Woohoo! Fraser releases February 14th, but if you buy it on Susie May's website, you can start reading it right now! So exciting! 

Jump into this action-packed romantic adventure series featuring the tough, brave and charming Minnesota Marshall family. We first met the family as the hosts for the PEAK Montana Rescue team in Storm Front, when a tornado ravaged their small Minnesota town and trapped their youngest son, Creed and his track team in the rubble. Also in that story was older brother Jonas Marshall, a storm chaser. Readers then met brother and former smokejumper Ned, as well as the oldest brother, Fraser, a Navy SEAL, in Wait for Me, (book 6 in the Montana Rescue series.) Fraser also appeared in the recent Sunburst and Sundown (Sky King ranch series).

But now it’s time for the cousins of the Montana Marshalls, the owners of Marshall Fields Winery in Minnesota, to have their own epic story. From Fraser to Jonas to Ned to Iris, the mysterious sister, to Creed, as well as the parents, Garrett and Jenny, every Marshall has a role to play in this epic, global-slash-midwestern series about how one family just might find themselves in a plot to destroy…or save the world.

Yeah, those Marshalls…what have they gotten themselves into this time?

Dive into the epic series of 2023 – the Minnesota Marshalls!

It all starts with FRASER, releasing February 14 across online retailers and available for the pre-order sale price of $5.99. HOWEVER, if you want to dive into Fraser’s story RIGHT NOW, you can order it from Susie May's website store immediately, at the retail price of $9.99. Your choice!

Be sure to head on over to Susie May's website to grab your copy TODAY!! https://susanmaywarrenfiction.myshopify.com/