Wishlist, Excerpt and Freebies!

I'll be doing a post on why I've been a bit MIA lately around the blogosphere (if you noticed, if not then just pretend you did... LOL). It is bad, good and I think I need a good nap. 

In the meantime...

Honor Among Thieves
by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre
Published: 2/13/18
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Indiebound | Powells | Barnes and Noble | Books a Million | Vromans

Zara Cole has been in and out of New Detroit’s rehab facilities for treatment of her antisocial disorder. There’s no adjusting Zara’s attitude, though. A painful past has made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in the Zone instead moving with her family to Mars. In her eyes, living inside a dome isn’t much better than a prison cell.

Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she’s headed. Instead Zara is recruited into the Honors, an elite team of humans selected by the Leviathan–a race of sentient alien ships—to explore the outer reaches of the universe as their passengers. 

Zara seizes the chance to flee Earth’s dangers, but when she meets Nadim, the alien ship she’s assigned to along with fellow Honor Beatriz, Zara starts to feel at home for the first time, along with a devotion she’s never experienced before. Yet nothing—not her Honors training or her street smarts—could have prepared her for the dark, dangerous truths that lurk behind the glitter of starlight. 

Honor Among Thieves is the first book in a daring new sci-fi series by bestselling authors Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre.

Honor Among Thieves Excerpt:

I feel the stars.

Energy pulses against my skin, murmuring secrets about this small galaxy, about orbits and alignments and asteroids streaming in space. Impulse makes me want to dive and swim those currents, but I control these urges.

I shift my attention to the flutters of life within my skin.

Marko glows orange with crimson streaks. He is warm, always the easiest to find. Just now, he stands and stares at the blue-green orb swirling below us. I cannot swim down to see what he remembers of this place. The planet’s gravitational pull would break my bones. But he shows me flashes: smiling faces, a field of flowers, an old woman with eyes like slices of sky.

“I’ll miss you,” I tell him.

He starts, surprised to hear me, as if he’s ever truly alone. “Me too. It was a good run.”

He once told me that it’s strange when we talk; he thinks I should find him as insignificant as he does the bacteria in his stomach. But I have had time to acclimate to the strangers in my system. I safeguard the small voices, as is my privilege and duty. There will be more to my life, but only when I’ve proven myself.

The stars sing again, this time in strong, seductive harmony. I resist their melody, but the call is growing stronger.

Despite my passengers, I am empty in a way I cannot name. Marko tells me it is because our voyage is over; he calls this sadness. Perhaps I have learned this feeling from him. My first Honor gave me a human name, Nadim, and I have kept it safe, along with the other words and shapes and colors that shade my new existence. Like sadness.

I do not like this low orbit, but I must wait. I have been ordered to wait.

My new Honors will come.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Freebies

Don't forget these freebies:

Audiobook Sync still going strong. These will be available until the 28th:

June 29th through July 5th will be:

American Night: The Ballad of Juan José by Richard Montoya

and

My Name is Not Easy by Debbie Dahl Edwardson

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Audiobooks.com is giving away an audiobook every Thursday this month. Unfortunately it only lasts 24 hrs and there is only one left for the month. So don't forget to check HERE for the book on the 29th.

Also, Tor.com has an ebook of the month club. Last month was Old Man's War by John Scalzi (no longer available). This month will be announced soon.

Go to http://ebookclub.tor.com/ to sign up to know what the next book is and get your free book! 

📚

Now I Rise by Kiersten White

Series: The Conqueror's Saga #2
496 p.
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Published: June 27,17
Source: From NetGalley and Publisher for review

Lada Dracul has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her. 

What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu’s subtlety and skill. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines. Radu longs for his sister’s fierce confidence—but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help. Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, will Mehmed ever forgive him? 

As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won . . . and souls will be lost.

My thoughts:

I really loved the first book in the series so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. I was not disappointed.

We are split in-between the siblings Radu and Lada in the telling of this adventure. Both still have feelings for Medmed but now have grown into adults and trying to figure out who they are while trying to achieve their goals. I have to say as much as I was captivated by Lada and her harsh and severe decisions I really enjoyed Radu's POV in this one. He questioned everything in the end and while he still chose a side expected, the experience changed him profoundly and I'm curious to know where he will go from here. I think he has the biggest epiphany coming and more choices on the horizon which I think will become increasingly difficult.

Now this does not mean that I missed the adventure Lada had nor her growth. She is slowly figuring out not just who she or who she wants to be but more importantly, what kind of leader she will eventually become. I also have a feeling this road will not be easy and I can see her last decisions will have severe consequences. What I took away from most of the story is that the siblings were stronger together than separately but they both wanted different things out of life. It was interesting to see them both come to that same conclusion.

I give this book 4 1/2 stars. It is a great historical fantasy and it isn't hard to get into for those that don't often read fantasy. I also recommend you read this one in order. Very few fantasy books should or can be read out of order.

👑

About Kiersten:

Kiersten White is the NYT bestselling author of the Paranormalcy trilogy, the Mind Games series, Illusions of Fate, The Chaos of Stars, In the Shadows with artist Jim Di Bartolo, and the upcoming historical reimagining, And I Darken. She has one tall husband and three small children and lives near the ocean, where her life is perfectly normal. Visit her at www.kierstenwhite.com.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 Winners will receive a finished copy of NOW I RISE, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter Link

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

6/19/2017- Bookfever- Excerpt

6/20/2017- Lisa Loves Literature- Review

6/21/2017- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

6/22/2017- Fiktshun- Review

6/23/2017- Carina's Books- Review

Week Two:

6/26/2017- Dazzled by Books- Review

6/27/2017- Books and Things- Review

6/28/2017- Rattle the Stars- Review

6/29/2017- YABC- Review

6/30/2017- Once Upon A Twilight- Review

Week Three:

7/3/2017- Adventures of a Book Junkie- Interview

7/4/2017- Seeing Double In Neverland- Review

7/5/2017- Fiction Fare- Review

7/6/2017- YA and Wine- Review

7/7/2017- Little Red's Reviews- Review

On My Wishlist, A Reminder About Freebies, and a Little Visitor

Reincarnation Blues 
by Michael Poore
384 p.
Publisher: Del Rey Books
Published: 8/22/17

A magically inspiring tale of a man who is reincarnated through many lifetimes so that he can be with his one true love: Death herself. 

What if you could live forever—but without your one true love? Reincarnation Blues is the story of a man who has been reincarnated nearly 10,000 times, in search of the secret to immortality so that he can be with his beloved, the incarnation of Death.

Yea, this sounds strange enough that I would probably enjoy it. LOL

FREEBIE

Also, don't forget this weeks audiosync free audiobooks!

Until 6/15

Go HERE to get it!

Next week (6/15-6/21):

The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Narrated by Kyla Garcia

The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois, Narrated by Rodney Gardiner

Personal Note:

Had a visitor that I wanted to share... meet little lizard dude! 

 I believe s/he is a many lined skink lizard. He fell into the window well (so forgive the pic, it is through a window) and the log is there so he could climb out. No go and he just couldn't find footing to get out. Poor guy. Had to fish him out so he is safe and terrorizing the bug population in the yard. He was more than a foot long from head to tail. 

Wishing Little Lizard Dude (or dudette, I didn't check) all the luck in the world. 

🦎

Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan

Series: The Memoirs of Lady Trent #5 (last in the series)
352 p.
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 4/25/17
Source: From publisher for review

The conclusion to the thrilling memoirs of Lady Isabella Trent and her legacy of dragon evolutionary research and anthropological adventures. 

After nearly five decades (and, indeed, the same number of volumes), one might think they were well-acquainted with the Lady Isabella Trent--dragon naturalist, scandalous explorer, and perhaps as infamous for her company and feats of daring as she is famous for her discoveries and additions to the scientific field. 

And yet--after her initial adventure in the mountains of Vystrana, and her exploits in the depths of war-torn Eriga, to the high seas aboard The Basilisk, and then to the inhospitable deserts of Akhia--the Lady Trent has captivated hearts along with fierce minds. This concluding volume will finally reveal the truths behind her most notorious adventure--scaling the tallest peak in the world, buried behind the territory of Scirland's enemies--and what she discovered there, within the Sanctuary of Wings.

My thoughts:

Last book. I was excited to see how this one concludes since I have been enjoying this series. I have to say, this is my favorite book out of all of them. That is unusual for me as the last book often tends to be the weakest for me, but this one held my full attention.

It builds on the other books so I would suggest to read all of these in order. It shows the timeline of how she became a dragon naturalist/scientist, the barriers she eroded as a woman in the field, and the historical findings she made while being an adventurist. It is all well told together and you can see this alternate reality happening. Oh and there is a love story in the midst that also finds its way into this last story. This book becomes the most mythic out of all of the books and really comes to a complete conclusion. It is the most surprising of all of them and it feels like this is the book all the rest were building toward. I don't want to say too much or I'll spoil it, but this one captured me in scope and imagination. I wouldn't mind if there were more, especially with the artwork all the books include. I really feel that the artwork brings the stories to life.

I give this book 4 1/2 stars and highly recommend it to those that enjoy a fantastical history with dragons. Need I say more? 😊 I also recommend this series to those that would like to jump into fantasy but might have been reluctant in the past.

Bloggy Note:

For reviews of the other books in the series and a couple of author guest posts by Marie Brennan go HERE. There are also some artwork to enjoy on the author posts. 

🐉