Blog Tour + Review: Taming Demons for Beginners

Taming Demons for Beginners (The Guild Codex: Demonized #1)
by Annette Marie
My rating: 4 hearts
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.
Publication date: September 11, 2019
Genre: New Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Rule one: Don't look at the demon.

When I arrived at my uncle's house, I expected my relatives to be like me—outcast sorcerers who don't practice magic. I was right about the sorcery, but wrong about everything else.

Rule two: Don't listen to the demon.

My uncle chose a far deadlier power. He calls creatures of darkness into our world, binds them into service contracts, and sells them to the highest bidder. And I'm supposed to act like I don't know how illegal and dangerous it is.

Rule three: Don't talk to the demon.

All I had to do was keep my nose out of it. Pretend I didn't find the summoning circle in the basement. Pretend I didn't notice the shadowy being trapped inside it. Pretend I didn't break the rules.

But I did, and now it's too late.

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Suspenseful, intense & complex - Hexen's Binding ARC Review

Hexen's Binding (Hexen's Cross #2)
by J. Kowallis
My rating: 5 hearts
Publication date: September 23, 2019
Genre: New Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Bryden changed everything. History that once was, is no longer. And life doesn't exist as it once did. Hellia lurks in the shadows between worlds, but the specter of the once-powerful hexen is the least of Taran Grim's worries. Something happened that day in Bryden. Something Taran failed to see. And Coll might be the one paying the price.

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Cover Reveal: Hexen's Binding by J. Kowallis

Hi guys! I'm so excited to share the cover reveal for Hexen's Binding, the sequel to Hexen's Cross, by J. Kowallis. I loved the first book in the series, and I can't wait for this one. And, let me tell you, the cover is gorgeous. Now, without further ado, let's check it out!

The Faery's Guide to Surviving the Mythic World

Hi guys! And welcome to my new feature on the blog! I recently started The Guild Codex: Spellbound, an Urban Fantasy series by Annette Marie, and really enjoyed it. In the series, the reader is introduced to the world of mythics, people able to use magic of different kinds. But how do you survive in the world of mythics? Keep reading to find out! Or you can check out my review of the first book here. 

A Really Sweet Sports Romance - Player Review

*Disclaimer: I received a review copy from the author for review consideration. This does in no way affect my opinion, and all thoughts expressed in this review are unbiased and my own.*

Title: Player

Series: What Happens on Campus #1

Author: M.L. Sparrow

My rating: 4 hearts

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pub. date: September 1, 2016

Synopsis: Let the game begin… 

After a tragic accident which leaves her tormented by guilt, Chloe Newman accepts a scholarship to study a St. Joseph’s University. Traveling from England to Texas, the last thing she expects is to meet the schools charming quarterback on her first night. However, Parker Mitchell is a player both on and off the field. 

Parker is immediately fascinated by Chloe and, after a rocky start, they manage to find a way to make their relationship work despite interference from others on campus, including Parkers jealous ex, and the ghosts that haunt Chloe’s conscience. But, the real test comes when they visit Parker’s family over Christmas break and he finds himself being pulled back into their lifestyle... (synopsis from Goodreads)

Audio Release: Can't Text This by Teagan Hunter

We are so excited to be sharing the audiobook release of Teagan Hunter's CAN'T TEXT THIS! CAN'T TEXT THIS is a laugh-out-loud funny single dad romcom and you don't want to miss it!

A Fun, Original Fantasy - Three Mages and a Margarita Review

Title: Three Mages and a Margarita

Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound #1

Author: Annette Marie

My rating: 3.5 hearts

Genre: New Adult, Urban Fantasy

Pub. date: September 14, 2018

Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.

Synopsis: Broke, almost homeless, and recently fired. Those are my official reasons for answering a wanted ad for a skeevy-looking bartender gig.

It went downhill the moment they asked me to do a trial shift instead of an interview—to see if I'd mesh with their "special" clientele. I think that part went great. Their customers were complete dickheads, and I was an asshole right back. That's the definition of fitting in, right?

I expected to get thrown out on my ass. Instead, they… offered me the job?

It turns out this place isn't a bar. It's a guild. And the three cocky guys I drenched with a margarita during my trial? Yeah, they were mages. Either I'm exactly the kind of takes-no-shit bartender this guild needs, or there's a good reason no one else wants to work here.

So what's a broke girl to do? Take the job, of course—with a pay raise. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Hades and Persephone Like You've Never Seen Them Before - Blinding Night Review

*Disclaimer: I received a review copy from the author for review consideration. This does in no way affect my opinion, and all thoughts expressed in this review are unbiased and my own.*

Title: Blinding Night

Series: Blinding Night #1

Author: Chantal Gadoury

My rating: 4 hearts

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Pub. date: October 2, 2018

Publisher: The Parliament House

Synopsis: What if you were the missing piece in one of the world’s most epic legends? 

Despite being an art history student, Summer isn’t thrilled to be stuck with her archeologist family all summer in Greece. While the rest of her college friends are posting a million selfies by the pool together, Summer is stuck alone, trying to entertain herself alone in a place where she doesn’t even speak the language. 

Upon her arrival to Greece, strange dreams and even stranger shadows seem to haunt Summer, leaving her to ponder the meaning of pomegranate seeds and twisted, darkened faces. 

Suddenly, her stay abroad leads to tragic twists, leaving Summer in the arms of a dark stranger, who claims to be the god, Hades, whom she feels like she knows from another life. In a whirlwind through the busy streets of Athens, Summer is seduced to the lowest point of Greece where Hades’ lair awaits…the Underworld. Determined to find out who she is and where she belongs in an age-old myth, Summer joins Hades to discover that the secrets about her past life are beyond anything she could have ever imagined. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Backlist Shelf Control: The Architect of Song by A.G. Howard

Backlist Shelf Control is a new weekly feature hosted by The Reading Faery that will run on Fridays, which is dedicated to sharing backlist books that have been on your TBR for too long. Each week, you talk about a backlist book (any book published 2018 or earlier) that you're excited to read and why you want to read it. If you participate, feel free to comment on my post and share your link, so that I can check out your post!

Book Blitz: Two Witches and a Whiskey by Annette Marie

Hey guys! I'm so excited to share the Book Blitz for Two Witches and a Whiskey by Annette Marie with you all today! This is such a fun and lighthearted read, filled with awesome fantasy. Keep reading for more info on the book, an excerpt and a giveaway!

Title: Two Witches and a Whiskey
Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound #3
Author: Annette Marie
Genre: New Adult, Urban Fantasy
Pub. date: February 8, 2019
Synopsis: Three months ago, I landed a job as a bartender. But not at a bar—at a guild. Yeah, the magic kind.

I'm not a badass mage like my three smokin' hot best friends. I'm not a sorcerer or an alchemist, or even a wussy witch. I'm just a human, slinging drinks like a pro and keeping my non-magical nose out of mythic business. Seriously, I know my limits.

So why am I currently standing in a black-magic ritual circle across from a fae lord?

Somewhere behind me, my three mage friends are battling for their lives. Somewhere near my feet is the rogue witch I just knocked out with a stolen spell. And I have about five seconds to convince this very angry sea god not to shmoosh me like a bug.

I'm pretty sure this wasn't part of the job description.

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Buy the book!

The Faery's Guide to Reading a New Genre

Most booklovers (especially me) have their one favorite genre that they love. Sure, they might try different genres, but there will always be that one genre you love more than any other. For me, that's YA Fantasy. However, I've recently started trying new genres, and I've found several new genres to love. For those of you unsure of where to start with a new genre, here's the Faery's Guide to Reading a New Genre.

The dark side of wishes - Circle of Ashes Review

*Disclaimer: I received a review copy from the author for review consideration. This does in no way affect my opinion, and all thoughts expressed in this review are unbiased and my own.*

Title: Circle of Ashes

Series: Wish Quartet #2

Author: Elise Kova

My rating: 4.5 hearts

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Pub. date: April 9th 2018

Publisher: Silver Wing Press

Synopsis: EVERY WISH HAS A COST BUT WILL THE SOCIETY BE WILLING TO PAY IT? 

Once a hacker-for-hire living in the shadows, Josephina “Jo” Espinosa is the newest member of a magical Society. Their mandate? To grant the wishes of mortals. A simple enough task until Jo is faced with an impossible wish – and her inability to grant it might spell disaster for her entire team, if not the Society itself. 

Jo is used to high-pressure situations, but after a string of disasters, the last thing she needs is stakes of this magnitude. Especially given that neither she nor the Society know quite what the consequences of failing to grant a wish might be. 

The only person with answers is the Society’s aloof and cryptic leader, Snow. Yet while Jo is enigmatically drawn to the man, all their clandestine encounters leave her with only more questions about the true nature of the Society, her magic, and her own history. 

Time is running out for the Society, and an executioner will rise from among them to exact the price of failure. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Author Interview: M.K. Sawyer, author of The Goblin's Daughter

Hey guys! I'm so excited to share this interview with you all today! I read The Goblin's Daughter a few months ago, and loved it, so I was so excited to be able to interview the author, M.K. Sawyer, and I had so much fun interviewing her. Without further ado, let's get to the interview!

Be careful what you wish for - Society of Wishes Review

*I received a review copy form the author for review consideration. This does in no way affect my opinion, and all thoughts expressed in this review are unbiased and my own.*

Title: Society of Wishes

Series: Wish Quartet #1

Author: Elise Kova, Lynn Larsh

My rating: 4.5 hearts

Genre: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Pub. date: January 29th 2018

Publisher: Silver Wing Press

Synopsis: BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.

Josephina Espinosa makes her living as a hacker-for-hire in the Lone Star Republic, a remnant of the fractured U.S.A. That is, until the day she and her best friend are gunned down in a government raid.

With her dying breath, Jo uses magical lore passed down from her grandmother to summon a wish-granter. Her wish? To save her friend’s life. Except wishes have costs, and for Jo, the price is the erasure of her entire mortal existence.

Now, as the most recent addition to the mysterious Society of Wishes, Jo must form a new “life” alongside the seven other members, one of which being her savior himself. Living as an occupant of the Society’s lavish mansion should be quite the perk, but while it is furnished with everything its inhabitants could possibly need, it lacks one thing—freedom.

Her otherworldly identity crisis takes a backseat, however, when Jo learns that the friend she sacrificed everything for is headed down the same path to ruin. Jumping in head-first, Jo uses her newfound magical abilities to protect him, only to realize that the ripples of her actions have far-reaching consequences. When the Society’s aloof leader Snow decides to give her a taste of his own ancient magic, Jo discovers that there are threads woven into the tapestry of her new reality that reach far beyond the wishes she is now required to grant. Ones that, if tugged on, could mean the unraveling of the world itself. (synopsis from Goodreads)

A dark and twisty story - The Goblin's Daughter ARC Review

*Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader's Copy from the author for review consideration. This in no way affects my opinion, and all thoughts expressed in this review are unbiased and my own.*

Title: The Goblin's Daughter

Author: M.K. Sawyer

My rating: 4 hearts

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy

Pub. date: June 30th 2018

Synopsis: the forest beckons

the Shadow watches

Nolin doesn’t know why her mother is terrified of the forest— only that is has something to do with her, a cold night, a baby crib, and an open window.

Throughout her life, Nolin struggles to gain the love of her crazed mother, all while grappling with recurring dreams of a twisted, ancient tree, and the perpetual feeling that she’s being watched by a dark presence in the surrounding forest.

After a childhood mental breakdown, Nolin returns to her hometown as a grown woman, ready to face her mother to put old demons to rest. When Nolin stumbles across disturbing details of her mother’s past, she ventures deeper into the mystery of her own identity, the related causes of her mother’s illness, and learns of violent, ancient creatures who live in the woods. . . (synopsis from Goodreads)

Release Blitz: Moonlight Seduction (de Vincent #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Moonlight Seduction: A de Vincent Novel, from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is LIVE!

The de Vincent brothers are back—and so is the intrigue that surrounds them—in New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout’s sizzling new novel . . .

Nicolette Bresson never thought she’d return to the de Vincents’ bayou compound. It’s where her parents work, where Nikki grew up . . . and where she got her heart broken by Gabriel de Vincent himself. Yet here she is, filling in for her sick mother. Avoiding Gabe should be easy, especially when so much of Nikki’s time is spent trying not to be stabbed in the back by the malicious hangers-on who frequent the mansion. But escaping memories of Gabe, much less his smoking-hot presence, is harder than expected—especially since he seems determined to be in Nikki’s space as much as possible.

Gabriel spent years beating himself up over his last encounter with Nikki. He’d wanted her then, but for reasons that were bad for both of them. Things have now changed. Gabe sees more than a girl he’s known forever; he sees a smart, talented, and heartbreakingly beautiful woman . . . one who’s being stalked from the shadows.

Now, Gabe will do anything to keep Nikki safe—and to stop the de Vincent curse from striking again.

Cover Reveal: Orbit by Leigh Hellman

Today I’m helping unveil the cover for Orbit—the new adult, speculative fiction debut novel by Leigh Hellman. Without further ado, here is the cover (designed by Najla Qamber):

Characters as Dancers: Hexen's Cross Edition

Which dance style would fit the characters from Hexen’s Cross the best? In this post, I will match some of the characters from Hexen’s Cross by J. Kowallis with the dance that would be perfect for them. Read on to find out why Taran should dance ballet and why Coll would be an amazing tango dancer! Or, you can check out my five-star review of the book (by the way, you totally need to read it).

A fresh take on old mythology - Hexen's Cross ARC Review

*I received an Advance Reader's Copy from the author in exchange for review consideration. This does in no way affect my opinion, and all thoughts expressed in this review are unbiased and my own.*

Title: Hexen's Cross

Author: J. Kowallis

My rating: 5 hearts

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Pub. date: May 1st 2018

Synopsis: The magic calls her. 

A prophecy binds her. 
The ancestors guide her. 

Dr. Taran Grim, a young professor of occult studies, knows the written history of witches better than anyone in her field. And she should. She’s one of them. 

After a mysterious stranger arrives at her office inquiring about the mythical staff of Woden, Taran’s curiosity reveals a millennia-old prophesy directly tied to her. The answers wait in Bryden, England and the only person who can help her gain access to the hidden valley is the descendant of Ruhmactir, and a member of the shape-shifting Geri clan: Collens “Coll” Donovan. 

But the Donovans have secrets of their own, and Taran’s underdeveloped magic is wreaking strange havoc on her life. If she can’t manage her magic and strike a truce with Coll, they’ll fail to prevent the prophesied event known as Deireanhexe: the end of the hexen race. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Unique but disappointing - Dwarves of Calcus ARC Review

*Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader's Copy from Netgalley in exchange for review consideration. This does in no way affect my opinion, and all thoughts expressed in this review are unbiased and my own.*

Title: Dwarves of Calcus

Series: Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles

Author: Katie Hamstead

My rating: 2 hearts

Genre: New Adult, Retelling, Romance

Pub. date: March 6th, 2018

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Synopsis: When she was thirteen, Snow Sabbia crash landed on the dwarves' home planet of Calcus. After fleeing from her step-mother's huntsman, seven brother dwarves took her in to hide and protect her. She has hidden for years on the peaceful planet, tinkering with old automobiles and pushing papers in the mine office.

Then, Timothy White shows up.
The shy, nervous, nerdy heir captivates Snow before she even knows who he is, and quickly she falls in love. But his high profile in society draws unwanted attention from her vengeful stepmother, who wants Snow dead.
Geneva believed Snow died years earlier and she had consumed her innocent heart. With her late husband's wealth, Snow's inheritance, in tow, she married a young lord, Conrad. Both are using each other--Geneva for his title and to have a child, Conrad for her money and beauty. But when Conrad lays eyes on his boyhood rival's lovely fiance, Snow, his overwhelming desire for her reveals the truth to Geneva, that Snow lives.
Desperate to hold onto her wealth and power, Geneva seeks to kill Snow properly this time. Snow has the power to wield the one thing that can destroy her, so she cannot let the girl claim possession of the family heirloom, the Nevollo Sword. 
Snow soon learns her step-mother knows she is alive. But she is a pacifist, so she must outwit Geneva and remain hidden... until Geneva, disguised as a child, presents her with an apple. (synopsis from Goodreads)