{Book Review} Flipcup by Kim Hartfield

  

Flipcup

Vino and Veritas Book 7

Kim Hartfield

LGBT Romance

188 Pages

Blurb:

Could swearing off men lead Chelsea to the perfect woman?

After being rejected one too many times, Chelsea makes a bold vow: No more men. Her friends doubt a boy-crazy party girl can handle not dating for a year, but that only makes Chelsea more determined.

Tara has made a vow, too. After growing up in foster care and suppressing herself to please others, she's going to live her truth. When she sees a beautiful woman, she'll make her attraction known.

Chelsea appreciates Tara's flirtatious compliments, not to mention her androgynous beauty. There's a loophole in Chelsea's vow, and it's more tempting every day...

My Review:

Ugh, this book. I put it on my TBR a few months ago when I saw it in a newsletter and was really excited to read it. I thought Pride Month would be the perfect time. But this book is a classic case of unlikeable characters who should not be a couple.

Chelsea is this guy-crazy, heavy-drinking immature woman who decides on a whim to try hooking up with a woman because she's tired of meaningless sex with guys that never leads to a relationship. She clearly has no idea how to adult because she actually asks Tara after she gets her own apartment what she's supposed to do with the garbage, isn't someone going to come get it and take it out of her apartment. 🙄

Then there's Tara, who is described as an "androgynous beauty" in the blurb. She's overly flirty toward Chelsea but when Chelsea takes interest it's like she gets all offended. I believe there is a word for people like that but I won't say it here. Despite being flirty, Tara is startlingly closed-off because of her childhood in the foster care system (seriously, another one of those books... aren't there a ton already that show how shitty the system is? We get it already!)

Another thing I didn't like was that the author bases most of the book around Chelsea and Tara's physical relationship. It's like they're the only characters that matter in the book. We see no interaction between Chelsea and her parents, Chelsea and Tara's friends are one-dimensional, people that come into Tara's life like her guitar teacher or aunt are mentioned but we don't really learn much about them or build that connection. 

Overall, I didn't like this book. For such a short book it took forever to read. I will not read another book by this author. As for the series, I'd have to take it on a book by book basis, as each can be read as a standalone and each is written by a different author. 

My Rating:

🌟🌟

2.75 of 5 Stars!

Book Review: THE DEAD AND THE DARK by Courtney Gould

 

The Dead and the Dark

Standalone

by Courtney Gould

LGBT, Horror, Paranormal

Release Date: August 3, 2021 from Wednesday Books

ebook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 352 Pages

Blurb:

Courtney Gould’s thrilling debut The Dead and the Dark is about the things that lurk in dark corners, the parts of you that can’t remain hidden, and about finding home in places―and people―you didn’t expect.

The Dark has been waiting for far too long, and it won't stay hidden any longer.

Something is wrong in Snakebite, Oregon. Teenagers are disappearing, some turning up dead, the weather isn’t normal, and all fingers seem to point to TV’s most popular ghost hunters who have just returned to town. Logan Ortiz-Woodley, daughter of TV's ParaSpectors, has never been to Snakebite before, but the moment she and her dads arrive, she starts to get the feeling that there's more secrets buried here than they originally let on.

Ashley Barton’s boyfriend was the first teen to go missing, and she’s felt his presence ever since. But now that the Ortiz-Woodleys are in town, his ghost is following her and the only person Ashley can trust is the mysterious Logan. When Ashley and Logan team up to figure out who—or what—is haunting Snakebite, their investigation reveals truths about the town, their families, and themselves that neither of them are ready for. As the danger intensifies, they realize that their growing feelings for each other could be a light in the darkness.

My Review:

Snakebite, Oregon is a dark place full of a lot of hate. 

Six months ago, Logan Ortiz-Woodley's father Brandon returned to his hometown to scout locations for his and his husband's hit show ParaSpectors (a ghost hunting tv show) but is being elusive as to why he's there and what he's looking for. Now Logan and her other father, Alejo, are joining Brandon in the hopes of making some progress. Alejo tells Logan they'll be fine as long as they're together as a family. But what are Brandon and Alejo afraid of?

Six months ago Ashley Barton's boyfriend Tristan disappeared without a trace. She's not willing to give up and accept that Tristan is most-likely dead unlike everyone else in town. To her, nothing bad ever happens in Snakebite. That is until Brandon Woodley returned to town. But is Brandon somehow responsible for Tristan's disappearance? Or is the town just against him and his family because they're different?

To figure out the mystery and get to the bottom of what's wrong with Snakebite Ashley and Logan will have to work together before someone else disappears. 

This book started out kind of slow for me and I wasn't sure I was going to like it. It had lots of things I like in books - a dark 'paranormal' force, a mystery, and a touch of romance. Once I got into it, I did really enjoy the book as a whole. Like Logan, I seriously thought maybe Brandon did have something to do with the disappearances and I was dying to find out if I was right. 

I got really annoyed with the people of Snakebite over the course of the book, which I guess is the author's intent. Overall, the book kept me reading and I like the hate-to-love trope between Ashley and Logan. But as the book is billed as horror, I could have done with a bit more of the chill factor. Everything was kind of expected along the way with little-to-no tension or build-up. 

My Rating:

3.75 of 5 Stars!

Preorder The Dead and The Dark:

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I Can't Wait For... Cinderella is Dead

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I kept hearing about this book in ARC trader groups but I didn't know what it was about and finally ended up looking it up and adding it to my TBR...

Cinderella is Dead

by Kalynn Bayron
YA, Fantasy, LGBT, Retelling
eBook, Hardcover, 400 Pages
July 7, 2020 by Bloomsbury


Blurb
It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.

Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew . . .

This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.

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What do you think? Will you be checking this one out?

I Can’t Wait For... This Coven Won’t Break

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

The first book in this series was my first pick for the YA BOTM sub box and it became an instant favorite. I can’t wait for the second book to arrive this summer...

This Coven Won’t Break

(These Witches Don’t Burn #2)

by Isabel Sterling

LGBT, Urban Fantasy

eBook, Hardcover, 304 Pages

June 2, 2020 by Razorbill

Blurb

In this gripping, romantic sequel to These Witches Don't Burn, Hannah must work alongside her new girlfriend to take down the Hunters desperate to steal her magic.

Hannah Walsh just wants a normal life. It's her senior year, so she should be focusing on classes, hanging out with her best friend, and flirting with her new girlfriend, Morgan. But it turns out surviving a murderous Witch Hunter doesn't exactly qualify as a summer vacation, and now the rest of the Hunters seem more intent on destroying her magic than ever.

When Hannah learns the Hunters have gone nationwide, armed with a serum capable of taking out entire covens at once, she's desperate to help. Now, with witches across the country losing the most important thing they have—their power—Hannah could be their best shot at finally defeating the Hunters. After all, she's one of the only witches to escape a Hunter with her magic intact.

Or so everyone believes. Because as good as she is at faking it, doing even the smallest bit of magic leaves her in agony. The only person who can bring her comfort, who can make her power flourish, is Morgan. But Morgan's magic is on the line, too, and if Hannah can't figure out how to save her—and the rest of the Witches—she'll lose everything she's ever known. And as the Hunters get dangerously close to their final target, will all the Witches in Salem be enough to stop an enemy determined to destroy magic for good?

###

What do you think? Will you be checking this one out? 

I Can't Wait For... We Unleash the Merciless Storm

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I loved the audiobook of the first book and I can't wait for the sequel...

We Unleash the Merciless Storm

We Set the Dark On Fire Book 2
by Tehlor Kay Mejia
YA, Fantasy, LGBT
eBook, Hardcover, audiobook, 400 Pages
February 25, 2020 by Katherine Tegen Books


Blurb

In this nail-biting sequel to Tehlor Kay Mejia’s critically acclaimed fantasy novel We Set the Dark on Fire, La Voz operative Carmen is forced to choose between the girl she loves and the success of the rebellion she’s devoted her life to.

Being a part of the resistance group La Voz is an act of devotion and desperation. On the other side of Medio’s border wall, the oppressed class fights for freedom and liberty, sacrificing what little they have to become defenders of the cause.

Carmen Santos is one of La Voz’s best soldiers, taken in when she was an orphaned child and trained to be a cunning spy. She spent years undercover at the Medio School for Girls, but now, with her identity exposed and the island on the brink of civil war, Carmen returns to the only real home she’s ever known: La Voz’s headquarters.

There she must reckon with her beloved leader, who is under the influence of an aggressive new recruit, and with the devastating news that her true love might be the target of an assassination plot. Will Carmen break with her community and save the girl who stole her heart—or fully embrace the ruthless rebel she was always meant to be?

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What do you think? Have you read We Set the Dark on Fire? Will you be checking this one out? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I Enjoyed That Are Outside of My Comfort Zone

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish and currently hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Tuesday:Ten Books I Enjoyed That Are Outside of My Comfort Zone

This week's TTT is all about books we enjoyed outside of our normal reading preferences. Different genres, different subject matters, etc. Note that since I read these books I've read more books in that genre/subject matter/whatever so they're no longer outside of my comfort zone.

1. Unknown by Wendy Higgins

2. Ryan's Bed

3. Illuminae

4. These Witches Don't Burn

5.Warcross 

6. Daughters Unto Devils

7. The Kingdom

8. Imposters  

9. Legacy

10. The Selection

 What books outside your comfort zone surprised you? Let me know in the comments or drop me a link to your TTT!

Happy Reading Bookdragons!

New Release Spotlight: Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Blurb:

Odessa is one of Karthia's master necromancers, catering to the kingdom's ruling Dead. Whenever a noble dies, it's Odessa's job to raise them by retrieving their souls from a dreamy and dangerous shadow world called the Deadlands. But there is a cost to being raised--the Dead must remain shrouded, or risk transforming into zombie-like monsters known as Shades. If even a hint of flesh is exposed, the grotesque transformation will begin.

A dramatic uptick in Shade attacks raises suspicions and fears among Odessa's necromancer community. Soon a crushing loss of one of their own reveals a disturbing conspiracy: someone is intentionally creating Shades by tearing shrouds from the Dead--and training them to attack. Odessa is faced with a terrifying question: What if her necromancer's magic is the weapon that brings Karthia to its knees?

Grab A Copy:

Amazon 💀 Barnes and Noble 💀 Kobo 💀 iBooks 💀 Google Play  💀 Book Depository  💀 Signed Copy 💀 Add to Goodreads 

About the Author:

Sarah Glenn Marsh writes young adult novels and children’s picture books. An avid fantasy reader from the day her dad handed her a copy of The Hobbit and promised it would change her life, she’s been making up words and worlds ever since.

When she’s not writing, Sarah enjoys watercolor painting, ghost hunting, and pursuits of the nerd variety, from video games to tabletop adventures. She’s never met an animal or a doughnut she didn’t like.

Sarah lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and their tiny zoo of four rescued greyhounds, three birds, and many fish. She is the author of Fear the Drowning Deep, the Reign of the Fallen duology, and several picture books.