Hello book lovers! I hope you’re having a great start to the week. I think some Quarantine restrictions are being relaxed soon, therefore I’m hoping this means that I’ll be able to visit my library soon. I rely so much on my libraries to read books every month. Today I wanted to highlight all the reasons I love (and miss) my library!
“A witch and a witch hunter bound in holy matrimony. There was only one way such a story could end—a stake and a match.”
Synopsis:
For her sixteenth birthday, Louise le Blanc’s mother gave her three things: a sacrificial altar, a ritual knife, and a wicked scar. Lou’s death would have ended the ancient war between the Church and witches, but Lou refuses to become a martyr. Forsaking her coven, she escapes to the gloomy city of Cesarine and hides her magic as a thief in the criminal underworld. But life in Cesarine has its own dangers. Huntsmen roam the city revered as holy men. Witches burn without trial. And the Archbishop, the Church’s austere patriarch, revels in violence.
As a huntsman, Reid Diggory lives by one verse: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. He’s devoted his entire life to eradicating the occult and making his surrogate father, the Archbishop, proud. Finally given the chance to capture a witch of his own, Reid is devastated when a foul-mouthed thief thwarts him—and doubly devastated when she too disappears. Hell-bent on bringing her to justice, Reid vows she won’t escape again. But when Lou tricks him into public scandal trying to avoid capture, the two are forced into an impossible situation—marriage.
Marriage to a huntsman could provide real protection from the witches—if Lou can convince Reid she isn’t one herself. The secret proves difficult to keep as Lou begins practicing magic in secret within the heart of the Church, determined to prepare for her mother’s inevitable return. As time passes, however, Lou discovers yet another danger lurking: her own growing feelings for her husband. But Reid is still dangerous. He’s just as likely to tie her to the stake as defend her if he learns her true identity. With enemies closing in—and more than her own life at stake—Lou must decide who she can trust before it’s too late…and she’s not the only one with a secret.
Serpent & Dove has stayed with me long after I finished reading it. I picked it up on a complete whim during tome topple, because the premise of a witch and a witch hunter being forced into holy matrimony sounded too good to pass up. Nothing makes me happier than an enemies to lover romance either. A good one at that. But to say Serpent & Dove was merely a ‘good’ enemies to lovers romance undermines all that is special about this debut.
Continue reading “BOOK REVIEW: SERPENT & DOVE BY SHELBY MAHURIN”
Happy November book lovers! November is an exciting month for the book community (I think Fall time generally is, as releases are more generous this time of year). I also think I have some hidden gems on this list — I definitely won’t be mentioning the books you might be expecting!
Everest is the most popular boy in school. He’s handsome, wealthy, and captain of the football team—he has the world at his fingertips, but he’s desperately unhappy. And when those feelings become too much to bear, he tries to take his own life.
On the surface, Beverly’s different from Everest in every possible way. She’s quiet, shy, hard working, and keeps to herself on campus, focusing on her schoolwork and her part-time job, distracting herself from her less-than-perfect upbringing.
When Everest returns to school after his attempt, he’s in more pain than ever. Discarded by his friends, he draws little empathy and too much attention from those who surround him. But when Beverly and Everest meet unexpectedly in a dusty corner of the old library, they discover together just how rich life can be when given the freedom to just be yourself.
This isn’t a hateful one star review, more so just a ‘this book really wasn’t for me’ one star kind of review. Netgalley really got me with that cover. And I really hate to say it, but the content inside didn’t feel reflective of the beautiful cover. I felt that Saving Everest had confusing characterizations, no real point of contention and was just juvenile in it’s execution.
Content Warnings in this review: mention of suicide
Spoiler Free Review
Title: Dance of Thieves
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Series or Standalone: Dance of Thieves, #1
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy
Publication Date: August 7th 2018
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Format: eBook
Source: Library
Star Rating: ★★★★☆
GOODREADS
Dance of Thieves is an entertaining new fantasy romance novel, in which a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty lock wits in a battle that may cost them their lives. Set in the same world as the Remnant Chronicles series, Dance of Thieves is the first book in Mary E. Pearson’s spin-off duology that takes place eight years after the end of the Remnant Chronicles trilogy.
When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty’s resentment and anger.
At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.
READING IS MY KIND OF THING 