Bea & Jax Review Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs

Series: Mercy Thompson #12
Read As A Stand Alone: Maybe, not recommended
Publisher: Ace
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 17th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  | iBooks* |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, faces a threat unlike any other in this thrilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

I am Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman.
My only “superpowers” are that I turn into a thirty-five pound coyote and fix Volkswagens. But I have friends in odd places and a pack of werewolves at my back. It looks like I’m going to need them.

Centuries ago, the fae dwelt in Underhill–until she locked her doors against them. They left behind their great castles and troves of magical artifacts. They abandoned their prisoners and their pets. Without the fae to mind them, those creatures who remained behind roamed freely through Underhill wreaking havoc. Only the deadliest survived.

Now one of those prisoners has escaped. It can look like anyone, any creature it chooses. But if it bites you, it controls you. It lives for chaos and destruction. It can make you do anything–even kill the person you love the most. Now it is here, in the Tri-Cities. In my territory.

It won’t, can’t, remain.

Not if I have anything to say about it.

Bea Reviews Matzah Ball Surprise by Laura Brown

Publisher: Entangled Lovestruck
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review
Release Date: March 16th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Apple Books* | Kobo
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

This Passover is starting to feel like the ten plagues might be coming back to haunt them before the weekend is over...one hilarious misstep after the next.

Gaby Fineberg just wants to get through Passover Seder without her “well meaning” family playing matchmaker. She needs a date, just for one simple meal—that includes singing, the history of her forefathers, and not one bit of yeast. The hot guy at her gym would be perfect. He probably hates bread, anyway, with a body like that. But when she finally works up the nerve to ask him...he doesn’t hear a word she said.

Levi Miller is deaf and happily single. Initially, he doesn’t know why this beautiful woman is talking to him, but it’s clear she needs help—and suddenly so does he. In a very complicated situation, Levi finds a simple solution. Gaby will pretend to be his new girlfriend to bail him out, and he’ll return the favor. But he didn’t bargain for a family dinner quite like this one.

Charity Sunday - Tomten Farm and Sanctuary

Welcome to my stop on the Charity Sunday blog hop. This is a monthly blog hop founded by author Lisabet Sarai at her blog, Beyond Romance. The idea is to support a charity, or non-profit. For each comment other than mine on this post, over the next 30 days, I will donate $2 per comment (excluding my own) for a total of $30 to a local organization, Tomten Farm and Sanctuary. 

Friday Memes: Not Broken: The Happily Ever After by Meka James

I'm participating in two Friday book memes, Book Beginnings On Fridays, hosted by Rose City Reader, and The Friday 56, hosted by Freda's Voice.

Every Friday, share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

For the Friday 56, grab a book, any book. Turn to Page 56, or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that's okay. Find a snippet, short and sweet. Post it, and add the url to your post at the link here.

Thrifty Thursday Review: Cat VS Cocker by Jody Wallace

Publisher: Meankitty Publishing
Source: author newsletter
Release Date: February 18th, 2020
Buying Links: Apple Books*  | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Story Origin  Perma-FREE at these links
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A very good story about a very bad cat. Originally in the Cocky Cockers anthology.

Raziel has everything a cat could want – her own house, her own human, and lots of tuna and cuddles. When her soft, wonderful human is seduced by a hairy, dog-scented male, Raziel does what any smart cat would do and resists the change, unwilling to give up her human’s attention and the best spot in the bed.

Her stealthy resistance comes to an abrupt halt, however, when the humans try to introduce a dog into the household, and Raziel is forced to escalate her resistance into a literal campaign of terror. Have the humans been brainwashed by canine tail wags and fawning obedience, or can Raziel save the day?

Tropes: This romance short story features pets as matchmakers, sort of, and “the other woman”, if that is indeed a trope.

This short story is not intended for children unless you like to read cuss words to children.

Bea Reviews I Have Strong Opinions by Laura Anne Gilman

Publisher: Faery Cat Press
Source: Purchased
Release Date: February 15th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books* | Kobo
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Wisdom may be in holding your opinions close, but there’s definite freedom in letting them fly. I HAVE STRONG OPINIONS is a collection of twenty-five no-holds-barred rants from award-winning author Laura Anne Gilman on the everyday frustrations and irritations of life in the 21st century, from Facebook to fireworks, sex ed to snow tires.

"So, go on the journey. Buckle up. Get ready for some salt. You’re in good hands. You’re in an expert’s hands" - from the Introduction by Chuck Wendig.

Bea Reviews Cross Her Heart by Melinda Leigh

Series: Bree Taggert #1
Read As A Standalone: Yes
Publisher: Montlake
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review
Release Date: March 17th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | B&N | Book Depository* | *affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A homicide detective’s violent family history repeats itself in #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh’s novel of murder, secrets, and retribution.

For more than twenty-five years, Philadelphia homicide detective Bree Taggert has tucked away the nightmarish childhood memories of her parents’ murder-suicide…Until her younger sister, Erin, is killed in a crime that echoes that tragic night: innocent witnesses and a stormy marriage that ended in gunfire. There’s just one chilling difference. Erin’s husband, Justin, has vanished.

Bree knows how explosive the line between love and hate can be, yet the evidence against her troubled brother-in-law isn’t adding up. Teaming up with Justin’s old friend, former sheriff’s investigator and K-9 handler Matt Flynn, Bree vows to uncover the secrets of her sister’s life and death, as she promised Erin’s children. But as her investigation unfolds, the danger hits close to home. Once again, Bree’s family is caught in a death grip. And this time, it could be fatal for her.

Friday Memes: I Have Strong Opinions by Laura Anne Gilman

I'm participating in two Friday book memes, Book Beginnings On Fridays, hosted by Rose City Reader, and The Friday 56, hosted by Freda's Voice.

Every Friday, share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

For the Friday 56, grab a book, any book. Turn to Page 56, or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that's okay. Find a snippet, short and sweet. Post it, and add the url to your post at the link here.