Book Review | Shadowscent

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Shadowscent

Author: P.M. Freestone

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 362

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy

In the empire of Aramtesh, scent has power.

When disaster strikes and the crown prince lies poisoned, long suppressed rivalries threaten to blow the empire apart. It’s up to a poor village girl with a talent for fragrances and the prince’s loyal bodyguard to find an antidote.

To succeed, the pair must uncover secrets – cryptic, ancient tales as well as buried truths from their own pasts – in an adventure that will ignite your senses.

Scent has power, especially for someone who can recognize the most subtle of scents. Shadowscent is a story of adventure in the empire of Aramtesh. It starts with a girl, Rakel who can recognize scents and concoct the right medicines to help with healing. Ash, is the crown prince’s bodyguard who hides a secret. When the Prince is poisoned, Rakel and Ash have to find the cure for the prince before it’s too late.

I enjoyed the world building of Aramtesh and learning of the royal family. There is a secret brotherhood, Rangers, and the Order of Asmudtag at play. For the most part they were all fascinating. Also Prince Nisai and his friend were always needing out about history and in that sense we get to learn about their empire a little more.
There is a lot of action in the second half of the book when Ash and Rakel are on the quest to figure out a riddle and help bring a cure back to the poisoned Prince.

Though I was interested in Rakel and her talent with scents, the first half of the story failed to really capture my attention. It was a little slow moving so I slugged through this book and skimmed a bunch of it.
I wish there was more urgency or a feeling of danger in this book, but it wasn’t coming through for me. Yes the Prince is poisoned and they need an antidote for him, but nothing about it felt like urgent or maybe because by then I wasn’t invested into the story?
I couldn’t connect to the characters. Rakel was my favorite but I think her voice was a bit lost every time Ash came into the picture.
Triggers: death, poison

This book was an okay read for me. It started off too slow for me. I think for a story with so many elements of secret orders I was expecting more danger or something to keep me on edge, and I got nothing in that department. But I still think there are many who will still enjoy this book because it does have adventure especially in the second half of the story.

Top Ten Tuesday | 4/7/2020

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!

This week’s topic is:

Books I Bought/Borrowed Because…

(Fill in the blank. You can do 10 books you bought for the same reason, i.e., pretty cover, recommended by a friend, blurbed by a favorite authors, etc. OR you could do a different reason for each pick.)

Borrowed: It’s crazy times with depressing news all around because of the coronavirus and so I needed something cute. This did the job!

Borrowed: Again, was going for the romance books because of this anxious time …this one was interesting and review coming soon!

Borrowed (on hold): Because I didn’t know I had to read this before The Bride Test! lol…oh well.

Borrowed (on hold): because it’s a new release…I’m a bit wary about the whole Mozart story thing but I’m also curious.

Borrowed (on hold): looks intriguing

Borrowed (on hold): it’s a popular new release and the cover looks so cool

Borrowed (on hold): love the cover and I’ve read another book by Emma Mills and enjoyed it

Borrowed (on hold): I’ve read the other two books in the series and want to see how it ends.

Borrowed: Saw this available on my online library and remember seeing it on NetGalley but I never requested it.

Borrowed (on hold): another hyped new release so I want to see if it’s good

Book Review | Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels, #6)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels, #6)

Author: Lisa Kleypas

Format: eBook (owned)

Pages: 384

Categories: Historical Romance

Everything has a price…

Railway magnate Tom Severin is wealthy and powerful enough to satisfy any desire as soon as it arises. Anything—or anyone—is his for the asking. It should be simple to find the perfect wife—and from his first glimpse of Lady Cassandra Ravenel, he’s determined to have her. But the beautiful and quick-witted Cassandra is equally determined to marry for love—the one thing he can’t give.

Everything except her…

Severin is the most compelling and attractive man Cassandra has ever met, even if his heart is frozen. But she has no interest in living in the fast-paced world of a ruthless man who always plays to win.

When a newfound enemy nearly destroys Cassandra’s reputation, Severin seizes the opportunity he’s been waiting for. As always, he gets what he wants—or does he? There’s one lesson Tom Severin has yet to learn from his new bride:

Never underestimate a Ravenel.

The chase for Cassandra’s hand may be over. But the chase for her heart has only just begun…

Lisa Kleypas for me is one of my auto-buy author. Her books just does it for me when I need to escape and bask in a happily ever after.

Cassandra is the last Ravenel who needs to find her happily ever after and the man to offer it to her is a self-made man named Tom Severin. The two of them are total opposites though – he’s very pragmatic and intelligent. Cassandra is friendly, social and loves to read fiction novels.

Tom wants her because he’s bored with everything else but Cassandra wants more than just to be chased. She wants a happily ever after with a man who is different than the rest.

It’s a Lisa Kleypas book so it’s an automatic like from me! I don’t read many historical romance books anymore, but she’s a must read for me. I read it in one sitting.
Tom is not the usual alpha male type love interest. He’s a shrewd businessman but he’s also more comfortable with rules and how things work because he is an engineer! I think it’s funny how he didn’t understand fictional novels and the point of them! 😅 Tom had a rough childhood and though at times I thought he was oh so cold especially with Bazzle – I understood why. Personally I liked his style in the bedroom because he was so attentive and careful with Cassandra and that was so sweet.
Their romance is a slow burn. Tom wants to possess her like he can buy everything else, and he doesn’t do “love”. His claims heart is frozen but Cassandra is a flame and his undoing.
It gave me all the warm feelings I want in a romance book and it’s much needed during these stressful times.

Cassandra doesn’t stand out very much in personality but she’s the last Ravenel. She’s gorgeous, golden, sweet and warm. All she wants is a nice husband and to have her own family. She’s endowed with a voluptuous body and has to deal with how people perceive her because of her looks. With Tom, she’s patient.
I think I would have liked to learn or meet Tom’s family. But I wonder because they were mentioned and Lisa Kleypas does so good at writing romance series covering a whole family…will Tom’s family get their own series? Because I’d read it all.
I can’t say Tom chases Cassandra, like the title implies…he actually pushes her away! But in the end he can’t help himself and just has to be with her.
Trigger: sexual assault

Cassandra thawed Tom’s frozen heart and I loved watching it happen. There was no enemies to lovers tension between them, but there is friendship and attraction. I love how Cassandra would suggests books for him to read and he’d come back with a one sentence assessment of a book. He’s so straight-forward, but there is hope for him with Cassandra by his side haha. This story left me with warm happy feelings at the end and that’s exactly what I needed. Overall, I enjoyed this last edition to the Ravenel series very much.

Monthly Wrap Up | March 2020

I almost forgot to do a monthly wrap up for March! I want to forget about March altogether. It’s been the most anxiety filled, stressful month ever and April might be worse. All the news about the coronavirus is messing with my ability to concentrate on a book. I have so many books piling up on my nightstand, they do not hold my interest right now. 😞 It’s frustrating but I’m trying not to force anything. If I don’t want to read it, I put it aside and pick up another. I have a lot of books haha – maybe I need a book cleanse and not read for a good week. What will keep me occupied? Probably the new Animal Crossing game on the Nintendo Switch that I’ve been playing ~ plus home schooling my son takes up more than half the day.

Another thing I forgot because of everything going on? My one year anniversary for my blog! Yup, my first post was on March 13, 2019!! Oh how time flew by and how much has changed in one year exactly. I was bored and starting a blog last year, and today I’m worrying about my loved ones, friends, strangers – everyone in the world and pray, pray, pray for a vaccine or anti-viral to help with this deadly virus.

But thank you so much to my followers who stuck through with me as I find my way in this book review blogging world. It’s been fun meeting so many bloggers and book lovers out there. I’m grateful to all of you!

Anyway let’s see what I read in March 2020:

The next titles I had read months ago but reviews were posted in March 2020:

I think I did pretty good and read more than I expected. Let’s see if how I do in April. At least I can somewhat escape the news of the day with a book, even if I don’t finish it – I just keep trying to find one that will take my mind off current events for awhile. Stay safe everyone and stay healthy. Positive vibes to you all!

First Impression Friday | 4/1/20

First Impression Friday is hosted by J.W. Martin.

It’s where you give the first impression of the book you are currently reading, no matter how far along you are in the book, even if it’s just a few pages. Then you are going to try and predict how you will feel about the book once you are done.

I have so many books to go through from my Bookoutlet haul back in December. You know December when it was Christmas, it was good times, good vibes, and now here we are…April 2020 and reading isn’t taking away my anxiety from all things happening right now in the world, with the coronavirus. So I’ve picked up many books…only to put them down or skim them because I am not in the mood. So what about this one?

My First Impression:

Premise sounds fine, college girl wants to broaden her horizons and try her hand at having a better college experience? Okay, I’m here for it.
The cover is okay, nothing about it really catches my eye.
I hope this one is good but reviews on Goodreads is either love or hate…uh oh. We shall see if it keeps my attention. I need something to take me away from the madness of the world.

Have you read this book? Did you like it or not?

Top Ten Tuesday | 3/31/20

This week’s topic is:

Ten Signs You’re a Book Lover

(basically, people know you’re a book lover because… i.e., you’re always carrying a book or two, your library card broke from overuse, etc.)

Bookshelves at max capacity.

And I don’t have a huge bookshelf, but lately my collection has been spilling over into my daughter’s bookshelf. I need more.

2. Needing more bookshelves. (see number 1 😅)

3. When I can’t wait for the hardcopy, I resort to buying the eBook. And if you are like me and a hardcopy book you buy is 700 pages and heavy to hold for hours, you buy both copies if it’s an awesome read. 😆

4. I have a library card for the physical library and online library on Overdrive.

5. I started a book blog so I could join NetGalley! Thank you so much to all of you for following my blog. I appreciate it!

6. I have a bookstagram account and post book photos. I also love seeing book photos from everyone I follow on there. Follow me @ylmpastmidnight.

7. I also have a twitter account and follow book publishers and authors to try and win arcs and giveaways. I’ve won only one so far.

8. I have a Goodreads account but I mostly used it in the past just to track what I read. Now I post reviews on it.

9. My TBR list seems never ending. 😩

10. During this social distancing phase in our lives and lockdowns or shutdowns…people are borrowing books from me! Also, even when they borrow books, I still have so much on my shelves I haven’t read yet AND I still want to buy more. Book addict problems!

What about you fellow book lovers? Leave me a link to your TTT below or leave me a comment!

ARC Review | The Lost Orphan

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Lost Orphan

Author: Stacey Halls

Format: ebook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: April 7, 2020

Categories: Historical Fiction, Motherhood

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

A mother’s love knows no bounds…

London, 1754. Six years after leaving her newborn, Clara, at London’s Foundling Hospital, young Bess Bright returns to reclaim the illegitimate daughter she has never really known. Dreading the worst—that Clara has died in care—the last thing she expects to hear is that her daughter has already been reclaimed. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl—and why.

Less than a mile from Bess’s lodgings in a quiet town house, a wealthy widow barely ventures outside. When her close friend—an ambitious doctor at the Foundling Hospital—persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her young daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her—and will soon tear her carefully constructed world apart.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of Georgian London, The Lost Orphan explores families and secrets, class and power, and how the pull of motherhood cuts across them all.

Thank you to MIRA and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

This is not a title I would have requested on my own but I was sent a link to it by the publisher’s rep and I’m so glad I decided to read it.

Bess Bright is a girl who has a hard life selling shrimp in London. It’s a tough life she leads in one of London’s poor communities and she finds herself pregnant. There is no question about giving up the child to the London’s Foundling Hospital but she has plans of coming back for her baby girl when she has made enough money to get her back.

When she does earn money, it’s not enough and not only that her daughter is missing. Will Bess be able to find her daughter again?

The writing is so descriptive that I felt myself transported to 1754, London. Life for Bess is hard and she hawks cooked shrimp with her dad, Abe. Just the description of how the shrimp are cooked and the hot water dripping down Bess’s neck introduced me to Bess’s hardships in life. London is hard for those with no means and power. But everything about the book was well written and I could imagine life for Bess and Alexandra in London.
The author included diversity in this book which was wonderful. Bess’s best friend is Keziah, a free black woman in London. We get a very small glimpse of her life as well.
The alternating points of view between Bess and Alexandra paints a distinct portrait of two women, two different stations in life, tied together by a child. I loved how we get to know each woman, none of them perfect by any means, each having to live out some trauma in their life.
It’s a happy ending, thank goodness. I was a bit emotional by the end of this book. I was happy for everyone!

It has a happy ending and I loved it but I wondered how realistic that would be? It did involve child kidnapping on both sides. But I guess that’s why it’s fiction!
At times I would questions both Alexandra and Bess – they both wanted the best for Charlotte, but it made me wonder which situation kept the child safer. We saw both sides but in the end it worked out. As much as Alexandra’s wealth provided a well cared for life for Charlotte, that child was a prisoner! And yet if she lived with Bess, poverty could imprison Charlotte in a way as well. 😞
Triggers: abuse, kidnapping

This was a very enjoyable book and a quick read at that. Every time I read historical fiction, it reminds me I should read more of it! I was very drawn to both Alexandra and Bess, their different lives and how they both laid claims to Charlotte. In the end, Charlotte chose who she wanted to live with and thank goodness it was a happy ending, which made me want to shed a tear. If you like historical fiction, you may enjoy this one!

Book Review | Always Never Yours

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Always Never Yours

Authors: Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

Format: Hardcover (owned)

Pages: 336

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Shakespeare

**Shouldn’t a girl get to star in her own love story?**

Seventeen-year-old Megan Harper is about due for her next sweeping romance. It’s inevitable—each of her relationships starts with the perfect guy and ends with him falling in love . . . with someone else. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, Megan focuses on pursuing her next fling, directing theater, and fulfilling her dream college’s acting requirement in the smallest role possible.

So when she’s cast as Juliet (yes, *that* Juliet) in her high school’s production, it’s a complete nightmare. Megan’s not an actress, and she’s used to being upstaged—both in and out of the theater. In fact, with her mom off in Texas and her dad remarried and on to baby #2 with his new wife, Megan worries that, just like her exes, her family is moving on without her.

Then she meets Owen Okita, an aspiring playwright inspired by Rosaline from Shakespeare’s *R+J*. A character who, like Megan, knows a thing or two about short-lived relationships. Megan agrees to help Owen with his play in exchange for help catching the eye of a sexy stagehand/potential new boyfriend. Yet Megan finds herself growing closer to Owen, and wonders if he could be the Romeo she never expected.

In their fresh and funny debut, Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-Broka break down the high school drama to find there’s always room for familial love, romantic love, and—most importantly—self-love.

I read the book, If I’m Being Honest by this author duo last year and really loved it. Always Never Yours was their first book, and it looks like these authors really love Shakespeare!

Megan Harper is a girl with a bright and brash personality, boys and girls are intimidated by her flirting prowess but underneath it all, she’s just a girl going through family issues and dying to get into the school of her choice and make her dream of being a director a reality.

She has a big role as Juliet in the Romeo & Juliet school play, but in reality she’s more of a Rosaline.

The cover – I love it. It makes me think of spring and it makes me happy!
Megan is not the typical MC geeky girl who catches the popular guy’s eye and she in turn becomes popular. Nope, Megan is popular because has a reputation as a flirt, she’s smart, very confident, friendly, and has a dating past. She’s the girl who likes to hook-up, so way for being sex positive in this book. Megan is complicated thought because she’s hiding many insecurities too. She may date a lot of guys but she never ends up a long-term girlfriend. Kind of like the whole saying always a bridesmaid and never the bride.
This author duo really know their Shakespeare and do an awesome job incorporating into a modern day story. Also I enjoyed the diversity in the book with the different characters and even a queer budding romance and the challenges that occur with someone who isn’t out yet.
It’s a friend to lovers romance, but I like that it went slow with Owen Okita. I love how shy, quiet and thoughtful Owen was – opposite to Megan’s personality. They balance each other well. But he was for sure my favorite character in the book.
Megan’s blended family life took half of the spotlight in this book. She has divorced parents, her dad has remarried and her mom is dating. They are still co-parenting as best they can but it leaves Megan trying to figure what a normal relationship is or one where a guy won’t leave her.

There’s a lot of cheating going on in this book! I don’t remember much about Romeo & Juliet, it’s been awhile since I watched the movie with Leonardo diCaprio and Clare Danes 😍 but I guess I really forgot about Rosaline! So Megan represents Rosaline but yeah, Owen was right about Megan’s picks in guys, they were never guys who was going to stick around.
I was so irritated with some of the cheating and almost-cheating. Megan was cool with everyone and everything until the real truth came out. It was kind of nice to see her mad at somebody! But whatever, young love and hookups and what not. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Triggers: divorce, cheating

This story was okay, I did skip a skim a few pages because I wanted to mostly read the scenes with Megan and Owen in them. When they finally get together it’s very sweet. It’s a story about young adults, awkwardness, and trying to figure what relationships and like/love is all about. I look forward to reading their next book.

Book Review | The Unfairfolk (Valenbound, #1)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Unfairfolk (Valenbound, #1)

Author: Sara Wolf

Format: eBook (KU)

Pages: 446

Categories: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy

A promise made is a promise kept, until the very end of all death.

Sixteen year old Lilith Pierce’s mom is getting remarried. Which, sucks. To one of the richest men in Europe. Which, honestly? Sucks a little less.

Lilith’s warily stoked – after Dad disappeared, it’s been all tears and police visits and sleeping pills for Mom. So, yeah. She’ll suck it up for seven months and get shipped off to the ultra-luxe, ultra-selective Institut Le Silvere – a prestigious boarding school in the Swiss Alps – while they honeymoon. How hard can it really be? It’s not like she’s got maybe-permanent hypervigilance, or anything.

It’s not like the woods around the school are maybe-alive.

It’s not like she’s being stalked by a man with glowing red eyes.

It’s not like the neighboring village whispers that all the students are cursed.

It’s not like resident model Ciel Lautrec is the most beautiful boy she’s ever seen, or anything. Too beautiful to be human. So beautiful the hypervigilance shuts right up. It’s not like she can’t handle Silvere’s self-appointed, self-conceited lawkeeper slash bully Alistair Strickland. Because she can. She can handle it all.

She’s always handled it all. Because she’s Lilith-fucking-Pierce.

And the forest knows that best of all.

After bingeing both books from the Bring Me Their Hearts series, I went in search for more Sara Wolf books and found this one called The Unfairfolk. It sounded interesting and it was on Kindle Unlimited, so I downloaded it right away.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but it was a definitely a wild ride. We get a front row seat into Lilith’s thoughts, a she is a teenager with many, many thoughts – sometimes it’s maddening! She gets sent to a boarding school in Europe where dignitaries from all over the world, send their kids. The only connection to money she has, is her new step-father, so she doesn’t quite belong in this school.

Lilith does manage to make friends and an enemy as well. But school social hierarchies are not the only thing that poses a challenge to Lilith – there is something going on at the Institut de Silvere, something dark and sinister. Will Lilith uncover what is going on or will it be too late?

I love Sara Wolf’s snarky characters! And it’s the same in The Unfairfolk where Lilith is just full of comebacks and humor to shield herself. She is a complicated teen. She is fearful from something traumatizing that happened in the past but that doesn’t stop her from seeming tough on the outside. There is an array of interesting and diverse characters in this story – I look forward to learning more about them!
Most of the story takes place at the boarding school with hints of something sinister in the woods. There was a dark tone to this story and I tend to love stories that go there, but also it’s vague which was frustrating.
Lilith has a past and this book touches on some dark topics like domestic abuse and there is also a part about someone who is a cutter. It’s definite triggers, but also – I remember being a teenager and knowing people in my circle dealing with those problems…so it definitely brings up real feelings about this issues. I liked Lilith’s teenage voice, being a victim of abuse herself and witnessing it. I felt her fears when it came to people grabbing her out of the blue or just people touching her in general. That was eye-opening and a good reminder, some people don’t want to be hugged or touched for reasons we don’t know about.

Coming off reading Bring Me Their Hearts series, I did start comparing this to that and this story is way different and not what I was expecting. The Unfairfolk is urban fantasy…but the fantasy or magic is mostly hinted at in this volume. Nothing really happens until the very end where we are thrown into another world! It’s wild, and I was hoping we’d get there sooner in the story but most of the book is about Lilith and being at boarding school.
If you don’t want to be stuck in a teenager’s head who curses a lot and has crude humor then you might not enjoy this book. I don’t mind and thought a lot of it was funny as well. 🤷🏻‍♀️
What is up with the ending and cliffhanger! Ugh…just when we were being introduced to the Fair Folk of Valen! 😏
Triggers: abuse, cutting

Am I going to read the next book in the series, YES. Was I entertained? Yes. Were we in Lilith’s head a bit too much – maybe. Do I want to know what the heck Valen is and who we will meet there?….Heck yes. This story was funny, at times dark and mysterious. Strange? For sure, at times I wasn’t sure what I was reading but it definitely kept me intrigued. Solid first book for a young adult urban fantasy with lots of room to grow!

First Impression Friday | 3-27-20

How is everyone holding up so far? It’s raining today and supposedly for the rest of the week, so that will help everyone with social distancing and staying at home. I’ve pretty much been home except for going to the grocery store and this morning I had to pick up schoolwork for my son. It leaves a lot of time to read though and I’ve even let my sister borrow a bunch of books from my personal library! Yay 😍 – she hasn’t read in some time but I think this shutdown is directing people to activities they haven’t done in awhile like reading or crafting. Now we actually have the time and not rush.

First Impression Friday is hosted by J.W. Martin.

It is definitely a book I borrowed from the library mostly because the cover is so pretty. But the book blurb sounds intriguing too:

Across the Aramtesh Empire, scent is everything. Prayers only reach heaven on sacred incense, and perfumes are prized status symbols. 17-year-old Rakel has an uncanny ability with fragrances, but her skills aren’t enough to buy her dying father more time.

Ash bears the tattoos of an imperial bodyguard. When his prince, Nisai, insists on a diplomatic mission to an outer province, Ash is duty-bound to join the caravan. It’s a nightmare protecting Nisai on the road. But it’s even harder for Ash to conceal a secret that could see him exiled or executed.

Rakel and Ash have nothing in common until smoke draws them to a field of the Empire’s rarest flower. Nisai’s been poisoned, flames devour the priceless blooms, and the pair have “suspect” clinging to them like a bad stench. Their futures depend on them working together to decipher clues, defy dangers and defeat their own demons in a race to source an antidote . . . before the imperial army hunts them down.