Feeling Fictional

Monday, 10 October 2016

Review: Texts From Your Ex - Unspirational

We've all drunk-texted an ex, but these painfully funny posts from the massively popular Instagram account "Texts From Your Ex" take things to extremes as they plead, rant, insult and just downright confuse their intended targets.

From those with zero shame ("Let's take a bubble bath together?!"), to the chancers ("U wanna go to Mexico with me?" "No" "What about New Mexico?") and the deluded ("I'm moving to England and I'd like you to come with me"), and some of the best put downs you wish you'd thought of ("Not today, Satan"), you will simultaneously cringe and cry with laughter at these hilarious exchanges between exes.

Visit @textsfromyourex on Instagram for more information

Review:
I have a whole shelf of these kind of humorous books, they're something that I love to dip in and out of when I'm having a bad day or just need a pick me up. Anyway, when I saw Texts From Your Ex pop up on my Amazon Vine list I requested it immediately, after all I'm sure we've all sent drunk texts that we've regretted the day after at some point in our lives, if not we're pretty much guaranteed to have received them from someone else.

I was expecting to laugh the whole way through this but I should have read a few of the reviews first because it really wasn't worth the effort of reading. There were only a few messages that made me laugh in the whole book and the rest were just incredibly depressing. Most of the messages don't even make any sense and the rest are of exes being petty and often downright mean towards each other. I find it pretty sad that we live in a world where people are actually willing to say such nasty things to people they used to care about and the only good thing I really have to say about the book was that it's a quick read so at least it didn't waste too much of my time.

If you're considering buying Texts From Your Ex then you might want to check out @textsfromyourex on Instagram as that will give you a good idea what to expect. To be honest you'd probably be better off saving your money and just spending an hour or two browsing the Instagram page, the book doesn't offer anything extra to make it worth actually paying for.

Here are a couple of the pages that I did find amusing but I'm not willing to post the more offensive ones so can't show you what the majority of the book is like.

Source: Received from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: The Path of Daggers - Robert Jordan

Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, has conquered the city of Illian, struck down Sammael the Forsaken and shattered the armies of the invading Seanchan. Nynaeve, Aviendha and Elayne have broken the Dark One's hold on the world's weather and are poised to retake the throne of Andor. And Egwene al'Vere, leader of the exiled Aes Sedai, marches her army towards the White Tower.

But Rand and the Asha'man that follow him are slowly being corrupted by the madness that comes to the male wielders of the One Power. If they cannot remove the Dark One's taint from the True Source then none will survive to fight the Last Battle against the Shadow.

And as Rand struggles to maintain his sanity the Seanchan launch their counter-strike.

Wheel of Time Series:
New Spring (Prequel Story but it's recommended to read after Crossroads of Twilight)
The Eye of the World
The Great Hunt
The Dragon Reborn
The Shadow Rising
The Fires of Heaven
Lord of Chaos
A Crown of Swords
The Path of Daggers
Winter's Heart
Crossroads of Twilight
Knife of Dreams
The Gathering Storm
Towers of Midnight
A Memory of Light

Visit the Wheel of Time series website for more information

Review:
I delayed starting The Path of Daggers for 2 months because I was so angry about Tylin's actions in A Crown of Swords. I actually came pretty close to quitting this series for good but I've already read 7 books (close to 6,000 pages!) so I'm not about to let one character ruin it for me, especially when friends told me that character is completely absent from this book. So I finally dove back into this world and I'm really glad I did. I actually think the short break did me good because all the other little things that had started to really irritate me before didn't bother me at half as much in The Path of Daggers. I was just so pleased to be back in this world that I enjoyed every minute of it.

I can see why a lot of people say this is their least favourite book in the series though, the Aes Sedai in particular are up to their old tricks in this book and there are now so many different groups of them that I'm having trouble keeping track of who everyone is. Not only do you have the group in Tar Valon and the "rebels" that are now led by Egwene but each of those groups is split into multiple factions and they're all doing their own thing while trying to achieve different goals. There are emissaries for each group trying to get Rand to do their bidding and I've honestly lost track over who they all represent. All I do know is that I don't trust any Aes Sedai (with the possible exception of Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne) as far as I could throw them. Considering they are some of the most powerful and well respected characters in the series and as a group they're supposed to be the ones that even Kings and Queens turn to for advice they're a surprisingly stupid bunch. Not one of them will listen to reason and they spend 99% of the time arguing amongst themselves trying decide who should be in charge. Honestly I think someone needs to bash all their heads together and I'm really hoping that now Nynaeve has started to come to her senses she might show us all why she was named village Wisdom at such a young age.

So the Aes Sedai as a whole irritate me but I'm happy that Nynaeve and Egwene finally seem to be able to have a civil conversation without it almost coming to blows. In the last few books they have been really getting on my nerves, particularly Nynaeve because I loved her so much in the beginning, but they're starting to mature a little now and it's about time too. I'm also glad that Nynaeve and Lan are back together at last because hopefully now she's less heartsick she'll actually be able to put her brain to other tasks again. Elayne has her moments but I don't love her as much as the other two, I think I'm just a bit sick of her moping around daydreaming about Rand. To be honest I'm just bored of the weird love square Rand has going on with Elayne, Aviendha and Min, all three of the girls act like idiots every time they think about him and at this point I really don't care who he ends up with or how they resolve things. Aviendha is probably my favourite of the three but she didn't have much of a role in this book and was just hanging around in the background.

I'm glad we got to see more of Perrin and the way his story ended definitely left me desperate for more but Rand was the star of the show in this book. He's got a lot on his plate right now and the reappearance of the Seanchan was the cherry on top of the cake. I really hate that group and can't wait to see them wiped off the face of the planet! I think what I was most disappointed with was the complete absence of Mat in this story, especially after the way things ended for him in the previous book. I guess the bonus of not seeing Mat was that I didn't have to put up with Tylin but I really do want to know what is going on with him.

This wasn't a perfect book but it was a million times better than the last one and it's reignited my love for this series which is something I'm definitely thankful for. I'm now excited to get started on Winter's Heart and looking forward to seeing where Rand's adventure takes us next.

Source: Purchased

Other reviews of this book:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Saturday, 8 October 2016

Review: Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening - Marjorie M. Liu & Sana Takeda

Set in an alternate world of art deco beauty and steampunk horror, MONSTRESS tells the epic story of Maika Halfwolf, a teenage survivors of a cataclysmic war between humans and their hated enemies, the Arcanics. In the face of oppression and terrible danger, Maika is both hunter and hunted, searching for answers about her mysterious past as those who seek to use her remain just one step behind...and all the while, the monster within begins to awaken...

Collects MONSTRESS #1-6

Monstress Series:
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening
Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood
Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven

Visit Marjorie M Liu's website or Sana Takeda's website for more information

Review:
Monstress is a dark fantasy comic with a steampunk feel to it and the artwork is absolutely stunning. There are pages I could happily stare at all day long and this is definitely a book I'd be happy to reread because you spot new things every time you look at it.

Maika is a young girl caught in the crossfire of the ongoing war between humans and Arcanics. The Arcanics are a race with access to magic, some who can pass for human and others who look more like animals or are a cross between the two. Humans seem to be jealous and scared of the Arcanics so they set out to do what humans do best and destroy their perceived enemies. Maika is an Arcanic who looks human, she is missing an arm and has been branded with a magical marking but she plans to use her looks to infiltrate her enemy and get her revenge. There are a third group involved in the war, the Cumaea, who are allied with the humans but have magical abilities and they have been using the war as an excuse to carry out all kinds of experiments on the Arcanics. Maika ends up captured by the Cumaea but what originally looks like a trap may well have been her goal all along when she turns the situation to her advantage.

I don't want to say too much more about the plot but there is a lot going on in this graphic novel. It has a dark tone and there are some serious issues entwined throughout the story but it's an interesting world and I can't wait to see where Maika's journey takes her. I'm not going to say this was perfect, there were times when I found myself confused and wishing for more world building and then there were others where important details were given in a bit of an info dump that could be overwhelming. I actually read the book a second time and found myself catching lots little things I'd missed the first time around which made it much easier to follow.

In spite of my issues I still found it very easy to become invested in Maika's story and I particularly fell in love with young Kippa, a fox-girl Maika rescues along the way. The artwork is nothing short of beautiful and I have high hopes for the story now that I'm more familiar with the world and have started to get to grips with exactly what is going on. I'm definitely going to be purchasing the second volume when it releases.

I'll leave you with a few images of some of the characters so you'll be able to get a feel for the artwork:

Maika with her friend Tuya

Maika with the adorable young fox-girl Kippa

Who doesn't love a story with talking, multi-tailed cats?

Sophia, a member of the Cumaea

Source: Received from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Wednesday, 5 October 2016

New Cover Reveal: Pushing the Boundaries Series by Amanda Abbott (With Giveaway)

I'm a huge fan of Amanda Abbott's super hot Pushing the Boundaries series so I'm excited to be taking part in the reveal of the snazzy new covers for the first three books.

WHAT CAROLINE WANTS

Book One in the Pushing the Boundaries series

**THIS BOOK IS CURRENTLY FREE ACROSS ALL RETAILERS!**

Read my review here

Caroline and Jason Stratton have always been hot for each other. Married right out of college, they’ve had a great sex life. But when they discover that their best friends and neighbors, Piper and Michael Collins, have experimented with a few extracurricular adventures during their ten year marriage, Caroline and Jace’s sexual world is rocked.

The Strattons quickly find that inviting others into their bedroom might be something they want to explore. But getting Caroline to reconcile her Southern guilt is another matter altogether. So they decide to take it deliciously slow, exploring every avenue.

Their adventures lead them to Emma and Pete, and after a fun, sexy dinner date out, and an incredibly hot car ride home, they’re in. But once they decide to scale that mountain, all bets are off. In the end, Caroline must make a decision—and it’s one she’ll have to live with forever.

*This book is ridiculously sexy, filled with high-octane moments between the couple as they figure out what makes them tick. The book contains: explicit sex, voyeurism, and light couple swap. **There is no cheating, everything is consensual between all participants.

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://goo.gl/VTKjQh
Nook: http://goo.gl/qTsjgA
Kobo: https://goo.gl/C22OnH
iBooks: https://goo.gl/qADmwr

WHAT PIPER NEEDS

Book Two in the Pushing the Boundaries series

Read my review here

Piper and Michael Collins have it all. They’re in love, both have successful jobs, live in a nice neighborhood, and have a great sex life—that is, up until recently. Over the past six months everything has started to drag. Even though they’ve led an “extracurricular” lifestyle for a long time, things have gotten boring.

Piper decides to liven up her marriage in a big way, which she does with a little encouragement from her pal Caroline at their weekly STD happy hours. She jumps in and sparks between she and Michael fly. First with hot selfies, office sex, and later with some much needed risk-taking.

From there, Piper and Michael make a Top Ten Sex List and start ticking off their wildest fantasies. Piper becomes fearless--the things that made her panic in the past no longer holding her back--but when they both arrive at Michael's number ten, is Piper really ready?

*This book is super steamy hot, filled with out-of-the-box moments. The book contains: explicit sex, hardcore toys, and group sex.

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://goo.gl/EekAa8
Nook: http://goo.gl/trBzOu
iBooks: https://goo.gl/IoBuHm
Kobo: https://goo.gl/OnykhR

WHAT EMMA CRAVES

Book Three in the Pushing the Boundaries series

Read my review here

It took a lot for Pete Slater to convince his wife, Emma, to move to the suburbs. But once she arrived, she found it had a deliciously steamy underbelly. Her neighborhood is filled with hook-ups, affairs, and scandal. It's better than any reality TV show.

But Emma isn’t satisfied anymore. After watching her friends Piper and Michael Collins become adventurous in their marriage again, it's made Emma realize that's what she wants in her own life. She craves to be noticed again. In order to try and find what’s missing, she and Pete decide to book a vacation.

Their destination is a super exclusive resort situated on a tiny island where anything and everything can happen. When they meet a young couple at the airport, who end up in the suite next to theirs, things go from fun to incredibly steamy fast. Emma drives Pete crazy flirting, and it pays off. For the first time in their marriage her husband is jealous of another man. What Pete does to win her back turns out to be exactly what Emma craves.

*This book is off the charts hot. It contains: explicit sex, group sex, and voyeurism.

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://goo.gl/Xfu305
Nook: http://goo.gl/Ps1rgR
iBooks: https://goo.gl/bWUn4a
Kobo: https://goo.gl/a8G43Y

Giveaway Details:

To celebrate the new covers Amanda Abbott is offering one lucky winner an ebook of their choice from the Pushing the Boundaries series. You can enter via the rafflecoper form below, the giveaway ends on the 12th of October and the winner will be contacted soon afterwards by Amanda Abbott or her assistant so they can send out the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, 4 October 2016

Cover Reveal: Roar - Cora Carmack

I'm a huge fan of Cora Carmack's Losing It series, it's full of great characters, hot romances and light hearted humour and it's definitely one I recommend to people regularly. Anyone who knows me knows that contemporary romance isn't my go to genre though, give me a well written fantasy and I'm in heaven so the minute I heard that Cora Carmack was writing one it went straight to the top of my wish list. That was before I even knew anything about it but the beautiful cover has just made me want it even more.

Isn't it gorgeous?!! And just check out this blurb:

In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies with those who control them.

Aurora Pavan comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world’s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora’s been groomed to be the perfect queen. She’s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she’s yet to show any trace of the magic she’ll need to protect her people.

To keep her secret and save her crown, Aurora’s mother arranges for her to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom. At first, the prince seems like the perfect solution to all her problems. He’ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. But the more secrets Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. When she dons a disguise and sneaks out of the palace one night to spy on him, she stumbles upon a black market dealing in the very thing she lacks—storm magic. And the people selling it? They’re not Stormlings. They’re storm hunters.

Legend says that her ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. And when a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there’s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage.

She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she’s brave enough.

Challenge a tempest. Survive it. And you become its master.

Now you REALLY want it, right? If you're not quite convinced let's just take a closer look at the stunning cover art:

I don't even have the words for how stunning that is! I need this book in hardback, in fact I need a giant poster just of this artwork to put up on my wall somewhere so I can spend all day staring at it.

I'm just going to leave you with a teaser for the book to whet your appetite even more

Who else is looking forward to this book as much as I am? I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!

Monday, 3 October 2016

Review: Saga Volume 2 - Brian K Vaughan & Fiona Staples

From award-winning writer BRIAN K. VAUGHAN (Pride of Baghdad, Ex Machina) and critically acclaimed artist FIONA STAPLES (Mystery Society, Done to Death), SAGA is sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the universe. Thanks to her star-crossed parents Marko and Alana, newborn baby Hazel has already survived lethal assassins, rampaging armies, and horrific monsters, but in the cold vastness of outer space, the little girl encounters her strangest adventure yet... grandparents.

Saga Series:
Saga Volume 1
Saga Volume 2
Saga Volume 3
Saga Volume 4
Saga Volume 5
Saga Volume 6
Saga Volume 7
Saga Volume 8
Saga Volume 9

Visit Brian K Vaughan's website or Fiona Staples' website for more information

Review:
Picking up immediately after Volume 1 left off Volume 2 finds Marco and Alana still on the run with their baby daughter Hazel trying to avoid the assassins that have been chasing them. Of course Marco's parents have just turned up and they're not exactly happy to discover he's now married to one of their enemies so things are about to get really complicated for the little family.

This was a great follow up to the first Saga book, the story continues to be narrated by baby Hazel and I love her witty comments about her parents and the things that happen to them. We get a chance here to meet Marco as a child, to see first hand the beginning of the romance between Marco and Alana, The Will and Lying Cat launch a rescue attempt, Marco's angry and scorned ex is on the warpath and there's a very ugly and pretty terrifying naked giant with an incredibly large ball sac that I think I'm going to be seeing in my nightmares for years to come.

The artwork is just as stunning as I expected, the characters are becoming more and more interesting as we get to know them, there is plenty of humour along with lots of blood and gore and I can't wait to see where the series goes next.

A couple of my favourite scenes:

Marco and Alana's first meeting

...and their first kiss

Meeting the in-laws

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

September 2016 Recap

Books read in previous months but reviewed in September:

(Links will take you to my reviews)

The Wrath and the Dawn - Renee Ahdieh (Read in June, review coming soon)
Stripped Bear - Kate Baxter (Novella) (Read in June, review coming soon)
Dead Witch Walking - Kim Harrison (Read in June, review coming soon)
Blood Shadows - Lindsay J. Pryor (Read in June, review coming soon)
Seven Up - Janet Evanovich (Read in June, review coming soon)
Desiring Red - Kristen Miller (Novella / Serialised Novel) (Read in July, review coming soon)
The Emperor's Arrow - Lauren D.M. Smith (Read in July, review coming soon)
Immortal in Death - J.D. Robb (Read in July, review coming soon)
Who's Afraid - Maria Lewis (Read in July, review coming soon)
Monstress, Vol 1: Awakening - Marjorie M. Liu & Sana Takeda (Graphic Novel) (Read in July, review coming soon)
Nevernight - Jay Kristoff (Read in July, review coming soon)
Magic Binds - Ilona Andrews (Read in July, reviewed in September)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne (Read in August, reviewed in September)
Angel Dares - Joss Stirling (Read in August, reviewed in September)
A Crown of Swords - Robert Jordan (Read in August, reviewed in September)
Haunted by the King of Death - Felicity Heaton (Read in August, reviewed in September)
False Hearts - Laura Lam (Read in August, review coming soon)
Rock Wedding - Nalini Singh (Read in August, review coming soon)
Archangel's Heart - Nalini Singh (Read in August, review coming soon)
The Sight - Chloe Neill (Read in August, review coming soon)
Front Lines - Michael Grant (Read in August, review coming soon)
Day Zero - Kresley Cole (Read in August, review coming soon)
Witches' Bane - Pippa DaCosta (Read in August, reviewed in September)
Barbarian Alien - Ruby Dixon (Read in August, review coming soon)

Books read in September:

(Links will take you to my reviews)

Barefoot on the Wind - Zoe Marriott
Wild Embrace - Nalini Singh (review coming soon)
Porn Star - Zara Cox (review coming soon)
A Promise of Fire - Amanda Bouchet (review coming soon)
Archangel's Kiss - Nalini Singh (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
The McCullagh Inn in Maine - Jennifer McLaughlin (review coming soon)
Traditional Family Cakes - Parragon Books
The BFG - Roald Dahl
Silver-Tongued Devil - Jaye Wells (review coming soon)
Archangel's Consort - Nalini Singh (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
Angels' Flight - Nalini Singh (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
The Flame Never Dies - Rachel Vincent (review coming soon)
Revenger - Alastair Reynolds (review coming soon)
Freed - Amanda Carlson
Labyrinth Lost - Zoraida Cordova (review coming soon)
Let's Pretend this Never Happened - Jenny Lawson (review coming soon)
Saga Volume 2 - Brian K Vaughan & Fiona Staples (review coming soon)
Challenging Zed - Joss Stirling (Free Short Story)
Dominating Red - Kristen Miller (Novella / Serialised Novel) (review coming soon)
Burning Yves - Joss Stirling (Free Short Story)