Review: The Assassin's Blade - Sarah J Maas

The twist of a knife, the birth of a legend . . .

Celaena Sardothien owes her reputation to Arobynn Hamel. He gave her a home at the Assassins' Guild and taught her the skills she needed to survive.

Arobynn's enemies stretch far and wide - from Adarlan's rooftops and its filthy dens, to remote islands and hostile deserts. Celaena is duty-bound to hunt them down. But behind her assignments lies a dark truth that will seal her fate - and cut her heart in two forever . . .

The prequels to the international bestseller Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass Series:
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (Novella)
The Assassin and the Healer (Novella)
The Assassin and the Desert (Novella)
The Assassin and the Underworld (Novella)
The Assassin and the Empire (Novella)
The Assassin's Blade (Anthology containing all 5 prequel novellas)
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight
Heir of Fire
Queen of Shadows

Visit Sarah J Maas' website for more information

Review:
I have already reviewed most of the Throne of Glass prequel novellas included in this anthology separately so I'm not going to discuss them individually in this review. Instead I'm going to talk about the anthology as a whole and say how much I enjoyed re-reading these novellas for a second time. I initially read most of these stories before the release of Throne of Glass so looking back at them again now really allowed me to appreciate how much Celaena has changed since the beginning of the series.

Celaena hasn't always been the nicest character and that is especially the case in these prequels, she comes across as very selfish and self centred and I actually spent a lot of time disliking her for her snobbish attitude to anyone she considers beneath herself but underneath all that there she does have a softer side. She's just spent a lot of years having it beaten out of her thanks to her training with Arobynn. Celaena knows how to handle herself and she does slowly start to care more about the people around her and make a few unexpected sacrifices along the way. These changes continue throughout the series and I like her more and more with every book.

For anyone who hasn't read these novellas before you'll find they go a long way in explaining Celaena's background and how she ended up in the salt mines at the beginning of Throne of Glass. They also explain a lot about her actions at the beginning of the first book. I'll warn you now that these novellas absolutely broke my heart the first time I read them so you might want to have tissues to hand (for The Assassin and the Empire in particular). Even though I knew what was coming I still found it hard to read without sniffling and I found myself praying that the ending had changed this time around!  The fact that Sarah J. Maas managed to get such a reaction out of me after just a few short novellas is incredible really.

The Assassin's Blade is a great addition to the series and I'm happy that I now have all of the novellas in one beautiful paperback to sit alongside the rest of the series on my shelves. If you're new to the series then this is a great place to start but I think fans who have already read Throne of Glass will enjoy this look into Celaena's background just as much. This just whet my appetite and made me even more excited to read Heir of Fire!

Source: Received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Fairies in My Fireplace - R.L. Naquin

A migration of mythical creatures has begun, and more and more of them are landing on Zoey Donovan's doorstep. As the only Aegis left in the country, it falls to her to protect the Hidden and keep them safe—and her house has become a sanctuary for water sprites, goblins, harpies, djinn and more.

Keeping track of her boarders is a full-time job, and Zoey's already got her hands full trying to run her wedding planning business. Good thing she has a resident closet monster to keep her organized, and a hot Reaper boyfriend to help her relax every once in a while.

But she can't keep up monster-triage indefinitely, and as more Hidden arrive, it becomes clear that someone—or something—is hunting them. In the midst of planning an event for a notoriously difficult client, Zoey's got to figure out who's behind the hunt…and she's got to stop them before there are no Hidden left.

Monster Haven Series:
Monster in My Closet
Ill-Conceived Magic (Short Story)
Pooka in My Pantry
Hidden Holidays (Short Story)
Fairies in My Fireplace
What Zoey Doesn't Know (Short Story)
Golem in My Glovebox
Demons in My Driveway
Transmonstrified (Short Story Collection)
Phoenix in My Fortune

Djinn Haven series:
(Spin off from the Monster Haven series but can be read separately)
To Catch A Stolen Soul
To Seize a Wayward Spirit
To Free a Captured Heart

Visit R.L. Naquin's website for more information

Review:
Zoey should be finding life easier now that she's no longer having to keep the Hidden a secret from her best friend Sara but with more and more of them coming to her for help every day she soon realises that something major is going on. Something that is effecting Hidden everywhere and Zoey is the only one left who can help them. She soon finds herself caught in a dangerous battle with enemies who are more powerful than she could ever have guessed. It's a good job she has her friends to support her but even with their help the odds are not looking good.

I have become a huge fan of the Monster Haven series since I first discovered it, these books are just so much fun to read and I LOVE the humour and the huge range of weird and wonderful supernatural creatures they contain. With each new book R.L. Naquin manages to come up with new surprises for us and Fairies in My Fireplace is my favourite instalment of the series so far. Although I spend a lot of time laughing out loud as I read these books they do have a darker side and this book had one particularly heartbreaking moment towards the end that brought tears to my eyes. I have become so invested in all of these characters that I hate to see them hurting and Zoey is in a whole world of hurt here.

I love seeing how much Zoey has grown since the beginning of the series, she has really come into her own when it comes to taking care of the various different types of Hidden creatures and she is the kind of woman who always makes time for everyone. She has strong principles and wants to help everyone but she also knows that she doesn't have to do it alone and is willing to accept advice and assistance from her friends. Zoey has built up a very unusual family what with her reaper boyfriend Riley, her human best friends Sara and Andrew, the closet monster Maurice, brownie Molly and Iris the skunk monster but they are all very close knit and would do anything for each other. It's great that Zoey has such a positive support network and I've enjoyed getting to know all of the side characters and seeing their circumstances change throughout the books.

I'm so glad that I discovered this series! When I'm in the mood for something fun I know I can rely on R.L. Naquin to provide plenty of laughs along the way but she has also captured me with her wonderful world building and range of fantastic characters. I don't think I'm ever going to get bored of spending time with them.

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

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Review: Rock Addiction - Nalini Singh

A bad boy wrapped in a sexy, muscled, grown-up package might be worth a little risk...

Molly Webster has always followed the rules. After an ugly scandal tore apart her childhood and made her the focus of the media’s harsh spotlight, she vowed to live an ordinary life. No fame. No impropriety. No pain. Then she meets Zachary Fox, a tattooed bad boy rocker with a voice like whiskey and sin, and a touch that could become an addiction.

A one-night stand with the hottest rock star on the planet, that’s all it was meant to be...

Fox promises scorching heat and dangerous pleasure, coaxing Molly to extend their one-night stand into a one-month fling. After that, he’ll be gone forever, his life never again intersecting with her own. Sex and sin and sensual indulgence, all with an expiration date. No ties, no regrets. Too late, Molly realizes it isn’t only her body that’s become addicted to Fox, but her heart...

Rock Kiss Series:
Rock Addiction
Rock Courtship (Novella)
Rock Hard (Crossover with the Hard Play series)
Rock Redemption
Rock Wedding

Hard Play Series:
(Spin off from the Rock Kiss series featuring the Bishop brothers)
Cherish Hard
Rock Hard (Crossover with the Rock Kiss series)
Rebel Hard
Love Hard

Visit Nalini Singh's website for more information

Review:
It's no secret that Nalini Singh is one of my favourite paranormal romance authors, I absolutely adore her Guild Hunter series and I'm currently working my way through her Psy-Changeling books which I already love just as much. So when I found out she was writing a new adult rock star romance I immediately wanted to read Rock Addiction and I couldn't wait to see what the queen of paranormal could do with a contemporary romance (this isn't her first contemp story, but it is the first one I've read). I went into this book with incredibly high expectations but for once I wasn't worried because I knew this author wouldn't let me down. She consistently writes fabulous stories with characters who I fall in love with every single time and that's exactly what happened here.

Fox is the lead singer of the rock band Schoolboy Choir, he has it all - money, fame, a bad boy image complete with tattoos, more sex appeal than any one man should possess and a voice made for seducing women. He has his sights set on Molly, a sweet and innocent librarian who has a deep seated fear of fame and the resulting paparazzi harassment thanks to her time spent in the spotlight as a teenager after a family scandal. The last thing Molly needs is to start a relationship with one of the most famous faces in rock but that doesn't mean she isn't willing to have a little fun - as long as it's kept private and is a short term thing. Fox is the one who is determined to push her for more, he knows something special when he sees it and he has no intention of letting Molly go.

Rock Addiction is an incredibly hot read, one that is packed with scorching hot sex scenes that will leave you in need of a cold shower. I already knew how good Nalini Singh is at writing chemistry between her main characters but I really think she has excelled herself in this instance and I loved everything about Fox and Molly's relationship. What I loved most was the way the author turns so many different romance tropes upside down, there were a few times when I almost started to worry about the direction things were going to take - I feared we might end up with another relationship crisis because the characters weren't sensible enough to talk things through like adults - but every time I got nervous something would happen that completely surprised me and made me fall in love with the characters even more.

Both Fox and Molly are flawed in different ways but they understand themselves well enough to see why they react in certain ways and they also make allowances for each other based on their pasts. I loved seeing them put each other first and working together to find solutions for their problems - it made it very easy for me to believe that they could make things work as a couple. The one thing I really didn't like was a certain part about Molly's trust fund, I just didn't agree with the way things were dealt with and it made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Apart from that I think their romance was done incredibly well and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them fall in love.

As if fantastic main characters weren't enough we also have a selection of brilliant side characters who I absolutely can't wait to spend more time with. I really hope we get a book for each of the remaining band members, David, Noah and Abe, because I have high expectations for all three of them. I also loved what we saw of Molly's best friend Charlie and desperately want to learn more about her and the boss she calls T-Rex. Rock Addiction has left me excited to continue the series and it has everything I look for in a rock star romance so I can't recommend it highly enough. Nalini Singh was already one of my auto-buy authors for paranormal romance but now I'm going to have to go and read through her contemporary romance backlog!

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

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Review: Melt for Him - Lauren Blakely

He knows exactly how to make her burn . . .

Fire captain and bar owner Becker Thomas usually spends his nights alone, trying to escape painful memories from his past. When he meets a sexy, free-spirited brunette outside his bar, he knows he’s found the perfect way to forget for one night. But when he later discovers the woman he’s itching for another night with is his best friend’s sister, everything comes to a halt.

Just out of a toxic relationship, Megan Jansen is only in Hidden Oaks to visit her brother, photograph the firemen’s calendar, and then slip off to another adventure. The brooding man who gave her the best sex ever is an unexpected surprise. The problem is, he’s her brother’s friend and a fellow fireman, and Megan’s rule is no firemen. She knows she’s going to get burned . . . but keeping their hands off each other is easier said than done.

Fighting Fire Series:
Burn for Me
Melt for Him
Consumed by You

Visit Lauren Blakely's website for more information

Review:
Megan is just passing through Hidden Oaks, visiting her brother and taking photos for the local firemen's charity calendar before starting her new job as a tattoo artist in Portland. She's just escaped from one horrible relationship so the last thing she is looking for is a new one but that doesn't mean she's averse to having a little fun along the way - especially with the incredibly hot owner of the local bar. Becker isn't just a bar owner though, he also happens to be captain of the fire station where Megan will be taking photos and he's also her brother's best friend. It was supposed to be a one night stand but as they are forced to spend time working alongside each other the chemistry between them just keeps building and they're both finding it hard to resist. But can Megan put aside her fears over dating someone in such a dangerous line of work and will Becker be willing to break the man code to put the moves on his best friend's little sister?

I enjoyed the first book in this series (Burn for Me) but I knew immediately that I was going to love Becker so I was happy to find out that his story was up next. I have to say Lauren Blakely has really raised the stakes here and I loved Melt for Him so much more. The connection between Megan and Becker is incredibly intense and so hot it's combustible, I loved the fact that they were both willing to talk about their feelings and that even though they both had doubts for various reasons they were able to work things out like adults. There are plenty of steamy moments between them and this is definitely one HOT read.

I will say that I felt that the declarations of love came a little too quickly, Megan is only in town for two weeks and they both start talking about a permanent relationship before she is even due to leave so that side of things did feel a little rushed. I completely believed that they were well suited to each other though, I loved their chemistry and the way they teased each other and spent time verbally sparring. It wasn't hard to imagine that they could have a successful relationship but I would have found it a little more realistic if they hadn't moved quite so fast. The epilogue helped out a little there but do be prepared for a fast moving relationship when you pick this up. If you're willing to look past that you're going to get a sexy and enjoyable story that is well worth reading.

Source: Received from Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Red Glove - Holly Black

Curses and Cons
Magic and the Mob

In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, but now he knows the truth - he's the most powerful curse worker around. He can transform anything - or anyone - into something else. That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Now she's back, but she's been cursed to love him. If Lila's love is as false as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe anything she says or does.

When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit him to help find the killer. But the mob wants Cassel too - they know how valuable he could be to them. He will have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. Where can he turn when he can't trust anyone - least of all, himself?

The Curse Workers Series:
White Cat
Red Glove
Black Heart

Visit Holly Black's website for more information

Review:
The cat is out of the bag and Cassel now knows he is a Worker, he also knows that his brothers have been manipulating him for years forcing him to do unspeakable things and then tampering with his memory so he won't remember what he has done. He still doesn't have his memory back but he has a pretty good idea of what he was forced to do and it doesn't sit well with him. His relationship with his older brothers is more rocky than ever and it takes everything Cassel has got just to act normal around them, his mother is out of jail and up to her old tricks and the girl he loves has been cursed to love him so there is no hope of pursuing any kind of relationship with her. Yes, Cassel's life pretty much sucks right now and that was before one of his brothers was murdered and the government decided to try and turn him into a snitch. Now Cassel is in a very difficult position, he doesn't want to join the Zacharov crime syndicate but that doesn't mean he wants to become a police informant either. Unfortunately neither side is giving him much of an option & it's going to take all of Cassel's wits just to stay alive and out of trouble.

As much as I loved White Cat I think I enjoyed Red Glove even more, the story is really cleverly woven together and it is difficult to see how Cassel will manage to keep himself out of prison. He is forced to deal with his crazy family members and it seems like everyone wants something from him, his mum wants him to help with her latest cons and his brothers see him as an easy route into the syndicates. The only family member I trust to have his back is his Grandad but he has been kept in the dark about so many things that Cassel can't really turn to him for help. It has been great to see Cassel slowly building his friendships with Daneca and Sam though, he has come to trust them both and finally starts to open up a little and share some of his secrets. It's great to know that he has a couple of people who have his back, he is in desperate need of some allies considering all the things he has going against him right now.

I hated seeing how distraught he is over his relationship with Lila, he cares about her so deeply but now that his mother has cursed Lila to love him he is unable to trust her feelings or act on their mutual attraction without feeling incredibly guilty. It's quite disturbing that his mother doesn't even see what she did wrong and that more than anything shows just how twisted her abilities are. I thought things between the two of them were handled really well, I loved that Cassel was honest with Lila about what had been done to her and I was glad that he didn't take advantage of her. It was sad to see them so far apart though and I really hope they can find some way through it in the final book. It's difficult because I do have trouble connecting to Lila at times and her goals seem so different to Cassel's but I feel that after everything they've both been through they deserve some kind of happy ending. I'm just not sure if they can find it together or not.

Red Glove is a brilliant book, one that focuses on the murder of Cassel's brother and who was behind it but there is so much more to it than that. There are some fantastic twists and I enjoyed getting to continue exploring the world Holly Black has created. I eat up anything about the Workers and the consequences they have for using their abilities, I always prefer when magic has a price and that is definitely the case here. It's rare that I pick up the final book in a trilogy without even a vague idea of what to expect but I honestly can't even guess at what is in store for Cassel in Black Heart and that makes me even more desperate to read it.

Source: Purchased

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Crafting Corner: Nail Art

Crafting Corner is a monthly feature will appear on the blog on the first Saturday of the month and I hope that some of you will join in with me. Crafting Corner is somewhere for us to chat about anything craft related - it can be sewing, painting, drawing, model making, in fact pretty much anything goes. You may want to review crafting books or just talk about any current projects you're working on or things that you'd like to start. I don't really have a set format for these posts so I'm just going to roll with it and see what happens but hopefully some of you will find it interesting and be willing to share what you're working on too. It doesn't matter what day of the month you join in but if you do take part please come leave a link to your post in the comments so that I can check out what you've been creating!

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Today I thought it would be fun to post about one of my other addictions - nail polish! I am almost as addicted to buying nail polish as I am to buying books and I love messing around doing different types of designs on my nails. I've recently discovered loads of new techniques like water marbling (which I'm still terrible at but I'm determined to get right one day!) and I'm desperate to have a go at stamping but for now I mainly stick with using a dotting tools to make different sized spots and various types of tape to create stripes or triangles.

I'm going to try and include new designs in my crafting corner posts from now onwards but here are some of my favourites from the last few months to start off with:

Pandas & Minions

Butterfly Wings & a pattern with one of my favourite orange polishes

The slideshow below shows some of the other designs I've done too.

Review: The Glass Republic - Tom Pollock

Pen's life revolves around secrets: the secrets behind her three-month disappearance from school last winter, the secret cause of the scars that mar her face, and, most secret of all, her twin sister Parva: her doppelgänger in London-Under-Glass, the city behind the mirrors.

Pen's trying to forget Reach, Filius Viae and the Wire Mistress and get back to normal life, but when Parva vanishes, she has no choice but to seek out London's stranger side. And when Pen journeys through the mirror, she finds a world where scars make you beautiful and criminals will kill you for your face - a world in which Pen's sister was keeping secrets of her own . . .

The Skyscraper Throne Series:
The City's Son
The Glass Republic
Our Lady of the Streets

Visit Tom Pollock's website for more information

Review:
I absolutely loved The City's Son when I read it last year, Tom Pollock has created one of the most unique and fascinating worlds that I've read about in a long time and his imagination is astounding so I was excited to see where he would take us next in The Glass Republic. Where the first book was mainly focused on Beth this sequel definitely gives her best friend Pen a chance to shine. Pen was my favourite character in the first book so I was really looking forward to seeing more of her in this one, especially after everything she went through at the hands of the Wire Mistress in the last book.

Pen is now back at school but the huge amount of physical scarring left by the Wire Mistress has made her something of an outcast. Everyone wants to know what happened to her but there just isn't any kind of logical explanation that she can give them and telling the truth would be likely to get her sectioned. The only thing keeping her sane is the conversations she has with her doppelgänger Parva who is living in London-Under-Glass. Pen and Parva can only keep in contact through mirrors but when Parva goes missing Pen is determined to find a way through the mirror so that she can find the girl she considers her sister.

If you thought the world building was good in The City's Son you are going to be amazed with the London-Under-Glass that Tom Pollock has created. It is a world created from reflections so you might think that it will be a mirror image to our own version of London but you'd be very wrong about that. I really don't want to spoil the surprise by giving too much away so I'll just tell you that it was completely fascinating and incredibly well written. I really would like to be able to get a peek inside this author's head because I'm pretty sure it would be a very interesting (if slightly terrifying!) place to explore.

Pen's character has been through so much but she has come out the other side stronger than ever, she is desperate to find out what happened to Parva and she is willing to risk everything in her search for answers. We are introduced to some fab new characters, I loved the relationship that develops between Pen and Estel in particular, but we also get to keep an eye on the ones we've already met. Beth is continuing to grow into her new role and the changes we see in her are fascinating. In the first book we saw Pen searching for Beth but in this one there is a reversal of roles and it is up to Beth to come to Pen's rescue.

The Glass Republic is a brilliant second novel, it's just as dark as the first book but still has the humour needed to balance out the heart breaking events. I think I actually enjoyed this story even more than the first one which is incredibly unusual when it comes to second books in a trilogy. I absolutely can't wait to start reading Our Lady of the Streets to see how both Pen and Beth's journeys end and I'm incredibly curious to discover what new surprises Tom Pollock will throw our way - I'm sure he still has a few tricks up his sleeve!

Source: Received from Jo Fletcher Books in exchange for an honest review

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