Sunday Post - 10/30/22

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Little Boy is in a phase of bad behavior, especially at school lately. I don't really know what's up, but it has been challenging to say the least. So Monday he was sent home with a note about behavior at school. Tuesday night, Baby Boy started saying "ears" when I was putting him to bed. So I knew with his runny nose and his history that he probably had another ear infection. Wednesday, Little Boy had his worst behavior at school yet. Husband and I discussed it and given his general behavior over the last month and even further back than that really, we were ready to cancel his birthday party. We told him it would depend on his behavior at school on Friday. Well, Thursday came and I took Baby Boy to the doctor. He does have another ear infection. This is his third since September. And somehow his eardrum was punctured this time. So we're doing antibiotics and drops, we go back in 3 weeks for another ear check to see how it's healing. I remembered Thursday night that Friday was pumpkin patch day for Little Boy's school so he lucked out on behavior since he wasn't in the classroom and I was able to be with him to better monitor his behavior and correct anything I saw versus his teacher. The pumpkin patch was fun but chaotic. Friday afternoon and evening I went into overdrive with trying to get things done. I actually had a mini-breakdown over something that I broke Friday afternoon. I just had input overload with Baby Boy being sick and whiny, Little Boy's bad behavior, Little Girl and Little Boy bickering, the thing I broke, and all the food prep and house cleaning that needed to be done. It was almost 1 am before I finally went to bed Friday night--which is not like me at all. Saturday was great though. The kids behaved so well. Since their birthdays are so close together we had a family lunch party for both kids, and then at 3 pm we had a friend party at the local trampoline park for Little Boy's 5th birthday. I was exhausted when we got home and barely even got this post prepped before bed. Today is Little Boy's actual birthday. I truly cannot believe he is 5 years old.

THE PAST WEEK:

Monday: All Things Halloween Review of Defender of Walls (Kingdom of Walls, # 1) by Tanya Bird (4 Stars)
Tuesday: 2022 Series Enders Reading Challenge - October Wrap Up

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: October EOM Wrap Up?
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday
Thursday: Review of A Daughter's Courage (Brides of Laurent, # 3) by Misty M Beller

My annual "All Things Halloween" event is ending. This is my month-long event where I feature reviews from Halloween-y genres (fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, sci-fi, horror, mystery, thriller, and suspense). Over the last few years I've had mostly fantasy books as I just haven't been in the mood for much horror, but still...these are books that can get you in the mood for Halloween.

Don’t forget to link up for the 2022 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2022 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

NEW BOOKS:

No new books this week.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

2022 Series Enders Reading Challenge - October Wrap Up

Time for our Monthly Wrap Up for the 2022 Series Enders Reading Challenge hosted by Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know and Holly @ Words Fueled by Love!

Sandy finished In Honor's Defense (Hanger's Horsemen, # 3) by Karen Witemeyer & Reforming Lord Neil (Inglewood, # 5) by Sally Britton. Holly hasn't finished any series enders this month.

Which series enders did you finish? Link the up below. Don't forget to include the title, your name, & your blog name (Ex: Requiem - Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know) Also, the October giveaway runs from October 25th - November 25th. On November 25th we will use random.org and the linky entries to pull a grand prize winner.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

All Things Halloween Review - Defender of Walls

Defender of Walls (Kingdom of Walls, # 1)

By: Tanya Bird

Publication: February 20th 2021 by Tanya Bird

328 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopian

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository)

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Keep her inside. Keep her alive.

Blake Suttone has a stomach full of grief and no food. A decade of famine has taken its toll on the splintered kingdom, but it is the merchants who suffer most. A wall stands between the hungry and the food, and the kingdom’s defenders stand guard atop it. Desperate times lead to desperate acts, and Blake will do whatever is necessary to ensure her family survives. But a growing attachment to a certain commander was never part of the plan. Now the man protecting the walls seems determined to guard her too.

Commander Harlan Wright was raised on a diet of training and discipline. His mind is calloused and his heart closed. These are not faults in a defender but assets. Harlan’s path is clear, until he meets a merchant girl who pulls him in a dangerous new direction. Blake might be a fighter, but she is fighting a losing battle. As the walls continue to go up, Harlan must choose between head and heart, duty and love.

This is the first book in the medieval dystopian series Kingdom of Walls. If you enjoy high-emotion romance with plenty of action, then this dark star-crossed lovers tale is for you.

For some reason I thought there would be a little more supernatural elements to this book. I guess the world is fantasy. The religion is unique to this story. Maybe that's fantasy enough. There's no magic in the first book anyway. The description labels it as medieval dystopian.

Harlan's family lives in the merchant borough of this fantasy kingdom. They run a dress shop, but from what I can tell they don't do much business. I suppose one doesn't need fancy clothes when they can't afford to buy food. From what I gathered it seems like it rains in this fantasy kingdom more often than not. I guess the constant rain is what's driving the famine. Anyway, food is scarce at the very beginning of this story and it only gets worse as the story progresses. Blake's father passed not that long ago from a heart attack (or it was said that his heart failed him). The book begins with her brother dying in a collapsed illegal tunnel. This is where Blake meets Harlan--the commander of the borough.

Harlan can see the grief pouring off of Blake at their first meeting. And well, Harlan isn't unaccustomed with grief since his mother committed suicide. He sees something in Blake that stirs his pity and compassion. And the more opportunities these two have bumping into each other the more feelings begin to develop. But a relationship between a Defender and a Merchant will not end well. These aren't just class lines being crossed. Defenders are used by the king to enforce the rules and punishments. And Blake has a family to think of. It seems the girls are hoping to marry well and by marry well that means perhaps marry a farmer, but I don't know how that would happen when the boroughs never mix or cross over to the other.

I really enjoyed the building of the relationship between Harlan and Blake. They did not have an easy path. As a matter of fact, there was one point where even I was beginning to lose hope for Blake and for their relationship. Tanya Bird did a good job building up the drama and the mountain that needed to be overcome for these two to come together. I did find a few aspects of the overall story to be shallow or not fleshed out completely. It's possible Tanya Bird would know the answer to all of my questions, but as the reader, I was left wondering about a few things I think should have been explained. At the same time, I feel like she ultimately did focus on the parts of the story that mattered the most.

Favorite quotes:

-"I just think any man who makes you see yourself as the rest of us do is a hero."

-"You don't have to stand tall and strong when I'm around. I've got you."

I wanted to keep reading Defender of Walls any time that I had to put it down. Sometimes this isn't the best thing for my family because I find myself getting crabby because all I want to do is read and I actually have wife, mother, etc. responsibilities to see to. Defender of Walls gets 4 Stars. I am looking forward to reading the next book. Have you read Defender of Walls? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

Sunday Post - 10/23/22

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

The temperatures dropped here this past week. We still walked almost every day, but sheesh the wind was biting. We were supposed to get family pictures made on Tuesday, but we rescheduled due to the weather. I can't say it'll be warmer when we scheduled them for, but at least it gave me time to finish getting outfits together. I wasn't happy with what I'd picked to wear so I'm breathing a sigh of relief to have a little extra time. Although Baby Boy and Little Boy both have runny noses. I'm praying it's just the weather fluctuations that have messed with them. We do not need to be in the throws of sickness during family pictures. Little Girl turned 7 years old on Thursday. Honestly, she had the best week this week. Everything just seemed to be going right for her. Little Boy has had a rough couple of days with his behavior. He does seem to be jealous that it wasn't his birthday, but sheesh he only has 10 days from her birthday to wait. He has gotten in trouble 3 days in a row for lying though. So we're trying to nip that in the bud as quickly as possible. Saturday afternoon I took the big kids to the birthday party for a little girl from our church. They had fun, but a bigger kid was being a little rough. Husband has been working on staining the desks for his office. I'm excited for that to get pulled together. This coming week starts the stressful week for me prepping and cleaning house for the double birthday parties we have on Saturday.

THE PAST WEEK:

Thursday: All Things Halloween Review of Sword of Rage (Reigning Kingdoms, # 1) by Jennifer Anne Davis (3 Stars)

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: All Things Halloween Review of Defender of Walls (Kingdom of Walls, # 1) by Tanya Bird
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday

My annual "All Things Halloween" event is starting. This is my month-long event where I feature reviews from Halloween-y genres (fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, sci-fi, horror, mystery, thriller, and suspense). Over the last few years I've had mostly fantasy books as I just haven't been in the mood for much horror, but still...these are books that can get you in the mood for Halloween.

Don’t forget to link up for the 2022 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2022 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

NEW BOOKS:

The Love Match

By: Priyanka Taslim

Expected Publication: January 3rd 2023 by Salaam Reads / Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

400 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets Pride and Prejudice in this delightful and heartfelt rom-com about a Bangladeshi American teen whose meddling mother arranges a match to secure their family’s financial security—just as she’s falling in love with someone else. Zahra Khan is basically Bangladeshi royalty, but being a princess doesn’t pay the bills in Paterson, New Jersey. While Zahra’s plans for financial security this summer involve working long hours at Chai Ho and saving up for college writing courses, Amma is convinced that all Zahra needs is a “good match,” Jane Austen style. Enter Harun Emon, who’s wealthy, devastatingly handsome, and…aloof. As soon as Zahra meets him, she knows it’s a bad match. It’s nothing like the connection she has with Nayim Aktar, the new dishwasher at the tea shop, who just gets Zahra in a way no one has before. So, when Zahra finds out that Harun is just as uninterested in this match as she is, they decide to slowly sabotage their parents’ plans. And for once in Zahra’s life, she can have her rossomalai and eat it too: “dating” Harun and keeping Amma happy while catching real feelings for Nayim. But life—and boys—can be more complicated than Zahra realizes. With her feelings all mixed up, Zahra discovers that sometimes being a good Bengali kid can be a royal pain.

Book Lovers

By: Emily Henry

Publication: May 3rd 2022 by Berkley

384 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Source: eLibrary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn’t see coming…

Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

All Things Halloween Review - Sword of Rage

Sword of Rage (Reigning Kingdoms, # 1)

By: Jennifer Anne Davis

Publication: March 16th 2021 by Reign Publishing

299 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Harley has three goals—stay alive, avenge her brother’s death, and overthrow the traitorous king.

When Harley receives an invitation to the royal castle for her cousin’s birthday, she’s elated at the offer. As the queen’s niece, she’s expected to make an appearance, but this will also be her first time attending a formal function as a married woman. However, what starts as an elegant party quickly turns into a nightmare. One that flips Harley’s world upside down.

Ackley’s mission should have been simple—arrive in Melenia, submerse himself in battle, and retake the kingdom for his sister’s newly betrothed, the rightful king. Instead, he finds the land ravaged and a young woman who could be the key to his undoing. When forced to choose between family, honor, and love, he realizes all of his years training to be an assassin, knight, and prince never prepared him for this. Ackley always thought he’d die by the sword. But what he never realized was love could be the most dangerous weapon of all.

This is the first book in a new series by Jennifer Anne Davis. Filled with romance, battles, and espionage, this book will immerse you into the world of her previous books like you’ve never before imagined!

I've been looking forward to Ackley's story or Idina's story since 2020 when I finished the Knights of the Realm series. I purposefully didn't re-read the description before I picked up Sword of Rage because sometimes book descriptions can give too much away. But if I'd re-read the description, I wouldn't have started this book so confused. I didn't remember Harley being Ackley's sister's name, but that's who I thought I was supposed to be reading about. So I was really confused when her family started getting slaughtered but they're all people I'd never heard of before.

I'm not sure Harley is the type of character that I imagined Ackley falling for. I didn't have anything against Harley exactly. In fact, my biggest issue was with the big mystery. How Harley couldn't put together who might have taken over the throne and been in league with those who slaughtered her family was beyond me. It was the easiest "mystery" I've been able to figure out that I don't even know if Jennifer Anne Davis was trying to hide it from the reader. But when something is so obvious to the reader it can be hard not to lose some respect for the characters when they don't also figure things out.

Ultimately, I find that I don't have much to say about Sword of Rage. It was good. I read it quickly. I want to keep reading and see what happens next. But I had some issues with the characters being obtuse when it came to the big mystery. Sword of Rage gets 3 Stars. Have you read Sword of Rage? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.