Sunday Post & Stacking the Shelves - 12/29/19

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.

Monday was as close to a normal day as we seem to have around this time of year. Tuesday, Husband was off work and we had a lazy day. The kids have been hyped up and it ended up being a tough parenting day. Christmas Day itself was wonderful but a whirlwind. The kids got up at normal time (7 am) and we let them open presents. They were both so chill about everything. Little Boy basically had to be forced to open his last three presents because he was so content to play with what he'd already opened. Grammy came by shortly after they finished presents to see what they got. Then Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Holly, Uncle Tim, Caleb, & Ashlyn came by for lunch and to spend some time together playing games and chatting. They all went home before nap time was over and as soon as nap was over we went to Grammy's for dinner and to see Aunt Tonya and Austin. Husband had to go back to work the day after Christmas, but I took the kids back to Grammy's for lunch to spend some more time with Aunt Tonya and Austin before they went back home. Friday was a mostly normal day except it was raining so we were stuck inside. And Saturday was kind of the same. It's been a great week. From here until Spring is my least favorite time of the year. I hate being stuck inside when it's cold and/or rainy, and there isn't much to look forward to in the way or holidays or big events. BUT we always do our best to make the most of each day. I can't believe 2020 will be here in just a few days.

THE PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of The Curse of Tenth Grave (Charley Davidson, # 10) by Darynda Jones (4.5 Stars) & 2019 Series Enders Reading Challenge - December Wrap Up
Tuesday: Ten Seven Books I Want from Santa
Wednesday: Merry Christmas! (no blog posts)
Thursday: Review of Eleventh Grave in Moonlight (Charley Davidson, # 11) by Darynda Jones (4 Stars)
Friday: Review of The Trouble with Twelfth Grave (Charley Davidson, # 12) by Darynda Jones (4.5 Stars)

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of Summoned to Thirteenth Grave (Charley Davidson, # 13) by Darynda Jones & 2020 Series Enders Reading Challenge - Sign Up
Tuesday: December EOM Wrap Up & Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Happy New Year! (no blog posts)
Thursday: 2019 EOY Wrap Up
Friday: 2020 Series Enders Reading Challenge - Goals

Don’t forget to link up for the 2019 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2019 to sing 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!

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Shadow Knights (Knights of the Realm, # 2)

By: Jennifer Anne Davis

Publication: December 10th 2019 by Reign Publishing

302 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy,

Source: Personal Kindle Library (Christmas gift)

( 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--As a member of the Knights of the Realm, Reid swore an oath to protect her king only to discover he harbors a traitorous agenda.

Being a woman raised in a man’s world, Reid thought becoming a Knight would give her purpose and strength. So far, it has done nothing but give her trouble. The king ordered her to spy on the Axian royal family while she prepares for her marriage—a marriage neither she nor Price Dexter wants. Once in Axian, Reid realizes she’s being used as a pawn in a decades-old political match. With the king and Knights seemingly at odds, Reid’s allegiances are torn, especially when she finds friendship in the unlikeliest of places.

As the kingdom of Marsden teeters on the brink of civil war, Reid must decide whose side she’s on—even if that means betraying her king in order to save the kingdom.

Loving by Leading: A Parent's Guide to Raising Healthy and Responsible Children

By: Den A. Trumbull

Publication: October 18th 2018 by Den A. Trumbull, MD

304 pages

Genre: Parenting, Self-Help

Source: Personal Kindle Library (Christmas gift)

( 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--Having trouble getting your baby to sleep at night? Frustrated with your toddler’s picky eating? Is your preschooler’s cranky behavior getting on your nerves? Is your school-age child getting lost in a world of tablet play and video-gaming? Are you feeling defeated?

There is an answer, and you can do it. You must LEAD your child!

Parents today are too often told to let their children develop on their own and all will go well; just keep them happy and they will thrive. Not so! Children desperately need parents to LEAD them to healthy habits and high character. In Loving by Leading, Dr. Trumbull combines thirty years of pediatric experience with decades of parenting research to give you fact-filled guidance in child rearing, such as: Investigating the most successful parenting style Understanding why your child acts the way she does Learning the true meaning of discipline and how it can help your child Training your baby to be a healthy, happy sleeper Bringing harmony to mealtime with your toddler Encouraging your child to have an active lifestyle Teaching your child the most valuable character quality for success in life: Self-control Building a rock-solid relationship with your child from birth to pre-puberty years Loving by Leading first describes WHY children need parents to lead, and then offers practical, boots-on-the-ground advice on HOW to lead your child.

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!

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave - Review

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave (Charley Davidson, # 12)

By: Darynda Jones

Expected Publication: October 31st 2017 by St. Martin's Press

289 pages

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Humor, Mystery

Source: Borrowed from the e-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--Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the twelfth installment of Darynda Jones’ New York Times bestselling paranormal series.

Ever since Reyes escaped from a hell dimension in which Charley accidently trapped him, the son of Satan has been brimstone-bent on destroying the world his heavenly Brother created. His volatile tendencies have put Charley in a bit of a pickle. But that’s not the only briny vegetable on her plate. While trying to domesticate the feral being that used to be her husband, she also has to deal with her everyday life of annoying all manner of beings—some corporeal, some not so much—as she struggles to right the wrongs of society. Only this time she’s not uncovering a murder. This time she’s covering one up.

Add to that her new occupation of keeping a startup PI venture—the indomitable mystery-solving team of Amber Kowalski and Quentin Rutherford—out of trouble and dealing with the Vatican’s inquiries into her beloved daughter, and Charley is on the brink of throwing in the towel and becoming a professional shopper. Or possibly a live mannequin. But when someone starts attacking humans who are sensitive to the supernatural world, Charley knows it’s time to let loose her razor sharp claws. Then again, her number one suspect is the dark entity she’s loved for centuries. So the question becomes, can she tame the unruly beast before it destroys everything she’s worked so hard to protect?

I just finished The Trouble with Twelfth Grave, and I am still reeling. Darynda Jones... you did good. You did good. One of my only issues with this entire series has been that I haven't been surprised by any of the twists. Well, that changed with this book.

I was torn over how to feel about Charley finally having to face off against an evil Reyes. The frequency of Reyes's potential evilness was so constantly brought up throughout the series that it would have felt like it was a waste of time to never have explored this. But it also felt so obvious that we would have to face this eventually so that when it came to be, it felt anticlimactic. Well Darynda Jones, I'm sorry I questioned you in this area. You wrote this and worked this part of the story in such a way that I feel in awe. I spent so much of the book thinking "is this it?" that when things finally picked up I truly was blown away with how much I enjoyed the process.

What Reyes was after that was a big mystery to Charley through the majority of the book felt painfully obvious to me. Especially given her skills as a private investigator. How everything worked out made me okay with this, but it was certainly something I felt some frustration over while reading.

Charley spent much more of the book focused on getting Reyes back from the evil god that has taken him over, but as per usual, Charley has several side mysteries going on. It always amazes me how Darynda Jones can slip so many side stories into each of these books. Some of them are short pieces yet they are always comprehensive.

The ultimate cliffhanger has me dying to get my hands on the next book. I've found that there are really two types of cliffhangers (maybe more, but for the purpose of this discussion I'll focus on two). One leaves the reader with hope and possibility. The other with dread and anxiety. This one was the later. I find that I easily get frustrated with this type of cliffhanger. While it can propel me forward in the story, oftentimes it has me dreading to read what comes next because of the trouble the characters will face.

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave wrapped up so much better than I expected given where things started. Despite the weight on Charley's shoulders, she maintains her humor, sarcasm, and general irreverence. I can't say that I was 100% stoked about the cliffhanger, but it serves it's purpose because I'm dying to know what happens next. The Trouble with Twelfth Grave gets 4.5 Stars. Have you read The Trouble with Twelfth Grave? What did you think? Let me know!

Eleventh Grave in Moonlight - Review

Eleventh Grave in Moonlight (Charley Davidson, # 11)

By: Darynda Jones

Publication: January 24th 2017 by St. Martin's Press

310 pages

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Humor, Mystery

Source: Borrowed from the e-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--A typical day in the life of Charley Davidson involves cheating husbands, missing people, errant wives, philandering business owners, and oh yeah...demons, hell hounds, evil gods, and dead people. Lots and lots of dead people. As a part time Private Investigator and full-time Grim Reaper, Charley has to balance the good, the bad, the undead, and those who want her dead. In this eleventh installment, Charley is learning to make peace with the fact that she is a goddess with all kinds of power and that her own daughter has been born to save the world from total destruction. But the forces of hell are determined to see Charley banished forever to the darkest corners of another dimension. With the son of Satan himself as her husband and world-rocking lover, maybe Charley can find a way to have her happily ever after after all.

I feel like I'm running out of things to say about this series. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy this book, I just feel like I'm getting repetitive in my reviews.

Charley takes on a new client early on. The client happens to be a man who might have been abducted as a baby by the same people who abducted Reyes as a baby. Or he could be their biological son. Charley has wanted to investigate the Fosters for some time, but Reyes hasn't wanted her to. Having Shawn Foster as a client gives her the perfect excuse. I felt like Reyes's objection to Charley investigating them was thin. Sometimes I feel like Darynda Jones does a great job balancing all of the pieces of the puzzle, but this time the Foster investigation took a back seat to other events. This was done purposefully, but it was still something I noted.

Charley found out in the previous book that her beloved Uncle Bob murdered some gang members who were after Charley. So we had to deal with some of the consequences of that which include Charley learning more about herself and her powers as Grim Reaper and as a god.

In previous reviews I've stated that I appreciated Jehovah being included in this story as someone that Charley believes in and respects. Of course the more we have explored this area the more uneasy I've become. Sometimes the story feels sacrilegious, but I try not to read too much into this because it is a fictional story. I'll just reserve my full opinion on this for when I finish the series.

Darynda Jones has always written in departed characters or clients who seem to have experienced the worst of humanity. There are times when my stomach physically hurts reading about what they have experienced. That was certainly the case for the part of the story that involved Amber. Thankfully Charley does note that humanity is more good than evil even if the line is a little closer to the middle than she would hope.

And then there is the end. This was supposed to feel like a twist or a surprise. But really this has been built up for the entire series. To not have to confront this possibility head-on at some point would have wasted a lot of build-up, yet at the same time, everything with this felt predictable when it should have been a huge surprise. I can think of one twist that could have potentially been more surprising. But we'll see how this plays out.

Eleventh Grave in Moonlight was another enjoyable installment in the Charley Davidson series. There are only two books left and I feel like we still have quite a lot to explore. I also wonder about Darynda Jones having the entire series planned out from the beginning. Some pieces feel like afterthought considering where the series started...with the actual characters...who they are and what their abilities are more than anything else. Eleventh Grave in Moonlight gets 4 Stars. Have you read Eleventh Grave in Moonlight? What did you think? Let me know!

Top Seven Books I Want from Santa

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. This week's topic is Top Ten Books I Want from Santa.

1. Maybe This Time by Kasie West
2. The Start of Me and You (The Start of Me and You, # 1) by Emery Lord
3. Shadow Knights (Knights of the Realm, # 2) by Jennifer Anne Davis
4. A Convenient Fiction (Parish Orphans of Devon, # 3) by Mimi Matthews
5. Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
6. Vow of Thieves (Dance of Thieves, # 2) by Mary E Pearson
7. Dark Age (Red Rising, # 5) by Pierce Brown

I'm cheating a little because three of these I already got for Christmas when we celebrated with my family on Saturday. But these are all of the ones I had on my list that I was hoping to get for Christmas. Which books are you hoping that Santa will bring you? Let me know!

2019 Series Enders Reading Challenge - December Wrap Up

Time for our Monthly Wrap Up for the 2019 Series Enders Reading Challenge hosted by Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know and Holly @ Words Fueled by Love!

Since our last monthly wrap up, neither Sandy nor Holly finished any series enders.

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 December giveaway runs from December 23rd - January 25th. On January 25th we will use random.org and the linky entries to pull a winner.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter