A Bite to Remember by Lynsay Sands

A Bite to Remember

by

Lynsay Sands

Rating

Mature

Fandom

vampires

 

Relationships
Vincent Argeneau/Jackie Morrisey

Characters

Vincent Argeneau

Jackie Morrisey

Tiny McGraw

Marguerite Argeneau

various side characters


Additional Tags

vampires 

romance 

Big Guy Named Tiny

Meddlesome Aunt

Mystery

Mind Control

Dubious Consent (not between main pairing)

Pedophile Vampire

age gap (cause vampires)

Series

Book 5 in the Argeneau series


Summary

Jackie Morrisey is a private detective hired to find the person who has been sabotaging Vincent Argeneau's company. But things grow more complicated when Jackie begins to see Vincent as more than just a client.

 

Stephy Thoughts

If I remember correctly, this was the first book I ever read in this series. And because of it, I refused to stop reading this series. I just really like Lynsay Sands' writing. She mixes angst, humor, action and romance really well and makes her books all enjoyable. And this book was no different. I also like that you can pick up any book in the series and it can stand on it's own as a simple paranormal romance. Reading the entire series in order gives you more, but, like I said, I think this was the first book I read in the series, and I wasn't lost or confused about what was going on, or who was who.

But enough about the series. I'm here to ramble about this book.

Lovely book. 

Characters are all fun and interesting. I like that Marguerite graduated from meddling mother to meddling aunt. I love Marguerite and her meddling, honestly. It's fun. Tiny is a massive trope. Big guy named Tiny that likes to cook? Yeah. That's a trope. But it's one I like, so no complaints from me. Jackie has some nice character growth. And Vincent is the right amount of brooding vampire that it doesn't become annoying. 

The spice is light. While there is some mild sex scenes, the book is more focused on the emotional side of the romance. 

All in all, great book. Great series. Great author. Highly recommend if you like paranormal romance.

 

Star Wars Young Jedi Knights: Shards of Alderaan by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta

About/Summary

The seventh book in the Young Jedi Knights series by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta. After the battle against the Shadow Academy, it is time for the Jedi Academy to rebuild. Which is the perfect time for Jacen and Jaina Solo and their friends to go off on their own adventure. Meanwhile, Zekk is off to find himself.

 

Content/Trigger Warnings

minor character death

Characters

The usual gang of Baby Jedi - Jacen and Jaina Solo (Han and Leia's twin children), Lowbacca (Chewbacca's nephew) and Tenel Ka (the daughter of Teneniel Djo and Prince Isolder of Hapes).

Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca also show up for a bit.

Oh yeah, and Boba Fett shows up. But he does not have enough screen time to warrant that big of a picture on the cover.
 

Writing

Same as the other books. Writing is good, but it is a book for children, so don't expect exceptional literature.
 

Plot

Raynar Thul (another Baby Jedi)'s father has gone missing. But, who cares about that? Jacen, Jaina and their friends are going to the asteroid field that used to be Alderaan to get their mom a present for her birthday. As one does...

 

How diverse is it?

Does Boba Fett count as a person of color? If not, just a bunch of white people doing... white people things in space, I guess.
 

Overall Thoughts

Boba Fett shows up! And is somehow outsmarted by a bunch of teenagers. Best bounty hunter in the galaxy over here.

Zekk goes back to his home planet, which that place pretty much destroys itself every eight years. And it is time for death and destruction when Zekk gets there. I'm with Zekk... Why keep living there?

This book begins the second arc in the Young Jedi Knights series. First arc dealt with the Shadow Academy. this arc is the Diversity Alliance arc. Which, we don't learn much about them in this book, just that Raynar's (a fellow Jedi trainee who has had a small role in the previous books) father, Bornan Thul, was supposed to meet the leader of the Diversity Alliance and no one has heard from him. Most suspicious.

Good book overall.

That's all for this one.

 

 

Stephy Read The Stand by Stephen King

 “That wasn't any act of God. That was an act of pure human fuckery.”

 

About/Summary

A superflu hits and wipes out the majority of the population of the world. Now the survivors must deal with the aftermath. Oh, and there is a whole Good vs Evil thing happening.

Content/Trigger Warnings

There are soooo many, and I know I will forget some (a lot...). Sorry. 

Death

Gore

Sexual Assault (both offscreen and onscreen)

Nice Guy ™

Murder

Racial slurs

Abelist slurs

Major Character Death

Minor Character Death

Suicide

Animal Death

Cannibalism

Physical Abuse

Okay. I might have gotten most of them. For reference, most of my notes for this book were trigger warnings. Cause godsdamn. Just... If you have triggers, assume they are in this book.

 

Characters

Stephen King is very good at writing characters that I want to die. But he's also good at writing characters that I don't want to die. And then he just kills them all. 

There were a lot of characters in this book. I forgot about a few. But it's fine, a lot of them died. Still sad about some of the deaths. Still celebrating some.

 Kojak was my favorite character... Yes. The dog. And (spoiler) he lives through the whole book. In case anyone was worried (I know I was). The dog lives!

 I also liked Glen, Nick and Stu. 

Fucking hated Harold. Fuck him.

Writing

Very typical Stephen King writing. If you like his stuff, you'll like the writing of this one. If you don't like his stuff, you're not gonna like this one. I liked it well enough. 

Plot

As I said in the first little bit, a superflu hits the world and the majority of the population is dead. So, the first part of the book is dealing with that. The flu, how quickly it spread, and a lot of people dying. The second part has the survivors traveling. One group is going to where Mother Abigail lives. The other group is off to Vegas and Randall Flagg. 

Romance

Let's just say Stephen King is not a romance writer. Aside from a couple toxic relationships, I felt nothing for the romances. 

How diverse is it?

Not very.

Overall Thoughts

Y'all, it took me six months to get through this book. 

Six.

Months.

I will say that it didn't take me this long because I didn't like the book. It is a good book. But it is fucking heavy, so i had to take a lot of breaks and read something easier for a bit. There was no moment where I wanted to stop reading the book completely, I just needed some breaks.

 It's not my favorite Stephen King book. Carrie still holds that honor. But it's still a good read. 

 

That's all for this one.

Stephy Read Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

 

“Most books on witchcraft will tell you that witches work naked. This is because most books on witchcraft are written by men.”

 

 About/Summary

Published in 1990, this book by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is about the end of the world.

Characters

 Main characters are Aziraphale and Crowley. And I love them.

I also really like Newton and Anathema, even though I still have trouble pronouncing her name (it's a me thing...)

Oh, and Agnes was just delightful. 

All the characters were great, really.

Writing

Writing was fantastic. This book was my introduction to Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's work and I need to read more. It is simplistic at times, and I mean that as a compliment. I get frustrated sometimes when writing is super complex. It's an easy read.

Plot

 Aziraphale, an angel, and Crowley, a demon, met in a garden. After someone ate an apple (or some sort of fruit, not important). And they continued to meet up for six hundred years. At one point Crowley is tasked with taking (not delivering. Not as such. Just… handing off) the antichrist. Who was supposed to go to an American couple that was in England (Tadfield to be precise) for politics or something. But… the Satanic nuns maybe sort of gave the baby to a couple from Tadfield. It was an accident. I'm sure Satan would understand. Now, Crowley and Aziraphale don't want the end of the world to happen. Which is supposed to happen when the Antichrist is, like, 11 or something. So they decide to help raise the child. The child they think is the antichrist. The American couple's child. On the supposed Antichrist's birthday, he is supposed to receive a hellhound. But… it doesn't show up. Well… it does show up. To the actual antichrist. Adam. Who is spending time with his friends. And coincidentally is telling his friends what kind of dog he would want. A small dog that you could have fun with. Named Dog. And so, the hellhound Dog joins his Master.

Meanwhile, Anathema Device, a witch who knows of the coming apocalypse thanks to her ancestor Agnes Nutter's book of prophecies, is trying to stop this as well. 

Romance

 Aziraphale and Crowley are totally married. Or, the angel/demon equivalent, at least.

 Overall Thoughts

This book is fantastic from beginning to end. I adored it. Five stars. No notes.

 

That's all for this one. 

Stephy Read Interview With the Vampire

 

 “For what can the damned really have to say to the damned?”

 

 About/Summary

Published in 1967, Interview With the Vampire is the first book of the Vampire Chronicles. The book focuses on a vampire, Louis, telling his "life" story to a reporter. 

Content/Trigger Warnings

Death

Child Death

 Slavery

Underage vampire (this gets a warning because sometimes it gets a little weird when you remember Claudia has the body of a five-year-old)

Lestat (he gets his own warning... like seriously)

Emotional manipulation

Characters

I'm sorry, but the characters in this book are all horrible. Just, horrible little creatures that entertain me greatly. Like, who knows what kind of shit Lestat is going to get up to. He doesn't even know! It might be heartbreaking, it could be hilarious, but no matter what you will not be able to look away cause that man is a car crash.

Also, I love Armand. He is baby. I love him.

And one of the main characters is just called The Boy through the entire book. Which, rude, Louis. Ask for his name before whining to him for 10 fucking hours straight.

 

Setting

Book is mainly set is New Orleans and Paris. And technically San Francisco cause that's where the room is where Louis whines at Daniel (that is the reporter's name, unlike Louis's rude ass, I care) for an entire night. 

Writing

Anne Rice's writing isn't for everyone. Sometimes it's not even for me, if I am perfectly honest. I am not saying it is bad. I am saying some people might not enjoy it. 

Plot

The entire plot was Louis, a 200-year-old vampire, telling a random guy how shitty it is being a vampire. That's it.That's the plot. I mean, other things happen, but the main plot is vampire is whining about his existence.

Romance

Louis and Lestat were totally a couple. A toxic couple. But still a couple. 

How diverse is it?

The only people of color were slaves.

 

Overall Thoughts

No thoughts about this book will ever top when my kid was reading it, they burst into my room and shouted "Lestat baby-trapped Louis!" You could have the most thought-provoking insight for this book and I will look you straight in the eye and go "Lemme tell you about the time my kid was reading this book". 

But aside from that... This isn't my favorite book from the Vampire Chronicles. I enjoy it, but I tend to find myself thinking "oh gods, shut up Louis..." a lot while reading it. 

Another thing, I need to know how long Louis and Armand traveled together. How long did Armand have to deal with Louis just... going through the motions and probably talking constantly about how beautiful Lestat was? Poor Armand for dealing with that. 

Also, I need to know is how long Lestat, Louis and Claudia stayed in New Orleans. And if it was longer than five years, how did nobody notice the three weirdos that didn't age? And did anyone notice the amount of death that happened? Louis says they have to kill to feed, which, fine, whatever. So that was at least three dead people a night. At least 90 dead people a month. That's over a thousand people a year. I know this took place way back in the day, and the mortality rate was higher back then, but still. That is a lot of dead people that no one seemed to notice or care about. 

 

I think that's about it... Stay tuned for me to ramble about the drama that is Lestat de Lioncourt some more. Cause that boy is just drama in human form.

Stephy Read The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

 

I am impertinent.

 

About/Summary

After being kicked out of (another) school, Percy Jackson learns that his father is a god, making him a demigod. And Zeus thinks Percy stole his Master bolt. Which means Percy, along with fellow demigod, Annabeth and satyr Grover, are off on a quest to find it and clear his name. 

 

Content/Trigger Warnings

Betrayal

Violence

Mentions of abuse

Temporary Character Death

Children in Danger (so much danger)

 

Characters

Main characters are Percy Jackson, Grover Underwood and Annabeth Chase. Who are all fantastic. 

Sally Jackson is one of the best fictional mothers ever. I love her. Five stars. No notes.

I really enjoyed the interpretations of all the characters from Greek mythology. And the original characters were great.

Writing

The writing is fantastic. It is targeted to middle grade kids, but Rick Riordan doesn't write like they are stupid. I have read some books written for this age range that I felt treated the kids like they were stupid, but this one didn't. It was just really entertaining and well done. 

Plot

It is a very basic plot for a kids novel. Main character is suddenly thrown into a magical world and has to go on a quest or something. It is well done, though so I definitely overlook the tropey plot. 

Romance

None really. I mean, there are some background relationships mentioned, but there is nothing going on with the main characters. Yet...

How diverse is it?

Well, not very. I think. See, the thing was I was also watching the new show (which is fantastic) while I was reading this, so... I don't remember how most of the characters were described in the book. My brain just pictured the cast of the new show. So... I was a tad confused when Annabeth's blond hair was mentioned. I'm pretty sure the first few times I read this book, I pictured white (or white passing) people for pretty much everyone.

Sexuality wasn't really brought up in this book. Aside from a few straight relationships.

But! And I kind of hate doing this, but, these books get more diverse. I always joked that Rick Riordan tricked Disney to publish this series because it was just a bunch of white, straight people. And then he just started throwing queers and people of color in constantly. And since the books were super popular, Disney couldn't tell him no. It takes a bit for the diversity to show up, but it does happen. And not after the books are published and Rick announces someone was gay on Twitter or something.

Overall Thoughts

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series deserve more attention. The entire series and its sequels are all so fantastic. The Lightning Thief is a great opening to the series. I really never had a complaint about the book. It was fabulously written. The characters are unique and interesting. Plot is great.

I picked up this book years ago cause I always had an interest in mythology and the blurb on the book sounded interesting enough. And I fell in love with the book and the world Rick Riordan created. Any time a new one comes out, I buy it no questions asked. 

My kid started reading the books while they were in third grade. And hasn't stopped. Rick Riordan and these books are constantly brought up in conversations we have. And most of the time, it's talking about how Mr. Riordan did things right with his books.

I recommend this book to everyone. If you watched the new show? Read the book. Watched the old shitty movies? Read the books. Like YA books? Read this one. Like mythology? Read this book. You are just standing there and I feel chatty? Let me tell you about this awesome book you should read.

That's all for this one.

I already started reading the second book of the series, but it will be a while before I finish it. Trying to push through a couple other books first.

Stephy Read Love Bites by Lynsay Sands

 

 

 

 

I did a half-assed review of this awhile back.

  

 About/Summary

Second book in the Argeneau series.

Etienne Argeneau is having a slight problem. Someone keeps trying to kill him. During one attempt, Pudge (the attempted murderer), fatally wounds Rachel Garrett.

Content/Trigger Warnings

Attempted Murder

Manipulation (Etienne feeds Rachel bad blood in an attempt to keep her around)

Sexual Content

Slight Non-Con (at a bar they have drinks that make vampires super horny and then have sex)

Dick biting (not even explaining this, it's a book about vampires, you can assume)

 

Characters

Main characters are Rachel Garrett and Etienne Argeneau.

Rachel is a coroner, Etienne a video game designer. Which, dude made a video game about vampires. Bit on the nose, innit?

Main characters are fine. They're great. But the real stars of the show are Thomas and Marguerite.

I adore Thomas. Just adore him.

And I fucking love Marguerite and her meddling ways.

 

Atmosphere/Setting

Takes place in... Canada?

Writing

I adore Lynsay Sands' writing. In my opinion it is the perfect blend of romance, spice and humor.

Plot

Main plot is the romance. Cause it's a romance book. The whole attempted murder thing is a sub-plot.

Both main plot and sub-plot are well done. Though, sometimes I did sort of forget there was a nerd out there that wanted Etienne dead.

Romance

Honestly, the romance is pretty predictable. But... that's part of why I read romance novels. Especially Happily Ever After romance novels. Things will happen, but it's fine, because these two are gonna kiss and live happily ever after.

How diverse is it?

Just a bunch of straight white people. 🤷

Overall Thoughts

I love this book and I love this series. Some bits are a bit cheesy. Some are predictable. But I still love it.

Also, there is a bit where Etienne's computers get destroyed and more than once having backups of files is mentioned. Which made me laugh and question if Lynsay Sands has made the mistake of not backing up her work.

I also really enjoy how the series connects. I have read some of them out of order before, but it is so much better reading them in order. I think it's fun to see what the main characters from previous books are doing. The main characters from the previous book are getting married in this one, by the way.

But yeah. Fun paranormal romance. Highly recommend to anyone that enjoys the genre.

 

That's all for this one.

Support me on Ko-fi

Stephy Read Star Wars Young Jedi Knights: Darkest Knight

Hawke is not amused. Not amused at all.

About/Summary

First published in 1996 (which means I was 11 when I first read this book. I was a baby. A little bitty baby nerd), Darkest Knight is the fifth book in the Young Jedi Knights series. In this book, the Baby Jedi (Jacen, Jaina, Tenel Ka, and Lowbacca) are going to Kashyyyk with Chewbacca to visit Lowie's family. But, of course, the Second Imperium is going to cause some problems.

Content/Trigger Warnings

Minor character death

Tropes

Okay. So the tvtropes page is for the entire series. So... I'm gonna hold off on the trope talk until the last book. For reasons that barely make sense to me, so I will not be explaining.

Characters

Once again the main characters are Jacen and Jaina Solo, Tenel Ka and Lowbacca. Oh, and Em-Teedee. This time we get to meet Lowie's sister and parents. 

We also got Brakiss (still think that is a stupid name...), Zekk, Tamith Kai and her Nightsister underlings. 

Characters are good. Lowie's sister, Sirra, was fun. 

Atmosphere/Setting

Main setting is Kashyyyk. The Kashyyyk I grew up with. Which means, the cities are built on treetops and wookiees rarely go into the lower levels that are full of predators and the like. I much prefer this version. Not a beach in sight.

Writing

This is a children's book. Yes, older children, but still for children. The writing is simple and easy to follow. Which is fine. It is a children's book. 

Plot

The main plot is basically the Baby Jedi just chilling on Kashyyyk. Then there is the secondary plot of the Second Imperium stealing computer components from Kashyyyk (ya see, back in the times of the Expanded Universe, Wookiees are great with tech, so a lot of computer things that the New Republic used came from Kashyyyk). Secondary plot also includes Zekk "taking care of" the young Jedi. And then we have the third plot (or maybe the second subplot?) of Lowie's sister, Sirra, preparing to go through the rite of passage that all Wookiee youths go through. And finally, we have the last bit (not really even a plot really) where the Emperor shows up on the Shadow Academy but is acting a bit shady.

That seems like a lot, right? And it is. But things are very well done. And none of the subplots... side plots... Whatever... None were left unfinished. Aside from that Emperor one, but it's fine, it'll be resolved in the next book. 

How diverse is it?

Well... It's just a bunch of white people causing problems for a bunch of furry people... 

Overall Thoughts

I got some thoughts.

The Solo twins decided as of this book to learn the Wookiee language. They have known Chewbacca their entire life. He is a constant feature of their lives. And at age 14 they were like "huh. Maybe we should learn what that guy is actually saying to Dad..." I am disappointed in them. I have had this issue since book one by the way.

Second thought. There are banthas on Kashyyyk. Was that always a thing in the Expanded Universe that I blocked out? Why are there banthas on Kashyyyk? How did they get there? I have so many questions. 

Third thought, why is Chewie not spending time with his wife and son? Which, yeah, he had a wife and son in the Expanded Universe, but he owed Han a life debt, which are super important in wookiee culture so his wife and son stayed on Kashyyyk while Chewie kept Han from dying. I don't remember them even being mentioned in this book. I hope Chewie was visiting them while the Baby Jedi were off doing things without him.

But overall, I enjoyed this one. Did take me a while to read it but I'm easily distracted.

That's all for this one. See y'all on Saturday. 

Support me on Ko-Fi

Stephy Read Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie

 

“No one human being knows the full truth about another human being. Not even one's nearest and dearest.”

About/Summary

First published in 1939, the book follows retired police officer Luke Fitzwilliams as he solves a series of murders in the small village of Wychwood under Ashe.

Content/Trigger Warnings

Period Typical *waves hands* everything (basically 30s type of thinking and speaking might be a bit off-putting to some people, keep that in mind)

Old ladies keep getting called "pussy". I know that word can make some people uncomfortable in some situations. Not sure if this is one of those situations. Also, is this an old slang term I was unaware of? If so, part of me wants it to make a comeback.

Murder (multiple, offscreen)

Murder of a child (offscreen)

Attempted murder

Tropes

Here is a list of tropes used in the book. Now... Let's discuss a couple, I suppose.

Little Old Lady Investigates - I just love the little old lady detective trope. I want to be a little old lady detective. 

Motive Rant - I love a good motive rant. It fills in all the details I missed or weren't shown.

Characters

The main character is Luke Fitzwilliams, a retired police officer. I know nothing about this man. Well, I know his name. And that he's retired.

There's also Bridget (she had black hair... I think...), Gordon (Luke did not like this dude), and various other characters.

My favorite character was the old lady who realized someone was murdering people in the village and went to London to let Scotland Yard know. She died early in the book and I am still sad at the loss.

Honestly, all the characters were a bit meh to me. 

Atmosphere/Setting

The main setting is Wychwood under Ashe, a small village in England. Do itty bitty villages like this still exist, cause I wanna live there.

Writing

Writing was good. Book sucked me in pretty quick. There was a Sherlock Holmes reference, which... I found the first one kind of amusing. After that I was just meh about it. I get it, dude, you're not Sherlock Holmes. 

Plot

The plot is pretty good. A few good twists and turns. The big twist at the end was fan-fucking-tastic in my opinion. I really only had one issue with the book, plot-wise...

Romance

Ugh. That fucking romance subplot. Just ugh. I hated it. The two characters were basically assholes to each other the whole time. 

Like, what is this shit? I hate it... 

Not to mention that they were pretending to be cousins for most of the book.

How diverse is it?

Not very. Bunch of white people having problems.

Overall Thoughts

The book was an enjoyable mystery. But not really something I'm going to recommend to everyone. If you like Agatha Christie's books or mysteries, then yeah. But I dunno. The romance between Luke and Bridget annoyed me so much... But yeah, that plot twist was good. 

And that's all for this one. 

Support me on ko-fi

And I will see y'all on Saturday for the weekly round-up

Stephy Read A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands

 Hello There!

First. I would like to formally apologize to Ryan for finishing this before finishing The Stand. As always when I read Stephen King, I needed something fluffy to break up the OH MY FUCKING GODS THIS IS HORRIBLE moments of terror. And I made a mistake. For the first two or three chapters of this book, I was switching off with The Stand. I would read a chapter of it, then a chapter of this. And then... This book sucked me in and it was all I read until I finished it... I am sorry. I will go back to the Stand now. 

“Birthdays could be such a bummer when you were older than the country you lived in.”

About/Summary

A Quick Bite is a paranormal romance written by Lynsay Sands. It was first published in 2005. And is the first in the Argeneau series of books. 

Lissiana Argeneau faints at the sight of blood. Which wouldn't be a problem, but she's a vampire. To help her with this, her mother kidnaps a psychologist. As one does.

Content/Trigger Warnings

Kidnapping

Sexual Content

Attempted murder

Blood

Mentions of mental abuse (not to or by the two main characters)

Characters

The main characters are Lissiana and Greg. And they are great. But the best character is Thomas. Love that boy. But this isn't Thomas's story, so I will refrain from gushing about how much I love him.

Lissianna is a vampire (or immortal). She has hemaphobia, and faints at the sight of blood. Vampires in this series drink from bagged blood, so that is quite the problem. She gets a job at a homeless shelter thinking she could feed from the people at the shelter, but that proves to be a bad idea. 

Greg is a psychologist who does a lot of work dealing with phobias. He is a workaholic whose family keeps trying to set him up with various women.

They were both solid characters. I really liked them.

A lot of characters that continue to show up throughout the series were introduced in this book. Most of them stick around for the entire book, a couple just show up for a chapter and then disappear. There are a few mortals in this book. Do not expect to ever see or hear from them again. They are unimportant.

Atmosphere/Setting

The book takes place in Canada. Toronto I wanna say... *looks at notes* Yep. Toronto. I did not have this in my notes. I looked on GoodReads.

Oh, and according to the first page, it takes place in November of 2000. Helpful. 

I didn't get much for either atmosphere or setting. 

Writing

I absolutely adore Lynsay Sands's writing. She puts, in my opinion, the right amount of humor in her books. I like a bit of humor in whatever I'm reading or watching. 

I do have one issue though... The phrase "she had curves in all the right places". I don't know why, but over the years I have grown to hate that phrase. It was used once in this book so I could roll my eyes and carry on. But gods, that phrase...

Plot

The plot is fun. Main plot is the romance. Or is the main plot the one with the attempted murder 🤔 Either way, fun plot. Well done with no plot holes. Though... What did happen to those dudes that tried to commit that murder... 🤔 Eh, I'm sure they're fine.

Romance

The romance is great. The series explains the instant love thing by saying all vampires have a Life Mate, someone they can't read or control. Which is cool. 

How diverse is it?

Not very. Just a bunch of straight, white Canadians really.

Overall Thoughts

This series is one of my favorite (if not my top favorite) series of books. This series is for sure my favorite romance books. I love these books. They are fun, easy reads with happy endings. I love how vampires were made in this series. It's different and interesting. I basically love everything about this book and the rest of the series. 

Don't pick this up expecting some masterpiece of literature. It's a fun romance novel. If you like fun romance novels with a good amount of humor, I highly recommend checking this book out.

I think that's all for this one. 

Stephy Reads The Bookshop Murder by Merryn Allingham

Hello There!

 Today I will be rambling about a cozy mystery book. Which isn't a genre I think I've read before. I dunno. I'm not great with genres.

Trigger Warnings:
Murder (it is in the title...)
Physical abuse (mentioned)
Sexism

This book takes place in the village of Abbeymead in Sussex in 1955. And in Abbeymead we have Flora Steele, owner of All's Well bookshop. We also have Jack Carrington, writer and recluse (hashtag life goals...) One day, Jack stops into the bookshop to pick up an order (something he usually has a boy for... Seriously, he is such a recluse that he just has some local kid run errands for him so he can hide in his house). And he and Flora find a dead body. The dead guy is Kevin Anderson, an Australian who was staying at the Priory (which... is a hotel? Sounds right.) It was determined that the healthy 21-year-old died of a heart attack. Which no one but Flora thought was suspicious. Though maybe she was biased since it was obvious that he had broken into her bookshop and then rudely died on the floor. 
So, Flora decides she is going to solve this mystery, and drags Jack along for the ride. 

I really enjoyed this book. The mystery was fun. I liked the characters. Jack and Flora had good chemistry together. Flora was a fun character, determined to solve the mystery. Jack is also fun. They have good banter, which I love. Everything needs good banter between characters. This is the first book in a series and I need to get the other books. I need to read more of Flora and Jack's adventures. There were hints of a possible future romance and I need that to happen.

That's really all I got, I think. Sorry this one is so short, but I didn't want to ramble too much and end up spoiling things. Because I do recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fun mystery. Do not go into this expecting a romance subplot. There is a vague one happening but it doesn't follow through. I would say this is a bit of a Ray of Sunshine/Grumpy Grump trope, which I fucking adore. Though, Flora and Jack don't quite fit into those character tropes. Flora is a Ray of Sunshine on the outside, but inside she's a worrier. She wants to solve the mystery mostly because thanks to a corpse in her bookshop, people stop coming in to buy things. And Jack is a bit of a Grumpy Grump but mostly he's grumpy because of his Sad Backstory. 

Okay. That's all.


Support me on Ko-Fi so I can buy the other books in this series.

I'll see y'all on Friday for my post on what I wanna do in September. And then Saturday for my weekly post. 

Stephy Reads Salem's Lot by Stephen King

 Hello There!

Oliver has no idea why I do this to him.

Trigger Warnings:

Child Abuse

Animal Death

Homophobic Slurs

Child Death

Death

Blood

Ableist Language

Rape (mentioned, slight description, implied)

Salem's Lot is about Jerusalem's Lot. Which is full of a lot of shit people. Ben Mears, a writer who once lived in the Lot when he was a kid, returns hoping to get some inspiration. Which is the first of a long list of Bad Ideas. Well, maybe not the first. The first was probably building the town... Ben arrives in town at the same time as two other men. Business partners. And I don't mean that as some sort of innuendo. They ain't fucking. Which... Yeah, I'm okay with that. Straker and Barlow, are their names. They open an antique store. They also buy the spooky old house on the hill. Which most fictional small towns seem to have one of those. Is that just a fiction thing? Do real-life small towns all have a spooky house on the hill that teenagers dare each other to go into at night? If so, I am once again very disappointed in the town I live in. Not a single spooky old house, on a hill or not.

Soon after Ben arrives in the Lot, he meets Susan Norton and they begin dating. Then a dog is murdered. A kid goes missing after that. And ya know what, it just starts going downhill fast after that. 

I really enjoyed this book. Even though it took me over a month to read. But that's my fault. I read it before and I was constantly like "Oh, bad part is coming up" and I'd go read fluffy fan-fiction for a few days. Last time I read it, it only took me a couple days. I enjoy Stephen King's writing. And I really enjoyed that even though Ben was the main character, we got chapters that dived into the other characters. Which most were shit and deserved the deaths they received. 

There is a hint that the people in town are shitty because there is some Evil in the old spooky house on the hill. I'm not sure if that is actually something or I was reading a bit too much into it.

Most of the characters in this book are horrible. I hate them. I think they're supposed to be that way, though. Well, for the most part. I did really like Matt and Mark though. Matt was totally my favorite character. 

The first time I read this I remember being on the edge of my seat needing to know what happened next. It was suspenseful and terrifying at times. I only remembered big plot points this time, so I was still on the edge of my seat about things. Though, like I said earlier, sometimes I would remember a bad thing was going to happen and then I avoided the book for a couple days. 

This probably isn't my favorite vampire book (oh yeah, forgot to mention, there are vampires). But this ranks pretty high on the top ten list. And the only reason it doesn't rank higher is because I do prefer romance shit. So give me those pretty vampires that want to make heart eyes at each other. But as far as horror vampires, yeah this book is pretty high on the list. 

One terrifying point is how quickly the vampire practically took over the town. Dude worked smart and fast. So, good job.

Aaaand... That's really all I got. 

If you follow me on Tumblr, I will be posting some Things I Say While... about this book. I've been kind of slacking on those. I apologize. I really miss doing them.

Support me on Ko-fi!

And see y'all on Saturday.

The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez by Philip Carlo

 Hello there!

The Night Stalker 

The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez

By Philip Carlo

I wasn't going to do a post about this book. But… I have to complain. So, here it is. A post where I am not telling y'all how great something is.

Also, I apparently read this book before. Gave it four stars on GoodReads. Loaned it to a friend. I don't know what happened... And I apologize to my friend that I loaned this to.

The first part of the book sort of reads like a serial killer novel (which is what the writer originally wanted to write. He should have written that instead…). I wouldn't say the first part was bad. Just… not my thing. Lot of gritty descriptions. And stuff from the killer's point of view. Which, considering the crimes Richard Ramirez committed, I was not enjoying that.

Then there is a part about Richard Ramirez's family. Dude went back in the family tree and went into a lot of detail about the Ramirez family. Which I thought was a bit unnecessary. I can understand discussing his parents and siblings. And what his childhood was like, but this book detailed how abusive his grandfather was to his father. Which, okay, whatever. Maybe that was necessary information.

Then, the cops figure out Ramirez is the Night Stalker. A group of civilians catch him and he is arrested.

And then… like, 300 pages of the trial. I don't even think Helter Skelter had that many pages dedicated to the trial. And that book was written by a lawyer. Sprinkled in among all the pages about the trial were various bits about all the women that became obsessed with Ramirez. Including his future wife and one of the jurors. And it was at this point I went from "eh, mediocre true crime book" to "what the fuck is this shit?" And while the writer did make a comment in the updated new chapter that these women should seek a therapist, he attended Ramirez's wedding! To one of the women who was obsessed with him! In the book it refers to him as "an author" during the chapter about the wedding, but it was him. His author's photo is of him and Ramirez at the wedding. Which, ya know, I probably should have checked that out before I read the book. Might have clued me into the fact that I was not going to enjoy the book. 

This book is not a good true crime book. It focused too much on the women who were obsessed with Ramirez. Also, there were "24 pages of shocking photos!" What was shocking was the fact that there were no pictures of the victims. I don't mean I feel there should have been crime scene photos of the victims. But every other true crime book I have read had pictures of the victims. Of the lawyers from the trial. Cops that worked the case. Not this book. There is one photo of the two main detectives that worked the case. But it was mostly pictures of Ramirez, a couple of his family, and the women. Which was weird.

The True Crime genre is a slippery slope. And this book fell off the slope. The book made me angry. Angry in a different way than true crime books usually make me. Usually, when I read a true crime book I'm angry at the killer for doing such things. Or the incompetence of the police. But I am interested in how the crimes are solved. How the cops connect the crimes to each other. How the lawyers frame things to get the jury to agree. And while this book did tell a bit about how the cops connected the crimes, it didn't really do enough. 

I do not recommend this book. At all. To anyone. But if you must, only read the first half. Stop reading after Ramirez is arrested. Just know that he was convicted. And he died on death row. He got the death penalty but it was overturned in California before they could death penalty his ass. And I am very angry that he lived a moderately comfortable life and was allowed to get married. 

Oh, and the book was poorly written. It had a gritty serial killer novel feel for part of the book, which is fine, I guess but… fucking weird in my opinion. Descriptions of people were reused unnecessarily. There was one paragraph that used the names Mike and Michael and it took me a few minutes to realize it was the same person. The writer kept talking about how big Ramirez's hands were which started getting creepy. And some of the other descriptions were just weird. 

I would like to read another book about Ramirez. One that didn't read like a gritty real-person fan-fiction thriller. So I might look into that at some point. I did watch the Netflix thing (Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer) and it was... I don't want to say it was good because of the subject matter, but it was informative and a lot better than this book. So if you wanna know about what horrible shit he did, watch that. It covers more crimes he "supposedly" committed but wasn't charged for.

Oh, also, I watched some random YouTube video about serial killer wives and it said that Ramirez's wife separated from him when DNA evidence came back linking him to the rape and murder of a young girl. So, I looked it up, and it seems that might be true. Does not make her any less of an idiot in my mind. Yeah, we all do stupid stuff in our younger days, but most of us aren't marrying a murderer that is on death row... 

That's all for this one.

Support me on Ko-Fi

Star Wars Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta

Hello there!

So... This one is a bit messy. Sorry about that. I'm still cranky after my kiddo's eye doctor appointment. Glasses are fucking expensive. Why are glasses so expensive? Oh, hey, you need these things to see? 900 dollars!

Ugh. Anyway.

Today I'm rambling about Lightsabers. The fourth book in the Young Jedi Knights series by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta.

 

Wicket is not amused

Trigger Warnings:

Very brief mention of suicide.

Assassination attempts

Minor character deaths

Spoilers ahead! 

The four Jedi are tasked with building their lightsabers. Jaina has enough random power sources laying around so that part is covered. But they need crystals.  

This is the old Legends Canon so, kyber crystals that were only found in certain places throughout the galaxy weren't a thing. Instead, they can use random crystals or jewels. Luke does mention kaiburr crystals. Which I need to look up. (update from when I took notes: This is what Wookieepedia says on kaiburr crystals: 

The Kaiburr crystal was an ancient Force relic, initially located on the planet Circarpous V, locally known as Mimban. When in its natural location in the Temple of Pomojema on Mimban, the crystal increased a Force-sensitive's power one thousand times over. Among its magnification of abilities were the ability to heal, to further augment a Force-user's connection to the Force, to project Force lightning by those typically unable, and to empower and energize a tired being close in proximity to the crystal. If cut properly, the Kaiburr crystal also worked as a lightsaber crystal.

At least that's the basics. So it's a Legends thing. Not a new canon thing.)

 So, Jaina builds her crystal. Jacen uses the Corusca gem he picked up on Lando's GemDiver Station during the events of the second book (read my ramblings about that here ). Lowbacca finds his gem/crystal in the bits and pieces the Rebels left on Yavin 4. Tenel Ka makes her lightsaber casing from a rancor tooth, which I always thought was super cool. And just some random crystal she found in a volcano. 

Luke had the four train against remotes together. Like how Obi-Wan trained him on the Falcon. Glad Luke didn't take away the kids' sight completely but still… seems unwise… Seemed unwise when Obi-Wan did it with Luke. Maybe I'm just projecting since I have seen my kid turn on a flashlight and blind themselves multiple times. These kids know how to turn on a lightsaber. It'll be fine. 

Narrator Voice: It was not fine.

Tenel Ka destroyed her remote. Because of course she did. And she didn't need the Force to do so. That is a big part of her character. She only uses the Force as a last resort. 

I feel like Luke rushed this training. I know he needs to get them advanced a bit thanks to Brakiss and the Second Imperium but fuck dude. These kids just turned on their lightsabers for the first time and, like, five pages later he is having them spar each other. Just seems a little rushed. Patience, Luke. 

"She switched the lightsaber to her left hand to prove she could fight just as well with either arm. She had practiced equally with her left and right hands, knowing it might prove a useful skill sometime." 

Well, that sounds like some foreshadowing.

Yep. Tenel Ka's lightsaber shorted out during her spar with Jacen and off with her arm. 

Tenel Ka's family comes to get her so she can recover with them. But, Jaina notices that the ship had the markings of the Royal House of Hapes. Uh-oh. Looks like that secret is out. 

By the way, this book is about Tenel Ka. The POV alternates as it has in previous books so you still get just as much Jacen and Jaina and Lowie, but this is Tenel Ka's story. 

Tenel Ka is on Hapes with only her grandmother and Ambassador Yfra. Which is not good. Ta'a Chume is manipulative and does not approve of Tenel Ka's decisions. 

Luke, realizing that Tenel Ka's parents are not with her on Hapes, decides he is going to take Jacen, Jaina, and Lowie to join Tenel Ka so they can all heal their mental wounds. Power of friendship, y'all. 

I hope Luke told someone that he took three students with him… I know there is only one other teacher at the academy, and she is gonna panic if she goes to find the Solo twins and Lowie to see they're missing. Again… 

Meanwhile, at the shadow academy, Qorl (the TIE fighter pilot from book one) is training Norys (gang leader from book three).

Luke and the Baby Jedi arrive at Hapes to an angry Ta'a Chume. Which, she's always angry. And Luke is not making her any less angry. Good for him. 

The Baby Jedi are spending a month with Tenel Ka on Hapes. At the… lake palace… fountain palace… there was water and a Palace. But yeah. A month. A month for Tenel Ka to decide if she is going to continue her training as a Jedi. 

Jacen made Tenel Ka laugh! Goal achieved. 

Oh no! A bomb! I would be more shocked about this if I hadn't read this book a lot. I can't remember who is causing trouble (I have an idea) but I remember the trouble. 

The Baby Jedi are sent to the Reef Fortress to hide out. Tenel Ka picked out their rooms, which were perfect for her friends. 

Ambassador Yfra sends them out on a speeder to explore the ocean. She mentions a few times that she programmed it herself. Suspicious. 

The wavespeeder was programmed to take them into the middle of some killer seaweed with no return course. Most suspicious. 

Meanwhile, back at the Shadow Academy. Zekk must fight Vilas, Tamith Kai's apprentice from Dathomir.

Zekk wins the fight but feels bad for killing Vilas.

Tenel Ka wakes up to a sound that might have been an explosion. 

It was an explosion! The shield generator is down!

Not just the shield generator. All the power is out!

Oh no! A Bartokk assassin squad! 😱

So, Bartokks are insectoids and they have a hive mind. And there is a scene where one gets their head chopped off but the body keeps trying to complete the mission. The mission being kill Tenel Ka's grandmother. 

They all escape out the window and grab a wavespeeder to escape.

Jacen: You're not actually going into that seaweed field, are you? 

Jaina: They'd be crazy to follow us, wouldn't they? 

They are their parents' children.

The monster seaweed takes out the assassins and the group goes back to the palace to find the ambassador taking control since Ta'a Chume and Tenel Ka were dead. But wait. How could she have known that there was any danger? The assassins took down the communications? Ah! She is a traitor! 

And after the adventure, Tenel Ka decides she will continue her Jedi training. She makes herself a new lightsaber using a rancor tooth and a gem from her tiara from Hapes, cause symbology. 

Jacen and Tenel Ka have another lightsaber spar. And the whole book ends with a rather cheesy scene about friendship and the four of them light their lightsabers… 

Good book. Again, these are books for children so... But still a fun read. Now onto the next book. For some reason it is taking me forever to get through these lately. I keep getting distracted. Oh well. I'll get through them all. It will just take me a while.

That's all for this week. See y'all next week.

“I haven’t slept for ten days, because that would be too long.”

-Mitch Hedberg

Save the Date by Annabeth Albert and Wendy Qualls

 Hello there!

Oh my... Two and a half days of Pride Month left and I'm finally talking about something with LGBTQ+ characters? Sorry about that. I did not plan ahead. I'll do better next year. I did start reading A Queer History of the United States last week. That is going to be a slow read. It's good, but the past was the worst. 

Now, onto the book ramblings!

Not a great picture, sorry.

No warnings this time, but there is:

Loss of virginity

Geek Boy/Army Dude

Secret Relationship

Feelings Realization

Sexy Times Between Two Consenting Adults

This book is a lovely little romance story about Randall and Hunter. They meet while Randall is out with his sister for her Bachelorette party. The group makes a stop at a gay bar where Hunter is looking to get laid.

The twist is that they are both in the wedding. Randall's sister and Hunter's best friend are getting married. So after Randall and Hunter have a night of sexual activity, they then have to spend the weekend doing fun wedding activities.

They continue to hook up over the weekend, but in secret because while they are both out to their friends and families, they don't want to deal with the drama of Hunter banging the bride's little brother. Understandable. And then *dum dum dum* they catch feelings.

This was a fun read. There was enough of a "will they stay together or won't they?" to keep it interesting. Characters were fun. Though, Hunter needs better music tastes. I would have hated that karaoke night they had. I have Life in a Highway stuck in my head again just thinking about it. 

My only issue was that Randall was a virgin. And after the first night where they trade handjobs, he's like "ditched my V-card". Then I asked my friend (who is a gay man) if mutual handjobs count as losing your virginity. He said as a gay man, yes. Not sure if he was being serious because then I went on an hour-long rant about how virginity is a stupid social construct and it was all fucking stupid. Pretty sure Ryan checked out of the conversation after a couple minutes but I would not shut up. Sorry, Ryan.

Oh, also, there was an issue with the florist. I have read a few books that involve a wedding and it always seems like there is a problem with the florist. We need to stop picking on the florists. Let's pick on the caterers. Ya know, at my brother's wedding they took my cake away. They served cake, and then I had to do a dance (I was in the wedding party, so there was mandatory dancing) and I came back expecting cake AND MY FUCKING CAKE WAS GONE. I don't think I had any cake at that wedding... Now I want cake.

That's all really. I recommend this book if you like romance stuff. It's cute and fun.

That's all I got for this week. 

If you think I'm funny and want to toss some money at me so I can buy more books, check out my Ko-Fi. Link is over there *points to the side*

“Love can change a person the way a parent can change a baby—awkwardly, and often with a great deal of mess.” 

– Lemony Snicket

An English Bride in Scotland by Lynsay Sands

Hello there!

Got some ramblings about a book this week. Feels weird calling them book reviews... 

Also, there be spoilers ahead.

An English Bride in Scotland by Lynsay Sands

Warnings:

Verbal abuse

Mentions of physical abuse

Minor character death

Annabel's sister, Kate, was to wed Ross MacKay. But she ran off with the stable master's son so now Annabel has to do it. Annabel was sent off to live at an abbey when she was seven, by the way. She has been there for 14 years. 

After their quick wedding, Annabel puts on a chemise carouse and Ross has the genius idea to get her drunk and seduce her out of it before bedding her. That plan backfires when she passes out. Which, good. No getting your new wife drunk to bed her, Ross. He does take the chemise carouse off her after she passed out and do a little creepy staring. But then he tucks her in and cuts himself to fabricate that they consummated the marriage. Which, ugh. That is all so 🙄🙄

Ross is an absolute horndog. He just really wants to have sex with his new wife. And he is thinking about it, in detail while they travel back to Scotland. And poor Annabel is full of beliefs that she learned from the abbey. So a lot of religious shit about sex is evil, women are evil, blah blah blah. 

Ross super wants to bang his pretty wife. But she gets out of it by saying it’s Wednesday, cause apparently the church says no sex on Wednesdays. Huh. Anyway, Ross (with the help of his friends) comes up with a plan to take Annabel on a picnic and have sex with her. Cause, it doesn’t count as bedding if there is no bed. Part of me wants to roll my eyes but fuck it, their logic is funny as hell. And it is less annoying because Ross is less “wanna fuck my wife” and more “want to give my wife all sorts of pleasure, bet she is prettier when she is out of her mind with it.” Still a bit eye-rolling, but hey, it’s a historical romance. 

While on their picnic, Annabel admits that she isn't the eldest daughter and Ross is all "I know" saying that he went ahead with the marriage because he wanted her.

They finally have sex and I am very disappointed in Ross. Mr. I-Want-to-Give-My-Wife pleasure got his wife off once with his fingers and then plowed into her without a care. More foreplay, sir. Prepare her to take you better. But alas, that didn't happen so poor Annabel was in pain. Basic sex shouldn't be painful. 

Poor Annabel got stuck in her dress and then saw a man while she was stuck in her dress. And later Ross kindly reminded me that she also saw a man while they were camping on their travels back to MacKay. Forgot about that. Coincidence?! I think not! 

Annabel mistakenly feeds Ross's father's dog cheese. Which results in doggy diarrhea. So she goes off to pick some flowers to mask the smell. And she comes across the man she saw on their way from England to Scotland! She stabs him and he runs off. The stabbing was an accident. 

Annabel tells Giorsal (Ross's sister) and Seonag (a servant) the entire truth and they declare they will help her fully adjust. 

- more backstory is revealed - Ross and Giorsal's cousin Derek felt he should have been made clan chief. He ambushed Ross and Ross killed him. Derek's mother and sisters worked in the castle, but left in a huff after Derek was killed. Which, fair but dude brought it onto himself. So. Now we have a suspect on who sent the fella following Annabel. 

To protect her, Ross declares that Annabel can't leave the castle. Well, this should end well…

Annabel sort of sneaks off to go to the village. Which, I understand her frustration and need to go to the village but still. Anyways, she accomplishes her goal and then Ross finds her. And... There is a bit here where Annabel decides she is going to distract Ross from being angry at her by having sex with him. She admits this to him and he is like "I'm not going to beat you" and then they do it in a barn. Then they fall asleep. While asleep the dude that has been following them knocks Ross out but Annabel wakes up. She swipes him with Ross's sword. Then attacks him with a board. All while naked. After their attacker runs off, Annabel (unable to wake Ross) makes a pallet out of random things in the barn and pulls Ross on it. This wee little lass is badass. 

While Ross is still knocked out, Annabel's sister shows up. You know, the sister that was supposed to marry Ross but ran off with a… the… *looks at notes* the stable master's son. 

 Annabel let's it slip to Ross's men (Gilly and… Marach?) And his uncles that she was raised in an Abby. 

Ross finally wakes up (dude missed soooo much). Annabel comes clean about being raised in an abbey which he's like "eh, okay, explains some things. And you're smart and figure out how to do things you need to know." And, Annabel's sister… Well, she gets all handsy with him and manipulative with Annabel… Ross is not happy with that. He is happy with his pretty wife though.  

Annabel's sister (I know her name, I just refuse to use it) destroys all of Annabel's dresses. Annabel yells at her. Then Annabel has to figure out how to get to the village and bribe a merchant (the one that was injured way back and we all forgot about) because he was pissy about being injured and is gonna tell other merchants not to sell to them. The sister comes up with a plan to put Annabel in a chest and send it to the seamstress in the village… which… seems suspect. And yep. That was a bad idea. And the man who has been attacking Annabel this whole book is revealed. It is apparently the stable master's son that Annabel's sister ran off with.

So, it ends up Annabel's sister was the cause of, like, all the problems, but if it wasn't for her Annabel and Ross wouldn't have been married. And they're in love. And the sister is being sent to the abbey. Which she will hate. Love that for her. 

I wasn't sure where to fit the notes I made about Annabel's family into this. So, here they are.

-the mother is just ew. Do not like. 

- fuck Annabel's mother. Seriously. Fuck. Her. 

- fuck her father as well.

- well, Annabel's sister is a twat.

- Annabel's sister is the worst. Just the absolute worst. Horrid little thing. Send her away, Annabel.

 - Annabel refers to herself as "overlarge" a bit. Probably because her mother was horrid and insulted the girl for having big boobs. Such a horror. 

My only criticism really is that the writer does use accented dialogue which when overdone annoys the hell out of me. But this one wasn't overdone thank the gods. Because I love Lynsay Sands too much to be annoyed with her. 

Some moments were eye-roll-inducing, but again, historical romance. The past was the worst.

I love Lynsay Sands' work. I prefer her paranormal romance books but her historical romances are still fun reads. 

That's all for this week. Go follow me on Tumblr for daily updates.

“Life is too short to read books that I'm not enjoying.”

-Melissa Marr