Review: Once Upon a Holiday

 

Title: Once Upon a Holiday Anthology

Authors: Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward, Elsie Silver, Susan Stoker, 

Marni Mann, Brittney Sahin, Meagan Brandy

Release Date: November 25, 2023

 All new FREE HOLIDAY ANTHOLOGY from some of your favorite authors! Check out six sexy and fun standalone holiday themed shorts from Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward, Elsie Silver, Susan Stoker, Marni Mann, Brittney Sahin, & Meagan Brandy! It’s only available for a LIMITED TIME, so hurry! 

FREE HOLIDAY BUNDLE ➜ https://BookHip.com/GRAAATR

Merry Inkmas – by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

When my boss got fed up with the constant bickering between me and another tattoo artist, she decided a company retreat was in order. But when Cade and I wound up snowed in alone at the cabin, things took a turn…. There’s a reason they say there’s a fine line between love and hate, and we had no idea which way things were going to turn out.

Christmas in Chestnut Springs - Elsie Silver

T’was the night before Christmas . . . in Chestnut Springs! Check in with the Eaton family to see holiday pranks, new friendships formed, and maybe even a new baby born. Five chapters as told by five of your most beloved heroes.

Storm of the Century  - Susan Stoker

When a snowpocalypse leaves Police Chief Simon Hill stuck in the traffic jam from hell two days before Christmas, freezing to death is a real possibility. Until he finds his secret crush, the woman who warms his heart, stranded just a few cars away.

The Rebel - Marni Mann

One bed.

Two stranded strangers.

Three wildly passionate nights.

A thousand secrets between them.

After an unplanned, sizzling weekend together, what happens when Cooper Spade and Rowan Cole return home and realize they spent seventy-two unforgettable hours with the enemy …

And loved every second …

Always Mine – Brittney Sahin

Two worlds collide when Eva Scott and Bree McGregor wind up in danger in this Stealth Ops - Dublin Nights crossover event. Luke Scott and his team join forces with the McGregors to save the ones they love before it's too late in this exclusive short story.

Rolland Ruins Christmas – Meagan Brandy

I don't want a woman to call my own. It's a decision I made long ago and one I plan to stick by.

Too bad for me, the little brat down the road seems determined to change that, prancing around in her little Santa suit and bringing me things I don't want.

No matter how many times I ignore her not so subtle advances, the girl keeps trying.

I'm going to have to set her straight the hard way ... even if it means ruining Christmas.

Looking for some short, sweet, sexy free stories to bring you some holiday cheer this season? Look no further than the Once Upon a Holiday Anthology. 

This review is for Rolland Ruins Christmas by Meagan Brandy

Rolland Brayshaw may be a lot of things, a father, a grandfather, a leader... But falling for the girl down the road who is almost half his age is not on his to-do list. Only she isn't making it easy to ignore her. 

This story was a quick, fun holiday read. & While I am not usually a fan of age-gap romances I enjoyed this one. I liked seeing the Brayshaw family again, & it's setting up for possible next generation books to come (hopefully). If you love the Brayshaw series & was missing the characters, and you wanted to see Rolland get some action after all this time, this is definitely one to grab. 

4⭐ out of 5⭐. 

2🌶️ out of 5🌶️ - a couple scenes with some details. 

Tropes: 

→ contemporary romance 

→ holiday romance 

→ age gap romance 

→ anthology 

Review: Keeper of the Bees

 

Title: Keeper of the Bees

Series: Black Bird of the Gallows

Author: Meg Kassel

Release Date: September 2018

KEEPER OF THE BEES is a tale of two teens who are both beautiful and beastly, and whose pasts are entangled in surprising and heartbreaking ways.

Dresden is cursed. His chest houses a hive of bees that he can’t stop from stinging people with psychosis-inducing venom. His face is a shifting montage of all the people who have died because of those stings. And he has been this way for centuries—since he was eighteen and magic flowed through his homeland, corrupting its people.

He follows harbingers of death, so at least his curse only affects those about to die anyway. But when he arrives in a Midwest town marked for death, he encounters Essie, a seventeen-year-old girl who suffers from debilitating delusions and hallucinations. His bees want to sting her on sight. But Essie doesn’t see a monster when she looks at Dresden.

Essie is fascinated and delighted by his changing features. Risking his own life, he holds back his bees and spares her. What starts out as a simple act of mercy ends up unraveling Dresden’s solitary life and Essie’s tormented one. Their impossible romance might even be powerful enough to unravel a centuries-old curse.

So I read Black Bird of the Gallows when it first came out. And I finally got my hands on Keeper of the Bees. 

And while Keeper of the Bees is part of the Black Bird series, it can be read as a standalone (you will understand more if you read Black Bird first of course). 

Keeper of the Bees follows a beekeeper named Dresden - a supernatural being who was cursed with a bee hive in his chest, and stings people with a psychosis-inducing venom. His ever changing face shifts bearing features of all the people he has stung over his centuries following the harbingers of death, who travels from place to place marked for death and disaster. 

When they travel to a Midwest town, he encounters Essie. She suffers from hullucinations and his bees want to sting her on sight. But, she doesn't see the monster Dresden is upon looking at him. She isnt frightened, but fascinated by his ever changing features. Dresden risks his own life, holding his bees back to spare her. 

That simple act of mercy ends up enabling Dreaden's life, and setting off a string of events, that could alter their lives forever, and makes them hope for the impossible. 

So, like I said it has been years since I read Black Bird of the Gallows- but I loved it. It was unique and charming. And loved the set up for their world and the characters. Plus Harbingers of Death, in the form of supernatural crows? - what was not to love.

Keeper of the Bees was also unique. Dresden was a immortal Beekeeper. Cursed to sting others, usually sending them spiraling into murder or death, and then to wear their features on his ever-changing face. He not only had a hive of bees living inside him, but can turn into a swarm of bees at will. He couldn't always control them, nor did he want to. Not until meeting Essie. 

Essie may suffer from hullucinations - not always knowing what is real and what may be a delusion. A family "curse"- that spanned back decades, passed down from generation to generation. Doctors were baffled by it. But she didn't let her condition bother her too much. 

The pair formed an unlikely friendship, both intrigued by the other. Both considered invisible or monstrous from those around them. But both seeing beyond their appearances for the first time. 

This book was different, and cute. But it didn't captivate me as much as Black Bird did. Maybe it was because I've been in a book slump, and I wasn't in the right headspace upon picking up this book. I didn't connect with these characters as much as I would have liked, and it took me longer to finish it than it should have. It was an easy YA read- A tale inspired by beauty and the beast & a urban fantasy with supernatural beings and curses.  It was still a good read & I enjoyed getting lost in Dreaden's & Essie's tale. 

3.5⭐ out of 5⭐. 

1🌶️ out of 5🌶️. - YA, kissing, tension, & fade to black. 

Tropes: 

→ YA 

→ paranormal romance 

→ beauty & the beast inspired

→ urban fantasy 

→ small town 

→ monster H 

→ cursed H 

Review: Iron Flame

 

Title: Iron Flame

Series: The Empyrean

Author: Rebecca Yarros

Release Date: Nov 7, 2023

“The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.” —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.

What the ffff-!! 

Ok, so I am still processing, trying to figure out what I just read and how I am feeling about it 😂😂. 

Iron Flame follows the events of Fourth Wing. 

Everyone including Violet expected Violet to die during her first year at Basgaith- but it turns out that Threshing was just the first test to weed out the weak-willed and unlucky.

Now the real training begins. But it's not that it is malicious and brutal, or that it is designed to stretch a riders pain capacity beyond endurance. No it is the new Code Commandment who has made it his personal mission to teach Violet how powerless she is and to betray the man she loves. The man who broke her trust. 

Even though Violet's body might be frailer than everyone else's, her will is iron. 

But determination to survive won't be enough. 

Soooo, where do I begin? 

Let's start with the issues- I feel like the release was somewhat rushed. It seems sooo many people have had issues- from businesses that were promised the black pages for preorders, having those cancelled, to the wrong title being on the covers, to the missing dragons on chapter 17 (which include my copy I got from Indigo/Coles in Canada, to the lone copy I found in NYS- but I will take the missing dragon over any other issues), but I've even heard missing pages/chapters. Honestly, I don't know where the problem was, it shouldn't have en this big of an issue to begin with. 

Now that that is out of the way, let's continue onto the story within the book.

I still love this world, and these characters. 

I get the conflict between Xaden & Violet, but felt like it dragged on a bit longer than it should have. The biggest issue being trust & communication after the events of Fourth Wing continued on through the whole of Iron Flame. 

I also feel like the book was longer than it needed to be- I get that it was building up the story & the ending conflict/battle, but there is also a whole lot of nothing happening too. So it could have been condensed some. 

But besides those, like I said, I LOVED the world, and the characters. 

Even despite Violet's weaknesses she is still strong. And I absolutely love that strength about her. 

And I still love Xaden- for everything he has been through and everything he is. All his lies and secrets. He is still my favorite character. 

I still love Rhiannon, Ridoc, Sawyer, and all the other characters too. 

And WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?! I am going to lose my mind until I get the next book, because well, as always, I need answers, i need conclusion, and i need more 😂😂. I loved this book, and cannot wait for more from this story. 

4⭐ out of 5⭐. 

3🌶️ out of 5🌶️. - Multiple scenes throughout in detail. 

Tropes: 

→ fantasy romance /romantasy

→ enemies to lovers 

→ forced Proximity 

→ academy (war college)

→ New Adult romance 

→ chronic illness (h) representation 

→ morally gray H 

→found family 

→ slow burn 

→ overcoming adversity/underdog 

→ dysfunctional family

Trigger Warnings

Review: Fourth Wing (reread)

 

Title: Fourth Wing (Holiday exclusive edition)

Series: Empyrean series

Author: Rebecca Yarros

Release Date: Nov 7 2023 

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Yarros

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die

In a world at war, young adults can enter the war college to face the challenges of possibly becoming a dragon rider, and protecting their lands. But the challenges at the college is just as capable of killing them as any dragon or opponent can. The only options of the college once you enter, is graduate or die. So when Violet is thrust into the Rider's Quadrant - Violet who can barely make it up the stairs with her pack without getting winded, Violet who's joints can pop out at any inconvenience, and bones snap easier than others- she is viewed as the weakest link, and becomes target number one. Especially from the marked ones. Being the daughter of the general who helped execute their parents who led the rebellion six years ago. So her main objective- don't die, and stay away from Xaden- the one who wants her dead more than any other... But staying away from Xaden becomes infinitely more difficult when their lives become tied together. 

So, I reread this book - not only to read the bonus chapters but also to prepare for Iron Flame. 

And I loved it just as much the second time around. 

I loved the world, the magic & dragons, and the characters. 

It has great world building, - that isn't overwhelming. It has the nostalgia feel of dystopian novels, with the fantasy element of dragons, and dragons woven in. 

And the characters. 

Violet's illness may make others view her as a liability - she's more brittle, weaker, smaller than everyone else- yet  she is stronger- maybe not in muscle but in her compassion & personality & also dealing with pain on the daily- and smarter & more cumning than those around her. 

Rhiannon who is smart, loyal & a great friend. 

Liam who is protective, sweet & caring. 

Xaden who is dark, brooding, lethal & ruthless but more than he seems. 

I loved this book and cannot wait to dive into Iron Flame - dive more into this wonderful world of magic & magnificent dragons & see more from this characters. I cannot wait to see what happens next. 4.5 ⭐s out of 5⭐. 

3🌶️ out of 5🌶️. - Multiple scenes throughout in detail. 

Tropes: 
→ fantasy romance /romantasy
→ enemies to lovers 
→ forced Proximity 
→ academy (war college)
→ New Adult romance 
→ chronic illness (h) representation 
→ morally gray H 
→found family 
→ slow burn 
→ overcoming adversity/underdog 
→ dysfunctional family

Trigger Warnings