#eARC

[leebrontide]

Oh, I've been meaning to say, I'm planning in releasing eARCs of Names in Their Blood in June, and I expect to be very liberal in approving ARC requests. Like "I have read the first book in the series, have a social media account and am willing to tell people if I liked these books" liberal.

SO, since book 1 in that series is FREE to download, you may wish to go grab that and give it a read before the eARCs are available.

You can get Secondhand Origin Stories right here. if you like late YA books that are queer, full of family drama (that is mostly not about queerness), enjoy superhero stories that let things get domestic and interpersonally messy, want scifi that cares deeply about trauma, or are ok with your cyberpunk being more philosophy and theme than aesthetic.

Please check it out!

RBs welcome, you know the drill!

[bibliophilecats]

Read recently: How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kirsten Perrin, read by Jaye Jacobs and Alexandra Dowling

What I was looking for: A funny, cozy mystery.

What I liked: I liked that the main character was actually genre savy and not stupid. She noticed the things I noticed too and often also remarked on them, asked questions, followed up. I like it when they are not stupid or totally unobservant just to get them in trouble. The parallel stories, present and past, worked well together.

What I did not like: For one, the characters were not particularly deep or difficult. The developer, the rich snob, the strange rich kid, the steadfast lawyer. You do not need to spend a lot of time trying to figure out these characters.

This very likely can be attributed to the format, i.e. audiobook but there were just so many characters and family members/descendants of important characters from the past, I really had trouble keeping them straight (which removed a little drama from the reveal because I was confused).

Narrator: I liked the narration. It was a good decision choosing two different narrators for the two timelines.

Conclusion: I enjoyed myself and recommend the book if you are looking for a fun, entertaining mystery. However, I only recently learned that this is going to be a series and at the moment, I do not feel any need to read on. To me, this felt like a completed story.

[thelattechronicles]

Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven

Disclaimer: this is an unsponsored review of an eARC provided by NetGalley.

Red string of fate. Reincarnation. Two souls deeply and passionately in love, yearning for each other throughout time and history.

I've always appreciated a story of reincarnation where a person retains their memories from their previous and past lives, and this is no exception.

Without spoiling the story, Our Infinite Fates follows the tale of star-crossed lovers Evelyn and Arden. As they are reborn and meet in new bodies, with different names, genders, and circumstances throughout history, readers are treated to not just one, but many love stories within a single book.

Although the plot becomes a bit predictable after the initial setup—due to the repetition of the same ultimate ending befalling our two lovers—I still love the idea of two souls being fated in every universe, every life, year after year, millennium after millennium. I particularly appreciated (potential spoiler alert!) that we see Evelyn and Arden in different loving relationships, each free from the limits of gender and sexual orientation. There is something incredibly romantic about knowing that some souls belong so wholly to each other that they find their way back no matter what.

However, I was a bit thrown off by the fantastical world-building. There were some holes that, for me personally, didn’t quite logically work or explain how certain events unfolded. Particularly toward the end of the book, the storytelling felt a bit rushed. Nonetheless, the build-up of tension and longing ultimately wins out for me.

Lovers of Ann Brashares’s My Name is Memory may find this a new favorite! This book was engaging that I started and finished it in one sitting.

★★★★

J

[audreywritesfantasy]

Do you want to read a cool new book FOR FREE???? Do you like falling in love with characters that are kinda just messes and then screaming about it on social media? Do you like reading books that will hurt you?

THEN GETTING AN ARC OF A SEARING FAITH IS JUST FOR YOU!!!! A Searing Faith is:

epic dark fantasy with a dash of steampunk

the beginning of a found family

a cast full of queer characters

a mystery to be uncovered

a government that’s trying its hardest to pretend everything is just peachy

a dog!!! AND a fox that seems to understand more than it should ???

You can find it on Booksprout and if you don’t have that, you can also get yourself a copy through Bookfunnel !

Of course, pre-orders are also available, so if you want to get your sweet little hands on this new modern masterpiece, follow this link.

[betterbooksandthings]

All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows

All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows is a gloriously queer rumination on what happens after coming out woven throughout the second book in The Tithenai Chronicles. The fantasy romance series picks up right where book one left off, following Velasin and Caethari as they define their marriage amidst the aftermath of Caethari’s sister’s betrayal. Still, in the midst of his family's mourning period, Caethari is declared heir of his grandmother’s estate and called to the capitol to officially introduce himself and his husband to the monarch. Velasin, still working to find his place in a society where who he loves is not a crime and the other cultural norms are equally difficult to come to grips with. All the while, Velasin and Caethari’s growing attraction and love may be stunted by their inability to discuss much of anything at all as assignation attempts follow them to the capitol. Meadows managed to craft characters who are wonderfully gentle, politically sharp, and blunderingly stupid all at once in the follow-up to a queer fantasy romance series that is impossible to look away from.

I will continue to love the fact that Velasin and Caethari genuinely caring for each other in an arranged marriage always foils the plots of the political agents surrounding them. Sure, they may look like fools who are unable to reasonably discuss lunch without messing something up,—because, let’s be honest, they are—but they deeply care. The dual POV setup means that we see the care behind Caethari’s acts of service and the lovingly feral nature of Velasin’s threats to anyone who hints they might harm his husband. They come from two different cultures, and they have two different realms of expertise and so their relationship will be difficult. That is aside from the fact that people are still trying to kill them.

The fleshed-out political world makes up for the soft magic system. The map of political interests is so well mapped that I honestly didn’t need to know how exactly healing magic worked. Instead, I was heavily vested in the culture that was built from the ground up with complex understandings of gender and sexuality.

The secondary characters in the story continue to capture my entire heart. Obviously, I’m talking about Markel who continues to be a loyal friend and an invaluable ally in this book. However, I am also talking about the other members of the court whose actions were impressively fleshed out considering how many of them there were. I would also like to hand it to Meadows for giving us a grand total of four chapters from a new Ralian character, Asrien’s point of view and somehow managing to create a fully realized, sympathetic person. I can’t say much else without risking spoiling one of the most surprising character arcs of 2023, but count me thoroughly won over.

Anyone who’s read and loved book one will already be frothing for All the Hidden Paths, but I implore you to pre-order this gem of a fantasy romance novel set to release December 5, 2023. Thank you Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an earc for an honest review of this lovely, lovely book.

[stardustandrockets]

What's a trope you find incredibly underrated?

I finished Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban and, no spoilers, but this book was everything! I absolutely love the hijinks Gwen and Beth come up with to get their parents together so they don't have to get married themselves. The parent trapping was ✨️immaculate✨️ and definitely an underrated trope. And getting dual POV made this so much more enjoyable!

Mixing my love of historical romance, queer discovery stories, and badass ladies, this was an absolute joy of a book.

The cast of characters was also great. Aside from the main duo, Albie was a stand-out to me. Same with Meredith. They were both so accepting of Gwen and Beth and probably realized they had a thing for each other before the girls did.

I can't say it enough, but I absolutely adored this book and cannot wait to read the sequel! Highly recommend for fans of authors Evie Dunmore and Manda Collins, as well as Bridgerton and the Parent Trap (obvi).

[lindsglenne]

January Wrap Up

January is always filled with all the eARC’s (more…) “”

[whimsyandbooks]

The Best American Poetry 2024 - David Lehman; Mary Jo Salter

I have to preface this by saying I don’t read poetry. In school, I always hated the poetry units. But, as I've gotten older, I’ve found myself enjoying poems here and there scattered about the internet. So I thought I’d give this one a try. It must have something I like in it. Something that speaks to me—right? This book is one of those books that has to be savored, it can’t be devoured in one or two sittings like most books I read. (At least by someone like me, who isn’t used to reading poetry.) This book has work I really enjoyed, and some I didn’t. It had poems that were easy to decipher, and others that weren’t. I even had to look up a few words, but that’s great because I was looking for something new. Something different from my normal reads. I wanted something that would give my brain a workout, and The Best American Poetry 2024 did just that. There is a huge variety of poems in this volume, and I’m certain there is something for everyone in it. I haven’t found my favorite poem in it yet, but Mary Jo Salter’s intro endeared me to her. Her intro convinced me that there would be something in the book that would speak to me louder than the others, and I can’t wait to find it. I read a digital ARC of this book for review. Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for providing me with this ebook.

[the-worlds-between-pages]

Summer Vamp by: Violet Chan Karim

Published by: Random House Children’s Publication Date: May 14 2024 First I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Now, onto the review! This graphic novel was absolutely adorable. The art, the story, all of it. The characters, the camp, each part just put a smile on my face. It follows Maya, a young girl who loves to cook and is…

[thelattechronicles]

"The Beauty Molecule" by Dr. Nicholas Perricone

Disclaimer: this is an unsponsored review of an eARC provided by NetGalley.

If you walked into a Sephora, or you’ve Googled some time in the last two decades for ways to become healthier or improve your skin, it’s probably safe to say that you have heard of Nicholas Perricone, also known as Dr. Perricone M.D.

Yes, it’s the same scientist who has devoted his life to studying optimal health and longevity, and the one-and-the-same with the skincare line (Perricone M.D. Skincare, for those of you wondering). Nicholas Perricone, M.D., has already penned several books back in the early 2000s which include (but are not limited to) "The Perricone Prescription" and "The Wrinkle Cure." With his new book slated for release in 2025, Perricone reveals in "The Beauty Molecule" the extensive length and research he has personally taken to discover new ways to become healthier.

Perricone shares with us his findings in “The Beauty Molecule” and the significance and impact of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine (ACh) or fondly dubbed the beauty molecule. In a nutshell, the more you have of this beauty molecule in your body, the better your body is able to repair your central nervous system (all things memory and cognition), as well as your parasympathetic nervous system. Both are key in your overall physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

All of the major points of the book ultimately boil down to one key idea: to achieve optimal health (whether that’s fantastic skin, lean muscle, improved strength, better immune system, etc.), you must ensure that inflammation in the body is treated from the inside out.

According to Perricone, inflammation is what ultimately causes signs of aging, the breakdown of muscle and overall flexibility, as well as your mental and cognitive health. For the science-illiterate readers like me out there, Perricone explains very clearly and easily in “The Beauty Molecule” what steps you can take to achieve certain changes in your body and health. Perricone not only makes specific recommendations for particular supplements and exercise movements, but explains what each of them do and what benefit they bring to you.

I am not an annotator, but my copy of this book has been digitally earmarked all over the place, and there are notably three different sections in the book that they’re particularly clustered. One is on the the importance of circadian rhythms and the everyday choices we make that hinder our circadian rhythm. The second is the detailed list of supplements he recommends, where I noted particular ones that I can incorporate as a ‘beginner’ without breaking the bank. The third are dietary recommendations and specific recommended sources of nutrition. As a reader who has tested out some (not all!) of Perricone’s suggested lifestyle and dietary changes- purely in the name of better sleep (i.e. no screens at least one hour before bed, decreased caffeine intake, more conscious movement)- I have seen a marked improvement in my sleep, particularly in the amounts of REM and deep/core sleep as recorded on my Apple Watch. This is an improvement I observed only with a few minor changes made that were very easy to do without thinking too much about it.

Above all, I appreciate Dr. Perricone’s “The Beauty Molecule” for its frank and information-benefits-all approach. Health is wealth, and should be shared as such!! I would recommend this for any health and skincare/beauty aficionados. It's also a great place to start if you're looking for a simple list of changes you can make in your life, or even a shopping list.

★★★★

J

[g00melo5-art-blog]

HDMIの「ARC」「eARC」って何？ テレビとオーディオ機器接続の重要ワード

テレビやレコーダー、サウンドバーなどのAV機器を設置する際、ちょっと面倒くさいのが配線接続。こういったケーブル配線が苦手という人も多いだろう。しかし近年は、映像と音声を1本のケーブルでデジタル伝送できる規格「HDMI」が普及し、昔と比べればAV機器の配線は非常に簡単になっている。

いっぽうで、AV機器を取り巻く技術の進化は早く、それにともなってHDMIのバージョンも継続的に更新されていっている。ユーザーにとって、機能が増えるのはうれしい半面、混乱を招きやすいのも事実。今回は、特にテレビと周辺機器の接続で大事なHDMI関連技術、「ARC」「eARC」について解説しよう。

[betterbooksandthings]

Heir to Thorn and Flame by Ben Alderson

Heir to Thorn and Flame by Ben Alderson is a queer fantasy romance book following a new mage who finds himself entrapped in political machinations outside his realm of experience and expertise when he discovers his powers. Max is a servant to a cruel noble family before the heir to the throne attacks him in the woods. When Max fights back, he uses magic for the first time. His deadly reaction convinces the king to declare Max heir to the throne so he can make use of power that hasn’t been seen in the South in years. Max soon finds himself in an arranged marriage to Prince Camron, all the while, political agents from the magical Northern kingdom are arranging his escape. Max is unprepared for the powerful forces he never knew were working against him.

At times, the banter and character relationships were charming. I enjoyed Max’s longtime friendship with Beatrice, the lesbian blacksmith in town who is secretly from the North. Her steadfast loyalty to her friend who just so happens to be the mage she was sent to find and bring back to the north is honorable. I also think Max’s adoptive parents were lovely and supportive. Overall, I enjoyed the characterization of many of the side characters.

The same cannot be said for Max’s two love interests Camron and Simion. First, Camron was a wonderfully sympathetic character who supported Max wherever he could. Perhaps this is a misunderstanding attributed to listening to the audiobook rather than reading the print copy but there was no logical reason for the betrayal at the end of the book. While I am aware he was possessed by a phoenix, the only thing that makes me hold out hope for narrative cohesion is a possible redemption arc in a later book. After all, I would not be surprised if someone who had the abilities of a phoenix regenerated. This betrayal arc gave me the impression that at some point, a narrative twist would happen, and we would learn he was not the real villain, but that never happened. Meanwhile, we have Simion, a love interest who had brief cute moments with Max interspersed with a series of interactions that could be described as friendly or nice at best. I very rarely am presented with two love interests and find both character relationships wanting in a fantasy romance book. Let me tell you, I desperately wanted to like one of them.

Also, please explain to me why Dane dies twice in this book. She miraculously lives for a grand total of ten seconds before being killed again. It was shocking to the point of incomprehension, where I was tempted to laugh more than cry. In general, every character's death and betrayal had the emotional feeling of watching A24’s 2013 movie, The Spectacular Now, which starred Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller. At one point, they are in the middle of a fight and Shailene Woodley steps out of the car only to be hit by a car and end up in the hospital. Nevertheless, I persisted in part due to clever worldbuilding and the characters I was rooting for.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for an earc of audiobook for Heir to Thorn and Flame by Ben Alderson in return for an honest review.

[leebrontide]

LAST CHANCE TO GET ON THE LIST!

Come get your teen disasters trying to solve a missing person case while experiencing superhuman levels of angst.

You do NOT need to review/post/what-have-you by the release date. I'm not picky.

DM if you want a copy, or if you know someone who wants to sign up who's not on tumblr. (I would love TicTok to know about my books but also I am not putting my face on TicTok.)

You don't need a huge following, folks. I'm not looking for influencers. Just readers.

Also, if you're a published author (self pub is fine!) you can write me a blurb instead of posting a public review, if you like!

IT'S FREE BOOK TIME

Ok, folks, I said it was coming and now it's time.

If you've:

Read (or plan to read. I'm honestly not gonna be real militant with this) Secondhand Origin Stories (which is still free)

Got an account that you actually post to (could be here, could be Instagram, TicTok, whatever)

Got a hankering to find out what happens next for these disaster queers

Then you can sign up for a free eARC of Names in Their Blood! Read the book before it's out to the rest of the world!

You can get a nice chonky novel with an exciting missing person case, messy family dynamics, reunions, girls trying to figure out how to girlfriend, a breakdown of the nonbinary shapeshifter trope, heroes that want to be monsters and monsters who want to be heroes, a lil bit of midwestern gothic, and a disabled trans trauma therapist's take on cyberpunk and superheroes!

Shoot me a message to be added to the list. I will need your email to send the file to, and a link to where you post, if it's not at the name you're messaging me from.

Reblogs welcome, help people get free books!

[zoee-readss]

REVIEW When Grumpy Met Sunshine

This is a fun quirky book following a ( plus size!!! yay fmc inclusivity!! ) bubbly writer from Leeds and a grumpy ex-footballer from Manchester. While their personalities seem to clash in the beginning, a connection immediately sparks between them. If you enjoy grumpy x sunshine, fake dating, and a ruthlessly sarcastic couple, this is the book for you!!

I really enjoyed the slow burn between Mabel and Alfie!! The tension that kept building up ( that hair braiding scene though ) kept me on toes and hoping for more in the next chapter. It was a pretty quick read for me, and something that I look forward to suggesting to my local book club once it releases.

As always, Please research and read TW before reading.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the awesome opportunity!!

[lindsglenne]

June Wrap Up

I’m not quite sure why this took me so long to finish and upload, but I had to get it up before my other posts for July! That’s right kids, I’m posting more than just wrap ups this month!!!! Continue reading Untitled

[taylorfennersbookishworld]

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? - 22 May 2023

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date. Hey Bookdragons! How was your weekend? Did you read any good books? I didn’t read as much over the weekend but I’m hoping to make up for it this week. Last Week I Read: Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney This was a reread. It’s still probably my…