Book Musings - Dog with a Bone by Hailey Edwards

Book : Dog with a Bone

Author : Hailey Edwards

Series : Black Dog #1

Genre : Fantasy / Urban Fantasy

Read date : Jan 20, 2020

Source : Bought on Amazon

My Musings :

Thierry is a half breed - half fae and half human. She has just passed the Marshal exam and she gets partnered with her instructor - Shaw who is a sucubus. And they start off with a bang up case on your hands. Read the book to see how that goes! But first continue to read my thoughts on it.

This book has been on my kindle for a while. I gravitate towards its cover each time I see it because it is mysterious and eye catching! But I always hesitated since it is a fae heroine. I tend not to read anything related to fae unless it's too tempting. I picked up this book because I am participating in the #ReadingwithMuffy challenge and the first Jan prompt is for a book with dog in title or as a  protagonist. This seemed the better option among the books I owned and well, I have been meaning to try out the author's books. So I killed 2 birds with 1 stone!

The story is in Thierry's POV and quite short, less than 200 pages. I wish it could have been a bit longer. The pairing is quite different from what I have read so far, a fae and a sucubus which looks like a fun one. The story, as it is, didn't seem too unique to me. They end up partnering after Thierry makes Marshal and they land smack dab in the center of a mystery which leads to the second half of the book. Now that part I liked better because it expands more on the world the author has created and the relation between humans and paranormals. 

I don't want to include a spoiler so let me just say that the monster fight felt like a cliche more than anything else. But I might continue the series because I have the next book and see if it improves and I can't do without getting to know Mable and Mai more! What colourful characters! As for the author's style of writing, it is pretty easy to read and interesting to follow. I am going to see if it forks into a refreshing take and I admit that I am a tiny bit curious about the Fae world! 

If you like fae and sucubi, you might enjoy it!

My one line review : Seems to be not so original with interesting characters.

My rating : 3.5

My reread factor : 2.5

Flo

Book Musings - Nova Terra : Titan by Seth Ring

Book : Nova Terra : Titan

Author : Seth Ring

Series : The Titan #1

Genre : Litrpg / fantasy

Read date : Jan 1, 2020 - Jan 2, 2020

Source : Bought on Amazon

My Musings :

Xavier Lee has a medical condition which leaves him living well protected but isolated in real life. The new treatment for his condition has him getting immersed into the new game world - Nova Terra where he gets the freedom he has longed for all his life. 

And let me stop right there, because seriously, I don't want to spoil the story with my synopsis! If you are like me you will definitely be not too enthusiastic after reading the blurb because I actually almost missed out on this series because of the vague summary. Oh I know, it's not that bad but it didn't have much of a pull except that I get to read about Xavier and his life in Nova Terra. That's why, though the cover pulled my eyes every time I saw it, I hesitated to pick it up till a friend of mine, G told me that it has settlement building! YAY for me.. 

So I dived in right away and I was so glad I did. Because I am going to follow this series to the end. The story reads more like a fantasy than a litrpg because of the short stats sheet. I tend to skip them anyway so it wasn't  a big loss for me. The world and playable characters, though similar to the other books, sit well with the plot and had me reading the book without getting bored or feeling like I have been through similar scenes. I really wish it was a longer book because I am so enamoured with Thorn ( Xavier ) right now that I can't wait to read the next book. Hooray for me since it is already available. 

I really enjoyed following Thorn's journey as he gets acclimated to Nova Terra. I especially liked his fresh but innocent outlook at times. Oh yeah, at first look, it seemed that he is way OP but I didn't feel it was overly so. Instead it just seemed that it was a trait invaluable to the plot.  There are a few parallel story lines involved which I feel will keep me immersed in the coming books. 

Oh, one word of warning, I know I said it has settlement building but it doesn't crop up until in the future books. So I had to do with getting to know about the world, the mechanics involved and Thorn in this book, which didn't disappoint me at all!

My one line review : More fantasy than litrpg - Surprisingly enjoyable!

My rating : 5/5

My reread factor : 4/5

Flo

Reading with Muffy

So this is the second reading challenge of 2020 I have signed up for and I am pretty excited because of Muffy :D and Shalini, of course! *winks*..

There are 20 fun prompts and I have filled in only a few so far. All others are pending for decisions!

I hope the ones I have decided on are the right choices, that I didn't misinterpret them.

Jan - Dog with a Bone by Hailey Edwards

Feb - Love in a Fix by Leah Atwood

Mar - TBD

Apr - TBD

May - TBD

Jun - TBD

Jul - TBD

Aug - TBD

Sep - Damaged by Pamela Callow

Oct - TBD

Nov - TBD

Dec - TBD

13 - TBD

14 - TBD

15 - TBD

16 - Opposite of Always by Justin A Reynolds

17 - TBD

18 - Rose Garden International by Sundari Venkataraman

19 - Edge of Mercy by C C Marks

I have so much more to browse through and choose.. Wish me luck!

Flo

20 - TBD

#TBRChallenge2020

TBR Challenge 2020 is one of the reading challenges I have signed up for this year. I hope it keeps me on my toes and gets me to read new and diverse books. I need to branch out because, frankly, I have been in a rut in recent times. Nothing like good prompts to get me eyeing new and interesting and out of my comfort zone books, not all but few of them anyway.

So this one is hosted by Shalini and Soumya. And they have some fun prompts. Let's take a look at them. I have not completed the list yet. I will add in the other picks later. For now, browse to get my idea of TBR list for this one! There are 20 mandatory and 4 optional prompts which can be easily read I believe.

1. A book from a genre you generally avoid - TBD

2. A book that's a part of a series - Nova Terra :Titan by Seth Ring

3. A book you started but never finished - Spellmonger by Terry Mancour

4. A book by an author you have been meaning to read but haven't dared to so far - The Emperor's Edge by Lindsay Buroker

5. A book written 100 years ago/Classic - Rebecca of Sunnybrook farm by Kate Douglas Wiggins 

6. A book picked up after reading a favorable review on a book blogger's site or a recommendation from a book obsessed friend/relative - TBD

7. A book set in the past or the future - The Three Brooches by Katherine Lowrey Logan

8. Re-read an old favorite - Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens

9. A book to be read on a vacation or the plot is based around a holiday (could be a travelogue)
TBD

10. A free hit (choose any book you wish here)
No one you know by Michelle Richmond

11. A book that would be a foodies delight - TBD

12. A book with the cover in your favorite color
The Gift by Cecilia Ahern 

13. A book with a love triangle - TBD

14. WWI or WWII drama (could be a true story or fictional). - TBD

15. A book written by a famous personality (could be an autobiography/memoir or just fiction)
Mrs Funny Bones by Twinkle Khanna

16. A book gifted to you - The Dry by Jane Harper

17. A YA book - Emma Beware by Michelle A Iden

18. A book based on mythology (Indian, Roman, Greek etc) - Rise of the flame by K N Lee

19. A book that’s been on your shelf for more than 5 years - Child of the Myst by Kathleen Morgan

20. An award winning book - TBD

Bonus Prompts (Optional): 

21. A self help book - TBD

22. A book by an author whose name starts with the first letter as your name - After the Winter by Mark R Healy

23. An Audiobook/e-book or a PDF read - TBD

24. A crime fiction - Vanishing Girls by Lisa Regan


I am so looking forward to taking these off my TBR owned books list!

Flo

2020 reading plans

Hey ppl!

I am sooo late in putting up my reading plans for 2020 post. But I wasn't late in joining in though.

I was leaning towards making a list of books and keeping with the schedule for each month. Then I thought that I would read according to whimsy and then make an end of the month post instead which would be easier I think. So I got onto the reading bandwagon early and I have been reading non stop and I am still going strong.

I am taking part in 3 reading challenges this year. I am trying not to overwhelm myself.

First is the Goodreads Challenge which I signed up for again this year and I have set 100 as the limit. My aim is to go beyond it if my work allows it.

Second is the #TBRChallenge2020. I have linked the blog where the full details are available. I have almost finished finalizing the entire list.. There are a few spots still to be filled. I will post the list as soon as everything is figured out.

Last is the Reading with Muffy challenge. I have only started on choosing the books so it might a while before I can post the list. I have linked the blog here too so you can check it out.

With all these, I am looking forward to a very book intensive year.

Keeping my toes crossed
Flo

A note .. and an apology..

"Where is Floryie?"... I am sure that's what is going on in the minds of the people who are familiar with me and my blog. Especially my book friends! Well think of the devil and here she is!

Hey hey, it's me, Flo. Yeah I know I have been gone for such a long time. I seriously don't know where the time went. And 2020 is here now. Wow.. it's been a ride of a year in 2019. A little bit of good and a lot of bad. I had a few deaths in the family, not in my nuclear family though. And that has made me take time to balance again. It felt like an era has ended and the people I thought would be around are no more, just memories on a dark night. Fear and a strange sort of dullness had gripped me for months. I went back to virtual worlds for a bit to get out of my funk. It worked for a bit but alas human nature is such that unless we work on ourselves we won't get happy. I was in such a bad state that I had stopped reading. Yes, the self proclaimed book addict stopped reading for more than half a year. 

Then towards the end of November, my laptop just gave up on me. And I went on an unplanned diet in the evenings which I call " Dinner Dieting " which eventually led to loss of 4 kgs. And surprisingly it helped me. I came out of my funk and started reading again from December. And now, 2020 is seeing a better me hopefully. And I am ready to get back to books, reading and blogging along with other things I want to do. 

I finally got my new laptop, that's why I am a little late to blogging. And I hope to get rolling again!

Let me take this time to apologize to all the authors and tour organizers whom I disappointed in 2019. I missed a couple of blog tours and review dates and I feel pretty bad about it. I have also missed a notable number of reviews in the previous blogging years because of various reasons. I am no Ms. Best Blogger in any way. I am aiming to dig out all those copies and finish them this year. Better very late than never. I once again apologize to the impacted authors. 

So.. 1 2 3.. let me get started!

See you all soon.

Flo