Bathtime Books

Thanks to the current stay-at-home orders for the COVID-19 pandemic, I've been able to read a lot more. As a result, I've also found new websites where you can get advanced-reader copies of books and read them for free. The only catch? They ask you to write a review. If you have a blog, or post your review on some well-known sites ( Goodreads , Bookbub , Amazon), then you may be more likely to be approved to get your hands on these newly-released or yet-to-be-released novels.  Why am I writing about this? Partially to explain why this blog is being returned to after almost a decade of disuse, and also to share with anyone who might also be interested in obtaining more novels to read. You can always sign up for books from your local library. With advances in digital media, there are great options available from apps like Hoopla , and Libby/Overdrive .  If you are interested in the advanced-reader leaving reviews angle that I've mentioned, check out Netgalley.com . It's...

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley. ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ I picked out this book after reading the jacket cover. I found the description of the plot charming and hoped that the story would be witty and a lighthearted read. The novel, based upon the author's experiences as a personal assistant to Carrie Fisher, actually left me feeling a bit despondent. The first-person narrative is overly detailed and anxious. I had a hard time reading beyond the first three chapters as I felt that the author struggled to convey to the reader the awe that was clearly inspired by meeting and working for the famous actress. The author continually stated that he felt the force of the actress's charisma and that her "shine" and "wit" made him want to continue to be in her orbit. As a reader, these statements didn't really jive with the descriptions of the interactions described on the page. The narrator's internal dialogues, which did read like train-of-thought monologue...

I received this book as an advanced readers copy from Netgalley. ★★★★★ Ilona Andrews is an author whose novels I voraciously read. This one was no different. I couldn't put this book down and finished it in one sitting. It was action-packed and the chemistry between the protagonist and her love interest was stellar. Reader be aware, this does have a love scene. Many of the author's previous novels, while they feature romantic stories, don't have explicit scenes. This novel is set in a parallel universe where due to an epidemic flu and the subsequent solution, magic has been introduced into the world. I would recommend that any reader who hasn't read the first novels in this series starts with the other series first to give them a good grounding and so they won't be confused. The universe that the authors' have created is detailed and there are a lot of moving parts. Even though I had read the previous novels, it had been a while so I couldn't remember som...

Description: Rachel Morgan has fought and hunted vampires, werewolves, banshees, demons, and other supernatural dangers as both witch and bounty hunter--and lived to tell the tale. But she's never faced off against her own kind . . . until now. Denounced and shunned for dealing with demons and black magic, her best hope is life imprisonment--at worst, a forced lobotomy and genetic slavery.Only her enemies are strong enough to help her win her freedom, but trust comes hard when it hinges on the unscrupulous tycoon Trent Kalamack, the demon Algaliarept, and an ex-boyfriend turned thief My Review: As the novel begins we find Rachel loafing around with few jobs to her name and even fewer dollars.  We find she and Ivy shopping on the far side of town, the only place where Rachel can gain access after her shunning.  Suddenly a woman approaches Rachel and without properly identifying herself attempts to drag Rachel off.  Rachel does not comply, of course, and we find ourselv...

Description: Seattle police detective Joanne Walker started the year mostly dead, and she's ending it trying not to be consumed by evil. Literally. She's proven she can handle the gods and the walking dead. But a cannibalistic serial killer? That's more than even she bargained for. What's worse, the brutal demon can only be tracked one way. If Joanne is to stop its campaign of terror, she'll have to hunt it where it lives: the Lower World, a shamanistic plane of magic and spirits. Trouble is, Joanne's skills are no match for the dangers she's about to face—and her on-the-job training could prove fatal to the people she's sworn to protect…. My Review: After finishing Murphy’s last novel, Walking Dead, I swore to myself I wouldn’t bother reading her series until it was finished and I could read it through – book one to whatever. Well that didn’t quite work out. Due to my having a lot more free time than usual (read: unemployed) I decided to pick up...

Description: Thorn is a member of the Pilot’s Guild—those who possess the magical ability to navigate Crosspointe’s deadly seas. When a malevolent master within the Guild bans him from the sea, it seems his life is over. Then he is kidnapped and forced to serve aboard the rogue ship Eidolon —pitch black from bow to stern—and Thorn finds himself battling a mad captain, a mutinous crew, and the terrifying magic of the sea. But there is a saboteur on board, trying to make sure the Eidolon never arrives safely in port. Thorn begins to realize his kidnapping may have been no mere chance— and that the cargo the black ship carries may seal his doom…  Review: The Black Ship is the second novel of Crosspointe, not a true sequel it can stand on its own.  The novel doesn't follow the main protagonists of the first novel, although there are some cameos late in the book.   As the book starts we are introduced to Sylbrac, a Pilot who is attending the guild's spe...

Description: Raine Benares is a seeker. She finds lost things and missing people- usually alive. But now she's been bonde with the Saghred, a soul- stealing stone of unlimited power, and must hunt down its escapees. Especially since one of them is also hunting her.... Review: Shearin starts the book by plunging the reader into the chaos that has become Raine Benares' life.  We find her chasing down the spirit of an uber bad guy whose soul has managed to escape from the Sahgred.  If I just lost you its time for a quick recap: the Sahgred is a big bad rock that has the power to suck souls out of body to increase magical power of the one who is 'in-control' of it.  At this point in time Raine is in control of the Saghred, but she doesn't want to be.  Sarad Nukpana on the other hand desperately does want to be in control of the rock.  Unfortunately for him he was sucked into the darn thing when trying to gain control of it from Raine.  However he just ...