Goood morning and happy Monday, guys! With each new week, comes new opportunities to discover and read amazing books. And with each “It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?” post, I get to share my finds with you guys!

This feature is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date with the YA version being hosted by Kellee of Unleashing Readers and Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts. It’s a great way to share what you’ve read, plan out your reading week, and to take a peek at what great books other people are reading!

JUST FINISHED READING

Zombie Abbey, Phoenix Fire and The Big Bad Wolf made for some really diverse reading last week. I have to say I enjoyed them all and can’t wait to share my thoughts with you. And guys, check out that cover on Phoenix Fire. #gorgeous.

CURRENTLY READING

So I’ve been really into murder mysteries of late and when I saw Jinxed by Thommy Hutson, I realised I just had to read it. Let’s see if I can guess whodunnit before the big reveal in the book.

JUST RECEIVED

I’ve been a fan of Jus Accardo since I read her book Touch, oh so many years ago, so even though I knew I shouldn’t be taking on any extra books, I just knew I had to read The Big Bad Wolf. And by now you guys know I can’t see a pretty cover and just leave it alone. If for nothing else, I wanted to know if I could judge Phoenix Fire by its cover. Eight Simple Rules For Dating a Dragon is outside of my usual YA preference, but I’ve been reading a lot of St. Martin’s Press books and I recognised Kerrelyn Sparks‘ name and I figured a little diversity never hurt anyone.

As an aside, it’s The Big Bad Wolf and Phoenix Fire’s book birthdays today!!! Show them some love!

UPCOMING REVIEWS

Guys! I’ve added a new section to my IMWAYR posts! Here you can see what reviews I’ll be posting this week and I’ll update for links when the reviews go live. I’m really happy to be sharing my thoughts on Zombie Abbey by Lauren Baratz-Logsted and Mated to The Werewolf King by Alena Des. Zombie Abbey‘s review will go live tomorrow, March 6, 2018 while Mated to the Werewolf King‘s will go live this Thursday, March 8. I hope you guys will stop back in and read them and give me your thoughts.

NEXT ON MY READING LIST

Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon  by Kerrelyn Sparks, is a fantasy/ romance featuring dragons and elves, who are sworn enemies. And if you didn’t know, nothing makes for better romantic tension than two individuals who are sworn enemies. Loved the idea from the moment I read the blurb.

What do you guys think for the best romantic tension in books?

Kris.

Despite being chronically late, occasionally disheveled and a tad disorganized, Dixie Knight is one of the top private investigators in the country, and when a young woman goes missing in the small, Southern town of Devil’s Den, Dixie takes the case. She expected it to be another ordinary missing person case—until Lizzie Meyers is found naked and beaten to death at a local, seedy motel.

While visiting relatives on his two-week leave, Marine Liam Cash bumps into Dixie at the local bar, and his attraction to her is immediate. When Liam connects Dixie’s current case to two unsolved murders in his hometown, he steps in to help find the killer, and keep her safe, whether Dixie wants him to or not.

After another woman is found brutally beaten, Dixie turns the town upside down trying to solve the mystery—could it be the rumored witch that lives in the mountains; the rich, neurotic doctor’s wife; or the perky, blonde receptionist at the local medical clinic?

Time is running out and Dixie knows she has to put the pieces of the puzzle together before another body turns cold in Devil’s Den.

This gorgeous looking cover was the first thing that caught my attention about Devil’s Gold by Amanda McKinney, but it was the phrase “Chronically late, occasionally disheveled and a tad disorganized” that kept it. I knew instantly that I was fated to read this book about a woman who sound so much like me that it isn’t even funny. And guess what, I totally wasn’t disappointed.

Devil’s Gold is an overall, extremely fast pace novel. There is no slow build-up until we reach the climax.  Instead, we start at brisk pace and after a few minutes, we are literally hurtling down the track until we hit that finish line. I mostly enjoyed this about the book but at the same time, I felt like I was flying through the book too quickly to really get the substance of the story.

And for the few slower parts of the book were, unfortunately, bogged down in dense paragraphs of backstory. While this backstory felt cute and quirky and read a lot like the narrator in an old time detective film, I felt it could have been better incorporated into the book as a whole. As it stands, I felt like it belonged in an entirely different book.

The real highlight of Devil’s Gold, are its main characters. Dixie Knight was born to be a P.I and she’s damn good at it. That’s why, when she gets a call about a missing pharmaceutical rep, who may or may not have been sleeping with a very rich, very married doctor, she doesn’t hesitate to take the case. And soon enough she realises this is no ordinary missing person case. Despite being a bit of a mess (and bless her for it) Dixie never compromises on the quality of her investigation. Throughout the book she takes us along on a journey to find a killer before they strike again and nothing is out of her comfort zone if it will help her crack this case.

Enter Liam Cash, overwhelmingly attractive Marine, and all around gentleman. At least he is most of the time. He’s the calm to Dixie’s storm and they made the perfect pair, crime-solving and romantic pair. I particularly liked him as he had the most depth of all the characters in Devil’s Gold. His history is rich, his motivations are pure, and when I was carried through his thought process, I well and truly felt like I was in his head in a way I never did with Dixie.

Overall, Devil’s Gold was an eerily light and fun read for a murder mystery/ thriller and I really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes chick lit and not so gory murder mysteries/ thrillers. I also predict it would be a favourite for any fan of H. P. Mallory and her books.

Rating Conclusion

Devil’s Gold earns its 3.5 out of 5 stars. I absolute loved the premise of the story and felt like the blurb accurately gave us a sneak peak into what to expect for this book. I also loved Liam and Dixie and I loved the gorgeous cover. However, the show-ey nature of some of the story telling, and the flatness or lack of realness of the other characters, brought down my enjoyment of the story just a little.

What do you guys think of my review of Devil’s Gold? Ready to read? If so, you can get it purchase it from Amazon. And while you’re at it you can sign up here for a chance to win one signed copy of Devil’s Gold by Amanda McKinney and a $50 Amazon gift card! This giveaway is open internationally, so hurry and enter, as the contest closes on March 1, 2018. Please note this is a tour wide giveaway. Check out the other stops here.

Disclaimer: This ebook was received from the author, Amanda McKinney, via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa of Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about and have yet to read.

I’ve decided to adopt these memes for Words That Fly, except that I’ll only be doing it every month on the last Wednesday of the month, and I’ll be using it to highlight those books that I absolutely can’t wait until they’re released and I can get my hands on them.

This month, it’s Alexa Donne‘s debut novel, Brightly Burning, which is basically a Jane Eyre retelling but in space. I came across this author’s name when she was tagged in another 2018 debut author’s youtube video. Of course I wandered over to her page to see what she had to offer, and wow was I blown away. I not only love her energy, her passion and her personality but her abounding love of books and her desire to educate all writers about writing and the publishing world. It also helps that her book also sounds like it’s absolutely amazing. For a taste of awesome, you guys can check out the excerpt of her first chapter here or check out her youtube channel here. And yeah I am a total fangirl and I haven’t even read her book yet #notashamed.

Seventeen-year-old Stella Ainsley wants just one thing: to go somewhere—anywhere—else. Her home is a floundering spaceship that offers few prospects, having been orbiting an ice-encased Earth for two hundred years. When a private ship hires her as a governess, Stella jumps at the chance. The captain of the Rochester, nineteen-year-old Hugo Fairfax, is notorious throughout the fleet for being a moody recluse and a drunk. But with Stella he’s kind.

But the Rochester harbors secrets: Stella is certain someone is trying to kill Hugo, and the more she discovers, the more questions she has about his role in a conspiracy threatening the fleet.

Have any of you guys heard of Brightly Burning? What are your thoughts? And what books are you guys waiting for this Wednesday?

Renny Landry is a wolf on the run. Pursued by a shapeshifting stalker and his slobbering pack of killer coyotes, she is forced to flee her job as a librarian to find sanctuary in the wooded hills of Alpha, Washington. A well-secluded safe space for troubled shifters, Alpha is Renny’s last hope. But the first person she meets there is a gorgeous alpha male with fiery eyes, fierce tattoos, and one ferocious appetite—for her…

Mick Fischer thought he left his past behind when he moved to Alpha. But fate has a way of biting him in the tail when a female wolf shows up on his property. Wounded, desperate—and disarmingly hot—Renny brings out the snarling, protective alpha beast in Mick like no other woman he’s known. Can these two haunted, hunted wolves manage to mate for life…even as the deadliest past demons howl at their heels?

Three words guys: Give. Me. More. Baby, I’m Howling for You is the first book in a new shifter series written by the proficient Christine Warren and wow. It was a whirlwind of action, romance and that all too strong and delightfully annoying mate call.

Renny is on the run. And not from just any old stalker, but from a crazy-obsessed shifter with a whole pack at his disposal. She’s literally thirteen miles from Alphaville, a place she hopes will be her salvation, when this story kicks off and things get hairy fast, in more ways than one.

Written in the third person, we experience the story from the  point of view of the two main characters: Renny and Mick. Renny, we learn, used to be a sweet librarian, until she moved to the wrong town and attracted the attention of a very possessive coyote shifter. She’s been running from him every since; at least until the moment she collapses at Mick’s feet. Over the course of the story, we watch her come out of the shell she’s had to put herself in as she struggled to survive under the force of her stalker’s obsession.

Mick, on the other hand, is a self-made recluse. He would have liked for nothing more than to continue living his quiet existence on the outskirts of Alphaville but that ends the night he smelled another wolf shifter and then coyote shifters trespass on his territory. Of course, Renny’s arrival shakes up his whole world and not just because he has to involve local law enforcement, paramedics and the mayor when she arrives but because he has to come to terms with his wolf’s desire for her to stay.

Baby, I’m Howling for You is an amazing shifter romance, which serves to highlight the strength of the mate call and gives the perfect example of what two shifters will do to keep the love they never thought they’d get to have. It takes place in an amazing town: Alphaville; which is home and haven to a hodgepodge of shifters, all with their own stories to tell. It’s also full of a cast of amazing characters such mayor Jaegar, and Zeke and Molly Buchanon, who all come together to not only support Renny in establishing a life in Alphaville but also in attaining liberation from her stalker.

While, Baby I’m Howling for You may not have the most beautiful cover, it is definitely eye-catching and the blurb makes up for any issues anyone might have with the cover. This cover would  peak my interest but the blurb would definitely keep it. From beginning to end, I was caught up in the adventure and excitement of the story and romance blossoming between Renny and Mick. With a cast of well developed characters, a well developed world and amazing dialogue, I really felt like I was a part of the story.

Overall, Baby I’m Howling for You was an amazing read and has single-handedly been the cause of me seeking out more shifter novels for my enjoyment. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes paranormal romances, urban fantasies, shifter stories and stories featuring that ever encompassing mate bond between shifters and I would definitely purchase this book for a friend.

Rating Conclusion

Baby, I’m Howling for You earns a solid 5 out of 5 stars from me. It has literally set the bar for shifter novels for me from here onwards. Areas that felt a little off for me included the cover, which while an eye-grabber, is kind of just there. Otherwise I really loved the story and loved the characters.

What do you guys think of my review? Do you think you’d read Baby, I’m Howling for You? If so, you totally have a chance to win a copy from St. Martin’s Press! Sign up here for a chance to win one finished mass market copy of Baby, I’m Howling for You by Christine Warren! The winner will be announced on February 14th, 2018 via the blog but I will also notify them by email. The winner has three days to respond before a new winner is chosen. Please note this giveaway is only open to U.S.

Disclaimer: This e-galley was received from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, via Netgalley widget in exchange for an honest review.

I am back from an extended vacation. After being sick for the first week of the new year, I was full of nerves for the second week as I waited for my exam results. And my hard work paid off! I totally passed! Not that I wasn’t still surprised but happily so. After that win, I feel like I’ve been in limbo, studying had become such a big part of me that I wasn’t sure what to do now I no longer have to study. I shook myself out of that stupor last week because obviously that so much book reading time wasted. And now that I’m out of that funk, here’s another “It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?”!

This feature is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date with the YA version being hosted by Kellee of Unleashing Readers and Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts. It’s a great way to share what you’ve read, plan out your reading week, and to take a peek at what great books other people are reading!

JUST FINISHED READING

You guys  probably remember me mentioning that I’m a big fan of Tamora Pierce so I spent the last couple of weeks reading her Trickster’s duology, which starts with Trickster’s Choice, and The Immortals quartet.

CURRENTLY READING

So I read Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy two months ago, and I found myself really enjoying it. That’s why when I saw Wicked Charm by Amber Hart and read the blurb, I knew I had to read this intriguing mystery thriller. Keeping my fingers crossed that it’s as good as it looks and sounds!

JUST RECEIVED

The Girl Without Magic by Megan O’Russell has the most beautiful cover, like I saw it and I just knew a book so pretty on the outside had to be a little bit interesting on the inside. So far it has good reviews so I’m really looking forward to it. Jinxed by Thommy Hutson doesn’t have as pretty a cover, but it doesn’t look any less interesting. And it’s  murder mystery! With a blurb that is startling similar to Pretty Dead Girls and Wicked Charm. Seems like there’s a trend.

NEXT ON MY READING LIST

Wolves and Roses  by Christina Bauer, a young adult fantasy featuring faeries, witches, shifters and curses.

What books are you reading?

Kris.