Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Animals in Them

2021-04-27 ~ Jolie ~ Leave a comment

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

How it works:

She assigns each Tuesday a topic and then posts her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.

As with all TTTs, today’s prompt gave me a huge grin on my face. I love animals and I love it when animals are featured in books I am reading. For me, sometimes just having an animal (notice I didn’t say pet) adds that extra oomph that I need to enjoy the book.

Do you like books with animals? If so, what are your favorite books? Let me know so I can either A. say “Oh I read that” or B. Go and add it to my already overfull TBR shelf….lol.

1. The Others series by Anne Bishop

This series features shape shifting Wolves, Bears, Panthers, Sharks, Crows, and Hawks. There are also mentions of Bobcats and Lynx. But these shape shifters are definitely NOT human or desire to be human. They are the Alpha predators and humans must confirm to their laws or get eaten.

2. Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens

One of the main characters, Hailey, disappears into the Canadian wilderness with her dog, Wolf. Now, Wolf doesn’t show up until halfway through the book but after that, he is a constant. I absolutely loved him and his relationship with Hailey!!

3. Bones of a Saint by Grant Farley

RJ is gifted two homing pigeons by Mr. Leguin (you need to read the book to understand why) and they are featured a bit until well, Mr. Peabody comes onto the scene. Then they aren’t (catch my drift).

4. Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

S.T., a crow, and Dennis, his dog, have front row seats to the end of humanity. People became too dependent on their phones and it turned them into zombies. S.T. is the savior of the pets who were left behind, rescuing them from houses or other animals. I loved S.T. and his wiseass commentary of how the humans destroyed themselves.

5. Shadow Pack by Marc Daniel

This is a shifter book. Michael is a bear shifter (thought to be extinct) and is hunting down a murderous pack of werewolves. There is so much more to the story than what I mentioned here.

6. Mutts Like Me by Keri Armstrong

Another shifter book. The female main is a werewolf. Her love interest is a Kitsune. There are also fox and dragon shifters in the book. I picked it up for the title but ended up loving it for the storyline (and the fact that the shifters can interbreed)

7. Moonrise by Joseph Hagen

This book is a werewolf horror novel and its actually pretty good. The main character gets turned, against his will, and then hunts down the Alpha to exact revenge for the murder of his family. He is helped by werewolf hunters (witches) with this.

8. Incubus Caged by A.H. Lee

I hesitated with putting this book on the list. The incubus spends 90% of his time in panther form (including one memorable dinner scene at the beginning of the book). The other times, he keeps the form of a man. But in reality he is a demon who shifts into human and panther form. Make sense as to why I hesitated?

9. Hunting the Past by J.C. Diem

Another werewolf story. Seems like I like to read a lot of shifter books. Oh well…lol.

10 Swimming Monkeys: Genesis by Steve Hadden

A non shifter book!! This book reminded me of a combination of National Treasure and the Indiana Jones movie series. And the animals? Monkeys of course!! But not just any monkeys. These monkeys are special and it is up to the main character to get them to safety while outwitting bad guys around every corner.

WWW Wednesday: March 17th 2017

2021-03-17 ~ Jolie ~ 7 Comments

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words .

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Personal

My bladder infection from hell is back. Actually, according to my Dr, it never went away. The antibiotics knocked it down but didn’t wipe it out. So, I am on a longer course of antibiotics and if these don’t work, then I need to talk to a specialist. Fun times…..bleh.

Nothing new happening with the kids. They’re still doing the same things that they did the last time I did a WWW Wednesday.

I’ve been watching a lot of Expedition Unknown on Discovery. Actually, I have been bingeing on it. I love the show. Next on my list to binge is The Pioneer Woman.

I am still playing Black Desert Online. I am currently a 34 (almost 35) Lahn. I am excited because they released a new race, the Sage, today. I can’t wait to see how that is going to work!!

I made Slow-Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup yesterday. It was super simple and was delicious. Everyone except for Miss R liked it (she’s super picky). Tonight, BK made Corned Beef and Cabbage in the crockpot (along with potatoes and onions). I am still debating on what I am making next week. I am going between breakfast for dinner from The Pioneer Woman or an Instapot dinner from Ina Garten.

Blog

I have been writing posts. I promise. The only thing is that they are dated pretty far out (April). I do have a blog tour coming up tomorrow and I do need to write reviews for 2 books that were published March 2nd and March 16th. Other than that, I haven’t done anything I wanted.

Reading:

I have gotten zero reading done since the last time I did WWW. I blame it on being sick. I have had zero energy to do anything (including reading). I am hoping to finish the book I am currently reading tonight and then I am going to start on my backlog.

In the past 2 weeks, I have read approximately 2 books and that is not how I do things. I usually gobble books up.

I did do something last week, though. I went through and I rearranged my Goodreads shelves. It took me forever (mainly because I got headaches/tired) but I have them the way I want them.

I recently finished reading:

I enjoyed reading Bones of a Saint. It was an interesting look at what small town life was like in the late 70’s. I will say that I didn’t quite get the beginning until I finished the book. Then, it was like a lightbulb went off and I was like “Oh, that’s who that was!!“

What I am currently reading:

It is taking me forever to read Legacy. Not that I don’t like the book, I do, but I have been sick and not wanting to pick up my Kindle. Now that I am feeling better, I am hoping to try and finish this book tonight.

What books I think I’ll read next:

As with previous WWW’s, I have put these books in order that I need to read. I put any ARC’s/author requests first and then filter down. I am hoping to read the first 3 books by the beginning of next week.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

2021-03-08 ~ Jolie ~ 2 Comments

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This 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.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

What I am Reading Now:

Bones of a Saint — Fifteen-year-old RJ Armante has never known a life outside his dead-end hometown of Arcangel, CA. The Blackjacks still rule as they have for generations, luring the poorest kids into their monopoly on petty crime. For years, they’ve left RJ alone…until now.

When the Blackjacks come knocking, they want RJ to prey upon an old loner. But RJ is at his breaking point. It’s not just about the gang who rules the town. It’s about Charley, his younger brother, who is disabled. It’s about Roxanne, the girl he can’t reach. It’s about the kids in his crew who have nothing to live for. If RJ is to resist, he must fight to free Arcangel of its past.

I was super excited when I got the email that NetGalley had granted my wish. I have read a lot of reviews on this book and the good majority of them were good. Plus, the blurb made me want to read it. I started the first chapter last night and I am LOVING it!!

What I plan on reading this week:

This week, I have 1 ARC and 4 books from my TBR. I plan on reading them all this week (keeping my fingers crossed).

Legacy — ***Adrian Rizzo was seven when she met her father for the first time. That was the day he nearly killed her—before her mother, Lina, stepped in.***

Soon after, Adrian was dropped off at her grandparents’ house in Maryland, where she spent a long summer drinking lemonade, playing with dogs, making a new best friend—and developing the stirrings of a crush on her friend’s ten-year-old brother. Lina, meanwhile, traveled the country promoting her fitness brand and turning it into a billion-dollar business. There was no point in dwelling on the past.

A decade later, Adrian has created her own line of yoga and workout videos, following in Lina’s footsteps but intent on maintaining creative control. And she’s just as cool-headed and ambitious as her mother. They aren’t close, but they’re cordial—as long as neither crosses the other.

But while Lina dismisses the death threats that Adrian starts getting as a routine part of her daughter’s growing celebrity, Adrian can’t help but find the vicious rhymes unsettling. Year after year, they keep arriving—the postmarks changing, but the menacing tone the same. They continue after she returns to Maryland and becomes reacquainted with Raylan, her childhood crush, all grown up and as gorgeously green-eyed as ever. Sometimes it even seems like the terrifying messages are indeed routine, like nothing will come of them. Until the murders start, and the escalation begins…

Knotted (Trails of Sin, #1) — I try to forget her.
It’s impossible.

Growing up together, Conor and I shared all our firsts.
First love, first kiss, first…
Not all our firsts.

We were sixteen the night she was violently assaulted while I helplessly watched.
I’ll never forget the sounds of her suffering.
Or my inconsolable agony when she left Oklahoma.

Years later, she returns to honor our teenage pact.
Except the boy she loved is gone, replaced by a ruthless cattle rancher knotted with secrets.
She doesn’t know my dark cravings or the trails of sin that lead to her.

I don’t deserve her, but one truth remains.
She’s mine.

Shadow (Blue-Link, #1) — Sophie Diem’s boss has skipped town, abandoning their counseling firm and taking her investment money with him. As she seeks to rebuild her professional career she is distressed by the appearance of a stranger. The man keeps to the shadows, but he is definitely stalking her. In an attempt to flee him she accepts a job offer…in London. Surely crossing the Atlantic would be enough to deter her Shadow.

Glenn Barber is a desperate man. He sorely wants answers. The man that can supply them has gone missing, though. Now all Glenn can do is go after the next best thing, the man’s former employee, Sophie Diem.

Sophie is shocked to spot her shadow in London. What she learns is that Glenn, the Shadow, is not a stalker, but rather her only protection. As her attraction to Glenn grows, together they conspire to locate her former boss and stop him before he can harm others.

Discovering new worlds. What could be better. What was supposed to be a six month cruise of discovery had turned into a gloried baby sitting adventure for a bunch of civilians. Leave it to the Imperial Navy to ruin a good thing. Petty Officer Tanner just wanted to finish the patrol and get back to normal. That, and as far away from the enticing Miss Nora Johnson as possible. All that changed when the ISS Intrepid was threatened with destruction and he quickly became the only thing between these civilians and instant death

Necessary Decisions (Redemption #1) — Gino Cataldi is a man hanging on by a thread. Cancer took his wife, and drugs put his son in rehab. All he has left is his badge.

When a teenage girl is kidnapped it brings back nightmares from the worst case he ever worked—the one that tore his life to shreds and forced him out of Philadelphia.

Gino doesn’t want this case but he knows he has to take it. Not just to save the girl, but to earn redemption for what went wrong in Philly.

Weekly Update: Feburary 26th through March 5th 2021

2021-03-05 ~ Jolie ~ Leave a comment

This is my first weekly update in forever!! I put off doing these because I wasn’t doing a ton of reviews or getting any ARC’s. But now that I am back, I will start doing these again.

So enjoy!! And let me know if you have read any of these and if you enjoyed them!!

Books I Read This Week:

The Marsh King’s Daughter

I was a little let down by this book. The Marsh King’s Daughter was in my top 10 books that I wanted to read and I was thrilled when it came off hold at the library. Then I started reading it and my excitement waned. It was mainly because of Helena. I couldn’t stand her. I did feel bad for her because she was extremely damaged but that was about where my tolerance of her ended.

Well Met by Jen Deluca

Well Met (Well Met, #1) — Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon’s family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn’t have time for Emily’s lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she’s in her revealing wench’s costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they’re portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can’t seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.

I loved this book!! It made me almost pee my pants laughing (Emily’s explaining of her lack of boobs to Simon had me rolling) to crying (basically the last couple of chapters and the epilogue). It also made me miss the Ren Faire. It was cancelled last year and I am looking forward to going this fall.

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

This was another book that I loved. The characters (even the secondary ones) were vibrant and full of life. I was rooting for both Elian and Lira to accomplish their quests (I know, messed up because of what Lira had to do). I also loved the snarky references to The Little Mermaid. But, it was the end that made the book for me. I went from sorrow to horror to sorrow to joy and back.

Hidden Fury by Marie Flanigan

Hidden Fury (Annie Fitch Mysteries Book 2) — As a former cop turned private investigator, Annie Fitch hopes to never be in the line of fire again, so she’s expanded her business to include installing security systems. She’s thrilled to be hired by Preston Farr, a farmer with a vandalism problem on his family’s historic apple orchard and farm.

Preston’s roots in the community run deep. His family has held the same property in Leesburg, Virginia, since the 1700s. The two get to know each other over the course of the job. When Preston asks her out after the work is done, she accepts. After all, Annie’s on-again, off-again love affair with her childhood best friend, Ford, is currently off. Why should she mope until he decides it’s on again?

What she intended to be a fun, casual romp with Preston turns serious quickly when Annie’s newly installed security cameras record startling footage. Family secrets begin to unravel, echoing over two hundred years of heartache and violence.

Hidden Fury was an enjoyable read. Not going to say much about this book because I did write a review on it (see below). Everything I needed to say about it was said in the review.

House of Enchanted: The Revelations of Oriceran by Sarah Noffke, Martha Carr, and Michael Anderle

House of Enchanted: The Revelations of Oriceran (Soul Stone Mage, #1) — The Kingdom of Virgo has lived in peace for thousands of years…until now.
The humans from Terran have always been real assholes to the witches of Virgo. Now a silent war is brewing, and the timing couldn’t be worse. Princess Azure will soon be crowned queen of the Kingdom of Virgo.

In the Dark Forest a powerful potion-maker has been murdered.

Charmsgood was the only wizard who could stop a deadly virus plaguing Virgo. He also knew about the devastation the people from Terran had done to the forest.

Azure must protect her people. Mend the Dark Forest. Create alliances with savage beasts. No biggie, right?

But on coronation day everything changes. Princess Azure isn’t who she thought she was and that’s a big freaking problem.

Welcome to The Revelations of Oriceran.

A magical world tied to Earth, and nothing like it.

I wasn’t a huge fan of House of Enchanted which surprised me. I had gone into reading it thinking that it would be a cute adventure or be something like Piers Anthony wrote. Nope, nothing like his works and it wasn’t exactly cute to read. I was disappointed because I have read books by all three authors and enjoyed them.

A Cowboy Kind of Love by Donna Grant

A Cowboy Kind of Love (Heart of Texas #6) — Jace Wilder has been rebuilding his life since the love of his life, Taryn, up and left town unexpectedly. But when she mysteriously returns, Jace’s dependable world comes crashing down. Taryn is hiding a dangerous secret, and no matter how hard he tries, Jace can’t stay away―especially when Taryn is at risk. And especially when the attraction he thought he’d buried long ago is back and hotter than ever. Will he be able to trust Taryn again?

Taryn Hillman’s world fell apart one horrifying night, and it’s never been the same since. When she sees a small chance at untangling herself, she takes it, though it means returning to Clearview – and seeing Jace again. But when he vows to protect her, will Taryn take a chance, and this time, never let him go?

I have had a really bad turn of luck with the last 3 books I have read (the one before, this one, and the one after). They have all been “meh” to me. Now, I am not going to go into detail about what was “meh” about A Cowboy Kind of Love. There’s a review coming the end of April and it will explain everything.

Blue by H.J. Bellus

This is the last of the trio of books that I mentioned above. I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I loved it because it showcased mental health (Blue’s declined over the course of the book), bullying, and positive body image (Tuck learning to love his body). But at the same time, I hated it. Blue acted like a child for 90% of the book. She pushed Tuck into doing things he didn’t want to (sexually and it left a bad taste in my mouth after that scene). Oh and the language bothered me. Now, I am pretty relaxed with cursing and all that. But to read a teenager using that language in conversations with her parents?!? Yeah, it didn’t anything for me.

Reviews that were published/written this week

Hidden Fury—Published March 2nd

A Cowboy Kind of Love—Review coming end of April

ARC’s I received this week

Bones of a Saint by Grant Farley

I was super excited when I saw that the publisher had granted my wish on NetGalley!!! I have been a few reviews for this book. Almost everyone had loved it. I hope I do!!!

When a Duke Love a Governess by Olivia Drake

When a Duke Loves a Governess (Unlikely Duchesses, #3) — Tessa James has worked and planned tirelessly to open her own millinery shop. All she needs now is a loan from the lord who sired and abandoned her. The only problem is, she doesn’t even know his name. What’s a woman to do to find him but enter the aristocratic world by becoming a governess?

Guy Whitby, the new Duke of Carlin, has returned to London after years abroad to discover that his young daughter Sophy has become a wild-child known for scaring away every governess who’s crossed his doorstep. When Tessa James applies for the job, he hires her in desperation despite his misgivings that she’s too bold and beautiful–and that she might be fibbing about her qualifications.

Their blooming attraction leads them on a completely unexpected path to love that neither wants to deny. But when an old enemy threatens Guy’s family, their forbidden romance goes up in flames. Can they still learn to love and trust each other as forces try to tear them apart?

I had been reading the Unlikely Duchess series and have been loving it. So, when I got the email from SMP asking to review it, I jumped on it. Hopefully it will be just as good as the first two books.

Weekly Posts

Six for Sunday

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Top Ten Tuesday

WWW Wednesday

Tag: Bones of a Saint

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Animals in Them

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WWW Wednesday: March 17th 2017

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

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Weekly Update: Feburary 26th through March 5th 2021

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