Book Review: The Princess of Baker Street by Mia Kerick

The Princess of Baker Street

Author: Mia Kerick
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press (January 22, 2019)
eBook, 180 pages
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Summary
When she was a child, Joey Kinkaid, assigned as a boy at birth—wearing Mom’s purple sundress and an imaginary crown—ruled the Baker Street neighborhood with a flair and imagination that kept the other kids captivated. Day after day, she led them on fantastic after-school adventures, but those innocent childhood days are over, and the magic is gone. The princess is alone.

Even Eric Sinclair, the Prince Eric to Joey’s Princess Ariel, has turned his back on his former friend, watching in silence as Joey is tormented at school. Eric isn’t proud of it, but their enchanted youth is over, and they’ve been thrust into a dog-eat-dog world where those who conform survive and those who don’t… well, they don’t. Eric has enough to deal with at home, where his mother has abandoned him to live in isolation and poverty.

But Eric can’t stay on the sidelines forever. When Joey finally accepts her female gender and comes to school wearing lip gloss, leggings, and a silky pink scarf, the bullies readily take the opportunity she hands them, driving Joey to attempt suicide and leaving Eric at a crossroads—one that will influence both their lives in not just the present, but the future.

Is there a chance the two teens can be friends again, and maybe even more?

Rating: 4 stars

Review
This book was really difficult to get into because it's told from the POV of Eric, an 8th grader who isn't the "sharpest tool in the shed," as his mom tells him. As such, it reads the way an 8th grader might speak, so the grammar is not great which at times made this book paaaaaainfullllll. Maybe if I was still in 8th grade (and not 33 years old...) I'd have found it less painful. I'm really glad I stuck with it though, because this book has several great messages and a really great story, and I found myself rooting for both Eric and Joey so hard. 

The Princess of Baker Street should be required reading for middle schoolers. I want to sit every middle school kid down and have them read this and Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl, and then cry and hope that someday kids will be able to go through their preteens and early teens and not tear each other apart for being different. (Hey, I bet you can guess whether I was bullied really badly in middle school...) I love the message of hope in the second half of this book, and that everything isn't magically fixed but that it does get better for everyone, and that as these kids grow up they're able to become stronger and more sure in themselves and their identities, and to band together and stick up for each other and be their real and true selves.

An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review.

Book Review: Sugar Spells by Lola Dodge

Sugar Spells

Author: Lola Dodge
Series: The Spellwork Syndicate, book 2
Publisher: InkMonster, LLC (October 30, 2018)
Kindle, 270 pages
Goodreads     |     Amazon

Summary
After her run-in with a jealous warlock, apprentice baker Anise Wise can’t wait to get back the kitchen where she belongs. But thanks to her brush with death, the land of the living isn’t all cupcakes and marshmallows.

Anise’s magical mojo is way out of whack and her evolving powers are stirring up trouble. As the town buzzes with news that Anise can bake deathly spells, unsavory characters start lining up for a taste. They’ll stop at nothing for the chance to use Anise and her witchcraft to further their own plots.

She plans to hole up researching magic recipes until the attention dies down, but then she discovers the horrifying terms of her bodyguard’s contract. Wynn has saved her life so many times, she can’t leave him trapped. But doing the right thing will mean risking death or worse—being cast out of her dream job.

For this witch, justice might not be as sweet as advertised.

Blog Tour: Twice Bitten by Lynsay Sands (Review, Teaser, Tour Wide Giveaway)

Thrilling, witty, and oh-so-sexy, Lynsay Sands’ Argeneau novel brings together a beautiful Immortal and the man who is her destiny…

For someone who’s been around for over a hundred and forty years, immortal Elspeth Argeneau hasn’t done a whole lot of living. Now that she’s moved away from her controlling mother, she’s tracking down rogue vampires and enjoying some overdue freedom. A fling would be fun. A life mate can wait. Yet to Elspeth’s surprise, her landlady’s hot grandson checks both boxes.

Wyatt fell instantly in love with Elspeth four years ago. He’s stunned to run into her again, especially as she has no memory of him. Then again, there are a lot of things about Elspeth that don’t make sense, like the miraculous speed with which her wounds heal. And the chemistry that transforms every touch into an explosion of desire. But with mysterious “accidents” besieging Elspeth, the ex-Special Forces soldier appoints himself her bodyguard. But time is running out to uncover the truth about her enemies—and rediscover the man determined to love her for eternity.

Each book in this series can be read as a standalone story.

About the Book

Twice Bitten
by Lynsay Sands
Series
Argeneau #27
Genre
Adult
Paranormal Romance
Publisher
Avon Books
Publication Date
March 27, 2018
Amazon  |  Avon Romance  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Google Play  |  iBooks

My Review

Rating: 4 Stars

I'm not usually into vampire romance, though I used to read my fair share of paranormal romance. I really enjoyed some of Lynsay Sands' historical romances though, so I thought I'd give this one a spin. Pro tip: They're not vampires, they're Atlanteans with some highly advanced technological stuff that basically give them characteristics of what we'd call a vampire. I love that Sands gives a scientific, technical reason for why the "immortals" are the way they are, and I DO happen to have a weird thing for Atlantis and Atlanteans, so it turned out this book was actually right up my alley after all (surprise!)

This is such an exciting book and I'm not quite sure how to classify it. There's definitely an element of romance, but also some murder mystery intrigue, some detective/cop type storyline, paranormal themes… A little bit of something for everyone, really. The writing is phenomenal, and I only put this down once (and very grudgingly) when I needed to do some adulting, so thankfully I started this on a Sunday morning and was able to power through and read it in mostly one big gulp. The murder mystery plotline totally kept me guessing, which I appreciate because sometimes you can see "who done it" coming a mile away. Not so much for this one!

I really liked Elspeth, who is a very strong female character dealing with a SERIOUSLY controlling mother. Wyatt was also really great, and I love his background as basically the Canadian version of the Navy SEAL turned bodyguard, which really comes in handy when it turns out someone is seriously intent on killing Elspeth. I like a little more romance in my romances, where this one seems to focus more on the murder mystery type plot and on Elspeth's issues with her family. And why do lifemates pass out after sex? Is there a logical explanation for this? Because it just doesn't make sense unless as a plot device to make things happen while they're K.O., which bugs me a lot especially after the careful explanation of why immortals are the way they are.

A lot of time is spend on going into the backstories of various side characters, which I guess makes sense with 26 previous books in the series, but it got to the point that I felt it kind of took away from the main storyline(s). That being said, there had better be a book about G.G., because I need to read more about him right now!

This is the 27th book in the Argeneau series, but each book is written to stand on its own. There are a LOT of side character, including at least half a dozen couples that I assume are the main characters in earlier books. There are a few references to past escapades of some of these couples which may or may not actually be described in prior books. That being said I don't think there are any serious spoilers for earlier books, and despite there being about a billion character to keep track of, you're fine reading this one without reading any of the earlier books. The only downside is that I enjoyed this book so much that now I need to go back and read the previous 26 books. Good lord, that's a lot of books…!!

 

Tour Wide Giveaway

To celebrate the release of TWICE BITTEN, we’re giving away five paperback copies of A QUICK BITE, the first installment in the Argeneau series by Lynsay Sands!

GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  Open to US shipping addresses only. Five winners will each receive a paperback copy of A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands.  This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Avon Romance.  Giveaway ends 4/6/2018 @ 11:59pm EST. Avon Romance will send the winning copies out to the winner directly. Limit one entry per reader and mailing address.  Duplicates will be deleted.  CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

About Lynsay Sands

LYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author of the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series, as well as numerous historicals and anthologies. She’s been writing stories since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there’s occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus. Please visit her on the web at http://www.lynsaysands.net.

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This promotion is brought to you by Pure Textuality PR.