Book Review: Wired in (Paradise Crime #1) by Toby Neal

Special Agent Sophie Ang has had a hard life. From being kidnapped as a child to having a mentally unstable mother, and even a very abusive ex husband, she’s been on constant guard since she can remember. Now as an FBI Agent, she sleuths around and saves people, never giving herself a break. That is, until her personal trainer finishes up with her training and starts flirting with her. Could this be just the break she needs?

3/5 Stars 282 pages
Published March 11th 2021 by Neal Enterprises

Spoiler alert: It’s not. Everything is always more complicated than it seems at first glance. An action packed story, it doesn’t even really stop to give to time to breathe. A good plot with a very strong female lead, I enjoyed reading it, but I do have a few complaints leading to why this isn’t my new favourite book.

See, a lot of the info really seems to be thrown at you to just remember. Why? Not really any reason. Her parent’s relationship with her, her friends that aren’t really that close with her, and even her job, because I can’t really even explain fully what she does. She lives in Hawaii, has a dog, and never really sees anyone, but that’s all I know. Special Agent? Might as well be a plain old detective.

The other problem that I have is that there’s no warning to even elude that there may be possibly triggering scenes. They come on very suddenly and really scared me to read honestly, just out of the blue like that. Sophie has the occasional flashback to her abusive ex husband, including the horrific time he had non-consensual sex with her. And that’s something that needs to have a warning, I think. Sophie also reminds me of a bad sitcom stereotype, always swearing in another language.

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That being said, I did like the story, I just didn’t love it. I felt like I had to kind of push myself through the entire book, and that’s not really something I enjoy doing. It’s interesting, and I don’t regret reading it, it’s just not my cup of tea. I think it’s good for any adult reader who doesn’t get triggered easily, and likes a good mystery novel in Hawaii.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can here.

And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can on Twitter here!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’re having a great night!

Book Review: A Stranger Magic (Haven #1) by D.C. Akers

Even though I’ve never read anything by D.C. Akers before, I was interested to get this book started. It wasn’t my new favourite, but it was a great book to switch up my reading list with.

3/5 Stars 172 pages
Published March 5th 2013 by Vanquisher Publishing

Sam is just a boy who’s in Junior High, with a single mom, and a bully of an older sister. Beginning with a stress dream, it mostly shows his daily life, but with a magical twist. A very quick and easy read, middle grade fiction is usually out of my comfort zone because of how toned down everything is. That being said, I didn’t feel like there was that vibe from this book, although there wasn’t really anything to tone down in the first place.

His sister Sarah however, turns out to live a more exciting life than we originally think. Things just seem to break around her when she’s upset, and she’s starting to get upset more often. Something I can’t wait to read more of is her side of the story.

A topic that did kind of effect me was the kids dad. How they feel cheated because of his death, and feel like they’re missing out on things that other kids have are they’re supposed to have. That’s exactly how I feel about my mom, the author really hit it on the head.

Overall I enjoyed his book and would check out the next part of the story if I got a chance to. I’ve had this book since 2013 and just finally got around to reading it, and I’m glad I did. If you’re into middle grade paranormal and fantasy, or if you just want a quick book to read, I think you would enjoy it.

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If you’d like to grab a copy, you can here!

And if you’d like to keep up with the Author on Twitter, you can here!

Thanks for reading, and don’t let your bully of a sister get you down!

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Book Review: Paradigm by Helen Stringer

5/5 Stars 396 pages
Published July 13th 2013 by Mediadrome Press

In a fully established yet still broken down post apocalyptic world, Sam has been alone for a long time. Full of gut wrenching action and badass characters, this book easily became my new favourite. Very different beginnings and endings, the story is seamlessly blended in the middle. If you like post apocalyptic, young adult, science fiction books, this might be just what you need to pick up next.

Sam’s only friend in the world is Nathan, a boy he picked up one day about the same age as him. He usually has rules about not doing those things, but I think it has to be a lonely life, and it weighs down on him a lot. So now it’s just two teens fighting to survive day to day, until they decide to go into the city for supplies to trade, so that they can keep travelling. On the way they meet Alma, an insanely strong warrior badass teen girl who just happens to save Sam’s life. But there’s more to Sam than meets the eye, after all. He gets really bad headaches being in the city and just around a lot of people in general. The pills that he takes to suppress them would knock anyone else out. And maybe just also the fact that he can create a mini EMP from his own body.

These events, among many, many others, really set the pace for the entire book, making each chapter more intriguing than the last. Once I started it, I knew very quickly that it was going to be something that was perfect for me. There was just something about this book that made me obsessed with it, you know? Reading it just made me feel really good, through the good times and the bad, violent times. This book really just had a spark to it.

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My favourite characters were, of course, Sam, Alma and her razor blade hair, Carolyn Bast just because of how evil she was. and of course, the old man living in the abandoned observatory. Something about him really just speaks to me. Overall, I really just enjoyed this book thoroughly. The beginning and the end are so different from each other. You really think it’s headed in one direction, and it pulls you in the complete opposite way. What more could you ask for? Definitely one of my new favourites, and if you’re looking or an amazing spin on the classic “Teen finds out he’s different and has to save the world” story, this will be perfect for you too!

If you’d like to grab a copy for yourself, you can here!

Thanks for reading! I hope you’re doing well!

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Book Review: Forgotten Violets by Martin Niewood

Surrounded by hundreds of miles of frozen tundra, Meadow and her friends have been picked up and imprisoned, and hauled into court to determine just what they’re doing here, because the only other people they’ve found until now that weren’t hostiles, were lost and died in the cold, or have been delivered to them burnt to a crisp. But why?

2/5 Stars 200 Pages Published October 14th 2017

With a rare ability to eat a strange fruit called elsyn, Meadow will eventually play a huge part in uncovering exactly what secrets are really going on here. There are wars, there’s a monster, and there’s a ghost of a man terrorizing civilians, and creating cults. But it goes much deeper than that, and it’s going to tear the entire fabric of the world apart.

That being said, and as interesting and unique as this book is, I had a lot of problems with it. I felt really confused for most of the book. I had this feeling the whole time that I was just dropped into the middle of a series without an explanation. Because of that, I couldn’t fully immerse myself into it, and had problems getting through it. I just was so lost that I wasn’t able to fully pay attention. That being said, maybe this book just wasn’t for me.

The setting was interesting and the plot was very unique, and for those reasons I would say if you’re fourteen and up and enjoy strange fantasy books, why not give this book a shot? It has a beautiful cover, and I can see people really enjoying it. Just because I didn’t, doesn’t mean you won’t either.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can here!

Hope you’re doing well and staying cool out there!

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Book Review: Eden’s Serum (Eden Lost #1) by Angelique S. Anderson

4/5 Stars 310 pages
Published April 6th 2017 by Creative Angel Design and Publication

Encapsulated in a beautiful cover, ,this horrific story tells about a world where tech has advanced far beyond the need for identification and money, and even illness. Eden’s Serum is one that only the richest of the rich can afford, offering youth, health and above all, immortality. But as Adam is about to find out, not everything is as it seems, and his ultra rich bachelor life may not b as satisfying as it once was.

After developing a kind of super card that took the world by storm, dubbed simply the Identicoin, the book begins with an emergency. And Adam is headed head first into the bomb threat at his workplace to do whatever he can to save his life’s work. Interesting enough, this opening scene really sets the pace for the rest of the book, if you can believe it. Because two years later, the Indenticoin has completely taken over the world. And Adam has more money than he knows what to do with babies are now assigned an Identicoin at birth, holding all the important paperwork they could ever need for their upcoming lives, and are required to wear it at all times in public by law.

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The next technological leap that Adam wants to take with his life is making himself immortal. Through injection and claimed to be made from plants, it seems safe enough, after all, Adam’s genius must stick around as long as possible so that he can continue to change the world with his inventions. But is it truly safe? Has it even been fully tested? And why do the doctors preparing him for this next part of his life seem so sketchy? What are they hiding?

Aside from these everyday problems; Adam’s work turns out to be spying deep into his personal life, which he’s obviously not happy about, but is willing to put up with it for a cushy promotion, new house, and a workplace he’s allowed to run, by himself. But not long after his injection, he goes to work hiring people for his new office, and begins experiencing horrible blackouts, accompanied by blinding pain.

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Honestly, I really enjoyed this book. I love things about tech and the future and everything like that, and this book fits that perfectly. It was mysterious and exciting, and all the characters were very realistic with their good and bad traits showing for everyone to be hyperaware of. I was very interested in uncovering everything that was hidden by the higher-ups in this story, and the big adventure that Adam and Evelyn have to o through to really get to know what’s really going on was extremely gripping and easy to get into. I think this was a really great take on the classic Adam ad Eve and the Garden of Eden story. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next in the series, and I think to put it simply, this is a great story about trusting y our gut and your own intuition. If you like science fiction and are sixteen plus years old, and also not squeamish about violence, I would say definitely give this book a shot!

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can here through my link!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well, and maybe don’t trust an injection that claims to make you immortal.

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Review: The Devil Whispered by Shawn Starkweather

3/5 Stars 413 Pages (in paper) Published February 1st 2021 by Shawn Starkweather Publishing Company

Honestly as great as the plot and the characters were in this book, I had the hardest time getting immersed into it. For whatever reason, I still haven’t figured it out over five hundred pages later, I Just couldn’t keep my attention on this book. Whether that’s a me problem or a book problem I’m not sure, but I do have these good things to say about it. If you’re looking for an action packed cyberpunk mystery novel mixed with military personnel, robotic limbs and internal computers, and crazy body mods and just crazy tech in general, than this is definitely something you should look into checking out next.

At the beginning of this book we find out main character, Jacobi, hunting down a man for some kind of mob boss. He finds him surrounded by drugs and girls and easily apprehends him, and brings him back to his father. This is just the beginning though, because the favour he gets in return will really help him out later in the book. What’s really going on here, Jacobi learns after visiting his friend in jail after he has brutally murdered his wife, is that someone seems to be hunting down the members of his old army team. But why would someone do that? Their names and team were all under lock and key, not just anyone would be able to have that information. But his friend says it wasn’t his fault and that someone made him do it. How could someone just control another person like that? All these questions and more are all wrapped up by the end of the book.

Out of all the characters I think I like Risa and his other friend with the robotic limbs the most. I read another review that says this book seemed sexist, and while that opinion is valid, I really didn’t get that vibe from it. I would say the vibes I got from this book were more military James Bond with all the cyberpunk goodness and crazy tech we love that comes along with that genre. The world around the characters wasn’t explained in depth, and honestly neither were the characters themselves, and maybe that might be why I had trouble really getting into it. That being said, though, I did enjoy it, and I don’t think I lost any time while I was reading it. It just took me longer than usual to get through it because of those things.

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Overall, If you’re looking for something exciting and action packed, with lots of tech and storylines within the bigger storyline, than this might be something you want to check out next. I would say that anyone aged sixteen and up would be able to read this, there’s not really any explicit scenes, and what very little sexual scenes there actually are in this book, I counted two, they’re glossed over very quickly and don’t get too in depth with them other than saying yeah, they did this. Which I appreciated. I don’t think that this is one of those kinds of books. The plot twists were exciting and everything weaved together really nicely in the end. And I’m left wishing I had an internal computer or robotic limbs, or those cool night vision mods that turn your eyes all black.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here!

And if you’d like to follow the author on Twitter, you can here!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe.

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.ca and affiliated sites.

Review: The Secret Ingredient Cookbook: 125 Family-Friendly Recipes with Surprisingly Tasty Twists by Kelly Senyei

I love cookbooks. And more importantly, I love reviewing cookbooks. And this was no exception. With a beautiful cover, this book offers delicious looking twists on old classics, as well as new and improved recipes that I never thought I would be interested in. I can’t wait to make some of these meals and snacks for myself.

4/5 Stars 304 pages
Published May 4th 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

The whole kicker of this cookbook is using ingredients to spice things up that you wouldn’t think of. Or maybe you have thought of it, but you weren’t sure how to incorporate it completely. Fettucine Alfredo? Why not add lobster. A berry gin drink? Add some ginger beer! Fried chicken? Put marmalade in the marinade! And so o. Some of these things might sound a little weird, but if you know me, I’m willing to try almost anything once, food wise.

Some of the recipes that caught my eye were the blueberry french toast muffins, caramel apple cinnamon rolls, dinner party crème brulee, noni’s soft pretzel knots, and a drink called black and blue! I think they’d be just what I need to change up my food routine, and I’m excited to start in on them. If you’re looking for an exciting cookbook to try out some new recipes for yourself, your friends, and your family, then definitely give this one a try!

If you’d like do grab a copy, you can here, through my Amazon Associates link!

And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can here on Twitter!

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a great day.

Review: Open-Hearted by Nicolas Keramidas

A beautiful true story of one man’s journey through his second heart surgery, wrapped up in a little ball with a ton of cute art and silly little things along the way. Something I’ve never really known anything about, I was intrigued to find this book, and couldn’t wait to start it. After all, it’s unlike anything I’ve read before. What I should have expected was how emotional it was, and it really taught me how hard it is on not only the person getting the surgery, but also on their friends and family. I’m really glad I got to check it out.

5/5 Stars 208 pages
Published January 20th 2021 by Europe Comics

Nicolas Keramidas was just a man working at Disney, living his best life, until one day everything turned on its head. Born with four separate heart defects he had to have surgery as a baby, but he didn’t really think anything of it aside from his every two years check up. Even then, though, he never thought something would happen. And then something happened. He needed another surgery, and it was unlike anything he, or I, could have imagined. This book is a very detailed journal of the journey he took to fix his heart.

If you like true stories about real people with real problems, and you like comics and cute artwork, than this book may be perfect for you. It’s informative, detailed, and exactly what I needed to break up my usual reading. I highly recommend checking it out if you get the chance! It was a pretty quick read, and I finished it in under a couple hours with a break in the middle.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can here!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying happy.

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.ca and affiliated sites.

Review: Inhuman by Denis Bajram, Valerie Mangin, & Rochebrune

What a way to begin a book. A space ship full of people crashes into an eerie red ocean on an alien planet, and though the wildlife doesn’t look too friendly from appearance alone, they actually come up to help them to the surface so that they don’t drown. Lost without their ship and equipment, they are very surprised to learn that the aliens on the surface are actually human. How could that be? I couldn’t wait to find out.

5/5 Stars 94 pages
Published January 20th 2021 by Europe Comics

The deeper I got into this book, the more intrigued and confused I was, but in a good way. I think that’s just how the characters felt. After discovering that the people living on the island are human, they’re desperate to get information from them, but they almost seem to be in a trance. They eat, sleep, procreate, and work, and those are the only things that they care about, and care to think about. But it goes deeper than that. They talk about The Great One, that they’re doing their living and work for. And when the group of astronauts find a way into a underground green paradise, the society of people living down there are doing the exact same thing. What is going on here?

I found this book really fun to read, and I couldn’t wait to see what the mystery actually was. I did find the writing a little hard to read, but I think that’s just because I’m not great at reading handwriting style text. I did think the art fit the story perfectly though, and was very beautiful. I definitely recommend checking this book out if you’re into scifi graphic novels! I would love to have a copy for my bookshelf.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can here!

And if you’d like to keep up with the creators, you can here!

Denis Bajram & Valerie Mangin

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and not crashing into any strange planets out there!

Book Birthday Review: Expiration Date by Mardine Perrins

4/5 Stars 281 pages
Published March 9th 2021 by Kat Biggie Press

A fantastic new twist on a futuristic dystopia, Expiration Date is set in a world that still looks very much like our own, but has long moved past it’s population and non-renewable resources problem, as well as the damage that we’ve caused to the planet. It’s moving in an upward direction and back on track to being a healthy world, and it has very slight tech upgrades, such as hover cars and holograms. That being said, it’s all thanks to something that changed the entire world as soon as they started showing up, expiration dates on every single human being born in the last century, telling the exact date when a person will die.

With expiration dates came mass hysteria, mostly because people didn’t know what they were at first. A blessing and a curse, knowing your exact death date can be a huge challenge. But somehow that scared people off from having an over abundance of children. No one knows where they came from or why, but it alone saved the planet from the kind of certain doom that we face in our own world, in real life. People mostly calmed down, and everything has been evolving since then. That being said, is it moral to know exactly when you and everyone around you will die? It won’t save you from genetic problems, and if you end up being sick, or having dementia, you’re still forced to live with those problems until you pass away.

This story follows two sisters, Elisa and Ashlei, and also a man named Claude, as they deep dive into why exactly there are expiration dates, and if there isn’t something disfunctional going on behind them. After  babies start being born with very short dates, I’m talking less than a week of being born, it really kicks into overdrive to really find out what’s going on. And what the three uncover is despicable, and like nothing they could have ever imagined.

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I had a good time reading this book. I thought the plot was very original, and even though the viewpoints of the characters bounced around quite a bit, I didn’t have any problems keeping up. I really enjoyed that we got to see a dystopia in the making, because I think that’s something we rarely get to read about in books like these. If the characters didn’t uncover what was going on, what would have happened to the world? I think it would have turned into one of those dystopias where everyone lives under a dome and people are so heavily regulated that they’re not able to really live. And I thought that was very unique and interesting. The characters were realistic, I had no problems believing that they were smart individuals that could exist outside of the book, and even though it’s not my new favourite, I did enjoy reading it. If you’re into scifi in a world like ours, I think you’ll really enjoy it too.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here.

And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can here!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe.

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.ca and affiliated sites.