it was good but also not good

I just wanted to start by saying the Contest of Queens was a damn good read. This is one of the best fantasy reads I have read in a long time. Fantasy was one of my top favorite genres, but after a while it got old. You start to feel like they are all sounding the same, or the story line is similar, not this book.

All you feminists out there, I believe you will enjoy this book. We have two kids (teenagers) who become pen pals. They write in secret, because they are from two different worlds, and it would be frowned upon if they were caught communicating. They build a genuine friendship through these letters, knowing they could never be friends in the “real” world.

See, they live in a Queendom (land where women rule and are leaders), which is made up of two realms, the upper realm and the lower realm. Jacs is from the lower realm, and she is considered a lowerite. Connor is the prince of the upper realm, and he is considered an upperite, and a royal one at that. By Conner being from the upper realm and a royal, his friendship with Jacs is forbidden.

One day while the Queen visits the lower realm, she is killed. This tragedy ends the secret friendship between Conner and Jacs. The realms hold a contest to find the next queen, and Jacs decides to enter. She wants to make a change for her people, and she gives it everything she got. I truly loved Jacs’ character, her growth and development was so enjoyable to read. By the end, I was left with a few unanswered questions that I hope will be answered in book two.

Here is book two in The Frean Chronicles, and it did not disappoint. This author has gotten me excited about YA Fantasy again, and I love that for me. In all seriousness, this was a fantastic read and I highly recommend it.

Jacs is back and she is the Queen of the Frea, but everything that glitter isn’t gold. She may be queen, but she does not have the respect of everyone in the kingdom. She is having a tough time adapting to her role and becoming her own person as queen. And let’s not forget she is young, so that is a lot of pressure on someone her age.

Conner is back, but unlike Jacs, he grew up in that world. Jac and Connor don’t always agree completely, share the same experiences, or receive the same treatment, so it’s hard for Connor to understand what Jacs is going through. When certain people mistreat her in the kingdom, and confide in him, it’s like he wasn’t hearing her. Connor really frustrated me most of the book.

This book is about a queen who went from fighting to the spot to be queen to the right to wear the title she earned. She shows the people of Frea what a true queen is. I cannot wait to see more from this series.

Behind Her Smile: The Adventures of a Tall Girl from WVA and Her Life as a Stewardess.
It's always interesting to read about life through someone else's eyes. From her start in Parkersburg, WV to her long career as a flight attendant. This is my second book about flight attendants, and I just got a new appreciation for what they do.


Janie faces many challenges over the course of her life, but she also conquered them all. She left her city and traveled all over the world. We meet many politicians, athletes, and musicians. She even becomes friends with the King himself (three guess who). Her journey takes me through a range of emotions, and we all know that if a book can do that, it's an automatic 5-star for me.

What I loved most was the photos and trip to the past. The pictures helped humanize the books for me and helped me build a connection. I mean, we met her first love, her friends from high school, and her family. We see her graduate from American Airlines Stewardess School. A piece of her history between the pages, and we got to see every win and every loss. I love autobiographies, and this was a great book.

I am back with another debut novel, and it’s another thriller. This is my new go-to genre, and like the other books I’ve been introduced to, this one is a winner. This is more of a medical mystery packed with a lot of action. There are no dull moments in this book, which I can appreciate.

So, we have Sarah, who may or may not have found the cure for Alzheimer’s. My grandfather, rest his soul, had Alzheimer’s, so I was immediately hooked. You know me, I got to make a personal connection somehow with every book. Typical fashion most of the board she reported her findings to does not think she has found the cure. However, someone out there believes she has the cure and will do whatever they have to do to get it.

This book is a banger of a read. Medical anything in books was never my cup of tea, but this book gave me a new perspective on it. It wasn’t boring. This author is such a great storyteller, and the way he can capture your attention and keep it speaks volumes. Another highly recommended read.

his was a great read. The book pissed me off a lot, well mainly the main character did, but that’s what made it interesting for me. It’s not a good read if you aren’t screaming at the book, is it?

The story is about Jenna, who was a journalist. She covered a major story about a serial killer, but before it was published, her Editor, Ryan, jazzed it up and leaked some private information. He shared the name of the woman pregnant with the serial killer’s son. Tacky and unprofessional in my opinion, and it seems Jenna thought so because she quit.

She ended up getting married and had a kid. The journaling career somewhat took a backseat. She was not a character I liked, but that also made me enjoy the book. For instance, she seems to have it out for the serial killer’s son. Mind you, the kid wasn’t even born yet when dear old dad was sentenced to death. Yet in her mind, son of a serial killer, he must have the “serial killer gene” and that makes him automatically a killer. You can’t help who your parents are, and I just feel like you should not be judged because of it.

Jenna is so smart, yet she’s dumb as hell. She is awesome at her job, and in some instances, I thought she should try to be a detective, but that love life of hers, a complete failure. That husband of hers Zack, oh he’s a piece of work. I didn’t like none of the characters. I can’t remember a time when I read a book where I despised almost every character.

I would recommend this book. It keeps you on your toes and makes you want more. It may piss you off a lot (or maybe that’s a me problem), but that’s what makes it great in my opinion. I want a book that can make me happy, and I want a book to piss me off. I was engaged all while reading the book. I find Joanna to be a fantastic writer.

The Novel Adventure of a Stewardess Wannabe Who Becomes a Flight Attendant

We have Sherri Van Ness, a nineteen-year-old girl from Kansas who wants to become a stewardess. What I loved about Sherri is that you could tell she was young, she still had that child-like innocence. Many times, authors write books about teenagers, and they’re missing that childlikeness. For the most part, Sherri still possessed that.

The book begins with Sherri boarding a flight to head to her training class. She is offered a drink, which she excitedly accepts. Oh, the joy of being underage and not getting carded. Also loved how she considered twenty-seven and up “old”. Not too long ago (I’m 31) that was me, and now I’m fighting for my life, saying 30 isn’t old. I don’t know, I just found myself chuckling at that part.

The training kind of walks you through what it would be like to become a flight attendant. You go through flight mock-ups, observation training, learn to mix a few drinks, and safety procedures. It’s intense. The other crewmates (classmates) are also interesting characters. I had some favorites and some that I did not care for.

Sherri also seems to have quite an adventure as far as her love life is concerned. I enjoyed that. She’s young, figuring it out, finding herself, and there is nothing wrong with options. I liked her character. She is smart, sweet, and got some sass to her. This was a fun and entertaining read. Can’t wait to see what else this author does.

Here I am again with another book in the Chris Matheson Cold Case series. I cannot say enough good things about this author. I love her writing style, and she delivered once again.

I just want to say I’m convinced Chris is just one unlucky guy. Either the universe is trying to tell him to fully retire, or he’s just that good, and the bad guys will do whatever it takes to get him out of the way. We are back with another case, but this time Chris’s badge is found on the dead body. The first thing that came to my mind is that they are trying to frame him for the murder. Makes sense, right?

We have John Doe, a murder attempt on Chris’s life, and a cold case that may or may not be connected to Mr. John Doe. The Geezer Squad is back in action and will assist Chris in the case, as they always do. It’s packed with action and may be one of my favorites so far in the series. It’s a tie between this book and Ice.

Anytime Lauren drops a new book, I will be buying it. She is a phenomenal writer. The Chris Matheson Cold Case series quickly became a favorite and will be added to my yearly re-read list.

I’ve always wanted to go to the circus. I just wanted to throw that out there.

This book had me hooked from the first sentence. The author jumps into it and captures your attention immediately. We have siblings who will receive an inheritance by their birth mother, Angela (Angie) Hartley, but they must embark on a road trip, following their late mother’s instructions to find out who she was as a person and the life she lived. Angie left a little over a million dollars to split between her three kids.

The three siblings: Jennifer (41), Jesse (39), and Jack (37). All three of them are battling with personal issues while on this journey. Jennifer is dealing with her cheating husband. Jesse is unemployed, homeless, and pregnant. Jack has anxiety issues.

The two sisters were raised together by their mother’s older sister Carolyn and her husband, Jim. Of course, at the time, they believed Carolyn and Jim were their biological parents, who both passed away about 4 years ago. A couple years after Angie left her daughter with Carolyn, she had jack. Jack and Jesse share the same father, while Jennifer has a different one.

The book goes on with the siblings traveling across the south, meeting their mother’s friends and reliving certain events in her life. The trip gave them a chance to learn a little about their past, who their mother was, why she did what she did, and form a bond.

Another great read in the Chris Matheson Series. This is the first series I have read by this author, and I am excited to read more. She captivates you from the first page. The way she gives a character list with every book makes it easy to follow every time a new name pops up. Reading her novels really plays into my fascination with solving crimes without doing the dirty work. I’ll put the book down and move on with life, but I still find myself thinking about the cases. That’s how I know she is an author I will continue to read.

This time, we are solving quite a few cases. A family friend left her last dying wish to Chris, and that was to find out what happened to her late husband. There’s also a plot twist: she is the woman who everyone thought died a few decades ago, or so she claims. That woman being Mecedes Livingston, a well-known author. Her wish is for her name to be cleared of any wrongdoing and for her legacy to go to her kids.

So now Chris must figure out what really happened all those years ago, clear the family friend’s name, and pass on her legacy. Once again, he enlists the help of the Geezer Squad. I mean, why wouldn’t he? We have murders, suspects, and a lot of action. It can be a little complicated, but solving a crime, especially decades old, is not easy. I highly enjoyed this book.