Finding "Things I Should Have Known" by Claire LaZebnik

Strong sibling bonds. Enemies to lovers romance. Finding balance in a dysfunctional family. A strong message about what is means to be "normal".

If these topics appeal to you, then you will LOVE "Things I Should Have Known". I found this gem when it was recommended to me by a student at my school. While I typically gravitate towards fantasy and science fiction, I thoroughly enjoy stories that feature strong family ties, and that is exactly what I got with Chloe, Ivy, Ethan and David. 

Things I Should Have Known centers around Chloe, who is a beautiful, popular high school student with the hottest guy in school as her boyfriend. On the outside, Chloe looks like she has the perfect life, but of course that is not the case. To begin, Chloe's mother just got remarried and Chloe cannot stand her new stepfather or the way her mother acts around him. But more importantly, Chloe is worried about her older sister Ivy, who is on the autism spectrum and attends a special school with other specials needs students. Ivy never does anything without Chloe, and Chloe's main worry is what is going to happen to Ivy after she goes off to college. So Chloe comes up with a brilliant idea.

 She is going to set Ivy up on a date.

After selecting a good candidate, Ethan,  from Ivy's school, Chloe arranges a date for the couple at the local ice cream parlor. Everything is looking up. That is until Chloe realizes that Ethan brought his rude and arrogant older brother David along as well, who Chloe absolutely cannot stand. But her view of David begins to change as she realizes that David is just as devoted to Ethan and she is to Ivy, and that David may be the only one to truly understand what Chloe's life is really like. 

So Chloe has to make some decisions about her life and her future. Will she hold on to this "perfect" life she is trying to project or will she reevaluate her ideas on what it is to be "normal"?

The thing I loved most about this book was the strong relationship between Ivy and Chloe. Chloe truly wanted what was best for her sister, and loved her deeply despite her not being completely "normal".  Yes, there were times where Chloe was frustrated with Ivy or was even embarrassed by her, but I think this made their relationship more realistic because all siblings act that way at some point or another. 

"I'm her younger sister, but I can't remember a time when I didn't feel like I needed to protect and take care of her."

The relationship between David and his brother Ethan just pulled me in even further. Even though David came across as an arrogant jerk in the beginning, it was hard not to fall in love with him as you witnessed his fierce protection of his bother. 

The sparks between David and Chloe practically flew off the page as they fought, bickered, and then slowly formed a tenuous friendship. I couldn't get enough of these two as I am a sucker for an enemies to lovers romance.  

"We should give David a break," I say, addressing Ms. Camp, but making sure everyone can hear me. "It's not his fault he doesn't get it. I mean he doesn't get It. Ever." Lots of laughter at that - the crowd's on my side.

"Oh, gee," David retorts. "I've missed out on all the delights of a public high school relationship. What will I have to cringe about in my old age?"

 "I'm sure you'll find something."

 *****

"You told me your college plans depend on Ivy. Not a lot of kids our age worry about their siblings."

I shrug. "Most people aren't in my situation. You're the only other person I know like me. "

"Yeah, I'm basically the male version of you." He cocks his head at me. "And a look of horror crosses her face. Don't worry, Mitchell. I was joking." 

Although the storyline sounds pretty straightforward, there were several surprising twists that added suspense and complications to the plot that kept my nose in this book until I finally reached the end.

I hope this book finds its way into many people's hands because it is a remarkable story about love, family, loyalty, and acceptance.

Do yourself a favor and pick up Things I Should Have Known. It was a highly enjoyable read and I will recommend it often. 

Finding "10 Blind Dates" by Ashley Elston

 With the Christmas season fast approaching, I tend to find myself looking for reads that will get me in the mood for all the holiday festivities. So this week, I found "10 Blind Dates" by Ashley Elston.

This light, fun holiday story is a YA contemporary romance featuring Sophie, a high school senior who has big plans to spend the holidays with her long time boyfriend Griffin instead of going with her parents to visit her very pregnant older sister. However, when Sophie happens to overhear Griffin telling his friend that he wants a break from their relationship, all her plans come crashing down.

Instead of spending a romantic holiday with her boyfriend, Sophie's only option is to spend the holidays with her Grandparents, her aunts and uncles, her many cousins, and Wes, the high school senior who lives next door and was Sophie's childhood friend.

In order to pull Sophie out of her depression, her Nonna decides that the family is going to set Sophie up on a series of blind dates to help her get her dating mojo back and lift her spirits. What ensues is a series of hilarious, endearing, and embarrassing dates that have Sophie questioning what she really wants from life and who she is without Griffin.

This book was exactly what I needed. I couldn't help but be embarrassed for Sophie at some points in the book as her crazy family set her up on these wild blind dates and then proceeded to place bets on the success of the dates and cross some personal boundaries with their overzealous interest in her love life.

I found Sophie's modesty and awkwardness to be endearing a refreshing. I will admit I smacked my forehead a couple of times when Sophie first overheard Griffin's confession to his friend. I found her reaction to be very immature and I wanted her to confront him instead of running. But I have to admit, she is still a young character and the reaction did fit her personality at that point in the story.

I loved all the different blind dates that were arranged for Sophie. Each date was different and unique with very interesting male characters, some of which could have stood on their own. There were at least two guys I would love to have their own stories. I think my favorite date was the "Underground Christmas" date. So fun!

However, my absolute favorite part of this story was Sophie's family. There was a genuine feel to this family that made me gravitate to these scenes. The love and closeness of the family was obvious, but just as no family is perfect, neither is Sophie's. They all have their problems and disagreements and even family members that you just flat out don't like, but that is what made them real to me. I would love to spend Christmas with Sophie's big, loud, crazy family sometime.

The romance in the book was light, but I was fully satisfied with the way the story ended and how the romance played out. It was young and sweet and full of promise. 

So if you are looking for a lighthearted fast paced holiday read, then go pick up "10 Blind Dates" right now. 

Finding "Kill the Queen" by Jennifer Estep

So I guess I cheated a little.

Technically, I found this book last Christmas but it is one that I frequently re-read and listen to on my Audible account. (The narrator is wonderful!) However, I feel compelled to share this book treasure with other readers. 

This will be important. Pay attention.

Things you didn't know could save your life:

1. Being able to make pies. Cranberry Apple specifically.

2. Having a really powerful sense of smell.

3. Being able to complete a complicated dance that ends with a sword against your neck.

4. Being immune to magic. 

I LOVED Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep. The story follows 28 year old orphaned Everleigh, who is a ward of the Queen and is currently 17th in line for the throne. But when the unthinkable happens, Evie suddenly finds herself a lot closer to a crown than she ever thought she would be. But only if she continues to survive of course. 

Evie's story did start out a little slowly, but I think that most of the best stories do begin this way. We get an understanding of just how miserable her life is at the palace and what her role is as an expendable royal. The massacre scene is really where the story takes off. I will admit that scene was a bit hard to read, especially when I read what happened to Vasilia's sister, but it was the catalyst that the story, and Evie, needed.

"You have to survive, no matter what you have to do, no matter who you have to cheat and hurt and kill, no matter what the cost is to your heart and soul. Do you hear me Everleigh? You have to live."

There are a lot of stories out there about lost royalty trying to take back their kingdom from a wicked relative, but Evie's story really stood out for me. I think this is because Estep always seemed to find a way for Evie to triumph without her being the best fighter, the most powerful mage, or the smartest strategist. Evie kept surviving because she used the tools and skills she already had in her possession to keep her alive. Baking pies, dancing, her sense of smell, her secret immunity to magic. And Estep created a lot of these scenes in a way that made Evie seem real to me, and with a light touch of humor. 

I also loved the slow burn romance between Evie and Lucas. The dry comments and sarcastic quips between the two kept me reading long into the night eagerly searching for the scene when they become something more.

Finally, Evie's character development was amazing. I was entranced with how she went from weak, expendable royal with no real friends or talents to a strong gladiator with friends who would die for her and she for them and become someone powerful enough to take on the evil queen.

" 'A woman is dead. I would hardly call that progress.

'Sure it is,' she replied. 'Especially since you're not the one who's dead.'

I couldn't argue with that."  

So if you are looking for a High Fantasy novel with a slow burn romance, some humor, adventure, and fantastic world building, then stop looking right now and go pickup this book. You won't regret it.

Oh, and the Audible book for Kill the Queen is PHENOMENAL! I frequently re-listen to this audiobook when I am stuck doing chores around the house. FIVE STARS!

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Finding "Kingdom of the Wicked" by Kerri Maniscalco

 

Witches, Prophecies, Curses, Steamy Demon Princes, and a compelling mystery trying to find out who is responsible for witches having their hearts ripped out?

I am IN!

This week I found "The Kingdom of the Wicked" by Kerri Maniscalco. I will admit that I didn't actually "read" this one, I listened to it on Audible (the narrator is AMAZING by the way). I typically listen to audiobooks while I am doing chores around the house, i.e. laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc. and I was actually looking for more things that needed to get done around the house just so I could keep listening!

"Kingdom of the Wicked" is a dark tale about twin witches Vittoria and Emilia. When Vittoria is brutally murdered, Emilia starts down a dark path as she begins using the dark arts in her quest for vengeance. Her inexperience with the dark arts leads her to be inadvertently bound to a Prince of Hell, Wrath. While witches and demons are natural enemies, they find themselves aligned with the common goal of discovering the being that is possible for ripping witches' hearts out. As Emilia spirals down her dark path, she finds herself drawn to Wrath and battles her desire for the prince with the knowledge that Princes of Hell can't be trusted. 

The story did start off a bit slow, but I was okay with that as I really enjoyed getting to know twin sisters Vittoria and Emelia and learning a little bit about their life before the action started. The food descriptions had me frequently raiding the pantry in search of something that sounded half as good.

 

Once the murders began, the story really takes off. I love all the scenes with Wrath, although I did find him pretty tame for a Prince of Hell.

“He was death and rage and fire and anyone stupid enough to forget that would be consumed by his inferno.”

 (I would LOVE some fan art of Prince Wrath if anyone has seen any 😍 )

There were times that Emelia would do something or say something that had me shaking my head or grabbing my hair in frustration, but I loved her growth over the course of the novel and the hints of the person she is becoming.  And I am pretty sure the person she is becoming in NOT a good person... and I love it! It is a nice change to see such a "good girl" head down a dark path because of tragedy instead of a flawed person finding redemption and hope. 

“There are victors and victims. Decide who you want to be. Or the choice will be made for you, witch. And I doubt you’ll like it.”

I will admit I was able to guess who was killing the witches pretty early on, but that didn't diminish how much I enjoyed the story. The ending KILLED me and I am kicking myself now for not waiting until the next book was released before starting this series. 

While this story did wrap up the major plot line for this novel, there are still so many questions left unanswered that I am dying to get answers to. I will definitely be purchasing a hardback copy of this book for my bookshelf and I will be pre-ordering Book 2.