Tag: weeklyreads

Another Yes for Yarros

Another Yes for Yarros

by ajcwrites ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Don’t you love a little alliteration? It’s my favorite. I read Great and Precious Things by speed writing romance icon, Rebecca Yarros. This woman has such an extensive backlist that I can’t even begin to dream of what her process might be. She mentioned in an interview earlier this year that we won’t even be seeing the fourth book in the Empyrean series next year because Onyx Storm “nearly killed her”.

Creative work can be intense and grueling. It can amount to hours spent at a desk with an aching back and a marathon going on inside of your brain. I’ve been working on my book of short stories that I hope to put out in the next 3 months or so, and have been bartering with the Gods of money in the hopes that they will help me win ANY of the writing contests that I’m entering.

Anyways, back to the book.

What It’s About

Ex-marine Camden Daniels returns to his small, stifling hometown in Colorado. He’s essentially the village leper, not only because of the havoc he used to wreak in his turbulent childhood, but because he committed the ultimate sin: He didn’t bring the Golden Son (his brother, Sullivan or Sully) back from overseas.

His little brother followed him into the service and returned home in a wooden box.

Camden’s neighbors and even his own father hold him responsible for Sullivan’s death.

Everyone except Willow Bradley: Sullivan’s ex-girlfriend and Camden’s lifelong love. While Camden would do anything to not have to deal with the unmasked hatred of the folks of Alba, Colorado, he’s been summoned home by an urgent phone call from his father. His father has early onset Alzheimer’s, and he begs Camden to return after years of silence so that his son can help him secure a DNR.

Camden’s mission is met with pushback from his older brother, Xander (who also happens to be the mayor). The two brothers prepare to battle it out in court, and the only person who’s willing to help Camden is Willow.

Willow has certain feelings for Camden that tangle with her grief over her first love. That doesn’t last long, however, as the two bend a knee to the bond that has held the two of them together since they were kids. Confusion, heat, and a bold love story ensue.

Dope Shit About This Book

So, here’s what I personally liked about this book, and what kept me coming back. Me staying dedicated to one book for days at a time is a big deal because I tend to read about 8 books at once, and I have an absurd number of books checked out from my library.

  • A female protagonist who is not afraid to want boldly. Willow doesn’t heed the hatred that palpates Camden’s presence in Alba. She is not afraid to let him know that Sully wasn’t the only man that she’s ever loved, and she takes step after faithful step back into Cam’s life, hoping that he’ll want her back.
  • An emphasis on the relationships between our parents and their expectations for us. Great and Precious Things is a cute love story for sure, complete with teasing nicknames similar to Xaden and Violet in Yarros’ Fourth Wing series. Both Willow and Camden have to untangle themselves from their parents’ perceptions of them. Camden wants his father to really see him and not his youngest son’s wild killer. Willow needs to stand in her truth in front of her judge father (he’s a judge in this town) and proclaim that she will not isolate Cam, that she will not don the mourning veil in Sullivan’s honor for the rest of her life.
  • Melty, melt, melt, romance. Camden is an undeniably likeable and well-rounded male lead. He is sensitive, protective, and a total hero. He is a tortured hero in a sense because he will never give himself credit for the good things that he has done.

Now, Go Get It

You know what I say- I always end these things telling folks to go to their local libraries. You can do that, or you can read it on Kindle Unlimited with a subscription. But I will say libraries are under attack in the US, and there’s no way of telling where things will end up in the next few years. Go to your library, get a card, and make your friends and family members get cards. Libraries need your support now more than ever.

What’s Next?

Let me know if I can take the book bullet for you and read a book you’re unsure about before you do. If the book is bad, I will have suffered so that you don’t. If the book is great, you’ll see it on this blog!

Also, comment and tell me what you guys are reading! Have you already read Great and Precious Things? Did you like it?

I’ll be posting again soon, probably about a romantasy I’m reading right now. In the meantime, stay weird and happy reading.

Alicia

Sager Slam Dunk

Sager Slam Dunk

by ajcwrites ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hello, readers! I just missed being able to post this one on Halloween, but such is the way when you have seasonaI depression.

If there’s one thing you’ve gleaned about me from this blog, it’s that I am a Sager fangirl. I’m willing to give just about any of his books a try. This book doesn’t dither or dally, and it jumps straight into the action.

I listened to this one and read a physical copy and I was glued to the edge of my seat. There were times when I was just sitting there listening to the story while not doing anything else to keep my hands busy.

This is another Sager book that begs the question, “Is it a ghost story or a thriller?” And honestly? I’ll let you figure that out. Sager has done the ‘haunted house’ trope before and in this one he took another shot at it and it was a slam dunk.

The book is a solid 4/5. First of all, it’s about Ethan, a 40 year old man who has recently moved back home, where a tragedy occurred 30 years ago.

When Ethan was 10 years old, he and his friend Billy camped out in his backyard. When Ethan woke up the next morning, Billy was gone. Ethan’s parents and the entire neighborhood searched for him, but their efforts were in vain.

Billy was never recovered.

Survivor’s guilt and anxiety have plagued Ethan for years. When he moves back into his childhood home after his parents have decided to move to Florida, he’s reminded of that one summer night on a near-constant basis.

Old friends reconnect with him as the secrets of his old culdesac reveal themselves. In true Sager fashion, you won’t see (or at least I hope you won’t see) the twist(s) coming.

You can snag this one on Amazon here. Or, if you feel that Amazon has enough money (they do), then you can visit your local library, chat with a librarian, and borrow a copy of Sager’s latest.

I look forward to checking in after my next read, and if there’s something you think I should review, either comment or email me at alicia@ajcreads.com.

Also!

If you have recently published a cool book on Kindle Unlimited, I’d love to read it! And I also might review it! So, hit me up, fellow indie writers.

Till next time.

Alicia

What’s more terrifying than an HOA?

What’s more terrifying than an HOA?

by ajcwrites ♥ 2 Comments

Hello, readers! I’m back with another book recommendation. This week’s post is about Vincent Tirado’s We Came To Welcome You. This is another one that’s right on time for spooky season. This book is topsy turvy while giving us some BIPOC queer representation.

The story centers around Sol, a butch Black lesbian that’s recently moved into a quiet and uniform community called Maneless Grove. Sol and her wife, Alice, are immediately slammed with the reality that they don’t quite fit in with the neighbors of their predominantly white community.

This is especially true of Sol, who is white-knuckling the reigns on her identity while Alice tries to assimilate. Sol is on an involuntary administrative leave from her job as a scientist at Yale, and it leaves the functioning alcoholic plenty of time to encounter reasons why Maneless Grove isn’t as welcoming as they hope to be.

From neighbors trying to let themselves into her home, to old women clawing at her, desperate to tell Sol that she needs to get out of Maneless Grove before it’s too late, We Came To Welcome You keeps a chill running down until the big reveal.

This book will leave you staring in a sort of passive horror as the curtain is pulled back on the creepy community. In Maneless Grove, the kids don’t speak and aren’t outside playing, every house is painted the same shade, with the exact same curtains, and is home to the exact same people.

Sol and her wife face mounting pressure to join the HOA, and I will tell you this: I hope to never live under an HOA. The community boasts about the ‘benefits’ of joining their HOA, but Sol and her wife are hesitant to cement their place in this community. Also, there might be people hiding in the walls.

This story has what I consider to be undeserved poor reviews on Goodreads but I firmly disagree. Tirado does a great job of underlining the silent fury of the oppressed, and anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t quite fit in will love this one.

I’m reading/listening to another spooky read, so I hope to post about that soon. You can score We Came to Welcome You for $14.99 on Kindle, which is a bit pricey for a Kindle read but it is well worth it. However, don’t listen to me wax poetic about the cost of books when you can go to your local library and borrow a copy for free. So, like, go.

Till next time!

Alicia

I Don’t Know, a Ghost Maybe?

I Don’t Know, a Ghost Maybe?

by ajcwrites ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hello! Welcome back to ajcreads. I’m back after a month or so, and going forward, I want to try and at least post biweekly for you guys. I’ve been busy writing my YA fantasy novel (more on that in a few weeks), and reading, and working my daytime job. Anywho, I can’t wait to tell you about Home Before Dark by Riley Sager.

If you read one of my previous posts, Creepy, Creaky Houses, you would know that I am a Sager Fangirl. Sager doesn’t miss, struggle, or falter. Home Before Dark is another slam dunk in Sager’s catalog. Did you know that Riley Sager is actually a pseudonym ? Well, now you do.

So, let’s get into it. Home Before Dark, is a heart pounding thriller that may or may not be a ghost story. I had plenty of fun guessing in between feeling my spine tingle from all of the spooky scary stuff going on in the book.

The story centers around Maggie Holt. She is the only daughter of infamous writer Ewan Holt, and Ewan has recently died due to an illness. Upon his deathbed, Ewan asks Maggie to never return to the subject of the book that made him so famous: Baneberry Hall. Maggie and her family fled Baneberry Hall, a massive estate, when she was five. Ewan wrote about the estate in his wildly successful book, House of Horrors.

The legacy of the book and the controversy surrounding the infamous house where several random and grisly deaths have occurred has followed Maggie her entire life. So much so that she can hardly get away from questions from a nosy receptionist at the lawyer’s office that tells her what Ewan left her in his will.

Ewan has left not only a sizeable amount of money for Maggie, but to her absolute shock, he’s left her Baneberry Hall. Maggie had assumed that her father sold it, but he’d kept it all these years. She ultimately goes back on her promise to not go back to Baneberry Hall due to a burning curiosity to visit the place that her parents fled from when she was so young, but to also fix it up and sell for a profit since she’s a designer.

When Maggie returns to Baneberry Hall, things are instantly sketchy. I mean, some of the stuff happening is an instant hell no for me (for real, like pack it up, turn around, no amount of money is worth this, send me my check) Ghostlike activity keeps happening in the house, people may or may not be breaking into the house to say they did for bragging rights, and Maggie is never too sure who she can trust while she investigates the past and tries to learn the true story of what happened 25 years ago at Baneberry Hall.

This novel was absolutely addictive. I listened to it on Audible and I read the physical book from my library (ahem, go to the library, go right now). This story is a spine chilling mystery that constantly begs the question, are ghosts real? Sager almost instantly drops you into Maggie’s body, and every emotion is so visceral and just fucking scary. So creepy, so good, so compulsively readable.

I would advise you to find out by picking up a copy of the book here or you can find a library in your city and borrow it from there. Beware, it might be difficult to get your hands on a copy of this title.

Have you read this one? Let me know in the comments! Are there any other books that you guys want me to read so that I can do the hard work of finding out if it’s good or not? If it is good, it will appear on the blog. I make a point to keep this a book recommendation blog and I only post about what I liked.

Keep it weird until next time (I know I will)

Sweet Gains, Bro

Sweet Gains, Bro

by ajcwrites ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Holy shit! I’ve been away from the wonderful world of WordPress for over a year. So many cool things have happened, a new job, getting more help for my depression, and a total revamp in the way that I approach writing and reading.

I will admit, there was a period where nothing felt good enough to post or brainstorm. I spent a lot of time on books on the craft of writing (which are great, don’t get me wrong) and didn’t spend as much time reading fiction. Well, in the last eight months or so, I have read/listened to so much fiction. Which brings me to today’s post.

Love at First Set is a sexy queer rom-com that often carries an honest, realistic take on the way that class affects us while we try to live our lives. In other words, the capitalist hellscape that we live in just can’t seem to leave us alone, and that is 100% true for our protagonist, Lizzie.

Lizzie is a well-rounded character that has financial and emotional trauma from a less-than-ideal childhood. When she’s asked to attend the wedding of her wealthy best friend’s sister, the last thing she wants to do is share the same rare air that most of the wedding guests have been living in their entire lives. To make things worse, her best friend’s (James) parents are her employers, which is a nightmare.

Lizzie’s ambition is to someday own her own gym so that she doesn’t have to empty out her savings to pay for her mother’s existence. Lizzie reluctantly attends the wedding and ends up being an accidental hypeman for Jame’s sister (the bride) to leave her fiance at the alter. Which she does.

To make matters worse, Jame’s sister, Cara, is smoking hot and everything Lizzie wants in a girlfriend.

Readers can look forward to seeing Lizzie bounce between trying to be the perfect friend, daughter, and secret girlfriend.

I can’t say enough good things about it! Read it, just read it. You can buy a copy here, or you can do one of my all-time favorite things/ addictions and visit the bookplace, or you know, your local library (libraries are integral to having an educated society. Go to the library, damn it!).

Scary Faeries

Scary Faeries

by ajcwrites ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hello readers! I recently finished Darling There Are Wolves In The Woods, and I’m still missing it!

I’ve read a lot of stories about the Fae, many of them were more fantastical and in some cases lighter, but DTAWITD skips that route. This novel, the first in the Wicked Woods Chronicles, is both a satisfying and terrifying romance.

The reader is pulled throughout a terrifying world of faeries, witches, wolves, and just about anything else that could scare the shit out of you while keeping you completely absorbed.

The story does not hold back on showing us the dark side of the faerie world as the protagonist, Teya, makes her way through the scary woods with a handsome faerie, Laphaniel, by her side.

I will definitely be reading the next book in the series, Hush The Woods Are Darker Still because I’m not ready to step out of the world that L.V. Russell has created.

You can grab a digital copy of Darling There Are Wolves In The Woods here.

Creative Magic

Creative Magic

by ajcwrites ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Woah! Halloween is here already. I recently returned to freelance writing full time, and I’ve been trying to grab tips, hints, and tricks (I know that there aren’t many of these, I should probably just actually write) about the craft.

I encourage most creatives to pick this one up. It came out several years ago, and I think its a push for new creatives to put their work out into the world, and its an in-your-face reminder about what you were put here to do for experienced creatives.

Gilbert does an excellent job of getting you excited to create, whether its writing, painting, drawing, etc. She always brings home the message that the world needs your magic, and there’s a place for what you have to offer.

NaNoWriMo is upon us next month, and I found this to be the perfect primer before I dive into a month filled with stomachaches and self imposed deadlines.

I highly recommend getting the ebook of this title because even when you’re doing your most mundane and objectively not creative task, like waiting for your doctor’s appointment, Big Magic is a welcome break from the real world, and a cozy home for those of us that want to hide away in worlds we’ve built in our heads.

You can buy the ebook here.