Book Review: Die with the Outlaws (a Matt Jensen, The Last Mountain Man novel) by William A. Johnstone

Die with the Outlaws by William W. Johnstone
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

CW: Lynching

No gun. No horse. No water or food.

That is how this western started, when our last Mountain Man, Matt Jensen, woke up. He was in the desert when he did, and he started to remember that he was helping a couple who was targeted by some horse rustlers, thieves-basically the first thing I thought of when the “bad guys” appeared in this novel was “oh no, here come the republicans” (have no idea why I thought that.) But as I read on and saw how they did what they did to their competitors, I was wholly shocked as hell. Like WTF??? You lynched a couple and falsely accuse them of stealing some cows that wandered over to their farm, using the paper to put out a false story about the couple that got married a couple weeks ago and was living happily.

And don’t get me started on the judge that O’Neil and Kennedy was bribing to let the ones that did the damn lynching go. That pissed me off to high heaven when they did that because the judge was letting them off scott free. And then the worst thing they can do was hire someone called the Undertaker, to try and take out Matt, only to turn around and have Matt kill him.

This is gonna be my shortest (and last) read/review of 2020, so I’ll say that I did enjoy it, but I just didn’t like the lynching part of it, it just made me mad.

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Book Review: The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

CW: Mention of Rape

“I will sign my name Margaret Regina...Margaret R….”

So I have no problems with Margaret Beaufort. None at all. She’s ambitious, God-fearing woman who reminds me of my auntie and my late grandmama, She wants her son on the throne since she gave birth to him at age thirteen (WHICH, in my eyes, was totally wrong because at age 12 she was married off and then repeatedly raped by her dumbass husband, then nearly died giving birth to her son Henry).

But that line when she imagines writing her name as Margaret Regina just irked the hell out of me. For one, she would be the queen mother to the King of England, which is her son. Two, yes she served three queens without question-Margaret of Anjou, Queen Elizabeth Woodville, and Queen Anne Neville before she finally got to her position. I almost got irritated for a moment when she kept comparing herself to Joan of Arc, but I let it go because I then found it pretty damned weird for her to compare herself to a young woman who heard the voice of God and let an army to defend France, only to die on the stake (which is also fucked up).

But Margaret did everything she could to get her son on the throne, even though he was far away from her to do anything about it-he was sent around a couple homes while she married three-four times if we count her first husband, John de la Pole. But then came the War of the Roses and how Margaret tried everything she could to push her husband to war, only he didn’t want to. And she was jealous of Queen Elizabeth because she could give birth to many children, including her sons that would be the Princes of the Tower, then she tried to help her get her throne back, only for Elizabeth to did what she did in the White Queen.

And I don’t think Margaret had her hand in the fabled Prince in the Tower mystery, because I don’t think she would pull off something like that. And then my nemesis, the man that helped me pass my class, Richard III was there (in which I said Ah shit, here we go again), but at the end of the fight I did read how he actually die (or Philippa Gregory’s version of his death) and I did heave a big sigh of relief because Richard III got on my last damned nerves and I was glad that he died (like I wanted to celebrate how angry he made me this year, but then I decided not to).

Elizabeth of York was in this for like a hot second when she stayed at Margaret’s house for a while, and to me she was the perfect houseguest-doing everything she was supposed to do she did it without no fuss. But I actually enjoyed this book, though I did read that Philippa Gregory had some kind of grudge against Margaret Beaufort, though I have no idea why because I find Margaret quite interesting and I want to read more about her.

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Book Review: Gideon the Ninth (Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the myriadic year of our Lord-the ten thousandth year of the King Undying, the kindly Prince of Death!-Gideon Nav packed up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and she escaped from the House of the Ninth.

With just that opening sentence, Gideon the Ninth rocked and rolled, and it never stopped. This book was so damned good, that I didn’t even know that it could be a fantasy, even though it’s set in space. And oh my god I loved the setting of this story. First part started in Ninth House, where our title character, Gideon, is trying to escape the House of the Ninth, but she did leave Ninth House...but not in the way she wanted it to.

Gideon left Ninth House with her worst enemy, Harrowhark Nonagesimus, to be her cavalier. Now these two girls hate each other (well, actually Gideon hates Harrowhark), and they leave to go on a trial with the other houses to become the next Lyctor. In order for her to do that, they both had to train and cover their faces in black and white paint, that in the beginning Harrow told Gideon (or Griddle, as she called her), not to speak to anyone.

But as the story goes on, you meet more people, like Magnus and Amelia, and Dulcinea Sepimus and Jeannemary Chatur, until everyone. Starts. Dying. Mysteriously.

This then turns into a trial and a mystery a bit as the girls find out who is killing whom, until Gideon finds the head of the fourth house I think, in Harrow’s closet. She thinks of betraying Harrow, going to Palmedes to talk about it, even confessing that she killed Harrow’s parents. But after a heart to heart with Harrow, she learned that she was supposed to die as a baby (which, might I add, WAS FUCKED UP) so Harrow can be born and be the necromancer of Ninth House. I wanted them to kiss REALLY BADLY, like LET THEM KISS DAMMIT, but sadly it didn’t happen-one because after they went to see Dulcinea (I did say I wanted Gideon and Dulcinea to kiss, really badly), it turns out, after Gideon easedropped on her and Palmedes’s conversation, it was Dulcinea who did it…

But Dulcinea was dead.

Another one had taken her place.

And her name was Cytheria the First, a Lyctor.

The fight at the end was glorious-Gideon was badass with her longsword, Nonagesimus was spectacular, but at the end, it pissed me off, because I wanted, SO BAD, for Gideon and Harrowhark to kiss or to be in a relationship where they are together. But maybe in the next book they will be, but for now, this book was so good, even with the little memes, but it was still so good nonetheless, and I can’t wait to read Harrow the Ninth.

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Book Review: Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hello Becky, god I miss you so much.

I decided to read this book for the booksocietynet’s Let it Snow Event, and I’m so glad that I read this book this year. Because oh my god, Beck Brandon nee Bloomwood is so ME when I find stuff for people (or just me, because it’s me) and she’s also so relatable that I can see myself in Becky as she goes through one thing to another.

So Becky is having her best life right now with her husband, Luke, and their adorable daughter Minnie. She’s working with her best friend Suze at Letherby’s, and she’s doing what she does best-shop online and order everything she can before Christmas. But then, oh no, her parents moved to Shoreditch (I researched that place, actually...I want to move there) and are becoming Shoreditchians (is that a word for them?? Is it?? If not then I’m declaring it), and Jess is in town! But she got on my last nerve when she kept saying that ‘glitter is problematic (WHICH IT IS NOT)’ and almost every little thing is problematic.

But then, when her parents says that Becky is going to host this year’s Christmas…

One word came to her mind: NANI?! (okay, maybe not nani. But it was a WHAT when she found out that she’s hosting Christmas) and off she goes, trying to find everything for the perfect christmas at her place. She also wants to find the best present for Luke, and she thought she can get some aftershave for him, but sadly after trying some as he slept and nearly blinding the poor man while he slept (poor Luke).

But that didn’t work, so she wandered around until she saw the PERFECT gift for Luke: a portmanteau. But….it was at a raffle at a billiards club.

So what does Becky do in order to get this portmanteau?

Hatches a plan to join club
Conspires with someone to get into club
Forgets whole speech when it’s her time to speak, makes up whole speech
Is very terrible at billiards actually, and she only got in because people thought she was talking about sex.

While all of that was going on, enter Becky’s ex-boyfriend, Craig Cruton and his psychotic girlfriend, Nadine. When I mean this woman is psychotic, she was psychotic. One, she wanted to talk to Luke about business, then she presented him with a plan for her business, but Luke calmly turned her down. Then she SHOWED UP AT MINNIE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY and tried to talk to Luke, but once again, Luke turned her down, saying no.

So being the witch that she is, she made up an email that does even sound like Luke, and sent it to everyone, canceling Becky’s Christmas. Becky was devastated that her Christmas, the one she worked hard for, ordered a LOT OF THINGS for, was canceled. But when Luke came to the rescue and went to Jess’s place to ask what happened, Jess showed her the email-and it wasn’t even Luke’s work email, omg-and after a lot of explanation (and showing the WhatsApp to Becky about what happened) then Christmas was back on….

And on Christmas Eve, Becky hunted down a hamster for her daughter because she wanted a hamster for Christmas, not a hamper (Becky thought she wanted a cute picnic hamper to go with her tea set...BOY WAS SHE WRONG) and she did get that hamster for Minnie...and the portmanteau came just in time for Christmas. And also THE ENDING WHEN BECKY GAVE LUKE HER WORD TO HIM. OMG. I FREAKED OUT BECAUSE OF THE WORD.

I hope she’s writing the next book of the Shopaholic series about this, because THAT WORD. I still can’t get over it.

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Book Review: Cloaked in Shadow by Ben Alderson

Cloaked in Shadow by Ben Alderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book has been on my TBR since I heard about it. I’ve been following Ben on twitter and Instagram, and when I heard that he’s writing a book, I was eager, mouth salivating, waiting to get this book in my hands. Now that I’ve read the first book, I am proud to say that I loved every bloody bit of it. Every word, every character, the world. I absorbed it all, and I’m glad to have read this book, because I’m on the CIS train till I read every last word and love these characters to bits.

Speaking of characters, I have to say, I love my baby boy Zacriah Trovirn, who was the cinnamon roll throughout the book. He is always helping people, always trying to do what’s right, like finding out who shot the prince while they were exploring the forest where everyone died, or how embarrassed he gets when the prince calls him ‘Petal’, which I didn’t like at first, but then it grew on me each time he used it. But then when the cinnamon roll snapped...one, I was not prepared for it. I’m never prepared for the sweet people snapping. But honestly, I think he had every right to snap after he found out who shot the arrow and tried to kill those people, though once Nyah and the prince got him out, he felt horrible for doing it.

I also love Nyah as well. She’s so strong and always threatening to smack someone, even if they were the prince. Nyah made me laugh the whole entire time, and I’m glad that she and Zac are friends, because she’s always there for her friends, and she supports them, even though sometimes it doesn’t make any since.

And Prince Hadrian...the Dragori, the fire Dragori...I fell for him the moment he entered the room, but then as he and Zac started spending time together, I started to ship them, and the kiss before the duel...I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THAT KISS. I had to take a step back and compose myself because GOD WHAT A KISS. Honestly. It was. I loved that so much.

BUT THEN, IT WENT TO HELL AT THE END.

I got worried when Petrer or whatever his name was broke Zac’s hand to put the golden band on it, the King, WHO I SIDE-EYED THE MOMENT HE APPEARED and it turned out he was a druid who can turn into some kind of shadow beast, and Commander Alina was the one who shot the prince and is working for the Morthi, WHICH IS CRAP but I digress, it sucks so many balls, and I’m glad she’s dead, but I got worried after Hadrian snapped Zac back to his normal self.

I really enjoyed this one and I can’t wait to read the next two. Ben is a fantastic writer and it made me feel so many emotions, and I loved every bit of it.


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Book Review: The Halfling's Gem (The Legend of Drizzt #6) by R.A. Salvatore

The Halfling's Gem by R.A. Salvatore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Okay, this book...has nearly torn me apart, made me jump and jerk a bit, and it also made me worry for Regis as HE GOT KIDNAPPED BY ARTEMIS ENTRERI.

But before I start yelling into the void about that, let’s go on with my book review.

So as I said, Regis is kidnapped by Artemis Entreri, and is going through hell. So Drizzt and Wulfgar went after him after leaving the Harpell’s mansion. They follow Entreri’s trail towards Calimport, where Regis is brought to Pasha Pook. But before they can even do that, they have to go visit a banshee named Agatha to get a mask for Drizzt, since people are still kinda bullshittingly scared of drow. They went to visit the village where Agatha is haunting. They ask where the banshee was hiding and they go to her. They had a little fight with her, and then they grabbed her mask and off to Calimport they go.

Though when Drizzt put on the mask, he looks like a surface elf, and I saw the battle waging within him each time he puts on the mask, until he went underground and took it off. I have to say, when the mask slipped off on the boat, I got worried that the captain was going to throw him off because of the color of his skin, but then after the men on the boat came up and said that yeah, the drow scares me, but at the same time he saved our asses, so I’m okay with the drow on the boat (they had to fight pirates thanks to the wizard doing the ‘Now All Of China Knows You’re Here’ meme)

But I’d never thought I’d see the fear in Regis’s eyes when he saw Pasha Pook again. I got worried about him because Pasha is a horrible piece of shit that needs to die, and I really don’t care about Lassiter or Rassiter, and I’m glad Entreri killed him. But then when Pasha sent Drizzt, Wulfgar, Cattie-Brie, and Bruenor to the other plane called Tarterus, where Catti-Brie NEARLY dies, but the good thing is that Drizzt saved her, AND THEY SHARED A TENDER KISS (actually Drizzt tenderly kissed her, though he’s still battling his feelings for Cattie-Brie, even though she’s with Wulfgar, and she was unconscious).

But the one thing I loved throughout the book was Bruenor Battlehammer surviving the fall thanks to Drizzt’s sword, Icingdeath. He fought his way back, but if it wasn’t for the Lady Alustrel’s help, then no more Bruenor.

But I was wondering where Guenhwyvar was, because we see bits and pieces of her in the book. But it turns out Artemis had her, and he gave it to Pasha, but even he couldn’t even control her as she took Regis to the astral plane, and she also helped him with the wererats problem by taking him to some other cats and let them loose at the wererats.

I really did enjoy this book and I am gonna read all of them (i ordered some more for Christmas, so next year is going to be FANTASTIC) and with each book I read, I’m loving each and every bit of it.

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Book Review: Black Witch Magic by Mila Nicks

Black Witch Magic by Mila Nicks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my first BWWM book I’ve ever read, and I’ve seen those books on Wattpad, but...but not like this.

A paranormal investigator who doesn’t believe in the paranormal, and a witch who’s cursed to never leave town?

I’m here for it. All of it.

I was skeptical in reading this book for many reasons: one, because I thought I was going to be reading a bunch of sex scenes that don’t make sense whenever I see book like this. But the more I read this book, the more I loved the characters, including the relationship between Selene and Aiden that bloomed because she had a date that ghosted her, but then Aiden shows her how to be in a relationship? Even though he freaked out because she revealed to him that she was a witch one night after she saved him from a car accident that nearly happened.

But the one thing that made me mad throughout this whole entire book is how they treated Selene. Yes she’s a Blackstone, yes she’s a witch, and yes, she can’t do things like normal people can. But to just downright shun her like that because of what happened to her grandmother and such...I’m sorry, but that’s complete and utter booty to me. Unless she does dark magic, which she hasn’t, then she’ll be fine, no shunning at all.

And Aiden...poor boy really doesn’t like Christmas, huh? I can understand why, because of his family and stuff, but good lord son, all they want is to have some quality family time. And also his friend, Eddie, reminds me of the two from the Buzzfeed: Unsolved guys, Ryan and Shane, or the Winchesters (yes I said the Winchesters) but for Eddie to try and force the issue on doing the story on the Blackstone curse...I’m glad Aiden said that he’s not going to to do it, because it meant exposing Selene and her being a witch, and that wasn’t going to happen.

I have to say, my favorite characters throughout this book has to be Selene and Aiden, but also Noelle and her auntie, Bibi. I love those two so much, especially Noelle, Selene’s friend. She reminds me so much of some of my friends, and also I can see myself in Selene, mostly because she reads, works in a library, lives in a big house and has a cute dog. And she’s a LUNAR WITCH, and yes, I squealed because I played a Lunar Witch once in a ttrpg (but she was a worthian and they were baby.)

But I have to say, I can see Selene as me, which I loved so, so much. We love to read, we wear glasses, and we’re bloody different from anyone else (but sadly I’m not a witch. Which sucks. Wish I was, though. This is a really, really good book and I wish more people can read it so, so much.

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