4-stars – Page 4 – Talk Nerdy Book Blog

August 5, 2019

E

Series: The Beholder

Release Date: June 4, 2019

Synopsis:

Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match, a partner who will help secure the future of her people. Now that day has finally come.

But after an excruciatingly public rejection from her closest childhood friend, Selah’s stepmother suggests an unthinkable solution: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic, where a series of potential suitors awaits—and if she doesn’t come home engaged, she shouldn’t come home at all.

From English castle gardens to the fjords of Norge, and under the eye of the dreaded Imperiya Yotne, Selah’s quest will be the journey of a lifetime. But her stepmother’s schemes aren’t the only secrets hiding belowdecks…and the stakes of her voyage may be higher than any happy ending.

Ending

 Cliffhanger

Representation

• BIPOC side characters

Possible Triggers: Yes

• No OTT sad parts
• Heroine suffers emotional abuse from her step-mother
• Heroine’s mother died (off-page)
• The Heroine’s father is ill

Mature Themes

• Allusion to violence
• Heroine is 18 and looking for a husband
• Romantic relationship between adoptive siblings
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Hardcover

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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Thrilling and Introspective: We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

July 25, 2019

T

Series: Sands of Arawiya

Release Date: May 14, 2019

Synopsis:

People lived because she killed.
People died because he lived.

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways.

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the king on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds—and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, We Hunt the Flame is a gripping debut of discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

• BIPOC main and supporting characters

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Death
• Violence
• Abuse
• Emotional torture

Mature Themes

• The Hero is dealing with the emotional and psychological torture of having his past love interest punished for loving (and being kind) to him by his father
• The Heroine’s best friend is in love with her, and she’s considering taking it further
• The Heroine is haunted by the death of her father
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Hardcover

Rating: 4/5 stars

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The Wedding Night by Kati Wilde

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

February 22, 2019

T

Series: Standalone

Release Date: February 5, 2019

Synopsis

When an opportunity to take everything from the powerful family who destroyed his mother’s life falls into Caleb Moore’s lap, he needs help from the one person with more power and money than they have — business mogul, Audrey Clarke. The trick is getting her attention. So he approaches the infamous ice queen with an unusual proposition: marriage.

The odds of a snowball surviving in hell are better than the chances of a rich, classy lady like Audrey Clarke marrying a mechanic from the wrong side of the tracks. He only hopes that she might consider a business partnership when she’s finished laughing at his marriage proposal.

He never expects her to say yes — or that the ice queen could burn so hot. Because Audrey Clarke isn’t cold at all. And if Caleb’s not careful, the only thing he’ll give her for Christmas…is a broken heart.

Ending

 HEA

Representation

• Main character is on the Aspergers spectrum
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
And doesn’t address fatphobia

Possible Triggers: Yes

• No OTT sad parts
• Heroine was physically abused by her mother when she was a child (off-page, memories)

Safety Rating: Safe

• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does Not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

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Waking Olivia by Elizabeth O’Roark

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

November 22, 2018

W

Series: Standalone

Release Date: March 14, 2016

Synopsis

“That girl isn’t just trouble of the not-a-team-player, not-a-reliable-runner variety. She’s trouble of the devious, manipulative, too-f***ing-hot-for-her-own good variety. She’s the kind of girl who causes trouble merely by existing, and then makes sure to cause more.
And the last thing I need right now is more trouble.”

A failing farm.
His father’s debt.
And a struggling college track team.
Will Langstrom has too many responsibilities, and the last thing he needs is Olivia Finnegan, a beautiful but troubled new transfer student.

A smart mouth.
A strong right hook.
And a secret that could destroy her.
Olivia is her own worst enemy, with a past she can’t seem to escape, and the last person she wants help from is a cocky track coach she can never seem to please.
Refusing to be pushed away, Will is determined to save her.
And determined to resist an attraction that could destroy them both.

Ending

 HEA

Representation

No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Physical abuse (Memories, flashbacks and on-page)
• Significant PTSD
• Attempted rape (Memories, off-page)

Safety Rating: Not Safe

• No cheating
• Does have OW/OM
– The Hero has a longtime girlfriend for a significant portion of the book
– The Heroine flirts and attempts to hook up with an OM but doesn’t follow through
– The Heroine goes on dates with a different OM throughout the novel
• Does have descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
– It’s between the Hero and his girlfriend. There’s only one.
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does have a brief separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4/5 stars

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Chosen by Stacy Jones

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

November 10, 2018

C

Series: Chosen

Release Date: December 19, 2017

Synopsis

One minute Lily is trying, and failing, to run her grandmother’s farm—her last remaining connection to her family. The next, she wakes to find herself in a cold, sterile cage surrounded by monsters, with no memory of how she got there. Accidentally abducted by alien poachers, unsure if she will live or die, she is dreading the worst. What she doesn’t expect is for her captors to dump her on an alien planet to fend for herself. Now, she must fight to survive the planet… or die trying.

Frrar, Tor, and Arruk have been searching endlessly for a mate to belong to, someone to finally accept them, but they are losing hope. The time of cleansing, when the great waters drown the land, draws near. They are on the verge of abandoning their search and fleeing the forest when they spot a strange, tiny, two-armed female. They are immediately drawn to her, fascinated by her differences, but they must act fast to save her life, and their own, from the coming flood.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Abduction by alien species
• No abuse
• One of the Hero’s family died tragically

Safety Rating: Safe

• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• No pushing away
• No separation between the Heroes and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

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Bound Spirit by H.A. Wills

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

November 10, 2018

B

Series: The Bound Spirit

Release Date: July 27, 2018

Synopsis

Seventeen year old, Callie thought climbing out of her hell of an abusive home life was going to be her biggest struggle, but it’s only the beginning. Starting over in a small nowhere town in Oregon with an aunt she didn’t know existed until a week ago, she makes five new guy friends that are each something otherworldly. Something supernatural– and they say she is too. As if high school wasn’t hard enough.

In this captivating and vivid, paranormal reverse harem, join Callie on her journey of healing from the horrors of her past, while discovering that the world is far weirder than she could’ve possibly imagined.

Warning:

This book contains graphic violence, adult language, underage drinking, mild sexual content, and deals in sensitive issues such as abuse, suicide, and PTSD. Reader discretion is advised.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

• Black main character
• Hispanic main character
• Bisexual main characters

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Heroine has been emotional, physically and psychologically tortured by her father (flashbacks and memories)
• Murder of whole family (and one of the heroes)
• Violence
• Significant PTSD
• Suicide ideation

Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions

• No cheating
• Does have OW: most of the heroes, except for the ghost, have an OW. Also, the series will eventually have M/M relationships in the harem.
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does Not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4/5 stars

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Sunshine and Bullets by CoraLee June

By Sarah

In 4-stars, ARC, Book Review

August 30, 2018

S

Series: The Bullets

Release Date: August 19, 2018

Synopsis

Sunshine.

It’s a nickname I haven’t heard since I lived on Woodbury Lane, where the houses were pretty but the secrets? Deadly. It was a pet name known only to the Bullets. Rough, violent, and ruthless, they laid claim to the town — and my heart.

I wasn’t supposed to fall for a boy from the wrong side of the tracks—especially not four of them. But they were the only ones who understood that sometimes hell hides in plain sight.

I was the girl with all the conveniences a privileged upbringing could provide. The world only saw two loving parents and a pristine home life, but I knew the truth. And it was going to get me killed. So, I disappeared, from everyone and everything I’d ever known. I changed my name and my appearance, but the scars I carry, they’re still the same.

The Bullets are all grown up now, too — a crime boss, a pro fighter, a bounty hunter, and a federal agent. Life took them in different directions, but they once shared the bonds of a brotherhood forged under the harshest conditions. Together they were fearless. Brutal. Unstoppable.

I’m praying they can find that unity again. If I’m going to survive this, it’ll take everything they have. Because that’s the thing about running from the past.

Eventually, it catches up to you.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

• Bisexual supporting characters

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Heroine’s family was abusive towards her (Flashbacks)
• Violence (flashbacks and present)
• Severe PTSD
• Grief over the presumed death of the Heroine
• BDSM (One of the heroes–Gavriel–agrees to protect Sunshine in the present for a price: she must submit to him)

Safety Rating: Not Safe

• No cheating
• Does have descriptive sex scene with OW (in the Past, the heroes hook-up with girls right in front of Sunshine at parties. Can’t remember if there’s a sex scene in their POV, but there is A LOT of OW).
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does have a significant (~5 years) separation between the Heroes and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: eARC

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

Note: I was lucky enough to have received an ARC of Sunshine and Bullets (this novel was given in exchange for an honest review)!

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Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

August 30, 2018

B

Series: Hidden Legacy

Release Date: October 28, 2014

Synopsis

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews launches a brand new Hidden Legacy series, in which one woman must place her trust in a seductive, dangerous man who sets off an even more dangerous desire…

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• Characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Violence (Hero uses torture frequently throughout the book to get what he wants but only from people the Heroine isn’t protecting
• Murder (Committed by the Hero as well as the villain.)
• Arson
• Torture (Mental and physical)
– Heroine is abducted and mentally tortured (he’s a psychic) by the Hero (when he doesn’t know her). He would’ve killed her had she not been of use to him.

Safety Rating: Safe

• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4.25/5

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Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

August 9, 2018

I

Series: The Iron Covenant

Release Date: June 26, 2018

Synopsis

No day is ordinary in a world where Technology and Magic compete for supremacy…But no matter which force is winning, in the apocalypse, a sword will always work.

Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, Warlord of the Builder of Towers, served only one man. Now his immortal, nearly omnipotent master has cast him aside. Hugh is a shadow of the warrior he was, but when he learns that the Iron Dogs, soldiers who would follow him anywhere, are being hunted down and murdered, he must make a choice: to fade away or to be the leader he was born to be. Hugh knows he must carve a new place for himself and his people, but they have no money, no shelter, and no food, and the necromancers are coming. Fast.

Elara Harper is a creature who should not exist. Her enemies call her Abomination; her people call her White Lady. Tasked with their protection, she’s trapped between the magical heavyweights about to collide and plunge the state of Kentucky into a war that humans have no power to stop. Desperate to shield her people and their simple way of life, she would accept help from the devil himself—and Hugh d’Ambray might qualify.

Hugh needs a base, Elara needs soldiers. Both are infamous for betraying their allies, so how can they create a believable alliance to meet the challenge of their enemies?

As the prophet says: “It is better to marry than to burn.”

Hugh and Elara may do both.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

• BIPOC supporting characters
• Supporting character is either deaf or mute and communicates through ASL

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Violence (Blood and gore)
• Murder

Safety Rating: Not Safe

• Kinda cheating
– Hero sleeps with an OW after marrying the heroine (even though it’s a relationship of convenience)
– Even though the Hero and Heroine were married, they weren’t in a relationship. Nor did they care for each other.
• Does have descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
– The heroine walks in on the Hero sleeping with the OW
– The hero also considers sleeping with the heroine’s lady’s maid but dismisses the idea.
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does Not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

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Power of Five by Alex Lidell

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

June 21, 2018

P

Series: Power of Five

Release Date: May 4, 2018

Synopsis

Four elite fae warriors. One mortal female. A magical bond they can’t allow—or resist.

Orphaned and sold to a harsh master, Lera’s life is about mucking stalls, avoiding her master’s advances, and steering clear of the mystical forest separating the mortal and fae worlds. Only fools venture into the immortal realms, and only dark rumors come out… Until four powerful fae warriors appear at Lera’s barn.

River, Coal, Tye, and Shade have waited a decade for their new fifth to be chosen, the wounds from their quint brother’s loss still raw. But the magic has played a cruel trick, bonding the four immortal warriors to… a female. A mortal female.

Distractingly beautiful and dangerously frail, Lera can only be one thing—a mistake. Yet as the males bring Lera back to the fae lands to sever the bond, they discover that she holds more power over their souls than is safe for anyone… especially for Lera herself.
Power of Five is a full-length reverse-harem fantasy novel.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

• wlw side characters

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Heroine was a servant before the Heroes found her
• Heroine was abused by her owner
• One of the Heroes was tortured and raped during captivity

Safety Rating: Safe

• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Heroes and Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4/5 stars

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Category4-stars

Enchanting and Atmospheric: The Beholder by Anna Bright

Thrilling and Introspective: We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

The Wedding Night by Kati Wilde

Waking Olivia by Elizabeth O’Roark

Chosen by Stacy Jones

Bound Spirit by H.A. Wills

Sunshine and Bullets by CoraLee June

Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews

Power of Five by Alex Lidell

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