Audio Book Review: Wolf's Bane by Aimee Easterling

I enjoyed this shifter, action story.

Wolf's Bane
Written by Aimee Easterling
Narrated by Piper Goodeve
Release Date: July 2, 2019
Run time: 5 hours and 43 minutes
Release Date: July 2, 2019
Publisher: Wetknee Books
Genre: Fantasy, Folklore, Shifters
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.25.

Publisher Description
Secrets are my specialty.
I’m Mai Fairchild — fox shifter, sister’s keeper, and bane of the local werewolf pack. In a world where different is dangerous, my sister and I must pretend to be human at all costs. Too bad I just lost the job that lets me live under the radar while putting food on my sister’s plate.
Enter an enticing werewolf who offers enough cash to upgrade our diets from ramen noodles to salami if I join him on a magical hunt. But can I afford to accept the opportunity when the risk of working closely with every fox shifter’s sworn enemy is so great?
This first book in USA Today bestselling author Aimee Easterling’s newest series dives into a world of magic, danger, and romance.

Review:
Mai and her younger sister, Kira, are fox shifters, also known as kitsune. They have to keep this secret since it is a fact that would condemn them to execution by werewolves who don’t tolerate the kitsune magic. Mai lost her mundane day job so has to rely on her fighting success in the fight cage.

Unfortunately, her run of wins is hurting the betting. Her boss decides to set her up against a new team – werewolves. Gunner, an alpha werewolf, offers Mai a lucrative job if she will help the werewolves find a rogue, brutal killer. Mai needs the work but is reluctant to work so closely with her enemies of her very nature. While she is still contemplated the job another murder occurs and she is drawn in to inspect the scene. It is quickly apparent that the killer is using magical power. Not only that, but the killer has somehow gotten a hold of Mai’s family artifacts that can be used to trigger magic.

Mai is receiving cryptic mind messages from her dead mother while she is trying to discover who has obtained her mother’s magic and is now stalking her. Meanwhile, Mai needs to keep her ‘boyfriend’, a local werewolf, from putting her in the middle of a territorial war with Gunner and his pack. All of her efforts get tangled up, especially when Kira keeps taking actions that endanger the sisters.

I enjoyed the overall plot line and the intrigue of Gunner’s interest in Mai. I was a little frustrated that Kai had not shown more regard for her mother’s heirlooms and also failed to communicate better with her sister regarding their nature. Then there was the bad choices that Mai kept making to sneak away from the werewolves who were trying to trust her. These several elements seemed like major missteps for the primary character although it plays into the action.

The writing is at a level suitable for YAs and adults. I do enjoy shifter characters and I liked the developing relationship between Mai and Gunner. The story ends with danger and a bit of a cliff hanger. I am interested in reading the next book. I recommend this to readers who like shifter stories.

Audio Notes: Piper Goodeve does a good job with the narration. She gives appropriate life to Mai and manages to give the characters distinct voices. I enjoyed the audio listen.

Source: 4/01/2020 Chirp for $.99. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021Audiobook and 2021Alphabet (audio) goals.

#NetGalley Book Review: Chicken Talk Around the World by Carole Lexa Schaefer

This is a lovely little book.
Chicken Talk Around the World
by Carole Lexa Schaefer
Pierr Morgan (Illustrations)

Publisher : Little Bigfoot; Illustrated edition (March 16, 2021)
Language : English
Hardcover : 32 pages
ISBN-10 : 1632172917
Reading age : 4 - 8 years
Grade level : Preschool - 3
Genre: Children's, Farm Animals, Multinational
My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0.

Explore world languages and different cultures as we see--and hear--grandmothers' chickens in the United States, Mexico, Kenya, Japan, India, and France, in this delightful book that introduces children to cultural diversity.
Kid-friendly text full of onomatopoeia and simple international vocabulary makes Chicken Talk Around the World a great read-aloud. Bright, charming illustrations show multigenerational families and chickens in different environments, celebrating cultural diversity; as well as universal elements, such as the special relationships grandmothers have with their grandchildren no matter where they live in the world.

Review:
This charming book shares grandmothers and chickens in at least six countries and languages. It is a lovely book to share with children as you show them how different cultures have much in common even as you share the differences in language, settings, chicken feed and types of chicken.

It is an easy read with bright, engaging illustrations. I would be glad to get this for my grandchildren!

Source: NetGalley 2020. This qualifies for 2021TBR and 2021NetGalley goals.

Sunday Post March 14, 2021/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday March 15, 2021

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? now at The Book Date (at Wordpress)

What Are You Reading? is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I had another busy week as Heather was out all week with a ruptured eardrum. Besides the pain, she is dizzy and we didn't want her driving the hour+ to work.
Stocks rallied and my portfolio account is at the highest (up 73%!) since I began March 19, 2021. Now I'll be watching to determine if I need to close out or just sit tight with my dividend stocks.

Today I am sharing my March nail treatment - for St. Patrick's Day!

(Just ignore all those wrinkles!)

We had some nice warm days last week. And I remembered to Spring Forward since my hubby changes the clocks on Saturday morning so he can be ready when bedtime rolls around. :-)

I enjoyed all of my reading this week. I finished two audiobooks and one author pdf. I posted three reviews and my usual memes.

I only visited 15 blogs last week.
Shout Out this week to LITTLE THOUGHTS ABOUT BOOKS AND STUFF. Amelia is "a fan of reading, writing, and coffee...also interested in cooking and gaming."

Don't forget- Audible is offering free children's titles during these days at home.
Audiobooks.com is also offering free listens for children.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post March 6, 2021/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday March 7, 2021.

• MBS February 2021 Reading List Wrap Up.

• NG2020- #NetGalley Book Review: Time of the Rose by Bonita Clifton; Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Sci Fi & Fantasy, Time Travel; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: Black Ops, Expeditionary Force, Book 4, by Craig Alanson; Genre: Military Science Fiction, Space Opera; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 5.0.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway March 12, 2021. Open Worldwide. Ending 3/18/2021.

• Author 2021- Book Review: Frosted (Regency Retold #2) by M.C. Frank; Genre: Fairy Tale, Romance My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement March 14, 2021.

Finished Reading:

1. pdf/Computer (Author 2021)

Frosted (Regency Retold #2)
by M.C. Frank
I am reading this as pdf on my computer so it takes a bit longer. It is a very rich romance.
Source: Received from author. Release date is February 20, 2021. My review will post before March 12.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audio/Smartphone (ATBR)

Wolf's Bane
Written by Aimee Easterling
Narrated by Piper Goodeve
Release Date: July 2, 2019
Run time: 5 hours and 43 minutes
I enjoyed this shifter, action story.
Source: 4/01/2020 Chirp for $.99.
Click on book title for full description.

3. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Commune: Book Two
Commune Series 2
By: Joshua Gayou
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
Length: 15 hrs and 2 mins
Release date: 04-03-18
I enjoyed this 2nd book in this post apocalyptic series.
Source: 05/17/2020 Two Audible Credit choices for April.
Publisher's Summary
2019 Independent Audiobook Award Winner for Apocalyptica
Survival can be a lonely existence...or not. The reality of the situation always comes down to a simple decision: What kind of world do you want to build?
The survivors have come to settle in the mountains of Wyoming, fighting day in and day out to establish a home for themselves in a near-empty world. Things are good at first; scavenging is a workable, short-term solution that seems to be providing all they need.
But they know that it’s only a matter of time before the food runs out. They need to scramble to find a sustainable solution before the clock stops, and for a little handful of people up in the mountains, the odds don’t seem very favorable.
Further south, a new band of people migrates across the map, running on fumes and searching desperately for a place to settle. All around them, as resources run thin, the world grows colder and more violent.
It’s getting worse out there, always getting worse, and it’s starting to look like survival might just depend on how violent they’re willing to get.... ©2017 Joshua Gayou (P)2018 Joshua Gayou

Currently Reading:
1. Kindle App on/Smartphone (NG2020)

Forever Phoebe
by Chalon Linton
65% in and I am still enjoying this sweet romance, although I am waiting for the suspense part.
Source: NetGalley 2020.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Hold Your Breath: A Novella
By: Wendy Walker
Narrated by: Dylan Baker
After switching from two other books I chose a short one to listen to until I can make up my mind.
With one more TBR listened, then I can choose a long one if I want to.
Source: October 24, 2020 free with Audible Plus Catalogue.
About This Audible Original
From the best-selling author of All Is Not Forgotten and Don’t Look for Me comes a sharp, compulsive thriller about a young woman who narrowly escapes a violent crime and the psychiatrist helping to recover her memory of the suspect.
Gabby Ashford has just survived an attempt on her life. Detectives have connected her story to two other cases in the area: Professional women drugged at a bar, brought to their homes, and drowned in their bathtubs. Gabby, who miraculously woke up in her own bathtub unharmed, could be the key to finding a serial killer on the loose—but she has no memory of the attack.
Gabby admits herself to a high-end rehabilitation center to recover and to seek the help of a psychiatrist renowned for his work with memory recovery. As Dr. Forrester works with Gabby—interviewing not only her but her overbearing fiancée, her emotionally fragile brother, and the local detective working the case—questions about Gabby’s story, her past, and the ethics of memory recovery emerge.
Dr. Forrester, the central voice of Walker’s breakout debut All Is Not Forgotten, is a fascinating and deeply complicated character, barreling toward the truth of the case at hand while wrestling with the demons of his own past. Shocking and succinct, Hold Your Breath will have you on the edge of your seat from the first minute to the last.
©2020 Wendy Walker (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

3. Kindle App on/Smartphone (eTBR)

Low Tide (The Forgotten Coast Florida Suspense Series Book 1)
by Dawn Lee McKenna
I am reading this Mystery set in our near-by Florida as part of our local Woman's Club.
Source: Free Kindle 2017.
In Apalachicola, Florida, sinister things are afoot, as sinister things tend to be.
Lt. Maggie Redmond is called to a crime scene on St. George Island, where she is met with the body of Gregory Boudreaux. The medical examiner calls it a suicide, but no one knows that Maggie has a horrible connection to the dead man.
When Gregory’s uncle, Bennett Boudreaux, the richest and scariest man in town, takes a sudden interest in Maggie, people start to wonder, Maggie included. Maggie knows he may suspect her of killing his nephew, but she finds herself slowly drawn to the man.
As Maggie fights to help a young girl escape the clutches of a volatile drug dealer who’d love to see Maggie dead, she also struggles to hide her dark link to a dead man, and her burgeoning relationship with her boss, Sheriff Wyatt Hamilton.
Unfortunately, secrets have a way of revealing themselves at low tide.

March 14, 2021 - I love seeing new things each time I read the Bible. I am glad to still be current with morning reading.
I am reading/listening to the NLT Tyndale version of the Bible on You Version App so Hubby and I are reading the same passages each day.
I didn't pick out a new study last week. Maybe this week....

I completed three books and have three reviews to post to stay current.
NetGalley shelf is at 9. (I didn't look last week; maybe this week. :-))
Two author titles remaining in queue.
(Plus a few that I received from newsletter sign-ups, not specific review requests.)
Still many titles through InstaFreebie and many new author requests I haven't replied to.

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) and after a tour of hosts has returned to its permanent home at Mailbox Monday. Thanks to the ladies sharing hosting duties: Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit and (yours truly). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
No new review books this week.
I picked out two for one credit YA deal at Audiobooks.com.

I added four free titles from Audible Plus.

I downloaded the March free selection at Christianaudio.com.
I only added one free Kindle title this week.
(Note these are in my Amazon library, NOT on my Kindle until I download and transfer them.)
Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

NONE

Won

NONE

Purchased

One Kindle title $1.59.

The Bridge to Belle Island
By: Julie Klassen



Two for One Young Adult Credit Deal at Audiobooks.com.
I wasn't quite sure about these but I thought I'd give them a try. Has anyone read or listened to either series?

Alive [Dramatized Adaptation]
By Scott Sigler
Duration: 6 hours 10 minutes

Spellsinger [Dramatized Adaptation]
By Alan Dean Foster
Duration: 8 hours 1 minutes

Free

3/13/2021 These four titles I found at Audible Plus Catalog.

Open Season: The Joe Gunther Mysteries, Book 1
By: Archer Mayor
Narrated by: Tom Taylorson
Series: The Joe Gunther Mysteries, Book 1
Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

Summit Lake
By: Charlie Donlea
Narrated by: Shannon McManus
Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins

Beasts of the Frozen Sun: The Frozen Sun Saga, Book 1
By: Jill Criswell
Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins , Tim Campbell
Series: The Frozen Sun Saga, Book 1
Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins

Kingdom of Ice and Bone: The Frozen Sun Saga, Book 2
By: Jill Criswell
Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins , Tim Campbell
Series: The Frozen Sun Saga, Book 2
Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins


March 2021 Download from ChristianAudio.com

Grace from the Cross
Author Kyle Idleman
Narrator Lyle Blaker



One free Kindle title this week.
Desecration (Brooke and Daniel Book 1)
J.F. Penn

Free titles often found at Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Ignite Your Book, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.

Sunday Words of Encouragement March 14, 2021

We followed our Sunday worship online again this morning. Pastor continues his series "Crash and Burn".  He reminded us that Hope is not lost for believers. The further away from the church they (the world) push, the more opportunity for the church to shine.

The enemy tries to destroy people (even disrupting their identity) to a point where they can’t see a way back to Him. God has answers! The last message encouraged us to purposely form and develop a relationship with people who don’t know Christ. Ignore the mess. (It's not our job to straighten out the mess.) Give them the message of Jesus!

Our citizenship is in heaven. If we focus on our life here, we may struggle with events around us.
Let’s consider the story of Jonah. In Jonah's world we see cultural decay; sinfulness; imminent crash and burn of a whole city – judgment from God. All parallels to our world situation today.

Jonah 1: 1-3.
God told Jonah to take a message from God to the people of Nineveh. Instead, Jonah ran the other way.
We see the same today: God tells us to take God’s message of Good News (and ultimate judgment) to people who are facing imminent death. Are we doing what God tells us?

Jonah 1: 7-13.
Jonah acknowledges that he has brought God’s wrath upon the ship he is on. He convinces the sailors to throw him overboard where he gets swallowed by a ‘big fish’.

Jonah Chapter 2 is Jonah’s prayer to God to be saved from the belly of the fish.

When Jonah was released from the belly of the fish, he followed God’s directive and went to Nineveh.
Jonah 3:3-10.
When Jonah warned the city, the people believed, responded and changed! Then God changed His mind and did not destroy the city.

Jonah got upset because God showed mercy! Obviously, Jonah was a flawed prophet. As are all of God’s people and messengers. God uses imperfect people to do great things for Him.

Did anyone ever grumble because their church got too big? Did anyone ever say “I like our group just as it is; I don’t want to grow.”

Jonah was worried about himself (he appeared to be a liar), more than about God’s victory.

POINT: When God’s people obey and go into their messed-up world, lives will be changed.

When we, the church believers, take God’s message to the world, lives will be changed! The Word of God will not be wasted! We need to share the message of life and Hope!
Daniel disobeyed man’s laws to follow God’s law. God protected him.

A Final Word:
Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor…Ephesians 6:10-11.

We have to look at people we disagree with and recognize that they are not our enemy. They are victims of the true enemy. Like Jonah, some would say, ‘Let them go to judgment.’
We need to resist the enemy and see all people with eyes of love.
Stand your ground…stay alert… pray in the Spirit at all times. Ephesians 6:11-18.

I found a couple of songs to choose from this morning.
This one speaks of revival and I felt it fits where we need to be: Awake!

Jonah 2:8-10
8“Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them.
9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”
10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.


Lord, forgive us – forgive ME – for failing to go and take your message to others. Change me, and change others.

Book Review: Frosted (Regency Retold #2) by M.C. Frank

This is an engaging, rich romance.

Frosted (Regency Retold #2)
by M.C. Frank

ASIN : B08L5PMRMY
Publication date : February 20, 2021
File size : 1508 KB
Print length : 362 pages
Genre: Fairy Tale, Romance
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.

Can two people hate each other more than these two?
She has a heart of stone. He is the notorious pirate every lady swoons for.
They have vowed never to meet again.
Captain Timothée Vaughn
Heart: Broken
Face: Gorgeous
Tone: Acidic
Pirate: Yes, he is
Marital Status: Forced into an engagement
Willing to: Break his own arm to escape his wedding tomorrow.

Lady Stella DeWinter:
Heart: Frosted
Face: Angelic but sad
Tone: Silent
Secrets: Many, but one in particular. A very dark one indeed.
Marital Status: Jilted Captain Vaughn right before their wedding, five years ago.
Willing to: Do anything to meet Timothée one last time.

Question: Why? (on earth)
Meeting place: The Frosted Ball.
What follows: Chaos. Noisy ballrooms. Starry skies. White flurries. Hungry kisses. Haughty stares. Frozen lakes. Shaking breaths. The truth. Finally.

Frosted is a heart-wrenching romance about a pirate and an ice-cold lady who seem to have hated each other for years, inspired by winter-themed fairytales like The Snow Queen and The Steadfast Tin Soldier. It is set in a witty, glittering Regency world made up of a little bit of Jane Austen, a little bit of Georgette Heyer, and a lot of a modern heart yearning for romance, passion and a tall gentleman with a smoldering gaze. This is a broken tale of beauty, dark secrets and love lost.
Frosted is the new enemies-to-lovers Regency novel that will melt your heart.

Review:
Timothée Vaughn had a difficult childhood growing up and losing his parents during the French revolution. He is sent to live with his English uncle who sends him off to boarding school. Like many young men at Eton, the moody man is more interested in play, drink and women, then in his studies. Then he travels to the countryside to spend Christmas with a classmate. There he meets a young woman, Stella, who changes his life.

Stella is a young woman who was taking care of her ailing father and enjoying her days of youthful independence. Unlike other young ladies her age, she isn’t focused on finding the right man for marriage. While out riding, Stella and a handful of friends meet a group of young men. One young man, Vaughn, is the most handsome man she has ever met but that doesn’t turn her head.

When Stella is thrown from her horse, Vaughn carries her home and waits to make sure she is alive. As the days pass, he falls head over heels and Stella warms to his attentions. After more time together during the summer, the pair are deep in a whirlwind romance. Vaughn returns to school and tries to focus seriously on his studies as he counts the days till they are to be married. Then he gets a letter from Stella terminating their engagement with little understandable explanation. She hides and refuses to see him. After repeated attempts, a devastated Vaughn heads off to the sea, maybe to drown. He learns that Stella marries a wealthy neighbor who dies on their honeymoon, leaving her the ‘icy’ widow, Lady DeWinter.

Five years later, Captain Vaughn, aka L’Ange Noir, injured during his privateering adventures, has become a wealthy, sought after bachelor. He has been trapped into an engagement and wants his friend to break his arm so he can avoid the wedding day. He is shocked when he discovers Stella in the shadows eavesdropping on his conversation. She begs him to help her with a task, but he refuses. Yet, now his overwhelming feelings – love despair, anger, hate – have been awakened. He is only more confused when Stella interrupts and stops his wedding. Why has she taken that action when she still refuses to see him?

Stella has a secret that she holds tight. She never meant to cause such pain to Vaughn (or herself), but she thinks it is necessary. She has worked hard to control her emotions and show a certain face to the world. Vaughn thought he had buried his emotions too, but his sensitive nature keeps surfacing when it comes to Stella.

This is a very emotionally rich romance (with a stunning cover too). The author takes some interesting liberties on grammar rules, but I felt they fit the story. I did get a bit frustrated by Stella's stubbornness, but I loved the quiet touches of faith that help these characters move forward. In addition to the lush emotions, the author shares some poignant observations regarding the growth struggles of the characters. She makes a particular statement about swimming and faith that is awesome: ‘Going past where your feet can touch… Swimming takes faith.” And what requires the greatest faith??? Read this luscious story to see what the characters discover.

Source: PDF Arc Received from author. This qualifies for 2019Author reading goal.