Fire in His Fingertips: A Flirty Fireman Ravishes Me with His Smoldering Gaze, Vol. 2

Today’s post is on Fire in His Fingertips: A Flirty Fireman Ravishes Me with His Smoldering Gaze, Vol. 2 by Tanishi Kawano. It is 180 pages long and  is published by Ghost Ship. The cover has the two main characters on it. The intended reader is someone who has read the first volume, likes josei manga and romance manga. There is very mild foul language, sex and sexuality, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the two main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book Too hot to handle!

Ryo’s relationship with her childhood friend Souma has taken a sexy, surprising turn since she moved in next door to him. He says he wants her, but how serious is he? The firemen in Ryo’s life are all the same: they sleep around, and they won’t commit. A letter arrives inviting Ryo and Souma to a school reunion. Not only does Ryo have to come face to face with a beautiful girl from Souma’s past, she’s stuck in close quarters with him! And the heat is getting unbearable…

Review- A very satisfying second volume. My problem from the first volume which was lack of honest communication was dealt with in this volume. Ryo gets a job offer that would take her away and Souma has to decide if he is going to tell her his feelings. To me that is the most important part of this volume and it is handled well. Ryo does what she thinks is best for her career while also being honest with herself about what she feels about Souma. Souma tells Ryo that she means more than just friends with benefits to him. A good volume and I am interested in where their relationship is going to go.

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

The Missing Season

Today’s post is on The Missing Season by Gillian French. It is 294 pages long and is published by Harper Teen. The cover is a tree with a title carved on it. There is mild foul language, implied sexuality, and some violence in this novel. The intended reader is someone who likes YA novels, mystery novels, and horror lite novels. The story is told from first person close of the main character, Clara. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- There’s something in the marshes outside the town of Pender.
Whenever another kid goes missing in October, the kids in the old factory town of Pender know what is really behind it: a monster out in the marshes that they call the Mumbler.

That's what Clara's new crew tells her when she moves to town. Bree and Sage, who take her under their wing. Spirited Trace, who has taken the lead on this year's Halloween prank war. And magnetic Kincaid, whose devil-may-care attitude and air of mystery are impossible for Clara to resist.

Clara doesn't actually believe in the Mumbler--not like Kinkaid does. But as Halloween gets closer and tensions build in the town, it's hard to shake the feeling that there really is something dark and dangerous in Pender. Lurking in the shadows. Waiting to bring the stories to life.

Review- Clara is the new kid in town and it is the end of September. She is a good student but because her family moves around for her dad’s job, she never has really made friends. Clara wants to be more social and she falls into a group right away. Then she learns about the kids who go missing every year in October and how the adults just think that they are loser teens who ran away or O.D.’ed or whatever but the teens know better than that. There is a romance that is totally unneeded and I would have liked the story better without it. The only real problem I had with the story is the reveal of the villain and their reasons. There are no clues in the story pointing to them, and when they are revealed I had to flip back to the one place earlier in the book that they are in. It is a fine novel but nothing groundbreaking or particularly interesting. Unless you are a huge fan of the author or just really want to read a YA mystery, then I would pass on this one.

I give this volume a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Death by Shakespeare: Snakebites, Stabbings and Broken Hearts

Today’s post is on Death by Shakespeare: Snakebites, Stabbings and Broken Hearts by Kathryn Harkup. It is 368 pages long and is published by Bloomsbury. The cover is black with a skull and the title on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in the world Shakespeare would have lived and wrote about. There is mild foul language, no sex, and discussion of violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- An in-depth look at the science behind the creative methods Shakespeare used to kill off his characters.

In Death By Shakespeare, Kathryn Harkup, best-selling author of A is for Arsenic and expert on the more gruesome side of science, turns her expertise to Shakespeare and the creative methods he used to kill off his characters. Is death by snakebite really as serene as Cleopatra made it seem? How did Juliet appear dead for 72 hours only to be revived in perfect health? Can you really kill someone by pouring poison in their ear? How long would it take before Lady Macbeth died from lack of sleep? Readers will find out exactly how all the iconic death scenes that have thrilled audiences for centuries would play out in real life.

In the Bard's day death was a part of everyday life. Plague, pestilence and public executions were a common occurrence, and the chances of seeing a dead or dying body on the way home from the theater was a fairly likely scenario. Death is one of the major themes that reoccurs constantly throughout Shakespeare's canon, and he certainly didn't shy away from portraying the bloody reality of death on the stage. He didn't have to invent gruesome or novel ways to kill off his characters when everyday experience provided plenty of inspiration.

Shakespeare's era was also a time of huge scientific advance. The human body, its construction and how it was affected by disease came under scrutiny, overturning more than a thousand years of received Greek wisdom, and Shakespeare himself hinted at these new scientific discoveries and medical advances in his writing, such as circulation of the blood and treatments for syphilis.

Shakespeare found 74 different ways to kill off his characters, and audiences today still enjoy the same reactions--shock, sadness, fear--that they did over 400 years ago when these plays were first performed. But how realistic are these deaths, and did Shakespeare have the science to back them up?

Review- An excellent and fascinating read about the great bard and the world he lived in. Harkup does a wonderful job both in research and in presentation on the material. She helps break down both the works, the world, and what we know about the man, Shakespeare, himself and she makes it very understandable for the average reader. If you are a Shakespeare aficionado, you will still enjoy this book as it is not just about the work but grounds the works in the world that Shakespeare would have lived in. The writing is excellent and very accessible, the narrative is very easy to follow, and the result is a better understanding of Shakespeare but also his world and work. I highly recommend this book.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my library.

Gyo

Today’s post is on Gyo by Junji Ito. It is 400 pages long and is published by Viz Media. The cover is dark with greyed out silhouettes from the story on it. The intended reader is someone who likes horror and monster manga. There is no foul language, no sex, gore, and some violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main character Tadashi. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Something is rotten in Okinawa…
The floating smell of death hangs over the island. What is it? A strange, legged fish appears on the scene... So begins Tadashi and Kaori's spiral into the horror and stench of the sea. Here is the creepiest masterpiece of horror manga ever from the creator of Uzumaki, Junji Ito. Hold your breath until all is revealed.

Review- This is a fascinating manga with monster and outbreak themes. Tadashi and his girlfriend are taking a vacation when Kaori’s starts to smell something terrible. From there it becomes a guessing game of what is going on. Is it an outbreak? Monster attack? Mutants? The reader is pulled from one scene to the next as Tadashi and Kaori try to survive from the horror that is chasing them from the sea. Ito is a master of his craft and this animal attack/outbreak story is very worth reading. The story is understandable, the characters are sympathetic, and art will haunt you when you look at a fish and wonder, if they are going to come for you. I highly recommend this manga.

I give this manga a Five out of Five stars.  I get nothing for my review and I was given this manga as a gift. 

 

The Most Eligible Lord in London

Today's post is on The Most Eligible Lord in London by Ella Quinn. It is 361 pages long and is published by Zebra Books. The cover has the two main characters on it. There is mild foul language, sex and sexuality, and very mild violence in this novel. There story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Handsome, rakish, incorrigibly flirtatious—Fredrick, Lord Littleton, is notorious. Lady Adeline Wivenly is resolved to keep him at arm’s length during her first Season—until she overhears another woman’s plot to trick him into marriage. Even a rogue is undeserving of such deception, and Adeline feels obliged to warn him—only to find herself perilously attracted..

In the past, Littleton’s charm nearly got him leg-shackled to the wrong woman. Now he’s positive he’s found the right one, for Adeline is everything he wants and needs in a wife. Her sense of justice is so strong she agrees to help him despite her mistrust. But can the ton’s most elusive lord convince the lady he is finally serious about marriage—as long as she will be his bride?

Review- A sweet historical romance between two very likable characters. Lord Littleton is not really a rake at all. He was starting to seriously court a lady in the previous season but discovered that they would not suit. Instead of telling her, he panicked and went home without explaining himself. Now in the new season he meets Lady Adeline and they have much in common but she is friends with the lady he disappointed and wants to be loyal to her friend. The plot is nice, the characters are good, but the villains are the only problem I have with this book. It starts out that the villain is a man who wants to marry Adeline but he is not a good person at all and then the villain shifts to a slaver in England after slavery has been abolished. I am fine with two villains but not with switching villains more than half way through a book. But other than that it was a fine novel and if you like historical romances then you should try this one.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Hell in the Heartland: Murder, Meth, and the Case of Two Missing Girls

Today’s post is on Hell in the Heartland: Murder, Meth, and the Case of Two Missing Girls by Jax Miller. It is 319 pages long and is published by Berkley. The cover has a picture of a burning trailer on it. The intended reader is someone who likes true crime and writing memoirs.  There is foul language, discussion of rape and other forms of sexual assault, and discussion of violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- The stranger-than-fiction cold case from rural Oklahoma that has stumped authorities for two decades, concerning the disappearance of two teenage girls and the much larger mystery of murder, police cover-up, and an unimaginable truth...

On December 30, 1999, in rural Oklahoma, sixteen-year-old Ashley Freeman and her best friend, Lauria Bible, were having a sleepover. The next morning, the Freeman family trailer was in flames and both girls were missing.

While rumors of drug debts, revenge, and police collusion abounded in the years that followed, the case remained unsolved and the girls were never found.

In 2015, crime writer Jax Miller--who had been haunted by the case--decided to travel to Oklahoma to find out what really happened on that winter night in 1999, and why the story was still simmering more than fifteen years later. What she found was more than she could have ever bargained for: jaw-dropping levels of police negligence and corruption, entire communities ravaged by methamphetamine addiction, and a series of interconnected murders with an ominously familiar pattern.

These forgotten towns were wild, lawless, and home to some very dark secrets.

Review- This was an interestingly written book about a very cold case that is still an open wound in the town where it happened. On December 30 1999 the Freeman’s were having a small party for Ashley Freeman with her family and best friend. The next day their trailer was on fire, the parents were dead, and the two girls were missing. For the next twenty years their families searched wherever they could, spoke to everyone from local cartel drug lords to find the author to come in and write up everything about the case. Miller was consumed by the case and the people in it. Miller is deeply changed by this story and the people she meets over the course of her research. There is no real ending as the girls are still missing but to me it is very clear that they are dead and their bodies will never be found. It's a heartbreaking but still fascinating story to read. 

I give this a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Knight of the Ice, Vol. 2

Today’s post is on Knight of the Ice, Vol. 2by Yayoi Ogawa. It is 178 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. On the cover has Kokoro in an action pose. As it is the second in the series you need to have read the first volume. The intended reader is someone who likes josei manga. There is mild foul language, discussion of sex and sexuality, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the two main characters, Chitose and Kokoro. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Cracks in the Ice
After one of Kokoro’s fans spots him together with Chitose, rumors begin spreading over what kind of relationship the two could possibly have- and that Chitose is the cause of Kokoro’s slump! To keep the rumors at bay, Kokoro’s manager, Moriyama, comes up with a plan to keep Chitose close without raising fans’ suspicions- by tossing Chitose into the public limelight as Kokoro’s new personal trainer! But as Kokoro’s career reaches a turning point, what will it mean for Chitose’s?

Review- Kokoro has come to the realization that he is in love with Chitose and he doesn’t know what to do next. Chitose is trying to manage helping him and her career and in this volume they start to collide. Her job normally does not let its workers have second jobs but because Kokoro is a rising star in Japan and in figure skating, she gets to make a feature about him and his training for her magazine. Most of the volume is getting Chitose in place to realize her feelings for Kokoro too. But drama is on the horizon with Kokoro hurting himself and confessing to Chitose. This manga is fun and I am looking forward to seeing how their relationship is going to move from here. 

I give this manga a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

 

MIddlegame

Today’s post is on MIddlegame by Seanan McGuire. It is 523 pages long and is published by Tor. the cover is a Hand of Glory burning. The intended reader is someone who likes Frankenstein, urban fantasy, and stories told out of order. There is mild foul language, no sex, and violence in this novel. The story is told from third person close of the different characters as the story moves. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.

Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.

Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.

Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own.

Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.

Review- This is one of the most incredible books I have ever read. To put it simply this is McGuire’s Frankenstein, as she is telling the story of alchemy and made people and magical science. The twins Rodger and Dodger are created to embody the Doctrine of Ethos, which is basically one of them is all language and the other one is all math. Between the two of them they can describe the entire world and control it. Which is what the man who made them wants to, he wants to control the world. Reed is a very good villain, as a mad scientist should be, but he is as hollow as a made creature. The plot is following Rodger and Dodger as they grow up and manifest into the Doctrine. The story is not told in order, it skips and starts and restarts and as you go through the book you will discover why and that is part of what makes this book work so well. McGuire has won a lot of awards for this book but in my opinion she did not win enough for it.  She created something so incredible, she has recreated Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's likeness but has taken it to another level. If you have never read any books by McGuire then I would strongly recommend you try this one. It is absolutely amazing, the writing is incredible, and the story is breathtaking. 

 I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

The Water Dragon's Bride, Vol. 5

Today’s post is on The Water Dragon's Bride, Vol. 5 by Rei Toma. It is 184 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Asahi and Tsukihiro on it. As it is the fifth in the series you need to have read the first four volumes to understand the story.  The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga and Japanese legends. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of Asahi. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Asahi is in danger because people want to use her to get the water dragon god’s power. She doesn’t want anyone to be hurt because of her, so she goes with the water dragon god and Subaru to pay a visit to the emperor. However, in exchange for his protection, the emperor makes an unexpected demand!

Review- Asahi’s fame is growing and she is making some very hard choices. Real bad guys are aware of her existence and that she really seems to have some kind of magic powers. So Asahi returns to the emperor and asks for his protection. The court is not much safer for her but her friends are learning new skills that will help protect her better and the water god is starting to grow as a person more. His changes are slow but that makes it feel more real to me than if it was over night. I like him more and more with every volume. Then the ending chapter has a huge twist that will affect the rest of the series. I look forward to reading the next volume.

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

If I Never Met You

Today’s post is on If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane. It is 409 pages long and is published by William Morrow. The cover is lavender blue with a drawing of the two main characters on it. There is mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this novel. The is told from third person close of the main character Laurie. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the back of the book- If faking love is this easy... how do you know when it’s real?

When her partner of over a decade suddenly ends things, Laurie is left reeling—not only because they work at the same law firm and she has to see him every day. Her once perfect life is in shambles and the thought of dating again in the age of Tinder is nothing short of horrifying. When news of her ex’s pregnant girlfriend hits the office grapevine, taking the humiliation lying down is not an option. Then a chance encounter in a broken-down elevator with the office playboy opens up a new possibility.

Jamie Carter doesn’t believe in love, but he needs a respectable, steady girlfriend to impress their bosses. Laurie wants a hot new man to give the rumor mill something else to talk about. It’s the perfect proposition: a fauxmance played out on social media, with strategically staged photographs and a specific end date in mind. With the plan hatched, Laurie and Jamie begin to flaunt their new couple status, to the astonishment—and jealousy—of their friends and colleagues. But there’s a fine line between pretending to be in love and actually falling for your charming, handsome fake boyfriend…

Review- Wonderful, charming, very clean contemporary romance. After Laurie's long-term boyfriend left her for another woman she has to figure out what to do with her life now, as for the past 18 years her life has been wrapped around this relationship. So when another member of her law firm offers to be in a fake relationship with her, to make her ex jealous and for him to look good for the bosses she decides to go with it. What follows is a moving story of two people learning to be friends, to be honest with each other and ultimately falling in love. Laurie did not expect Jamie Carter to be the very nice person he actually is, because of course he, just like her, that's a lot of baggage. But over the course of the book which takes place over some months they learn to unpack the baggage and move on with their lives with it. This is a clean romance, sex is implied it does not happen on page, so if that is something that you find distasteful in your romances then this one is definitely something you might enjoy. I had a nice time reading this book and I found it very sweet, moving, and I look forward to reading more from McFarland. She has done a wonderful job with this novel.

I give this book a Five out of Five Stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrow this book from my local library.

Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 2

Today’s post is on Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 2 by Junko. It is 160 pages long and is published by Kodansha. The cover has all five main characters on it. As it is the second volume in the series you need to have read the first volume to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga, comedy manga, and gag manga. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of Kae. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Hi there! It's Kae again. When I go to school every day, it feels like I’m walking into a real life dating game. Four of the hottest guys in my school are with me everywhere I go! The school festival is coming up and I’ve been put in charge of making the boys outfits for a cosplay café. Do you know what this means? That’s right, I get to see them all in costume! I have lived for this day, and this day alone. I’m brimming with excitement to go full-throttle fujoshi on those boys! But wait! Last night before the festival, Igarashi-kun was acting kind of weird, wasn’t he? And now, it’s the day of the event and crazy things keep happening to me with these four beautiful boys! My heart won’t stop pounding! This is way too real for me. I want to go back to my fantasies!!

Review- So this volume is really starting to get into the meat of the series with Kae, dealing with the attentions of the male leads and she is imploding. She does not know what to do. She does not want to hurt anyone’s feelings but she doesn't know if she wants a romantic relationship with any of them. But the humor of the series is really getting going with Kae having a overactive imagination and the boys just not understanding that, with the exception of her senior. Fun volume and I look forward to reading more.

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this manga from a friend.