Release Day Mini-Review: Shadowed Heart by Laura Florand

Title: Shadowed Heart (Amour et Chocolat, #5.5) 

Author: Laura Florand

Rating: 4 Stars

Release Date: December 3rd, 2014

Three words, to shake a man’s existence.
Three words, to call on all a man’s strength, all his courage, all his love, and all his ability to hope and dream…and trust.
Three words, to wake up every fear a man has ever had.
“I’m pregnant, Luc.”
Now how could a man be perfect enough for that?
Now in this sequel to The Chocolate Heart, Florand takes us into the heart of happily ever after with a story full of love, hope, and friendship. Struggling to get their new restaurant off the ground in the south of France, newly married top chef Luc Leroi and his wife Summer must face all their demons at the prospect of becoming parents. Fortunately, Summer's cousins and Luc's rival chefs join forces with the couple to prove that not even a top chef has to handle everything alone and happiness really can last ever after.

I've been stalking NetGalley for months, now, just waiting for the next Florand novel to appear. I've read and re-read Florand's novels so often that to re-visit an old favorite doesn't quite give me the same pleasure as cracking open the spine of a new one. Thus, despite the fact that I've read other Florand novels only earlier this year, and re-read a handful of her books recently, picking up Shadowed Heart felt like coming home after a long, long break.

While the majority of Florand's titles can be read as stand-alones, this is one novella that simply demands that the reader have read The Chocolate Heart. Even though it's been awhile since I perused the volume myself, Luc and Summer's romance is such a strong, visceral, and truly humbling experience. It's full of heartache and strength, both in such equal magnitude, that it's impossible not to become entirely embroiled in their tale and wish, desperately, for the happiest ending possible. Thus, a follow-up novella is both a welcome surprise and a certain dread. I knew, even before opening the PDF of this, that I was going to become an emotional wreck at some point during the story--that's just the type of writer Florand is. Luc and Summer feel fleshly-real, so much so that their very being intertwines with yours until their slightest pain affects you in a physical manner.

It's a sign of Florand's skill that she's able to encompass such a wide range of emotion into such a slim volume. Shadowed Heart follows Luc and Summer as they discover that Summer is pregnant, all while Luc struggles to open his own restaurant and come to terms with what it means to be a father, support a family, and be the type of husband Summer needs him to be. Many of the themes Florand touches upon in this novella are echoes of what we saw in The Chocolate Heart but they feel just as poignant here, if not more. At a time of so much happiness, for this married couple to fall prey to doubt and most importantly, self-doubt, is a terrifying scene to watch unfold. Yet, I appreciate that Shadowed Heart has glimpses of happiness, moments of comic relief, and just the right amount of sugar. We manage to re-visit old favorites (my sweethearts, Sylvain, Dom, and Patrick *swoon*) and the delight of being back in Luc and Summer's minds doesn't wear off as easily as one would imagine. Their thoughts, so similar and yet so different, their new familiarity with one another, all while maintaining a distance still, is all strangely moving and immensely touching. I love this couple. I rooted for this couple. And I root for them still.

Shadowed Heart is a must-read for fans of Florand's work. It's heart-felt and the depth packed into its short pages is unbelievable. Moreover, who wouldn't kill for a chance to lose themselves among Florand's prose, her descriptions of Southern France, or all the delectable chocolate her leading men can make? (Someone, PLEASE, let me know where I can find a French chef of my own!) Without a doubt, Shadowed Heart is yet another incredible novel from Florand--one of her finest yet.

Showcase Sunday (#36)

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicki at Books, Biscuits and Tea. Its aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week.

For Review:

(Images link to Goodreads)

I'm nearly drowning in ARCs, but I love it. With so many upcoming titles to read, I haven't gotten a chance to get out and purchase the novels that have been released (like Marillier's latest!) but hopefully my next haul will feature more of those books. What have you been reading/receiving lately?

Thank You

It's been two weeks since I last posted.

I can't believe it.

I'm also not sorry.

When I began college in September, I felt terrible about being unable to post as often as I had in the past. I made a pact to post more often, to read later into the night, to write reviews earlier in the day.

Basically, I still had no concept of the fact that this is my blog and it's not going anywhere. 

The first week following my last post I was too busy to post. I had five major assignments due on the same date, I was frantically attempting to keep on top of my work and my other commitments in preparation to return home from Thanksgiving and I simply could not find the time to even glance at a blog. The past week, though, I've been busy but I've also been having a lot of fun. I still read every day, just fifteen minutes, but, strangely enough, there is enough to do, enough people to talk to, and enough hours in the day to sleep that I don't find myself tapping away on the computer as often as I once did.

And that's okay.

I'm here, on this Thanksgiving, to thank you all for sticking it out with me. Thank you for commenting even when I haven't visited your blogs. Thank you for including me on Twitter and Instagram even when it seemed as if I fell off the  planet. Thank you, publishers, for sending me all the ARCs I could possibly want even though I haven't posted an early review in what seems like ages. Thank you, authors, for e-mailing me and wanting me to review your work despite the fact that I seem so absent from the internet.

I love reading. I love reviewing. I love blogging.

Although these facts have remained constant, my life hasn't remained in stasis. I know I won't have as much time to blog in the coming weeks thanks to finals. I know I probably won't make my GoodReads goal for the first time in years because...college. But I also know that I will be here, always, just an e-mail or a comment away. I know I love reading your posts, your comments, your reviews. I know I want to click that "Publish" button again really soon and there are a couple of projects planned for the upcoming month. But instead of freaking out over unexplained hiatuses, instead of issuing a string of apologies, I'm just going to go with the flow.

It's life. It happens. And thank you for sticking with me through it.

Happy Thanksgiving!(:

Mini-Review: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Title: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry 

Author: Gabrielle Zevin

Rating: 4 Stars

On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage is the motto "No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World." A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means. A. J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island-from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who's always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.'s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly. And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It's a small package, but large in weight. It's that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn't take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.'s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn't see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is, upon further reflection, the type of deceptively crafted title I absolutely love to devour on a rainy spring afternoon. Everything from the brief book reviews which preface its every chapter to the odd little details the author sprinkles within the opening pages of the novel--only to re-introduce them in miraculous means towards the end of the story--are utterly charming, delightful, and more than a little engaging. Fikry's book reviews not only introduce subtle events in every chapter to come, but they are written from the future as the story struggles to catch up to his current timeline, a method which works to perfection, crafted and re-crafted by Zevin throughout the course of the book. 

It's difficult for me to pinpoint exactly what it is about this novel that just works. Is it the quaint little bookstore in a tiny off-the-coast island, inhabited by citizens whose lives are extraordinary in their ordinariness? Or is it the transformation of A.J. Fikry, a rather aloof widowed bookstore owner whose life changes the day baby Maya shows up on his doorstep? Or, perhaps, it is simply that Zevin writes her contemporary title in the tone of magical realism, introducing even the simplest of emotions such as love or hope or happiness as pure magic. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry isn't a sugar-coated tale, though--for the most part--it appears so. Yet, it is the minuscule sprinkles of sorrow and grounded reality in a tale of love and redemption that, ultimately, make this a journey to remember, no matter how many times it is read.

Review: Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

Title: Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy, #1)

Author: Ilona Andrews

Rating: 4 Stars

Forget the new Kate Daniels book, I just want more of the Hidden Legacy series. It speaks to the immense strength of the Ilona Andrews writing duo that, despite diverging from a well-known and slightly formulaic series, they still manage to put forth innovative, fresh, and genuinely captivating novels. It was already evident from The Edge books, a series of companion novels set in the same universe, but now with both The Innkeeper Chronicles and Hidden Legacy series, two incredibly promising series debuts, they have proved that there is much, much more up their sleeve either than Kate Daniels.

Frankly, that's rare. We see it all too often where authors simply draw out a series beyond its natural ending point or inundate fans with countless spin-off series. I admire Ilona Andrews all the more, however, for choosing to begin new ventures. Moreover, both Clean Sweep and Burn for Me contain characters written in a completely different vein from Kate and Curran. I love Nevada, the family-oriented and loyal protagonist of Burn for Me, and I particularly love the distinct quality of her narration. It's funny, just as Ilona Andrews knows to be, but it also lacks the loneliness and despair that marked Kate's voice in Magic Bites, instead giving rise to a flavor of indomitable strength and courage tinged with vulnerability--a state I was able to instantly relate to. 

Unlike Kate, Nevada is instantly like-able and her world, full of enormous leaps in social hierarchy, forces her to be a victim of her environment in more ways than one. The world-building in Burn for Me is intricate and intriguing from the start and only develops as the novel progresses, which I love. You're left with the sense that there is so much more left to be told, not just story-wise with this series, but also world-wise and I anticipate that sensation of peeling back layers to a new novel. Plus, for those of you who are fans of Ilona Andrews heart-stopping action sequences and penchant for mythological mysteries, have no fear; it is present in spades in Burn for Me. 

Yet, what makes Burn for Me such an incredible novel is, simply put, its characters. Nevada, her ex-solider mother, her younger brothers and sisters, her hacker cousin Bern, her grandmother who isn't too old to appreciate a shirtless (and very good-looking) man, and, of course, Mad Rogan himself. Without divulging spoilers, Burn for Me places Nevada, a woman with relatively little magical power, under control of the corporation to which her business is mortgaged and, as a result, she much apprehend a powerful fire-wielding psychopath, Adam. Mad Rogan, known for his immense power and the enormous death rate he has been responsible for during the war, is searching for Adam for reasons of his own and when the two team up, sparks fly. 

Mad Rogan isn't your typical hero. After serving in the war for years and wielding an unparalleled amount of magical ability, Mad Rogan is used to getting what he wants, who he wants, and when he wants them. Thus, he lacks empathy and sees murder as the first--and only--solution to every problem thrown his way. Needless to say, Nevada is terrified of the man despite the sexual tension palpable between them. To write a romance between a character such as Mad Rogan and a civilian such as Nevada is no easy task but Ilona Andrews truly makes us root for them. Moreover, it helps that we, as readers, are offered miniscule glimpses into Mad Rogan that Nevada lacks which gives us a stronger insight into the man. It isn't a fast-paced romance--but Ilona Andrews has never been known for that--and the slow-burn is torturous but oh-so-gratifying. Or, at any rate, I imagine it will be in the next few installments. 

Long story short, Burn for Me is a must-read for fans of Ilona Andrews and/or the Urban Fantasy genre. It's a true breath of fresh air from the all-too-typical insta-love sequences with vampires or other paranormal creatures and the lore of this universe will grab you in and won't let you go. Plus, don't even get me started on Mad Rogan. Move over Curran because Mad Rogan is here! ;) Burn for Me. Read it.