Review: The Witches of Echo Park by Amber Benson #UrbanFantasy #BibPleaseReview @KHeniadis

Title: The Witches of Echo Park (The Witches of Echo Park #1)
Author: Amber Benson
Publisher: Ace (Penguin Random House)
Release Date: January 6, 2015
Acquired Via: Library
First in a “spellbinding”* new series about a coven of witches living in L.A., from Amber Benson, author of the Calliope Reaper-Jones novels.

Unbeknownst to most of humankind, a powerful network of witches thrives within the shadows of society, using magic to keep the world in balance. But the witches are being eliminated—and we will all pay if their power falls...

When Lyse MacAllister’s great-aunt Eleanora, the woman who raised her, becomes deathly ill, Lyse puts her life in Georgia on hold to rush back to Los Angeles. And once she returns to Echo Park, Lyse discovers her great-aunt has been keeping extraordinary secrets from her.

Not only is Lyse heir to Eleanora’s Victorian house; she is also expected to take her great-aunt’s place in the Echo Park coven of witches. But accepting her destiny means placing herself in deadly peril—for the world of magic is under siege, and the battle the witches now fight may be their last...

My Review

I would have given this book five stars, but the ending was just a bit too unbelievable for me. I know, I know, with witches and other supernatural things it shouldn’t be too far for me to stretch, but it was.

I’ll go into why it was too much for me at the end of the review, so you don’t get any spoilers if you don’t want them.

Review: Her Wicked Ways by Darcy Burke @KHeniadis #HistoricalRomance #BibPleaseReview

Title: Her Wicked Ways (Secrets & Scandals #1)
Author: Darcy Burke
Publisher: Intrepid Reads
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Acquired Via: Author
She was his savior...

Banished from London for her reckless behavior, Lady Miranda Sinclair is robbed by a dashing highwayman en route to the country. By offering him a kiss in lieu of the jewels she had to leave behind, she commits the very type of act that caused her exile. When her dour guardians extend her punishment to performing charitable work at the local orphanage, she’s further tempted by the home’s owner, a provincial gentleman who stirs her passion in a most wicked way...

He was her downfall...

Desperate to save his orphanage from financial catastrophe, Montgomery “Fox” Foxcroft leads a double life as a highwayman. The arrival of wealthy, well-connected Miranda, whose kiss he can’t forget, presents a lawful opportunity to increase his coffers. His problems seem solved—until she rejects his suit. Out of options and falling for the heiress, Fox must risk what principles he has left and take advantage of her wicked ways—even if it ruins them both.

My Review

I really enjoyed the premise in this novel. Miranda is sent to the country for the summer instead of enjoying the season in London. She is spoiled and use to doing what she wants. She meets Fox who, although not titled, owns a lot of land, a house and an orphanage. But he is overworked and does not have enough money to keep up repairs. Miranda is made to help at the orphanage, and she slowly grows into a caring partner.

Top Ten Tuesday: Kim's Most Anticipated Debut Novels of 2016 #toptentuesday #ttt @KHeniadis

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten of Kim's Most Anticipated 2016 Debut Novels


1. The Sleep Garden by Jim Krusoe
January 27, 2016
In an underground apartment building called “the Burrow”--essentially purgatory—“twilight souls” inhabit the space between life and death. Interwoven with their stories are those of inhabitants of the living world: a retired sea captain, a psychotic former child actor (possibly the sea captain’s illegitimate son?), and the technicians who monitor the Burrow, making sure its occupants have a constant supply of oxygen and food. Through all of their stories, and the ways in which their lives, past and present, intertwine, Krusoe creates a poignant story about what constitutes a life, what remains when we die, and what we possibly carry with us into the next world.





2. The Dressmaker’s War by Mary Chamberlain
January 5, 2016
A gripping, powerful, compulsively readable work of historical fiction: the story of a brilliant English dressmaker caught in Germany during World War II, the choices she must make to stay alive—and the way she confronts those choices in war’s aftermath. For readers of Amy Bloom and Anthony Doerr.

In London, 1939, Ada Vaughan is a young woman with an unusual dressmaking skill, and dreams of a better life for herself. That life seems to arrive when Stanislaus, an Austrian aristocrat, sweeps Ada off her feet and brings her to Paris. When war breaks out, Stanislaus vanishes, and Ada is taken prisoner by the Germans, she must do everything she can to survive: by becoming dressmaker to the Nazi wives. Abandoned and alone as war rages, the choices Ada makes will come to back to haunt her years later, as the truth of her experience is twisted and distorted after the war. From glamorous London hotels and Parisian cafes to the desperation of wartime Germany, here is a mesmerizing, richly textured historical novel, a story of heartbreak, survival and ambition, of the nature of truth, and the untold story of what happens to women during war.

Top Ten Tuesday: Kim's Quotes She Loved From Books She Read In The Past Year Or So

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Kim's Top Ten Favorite Quotes From Books She's Read in the Past Year


1. Straight Up and Dirty: A Memoir by Stephanie Klein

"Tell the truth, or someone will tell it for you."

2. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

"The saddest people I've ever met in life are the ones who don't care deeply about anything at all. Passion and satisfaction go hand in hand, and without them, any happiness is only temporary, because there's nothing to make it last."

Review: The Slush Pile Brigade by Samuel Marquis #mystery #giveaway @KHeniadis

Title: The Slush Pile Brigade (Nick Lassiter #1)
Author: Samuel Marquis
Publisher: Samuel Marquis Books, LLC
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Acquired Via: Publisher
On his thirtieth birthday, Nick Lassiter has lost his girlfriend and his job, is wanted by the police, and has discovered that his unpublished thriller, Blind Thrust, has been stolen and turned into a blockbuster movie called Subterranean Storm. Even worse, the movie is based on a soon-to-be best-selling novel by Australian thriller writer Cameron Beckett, one of the world’s biggest brand name authors. Rather than seek revenge through a financial settlement or public humiliation, Lassiter sets out for New York to obtain mea culpas from Beckett and his renowned literary agent, whom he is certain colluded with the Aussie in stealing his debut novel.

Unexpectedly aided by his CIA father, Director of the Russian Counterintelligence Desk, and his former girlfriend turned CIA-informant, Lassiter and his comrades take to calling themselves the Slush Pile Brigade. Outmatched and outgunned, they are foiled at virtually every turn but still they are determined to win. But will justice be attained? Can they prove that Beckett and his crooked literary agent have stolen Lassiter’s blockbuster novel and are undeservedly reaping the success? And more importantly, will they solve one of the most important counterintelligence cases in CIA history and actually live to tell about it?

My Review

I had never really thought about all the books that are sent to editors, and don’t get printed. But Samuel Marquis not only did, but wrote a fast-paced thriller that gives us a glimpse into the world of publishing.

Top Ten Tuesday: Wishes Kim Would Ask the Book Genie to Grant Her @KHeniadis #TTT #TopTenTuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Wishes I'd Ask the Book Genie to Grant Me


1. I would like to meet Jim Butcher.
Love the Harry Dresden Files series, and enjoyed the first book in his new series, The Cinder Spires. I would enjoy talking to him about books and life.



2. I would like to live in Harry Dresden’s world for a while...
...as long as I didn’t get hurt or killed. It would be even better if I could partner up with Dresden for a story.

Review & Interview: Auld Lang Secrets by April Patterson Clemens #Giveaway #BibPleaseReview @KHeniadis

Title: Auld Lang Secrets (A Saffron Ellis Mystery #1)
Author: April Patterson Clemens
Publisher: Clementime Press
Release Date: September 7, 2015
Acquired Via: Author
After Saffron Ellis returns to Ville de Bois, Wallace Hadley just knows his life is about to get more exciting. When a girl ends up dead at a New Year's party, Saffron and Wallace decide to solve the murder themselves, and Green Scarab Investigations is born!

In Auld Lang Secrets, book one of the Saffron Ellis mystery series, you'll be introduced to Saffron's eccentric family, peer into the souls of the residents of Ville de Bois, and discover Wallace's deep love for food. Come along for the cozy, clue-filled ride!

Author Interview

Kim (Bibliophilia, Please): Being a book lover, your second name stood out to me. Any relation to Richard North or James Patterson?

April Patterson Clemens: Not that I’m aware of. My great grandfather, Jessie Patterson, was an Irish cowboy, so not unless either are some relation to him.

Kim: This is your third novel (The Tale of Lord Zancrist and Bartholomew Trinket, being the first two), which all centralize around a mystery. Do you read a lot of mysteries?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on Kim's Fall TBR #toptentuesday @KHeniadis

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Books on Kim's Fall TBR


1. Autumn Thorns by Yasmine Galenorn
A woman who ran away from a small town, only to come back after her grandmother passes and she inherits her home. And of course, she finds out that she has a gift, and that her mother was murdered. This is one trope that always attracts me.





2. Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich
Really, really loved this series up to about book 13. I keep reading it in hopes that Evanovich will go back to her roots. We shall see.

Review: Romancing the Earl by Darcy Burke #historicalromance #BibPleaseReview @KHeniadis

Title: Romancing the Earl (Regency Treasure Hunters #2)
Author: Darcy Burke
Publisher: Intrepid Reads
Release Date: April 21, 2015
Acquired Via: Author
Major Elijah Hollister never wanted to be an earl, particularly not when it meant losing his brother. When a bold adventuress shows up at his door seeking a treasure map, Elijah suspects his brother’s death may not have been accidental and that the lady knows more than she’s willing to share. Whether she’s a friend or foe, Elijah plans to keep her close—and hope the temptation of her kisses doesn’t ruin them both.

Miss Catriona Bowen can almost taste the fruits of her years-long quest to find one of Britain’s greatest treasures. The discovery will deliver the recognition and respect she deserves as an antiquary, despite the fact that she’s a woman. However, to find the map that will lead her to success, she must ally herself with a stoic, yet provocative gentleman with a different goal. And when a villain threatens their lives, she realizes too late that love is the greatest treasure of all.

My Review

This is the second book in Darcy Burke’s Regency Treasure Hunters series. It can be read as a standalone book, but if you were to read the first one in the series, The de Valery Code, you will get even more out of some of the side characters. And you will know a lot more about Catriona’s (or Cate) parents.

Review: ZED by Jason McIntyre #BibPleaseReview @KHeniadis

Title: ZED
Author: Jason McIntyre
Publisher: Booktrope Editions
Release Date: July 26, 2015
Acquired Via: Publisher
It’s the waning dog days of August, 1975 and Tom Mason’s in Dovetail Cove for the last few weeks of his summer job at the group home. His boss and the home’s owner is Karen Banatyne, one of the wealthiest folks in town. It seems like she’s got it in for Tom; she’s the only one standing in his way as he scrimps for a new camera. But Karen has her own problems. A regulatory agency might cut off her funding, plus her hubby hasn’t been seen in a few weeks, and she’s not saying why. Most ominous of all, it seems as though something’s hiding in the hot spring north of the main beach and one of Karen’s ‘houseguests’ is about to come face to face with evil. Tom is too.

My Review

I really enjoyed the nostalgia in this book. Jason McIntyre’s reference to Jaws, slathering oneself with baby oil while sunbathing, and other things from the 70’s, made me feel like this story could have taken place during my childhood. I do think these references would have been unnoticed from readers in their 20’s. They are not needed to understand the story, they just make it a bit more enjoyable.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Finished Series That Kim is Yet to Finish #toptentuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Finished Series That Kim is Yet to Finish


1. Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
This series is really good, but each book is really long. And by the time the next book came out I would forget parts from previous books. Perhaps now that the series is complete, one day I’ll go back to the beginning and finished the whole series.





2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I’ve only seen the movies. I know, I know, the books are always better. Even my husband said these books are better than the movies.

Review: The de Valery Code by Darcy Burke #historicalromance #regency #BibPleaseReview #5starreview @kimheniadis

Title: The de Valery Code (Regency Treasure Hunters #1)
Author: Darcy Burke
Publisher: Intrepid Reads
Release Date: August 18, 2014
Acquired Via: Author
In the quest for fortune, love may be the greatest prize...

Miss Margery Derrington and her dear aunts are in dire straits. Their discovery of a rare medieval manuscript will hopefully stave off their creditors—if it’s worth what they hope. Margery reluctantly allies with a reclusive scholar to use the book to pursue a treasure that could exceed her expectations. Amidst danger, secrets, and an insatiable attraction, is Margery gambling just her financial future...or her heart?

Academic Rhys Bowen can’t believe he has his hands on the elusive de Valery text. Solving its hidden code and unearthing its legendary treasure would establish him as one of Britain’s leading antiquarians, finally casting him out of his brilliant late father’s shadow. But when a centuries-old organization convinces Rhys of the perils of disturbing the past, he must choose between his conscience…and the captivating woman he’s sworn to help.

My Review

I was very excited when I received a copy of The de Valery Code. I’ve been reading Darcy Burke’s Ribbon Ridge series and have been enjoying it, so I was eager to try one of her historical romances. And the Regency Treasure Hunters series was a perfect one with which to start. I have always enjoyed stories regarding treasure hunting. I can not even begin to count how many times I have watched the various Indiana Jones movies. And I also enjoy the Arthurian legends, though my interests lie more toward Morgan Le Fay and Merlin.

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors That Kim Reads the Most #toptentuesday #adultfiction #uf #cozymystery #scifi

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Authors Who Kim Has Read the Most



1. Janet Evanovich
Author of the Stephanie Plum series
I’ve read 21 books in her Stephanie Plum series, but I should have stopped around book 13. I keep reading them hoping they will get back to the funny, awesome books there were at the beginning. I’ve also read two books in her Lizzy and Diesel series.





2. Jim Butcher
Author of the Dresden Files and Codex Alera series
I’ve read all of the Dresden Files (16 so far), two books of the Codex Alera series, and the first book in the Cinder Spires series, The Aeronaut’s Windlass, which is coming out the end of September.

Review: Only In My Dreams by Darcy Burke #romance #adultlit #BibPleaseReview @AvonImpulse @KHeniadis

Title: Only In My Dreams (Ribbon Ridge #1)
Author: Darcy Burke
Publisher: Avon Impulse (HarperCollins)
Release Date: February 17, 2015
Acquired Via: Publisher
From USA Today bestselling author Darcy Burke comes a sexy and emotional family saga about seven siblings who reunite in a small Oregon town to fulfill their brother's dying wish ... and find love in unexpected places.

Fed up with her self-imposed single life, successful event planner Sara Archer heads to a bar for a night of dancing … and bumps into Dylan Westcott, a high school crush she hasn't seen in years. Harmless flirting leads to a hot, completely uncharacteristic one-night stand. But when she wakes up alone, Sara knows there won't be a repeat.

Dylan, a divorced, ex-military construction contractor, limits himself to casual flings—his failed marriage proves he's better off alone anyway—but he can't stop dreaming about Sara. And when his firm is hired to oversee the renovation project run by the Archer siblings, the two are unable to resist their explosive chemistry.

But when their secret affair grows beyond "friends with benefits" and neither is willing to admit they want more, family drama and emotional scars may ruin their chance at a love they believed was only in their dreams.

My Review

Only In My Dreams is the first full length book in the Ribbon Ridge series. The novella, Where the Heart is, introduces the reader to this series.

The book quickly starts out with a bang after Sara sees Dylan at a Western bar, and she decides to do something completely out of her character, have a one night stand. The very steamy sex scene was a great way to start the story. I’ve read that the best relationships start out when you are friends first. But sometimes you are just so attracted to each other, you just have to go with the flow. And if you become friends after, all the better.

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Kim's Top Ten Books That Have Characters Who Are Book Nerds
I’m going back to one of my favorite genres for this Top Ten list. I have been reading cozy mysteries for years. Cozies and people working in the book field go hand in hand, so here’s a list of ten mysteries with Fellow Book Nerds.

And if you’ve never checked out http://www.cozy-mystery.com, you really should.



1. Chocolate Covered Mystery Series by Kathy Aarons
Michelle Serrano is one of the owners of Chocolates and Chapters, which is a combination bookstore and chocolate shop.





2. Bibliophile Mystery Series by Kate Carlisle
This series features Brooklyn Wainwright, a rare book expert in San Francisco.

Top Ten Tuesday: Last Ten Books That Came Into Kim's Possession

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Last Ten Books That Came Into Kim's Possession
One of the best things about being an Ace/Roc Star is all the new and upcoming books that they send me. Eight of the ten books below came from them! A lot of the books come out in September so you’ll have plenty of time to pre-order a copy.



1. The Aeronaut's Windlass (The Cinder Spires #1) by Jim Butcher
This one doesn’t come out until September. My husband just finished it, and loved it. He kept laughing and said I would adore the cat. I’ve read the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher and really like it, so I’m excited about the first books in this new series.





2. Linesman by S.K. Dunstall
I just finished this one, and it was excellent. I don’t read a lot of Sci-Fi, but was glad I decided to read this one. Lots of action, and great characters who grow throughout the book. This is the first one in a new series and I am looking forward to the next one. You can find my review from yesterday HERE.

Review: Linesman by S.K. Dunstall #SciFi #NewRelease #AceRocStars @AceRocBooks

Title: Linesman
Author: S.K. Dunstall
Publisher: Ace (Penguin Random House)
Release Date: June 30, 2015
Acquired Via: Publisher (Ace Roc Stars)
First in a brand new thought-provoking science fiction series.

The lines. No ship can traverse the void without them. Only linesmen can work with them. But only Ean Lambert hears their song. And everyone thinks he’s crazy...

Most slum kids never go far, certainly not becoming a level-ten linesman like Ean. Even if he’s part of a small, and unethical, cartel, and the other linesmen disdain his self-taught methods, he’s certified and working.

Then a mysterious alien ship is discovered at the edges of the galaxy. Each of the major galactic powers is desperate to be the first to uncover the ship’s secrets, but all they’ve learned is that it has the familiar lines of energy—and a defense system that, once triggered, annihilates everything in a 200 kilometer radius.

The vessel threatens any linesman who dares to approach it, except Ean. His unique talents may be the key to understanding this alarming new force—and reconfiguring the relationship between humans and the ships that serve them, forever.

My Review

I don’t read a lot of Science Fiction. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, but there are often so many different names/species that I find myself losing track. That’s why I find Cozy Mysteries so easy to read, you have your usual set of characters and then add in three to five new people per book (to have some suspects for the crime), and that’s all. Besides trying to solve the mystery, you don’t have to worry about remembering which character is which.

Review: Mariposa by Kim Wells

Title: Mariposa
Author: Kim Wells
Publisher: Daydreams Dandelions Publications
Release Date: December 24, 2014
Acquired Via: Author
Murdered, then trapped between worlds as a ghost, Meg is surrounded by other lost souls, some seeking to make peace with their past, while others… others fear a killer in the netherworld, who feeds on what ghosts most treasure: memories. Each time he feeds, the killer grows stronger, and he begins to threaten both the dead and the living, including Meg’s grieving step daughter.

Now a dead woman must fight the battle of her life, for the sake of her friends and family, and find out for herself if love can indeed be stronger than death.

My Review

The beginning of Mariposa is very slow. I understand the reader needs some back story, and to see how strong Meg’s love is for Tony and his daughter, Amelinda, but I almost stopped reading. That along with how many times Meg mentions that she can’t believe she slept with Tony on the first date, really put me off.

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books Kim Has Read So Far in 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Books Kim's Read So Far in 2015 TBR



1. Owl and the Japanese Circus (The Adventures of Owl #1) by Krista Charish
This is the first book in a new Urban Fantasy series, and I loved it! Owl is an antiquities thief, who has encounters with all kinds of supernatural beings, including; dragons, nagas, vampires, thralls, and more. You can find my review HERE.





2. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
I’ve mentioned this one in a previous Top Ten Tuesday, and I’m writing about it again because this book will stick with you forever. This is what I wrote before:

This book is so hard to explain, and it took me forever to read it, since it was confusing at times. But I had to finish it. It was so weird and disturbing that I think it will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I don’t know what to say. Just read it.