LAST YEAR I WAS READING…(January 26, 2022)
This meme was created by Reading Marie. It’s a great meme because it’s nice and easy to do.
Here are the rules:
Take your current read and compare it to what you reading this exact time last year. Which one do you like better? What is different about the books? Any special facts/things you want to make note of or bring attention to
This Year I Am Reading…
What do you do when you can’t cast spells? You make your own magic.
Jackson Pryde was never great at wielding magic. Instead, he works as an artificer, crafting enchanted devices in the Black Market, a shadowy bazaar of wonders. But Xander Wright, the mouthy, pretentious mage next door, hates all the hammering in Jackson’s workshop.
When a chance assignment forces them to team up, they discover a terrifying predicament. Something is driving members of the magical community into murderous rages. Jackson and Xander must combine might and magic to find the source of the Fever and stop it. Can they put aside their differences long enough to end the Fever, or will they succumb to its bloodthirsty curse?
A Touch of Fever is a 73,000-word M/M urban fantasy romance with a HFN ending. Join a fast-talking artificer and a snarky sorcerer, best friends turned bitter enemies, as they navigate an adventure filled with strange flora, mythical fauna, and magical murders. If you like your urban fantasy with humor, horror, and a whole lot of heart, you’ve come to the right place. Experience A Touch of Fever today.
Bookshop: US
Amazon Buy Links: Kindle| Audiobook
Amazon UK Buy Links: Paperback | Audiobook
This urban fantasy from a new-to-me author, Nazri Noor is fun and fantastical if a bit too wordy. He sure picked the perfect narrator in Zachary Johnson because his narration kept the excitement going.
Last Year I Was Reading…
Loving oneself can be a dirty job…
Eddie and Andrew have dynamite chemistry, except Eddie is profoundly dyslexic, and Andrew lives to read. Andrew is pathologically disorganized, and Eddie likes things neat and clutter-free.
Andrew is desperately ashamed of his hoarder father–a secret that could pull them apart even as a friend’s tragedy brings them together.
When Andrew’s father’s condition deteriorates and he nearly dies because of his compulsion, Eddie and Andrew must learn compassion begins with loving one’s self in Eddie: Grime Doesn’t Pay.
Bookshop: US
Amazon Buy Links: Kindle| Audiobook
Amazon UK Buy Links: Paperback | Audiobook
This underrated series features a unique job, very rarely, if at all, used in books. If you ever wonder who cleans up those gruesome crime scenes, meet The Brothers Grime, a company of industrial cleaners responsible for, among other things, unclogging pipes of bodies parts and scrubbing blood-splattered walls. Eddie’s story here is a great mix of seriousness and humor.
My 4-star review here.
Today we have two books from different genres. The current is an urban fantasy series opener where every imaginable magical creature exists. It focuses mainly on quests and saving the world through magic and smartassery. I’m guessing the MCs are in their early 20s, childhood frenemies turned lovers from different social and magical classes.
Last year’s book is the sequel of a series very much grounded in reality, tackling serious themes such as learning disabilities and hoarding. It also has a lot of humor. The MCs are older, possibly in their 30s or so. They’re also opposite in some ways. The blue-collar MC with a learning disability is paired with a grade school teacher.
A Touch Of Fever introduces cocky hero, Jackson Pryde, one of the few remaining artificers in the Black Market. He’s a bit touchy about his lack of magic. Jackson ekes out a living through foraging and selling rare items since people have few uses for magical artifacts and minimal respect for artificers. One day, he was called upon by the guild of gardeners to obtain a rare flower. The only caveat is that he will be partnered with Xander Wright, his sworn enemy. Also, his lifelong crush.
The book is written in Jackson’s 1st person POV. He talks the reader through all the nitty-gritty of the Arcane Hearts world. His commentary is entertaining. He’s friends with a griffin and mentions interactions with mermaids and other creatures. Xander is his childhood friend who came from an elite family of mages. He goes to an exclusive magic school to learn how to be the world’s best killer. He and Jackson drifted apart then became antagonistic. I’m at the part where the two are in the middle of sniping and bantering. Zephyr the griffin decides to take matters into his own paws. The two idiots need to be smacked together. I love them!
Eddie: Grime Doesn’t Pay is the second book of The Brothers Grime. It is written in dual 3rd-person POV. Eddie is one of the three co-owners of the company. He has been forever crushing on Andrew, his young niece’s teacher. The two came together after Eddie’s old teacher was found on the campus in need of help. Eddie never forgot his old teacher because she was the only one who recognized his true grit and helped him channel his energy. Meanwhile, Andrew jived fabulously with Eddie, but he has his own dirty secret.
Apart from the lure of their unique occupation, the characters themselves were wonderful. I enjoyed reading about the crew. I truly admired how Eddie adapted and overcame the obstacles caused by his learning disability, going on to become a successful business owner. I liked Andrew at first, but as he struggled with his dad’s hoarding problem, it brought out some of his less flattering characteristics. However, I loved how Eddie and Andrew stayed strong together through meltdowns and disagreements. Their story is full of kindness and compassion. It took the series up a notch.
Between magic users and industrial cleaners, magic aids one in quests. But it takes doing the dirty work in order to succeed
I’m ending the post with a book I’m looking forward to reading.
Humans are dying in San Francisco. The most shunned angel on Earth may very well hold the key as to why…
When Cassius Black moves to San Francisco for a fresh start, the angel’s hopes of staying below the radar of the supernatural organizations that oversee the otherworldly and magic users in the city are dashed when he stumbles across a dead body in the sewers. His grim discovery soon puts him in the sight of the Argonaut Agency and Francis Strickland, the bureau director who knows his darkest secrets.
Morgan King and his team of Argonaut agents have been hunting for the culprits behind a series of gruesome killings that have rocked the city all summer. Killings that bear sinister hallmarks of sacrificial rituals where the victims’ souls have been ripped from their bodies. When Fate brings Cassius in Morgan’s path, he realizes the angel everyone likes to call The Devil may very well be the only person who can help them track down the murderers.
Morgan and Cassius soon find themselves chasing down a sect of black magic sorcerers and cross paths with a mysterious warlock whose actions evoke disturbing echoes of an incident from Cassius’s past. As rumors of a potential plot to tear the Nether reach their ears, Cassius and Morgan must work together to defeat their common enemy and save the city from destruction, all while fighting their growing attraction for one another.
Fractured Souls is the first novel in the MM urban fantasy romance series Fallen Messengers. If you like action-packed paranormal adventures with romance and snark, then get this pulse-pounding book today and enter a world you won’t want to leave!
Just like their demon counterparts, angels automatically pique my interest. I’ve been eyeing this series for a while now. Time to meet the “most shunned angel on Earth.”
What were you reading this time last year?
(I hope it’s as riveting as Morticia’s book)
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