Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews

This is the first book in a spin off from the Kate Daniels series. This is the first in the Iron Covenant and it can be read alone but if you have read Kate Daniels its suggested that after reading the first of this series, to read Magic Triumphs from the Kate Daniels series, because it makes book 2 has things that connect with Magic Triumphs.

      A marriage of desperation between a woman, Elara, who needs soldiers to protect her people, and Hugh D’Ambray, Preceptor of the infamous Iron Dogs. Hugh needs to protect his people and Elara, has a castle of her own.

     They say there is a thin line between love and hate, and these newlyweds seem to test this theory daily, getting under each other’s skin, each constantly testing the other to know the “enemy”. Each trying to discover every little weakness, every little secret. Even though both knowing that for the time being to defeat old and new enemies, they need each other in order to survive.

     But can ice and fire unite without destroying each other.

I am a fan of Kate Daniels and well Hugh D’Ambray sort of reminds me of Game of Thrones Jamie Lannister. When you first meet the character, he’s conceited, confident, sure of himself, willing to do what ever it takes to serve his family and get them on top, and then with one decision something shifts inside him and you see a man who finally does what is right and it costs him a hand.

     Hugh started out as confident, conceited man who would do anything to please his Lordship and literal God. But he falls out a favor, and so begins his journey of discovering himself, and the more the story goes on, the more you understand Hugh and why he did what he did, and you start to like him, he becomes much more human.

     I really like Elara, she’s a firecracker and is fearless woman. The perfect match for Hugh. Throw in a mix of interesting characters beside Elara, known enemies and mysterious ones, plus twists and turns perfectly timed, and once again, I have fallen in love with Andrews world of magic and tech.

The Operator by Kim Harrison

Sorry this is way later than I planned.

This is the second book in The Peri Reed Chronicles. The first is The Drafter and the books need to be read in order.

All Peri has ever wanted was a normal life. After her world got turned upside she vanished and thought she could be normal, though she also had to be aware that her past could come knocking. After all her unusual talent made her quite valuable.

     But her dream life was about to be shattered. A way to be free to not only rewrite time but being able to keep her memories, was being used to bait her into the open once again. But now her old boss isn’t the only one looking to get Peri to play nice and join the team…

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald

This is the second Fantastic Beasts film.

      This installment goes as well at the first. It immerses you once again in a darker world with magic, but has beautiful creatures in it. It also has some surprising revelations, and twists that make the story even more engrossing, and by the end, their are some big character changes, and for once, I can't wait for the next installment of this film.
     I want to follow Newt and the others in his life to the end of this journey.

Fury Rising by Yasmine Galenorn

I am reading Galernorn's  Sisters of the Moon, or The Otherworld Series, and when I found out about this series, I decided to check it out.

     Galenorn once again creates a world of magic and the mundane beautifully blend into a new world where not only the Fae roam, werewolves and other shifters exist, but Gods and Goddesses from many myths are alive and well.

     And like her Otherworld, the world Kay inhabited came about with its own magical bang. Of course, every good series needs a heroine or hero, and of course a villain of some sort.

     Kay is a Theosian, specifically a Fury. So her life is complicated. She serves the Goddess Hecate, but has a semblance of a normal life, side jobs to keep the rent paid and food on the table.

     As the story progresses, the rollercoaster rides begins, between Kay's past, the world changing threat that looms over them all, and its all balanced with the characters lives as they intersect and life itself throws its own curve balls, good and bad, as the ride continues and by the end, you realize you want to follow these characters and see where life takes them.

     I book that's worth the time to read and a promise of a good series.

Antman and the Wasp

Not sure why it took me so long to add this review. It has been rolling around in my head off and on for a while.

     Antman wasn't bad, but this film was surprisingly good. The story was much more fluid and easier to get lost in. The new characters were interesting, and the old were better scripted this time around. The humor was much better timed and fluent with the flow of the story, it was natural feeling, not pushed in the story.
     The story was an interesting past and present mesh that ended up fitting perfectly with the previous film. I do admit I liked this film, and if you saw the first, this isn't a bad sequel at all, but not worth getting for a movie collection in my opinion.

Excavation by James Rollins

I got introduced to James Rollins through his Sigma series. Excavation his one of his standalone novels. And that all started because I read a Clive Cussler novel and got an author suggestion.

     James Rollins has done it again. A perfect blend of historical fiction, plenty of action, characters you want to follow, and the right amount of twists and turns.

     And it all starts with a mummy and by the end a twist I never expected. Worth the time to read and is another page turner. Just in case your curious about the Sigma series, Sandstorm is the first in the Sigma series.

The Turn by Kim Harrison

This is the prequel to The Hollows or Rachel Morgan series. The series was completed before this book was written. The first in the series is Dead Witch Walking.

     It is rare for me to find a book that I get excited for. When I found out The Turn was out, I had to read this.

     Since the prequel takes place decades before The Hollow series, you don’t have to read it first, to enjoy The Hollows. Though the way this story connects to some of The Hollows characters, it doesn’t hurt to read it first, if you haven’t started the series.

     When I first read the summary to Dead Witch Walking, I wasn’t sure about checking out the book. Kim Harrison was an author suggestion since I read Jim Butcher, and after deciding to overlook the whole tomato virus, The Hollows series was good.

     What I like about this prequel, is it makes the absurd sounding tomato plague make perfect sense. The right blend of interesting characters, some old and some new if you know The Hollows series. I really enjoyed this prequel, even though, I will not spoil anything, but it does have a scene that made me emotional. I won’t say happy or sad.

     I story is truly good and well written when I truly get invested in it. When I laugh, cry, hold my breath in anticipation of what could happen next to the character or characters. That line or detail that makes those characters come alive, and those details that make you say, hey, I do that, or that’s like me.

     Kim Harrison creates a world that is believable, and once again, she doesn’t disappoint at all. She engineers one whopper of a roller coaster ride. The right amount of twists and turns, perfectly balanced out. It’s worth the invested time to read it.