#WyrdandWonder #REVIEW: The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

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The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: March 6th, 2018
Format: Hardback
My Rating: ★★★★ 1/2
GoodReads ★ Amazon ★ B&N ★ TBD

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

I had this book on my TBR for a long time, and sounded like a perfect halloween read. It definitely gave me Hocus Pocus feels, and having read it I stand by that. However, originally I tried this on audiobook, and it was AWFUL. I asked other audiobook friends about it and they basically talked me into reading the print book instead. The narrator and production quality of the audio was so bad it sounded like she was in her car under water. SO BAD! So I was really glad that I decided to get the hardback of this one. Plus the cover is gorgeous!

#WyrdandWonder #AudiobookReview: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman And Terry Prachett

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Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Publisher: Harper Audio
Release Date: November 10th, 2009
Format: Audiobook narrated by Martin Jarvis
My Rating: ★★★
GoodReads ★ Amazon ★ B&N ★ TBD

The world will end on Saturday. Next Saturday. Just before dinner, according to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655. The armies of Good and Evil are amassing and everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist. Put New York Times best-selling authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett together...and all Hell breaks loose.

I'm a pretty big fan of Neil Gaiman, but this is actually my first book my Terry Pratchett. (I know, I know, I'll get there eventually). With the amazon adaptation coming, I was certainly interested in the source material, so I decided to try this one on audiobook.

#WyrdandWonder #DeannaPlays: I finished The Witcher 3 and don't know what to do with my life now

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Deanna Plays is a monthly feature on this blog where every third Thursday of the month I talk about something related to video games. Sometimes these are reviews of the games themselves, sometimes it's a list of books to read if you play X, and anything in between!

Since this Month is Wyrd and Wonder, I wanted to make this month's post fantasy based. This post really should have gone up last week...but I was on vacation and didn't have time to post so deal with it. Today, I am going to talk about a game that I played forever -- The Witcher 3!

#ARCREVIEW: No Judgements By Meg Cabot

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No Judgements by Meg Cabot
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Release Date: September 24th, 2019
Format: egalley*
My Rating: ★★★★ 1/2
GoodReads ★ Amazon ★ B&N ★ TBD

The storm of the century is about to hit Little Bridge Island, Florida—and it’s sending waves crashing through Sabrina “Bree” Beckham’s love life…

When a massive hurricane severs all power and cell service to Little Bridge Island—as well as its connection to the mainland—twenty-five-year-old Bree Beckham isn’t worried . . . at first. She’s already escaped one storm—her emotionally abusive ex—so a hurricane seems like it will be a piece of cake.

But animal-loving Bree does become alarmed when she realizes how many islanders have been cut off from their beloved pets. Now it’s up to her to save as many of Little Bridge’s cats and dogs as she can . . . but to do so, she’s going to need help—help she has no choice but to accept from her boss’s sexy nephew, Drew Hartwell, the Mermaid Café’s most notorious heartbreaker.

But when Bree starts falling for Drew, just as Little Bridge’s power is restored and her penitent ex shows up, she has to ask herself if her island fling was only a result of the stormy weather, or if it could last during clear skies too.

Full disclosure, Meg Cabot is my favorite author, so maybe take this review will a grain of salt, but I really adored the first book in her newest series Little Bridge Island. I grew up reading her teen books, so it's almost like I've grown up with Meg and now that I'm older I am really growing to love her adult fiction. This books feels more on par with The Boys Series or Queen of Babble, so it definitely has that romcom feel to it. Which is great, if you like books like that! Which I am finding that I definitely do.

#WyrdAndWonder #REVIEW: Bruja Born by Zoraida Cordova (Brooklyn Brujas #2)

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Bruja Born by Zoraida Cordova
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: June 5th, 2018
Format: ebook
My Rating: ★★★★ 1/2
GoodReads ★ Amazon ★ B&N ★ TBD

Three sisters. One spell. Countless dead.

Lula Mortiz feels like an outsider. Her sister's newfound Encantrix powers have wounded her in ways that Lula's bruja healing powers can't fix, and she longs for the comfort her family once brought her. Thank the Deos for Maks, her sweet, steady boyfriend who sees the beauty within her and brings light to her life.

Then a bus crash turns Lula's world upside down. Her classmates are all dead, including Maks. But Lula was born to heal, to fix. She can bring Maks back, even if it means seeking help from her sisters and defying Death herself. But magic that defies the laws of the deos is dangerous. Unpredictable. And when the dust settles, Maks isn't the only one who's been brought back.

Bruja Born is book two in Zoraida Cordova's Brooklyn Brujas series. I read the first book Labyrinth Lost last year and really enjoyed it. I would argue that you can read this book on its own, but you just wouldn't understand why Lula is so broken or why Alex hates Nova so much. In terms of the actual story in this one, you just miss some backstory, but otherwise I think you can follow along.

#ARCREVIEW: Home Field Advantage By Liz Lincoln (Milwaukee Dragons #3)

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Home Field Advantage by Liz Lincoln
Publisher: LoveSwept
Release Date: July 16th, 2019
Format: egalley*
My Rating: ★★★★
GoodReads ★ Amazon ★ B&N ★ 

Is the Dragons’ new wide receiver: A) a fallen NFL star looking for a comeback, B) the sexy player your boss wants you to write an exposé on, or C) the former love of your life?

For Milwaukee Dragons beat reporter Natalie Griffith, he’s clearly D) all of the above. Three years ago, Natalie’s bombshell report on her ex-boyfriend’s off-the-field scandals landed her the job she loves, but she still feels guilty about destroying his career. Now Quinn Lowry’s back, and he’s taking over her locker room, flashing his charming smile and reminding her exactly how hot they were together.

After two years out of the league, Quinn is sober and on the field again. He’s worked his ass off and he’s not going to blow his second chance, not even for the woman who broke his heart—twice. Having Natalie around is the last thing Quinn needs while he’s trying to prove he deserves to stay on the team.

Maybe one final night together will give them both some much-needed closure. But with Natalie’s boss pressuring her for another headline-grabbing scoop, can she admit to herself that she’s falling for Quinn all over again?

I'm not much of a football fan (American football to clarify), hockey is more my jam, but I've definitely found the type of sexy adult romances that I am into -- Sports Romances! Home Field Advantage by Liz Lincoln is actually a third in a series, but you so totally can read these out of order. The couples in the other two books are mentioned and are side-characters in this story, but really this story is about a second chance romance between old lovers. I was totally here for it.

#WyrdandWonder #AUDIOBOOKREVIEW: Baptism of Fire (The Witcher # 5) By Andrzej Sapkowski, narrated by Peter Kenny

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Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Release Date: October 5th, 2015
Format: Audiobook narrated by Peter Kenny
My Rating: ★★★★
GoodReads ★ Amazon ★ B&N ★ TBD
The wizards guild has been shattered by a coup and, in the uproar, Geralt was seriously injured. The witcher is supposed to be a guardian of the innocent, a protector of those in need, a defender against powerful and dangerous monsters that prey on men in dark times.But now that dark times have fallen upon the world, Geralt is helpless until he has recovered from his injuries.While war rages across all of the lands, the future of magic is under threat and those sorcerers who survive are determined to protect it. Its an impossible situation in which to find one girl Ciri, the heiress to the throne of Cintra, has vanisheduntil a rumor places her in the Niflgaard court, preparing to marry the Emperor.Injured or not, Geralt has a rescue mission on his hands. 


I am a huge fan of The Witcher games that are based off of this series by Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski. I have to admit that the more I read the books, the more I feel like the game developers did a pretty decent job of being true to the core of who Geralt of Rivia is. The books do have some slight differences, but I am definitely enjoying going through the backlog and reading these books.

#MeetTheBlogger: Dear Geek Place #wyrdandwonder

Hi, everyone! Something new for Deanna Reads Books, is a feature I have been wanting to do for awhile. 

I am a big supporter of other bloggers, and for the positivity in the book blogging community so I decided to start a feature to showcase other bloggers. This is a completely new feature on the blog, so if you are still interested in being featured you can fill out the google form here. I'm not sure yet if this is going to be a monthly or bi-monthly yet...but we shall see!

This month, I have Lisa from Dear Geek Place! Who is also co-hosting #WyrdandWonder this year, so I thought it was appropriate to have her feature post go up this month.

#AUDIOBOOKREVIEW: The Dragons of Nova by Elise Kova #WyrdandWonder

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The Dragons of Nova by Elise Kova (Loom Saga #2)
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Release Date: July 11th, 2017
Format: Audiobook narrated by Timothy John Campbell and Erin Moon
My Rating: ★★★★ 1/2
GoodReads ★ Amazon ★ B&N ★ TBD

Cvareh returns home to his sky world of Nova with the genius crafter Arianna as his temperamental guest. The mercurial inventor possesses all the Xin family needs to turn the tides of a centuries-old power struggle, but the secrets she harbors must be earned with trust -- hard to come by for Ari, especially when it comes to Dragons. On Nova, Ari finds herself closer to exacting vengeance against the traitor who killed everything -- and everyone – she once loved. But before Ari can complete her campaign of revenge, the Crimson Court exposes her shadowed past and reveals something even more dangerous sparking between her and Cvareh.

While Nova is embroiled in blood sport and political games, the rebels on Loom prepare for an all-out assault on their Dragon oppressors. Florence unexpectedly finds herself at the forefront of change, as her unique blend of skills -- and quick-shooting accuracy -- makes her a force to be reckoned with. For the future of her world, she vows vengeance against the Dragons.

Before the rebellion can rise, though, the Guilds must fall.

I was completely blown away by the first book in Elise Kova's Loom Saga, that I finally decided to listen to the second book on audio. I am really glad I listened to these on audio, for one Erin Moon and Tim Campbell do a great job as the dual narrators in these. Although, I like Erin so much, it felt a little unnecessary to have a narrator just for Cvareh's parts. I think part of the reason I feel that way is the narrative seems like the ratio between Cvareh and Arianna is not on equal weight. I am also glad I did this on audio, so I actually know how to pronounce the names!

#AUDIOBOOKREVIEW: Hounded by Kevin Hearne (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1) narrated by Luke Daniels #WyrdAndWonder

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Hounded by Kevin Hearne (The Iron Druid Chronicles)
Publisher: Brillance Audio
Release Date: May 3rd, 2011
Format: Audiobook narrated by Luke Daniels
My Rating: ★★★★
GoodReads ★ Amazon ★ B&N ★ TBD

The first novel in the Iron Druid Chronicles--introducing a cool, new, funny urban fantasy hero. 

Atticus O'Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old--when in actuality, he's twenty-one "centuries" old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer. 
Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he's hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power--plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish--to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

Kevin Hearne writes with Delilah S. Dawson in the Tales of Pell fantasy parody series that I like, so I was very curious about his solo projects. So I decided to use one of my audible credits to check out the first book in his urban fantasy series, The Iron Druid Chronicles. I was really glad I did!

#ARCREVIEW: The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

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The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: November 5th, 2019
Format: egalley*
My Rating: ★★★★ 1/2

GoodReads ★ Amazon ★ B&N ★ TBD

The first rule of this book club:
You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife. 

Okay, when I saw the summary for this book, I thought I really needed to read it. I loved the premise of it so much. Dudes forming a book club to read romance books to help them improve their relationships and understand women better? Sign me up!

#ARCREVIEW: Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale By Lauren Myracle, Illustrated by Issac Goodhart

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Under The Moon: A Catwoman Tale by Lauren Myracle, Illustrated by Isaac GoodHart
Publisher: DC INK
Release Date: May 7th, 2019
Format: egalley*
My Rating: ★★★ 1/2
GoodReads ★ Amazon ★ B&N ★ TBD

When fourteen-year-old Selina Kyle, aka the future Catwoman, becomes homeless, she must confront questions of who she is and who she will become.

She rejects human cruelty, but sometimes it seems as though brute force is the only way to "win." And if Selina is to survive on the streets, she must be tough. Can she find her humanity and reconcile toughness with her desire for community ... and love?

From Lauren Myracle, the New York Times best-selling author of books like ttfn and ttyl, comes the story of a teenage Catwoman, as she struggles to find her own identity while living on the streets of Gotham.

Under the Moon is a part of the graphic novels that DC INK has been putting out that is mostly based on familiar DC characters as young adults. In this one, we get the story of young Selina Kyle AKA Catwoman. There are definitely some trigger warnings to take heed of before going into this one such as abuse, self-harm, animal abuse and bullying. 

#DeannaListens: The Axe and the Crown #WyrdandWonder

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Deanna Listens is a monthly feature on the first Monday of every month...err sometimes when I remember to do it, I created to showcase some of my favorite podcasts. 

Since May is #WyrdandWonder, I wanted to make my Deanna Listens post about fantasy podcasts. Last year I talked about fantasy podcasts you should be listening to. So this year, I'm pulling out one specifically which is a new addition to those podcasts. 

#ARCREVIEW: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia #wyrdandwonder

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Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Publisher: Del Ray
Release Date: August 6th, 2019
Format: egalley*
My Rating: ★★★★ 1/2
GoodReads ★ Amazon ★ B&N ★ TBD

The Mayan God of Death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore, for readers of The Song of Achilles and Uprooted.

The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.

Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.

In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey, from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld. 

I LOVE Silvia Moreno-Garcia, so I was pretty pumped when I was approved for an eARC of her latest novel on Netgalley. SMG has a way of writing books in different genres, but also blending genres, and that's what she accomplishes with her latest. Gods of Jade and Shadow blends a period piece with a mythological quest narrative that made my heart ache for our protagonist Casiopea.

#AUDIOBOOKREVIEW: Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson #3) #WyrdandWonder

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Happy Reads Everyone!

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson #3)
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Release Date: November 1st, 2009
Format: Audiobook narrated by Lorelei King
My Rating: ★★★ 1/2
GoodReads ★ Amazon ★ B&N ★ TBD

When her former boss and mentor is arrested for murder and left to rot behind bars by his own kind, it's up to shapeshifting car mechanic Mercy Thompson to clear his name, whether he wants her to or not. And she'll have to choose between the two werewolves in her life-whether she wants to or not.

Iron Kissed is the third book in the Mercy Thompson series...although I just heard that I am supposed to read this series in a different order. I'm just going to stick with the Mercy Thompson order instead of the Mercy Thompson World order. It is VERY confusing. 

Anyway! I liked this book a lot, just like the other ones, but I had to downgrade the rating because something VERY bad happens at the end of this book and it made me super mad. I don't want to get into spoiler territory, but I do want to put a trigger warning here because there is a sexual assault in this book. THAT'S what made me mad, but the aftermath of it was handled really well.

#WyrdandWonder #AudiobookReview: To Kill A Kingdom By Alexandra Christo

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
Publisher: Audible Studios
Release Date: March 6th, 2018
Format: Audiobook narrated by Stephanie Willis & Jacob York
My Rating: ★★★★
GoodReads ★ Amazon ★ B&N ★ TBD

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.

The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

This is one of those YA fantasies that everyone was reading, but I avoided because the Hype Monster always fails me.  I'm pretty sure this was a part of a sale on Audible, so I decided to get it on audiobook. I had no idea it was an Audible Only title, so you can only get it through Amazon. I like that from a marketing sense, but making it unaccessible to other audiobook listeners does rub me the wrong way.

#WyrdandWonder Intro + Blogiversary!

IMAGE CREDITS: Dragon – by  kasana86 from 123RF.com.

Hi, everyone! It's time for fantasy this month! I'm again going to be participating in #WyrdandWonder, it's the second annual blogging fantasy event! I tend to not pin down what exactly I'm going to be do for these events because I can be such a mood reader, but I definitely want to present my TBR. Some of these I have actually already read so I know I'm going to be scheduling reviews earlier.