The Friday 56 (177) & Book Beginnings: The Night Country by Melissa Albert

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

The highly anticipated sequel to Melissa Albert’s beloved, New York Times bestselling debut The Hazel Wood! 

In The Night Country, Alice Proserpine dives back into a menacing, mesmerizing world of dark fairy tales and hidden doors. Follow her and Ellery Finch as they learn The Hazel Wood was just the beginning, and that worlds die not with a whimper, but a bang. With Finch’s help, Alice escaped the Hinterland and her reclusive grandmother’s dark legacy. Now she and the rest of the dregs of the fairy tale world have washed up in New York City, where Alice is trying to make a new, unmagical life. But something is stalking the Hinterland’s survivors―and she suspects their deaths may have a darker purpose. Meanwhile, in the winking out world of the Hinterland, Finch seeks his own adventure, and―if he can find it―a way back home...

Beginning: "I was eighteen years old, give or take a fairy-tale century, when I had my first kiss."

56: "The oppressive heat had picked up after yesterday's rainstorm, and I was sweating through my T-shirt by the time I hit the shop."

Comments: I was very excited to read the sequel to The Hazel Wood. I really enjoyed The Night Country. What are you reading this week?

Short Stories I Read In March

Last month, I realized that I never actually talked about any of the short stories I’ve read. There is no shortage of good short fiction out there, and today I’m here talk about the stories (and other miscellaneous articles) I read in March. 

**Note: the titles are linked to the respective stories**

La Bête by Leah Bobet (Strange Horizons, Issue: 9 March 2020) 

I always love a good story about a house. Especially when the place seems to be a character of its own, described in vivid detail, with mysterious rooms and equally enigmatic doors. La Bête by Leah Bobet checked all of those boxes. It had a little bit of a mystery, and the château had a very gothic feel to it. The story itself was a little eerie and haunting, and I found that it was extremely easy to get lost in it from beginning to end. All-in-all, La Bête was a great read.

The Touch Pool by Lisa Nan Joo (Strange Horizons, Issue: 16 March 2020)

The next story I read was The Touch Pool by Lisa Nan Joo. Oh gosh, how do I describe this one? To begin with, I loved it. Joo’s language is engaging and vivid in its imagery. The story was told in alternating pieces split between a present that was near the past—which was revealed over the course of the story. There were themes of love, loss, and letting go intertwined with descriptions of a house and land that, over time, was steadily being consumed by the sea. At times, The Touch Pool could be a little eerie and surreal, but it was an experience and an excellent read.

A Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Clarkesworld, Issue 124, January 2017)

I also reread one of my favorite short stories: A Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min Prasad. It came out a few years ago, and it left a lasting impression. It has such an interesting premise too, with a forger who creates counterfeits of pricey cuts of meat. It was a fascinating choice considering that the counterfeit products weren’t something that lasted for long, or even stuck around after dinner.

From Around the Web...

So those were the stories I read last month. Now here are a couple of other miscellaneous articles I read in March.

• The Appeal of Gothic Horror (Seanan McGuire; Tor.com, October 28, 2019)
• Beyond Cinderella: Exploring Agency Through Domestic Fantasy (Marissa K. Lingen; Tor.Com, March 16, 2020)
• Why Don’t SFF Characters Ever Read The Manual? (James Davis Nicoll; Tor.com, January 1, 2020)

Music Monday (113): Allie X, New Kids On The Block

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: Recently I’ve been listening to music by Allie X. I’m not going to go too much into her EP, Super Sunset, right now since I have an upcoming post that better explains my thoughts about it. I will say that one of my favorite songs from it is Girl of the Year.

Andrea: I hope everyone has had an amazing week. Although I am not the type to really hang out in clubs. I am still spending my time at virtual clubs on Instagram Live. One of my favorite songs, House Party, was recently released by New Kids On The Block. Check out the video below.

Are you listening to any new music this week?

ARC Review: Heiress for Hire by Madeline Hunter

Title: Heiress for Hire
Series: Duke's Heiresses #1
Author: Madeline Hunter
Source/Format: Netgalley (publisher); eARC
More Details: Historical Romance
Publisher/Publication Date: Zebra Books; April 28, 2020

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads...

In this stunning series debut from New York Times bestselling author Madeline Hunter, a duke's mysterious bequest brings fortune—and passion—to three young women... 

Minerva Hepplewhite has learned the hard way how to take care of herself. When an intruder breaks into her home, she doesn't swoon or simper. Instead, she wallops the rogue over the head and ties him up—only to realize he is Chase Radnor, the man who nearly got her convicted of her late husband's murder. Now, he's insisting that Minerva has inherited a fortune from his uncle, a wealthy Duke. Only one thing could surprise her more: her sudden attraction to this exasperating man. Chase can't decide whether Minerva is a wronged woman or a femme fatale. Either way, he's intrigued. Since the scandal surrounding her husband's death, she has set up a discreet detective business to rival Chase's own. She may be the perfect person to help him uncover the truth about his uncle's demise. But as proximity gives way to mutual seduction, Chase realizes he craves a much deeper alliance...

It has been some time since I last picked up a historical romance. I read an excerpt for Heiress for Hire and was immediately intrigued. The dynamic between the two main characters, Chase Radnor and Minerva Hepplewhite, was as interesting as the circumstances that brought them together in the first place. With romance and hints of mystery, Heiress for Hire was a very entertaining read.

In general, I liked the story. I know Heiress for Hire is a historical romance—so the development of the relationship comes before all—and that aspect of the story was good. However, I was also here for the mystery. So many different possibilities were presented within the first couple of pages. Such as the mystery surrounding just why Minerva received a fortune from a person she never met and what really happened to said person. I enjoyed all of the investigative parts. Plus the mystery was a great way to get the characters together on page, and it kept a consistent pattern of interaction between them throughout the entire story. It was pretty great.

The characters were all great. In particular, Chase’s family was a definite highlight. They were a bickering bunch, but very entertaining to read about.

As for the romance, I thought it was good. I liked it because of the conversations between Minerva and Chase, and I liked how good of a team they made—even though they were reluctant to share information at times. They were a great duo, and the moments when they put their heads together were some of my favorites from the book.

I enjoyed Heiress for Hire. The ending, while satisfying, left several parts of the plot mostly unresolved. So, I’m looking forward to what Hunter has in store for this series.

About the Author...

Madeline Hunter is a nationally bestselling author of historical romances who lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons. Her books have won two RITA awards and seven nominations, and have had three starred reviews in Publishers Weekly. In a parallel existence to the one she enjoys as a novelist, Madeline has a Ph.D. in art history and teaches at an East Coast university.

Goodreads     Website     Twitter

Disclaimer: This copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Zebra Books) via Netgalley, thank you!

Music Monday (112): Banks, Shai

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: A few weeks ago, Banks did a couple of “1 Mic 1 Take” versions of some of her songs. One of my favorites was Contaminated. The original song is good as is, but I’m a fan of this version too....

Banks also did "1 Mic 1 Take" versions of Drowning and If We Were Made Of Water. Another good one is Stroke. I really love this version of the song. 

Andrea: This week I am listening to If I Ever Fall in Love by Shai. 

What are you listening to this week?