Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Book Review - The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent



"For humans and vampires, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always – always – guard your heart.

The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself."


This is a 6 book series organized into 3 couplets. The first four books are complete.


I liked the main male character, Raihn. He's big and strong and hot and still nice, caring and funny. 


Unfortunately, so much of the rest fell short. I had a hard time getting past the Hunger Games element of this story and that's a huge focus of the book. The world-building and character development just weren't enough. If I wasn't curious as to how the author was going to pull the two main characters out of the you-or-me predicament, I would have stopped reading. And I found the ending unwhelming.


The fight scenes or competitions packed a lot of energy and page space. They were tough, but I just didn't buy Oraya making it out alive. There was little buildup showing us her training, showing us how this small, puny human was so good at killing vampires. She's got attitude, and lots of help but few actual skills that make it believable for her to constantly best superior killers.


I feel the idea of the story was bigger than the execution and I ended feeling flat about it.

I give it 3 out of 5 Vampire Butterflies.

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Crochet - Red Fairy Glass Cardigan

 

Fairy Glass Cardigan - Begun May 25, 2025


I don't usually make things when I crochet. 
I like to crochet simple stitches to 
relax and disconnect my brain, 
but I've been hankering for a bit of a challenge. 
This pattern has diagrams which I've never used before.

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Winter Wonder Tale - a novella

 


Winter Wonder Tale 

(Pinevale Valley Book 6)

On Sale Now

Rage Alexander Ledford, an alpha werewolf, has lost his pack. His only clue is an email confirming reservations at the Kisselton Inn in Pinevale Valley, NC, and a witch’s amulet stinking of black magic. In pain from the severed connections to his found family and filled with anger, he goes in search of the one responsible for the destruction of his world.

Evangeline Crowe, a lone witch, has been hiding in the mountains above Pinevale Valley, NC for centuries after the slaughter of her family and friends by a band of hunters. She trusts no one, especially not the Cherokee man storming her warded land, a man she knew long ago, a man who survived the destruction of their village, a man who doesn’t seem to remember her.

Can Rage and Evangeline overcome their fury and hatred to solve the mysteries of the missing pack, missing memories, and missing trust and fix their broken hearts?

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Winning the Game in 2025

I'm great at creating goals. 

I'm horrible at following through on personal ones. 

2025 is about changing that.


My writing life will be my main focus.
Improving my health will be an on-going 
rest-of-my-life goal.

The best system I've found for goal setting
is called SMART goals.

Tuesday, November 05, 2024

It's Tuesday, So We Must Talk Tarot - 2024310 Episode 1

 

The Ultimate Guide to Tarot:
A Beginners’ Guide to Cards, Spreads and Revealing
the Mystery of the Tarot by Liz Dean Wonderful reference guide.