Tag: book review

kingdom of the wicked review

by admin

“Love is the most powerful magic. Above all else, remember that. It will always guide you where you need to go.”

Sister story! 👯‍♀️ Twins! It’s dark. Vittoria and Emilia are streghe- one of 12 witch families secretly living in Palmero. Vittoria is impossibly blasphemous, bold, and brazen. And D-E-A-D, dead. Emilia is…not any of those things. But you betcha, she will avenger her sisters death, since she was the one to find her mutilated body. Cringe! Dark magic has been long prohibited but Emilia is desperate and willing to do anything. Then she meets the Prince of Wrath, general of war, and one of the feared Seven. Buonasera, Wrath 🔥. Beautiful. Rare. Lethal. Death and rage and fire. Undeniably pleasant 😍 to look at. Realizing Wrath could be useful to her quest for justice, the pair align themselves, set aside their less than appealing qualities, and work together to stop a murderer from slaughtering more witches. However, the Malvagi are selfish creatives and should be feared, never trusted🙈. Emilia’s current desires centered on two things: finding out WHO murdered her twin, and WHY? Trapped in a terrible nightmare and left with simmering rage, will Emilia come out a victim or a victor? Benediximus- good luck! 🤞🏼

Kingdom of the Wicked IS FANTASTICO! Kerri Maniscalco FTW! First, I would like to take a trip to Sea & Vine. You had me at loaf of crusty bread and a platter of antipasto.

Salivating 🤤. Seriously craving Italian food right now. Wrath’s love for some sweetened ricotta…ADORE that Kerri’s LI’s have a fondness for confections. And the romance. Chef’s kiss!
Intoxicating and forbidden. I was rooting for my guy! Can you see that hungry gleam in my eyes? I’m ravenous for more of what Kerri is serving us! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Revenge! Justice! Vengeance! Betrayal! EEK! If you are devoted to the SJTR series 🙋🏼‍♀️ then you have to read Kingdom of the Wicked! I cannot wait to see where Wrath and Emilia end up in the sequel! All the praise to Kerri Maniscalco! 👏🏼 phenomenal! 👏🏼🖤

Grazie to Jimmy Patterson Books and Kerri Maniscalco for allowing me to DESTROY an advance reader copy. 🤟🏼👏🏼

🎶 song: Which Witch by Florence + The Machine 🎶

Nonna Maria’s Scampi

Ingredients:

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

4 TBSP salted butter

4 large garlic cloves, minced

2 TBSP lemon juice (or half a fresh lemon, squeezed

1 LB. large shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup chopped parsley

Salt, black pepper, and pecorino to tase*

Instructions:

  1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Next, add shrimp and sauté until they start turning pink on each side. Remove shrimp and set aside.
  2. Add salt, pepper, and wine (or broth if you prefer) and simmer for 2-4 minutes. Tip: you’ll know it’s getting close when the wine is reduced by almost half.
  3. Add the shrimp back in, then the lemon juice and parsley. Toss together and simmer for another minute before removing from heat.
  4. Sprinkle pecorino to taste (like Nonna). Serve with your choice of pasta or crusty bread. *Pecorino isn’t traditional, but the Maniscalco family loves the flavor of it with the garlicky butter sauce.

london prep review

by admin

“I’m not sure if it’s all of it or none of it, but something has me feeling like I’m about to jump off a cliff- and I have no idea if I’m going to fall or fly.”

BINGE BOOK! Right here ☝🏼 Follow New Yorker, Mallory James, to 🇬🇧 London 🇬🇧 as she immerses herself into a new culture at Kensington School. She’s the hottest new bird and the recent exchange-student is bound to cause drama. In fact, if her time in London was a book, drama would be its theme. Don’t worry, she has Mohammad, a true gentleman, to guide her through the hostile and hormonal battlefield that is high school. Mal becomes part of the boy’s club: Harry, Noah, and Mohammad are all best mates. Harry meets her first at a local 🍻 pub. He’s the perfect combination of put together yet adorably undone. He looks like trouble. But he looks like fun. Harry is rich and preppy, but he’s hiding behind his outgoing personality. He has some DEEP hurts. Will he let Mallory in? 🤔🤷🏼‍♀️ Noah is the lad in the room next door. Her host family. He’s like chiseled, Roman statue hot. He is intense. And kind of rude. But also has this odd sense of humor that’s sort of funny. Noah does nothing by accident. Both boys are quite charming 🥰. And don’t forget… Best. Mates. Yet It’s more than that… They thrive off each other. Don’t get confused, Miss America! There’s one heavy scene where you’ll FEEL anger and jealousy. Sadness and heartbreak. Dah! I DEMOLISHED this story. So many What. Just. Happened. Moments! 👏🏼 I am (underline, italicize, bold) besotted with Jillian Dodd’s characters. I’m certain she’s proficient in British slang. I can hear Harry and Noah’s adorable accents! And a tricky love triangle that was my JAM! London Prep is bloody good fun! Mates! You gotta let me know who you ship! I’m rooting for a certain dish! You’ll desperately need book two ready because the ending is 😱 high-pitch screech!

🎶 song: London Boy by Taylor Swift 🎶

5 books to read if you adore you’ve got mail

by admin

F-O-X. Ugh. Classic Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Do they have a ship name? ToMeg? Weird…but I’m here for it. Anyway, this is my fave movie. FAVE! Here’s a little synops of this 1998 rom-com: Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox bump into each other in an online chat room. IRL, they’re competitors in the book industry. Online, they’re simply Shopgirl and NY152. “‘What will NY152 say today?’ I wonder. I turn on my computer. I wait impatiently as it connects. I go online, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: ‘You’ve got mail’. I hear nothing. Not even a sound on the streets of New York, just the beat of my own heart. I have mail. From you.” The anonymous Internet romance begins. Each is oblivious of the other’s true identity. Eventually, Joe learns that the enchanting woman he’s involved with is actually his business rival. He must now struggle to reconcile his real-life dislike for her with the cyber love he’s come to feel.

“I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly”

“Don’t cry, Shopgirl. Don’t cry.”

Naturally, I need to read all the You’ve Got Mail tropes. I scoured the world wide web and found FIVE novels that are worthy of your eyeballs. Kindly scroll to allow said eyeballs to peruse stories similar to You’ve Got Mail.

  1. Tell me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum [click here for review]
  2. P.S. I like you by Kassie West [click here for review/synopsis on GR]
  3. The Coincidence About Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert [click here for review]
  4. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell [click here for review/synopsis on GR]
  5. Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett [click here for review]

Ps. My friendly suggestion would be to space out these stories as the prose is characters anonymously falling in love and don’t come together until the end of the story.

Pps. Honorable mentions… Tweet Cute and Listen to Your Heart for having a unknown twist.