Top Ten Tuesday, March 15th

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.  A different top ten topic is presented each week. This week's top ten is easy for me as my TBR list is huge so I just took the ten I am most looking forward to in the coming months.

Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR

The Murder of Mary Russell

by Laurie R. King

This is the newest book in the mystery series that follows Mary Russell, wife of Sherlock Holmes, as she investigates crimes with her husband.  I love these books but I don't like to rush through them because I know once I finish, I have a long wait for the next book.

The Girl with all the Gifts

By M.R. Carey

I saw this on another blog and it looked intriguing.  It also got pretty good reviews so I decided to give it a go.

Beastly Bones

by William Ritter

I just read the first book in this series, Jackaby, and loved it.  I'm really looking forward to reading the second book.

Bloodcraft

by Amalie Howard

I read Bloodspell, the first book a couple of years ago and it seemed like forever before this one came out so I'm excited that the author finally did write a second story.

The Pursuit

by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

This is the fifth book in the Fox and O'Hare crime series.  Similar to the Stephanie Plum books by Evanovich but not as repetitive yet.  Fun reading.

Luckiest Girl Alive

by Jessica Knoll

Another that I had seen on someone else's blog.  I loved the cover and plot so added it to the list.

Throne of Glass

by Sarah Maas

This book has been on my TBR list forever! I don't know why I keep putting other books in front of it but I have decided it will definitely be read this spring.

The Dirt on the Ninth Grave

Darynda Jones

One of my favorite series, fun and completely inappropriate. One of my few guilty pleasure series. Charley Davidson, the main character, is a riot and every book makes me laugh out loud.

Ready Player One

Ernest Cline

Another one that has been on my list for a while but keeps getting passed over.  Someone else just recommended it so I've bumped it up on the list for spring.

A Darker Shade of Magic

by V.E. Schwab

A recommendation from another blogger and a twitter member.  I love the synopsis and I'm looking forward to it.  I just wish I had more hours in the day to read!

What's on your top ten list this week?

                                                                      

Review: What Was Mine

This book is one of our Shereads.org books of winter, given to me generously in exchange for an honest review.  Each time the seasonal book picks are shared, we select the books we would like to read and review for the site.  It is almost always a tough choice because I want to read all of them.  I chose What Was Mine by Helen Klein Ross because the synopsis was intriguing.  We hear the heart-wrenching stories of missing or kidnapped children on the news way too often but the news often gives us only a one-sided view of the story. Although I knew this would be an emotional read, I also thought it would be interesting to see how the author gave voices to all those involved, from when the event initially occurred until the conclusion over twenty years later.

Within the first few pages, as the baby is being taken, I found myself on the edge of my seat, full of apprehension as the event unfolded on the pages in front of me.  I was completely able, as a mom myself, to put myself in the position of the slightly frazzled mother, Marilyn, who just stepped away from her baby for a brief moment, but also to empathize with Lucy, a woman who desperately wanted to be a mother but couldn't, who sees this baby alone in a shopping cart in the middle of IKEA and makes an reckless, irrational decision that affects the lives of everyone involved, forever.  

What did I like about the story? Quite a lot actually. In fact, I loved it! It was fast-paced, keeping me deeply absorbed throughout, it was realistically portrayed, completely believable, and I could feel the emotions of the characters to the point of tears on several occasions. The alternating points of view really worked for this book and although Lucy, Mia, and Marilyn were the main three perspectives, other characters with opinions on the event were also represented, even if it was only for a short, two page chapter.  I felt that, although these smaller snippets were only minor characters, their insights gave me a more well-rounded experience of the reactions and emotions of everyone touched by what happened.

I did a lot of thinking during this story.  If any of us were in the situation, what would we do? What decisions would we make compared to the decisions of the characters presented to us? I thought a lot about the themes of love, loss, family, and especially about forgiveness and whether punishment is always the right path. So many factors came into play as we approached the end of the book and not everyone ends up having the same opinions about resolution.  We are left with a few questions and a lot to think about. 

Overall, I felt that the book wrapped up nicely and ended in the perfect spot, where I, as a reader, was left satisfied, and having another favorite author that I will be following.  This was an emotional story but also one that, in my opinion, you should immediately put on your TBR list for 2016. It is definitely a story that you don't want to miss.
                                                                                                                                            

Cover Reveal: The Magician

I am excited to reveal the cover for THE MAGICIAN, the first novel in the Dark Arcana series by E.J. Stevens.  Cover art is by digital artist Ruxandra Tudorica of Methyss Design.

Cover Reveal: The Magician

The Magician (Dark Arcana #1) by E.J. Stevens

When members of tarot's Major Arcana begin manifesting in the mortal world, magic is in the air and change is in the cards.

Release Date: September 20, 2016
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Add to Goodreads.

The Magician Cover Reveal Giveaway

To celebrate The Magician's cover reveal, we are giving away a signed cover art postcard and a $10 Amazon Gift Card!

To enter, please use the Rafflecopter form below.  This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.  Giveaway ends February 2, 2016 midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think of the cover?

E.J. Stevens is the author of 14 works of speculative fiction, including the Hunters' Guild urban fantasy series, the Spirit Guide young adult paranormal series, and the award-winning Ivy Granger urban fantasy series.  She is known for filling pages with quirky characters, bloodsucking vampires, psychotic faeries, and snarky, kick-butt heroines.

Connect with E.J. Stevens by following her on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter, Blog, Goodreads, and Amazon.