Book Review – ‘Chimera’ by C D Bell

Title:  Chimera
Author: C D Bell
Genre:  Young Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Date of Publication: 10th October, 2017
Page Count: 432 pages (ebook)
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

The forest is full of secrets.

Nessa Kurland is adjusting to life as a weregirl—she is transforming with ease and running with a pack she cares for deeply. Her boyfriend Luc is a fellow shifter, and Paravida, the corporation responsible for unethical genetic experiments on the residents of Tether, has pulled out of town, leaving the community safe.

But that’s just how it appears on the surface.

Nessa returns home from a run with the pack to find an FBI raid and the shocking news that her mother Vivian is being held without bail for violations so serious she may be facing life in prison. What did Nessa’s mother, a small-town vet tech, do to threaten Homeland Security? Vivian’s secret past leads Nessa to discover there is more to her own story than she ever imagined.

The wolves that are running through Tether’s woods are not the same pack Nessa knew before. These are not all natural wolves. And they are breeding.

Nessa’s transformation is only just beginning.

In CHIMERA, the second installment in the Weregirl trilogy, Nessa confronts the truth of who she is, where she comes from, and what she has to do to survive.

I haven’t read the first book in this series, but that didn’t hinder my reading experience with Chimera. Obviously there was some backstory I wasn’t familiar with, but it was fairly easy to fill in the blanks. I’m very picky about the YA books I choose to read because there are a lot of toxic tropes and unfortunate themes prevalent in the genre, but fortunately Chimera ticks all the right boxes to make this an enjoyable read.

Book Review – ‘All The Ways To Here’ by Emily O’Beirne

Title:  All The Ways To Here
Author: Emily O’Beirne
Genre:  Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT+
Date of Publication: 1st November, 2017
Word Count: 83,280
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

In this sequel to Future Leaders of Nowhere, Finn and Willa come home from camp to find everything is different. Even as they grow more sure of their feelings for each other, everything around them feels less certain.

When Finn gets involved in a new community project, she’s forced to question where her priorities lie at school. Meanwhile, her dad has moved interstate, her mother is miserable, and her home feels like a ghost town.

Willa’s discovering how to negotiate the new terrains of romance and school friendships when an accident at home reminds her just how tenuous her family situation is. Suddenly, even with her dad in town, she’s shouldering more responsibility than ever.

As they try to navigate these new worlds together, Finn’s learning she has to figure out what she wants, and Willa how to ask for what she needs.

I previously reviewed  Future Leaders of Nowhere (here) and fell in love with Finn & Willa and co, so imagine my excitement when the author contacted me to offer a digital copy of its sequel for review. 😀 My only concern was whether or not All The Ways To Here would live up to my high expectations, and I’m so relieved and thrilled to report that it did indeed! ❤

ARC Review – ‘My Lady Governess’ by Elise Clarke

Title:  My Lady Governess
Author: Elise Clarke
Genre:  Romance (Historical/Regency)
Date of Publication: 20th December, 2017
Page Count: 200 pages (ebook)
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

One knight, one runaway heiress, one rollicking romance: A breath of fresh air in Regency romance!

Proud and haughty, Lord de Waare is almost as medieval as his castle…until he accidentally abducts a governess, who turns out not to be a governess at all, and who shows this knight that his heart is not as armoured as he thought.

A girl with a dangerous past, Marina would happily disappear again, but since de Waare won’t let that happen, then the least he can do is help her clear her name. But moving back into society is dangerous for her and for the stern man she’s coming to love. She knows the rules of honour and society, and she won’t allow de Waare to compromise the principles that define him.

But de Waare didn’t become the Crusader by accepting defeat. Faint heart never won a fair lady, and de Waares always win.

To be fairly blunt, I had a strong dislike for this book until at least 25% in – I was very close to DNF’ing it and moving on, but I’m always reluctant to do that with ARCs and try to make it at least 50% through before giving up. And lo and behold, I actually started enjoying myself finally and ended up finishing this in one sitting.