Lifestyle Of Me: April 2025

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

BLOGTOUR: Children of Solo by Andrew D.H. Moore

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the CHILDREN OF SOLO by Andrew D.H. Moore Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: CHILDREN OF SOLO

Author: Andrew D.H. Moore

Pub. Date: April 18, 2025

Publisher: World System Books, LLC

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 722

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/CHILDREN-OF-SOLO

Buy direct from Andrew! https://books.by/adhmoore

The God of Creation is missing, but pirate captain Adi Crestone has more immediate
problems. Caught between her criminal past and her maternal instincts, she struggles to protect
her son from the Blood Queen. Buffeted by inner demons and external foes, she must decide
what she is willing to sacrifice for freedom and family, all while navigating treacherous alliances
that force her to confront her own past.

Theo Vanguard is an Imperial naval officer entangled in familial duty and political
machinations. Trapped between his personal desires and his noble father’s expectations, he is
captured by pirates and descends into the seedy underbelly of the city of Solvigant. Where he
reveals a world of survival and sacrifice.

Dreams of adventure beyond the mundane inspire young Ion Rucinare to run away from
home, only to find himself thrust into a perilous quest that could alter the fate of the World
System. His yearning for acceptance and belonging is complicated as he grapples with newfound
magical abilities and the harsh realities of life on the dying moon Xys.

Caught between the Empire, ruthless gang leaders, and enigmatic gods all vying for
power, Adi, Theo, and Ion’s paths converge in a high-stakes search for a powerful artifact,
Apyreon, which grants the wielder the very power of the gods themselves. Will each find their
place in a universe teetering on the brink of chaos?

About Andrew D.H. Moore:

Andrew Moore lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado. He is an avid writer of stories and rider of bikes. Andrew's love of fantasy blossomed early when he fell in love with such books as Redwall by Brian Jacques and the Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. He graduated with honors from Indiana University with undergraduate degrees in Philosophy and Classical Literature. He completed a post-baccalaureate at the University of Pennsylvania before obtaining his Master's in Classical Archaeology from CU Boulder. He worked as an archaeologist and scholar in Germany, Greece, Turkey, and Jordan. In Colorado, Andrew taught philosophy, history, and literature at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, before leaving formal academia to pursue a passion in brewing beer. His brewery brainchild, The Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project, closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, but not before winning many awards both domestic and international.

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Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card, courtesy of Rockstar Book Tours, International.

1 winner will receive a finished copy of CHILDREN OF SOLO, US Only.

Ends May 13th, midnight EST

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Participating Bloggers & Influencers:

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Review: Lucas on the Line by Suyi Davies

I am continuing my read of the Stranger Things novels between the seasons. I am going to be starting season 4 with my kid in the next few weeks when our summer break starts. I really enjoyed this one and it is in my top 3 of the 5 I have read. I am hoping that I don't eat my words and this ends up being exactly like the Max book which was basically a summary of season 2.

Lucas and the gang are starting high school and Lucas wants his high school career to be different. He wants to step out of his comfort zone and try to not be bogged down by friendships and or relationship drama. El and Will have moved away and Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Max are the ones left behind.

Lucas and Max are on rocky ground and Max is in a depressed state because of Billy's death at the Starcourt. Lucas is meeting his peer mentor who turns out to be another black boy and that introduces the theme and plot of the book. The peer mentor is a sophomore named Jay who moved to Hawkins from Cincinnati. He talks to Lucas and actually listens to Lucas when he tells him his plans for freshman year.

Jay is actually a great character and I hate that he got a shitty end of the stick. Jay gets Lucas to try out for the JV basketball team and helps coach and train him. Jay is also teaching Lucas about prominent black people and telling him what is happening in the world because Lucas is being sheltered by his parents.

His parents don't want to bring radical ideologies into their household because it will burst their safe bubble. Lucas' dad was a vietnam vet and he doesn't like to talk about his past as a foster child with his white foster family.

Instead of creepy crawly monsters, Lucas is introduced to a new race of monsters in Hawkins. His basketball team mates who go after a beloved character in the Stranger Things universe. I am hoping that this part of the book didn't spoil season 4 for me, but there were some things that I know were spoiled. I will have a definitive answer on if this book needs to be read before or after season 4.

This was such a fast paced book, and I am sad that I only have two more to read, but I am hoping that we get a book from some more characters like Erica, Steve or Joyce, or the middle school science teacher.

Monday, April 28, 2025

Review: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

I finally jumped on the hype train for this series. I have been hearing nothing but good things and the two things that hooked me were a cat named Princess Donut and heart printed boxers. This was an indie series and now it has been picked up and in stores every where. To be honest, I do not like the traditional covers. I like the covers above because I feel that it makes the story more intriguing and the cat is cute and the boxers are on full display.

It is very Hunger Games ish with the whole thing being televised and interviews being conducted and people dying. The book starts off with a guy named Carl breaking up with his girl because she is a cheating bitch. Carl is smoking a cigarette and it is 2 in the morning. He opens the window and the ex girlfriend's prize show cat, Princess Donut escapes into the cold night and immediately regrets and starts meowing her head off.

Carl has to go outside to rescue the cat and when he grabs the cat, every building and structure disappears. Carl is perplexed and freezing his ass off in his leather jacket, heart boxers and too small pink crocs on his feet. A giant hole then opens in front of him and he goes inside after hearing an annoucement from an alien race saying that Earth has renegged on a minerals contract and that everyone who was outside of a building as lived and will get the opportunity to live by competing in a 18 level dungeon crawl that will be televised.

Carl and Princess Donut are walking and trying to figure out what the actual hell is going on and then they run into their first baddies. A group of goblins who are hell bent on killing Carl and Donut. They are trying to reach their guild hall and talk to the guild master who will help them with inventory and their player menus, but they have to kill the goblins first.

This became gory so quickly and I was not expecting it. I really enjoyed all the achievement announcements and thought they were silly goofy. As I continued reading, the pace of the book became slower and more reptitive and the constant achievements became boring and I would skim through those because I stopped caring.

I was also bored with the action parts and skimmed over those as well. I think that if I listened to the audiobook, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. I loved Princess Donut. I liked how she was confident when needed but showed her timid side when Carl wanted to split up.

I honestly don't know how I will feel if something happens to her. I will be picking up the second book this summer, but I will listen to it.

Saturday, April 19, 2025

Review: Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings

The FOMO was real when I decided to pick this us from my library. Sadly the library has the god awful new covers and they do not fit the story at all. The cover above became a favorite of mine even more when I finished this book.

I ended up giving this a 3 out of 5 stars. Out of all the reviews and videos about this book and series, I knew that I was going to HATE BJ Ballentine. He is the most toxic character in this whole book and he just needs to be wiped from existence in my brain. I hate cheaters with a passion and I live by the mantra once a cheater, always a cheater.

Anyway, our main lady Magnolia Parks is a rich socialite who lives in London and she was hard to take seriously because I got annoyed really quickly with all of the clothing desciptions and what designer line they came from and what year and if the color was in or out.

Magnolia Parks has been obsessed with BJ Ballentine since their teens and they are magnets who attract every single time they are near. They were once a item, but then BJ had sex with another girl and he ran crying to Magnolia immediately after saying it was an accident.

THE NERVE THIS DICKWAD HAD TO CALL PUTTING HIS PENIS ACCIDENTALLY INTO ANOTHER FEMALE IS RAGE INDUCING!

The fact that this book takes place three years after and they still sleep together but no sex and Magnolia is dating other guys and BJ is screwing any femal that blinks in his direction. The whole story is them wanting to be together and then BJ being with a girl and Magnolia seeing him, and her being adament that she will not let him keep hurting her and then the stupid idiot lets him into her bed later that night.

My favorite character ending up being Tom England. He treated Magnolia with so much respect and actually agreed to be her doormat to help make BJ jealous. I think Magnolia got what she deserved after letting Tom go and her and BJ deciding to date again when the massive question that Magnolia has wanted to know was finally answered.

If I every smell the scent Orange Blossom, I will immediately think of Magnolia best friend who was the one that BJ cheated on Magnolia with!!!! DUN DUN DUN... THE BESTIE IS A SLEEZE ALONG WITH BJ.

I will be picking up the next book Daisy Haites because I am interested in her family who are mafia type.

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

BLOGTOUR: A Code of Knights and Deception by Eliza Hampstead

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the A CODE OF KNIGHTS AND DECEPTION by Eliza Hampstead Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: A CODE OF KNIGHTS AND DECEPTION (Swords of Time #1)

Author: Eliza Hampstead

Pub. Date: April 14, 2025

Publisher: Eliza Hampstead

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 542

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/A-CODE-OF-KNIGHTS-AND-DECEPTION

She thought it was real. She was wrong.

When Sophia wakes up in 15th-century England, she expects hardship—but nothing prepares her for this brutal, unforgiving world. Lost, alone, and desperate to return to her husband and son, she vows to find a way home. But as weeks pass, Sophia finds kinship and purpose in this strange land.

After a violent attack, she takes fate into her own hands, disguising herself as a man to train under Henry, the castle’s enigmatic master-at-arms. As steel clashes and their connection deepens, forbidden desire ignites.

Yet Henry is not the knight he claims to be. His real name is Ethan, and this is the least of the lies he tells her. Falling for Sophia was never part of the plan—but the closer they become, the more he realises how wrong it is to keep her in the dark.

As danger closes in and the lines between reality and deception blur, Sophia must uncover the truth about Henry—and herself—before she runs out of time.

Outlander meets Black Mirror in this sizzling dark time travel romance.

*Warning: strong language, steamy scenes, and graphic violence inside. Mention/Description of, but not limited to, abduction, blood, death, amputation, childbirth, death, sexual assault, suicide, violence against children, rape, and torture.*

The book is the first in a duology and ends with a cliffhanger.

Excerpt:

Sophia and Henry meet for the first time

Then, with a sudden crash, I was yanked back into reality. My eyes blinked open to find myself lying on beaten earth, small stones scattered around me like the remnants of some forgotten battle. I attempted to reach for them, but my fingers refused to obey my command. Were those dark pellets in the corner rat droppings? The thought made me want to retch, but I had no air to spare.

Before me appeared the bluest eyes I had ever seen. They fixed intently on my face, twin beacons of azure that seemed to anchor me against the encroaching tide of despair. I stared into them, unable to pull my gaze away from their hypnotic depths. They were like the water in the Mediterranean—inviting, warm, and mysterious all at once. Just as I longed to dive into those azure waves and sink into them on a hot summer day, I wanted to immerse myself in the comforting embrace of those mesmerising eyes.

Strong hands grasped my shoulders, shaking me back into reality with a jolt. I tore my gaze from those captivating eyes and looked downward, my vision fixing on sensually shaped lips surrounded by a dark beard. The man's mouth moved vigorously, but I couldn't make out the words he was saying. My ears were filled with a persistent ringing, drowning out the world around me.

"…breathe," I finally heard him say, his voice taking on an urgent tone. "Can you hear me? You must draw breath!" He shook me again, his grip firm yet gentle, grounding me in the present moment. "Breathe! Quickly now, do not falter!"

About Eliza Hampstead:

Award-winning author Eliza Hampstead is a scientist by training but a storyteller at heart. When she’s not lost in writing (or researching obscure medieval facts she swears are relevant to the plot), she’s fully embracing her geeky side—whether that’s strategising over a board game, getting emotionally invested in an RPG, or conquering virtual worlds.

A lifelong fantasy lover, she’s always dreaming up her next adventure—both on the page and in real life. If time travel were possible, she’d already be in medieval England, probably getting into trouble with a sword. Until then, she’ll settle for writing stories filled with forbidden love, surprising twists, and just the right amount of spice.

https://linktr.ee/elizahampstead

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card, International.

Ends April 30th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Participating Bloggers & Influencers:

Country Mamas With Kids

@elisehernandezz

Reading With Texan Girl

trooshtisbookshelf - Instagram

foxingontheedges

@thepageladies

Fire and Ice Reads

@mama_coffee_books_cardigans

Lilly's Book World

@sudeshnablogs

Ilovebooksandstuffblog

@kimbartosch

GryffindorBookishNerd

Frugal Freelancer

The Momma Spot

Edith's Little Free Library

Rajiv's reviews

Two Chicks on Books

Daily Waffle

A Blue Box Full of Books

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

More Books please blog

@alexandriavwilliams_

Monday, April 7, 2025

Review: When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker

My fourth 5 star book of the year so far. It took me a good two weeks to read it because I got the massive paperback copy from the library and I also read Sunrise on The Reaping while reading this. I was hooked from the very beginning with the glossary. With the book being so chonky, I decided to read the terms and familiarize myself so I wouldn't have to flip back and forth.

Everything was easy to understand because while reading, I just made the terms normal and earth like. It was easy to understand the world because the shade was polar night in the arctic, the fade is the rainforest of the equator and the burn is the deserts.

We meet our main girl Rave who is an assassin when she is on a job. She is trying to get into this club where her target is currently and she is having problems getting in because the bouncer sees the clip on her ear where it signifies her as a null. A null is a person who doesn't hear the gods and doesn't have powers. She eventually gets in and while she is going up the stairs, she passes by a mysterious guy who immediately recgonizes her.

Raeve gets her job done and she is paranoid about the mysterious guy who kept her from being assaulted and completing her mission in the club. Raeve meets up with the leader of the assassin group that she is part of and the leader is a complete bitch but warns Raeve to stay out of view for a couple days so she is found by the bounty hunter who is currently looking for her.

Raeve is rooming with a girl she saved and Essi is her rock. She loves her deeply and one day something bad happens that makes Raeve throw all caution to the wind and ultimately get caught because she doesn't want to be in a world where there is no Essi. Raeve is also obsessed with a wonky dragon that is a moon in the sky. I also fell in love with this little wonky dragon. The mysterious guy named Kaan is also book boyfriend material and I feel that Raeve just shat all over him and didn't appreciate what he did for her.

We learn more about Raeve and her background and how she came to love the wonky dragon in the sky and why sometimes she has flashbacks to a time with Kaan and also losing her kingdom to Kaan's family and training with his sister Veya.

Like I said, I was hooked from the very beginning and the ending has me in a chokehold because I want to know what happened to Raeve and how she became Raeve. What's going to happen to a certain someone and is Kaan going to find out this information from Veya.

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Review: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins SPOILERS

Mz. Collins has done it again!!!! She has ripped my heart out and shredded the absolute hell out of it. I have been waiting for this since the morning it was announced and the fact that it is all about Haymitch's games was just the damn cherry on top.

This is all the rage right now and the fact that the day I am writing this review, Lionsgate released the very first teaser for the movie coming next year and I am screaming, crying, throwing up. I am so obsessed with this series that it is my life and it is a part of me.

This is Haymitch's games. The 50th Hunger Games... the second quarter quell where the gamemakers decided to double the tributes from 24 to 48. Each district has to send 2 boys and 2 girls to slaughter for their rebellious past.

Reaping day happens every year on the 4th of July which is also Haymitch's birthday. This Hunger Games is his 16th birthday present thanks to the District 12 escort named Drusilla who is so fucking horrible. The fact the Haymitch's name was not drawn at all and was chosen by Drusilla because the boy who was chosen decided to run for it and he got his head blown off.

We get to meet Katniss' dad Burdock and her mom Asterid. We get a glimpse of Otho Mellark, the baker's boy. There was so many what the fuck and OMG moments. I loved getting a youngish Mags and Wiress. I was shaken to my damn core with Beetee and he having to mentor his 12 year old son Ampert.

Ampert's death was the first scene where I was crying hard. Haymitch and every young tribute that he allied with and then Maysilee's death was just as tragic. I loved the origin of the word Sweetheart and everything that made Haymitch... Haymitch.

When I got to the epilogue, the first sentence made me put the book down because I could not read with the tears coming so fast. I read it and immediately watched a vlog from one of my favorite book tubers and she was going through everything and giving her thoughts and how she was wrecked. I then re-read the epilogue again and I was so close to start all of the books over again.

I can't wait to see of Woody Harrelson, Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson make cameos in the movie to bring the epilogue to life. I feel that the director Franics Lawrence and the producer Nina Jacobson will make the fans very happy.

I did have a want for this book. I wanted the book to be told from present day Haymitch so we could get the actors in the movie. Maybe like Haymitch telling our toast babies the story of his and Lenore's love and relationship.

I need Katniss and Peeta and the toast babies and the GEESE!!!!

Lifestyle Of Me