Ivy & Bone

 

Ivy & Bone

By: R.L. Perez

Grab this book if you love

🖤 Forced proximity

🖤 Hades and Persephone

🖤 Enemies to lovers

🖤 Only one bed

🖤 Touch her and you die

🖤 Morally grey characters

🖤 A deal with the devil

Get a copy of Ivy & Bone here

Overview:

A dangerous deal with the devil gives one witch more than she bargained for...

Prue is an earth witch, blessed with power from the Triple Goddess. Still mourning the loss of her twin sister, Prue summons the devil himself from the Underworld, intent on bringing her sister back from the dead. But when she meets him—a handsome man named Cyrus—he is more deadly and alluring than she anticipated. Prue tricks him into binding his blood with hers, granting her access to his powers over the dead.

But the bond also unlocks the gates to the Underworld, unleashing the spirits within.

Now Cyrus is bound to her in more ways than one.

Desperate to close the gates and save the mortal realm from unholy destruction, Prue and Cyrus must work together to undo their bargain. But against her better judgment, Prue is enthralled by his seductive nature, and she finds herself falling for the devil himself.

This fantasy romance is a Hades and Persephone retelling with a twist, full of steamy romance, dark paranormal themes, and allusions to Greek mythology. Perfect for fans of Kingdom of the Wicked and A Touch of Darkness.

The Life and Trial of Lizzie Borden

The Life and Trial of Lizzie Borden: The History of 19^thCentury America’s Most Famous Murder Case

By: Charles River Editors

Genre: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, American History

 

“I don't know what I have said. I have answered so many questions and I am so confused I don't know one thing from another. I am telling you just as nearly as I know.” – Lizzie Borden

“I knew there was an old axe down cellar; that is all I knew.” – Lizzie Borden

 

About the book:

Today, cases are often referred to as the trial of the century, but few could lay claim in the 19th century like Lizzie Borden’s in the wake of her parents’ murders. After all, the story included the grisly axe murders of wealthy socialites and a young daughter as the prime suspect. As Trey Wyatt, author of The Life, Legend, and Mystery of Lizzie Borden, put it, “Women were held to strict standards and genteel women were pampered, while at the same time they were expected to behave within a strict code of conduct. In 1892, Fall River, Massachusetts wealthy society ladies were not guilty of murder, and if they did kill someone, it would not be with an axe.”

The Life and Trial of Lizzie Borden: The History of 19th Century America’s Most Famous Murder Case looks at the personal background of the Borden family and the shocking true crime that captivated America at the end of the 19th century

­­­­­­­My review:

 I have always been a huge history buff especially American History.  I have always thought that knowing about your country’s history no matter how awful or bleak it can be it is there not to erase what had happened but to learn from the past and not repeat history.  I never knew much about Lizzie Borden besides the awful nursery rhyme and that the Borden House is said to be haunted. 

We learned that Lizzie and her sister Emma were very close and went on lavish trips together going to Europe on a few different occasions, we also learned that Lizzie and Emma’s mother died when Lizzie was very young, and Mr. Borden married Abby Borden a couple years later.  Lizzie was not fond of her stepmother.

This book was a very short read and was informative however, it was choppy and hard to follow.  It almost seems like this was transcripts of the trial and some quotes from witnesses thrown together this did not flow well.

Even though this was not one of my favorites it was informative, and I did learn from it. 

Regretting You

Regretting You

By: Colleen Hoover

Genre: Romance

About the book:

Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike.

Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.

With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris―Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.

While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she’s been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets, resentment, and misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further apart. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back together.

_____________________________________________

"I think it's time I figure out who I was meant to become before I started living my life for everyone else."

This book was a slow start for me and I didn’t enjoy Morgan’s point of view as much as Clara’s.  

Morgan and Clara’s journey are so different even with experiencing the same loss.  The struggle between mother in daughter through such a hard time was written flawlessly something I have come to expect from Colleen Hoover.  Morgan tries too hard to shelter her daughter from pain and grief but the constant lying just causes that wedge build and for anger and resentment becomes the new normal that also makes communication pretty much non existent.  There were several times I was saying just tell her the truth.  

“I’ve taken ’em every damn day since your grandma skipped town. I’m not an invalid.” “Yet,” Miller quips. “And Grandma didn’t skip town. She died of a heart attack.” “Either way, she left me.”

The supporting characters Miller and Gramps were my favorite.  Gramps was sarcastic but also has a sweet side, their relationship gave me all the feels.  It was nice to see a loving relationship in the midst of all the chaos.

“You actually left me the rights to your air in the will?” -Miller

This was a great book and the ending makes reading all the wrenching plot twist worth it.  

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5