Apoorva's Review Journal

Book: Thunder On The Moor, #1 Author: Andrea Matthews Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Time Travel Tour: Love Book Tours Format: Mobi My Rating: 4.2 / 5 ⭐ Blurb: Maggie Armstrong grew up enchanted by her father’s tales of blood feuds and border raids. In fact, she could have easily fallen for the man portrayed in one particular image in his portrait collection. Yet when her father reveals he was himself an infamous Border reiver, she finds it a bit far-fetched—to say the least—especially when he announces his plans to return to his sixteenth century Scottish home with her in tow. Suspecting it’s just his way of getting her to accompany him on yet another archaeological dig, Maggie agrees to the expedition, only to find herself transported four hundred and fifty years into the past. Though a bit disoriented at first, she discovers her father’s world to be every bit as exciting as his stories, particularly when she’s introduced to Ian Rutherford, the charming son of a neighborin...

Title: Buried In Secret Author: Viveca Sten Translation: Marlaine Delargy Publisher: Amazon Crossing Language: English Format: E-book, NetGalley My Rating: 3.6 / 5  Blurb: When two cold case disappearances are reopened, a decade of deadly secrets is unearthed on Sandhamn Island in the #1 bestselling thriller by Viveca Sten, author of  In Bad Company . A woman’s skeletal remains are excavated on an uninhabited island in Sandhamn’s archipelago, and Thomas Andreasson is called to officially investigate. But his best friend, Nora Linde, can’t help but get involved. On leave after her last case took a dark turn, Nora is tortured by depression, nightmares, and guilt. Her marriage fractured, her pride chipped away, Nora could find redemption in this investigation. Then evidence suggests two possible cold cases linked to the grim discovery: two women who have been missing for ten years. Now Nora feels compelled to unearth a mystery someone has gone to great pains to bury. What co...

Book: Her Wolves (Fall Mountain Shifters, #1) Author: G. Bailey Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Shapeshifters Age Restriction: 17+ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Blurb: I knew nothing about mates until the alpha rejected me... Growing up in one of the biggest packs in the world, my life is planned out from the second I turn eighteen and find my true mate in the moon ceremony. Finding your true mate gives you the power to share the shifter energy they have, given to the males of the pack by the moon goddess herself. The power to shift into a wolf . But for the first time in the history of our pack, the new alpha is mated with a nobody. A foster kid living in the packs orphanage with no ancestors or power to claim. Me. After being brutally rejected by my alpha mate, publicly humiliated and thrown away into the sea, the dark wolves of the Fall Mountain Pack find me. They save me. The four alphas. The ones the world fears because of the darkness they live in. In their world? Being rejected is the o...

Book: Death Perception Author: Lee Allen Howard Genre: Supernatural Crime Print Length: 308 pages Age Range: 16+ Tour: Blackthorn Book Tours My Rating: 4.1 / 5 ⭐ Purchase Link:   https://mybook.to/DeathPerception Blurb: “AVENGE US!” Nineteen-year-old Kennet Singleton lives with his invalid mother in a personal care facility, but he wants out. He operates the crematory at the local funeral home, where he discovers he can discern the cause of death of those he cremates—by toasting marshmallows over their ashes. He thinks his ability is no big deal since his customers are already dead. But when his perception differs from what’s on the death certificate, he finds himself in the midst of murderers. To save the residents and avenge the dead, Kennet must bring the killers to justice. My Review: Firstly, I want to acknowledge Blackthorn Book Tours for giving a copy of the book & taking me on as a member of this book's tour. OMG! The cover is so hair raising; that in itself is su...

Book: The Meeting Point Author: Olivia Lara Genre: Romantic Comedy Tour: Love Book Tours My Rating: 3.9 / 5 ⭐ Blurb: What if the Lift driver who finds your cheating boyfriend's phone holds the directions to true love? Who are you and why do you have my boyfriend's phone?' 'He left it in my car. You must be the blonde in the red dress? I'm the Lift driver who dropped you two off earlier.' And with these words, the life of the brunette and t-shirt wearing Maya Maas is turned upside down. Having planned to surprise her boyfriend, she finds herself single and stranded in an unknown city on her birthday. So when the mystery driver rescues Maya with the suggestion that she cheers herself up at a nearby beach town, she jumps at the chance to get things back on track. She wasn't expecting a personalized itinerary or the easy companionship that comes from opening up to a stranger via text, let alone the possibility it might grow into something more......

Book: Come Back To Me Author: Jody Hedlund Genre: Historical Fiction, Time Crossing, Romance Format: Mobi No. Of Pages: 352 Tours: Love Books Tours My Rating: 4.2 / 5 ⭐ My Review: It's been a long time since I read historical fiction, including time travel & romance, that's part fantasy & part actual. I usually don't read historical fiction novels, but I noticed the blurb of this one to be interesting, which made me choose it immediately. The conceptualization of the account is unique & powerful. Blending facts with fiction ain't a mean achievement! The writer has done an excellent study on the topic & it clearly shows. Adventure, thriller, magic, medicine, romance, time-travel, what more can one ask for to get weak in the knees. The characters & pictures lay such a roller coaster journey that I couldn't help but be stuck to the novel till the end! Lying in my bedroom, enclosed by all the contemporary facilities, I questioned how it would fe...

Book: What Dreams We Had Author: Phill Featherstone Publisher: Opitus Books Genre: Contemporary Fiction Format: Mobi No. of Pages: 241 Tour: Love Book Tours My Rating: 3.1 / 5 ⭐ Amazon Link:   What Dreams We Had My Review: What are dreams? Do they hold any hidden purpose that can be linked to our continuing experience? If yes, then how do we infer its significance? Can our behaviors/thoughts make any variation in how we think subconsciously through our dreams? After reading the novel, I query how my dreams must have been obtained from my actions (even though I don't retrieve them once I am up). The title was part scary & part long for me. There were some genuinely great high periods & at times, I thought, why is the account getting crawled. A contemporary fiction, encompassing five youngsters barely out of school, was composed during the prevailing pandemic that gives you tiny creeps & a lot to reflect upon. The actors seem real-like as their characteristics are...

Book: The Dark Chorus Author: Ashley Megitt Genre: Horror Suspense, Metaphysical Science Fiction No. of Pages: 241 My Rating: 4.3 / 5 ⭐ Tour: Blackthorn Book Tours Purchase Link:   The Dark Chorus My Review: Trigger Warning: Explicit Violence, Ritual Killing Never have I ever read a work based on soul restoration. I never foresaw that whenever I read one, it would have such an influence on me. The book is just wow! I would surely put it in one of the most enjoyable novels I have read this year. It gets out all the sentiments from its reader, passion, violence, misery, anxiety, joy. The writer has done the ideal amount of study on the subject & it begs attention from the readers. Though the start was a tiny bit sluggish for me (I had to learn & understand various points as it's my first experience in this genre), the narrative later got interesting. I just couldn't part with it & completed it within a day. The novel-writing is bang-on & the few grammatical...

Book: Once Upon A Time In Andaman Author: S Ashvin Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Suspense Format: Kindle My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ / 5 My Review: Once Upon A Time in Andaman is a mystery novel including loads of unknown shocks & builds one's interest with every episode. It's a magnificent story incorporating the time machine as an essential element & its following outcomes on the central protagonist's development. With only 82 pages in length, this fictional tale is action-packed & fact-paced. It has photos at the end of most chapters to give a more precise idea to the readers. The account is based in Andaman & Chennai areas & provides a good measure of information of the places. The past & present situations are explicitly set, which aids in getting the character's performances. I found it fascinating that the writer had me speculating till the end who the offender might be & what really must be occurring. Though the plot is quite different & super eng...

Book: The Necklace Author: Matt Witten Publisher: Oceanview Publishing Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Suspense Format: NetGalley, PDF My Rating: 4 / 5 star My Review: Trigger Warnings: Death of a minor girl, abuse. To begin with, I must say that this novel actually managed to overwhelm me in bits & pieces. Some transpired to be too interesting, while some didn't make much sense. The end, where all the built-up sentiments were supposed to pop, didn't actually blast for me. The peak simply arrived & left, offering no huge impression at all. The account is packed with emotions & parents with little kids (particularly daughters) are sure to get extra moved. The protagonist's trip assuredly wasn't easy & I had tears when reading most of the touching pieces. The past-present story-narration was a great concept by the writer & it had me hooked. The novel held a great pace from the start, explaining in detail the surroundings, character's styles & all tha...

Book: The Part I Left With You Author: Rahul Saini Publisher: Juggernaut Books Genre: Fiction Format: Kindle No. of Pages: 143 My Rating: 4.1 / 5 ⭐ Review: I need to say this, Rahul Saini's novel-writing form, the entire idea of the account & its performance is so unusual. This is my primary work of the artist & I am happy I chose it after getting fascinated by the book's name. After completing my reading, I needed a while to fully immerse all that he desired to say through the novel. It was interesting, yet so enlightening at the same time, not crossing any boundaries only for the purpose of fun. I wanna start with the book's cover, so exact & eye-catchy that it perfectly resonates with the plotline. Book's title gives out that it must be a standard lovey-dovey romance (that's something I initially thought), but then you are in for a complete shock since it's based on a love tale, yes, but not anything you believe it is. The blurb that's c...

Audiobook: Small Cures Author: Della Hicks-Wilson Format: NetGalley Genre: Poetry My Rating: 4.6 / 5 ⭐ Review: Do you relish reciting poetry? If your response is yes, have you always thought about how the creation must have appeared while the author had written it? Or what it must be like when the artist reads it? Did you want to hear a poem than just studying it? When I got introduced to them, I yearned to listen to the originator's voice, reciting it at least once. When I understood that I could, joy knew no bounds. Drafting a review for a poetry audiobook is really a bit hard for me as I have never achieved it earlier, but I am fully savoring the process. I liked that the artist took pains to actually provide a voice to her creations & not done by some different person. For me, it took it to a totally another level. Her voice is super soft-spoken & completely calms the audience. Even though I savored hearing the poem, I wanted to read simultaneously with the sound (...

Book: Taurus Temptation (Written In The Stars #3) Author: Sundari Venkatraman Genre: Indian Romance, Fiction Format: Kindle No. Of Pages: 189 My Rating: 4.2 / 5 ⭐ My Review: Taurus Temptation is my first novel by the writer Sundari. It's a modern work explaining the plans & goals of today's youngsters while at the same time telling us how two zodiac signs of extreme characteristics fall in love with each other. Youth today desire to be self-governing & begin something on their own, rather than be held to a 9-5 job in a firm. Giving both the older & younger generation's opinions was indeed a clever move. Who doesn't fancy being a member of a budding passionate connection, family show for a fixed arranged match, cutting off engagements, the triumphant establishment of a new cafe, beginning a blogging website, sibling fights, gossips within the community when a kid elopes with a guy? You get all that & much more extra while reading this Indian romance...

Book: Between Wild & Ruin (#1) Author: Jennifer G Edelson Publisher: Bad Apple Books Genre: Urban Fantasy Format: PDF Advance Review Copy: BookSirens No. of Pages: 414 My Rating: 3.9 / 5 ⭐ My Review: I understand I am a little late to enter this bandwagon. However, I am so happy I eventually did become a member of this super impressive, young adult, coming of age, urban fantasy fiction. I now hold a crush on all the actors & just can't wait for the series to be transformed into the next blockbuster film, like the Twilight set. It's all that a Twilight fan will desire. Here rather than vampires, you have mountain lions, which only brings the novel one cut up on the larger side. The beginning of the novel was a tiny bit of a bore for me & then staring at the length, I believed I would never be capable of completing the title any time soon. But, once I was about 30% finished, I got into the groove & next I know, I have ended the whole work in one day. I wis...

Book:  We Toot: A Feminist Fable About Farting Authors:  Ashley Wheelock & Arwen Evans Illustrator:  Sandie Sonke Genre: Children's Picture Book Format: PDF My Rating: 4.6 / 5 ⭐ Book Tour: Blackberry Book Tours My Review: We Toot, an entertaining picture book for kids, particularly for girls, to normalize the matter surrounding the human biological function of farting. When a stinky wee toot gets ejected during a slumber party, all out-and-out refuse that she's the one, as all are informed that tooting is offensive. However, one of the girls comes ahead & admits that farting is natural & runs to get her buddies comfy on the topic & spread body positivity. The primary element that drew me to this work was its trailer on YouTube. This little volume is both funny as well as informative that's backed by exciting pictures. The figures are so fabulous & lively, it captures the conflict correctly. The book is inscribed in a sing-along style & many eye...

Book: You Never Know When You'll Get Lucky! Author: Priya Narendra Publisher: FingerPrint (Imprint of Prakash Books India Pvt. Ltd.) Format: Paperback No. of Pages: 231 Genre: Women's Fiction, Chick Lit My Rating: 3.5 / 5 ⭐ My Review: I had purchased this book a very long time ago (I think it was during my university holidays) & I remember consuming it in one go. I used to be mad about those cheeky passionate novels where the guy pursues the lady erratically & the girl shies away but eventually, both fall in love & do absurd things to be together. In brief, all's well that ends well! Now when I re-read it, I wonder, how in the world could I ever fall for such sassy romances. I must say, this is a riveting tale. A quintessential Bollywood form, Indian show where you don't actually have to stress much on the account & feel it to be a breezy read. Priya's story-telling technique is ostentatious; she uses all her realistic accounts of her surroundin...

Book: A Caller's Game Author: J.D. Barker Format: Audiobook My Rating: 4.4 / 5 ⭐ My Review: I took up A Caller's Game due to its compelling title & blurb. Being a fan of live radio shows, reading the book's summary, I couldn't restrain myself from requesting this audiobook from NetGalley. I have never read Die Hard (which people are stating is similar to this plot), nor any of J.D. Barker's books, but I am happy I could listen to this action-packed thriller which ain't less than a film in any sense. As the writer mentions, this whole novel is more character-driven than plot-driven. But, I sensed that it got dragged uselessly & I got worn out midway. I had to inwardly make myself set for the long tale-telling. The narrators' voices befitted the male & female personalities which brought the account to a totally another level. Nonetheless, you don't realize you are holding your breath till you actually free it at the end of each episode. This...

Book: Scion Of Ikshvaku (Ram Chandra Series #1) Author: Amish Tripathi Publisher: Westland Publications Ltd Genre: Fiction, Indian Mythology Format: Paperback No. of Pages: 355 My Rating: 3.8 / 5 ⭐ My Rating: After Amish's much-acclaimed The Shiva Trilogy, the Ram Chandra series turns out to be a dud. Perhaps it's the high expectations that we hold from the artist or the point that Ramayana is a tale that we Indians are already quite informed about, but Amish's charm appears to be floundering for this series. He has attempted to provide a distinct way to developing every persona of the Ramayana, yet the novel was unsuccessful in luring me into its world. The thoughts & points of contention were built very thoroughly. It revealed that extensive analysis was performed on different materials. The story-telling & vivid discussions hook you. If you analyze it to Sita (if you read it before this one like me), then you feel blessed that you already recognize enough ...

Book - Engineer Your Passion: Leadership in Digital Space Author : Parul Agrawal Genre : Non-Fiction, Self-Help Format : Kindle No. of Pages : 51 My Rating : 4.3 / 5 ⭐ My Review : Countless people must have questioned whatever would occur if they picked passion over their profession. There may be some who must be wondering what true passion is. Can a hobby be deemed as passion? Is it likely to earn sustenance out of the passion & leave the prevailing, round-the-clock paying job? These are only some of the various thoughts that must have risen in your mind at some time. Parul has made sure to remove all such thoughts & provide you with an unobstructed pathway in making your passion your profession. She begins by sharing her experience in a big city during her engineering days. It's the struggle & failure during the first year of her college that changed everything in her & encouraged her for success. She never quit on her goals & that's what she advises ever...