Adult Fiction

Blog Tour [Review]: The Secret Brokers

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THE SECRET BROKERS

Author: Alexandrea Weis
Genre: Adult Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Vesuvian Books
Release date: April 7th, 2020
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
*Thank you Good Choice Reading and Vesuvian for the opportunity to be a part of this blog tour and a copy of the book to review. This review contains my own thoughts and have not been influenced by anyone.*

Synopsis

THE DARKER THE SECRET,
THE HIGHER THE PRICE. 
 
Dallas August runs a dangerous business—an organization of elite spies for hire.
 
The secrets trade.
 
Nothing is off limits, and no price is too high.
 
When asked to uncover what recluse Gwen Marsh knows about a Mafia kingpin’s death, Dallas poses as a bodyguard to get close to his target, but the stubborn Asian beauty wants nothing to do with him. As the FBI and the Mafia close in, danger drives them together, but can he protect Gwen, or will Dallas be the one risking everything to discover what she is really hiding?
 
Dallas August is about to find out how dangerous life can be as one of the Secret Brokers.
 
Once you are in, there is no turning back.

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Review

The Secret Brokers was such a great read. You can’t go wrong with spies, deep dark secrets, crime boss problems and a suspense turning plot. This was the first book I read by Alexandrea Weis, but it won’t be the last!

The Secret Brokers follows the path of Dalls August, a former FBI agent turned security business owner and his next big job. Stationed in New York, he is called to New Orleans to repay a favor to a crime boss. What is that favor? Investigating the daughter of a rival crime boss. Dallas realize that Gwen Marsh is more than just the daughter of a rival crime boss. Dallas and Gwen are sucked into a whirlwind adventure, one that brings the two together. I really enjoyed the relationship between Gwen and Dallas. Their relationship wasn’t perfect. It was filled with mistrust from the past, tons of secret and moments of anger. But, it was a real awkward relationship. You don’t expect the two to be together, but they try to make it work given all the circumstances and find it hard to be apart from each other. Gwen and Dallas had something that each other needed, or better yet, each other needed to let go. It was the ultimate test of trust, trusting an enemy with your heart and not knowing what could come of it. Gwen was such a powerful female character and I was rooting for her. It is always good to see a strong female character lead that adds shine to the male character’s story-line.

Because this was the first book I read of Alexandrea, there were some parts of the book where it sounded like there was a backstory created. I researched more into this and realized there is a series that this book has spun off from. I will be reading that soon and if it is anything like The Secret Brokers, I will not be disappointed. However, this book was written in a way where you can still enjoy this story without knowing much of the previous series. Alexandrea writes a suspenseful, page turning story that has you wondering what will happen. I loved that part of this was set in New York. Altohugh, visualizing the New Orleans landscape was a treat. It is full of vivid spy action, steamy romantic scenes and a thrilling story. you receive enough information to understand the importance of side characters without overshadowing the main characters quest. It is a book I would recommend for anyone who enjoys a good mystery suspense, filled with you not so average spies, crime family drama and a lot of unpredictable moments.

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About the Author

Alexandrea Weis

 Alexandrea Weis, RN-CS, CRRN, ONC, PhD, is a multi-award-winning author of over twenty-seven novels, a screenwriter, ICU Nurse, and historian who was born and raised in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Having grown up in the motion picture industry as the daughter of a director, she learned to tell stories from a different perspective and began writing at the age of eight.Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her novels, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story moving and memorable.

A permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Weis rescues orphaned and injured animals. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans. Weis writes mysteries, suspense, thrillers, horror, crime fiction, action, historical, and romance.

Alexandrea Weis is a member of the Horror Writers Association and the International Thriller Writers Association.

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It’s Monday! What are you reading?

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It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

 

What I Read/Listened to Last Week:

puddin

Puddin’ by Julie Murphy (audiobook)

I rated this 3 stars. I enjoyed the overall storyline, but the narration threw me off a bit. Some of the voices were very similar and at times I could not always distinguish who was leading the conversation. I also wanted more character development for Millie and felt Callie’s story was more in the forefront than I expected it to be. Blog post to come soon!

Add Puddin’ to your Goodreads Shelf today!

 

Here’s what I’m currently reading:

laura jean break up

Laura Jean Keeps Breaking up with Me by by Mariko Tamaki, Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (Illustrations)

 

So far this graphic is pretty good. It is also depicting a high school breakup pretty accurately. So far, I don’t have a full grasp on character personalities since I am still in the beginning, but I have a feeling this graphic novel will be an interesting read.

Add Laura Jean Keeps Breaking up with Me to your Goodreads Shelf today!

 

Next to Read:

The secret brokers

The Secret Brokers by Alexandrea Weis

Synopsis:

Dallas August runs a dangerous business—an organization of elite spies for hire.

The secrets trade.

Nothing is off limits, and no price is too high.

When asked to uncover what recluse Gwen Marsh knows about a Mafia kingpin’s death, Dallas poses as a bodyguard to get close to his target, but the stubborn Asian beauty wants nothing to do with him. As the FBI and the Mafia close in, danger drives them together, but can he protect Gwen, or will Dallas be the one risking everything to discover what she is really hiding?

Dallas August is about to find out how dangerous life can be as one of the Secret Brokers.

Once you are in, there is no turning back.

This sounds like it will be a rollercoaster of a read. You have spies for hire, mafia, a dangerous adventure all wrapped with a mystery shaped bow. I am excited to get to this next!

Add The Secret Brokers your Goodreads Shelf today and join the read along!

Fantasy, Legends, Myths & Fables, Young Adult Fiction

Inkyard Press 2020 Reads Tour: Night of the Dragon

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Title: Night of the Dragon
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Pages: 368
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Release Date: March 31st, 2020

Where to Buy: Barnes and Noble |Amazon| IndieBound  |Books-A-Million

*Thank you Inkyard Press for the opportunity to be a part of this blog tour and for the review copy. The thoughts written are my own and have not been influenced by anyone*

Synopsis

All is lost.

To save everyone she loves from imminent death, kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko gave up the final piece of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. Now she and her ragtag band of companions must make one desperate final effort to stop the Master of Demons from using the scroll to call the Great Kami Dragon and make the wish that will plunge the empire into chaos.

Shadow clan assassin Kage Tatsumi has regained control of his body and agreed to a true deal with the devil—the demon inside him, Hakaimono. They will share his body and work with Yumeko to stop a madman, and to separate Hakaimono from Tatsumi and the cursed sword that trapped the demon for nearly a millennium.

But even with their combined skills and powers, this unlikely team of heroes knows the forces of evil may be impossible to overcome. And there is another player in the battle for the scroll, a player who has been watching, waiting for the right moment to pull strings that no one even realized existed…until now.

Review

Quick note: This is the third book in the series. I will try to make my review spoiler free for book 3, but may have some spoilers form book 1 & 2.
When you read a good series, you just know it. Julie Kagawa has left my heart and soul shattered in so many good ways with night of the Dragon. But I wasn’t surprised by my reactions, because Julie has been doing a spectacular job since book one. The writing in Night of the Dragon continued to blow my mind. Julie continues the story with vivid descriptions, magical scenes, and heartbreaking moments.

Night of the Dragon, like the two before it, captivated me form the very first chapter. I wanted to know what happened after Yumeko made a sacrifice [not of her life] to save those she loves. Night of the Dragon continues the story where we meet our Yumeko and her crew preparing to stop the Master of Demons from using the scroll and unleashing an evil that will put the entire empire in chaos. Night of the Dragon is a great conclusion of Fox shifting Yumeko and her companion’s epic journey.

In regards to the characters, I really enjoyed seeing Yumeko’s character through each story, especially in this last book. Yumeko began as a naive girl, and developing into a powerful warrior. She learned so much in her journey and used that to grow better and stronger. Julie Kagawa showed this transformation so masterfully. It didn’t feel rushed, or half baked. I truly enjoyed seeing that development happen gradually rather than happen all at once. Yumekop’s character development was also not something she did on her own. Julie also created such great supporting characters that not only added to Yumeko’s development but also developed drastically in their own skin. Overall, character development was on point and you couldn’t help but root for Yumeko and her companions.

The plot was amazing, powerful and full of action. Julie made a page turning adventure with Night of the Dragon. I was fully invested in ending this series form the first chapter. Was it hard to see Yumeko’s journey end? Of course! But the plot was created in a way where the ending felt okay. It was an impossible task Yumeko and her companions were given [prevent a world where their lives would be forever in danger], but by the end you didn’t doubt the story or the characters. You rooted and cried for them. You held onto the ending feel a piece of your heart missing but knowing that the entirely story was phenomenal at every interaction and every scene of action. You yelled in joy when Yumeko was finally able to accept herself fully. Did I get a book hangover? Of course! Even the best written endings can leave your heart torn and feeling like you need a vacation from reading. It was worth it though.

The Shadow of the Fox trilogy is a trilogy you should pick up. Julie Kagawa continues to amaze me with her masterful storytelling. Night of the Dragon has action, romance, friendship and heart-tugging moments all wrapped into a beautiful story. I highly recommend it!

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About the Author

Julie Kagawa, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey, Blood of Eden, Talon, and Shadow of the Fox series was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.

When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her school teachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads