Nice Guys Bite, a novella from the Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep

   I love the Elemental Assassin books so much and this novella gives us kind of a behind the scenes look at one of Gins employees and friends. Silvio has been Gin's assistant for awhile now and even though when we first met him I wasn't sure if he was good or bad but he's proven himself to be loyal to Gin. He's also grown on me and become a favorite. Usually he sits in the Pork Pit directing Gin's professional life by his phone and tablet. In Nice Guys Bite we get to see him go on the first date he's had in awhile but when some bad guys show up it doesn't exactly go as planned. Lots of action as usual and a great holiday theme.

Esther the Wonder Pig: Changing the World One Heart at a Time by Steve Jenkins, Derek Walter, Caprice Crane

      I've been a fan of Esther for a long time since I just accidentally found her one day on Facebook and fell in love with her beautiful face and the side eye look that she gives. Any Esther fan is going to love this book. If you're not a fan yet you will soon become one after reading it. It tells the story of partners Steve and Derrick taking in what they thought was a micro pig to an already over full house only to discover, after they fell in love with her, that she was a commercial farm pig and would eventually weigh 600 pounds or more. As more of a joke they start a Facebook page for Esther and in just a few days she has thousands of followers and getting more every day. They realize how popular Esther is and that she is loved around the world. Esther eventually inspires them to become vegan and open a santuary, Happily Ever Esther Farm Santuary in Canada so they can take care of more animals in need like Esther. If you're like me and you've been "following" Esther since before she moved to the farm you'll love getting a behind the scenes look at their lives, how they found the farm, and that nerve wracking journey in the back of that trailer when they moved her from the house to the farm. What they were thinking and feeling when the trailer doors opened and Esther walked down the ramp and then ran for joy along side of Shelby, her doggie best friend, in the open field. I cried tears of joy when I watched it on facebook and I cried tears of joy when I read about it in the book. Such a great story of a Wonder Pig who continues to inspire people all over the world to be kind, and about the two wonderful men who love her and continue to give her, and others like her love and a safe and happy sanctuary.

Curse on the Land (Soulwood # 2) by Faith Hunter

   Being a huge fan of the Jane Yellowrock books by Faith Hunter I wasn't sure I could enjoy reading about Nell like I do Jane but getting to know her makes me want to be her best friend. Time has passed between the first book and this one. Nell has gone to Spook School and learned more about life out of her mountains, how to work computers and other electronics so she can contribute to the team. We get to learn more about her powers, about her family, and about her. There's action, danger, just a tiny bit of almost romance, and a long awaited reveal about one of the characters that you love to hate. I really loved this addition to the series and can't wait to read more about Nell. 

An Obvious Fact (Walt Longmire #12) by Craig Johnson

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   Sometimes when you read a few ok good books and then you start on something like An Obvious Fact you realize just how good a REALLY good book is. It feels like just sinking into a your favorite fluffy comforter or eating your favorite food. There's just nothing like it. The Longmire books are all like that. 
Walt and Henry take a working vacation. Walt to check out an motorcycle accident and Henry to try to win an uphill motorcycle competition. They get right in the middle of a huge motorcycle rally, with Nazis, gun/drug runners and a big surprise for Henry. We also get to meet Lola, the mystery woman that Henry named his car after. Vic shows up for a skeet shooting contest and I love Vic just being Vic, she always adds so much to the story. This is another exciting adventure in the series. Craig Johnson never disappoints me.

I received this as an advanced readers copy through Eidelweiss and the publisher. 

A Spy Called James: The True Story of James Lafayette, Revolutionary War Double Agent by Anne F. Rockwell, Floyd Cooper

        This would be a great book for an elementary school class to read when they study the Revolutionary war. It would let them know that there were slaves that helped form America into what it is by not only the work they had to do as slaves but also by their cunning and bravery. I enjoyed reading about James and I think kids would enjoy it as well. I also liked the illustrations, they are brightly colored and allows you to see the characters as how they would have looked then. It just really added to the overall enjoyment of reading the book.


I received this ebook as an Advanced Readers Copy through Netgalley for an honest review. 

Unraveled (Elemental Assassin #15) by Jennifer Estep

     After finding out Finn inherited a luxury hotel and western theme park. Gin, Owen, Finn, and Bria decide to take a much needed vacation and see exactly what he inherited. Gin is also looking around for clues to who and what the mysterious and apparently very deadly organization, the Circle is, and why her mother was involved with them. They soon find out that this will not be a relaxing vacation as Gin soon gets involved with a lot of killing, a lot of action, and a search for missing gems. The Western theme park with Cowboys and saloon girls made this a really fun book. I always look forward to every book in this series and I'm never disappointed.

Unwanted (from the Elemental Assassin series) by Jennifer Estep

   After reading Bitter Bite I had a lot of anger toward Finn. I won't give any spoilers in case you haven't read Bitter Bite yet but Finn does things in the book that hurts his family and friends and made me not like him much. And even though Gin and the rest had forgiven him, I hadn't. I'm really glad I got an advanced readers copy of Unwanted to read before I moved on to Unraveled the next full book in the Elemental Assassin series. This is a short story that takes place in between Bitter Bite and Unraveled and is Finn's story. Finn is feeling very ashamed and depressed over the mistakes he made in Bitter Bite, over the pain and deaths that were, although unintention, still his fault. When Finn sees a chance to make up for some of that by helping the widow of a coworker that was killed he jumps at it. Without any help from Gin or his other family and friends he decides to deal with a very bad giant all on his own regardless of the fact that he could easily be killed. I'm glad I read this one before moving on to Unraveled because this story allowed me to forgive Finn and be ready to move on to the next story.

I got this as an advanced readers copy through Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.

Serafina and the Twisted Staff by Robert Beatty

Having really enjoyed Serafina and the Black Cloak I had high expectations of this second one in the series. I was not disappointed. I ended up liking this one more than the first. In Serafina and the Black Cloak it took awhile for it to get exciting because you had to get to know Serafina and Biltmore to get involved with what was going on. In this one it's starts right off with plenty of action and excitement and doesn't let up. Serafina is dealing with a new villain who is even more dangerous and scarier than the man in the black cloak. You get to find out more about Serafina's family and more about Serafina herself. There's lots of twists, turns, and surprises in this one as Serena and friends old and new battle the evil that has come to Biltmore and the surrounding mountains.