Blog Tour – Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

September 15, 2023/16 Comments/by Suzanne

Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

Published by Berkley Romance on September 12, 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 320
Source: Netgalley
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FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I started my spooky season reading with vampires and now it’s time to bring some witches into the mix. I chose Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland as my first witchy read of the season, in part because of that gorgeous cover and also because it features elemental magic, which I love. It also features a romance that is complicated by secrets, as well as a family dynamic that is complicated by grief. If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that all of those elements are like catnip for me!

At the center of this story are the women of the Flores family. Legend has it that many years ago a Flores woman offended the old gods and caused all of her female descendants to be cursed with magical powers. Sage Flores is the protagonist of the story and her magical abilities are tied to plants. Nicknamed the “Plant Whisperer,” Sage can identify any plant and not only that but she can actually communicate with them. Sage’s sister, Teal, has powers that tie her emotions to the weather — extreme emotions equal extreme weather conditions. Lastly, younger sister Sky’s magic allowed her to communicate with animals.

When the story opens, we meet Sage as she has just been fired from her job and is headed back to her hometown. Sage is not looking forward to this because she has been estranged from Teal ever since the death of Sky eight years earlier. Teal holds Sage responsible for their sister’s death and wants nothing to do with her. What we also learn about Sage in these opening scenes is that Sky is actually haunting her, following her around and leaving her gifts of coffee. Sky is trapped here and wants Sage to find a way to mend fences with Teal, in hopes that will allow her spirit to move on. Needless to say, emotions run high between the two remaining sisters as they come face to face after so many years apart.

Sage isn’t just being haunted by her sister though. She’s also being haunted by her past, in the form of Tennessee Reyes, a boy she had a crush on in high school who broke her heart. When Sage takes a job with the Cranberry Rose Company to hunt for unique plant specimens, she ends up partnered with Tennessee. Being with Tennessee brings back so many memories for Sage and as she starts to grow closer to him all over again, she knows she has to tell him a secret that she has kept from him for nearly a decade. I loved how the author has their relationship unfold, through the use of both present day scenes and through flashbacks from their high school days.

I really loved everything about this book. The story grabbed my attention from the opening scenes and I flew through it in just a couple of sittings because I was so invested in Sage’s journey. She’s a messy and flawed character, but she grows so much throughout the course of the book, both in terms of her relationship with her sister and her relationship with Tennessee. The writing was also just so gorgeous. I loved all of the nature vibes and the descriptions of the magic. It was truly an enchanting read!

Thanks so much to Kristin Cipolla and Berkley Romance for the opportunity to take part in the blog tour to promote Witch of Wild Things! It’s available now so be sure to pick up a copy!

About Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

Raquel Vasquez Gilliland is a Mexican American poet, novelist, and painter. She received an MFA in poetry from the University of Alaska, Anchorage in 2017. She’s most inspired by fog and seeds and the lineages of all things. When not writing, Raquel tells stories to her plants and they tell her stories back. She lives in Tennessee with her beloved family and mountains. Raquel has published two books of poetry. Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything is her first novel.

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Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Trap & The Drowning Woman

September 14, 2023/12 Comments/by Sharon

Hi everyone! Sharon here and it is time for Thriller Thursday! This week I am excited to share my thoughts on Catherine Ryan Howard’s, The Trap and Robyn Harding’s, The Drowning Woman.

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Trap & The Drowning Woman

The Trap Goodreads

Author: Catherine Ryan Howard

Publication Date: August 1, 2023

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard was inspired by the unsolved disappearance of women in Ireland in the 1990’s. The story follows three different perspectives. Lucy, who has taken matters into her own hands as she tries to find out what happened to her sister, Nicki, who disappeared a year ago after leaving a pub in Dublin. Angela, who works in the missing person’s unit and desperately wants to be a full fledge member of An Garda Síochána, the Irish police force and is pulled into the cases of three women who have disappeared in the Dublin area. And then we have the unsub, driving through the night with his latest victim in the back of his car. He is telling her his story, from his home life, to what started him on this road to kidnapping women.

Out of the three POV’s, the Unsub’s was my favorite. I got the chills while reading his chapters and listening to his story, all the while knowing there is another victim in his car. I could just feel her terror, and I was getting claustrophobic imagining being her in the back of that car with no way out listening to this man tell his story.

I had a lot of sympathy for Lucy. I know if one of my sisters was missing and the police were not getting anywhere finding her, I would be doing anything and everything to find her, just as Lucy was. Yes, some of the things she was doing were dangerous, but she was determined to get answers.

Angela was a tough cookie. I really liked her determination to prove herself and finally getting on the police force. When she found herself pulled into the investigation of the missing women, she knew this could make or break her chances. Angela is working with Garda detective, Denise Pope, who does not always do things by the book. I really liked watching them work together to figure out what happened to the missing women.

Catherine Ryan Howard did a great job in creating these characters as well as bringing their storylines together.

The Trap was an edge of my seat, fast paced read, that kept me turning the pages. I could not wait to find out how everything was going to end. And OMG! what an ending it was. I so did not anticipate how this book was going to conclude. My jaw was literally hanging open. I have loved everything I have read by Catherine Ryan Howard. The Nothing Man was my favorite, but now that is my second favorite, and The Trap has jumped to the number one spot. 4 ½ stars

The Drowning Woman Goodreads

Author: Robyn Harding

Publication Date: June 13, 2023

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Robyn Harding’s The Drowning Woman is a twisty mystery that follows two women, Lee Gulliver and Hazel Laval, who are both trying to escape their past and they form an unlikely friendship. Lee is homeless and living in her car in Seattle. She never thought this would be her life, but after her restaurant went under during covid, Lee had to flee New York due to her owing money to a very unsavory character. Hazel is married to a wealthy criminal attorney, but her life is anything but roses. Hazel’s husband is abusive and will never let her leave of her own accord. Lee and Hazel meet when Hazel is trying to drown herself, but Lee pulls her out of the water and saves her. The women form a friendship and share their secrets with each other. Hazel then asks Lee to help her disappear. At first Lee is apprehensive, but after learning the abuse Hazel lives with, she agrees. But Lee soon learns that Hazel may not be the friend she pretended to be and not everything is as it seems.

This story is broken up into four parts. Parts one and three are from Lee’s POV and parts two and four are from Hazel’s POV. I loved how Harding presented the book this way. Each part ended in a twist that had me craving to find out what was going to happen.

I felt closer to Lee than I did to Hazel. I think it is because of the fact that the book starts with Lee’s POV, and we learn more about her first. And when we get the twist at the end of that first part, I was like “Hazel you bitch!” So, by the time I got to Hazel’s POV, I already didn’t like her. Lol! Though by the end of her part, I did warm to her some.

I liked how strong and resourceful Lee was. She was a bit too trusting at times though. The more Hazel was telling Lee about her plan and what she needed Lee to do, the alarm bells went off in my head. I wanted to scream “No Lee, do not do it!”

I did feel for Hazel, even though I did not like her much. Her husband was abusive and controlling, and the more I learned about her situation, I understood why she just couldn’t walk away from him. One main reason was that Hazel’s mother had Alzheimer’s and was living in a nursing home, which her husband was paying for and if she left him he would stop paying and her mother would have nowhere to go. I just wish she went about things differently.

The Drowning Woman is full of twists and turns that kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. 4 stars

Top Ten Tuesday – Some of My Favorite Friendships in Books

September 12, 2023/26 Comments/by Suzanne

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!

This week’s TTT topic is Favorite Character Relationships (These can be platonic or not. Romantic relationships, parent/child, siblings, family bonds, friendships, found families, pet/human, etc.). I decided it would be fun to share some of my favorite friendships in books that I’ve read. I love friendships that feel like family and I think most of these fit that bill. They might tease and give each other hell, but when it comes down to it, they always have each other’s back.