Tangled Up by Tia Louise

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Tangled Up is a trek through complicated history and heartbreaking present. Louise guides emotions through the suspense of first love and the unpredictable twists and turns of life. Temptation runs deep but so does heartache and betrayal. Carly and Beck are a maze of heartache trapped behind what if and maybe this time. Their dance is a soul burner of intrigue that proves to be as captivating as it is painful.



View all my reviews

Trouble by Tia Louise

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Danger with a capital "D". Spencer and Jocelyn push the envelope with their intensity. Louise grabs hold of the senses with heartstopping accuracy and then sets about claiming the heart. Heat, humor and intrigue are a saucy combination that puts the " T" in trouble and the "S" in spicy. Addiction is only a page turn away.



View all my reviews

Reckless Kiss by Tia Louise

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Prepare to be swept away. Reckless Kiss rages in like a fierce storm and sets fire to the soul. Deacon and Angel are a beautiful tragedy that long to have so much more. Louise lets emotions do the talking and the characters are just along for the ride. Powerful, unpredictable and unforgettable will take your breath away.



View all my reviews

Title: Wonder Woman: Warbringer the Graphic Novel

Series: DC Icons #1

Authors: Leigh Bardugo, Louise Simonson, Kit Seaton

Published Date: January 7, 2020

Publisher: DC Comics

Format: Paperback

Page Count: 208 pages

Source: Library

Date Read: June 26, 2020

Review

I was gifted the audiobook (CDs) a few years ago, but wasn't interested in listening to this version. I picked up the ebook when it was on sale a while ago, and never felt in the mood to start it. So when I saw this version in my library I decided to go for it and have it fill a prompt on the SRP. I'm so glad I did - it was a great story but also streamlined for my attention span. 

The story opens with Diana preparing for an important race to help her improve her standing with some of her Amazon sisters, especially her mother's right hand woman/#1 general who has an unfounded hate towards Diana because she was created differently than the rest of the island's inhabitants. On her way to winning the race, Diana notices a ship that 1)broke through the barrier separating the island from the World of Man and 2) the ship was on fire and going down quickly. She leaves the race and jumps into the water in the hopes of saving those onboard. There was only one survivor, an older teen named Alia. Alia is the descendent of Helen of Troy and as such, she is a Warbringer. 

Diana and Alia work to find out how to stop the people who are hunting Alia as well as help Alia redeem her ancestors/stop the Warbringer bloodline. There are others on the team: Jason (Alia's brother), Theo (friend of the family), and Nim (Alia's BFF who deserves her own series!). This is a coming of age story nestled in a journey to Greece and the resting place of Helen. On the way there is romance, really great one-liners, and some deep topics brought up (race, sexism, capitalism, etc). 

Overall, it was fun and adventurous story that added to my love of Wonder Woman. 

I thought of all of this as I lay in the high, damp grass of the churchyard, listening for the sound of pursuers. Tiny insects plied their trades, bustling to and fro like costermongers setting up stall on market day. The smell of earth and meadows reminded me of childhood and I remembered listening to my brothers’ calls as they searched for me one long hot afternoon. I’d watched them from my hiding place, refusing to be found, relishing the power concealment brought. It was a long time since I’d thought of those days and the remembrance added to my unease, for surely every man remembers his beginnings when he is about to die.

I had two reasons for picking this book: 1. The reference to Marlowe (author of Tamburlaine the Great) and 2. that cover. 

Other than that I knew nothing about the book when starting this. 

As it turns out, this is a novella about the last few days in Christopher Marlowe's life but it is also story of crime, plague, vengeance, betrayal, and a ultimately also a bit of a mystery.

There were a few things that didn't work for me: we're thrown right into the story, without any introduction, and the speed of the story seems to just rush through events. 

Now part of the problem I had may have been because this is such a short work. It could have done with more ... story, more time to unfold the story.

However, part of what I liked about it, too, was that it was pacy and seemed to have been told in haste, which makes perfect sense by the end of the book. 

In any case, I look forward to reading more by Welsh. I really appreciated her tone and interjection of a somewhat poetic style which, no doubt, was to fit with Marlowe as the narrator. I really want to find out how her writing compares in other books, and whether / how she develops her characters in full-length novels. 

Last night I received a summons to a house in Deptford. There I will be held to accounts, which cannot be squared. Life is frail and I may die today. But Tamburlaine knows no fear. My candles are done, the sky glows red and it looks as if the day is drenched in blood. I finish this account and prepare for battle in the sureness that life is the only prize worth having and the knowledge that there are worse fates than damnation. If these are the last words I write, let them be,

 

A Curse on Man and God.