A to Z Challenge Book Reviews

My Languishing TBR: F #AtoZChallenge2022 #Books #Bookreview

F is for Forty

This year I’m taking a break from Faerie and doing an A to Z of my TBR (to be read) list instead. Each letter will have books starting with that letter on my list, a book I’ve read and reviewed (with the review!) and one of my books matching the letter with a link about more info about the book. I’ve decided not to include words like “A”, “The” and “An” during this challenge.

Learn more about the A-Z Challenge here.

My TBR

About the Book I’ve Read

I was looking for small town witches on Amazon when I found this series: Forty is Fabulous.

A new Paranormal Women’s Fiction adventure for those who believe that finding your true self late in life is a blessing, not a curse—even if it turns out you may actually be cursed.

After finding my soon-to-be ex-husband together with my soon-to-be ex-assistant, I realize his “for better or for worse” didn’t include my forties.

An extended vacation on a remote Italian island sounds like the perfect antidote to a midlife crisis—until I arrive. I’m expecting Chianti and pasta. What I get is a run-down bed and breakfast with the oldest Nonna in existence.

There’s something about this island. Something odd. Like how everyone keeps calling me Mamma or how I’m the first tourist in decades.

And that’s before I wake up to a talking chipmunk holding a glass of wine. He says I have something ancient in me, and for once, it’s not my creaking joints.

When I finally discover the island’s deepest secrets, I know my forties are about to be fabulous, if only I can survive long enough to enjoy them.

Fans of K.F. Breene, Robyn Peterman, and Shannon Mayer will love this new twist on paranormal women’s fiction. For those who enjoy their characters a little gritty and seasoned, like a fine Italian wine, book a trip to Aradia now and experience a whole new, magical world! 

Check it out on Goodreads.

It’s a short story about Ava’s vision the first time she astral projects with Manu on her way to see the Council.

TRIGGER NOTE: If you don’t read the short story, you won’t miss anything in the main arc of Making Midlife Madness. It simply deepens the relationship between Ava and the god in the cave. But if you do choose to read it, please know the novella is grittier than Ava’s story thus far. Be prepared for blood, sex, glory, and even an ancient Roman recipe for honey fritters. If you’re cool with that, then carry on!

Check it out on Goodreads.

It took Ava forty years to discover her identity. It took the Council ten minutes to decide she was a threat.

I’ve survived my forties long enough to discover I’m cursed. Figuring out how to break the curse is a whole other problem.

My arrival in Aradia set off a series of unexplainable events—the veil breaking down, ghosts arriving by the shipload, and Kristoff becoming…beautiful? Now, the dying god has finally started dying, and everyone fears his re-birth.

Fortunately, I have my new found powers and my Siren Squad to help me. Only, I have no idea how to actually use my powers, and the Council arrested me on sight.

At least, I don’t have time to think about my ex or to wallow in my misery. In fact, getting divorced at the age of forty doesn’t seem so hard anymore.

There’s nothing like an angry archon hell-bent on global destruction to give me a little perspective.

Check it out on Goodreads.

To prevent the next great war between the gods and supernaturals, Ava had one job. To keep her sons far, far away from Aradia.

Then why are they sitting next to her, enjoying their own Italian getaway?

Back home, they’re Josh and Jacob, two average college freshmen with a propensity for pranks. In Ava’s world, they are the She-Wolf’s twins, feared and fated to rise—or fell—great empires.

Nonna swears it’s fine. They’re safest here on Aradia. That’s why she invited them to celebrate their eighteenth birthday with their mother.

But it doesn’t feel fine. Suddenly, the sleeping god’s voice is getting stronger, whispering in the shadows and speaking in dreams. And there are many who are listening.

Ava has finally begun to master her powers, and for the first time, she feels strong enough to protect her sons—from the Council, from evil mages, and even from the gods themselves.

Her only hope is that she isn’t mistaken. 

Check it out on Goodreads.

The final installment in the Forty Is Fabulous adventure series!

Everything Ava ever learned about herself is a lie. Now, she must stop the ancient gods from rising again and protect her sons. But who can she trust if she can’t even trust herself?

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

Making Midlife Magic

I liked the use of mythology and the paranormal in this book.

Witches, supernatural creatures, ghosts, talking animals, two hunky men – and an island that has it in for her. What’s not to love?

There were quite a few inconsistencies and things that didn’t make sense (her husband’s girlfriend booking her vacation, the lion being sheered yet she wears his coat like a cape – dark, was he skinned?, not yet being divorced yet going on dates with the town’s hotties, etc.). It didn’t detract from the overall story, though.

I’m not a fan of the cliff-hanger ending as the Council and their duties weren’t clear yet – and it was unclear what crimes she’d committed.

A fun, funny read.

4 unicorn star rating

Making Midlife Memories

I liked the twist with Cleopatra and Marc Antony.

But the constant sex, the assaults from the nameless god, and not enough grounding to the past as the She Wolf or the person she is in modern times, connecting and explaining the curse, was a bit tedious.

3 unicorn star rating

Making Midlife Madness

I enjoyed the romance subplot – especially Ava figuring out that she needs to learn to be herself before entering into a new relationship.

I liked the magic and how the Council became her number one enemy – talk about authority issues!

And the ending… Priceless.

A fun, laugh-out-loud read.

5 unicorn star rating

Making Midlife Mistakes

A thrilling, fun read. So many twists and surprises.

What irked me was the god who stalked her who can’t keep his hands to himself – in any of her lifetimes.

The end…! Ava had gone through so much and now that she might’ve been victorious only to know the truth… Epic.

Can’t wait to read the next book.

5 unicorn star rating

Making Midlife Marvels

An exciting conclusion to the series. I liked all the various types of magic and the way the Tablets are almost alive. The twist on the Sirens was interesting.

The ending and all it entails was almost perfect as it tied up all the loose ends – and gave way to another adventure to start.

I liked that Ava was able to do all the things she should do the way a heroine does – with family.

A bit more blood and gore than in the previous books, though, more on par with the novella that came before.

4 unicorn star rating

My Book

The Fae Realm

I hope you enjoyed this. For more books I’ve read and reviewed, check out either my Pinterest board about reviews or my Goodreads profile. Alternatively, you can check out my reviews on BookBub. Have you read any of the books? Loved or hated any of them?

*FYI, my reviews are my honest opinion and if something bothers me, I tell it straight. How else will anything change? My opinions are based on being a voracious reader and book buyer, not an attack on the author.*

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11 thoughts on “My Languishing TBR: F #AtoZChallenge2022 #Books #Bookreview”

  1. I have read From Where You Dream and highly recommend it. All those lovely books on your TBR–I have a huge one, too, and some days I wish I could stop doing other life things and just read!

  2. It’s been years since I read Fahrenheit 451, but it’s one of those books that I’m glad to have read because I understand references to it in popular culture. I devoured a bunch of Lisa Jewell’s books in early 2020 — The Family Upstairs was one.

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