Sophia Rose Reviews: Two Witches and a Whiskey by Annette Marie

 

Two Witches and a Whiskey by Annette Marie

#3 Guild Codex: Spellbound

Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  Dark Owl Fantasy

Published:  2.8.19

Pages: 281

Rating: 4 stars

Format: ebook

Source:  KU borrow

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

GoodReads Synopsis:

Three months ago, I landed a job as a bartender. But not at a bar—at a guild. Yeah, the magic kind.

I'm not a badass mage like my three smokin' hot best friends. I'm not a sorcerer or an alchemist, or even a wussy witch. I'm just a human, slinging drinks like a pro and keeping my non-magical nose out of mythic business. Seriously, I know my limits.

So why am I currently standing in a black-magic ritual circle across from a fae lord?

Somewhere behind me, my three mage friends are battling for their lives. Somewhere near my feet is the rogue witch I just knocked out with a stolen spell. And I have about five seconds to convince this very angry sea god not to shmoosh me like a bug.

I'm pretty sure this wasn't part of the job description.

 

Sophia Rose Reviews: Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop

 

Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop

#1 Isle of Wyrd

Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  Ace

Published:  11.11.25

Pages: 528

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  NetGalley

Sellers: Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads 

GoodReads Synopsis:

A young detective investigating crimes of the uncanny will learn that bargains can change your fate—for good or ill—in this darkly enthralling fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of the Others and the Black Jewels series.

Words have power. Intentions matter.

Most people come to Destiny Park for entertainment. They come to have their cards read to tell them a bit about their future. They come to walk through a beautiful park and to eat at the hotel’s restaurant. They come in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Arcana, the paranormal beings who rule the Isle of Wyrd.

But some people come to make a bargain with the Arcana—to change their fate. And some people come for dark purposes.

When Detective Beth Fahey is sent to Destiny Park to inquire about a “ghost gun,” she will begin a strange journey on which she must learn to navigate the Arcana’s unforgiving laws and dangerous attractions. Her search will draw her into seemingly impossible cases and the secrets of her own past as tensions rise between the Arcana and their human neighbors across the river.

For the Isle of Wyrd is a place where the dead ride trains to their final destinations, predators literally become prey, and seekers’ true natures are revealed in the ripples of destiny unknowingly stirred in their wakes.

Who will live? Who will die? And who will be lost in between?

Sophia Rose Reviews: Presidential Seclusion: The Power of Camp David by Charles Ferguson

 

Presidential Seclusion: The Power of Camp David by Charles Ferguson

Non-Fiction, Political History, Biography

Publisher:  Prometheus Books

Published: 11.4.25

Pages:  216

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: Hardback

Source:  The Globe Pequot

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

Behind the gates of Camp David—where presidents find solitude, forge diplomacy, and shape history in absolute secrecy.

The Presidential Retreat Camp David is shrouded in mystery, and rightfully so. The hidden retreat atop the Catoctin Mountains is the one place the President, First Family, and invited guests can gather in absolute secrecy for relaxation, rejuvenation, and world-changing decisions. Because of this dedication to privacy, and a desire to maintain the mystery and exclusivity of the last bastion of solitude for the President, few comprehensive accounts exist detailing the storied history of Camp David and the role the “Spirit of Camp David” plays in world affairs.
 
Presidential Seclusion provides an exclusive account of the mysterious and storied retreat. Extensively researched from Presidential Archives as well as from the pages of Presidential memoirs, this non-partisan, informative account weaves exclusive stories into a tapestry revealing the importance of Camp David on diplomacy and world history. Written by the former Camp David Historian, this personalized tour of the exclusive retreat makes tree-shrouded trails, majestic vistas, and rooms where history happened over the last 80 years accessible to everyone. As you read, the “Spirit of Camp David” is revealed to infuse everyone who works and visits the President’s private mountain retreat, mainly how Camp David personally affected its primary guests, the fifteen First Families fortunate to call the private retreat a second home.

 

Sophia Rose Reviews: Dark Arts and a Daiquiri by Annette Marie

 

Dark Arts and a Daiquiri by Annette Marie

#2 Guild Codex: Spellbound

Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  Self-Published

Published:  11.16.18

Pages:  308

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: ebook

Source:  KU borrow

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

When I found myself facing down the scariest black-magic felon in the city, practically daring him to abduct me, I had to wonder exactly how I ended up here.

It all started when I accidentally landed a job as a bartender--but not at a bar. At a guild, populated by mages, sorcerers, alchemists, witches, and psychics. Good thing this lame-o human is adaptable, right?

Then my favorite guild members--three sexy, powerful, and intermittently charming mages--asked for my help. Did they want access to my encyclopedic knowledge of cocktails? Oh no. They wanted to wrap me up in a pretty ribbon and plunk me in the crosshairs of a murderous rogue to lure him out of hiding.

So that's what we did. And that's why I'm here. About to be kidnapped. Oh, and our grand plan for safely capturing said murderous rogue? Yeah, that completely fell apart about two minutes ago.

Why did I agree to this again?

--
Note: The three mages are definitely sexy, but this series isn't a reverse harem. It's 100% fun, sassy, fast-paced urban fantasy.

 

Sophia Rose Reviews: All the Dead Shall Weep by Charlaine Harris, narrated by full cast

 

All the Dead Shall Weep by Charlaine Harris, narrated by full cast

#5 Gunnie Rose

Alternate History, Fantasy

Publisher:  Graphic Audio

Published:  3.31.25

Time:  6 hours 5 minutes

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: Dramatized Adaption

Source:  Library borrow

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

Lizbeth Rose and Felicia as well as brothers Eli and Peter, are reunited in Texoma only to break apart before the Wizard’s Ball held in San Diego, which will determine all their fates.

Following the murderous events of the “gripping…thrill-ride” (Karin Slaughter) Serpent of Heaven, Lizbeth Rose is awaiting the arrival of her sister Felicia and her husband’s younger brother Eli in Texoma. Both needed to leave the seat of the Holy Russian Empire in San Diego after Felicia’s burgeoning wizardly power in death magic became the reason for kidnapping and assassination attempts from her mother’s family of high-powered wizards in Mexico.

Yet bad news has traveled ahead of them, as Eli is called back to San Diego, taking Peter along with him, splitting them apart in more ways than one as their enemies’ plans for revenge come to fruition. In this fifth installment in the beloved and bestselling Gunnie Rose series, #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris has crafted a family drama of murderous and magical thrills.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Happy Thanksgiving from my home to yours. This year I'm so thankful for my family who continue to support me, for my friends who are the family I choose and for my very special blog partner Sophia Rose who keeps this blog going.

I'm also thankful to have read my first book in over a year.

I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving 

and don't eat too much Turkey :)

Sophia Rose Reviews: Talk Cowboy to Me by Carolyn Brown, narrated by Brian Hutchinson

 

Talk Cowboy to Me by Carolyn Brown, narrated by Brian Hutchinson

#4 Lucky Cowboys

Contemporary Romance

Publisher:  Recorded Books

Published:  4.22.25

Time:  8 hours 54 minutes

Speed: 1.2xs

Rating: 4 stars

Format: audio

Source: won

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

For Remington Luckadeu, The Double Deuce Ranch is the perfect place to raise his two boys. But some fiery woman is fighting him for it, and Remington is not sharing—no matter how the sparks fly when he and Adele O’Donnell are together

One cowboy. One cowgirl. One ranch.

Who will win the Double Deuce by the Fourth of July?

When Double Deuce Ranch has two prospective buyers, owner Walter Jones decides to let the two run the ranch together to see who comes out on top. Adele O’Donnell and Remington Luckadeau roll up their sleeves for the fight of their lives.

Ready to battle it out over cleaning stalls, milking cows, and training horses, neither expects the attraction that grows between them. Can the two of them change from enemies to more than friends? And what happens when Walter returns to find the two have come up with their own solution for who gets the ranch?