Audiobook Review: Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas

Author: Jasmine Mas

Narrator: Meg Sylvan, Teddy Hamilton, Aiden Snow, & Tristan Morris
Title: Blood of Hercules

Series: Villains of Lore #1

Genre: Fantasy, Dark Romance, Mythology
Format: Audiobook
Published: August 1, 2024
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Step into the Coliseum at the Spartan War Academy where monsters are made, immortality is won, and even a god can die…

Alexis Hert isn’t a hero, and she certainly isn’t a god. All she’s ever been is a survivor.

But the Fates disagree.

When a blood test leads to her admittance at the Spartan War Academy, she’ll have to do more than merely survive.

Alexis will have to claim her birthright: immortality.

But immortality is a privilege, one earned in the crucible of the academy, where the heroes are villains and classrooms battlegrounds. While gladiators Achilles and Patro, her demanding mentors, hone her into a warrior, Augustus and Kharon, her professors and the brooding heirs to the underworld, haunt her steps and her thoughts.

Because where there are gods, there are bound to be monsters, and there is more than one hunting Alexis…

Review:

This was picked for my book club. I feel like I have heard of this one. The cover and title seemed very familiar. 

Alexis is nothing but a poor girl in the human world. Her life is thrown off track when a blood test leads to her being forced into the Spartan War Academy. This will give her a chance to claim her birthright and join the rest of the gods as an immortal. But immortality is a privilege and has to be earned through the crucible of the academy. Not only will she have to face tough lessons, physical tests, mental tests, and demanding mentors....but monsters and professors are haunting her.

I'm struggling to put sentences together today...so we'll divide and conquer this review. 

The Good

- I liked Alexis a lot. She has a lot of issues, but she can still find some humor in situations. She had me chuckling a few times

- The world was cool. I wouldn't want to live in it, but the mix of mythology and futuristic/post-apocalyptic was refreshing. 

- I adored Hades and Persephone. I hope we see more of them in the next book  

- Loved the animals (no spoilers here) companions!!!!

- Def a dark "romance". Some aspects I liked...some I didn't. Reverse harem is fun! 

- The narrators were lovely. I do wish we had more time with our male cast. 

- That was a good ending. I do want to read more just to see what happens to our cast. 

The Bad and the Ugly

- Honestly, I think we could've done some time skipping. We were in the Crucible FOREVER. Sure, I get it was important to see how bad it was, but there could've been some slimming down a bit. Some spots didn't do anything for anyone. It didn't help the plot, and it didn't add to the badness of the place. 

- The dark romance element left me feeling...unsure. Some aspects I liked, some I didn't. I really hated the scene at the dance.

- Why is every guy in love with her? Yes, I like Alexis....but it gets so old that all the men want her. :S Boring. 

- Possible love...square? IDK. It's hard to explain without spoiling. Curious to see what happens next with this.

Conclusion

So I did enjoy this. It was really long and took a while to get through. There should've been some scenes cut a bit to help move the story along better. Also, there are a lot of trigger warnings in this one since it is a dark romantasy. Def keep that in mind before jumping in. 

Overall, I did like this. Some issues, but it was refreshing. I liked the world (don't sign me up to live in it), and the characters were nice. I do want to read book 2 because of how this ended. I need to know. 

I'll stamp this with 3 stars. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #7

- Library Love #6

- Reading Romance Challenge #5 (2+ Narrators)

Book Review: Apple Pie Promises by Susanne Ash

Author: Susanne Ash

Title: Apple Pie Promises

Series: The Alphabet Sweethearts

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Novella, Short stories

Format: ebook

Pages: 55

Published: January 6, 2025

Where I got It: Kindle Unlimited

Summary: 

She’s all heart. He’s all grump. Together, they’re about to bake up something sweeter than pie.

When Tessa Arden moves to the cozy mountain town of Juniper Falls, she’s determined to honor her late aunt’s memory by entering the annual Harvest Festival Pie Contest. But there’s one little problem. Tessa can’t bake to save her life. Cue the grumpy-yet-irresistible Hale Fletcher, owner of the town’s general store and reluctant baking expert.

Hale prefers solitude to socializing, but something about Tessa’s sunshiney determination pulls him in. Against his better judgment, he agrees to help her tackle her aunt’s award-winning apple pie recipe. As they mix ingredients and swap stories, sparks start to fly in the kitchen—and not just from the oven.

When a meddling rival stirs up trouble, their fragile partnership is tested. Will Tessa’s determination—and Hale’s guarded heart—be enough to turn their unlikely pairing into a recipe for love?

Review:

I was looking for some shorts to read since I've def been in a reading slump. This series sounds adorable, so I grabbed the first couple of the series. 

Here we follow Tessa and Hale. Tessa can't bake to save her life, but she wants to learn so she can honor her late aunt in the pie-baking contest. Enter in grumpy Hale. He knows how to bake, and he doesn't want to teach anyone anything. However, there is something about Tessa, and he agrees to help her. As they sit in the kitchen mixing ingredients and swapping stories....sparks begin to fly between the two. However, there is a meddling rival that could ruin everything. 

This was very sweet and clean.

Hale and Tessa are perfect for each other.

The drama was limited and easily fixed. A little TOO easily fixable. I would've liked a little more here. 

Now I'm hungry and want an apple pie. 

This is a cute town. I want to read more for sure. 

Short, sweet, and perfect for a morning read while you sip your coffee. I'll give this 4 stars. 

Book Review: Murder's a Witch by Danielle Garrett

Author: Danielle Garrett

Title: Murder's a Witch

Series: Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery #1

Genre: Cozy mystery, Paranormal

Format: ebook

Pages: 332

Published: August 9, 2016

Where I got It: Kindle Unlimited

Summary: 

I’m a witch with a problem. Okay, make that lots of problems.

Following a slight misunderstanding with magical law enforcement, I wind up expelled from the hidden supernatural community known as the Seattle Haven. My parole office dumps me in a tiny beach town with nothing but my collection of worldly possessions and a warning that this is my last shot.

I don’t think I’m cut out for the human world, but when stuck between a prison cell and a haunted halfway house, I suppose I’ll take option B.

Things start out better than expected, I even manage to make a few friends, but when my boss at the local coffee house is found dead in an alley, I get tangled up in the investigation, and might have to blow my cover to prove my friend’s innocence.

Add to that a fussy ghost landlady, warring vampire and shifter roommates, and my rapidly dwindling savings, and I’m beginning to wonder if I might have been better off serving that prison sentence after all.

It’s too late now. I’m in the thick of it and come hex or high water, I’ll get to the bottom of this murder, even if it means permanent banishment from the magical world.

Review:

Been meaning to read more by this author, especially since I finished a different series. I picked up this one. I believe the two are in the same world. I could be wrong. My poor brain can't remember anything lately. 

Here we follow Holly, who has landed in this small town. This is her last chance to reform. She is determined to find happiness and be done. She likes this town and some of the people. Things seem to have found a lovely pace until her grumpy boss is found murdered and her bestie is accused. She will need to figure out the truth! On top of this murder mystery, she has to keep a snoopy PI away from her home and figure out if the flirty shifter is actually interested or playing games. Lots to do. Not a lot of time to do it. 

Oh no.

Eeeek!

I'll just spit it out!

I wasn't a fan of this one. *hides*

Holly was meh. 

The shifter was annoying. 

I did like some of the side characters, like Cass. And some of the banter was cute. 

There is a whiff of a love triangle, and I don't care for any of the angles of the triangle. Meh.

The mystery really wasn't a mystery. Either the cops in this town don't care, or they flat out suck. C'mon. 

I did hold on and finished it because I had hope in my heart, but alas...the hope was let down.

Eeee. Maybe I'll try book 2 because I do like this author a lot. Sighs.

I'll give this 2 stars JUST because some of the side characters and the town. Some cute banter can be found in this tale. 

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: I Love You Like It's 1999 by AJ Pine

By: A. J. Pine

Narrated by: Helen Laser, J.F. Harding

Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins

Release date: 08-21-25

Publisher: Audible Originals

Categories: Romance

Kendra is 40+ and suddenly finds herself in 1999 and being 19 again. Luckily for her someone spots her in Block Buster and realises that she is a fellow time traveller. See Jordan, also 40+, is 20 now and the thing is it is always -99, he has been there for quite some time and the year never changes, things never move forward. Life sort of just goes on in a longer time loop.

But how are they in -99? Kendra wants back home, Jordan is settled. And romance blossoms between them.

They both have things to learn.

I liked it. I wanted to know how they got there and if they could get back home? Or was it limbo? Were they dead? Maybe not since it is a romance.

Good narration too

Kate Kendrick is having an epically bad day when a glowing Blockbuster catches her eye on the commute home. She could have sworn there was an abandoned building there just yesterday, and didn't Blockbuster go out of business years ago? Curiosity piqued, she steps inside the bustling store and whoosh! She's transported back to the year 1999 with no idea how to get back to her old life.

Jordan Dale works at the One Hour Photo Processing Shop next to Blockbuster, and he can't believe it when their paths cross. A time traveler himself, he's been living in the '90s for a while now, and this is the first time he's met anyone else from the future he's been all too happy to escape. As he helps Kate adjust to their new reality, sparks fly. Trouble is, Kate desperately wants to go back to her time while Jordan wants to stay. Will they find their happily ever after in the past or the present, and what if the choice isn't theirs to make?