B's Monday Review: The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed

By: Premee Mohamed

Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio

Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins

Release date: 11-25-25 by Tantor Media

Fantasy/to review

A country has been brutally conquered by a tyrant. Veris is just trying to live her life when they come for her.

There is a forest nearby, and if you enter you will not return. Everyone knows to stay clear, but then the tyrants two children go into the woods. And Veris is the only person who has gone in and come out...

So it is go in and die, come out without them and die. It is a forest filled with horror, strange beings and if you stay more than a day you can not return. It is a race against time, monsters and her own memories.

It was short, which I liked. In and out. The the horrors unfold. An interesting story.

Great narration. I felt she did Veris very well and really got the feel for her

At the northern edge of a land ruled by a merciless foreign tyrant lies a wild, forbidden forest ruled by powerful magic.

Veris Thorn—the only one to ever enter the forest and survive—is forced to go back inside to retrieve the tyrant's missing children. Inside await traps and trickery, ancient monsters, and hauntings of the past.

One day is all Veris is afforded. One misstep will cost everything.

Book Review: Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher

Author: T. Kingfisher

Title: Snake-Eater

Genre: Paranormal, UF, Horror, Fantasy, Mystery

Format: ebook

Pages: 267

Expected Publication: December 1, 2025

Where I got It: Kindle Unlimited

Summary: 

ith only a few dollars to her name and her beloved dog Copper by her side, Selena flees her past in the city to claim her late aunt’s house in the desert town of Quartz Creek. The scorpions and spiders are better than what she left behind.

Because in Quartz Creek, there’s a strange beauty to everything, from the landscape to new friends, and more blue sky than Selena’s ever seen. But something lurks beneath the surface. Like the desert gods and spirits lingering outside Selena’s house at night, keeping watch. Mostly benevolent, says her neighbor Grandma Billy. That doesn’t ease the prickly sense that one of them watches too closely and wants something from Selena she can’t begin to imagine. And when Selena’s search for answers leads her to journal entries that her aunt left behind, she discovers a sinister truth about her new home: It’s the haunting grounds of an ancient god known simply as “Snake-Eater,” who her late aunt made a promise to that remains unfulfilled.

Snake-Eater has taken a liking to Selena, an obsession of sorts that turns sinister. And now that Selena is the new owner of his home, he’s hell-bent on collecting everything he’s owed.

Review:

I stumbled upon this while looking for something else. Amazon Unlimited allowed some folks to read this in advance of publication, so that was exciting! Weeeee! I really need more of T Kingfisher's books in my life. 

Here we have Selena, who is abandoning her old life to claim her late aunt's house in the desert town of Quartez Creek. Everything is so new and strange, but so beautiful. The neighbors are lovely and she loves the quiet. However, there is something lingering outside of Selena's house at night.....keeping watch. Her neighbor, Grandma Billy, says it is mainly benevolent, but Selena can't shake the feeling there is more to this story. She soon discovers the sinister truth about an ancient god known as Snake-Eater. 

You never know what to expect from this author. There are always so many twists and turns. You just never know where the story is headed next, and I simply LOVE that. 

I will say this wasn't as haunting or even creepy as some of the other stories I've read by her. It still had some creepiness, but this felt a bit more calm. Not complaining! The last one has scarred me a bit hahahahaha. This had an odd sense of...coziness to it. Yes, there is mystery and fantasy and horror, but I loved the cozy vibes given off. I loved that Selena was finding her voice and finding new friends. They were so sweet. 

What else??? Eeeek. I don't want to spoil anything!!!!

This was a fun story. Not my favorite by the author, but I still really enjoyed it. It had a great cast of characters and a nice spooky, but comfy vibe. I def recommend this. 

4 stars. 

Audiobook Review: Against the Clock by Brittany Kelley

Author: Brittany Kelley

Narrator: Greyson Ash, Lee Samuels
Title: Against the Clock

Series: Wilmington Football #1

Genre: Sports Romance, Contemporary
Format: Audiobook
Published: April 6, 2023
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)

Summary: 

I'll never date a football player— but all the veteran quarterback wants? Me.

Daniel

My life’s defined by my long career as a quarterback. I’m determined to have a great season, because I’m not sure how many I have left. But when I slam into gorgeous reporter Kelsey Cole on the sidelines, my focus on the game takes a backseat to my fascination with her. She’s tiny, smart, and fierce, and she makes me feel young again. Only one problem: she hates football—with good reason, too. Still, you don’t become a champion quarterback without learning how to fight for what you want.

Football’s always come first, but Kelsey might be the one to change that.

Kelsey

The last thing I need is to get involved with huge and handsome quarterback Daniel Harrison. Under all those muscles he’s hiding charm and a surprising intellect— an irresistible combination. I can’t deny our chemistry, but I can’t stand what he does for a living. Not to mention, once the internet starts shipping us, the spotlight becomes unbearable.

The fans will hate me even more when they find out I’m writing a piece that could leave the league they love in shambles.

There’s no future for the hot quarterback and I— so why can’t I say goodbye?

Review:

One of my private goals was to read a football romance at some point this year. Earlier this year, I realized I hadn't read many football romances over the years. Mainly, hockey ones. So I decided I wanted to try and read one or two this year. I found this little one on Audible. 

Here we follow Kelsey and Daniel. Daniel is a veteran quarterback who is nearing the end of his career. Kelsey is a reporter who wants nothing to do with football or football players. One day, while she is on the sideline working on her investigative piece, Daniel accidentally runs into her. To make it up to her, he takes her out for some grub. There is an attraction, but it seems impossible. 

At first, I thought this was going to be such a shallow love story. The lust and love happened SO fast. Too fast to be perfectly frank. However, we did get some depth! I was happy as a clam. Again, the lust and love happen quickly, but they have a lot of trauma and trust to dig through. Kelsey has some good reasons why she hates the football world. And Daniel is having some personal and career questions. I'm happy that we did get the depth. It helped flush out the story a bit. 

The beginning was slightly cringy. There is no way that scene would've played out. The quarterback would've helped her up and run off. I could be wrong, and maybe the clock would've paused to make sure there wasn't an injury on the sidelines. I don't think so, though. 

I am bummed that we didn't learn more about the piece that Kelsey wrote about the cheerleaders and how they were being mistreated by the league. I wanted to know what she found. It was sooooo glossed over. The next book stars one of the cheerleaders, so maybe we'll learn more than?? 

The narrators did a lovely job. I would've liked more time with the male narrator. I think Daniel needed more time in the spotlight. 

Overall, I did have fun with this story. It was super, DUPER spicy, and I think I would fall for Daniel too. What a sweetheart!!!!! I loved the depth we were given, but the love and lust were waaaay too quick. We needed more time to see them develop this. Maybe date 2? LOL, I also wanted to see more of Kelsey's work being shown and talked about. Just a hair more. Maybe this will be talked about more in book 2, which I am curious about. 

I'll stamp this with 3 stars.

 Challenge(s):

- Audiobook #58

Book Review: The Princess and the Pea by Victoria Alexander

Author: Victoria Alexander

Title: The Princess & the Pea

Genre: Historical Romance, Fairy Tale retelling

Format: Paperback

Pages: 354 

Published: January 1, 2009 

Where I got It: My shelf (Used book store)

Summary: 

A true American princess, Cecily White stood to inherit her father’s business empire. And with the twentieth century right around the corner, the independent beauty had no intention of marrying some foreign nobleman seeking her money. Then on a trip to England, Cece fell under the spell of a dashing peer who had more to recommend him than the length of his title and the size of his countinghouse. But Cece wouldn’t surrender her heart to the virile Earl of Graystone until he proved that the only treasure he wanted was her love.

Review:

I picked this up forever ago, and it has just been collecting dust on my bookshelf. Yayy for reading challenges to get me to pick up these dusty books!!

Here we follow Cecily and Jared. Cecily is a true American princess who stands to inherit her father's business empire. She is everything society wants: beautiful, rich, and polite. However, she is independent and has no desire but to marry for love. Especially those poor English peers that only have a title and debt in their pockets. However, there is something about Jared, the Earl of Graystone, that she can't resist. 

This story started off swell. I really enjoyed it. Cece was a gem, and I liked Jared. They were perfect for each other, but they literally "fell in love" like immediately. Luckily, there were a lot of issues, and Cece isn't an empty-headed fool. He needs to earn her and really show he loves her. GOOD. He's a fortune-hunter...no better than the girls of the ton. 

I think my biggest issue was how modern everyone felt. I get being "ahead of the times" and oddities, but sometimes it was a bit much. 

And the MIL? Omg. SURE she loves her son and wants the best, BUUUUT YOU ARE ABOUT TO BE IN THE POORHOUSE. Let him marry whomever he wants. Gah. I wanted to kick her. 

Plus the side romances drove me insane. I love when side characters find love too, don't get me wrong, but it was too much. It really bled into the story sometimes. 

Even with the issues, I did enjoy the journey of these two. 

I'll stamp this with 2 stars. 

 Challenge(s):

- TBR #11 (Change of Plans)