Tag: mead mishaps

ARC Review: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming

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**The links in this post are to the book’s StoryGraph page for reference. I do not receive any compensation for clicking these links!**

Book: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human

Author: Kimberly Lemming

Pages: 278

Source: Orbit, NetGalley

Publisher: Orbit

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Publication Date: March 5, 2024

Summary:

When a spirited young woman with a penchant for adventure finds herself locked away in a dragon’s tower, she realizes that fate has a peculiar sense of humor when it comes to her romantic prospects in this laugh-out-loud fantasy rom-com, perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes and The Dragon’s Bride.

All children are told fairytales. Some are epic adventures with high stakes and exciting twists but others were tales of pitiful princesses trapped in boring towers pining for their prince charmings to come and rescue them. But one young woman always hated those stories. Why didn’t they get up and rescue themselves? Little did she know that her own fate would take a similarly ironic turn. Because now, here she is. Stuck. In a tower. Turns out, when a dragon holds you hostage, he doesn’t just let you get up and leave.

Who knew?

And just when she thinks she sees hope on the horizon, that hope is smashed to bits by—you guessed it—another damn dragon. 

My Review:

I received a free advanced reader copy of That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming in exchange for an honest review from Orbit Books via NetGalley. Thank you, Orbit!

Before I get into the review for this book, I’d like to issue a few warnings. First of all, do not read this review if you haven’t read the first two books! One of the character’s very existence is a spoiler of sorts, so just don’t do it (unless you’re like me and enjoy reading spoilers for things)! Second, read the content warnings at the beginning of this book. It is definitely not for kids. There are explicit sex scenes, kidnapping, etc. Take care of yourself, and only read if you are in the place to do so.

The first two books of the Mead Mishaps series follow Cin and Brie, respectfully. They are best friends from Boohail that both end up finding their one true mates, one with a shadow dragon and the other with a werewolf.

In That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human, however, the story follows Cherry. Now, if you’ve read the first two books, you know that Cherry is Cin’s younger sister. Cin and Cherry were exploring the nearby swamp one day when a strange creature came up out of the water and dragged Cherry under. Thus, Cin and the rest of her family have believed Cherry to be dead for the past several years. Fortunately, it turns out Cherry isn’t dead at all. Unfortunately, the creature that dragged her under the water works for a water dragon, and she’s been his captive ever since.

Cherry has tried everything to escape and make her way back to Boohail, and her family. Nothing has worked, though, and now she understands why all those damsels in distress in fairy tales didn’t just save themselves. Luckily, the dragon Dante is an old friend of the water dragon holding Cherry captive, and he’s decided to pay his old friend a visit now that all the demons have been freed. Which is how he meets Cherry, catches her scent, discovers she is his one true mate, and promptly rescues her via kidnapping back to his own castle.

The rest of the story follows Cherry’s efforts to escape yet another dragon kidnapping while dealing with her new mate-bond to said dragon. Cherry just wants to get back home, and Dante is her only ticket to get there. Dante knows next to nothing about Cherry, though. So, he doesn’t realize he’s already met her sister and their best friend, and Cherry isn’t telling him. Much of the book revolves around this general miscommunication, which was equal parts frustrating and suspenseful.

To be fair, it’s understandable why Cherry would be reluctant to tell Dante who her family is. She doesn’t want to lead any trouble to her family. Dante isn’t exactly shy about displaying his wealth and power, and Cherry doesn’t want him using that power to hurt the people she loves. So, she keeps the information from him for as long as possible. I kept wanting to see Cherry finally reunite with Cin and Brie, but thanks to her (understandable) stubbornness I had to wait until the end of the book.

Other than that slightly annoying trope, the book was a ton of fun. Saved a Human introduces a ton of new dragon lore and information about the world. It also explores the very realistic negative reaction some people have had to the demons being set loose. Through this reaction, Lemming explores the topics of racism and discrimination with the demons as a stand in for people of color.

The story also reveals that demons are not necessarily the most scary creatures in this world. I won’t say much more, but kittens aren’t always what they appear in this book. Also, Alexis the magical sword makes a reappearance, and she is very much mixed up in the kitten situation! Alexis is one of my favorite characters in these stories. She is hilarious, brash, and dangerous – the perfect mix for an enchanted object.

I have really enjoyed all three of the books in the Mead Mishaps series, and this one did a good job of wrapping things up with a happy ending. At some point, I plan to read the few short stories Kimberly Lemming has also written in this world. She does an amazing job of building this rich, imaginative world in between the steamy scenes, which still makes me a bit uncomfortable to read, but it won’t stop me from seeking out more. I hope Lemming writes more of these stories (Usha and Ambrose story when?), and I’ll read every one of them!

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I gave That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming four out of five stars. It is equal parts charming, steamy, and hilarious while still managing to tackle some weighty topics. I loved how much it expanded the world and new tidbits of dragon lore. I also liked that it had a happy ending for the entire series while still leaving some other characters open if Lemming wants to revisit the series. Anyone looking for a good time should read this book!

Have you read any of the Mead Mishaps? What was your favorite? Would you read more if they’re written? Let me know in the comments!

ARC Review: That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming

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**The links below are to the book’s StoryGraph page for reference. I do not receive compensation for clicking links.**

Book: That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf

Author: Kimberly Lemming

Pages: 288

Source: Orbit books

Publisher: Orbit books

Genre: Fantasy, Rom Com

Publication Date: February 6, 2024

Summary:

Anyone else ever thrown a drink at someone’s head, only to miss entirely and hit a stranger behind them? Then have that stranger fall madly in love with you because it turned out that drink you threw was a love potion? No, just me? Well damn.

Dealing with a pirate ship full of demons that just moved into town was hard enough. Now on top of it, I have to convince a werewolf that I’m not his fated mate, he’s just drugged. Easier said than done.

Though I have to say, having a gorgeous man show up and do all of your chores while telling you you’re beautiful isn’t the worst thing to happen to a girl.

My Review:

I received a free advanced reader’s copy of That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming from Orbit books in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you, Orbit!

That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf is the second book in the Mead Mishaps series by Kimberly Lemming.  It takes place not too long after the first book (read my review here), and the people of Boohail are still adjusting to the idea that their goddess Myva was evil and demons aren’t so bad after all.  Cinnamon and Brie, Cin’s best friend, find themselves celebrating in a local tavern, since the people of Boohail will use anything as an excuse to party, up to and including the death of their goddess it seems.  Unfortunately, an incident with an unwanted drink being thrown at a persistent and unwanted local man results in a werewolf named Felix falling instantly in love with Brie. 

Now, Brie has to wrestle with her growing desire for Felix and her moral compass.  Bries feels the effects of the love potion would mean taking advantage of Felix, since his consent is dubious at best. Cinnamon and her dragon husband Fallon are more concerned with the effect the love potion will have on Felix’s heart in a very real way.  The strain of the curse could cause him to die of a heart attack.  Meanwhile, women in Boohail and the surrounding areas are disappearing.  Now that Felix has found his fated mate, he wants to do anything he can to find out who is taking these women before Brie becomes the next victim. 

If it sounds like this book is really two stories in one, that’s because it is.  The first half of the book is mostly concerned with building Brie and Felix’s relationship up, and this is also where the bulk of the sex scenes are.  Just like I cautioned with the previous book, make sure you read the author’s content warnings at the beginning.  The sex scenes are pretty explicit in describing body parts and sexual acts, so just know it’s in the book.

Once Brie and Felix’s relationship is introduced and established, if not resolved, the book moves on to the big mystery that had been forming in the background.  Who is kidnapping women in and around Boohail, and why?  Honestly, this is where the book really got interesting for me.  Don’t get me wrong, I was invested in where Brie and Felix’s relationship ended up, but in this type of book the reader knows they’ll end up together.

The mystery of the missing women ended up being equal parts world-build and comedy, with more emphasis on the comedy side.  Much of the humor was thanks to a character that gets introduced about half-way through the book – a magical, talking sword named Alexis.  Alexis is absolutely hilarious, and her repartee with Brie was a huge part of that.  Brie herself is plenty funny, but her reactions to some of the wild stuff Alexis would say really had me cackling.

As for the world-building, I believe Lemming used this as an opportunity to comment on the subset of men who seem to believe women should only be homemakers and birth givers.  Naturally, when a goddess is killed, there’s a power vacuum, and in this part of the world at least, that power vacuum is filled by a less savory group of individuals seeking power for men.  I won’t give anymore away than that, but some of the remarks made by the characters in the book are quite cutting and makes it clear how the author feels about these types of men and other people who think that way.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  Yes, the sex scenes still make me somewhat uncomfortable, but that’s definitely a me thing.  I’m sure there are plenty of people who will enjoy reading those scenes.  I also think the commentary about misogyny will probably ruffle some feathers, but I personally didn’t have an issue with it.  I really enjoyed reading more about the world the books take place in as well, and I’m curious about where that epilogue could lead!

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I gave That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming four out of five stars.  It’s an entertaining and often hilarious fantasy story with sassy characters and lots of charm.  The world is interesting with surprising depth, and I’m very curious to see where the third installment takes us.  I hope it’s about Dante, the other dragon in the books!

Have you read any of the Mead Mishaps books? Do you enjoy fantasy romance/rom coms?  Let me know in the comments!

January Wrap-Up & February TBR

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**Links below are for the books’ StoryGraph pages for reference. I do not receive any compensation for clicking links.**

The first month of 2024 is already behind us, and now, it’s time for a recap of what I read in January 2024.  I also want to take this opportunity to review where I am on keeping up with my reading goals, compare what I wanted to read to what I actually read in January, and list my February TBR.  I had initially planned to do a post every week about my reading, but I felt like that might be overkill.  Instead, I’ll just try to do these combo posts of reading wrap-ups and the next month’s TBR’s in the first week of each month.

January Reading Wrap-Up

I managed to read 5 books in January, and every single one of them was an ARC!  That is definite progress for me, since I tend to devolve into a mood-reading gremlin.  I was also able to write reviews for each of these books.  Keep an eye out on my blog for those, but for now, I’ll list them along with my star rating for each.  You’ll just have to read the reviews to find out why I rated them that way!

As far as my goals are concerned, I had plans to read 9 books in January. Unfortunately, I didn’t have as much time for reading as I would have liked.  In particular, it took me almost two weeks to read The Tainted Cup even though I really enjoyed it.  So, a few of the books I had planned for January will show up in my February TBR below.  I’m hoping to read more in February, and I’ve already started 3 books!

February 2024 TBR

My main goal for February is to stay caught up on ARC’s for books releasing in 2024.  So, the non-negotiable for me is to read the two books coming out in February and the two books coming out in March that I haven’t gotten to yet.  All the other books I’m listing are books I’d like to get to, but I won’t be upset if I’m not able to.  At the pace I’m going so far, though, I should finish at least 3 books by this time next week.  That will put me on a perfect pace to get through this entire list over the course of February.

As you can see, I’ve already started three of these books.  I’ll likely finish The Shining first followed by Fathomfolk and To Cage a God over the course of the next week to week and a half.  I’m so excited to finish the Mead Mishaps series and read Shadow Baron as well.  I’m thinking later in the month I may also do a post about books coming out in March and April that I’m excited about.  April is looking really stacked, so I definitely need to keep up with my TBR in February!

Have you or do you plan to read anything on my lists?  What books are you excited about this year?  Let me know in the comments!

WWW Wednesday 1/10/2024

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words in which bloggers answer three simple questions about their reading every Wednesday. Since I’m trying to be better about letting everyone know what I’m reading and hold myself accountable to my planned TBR’s, I decided this would be a quick and easy way to accomplish both tasks. 

All links below are to the respective book’s StoryGraph page. I do not receive compensation for clicking these links.

1. What are you currently reading?

Right now, I’m 24% into an ARC of The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (releasing February 6, 2024), and I am loving it. It seems to take inspiration from several things that work far better than expected. So far, I feel like it’s inspired by Sherlock Holmes, Ancient Rome, and sea monsters. Also, all technology (if you can call it that in this book) seems to be accomplished with genetic modification of plants. At its heart, though, this books is a murder mystery turned political intrigue. It takes place in such an interesting setting that this tried and true story trope is anything but boring. I’ll probably finish this before the end of the week, and I can’t wait until it releases so I can talk to others about it!

2. What did you recently finish reading?

Last week I finished ARC’s of The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers (releases January 30, 2024) and What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher (releases February 13, 2024). The City of Stardust was so good I could not put it down! I finished it within three or four days, and I read half of it in one evening. What Feasts at Night is the second book in the Sworn Soldier series, and it takes place several months after the first book, What Moves the Dead. I enjoyed it as well. It was a quick one-day read, since it’s a novella. Keep an eye out here on my blog for reviews for both books during their respective release weeks!

3. What are you reading next?

Aside from trying to read my backlog of ARC’s, I’ve also been trying to alternate reading novels and novellas. It makes me feel more accomplished to read something quick after reading something long. Since The Tainted Cup is a more serious political intrigue type book, I decided to read something fun (and spicy) next. So, I plan to read my ARC of That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming. It’s the second novella in the Mead Mishaps series, and if it’s anything like the first it will have me cackling and rooting for the heroine in no time!

What are your WWW Wednesday answers? Let me know in the comments below!

ARC Review: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

~ VenusBloo ~ 6 Comments

Book: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon

Author: Kimberly Lemming

Pages: 336

Source: NetGalley

Publisher: Orbit Books

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Publication Date: January 2, 2024

Summary:

Spice trader Cinnamon’s quiet life is turned upside down when she ends up on a quest with a fiery demon in this irreverently quirky rom-com fantasy that is sweet, steamy, and funny as hell–perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes and The Dragon’s Bride.

All she wanted to do was live her life in peace–maybe get a cat, expand the family spice farm. Really, anything that didn’t involve going on an adventure where an orc might rip her face off. But they say the Goddess has favorite, and if so, Cin is clearly not one of them…

After saving the demon Fallon in a wine-drunk stupor, all Fallon wants to do is kill an evil witch enslaving his people. And, who can blame him? But he’s dragging Cinnamon along for the ride. On the bright side, at least he keeps burning off his shirt.

My Review:

I received a free advanced readers copy of That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming from Orbit Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you, Orbit!

Cinnamon Hotpepper is a spice trader working on her portion of her family’s farm in a small town called Boohail.  One evening she joins her fellow townsfolk in celebrating the newest batch of chosen champions who will fight in the name of the goddess Myva to protect the southern continent of Mytheglin from the demon hordes to the north.  Centuries ago Myva created the Volsog gate and banished all of demon-kind into the icy lands beyond, but every 15 years the demons break through.  Thus, a new set of champions are chosen to drive back the demons and protect the world.

Cinnamon is more interested in a mug full of ale and fistful of cheese.  She’d rather get drunk and use the champion-choosing as an excuse to get there.  After achieving her goal, she stumbles through the woods towards home where she sees a rockslide.  Even in her drunken state she can hear the moaning of someone caught beneath it.  Cin quickly rescues the trapped person only to discover he’s not a person.  He’s a demon, and he ends up changing the way Cin sees the world in more ways than one.  Cin ends up being the only person who can save the demon and his kind as well as the rest of the world, which is the last thing she had in mind for her life thank you very much.

The first thing I’ll say about this book is please read the content warning at the beginning.  This book definitely has sex scenes as well as mentions of sexual assault (though none occurs in the book) and depictions of slavery.  Take care of yourself if anything in the content warnings could be triggering for you. 

That being said, I had a lot of fun reading this book.  I don’t normally read a lot of romance, but this book was just the right mix of romance and cozy fantasy.  The scenes depicting Cin and her family were very homey, and they reminded me of my own family.  The idea of sharing a farm with my family is also appealing, and it was a cozy idea to have in the book.  Cin has a strong sense of loyalty to her family, and the sibling playful squabbling made me miss my own siblings a bit. 

I also really enjoyed the setting of this book.  It’s a medieval setting in the fictional world of Mytheglin, and Cin’s hometown of Boohail is located in Kinnamo, a country in the most southernly part of the world.  Kinnamo is clearly inspired by Louisiana as there are mentions of swamps, bayous, and trees festooned with hanging mosses.  There are also scenes in which Cin catches and cooks both crawfish and an alligator, so it’s pretty clear where the inspiration for the area came from. 

There’s also plenty of humor throughout the story to break up some of the more serious and somewhat gory scenes.  For example, Cin’s family are spice traders and farmers, and each of the children are named after spices, which I thought was hilarious.  Cinnamon herself is also really funny.  She’s sarcastic and quick to voice her opinion.  I liked how no-nonsense she was even when she was scared or had to do something she didn’t really like.

Finally, I will mention the spice factor in the story.  It’s pretty obvious from the first chapter of the book that Cinnamon and the demon will end up together.  They are extremely attracted to one another, and the demon seems to enjoy making Cin squirm.  It does take a bit for it to happen, but there are some sex scenes throughout the book.  Anyone looking for a cozy fantasy with spice will enjoy reading this book I’m sure.  I’m still pretty new to reading romance, so it occasionally made me uncomfortable.  The rest of the story was a fun time, though, for sure.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I gave That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming four out of five stars.  The story features an interesting and hilarious heroine (against her wishes, but she still kicks butt), and it was a nice mix of cozy fantasy and romance.  I really enjoyed the relationship buildup, the setting, and Cin’s sarcasm especially.  I’ll definitely be reading the rest of the Mead Mishaps series!

Have you heard of the Mead Mishaps?  Do you plan to read them?  Let me know in the comments below!