Review: The Black Death: A History From Beginning to End by Hourly History

Title: The Black Death: A History From Beginning to End by Hourly History
Publication: February 16th 2016 by Hourly History
Genre: Nonfiction ~ History
Purchase (Free everywhere): Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Rating: 4.5/5

The Black Death
Sweeping across the known world with unchecked devastation, the Black Death claimed between 75 million and 200 million lives in four short years. In this engaging and well-researched book, the trajectory of the plague’s march west across Eurasia and the cause of the great pandemic is thoroughly explored.

Inside you will read about...
✓ What was the Black Death?
✓ A Short History of Pandemics
✓ Chronology & Trajectory
✓ Causes & Pathology
✓ Medieval Theories & Disease Control
✓ Black Death in Medieval Culture
✓ Consequences

Fascinating insights into the medieval mind’s perception of the disease and examinations of contemporary accounts give a complete picture of what the world’s most effective killer meant to medieval society in particular and humanity in general.

Lately I've been reading a wole lot of these 'Hourly History' books but I gotta say that this one has been one of the best so far. I've always been interested in medieval history and the Black Death, although it was horrible, has also always fascinated me. 

This book was very informative about the Black Death or "The Plague" as it was also known. I learned quite a few new things about it all that I didn't know before. For example I didn't know that "areas in Poland, Belgium and the mountainous Basque region largely escaped the Black Death, as did many other isolated alpine locations through the alps." This is exactly why I read nonfiction, there's always something new to learn about the subjects I'm interested in.

And as always with a Hourly History books, this one also can be read very quickly in less than an hour. I always tend to read these in one sitting because they're always really engrossing. Highly recommended! 

More Hourly History reviews to come soon!

Book Blitz: Luca by Sarah Castille + Giveaway (INTL)

Luca
Sarah Castille
(Ruin & Revenge #2)
Published by: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication date: June 27th 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Luca is the second book in a full-length, standalone series by New York Times bestselling author, Sarah Castille, set in Las Vegas and featuring deliciously sexy mafia bosses and the women who can’t help but love them.
Luca Rizzoli was nearly destroyed by a brutal betrayal that cost him his family. Now a ruthless crime boss in Las Vegas, he lets nothing touch his frozen heart…until a smoldering encounter with a beautiful stranger ignites his passion. One night isn’t enough for a man who takes what he wants—and Luca will do whatever he can to possess his mysterious temptress…
Police detective Gabrielle Fawkes lives for revenge. She lost everything at the hands of an unforgiving ruler of the Vegas underworld. Now she wants to see him six feet under. But when a near-fatal attack leads her into Luca’s arms, what was meant to be one night of unbridled passion becomes something forbiddingly more. Luca has his own agenda, but when strong, determined, kick-ass detective Gaby sets her sights on her target, Luca feels compelled to stand by her side and protect her at all costs. However, pursuing danger comes at a high price—and both Gaby and Luca must work together in order to eliminate the dark enterprise that threatens them.

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RUIN & REVENGE SERIES

PRAISE FOR LUCA:

“An engrossing erotic crime drama that will leave readers wanting more.” – Library Journal

“With sizzling love scenes, taut plotting, and a hair-raising finish, Castille’s romantic thriller will appeal to her existing fans and win her new ones.” – Publishers Weekly Starred Review

“Luca is a fast-paced, action-packed tale balanced by humor, heart and family.” – RT Book Reviews 4.5 stars, Top Pick

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Author Bio:
Sarah Castille is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Redemption Series, Ruin & Revenge Series, Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club series, Legal Heat series and the Club Excelsior series. A recovering lawyer with a fondness for dirty-talking alpha males, she now is a full-time writer, who lives on Vancouver Island. Sarah’s books have been listed as Publisher’s Weekly’s Top Ten Picks and Best Summer Reads, and Amazon’s Best Romance Books of the Year, and have won numerous reader’s choice awards including the Holt Medallion.

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ARC Review: Open Wounds by Inver Iversen

Title: Open Wounds: Abel and Hope: Love Against the Odds
Author: Inger Iversen
Publication: June 28th 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: 4.5/5

Open Wounds: Hope & Abel, a Love Against the Odds AWWM Novella

If you could see your life from inception to death, would you change things or would you let your death play out as fate intended?

Abel is in search of only two things: a stable job and a safe place to lay his head at night after a mistake that cost him eighteen months of his life. As if fate had plans made only for him, Abel is offered a complicated job, and a chance to redeem himself to his old boss.
And then he meets her …
And Abel adds another item to his list—Hope.

At twenty-six, Hope has only ever slept with one man, and at her boss’s unsolicited advice, Hope plans to forget the abuse and degradation she suffered at her ex’s hand by seducing and bedding the next man she meets. Unfortunately, after Hope finds a promise of death at her doorstep, her plans are derailed and her only chance at staying alive rests on the dedication of her new bodyguard and her own sheer will to live the life she deserves.

Everytime I finish a book by Inger Iversen I feel like I've read my news favorite book by her. It's the same with this new book by her. I pretty much loved it right from the start and I also think that Abel and Hope are my new favorite couple from her books (I probably say this every single time too but it's true.) 

This story is about Hope who's been running away from her abusive husband, Mark. Soon enough Mark finds out where she is and that's where Abel comes in as Hope's bodyguard and her only hope (no pun inteded) to keep her alive. The only things Hope and Abel hadn't counted on was to be fiercely attracted to one another.

Seriously, this book was such a great romance. It definitely ended up being my favorite one of the year so far in this genre. I loved both Hope as well as Abel (and not just because he can cook, although I felt slightly obsessed with the food he made for Hope.) The romance between them was sexy, steamy and just amazing!

The thing I probably loved the most was the change Hope made throughout the book once she met Abel. He helped her find the strength and confidence within that she needed to finally stand up to Mark in the end, which was really powerful.

Overall, Open Wounds was another hit for Inger Iversen. Not only was it a quick read, romantic and well written, there was also the element of suspense that made it even better. And I also feel like I should say how totally gorgeous the cover is. I can only say: go read it now!

This book is one you can read as a standalone but I'd recommend to read the books in order.

Incarcerated: Letters from Inmate 92510   -Katie & Logan {My Review} 
Inevitable: Love and War - 2/28/2015        -Teal & Trent 1 {My Review}
Indelible: Beneath His Ink - 12/12/2016    -Teal & Trent 2 {My Review}
Rogue in Love - 3/28/2017 *standalone*   -Thea & Lex {My Review}
Open Wounds - 6/28/2017 *standalone*     -Hope & Abel {This review}
Indebted: Til Death Do us Part 9/28/2017  -Teal & Trent 3
Weathered Souls 12/28/2017 *standalone* -Ivory & Eric

There is also a boxed set of Incarcerated, Inevitable and Indelible
Find it here.

About Inger
Inger Iversen is an American author residing in Virginia. She lives for bringing her fictional characters from darkness to light through self-discovery and passion. From her emotionally gripping, new adult Few Are Angels series that builds in intensity and intrigue to a finale you won’t see coming, to her international bestselling interracial romance dubbed “one of the most emotionally gripping” books of the summer, Inger breathes life into her fiction through her enthusiasm and devotion to writing. Her influences range from life experiences and daydreams, Inger spends her time in the writing cave and fantasizing of the day she can figure out how to Weird Science her characters to life.
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