Ruin and Rising - Leigh Bardugo

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

A weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina knows no fury, she has become Sankta Alina - but at what cost? 

To free Ravka and all other borders, she must fight to survive, even if it's against a former lover, to save the current one from ruin.  

The Darkling will stop at nothing to find the remaining firebird and leave no one standing in his path.  

She will get the last remaining amplifier, fight the strongest man in Ravka, even if it means losing the ones she holds so dear. Before it's too late. Though what if the amplifier has been under her nose the entire time? 

As Alina travels further into battle, she must decide between who to save and who to love.

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo, is the last and final book within the Shadow and Bone series and...I don't even know how to start to finish this review. It was everything I wanted and more, it's easily become one of the best series I've read for a while.

I can honestly say that I preferred this book a lot more than it's predecessor Seige and Storm, it was still slow in places but damn did it start with a bang and I was not prepared for it. It was so much more fast paced as it got towards the end, everything was happening. My heart for broke in the firing line and I cried quite a few times - I can't think about certain scenes, cause oh my lord my heart! 

I'm truly sad that the series is over, I think it could have done with at least one more book or at least one in The Darkling's POV. I am however, looking forward to reading the rest of the Grishaverse novels. 

I will be giving this book 5 out of 5 

(Cawpile rating of 9.43)

Forbidden Desire - Robin Lovett

Being a sex goddess should be my dream come true—as much sex as I want, with magic powers to heal people, too. Until I realize the enormously strong human I desire most is completely off-limits. My people will put me in prison if I’m caught with a human.

But one encounter together leaves me panting for more. So I kidnap him and take him to an alien sex retreat. I soon discover not only is my big strong human a virgin, his bio-engineering might have made him the largest person I’ve ever seen, but also it made him unable to feel any sensation on his skin.

Niva has a magic gift, she is the holder of the Exstare. A rare and and strong power that gives the her ability to heal her people in time of need, through Sex. 

Graven shouldn't even be on the planet. He escaped the clutches of the dreaded and evil Ten Systems, a system strong enough to wipe out Niva's people. He should know, he was tested and made just for the purpose, but he fled. 

Graven can't keep away from Niva, she's the most beautiful woman he has ever clasped eyes on. Her curvy body, luscious lips and sexy aurora...if only he could experience all of these magical things for himself, but humans are forbidden to go anywhere near her.  

When Niva kidnaps Graven to her family retreat in the hops to heal him, it becomes clear that there is something else beneath the surface that he's not telling her. Though that's okay, they have three days to get over their fears for each other...alone. 

Forbidden Desire by Robin Lovett, is the fourth book in the 'Planet of Desire' erotic series and it wasn't actually that bad. There were some quite steamy scenes in this book and damn, I really enjoyed them. The characters were okay, they weren't anything special but I did love the relationship between Niva and Graven and the whole secrecy to them. With that being said, I did struggle to put it down, as I wanted to find out what would happen further in the plot and what would happen to both characters. 

There were some scenes where I thought they were a bit far fetched, mostly with Graven, but all in all I did enjoy the book and wouldn't turn down anything else by this author in the future.  

Many thanks for NetGalley for the early ARC in exchange for an honest review.  Forbidden Desire will be out this coming Monday 13th July and will be available on Kindle and other e-book formats.  

I will be giving this book a 4 out of 5 

Cawpile rating of 7.14

So, Anyway - John Cleese

This is the story of how a tall, shy youth from Weston-super-Mare went on to become a self-confessed legend. En route, John Cleese describes his nerve-racking first public appearance, at St Peter’s Preparatory School at the age of eight and five-sixths; his endlessly peripatetic home life with parents who seemed incapable of staying in any house for longer than six months; his first experiences in the world of work as a teacher who knew nothing about the subjects he was expected to teach; his hamster-owning days at Cambridge; and his first encounter with the man who would be his writing partner for over two decades, Graham Chapman. 

Punctuated from time to time with John Cleese’s thoughts on topics as diverse as the nature of comedy, the relative merits of cricket and waterskiing, and the importance of knowing the dates of all the kings and queens of England, this is a masterly performance by a former schoolmaster. 

"This is an ex-parrot!"

National Treasure and comedian John Cleese goes into the depths of his past and tells you how it really is or how it was. We all know him, wether it be from The Life of Brian, The Holy Grail, Fawlty Towers or plain old Python sketches. He has become a staple in the comedy circuit and known for being one of the most influential comedic's of our time.  

From the shy young boy growing up in Weston-super-Mare and a public school, the 'At Last the 1948 Show to Python, even now the same old John Cleese is still shy and quick wittingly hilarious to this day. 

Written and narrated by the Python himself (which makes it all the more better) 

So, Anyway by John Cleese, was such a wonderful, hilarious and beautiful read. After listening to Idle's audiobook at the beginning of the year, I rushed to find other books by the Python's and was happy to come across this book. It's filled with live performance snippets, old conversations, scripts and sketches with made it all the more a lovely happy read. It made me smile so much. 

It has been an absolute joy to listen to whilst I've been working through this Pandemic, highly hilarious and full of laughs. There were quite a few sad moments though which made it all the more real and authentic. This simply couldn't have been narrated by anyone else other than the man himself. 

It was lovely to hear about his upbringing and his personal life outside of Python, how he has grown up and how he came to be one of the most respected comedic's of our time. Python have been a huge thing in my childhood and it was such a refreshing read. 

I would highly recommend for any Python enthusiasts.  

I will be giving this book 5 out of 5

Cawpile rating of 9.14

Seige and Storm - Leigh Bardugo

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

Meanwhile, The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world.

Alina is free from The Darkling, and new life with Mal in an unfamiliar town seems to be working. Though news has spread of her new gift, she just needs to find a way to keep it under wraps. 

Soon Alina and Mal find themselves back aboard a ship on their way to Os Alta, much to their disapproval. The rumours say he has returned, though he is not the man Alina once knew, he has changed and not for the better.  

With the fate of the Kingdom in the balance, Alina must find a way to keep everyone safe, have Mal by her side but most of all, not to loose her sanity.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo, is the second novel in the Shadow and Bone series, the start of the Grishaverse novellas. 

I thought with the first book, that this also was a slow burner at the start. Yes, there was a moment where the story slaps you straight in the face at the beginning but after that there was quite a bit of waiting. However, the wait is certainly worth it towards the end of the book and the tension! Do not get me started on the tension within this book.  Oh my! 

I can certainly say that The Darkling has been swiftly pushed out of my books and I am in love with Mal and Nikolai. The plot is a good one, it gets denser throughout the book and there were some moments where I was shocked and didn't see things coming. I feel that this series will progress more within the last book, however I do also feel there should be more than three. 

With that said, I am really enjoying the series and can't wait to get started on the next.  

I will be giving this book 4 out of 5

Cawpile rating of 7.86