Narrated by Ruth Urquhart, Iron Ember by Donna Grant is the first audiobook in the Skye Druids paranormal series. Elodie MacLean returns to Skye, a place she swore she’d never return to after tragedy struck. She’s lost her magic and someone is killing druids in this first installment….

Iron Ember
by Donna Grant
Series: Skye Druids #1
Narrator: Ruth Urquhart
Length: 9 hours and 27 minutes
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate

Rating:
Heat Level:
Narration: 4.5 cups Speed: 1.3x

Delve into the thrilling first installment of the all-new Skye Druids series by New York Times bestselling author Donna Grant, where magic reigns and danger abounds.

Skye isn’t just an island. It’s a home. A refuge. But not to Elodie MacLean. Not anymore. Tragedy tore her world apart and then took the one thing she felt made her whole. She vowed she’d never return, but that’s exactly where she ends up. Now, surrounded by the ghosts of her past, Elodie must navigate her version of Hell and try to make peace with herself and her family. But someone or something doesn’t want her on Skye, and she finds herself attacked—and this time not by her personal demons.

Scott Ryan has a mission: uncover who has been killing Druids and why. When his quest takes him to the beautiful Isle of Skye, he doesn’t think anything could captivate him more than the land itself—until he lays eyes on the breathtaking and confident beauty his leader sent him to find. However, it’s clear that she has trust issues, and he can’t reveal his plans—at least, not yet. But he’s always been sure of his ability to sway a person, and she’s a challenge he’s more than happy to accept, especially when he finds he will do anything to protect her.

With so much history and so many secrets, victory is anything but guaranteed for the couple and their allies. And the forces at work, those who wish to rule the Scottish isle and all those who reside there, have a plan that nobody will see coming

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I have read and enjoyed Grant’s contemporary Heart of Texas series, so I thought I’d try one of Druid series. Iron Ember is first in a new series, and I decided this would be a good place to start. It kind of reminded me of Nora Roberts, and I slipped in.

Skye is an island and refuge for Druids. After tragedy struck, Elodie MacLean left the island and never planned to return. She returns to prepare her family home for sale with the help of her sister, but it seems something doesn’t want Elodie there or to unlock secrets regarding her lost gift and more…

Elodie isn’t exactly loveable, but I admired her for facing her past and admitting her own shortcomings. My opinion of Elodie softened as I learned more about her past and saw her interact with Scott Ryan.

Scott Ryan has been tasked with finding out who is killing druids and that brings him to the island. Here he finds beauty and danger. Scott hails from Edinburgh, Scotland, where druids are also dying. He is hoping he can convince Elodie to join his crusade. I enjoyed getting his point of view and found him to be a worthy hero.

Can a girl with serious trust issues open up about her past and trust not just Scott but others on the island before it’s too late? I for one, needed to find out and quickly found myself drawn to the island and the secrets it holds. Will the ancient ones aid them?

The romance was complicated by omissions but felt genuine, and I enjoyed watching Elodie open up and trust. We get plenty of mystery and suspense as we learn about Elodie’s magic, the danger and history.

I learned after listening that this is a spinoff to her other series involving druids and while it works as a standalone; I am curious about the history and want to explore them, particularly ones containing characters that crossover. If you have read/listen to them, let me know where I should start.

Ruth Urquhart narrated and does a lovely job with the accents and tones of the storyline. I’ve listened to her before and thought she was well suited for this series.

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Iron Ember by Donna Grant delivered romance, suspense and mystery in this first in series. #SkyeDruids #ParanormalRomance #audiobookreview #RuthUrguhart #TantorAudio
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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/11/iron-ember-by-donna-grant.html

Dr. Lisa Myers talks about one of the most heartbreaking moments a person could ever encounter in their life, and that is of a missing relative. As she describes in her book, When the Light Goes Out, Dr. Myers describes the panic, horrific and painful experience that she had to go through, the constant anxiety and state of not knowing, and the insecurity and trauma relatives of missing people go through.

Through these periods, when a person is in a hyper state of awareness, relationships with the people around are affected, as Lisa’s was. My heart broke when Lisa told her mother and her children the news. Additionally, her father’s death was even more devastating since it was plagued with so much violence and heartache.

This book narrates Lisa’s life-changing loss and how this affected her mental health. It shows emotional suffering and psychological pain that scar someone for life. It offers ways to cope with such a brutal loss within a community.

This book goes from chapter to chapter, with the first part describing immense pain and suffering and how this disrupted their lives. The second part describes healing and comfort in coping with Lisa’s loss. Finally, it neutralizes the shame and stigma that Lisa’s mental health brought up.

When the Light Goes Out is a painful and emotional memoir, but it is also inspiring. The strength that is within people when moments like this strike is shown in how she handles the trauma. This book can be wrapped up in a sentence from her book, “In all moments of darkness, we can find the light of meaning.” As someone who is a fan of emotional true stories, I highly recommend this book. But please remember to carry your tissues when reading the book!

Pages: 272 | ASIN : B0BG9CV2QS

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/11/09/when-the-light-goes-out/

Life Giving Dementia Care: Let’s Talk: How to Bring Confidence, Compassion and Joy Into Your Role as a Caregiver is a half memoir half guide book by Toni Kanzler about, as the title suggests, patients diagnosed with dementia.

In the very first few pages of the book, we find out that Kanzler is a woman with many ambitions; however, being a caregiver was never one of them, as is the case with most caregivers. She found herself in a situation where both her parents were dementia patients and passed away due to a terminal illness. Besides taking care of her parents to the best of her abilities, this was a wake-up call for Kanzler that she is at a high risk of getting dementia. In the hopes that her sons would take care of her if and when that time comes, she decided to leave them something where she would point to the mistakes and good things that happened while she was a caregiver, so they don’t make the same mistakes and have more joyful moments. Thus this book was created.

The book is divided into a few parts covering the early, middle, last, and after stages. Kanzler takes us through the whole journey from the earliest symptoms like crying and then forgetting that they have called, doctor visits and diagnosis, the hardships, mistakes, good times, saying goodbye, and the aftermath of it all from a caregiver’s point of view as well as a patient’s point of view to better understand what our loved one may be or will be going through.

Toni writes in a casual yet deeply touching tone, from her introduction and her stories to the book’s final words. Yet, she manages to get her point across to anyone who decides to give it a chance or needs it.

And just as every book finds you at the right time, this one found me just a few weeks after losing someone dear to Alzheimer’s. I was nowhere near being the caretaker of my loved one or even involved in helping her, so this book was almost a lecture about what the people closest to me dealt with because of the illness.

Life Giving Dementia Care by Toni Kanzler is primarily targeted at caregivers. Still, I recommend it to anyone dealing with or dealing with this disease, medical and psychology students, or anyone just eager to learn something new. 

Pages: 237 | ASIN : B08PYM45YD

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/11/09/life-giving-dementia-care/

Melanie Parker is a 16-year-old girl who has ambitious hopes and dreams of working with and rehabilitating sea creatures, yet is tied down by her experience battling childhood cancer. Still, her love of the ocean and sea animals lands her a job at the aquarium where her mom works. Here, she meets and makes lifelong friends, including Chase, the handsome boy she takes a liking to fairly quickly, and Kona, the sweet, isolated dolphin that she forms a bond with almost immediately.

Kona is a beautiful coming-of-age story written by Erik Daniel Shien and Melissa Davis that explores love, loss, and what it means to never give up no matter what life throws your way. Shien and Davis do a wonderful job of creating a story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. It’s the type of story that readers of all ages can sit down and enjoy. It teaches about the importance of wildlife and shows what it means to be both selfless and someone who cares about the environment.

Between the stress and tension readers feel alongside Melanie due to the fear of her cancer potentially returning, and the beautiful prose, it’s a page turner that leaves readers hanging on every word. The relationships between Melanie and every character that readers encounter are beyond skin-deep and are a joy to follow; especially the bond that she’s formed with Kona. She finds herself connected to Kona through the overlapping struggles that they both face with their health situations and they become each other’s support.

Kona is an emotionally-resonant and uplifting story with the same emotional depth as John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, although not as tragic. Not only is it a sweet story that teaches important lessons, but the book also has a well-defined and inspiring narrative that makes this an enjoyable romance novel overall.

Pages: 294 | ASIN: B08DVG814X

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/11/09/kona/

In an America divided by race and religion, Colton Jenkins must simultaneously navigate the new war-like world as a young adult and a victim of oppression. He and his family found themselves in a community ruled by a heavy hand, where every form of treason, with or without evidence, leads to another head cut from a body stuck on a pike. With no one to trust and turn to, may it be the government, the religious, and even your neighbors, Colton must find a way to keep himself and his loved ones alive, all while finding ways to regain freedom and liberty for everyone.

New America Awakenings, by Tyler Davis, is a gripping story that depicts what our future might look like without democracy and the role the youth play in societal changes. From the beginning of the novel, the author makes sure to spare no details about the apocalyptic setting, from its origin and history to its ongoing severe, sadistic practices. With every page, readers anticipate and dread what is coming, for there seem to be no limits regarding the horrifying reality the characters experience, regardless of race, religion, and age. Yet, in the doom of it all, there are moments where one can see hope, whether in the scenes focused on family, the camaraderie between friends, and even times when authorities are defied and challenged. Because of these, readers are inspired to continue despite the cruelty to see if these moments can lead to somewhere positive. 

Personally, the book was a page-turner due to the constant presence of crisis, intriguing me to wait and see if there is anything that will happen that is more cynical than the previous. Unfortunately, the book did not disappoint in that area, and I was left hanging by its ending because I was expecting more to happen. Still, the ending placement was clever, for it keeps readers on their toes and hungry for the sequel to come out. I have always been interested in dystopian novels, and this one earned its rightful place in my top ten. As for the characters, each one’s contribution to the story was highlighted, making it easier to remember them and either love or hate them. The author also made sure to keep all characters real, in the sense that they are all flawed, one way or another, which is integral to point out in a dystopian setting that calls people to act based on survival rather than morals.

New America Awakenings will keep its readers interested with the constant action, all while compelling them to reflect on what they are reading in terms of their ethics. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in books such as The Hunger Games and Divergent, which are famous for their young adult heroines and post-apocalyptic setting. I also recommend this to anyone who would like to ponder on the humanities, for the novel shows a different take on culture and society as we know it.

Pages: 322 | ASIN : B0BDBLJ9JZ

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/11/09/new-america-awakenings/

When Baseball Was King, The New York Yankees Were Kings of Baseball by Dr. Len Bergantino is the full recounted story of the popular sport and its greatest players. From baseball’s history to its player’s stats and respective journeys throughout their careers. And while the main focus is the New York Yankees, there is also mention of other great teams and their players.

The peculiarity of this book is that it’s visually graphic. It includes texts and images from other sources such as magazines and newspapers. This adds a unique touch to back up the author’s quotes and citations. However, at times it seems like the author simply copied and pasted the pages of the books he thought relevant without summarizing and citing the information correctly. The book is fifty-three pages, almost a third of these being scans or excerpts from other books.

The story is narrated through Dr. Bergantino’s point of view as he discovers baseball and dives further deeper into its history and greatest stars. He tells the story of how his father introduced him to the sport and how he then fell in love with it; this gives it a nostalgic touch that I’m sure old baseball fans will very much appreciate.

While this book is non-fiction and primarily informative, having a “character” narrate gives it a storylike quality that makes it more enjoyable and feels less of an educational text and more like something to read for fun. This book gives readers a general insight into the sport and exciting facts about the most prominent players. It’s perfect for any baseball fans or as an introduction for anyone looking to get into the sport. It’s short and easy to read and quickly captivates the reader’s attention.

When Baseball Was King, The New York Yankees Were Kings of Baseball is an exciting historical look at the game with illuminating facts and entertaining stories.

Pages: 98 | ASIN : B085WMX5P6

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/11/09/when-baseball-was-king/