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The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

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  **TRIGGER WARNING**  This book contains child abuse and sexual assault, just to name a couple. There are also mentions of abortion and teacher/student relations.  Synopsis: In 1986, Eddie and his band of misfit friends are on the verge of adolescence. Bonded by mutual awkwardness and a yearning for excitement, they spend their days biking around their English village looking for adventure. The chalk men are their secret code, little chalk figures they draw for each other as hidden messages, warning of bullies or signifying meeting spots. But one morning Eddie finds a chalk man directing him into the nearby woods. He follows the message, only to find the dismembered body of a teenage girl. That is the day when everything changes.  In 2016, Eddie is a grown man, working as a teacher at his old school, nursing a drinking problem, and trying to forget his past, until one day he gets a letter with no return address, containing a single chalk stick figure - the same figu...
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The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

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  Synopsis: Even a fortune forged in railroads and steel can't buy entrance into the upper echelons of Victorian high society - for that you need a marriage of convenience.  American heiress August Crenshaw has aspirations. But unlike her peers, it isn't some stuffy British lord she wants wrapped around her finger - it's Crenshaw Iron Works, the family business. When it's clear that August's outrageously progressive ways render her unsuitable for a respectable match, her parents offer up her younger sister to the highest entitled bidder instead. This simply will not do. August refuses to leave her sister to the mercy of a lovely marriage.  Evan Sterling, the Duke of Rothschild, has no intention of walking away from the marriage. He's recently inherited the title only to find his coffers empty, and with countless lives depending on him, he can't walk away from the fortune a Crenshaw heiress would bring him. But after meeting her fiery sister, he realizes Viol...
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The Stranger's Woes: Labyrinths of Echo Book Two by Max Frei

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Synopsis:  Max Frei was once a loser. A hardened smoker, glutton, and loafer, one day he gets lucky. He discovers a parallel world where magic is commonplace, and where he fits right in. This is Echo, a place where a social outcast can be remade as "the unequalled Sir Max."  In this upside-down universe, Sir Max's wry humor and newfound talent for magic earn him a place in the secret police - night shift only, of course. With this comes an unusual band of colleagues: the omniscient Sir Juffin Hully, buoyant Sir Melifaro, death-dealing Sir Shurf Lonli-Lokli, bon vivant Sir Kofa Yox, and captivating Lady Melamori Blimm.  Plunging back into the astounding and absurd realm first portrayed in The Stranger, this is a sequel of addictive power, masterfully blending fantasy, horror, philosophy, and comedy. Readers will welcome this "utterly original" ( Bookslut ) chronicle of new adventures and misadventures of Sir Max in this enchanted and enchanting world.  -from The...
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The Stranger: Labyrinths of Echo Book One by Max Frei

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  Synopsis:  Max Frei is a twenty-something loser -- a big sleeper (that is, during the day; at night he can't sleep a wink), a hardened smoker, and an uncomplicated glutton and loafer. But then he gets lucky. He contacts a parallel world in his dreams, where magic is a daily practice. Once a social outcast, he's now known in his new world as the "unequalled Sir Max." He's a member of the Department of Absolute Order, formed by a species of enchanted secret agents; his job is to solve cases more extravagant and unreal than one could imagine -- a journey that will take Max down the winding paths of this strange and unhinged universe -- or is it?  -from The Overlook Press edition published in the US in 2009.  ISBN 978-1-59020-065-0 Cast of Characters:  Sir Max - Our main man. Max is an average guy from our world that really needs a second or third shift job but cannot seem to find one. A vivid dreamer, it's in one of these dreams he meets and converses with Sir ...
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Introduction

Hi Readers!  I figured I would start this blog by introducing myself. My name is Brittany and I am an avid reader. To see my current read before my review goes up, you can find me on Instagram and Litsy under the @brittanythebookdragon handle. I am also addicted to coffee and love dogs. I've yet to meet a cup of coffee or a precious dog that I did not like.  Many moons ago I tried this blogging thing but it was mostly just my rambling so I'm going to try again and hopefully do things a bit more structured. With the ongoing pandemic I find myself home a lot more (I reside in lovely North Carolina in a very small town that I adore) and with a bit more time on my hands. Every year on January 1st, I set myself a goal of reading 52 books throughout the year. So far in 2021, I'm on book lucky number 13. I may be jumping into the review game a little late but I figure there's no time like the present.  With that said, if you're still here, stick around or check back in for...
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