Tag Archives: Katie Wismer

Book Review: Broken Perfect Lies by Katie Wismer

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Broken Perfect Lies by Katie Wismer

A Contemporary Romantic Suspense Novel published by Ahimsa Press (02/20/23)

Summary:

Parker lives a double life – her identity as pop sensation Ryker is kept completely separate from her personal life until her secret is leaked to the press. Now that her fans – and her stalkers – know the truth, Parker needs protection but only one person will apply. Heath desperately needs more money. So be it if all he needs to do is babysit a pop star. Out of the loop, Heath doesn’t realize how dangerous the job could be. He doesn’t think he has a choice when it comes to paying the bills. Both their lives will be turned upside down as they start to fall for each other.

Keywords:

Romance, Bodyguard, Pop Sensation, Identity, Secret Identity, Stalker, Fans, Double Life, Fake, Protector, Suspense, Steamy

My Review:

I was riveted from page one. The way that the author slowly revealed what happened to Parker was torturous. It was such juicy gossip and I just had to know what happened to cause Parker such grief. I was hooked on Parker’s story as well as Heath’s story. They both had such compelling backstories that endeared them to me as characters but also humanized them.

I felt Parker’s grief and she carried that burden with her throughout the whole novel in multiple aspects of her life. Parker didn’t just get over what happened and she never forgot it. I really appreciated how well handled the event and its consequences were for her What happened was completely devastating and catastrophic to Parker for her future, her emotional well-being, and her identity.

The story was fast-paced and quite the page-turner. The only part that made me pause was the transition from protector/friend to lover. It felt abrupt and didn’t follow the story’s tone up to that point. I wanted them to get to that point but I didn’t like how it happened. It didn’t feel completely real and seemed to come out of nowhere.

I also appreciated that there were not an overwhelming amount of sex scenes. Heath doesn’t ever talk down to Parker and his nickname for her isn’t something diminutive.

The amount of tension and action borders on ridiculous but also drives home the message that celebrities are denied basic privacy and have a real need for bodyguards even after they move on from their pop star lives.

This novel was published by Ahimsa Press 02/20/23 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

Links for more information:

Katie Wismer’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: Bloodless Ties (The Marionettes #3) by Katie Wismer

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Bloodless Ties (The Marionettes #3) by Katie Wismer

A Dark Urban Fantasy Novel published by Ahimsa Press (11/15/22)

Summary:

Valerie’s blood deal with James Westcott to free herself from the wendigo curse has trapped her in other ways. She’s far from home and everyone she loves thinks she’s dead, including Reid. With Westcott hiding more secrets, can Valerie figure out a way around the blood deal to get home without getting more involved?

Keywords:

Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Witches, Paranormal, Romance, Sacrifice, Blood, Attack, Mystery, Friendship, Family, Love, Gothic Fiction, New Adult

My Review:

In this third book of the series, we really get to see more of Valerie outside of the sphere of the Marionettes and the estate. The book focuses on her grief and how stuck she is within the blood deal she made at the end of the last book. She is hopeless but spirited. We really get to see her fighting inner strength and spirit laced with her grief. While reading the book, it feels like a lot of emotions are happening and you get caught up in Valerie’s feelings. After finishing this book, I realized that not a lot happened plot wise in this novel. I didn’t mind that though because I enjoyed getting more into Valerie’s head and I always enjoy the way the author writes descriptions and builds up this world of the Marionettes.

My favorite part about the Marionettes’ series is the character development and the writing style of the author. I loved getting more of Valerie as well as Connor and some of the new characters that were introduced, like Cam. I really, really like how well the author writes broody characters. I also quite enjoyed the way the author writes about werewolves. My favorite parts of the book were in their camp.

The ending felt like it was written at a different time than the rest of the book as the tone seems to change slightly, and it does feel a tad rushed. Get ready for more unanswered questions at the end because there is another book coming!

This novel was published by Ahimsa Press 11/15/22 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Katie Wismer’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: Wicked Souls (The Marionettes #2) by Katie Wismer

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Wicked Souls (The Marionettes #2) by Katie Wismer

A Dark Urban Fantasy Novel published by Ahimsa Press (12/07/21)

Summary:

Valerie Darkmore made it. She’s passed her initiation and is now a Marionette, but this is only the beginning of her training and her secrets keep growing and growing. It isn’t just Valerie that’s adjusting to a new normal, there’s something else that is sinister and wreaking havoc on the city – leaving behind a pile of bodies. It’s up to Valerie and the Prince to get to the bottom of it before all hell breaks loose.

Keywords:

Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Witches, Paranormal, Romance, Sacrifice, Blood, Attack, Mystery, Friendship, Family, Love, Gothic Fiction, New Adult

My Review:

It’s been months since I read the first book and I was immediately lost when I picked up this second book. It starts just after the first one ends in time and slams you right back into the narrative without a summary or recap of characters. I quickly fell back into the story, though, as I found Valerie too interesting to ignore. I loved how much more detail and development Valerie (and other characters) get in this sequel. I also loved how much more the romantic sub-plot was developed and deepened.

I continue to be impressed with how much I am enjoying The Marionettes series since it is heavily urban fantasy and features vampires and witches. The author continues to build a world that feels real and visual and complete. It feels like a world that goes way beyond the environments the main characters are in.

This book delves deeper into the new adult and romance sub-genres as it features a fairly sexy scene, just as graphic as the scenes involving blood and feeding.

Much like my disappointment with the first book’s cliffhanger and abrupt ending, I didn’t appreciate the similar cliffhanger and abrupt ending from this second book – though this does feed more logically into the final book in this trilogy. I just hope I don’t have to wait too long to find out what happens!

This novel was published by Ahimsa Press 12/7/21 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Katie Wismer’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: The Marionettes (The Marionettes #1) by Katie Wismer

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The Marionettes (The Marionettes #1) by Katie Wismer

An Urban Fantasy Novel published by Ahimsa Press (08/17/21)

Summary:

“Kirby scowls, then shoots a loving glance at the pink cowboy boots shoved in the back of my closet. She gifted them to me forever ago, and they haven’t seen the dark of night since.” (page 83).

Valerie is one of a long and dwindling family line of blood witches. At her academy, it’s almost time for the initiation test into the league that protects the vampires, except she can’t seem to muster her magic or the energy to keep up. What secrets and truths will she uncover while trying to survive the trials of the initiation into the Marionettes?

Keywords:

Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Witches, Paranormal, Romance, Sacrifice, Blood, Attack, Mystery, Friendship, Family, Love

My Review:

It’s difficult to impress me with an urban fantasy novel. The Marionettes, a quick read by one of my favorite YA authors, more than impressed me. I couldn’t put this book down. My favorite part about the book was the tone of the world-building and the writing style. Even down to the word choice and phrasing, the tone was uniquely presenting a Halloween-esque vibe. The world in The Marionettes is so clear and unique and interesting. The editing was superb, with no unnecessary fluff. I had to read every word. This is the type of book I would read again, just to notice the clever wording that I missed the first time around because I was so enchanted by the plot and taken by the characters. The author has taken such care with this book in almost all aspects – the words, the plot, the characters, the scenes, the world-building. I’m impressed by the level of detail that the author uses to create the world of The Marionettes.

It’s almost disturbing, the naturalness of blood and cutting to this world and to the main character. It is a part of her life and so natural and the author has so cleverly built up this world but yet it’s still chilling to read about it and the normalcy of blood witches.

The book is short – at just over 200 pages, but it’s not just the length of the novel that makes it such a quick read. The author weaves in mystery and intrigue in every scene. There are so many surprises and secrets. I had no idea where this book and the plot were going, and I couldn’t stop until I had all the answers. Except, the book ends on a cliffhanger that is more than just a cliffhanger. I don’t feel like there’s enough ending and I wish this wasn’t a two-part series. I think it would have been better to have one long 400-page novel than to break it into two parts and leave the first book without a fulfilling ending that felt much too abrupt to be complete. Perhaps when book two is available and you can read them in sequence with no stopping, it won’t feel as jarring. For such a satisfyingly written book, I was disappointed with the route the author took for the cliffhanger ending in book one.

This novel was published by Ahimsa Press 08/17/21 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Katie Wismer’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: The Anti-Relationship Year: A Friends to Lovers Romance (The Pact) by Katie Wismer

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The Anti-Relationship Year: A Friends to Lovers Romance (The Pact) by Katie Wismer

A New Adult Contemporary Romance Novel published by Ahimsa Press (03/30/21)

Summary:

“Just tell me this isn’t going to ruin everything,” she whispered. “Tell me this isn’t a bad idea.” Katie Wismer. The Anti-Relationship Year (Kindle Locations 2870-2871).

Johanna is a fresh-faced freshman – ready to take on the world of college. Jo meets Grey the first time she and her party-ready roommates and some of the boys from across the hall go to a local club. Jo can’t ignore or say no to his allure. Three years later, Jo is starting her senior year. The boy from across the hall, Miller, has been her best friend. He’s seen her ups and her downs. He’s been there when some of the more awful college experiences have taken away her optimistic innocence. He’s always been there for her… as a friend. Jo’s never considered him as anything more than that, but this last year has its own slew of surprises, not all of them pleasant and he’s still there for her and she will have to acknowledge her new feelings eventually.

Keywords:

Freshman Year, Senior Year, Party, Alcohol, Friendship, Dating, Gossip, College, Fraternity, Photography, Relationships, Emotions

My Review:

This story follows two timelines – the beginning of Freshman year chronologically from the first days at college through March and of Senior year chronologically from March through May. I really enjoyed these two timelines and the way the friends to lovers romantic storyline was told through two stories – Jo as a Freshman and Jo as a senior.

I really appreciated that this was a standalone in the same universe as the first book in the series. You don’t have to read the first book to enjoy the second and vice versa, although there was a nice little cameo of book one’s Meredith in this second book.

If you ever wanted a realistic portrayal of college life, then this book will give it to you. From endless nights of junk food to pre-gaming before parties to relationships. From the emotional ups and downs of navigating the first year away at college to navigating the end of college with some of the stress of graduation. This book realistically portrays the college experience (not everyone’s college experience but an honest one).

While Miller appears perfect, Jo is a slew of issues. She is both a product of her environment and upbringing and a consequence of her own actions. For a lot of the book, I didn’t like her. I really didn’t like the fact that Miller quietly adored her and did whatever to make her happy, without judgment. Why does Jo get a perfect friend like Miller? Why does Jo get a perfect boyfriend like Miller? But also – why do people turn on her for no reason? I felt sorry for her for the way people treated her and the judgments they passed on her while simultaneously disliking her for the way she acted and the way she treated Miller. She takes him so much for granted as a friend and most of the time it seems like a one-sided relationship until she starts to take him seriously as a romantic interest. Why does Miller stick with her when so many others have abandoned her? Why does he even like her so much?

Jo seems to get overwhelmed easily. Perhaps her reactions are exaggerated, but at the moment a lot of the situations she faces can have this effect on someone. This book really does show the realities and ugliness of relationships, the pettiness of so-called friends who will make fun of you behind your back while pretending to be your friend to your face, and how difficult it is to navigate being an adult in college.

This book was an easy and fast read and I’m really enjoying Wismer’s effortless writing style and can’t wait to read her next novel – be it YA, NA, romance, or something else entirely.

This novel was published by Ahimsa Press 03/30/21 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.00

Links for more information:

Katie Wismer’s Website

Goodreads

Online Courses Review: Yale’s Science of Well-Being, TESOL, Budgeting Boot Camp and Productivity Boot Camp by FunCheapOrFree

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I love trying out new things. I found the Science of Well-Being course offered by Yale free through Coursera and decided to give it a go. I took the course simultaneously with thousands of others. The course is 10 weeks long and the instruction portion is not overly tedious in length. I found that most of the content was familiar to me as I had taken many psychology classes in college (my area of concentration was psychology) and though none of the psychology classes I’ve taken centered on happiness, much of the science behind well-being is backed by psychological concepts and studies I am familiar with. It was nice to get the refresher, though, and to learn a few new tidbits. For the layman and those who didn’t study psychology, this course is an excellent survey of psychology centered on personal growth. This is especially true if you are taken with the concept of self-care that has been so very popular recently. I would highly recommend this structured take on scientifically understanding happiness and how to incorporate more aspects of well-being into your life. Some of the takeaways are not so obvious! And you will have homework to do! I highly recommend this particular course and really enjoyed the lecture style of Laurie Santos – the Yale professor. The homework was reasonable to accomplish and relevant. There were quite a number of recommended books to supplement the short to-the-point lectures if you want even more subject matter knowledge.

I now have my TESOL certificate – Teaching English as a Second Language. Why? Because I might want to teach English as a second language… I love languages, the study of languages, the nuance of learning a new language, etc. TESOL is one possibility for remote work as you can do it simply with a computer and high-speed internet connection. I took a simple TESOL certificate course online through International Open Academy that was recommended by one of the Youtubers (Katie Wismer) I watch. She has taught English as a second language with Qkids for over a year. I thought the course was fast and easy but not useful other than getting the certificate upon completion.

One of my other favorite Youtubers FunCheapOrFree offered her Budgeting Boot Camp and Productivity Boot Camp for free and I had to check them out. I love her channel. She is creative in her budgeting and productivity and I enjoy her well-edited videos. I did not, however, not either of her courses. It felt like she (and her husband) were reading a book in front of a camera. The two courses are divided into sections with videos that are around 10-15 minutes each. I liked all the stories where she related the information and instructions to her own life, but felt like I would rather just read the book version of these courses than sit through the videos in the course. I didn’t think this course was improved by telling the information in video format versus an audiobook or podcast for example. I also felt like the information wasn’t novel, especially to me with my current knowledge and since I’ve already watched many of the videos on Youtube already. I would not recommend paying for either course unless you’re completely new to budgeting or productivity and you prefer to watch videos in sequence than reading a book or simply subscribing to her channel. I would highly recommend instead to read the book “I Will Teach You to Be Rich: No Guilt. No Excuses. No BS. Just a 6-Week Program That Works” by Ramit Sethi as a step-to-step guide to crush debt and build wealth.

Book Review: The Anti-Virginity Pact by Katie Wismer

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The Anti-Virginity Pact by Katie Wismer

A YA Coming of Age Novel published by Ahimsa Press (06/17/20)

Summary:

‘Once people have decided you’re a “quiet one,” they never let it go.’ Location 391

Meredith has lived 18 years as the preacher’s dutiful daughter. They’ve never had to give her a curfew because she’s never been out late. She’s never had a boyfriend. Even thinking about being the center of attention makes her anxious. In her last year of high school Mare drunkenly signs an ‘anti-virginity pact’ with her best friend Johanna and promptly forgets about it. Until it resurfaces as copies spread all over school. Pushed into the spotlight, Mare doesn’t know what to do, but she wishes she was still invisible. All the attention – most of it negative – threatens her reputation, her standing with her family, and even her new romantic relationship.

Keywords:

Coming of Age, Teenagers, High School, Senior Year, Seniors, Party, Alcohol, Introverted, Anxiety, Bullying, Preacher’s Daughter, Atheist, Friendship, Dating

My Review:

I absolutely love an emotional coming-of-age story and this book did not disappoint. The strongest emotion I felt while reading was anxiety. I consider myself an ambivert and experience shyness and anxiety when I’m at the center of attention sometimes, but Meredith takes this to an entirely different level. Wismer so specifically describes all aspects of anxiety so well that not only could I empathize with Mare, but I could sympathize. I think anyone reading this novel could understand what anxiety actually feels and looks like if it’s unfamiliar to them.

This book unpacks so many teenage dramas and it packs quite a punch. The bullying felt real. The anxiety felt real. The home and church life of a preacher’s daughter felt real. The religious abuse felt real. The homophobia felt real. The nastiness of the in-crowd felt real. The only over-the-top drama subplot that didn’t feel as real was the animal abuse.

I absolutely loved how this book tied romance and a romantic relationship with a strong friendship angle and the relationship between siblings. I loved the story of Meredith and her relationship with Johanna, her relationship with Sam, and especially her relationship with her sister.

This novel was published by Ahimsa Press 06/17/20 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.00

Links for more information:

Katie Wismer’s Website

Goodreads