Bake Off by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Cat is back! This time her and her family travel to meet GG and her aunt for Thanksgiving vacation. She learns about the family bakery and why her mom refuses to cook. Again there are recipes at each chapter, which really are part of the book! Love the writing style and the characters. Highly recommend.
Bake Off by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a quick fun read. I enjoyed that it includes recipes. I found myself trying a few of them. The baking and fantasy aspects worked perfectly together. It made it enjoyable. The author knows how to get the attention of teens and adults alike with this one.
Bake Off by Cori Cooper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is the second in a series, which I thought I had read the first book but I must have been dreaming. lol Anyway, I was able to figure out the characters but I think I may have missed something by not reading the fist book. I’m sure I’ll be correcting that mistake very soon.
I love Cat and her grandma GG, who challenges Cat with recipes and not making it too easy for Cat and Robyn to figure out answers. How fun to have a scavenger hunt around the city finding the answers that GG won’t provide easily. I think this was not only fun but also helped
Cat really find out about her ancestors and especially the original baker of the family.
The characters are really easy to connect with, the book is a really fun read, and the recipes listed in the book would be a fun experience for young bakers to try!
Bake Off by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Bake Off is the second in the series, sequel to Bake Believe. It is a fun urban fantasy for preteen and teen readers who love baking and food. There’s a recipe at the end of every chapter – I can imagine reading it together during the school holidays, doing a chapter a day and then making the recipe! But I ended up mostly reading it on the subway, saving the recipes for later. Anyway, I do love a book that lets you know how to make the delicious treats it’s been describing!
The story is written from Cat’s perspective. I really like the style – it feels like chatting to a teenager about their interests and experiences. Even the recipes are in this friendly and conversational style. Cat is observant, and we see her thought process as she notices the tensions and behaviour of her family and figures out how best to respond.
This is a really fun read! I love baking and enjoy reading fantasy, so it’s perfect for me and gets five stars! I would recommend the series to young readers who love to bake and eat delicious food!
Bake Off by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Cat is back and this time Cat, Robyn and the rest of the family are off to visit GG (Grandma Ginny). Of course there are adventures and antics that create the fun atmosphere this author has a way with. This book was enjoyable even for me although I would imagine the target audience is ages 10-16ish. My daughter and I are both avid readers and though she is an adult as well I will be passing this series to her as I have so far really enjoyed it. I am very much looking forward to book three.
Bake Off by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This next installment of the series was just as great of a read as the first one! Being brought back into the world of imagination with this author baking books was a wonderful distraction that I so thoroughly needed. The way this book is written makes it where the adult will like reading the book as much as the child who reads it. The cover art for the books are what originally have drawn me in and I am not disappointed at all. I cannot wait to read more from this author who makes imagination and baking fun!
Bake Believe by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A pre-teen, young teen reader with a bit of magic, a spunky teen main character and a whole lot of fun!!! I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and wished I had younger kids at home to share these stories with. The recipes are super fun too! Such a great way to get your kids interested in learning to bake. I will be looking forward to book two in this series.
Bake Believe by Cori Cooper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I absolutely loved this book. Cat finding out that when her family bakes the unimaginable happens… Magic happens. Her life changes when she finds out that by baking she can make things happen. This series is such an awesome read I can’t wait for book 3.
▽ )˖°°˖✧◝(◡) COVER REVEAL ( ▽ )˖°°˖✧◝(◡)
Years ago, the ghouls ruled my homeland of Purgatory with all the gentle care of a throat punch. They even controlled the Great Scala, the only being who sends souls to Heaven or Hell. These days, the ghouls are gone and I’m the Great Scala. It’s as awesome as it sounds.
Then the Grim Reaper shows up and says, hold my scythe.
I’m told to go home and find a new job. Me. And my orders come from none other than Lady Regina the Reaper, a Victorian-style chick who sports a tiny hat and some huge attitude. Simply put, Regina is a rule-loving snob. She’s also the new favorite of my old nemesis, the Oligarchy, aka the four undead kings of all ghoul kind. And much as I hate to admit it, she’s put together a pretty effective evil scheme.
No question what’s truly happening, though. The ghouls want to step back into ruling Purgatory by giving me the boot through Regina. I’m having none of it. And this time, I’m taking the fight to the ghoul homeland. After all, no one knows ghouls better than I do. I’ve got myself a Nazgul-style disguise along with a plan to oust the Oligarchy in three simple steps. All I need to do is control my tail and temper. Not a problem.
Regina the Reaper can kiss my quasi butt. No one fires the Great Scala.
Collateral Damage: A Second Chance Mafia Romance by Amy McKinley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a series I can’t seem to put down. This is the third book from Amy McKinley that I have read, and not in order. This makes it a bit more difficult but the story lines are very easy to follow. I definitely plan to read all the other books in this series.
Hailey, the girl on the outside seems to have it all but when she gets kidnapped by a ski masked man her life doesn’t look so perfect.
Trey, a member of the Five Families and a steamy surgeon, can’t bring himself to think about having a relationship. When Hailey gets kidnapped her step dad hires Trey to find her. But little did Hailey and Trey realize that they would be more than captor and captee.
Reviewed by @alape
Bake Off by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Bake Off is book 2 of the Bake Believe series, and should be read in order. There is a lot of background information and ground work laid in the first book that would be needed to fully understand and enjoy Bake Off. While the book is written for children, I am an adult and thoroughly enjoyed it. I love the writing style, it was very realistic. There is a lot of sarcasm and phrases used, that makes it really seem like it is written by a 14 year old. The great Grandma, GG, is very well written. Her phrases are written in broken English, realistic of the fact that she is from France. The characters are all well written and I grew to love them all. Upon writing this review, I see that this is going to be a trilogy- yay! I cant wait to read another in the series. I plan to pass this book to my pre-teen daughter to read.
Reviewed by @way2gosmartguy
~ ~ ~ COVER REVEAL ~ ~ ~ ~Chicago, 1887 – Events start suddenly for Emma. She and Jeremy are chasing bank robbers who hope to stay hidden in a train wreck. Injuries and death permeate the environment as she struggles to get help from a nearby town. Will the robbers evade capture? Will Emma and Jeremy emergency unscathed?
Home again, there’s time for things to settle down to normal though Emma never wants to settle for normal. She looks to the newspaper for new cases. When one of these starts to take up all of her time, she asked Jeremy to step-in on a second case.
Both become entangled in the two cases with both of them offering the other support as needed. Emma’s case involves a murder and a missing husband. Jeremy’s case involves child labor and possible sabotage. Things aren’t as they seem in either case. Tough decisions are made and they made Emma and Jeremy reevaluate those around them.
Bake Off by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In book 2, we again catch up with Cat, Robyn, Tobey, and friends. In this round, Cat has managed to talk her parents into going to meet her GG and aunt Jojo, and learn about why her cooking magic works the way that it does.
Cat learns so much about her family history, but all of it seems to just make things more confusing instead of answering any questions. To make it worse, her being in Arizona, haing to get up at 5 AM to practice baking with GG, and listening to everyone fight all the time keeps her away from Tobey. Can her family heal? Can Cat learn why her cooking works the way that it does? Will her mom and Jojo ever get along again?
This series is imaginative, magical, endearing, and a lot of fun – plus it offers tasty recipes!
Bake Believe by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was cute, fun, has recipes included, and offers a glimpse of life through a teenagers eyes. Imaginative, fun, and not another dystopian-like-all-the-others YA novel.
All Cat wants is for her last day of summer to be the most epically awesome day EVER. This means getting to the pool early with her best friend/cousin, get the perfect amount of blond in her hair, thanks to lemon juice and sunshine, and boys to flirt with. Everything is going great, and she even meets a NEW cute boy and tries the best soft pretzel she has ever had in her life!
Why can’t Cat get this pretzel out of her head? Now that she thinks about it…why does her mom hate cooking so much? Why don’t they ever have anything that isn’t carry out or delivery? Cat is about to set out on a very interesting journey in learning about magic and her family secret.
Bake Off by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Cat returns in the next instalment of this series and now she has found out about what her family can do, she now sets off on a family road trip to find out the why and the how, so after the longest car ride in the world and a much needed power nap, they all arrive in the town in Arizona just in time for Thanksgiving, but there is still a week until then for Cat to get some answers to her all important questions.
However, these answers are not going to be as easy to get as Cat had hoped, but there is one good thing about having to work for her answers, she gets to bake! What she doesn’t enjoy is getting up before dawn to do it, though spending time with family, learning about new edible treats and honing her baking skills keep her going, especially when she hears about a bake off as the local bakeries in town have a showdown the day before thanksgiving, however things don’t go smoothly as suspicion abounds and emotions are flying all over the place, which adding in a reckless baking spree, Cat and Robyn discover that when baking and magic combine, it can have consequences nobody would expect.
Will Cat be able to get the answers to the bazillion questions rolling around in her head, or will this bake off become more of a recipe for disaster? This is a fun filled fantasy where magic and confectionary combine to provide some high jinx and low blows keep you hooked throughout, as do the characters and ideas inside.
Reviewed by @roxsannel
Bake Off by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Such an awesome book, I truly enjoyed reading it. Bake off is the second book in the series and continues to give insight to cat and Robyn. There’s adventure and I believe a little bit of magic. I loved reading this to my girls. The humor and recipes are perfect. Definitely read Bake Believe before reading this book.
Bake Believe by Cori Cooper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Bake Believe by Cori Cooper is such a fun, original book. I sat down with my son and we devoured the first book in the Bake Believe series. Cat is your typical teen. All she wants is a simple, fun last day of summer. She was very relatable to my middle son, who is the same age. The magic infused into the story was so fun and whimsical. We both got a kick out of the recipes included in the story. This is a great book for all ages. With a fun plot and well-written characters, we both greatly enjoyed this book.
Bake Off by Cori Cooper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When Cameron learned that we were reading the second book in the series, he was very excited. Bake Off is a wonderful YA read that once again is enjoyable for all ages. Laughs, twists, and a bit of good old teenage angst are the perfect combination. It was great to delve further into Cat’s family and friend relationships. These books took me back to my distant teen years. My son and I once again got to share our time with the wonderful characters in this series.
Bake Off by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In the first book, Cat discovered something with baking. Now she’s on a mission to learn more. She goes to the source of her family’s bakery that consist of her Great Grammy and Aunt Jojo. During this time, she has to help with many tasks and learn what baking with magic can really do. It was a fun read!
Bake Off by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved taking the next step in Cat’s story with her! Cat talks her parents into a trip to see relatives so she can try to discover why her baking works the way it does. With the help of her cousin Robyn, Cat goes on a difficult journey of lesson learning and discovery. With help from their GG, they go on the hunt for all their answers. Little did they know, they may just help their family as much as their family helps them.
This story was so fun to read with my daughter. We enjoyed it just as much as we did the first book. There is so much detail in the story that you can picture it as you read. My daughter is ten, almost eleven and she could not get enough of this. It is relatable to younger and older readers alike. Cat’s curiosity and outgoing personality create a very engaging and fun character. We can’t wait to see where Cat’s journey takes her next!
Review by @nrl0522
Manipulator’s War by Elise Carlson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ruanon is the heir of Tarlah, this involves lessons in fighting, history of the kingdom and more importantly how to run the Kingdom that will one day be theirs to rule. Because they are non binary, Ruanon works twice as hard to prove themselves to their father who is the current King.
The dangers of ruling over a Kingdom hits Ruanon in the face one night when their parents are kidnapped after a foiled assassination attempt. Now Ruanon is unsure of who to trust as they attempt to rule the kingdom and prevent war from a neighboring Kingdom.
Lihn finds herself in an unknown location while on a school trip to Australia. How did she get there? And more importantly, how does she get back home?
I really enjoyed this novel. It was fast paced and unpredictable. I couldn’t wait for both storylines to come together and how it would.
The main character being non binary is what cause my attention the most. It is not something I’ve seen before in the fantasy genre.
I saw that this is supposed to be a trilogy so I can’t wait for the next book.
Manipulator’s War by Elise Carlson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This isn’t my usual genre but I was up for a bit of change and a challenge and I must say that while I won’t easily be converted this was a good read ❣️📕
There were times I just had to stop , breathe and let myself absorb and process what I’ve read there’s alit of detail and that’s not a bad thing so that’s not critique it’s just me being out of my genre and I think if this is your thing you’ll love every page !
world and wind up another, you really feel like you are in the story as well at times. 
Manipulator’s War by Elise Carlson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Manipulator’s War ( Ruarnon Trilogy Book 1) by Elise Carlson is confusing and yet entertaining at the same time. I feel dragged into two different worlds but yet feel like I belong in both. It’s the first book that I have ever come across with a main character that is nonbinary. Not sure how or why the character became nonbinary but it does play a role in my opinion. You start off in one world and wind up another, you really feel like you are in the story as well at times.
Manipulator’s War by Elise Carlson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Manipulator’s War is incredibly detailed and I took some breaks here and there just to really wrap my head around what was happening. It was a bit difficult to get into the groove at first but once I did, I was completely enthralled!
Ruarnon is our non-binary main character and they must prove that they are up to many challenges, including finding their abducted parents and trying to end a terrifying war in their home of Tarlah. They need to decide who to trust and rely on internal instincts in the face of opposition. The four students from Australia are in for a life-altering experience as they attempt to navigate through this unbelievable world they stumbled upon. Will they ever find their way back to Australia or will Tarlah become their new home?
There are many emotions woven into this book and I enjoyed the multiple vantage points from different characters. I’m excited for the release of the second book in this trilogy, highly recommend for any reader interested in YA, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, or LGBTQ+ Fiction!
Reviewed by @shannlynn
Manipulator’s War by Elise Carlson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Manipulator’s War (Ruarnon Trilogy) Book 1
By Elise Carlson
Review By Susan Ratchford
4 stars
After assassins try to strike the non binary Raurnon down, the heir to Tarlahs perfect King, and their parents are abducted, they must assume the throne and try to be the worthy ruler that they always challenged them self to be. In the face of untrustworthy allies and a war that has stained their entire history they know they need more than brains and battle strategies to end this war. To do this they need a bargaining chip.
After traveling through a portal Linh and her friends happen upon a strange world they do not recognize. No longer in Australia they are in the world of Ruarnon and the people of Tarlah. Trapped in a time of civil unrest and a growing plague of monsters Linh will do anything to find her way back to her own time and place. Even pretend to be someone she isn’t and travel to see the heir Ruarnon herself and risk a plan for home. Will Linh be exactly what Ruarnon needs to end this war and secure everlasting peace or will their plan fail and with it the fate of them and their people?
I loved this book and will definitely be reading the rest of this series!!!! I really enjoyed the inclusion of a nonbinary protagonist it made me focus on other aspects of the story that were so engaging and emotionally gripping! This book took me on an emotional roller coaster with every twist and turn. I felt like I was there with Linh and Ruarnon through every struggle! Elise Carlson did a wonderful job of creating a complex and detailed plot that is constantly surprising you as well as fast paced. This is definitely a great YA series that anyone can enjoy and highly recommend you give it a try!
Manipulator’s War by Elise Carlson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Manipulator’s War by Elise Carlson is confusing and yet entertaining. It took awhile for me to get into this book. I really had to concentrate to keep up with the story line. It’s the first book that I have ever come across where the main character is non binary, and if you’re not paying attention at first…it is a little bit confusing. You start off in one world and wind up another. This was definitely a one of a kind book.
Reviewed by: Mary Espinoza, May 2022
Manipulator’s War by Elise Carlson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ruarnon is the heir of Tarlah, the first non-binary heir as well. They have to work a lot harder because of this. Others believe they will not do well as the next heir as they have only ever been ruled by Kings. The current king, Ruarnon’s father, believes they can be the next ruler as long as they try their best. Another king had a peace treaty with the kingdom of Tarlah but as the king of that kingdom died and his son took over, there were people against keeping the treaty alive. Resulting in going behind the current king’s back to take out the royals of Tarlah. One day, Ruarnon’s parents are abducted in the middle of the night.
Ruarnon has to take the throne of their kingdom with the help of their uncle. They have to make a lot of decisions and trust no one as people don’t like that a non-binary has taken the throne.
Meanwhile 4 teenagers are on a school trip. As they are walking along the beach, they see a trail in the woods that would make walking back so much faster. Once they enter the forest they are literally teleported to another place and time. The teens try to backtrack, only realizing the beach is completely gone. With no way back, they venture further into this new place.
Can Ruarnon find their parents and prove to everyone that they can be ruler with no problem?
Can the teenagers make it back home?
The book itself had all the elements to be something extremely interesting to me but it was kind of hard to keep track of who, what, where and when. Because of this I had trouble completely immersing myself in the words.
Bake Off by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In a delightfully done YA Fantasy sequel this explores what happens when you mix baking with magic.This is the second book in the series and continues with the main character Cat in a bakery competition after traveling to the family bakery in arizona…. but what happens to her baking when you add magic? Youll have to read to find out! The added bonus is recipes that you can try yourself!
This series was great YA angst type children’s chapter book that was wholesome, engaging and quirky and I really enjoyed it. For parents this is definitely a safe book to choose for your kids and tweens/teens for a fanstasy/magic escape
Bake Off by Cori Cooper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I was looking forward to Bake Off and I wasn’t disappointed. I enjoyed reading about Cat again – the author has a wonderful writing style and makes her writing so engaging and fun to read. I loved the recipes sprinkled in again – I think I really felt the family vibe and the fun banter between each other in this book.
This was another fun and light hearted read that both young adult readers and older ones will like. There is something for everyone and with the fun way in which it is written you will be flipping the pages to find out what will happen next.
I will definitely be looking forward to reading more from this author again in the future.
Manipulator’s War by Elise Carlson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a very good YA fantasy that was enjoyable to read and my first book with a character that was non-binary. There were parts that I had to really piece together and pay attention for sure. There is mystery, adventure and twists along the way as we meet Ruarnon….. assassination attempts are happening and Ruarnon has to take over the kingdom. Mix in some combining of worlds and you really have a good fantasy story with some great character development. Looking forward to book 2!