Photo credit: Eric Langley via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
Without getting overtly political, this book by Shelly Laurenston is one my mom and I both read because of the current state of affairs in our country. She was listening to a podcast that spent an episode recommending books about kickass women for people to read as therapy to help get us through these hard times. My mom ended up listening to the audiobook, but she also had a paperback when I once again found myself at her house without a book to read. Having heard her rave about how much fun the audiobook was, I picked up the paperback when I saw it lying around and then I couldn’t put it down.
This book was so much fun. It’s marketed as a romance, but that’s misleading. The cover has a hot guy wearing an open hoodie and no shirt. His abs are nice to look at, but they have absolutely nothing to do with the plot. There are a few sex scenes, and yes they’re raunchy, so fair warning if that’s not your thing. But they’re short and most of the book really is taken up by strong women kicking serious butt.
The main character is Kera, a former Marine who was stabbed to death while taking out the trash at the L.A. coffee shop where she’s currently working. One of her regular customers asks Skuld to help her out. Turns out Skuld is a Norse goddess who occasionally chooses dying women to help fight for her. In return she gives them a second chance at life. When she makes her offer to Kera, Kera agrees on the condition she can take her dog, Brodie. Brodie is an abused pit bull Kera found chained to an engine block, missing most of her teeth and a good chunk of her muzzle. But she and Kera have always stood by each other and Kera doesn’t see any reason for that to change now.
The next thing Kera knows she’s waking up in a strange house and she’s super strong. Not only is Brodie with her, but Brodie is much bigger and her muzzle is fully healed. Kera also has wings and it takes her a few tries to get used to those, but once she does, she gets to fly around with the other women who live in the house. The group of women, by the way, are called Crows and they refer to the mansion they live in as The Birdhouse. There are Crows all over the world, and you can relocate if you want, but most people end up wherever they died.
Having spent a few years in the Marines, Kera has no problem with fighting, but she does have a problem with the very relaxed structure of the Crows. She’s all about organization and they’re not, so there are more than a few clashes as a result.
The regular at the coffee shop who asked Skuld for help on Kera’s behalf turns out to be a Viking named Ludvig “Vig” Rundström who has a huge crush on her. But because of his huge physique, his unkempt beard, and his “thousand-yard-stare,” Kera had assumed he was a traumatized vet. Vig isn’t happy when he finds that out, but they both get past it and have wonderful sex and he helps her adjust to life as a soldier for a Norse goddess. It’s a lot to take in and it’s doubtful Kera would have made it without Vig’s help and support.
This book is super smart and sassy and funny and there are so many comments on life in Hollywood it’s hard not to love this book. I dare you.
What did you guys read this week? Any other comfort reads to get you through tough times?