Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts

Monday, July 11, 2016

The Ringmaster's Wife {Review}

The Ringmaster's Wife
The Ringmaster's Wife by Kristy Cambron
Visit the Author's Website HERE
Publisher: 
Publishing Date: June 7, 2016
What is revealed when you draw back the curtain of the Greatest Show on Earth?

Rosamund Easling is no stranger to opulence. As the daughter of an earl, she’s grown up with every comfort money can buy. But when hard times befall the family’s Yorkshire estate in the aftermath of the Great War, Rosamund’s father sells her beloved horse, setting the stage for a series of events that would extend beyond even her wildest dreams.

Though expected to marry for a title instead of love, Rosamund feels called to a different life – one of adventure outside the confines of a ladies’ parlor. She abandons all she’s known and follows in pursuit as her horse is shipped to the new owner – an American entertainer by the name of John Ringling. Once introduced to the Ringling Brothers’ circus and knowing she has much to learn, Rosamund agrees to a bareback riding apprenticeship in the shadow of the Ringlings’ winter home—Ca’D’Zan. It is at that mansion, in what would become the last days of the enigmatic Mable Ringling’s life, that Rosamund finds a deeper sense of purpose in the life she’s been given, and the awakening of faith in her heart.

With a supporting cast of characters as mysterious and dazzling as the Ringlings’ big-top world, Rosamund’s journey takes her from the tradition of the English countryside to the last days of America’s Roaring ‘20s—a journey that forever changes what one life might have been.
 

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Dawn at Emberwilde {Review}

Dawn at Emberwilde (Treasures of Surrey, #2)
Dawn at Emberwilde by Sarah E. Ladd
Treasures of Surrey #2
Visit the Author's website HERE 
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publishing Date: May 10, 2016
Isabel Creston never dared to dream that love could be hers. Now, at the edge of a forest filled with dark secrets, she faces a fateful choice between love and duty.

For as long as she can remember, beautiful and free-spirited Isabel has strained against the rules and rigidity of the Fellsworth School in the rolling English countryside. No longer a student, Isabel set her sights on a steady yet unexciting role as a teacher at the school, a safe yet stifling establishment that would provide her a steady environment to care for her younger sister Lizzie, who was left in her care after her father’s death.

The unexpected arrival of a striking stranger with news of unknown relatives turns Isabel’s small, predictable world upside down, sweeping her and her young charge into a labyrinth of intrigue and hidden motives.

At her new family’s invitation, Isabel and Lizzie relocate to Emberwilde, a sprawling estate adjacent to a vast, mysterious wood rife with mysterious rumors and ominous folklore—along with whispers of something far more sinister. And perhaps even more startling, two handsome men begin pursuing Isabel, forcing her to learn the delicate dance between attraction, the intricate rules of courtship, and the hopes of her heart.

At Emberwilde, Isabel will discover that the key to unlocking the mystery of her past may also open the door to her future and security. But first she must find it—in the depths of Emberwilde Forest.
 

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Withering Rose {Review + Giveaway}


Withering Rose (Once Upon a Curse, #2)
Withering Rose by Kaitlyn Davis
Once Upon a Curse #2
Visit the Author's Website HERE
Published: May 17, 2016
"As the heat finally disappeared, I felt the bloom blossom in the very core of my soul, a rose just like my name--a ticking clock hidden behind a façade of beauty. From that moment on, my life would become a countdown, and all I could do was wait and watch as the petals of time slowly started to fall."

Omorose Bouchene has a secret--magic. There's only one problem. At the age of seven, an earthquake struck, catapulting her into a new world. A land made of skyscrapers and cell phones. Fast cars and fluorescent lights. A land where magic isn't supposed to exist and anyone who wields it is the enemy.

But after ten years of hiding, she's desperate to find a place where she can be free. Because all magic comes with a curse, and her curse is time--every ounce of power she uses strips days off of her life. The clock is winding down, and the only option left is to escape to the realm of the Beast. But the king of monsters isn't what he seems. And the more Omorose opens her heart, the more she comes to realize that the only person she may need to fear is herself.

*This is the second book in Once Upon A Curse, a series of interconnected stand-alone novels all set in the same fantasy universe.

Friday, May 27, 2016

Melanie Dickerson’s ‘The Beautiful Pretender’ Kindle Giveaway

Inheriting the new title of margrave means Reinhart has two weeks to find a noble bride. What will happen when he learns he has fallen for a lovely servant girl in disguise? Find out in the new medieval fairy tale, The Beautiful Pretender, by Melanie Dickerson. Despite Avelina’s best attempts at diverting attention from herself, the margrave has taken notice. And try as she might, she can’t deny her own growing feelings. But something else is afoot in the castle. Something sinister that could have far worse—far deadlier—consequences. Will Avelina be able to stop the evil plot? And at what cost?

Need more details? Check out my review I posted last week!

Join Melanie in celebrating the release of The Beautiful Pretender by entering to win her Once Upon a Kindle giveaway!

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Becky Wade’s ‘Her One and Only’ Giveaway

Meet Dru Porter, former Marine, expert markswoman, and black belt—who also happens to be assigned as a bodyguard to star NFL tight end Gray Fowler. Don't miss the final Porter family novel by Becky Wade, Her One and Only. Gray starts receiving death threats from a stalker, and Dru is determined to find his stalker. Every secret that leads Dru closer to the stalker also draws her closer to Gray. As the danger escalates, they’ll survive only if they can learn to trust their lives—and their hearts—to one another.

Want more details?? Check out my review over here and see why I just had to give this one five stars!

Join Becky in celebrating the release of Her One and Only by entering to win her Porter prize pack and $100 cash card giveaway!

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Anchor in the Storm {Review + Giveaway}

Anchor in the Storm (Waves of Freedom #2)
Anchor in the Storm
Waves of Freedom #2
Visit the Author's website HERE
Publisher: Revell Company
Publishing Date: May 3, 2016
One Plucky Female Pharmacist + One High-Society Naval Officer = Romance--and Danger 
For plucky Lillian Avery, America's entry into World War II means a chance to prove herself as a pharmacist in Boston. The challenges of her new job energize her. But society boy Ensign Archer Vandenberg's attentions only annoy--even if he "is" her brother's best friend. 
During the darkest days of the war, Arch's destroyer hunts German U-boats in vain as the submarines sink dozens of merchant ships along the East Coast. Still shaken by battles at sea, Arch notices his men also struggle with their nerves--and with drowsiness. Could there be a link to the large prescriptions for sedatives Lillian has filled? The two work together to answer that question, but can Arch ever earn Lillian's trust and affection? 
Sarah Sundin brings World War II to life, offering readers an intense experience they won't soon forget.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

The Beautiful Pretender {Review}

The Beautiful Pretender (Medieval Fairy Tale Romance, #2)
The Beautiful Pretender by Melanie Dickerson
Thornbeck #2
Visit the Author's Website HERE
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publishing Date: May 17, 2016
What happens when a margrave realizes he’s fallen in love with a servant?

The Margrave of Thornbeck has to find a bride, fast. He invites ten noble-born ladies from around the country to be his guests at Thornbeck Castle for two weeks, a time to test these ladies and reveal their true character.

Avelina is only responsible for two things: making sure her deception goes undetected and avoiding being selected as the margrave’s bride. Since the latter seems unlikely, she concentrates on not getting caught. No one must know she is merely a maidservant, sent by the Earl of Plimmwald to stand in for his daughter, Dorothea.

Despite Avelina’s best attempts at diverting attention from herself, the margrave has taken notice. And try as she might, she can’t deny her own growing feelings. But something else is afoot in the castle. Something sinister that could have far worse—far deadlier—consequences. Will Avelina be able to stop the evil plot? And at what cost?

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Her One and Only {Review}

Her One and Only (Porter Family, #4)
Her One and Only by Becky Wade
Porter Family #4
Visit the Author's website HERE
Publisher: Bethany House
Publishing Date: May 3, 2016
Romance Fans Eagerly Anticipate Every New Release from Becky Wade 
Gray Fowler, star NFL tight end, is being pursued by a stalker, so his team hires a protection agency to keep Gray under the watch of a bodyguard at all times. When Gray meets Dru Porter, an agent assigned to him, he's indignant. How can an attractive young female half his size possibly protect him? 
But Dru's a former Marine, an expert markswoman, and a black belt. She's also ferociously determined to uncover the identity of Gray's stalker. And she's just as determined to avoid any kind of romantic attachment between herself and the rugged football player with the mysterious past. But the closer they get to finding the stalker, the closer they grow to each other. As the danger rises, can Dru and Gray entrust their hearts--and their lives--to one another?

Monday, May 2, 2016

The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder {Review}

The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder (Herringford and Watts, #1)
The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder by Rachel McMillan
Visit the Author's Website HERE
Publisher: Harvest House
Publishing Date: March 1, 2016
In 1910 Toronto, while other bachelor girls perfect their domestic skills and find husbands, two friends perfect their sleuthing skills and find a murderer.

Inspired by their fascination with all things Sherlock Holmes, best friends and flatmates Merinda and Jem launch a consulting detective business. The deaths of young Irish women lead Merinda and Jem deeper into the mire of the city's underbelly, where the high hopes of those dreaming to make a new life in Canada are met with prejudice and squalor.

While searching for answers, donning disguises, and sneaking around where no proper ladies would ever go, they pair with Jasper Forth, a police constable, and Ray DeLuca, a reporter in whom Jem takes a more than professional interest. Merinda could well be Toronto's premiere consulting detective, and Jem may just find a way to put her bachelor girlhood behind her forever--if they can stay alive long enough to do so.

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Their Fractured Light {Sneak Peek Link Up}

Welcome to Sneak Peek Saturday!!

Sneak Peek Saturday on Reading List  a glimpse into what I am reading currently
Currently Reading:
Their Fractured Light 
by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

The Rose & The Dagger {Release Blitz!}


I am so excited that THE ROSE & THE DAGGER by Renée Ahdieh releases today and that I get to share the news, along with an awesome giveaway!

Saturday, April 23, 2016

The Girl on the Train {Sneak Peek}

Welcome to Sneak Peek Saturday!

Sneak Peek Saturday on Reading List  a glimpse into what I am reading currently

Current book:
The Girl on the Train
by Paula Hawkins

Friday, April 15, 2016

New on the Shelves {March 2016}


Most of what I added to my shelves in the month of March was from the library. Gotta love that place. Let me share those first......

The Rest of Us Just Live Here
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
This one was pretty adorable. Snarky, sarcastic, and ultra creative. Patrick Ness gives us the story of the 'normal' characters that live in the background

Burning Midnight
Burning Midnight by Will McIntosh
A mature MG sci fi read. Short and fast, it's worth finding a copy from the library. 
I posted my review last Thursday

Everything I Never Told You
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
EVERYBODY. This was my first EVER book club book read. And it wasn't fantastic. This style of writing, literary, dry, aloof, is just not my thing. Everyone else in the group thought much of the same about the story as well.

Their Fractured Light (Starbound, #3)
Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Gah, this cover #gorgeous. I actually haven't gotten to this one yet. Book one of the trilogy was off the charts. I listened to book two which may have affected my rating. I am nervous, albeit excited, to start this one soon!

Stars Above
Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
Okay, admit it friends: I got some awesome books from the library this month. This collection of short stories gives each character an 'origin' story of sorts. So nothing is exactly fresh and new, except for the very last story which is #romancegoals

Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands, #1)
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
This was Uppercase's March book choice. The cover is pretty swoony IRL and the synopsis sounds super awesome. I can't wait to dive in! ...though I am not sure when that will be...

The Gift of Friendship: Stories That Celebrate the Beauty of Shared Moments
The Gift of Friendship by Dawn Camp
I have actually received a copy of this book from the publisher already...so not sure why I got this one again. Perhaps it was a mistake? Perhaps it was part of the launch team deal? Either way, I gave this copy away to a BFF already :)

Jane Steele
Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye
A Jane Eyre retelling? Don't mind if I do! Thanks Netgalley for the ecopy!
*********************************
And there you have it! I technically only added like...one physical read to my shelves? But already for April I have added quite a bunch. Oops. BUT! You'll have to stay tuned :D

See anything you'd like to add to your shelves??

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Burning Midnight {Review}

Burning Midnight
Burning Midnight by Will McIntosh
Visit the Author's website HERE
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publishing Date: February 2, 2016
Seventeen-year-old David Sullivan’s life is about to change—all because of one tiny, priceless item found in the murky bottom of a Brooklyn water tower.

Sully is a sphere dealer at a flea market. It doesn’t pay much—Alex Holliday’s stores have muscled out most of the independent sellers—but it helps him and his mom make rent.

No one knows where the brilliant-colored spheres came from. One day they were just there, hidden all over the earth like huge gemstones. Burn a pair and they make you a little better: an inch taller, skilled at math, better-looking. The rarer the sphere, the more expensive—and the greater the improvement.

When Sully meets Hunter, a girl with a natural talent for finding spheres, the two start searching together. One day they find a Gold—a color no one has ever seen. And when Alex Holliday learns what they have, he will go to any lengths, will use all of his wealth and power, to take it from them.

There’s no question the Gold is worth millions, but what does it actually do? None of them is aware of it yet, but the fate of the world rests on this little golden orb. Because all the world fights over the spheres, but no one knows where they come from, what their powers are, or why they’re here.
 

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest {Review}

The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest (Medieval Fairy Tale Romance, #1)
The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson
Thornbeck #1
Visit the Author's website HERE
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publishing Date: May 12, 2015
A beautiful maiden who poaches to feed the poor.
A handsome forester on a mission to catch her.
Danger and love are about to unite in Thornbeck Forest.

The margrave owns the finest hunting grounds for miles around—and who teaches children to read, but by night this young beauty has become the secret lifeline to the poorest of the poor.

For Jorgen Hartman, the margrave’s forester, tracking down a poacher is a duty he is all too willing to perform. Jorgen inherited his post from the man who raised him . . . a man who was murdered at the hands of a poacher.

When Jorgen and Odette meet at the Midsummer festival and share a connection during a dance, neither has any idea that they are already adversaries.

The one man she wants is bound by duty to capture her; the one woman he loves is his cunning target . . . What becomes of a forester who protects a notorious poacher? What becomes of a poacher when she is finally discovered?

Saturday, March 19, 2016

The Rest of Us Just Live Here {Sneak Peek}

Welcome to Sneak Peek Saturday!

Sneak Peek Saturday on Reading List  a glimpse into what I am reading currently

Current book:
The Rest of Us Just Live Here
by Patrick Ness

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Melancholy and Limerence Tour {Review}


Limerence_Banner1
Welcome to my tour stop for the new adult science fiction romance Limerence by Charlotte McConaghy. Limerence is the third book in The Cure Series. The first two books, Fury and Melancholy, are also featured in the tour. Check out the tour page for the full schedule.

About the Books:

Fury CoverFury

When emotions are erased from the world, creating a civilization of mindless drones, only those with fury can survive.

On the same day each year Josephine Luquet wakes naked, shivering and covered in blood that is not her own. Under the cold gaze of the blood moon she is someone else entirely, but when dawn breaks her memories vanish and she is left with only an icy horror, a burning fury. Amid a sea of 'drones', she alone hasn’t been cured. 

Then she meets Luke. He isn’t like the other drones. With secrets behind his eyes, he is the only one determined to help Josephine discover the truth before the next blood moon rises.

But time is running out. Is Luke willing to risk his life to be near her? Does he truly understand what violence she is capable of?

Raw and full of passion, Fury is a story of love in a dystopian world, and how much we are willing to forgive in the struggle to remember our humanity.

***
Melancholy
mel_om
Here in the west they know a lot about hope. They know how to ration it just as they do with food and water.

Josephine is at last free of the blood moon. But in a desperate rush to find help for a comatose Luke, she discovers the strange and dangerous world of the resistance, and it is unlike any world Josi has known.

In the west they believe in fury – they cultivate and encourage it. The unruly people of the resistance know that to survive means to fight. But can they fight the inevitable cure for sadness that rushes steadily closer?

In the action-packed sequel to Fury, everything Josi believes about herself will be challenged. Haunted by atrocities and betrayals, she must find the strength to trust again, and decide how far she is willing to go to fight the inevitable. 

At times both brutal and sweet, Melancholy is the story of second chances and finding love in a ruined world.

***


Limerence-Omnibus_DEV03Limerence
No injection can cure love. Only life can do that.

Deep in the darkest tunnels hide the last of the resistance fighters. Hunted by the savage Furies and the ruthless Bloods, they live in constant peril. The only means of survival is to seek strength in family and find courage in love. So what happens when love is cured, scoured away, leaving death in its place?

In the final battle for freedom, there are no lines that won't be crossed. And for Josi this means becoming the creature she fears most of all: the girl with a blood moon heart.

The gripping conclusion to the dystopian trilogy The Cure, Limerence is a love story for the monsters within.

Perfect for fans of Pierce Brown, Laini Taylor and Maggie Stiefvater.

***

About the Author:

copyrighted
Charlotte has been writing from a young age, and has published several novels including the science-fiction series The Cure and the romantic fantasy series The Chronicles of Kaya. She studied a Masters of Screenwriting at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, and is the author of the Australian Writer's Guild award-winning screenplay Fury – adapted from her novel of the same name. She lives in Sydney, writing novels and working on both film and television projects, as well as an upcoming graphic novel Skin. 

Connect with the author:

 Website | Facebook | Twitter

***

My Thoughts:
I read Fury about two years ago now. I really enjoyed it and always meant to finish the trilogy. This tour gave me that opportunity. 

Book two, Melancholy, picks up right where book one left off. Luke is in a coma from being injected with the anger cure and both he and Jose are being taken to the resistance group. I struggled to connect with the characters again after such a long break. Jose, or Dual as she comes to be called, is way more moody, and even self centered, than previously. She is stuck in her own head surrounded by her own problems. The members of the Inferno (the resistance group) don't exactly welcome her with warm, friendly arms either. 

It took me awhile to accept her bipolar attitude, but about 100 pages in the book really picks up. As Jose gets out of her own head, we get to connect to a new cast of characters and explore the intrigue and mysteries of the Inferno. There are a ton of secrets and action right at the end that had me flipping through the pages fast as I could.

"Limerence" was a bit trickier. The reader really has to pay attention to the dates and the character as they read along. Even though I picked this up immediately after 'Melancholy', jumping around the timelines really threw me for a loop. Several major things are revealed right at the beginning of the story, and then we are taken back to discover how it all happened. 

This series has plenty of action, evil government, and character development. The way both Luke and Dual change from book one to the end of book three was pretty remarkable. If you like any of those things, or a complicated love story, this series is right up your alley. McConaghy writes like a movie which makes it easy to picture everything as you read along. I think this fits perfectly as she did study screenwriting! 

I do have to note for my sensitive readers: this book contains violence (nothing I found overly graphic), language, and sexual content that I found to grow in it's graphic nature. 

GIVEAWAY:
One winner will receive digital copies of Fury, Melancholy and Limerence 
Open Worldwide
Ends March 30
Giveaway is provided by the publisher and hosts are not responsible. Must be 13 or older to enter and have parental permission if under 17. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.