THE PRINCE OF NO VALUE
Brishen
Khaskem, prince of the Kai, has lived content as the nonessential spare
heir to a throne secured many times over. A trade and political
alliance between the human kingdom of Gaur and the Kai kingdom of
Bast-Haradis requires that he marry a Gauri woman to seal the treaty.
Always a dutiful son, Brishen agrees to the marriage and discovers his
bride is as ugly as he expected and more beautiful than he could have
imagined.
THE NOBLEWOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE
Ildiko, niece
of the Gauri king, has always known her only worth to the royal family
lay in a strategic marriage. Resigned to her fate, she is horrified to
learn that her intended groom isn’t just a foreign aristocrat but the
younger prince of a people neither familiar nor human. Bound to her new
husband, Ildiko will leave behind all she’s known to embrace a man
shrouded in darkness but with a soul forged by light.
Two people
brought together by the trappings of duty and politics will discover
they are destined for each other, even as the powers of a hostile
kingdom scheme to tear them apart.@goodreads
MY REVIEW:
5 STARS
THERE JUST MAY BE SOME SPOILERS AHEAD SO BRACE YOURSELF!
So Ildiko and Brishen are set up to be married so they can
do all of that political crap from the ages that supposedly seals a deal
with kingdoms. But.... Ildiko is a beautiful human and Brishen is a
handsome Kai and both races think the other is ugly as sin. That would
suck monkey butt!
The Kai are scary to look at because they have
nacreous eyes, which are without a pupil or iris. They just glow at
you. You know, you could really freak people out good at Halloween in
the dark with those eyes. I would be jumping out at people left and
right.. anyway... they also have sharp teeth and when they smile at you
it looks like your about to be devoured by something from hell. And long
nails and grey skin.
But Ildiko and Brishen meet right before
their marriage in the garden and they didn't even know it until Ildiko
gets ready to go inside and Brishen hears her name being called. Brishen
enjoyed their conversation so much that he wants to talk to Ildiko
before the wedding so she knows it's him. They share a moment in the
garden and they didn't feel so horrified around each other and they were
"honest".. yep.. I know it's a foreign word, but they were "honest" and
told the truth about how they feel being around each others kind. They
told each other how hideous they thought the other was and did that
throughout the book until a turning point. 
♣♣♣♣♣
A
hard pounding on the door warned them their private meeting was over.
Brishen presented his arm to Ildiko. "Ready to get shackled, madam?"
She
rested her hand in the crook of his elbow. "Try not to smile too
widely, Your Highness. You'll scare the children in the crowd>"♣♣♣♣♣
Their eating habits are different too and I just loved these parts! ♣♣♣♣♣
"Brishen, there will be a riot if you spit it out."
He
clamped his lips tightly closed and swallowed. There wasn't enough wine
or ale in the world to kill the revolting smear coating his tongue, but
he drained his goblet and Ildiko's before signaling a servant for more.
The Kai continued to watch him, and he glared at every one of them
until they picked up their own utensils and braved their potatoes.The
cheese plate almost did him in, and he had to ask Ildiko twice if the
ones speckled a greenish-blue weren't actually bits and pieces of
fermented corpses. Her explanation of how the cheese was made had him
wishing they'd served fermented corpse instead.♣♣♣♣♣
None
of the King or Queens of each family are happy but it's the way it is, I
must say Brishen's mom is a bitch beyond all bitches. I will let you
read the book about her!
On the way back to their home they get
attacked by some of these other peeps because they didn't like the two
making the union. No, I don't remember their names, it start with a B,
bastards in my opinion. Either way, some of the Kai were killed and a
whole bunch of bastards. They did a little ceremony with the Kai
warriors that I thought was really cool. "Read the book." Oh and Brishen
is pretty good with an axe :) 
Along,
the way they had to spend the night and Ildiko and Brishen got to learn
even more about each other by talking. I really liked how they got to
know each other slowing before the um..other stuff. And their banter
together is the best. See below ↓♣♣♣♣♣
She drew a circle on his chin with her fingertip. "Your skin color reminds me of a dead eel I once saw on the beach."
Brishen arched an eyebrow. "Flattering, I'm sure. I thought yours looked like a mollusk we boil to make amaranthine dye."♣♣♣♣♣
Ildiko
loved Brishen's home and the Kai were getting to know her and kind to
her. Amhuset is Brishen's cousin, his lieutenant and second in command.
She's a bad ass warrior. Ildiko had to get used to their schedules and
sleep mostly during the day as it hurt the Kai's eyes and stay up all
night. Party at the castle... well they did have one when they invited
some humans they liked across the way in another castle. 
Unfortunately,
Brishen and Ildiko have to be looking over their backs all of the time
as these two people who were once never really thought about, are now
targets to evil ones that want them killed. But... on the good side..
they finally found that after so long getting to know each other.. they
weren't so hideous, they had feelings.. feelings.. and then...
They
realized they loved each other and the sex was awesome! Lord have
mercy! Well.. they couldn't kiss proper or he would have sliced her face
into little pieces but they figured some stuff out :)
Then one
day they are out and about coming back from town and all hell breaks
loose and they get attacked again, only this time the Bastards are using
arrows that have some kind of poison that paralyzes you. Some bad
things happen, their human friend comes to their aide and when they find
Brishen, this is Ildiko's command! ♣♣♣♣♣
Ildiko
stared at Brishen, at the shallow rise and fall of his chest as he
breathed gurgling breaths. He stank of blood and agony. The wind lifted a
strand of his hair, and she caught it between two fingers. It stuck to
her skin, matted with gore. Sheh didn't care who hired animals to
unleash their savagery.
"Kill them," she said in a flat voice. "Kill them all."♣♣♣♣♣
Then
if Brishen's damn mother didn't come and visit him after he was better,
not all the way as he was mutilated. I'm not saying how or what or what
she did but OMG I want them to end her! I got so freaking mad!!!!! 
I really loved this book and I am looking forward to the next one! I hope it comes out soon!
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1323088711
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1506119719?keywords=radiance&qid=1450035351&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2
For 13 days in
October 1962, the world held its breath—seemingly on the brink of
nuclear war. Set against the backdrop of Cold War panic and politics,
this enthralling novel tells the intimate and human story of a family
whose own hearts are at war.
For the Avery family, the
dark days of the Cuban Missile Crisis mark a turning point in their
lives which will shape and forever change them. McCarthy captures
pitch-perfectly the panic, tension, insanity and innocence of the time.
The Avery family forms the emotional center of the novel, as their world
starts to unravel during the heart-stopping buildup to the Cuban
Missile Crisis. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
3 STARS
Okay, seriously, I'm not sure if this is getting only three stars
because of my reading slump or because I truly thought it was an okay
book. I liked reading about the characters and all of these things they
went through, the family secrets, the slip into mental health issues.
They were all very well written, but alas here we are with just my three
stars which is not bad either.
This book is set during the Cuban Missile Crisis as you can read from the description. 
The
book starts out in 2009 with Charlotte pulling up to her fathers Texaco
station to go through some of her dads things before selling. This of
course is after he has passed. 
I liked the part where Charlotte is remembering when she asks her dad why he picked Texaco....♣♣♣♣♣
Flipping
on the back room's light, I have to laugh at the tin signs that line
every available square foot of the walls and ceiling, most bearing the
classic red-and green Texaco star. I asked Dad once why he chose Texaco
over the more popular Shell or Gulf Oil brands. "It was the star,
Charlotte: same five-pointed star as on my air force uniform. To me,
that star meant freedom...not just to fly and fight the enemy, but to
come home, marry your mom, and build our American dream. Besides, I just
couldn't see myself running around with a seashell or an orange ball on
my chest."♣♣♣♣♣
We learn a lot of things about
Charlotte, her mom Sarah, and her dad Wes, not everything is as it seems
and it's sad. We also get to learn some history into the Cuban Missile
Crisis.
I think people that love history, any kind of history,
would like this book, but know that it has the story about a family and
what they are going through as well. *I would like to thank Penguin Random house for a print copy of this book for my honest review.*
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1425801247
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/080417654X?keywords=a%20place%20we%20knew%20well&qid=1449941535&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
Princess Snow is missing.
Her
home planet is filled with violence and corruption at the hands of King
Matthias and his wife as they attempt to punish her captors. The king
will stop at nothing to get his beloved daughter back-but that's
assuming she wants to return at all.
Essie has grown used to
being cold. Temperatures on the planet Thanda are always sub-zero, and
she fills her days with coding and repairs for the seven loyal drones
that run the local mines.
When a mysterious young man named Dane
crash-lands near her home, Essie agrees to help the pilot repair his
ship. But soon she realizes that Dane's arrival was far from accidental,
and she's pulled into the heart of a war she's risked everything to
avoid.
In her enthralling debut, R. C. Lewis weaves the tale of a
princess on the run from painful secrets . . . and a poisonous queen.
With the galaxy's future-and her own-in jeopardy, Essie must choose who
to trust in a fiery fight for survival @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
PRINCESS SNOW IS MISSING... WHERE COULD SHE BE....
Princess
Snow (Essie) is on the planet Thanda where it's sub-zero weather,
sounds like my kind of place. She's been here for 8 years.
She's a bad ass and I love it! She's in cage fights with the miners of all things! 
She
works with a really nice guy named Petey who tries to keep her out of
trouble. Essie has made 7 drones to help in the mines. The drones and
the humans mine for merinium, it's really important around the galaxy! 
Oh and here is a little EXCERPT on how merinium is made: ♣♣♣♣♣
"One
of the few native animal species here is called the harri-harra. It's a
giant worm that burrows in the bedrock and --Dimwit, I said stop! If
you weld your feet together, I'm not fixing it. Anyway, the harri-harra
leaves a trail of secretions and excrement in its wake that seeps into
the stone, undergoes a chemical reaction and, after enough time, you
have merinium."♣♣♣♣♣
Meanwhile, in other
parts of the galaxy, her father and step monster live on the planet
Windsong and they think Essie is dead. 
So,
Essie is living the life on Thanda with her drones, she fights in the
cage matches to get money to keep upgrading her drones. They don't
really look like these... see below ↓
These
drones are her 7 dwarves so to speak in the original story, as if you
haven't figured that one out. We have: Ticktock, Clank, Dimwit, Clunk,
Whirligig, Zippy, and Cusser. They don't really put in too much of an
appearance in the book which was kind of sad to me. Although, Dimwit and
Cusser do and I love them both, especially Dimwit, but I have always
loved those two dwarves they are acting as :)
Then this dude
named Dane drops in on the planet.. literally, he crashes. Sooooooo...
Essie decides to be nice and fix his ride for him. Well.. this, that and
the other happens.. and he kidnaps Essie and Dimwit and Cusser are a
long for the ride.
Dane says he's taking Essie back to Windsong
because her dad is a prisoner there. Essie's father took all of the
Elites on the planet as prisoners, blaming them for her kidnapping.
Essie is very sad about this and had no idea as info on Thanda is
limited. Anyway, they make some stops along the way on some other
planets to finish fixing the ship. Oh...and.. Dane is an Elite and Essie
is half Elite. What is an Elite you ask? You will just have to read the
book to find out because I'm not telling you EVERYTHING!
There
are a lot of things that happen a long the way but I'm leaving those
out. Let's just say at one point, Dane and Essie start to fall in love
:) Hey, it's a fairy tale, don't like it.. tough! 
They
get some plans together with some peeps and head on over to Windsong.
Essie puts on a show about being kidnapped and left in Thanda etc, and
that she saved Dane and he's sworn his life to her. Her father is so
happy to see her, but well all know the evil queen.. IS NOT.
There is a point where a poison apple is involved, not in the way you think. 
Some
really sad things happen. I cried a little, don't judge me! Some good
evil things happen, depending on how you look at them, and there is a
royal wedding :) Hoorah! 
I cried at that part ↑
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1438131127
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
http://www.amazon.com/Stitching-Snow-R-C-Lewis/dp/1423194683/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449788023&sr=8-1&keywords=stitching+snow
The first installment of
Bernard Cornwell’s bestselling series chronicling the epic saga of the
making of England—“like Game of Thrones, but real” (The Observer, London)—the basis for The Last Kingdom, a major television series airing in Fall 2015.
In
the middle years of the ninth-century, the fierce Danes stormed onto
British soil, hungry for spoils and conquest. Kingdom after kingdom fell
to the ruthless invaders until but one realm remained. And suddenly the
fate of all England—and the course of history—depended upon one man,
one king.
From New York Times bestselling storyteller
Bernard Cornwell comes a rousing epic adventure of courage, treachery,
duty, devotion, majesty, love, and battle as seen through the eyes of a
young warrior who straddled two worlds.@goodreads
MY REVIEW:
5 STARS
ME THINKS THERE'S GOING TO BE SPOILERS!
♣♣♣♣♣
I
am Uhtred, son of Uhtred, and this is the tale of a blood feud. It is a
tale of how I will take from my enemy what the law says is mine. And it
is the tale of a woman and her father, a king.
He was my king
and all that I have I owe to him. The food that I eat, the hall where I
live, and the swords of my men, all come from Alfred, my king, who hated
me.↓
This story begins long before I met Alfred. It begins when I was ten years old and first saw the Danes.
♣♣♣♣♣
I
thought this book was magnificent! I heard about if from some friends
on GR awhile back and have the series listed in my notebook to read, but
it was put by the wayside like so many other books. Then one night I
got to see an episode of The Last Kingdom on BBC with my best friend
while we were on the phone and he said the books are better. I'm like,
"What Books?" and he proceeded to tell me about the books I already
heard about and have listed in my handy notebook. I promptly put the
first book on my Amazon Christmas Wish List and my friend promptly
bought it, and here we are, a book that I have missed out on for so
long. I loved it! I loved it! I loved it! I have the second book on the
way and hope to get the rest SOON!
I find some books very hard
to read or understand and get lost in translation. I was afraid that
would happen with this book, but that is not the case. No, I can't
remember all of the names or how to spell them, but I do that in any
book... what I mean is... I wasn't lost... I understand all the author
was trying to convey! I think this author is brilliant in the way he
writes a story. I loved learning some of the history, even though some
of the characters are fictional, it's still a wonderfully told story!
This only makes me want to read more into the history that is factual in
the book.. anyhoo.. moving on.
When Uhtred was ten-years-old,
the Danes came and attacked England. Uhtred and his family had a
fortress in Begganburg. The Danes took some places around Uhtred's home.
Then some peeps and Uhtred's father all got together to duke it out
with the Danes at a place called Eoferwic and things didn't go so good
for the Saxons. Uhtred lost his father that day and was taken by the
Danes, Uhtred was made a son of Ragnar the Fearless for his heroic
effort in trying to attack Ragnar. 
You have to love that, "NOW YOUR MY SON AND GET THE HELL OFF MY HORSE!" ↑
Uhtred
grew to love Ragnar because he was kind to him, taught him things, was
proud of him when he did great things. He was so unlike Uhtred's real
father who seemed to be a cranky, non-caring father. ♣♣♣♣
I
liked Ragnar. I liked him so much more than I had liked my father. I
should, by rights, be dead, yet Ragnar had saved me and Ragnar spoiled
me and he treated me like a son, and he called me a Dane.♣♣♣♣♣
Uhtred
grew up learning how to fight and he was so smart, this boy was so very
smart and he was even smarter as he grew. He seemed to know what to do
and say from a small child. 
There
is a female character in the book I loved, her name is Brida. She
wasn't a Dane either, but she lived with them and grew up with Uhtred.
They were best friends, warriors, lovers. She is fierce in the book and I
like her!
I have to mention that Uhtred gets his own sword made
and names her Serpent-Breath. He says in the book that he still has her
and this is him telling this as an older man. Uhtred also helped make
his own saxe which he called Wasp-Sting because she was short :) What
can I say, I thought that was cool!
The author writes such
beautiful pieces in the book, not just blood and guts and this and that,
here is an excerpt of some of the way he describes things. ♣♣♣♣♣
Ships
on the winter Temes. Ships sliding past brittle reeds and leafless
willows and bare alders. Wet oar blades shining in the pale sunlight.♣♣♣♣♣
I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I loved how he wrote things like that, the words seemed to flow like the water. 
There
were a lot of things happen in just this first book. Some really sad
things, some good things. I can only image what happens in the other
books. At one point Uhtred fights for Alfred, he gets married, has a
son. And carries on trying to get back to his home and take over his
rightful place.
Meanwhile, he takes a bath.. sorry.. I couldn't help myself. 
I
will say it again, I loved this book. It kept my interest from the very
beginning and I did not find one point that was boring, it did not drag
at any point. Kudos to Bernard Cornwell for making such a wonderful
series. On that note, I will leave you with a large excerpt and parting
scenes....♣♣♣♣♣
Mildreth
was well. She was safe. She had not been raped. She wept when she saw
me, and I took her in my arms and wondered that I was so fond of her,
and she said she had thought I was dead and told me she had prayed to
her god to spare me, and she took me to the room where our son was in
his swaddling clothes and, for the first time, I looked at Uhtred, son
of Uhtred, and I prayed that one day he would be the lawful and sole
owner of lands that are carefully marked by stones and by dykes, by oaks
and by ash, by marsh and by sea. I am still the owner of those lands
that were purchased with our family's blood, and I will take those lands
back from the man who stole them from me and I will give them to my
sons. For I am Uhtred, Earl Uhtred, Uhtred of Bebbanburg, and destiny is
everything.♣♣♣♣♣
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1459454961
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Kingdom-tie-Saxon-Tales/dp/006243862X/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1449605821&sr=8-2
Would you send a villain to do a hero's job? An exciting new twisted fairy tale series from award-winning author Jen Calonita.
Full
of regret, Cinderella's wicked stepmother, Flora, has founded the Fairy
Tale Reform School with the mission of turning the wicked and
criminally mischievous into upstanding members of Enchantasia.
Impish,
sassy 12-year-old Gilly has a history of petty theft and she's not too
sorry about it. When she lifts a hair clip, she gets tossed in reform
school-for at least three months. But when she meets fellow students Jax
and Kayla, she learns there's more to this school than its sweet
mission. There's a battle brewing and she starts to wonder: can a
villain really change? @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
As
you can read from the book description, Gilly is a thief, but she only
does this to help her family get money to eat. She has five brothers and
sisters and they live with their parents in a boot. Their father makes
shoes but he's not getting much work right now. There is a reason but
you have to read the book to find out why! :)
But...this time Gilly gets caught and this is her third offense! ♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣
♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣
All of the teachers, etc in the school are former villians.. mwahhhhhhhhh
I love the big bad wolf the best, his name is Professor Wolfington :)
They
can do activities at the school like riding Pegasus and all kinds of
cool stuff. I thinking riding a Pegasus would be the best :)
Gilly
becomes friends with Kayla and Jax, they are good friends but they are
not all what they seem. And... there is something amiss in the school.
Something Wicked This Way Comes.. sorry, I couldn't help myself.
I thought this was a sweet little book and I look forward to reading the next book! Isn't the cover of this book beautiful!
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1194033217
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
http://www.amazon.com/Flunked-Fairy-Tale-Reform-School-ebook/dp/B00ORXKSUI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449411665&sr=1-1&keywords=flunked+fairy+tale+reform+school
Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.
Eleanor...
Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head.
Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber
and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.
Park... He
knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her
jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his
chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep
promises...Park.
Set over the course of one school year, this is
the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know
that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to
try. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
UPDATE: Look at the beautiful pictures from my beautiful new edition of the book ♥
They met on the bus.
Eleanor
was the new girl, the girl with the vibrant red hair, the one everyone
made fun of, but if they only knew what she had to go through at home.
Park
is the quiet boy that just wants to be left a lone to do his own thing.
He's the only one that would let Eleanor sit down. Park shared his
comics and music with Eleanor. She enjoyed them almost as much as Park
did.
They both became closer and closer on their talks to and from school on the bus. Then......
From all of the talks about comics, superheroes, villains, mixed tapes, and mean people.. they started to fall in love.
Eleanor
has one sister and three brothers, they live with their mom and
stepdad. The stepdad is a horrible person and they live in even more
horrible conditions. I feel sad for them and wish their mom would man up
and find a way to get her kids away from that jerk :(
♣♣♣♣♣
So,
yeah I have a terrible stepdad, and I don't have a phone, and sometimes
when we're out of dish soap, I have to wash my hair with flea and tick
shampoo....
♣♣♣♣♣
Eleanor's real dad didn't want
any of them any more, he puts in an appearance in the book, a short one.
I liked how Eleanor described her parents to Park. It was sad, but
funny..
♣♣♣♣♣
"Is this the kind of scintillating conversation we're going to have now that we don't have any secrets?"
"Yes. Is your mom Danish?"
"Yes," she said.
"What's your dad?"
"An ass."
He frowned.
"What? You wanted honest and intimate. That's way more honest than 'Scottish.'"
♣♣♣♣♣
Park
has pretty nice parents and a crazy brother, wait, two brothers. Their
dad has had them in martial arts since they were little. He seems tough
at first but I grew to love him toward the end. And Park's mom is half
Korean and I felt the same about her in the beginning, then she turned
out all right :)
I really liked the book. I was sad at the way
Eleanor was bullied and her home life. I loved her and Park and some of
the other characters in the story. I just wish the ending could have
been a little bit better :( But this is high school and crazy things
happen.
I
will say I am proud to announce that I did not cry during this book :)
Almost there for a minute, but nope. For once, I was okay with the
crying :)
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1460257361
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250012570?keywords=eleanor%20%26%20park&qid=1449345918&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
