With her now-classic novel Outlander, Diana
Gabaldon introduced two unforgettable characters—Claire Randall and
Jamie Fraser—delighting readers with a story of adventure and love that
spanned two centuries. Now Gabaldon returns to that extraordinary time
and place in this vivid, powerful follow-up to Outlander.
DRAGONFLY IN AMBER
For nearly twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now
she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland’s majestic
mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as
the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of
standing stones... about a love that transcends the boundaries of
time... and about Jamie Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once
drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of
his.
Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful
copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire’s spellbinding journey of
self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles
Stuart... in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising... and in a
desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves. @goodreads
This
book broke my heart. I knew what was going to happen because I watched
Season Two before reading the book but it doesn't matter. 
I have been crying forever now, like my heart is going to break into a million pieces! *******Let
me stop right here. There are going to be some spoilers. There are
going to be some thoughts about things in the next book. And who knows
what else, so if you haven't read these books you should probably stop
here. If you don't care then carry on.*******
It was worried
when the book/show starts 20 years later. Jamie and Claire's daughter is
grown and Claire named her Brianna. *Sob* because Jamie asked her to
name the baby Brian if it was a boy before she left him to come back. I
don't know if I can get through this, damn it.
20 years later,
Claire brings her daughter, Brianna back to Scotland after Frank's
death. Brianna has no idea, of course, who her father really is but she
finds out. They are staying in Scotland and visiting all of the old
sites and Claire took her to see a man named Roger. Claire knew Roger
when he was a little boy. Claire actually knew his father, adoptive
father, but he had passed away. He did keep extensive records. < ---
it all leads back to things.
Claire
goes back to some of the old haunts while Roger takes Brianna around.
It breaks my freaking heart. Everything breaks my freaking heart.
I woke three times in the dark predawn. First in sorrow,
then in joy, and at last, in solitude. The tears of a bone-deep loss
woke me slowly, bathing my face like the comforting touch of a damp
cloth in soothing hands. I turned my face to the wet pillow and sailed a
salty river into the caverns of grief remembered, into the subterranean
depths of sleep.
I came awake then in fierce joy, body arched
bowlike in the throes of physical joining, the touch of him fresh on my
skin, dying along the paths of my nerves as the ripples of consummation
spread from my center. I repelled consciousness, turning again, seeking
the sharp, warm smell of a man's satisfied desire, in reassuring arms of
my lover, sleep.
The third time I woke alone, beyond the touch
of love or grief. The sight of the stones was fresh in my mind. A small
circle, standing stones on the crest of a steep green hill. The name of
the hill is Craigh na Dun; the fairies' hill. Some say the hill is
enchanted, others say it is cursed. Both are right. But no one knows the
function or the purpose of the stones.
Except me.
I'm
so worried about the next book being more heartbreak. It's been 20
years after all. Jamie has been with other women and I think has a
child, but they weren't like I was thinking. Yes, I asked ahead. He has
never forgotten Claire but I hope they can get their love back. Anyway,
on with this review.
At one point Claire finally admits
everything to Brianna and Roger. Roger had already found some papers
confirming things that Claire was saying but he was keeping them a
secret because he didn't know what to make of it. Brianna freaks clean
out as you can image.
But the best part is where we get to go back in time before Claire came back and hear their story.
They
have set off for France to see if they can get in with Jamie's cousin
< -- was it cousin, Jacob. Anyway, Jamie could not set foot back into
Scotland so this is where they landed. Murtagh was with them but they
left the others behind. They were going to try to change history so that
the Klan wouldn't be killed during a certain battle.
It was
very bizarre in France with all of the creeps they had to deal with and
then Captain Randall shows up. Claire and Jamie thought he was dead.
He's never dead, he just keeps on and on. Like I said before, there is a
red hot poker waiting for that evil man.
The king of France is another nutter. You can read all of that for yourself.
Jamie
takes in a little boy who is a thief and gets him off the streets. I
fall in love with him. His name is Fergus and that Randall gets his paws
on Fergus and I can't even say. Red hot poker people, red hot poker!
I
was heartbroken again when Claire and Jamie lose their first child that
was a little girl as well. There were a lot of different situations
that could have caused that. Claire thinks it was because Jamie was
dueling with Randall (there is a lot of stuff behind that) but she was
poisoned at one point and attacked so who really knows.
Jamie
gets put in jail and has no idea what happened to Claire. He thought she
was dead. But Claire had to have sex with the weird king to get Jamie
out of jail. It wasn't like me or Claire thought though, it was weird
but not all, well anyway. It was just weird. And no way to leave her
pregnant.
Jamie finds Claire a little later on when she is in
the country staying with one of their friends. Claire is mad and doesn't
want Jamie near her until they talk and finally get it straightened
out. Thank goodness because it was all so very sad.
Then they
are sent back to Scotland. It was another condition from the king and he
said he would take care of him not being allowed there.
Of they
go back home and they think they are safe but no. They thought they
stopped what was coming, but no. They go to battle and it's not good and
it's sad.
There are other things and more battle and Jamie
sends Claire back. He just knows he's going to die and he doesn't want
Claire or their unborn baby (yep they got preggers again) to be killed
too and it just about killed me to read this. I thought I was okay when I
watched it and I was over it and could handle it. Noooooooooooooo, I'm
still heartbroken. I only hope they can get the love they had for each
other back as strong as it was. The first book is the best book and will
always be, but I will love them all as long as Jamie and Claire have
their love. I love their love story! And that's all I need. 
They cut each other's hands (Claire's idea) and . . . .
Unwrapping the blood-spotted handkerchief, I pressed my
wounded hand tightly against his, fingers gripped together. The blood
was warm and slick, not yet sticky between our hands.
"Blood of my Blood . . ." I whispered.
".
. . and Bone of my Bone," he answered softly. Neither of us could
finish the vow, "so long as we both shall live," but the unspoken words
hung aching between us. Finally he smiled crookedly.
"Longer than that," he said firmly, and pulled me to him once more.
JUST KILL ME NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN'T EVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Claire, Brianna and Roger witness something that shows that Claire might can go back through the stones.
Then something else.
"One man, a Fraser of the Master of Lovat's regiment,
escaped. . ." Roger repeated softly. He looked up from the stark page to
see her eyes, wide and unseeing as a deer's fixed in the headlights of
an oncoming car.
"He meant to die on Culloden Field," Roger whispered.
"But he didn't."
I also recommend listening to the audio versions of these books! The narrator, Davina Porter, has it nailed - freaking nailed!
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1972608863
Summer, Winter, Iron.
Together at last.
Dangerous
faeries. Heartbreaking romance. Thrilling action and limitless
adventure. The world of the fey has never been so powerful. This
collection includes three novellas set in the world of The Iron Fey plus
the expanded Guide to the Nevernever and exclusive information about
Julie Kagawa's unforgettable world of Faery.
Winter's Passage
Meghan
Chase used to be an ordinary girl...until she discovered that she is
really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly
Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the
equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But
first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck--Meghan's best
friend and servant of her father, King Oberon--who was gravely injured
defending Meghan from the Iron Fey.
Yet Meghan and Ash's detour
does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient,
powerful hunter--a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat....
Summer's Crossing
A
Midsummer's Nightmare? Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Summer Court prankster,
King Oberon's right hand, bane of many a faery queen's existence—and
secret friend to Prince Ash of the Winter Court. Until one girl's death
came between them, and another girl stole both their hearts.
Now
Ash has granted one favor too many and someone's come to collect,
forcing the prince to a place he cannot go without Puck's help—into the
heart of the Summer Court. And Puck faces the ultimate choice—betray Ash
and possibly win the girl they both love, or help his former friend
turned bitter enemy pull off a deception that no true faery prankster
could possibly resist.
Iron's Prophecy
Meghan
Chase is finally getting used to being the Iron Queen, ruler of the Iron
Fey. Her life may be strange, but with former Winter prince Ash by her
side at last, she wouldn’t have it any other way.
But when they
travel to the Summer and Winter courts’ gathering for Elysium, the
oracle from Meghan’s past returns with a dire prophecy: “What you carry
will either unite the courts, or it will destroy them.” Now Meghan faces
a devastating choice that may determine the future of all fey—and her
and Ash’s unborn child… @goodreads
This was a book of three novella's about the Iron Fey. I enjoyed them
and learned some little things in between or after the other books that I
didn't know.
I love the little pictures the author added of Ash, Puck and Grim. They are so cute! 
Also, at the end of this book you get A Guide To The Iron Fey. This includes:
1. The Original Survival Guide To The NeverNever ~ It tells some really cool information!
2.
Character Biographies And Useful Information ~ This tells about the
main characters and the extended cast of characters which rocked!
3. Glossary ~ Self-explanatory
4. Realms Of The Nevernever (And Beyond) ~ Another awesome section
5. The Iron Quotes ~ Self-explanatory
The end of the book with all of the extras was my favorite part because there were just so many cool things =)
Of
course now I'm worried something bad is going to happen in the next set
of books with Meghan's brother as the main character! We shall see!
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1981294171
This lavishly
illustrated, intricately designed collection of animal portraits offers
hours of relaxing, absorbing fun to coloring book fans and animal lovers
alike. It features sophisticated, custom-made artwork from two
acclaimed illustrators whose work has captured the attention of keen
colorists from around the world. From mighty bears to awe-inspiring
tigers, and beyond, each page allows coloring fans to take their time,
relax, and get lost in their own world, where color combinations and
beauty are theirs to create and choose. Each exquisite headshot is
printed on perforated paper, so it is easily pulled out and readily
available for display once you've completed your coloring sessions.
Long-time coloring book fans and beginners will be equally engaged and
entertained, and will find their stress levels declining even as their
creativity levels soar. @goodreads
I don't color as much as I used to because for one, it gives me google
eye and two, I see pictures of the same things on the web that other
people have colored and theirs are amazing and mine are stupid. But, at
least I'm having fun. =)
The first one I colored was the wolf, of course. 
I
decided to start coloring in my tons of books I have while listening to
audio books. I don't much like listening to audio books because I
forget everything, lol. I like listening to them while coloring though,
it's such fun.
The second one I colored was the lion. 
I
have only colored three more pictures in the book. I might do more in
this one later on but these are all for now. I really love this coloring
book =) 
It
was a lot of fun coloring these pages. Now, if I can just get up the
patience to color each little piece then I could make them even crazier
looking than they are =)
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1980373305?book_show_action=false
Alina Starkov doesn't
expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, she is sure of only
one thing: her best friend, Mal--and her inconvenient crush on him.
Until the day their army regiment enters the Fold, a swath of unnatural
darkness crawling with monsters. When their convoy is attacked and Mal
is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power not even she knew
existed.
Ripped from everything she knows, Alina is taken to the
royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite
led by the mysterious Darkling. With Alina's extraordinary power in his
arsenal, he believes they can finally destory the Fold. Now Alina must
find a way to master her untamed gift and somehow fit into her new life
without Mal by her side. But nothing in this lavish world is what it
seems. As the threat to the kingdom mounts and her dangerous attraction
to the Darkling grows, Alina will uncover a secret that could tear her
heart--and her country--in two. @goodreads
There was only one part in the book I didn't care for and took a star off so there you go.
The
rest of the book was pretty good. I enjoyed the characters and the
different story lines. It seemed like it ended too soon or maybe I have
been reading too many BIG books lately.
Alina and Mal had been
orphans together for years until it was time for them to do their own
thing. But, there is a secret about Alina and she goes from ordinary to
extra-ordinary in the blink of an eye. < -- blink of an eye in more
ways than one, and no, I didn't have that planned. And you will only
understand what I'm talking about if you have read the book and know
what Alina is.
Mal is one of the best trackers around and Alina
ends up saving him and that's how they find out what she is and wow,
just wow. Then she gets carted off.
Anyway, Mal and Alina get
separated because she's beyond special now and goes to live with the
other special people with the king. The king is an idiot by the way.
The
Darkling was pretty hot and wanting to keep Alina all to himself and I
loved him until he made me mad so there goes that. I loved Genya. I
hated how she was treated at the castle by the others but she was my
favorite character after the Darkling. Genya and Alina together were so
funny and had such a good time.
Alina has to undergo training
and I loved old Baghra that she trained with using her special magic. Of
course, it took a little bit for Alina to get her magic to work on it's
own but she figured some things out and it was all go. It was one of
those revelations moments.
THEN
we find out some people
are up to no good, or are they? I mean I don't know, sometimes things
get twisted around and you find out something else in another book.
Anyway, in this book some people are up to no good and Alina has to flee
and ends up with Mal and then they get caught and some stuff goes down
and then they are fleeing again.
It's all pretty vague right?
Well, read the book. You know you probably have it sitting around
forever like I did, so get it out.
Like I said I enjoyed it enough accept for one part and I'm hoping to love the next two books!
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1848339965
My name - my True
Name - is Ashallayn’ darkmyr Tallyn. I am the last remaining son of Mab,
Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her. My fall began, as
many stories do, with a girl…
To cold faery prince Ash, love was a
weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death,
killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he
thought.
Then Meghan Chase - a half human, half fey slip of a
girl - smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably
with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the
Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the
Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.
With
the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck,
and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is
bound to see through to its end - a quest to find a way to honor his vow
to stand by Meghan's side.
To survive in the Iron Realm, Ash must
have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these
things are impossible. And along the way Ash learns something that
changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and
shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the
ultimate sacrifice. @goodreads
OMG! I love Ash so much and I love this book so much ♥
This
book picks up basically where the Iron Queen ended. Ash and Robin
Goodfellow are going on quests in Nevernever. Ash is looking for
something and they have the help of that sweet ish kitty, Grimalkin =)
And
I love Nevernever. You just never know what kind of wonderfully,
magical stuff you will find there. And things that want to eat you but
we won't mention those! 
On
this journey, the friends run into all kinds of crazy stuff. At one
point the run into a huge wolf that helps save them from a giant troll
or whatever he was, I forget. Anyway, come to find out the wolf was sent
by Ash's mom Mab to help him on his journey. I guess a mom is always a
mom even if she did disown you.
And then . . .
someone
else returns that really made me mad at first. I was mad as hell because
I didn't want that person in the picture, but it turns out that it was
fine in the end. Things happen for a reason and it was all good.
Ash
has to journey to the end of the world in order to take some tests and
if he passes he will get his wish and be able to be with Meghan again.
It was a very trying time but love does conquer all, at least in books
=) I'm so very happy with this ending and this book is wonderful! 
Fin
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1977127797
A year ago, Flynn Cormac
and Jubilee Chase made the now infamous Avon Broadcast, calling on the
galaxy to witness for their planet, and protect them from destruction.
Some say Flynn’s a madman, others whisper about conspiracies. Nobody
knows the truth. A year before that, Tarver Merendsen and Lilac LaRoux
were rescued from a terrible shipwreck—now, they live a public life in
front of the cameras, and a secret life away from the world’s gaze.
Now,
in the center of the universe on the planet of Corinth, all four are
about to collide with two new players, who will bring the fight against
LaRoux Industries to a head. Gideon Marchant is an eighteen-year-old
computer hacker—a whiz kid and an urban warrior. He’ll climb, abseil and
worm his way past the best security measures to pull off onsite hacks
that others don’t dare touch.
Sofia Quinn has a killer smile, and
by the time you’re done noticing it, she’s got you offering up your
wallet, your car, and anything else she desires. She holds LaRoux
Industries responsible for the mysterious death of her father and is out
for revenge at any cost.
When a LaRoux Industries security
breach interrupts Gideon and Sofia’s separate attempts to infiltrate
their headquarters, they’re forced to work together to escape. Each of
them has their own reason for wanting to take down LaRoux Industries,
and neither trusts the other. But working together might be the best
chance they have to expose the secrets LRI is so desperate to hide. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
5 STARS
Wow! 
That
was a great ending to this trilogy! I loved the new characters that
were introduced in this book, Sofia and Gideon. Sofia is out to kill
Roderick LaRoux the jerk of the book. Gideon is one of, if not the best
hacker there is. They both get thrown together and eventually find out
they are basically wanting the same thing, but they both have major
trust issues. It takes them until the end of the book to truly trust
each other and of course they fall in love because who can stop that
from happening =)
They are trying to find out where the rift is
so they can destroy it before LaRoux kills more innocent people. Well,
more people do get killed but the end game is good!
Toward the
last half of the book, Sofia and Gideon end up with Jubilee, Flynn,
Tarver and Lilac. Sofia wants nothing to do with Lilac because she is
LaRoux's daughter. But Lilac is against what her father has been doing
and her and Tarver have been finding ways to take out any rifts around
the galaxy that her father has set up. They already accomplished it
once.
The book is just awesome with so much going on and we
finally get a showdown with ole LaRoux himself and the Whispers. <
--- read the book. I really wanted someone to blow him into space but . .
. .
This book was very exciting and had me on the edge of my
seat at times. I love these characters and I'm glad I got to go on this
journey with them =)
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1977125766
Thirteen years ago,
Natalie lost a part of herself when her twin sister died. Will traveling
back to the family winery finally put the memory to rest, or will it
completely destroy her?
When Natalie Mitchell learns her
beloved grandfather has had a heart attack, she’s forced to return to
their family-owned winery in Sonoma, something she never intended to do.
She’s avoided her grandparents’ sprawling home and all its memories
since the summer her sister died—the awful summer Natalie’s nightmares
began. But the winery is failing, and Natalie’s father wants her to shut
it down. As the majority shareholder, she has the power to do so.
And Natalie never says no to her father.
Tanner
Collins, the vintner on Maoilios, is trying to salvage a bad season and
put the Mitchell family’s winery back in business. When Natalie
Mitchell shows up, Tanner sees his future about to be crushed. Natalie
intends to close the gates, unless he can convince her otherwise. But
the Natalie he remembers from childhood is long gone, and he’s not so
sure he likes the woman she’s become. Still, the haunted look she wears
hints at secrets he wants to unearth. He soon discovers that on the
night her sister died, the real Natalie died too. And Tanner must do
whatever it takes to resurrect her.
But finding freedom from the past means facing it.@goodreads
MY REVIEW:
3 STARS
Natalie Mitchell works for her father at his big corporation and so does
her ex-fiance. As you can imagine this doesn't make it easy for
Natalie. She's having problems at work and on her way to another nervous
breakdown.
Natalie's father decides to tell her to go out to
her grandfather's vineyard. He's had a heart attack and the business is
not doing good. Go out there, take a break and find a way to shut down
the vineyard. Well, Natalie is a part owner in the vineyard and she
doesn't want it to fail.
Natalie finds that her grandfather is
doing better than her dad let on although the business is not doing too
great. Natalie starts to go about getting the vineyard into this century
and earning money again.
An on old childhood crush works at the
vineyard, Tanner Collins. He's pretty rude to Natalie for some time
because she hasn't come and seen her grandfather or the vineyard since
her twin sister died when they were younger.
The vineyard brings
back some good and bad memories for Natalie but she pushes on. And she
finally stands up to her father, she lets go of some demons by telling
the truth about her sister and she finds peace with Tanner and maybe a
little something else.
I thought the book was a good read. I
didn't love it nor did I hate it. I usually read all kinds of genres and
they are a hit or miss with me. I'm happy for all of the people that
loved it the book though. *I received a print copy of this book through the BookLookBloggers program.*
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1977101170
April 19th was my birthday and I wanted to slowly share some of the wonderful things that I got from parents, goodreads friends and my dog (oh and myself) =)
Now it's going to take some time for everything to come in but I wanted to share one picture from yesterday and then I will do them all at once when everything arrives. Most of it is bookish stuff of course =)
Okay, this picture was drawn for me by one of my Goodreads friends and sent to me in an email and I had dad print it. But dad and mom were sneaky and took it to Hobby Lobby and got it matted and framed for my birthday. I didn't even clue in when I kept asking him if he printed it yet. I was thinking what kind of frame I was going to get to put it in but seems like I don't have to worry about that. Sorry about the picture not being so good, I took a quick one with my phone instead of camera last night.
My friend is such a wonderful artist and I was touched that I got this picture drawn. I thank my friend Paul and my parents for making it even more beautiful. ♥
I have the best friends on Goodreads, people I have never even met in person. I don't know what I would do without them friend wise. I have one friend in real life that I talk to every day but the rest are just not there. I have wonderful parents and a great uncle. The rest are just not there.
Appreciate what you have because some don't have any and life is only here for a minute.
. . . . to be continued.
Fed up with her wild
behavior, sixteen-year-old Lex's parents ship her off to upstate New
York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few
months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape.
But
Uncle Mort's true occupation is much dirtier than shoveling manure. He's
a Grim Reaper. And he's going to teach Lex the family business.
She
quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated
by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. But Lex can't
stop her desire for justice — or is it vengeance? — whenever she
encounters a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they
can strike again.
Will she ditch Croak and go rogue with her reaper skills? @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
3 STARS
I thought this book was pretty good. It's extremely funny and becoming a
reaper or grim as they call themselves in this book is a cool idea for a
book. 
Lex
has become a delinquent. She's attacking kids at school, teachers,
whoever gets in the way. Her parents have had enough so they decide to
send her to live with her uncle Mort for the summer. She doesn't want to
leave her sister but it has to be done. So they put her on a bus and
her life is going to be changed forever.
"Hey there, cutie," he said. "What's your name?"
Lex rolled her eyes and turned toward the window. "Kill me."
"Kimmy? I'm Steve," he went on, undeterred. "So, are you in school? I go to NYU. Where do you go?"
Lex
gave him the same look a cheetah makes just before devouring a gazelle.
"Listen. I really appreciate your efforts to make my trip infinitely
more torturous than it already is, but do you think that you could maybe
just shut the hell up for the rest of the ride, lest I rip off those
hideous sunglasses and start beating you over the had with them?"
Steve looked as though he had just swallowed a socket wrench.
"Sor-ry," he said. "Just trying to be friendly."
"Cram it, Steve."
Lex's
mood was fouler than usual. Not only she was getting shipped off to
Uncle Dementia's Land of Psychosis, but she had also received the mother
of all gloomy farewells when her family deposited her at the bus
station. Mom had cried. Dad's chin quivered. And Cordy wrapped her in a
sullen embrace, digging her nails into Lex's back as she whispered, "Get
it all out of your system. Bring back the old Lex, or so help me God,
I'll tell everyone you went to musical theater camp."
It was hilarious from the get go when Lex met up with Uncle
Mort and rode off with him on his motorcycle. He was pretty funny
himself. Lex got to meet a lot of the people in the TOWN. She ended up
working with some and getting used to things becoming a Grim and all.
She even got to meet Edgar Allen Poe!
It was pretty sad doing
the killing and taking the souls to send them on their way. Lex was mad
that she couldn't kill bad people. I would be too for that matter. I
would want to take out the bad people.
The book had a really,
really sad ending. I didn't see that one coming at all, NOT AT ALL. I
hope to read the next books to see what happens. While I don't love the
book, I did enjoy it.
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1976601645
The second installment in the epic Starbound trilogy introduces a new pair of star-crossed lovers on two sides of a bloody war.
Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.
Lee
is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's
rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the
insurgents.
Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. Terraforming
corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the
inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for
their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and
decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.
Desperate for any
advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing
that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with
her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this
tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that
will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together,
caught between two sides of a senseless war. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
At first I wasn't sure I was going to like this book. I was thinking it
was okay but I am also sick today on my birthday as some of you know and
was dozing in and out so that could be it too.
For some reason I
was thinking this was going to be a book about the people that were on
the planet from the first book. The people that were there before Tarver
and Lilac crashed. Noooo, it took me over half the book to figure out
that wasn't it at all.
Jubilee (Lee) is a Captain on planet Avon
<-- I can't stop thinking about beauty products. Lee is there with a
crew to try to get rebel colonists under control. Avon is a terraformed
planet, apparently there are a bunch of them.
Flynn is one of
the rebels and he captures Lee with luck because she is bad to the bone
and most men and women are afraid of her. But they talk and he finds out
some things that Lee didn't even know about and he keeps talking about a
building that he has seen. . . that isn't there! <-- these books
will mess with your mind.
Lee and Flynn try to think of some
ways they can get a ceasefire once and for all and get things right with
all of the people. But there are reasons other than what's going on -
going on <-- don't you love my reviews! :-D
THEN, awhile
later, Tarver and Lilac come into the picture! I was so happy and that
is when I figured some things out. You know like it being another planet
and some other stuff that I'm not telling you.
So far, I have
enjoyed the first two books. I did love the first book a lot more than
this one though. I hope I love the last book and that it's even better
than this one!
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1976497168
Field Marshal Tamas'
coup against his king sent corrupt aristocrats to the guillotine and
brought bread to the starving. But it also provoked war with the Nine
Nations, internal attacks by royalist fanatics, and greedy scrambling
for money and power by Tamas's supposed allies: the Church, workers
unions, and mercenary forces. Stretched to his limit, Tamas is relying
heavily on his few remaining powder mages, including the embittered
Taniel, a brilliant marksman who also happens to be his estranged son,
and Adamat, a retired police inspector whose loyalty is being tested by
blackmail.
Now, as attacks batter them from within and without, the
credulous are whispering about omens of death and destruction. Just old
peasant legends about the gods waking to walk the earth. No modern
educated man believes that sort of thing. But they should... @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
When I first started the book things were just thrown at me left and
right. My poor little brain couldn't keep up with all of the people and
what was going on, but my peeps in the book group said it gets better.
And guess what? It did, I started to learn some of the people and what
was going on. Now make no mistake, I am still a little confused about
things but I always am in books and that's okay.
This book is
told through 3 different POV's. We have Tamas, who decided to (lets just
say) take everyone out and try to make things better - ish. We have
Adamat, who is a retired cop that is hired to look into some things.
Then we have Taniel, he is Tamas son and he's awesome!
Taniel is
a powder mage and they can do a lot of things with gun powder involving
magic. Taniel can shoot for lonnnnnnnnnnnnngggg distances as well. I'm
not going to try to explain all of these things as I will get confused.
There
are different people with all kinds of different powers in the book.
And after a bunch of people are executed, the shite hits the fan and
there is war and all kinds of stuff going on. It was such fun!
My
favorite character was Taniel because he was just too cool. But there
are other people that work with some of the people in the book that I
loved as well. Ka-poel works with Taniel and she's beyond bad to the
bone. I'm sure we will learn more about her in other books.
Taniel found his father's command post just out of range
of the royalist barricades. The empty streets were full of rubbish, the
passing stones damp from a brief rain the night before. The city smells
threatened to overcome his senses, enhanced from the near-constant
powder trance he'd been in for two weeks. The world smelled of sh•t and
fear, of empty piss pots and distrust.
Ka-poel was at his side.
Even after all this, she was still mystified by the sight of the city-so
many buildings, each one so tall on every side. She didn't like it. Too
many people, she had indicated with a series of gestures. Too many
buildings. Taniel sympathized. His real talent as a powder mage was
being able to float a bullet for miles-to make long shots across the
widest battlefield. What good was that when his view was obstructed on
all sides?
We have Olem who is a guard to Tamas and I like Tamas too. I have to add that I love Tamas dogs as well =)
I
like Adamat and his guard, Sousmith. It seems someone is always coming
after Adamat and his big ole family even though he hid them away.
This
book has so much magic involved with gunpowder and different things.
It's really hard to explain but it was fun reading about one or the
other that had magic, snorting the powder. I can't even imagine. Lol
Great book once I figured out who was who and what was going on for the most part. FIN
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1496334344
My name is Meghan Chase.
I
thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I
had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a
storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back,
kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn
to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm
not sure anyone can survive it.
This time, there will be no turning back. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
5 STARS
OMG! That freaking ending! I can't even people, the FEELS
I
CAN NOT believe I have had these books for so long and they are so
freaking awesome! I have so many books hanging out here with me that I
haven't gotten to yet. How many more gems do I have?
Being able
to love so many genres of books is just amazing. Yes, you get the ones
you don't like from time to time, but mostly they are so wonderful. I
love to be taken away to all of these places and it doesn't matter if
someone else loves the same book as you. It doesn't matter if someone
loves the same genre as you, just loving a book and supporting people
that love books is amazing.
This book is both wonderful and sad.
Meghan has balls of steel let me tell you. She's such a strong person,
even when she's having sad moments. She is strong to do whatever it
takes to save the ones she loves. *Sob*
In the last book, Meghan
and Ash were exhiled <--- I spelled that wrong, from the Faery world.
But they were only in the human world for like 5 minutes when the
freaking Iron Fae come looking for Meghan. A person can't even have a
minute to do anything!
Meghan and Ash are being dragged back
into Nevernever because some stuff is going down. Oh, and Puck got
exhiled too when he went looking for them so he's back in Nevernever
going to go on a fight with them. It's like, yes you just killed one
evil being but there is no time to sit down, we have to go and get this
other evil being killed. The said evil being is the False Iron King.
It's this whole thing, you need to read the books.
This time the
Seelie and Unseelie Courts ban together to fight the Iron Realm and
it's not easy because Iron kills them at the drop of a hat. But they
hold off the best they can so Meghan, Ash, Puck, Grimalkin and a little
ragtag go and try to defeat this false king. And this whole time the
real Iron King that Meghan defeated before is still with her. She
absorbed him, that's all I'm saying, it sounds gross but it's something
else.
Anyway, with Meghan's awesome powers and insights things are mostly set to right.
I
really hope in the other books in this realm some things will change
what happened at the end of this book. I don't want it left like this,
although, it could have been much worse. Sigh......
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1974178422
Luxury spaceliner
Icarus suddenly plummets from hyperspace into the nearest planet. Lilac
LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive – alone. Lilac is the daughter of
the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a cynical
war hero. Both journey across the eerie deserted terrain for help.
Everything changes when they uncover the truth.
The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
I really enjoyed this book the second time around! 
The
first time I read this book was back in 2015 and I'm not sure why I
gave it 2.5 stars. I had an old review that told me some of the reasons
but they make no sense to me now!
I loved Tarver and Lilac and yes I wanted to smack them a few times. I always feel like that so it's nothing new.
Lilac
is the daughter of one of the richest men if not the richest men and
Tarver is a lowly Major that didn't come from a whole lot. They didn't
really like each other at first either, but what are you going to do
when your trapped in a pod with someone trying to escape the destruction
of the ship you were on? The Icarus was being ripped from space and
Lilac and Tarver need to get that pod out quickly.
They managed
to get away with the help of some mechanics from Lilac, I know, who
knew? Anyway, they crash land on this planet. This planet that seems
really creepy after a bit. I mean when you start seeing things and
hearing whispers, wouldn't you think it was haunted? I would think I was
crazier than I am or almost dead and dreaming.
Lilac and Tarver
have to go through some really bad things and near death experiences to
make it off this planet. They learned to survive in weird and cool
ways. They fell in love, yes love and it was great!
But, things on this planet really are not what they seem.
I thought it was freaking awesome, even though I got lost with some of the explanations, but other than that it was cool beans!
I hope the other books are just as good!
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1310840983
Something is out there,
something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a
person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it
came from.
Five years after it began, a handful of scattered
survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living
in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a
place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it's
time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles
downriver in a rowboat--blindfolded--with nothing to rely on but her
wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will
die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal,
or monster?
Interweaving past and present, Bird Box is a snapshot of a world unraveled that will have you racing to the final page. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
Holy crap on a cracker, y'all! This book!
Don't freaking go outside without your blindfold or you might open your eyes. 
I
must say, if I had to choose what apocalypse I would be in, I would
pick the zombies because at least you can go outside and see them and
kill them. Unless you're blind and then your up sh•t creek.
One
day they start getting reports of people seeing things and then turning
violent and killing people and themselves. And of course you start
thinking, wth?
Malorie was with her sister when these events started happening and she also found out she was pregnant. Oh happy day!
Malorie
ends up with some people in a house and they only go outside when they
need to look for more food. They make sure they are blindfolded and
stuff. Sometimes when you're out there you feel something touch you. Or
is that your imagination. 
Then of course you freak out some more. People, I would never exist for more than a second in this world!
I
liked some of the people Malorie was living with and they were doing
okay, until . . . that one day they let the wrong person in. . . sigh. .
. . . .
I mean you have a nice little set up with your dogs and
birds and food and then, BAM! Anyhoo, none of that happens until later
on during a very crazy night. That's all I'm saying.
Malorie lives in a house for 4 years. She raises children. Then what happens? Read the book and find out =)
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1121447332
The Iron King
Something
has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father
disappeared before her eyes when she was six. But she never could have
guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and
is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go
to save someone she cares about and stop a mysterious evil no faery
creature dare face….
The Iron Daughter
Deserted by
the Winter prince she thought loved her, Meghan is now prisoner to the
Winter faery queen. And as war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan
knows the real danger comes from the Iron fey—but no one believes her.
Worse, Meghan's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting
anyone could be deadly…. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
5 STARS
I loved these first two books! I wanted to add so many fantasy pictures
to try to show what I saw in my mind but it would take weeks to find
that kind of stuff. If only I could draw =) 
I'm
going to do a short review of each book. Let it be known that I want
Puck as my best friend only and I'm in love with Ash and I don't care
what anyone else thinks =) Although, I have a million book boyfriends
but that's neither here nor there. The Iron King
I
have a whole page of notes on this book that I don't even understand so
I'm just going to muddle along and hope I get some of it right!
Meghan
Chase lives with her mom, brother, dog (Beau), and stepdad. I was mad
at what happened to the dog, I had to mention that. They all lived out
in the sticks (which is a good place to live) but Meghan's stepdad
wouldn't let her have things like a computer without dial up, cell
phone, the norm.
**I guess I should say some spoilers will ensue**Meghan
does have a friend named Robbie that has been her friend forever and a
day. Turns out he's really Robin Goodfellow (Puck) who is from the
Seelie Summer Court sent to watch over her all of these years.
Well,
it seems now that she's at the ripe old age of what? 16, she's starting
to see things. Turns out she's part human and part fey princess. Her
dad is King Oberon of the Seelie Court. All kinds of cray starts
happening and Meghan's brother Ethan gets stolen and taken to the
Unseelie court, or so she thinks. Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo,
Puck takes her to Nevernever to find Ethan and bring him home. He tells
her this is going to be a very terrible place for her and they might
get killed but onward they go.
Holy crow! This world is packed
full of everything! Satyr's, Dryads, ugggg, I can't list them all. It's
just a wonderland <--- No pun intended. Accept when things are trying
to kill and eat you then it's not so wonderful. But I mean the whole
book is just rich with beautiful scenes and splendor and some blood and
guts and handsome dudes and what not and so forth.
Anyway, Meghan meets her father and it's a little much to take in but there you have it.
Oh
and before they get to the Seelie Court, Meghan gets to meet a certain
cat named Grimalkin who reminds me of another certain cat in another
story =) He helps Meghan out when she gets separated with Puck. But in
this realm you have to make deals and contracts with everything and you
better watch what you say.
Anway, back at the Seelie Court
Meghan is trying to settle in and wrap her head around things and freaks
out a bit when she looks in the mirror and she has the pointy ears =)
She also finds out she has some pretty cool powers.
Then the
Unseelie court comes for a visit and we get to meet Ash, although he was
trying to kill Puck earlier so Meghan had already seen him before.
She
spends some time with him through-out the book and falls in love. But
she does that dumb arse kissing Puck stuff once in awhile in both books.
I'm like like ew, just stop.
Then they find out that the Iron
King has Meghan's brother Ethan! And the Seelie and Unseelie court are
like, who the hell is the Iron King? We know of no such person.
Welllllll, he's the reason your world is dying. Yep, their world is
slowly dying. AND just being around any of the Iron people can
kill the other groups. Iron is deadly to them, with the exception of
Meghan, she's just too cool for all of that Iron can kill me stuff. (I
did want to smack her and some other people several times, but I still
love her tenacity to help others)
Meghan makes a deal with Ash to
come with her, Grim and Puck to save her brother Ethan from the Iron
jerk. This involves getting something from a dryad that can kill him
because nothing else can.
We go on a whirlwind adventure and things happen for the good or so you think.
Either way I loved the first book!
The Iron Daughter
So
in the first book, Meghan made a deal with Ash that if he helped get
her brother back home, she would go back to the Unseelie court with him.
His evil old mother Queen Mab wanted to have her because she is
resistant to iron and just because she's an arsehole too that I didn't
like one bit.
Ash acts like an arse to Meghan too but he doesn't
want his mother to find out that he's in love with her because she
would kill them both or banish them or who knows what.
Note:
Some evil beings in the book killed a wolf and a unicorn. I think they
should be blown up for that act alone. Or ripped apart would be better.
Now, back to the review.
Nowwwwwwww, we have Iron Horse coming
out of the woodwork. He was a horse or dude when he wanted to be that
was with the Iron King. But when The Iron King was killed, some fake
person took over and Iron Horse wanted Meghan's help to try and set
things right. And on we go on another adventure with the crew. Ash
almost gets himself killed in this one but Meghan saved him.
They
had to get him to a healer though and that was so much fun. She cracked
me up the whole time. Then they were all going off to a party to try to
get the sceptor back. Crap! I forgot to mention the sceptor That
is the reason Iron Horse came back around was because the sceptor was
stolen from the Unseelie Court and one of the Winter Princes and his
wolf was killed. This sent Queen Mab into a rage and she blamed it on
the Seelie Court and started a war. She wouldn't listen when Meghan
tried to tell her the Iron peeps were back and they stole it. There is
some other bad stuff that happened but I won't say.
Back to the party. (I'm going to quit reading two books in one because I'm all over the place worse than I normally am!)
They
are getting ready to go through a portal or a thingy (I forgot what
they called it) from the nurses house. She gets onto them to behave.
I didn't miss the subtle look that passed between Ash and
Puck, either. Ash kept his expression carefully blank, but Puck's mouth
twitched with a faint smirk-one of his dangerous ones-and his eyes
narrowed a fraction.
The nurse must have seen it, too, for she
clapped her hands briskly, and I jumped about three feet in the air.
"May I remind you three," she stated in a no-nonsense voice, "that even
though this is a party, we are there for a specific reason. We are not
there to spike the punch, seduce humans, glamour the food, challenge
males to a fight, or do anything pertaining to mischief. Is that
understood?" She shot a piercing glare at Puck when she said this, and
he pointed to himself with a wide-eyed, who me? look. It did not amuse
her. "I will be watching you," she warned, and even though she was
barely four feet tall, white-haired, and shriveled like a prune, she
made the threat sound ominous. "Do try to behave yourselves."
Needless to say, some people died that I didn't want to die
and other things were set to rights and other things were not. I can't
even imagine what's going to happen in the next book but I hope it
something good because even though it was a good enough ending, there
are still things pending that need to get done and I'm not sure how they
are going to do that!
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1495671988
