Review: Evanescent by Gabriella Lepore

Tags

crushing hearts and black butterfly, evanescent, fantasy, gabriella lepore, indie, indie published, paranormal romance, ya

“Then it is settled,” Felix declared. “Come hell or high water, when this is all over, at least one of us here will not make it out alive.”

When Bronwen Snow is pulled from her cottage in the middle of the night, she finds herself seeking the help of three mysterious boys who reside in an abandoned castle deep in the hillside. With only a hasty handwritten note and a vague sense of dread to guide her, Bronwen is forced to put her trust in the eccentric and willful Felix Cavara and his eternal curse – immortality.

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

5 out of 5 stars

If anyone wants to see a perfect example of snark and sass with sweet romance, I’m shoving this in your face. This book was wonderful, even if the ending did leave me pouting a bit. A loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast, it’s one of those I’ve wanted to read for awhile, so when the freebie promotion came around, I couldn’t resist.

The plot:

This book is a pretty quick read, about two and a half hours-ish. I kind of wanted more expansion on the nature of the magical, who had made the magical weapons, who had sent the Severan (can’t remember if this was explained or not), etc. On the other hand, this story really didn’t need to be bogged down with details, it flew just fine on its own.

The characters:

Like I said, great sass. Bronwen and the boys were utterly adorable and the immortality jokes were especially funny. I kind of wish this was a series, just because I enjoyed it so much.

This story is one of immortality about the downsides. The boys have lived for around two hundred years and have wanted to die for about a hundred and eighty. (On a side note, I think it’s interesting that people keep writing these stories about the drawbacks of immortality when it has been the dearest wish of people generations and ages over. Anyway.)

A fun read and I am now very curious about the author’s other works. If I ever get my demented Amazon account sorted, I’ll have to visit her author page.

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Review: Forbidden Forest (Legends of Regia #1) by Tenaya Jayne @TenayaJayne

Tags

forbidden forest, indie, indie published, paranormal romance, shifters, tenaya jayne, vampires, werewolves

Born in shame. Cast from society. Shape Shifter/Elf hybrid, Forest must fight for any respect she can get. Targeted in her youth by a vampire noble who placed an illegal slave mark on her, she is forced to obey him, no matter what.

Slipping the grip of her master and abandoning the prejudice of Regia, her native world, Forest takes a job on Earth, guarding the portal, using her skills as a warrior to enforce Regia’s laws. Now, called home for a black ops mission, Forest must put aside her own prejudice to transport the vampire prince, Syrus, through enemy territory in a time of war.

Prince Syrus, mage and master of the Blood Kata, wants Forest more than he’s ever wanted anything. In spite of their mutual mistrust, their attraction cannot be denied. Through the danger of their mission, and the secrets they both keep, it doesn’t matter what they feel. Forest is forbidden.

 Blurb and cover from Goodreads

5 out of 5 stars

And we have another winner! Another book that basically made me useless to the world and emotionally traumatized my little readerly heart. Highest marks to the author.

The plot:

One of my absolute favorite things about indie books is that I’ve noticed that they tend to be more “to the point.” There’s none of this big, looping, long, boring string of Stuff before you get to the good parts. (No offense to traditional, some of my favorites are traditional.) Anyway, this book was action packed, romance packed, suspense packed, just over all packed.

One thing that did bother me was the omniscient perspective. There were parts where perspective was swapped through the course of a scene and I felt like it should have been more consistent or maybe broken up to make it clear who was talking.

The characters:

Syrus and Forest are simultaneously adorable, hot, and hilarious together. Their banter and Syrus’ enthusiasm for human paraphernalia were so cute and I love the idea of the big bad vampire prince scrounging the pantry for Froot Loops, that’s not something you hear about every day.

I liked how their relationship was equal—there wasn’t one dominating the other. A lot of times—particularly in vampire romance—there’s the alpha male stuff. It’s fine every now and again, but it was refreshing to have a vampire love interest who’s a master in martial arts and also lovingly tells his girl what a bad@$$ she is.

There is a laundry list of characters who need to have an unfortunate meeting with Buffy or perhaps the Winchester boys in a back alley—Leith, Philippe, Christiana, Zephyre, it goes on—so there will be plenty of baddies to get their just desserts come the next books.

I very much want the next book, it’s just a matter of how soon I can get it. And the book after that. And the prequel novella. Really, I just want them all.

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Review: The Shadow Prince (Mortal Enchantment, #0.5) by Stacey O’Neale @StaceyONeale

Tags

indie, mortal enchantment, novella, paranormal, self-published, shadow prince, stacey oneale

This prequel novella is FREE and available on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble!

Every sacrifice has consequences.

Sixteen-year-old Rowan has spent most of his life living among the mortals—learning to control the element of fire, impatiently awaiting the day his vengeful mother, Queen Prisma, will abdicate her throne. When he finally returns to Avalon for his coronation, his mother insists he must first prove his loyalty to the court by completing a secret mission:

Kill Kalin, the half-human, half-elemental daughter of the air court king.

Willing to do anything to remove his mother from power, he agrees to sacrifice the halfling. He returns to the mortal world with his best friend, Marcus, determined to kill the princess. But as he devises a plan, he starts to question whether or not he’s capable of completing such a heinous task. And what price he will pay if he refuses?

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

5 out of 5 stars
I read the first 30% of this book and then Life (that annoying thing that’s always meddling in Living) happened. It was a few days before I could get my hands on a few minutes to read it, but I made time, meaning to just get to the halfway point. That endeavor ended at 1:04 in the morning when I finished.

I greatly enjoyed this novella, in case there was any doubt. The mythology and the world building were new and fresh and it didn’t take long for me to develop a deep fondness for Rowan and Marcus. (Poor Marcus! Author, please let him come back!) I thought of Rowan as a bit of an annoying teenage boy at the beginning, but by the 35% mark, I was pulling for him.

The relationship with his mother is about as twisted as a pretzel, but at the same time I related to it. It really does suck to love untrustworthy people, but there’s no much to be done for it.

This was a very enticing taste of the series and the author’s writing and I am very, very excited for Mortal Enchantment. I definitely recommend this novella and if you get the chance to read the novel, I’d certainly jump at that, too!

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Review: The Soul Bearer and Other Poems by Bex Pavia @Bex_Pavia

Tags

anthology, bex pavia, indie, indie review, poetry, self-published, the soul bearer

Bringing you a selection of emotional, often dark, rhyming verse – seventeen poems have been chosen from the many this fantasy-loving author has written over the years, to deliver a pocket-sized introduction to her imagination.

From the heartfelt honesty of ‘A Prayer for my Children’, to the meandering tale of a lost king in ‘The Soul Bearer’, this is a little parcel of rhyme that offers a thought-provoking treat or two.

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

5 out of 5 stars
I’ve been following this author on Facebook for some time and was an automatic fan as she shares my penchant for Epic Fantasy and elves and dwarves and mages, etc. One of my favorite things about this collection was the author’s use of medieval and fantasy settings for some of her poems. That was one of the parts I appreciated the most, though there is so much more to be praised.

This is a compilation of poems ranging from romantic, to creepy, to tragic, to eerie. The author has a great grasp of rhyming and putting words to ideas and I enjoyed this collection immensely. I don’t normally read or recommend poetry, but this short series of pieces was highly entertaining and I laud the author on her fantastic work!

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Review: The Golden Cage (A Dance of Dragons, #0.5) by Kaitlyn Davis @DavisKaitlyn

Tags

a dance of dragons, epic fantasy, indie, indie author, kaitlyn davis, novella, review, ya, young adult

5 out of 5 stars

The next person who says books can’t hurt you emotionally will be slapped with this novella. There was one point where I had to put down my Kindle because I was getting so tense and anxious that I couldn’t take it anymore. Then when I started reading again, my heart was literally racing with terror.

This novella must be good and I have decided to bestow it with five stars because it got me all tangled up and worried and nervous and angry and generally neurotic. Within the first few pages I was invested in the story.

The story itself was rather short, but still managed to break me and I find myself maliciously wishing for some diabolical and distinctly unpleasant fate to befall all but three of the characters. I am looking forward to the novel, but hope those characters’ tales take a happier twist than what happened here.

My only complaint would probably be that there was a supporting character who plays a significant role and I wish he had been introduced or at least hinted at sooner. His emergence just felt kind of sudden and I think that could have been handled more smoothly.

All in all, another book to add to my list of novellas that broke my heart in under 100 pages. I recommend it to fans of YA fantasy who don’t mind a sad, open ended read.

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Review: On Shadowed Wings (An Ash Grove Short Story) by Amanda Dewees @AmandaDeWees

Tags

amanda dewees, celtic mythology, indie, nerd boys, review, self-published, short story, ya, young adult

In this short story set in North Carolina, high-school senior Gail and college student Jim are drawn together on Beltane night when they team up to seek a mysterious butterfly hatching–and save a little girl from danger.

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

5 out of 5 stars

To start off, nerd boys forever! They are far, far underrated and if only nerdy love interests were more prevalent in literature. *sigh*

This is a short story, so this will be a short review. I adored Gail and Joy’s relationship and the sororal love between them. This was a splendid piece that made me grin, giggle, and beam with happiness in just the space of a few dozen pages. You may have already guessed that I loved Jim to bits and now I am dying to get my hands on the rest of this series to read about Joy’s adventures.

In summation, this is an excellent sample of the author’s work that left me wanting to try more!

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Friday Freebie #9 Beyond the Iron Gate (A Kingdom of Fallada Prequel Novella) by Alicia Michaels

Tags

alicia michaels, fairytales, free ebook, friday freebie, indie, indie author, novella, paranormal, ya, ya fantasy, young adult

If you know of any Kindle books that are free today or on upcoming Fridays, I’d love to hear about them!

In the year 1845, before the mystical land of Fallada was separated from the realm of men forever, the two worlds coexisted in harmony. Man could mingle freely in the world of the Elves and Faeries at will and peace reigned. In the hills of Shropshire, England, just miles from the gate separating the village of Ludlow from the world of mystical creatures, farmer’s daughter Zara Wells longs for answers. It is not only the golden hair that trail feet behind her, or the strange hue of her violet eyes that separates her from the other girls her village. There is something inside of her, something touched by magic that longs to know more about what lies on the other side of the gate. In Fallada, darkness has begun to spread. As the youngest and most beautiful girls of her village begin to disappear, Zara comes closer to discovering the true circumstances surrounding her birth. Little does she know, that the closer she comes to the answers she so desperately desires, the closer she will come to being ensnared in the dark queen’s web of growing treachery.

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

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One Lovely Blog Award

Tags

blogger, country life, indie, one lovely blogger award

Thank you so much to Tonya of My Family’s Heart Book Reviews for nominating me for this award!

 

As a part of this award, I must now nominate seven more bloggers and share seven facts about me!

 

My nominations are:

~Kaitlyn Deann

~Reviewing What I’m Reading

~fundinmental

~Known to Read

~Eli Hinze

~Rally Reviews

~Sarah Elizabeth’s Bookshelf

 

And now the seven random facts about me:

~Due to a traumatic childhood experience involving a rooster mugging me for my biscuit, I have a fear/hate of birds and especially feathers.

~My favorite TV shows are Doctor Who and Grimm in that order.

~If I could be any mythological creature, I would be an elf. (Vampire was the other option, but I love my tan way too much.)

~I have bottle-raised baby goats, orphaned puppies, lambs, and one donkey.

~Eleven years later, I still have aforementioned donkey, Joppa, and I’m the only one he listens to.

~When my brother and I were little we couldn’t get a horse, so we had a half-blind pet goat named Count who pulled a wagon instead. No, really.

~I cannot follow driving directions to save my life. Street names mean absolutely nothing to me, so if you’re ever trying to get me somewhere, tell me where it is in relation to the local bookstore, not the highway.

If you would like to accept this award, post about it and pass it on to others, here are the rules: 1. Add the ONE LOVELY BLOG AWARD image to your post. 2. Share seven things about you. 3. Pass the award on to seven nominees. 4. Thank the person who nominated you. 5. Inform the nominees by posting on their blogs.