Royal Threat Review and a Life Update

Good day friends,

So, clearly, I haven’t been blogging for a while. Basically, I got a new job and have been throwing myself into learning as much as possible about the work I’ll be doing.  I have been reading a lot less, of course, but recently got back into it.  Now, I want to try and upload every two weeks, at least.  Here’s to hoping I can keep up with everything.

Also, I now have a guy in my life.  He is wonderful and sweet, kind and caring.  I am completely spoiled.  But, he’s also infuriating sometimes and can make me crazy.  I am absolutely crazy about him though, and, even with the ups and downs we’ve been having, I want to fight to keep him in my life.

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Now, a little something I wrote…

Might I put an arm around you when we stand side-by-side?  Might I whisper ‘I love you’, when no-one is watching us?  Might I hold your hand, so you’ll always remember I’m right beside you?  Might I kiss your cheek, provided there are no eyes on us?  

Because I want the world to know you’re my love, but they don’t need to as long as you do.  You are my world, and I love you…

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Now for the reviews:

Book – Royal Threat
Series – Royal Replicas (Book 3)
Author – Michael Pierce

Rating:

Review:

Well, now this sucks. I am done with book three and book four is not yet ready for me to sink my teeth into yet. This was one hell of a ride with characters I absolutely love. I cannot wait to find out how this all ends and if everyone gets a satisfying ending. Some, I do hope, will get what is coming to them. And others, hopefully, will get some form of happy ending… I am thankful for the additional snippet into Kale’s past, before Victoria. This needs to be expanded on, as I am extremely curious to see what happened and how he got fully tangled up in all of this before the craziness started. Hope to get my hands on the final book soon.

Thank you for sticking around for more reviews.
Hope to have more for you soon!

Always,

C

 

Demon Kissed

Book:       Demon Kissed
Author:   Michelle Madow
Genre:     Young Adult – Paranormal

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Rating:

 

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Synopsis:

She’s an angel sent to Earth to kill a demon. The last thing she expected was to fall in love with him…

Decades ago, the Demon King Ezekiel conquered Mexico City and cursed it with greed. The only way to end the curse? An angel needs to slay Ezekiel with Uriel’s Flaming Sword.

But Ezekiel has stolen the Sword and hidden it in his Watchtower — the gleaming skyscraper where he lives and rules. Now the angel Rebekah has been chosen to enter the city, find the Sword and kill the demon. When Ezekiel opens auditions for women to live in the Watchtower as his concubines, it’s the perfect opportunity for Rebekah to get close to the devilishly handsome demon king, locate the Sword, and use it to end the curse.

Except that while Rebekah’s in the city, she’ll be cursed with greed, like everyone else. She must conquer her greed and complete her mission. But that’s harder than it sounds when she discovers there’s one thing she craves above all else… love from the Demon King himself.

Demon Kissed is THE perfect book for fans of The Hunger Games and Supernatural!

Demon Kissed is a stand-alone contribution to the Charmed Legacy: Cursed Angel Watchtowers collection. Stories can be read in any order.

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Review:

This was the best book by Michelle that I’ve read so far. And now all I want is for more of this world she has created.

The plot of this one is insanely good, and there are some twists that make this one great story. If you love books with Angels and Demons, then this is one book you need to pick up immediately. Now, I guess you need to know why this one has only 4 stars if I loved it so much?

Well, there are times when Michelle has a tendency to repeat information a lot, to ensure we don’t forget it. It can get somewhat annoying. But, other than that, I really loved reading this book.

The main protagonist is well developed and you definitely root for the romance in this one. It is epic and beautiful and transcends time. There are also great moments of friendship, although you might not see some of it coming.

As I’ve read the Greek myth series by Michelle, called the Elemental series, I can say that her writing style has improved so much and her story-telling is a lot better as well. There are some small things that still need improving (but that will always be there for all authors).

Read this if you loved Twilight, The Hunger Games, and supernatural anything…

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Love Always,
C

Envisioned

Book:       Envisioned
Author:   Samantha Britt
Genre:     Young Adult – Fantasy

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Rating:

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Review:

I regret not reading the first or second book in this series, before picking this one up. But, as always, I couldn’t say no to a great bargain. And this one (even though sometimes I was a bit lost), did not disappoint me at all. I’ll be sure to get the other two books, to get the backstory I missed out on.

Now, let’s get the negatives out of the way, shall we? There are quite a lot of grammatical and spelling errors that I’ve picked up while reading this book. Although this did not distract from my enjoyment of the story – it’s still not something I want to see in good books.

The characters were well developed and I can see their potential in the coming book/s. The main protagonist needs to grow up and stop acting like a child with no power or say in her situations because she is starting to kinda grate on my nerves. I’d also like to see more of the immortal Des, and their relationship. I get that its new, but they can at least share some real moments that does not include yelling or making out.

The writing is good, but there is definitely room for improvement there. Sometimes, while trying to create an intricate dialog, the true point of the dialog gets lost in translation. This can be somewhat irritating. Other than that, the plot is great and makes this one a rather nice change-of-pace story to get lost in.

Please don’t be like me and start with the third book in a series….

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Love Always,
C

Royal Captives

Book:       Royal Captives
Author:   Michael Pierce
Genre:     Young Adult – Science Fiction, Dystopia

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Synopsis:

Victoria’s journey continues in the heart-pounding second book of the Royal Replicas series.

Victoria Sandalwood has escaped the palace, but not with any of the people she intended on saving. Now it’s up to her to retrieve the coveted information the Queen so desperately desires. Victoria’s life is safer if she never returns. However, her remaining sisters are counting on her to come back for them.

After watching Victoria leave, Prince Byron feels terrible about his inaction at the Choosing Ceremony and vows to win back her favor. Victoria doesn’t know if she can trust him anymore and she’s ready to move past that small, but sweet part of her life and remain steadfast on her new mission.

To free her sisters from the Queen’s grasp, Victoria will need to enlist the aid of unlikely allies, some of whom may have far from altruistic intentions. And once again, Princess Amelia may be the key.

Victoria is determined to return for her sisters. She’s determined to free Princess Amelia, who remains locked away within the lower maze of the palace. But the costs of such actions may be much higher than Victoria expects… and may end up costing her everything.

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Rating:

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Review:

This was one heck of a ride, full of twists and turns. Don’t underestimate just how many times you can be surprised. The plot is intricate, in more ways than you can initially think, making the story just that much more interesting. I could not stop reading until I learned how it ended, then I wished I didn’t need to wait for the next installment.

Victoria’s character is not our main focus for this story, and we get to learn more about Byron – her prince. The development in this one was not as great as in the first one, and I had hoped to see something unexpected from Victoria specifically.

Romance in this one is not the main focus, which I enjoyed. Victoria, in my opinion, still has a choice to make here, but it seems to be getting more and more complicated by the minute. I am voting for Kale, only because he is my kinda guy.

The writing is straightforward. There is a lot going on and you need to keep your focus solely on the story, or you’ll get lost. But it is worth it, in the end, I promise!

I cannot get enough of this story, or of the characters in this story. I want to and need to know where this will be ending. Damn, the ending here is one heck of a plot twist and cliffhanger!!

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Love Always,
C

Royal Replicas

Book:       Royal Replicas
Author:   Michael Pierce
Genre:     Young Adult – Science Fiction, Dystopia

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Synopsis:

“Princess Amelia is dead… and one of you will replace her.”

Seventeen-year-old Victoria Sandalwood has served the Duke and Duchess all her life. Over the years, she’s learned to make do with what she has and endure her surrogate father’s awful punishments. She dreams of escape, but never expected it to come in the form of a message from the Queen of Westeria.

Victoria learns that she’s the Queen’s daughter, the younger sister to Princess Amelia, and it’s time to come home and claim her birthright. When she arrives, she discovers she’s not the only one who received the royal message.

Victoria must compete with six other girls to earn the affection of both the Queen and a princely suitor… and to replace the secretly deceased Princess Amelia. If she fails to win the crown, Victoria may just have to fight for her life…

Royal Replicas is the first book in a YA dystopian series. If you enjoy courtly intrigue, heart-pounding adventure, and sweet romance, then you’ll love this captivating story. Perfect for fans of Kiera Cass, Bella Forrest, and Veronica Roth.

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Rating:

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Review:

Wow, what a story. You know a book was worth the read, when you start out confused, get even more confused, and then when everything starts to make sense, you don’t know who to root for… Damn! This book will be haunting me so much and I cannot wait to delve into the next installment, which will be coming out the 15th of October.

First off, Michael’s writing is superb. You will be swallowed into a world within ours, set years later, and you’ll want to never leave. He impressively weaved the plot into words that will twist your insides at times, making you wonder what truly will be the outcome for these characters you’ve fallen in love with.

Victoria. Sweet, naive Victoria… This protagonist is very relatable. I see some of myself in her. She does not do what you hope for, and at times you’ll want to yell at her for her choices. But the choices she makes, makes sense. And she is strong and brave when she needs to be, too.

This is a tale of mystery, shrouded in romance and suspenseful plotting that will keep you reading long into the night. And, wait for it, cliffhanger ending… in the best way possible.

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Love Always,
C

Part-Time Princess

Book:       Part-Time Princess
Author:   Pamela DuMond
Genre:     New Adult – Contemporary Romance

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Synopsis:

Two Princes are in love with her. Too bad she’s an imposter…

Lucy Trabbicio’s a down-on-her-luck, young, cocktail waitress desperate to find a job to keep her uncle at Assisted Living. Lady Elizabeth Billingsley hires Lucy to impersonate her to keep the attention of Crown Prince Cristoph of Fredonia while she completes her pressing personal business in the States.

In the mother of all makeovers, Elizabeth’s people transform Lucy into a reluctant ‘Lady’ and she travels to Fredonia for ten days ‘tops.’ What could possibly go wrong?

Sexy, bad-boy Nick—Fredonia’s other Prince—that’s what goes wrong!

Nick has a romantic history with Elizabeth and he wants to pick up the between-the-sheets action with her impersonator—Lucy. Even though Lucy’s wildly attracted to him, she has to resist—she can’t lose this job! Dreamy Nick’s courting Lucy hot and heavy when Prince Cristoph proposes marriage. What’s an imposter girl to do?

Elizabeth insists that she’ll make it back home in time for the wedding. Lucy accepts Cristoph’s proposal and is on the fast track to becoming a Princess when another glitch arises—someone’s trying to kill her! Besides Nick, the only folks helping Lucy are her wild, party hard, take-no-prisoners Ladies-in-Waiting.

A modern day, sexy tale with romance, twists and turns, LOL moments, a few tears and a Happily-Ever-After Ending (Just not the way you expected it!)

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Rating:

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Review:

When you suddenly start tearing up at the end of the book, you know it was worth the read. Man, this truly was a great romance, with just the right amount of humor in it not to bore me. And since I am so not a big fan of romance novels, I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. This was a story with true heart, real friendships, hard choices and unconditional love… The writing is great and easy to read. Now, Lucy, the main protagonist, was a wonderful and real person, whom you can see as a friend. She is loyal, fierce, true to herself, and incredibly kind. You’ll root for her, love her and even yell at her, but you’ll want the best outcome that will make her happy too. As a real friend should. The romance in this book, well, let’s just say it is so worth it. I rooted for the perfect ‘happily ever after’ and almost thought she wouldn’t get it. Nick, oh Nick. Tall, dark and handsome doesn’t even begin to describe this man. Then there are Lucy’s ‘ladies’ – now this is true friendship at its core. Even when her world turned upside-down and inside-out, they stuck with her. Also, you’ll create a playlist after reading this book, of all your favorite golden oldies – which definitely gives more depth to the entire plot. A must read if you want an enjoyable, fun read that will make you root for friendship and love…

Love Always,
C

Thinking bout writing a novel…

So, there is this challenge that starts in November, called NaNoWriMo.  I have only learned about this in the middle of September and I’m certain that I will not be ready to write this novel from tomorrow, so I’ve decided to slowly create my characters, plot outline, and chapter outlines…  Then, I’ll be ready for next year and possibly be able to start writing this novel soon (maybe it’ll be done before November 2017, then I can start a new one, or even a sequel.  Who knows?)

Just a bit more about NaNoWriMo:  this is a challenge where you and so many others band together and supports each other (maybe cry together too) while writing (or trying to) 50 000 words for your novel. There is even some published writer who takes part and even offers some additional help.

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So, in honor of this writing challenge, I want to tell you all more about my novel idea.

• What inspired the idea for your novel and how long have you had the idea?

So, my inspiration would be my imagination.  I want to create a world of my own, where anything I want could happen.  It’s slow going, but I’m in no hurry.

• Describe what your novel is about!

Currently, I’m working on a witch world.  I want to incorporate a lot of things, spirit animals, tree sprites, elementals, various degrees of magic and such…

• What is your book’s aesthetic?  Use words or photos or whatever you like!

Don’t know yet. My mind, and characters, change this almost every other day.  Let’s hope I can keep up with them.

• How do you prepare to write?  (Outline, research, stocking up on chocolate, howling, etc.?)

I’m over compensating here.  I’ll be outlining, doing tons of research (still busy with this), and writing until my hand is numb, then writing some more.

• What are you most looking forward to about this novel?

To see the end result, and having someone read and love it!

• List 3 things about your novel’s setting.

Right now, I’m playing around with a completely new world, based on Earth.  Or a world within Earth – secret from the outside world. There will be various areas in this ‘world’.  Maybe I’ll divide the world into four seasons? And it would be set in this current time.

• What are your book’s themes?  How do you want readers to feel when the story is over?

I’m hoping that my readers will feel a connection to at least one of the characters ( the protagonist is preferred).  And that they will take an important lesson from this story. This story will look at loss and grieve – what effect this can have on a character.

What do you think?  Would you want to read this type of book?

Love Always,
C

Watercolor Bookish Printables

Hi Friends,

Here’s is another version of the bookish set made last week.  I’ll be explaining what I see each page working for…

These are available for purchase on Bid or Buy, see here:
CG Printables

Feel free to let me know if there are any specific printable pages you are looking for, and I’ll try to make some for you…

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This is where you’ll note the name of all the blog posts you’re working on. When it is written and finished, tick it off.  Then, in editing, make sure of the spelling, grammar and so forth. When you’re ready, upload and write in the date of upload.

Here’s a book reading bingo that you can customise for what you like to read.

This one is another bingo page, be creative and show me your reading preferences.

Here I would choose Halloween books about witches, magic, supernatural creatures and dragons.

Read your books, rate it, and color in the book symbol when you’ve uploaded a review. Now you can keep track of what books you want to read next.

A bookshelf for you to add your books you want to read, or just what books you’ve recently bought.

Make sure you keep track of what books you’ve bought, what books you’re most eager to read, and color in each book you’ve read and reviewed.

Keep track of the number of chapters left in the book you are currently reading.

Two bookshelves, containing 20 books in total. Use them in your journal.

As always, leave a comment below, telling me which of these printables are your favorite and why.

Thank you for your support.

Love Always,
C

The Deception Dance

Book:       The Deception Dance
Author:   Rita Stradling
Genre:     Young Adult – Romantic Paranormal Fantasy

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Synopsis:

We stand there, screaming into each other’s faces.
How I hate him.
How I’ve loved him.
How I want him destroyed. 

After a year of preparation, eighteen-year-old Raven Smith has planned out every detail of her summer vacation in Europe. Yet, while still en-route to Italy, Raven finds a letter in her carry-on suitcase that tells her not to go to Europe, that an “evil agent of Hell” is looking for her and he will find her if she disregards the letter’s message.

Deciding that it was a product of insanity, Raven chooses to disregard the letter’s message.

In her cross-Europe trip, Raven only wants to feed her love of art history and spend time with her older sister. She’s unprepared for Andras and his strange fascination with her, not to mention the all-consuming attraction she has for him. She’s definitely unprepared for Nicholas and his brothers Stephen, Albert, and Tobias, diverting all of her plans and sweeping her off to a Swedish Castle.

But the letter was right, the agent of Hell has found her and Raven have become a game-piece in a very dangerous game.

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Rating:

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Review:

This was a good novel, not super great, but still very good. I would love to get my hands on the second book to find out where this is going. Now, the actual story…

First off, the cover doesn’t do this book justice at all – it definitely can be improved upon. There were some minor grammatical errors, but these do not take away from the overall enjoyment of the story. The writing style was insanely good, I enjoyed every second. And there were these moments where I would just picture what the author wrote, and it’s priceless.

Like this one: “Heck, I like poison oak underwear more…”
Or: “I’m tied up, gagged, and about to be bludgeoned to death by a lawn ornament.”

I mean, that is definitely entertaining and will put a smile on anyone’s face. As for the romance, all I’m gonna say is – your in for one hell of a ride here. There is romance, and you might even root for the wrong guy in this one. Although, maybe not…

The plot was outstanding, there is a lot you wouldn’t pick up on, until later in the plot. This is a good thing, as it will keep you glued to your seat to find out exactly how this one ends. I practically inhaled the last half of this book, staying up way later than I should have, but it was worth every hour of sleep I missed out on.

Love Always,
C