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Showing posts from December, 2015

The Merchant's Daughter (Hagenheim Series #2) by Melanie Dickerson: A Book Review

The Merchant’s Daughter (Hagenheim Series #2) Author: Melanie Dickerson Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Christian Publisher: Zondervan Release Date: 2011 Pages: 284 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: An unthinkable danger. An unexpected choice. Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf s bailiff a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past. Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff's vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger. Ranulf's future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her ha

Tower of Thorns (Book #2 of The Blackthorn and Grim Series) by Juliet Marillier: A Book Review

Tower of Thorns (Book #2 of The Blackthorn and Grim Series) Author: Juliet Marillier Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy Publisher: Roc Release Date: November 3, 2015 Pages: 439 Source: Publisher/Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Award-winning author Juliet Marillier’s “lavishly detailed” Blackthorn & Grim series continues as a mysterious creature holds an enchanted and imperiled ancient Ireland in thrall.      Disillusioned healer Blackthorn and her companion, Grim, have settled in Dalriada to wait out the seven years of Blackthorn’s bond to her fey mentor, hoping to avoid any dire challenges. But trouble has a way of seeking out Blackthorn and Grim.      Lady Geiléis, a noblewoman from the northern border, has asked for the prince of Dalriada’s help in expelling a howling creature from an old tower on her land—one surrounded by an impenetrable hedge of thorns. Casting a blight over the entire district, and impossible to drive out by ordinary means, i

Dreamer's Pool (Book #1 of The Blackthorn and Grim Series) by Juliet Marillier: A Book Review

Dreamer’s Pool (Book #1 of The Blackthorn and Grim Series) Author:  Juliet Marillier Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy Publisher: Roc Release Date: 2014 Pages: 464 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: Award-winning author Juliet Marillier “weaves magic, mythology, and folklore into every sentence on the page” (The Book Smugglers). Now she begins an all-new and enchanting series that will transport readers to a magical vision of ancient Ireland....      In exchange for help escaping her long and wrongful imprisonment, embittered magical healer Blackthorn has vowed to set aside her bid for vengeance against the man who destroyed all that she once held dear. Followed by a former prison mate, a silent hulk of a man named Grim, she travels north to Dalriada. There she’ll live on the fringe of a mysterious forest, duty bound for seven years to assist anyone who asks for her help.      Oran, crown prince of Dalriada, has waited anxiously for the arrival of his future bride, Lady

Silver Eve (Guardians of Tarnec #2) by Sandra Waugh: A Book Review

Silver Eve (Guardians of Tarnec #2) Author:  Sandra Waugh Genre: YA, Fantasy Publisher: Random House Release Date: 2015 Pages: 381 Source: This book was given to me by Rockstars Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The Healer Evie saves two herbs for herself—yew, a quick and painful poison, and heliotrope, for the deep, deep sleep that never ends.      After the death of her beloved, seventeen-year-old Evie Carew wants nothing more than to lose herself forever in the wilds of Rood Marsh. But when the old seer Harker tells her she’s meant for a greater task, Evie’s curiosity keeps her going. What is this shell that Harker insists she must find? And why can’t she stop thinking about the handsome Rider Laurent, the young man who saved her on the worst day of her life?       Soon Evie discovers that she is the Guardian of Death, the second of four Guardians who must awaken to their powers to recover four stolen amulets. Together, the amulets—Life, Death, Dark,

Blog Tour: Return Once More (The Historians #1) by Trisha Leigh: A Book Review

Return Once More by Trisha Leigh  (The Historians #1) Published by: Bloomsbury Spark Publication date: September 29th 2015 Genres: Science Fiction, Time-Travel, Young Adult Source: This book was given to me by Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis:      If you could learn the identity of your one true love—even though you will never meet— would you?      Years have passed since refugees from a ruined earth took to space, eventually settling a new system of planets. Science has not only made the leaps necessary to allow time travel, but the process engineered a strange side effect—predicting your one true love.      If you could save your one true love from an untimely death, would you be able to resist?      Sixteen-year-old Kaia Vespasian is an apprentice to the Historians—a group charged with using time travel to document the triumphs and failures of the past—and she can’t resist a peek at her long-dead soul mate in Ancient Egypt. Before she knows

The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across The AncientWorld by Adrienne Mayor: A Book Review

The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across The Ancient World Author:  Adrienne Mayor Genre: Nonfiction, History Publisher: Princeton University Press Release Date: 2014 Pages: 530 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis: Amazons—fierce warrior women dwelling on the fringes of the known world—were the mythic archenemies of the ancient Greeks. Heracles and Achilles displayed their valor in duels with Amazon queens, and the Athenians reveled in their victory over a powerful Amazon army. In historical times, Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great, and the Roman general Pompey tangled with Amazons.      But just who were these bold barbarian archers on horseback who gloried in fighting, hunting, and sexual freedom? Were Amazons real? In this deeply researched, wide-ranging, and lavishly illustrated book, National Book Award finalist Adrienne Mayor presents the Amazons as they have never been seen before. This is the first comprehensive account of warrior women in myth and