Novella

Review of Phobia by Keri Lake

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Synopsis:
This is a standalone follow up novella to Nocticadia in which the siblings of the original respective couple meet, and what ensues is… curiosity, chaos, and understanding.

Review:
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book at all, because honestly, it felt like Bee had a lot of problems and I wasn’t sure that I would care about seeing her star in something. It seemed that Lilia was always covering for her and trying to keep her on the up and up, but Bee was clearly disturbed. Because of that, when she ends up in a rather dangerous situation, she finds herself understanding “Mr. Caed” more than one might expect.

I wasn’t really as big of a fan of this novel, in part because despite having gone through quite a lot of tribulations before the beginning of the novel, Bee is still very young and because of that naïve. If you loved Nocticadia this may allow you a bit more of a release from the stranglehold the first novel casts, but they are not at all the same type of book; in the word’s of Keri Lake, “The setting and tone of this short story is a complete departure from Nocticadia, and echoes my gritty contemporary books.”

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Sparkle Witch: A Novella by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
Snow. Santa. Snuggles… Stress.

You would think December would be Ivy’s ideal time of year. After all, festivities abound and witches everywhere are encouraged to put their feet up and relax. That’s not quite the case when she has various Order members attempting to finagle her into Christmas activities and a special artefact from the top of the Christmas tree goes missing. Either someone is attempting to sabotage Winter or something very strange is afoot indeed.

This is a short holiday novella.

Review:
It has been ages since I read this book but I instantly fell right back into love with Ivy and Harper’s writing. This was a very sweet little story in which you see Ivy’s snark, her delegation, and some great and beautiful moments with some familiars. I absolutely loved how this gave a little snippet into everyone’s lives, Ivy got to interfere with people’s lives a bit and blow off the work she should have been happily doing. All in all, very on par for Ivy, and such a very sweet and lovely little novella.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Tatter and Shine by JW Troemner

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Synopsis:
For years Shine has studied magic in secret, buying black-market spellbooks and bribing two-bit warlocks for their scraps of knowledge, but every spell she learns comes at a terrible risk. In a land ravaged by war with the Sorcerer Queen, magic is outlawed, and those caught practicing it are hunted and killed.

When the lessons run out and the witch hunt closes in, Shine seeks out a new mentor: the immortal sorcerer Tatterdemalion, maker of deals and master of demons. The closer she gets to her new tutor, the more she uncovers the mysteries of his past, the source of his power, and his part in the war that changed the world.

But Shine’s rise doesn’t go unnoticed. The Sorcerer Queen has her eyes on Tatterdemalion’s new apprentice, and she will not tolerate a rival to her power.

Review:
I was given this book as a gift after a friend met the author at a convention. Given the size, at first I thought it was a set up for a series and that it would end up being the first part of a story, but it is actually more a very short novella or even just a short story that has been formatted as a book. The formatting itself is odd in that the font size is quite large with a lot of space between words; about two paragraphs fit on a page.

This book was very much a combination of several different tales all mixed into one, with the most obvious being that of the Disney version Beauty and the Beast mixed with the Disney version of Aladdin. The story itself is written in a way that is clearly meant to give the feel of the Grimm Fairy Tales- something that is supposed to be transcendent and I do believe that this book was written in a way that the relevance will continue well past the time this review is published. That being said, it was a cute quick read. The heroine was tenacious and there was growth from both the heroine and our Tatter within the story. There were risks, and complications, and overall it was a good, albeit quick, short, and sweet read.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of The Lily Gate by Hanna Sandvig

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Synopsis:
One princess, twenty princes, and one…frog? The path to true love isn’t always what you might expect.

All my life I’ve been waiting for my prince charming, but you can’t just leave these things up to chance. There are plenty of princes in the Seelie kingdom, but I’m the princess of the Lily Court and someday I will rule. Just because a prince is handsome, or an excellent swordsman, it doesn’t mean he’s going to be a good co-ruler.

Obviously my fairy godmother agrees, because she gave me the christening gift of true love. If I organize a set of challenges for the potential future husbands to tackle, she’s promised that I’ll find my perfect match. 

So that’s just what I have planned, and when a talking frog offers to help me find out what the princes are really like, who am I to argue? Honestly, he’s pretty good company, even if he keeps stealing pastries from the castle kitchen.

Is there truly a prince out there that will meet all the criteria on my very comprehensive list? Or will I find that true love has been waiting for me all along? 

**This adorable sweet romance is a retelling of The Frog Prince and is a stand-alone novella (only eight chapters) in the Faerie Tale Romances series. If you love Fae, pastries, and sassy animal sidekicks, dive into The Lily Gate today!**

Review:
This was a very short but cute little story of The Frog Prince. I really enjoyed this retelling because while keeping to the theme of the original, it doesn’t feature all the bad behaviour. While I absolutely adored the aspect of the Princess’ love for the kitchen, I did get quite a bit of Disney’s The Princess and the Frog from this retelling. That being said, I think it is an adorable sweet story, mixing together a couple of different stories into one and with a sweet ending. Definitely worth a read if you have kindle unlimited.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Lady or Maid: A Goose Girl novella by Emily Deady

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Lady or Maid: A Goose Girl Novella (Fairy Tale Royals) by [Emily Deady]

Synopsis:
Most people wouldn’t complain about being sent to live in a palace.
But I’d rather stay in my forest home.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a choice. I’m far too young to inherit Lockwood and the king of Iseldis is now my guardian. His luxurious feasts, blazing fires, and fancy clothing will do nothing to ease the fresh pain in my heart.

But my maid has an excellent suggestion. If we switch places before we arrive at the palace, I can grieve my lost parents in peace before my entire life changes.

What could go wrong?

Lady or Maid is a short story about Ian and Robin which takes place ten years before Shard of Glass. It is a sweet retelling of The Goose Girl and takes place during the Iseldan version of Christmas. Cuddle up for some cozy snow, sour berries, and a first crush.

Review:
This book was just perfect. I loved how donkeys were worked in instead of merely horses; it gave an interesting and neat development to the story that hasn’t been done. It was also neat how Robin showed herself to Ian despite supposedly being a goose girl, and how much he could see from his interactions with her. His keen insight after studying under his father to become king was quite well shown. I quite enjoyed this novella, and didn’t want to set it down. It was easy to read, but what really drew me in was how it really revolved around the emotions, relationships, and connections between the royals and their inner circle. Absolutely loved it.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Risky Seeds, Risky Hearts by Cindy A. Christiansen

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By Cindy A. Christiansen

Star Rating: 

Genre: Clean Romance
Number of Pages: 81

Date Started:December 3, 2015
Date Finished: December 4, 2015

Synopsis:(From Amazon)81YZUnjbf4L
Laid-back Sadie Jean Dixon had a calm summer planned working for the Utah Forest Service, but a deliberately set fire sends her racing on horseback up the mountainside with her Border Collie, Gypsy, in tow and flames on their tail.

Practical Colton Masterson has given up the ranch lifestyle for a college degree in accounting. When his little brother breaks his arm and can’t help run the ranch, Colton returns home to lend a hand. He takes on a part-time job at Samson Seed Company handling their taxes but soon learns the books aren’t in order.

As Colton and Sadie work together to find out the real outlaws, will they realize you have to lose a fly to catch a trout?

Review:
Short, sweet, and to the point.  The characters were excellent, the story made sense and played on general issues in a small town such as wanting to trust those you work with.  There weren’t many twists or turns, but it was a great, sweet, quick read that still had left you wondering at the end… wondering who that musician in the picture with Sadie was.  I absolutely loved the portrayal of Gyspy, the border collie.  I also adored Dusty, and the descriptions of how Sadie looks over both her horse and her dog throughout.  A great light, sweet clean romance that will entertain you for an hour!

Authchristiansenor Bio: (from Amazon)
Bestselling author, Cindy A Christiansen, has combined her love of dogs with her joy of writing to create an award winning combination. Her novels always include canine characters both in the pages and on the cover, an extension of the credit she gives to her extraordinary rescue dogs for their part in helping her overcome numerous challenges. In a reciprocal gesture for their love and devotion, a portion of the proceeds from her books are donated to assist abandoned and abused dogs.

She lives in Utah with her loving husband, two creative children with autism, and a pack of rambunctious dogs.

Fly into a good book!

Here’s what her books give you:
* A clean read with no bedroom scenes or offensive language.
* A tantalizing, fast-paced plot.
* A story without a lot of boring description.
* Down-to-earth heroes and heroines with everyday jobs.
* A rollercoaster ride of emotions you face right along with the characters.
* A special dog to steal your heart.
* A few added facts, a good message, and that important happily-ever-after ending.

Fly into a good book at: http://www.dragonflyromance.com

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Thank you!