The Enchantress by R.L. Weeks

Genre: Erotic Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
This was a beautifully written short prequel to the Haunting Fairytales series.
When we hear the story of Beauty and the Beast, we don't generally think about the Enchantress who cursed the Beast, other than as a plot device. But in this story, we meet Felicity, a girl betrothed to man she has never met. She moves into the palace and meets him, only to discover that he has strange sexual desires and just wants to control her. But then she meets the prince and starts to think that her time as the castle doesn't have to be so bad...

My only complaint about this story was that it was TOO SHORT! I really got into the story and the characters. RL Weeks did a great job of painting a beautiful picture and telling a heartbreaking story of a woman who was tossed around in an unforgiving and cruel political ocean. I have the next book on my kindle and I am quite eager to read it because I just want MORE! :-)

Ratings - (May contain spoilers)
Grammar and editing was really pretty good.
Violence - not much to speak of. A man gets tossed out a window and people die in a fire.
Profanity - Nothing extreme. The word "arse" is thrown around a bit, but other than that, there is not much.
Sexuality - There was a bit of sex in this book. The scenes were not too graphic, though. There was some M/M action, as well as a strange orgy-like scene. Definitely not for those under 18.

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The Elimination by Stormy Corrin Russell

Genre: YA Dystopian
Rating: 5/5
(This is the second book in a series. Click HERE to read my review of the first book.)


This book picks up right after Eroyn has come back to Genesis. She is imprisoned because the leaders of her city believe that she is partially responsible for the bombs that fell and decimated the city. She is essentially an exile. She, Luna, and Archer leave the city and finally travel to the male side of Compound A. When they arrive, no one is there, leading them to believe that Ryker Stroud has harmed the men like he has harmed the women. As the trio tries to figure out what has happened and what needs to be done, they meet a group of men who have survived. They don't want to trust Eroyn, but they want answers and justice just like she does. Will they be able to look past their differences and work together to stop Ryker? Will Eroyn ever be able to go back to Genesis? Will she and Archer ever admit how they feel about each other?
This book was even better than the first installment. Eroyn is a very strong and likeable character. She has overcome a lot of adversity and continues to do what she feels is right in this book. Her friendship with Luna is so wonderful,and I love how she is with Archer as well. If you have read any of my other reviews, you will know that I don't really tend to enjoy a lot of mushy-gushy unrealistic romance. With that said, I love how their relationship progresses in this series. They go from being enemies to allies, and then they realize that they love each other. But there aren't any long monologues about it - they just show each other that they are there for one another and demonstrate loyalty, care, and consideration for each other.
SPOILERS -
I really love her relationship with her brother Blaze. He is a character that you cannot help but love, even though he's supposed to be a bit of a "loser" (and see, I hate even saying that because I just enjoy him so much!). He is wonderfully sarcastic and entertaining. I am glad that Eroyn has him, especially after losing Wes.
There are some really special moments in this book. The Festival near the end was really refreshing and I also LOVE how the females in the compound came together to strengthen themselves and the community. They didn't roll over and become victims, they stepped up and did what needed to be done. Overall, the character development was fantastic. The only thing that made me a little sad was what happened with Eroyn and her mother. I understand that everyone went through a lot, but I felt like Eroyn was a little cruel. (But that just makes her character all the more real.)
There is a lot that happens in this book - more information is revealed about what is happening outside of Compound A. The Epilogue reveals some truly shocking and interesting information that really makes me eager to read the last book in the series.
Awesome book! Very immersive and well written!   

Ratings -

Grammar/Editing - Excellent

Profanity - None

Violence - Mild

Sexuality - Mild



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Royal Lies by K. L Roth

Genre: Historical Fantasy
Rating: 3.5

James is about to become king. Although betrothed to the lovely Alice, he beds many women throughout the castle. Alice is marrying him for power. His step-mother, Mary is not looking forward to his coronation and is at work to undermine him. Somewhere else in the kingdom, a girl named Elle is inducted into a coven of witches. They have great plans for her, involving seducing James... 

Let me start off by saying that this was a very interesting and enjoyable book. It would have received a higher rating from me were it not for two things, the poor editing and the overcomplicated-ness of the plots and characters.

There were a few really unique sex scenes in this that made it quite interesting - not your typical vanilla stuff. I thought it was a good representation of this class of society during this time period (at least from what I have seen on shows like the Tudors and Reign). It reminded me of those televisions shows a lot, so I was able to paint a good picture in my head of the events. I do think that there were too many characters introduced at once, and their names were all very similar so that made things confusing at times. I was also unsure of whether or not this was intended to be historical fiction. There were a lot of names I recognized but the events seemed different than what I have seen/heard before.

What really sticks out to me about this book is the Pagan scenes. The ceremonies and the potion brewing that the witches did was really QUITE fascinating and I do think I will be interested in reading the rest of the series if only for those sections. The rest of the book seemed a bit rushed and not quite put together. As mentioned, the editing was not great. There was a multitude of grammar errors - tense shifts, misspellings, word misusages, etc. With better editing, this book could be really great.

I do think I will read the next one - this one left off at a bit of a cliffhanger! 

Grammar/Editing: Poor

Violence: Medium - There was not a lot of violence in this book. One man is murdered with a sword for political reasons.

Profanity: Heavy - Lots of F-bombs, A words, and more. Fits in with the content of the book, which is highly sexual!

Sexuality: Extreme - There were three graphic sex scenes in this book, and multiple references to it. Characters were often thinking about sex and talking about sex.

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Autumn's Calling by Michelle Weese

Genre: Zombie Post Apocalyptic
Rating: 3.5

Autumn returns home after a long shift at the hospital to find her finance, Luke, acting strangely. He becomes violent, causing her to flee in a panic. She decides to get out of town with her loveable dog, Daisy, and stops the first evening at a quaint Bed and Breakfast a few towns away. She meets some lovely people there, including a gorgeous man named Leland. Shortly after her arrival, sickly looking people come shuffling toward the B&B and one of them bites the owner of the place. It soon becomes a fight for survival as Autumn, Leland, and Daisy head back to Autumn's family.
I will admit that this is the first actual zombie book I have read besides I Am Legend (crazy, right?). I am a HUGE fan of The Walking Dead and movies like Daybreakers, though. This book was different to me in that we got to see what happens at the very beginning. It is always interesting to explore how different people react to a zombie apocalypse. Will they be too scared to shoot the zombies? Will they be able to find shelter or enough food? Autumn was lucky in the fact that her family had a place to hole up. I found it interesting that the power stayed on for so long. Cell phones worked much longer than expected. We didn't get an ACTUAL origin for the virus except for a fascinating and chilling epilogue that makes me really want to read more to find out what happens.
The characters were fairly well done - we got a few really emotional scenes. I think, this being the beginning of the apocalypse, that the action hasn't really started much. I am sure things will get pretty sticky in the next book as more and more people are turned into zombies.
I appreciated a lot of little things in this book. Autumn remarked about the smell of the zombies a few times - I always thought that the zombie apocalypse would just be ridiculously rank. I know that survivors would get used to it at some point. There were a few great visuals - the scenes at the B&B were quite idyllic.
Some of the dialogue was a little cheesy (I always have to remark that I don't read a lot of romance so I tend to not really like the mushy gushy romance parts. Sometimes the way things were worded seemed a little unrealistic.)

Interesting take on the zombie apocalypse! I am glad I have book 2 waiting for me in my kindle!

Grammar/Editing: Needs Work - There were a lot of issues with this book. The wording in many sentences was off (like subject/verb disagreement, fragments, etc.) There were tons of tense shifts throughout the book. There were a lot of punctuation errors. "Him and I" was used when "Him and me" was needed in some cases, etc. Cleaned up, this book would be much better!

Profanity: Mild - This book was really clean. (No F-bombs or things of that nature)

Violence: Heavy - I mean, you HAVE to have violence in a zombie book, but does it really count as violence? People got bitten, and zombies got shot and axed in the head. Other than one violent scene with Luke in the beginning, that was about it.

Sexuality: Mild - There was some passionate kissing, but no sex scenes. Autumn mentioned "indecent thoughts" but nothing ever happened, even though she and Leland were clearly sexually attracted to each other. 

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The Haunting of Tinley Hall by Tania Hagan

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Rating: 5/5

Tinley Hall is a fairly typical 17 year old girl, with two parents who love her, an attitudinal younger sister, a dog, and a best friend with a cute older brother. One day, her life is turned upside down when she has an accident and falls down the stairs. She finds herself alone in her house and things feel awfully strange. She can't pick up objects or leave the house, but she can still interact with her dog. Then she meets Gus. He tells her that he has been dead for over seventy years and that she is probably dead as well. They spend time trying to make sense of this haunting business and Tinley comes to rely on his companionship. But is she really dead? Is this all just a dream? This book will keep you guessing and have you crying your eyes out.

I bought a copy of this book at an event because I just don't get enough ghost lore in my life. It was completely engrossing from the very start. Tinley is full of sarcasm and the other characters were really well written also. I thought that the theories about ghosts were quite fascinating - and totally believable as well. It was easy to imagine what it was like for Tinley and really very interesting to think about all the facets of being a ghost. Tinley's relationship with Gus was just wonderful from the beginning and it became more and more beautiful as the book progressed. Without spoiling anything, I was crying by the end of the book (and despite my last review about the second Outlander book, that is pretty rare for me).

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who finds ghost lore interesting as well as anyone who enjoys sweet romance stories. It is a YA novel, so it can be enjoyed by readers young and old!

Grammar/Editing: Abysmal/Poor/Needs Work/Good/Excellent - There were very few grammatical and punctuation errors in this book - definitely nothing that distracted from the story.

Profanity: None/Mild/Medium/Heavy/Extreme - As a YA book, there was pretty much NO foul language! 

Violence: None/Mild/Medium/Heavy/Extreme - There was no real violence per se. Tinley falls down the stairs and Gus talks about being hit by a car. Nothing truly violent happens other than accidents.

Sexuality: None/Mild/Medium/Heavy/Extreme - Sex was never mentioned by name, only implied in a few conversations. Tinley's boyfriend planned something at one point but was turned down, and it was referred to in another conversation, but again, never actually done. There are some very mild makeout scenes.

*Spirituality: I'm adding a note in here about the spiritual nature of this book because sometimes this can really bother me. I usually avoid dark spiritual movies and books because they are just too disturbing. This book though, is clearly lighter in nature, and so I decided to give it a shot. It isn't disturbing at all - only interesting.
There is one section of the book where some kids are using a Ouija board and that could be a little too much for some people. I will note that the dire and dark consequences of using the board were mentioned in the book. It wasn't presented as a fun game - it was definitely a serious thing that caused something bad to happen.

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Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy/Time Travel (This series is kind of a genre of its own)
Rating: 5/5

Claire is back in modern times with her daughter Brianna. They go to revisit the house of her historian friend, who has died, in Scotland. Claire begins some research into the history of the clans, particularly what happened at Culloden. She is finally ready to find out what happened to Jamie. She had to return to the present time and leave him behind. She reminisces about how she and Jamie travelled to France in an attempt to stop the Jacobite uprising. They hoped to succeed in stopping Bonnie Prince Charles from leading the Scottish clans into a death trap at Culloden. There was quite a lot of action, as well as politics, murder, and intrigue along the way. If she and Jamie could not succeed in stopping the uprising completely, could they at least save the ones they love?

This review will most definitely contain spoilers, especially if you have not read the first book.

In the beginning of this book, I was devastated to find out that Claire had returned to the present without Jamie and that she had lived without him for 20 years with Frank while raising Brianna (clearly Jamie's daughter). I kept thinking it was surely some kind of mistake. The first part of the book is set in 1968 and Rodger, Brianna, and Claire discuss the history of the clans while Claire remembers the events that lead her back to the modern time. She and Jamie did all they could to stop Charles from attempting an uprising, going to France and meeting the King himself. They were involved in a lot of complicated political drama. The look into French society at this period in time was quite fascinating. We get to see more of Jack Randall (unfortunately) and we also meet his brother Alex. This book paints a beautiful picture of several different types of settings. Not only did Claire and Jamie spend a few years in France, they also returned to Scotland and became involved in the uprising. We get to see the spirited highland armies and experience the death, hunger, and desperation as the uprising comes to it's conclusion. There emerges a bigger villain than Jack Randall.
This series is so successful because Diana Abandon is able to weave together an amazing story full of action, sorrow, joy, and mystery. The pace can be slow, but this makes the story seem even more real. Claire and Jamie become like loved ones to the reader. You can imagine yourself there with them and even begin to predict how they will respond to certain situations.

I have this enjoyed this series solely though audiobook. I started Outlander three years ago and just finished Dragonfly in Amber today. I have loved savoring these books. It is a true journey.

I think this is one of my favorite series of all time. It comes down to the way the books make me feel. Yes, the story is interesting, but I just feel so happy and immersed when I listen to these books. The narrator, Davina Porter, is amazing!

If you have not already read this series, do so as soon as you can! You won't regret it!

Onto my other ratings -
The grammar and editing was fantastic.

Profanity: None/Mild/Medium/Heavy/Extreme -  There is a bit of swearing in this book. Of course, it's mostly old slang and the use of the Lord's name in vain but it's quite frequent. I think the author did a good job of keeping it fairly clean, it could have been a lot worse.

Violence: None/Mild/Medium/Heavy/Extreme - Lots and lots of different types of violence. Stabbings, beatings, hangings, rape. People getting shot, people getting burned, people bleeding and dying.  But although it was a lot and fairly constant, it wasn't too graphic. There are many things in this series that are quite disturbing, though.

Sexuality: None/Mild/Medium/Heavy/Extreme - There are many sex scenes in this series. I feel that they are done beautifully, but they can be a little explicit.

As mentioned, I listened to these on Audible. If you don't have an audible account, you can get your first book FREE when you sign up! (Outlander is a great choice). It's around $15 a month after that and you can pick any of the books that you want with your credit that you get each month. You can also cancel at any time.

You can also get the books on Amazon using the affiliate links below:
1. Outlander
2. Dragonfly in Amber
3. Voyager
4. Drums of Autumn
5. The Fiery Cross
6. A Breath of Snow and Ashes
7. An Echo in the Bone
8. Written in My Own Heart's Blood



  

The Sixth Domicile by Courtney Ruggles

Genre: Dystopian/Coming of Age
Rating: 5/5

Q (Formally known as Q467B) is a member of the sixth domicile, located somewhere in what used to be known as the United States of America. She, and the other thousand members of the domicile are all equally submissive to the Elders by wearing white masks and all black clothing. Their mates, jobs, and meals are all chosen for them. The Elders keep control by telling everyone that the earth is barren and toxic outside the Domicile walls and that murderous transients roam the landscape. They have limited choices, but at least they are alive and safe. However, Q and her friend B1116A know differently. The sky is clean and the sun shines brightly. The grass and trees are healthy and beautiful. They know this truth but must act like they do not. They don't have the means to leave the domicile and so they stay, controlled and oppressed by the lying Elders. But they are soon to be married - to other people. They will not be allowed to remain friends. Will Q and B be able to adjust to their new lives? Will they continue to break the rules to spend time together? How much do the Elders actually watch them? How much will be enough to get them sent to the Muerte?

This book was absolutely riveting! After suspending my disbelief in the impracticality of everyone wearing masks and gloves ALL the time, this book really came together well. The story and the world were really well crafted. It's really very disturbing how the domicile inhabitant's identities were squelched by the wearing of masks. This would make quite a beautiful and chilling movie. It isn't a typical "chosen one" dynamic, either, which I appreciated. The main character, Q, is different because of her grandmother's influence (one of the only people to have lived outside the domicile). But the others don't blindly follow, as we see on several occasions throughout the book. Instead of a savior, we see Q as a spark that ignites a new rebellion. It was very thrilling and inspirational!
Q's character growth was fantastic as well. She initially wanted freedom simply to be with the man she loved. But she soon realized that there WAS more to life and her influence was worth a lot. She began to realize that she needed freedom in genera,l and she became bolder and bolder about trying to achieve that.

This book ended in a MONSTEROUS cliffhanger, so I will be heading off to the kindle store to get the next one.
Awesome book! With better editing, I think this book could be just phenomenal.

Grammar/Editing: Abysmal/Poor/Needs Work/Good/Excellent - There were few misspellings or punctuation errors. The grammatical errors were strange -almost like this book had been translated from another language. Words were sometimes missing entirely and the sentence structure was odd. Several times, the verb tenses got mixed up. The errors did lessen as the book progressed, however. *I was originally going to rate 4/5 stars for poor editing but it did get much better.

Profanity: None/Mild/Medium/Heavy/Extreme - No curse words to speak of. The society was highly controlled so this makes some sense.

Violence: None/Mild/Medium/Heavy/Extreme - There was quite a lot of violence in this book - different types as well as frequent violent scenes. Citizens who disobey are gotten rid of and never seen again by going to the Muerte. Citizens are beaten with whips. Q is beaten by her husband and assaulted on more than one occasion and the worst part is that this domestic abuse is allowed by the domicile. It is mentioned that patients are intentionally killed while in the hospital, and (Spoilers) the entire domicile comes under attack. Many citizens are shot and killed mercilessly.

Sexuality: None/Mild/Medium/Heavy/Extreme - There are multiple scenes throughout the book of Q and B together. They are moderately explicit.


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