Riduna
The Riduna Series, 1
by Diana Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Harriet always thought she had her simple life planned out. She would grow up on Riduna, marry and raise a family never leaving her tiny island home. Sometimes dreams aren't enough to face the realities of life, and the harsh realities of life can change even the best of dreams. Edward grwe up next door to Harriet and he had always dreamed of traveling, going to sea and adventuring but he always thought he would come back to the safe port of home in Riduna, and Harriet. When tragedies occur and Edward is far at sea and nowhere to be the rock that Harriet needs, his cousin Joe becomes her rock and protector. Riduna follows these three people through life and the developments of the world and war and all the changes that occur to change all of their dreams. Diana Jackson does a wonderful job of giving a family saga that touches your heart with love and heartache. You become involved in the family and want to know more and want to see what occurs.
Riduna is such a small island, but among the friends we met in the beginng, some can't wait to leave, some can never see leaving, and some who never planned to leave find things that they have no control over can change even the best of plans. Diana Jackson is a great writer and develops a wonderful story that has you feeling part of the lives of these people. You can almost imagine yourself on the island of Riduna right in their lives. There are historical events that truly occured mixed into the story that makes it feel even more real, and like this could really be someone's actual life. This is a great book, the first of two book in the series, and would be a wonderful read for anyone of interest.
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Moonshadows
by Claude Dancourt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Mira had her life all planned out until the night of a chance mugging turned it all upside down. The after effects of the so-called mugging left her a werecat, and one who did not want to be one, who ran out on her life, and was searching for a way to make it all go away. Erik was sure he had the perfect life until he returned home from a conference to find Mira gone, now after a year he has finally traced her down. He is determined to find some answers as to why she left. As Erik returns to her life, mira learns more about her werecat, finding out for the first time that she is only a cub, not a full-grown attack monster she thought she was. Knowing this her and Erik work together to uncover more information, the only problem a full grown werecat gone bad is hunting Mira. Moonshadows tells the werecat legend in the Native American tradition, and that is where Erik and Mira will need to look to find the information and help she needs. Claude Dancourt has written a story mixing a good vs evil theme, with the werecat and romance; a tricky balance to say the least.
Moonshadows is a bit of a different take on the werecat story, this time coming from the veiw of a person who was turned without their knowledge or constent and how they are fighting to find a way out of this. At the same time there is the story of the good and the evil, Mira never realizing that there could be a good to this, and the fight between them. Mixed in the middle of it all is the romance between Mira and Erik that was torn apart by the actions of one night that forever changed Mira's life and her belief that Erik could never accept it. Calude Dancourt does a good job of weaving this different threads into a cohesive story that makes since. If you are a fan of the paranormal genre this is another great book that will give you another look into the life.
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Wilding Heart
Faery Tail #3
by Deborah McNemar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Carradoc is tired and lonely, he his the son of the King of Death, and he has spent a lifetime on his own. It is time for him to die, but he has one last month to see if he can find someone strong enough to fight his father to save him. He travels to New York to visit his cousin Damien and is allowed to stay with him while he is there. Melody is a waitress and friend of Damien's, but before Carradoc finds that out he saves her from a mugging. She is instantly attracted to him, which he finds strange, most people want nothing to do with him. A sudden kidnapping of them both throws everything in the air. Wilding Heart is the story of Carradoc and Melody, as he tries to safely get her home to her own realm, while she allows her self to fall in love with the Heir to the Throne of Death without regard for who is his, but for what he is. Deborah McNemar blends a touching romance story, innocent and beautiful with a fight to save the Faery Realms and as an added bonus follows other characters in the realm as well.
Wilding Heart may be the love story of Carradoc and Melody, but they are not the only to people in the world. There is Carradoc's cousin Damien and his love Etne, who end up in this because of their connections to both Carradoc and Melody. Then there are the Faery Courts and areas they travel through and visit on their journey. You see their story as well and others. Deborah McNemar weaves and exciting tale of love and strength, and of how heart can be stronger than body. Carradoc was in search of someone strong, he thought is meant warrior strong. There is a beauty and innocence to the story of Carradoc and Melody that you don't find very often. Anyone, young or old, who is looking for a faery book, or a romance, or just something to make them feel good about the world again, then this is the book for you. It will touch you with it's tale and make you believe in the goodness of people once again.
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Faery Tail Series
1. Faery Tail - Centurni and Star's story Amazon Link
2. Griffin Feathers - Damien and Ethne's story Amazon Link
3. Wilding Heart - Carradoc and Melody's story Amazon Link
John Smith - Last Known Survivor of the Microsoft Wars
by Roland Hughes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
In only 50 short years, the population of the Earth has dropped to a mere 5500. What? How you are thinking? Well, everyone blames it on something called the Microsoft Wars. What John Smith contains is an interview between a man, John Smith, who lived through the wars and a naive reporter who traveled to met John by horseback. Remember the dated November 13, 2013. John starts by telling her that he can not answer her questions about the wars if she doesn't understand what the world was like before, because it is nothing like that now! Roland Hughes takes the ideas that humanity has taken it's greed and selfishness a little to far and overturned the whole banking system, then separate small factions started using weapons on each other resulting in the Earth of this time having 12 continent.
John Smith references the novel by George Orwell, "1984", and yet I feel this book has that same feel. It is a warning that if we don't stop and take notice of what we are doing and how things are going we could easily end up with this reality. Roland Hughes even gives some great examples how things that are occurring currently in society are actually things that were predicted in "1984".
This is not a sit down and read a feel good novel, this is something to make you think, to invoke conversation. It would be a perfect book for a book club discussion or a roundtable. There are just so many things that can be pulled from this story that will engage your brain. Ir you are in the mood for something with some meat, something to grab hold of and really digest, then this book is what you need!~
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Destiny Revealed
The Destiny Trilogy
by Cris Pasqueralle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Jack and Maddie are read to celebrate their 13th birthday, their parents are a little nervous because they have a great deal to tell them. When the day comes, just as they are about to find out and their parents start to talk, evil magicians sweep in and kidnap Mom and Dad. Uncle Benny takes Jack and Annie to the magic realm, and it becomes a little much for them to handle. While they are natural talents for the magic, Jack wants nothing to do with it, he just wants to find his parents and go home, or back to what he thought was home. Maddie isn't sure what to think, but she is thinking that this is suppose to be there home, and for a close as they are, they begin to bicker. The embark on the journey to find and rescue their parents. Destiny Revealed to the children is not the way their parents wanted, and they find there is a prophecy about them, and this makes Jack even madder. Cris Pasqueralle does a good job of using new and different ideas to set this magic revealed novel apart from others.
Destiny Revealed at first seems to be just another magic child that never knew they were magic, but it is different. This is a set of twins, their parents are alive, and it is much more of a true nature magic than a wizard magic. Cris Pasqueralle has written a new story in a familiar genre that feels different and fun to read. Although I will say that at times in the book, I really wanted give one of the characters a time out. This is definitely a great book for the preteen and teen set seeing as the main characters are just turning 13. Those readers will be able to relate best to the material, and not get the mom feelings of wanting to send someone to time out.
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The Iron Queen
Daughters of Zeus #3
by Kaitlin Bevis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Iron Queen wraps up the Daughters of Zeus series. Persephone has been kidnapped by Zeus and taken who knows where, Hades is well, as mad as hades and search everywhere for her. Demeter, Melissa and Aphrodite are working to round up the rest of Zeus' children. Zeus wants Persephone to swear fealty to him, but Persephone made a vow to do nothing to harm Hades, so she can't; so Zeus continues to torture her hoping she will break, not realizing she can't. At the same time, a large contingent of Zeus' other children are gathered in Demeter's house with Hades working on a plan to save Persephone.
Can Hades come up with a plan? Will everyone go along with it? and will they be able to get to Persephone in time?
This has been an amazingly wonderful, fun mythology romantic book that would appeal to so many readers. It is not anything along the lines of the recent publications that have come out featuring the Gods, this has more romance, but there is a tenderness and a protectiveness to the romance that warms your soul when reading it.
I would recommend the book to anyone who has any faint interest in romance, mythology, fantasy, paranormal or just needing something enjoyable to read.
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Daughter of the Earth and Sky
Daughters of Zeus #2
by Kaitlin Bevis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
All her life Persephone thought she was a normal teenager, now she has found out she is really a God and married to one of the best looking Gods around, Hades. Problem is that Zeus, who happens to be her father, is hunting her down. Of course she is also dealing with this thing that mostly the Gods marry for power and not for love, and she is not really sure what is going on with her and Hades. To top that all off she still wants to try to finish her senior year like a normal teen. There is just too much going on, and he is running herself ragged, not to mention setting herself up to be easy pickings for Zeus. Daughter of Earth and Sky is about Persephone, because her father is Zeus, God of the sky, and her mom is Demeter, God of the earth. Not to mention her marriage to Hades, giving her power in the Underworld making the most powerful God alive. Kaitlin Bevis weaves traditional mythology with a contemporary setting and romance that ends up being cute and endearing.
Daughter of Earth and Sky is a different take on the recent stories that have been published featuring the Gods and mythology. It is focused more towards the female reader, but at the same time it has enough mythology in it to interest a wide range of readers. The tenderness and interactions between Persephone and Hades are a joy to read. Kaitlin Bevis has done a great job of making this story feel like it could actually be happening in real life. I was life with the need to find the next book in the series when I finished this book. I needed more. Young adult readers and even older readers will enjoy this book.
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