ARC Review: The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter

Series:	Forest of Good and Evil #1
Pub. Date:	June 25, 2019
Publisher:	Inkyard Press
Length:	544 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

The Evil Queen is the first installment of the Forest of Good and Evil series, which will apparently be a retelling or reimagination of our favorite fairytales a la Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, etc. 

ARC Review: The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross

Pub. Date:	Feb. 12, 2019
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	416 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

It's been a while since I've read a retelling, and I have always been a sucker for Beauty and the Beast themes. So I was intrigued by the premise of this story, as a retelling from the Beast's perspective. And I have to say, I was not disappointed.

ARC Review: All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella's Stepmother by Danielle Teller

Pub. Date:	May 22, 2018
Publisher:	William Morrow
Length:	384 pages
Source:	Edelweiss

All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella's Stepmother is Danielle Teller's fiction debut*, and she certainly starts off with a unique premise and interesting tale. Teller is a former doctor with some impressive institutions on her curriculum vitae, and I am a sucker for a brainiac fiction author. So this was a book that I was highly anticipating once William Morrow brought it to my attention.

As you can tell from the title, this is the story of Agnes, the well-known evil stepmother to beloved princess and cinder girl, Cinderella. But All the Ever Afters provides an alternate view, and I enjoyed the reimagining of the story through Agnes' eyes. This is not a romance, nor is it a story I would recommend for children. It tackles some serious subject matter, adult situations, and I think will be appreciated by more mature fantasy and fairytale fans.

ARC Review: The Black Lily by Juliette Cross

Series:	Tales of the Black Lily #1
Pub. Date:	March 27, 2017
Publisher:	Entangled
Length:	300 pages
Source:	NetGalley

I can't tell you how excited I was when I learned that Juliette Cross was writing a series of retellings. I fell in love with her Morgons in the Nightwing and Vale of Stars series, so I couldn't wait to see what she would do with beloved characters from our childhood. And let me tell you... this is definitely Cinderella like you have never seen her before!

I won't rehash all of the world building because Juliette gives you a nice prologue giving the history of her fantastical realm of Varis featuring, much like the original fairytale, a hierarchical class system. The royal family consists of vampires, which are served by aristocrats, which are in turn served by peasants. Like many historical societies, the social stratification inspired a rebellion in the most harshly treated of the society. It is this framework of revolution in which we find The Black Lily. 

ARC Review: Beauty of the Beast by Rachel L. Demeter

Series:	Fairy Tale Retellings #1
Pub. Date:	March 15, 2017
Publisher:	Self-Pub
Length:	342 pages
Source:	Author

Beauty of the Beast is an adult retelling of the classic fairytale featuring a likable heroine and tragic hero set in a historical, fictional French village. This is a story to pick up when you are looking for a meandering leisurely romantic tale with rich detail. I sadly have not read the original Beauty and the Beast, so I can't compare this retelling with anything but the Disney movie... something I hope to rectify in the near future.

Audiobook Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses 
by Sarah J. Maas
Series:  A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Pub. Date:  May 5, 2015
Publisher:  Recorded Books
Narrator:  Jennifer Ikeda
Length:  16 hrs 17 min
Format:  Audiobook
Source:  Audible

My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Timesbestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beastwith faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

I have been hearing chatter about this book for a while - but I was initially under the impression that it was a young adult book. So I kept putting it off because I have to be in a certain mood for a young adult book. So for those of you who may have been steered a little wrong on the Y/A front - let me reassure you that this isn't a Y/A read. The heroine is on the young side, but I wouldn't classify it as Y/A.

Audiobook Review: The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins

The Great Hunt 
by Wendy Higgins
Series:  Eudora Duology #1
Pub. Date:  March 8, 2016
Publisher:  Harper Audio
Narrator:  Saskia Maarleveld
Length:  9 hrs
Format:  Audiobook


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

“Aerity…” Her father paused as if the words he was forming pained him. “I must ask you to sacrifice the promise of love for the sake of our kingdom.”

She could only stare back, frozen.

When a strange beast terrorizes the kingdom of Lochlanach, fear stirs revolt. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.

Princess Aerity knows her duty to the kingdom but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger…until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. There’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.

Paxton is not the marrying type. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast—but the princess continues to surprise him, and the perilous secrets he’s buried begin to surface.

Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, and a princess willing to risk all to save her kingdom.

I don't read a lot of young adult books... but I find that I like y/a fantasy because the characters tend to be more mature, of marriageable age in their society, and there is a lot of action to keep the story going. I have to start with the narrator for The Great Hunt, Saskia Maarleveld, because she was absolutely fabulous. Saskia really brought the characters to life. She had great affectations for both male and female voices, and she made it really easy for me to picture the uber-yummy Chris Hemsworth as our hero... which certainly helped keep my interest in the story.

Review: The Griffin's Secret by Cate Masters

The Griffin's Secret 
by Cate Masters
Pub. Date:  May 12, 2015
Publisher:  Lyrical Press
Pages:  93
Format:  eARC
Source:  Author


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

In this contemporary re-telling of Grimm’s classic fairy tale The Griffin, two people must risk everything to free themselves from the invisible prisons that keep them from love…

Jackson Grant had it all—the girl he loved, his Harley, and his guitar. Until a tragic accident stole it all away. Now, more than scars and a tattoo remain. Jackson has a secret. Cursed by his dead girlfriend’s mother, he can never fall in love again or his beloved will die. With his heart on lockdown, he keeps to himself—until a roadie gig with Malcontent, the world’s most popular band, entwines his fate with sweet, wounded Layla’s…

Music is what Layla lives for. She has no choice. She’s bound by magic to serve Malcontent, cursed to propel them to stardom with her musical powers. Then Jackson appears and gives her hope that he’s the hero who will save her. A reluctant hero, yet one she can’t resist. But freedom will come at price—and who will pay…?

This is a short story re-telling of Grimm's Fairytale, The Griffin. Let me start off by saying that story is well-written and the pacing was fine. I have never heard The Griffin fairytale, so I have nothing to compare this to. However, I was feeling a little lost as I was reading. I did not know why things were happening or what Jackson's curse was. So after I got about halfway through the story, I found myself going back to read the synopsis. I did not read it prior to reading the story... sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I skip it because I like to be surprised by the book. However, this is the case where you absolutely NEED to read the synopsis. It's actually part of the story. If you don't read it, you will not know how Jackson got cursed (other than simple references to the curse until he tells the whole story to someone in the second half of the book).

So once I did the preliminaries (albeit late), I was more tuned into the story and understood what was going on. Since I didn't know the original Griffin fairytale, this was just a short story for me about a pair of curses, sacrifice and love. The griffin is Jackson (obviously), a bike-riding musician who can't risk falling in love. He joins the band Malcontent as a roadie, and is instantly captivated by Layla. Layla isn't part of the band, but is forced to travel along with them on tour by her own curse. I liked both Layla and Jackson well enough, but I didn't have a great connection with either character. This has more to do with the length of the book than the writing - there just was not room enough to provide the details that would draw you in to connect with anyone in particular.

Regardless, I liked the story and it was a nice way to spend my lunch break. I think maybe I should have looked up The Griffin tale before I read it, just so I had some background info. I would have enjoyed it more with the background, and also if it was longer and more detailed. I like really developed characters, knowing who they are and what their role is in the story. The secondary characters we meet in the beginning - I wasn't sure what purpose they had, so I would have like to see their roles expounded upon. Same with some of the band members and roadies who were under Mal's spell - I would have liked some info on how that was accomplished. But otherwise, it was not bad.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

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Review: Inconceivable by Cherrie Mack

Inconceivable 
by Cherrie Mack
Series:  Little Black Box #1
Pub. Date:  Sept. 2, 2015
Publisher:  Self-Pub
Pages:  138
Format: eBook
Source:  Kindle Unlimited


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

When Prince Charming comes looking for the woman who stole his heart at a Manhattan shoe store, he instead finds her stepsister, Allie. Allie doesn’t leave the best impression with the handsome Zach Brady, who quickly dismisses her as the maid. But an unusual fairy godmother with bulging biceps, long hair, and a cool demeanor has plans for her. Can Allie keep herself from falling for the wrong man and convince him to help her snag Zach? This duo quickly learns that sometimes if the shoe fits, the pair could be all wrong.

I got sucked in by the cover of this book. Gorgeous shoes. Dude in a suit and the hot pink text just pops off the page. Unfortunately, it kinda fizzled for me once I opened the book.

I just couldn't connect with the characters. In fact, I didn't even like any of them, except maybe Angelo/Victor. I thought this was going to be a Cinderella story where Allie was going to be a tortured heroine and we would feel sorry for her and yada yada. But I couldn't stand Allie... and I get that the author wrote her that way on purpose. But still. Allie was a whiny, judgmental, spoiled shrew who loved to wallow in her misery and wanted everyone to say "oh you poor baby." I couldn't take it.

Then we have Adrienne (the stepsister) and Trudy (the stepmother character) who are both painted as ridiculous, rich, nasty, self-absorbed and just plain mean. Adrienne was painted in a bad light at first, but then we get more info later that I guess is supposed to explain her behavior. I'm sorry, her daddy issues did not excuse her making Allie clean the apartment and whatever else.

Angelo/Victor was decent enough. I liked his character, but I felt he was weak at times. Allie treated him like crap, and he put up with all her whining and "woe is me" antics. And he didn't shun her for it. He must have nerves of steel. I didn't really get the whole fairy godmother aspect of his character... there could have been more detail about how this aspect of the story worked or came into play. It wasn't flushed out enough for me to get caught up in the fantasy. There was one sex scene that was okay... but it was a mix of steamy and clinical that threw me off. If you are using slang words for body parts, it reads weird to throw a "vagina" and "penis" in there - kinda ruins the sexy moment.

For such a short book, it seemed very long. I think because the majority of the book was filled with Allie's incessant self-imposed misery, it just made it seem longer. There is a redemption of the characters before the end, but the redemption was rushed and played false to me. I didn't get that true "come to Jesus" moment from Allie or Adrienne. And I still saw Allie start to backslide after she was supposed to have her epiphany. So I just didn't buy it.

The blurb for the next installment of the series actually sounds more interesting... assuming the tortured hero (a wounded soldier) is developed sufficiently to create an emotional connection. While I was not a fan of Adrienne in this book, I did like her better than Allie by the end. So I may give the next book a shot just to see if this was a fluke that I didn't like.

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