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Saturday, February 23, 2019

Review: Elizabeth Vaughan


Warprize is the first in Elizabeth Vaughan's Chronicles of the Warlands series. It is also a debut book for me of hers. The book has been sitting on my shelf waiting to be read honestly for years. Having finally picked it up, and devouring every page, all I can do is ask myself why I waiting so long to read this book!

Xylara "Lara" is a princess of Xyland. Her older half brother is the current ruler and he is in the middle of a war with the "firelanders" as the Xylander's call them. Lara has defied custom and convention by becoming a healer for her people. This is something uncalled for because of her royal heritage. However, her father allowed it when he was alive, and though her brother doesn't like it, he allows her to continue her work. During the war she is helping with the wounded Xylander warriors, but she is also caring for the prisoners of war. She is the only person with the guts to help them against the King's wishes, but she feels the duty to help all in need because of the oaths she took.

While helping the foreign warriors, she initially begins learning their language to help treat them better. Lara is one of only a few who can communicate with them. Then she discovers that one of her patients is of the higher ranks. She worries that his position will cause her brother to execute him, so she keeps his secret while healing him. After this, she is confronted in the market by a man named Keir who demands to know of her patient's condition and to pass along a message to him. She refuses to pass any information, but does update him on the patient's condition. But by telling the POWs about her conversation with Keir, it seems they've gotten the message regardless.

Very soon after, Lara is happy to hear that peace negotiations are taking place. Until she discovers that she is to be sacrificed to their King as a slave as a part of the agreement. She agrees to the condition (though her brother never even truly asked her) to save her people. Lara is surprised to discover Keir is the king. So he takes her back to his camp. And thus begins a relationship between two people of different cultures that don't completely understand each other. It is also starting with lies. Lara struggles to learn her place, and she is terribly confused.

This is a book written in the first narrative, which is something I typically don't enjoy. However, this story line was best suited with that narrative since the reader is trying to understand this unique culture with her, and it didn't bother me in the slightest. While I loved the supporting cast the most, Keir did end up growing on me. Lara was strong and brave but also naive and too cautious to ask questions. For the most part, I liked her though. The story is full of unknowns that pull the reader in because they want to understand. 

I am excited to have finally read this romantic fantasy, and I cannot wait to continue the series. I only wished I had picked it up sooner!

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N | Apple |


Friday, February 22, 2019

Feature and Giveaway: Bad Influence by Stefanie London


He’s the bad bachelor who inspired it all…

Annie Maxwell had her whole life figured out…until her fiancĂ© left her when his career took off. If that wasn’t bad enough, every society blog posted pictures of him escorting a woman wearing her engagement ring. To help the women of New York avoid guys like her ex, Annie created the Bad Bachelors app. But try as she might, Annie just can’t forget him…

For bank executive Joe Preston, his greatest mistake was leaving the love of his life when she needed him most. Now, all he wants is to make things right—and she won’t have him. But when Annie’s safety is threatened by a hacker determined to bring down her app, Joe is the only one she can turn to. He’ll have to lay himself on the line to prove to Annie that he’s a changed man. But will their hard-won bond survive the revelation that Annie is the one pulling the strings behind Bad Bachelors?

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N | Apple |

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Guest Post with Author Leddy Harper and Giveaway

Leddy Harper had to use her imagination often as a child: she grew up the only girl in a family full of boys. At fourteen, she decided to use that imagination to write her first book, and she never stopped. She often calls writing her therapy, using it to deal with issues through the eyes of her characters.

Harper is now a mother of three girls, making her husband the only man in a house full of females. She published her first book to encourage her children to go after whatever they want, to inspire them to love what they do and do it well, and to teach them what it means to overcome their fears. You can learn more about Harper at www.leddyharper.com or find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Leddy.Harper.

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Guest Post with Author Kat Martin and Giveaway

New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing in Missoula, Montana with her Western-author husband, L. J. Martin, Kat has written sixty-five Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels. More than sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries. Her last novel, BEYOND CONTROL, hit both big lists … NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST as well as the USA TODAY BEST-SELLING BOOKS LIST. Kat is currently at work on her next Romantic Suspense.