Legend of the Emerald Rose by Linda Wichman

Description:


King Arthur and his queen are dead and Merlin has vanished. Bound by Divine Providence but divided by distrust, Shadoe and Rayn must find a way to save the Isle of Might and themselves from the threatening evil. A tantilizing brew of fantasy, action, and romance.


My Review:

Legend of the Emerald Rose: A Novel by Linda Wichman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love any stories of King Arthur. There is something that seems so magical about that time. Well, Ms. Wichman takes the much beloved story and creates a wonderful tale of love lost, forgiveness and loved gained. Shadoe was just a teenager when Camelot fell, and he saw both Arthur and his queen fall under Mordred and Morgana. Just before Guinevere dies, he promised to take care of the Emerald Rose, the most important talisman in all of the British Isle. He is now a man with a past that he regrets, a present that he wants to end, and an unknown future. Emerald Rose Rayn is the adopted daughter of Lancelot, but does not know that she is truly the daughter of Arthur and his queen. Both Shadoe and Rayn have to get over their distrust of each other if they hope to save their people and themselves from the evil that is coming.


I love this story. Ms. Wichman takes this story and makes it so much more. We all know what happened to Arthur and Guinevere, but don't know the story of what happens after. And that is what happens. Shadoe is the son of Merlin, and he hates that everyone expects him to fill his father's shoes. He does his best to rebell, only to end up where he wants to the least-- Britain. Rayn has been trained as a warrior, to eventually rule a people, though she doesn't know her heritage. She is strong willed and she is quick to fight to protect her people. I love all the scenes with Rayn and Shadoe together. The chemistry jumps off the page and has you so engulfed in the writing, that you can't wait to see what happens next, but dread the book ending because you don't want it to end.


I also enjoy how Ms. Wichman made it so easy to relate to her characters, though they seem so far away, and so unlike us in the modern world.


With battles, romance, and even magic and ghosts, you can't go wrong with this story.


Highly recommend this book, and would love to see more from this author!



Happy Reading!


Cana

Waiting on Wednesday: A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton

Description:  

Anna Winterson doesn't know she's a witch and would probably mock you for believing in magic, but after moving to the small town of Winter with her father, she learns more than she ever wanted to about power. When Anna meets Seth, she is smitten, but when she enchants him to love her, she unwittingly amplifies a deadly conflict between two witch clans and splits her own heart in two. She wants to love Seth, to let him love her – but if it is her magic that's controlling his passion, then she is as monstrous as the witch clan who are trying to use her amazing powers for their own gain. 

Although a perfect fit for the paranormal romance genre, A WITCH IN WINTER avoids fangs, excessive body hair and submissive female leads, and tells the heart-wrenching story of a couple meant to be together, but being forced apart. Seth is utterly irresistible and Anna is an empowered, proactive young woman with unimaginable magic inside her. This is fast-paced, sensuous writing with believable incantations inspired by Warburton's research into witchcraft legend and old English.

Why:

1. Doesn't this sound amazing from the description?  I mean, the description of the book that "avoids fangs, excessive body hair and submissive female leads" sounds like a book that is attempting to be different from others in its genre.  I want to read it to see if it succeeds!
2. The cover!  I think it is soooooooo beautiful.  Mysterious and so colorful in a wintery way!
3. The title sounds lovely... though I do hate the cold!
4. Story line sounds pretty good too!
5. RESEARCH IS MENTIONED!  Will she succeed with her research making her story believable, or ABSOLUTELY unbelievable (in a good way)?  Or just one giant let down?  We shall see!

So what are you waiting for?

Happy Reading!

Cana

Caressed by Moonlight by Amanda J. Greene

Description:

Dorian Vlakhos is no ordinary aristocrat. He is a vampire king, who will do anything to save his clan from complete annihilation, before an ancient curse can claim his immortal life.

Penniless and orphaned, Victoria Kingston has nothing to bring to a marriage, yet she must shackle an unsuspecting gentleman into marriage by the end of the month or forfeit her rights as guardian of her younger sister. With the help of her dearest friend, Victoria begins her hunt, and vows to stay far away from the dark, mysterious, Prince Vlakhos.

After meeting the beautifully innocent Miss Kingston, Dorian had to have her. He would do absolutely anything to make Victoria his. One sweet stolen kiss would bring them together while a force, more powerful than any vampire would bind them for all eternity. But treachery, war, and death rule Dorian’s dark world and Victoria would be fortunate to survive. 

My Review:

Caressed by Moonlight by Amanda J. Greene

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Victoria, guardian to her younger sister, moves to London to seek assistance from her only other living relative, her aunt who despises her. When her aunt makes the decree that she either marries in a moth or she will lose her sister and be cast into the streets, Victoria decides to do whatever it takes to keep her sister. 


Dorian, King of the Vampires for his clan, has come to London to draw the attention of Huntes away from his clan. he is also dealing with the witches curse that all King/Queens have: to die unless their mate is found and a bond is created.


When Victoria and Dorian meet, little do they know the path they will take to be together -- Forever.


The beautifully written story tells of an extremely old vampire and a beautiful young mortal who fall in love, though they don't know it at first and then they are too scared to admit to the other. I personally found this story amazing.


First, it is a paranormal historical romance... And it is written well for this genre (minus the grammatical/spelling errors... That is the OCD speaking).


Second, the characters are amazing. you can't help but love them. You want to ease Dorian's pain as he craves blood. you want to cheer Victoria on as she defends herself against a hunter. You just want there to be a happily-ever-after for them!


Finally, the absolutely beautiful twist at the end of the book makes you WANT to read the next book, but alas, it looks like I'll have to wait :(


I highly recommend this book, and look forward to more from Ms. Greene!


**There are some adult scenes, not appropriate for some readers.**


Happy Reading!


Cana

It's Monday! What are you Reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading is hosted by Book Journey . Each week we spotlight the books we are reading, planning on reading or just finished reading.

What I read last week:

Plus a few books you'll never know about :)

Currently Reading:

This is what I'm reading, and there will be more added to this list I'm sure!

Did Not Finish/Won't Be Finishing:

Why?  Didn't know this was part of a series, and this, unlike some others I've read, was NOT a stand alone in the series.  The writing seemed disjointed and the characters were ABSOLUTELY irritating.  Made it to the 1/2 way point (the requirement for all books), and decided that I wasn't wasting my time anymore.  

Next Week's Reading:

I haven't decided yet, and I think I'll just have to surprise you all about it next week :)

Happy Reading!

Cana

Haunting the Night by Mara Purnhagen

Description:

Charlotte Silver has been through hell.

Her mom’ s in a coma. She may have caused the death of a young man. And now her friend Avery wants her to tackle going to Prom? Not going to happen, even if she is dying to spend some alone time with her boyfriend, Noah. Instead, Charlotte needs to find some answers to a few nagging questions—why was her family attacked? Will her mother survive? And is there a creature from the Other Side coming for her? Soon enough, Charlotte's search for the truth becomes a race against time. But she may just find the sign she's been looking for all along....

My Review:

Haunting the Night by Mara Purnhagen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Charlotte Silver is a senior in high school, dealing with things that she shouldn't have to deal with. her family and her are recovering from an attack that left one man dead and her mother in a coma. Mentally, she is trying to get over the guilt over what has happened, as she feels that it is her fault. When a "shadow man" starts stalking her nights, she decides she must seek a way to end her guilt by solving the mystery of who and why all of this happened.


For me, this book starts out a bit confusing. It is like coming in on the last part of a conversation... You have no clue what is going on. As the reader, we never really find out what exactly happened. This was frustrating for me, as I prefer to have at least a little bit of a back story for a book. I think I would have personally like this book better if I had had more of a back story to it.


Perks to the book is that the setting is in South Carolina (and what Carolina girl doesn't LOVE her state being in a book, in a GOOD light), the book is a little novella, which makes for an easy read, and Noah the boyfriend is the dream boyfriend for girls young and old alike.


Downfalls of the book is that it is just lacking information. There is some confusion of who some of the characters are (Like who exactly is Shane? Is he Charlotte's brother or cousin, or family friend?). Also, the title suggest that this is paranormal, but for me, it was really lacking the paranormal element.


Overall, this is a nice, quick read of a book, and if you are looking for that, than this is a good book to pick.


Happy Reading!


Cana

Torrent by Lisa Tawn Bergren

Description:

When Gabi and Lia finally learn to surf the river of time, they realize they must make hard choices about life and love in the third and final book in the River of Time series.  

Gabi and Lia Betarrini have learned to control their time travel, and they return from medieval Italy to save their father from his tragic death in modern times.   But love calls across the centuries, and the girls are determined to return forever—even though they know the Black Plague is advancing across Europe, claiming the lives of one-third of the population. In the suspenseful conclusion of the River of Time series, every decision is about life … and death.  

My Review:

Torrent by Lisa Tawn Bergren

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Have you ever read a book that was soooooo good that you couldn't wait for the next book, and the next one after that? And then when you read that final page of the final book in the series, you want to weep because it was so good, and yet you have a great sense of happiness for reading the book, because it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. This series, and this book, was that for me. So let me tell you about it.


Gabi, Lia, their mother, and now their father have all returned back to Medieval Italia. It has been a year M.I. (Medieval Italia) from when they were there last, but much has not changed. Marcello has been waiting for Gabi, Luca for Lia. Getting use to having her dad back from the dead, trying to prevent her family and her from being capture, and having the romance of a life time with a real, honest-to-goodness knight in shining armor. But will history take its course and take away all they have worked and are working for?


So, first, let me just tell you, if I could find a time machine, I would go back to Ms. Bergren's imaginings of Medieval Italia, it is so beautiful. Now I've been to modern Italy, seen Florence and Siena, but nothing could compare to what I imagine it was when it was being built, or were only a hundred or so years old.
I love Gabi's character (and if I could find my own Marcello... Maybe even a Lord Greco, I'd be happy as a pig in slop!). She is strong of mind and spirit, she is independent, and will fight for what she believes is right. Of course like any modern woman thrown back in time, there will be trouble. I can't help but laugh when she occasionally gets herself into trouble.
Marcello is the man of my dreams, and personally, my favorite part of the whole novel is when Gabi asks Marcello to consummate their love before marriage, and he says that he wants to, but he won't. HOW HOT IS THAT!
In a book full of romance and action, there is a beautiful tale of how life moves, constantly changing, like a river (Like the series' title suggests). You can't just stand still, you will always keep moving towards the end.
Highly, highly, highly recommend this book and this series.

Other Books In This Series:

 

View all my reviews


Happy Reading!


Cana

Follow Friday (8)

Welcome to Follow Friday Hosted By Parajunkee.com andAlisoncanread.com

Q. It's that pesky magic book fairy again! She has another wish: What imaginary book world would you like to make a reality?

A. Oooh, so many choices.  I might want to make one of my favorite re-tellings of fairy tales real...  Like Beauty by Robin McKinley. That could be potentially fun. I know that I wouldn't mind making the River of Time series or even The Brides of Alba series reality again (they are historically based).  Or there is always the world of Percy Jackson (would be too cool to find out which god or goddess is my parent!). OR just about any of the other beloved books in my library!


So what about you?


Happy Reading!


Cana