The Masked Fae by Shari L Tapscott

The Masked Fae by Shari L. Tapscott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My first book of 2022 was a homerun!

I really enjoyed this one. Great characters, great worldbuilding, great storyline and great swoony romance! It's been a long while since a book has captured my attention and kept me glued to the pages and this book definitely delivered!

It's also a start to one of my favorite kinds of series, where each book is set in the same universe, but follows a different leading couple! I seriously cannot wait to read more in this series.



View all my reviews

The Legendary Inge by Kate Stradling

The Legendary Inge by Kate Stradling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a lot of fun, loosely based on Beowulf and other Scandinavian elements, none of which I was too familiar with so it all just felt fresh and unique for me. I thought it was well written, a few twists to keep things interesting and a likable cast of characters.

Ingrid aka Inge was a fun character! She gets thrown into this awkward situation where the King believes she is a boy and adopts her as his son. Everyone believes the king is a bit crazy, so they all just go along with it. As the story progresses though there is a lot more going on than what Inge realizes. I also loved Raske, and was glad for the times we had his POV, and would have liked a bit more from him especially seeing his feelings change for Inge. (view spoiler)[I was as surprised as Inge when he finally declares himself! lol (hide spoiler)] I loved their relationship though and how Raske really treated her differently than everyone else, even if she doesn't quite see that herself.

The end is a lot of fun, when all the secrets start coming to light and we finally see what has been going on. I love that its a standalone story, so the author didn't have to drag out certain plots, instead focusing on just writing one complete story, which I thought worked really well. Overall, a really enjoyable read.

Content Rated PG+
Romance: mild, kissing (G rated)
Language: none that I remember
Violence: mild+ some battles, fighting monsters, death

View all my reviews

Royal Decoy by Heather Frost

Royal Decoy by Heather Frost
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5

This was not quite what I expected, but ended up being really good!

The story follows Clare, a kitchen maid who becomes the royal decoy for the princess. Clare is a fun character to follow, very likable and her motivations (protecting her brothers) rang true, over time she begins to enjoy her role. Even though her life is put in danger time and again. There is a a fun cast of characters surrounding her, particularly her handsome bodyguard. I look forward to following her story in future books.

Meanwhile, a parallel story is taking place, following Prince Grayson. He lives in a neighboring kingdom. His story is quite a bit darker, when we switch to his POV the story does become heavier. His parents are simply put, wicked. His brothers equally evil. Grayson has become feared throughout his kingdom, having to carry out any deed his father commands, and although he hates his role, he does it to protect the one person he loves. I actually really enjoyed when we'd jump back into Graysons world and seeing what was going on with him. I'm really looking forward to seeing where his story will lead.

I thought the worldbuilding was well done, despite following two different storylines, they take place in the same world and it helps to build an overall feel for the world. Normally, I am not the biggest fan of so many different POV in a book, but I thought it was handled well here. I am very much looking forward to these characters, Clare and her crew, meeting Grayson and seeing how that all plays out.

I also learned that this is the start of a six-part series. I normally shy away from long series, and typically don't start a series until the whole thing is complete. But, something about this one called to me and I am glad that I jumped in. I really enjoyed Royal Decoy and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series. Crossing my fingers the rest of the series will be as captivating as this first book!

Content
Romance: Clean, slow-burn type romance(s), just kissing
Language: None, made-up curses
Violence: Moderate - quite a bit of fighting and death. Graysons side of the story was a bit more violent

Fate of Eyrinthia Series


View all my reviews

Sea of Starlight by Shari L Tapscott

Sea of Starlight by Shari L. Tapscott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been eagerly awaiting this books release and counting down the days until I could read it. I love finding new series to obsess over. Is it hard for anyone else to write reviews for a middle book? I dont want to give anything away!

The story continues to follow Amalia and Rhys on their journey, they're growing closer, but Rhys is still keeping secrets that he worries will tear them apart, so he has his guard up. Amalia is still a likable lead, she only knows part of the story and so that puts her in interesting situations. The story also introduces us to Cassia and Braeton, so we're lucky to get two stories! I really enjoyed Cassie and Braeton and the perspective they added to the story.

Yes, this does end on a cliffhanger! Grrrrr! But, luckily the last book is scheduled to come out in November, so not too long to wait. Which I REALLY appreciate. While I did enjoy this book, I think I liked the first one a bit more. This did have that middle-book-feel to it, but still kept my attention and had lots of swoony moments and likable characters. I look forward to reading the next book!

Content
Romance: Clean
Language: None
Violence: Mild

The Riven Kingdoms Series


View all my reviews

Forest of Firelight by Shari L Tapscott

Forest of Firelight by Shari L. Tapscott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*happy sigh* *frustrated sigh*

I picked this one up late last night, just wanting to give it a quick peek to see what it was like. Before I knew it I was sucked in, totally invested and up way past my bedtime. Luckily, it was a nice rainy day here and I was able to curl up and finish reading. I really enjoyed this one, it reminded me how much I just love the High Fantasy genre.

I'm kind of glad I didn't read the synopsis before diving in. I like the mystery of it all, especially where the Huntsman Rhys is concerned. Is he a friend or foe? He's certainly swoony as all get out. Broody in one moment and a big softy in the next. But always a protector. Or is he? He will keep you guessing for sure. Princess Amalia was charming, endearing and just very likable. She's a bit clueless and I'm not sure if she'd ever be able to survive on her own (which sounds a lot like me), but you can't help but like her. Amalia has different kind of strength, which I liked. She is loyal, kind and brave. The sparks just leap off the pages whenever Amalia and Rhys share a scene, which thankfully is most of the book.

I typically wait for a series to be complete before reading, but I'm glad I went ahead and read this one even though the next installment isn't out for a couple months. I really loved it, it's easily one of my favorite books I've read this year, or in a long time. I love the world Ms. Tapscott has created, wasn't over the top, just a wonderful place I'd like to visit. I obviously loved the main characters, but also enjoyed the supporting cast.

I am really looking forward to this new series, highly recommend to anyone who likes to read. Seriously, if you've never read a high fantasy before, this is a great one to start with. And if you are a fan of the genre, you'll want to add this to your collection.

Content
Romance: Swoony clean.
Language: None
Violence: Mild-Moderate. Attempted kidnappings, death. Nothing graphic.

Similar Books You May Enjoy...


View all my reviews

Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie

Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5

So, I liked this one. I'm always drawn to these high fantasy stories and this one jumped out at me while I was at the bookstore the other day. I'd seen it around on Goodreads and thought I'd give it a try, even breaking my own rule of not starting a series unless *all* the books were out.

Sonya was an interesting character, I actually felt bad for her for a lot of the book. Her gift would be torture I think, especially since it takes her quite a while to learn how to deal with it. I was kind of hoping she would learn to control it earlier on. Anyway, it would totally suck to constantly be feeling everyone else's emotions all the time and it would be hard probably to separate your own feelings from the people you're currently around. Especially if you're around someone like Valko who seemed to know how to use that to his advantage.

I liked the overall story, but wasn't completely happy with the ending. I'm sure things will be addressed in the next book, but as it stands I think how things were handled would simply cause a lot of chaos. I thought the romance was just okay, I liked Anton. I thought Valko was an interesting character. There isn't really a love-triangle, but Sonya is definitely in the middle of an intense sibling rivalry.

Overall, it was a fun story and kept me reading.

Content
Romance: Clean, mild innuendo and kissing
Language: None
Violence: Mild, non-descriptive fighting
Religious: None

Source: Barnes & Noble

View all my reviews

Ella by Jessilyn Steward Peaslee

 

 

Ella by Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am a big fan of Cinderella retellings and jumped at the chance to review this one, besides isn’t that cover gorgeous? Very intriguing and has the feel of a fairytale.

I connected with Ella right away and found myself rooting for her throughout the book. She is a likable heroine who goes through a lot of growth throughout the course of the book. While I like retellings, I love when an author takes a familiar story and really makes it their own. Adding their own touches to a classic, makes for a fun read and keeps you guessing how everything is going to turn out. I’m a big fan of YA fiction, even though the target audience might be for a younger crowd (I’m young at heart!), I still find the story to be enjoyable for any age.

Overall, I thought this was a fun escape and one I’d easily recommend! I thought this was a great debut for a new author and I’ll be keeping my eye out for more books to come.

Content: Clean

Source: Review copy for blog tour.

View all my reviews