Book Review: The Tears of the Rose (The Twelve Kingdoms #2) by Jeffe Kennedy

The Tears of the Rose (The Twelve Kingdoms #2)
by Jeffe Kennedy

Paperback, 352 pages

November 25th 2014 by Kensington

Three sisters. Motherless daughters of the high king. The eldest is the warrior-woman heir; the middle child is shy and full of witchy intuition; and the youngest, Princess Amelia, she is as beautiful as the sun and just as generous.

Ami met her Prince Charming and went away to his castle on the stormy sea-cliffs—and that should have been her happily ever after. Instead, her husband lies dead and a war rages. Her middle sister has been taken into a demon land, turned into a stranger. The priests and her father are revealing secrets and telling lies. And a power is rising in Ami, too, a power she hardly recognizes, to wield her beauty as a weapon, and her charm as a tool to deceive…

Amelia has never had to be anything but good and sweet and kind and lovely. But the chess game for the Twelve Kingdoms has swept her up in it, and she must make a gambit of her own. Can the prettiest princess become a pawn—or a queen?

The Tears of the Rose is Princess Amelia’s story, the youngest daughter. It starts with her heart breaking reaction to her husband’s death, who was struck down attempting to save her sister, Andi. The devastating news transforms Amelia into a person who I don’t much care for. She strikes me as a spoiled child who has never really had to live in the real world. Her complete disregard for the people around her is frustrating.

That said, the character development in this story is excellent, and I can tell you by the end, the growth in Princess Amelia is astonishing. The spoiled child truly turns into a queen. Dare I say that by the end of the book, I actually liked Amelia.

In addition, I really enjoyed the romantic interest in this book. He was an intriguing character, with an interesting backstory. He definitely starts Amelia thinking and helps turn her into a new woman. You romance lovers will not be disappointed.

All in all, the book was a great read. I picked it up and couldn’t put it down. I am looking forward to the oldest sister’s story, which I am assuming is the final book in the series.
Review: The Twelve Kingdoms: The Mark of the Tal

5 Transforming Sheep

LisaA

About the Author:
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Jeffe Kennedy is an award-winning author with awriting career that spans decades. Her works include non-fiction, poetry, short fiction, and novels. She has been a Ucross Foundation Fellow, received the Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship for Poetry, and was awarded a Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award. Her essays have appeared in many publications, including Redbook.

Her most recent works include a number of fiction series: the fantasy romance novels of A Covenant of Thorns; the contemporary BDSM novellas of theFacets of Passion, and an erotic contemporary serial novel, Master of the Opera, which released beginning January 2, 2014. A fourth series, the fantasy trilogy The Twelve Kingdoms, will hit the shelves starting in May 2014 and a fifth, the highly anticipated erotic romance trilogy, Falling Under, will release starting in July.

She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with two Maine coon cats, plentiful free-range lizards and a very handsome Doctor of Oriental Medicine.

Sheep Book Review: Ever Mine by Eden Ashe

Ever Mine
by Eden Ashe

105 pages
Expected publication: June 2nd 2014

Lyrical Press

Can a kidnapped fairy and a human find love despite all odds?

Nathan Alexander’s batty aunt has done it again. This time she’s sent him a rare plant he doesn’t want. Imagine his surprise when he finds a kidnapped fairy hidden within its leaves. As a man who heads a non-profit organization for abused women and children, Nathan makes it his mission to help her find her way home.

All her life Katenia was warned about the evilness of humans. Never was that proved more true than when she was kidnapped from her quiet valley home. Thrust into the human world, Katenia must fight her very instincts to trust Nathan if she ever hopes to return to her rightful place…and to her normal thumb-sized fairy form.

But with their lives in danger, finding home…and love…will be a journey worthy of a fairy tale.

What do you get when you mix 1 part magic, 1 part comedy and 2 parts romance? 
Ever Mine by Eden Ashe.

A quick, highly entertaining novella, Ever Mine tells the story of Katenia, a kidnapped fairy who suddenly finds herself at the mercy of Nathan, a human male in the human world. The two have to work together to solve the mystery of Katenia’s kidnapping and her subsequent transformation from a thumb sized fairy to a human sized woman. There’s plenty of giggles to be had as Katenia and Nathan learn to communicate with one another (Katenia doesn’t always understand human lingo and takes a lot of common phrases in a literal sense) but also a sweet and sexy forbidden romance between the two.

Though he doesn’t want to believe it, Nathan has had a brush with magic already, though not the good kind. He’s one of my favorite types of heroes though. The hidden alpha male. In the beginning of Ever Mine Nathan comes across as a kind of geeky workaholic who doesn’t know what to do with a gorgeous woman but the minute Katenia becomes human sized, he turns into this sexy and protective male who doesn’t appreciate any one looking at his fairy.

Katenia is unintentionally funny as she tries to adjust to the human way of life and she does it in such a way that came across as sweetly naïve. She’s had a lot of ideas put into her head about how wicked and cruel humans are but Nathan quickly shows her that not all of them are like that. As they spend more and more time together, the two start to fall in love which complicates matters further.

Ever Mine is a fast paced, quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed, Nathan and Katenia are fun and entertaining and the villains are just dark and evil enough to make things interesting. There’s a great blend of romance, humor and magic that just worked for me. My usual problem with fairy romances is that they can be complicated and have an overwhelming about of magic and terminology that makes my head spin. Not the case with this story, it was simple yet engaging.

I’ve never read Eden Ashe before but since I had such a good time with Ever Mine, I’m going to keep an eye out for more fun, passionate stories from this author.

Sheep Rating: 4 Sheep

Adria Reyes
Reviewer/Owner of Adria's Romance Reviews
Facebook-Twitter: @adria_r

About the Author:
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I am a Browncoat.
I am Sherlocked.
I am the Bad Wolf.
I am Team Free Will.
Now that my nerdiness is out of the way, hi. I am Eden. I believe dragons have gotten a bad rep through time, and I am determined to re-write their history. They are the ancient warriors in tarnished armor. They are the hunted guardians long since abandoned by the goddess who created them. They are the majestic warriors with slightly warped senses of humor who not only deserve the girl in the end, but will fight forever for her.

Book Review: The Twelve Kingdoms: The Mark of the Tala(The Twelve Kingdoms #1) by Jeffe Kennedy

The Twelve Kingdoms: The Mark of the Tala(The Twelve Kingdoms #1)
by Jeffe Kennedy
Paperback, 352 pages
Expected publication: May 27th 2014
by Kensington

Queen Of The Unknown

The tales tell of three sisters, daughters of the high king. The eldest, a valiant warrior-woman, heir to the kingdom. The youngest, the sweet beauty with her Prince Charming. No one says much about the middle princess, Andromeda. Andi, the other one.

Andi doesn't mind being invisible. She enjoys the company of her horse more than court, and she has a way of blending into the shadows. Until the day she meets a strange man riding, who keeps company with wolves and ravens, who rules a land of shapeshifters and demons. A country she'd thought was no more than legend--until he claims her as its queen.

In a moment everything changes: Her father, the wise king, becomes a warlord, suspicious and strategic. Whispers call her dead mother a traitor and a witch. Andi doesn't know if her own instincts can be trusted, as visions appear to her and her body begins to rebel.

For Andi, the time to learn her true nature has come.

The Twelve Kingdoms: The Mark of the Tala by Jeffe Kennedy might be a family just like yours but set in a land of Kingdoms. There is the beautiful and spoiled younger sister, Princess Amelia, who is adored by all. The strong and accomplished older sister, Princess Ursula, who is daddy’s favorite and, Princess Andromeda, the forgotten middle child, who often stayed in the shadows forgotten and unseen by most. Until the day she meets a stranger who sees more than any before him. 

Now Princess Andromeda needs to make a choice. Does she stay with a father turned tyrant or does she travel into the unknown and find out more about herself and the mother she lost? As you follow Princess Andromeda through her decision making process, there were times when I felt frustrated. I liked Andromeda as a character, but her inaction throughout the beginning of the book dragged the story out. In addition, her tyrannical father's actions should have made some of Andromeda’s choices pretty easy, at least as far as I was concerned. 

King Rayfe, on the other hand, was entertaining. When we reached the part of the story where he was involved, the pace picked up. Through most of the book, I wasn’t quite sure whether Rayfe was the enemy or not, and I enjoyed that. He was always shrouded by a little mystery. Of course, you discover the answers to many of your questions by the end, but there were still some areas where you are left in the dark. I’m not sure if this was on purpose or not. You never really know when you are dealing with a series. My concern for the future installments of this story is that I felt Andromeda was the most interesting of the sisters, so I’m not sure where that leaves us. If it takes us back to Rayfe’s kingdom, I’d be willing to give it a chance.

3.75 Sheep hanging out in Rayfe's pasture



Lisa A.

About the Author:
website-FB-twitter-blog
Jeffe Kennedy is an award-winning author with awriting career that spans decades. Her works include non-fiction, poetry, short fiction, and novels. She has been a Ucross Foundation Fellow, received the Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship for Poetry, and was awarded a Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award. Her essays have appeared in many publications, including Redbook.

Her most recent works include a number of fiction series: the fantasy romance novels of A Covenant of Thorns; the contemporary BDSM novellas of theFacets of Passion, and an erotic contemporary serial novel, Master of the Opera, which released beginning January 2, 2014. A fourth series, the fantasy trilogy The Twelve Kingdoms, will hit the shelves starting in May 2014 and a fifth, the highly anticipated erotic romance trilogy, Falling Under, will release starting in July.

She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with two Maine coon cats, plentiful free-range lizards and a very handsome Doctor of Oriental Medicine.

Book Review: Syphon's Song (Mayflower Mages, Book 1) by Anise Rae

Syphon's Song (Mayflower Mages, Book 1)
by Anise Rae
Legends say a syphon can drain a mage dry. He’ll brave the danger. Will she?

Someone’s playing pranks. The body of the late Casteel patriarch has been stolen and gifted to the family’s enemy, the powerful Rallises. As far as Bronte Casteel is concerned, they can keep it. She hasn’t spoken to her family in thirteen years, not since they exiled her from society for her lack of mage power. But she’s a syphon mage, able drain another mage’s power. Syphons’ destinies are always the same: death by fiery stake. She hides her secret by living among the Nons--powerless humans and the lowest class in the Republic. When her family orders her to go plead for the body’s return, she comes face to face with the one man who knows her secret.

Colonel Vincent Rallis isn’t letting his syphon get away this time. Not when she’s under suspicion of body-napping and aiding anti-mage terrorists. He’ll prove her innocence whether she wants him to or not, and then convince her they belong together...forever.


Vincent’s help comes with a steep price: Bronte must reveal her power. The inevitable ensuing witch-hunt and trial would be bad enough, but even a tough girl might buckle if her prosecutors are her own parents.


CONTENT WARNING: Hot, steamy nights with the colonel’s magic touch

Syphon's Song is a wonderfully new and exciting story that opens with Bronte Casteel being pulled from her current existence and tasked by her family to deliver a message to the family's powerful enemy. She has been cast out to the world of mages, existing in the severely regulated world of the Nons, and living in constant fear with a secret. Rather than being a Non (a non magically gifted). Bronte actually has magic, a type of magic that has not been seen for many years and historically those who were found to have this gift have been killed on discovery of this power. She has lived in constant fear for her life, suffering the emotional abuse of the rejection of her family, all while trying to eke out a living as a musician. On arrival at the Rallis estate she encounters Vincent, whose path she crossed when she was a child, and the fireworks begin. The Syphon's Song is a wonderful journey filled with a plethora of emotions including palpable fear, hope, and love all with an undercurrent of anger fueled with the fires of revolution in the making. 

The writing was clean and well executed and filled with wonderful characters that are a joy to get to know. The only thing that keeps this from being a five star read in this reader's opinion is a gap in the world building; i.e. perhaps there could have been more world building regarding what occurred to bring about a world filled with mages and nons resulting in the prejudices against the nons. For those who enjoy a little smexy heat in their reads you will not be disappointed. The smexy parts are very sensual and well written adding to the storyline making it a richer read. The ending is very satisfying and while this is book one you are not left hanging, but rather curious and eager to see what will happen next with this world and the characters we have come to know.

I would recommend this book to fans of adult paranormal romance that is story driven and a little taste of something new in the mix. I received this book from NetGalley.

4 sheep

DeniseZ

About the Author:
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Anise Rae spends her days dreaming up alternative realities where people just like her (and you) have magic, worlds populated with heroines who dare to stand up to society’s expectations and be true to themselves and heroes with plenty of savvy to fall in love with such brave women.

Though she lacks real supernatural powers, she believes the true magic within us is our own creativity – a gift we must nuture as frequently as possible. It’s why her house is littered with crayons, craft kits, legos, yarn, paper, pens, and books. Or it could be because she hates to clean.

She lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with her two children and a dog with an amazing ability to sniff out hidden stashes of dirty socks. They also litter her house.

Sheep Book Review: Burn For Me by Cynthia Eden (ARC)

Burn For Me
A Phoenix Fire Novel
By: Cynthia Eden
Releases: 1/28/2014
Paranormal Romance

Eve Bradley was undercover looking for a story, not a cause. But something about the man they called Subject Thirteen got her involved. The scientists said he was a devil, and they had a decent case: Terrifying power. A bad attitude. And looks that could lead anyone to sin. . .

Cain O'Connor knows the minute he catches her candy scent that Eve could drive him wild. But she's a threat--in a way no one has been for him in years. She's safer away from him, too. But with a powerful conspiracy determined to shut Eve up for good, there's no time to argue. All they can do is trust their instincts--and their hearts. . .

I've been on the fence about Eden's writing style for a while. One second I love it and can't get enough of the drama. The next, I hate it and wished there was more diversity to the dramatic scenarios. This author has some creative ways of making her characters shine, but in the next heartbeat she can turn that all around with a drop kick. So maybe, I'm a gluten for reading punishment. Maybe I like not knowing what I'm going to get, page by page. With Cynthia's writing style, I'm left unfulfilled, yet reading another of her stories.

There are not many authors that make me feel this mixed bag of emotions. However, fundamentally, each of her stories has enough of that magical something to keep me going. I like the dramatic pull between each lead pair, I like the history that's created to give each a past they had to claw their way out of. There's a lot here to like.

On the downside, there tends to be plot inconsistency. One second a couple is hiding out in a "super secret hide out spot that every hero should have", the next they are mysteriously found! This happens again and again. If your super secret safe house is not-so-super-secret, it's time to move. Find a new lowcal and get there pronto. Cause it gets pretty boring reading, yet again, that the heroes of the day have been found.

Add to this our couple being forced back to the bad guys uncool mancave time and again, and it's all too much. One time is fine. But several times in a story starts to make me shout "Bob, that's too much!". (If you know that gameshow refrence, kudos to you.) It's easy to have the bad guy find you, take you back to where they will do wicked things. It's harder to find new ways to get the pair to overcome dangerous situations and ultimately find love.

But saying this, I will read the next Eden story. Like I said, there is enough to keep me going, but that does not mean I wont expect more from the author!

Getting 3 and 1/2 'we need a secret hideout handshake'Sheep

KD

About the Author:

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Award-winning author Cynthia Eden writes dark tales of paranormal romance and romantic suspense. She is aNew York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World, andIndieReader best-seller. Cynthia is also a two-time finalist for the RITA® award (she was a finalist both in the romantic suspense category and in the paranormal romance category). Since she began writing full-time in 2005, Cynthia has written over thirty novels and novellas.

Cynthia is a “hybrid” author. She has published extensively with New York (her New York publishers include Kensington, Grand Central, and Harlequin), and she has also enjoyed success in her indie writing career.

Cynthia lives along the Alabama Gulf Coast. She loves romance novels, horror movies, and chocolate. Her favorite hobbies including hiking in the mountains (searching for waterfalls) and spelunking.

Release dates:

1/28/2014        4/29/2014

8/26/2014

Sheep Book Review: Froggy Style by J.A. Kazimer + Giveaway

Froggy Style is the second raucous and irreverent book in the F***ed-Up Fairytale series by J.A. Kazimer puts a new whacky spin on a French-kissing frog looking for his princess!

Plot:

Jean-Michel La Grenouille has a lot going for him. He's a prince. Handsome. Filthy rich. And definitely charming. But he also spent his first few years as a fly-catching, pond-dwelling frog. All that saved him was the kiss of The One, the girl who saw nobility through his slimy form and fell into True Love. Okay, fine. Technically she was a toddler who tried to eat him, but whatever. The curse broke, and as long as he finds and marries her by his 30th birthday, he's a free man.

Trouble is, he's going to be 30 in ten days, and he's getting some seriously cold-blooded feet. He's pretty sure Princess Sleeping Beauty is The One. But his best man has some villain issues, his in-laws-to-be belong in a really special castle, and a smoking-hot lady biker named Lollie Bliss has him rethinking all this happily-ever-after stuff. 

Oh, and he may have accidentally put out a hit on his blushing bride. Oopsie.

The title alone was enough to perk my interest. I mean, come on it's clever! By the first chapter you know what you've just committed to reading. A classic fairytale with an adult twist, laced with dirty humor and slap stick comedy. It's absolutely over the top and meant to be. Classic tales get revamped all the time but Froggy Style takes a unique twist and makes no apologies with it's explosion of humors dialog. 

I love a good laugh that's done well and pushes the boundaries at times. You get all of that here. Add to that an arrogant Frog Prince and his witty man servant and you're sure to be entertained. I had a strong vibe of the film The Hangover with this one. 

A few plot holes that didn't add up with side characters and while I love a good twist, I wanted something a little less predictable. Add to that a wild goose chase that goes round and round and ends up landing right back where it started, left me a tad underwhelmed. 

Overall, if you're looking for a comedy paced to a classic tale and filled with enough fairy godmother antics to shake a broomstick at, then look no further. 

Getting 3 and 1/2 Sheep 

KD 

***GIVEAWAY***

Kensington Books is offering one paperback copy of Cursed to a luck commenter. This contest is for US/Canada only. To enter, please leave the following in the comments below. 

1. Your Email Address
2. Do you follow us? If so add double entries
3. What would your prince or princess charming have to do to win you over? 

Contest ends May 3rd. Good luck!