The Taming of the Shrew in a regency romance? Yes, please!
Cassandra Pomfret is very outspoken about things she believes in. The Duke of Ashmon⭐ 3.75 ⭐
The Taming of the Shrew in a regency romance? Yes, please!
Cassandra Pomfret is very outspoken about things she believes in. The Duke of Ashmont has more flaws than Cassandra can count. When his actions inadvertently destroys her carriage and nearly costs her driver his life, she has no trouble ordering him around and telling him off to the best of her ability despite the fact that he's a Duke. Despite all his flaws, when the two are caught in a compromising situation, he knows he's going to have to marry her, if she doesn't kill him first.
Cassandra is a character ahead of her time. She spends her days arguing with people in parliament, fighting for women's rights, and teaching women to fight would be attackers. She's outspoken, smart and witty, and I adored her. The banter between the two main characters was wildly entertaining and made this book a pleasure to read (and reread).
I highly recommend this one if you enjoy retellings, strong female regency characters, witty banter, or strong male characters who have to put in the work to win the girl.
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for a copy of this book for an honest review....more
I admittedly went into this book with no knowledge of what it was about (other than it was sci-fi/fantasy) and no expectations. Boy am I glad I[image]
I admittedly went into this book with no knowledge of what it was about (other than it was sci-fi/fantasy) and no expectations. Boy am I glad I picked it up.
The basic premise is that it is hundreds of years in the future. Tech is pretty much gone save for a scattering of items here and there. Koli lives in Mythen Rood which is an isolated village basically governed and protected from outside elements by four Ramparts. Ramparts (generally all from the same family) are the people that have had tech "wake" for them. Each time a child turns 15 they are tested to see if a tech of their choosing wakes for them. Koli wants more than anything to be a Rampart and that desire is what sets off all of the events of the story.
The world building of this story was just amazing and atmospheric. Koli was an extremely relatable character. And the conflicts were all believable in the context of a world that has come to this point of its evolution. I loved many of the side characters and even in times when I didn't like a character, I was invested enough in the story that my emotions were tied up in theirs as well as in Koli's. Bottom line, I absolutely loved it.
One interesting note that I feel NEEDS to be mentioned... I listened to the audio book while reading along with the book and I think the audio book added SO much to the story. First off, it was well narrated. Kudos to Theo Solomon.) The other reason though is that much of the voice of the book is told FROM Koli as if he is speaking the story to you. The book is phonetic in that way where "et" is used instead of "ate" and listening to it just made me catch things faster than when my eyes stopped at a word to phonetically read it in context. Last, and most fascinating, words that look one way, are pronounced in the audio book very differently. For example, one of my favorite characters, Monono Aware isn't Monono A-ware, but Monono A-wa-re. My brain never would have gone there if I had only just read it.
All in all fantastic read/listen. I can NOT wait to dive into The Trials of Koli asap.
* I received a copy from NetGalley for an honest review *...more
Although I went into this book completely unaware of the author or her previous books, I finished the book with the intent of continuing with this serAlthough I went into this book completely unaware of the author or her previous books, I finished the book with the intent of continuing with this series as well as reading her previous series taking place in the same world.
The Obsidian Tower admittedly had a slow start from me, but once I was 10-15% or so in, I devoured the rest of the book within a few days. I loved the characters and conflict. I loved Ryx and her deadly magic and difficult decisions. I'm a sucker for a character who wants to do her best for her land and people despite everyone's fear and hatred of them and Ryx deals with that in spades!
Looking forward to reading the rest of this series and more of Melissa Caruso's books.
Thank you too NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Melissa Caruso for an advanced readers copy of this title for an honest review....more
In Once a Scoundrel we get not one, but two Mary Jo Putney romances!
That being said, I think this book could have benefited from more. With 3.5 Stars
In Once a Scoundrel we get not one, but two Mary Jo Putney romances!
That being said, I think this book could have benefited from more. With two romances and a wild piratey adventure happening (complete with zoo animals, hostages, and ransoms) there was just a lot going on for two fleshed out romances.
I understand why it was chosen to be told this way... Two girls as close as sisters on the same boat being held hostage together; two different books wouldn't have made much sense, but I still just wanted more.
*ARC received via NetGalley for an honest review*...more
I think I need to reread this when I have more time and less distractions. It is very possible I'd give it five stars then. At this particular moment I think I need to reread this when I have more time and less distractions. It is very possible I'd give it five stars then. At this particular moment in time it was just difficult to give 100% to it and Erin Morgenstern writes beautifully lyrical and intricate stories, so if you miss something it can affect the whole experience.
As the third book in the series, I won't say too much about it. It's a series you need to read in order to grasp the full story line and if you have rAs the third book in the series, I won't say too much about it. It's a series you need to read in order to grasp the full story line and if you have read up to this point you have an idea of where this book is heading. If you haven't read the first two books in this series, I highly recommend doing so.
I don't recall ever being so completely satisfied with a series. None of the books were bad. Hell, none ever really had slow points. There were characters you loved, and characters you loved to hate, nothing really in between. The timeline of events followed such a logical progression that each event just felt natural.
Having listened to these as audio books on Overdrive (I can not say enough good things about the audio), I know I need to go buy these books and give them a permanent home on my shelves....more
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