Kingdom Cold by Brittni Chenelle

Summary

Attempted murder, that's how sixteen-year-old Princess Charlotte's engagement starts. It seems like the only thing she has in common with Prince Young of Vires is their mutual discontent.

When her kingdom's attacked, Charlotte's parents renegotiate her hand in marriage to a handsome stranger with a sinister plan. With the people Charlotte loves dying around her, and her kingdom's future at stake, the only person she can turn to is the prince she betrayed. But, should she save her kingdom or her heart?

One must fall.


My Thoughts

Oh!  My!  Word!  I loved this book!  It was not at all what I was expecting and I loved that!

Princess Charlotte, although annoying and bratty at times, was a great character.  Let be real, she was only sixteen and had just been told that she was going to be married to someone she didn't really know in just a few days.  She had every right to be a bit upset!

Prince Young was wonderful!  I love this character so much!  He's definitely my favorite.

The ending caught me by surprise in several ways.  First of all, the one ting that happened that has me devastated!  I'm not going to give it away, but.. really?!  I'm not ok with that!
But then... the ending!  The little twist (the Kingdom name, the new King, the Daughter's name...) I can't handle how much I loved it!!!

I am dying to read the sequel!  I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this book!

Well done, Brittni Chenelle!  This is such a great book!

*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Are We French Yet: Keith and Val's Adventures in Provence by Keith Van Sickle

Summary

Can Two Americans Really Become French?

Val and Keith turned their lives upside down when they quit their jobs to begin a part-time life in Provence. But they wondered: Can we fit in? And maybe become French ourselves?

Follow their adventures as they slowly unlock the mysteries of France…
- Is it true that French people are like coconuts?
- Can you learn to argue like a French person?
- What books have changed French lives?
- Most important of all, how do you keep your soup from exploding?

There’s more to becoming French than just learning the language. If you want the inside scoop on la belle France, you won’t want to miss this delightful book!


My Thoughts

I had the pleasure of reading One Sip At A Time: Learning to Live in Province by Keith Van Sickle back in 2017.  My rating was actually 4 stars! I guess I really enjoy reading about different adventures and things in people's lives.

This book was just as good as the first!  I really loved it :)

I absolutely loved it when they were trying to learn to speak French better and the person literally laughed!  Lol!!!  That had me pretty tickled!

I highly recommend this book!  It is a great, fun read!

*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tar by Taylor Hohulin

Summary

Brendan Cobb calls it tar, but there might be as many names for it as cities left standing.

To some, it’s known as filth, or blight. Others call it the Black God in reverential whispers. Whatever name it takes, the effects are the same. Cities left in ruins. People turned into monsters. Living infections with no known cure. The best anyone can do is avoid it, but even that gets harder the more it spreads.

Brendan survives this waking nightmare by trading salvage for shelter and for repairs to his cybernetic arm, until a newcomer arrives, convinced Brendan is the key to ridding the world of tar once and for all. Reluctantly, Brendan and his mechanic join the newcomer on a journey across the desolate highways of a ruined world, where he learns the true history of the tar…and of the dark power inside him, which grows stronger every day.

My Thoughts

I can honestly say that I did not really expect to like this book!  Even when I first started it, I was unsure if I would be bale to get into it.  Then... it sucked me right in!

Brendan's personality s hard to like but you also don't hate him.  I found myself getting frustrated with some of his choices yet also feeling like I might make the same choices at times!  Krystal is definitely my favorite character in this story.  In my opinion, she makes the book!

Tar is definitely not like any book I have ever read before.  I highly recommend it!  I can see this as a movie, for sure!  I know  would watch it!

*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Secret Lady (Ladies in Time Book 3) by Beth Trissel

Summary

At Lavender House, Evie McIntyre is haunted by the whispers from her bedroom closet. Before she can make sense of their murmurs, the house "warbles" between times and transports her to the Civil War. Past and present have blended, and Evie wishes she'd paid more attention to history. Especially since former Confederate officer, Jack Ramsey, could use a heads up.

Torn between opposing forces, Jack struggles to defend the valley and people he loves. Meeting Evie turns his already tumultuous world upside down. Will solving the mystery of the whispers return her home, and will the handsome scout be by her side?

Against the background of Sheridan's Burning of the Shenandoah Valley, Jack and Evie fight to save their friends and themselves – or is history carved in stone?

My Thoughts

I have become a big fan of time travel books.  Probably not all time travel books, but several have become some of my favorites.  So, when I received the review request for this one I jumped right on it.

There are several things about Secret Lady that I would normally turn my nose up about.  However, they didn't seem to bother me this time!  Instalove is one of the tropes that typically annoys me but in this book it seemed to work.

So many books I have read lately have had characters that are annoying or frustrating.  Evie didn't get on my nerves!  She was a pretty likeable character and that was like a breath of fresh air!

I am glad to have had the opportunity to discover another author that I enjoy!

*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Big Red by Damien Larkin

Summary

We have always been here...


Suffering the side effects of Compression travel, soldier Darren Loughlin wakes up screaming from a gunshot wound that isn’t there. Despite a fractured memory, he is forced to recount his year-long tour of duty on Mars to uncover the mysterious fate of Earth’s off-world colonies and the whereabouts of his shattered battalion.
With time running out, Darren recalls his tour of duty with the Mars Occupation Force in New Berlin colony, their brutal MARSCORP masters, and the vicious war against the hostile alien natives.
But as he exposes the truth, Darren suspects he is at the centre of a plot spanning forty years. He has one last mission to carry out. And his alien enemy may be more human than he is…

My Thoughts

First let me say that military sci-fi isn't really my genre so I was a bit apprehensive when I picked this book up.  It's hard to read a book that isn't really your style.  I always want to be fair when reviewing someone's hard work!

With all that being said, even though this wasn't "my kind of book" I actually enjoyed it!  Were there some things I didn't love?  Sure, but over all it was a pretty enjoyable book!

Now, I know that I just used a lot of exclamation points.  But the thing is, I'm a bit surprised that I liked this book! Haha!

If you like military sci-fi books you should definitely pick this one up.  If you don't typically like military sci-fi books, you might like this one anyways!  You might just be surprised like me!

*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an hones review.

Indian Paintbrush (Carson Chronicles #3) by John A. Heldt

Summary

Arizona, December 1943. After surviving perilous six-month journeys to 1889 and 1918, the Carsons, five siblings from the present day, seek a respite in their home state. While Adam and Greg settle down with their Progressive Era brides, Natalie and Caitlin start romances with wartime aviators and Cody befriends a Japanese family in an internment camp. The time travelers regroup, bury some ghosts, and continue their search for their missing parents. Then old problems return, new ones emerge, and a peaceful hiatus becomes a race for survival. In INDIAN PAINTBRUSH, the sequel to RIVER RISING and THE MEMORY TREE, several young adults find love and adventure as they navigate the home front during the height of World War II.

My Thoughts

John A. Heldt never disappoints!  And, the Carson Chronicles are definitely some favorites of mine!  That's why, when I received the review request for Indian Paintbrush I jumped at the chance!

This series is all about a family that happens to have been separated by time travel.  The children and parents are trying to find each other and go to different times in history.  I love the way Mr Heldt brings in real historical events.  It really brings the story to life!

If you haven't picked up a book by John A. Heldt you really should!  You won't regret it!

*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Dream of Steam by James W. Barry

Summary

As the autumn shipping season draws to a close, Captain Thomas McGrath steps ashore to help his ambitious brother William rebuild the family sawmill. Despite Thomas’s aversion to debt, William convinces him to borrow heavily so they might convert their ailing, water-powered mill to steam. While adapting to the new technology, Thomas finds himself navigating between ax-wielding log pirates, hostile longshoremen, and his brother’s obsession with finding his estranged wife.

The newly retooled mill is ramping up lumber production when the winds of fortune turn. Thomas has set sail again when a financial crisis hits, running the brothers afoul of John Fitzpatrick, a crooked bank officer employed by their lender. Fitzpatrick’s crimes push the McGrath Brothers Lumber Company to the edge of ruin, forcing Thomas to consider a high risk proposal if he wants to save their livelihood and get out of debt.

Set in 1890s Michigan, A Dream of Steam is a story of sailing ships and lumberjacks, hope and disappointment, love and heartbreak, peopled by men and women who take control of their destinies in an era of rapid change. 

My Thoughts

I'm going to be completely real with you.  I had a bit of a struggle with this book.  Not that it was bad, it just wasn't my kind of story.

I'm not a sailor, I know nothing about boats or ships or anything like that.  So, all the talk about such had me confused and, honestly, a little bored.

However, the plot of the story was pretty good.  I can definitely say that the author does very well.  This book can be extremely enjoyable to those that would be more interested in this type of story.

*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.