How to Catch a Queen by Alyssa Cole

A few weeks ago, I was reminded that I'd bought A Princess in Theory (Reluctant Royals #1) by Alyssa Cole and like most book purchases, it languished on my to-read list for an embarrassingly long time before I picked it up.

Reader, I loved it. I went out and acquired more by Alyssa Cole, including this book. It's the first in the Runaway Royals series but follows on from the Reluctant Royals series and a few of those characters make an appearance, even as Shanti and Sanyu were introduced in earlier books.

Basically, Sanyu is the reluctant heir to the Njazan throne who feels he can never live up to his domineering father's legacy, a feeling encouraged by the actions of his chief advisor. His social anxiety and grief have rendered him functionally useless as a monarch and his country is teetering on the brink of revolt.

Shanti decided she wanted to be a queen at age 7 and spent her entire life preparing herself to be a good one. She's clever, focused, driven, perceptive, and absolutely hamstrung by Njazan misogyny. Her good ideas are ignored and her time wasted by busywork in the library. I loved Shanti, though she'd probably be difficult to be friends with in real life. I especially liked the book of quotes she kept with wisdom from her role models (mostly other queens).

However, I felt this book took a while to get off the ground and found myself frustrated with Sanyu and his inaction more than once. He definitely gets better but his character growth (and the majority of the plot) seem to take place at the end of the book. Some of those plot reveals are incredible and foreshadowed so neatly but lost their impact when so many are shoved into such a short period of time.

I definitely enjoyed this book and enjoyed Alyssa Cole's writing, but this wasn't my favourite of hers.

Blog Tour: A Remedy in Time by Jennifer Macaire (with giveaway!)

To save the future, she must turn to the past . . .

San Francisco, Year 3377. A deadly virus has taken the world by storm. Scientists are desperately working to develop a vaccine. And Robin Johnson – genius, high-functioning, and perhaps a little bit single-minded – is delighted. Because, to cure the disease, she’s given the chance to travel back in time.

But when Robin arrives at the last Ice Age hoping to stop the virus at its source, she finds more there than she bargained for. And just as her own chilly exterior is beginning to thaw, she realises it’s not only sabre-toothed tigers that are in danger of extinction . . .

Purchase Links
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Remedy-Time-favourite-timeslip-ALEXANDER-ebook/dp/B08H7X6RL9/
https://www.amazon.com/Remedy-Time-favourite-timeslip-ALEXANDER-ebook/dp/B08H7X6RL9/
https://www.headline.co.uk/titles/jennifer-macaire/a-remedy-in-time/9781786157911/

Review

In the future, time travel is a tool of academia - expensive, but not impossible. With the world threatened by a viral strain of typhus with a 100% fatality rate, self-diagnosed sociopath Robin is sent back in time to gather samples that might kickstart the hunt for a vaccine. Unfortunately, corporate greed is timeless and Robin must survive the past to save the future.

Robin is such an interesting heroine. She's very unemotional in part due to a traumatic past that I'd perhaps have liked a bit more on. This distance stands her in good stead through the book but it's also a delight to see her open up as she admires the wonders of the past.

This was a fascinating blend of wilderness survival novel and a techno-thriller. In fact, there's a bit of everything which is making this review rather difficult to write despite being such an enjoyable book. There's Robin's somewhat uncomfortable and mysterious past, her complicated relationship with her boss's son, her friendship with a local caveman, her exploration of the past, and the time travel retrieval team with suspicious motivations. I can't categorise this book, I can only recommend it.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

Author Bio

Jennifer Macaire lives in France with her husband, three children, & various dogs & horses. She loves chocolate, biking, & reading. She grew up in upstate New York, Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. She graduated from St. Peter and Paul high school in St. Thomas and moved to NYC where she modeled for five years for Elite. She went to France and met her husband at the polo club. All that is true. But she mostly likes to make up stories.

Social Media Links
https://twitter.com/jennifermacaire
https://www.facebook.com/TempusU

Giveaway to Win a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate (Open INT)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
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Blog Tour: Her Banished Knight's Redemption by Melissa Oliver

A lady’s need for protection 

A knight’s chance for redemption

 Exiled Knight William Geraint answers only to himself. Yet, a mission to find and reunite lost heiress Lady Isabel de Clancey with her family is Will’s chance to finally atone for the torment of his past. With every rushed mile, their intense attraction becomes dangerously thrilling. He swore to protect Isabel not seduce her, but their desire for each other could threaten the redemption he’s worked so hard to achieve…

Purchase Links
Mills and Boon - https://bit.ly/3opfj5I
Harlequin Books - https://bit.ly/3234EEv
Amazon UK - https://amzn.to/31LLVga
Amazon US - https://amzn.to/3kyXj6K

Review

As a child, Lady Isabel is saved from an ambush by a young Will Geraint. Traumatised, she is sent to a convent and adopted by a miller and his wife to grow up in anonymous safety. Years later, Will is hired to retrieve the lost de Clancey heiress and escort her to her now-widowed mother, but danger is around every corner, danger that wants to find Isabel for reasons entirely their own.

The strength of this book is in the relationship between Will and Isabel as they get to know each other and fall in love. The ambush is merely the pinnacle of Isabel's painful past and I am glad for the relative peace and joy she found as a simple miller's daughter. Will's history is more shadowed but no less painful and I really liked how Isabel listened to him and encouraged him to step out of the darkness and self-recrimination. Will carries a lot of anger and resentment under the guilt and I love how Isabel outlines new perspectives that might help him let go. Will and Isabel believed in each other and brought out the best in each other which helped me believe in them together.

I did find the pacing a little unsteady - this is the medieval equivalent of a road trip story but they only get on the road at 20% after Will spends far too long trying to convince Isabel to go with him without really hearing out any of her objections. Slightly pettily, I also wish we got the scene where Isabel's adopted sister is informed that she is indeed not lost nobility and the handsome knight is here for her helpful and unassuming sister.

Once we get on the road, the true bonding time begins - as does the danger, which wasn't entirely expected based on the blurb. The tension did build nicely, but there did seems to be a few continuity errors. I especially wonder at the wisdom giving a Lady a knife during a combat situation, when the last time that happened it ended with the same knife at her throat. For a smart man, I can't believe that Will would make that mistake. Twice. You think he'd learn.

However, pacing and quibbles aside, this is a fine medieval romance between two lost souls who bring out the best in each other and I enjoyed it.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

Author Bio

Melissa Oliver is from south-west London where she writes historical romance novels. She lives with her lovely husband and daughters, who share her passion for decrepit, old castles, palaces and all things historical.

Melissa is the WINNER of The Romantic Novelist Association’s Joan Hessayon Award for new writers 2020 for her debut, The Rebel Heiress and the Knight -  Book 1 Notorious Knights.

Social Media Links
Twitter - @melissaoauthor
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/melissaoliverauthor/

Blog Blitz: Trust Me by Candace Hutton (with giveaway!)

Brooke Anderson never pictured herself as a divorcee at twenty-eight. But when she mentions getting a post-nup to her husband Garrett after one deliciously sex-filled year, he promptly serves her with divorce papers. Admittedly, she could’ve told him about how her father left her and her mother homeless when she was young, and how she’s never been wired to trust anyone. Especially those closest to her. Now, all she wants to do is avoid anywhere he might be so she won’t have to face him again.
 
But she’s not the only one who can’t seem to trust.
 
Garrett Call grew up with parents who married for money and wants no part of a life that puts material possessions above love. He reinvented himself in college, complete with a new last name so he couldn’t be tied to his family’s lucrative business. He never even told Brooke the truth. Admittedly, he could’ve handled the issue of a post-nup better with his ex-wife. Maybe he didn’t count on how much he was going to miss having her in his life.
 
When their best friends’ wedding forces the exes to see each other again, a dangerous man from Garrett’s world threatens Brooke’s life. And they realize the only way to save themselves is to finally learn to trust each other.

Purchase Links
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QCXKLG9
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08QCXKLG9 

Review

Trust Me is the story of a tragic lack of communication and serious trust issues. Both Garrett and Brooke have good reasons for their attitudes towards money - but neither are willing to share those reasons with their spouse, leading to two people who love each other getting a quick divorce.

Quick being the operative word. I was left a little confused by the timeline of this book because it seems that they went 10 days from fight to divorce finalisation which seems unnecessarily hasty. Of course, the timeline is shortened by the upcoming wedding of their friends and their trust issues are put to the test when danger looms. Honestly such a lot happened, this could definitely have been a longer book. A little more page space could've reduced the awkward beginning infodumps as well.

Overall I enjoyed this book and found it a short and sexy read but it did feel a little rushed.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via Rachel's Random Resources, all opinions are my own

Author Bio

Candace Hutton was born and raised on books. She spent a great deal of her teenage years in libraries and bookstores and still tries to sneak off to them as often as possible. Some of her other favorite things are coffee, puppies, and the smell of rain. You can connect with her on Twitter @authorcandace 

Giveaway to Win a $30 Amazon Gift Card (Open INT)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Calculated Risks by Seanan McGuire

Y'all. I made a mistake.

I've been really good at going to bed recently. I'd hit the sack between ten and eleven o'clock, maybe closer to midnight if I'm going a bit late. But for this book? I started reading and didn't get off the couch until I was done, somewhere after two am.

As a quick note, Calculated Risks is not a good place to start this series. The best place to start would be at the beginning with Discount Armageddon, or perhaps with one of the many short stories on Seanan's website. Calculated Risks picks up directly where Imaginary Numbers left off, stranded in an alien dimension by semi-sentient math.

Trust me, it makes sense in context.

Sarah is a delight to read because she's so aware that's she's different - non-human, raised as a Price - and circumstances have her viewing her own family from the outside. They're as weird and scary as you would expect from a paranoid set of cryptozoologists. We get more understanding of Sarah and her species, and we get to explore a whole new world. Seanan manages to weave together the familiar and the fantastical into a cohesive if sometime confusing whole, and I loved it.

This book had me riveted to the very end and immediately after finishing I wanted to go back and read it again, so this makes this an easy five stars.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

By Mistake by Sigal Ehrlich

A digital chance encounter that springs an online friendship that slowly crosses the borders of the digital realm into real life, bringing along the bazillion-dollar question, what do you do when you meet The One at the most impossibly wrong time?

There’s so much going on in Anna’s life. Teaching countless hours at the studio and nurturing the three major relationships of her life – her group of tight-knit friends, all while attempting to not screw up this whole adulthood thing leaves very little time to waste on yet another dating app. At this point, a relationship is off the menu. Being “self-partnered” is more than enough.

A serious relationship has been crossed off Liam Brody’s list of goals, at least for the foreseeable future. Completing his residency and becoming a trauma surgeon is his only priority. Casual relationships, his friends, and books are the only things he’s willing to lose his precious free time to.

When an accidental email starts a deep online connection, both Liam and Anna dive in with zero concern . . . because there’s really no harm in getting close to someone who you’ll never meet in real life, right?

Wrong.

When a turn of events brings their “safe” virtual connection to an unexpected face-to-face, Anna and Liam learn their online chemistry pales in comparison to the real deal. A realization that brings along the bazillion-dollar question – what do you do when you meet The One at the most impossibly wrong time?

*by Mist@ke is book 1 in a standalone series with connected characters, but independent storylines.

Review

Neither Anna nor Liam have time for a relationship. He's busy doing his residency, she's on the verge of owning her own fitness studio. A mistyped email address leads to an unexpected connection but Liam's life plan doesn't include a serious girlfriend for at least another few years. Maybe it's better they stay as friends.

It was fun watching Anna and Liam banter their way from penpals to friends to lovers. The slow progression let them build upon all the little conversations and connections until they made a believable couple.

I really liked Liam and could understand where he's coming from even though his insistence on following his well-defined plan nearly derails them completely. His reservations came from a place of wanting the best for Anna and stemmed from a catastrophic failed relationship (though I don't think he should take the blame for his ex's depression but that's another conversation). Apart from his reluctance to commit he sounds practically perfect (and he gets bonus points for his honesty regarding the no-commitment boundary).

Anna was more difficult to like because her emphasis on healthy living sometimes felt like I was being preached at by a well-meaning but misguided and judgy influencer. For instance, she cleans yoga mats with cleansing essential oils and refers to canned cheese as poison in a canister. Most frustratingly, her idea of bare minimum makeup is mascara and blush which is two products more than the actual minimum. However, I did love her friendship group as the supported and challenged each other through trials, tribulations, and drunk fishing (sounds fun but possibly a very poor idea in practice).

The book could do with a little extra editing particularly in terms of continuity. The most egregious error comes early on, when Liam and Anna bond over a Tolkien quote. Supposedly. There was no discernible Tolkien quote in that email. I'm willing to be wrong and hope this would be fixed in an update.

Overall, I found this a charming and funny novel with an engaging premise with a few hitches in the execution.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Blog Tour: The Lake House by Christie Barlow

There’s a newcomer to the village of Heartcross and she’s never been more in need of a friend.  Ella is ready to start afresh ––and that could mean there’s love on the horizon in the form of the gorgeous Roman, the local water taxi driver. Every day Roman is there to ferry Ella to the restaurant on the other side of the lake and every night he makes sure she gets home safe. But Roman has secrets of his own…
Can the Love Heart Lane community offer Ella a chance of a new life? Or will the ghosts of her past catch up with her?

Purchase Links
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B086115DK9/
US - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086115DK9/ 

Review

Ella has had a horrific few months after her fiancé absconds with her inheritance leaving her with a broken heart and credit card debt for miles. When her friend Callie invites her to Heartcross, it's a much-needed fresh start and a chance to put her life back together. Fortunately for Ella, it can only get better from here.

Sometimes, you need a happy book. A book where things go right, not wrong. A book free from secondhand embarrassment or third-act dark moments full of moping and miscommunication. 

This is that book.

Despite being fifth in a series that I haven't followed, it was easy to dive into Heartcross. It was a delight to sit back and watch Ella regain her confidence as she makes new friends and settles into a new village. Does it require a suspension of disbelief? A little, but it's refreshing to read about wrongs being righted and finding success after failure without the fear of the rug being pulled out from under you.

If you're wanting a light and fluffy read, perhaps as an antidote to the world outside of books, this may be just the novel you've been waiting for.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

Author Bio

Christie Barlow is the author of ten bestselling romantic comedies including A Home at Honeysuckle Farm, Love Heart Lane and Clover Cottage. She lives in a ramshackle cottage in a quaint village in the heart of Staffordshire with her four children and two dogs. Her writing career has come as a lovely surprise when Christie decided to write a book to teach her children a valuable life lesson and show them that they are capable of achieving their dreams. Christie’s dream was to become a writer and the book she wrote to prove a point went on to become a #1 bestseller in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. When Christie isn’t writing she enjoys playing the piano, is a keen gardener and loves to paint and upcycle furniture. Christie is an ambassador for the @ZuriProject alongside Patron of the charity, Emmerdale’s Bhasker Patel. They raise money and awareness for communities in Uganda.
Christie loves to hear from her readers and you can get in touch via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Social Media Links
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christie_barlow/
Twitter @ChristieJBarlow
Facebook page Christie Barlow author