Royals Review and Blog Tour

Today, I’m super excited to be a part of the Royals Blog Tour! Royals just released this Tuesday, and I encourage every contemporary-romance lover to get their hands on a copy, ASAP. It’s super cute.

Royals

Rachel Hawkins

(Royals #1)

Publication Date: May 1, 2018

Hardcover, 256 pages, G.P. Putnam Sons Books

Genres: YA, Contemporary

B&N | Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

Meet Daisy Winters. She’s an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair; a part time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond.

While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes, and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.

My Review

Rachel Hawkins is known for her cute books with sassy main female characters, and Royals is no different. It’s exactly what someone would expect from a Rachel book—it’s a fun, wild ride with some whacky scenarios that’ll have readers cackling with glee.

Okay, so first off, I have to give Rachel major props for not doing the same ol’ same ol’ with the falling-in-love-with-a-prince trope. Yes, we all love that trope, but Rachel has the sister fall in love with the prince, and it just made me so happy to see a spin on such a cliché theme. I was also super into Ellie Winters and Alex the Prince’s relationship. They make such a great couple. I’d love to have a spinoff book showing how those two got together.

As for the main character of the story, Daisy Winters, she’s someone I think a lot of YA readers can relate to. She’s a nerdy outcast who just wants to meet her favorite author without people messing up her plans. (I mean, honestly, I just wanted Daisy to be able to attend her convention in peace, gosh darnit!)

I also loved the whole Royal Wreckers posse. I just wish the book had been longer so I could get to know the Wreckers, and everyone else, a little better. It was, at times, hard to tell the boys apart since the pacing was so fast. But the fast pacing just meant that I devoured this book extremely quickly. In fact, all I wanted to do while I was at work was continue reading about Daisy’s adventures with these royal boys. Oh, and again, I could do with a spinoff book for every one of the Wrecker boys.

All in all, if you’re in any way a fan of a certain popular British royal family, you’ll definitely want to pick up this book. It’s a mashup of Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries, E!’s TV show The Royals, and every Lifetime original movie about princes falling in love.

The Author

Rachel Hawkins is the author of Ruby and Olivia, Journey's End, the Rebel Belle series, and the New

York Times bestselling Hex Hall series. Born in Virginia and raised in Alabama, Rachel taught high school English before becoming a full-time writer.

Website ** Twitter ** Author Goodreads

The Tour

WEEK ONE

April 23 – Book Briefs – Review + Pinterest Board/Styleboard

April 24 – Ex Libris – Essentials for Your Royal Wedding Party

April 25 –  Novel Novice – Top 5 Things to look For At A Wedding

April 26 – Fiction Fare – Review

April 27 – YA Book Nerd – Creative: Preparation for a Royal Wedding

WEEK TWO

April 30 – I am a Reader - Moodboard

May 1 – The Clockwork Bibliophile – Review + Book Feature

May 2 – PaperTrailYa - Review

May 3 – Adventures of a Book Junkie – Five Reasons To Read

May 4 – Shell’s Stories – Review

WEEK THREE

May 7 – Books and Blends – Review

May 8 – Isabellactivist – Bookstagram Post with Royal Recommendations (Books, Tv Shows, Movies)

May 9 – The Blonde Bookworm – Review

May 10 – Bookish Delights – Review

May 11 – Xpresso Reads – Review

*Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Empress of a Thousand Skies Review and Blog Tour

Today, I’m super excited to be a part of the Empress of a Thousand Skies & Blood of a Thousand Stars Blog Tour! Empress released last year, and Blood of a Thousand Stars is releasing this year. To encourage you all to pick up your copies, I thought I’d share my review of Empress of a Thousand Skies.

Empress of a Thousand Skies

Rhoda Belleza

(Empress of a Thousand Skies #1)

Publication Date: February 7, 2017

Hardcover, 314 pages, Razorbill

Genres: YA, Sci-Fi

B&N | Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

A sweeping sci-fi fantasy adventure that follows two fugitives -- a princess-in-exile and her accused killer -- across the galaxy as they fight to reclaim her family dynasty and save the universe from a deadly threat.

     Crown Princess Rhiannon, known as Rhee, has deadly accuracy with a blade and a thirst for vengeance. After her family perished in a suspicious spacecraft accident when she was just a child, Rhee grew up in exile while a corrupt government ruled in her stead. Now, Rhee has finally come of age to claim her title as Empress... and to avenge her family.

     But on the eve of her coronation, Rhee is brutally attacked by a government assassin and only narrowly escapes with her life. Without knowing who she can trust, Rhee goes into hiding, relying only on her sharp instincts and her trusty blade to survive.

     Across the galaxy, pilot Alyosha has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the popular star of a reality holo-vision show. But when Aly is framed for the attack on Rhee, he goes from celebrity to fugitive in an instant. On the run from the formidable UniForce army, Aly knows that his only hope is to find the princess and clear his name.

     Thrown together by an act of violence, Rhee and Aly eventually discover the attack is just one part of a larger plan with devastating, far-reaching consequences for the entire galaxy.

My Thoughts

Princesses in space? Check. Advanced technology? Check. Spaceship chases? Check. And a sassy droid? Check. This YA book has all the makings of a fun, action-packed sci-fi read.

Princess Rhiannon has known since her family died that she would take the thrown, but she just wants to avenge her parents and sister. Not rule an entire galaxy. Apparently, others think the same since someone just tried to murder her before her coronation. And Alyosha wants to be free to live his own life, but being in the wrong place at the wrong time forces him to go on the run from the galaxy’s UniForce.

In the book, the two main characters, Rhiannon and Alyosha, or Rhee and Aly, share their respective journeys across the galaxy in each of their POVs. While Rhee is trying to figure out who is attempting to end her life, Aly is trying to figure out why he’s being set up for a crime he didn’t commit.

Sometimes Rhee and Aly aren’t always the most flushed-out characters, yet their voices do resonate as you’re reading. Rhee is the girl reluctant to take charge, and Aly is the boy who everyone blames simply because he exists. I think their stories are very poignant when it comes to today’s society. At times, though, I did find myself gravitating more towards Aly’s story. I think this was because of his partners in crime. I mean, he had a droid following him around! Doesn’t every space hero need an awesome droid?!

As for the plot of the story, it was definitely quick-paced. Rhee’s chapters were often longer than Aly’s, but both always ended on cliffhangers. This made reading the story super frustrating, but, at the same time, super fast. I just wanted to know what was going to happen next! At a couple points, the cliffhanger situation did bum me out a little bit, simply because there were such big scenes happening, but when the next chapter from the character’s POV started, it would pick up too far in the future and the whole ordeal would only be mentioned in passing later on. Thankfully, those odd cliffhanger scenarios only happened once or twice.

Now, I’ve got to talk about the worldbuilding. It was good. I enjoyed reading a YA science fiction story that had other creatures in it, not just humans! It was kind of like Guardians of the Galaxy in that way. There were fuzzy creatures, pointy-eared creatures, and more! But, I wish more time had been spent developing all the species, technology, planets, and religions. It’s such a cool concept that I think it could have been explored as much as possible. But who knows? Maybe that worldbuilding happens in book two?

All in all, I’d recommend Empress of a Thousand Skies to any YA SFF lover. Especially fans of Melissa Landers, Marissa Meyer, and/or Mindee Arnett.

The Author

 
Rhoda Belleza was raised in Los Angeles, where she grew up writing X-Files fanfiction and stuffing her face with avocados. She's a children's editor at a publishing house and writes from a sunny Brooklyn apartment stuffed with far too many bikes and far too many shoes. When she's not writing, Rhoda obsesses over nail art tutorials, watches kung fu movies, and sews together crooked things that pass for clothes. Empress of a Thousand Skies is her debut novel.

Website ** Instagram ** Tumblr ** Twitter **  Author Goodreads

The Tour

EMPRESS OF A THOUSAND SKIES

WEEK ONE

1/29 – Ageless Pages Review – Review

1/30 – The Bookish King – Review

1/31 – Elizabethandherbooks – Review

2/1 – Shell’s Stories – Review

WEEK TWO

2/5 – Haunted by Books 13 – Review

2/6 – Bookling Critics – Review

2/7 – How Useful It Is – Review

2/8 – Sweet Things – Q&A

BLOOD OF A THOUSAND STARS

WEEK ONE

2/12 – Brittany’s Book Rambles – Q&A

2/13 – Pages Within Me – Review + Creative

2/14 – Celesha’s Love for Books – Review

2/15 – Ex Libris – Review

2/16 – A Court of Coffee and Books – Review + Quote Teasers

WEEK TWO

2/19 – Hollywood News Source – Playlist

2/20 – The Fandom – Moodboard

2/21 – BookishStateofMind – Creative imagery with a review

Make sure to check out the other tour stops!

*Note: I received a finished copy of Empress and an ARC of Blood of a Thousand Stars for review from the publisher. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Peasant Princess Blog Tour: Preview Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway

Review

Peasant Princess

A.H. De Carrasco

(The Teller of Destiny #3)

Publication Date: Mid-Late 2014

Paperback

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Amazon | Goodreads

“I would do it again.” Lunule placed Raphere’s cold fingers between his hands, to warm them. “A thousand things I would do for your pardon.”

Events in Paz Etur have taken an ugly turn. Whispers of conspiracy and censure echo within the city. Recovering from a near-mortal wound, Raphere can do little to shield those she has sworn to protect.

As First Scout Otti embarks upon a journey east, to unravel Raphere’s past, Rant finds his own challenges waiting in Paz Ori. The dark deals he made as a mercenary cannot be dismissed, and Dark Lords are not known for patience.

Even Tranquia is beginning to have misgivings where Raphere is concerned. As strange plagues spread over the plains, and wolves prowl forever closer to the kingdoms, will Raphere have the strength to calm the ill winds churning from all directions? Will she find her closest ally in the cruelest of princes?

Preview Review

I only reviewed the first few chapters of Peasant Princess, so this review will be a little shorter than my normal reviews. 

I was glad when I started Peasant Princess, that things immediately begin from where I had been left hanging in Princes and Fools. I didn't want to wait around, agonizing over what was going to happen, and thankfully, I wasn't.

I immediately noticed that Lunnule was his same-old Joffrey-ish self. I don't know why this makes me love him so much, but I do. Does that say something strange about me? Lunnule is pretty much the focus of the first few chapters, and for that I'm glad, because if you haven't gotten it already, I like him. As a character, not a person. He's a very, very bad person.

Rant Pae is back too. He's actually trying to become a responsible adult, from what I can tell. (Sure, Lunnule is trying that idea out too, but I just can't see him succeeding.)

All in all, I'm totally ready for this book to actually be in my hands, or on my computer. The preview definitely wasn't enough for me.

Genre: Young / New Adult Fantasy

Tour Organized by: Indie Sage, LLC

Purchase Link:

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From Continue #1

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Princes and Fools #2

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Excerpt from

TELLER OF DESTINY: BOOK THREE

PEASANT PRINCESS 

©2014 A. H. DE CARRASCO

 …His expression softened as he sat down beside her. Carefully, Lunule moved the chair and winced as it creaked. He leaned closer to her. His elbow nearly touched her hand. His fingers could almost reach her face. Raphere’s dark hair had grown quite long since she came to the palace. He lifted a lock and held it between his fingers. It was soft, like silk.

“Do you wish to pull it?”

He released the curl and leaned back. “No, not today.”

“Good,” she retorted and turned her face away. But sleep was gone, and without a thought to his struggle, she lifted her arms above her and slowly stretched out the kinks in her limbs.

Could she take his weight? The nasty voice of his mind goaded. He shook his head to clear away the persistent thought.

“I am not supposed to be here,” he told her.

“Really?” She didn’t seem to care that he was.

“My father has brought me to task. Told me I shouldn’t see you unless you called for me.”

“Then why are you here?”

“You didn’t want to see me?”

“Hardly.” She scoffed at him, cutting him to the quick with one word.

“But, of course, I knew you wouldn’t want to see me. But I care little for other’s wants or needs, as you’ve told me. I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

“Lunule,” she snapped angrily and made to rise but cried out in pain. Lunule leapt to his feet, shocked that she still suffered, and watched helplessly as she seemed to shrink under her blankets. Her breath rasped from her throat, uneven and harsh.

“Raphere.”

“Prince,” she whispered, her voice strained. “Why must you torture me? Haven’t you had your fill?”

Lunule was quiet a moment then ventured on another path. “I wanted to thank you.”

“For what? Taking the wound you deserved?” she retorted hoarsely.

“I shouldn’t have come,” he said. Suddenly very ashamed of himself, he retreated toward the antechamber. “I am sorry, Raphere.” Again the apologies spilled from his lips. Ah! He was a fool.

“No. Do not leave, please.”

He turned around as his heart lightened. He reclaimed the seat he had left and leaned near her. Her captivating green eyes looked at him a moment.

“How is Rant? Is he well?”

Lunule’s jaw tensed as he felt the knife’s twist. His lips lifted into a smile to cover his wound and he leaned back in the chair. “He is well. He returned to Paz Ori with his mother.”

“Any word for me?”

His hesitation was imperceptible even as his mind, quick as a bee’s wing, contemplated his choices. He had left the note behind. Why make the journey to retrieve it tonight? He made his decision, if only a postponement. “No,” he lied. “Not yet, anyway.”

He noticed her disappointment but it mattered little. She wanted him near only to serve as a messenger.

“I must have angered him.” Raphere decided.

“No,” he reassured her. It was the least he could do. “I think he had other matters to see to. Not that you weren’t important. My father strictly forbade his seeing you, and he had to leave that day.”

This did nothing to soften her frown, however. Again, she averted her face from him.

“I freed the prisoners for you, as you asked.”

She turned back toward him. “I am glad, Lunule. It was the right thing to do.”

“I know that now,” he admitted. “You are always teaching me…such things. I never realize how stupid...” His words dwindled.

“Raphere,” he began again, not knowing what his very next words would be—what chitchat could he offer to change her mood, her heart. This was a failure. Almost accusingly he continued. “Now you must forgive me.”

“I forgive you, Lunule,” she told him but her heart was not in it. He could tell that much.

“That is not my only penance, I’m afraid,” he admitted. “My father wants me to go to the Feast of Second Harvest and wash the feet of ten peasants.”

This sudden information brought a true laugh from Raphere but she winced in pain even as she chuckled.

“Their feet? Oh, Lunule, what an appropriate punishment for you.” Her throat was dry and her laughter turned to hoarse coughing. Lunule leaned forward and grabbed her hand. She squeezed his fingers tightly as pain wracked her body.

“Dear Fate, Raphere,” he said miserably. “I am so sorry. I never meant harm to you. Not like this.”

She continued to cough. He grabbed the water pitcher and filled a cup, spilling the liquid in his haste. The prince acted as servant, supporting her head and helping her bring the cup to her mouth. She drank deeply. Her emerald eyes met his over the rim.

“The water tastes bitter,” she noted when she was done, her voice yet hoarse.

He took the cup from her and placed it on the bed’s night table, then gently fluffed her pillow.

He couldn’t help himself, being so close to her, her breath on his face. He lowered his lips and gently kissed her cheek.

She said nothing, not a retort or insult. Again, he took her hand in his even as her eyes grew moist. He watched helplessly as she blinked back tears.

“I would do it for you,” he told her quickly. “I would wash their feet if you wished it.”

She didn’t say a word to comfort him. She looked away just as a tear proved victorious against her battle and spilled onto the cheek he had kissed, as if to wash it clean.

“You didn’t hear me that night, Raphere, when Tranquia said you would die. She claimed there was nothing she could do. I told her she must not let you die. I told her before all the nobles and stable hands that you couldn’t die...because I love you. And I do in my heart, as only I can know.”

Lunule squeezed her hand tighter. Fearing she would draw it away from his, he clasped it with both of his hands.

“I don’t expect you to return my affection—”

“Affection?” she countered bitterly. “Is that what you call your actions? Affections—?”

“I can only ask a chance to prove my feelings are real. Only that. I would wash their feet for you, Raphere. A thousand things I would do for your pardon.”

She pulled her hand back and rolled onto her side, toward the balcony. Away from him. “Do it for yourself, Lunule.” Her words dismissed him.   

About the Author

A. H. De Carrasco embarked upon the writer’s journey at a young age, writing illustrated fan fiction for her grade school classmates’ favorite shows. Several decades later, she is publishing her collection of fantasy novels for teenagers and adults. Lately, she writes beside a waterfall as her husband tests his goggles and flippers. Her cats look on in displeasure from the screen door, but purr happily when she writes at her desk.

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*Note: I received a preview of this book to review from the publisher. This in no way altered my opinion/review.