*Review* The Boy King's Tale as Told by Geoffrey Chaucer by Michael January

 Genre: Historical Fiction

Published:

Pages: 209

The true adventure of young King Edward III. In The Boy King’s Tale, two entwined love stories, young and old, lead to betrayal, murder and the near overthrow of a kingdom in this epic story of son and bride, mother and lover, in the extraordinary tale of the earliest days of one of England’s most revered kings, Edward III. Parts of the story have been glimpsed before, the folly of a king and the beautiful queen who raised an army to defeat him and place her young son on the throne in his place, but here is told of the queen’s plot with her lover to murder her son and his young queen bride, to place their infant prince on the English throne that they might rule in absolute power. The dark and twisted world of medieval politics, war, glory, love, sex and romance, and the fate of the future are in the balance on one fateful night when rescue or death was held on the turn of a confession to a faceless monk. Told by English court poet, Geoffrey Chaucer, as one of his tales, on the day death bells toll from the steeples of Westminster.

I received a copy of this audiobook through Netgalley. This is my honest review. 

This story was told as a story within a story, much like The Princess Bride, it just uses a very well known English author as the main storyteller. It seems to tell the true story of King Edward III, but I don't know enough of British history to even begin to guess at how accurate the story is. I'm also not really sure what was gained from writing the story as if it were being told by Chaucer. 

All that aside, I was absolutely engrossed in the tale. The intrigue of court and a woman conspiring against both her husband and her son in an attempt to wield her own power over the land. It honestly felt like she was just up there conspiring to kill everyone who might possibly be against her and her new man. 

The narration was mostly pleasant, although I did have a small issue with the opposite gendered voices feeling a little bit like caricatures, but only slightly as there wasn't a real heavy emphasis on them. 

Overall I give The Boy King's Tale 3.9743 out of 5 stars. - Katie 

Amazon

Michael January is a writer for film and television as well as a travel writer and photographer. His "Favorite Castles" book series is in its fifth edition with "Favorite Castles of Germany" and "Favorite Castles of Switzerland" as well as England, Wales and the Castles of Ireland. He regularly writes of historical connections and has followed in the literal footsteps the Romantic writers. "The Secret Memoirs of Mary Shelley: Frankenstein Diaries - The Romantics" was his first historical novel. Next followed the WWII adventure and love story of pilots in the Battle of Britain, "Aces". He also appears in the screenwriting documentary and companion book from Harper Collins "Tales From The Script: 50 Hollywood Screenwriters".

*Review* The Orphan Witch by Paige Crutcher

 

Genre: Fantasy

Published: September 28, 2021

Pages: 348

A deeper magic. A stronger curse. A family lost...and found.

Persephone May has been alone her entire life. Abandoned as an infant and dragged through the foster care system, she wants nothing more than to belong somewhere. To someone. However, Persephone is as strange as she is lonely. Unexplainable things happen when she’s around—changes in weather, inanimate objects taking flight—and those who seek to bring her into their family quickly cast her out. To cope, she never gets attached, never makes friends. And she certainly never dates. Working odd jobs and always keeping her suitcases half-packed, Persephone is used to moving around, leaving one town for another when curiosity over her eccentric behavior inevitably draws unwanted attention.

After an accidental and very public display of power, Persephone knows it’s time to move on once again. It’s lucky, then, when she receives an email from the one friend she’s managed to keep, inviting her to the elusive Wile Isle. The timing couldn’t be more perfect. However, upon arrival, Persephone quickly discovers that Wile is no ordinary island. In fact, it just might hold the very things she’s been searching for her entire life.

Answers. Family. Home.

And some things she did not want. Like 100-year-old curses and an even older family feud. With the clock running out, love might be the magic that saves them all.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review. 

I was excited to dive into this book after enjoying another witch book by Paige Crutcher, and The Orphan Witch did not let me down. In fact, I enjoyed it even more. Although I was not immediately sucked into the story, having no issue putting the book aside to do housework, by halfway through, prying my Kindle out of my hands to get me to stop reading was looking like a serious necessity. 

While there was one major mystery that needed to be solved, it felt like there were several minor connected mysteries as well that kept me guessing about what role exactly different characters would play in the solution to the main problem. And not everyone that Persephone interacts with is what they seem to be, in both good and bad ways. 

Overall I give The Orphan Witch 4.185 out of 5 stars. - Katie 

Amazon

Paige Crutcher is the author of THE ORPHAN WITCH. She is a former journalist, and her work appears in multiple anthologies and online publications. She is an artist and yogi, and when not writing, she prefers to spend her time trekking through the forest with her children, hunting for portals to new worlds.

*Review* Pitter Patty Finds Another Day by Andrew Hiller

 

Genre: Children's 3-6 years

Published: May 16, 2023

Pages: 42

Children's picture book; read aloud for 3 to 6 year olds.

Pitter Patty is a sad little cloud looking for a friend, but people are not friendly to rain clouds

and keep singing to her to "come back another day." Can this little cloud find a friend? Can she

make it to another day?

Uses open dyslexic font.

The bright pictures follow a young cloud find a place of acceptance.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review. 

This is a story about Pitter Patty, a raincloud. She spends her days hearing children and adults alike wishing she'd go away and come again another day. I know I used to sing that nursery rhyme sometimes even when it wasn't raining myself. This makes her very sad, because she really just wants people to like her, but when you live somewhere that gets rain regularly, and it interrupts your plans, you just wish it would stop sometimes. So Patty travels until she finds a place where the people don't ask her to go away, but instead come out to play in her rain. 

This story honestly made me feel a bit sad while I was reading it, so it would be great to read with kids to teach them some empathy if nothing else. The book makes it really easy to put yourself into Pitter Patty's figurative shoes and see how it would feel if everyone always wanted you to go away. I felt like the story would also be good for teaching children  to worry more about going where they're wanted, because that feels so much better than being somewhere they're not really wanted. 

The illustrations were both colorful and gray...as a rainy day. Overall I give Pitter Patty Finds Another Day 3.976 out of 5 stars. - Katie  

Amazon

Amazon has no information about the author available.

*Review* The Devil's Glove by Lucretia Grindle

 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Published: May 1, 2023

Pages: 482

Northern New England, summer, 1688.
Salem started here.

A suspicious death. A rumor of war. Whispers of witchcraft.

Perched on the brink of disaster, Resolve Hammond and her mother, Deliverance, struggle to survive in their isolated coastal village. They're known as healers taught by the local tribes - and suspected of witchcraft by the local villagers.

Their precarious existence becomes even more chaotic when summoned to tend to a poisoned woman. As they uncover a web of dark secrets, rumors of war engulf the village, forcing the Hammonds to choose between loyalty to their native friends or the increasingly terrified settler community.

As Resolve is plagued by strange dreams, she questions everything she thought she knew - about her family, her closest friend, and even herself. If the truth comes to light, the repercussions will be felt far beyond the confines of this small settlement.

Based on meticulous research and inspired by the true story of the fear and suspicion that led to the Salem Witchcraft Trials, THE DEVIL'S GLOVE is a tale of betrayal, loyalty, and the power of secrets. Will Resolve be able to uncover the truth before the town tears itself apart, or will she become the next victim of the village's dark and mysterious past?

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review. 

I have a horrible habit of going into books blind, judging them solely on their covers and titles. Because I enjoy books in pretty much every genre, this works passably well for me, but it means I never really know what to expect from the books I pick up, and sometimes the covers and titles mislead me. That was definitely the case with this book, as I was expecting something more horror themed. 

Now, there were definitely some horrifying events that occurred throughout the course of this story, and some heavy mystical elements at play as well. And once I got past my initial disappointment about the actual genre of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt immersed in the tale, as if I was in the village with Resolve and her mother. Trying to walk the line between helping the villagers and not being accused of being a witch and put to death. I spent a fair portion of the book angry about the Puritan ideals because it felt like they were oppressing me too. 

Overall I give The Devil's Glove 4.137 out of 5 stars, and definitely recommend it for anyone with even a passing interest in the Salem Witch Trial period of American history. - Katie 

Amazon

Lucretia Grindle grew up and went to school and university in England and the United States. After a brief career in journalism, she worked for The United States Equestrian Team organizing ‘kids and ponies,’ and for the Canadian Equestrian Team. For ten years, she produced and owned Three Day Event horses that competed at The World Games, The European Games and the Atlanta Olympics. In 1997, she packed a five mule train across 250 miles of what is now Grasslands National Park on the Saskatchewan/Montana border tracing the history of her mother’s family who descend from both the Sitting Bull Sioux and the first officers of the Canadian Mounties.

Returning to graduate school as a ‘mature student’, Lucretia completed an MA in Biography and Non-Fiction at The University of East Anglia where her work, FIREFLIES, won the Lorna Sage Prize. Specializing in the 19th century Canadian West, the Plains Tribes, and American Indigenous and Women’s History, she is currently finishing her PhD dissertation at The University of Maine.

Lucretia is the author of the psychological thrillers, THE NIGHTSPINNERS, shortlisted for the Steel Dagger Award, and THE FACES of ANGELS, one of BBC FrontRow’s six best books of the year, shortlisted for the Edgar Award. Her historical fiction includes, THE VILLA TRISTE, a novel of the Italian Partisans in World War II, a finalist for the Gold Dagger Award, and THE LOST DAUGHTER, a fictionalized account of the Aldo Moro kidnapping. She has been fortunate enough to be awarded fellowships at The Hedgebrook Foundation, The Hawthornden Foundation, The Hambidge Foundation, The American Academy in Paris, and to be the Writer in Residence at The Wallace Stegner Foundation. A television drama based on her research and journey across Grasslands is currently in development. THE DEVIL’S GLOVE and the concluding books of THE SALEM TRILOGY are drawn from her research at The University of Maine where Lucretia is grateful to have been a fellow at the Canadian American Foundation. She and her husband, David Lutyens, live in Shropshire.

*Review* Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates

Genre: Thriller

Published: July 11, 2023

Pages: 389

When Christa joins a tour group heading deep into the snowy expanse of the Rocky Mountains, she's hopeful this will be her chance to put the ghosts of her past to rest. But when a bitterly cold snowstorm sweeps the region, the small group is forced to take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin. Despite the uncomfortably claustrophobic quarters and rapidly dropping temperature, Christa believes they'll be safe as they wait out the storm.

She couldn't be more wrong.

Deep in the night, their tour guide goes missing...only to be discovered the following morning, his severed head impaled on a tree outside the cabin. Terrified, and completely isolated by the storm, Christa finds herself trapped with eight total strangers. One of them kills for sport...and they're far from finished. As the storm grows more dangerous and the number of survivors dwindles one by one, Christa must decide who she can trust before this frozen mountain becomes her tomb.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review. 

This book was one that my son selected from Netgalley for me to request. I'm not sure what his thought process was for his selections, but this was definitely a book I wouldn't have requested myself as I tend to avoid thrillers for the most part, as I often find them predictable. This book was anything but predictable. I was left guessing again and again who the killer might be, and only really figured out it just before the reveal. Once I figured it out, I started thinking about the previous clues and misdirects, and honestly, the killer really thought things through for this one. 

In true horror movie fashion, the group doesn't completely stay together like we all know they should, which is what allows the killer to pick them off as they do. But I could also easily see this book being turned into a movie, especially since it had a bit of a The Shining feeling to it towards the end. I really felt the terror and distrust throughout the story. 

Overall I give this book 3.98 out of 5 stars and am thinking I should let my son pick books for me to read more often. - Katie 

Amazon

Darcy Coates is the USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen horror and suspense novels.

She lives in the Central Coast of Australia with her family, cat, and a collection of chickens. Her home is surrounded by rolling wilderness on all sides, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

You can hear about her next book by joining her newsletter: www.darcycoates.com/updates

*Review* Grumpy Lost and Found in Naples by Susan Marie Chapman

 

Genre: Children's 3-7

Published: February 24, 2023

Pages: 44

Grumpy is a very happy and content iguana. He loves his home and his family of friends. On a chilly winter day in Miami Beach, Grumpy makes a decision that changes his life forever. He crawls under a blanket to stay warm and is suddenly taken from all that he knows and loves. Now, he has no idea where he is or how to get back to his home in Flamingo Park. Will help come for Grumpy?

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review. 

This is the story of an iguana named Grumpy, who ends up being taken to a park far away from his home while he's curled up in a blanket sleeping. He spends a lot of time asking the local wildlife how to get back to his home, but none of them have ever heard of it because they are not animals that tend to migrate. They have no reason to be familiar with other areas of the world (or the state of Florida as is the case in this story). Finally he's found by his friend who saw him being taken away and followed him (quite the feat since he was in a car, and the friend is a bird), and they decide that they will just have to make this new place their home. 

The illustrations were a little juvenile, looking as if they may have been drawn and colored by a child. And for some reason the story annoyed me. I can't really pinpoint what it was about the story that got under my skin, but I would not want to read this book more than once because of that. And that is honestly probably a me thing, but that is my experience with this book. Overall I give Grumpy Lost and Found in Naples 2.38 out of 5 stars. - Katie 

Amazon

Susan Marie Chapman grew up on a farm in rural Pennsylvania as the oldest of eight children. She has always had a special connection with animals and children. Today she resides in Miami Beach, Florida, with her two furry babies, Sugar and Cookie.

Susan is the author of six books in the the Grumpy the Iguana and Green Parrot Adventure series: Grumpy the Iguana, Mr Squirrel Finds a Treasure, Two if by Sea, Grumpy Goes Home for the Holidays, The Wish Box, and Babies on Board (part 1). Susan is also the author of two books about her Pomeranians, Love Sugar & Cookie, and The Day Cookie was Lost.

For more information visit Susan's website: www.SusanMarieChapman.com

*Review* The Raven and the Dove by Kaitlyn Davis

Genre: YA Fantasy

Published: March 9, 2020

Pages: 512

Four fates collide in this avian-inspired, epic fantasy retelling of Tristan and Isolde perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo!

A princess longing to be free...

On the dawn of her courtship trials, Princess Lyana Aethionus knows she should be focused on winning her perfect mate, yet her thoughts wander to the open sky at the edge of her floating kingdom. One final adventure calls. Upon fleeing the palace, the last thing she expects to find is a raven prince locked in a death match with a dragon.

A bastard aching to belong...

Reviled son of a dead king, Rafe would do anything for his beloved half-brother, Prince Lysander Taetanus, including posing as him in the upcoming courtship trials. When a dragon interrupts their secret exchange, he orders his studious sibling to run. After suffering a fatal blow, Rafe is saved by a beautiful dove who possesses forbidden magic, just like him.

Fate brought them together, now destiny will tear them apart...

Unknown to the world above, on the foggy sea ten thousand feet below, a young king fights a forgotten war. He believes Lyana is the queen prophesied to save the world, and with the help of his favored spy, hidden deep in the highest ranks of the dove royal house, he will stop at nothing to have her.

Three shocking betrayals. Two star-crossed lovers. One unforgettable journey. If you like fierce heroines, brooding heroes, forbidden romance, and action-packed magical adventures with twists you'll never see coming, don't miss The Raven and the Dove!

I received a copy of this audiobook through Netgalley. This is my honest review. 

The world building in this book was amazing. At least the little bit of it that we got to see. The story is told from the perspectives of Lyana and Rafe for the most part, although we did get a few glimpses into the perspectives of others, and Lyana especially has led a very sheltered life, so what she knows of the world just isn't much. But I felt like I got enough snippets of things from other characters to piece together the way this world functions. 

This story centers around the mating ceremony, and the way life partners are chosen for the royals of the bird-people. I appreciated how both the young men and young women were given the same tests of skill and knowledge, and as close to equal chance to choose their partners based on the results of those tests as is humanly possible. Seeing the women being just as valued for traditionally masculine achievements in our world was nice. But we also got to see that not every royal was looking for the "best fighters" valuing intellect over brute strength. It just seemed really well rounded. 

But Lyana and Rafe share a very dangerous secret that informs the decisions she makes during the mating games. As a dove, Lyana is the ultimate prize among the royal females. Every competing male would consider himself lucky to be chosen by her (or her father, as the parents do tend to scheme behind closed doors to make advantageous matches). In the end it is up to the children to follow through with their parents plans, or not. Because sometimes, what our parents think will be best for us, isn't (a fact I'm working very hard to remember when it applies to my own children). 

I don't really want to say too much more for fear of spoilers. I definitely look forward to reading the next book in this series, as I can't wait to see how Lyana and Rafe handle the problems that have landed at their feet at the end of this book. Overall I give The Raven and the Dove 4.298 out of 5 stars. - Katie 

Amazon

Bestselling author Kaitlyn Davis writes young adult fantasy novels under the name Kaitlyn Davis and contemporary romance novels under the name Kay Marie. Publishers Weekly has said, "Davis writes with confidence and poise," while USA Today has recommended her work as "must-read romance."

Always blessed with an overactive imagination, Kaitlyn has been writing ever since she picked up her first crayon and is overjoyed to share her work with the world. When she's not daydreaming, typing stories, or getting lost in fictional worlds, Kaitlyn can be found playing fetch with her puppy, watching a little too much television, or spending time with her family. If you have any questions for her--about her books, about scheduling an event, or just in general--you may contact her at: KaitlynDavisBooks@gmail.com

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