To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most--a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen and or remain a human forever.
The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby--it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good--But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

Cover: I really like how simple this cover is, I like how it's relevant and the connections to the story.  And I really like that it's not a romantic cover, with a girl in a dress with a handsome boy on it.

I had this book on my kindle for just over a month before reading it, and I'm so glad that I finally picked it up- I freaking loved it.

It's a dark re-imagining of The Little Mermaid and I was hooked from the beginning.

I was worried I wouldn't connect with Lira because she's a killer.  A Royal siren whose mother is the Sea Queen, from a young age her mother has guided her, instructed her.  Shaped her into a killer.  A prince killer.  She lures them in with her song and then takes their still beating hearts from their chest.

So yeah...I did think I would struggle.  But I didn't.  I was drawn to her as a character and I think I recognised that she would be a different kind of protagonist.  And she was.  Not all good and not all evil either.  I really liked seeing her progress as a character.

Elian- the pirate prince.  He's drawn to the sea.  He doesn't want to become king, he'd much rather sail the seas ridding the world of sirens.  Killing isn't easy for him, but he does it for the  greater good.

I loved the banter between these two characters- they were very funny interactions to read, the one upmanship.  I did hope for a romance, and I got one, but what I liked for a change was that it was a very slow burn romance.  It wasn't instalove, and it wasn't the sole focus of the book. 

I loved this book, but I do wish there had been more world building of the underwater world.  We get to hear a lot about Midas -the prince's kingdom.  About how everything is golden and opulent, and some of the other kingdoms but we didn't get much of a visualisation of the underwater kingdom.  We get told that Lira keeps her 17 stolen hearts under her bed- we I couldn't really visualise what I sirens bedroom looked like.

Over all I devoured this book and look forward to seeing what else Alexandra Christo writes.

5/5 stars.

QUESTION FRIDAY! 25/05/18 REQUIRED READING?

This week's question is;

Q) During school and colleague I had to do a lot of required reading.  So my question is, did you ever come across a book that you had to read, but that you ended up loving?

A) I took English language and Literature at A Level and there was a lot of required reading.  Some of the course literature I had already read, such as Frankenstein.  So it wasn't new to me.

We read Hamlet but I find reading plays difficult, as they're meant to be performed I sometimes struggle to really enjoy the experience of reading them.

So my A level reading, I would say not really.

However during school, kind of GCSE age I think, we read Holes by Louis Sachar.  And I have to say I loved it.  Really hooked me into the story and I didn't want to put it down.  Ended up reading ahead and finishing it because I just couldn't wait for the next lesson to read the next chapters.

We also watched the Disney movie adaptation in class, which I also loved.

Waiting On Wednesday 'Stay With Me'

Waiting on Wednesday is all about sharing the books that I'm eagerly waiting to be released.

This week the book that I'm waiting on is Stay With Me by Kirsten Proby, #9 in the With Me In Seattle series.  This is the first series I ever read of Kristen Proby, and it's the series that got me into her books.  The series was 'over' but now we're getting a new book!  Can't wait to delve into it!

Released 29th May 2018.

From New York Times Bestselling Author Kristen Proby comes Stay With Me, an all new addition to the series that has sold more than a million copies to date, her beloved With Me In Seattle Series!

Amelia Montgomery has left her past behind her. With a beauty and fashion career that’s skyrocketing and a loving family around her, everything else is just junk in the rearview mirror.

Until it’s not.

When she has to drop out of the public eye, her cousin Jules offers her a new, temporary life on the Puget Sound. Her past may be catching up with her, but hope for the future is in Seattle.

Wyatt Crawford can’t figure out the enigmatic beauty who’s living next door. As an architect, he’s usually good at looking beneath the surface—but she barely even leaves her house.

Until she needs his help.

When she knocks on his door, how can he resist? It isn’t long before Wyatt and Amelia become more than just neighbors. But when he finally learns the truth, will the skeletons in her closet be too much for him to handle, or will he stay?

TEASER TUESDAY: To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read

- Open to a random pageShare two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Teaser from the 81% mark.

I stop dead and the rest of the crew stills alongside me.  Elian's gloved hand hovers dangerously close to mine, and though I feel the air spark and warm between us, I don't look at him.  I can't.  I can only stare ahead my feet elves farther into the snow the longer I stay still.  But I can't move either.  Ahead there are wonders.  There is the palace, carved from the last breaths of my goddess Keto.

Synopsis

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most--a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen and or remain a human forever.
The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby--it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good--But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

MAY EBOOK HAUL

Sick Fux by Tillie Cole

When Ellis Earnshaw and Heathan James met as children, they couldn’t have been more different. Ellis was loud and beautiful – all blond hair, bright laughs and smiles. Heathan was dark and brooding, and obsessed with watching things die.
The pair forged an unlikely friendship, unique and strange. Until they were ripped apart by the sick cruelty of others, separated for years, both locked in a perpetual hell.
Eleven years later, Heathan is back for his girl. Back from a place from which he thought there was no return. Back to seek revenge on those who wronged them.
Time has made Heathan’s soul darker, polluted with hatred and the thirst for blood.
Time has made Ellis a shell of her former self, a little girl lost in the vastness of her pain.
As Heathan pulls Ellis out of her mental prison, reviving the essence of who she once was, down the rabbit hole they will go.
With malice in their hearts and vengeance in their veins, they will seek out the ones who hurt and destroyed them.
One at a time.
Each one more deadly than the last.
Tick Tock.

Dark Contemporary Romance. Contains explicit sexual situations, violence, disturbingly sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language and very mature topics. Recommended for ages 18 and over.

I'm not sure what I make of this book if I'm honest.  I love Tillie Cole's books, and am an avid fan, particularly of her Hangmen series, which is pretty dark. 
Sick Fux is described as dark...which it is, but I'm not sure that I loved it as much as her other books.  When I was reading I didn't feel that love for the characters.  I didn't feel completely invested in the story.
Dolly and Rabbit were interesting characters...but I didn't love them.  I felt so awful for them for what they went through as children as it was really awful, and hard to read to be honest.
I understood why Dolly and Rabbit (real names Ellis and Heathan) created an alternate world and identity for themselves. 
Over all, I'm glad I finally read this one, but I think it was a little disappointing.  It just wasn't as the same level as her others books that I've read.
Beware this could be very triggering for some as not only is the violence pretty graphic, the child abuse situations are very disturbing.
2.5/5 stars.

Grow With Me: A With Me In Seattle Story

I love the With Me In Seattle series, and Kristen Proby's books in general.  And Play With Me was one of my favourite books in the series.  So when I saw that Kristen had released on her website a short story about Will and Meg I was really excited.  I really enjoyed this short story- and it is a short story.  Just a little catch up with them and where they're at in their relationship.  It was really sweet and cute and I loved seeing those characters again.  I hope we get some more short stories, catching up with other characters from this much loved series.
4/5 stars.

QUESTION FRIDAY! 18/05/18 FORMAT?

This week's question is;

Q) What format of book is your favourite? Paperback or hardcover? eBook? Audio book? New or second hand?

A) For me as a book lover, I love having a physical copy of a book.  Nothing better than holding a book, turning the pages, and smelling that book smell.  However over the last few years, I've been buying less physical books than I used to, for no other reason than space.  I have limited bookshelf space and do not want to reinforce the floor!  I just don't have the space for unlimited paperback or hardcover books, as much as I love having them.

I do really enjoy reading on my Kindle Paperwhite.  I like that I can travel with hundreds of books, and yet they weigh almost nothing.

Another bonus for eBooks is that for the majority of the time, they are significantly cheaper, saving me both money AND space.

When it comes to paperback over hardcover I do like having hardcover books from my favourite authors- they're just more sturdy.  I like that I can take the dust jacket off while reading, and when finished, can pop it back on and it and have it look like it's never been read.

.

RELEASE DAY BLITZ - One More Night by Jenika Snow

When my sister passed away I adopted her daughter, Dolly, and raised her as my own. We were all we had left in this world and I was going to try my hardest to make sure she never wanted for anything.

That’s why I needed someone I trusted to watch over the most important person in my life. Being a businessman meant I was out of the house a good portion of the day, a necessary evil to provide for Dolly. A live-in nanny would ensure Dolly got the best care possible when I wasn’t with her.

And when I saw Emma for the first time I didn’t just see a caretaker for Dolly. I saw a woman who had every caveman instinct in me rising up like a primal beast. I felt possession and need for Emma the likes of which I’d never experienced before.

I didn’t just want a nanny anymore, I wanted Emma … all of her.
She might think this was just another job, but before our time was up Emma would realize she was mine and I wasn't letting her go.

Warning: Guys, this book is going to give you whiplash for how insta-crazy it is. Talk about a hero who can’t keep his hands off his woman! This may look like a sugary sweet read—and it is—but make no mistake: it’s filthy as hell. We have one alpha hero who instantly falls for the heroine and won’t let her go. Maybe a little obsessive, but hey, that’s what we like.

His other hand pressed against my lower back and I gasped from the searing heat of that lone touch. When he pulled me closer, I groaned, his erection pressed against my belly. We were both frantic with need then, unable to stop what was about to happen.
“This is going to happen,” he said harshly and I could only nod in agreement.
“It’s crazy fast.”
He grunted. “It’s fucking perfect.”
When he broke the kiss to remove my clothes, I didn’t stop him. Once the material was gone our mouths were latched back together. Eyes closed, body lost in feeling, I brought my hands to the front of his slacks and fumbled with the button. I needed him naked, needed him to be pressed up against me in all his hard, powerful maleness.
His erection pressed demandingly against his slacks and all I could think about was what it would feel like to have him inside of me. He kissed me with so much demand I was helpless. Never removing his lips from mine, I was vaguely aware of the sound of his zipper being brought down. And then I felt the scorching-hot length of him press against my belly.
A moan ripped from me.
I had my hands on his shoulders, my nails digging into his body. I needed him impossibly closer. My bra still covered my breasts and I wanted the offending fabric gone. I wanted to feel his skin against mine.
“I need you naked,” I whispered, and pushed his shirt up almost frantically. The air left me when I glanced down at his hard chest. Tattoos covered his golden, muscular flesh.
“I need to have every part of your body on display so I can fucking own it.”
A shiver worked its way over me after he said those deliciously dark words.
I lowered my gaze down to his hard cock and swallowed. He was hung like a fucking monster. Before I could drag my gaze from the sight of his stiff dick, he had his hands pressed right below my ass and was lifting me. He held me for long seconds as he fucked my mouth. And there were no other words to describe exactly what he was doing.

Jenika Snow, a USA Today bestselling author, lives in the northeast with her husband and their children.

She prefers gloomy days, eats the topping off of her pizza first, and prefers to wear socks year round.

Author Links

Twitter  Facebook  Web  Goodreads  Amazon

RELEASE DAY BLITZ - Shameless (Enemies to Lovers #5) by Michelle Horst

RHETT

Evie Cole. She’s the one person I can’t figure out.
People say they love you, but what they really mean is that they love how you make them feel about themselves, or what they can take from you.
I can’t leave her on the streets, so I make her a deal she can’t refuse. It buys me the time I need to figure out whether Evie is the real deal or just another gold-digger.
The day Evie graduates, she breaks all contact with me, which proves that she was only in it for the money.
At least, that’s what I think, until random payments are made to my bank account.

EVIE

Rhett Daniels. My hero, who saved me from a life on the street. My unrequited love, who will sleep with every girl but me.
His playful smile and humorous façade might fool others, but not me. I see myself in his eyes.
He only has one rule.
He’ll pay for my education, giving me a chance to become independent. All I have to do is keep my clothes on which also means no dating.
I hate being his charity case, but I tell myself it will only be until I graduate. I will find a way to pay him back.
The worst part is that I fell in love with him.
Hoping to forget the one man I can never have, I move to the other side of the country. I’m determined to make it on my own, but things don’t always work out the way we want them to.


Rhett Daniels & Evie Cole ~ Book 5 in the Enemies To Lovers Series

This is book #5 in the Enemies To Lovers Series. Each book in the series is about a different couple. To get the full experience of their friendship, I'd recommend that you start with Heartless.


EXCERPT

“Let me give you a ride home. You can’t walk in this weather,” Rhett says as I start to turn around.
I’m shaking my head before he’s even done talking. There’s no way that I can be alone in a car with him right now. I’m too embarrassed from knowing about the blowjob. The ride home will only be painfully awkward.
“I like walking in the rain,” I say, but my shivering from the cold doesn’t make me sound very convincing.
Time to make a run for it, Evie.
“See you around.” The words rush from me as I spin on my heel, walking away as quickly as I can without falling down again.
The next second, strong fingers wrap around my arm, and I’m whirled back around. I slam into Rhett but before I can recover from the shock, he bends down, presses his shoulder against my stomach, and then I’m airborne.
“What are you doing?” I shriek as my book bag tumbles to the ground. I’m too busy clinging to the soaked fabric on his back to try to stop my bag from landing on the pavement.
“It’s wet and fucking cold out here, woman” Rhett growls as he plucks my bag from the ground.
I try to wiggle my body out of his grip, but his arm tightens over the back of my thighs.
“Rhett!” I hiss through my teeth, dumbfounded by his caveman behavior. “Put me down.”
I place my hands flat on his back and feeling his hard muscles flexing beneath my palms, almost makes me forget that he has me upside down over his shoulder. I shake my head lightly to rid my traitorous mind of the foolish trance a few muscles has it ensnared in, and start to wiggle again.
A wet slap to my bottom makes my eyes widen, and my lips part as a tiny peep rushes from me.
Rhett just slapped me on the butt.
“You can’t walk home in this weather,” he says, calmly, as if this isn’t… crap, I don’t even have words for what this situation is. Nothing like this has happened to me before.
When I hear whistles and Rhett’s name being cheered from a nearby dorm, I pinch my eyes shut. My cheeks start to flame with embarrassment from other students witnessing this absolutely crazy moment.
I’m so thrown by what just happened that I remain speechless until we reach his car.
I hear my bag falling to the ground with a wet slap. Rhett moves his hands to my hips and pulls me down the front of his body. My breath whooshes from me as my feet meet the ground.
When I realize how close we’re standing to each other, I yank my hands back from where I was gripping his shoulders. The tight grip he has on my hips keeps me from moving further away, making my eyes dart up to his.
I should let him have a piece of my mind for tossing me over his shoulder, but my mouth dries up the instant our eyes meet. His eyes are so dark and intense that my stomach flutters with something I’d rather not name.
“Yo,” my mind snaps derisively, “don’t even think about going there. Get me out of the gutter.”  
I open my mouth but still, nothing comes out. I must look like a gaping fish right now.
“He’s off limits, silly girl,” my mind adds her two cents as if I wasn’t aware of that glaring fact which keeps slapping me upside the head whenever I have a moment of weakness, and I dare think that Rhett is hot… and dark… and broody… and sexy … and damn I’m so screwed.
His eyes finally release mine, but then they travel down my body. Doing a leisurely sweep down to my shoes before coming back up, it feels as if his heated gaze is scorching every inch of my icy skin.
“It’s no use,” my mind sighs sullenly. “You’re definitely screwed. When this blows up in your face, don’t come crying that I didn’t warn you.”
When his eyes collide with mine, and his fingers tighten their grip on my hips, I realize why I was upset about what that girl said in the library.
I want Rhett to notice me. Not as a homeless girl he needs to take care off, but as a woman.
The thought is so jarring and unexpected that I rip my body free from his hold. I grab my bag and walk around the car to the passenger side.
Breathlessly I say, “Fine. If you want your car wet it’s your loss. Can we leave already? I need to get home.”
I yank the door open and climbing into the car, I swear I hear him muttering under his breath, “It’s not the only thing I want wet.”

Michelle Horst is a Bestselling Romance Author who likes her books hot, dirty, and with a touch of darkness. She loves an alpha hero who is not scared to fight for his woman.

Want to be up to date with what’s happening in Michelle’s world? Sign up to receive the latest news on her alpha hero releases, sales, and great giveaways → http://eepurl.com/cUXM_P

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TEASER TUESDAY 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz'

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read

- Open to a random pageShare two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

This week's teaser comes from The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews who survived Auschwitz and eventually made their home in Australia. In that terrible place, Lale was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival - literally scratching numbers into his fellow victims' arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust. Lale used the infinitesimal freedom of movement that this position awarded him to exchange jewels and money taken from murdered Jews for food to keep others alive. If he had been caught, he would have been killed; many owed him their survival.

There have been many books about the Holocaust - and there will be many more. What makes this one so memorable is Lale Sokolov's incredible zest for life. He understood exactly what was in store for him and his fellow prisoners, and he was determined to survive - not just to survive but to leave the camp with his dignity and integrity intact, to live his life to the full. Terrible though this story is, it is also a story of hope and of courage. It is also - almost unbelievably - a love story. Waiting in line to be tattooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale - a dandy, a jack-the-lad, a bit of a chancer - it was love at first sight, and he determined not only to survive himself but to ensure that Gita did, too. His story - their story - will make you weep, but you will also find it uplifting. It shows the very best of humanity in the very worst of circumstances.

Like many survivors, Lale and Gita told few people their story after the war. They eventually made their way to Australia, where they raised a son and had a successful life. But when Gita died, Lale felt he could no longer carry the burden of their past alone. He chose to tell his story.

TEASER - from 15% in

"A shot rings out.  Men flinch.  Someone falls.  Lale looks in the direction of the shot, only for Pepan to grab his face and twist his head away.

A group of SS, mostly young, walk towards Pepan and Lale, guarding an older SS officer.  Mid- to late forties, straight backed in his immaculate uniform, his cap sitting precisely on his head - a perfect mannequin, thinks Lale."

QUESTIONS FRIDAY? 11/05/2018 'WHAT'S NEW?'

 

Question Friday is a new segment I want to start on this blog, where I just answer a bookish related question.  Please feel free to join in and leave your answers below.

An easy question to start;

Q) What new books, authors or genre are you enjoying at the moment.

A) At the moment I'm really enjoying my historical romance novels.  It's always a genre I enjoy, but they seem to be what I'm drawn to at the moment, more so than normal.  I'll pick up historical romance after historical romance.

As such I'm really enjoying authors such as Lisa Kleypas and Sarah MacLean, and have recently discovered Janna MacGregor, and read two of her novels.

APRIL 2018 FAVOURITES

WRAP UP | APRIL 2018

What a Difference A Duke Makes (School for Dukes #1) by Lenora Bell

Wanted: Governess for duke's unruly children

Edgar Rochester, Duke of Banksford, is one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in England, but when it comes to raising twins alone, he knows he needs help. The only problem is the children have chased away half the governesses in London. Until the clever, bold, and far-too-enticing Miss Mari Perkins arrives.
Lost: One heart to an arrogant duke

Mari knows how to wrap even the most rebellious children around her finger. But their demanding, wickedly handsome father? He won't be quite so easy to control. And there's something else she can't seem to command. Her heart. The foolish thing beats so wildly every time the duke is near.
Found: A forbidden passion neither can deny

As his employee, Mari is strictly off-limits. But what if she's the one breaking all his rules? In the game of governess versus duke, how can Edgar maintain his defenses when the only thing he wants to do is let the tempting beauty win?

Cover: I really like this simple historical cover, although I wish they cover model had red hair, as it's made obvious through the novel that the protagonist has red hair.

I've only read one other Lenora Bell novel, and I remember enjoying it, but not to the level of my favourite historical authors such as Lisa Kleypas, Sarah MacLean, Margaret McPhee etc.  So I don't know why I haven't picked up another one of her novels before now.

This one I loved, and completely devoured it pretty much as soon as it turned up for review.

I think I enjoyed it so much because it's very much a historical romance with elements of both Jane Eyre and Mary Poppins mixed in.

Mary Poppins similarities-

Female protagonist name: Mari Perkins

Has a Parrot head umbrella.

The children constantly run away.

One of the twins is called Michel.

Children have to take a spoonful of medicine before bed.

Jane Eyre similarities-

Male protagonist name: Edgar Rochester
Mari is orphaned much like Jane, sent to a cold and strict religious school, where her only close friend, called Helena, catches a fever and dies.
She becomes a Governess.
She sees herself as plain and unattractive, unlike a potential suitor that the Duke has called Blanche.
One of the twins is called Adele.
A death bed confession leads Mari to know more about her past and her family.

As you can see, particularly if you are familiar with both stories, the similarities between them.  I've seen a few reviews where people have hated them, calling them a blatant rip off.  While I can understand that, I really enjoyed them and thought they were well done and I thought elements from two stories were blended together to make a thoroughly enjoyable historical novel.

I really look forward to picking up the next book in the series, and I will definitely be picking up Lenora Bell's other books.

4.5/5 stars.