The Sport of Baronets

(Romance of the Turf, #0.5)

by

Theresa Romain

 

Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 

 

Published on November 3rd, 2015

(Read on November 2nd-3rd, 2015, from the review copy received from the publisher on NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.)

 

       

Description:

  

 An original novella introducing Romance of the Turf, Theresa Romain's exciting new Regency romance series...

The lives of Sir Bartlett Crosby and Hannah Chandler have been marked by fierce competition between their elite families...the perfect breeding ground for a mutual attraction neither can deny.

Bart hopes to conquer "the turf" through victory in a much-touted match. Should his heavily-favored colt win, the Crosby reputation and fortunes would be revived. Bart's plan seems poised for success until the lovely Hannah Chandler, daughter of a noted rival trainer, turns up claiming ownership of the colt. When Hannah insists on claiming her purchase, the prize colt disappears from Bart's stable. Theft or treachery? As Hannah and Bart rush to solve the mystery before race time, they uncover a scandalous truth about their families' pasts-a truth that has the potential to either destroy both their futures, or to guide them to a love they never imagined.

    

    

My Thoughts on the Novella:

 

 

The Sport of Baronets is a great introduction to this new series, with likable characters and interesting enough that will leave you eager for more. 

For me, when I read a historical romance series or contemporary romance series, it's all about the characters & their lives, their families & their friends. I love seeing & reading everybody's happily ever after, and this prequel novella is just the kind of story that will hook me on a new series.

In The Sport of Baronets, we meet Sir Bartlett Crosby & Hannah Chandler, members of families that have been in a feud for years. They don't even know how exactly it started, but it has always been like that: Crosbys vs Chandlers. They don't like each other, they don't socialize & of course, they're competitors in the sport.

From the beginning, I found the story to be fun & interesting. I liked learning about their families, and the secret about how it all started, as well as the mystery they find themselves in the middle of. Despite being all quite predictable, the journey was quite entertaining. I loved the interactions between Hannah & Bart, they getting to know each other & all that. It was absolutely charming & so sweet, and honest. That's how it felt to me, realistic & honest for the time period. I might be wrong, I'm not an expert, but the author imagined these two quirky, funny & kinda shy, yet strong minded characters, that actually want the same things for themselves & their futures, and it was wrapped up in this delightful package that I enjoyed quite a lot, and that I'd like to think that it almost could've happened. Not the mystery/feud part, and not all of it, but the meeting of a lady & a gentleman, and their flirting & conversing, and just falling for each other, without any pretenses & playing games. I just found it refreshing. Also, the guy wasn't a rake or a scoundrel or something like that, so I really liked that & loved his shyness.

That being said, I loved both Bart & Hannah as characters. They are engaging, interesting & sweet, and really likable, and their romance is so sweet & charming, that I will probably read their story again. Also, I can't wait for some glimpses of them & their life together in the following books (about which I can only hope so). 

 

So, yes, I highly recommend this prequel novella to every fan of historical romances, and I'm definitely going to continue reading the series. Once again, Theresa Romain has done a great job, and I'll continue reading her works!

  

     

   

My rating: 4 of 5

 

 

Challenges:

  

~ Q4 Review Pile Reading Challenge

 

Title: The Pirate Pig

Author: Cornelia Funke

Illustrator: Kerstin Meyer

Translator: Oliver Latsch

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Imprint: Random House Books for Young Readers

Publication date: April 28th, 2015


My rating: 5 of 5


(Book re-read on July 18th, 2015, from the ARC received from the publisher, in exchange of an honest review.)  

Summary:

Who needs a treasure map when you have a pirate pig with a nose for gold?

 

Stout Sam and his deckhand, Pip, find a pig washed up in a barrel on the beach. They want to keep her as a pet, but they soon realize Julie is no ordinary pig. She can sniff out treasure! What happens if Barracuda Bill, the greediest and meanest pirate who ever sailed the seas, hears about Julie’s special talent?

Bestselling author Cornelia Funke brings her signature charm to this quirky, whimsical chapter book for young readers.

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

 

  

The Pirate Pig is a fun, interesting & entertaining children's book with lovely illustrations!

I have to admit that I actually read this book twice: once to my 6-year-old nephew, and once by myself. The first time, I didn't pay as much attention, mostly because I had to translate it to my nephew (he knows some English, but not enough, he's still learning), but I thought it's an ok book. And, at least I got the feedback of a child for whom the book is intended. 

He thought that the book was quite interesting, and he loved it, and he kept asking me when we'll finish it. We had to read it in two sittings, and only because I had to go home, but he wanted to know what will happen next. I mean, pirates and a pig that can find treasure. Any boy would love that! And he loved the colour illustrations. He loved finding the characters on the illustrations while we were reading it, and there was a 2-page picture of the pirate boat with all the names of its parts, and he loved learning them, too. So, yes, this book is amazing for children, and actually, I decided to give it to him, because I know he'll read it again & again, and probably by himself soon.

That being said, of course I was going to read it again so I can review it, and let me just say, I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I expected, even though I knew the story. It was quirky & fun, even funny, and the colourful illustrations really added to the story, so yes, it's a great book for children, and I highly recommend it for every child that loves books, no matter if it's a boy or a girl.
  

 
 

Challenges:

- COYER Scavenger Hunt: #55 - Read a book featuring an animal prominently in the story
- The Re-Read Challenge

 

Title: The Reality Bug

 

Author: D. J. MacHale

 

Series: Pendragon, #4

  

 

My rating: 4 of 5

  

  

(Book read from June 29th to July 7th, 2015.)

   

 

Summary:

 

 

VIRTUAL REALITY?
 

The territory of Veelox has achieved perfect harmony. Fifteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon arrives on this territory in pursuit of the evil Saint Dane, but all is peaceful on Veelox — because it's deserted. The inhabitants have discovered a way to enter their own personal dream worlds, where they can be whomever they want, wherever they want. Their bodies lie in stasis while their minds escape to this dream realm.
 
Fresh from his battle with Saint Dane in 1937 Earth, Bobby is confident that they can defeat whatever Saint Dane has planned for this world. But once Bobby enters the virtual world, will he be able to resist the lure of the ultimate in escapism?

  

My Thoughts on the Book:

  

And the adventure continues... The Reality Bug - the 4th book in the Pendragon series - is a little bit different, but still quite imaginative, suspenseful, adventurous, and maybe just a tiny bit scary because of the possibilities in the future that can actually happen. Sure, Lifelight was awesome & so amazing, but it makes you think & wonder...

Once again, Saint Dane is on the move, but he's not as present in this book, because at the beginning of the book, Saint Dane leaves the territory of Veelox, saying that his job there is already done, and Veelox is about to crumble.

 

I loved the story of Veelox. I mean, I loved getting into the world of Lifelight, it was quite interesting, but yes, Veelox was about to fall, and the blame was mostly on its people, and ultimately, I wouldn't want to live there... Aja (the traveller from Veelox) has realized the dangers that Lifelight presents to the territory, and has been working on sort of a cure, that's actually a virus, called the Reality Bug, and needs Bobby's help to implement her plan & hopefully save Veelox. 

I won't go into details, but I loved meeting the new & quite interesting characters, seeing Loor again, and learning more about the acolytes, too. Mark & Courtney want to become acolytes, and I enjoyed that part quite a lot, it was great.

And the story as a whole was fast-paced, full of danger, twists & turns, entertaining & imaginative, and quite the adventure. And that ending, OMG. Both for Veelox & Eelong. Things just got real. Not that they weren't already, but I think that the stakes has never been higher, and I can't wait to read the next book, and see what will happen next!

I can't recommend enough the Pendragon series! They're books that boys would love, but girls as well, and adults alike, despite being YA. Pretty much any fans of adventure stories, so I highly recommend it! It's one of my favorite series, and I know I'll enjoy reading the books again & again!

  

 

Challenges:

- Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2015

- 2015 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
- COYER Scavenger Hunt: #60 - Oldest book on my Goodreads TBR pile that I own

  
Title: Ever Near

Author: Melissa MacVicar

Series: Secret Affinity, #1

Publisher: Red Adept Publishing, LLC

Publication date: September 11th, 2013

 

 

My rating: 3.5 of 5
 
 
(Book read on July 18th to 19th, 2015, from the review copy received from the publisher, in exchange of an honest review.)
 
 

 Summary:

Love is ever near. But trouble is never far.

Nantucket Island is haunted, but only sixteen-year-old Jade Irving knows it. Ignoring the disturbing spirits isn’t an option, because one dwells in the enormous historic home she shares with her newly blended family. Jade is finding it more and more difficult to explain away Lacey’s ghostly, anguished tantrums, especially with Charlie, her gorgeous, almost step-brother, living right across the hall. 

When a power-hungry ghost hunter tracks down Jade and blackmails her, Jade’s secret teeters on the edge of exposure, and her entire future hangs in the balance. If anyone finds out Jade can talk to ghosts, her life will be forever changed. 

Can she save herself, free Lacey, and hang on to her tenuous connection with Charlie? Or will everything she ever wanted slip through her fingers?

  

 

  

My Thoughts on the Book:

 

 

Ever Near is one of those ghostly stories that will keep you interested & that just has that mysterious allure when it comes to that type of stories.

I really enjoyed the setting of the story. It being set on Nantucket Island, and all the scenes that happened on the beaches & the water made me long for a vacation, especially on these extremely hot summer days, so it's the perfect summer read. 

I didn't really connect with the characters. I mean, they were ok, I didn't dislike them, I guess they were likable enough, and the romance was ok, but I don't know... But, that didn't stop me from enjoying the story. I loved the ghostly part of the book, and learning about Jade's past when it comes to ghosts, I really felt like I knew her. 

It was a fast read, and even though I didn't find this book to be scary, if I was Jade's shoes, I would probably be scared to death. The things she has to endure...  And even though it was a little bit predictable, I still enjoyed the journey.

Overall, Ever Near was a nice paranormal YA read that I enjoyed quite a lot, with a good mystery, characters & ghosts, and good writing style, and I'm interested in reading more. The sequel sounds quite interesting. So, I recommend this book to every fan of YA ghostly stories! 

 

Challenges:

- 2015 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
- COYER Scavenger Hunt: #2 - Book with a cover that is at least 51% blue. 

 

Title: Nightborn 

Author: Lou Anders 

Series: Thrones & Bones, #2 

Publisher: Random House Children's Books 

Imprint: Crown Books for Young Readers 

Publication date: July 14th, 2015 


My rating: 4.5 of 5

  

  (Book read on July 10th to 13th, 2015, from the ARC received from the publisher, in exchange of an honest review.)

  
  

Summary:

 

 

Karn Korlundsson is a gamer. Not a riddle solver. But in order to rescue his best friend, Thianna Frostborn, he will need to travel to the faraway city of Castlebriar (by wyvern), learn how to play a new board game called Charioteers (not a problem), decipher the Riddle of the Horn, and tangle with mysterious elves.
 
Meet Desstra. She’s in training to join the Underhand — the elite agents of the dark elves. When she crosses paths with Karn, she is not all that she appears to be.
 
Everyone is chasing after the horn of Osius, an ancient artifact with the power to change the world. The lengths to which Karn will go in the name of friendship will be sorely tested. Who knew that solving a riddle could be so deadly?
 
The novel includes instructions for playing the board game Charioteers. Visit ThronesandBones.com for additional games, maps, character profiles, and more!

  

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

  

 

Frostborn - the first Thrones & Bones novel - was one of my top favorite reads in 2014. An absolutely amazing fantasy adventure with lovable main characters & imaginative magical world, so of course I was excited to read more...

 

Nightborn - the sequel & the second book in the series - overall doesn't disappoint. It might not be as amazing as Frostborn, but I had lots of fun reading this book, once again following Karn & Thianna on their adventures, and meeting a new favorite character, as well as lots of other interesting characters, and new places & cultures. Definitely entertaining, imaginative, action-packed, and quest-like adventure, with great ending.

 

From the beginning the storyline is quite interesting.  It will take you on a magical fast-paced adventure, with rich history & myths, and lots of magical creatures. Just pure fantasy fun, for children & adults alike!
 
It starts with the dark elves, and we meet Desstra & Tanthal, and learn about their society. I loved Desstra as a character, she's dangerous & cunning, but also nice, and I loved getting to know her & seeing her character development. As for Karn, he's at home, finally doing what he was supposed to do, at least until he's called on a mission. I won't go into details any more, but I loved the puzzle aspect, because I'm a sucker for quests & missions in fantasy books. I loved seeing Orm again, as well as Karn & Thianna. There was hardly any character development when it comes to Karn & Thianna (they were fully developed in the previous book, so I guess, the readers should definitely read Frostborn first), but Desstra's was done well, and I enjoyed every second of it. And the cast of secondary characters (both friends & foes) was interesting, and they all told a story that will suck you in & don't let go until you're done!

I highly recommend this book to every fan of fantasy books, no matter the age. And I think that the author had achieved what he had set out to do - Nightborn is a great fantasy adventure both for boys & girls, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series! 

 

 

Challenges:

   
- Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2015
- COYER Scavenger Hunt: #46 - Celebrate 2015: read a book that's number 2 in the series

 
Flunked
(Fairy Tale Reform School, #1)
by
Jen Calonita

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Publication date: March 3rd, 2015
 
  

 
My rating: 4.5 of 5
 
(Book read in January, 2015,  from the eARC received from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.)

 

  

 

Summary:

 

 

OUR MISSION:

To turn WICKED DELINQUENTS

and FORMER VILLAINS

into FUTURE HEROES

 

Gilly wouldn’t call herself wicked exactly…but when you have five little brothers and sisters and live in a run- down boot, you have to get creative to make ends meet. Gilly’s a pretty good thief (if she does say so herself).

Until she gets caught.

Gilly’s sentenced to three months at Fairy Tale Reform School - where all of the teachers are former (super-scary) villains like the Big Bad Wolf, the Evil Queen, and Cinderella’s Wicked Stepmother. Harsh. But when she meets fellow students Jax and Kayla, she learns there’s more to this school than its heroic mission. There’s a battle brewing and Gilly has to wonder: can a villain really change?

 

 

 
Amazon | B&N | BAM |!ndigo | IndieBound

 
  

My Thoughts on the Book:

 

  

Flunked - the first book in the Fairy Tale Reform School series is a wonderful new start & a new twist on the characters & villains from our favorite classic fairy tales.

I must admit that I wasn't sure about it at first, but before I knew it, I was hooked on the characters & the story & the world, and I loved the new twist, and I loved that it made you think about heroes & villains, and made you wonder what exactly makes a hero? 

I won't go into details, but Flunked is a delightful fantasy read, full with lovable characters that will get under your skin, lots of twists & turns, humour, magic, villains, mystery, and an imaginative & amusing fairy tale world that will leave you eager for more.

So, yes, I loved this book & everything about it, and I can't wait for the next book. Jen Calonita has written an enchanting & unique story, that I highly recommend to everyone, especially to fairy tale fans & children. I know that if I read this book when I was a child, it would've been among my favs. Then again, I've added it on my favs pile even now, and I'm an adult, so yes, it's that good!

 

So, if you enjoy entertaining books that are full of magic & wonder, fairy tale characters, humour & a mystery to solve, and books that will bring a smile to your face every time you think about them, then Flunked is the book for you, and I can't recommend it enough!

 

About Jen Calonita:

 

 

Jen Calonita is the author of the Secrets of My Hollywood Life series and other books like Sleepaway Girls and Summer State of Mind, but Fairy Tale Reform School is her first middle grade series. She rules Long Island, New York with husband Mike, princes Tyler and Dylan, and Chihuahua Captain Jack Sparrow, but the only castle she’d ever want to live in is Cinderella’s at Disney World. She’d love for you to drop her a line at jencalonitaonline.com or keep the fairy tale going at http://books.sourcebooks.com/enchantasia/

  
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 
 

 

Excerpt:

There’s a boy up there, standing on the crystal chandelier! He has slightly curly blond hair and is wearing a uniform—­a navy sweater vest over a white shirt with khaki pants—­but his boots are muddy. He’s stepping on priceless crystals with cruddy boots? Is he insane?

“Jax! What are you doing up there?” Kayla whispers heatedly.

“I’m cleaning the crystal for Flora,” Jax says and rolls his eyes. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m making

a break for it.”

Kayla applauds. “Yay! This time I know you can do it.”

I shade my eyes from the light bursting through the stained-­glass window next to the chandelier Jax is perched on. “Busting out? Why?” I ask Kayla. “I thought you said this place was cool.”

Jax laughs loudly and looks at me. I feel slightly stunned. I’ve never seen violet eyes before. “FTRS was fun for a while, but strange things have started happening and I don’t want to be here when something bad goes down.”

Strange things? What kind of strange things? Why does Kayla suddenly look pale?

“He’s exaggerating,” Kayla tells me, but she doesn’t sound convincing.

Drip. Whatever Jax is holding is leaking. Kayla and I move out of the way so we don’t get wet. “Grease,” Jax explains to me. “It lubes the window.” He swings the chandelier, and as it nears the window, he uses a fork to try to pry the window open. “A few more tries and I’ll have it.”

“Then what are you going to do, genius?” I ask. “You’re two stories up.”

Jax’s eyes gleam. “I’ve jumped from higher spots before.”

“It’s true,” Kayla says to me. “Jax once jumped from the gym to the dining hall turret. That was three stories up. We call him the Escape Artist. One time he even managed to break into Azalea and Dahlia’s rooms and borrowed their keys to the indoor pool so the whole dorm could take a midnight swim.”

“Impressive,” I tell him. “And I thought I was good at tricking obnoxious royals.”

“She stole a dragon’s tooth clip from one this morning,” Kayla fills him in.

“Nice,” Jax says. “Your first pull?”

“No, I’ve been doing it for a while,” I brag.

“Me too,” Jax says. “My father is a farmer. You can only get so far trading vegetables. I needed to kick things up a notch.”

For some reason, I don’t think any of us are going to make the transformation Headmistress Flora is looking for. “Why do you want to break out so bad?”

“I’ve got places to see, and Enchantasia isn’t one of them.” Jax swings the chandelier so hard the crystals clang together. The window latch pops open, and I watch Jax leap from the chandelier to the tiny window ledge. I’m in awe. Jax looks down at us smugly before pushing open the window. “Are you sure you two don’t want to join me?”

“There’s no time for us,” Kayla says. “Get out of here. Wait!” Her eyes widen. “You deactivated the alarm on the window, right?”

“There isn’t one,” Jax insists. “If there was, I wouldn’t be able to do this.” But when Jax lifts the window, we hear:

EEEEEE! EEEE! EEEE! Unauthorized exit! Unauthorized exit!

The shrieking sound is so intense that Kayla and I cover our ears. Within seconds, Flora is out of her office and running toward us.

Swoosh!

I feel something brush past me and I whirl around. When I look up at Jax again, a large, muscular man with a long mane of hair is hanging on to the window ledge, his furry hands pulling Jax back by his shirt. How did the man get up there without a ladder?

“Mr. Jax,” the man says in a low growl, “we really must stop meeting like this.”

 

  

 

 

If you get sentenced to Fairy Tale Reform School, it will help to have an ally. Take the quiz and find out who your mentor would be.
 
Fairy Tale Reform School Quiz 

 

 

GIVEAWAY: 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

  

Challenges: 

Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2015