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review 2018-12-01 00:58
A magically delicious start to a new adult fantasy series...
Kill the Queen - Jennifer Estep

๏ ๏ ๏  Book Blurb ๏ ๏ ๏ 

 

In a realm where one’s magical power determines one’s worth, Lady Everleigh’s lack of obvious ability relegates her to the shadows of the royal court of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. Seventeenth in line for the throne, Evie is nothing more than a ceremonial fixture, overlooked and mostly forgotten.

 

But dark forces are at work inside the palace. When her cousin Vasilia, the crown princess, assassinates her mother the queen and takes the throne by force, Evie is also attacked, along with the rest of the royal family. Luckily for Evie, her secret immunity to magic helps her escape the massacre.

 

Forced into hiding to survive, she falls in with a gladiator troupe. Though they use their talents to entertain and amuse the masses, the gladiators are actually highly trained warriors skilled in the art of war, especially Lucas Sullivan, a powerful magier with secrets of his own. Uncertain of her future—or if she even has one—Evie begins training with the troupe until she can decide her next move.

 

But as the bloodthirsty Vasilia exerts her power, pushing Bellona to the brink of war, Evie’s fate becomes clear: she must become a fearsome gladiator herself . . . and kill the queen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

๏ ๏ ๏  My Review ๏ ๏ ๏ 

 

This first entry in the Crown of Shards Series opens up with this magically fantastical and intriguing world that feels part medieval mixed with some modern flourishes.  The cover encompasses this medieval-modern-ness that it has going on, perfectly. This is billed as Gladiator meets Game of Thrones (albeit it's a whole lot cleaner than GOT) and from what I know of those works...it's a fairly apt description. 

 

This book doesn't burden you with a whole lot of info dumping, it cuts right to the action and doesn't let up until the end.  This fast-pace is paired with a 28-year-old heroine that isn't the typical teenager heroine that you get with Fantasy.  There is also only a splash of romance and it's kept fairly tame, but for me personally, I hope that the romance heats up a bit in the second book.  Overall this was exquisitely bad-ass and I couldn't stop listening and I totally can't wait to listen to the sequel.

 

 

๏ ๏ ๏  MY RATING ๏ ๏ ๏ 

 

☆5STARS - GRADE=A+

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

๏ Breakdown of Ratings ๏ 

 
Plot⇝ 5/5
Main Characters⇝ 5/5
Secondary Characters⇝ 5/5
The Feels⇝ 5/5
Pacing⇝ 4.7/5
Addictiveness⇝ 5/5
Theme or Tone⇝ 5/5
Flow (Writing Style)⇝ 4.8/5
Backdrop (World Building)⇝ 4.5/5
Originality⇝ 5/5
Ending⇝ 5/5 Cliffhanger⇝ "to be continued"
๏ ๏ ๏
Book Cover⇝ Love it!  It is rather badass...
Narration⇝ ☆4.5☆ for Lauren Fortgang, I liked her better in this than I did in the Grisha Trilogy.
Series⇝ Crown of Shards #1
Setting⇝ Bellona
Source⇝ Audiobook (Library)
๏ ๏ ๏
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Amazon
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review 2018-08-20 11:04
Review! Curse Across Time by Shelley Munro!
Curse Across Time - Shelley Munro

 

 

Life is a chariot race for Marc Angelo and Tarquin Navona. Friends, rivals and rock stars of Circus Maximus in ancient Rome, they wow the fans with their daring driving and take their choice of lovers. A fine life indeed—if Marc weren’t harboring feelings for Tarquin. It’s difficult to behave normally when he craves physical contact with his friend’s muscular body, but Marc resists, too afraid of losing Tarquin entirely.

 

He needn’t have worried. Fate has plans for them. Very long-term plans…

When a powerful sorcerer catches Marc and Tarquin with his wife, he curses them to imprisonment in stone. Centuries pass, and Marc’s love and lust for Tarquin only increase. His friend doesn’t have a clue, but that’s the least of their problems. They have no idea how to escape their predicament—and may be doomed to spend eternity cursed.

 

Inside Scoop: Marc and Tarquin take a brief dip into M/F/M ménage waters. They discover quickly enough they should’ve contained their lust to each other.

 

This book was previously published under the title Stoned.

 

 

Curse Across Time is an charming and passionate erotic romance with sexy gladiators that takes across time. Marc and Tarquin are two strong, compelling character that easily capture readers’ attention and draws them into their story. The relationship between these two is sweet but not without its problems both emotional and physical, since they are imprisoned in stone for centuries. The plot is fast paced and smooth and while the short side keeps readers captivated from the very beginning.

 

Curse Across Time is a delightful and sensual read that is perfect when only have a short time to yourself or when you just need a quick and passionate hit of romance.

 

 

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28189697-curse-across-time

 

BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/books/curse-across-time-by-shelley-munro

 

Author - https://shelleymunro.com/books/curse-across-time/

 

 

 

Available in ebook at:

 

Amazon - http://smarturl.it/CurseAmazon

 

 

USA Today bestselling author Shelley Munro lives in Auckland, the City of Sails, with her husband and a cheeky Jack Russell/mystery breed puppy.

 

Typical New Zealanders, Shelley and her husband left home for their big OE soon after they married (translation of New Zealand speak – big overseas experience). A twelve month long adventure lengthened to six years of roaming the world. Enduring memories include being almost sat on by a mountain gorilla in Rwanda, lazing on white sandy beaches in India, whale watching in Alaska, searching for leprechauns in Ireland, and dealing with ghosts in an English pub.

 

While travel is still a big attraction, these days Shelley is most likely found in front of her computer following another love – that of writing stories of romance and adventure. Other interests include watching rugby and rugby league (strictly for research purposes), and curling up with a good book.


Website - http://www.shelleymunro.com/

 

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8603.Shelley_Munro

 

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/ShelleyMunroAuthor

 

Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/ShelleyMunro

 

BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/shelley-munro

 

Pintrest - http://www.pinterest.com/ShelleyMunro

 

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Shelley-Munro/e/B001JOWGNK

 

 

 

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text 2016-12-31 21:35
Best Science Fiction Romance Novels of 2016
Dark Minds (Class 5 Series) (Volume 3) - Michelle Diener
Forged in Shadow (Dark Planet Warriors Book 5) - Anna Carven
Mercy (Deridia Book 1) - Catherine Miller
Exile - Colleen Vanderlinden
Sarazen's Claim, Book One - Isabel Wroth
Warrior: A Scifi Alien Romance (Galactic Gladiators Book 2) - Anna Hackett
Assessing Survival (Mechanical Advantage) (Volume 1) - Ms. Viola Grace
Jaz's Warriors (Bondmates Book 2) - Ann Mayburn
Soros: Alien Warlord's Conquest (Scifi Alien - Human Military Romance) - Vi Voxley
So, I went nuts for Science Fiction Romance this year. I have always been a big fan but this year I couldn't get enough. I am hoping on a huge surge in this romance subgenre. Here are my favorite Science Fiction Romance Novels published in 2016. Please let me know If I missed your favorite! My lists are never in any particular order. 1. Dark Minds (Class 5 Series Book 3) by Michelle Diener 2. Forged in Shadow (Dark Planet Warriors, #5) by Anna Carven 3. Sarazen's Claim by Isabel Wroth 4. Mercy (Deridia Book 1) by Catherine Miller 5. Exile by Colleen Vanderlinden 6. Assessing Survival by Viola Grace 7. Warrior (Galactic Gladiators Book 2) by Anna Hackett 8. The E.T. Guy (Office Aliens Book 1) by V.C. Lancaster 9. Jaz's Warriors by Ann Mayburn 10. Soros by Vi Voxley The list with blurbs! 1. Dark Minds (Class 5 Series Book 3) by Michelle Diener he mind is the most powerful weapon of all . . . Imogen Peters knows she's a pawn. She's been abducted from Earth, held prisoner, and abducted again. So when she gets a chance at freedom, she takes it with both hands, not realizing that doing so will turn her from pawn to kingmaker. Captain Camlar Kalor expected to meet an Earth woman on his current mission, he just thought he'd be meeting her on Larga Ways, under the protection of his Battle Center colleague. Instead, he and Imogen are thrown together as prisoners in the hold of a Class 5 battleship. When he works out she's not the woman who sparked his mission, but another abductee, Cam realizes his investigation just got a lot more complicated, and the nations of the United Council just took a step closer to war. Imogen's out of her depth in this crazy mind game playing out all around her, and she begins to understand her actions will have a massive impact on all the players. But she's good at mind games. She's been playing them since she was abducted. Guess they should have left her minding her own business back on Earth… 2. Forged in Shadow (Dark Planet Warriors, #5) by Anna Carven Sergeant Arin Varga has a problem on her hands. She's supposed to be in charge of a squad of peacekeepers. That's something she would normally handle with ease, except that now her people are stuck in Earth's orbit on a doomed superfreighter. To make things worse, they're being held hostage by a group of very threatening, very menacing silver-skinned Kordolians, who are insistent that all they want is safe passage to Earth to kill oversized insects. One particular alien, who goes by the name of Rykal, seems be constantly getting inside her personal space. He isn't just threatening, he's friendly and threatening, and if Arin isn't careful, that could become a major problem. 3. Sarazen's Claim by Isabel Wroth One hundred and fifty years ago the most powerful countries of Earth built and launched five ships. Ships meant to carry what remained of humanity out into the space beyond their known galaxy to find a new home. As a third generation botanist, it never occurred to Clary Starborn that she might some day be in charge of anything other than her little lab. That changed the day their ship was attacked by an alien species straight out of myth. As commander of the Sarazen armada, Tarek had seen some poor excuses for spacefaring vessels. The one currently being attacked by the Na'ah was to date, the worst. So primitive in its design, Commander Tarek was fascinated it had even survived the harsh vacuum of space. Or the time it had taken to launch it. The species was unfamiliar to him, but initial scans suggested the beings within here somewhat intelligent. Though the ship was outside Sarazen territory, it was his duty to eradicate the Na'ah wherever he encountered them. He had not anticipated that by his actions, the course of his life would be forever changed. By a soft, delicate being who studied flowers and trees. One scent, one touch, was all it took to be Claimed. 4. Mercy (Deridia Book 1) by Catherine Miller Dishonourable. Unwanted. Outsider. Such are the slurs cast upon Rykkon, however undeserved. As the only village healer, his people cannot cast him out entirely, but there is little comfort in such a life when he has long known that no mate from his clan would willingly join with him. It is a lonely fate, but one Rykkon has learned to accept. That is, until one tense exchange between his people and the humans brings him an offer he simply cannot ignore. The humans are not their slaves. Nor their property. Nor of any great concern. But neither are they free. It is by the provisions of the Arterians they scrape out a sorry existence in the Wastes, and by their goodwill alone that they continue to survive. Scavenging for hasart beetles under the two suns is the only life the desperate colonists have known since their ancestors first landed on the desolate planet. It was all they knew. It was all they hoped for. Until one day, a young female dares to ask for more. 5. Exile by Colleen Vanderlinden Two races fight for what remains of a dying planet. For generations, the Maarlai, an alien race who fled the destruction of their own home world, have lived silently, hidden, exiled on Earth. They watched, year by year, as humanity destroyed what was once a planet full of hope and promise. Unable to idly watch as the planet dipped further into destruction, the Maarlai left their hidden villages and went to war with what was left of humanity. With the death of the last great human king, the Maarlai found themselves victorious and vowed to protect and restore the planet that had sheltered them for so long. A treaty made, an alliance formed. Shannen of House Lyon is a member of the last of the human royal families. While they bend knee to the Maarlai ruler, her people have not forgotten their former greatness, the years of bloodshed and horror... or the memory of their fallen king. To ensure a lasting peace between their two peoples, Shannen and three other prominent human women are sent to the Maarlai capital. One of them will wed the future Maarlai king, cementing the peace between former enemies. When Shannen finds herself married to the Maarlai warrior, she discovers a whole new world... and freedom unlike anything she could have imagined. When war threatens once again, she will need to decide where her loyalties truly lie. 6. Assessing Survival by Viola Grace A woman under repair with a skill for assessing survival meets a previous acquaintance who is now more than a match for her. In the year 2280, Earth has been at war for a decade. The Splice take the humans they capture and use them for parts. Sending bots in place of humans didn’t work, but taking the wounded and turning them into cyborgs has enabled Earth to push the Splice away from Earth. The combination of metal and man is turning the tide in a war that no one could have imagined. Adaptation Base is where the wounded are recycled into enhanced warriors, and when a terrorist action takes out the administration, the newest cyborgs will have to take things into their own hands. When Stitch comes to, her position as an assessment officer is still valid, but her new location on the front lines means a lot of adjustment. The men she had designed from the wounds out are now her team, and finding the one who had flirted his way into her heart—after all this time—leaves her vulnerable to his mechanical advantage. 7. Warrior (Galactic Gladiators Book 2) by Anna Hackett Weapon, brute, gladiator, warrior... Sirrush warrior Thorin has been called many things. As a warrior of his people, he was a dark, dangerous weapon until even his own family were too afraid of him. Sold into slavery in the Kor Magna Arena, he has long ago earned his freedom. Now he enjoys the violent but rewarding life he's carved out for himself. Until he rescues one small, smart, and perplexing female from alien slavers. Regan is determined to make a place for herself in her new home. She may not have the skills to fight in the arena, but she's smart and knows she can help...even as she fights her attraction to the big, bold, and fascinating Thorin. She knows he'll never be interested in her. But when Regan catches a glimpse of her cousin across a crowded market, she needs help to mount a rescue, and it comes in the form of the gladiator she desperately wants. A gladiator hiding a dark, uncontrollable secret with the power to destroy them both. 8. The E.T. Guy (Office Aliens Book 1) by V.C. Lancaster It's 2266, and Lois Kennedy is an Intake Officer for DETI, the Department of Extra-Terrestrial Immigration. Zir is a refugee from the planet Teiss, working in DETI's I.T. department. Lois and Zir just can't get along. As far as she's concerned, he's rude, abrasive, and condescending. She wants nothing to do with him. So why does he never leave her alone? He must be crazy if he thinks there could ever be anything between them... right? 9. Jaz's Warriors (Bondmates Book 2) by Ann Mayburn Growing up in Harlem, Jaz Brooks never imagined that there would be a day where she'd have two smoking hot alien husbands, Mavet and Xentix, who worshiped her. Or that she would be living on a Kadothian spaceship stationed on one of Saturn's moons as an Earth Ambassador. And she certainly never imagined her bondmates would be encouraging her to take a third husband, but that's exactly what's happening. Tandar Glycin has been fighting the Hive in the distant Bel'Tan galaxy for so long now he'd given up hope of ever finding his Matriarch. When word reaches him that his blood brother, Mavet, has bonded an Earth female Tandar is both elated and worried. Vicious rumors abound in the Bel'Tan galaxy about how horrible Earth women are and he worries that Mavet has taken a monster as his wife. When he first meets Jaz he quickly realizes that not all of the stories are true, and that the Lord of Life has blessed him with a kind, beautiful, and feisty alyah who is going to make him work to win her heart. 10. Soros: Alien Warlord's Conquest by Vi Voxley at Edwards is a woman who doesn't consider failure as an option. As a bounty hunter, she's seen the worst that the galaxy has to offer and she's not afraid of it. Or, at least she thought she'd seen the worst. But a certain Corgan warlord might just change her mind on that. Soros is more myth than man. The warrior who has trained all the warlords of note, he is feared and respected, lauded and despised in equal measure. Wanting no part in the wars being waged between his own people with the recent upsets in Corgan society, the warlord still finds himself getting swept away in the madness, held at sword-point by one of his own students. It only takes one woman for this warlord to realize that he can remain neutral no longer. It only takes one night for him to realize what is at stake - not only the universe, but her safety as well. Being pushed by impossible odds, Soros and Kat have no other choice but to push back. No wonder that they can't help but keep finding one another in all that tragedy. Can Soros become more than a myth and claim his rightful place on the side of good, or are some sacrifices just too hard to make? Can Kat capture her bounty one last time?
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review 2014-02-17 20:30
Review - "November's Gladiators"
November's Gladiators: Inside Stories of White House Advancemen, the Road Warriors of Presidential Campaigns - Terry Baxter

When the political season rolls around, we the American people only see the front lines: the candidates making speeches, attending events, and trying to win the votes of thousands of citizens. Meanwhile, the operations behind such a campaign, where all the work and organization is spent, remains hidden from the public. Who are the people that work tirelessly behind the scenes, in the shadows of the candidate in the limelight? What does it really take to successfully organize events, speeches, and other public appearances?


In this detailed and delightfully transparent work, Terry Baxter throws back the curtain and allows readers to get a rare backstage look into a political campaign. It’s not just any campaign, but the wild ride that took Ronald Reagan to the White House. You’ll follow the ups and downs of the political roller-coaster, and enjoy the thrills of unexpected twists and turns along the way. Showing off a different - but nonetheless, important - side of the political campaign system, you’ll discover more about American politics and its people than ever before!

Source: www.novembersgladiators.com
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review 2013-11-22 00:00
By the Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions; 10th anniversary edition (Modern Library Paperbacks)
By the Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions; 10th anniversary edition (Modern Library Paperbacks) - Richard Cohen I'd forgotten about reading this when it came out years ago. Written in a breezy style, I believe every fencer in the English-speaking world received a copy that Christmas. I, as a professional in the sport was no exception. Mr. Cohen speaks with a voice that attempts to appeal to all audiences though he must have suspected the fencing world would receive it with the high degree of suspicion and eager and unhelpful criticism it meets nearly everything with. My complaint with this book is that by trying to be all things to all readers, it fails to be anything to anyone. The history of fencers in the Olympic era is nearly impossible to discuss because we all violently disagree on what any bit of information means (I know this sounds strange to a non-fencer, but think about arguments about which Superbowl winning team is better than others)

If you want an ACTUAL book about the ACTUAL history of fencing, I would recommend (the much maligned and ridiculed) William M. Gaugler's book [b:The History Of Fencing: Foundations Of Modern European Swordplay|982642|The History Of Fencing Foundations Of Modern European Swordplay|William M. Gaugler|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1179986130s/982642.jpg|967531] I point out that the fencing world has a low opinion of Dr. Gaugler's thoughts as to the weakness or strength of modern fencing, but his approach to the history of the activity is very solid in this ex-professional's opinion. I warn you, it's not a quick or witty examination, but was that REALLY what you wanted?
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