Holling Clancy Holling's Stories from Ma...

Holling Clancy Holling's Stories from Many Lands by Holling Clancy Holling is a book for children ages eight to fourteen. 

 

The stories & illustrations are charming although somewhat outdated since it was originally published in 1927.  I gave it four stars.  Sadly, there were so many typos towards the end of the book that it was difficult to read. 

 

Little Big-Bye-and-Bye, Choo-Me-Shoo & Rum-Tum-Tummy are combined in this book.  Each story is completely stand alone.  I recommend it for children, parents, grandparent, teachers & librarians.

 

I would like to thank Dover Publications & NetGalley for a complimentary kindle copy.  This did not change my opinion for this review.

 

Link to purchase:    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486496341

Holling Clancy Holling's Stories from Ma...

Holling Clancy Holling's Stories from Many Lands by Holling Clancy Holling is a book for children ages eight to fourteen. 

 

The stories & illustrations are charming although somewhat outdated since it was originally published in 1927.  I gave it four stars.  Sadly, there were so many typos towards the end of the book that it was difficult to read. 

 

Little Big-Bye-and-Bye, Choo-Me-Shoo & Rum-Tum-Tummy are combined in this book.  Each story is completely stand alone.  I recommend it for children, parents, grandparent, teachers & librarians.

 

I would like to thank Dover Publications & NetGalley for a complimentary kindle copy.  This did not change my opinion for this review

 

Link to purchase:    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486496341

This book is a rather unusual read. I usually stay away from novels with paranormal elements. But occasionally I can read a witchy or fairy book. The entire series is about how 3 witches found love. I was curious so downloaded one of them.

I like the writing a lot. It is not a chore to follow through. That helped me with the paranormal sections.

Nicholas was the unfortunate jilted groom from the heroine of the first book. Now he is to be paired with the 2nd sister, Gillian. Their encounter was rather uneventful. Looking back, I don't think there was anything remarkable about it. What I liked the best about the book was Nicholas. He was supposed to be dark and evil and he was. But his interactions with Gillian made it all up.

Because it was a rather pleasant read I gave 4 stars. In terms of content I think this is a 3 stars book. It could have been a great book. I really enjoyed it and did not want to stop reading it. A few things to add:

1. Love potion: they are witches mind you. What is a witch without a love potion? I was exasperated reading about Gillian giving Nicholas a love potion. I would so hate her if I were Nicholas. Nicholas being the suspicous man that he was did not drink it but made Gillian think that he did. That saved this idiotic plot for me. But come on! A love potion was really testing my paranormal-averse boundaries.
2. All the paranormal elements: I knew what I was getting into so I was prepared for it. But I skim-read when they went on and on about witchcraft and ghosts. I think I am with Nicholas on this.
3. Nicholas: I like him. haha. (secret smiles)
4. Gillian: kind of blah but at least she was calm and was not angry a lot.

Do you sometimes just want to get away from it all? Well, recluses do it with style.  In Historical Romance, they do it drafty castles, windswept ranches, and manors on the moor. 

 

Here are some great Recluses of Historical Romance for your reading pleasure! My lists are never in any particular order.  I left the more obvious Beauty and the Beast retellings for another time. 

 

1. To Charm a Naughty Countess by Theresa Romain

 

Can a reclusive duke...

 

Brilliant but rumored mad, Michael Layward, the impoverished Duke of Wyverne, has no success courting heiresses until widowed Lady Stratton takes up his cause—after first refusing his suit.

 

Win London's most powerful countess?

 

Caroline Graves, the popular Countess of Statton, sits alone at the pinnacle of London society and has vowed never to remarry. When Michael—her counterpart in an old scandal—returns to town after a long absence, she finds herself as enthralled with him as ever. As she guides the anxiety-ridden duke through the trials of London society, Caroline realizes that she's lost her heart. But if she gives herself to the only man she's ever loved, she'll lose the hard won independence she prizes above all.

 

 

2.  The Lightkeeper by Susan Wiggs

 

Once, the sea took everything he loved… 

Jesse Morgan is a man hiding from the pain of his past, a man who has vowed never to give his heart again. Keeper of a remote lighthouse along a rocky and dangerous coast, he has locked himself away from everything but his bitter memories. 

Now, the sea has given him a second chance. 

 

A beautiful stranger washes ashore, the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Penniless and pregnant, Mary Dare is a woman who carries painful memories of her own. 

With laughter, hope and joy, Mary and her child bring light into the dark corners of Jesse's world. But when their friendship turns to passion and passion becomes love, secrets from the past threaten to take it all away.

 

3.  Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

 

As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde
Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens.
She never doubted romance would be in her future, too.  The storybooks
offered endless possibilities.

And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off.  One by one by one.

• Ugly duckling turned swan?
• Abducted by handsome highwayman?
• Rescued from drudgery by charming prince?

No, no, and... Heh.

Now Izzy's given up yearning for romance.
She'll settle for a roof over her head.  What fairy tales are left over
for an impoverished twenty-six year-old woman who's never even been
kissed?

This one.

 

4. The Lone Warrior by Lori Austin

 

Rose Varner needs a man…

But not just any man. The one known as “White Ghost with Hair of Fire.” He may be the only way to rescue her daughter, Lily, from the Cheyenne. Legend has it he was once the Cheyenne’s captive, but his courage impressed them so much that they accepted him as one of their own. Yet the man Rose finds seems far from legendary…

Luke Phelan’s tortured past has driven him to live as a recluse in the Smoky Hills of western Kansas. Having vowed to keep his distance from the Cheyenne, Luke refuses to accompany Rose on her rescue mission. But her bravery in the face of dangerous odds changes his mind. Now as they ride toward their destination, they’ll battle outlaws, bounty hunters, and their own rising desires before finding Lily. But the cost to Rose will be high, and her budding love for Luke will be put to the test…

 

5. Fool Me Twice by Meredith Duran

 

Sensible and lonely, Olivia Mather survives by her wits - and her strict policy of avoiding trouble. But when she realises that the Duke of Marwick might hold the secrets of her family's past, she does the unthinkable, infiltrating his household as a maid. She'll clean his study and rifle through his papers looking for information.

 

Alastair de Grey has a single reason to live: vengeance. More beautiful than Lucifer, twice as feared, and thrice as cunning, he'll use any weapon to punish those who fooled and betrayed him - even an impertinent maid who doesn't know her place. But the more fascinated he becomes with the uppity redhead, the more dangerous his carefully designed plot becomes. For the one contingency he forgot to plan for was falling in love...and he cannot survive being fooled again.

 

6. Daisy by Leigh Greenwood

 

While Tyler Randolph is prospecting for gold in New Mexico to get the money to build the hotel of his dreams he finds a woman wounded and left to die in a blizzard. He can't take her into Albuquerque because he doesn't know who's trying to kill her, so he takes her to his cabin. When the killers come after her, he makes it his job to protect her. Tyler is a loner not used to have a woman around. He's very self-conscious about his tall, lanky body and the fact that he isn't handsome like his brothers.

Daisy Singleton has no idea who killed her father and tried to kill her, or why. Awakening with a head wound in a strange man's cabin, she doesn't know whether to be afraid or angry. Being stranded in a mountain cabin with a silent, kind, bossy, bear of a man is frustrating. She just wants to go to Albuquerque and stay with her friends, but Tyler won't let her leave because he still doesn't know who's trying to kill her. When Daisy tells Tyler she's engaged to be married, he hustles her down the mountain.

Although Daisy stays with Hen and Laurel and Tyler returns to this mine, their story isn't finished. There remains a killer to unmask, Daisy's independence to establish, and the need to learn the truth about their feelings toward each other.

 

7. My Shadow Warrior by Jen Holling

 

Rose, the youngest of the MacDonell sisters, is more concerned with her father's mysterious illness than with her impending marriage to her childhood sweetheart. A gifted but frustrated healer, she decides to beg help from William MacKay -- a reclusive laird who is renowned not only for his ferocity, but also for his healing powers. Denied entry to his fortress in the cold, harsh mountains of the far northwestern highlands, Rose uses cunning to force her way in, and William is duly intrigued with this bold slip of a girl. But securing his help may not be enough to save Rose's father. For there is something darker at work in the glen, something more powerful than William's and Rose's magic combined, and only the soul-deep passion that shadows their mutual desire can help their love prevail.

 

8. The Prince of Midnight by Laura Kinsale

 

He was once a legendary highwayman. Now he’s a recluse in a ruined French castle, with only a half-wild wolf for a companion. When Lady Leigh Strachan comes looking for a man to aid in her revenge, she is disillusioned to find that the famed Prince of Midnight could not help even if he cared to—which he does not. S. T. Maitland wants nothing to do with his legend, or with this fierce, beautiful, broken woman . . . until the old thrill of living on the cutting edge of danger begins to rise in his blood again.

 

9. The Texan's Wager by Jodi Thomas

 

Thrown off a wagon train with two other women and trying to avoid jail for a murder they committed, Bailee Moore agrees to enter a "Wife Lottery"—a ploy concocted by the Cedar Point sheriff to secure wives for the men in the small Texas town. For the sensible Bailee, however, marrying Carter McKoy is like exchanging one life sentence for another—especially since her new husband hasn't even seen fit to utter a single word in her presence. But still, she can't help thinking that something about this strong, silent farmer could be the key to leaving her troubled past behind…and making a worthy wager with her heart.

 

10. The Summer of You by Kate Noble

 

Lady Jane Cummings expects her summer at Merrymere Lake to be hum-drum compared to London, but when rumors of a local highwayman lead her to discover the handsome gentleman Byrne Worth, nothing can keep her from Merrymere's most wanted.

 

Please vote for your favorite Historical Romance Loner on my Goodreads list: Hideaway: Recluse in Historical Romance

Isobell along with her sisters, were separated at a young age, and Isobel was sent to England for her protection. Their mother was killed when accused of witchcraft. Isobel is a seer, and has the ability to see the past and future of a object she touches. She has had to live in fear of her gift being realized. When she comes of age, her father sends for her, so that she can be married and protected by one of the most powerful men in Scotland. Her escort back home is Sir Philip Kilpatrick. Philip is known as a man who can find anything. Philip left home, even though he is the oldest and heir, he is blamed for the loss of his younger sister. At first, he forces himself not to care for Isobel, a woman of spirit and passion. But soon he realizes that Isobel is everything he desires in a wife, but will Isobel choose love or duty to her family?

My Wicked Highlander is the first book in the series, and the first book I have had a chance to read from this author. I have had this author in my eye for some time...I really was excited to read this and I was satisfied from beginning to end. This story is set in the Elizabethan era. A time where especially in Scotland, the king had zero tolerance for "witches" and anyone accused of witchcraft, whether guilty or innocent was killed right away. This is what sets the stage for the story. We have Philip, who has his own past and demons to deal with. He does have some pain to deal with, but we see a hero with strength and who is trying to do the right thing, especially when it comes to the woman he loves. I really loved the way the author puts his character in. He is not your normal highlander. Running from his past and his family, he has to come to terms with those inner demons before he can truly embrace his future. Isobel, is fun and charming. She has had to hide her gift, but she does have a bit of naive personality when it comes to her gift. She will use it without thinking the consequences through. She isn't afraid, even knowing what happened to her mother. Even though she is a bit naive, she is strong willed, and loyal to everyone she cares about. She is always wanting to help others, especially when she sees something in the future that is disastrous.

These two are quite a pair, and they wormed their way into my heart. There is a bit of conflict, but I loved the slow and gentle romance that forms into a charming love story and is breathtaking from the first to last page. Guaranteed to captivate!!