Stand outs in this group are

12 Days of Great White Christmas - parody of the 12 days using sharks.  It includes a fact section at the end.  It's quite well done and fun. 5 stars.

Diaries of a Dragon - I wasn't sure about this one, but the artwork and the story match each other pretty darn well. It was sweet. 3.5 stars

Once Upon and Ever After - most likely the best of this batch.  5 stars.  It deals with how the prince is affected by sterotypes as well as princesses.

What the Fox Learnt - pretty good retellings of Aesop tales about foxes.  Three stars.

Champ and Nessie - actually makes good use of Nessie and Champ to teach about earth history. 3 stars

Sun and the Moon - good retelling of the Korean tale.  3 stars

Sophia and the Popcorn Dragon - a bit too cute, but woc so that was cool.  3 stars.

Unicorns, Magic and Slime -predictable but fun.  3 stars

Dollhouse Elf -(not pictured) not bad, predictable. 

To be missed

The farting book - the whole thing about dad working around in his boxers was a bit strange.

I Spy - the word scarf is missed spell.

For Love or Until by Anne Garboczi Evans
This story starts out with Ness, a Celt and she's warming the water. Cedric loves her since forever. He wants to set up his farmland before he asks for her hand.
She plans her farmland and wants to raise sheep and weave the wool.
After the dance she's informed he had asked someone else to marry another girl.
The Roman tribune, Aquillus wants to marry her to raise their children as Romans and she accepts in retaliation of not being wed by Cedric.
She thought she'd be closer to her family but is not within days of their location any longer. She tries to befriend women and they just hate her, like she's from the wrong side of the tracks.
She has to go through so much pain and heartbreak and you wonder if the couple will ever be happy at all...
Parts that struck me the most were those of what she has to do to survive for her children and herself as she lends to the fields. She follows her passions and something she always wanted to do.
Like that after the Latin phrases are spoken they are translated in English so you can not left in the dark. Enjoyed listening to their traditions as they are explained.
Love the travel and that she had brought seeds for the land she was moving to. Love that knitting is mentioned and things other make and sell to make money for the family.
Love learning new words as I look them up to find out what they mean.
Excerpt from the second book in this series is included.
Received this review copy from the publisher Olivia Kimbrell Press via Bookfun.org and this is my honest review.

It’s a Fugly Life was quite a wild experience. And a fun, sincere one, at that. Written in Mimi Jean Pamfiloff’s unique style which blends humor, heart and sensuality with ease, this was a romance–and a personal journey taken by our heroine–which will surely resonate with readers.

“You may have had surgery to make your face beautiful, but you’re still walking around like you don’t deserve more in life.”
“Why would you say that?” I snapped. It hurt. And it wasn’t true. Okay, maybe it was, but everyone–everyone–had challenges to deal with. My fugly voice was mine, and I was dealing with it.

I really do think this story will be easy for nearly everyone to relate to. Once you strip away the funny bits and the sexy moments and the drama, Lily, at her core, was a confused woman struggling with her self-confidence and her inner ‘fugly’ voice. You know which one…that voice that niggles away and tells you that you’re not good enough to deserve happiness, or not pretty enough, not smart enough. I’m sure we’ve all had moments like this and some of us, like Lily, face it every day.

Read More

Release date: October 24th, 2016

Faith was heartbroken when Stephen joined the army and left England without even a goodbye note. As far as she knew, they were more than friends and shared a bond that in her heart she dared call love. Stephen apparently didn’t see things that way.
He was a rake of the first class. He pretty much refused to carry the title of a Duke by being a rake of the worst class and by providing fuel to the endless gossip and tales that people liked to create about him. Four years later, Stephen returned claiming to be a changed man, ready to settle down and asking Faith for a second chance.

So, our hero wounded our heroine and now he’s trying to make amends. Faith sounded a smart woman, resolute in refusing Stephen advances because she knew the kind of man he used to be and of course she didn’t want her heart crushed once again. Also, the fact that he brought home some unwelcomed people didn’t help much his cause.
As I was reading I kept asking myself, can a rake truly change? Can you learn to believe in him again? Particularly in this instance when he kept saying one thing but actions expressed something completely different. He was open and honest with Faith (I mean, I was reading his side of the story) but she didn’t know that so she relied on what she saw to make a decision. The good thing is that he never gave up on her and in the end she realized that either she took a risk or she could lose him forever.

Although the story was a bit slow-paced for me it was still enjoyable. In truth, I think it was more a matter of lack of communication that delayed the HEA than anything else. It is part of a series but can definitely be read as a standalone and I recommend it to historical lovers that like light stories with a bit of heart tugging.

** I requested and received this book from the author at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher. **