@WriterJMK, @ReedsyDiscovery, #Fantasy, 4 out of 5 (very good)

Travel to a time gone by where love and loyalty don't mean a thing to the Emperors in charge.

The Songstress is the first book in the Records of the Three Realms series and the reader travels to a bygone age very similar in nature to China or Japan. It starts in a tearoom where Kari is trying to protect the young girl she sees as a sister from being taken as part of the Emperor's harem. Kari ends up going too and has to learn how to bend but not break as things are thrown at her that she had absolutely no comprehension about.

This is a rich and intricate tale, woven with skill, to make each scene come alive. Each word is used to the best of it's capability. The world-building is outstanding and the characters help to bring this world to life. Although this is a long book, it doesn't feel that way, as I found myself fully invested in the characters and what was happening to them now.

This is book one in a series so don't expect everything to be tied up neatly. It does finish nicely... for now, although if you are like me, you will definitely want the second book as soon as it becomes available.

This was a fantastic read that I thoroughly enjoyed and was engrossed in from start to finish. With a hint of magic all the way through, this is a book to be savoured. Absolutely recommended by me.

Ms. Kris does it yet again and what a captivating story this was as it drew you right in from the very beginning and just a few pages in and I was totally enthralled to the very end.

I have to say that I was a little apprehensive going into this story whether I was going to love this story or not as this is not the norm for Ms. Kris because she is really known well for her amazing mafia romance reads but, I can say after reading this story that was filled with secrets,lies,deceit,and a bit of mystery I don't know why I even thought that in the first place because everything this author writes is just simply amazing and I have to say that I loved it so much that I didn't want it to end and had there been a book two I would have dived right into that one too!

I have to say I loved the character's Erxy and Arelle. Arelle was just the sweet and kind a caring type with just a big heart who could be smart ,sassy , sexy and flirty.

Erxy was just one of those characters you felt sorry for as even being a prince he never felt he belonged or was loved by no other than by his mother alone and he also carried around a bit of darkness within him but, once the mother he loved so desperately was taken from him that darkness magnified and he became more intense and bruiting and down right dangerous and full of vengeance.

What I think we loved most about this story was the battle of wills between these two main characters. Erxy and Arelle she was the light and he full of darkness and that fine line of love and hate but , not matter what the draw the mystery the sexual desire and tension always remained there between them and that was hotter than hell and their chemistry off the charts.

I loved that this re-telling was a bit dark as in made the story more interesting and even more intense and even believable that a story like this could actually be true.I have to say Poe was also one of those characters that was not easily forgotten.

We loved the story from beginning to end and everything in between as the story was quite enthralling and it had a great cast of characters whether you loved them or hated them it was the perfect mix of both and no matter what you do you can not out run your fate.I also loved how Eryx also called Arelle his little mermaid all the time because even when he hated her his calling her this was always infused with affection ,lust and even perhaps even love and that always put a smile on our face.

"Just mesmerizing !"

The Betrayer is the third book in the Crossing Realms series, and I would definitely recommend you read books one and two first, as the characters and the storylines DO crossover.

Saying that, this book is about Curtis and Jordan. Curtis is the geeky computer Keeper - and you know I do love me a geek! Jordan is the betrayer, and yet there is so much more to her. In fact, you could even say she is the key to the Second Rebellion. I won't say anymore as I don't want to give away any spoilers. What I can say is this book is a great read!

It picks up where The Watcher left off, and the story goes along in leaps and bounds. The pacing is smooth, and not a single word is wasted. Everything is there for a reason, and it is thoroughly enjoyable. I love this world, and the characters that live there. I have enjoyed all three books so far in this series, and I really hope this isn't the last one. Absolutely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

@RebeccaNeely1, #Paranormal, #Romance, #Suspense, 4 out of 5 (very good)

So, after The Romantics I started to  re-read one of my favorite series, The Heir series by Cinda Williams Chima. There are 5 books in the series that I know of, and they are all AWESOME! So, I decided to get more books by her. I checked out a book called Flamecaster that she wrote. It was a different style than what she usually writes, but it seemed kind of bland. It was as if she reused story ideas from the Heir series, but buried them in battles, romance, and politics. And the character interactions seemed to be the same. So while it felt like the Heir series buried under a plot, I still like it and hope there are more in the Heir and Shattered Realms series.

Me and my partner (you can find her page here http://chesirecat.booklikes.com/) have some definite differences on our blog posts. I tend to write more long posts that have a lot to take in. She tends to update with posts that are short, and to the point. She also loves romance novels way more than I do.

One way that I use Booklikes as a way to find books is by following people. If you find friends that have the same interests in books as you do, look on their page. They are bound to have a book on there that you have not read yet. And if they are great posters, they will give a summary and rating of the book that can influence your choice on picking a new book.

Any contact between the “old world” and the “new world” before Columbus—besides the Norse—has been font of speculation writers for decades if not centuries, but what if contact was orchestrated by an otherworldly source?  The Lost Realms is the fourth book by Zecharia Sitchin in his The Earth Chronicles as he explores Mesoamerican and South American structures, hieroglyphics, and oral histories in conjunction with the same from Sumer to reveal their connection.

Beginning with the Spanish arrival in the Americas, Sitchin recounts their wonder at the structures and the treasures of the cultures they encountered, plundered, and destroyed in their conquests.  He then transitions to determining “who the Amerindians were” and then analyzing their architectural achievements as well as the cultural histories that were displayed on their walls, comparing them to sites in Sumer and Egypt as well as noting their many similarities especially in astronomical alignments.  Sitchin begins relating the mineral wealth that was not only historically located in both regions but are also currently still being mined even today.  Finally Sitchin wrapped up his book by connecting events in Sumer, especially relating to tin shortage then sudden abundance, to those in the Americas as brought about by the “gods”.

As with previous books, this one began academically but unlike previous ones this one remained so for the vast majority as Sitchin thoroughly detailed the cultures and sites so as to give evidence for his closing arguments.  Yet at times this academic approach became tedious with minute detailing that seemed more to be more word padding than anything else.  However, this book was still the shortest of the series with less than 280 pages of text and with a bigger font than previous volumes as well.  The final chapter of the book was the payoff as Sitchin used the evidenced he had brought—without repeating it which overwhelmingly helped—to argue for the Annunaki intervention in the Americas led by Adad (Viracocha) and Thoth (Quetzalcoatl).

My remembrance of The Lost Realm was completely different upon my rereading, but despite that the book’s detail is its strength while its minuteness is a liability.  Sitchin’s argument for his theory is better presented with less redundancy that has plagued others.  Overall this is a good book written by Sitchin to advance his theory.