My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows ~ My Review

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows 

Publication Date: June 7th, 2016 
Publisher: Harper Teen 
Pages: 491 
Received: Purchased my own copy. 
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars 

Book Blurb:

The comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey. In My Lady Jane, coauthors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have created a one-of-a-kind fantasy in the tradition of The Princess Bride, featuring a reluctant king, an even more reluctant queen, a noble steed, and only a passing resemblance to actual history—because sometimes history needs a little help. 

At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about. Jane is about to become the Queen of England.

My favorite kind of stories are “What if” stories. You know, if you stopped a story at a certain point and changed it a little and the story goes off in a different direction. So, My Lady Jane is like that. Authors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows took a few liberties and revised history a little to bring us this humorous, exciting and adventurous tale!

We all know the story of King Henry the Eighth, married six times, and father of Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward. And after his death, Edward became king at age nine and unfortunately died at the age of 16 and then his cousin Lady Jane Grey became Queen for nine days before she lost her head and Mary became Queen. But what if there were people, during that time in history, that had the ability to change into an animal? That could change things a bit, don't you think? ;)

Edward and Jane have always wanted to be an Edian; a person who can transform into an animal. (Edwards father King Henry VIII could turn into a lion!) Try as they might, they showed no sign of the ability. Not everyone loves the Edians as much as Edward and Jane. There were a few Verities (people who could not change) who did not care for them and didn’t want them around.

As the story begins, Edward is dying, and he needs to name a successor to his crown. His sister Mary hated Edians and would band them, and Edward didn’t know how Elizabeth felt about them. But he was aware that Jane loved them and would protect them. So, he named Jane his successor and arranged for her to marry Gifford Dudley.

Jane doesn’t want to get married. Ever. And if she had to marry someone, she hoped to marry Edward because at least they were friends. But Edward is dying, and he has asked her to marry Gifford. What she doesn’t know, is that her new husband is a horse! 

Soon, Jane is Queen, and Mary’s troops are marching into London to take the throne. What will Jane do? 

My Lady Jane was so much fun to read! I loved the Edian twist to it! I also loved the way the narrators would talk to the reader, and the modern metaphors used throughout the story! Plus, the excitement and adventures they had trying to take the kingdom back! Throw in a couple of sweet romances, and you have a wonderful story! 

My favorite characters: Edward, Jane, Gifford, Gracie, and Gran.

5 stars!

Buy: Amazon • B&N
Add to Goodreads.

FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!

You can find the authors on My Lady Jane website!

Any thoughts? I'd love to hear from you!

What Are You Reading? ~ October 12, 2016

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What are you Reading?  Let me know what your current read is, what you recently finish reading, and what you plan on reading next! 

Here's my list: 

I've just started The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron. This book came in my September Uppercase Box. It looks great, and so far, everything I've received from Uppercase has been good! I can't wait to get further into it!

I didn't do a lot of reading this past week. I spent a lovely three day weekend working on some craft projects; making Christmas cards by day and cross-stitching at night while rewatching Gilmore Girls. :) I did manage to read a little more of A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin, also! 

I finished reading The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer. It was okay. I never warmed up to the male protagonist, but the action picked up, and I enjoyed that! 







What's next? Sometime this month, I want to pick up This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab. This dark urban fantasy was another book that I received from Uppercase.  







FTC Disclaimer: Book links to Amazon - I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!

I'm linking up with This Week In Books hosted by Lipsyy Lost & Found.

And with Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. 

So, tell me, what are you reading? 

'She Coloured' Illustrated by Amanda Kastner ~ Guest Post

Hello, My Friends! It's my pleasure to have Amanda Kastner visiting with us! She is the illustrator of She Coloured a Jane Austen coloring book!

Thank you, Candy, for inviting me to your blog! I'm delighted to share a little about my Jane Austen coloring book with you and your readers.

As an avid reader and Janeite, I find myself quoting Jane Austen's novels often. As an artist, I love to illustrate scenes from the stories I enjoy. Combine these interests, and a Jane Austen coloring book is the obvious result!

She Coloured features 24 illustrated quotes from Jane Austen's novels. The title, "She coloured" is also a quote from almost every Austen novel--and I enjoy the play on the word "coloured" in this context!

I designed this to be a coloring book that I would enjoy coloring (that means coloring people!) and one that includes hand-written quotes worked into the design of frame-worthy illustrations.

As I planned each illustration, I tried to include fun details that Janeites will enjoy. Here's one of my favorites: in the illustration with Lizzy and Lady Catherine, the notes are from the "Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major" by Mozart--the piece that Lizzy plays at Rosings in the 1995 BBC adaptation!

You can preview all 24 illustrations on my website (http://bit.ly/janeaustencoloring) or get 3 sample coloring pages for free! (http://gum.co/freeJAsampler)

She Coloured is now funding on Kickstarter! (http://bit.ly/shecoloured) When you back She Coloured you are basically pre-ordering the coloring book to help with initial printing costs. You can choose to receive a copy of the coloring book, a set of colorable greeting cards, or a Pride & Prejudice art print! 

Amanda Kastner is an illustrator and bibliophile living in the beautiful lake country of Minnesota. She loves to read and collect old books, illustrate story ideas, and generally raise the fire hazard level of the house with ever-present, ever-shifting stacks and drifts and mountains of papers. 

Illustration Blog • Instagram • Facebook • Pinterest • Twitter

Thank you so much for stopping by Amanda! You're very talented, and I love your colouring book. As a backer myself, I can't wait to receive my copy of She Coloured!

Friends, what do you think of Amanda's work? 

Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth Blog Tour ~ Excerpt & Giveaway!

Hello, my friends! It's October, and you know what that means! Scary reads, or maybe a paranormal will do! I have one some of you might enjoy, Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth by Colette Saucier! I haven't read it yet, but I did read the first Pulse and Prejudice (you can read my review here) and enjoyed it. But be forewarned! Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth is a darker, sexier and more violent than your typical Austen retelling. In fact, I have been told this is NOT Austen.

Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth by Colette L. Saucier
The Confession of Mr. Darcy, Vampire, Book II

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Publication Date: eBook August 8, 2016; Print October 2016 
Publisher: Southern Girl Press
Word Count: 80,000 

Book Description:

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy - elegant, dark, brooding...vampire. In Pulse and Prejudice, the definitive vampire adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic, the Master of Pemberley reveals his haunting tale of unquenchable desire and forbidden love. 

His story continues in Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth, the lurid, lusty sequel to Pulse and Prejudice, as death shadows the newlywed Darcys from Pemberley to the parlors of Regency London to the courtyards of Antebellum New Orleans. As Elizabeth discovers the trials and travails of marriage to a vampire, can Darcy ever believe that she loves him as he is? Or will his jealousy tear them apart? 

Note: Pulse and Prejudice is not “fan fiction” but a complete stand-alone adaptation. No prior knowledge of Pride and Prejudice is required for full enjoyment of this remarkable novel.

ADULT CONTENT: Contains violence and intense sexual situations.

Buy: Amazon • B&N • Kobe • iBook
Add to Goodreads


FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks! 

Excerpt:

     Crimson drops fell onto the white snow, staining it pink.

     Darcy had not intended this—to drink from his wife—when he claimed his prize of a kiss after catching her as they raced through the hedge maze at Pemberley. Elizabeth had actually done surprisingly well in evading him, considering his intuitive abilities; but, of course, he caught her—laughing in his arms, eyes ablaze, cheeks chafed from the cold.

     “And now my prize!” As had so often occurred in the span of their brief marriage, his tender kiss had escalated quickly into fervent ardour. The laughter then in her eyes, his wife had taken hold of the lapels of his greatcoat and, falling back onto the snow, pulled him down with her. As their kisses deepened, so, too, had his hunger and desire. He pulled off his gloves and trailed his cold fingers down her face. Untying her bonnet and unfastening her cape, he exposed her neck for his lips and his teeth.

     She moaned softly as he drew the blood from her throat, sharing her warmth and her pulse, savouring the rich, metallic taste. He pulled back to watch her, only then noticing that a few precious drops of lifeblood had escaped his embrace and fallen onto the snow.

     “William,” she whispered in a half-plea, her hand running over the front of his trousers to convey her intent.

     He gazed into her eyes. “Should we not go in? Are not you cold?”

     “Cover me to keep me warm.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth onto hers, sharing the taste of her blood as their tongues intertwined.


     Darcy pulled at her skirts and brought the hem to her knees. He reached his hand up between her cold thighs to the hot core that drew him in. She gasped against his mouth as he touched her there, but he wasted little time in freeing himself from his trousers and thrusting deep within her.


About the Author:

Colette Saucier began writing poems, short stories, and novellas in grade school. Her interest in literature led her to marry her college English professor, but eventually a love of history encouraged her to trade up to a British historian. 

Technical writing dominated her career for twenty years, but finding little room for creativity in that genre, she is now a full-time author of fiction.

Pulse and Prejudice was named “A Most Inventive Adaptation” by Elle Magazine (April, 2016). It was the 1st Place Winner in its category in the 2013 Chatelaine Awards Romantic Fiction Contest and is listed in Chanticleer’s 2013 Best Book Listing. Colette dedicated 15 months traveling to Europe and Britain, researching Regency England and vampire lore and literature, to complete for historical accuracy. It remains faithful to nineteenth century literary conventions and Jane Austen’s narrative to create a compelling, thrilling paranormal adaptation.

Colette was selected a “2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award” Semi-finalist and named “Debut Author of the Year” by Austenprose for All My Tomorrows—now expanded and republished as The Proud and the Prejudiced—which was also chosen Austenesque Reviews “Favorite Modern Adaptation” 2013.

Colette’s romantic thriller Alicia’s Possession was the publisher’s #1 Bestselling Romantic Suspense for 4 straight weeks following its debut in June of 2013 and then again in January, 2014, after being voted a “Top Ten Romance Novel of 2013” (P&E Reader’s Poll). Colette is also the author of the controversial and erotic noir romantic suspense The Widow, an Amazon bestselling new release and Kobo bestseller.

Colette’s latest novel—Book II: The Confession of Mr. Darcy, Vampire—entitled Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth, follows the newlywed Vampire Darcy and his bride Elizabeth from Britain to Antebellum New Orleans. Due to her devotion to historical accuracy, she spent two years researching Creole Society and Nouvelle Orleans in the years following the War of 1812.

A bestselling and award-winning author under multiple pseudonyms, she is currently working on multiple projects including a parody of Wuthering Heights and a children’s book based on the inspiration for the dog Amadeus from Pulse and Prejudice and Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth.

Colette lives in a lakeside community in South Louisiana with her historian husband and their two dogs.

Connect with Colette Saucier

Website • Facebook • Blog • Twitter

* * * Tour Giveaway * * *

2 Hardback copies of Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth

5 eBook copies of Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed the excerpt! Do you like vampire stories? 

What Are You Reading? ~ October 5, 2016

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What are you Reading?  Let me know what your current read is, what you recently finish reading, and what you plan on reading next! 

Here's my list: 

I'm currently reading The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer, the 4th and final book of the series. This last book has shifted from a survivalist story to a dystopian. It took me a while to get into this one, mainly because I'm not fond of the protagonist.

I finished reading The Dead & the Gone (Bk 2) and This World We Live In (Bk 3) by Susan Beth Pfeffer. I couldn't put them down. I really enjoyed them!

What's next? I'm not sure...I will probably read a few more chapters of A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin before picking up a new book. 








FTC Disclaimer: Book links to Amazon - I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!

I'm linking up with This Week In Books hosted by Lipsyy Lost & Found.

And with Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. 

So, tell me, what are you reading? 

Darcy and Elizabeth: A Promise Kept by Brenda J. Webb ~ My Review

Darcy and Elizabeth: A Promise Kept by Brenda J. Webb 

Publication Date: April 5th, 2016 
Publisher: Darcy and Lizzy Publications 
Pages: 464 
Received: E-copy from author for my honest opinion 
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 
I enjoyed Darcy and Elizabeth: A Promise Kept very much! What if, after Darcy’s proposal, Darcy and Elizabeth don’t see each other for another five years? 

When Darcy returned to London after Kent, he confessed to Bingley about hiding the truth about Jane being in London, and that he learn that Jane really did love him. Soon after Jane and Bingley are married, Bingley told Darcy that he was no longer welcome at his home, and they broke off all contact to protect Elizabeth from ever having to be in Darcy’s company again. But before they parted ways, a promise was made:

“I wrote Charles after he broke off our friendship and promised that if he should ever need me, he had only to ask.” - Darcy Fitzwilliam

Now Bingley is calling Darcy on that favor. Being deathly sick, Bingley asks Darcy to watch over his business and look after his family while he goes to a clinic in Spain in hopes for a recovery.

A lot had happened to Elizabeth in those five years. Her parent’s died, Mr. Collins inherited Longbourn, her sister’s had married, and she took a position as a governess for Count and Countess Von Lynden. The Count was an evil man and had banished his wife to Scotland. Elizabeth went with the Countess, and while there the Countess dies, leaving her precious daughter, Emily, in Elizabeth’s care with a promise to protect her. So, to hide the girl from her father, Elizabeth claimed her as her own and becomes the widow Mrs. Gardiner, governess to the Bingley children. 

The excitement and anxiety begin when Darcy and Elizabeth are forced back into one another's lives, and Emily’s father comes looking for her. Darcy whisks Elizabeth and Emily off to the safety of Pemberley. Will those old feelings return? And what happens when the lady Darcy has a secret arrangement with shows up at Pemberley, too?

Colonel Fitzwilliam is investigating a plot to assassinate Viscount Castlereagh. Is Count Von Lynden somehow involved?
  
You'll find romance and intrigue in Darcy and Elizabeth: A Promise Kept! With money and merchandise mysteriously disappearing from Bingley’s warehouse, and an assassination plot uncovered. Plus, Elizabeth’s life may be in jeopardy! Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam are determined to get to the bottom of it!

4 stars! 

FTC Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book from the author for my honest review.

Buy: Amazon • B&N
Add to Goodreads

FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!

Connect with Brenda J. Webb

Facebook • Twitter • Blog

Any thoughts? I'd love to hear from you!