Review: A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent #1) by Marie Brennan

Lady Isabella Trent is the world’s leading dragon naturalist, but obtaining that distinction was no easy feat.

Her journey to leading dragon scientist begins at a young age which is where this novel begins in the land of Scirland.

What began as a hobby soon grew into a full blown passion.  She began collecting Sparklings at a young age and ever since she saw her father’s book, A Natural History of Dragons, in his study her desire to know more about dragons has only grown.

Though not everyone is enthusiastic about her hobby. Her parents discouraged her in hopes that she will find a suitable husband.

Isabella enters in to what she calls her ‘grey years’ where she gives up everything dragon related. One fateful day, her brother takes her to a menagerie where she sees three dragons in real life.

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Review: The Lost Duchess by Jenny Barden

We all know there is a ton of historical fiction out there that takes place in Elizabethan England….typically in the court.

The market is simply flooded…so how do you create a new and different take on a saturated topic?

Well you take your Elizabethan heroine out of the court!

Emme Fifield is a lady in waiting to Queen Elizabeth.

Her life is pretty much wrapped up in the treacherous court and all she has is a good reputation and name.

Well all that changes when she is ruined by a lord who will stop it nothing but to have her. Her reputation and future prospects are a disaster.

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Book Blast: The Lost Duchess by Jenny Barden

Please join author Jenny Barden as she tours the blogopsphere for The Lost Duchess from May 26-June 20.
The Lost DuchessPaperback Publication Date: June 5, 2014

Ebury Press

Paperback; 448p

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An epic Elizabethan adventure with a thriller pace and a high tension love story that moves from the palaces of England to the savage wilderness of the New World.

Emme Fifield has fallen about as far as a gentlewoman can.

Once a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth, her only hope of surviving the scandal that threatens to engulf her is to escape England for a fresh start in the new America where nobody has ever heard of the Duchess of Somerset.

Emme joins Kit Doonan’s rag-tag band of idealists, desperados and misfits bound for Virginia. But such a voyage will be far from easy and Emme finds her attraction to the mysterious Doonan inconvenient to say the least.

As for Kit, the handsome mariner has spent years imprisoned by the Spanish, and living as an outlaw with a band of escaped slaves; he has his own inner demons to confront, and his own dark secrets to keep…

Ever since Sir Walter Raleigh’s settlement in Virginia was abandoned in 1587 its fate has remained a mystery; ‘The Lost Duchess’ explores what might have happened to the ill-starred ‘Lost Colony’ of Roanoke.

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Review: Silver Bay by JoJo Moyes

Liza McCullen lives in the small community of Silver Bay with it’s pristine beaches and secluded lifestyle, she feels completely at ease and safe in her life.

Liza and her family run a small hotel there that features small exhibitions to see dolphins, whales, and all the beautiful sea creatures of the Australian coast.

Running the whale watching tour is something extremely important to Liza, but not as important to her as raising her daughter Hannah.

All of the women in Liza’s family have secrets…but none so big as Liza.

Though she is the strong one in her little family, deep down she is as fragile as the delicate marine life she loves so much…with a big secret.

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Review: Beyond the Wall: Exploring George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire by James Lowder

After recently re-reading A Game of Thrones, I couldn’t help but crave more of the epic story!

I’ve read all the books at least once and after this recent re-read I’ve been scouring the discussion forums for more theories and insight into A Song of Ice and Fire.

So needless to say, reading this book was a no brainer. I’ve read a lot of reviews about this anthology, and most people say that you can find better material online in the discussion groups for free.

While there is a plethora of material online, a lot of it isn’t structured or supported by research which was what I was looking for….something a little more organized.

This novel had a broad selection of essays about A Song of Ice and Fire and Westeros. Some were interesting and thought provoking while others left me wanting.

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