THE LOST SISTERS / PICTURE PERFECT COWBOY / TESS OF THE ROAD

The Lost Sisters

(The Folk of the Air #1.5)

by 

Holly Black

Sometimes the difference between a love story and a horror story is where the ending comes . . . 

While Jude fought for power in the Court of Elfhame against the cruel Prince Cardan, her sister Taryn began to fall in love with the trickster, Locke. 

Half-apology and half-explanation, it turns out that Taryn has some secrets of her own to reveal.

The Lost Sisters is a companion e-novella to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince by master writer Holly Black.

What I thought: 

First, if you haven't read THE CRUEL PRINCE, you must. Here is my review: THE CRUEL PRINCE 

This delightfully written novella is Taryn's story. Really just a part of it. 

I loved this story, mostly for the mastery of craft that Holly Black shows in everything she writes (or at least everything I've read so far). I want to love Taryn but I still kind of hate her. Maybe because I'm a twin and I'm bringing a whole lot of my own baggage to their relationship, but *shrugs* I'm okay with hating her. 

I will say, though, that when I got to the end of the story, I had a flicker of some other emotion for her. Not sure what it was. But I hate Locke with every fiber of my being. And I will always hate him. 

This series is amazing. Read it. That's an order. It will ruin you.    

Rating: ***** (5 brilliant stars)

________________________________

Picture Perfect Cowboy

(The Original Sinners #10)

by 

Tiffany Reisz 

Jason "Still" Waters' life looks perfect from the outside—money, fame, and the words "World Champion Bull-Rider" after his name. But Jason has a secret, one he never planned on telling anybody...until he meets Simone. She's the kinky girl of his dreams...and his conservative family's worst nightmare.

"Picture Perfect Cowboy" is a standalone erotic romance from Tiffany Reisz, set in her bestselling Original Sinners series.

What I thought: 

I really enjoyed the beginning. I love the way Tiffany Reisz creates such fleshed out, real-to-life characters. I wanted to love this story, but something was missing. 

The tension that kept me flipping pages in the beginning fizzled out. There wasn't enough conflict to keep the story moving forward and things started to feel repetitive for me. 

If you're in it for the steamy sex and the HEA, maybe this book is for you. If you're in it for the depth of story usually found in Ms. Reisz's books, maybe skip this one. 

Rating: *** (3 stars) 

*I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher. It in no way influenced my review.
______________________________________

Tess of the Road

(Tess of the Road #1)

by 

Rachel Hartman 

Meet Tess, a brave new heroine from beloved epic fantasy author Rachel Hartman.

In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons get to be whomever they want. Tess, stubbornly, is a troublemaker. You can’t make a scene at your sister’s wedding and break a relative’s nose with one punch (no matter how pompous he is) and not suffer the consequences. As her family plans to send her to a nunnery, Tess yanks on her boots and sets out on a journey across the Southlands, alone and pretending to be a boy.

Where Tess is headed is a mystery, even to her. So when she runs into an old friend, it’s a stroke of luck. This friend is a quigutl—a subspecies of dragon—who gives her both a purpose and protection on the road. But Tess is guarding a troubling secret. Her tumultuous past is a heavy burden to carry, and the memories she’s tried to forget threaten to expose her to the world in more ways than one.

Returning to the fascinating world she created in the award-winning and New York Times bestselling Seraphina, Rachel Hartman introduces readers to a new character and a new quest, pushing the boundaries of genre once again in this wholly original fantasy.

What I thought: 

I really enjoyed the beginning. The story was a little slow but the voice carried me along. But then she ran away and the plot ceased to exist and I felt like I was being lectured with all the info-dumps and flashbacks. Not for me.

Rating: * (1 star) 

*I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher. It in no way influenced my review.

_______________________________________________________

RATING SCALE: 

 5* = OMFG loved it. Will read it again. Touch my book and I will cut you. 

 4* = Really good. Highly recommend. Miiiight reread. Maybe. Don't touch my book. 

 3* = Good. I liked it. Go ahead and touch it. 

 2* = Not for me, finished but struggled. Didn't connect. Here, have a book.

 1* = DNF. Couldn't do it.

________________________________________________________

Click on the cover to link to Goodreads and leave your book recommendations in my comments. Comments make me smile. :) 






You can find me on twitter: @ChellyPike and find more reviews here: https://chellywrites.blogspot.com.



And, if you want to, feel free to press that follow button. :D




Happy reading,

Chelly