![]() ![]() After his near death experience at the Mountain Kingdom, and wanting nothing more than to stay there to live the rest of his life in peace, he returns to Buckkeep after being drawn by both his burgeoning love, and his oath to King Shrewd. He quickly becomes an assassin for the royal family under the tutelage of Chade, as well as a boy with skill in the Skill, and the taboo’d Wit. As a boy who was brought to Buckkeep, and spent much of his time in the stables before beginning his training as a member of the Farseer family, he holds a unique position of power - one that can be wielded as a weapon if forged correctly. ![]() ![]() Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb is the second book in the Farseer Trilogy that focusses on the life of Fitz, a bastard son of the former King-in-Waiting to the Farseer Throne of the Six Duchies. ![]()
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![]() And Penny, who’s hellbent on playing the matchmaker in his life, while Matt can’t stop having not so sincere thoughts about her. Matt, all of thirty-two now, spends his time with James’ wife, Penny, to forget his past. The story starts on a Thursday, with the fall approaching again, after sixteen long years. What has the future in store for him? Review: Empire High is back and with it, a Matt who has grown up over the years, is now the coach of the Empire High football team, and in a story which made me cry from the first few pages, with grief as old as time hanging over the pages of the story. Matt is back, as Coach Caldwell this time. If you haven’t read the previous book, then there may be SPOILERS in the review. Warning: This is a series where the books are in continuation. ![]() A promotional banner announcing that the book is now available Join Ivy’s Group for access to bonus content from the book and visit Ivy on her Facebook page for exclusive news. ![]() This title is a new adult, contemporary romance. ![]() ![]() Today I am reviewing Empire High Matchmaker by Ivy Smoak, book four in the Empire High Series. Empire High Matchmaker is the story of Matthew Caldwell, sixteen years after we met him in the Empire High trilogy. ![]() ![]() And a few years later, he died, and the nation, not finding any sufficiently great man to take his place, called back the King, and restored him, and lit bonfires. He tried various types of councils and parliaments and found them to be as trying as ever King Charles did. So the Army turned Parliament out into the street, and a single man, the Army’s great general, Cromwell, became Lord Protector, a thing that had never been in England. But they found that they could not figure how to prevent Parliament itself becoming as great a tyrannical power as the King had been, especially since Parliament refused to call any new elections. And kings were abolished, and England was a republic. ![]() And the people finding him to be a pestilential recalcitrant rogue and a man of blood, cut off his head, with the Crown upon it, and were horrified at their own actions. What happened in the mere space of twenty years was a King who went to war with his own people, twice, and who was defeated, twice. ![]() ![]() ![]() The action starts with the main character, Kyle Hamilton, working on an oil rig when something explodes and he is injured. Carver grabs your attention and does not let go. The reader will hit the road running in this novel. This book is very different to Carver’s other works notably the Apollyon Trilogy which is very dark, supernatural and very edgy Christian speculative based. This is only the second book I have read of his and I must say, I am very impressed with this latest offering. ![]() I received an advanced reader’s copy of this latest work from Mark Carver at my request. Using his quick wits, hoping for good luck, and praying for a miracle, Kyle tries desperately to save himself and those around him, but the will to survive comes with heavy costs. ![]() Kyle and his crew find themselves in the fiery jaws of death as the Beast thrashes itself apart, unleashing an industrial cataclysm unlike anything the world has ever seen. One slip, one mistake, and hell breaks loose above the storm-swept water. Forced back into the drilling world to pay for his wife’s cancer treatment, Kyle is thrilled and terrified to be part of the team that keeps the monster in check. Kyle Hamilton, an experienced derrickhand who has survived a brush with death, is its newest resident. MFEC-19, aka “The Beast,” is an offshore oil platform behemoth in the Pacific Northwest. ![]() ![]() ![]() Combined with Wright’s simple yet expressive art style, it’s an engaging read that speaks to worries of burgeoning self-identity and tween change. Johnson’s ( The Parker Inheritance) graphic novel debut depicts a realistic and relatable sister relationship alongside a close-knit family’s bond. ![]() ![]() When Maureen decides to run against Francine as her only competitor for student council president, the election’s high stakes sweep them up, resulting in slander campaigns, poster defacement, and high tensions at family dinner. Even their previously shared friend group is being pulled in different directions-not that Francine notices. Francine is determined to strike out on her own outside of their shared twin identity, but Maureen, who doesn’t mind their similarities, isn’t as confident in making new friends. For the first time ever, the two don’t share the same schedule or the same activities-Maureen is in Cadet Corps, while Francine looks forward to new experiences and spends time in an after-school program. ![]() Maureen and Francine are sixth graders and Black identical twins about to embark on their first day at O’Connor Middle School. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() In addition it has a complex plot, part mystery and part thriller, that's never short on nailbiting moments. The basic premise, an alternate reality (resembling a gaslit, Victorian England) wherein a corrupt theocracy has called up the descendants of ancient Biblical demons (Prodigals) with promises of redemption only to ghettoize and oppress them, comments on a number of modern day social ills but never comes across as obviously didactic or preachy. ![]() Well for me, Wicked Gentlemen is one of those books.Īnd I am completely envious of any lover of dark fantasy and/or gay romance who has yet to crack the spine on this gem.įirst time novelist Ginn Hale has created a world so tangible, so complete, that I felt as if I could smell, see, taste and feel everything right along with her characters. Engaging, angsty love story and hot sex.ĭid you ever finish a book only to feel sad that you can never again open it anew and discover its delights for the very first time? Rarely if ever, I'm sure. The characters, both major and minor, are subtle and believable. Since I know there’s a huge contingent of gay fantasy fiction fans out there, I wanted to post my Amazon review and a link for anyone looking for something a little dark, a lot romantic and entirely unique.Īs I said in my own journal - the writing is lyrical. It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited about a novel, but Ginn Hale’s WICKED GENTLEMEN is utterly amazing. ![]() ![]() ![]() You can plan for death, but death does not always comply with our wishes or plans.Ĥ. No matter how prepared you think you are for a death, you can never be fully prepared for the loss and the grief.Ģ. If you finish this post and you’re annoyed about all the things we forgot, leave a comment to keep the list going! I wish someone had told me…ġ. So, with your help, that is what we have today: a quick and dirty list of the things we wish we had known about grief before we knew anything about grief. If it’s in quotes, it’s something one of our fabulous readers shared with us on Twitter or Facebook. ![]() So, we think back to the basics. Not the theory stuff, not the ideas about how to cope… just the really basic things that people never tell you about grief. ![]() We think about grief a lot around here… We write about types of grief, grief theory, personal reflections, creative expression for coping with grief, practical ideas for managing grief, and on and on and on. But there are some days that all that seems like a lot to take in. Is this Normal?, Grief Articles for Beginners, 64 Things, Lists, Unique Nature of Grief ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() In terms of the creepy factor though, I should warn that this is the most likely to scare children as the crayon, while presented quite friendly at first, comes off far more intimidating than the antagonists of the other books. Jasper is flunking everything except art and is desperate for help when he finds the crayon. 23, 2022 When a young rabbit who’s struggling in school finds a helpful crayon, everything is suddenly perfectuntil it isn’t. ![]() My daughter loves all three, personally I rank this above the first (Creepy Carrots) and below the second (Creepy Pair of Underwear). CREEPY CRAYON From the Creepy Tales series by Aaron Reynolds illustrated by Peter Brown RELEASE DATE: Aug. Again the art is wonderful, full of black, white and grays emulating old Universal monster movies (with frames that feel very much like they are from horror movies), with a dash of whatever the theme color is (in this case purple for the crayon). ![]() Third in the series of kid’s books about this poor rabbit and his supernatural encounters. No art time, no enjoyment, not unless the crayon allows it. but then it won’t let him do anything for himself. It seems pleasant enough at first, helping him ace his test, answer all questions right without studying, and allowing for more video game time. In fact, it’s more than CREEPY, it may be evil. ![]() ![]() ![]() The bridge where they were supposed to meet cracked the moment they stepped on it.” And that was indeed their situation: he was married to his old age, and she to her youth. ![]() ![]() Some of the best scenes include realistic reportage of horrific naval battles, with no skimping on the details: “Ejnar saw a man’s eye explode into a red mess and another man’s skull torn off.” However, the author is also able to delicately record the painful stop-start courtship between an old sailor and a young widow, writing, “They made love like two people who are tied to others and can only meet illicitly, briefly, and breathlessly. Based on historical fact, “We, the Drowned” skillfully recounts large- and small-scale events, including a harrowing voyage in the South Pacific under a mad captain and a detailed account of the cruelties of an abusive teacher whose actions will mold the next generation of sailors. This first novel by a noted journalist chronicles the lives of the fisherfolk of Marstal, Denmark, from the late 1800s through World War II. In Danish author Carsten Jensen’s epic novel “We, the Drowned,” these themes are accompanied by a strong sense of the peculiarities of human nature. After all, the ocean has long been a symbol of the possibility for adventure and a better life, even if it has also been the source of great tragedy. Seafaring literature often trades on a sense of freedom and daring deeds. Carsten Jensen, translated from the Danish by Charlotte Barslund with Emma Ryder ![]() ![]() ![]() The easy grace and deceptive lightness that made her performances indelible emerge on the page, as does the simmering tragedy that made her last appearances so affecting. They show a Marilyn Monroe unsparing in her analysis of her own life, but also playful, funny, and impossibly charming. Jotted in notebooks, typed on paper, or written on hotel letterhead, these texts reveal a woman who loved deeply and strove to perfect her craft. Fragments is an unprecedented collection of written artifacts-notes to herself, letters, even poems-in Marilyn's own handwriting, never before published, along with rarely seen intimate photos. Now, for the first time, readers can meet the private Marilyn and understand her in a way we never have before. Her serious gifts as an actor were sometimes eclipsed by her notoriety-and by the way the camera fell helplessly in love with her.īeyond the headlines-and the too-familiar stories of heartbreak and desolation-was a woman far more curious, searching, witty, and hopeful than the one the world got to know. ![]() ![]() Every word and gesture made headlines and garnered controversy. Marilyn's image is so universal that we can't help but believe we know all there is to know of her. Fragments is an event-an unforgettable book that will redefine one of the greatest icons of the twentieth century and that, nearly fifty years after her death, will definitively reveal Marilyn Monroe's humanity. ![]() |