Friday, March 31, 2017

Reading For the Weekend Read-a-Thon

Yo, you guise! It's been stupid long since I've been able to find the time to just read my heart out! I've been reading but it's sooo slow going, what with school (blegh math!) and work (blegh adulting!) so I decided that I'm just gonna do it! I have from now until Sunday off, so nerdy little me decided to do this damn thang!

Here we go! My tbr stack of fun!

I've already started on Gemina and Grimm Woods is a review book, so those are my first two priorities. The rest would just be icing on the cake!

So I'll be updating here, my twitter feed, and my instagram. Stay tuned my doods!

Nerdlette, out!

Update the 1st: Gemina is dunzo! Loved it! Finished up at 2am (ish) last night!

Now onto Shift!

Weekend Readathon Completed!

I read Gemina and 300 pages into Shift! I call this a success!

Monday, March 27, 2017

The Enemies of Versailles by Sally Christie (Blog Tour)




Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Atria Books (March 21, 2017)


In the final installment of Sally Christie’s “tantalizing” (New York Daily News) Mistresses of Versailles trilogy, Jeanne Becu, a woman of astounding beauty but humble birth, works her way from the grimy back streets of Paris to the palace of Versailles, where the aging King Louis XV has become a jaded and bitter old philanderer. Jeanne bursts into his life and, as the Comtesse du Barry, quickly becomes his official mistress.


“That beastly bourgeois Pompadour was one thing; a common prostitute is quite another kettle of fish.”


After decades of suffering the King’s endless stream of Royal Favorites, the princesses of the Court have reached a breaking point. Horrified that he would bring the lowborn Comtesse du Barry into the hallowed halls of Versailles, Louis XV’s daughters, led by the indomitable Madame Adelaide, vow eternal enmity and enlist the young dauphiness Marie Antoinette in their fight against the new mistress. But as tensions rise and the French Revolution draws closer, a prostitute in the palace soon becomes the least of the nobility’s concerns.


Told in Christie’s witty and engaging style, the final book in The Mistresses of Versailles trilogy will delight and entrance fans as it once again brings to life the sumptuous and cruel world of eighteenth century Versailles, and France as it approaches irrevocable change.


“Sally Christie’s The Sisters of Versailles is an intriguing romp through Louis XV’s France. Filled with lush backdrops, rich detail, and colorful characters, fans of historical fiction will enjoy this glimpse into the lost golden era of the French monarchy.” (Allison Pataki, author of THE ACCIDENTAL EMPRESS)


“A stunning breadth of period detail, offered in a fresh, contemporary voice.” (Juliet Grey, author of the acclaimed Marie Antoinette trilogy)


“Such an extraordinary tale makes for compelling reading and, as the lead book in a planned trilogy, will draw in readers who are interested in royal lives before the French Revolution…. Historical fiction fans, unfamiliar with the history of the Nesle sisters, will be intrigued.” (Library Journal)


“Tantalizing descriptions and cliff-hangers will leave the reader rapidly turning the pages in anticipation… A wickedly delightful read.” (New York Daily News)


Purchase Links


About Sally Christie



Sally Christie is the author of The Sisters of Versailles and The Rivals of Versailles. She was born in England and grew up around the world, attending eight schools in three different languages. She spent most of her career working in international development and currently lives in Toronto.

Connect with Sally



My Review:
Wow! Okay first off, this series was riveting. I was not expecting to gobble them up like the delicious treat that they all turned out to be! I found myself falling quite swiftly into these books, I felt like Ms. Christie brought me into the story and the atmosphere of  18th century Versailles.

The writing was vivid, lively, and brutally honest. The characters are interesting, and a good chunk of them are double sided. There's layers and layers of plot, but at no point did I get lost or felt overwhelmed. The politics of court life, the slums of the city, and the splendor of the lives of the higher born, were all so interesting and exciting.

This is the last book (I AM SAD ABOUT THIS) of this series, and it ended in a completely satisfactory way. I wished this series could go on and on, but alas, it has reached it's conclusion.

There is so much to treasure about this this book and it's predecessors, the characters are memorable, the writing is delicious, and the world of the past is brought to life by a very talented Ms. Christie

I definitely recommend this series to those that love this time period. You will not be disappointed. 

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Purr M For Murder (Blog Tour)


Purr M For Murder by T.C. LoTempio


Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Crooked Lane Books (March 14, 2017) 
Hardcover: 304 pages 
ISBN-13: 978-1683310921  
Kindle ASIN: B01N6P3WYP
 
Sydney McCall left behind an ex-fiancé and a New York advertising job to return home to Deer Park, North Carolina and help her sister, Kat, run the local animal shelter, Friendly Paws. Determined to save the shelter from financial trouble, Sydney and Kat organize a cat café fundraising event at a local coffee shop. Things are looking up until their landlord, Trowbridge Littleton, threatens to shut down the event. When Sydney drops by his art gallery to make peace, she finds Kat--along with Littleton's dead body.

Local homicide detective Will Worthington--who just happens to be Sydney's old high school crush--is highly suspicious of the sisters' involvement. Desperate to clear their names from the suspect list, Sydney pounces on the investigation. With the help of one of the shelter cats, a savvy orange tabby named Toby, Sydney begins poking her nose into other local businesses whose owners may have benefited from Littleton's death--until the killer notices she's pawing a little too closely at the truth.

Purchase Link:


About the Author…..

While Toni Lotempio does not commit – or solve – murders in real life, she has no trouble doing it on paper. Her lifelong love of mysteries began early on when she was introduced to her first Nancy Drew mystery at age 10 – The Secret in the Old Attic. She (and ROCCO, albeit he’s uncredited) pen the Nick and Nora mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime – the first volume, MEOW IF ITS MURDER, debuted Dec. 2, 2014. Followed by #2, CLAWS FOR ALARM. #3, CRIME AND CATNIP, was released in December. 

She, Rocco and Maxx make their home in Clifton, New Jersey, just twenty minutes from the Big Apple – New York. Catch up with them at www.tclotempio.net and www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com

Where to find them:
 ROCCO’s blog: www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com  
Website: https://www.tclotempio.net/
 facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toni.lotempio.5  
Twitter: @RoccoBlogger - https://twitter.com/@RoccoBlogger




 My Review:

Purr M For Murder was a very pleasant surprise! If I'm being honest I didn't really go into this with much hope that it would be any different than most of the "cozy mysteries" with animals on the cover. Wow was I wrong! Shame on me for basically judging a book by it's cover! *Bad bookworm, BAD!* 


I'll start with the characters. They are Deeee-lightful. Syd is a smart character, that I instantly could see as an actual person. She's flawed but not overly so. Her sister and friends have vivid personalities too, no question about that! If I had to pick someone that I wasn't super fond of, I'd definitely say it's gotta be Will's partner. He was just annoying, although he did have a fondness for good desserts which I can't really fault him in that!

The real star though, was Toby the cat! I want that cat in my life super muchly! His personality was awesome! To top it off, he's also a friggen hero, which makes me love him and want to adopt him (Sorry Syd!) even more! 

Alrighty, so onto the meaty bits of the story. Was the mystery any good? Well I should say so! I can usually guess who or what the outcome will be. The murderer is usually the wife, yadda yadda yadda...I was completely clueless til the end! I'm not even joking, the ending took me by surprise! I had completely written off who it turned out to be, chapters before the ending. So you got me there! I guess I need to turn in my junior detectives badge :( 

All-in-all, this was a great read. I was surprised, I was entertained, and I was delighted thoroughly! Definitely pick this one up!




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