One for Young-at-Heart Romantics

Linnet and the Prince 

by Alydia Rackham

My rating on a 100-point scale: 94

My recommender: 

     The author herself e-mailed me and asked if I'd read and review her book. I was provided with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

My synopsis: 

     Linnet is the younger of two princesses of Hilrigard. When Hilrigard is overtaken by the formidable Badi people, the Badi prince Rajak gives the Queen a choice: give him a princess for his wife or force him to slaughter the whole Hilrigard kingdom. Linnet, the tougher of the two princesses, chooses to go in her sister's place, and is tasked by her mother to kill the prince on the eve of the Water Gathering festival, two months hence. But the prince is not what he seems, and Linnet slowly but surely falls for the gentle and kind prince. And things get very complicated when her mother's "brother" assassins come to rescue Linnet the eve of the Water Gathering festival.

My review:

     I very much enjoyed this book. The characters are loveable; the story is captivating; the cultural elements are intriguing; the politics are realistic; and I couldn't help but wish for more story to come at the end. I very much appreciate the author's straight-forward, no-beating-around-the-bush, quick and simple way of telling the story, as this makes for a quick, yet intriguing and enjoyable read. 

     However, I must mention the negative: Characters "hiss" when they speak, and I'm not sure how this is possible or true. There were very little typos, but I did catch a few, including one which I think was supposed to be "every" but was actually "emach," or something along those lines. The formatting was slightly skewed in a few places. Also, the ending, the more I think about it, is a mite puzzling, but I won't provide any spoilers here.

I recommend to: 

Anyone and everyone who enjoys a good story, especially those involving clean and believable romance. 

I do not suggest this book for children under the age of 10, due to elements of mild gore.

Mother's Curse Contest

Your picture may be worth $50 or a Kindle Fire

   Get your creative brain pumping, take some awesome themed photos, and you could find a brand new Kindle Fire waiting for you at the post office! Come celebrate with Novel Publicity and author Thaddeus Nowak as we close down the Mother's Curse whirlwind tour with a giant book appreciation party! Get ready to grab your e-reader, nun chucks, and perhaps even your wizard robes, but first read on for the full contest info. These contests have been extended until Friday, May 31 at 12 noon EST. Be sure to get your entries in before then.

The Mother's Curse Photo Contest

The Set-up: Put your thinking cap on and come up with a fun pictorial way to represent Mother's Curse. The most creative photo wins a Kindle Fire. We’ve also got two $50 Amazon gift cards to the folks who take the most epic fantasy photo and the most kick-butt combat photo. Just remember the book cover has to be visible in order for your entries to be eligible.  

What to do: Submit your photo entry at the official contest page or email it to emlyn@novelpublicity.com. *The cover of Mother's Curse must be visible in the picture on an eReading device.* You may submit multiple entries for more chances at the prizes, but you can only win once! So be original, show us your creativity, battle prowess, or love for epic fantasy.  

The Prizes:

• Most Creative: Kindle Fire
• Most Kick-Butt Battle Scene or Warrior Pose: $50 Amazon Gift Card
• Most Epic Fantasy: $50 Amazon Gift Card

A Witch, a Ghost, and Tour - Oh My!

Mother's Curse by Thaddeus Nowak

My rating on a 100-point scale: 92

My short and sweet review:

   This is a great novel! Adventurous, romantic, and entertaining. It's well-written and holds the attention of the reader. I highly recommend for anyone who likes fantastic supernatural stories, as I'm sure this one will not disappoint. 

   The only reasons I can't allow myself to give this a higher rating is: "however" is repeated too often, I think, and there is one single typo or technical error every 20-50 pages. I'm easily distracted by these types of things, and I know I'm a nitpicker, but I just have to mention them for my own piece of mind.

There is some foul language throughout and a little gore, so be forewarned. I personally don't think anyone under the age of 14 should read this without parental guidance.  

My recommender:

   This week, I'm participating in a blog tour for the above book and its sequel. Be sure to check out the tour page by clicking on the image to the right. There are also tons of reviews by others, so don't just take my word for it - learn more! 

An Excerpt:
   Feeling slightly better for having a bit of light to keep with her, she continued down the street, occasionally looking through a window to see the remains of a room.  After the third storefront she passed, she wondered at the reason all of the furniture and even drapes, carpets, and accessories had been left behind.  Even in the desperate flight from Antar, people were still taking their belongings.  They removed their drapes, even ones far less decorative then what Stephenie suspected were here.  Why would everyone desert a city and yet leave almost everything behind as if they were simply going across town to visit a friend?  She was hesitant to consider an answer.  This city had been deserted and abandoned for a long time.  Antar castle and city above had been there for as long as memory could recall and the original castle even before then.  Had any of those above known about a city deep in the rocks under their feet, there would have been stories.