Heroes of the Empire

Heroes of the Empire #1 The Cavalier

By Israh Azizi

Genre:-YA Fantasy

Pages:-408

Blurb:-She calls the Empire home. He pledges to bring its downfall.

 Death is Velamir's close acquaintance. As a student in the Chishman academy, he cannot escape the brutal war. When he's sent on a mission with three fellow academy cadets, Velamir returns to the Empire, the land of his birth. Calamity befalls the group as they trek through enemy territory, and Velamir learns a part  of his past that makes the mission far more personal. Burdened with the deaths of the unavenged and the chance of losing his own life, Velamir must decide if revenge is worth the cost.

 Natassa knows her role well: The silent and obedient girl. The one who looks away from the torture her father, the emperor, inflicts on the Empire's inhabitants. The princess. But she's a shackled prisoner, and somewhere under the mask is a spark of rebellion. When she learns of her father's intention to marry her to a man she loathes, Natassa crafts a risky plan of her own-one dangerous enough to get her killed.

 Two searching hearts. Two perilous paths. Velamir must find the courage to face his past and Natassa must find the strength to face herself before the war consumes them both.

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My Review:-This is Book One-The Cavalier and my first by Israh Azizi. Velamir was abandoned at the age of 4-years-old and saved by General Winston. He was sent to Chisman Academy at an early age to learn to fight and become a soldier. Princess Natassa is the daughter of Emperor Malus. She knows her father has gave her hand to someone she doesn't like or love. She has to get away before it's to late. Velamir and Natassa are both strong characters and will fight for what they want. One wants to destroy the Empire and the other is a Princess. The author has weaved these two different story together, that they become one. Both are strong characters MC, even though their stories are different they both want the same and that has shown in the way Israh has wrote the story. We have action, adventure, romance, sword fighting, archery and fantasy all wrapped together to make a great read.

Dorothy Dustbucket

Dorothy Dustbucket

By Christina B Bianco

Genre:-Children

Pages:-31

Blurb:-Join Dorothy on her magical adventures as she cleans up after the messy Lees family the house every night, but with a mischievous twist!

 From putting things in the wrong places to discovering new fangled contraptions like mobile phones and washing machines, Dorothy's antics are sure to tickle your funny bone.

 This hilarious poetry picture book is perfect for kids aged 2-6 who love a good laugh and don't mind a bit of dust in their fairy tales.

So grab your wand and get ready to laugh with Dorothy Dustbucket!

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My Review:-I read this book with my granddaughters and we all loved it. I loved the bright colours that are used throughout the book, The girls loved the bit about the brothers having a smelly bedroom, as they said their brother has a smelly room as well. We found the book funny and easy to read. We also made our own story up using just the pictures, which is great for younger children. I did laugh when it said that Dorothy lived in the loft, as we have a fairy that lives in our loft (as I say when anything happens and nobody owns up to it, its the fairy in the loft again). This book would be a great book for most ages, as one of my granddaughters is 9 years old and she loved it.

The Housekeepers

The Housekeepers

By Alex Hay

Genre:-Thriller

Pages:-416

Publisher:-Headline

Blurb:-UPSTAIRS, MADAM IS PLANNING THE PARTY OF THE SEASON.

DOWNSTAIRS, THE SERVANTS ARE PLOTTING THE HEIST OF THE CENTURY

 When Mrs King, housekeeper to the most illustrious home in Mayfair, is suddenly dismissed after years of  loyal service, she knows just who to recruit to help her take revenge.

 A black-market queen out to settle her scores. An actress desperate for a magnificent part. A seamstress dreaming of a better life. And Mrs King's predecessor, who has been keeping the dark secrets of Park Lane for too long.

 Mrs King has an audacious plan in mind, one that will reunite her women in the depths of the house on the night of a magnificent ball-and play out right under the noses of her former employers....

THEY COME FROM NOTHING. BUT THEY'LL LEAVE WITH EVERYTHING.

 Dazzling, stylish and wildly entertaining. The Housekeepers lets loose an outlandish alliance of women you'll never forget...

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My Review:-I love how the book starts, with Mrs King lying all her knives out on the table with Mr Shepherd looking on. Mrs King has been let go from being the housekeeper, and she wants revenge, not just for herself but also her mother.  There has been plenty of ex-servants that her worked at the De Vries house that are willing to help Mrs King plot the best heist. They know Miss De Vries is holding a ball, and  Mrs King knows all the details. The heist will be on the night of the ball and it will be right under Miss De Vries nose. There are some strong characters and I did like Mrs Bones. I don't want to say to much and give anything away so it's up to you to read the rest. 

Three Meant to Be

Three Meant to Be: Branches of Past and Future Book One

By MN Bennet

Genre:-Fantasy

Blurb:-Telepathic high school teacher Dorian prepares teen witches for professional casting because going in unprepared is what killed one of his partners. But new state mandates on magical proficiency make it nearly impossible, and Dorian worries he can't give his students the education they really need, Seeking a distraction from work, Dorian kisses his still-living-on-again clairvoyant boyfriend, Milo. Instead of a distraction, Dorian glimpses Milo's vague vision involving the murder of Caleb-one of Dorian's new students.

 Already devastated by the loss of his partner, Dorian refuses to stand aside and let Caled die. He searches for clues by delving into Caleb's mind. Rooting through Caleb's memories alongside teaching classes leads Dorian to two more students: Caleb's ex-best friend turned rival and the prodigy with connections to dangerous warlocks. However, each step further into his students' minds forces Dorian to confront his deteriorating relationship with Milo.

 After discovering a link involving illegal casting, Dorian resolves to work with Milo to prevent the impending vision. To succeed, Dorian will have to explore the potential of a future with Milo and find closure on their third partner, whose loss looms between them. But meddling with fate to save Caleb inadvertently draws the warlocks near, putting all his students in danger. Dorian will have to risk his life and gamble his second chance with Milo to keep his students alive.

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My Review:-There was something about the cover that made me want to read it.  Dorian Frost is working in a school. Dorian has been given the job to teach young witches on how to use their power correctly, after all he knows what can happen if you don't, it's something he'll never forget. Dorian, Milo and Finn had been friends from school until Finn's death. Milo is Dorian's on and off boyfriend.  While kissing Milo, Dorian has a vision, Milo's powers and Dorian's powers become one, this is when he sees one of his students Caled, being murdered. Dorian knows its his job to keep Caleb safe, but to what extend will he go to make this happen? I love the writing style and the plot, you can see that the author has brought his working skills into the book, which has made it more real. If you like fantasy, magic, romance with and bit of mystery, well this book is for you.

 

Salt and Skin

Salt and Skin

By Eliza Henry Jones

Genre:-Contemporary Literary Fiction

Pages:-368

Publisher:-September Publishing

Blurb:-Grief-stricken and on the verge of a breakdown, photographer Luda Managan leaves Australia for a commission, bringing her two teenage children to a remote, weather-ravaged but beautiful Scottish island.

 Luda, isolated from her two resentful teenagers, turns her attention to the records from the 17th century island witch hunts and the fragmented life stories of the executed women. Min, her daughter, restless and strong, tries to fill up the space in their family left by her father. She soon finds comfort in both the sea and an unlikely friendship. But the only thing that beautiful and gifted Darcy cares about is getting marks high enough for entry into university-one very, very for away from his mother. Until he meets the wild foundling, Theo, who slowly self-destructing in a community that is both protective and violent towards him. But when a tragic accident unleashes ghosts and the echoes of long-ago violence and betrayal into their lives, the Managans must confront their unspoken histories in order to survive.

  Luminously-written, Salt and Skin is a compelling modern family drama, threaded with folklore and building to an incredible, climactic ending. It's a story of wild landscapes, incomers, outsiders and changelings, and a meditation on the absence of women's voices in stories and history. And like a hyme to the sea, it is unpredictable, startling and beautiful.

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My Review:-Luda Managan brings her teenage children Darcy is 16-years-old and  his sister Min is 14-years-old, they travel from Australia to the remote island of Seannay in Scotland. She hopes this is a new start for them all, after the death of her husband. The children didn't want to come, leave everything they know behind, so as well as being normal teenagers they have the death of their father and moving to the other side of the world to put up with. Luda starts to take photos and documents the effects of the climate change. Lude publishes some photos of a deceased young girl, which doesn't go down well with the local community. The locals do slowly begin to accepted them into the community, which is all that Luda wanted. Min and Darcy start to make friends. Then Theo comes along and everything changes, but not for the better...

I found this book could be a everyday story, they is so much going on in it that you find you're focusing on many things at the same time. We have grief, finding yourself, relationships building between family/people, climate change, witch hunts. I found this was an easy read and I wasn't expecting the ending...

Three Sisters

Three Sisters

By Kathryn Barnett

Genre:-

Publisher:-Provoco Publishing

Blurb:-Charlotte, Violet, and Rose. Three sisters growing up amidst the rumblings of World War One and each of them fighting for their own personal freedom. Charlotte, the eldest and a teacher, engaged to marry Richard, the Curate, and struggling to accept her passionate nature and sexuality, embroiled into the world of Conservative activism through the Primrose League. Violet, a nurse, and a suffragette, fighting not just for female emancipation, but also her own as she battles with her feelings for her best friend, Maeve. Rose, the youngest, and diagnosed an epileptic, fights to be recognised as a person in her own right and in the process falls in love with John, of lower class and station.

 When Charlotte takes the decision, along with her mother, to institutionalise Rose because of her epilepsy, the family is split as Violet opposes Charlotte's high-handed decision, but is devastated to find she cannot protect Rose, as personal and political boundaries are pushed to the limits and each girl struggles with impending womanhood.

Three Sisters is author Kathryn Barnett's first novel with Provoco Publishing and is a delightful, beautifully written social statement, detailing the battle of three girls to become women in their own right. Will Charlotte's passionate nature and conservatism affect her forthcoming marriage to the Curate? Does Violet find her freedom in her suffragette activities, or will she be entrapped by her nursing duties and family responsibilities? And what of Rose, the youngest, fighting to follow her true self and be accepted despite her epilepsy and not ostracised because of it?

 A heart-warming tale of three sisters, fighting for freedom in this, the first of five novels making up the Three Sisters Story

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Ibiza Surprise

Ibiza Surprise

By Dorothy Dunnett

Genre:-Classic Crime/Women Sleuths/Humor

Pages:-304

Publisher:-Farrago

Blurb:-When Sarah Cassells, a British girl who has just completed her training as a chef, hears of her father's violent death on Ibiza, she refuses to believe it is suicide. She goes to Ibiza to investigate and becomes involved with an act dealer; with two beautiful jetsetters; with her brother's strange predicament; with a remarkable American woman who is not all what she seems-and with Johnson Johnson, the mysterious portrait painter who shows up on his yacht, Dolly. As Ibiza prepares to celebrate Holy Week with the traditional processions, events become more and more macabre....

 ***PRAISE FOR THE DOLLY SERIES***

The Dolly novels are...delicious, funny, ingenious, glamorous, clever. 'Listener

'Dunnett tempts her fans with buried clues and red herrings that keep them reading and reading the books.' New York Times

'(Dunnett's) women are among her strongest characters.' Guardian

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My Review:-This is Book Three in the 'Dolly Novels.' and I've had the pleasure to review yet another great book by Dorothy Dunnett. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone. I love how this book starts 'Bifocal glasses are common.'   Sarah, Flo and Janey all knew each other from St Tizzy's, (St Theresa's). Sarah Cassells had a small business in catering, but that didn't mean she had money. When Sarah get's the news that her father, has committed suicide, she knew that it wasn't true. How was she going to find the truth? Sarah had to get to Ibiza and start to investigate what really happened to her father. Sarah wasn't short of a few men wanting to get to know her, Coco a Poet, Tony Lloyd (Gilbert's father), Gilbert Lloyd her friend Janey's brother (who she had a crush on at school), Austin a gallery owner, Clem Sainsbury, and of course Johnson Johnson with Dolly. Sarah's investigation wasn't as simple or like any other, lets just say a lot of parties, clubs, dark alley's and beaches. It's up to Johnson to help find out wants went on and who is who. Where ever there's a murder Johnson Johnson, along with Dolly is on the scene.  I love the description of Ibiza, and some some of the sayings 'like see-through gloves, and champagne stoppers and high heels with trousers.'  I'm not saying any more as I might say to much. All I will say is watch your eye on one of the men that I've mentioned.