arcreview – Page 7 – Sincerely Karen Jo

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abouthebook2

Published: August 6, 2019

Publisher: Tor Books

Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Retellings

Format: Hardcover 496 Pages

purchaselinks

AMAZON – BARNES AND NOBLE – GOOGLE PLAY – BOOK DEPOSITORY

heartsdivider

synopsis4

No king. No rules.

England, 1191. King Richard is half a world away, fighting for God and his own ambition. Back home, his country languishes, bankrupt and on the verge of anarchy. People with power are running unchecked. People without are growing angry. And in the shire of Nottingham, the sheriff seems intent on doing nothing about it.

As the leaves turn gold in the Sherwood Forest, the lives of six people—Arable, a servant girl with a secret, Robin and William, soldiers running from their pasts, Marion, a noblewoman working for change, Guy of Gisbourne, Nottingham’s beleaguered guard captain, and Elena Gamwell, a brash, ambitious thief—become intertwined.

And a strange story begins to spread . . .

Both a gripping historical epic and fascinating deconstruction of the Robin Hood legend, Nathan Makaryk’s Nottingham mixes history and myth into a complex study of power—one that twists and turns far beyond the traditional tale of Sherwood Forest’s iconic thief.

NOTTINGHAM is based on Nathan’s critically-acclaimed stage play, “THE LEGEND OF ROBIN HOOD“

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mythoughts

Intriguing at first, but not really the book for me… DNF

2hearts

Nottingham by Nathan Makaryk intrigued me at first, but I just could not finish the book. I’m definitely not faulting the book or author. There are some really fascinating moments in the story.. at least from what I’ve read so far, but in the end this is just not the book for me.

I was excited to read this book, but when I got my copy, I felt overwhelmed. The book is long… very long and the writing is quite small. It really bothers me when the font size is tiny cause for me, that makes reading the book not very enjoyable at all. If the story is really addictive and entertaining, I probably would have kept reading and try to get over the print size, but this book moved a bit slow for me. It’s rich in details and descriptions and I think the story/plot is well-written, but the magic wasn’t there for me. I just didn’t feel as into it like I thought I would and sadly, I was never fully invested in the story to finish it.

I don’t like to DNF books and I have waited a while to write this review, but I don’t think I’ll pick this up again this year or any time soon. There are a few things that bothered me in terms of language and that kind of turned me off. I can’t say if the story gets better later on, but I hope it does. I think the story has a lot of potential, but it’s just not the right book for me… not now at this moment and maybe not ever. I do think the characters are wonderful and I enjoyed getting to know them for a while. There’s some fun bantering and dialogue too.

This may not have been my cup of tea, but I think there are other readers who will enjoy this story.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from Bookish First in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thought, feelings, and opinions are my own.

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abouttheauthor (Author bio and photo taken from Author’s Website)

Nathan’s debut novel NOTTINGHAM will be published in August 2019 by Tor/Forge (US) and Bantam (AUS), with a sequel to follow in 2020.

Nathan is a theater owner, playwright, director, actor and improv comedian, living in southern California. None of these pay very well, so he also has a real job teaching audio systems networking software to people who have no idea he’s also a novelist and theater guy.

He likes dogs and scotch because of course he does.

authorlinks

WEBSITE – GOODREADS – TWITTER

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Thanks for stopping by loves and have a fantastic day!!

sincerelykjologo

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Happy Friday Lovelies! I hope you all had a fantastic week. Today, I have my review for The Trouble with Christmas by Amy Andrews. This book is adorable, hilarious, sweet, and just so much fun. It’s a wonderful holiday romance and I definitely think you can cozy up with this charming love story any time of the year. divider3

abouthebook2

Published: September 24, 2019

Publisher: Entangled: Amara

Genre(s): Contemporary, Romance, Holiday

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages

heartsdivider

synopsis4

All Suzanne St. Michelle wants is an over-the-top, eggnog-induced holiday with her best friend in Credence, Colorado. But when her hoity-toity parents insist she come home for Christmas in New York, she blurts out that her sexy landlord is actually her boyfriend and she can’t leave him—Joshy loves Christmas. The more twinkle lights the better.

Rancher Joshua Grady does not love Christmas. Or company, or chatty women. Unfortunately for him, the chattiest woman ever has rented the cottage on his ranch, invited her rich, art-scene parents, and now insists he play “fake rancher boyfriend” in a production of the Hokiest Christmas Ever. And somehow…she gets him to agree.

Apparently, he’ll do anything to get his quiet life back. At least there’s mistletoe every two feet—and kissing Suzy is surprisingly easy. But in the midst of acres of tinsel, far too many tacky Christmas sweaters, and a tree that can be seen from space, he’s starting to want what he lost when he was a kid—a family. Too bad it’s with a woman heading back to New York before the ball drops…

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mythoughts

A fun holiday romance with plenty of laughs, swoons, & heartwarming moments.

5hearts2

This book makes my heart so darn happy. It’s hilarious, snarky, sexy, and oh so sweet in the best ways. The Trouble with Christmas by Amy Andrews is absolutely the perfect holiday romance story that will keep readers delightfully entertained and engrossed with all the silly shenanigans and the wonderfully touching moments.

Suzanne St. Michelle is convinced that a change of scenery is exactly what she needs to awaken her muse. She rents a cabin in Credence, Colorado and hopes to paint the beauty all around her. But, her muse has other plans and inspires her to paint Joshua Grady, her handsome and sexy Scrooge-like landlord who wants nothing to do with her.

With Christmas just around the corner, Suzanne’s mother is insisting that she come home. However, Suzanne doesn’t really want another boring Christmas with her parents, so she blurts out the first thing that comes to mind – her landlord is actually her new boyfriend and she really wants to spend time with him. To deter her mother from wanting to visit her, Suzanne exaggerates and explains that Joshy is super in to the Christmas spirit and has gone over the top cheesy with all the decorations. But, Suzanne’s scheme backfires and she has to do everything she can to convince Grady to play along with her lie cause her parents are spending Christmas with them.

Having lost some very important people in his life, the holiday season is difficult for Grady and he just really wants to be left alone to do whatever he wants. The last thing he needs is an outsider disturbing his peace and complication his simple life. However, Grady just can’t stop thinking and fantasizing about Suzanne, the most annoying woman he’s ever met who can’t seem to stop chatting or pestering him. Grady knows she’s nothing but trouble and unnecessary distraction. Willing to do anything to get his quite life back, Grady agrees to go along with Suzanne’s scheme and pretend to be her fake rancher boyfriend who’s crazy in love with Christmas.

Amidst all the mistletoes, sparking lights, Christmas traditions, and tacky couple activities, Suzanne and Grady suddenly realize that there’s something special between them. What happens when they can’t pretend anymore and deny their feelings for each other?

I am utterly over the moon smitten with this cozy and fun holiday romance story. Suzanne and Grady are sooo great together and their chemistry is swoony to the max! The writing is fantastic, the pacing is just right, the setting is gorgeous, the characters are charming and loveable, and the fun surprises throughout the story will definitely make you smile. I enjoyed the bantering, the humor, the romance, the hooky Christmas parts, and all the touching moments. I honestly loved everything about this book, even had a few tears, and the ending is just so adorable and heartwarming.

Loved all the characters in this book. Suzanne and Grady are complex and interesting characters that will steal a piece of your heart. I loved watching them challenge, inspire, and slowly trust each other. There’s definitely some hesitation, conflict, and drama between them, but I loved the way they came together. They’re so precious and perfect for each other and they deserve to have their happily ever after. They made me laugh out loud, swoon like crazy, and smiled like a dork. And if you want a little steam and sexy time, no worries… I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

With plenty of heart-melting swoons, hilarious scenes, and sweet moments, The Trouble with Christmas will sweep you off your feet and have you turning the pages past your bedtime. It’s irresistibly charming, entertaining, emotional, and romantic. Amy Andrews has written a beautiful story that brings so much warmth, joy, and love and I just can’t rave about this book enough. Definitely add this wonderful gem on your TBR or grab yourself a copy now!

I received an advance reader copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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abouttheauthor

heartsdivider Amy is an award-winning, USA Today best-selling Aussie author who has written seventy contemporary romances in both the traditional and digital markets. Her books bring all the feels from sass and quirk and laughter to emotional grit to panty-melting heat. She loves frequent travel, good books and great booze although she’ll take mediocre booze if there’s nothing else. For many, many years she was a registered nurse. Which means she knows things. Anatomical things. And she’s not afraid to use them! She’s just moved back to her central Queensland roots taking a sea change in the pretty little coastal town of Yeppoon where she gets to stare at the ocean all day.