Book Review – Magic of Winter by Martina Boone

August 3, 2018August 14, 2018 karenjo46Leave a comment

bookreview

magicofwinter

aboutthebook2

Published December 12th 2017 by Mayfair Publishing

Genre(s): Adult Fiction, Historical Romance, Contemporary

Kindle Edition 259 Pages

Just as a hard winter offers the promise of renewal in the spring, the MAGIC OF WINTER is a beautiful reminder that letting go of the past can allow the future to bloom its brightest. Award-winning author Martina Boone spins a heartwarming modern love story about loss and hope, fathers and daughters, fierce women and men men in kilts, small towns and big ambitions.

Cait Fletcher was always second-string in her father’s eyes, unable to compete with her perfect older brother. Her father’s view of Cait only deteriorated further when she fell for the local “bad boy” at the age of nine, and her belief in Brice MacLaren never once wavered until the day he betrayed her a few months before their wedding. With their tiny glen too full of opinionated neighbors, wandering sheep, ancient grudges, and countless old traditions to let her escape either her past or her mistakes. She moved away–but then her father’s unexpected illness brings her back.

Home again, Cait still loves the village of Balwhither as much as she hates it, and she despises the fact that life in the village makes avoiding Brice impossible. But when she discovers that her father has given up not only on the family-run Library and Tea Room but also on treatment for his cancer, she must put her own emotions and hurts aside. Brice claims he’s changed, and he’s certainly been good to her father since she left. Now can they find a way to work together as she follows the example of countless unsung heroes–the women of the Highlands–and fights to save the family business and give her father something meaningful to live for?

A warm, timeless story of love, redemption, and magical traditions that will charm new readers and fans of the Celtic Legends Collection alike. Perfect for those who love Nora Roberts, Susan Mallery, Susan Wiggs, Sarah Addison Allen, Lauren K. Denton, and Kathryn Hughes.

AMAZON – KOBO

reviewrating 4halfhearts

Beautifully Affecting, Heartfelt and Absolutely Charming

reviewthoughts

It felt so good to be back in Balwhither Glen… like having that wonderful feeling of coming home from a very long vacation and being comforted by everything that makes you happy. “Home is where the heart is,” and that’s how I feel whenever I read Boone’s stories.

“But that was the point of first love — trial and error, and learning to navigate the hardest and best and most important relationships of your life. “

Lake of Destiny is definitely still my favorite, but like Bell of Eternity, Magic of Winter had me intrigued until the end. I really love Martina Boone’s writing style and feel so connected with her stories and characters. It’s just so beautifully affecting, heartfelt and absolutely charming. Boone writes with so much passion and care, and it really shows in her novels. Granted, I’ve only read three, but they’re all so fantastic, riveting, and just magical. But hey, don’t take my word for it, just experience it for yourself and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

“But here in the glen, the winters are a reminder that, as bleak and dark as life can seem, we’ll get through it. There’s beauty in the worst of things.”

It goes without saying that I absolutely enjoyed the plot which was well-paced, engaging, and filled with heartbreaking and sweet tender moments. The romance was wonderfully slow burn and the swoons were plenty. I loved that even though this book wasn’t focused on the romance, there were still many scenes that melted my heart. The family dynamics were complicated and at times insanely dramatic, but so very interesting. I thought the community in the glen was just adorable. And the characters… they were amusing, realistic and utterly lovable. I honestly want to live in this world and meet all these amazing characters.

“She had loved him for most of her life, but somewhere along the line she had fallen in love with him in a single heartbeat, so quickly that she couldn’t name the moment or reason. Thinking of all the old doubts, the old fears, she realized that not one of them mattered. “

Cait was likable — smart, headstrong, and caring. Brice was such a sweetheart and so irresistibly swoony! I really enjoyed their chemistry and ached along with them throughout their struggles. I also admired everything they were doing for the people they love. But man oh man… the things Brice did for Cait was just so thoughtful, romantic and adorably sweet. I definitely fell hard for him. Actually…if I’m being honest, with these amazing male leads in the Celtic Legends Series, I’m not so sure I can pick a favorite. They’re all swoonworthy in their own charming ways.

“That was the other side of love, a promise that two people made to each other to weather whatever came, day by day and moment by moment. “

With a gorgeous setting, fantastic cast of characters you can’t help but love, intriguing family dynamics, a wee bit of romance to make you swoon, and moments that will make you smile and brighten your day, Martina Boone has created another beautiful and affecting story about family, friendship, second chances, hope and love. If Lake of Destiny filled my heart with so much happy, and Bell of Destiny left me positively satisfied, well…Magic of Winter lifted my spirits and inspired me to focus on the good and beautiful parts of life. So, when you think everything seems to be going wrong, just have faith cause there might just be a surprise waiting for you.

“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.”

I finished reading this book with a smile on my face and a wonderful feeling in my heart. On to the next book – Echo of Glory.

I received an advance copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts, opinions, and warm fuzzies are my own.

booksintheseries

lakeofdestiny

Lake of Destiny – Martina Boone’s gorgeous storytelling enthralled me from start to finish. The plot is captivating, whimsical, and full of surprises that kept me turning the pages. There’s no doubt in my mind that Martina knows just the perfect recipe for a heartwarming story – Start with a bunch of lovable characters and a heaping scoop of romance. Add in a pound of family drama, an ounce of heartbreak, a dash of myth, a drop of mystery and a pinch of suspense. Blend together with a lot of love and humor in a breathtaking setting. While mixing, sprinkle creativity and magic and voila! You get a wonderfully sweet fairy-tale love story that will fill your hearts with so much happy you’ll be craving for more.

bellofeternity

With a heartwarming storyline, breathtaking scenery, intrigue, and a bit of mystery, Bell of Eternity is absolutely irresistible and deliciously fascinating from start to finish. While Lake of Destiny filled my heart with so much happy, Bell of Destiny left me positively satisfied, but craving for more. I’m so happy I took a bite of this lovely romance. Boone definitely knows the way to my heart and I cannot wait for the next book in the Celtic Legends Series.

authorbio2

Martina-Final-6-768x768 Martina Boone was born in Prague and spoke several languages before learning English. She’s the award-winning author of the romantic Southern Gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, including Compulsion, Persuasion, and Illusion, from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and of romantic fiction for adult readers starting with Lake of Destiny. She’s also the founder of AdventuresInYAPublishing.com, a three-time Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers Site, and YASeriesInsiders.com, a site dedicated to encouraging literacy and reader engagement through a celebration of series literature. She’s on the Board of the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia and runs the CompulsionForReading.com program to distribute books to underfunded schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog, and a lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary fantasy set in the kinds of magical places she loves to visit. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate-flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it. (Short Bio taken from Author’s Website)

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Website | Blog | Tumblr | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter

Have you read this book? Did you like it or not? Let me know in the comments.

As always, thanks for stopping by and reading. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!!

Blog Tour – Arrowheart by Rebecca Sky

August 2, 2018August 3, 2018 karenjo465 Comments

ARROWHEART

Deareast Book Lovers! Happy Thursday and Welcome to my Blog Tour Stop for Arrowheart by Rebecca Sky hosted by A Rock Star Book Tour. Today, I have my review to share with you. Don’t forget to stay until the end for the giveaway.

Arrowheart Cover

Pub. Date: June 14, 2018

Publisher: Hodder

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 384

Kiss the boys and make them cry…

The gods are gone.

The people have forgotten them.

But sixteen-year-old Rachel Patel can’t forget – the gods control her life, or more specifically, her love life.

Being a Hedoness, one of a strong group of women descended from Greek God Eros, makes true love impossible for Rachel. She wields the power of that magical golden arrow, and with it, the promise to take the will of any boy she kisses. But the last thing Rachel wants is to force someone to love her . . .

When seventeen-year-old Benjamin Blake’s disappearance links back to the Hedonesses, Rachel’s world collides with his, and her biggest fear becomes a terrifying reality. She’s falling for him – a messy, magnetic, arrow-over-feet type of fall.

Rachel distances herself, struggling to resist the growing attraction, but when he gives up his dream to help her evade arrest, distance becomes an insurmountable task. With the police hot on their trail, Rachel soon realizes there are darker forces hunting them – a group of mortals recruited by the gods who will stop at nothing to preserve the power of the Hedonesses – not to mention Eros himself, who is desperate to reverse the curse . . .

Rachel must learn to do what no Hedoness has done before – to resist her gift – or she’ll turn the person she’s grown to love into a shadow of himself … for ever.

purchaselinks

AMAZON – BOOK DEPOSITORY

reviewrating

4hearts

3.75 Rounded to 4 – Lighthearted, Enjoyable, and a Ton of Fun

reviewthoughts

I requested Arrowheart by Rebecca Sky based on the really cute cover and after briefly scheming the premise which sounded quite intriguing. I didn’t have too many expectations going into this novel, but I surely didn’t imagine the story to be so strange and chaotic… but in a charmingly good way. I found myself tangled up in all the mess, surprises and twists, and had such a great time.

I thought concept was creative, witty and fun. The writing style was a bit choppy at times, but still engaging and easy to read. The plot was fast-paced and full of so much ridiculousness that I was delightfully entertained. Sure, there were some moments that had me thinking “What in the world is going on here?” but I was also very intrigued to find out what would happen next. The characters weren’t all very likable, especially in the beginning…BUT, I didn’t think they were horrible. Given that whole idea of the story is about Hedonesses, women descended from Greek God Eros, having the ability to take the will of men, I thought the characters played their parts really well. So yes, they can be overly dramatic and preposterous at times, but also so wonderfully amusing that I had a few good laughs. The story wrapped up nicely only to drop a wicked cliffhanger in the epilogue so I’m excited for the next installment.

“If women really wanted that, they would get a dog. Nobody wants to be followed blindly by a boy. They want someone to see their worst qualities and still choose to love them.”

I adored Rachel from the very beginning. She’s the odd one in her world who despised her gift and wanted nothing to do with being a Hedoness. She was constantly trying to fight for what she wanted to do so I really enjoyed her character development as she struggled to find her place and follow her heart. On the other hand, Marissa annoyed me with her unpleasant personality. She was selfish, condescending, and at times even downright cruel. However, over the course of the story, she managed to slowly thaw my heart… a little. Then there’s Benjamin… I honestly wasn’t too sure about him at first, but he slowly made me fall for him. I can say that yes, he’s most definitely book boyfriend material. And Kyle, he was a really nice surprise and fun addition to the gang. I’m really interested to see what role he’s going to play in the sequel.

Romance wise, I’m still not that crazy about it. I wasn’t a fan for most of the story. It was kind of awkward and not very believable… at least not right away. I was reading what was going on, but I just couldn’t connect with the words and feel… I didn’t feel the intense pull or the delicious swoons I love in romance books. Thank goodness Rachel and Ben had some adorable scenes that made me more invested in their love story and I’m definitey glad I kept an open mind and just went with it. So what if I didn’t swoon over and over and get those crazy butterflies… I did have some fun, and in the end I was happy… well up until the epilogue…

“Maybe it’s because I’ve spent every day since my family died looking for something more in this world. Or maybe it’s that I gave you my heart before you ever took it.”

Overall, I thought this was a unique, humorous and delightful story. I wouldn’t say Arrowheart completely struck my heart with all the feels, but it was lighthearted, enjoyable, and a ton of fun… in its own ridiculous messy kind of way. I’m definitely looking forward to reading what happens next cause that ending is just cray cray!!!

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher and Rock Star Book Tours in exchange for an honest and fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

authorbio2

Rebecca

After graduating high-school, Rebecca Sky set out on a five-year, 24 Country exploration to find herself. She slept in a hammock in the Amazon Jungle, skinny-dipped off the West African Coast, ate balut and climbed the chocolate hills in the Philippines, and fell in love in Cuba (then again in Brazil, and a final time to a Rocker from Canada). Rebecca returned home to the West Coast captivated by the world and ready for another adventure.

So she did what every wanderer does when standing still—began writing. Her work has since garnered over 20 million reads on Wattpad, and she’s had the opportunity to partner with some really great brands. She was featured in The New York Times and The Boston Globe, (check out those articles here). Her debut Arrowheart, book one in THE LOVE CURSE series is published by Hodder Children’s Books a division of Hachette Book Group.

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