On the first day of May, 100 teenage boys meet for a race known as "The Long Walk." If you break the rules, you get three warnings. If you exceed your limit, what happens is absolutely terrifying.
Penelope's Review
I have not read too many books by Stephen King, but from what I have read and heard, I know that he is a brilliant writer. This book has only enhanced my opinion of his work. The Long Walk had been on my TBR list for quite some time, and I'm so glad I was finally able to set aside the time for it!
Stephen King seems to have a knack for being able to get inside people's heads and get them thinking beyond the superficial. I was amazed at how well he was able to articulate each character's thoughts, and how realistic he was able to make this storyline seem. The book follows 100 boys competing in the Long Walk where they basically have to walk 4 miles per hour or faster until there is only one left. They have 3 warnings, after which they are shot dead. They are able to lose the warnings, however, by walking for one hour without any further warnings.
Just imagine that... you have to walk, basically without stopping, going to the bathroom in front of thousands of people, not sleeping, rationing your food, etc. for days. Phew it really gets my mind rolling just thinking about it.
There are quite a few characters that we get introduced to, but I didn't find it confusing at all. I knew exactly who each character was, and that really just speaks to the skill of Stephen King. It's not easy to write so many characters without confusing/boring a reader so that was a really great aspect.
There's really not much I can say about this book, other than you should read it for yourself! You won't be able to understand the appeal this book holds until you are in the minds of the characters, walking with them, crying with them, fighting with them. I am still in a debate with my family over how long we could walk for without stopping lol... I am very intrigued and kind of want to try this out myself... minus the dying part haha! Give this book a try, you won't be disappointed!
Rating: 4/5 Devils!
She is rooted in the traditions of the past. He envisions a different future.Lady Clara Grammont, daughter of an earl and niece of a duke, has the world at her feet, or so it must seem to those looking on. However, she is bored by the gloss and gossip of polite society. She is tired of gentlemen who see nothing but her status and her dowry and expect her to be charmed by their posturingJohn Smith is the orphaned son of a poor shopkeeper. He has grown wealthy through his own efforts and is now committed to bringing England into a new age. He can see the enormous benefits that railways can bring, transporting goods cheaply and enabling people to travel quickly. He despises the idle aristocrats who will stand in the way of progress to protect a fox hunt, but he needs approval from Parliament to build the railway. And he needs the support of Lady Clara's uncle, the powerful Duke of Ashleigh, to get that approval.Lady Clara is intrigued by the idea of a railway. To the distress of her family, she is even more intrigued by John Smith. He, in turn, finds himself far too attracted by Lady Clara and is in danger of losing sight of his reason for meeting her. Then, the powerful forces opposing the railway put both of them in danger.They must defy everyone to be together.
Penelope's Review
Lillian Marek is fast becoming one of my favorite romance novelists! I love her writing style and her ability to bring forth independent, headstrong female leads. Not to mention her skill in writing sexy, charming male leads! We met Lady Clara Grammont in the second book of this series, as the daughter of Lady Alice and niece of the Duke of Ashleigh. For this book, Lady Clara takes front stage as a beautiful 22 year old girl in search of a life beyond the boring expectations of society.
I absolutely love that even 10 years later, Clara is the same free-spirited, outspoken, bold young lady that she was as a child. Her character is exactly what I pictured for her after reading about her when she was 12 years old. I enjoyed reading about her determination and enjoyed her strong will when it came to our male lead, John Smith. John was a strapping young fellow with a good head on his shoulders. He disliked the nobility, and for good reason given his past with the upper echelons of society. Of course, that doesn't stop Clara from winning his heart and vice versa. I loved the romance between the two. It was so much fun reading about these two characters connecting and watching their relationships grow and flourish.
The storyline itself was also good. Aside from the romance itself, we have John trying to gain support for the railways despite heavy opposition. Given that John needed the support of Clara's uncle, the Duke of Ashleigh, this novel could have been spun in a typical dramatic fashion with lies and half-truths that would have sent the romance careening sideways, but Lillian Marek avoided that route and I am so thankful lol.
Overall, I found the novel to be well-written with great characters. It's definitely a cozy read that can be finished on a quiet afternoon. If you like the comfort of a regency romance novel, this is definitely for you!
Rating: 4/5 Devils!
If Juliana Caldwell said the sky was blue, Rory MacGregor would tell her it was gray, with a storm due any minute. No man gets under her skin more than the arrogantly handsome Scot. When she is abducted by a rival clan, Rory is the last person she expects or wants to call her hero.Rory is the best tracker the MacGregors have, so when his brother’s sister-by-marriage goes missing, he’s ordered to find her. But binding himself to the fiery English redhead with an opinion about everything is not how he saw this rescue going. To save her from the clutches of the villainous Cameron laird’s son, though, he must declare them handfasted.When their escape goes horribly awry, Juliana and Rory are forced to take the long way home. Surviving blizzard conditions, meddling clanspeople, and a near-fatal ambush on the trail, nothing compares to the unexpected and unlikely passion that ignites between the rugged Highlander and his English warrior princess.
Title: The Hidden Princess (Princess League, #1)
Penny is an ugly princess born to a family known for its beautiful offspring. To protect the royal bloodline’s reputation, the king proclaims her dead since birth and locks her away in the castle cellar.But unbeknown to most, including herself, Penny has a gift: she can see the darkness within one’s mind through touch.
Everett is a dragon prince whose land is plagued by a deadly sickness in the form of black mist, capable of turning any fairy being it touches into stone. He comes to Penny’s kingdom seeking the one princess foretold to end the darkness.
The choice is clear, it’s either Penny’s cynical eldest sister, Tatiana, or her kind elder sister, Sarah, because Penny does not exist, not officially. But a twist of fate and Penny’s gift bring her to Everett’s attention, and she takes on a secret identity to aid him to trace the origin of the black mist.
What follows is a journey into a dark magical world within the minds of the corrupt, ruled by demons that plague on the dark aspects of the human psyche.
With the clock fast ticking, the prince must discover who the chosen one is in order to defeat the black mist before it turns him to stone and spreads to the rest of the world. But there are those who will do anything to keep Penny’s identity hidden.
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EXCERPT:
The shopkeeper grabbed the doll from among the top shelves. “Here you go.” He handed it to her. Just then, her fingers met his, and she heard the shopkeeper’s voice. “Where did this hideous and filthy-looking girl come from? Good thing I noticed her fast, lest she would get my dolls tainted with her hands. Let’s hope she leaves soon.”
She gazed at the shopkeeper, whose mouth remained closed. Those words stung. Even though the shopkeeper never said them, Penny knew they held more truth than those he said. These were his thoughts, and she was reading them when she accidentally touched him.
Then she felt dizzy, and a gloom fell over the store as if something had suddenly blocked out the sunlight from the windows. But it wasn’t the windows. It was the shopkeeper. His form emitted an ominous light and right above his head, she saw black mist rising, forming the shape of a face with eerie glowing eyes. It stared straight at Penny. “Penny…Penny….” Penny heard an insidious voice calling her.
Stop! Stop! She willed her mind to look away.
“Penny…Penny!” A force pulled her back and she almost crumpled to the floor if Thomas had not held her firmly. “Are you alright?” he asked.
“There’s someone–!” Penny pointed toward the shopkeeper, who was frowning at her. The eerie face and black mist were gone.
“What is it?” Thomas asked.
It took her a while before she spoke again. “I don’t know. It was there a while ago.” As she looked down, she saw the doll lying on the floor. She picked it up and slowly stroked any dust off it as if it were a real girl.
“How much is it?” he asked the beleaguered keeper.
“Four silver pieces.” Thomas handed the silver to the shopkeeper. A look of relief appeared on his face as he took the money. The horror of the black mist weighed heavy on Penny’s mind as she made her way out. She recalled the mean thoughts of the shopkeeper. For a moment, she had believed the outside world was different and she finally found a place she belonged. Penny blinked hard as her eyes began to water.
Suddenly, the streets seemed less joyful than before, and the sounds of the people and activities seemed drowned out by the memory of the black mist.
That voice. It called her name.
She knew for certain it was no hallucination. It was the first time such a vision had occurred. She never saw it when she touched others before, although there weren’t really that many, to begin with. There were only a few who could tolerate standing within inches of her.
She must have drifted off in her thoughts because the next thing she knew, she had fallen behind Thomas and someone bumped into her from the side.
“Watch where you are going, you–!” A rough-looking man said. “Hey, little girl, are you lost?”
“No.”
“Don’t be afraid, I just want to help. Let me take you home.” He grabbed her by the arm.
“Stop it, let me go!” Penny tried to pry his fingers free.
“This must be my lucky day. I wonder how much this girl would fetch.” She heard the man’s voice, yet his mouth remained closed.
She stared at the man, who stood there, frozen in time. Not just him. The entire town had come to a standstill. A ball was floating in the air, as the boy who threw it waited an eternity for it to fall back down.
Then, the surroundings turned black, and the black mist appeared around the man’s frame. The eyes of the black misty face shone a pale white.
“Penny…Penny…” spoke the insidious voice.
“NO!” Penny screamed and forced her eyes shut. At once, the darkness lifted, and the sounds of reality replaced the heavy silence. “Get away from me!” she screamed with her real voice audible.
“Hey!” A familiar voice said, and the rough-looking man turned around, his face meeting head-on with a big fist. The man fell to the ground before Penny. “Touch her again, and you will never touch anything for the rest of your life!”
The man crawled to his feet and bolted. “Penny, didn’t I tell you not to—Penny? Penny!” Penny ran off before Thomas could finish his sentence.
Penny kept running. All she wanted then was to get as far away as possible from this place, from the prejudice, the black mist.
She didn’t know how long she ran before Thomas finally caught up with her. “Penny, it’s alright now.” He wrapped his hands around her head, and she tucked her head in his tummy. “What happened, Penny? Please tell me.”
Penny told Thomas about all that had happened. The black mist, the eerie face. Although Thomas understood little of it, he listened, for he knew there was always much truth in what she said. The world wasn’t as great as Penny thought out to be. It broke his heart she had to learn this fact on her first outing.
The outing had come to an end, and they returned to the castle. The one happy thing the outing brought her was the doll she bought. She gave her a name. Cinder. And she became Penny’s companion ever since.
She thought of the boy named Canyon, and how he was the only person without disdain for her, though, she wondered if it would be the same way if she touched him and read his mind.
But most of all, she wondered about the black mist. What was it? And that eerie face. Who, or rather, what was it? What disturbed her most was the fact that it called her name like it was reaching into her mind.
Author Bio:
Since young, Mira loves fantasy romance with strong female protagonists and perilous adventures to magical realms and parallel universes to visit dragons, witches, shifters, and fairy tale creatures, bringing heroes and heroines together and aiding their epic fantasy battles against dark enemies so they can have the happily-ever-afters they deserve.
When she grew up, she takes a liking to young adult stories, which explains her passion writing in the young adult fantasy romance genre. Her books are clean romance with character development as the prime focus. Even now, she still journeys to fantasy realms whenever she's not writing.
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A YA debut about a girl caught in a web of betrayal and revenge.Phoenix and mom Nina have spent years on the road, using their charm and wits to swindle and steal to get by. Now they’ve made it to their ultimate destination, Mom’s hometown of Jasper Hollow. The plan: bring down Ellis Bowman, the man who ruined Nina’s life.After Phoenix gets caught spying, she spins a convincing story that inadvertently gives her full access to the Bowman family. As she digs deeper into their secrets, she finds herself entrenched in the tale of a death and a disappearance that doesn’t entirely line up with what Mom has told her. Who, if anyone, is telling the whole truth?
Penelope's Review
Omigosh what a fantastic debut! Seriously... amazing. I am really impressed with the unique premise, plot development, and character development. This is definitely an author I will be keeping my eye on!
The book follows Phoenix and her mom Nina as they charm and steal to get by. They eventually end up in Jasper Hollow to get revenge against Ellis Bowman for ruining Nina's life. I loved Phoenix's interactions with the Bowman family. Melody (the Bowman daughter/sister) was such a great character. She was tough and smart, but vulnerable at just the right times. I was such a fan of the relationship between her and Phoenix - from suspicious and wary, it grows into a really genuine connection. The development of these two was just incredible. Nina herself was such an interesting character. I absolutely loved her background story woven into the novel.
Every character we met in this book is unique and intriguing in their own way. Aside from Phoenix, Nina, and Melody, we have Neil and Ellis, the Bowman son and dad, Jill, the Bowman mom, and even Pastor
I just really can't get over how well written this book was. Past and present, twists and turns, the book grabbed my attention right from page one and held it to the very end. The book was an onion lol! So many new and exciting layers with each chapter, I couldn't get enough! Honestly the only thing I can tell you is that you MUST give this one a try. I'm really impressed. Fantastic job Brooke! Looking forward to your future projects!
Rating: 5/5 Devils!
Let's meet the author!
Brooke Lauren Davis is the author of THE HOLLOW INSIDE (Bloomsbury YA /May 25, 2021), and she never quite knows what to say when people ask her where she’s from. An unruly child in suburban Virginia, a surly teenager in rural Ohio, and a bewildered college student in small-town Indiana, she’s now a hopelessly book-obsessed adult in Louisville, Kentucky. She loves stories of all kinds, from plays, to ballets, to TV shows, to memories rehashed over the dinner table. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found annoying her pets, haunting bookstores, or shouting Jeopardy! answers at the TV.
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Now on to the Giveaway! This giveaway is open to all U.S. residents and there will be 3 winners receiving a finished copy of the book!
