Elizabeth Ruth

This was an addicting Beauty & the Beast retelling. While you can feel the inspiration peek through, Ruth has truly made this story her own, with unique elements and twists. The characters have a lot of depth, and along the way you’ll find some you love, some you hate, and some you’ll love to hate. I would love to spend some time with Thane and Bridgette, they’re absolutely amazing. They’re unique, and while they have different personalities and struggles, they work so well together. show more The imagery is vivid, and makes it easy to slip right into their world. The story moves at a good pace, and just when I thought I knew where things were going, there was a twist that took me in another direction. Cannot recommend enough for fantasy and fairy tale lovers! show less

Luna Garcia is an orphan who wants to be a matador. Unfortunately, in pre-Civil War Spain, women are not allowed to enter the bull fighting profession. With the help of friends, Luna travels to Mexico where she earns fame in the ring. Her dream of true success compel her back to Spain to break the gender barrier just as the civil war is starting.

The story is well written with strong characters. Issues of gender, family loyalty and the consequences of our choices are brought forward. The show more author has done a lot of research into bullfighting. Some of the scenes are violent and she says she is making no comment on the morality of the sport, but I found it hard at times not to be appalled by it. show less

A really good read. This was a book club book and while I thought it sounded good, it ended up being really good. The twist at the end was a complete surprise but everything seemed to make sense after that.