Jacque Stevens

I love, love, loved Robin's Hood. But Jacque Stevens is never one to let a good story get in the way of a better story, so she added on to the original tale and it's amazing. Marian is the most unreliable of unreliable narrators, but let's throw Robin into that mix as well and things get even messier in the most wonderful way. I loved watching Marian step back and try to let Robin wear the hood, while also recognizing that he was too good a person to rob even the most corrupt to give to the show more poor and too trusting and maybe too good for her. As always she misjudges all of her relationships and misses seeing how others view her for her wild, amazing, untamable self. But can she accept herself? And can she and Rob find the love and friendship that has changed in their time apart?

It's a fantastic story. I'm ready for book three yesterday. And that ending? Of course, she did!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. show less

What is most annoying to me about Jacque's books is that they keep getting better. Why is this a problem? Well, I like to collect signed copies of my favorites, but then she goes and does it again. Oh well. I suppose there are worse problems to have.

The Shoeless Prince was amazing. A miller's third son is in love with a princess. Understandably so, as she is a most lovely, down-to-earth princess. Unfortunately, all he inherits when his father dies is a magical cat. At least, the son believes show more the cat is magical. The father is probably mocking him a little, even in death by calling their cat magical. Fortunately for the boy, the cat also believes he is magical...he just can't remember why he thinks that.

And so the story goes. There are a lot of hijinks. Mostly the fault of the cat. Mostly on purpose, but can you really blame a cat for not being able to think something through in the manner of a human? Despite that, all of the characters are lovely...even the cat.

I don't want to spoil anything, but it's great, you'll love it, read it. I am already looking forward to reading it again.

I received an ARC from the author and have reviewed willingly because it was lovely and I wanted to. show less

The next part of the saga sees Drynn and Tavin trying to live alongside the mages and learn what they can of magic, but it isn't ever quite home. I loved watching Kol and Drynn's friendship grow. In the first book, Kol was still struggling with the idea of having friends. But here, he struggled more with how to protect his friend. Don't get me wrong, Kol is still a big mess, but he's making progress, and I think he'll be okay.

There was a princess, because of course there is. But she was an show more interesting character as well, not completely what you'd expect of a possible heir to the throne. And it was fun to watch her have her incognito moment, although, as always, those never last.

And Drynn, the delightful elf who can never stand up for himself in the moment, what can I say about him? Well, Kol still says that he's predictable, although he certainly had some unpredictable events (as always seems to happen to him). But I would say he finds his courage, learning that to stand up for himself doesn't mean destroying relationships, and sometimes you have to defend yourself rather than wait for others to rescue you.

I loved this book more than the first one. Also, there's a dragon. 'Nuff said. I received a free audiobook from the author and have reviewed it willingly. show less

Here are the facts. Katie's mother is dead. Her father lied and told her that her mother was off saving the world so Katie could have a hero, but that's just not true. Then her father remarries and Katie gets a stepmother. Several more children are born to the family and her father's new family takes all the attention Katie used to get. The boy Katie likes doesn't follow through on his promises. And Katie, a teenager, practically runs the inn on her own. But what if Katie is only seeing the show more world through a jaded perspective and her perception isn't true? What then?

Jacque Stevens does an incredible job writing from the perspective of an unreliable narrator. We can see how Katie's life has been hard but there's also a sense of a different story happening that is constantly inviting and compelling Katie to be a part of it. And so, she gets swept up into another world, where fairies are good and evil, where animals talk, where someone (or someones?) she loves must be rescued, where she learns to see the world differently. It's a beautiful, fantastic, wonderful tale. There are moments that seem to have come straight out of Wonderland, and Katie herself noted that she expected to see a rabbit with a pocket watch running late. Other times feel more like Oz, and it's unclear whether the fairies are the good or bad witches, although instead of compass points, they represent seasons. But regardless, it's easy to get lost in the worlds that Katie visits and wish we could visit them too. And maybe some of Katie's lessons and growth can be ours as we adventure with her. At least, that's how it felt to me.

I received a copy of the audiobook from the author and have reviewed it willingly because it was wonderful and needed more wonderful words said about it. show less