Plantagenet Princess, Tudor Queen by Samantha Wilcox

She was the mother of Henry VIII and wife of Henry VII, but who was Elizabeth of York? Raised as the precious eldest child of Edward IV, Elizabeth had every reason to expect a bright future until Edward died, and her life fell apart.

When Elizabeth's uncle became Richard III, she was forced to choose sides. Should she trust her father's brother and most loyal supporter or honor the betrothal that her mother has made for her to her family's enemy, Henry Tudor?

The choice was made for her on the field at Bosworth, and Elizabeth the Plantagenet princess became the first Tudor queen.

Did Elizabeth find happiness with Henry? And did she ever discover the truth about her missing brothers, who became better known as the Princes in the Tower? 

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Historical fiction is quickly becoming a favorite genre for me, with books like this one paving the way. While Plantagenet Princess was released back in 2015, I only recently became aware of it, and the author.

In this novel you follow the life of Princess Elizabeth of York. Now if you have a hard time keeping all of the Elizabeths' and Edwards' and Henrys' of old England straight, join the club. Going into this I had a vague about WHO I was going to be reading about, and I try not to do any research beforehand so I can get a feel of the fiction part without having that nagging voice that says "Thats not what happened!"

This book is a fairly easy read, and Samantha adds in small details to make it clear who the main character is referencing when so many people of the same name exist. The only thing that made me stop reading on occasion was the P.O.V. changes. They were occasionally abrupt, and made me have to reread it for clarity. I do have to say that the author has a way with surprises. There were several times in the book where I reread the paragraph because I could not believe what I had just read. I am excited to continue my journey into historical fiction with some more of Samanthas' work.


Buy it on Amazon Here

Pages :448 

Connect with Samantha at samanthawilcoxson.blogspot.com or on Twitter @carpe_librum  Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PlantagenetEmbers/

Sota's Knife by Kei Honjo, Yuichiro Sueda

Sota Kitaoka, 20 years old, working at Ginza's famous "Tomikyu" under a strict but passionate boss, struggling and aiming to be a chef.  One day he will make food that reaches peoples' hearts...

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Sota's knife is a fun filled manga, based around food! Sota wants to be a great chef one day, and is trying to work his way up, so he can go home and help his family. So he starts out as a dishwasher in a famous restaurant.

The illustrations are very detailed, and there are footnotes (translation notes??) for various things that help the reader identify what is being drawn. I was expecting Toriko or Food Wars style and happily got a Slice-of-Life feeling from the experience. I would recommend this to most people. Its a pretty laid back read, but I am personally excited to read the next one!

This Manga released on July 4th 2018. You can find it on Amazon

along with the 19 that have been released since then! 

The Queens Wings by Jessica Thorne

‘I was born to fly,’ I told my brothers. But it isn’t true. I was born to be a pawn in the great game of royal houses, married to someone – anyone – my family deems suitable. If I’m lucky, he’ll be my own age and bearable. If I’m very lucky, he’ll be someone who understands my need to fight, and to fly...


Bel, born to nobility, would do anything to spend her days alongside her brothers – soaring through the heavens in her beloved flyer. She’s faster than any of them, but she knows her days in the skies are numbered.
When a surprise attack on the palace lands Bel’s father on the throne, her life is forever changed. In order to secure her father’s empire, Bel must travel to a distant land to marry the recently widowed young ruler, Conleith.


But Bel’s new home is less than welcoming: compared to the refined ladies at court, Bel seems like a wild woman, and assassination attempts, treason and mystery threaten her at every turn. With a growing attraction to Con, her life is further complicated by the attentive leader of her bodyguards – a warrior called Shae whom she has loved since childhood…
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Hello again! So todays' review is an upcoming novel set to release in late November 2018. The Queens Wings is a Sci-Fi Fantasy Romance fit for those who love Star Wars, (or at least those who enjoy space travel, and alien life forms) have an itch for something akin to Game of Thrones, but enjoy the flit of romantic undertones ( well ... under and overtones.)

We get to meet Bel, or Belengaria, as we find her true name is, on her home world of Vairian. A strong people they are. Warriors, in a galaxy where most want peace. Looked down upon by most as barbarians who only desire war. We get to meet her briefly before her world is ripped apart, throwing her into a future she had never imagined for herself, but as the warrior she is, she faces this new battle head on, as best as she can.

Honestly, I read 78% of this book( according to my kindle app) before my tablet died and I was forced to stop reading for the night. I resumed it the next morning with a full charge, and let me tell you, I am in love with this world. Thorne does an incredible job and bringing life to the worlds we visit in The Queens Wing. The history she adds in and the culture she had created for each one is dazzling and so easy to slip into and imagine that you are there among the beautiful greenery of Anthaeus. She brings to life the tech of the realms as well, each distinct and flavored, hinting to the culture that created them.

Often you can fall into a pattern when reading, where you can guess everything that is going to happen. This is not one of those books. The surprises throughout this book are truly surprises, and it is what kept me hooked and gripping my tablet for 4 straight hours when I should have been sleeping after 1. I know I've said this before for my favorite female protagonists, but Bel stays true to herself through the entire book, even when she didn't know who that was. Her personality stayed the same, while her ideas and thoughts morphed; as they should; as she grew into the story. 

The Queens Wing is a novel that I feel most could enjoy. Battle and war, love and loss, fear and fire and triumph and loyalty. From teens to adults, and across several genres, this book has something for everyone. 

Pages :  353, but it feels like more, in a good way. 

You can order it here on Amazon!

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OK! So About Jessica Thorne..  Its a penname for the wonderful Ruth. You can find her at http://www.rflong.com , on Goodreads and Twitter under Jessica Thorne, she also has a presence on T
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Betrothed to The Dragon by Kara Lockharte

I like to pretend I’m just another immigrant trying make her way in New York City. You’d recognize the story I tell my human friends: fleeing persecution, a desperate relative brings baby me to America with nothing more than the clothes we wear. Hard work, study and persistence brings prosperity and now I’m on the cusp of starting my museum curatorship career. It’s not the entire truth. Though my family may look human, we are not. We have been called many names, gods, demons, fae, yokai, rakshasas, but we are shen, the wielders of Earth’s magic.We sought asylum in America to escape an immortal monster the Devourer, who is determined to find and eat the magic of every last shen in this world, including me.Even though I am the worst sort of shen, a shen with no ability to use magic. My grandmother’s magic can no longer to protect me.And now, just now, she tells me about the bargain she made with the dominant non-human power of New York to save me.Marriage.To a DRAGON.Monster or not, magic or not, there’s no way I’m marrying a man — a dragon, I don’t know. Even he turns out to be the sexiest panty-melting hunk of a suit I’ve ever seen. Absolutely not. I mean it. Seriously. 

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This is not a book for kids. Just throwing that out there. It is a story of one womans search for safety while and evil being that can destroy worlds is after her, and her subsequent fall into love (and the arms of) her betrothed, a Dragon. It is a harrowing adventure full of magic, and monsters, and detailed fight scenes, and sex. There are lots of twists, some that i guessed ahead of time, and others that took me completely by surprise.

If you aren't into the the sex part, (Or are really wanting the sex part) you should know that there are only 2 major scenes where sex actually happens, as well as a few smaller scenes that involve light foreplay. The major part of this book is the action and the storyline. And let me tell you, Kara has some stuff hidden up her sleeve for this series. She has added some background that has just been hinted at, and I cant wait to see what she does with it.

It is on the short side, I read it in one night. But its fast paced, and a page turner for sure. I'm looking forward to reading the second one here in a few nights (assuming its about the same length as this one.) 

Overall, if you are looking for something new, this could be a god place for you to start!

Pages : 134 

Can be found on Amazon Here for your Kindle, or using Kindle Umlimited.

The Gender Game by Bella Forrest

"A toxic river divides nineteen-year-old Violet Bates's world by gender.
Women rule the East. Men rule the West.
Welcome to the lands of Matrus and Patrus.
Ever since the disappearance of her beloved younger brother, Violet's life has been consumed by an anger she struggles to control. Already a prisoner to her own nation, now she has been sentenced to death for her crimes.
But one decision could save her life.
To enter the kingdom of Patrus, where men rule and women submit.
Everything about the patriarchy is dangerous for a rebellious girl like Violet. She cannot break the rules if she wishes to stay alive. But abiding by rules has never been her strong suit, and when she is thrust into more danger than she could have ever predicted, Violet is forced to sacrifice many things in the forbidden kingdom ... including forbidden love.

In a world divided by gender, only the strongest survive..."

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Opening this book, (well tapping it open) I was really excited to jump right in it. On top of it being the first book I've read for pleasure since school has started up, it was also the first book I got with my Kindle Unlimited subscription, so it had double the hype to live up to; and let me tell you, it did not fail. I finished this thing in 2 days, and am writing this within the hour of finishing because it is that good. 

Now this series has been out for a bit, (this first book originally releasing in September of 2016, with the last in the series releasing July 2017) so some of you may have already read it, but if you haven't then you should! (The whole series is out so no waiting on a book release! ) It is dystopian, being set in the future where, after having to start over, the men and women had different ideas on how to run things...

Our main character here is Violet Bates, a 19 year old women who has been fortunate (???) enough to be born in Matrus, the peace loving city state ran by women. Men here are submissive and if they aren't, then they don't get to stay. The opposite being true for its counterpart, Patrus, where violence isn't necessarily looked down on. 

Its a fair paced book, each important character is unique with their own quirks and ideas. Violet herself is very true to herself, even when her life could be on the line, and while that gets her into trouble, it also helps her out. 

This first installment (out of 7!!!) gives us the basic background we need to understand some of the choices that our heroine and her companions make throughout the book. While she isn't set out to save the world, I have a feeling she may just change it!

It is rated Teen/YA, and contains kidnapping and violence in detail, and implied violence and rape. That being said, I would still be ok with my 13 and 16 year old sisters reading this, as it is all done in a very structured and careful way. 

Pages : 418

You can find the whole series HERE on Amazon.

Shields Down, The House of Baric Part One by Jillian Bald

"Long before the time of the Frasers, Poldarks or Crawleys, lived the Barics—Mauro and Resi. Theirs was not an obvious love story, nor set in a place given a lot of attention in history. Croatia was a playground for the decadent Venetians in the lavish baroque era, and Mauro had just reluctantly inherited his father’s noble title of Baron Baric. Mauro’s impending marriage was arranged as a child by his father to settle a debt. Neither he nor his bride cared if the day ever came when Resi would be sent to Baric Castle in the Venetian Empire. When the summons finally arrived in Thessaloniki, it was met with dread. The saga begins as Resi leaves her Ottoman home to an unknown land to marry a stranger: Mauro. Her story—and those of the Barics, their friends, servants, and soldiers—is told in three parts, spanning a continent across empires, bringing together a group of unlikely friends and lovers in the eventful summer of 1649."

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A tentative love story set in the mid 1600's in Croatia. This story brings about a whole new world for those of us who have heard little in our lives of the history behind the country of Croatia. We get to follow the newly weds in this "slice-of-life" like saga, that follows Baron Mauro Baric, and his young bride, Teresa (Resi), as they navigate their (semi) newly found world of aristocracy. From grand balls to everyday life, Shields Down is a beautiful way to introduce a new up and coming indie author.


The first installment is well written, full of vivid description, and transports you to 17th century Croatia with its wordplay. While still being fiction, Jillian makes sure to add a history lesson at the beginning, so you can better understand what is at stake for our main couple, and put yourself into their shoes as far as the backdrop for the story.


In this first novel, you not only get to meet the Baron and Resi, but a whole castle worth of characters that help set up what is sure to be some big plots points in the next two books. While not so much an emotional ride, this series definitely intrigues and is not short on pages! With 612,146  words between the 3 books, you have plenty to read, and with the last book releasing just this past week(!!!) you have no reason not to jump in and read up on the Barics!

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Jillian Bald is an Indie author, new to the scene with her first book (TRILOGY!!!). You can read all about her, and even get a hold of her, through her website jillianbald.com . 
She is already working on her next novel and has some more ideas for 2 other books! So if she has become your favorite up and coming author, then you are in luck, and wont have to wait long to read more by Jillian Bald.

Happy Reading! <3

Herakles by Edouard Cour

"Author Edouard Cour revisits one of the greatest Greek myths by painting the often-heroic Herakles as, well . . . somewhat of a jerk. Crude and stubborn at times, in little glimpses we meet a man-half-human, after all-with a psychology more complex than he appears, entangled in guilt over the ghosts who have haunted him since childhood.

A mournful sadness seizes him as he crosses the fleeting silhouettes of a woman and her three children. "Friends or foe, all those who cross his path end up stiff and worm food," ??comments Linos, the ghost of his childhood music teacher. Brimming with pathos and dark humor, this portrait of Herakles is a graphic whirlwind leaving little respite and often revealing beautiful surprises."

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Edouard Cours' take on Herakles is more than worth it. Notably different than the Hercules you are used to seeing on the Disney Channel, Herakles is meant for the adult reader as it follows the mythos. With nudity and the humor to match, this is probably not something you would want you kids to get a hold of, but oh boy should YOU! Just the artwork alone is incredible. the colors were dark and gritty in a good way, helping set the tone for the comic and giving you a sense of how Herakles sees his world.

The story is done well, taking the legend that is Herakles and adding to it. The language used is modern,which makes this an easier read, though you can go pages at a time here and not see a single word and still have the story progress.

Hanger by Hirotaka Kisaragi

"In a futuristic Neo-Tokyo, crime is rising rapidly in the wake of a new generation of super-drugs capable of enhancing the user's physical and mental abilities. Hajime Tsukomo is a new recruit on a federal task force trained to go after these powered-up criminals. Now he must team up with Zeroichi, a so-called Hanger looking to reduce his own jail sentence in exchange for helping to take down these chemically-boosted bad guys."

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What appears to be another hit from Kisaragi, Hanger is set up to be a great new manga series that is a must read for fans. Unfortunately I had a hard time reading it due to format issues, which hopefully will not translate out into the actual novel copies.

Hanger jumps right into the action with a nice opening scene presenting us with both main characters front and center. It gives us readers a sense of Zeroichi (01) and Hajimes' relationship and sets us up for great character development throughout the series. The backdrop for this relationship is well thought out and (even if a tad cliched) seems to work well with Kisaragis' style.

Mae Vol 1 by Gene Ha

"Mae's beloved older sister, Abbie, has been missing for years. Mae has her theories about where Abbie might be. But nowhere in her wildest imagination do those theories encompass a fantasy world full of terrifying monsters, power-hungry nobles, and nefarious scientists. That is, until Abbie suddenly reappears in Mae's world. And not alone."

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This fully colored novel, has its roots in what has to be some of the Author/Artists fandoms, while still being its own book. Its' hints at Dr Who, Oz, Narnia and others make it a comfortable book to get into. The artists rendering is beautiful and its no wonder way hes won awards for previous work. I feel like Gene Ha is in a unique position because of his many talents, to be able to match the text to the illustrations and vice versa. The pictures and text play well together, and enhance your journey with Mae and Abbie.

With the semi fast pace, you kind of feel rushed to take everything in, but it wasn't a deterrent to keep reading. If anything it made me want to keep reading.

Despite it being a pretty great read, I doubt I would buy it. I usually buy books that I can't stop thinking about, and this one is one that hasn't particularly crossed my mind since reading it.

Mae releases soon July 10th 2018! You can get it here

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It has come to my attention as I was grabbing the Amazon link, that this is a new printing/ new artistic rendering?? of Gene Has' comic released February 2017.

Hunters by Maybury, Tierney, and Valderrama

"Famed warrior Azarias has gathered a small army of varied adventurers on a quest to gather the dust of a distant island god in order to save the life of their king. Along the way, they encounter numerous beasts and monsters all in the process of gathering artifacts necessary to locate the island god before ultimately defeating it."

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Hunters is a beautiful comic with new ideas in a throw back to the traditional Fantasy adventure.

 The artwork is detailed, stunning, and in full color you really get to know the world being presented to you. One thing that both surprised me and made me enjoy this more was that each chapter is drawn by a separate artist. You get to see so many different styles and tones for the adventure. The art does  distract from the story a bit at first, (When you get used to one style then get swung into a new one out of no where for the first time) but overall I enjoyed the differing styles.

Hunters is available now on Amazon in Kindle or Paperback edition.


The full roster of talent contributing to this epic tale include Paul Maybury, Josh Tierney, Miguel Valderrama, Carlos Valderrama, Devin Kraft, Anas Awad, Meg Gandy, Jared Morgan, Irene Koh, Kyla Vanderklugt, Benjamin Marra, Alexis Ziritt, Travel Foreman, Carlos Carrasco, Vlad Gusev, and Ramon Sierra.

Truth Seer by Kay L. Moody

"Egypt, 2121. Imara Kalu knows how she wants her future to go: Become a police interrogator in Kenya and then graduate as a truth seer in her last semester of the summer training program. But her plans fall apart when a group of terrorists take over the school and carry out a desperate kidnapping. Devastated that her sister is among the victims, Imara leads a rescue team and descends into the dangerous catacombs where the hostages are rumored to be hidden.

Although suspicious of others because of the truth she sees, Imara knows the rescue team will need her help as a truth seer to bypass the lethal illusions laid by the abductors. But as the terrorist traps escalate, Imara realizes how much truth she’s been ignoring and that holding back could get her sister killed. Throughout the journey, Imara confronts her past and amplifies her abilities as a truth seer only to discover that her sister’s kidnapping is just one piece of a much darker secret."

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When I fist read the Synopsis above, I didn't know quite what I was getting myself into. It didn't sound like something I would normally read. Personally I would class this book as Dystopian Fantasy. Its Universe is not overtly fantastic and borders real life. Its set a hundred years in the future with new tech and most humans have developed a new power known as hila. But this book does deliver. The author is obviously skilled at developing multifaceted characters who do grow and change with their environments. They react and speak how you could imagine someone similar, reacting and speaking. Imara, the main character is given this immense ability that gives her an almost omniscient view of the world and people around her, but she is still in the process of learning to wield it properly which becomes a major source of distress in her life. Her voice is strong and wavers when it makes sense. She has her ticks, and her own quirkiness that makes her relatable, 

I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend this read, to anyone interested in the Fiction genre. Its easy to read, suitable for older children as well as adults. It is part of a Trilogy and I am really excited to be able to read the next two. 

To order your copy from Amazon follow this link! (Opens in new window) : Truth Seer

The Tarot Cafe Manga Collection by Sang-Sun Park

"Meet Pamela, a tarot card reader who helps supernatural beings living in the human world. She'll help anyone, whether they're a love-stricken cat, a vampire spending eternal life running from his one true love, an unattractive waitress looking for the man of her dreams, or even a magician who creates a humanoid doll to serve the woman he loves. Although she is good-natured, there is a deep dark secret that she must deal with before she can move on to the next life."


At first this Manga screamed XXXHolic at me. Maybe just the fact that it was based in a shop and had all kinds of mystical people coming through, or perhaps the similar art style.

At first I didn't think I would be interested in reading another one. The manga seemed to be focusing on the mini stories (any of which could be their own series if fleshed out a bit) more so than its overarching plot line, where a woman, Pamela reads Tarot for the supernatural. As I continued to read, the story became more clear, and I became more interested, but it didn't really get good until the last chapter which was disappointing. I would have liked more Pamela less "other" 

The artwork was nice, but grainy and kind of broken up in the version I read. You could tell that it had a nice throwback style ( maybe using the same artwork from the original release?).  I would probably read the next 2 ( I'm assuming there will only be 2 more since the first release had 3 total as well) But its not a Manga I would personally add to my collection. I could see some people really enjoying this though.

This was originally released in the early 2000s.  

Chimera 1 The Righteous and the Lost by Tyler Ellis

 "Haunted by their pasts, a crew of thieves is hired for a covert mission in the midst of a galaxy being ripped apart by an interstellar holy war. If they want to survive - much less succeed - they must navigate hostile worlds, vengeful aliens, a deranged demon, and betrayal from within.  Collects the first six issues of the acclaimed sci-fi/fantasy series, as well as a pin-up and cover gallery."

If Star Wars and Firefly met and made a Dungeons and Dragons game, this would be the story they create. Its intriguing  plot and wide array of characters and backstory make it an easy-to-finish-in-one-sitting novel. The artwork sets itself apart and helps bring the whole story together.

The author uses "then" and "now" headings to give backstory which helps to differentiate whats going on and when. ( Especially helps when you are reading on a tiny screen, and are having trouble seeing the words already.) This first installment describes how the group came to be together and sets up for the next few books in a way that doesn't seem so information heavy.

I honestly cant wait to read the next one, and for this to become an overnight must have in the Manga/Amine/Otaku world.

It is currently available on Amazon, Here (Link will open in new window)

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After writing this (and when looking for the Amazon link) I discovered that this is not the first time this story has been told. This Edition is brand new, and includes the first 6 of Tyler Ellis' Chimera novels as well as exclusive artwork. It appears that he is not ready to stop writing this series and is reviving this fairly new story. Either way my original review stands, and I'm excited to see the next one.