Fourth Musketeer

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we get to share the books we've bought, been gifted, or received for review! How was your week, y'all? Mine's been good! In exciting news, my best friend is getting married this fall and I'm the maid of honor! Last Sunday, we went to a bridal show and have a bunch of things  happening--including a bachelorette trip to Disney World! Needless to say, I'm pumped, and planning is pretty much all I do now. ;) It's also a little crazy to me that I'm old enough to have a best friend getting married, especially since I've known her since first grade. Anyway, on to the books! For review: The Prey by Tom Isbell The Capture by Tom Isbell In paperback and hardcover, respectively, but taking a picture was too much effort for me. :) The Season of You and Me by Robin Constantine Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh Books I read this week: Didn't finish a thing. Disney trip obsession is killi...

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury Author: Sarah J. Maas Release date: May 3, 2016 Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court--but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people. Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms--and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future--and the future of a world cleaved in two. With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights. Oh heeeey, ACOMAF! I could handle your wonderfully thick self being in my hands right ...

Title: Forbidden Author: Kimberley Griffiths Little Release date: November 4, 2014 In the unforgiving Mesopotamian desert where Jayden’s tribe lives, betrothal celebrations abound, and tonight it is Jayden’s turn to be honored. But while this union with Horeb, the son of her tribe’s leader, will bring a life of riches and restore her family’s position within the tribe, it will come at the price of Jayden’s heart.  Then a shadowy boy from the Southern Lands appears. Handsome and mysterious, Kadesh fills Jayden’s heart with a passion she never knew possible. But with Horeb’s increasingly violent threats haunting Jayden’s every move, she knows she must find a way to escape—or die trying.  With a forbidden romance blossoming in her heart and her family’s survival on the line, Jayden must embark on a deadly journey to save the ones she loves—and find a true love for herself. Set against the brilliant backdrop of the sprawling desert, the story of Jayden and Kadesh will leave reader...

Release date: May 30, 2012 Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook Publisher: Self-published Pages: 246 Format: Egalley Source: Author provided for review through Netgalley Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon For Princess Alyrra, choice is a luxury she's never had ... until she's betrayed. Princess Alyrra has never enjoyed the security or power of her rank. Between her family's cruelty and the court's contempt, she has spent her life in the shadows. Forced to marry a powerful foreign prince, Alyrra embarks on a journey to meet her betrothed with little hope for a better future. But powerful men have powerful enemies--and now, so does Alyrra. Betrayed during a magical attack, her identity is switched with another woman's, giving Alyrra the first choice she's ever had: to start a new life for herself or fight for a prince she's never met. But Alyrra soon finds that Prince Kestrin is not at all what she expected. While walking away will cost Kestrin ...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we get to share the books we've bought, been gifted, or received for review! How was your week, y'all? Mine's been good! Nothing exciting going on this week that I can recall... I did get a Harry Potter Tervis Tumbler--does that count as exciting? I'm kind of obsessed with it. It's the Marauder's Map. I feel cool everywhere I go now. :)  For review: Goldfish by Nat Luurtsema Love Charms and Other Catastrophes by Kimberly Karalius All the Feels by Danika Stone The Way to Game the Walk of Shame by Jenn P. Nguyen The Gilded Cage by Lucinda Gray Dream On by Kerstin Gier Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts: Monday - Review: Signs Point to Yes by Sandy Hall Wednesday - Waiting on Wednesday: Heartless by Marissa Meyer Books I read this week: Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake   by Sarah MacLean Thorn by Intisar Khanani I'm currently reading: ...

Title: Heartless Author: Marissa Meyer Release date: November 8, 2016 Long before she was the terror of Wonderland — the infamous Queen of Hearts — she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen. At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king's marriage proposal, she meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land...

Release date: October 20, 2015 Author info: Website | Twitter Publisher: Swoon Reads Pages: 288 Format: ARC Source: Publisher provided for review Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository The author of A Little Something Different brings you the most adorkable romance ever. Jane, a superstitious fangirl, takes an anonymous babysitting job to avoid an unpaid internship with her college-obsessed mom. The only problem? She’s babysitting the siblings of her childhood friend and new crush, Teo.  Teo doesn’t dislike Jane, but his best friend Ravi hates her, and is determined to keep them apart. So Teo’s pretty sure his plans for a peaceful summer are shot. His only hope is that his intermittent search for his birth father will finally pan out and he’ll find a new, less awkward home. Meanwhile, at Jane’s house, her sister Margo wants to come out as bisexual, but she’s terrified of how her parents will react. In a summer filled with secrets and questions, even Jane...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we get to share the books we've bought, been gifted, or received for review! How was your week, y'all? Mine's been good! Kind of awesome, actually? My alma mater, Alabama, won the national championship! Weeeee are the championssssss! :D Otherwise things were uneventful, but one can't complain about that kind of week. For review: Firstlife by Gena Showalter Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit Siren's Song by Mary Weber A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts: Monday - Review: The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry Tuesday - Teaser Tuesday: The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine Wednesday - Waiting on Wednesday: And I Darken by Kiersten White Books I read this week: The Impostor Queen   by Sarah Fine I'm currently reading: Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean So that's been my week! Another small haul, no purchases--the goal! I might put a "read this ...

Title: And I Darken Author: Kiersten White Release date: June 28, 2016 NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets. Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion. But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has ...

Title: The Impostor Queen Author: Sarah Fine Release date: Januayr 5, 2016 Sixteen-year-old Elli was a small child when the Elders of Kupari chose her to succeed the Valtia, the queen who wields infinitely powerful ice and fire magic. Since then, Elli has lived in the temple, surrounded by luxury and tutored by magical priests, as she prepares for the day when the Valtia perishes and the magic finds a new home in her. Elli is destined to be the most powerful Valtia to ever rule. But when the queen dies defending the kingdom from invading warriors, the magic doesn’t enter Elli. It’s nowhere to be found. Disgraced, Elli flees to the outlands, the home of banished criminals—some who would love to see the temple burn with all its priests inside. As she finds her footing in this new world, Elli uncovers devastating new information about the Kupari magic, those who wield it, and the prophecy that foretold her destiny. Torn between the love she has for her people and her growing loyalty to th...

Release date: January 26, 2016 Author info: Twitter | Facebook Publisher: Razorbill Pages: 400 Format: ARC Source: Gifted Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository Natalie Cleary must risk her future and leap blindly into a vast unknown for the chance to build a new world with the boy she loves.  Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start…until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” They’re just momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right. That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s ...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we get to share the books we've bought, been gifted, or received for review! How was your week, y'all? Mine's been good! Nothing too extraordinary going on, but a good week all in all. I'm happy. :) I'm happy with the number of posts I did, one less than my heaviest load, but that allows me to do more commenting! I'd like to keep that up. :) Gifted: Outpost (Razorland #2)   by Ann Aguirre The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron Both ARCs! Both I've been searching for for a while, so I'm giddy to have them. The Dark Unwinding is hard to find, y'all! But I need an ARC of A Spark Unseen  to finish my collection, so if you know of one... :) A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts: Monday - Review: Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown Tuesday - Teaser Tuesday: Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley Wednesday - Waiting on Wednesday: The Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller Thursday - B...

Release date: January 5, 2016 Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook Publisher: Amulet Pages: 352 Format: Egalley Source: Publisher provided for review Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne. The Brontë siblings have always been inseparable. After all, nothing can bond four siblings quite like life in an isolated parsonage out on the moors. Their vivid imaginations lend them escape from their strict upbringing, actually transporting them into their created worlds: the glittering Verdopolis and the romantic and melancholy Gondal. But at what price? As Branwell begins to slip into madness and the sisters feel their real lives slipping away, they must weigh the cost of their powerful imaginations, even as their characters—the brooding Rogue and dashing Duke of Zamorna—refuse to let them go. Gorgeously written and based on the Brontës’ juvenilia, Worlds of Ink & Shadow brings to life one of history’s most celebrated ...

Title: The Forbidden Orchid Author: Sharon Biggs Waller Release date: February 2, 2016 Staid, responsible Elodie Buchanan is the eldest of ten sisters living in a small English market town in 1861. The girls' father is a plant hunter, usually off adventuring through the jungles of China.  Then disaster strikes: Mr. Buchanan fails to collect an extremely rare and valuable orchid, meaning that he will be thrown into debtors' prison and the girls will be sent to the orphanage or the poorhouse. Elodie's father has one last chance to return to China, find the orchid, and save the family—and this time, thanks to an unforeseen twist of fate, Elodie is going with him. Elodie has never before left her village, but what starts as fear turns to wonder as she adapts to seafaring life aboard the tea clipper The Osprey, and later to the new sights, dangers, and romance of China.  But even if she can find the orchid, how can she find herself now that staid, responsible Elodie has seen how...

Title: Worlds of Ink and Shadow Author: Lena Coakley Release date: January 5, 2016 Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne. The Brontë siblings have always been inseparable. After all, nothing can bond four siblings quite like life in an isolated parsonage out on the moors. Their vivid imaginations lend them escape from their strict upbringing, actually transporting them into their created worlds: the glittering Verdopolis and the romantic and melancholy Gondal. But at what price? As Branwell begins to slip into madness and the sisters feel their real lives slipping away, they must weigh the cost of their powerful imaginations, even as their characters—the brooding Rogue and dashing Duke of Zamorna—refuse to let them go. Gorgeously written and based on the Brontës’ juvenilia, Worlds of Ink & Shadow brings to life one of history’s most celebrated literary families. My teaser, from 20% in the egalley: "Branwell," she said gently, "when we write, doors appear. We can't...

Release date: October 20, 2015 Author info:  Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook Publisher: Balzer + Bray Pages: 336 Format: Egalley Source: Publisher provided for review through Edelweiss Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository Samantha Donaldson’s family has always done its duty for the British Crown. In the midst of World War I, seventeen-year-old Sam follows in their footsteps, serving her country from the homefront as a Girl Guide and messenger for the intelligence organization MI5. After her father disappears on a diplomatic mission, she continues their studies of languages, high-level mathematics, and complex puzzles and codes, hoping to make him proud. When Sam is asked to join the famed women’s spy group La Dame Blanche she’s torn—this could be the adventure she’s dreamed of, but how can she abandon her mother, who has already lost a husband to the war? But when her handlers reveal shocking news, Sam realizes there’s no way s...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we get to share the books we've bought, been gifted, or received for review! How was everybody's year? It's been so long since I've been around that I feel like I should ask! Mine was my regular, rather uneventful time. I worked and read... And that's kind of it! Not having blogging was odd, but definitely relaxing. I'm going to be more laid back in how I do blogging from now on--not pressuring myself to post 6 days a week, but instead making sure I'm more social and reaching out much more than I have in the post. Hopefully I can handle it! :D And because it's been so long since I've done a STS, there's a huge amount of books to share! Woo! This is largely because HarperCollins uploaded a bunch on Edelweiss, and I never have much self control with that, and because we had our employee appreciation days at work, where I bought a lot more books than I normally do since I get...