Prince of Thorns and Nightmares

 Prince of Thorns and Nightmares by Linsey Miller 432 pages

Summary: Prince Phillip’s known from a young age that his destiny has already been decided for him by his father, King Hubert. His job is to smile and wave for the crowd and ride off into the sunset with his predetermined fiancé, Princess Aurora, after her curse is lifted on her sixteenth birthday. But just days before Aurora’s birthday party, Phillip experiences a strange burst of magic, and three fairies tell him that he is part of a prophecy set to defeat Maleficent, the Mistress of All Evil. Suddenly Phillip feels as if he has a choice—maybe magic can be the freedom he has been looking for.

Although, having magic and working with fairies to retrieve powerful ancient artifacts would be much more enjoyable if he didn’t have to deal with her every night, a girl named Briar Rose who appears in his dreams on the other side of a mystical thorn maze. Phillip doesn’t know how he can be so annoyed by a person he can’t even see but having to hear the mysterious maiden’s laughs and jabs at him every time he goes to sleep is worse than any nightmare. But Phillip is starting to realize that Briar Rose isn’t so different from himself, and maybe they can change both of their fates one dream at a time.

My Thoughts: I honestly really enjoyed this book. I love getting books from the viewpoints of the Prince. I'm all for the viewpoints of women, but in the Disney movies, the Princes or male supporting character were always so one dimensional. I think this might be the best one out of the three Disney Prince books that's been written. 

THE FAIRY GODMOTHER (Five Hundred Kingdoms series) by MERCEDES LACKEY

 THE FAIRY GODMOTHER (Five Hundred Kingdoms Series) by MERCEDES LACKEY  (Pgs 417)

Goodreads Review:

In the land of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, if you can't carry out your legendary role, life is no fairy tale...

Elena Klovis was supposed to be her kingdom's Cinderella--until fate left her with a completely inappropriate prince! So she set out to make a new life for herself. But breaking with "The Tradition" was no easy matter--until she got a little help from her own fairy godmother. Who promptly offered Elena a most unexpected job...

Now, instead of sleeping in the chimney, she has to deal with arrogant, stuffed-shirt princes who keep trying to rise above their place in the tale. And there's one in particular who needs to be dealt with...

Sometimes a fairy godmother's work is never done...

Until the World Falls Down

 Until the World Falls Down by Jordan Lynde 544 pages

 

Synapsis: When a brutal betrayal leaves Nell heartbroken and alone, she makes a desperate wish for love, recklessly offering anything in exchange.

Her plea is heard by Enver, an immortal as wicked as he is beautiful. He sweeps Nell away to his castle that seems to exist out of time and presents her with a bargain: escape his labyrinth within forty-eight hours or surrender to eternity as his lover.

Nell vows to conquer the labyrinth, despite the dangerous attraction she feels for its monstrous ruler. But every stolen moment with him leaves her craving more. And every step deeper into the castle reveals hidden truths about herself…and the curse that holds Enver captive.

Torn between her desire for love and the dark being incapable of loving her, Nell faces an impossible choice. And her time is running out.

My Thoughts: This book is for all of my David Bowie Labyrinth fans! It's Labyrinth meets Beauty and the Beast. I really enjoyed this book, be forewarned there is a ton of smut in this book though. The infamous ball scene with the mirrors, the labyrinth, brooding male. This book, I liked up until the last couple of chapters. I then figured out there will be a second book... It was worth the read though and I got to see what that old movie would be like if it was an adult version!

ENCHANTMENT by ORSON SCOTT CARD

 ENCHANTMENT by ORSON SCOTT CARD  (Pgs 422)

Goodreads Review: he moment Ivan stumbled upon a clearing in the dense Carpathian forest, his life was forever changed. Atop a pedestal encircled by fallen leaves, the beautiful princess Katerina lay still as death. But beneath the foliage a malevolent presence stirred and sent the ten-year-old Ivan scrambling for the safety of Cousin Marek's farm.

Now, years later, Ivan is an American graduate student, engaged to be married. Yet he cannot forget that long-ago day in the forest--or convince himself it was merely a frightened boy's fantasy. Compelled to return to his native land, Ivan finds the clearing just as he left it.

This time he does not run. This time he awakens the beauty with a kiss . . . and steps into a world that vanished a thousand years ago.

THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE (WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY) by KATHERINE ARDEN

 THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE (WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY) by KATHERINE ARDEN

 (Pgs 336)

GOODREADS REVIEW: At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.

Clown in a Cornfield 3: The Church of Frendo by Adam Cesare

 Clown in a Cornfield 3: The Church of Frendo by Adam Cesare-448 pages

⭐⭐⭐1/2

I really liked the first two books in this trilogy (so far). In this latest installment, Quinn Maybrook is on a vengeance trip against many of those who perpetrated the previous attacks in Kettle Springs. She is on the run across states as she seeks vengeance and answers. She hasn't actually killed anyone, but people she's tortured and/or targeted for torture keep turning up dead. Who's killing Quinn's targets? Is Arthur Hill somehow still alive or is it someone posing as him? What and where is this New Kettle Springs settlement devoted to Frendo? The story ends with a clash, although I thought the ending could have been better. After finishing, I was wondering if this book was really needed. The story could have finished just fine after the first 2 books. Overall, it was pretty good, but not nearly as good as the previous two. 

THE RUSTED SOULS by CHRIS NICKSON

 THE RUSTED SOULS by CHRIS NICKSON  (Pgs 230)

Leeds, 1920. Chief Constable Tom Harper of Leeds City Police has just six weeks left in the role before his well-earned retirement. But even though his distinguished forty-year career is ending, the crime and mayhem on the city’s streets continues.
 
Council leader Alderman Thompson is being blackmailed. He wants Harper to find the love letters he sent to a young woman called Charlotte Radcliffe and return them discreetly. Elsewhere, masked, armed robbers are targeting jewelry shops in the city, and an organized gang of shoplifters is set to descend on Leeds. As events threaten to spiral out of control, Harper battles to restore justice and order to the streets of Leeds one last time.

This is the last in the DI Tom Harper mysteries, and I have enjoyed all the books in this series.

(Mary Harper is a character in this book)