We Agree: "The Great Pursuit" by Wendy Higgins is Really Great! (UPDATED)

The Great Pursuit by Wendy Higgins is the sequel to The Great Hunt. Aerity and her sister and cousin are amazing in this along with Pax, Tiern, Harrison and Lief and Furball!  This is full of adventure, suspense, fighting and romance.  The addition of Furball, a beast that was rescued from Rozaria Rocato by Harrison and Aerity, a very entertaining addition.

I loved Furball and how the women insisted he come along and stay at the castle.  In this book, I really got invested in the main characters who were very interesting and well developed.  The ending was fantastic and I loved how the plot developed and moved along.  There were no boring parts in this one for me!  I highly recommend this if you want an entertaining read with adventure and romance.  I think I will check into the Sweet Evil series by this author as well.   
(Karen's review, 5 stars)


The Great Pursuit by Wendy Higgins picks up where The Great Hunt ended.  Princess Aerity is to marry the man who killed the great beast.  But can she marry a man she does not love?  Soon Lochlanach is in great peril--can the royal family survive?

I thought this book was Fantastic!  It has constant action which made this book fly by for me.  I never knew what was coming next. I enjoyed all the characters very much!  The ending was perfect!  I am glad this story was finished in just two books.  LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review 3/23/17, 5++ stars)

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"The Crown" by Kiera Cass (5th Book of The Selection Series)

I loved The Crown by Kiera Cass, the fifth book in The Selection series because Eadlyn grows up quickly when her mother has a heart attack and shows both maturity and compassion for others, finally!  This was a really fun series and I was not disappointed at all in this last book!  She picked the one I thought she should and I loved how she became so caring about the feelings of the selected.  I do not want to spoil anything because if you are reading this series, you have to read this one too!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)


I should have dressed up to do these videos--thought of it too late! 

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"The Heir" by Kiera Cass (Book 4 of The Selection Series)

The Heir by Kiera Cass is the fourth book in this series and although I enjoyed this one the least, it still gets 4 stars from me. This is 18 years after the end of The One and the main character is America and Maxon’s eldest by seven minutes, Eadlyn. The castes have been faded out by now and there is peace; however, old prejudices and discrimination still exist among some people. Small fights all over continue to break out over dissatisfaction with the monarchy. In an effort to provide a distraction while Maxon and America try to figure something out to correct the situation, they ask Eadlyn to have a selection of her own. She very reluctantly agrees and this book then becomes similar to the TV show, The Bachelorette! 35 suitors are picked live on TV with a draw, choosing someone from each providence. Someone entered Kile Woodward’s name (Marlee’s son who grew up in the palace with Eadlyn) and he is one of the selected. Eadlyn thinks love makes one weak but made a deal with her parents to go through the process for three months provided if she didn’t find love, she would not have to choose anyone in the end and that any of them were free to leave any time if they chose. Her parents are hopeful, she just wants her freedom. It’s fun to look back to the previous book as her parents reveal things about their Selection experience to Eadlyn and how interested she is

Eadlyn is a spoiled brat and basically rude to the suiters, but in spite of herself, her wall begins to crumble and she does start to really care about some of them. Her best dates turn out to be the ones that the cameras aren’t ready for. The two group dates were really fun. Some of the guys were outside playing baseball and she came by and decided to join them! The other was set up by the guys who felt left out of the ballgame—they got her to agree to join them for the “best date ever.” They put on a talent show and through this she actually laughed and finally enjoyed herself while getting to know a bit more about the suitors.

Eadlyn is so bratty that I did not like this book as much as the previous ones, but by the end she was becoming more decent. I like how there are really several possible choices for her and I am not sure who she will pick. I think it is a very interesting addition the Henri needs a translator, Eric who tries to stay in the background and is quite smart. Henri speaks only Finnish but is very nice and a great chef! Their kitchen kiss was so sweet!  I also like seeing America’ and Maxon’s friends appear in this book as well. I cheered when I saw Aspen is now a General! I flew through this book as well and continued right on with the next. I am eating up this series and highly recommend it as a light, funny, entertaining read.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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Loved "The One" (Book 3 of The Selection Series) by Kiera Cass

The One by Kiera Cass is the third book in The Selection series and my favorite so far!  In this the action really picks up, Maxon and Aspen form a bond, America's father dies, Maxon finally chooses his princess and it has some surprises and several die.  This is like a roller coaster with happy moments and very sad moments.  My emotions were all over the place.  The relationship developments, the danger at the palace, the plot with the rebels and Maxon's father continuing to knock America out of the competition made this book hard for me to put down.

I am loving this series and so glad I gave it a chance despite the boring covers.  I like both Maxon and America and loved the ending of this one even though it was not what I expected!  I am flying through these books because I am enjoying the characters so much.   What a great book, loving this series!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"The Elite" by Kiera Cass

The Elite by Kiera Cass is the second book in The Selection series and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first one. This book has some heartbreaking moments surrounding Marlee and the competition gets a bit more interesting with only six girls left. America questions if she actually could be a good princess if she let her feelings for Maxon blossom into love or if she should just pull out and look to a future with Aspen. She really shocks the royal family with her philanthropic presentation on TV and the king really hates her now! Maxon stands up to his father for the first time to protect America and he and America finally have a heart-to-heart talk while hiding together during an attack. Will she trust Maxon? Will she learn when to keep her mouth shut and control her emotions?  As she learns more what is involved in being a princess, she has more doubts but is greatly encouraged when she receives a very sweet letter from her father.

I look forward to reading book 3 and am excited to read all the rest of the books in this series (3 more to go). I really admire America’s courage but hope she can learn to control her emotions better. I love how her maids all adore her and are so eager to make her look good and help her any way they can. This book has lots of good moments but also very sad things with some surprises along the way. I really liked how sweet Maxon when he surprised America at how he handled the Marlee situation.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)
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"The Selection by Kiera Cass is a Fun Read!

I’ve heard so much about The Selection series by Kiera Cass that I finally gave in and started it. The first book of the series, Selection, is a fun, light read about the rags to riches story of America Singer, a teenage girl. This is set in a future time where what once was America is now the country of Illéia. There is a royal family who rules and a caste system in place. America’s family are “fives” which are made up of musicians and artists. Just one level above “sixes” who are servants which is the caste Aspen is in. Aspen and America are in a serious relationship but have to keep it secret since they are in different castes. One day America gets a letter that could change her life forever, inviting her to apply to be Prince Maxon’s princess. Thirty-five girls will be selected for him to get to know and choose his princess from. During the selection process, their families will be compensated for allowing their daughters to participate in the selection. This first book is about the girls being selected and the process of Prince Maxon trying to narrow down the number.

I enjoyed this book because it is entertaining and reminded me of the show, The Bachelor. Prince Maxon, however, is a nice guy and not a sleeze at all. I like the humor throughout the book and how America slowly discovers that Maxon is not the snob she expected him to be. In fact, he is nothing but exceptionally nice to her! The love triangle that develops between her, Aspen and Maxon gets a push when Aspen is drafted as a guard at the palace and is assigned to guard America’s room. This is a quick read and I am anxious to continue on with this series. This is a pretty uplifting read with lots of happy moments.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)

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I linked this up to Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop in response to the book review prompt.  You can too!

"The Heart of Betrayal" (Book 2 of Remnant Chronicles) by Mary E. Pearson (UPDATED)

The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson is book two in the Remnant Chronicles series, the sequel to Kiss of Deception, which I LOVED. Lia and Kaden are taken as prisoners by the barbarians of Vaden and deception is prevalent in this book throughout, but not for the reader as it was in book one. Lia continues to be both feisty, brave and deceptive. She pretends not to care for Kaden in order to save his life while relying on Rafe, the assassin, to protect her. Tension between Kaden and Rafe continues to escalate, but they both love Lia. Lia and Kaden catch short times together to hatch an escape plan, that is even more urgent as Lia’s wedding to the Komizar fast approaches. There is some brutality in this book with lots of interesting characters and relationships. Will Rafe betray the Komizar to protect Lia? Will he kill Kaden? Will Griz get his revenge? Will Kaden and Lia be successful in their escape?

I LOVED this book so much! It moved along quickly and was as much fun to read as Kiss of Deception. I thought the funniest part was when Lia beat Griz at cards, but the saddest was when the Komizar killed the little girl. This is a good series that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys adventure, romance and fantasy with royalty. I look forward to the next book to find out what happens! (Karen's review 8/1/15, 5 stars)

Gerard read this too 12/8/16, but didn't like it as much as I did:
This book is the follow up to Kiss of Deception which I liked better.  Lia is being held captive in the city of Venda and Kaden is keeping an eye on her, making sure no harm comes to her.  Rafe is also captured and is waiting for his army to come and rescue him and Lia.  As in book one, the part that Lia tells were the highlight for me.  She is really good!  There is some action finally near the end which sets up the final book.
(4 stars)

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"The Kiss of Deception" by Mary E. Pearson - Fantastic Fantasy (UPDATED)

The Kiss of Deception Mary E. Pearson is about a young girl who is promised in marriage to a prince to keep the peace between the two lands.  However, at the last minute, Princess Arabella aka Lia takes off!  She wants no part of this at all!  

This book has pretty good action.  Lia is a fantastic character and the parts of the book that feature her were the best.  The two primary male characters, Kaden and Rafe are interesting also.  This is a good read, the first of the series.  On to book 2!  (Gerard's review, 12/6/16, 5 stars)

Karen's review 4/30/15, 5 stars:
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson is about ancient far-away lands in a world of fantasy kingdoms.  The main character, Princess Arabella Celestine Idris Jezelia, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan a/k/a Lia, the one named in secret, is not your average princess!  She is only 17 and quite a rebel who runs away on her wedding day because she does not want to marry someone who she never has seen or met just to be part of her father’s plan to form an alliance with another kingdom.  The jolted prince is greatly insulted so seeks to find her along with her father’s bounty hunters and an assassin from the barbaric kingdom of Venda.  She just wants to live a normal quiet life and be loved by someone for who she is.

This was a nice change of pace for me.  I liked this book a lot because Lia is such a feisty princess.  The book has humor, action, mystery and clean romance.  The writes the story in first person by alternating chapters among  the perspectives of three different people:  the princess, the assassin and the prince who are all complex characters.  The chapters are plainly titled when the prince or assassin are speaking and the untitled chapters are when the princess is speaking.  In the beginning though, it is a bit confusing as to who Rafe and Kadin are—one is the prince and one is the assassin, but it took me a while to figure out which was which.  What I thought turned out to be wrong when I read on a bit farther.  On the inside the cover is a map of the various locations of the different kingdoms which is helpful to the reader.  This is the first book in The Remnant Chronicles series and now I have to look for the second one--The Heart of Betrayal!   

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Ice Like Fire" by Sara Raasch

Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch is the second book in the Snow Like Ashes YA fantasy series.  In this book, Meira strives to act like a queen even though she prefers being a warrior.  The story is told from Meira's perspective and Mather's perspective.  This book has much less action than the first and focuses on inner struggles and the trip to find some magical keys and how to open the magical chasm found in Winter's mountains.  Theron wants to open it but Meira doesn't so tries to find the keys first and the Order of the Lustrate.  Finally, about the last 50 pages had some action and got really good.

This book was not as interesting as the first but was okay.  I still like Mather best and didn't understand some things.  The plot seemed dull to me and it moved along slowly.  The only reason I finished this book is because it is the second in a series and I plan on finishing the series.  It isn't gripping but it's still worth reading.  This has mostly introspection, politics, betrayal and travel in it.  
(Karen's review, 3- stars)

Now see what Gerard thought of it:
Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch is the follow-up to Snow Like Ashes, which I loved! Meira, the new Queen of Winter, is on a mission to get Winter out of the rule of the King of Cordell and she needs help to do that.

This book is nowhere near as good as the first. The first half of the book I had to plow through because nothing really is going on. The second half has some action and I was able to get into it more. The ending was just okay and not the big “wow” I hoped for. I will read the third book in hopes that it will be better and see how it all plays out.
(Gerard’s review, 3 stars)


See our review of the first in this series:  Snow Like Ashes

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