Holiday Crown (Royal Conquest Saga #4) by Nikki Jefford

 

 

 Holiday Crown (Royal Conquest Saga #4) by Nikki Jefford

 

 

 Synopsis:

 

Dahlquist is brimming with gifts and good cheer. While King Liri spends the holidays with his queen in the mortal realm, it's up to a certain elf and her brood to rule.

It’s all fun and fa-la-las at the castle—until the holidays turn into a deadly game of hide-and-seek.

While some of the family is getting naughty, others are hunting down an escaped prisoner who isn't playing nice. Meanwhile, will a wish for a future bundle wrapped in pink come true?

This holiday you're invited to come deck the halls of Dahlquist.

 

 

 

A short, sweet and funny addition to the Royal Conquest Saga, this book will have you laughing and furiously turning the pages when love and betrayal invade the palace. Lark and Fraya, the kids of our main characters who have turned into teenagers in the years since we last "met" them, have to step up and save the day - and maybe even a kingdom while the grown-ups, well...sleep?
Okay, maybe not voluntarily. And not all of them - but, oh, well, just trust me, there's a lot of fun and adventure going around and you really don't want to miss it!

♕♕♕♕

Damnation: Tales of Cinder by Melissa Haag

★

 IT IS OOOOOOOUT!

Damnation, the final book in the Cinderella Retelling 

"Tales of Cinder" 

by Melissa Haag is finally out!

Blurb:
 
Abused but not beaten, I will break the curse.
 With the reason behind her mother’s death revealed,

it’s a race for Eloise to exact her revenge and prevent her stepsisters from marrying the prince. However, amidst the glittering jewels and colorful ball gowns, the royal court holds secrets of its own that will devastate Eloise and strike a final blow to her plans. Betrayed by the one person she thought she could trust, Eloise questions how far she’s willing to go for revenge.

After all, in the game of kingdoms, everyone is a pawn.


 "Damnation" is the final book in the Tales of Cinder series by M.J. Haag, a rather dark retelling of the tale of Cinderella. If you haven't read the other books yet, don't touch this book, don't go there, go back and start right at the beginning!
This is the finale and it is amazing! I wish that I could simply say "I knew it", which, in a way, I can say that but there were so many unexpected twists and turns that it wasn't as easy as that even though my instincts were spot on. Sort of. Mostly. Though there was much more to it and things were not as simple as I thought. This book really kept me on my toes and took me on a roller coaster of emotions! I you loved Defiant and Disdain, you will definitely love this great conclusion to the series!
Now, though, I'll have to be patient again (which is soooooo not my strongest suit) because there's still Kellen's story waiting to be told...

★★★★★

Three Kings (Royal Conquest Saga #3) by Nikki Jefford #ThreeKings

 Three Kings by Nikki Jefford

Blurb 
 >>The jaw-dropping, eye-popping, heart-stopping conclusion to the Royal Conquest Saga!<<

Life will never be the same for Melarue Heiris.

Two Fae princes vie for her affection, and her sister doesn't like it one bit. But this isn't Aerith's story. Sure, Mel might have gotten herself into a pickle, but she's got everything under control … kinda. Not. Next thing she knows, she's being threatened with marriage, gowns, and—worst of all—a crown. Ahem, Mel likes pointy things at the end of a hilt in her hand, NOT on her head!

Meanwhile, very pregnant and put out by her ongoing role at Dahlquist castle, Aerith is prepared to do whatever it takes to save her sister and leave Faerie for good. Liri has other ideas. Too bad the Fae-hole abandoned his kingdom. Aerith is in charge now, and if Liri doesn't return soon, she'll crown a new king.

The final battle between the two Elmray families is about to begin. It's a good thing Dahlquist has elves on its side.

Will the cost of winning be too great?


Like pineapple on pizza......and sweet as berries...

What a finale! Honestly, there was so much happening in this fast-paced, absolutely charming and imaginative conclusion to the Royal Conquest Saga, I don't really know where to start to describe it!

If you loved The Stolen Princess and The False Queen, you will also love, love, love this epic finale, where our heroine finds love where she least expects it, and where elves and Fae fall in love - and sometimes out of it. Oh, and if you haven't read the other two books, don't dare pick this one up yet, start at the beginning otherwise you'll regret it! There's so much going on, this series is a firework of fun, laughter, fighting, crowns, portals with the occasional badass elf thrown in as well...oh, and don't forget the tramp team and...yeah.
This is Mel's story- and it will be just as straight and easy as everything Mel does...kinda. Right?
So, go ahead, read it, it's so worth it!

👑👑👑👑👑 

Disdain: A Cinderella Retelling (Tales of Cinder Book 2) by M.J. Haag

  

  Disdain (Tales of Cinder Book 2) 

by 

M.J. Haag

A single blow shattered my life of glass. They shouldn’t have left me with the shards.

Eloise knows the name of her mother’s murderer, but she cannot speak it. A curse keeps her silent and locked in the tattered remains of her once charming life. Though magic holds her tongue, it doesn’t quell the smoldering spark of her anger or her need to learn the reason behind her mother’s death.

However, games of magic have dire consequences. Desperate to keep those she loves safe from the repercussions of her actions, Eloise must make a bold gamble with her safety that could win her everything or destroy her forever.

Two lives hang in the balance. For, if Cinder fails, Snow will fall, too.


Oh my....this story is not for the faint of heart... If you've read "Defiant", the first book in this series (which you totally should have done before you touched this one), you will already know that this is nothing like Disney's glitter and glamour but instead a captivating and intense and really dark retelling of Cinderella. Once again we are reminded of Snow as well, the pet name of our heroine's twin Kellen, so there might be another retelling at the horizon but first - Cinderella.

We left Eloise, our Cinder completely helpless in the hands of the enemy. No matter what happens, she is bound by more than loyalty and fear and the more I learned about the power of her adversaries, the more I (and Cinder as well) feared that she won't be able to keep up the fight. There were some parts that were really hard to read and I worried a lot, especially when the hunter is on the loose and everything seems rather hopeless because in order to protect those that she cares for, Eloise will have to ...well, can she give up the fight?

With Eloise fighting for her life and the life of those around her, there is also Kaven, the one guy who is always there, the one who always finds her. With her feelings slowly (very slowly, this book is definitely very light on the romance part though it still includes some scenes that include somewhat explicit sexual content) growing, Eloise's life becomes even more complicated and when the future of her country is at stake, well, she won't give up. No matter what happens. And no matter who dies...

★★★★

 

 

 

Defiant (Tales of Cinder #1) by M.J. Haag #Defiant

 Do you remember Depravity, the retelling of The Beauty and the Beast set in the world of the Beastly Tales by Melissa Haag?

Defiant is the retelling of Cinderella and we will learn how far our heroine is willing to go for those that she loves and cares for - and how far will she go to find those who killed them?

  Defiant (Tales of Cinder #1) by M.J. Haag

Blurb:

A dark, twisted Cinderella retelling that fans of Sarah J. Maas and/or Melanie Dickerson are sure to enjoy.

Magic can have deadly consequences.

When the sudden and suspicious death of Eloise’s mother points to forbidden magic, Eloise is determined to bring her mother’s murderer to justice. She will stop at nothing to find the killer…even if the clues lead right to the palace gates and the prince’s manservant, Kaven. He is irrational, volatile, and prone to knocking women off horses. Given his personality, it should be easy to find the proof she needs to place him in irons.

However, when dark magic is used, nothing is as simple as it seems, and Eloise is about to learn that nightmares often hide behind fairy tale lives.

Fans of the Beastly Tales will not want to miss this new addition to the same world. Filled with magic, unexpected foes, and brooding, impossible men, this Tale of Cinder is sure to leave you burning for more!


What a captivating -and sinister-  take on the tale of Cinderella! This dark retelling of the story kept me turning the pages, reading, waiting for the next thing to happen, the next mystery to occur, while furiously trying to find out each and everyone's role, their potential fate, trying to find out if I should (or rather could) start to care for someone or....well, there's no use starting to care for someone who might be the next victim, right?

So many theories, so many things that I want to know - I really can't wait for the next book to come out to find out more and to see where the story takes us.

I loved how this is Cinder's story, though Eloise, our Cinder, is not the only heroine, there's also Kellen, her twin who is also called Snow which leads us to another possible story set in the world of the Beastly Tales. First, though, I'll have to learn more about Cinder and her potential love interest, the prince's manservant Kaven, if that's who he is... And, of course, I'll have to learn more about the Lady Grimmoire who....well. The Lady Grimmoire, right.
Well written, captivating and intense, I really enjoyed reading this book and can't wait for the next book, Disdain, to come out. SOON!

★★★★★

Glamour of Midnight by Casey L. Bond

  Glamour of Midnight by Casey L. Bond

Blurb: 

 Nineteen-year-old Karis has been blind since birth, but for some reason, she can see through the wall of smoke that separates the human lands from those of the Faeries that rule in grand courts on the other side. Most of the time, the only thing she can see on the other side of the wall is the swipe of a tail or the trailing of a bony hand along the surface. But one day, a handsome faerie appears and sweeps her away into his world—a world that is being ravaged by an evil so dark and deadly, she fears she may never see her home again.

Loftin is a bounty hunter and he has been searching for Karis since she went missing from the Court of Ash. He needs to return her and collect the ransom. But the longer they travel together and the more he teaches her about what she is now able to see, the more difficult he finds the thought of letting her go. A fiery passion ignites between them, but with a monster tracking their every move, they must find a way to reach the Court of Ash before it kills them both.



The Sleeping Beauty part wasn't that obvious so if that is what you are looking for - take a deep breath - and enjoy an amazing and original book that will make you turn the pages faster and faster that has just a pinch of Sleeping Beauty in it.

I really loved the world that the author created. It is a harsh world, unforgiving, where people lose their lives (or their hands), where children go hungry and monsters are roaming the forests, guarding the walls and killing everyone who dares to leave the confines of the cities.

Being blind and turning up in the city as a child with nobody knowing where she came from, hasn't made Karis' life any easier even though Iric and his family are looking after her. Little does she know that somebody very powerful and very evil is searching for her. In fact - has been searching for her ever since she went missing and turned up in the city of Ironton.
Loftin, a bounty hunter, is going after a very special bounty, the young girl who went missing from the Court of Ash years ago and the price is high. Very high. But - will he really be able to betray her?

A fantastic world, a fairy tale whose monsters will keep you up at night and whose heroes will make you swoon and sigh and, well, maybe even kick some .... backs or shins, who knows.
I loved to read about the Courts and the Seelie fae, I feared the Unseelie and I really wanted the good guys to win. Whoever the good guys were.
A wonderful fairy tale that I can wholeheartedly recommend to everyone who loves to read about those monsters under your bed, in your closet, and in your forests. Especially those in your forests.

★★★★★