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Monday, August 22, 2016

Teaser Tuesday #4: Dreamfever (Fever #4) by Karen Marie Morning





Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My current read is Dreamfever (Fever #4)  by Karen Marie Moning and my three lines are from page 5


"Ah, Mac," he says, and his laughter is as dark and cold as the place of which I dream, "one day you will wonder if it's possible to hate me more." 


Dreamfever (Fever#4) by Karen Marie Moning


They may have stolen my past, but I’ll never let them take my future. When the walls between Man and Fae come crashing down, freeing the insatiable, immortal Unseelie from their icy prison, MacKayla Lane is caught in a deadly trap. Captured by the Fae Lord Master, she is left with no memory of who or what she is: the only sidhe-seer alive who can track the Sinsar Dubh, a book of arcane black magic that holds the key to controlling both worlds. Clawing her way back from oblivion is only the first step Mac must take down a perilous path, from the battle-filled streets of Dublin to the treacherous politics of an ancient, secret sect, through the tangled lies of men who claim to be her allies into the illusory world of the Fae themselves, where nothing is as it seems—and Mac is forced to face a soul-shattering truth. Who do you trust when you can’t even trust yourself? …






PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Review: Daughters of the Storm (Blood and Gold #1) by Kim Wilkins

Title: Daughters of the Storm (Blood and Gold #1)
Author: Kim Wilkins
Published: 1st November 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Mira
Source: Harlequin Mira via Netgalley in return for an honest review
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: *****

 My Review:

I first discovered author Kim Wilkins books after listening to her speak in a panel at a local writing festival in 2004.  At the time I then systematically went through and read all of her books to that date loving all of them and knowing this was an author I would also want to read more of.

Whilst it has been taken me a long while to finally pick up this book, having now finished it I don't know why I waited so long because I think I enjoyed this one more than all the others combined.

This is the perfect start to what looks to be an enthralling and exciting new series up there Game of thrones or Throne of Glass. Bluebell is heir to the throne, warrior and soldier for her Kingdom and her family. Everything she does and every decision she makes is for her Kingdom, her father or her four sisters.  When her father is taken sick by magic, Bluebell is determined to do whatever it takes to save him, no matter the cost.

From the moment I started this book, I literally could not put it down, the writing flows and threads are weaved beautifully to give a seamless, compelling read.  Even when you could see where some of the threads might lead, you could not help but be glued to the pages following every word and line.

Ms Wilkins world building is incredible and her characters captivating.  The story is told from the point of view of the five sisters and Wylm their step brother.  Each sister ( and their step brother) has their own path to follow in the story and each of these path's both kept me riveted whilst moving the story along.

Ms Wilkins writing really helped me connect with all the characters and get into their head and see their points of view.  Whether I agreed with the view or not, it really added to my reading experience each character is so well created that you cannot help but invest yourself in each and every thread.

As the first book in the series, where series set up is so important, the story of this book by itself is also extremely strong and in itself sets the pieces in play for what is to come.

I very much enjoyed this read and am truly excited about picking up book 2 and continuing this series.

One of the best first book in a series I have read in a long time and I give this book 5 stars!

Sapphired Dragon xx


About The Book




Daughters of the Storm (Blood and Gold #1) by Kim Wilkins


Lying in a magic-induced coma, the King of Thyrsland is on the brink of death: if his enemies knew, chaos would reign. In fear for his life and his kingdom, his five daughters set out on a perilous journey to try to save him, their only hope an aunt they have yet to meet, a shadowy practitioner of undermagic who lives on the wild northern borders. No-one can stand before the fierce tattooed soldier and eldest daughter Bluebell, an army commander who is rumoured to be unkillable, but her sisters, the loyal and mystical Ash, beautiful but unhappily married Rose, pious Willow and uncertain Ivy all have their own secrets to keep from her — the kind of secrets that if revealed could bring disaster down upon not only them, but the entire kingdom. Waiting in the wings is stepbrother Wylm whose dealings with Bluebell's greatest enemy, Hakon the Raven King, would end Bluebell's dreams of revenge on his mother and propel his own desperate grasp for power.

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Stacking The Shelves #3 #stackingtheshelves


Welcome to Stacking The Shelves! Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga Reviews and is a meme to share those books, both print and e-book, that have been added to your shelves in the last week/s.

Its been another good week for books with some quality titles arriving on my doorstep this week.  I haven't done as much reading as I would have hoped due to being back at work after having nearly 3 weeks off with a virus that just won't leave and literally no voice at all so I was cutting short my reading time due to falling asleep no matter how good the book.

Looking forward to getting back on track with my review reading this week.

Purchased - Print Books

Another good book mail week with a much awaited pre-order coming in along with the next two instalments of a series I am reading at the moment. I received book 3 at the beginning of the week, read it and immediately knew I needed to purchase and read book 4 as soon as humanly possibly.  All I can say is Holy Cliffhangers Batman!  Extremely excited about betrayals also as kelley Armstrong has always been one of my favourite authors and so I have been waiting for this release for a while :-)





Faefever (Fever #3) by Karen Marie Moning  Purchased Booktopia
Dreamfever (Fever #4) by Karen Marie Moning  Purchased Galaxy Bookshop
Betrayals (Cainsville #4( by Kelley Armstrong  Purchased Booktopia

 

 

Borrowed - Library

Just the one book from the library this week.  I have so many review reads coming up that I had to curb my wish to borrow more books ...at least for this week ;-P

So what did you add to your shelves this week?

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Tuesday Teaser #3 : Faefever (Fever #3) by Karen Marie Moning





Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My current read is Faefever (Fever#3)  by Karen Marie Moning and my three lines are from page 5


Don't settle in your chair and relax. It's not just my world that's in trouble; it's your world, too. It's happening, right now, while you're sitting there, munching a snack, getting ready to immerse yourself in a fictional escape.



Faefever (Fever#3) by Karen Marie Moning



The New York Times bestselling author of Darkfever and Bloodfever returns to Dublin’s Fae-infested shores in a bold, sensual new novel. Hurtling us into a realm of seduction and shadows, Karen Marie Moning tells the enthralling tale of a woman who explores the limits of her mysterious powers as she enters a world of ancient sorcery—and confronts an enemy more insidious than she could ever have imagined. He calls me his Queen of the Night. I’d die for him. I’d kill for him, too. When MacKayla Lane receives a torn page from her dead sister’s journal, she is stunned by Alina’s desperate words. And now MacKayla knows that her sister’s killer is close. But evil is closer. And suddenly the sidhe-seer is on the hunt: For answers. For revenge. And for an ancient book of dark magic so evil, it corrupts anyone who touches it. Mac’s quest for the Sinsar Dubh takes her into the mean, shape-shifting streets of Dublin, with a suspicious cop on her tail. Forced into a dangerous triangle of alliance with V’lane, an insatiable Fae prince of lethally erotic tastes, and Jericho Barrons, a man of primal desires and untold secrets, Mac is soon locked in a battle for her body, mind, and soul. As All Hallows’ Eve approaches and the city descends into chaos, as a shocking truth about the Dark Book is uncovered, not even Mac can prevent a deadly race of immortals from shattering the walls between worlds—with devastating consequences.…






PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Saturday, August 13, 2016

Review: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Title: It Ends With Us
Author: Colleen Hoover
Published: 2nd August 2016
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Source: Booktopia
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: *****

 My Review:

In the last couple of years Colleen Hoover has become something of an autobuy author for me as I I don't think there is anything she has written that i haven't loved or at least liked a whole lot.  So I had this book on pre-order a good month before its release date and when it finally I arrived on my doorstep on Thursday, I had no choice but to drop everything and read.

I could not put this book down.  From the first page I was immediately drawn to both Lily and Ryle and eager to see how the story would play out.  When ever i put the book down, these characters would still linger in my mind so that I was always eager to come back to their story and as hints of what was to come began to surface, I really didn't want it to be true because I was so emotionally invested in these characters and the story.

I loved Lily.She was such a strong character with so much drive and direction and ambition and throughout the story that really shone through.  I immediately connected with her and become invested in her story and her life and could have continued to happily read her story had this book gone on longer.

What I especially love about all of Colleen's characters is that they are all so human and have so much depth and substance.  This makes their story so much more genuine and real and really makes the reader fall in love with her characters.  Lily, Ryle, Atlas, even Alyssa and Marshall all become so real to me as I read this book.  I felt what they felt and anguished along with them as I waited t see how it would all turn out.

But what Ms Hoover does best is write stories that creep onto your soul and stay with you, leaving you contemplating the story and the characters long after you have finished the book.  This book is no different and already I am considering going back in for a re-read.

I adored this book and I have no hesitation in giving it five stars

Sapphired Dragon xx


About The Book




It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover



Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true. Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place. As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

Stacking the Shelves #2 #stackingtheshelves


Welcome to Stacking The Shelves! Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga Reviews and is a meme to share those books, both print and e-book, that have been added to your shelves in the last week/s.


Welcome to my first stacking the shelves on this blog : Sapphired Reads.  I started it to review more adult books than I usually feature on my more YA themed blog Realm of the Sapphired Dragon

In the last couple of weeks I have started a few new paranormal series so these are mostly what is featured in this week Stacking the shelves.  I also start a series reading and review challenge this week so these reviews will also appear here.
Have a great week!


Purchased - Print Books

It's been a good week for book mail this week with these two lovelies arriving this week.  I was especially excited for It Ends with Us because I had already heard good things and having finished reading it this afternoon, I believe they are all justified as I loved it.  See my review on the blog tomorrow!




Bloodfever (Fever #2) by Karen Marie Moning  Purchased Booktopia
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover  Purchased Booktopia

 

 

Borrowed - Library

I am getting a bit of an Aussie/ NZ vibe from my picks this week.  What do you think? :-P

So what did you add to your shelves this week?


Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Review: Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1) by Kevin Hearne

Title: Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles)
Author: Kevin Hearne
Published: 2011
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Source: Library
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: ****

 My Review:

I first got a copy of this book a couple of years ago.  I think I won it in a competition and at the time it didn't seem like my kind of read so I put it down.  Since then the people I know who have read the series have really enjoyed it so when i saw it at the library this week,  I figured now was a good time to give it a go.

 I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised.  This was an extremely fun read and a lot lighter than I think i expected and it was this fact that I think really endeared the book to me.

With a strong storyline threaded with humour and lots happening through out, the pace worked well along with the quirky interesting characters. There were twists and turns which and you were never really sure who could be trusted and this kept me turning the pages till the end.

Filled with celtic mythology and as well as mentions of various other mythologies an cultures, this didn't get too bogged down in the information giving department. The information was given as needed without being too much of an info dump and perfectly placed to make to help make up the framework of the story.

I really liked main character Atticus as well as his dog Oberon and I loved the dialogue between them.  This author made all his characters seem interesting and there was not one that I wouldn't like to read more about.  The characters were an interesting mixture of a number of different mythologies but rather than being over the top, the laid back manner in which they were placed made it seem quite appropriate and made sense in the story.

This was a surprisingly good fun read and I am keen to keep reading in the series and see where it goes.  For this reason i am happy to give this book 4 stars

Sapphired Dragon xx


About The Book




Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1) by Kevin Hearne


Atticus O'Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona running an occult bookshop and shapeshifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbours and customers think this handsome, tattooed Irishman is about twenty-one years old when, actually, it's twenty-one centuries. Atticus draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants the sword, and he's been after Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down and Atticus will need all his powers - plus a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of lawyers, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good, old-fashioned Irish luck - to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Teaser Tuesday #2 : Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1) by KevinHearne





Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My current read is Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1)  by Kevin Hearne and my three lines are from page 16


The crow on the bust of Ganesha said nothing, but the eyes flashed red for a brief second, and that, I admit, made me a bit uncomfortable. She really wasn't my friend. One day--and it could be today--she would decide I'd lived far too long and grown far to cavalier, and that would be it for me.



Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1) by Kevin Hearne


Atticus O'Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona running an occult bookshop and shapeshifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbours and customers think this handsome, tattooed Irishman is about twenty-one years old when, actually, it's twenty-one centuries. Atticus draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants the sword, and he's been after Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down and Atticus will need all his powers - plus a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of lawyers, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good, old-fashioned Irish luck - to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.





PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!