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Giveaway: A Memory Called Empire

Giveaway: A Memory Called Empire

I was finally able to really start this, something I’d been struggling with because of the names and information it throws at you, but that proved to be the hard part, because once I did, it was a really well-paced and clever read. 

I don’t want to give too much away, not because the story relies on twists and reveals, it’s one of those books where it’s just plain enjoyable to discover everything in its time and place. It is technically a whodunnit but it unfolds into so much more. 

As the book starts, a new ambassador from a far off station, one not yet under the control of the Teixcalaan empire, is being picked up to be taken to the capital. Mahit is a super likable and relatable character, smart and with a sense of humor and an extreme self awareness that acknowledges how much she longs to be a Teixcalaan citizen while also finding that rather pathetic. It’s a very clear-eyed look at the concept of Empire, what it takes to keep peace, what is “peace”, for who, but as any good book of this length would have to be, it’s very character-centric.

I mentioned the pacing earlier and it really does seem to flow from one event to the next, no real downtime. It’s not predictable but its main focus isn’t to shock you. I very much liked it both for its intelligence and for its compassion.

There is a minor-ish f/f subplot, which I didn’t actually need, and this is the first of a series, so there aren’t endings, but I liked it simply for having two women focused on enough to have it.

This time I only have one copy to give away (I’m just not rich enough to give away two copies of everything I like, lol),  but as always, if you don’t win and can’t afford or don’t want to buy it, you can still help support authors by requesting it from your library, checking it out, and leaving reviews on Amazon.

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Giveaway: A Memory Called Empire

Giveaway: A Memory Called Empire

I was finally able to really start this, something I’d been struggling with because of the names and information it throws at you, but that proved to be the hard part, because once I did, it was a really well-paced and clever read. 

I don’t want to give too much away, not because the story relies on twists and reveals, it’s one of those books where it’s just plain enjoyable to discover everything in its time and place. It is technically a whodunnit but it unfolds into so much more. 

As the book starts, a new ambassador from a far off station, one not yet under the control of the Teixcalaan empire, is being picked up to be taken to the capital. Mahit is a super likable and relatable character, smart and with a sense of humor and an extreme self awareness that acknowledges how much she longs to be a Teixcalaan citizen while also finding that rather pathetic. It’s a very clear-eyed look at the concept of Empire, what it takes to keep peace, what is “peace”, for who, but as any good book of this length would have to be, it’s very character-centric.

I mentioned the pacing earlier and it really does seem to flow from one event to the next, no real downtime. It’s not predictable but its main focus isn’t to shock you. I very much liked it both for its intelligence and for its compassion.

There is a minor-ish f/f subplot, which I didn’t actually need, and this is the first of a series, so there aren’t endings, but I liked it simply for having two women focused on enough to have it.

This time I only have one copy to give away (I’m just not rich enough to give away two copies of everything I like, lol),  but as always, if you don’t win and can’t afford or don’t want to buy it, you can still help support authors by requesting it from your library, checking it out, and leaving reviews on Amazon.

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Giveaway: The True Queen

Giveaway: The True Queen

Two Malay sisters wake up with no memories and have to deal with magic, Regency England, the fae and dragons to discover their past. 

That’s a heckuva summary and it did its job: I was intrigued enough to check out the sample, even though I was in the middle of another busy few days and work and didn’t have the time to actually read a whole book. But the sample was a great and quick read, only whetting my appetite for the whole book and whenever I got any breaks, I just could not stop reading. 

This is the second in a series but focuses on new characters, so while the main characters from the previous book do feature, it’s not necessary to have read it, as I didn’t. We start with the two sisters waking up on a Malay island and while it’s not important to the story, they are Muslim! There are little mentions and nods to that throughout the book, woven in with the fact that magic is commonplace everywhere, including among the Muslim community. 

The sisters are taken in by a respectable Malay witch but to help them break the curse that took their memories, she sends them to her friend, the Sorcereress Royal in England. Things happen and then happen some more, occasionally a bit predictably but nothing that detracted from my enjoyment. It was just a super fun read.

Don’t take the Amazon rating to heart, there’s a bit of homophobia skewing it down. That’s right, the book has f/f! I won’t spoil it, it’s also not a major part of the story but was quite nice to have.

I have two digital copies to give away and as always, if you don’t win one and can’t afford or don’t want to buy it, you can still help support authors by requesting it from your library, checking it out, and leaving reviews on Amazon.

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Giveaway: The Priory of the Orange Tree

Giveaway: The Priory of the Orange Tree

As with any new book I’ve liked recently, I’m making a giveaway for it. There are only two copies so they’re going to go fast but I’d urge you to still try it out if you don’t win and if you can’t afford it or the sample wasn’t enough to convince you to buy it, then still see if your library has it and if not, request them to get it.

It’s just plain epic fantasy, fun and long and detailed, characters to root for and a simple premise at heart. At 800 pages, it’s definitely something you can lose yourself in. There are a four regions and a lot of politics and religion at play but to oversimply the summary, an evil ancient dragon is going to awaken and that’s Not Good. But don’t worry, there are good dragons too, one of the four point of view characters is actually a dragonrider. 

I don’t want to spoil too much because I really enjoyed it not knowing too much going in but yes, there is a very romantic (to me) f/f pair and if you know anything about what I like, I wouldn’t recommend this book if I thought the ending wasn’t satisfactory.

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Book Giveaway: Poppy Jenkins!

Book Giveaway: Poppy Jenkins!

thecousinsdangereux:

Poppy Jenkins makes everyone smile. She’s the heart of Wells, a beautiful village in mid-Wales, leaving light and laughter in her wake. She has a doting family, an errant dog and a little sister with a nose for mischief. But she’s the only gay in the village and it’s a long time since she kissed a girl: the chance of romance in sleepy Wells is rarer than a barking sheep.

If she doesn’t think too hard, life is cosy, until a smart sports car barrels into town with the last woman Poppy wants to see behind the wheel. Beautiful Rosalyn Thorn was once Poppy’s high school BFF even though she was trouble. Then one day she abandoned Wells and Poppy without explanation. Now the highflier is back and bound to cause fresh havoc in the village and with Poppy’s heart; folk are not happy.

Wells needs to wake up to the 21st century and Rosalyn can help, but old prejudices die hard. If they can be friends it could be the chance to make everyone’s happy ever after. Couldn’t it?

I recently won a giveaway of this book, run by the fabulous @booasaur and after I devoured this lovely story in less than a day, I immediately decided I had to do the same in an effort to pay it forward. 

This book is a DELIGHT. There are no intricate plots or schemes. There’s drama, but nothing insurmountable. And the characters are lovely, lovely things. Poppy Jenkins (the title character) is such a force of goodness that it makes you feel like maybe the world isn’t so bad after all. She chooses to be good, time and time again, even when it hurts, and for me, there’s no better character in the world than that. And to get this in a queer romance?!?!?! With Pride and Prejudice vibes all over the place? I was losing my mind. 

I wish I could offer hundreds of copies of this book so that everyone I know could get one, but either way, if you’re in the mood for a lesbian romance where everything works out perfectly, all complications are solved, and everything feels good after, I’d highly recommend this quick read. (It’s only $5.99, pals, even if you don’t win one of my copies.) 

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Book Giveaway: Poppy Jenkins!

Book Giveaway: Poppy Jenkins!

thecousinsdangereux:

Poppy Jenkins makes everyone smile. She’s the heart of Wells, a beautiful village in mid-Wales, leaving light and laughter in her wake. She has a doting family, an errant dog and a little sister with a nose for mischief. But she’s the only gay in the village and it’s a long time since she kissed a girl: the chance of romance in sleepy Wells is rarer than a barking sheep.

If she doesn’t think too hard, life is cosy, until a smart sports car barrels into town with the last woman Poppy wants to see behind the wheel. Beautiful Rosalyn Thorn was once Poppy’s high school BFF even though she was trouble. Then one day she abandoned Wells and Poppy without explanation. Now the highflier is back and bound to cause fresh havoc in the village and with Poppy’s heart; folk are not happy.

Wells needs to wake up to the 21st century and Rosalyn can help, but old prejudices die hard. If they can be friends it could be the chance to make everyone’s happy ever after. Couldn’t it?

I recently won a giveaway of this book, run by the fabulous @booasaur and after I devoured this lovely story in less than a day, I immediately decided I had to do the same in an effort to pay it forward. 

This book is a DELIGHT. There are no intricate plots or schemes. There’s drama, but nothing insurmountable. And the characters are lovely, lovely things. Poppy Jenkins (the title character) is such a force of goodness that it makes you feel like maybe the world isn’t so bad after all. She chooses to be good, time and time again, even when it hurts, and for me, there’s no better character in the world than that. And to get this in a queer romance?!?!?! With Pride and Prejudice vibes all over the place? I was losing my mind. 

I wish I could offer hundreds of copies of this book so that everyone I know could get one, but either way, if you’re in the mood for a lesbian romance where everything works out perfectly, all complications are solved, and everything feels good after, I’d highly recommend this quick read. (It’s only $5.99, pals, even if you don’t win one of my copies.) 

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Giveaway: Poppy Jenkins

Giveaway: Poppy Jenkins

Poppy Jenkins makes everyone smile. She’s the heart of Wells, a beautiful village in mid-Wales, leaving light and laughter in her wake. She has a doting family, an errant dog and a little sister with a nose for mischief. But she’s the only gay in the village and it’s a long time since she kissed a girl: the chance of romance in sleepy Wells is rarer than a barking sheep.

If she doesn’t think too hard, life is cosy, until a smart sports car barrels into town with the last woman Poppy wants to see behind the wheel. Beautiful Rosalyn Thorn was once Poppy’s high school BFF even though she was trouble. Then one day she abandoned Wells and Poppy without explanation. Now the highflier is back and bound to cause fresh havoc in the village and with Poppy’s heart; folk are not happy.

Wells needs to wake up to the 21st century and Rosalyn can help, but old prejudices die hard. If they can be friends it could be the chance to make everyone’s happy ever after. Couldn’t it? 

I actually won this as a giveaway @jetgirl78 ran and it’d come so highly recommended from a bunch of different people that it apparently took me 16 months to read. I didn’t want to be disappointed or remove a book from a fairly short well-written f/f to-read pile. End result? My well-written f/f to-read pile is now a book shorter. 🙂

It was so sweet and the drama was very low stakes but felt like a lot because it meant so much to the characters, which is my favorite kind of romance. The main character was so good and likable and it was really just a cute tropey romcom. 

Now that I’ve read it, I’m running this giveaway to share it too. You don’t have to reblog or like or follow, but you do have to be in the US. Just click on the link and follow the instructions to enter. 

Posted on

Giveaway: Poppy Jenkins

Giveaway: Poppy Jenkins

Poppy Jenkins makes everyone smile. She’s the heart of Wells, a beautiful village in mid-Wales, leaving light and laughter in her wake. She has a doting family, an errant dog and a little sister with a nose for mischief. But she’s the only gay in the village and it’s a long time since she kissed a girl: the chance of romance in sleepy Wells is rarer than a barking sheep.

If she doesn’t think too hard, life is cosy, until a smart sports car barrels into town with the last woman Poppy wants to see behind the wheel. Beautiful Rosalyn Thorn was once Poppy’s high school BFF even though she was trouble. Then one day she abandoned Wells and Poppy without explanation. Now the highflier is back and bound to cause fresh havoc in the village and with Poppy’s heart; folk are not happy.

Wells needs to wake up to the 21st century and Rosalyn can help, but old prejudices die hard. If they can be friends it could be the chance to make everyone’s happy ever after. Couldn’t it? 

I actually won this as a giveaway @jetgirl78 ran and it’d come so highly recommended from a bunch of different people that it apparently took me 16 months to read. I didn’t want to be disappointed or remove a book from a fairly short well-written f/f to-read pile. End result? My well-written f/f to-read pile is now a book shorter. 🙂

It was so sweet and the drama was very low stakes but felt like a lot because it meant so much to the characters, which is my favorite kind of romance. The main character was so good and likable and it was really just a cute tropey romcom. 

Now that I’ve read it, I’m running this giveaway to share it too. You don’t have to reblog or like or follow, but you do have to be in the US. Just click on the link and follow the instructions to enter.