Sale: Stolen Empire Box Set by Sherry D. Ficklin

Hello Royals! I'm excited to announce that the digital box set of the Stolen Empire Series will be on a very special limited time sale on 2/2. Normally the box set, which contains all three Stolen Empire novels, runs 9.99. But on 2/2, we are dropping the price for one day only. You will be able to get Queen of Someday, Queen of Tomorrow, and Queen of Always for the bargain price of just $0.99!

Don’t miss the series dubbed a “must-read romance” by the USA Today and “An entertaining and racy read” by School Library Journal. Fans of the hit TV show REIGN will devour this scandalous glimpse into the life of one of the most vibrant women in history.

The Stolen Empire series is a decedent look at one of history's most scandalous queens, Catherine the Great of Russia. Beginning with her humble origins and culminating with her coronation, this series offers a fanciful glimpse inside the life of the dynamic, strong young woman who won the hand of a king, the heart of a nation, and, ultimately, sacrificed her own innocence on the throne of an empire. The trials and tribulations of court life left their scars on young Sophie—the girl who would be Catherine, but she faced down every obstacle with the courage and grace of a queen.

Grab your copy here!

ARC Review: Queen of Always by Sherry D. Ficklin

Title: Queen of Always
Author: Sherry D. Ficklin
Series: Stolen Empire #3
Publication: September 15th 2015 by Clean Teen Publishing
Genre: Young Adult ~ Historical Fiction
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Rating: 3/5

Review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

 

If her time at court has taught Catherine anything, it's that there is no room for weakness in Imperial Russia. With the Empress' health failing and rumors of a change in the line of succession, her place in the royal line is once more in jeopardy. Tormented by her sadistic husband and his venomous mistress, Catherine must once more walk the fine line between pleasure and politics—between scandal and survival.
When her young son becomes the target of those rebelling against Peter's reign, Catherine will have to rise up to protect herself, her child, and her nation from his unstable and potentially catastrophic rule. This means putting herself at odds with the most dangerous man she's ever known, trusting those who once proved to be her enemies, and turning a nation against its sovereign. In the ultimate battle for the crown, new alliances will be forged, loyalties will be tested, and blood will be shed.
Don't miss this breathtaking conclusion to the Stolen Empire series!
Queen of Always is a YA historical fiction based on the life of young Catherine the Great. Fans of the hit TV show REIGN will devour this scandalous glimpse into the life of one of the most dynamic women in history.

On the one hand Queen of Always is the best book in this trilogy so far, but on the other hand my heart is broken into a thousand little pieces due to some events towards the end of the story, which I won't reveal for the sake of spoilers.

I'm not even sure where to begin with this review. I don't want to give too much away of the story but again so much happened in such a short time. The book read super fast, I couldn't stop reading so that's definitely the prove of some damn good writing on the author's part. 

A lot of crazy things happened in the story like people getting set on fire and even freaking threesomes. I'm not sure how I felt about that but at least it was entertaining. That's for sure.

I can't say I've ever really liked Catherine but I thought it was great that in this book she finally made some tough choices and stuck by them. Especially towards the end. Her journey from book one to book three has been such a huge one and you can definitely tell she changed and developed. 

So yeah, this book was good and in some ways definitely exceeded the other two but still I can't give it four stars. Just like the previous books it's a solid three stars for me. 

About the Author:

       Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Sherry D. Ficklin is a full time writer from Colorado where she lives with her husband, four kids, two dogs, and a fluctuating number of chickens and house guests. A former military brat, she loves to travel and meet new people. She can often be found browsing her local bookstore with a large white hot chocolate in one hand and a towering stack of books in the other. That is, unless she’s on deadline at which time she, like the Loch Ness monster, is only seen in blurry photographs.

She is the author of several YA novels and in her spare time she co-hosts the Pop Lit Divas Radio Show.

Review: Queen of Someday by Sherry D. Ficklin

Title: Queen of Someday
Author: Sherry D. Ficklin
Series: Stolen Empire #1
Publication: October 7th 2014 by Clean Teen Publishing
Genre: Young Adult ~ Historical Fiction
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
Rating: 3/5

Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

ONE GIRL WILL BRING AN EMPIRE TO ITS KNEES...

Before she can become the greatest empress in history, fifteen-year-old Sophie will have to survive her social-climbing mother’s quest to put her on the throne of Russia—at any cost.

Imperial Court holds dangers like nothing Sophie has ever faced before. In the heart of St. Petersburg, surviving means navigating the political, romantic, and religious demands of the bitter Empress Elizabeth and her handsome, but sadistic nephew, Peter. Determined to save her impoverished family—and herself—Sophie vows to do whatever is necessary to thrive in her new surroundings. But an attempt on her life and an unexpected attraction threatens to derail her plans.

Alone in a new and dangerous world, learning who to trust and who to charm may mean the difference between becoming queen and being sent home in shame to marry her lecherous uncle. With traitors and murderers lurking around every corner, her very life hangs in the balance. Betrothed to one man but falling in love with another, Sophie will need to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to become the empress she is destined to be.

In a battle for the soul of a nation, will love or destiny reign supreme?

 I'm a bit of a history buff, so this was a pretty great book for me. I don't know that much about Russian history, though but even so I did like reading Queen of Someday. It was a fast read full of intrigue and romance. Also, the writing was excellent!

The only thing that I disliked about it was the love square (not kidding), the insta-love and how all the guys in the book all seemed to be so handsome and want Sophie. In the overall picture I didn't mind a lot because the rest of this book was enjoyable. And you know, I love me some good romance with dramatical twists.

I liked Sophie as a main character but I felt at some points she came over as a bit whiny, not to mention she made some questionable decisions that made me cringe. But then again, she's only fifteen at this point so it's easier to forgive, in my opinion.

I have really different opinion on the love interests of Sophie. Sergei was my favorite and the only guy in the book that I really liked. I liked how as Sophie mentions a few times, that he's the only one she can trust. I can't wait to see what happens with him next.

Alexander on the other hand was just an okay character. He's obviously Sophie's big love but I was just not a fan of them together. I just didn't see it I guess because I thought Alexander was quite boring. But I did feel bad for them when they were caught. That was pretty awful for them.

Then there's Peter. What can I say about him without resorting to foul language. Let me just say that he's one of the biggest bastards I have ever read about. He was manipulative, obsessive and just plain crazy. 

Like I said before, the writing was excellent and it really was. The author's way of writing really took me to a different time and age. I loved it. The ending was just the best ever. I was so shocked by it because I hadn't seen it coming at all. I can't wait to find out what's going to happen next. Wowza!

Amazing writing, romantic intrigue and full of betrayals, Queen of Someday was a great historical fiction. It had some minor flaws but overall, I can really overlook them because it was a fast read and I loved the drama and twists in this captivating novel about Catherine the Great!

About the Author:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Sherry D. Ficklin is a full time writer from Colorado where she lives with her husband, four kids, two dogs, and a fluctuating number of chickens and house guests. A former military brat, she loves to travel and meet new people. She can often be found browsing her local bookstore with a large white hot chocolate in one hand and a towering stack of books in the other. That is, unless she’s on deadline at which time she, like the Loch Ness monster, is only seen in blurry photographs.

She is the author of The Gods of Fate Trilogy now available from Dragonfly Publishing. Her previously self-published novel After Burn: Military Brats has been acquired by Harlequin and will be released in 2014 with a second book in that series to follow. Her YA steampunk novel, EXTRACTED: The Lost Imperials book 1, co-written with Tyler H. Jolley is now available everywhere books are sold and her newest YA novel, Losing Logan, is due for release in 2014 from Clean Teen Publishing.