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Thursday, March 7, 2019

Review: Trailblazer by Michelle Diener

Title: Trailblazer
Author: Michelle Diener
Series: Verdant String #3
Publication: March 5th 2019 by Eclipse
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Purchase Link: Amazon
Rating: 4/5★

He's on a mission . . .
She's running for her life . . .
And if they get off-planet alive, she'll have to trust he won't reveal her darkest secret.

Tally Riva is not what she seems, and even she's not happy about it. Infected, invaded, she's not quite sure how to describe it, but on a disastrous mission to a ghost ship, something burrowed its way into her body. Into her mind.

When her commander decides the best cure for what he thinks is Tally's trauma is to send her on the famous Veltos Trail, Tally goes without revealing what's really behind her mental anguish. Anything to be seen as normal again, anything to ignore what she's afraid is happening to her.

But Veltos isn't the safe place it seems. The chosen military personnel lucky enough to be offered the chance to walk the Trail are supposed to be the only people on Veltos. But Ben Guthrie, a captain in Arkhoran Special Forces, knows they're not. He and his team have been on Veltos for a month already, tracking suspicious enemy activity, and he's gone undercover on the Trail in search of a satellite his superiors are sure has been shot down.

When Ben's worst fears become reality, and they find themselves hunted by a cunning enemy through the thick forests of Veltos, Tally and Ben fight together to survive. And Tally has to decide if accepting the changes inside her will save them both, or be her doom.

TRAILBLAZER is a standalone novel, and the third full length book set in the world of the Verdant String.

Books in the series are: Interference & Insurgency (Two Novellas of the Verdant String), Breakaway, Breakeven, Trailblazer.

Trailblazer was a highly addictive read. I flew through it in three days, which is really fast but I just couldn't put the story down. I was very hooked. It's the third book in the Verdant String series but you can easily read it as a standalone. And even though I've read the previous books I felt like in Trailblazer there was extra danger to this particular story and for its characters which raised the stakes even more and I really liked that since it made it all that more exciting to read. It's probably the main reason why I didn't want to put the book down.

The two leading characters, Tally and Ben were just so interesting to read about. I feel like I enjoyed reading about them both equally, which isn't a thing that happens a lot because I either like one character more than the other but in the case of this book I really couldn't pick a favorite. They were both great characters and I loved their chemistry as well. The romance isn't the main part of the story. This is a thing I love so much about these books. Yes, there is romance but it doesn't overshadow the plot or even the characters' personalities. They have jobs to do and lives to save and that's what's most important to them. This will always be a possitive thing for me and a big win in any book.

The author also has a great knack for writing secondary characters and making me care for them, even the antagonists in a way. Except Irwin. I fucking hated Irwin. Sorry. lol But yeah, the secondary characters were also awesome (as they always are) and I'd love to read more about them, maybe in their own books. Who knows, right?

I probably say it in all my reviews of books by Michelle Diener but I always highly enjoy her science fiction novels. Trailblazer was no different. It had a great cast of characters, especially the two leading protagonists. The story was action packed and the writing was fast-paced, never getting dull. The dash of romance, which was just the right amount for me was amazingly writting as well. What more can I say? I really love the world of the Verdant String.

Author bio:
Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters and wondering which part of the world she can travel to next.
Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.

When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at Magical Musings, or online at Twitter, at Google+and Facebook.

Check out my reviews of Michelle's other books:

{Science Fiction)

Sky Raiders (Sky Raiders #1) — 3/5★

Calling the Chance (Sky Raiders #2) — 4/5★

Shadow Warrior (Sky Raiders #3) — 4/5★

{Science Fiction}

Dark Horse (Class 5 #1) — 5/5★

Dark Deeds (Class 5 #2) — 5/5★

Dark Minds (Class 5 #3) — 4/5★

{Science Fiction}

Interference/Insurgency (Verdant String #0.5) — 4/5★ & 4.5/5★

Breakaway (Verdant String #1) — 4/5★

Breakfeven (Verdant String #2) — 4/5★

Trailblazer (Verdant String #3) — 4/5★

{Paranormal}

Breaking Out Part I (part of Entranced Halloween Box Set — 4/5★

Breaking Out Part II — 4/5★

{Fantasy}

The Golden Apple (The Dark Forest #1) — 4/5★

The Silver Pear (The Dark Forest #2) — 5/5★

{Fantasy}

Mistress of the Wind — 3/5★

{Historical Fiction}

The Emperor's Conspiracy (Regency London #1) —5/5★

Banquet of Lies (Regency London #2) —5/5★

A Dangerous Madness (Regency London #3) —5/5★

{Historical Fiction}

Daughter of the Sky —5/5★

{Historical Fiction}

In a Treacherous Court (Susanna Horenbout and John Parker #1) —5/5★

Dangerous Sanctuary (Susanna Horenbout and John Parker #1.5) —5/5★

Keeper of the King's Secrets (Susanna Horenbout and John Parker #2) —5/5★

In Defense of the Queen (Susanna Horenbout and John Parker) —5/5★

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Cover Reveal: The Pawn and the Knight by Skye Warren

The Pawn and the Knight, a must read new boxed set from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren is coming March 21st, and we have the sexy new cover!

A ruthless billionaire determined to get revenge.

A woman with more to lose than her virginity.

And a sensual game that will break them both.

Gabriel Miller has thirty days to do anything he wants with her body. He can enjoy every inch of her, but he can never let himself fall for her. No matter how sweetly she surrenders.

Author’s Note: THE PAWN AND THE KNIGHT is an exclusive duet including two USA Today bestsellers in the scorching hot Endgame series.

Pre-order your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2EEzK8E

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/ThePawnandtheKnight

Add GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2ISdugV

About Skye Warren

Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance such as the Endgame trilogy. Her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.

Connect with Skye

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2DEpMn9

BookBub: http://bit.ly/2SQgiir

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2GDYiBq

YouTube: http://bit.ly/2ByI2OF

Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2SyDFhh

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2STxF1I

Stay up to date with Skye Warren by signing up for her mailing list:

http://bit.ly/2N8gTXG

http://www.skyewarren.com

Monday, March 4, 2019

Review: Claudius: A Life From Beginning to End by Hourly History

Title: Claudius: A Life From Beginning to End
Author: Hourly History
Publication: February 25th 2019
Genre: Nonfiction, History
Purchase Link: Amazon
Rating: 3.5/5★

* * *Download for FREE on Kindle Unlimited + Free BONUS Inside!* * *

Read On Your Computer, MAC, Smartphone, Kindle Reader, iPad, or Tablet.

Often portrayed as an awkward, disfigured, and clumsy man, Claudius was the unlikely ruler of the Roman Empire from 41 CE to 54 CE. His reign would prove to be one of the longest of the time even though his rise to the throne did not come without opposition. Virtually no-one in Claudius’ family wanted to see him become emperor—only when he turned out to be the last surviving man of the Julio-Claudian dynasty did he ascend to the throne.

Inside you will read about...

✓ Born to Be Cast Out
✓ A Historian and a Husband
✓ The Conquest of Britain
✓ Plots and Intrigues
✓ The Assassination of Emperor Claudius
And much more!

No-one ever expected that the boy that was used as the comparative standard for stupidity by his own mother would become the emperor of Rome. Yet, he did. Claudius reign was riddled with conspiracies and attempts on his life by the Senate that was supposed to serve him. But despite all the opposition to his rule, Claudius would go on to be an able and efficient leader. He expanded the Roman Empire more than any other emperor had since the reign of Augustus.

"To do nothing evil is good; to wish nothing evil is better."

—Claudius

After finishing this book I was torn between a 3 and 4 star rating so I'm just gonna go with 3.5 to make things a little easier for myself. I'm sure that most people who read my blog and know me a little bit that I'm a big history fan, especially ancient history. Let me just tell you Game of Thrones is nothing compared to the ancient Romans, believe me. So when I saw Hourly History published a book about emperor Claudius I had to read it immediately, of course. And I really ended up liking it a lot.

Going into the book I already knew quite a bit about Claudius because he's part of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and as it's the very first Roman imperial dynasty I've always thought they were really fascinating (+ I'm clearly obsessed lol). But even so I learned quite a few new facts about Claudius and ancient Rome in general, which is great because there's always more to learn about anything historical. Below you'll find some of those facts.

Claudius certainly was a different and reasonably good emperor (aside from the fact that he actually killed an orca whale for his own damn enjoyment and initiating the conquest of Britain) compared ot his predecessor so it was a nice change of pace to read about an emperor in ancient Rome not acting like a total nutcase. And his reign of 13 years was pretty long one compared to most emperors as well, which is really rare actually.

Overall, Claudius: A Life From Beginning to End by Hourly History was a brief but compelling nonfiction about the life of one of the longest reigning emperors of his time. I wanted it to be longer as usual but for a short story it was informative and obviously didn't take long to read. Very enjoyable!

5 interesting facts I learned:

Claudius ascended the throne only when he turned out to be the last surviving man of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.
Claudius' predecessor was the infamous Caligula.
Claudius was married four times and was eventually poisoned by his last wife, Agrippina.
Claudius' mother Antonia Minor gave birth to him in Lugdunum in Gaul (modern-day France) making him the first Roman emperor to ever have been born outside of Italy.
Claudius wrote 20 books on Etruscan history.

Some pictures related to Claudius:

Bust of Claudius at the Naples National Archaeological Museum

Detail from the painting A Roman Emperor 41AD by Lawrence Alma-Tadema

(This relates to Claudius who is terrified and hiding behind a curtain when a member of the Praetorian guard draws it aside and hailed him as emperor after Caligula was murdered)