#Hodgepodge: First Chapter Review with @cosplayandbooks for Rebel of the Sands by @AlwynFJH

Welcome to this weeks Hodgepodge post! Each week will be totally different and we hope that you enjoy these! On these days with me (Rachael), you'll be getting a first chapter review. I want to cut down on TBR pile and I thought the best way would be reading the first chapter of the book and deciding from there if I want to keep it or get rid of it.

#BookReview of Unspun: A Collection of Tattered Fairy Tales by Chris Cutler

About the Book: 

Whatever happened to “happily ever after”?

Heroes search for happiness, villains plot revenge, and nothing is as easy as it once seemed. Gretel suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, an orphan girl questions Rumpelstiltskin’s legacy, a monster cat searches for a child to eat, and the pied piper realizes stealing a hundred and thirty children may not have been his smartest idea.

Fairy tales have endured for centuries even though—or perhaps because—their conclusions are often more unsettling than satisfying. In Unspun, eleven storytellers come together to challenge and explore a few of those classic tales. Unexpected twists are sure to provoke both thought and laughter. 

Gorgeous illustrations by Ruth Nickle accompany each piece.

Stories in the Anthology:

“Heart of a Thief” by Chris Cutler (Jack and the Beanstalk)

“Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter” by Ruth Nickle (Rumpelstiltskin)

“Tsar Vislav, Tsarina Vislav, and the Firebird” by Sarah Chow (Tsarevitch Ivan, the Firebird, and the Gray Wolf)

“Tatterhood and the Prince’s Hand” by Katherine Cowley (Tatterhood)

“The Little Mermaid” by PJ Switzer (The Little Mermaid)

“Ásthildur and the Yule Cat” by Sarah Blake Johnson (The Yule Cat)

“Perfectly Real” by Robin Prehn (The Princess and the Pea)

“The Pied Piper’s Revenge” by Scott Cowley (The Pied Piper)

“Ethical Will” by Kaki Olsen (The Nutcracker)

“Breadcrumbs” by Jeanna Mason Stay (Hansel and Gretel)

“Spring’s Revenge” by Anika Arrington (Snow White)

#BookBlitz: Royal Service by Leslie North @leslienorthbook #Giveaway @XpressoTours

Royal Service
Leslie North
(Royals of Danovar)
Publication date: May 24th 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
King Phillip is a real life Prince Charming. Golden haired with a Danovian accent, and a solid gold crown sitting on his head, he’s every girl’s daydream. He’s a good man and an even better king, but the one thing he’s been terrible at is choosing a royal wife — fearing a marriage that’s more about policy than passion. But when his mother invites all the eligible maidens to The Summer House Party, Phillip is trapped in a real-life Bachelor where he won’t have the option of quietly splitting from the girl after the party is over — he’ll be wed to her for life.
Ella Fernstone is tired of being the family servant. After her father died, Ella was receded to the basement as her stepmother began a full court press to cultivate her own daughters. Ella’s ready to escape the hot mess of a home that she grew up in by finally pursuing her dream of competitive riding: something she’s been preparing her whole life to do. All she has to do is marry one of her step sisters off to the King of Danovar to finally find her freedom. It couldn’t be that hard right?
That was until Ella was the first to fall for the King’s dashing good looks and an offer to ride off with him into the sunset. Ella is hesitant — a Queen’s life was still one of servitude, but it’s hard to ignore the pull of a handwritten love letter and a skillfully delivered kiss. Phillip too is caught up in seducing what he never expected to find: an eligible woman he might just learn to love. But when the reality of a royal marriage comes crashing down, Phillip and Ella must decide if they can risk their hearts, or their freedoms, on the chance of true love.

#BookReview of Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) by Ernest Cline

About the Book: 

In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

#BookReview of Siren Spell by @cidneyswanson

About the Book: 

All Giselle Chekhov cares about is securing the principal role in the ballet for which she was named, but her Russian grandmother warns that the ballet, featuring cruel siren-like maidens, will draw the vain creatures back to town. Every decade or so, sirens swarm to Foulweather, Oregon killing indiscriminately and then vanishing again. At the same time that her dreams for the stage are falling apart, Giselle begins to suspect just who the sirens are really after.

#BookishLife with @cosplayandbooks

So! Exciting news for this week! On Saturday, I will be gracing MegaCon in Orlando with my presence! I will be cosplaying as Sophie Hatter from Howl's Moving Castle (my favorite movie of all time). I'll post pictures from the event next week, along with my new hair color!

#BookBlitz: Don’t Cheat Me by Jackie May @jackiemayauthor @xpressotours #Giveaway

Don’t Cheat Me
Jackie May
(Nora Jacobs #2)
Publication date: May 21st 2018
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy
One month after Nora’s violent induction to the dangerous supernatural side of Detroit, she’s finally settling into her new life as the underworld’s token human. All she wants to do is mind her own business, enjoy her new friends, and stay safe. But that’s easier said than done when she’s such an enigma to everyone around her.
Thanks to her unique psychic abilities, she’s garnered a reputation for being mysterious and powerful. When the alpha of a local werewolf pack asks her to help him figure out who is stealing from him, she can’t say no, even though getting involved in pack business could have deadly repercussions.
While tangled up in a heap of werewolf troubles, Nora can’t quite shake her old vampire problem, either. Henry is practically stalking her, Parker is breaking down the walls around her heart, and Nora’s blatant fear of the blood-sucking monsters is a delicious temptation for the natural predators.
Nora’s succubus friend, Cecile, believes throwing her a “coming out” party into underworld society is the best way to solve all of her problems, but Nora disagrees. If the vampires and werewolves don’t kill her, Cecile’s party planning definitely will.
This is book 2 in the Nora Jacobs series and should be read after book 1. It is a slow burn reverse harem series.

#BookReview of Love & War (Alex & Eliza #2) by @MelissadelaCruz

About the Book: 

1780. Albany, New York. 

As the war for American Independence carries on, two newlyweds are settling into their new adventure: marriage. But the honeymoon's over, and Alexander Hamilton and Eliza Schuyler are learning firsthand just how tricky wedded life can be. Alex is still General George Washington's right-hand man and his attention these days is nothing if not divided--much like the colonies' interests as the end of the Revolution draws near. Alex & Eliza's relationship is tested further by lingering jealousies and family drama.

#WOW with @AlwynFJH @SJMaas @kimberlyderting

This week I;m trying to knock out many of the books on my TBR list. Either keeping or getting rid of them. I have soooo many.

#NerdBlast: The Chronicles of Royal High: The Lost Noble by @R_Litfin @JeanBookNerd

About the Book:

In the world of Edenarth, faerie technology has advanced the realms immeasurably. Crystal ball communications, magic mirror displays, and portals for fast travels are just some of the things that faeries have engineered to allow for human consumption – at the right price, of course. Politically, countless kingdoms and realms vie for power and prestige. It is a world filled with mysterious mermaids, fearsome ogres and trolls, clueless humans, terrifying dragons, syndicates and pirates, faeries and magic.

In the realm of Kelemer, Adella lives a life of peasantry with her parents, always hiding from a shadow no one will name. One night, she is visited by a grandmother whom she never knew existed: Queen Cassandra Everheart, ruler of the kingdom of Adamaris, the neighboring ocean realm to the south. After years of hiding, Adella learns why her family has been hunted as Cassandra apologizes for banishing Adella’s father for marrying outside of the royal blood line. Adamaris has since been bereft of an heir, and with Adella being the rightful crown princess, she is presented with the choice to leave and attend Royal High, a finishing academy for royals.

Naturally, Adella is stunned, but reluctantly agrees, and soon finds herself in the halls of Royal High along side other young royals from across the realms. But a strange darkness haunts Adella in the shadows of the school, and through a series of increasingly threatening events, Adella finds that not everyone is as they appear in the world of royals. For under the surface of all kingdoms, a terrible and dark force is rising. An ancient race of dragons, once thought vanquished by five guardians of light, are fighting to break free from their thousand year exile.

Can Adella understand what her dreams are telling her before it is too late? Or will the darkness consume everything she loves?

#BookReview of A Wild and Unremarkable Thing by @jen_castleberry

About the Book: Cayda has spent her entire life training to slay a Fire Scale. Now the time has come to leave her dragon-ravaged village behind, march into the Summer Alps, and reap the rewards of a Champion. But the road between poverty and prosperity is rife with beasts, betrayals, and baser temptations. Sensible Cayda soon discovers she’s not the only Champion with her eye on the prize, or the only one wearing a disguise.

A Wild and Unremarkable Thing pits girl against dragon in a stunning blend of Greek mythology and medieval lore. Don’t miss the thrilling novella that readers are calling poetic, enchanting, and a must-read for fans of fantasy!