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[katara]

Title: Sea Witch (Sea Witch #1)
Author: Sarah Henning
Format: Epub
Rating: 2.5/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: January 14, 2019 to January 16, 2019
Book Summary: Everyone knows what happens in the end. A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss. But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends. One feared, one royal, and one already dead.

Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch.

A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.

But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain.
Book Review: -sighs-

What is it lately with YA becoming so incredibly boring and the characters as interesting as a board?

Please don't get me wrong I really enjoyed the history lesson given with this story but you can only put in so much before it drags the story to a slow crawl. And this is exactly what it did. I get it that since the story takes place in a part of actual history that there are to be lessons about the period, its people, and the land. This is always a given but having so much of it often takes away from the time of characters and plot that it drags the storyline.

Yes I get that witches were burned. But witches or anyone considered associated with magic were literally burned at the stake. Our center character has to keep her abilities a secret not only from her friends but the rest of her village or else she could suffer the same fate as those whom they celebrate burning at a yearly festival.

I know this is suppose to be a retelling of The Little Mermaid but it took what felt a long time to actually get to that part and even the ending was lackluster.

I hate being disappointed in YA books. Lately there has been some really big hits that have ended up becoming nothing more than big misses for me. :/ Maybe I am just in that sort of funk and all YA books have become like that. Maybe it is time to find another genre for awhile.

To those whom love The Little Mermaid will possbily love this retelling. As for me, it just was not for me whatsoever.

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[katara]

Title: The Return of Lady Jane (The Scandal Sheet #1)
Author: Jess Michaels
Format: Epub
Rating: 4.8/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: January 16, 2019
Book Summary: After a surprisingly passionate wedding day, Viscount Colin Wharton begins to believe he could overcome a painful betrayal in his past and truly make a future with his new wife, Jane. But a shocking betrayal crushes his heart. He sends her away, determined to forget her.

Viscountess Jane Wharton has no idea what hardened her husband's heart to her, but she is trying to make the best of her banishment. When she returns to London, she hopes to simply avoid Colin. But that is not to be. As the couple reunites in a clash of harsh words and heated passions, both begin to wonder if they could overcome the past.

Only a secret lurks that is darker than anything either could have imagined. And they will have to fight to survive, as well as fight for the love they both deserve.
Book Review: Wow.

Just wow.

I don't believe I have read anything by Jess Michaels and for some odd reason this book seemed to call to me. Having been disappointed by recent reads, I thought I would try to return to a genre that I loved to read as a teen in high school. I am serious I read these cheesy romance novels in high school and loved them. It was because of them that I always had a book or two in my purse for leisure reading during class.

In this book, we meet Colin and Jane. They have just recently wed and unfortunately for Colin, he has been badly burned by his former lover, Cassandra. For the moment, he believes Jane might be the one. That is until his cousin spots something during the wedding party and Colin is heartbroken to the point that he sends Jane away to live at one of his estates. Now it has been some months and Jane has returned but only because her sister has given birth. Colin has gotten wind of Jane's return and he brings her back to his home to live.

I really, really enjoyed this book. Jane was the kinda of girl I enjoyed. She was not spoiled. Not a one-dimensional character and you really felt sorry for her because she had no idea what she had done to earn the punishment her husband had doled out to her. But even her banishment did not keep her down, it actually made her a bit stronger and she learned to live with it. She went about running her husband's estate and earned the love of the tenants and servants that presided there.

As for Colin, there were moments I wanted to smack him upside of his head. I understand that being betrayed by one person you can be a bit wary of it happening again. Yet inside of listening to his cousin and seeing if what he had said was true, he simply banished Jane as if she were nothing more than a common criminal. I do, however, like that he would eventually redeem himself to her as well as to the audience.

This book was a fun read. I really could not put it down. The storyline was attention grabbing and the characters drew you in to the point that you actually felt compassion for both leads regardless. I cannot believe I am going to say this but I am honestly looking forward to rest of the books in this series and I have every plan to read them.

If you are looking for something really quick to read and filled with historical romance, then this novella would definitely be for you.