Friday, April 30, 2021

Weekly Reading List

   Welcome to my brand new reading wrap up, now on Fridays.  I have decided to move my reading wrap up from Mondays to make room for Mystery Monday and also because it is easier for me to wrap up the week while I am still in the office instead of trying to post it first thing Monday morning. 



Reviews Posted Last Week:
Links will take you to my review



 Books Finished Last Week: (ish)
Reviews will be posted at a later date

Ruin and Rising
Just One Night
King of Scars
A Court of Silver Flames
Phone Booth at the Edge of the World
Cog
Moonlight on Sunset Beach
Hatchet
Rule of Wolves
One Special Night
Namesake
Furbidden Fatality
Guinevere Trilogy
Death Bee Comes Her
My Body in Pieces
Big and Little
Take My Breath Away
Stormbreak
Fugitive Telemetry
Heart on a Leash


Currently Reading:

Return to Shanhasson by Joely Sue Burkhart - Print- on page 78 of 380



Pages Read/ Time Listened
235:05 Hours Listened This Year(19:00 listened this week) - To Be Updated
6,626 Pages Read This Year (512 Read this week) - To Be Updated

Books Added to Shelves Recently: TBR
Death Bee Comes Her (Jan. Pre-Order) - READ
Stormbreak (Feb. Pre-Order) - READ
Lovebug (Feb. Pre-Order) - READ
Wild Cowboy Country (Bday Spree)
Hitting the Books (Bday Spree) - READ
Crazy Stupid Bromance (Bday Spree) - READ
Simmer Down (Bday Spree)
Blood of Zeus (Bday Spree)
Heart of Fire (Bday Spree)
Dead Drop (Bday Spree)
A Time of Dread (Bday Spree)
A Time of Blood (Bday Spree)
The Four Winds (Bday Gift)
The Shadow of the Gods (Giveaway Prize)
Namesake (March Pre-order) - READ
Rule of Wolves (March Pre-Order)  - READ
Fugitive Telemetry (April Pre-Order) -READ




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So wow, been a bit huh?! As I suspected the last week of work at my old job was a bit of a whirlwind and then I rolled right into my new job while still covering things at my old job.  This last week was the first time I have been able to just work my new job.  I have to say that I am very happy at the new job, it is SO much less stressful! With that said, I am no longer able to read or blog while at work so it has really cut into my reading time and blogging/review time. So clearly things have fallen off a bit around here.  I am attempting to start getting back into a rhythm around here but it is going to look a lot different.  First off, I am only going to be posting 2-3 times a week and for now it is mostly going to be requested reviews because I have a bunch of those to catch up on.  Secondly, I am no longer going to be posting weekly wrap ups, I am going to cut things back to my monthly wrap ups for now.  I have let the anticipated releases posts go for now, I don't even have a clue what books are coming out right now!

Please be patient with me as I adjust to a new schedule, as it is I am having to type this post at 10:00pm and I am a bit of an old lady! My only reading time and review/blogging time is after 8:30pm when Munchkin is in bed and the chores are all done for the day. I am working on being able to listen to audio books during the day at the office but I am still learning the systems there so have to keep pausing when I need to focus. Eventually I will be listing a lot there so a vast majority of my reading from here on out will be on audio. 

Anyway, I just wanted to get on here and catch you guys all up and I hope you will stick around because I am certainly not abandoning my love of reading!

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Blog Tour & Review of Guinevere Trilogy by Cheryl Carpinello

 

A beautifully written story with fascinating characters, set in medieval England, and featuring characters of legend like the legendary King Arthur and Merlyn…



Read for: Requested Review/ Middle Grade Books/ Arthurian Legends!


Synopsis of Each Book: "GUINEVERE: ON THE EVE OF LEGEND
Princess Guinevere dreaded her upcoming thirteenth birthday. It signaled the beginning of her official role as the Lady of her father’s castle.
No more adventures in the forest with Cedwyn. No more explorations outside the castle walls. No more excitement. No more danger. No more fun.
Cedwyn—her companion for as long as she remembered—viewed her circumstances differently.
A Medieval coming-of-age story relevant today.

GUINEVERE: AT THE DAWN OF LEGEND
Ancient Stones. Mystical Stones. Autumnal Equinox.
Down upon a wide plain the yellow orb shines strong.
R two laughingly ride.
A mist descends. The laughing stops.
A dangerous Medieval tale of two friends. Of a loyalty not often seen.

GUINEVERE: THE LEGEND
Fiercely loyal, Cedwyn always rushes to Guinevere’s defense. Stubborn to a fault. Always there for her. A future Knight? His one and only hope. A hero? Not what Cedwyn strove for, but it sought him.
Guinevere rarely thinks with her head. Just the opposite. Thinking with one’s heart: a recipe for trouble. And trouble finds Guinevere, all too often. Stubborn, she refuses to abandon those depending upon her. Even when ordered by her father, the king.
And so these two—both on the edge of Legend—barrel forth in this deadly dangerous and riveting Arthurian adventure.

My Review: If you know anything about me, I bet you know that I am obsessed with any books surrounding the Legend of King Arthur; so there was no way I could refuse to read a whole trilogy of books surrounding Guinevere as a child. This was a great trilogy of stories, lots of action, definitely some lessons learned and beginnings of legends. I really enjoyed getting to know this adventurous version of Guinevere with her companion Cedwyn as she begins her journey to becoming King Arthur's beloved queen. Throughout the trilogy we get to follow as Guinevere and Cedwyn grow from care free children to young teens that are forced to see the cost of choices and begin taking on the burden of their future roles as queen and knight. Never fear, they are not alone in this journey and we get to see some of the big players in the traditional King Arthur legends. Carpinello is definitely familiar with the traditional tales as well as those that have been re-told over the years and beautifully wrapped her story in amongst those stories in such a seamless manner that it feels like this series belongs in tradition as well. It was easy enough to read that newer readers can enjoy the book and the action will keep them coming back for more, but still intriguing enough that more experienced readers will still find themselves drawn into the books.

My Rating: I thoroughly enjoyed this story and was really drawn in. After reading so many other Arthurian legends, this series had a very familiar feel to them but at the same time gave me a different glimpse at the characters I love so much.  I give them a rating of Four Paws!


I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through Pump Up Your Book, the above is my honest review and opinion. 



Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend

Chapter 1

Hunting

 

G

uinevere stared into the shadows along the edge of the forest. She could hear Cedwyn shifting from foot to foot beside her, unable to stand still. She sighed, the bow of sturdy pine in her hand growing heavier like her heart. Her thirteenth Birth Day was in a few days, but she wasn’t excited. Birth Days were supposed to be fun, but not this year. Not for her, not for a princess.

She frowned as Cedwyn adjusted the leather quiver of arrows on his back again. Sometimes, like today, her patience with the nine-year-old was short.

“Guin’ver?”

“Hush!”

“But ...”

“Hush!”

She stamped her foot on the ground, annoyed at being interrupted. “Cedwyn,” she snapped. “What is so important that you can’t be quiet?”

“I’m hungry, and the bottoms of my trousers are damp. Can’t we go back to the castle?” His voice betrayed his hurt at her tone.

Guinevere knew her anger wasn’t with Cedwyn. It wasn’t his fault. The bottom of her green ankle-length tunic, also damp with the morning dew, was starting to make her ankles itch. Her stomach chose that moment to begin grumbling. It started as a low vibration but grew louder as if it hadn’t been fed in days.

Cedwyn heard it and started giggling. He tried to smother the sound by covering his mouth, but he was too late.

Trying to keep from laughing also, Guinevere shook her head. “How are we ever going to shoot a rabbit with all this noise?” She tousled his blond hair to let him know that she was not serious. “Let’s try for just ten minutes longer. Then if we find nothing, we’ll go back. Is that all right?”

Cedwyn nodded, not wanting to make any further noise.

Her eyes wandered across the blue sky. The English summer sun had barely reached above the far hills when they had first arrived at the forest. Now, it was well on its way in its climb toward the dinner hour, and they hadn’t even had a proper breakfast yet. Cedwyn’s mother was sure to be upset that they had been gone so long.

“Come on,” he whispered. “The only creatures we’ve seen moving have been badgers and Cornish hens. We could of had five bloody hens by now.”

“You better not let your mother hear you use that word. Anyway, I told you, it’s good luck to bag a rabbit on the eve of your thirteenth Birth Day,” Guinevere said.

Cedwyn studied her face, unsure if she was telling the truth or not. Then his blue eyes widened, and he grabbed her arm as she turned to continue hunting. “Wait a minute! You promised to help me bag a rabbit on the eve of my tenth Birth Day. You said that was lucky!”

She turned to him, her balled fists on her slim hips. “You need to listen closer when I talk to you. I explained the difference between boys and girls. Boys have to seek luck on the eve of their tenth and fifteenth Birth Days. Since girls are naturally luckier than boys, they only have to seek luck once, on the eve of their thirteenth Birth Day.”

Cedwyn eyed her suspiciously. “But I thought that the eve was the night before. Your Birth Day isn’t until the day after tomorrow.”

“That’s true, but the eve of something can also be anytime close to the day.”

“You sure?”

“Of course I am! Otherwise, what would happen if the day before I didn’t get a rabbit? This way there are more chances to get one. Now, let’s go. I’m sure I saw the grass moving up ahead, and I don’t think it was the wind.” She didn’t mention to him that she needed lots of luck.

Cedwyn obediently followed her, mumbling to himself. “We’re still running out of time.”

They hadn’t gone far when he thought of something else. “Guin’ver?”

She turned, her long brown braid whipping around. “Shh! You will scare the rabbits away!”

“But you also promised to teach me how to hunt with a bow and arrow once you are thirteen.”

“Yes, but if you don’t stop your chatter, I won’t. Do you understand?”

Cedwyn nodded. A slight upturning of his mouth betrayed his satisfaction at her promise.

“Then let’s go.”

He followed, a smile highlighting his chubby cheeks. He then smacked into Guinevere who had abruptly stopped.

“Wha...”

A hand clamped down over his mouth followed by an angry “Shh!”

Cedwyn moved quietly up to her side, his nine-year-old frame coming up to her shoulders. When she looked him, her brown eyes sparkled with excitement in the midmorning light. Her lips formed the word “Look.” His blue eyes followed her out-stretched arm.

There, just beneath the pine trees where the wild grasses grew-- movement. He stared at the spot. Then the tall green stalks bent again, betraying the presence of something beneath.

“How can you tell if it’s really a rabbit?” he whispered.

“See how the stalks move forward a bit and then part?”

Cedwyn nodded.

“Well, the forward movement of the stalks is the rabbit testing out the goodness of the food. And then where the grasses part---that is---when the rabbit stops and starts feeding,” Guinevere said, her pride in her knowledge showing. “Hand me an arrow.” She held out her hand as Cedwyn pulled an arrow from the small leather quiver on his back.

Very carefully, her heart pounding, Guinevere nocked the arrow and steadily drew the bowstring back. Taking a deep breath to steady her arms and calm her heart, she let the arrow loose. She watched the spin of the feathers as the arrow sped to its target like a hawk diving after its prey.

Suddenly a horrendous cry filled the air. Guinevere and Cedwyn jumped into each other’s arms. They crouched on the ground and covered their ears as the shrill cry continued to make their ears ring.

“Wh...what is that?” Cedwyn whispered.

Guinevere shook her head in reply.

And then, a different sound—of something crashing through the grasses and scrub thickets. They inched their way up to peek above the grass. There—crashing and charging around the thickets—the biggest wild boar they’d ever seen.

Cedwyn looked at Guinevere. “Ain’t that your arrow sticking in its side?”

She nodded slowly, in shock that she’d hit anything. For a few moments, they watched as the boar ran first in one direction and then another in what appeared to be a crazed pattern. But Guinevere recognized the pattern: the wounded boar was searching for its hunters .

“Come on,” she said, grabbing his hand. “We have to get out of here now!”

“Why?” Then he had his answer. The boar roared in anger. The ground trembled under their feet as the boar spotted them and barreled straight for them. It had found the culprits responsible for the arrow in its side.

“Run!” Guinevere said, no longer quiet.

Cedwyn needed no further urging. He took off with Guinevere close behind him. The thunderous crashing of the boar through the grasses and scrub brush vibrated through every part of their bodies.

Guinevere chanced a look behind her and realized that the boar was gaining on them. She glanced around. Off to the right was a smaller pine tree that Cedwyn could climb to get up out of danger. He was the slowest, but they were running faster than ever. Guinevere reached for Cedwyn’s shoulder, heard a thud, and her hand found only air. He cried out as he hit the ground. The exposed tree root had claimed its first victim of the day.

She reached down to help him up, but his foot was stuck solid. Seeing the boar grow in size as it got closer, Guinevere’s brain frantically looked for a way to save Cedwyn and herself. If she made enough noise, she could get the boar to follow her into the forest. That would give Cedwyn time to get loose and up the tree.

“I’ll lead the boar away. Get yourself free and then head for that tree.”

Cedwyn looked in the direction Guinevere pointed.

“Get up in it as far as you can go and hang on until I let you know it’s safe to come down. All right?”

Cedwyn nodded, his eyes wide with fear.

“Stay down and be still ‘til you hear from me. Then be quick!”

He nodded again, searching behind them for sight of the boar.

Guinevere jumped and shouted, “Halloo boar! Here I am. Come and get me!” She waved her arms, diverting the boar’s attention to her. Once spotted, she ran. The pounding of its hooves told her the boar was following and, if possible, coming even faster. “Cedwyn! Now!” Guinevere shouted as she dashed for the safety of the trees.

Behind her, the boar charged, pain fueling its rage. Thundering through the grasses and scrub brush, it focused only on reaching the creature responsible for its pain. Behind them, Cedwyn frantically dug and pulled on the root to free his foot.

“Guin’ver! I can’t get loose!”

“You have to! Try harder! Pull harder!”

Cedwyn dug and kicked his foot until he felt it start to loosen. Finally pulling free, he stood up. He could see the boar charging after Guinevere. He ran for the pine tree. Grabbing branches, he pulled himself up until he was too high for the boar to reach.

“I’m in the tree!” he yelled.

Not turning around, Guinevere raised a hand and continued running.

Once in the forest, she slowed to let her eyes adjust to the darkness, and as she waited, the sounds of the boar grew louder. Finally, she could just make out a faint trail. She ran down the path, trying to find some place to hide so that the boar would run past her.

Up ahead was a pine tree with low hanging branches. Using her last bit of speed, she reached the tree and jumped. Her hands grasped a branch; pine needles pricked her skin. She pulled herself up, struggling to breathe, her arms aching from the effort.

Before she could get a good hold, the whole tree shook. Pine needles fell, sticking in her hair and on her clothes. Screaming, she fought to hold on, ignoring the bark cutting into her skin. At least if the boar gets me, I won’t have my thirteenth Birth Day. She didn’t know which would be worse: the boar or turning thirteen.

The boar charged the tree again. Her grip loosened. She screamed louder, suddenly sure that turning thirteen wouldn’t be as bad as facing the angry boar.

“Guin’ver! I’m coming!” Cedwyn’s only answer was another scream from the forest. He loosened his arms and slid down the tree, unmindful of the scratches from the bark.

Guinevere’s right arm flailed above her, blindly searching for a higher branch. Her fingertips brushed the bottom of one sliding through the sap. She stretched up, grasping the branch firmly with one hand. Trying not to think of what would happen if she fell, she let go with her other hand. For just a moment she felt herself slipping down, but her fingers found the branch, and she held on. The boar hit the tree again. It shook hard enough to nearly topple over, and Guinevere screamed once more.

Then she heard another more horrible scream. Its piercing sound traveled up the trunk into her body. Thinking it was Cedwyn, she looked down and saw a rock hit the boar’s side with the arrow. Its angry cry filled the air one last time before the wounded animal ran off deep into the forest.

Guinevere leaned against the rough pine trying to breathe.

“Is it gone? Can you see it?” Cedwyn asked, peeking out from behind a bush.

Guinevere searched the path that the boar had taken. There was no sign of it, and she couldn’t hear it anymore either.

“It’s gone. We’re safe. C’mon out.”

As Cedwyn made his way to her, she climbed down the tree and collasped on theground, her legs too wobbly to hold her. Both of them were a mess. Guinevere proceeded to brush some of the dirt, pine needles, and small twigs off her clothing. Strands of hair had escaped from her braid, and she tried to tuck them back as she pulled out the pine needles.

Cedwyn plopped beside her, brushing twigs and pine needles off his clothes. Guinevere reached over and rubbed dirt off his cheek. They looked at each other and burst out laughing from relief at still being alive.

“I..thought..we..were...dead!” Cedwyn said between laughs.

“You should have felt that tree shake! I was sure I was the boar’s next meal!” Guinevere paused before adding, “Thank you for coming to my rescue.”

“You saved me too. That’s what friends are for.”

“Yes. I’m only glad that we’re still alive to be friends,” she said, squeezing his hand. “Let’s go. We’re really late now, and we don’t even have a rabbit as a peace offering.”

He nodded. “We’re gonna be in trouble.” Then, as if someone had heard them, upon the wind came a faint but clear voice.

“Lady Guinevere! Cedwyn!”

Grabbing hands, the two ran, fearful of what awaited them at the castle.

Suddenly Cedwyn stopped and pulled Guinevere backwards, almost knocking her down. Grinning, he pointed under a bush at the side of the path. Laughter spilled out from her as she saw their trap in the thicket where they had set it earlier that morning. It was no longer empty. Inside crouched their peace offering: a rabbit! They stuffed the rabbit inside the small leather satchel Guinevere carried; their good humor restored until the wind carried that voice again, this time louder and angrier.

“Lady Guinevere! Cedwyn!

 




Amazon → https://amzn.to/30jhehD   





Cheryl Carpinello taught high school English for 25 years. During that time, she worked with numerous students who didn’t like to read for a variety of reasons. However, she discovered that even the most reluctant readers became engaged in the classroom and in reading when she introduced units on King Arthur and the works of ancient world writers. Upon retiring, she set out to write fast-paced, action-filled stories in these setting to encourage young readers to read more. When not writing, you can find her reading, spending time with family, and traveling.
Cheryl’s books:
Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend (1)
Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend (2)
Guinevere: The Legend (3)
Guinevere Trilogy ebook only
The King’s Ransom (Young Knights of the Round Table)
Sons of the Sphinx
Tutankhamen Speaks
Grandma/Grandpa’s Tales 1
Grandma/Grandpa’s Tales 2



Website: https://www.cherylcarpinello.com

Blog: carpinelloswritingpages.blogspot.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ccarpinello

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.carpinello1


Check out my book at Goodreads!








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Monday, April 26, 2021

Mystery Monday: Furbidden Fatality by Deborah Blake

  Welcome to a brand new feature series here on Eastern Sunset Reads!

In the mess that was 2020, one exciting thing that came about is my discovery of Cozy Mysteries.  Yes, I knew they existed before but I never had a desire to pick one up but last year I ended up reading 17 of them! Clearly they have become a regular thing for me to pick up and it is such a vast genre that I can't wait to dive into more of them.  So Mystery Monday has become a thing and will be a (at least somewhat) regular thing here.  So stop by on Mondays to see my reviews of new books I have picked up, new releases, chat about sub-genres and lots more.

 

Read for: Cozy Mystery/Netgalley/Requested Review & the Animals!

Synopsis: "A lottery winner uses her good fortune to save a local pet sanctuary, but when a body is discovered on the property, she just might be in the doghouse in this first book in a new, charming cozy mystery series from author Deborah Blake.

Kari Stuart's life is going nowhere--until she unexpectedly wins the lottery. The twenty-nine-year-old instant multimillionaire is still mulling plans for her winnings when trying to rescue a bossy black kitten leads her to a semiabandoned animal shelter. They need the cash--Kari needs a purpose.

But the dilapidated rescue is literally going to the dogs with a pending lawsuit, hard to adopt animals, and too much suspicious attention from the town's dog warden. When the warden turns up dead outside the shelter's dog kennels, Kari finds herself up a creek without a pooper-scooper.

With the help of some dedicated volunteers, a cute vet, and a kitten who mysteriously shows up just when she needs it, Kari must prove her innocence all while trying to save a dog on death row. Now she just needs to hope that her string of unexpected luck isn't about to run out."

My Review: I am still new to the Cozy Mystery genre but this synopsis hit all of my buzzwords so I couldn't resist trying it out and I am so glad I did, this might be one of my new favorite series! I adored the main character, Kari, in this book; when we are introduced we immediately find out that she is a pet lover and who can resist a character who loves animals. We later find out she is also a lottery winner and she does some great things with those winnings but it leads her to some rather difficult people and some even more difficult situations. We also get to know a great cast of side characters, who share the love of animals, they are all so quirky and unique and I could totally picture them as friends. I really enjoyed how the story developed, it was definitely a gripping story that keeps the pages turning as the clues are revealed and the story unravels. I will definitely be anxiously awaiting more books in this series!

My Rating: I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was a super fast and engrossing book that I didn't want to put down. I loved all the characters (especially the little furry ones). I can't wait for more books to come out and excited to be getting into a series right from the beginning. I give this one a rating of Four Paws and Stump Wag!


I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley, the above is my honest review and opinion. 

You can find out more about Deborah Blake and her books on her Goodreads Page or Website.

Furbidden Fatality was just released in February so you can get your own copy now in print or digital format from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or request it at your local library or bookstore.