Top 5 Wednesday - July 22nd - Side Characters That Deserve Their Own Series

Hi Everybody, This week was pretty tough i am normally really happy with how side characters stories are ended. I managed to put together 5 

So Lets Get Started ...

5

Jane Bennet - Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen 

I would love for Jane to tell her side of the story and have a different perspective on the story and she seems like a really nice and fun character to read from the perspective of. 

 

4 

Zu - Darkest Minds - Alexandra Bracken 

I think a series from when Zu was away from the Black Betty Crew would be amazing and really entertaining.

 

3

Sally Jackson - Percy Jackson & The Olympians - Rick Riordan 

Holy God i need a Prequel, i need Sally & Poseidon meeting and then how much Sally worries about Percy as he is growing up and marrying Gabe and i need this NOW.

 

2.

Tonks - Harry Potter - J K Rowling 

Tonks is one of those characters that you don't know much about but they capture your imagination. I would love a story of how Tonks and Lupin fell in love and got married and had Teddy. But there isn't so i have to satisfy myself with reading Fanfiction. 

1

Nate Rush Finlay - Rosemary Beach - Abbi Glines 

OK if you haven't read The Sea Breeze series you will not know what I'm going on about, but i need a book that carries on from Until The End (the last book in the sea breeze series) where our two favourite series have finally intermingled in the next generation. I need this and i need it NOW. 

Top 5 Wednesday was created by GingerReadsLainey

Here is the goodreads page 

Here is the full list of participants - Wednesday-Ers

Until Next Time

Happy Reading

Peyton

1989 Book Tag

Hi all so i first saw this tag on Girl Plus Books blog and it was created by Reviews From A Bookworms Blog 


So lets Get Started ... 


WELCOME TO NEW YORK 
"You can want who you want, boys and boys and girls and girls."
A Book With LGBT Themes

This Is Not A Love Story - Keren David 

This Is Not A Love Story centres around a guy who is confused about his sexuality and has an affair with his girlfriend bisexual Step-Brother. 

  BLANK SPACE
"You can tell me when it's over if the high was worth the pain." A Book That Hit You Right In The Feels... But Was Totally Worth It

Ugly Love - Colleen Hoover 

Ugly Love wasn't my first choice initially, mainly because when i first decided to do this tag and planned it out i had not read this book, but after i did it had to go to be put in Miles' story and pain felt so real it broke my heart and made cry and ust hit me in the feels.


 OUT OF THE WOODS
"The rest of the world is black and white, but we're in screaming colour."
A Book Which Had Vivid World-Building

The Novice - Taran Matharu 

The Novice is the first book in a Fantasy series and it is all about the world building from the creatures to the rules and the way of the world. This was a phenomenal book and i cannot wait for the rest of the series.

BLANK SPACE "I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream." A Book You Hated... But Loved the Cover

Half Bad - Sally Green 

I didn't hate Half Bad i just could not finish it i think i got about 25 pages in and i just couldn't read it, i really want to but i have tried many times and i just cannot get into it but the cover is so simple but it is beautiful in its own special way




SHAKE IT OFF "The haters gonna hate." A Book Or Series Everyone Seems To Love But You Can't Help But Hate

The Confession of Georgia Nicholson series - Louise Rennison 

I brought the entire series in a box set and i just cringe when i read them i don't know why i cant even finish the series i got to book 4 and i just cant complete it. 

BLANK SPACE "I've got a blank space baby, and I'll write your name." Your Latest Book Boyfriend/Girlfriend

Mase Colt-Manning - Abbi Glines 

If you don't know this about me i love all things country music and mainly the southern drawl and the fact that hes a farmer just adds to it. On the other hand he is sweet and caring and just a generally nice guy and hes hot.  

I WISH YOU WOULD
"I wish you knew I'll never forget you as long as I live."
A Book Or Series You Know You Will Always Love

Vampire Academy Series - Richelle Mead 

I read this series 5 years ago in 2010, it is the series that seriously got me back into reading. I love the story, the characters and when ever i re read these books it feels like coming home and i have a feeling i will forever love this series. 



WILDEST DREAMS
"I can see the end as it begins."
A Book Or Series You Wish Could Have Gone On Forever

Rosemary Beach / Sea Breeze - Abbi Glines

I will not choose between these two series, you cant make me. I love both of these series equally, and i dread a time when there will be no more books concerning these characters, because they feel kind of like Vampire Academy does to me like home whenever i pick up one of the books they just make me smile and when there are no more it will be a very sad day for humanity.

Until Next Time 

Happy Reading 

Peyton 

 
 

Tudor Court Series - Philippa Gregory Series Review

Hello, so this is a series review of Philippa Gregory's Tudor Court series. This is a adult historical fiction series set in The Tudor period it is spanned between 1491 -  1587 so almost 100 years of history put into 7 books and told from the perspective of women who were general the lesser Sex back then. lets get started with book one. 

The Constant Princess 

Characters - Katherine of Aragon & Prince Arthur Tudor 
Page Count - 486 pgs
ISBN - 978-0-00-792632-9
Price - GBP - £7.99
My Rating - 3.5 / 5 
Synopsis -  Splendid and sumptuous historical novel from this internationally bestselling author, telling of the early life of Katherine of Aragon. We think of her as the barren wife of a notorious king; but behind this legacy lies a fascinating story. Katherine of Aragon is born Catalina, the Spanish Infanta, to parents who are both rulers and warriors.
Aged four, she is betrothed to Arthur, Prince of Wales, and is raised to be Queen of England. She is never in doubt that it is her destiny to rule that far-off, wet, cold land. Her faith is tested when her prospective father-in-law greets her arrival in her new country with a great insult; Arthur seems little better than a boy; the food is strange and the customs coarse.
Slowly she adapts to the first Tudor court, and life as Arthur's wife grows ever more bearable. But when the studious young man dies, she is left to make her own future: how can she now be queen, and found a dynasty? Only by marrying Arthur's young brother, the sunny but spoilt Henry. His father and grandmother are against it; her powerful parents prove little use.
Yet Katherine is her mother's daughter and her fighting spirit is strong. She will do anything to achieve her aim; even if it means telling the greatest lie, and holding to it. Philippa Gregory proves yet again that behind the apparently familiar face of history lies an astonishing story: of women warriors influencing the future of Europe, of revered heroes making deep mistakes, and of an untold love story which changes the fate of a nation.

So this book takes on a new aspect to the relationship between Henry , Katherine and Arthur. It shows what history will never know, the truth died with these great historical figures. Katherine was a strong independent woman. When her husband dies at 15 she is left poverty because her father in law will not return her dowery and it show her journey from a young girl into a Queen. It tells the early life of a queen who we only really know about how it all ends. 
This book although not my favourite i can still see some scenes vividly in my head and they have stuck with me even 2 years on.






The Other Boleyn Girl 

Characters - Anne Boleyn - Mary Boleyn - King Henry VIII 
Page Count - 529 pgs 
ISBN - 978-0-00-651400-8
My Rating - 4 / 5 
Price - GBP - £7.99
Synopsis -  Mary Boleyn catches the eye of Henry VIII when she comes to court as a girl of fourteen. Dazzled by the golden prince, Mary's joy is cut short when she discovers that she is a pawn in the dynastic plots of her family. When the capricious king's interest wanes, Mary is ordered to pass on her knowledge of how to please him to her friend and rival: her sister, Anne.
Anne soon becomes irresistible to Henry, and Mary can do nothing but watch her ambitious sister's rise. From now on, Mary will be no more than the other Boleyn girl. But beyond the court is a man who dares to challenge the power of her family to offer Mary a life of freedom and passion. If only she has the courage to break away - before the Boleyn enemies turn on the Boleyn girls...

This is probably the most well known of the series, it follows the Boleyn siblings from their rise in status to their fall. Anne, Mary and George are otherwise known as the three Boleyn's if you find one, another is not far away. When the youngest, Mary catches the eye of the notorious King of England their lives are changed forever, and the events that follow change the face of England forever. You will fall in love with and hate these  characters with a passion but it is enthralling to read. 
It took me a couple of times to get into this book because the first time i tried to read it i was about 13 years old, and i got a little weirded out by Mary getting married at 12 and having an affair with the King of England at 13. Then i started it again when i was 18 and i loved it. It is nothing like the movie, there are some similarities but i loved the book 10 times better.


The Boleyn Inheritance 

Characters - Katherine Howard - Anne of Cleeves - Jane Boleyn - King Henry VIII
Page Count - 514 pgs
ISBN - 978-0-00-719033-1
My Rating - 4.5 / 5
Price - GBP - £7.99
Synopsis -  The year is 1539 and the court of Henry VIII is increasingly fearful at the moods of the ageing sick king. With only a baby in the cradle for an heir, Henry has to take another wife and the dangerous prize of the crown of England is won by Anne of Cleves.
She has her own good reasons for agreeing to marry a man old enough to be her father, in a country where to her both language and habits are foreign. Although fascinated by the glamour of her new surroundings, she senses a trap closing around her. Katherine is confident that she can follow in the steps of her cousin Anne Boleyn to dazzle her way to the throne but her kinswoman Jane Boleyn, haunted by the past, knows that Anne’s path led to Tower Green and to an adulterer’s death.
The story of these three young women, trying to make their own way through the most volatile court in Europe at a time of religious upheaval and political uncertainty, is Philippa Gregory’s most compelling novel yet.

 The Boleyn Inheritance was the second book i read in this series and i loved it, it gives you the stories of the two queens who we don't know much about, Queens four & five Anne of Cleeves and Katherine Howard the two queens who went into it without much choice. The other queens were at least somewhat willing but Anne and Katherine were pretty much forced or coerced by the males in their families and we also get the story of Jane Boleyn the Widowed wife of George Boleyn and how she is now also a pawn in the game of who will become queen next. 
As i said before this was the second book i read in this series and it really made me fall in love with Katherine Howard before reading this book i had only really heard and read about Anne Boleyn. This book had me disbelieving that this was pretty much what happened in my country 500 years ago, girls being forced into doing whatever the head male in the family said i just cannot imagine it. 

 
 The Queens Fool 

Characters - Hannah Green - Lady Elizabeth - Mary I - Robert Dudley 
Page Count - 488 pgs
ISBN - 978-0-00-791464-7
My Rating - 3 / 5 
Price - GBP - £7.99
Synopsis -  A young woman caught in the rivalry between Queen Mary and her half sister, Elizabeth, must find her true destiny amid treason, poisonous rivalries, loss of faith, and unrequited love.

It is winter, 1553. Pursued by the Inquisition, Hannah Green, a fourteen-year-old Jewish girl, is forced to flee Spain with her father. But Hannah is no ordinary refugee. Her gift of "Sight," the ability to foresee the future, is priceless in the troubled times of the Tudor court. Hannah is adopted by the glamorous Robert Dudley, the charismatic son of King Edward's protector, who brings her to court as a "holy fool" for Queen Mary and, ultimately, Queen Elizabeth. Hired as a fool but working as a spy; promised in wedlock but in love with her master; endangered by the laws against heresy, treason, and witchcraft, Hannah must choose between the safe life of a commoner and the dangerous intrigues of the royal family that are inextricably bound up in her own yearnings and desires.

This book though not directly linked to the Tudor family its about the people around them the subjects, and what it was like to live under Tudor rule & what it was like being a pawn for  for Lords and being a Jew in Tudor England when there was already fighting over Catholicism and the Protestant Faith. 
This was probably my least favourite book of the series but only because it didn't really feel like a Tudor novel to me it felt like i was reading something that i didn't really know the date of it seemed like it could have been at any point of time in history.
 I liked Hannah as a character but there was also quite a few flaws in her and also the characters around her, for someone in the 16th Century she does thing that were considered punishable and it seemed that to her nothing was wrong with it. overall it was somewhat of an enjoyable read and after i read it, i visited the Tower of London and saw one of the minor characters Will Sommers belongings and realised i had never given it a second glance but this book gave me some insight on characters you wouldn't normally hear about or give a second glance too. 


The Virgins Lover 

Characters - Queen Elizabeth I - Robert Dudley - Amy Dudley
Page Count - 482 pgs 
ISBN - 978-0-00-714731-1
My Rating - 4.5 / 5 
Price - GBP - £7.99
Synopsis -  Elizabeth I has acceded to the throne of England, a position she has waited and schemed for all her life. She is surrounded by advisers, all convinced that a young woman cannot form political judgements. Elizabeth feels that she can rely on just one man: her oldest friend, Robert Dudley. It is soon plain that he is more than merely a friend.

In a house in the countryside waits a very different woman, Amy, Robert’s wife. She has no taste for life at court and longs for the day when her husband will return home. She has loved him since she was a girl, but now they are adults she hardly sees him.

Meanwhile, the pressure grows for Elizabeth to marry, for it is unthinkable that a queen should rule on her own. Elizabeth’s preference is clear, but he is unavailable. But what if the unthinkable were to happen…

This was the first book in the series i read and it started my love affair with historical fiction and Elizabeth. This book depicts the strong and independent character that to this day is still known as Gloriana and her reign as The Golden Age. This book takes on the subject that again we will never know the truth of was The Virgin Queen really a virgin or did she have an affair with her childhood friend Robert Dudley. On the other side of things you have Roberts wife Amy and her view on the relationship, and well you will have to see how it pans out for the three of them because i suggest you read this book it is extremely good. (Then again i did read it about 5 years ago but what i remember it is very good) ( I didn't put too much her because i didn't want to spoil this book it has quite a few twist and turns)


The Other Queen 

Characters - Mary Queen of Scots - Bess Hardwick - George Talbot - Elizabeth I 
ISBN - 978-0-00-792606-0
My Rating - 3.5 / 5 
Price - GBP - £7.99
Synopsis -  At the centre of this novel is Mary Queen of Scotland, forced to flee into England. Mary, a devout Catholic, is, of course, a living threat to the rule of her cousin Elisabeth, whose Protestant reign is uncertain. We've been here before, of course, in various books and films. But Philippa Gregory's story this time has a different emphasis: Elizabeth's chief advisor, Cecil, formulates a plan in which the destabilising Mary will live under guard with his faithful friend, Bess of Hardwick. Bess is a remarkable woman herself; someone who has forged her own destiny, and is now in her fourth marriage, to the distinguished Earl of Shrewsbury. But soon Bess and Mary find themselves plunged into very different personal crises - with Bess's marriage under considerable strain.

I liked this book it was about something i didn't know alot about going into, i could tell you all the kings and queens from William the Conqueror of by heart but Scottish royalty i know nothing about so it was intriguing to read this and even though some what diluted you can still see the Tudor fire in the Scottish queen. 
Mary who is at the centre of a plot having been run out of Scotland and now a prisoner in England life is not at its best for Mary. who like all royalty prisoners want to make sure she stays alive so when she disobeys Elizabeth what else is she to do to the threat to her crown. This is the tale of two cousins who are both fighting to stay in power but England is not big enough for two queens so one has to go. 


The Taming of The Queen

Release Date -  13th August 2015 

Synopsis - Why would a woman marry a serial killer?

Because she cannot refuse...

Kateryn Parr, a thirty-year-old widow in a secret affair with a new lover, has no choice when a man old enough to be her father who has buried four wives – King Henry VIII – commands her to marry him.

Kateryn has no doubt about the danger she faces: the previous queen lasted sixteen months, the one before barely half a year. But Henry adores his new bride and Kateryn's trust in him grows as she unites the royal family, creates a radical study circle at the heart of the court, and rules the kingdom as regent.

But is this enough to keep her safe? A leader of religious reform and a published author, Kateryn stands out as an independent woman with a mind of her own. But she cannot save the Protestants, under threat for their faith, and Henry's dangerous gaze turns on her.The traditional churchmen and rivals for power accuse her of heresy - the punishment is death by fire and the king's name is on the warrant...

From an author who has described all of Henry's queens comes a deeply intimate portrayal of the last: a woman who longed for passion, power and education at the court of a medieval killer.

Review coming soon 

Until Next Time 

Happy Reading 

Peyton 

 

Top 5 Wednesday - July 15th - Anticipated Pre-Orders for the Rest of the Year

Hello, this week is all about pre-orders there are so many i had a hard time choosing just 5 so there are a couple honourable mentions at the bottom as well.

So Lets Get Started...

5. 

The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet - Kate Rorick & Rachel Kiley 

I absolutely love the vlog style adaptation of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and the book as well so when they announced that Lydia was getting her own book i pre-ordered straight away. I cannot wait to get some insight into one of the most complex characters i read about. and i just know its going to be adorbs

4 . 

The Taming of The Queen - Philippa Gregory

Now don't get me wrong when i say this i am excited about this book but this series was complete all in matching paperbacks now a new book with a new design and in hardback, but i still cannot wait to read this story no matter of the cover. 

3. 

Queen of Shadows - Sarah J Maas

I love the Throne of Glass series and Sarah J Maas has become a must buy author for me so any book she brings out a new book it will be pre-ordered.

2.

The Best Goodbye - Abbi Glines 

Again this is another auto buy author this is book 12 in the Rosemary Beach series so now i am pretty invested in this series and even have the book after that pre ordered as well.

1.

The Sword of Summer - Rick Riordan 

I cannot wait for this book I need it now Rick Riordan is an amazing author when it comes to Greek God's now it's Norse gods so I cannot wait this is going to be epic.

Honourable mentions

• Bloodline - Conn Iggulden
• Forever With Me - J Lynn
• Winter - Marissa Meyer
• Soundless - Richelle Mead  

Top 5 Wednesday was created by GingerReadsLainey

Here is the goodreads page 

Here is the full list of participants - Wednesday-Ers

 Hope You Enjoyed This Weeks Top 5 Wednesday 

Until Next Time 

Happy Reading 

Peyton

Top 5 Wednesday - Things on your Bookshelf that Aren't Books - 8th July 2015

Hello, so this came just at the right time i just cleaned my bookshelves and cleaned a lot of the stuff of my shelves.

so lets get started, in no particular order .. 

5. Photo Frame

So this is a photo frame i hated it so i covered in torn up book pages and i made a book bow its now my favourite photo frame, it has a picture of my older sister and brother and me when i was little. 

 

4. Medieval Replica Coin 

For my 19th Birthday i went to Warwick Castle and got two of these and they sit on my Mass Market Paperback shelf.

3. Pygmy Puff 

For my 18th Birthday i went to the Harry Potter Studio Tours and brought this along with some chocolate frogs the boxes are also on my shelves. 

2. Anne Boleyn "B" Necklace 

When i go to The Tower of London i always buy a piece of jewellery or a trinket the second time i went i brought this and it has been on my shelves since 2013. 

1. Wooden Book Page Quote. 

I Love Pride & Prejudice so when i was shopping online and found this, it was pretty expensive (£18) but i love it. The quote is one on my favourite from the movie, its not in the book but I'm planning to get the one from the book soon.

Top 5 Wednesday was created by GingerReadsLainey

Here is the goodreads page 

Here is the full list of participants - Wednesday-Ers

 Hope You Enjoyed This Weeks Top 5 Wednesday 

Until Next Time 

Happy Reading 

Peyton

When You're Back - Abbi Glines Spoiler Free

Title - When You're Back 
Series - Rosemary Beach 
Author - Abbi Glines
My Rating - 4.5 / 5 
Goodreads - When You're Back  
ISBN - 1471122360 (ISBN13: 9781471122361)
My Copy - Brought from Amazon Kindle 
Release Date- 30th June 2015
Synopsis - Love is a journey - Rosemary Beach is the destination...The future is bright for Reese Ellis. She has Mase Colt-Manning, the man of her dreams, and a family she didn't know existed until her long-lost father arrived on her doorstep in Rosemary Beach. Everything is finally falling into place. While Reese is visiting her new family in Chicago, Mase spends time with his "cousin," Aida, who has worshipped him since childhood. Unrelated by blood, Mase and Aida have been raised to think of each other as family. But when Reese returns, she can tell something isn't quite right. Aida clearly resents Reese and excels at manipulative little games. And though Mase is unsuspecting, Reese knows Aida doesn't love him like a cousin should...


This was was almost perfection it had me laughing out loud and just re-affirmed my love for cowboys. At first i wasn't sure that Reese and Mase needed another story now I'm glad they did because it ended their story and rounded some things out. 
The reason this book was almost perfection and not fully was the ending i felt it needed a little more it seemed to just cut off without much information. In When You're Back we get introduced to new characters and get reacquainted to characters we have already briefly met like River 'Captain' Kipling who if you remember from Blaire and Rush's story he is Blaire's half brother. we also get more Dean and Kiro and something Dean says makes me wonder what his novella is going to be about
 "Dean sighed heavily and shook his head ' never been in love like that. After seeing how it changed Kiro when he lost her, I never let anyone get close enough to me. I wasn't going to ever feel that pain. Don't want it."  
  
Reese really grows as a character in this book she gets a job where she has to read and file thing which is difficult with her dyslexia but she takes it on and rocks it. She was a little naive to not tell Mase about her concerns with Aida and then with Captain flirting with her and have him find out from walking in on him flirting. 

Mase was also really stupid with the way he handled certain situations the Captain, Aida and Kiro ones were pretty bad he handled them all differently Captain with anger, Aida like he owed her something and Kiro was probably the best handled even if Dean did most of the talking. 

We got more of Major this time as well and some of the best quotes from the book come from his mouth 
" Reese has the body of a porn star, Aida. You have the body of a model. Women want your body. Men want Reese's"   

 Just picturing Aida face after that comment made me laugh out loud at 2 am, and Majors relationship with his Aunt. 
  
"'Her favourite boy is home. She's gotta feed me'" 
"he winked and puckered a kiss at Momma, before taking another bite. As always, my mother laughed at his antics. If that had been me, she'd have backhanded me." 
    
 This book mainly takes place in Dallas but we do go back to rosemary beach for Lila Kate's 1st birthday where we see all the gang and find out Woods and Della (Twisted & Simple Perfection) have a little boy called Cruz Woods Kerrington 
  
As i mentioned before we get reacquainted with Captain, Blaire's brother and he is the male lead in the next book The Best Goodbye out in December 2015.

Over all this book was full of twist and turns it had me captivated from the first page to the last. All of Abbi Glines books are such fast paced summer reads if you want something light to read this summer read this series it will keep you coming back for more 

Until Next Time

Happy Reading

Peyton 

 

Top 5 Wednesday - Favorite Chapter Headings - 1st July 2015

Hello, so this weeks topic was really fun i looked through books i remembered had amazing chapter headings here are my top 5 

At number 5 it is 

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle M Paige 

The font is amazing and it quickly became one of my go to fonts when mucking around on my computer it matches the book perfectly.

 

at number 4 its 

Timeless - Gail Carriger 

i love this title there was so many to choose from in this series but this one was one of my favourite's and describes one of the most memorable scenes from the book 

" In which there is almost a bath and definitely a trip to the theatre"

 

at number 3 it is 

 The Sin Eaters Daughter - Melinda Sailsbury 

I just love the little design at the bottom i would have loved it in colour but it is still weirdly beautiful.

  

At number 2 we have

Rebel Belle - Rachel Hawkins 

I love the font on this one i used to use this all the time in school and i am also in love with the little bow in the corner. 

and finally in the number 1 spot we have 

Harry Potter & The Philosophers Stone - J K Rowling 

This title started a generation into reading it started a love affair with characters even now 18 years on we still love it all started With " The Boy Who Lived "

 A Few Honourable mentions 

• The chapters from All Fall Down by Ally Carter 
• Lucy Looks into The Wardrobe - The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis 
• I Accidentally Vaporise My Maths Teacher - The Lighting Thief - Rick Riordan 
• Artemis Unleashes The Death Pig - Percy Jackson & The Greek Gods - Rick Riordan 

Top 5 Wednesday was created by GingerReadsLainey

Here is the goodreads page 

Here is the full list of participants - Wednesday-Ers

 Hope You Enjoyed This Weeks Top 5 Wednesday 

Until Next Time 

Happy Reading 

Peyton