#TBT: My First Historical Romance

So very, very true.  This week's Throwback Thursday (#TBT) is a book that is very near and dear to my heart.  This book was given to me when I was sixteen, it was sent to me by my Aunt as a birthday gift.  At the time, I had no idea that it was the fourth book in the series, all I knew is that I'd fallen in love with the characters, the world, the history that enriched every page of this very large book - 1,070 pages.  

At the time, I'd never read anything in this particular genre.  Nor, had I read anything this large (aside from textbooks because I was in high school at the time).  The size of this book intimidated me, it made me nervous.  Could I actually read a book this large cover to cover?  Would I like it?  Why had my aunt sent me something so big? My fears were at the time well placed, and ultimately the reason she'd sent me the book was because she knew I loved reading and thought I'd like the book.  I did read it.  No, I devoured it - cover to cover.  All one thousand and seventy pages.  Did I like it? More than like, I loved it.  

What book am I talking about? Diana Gabaldon's Drums of Autumn book four in her Outlander series.  Jamie and Claire easily became my all time favorite couple, Black Jack Randall easily became my favorite villain.  I loved absolutely everything about this story, to the point that when I was attending college at Flagler in St. Augustine, FL, there was a second-hand bookstore close to campus and I bought the first three books in the series, as well as book number five.  I am still missing book number six in the series.  

When I heard that Outlander was going to become a television series, I think I seriously fangirled.  I absolutely love the fact that this world has been brought to the screen and everything about it is perfect, is wonderful, and I'm reminded of all the reasons I fell in love with this series in the first place. 

Review: Shadow Moon (Unbidden Magic #4) by Marilee Brothers

Title:  Shadow Moon (Unbidden Magic #4)
Author:  Marilee Brothers
Rating: 5/5

Summary:  Allie is a faerie princess, destined to marry Ryker, and she’s a twin.  After all these discoveries, all she wants is some down time to process it and catch her breath, however, that is not going to be allowed.  Any hope that Allie had of a normal school year is gone, and she has countless levels of unfinished business with the fae, the Tri-Marks and the returned Junior Alvarez, who wants her back in a major way.  This danger filled cross-country journey will provide more twists and turns into Allie’s already convoluted life and hopefully she will find the answers and save everyone she loves.


Review:  Two words: CLIFF HANGER! Dear god, I am restraining myself from tracking down Ms. Brothers and begging for an ARC of book number five that she is working on.  Seriously, I want it that bad.  This book was fantastic, this book was even more of a rollercoaster than the other books in the series.  The adventure and excitement in Moon Spun have NOTHING on the twists and turns of this book. 

The play on government conspiracies, the threat from our own government added to the mix, was something expected yet unexpected.  Something I once thought as filler has become its own full blown storyline, and there was absolutely nothing that I could find fault with aside from the fact that it ends on a cliff hanger and those drive me crazy with want for more.

I seriously had to struggle to put this book down and do other things, like work and tend to household chores.  It was that good, and you cannot look away. She has a twin, and an evil looking fae who pops in and out at the weirdest times.  Also, there is the fae posing as a preacher who has evil motives.  Then we meet Sammie, who Allie has a psychic connection to.  A suspension right before the holiday, Allie is vindicated by Nicole, and this opens up the path to begin searching for her sister.  A unique mix goes along for the ride: Junior, Faye and Sammie.  However, things take a drastic turn and this search soon becomes a fight for Allie and Sammie’s life.

I wish Beck had gotten a bit more page time aside from a phone call every now and then, but perhaps it  is a good thing, because of Beck’s succubus heritage.  Junior has fallen out of favor with me, but he regained a lot of it in this installment, and I’m looking to see what develops between him and Allie in the future installments.  Another beau that is absent in this installment is Ryker, but there are some hints that lead me to believe that there maybe some kin between he and Beck.  However, the hawk feather comes through.

Sammie has become one of my favorites and I love the connection between she and Allie.  One that we do not know how close it is until the very end of the story, and I can’t wait to see more of her.

If you’ve not read this series, it is never too late to start.  There is something in it for everyone, and I am anxious to see what else is in store for Allie and her band of merry misfits. 


If you have any questions, comments or recommendations you can contact me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com
My reviews can be found here:
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The Dryad Quartet Release Day Party!

So, remember that special event that I told you about! Well, it is HERE! Welcome to the Release Day Party for books three and four of The Dryad Quartet by Katie Jennings!  Who wants free books? Everyone! Well, there will be a giveaway for US and International residents!  One lucky US resident will win a signed print copy of ONE of the four books in this series or one International winner will receive an Ebook copy of all four books! Use the widget below to enter for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Three: A Life Earthbound

Her name was Rhiannon, and she was Earth. 

She was graceful, intelligent, and undoubtedly a workaholic. She could put a crack in the Earth’s surface a mile wide and grow the loveliest flower ever to have existed right beside it, a contradiction she held with both reverence and pride. For she herself was something of a contradiction: a girl, seemingly free, but silently trapped within her own heart and mind, never to be released.

Or so she thought. She never wasted much time on impractical dreams or wishes she figured could never come true. But all her life one person has been there, a constant reminder of the true girl living behind her mask of cool indifference and solitude.

But the tides of her fate were changing, and her helplessness building as a master plan was in the works that would only bind her wrists further, and destroy everything she never even thought she could have.

Throw in a dash of murder, vicious accusations, and plenty of family drama, and it could very well be a recipe for freedom, or for death.


Purchase A Life Earthbound A Life Earthbound on Amazon

Book Four: Of Water and Madness

His name was Liam, and he was Water. 

His heart was as expansive and deep as the ocean, with emotions that could both rage like storms and soothe like a clear and quiet stream.  He lived for the smell of rain, and thrived in the knowledge that it was he who made it fall.

But while most everything in his life seemed to be going great, there was still this impending doom just over the horizon, threatening to wipe his home completely off the map.  All he had to do was rise to the challenge and fight once the war came.

But there was just one little problem:  he had gone, quite simply, mad.

Not that he knew it, nor did anyone else.  But he wasn’t himself any longer, and the truth behind the lies would eventually come out.  And when it did, Liam would discover the burned bridges and the destroyed hearts he’d left in his wake.

It was a funny thing, madness.  A funny, cruel, and violently destructive thing.

Purchase Of Water and Madness: Of Water and Madness on Amazon

Katie Jennings

Katie Jennings is a mid-twenty-something year old girl with an imagination for days and a supportive husband who thinks she’s a colossal nerd. She writes because she loves it, and because breathing life into characters is the greatest escape she’s ever found.  Most of her time is spent puttering around online, editing her latest book, or feeding people food to her cat.  She lives just north of Los Angeles, and enjoys reading fantasy and romance novels, watching Once Upon a Time, playing around on Photoshop, and finding new music to fall in love with.  She believes in, above all else, happy endings.

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/dryadquartet

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Blog:  http://katieajennings.wordpress.com/

Website:  http://www.katieajennings.com/index.htm

Other Books in the Dryad Quartet