Kelly reviews A Heart Of Blood And Ashes by Milla Vane

TITLE: A Heart of Blood and Ashes
SERIES #: A Gathering of Dragons #1
CHARACTERS: Maddek & Yvenne
AUTHOR: Milla Vane
PUBLICATION DATE: February 4, 2020
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous alliance rose between the barbarian riders of Parsathe and the walled kingdoms of the south. That alliance is all that stands against the return of an ancient evil—until the barbarian king and queen are slain in an act of bloody betrayal.

Though forbidden by the alliance council to kill the corrupt king responsible for his parents’ murders, Maddek vows to avenge them, even if it costs him the Parsathean crown. But when he learns it was the king’s daughter who lured his parents to their deaths, the barbarian warrior is determined to make her pay.

Yet the woman Maddek captures is not what he expected. Though the last in a line of legendary warrior-queens, Yvenne is small and weak, and the sharpest weapons she wields are her mind and her tongue. Even more surprising is the marriage she proposes to unite them in their goals and to claim their thrones—because her desire for vengeance against her father burns even hotter than his own…

REVIEW:
Maddek is out for vengeance and nothing will stand in his way. That is until he meets an unlikely ally. One that will test everything the Maddek knows and feels. Nothing will ever be the same for Maddek.

Yvenne has been looked away for all her life. But now she is free and she is determined to take what is rightfully hers. In order to do that she will need the help of a very reluctant ally that would rather her dead.

What a great first book in Milla Vane’s new A Gathering of Dragons series. I really enjoyed reading this book. Milla does a great job building a world full of very strange creatures, magic and the people that live in this world. I really enjoyed the case of characters too. I am already looking forward to the next installment in this series.

If you are looking for a great read that is filled with stubborn warriors, strategic queens, lies, betrayals, magic, hope and romance you need to put add this book to your need to read list!

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

Series Sunday presents: Kendra Elliot’s Callahan & McLane Series

TITLE: Vanished
SERIES #: Callahan & McLane #1
CHARACTERS: Ava McLane & Mason Callahan
AUTHOR: Kendra Elliot
PUBLICATION DATE: June 24, 2014
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N
BOOK SYNOPSIS:
When eleven-year-old Henley Fairbanks is abducted on her way to school, the FBI doesn’t waste a moment, sending agents to scour the area and embedding Special Agent Ava McLane with the distraught family. In the eye of the storm is local detective Mason Callahan, who also happens to be related to Henley. To make matters worse for Mason, the kidnapping comes on the heels of the murder of his longtime confidential informant, and he’s been sidelined from the investigation. Now both he and Agent McLane are holed up in the Fairbanks’ home, along with Callahan’s ex-wife, Robin. Every second counts in a kidnapping case, and the stakes keep rising the longer Henley stays missing. As Ava and Mason struggle to hold the Fairbanks family together in their darkest hour, the two investigators find themselves more and more drawn to each other.

 

***

TITLE: Bridged
SERIES #: Callahan & McLane #2
CHARACTERS: Ava McLane & Mason Callahan
AUTHOR: Kendra Elliot
PUBLICATION DATE: February 10, 2015
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N
BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A Wall Street Journal bestseller

After a congressman’s tortured body is found dangling from a Portland bridge, the FBI joins the Oregon State Police to investigate the case—and FBI Special Agent Ava McLane, still recovering from a bullet wound, hunts the twisted killer alongside the man who captured her heart, police detective Mason Callahan.

But once a third body appears and all evidence points to a serial killer, the public furiously clamors for answers—and the couple’s relationship grows fractured under the pressure. Ava and Mason search in the past for clues that predict the future. And when Ava’s mentally ill twin spins out of control, the FBI agent who battles monsters every day wonders if she shares her sister’s self-destructive streak…

In the latest thrilling romantic suspense novel from award-winning author Kendra Elliot, the past and the present violently collide…and the fallout can be deadly.

 

***

TITLE: Spiraled
SERIES #: Callahan & McLane #3
CHARACTERS: Mason Callahan & Ava McLane
AUTHOR: Kendra Elliot
PUBLICATION DATE: June 2, 2015
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N
BOOK SYNOPSIS:
FBI Special Agent Ava McLane solves crimes; she doesn’t witness them. When she’s trapped in a mall without her weapon as a shooter picks off victims, she hides with a wounded teen and prays for her survival.

But that’s only the beginning…

An epidemic of mass shootings has swept across Oregon. The young shooters terrify the public, committing random murders before taking their own lives. The task force assembled to solve the case—which includes Ava’s boyfriend, detective Mason Callahan—remains stumped. And on top of this chaos, Ava’s troubled twin sister reappears, throwing Ava’s already-tumultuous life into a tailspin.

An old-fashioned cop with a strong sense of duty, Mason struggles to find the cause of the shootings as workaholic Ava spins ever closer to breaking down. But can one detective save the lives of countless innocents—and prevent the woman he loves from going over the edge?

***

TITLE: Targeted
SERIES #: Callahan & McLane #4
CHARACTERS:  Mason Callahan & Ava McLane
AUTHOR: Kendra Elliot
PUBLICATION DATE: June 7, 2016
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N
BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A Wall Street Journal bestseller

All Detective Mason Callahan wanted was a quiet fishing trip with the guys—a chance to get away and unwind before Halloween.

Until he finds the body of his boss, Denny Schefte, near their remote Oregon cabin. Now all he wants is to catch the sadist who slit Denny’s throat and covered his face with a mask. Mason was the last person to see him alive and will stop at nothing to find his friend’s murderer.

When the FBI learns of the mask left at the scene, they realize they have a serial killer on their hands—one who is targeting cops. They assign the case to Special Agent Ava McLane, despite her engagement to Mason. Barely recovered from her own nearly fatal injury and her sister’s attempted suicide, Ava hopes she is ready to chase another killer.

But as she delves into the increasingly disturbing case, the killer may be closer than expected—dangerously close.

Add the series to your Goodreads list: Callahan & McLane

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kendra Elliot has landed on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list multiple times and is the award-winning author of the Bone Secrets and Callahan & McLane series, as well as the Mercy Kilpatrick novels. Kendra is a three-time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, an International Thriller Writers Award finalist, and an RT Award finalist. She has always been a voracious reader, cutting her teeth on classic female heroines such as Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Laura Ingalls. She was born, raised, and still lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her family, but she looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops. Visit her at www.kendraelliot.com

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Amazon Page  | Good Reads 

Kelly reviews Whiteout by Adriana Anders

TITLE: Whiteout
SERIES #: Survival Instinct #1
CHARACTERS: Ford Cooper & Angel Smith
AUTHOR: Adriana Anders
PUBLICATION DATE: January 28, 2020
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Angel Smith is ready to leave Antarctica for a second chance at life. But on what was meant to be her final day, the research station is attacked. Hunted and scared, she and glaciologist Ford Cooper barely make it out with their lives…only to realize that in a place this remote, there’s nowhere left to run.

Isolated in the middle of a long, frozen winter with a madman at their heels, they must fight to survive in the most inhospitable—and beautiful—place on earth. But the outside world depends on what Ford and Angel know and, as their pursuers close in and their new partnership burns bright and hot, they will stop at nothing to make it out of the cold alive.

REVIEW:
This was an okay read for me. I found myself not really connecting to the characters. Oh, I routed for them and wanted everything to workout but there was not a strong connection for me. The story was a little predictable.
Overall it was a decent story and I am glad that I picked it up. I do believe that if there is a follow up story I will pick it up and give it a try.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

Kelly reviews Wicked Bite by Jeaniene Frost

TITLE: Wicked Bite
SERIES #: Night Rebel #2
CHARACTERS: Ian & Veritas
AUTHOR: Jeaniene Frost
PUBLICATION DATE: January 28.2020
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | Audible | B&N
BOOK SYNOPSIS:
In the newest Night Rebel novel, set in New York Times bestselling author Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress world, beautiful, daring vampire Veritas risks all to protect Ian…
Some promises are meant to be broken…
Veritas spent most of her life as a vampire Law Guardian. Now, she’s about to break every rule by secretly hunting down the dark souls that were freed in order to save Ian. But the risks are high. For if she gets caught, she could lose her job. And catching the sinister creatures might cost Veritas her own life.
Some vows are forever…
Ian’s memories might be fragmented, but this master vampire isn’t about to be left behind by the woman who entranced him, bound herself to him, and then disappeared. So what if demons, other Law Guardians, and dangerous, otherworldly forces stand against them? Come hell or high water, Ian intends to remind Veritas of the burning passion between them, because she is the only person seared on his mind–and his soul.

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts Ian is back and he is pissed!!
A mad Ian is not something you want to get in the way of. Not even his best mate Bones (sigh… Bones) can stop Ian from his mission.
The mission you ask?
To find his wife of course and ask her why the bloody hell she has been hiding from him.

Another great book from Jeaniene Frost!!!! Ian and Veritas story is great. I love that we are finally seeing another side of Ian that we all knew was there hiding under his tough guy façade. If you enjoyed Shades of Wicked (bk1) you will love Wicked Bite!! And we get a lot of camoes from some of our favorite Night Huntress characters, think Cat, Bones, Vlad, Lelia, and Mencheres.

Can’t wait to see what is next!!!!!

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Edelweiss & Avon Books in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts

Kimberly reviews Moral Compass by Danielle Steel

TITLE: Moral Compass
AUTHOR: Danielle Steel
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/07/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
At an elite private school in Massachusetts, a wide circle of lives will be forever changed by a devastating series of events in Danielle Steel’s riveting new novel.

Saint Ambrose Prep is a place where the wealthy send their children for the best possible education, with teachers and administrators from the Ivy League, and graduates who become future lawyers, politicians, filmmakers, and CEOs. Traditionally a boys-only school, Saint Ambrose has just enrolled one hundred and forty female students for the first time. Even though most of the kids on the campus have all the privilege in the world, some are struggling, wounded by their parents’ bitter divorces, dealing with insecurity and loneliness. In such a heightened environment, even the smallest spark can become a raging fire.

One day after the school’s annual Halloween event, a student lies in the hospital, her system poisoned by dangerous levels of alcohol. Everyone in this sheltered community—parents, teachers, students, police, and the media—are left trying to figure out what actually happened. Only the handful of students who were there when she was attacked truly know the answers and they have vowed to keep one another’s secrets. As details from the evening emerge, powerful families are forced to hire attorneys and less powerful families watch helplessly. Parents’ marriages are jeopardized, and students’ futures are impacted. No one at Saint Ambrose can escape the fallout of a life-altering event.

In this compelling novel, Danielle Steel illuminates the dark side of one drunken night, with its tragic consequences, from every possible point of view. As the drama unfolds, the characters will reach a crossroads where they must choose between truth and lies, between what is easy and what is right, and find the moral compass they will need for the rest of their lives.

REVIEW:
Danielle Steel is truly one of the best and with this one she brings you into a dark and serious subject.

A boys school has been open to girls now but when that happens it brings trouble. After underage drinking and the rape of one of the girls the school and the students in it are dragged into the dark but real consequences that happen every day in this country.

WOW! What a story. In the age of #MeToo this is poignant and provocative. I found myself hurting for each of the characters even the guilty but especially the victim. This story is a must-read for every teenager, boy or girl.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts

Kimberly reviews I Choose You by Gayle Curtis

TITLE: I Choose You
CHARACTERS: Elise & Nathaniel
AUTHOR: Gayle Curtis
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/01/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
When a killer chooses you, what choice do you have?

Thirty years ago, Elise and Nathaniel shared a horrific trauma that united them in grief. Now, grown up and married with a young family, they feel their worst nightmares are behind them. Until the day their daughter is abducted and murdered.

Both Elise and Nathaniel lost their mothers to a notorious killer who manipulated innocent victims into taking their own lives. Could it be that ‘the Watcher’ has returned for another round of the same sadistic game? Why now? And why are Elise and Nathaniel being targeted again?

When Elise’s family falls under suspicion, her world crashes down around her. Is there anyone she can trust, or is her whole life built on lies?

Only one thing is clear: someone left their cruel game unfinished all those years ago. This time the Watcher intends to win – once and for all.

REVIEW:
1.75 Hearts Oh wow… I had a lot of thoughts about this story but let me tell you pretty much every other review on GoodReads has the same thoughts. Mainly it is… What the h___?

There is so much going on and so many characters that it is confusing but not like easter egg confusing but real confusion. Why so many people are there, I have no idea because they are certainly not needed or wanted.

I guess Elise is suffering from some issue or two but in layman’s term “she is nuts!” OK, not really. I think there are a number of issues going on and possibly postpartum depression and/or other issues but no matter what the story is just too much.

Sad to say…. I really do not recommend this story.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Kimberly reviews Hero’s Haven by Rebecca Zanetti

TITLE: Hero’s Haven
SERIES #: Dark Protectors #11
CHARACTERS: Haven & Quade
AUTHOR: Rebecca Zanetti
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/21/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
He’s her darkest fantasy. . .

After years of struggling, Haven Daly has finally accepted that she’s nuttier than a fruitcake. Why else would she see visions of a beautiful but tormented male every night . . . and actually believe she can talk to him, even feel his touch? But thanks to those dream journeys, she can paint images nobody else on earth can duplicate. In each brush stroke, she captures the blatant masculinity and raw desire in his eyes that promise he’s coming for her…and soon.

She’s the light that keeps him going. . .

Quade Kayrs has already suffered a lifetime of pain and torture. Completely isolated, he kept his sanity thanks to one beautiful female, a vision with kind emerald eyes. In the end, her soft voice led him out of hell. Now, naked and alone, he’s in a strange world that bears little resemblance to the one he left behind. All he knows is Haven. All he wants is Haven. His final mission? To protect her from the evil hunting them both—whether she likes it or not . . .

REVIEW:
4.75 Hearts Dark Predators!!!! REBECCA ZANETTI!!! Two of the best things to yell when you are talking paranormal authors and series!

Boy as much as I love Quade (and who doesn’t love Rebecca’s guys?) I really liked Haven in this story. I loved she was so independent but broken. But it works with Haven. Something about her makes you want to be her friend. Makes you want to stand behind her and whisper in her ear… “You can do this. Go for it.” And clap as she does.

Now about Quade! He is a typical Zanetti guy. He is alpha and a bad-ass but yet you cheer for him.

I would say… DO NOT START HERE! This series can not really be read as a stand alone. But then if you go back and read the first one you will not be able to put this series down. But then I would say “Lucky you” for getting to read this series without having to wait between books!

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Kimberly reviews Tell Me Lies by Ed James

TITLE: Tell Me Lies
SERIES #: Detective Max Carter #1
CHARACTERS: Max Carter
AUTHOR: Ed James
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/21/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Fans of Lee Child and David Baldacci will be gripped by this heart-racing FBI thriller from bestselling author Ed James.

Megan Holliday opens her eyes and finds herself slumped on her doorstep. The last thing she remembers is being in the car with her two kids. She sees a handwritten note on her lap – Don’t call the police. It’s then that she realises her car is missing, and her children are gone…

Leading the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team, FBI agent Max Carter will stop at nothing to find children taken from their families. After all, he was once one of those taken children, so he knows exactly what’s at stake. When he hears that a young senator’s two children have been abducted and their mother left for dead, he races to the Holliday family home in Washington State.

Facing a wall of police cruisers and blacked-out SUVs, Carter quickly uncovers the facts. Megan Holliday was ambushed by a man with a gun as she returned home from taking her kids out for ice cream. Bound and drugged, the attacker left her unconscious on the doorstep with the sinister note on her lap.

As Senator Christopher Holliday walks through the halls of the US Federal Building in Seattle, his phone beeps with an alert. Frustrated by the interruption, he takes a cursory glance and is horrified by the image on the screen – his two children, Brandon and Avery, unconscious. The message he gets simply reads Meet me or they die.

When Agent Carter tries to make contact with the busy senator, it seems the politician has gone missing, fleeing from the Federal Building and abandoning his distraught wife. If Carter knows one thing, it’s that Holliday has something to hide. And he just became Carter’s prime suspect.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts This is the first in a new series from an author I have not read before.

I will say this is a bit of a traditional kidnapping/don’t call the cops/detective to the rescue story but it is still worth the read. Agent Carter is a really interesting character. He is very smart but I didn’t feel like he was flaunting it. He has just been doing this so long he knows the ins and outs of the situation.

Agent Carter is part of the CARD team that handles child abduction so I hope that each of the books is wrapped around the exact same situations.

May be worth getting to know Agent Carter a bit better. Will give the second book a try.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Kimberly reviews Queen Of Vampire Hearts

TITLE: Queen Of Vampire Hearts
SERIES #: Fated Loves #1
CHARACTERS: Phoebe & Lucien
AUTHOR: Jeanette Rose
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/17/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A Woman Fleeing Persecution…
Phoebe Atreus is a witch on the run, her carefully crafted rules have kept her alive for the last decade, each one a product of a hard learned lesson. Rule Number One? Trust No One. She’s been betrayed one time too many to put her faith in anyone else’s hands. Even if the legendary vampire king might be the one person who could protect her from the enemies always one step behind.

A Man Whose Abandonment Issues Span Thousands of Years…
Lucien Silvano has been king of the vampires for the last three thousand years, he’s fought in wars that have been reduced to legend, rescued damsels in distress, seduced said damsels, and moved on. Immortal life has become a never-ending battle against boredom. Nothing has truly stirred his interest in years, except her. She’s the exception to every rule, his Queen, his mate, the one-person Fate declared to be his. The problem? She wants nothing to do with him.

What could possibly go wrong?
Phoebe refuses to share her past with Lucien, pushing him away at every opportunity, yet unable to resist the chemistry that explodes whenever they are together. Forced back to his castle in Romania to live as his Queen, she starts to forget the rules that have kept her safe… until the secrets Lucien has been hiding remind her why she created them in the first place.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts Vampire and Witch… What a combination! But when Lucien who hasn’t found his true love in the 3000+ years he has been “alive” finds his true love she is a witch who can’t stand him.

I think this author has a lot of potential. She is new to writing and I think you can tell in this story but you can also tell that she just needs some time to hone her skills. Even the best authors started with a first book.

I can imagine that Jeanette Rose will write a number of other books and maybe a few years from now go back and polish this story to make it even better.

The story is good and has a storyline not often seen. And she has taken many liberties with the paranormal characters that we are not used to but again I think it works for a first time author.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Kelly reviews The Last Sister by Kendra Elliot

TITLE: The Last Sister
SERIES #: Columbia River #1
CHARACTERS: Zander Wells & Emily Mills
AUTHOR: Kendra Elliot
PUBLICATION DATE: January 14, 2020
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Twenty years ago Emily Mills’s father was murdered, and she found his body hanging in the backyard. Her younger sister, Madison, claims she was asleep in her room. Her older sister, Tara, claims she was out with friends. The tragedy drove their mother to suicide and Tara to leave town forever. The killer was caught. The case closed.
Ever since, Emily and Madison have tried to forget what happened that night—until an eerily similar murder brings it all back. It also brings FBI special agent Zander Wells to the Oregon logging town. As eager as he is to solve the brutal double slaying, he is just as intrigued with the mystery of Emily’s and her sisters’ past.
When more blood is shed, Zander suspects there’s a secret buried in this town no one wants unearthed. Is it something Emily and Madison don’t know? Or aren’t telling? And Tara? Maybe Emily can’t bear to find her. Because when Tara disappeared, she took a secret of her own with her.

REVIEW:
Nothing stays buried forever and secrets have a way of coming back to haunt the living.

When a double murder of a local couple the FBI is called in due to the nature of the crime. Zander and Ava show up in the small town of Bartonville to lend a hand and find out if was a hate crime. Once they start turning over stones an avalanche of issues start falling around them.

Zander finally gets his book. I think that there is more to Zander’s story and I hope Kendra has plans on telling it. I have loved Zander since we first met him in Vanished (book one of Callahan & McLane Series).

The Last Sister was a great book and had me turning the pages and not wanting to set this book down. There were many twists and turns throughout the whole book that Kendra Elliot had me on my toes wonder what was going to be next.

So excited already for book #2 The Silence & #3 (no title yet) make sure to check out Kendra Elliot’s website for all updates on her series {https://www.kendraelliot.com/books-by-series/}

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & Montlake Romance in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

Kimberly reviews Dangerous Curves Ahead by Various Authors

TITLE: Dangerous Curves Ahead
CHARACTERS: Anthology of 9 Stories
AUTHOR: Various
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/28/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
There is nothing sexier than confidence and when it comes to love and passion, size doesn’t matter.

This anthology of nine stories ranges from sassy to sexy to sizzling, from contemporary to paranormal, and from new love to established relationships. What they all have in common is heroines who know they are more than the image they see in the mirror and who cannot be defined by the so-called rules of mainstream media.

Here you’ll find:

A woman who’s finally accepted herself and is not going to settle when it comes to her work or her love life.

A wife who needs to seduce the husband who is afraid to love.

A successful doctor facing down her high school bully and reconnecting with the man who loved her from afar.

A midnight kiss that becomes more in the new year.

A she-wolf discovering the vastness of her powers along with her soulmate.

And more. These women are going for big dreams, facing important goals and changes, and living with a passion that leaves their lovers breathless and aching for more.

REVIEW:
2.75 Hearts I was going to rate all of the novellas separately but to be honest they all ran about the same number of stars so I changed my mind.

Mostly these are good. Some are a bit better than others and some are below average. What I did enjoy was each story did not wrap around some Barbie doll kind of girl. These are all “real” women who you could possibly know in real life.

The “romances” of all of these stories did do exactly what the synopsis said. It ran from sweet to sexy to hot. But all in all the stories were just an ok read.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Kelly reviews The Princess Beard by Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne

TITLE: The Princess Beard
SERIES #: The Tell of Pell #3
CHARACTERS: A Princess, A Pirate, A Centar, A Dryad, An Elf and many other crazy characters
AUTHOR: Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne
NARRATOR: Luke Daniels
RUN TIME: 13 Hours & 11 Minutes
PUBLICATION DATE: October 8, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | Audible | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Shave the princess? Inconceivable! The hilarious bestselling authors of Kill the Farm Boy and No Country for Old Gnomes are back with a new adventure in the irreverent world of Pell.
Once upon a time, a princess slept in a magical tower cloaked in thorns and roses.
When she woke, she found no Prince Charming, only a surfeit of hair and grotesquely long fingernails–which was, honestly, better than some creep who acted without consent. She cut off her long braids and used them to escape. But she kept the beard because it made a great disguise.
This is not a story about finding true love’s kiss–it’s a story about finding yourself. On a pirate ship. Where you belong.
But these are no ordinary pirates aboard The Puffy Peach, serving under Filthy Lucre, the one-eyed parrot pirate captain. First there’s Vic, a swole and misogynistic centaur on a mission to expunge himself of the magic that causes him to conjure tea and dainty cupcakes in response to stress. Then there’s Tempest, who’s determined to become the first dryad lawyer–preferably before she takes her ultimate form as a man-eating tree. They’re joined by Alobartalus, an awkward and unelfly elf who longs to meet his hero, the Sn’archivist who is said to take dictation directly from the gods of Pell. Throw in some mystery meat and a dastardly capitalist plot, and you’ve got one Pell of an adventure on the high seas!
In this new escapade set in the magical land of Pell, Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne lovingly skewer the tropes of fairy tales and create a new kind of fantasy: generous, gently humorous, and inclusive. There might also be otters.

REVIEW:
3.5 Stars The Princess Beard is the third book in the Tells of Pell series by Delilah S Dawson and Kevin Hearne. I listened to this book on Audible as I have listened to the first two books and Luke Daniels is an amazing narrator. This was another epic adventure in the land of Pell.
I did enjoy this book. Each of the characters has a great journey of enlightenment that they are on.
At times the puns were a little too much. Over all this was another good addition to the Tells of Pell trilogy. Will we see these cast of characters again in the future? Only time will tell if we will be able to visit Pell yet again.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine & Audible.com in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.