Shielded by Kaylynn Flanders | Surprise, Surprise

Shielded by Kaylynn Flanders

Published: July 21st, 2020

Genre: Fantasy | YA | Adventure

AMAZON | GOODREADS


  Synopsis: For fans of Sorcery of Thorns and Furyborn comes a thrilling new fantasy about a kingdom ravaged by war, and the princess who might be the key to saving not only those closest to her, but the kingdom itself, if she reveals the very secret that could destroy her.

The kingdom of Hálendi is in trouble. It's losing the war at its borders, and rumors of a new, deadlier threat on the horizon have surfaced. Princess Jennesara knows her skills on the battlefield would make her an asset and wants to help, but her father has other plans.

As the second-born heir to the throne, Jenna lacks the firstborn's--her brother's--magical abilities, so the king promises her hand in marriage to the prince of neighboring Turia in exchange for resources Hálendi needs. Jenna must leave behind everything she has ever known if she is to give her people a chance at peace.

Only, on the journey to reach her betrothed and new home, the royal caravan is ambushed, and Jenna realizes the rumors were wrong--the new threat is worse than anyone imagined. Now Jenna must decide if revealing a dangerous secret is worth the cost before it's too late--for her and for her entire kingdom.

  An enjoyable fantasy read? Yes.
Great for both YA and Middle-Grade readers!


But.....Where to start?

Ah, yes!


  Main character-wise, I liked Jenna and found her pretty interesting. I wished there was a bit more in-depth with her though and more we could've seen to her.

 The characters were fun and engaging, though I noticed that it was more the side characters in the last half of the novel that were the ones I liked a lot. The ones in the first half I was excited at first because it seemed like they were supposed to be big parts of the plot or to Jenna, but then they ended up only there for a moment and I'm still unclear how important they were.


 Plot-wise: the synopsis sounded like a very adventurous and amazing fantasy read. I liked the plot and the story, but it wasn't as surprising or epic as it was made to sound. I was surprised when things went a different way, but not the plot-twisty kind.
Though that didn't change that I liked the uniqueness of the world and idea.


  It was an enjoyable read that had even more backstory and plot hinted at in the end, so I feel like it was just setting up for the next book in the series. Which also means there's more to discover which makes me pretty happy as I want to see more of some side characters and hopefully some depth to Jenna that I can love as well.

 The world-building and satisfying ending were probably my favorite parts of the book! Despite not loving somethings as much as I would've liked, there were parts that made up for it.

 Have you heard of this? What's your favorite aspect of a fantasy read?

Have a lovely day!!
~Books with Noel

STANDALONES You HAVE To READ | Noel's Bookish Recs

  So I realized that I haven't been giving a lot of book recommendations or telling you guys what my list of ''forever favorite books'' are!
 However.... I have a list for my lists...so....

 My book recommendations will only be my favorite books that I definitely suggest and will be grouped in different lists (Ex: retellings, standalone, middle grades, etc.) 😀👏


So here's Noel's All-Time Favorite Standalone Books!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

AMAZON | GOODREADS


  This ultimate classic is for any chick-flick lover, it's romance and comedy central! To this day I will read any retelling and any ''sequel'' of it that someone writes *squeals*.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

AMAZON | GOODREADS

  Magic and romance intertwine in the fight for this magical circus, making this a forever favorite! I had been suggested to read this a while ago, but finally, read it and fell in love with it last year! While some bookworms re-read Harry Potter in the fall, this is the one I re-read in October!

Stitching Snow by R. C. Lewis

AMAZON | GOODREADS

 There is a sensitive theme in the plot that is only in the last couple of chapters, so this is not for a younger audience but it's a sci-fi Snow White retelling that makes you think of the Lunar Chronicles and Star Wars!
  There's nothing gone into detail with the sensitive theme (it's really just something dark in her past).

Austenland by Shannon Hale

AMAZON | GOODREADS

  Any fan of Mr. Darcy or Jane Austen at all has to read this!!

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

AMAZON | GOODREADS

  She's a secretly famous writer of a webcomic online, and he's one of her biggest fans and doesn't even know it.
 An adorable and beautiful YA romance that will stick with you long after.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

AMAZON | GOODREADS

  Orphaned as a child, Jane has felt an outcast her whole young life. Her courage is tested once again when she arrives at Thornfield Hall, where she has been hired by the brooding, proud Edward Rochester to care for his ward Adèle. Jane finds herself drawn to his troubled yet kind spirit. She falls in love. Hard.

  But there is a terrifying secret inside the gloomy, forbidding Thornfield Hall. Is Rochester hiding from Jane? Will Jane be left heartbroken and exiled once again?


  This was the romantic classic that occupied my time when I wasn't reading Pride and Prejudice again, it's one that I've read numerous times and have watched every film version made of it!

Hawksmaid by Kathryn Lasky

AMAZON | GOODREADS


A wonderful Robin Hood and Maid Marian retelling, it's technically middle-grade, but it's got a special place in my heart!

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

AMAZON | GOODREADS

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

Roseblood by A. G. Howard

AMAZON | GOODREADS

A teen standalone retelling of the Phantom of the Opera, but with a paranormal twist and set modern day!

The Host by Stephanie Meyer

AMAZON | GOODREADS

  Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

  As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

AMAZON | GOODREADS

Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.

Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.

Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of... lucky.

What are some of your favorite standalone reads??

Have you read any of these or plan to??



Thanks for reading!!
~Books with Noel

P. S. if you need prayers, please let me know in the comments!! Hope you're all safe and well! 💗

Sticks and Stones | Review, Giveaway, & More~

Sticks & Stones by Dianne Beck
 
Published by: Acorn Publishing
 
Publication date: March 18th 2020
 
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult, Christian



    Synopsis: When fifteen-year-old Emily Greene wakes up to police banging on her door, she is shocked to see her mother arrested on drug charges.

Uprooted and in disbelief, Emily moves to a new town to stay with her grandmother, known as Crazy Carol for her outspoken faith and quirky behaviors. As if the arrest isn’t enough, kids at her new school immediately begin to stereotype and judge her based on the news they’ve heard about her mom.

Emily is sure her mother’s fiancé is to blame for the crime. He has conveniently disappeared since the day of the arrest. She’s determined to find him, and prove he’s at fault. But something awful happens, shaking her world yet again.

After this string of tragedies, Emily starts to question God, but is gently and consistently reminded by her grandmother, through stories she tells of all the sticks, leaves, and stones she collects, that God is her good and faithful parent.

Emily must learn that the words others say about her don’t matter, that her mom’s mistakes don’t define her, and she is always deeply loved by her heavenly father. If only she can learn to forgive herself.
GOODREADS | AMAZON | Kobo | B&N | iBooks

   Sticks and Stones was like a perfect combination and I was very surprised when I guessed wrong about what would happen. It was honestly quite a refreshing read.

 
  It starts off with our main character waking up to her mother's arrest, and her best friend/ long-time-crush gets sent with her to live with her grandmother that she hasn't seen or spoken to in a while. Our
 
 Emily and Jared have to start over in a new town, deal with her crazy grandmother (who really just loves God and thanks Him for every day he gives her), and figure out how to process Emily's mother and best friend her entire life being accused of things that Emily knows she couldn't have possibly done.


Such a beautiful book, the plot flew together and I had no way to guess what would happen next!

The romance was there, like a side dish prepared to strengthen characters and have you rooting for them again. It was not instant love, and I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect!


  As for the mystery part with Emily's mother and her arrest, I had a hard time with Emily's mom in the last half of the book. Mostly because the author did so well at making Emily's memories of her mom so awesome that you loved her too. I felt so disappointed right along with our protagonist for their little family.


I loved the side characters, the grandmother was so sweet and makes me miss my own grandmother very dearly.
 Seeing Emily grow and pursue to be happy and not just say ''I'm fine'', was so encouraging and heartwarming to read about and definitely what I needed right now.

 Maybe not a forever favorite read, but definitely a re-read in the future!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



About the Author: Dianne Beck

Dianne Beck has spent the majority of her career teaching students ranging from Kindergarten through adult. No matter what age, her biggest goal is to encourage her students to be their own unique selves, to have confidence in who they are, and to follow their passions.

Dianne’s debut young adult novel, Sticks and Stones, was inspired by her years of teaching, where she saw so many students struggle with varying issues, and also experienced how an understanding ear and relevant literature could make a significant impact on their lives. She hopes young people as well as adults can find faith and strength, like her main character Emily does, even when things seem to be falling apart.

Dianne is motivated daily by her faith in God, her husband, and her four adult children. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading, sipping coffee, browsing a bookstore, or pursuing a part-time faith and fitness ministry at www.ofcommonground.com.

Author links:
https://www.diannebeck.com/





Thanks for reading loves, have a lovely day!!
Hope you're all doing well, and if you need any prayers please let me know!
~Books with Noel

Fresh Water For Flowers | Jane Eyre & Wuthering Heights in a Cemetery

Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin

Published: June 2nd, 2020

Genre: Adult Fiction | Contemporary | Romance

AMAZON | GOODREADS 


  Synopsis:  Violette Toussaint is the caretaker at a cemetery in a small town in Bourgogne. Random visitors, regulars, and, most notably, her colleagues—three gravediggers, three groundskeepers, and a priest—visit her as often as possible to warm themselves in her lodge, where laughter, companionship, and occasional tears mix with the coffee that she offers them. Her daily life is lived to the rhythms of their hilarious and touching confidences.

Violette’s routine is disrupted one day by the arrival of a man—Julien Sole, local police chief—who insists on depositing the ashes of his recently departed mother on the gravesite of a complete stranger. It soon becomes clear that the grave Julien is looking for belongs to his mother’s one-time lover, and that his mother’s story of clandestine love is intertwined with Violette’s own secret past.

With Fresh Water for Flowers, Valérie Perrin has given readers a funny, moving, intimately told story of a woman who believes obstinately in happiness. Parrin has the rare talent of illuminating what is exceptional and poetic in what seems ordinary. A #1 best-seller in France, Fresh Water for Flowers is a delightful, atmospheric, absorbing fairy tale full of poetry, generosity, and warmth.

      First, I would like to thank Netgalley and Europa Editions for an ARC to review; but all thoughts and opinions are personally my own.


This book was a lot like reading Jane Eyre again for me, I got invested in the main character and throughout the book, it was impossible not to feel my heart being torn in two for her.

I bawled like a baby several points in this book, and the characters just kept circulating in my mind for days afterward! The characters and what they'd been through just played on my emotions so much 😭!


The characters you hated for most of the book you ended up crying for and even the side characters you loved and felt so attached to.


However, while the characters' lives and stories were so heartfelt I couldn't ignore the fact that most of the book bugged me a bit.


  1. Everyone and I mean everyone (even if they were happily married) cheated on their spouse. It was insane.
  2. There were so many things that I wished and that could've been so different, but they weren't and it was very tragic and mostly fell down to miscommunication and the fact that no one could read each others' minds.
  3. There was resolve. But the ''happy ending'', wasn't that happy to me.

  Despite that though, the author did amazing at making the characters real to the readers and making you feel sympathy for them and wanting them to be happy for once in their freaking lives!


  If some things had gone differently I would've rated the book higher, but though this book pinched my heart and still has me thinking about it some of the things really bugged me.
 However, if it sounds interesting to you I definitely suggest you give it a try.

  The low rating is just my personal opinion. While the ending was supposed to be ''happy'' for Violette and I understand that it probably was to some people; it wasn't one I was happy with almost at all. (But seriously, freaking talking to each other would've made several couples much happier earlier in the book.) 


I will say, this is absolutely not for younger audiences. Definitely for adults that need a good cry!

 I truly suggest you guys try this book on your own and form your own opinions about it because it's one that I was so invested emotionally but I most likely will have uncommon thoughts on.


If you do give it a read, please let me know your thoughts!!


Thanks for reading!!
~Books with Noel