Queen of Hearts Volume 2: The Wonder by Colleen Oakes Book Review

Volume Two of the Queen of Hearts Saga

An Exiled Princess. An Ancient Tribe. A Dangerous Stranger with Unknown Loyalties.

Dinah, the former Princess of Wonderland Palace, has been chased into the wilds of Wonderland after the brutal murder of her brother and the ruin of her impending crown. Now, as her half-sister Vittiore sits on the throne beside her Father, the brutal King of Hearts, Dinah finds herself alone in the forbidding Twisted Wood with only Morte, a homicidal beast, for company.

Hunted by the King and his army of Cards, Dinah struggles to evade those who long for her head, including Cheshire, the King’s clever advisor, who is slowly tightening his grasp around her. Spurred on by her rising terror, the former Princess finds herself at the center of a web of conspiracy reaching far beyond the Palace and deep into the mysterious Yurkei mountain tribes.

Even with the balance of an entire Kingdom at stake, Dinah knows something that her allies and enemies do not: that the most dangerous conflict of all has already begun as she battles the rage that beckons her ever closer as love slips further from her grasp.

The second book in the bestselling and award-winning Queen of Hearts Saga, The Wonder takes readers back to the most wondrous and curious places in Wonderland, and continues this darkly addictive tale featuring one of the most infamous villains of all time.

But be warned…not every fairy tale has a happy ending.

This is the story of a princess who became a villain.

My review:
I just finished reading Queen of Hearts and I really liked the story line. It is supposed to be a young adult book but adults who like fantasy novels would also enjoy it.  It is a little different from other YA books that I have read.  I did think however, that it was a little drawn out. I give this book a 4/5.  I cannot wait until the next part comes out. I was given this book for the purpose of a review and all opinions are my own.

The Walk-In Closet by Abdi Nazemian Review

About the book:

Kara Walker has never found much glamour in her own life, especially not when compared to the life of her best friend Bobby Ebadi. Bobby, along with his sophisticated parents Leila and Hossein, is everything Kara always wanted to be. The trio provides the perfect antidote to what Kara views as the more mundane problems of her girlfriends and her divorced parents.

And so when the Ebadis assume that Kara is Bobby’s girlfriend, she willingly steps into the role. She enjoys the perks of life in this closet, not only Leila’s designer hand-me-downs and free rent, but also the excitement of living life as an Ebadi.

As Kara’s 30^th birthday approaches, Leila and Hossein up the pressure. They are ready for Kara to assume the mantle of the next Mrs. Ebadi, and Bobby seems prepared to give them what they want: the illusion of a traditional home and grandchildren. How far will Kara be willing to go? And will she be willing to pull the Persian rug out from under them when she discovers that her own secret is just one of many lurking inside the Ebadi closet?

Praise for the book:

“Absorbing entertainment. I walked into Nazemian’s walk-in closet and didn’t want to walk out.” -Kelly Oxford, author of Everything is Perfect When You’re a Liar

 ”Absolutely engrossing read from page one- Abdi Nazemian has painted a world so vivid and real that even if you know nothing of ‘Tehrangeles’, by the end you feel as if you are a part it. I simply COULD NOT put this book down! ” -Busy Philipps

 “At once wickedly funny and devastatingly moving, The Walk-In Closet is a thrilling ride from start to finish. Nazemian surprises with every turn he takes, telling a story that vividly illustrates the price of living in a closet.” -Chaz Bono, author of Family Outing, The End of Innocence and Transition

 ”I relished every moment of this warm, funny, brutally engaging novel. Abdi Nazemian’s Los Angeles is both uncannily familiar and entirely foreign. Put this in the canon of LA literature: Nazemian has written a side of Los Angeles prevalent in real life but rarely seen in fiction.” -Katherine Taylor, author of Rules for Saying Goodbye

 ”Ladies: If you like Shahs of Sunset you’ll love The Walk-In Closet. Abdi Nazemian shines a white hot, entertaining spotlight on the ins and outs of Tehrangeles. Abdi will get your inner Persian princess purring.  Curl up and enjoy this fabulous debut!” - Jessica Bendinger, author of The Seven Rays, screenwriter of Bring it On and Sex and the City

 “The Walk-In Closet is a contemporary fable of love, loss and redemption, set between cultures and between the sexes. Written at a spanking pace, with humor, suspense and a heart, it captures the voice of a generation and paves the way to a new genre of literary fiction.” -Lila Azam Zanganeh, author of The Enchanter: Nabokov and Happiness

“Do you know about Tehrangeles? I didn’t. But thanks to Abdi Nazemian’s The Walk-In Closet. I now feel right at home among its brave, foolish, proud, unsinkable expatriates. If one of the tasks of fiction is to bring to light a world that for whatever reasons we haven’t bothered to see for ourselves — and to make us see that it is our world, too — then Nazemian’s book is a success. That he then adds his unique way of seeing — in which he marries his sharp satirist’s eye to a profound empathy — makes this hilarious, heartbreaking first novel a triumph.” -Richard Kramer, author of These Things Happen, screenwriter of Tales of the City, thirtysomething, and My So-Called Life

About the author:

Abdi Nazemian is the screenwriter of The Quiet, Celeste in the City, Beautiful Girl, and the short film Revolution, which he also directed.  He is an alumnus of the Sundance Writer’s Lab, a mentor at the Outfest Screenwriter’s Lab, and has taught screenwriting at UCLA Extension.  He lives in Los Angeles with his two children, and his dog Hedy Lamarr. The Walk-In Closet is his first novel.

Connect with the author:

·         Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1jkYO07

·         Twitter: @abdaddy

·         Website: http://abdaddy.com

·         Goodreads: http://bit.ly/QC54K1

My Review:

 This book was about how complicated a person's life can be. Especially when you have a past and pretend to be someone you are not. It is even worse when the people you are trying to trick have enough money to hire a private investigator to know everything about you. When do you stop? Do you want to give up the life of your dreams? Just to make things more complicated what does your heart feel? I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own.

The Witch of Belladonna Bay by Suzanne Palmieri (Hayes) Review

About the Book:

Bronwyn "BitsyWyn" Whalen hasn’t set eyes on the red dirt of Magnolia Creek, Alabama, for fourteen years—not since her mama died. But with her brother, Patrick, imprisoned for the murder of her childhood best friend, and her eccentric father, Jackson, at his wits’ end while her eleven-year-old niece, Byrd, runs wild, Bronwyn finds herself once again surrounded by ancient magnolia trees and the troubled family she left behind. She becomes immersed in a whirlwind of mystery and magic as she tries to figure out what really happened that fateful night her friend died. And as her bond with Byrd deepens, Bronwyn must face the demons of her past in order to unravel her family’s uncertain future.In Suzanne Palmieri's thrilling new novel, The Witch of Belladonna Bay, readers will learn if love and magic are enough to bring a broken family back together.

Praise for the Book:

"Suzanne Palmieri has crafted a riveting tale that will keep you up late at night guessing what will happen next. It is a story that will intrigue both male and female readers. Guys, don't let this one slip past you."—Jason Mott, New York Times bestselling author of The Returned

"Ms. Palmieri's authentic dialogue, and ability to paint a family in crisis, is both charming and layered. If you're a lover of Southern fiction, magic in its many forms, and the kind of storytelling that keeps you turning the pages, you've come to the right place, y'all."—Lesley Kagen, New York Times bestselling author of Whistling in the Dark

"Murder, mystery and magic meld in a novel of absolute enchantment. About the lies we tell, the love we struggle for, and the way we find our way back to our rightful place in the world, Palmieri's book is a stunner."—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Is This Tomorrow

"Magic weaves its way through this beguiling southern gothic, swirling from the moss-laden trees around the Big House through the misty and menacing Belladonna Bay, and settling into the hearts of Bronwyn and her niece, Byrd, whose Strange Ways most people just don’t understand. Reminiscent of Sarah Addison Allen’s Garden Spells, this bewitching tale of ghostly mystery, love and family ties will enchant you from the very first page and linger in the air around you long after the last."— Wendy Webb, bestselling author of The Fate of Mercy Alban

Buy the book

Amazon for Kindle: http://amzn.to/1iVYq8C

Amazon for paperback: http://amzn.to/OOzlF9

About the author:

Suzanne Palmieri Hayes is the author of The Witch of Little Italy and the forthcoming The Witch of Belladonna Bay (May, 2014). She is also the co-author of I’ll Be Seeing You under the name Suzanne Hayes. She lives by the ocean with her husband and three darling witches. She is currently hard at work on her next novel.

Connect with the author:

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1jISJhs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Thelostwitch

Website: http://suzannepalmieri.com/

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1hSWLQd

My Review:

This book reminded me that loved ones may leave this life, but they are never far away. I loved how Bronwyn found her ring. I also really like Byrd. She is wise beyond her years and she seems to be the only one that really gets what is going on. This was a great story about redemption and going back home. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own.