Ruth Ann Lingwall's Blog, page 3
August 6, 2020
Cry Wolf by Jacque Stevens
Overall
*Sensuality
*Swearing
*Only a few stars means just some instances
I looked between the monster and the man, and I knew at once who was the beast.
Isabelle Berger grew up hearing stories of a legendary beast who killed over a hundred people. When a new wolf is spotted near the forest, the men of her village are convinced that another monster is on the rise. Isabelle is less certain, until her father is killed in the hunt.
Alone and hungry for revenge, Isabelle strikes out on her own to face the dreaded beast. But in this darker twist of a timeless fairytale, things might not be what they seem.
If you like inspirational heroines, unique love stories, and some darker thrills and chills this paranormal/shifter romance is for you!
CRY WOLF is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, inspired by the Beast of Gévaudan and the French Revolution. An early version of this novel was published in the Kingdom of Mirrors and Roses Anthology (2019).
My Review
I love fairytales. This one was darker and more sensual than I prefer. It is a clean romance despite several indelicate observations.
Cry Wolf is quite similar to Disney’s animated version of Beauty and the Beast with much of the main characters and some of the plot. Isabelle lives with her old father and loves books. Jean is a scarier version of Gaston. He’s not only narcissistic, he feels ‘off’ like there is something not honest about the front he puts up. He changed a lot after returning from serving as a soldier though this trait may have just been hidden well before. I like that Isabelle had the sense to fear him.
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Since her father is the best wolf hunter, he goes on a hunt with Jean and the men of the village for a wolf-like beast that is now ravaging the countryside. Isabelle is told after the hunt that her father was killed by a wolf.
The book follows an interesting format with Isabelle’s story interspersed with short internal dialogue from ‘The Beast’. Is the Beast the fanged man who rescues Isabelle from another wolf attack after her father’s death or is it an unassociated individual?
Isabelle’s leg was injured when she was attacked. Howl, her rescuer, takes her to his home in a former mansion to help her heal. Surprisingly, he lives with a pack of wolves.
“Can I meet your wolves? Are they friendly?”
“They are friendly to who I tell them to be.”
“Can you tell them to be friendly to me?”
He laughed. “I already did. If I didn’t, you would have never made it through the front door. I just didn’t want them to come in and scare you.”
“I appreciate that, but I think I would be all right with meeting some of them now.”…
He bent down and scooped me into his arms as quickly and effortlessly as he had the chamber pot.
“Howl!” I jerked, and pain ran up my leg. The willow bark wasn’t working nearly fast enough.
Howl is the biggest difference from the Disney film. He is very energetic and cheerful like a fun puppy instead of a ferocious beast. His eagerness to please and lack of sophistication reminded me of a charming five year old.
It felt like Isabelle and Howl were best friends which is important for a lasting marriage. I didn’t see the usual signs of falling in love though. Howl was obviously attracted to Isabelle’s womanly charms but I’m not sure what he liked about her as a person since the story of their relationship was told from Isabelle’s perspective. Their romance might have felt more relatable to me if the characters showed more emotions. I loved that Howl respected Isabelle and honored her wishes.
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I admired the way the author did not overuse narration to fill in information. One thing to be aware of, the ending of this novel does lead into a sequel.
This could be a great read for someone who enjoys fairytales with a darker edge. Beauty and the Clockwork Beast by Nancy Campbell Allen is a darker steampunk retelling of the same fairytale; the mood of that book reminded me of the feeling I got while reading Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, Brahm Stoker’s Dracula, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Readers who loved that tale may enjoy Cry Wolf too!
I received a free copy of this book. All opinions are completely my own.
~*~
Get a copy of Cry Wolf:
* Alibris * Amazon
About the Author [image error]
Jacque Stevens wrote her first novel as a stress relief activity during nursing school. Now as a fulltime nurse working in mental and developmental health, she continues to write stories filled with elves, fairies, and all things awesome. She lives in Utah so yes, she does have a huge extended family and occasionally eats green jello, but she does not yet own a minivan.
New friends, enemies, and other visitors from cyberspace can reach Jacque at sjacquebooks@gmail.com and sjacquebooks.com.
You can follow Jacque Stevens here:
* Website * Goodreads * Facebook: Author page * Facebook: Series page * Twitter * Instagram * BookBub
More about HighTower Fairytales Series
HighTower Fairytales lean more toward the original sources (NOT Disney) with rich semi-historical settings. They have magic. They have scary monsters. And, most importantly, they have unique and complex characters who are trying hard to improve themselves.
They also include plenty of humor and all the heroes marry their prince/princess charming and live happily ever after at the end!
Basically, these stories meant to inspire, but have a very difficult and occasionally dark tower to climb. They are conservatively marked at 14+ and are appropriate for teens and young adults.
Currently these stories include:
Winter Falls: A Tale of the Snow Queen (2017)
Cry Wolf: A Tale of Beauty and the Beast (2020)
Depths: A Tale of the Little Mermaid (2020)
Robin’s Hood: A Tale of Sherwood Forest(2021)
And more on the way!!!
Content Cry Wolf by Jacque Stevens was first on Book of Ruth Ann.
August 3, 2020
Blog Tour with Giveaway: Sincerely Yours by Kari Trumbo
Book: Sincerely Yours
Author: Kari Trumbo
Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance
Release Date: July 26, 2019
What if you fell in love with a man you’d never met?
When marketing coordinator Liberty Dryden tries to help radio station owner and DJ Tom Higgs attract new listeners and advertisers, she hits a roadblock.
He refuses to meet with her, and she has no idea why.
Tom has an affliction that’s plagued him his whole life—a painfully crippling stutter. On air, he can speak to thousands, but in person, he stumbles to find every word.
After a woman stalked him, he’s convinced his fame and fortune are all women want. He’s unable to tell Liberty why he won’t meet in person. How could he explain his unfounded doubts and his own issues?
Without her, disaster looms for his station. But, meeting her might prove he’s right about women.
Liberty takes matters into her own hands and calls into his radio show… using an assumed name.
She never expects to hit it off with him. If she reveals her secret, it will put her new relationship and her job at risk.
My Review
I wish this novella was slightly longer. It was such a cute story it would be lovely to see the great aspects of these characters in play a little more. But, it is a complete story with a sweet ending.
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Liberty likes to help people who need her. This never exceeded personal boundaries, so was interesting to see her use her spiritual gift of listening and helping other people. Just as in life, sometimes our strengths can become a weakness though. Her tender heart and her own loneliness, after self-isolation with cancer, leads her to speak to her new employer on his radio show under an assumed name. This is not a problem until he wants to meet her assumed persona for a date. Everything unravels quickly.
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I enjoyed that this novella was easy to get into despite not having read the previous one in the series. Another couple begins a tentative relationship in Sincerely Yours that looks like it will be fun to follow in the next book. If you enjoy inspiring contemporary romance, this is an enjoyable read.
I received a free copy of this book. All opinions are completely my own.
~*~
Get a copy of Sincerely Yours:
* Amazon
About the Author[image error]
Kari Trumbo is a bestselling author of Christian historical and contemporary romance novels. Her books are known for characters who feel real, settings you could move to, and faith woven between the pages. She makes her home in central Minnesota with her husband of over twenty years, two daughters, two sons, and never enough time.
You can follow Kari Trumbo here:
* Website * Goodreads * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * BookBub * Pinterest
More from Kari
Thank you all so much for joining me on my blog tour! I’m happy to be here. I write an eclectic mix of historical (western) and contemporary (western and not) romance, sometimes with a hint of suspense woven in. I can’t help it; my education is a degree in psychology with a sociology minor focusing on criminality and deviance… the suspense just happens whether I plan it or not.
I am one of those writers who usually gets a story idea and then writes it. I usually don’t write a book just because I “should”. That being said, this is one of those books where readers asked for it and I delivered. The first story in the series is in a popular book bundle Betwixt Two Hearts. In my story, the secondary character Liberty Dryden (named after one of my readers) is a really fun character, even though she’s only in a few scenes. Readers liked her so much, they wanted her to have her own happily ever after.
Then the hard part began.
I liked Liberty and I spent a while in her head, trying to figure her out. She was a tough one because Liberty has some hurts. She feels alone and a little used. Don’t we all? But how to write that in a way where the reader wasn’t bored by her self-doubt. Because, let’s face it, it’s cool when a story touches us in a way that is familiar, but if it’s overdone…snooze. I liked the idea that because of their hurts, both characters were shy. So, I gave myself a challenge. These two couldn’t meet until later in the story, but it still had to feel like a romance.
It’s a little like the movie You’ve Got Mail, but different too.
This series was my first big step outside of the western genre (which is funny, because I’m not at all western) and that forced me to think in new ways, which helped with the characters and bringing this story to life.
My favorite poignant quote from Sincerely Yours is, “If I can’t forgive those who ask for it, it ruins my witness. I literally can’t be the love of Jesus if I’m not willing to forgive those who wronged me. Especially if they earnestly ask.”
Thank you for joining me and happy reading!
Blog Stops
Texas Book-aholic, July 24
deb’s Book Review, July 26
Older & Smarter?, July 27
Through the Fire Blogs, July 28
reviewingbooksplusmore, July 28
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 29
Wishful Endings, July 30
Rebecca Tews, July 30
Britt Reads Fiction, July 31
Life, Love, Writing, July 31
Batya’s Bits, August 5
Artistic Nobody, August 6 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, August 6
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Kari is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and signed copies of Sincerely Yours and Winter in Wonderland!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click this link to enter.
Content Blog Tour with Giveaway: Sincerely Yours by Kari Trumbo was first on Book of Ruth Ann.
