"The Heart of Betrayal" (Book 2 of Remnant Chronicles) by Mary E. Pearson (UPDATED)

The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson is book two in the Remnant Chronicles series, the sequel to Kiss of Deception, which I LOVED. Lia and Kaden are taken as prisoners by the barbarians of Vaden and deception is prevalent in this book throughout, but not for the reader as it was in book one. Lia continues to be both feisty, brave and deceptive. She pretends not to care for Kaden in order to save his life while relying on Rafe, the assassin, to protect her. Tension between Kaden and Rafe continues to escalate, but they both love Lia. Lia and Kaden catch short times together to hatch an escape plan, that is even more urgent as Lia’s wedding to the Komizar fast approaches. There is some brutality in this book with lots of interesting characters and relationships. Will Rafe betray the Komizar to protect Lia? Will he kill Kaden? Will Griz get his revenge? Will Kaden and Lia be successful in their escape?

I LOVED this book so much! It moved along quickly and was as much fun to read as Kiss of Deception. I thought the funniest part was when Lia beat Griz at cards, but the saddest was when the Komizar killed the little girl. This is a good series that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys adventure, romance and fantasy with royalty. I look forward to the next book to find out what happens! (Karen's review 8/1/15, 5 stars)

Gerard read this too 12/8/16, but didn't like it as much as I did:
This book is the follow up to Kiss of Deception which I liked better.  Lia is being held captive in the city of Venda and Kaden is keeping an eye on her, making sure no harm comes to her.  Rafe is also captured and is waiting for his army to come and rescue him and Lia.  As in book one, the part that Lia tells were the highlight for me.  She is really good!  There is some action finally near the end which sets up the final book.
(4 stars)

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"Losing Isn't Everything" by Curt Menefee

Losing Isn't Everything--The UNTOLD STORIES and HIDDEN LESSONS--Behind the TOUGHEST LOSSES in SPORTS HISTORY by Curt Meneffe with Michael Arkush is a winner!  This book tells the story of people who were on a big sports stage and came out on the losing side.  I found it interesting to see what they were thinking during the games and how they dealt with defeat.  If you are a sports fan, then this book is for you!  You know how the winners felt because they are on TV and social media, but this book shows how the losing side feels.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Kiss of Deception" by Mary E. Pearson - Fantastic Fantasy (UPDATED)

The Kiss of Deception Mary E. Pearson is about a young girl who is promised in marriage to a prince to keep the peace between the two lands.  However, at the last minute, Princess Arabella aka Lia takes off!  She wants no part of this at all!  

This book has pretty good action.  Lia is a fantastic character and the parts of the book that feature her were the best.  The two primary male characters, Kaden and Rafe are interesting also.  This is a good read, the first of the series.  On to book 2!  (Gerard's review, 12/6/16, 5 stars)

Karen's review 4/30/15, 5 stars:
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson is about ancient far-away lands in a world of fantasy kingdoms.  The main character, Princess Arabella Celestine Idris Jezelia, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan a/k/a Lia, the one named in secret, is not your average princess!  She is only 17 and quite a rebel who runs away on her wedding day because she does not want to marry someone who she never has seen or met just to be part of her father’s plan to form an alliance with another kingdom.  The jolted prince is greatly insulted so seeks to find her along with her father’s bounty hunters and an assassin from the barbaric kingdom of Venda.  She just wants to live a normal quiet life and be loved by someone for who she is.

This was a nice change of pace for me.  I liked this book a lot because Lia is such a feisty princess.  The book has humor, action, mystery and clean romance.  The writes the story in first person by alternating chapters among  the perspectives of three different people:  the princess, the assassin and the prince who are all complex characters.  The chapters are plainly titled when the prince or assassin are speaking and the untitled chapters are when the princess is speaking.  In the beginning though, it is a bit confusing as to who Rafe and Kadin are—one is the prince and one is the assassin, but it took me a while to figure out which was which.  What I thought turned out to be wrong when I read on a bit farther.  On the inside the cover is a map of the various locations of the different kingdoms which is helpful to the reader.  This is the first book in The Remnant Chronicles series and now I have to look for the second one--The Heart of Betrayal!   

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Teasers

Karen's:

Brindle made another snorting noise.  "This is the craziest story I ever heard."

From page 58 of A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay.


Gerard's:

"The plans have changed," I said firmly, and I gathered my gown up in great bunches so I could get a foothold in the stirrup.  The straw-haired boy's mouth fell open as he looked at my once pristine gown, the hem already sloshed with mud, now smearing my sleeves and lace bodice and worse, the Morrighan jeweled wedding cloak.

 From page 17 of The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading.  Happy Reading!

"Where Courage Calls" by Janette Oke

Where Courage Calls by Janette Oke is about Beth, a young woman who shows courage by leaving her nice home in the east to move west to teach in a school in a mining town.  Thinking she will be free from Edward, the man her parents would like her to marry, is disappointed to see him on the same train and hear he will be stationed out west too!  Beth soon makes friends with the townspeople, teaches school at the pool hall, starts a Bible club for the children and then even adds teaching English to some miners!  When one of her students almost dies from drinking some hooch, she even becomes involved in the investigation and finds a new love interest in Jack.

This Christian fiction book moved slowly and I got bored by the end, really looking forward to finishing it so I could start another.  Beth was like super woman.  She did quite a bit of praying and the whole point of the book was that God is in control as Beth surrendered to Him to show her what he wanted her to do.  It was okay but Beth just seemed a little too perfect. 
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!