Recommendations from Maia for April 2014.

In order to bring some more variety to my blog, I have asked some of my bookish friends to tell about the books they have in the past month, and to give us a recommendation. Today’s post is made by Maia from Holland.

Maia:

Last month I've read nine books. My reading time is still limited, because of work and a mastercourse at the university. But I've read some great books. A little glom of four old Jayne Ann Krentz books, some smexy books and I've started reading for LLC 2014.

My top three of this month is:

1. Grace Draven – Entreat me



2. Patricia Briggs – Night broken



3. Jayne Anne Krentz – Lady's choice




The one I can recommend to all Aurian's readers is:
Grace Draven – Entreat me




Afflicted by a centuries-old curse, a warlord slowly surrenders his humanity and descends toward madness. Ballard of Ketach Tor holds no hope of escaping his fate until his son returns home one day, accompanied by a woman of incomparable beauty. His family believes her arrival may herald Ballard's salvation.
...until they confront her elder sister.
Determined to rescue her sibling from ruin, Louvaen Duenda pursues her to a decrepit castle and discovers a household imprisoned in time. Dark magic, threatening sorcerers, and a malevolent climbing rose with a thirst for blood won't deter her, but a proud man disfigured by an undying hatred might. Louvaen must decide if loving him will ultimately save him or destroy him.
A tale of vengeance and devotion


One of my favourite retellings of fairytales is the Beauty & the Beast theme. Blame Grimm, Disney and Hollywood. There is something about the dark brooding hero with or without disfigurement (he can be a beast inside of outside) and a smart heroine that pulls him out of the darkness.
Examples of books I've read are Ravished by Amanda Quick, Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward and A Rose in Winter by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss.
Entreat me is one of the best retellings of the B&B story I've ever read. It has it all, the cursed man slowly turning into a beast, a heroine who's not afraid of him and especially is not afraid to speak her mind. An atmospheric castle with creepy roses, enchanted mirrors and a sorcerer.
Louvaen is not pretty; she is a widow and loved her first husband. Her sister Cinnia is beautiful but not spoiled or haughty. Ballard is a cursed man who loves his son, even though he is not the biological father (not a spoiler, it's in the prologue). I can even have some sympathy for Ballards’ first wife Isabeau. She loved the wrong man and was a victim of her time and place in society.

I loved how Louvaen and Ballard get to know each other and work together to challenge the curse. It's almost a living thing, with the roses as messengers and magic that swells and ebbs like the tides. It's a book that takes you into a world that takes you away from the day-to-day humdrum. The best kind of book, in my opinion. I'm grateful for Karin for recommending this book. I've already bought Master of Crows, but haven't read it yet.


Aurian: Thanks for the recommendation Maia! With both you and Karin recommending these books, I will have to try them soon. Anyone else who has read these books?

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian