Once Upon Two Kingdoms by Anna del C. Dye

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When I saw that Anna had written a royal romance, I was anxious to read it. I've enjoyed her elf-inspired books, and I wanted to see what she would do with a different kind of story. I wasn't disappointed. This is a delightful, clean romance that I feel comfortable handing to my daughters. When I first started reading, I thought it was a re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty story where two royal heirs are forced into an arranged marriage, fall in love with each other without knowing who they are, and have a happily-ever after. In the beginning, it had that feel, but it quickly turned into a different story with an evil counselor designing for both thrones. The story was told well, and there was plenty of excitement. Anna must've studied some fencing, because her description of the sword battles was well done. I had a hard time putting the book down because I really had no idea how the story would go. This is a book suitable for all ages.



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The Lost Stones of Xan: Book 1 Prophecy by D Lawson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was an exciting adventure from the beginning. I had a hard time putting it down. The only thing that stopped me was when my Kindle ran out of power. I'm anxious to read the next book. Even though the main character is 20, this is a book suitable for younger audiences. Elves and other creatures and magic give this book a fantasy feel. There is even a touch of romance to keep female readers happy. It's a clean read with no swearing. I'm encouraging my kids to read this one. Well done.



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The Making of a Galvanized Yankee: Based on a True Story by Kathy Engebretsen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I don't usually read historical fiction because I prefer to read history the way it happened: in small snippets of individual accounts, and that's how this book reads. This book felt very much like I was there living the events. I loved how Kathy moved the story forward in letters between the main characters. The politics of war didn't really play in this book. Instead, it was based on real characters who lived through the events and was treated the same way I imagine a lot of regular citizens felt. They were helpless to change the course of the war and were forced to get involved. This portrayed the very real sufferings of the south during the war. I had never studied about the Galvanized Yankees, and I felt like I walked away from the book having learned quite a bit about the war. Highly recommended.



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