Juliet and Iian's story
581176
It was a sweet quick read. I didn't want to put it down. Come see Scotland is the 15th century.
1984512
This is a story that takes us through the lives of two young people.  One is a fearsome warrior from a secretive monk caste who is born from a Mongolian father and a Japanese mother.  His growth throughout the story,  with having to deal with the struggles of not fitting into a discriminating  Japanese culture, allows us to readily identify with him.  The other  character is a very young girl who is to be sent away from home to meet her  husband, prior to her prearranged marriage.  From there on it is a tale of  Combat, Love, and Friendship against the backdrop of Feudal Japan during a  war of the clans.  The tides of war and betrayal then take our subjects to  China during the invasion of the Mongols, and then back to Japan under the  newly proclaimed Shogun, preparing to face the Mongol Hordes.  If you are  considering reading this series, stop considering and get it.  You will  want to reread them over and over.  Monks, Samurai, and Mongols ... what  else is there to say.
356673
Took forever to get that HEA. So many times I was sure it wasn't going to ever happen. I was certain they would be best friends. I enjoyed reading their journey. And it was quite the journey. Certainly not the bed of roses so many romance book display. They both had major issues to overcome. They had to work hard. The tiger thing was a bit much. But other than that, I think the author did an amazing job.
4301714
This book did something I never thought was possible.  It actually got me to have some interest in Shakespeare.  I'm one of those people that would rather slam my head in a car door than read Shakespeare, but I have very much enjoyed Kate Danley's other books, so I decided to give this one a try.  I'm really glad I did!

I found it very fascinating how this book wound a back story into the events of Romeo and Juliet.  The imagery was well done, and best of all, it was written in a way I could understand it, much more than the original play.  This book actually made me consider going back and reading Romeo and Juliet again (ok, maybe the Cliff's Notes version), so I could see all the events in a new light.

All in all, I'm quite pleased that I took the time to read this book.
3682552
Destiny and Nicholea have been in each others thoughts since she was a child. She suffered greatly having been captured by a vampire. Nicholea helped her escape her ordeal. He hunted for her for years.  Their love story has many ups and downs. Great read.
107964
Juliets Nurse is a splendidly written historical novel loosely based upon the story of Romeo and Juliet as written by Shakespeare. The story centers around a young woman named Angelica who becomes wet-nurse to Juliet Cappelletti on the same day her own child dies in childbirth. The novel covers the early years of Juiets life and introduces the family feud between Romeo and Juliets families. Told through Angelicas strong first person narrative, we learn of how she is torn from the arms of her dirt-poor family by the machinations of a cleric and into the household of one of Veronas most wealthiest citizens as a nursemaid. The novel focuses on the early life of Juliet. Her love affair with Romeo is not introduced into the latter quarter of the novel.

This sometimes heart-wrenching story is poignantly penned, bringing to vivid life the Italian Renaissance era where decadence and art warred with poverty and plague. This was a story of extreme hardship and suffering, of guilt and powerful love, and of one womans struggle to hold tight to the bonds of love she bears for the child she is charged with raising. From the adversities faced by the working poor to the opulent villas of the noblest families, the story is one of dark secrets and joyous love relationships. A lovely re-imagining of one of Shakespeares original characters.
2248149
Romeo finally got what he always wanted love because his parents never gave him any kind of love they were bad people. But Molly was the love of his life. Romeo and Juliet that was Molly middle name so she would tell him they were crosslovers Molly got pregnant but they didn't want to tell people yet because of Romeo parents because they wanted him marry a girl who had parents that was rich. When Romeo won the best QB from Alabama college that when his parents had a party for all the players and coaches but it was when his mother hurt Molly and made her have miscarriage Romeo parents was bad people the reason his father wanted him to marry that girl was his father was money laundering from the girls father. Romeo was so hurt he and Molly wanted that baby so much Romeo didn't know how to help Molly. She was depressed and she was not happy at the time with Romeo. His coach called him to ask him if he could come to a function for to help Romeo's for NFL he didn't want to go but Molly told her him to go will one thing he went and Molly called her friend to come and get her and she lifted and before she did his mother came to Molly room and attack her again but the police officers came talked to Molly his mother went to jail. I loved the book you buy it. Thank you Ruby Miller. It's amazing books by Tillie Cole
Romeo came back to find Molly gone and he was sick with worried cause Molly was his soul mate his home.
4794805
The focus is not on the disability in this YA book, but it's on the love story between young people.  The story is somewhat Romeo and Juliet in that one set of parents is very disapproving which leads to a tragedy that may tear these two young teens apart.  I can't wait for the 2nd installment as the ending left me wanting more.
3240782
Julie once again delivered a well written story in which we meet Hannah and Adam. The story is told from both characters viewpoints and begins with Adam requesting to be Hannah's friend on FaceSpace after 15 yrs apart. The sweaty palms and nerves are overcome quickly by both and it seems they pick up exactly where they left things in college. The only difference is Danny, Adams 13yr old son. It takes a special person to love anothers child as their own but Hannah takes to it naturally. It seems the time apart was difficult on them both but very rewarding when they finally accept that they are soul mates. Hats off to Adam who goes to show that it isn't only men that leave their children behind. He manages med school and a baby with the help of his family and Danny grows into a loving child who knows his Dads future happiness and his own is with Hannah.
The story was short but captured my attention and left me with a need to do some cyber stalking of my own.
4928335
This is a really good novel. I think a lot of that is because of Juliets voice. Shes beautifully insightful in some moments of the book. Shes nerdy and quite funny at times too. Juliet is just a great character and its great to see how much she develops over the course of this novel in various areas of her life.

Juliet goes on a journey throughout the four parts of this book and I didn't really get into the story until further along her journey but all of it is wonderful. Juliet takes this internship and doesnt really know what she wants to get out of the experience. In the end, she got a lot more than she really thought she could. She has a place to move forward from.

This book starts out with Juliet in a stressful and relatable time. Shes coming out to her family. Juliet decides to do it at a family dinner. I like how much this book dealt with family. Even with Juliet away from them for a majority of the book you could see how important family was. Just from conversations with her mom or cousin Ava over the phone. Sometimes just from Juliet contemplating the way they reacted to things or might react to something. She thinks about her family often and I liked the focus on the family bonds.

Juliet meets some amazing women of color in this book. I felt like I was learning from Maxine and Zaira through Juliets encounters with them in the novel. This is a novel about feminism but more importantly intersectional feminism. Juliet is able to start figuring out where she stands in the feminism she sees on tv or reads in one of her favorite books. I absolutely loved the conversations Juliet has around this.

Sometimes as Juliet struggled I just wanted to jump in the book and answer things when she had questions she wasn't asking anyone out loud yet. It takes her a while to feel the confidence needed to do more than just contemplate the tings she didn't understand about queer terms or why Zaira made spaces specifically for women of color. I liked seeing Juliet learn and make mistakes while learning. Her exploration into all things queer and feminism. It was really well done.

Sidenote. There is a really odd character who is only in the story for a short time and never appears again and I didn't understand the point of his words toward Juliet and couldn't stop thinking what was the point there or if it was needed. Juliet never really thinks of him again after that section so it didn't feel like it mattered.

The most relatable moment in this book for me was a feeling. The feeling that Juliet has when she is in an all QPOC space for the first time. Shes freer than she has been able to in a long time. No one is going to judge her or say the wrong thing. She won't have to deal with microaggressions or blatant racism there. She is able to make decisions about how she perceives herself.

For me, that was an impromptu caucus for queer people of color at TheMidwest Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, and Ally College Conference. It was a room filled with QPOC and a space for us to talk about issues we face separate from all the other events of the conference. I didn't even know there was that many of us in the conference. It was a major moment for me. I was dealing with not being able to embrace all aspects of my identity depending on the situation I was in. I had some rough school years and I feel like that was one of the moments that got me through. It changed things for me. It gave me perspective, I really needed. You see how much Juliets experience changes her on the final sections of the book. Shes able to take on the world after having run away from her problems before that. Its great storytelling.
3852849
Adelaide Bruce has been in love with Roan, Lord Drayton since she was 13 years old. Ten years his junior, Addy has always been his best friend's Jack little sister to Roan. But the little girl in pig tails he last saw 5 years ago is now a debutante and the toast of London town.

A love story tempered by the realities of war and the cruelty of society,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Little-Miss-Independent/dp/B004W0C520/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Little Miss Independent</a>touches on our preoccupation with physical beauty. This might be a historical novella, but you can bring Roan to the 21st century and he will still get the same treatment. Except for Addy who saw beyond the physical.

This book is rated PG for situational drama.
2574271
I've always been a sucker for the Romeo and Juliet story in any form: young, star-crossed lovers pushed and pulled to the breaking point by family loyalty and civic strife. Not only does Alan Larson re-imagine this classic story within our moment, he is able to dramatically weave the problems of racism, immigration, economic policy and human rights through his characters' hearts and souls. I was immediately taken in from the very beginning, devastated by the first border crossing and propelled along with his intelligent and compassionate storytelling through the heart-wrenching conclusion. An important narrative and a great read!!
979072
I really loved this story, i usually not a huge fan of stories that have a lot of romance in them but this story though the love between richard is embers is a central part of the story it really makes the story come alive as they are battle off the old one who trying to kill richard you really are caught up in what embers is going to do.  It has the draw of a romeo and juliet quality to it.  I was in tears at the last half of the book and i am going to dive right into book two.  This is a great story that twines a fairy aspect with a romance that is not over sexual in anyway and is just perfect for a young adult novel.
4303052
I love this story. Here you have two people that were meant to be together despite everything being thrown at them. Nadya is living on borrowed time (she was bitten by a crazy experimental soldier, making her into a werewolf). Gareth has closed himself off the world (his family was killed and he closed off his heart because he couldn't bear the pain). Nadya makes her way into his heart, allowing him to feel all he emotions he's suppressed. Gareth makes her feel safe. When the people responsible for Nadyas' transformation come looking for her, Gareth shows them that to mess with a wolf and his mate is a form of suicide.
3203406
Tibi is in need of a Champion. Her vengeful and hateful father is furious with her willful ways and the humiliation she brings on the family with four--FOUR!--broken engagements. He is determined to get use out of his useless girl and send her to the temple to become a priestess. Tibi's own sister won't help her, so Tibi runs to seek help from her cousin who is visiting Rome. Tibi runs to the home of Gladiator Alexius of Iolcos, where her cousin is staying only to find her cousin isn't there, but Alexius is. Alexius has always been attracted to Tibi, but vowed to her cousin that he'd stay away from her. He knows he can't turn Tibi away and agrees to hide her until her cousin comes. Tibi's father will stop at nothing to save face in society and reclaim his daughter. Alexius will stop at nothing to champion Tibi and find a way for them to be together.

THE CHAMPION was very different than what I expected, but I still enjoyed it immensely. I loved the conversations between Tibi and Alexius. The story flowed freely and easily between the two characters.  The emotions that build and build between the two is so palatable, it is easy to see how they fall in love and come to trust one another.

Tibi is a kind-hearted woman of Rome who has tried since a young girl to earn the love and respect of her father. She's fearful of her father's wrath and temper, so she flees. It takes her a while to bloom once she's out of his clutches, but she finally gains confidence in herself and her own self-worth.

Alexius uses the gladiator ring to burn off the rage and hate in his heart over his past. He is increasingly becoming more and more board with life--the endless stream of violence and mindless pleasure isn't bringing him happiness, but he doesn't know any other way of controlling his anger. When Tibi shows up at his home, he is finally finding peace and purpose.

TWO BITS OF WARNING:
1--There is a small theme of Christianity. I know some people will automatically buy or pass on a book based on this fact. I never felt preached to nor overwhelmed by their faith. In fact, it didn't really fully come up until near the end.
2--There is no sex. Again, I know this is another sticking point for readers. Yes, we know that Alexius has a womanizing reputation and even see some women try to throw themselves at him, but that is it. We do see touches, embraces, and kisses shared.

I really enjoyed watching Tibi and Alexius come together. They had several obsticals to overcome, but it wasn't "the misunderstanding." (Thank You!) It was a satisfying read that I was happy to discover.

THE CHAMPION is book three in a series, but I didn't feel left behind on what was happening. Each book centers around a different couple all set in 80-90 AD in Rome.

Gladiator Series
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Gladiator/dp/B002SVQDNW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Gladiator</a>
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Protector-Love-Inspired-Historical/dp/B003SX15SC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Protector (Love Inspired Historical)</a>
The Champion
1695932
Learning the ways, the thoughts, the feelings of the characters in this tale was, at first, somewhat slow and I didn't really take in all that their lives encompassed.  As I continued to read, however, their beings became closer and I could feel the many nuances of each person's character and become part of who and what they were in truth.  There were moments when I wanted to tell them what was right for them and other moments when I wanted to hold one of them and share their sorrow.  I hoped for them and was happy for them and sad for them in turn.

Each one took a place in my consciousness, each of them played an important part in the whole, and I was happy when even Romeo finally came into his own.  That's when I truly knew what a great story this is.  I'm so glad I read it!
1278525
JULIET is the first book that I have read by this author, and I was intrigued from the very beginning. It was the type of story that had you constantly guessing as to where the author was going to take you next. This booksis really about the journey of self-discovery by Iris, who after the death of her husband, learns of a whole new secretive world that he kept hidden from her.

Even though this was a wonderful read, I felt that many of the scenes lacked the extra detail and finesse that would have made them even better. The main reason I chose to read this book was the fact that it was meant to contain graphic BDSM scenes, however I felt that this was incorrect - it was in no way graphic - if anything, it was very light in regards to BDSM.

Overall, it was a very good and long read.

Read and Reviewed voluntarily for Reading Is Our Satisfaction

FOUR STARS