The Princess Companion: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea (The Four Kingdoms Book 1) by Melanie Cellier

In this fairy tale remix, The Princess of the Pea is closely tied to Cinderella, as in, Cinderella, now a mom, is obsessed with the idea of her son marrying a "real" princess. So she gets a pea from her fairy godmother and is told to put it under the mattress for visiting princesses as a test.

Pros:
This author is GREAT at world building and developing characters. She sets things up nicely for subsequent books and has interesting, real ideas of things that might have happened to these fairy tale people.

This is a perfectly clean, romantic read (sigh), which I love.

Cons:
This author (or her editor) needs to fall in love with the comma. There were several sentences that made no sense with the comma missing and I had to go back and re-read to understand. And I'm no grammar snob. Also, she loves adverbs, to the point that I started to count them as I read.

The point of view was almost always through the eyes of the princess companion (a.k.a. pea-feeler), but there were short stints from the point of view of the mom, the prince, the villain, etc. It was kinda weird. I would have preferred a back and forth with the princess companion and the prince.

2.99 or free to borrow. A definite recommend.

The Girl Who Heard Demons, by Janette Rallison

Adelle is starting over at a new school for her senior year, in a new state, living with her aunt. The reason: She hears demons, and telling people hasn't gone well in the past. She plans to lay low and keep it a secret, until getting wrapped up in protecting the cute quarterback, Levi.

I'm a huge fan, and maybe that's why this one threw me. I would say that while The Girl Who Heard Demons was entertaining and I devoured it in two days, this is my least favorite Janette Rallison novel. It wasn't too dark, but darker than I'm used to from her, with authentic teenage language full of innuendo. It was funny, but not as funny as I'm used to. And while it was a mystery, it wasn't too hard to figure out what was going on well before the end.

Buxton Peak: Who Is Ian Taylor?

Buxton Peak: Who is Ian Taylor? Ian Taylor is the main character in this LDS novel about a rock band and the choices that come when you have high standards in an immoral world with rabid fans and constant travel.  The author, Julie Spencer is my writer friend and her book releases today. I got to be an early reader on this project and Julie's writing is absorbing, drawing you in and leaving you wanting to read more. 2.99 for Kindle or free to borrow.

The Dala Horse, by Lissa Johnston

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was entertaining, engrossing and well thought out. The protagonist Kaya was such a scrappy, enjoyable character. The historical aspects were well done. The author described this as Little House on the Prairie meets Nancy Drew, and while I get that, to me it was more Little House on the Prairie meets Perry Mason or Agatha Christie. Even though Kaya is 10, she deals with some serious issues and adults around her that make unstable, sometimes scary, and often selfish choices. This would be great for a junior high history or social studies class. I don't know that it would be okay for most 10-year-olds.

The Firethorn Crown, by Lea Doue

I've read lots of versions of the 12 dancing princesses. This one stood out to me for two reasons.

1. The underground prince was very well done, being moody and handsome and mysterious, but a fully developed character that made you at times sympathetic towards him and at other times mad at him.

2. Finally, someone added a much needed detail: A mother of 12 daughters who's a little bit off her rocker for never having a son. He died at birth.

Retelling this fairy tale has its obvious challenges. How do you distinguish between 12 daughters so the reader knows who is who? This book was above average on that.

The main character, Princess Lily, is the oldest and is strongly encouraged to make up her mind and marry already. The scheming around that is a fun element of the book. Sometimes you want her to be a little smarter with her choices. Her love interest is a great character and I enjoyed the friendship and backstory that unfolded with that.

The beginning of the book was a little confusing. It took me about half a chapter to figure out what was going on. Give it time. It's a good read.

Very clean and romantic. I borrowed this with my Kindle, or 2.99 to buy.

Beggar Magic, by H.L. Burke

Beggar Magic is a YA fantasy novel that I received for free in return for an honest review. The main character, Leilani, is a feisty common girl with big dreams. She befriends a highborn named Zebedy and gets pulled into her aristocratic, educated world. Together they must save the Strains, the musical magic that brings them together, but also separates them into classes. Zebedy can understand the Strains and use them more fully, while Leilani can only do Beggar Magic. There is some light romance and evil characters. Appropriate for any teen and up. I thought it started slow. Time was passing with not much going on, but the book picked up once the girls reached age 17. Great characters with interesting relationships. 2.99 or free with Kindle Unlimited.

Pippa of Lauramore, by Shari Tapscott

I enjoyed this tale about a rebellious princess full of adventures, handsome princes and hard choices. This is my preferred Fantasy genre. I had to get used to the present tense (ala Hunger Games), but otherwise really enjoyed it from start to finish. Very clean, very fun, romantic and interesting. Clearly there will be other books written now that the author's created this world, and if I had my say, I'd like to hear more about Lord Rigel, hint hint. 99 cents or free to borrow with Amazon Prime. Recommended.

A Gift for Fiona, by S.G. Rogers

I picked this up during a free promotion and thought it was a well done regency novel. Fiona has a hard time seeing herself as a good person and tries hard to make amends when her temper gets in the way. I have not read the first in the series, but this worked as a stand-alone and I didn't feel like I was missing anything. It was very clean and romantic, with some devious characters throwing problems in the way of the protagonist. I liked all the trickery, but I didn't think everyone needed to be redeemed. Regardless, l liked that all the characters had shades of good and evil that colored their actions. A definite recommend. $1.99 or free to borrow with your kindle.

Zoe, Undead, by J.R. Knoll

I hate horror movies and I'm not really into science fiction, but I have to admit that I have a soft spot for zombie stuff. Yes, it's sad, but true. And I decided to give Zoe, Undead a 99 cent chance. This book, and its sequel Zoe Undead 2 were pretty entertaining I must say. They need a good editor in a bad way, but I thought the plot and military stuff and the way they kept me wanting to know what happened was pretty brilliant. The main character is an autistic teenager, making this a unique way to approach the genre. The author is a guys, guy. Heads blow off and he talks about girls the way a guy does. Recommended for fellow zombie lovers like me. 99 cents or free to borrow with Amazon Prime.

The Husband Maker, by Karey White

Charlotte already has embarrassing nicknames. Her twin brother and his best friend call her Chuck and Chuckers and Charles every chance they get. But at a wedding reception for an ex-boyfriend Charlotte overhears someone call her a nickname she never wants to hear again: The Husband Maker. Every guy Charlotte's ever dated has gone on to marry their next girlfriend. So begins this fun novel that was funny and sweet and made me want to run out and get the next book. (Yes, this is a series so don't freak out when it ends suddenly) I highly recommend this fun read and I'm grabbing the next book and not waiting to borrow it. Free to Borrow with Amazon Prime or $3.99 on Kindle.

Robin: Lady of Legend by R.M. ArceJaeger

I enjoyed the way the author played with the classic Robin Hood tale. In this version, Robin is actually Robin of Locksley, an 18-year-old girl who finds herself suddenly betrothed to the horrible Sheriff of Nottingham. She runs off disguised as a man, and the rest is history. The book held my attention throughout, but I thought that sometimes Robin got away with making really rash decisions with little consequence. 2.99 for Kindle or Free to borrow. Recommended.

Loved Like That, by Julie Wright

This was my January free borrow for Amazon Prime. It is normally 2.99. I really liked this book - I read it quickly, and while predictable, it kept my attention. The interaction between the main characters was fun and the beginning was really original. However, the glaring grammatical errors need to be fixed. Also, I had an a-ha moment after learning that the religious references were stripped out of it to make a more universal version for the e-book. I caught all the leftover religious and cultural references, but they felt out of place. It still feels like its riding the fence between an LDS novel and a clean contemporary romance. Recommended as a quick clean romance read.

Her Grace in Disgrace, by Claudia Harbaugh

Her Grace in Disgrace has an intriguing opening plot line, with a newly widowed Duchess learning at the reading of her husband's will, that their marriage was a sham. He was already married with an heir, leaving her a small pittance and no title. As you would expect, scandal and bad feelings follow. The romantic interest was a complete foil, being in the opposite situation. He was a humble vicar, but had just inherited fortune and title after the death of his brother. I've been reading a lot of regency lately and I expected from the title for this to be more along the lines of a light regency caper. This was much more complex, with a large cast of characters and Christian themes of forgiveness and redemption. The romance took a backseat to the main characters coming to terms with what they had done in the past and what they were going to do with the rest of their lives. The point of view jumped around at will, and it could have been edited down a hair, but overall a recommended read. The book is the first in a series, having set up a cast of characters to be explored in further novels. I'm interested to see what else the author comes out with. The novel was clean, but with adult regency themes, such as handsy suitors, mistresses, and passionate kisses. 2.99 or free to borrow for Amazon Prime members.

I received a free copy in return for an honest review.

My Own Mr. Darcy, by Karey White

My friends know I can be a bit touchy about my Jane Austen. Don't get me started on the movie "Becoming Jane." I thought My Own Mr. Darcy was pretty good. There is some grammatical tightening that needs to happen. The protagonist is a bit blind about love for most of the book, but otherwise, a sweet romance. 4.99 or free to borrow on Kindle.

Just Ella, by Annette K. Larsen

I'm a huge sucker for Princess books and this is one of my new favorites. Ariella is a princess with an independent streak and an unlikely friendship with a gardener. Very clean with well-rounded characters and a well-plotted storyline. 4.99 or free to borrow with a Prime membership.

Bittersweet

This book is 2.99 or free to borrow. I liked the premise of it, however, I am only reviewing so others know that it's not clean. The first quarter was fine. Then suddenly, F-word, character's sexual thoughts and then soon after a very detailed sex scene. I deleted and didn't read the rest.

A Longtime (and at one point illegal) Crush, by Janette Rallison

This author cracks me up. I am a huge fan. This was one I borrowed using the Kindle Lending Library and is only 99 cents to buy. If you get a bit creeped out by a May-Dec romance you may want to skip. Basically, a girl returns to her hometown from college, only to face her older brother's best friend who was also her high school math teacher. And, she had a HUGE crush. Fun read.

Book Review of The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson

I absolutely loved The Reluctant Bachelorette. I finished it with a huge grin on my face. It's about a small-town girl with a crazy friend who puts her on a dating show. Maybe it was because I read it while on vacation, but it was just a very enjoyable little book, and clean too. The romance was great.

Six Moon Summer, by SM Reine

I borrowed this from the Kindle Owners Lending Library, but you can buy it for 2.99. It's the first in a series. I don't plan on reading the rest of the books, but I didn't think it was a bad read either. Here's why: The author puts a twist on the Twilight/Paranormal genre with the female main character being dropped off at summer camp and being bit by a werewolf. There is plenty of teenage angst, family problems, romance and mean girls. I thought the plot was above average, the characters just below average, and the setting average. Maybe I'm just getting too old for these types.