Talkie Tuesday: Blood of My Blood

 

"I will stand with you, whatever comes. We are one."

 

Hello everyone!

 

While I'm still not completely out of the woods yet - this stupid cold is taking absolutely FOREVER, and it probably doesn't help that I have to work in retail every single day, either - I'm feeling okay-ish enough to finally get back to blogging.

 

To a point.

 

It's going to be a much shorter post tonight unfortunately because I'm mostly just super tired all the time, and had to drag myself out of bed just now, BUT.

 

I CANNOT just stay sleeping anymore. It'll ruin my rhythm altogether!

 

So it's time we hop back in time a little bit, and check out the Scottish Highlands yet again.

 

Because nothing says 'welcome back, baby' as an Outlander-related prequel.

 

Blood of My Blood, here we come!

 

Tome Thursday: The Land the Gods Forgot

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome back to another book review.

 

Tonight's choice makes a whole lot of sense if you remember that I'm a big fan of Outlander and Vikings, which is basically what this is a mash-up of.

 

The fact remains that there's been a BIG resurgence of time travel books and books that feature characters just randomly popping through time since Diana Gabaldon's works have been adapted by Starz (and this is ending with the eighth season, so, SOBS GALORE).

 

Which isn't a bad thing, honestly, because there's sooo many places you could time travel to!

 

Now, if only we could find authors that wrote about someone dropping into Ancient Greece or the like.

 

Anyway, without further ado, let's get right into Sarah Beth's book, alright?

 

The ravens are gathering and the battle draws near in The Land the Gods Forgot.

 

Tome Thursday: Hearts & Crowns Trilogy

 

Hello everyone!

 

I hope your week has been great thus far and hopefully you won't mind that my first words in this blog post are directed to all my friends across the pond.

 

Hurricane Ian was never going to take prisoners, but honestly it sounds as though it might have HOPEFULLY been a little less bad than projected and predicted? Or was it even worse? Either way, my thoughts and prayers go to you out there, who prepped and now need to deal with the fallout.

 

I sadly have nothing truly substantial to give as far as that goes, but at the very least good vibes help, or they should somewhat!

 

For us though, it's time to circle back around to the book we'll be reviewing tonight, or well, books really as it's a full trilogy.

 

I'm always excited when I see the word OMNIBUS stamped on a cover anywhere, so this was no exception. I'd never read anything by Natalie Murray before so I was also just excited to find another author I could potentially really enjoy.

 

So without further ado, let's have a look at the Hearts & Crowns trilogy omnibus, shall we? Don't forget to hold tight to that precious gem as we travel through time.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Next Stop, Christmas

 

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could turn back the clock and do it all over again?"

 

Hello everyone!

 

I can't believe we only have one more Talkie blog post left after this one in December. Where did the time ACTUALLY go?!

 

I've no idea.

 

I feel like occasionally it seems to roll by super slowly, but then you blink and you miss like, half a month or something.

 

Or maybe it's just me. Is it just me, or is it anybody else?

 

Anyway, that aside, it's time to watch one of my favourite Christmas movies to come out of the Hallmark lineup this year, if not THE favourite thus far. And I'll be honest and say that I clipped and pared down my list until it was a manageable ten or so, because boy oh boy, did I not have the time.

 

This one, however, hits all the right spots somehow.

 

And how appropriate that we take a look at it now, since Next Stop, Christmas, is literally the next stop for us all?

 

Saturday Snippet: Outlander SEASON 6 TEASER

 

 

 IT'S ALMOST HERE!

 

XX

*video not mine

Tome Thursday: A Timeline Restored

 

Hello everyone!

 

I finally did it, finishing this trilogy that I started a while ago. I feel pretty proud of myself haha!

 

I'll often start something but then end up getting distracted and sort of forget that I have other books in the series to finish off, or the series will putter out and my interest in it will fade exponentially, which means that, yes, I still don't have everything finished which I might have started reviewing on here.

 

BUT.

 

This one is now officially wrapped and man, was it a good read. I highly, highly recommend it if you're looking for some dystopia, good, strong leads, and steamy romance all at the same time.

 

Rebecca Hefner manages to capture all of that and more in this trilogy of hers and I honestly can't WAIT to pick up another book of hers because she's definitely one of those writers you can read again and again and again.

 

It's probably why her books are currently still resting on my e-book shelf as opposed to getting deleted right off the bat.

 

A Timeline Restored, the final book in the Prevent the Past series, is up.

 

Tome Thursday: A Destiny Reborn

 

Hello everyone!

 

So if you remember, a little while ago - more specifically in January of this year - I read and reviewed this little book about a group of scientists and soldiers trying to travel back into the past to prevent the POTUS from detonating nukes across the globe and destroying the world in the process.

 

I also said I would be returning to the series sooner rather than later.

 

And so, here I am!

 

Rebecca Hefner has quickly risen up the ranks of authors who I love to read books from and I can't WAIT to get my hands on the third and final book int this trilogy. Prevent the Past has definitely struck all the right chores for me thus far and it looks like number three might be the best of all.

 

But before we can get to the last book, we have to bridge the gap of course, with a little help from Booksirens (again).

 

Which means it's time to pick up the good fight once more and see whether or not we can help our heroes in changing the past.

 

A Destiny Reborn, book two in the Prevent the Past series, is up next.

 

Tome Thursday: A Paradox of Fates

 

Hello everyone!

 

I'm finally finding my reading groove again and going through some left-over books from right at the tail end of 2020 that I postponed in favour of some holiday ones, and I am enjoying myself a heck of a lot.

 

Then again, when there's SO MANY fantastic choices on BookSirens, you really don't need to worry about anything but having enough time in the day to read them all.

 

The chance of getting free ARCs is that much more appreciated nowadays with the entire world so topsy-turvy, and I can definitely see the appeal and the wonder of it all as I go along. Tonight's choice was actually one I thought would be fairly light-hearted and maybe full of romance, but in the end it turned out not to be and became even better than that!

 

When someone says time travel, you usually think Outlander, for obvious reasons, but this one has something else up its sleeve.

 

Because we're in the future, fifty or so years in the future, actually, and the world isn't remotely what we remember and know.

 

A Paradox of Fates is the first in a trilogy, and boy oh boy is it an explosive start!

 

Lord John Grey (Booktober)

 

"A conclusion is simply the point at which you give up thinking."

 

 

So you may have heard of Outlander - that tiny little show about time travel and James Fraser - but have you checked out the book spin-off series, about Lord John Grey? Well if you haven't, now is an excellent time, because if there's one person who can definitely put a smile on your face during rainy fall afternoons, it's Lord John. If he isn't accidentally landing at the siege of Quebec, then he's somehow getting himself in trouble in Jamaica. AND he has time to visit the Frasers while he's at it! I swear, this guy gets around. But Diana Gabaldon was sure on to something when he popped into existence, and I highly recommend his books.

 

In this highly-anticipated new story, Diana Gabaldon brings back one of her most compelling characters: the unforgettable Lord John Grey - soldier, gentleman, and no mean hand with a blade. Set in the heart of the eighteenth century, Lord John's world is one of mystery and menace. Diana Gabaldon brilliantly weaves together the strands of Lord John's secret and public lives. Capturing the lonely, tormented, and courageous career of a man who fights for his crown, his honor, and his own secrets, Diana Gabaldon delivers breathtaking human drama, proving once again that she can bring history to life in a way few novelists ever have.

(from Goodreads)

 

xx

*image not mine

 

The Last Wish (Booktober)

The Inheritance Cycle (Booktober)

His Dark Materials (Booktober)

The White Queen (Booktober)

The Thorn Birds (Booktober)

The Bourbon Kings (Booktober)

Cop of the Year (Booktober)

Nefertiti (Booktober)

Timeline (Booktober)

The Murder at the Vicarage (Booktober)

Persuasion (Booktober)

The Longest Ride (Booktober)

Midnight Sun (Booktober)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians (Booktober)

The Chronicles of Narnia (Booktober)

Atlantis (Booktober)

Origin (Booktober)

Quo Vadis (Booktober)

Death on the Nile (Booktober)

The Little White Horse (Booktober)

The Sign of Four (Booktober)

Harry Potter #2 (Booktober)

Troublemaker (Booktober)

The Lord of the Rings (Booktober)

Timeline (Booktober)

 

"It is especially difficult for modern people to conceive that our modern, 

scientific age might not be an improvement over the prescientific period."

 

 

 

Michael Crichton isn't USUALLY on my list of reads, although I will admit there are moments. This is one of them. I first saw the movie with Gerard Butler before discovering the book, but then fell in love with it (of course). Who doesn't want to time travel, especially these days? But going back has its own unforeseen dangers and consequences, as the team of intrepid archaeologists and explorers soon discovers. It's bad enough they fall right in the middle of an English - French pow-wow - but what will they do when it becomes clear they've been outplayed, and worse, tricked?

 

 

 

 

In an Arizona desert, a man wanders in a daze, speaking words that make no sense. Within twenty-four hours he is dead, his body swiftly cremated by his only known associates. Halfway around the world, archaeologists make a shocking discovery at a medieval site. Suddenly they are swept off to the headquarters of a secretive multinational corporation that has developed an astounding technology. Now this group is about to get a chance not to study the past but to enter it. And with history opened up to the present, the dead awakened to the living, these men and women will soon find themselves fighting for their very survival -- six hundred years ago.

(from Goodreads)

xx

*image not mine

The Murder at the Vicarage (Booktober)

Persuasion (Booktober)

The Longest Ride (Booktober)

Midnight Sun (Booktober)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians (Booktober)

The Chronicles of Narnia (Booktober)

Atlantis (Booktober)

Origin (Booktober)

Quo Vadis (Booktober)

Death on the Nile (Booktober)

The Little White Horse (Booktober)

The Sign of Four (Booktober)

Harry Potter #2 (Booktober)

Troublemaker (Booktober)

The Lord of the Rings (Booktober)

Outlander: Never My Love

"I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I? I took the one less-traveled by.

And that has made all the difference."

Hello everyone!

After roughly three months we have reached the beginning of what may be the longest Droughtlander yet, considering there's no word on when the cast and crew will be able to begin production on season 6. But never fear, we know there IS a season 6 incoming, so that should cheer us all up!

In the meantime, we have to chew our way through a rather sensitive topic for the finale itself.

Outlander has never shied away from difficult themes and handling topics and titles that would make a number of other shows balk, but the thing is, talking about it is GOOD.

It's the being quiet that hurts in the long run.

Of course I will also say that there is a certain theme of repetition to Outlander as well, and I'm kind of hoping this doesn't happen any more in the books either, because really, can we get something else, please?

Understandably, people are divided into good and bad, especially when viewed on television shows, but honestly would it be so bad to showcase some good as opposed to the bad, at that?

Never My Love, the season five finale, is up.

Tome Thursday: A Plague of Zombies

Hello everyone!

I couldn't help myself this week.

I know this story is technically a novella and, really, in comparison to what Diana Gabaldon usually writes it might be the length of one chapter from the massive books, but ...

It's Lord John.

It's ALWAYS Lord John!

This character is one of those you just want to read about for ever and ever, and with David Berry's outstanding performance in the television series, you get the added pleasure of a stunning visual on top of that, too.

Plus, it's more from the realm of Outlander, which is always a good thing, considering.

And the bonus from this entire escapade is that, precisely because the story is so short, you can read it in one sitting, you need about half an hour's peace, and the end result is that you'll giggle your way through the thirty minutes.

So let's take a look at A Plague of Zombies, shall we?

Outlander: Journeycake

"I hope I'm wrong, but ... I feel a storm coming."

Hello everyone!

We are back for the second to last time before Droughtlander begins again, because this coming Saturday is the finale of season five - and it's promising to be one explosive episode, judging by the one preceding it.

Why do I say that, you ask?

Well, read on.

If you thought that things couldn't get any more dramatic on a show that basically takes the word drama and reinvents it a thousand different times, you were most definitely wrong. And because sprinkles of the book itself found their way into the script, you can rest assured it was one big chunk to bite through.

All season long, Outlander has had this thing where it gained momentum specifically when book scenes were included in the show proper, and nowhere does it show more clearly than in episode eleven.

Not only do we get a very brief glance back to season three and Claire in Edinburgh, but we get to see Jamie eat peanut butter. Our lives are now pretty much complete, so let's check out Journeycake, shall we?

Tome Thursday: Virgins

Hello everyone!

Yes, I'm on a sort of Outlander binge, and not just with the television show.

I've been re-reading the books (although in random order since I went with The Fiery Cross, then doubled back to Outlander, and now I'm chewing through Dragonfly in Amber while contemplating starting Voyager instead) and of course the series includes the massive chonks as well as the shorter novellas, and Lord John Grey stories.

I'm telling you, people: you have not lived until you've witnessed the chaos that is Grey's life on a daily basis. I HIGHLY recommend that series.

I still have to review them all on here, and I swear I will!

Meanwhile, I sat down to a prequel yesterday.

I'd known that Diana Gabaldon had written a sort of story-before-the-story covering Jamie's time in France, or part of it at least, and I'd been dying to read it for a while now but never got the chance.

Of course we're in quarantine now, so what else is there to do but catch up?

And you're definitely catching up with Virgins.

Outlander: Mercy Shall Follow Me

"You can't make someone love you."

Hello everyone!

With only two more episodes left in the season, it's becoming clear that there will be a bunch of plotlines jammed into them, as presented on episode ten of Outlander's season five this past Sunday.

I'm not exactly complaining - the books are vast, and while a lot of stuff has to be dropped by necessity, there are things that, also by necessity, have to be snuck in.

To be clear, however, I will say that I disliked the Bonnet storyline in the books themselves.

This has absolutely nothing to do with how the show portrayed him (brilliantly, might I add, Ed Speleers is AMAZING in the role!) or how they went about with the entire thing, but mostly just that I wasn't overly fond of the whole she-bang in the novels, which means I could have done without in the show, and not really batted an eye.

So I'm actually happy with how the episode went, in terms of its conclusion! It's just that it was a 'meh' for me, as a whole, and therefore I'll freely admit to fast-forwarding through some.

Mercy Shall Follow Me kind of allows for it.

Saturday Snippet: Lord John Grey

xx

*video not mine

Outlander: Famous Last Words

"You are alive. You are whole. All is well."

Hello everyone!

This week, we are back at it in the wilderness of North Carolina, 18th century, with our favourite clan of Frasers and Mackenzies.

Starz knew what they were doing when they had a mini-break between the previous episode, The Ballad of Roger Mac, and the one that aired this weekend, because the anticipation and anxiety built and crested over the weekend we were bereft of the storyline, and I think some viewership might have even spiked.

If you recall, we were literally left hanging by the time it was all over for the Regulators and their ilk, and everyone and their mother wanted to throttle Graham McTavish's new character whenever he showed his face on screen.

You gotta love the man. He has such a talent, and adding a wig onto his bald pate was incredibly amusing given we're all so used to Dougal and the shiny orb of a head.

But I digress.

We basically all know what happened before. Now, we need to figure out what happens AFTER.

Outlander, and Famous Last Words, here we go.

Outlander: Perpetual Adoration

"Sometimes the truth really does hurt."

Hello everyone!

I hope you're staying safe, wherever you are. A lot of people still seem to believe this is some sort of time for vacation and visiting with friends you haven't had the chance to see because of work and other family matters, but, really.

It ISN'T.

It's the time to practice social distancing, washing your hands often (for 20 seconds if at all possible), using hand sanitizer when you can (as often as possible) and just keeping to yourselves so everyone can stay safe.

Please, PLEASE listen to the guidelines given by health care providers and officials! They're there for a reason, not to wave your hand at and say 'eh, I'm healthy as a horse'. It doesn't work that way. What if you just become the carrier, and pass it on to someone elderly, or someone with an autoimmune disease?

Think about it. And stay at home.

While you're there, a good way to pass the time is Outlander; if you've caught up with all the old seasons, check out the newest episode, Perpetual Adoration.

Saturday Snippet: Je Suis Prest

The King of Men

xx

*screencap belongs to me

Outlander (Booktober)

"Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ!"

If there's one thing you NEED in your October reading life - it's time travel. And good time travel at that. The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon delivers that, and so much more, from beloved characters (including but not limited to one Jamie Fraser) to a stunning television show adaptation that's proof there are still hopes out there for adaptations in general. The story of a war nurse travelling two hundred years back in time through a stone circle in Scotland, only to find the love of her life, is bound to be a timeless classic no matter how you look at it.

Add in the constant intrigue and characters like Lord John Grey, however, and you have a winner.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives ...

(from Goodreads)

xx

*image not mine

The Conqueror Series (Booktober)

The Lost Symbol (Booktober)

The Host (Booktober)

The Bridgertons (Booktober)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (Booktober)

The Infernal Devices (Booktober)

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (Booktober)

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

The Shadow of the Wind (Booktober)

Dracula (Booktober)

Life and Death (Booktober)

ACOTAR series (Booktober)

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (Booktober)

Sepulchre (Booktober)

Pride and Prejudice (Booktober)

Tempting Autumn (Booktober)

Harry Potter (Booktober)

The Hobbit (Booktober)