Favorites of 2014 - The Carole Awards!

Happy end of 2014! I can't believe the year is already over and 2015 is right around the corner. Man...time does speed past faster and faster the older you get. This year I cut out the music section, so I can have more categorizes for books and movies. Now, let us hand out these imaginary Carole Awards (since i don't really have any - man, I wish I did have an award show named after me).  

Category 1 Movies:
Favorite Female Character.........Maleficent from 'Maleficent'
Honestly, I was stuck between 2 characters for this award, but Male gets it, because I think the actress did a wonderful job at making this classic baddie into a hero who temporarily lost her way. 

Favorite Male Character..........Adam from 'Upside Down'
I really adored him because he was smart and motivated. He wanted to be rich and wanted the woman he loved. He used his wits to get what he wanted and I respected that. Plus, he was pretty cute. ;) 

Favorite Baddie..........Richard from 'The Iceman'
The movie is about Richard, but he is a baddie. A baddie who gets rid of baddies? Yes, but he still was a baddie and went to jail for it. However, I loved him and the actor who plays him.

Favorite Poster..........Belle
A lovely poster with lovely colors. It really does pop. Also, the actress who plays Belle is pretty and her eyes are so intense.

Movie of the Year...........North & South
Another tough one, I watched sooooo many good movies this year. Even though this one is a "movie on TV" type film, it was still great and it deserves this award. The acting was fantastic and the story-line had me hooked. It even gave me the motivation to re-try this book. ^.^ 

Category 2 Books:
Favorite Female Character......Jasmine from 'The Dance of Spirits' 
She was a tough girl, who would do anything to survive, but keep to her morals no matter what. 

Favorite Male Character.......Robbie from 'The Bride Prize' 
He was simply adorable and funny. I loved that he could draw so well and he was such a gentleman and fought for his woman even though it seemed hopeless. 

Favorite Baddie...........Anara from 'A Cursed Bloodline' 
OOoooooh how he angered me! However, he certainly did a number on our heroes physically and emotionally. What a good baddie.

Favorite Cover...........'Dark Amelia' by Sally O'Reilly 
I love the colors. It seems simple, but it really is gorgeous. The mix of white, read, and then the peachy/red on her lips just seem to make it pop. 

Author of the Year...........Cecy Robson
I am so excited to see what she has next up her sleeve!

Book of the Year...........'The Korean Word for Butterfly' by James Zerndt
Like always, this part is always the hardest, especially after reading so many wonderful books this year. However, I must pick this one, because I loved it so much. It was a great story with great characters. 

What do you think? What were your favorites of 2014? :) Good luck in 2015!!!!!!!!!

Book Giveaway & Free Ebook!

Sandra Schwab started writing her first novel when she was seven years old. Twenty-odd years later, telling stories is still her greatest passion, even though by now she has exchanged her pink heart-dotted fountain pen for a computer keyboard (black, no hearts). She lives in a suburb of Frankfurt on the Main, Germany, with a cat, a duck, a sewing maching, and altogether too many books.









Who is ready for a giveaway????!!!!!!!

For this giveaway the lovely Sandra Schwab (talked about above) will be giving away TWO hard copies of her new book The Bride Prize. You have two chances to win! I will be randomly picking a winner and so will Blodeudd over at her blog. Make sure to slip on over there to enter!

"It's 1839, and Lord Eglinton's tournament in Scotland is the most anticipated event of the year: he and some of his noble friends will don medieval armor and joust like knights of old.

Does this mean a revival of true chivalry? Miss Florence Marsh thinks it might.

Or is the tournament mere tomfoolery and the greatest folly of the century? Mr. Robert Beaton thinks it is."










How To Enter:
1. Post a comment below saying you want to enter.
2. Opened to everyone
3.  Enter before July 28th

Make sure to head over to Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell for a second chance at winning!


Sandra Schwab is also giving away free ebooks of the third book in the series! (They all stand well as stand alones).  

"Lawrence Pelham works as a comic artist for the magazine Allan's Miscellany. A chance meeting with a young woman dressed in mourning changes Pel's whole life, and without his even knowing, he is thrown into a world of mystery and intrigue, where nothing is as it seems to be - especially not the woman he has given his heart to.

Her whole life Sarah Browne has been told how plain she is, how nondescript, destined to become an old maid. For years she has been her family's dutiful nursing maid, but now a secret inheritance and an encounter with the charming Mr. Pelham seem to offer her a chance to break out of her life of duty and drudgery - if she dares to take it. Yet how could such an interesting, witty man be possibly interested in her boring self?

And so, Sarah soon find herself entangled in a web of lies and deceit, which might cost her the love of her life."


Kobo.com is giving away this book for free until the end of the week. Make sure to fly on over there. 

Book Review: The Bride Prize by Sandra Schwab

Author: Sandra Schwab
Title: The Bride Prize (Allan's Miscellany 1839 #1)
Genre: Historical Romance, Short Story
Pages: ebook
First Published: May 2014
Where I Got It: On my shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

"It's 1839, and Lord Eglinton's tournament in Scotland is the most anticipated event of the year: he and some of his noble friends will don medieval armor and joust like knights of old.

Does this mean a revival of true chivalry? Miss Florence Marsh thinks it might.

Or is the tournament mere tomfoolery and the greatest folly of the century? Mr. Robert Beaton thinks it is."

Like earlier stated I was given this book for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Sandra Schwab strikes again with her new series!! I am assuming all of them are short stories (like about 80 pages or so) like this one. I haven't read them yet. However, I believe they all follow a man who works for the Allan's Miscellany, which is a paper that is a little controversial, because they are writers of the people and they look down on higher society. So some people are not fans of them. LIKE Miss Florence's padre. Oh dear. 

This one was sooooooo cute. It was cute, simple, but so much fun. Even though it is a short story everything is presented wonderfully. I feel like I am there watching the rich pretending to be knights. Sandra, even in 80 pages, still manages to bring not only the world to life, but the characters as well. Sometimes in short stories the writers tend to write their characters flat and very 2D. It happens if one doesn't fine the right balance. I loved Robbie and his pal Mac. Mac is a grumpy guy, but he's adorable and I hope he is one the main men in one of the other stories (I haven't checked yet). He deserves love to make him less cynical about the world around him.

The only thing I didn't like was how easily Robbie won over Flo's dad. Flo's dad hates the paper and hates the fact that Robbie hates the higher society (since Flo and the family are pretty much higher up - lower First class). Granted, Robbie did defend himself well and make a nice passionate speech, but still Flo's dad gave in too easy for me. Yes, yes, it is a short story, so things happen quickly. 

In the end, I really liked this story. It was fun, quick, simple, and quite lovely. I loved the couple! Flo is super adorable and Robbie is drool-worthy. I prefer Mr. Grumpy (Mac), though. Hopefully Mac is in one of the stories. If one loves Historical Romance, but also doesn't mind short stories pick this one up. Out of five stars, I shall grant this one 5 stars. 

Favorite Character(s): Robbie, Flo, and Mac

Not-so Favorite Character(s): Flo's aunt.