Book Review: Captured by Erica Stevens

Author: Erica Stevens
Title: Captured (The Captive #1)
Genre: Paranormal Romance and Fantasy
Pages: ebooks
Published: June 2012
I Got It: My shelf (Amazon Freebie)

Blood Slave.
Captured, taken from her beloved family and woods, Aria’s biggest fear is not the imminent death facing her, but that she will be chosen as a blood slave for a member of the ruling vampire race. No matter what becomes of her though, Aria knows that she must keep her identity hidden from the monsters imprisoning her. She has already been branded a member of the rebellion, but the vampires do not know the true depth of her involvement with it, and they must never know. Though hoping for death, Aria’s world is turned upside down when a vampire named Braith steps forward to claim her. He delays her execution, but Aria knows it’s only a matter of time before he drains her, and destroys her. Especially once she learns his true identity as a prince within the royal family; the same royal family that started the war that ultimately brought down humankind, reducing them to nothing more than servants and slaves. Aria is determined to hate the prince, determined not to give into him in anyway, but his strange kindness, and surprising gentleness astonish her. Torn between her loyalties to the rebellion, and her growing love for her greatest enemy, Aria struggles to decide between everything she has ever known, and a love she never dreamed of finding.


Look at that cover and look at that summary! It just looks and sounds SO good. I couldn't help but give this a try. 

The story follows Aria who is from a human race that id dying out since the vampires took over. She is a princess of sorts from the human tribe. Braith is a vampire prince. During a battle Aria is taken and is bought by Braith to be his blood slave, but she is hiding her identity because she knows it will be used against her father and brothers. Things happen and Aria starts having feelings for Braith *cough* Stockholm syndrome *cough* and Braith, for some reason, fell head-over-heels with her from the moment he saw her on the stage at the slave auction. 

The beginning was good. The middle....bleh. And then the ending was okay. 

I was really annoyed how much Braith cared for Aria so quickly. She is human scum and she should just want her for lust and blood reasons, but he loves her too which annoyed me. Aria, thank goodness, took some time to fall for her vamp prince even with all his kindness and stuff. 

The middle dragged on...and on....and on. I wanted to slam my head against the wall. There was just no movement with the plot. The characters just doing the same dance day after day. *yawns* Boring. 

Then something happened and I was glued to each page again. How was this going to end? 

Oii..

Cliffhanger. GAH! *shakes fist* Sighs....now I am in a dilemma. Should I read the next book? I am unsure at this point. Maybe I'll just add book 2 to my shelf and see if I get curious? So many decisions. 

So yes...this was barely okay. I enjoyed the beginning until it got boring and then the ending was okay until the cliffhanger. I recommend it if you are bored and want a decent PNR. Nothing special, but at least the plot is unique. No love triangles, so that was good. I'll give this 3 stars. 

Movie Review: Cowboy Bebop (2001)

Film Title: Cowboy Bebop The Movie
Length: 115 mins
Released: 2001
Genre: SciFi and Anime
Rating: R
Where I Got It: 


SUMMARY:
A terrorist explosion releases a deadly virus on the masses, and it's up the bounty-hunting Bebop crew to catch the cold-blooded culprit.

TRAILER:

Review:
It has been ages since I watched the movie or the show so I was eager to give this a watch when I came home and it was being put on the TV. I've enjoyed the show in my youth. I should really go back and re-watch because I can't remember much of anything. 

It was fun revisiting the characters. However, I had a hard time remembering some of the old references to the show and past events. Good thing my friend was there to remind me of the past events. 

The music is awesome and I love the art. It is classic but modern all at the same time. 

One of my favorite things about the characters, especially the main, is that they are badass but they are human and they have flaws, Sure they can kick butt but they are not crazy strong and they do get their butts handed to them once in a while. It is refreshing to see a cast of characters who are not your atypical heroes especially with the anime world. 

I also love the baddie. He is scary, but they make you feel for him just a tiny bit. Again...there are no blacks and whites in this world just grey...lots and lots of grey. 

The opening credits were weird. I get that they were zooming around the city showing the world, but it was weird. I liked the music a lot though, so it made it bearable. 

THAT ENDING! I had forgotten how crazy things got. SOOOOO GOOOOOOODDDDD!

Other then the weird beginning, I really enjoyed this movie. I forgot how good it was! If you like anime I for sure recommend this. I'll give this 5 stars. 

Book Blast: 3 Historical Novels from Helen R. Davis

Cleopatra Unconquered by Helen R. Davis

Publication Date: December 2, 2015

Savant Books & Publications LLC

eBook & Paperback; 328 Pages

Genre: Alternative Historical Fiction

The first book of three in a richly imagined ancient world where the course of history is altered by one battle. In this world, Antony and Cleopatra triumph at the Battle of Actium, and Cleopatra emerges as a queen, stateswoman, and politician. Those around her come to life as the reader returns to those days to live them with her. "The first in a series, Cleopatra Unconquered by Helen R. Davis is a treat for those fascinated by Egypt and the lost glories of antiquity. The author weaves the fruits of her careful research into a fascinating combination of both the historical fiction and fantasy genres. It gives readers a look into history as it was, as well as into what might have been." - Elena Marie Vidal, author of The Paradise Tree

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Evita...My Argentina by Helen R. Davis

Publication Date: February 10, 2017

Custom Book Publications

eBook & Paperback; 228 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction/Biographical

EVITA … My Argentina Evita Perón tells her own spectacular story. Tracing her life back to her humble beginnings, when she is abandoned by her father, Evita takes the reader on her journey to become an actress and later, to the pivotal moment when she meets Colonel Juan Perón. Never content to stay in her husband’s shadow, Evita reveals how she shares his belief that Peronism will help the working class. Eventually she begins doing work on her own as the president of the Society of Benevolence, helping the poor and winning the peoples’ trust. As the times change and women get the vote, Evita becomes even more powerful, running the Ministries of Labor and Health, starting a foundation, and organizing the first female party, The Female Peronist Party. A larger-than-life story, told in her own fictional words, the powerful novel is as educational as it is entertaining.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Most Happy by Helen R. Davis

Publication Date: July 25, 2017

Callipe Editorial

Genre: Alternative Historical Fiction

Anne Boleyn is known throughout the world as the beheaded wife of King Henry VIII, a woman for whom Henry discarded a Spanish princess and who was later discarded for the woman who gave Henry his longed-for son. Love her or hate her, it cannot be denied her romance with Henry VIII changed the course of English and European, and perhaps World History, forever. This is a novel that imagines Anne Boleyn giving Henry a son and taking the reins of power as Regent of England when Henry VIII perishes in a jousting accident. Told in the voice of the infamous Anne Boleyn, we are treated to the 16th century world that has recently become famous through programs such as The Tudors. We meet Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII, and many of the personalities of the mid-16th century albeit in an altered setting. How would this era and time, a pivotal one in Western Civilization, have changed if one of the movers and shakers of the period, Anne Boleyn, had not been struck down in her prime by the man who once adored her?

Amazon

About the Author

Helen R. Davis is an American author. Her first novel, Evita: My Argentina was previously published as Evita: My Life and republished with Custom Book Publications in Hong Kong. Her second novel, CLEOPATRA UNCONQUERED, which is the first in a series, imagines a world in which Antony and Cleopatra, rather than Augustus Caesar, are the victors of the Battle of Actium. the sequel, CLEOPATRA VICTORIOUS, will be released soon, followed by the titles CLEOPATRA MAGNIFICA and CLEOPATRA TRIUMPHANT. Her third novel, or at least, her third historical novel/alternate history, THE MOST HAPPY, will be published with Callipe Editorial, based out of Madrid Spain, on July 25th, 2017. For more information, please visit Helen Davis' website. You can also connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Book Blast Schedule

Monday, October 30 Passages to the Past
Tuesday, October 31 WS Momma Readers Nook
Wednesday, November 1 The Reading Queen Locks, Hooks and Books
Thursday, November 2 The Never-Ending Book
Friday, November 3 CelticLady's Reviews Carole Rae's Random Ramblings
Monday, November 6 Mello & June, It's a Book Thang!
Tuesday, November 7 Singing Librarian Books
Wednesday, November 8 What Is That Book About
Friday, November 10 Hopewell's Public Library of Life
Sunday, November 12 Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots
Monday, November 13 The Hungry Bookworm

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away an eBook of Cleopatra Unconquered to one lucky winner! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below. Giveaway Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on November 13th. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. – Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Best of October 2017

Hi All! 

This is just a fun little meme that Blodeuedd and I are going to try  and do once a month. Give a little shout-out and "badge" of honor to our favorite book and movie of the previous month. This month we'll share our favorites of October.

First, favorite movie:

Blodeuedd selected..............Spider-Man Homecoming 

"Another meh movie month. I will go with Spidey cos at least it kept me entertained and it was a good Spiderman movie. Funny ya know."

Now, my choice for the month is.......................The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

"I didn’t really watch a lot of movies this month because of us moving. Not a lot of free time! Next month, hopefully, will be better. I’ll give the best movie to “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. It is a classic and super scary and gross. If you love horror movies, this is a required watch. You can’t call yourself a horror fan unless you watched some of the old stuff that set the pace for future movies. Very gory, very scary and creepy. It is a 70’s movie so it was cheesy as cheese on cheese day. You have been warned ;) Even with the cheese, it is still a good watch. "

Now, favorite book:

First, here is my pick.................................From Beyond by HP Lovecraft

"I had a couple really, really good reads this month. So hard to choose! Mhmmm…I think I’ll say “From Beyond” by HP Lovecraft was the best in October. Yes, it was short, but it was soooooooo good. It was a great read especially during the Halloween season. Honestly though…you can read it whenever and it would still be good. It was so creepy and bizarre!"

Now, here is B's choice this month.................Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron

"Omg another month with best book going to an audiobook! Yes this month i was impressed with Nice dragons finish last by Rachel Aaron cos it was funny. :)"

About the Authors

Carole and Blodeuedd have been blogging a long while now. The last couple of years the epic duo have been discussing books, watching movies, and even wetting the pen and sharing their stories with the worldwide web. They both love cats, chocolate, and a good story.

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What was your favorite book of the month? Please share below!