Dive-in Review: Traitor

It’s time for another book release from L2L2, they publish amazing YA fantasy books, and today’s book is a sequel to one of their previous releases. Click here to check out my review of Common, the first book in the tales to the Mystic’s series.

About Traitor:

Princess Penelope has finally found a way to redeem her past mistakes—if only it didn’t require betraying her new fiancé. Princess Penelope has been the object of gossip and ridicule ever since she returned home in disgrace following her failed engagement to the Crown Prince of Imperia. When her father offers a new start in a country far across the sea, she has no choice but to accept.

Even if it means another betrothal, this time to a total stranger.

Penelope arrives in Delunia determined to avoid bringing further shame upon her family. But her devoted, caring fiancé makes it harder to guard her heart than she anticipated, and rumors of dark magic haunt her with memories she’d rather keep buried far beneath her pristine exterior.

When a poverty-stricken village outside the palace gates looks to her as their hope for a brighter future, Penelope embraces the opportunity to make amends for her transgressions. But in order to help, she must manipulate her new fiancé, putting her reputation on the line once more. And her heart.

Can Penelope rise above the failures of her past, or will she forever be branded a traitor?

Ready to order?

All of the purchase links can be found here (L2L2 website), as well a link to Common.
https://www.love2readlove2writepublishing.com/books/traitor/

My Dive-in Review:

Traitor, by Lauri Lucking, is the sequel to her debut novel, Common.

Having previously read and enjoyed Common made me both excited and hesitant to dive into Traitor. Traitor is about Princess Penelope, the antagonist of Common.

I really struggled to get into the story, at first. This girl was really unlikable in the first book, and I was not ready to forgive her.

But surprise, forgiveness is the whole theme of the novel. This story was an excellent example of forgiveness, how we can never do enough good on our own to earn it, it is a gift, and how sometimes the person we most need forgiveness from is ourselves.

Once you spend a couple chapters with Penelope, you will like her, I promise. She knows she did wrong, and she has to live with the consequences. But she also works really hard to redeem herself by learning from her mistakes.

What I most liked about this book was the country of Delunia. It has a very exotic / Asian feeling compared to the very European feel of the previous book’s Imperia.

One thing that struck me as odd about Common was how magic was not mentioned until suddenly it was. Traitor mentions magic from the beginning and naturally builds to its climatic moment.

Lucking also does a fantastic job of building in the twist ending. I kind of suspected that it might go that way, but I wasn’t really sure until it did. Those are the best kind of twists. Obvious, but surprising.

*I received an advanced copy of this book. A review wasn’t required, but I left one anyway, because that’s how I do things.*

About the author:

Laurie Lucking loves hoarding books, singing at the top of her lungs, playing games that
don’t involve too much strategy, and spending time with her husband and three energetic
kids. A recovering attorney, she now spends her days as a stay-at-home mom and has
discovered writing young adult romantic fantasy is way more fun than drafting contracts.
Her fairy tale–inspired stories combine the excitement of discovering new worlds with the timeless enchantment of falling in love. Find out more about Laurie and her writing
adventures at http://www.LaurieLucking.com

Social Media Links:
Website: www.laurielucking.com
Blog: www.landsuncharted.com
Amazon Author: www.amazon.com/Laurie-Lucking/e/B0796DGHX8
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/laurielucking
Instagram: www.instagram.com/laurielucking
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LaurieLucking
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/luckinglaurie
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorLaurieLucking
FB Reader’s Group: www.facebook.com/groups/faithandfairytales

Dive in Review of Common

So you remember awhile back I hosted a cover reveal for a book called Common?

Well I finally got to read it and now I’m posting a review so you can all be excited enough to go read it too.

I’m also the last stop on the book’s release tour.

Common_coverOne person knows of the plot against the royal family and cares enough to try to stop it—the servant girl they banished.

Leah spends her days scrubbing floors, polishing silver, and meekly curtsying to nobility. Nothing distinguishes her from the other commoners serving at the palace, except her red hair.

And her secret friendship with Rafe, the Crown Prince of Imperia.

But Leah’s safe, ordinary world begins to splinter. Unexpected feelings for Rafe surface just as his parents announce his betrothal to a foreign princess. Then she unearths a plot to overthrow the royal family. Her life shatters completely when the queen banishes her for treason.

Harbored by a mysterious group of nuns, Leah must secure Rafe’s safety before it’s too late. But her quest reveals a villain far more sinister than an ambitious nobleman with his eye on the throne.

Can a common maidservant summon the courage to fight for her dearest friend?

Author Bio:

Laurie-Lucking-HeadshotAn avid reader since birth (her parents claim she often kept them up late begging to hear just one more story), Laurie Lucking discovered her passion for writing after leaving her career as an attorney to become a stay-at-home mom. She writes young adult fantasy with a strong thread of romance, and her debut novel, Common, releases in 2018 from Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing. Laurie is the secretary of her local ACFW chapter and a co-founder of http://www.landsuncharted.com, a blog for fans of clean young adult speculative fiction. A Midwestern girl through and through, she currently lives in Minnesota with her husband and two young sons. Find out more about Laurie and her writing by visiting http://www.laurielucking.com.

You can find links to purchase it here:  http://www.love2readlove2writepublishing.com/books/common/

Dive in Review of Common

 Common by Laurie Lucking is a new YA fantasy novel about knowing your place and not trying to reach for things outside of you current circumstances.

I’m just kidding.

 This book is totally the opposite of that. Even though Leah is a chambermaid she has no problem bucking the system. Everything thing she does from learning to read and write, to meeting the crown prince in a broom closet, (totally clean, nothing kinky happens in the closet, I promise) is forbidden. The real kicker is that she’s so not a rebel.

Leah’s life would improve without the elitist king and queen on the throne, but she goes out of her way to try to save them from an assassin. She could just run away with the prince like he’s been begging her to do for three chapters but she believes their country needs him on the throne. (Also, not to point out the elephant in the broom closet but, he has no marketable skills to speak of.)

 Since were talking the elephant now anyway. I was really underwhelmed by the romance element. Which was fine by the way, I’m not really a romance reader. So I was pleasantly surprised when this turned out to be an espionage story. Court intrigue, secret meetings, assassins, spies and evil wizards are much more my speed.

I hope I haven’t spoiled anything, there is so much going on in this story that you really need to read it for yourself. It’s part romance, part espionage, part magical fantasy, and part spiritual warfare. Yes, read it for the warrior nuns.

*I received an advance copy of this book for review purposes and was asked for nothing but my honest opinion.*

 And so you can back track and check out all the other great stops,

I give you the Blog Tour Schedule:

Monday, February 5th, Review of Common, Pam Halter, www.pamhalter.com

Monday, February 5th, Interview with Laurie Lucking, Taylor Bennett, www.taylor–bennett.com

Tuesday, February 6th, Visual Post, Nancy Moors, www.antrimcycle.com

Tuesday, February 6th, Behind-the-Scenes Feature, Rae E, www.anewlookonbooks.com

Wednesday, February 7th, Visual Post, J.M. Hackman, www.jmhackman.com

Wednesday, February 7th, Guest Post: Author’s Journey, Kristen Stieffel, www.newauthors.wordpress.com

Thursday, February 8th, Guest Post, Laura A. Grace, www.unicornquester.com

Friday, February 9th, Interview with Laurie Lucking, Jebraun Clifford, www.quillsandinkblotts.wordpress.com/

Friday, February 9th, Review of Common, Erica Hogan, www.booksaholic.wordpress.com/

Saturday, February 10th, Top 3 Post, Laurie Lucking, www.landsuncharted.com

Sunday, February 11th, Behind-the-Scenes Feature: Laurie’s Writing Process, Liv Fisher, www.livkfisher.blogspot.com/

Sunday, February 11th, Review of Common, Jebraun Clifford, www.jebraunclifford.com/

Monday, February 12th, Character Interview, Brenda Anderson, www.inspyromance.com/

Monday, February 12th, Visual Post, Jannette Fuller, www.jannettefuller.com/blog

Tuesday, February 13th, Interview with Laurie Lucking, KaLyn Cummins, www.authorkacummins.com

Wednesday, February 14th, Release-Day Feature, Laurie Lucking, www.laurielucking.com (Release Day)

Thursday, February 15th, Facebook Party Feature, Michele Israel Harper, www.micheleisraelharper.com (Facebook Launch Party)

Friday, February 16th, Review of Common, Cathrine Bonham, You Are Here.

 

Cover Reveal: Common by Laurie Lucking

So you’ve heard the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Well it might be a don’t, but we all do it. That’s why it’s sad when you see a hardback without the book jacket or why stores rip the covers off books they can’t sell.

Because the cover is important. It’s like the window into a book’s soul. It’s your first impression, your ten second introduction to a new world.

That’s why cover reveals are important. It’s the first time you get to put a face to that story you’ve been hearing so much buzz about.

But before we put a face to it. Let’s get to know it first:

***Common, by Laurie Lucking***

One person knows of the plot against the royal family and cares enough to try to stop it—the servant girl they banished.

Leah spends her days scrubbing floors, polishing silver, and meekly curtsying to nobility. Nothing distinguishes her from the other commoners serving at the palace, except her red hair.

And her secret friendship with Rafe, the Crown Prince of Imperia.

But Leah’s safe, ordinary world begins to splinter. Unexpected feelings for Rafe surface just as his parents announce his betrothal to a foreign princess. Then she unearths a plot to overthrow the royal family. Her life shatters completely when the queen banishes her for treason.

Harbored by a mysterious group of nuns, Leah must secure Rafe’s safety before it’s too late. But her quest reveals a villain far more sinister than an ambitious nobleman with his eye on the throne.

Can a common maidservant summon the courage to fight for her dearest friend?

Author Bio:

Laurie-Lucking-HeadshotAn avid reader since birth (her parents claim she often kept them up late begging to hear just one more story), Laurie Lucking discovered her passion for writing after leaving her career as an attorney to become a stay-at-home mom. She writes young adult fantasy with a strong thread of romance, and her debut novel, Common, releases in 2018 from Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing. Laurie is the secretary of her local ACFW chapter and a co-founder of http://www.landsuncharted.com, a blog for fans of clean young adult speculative fiction. A Midwestern girl through and through, she currently lives in Minnesota with her husband and two young sons. Find out more about Laurie and her writing by visiting http://www.laurielucking.com.

***

And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Here’s the cover for Common by Laurie Lucking. (No Judging please.)

Common_cover

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