Dual Review * Giveaway
Midnight MasqueradeStavos Voronin was not as blind-eyed as many nobles and royals. Evony’s physical gestures—even the simplest movement of her hands—revealed that she had not always been destitute. The same was true of the children—of their polished manners and the boy’s knowledge of horses and tendency to be bold and fearless of strangers. Ah yes, Stavos enjoyed a good mystery. After all, interest in the inexplicable circumstances surrounding the royals of Abawyth was the very thing that had lured him to the kingdom—the enigma of Abawyth’s twelve sleepy princesses. And yet now—now his mind was all the more intrigued. Not only was the obscurity of what had caused the profound and baffling torpidity of Abawyth’s princesses laid out before him, but also he found his curiosity intensely piqued over the riddle surrounding the very lovely Evony and her siblings. As Stavos strode through the village resting on the outskirts of Abawyth Castle, his mind reeled with possibilities. His musings were drawn back to why he had come to Abawyth at all—to solve the conundrum surrounding the twelve beautiful princesses of Abawyth kingdom—to solve the seemingly impenetrable crux and thereby win the hand of one of Abawyth’s princesses, as his father, King Letholdus of Ethiarien, had commanded.
Tarah's Review:
I'm a cover snob. You know the old adage, "You can't judge a book by it's cover?" I totally do. I fully admit this...maybe not proudly, but I will own up to it. That being said, isn't the cover for Midnight Masquerade beautiful? I would totally pick that up in the library and see what it's about. And another bonus is that it's a retelling of a fairy tale! I love fairy tales!
I've been going back and forth about whether I would recommend this book or not. Here's the thing, I wouldn't recommend it to my daughter. Okay, that isn't a fair comparison, she's 8. How about this, I wouldn't recommend it to my teenage nieces. I wouldn't recommend it to them for two reasons. The first is that while I suppose it's a clean book (nothing happens sexually) the kissing scenes are, well, racy. That is all that happens though. They kiss. Lots of description about kissing, but there you go. And second, while it wouldn't keep me from recommending if not for the first reason, it's rather wordy in places and I found myself thinking, "Let's move along."
On the plus side, besides the beautiful cover, I liked it. Like I said earlier, I'm a sucker for fairy tales, and the way McClure retells the story of The Twelve Dancing Princesses is rather ingenious. The girls' reasons for dancing are good reasons, and Evony's love for her family is touching. Stavos, the prince, is everything a prince should be. And randomly, I liked the story even more after reading the authors note at the end. That was really entertaining, and touching.
Andrea's Review:
I have long been a fan of the story of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I'm not really sure what intrigues me about it (not being a dancer or sneaky), but it's a fun story that I've enjoyed several versions of.
Midnight Masquerade is the first book I've read by Marcia Lynn McClure. I thought her version of this classic fairy tale was quite intriguing. The eCopy I read had a few typos and could have used some editing in some parts that were quite verbose, but on the whole it was enjoyable.
I wouldn't call it clean due to the several intensely passionate kissing scenes. But, if you consider a book clean if it doesn't have sex, then this should meet your requirements.
The main characters were very well done. I enjoy characters that don't really fit the stereotype for their time and station in life, and Evony was just such a character. Stavos was great in many ways. A few times I was a little . . . shocked, I guess, at his actions. They seemed quite forward for the time period, but he was a good hero. He and Evony were a great team at solving the mystery and righting things in the kingdom.
I'm a cover snob. You know the old adage, "You can't judge a book by it's cover?" I totally do. I fully admit this...maybe not proudly, but I will own up to it. That being said, isn't the cover for Midnight Masquerade beautiful? I would totally pick that up in the library and see what it's about. And another bonus is that it's a retelling of a fairy tale! I love fairy tales!
I've been going back and forth about whether I would recommend this book or not. Here's the thing, I wouldn't recommend it to my daughter. Okay, that isn't a fair comparison, she's 8. How about this, I wouldn't recommend it to my teenage nieces. I wouldn't recommend it to them for two reasons. The first is that while I suppose it's a clean book (nothing happens sexually) the kissing scenes are, well, racy. That is all that happens though. They kiss. Lots of description about kissing, but there you go. And second, while it wouldn't keep me from recommending if not for the first reason, it's rather wordy in places and I found myself thinking, "Let's move along."
On the plus side, besides the beautiful cover, I liked it. Like I said earlier, I'm a sucker for fairy tales, and the way McClure retells the story of The Twelve Dancing Princesses is rather ingenious. The girls' reasons for dancing are good reasons, and Evony's love for her family is touching. Stavos, the prince, is everything a prince should be. And randomly, I liked the story even more after reading the authors note at the end. That was really entertaining, and touching.
Andrea's Review:
I have long been a fan of the story of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I'm not really sure what intrigues me about it (not being a dancer or sneaky), but it's a fun story that I've enjoyed several versions of.
Midnight Masquerade is the first book I've read by Marcia Lynn McClure. I thought her version of this classic fairy tale was quite intriguing. The eCopy I read had a few typos and could have used some editing in some parts that were quite verbose, but on the whole it was enjoyable.
I wouldn't call it clean due to the several intensely passionate kissing scenes. But, if you consider a book clean if it doesn't have sex, then this should meet your requirements.
The main characters were very well done. I enjoy characters that don't really fit the stereotype for their time and station in life, and Evony was just such a character. Stavos was great in many ways. A few times I was a little . . . shocked, I guess, at his actions. They seemed quite forward for the time period, but he was a good hero. He and Evony were a great team at solving the mystery and righting things in the kingdom.
About the Author:
Marcia Lynn McClure’s intoxicating succession of novels, novellas, and e-books, has established her as one of the most favored and engaging authors of true romance. Her unprecedented forte in weaving captivating stories of western, medieval, regency, and contemporary amour void of brusque intimacy has earned her the title “The Queen of Kissing.”
Marcia, who was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has spent her life intrigued with people, history, love, and romance. A wife, mother, grandmother, family historian, poet, and author, Marcia Lynn McClure spins her tales of splendor for the sake of offering respite through the beauty, mirth, and delight of a worthwhile and wonderful story.Blog Tour Giveaway:
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 9/17/13
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