Tangle of Choices - Perfect fantasy read for the beach, on a rainy day, or on a plane

This drama/fantasy centers around difficult choices and their consequences. The plot centers around a strong female protagonist, Tauria, and her husband, Prince Doron. For those who had the privilege of reading book one in this series, Neglected Merge, the story picks up in Tangle of Choices seven years later. At the start of this tale, Tauria’s marriage appears to fall into the happily-ever-after category until she makes a sacrificial offer in order to broker peace between the world she came from and the world she now calls home. The far-reaching consequences of that choice affect not just herself but everyone she cares about.

I won’t say more about the exact plot because I certainly don’t want to be a spoiler for this well-written fantasy. The worldbuilding is vivid and polished, and the characters are relatable. While Author Eve Koguce's cast of characters is extensive, they are individually distinct, motivated, and flawed behaviors that evolve from their backstory. It all works together to create a rich tapestry of fantasy culture that makes sense.

In this second book of the three-book NegligentMerge series, Tauria meets real adversity head-on as she strives to bring peace to her world. Her unselfish decision carries her into a foreboding scenario that threatens all she holds precious, including her marriage. The consequences affect her emotional, psychological, and social well-being as she gives up everything to be a responsible and thoughtful leader.

 

Review of Tangle of Choices

If I had to sum up this book in one word, I’d call it satisfying. It's a perfect read for the beach, on a rainy day, or on a plane. I enjoyed it on every level. Characters I cared about with clearly defined roles, a believable plot, plenty of drama, a well-crafted fantasy world, and a healthy dose of clean romance. Because I read book 1, it felt like I was reconnecting with friends. However, the book can stand alone without reading book one, although I highly recommend reading both. I’m happy to award this book 5 stars, and I look forward to book 3, Shifting Directions: A Fantasy Drama with Thriller Elements (Neglected Merge Book 3). I recommend this book to fans of epic fantasy adventures like The Entangled Princess: A Clean Medieval Romance (The Bitter Kingdoms series Book 1) by Shantal Sessions, or the Shadowlands King by Amy Horikami.

 

As BookHookup, I am a longtime book reviewer, and I received Tangle of Choices as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

 

About the Author Eve Koguce

Multi-award-winning author Eve Koguce has been in love with books for as long as she remembers herself. The typewriter her first attempts at writing had been made at still sits proudly on its shelf in the basement.

After fifteen years spent trying to fit into the office work pattern, Eve Koguce had decided to pursue her dreams and turned to writing.

Eve Koguce lives on the coast of the Baltic Sea with her husband, her son, and their two exceedingly charming ginger cats. She loves nature, history, and literature. Her hobby – and a childhood dream that came true – is horse riding.

Eve's debut novel “Neglected Merge” - book one in the Neglected Merge trilogy - has won three awards in the following book awards contests: (i) Silver Medal in the 2021 Global Book Awards in the Science Fiction / Fantasy category, (ii) Award Finalist in the 2021 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest in the Fantasy General category, and (iii) Honorable Mention in the 2021 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category.

You can find out more about the author on:

Blog: Eve's Book Diary: Literary journey of an office career escapee, www.evekoguce.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/eve_koguce

Twitter: @EveKoguce  

Instagram: @eve_koguce_books

Facebook: Eve Koguce Books https://www.facebook.com/evekoguce/

The Crown Plonked Queen a funny entertaining read with plenty of drama

The Crown Plonked Queen: A Humorous Fantasy Novel (The Western Lands and All That Really Matters Book 4) by Andrew Einspruch picks up where The Light Bearer (Book #3) left off. Young princess Eloise has recently returned from her journey to rescue her twin sister, Princess Joanna. She still wears the cast on her arm, her once-dark hair is white after her Purple Haze experience, and she sports a very short hairstyle after hacking her hair off when it became coated in blood. But none of those things are her real challenge--her mother's death is her number one concern. Not only did she die. She was murdered, and as heir to the throne, Eloise must fill her shoes.

As a teen queen, she must prove herself, but it doesn’t start out well. As she tries to learn the ropes, she is faced with daunting tasks on every side and it doesn’t take long for her to suspect some may be working against her, including her First Advisor Leccino Ligurian. Is he for her or not?

 

When threats on her own life become real, she surrounds herself with some of her most-trusted friends including Jerome Abernathy her lifelong chipmunk friend, her loyal guard Lorch Lacksneck, and a couple of the royal horses who traveled with her across the kingdoms when she rescued her sister. Together, they seek to get to the bottom of the truth of who killed the Queen, and as they work on it, they have to sort out who can be trusted. With all this going on, Eloise wonders about magic and its role. Did her ancestor use it? And what about the Star of Whatever? Can she tap into that someway?

 

The Crown Plonked Queen is a delightful read on more that one level. If I had to sum it up in one word, I'd say "satisfying." The story is an entertaining fantasy, filled with subtle humor, well-defined quirky characters, plenty of drama, hints of a budding romance slowly percolating, and a mystery or two to solve with a who-dun-it trail of breadcrumbs. I give The Crown Plunked Queen five stars and recommend it to people who enjoy a good story, a laugh, and believe in magic. The only thing I didn’t like about it was that it ended and I am now waiting for the next book in the series to come out. If you haven’t read the series, check it out.

* * * *

As Book Hookup, I am a long-time book reviewer and I received this book as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites. 

 

About the Author

Andrew Einspruch is the award-winning author of the humorous fantasy series The Western Lands and All That Really Matters. He's also had more than 120 children's books published, both fiction and non-fiction, that have sold around the world. Starting with the four-book "Dunkin' Dazza" series in the 1990s, Andrew's work has covered everything from basketball to DNA, biographies to histories to mysteries, outback heroes to Christmas Island red crabs, and from how the rides work at amusement parks to how the Australian Government works (perhaps the greatest mystery of all).

Andrew is the co-founder of the not-for-profit charity the Deep Peace Trust, which fosters deep peace for all species. Based in rural New South Wales, Andrew, his wife Billie, and their adult daughter Tamsin run the Trust's A Place of Peace, one of Australia's largest farm animal sanctuaries. The cows, sheep, horses, goats, dogs, cats, and geese, as well as local wildlife including kangaroos, wombats, and cockatoos, are a constant source of inspiration.

 

If you ask, he'll deny he ever programmed in COBOL for a bank.

Dark Days (The Albatar Chronicles #2) an emotionally riveting fantasy adventure

Dark Days (the Albatar Chronicles #2) by Leonie Rogers picks up with Kazari’s training as a Hunter within the Lady’s service. This time, it requires her to travel throughout Albatar and broadens her scope of the world, introduces her to politics, and strengthens her skills as a Hunter and her understanding of the gorgone danger. The threat is real and worse than anyone realized. The incursion has crept into the heart of Albatar, and for Kaz, it becomes personal when she and her fellow hunters stop by to visit family and friends while gathering intel. She still struggles to face her lingering fears from battling “the changed” and the Greater Gorgone of book 1, Amethyst Pledge, while reliving the horrors through nightmares that rob her of a good night’s sleep.

Dark Days is an emotionally riveting story packed with adventure, action, and characters you can relate to. I didn’t want to put it down. In fact, I confess there were times I read instead of doing other things that required my attention. The author does a great job of bringing the story to conclusion while leaving it wide open for the next book in The Albatar Chronicles series. I count Leonie Rogers among my favorite authors and look forward to book three. I give this book 5 bright shiny stars and would give it more if the ranking went higher. I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy, stories of good vs. evil. The only caution I offer is for young readers who might be afraid of demonic-like creatures because Albatar has many.

 

As Book Hookup, I am a long-time book reviewer and I received this book as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.