xo, Zach, Kendall Ryan – Blog Tour

 

 

The first time we met was at a party.

 
Your ex arrived to show off the person he’d left you for last month, and you asked me to pretend to be your date.

 
I was more than happy to help. You were attractive, smart and witty–and that kiss we shared? It left me wanting you for days.

 
The second time we met was in my office on campus where we were both surprised to discover you were the new master’s degree student in poetry that I would be working with. You promised to be professional. I did no such thing.

 
The late nights and intense study sessions spent alongside you majorly throw me off my game. I want you, and I fight with myself daily over this fact.

 
I know I’m crass, that my sexual innuendos and dirty mouth annoy you, but I live for those two bright spots of color in your cheeks. If that’s the only reaction I can get out of you, I’ll gladly take it.

 
You hate Mondays so every Monday I slip an anonymous poem into your bag and your smile gets me through the week.

 
I think I’m falling for you, and I know it’s wrong. I know that I’m only supposed to be your adviser and nothing more, but here’s the thing. I think you’re falling for me too.

 
xo, Zach

 

*ARC received as a part of a blog tour. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*

First things, first. I absolutely adore this story. So very much. It’s swoony and romantic and hot and sexy as hell, all at once. It was such a pleasure to read this and I enjoyed every second of this book!
The story follows Zach & Poppy, two people who fall in love in unexpected circumstances and how they overcome their problems to stay together.

Poppy is a great lead. I adore her. She hasn’t had the easiest life and there’s stuff that she’s still dealing with in terms of money, but she’s doing her best. I like how she busts her ass off to do what she needs to do and she doesn’t whine about it. When other college students are getting drunk and partying, she’s working. But, she doesn’t complain or behave like her life is shitty or she could do so much better. She makes do with what she has and does what she has to do without complaints. I really admire that about her. Of course, the fact that she’s a poetess and absolutely loves reading are other brownie points which make me love her even more. She’s smart as hell and she’s focused, determined and driven. She’s really compassionate and sweet. She’s definitely not a pushover and she stands up for herself and doesn’t take shit from others. I think I admire that the most about her.

 
Then, there’s Zach, who’s absolutely swoony. Yes, he’s a little crude and makes no apologies about who he is, but he’s also a closeted romantic who slips love poems to Poppy every chance he gets. His poetry is really enchanting and I was left really mesmerized by how he poured his feelings in such beautiful words. He’s really passionate about his work, too. He’s been working on a novel, which I love, and he works as an advisor at a university, which is how he and Poppy start interacting regularly. He’s thoughtful and generous and is always finding new ways to show Poppy how much he adores and respects her. But, most of all, I LOVE how he’s big on consent. When his and Poppy’s sexual relationship developed, he never did a single thing without asking. He never assumed, he never went with the flow. If he wanted it, he asked for it and he respected Poppy when she said no. He didn’t try to pressure her or force her into anything she wasn’t ready for. It sent such a huge message for positive sex and consent that I just had to close the book and revel in that feeling before I could continue.

 
The secondary characters in the book are just as funny, but I think my favourite is Zach’s mom. She lacks a filter and will absolutely say everything on her mind. She doesn’t even mind discussing her son’s sex life with her supposed girlfriend in front if her son. Yeah, she’s the over sharing type. But, she is who she is and she doesn’t try to hide it or tame herself down. I love that about her. She doesn’t think she needs to hide who she is for people to like her. She loud, boisterous, foul mouthed and proud of it. I LOVE THAT.

 
Overall, this was such a great read with all these amazing characters and a beautiful plot and I loved every minute of this story. It is definitely something that I’d recommend to romance fans because it’s so good!

 

 

Amazon  | Amazon Paperback  | iBooks  | Nook  | Kobo

 

 

 

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She’s a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she’s appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.

 

Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras

 

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#DesiRepDiscussions – My Hero, Rishi Patel

Hey guys!

Over the past couple years, the #DiverseReads movement has gained momentum and people have become aware of reading books that have characters that are not just cis straight and white. After All, this world is a huge place and there are many different, diverse people here that are not straight or white. They have been poorly represented in media for a long time and that has taken its toll.

Desis are an example of such oppressed voices. We have not been represented in a good light in the western media, but, thankfully, that has changed in the last few years and with emerging authors such as Roshani Chokshi, Sandhya Menon, Tara Sim, Dhonielle Clayton, Sabaa Tahir etc, hopefully, people will see us in a better light and begin to understand our culture more.

The purpose of this discussion event is to make others aware of the lush, beautiful desi culture and to tell them more about us. So, for the next few days, my absolutely amazing friend, Aditi from A Thousand Words A Million Books and I will be sharing various essays by desi book people – bloggers, bookstagrammers, twitterati etc for you guys.

I hope that you learn something new by reading what we have in store for you here and that you enjoy it. Thank you for stopping by!

My Hero, Rishi Patel

– Pragati

My first exposure to Western Media had been back in 2010, when I was about 15. A friend of mine introduced me to the popular reading website – Wattpad. She’d been reading a story that she thought I would love and bugged me till I didn’t start reading it. She was right. I loved the story. And I was hooked. After that story, I read countless other stories on the forum. All of them beautiful and amazing. But, all of them featured white, straight, cis and able bodied characters. I didn’t read about anyone else. But, I didn’t let that deter me, I continued to read and I continued to fall in love with stories.

When I started interacting with the authors on the websites via comments and even after I became friendly with many of them, I never told them my real name. I had a stupid screen name on the website, which was really westernized. I’d turned the location settings off for the app. So, if they interacted with me, they wouldn’t know I was Indian. I used to think that it would make less somehow, if they found out. So, I didn’t tell anyone.

When I created my twitter account, a couple years back, the trend continued. I didn’t tell people I interacted with that I was an Indian or that I lived in Mumbai. I tried to steer clear of such conversations and only a few of my close friends actually knew this about me.

This continued for a long time, till I came across When Dimple Met Rishi in late 2016. I hadn’t read a book with an Indian MC before that and had only just heard about Star Touched Queen. WDMR was also the first mainstream YA romcom with desi characters that I read. And, I met Rishi Patel.

Rishi Patel, who took pride in his culture. Who didn’t think he had anything to be ashamed of because of who he was. Rishi Patel, who was unapologetically Indian and who loved being Indian. He didn’t think that there was something wrong with him because of who he was. And he definitely didn’t care about people who treated him like anything less because he was Indian.

Reading about Rishi gave me hope. It made me see myself in a different light. It made me understand that nothing was wrong with me because of who I was. It made me understand that I shouldn’t shy away from talking about myself and who I was and if people looked down upon me because of it, they didn’t deserve my time anyway.

Reading about Rishi made me understand how stupid I was being, holding myself back because of what others would think. And, it also gave me courage. If Rishi could embrace who he was and be proud of it, why couldn’t I? By all counts, Rishi & I weren’t different. I even had the advantage of still living in my own country, so I hadn’t experienced any diaspora first hand. So, if he could do it, so could I.

And, I did. I started telling people I was Indian, I changed my bio on Twitter & Instagram & I put a picture of myself for the profile photo. One book, and my life changed completely.

The effect he had on me, got me thinking. If one character could turn around how I presented myself in media, what would happen if more such characters started appearing in mainstream media? This is the reason why we need more representation in media. So that people like myself can be who they are without the fear of being secluded, of being sidelined for others.

Because, if Rishi can do it, so can we.

Connect With The Author:

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

 

#DesiRepDiscussions – Representation Matters

Hey guys!

Over the past couple years, the #DiverseReads movement has gained momentum and people have become aware of reading books that are different from cis straight white characters. Because, this world is a huge place and there are many different people here that are not straight or white. They have been poorly represented in media for a long time and that has taken its toll.

Desis are an example of such oppressed voices. We have not been represented in a good light in the western media, but, thankfully, that has changed in the last few years and with emerging authors such as Roshani Chokshi, Sandhya Menon, Tara Sim, Dhonielle Clayton, Sabaa Tahir etc, hopefully, people will see us in a better light.

The purpose of this discussion event is to make others aware of the lush, beautiful desi culture and to tell them more about us. So, for the next few days, my absolutely amazing friend, Aditi from A Thousand Words A Million Books and I will be sharing various essays by desi book people – bloggers, bookstagrammers, twitterati etc for you guys.

I hope that you learn something new by reading what we have in store for you here and that you enjoy it. Thank you for stopping by!

Representation Matters

– Aimal

Desis are one of the largest population groups in the world, with over 1.7 billion people and a diaspora that’s spread across all continents. But even then, desis are among some of the least represented groups in publishing, especially when you consider Bangladeshis and Pakistanis.

There are only a handful of desi books released in publishing every year – a number that’s, fortunately, increasing every year but still very low. Even fewer are books written by desis about desis, and those that aren’t written by desis often fall prey to stereotypes and gross conflation of the various rich subcultures within the “desi” culture into a monolithic, single dimension. It’s something I’ve noticed rather often what sort of desi stories are pushed by publishing (and movies, or anything – actually), and those are overwhelmingly what I call “oppression narratives.”

For desi teens to pick up books that promise them representation and only read how horrible their cultures are, how oppressed desis are as a product of their own cultures and countries is a concern. For example, Bollywood is a booming industry with hundreds of movies released every year, from every different genre imaginable, yet when you think about an Indian movie, what do you picture? Slumdog Millionaire, about poverty and violence. Pakistan has a huge fashion and entertainment industry with music that’s adored all over the world, but what media is hailed by the West?

Oppression narratives about terrorism and violence. These are, unfortunately, realities of desi countries – undisputedly, but they aren’t the only realities. And it’s concerning to me that mainstream publishing only likes to push narratives that tell desis of their oppression, and that focus on our “Othering,” while largely avoiding and/or not resourcing narratives that tell mainstream audiences that desis have their own identities, their own cultures, sure, but we are a diverse, large group of people who are people first and foremost.

There are, of course, exceptions. Some of the recommendations I have are Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed, and Fire Boy by Sami Shah – both very unique novels by desi writers. The first tackles what it’s like growing up desi (Indian) and Muslim in the United States, while the second is an elaborate fantasy about a Pakistani boy who finds out he’s half-jinn.

I treasure these stories with my heart and soul because they provide me with some semblance of representation that I so rarely see in any form of media. And I sincerely hope that with this new push towards diversifying publishing, desis aren’t left behind and we get more books about our lives, our experiences and our beautiful culture(s) without being told how backwards and oppressed we are.

Connect With The Author:

Twitter | CuriousCat

#DesiRepDicsussions – A Love Letter to Sandhya Menon

Hey guys!

Over the past couple years, the #DiverseReads movement has gained momentum and people have become aware of reading books that are different from cis straight white characters. Because, this world is a huge place and there are many different people here that are not straight or white. They have been poorly represented in media for a long time and that has taken its toll.

Desis are an example of such oppressed voices. We have not been represented in a good light in the western media, but, thankfully, that has changed in the last few years and with emerging authors such as Roshani Chokshi, Sandhya Menon, Tara Sim, Dhonielle Clayton, Sabaa Tahir etc, hopefully, people will see us in a better light.

The purpose of this discussion event is to make others aware of the lush, beautiful desi culture and to tell them more about us. So, for the next few days, my absolutely amazing friend, Aditi from A Thousand Words A Million Books and I will be sharing various essays by desi book people – bloggers, bookstagrammers, twitterati etc for you guys.

I hope that you learn something new by reading what we have in store for you here and that you enjoy it. Thank you for stopping by!

A Love Letter to Sandhya Menon

– Kav

Discussing diversity in media is a prominent part of my mission as a booktuber. More importantly, I want to support and promote diverse content, particularly diverse YA novels. Last year, I had the honor of beginning my journey of supporting Sandhya Menon, an unbelievably talented YA author who writes about Indian-American teens as an Indian author herself. To this day, I can still remember the moment I discovered her and how that changed my world forever.

In the first half of 2017, Menon’s first novel, When Dimple Met Rishi, was released and I had the privilege of receiving an ARC of this novel. When Dimple Met Rishi was the first novel I ever read featuring a main character of my skin color. I still have an inability to express how my world changed and the happiness this brought me.

Since the release of When Dimple Met Rishi, Menon has announced two other novels, From Twinkle, With Love (out May 22nd, 2018) and When Ashish Met Sweetie, the sequel to When Dimple Met Rishi, two more YA novels featuring Indian-American teens. Each of these novels has the potential to change yet another Indian-American teen’s life the way When Dimple Met Rishi changed my life.

By writing about characters that look like her, Menon has revolutionized the YA world in terms of its Indian representation. When Dimple Met Rishi is the first mainstream #ownvoices YA novel with an Indian-American main character. This is thanks to the endless work of so many activists in the publishing world, but is also thanks to the endless work and talent of Sandhya Menon.

South Asian representation is rarely considered in the discussion diversity, as though places like India and Pakistan do not exist and people from there do not deserve to see themselves in media. Menon has begun dismantling this ideology by being brave enough to write what she does. Everyday when she writes, she is changing the world with her work.

I implore you to support Sandhya Menon in any way you can because the desi community needs your support. Support the woman who has changed countless Indian-American teens’ lives and will continue to do so in the future.

Connect With The Author:

Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

#DesiRepDiscussions – Humanizing Desi Characters

Hey guys!

Over the past couple years, the #DiverseReads movement has gained momentum and people have become aware of reading books that are different from cis straight white characters. Because, this world is a huge place and there are many different people here that are not straight or white. They have been poorly represented in media for a long time and that has taken its toll.

Desis are an example of such oppressed voices. We have not been represented in a good light in the western media, but, thankfully, that has changed in the last few years and with emerging authors such as Roshani Chokshi, Sandhya Menon, Tara Sim, Dhonielle Clayton, Sabaa Tahir etc, hopefully, people will see us in a better light.

The purpose of this discussion event is to make others aware of the lush, beautiful desi culture and to tell them more about us. So, for the next few days, my absolutely amazing friend, Aditi from A Thousand Words A Million Books and I will be sharing various essays by desi book people – bloggers, bookstagrammers, twitterati etc for you guys.

I hope that you learn something new by reading what we have in store for you here and that you enjoy it. Thank you for stopping by!

Loving Riley, Liz Durano – Book Review

To his legions of fans, Ashe Hunter is perfect – the classically trained British actor taking Hollywood by storm with his devastating good looks and old-fashioned charm. To his American girlfriend, Riley Eames, he is the man of her dreams, a gallant Prince Charming come to life.

But to someone from his past, Ashe Hunter is the Yorkshire boy she groomed for the world stage – and now, her ticket to Hollywood fame. And she’ll do anything to get what she wants, even if it means tearing apart the image he’s built for himself ever since he left her.

 

 

*ARC received in exchange of an honest review. The thoughts are my own and in no way biased.*

Let it be said that I am a complete Liz Durano fan and LOVE HER WORK. I’ve been following her work since she was on Wattpad and I am so happy that she’s making a name for herself in the published world too, because frankly, if you’re a romance fan, you absolutely need to read Liz’s books. There’s no two ways about it.

I read the first book in this trilogy, Loving Ashe, sometime early last year and absolutely adored it. In case you need a reminder, here’s my review – Loving Ashe.

In the sequel to Loving Ashe, things have really come together for both Ashe and Riley. Ashe is making a name in Hollywood and Riley is learning to let go of her past. They’re building a life together and both of them are extremely happy in their relationship. All is good for the couple until a blast from Ash’s past threatens to destroy everything that they’ve tried to build together.

I loved that we got to see more of Ashe and his demons in this book. The first one was all about Riley and her past, but this one also included Ashe’s with hers. I liked how in the first book, Ashe seemed kind of invincible, always the pillar of support, immaculate man but in this one, we learn of his flaws and his mistakes. He really is just a normal guy, trying his best. The way that is portrayed through the story is really beautiful. I fell more in love with him as I saw him grappling through his salacious past while still trying to be the man he wants to be for Riley and his family. It makes him so much more endearing and lovable. I adore him and I admire his resilience. Such a great, great character!

I didn’t like Riley as much as I did in the first book. She still had her own past to come to terms with and suddenly being bombarded with Ashe’s was a little too much for her. I liked how she tried her best, given the circumstances and her character grew and developed throughout the story. But, she was awfully indecisive throughout the story and it made me mad that she couldn’t just make a decision and stick to it. I understood that she was dealing with a lot and she was having a hard time keeping her head over water, but it really frustrated me a whole lot.

I loved that despite everything that was going on, Ashe and Riley held on to each other ans supported the other as best as they could and finally, in the end, they come out of it all a whole stronger than before with a lot more trust and love between them.  The romance was still as swoony as the first one in this, but it had a lot more angst and lot more depth than the first one as we learnt more about Ashe.

I also loved the whole mysterious plot that went hand in hand with the drama. It was so well executed and the twists and turns were really surprising and unexpected. I won’t say much on this because I think that it is best experienced while reading the novel, but let me tell you, it is amazingly written.

Loving Riley is a great conclusion to the love story that started in Loving Ashe and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

 

 

Goodreads | Amazon | Kobo | iBooks

 

 

Bentley, Melanie Moreland – Book Review

Three young men meet in university and form a lifelong friendship.

Their pasts dictate the men they are, but their present shapes their future.

What happens when these men meet the one person they are destined to be with? Can they fight their feelings and walk away? Or will they each succumb and learn the sweet agony of love?

Bentley

The leader of the group. He is uptight, formal, and cold. Rigid and set in his ways, always following the same path. Until the day, he stumbles upon her.
Emmy.
She brings with her spontaneity and light. The world she lives in is so different from his, yet he cannot control the draw to her. Nor can he explain the way she makes him feel.
Happy.
Protective.
Loved.

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*

Bentley follows the story of Winston Bentley Ridge, a closed off uptight businessman, and how he falls in love with spitfire Emmy with demons of her own.

What I absolutely love in this book is the supportive pseudo family both the main characters have. Their best friends have become their family over the years and they’re always there for Bentley & Emmy, every step of the way, providing support and comfort. I love that. Really, I do.

Aiden & Maddox, Bentley’s best friends are typical guys who’re always giving Bentley shit about everything and they make jokes about him being whipped all the time. But, they care for Bentley a lot and it shows in their actions throughout the story. And, they really like Emmy, always trying to make her feel comfortable after Bentley starts dating her and it’s really heartwarming to see their efforts.

Cami & Dee, Emmy’s best friends are just as good. They make sure that Emmy is always looked after. Emmy has had a hard life and she doesn’t like to rely on anyone for anything, but Cami & Dee help her to the best of their abilities as and when she lets them. Dee, being elder to both of them, is the mother hen of the group and her concern for Emmy just made me like her so much.

Now, Bentley, he’s your successful businessman who has cut off from the world and doesn’t show people who he really is, apart from his two friends. His life revolves around work and he hasn’t felt in a long time. That changes when he runs into Emmy at a coffee shop and they chat for a few minutes. Emmy makes Bentley laugh, something he hasn’t done in a long time. So, of course, he wants to spend more time with her. He goes back to the coffee shop to meet her the very next day and asks her out. They start dating and slowly, Bentley opens up to her. He is so sweet and thoughtful, it really made me smile. Even though he hadn’t known Emmy for long, he wanted to make her happy, to make smile. The efforts he took to make that happen really made me like him. He was overprotective and overbearing at times, but with the situation they were in, I couldn’t really fault him for that. I loved how he encouraged Emmy to pursue her dreams and did his best to shoulder her burden without taking away her independence. It was a fine line but he managed it. Sure, they had a few disagreements with regards to the money, but he handled the situation so well, it made me love him even more.

Emmy. Now Emmy, I adore. She’s blunt and funny. She doesn’t hold back and speaks what she thinks. She’s not easily intimidated and has the ability to turn any situation funny because of her smart mouth. She’s been through so much at such a young age yet she smiles and if I don’t know her story, I wouldn’t ever be able to imagine that she had dealt with so much pain. Seriously, I’m surprised she’s not a walking endorsement for abandonment issues and that she takes chances on people and tries to trust them. I wouldn’t be able to do it if I was in her place.

The romance is sweet and adorable. The attraction between them is instant, but no one is dropping the L – bomb after two dates so that’s good. I mean, insta love is overdone and I don’t really understand it. I love how their relationship builds and how they slowly learn to trust each other and rely on each other. Also, I love how they’re always honest and open. They don’t keep secrets “to protect” each other and are upfront about everything. That really was one of the things that I loved most about this story.

Really a great read and I would totally recommend it to all romance fans out there! 😀

 

Goodreads | Amazon | Apple, Kobo & Nook

New York Times/USA Today bestselling author Melanie Moreland, lives a happy and content life in a quiet area of Ontario with her beloved husband of twenty-seven-plus years and their rescue cat Amber. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them.
While seriously addicted to coffee, and highly challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties, and also enjoys travelling, here and abroad, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip.
Melanie loves stories, especially paired with a good wine, and enjoys skydiving (free falling over a fleck of dust) extreme snowboarding (falling down stairs) and piloting her own helicopter (tripping over her own feet.) She’s learned happily ever afters, even bumpy ones, are all in how you tell the story.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormoreland/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorelandMelanie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morelandmelanie/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/b06k19
Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/aut…/show/7355350.Melanie_Moreland

#DesiRepDiscussions – Importance of Desi Rep

Hey guys!

Over the past couple years, the #DiverseReads movement has gained momentum and people have become aware of reading books that are different from cis straight white characters. Because, this world is a huge place and there are many different people here that are not straight or white. They have been poorly represented in media for a long time and that has taken its toll.

Desis are an example of such oppressed voices. We have not been represented in a good light in the western media, but, thankfully, that has changed in the last few years and with emerging authors such as Roshani Chokshi, Sandhya Menon, Tara Sim, Dhonielle Clayton, Sabaa Tahir etc, hopefully, people will see us in a better light.

The purpose of this discussion event is to make others aware of the lush, beautiful desi culture and to tell them more about us. So, for the next few days, my absolutely amazing friend, Aditi from A Thousand Words A Million Books and I will be sharing various essays by desi book people – bloggers, bookstagrammers, twitterati etc for you guys.

I hope that you learn something new by reading what we have in store for you here and that you enjoy it. Thank you for stopping by!

Blood & Sand, C. V. Wyk – Blog Tour

The action-packed tale of a 17-year-old warrior princess and a handsome gladiator who dared take on the Roman Republic―and gave rise to the legend of Spartacus…

For teens who love strong female protagonists in their fantasy and historical fiction, Blood and Sand is a stirring, yet poignant tale of two slaves who dared take on an empire by talented debut author C. V. Wyk.

Roma Victrix. The Republic of Rome is on a relentless march to create an empire―an empire built on the backs of the conquered, brought back to Rome as slaves.

Attia was once destined to rule as the queen and swordmaiden of Thrace, the greatest warrior kingdom the world had seen since Sparta. Now she is a slave, given to Xanthus, the Champion of Rome, as a sign of his master’s favor. Enslaved as a child, Xanthus is the preeminent gladiator of his generation.

Against all odds, Attia and Xanthus form a tentative bond. A bond that will spark a rebellion. A rebellion that threatens to bring the Roman Republic to its end―and gives rise to the legend of Spartacus…

*ARC received as a part of a blog tour. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*

Trigger Warning – Slavery, Sexual Assault/Abuse, Physical Abuse, Suicidal Thoughts.

I need a minute to gather my thoughts here, okay? This one was an amazing, amazing story and such a wild ride. And that ending? Gosh, that left me needing more immediately. Can we have the next book right now? Because I would very much like for that to happen.

Blood & Sand seemed to be inspired from Pompeii (the Kit Harrington movie) on a lot of fronts. Maybe it was co incidental, maybe it wasn’t but I thought of that movie more than once while I was reading this story. And not just because they have a very similar setting. Especially with regards to Xanthus, the male lead in the story.

What I loved best about the book was Attia, for sure. Her character is absolutely amazing. She’s defiant, stubborn and brave. She values honour above all and she’s the last of her kingdom who is remaining after the Romans invade. Not knowing her royal heritage (she’s the crown princess), they assume her to be just a warrior and take her as a slave to Rome where she’s bought by a merchant. He buys her as a gift for his gladiator, Xanthus, who is called the Champion of Rome – the best gladiator around. I love how doesn’t give her trust freely and doesn’t have any naive notions of the life that’s ahead of her. She’s fierce and unafraid and she isn’t scared to protect those who are dear to her even if it means fighting multiple men at once. She is a really good role model.

Xanthus made me really emotional more than once. All the guilt and pain he carries is a little too much. I’m surprised he’s able to breathe after all that he feels. He’s kind and caring – something the Romans were never to him. He’s an honourable man in every sense of the word. Not in the way Mark Anthony calls Brutus with contempt and disgust, but the honourable man Julius Caesar believed Brutus was (I’m sorry! Reading this has awoken the Caesar nerd in me). He maybe his master’s champion and he may get a few concessions, but he’s still a slave and he hates what Romans have made of him – a murderer who kills people for sport. Yet, he handles himself in front of a crowd beautifully and never lets people see the demons he carries. He’s such a good person beneath it all and it makes my heart ache that his life has been full of so much bloodshed.

The romance in this so subtle, at times I forget it’s even there. I absolutely love the slow burn though. And I love how both Attia and Xanthus cross the bridge slowly. They first learn to trust each other and then they become friends, sort of, before crossing the line into becoming a couple (even though they’re not actually a couple because the master believes she’s his concubine). But, yes, the feelings are there and they care about each other very deeply. They fall in love by the end of the book and it happens gradually over a period of time, which I adore. They learn things about each other that are hidden from the world and actually see who the other person is before they learn to love them. I love how easily they accept each other. Their relationship is really beautiful and I loved watching them grow throughout the story.

Now, the plot. It’s really, really good! Somethings were predictable and I saw them coming but I enjoyed reading them unfold just the same because they were really well written. The pacing of the story is great and I didn’t find myself wishing for it to go faster or slower. I didn’t get bored. What I love is how the author didn’t shy away from showing gore. The action/fight scenes were brilliantly written and I particularly enjoyed them. And that ending! GAH! Like I said, I need book two now!

This was a truly riveting read and you should definitely go grab it ASAP!

 

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1/7 Tour Stops

Review – Dani Reviews Things

Review  – Flyleaf Chronicles

Interview – Tween 2 Teen Book Reviews

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Interview –Library Of A Book Witch

Review – Novel Cravings

Review – Inkdin Book Blog

1/21  Tour Stops

Review – Boundless Bookaholic

Review – OMG Books And More

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Review – One Way Or Another

Excerpt- Literary Legionnaire

Review  – A Gingerly Review

Guest Post – Emily Reads Everything

 

C.V. Wyk is the author of BLOOD AND SAND, debuting from Tor Teen in winter 2018. Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Wyk now resides on the east coast along with a precocious mini poodle and demanding guinea pig.

In her not-so-spare time, she enjoys playing MMORPGs, kayaking, coding, hiking, staring listlessly at blank walls, and nursing a totally healthy coffee addiction.

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#DesiRepDiscussions – How I Hate Your Racist Joke

Hey guys!

Over the past couple years, the #DiverseReads movement has gained momentum and people have become aware of reading books that are different from cis straight white characters. Because, this world is a huge place and there are many different people here that are not straight or white. They have been poorly represented in media for a long time and that has taken its toll.

Desis are an example of such oppressed voices. We have not been represented in a good light in the western media, but, thankfully, that has changed in the last few years and with emerging authors such as Roshani Chokshi, Sandhya Menon, Tara Sim, Dhonielle Clayton, Sabaa Tahir etc, hopefully, people will see us in a better light.

The purpose of this discussion event is to make others aware of the lush, beautiful desi culture and to tell them more about us. So, for the next few days, my absolutely amazing friend, Aditi from A Thousand Words A Million Books and I will be sharing various essays by desi book people – bloggers, bookstagrammers, twitterati etc for you guys.

I hope that you learn something new by reading what we have in store for you here and that you enjoy it. Thank you for stopping by!