For the last three weeks I’ve fought a sinus infection. Yep, even through Thanksgiving I was sick. However, on Thursday, things got worse and I spent the day in bed and the rest of the weekend in my recliner slowly trying to coax my tummy to eat. Once my brain came back to life on Friday, that left a ton of hours free for reading. So, I thought I’d share with you some of the great books I’ve read recently. It may give you some great Christmas gift ideas for that booklover on your shopping list.

Dragon Airways by Brian Rathbone:

I first heard about Dragon Airways from Brian Rathbone’s Facebook page and immediately thought it was an addition to the Godsland series. Although, I was excited for it, I knew I had to finish the series before I could enjoy the book. However, when Dragon Airways went on sale a while back, Brian replied to one of my comments letting me know it is a stand alone. I eagerly picked it up.

From the first page, it held my attention. Emmet and Riette pulled at my heartstrings. The brother and sister care deeply for each other and are thrust into the middle of a Zjhon war. Their options of escape soon are narrowed down to a decrepit dragon and her groom and rider. Soon the reader is pulled into the intrigue of who is really the bad guy and how will Emmet and Riette stay ahead of the Zjhon. With fast-paced action, and wonderful character development, Dragon Airways is the perfect coming of age story for anyone ages twelve and up, or to be read outloud to any age. It will bring tears to the tender-hearted.

 

 

Keeper by S Smith:

Keeper is book 4 of the Seed Saver series that I have discussed before. The story picks up with Lily and Arturo as they’ve found refuge in the rural, Carolina mountains. When the authorities discover the bike they used to arrive at the village, it puts a kink in their plans for leaving. Meanwhile, Clare and Dante are finishing their courses of the Garden Guardians in Canada. Upon graduation their host parents tell them they won’t return to their own home. Rose is sent to a foster home where Trinia has her eye on the girl. FRND classes takes up Rose’s time and fill her mind with propaganda from GRIM. When they all meet again, the survival of the Seed Savers is put in jeopardy.

This is a great read for anyone who loves the series, loves gardening and real food, and loves adventure. The fast-paced book is appropriate for ages twelve and older.

 

 

 

The Chronicle of the Three: Bloodline by Tabitha Caplinger

I had to look through my book list and my blog posts to see which books I had read and hadn’t already shared with you. To my surprise I discovered I haven’t mentioned this book, at least not in my blog.

About four years ago, my now nineteen-year-old son and I traveled 50 minutes one way to school every day. We listened to a ton of books. One of those was The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. I enjoyed the idea of the plot line but several times we fast-forwarded love scenes. It opened up discussions between us on ethics and purity, but at the same time, I wondered what it would be like if there was a book with similar plot that would have been clean.

In the last several months, I discovered there is such a book. The Chronicle of the Three: Bloodline has all the intrigue, action, dueling, and romance that The Mortal Instruments had minus the swearing and sex! I was so excited that I read through the book and eagerly looked forward to book two. This week the advanced reader copy of book two, The Chronicle of the Three: Armor Bearer arrived in my inbox. If I had one more day of being sick and in bed, this would have come out. As it is, I’ll pull it out at lunch tomorrow.

 

Fellowship of Fantasy Perma-Free Titles:

One last collection for your gift-giving selection are a list of perma-free, clean fantasy books. Fellowship of Fantasy hosted a Facebook party this weekend highlighting books that will cost you nothing! That’s right. These are the best kind for your budget. They are all flinch-free fantasy. Check out the link to see the list.

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Do you have favorite books for gift-giving? If so, please let me know.