Series: Beholder

REVIEW + GIVEAWAY – Cradled (Beholder #4.5) by Christina Bauer

REVIEW + GIVEAWAY - Cradled (Beholder #4.5) by Christina Bauer

I absolutely loved this follow up novella to a series I adore! So check out my 4 Star Review below and enter a fabulous giveaway! Enjoy!

REVIEW + GIVEAWAY – Cradled (Beholder #4.5) by Christina BauerCradled (Beholder #4.5)
by Christina Bauer
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Finally, Elea and Rowan are settling in to their new lives. Trouble is, Rowan is spending a lot of time cleaning up messes from his childhood. And considering the nightmare that was his mother, those are some ugly messes indeed. In fact, the experience is enough to make Rowan vow that he never wants children of his own.

Oops.

Review:

Cradled was the perfect follow up to see what all of our favorite characters were up to!  It was tons of fun, filled with adventure, we got to spend lots of time with all the characters we loved and we even got a visit from another couple from the author’s Angelbound Origin Series.  Although there were some huge spoilers where they were concerned, so be careful if you haven’t read that series yet. But regardless, the epilogue junkie in me absolutely loved this book!

“No matter what happens,” said Rowan. “Know this. I love you with all that I am.” I met his gaze again. Nothing but true respect and love shone in Rowan’s green eyes. “Everything else, we’ll work it out. Together.”

My favorite thing about this book was catching up with all of those that I loved.  Yes I adored where the story went, but seeing my favorites?! Priceless! I loved that Rowan was sexy and protective as ever.  Little Jericho was still absolutely adorable. And I have no clue if this is a possibility, but I would love to see him in the future, grown up, with his own series.  Jericho was that charismatic, I could easily read more about him. And Elea warmed my heart and I loved watching her work through her HEA. So when I reached the end of the book, I loved that there was an epilogue that jumped a year in advance!  So if you’re a fan of the Beholder Series, you should definitely pick up this book!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by Monster House Books, LLC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Goodreads / Amazon / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

 

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)

Cursed #1
Review:

Jen

Concealed #2
Reviews:

Jen

Cherished #3
Review:
Jen


Crowned #4
Review:
Jen

Cradled #4.5
Review:
Jen

 

About Christina Bauer:

Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too.

Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.

Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/CBupdates

Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn / Website

 

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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REVIEW + GIVEAWAY – Crowned (Beholder #4) by Christina Bauer

REVIEW + GIVEAWAY - Crowned (Beholder #4) by Christina Bauer

I’m so excited to be on the Crowned Blog Tour! This series was a ton of fun! Check out my 4 Star Review below and enter a fabulous giveaway. Enjoy!

REVIEW + GIVEAWAY – Crowned (Beholder #4) by Christina BauerCrowned (Beholder #4)
by Christina Bauer
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

At last, Elea has found the love of her life. Unfortunately, the evil Tsar Viktor is about to unleash an army of twisted mages bent on killing everyone Elea cares about… including the man who’s stolen her heart.

So what’s a powerful witch to do? Why, fight back, of course!

Elea goes on a mission to find the Sword of Theodora, the only weapon that can destroy Viktor. That’s challenge enough, but on the eve of battle, Elea realizes that her true enemies may be far more powerful than even Viktor: The deities Oni and Yuri could be out to destroy her as well. With major battles brewing on two fronts, Elea’s not sure that she’ll win, but with true love to inspire her, she’s certainly ready to fight.

Review:

Crowned was a fabulous conclusion to the Beholder Series!  Here are some of my favorite reasons why I absolutely adored this series –

A story filled with action and intrigue –

Perhaps this would be the time my law-breaking tendencies caught up with me.

I loved how much action was found in the pages.  And even during the slower moments, there was still so much going on.  It made the books fly by quickly and I always felt as though I had to know what was going to happen next for Elea and Rowan. But behind everything was a story that was rich, full and came to life.  It was definitely a ton of fun!

A strong love story –

In the process, I might lose my heart, but too many people were relying on me across numerous worlds. I couldn’t fail them now.

At the heart of this, was a beautiful love story between Elea and Rowan.  Their strength, love and devotion to one another was breathtaking.  And I loved how they started out as just two people trying to work towards the same goal.  To take down an evil tyrant.  And through their trials and tribulations a beautiful friendship was formed.  And that friendship turned into something more.  Aw, I loved watching how their relationship progressed throughout this series.

Side characters that meant the world to me –

I closed in on the glowing orange gateway with one thought on my mind: this simply had to work. For all of us.

Nan, Ada, Amelia, Jicho and so many others played such important roles in these book.  Every single character, no matter how big or small their part, stood strong by themselves and were so multi-faceted.  I found myself caring for so many of them.  But in this final book, I loved what a huge role Jicho played.  He was so adorable and I always loved his antics!

I didn’t have any plan yet, but I knew I wasn’t going to simply bow down to this death. “I refuse.”

The Beholder Series was filled with a strong heroine, a book boyfriend that I desperately loved, and a story that had me flying through the pages.  I’m so glad I binge read this series!  The only thing I could have wished for would have been an epilogue.  Maybe there will be a follow-up Novella?  *begs…please, please, pleeeeaaaaseeeee* lol  Oh I can wish!  I just can’t ever get enough of Elea and Rowan and I’d love a look into their future,  especially because of how this book played out and their time together.  But regardless of my wishes, I’m definitely looking forward to all of Christina Bauer’s future books!

**ARC kindly provided by Monster House Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)

Cursed #1
Review:

Jen

Concealed #2
Reviews:

Jen

Cherished #3
Review:
Jen


Crowned #4
Review:
Jen

Cradled #4.5
Review:
Jen

 

About Christina Bauer:

Christina Bauer knows how to tell stories about kick-ass women. In her best selling Angelbound series, the heroine is a part-demon girl who loves to fight in Purgatory’s Arena and falls in love with a part-angel prince. This young adult best seller has driven more than 500,000 ebook downloads and 9,000 reviews on Goodreads and retailers.

Bauer has also told the story of the Women’s March on Washington by leading PR efforts for the Massachusetts Chapter. Her pre-event press release—the only one sent out on a major wire service—resulted in more than 19,000 global impressions and redistribution by over 350 different media entities including the Associated Press.

Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.

Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn

 

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

BOOK REVIEW – Cherished (Beholder #3) by Christina Bauer

BOOK REVIEW – Cherished (Beholder #3) by Christina BauerCherished (Beholder #3)
by Christina Bauer
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

For Elea, there’s never been a better time to turn away from witch life. The Tsar is in exile. The Vicomte is dead. And Rowan? Falling for him only broke her heart. Instead of casting spells, Elea spends her days running Braddock Farm and enjoying the flirtations of the very handsome and non-magical Philippe. Everything is going perfectly, except for one problem.

Someone’s trying to kill her.

Shujaa is a Changed One, a Creation Caster mage whose mutated form makes him invincible in battle. Now that the Tsar and Vicomte are gone, Shujaa wants to rise and rule. To do so, he must eliminate all those powerful enough to oppose him, and Elea is top on his list. Anyone who offers her aid quickly ends up dead.

In the end, there’s only one person who can keep Elea safe while helping her defeat Shujaa: Rowan. Like it or not, Elea must team up with her old love. With Philippe along for the ride, Elea plans to team with Rowan without losing her heart this time. But that’s when all her plans fall apart…

Review:

Cherished was action packed and a ton of fun.  I know I’ve said it before, but this series is so easy to devour.  It’s filled with magic, fabulous characters and a plot that keeps me entertained.  I absolutely adore the Beholder Series!  This time around I was ecstatic to see that the puzzle pieces were falling into place and so many of my questions were finally getting answered.  So here are some of my favorite things about the third book in this series –

Redemption

“Would it change anything to say I can explain?”
“Some lines can’t be uncrossed.”
“But my culture isn’t yours. When we exchanged mating bands, you saw my soul. Am I capable of such terrible deceit as to become betrothed to another?”
“Souls are tricky things. I once thought my friend Tristan was incapable of deceit.”
“I’m not him.”

This book toyed with my emotions in the best of ways.  I’m more than impressed!  You see, I started getting frustrated that so many of the characters spoke in riddles, didn’t tell Elea what was going on and seemed to know what was best for her.  I was about ready to throttle quite a few of them.  And Rowan was sadly even in that group.  But looking back, oh how Rowan deserved more of my faith in him!  Because we finally started to learn truths.  And it wasn’t just an oh okay that makes sense kinda thing.  It was an oh my gosh, I definitely get it and all is forgiven kinda thing.   So have faith, because that was the one of the best explanations I have ever read!

Heartfelt characters –

My mind became a blank as I strode toward Rowan. Curse the gods, the man was smirking.
How I hated him.
Definitely.
Possibly.

Whether it was Elea, who was a heroine that was fierce and deserved my respect.  Or Rowan who melted my heart and made me want to steal him out of this book.  To even new characters we meet, like Jicho, who were absolutely adorable.  There was something heartfelt about each and every one of them.  But my favorite moments, with all of these characters, was when Elea and Rowan were together.  Their chemistry was captivating and I loved being caught in their seductive spell.

That ending

He paused by the edge of the bed. “I’m not going anywhere, Elea. You’re my heart and my future. I won’t ever give you up. I love you.”

That ending was everything I was desperately hoping for in the last two books.  It was beyond wonderful, beautiful, and heart warming.  It left me ecstatic to see how the final book will play out.  And the best part was that I was finally given the hope that I desperately needed.

Now I’m off to read the final book, I can’t wait!

PS Again there were typos in this book but I’m emailing them to the author so they can get fixed.

*Book was kindly provided by Christina Bauer in exchange for an honest review*

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)

Cursed #1
Review:

Jen

Concealed #2
Reviews:

Jen

Cherished #3
Review:
Jen


Crowned #4
Review:
Jen

Cradled #4.5
Review:
Jen

BOOK REVIEW – Concealed (Beholder #2) by Christina Bauer

BOOK REVIEW – Concealed (Beholder #2) by Christina BauerConcealed (Beholder #2)
by Christina Bauer
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

As a Grand Mistress Necromancer, Elea’s a witch who commands the ultimate power over spirit and bone. It’s magic that she’ll need in order to stop the Vicomte Gaspard from killing her Sisters by draining their magic along with their life force.

To find and free her fellow witches, Elea must venture into some of the most dangerous places in the realm. What starts off as a rescue quest could easily turn into a suicide mission. And with the handsome warlock Rowan along to help, Elea may be risking more than her life. Her growing feelings for Rowan might put her heart on the line, too.

Review:

*Spoilers for Cursed #1, reading order at bottom of review*

Concealed was a solid second installment to the Beholder Series and was filled to the brim with magic, friendship, romance and betrayal.  And I loved that it was such an easy book to devour and read.  But you know what wasn’t easy?  The betrayal.  It was a bitter pill to swallow and don’t say I didn’t warn you. But besides that heart damaging fallout, I swear I’m not being overly dramatic lol, Concealed was a ton of fun and I can’t wait to see how this series will continue to go.

“Band of Eight? I only ran across five of them.”
Rowan’s smile broadened. “I might have helped a bit. Someone has to keep an eye on you.”
A warm feeling spread through my chest.
Rowan watches over me. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“I know.”

Three months have passed since the end of Cursed, and Elea still hasn’t found her Sisters.  They were taken by the Victome, and while he didn’t seem much of a threat, with the Tsar gone he has become a man obsessed with power.  Elea is in a race to find her Sisters, before they are next in line to die at the hands of the Victome.  On her mission to find her Sisters, she comes into the path of Lady Amelia Masson, who is one of Victome’s adopted children.  With Amelia quick to join Elea’s aid, they have adventure, heartache and much more than either of them ever could have imagined in their future.

Amelia gripped my hands again. “Do you think we can really do this?”
“Absolutely.” I was pleased that my voice didn’t waver.
Amelia nodded slowly. “I believe you.”

When we first met Amelia, I wasn’t too sure about her.  To put it mildly, the girl was rather quirky.  You’ll see what I mean!  But after spending time with her, I definitely warmed up and came to adore Amelia.  And the same thing happened with her brother, Philippe.  He was a total player, but his love for his sister and his aid to Elea quickly won me over too.  The three of them together made the most interesting team!  I loved that they built their friendship on a mutual goal, and over time their trust and friendship with one another grew.

I can’t afford to feel more for you than I already do.”
Rowan’s eyes took on that intense look I knew so well. A muscle worked in his jaw for a long moment. “I understand. We both have work to do.”
I exhaled. “I’m glad you can accept the truth.”
“I didn’t say that.” He scooped up the ropes and offered them to me. “This isn’t over.”

But what I loved watching grow the most was Elea and Rowan.  Rowan was there for Elea, time and again.  Not only was he there to physically help her out, but emotionally too.  And if that wasn’t enough for me to fall that much harder him, I loved that he let Elea know how much she meant to him.  His actions, words and loyalty to Elea made my heart oh so happy.  Rowan was still fierce and protective to Elea but his charming and seductive side shined through hard.  Especially when they were kissing.  Sigh, their kisses were electrifying.  It was impossible not to absolutely love everything there was about Rowan.

I wound my arms around his neck and pressed my cheek against his firm chest. “Thank you.”
“I’ll always come for you, Elea.” He gently kissed my cheek.

And I was so happy that Elea had Rowan in her life, because the girl never seemed to get a break from all that she was up against.  And that was definitely evident when she was slapped in the face with betrayal.  Again.  Now here’s the thing.  I saw this betrayal coming back in the first book.  The clues were definitely there and they were scattered throughout this book too.  I hoped that I had guessed wrong, but sadly I didn’t. *cries*  Lies, betrayal and deceit stung my heart, just as hard as it did to Elea.  And I’m just standing here hoping that we get all of our whys answered in the next book because that ending was brutal.  I’m not okay with what unfolded and I’m definitely going to need a very solid explanation as to why some things were done.  So I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there’s a lot more hope to be found in the next book.  Elea most definitely deserves it!  Now I’m off to start the next!

PS Again there were typos in this book but I’m emailing them to the author so they can get fixed.

*Book was kindly provided by Christina Bauer in exchange for an honest review*

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)

Cursed #1
Review:

Jen

Concealed #2
Reviews:

Jen

Cherished #3
Review:
Jen


Crowned #4
Review:
Jen

Cradled #4.5
Review:
Jen

BOOK REVIEW – Cursed (Beholder #1) by Christina Bauer

BOOK REVIEW – Cursed (Beholder #1) by Christina BauerCursed (Beholder #1)
by Christina Bauer
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Most days, Elea couldn’t care less about being a witch, even if she does have special powers over spirit and bone. Why bother with incantations when you’re a farm girl? Elea only uses her Necromancer magic to speed up chores and scare off suitors.

Everything changes when the evil Necromancer Tsar curses Elea. Now, she only has five years left before she burns as a ghost, tortured for all eternity. They say there’s nothing she can do, but Elea disagrees. Embracing her Necromancer ability, Elea trains as a magical assassin. Her goal? Kill the Tsar before his curse kills her. After years of preparation, Elea’s finally ready to strike.

That’s when everything goes horribly wrong.

A handsome warlock named Rowan steps up to help. Elea wants him as an ally, but she can’t ignore the mixed-up feelings that come with every one of Rowan’s crooked smiles. An assassination mission is no time to fall in love, but Elea’s heart may have other ideas…

Review:

After I had so much fun devouring Christina Bauer’s Wolves and Roses, I knew I had to try her other series.  I thought Cursed would have a similar vibe and be filled with tons of fun and snark.  But once I read the first few chapters, I realized that these two series were worlds apart.  While Cursed was an adventure that was filled with magic and heartfelt characters, it was impossible not to notice the darkness that permeated throughout certain parts of the story.  This was an entirely different type of fun, and I’m so glad I gave Cursed a try.

After so many years of hard work, the time had finally come. I would either defeat the Tsar… Or suffer forever in fire.

Elea watched her one true friend die a horrific death.  He was cursed by the Tsar, and not only would he continually burn to death for all of eternity, but she would die from the same curse in five years.  To destroy the curse, and set her and her friend Tristan free, she must kill the Tsar.  By the second chapter we jumped ahead five years where Elea had completed her training to become a Grand Mistress Necromancer. With only one week left to live, she was ready to find and take down her target, the Tsar.

Right now, my mission hinged on Rowan’s trust in me.
And mine in him.

I absolutely loved Elea!  She definitely didn’t have an easy path in front of her, but she was tough and resilient.  She always tried her hardest, no matter how dire her circumstances were.  And I loved that she thought things out and tried to make the best decisions.  She was someone I would want next to me in a battle!  Thankfully luck seemed to be on her side when a man named Rowan came into the picture.  He was a Caster who wanted to get rid of the Tsar too.

“I suppose I was worried.”
“You’re over six feet tall and large as a barn. Plus, you can cast spells that affect me, so you’re strong in magick as well. I can’t imagine what you’d have to worry about.”
“I wasn’t worried for myself, Elea.”
The impact of his words seeped in. He was worried about me. – Alea and Rowan

I still have a lot to learn about Rowan, but the little that I do know, I love!  He was brave, loyal, fierce and I saw so much good in him.  I couldn’t help but notice that Rowan and Elea had a lot of similar traits and would make a fabulous couple *smiles hugely*.  While there was definitely chemistry between them, Elea was set on her goal and tried her hardest not to succumb to his charm.  But I have tons of hope that that will change in the future.  They were too magnetic around each other for it not to go anywhere!

The sun dipped so low behind the church, it almost touched the horizon.
Panic chilled me to the core. The curse was happening.
The fires awaited me, and there was nothing I could do.

As Alea and Rowan worked together, a lot of action came their way.  But there were also slower moments, friendships developed, and clues were discovered about what was truly happening.  There was also a twist that made me feel awful for Alea, she was definitely put through the ringer!  So by the end of the book I felt like there was a little bit of everything to be found in Cursed.  And that ending left me excited to see where the rest of the series will take me!  So if you enjoy books about magick, with strong heroines, then definitely check this book out!

PS There were some typos in this book.  But I emailed the errors to the author and they are to be fixed. 🙂

*Book was kindly provided by Christina Bauer in exchange for an honest review*

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)

Cursed #1
Review:

Jen

Concealed #2
Reviews:

Jen

Cherished #3
Review:
Jen


Crowned #4
Review:
Jen

Cradled #4.5
Review:
Jen

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