The Lovely Books: Retelling

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pub. Date: July 18, 2017

Genre: YA Retelling

Source: Print ARC

Rating: 3

Blurb:
Fans of Dorothy Must Die will love this reimagining of the legend of Robin Hood. Girl power rules supreme when a modern girl finds herself in the middle of a medieval mess with only her smart mouth and her Olympic-archer aim to get her home.

Ellie Hudson is the front-runner on the road to gold for the U.S. Olympic archery team. All she has to do is qualify at the trials in jolly old England. When Ellie makes some kind of crazy wrong turn in the caverns under Nottingham Castle—yes, that Nottingham—she ends up in medieval England.

Ellie doesn’t care how she got to the Middle Ages; she just wants to go home before she gets the plague. But people are suffering in Nottingham, and Ellie has the skills to make it better. What’s an ace archer to do while she’s stuck in Sherwood Forest but make like Robin Hood?

Pulled into a past life as an outlaw, Ellie feels her present fading away next to daring do-gooding and a devilishly handsome knight. Only, Ellie is on the brink of rewriting history, and when she picks up her bow and arrow, her next shot could save her past—or doom civilization’s future.

Review:

The pitch to the book had me at "reimagining of legend of Robin Hood". Pair that with a modern day heroine who time travels into the medieval ages, and you got yourself a winner. No Good Deed is at times a bit rushed but most of all it's so stinkin' fun. Especially once we meet the companions. Then it get all kinds of interesting. I'm a bit disappointed that there wasn't much romance. So if you're coming into the book looking for that, I'm warning you now, you won't find it. I get it, not all books need to be centered around love. Other than that, the book was awesome. Ellie is a great character to love and fawn over. She's an excellent archer, she's smart, and I couldn't help but adore her. Overall, the book took me away and didn't let me go until the very end. I very much look forward to whatever the author writes next.

*Thank you to the punisher for providing a copy for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

BUY HERE=> Amazon

BUY HERE=> Amazon UK

About the Author:
Kara Connolly loves history, though she's never time traveled. She lives and writes in Arlington, Texas. To learn more about Kara and her books, visit karaconnolly.wordpress.com, or follow @karaconnolly4 on Twitter and readkaraconnolly on Instagram.

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pub. Date: September 1, 2015

Genre: YA Contemporary Retelling

Source: Print ARC

Rating: 2 Stars

Goodreads- http://bit.ly/1Kgk4q5

Blurb:

In this wonderfully creative retelling of the infamous—and torrid—love affair between Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII, history collides with the present when a sizzling romance ignites in a modern-day high school.

Henry Tudor’s life has been mapped out since the day he was born: student body president, valedictorian, Harvard Law School, and a stunning political career just like his father’s. But ever since the death of his brother, the pressure for Henry to be perfect has doubled. And now he’s trapped: forbidden from pursuing a life as an artist or dating any girl who isn’t Tudor-approved.

Then Anne Boleyn crashes into his life.

Wild, brash, and outspoken, Anne is everything Henry isn’t allowed to be—or want. But soon Anne is all he can think about. His mother, his friends, and even his girlfriend warn him away, but his desire for Anne consumes him.

Henry is willing to do anything to be with her, but once they’re together, will their romance destroy them both?

Inspired by the true story of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII, Anne & Henry beautifully reimagines the intensity, love, and betrayal between one of the most infamous couples of all time.

Review:

Everybody knows the story of King Henry and Anne Boleyn. And if you don't, then I kindly suggest you go read up on it! It's so interesting that a girl, such as Anne, was able to sway a King from his beliefs. She singlehandedly changed the face of religion in England but of course we all know how that ends. It's tragic how Anne's life ended but did she deserve it? Was it coming to her?

A couple of months back I saw a new book up on goodreads that would be a retelling or a modern day story o Anne & Henry set in high school setting. I groaned in defeat when I saw that it would be months before it came out. Finally the day came that arcs we're going out so I requested one right away. The day I received an approval, I quickly dropped everything to read it. Anne & Henry starts off at a masquerade ball. Henry sees a beautiful raven haired girl across the room and he's pretty
much done for.

All he can think about is Anne. She's spunky, outspoken, and sexy. She's everything that his girlfriend Catherine isn't, including not belonging to their high class society. So why in the world does Henry feel such an attraction to this girl that doesn't even fit into his world? The ending broke me. Like literally. Even after all these weeks, my heart still hurts. I hated the book though, I loved the writing, and the author has made it into my "to watch" list. Why then do I still hate the book? Henry!

Why oh why did Anne have to be so infatuated with him?bI know exactly why he was infatuated with her. (Check out paragraph three for the reasons he can only think of her) Henry was a sissy boy who couldn't make any damn decisions for himself. I could have loved him but instead I loathed how pretentious his way of life was. Sure, one could argue that it's his family's fault but bottom line is, he's a coward. A phony.

I better stop now before I write a novel on why I dislike him so much!

Overall, this is an okay story because Anne really is a cool chick. But don't expect anything good to come out of it. We all know what happens. I'll just leave it at that. If you're looking for a book that will possibly piss you off, then this is the one for you! Don't say I didn't warn you.

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Buy Links:

Amazon- http://amzn.to/1KgkbSM

Amazon UK- http://amzn.to/1KgkcWI

About the Author:

DAWN IUS is a short-story author, novelist, screenwriter, professional editor, and communications specialist. She is the Assistant Managing Editor of the International Thriller Writers Association’s monthly magazine, THE BIG THRILL, co-founder and senior editor of Vine Leaves Literary Journal, and the author of ten educational graphic novels published by the Alberta Canola Producers Commission. When she’s not slaying fictional monsters, she’s geeking out over fairy tales, Jack Bauer, Halloween, sports cars, and all things that go bump in the night. Dawn lives in Alberta, Canada, with her husband, Jeff, and their giant English Mastiff, Roarke.

Dawn also writes paranormal young adult fiction under the last name DALTON.