Leah RooperReseñas

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for allowing me to read and review this cute debut novel by Leah and Kate Rooper. This completely brought me back to seeing Mulan when I was younger and watching her take on all those boys while in disguise!

Alice Bell lives and breathes hockey, and tries out for an elite team with her hair stuffed up in her helmet. When she makes the team, and the coach kicks her off in favor of her twin brother the moment he discovers she's really a girl, she's naturally steamed. Fortunately for Alice, circumstances work out where Xander, her twin, needs her to take his place for a bit.

I love the natural relationships Kate and Leah Rooper create between family members and the way they work out family conflict in a realistic way. Hayden, Alice's friend and eventual crush, doesn't open up to people easily, distances himself from those who love him rather than trying to work things out, and is generally a hothead. And Alice isn't perfect. She's very realistically written. Not always clued in to emotional nuance. Better at slapping things around with a hockey stick than asking her brother to talk.

Of course the big question is what happens when everyone discovers Alice is a girl? and it was fun seeing that play out. This is an awesome book for hockey enthusiasts!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. This is a voluntary review; all opinions are my own and not influenced by my source.**

I just couldn't resist that premise: a regular boy pretending to be a prince falls in love with the queen...adorable!

I'll start by saying that I think that because I hadn't read the previous books in the series, I was at a slight disadvantage when it came to the characters. Yes, you can definitely read this as a standalone and not be completely lost. But in the same breath, I think I could have really benefited from reading the other novels in the series, especially the book prior because I think it really sets up Eva's character background a little more. I had so many questions about how she became queen and why she wanted to be queen in the first place and I felt like this book just didn't answer them; mainly because she is already queen and this novel showcases her struggle finding that independence as a result.

I thought the whole plot of this novel was fun yet heartfelt. The fun comes from Tyler impersonating the prince and how he just gets himself deeper and deeper into the scheme. Tyler instantly won my heart the moment we met him. He's just a sweet boy with a massive crush on a girl he thinks he can never be with. But he was also a layered character as well. His learning disability and the struggle he has with it was so genuine and real. I loved watching him grow as the story progressed.

But the touching moments come from the interactions Tyler and Eva share when they let their true selves show when they're together. These two have a great connection with plenty of shared interests to make you fall for them as a couple. I couldn't get enough of their chemistry!

I thought these two were adorable together! I just loved how they meshed on so many different levels. The heart of this story is loving yourself and finding someone who can see the true you beyond titles and I think the romance helps exemplify that throughout.

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!

Full Review: https://wp.me/p7hLUw-2LT
Actual Rating: 3/5

Leah and Kate Rooper scored a hat trick with the third and last book in the Chicago Falcons series, JUST PRETENDING. This is Evangeline Harwell’s and Tyler Evans’s story. Eva is Daniel Sacachelli’s (from book two, JUST ONE OF THE ROYALS) half-brother and teammate of Tyler. Eva is now the Queen of Eldonia. She is visiting Daniel in Chicago. While there, she mistakes Tyler for the prince of Perienza, as Tyler gets wrapped up in the charade. This hockey romance is suitable for young adults.

JUST PRETENDING is an entertaining and heartfelt read. I like that in each book in the Chicago Falcons series, there was a person pretending to be something else but ending up discovering themselves in the process. I appreciated that Eva and Tyler shared a love of art. The two could relate to one another. While it was not smart that Tyler to pretend to be someone else, it gave him the confidence to get to know Eva.

It is understandable why Tyler lacked confidence. I’m glad that he was put in a situation where he could eventually better himself. I love his little sister. Millie. She is sweet and adds to the story.

I enjoyed the plot. The story has some interesting twists that develop into the perfect ending. I would love to see a spin-off series or a reunion book in the future to discover what happens to the characters. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Romance skates into a magical, fairy tale, where the dreams of finding true love touch upon a dab of Cinderella fantasy.

Eva is sixteen and a queen—a position she loves but sometimes notices how much it keeps her from a usual life. When she visits her brother in Chicago, her hopes of having at least a few days of 'normality' disappear when her mother insists she escort a prince around town. But duty calls. Little does she realize that this prince isn't going to be what she expects in many, many more ways than one. The so-called prince gets pulled to the side as one of her brother's hockey friends accidentally takes over the role and soon finds himself in a bigger mess than he can handle.

This book is so charming and sweet! Fans of romances between royalty and 'commoners' are going to love this book. Eva is a wonderful queen, knows her position and maintains all which is expected of her. Although she does have the usual teenage hopes, she's extremely mature (perhaps too much so?) and deals as best she can. But she's missing experience, and that's what makes her easy to like. On the other side, Tyler—a friend of her brother—is a very average guy who is trying the best he can to keep his family and friends satisfied. He's got a heart of gold, although he stumbles from one mistake into the other.

The side characters are like shining spots which add the right zest at the right times. Each one has a fun personality and keeps the tale light-hearted and fun. Especially Tyler's younger sister added humor and spice, which had me smiling more than once.

The romance in the book is as a young adult romance usually is. From Tyler's side, it's full love right away. Eva needs a little more time but tumbles in quickly too. It's missing a little more build-up, but I didn't read the first two books in the series where Tyler had already seen Eva before (although this doesn't appear to be the case visa-versa). The first two books do not have to be read before diving into this one, but it might have made the relationship between the two more interesting. (My guess.) As it was, there wasn't a lot of build-up in this direction. Rather the story hangs on the trouble the mistaken identity causes, which is fun and holds a lot of humorous moments.

The tale fits well for a younger YA audience (12 to 16), although the characters act a little too mature much of the time. I wish there had been more to the plot than the mistaken identity as it did loose spark in the second half of the book and was easy to see where it was all headed. Still, it's a heart-warming read which will have romance fans fuzzy inside and dreaming of the day they might meet the 'prince' of their dreams.

I received a complimentary copy through Netgalley and found it so sweet that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts.

Falcons' hockey player, Daniel Sacachelli, has a secret; he is the bastard son to the King of Eldonia. After his father’s passing, he needs to head to Eldonia to take up the crown, so his family does not lose their kingdom. He enlists the help of his best friend, Madison Myong, to help him clean up his image. This contemporary sports romance is suitable for young adults.

I like Daniel. He is a Junior League hockey player. He loves his half-sister, Evangeline Harwell. He would do anything for her, even giving up his dreams of playing hockey to become king. All he really wants to do is play hockey. He doesn’t feel comfortable when he is in Eldonia. As an American, he doesn’t feel like he belongs.

Daniel’s best friend, Madison, is kind of in a similar predicament. She wants to become an actress, but her parents want her to become a doctor.

Madison and Daniel have both been pining away over each other thinking the other one isn’t interested. In all fairness to Daniel, originally Madison wasn’t interested in his playboy ways.

JUST ONE OF THE ROYALS s a heartfelt and enjoyable read. Things happened that cause controversies. The characters grow and discover a lot about themselves. It had a great ending. I’m looking forward to book three. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Just One of the Boys was a super-cute, super-quick read that if you liked She's the Man, you'll absolutely love. (It's not quite as obviously a retelling of Twelfth Night as the movie is, but it's the same general idea. With hockey. So really, a win-win.) Like StM's Viola, Alice is told she can't play the sport she loves because of her gender; also like Viola, she takes her twin's place on the team, though for different reasons. All kinds of girl-pretending-to-be-a-boy hijinks ensue, and she develops a crush on the team's (formerly? maybe...) star player--but also becomes his best friend, which complicates things all over the place.

Meanwhile, her twin is hiding a secret, her mom is making extra demands on her time, and did I mention she's got a crush on her new BFF? Not quite everything that isn't right get fully resolved by the end (what is her coach's response to her news???) but the book still leaves you with a happy glow anyway.

Here's hoping the Ms. Ropers have plenty more books in them!

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: This strange tale starts off a bit slow but with the uplifting ending was really worth it. I highly recommend for fans of Egyptian mythology.

Opening Sentence: Adventure is overrated.

The Review:

I absolutely love Egyptian mythology so when I saw I could review Jane Unwrapped I just had to go for it. This story was such a strange tale which I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not in the beginning but I’m one of those readers who are in for the long haul. I’m glad I did. I was surprised by how uplifting and inspirational the ending was after the mostly depressing story.

Jane Ezrael dies and due to some really extreme circumstances and is sent to the Duat. The Duat is the underworld/purgatory of Egyptian mythology. The place that souls are weighed and judged by Anubis. But Jane is missing her heart and Anubis cannot judge her, so he must devour her. Jane is able to stop Anubis with a deal to explore the Duat when she runs into Aten. Aten also makes Jane a deal, if she is able to steal King Tut’s heart then she will be able to enter the Field of Reeds and move on to paradise. If she can’t do that then she will dissolve into dust. Gods are tricky creatures so Aten’s deal does come with an ulterior motive.

After taking Aten’s deal, Jane finds herself in Ancient Egypt with a jackal at her side. Anubis becomes Jane’s protector. He follows her wherever she goes and when she is threatened with death or her jackal, she is taken to King Tut and his retinue. She unwittingly becomes the Priestess of Anubis when it appears that she can speak to Anubis directly (which she can). When Jane accidentally saves King Tut from choking and gaining his heart, she must follow Tut through the desert contemplating ways of how she is going to literally get her hands on his heart.

Jane Ezrael is a scientist. She never lets you forget how scientific her mind works. I really liked this about her character. She was a bit eccentric and for some reason it worked for her. I was surprised by how calm she was with her own death in the beginning. Her scientific mind overruling her emotions so she could discover the Duat. Jane breaks down once which finally shows that she doesn’t only follow her robotic scientific thoughts. She also tries to rationalize her feelings towards Anubis with her vast knowledge of how the human body works.

Anubis doesn’t quite understand why he gave into Jane’s request to study the Duat but when he realizes that Jane is a part of a bigger plan he sticks to her side like glue. Anubis spends much of his time with Jane in his jackal form. He only transforms into human shape when Jane is in trouble. Anubis has gorgeous eyes. I have always been fascinated by Anubis and Egyptian Mythology so I kept rooting for the Anubis and Jane hookup. Anubis does something that is too spoilery to talk about but what he does and the reasoning behind his actions just made me fall for him a bit more.

The writing was a bit stilted and the beginning was a little slow but once Jane starts her mission for King Tut’s heart, I was surprised by the way events played out. I really enjoyed how close the story was to the actual Egyptian mythology stories but the authors were able to twist the stories around to still fit into “history” without actually changing history.

Overall, it was a great debut story for the authors. The thought that went into the story and the ultimately uplifting ending made reading this story worthwhile. Things happen for a reason and Jane learns this. Jane Unwrapped appears to be a standalone story, although it might be fun to see what misadventures Jane would have messing up other historical timelines.

Notable Scene:

Anubis pulls me toward him, hands brushing the sand off my body. He’s a mess, black sand spotting his cheeks and lips.

Slowly, I move my arms, until my palms are flat against his chest, and the sand falls off like sheets of rain.

“Say something,” he says.

I open my mouth to speak but there are no words. I look down at the pool of black sand we sit in, concentrating on the glint of Anubis’s golden belt, weaving its way in and out of the darkness.

The sandstorm has lifted since I first left the palace and now the Nile ripples in the slow breeze.

“W-what. . . did you do?”

“It was a spell to steady the soul,” he says, then: “I didn’t know I could do that.”

I close my eyes. “Can you save me if that happens again?”

“I don’t know.”

I nod a couple times, trying to gather my voice until finally I whisper, “I don’t want to die.”

Anubis’s gaze goes right through me. “You’re already dead.”

FTC Advisory: Entangled Teen provided me with a copy of Jane Unwrapped. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Oh. My. Goodness....this book was freaking fantastic! I don't even know where to start...I'm still too starstruck to gather my emotions and coordinate them with coherent words...let me try anyway...

Jane Ezrael died while on a trip to Skutz Falls with her brother, and awakes to find herself in the Duat, without a heart (at first I don't understand why she is without a heart, but all will be revealed once you read this book). This proves to be a problem because without a heart, she has nothing to weigh against the feather of truth. And if she doesn't pass the test of the scales, she won't be able to pass into the Field of Reeds, a.k.a. Paradise. And so begins the journey of Jane Ezrael.

While in the Duat, Jane meets Anubis, the god of embalming. Because she is heartless, Anubis must devour her, but Jane bargains with Anubis to give her one more day before he does, he accepts. While wandering around in the Duat, she meets Aten, the Sun god. Aten strikes a deal with Jane: steal a pharaoh's heart to be weighed against the feather of truth. Ta-da! Problem=solved. Jane is then sent to ancient Egypt, back to King Tut's time.

After reading the synopsis, I couldn't wait to read the book, to see how the authors would execute such an interesting plot. And to say I was not disappointed would be an understatement.

I LIKED...
Besides the entire story? Ha. OK, to be more specific...

THE EGYPTIAN STUFF. I absolutely loved reading about all the Egyptian aspects of this book, from the god/goddesses, to the afterlife and mummification, to the general Egyptian-like feelings that surround it.

THE ALTERNATING PoV's. In most stories I read with alternating PoV's, I easily become confused as to who's narrating if I'm not paying close attention. This book however, I had no problem with it. Getting to read about Anubis' side was awesome and completely amazing.

JANE & ANUBIS' REALTIONSHIP. Gosh, how I loved the scenes when Jane and Anubis had their "moments". It was so beautiful. To see how each event impacted their relationship and made them grow closer together...*swoons* When they weren't bantering back and forth, they truly were a breathtaking couple.

THE FEELS! I love it when a book makes me feel intense emotions such as pain, hurt, happiness, or sadness. And this book definitely did that to me. I found myself crying, and squirming and writhing in agony when harsh words were exchanged between Jane and Anubis because of some silly misunderstanding.

THE THEMES. Throughout the book, Jane feels like she's wasted her life. She's spent almost every waking moment trying to reach her goal: getting into The University of Cambridge. Only to die before reading the letter from Cambridge. But as the story progresses, Jane realises that she's finally living. She discovers the joys and importance of living for the present instead of dwelling in the past, or worrying about the future. Jane also realises that a letter from Cambridge is not as important as she initially thought. That letter does not dictate her life and how she should live it. Near the end of the book, Jane goes back home to see that her death had caused the salvation of thousands. Her heart was donated to a patient with heart failure, and her body was donated to a research project to help cure malaria!

I DISLIKED...
JANE'S INDECISIVENESS. I feel that the majority of the book was Jane debating her moral ethnics on taking Tut's heart. I understand that the synopsis did state that Jane would be having trouble deciding, but it revolved around this more than I'd liked.


Jane: I must get Tut's heart.

Tut: You're my best friend.

Jane: Ahh! I can't do it! He's the only friend I have!

*Time passes*

Jane: Ahh! I'm wasting time, I need a heat from a pharaoh, and-oh look! King Tut! He's a pharaoh!

Tut: *smiles*

Jane: How could I be so selfish!? He's just a boy and I have no right to take his heart. What was I thinking!?

*More time passes*

Jane: Grr. That. Heart. Is. Mine. King Tut is evil! He takes food from the poor, and celebrates when everyone is suffering.

Tut: I'm sorry for being cruel...I just feel so insecure, and I'd like to ask for your apology...

Jane: Aww, of course I'll forgive you.

*Time passes*

Jane: Heart=Mine.

Jane: Nevermind...it's not right...

Of course I'm exaggerating and poking fun a whole lot, but...this really is a great story. Don't let this deter you from reading it!



THE ENDING. This could just be me, but I thought then ending was a bit abrupt, not to mention ambiguous. I'd would have liked to read more on how Anubis and Jane fared after they got back to the Duat. I wasn't quite satisfied with how it ended. I WANT MOOOOOOOOORE!!! Oh well, that's just me being picky.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book (as if you didn't already get that from my previous excitement). I was in the much dreaded reading slump for a long time, and this delightful book made me rediscover my love of reading again. I am forever indebted to this book...I do hope to read more books by these authors soon. I recommend this book to people who enjoy reading about Egyptian mythology, or just about anything. Because this book is just that marvelous.

***After reading my review, I have realized that my review does this book no justice. The feelings I've had associated to this book are just to great to be explained with mere words, and this book will forever hold a special place in my heart.