I'll have tea with that book, please

Review: ‘Save Me’ by @mcfrankauthor

'Now it's two stories unfolding. My story with Ari and my story with Greece. (...) Two love stories.'

Actually, there's a third love story going on: mine with this book. It’s been five years since I first fell in love with ‘Lose Me’ by M.C. Frank -  the story of Wes and Ari: a British movie star and a half-Greek stunt actress, who meet on a beautiful Greek island while shooting a modern adaptation of ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Now all the feelings that flooded me while reading LM came back, as I was reading the author’s newest book: ‘Save Me’, which presents Wes’ point of view. It was a delightful experience to get into this young man’s head - and by ‘delightful’ I mean: heartbraking, poignant, making me laugh, cry and fall in love with this character all over again. Wes seems to have everything: money, fame, beauty, he's even nominated for the Academy Award, but it all comes with a price. As they say, money can't buy happiness, and the pain can't be drowned in alcohol. His life starts to change when he meets Ari and saves her life, but it turns out she's not the only one who needs salvation. Obviously I loved this book and this one sentence could sum up my whole review, but there's a couple of things I want to write. First of all, 'Save Me' completes 'Lose Me' perfectly, filling all the blank or blurred spaces. For example, in LM we see that Wes is going through a major transformation, but only from SM we learn what was the whole process like, what caused it, how hard was Wes' inner struggle. Each book can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading both of them, because only together they become one beautifully crafted, full story. Secondly, SM is a story about many different kinds of love: the romantic one, the family love and the thirst for it, the Love that transforms people's hearts, but also about falling in love with Greece. Through this book the author draws attention to the problem how her country and its people are seen by the rest of the world.  It's truly heartbreaking to see how one of the greatest nations, whose cultural and scientific achievements still influence the modern world, is being ridiculed and hated by the western culture. I'm ashamed to admit I wasn't aware of the scale of the problem, so I'm thankful for the opportunity to learn. Thirdly, I'm a huge fan of M.C. Frank's writing style and SM was no exception - it was beautifully written. The emotions of the main character felt so real, I believed his every word. Every part of the story: the romance, action, setting, dialogues or inner monologues prove that Frank is an excellent writer. I loved revisiting Wes and Ari's story, meeting them again, getting to know Wes better. I only wish the book was longer, so I could spend more time with them! But what are rereads for, right? ;)

A stack of wonderful books by @mcfrankauthor <3

Review: ‘Frosted’ by M.C. Frank

I like to read books from different genres, for example: YA sci-fi, historical romance, contemporary NA, retellings of classic stories and legends, but I rarely encounter an author who feels comfortable in all of them and creates equally wonderful stories, no matter if they’re set in the past, the future or in our era. Well, M.C. Frank does. Each new book she publishes is an unforgettable adventure, full of emotions, romance, complex and relatable characters, and important matters bigger than them. Her newest novel: ‘Frosted’ is no exception and I adored it from the first sentence to the end of the Author’s note. 

Set in the Regency era, ‘Frosted’ is a story about the ice-cold lady Stella DeWinter, hiding all her secrets (and herself) behind the closed doors of her house, and Captain Timothee Vaughn - a pirate with the face of a Greek god. What these two could possibly have in common? 5 years ago they were engaged, but the wedding never happened. Now Vaughn is about to get married against his will, and he’s in a desperate need of a miracle - that’s when Stella reappears in his life. Is it true what they say, that a line between love and hate is very thin?

First of all, I loved how this novel was constructed. The author throws us right into the centre of events, just before Vaughn’s wedding, and only when we’re dying to know what happened between Stella and Timothee 5 years earlier, she takes us back to show us how these two met and fell in love. And what a lovely story it was! Whenever Frank writes about two people falling in love, it’s always deeply moving and beautifully written. But, as it usually is, they have to go through a lot before they’re allowed to be happy. 

Both Stella and Timothee are loveable characters, perfect in their imperfection, and each of them goes through a major transformation. I’ve become really attached to both of them and reading their story was an emotional journey - I felt their pain, I cried with them, my heart was breaking along with theirs and I wished for nothing more but to see them happy, because they deserved it after all the suffering life has brought them. But don’t worry - it’s not all sad, there are funny bits as well. One time I almost laughed out loud in the bus while reading. And you shouldn’t think that this novel is boring just because it belongs to the historical romance genre - it’s not all ballrooms and high-society events, but it also has its fair share of action, dangers and pirate ships ;)

I’ve always admired M.C. Frank not only for her amazing writing skills and her wit, but also for the natural way she manages to weave into her stories matters that are vital to her, like her faith or her Greek heritage. From this novel I’ve learned about the Greek Revolution, resulting in Greeks winning their independence from the Ottoman Empire, and I’m really grateful for this history lesson. It looks like Greece and Poland have more in common than I thought. 

I could go on and on, but I’ll try to make it short: read it! Especially if you’re a fan of Jane Austen or Bridgerton, and you’re looking for a new heart-wrenching novel to stay in your heart for long. 

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - this Polish edition is gorgeous!

Happy Release Day to ‘Frosted’ by @mcfrankauthor​!

Have you read/watched Bridgerton lately and now you're looking for some new, exciting read, set in Regency era? Search no more, because 'Frosted' is officially out! 

Read the description below: Can two people hate each other more than these two? She has a heart of stone. He is the notorious pirate every lady swoons for. They have vowed never to meet again. Captain Timothée Vaughn Heart: Broken Face: Gorgeous Tone: Acidic Pirate: Yes, he is Marital Status: Forced into an engagement Willing to: Break his own arm to escape his wedding tomorrow. Lady Stella DeWinter: Heart: Frosted Face: Angelic but sad Tone: Silent Secrets: Many, but one in particular. A very dark one indeed. Marital Status: Jilted Captain Vaughn right before their wedding, five years ago. Willing to: Do anything to meet Timothée one last time. Question: Why? (on earth) Meeting place: The Frosted Ball.

What follows: Chaos. Noisy ballrooms. Starry skies. White flurries. Hungry kisses. Haughty stares. Frozen lakes. Shaking breaths. The truth. Finally. Frosted is a heart-wrenching romance about a pirate and an ice-cold lady who seem to have hated each other for years, inspired by winter-themed fairytales like The Snow Queen and The Steadfast Tin Soldier. It is set in a witty, glittering Regency world made up of a little bit of Jane Austen, a little bit of Georgette Heyer, and a lot of a modern heart yearning for romance, passion and a tall gentleman with a smoldering gaze. This is a broken tale of beauty, dark secrets and love lost. Frosted is the new enemies-to-lovers Regency novel that will melt your heart.

I can't wait to read it! Also the cover is absolutely gorgeous 😍😍

Imagine you can enter any fictional world - where would you go?

My review:

‘This is the land of traitors and betrayal. Where fear, hunger and threats reign instead of the king. This is the land of no hope’.

Robin Hood and his not-so-merry companion return in the third installment of The Outlaws series by M.C. Frank. As long as the evil Sheriff rules the land, there’s no peace for them even in their beloved Sherwood forest. There are friends to rescue and enemies to defeat, but who can survive when the long-hidden secrets get revealed?

If I were to describe this book with one word, it would be INTENSE. It’s not very long, but it’s certainly abounding in action: there’s an archery competition, a dramatic escape from the Sheriff’s dungeon, there are sword fights, blood, tears, betrayal, and much more. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, you keep worrying about the characters, wanting to know what happens next, but on the other hand - being scared to read the next chapter.

The intensity doesn’t apply just to adventures Robin, Ru and their friends are going through, but - what I personally loved the most - to their inner struggles as well, to memories haunting their minds, the feelings motivating them, but also holding them back. A big part of the book contains of Robin and Ru’s inner dialogues, which I absolutely don’t mind, because it adds an incredible depth to those characters and makes me love them even more. I love how strong they both are, despite their brokenness, and how they care for the others more than for themselves. They remind me of the verse from 2 Corinthians: ‘We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed’.

I said it many times before, but I’m gonna say it again: M.C. Frank is an amazing writer. The way she writes about emotions moves me deeply and makes me forget the characters she created aren’t real. If you ever wondered if writing can be called art, just read one of her books.

‘Sleep Robin Hood’ is a beautifully written, engaging and moving story about justice, forgiveness, love and betrayal. I can’t wait for the next book from this series to come out, but I already recommend them all wholeheartedly!