To Have His Cake (and Eat It Too): Mr. Darcy's Tale: Pride and Prejudice Untold, Book 1 by P. O. Dixon

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of To Have His Cake (and Eat It Too): Mr. Darcy's Tale: Pride and Prejudice Untold, Book 1 by P. O. Dixon, which is well narrated by Pearl Hewitt.

What initially drew me to To Have His Cake (and Eat It Too): Mr. Darcy's Tale and the two additional books in the trilogy, was the fact that it's a sort of retelling of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy's perspective. 

Additionally, the low sale price of 99 cents for each novel and the good online reviews for each novel helped to seal the deal in the desire to read the trilogy.

Although, I loved the narrator/narration for this novel, I found To Have His Cake (and Eat It Too): Mr. Darcy's Tale was middle of the road likable for me. I liked this novel, but far from loved it. It gives a glimpse as to what life may have been like in England during this time for the upper classes and social expectations of the day, but too much drama!! 

Plus, the last 20% of this novel contained a lot of EROTICA scenes, which I wouldn't have expected from the likes of this novel. Sure, people had sex during this time period, but to focus on such amorous passion and sex scenes seemed a bit much.

Below is the publisher's summary for To Have His Cake (and Eat It Too): Mr. Darcy's Tale: Pride and Prejudice Untold, Book 1 by P. O. Dixon from the Goodreads website:

What single gentleman of a large fortune, with sense and education and knowledge of the world, would not wish to have his cake and eat it, too?

Mr. Darcy comes to realize the reason it's seldom possible when he hires Miss Elizabeth Bennet - whose situation is dire after her father's passing - as his sister's paid companion.

Can two strong-willed people live amicably under the same roof, or will their passions explode into something wonderful?

Follow Mr. Darcy's journey from a man who is proud and haughty to one who seeks to please a woman worthy of being pleased.

I am giving To Have His Cake (and Eat It Too): Mr. Darcy's Tale: Pride and Prejudice Untold, Book 1 by P. O. Dixon a rating of 3 stars out of 5stars.

Until my nest post, happy reading!!

Throwback Thursday - It's All About Trilogies!!

 

I've read quite a few trilogies since I began blogging at the start of 2012. In fact, I've read more trilogies than I thought I'd read. Below is a list of trilogies I've read in no particular order of importance:

1. Wolf Hunt trilogy by Jeff Strand

Jeff Strand is a horror author who had been on my radar for a while.

I finally read the Wolf Hunt trilogy back in October 2021.

This is a fun trilogy and would highly recommend it.

The Wolf Hunt trilogy contains nonstop action from start to finish, which never makes for a dull moment.

If you love the idea of werewolves, then the Wolf Hunt trilogy may be right up your alley! But the Wolf Hunt trilogy is more than just werewolves... Meet George and Lou, low level thugs for hire. George and Lou need to transport a werewolf in human form to its final destination in the first installment of Wolf Hunt when things go VERY WRONG for George and Lou early on. George and Lou are great characters! Bad things seem to happen for them routinely. The fun and nonstop action follow George and Lou into the last two novels in the Wolf Hunt trilogy.

2. Rebel Belle trilogy by Rachel Hawkins

The 'Rebel Belle' trilogy is the most recent trilogy I've read. I started and finished reading in April 2025. The 'Rebel Belle' trilogy had been on my reading wishlist for at least a decade. I'm glad I read it finally... But honestly, I didn't love it like I hoped I would. The 'Rebel Belle' trilogy falls into the young adult, fantasy genre.

3. Angel Catbird by Margaret Atwood

I am a Margaret Atwood fan, which is the main reason I selected this tilogy to read in the first place. I was curious about her comic book series, 'Angel Catbird', and wondered what a comic book series would look like from Ms. Atwood.

The Complete Angel Catbird by Margaret Atwood, Johnnie Christmas, & Tamra Bonvillain is written for kids ages 8-12. I thought the artwork was just okay and the storyline was very simplistic... A half human-rat wants to take over the world with the desire to have rats rule the world. But his plans for world domination are thwarted by half human-cats and owls.

There were a lot of cat puns throughout this series that were funny/cute to begin with, but did grow old after a while. There are also a lot of cat facts sprinkled throughout this comic series that were interesting and informative.

4. The Moon Marked trilogy by Aimee Easterling

Ugh, this trilogy had such high ratings online!! But it was a big flop for me!! Seriously, the narration for this series was the best part of it.

The 'Moon Marked' trilogy falls into the paranormal romance/fantasy genre. There was too much senseless drama/action throughout the entire trilogy for the sake of propelling the plot forward.

5. March (Trilogy Slipcase Edition) by John Lewis

I read March (Trilogy Slipcase Edition) by John Lewis during Black History Month in 2021. By reading the March trilogy, I learned a lot about the Civil Rights Movement with regards to many of the major events. Additionally, I enjoyed reading about many of the major movers and shakers and organizations that helped propel the Civil Rights Movement forward, which eventually lead to the successful passing of both the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act.

6. Seal Island trilogy by Sophie Moss

I listened to the audio version of the 'Seal Island' trilogy.

It's set in Ireland on an island and spotlights Irish folktales

and mythology. Overall, a very good series.

7. The Syrena Legacy trilogy by Anna Banks

I enjoyed this young adult, fantasy/paranormal romance series.

The first novel wasn't as good as the two remaining novels in the series. I listened to the audio version, which was well narrated by Rebecca Gibel.

8. His Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers

I love the 'His Fair Assassin' trilogy!! All tree novels are addicting to read. Robin LaFevers writes so well. This young adult series will have you sitting on the edge of your seat.

9. Splintered trilogy by A. G. Howard

The 'Splintered' trilogy was loads of fun!! It falls into the young adult genre with elements of sci- fi, fantasy, and paranormal romance! Also, if you're an Alice In Wonderland fan, then this may be the trilogy for you.

10. A Mapwalker trilogy by J. F. Penn

I enjoyed listening to this young adult, coming of age, fantasy trilogy!! All three books were fun.

Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins, which is nicely narrated by Amy Rubinate. Lady Renegades is the third novel in the 'Rebel Belle' trilogy.

Hooray, Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins was so much better than the first two novels in the 'Rebel Belle' trilogy!! Lady Renegades definitely wraps up the trilogy wonderfully and even with a happy ending!! Lady Renegades wasn't as slow as the first two novels in the 'Rebel Belle' trilogy were. I enjoyed the plot twists, the character development, and the storyline so much more with Lady Renegades.

Honestly though, I think the author and the publisher could have combined the plot for all three novels into one novel with a shorter print length instead of one long drawn out trilogy. I think this would have made this trilogy a much better read.

Below is the publisher's summary for Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins from Chirp's website:

Just as Harper Price starts coming to terms with her role as David Stark’s battle-ready Paladin, protector, and girlfriend, her world goes crazy all over again. Overwhelmed by his Oracle powers, David flees Pine Grove and starts turning teenage girls into Paladins; and these young ladies seem to think that Harper is the enemy David needs protecting from. Ordinarily, Harper would be able to fight off any Paladin who comes her way, but her powers have been dwindling since David left town, which means her life is on the line yet again. Now, it’s a desperate race for Harper to find and rescue David before she backslides from superhero to your garden-variety type-A belle.

I am giving Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins

I finished listening to the unabridged audio version of Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins, which is nicely narrated by Amy Rubinate. Miss Mayhem is the second novel in the 'Rebel Belle' trilogy.

For me, Amy Rubinate's narration of Miss Mayhem may be the best part of this young adult novel. The first chapter is essentially a recap of the happenings from the first novel, which is fine. However, Miss Mayhem is on the slow side for me personally. Plus, the plot details and storyline are not interesting enough to make Miss Mayhem an engaging read. I wasn't excited enough to care about what happens with the characters or the storyline. Some of the plot details and teenage angst seemed way to dramatic and superficial for me. The last few chapters were the best part of Miss Mayhem because the storyline finally picked up a bit. Overall, I found Miss Mayhem boring and disappointing.

I've finished listening to the first chapter of Lady Renegades (third book in the 'Rebel Belle' trilogy) by Rachel Hawkins. I do not have high hopes for this novel, but I am hoping to see some resolution by the end of it.

Below is the publisher's summary for Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins I discovered on Chirp's website:

Life is almost back to normal for Harper Price. The Ephors have been silent after their deadly attack at Cotillion months ago, and best friend Bee has returned after a mysterious disappearance. Now Harper can return her focus to the important things in life: school, canoodling with David, her nemesis-turned-ward-slash-boyfie, and even competing in the Miss Pine Grove pageant. Unfortunately, supernatural chores are never done. The Ephors have decided they’d rather train David than kill him. The catch: Harper has to come along for the ride, but she can’t stay David’s Paladin unless she undergoes an ancient trial that will either kill her…or make her more powerful than ever.

I'm giving Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

 

I've had Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins on my reading wishlist since like 2014 when it was first published. Rebel Belle is the first novel in a young adult fantasy trilogy. Eventually, I ended up adding the unabridged audio version of Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins and the subsequent novels in the trilogy to my 'to be read' pile about two years ago. Rebel Belle is nicely narrated by Amy Rubinate.

I've decided that 2025 has become the year I start and finish the entire Rebel Belle trilogy. I finished listening to Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins on Easter morning and started listening to Miss Mayhem (book two of the Rebel Belle trilogy) by Rachel Hawkins later that same day.

Let's begin by stating that I had high hopes for Rebel Belle based on the publisher's summary and the hype/reviews for this novel by other readers. I will also state here and now that I wasn't as enamored with this novel as I'd hope I would be when all was said and done. If I had not purchased the follow up novels to Rebel Belle, I'd have skipped reading them altogether.

I generally like young adult books. I also find the fantasy genre can be fun and entertaining. The plot is interesting for Rebel Belle and the fantasy aspect was fine overall. The main character for Rebel Belle, Harper Price, is a high school student who has everything going for her... Harper is head cheerleader, class president, homecoming queen, popular with almost the entire student body, involved in many social activities including cotillion, an excellent student, and dating the popular jock. Harper is an overachiever and almost too perfect, in my opinion. Essentially, Harper's life is a cliche.

At the start of Rebel Belle, Harper is attending prom night with her boyfriend, and is about to be crowned homecoming queen. Harper goes to the ladies room to reapply lip gloss just before the crowing happens, when she comes across a scene so unlikely to happen. Harper is turned into a paladin, a sort of knight with special abilities and strength, and she will have to protect an oracle, someone with psychic abilities. This event drastically changes Harper's life in more ways than she can even imagine. Throughout Rebel Belle, Harper learns about her special powers as a paladin, what they mean, how to use them, who the oracle is, and a host of other things.

I was less then impressed with the overall execution of Rebel Belle. I felt it was slow in parts. Certain scenes could have played out differently for more entertaining reading. 

Additionally, I was annoyed by the fact that Harper, and the rest of her high school friends with boyfriends, all assume that they will marry their high school sweethearts and live happily ever after. Really??? This book was published in 2014. I'd have thought the idea of marrying one's first love in high school would not have been a topic or at least one that was not emphasized so much in this novel. Maybe it's just me? I don't know.

Below is the publisher's summary for Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins from Chirp's website:

Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper’s destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts. Just when life can’t get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she’s charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper’s least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him - and discovers that David’s own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.

I am giving Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins a rating of 2.5 stars out of 5 stars. 

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Wolf Hunt Trilogy by Jeff Strand

Jeff Strand, as a horror author, has been on my radar for quite some time now. I've had several of his novels on my reading wishlist, but haven't read any of his novels until now. 

I finally decided to listen to the unabridged audio version of Jeff Strand's Wolf Hunt Trilogy and narrated by Scott Thomas this month as a way to ease into the Halloween spirit.

I enjoyed this trilogy quite a bit!! The Wolf Hunt trilogy contains nonstop action from start to finish, which never makes for a dull moment... It was always interesting to see what would happen next in the series. 

If you love the idea of werewolves, then the Wolf Hunt trilogy may be right up your alley! But the Wolf Hunt trilogy is more than just werewolves... Meet George and Lou, low level thugs for hire! Their main duty is to transport a werewolf in human form to his final destination in the first installment of Wolf Hunt. Things go VERY WRONG for George and Lou early on in book one. George and Lou are great characters! Bad things seem to happen for them routinely. The fun and nonstop action follow George and Lou into the last two novels in the Wolf Hunt trilogy as well, which makes for fun reading

Jeff Strand has a wonderful sense of humor and I found myself laughing out loud several times throughout the entire the Wolf Hunt trilogy. The author is also a master for writing dialogue between characters and also for creating very memorable characters.

Additionally, I think I have a new favorite narrator in Scott Thomas!! Kudos to Scott Thomas for bringing the Wolf Hunt trilogy to life. It'll be interesting to learn which other books he narrates.

Lastly, my goal this year was to read five trilogies and I have now completed that reading goal once I finished the Wolf Hunt trilogy!

Below is the summary for Wolf Hunt Trilogy by Jeff Strand from Audible:

All three of the hilariously bloody and action-packed werewolf novels in one collection!

Wolf Hunt - Meet George and Lou, thugs for hire. The kind of intimidating, yet friendly guys who will break your thumbs, but be polite about it. Their latest assignment is to drive across Florida to deliver some precious cargo to a crime lord. The cargo: a man in a cage. Though Ivan seems perfectly human, they’re warned that he is, in fact, a bloodthirsty werewolf.

George and Lou don’t believe in the supernatural, but even if they did, it’s daytime and tonight isn’t the full moon. Their instructions are straightforward: Do not open the cage. Do not reach into the cage. Do not throw anything into the cage. And they don't.

Unfortunately, Ivan doesn’t play by the usual werewolf rules, and the thugs find themselves suddenly responsible for a ferocious escaped beast. One who can transform at will. One who enjoys killing in human form as much as he enjoys killing as a monster.

If George and Lou want to save their careers, dozens of people, and their own lives, they need to recapture him. Because Ivan is in the mood for a murder spree...

Wolf Hunt 2 - George and Lou can't hide out forever, and when they're finally captured, it seems as if George and Lou's ultimate fate will involve being doused in gasoline and set aflame. Instead, they're given a second chance. There's another werewolf out there. This time, it's Ally, a 14-year-old girl.

Of course, this is George and Lou, so there are many, many complications. The worst of which is that they've now enraged three other extremely nasty werewolves...

Wolf Hunt 3 - George and Lou are forced to take a cross-country road trip to kill Asher Anderson, a cloak-wearing lycanthrope who would love to see a war between humans and werewolves.

Does everything go wrong? Of course it does. This is George and Lou, in their weirdest, most deranged adventure yet!

I am giving Wolf Hunt Trilogy by Jeff Strand a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Unhinged by A. G. Howard

I listened to the unabridged audio version of Unhinged by A. G. Howard and narrated by Rebecca Gibel. Listening time for Unhinged by A. G. Howard is 13 hours, 13 minutes.

Unhinged by A. G. Howard is the second novel in the 'Splintered' trilogy. I listened to Splintered by A. G. Howard earlier this year and enjoyed it so much that I knew I wanted to continue with this young adult trilogy.

Unhinged by A. G. Howard did not disappoint! I truly enjoyed the storyline, characters, plot and writing for Unhinged by A. G. Howard... The action seemed non-stop in Unhinged, even if some of the events taking place seemed a tad over the top at times.

A. G. Howard is definitely a creative/gifted author and storyteller. I like her twist/take on the Alice In Wonderland novel. I look forward to reading the last novel of the 'Splintered' trilogy.

Below is the plot summary for Unhinged by A. G. Howard from Audbile:

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole. She was crowned Queen of the Red Court and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the boy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly appealing Morpheus. Now all she has to do is graduate high school.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn't show up at school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland - where she (partly) belongs.

Could she leave Jeb and her parents behind again, for the sake of a man she knows has manipulated her before? Will her mother and Jeb trust her to do what's right? Listeners will swoon over the satisfying return to Howard's bold, sensual reimagining of Carroll's classic.

I am giving Unhinged by A. G. Howard a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!

March (Trilogy Slipcase Edition) by John Lewis

I read March (Trilogy Slipcase Edition) by John Lewis during Black History Month this year. I've had the March trilogy in my 'to be read' pile for quite a while now. So I was thrilled to finally read all three books in the March trilogy as learning more about the life of Civil Rights legend and activist, John Lewis, is a must for anyone wanting to learn more about the Civil Rights Movement in general. 

By reading the March trilogy, I learned a lot about the Civil Rights Movement with regards to many of the major events. Additionally, I enjoyed reading about many of the major movers and shakers and organizations that helped propel the Civil Rights Movement forward, which eventually lead to the successful passing of both the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act. 

Of course, a large focus of the March trilogy was on the early life and the instrumental role John Lewis played during the Civil Rights Movement, which I found fascinating... And of course, two of the major topics discussed in the March trilogy were the march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama (also known as Bloody Sunday) and the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

I highly recommend reading the March (Trilogy Slipcase Edition) by John Lewis. I also loved the artwork by Nate Powell for all three March books!!

Below is a summary for March (Trilogy Slipcase Edition) by John Lewis from Amazon:

Winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature.

Discover the inside story of the Civil Rights Movement through the eyes of one of its most iconic figures, Congressman John Lewis. March is the award-winning, #1 bestselling graphic novel trilogy recounting his life in the movement, co-written with Andrew Aydin and drawn by Nate Powell. This commemorative set contains all three volumes of March in a beautiful slipcase.

#1 New York Times and Washington Post Bestseller
First graphic novel to receive a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award
Winner of the Eisner Award
A Coretta Scott King Honor Book
One of YALSA's Outstanding Books for the College Bound
One of Reader's Digest's Graphic Novels Every Grown-Up Should Read

I am giving March (Trilogy Slipcase Edition) by John Lewis a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!! 

P. S. One of my reading goals for 2021 is to read five trilogies... One trilogy down, four more trilogies left to read!