The time I reviewed a book {13}

Posted July 28, 2016 by Stacee in Blog Tours, Giveaways, Reviews | 13 Comments

I’ve been spoiled lucky to be a beta reader for A.G. Howard {aka Anita} for a couple of years now. The first time I read Architect was –I think — 2 years ago.  I loved it then and I was so excited when she told me that she was going to be self-publishing it. This is one of my favorite things she’s written, and I think you guys know how I feel about her words.

So, of course when it came time for the blog tour, I happily agreed to review the book.

THE ARCHITECT OF SONG

Before we get to my hot mess of flailing review, let’s check out the book.

4A lady imprisoned by deafness, an architect imprisoned by his past, and a ghost imprisoned within the petals of a flower – intertwine in this love story that transcends life and death.

For most of her life, nineteen-year-old Juliet Emerline has subsisted – isolated by deafness – making hats in the solitude of her home. Now, she’s at risk to lose her sanctuary to Lord Nicolas Thornton, a twenty-seven-year-old mysterious and eccentric architect with designs on her humble estate. When she secretly witnesses him raging beside a grave, Juliet investigates, finding the name “Hawk” on the headstone and an unusual flower at the base. The moment Juliet touches the petals, a young English nobleman appears in ghostly form, singing a song only her deaf ears can hear. The ghost remembers nothing of his identity or death, other than the one name that haunts his afterlife: Thornton.

To avenge her ghostly companion and save her estate, Juliet pushes aside her fear of society and travels to Lord Thornton’s secluded holiday resort, posing as a hat maker in one of his boutiques. There, she finds herself questioning who to trust: the architect of flesh and bones who can relate to her through romantic gestures, heartfelt notes, and sensual touches … or the specter who serenades her with beautiful songs and ardent words, touching her mind and soul like no other man ever can. As sinister truths behind Lord Thornton’s interest in her estate and his tie to Hawk come to light, Juliet is lured into a web of secrets. But it’s too late for escape, and the tragic love taking seed in her heart will alter her silent world forever.

International and NYT bestselling author, A.G. Howard, brings her darkly magical and visual/visceral storytelling to Victorian England. The Architect of Song is the first installment in her lush and romantic Haunted Hearts Legacy series, a four book gothic saga following the generations of one family as – haunted by both literal and figurative ghosts – they search for self-acceptance, love, and happiness.

Sounds good, right? {Hint: it totally is.  And just look at that cover…}

right

**Thanks to my pretty prancy PA AKA Christina from The Book Hookup for letting me steal borrow her review format**

review

Rating and First Reaction:

5 stars. I absolutely loved this book.  I will admit to being a bit wary — I rarely read historical, but I’ve been a huge fangirl for Anita since the beginning, so loving her words is pretty much a given.

MCs:

Juliet: Juliet is my favorite sort of MC: sassy and feisty.  She has a strong sense of what is right and fair.  She hides her crinoline so she doesn’t have to wear it because she feels it’s an unfair “contraption” and often speaks her mind, regardless of how improper it is.

I’ve typed and deleted so many other things and mannerisms that I really liked about Juliet, but I think she’s an MC that you have to get to know for yourself. It was truly delightful being in her head.

Lord Thornton: First off, my Lord Thornton has an “affinity for clashing hues” when dressing and for some reason, I really love it.  As for his character, he’s thoughtful and quiet. Perhaps a bit brooding.  He’s a man who knows exactly what he wants and knows exactly how he’s going to go about getting it. Lord Thornton’s relationship with Juliet is fragile at first, due to their situation.  Yet, as they get to know each other, you can bet the sparks fly.

Hawk:  Well, right off the bat, being the only person that Juliet can hear makes Hawk intriguing.  Even as we get to know him, he’s an enigma.  An attractive and dangerous sort of enigma. The relationship that forms between Hawk and Juliet is special because she can hear him…and how that plays out in relation to the overall story arc was captivating to me.

Secondary Characters: There are a few secondary characters. Owen {Juliet’s uncle} and Enya {Juliet’s maid/companion/friend} are the two who are most apparent.  There are others who I would love to mention, but I’ll let you find them and come to your own conclusions.

Plot & Pacing:

This is quite a long book and it’s a pretty slow burn. A deliciously, sensual slow burn, but a slow burn nonetheless. Don’t let that discourage you.  Within that slow burn, you’ll get some of the prettiest prose and swooniest swoons.  Thrown in a couple of mysteries that are layered so delicately you’ll wonder how you missed the hints, and that 400+ pages will seem to fly by.

Every time I’ve gotten to the end, I’ve been clamoring for more — and this is my 4th time reading it. My suggestion would be to take your time, don’t cheat, and settle in with an atmospheric roller coaster with an amazingly satisfying ending.

Teaser Quote:

I tried so hard to find just one line to share and couldn’t do it.  There were full paragraphs that I wanted to quote, so instead I decided that I would leave them hidden.  Just know that my favorite scenes involve gardening, a gazebo, and a cat.  Not all at the same time, of course.

Rec It?

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.  This book has a little something for everyone and with Anita’s lovely words, it’s sure to satisfy any reader.

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AG HowardA.G. Howard is the International and NYT bestselling author of the Splintered Series, with a slew of other classical spinoffs and original stories in the works that she hopes will one day find a place on the shelves.

She was inspired to write her tribute to Carroll’s Wonderland while working at a school library. Her pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.

SPLINTERED, UNHINGED, ENSNARED, and UNTAMED, the first four books in her urbanized /gothic Alice in Wonderland series, are now available from Amulet Books. Also soon to be available from Amulet is her Phantom of the Opera spinoff, ROSEBLOOD — slated to launch January 2017. THE ARCHITECT OF SONG, the first book in her New Adult historical literary romance saga, will be available in August 2016.

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Huge thanks to Rockstar Book Tours for the invite and to Anita for giving me Lord Thornton taking the time.  Make sure you’re checking out her website, following her on Twitter, liking her Facebook page, and adding all of her books to your Goodreads TBR.  And if you are looking for an addictive rabbit hole to fall down, I completely endorse going to Anita’s Pinterest page for alllllll sorts of lovely things.

Definitely follow the blog tour for all sorts of special goodies and keep scrolling for a massive giveaway!

**Good Luck!!**

Giveaway Lit Cube

All tour prizes (INTL):

2 – signed The Architect of Song paperbacks
3 – The Architect of Song e-books
1 – heart locket necklace
1 – Architect of Song poster
1 – faux leather journal
1 – 5X7 musical print
3 – The Architect of Song swag packs
1 – LitCube surprise box

For a total of 13 separate winners

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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13 responses to “The time I reviewed a book {13}

  1. Adreana Hailu

    A.G Howard has such unique style that is apparent in her books. Gothic, but modern. Not to mention all her books are GORGEOUS! Such an awesome giveaway, thank you!

  2. Heather King

    This book is utter perfection (not that I’m surprised because Anita us a fabulous writer!;) I loved everything about it and when I finished reading it I couldn’t stop thinking about it! Reading it once is not enough!❤️

  3. Jannin

    I’ve watched the trailer of this book and it’s so amazing. I’m so curious about it! Great job, Ms. A.G!!

  4. Gorgeous post Stacee. <3 I LOVE how spoiled you are by Anita, lol :D So awesome. <3 But gosh, I am jealous. I wish some authors would spoil me like this, hihi :) This is, sadly, not really a book for me :( But I think it looks so awesome. And I love that she selfpublished it. Anita is pretty amazing :D So so so glad you love it so much, though. <3 Hugs.

    Carina Olsen recently posted: Review: Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson

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