Book Review: The Cracked Slipper

The Cracked Slipper

by Stephanie Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

When Eleanor Brice unexpectedly wins the heart of Gregory Desmarais, Crown Prince of Cartheigh, she's sure she's found her happily-ever-after. Unfortunately, Prince Charming has a loose grip on his temper, a looser grip on his marriage vows, and a tight grip on the bottle...

Review:

What happens when "Happily Ever After is just "Ever After"? All fairy tales promise that idyllic, all-elusive "Happy Ending." As girls growing up we all listened, completely enraptured, to these narratives. We grow up seeking that happily ever after and don't stop until we believe we have it in our grasp. But what happens when the silver tarnishes, when our Prince Chaming falls short of his gallant steed? Or, even worse, what happens then when we find our true prince in someone else? We've all imagined how the saved princesses live wonderful lives later on the happily ever after. This book completely shatters that notion.

Book Review: Rampant Damsels

Rampant Damsels

by Michael H. Kelly
My rating: 3 out of 5 hearts

What do you do when your home is in danger of invasion by a nearby rival and his demon buddies, and your leader the target of a grand assassination plot? You call on a rag-tag bunch of the bawdiest females in your town. Where do you find them? At the local pub of course! Armed with beauty, strength and a great pair of tatas; they fearlessly (or naively depending on how you interpret it) head out to right the wrongs they believe will be visited by their compatriots…through mind blasting, psychotically violent feats.

The best word to summarize this book is – what!? Being the first of its genre (coined ‘gutter fantasy’) that I’ve read, this book threw me for a loop. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first and admittedly the utter ridiculousness that danced across the pages had me constantly scratching my head. Lusty gnomes and killer squirrels are the first of a string of off the wall characters you encounter. I knew that was going to be taken for a ride, I just wasn’t sure of the destination or if I wanted to go.