“Little mad, good. Lots mad, blissfully dangerous.” Pg 293
Welcome to my stop on the Death of the Mad Hatter by Sarah J. Pepper Blog Tour!
I have a great excerpt to share with you along with my review and info on the tour wide giveaway.
Thanks so much for stopping by and enjoy!
Book links:
Amazon
Synopsis:
The Jack prophesied: If the king loses his head, then the Queen with a Bleeding Heart would rule the Red Court until Time ceased to move forward. When a second carried on for infinity, every creature in Wonderland would tip their Hat to the misfit girl with a Boy’s name (or was it a boy with a Girl’s name?) who’d end the Reign of Terror. However, it all hinged on the One-Eyed Hare being able to convince an uninspirable Heir that the impossible was indeed possible—like stopping time—and that Love was worth a Beheading.
Heads would Roll…
Hearts would Break…
In the end, would it matter who Reigned?
My review:
Death of the Mad Hatter is the first work of author Sarah J. Pepper’s that I have read and being a book outside of my “norm” I was excited to give it a try. This is a retelling of sorts of Alice in Wonderland but with a new spin on it. Sometimes it pays to step outside of the typical reading box…this was one of those times.
High school senior Ryley Edgar was looking forward to getting out of high school and this small town. He and his mom have move around a ton growing up trying to outrun the rumors of his father’s mental illness. They had stayed in this town longer than any of the others and he was happy that no one had found out about his dad yet. What Riley doesn’t know is that his dad isn’t exactly mentally ill. Instead, his father had ties to Wonderland, a place Ryley unknowingly also has ties to. A magical and twisted world that Ryley would soon learn a whole lot more about courtesy of the new student in school, Alice Mae.
Working, reluctantly, for The Queen of Hearts, Alice Mae’s mission is to find the heir to the Wonderland throne….and ultimately send him to his death. All because the Queen had her husband killed and she wasn’t technically in line to rule. Oh, and there’s the little problem of the Jack’s prophesy. The problem arises when, somewhere in the middle of her mission, Alice Mae falls in love with Ryley….and he falls in love with her.
Between the Queen, the prophesy, two different realms and the emotional turmoil it seems like the odds are stacked against Alice Mae and Ryley. But, like all things in Wonderland, nothing is as it seems and almost anything is possible.
I will admit that this book took a little bit of time to really get in to but when it finally clicked, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to see what was happening next. The characters in this story range from evil and merciless to confusing and mischievous and at times innocently sweet. I thought the love aspect between Ryley and Alice Mae was a fantastic addition to the story and was cheering for things to work out between them from the first few chapters. They had a real love/hate thing going for the first half of the book that only added to the layers of story. The end chapters had me on the edge of my seat wondering and hoping that things would work out for them and they can find their own Wonderland version of a happy ending….because, after all, anything is possible in Wonderland.
Overall this was an enjoyable, magical story with loads of twists and turns. If you’re a fan of Alice in Wonderland and taking a trip down the rabbit hole, then by all means this is a book for you! Thank you, Sarah, for giving us Alice Mae, Ryley and their story!
Four Loves
Excerpt:
There were the types of girls who dressed for guys, the type who still played dress-up, the type who lived in sweatpants, and then there was an entirely different breed who wore mismatched socks with pride. This chick fell into the last category. Why anyone could possibly think bright orange and blue would go together, unless they were a Boise State fan, was beyond my thought process. Her shoes were quite possibly handcrafted a hundred years ago, and her tattered skirt looked as though she found it in a dusty box tucked away in an attic. However, the zebra patterned gloves actually appeared to be from this decade.
“Well, it’s rather fortunate that you didn’t dribble. Mr. Ruth would have a fit if he became familiar with the underside of your pet-soaked shoe,” the girl said, petting the stuffed animal’s head. Her accent was none that I’d heard before—and I’d lived in a lot of different places. She sounded like a British gal impersonating a southern bell. “It’d be quite regrettable if anything happened to him on the first day of school. He must have fallen out of his hidey-hole.”
“You named your stuffed rabbit, Mr. Ruth?”
She covered the bunny’s ears. “Rutherford is his real name, but he hates it and makes all the other rumperbabbits call him by his nickname.”
“Rumperbabbits?”
“Bunnies, rabbits, hares—rumperbabbits. Same thing,” she said with a wink. She had the most volatile light-blue eyes that were so electrifying I couldn’t look away.
Time out—just for reference, I didn’t believe in juvenile notions, like love at first sight. In my book, time didn’t cease to move forward when two people fell in love. As a matter-of-fact, I’d have to be drunk (not on love) for such an irrational thought to enter my mind.
But, there was something magical about her. A mischievous charm. I wouldn’t have said that I necessarily liked it, but it was intriguing. She was intriguing… and new. For a town whose newspaper’s biggest story was the harvest report, having a new girl in school would most likely be headlined on The Gossiper’s front page.
Giveaway:
Enter to win a signed paperback copy of Death of the Mad Hatter
About the author:
I specialize in dark, paranormal romance – think “happy ever after” but with a twisted, dark chocolate center. Real-life romance isn’t only filled with hugs, kisses, unicorns, and rainbows. True-love can be more thoroughly described in times of darkness and tribulation. It’s in those harsh moments where you see what a person is truly capable of – both the good and bad. Sometimes prince-charming isn’t always on time, and the glass slipper is a little snug. However, it doesn’t mean Charming is not Mr. Right, and who says every shoe is the perfect fit?
Twitter: @sarahjpepper