Hello there and happy Monday, bibliophiles!
Whoo hoo! I made it to my first book review of 2017! I almost wasn’t sure I’d make it back to you guys. As usual, life has been hectic, but I swear, I am getting my reading done. I’m even teaching myself how to multi-task and divide my attention between more than one book at a time. It’s not to plow through books, I’m just that backed up on my TBR pile.
Anyway, I spent a little time after the holidays laying low and savoring one of my favorite series ever (Gabriel’s Inferno by Sylvain Reynard). I also indulged more than I should have and spent all my bookstore gift cards, trying to load up on more reads for 2017. I can’t help it.
After my break, I was thrilled to come back to a new ARC from the always lovely A. Wilding Wells and I just couldn’t wait to dive right in. Let me tell you what I thought of my journey with Mastering The Art Of A Three Ring Circus.
I’m beyond thrilled to have received an ARC of this story, because I couldn’t imagine waiting until February to get my paws on this one. Technically, this book is a second in the Wild Things series, but you can enjoy this as a stand alone. You can also read my review of book one, How To Tame Beasts and Other Wild Things, here.
I actually finished Circus with a little pouty face while simultaneously murmuring an, “aww” to myself. Wells never disappoints and always has the most enjoyable, magical, off-kilter stories. I know that when I’m moving into her world, that I’m bound to meet a band of merry misfits. The characters are always quirky, and not without their flaws, but I love how colorful and beautiful they are.
Mastering The Art Of A Three Ring Circus has to be her most unique work to date. How does it get more adventuresome than a nomadic tribe of circus folk. I adored my journey with Wolfgang Valentine, his tiara-wearing daughter, Bubble, her grandmother, Duchess, and their elephant, Queenie. I loved them even more once they encountered Theophile.
She is a girl with a past, and a cloud of darkness hanging over her head. Her scars are not only internal, but visible on the outside too. Wolfgang is drawn to her the moment he meets her and allows her to see light. From the moment they meet, he makes sure she’s aware how deserving she is of utter happiness. Yes, their chemistry is instantaneous. Sparks fly and magic happens. They know, more than anything, that they’re destined to be with one another. However, Theophile’s fate and future is already planned out for her, and Wolfgang is not factored intoned future. For that reason alone, she hides a sliver of herself and won’t allow herself to give into the bliss she truly wants… a life with Wolfgang.
Wolfgang may seem jovial, but he has troubles of his own. He’s on the run from a relationship that went haywire, he’s caring for Duchess who is deep in dementia, and he’s struggling to raise a teenage girl so that she doesn’t feel like a caged animal. Theophile was not part of his plan, but once he sees her, his life changes and he can’t think of anything he’s ever wanted more. He knows she’s resisting him, but he has plans for her, because he refuses to let her go.
Will Theophile cave to Wolfgang’s charms and allow herself to risk everything she’s mapped out so that she can have and know true love, or will she walk way before she winds up in grave danger?
You’ll have to pick up a copy on February 1st in order to find out!
My Final Rating: five out of five stars
