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Fantasyland #3
Fantastical
Cora Goode has woken up in a fairytale world where she can understand what birds are saying to her, men ride horses and have fluffy feathers in their hats and furniture zigs, zags and whirls in miracles of construction.
The problem is, she thinks she’s in a dream but she’s actually taken the place of the parallel universe Cora and without realizing it, our Cora does something that starts a centuries old curse that will sweep the land if she gets captured by the evil Minerva.
At this point, her dream world becomes a nightmare.
Luckily, hot guy, fantasyland Noctorno is there to save her from the clutches of the grotesque vickrants sent by Minerva to capture her. Unfortunately, hot guy, fantasyland Noctorno doesn’t like the Cora of his world all that much (to say the least) and he thinks our Cora is her. And no matter what our Cora says or does to try to convince him, he won’t be convinced.
But Cora needs Tor to keep her safe and guide her through this fantastical world as she hopes one day to wake up in her not-so-great apartment in her not-so-great life in her world. The problem is, the more time she spends with the gorgeous warrior Tor, the faster she falls in love with him.
The problem is, she thinks she’s in a dream but she’s actually taken the place of the parallel universe Cora and without realizing it, our Cora does something that starts a centuries old curse that will sweep the land if she gets captured by the evil Minerva.
At this point, her dream world becomes a nightmare.
Luckily, hot guy, fantasyland Noctorno is there to save her from the clutches of the grotesque vickrants sent by Minerva to capture her. Unfortunately, hot guy, fantasyland Noctorno doesn’t like the Cora of his world all that much (to say the least) and he thinks our Cora is her. And no matter what our Cora says or does to try to convince him, he won’t be convinced.
But Cora needs Tor to keep her safe and guide her through this fantastical world as she hopes one day to wake up in her not-so-great apartment in her not-so-great life in her world. The problem is, the more time she spends with the gorgeous warrior Tor, the faster she falls in love with him.
438 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2011
About the author
Kristen Ashley
125 books38.9k followersKristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).
Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.
Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).
Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.
And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.
Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.
Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).
Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.
And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,219 reviews
October 18, 2022
Reread October 2022 but I've reread this MANY TIMES
Loved it!!
“In this world you were the only thing I had but you were the only thing I needed.”
Kristen Ashley does it again! I loved this next installment in the Fantasyland series. Cora wakes up in a new land where she can talk to birds and has a sister who literally tra la la's. Turns out we all have twins in a parallel world and Cora has somehow switched with hers. Very soon she unintentionally brings a curse upon her and her sister, and Cora's husband whisks her off to safety. Unfortunately for her, Cora in this world is a raging bitch and her husband loathes her.
Cora sets about trying to convince her husband, Tor, that she is in fact a different Cora. Of course, because she sounds like a crazy person he doesn't believe her. So Cora continues about her business, literally doing stuff like this:
No seriously, she cleans a cave. A place that will probably always be dirty.
Tor begins to think that the old Cora is playing him and is continually suspicious of Cora's motives. Meanwhile Cora is wandering around admiring her new clothing and the general splendor.
Together, they do their best to avoid the curse cast by an evil witch. Tor brings her to his castle and that's where I'll stop.
I really liked this book. Obviously most people won't like it as much as the Golden Dynasty but I found this book to be quite the little gem. There were some obvious Disney elements that I found charming. Cora was such an endearing character and I loved how she believed the best in people.
Tor, well he was kind of an asshole for the first 60% or so but he made up for it in the rest of the book. There was some definite angst that I gobbled up like an angst addict.
I'd just like to note that I'm glad I read this series in order because factors from book 1 appear in book 2, and continue into book 3. I have a feeling they will become very important as the series continues.
Only one little thing bothered me, and that is the fact that I don't remember KA adding a character description for Cora. Maybe she did and I missed it, but it's not the first time I've read a KA novel and had no clue what the heroine looked like. And for some odd reason, my weird brain pictured her:
My only guess is because I used the Anna gif in my status update.
Anyhoo, love these books and onto the next!
Loved it!!
“In this world you were the only thing I had but you were the only thing I needed.”
Kristen Ashley does it again! I loved this next installment in the Fantasyland series. Cora wakes up in a new land where she can talk to birds and has a sister who literally tra la la's. Turns out we all have twins in a parallel world and Cora has somehow switched with hers. Very soon she unintentionally brings a curse upon her and her sister, and Cora's husband whisks her off to safety. Unfortunately for her, Cora in this world is a raging bitch and her husband loathes her.
Cora sets about trying to convince her husband, Tor, that she is in fact a different Cora. Of course, because she sounds like a crazy person he doesn't believe her. So Cora continues about her business, literally doing stuff like this:
No seriously, she cleans a cave. A place that will probably always be dirty.
Tor begins to think that the old Cora is playing him and is continually suspicious of Cora's motives. Meanwhile Cora is wandering around admiring her new clothing and the general splendor.
Together, they do their best to avoid the curse cast by an evil witch. Tor brings her to his castle and that's where I'll stop.
I really liked this book. Obviously most people won't like it as much as the Golden Dynasty but I found this book to be quite the little gem. There were some obvious Disney elements that I found charming. Cora was such an endearing character and I loved how she believed the best in people.
Tor, well he was kind of an asshole for the first 60% or so but he made up for it in the rest of the book. There was some definite angst that I gobbled up like an angst addict.
I'd just like to note that I'm glad I read this series in order because factors from book 1 appear in book 2, and continue into book 3. I have a feeling they will become very important as the series continues.
Only one little thing bothered me, and that is the fact that I don't remember KA adding a character description for Cora. Maybe she did and I missed it, but it's not the first time I've read a KA novel and had no clue what the heroine looked like. And for some odd reason, my weird brain pictured her:
My only guess is because I used the Anna gif in my status update.
Anyhoo, love these books and onto the next!
January 27, 2014
4-4.5 Fantastical stars!
Fantastical. That is the perfect word to describe Kristen Ashley’s Fantasyland series! As I’ve said before, Fantasy is something I like well enough, but something I don’t read often. Even so, this is one of my favorite series of KA’s. There is just something about these books!
The third book in the series follows Cora Goode and Noctorno (Tor) Hawthorne. Cora wakes up in a parallel universe where animals talk to her, she has a sister and she is married. And not just married, but married to a prince.
The Cora of Tor’s world is much different than Cora Goode. Plain and simple, she’s a bitch. No one likes her and most everyone she encounters treats her as the old Cora. Tor is convinced she’s playing a game. He can’t believe that this Cora is different. Even though he see’s the changes. Things are hard for Cora. It takes a long time for others to warm up to her because of everything with the evil Cora. Eventually, Tor becomes smitten with her. He still doesn’t believe her, but it doesn’t matter to him. He wants this Cora.
Cora and Tor together are smoking hot! I loved the black prince!
Things are starting to go well, until Cora overhears a conversation that upsets her. She falls and somehow gets transported back to her world. Her home in Seattle. She can’t believe her eyes when she wakes. She’s not alone. Tor is there too. He then realizes what a fool he’s been. Cora is nothing like evil Cora. She never was. She is the other half of him.
There is a lot going on. Cora and Tor have a lot of obstacles to overcome. The biggest being how they are going to get back. Tor has a kingdom to run, and there is another pressing issue that makes their return imminent. Tor will do whatever it takes to get them back. Keep them together.
Kristen Ashley’s has the perfect blend of funny and feisty heroines, alpha males, humor, sexiness and a unique and wonderful writing style. I only wish this story was as long as the first two- it seemed shorter and a little more rushed to me. That’s the reason it’s not quite a 5 star read. I still loved it though! Looking forward to the next book.
Fantastical. That is the perfect word to describe Kristen Ashley’s Fantasyland series! As I’ve said before, Fantasy is something I like well enough, but something I don’t read often. Even so, this is one of my favorite series of KA’s. There is just something about these books!
The third book in the series follows Cora Goode and Noctorno (Tor) Hawthorne. Cora wakes up in a parallel universe where animals talk to her, she has a sister and she is married. And not just married, but married to a prince.
“Does this mean I’m a princess?”
“That’s usually what happens when a woman marries a prince.”
The Cora of Tor’s world is much different than Cora Goode. Plain and simple, she’s a bitch. No one likes her and most everyone she encounters treats her as the old Cora. Tor is convinced she’s playing a game. He can’t believe that this Cora is different. Even though he see’s the changes. Things are hard for Cora. It takes a long time for others to warm up to her because of everything with the evil Cora. Eventually, Tor becomes smitten with her. He still doesn’t believe her, but it doesn’t matter to him. He wants this Cora.
Cora and Tor together are smoking hot! I loved the black prince!
Things are starting to go well, until Cora overhears a conversation that upsets her. She falls and somehow gets transported back to her world. Her home in Seattle. She can’t believe her eyes when she wakes. She’s not alone. Tor is there too. He then realizes what a fool he’s been. Cora is nothing like evil Cora. She never was. She is the other half of him.
“You are my other half, Cora.”
There is a lot going on. Cora and Tor have a lot of obstacles to overcome. The biggest being how they are going to get back. Tor has a kingdom to run, and there is another pressing issue that makes their return imminent. Tor will do whatever it takes to get them back. Keep them together.
“It’ll be all right, my love,” he assured me quietly.
“Right,” I whispered, not believing him.
His hand brought mine to his chest as his other hand came out, hooked me around the neck and pulled me to him. “If it isn’t, I’ll make it so,” he declared. “That’s a vow.”
Kristen Ashley’s has the perfect blend of funny and feisty heroines, alpha males, humor, sexiness and a unique and wonderful writing style. I only wish this story was as long as the first two- it seemed shorter and a little more rushed to me. That’s the reason it’s not quite a 5 star read. I still loved it though! Looking forward to the next book.
“Only you could put color into a colorless world.”
May 14, 2017
The third book in the 'Fantasyland' series, 'Fantastical' ended up being just an "okay" read for me. In all fairness, any book that had to follow 'The Golden Dynasty' probably wouldn't have measured up for me. 'Fantastical' was that book. It paled in comparison.
'Fantastical' tells the story of Cora Goode and Prince Noctorno "Tor" Hawthorne. Beginning in a similar fashion to 'The Golden Dynasty', the Cora of modern-day Seattle wakes up in the parallel universe as her "otherworld twin". However, that is where the similarities end.
The Cora of this world discovers that the Cora of the other world is kind of a pain in the ass. Unbeknownst to her, she makes a grave mistake upon her arrival in the "new" world, which sets off a curse. It doesn't take long for her to figure out that her inadvertent action is only the latest in a long line of selfish, cruel behaviors on the part of her "twin".
To make matters worse, she finds out that she is married in this alternate world...and her husband despises her. Apparently, twin Cora and her husband, Prince Noctorno "Tor" Hawthorne, can barely tolerate one another. This means that Cora is subjected to a LOT of Tor's ire upon her arrival in this new world.
She has an uphill battle on her hands to win him over. Yet, she genuinely likes Tor and wants him to like her. She is faced with the difficult task of trying to re-vamp her image with virtually everyone that the other Cora had wronged in this world.
Tor is certain that his wife is playing games with him. He cannot figure out what has motivated her sudden change in personality, but he is happy to enjoy it while it lasts. Finally having the wife that he fantasized about, he is hesitant to grow too attached only to be heartbroken when she decides to revert to her old ways.
Eventually, Cora and Tor seem to get on the same page. Things are pretty peachy for awhile. Then, Cora overhears something that upsets her greatly and she is transported back to her world again.
While I liked Cora and Tor's story, I didn't love it. For every part that was highly enjoyable, there were parts that seemed to drag on and on without purpose. Maybe this had something to do with the fact that I listened to all of the audiobooks back to back, or that this book followed 'The Golden Dynasty', which was hands-down the best in the series. Regardless, much of this book seemed tedious to me.
Noctorno does finally come around and works to win Cora over again. For me, it was just too little too late. I was glad that they got their HEA, but I was mostly glad to finish this book.
Check out more of my reviews at www.bookaddicthaven.com
'Fantastical' tells the story of Cora Goode and Prince Noctorno "Tor" Hawthorne. Beginning in a similar fashion to 'The Golden Dynasty', the Cora of modern-day Seattle wakes up in the parallel universe as her "otherworld twin". However, that is where the similarities end.
The Cora of this world discovers that the Cora of the other world is kind of a pain in the ass. Unbeknownst to her, she makes a grave mistake upon her arrival in the "new" world, which sets off a curse. It doesn't take long for her to figure out that her inadvertent action is only the latest in a long line of selfish, cruel behaviors on the part of her "twin".
To make matters worse, she finds out that she is married in this alternate world...and her husband despises her. Apparently, twin Cora and her husband, Prince Noctorno "Tor" Hawthorne, can barely tolerate one another. This means that Cora is subjected to a LOT of Tor's ire upon her arrival in this new world.
She has an uphill battle on her hands to win him over. Yet, she genuinely likes Tor and wants him to like her. She is faced with the difficult task of trying to re-vamp her image with virtually everyone that the other Cora had wronged in this world.
Tor is certain that his wife is playing games with him. He cannot figure out what has motivated her sudden change in personality, but he is happy to enjoy it while it lasts. Finally having the wife that he fantasized about, he is hesitant to grow too attached only to be heartbroken when she decides to revert to her old ways.
Eventually, Cora and Tor seem to get on the same page. Things are pretty peachy for awhile. Then, Cora overhears something that upsets her greatly and she is transported back to her world again.
While I liked Cora and Tor's story, I didn't love it. For every part that was highly enjoyable, there were parts that seemed to drag on and on without purpose. Maybe this had something to do with the fact that I listened to all of the audiobooks back to back, or that this book followed 'The Golden Dynasty', which was hands-down the best in the series. Regardless, much of this book seemed tedious to me.
Noctorno does finally come around and works to win Cora over again. For me, it was just too little too late. I was glad that they got their HEA, but I was mostly glad to finish this book.
Check out more of my reviews at www.bookaddicthaven.com
December 28, 2020
Pretty fan-freakin’-tastic!
One more (book 5) to go before I’m through with the series. I didn’t expect that there would be so much of our world in this book. (??) That is to say, 50% of the story happens in the fantasy world and 50% in the real world. This book also has that . . . Disney Princess fairytale vibe. I can’t think of any specific TV show or movie. Except, maybe the film Enchanted but in reverse (??) and the book Pestilence I think.
Tor didn’t believe Cora partly because her story was bizarre (which was understandable that he’d be skeptical), but mostly because he was an asshole who wanted to take advantage of Cora and her situation. I loved that for me mainly because I got to see and feel the “knife to my heart” moment when he realized he was wrong and had to beg for forgiveness. The grovel was kinda lame though.
There’s princes and princesses, curses and evil witches, birds and horses talking, and parallel universes with a little bit of marriage in convenience and hate to love romance. This is basically Wildest Dreams (cause the premise is so similar) but with better execution. Some things are contrived and not believable. Nonetheless, this is an adventure. So far, I recommend The Golden Dynasty and this book.
(Read as an Audiobook)
One more (book 5) to go before I’m through with the series. I didn’t expect that there would be so much of our world in this book. (??) That is to say, 50% of the story happens in the fantasy world and 50% in the real world. This book also has that . . . Disney Princess fairytale vibe. I can’t think of any specific TV show or movie. Except, maybe the film Enchanted but in reverse (??) and the book Pestilence I think.
Tor didn’t believe Cora partly because her story was bizarre (which was understandable that he’d be skeptical), but mostly because he was an asshole who wanted to take advantage of Cora and her situation. I loved that for me mainly because I got to see and feel the “knife to my heart” moment when he realized he was wrong and had to beg for forgiveness. The grovel was kinda lame though.
There’s princes and princesses, curses and evil witches, birds and horses talking, and parallel universes with a little bit of marriage in convenience and hate to love romance. This is basically Wildest Dreams (cause the premise is so similar) but with better execution. Some things are contrived and not believable. Nonetheless, this is an adventure. So far, I recommend The Golden Dynasty and this book.
(Read as an Audiobook)
June 4, 2021
Fantastical (Fantasyland #3), Kristen Ashley
The Fantasyland book series by Kristen Ashley & Lauren Fortgang includes books:
Wildest Dreams,
The Golden Dynasty,
Fantastical,
Broken Dove,
Midnight Soul,
and ....
Cora Goode has woken up in a fairy-tale world where she can understand what birds are saying to her, men ride horses and have fluffy feathers in their hats and furniture zigs, zags and whirls in miracles of construction.
The problem is, she thinks she’s in a dream but she’s actually taken the place of the parallel universe Cora and without realizing it, our Cora does something that starts a centuries old curse that will sweep the land if she gets captured by the evil Minerva.
At this point, her dream world becomes a nightmare. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش
عنوان: خارق العاده کتاب سوم از سری سرزمین رویاها؛ نویسنده: کریستن اشلی؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 21م
این سری شامل کتابهای «وحشی ترین رویاها»؛ «تبار زرین»؛ «خارق العاده»؛ «کبوتر شکسته»، «روح نیمه شب»؛ هستند
در این کتاب سوم از سری سرزمین رویاها�� «کورا گوده» در دنیایی افسانه ای بیدار شده، او میتواند بفهمد که پرندگان به او چه میگویند، مردان سوار اسب میشوند و ...؛ او میاندیشد هنوز در خواب است و رویا میبیند، ولی جسم او در جهان موازی دیگری است و ...؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 13/03/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
The Fantasyland book series by Kristen Ashley & Lauren Fortgang includes books:
Wildest Dreams,
The Golden Dynasty,
Fantastical,
Broken Dove,
Midnight Soul,
and ....
Cora Goode has woken up in a fairy-tale world where she can understand what birds are saying to her, men ride horses and have fluffy feathers in their hats and furniture zigs, zags and whirls in miracles of construction.
The problem is, she thinks she’s in a dream but she’s actually taken the place of the parallel universe Cora and without realizing it, our Cora does something that starts a centuries old curse that will sweep the land if she gets captured by the evil Minerva.
At this point, her dream world becomes a nightmare. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش
عنوان: خارق العاده کتاب سوم از سری سرزمین رویاها؛ نویسنده: کریستن اشلی؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 21م
این سری شامل کتابهای «وحشی ترین رویاها»؛ «تبار زرین»؛ «خارق العاده»؛ «کبوتر شکسته»، «روح نیمه شب»؛ هستند
در این کتاب سوم از سری سرزمین رویاها�� «کورا گوده» در دنیایی افسانه ای بیدار شده، او میتواند بفهمد که پرندگان به او چه میگویند، مردان سوار اسب میشوند و ...؛ او میاندیشد هنوز در خواب است و رویا میبیند، ولی جسم او در جهان موازی دیگری است و ...؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 13/03/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
July 19, 2016
This starts off just like Enchanted <3 That first scene with the singing birds and fluffy bed and all XD Very fairy-tale like, and I loved it! The first 100-150 pages were absolutely fabulous, like, 15 star rating for that! BUT... Then they got in our world... I lost my inner fantasy world during that, I mean, it was great to see it reversed, how the man adjusts to our world, but it just wasn't it. I missed the fantasy of it all, even though there was a bonus (NOC!!!) The ending was intense, with the big bad comming :S Can't wait to read Apollo!! And I sure hope there will be Noc's story somewhere in there <3 All in all it was a great book, I laughed my ass off, even cried (yes, actual tears were involved, and not happy ones), so it would have been a 5 if not for the earlier mentioned return to "our" land. But still, awsome book, can't wait to read more of this series, and I hope there will be more than just the Apollo book in this series :S
June 26, 2018
I cried AGAIN.
I know what's coming, know it's going to hurt but it still messes with me. That birthday cake scene does me in EVERY BLOODY TIME!
**********
Fantastical made me cry...IN PUBLIC!!
Hi, my name is Sassy and I'm addicted to WiFi. It's been 72 hours since my last good signal...AND I'M HAVING WITHDRAWLS!! This review will be really short because my symptoms have left me jittery and FRUSTRATED.
For a story that made me cry...on a train platform, I loved it. Fantastical is one of those books where for a glimpse of time you absolutely HATE the hero. Eventually, you forgive him and learn to love him. In this case, he wasn't fully to blame for his monumental stuff up. But...he hurt me...I mean Cora.
I love the characters, humour, frustrations, steamy scenes and the storyline.
Fantastical is the third book in one of my favourite series. Kristen Ashley does her best work in this series (in my opinion) giving us alternative universes, evil witches, dashing heroes and quirky lovable heroines. Tillie Hooper is becoming one of my favourite narrators. Her skill in changing voices and accents makes it easy to tell the characters apart.
I'm taking a break from the Fantasyland series but I will definitely be back soon.
I know what's coming, know it's going to hurt but it still messes with me. That birthday cake scene does me in EVERY BLOODY TIME!
**********
Fantastical made me cry...IN PUBLIC!!
Hi, my name is Sassy and I'm addicted to WiFi. It's been 72 hours since my last good signal...AND I'M HAVING WITHDRAWLS!! This review will be really short because my symptoms have left me jittery and FRUSTRATED.
For a story that made me cry...on a train platform, I loved it. Fantastical is one of those books where for a glimpse of time you absolutely HATE the hero. Eventually, you forgive him and learn to love him. In this case, he wasn't fully to blame for his monumental stuff up. But...he hurt me...I mean Cora.
I love the characters, humour, frustrations, steamy scenes and the storyline.
Fantastical is the third book in one of my favourite series. Kristen Ashley does her best work in this series (in my opinion) giving us alternative universes, evil witches, dashing heroes and quirky lovable heroines. Tillie Hooper is becoming one of my favourite narrators. Her skill in changing voices and accents makes it easy to tell the characters apart.
I'm taking a break from the Fantasyland series but I will definitely be back soon.
September 11, 2013
After having read all of Kristen Ashley's non-pnr/non-fantasy books and having put off reading the pnr/fantasy books because I wasn't sure I would enjoy them but knowing without a doubt I needed my Kristen Ashley fix, I finally pulled my head out of my arse and dove into this series. Welp, I have to say, I enjoyed each one! Golden Dynasty is my favorite of the three, without a doubt, but Fantastical and Wildest Dreams are not far behind.
As usual, Kristen Ashley exceeded my expectations and I'll do my best to never doubt her ability to write anything and make it awesome, again.
-----
If you're already a Kristen Ashley addict, or interested in checking out her books, be sure to stop by our Kristen Ashley Addict's Support Group here on Goodreads
January 30, 2021
Third-read: 30.01.2021
Still quite enjoyable, and I like the characters. Cora isn't that annoying compared to many of KA's characters.
Re-read: 05.09.2019
You see, the book's not bad, not at all. It got an interesting plot, awesome male character (KA is badass at writing alpha males) and a kind female character (though when is KA's female's not insanely kind and nice? It can get quite boring). However, it's dragged out, a bit predictable and a tad bit boring. It's my least favorite of the three I've read, with book #2 my favorite in the series. Overall, I still enjoyed the re-read, I didn't skim (thank god) and I don't regret it. But I must point out that I didn't like the ending. It feels clipped, yet not.
Other Characters:
→ Dashiell ‘Dash’, the second son in line for the throne, Orlando, the third in line. Both Tor's brothers. All three of them has different mothers.
→ Minerva, a (evil) witch. Through the years, her power grew. Now it so closely rivals the gods’, she is a god.
→ Rosa, the other Cora born in the fantasyland's sister. Taken by Vickrants, and now Minerva has her, and is after Cora as she needs both sisters to complete the curse over the land.
→ Salem, Tor's horse.
→ Cora Goode Hawthorne, the Exquisite, the other Cora born in the fantasyland.
→ Brian, Cora's ex-boyfriend of four years.
→ Dara Goode, Cora's mother. In Seattle, Dara is quite the hippie, but smart. In the fantasyland, she is beloved, but not so bright (stupid). Forrest (55) her father, is Earl in fantasy land and a hippie in Seattle.
→ Liza Calhoon. Her husband, Rory. They own a pub called The Riverside Rory.
→ Agglethorpe ‘Aggie’, a talking bird Cora from fantasyland named.
→ Perdita, housekeeper in charge of Cora at Tor's castle in Bellebryn.
→ Algernon, one of Tor's men.
→ Blanche, Perdita's cousin, who had two children, a husband away at sea and a frail mother, Clarabelle, to look after. The Clarabelle in ‘The real world’ is also blind, but a witch as well.
→ Eunice, Daphne, Sabina, Winnie, Pauline, cooks and cooks-helpers standing behind her.
→ Noctorno ‘Noc’ Hawthorne, the Noctorno in Seattle.
→ Dave, Cora's boss at The Arthur Broderick Agency.
→ Phoebe, Cora's best friend in Seattle.
→ King Ludlum, Tor's father.
→
→ Geraint, one of Tor’s warriors. According to Tor, he was the best of his warriors.
First read review:
This one was good, though not the best in the Fantasyland series. The story was good, although at times boring and long. I wish more exciting things had happened, still, it was good. The characters were awesome. Cora Goode, the Gracious, (32) stood her ground, was cute, sweet, nice and kind.
Prince Noctorno ‘Tor’ Allegro Hawthorne (37-38) of the House of Hawthorne, heir to the Kingdom of Hawkvale and ruler of Bellebryn, was hot, sexy, warrior who fights for his people and kingdom, he's commanding and smart. Together they were quite good. Overall, it was a book well worth reading. Kristen Ashley does indeed know how to write those perfect alpha males.
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Fantasy Romance (M/F).
Series: - Series (Can Be Read As A Standalone), Book Three.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Noctorno ‘Tor’ Hawthorne.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Yes.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes.
Will I read this again in the future? - Who knows?
Rating - 3(.5) stars.
Still quite enjoyable, and I like the characters. Cora isn't that annoying compared to many of KA's characters.
⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Still Worth A Re-Read*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱
Re-read: 05.09.2019
You see, the book's not bad, not at all. It got an interesting plot, awesome male character (KA is badass at writing alpha males) and a kind female character (though when is KA's female's not insanely kind and nice? It can get quite boring). However, it's dragged out, a bit predictable and a tad bit boring. It's my least favorite of the three I've read, with book #2 my favorite in the series. Overall, I still enjoyed the re-read, I didn't skim (thank god) and I don't regret it. But I must point out that I didn't like the ending. It feels clipped, yet not.
Other Characters:
→ Dashiell ‘Dash’, the second son in line for the throne, Orlando, the third in line. Both Tor's brothers. All three of them has different mothers.
→ Minerva, a (evil) witch. Through the years, her power grew. Now it so closely rivals the gods’, she is a god.
→ Rosa, the other Cora born in the fantasyland's sister. Taken by Vickrants, and now Minerva has her, and is after Cora as she needs both sisters to complete the curse over the land.
→ Salem, Tor's horse.
→ Cora Goode Hawthorne, the Exquisite, the other Cora born in the fantasyland.
→ Brian, Cora's ex-boyfriend of four years.
→ Dara Goode, Cora's mother. In Seattle, Dara is quite the hippie, but smart. In the fantasyland, she is beloved, but not so bright (stupid). Forrest (55) her father, is Earl in fantasy land and a hippie in Seattle.
→ Liza Calhoon. Her husband, Rory. They own a pub called The Riverside Rory.
→ Agglethorpe ‘Aggie’, a talking bird Cora from fantasyland named.
→ Perdita, housekeeper in charge of Cora at Tor's castle in Bellebryn.
→ Algernon, one of Tor's men.
→ Blanche, Perdita's cousin, who had two children, a husband away at sea and a frail mother, Clarabelle, to look after. The Clarabelle in ‘The real world’ is also blind, but a witch as well.
→ Eunice, Daphne, Sabina, Winnie, Pauline, cooks and cooks-helpers standing behind her.
→ Noctorno ‘Noc’ Hawthorne, the Noctorno in Seattle.
→ Dave, Cora's boss at The Arthur Broderick Agency.
→ Phoebe, Cora's best friend in Seattle.
→ King Ludlum, Tor's father.
→
→ Geraint, one of Tor’s warriors. According to Tor, he was the best of his warriors.
First read review:
This one was good, though not the best in the Fantasyland series. The story was good, although at times boring and long. I wish more exciting things had happened, still, it was good. The characters were awesome. Cora Goode, the Gracious, (32) stood her ground, was cute, sweet, nice and kind.
Prince Noctorno ‘Tor’ Allegro Hawthorne (37-38) of the House of Hawthorne, heir to the Kingdom of Hawkvale and ruler of Bellebryn, was hot, sexy, warrior who fights for his people and kingdom, he's commanding and smart. Together they were quite good. Overall, it was a book well worth reading. Kristen Ashley does indeed know how to write those perfect alpha males.
“In this world,” I kept whispering, “you were the only thing I had but you were the only thing I needed.”
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Fantasy Romance (M/F).
Series: - Series (Can Be Read As A Standalone), Book Three.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Noctorno ‘Tor’ Hawthorne.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Yes.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes.
Will I read this again in the future? - Who knows?
Rating - 3(.5) stars.
Read
May 4, 2016DNF No Rating !!!!!!!!!
This is how the book begins
Holy crap
I heard birds.
They were singing. Not chirping. Singing. It wasn't birdsong. It was just plain old song in chirps. It was hard to describe but there it was.
A lot of it.It made me open my eyes.
Then I blinked and felt it. I was lying in a bed but not my bed. The mattress was strange-very soft, very plush. I wasn't on it. I was in it. It partially enveloped my body like a warm, comfortable squashy cloud.
What on earth?
What the fuck?
To answer this in KA fashion using the lines above :
While reading this, I rolled my eyes but not my eyeballs. I was crying at the misery the book put me through but I was not crying. I had tears in my eyes but not tears. I realized the tears were the drops of water from my tap which enveloped me in its embrace, begging me to stop reading.
I used a lot of swear words but not words. They were sounds. Angry sounds. A lot of them. It made me open my mouth
*The grammatical errors were intentional and written deliberately
I shall stop here. Too pissed. I won't even bother going into the plot and characterization
October 28, 2012
4.5 stars :)
What a fantastically fun ride!!
In a world full of curses, talking animals, soul-mates, castles, princes, and evil witches, Kristen Ashley once again weaves a story that kept me riveted to the book, laughing, swooning, squeeing, fanning myself and giving me happy shivers! I don’t know how she does it, but every book she writes just makes my heart oh-so-happy! <3
Cora wakes up in a parallel universe fantasyland. Literally. Complete with singing and dancing and tra la la la la. And only moments later, the world around her decends into a living nightmare and she’s being carted off to safety by a hot Alpha guy on a big horse who takes her to her cave, insults her and blames her for causing all this madness. Needless to say, she has questions.
“Do you have to have the last word?” I snapped.
“Yes,” he returned.
“Jerk,” I gritted out.
“Cow,” he returned.
Oh my God! He just called me a cow!
“I hate you,” I spat.
“That feeling, my love, is mutual,” he returned.”
Its turns out the Cora of our world is a screaming bitch (her words, not mine) and the hot guy, Tor, is a bit of a lovable jerk. The jerk part though is quite understandable given that it takes him a long time to actually believe that she is in fact a ‘different’ Cora because he really strongly dislikes the Cora he knows…. but the more time they spend together, despite their differences, they can’t help but start to fall for each other.
“Gods, I wish this was real,” he muttered.”
I found this to be a much lighter read than the previous book in the series – in fact, it was almost reminiscent of the first book in terms of its tone. There was great banter, and despite the evil baddies with their evil minions out to create misery, the whole feel of the book is quite light. Its also a fair bit shorter than the previous two so between that and the tone of it, the story moved along quickly, the pages flew by and I was able to finish it in one sitting.
And we are treated to a cool twist in this one where the Hero and heroine actually are in OUR world for half the book! And because of this fun twist, we get to meet Tor’s “alternate version” : Noc. Who is set up quite strongly for his own book! Seriously, that man commands the swoon. Cannot WAIT for his book!
But I thought it was such an awesome turn around to see Tor navigating out world. I loved it!! Freaking loved it!!! Meeting the parents, figuring out the TV remote, learning to drive, the whole shebang
I loved both Tor and Cora. They were a great match. Met each other head-to-head with their banter, and yet when they finally sorted out their issues, their love just melted my heart! <3
“…Tor murmured, “Only you.”
I got shivers, had a misty eyed moment or two, fanned myself a lot, read with a smile on my face and pretty much just all out enjoyed myself.
“Quiet,” he repeated with a growl, “I’m about to fuck my wife and the only words I want her saying when I do it are ‘yes’, ‘Tor’, ‘my prince, ‘baby’ and ‘oh my God’. Am I understood?”
I did find there were a few “omg-he-did-NOT-just-SAY-that” moments (one in particular that really stood out) but I found myself quite able to forgive it. I mean, yeah, it was a real horrible thing to say… but, I could see how there could have been a different way to take it, plus the fact that he did make me believe he was sorry afterwards so it didn’t detract from the story for me. Especially since only a few pages after the incident he was saying all sorts of heart-melting things so all in all, it was impossible to stay mad at him.
It was essentially a fun fairy tale – complete with hot guys, princesses and evil witches but written with that KA brilliance that makes you take it totally seriously. And, of course, it was all wrapped up with a gorgeous HEA and epilogue with a shiver-educing reunion with ALL the couples from the previous books as well as a little part that nicely set up the next book.
Kristen Ashley is seriously a writing machine of amazingness! May she never ever stop churning out these wonderful freaking books!!
CASTING: I think the guy above works as both Tor and Noc. Just scar him up a bit in your minds for Tor :P
For Cora, k, honestly, I have no idea why... either I missed it or it actually didn't say but I did not end up remembering what color hair she had. I kinda always imagined her as a brunette like this pic below, but if you do happen to know if her hair is a different color, do let me know and I'll swap out the pic. But for now, here's brunette Cora :)
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May 20, 2013
3 1/2 to 4 stars
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading Fantastical. This book definitely had a fairytale feel to it and reminded me somewhat of Disney's Enchanted, which I love.
The hero, Noctorno (Tor), and heroine, Cora, were delightful together. I especially loved Cora's use of the current American slang. It added a certain authenticity to the book that isn't necessarily common in time travel or paranormal plots.
I will admit that there were times I felt the storyline became a bit convoluted and confusing, and I felt I was left with more questions than answers. However, that may be due to the fact I didn't read the first two books in the series. Go figure!
Other than that, I had a great time reading this very entertaining and sexy book.
If you're already a Kristen Ashley addict, or interested in checking out her books, be sure to stop by our Kristen Ashley Addict's Support Group here on Goodreads!
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading Fantastical. This book definitely had a fairytale feel to it and reminded me somewhat of Disney's Enchanted, which I love.
The hero, Noctorno (Tor), and heroine, Cora, were delightful together. I especially loved Cora's use of the current American slang. It added a certain authenticity to the book that isn't necessarily common in time travel or paranormal plots.
I will admit that there were times I felt the storyline became a bit convoluted and confusing, and I felt I was left with more questions than answers. However, that may be due to the fact I didn't read the first two books in the series. Go figure!
Other than that, I had a great time reading this very entertaining and sexy book.
If you're already a Kristen Ashley addict, or interested in checking out her books, be sure to stop by our Kristen Ashley Addict's Support Group here on Goodreads!
January 8, 2015
*****6+++ Dreamy Stars ******
I have decided that Fantasyland is my favorite KA series ever; every single book I've read has been better the last. Beautiful fairytales on far-away lands with super hot alpha males and kick-ass heroines, with the signature awesomeness of the KA pen, what's not to love?
Cora is an administrative assistant from Seattle,she recently broke up with her boyfriend because he didn't want to take things to the next level with her after five years of dating (seriously?), and Cora being in her thirties she's ready to start her life in a new path. One night she goes to bed and wakes up in a strange land, where everything is more colorful, you can see glitter in the air and talk to birds and horses. At first she thinks she's dreaming but after a curse that could possibly destroy this world is unleashed, and it's accidentally her fault, she learns quickly that this is her new reality.
Turns out in this new world she's actually married to a sexy Alpha Male Prince Warrior named Noctorno (*Cool name, right?) but there's a tiny problem and is that he hates her guts. Like all the books in this series, every character in Fantasyland has a twin in the real world, and Cora's twin in this particular kingdom is a big bad bitch, so her husband and everyone in his kingdom hates her and now even more, since without knowing she unleashed the terrible curse of the bad witch. Do not worry my friends, because Cora is awesome and in no time she'll have Tor falling in love with her and keeping her body warm with his in his beautiful castle. Only Kristen Ashley can create a highly romantic story, full of adventure at every turn; a tale that will leave you dreaming for months... Brilliant!!!
I have decided that Fantasyland is my favorite KA series ever; every single book I've read has been better the last. Beautiful fairytales on far-away lands with super hot alpha males and kick-ass heroines, with the signature awesomeness of the KA pen, what's not to love?
Cora is an administrative assistant from Seattle,she recently broke up with her boyfriend because he didn't want to take things to the next level with her after five years of dating (seriously?), and Cora being in her thirties she's ready to start her life in a new path. One night she goes to bed and wakes up in a strange land, where everything is more colorful, you can see glitter in the air and talk to birds and horses. At first she thinks she's dreaming but after a curse that could possibly destroy this world is unleashed, and it's accidentally her fault, she learns quickly that this is her new reality.
Turns out in this new world she's actually married to a sexy Alpha Male Prince Warrior named Noctorno (*Cool name, right?) but there's a tiny problem and is that he hates her guts. Like all the books in this series, every character in Fantasyland has a twin in the real world, and Cora's twin in this particular kingdom is a big bad bitch, so her husband and everyone in his kingdom hates her and now even more, since without knowing she unleashed the terrible curse of the bad witch. Do not worry my friends, because Cora is awesome and in no time she'll have Tor falling in love with her and keeping her body warm with his in his beautiful castle. Only Kristen Ashley can create a highly romantic story, full of adventure at every turn; a tale that will leave you dreaming for months... Brilliant!!!
April 17, 2019
4 DELICIOUS TOR STARS
"I'm about to f*ck my wife and the only words I want her saying when I do are 'yes', 'Tor', 'my prince', 'baby' and 'oh my God'. Am I understood?"....
He slid inside me and my back arched.
Damn, but I loved the feel of him inside me.
"Cora, am I understood?"
"You're understood," I breathed.
His mouth came to mine and he whispered, "Good."
OH YEAH BABY!!!!
Fantastical was magical, lovely, faced paced, sweet and fun. This book was exactly what the title say's, it was incredibly FAN-F*CKING-TASTICAL. I loved it. This whole series rocks! In fact, everything I've read by Kristen Ashley has rocked my freaking socks off. I need fourth book in this series NOW!!!
"I'm about to f*ck my wife and the only words I want her saying when I do are 'yes', 'Tor', 'my prince', 'baby' and 'oh my God'. Am I understood?"....
He slid inside me and my back arched.
Damn, but I loved the feel of him inside me.
"Cora, am I understood?"
"You're understood," I breathed.
His mouth came to mine and he whispered, "Good."
OH YEAH BABY!!!!
Fantastical was magical, lovely, faced paced, sweet and fun. This book was exactly what the title say's, it was incredibly FAN-F*CKING-TASTICAL. I loved it. This whole series rocks! In fact, everything I've read by Kristen Ashley has rocked my freaking socks off. I need fourth book in this series NOW!!!
August 28, 2020
I only have one word for this book: MAGICAL
Oh, this opening scene where Cora wakes up in a strange place!!!....Delicate furniture and mirrors all around, a blond girl was singing "tra la la, la la" dancing around, the birds were singing "chirp chirpity chirp" ie "you are not dreaming" in plain english, three magnificent horses with three magnificent riders at the courtyard wearing fluffy feathers. I was totally hooked to the story from the start. I am a sucker for fairytales. Totally addicted.
Out of the three horsemen, Tor (Cora's future sweetheart) will be the dark one, he will always look pissed and this seems it will be the only emotion he has until the middle of the book. Although he will save Cora from monsters in the beginning, he will be cruel to her. He will drop her in a dusty cave and he will make her eat Thumper, a sweet bunny. Cora tries to explain to him from the beginning that she is from a different world and now she is scared and confused and knows nothing about her evil twin. But he is a jerk. And he will be a jerk for most of the book.
Well, I read a saying somewhere that "marriage is loving someone so much that you forgive them occasionally for being a freaking asshole". Cora will forgive Tor occasionally A LOT. Anyway, he is a prince who hss never denied anything and who cannot not trust his wife enough based on his previous experiences and on her past behaviour. It is normal for him to behave as an asshole - not that I am making excuses for him.
My favourite scene is when Tor is transported to out dimension and he meets Cora's parents. And when her father asks Tor "Are you drugging her fruit juice? Are you in some kind of cult?", I could not stop laughing. It seems that all parents are the same in all countries of the world and whether they are hippies or not. Her parents are so cute.
Another thing I would like to mention is that I love that all girls in the series are slightly older (Cora is 32). They are girls next door, not very rich, not well educated, but with a strong spirit and an innocent soul and they live a simple life before they become Queens and Princesses. Loved them!
Oh, this opening scene where Cora wakes up in a strange place!!!....Delicate furniture and mirrors all around, a blond girl was singing "tra la la, la la" dancing around, the birds were singing "chirp chirpity chirp" ie "you are not dreaming" in plain english, three magnificent horses with three magnificent riders at the courtyard wearing fluffy feathers. I was totally hooked to the story from the start. I am a sucker for fairytales. Totally addicted.
Out of the three horsemen, Tor (Cora's future sweetheart) will be the dark one, he will always look pissed and this seems it will be the only emotion he has until the middle of the book. Although he will save Cora from monsters in the beginning, he will be cruel to her. He will drop her in a dusty cave and he will make her eat Thumper, a sweet bunny. Cora tries to explain to him from the beginning that she is from a different world and now she is scared and confused and knows nothing about her evil twin. But he is a jerk. And he will be a jerk for most of the book.
Well, I read a saying somewhere that "marriage is loving someone so much that you forgive them occasionally for being a freaking asshole". Cora will forgive Tor occasionally A LOT. Anyway, he is a prince who hss never denied anything and who cannot not trust his wife enough based on his previous experiences and on her past behaviour. It is normal for him to behave as an asshole - not that I am making excuses for him.
My favourite scene is when Tor is transported to out dimension and he meets Cora's parents. And when her father asks Tor "Are you drugging her fruit juice? Are you in some kind of cult?", I could not stop laughing. It seems that all parents are the same in all countries of the world and whether they are hippies or not. Her parents are so cute.
Another thing I would like to mention is that I love that all girls in the series are slightly older (Cora is 32). They are girls next door, not very rich, not well educated, but with a strong spirit and an innocent soul and they live a simple life before they become Queens and Princesses. Loved them!
November 2, 2016
Review written October 31, 2016
4.3 Stars - My twenty-fifth Kristen Ashley romance and once again hooked, heart warmed, impressed, happy smiling and in need for more lovely KA tales soonish
Fantastical, book #3 — Another fantastical (standalone) time travel romance in this Fantasyland series?
# Loved (best ever happydancing much) #2-The Golden Dynasty (5 stars)and liked (good enough but too long) #1-Wildest Dreams (3.5 stars) reading them back in 2013.
# Since then I've gotten spoiled with good KA audiobooks. Only now, finally, in October 2016, as a gift from a imaginary good "romance-god" I got this #3-Fantastical audiobook as a much needed entertainment (moving house on Thursday and packing boxes, sort and pick among stuff and memories).
# Crossed my fingers for 14 fantastic audiobook hours (narrated by Tillie Hooper).
And? — Jippie Yay!! Yes, this was good. A more or less terrific sweet audiobook listening. — Hands up and some happydancing steps, I like.
« Cora Goode has woken up in a fairytale world where she can understand what birds are saying to her, men ride horses and have fluffy feathers in their hats and furniture zigs, zags and whirls in miracles of construction.
~
Luckily, hot guy, fantasyland Noctorno is there to save her from the clutches of the grotesque vickrants sent by Minerva to capture her. »
Why make a long-winded explanation about my thoughts and feelings?— In short: This was good.
# I got a genuine sweet romance. I got a adorable cute heroine and as always in a KA book a very perfect seeeexy alpha hero.
# Maybe (of course) a somewhat incredible story to swallow, accept and love. But I like quirky mysterious fantasy elements and I like time travel, shared hearts (sometimes) and cleverly added funny situations when two people from different parallel universes meets. ... Yes, there a lot of hilarious scenes with cute (love) bickering here to be happy about.
# Not as good as the second (incomparable) but in my opinion absolutely better than the first. Not too long or tiring detailed neither. Bravo!! — Fourteen hours (for a KA book) is a pretty perfect length.
I LIKE - knight like heroes
4.3 Stars - My twenty-fifth Kristen Ashley romance and once again hooked, heart warmed, impressed, happy smiling and in need for more lovely KA tales soonish
Fantastical, book #3 — Another fantastical (standalone) time travel romance in this Fantasyland series?
# Loved (best ever happydancing much) #2-The Golden Dynasty (5 stars)and liked (good enough but too long) #1-Wildest Dreams (3.5 stars) reading them back in 2013.
# Since then I've gotten spoiled with good KA audiobooks. Only now, finally, in October 2016, as a gift from a imaginary good "romance-god" I got this #3-Fantastical audiobook as a much needed entertainment (moving house on Thursday and packing boxes, sort and pick among stuff and memories).
# Crossed my fingers for 14 fantastic audiobook hours (narrated by Tillie Hooper).
And? — Jippie Yay!! Yes, this was good. A more or less terrific sweet audiobook listening. — Hands up and some happydancing steps, I like.
« Cora Goode has woken up in a fairytale world where she can understand what birds are saying to her, men ride horses and have fluffy feathers in their hats and furniture zigs, zags and whirls in miracles of construction.
~
Luckily, hot guy, fantasyland Noctorno is there to save her from the clutches of the grotesque vickrants sent by Minerva to capture her. »
Why make a long-winded explanation about my thoughts and feelings?— In short: This was good.
# I got a genuine sweet romance. I got a adorable cute heroine and as always in a KA book a very perfect seeeexy alpha hero.
# Maybe (of course) a somewhat incredible story to swallow, accept and love. But I like quirky mysterious fantasy elements and I like time travel, shared hearts (sometimes) and cleverly added funny situations when two people from different parallel universes meets. ... Yes, there a lot of hilarious scenes with cute (love) bickering here to be happy about.
# Not as good as the second (incomparable) but in my opinion absolutely better than the first. Not too long or tiring detailed neither. Bravo!! — Fourteen hours (for a KA book) is a pretty perfect length.
I LIKE - knight like heroes
January 25, 2024
5 stars
Cora woke up in a dream, or so she thinks, in a land where men ride horses, animal’s talk to humans and let’s not forget an evil curse that has been unleashed and her sister has been taken by the evil witch, Minerva. Did I forget to mention it's all Cora's fault, even though she is not the Cora of this world but the other Cora. To top it all off she is married to the dark Prince, one that hates the very air she breathes and no matter what she says or does, nothing would change the way he thinks of her.
Cora has come to some conclusions:
1) This world totally rocks
2) The other Cora is an ultimate Bitch
3) Being a Princess is harder than she thinks,
especially when everyone hates her, or the other her
Cora tries to make the best of her shituation siance she has no idea if and when she will ever get back to her world. Her husband, the one who is supposingly is the other half of her soul, is proving harder to hate especially when he goes out of his way to play along with her “game”.
Tor and Cora are sent back into her world, where Tor is faced with the truth, unsure of what to do, she has to set the wrongs right that the other Cora did in her absence. In her world she discovers that the other Cora meets her worlds Tor, or as he likes to be called Noc, which Tor is not all too pleased with.
Will they ever find their way back to the other world, and what really happens when the two halves of a soul are separated??? Can they survive it all ????
Fantastical was exactly what this book was, I loved every bit of it …
Please don’t let the description fool you, I must admit I was a bit turned off with the whole feather-wearin Prince, but I am happy to say I was totally wrong, Tor is every bit an alpha Price should be. He was sweet, sexy, protective and downright yummy! Cora was our usual corky lovable heroine, who tried to make the best out of everything that came her way. One of my favorite lines, kinda sad, but it has me cracking up was when Tor hunted and cooked their first meal together:
LMAO! I love this and the series so much! Can’t wait to see what’s next up for our Fantasyland people :D
“you were the only thing I had but you were the only thing I needed.”
Cora woke up in a dream, or so she thinks, in a land where men ride horses, animal’s talk to humans and let’s not forget an evil curse that has been unleashed and her sister has been taken by the evil witch, Minerva. Did I forget to mention it's all Cora's fault, even though she is not the Cora of this world but the other Cora. To top it all off she is married to the dark Prince, one that hates the very air she breathes and no matter what she says or does, nothing would change the way he thinks of her.
“I will protect you, keep you safe from harm, keep you alive as I vowed to do as your husband and because your sister holds a place in my heart. But for no other reason. You cannot carry logs and cook meat and make me think you sweet. I know you. I know this is not you…Don’t make the mistake of thinking me a fool.”
Cora has come to some conclusions:
1) This world totally rocks
2) The other Cora is an ultimate Bitch
3) Being a Princess is harder than she thinks,
especially when everyone hates her, or the other her
Cora tries to make the best of her shituation siance she has no idea if and when she will ever get back to her world. Her husband, the one who is supposingly is the other half of her soul, is proving harder to hate especially when he goes out of his way to play along with her “game”.
I was thinking I was falling for a black prince who conquered lands, took care of his people, gave in when I wanted to save a tiny bird and took time to show me his world.
Tor and Cora are sent back into her world, where Tor is faced with the truth, unsure of what to do, she has to set the wrongs right that the other Cora did in her absence. In her world she discovers that the other Cora meets her worlds Tor, or as he likes to be called Noc, which Tor is not all too pleased with.
“You’re in love with me and I’ll not give this… other bloody me an opportunity to muddle your head.”
Will they ever find their way back to the other world, and what really happens when the two halves of a soul are separated??? Can they survive it all ????
“All right, baby, let’s go do this. I’ll amuse the girls so you boys can plan to kick some bad guy ass.”
Fantastical was exactly what this book was, I loved every bit of it …
Please don’t let the description fool you, I must admit I was a bit turned off with the whole feather-wearin Prince, but I am happy to say I was totally wrong, Tor is every bit an alpha Price should be. He was sweet, sexy, protective and downright yummy! Cora was our usual corky lovable heroine, who tried to make the best out of everything that came her way. One of my favorite lines, kinda sad, but it has me cracking up was when Tor hunted and cooked their first meal together:
We were already having Thumper for lunch and he was apologizing that we weren’t eating Bambi.
LMAO! I love this and the series so much! Can’t wait to see what’s next up for our Fantasyland people :D
January 23, 2014
4 STARS!!!!!
The title says it all!!! This is the third installment of the Fantasyland Series by Kristen Ashley, and it is definitely true to it’s title.
This is the story of Cora Goode from Seattle Washington, a regular girl with a regular job who goes to bed one night as usual, but instead of waking up in her own bed… she wakes up in a parallel universe. Where not only is she bombarded with a sister she doesn’t have, a whole group of strange but incredibly “hot” guys, in a strangely “vivid” new world, but she also unintentionally sets off a “curse” that has her newly discovered sister kidnapped by a strange and horrible beast, pissing off her sister’s fiancé and his brother her so-called “husband?…
Yep, she’s married too, to the scariest… but luckily the “hottest” of the men!!! This has to be a dream… right? NOPE No dream… and she is quickly sped from the scene of utter chaos on the front of her “husband’s beautiful black horse. Well this is how is begins… and it only get’s more fantastical from there.
And true to form… we have another hot badass ALPHA, the “Black Prince” himself… and no, that does not mean Satan. In this case it is Prince Noctorno Hawthorne…
”Whoa, I’m married to a prince.
And her response… “HOLY CRAP!” Which might have been mine as well. And this guy was not just a prince but a freaking HOT badass prince… a warrior prince… with scars, and black cloaks and all!!!! But the bad part of all of this is… he’s mean… and he hates her… and he’s not shy about it either. And as much as she tries to explain who she really is… the ruder and more hateful he gets. He is pissed about her part in the curse, and now he thinks she's lying about who she really is. Or more accurately, he starts to think she may by crazy! And she must endure his hatefulness until the curse can somehow be broken.
Cora’s character in this story does remind me A LOT of Finnie’s character in the first book. And I really really liked her. Instead of breaking down and boo hoooing about the whole thing, she just keeps on with the “truth” and makes the best of the situation, regardless of Tor’s obnoxious attitude. And even though she sets her sights of hating him right back… she somehow still feels drawn to him somehow (and against her will). And he to her… even though he’s better at hiding it.
“In this world,” I kept whispering, “you were the only thing I had but you were the only thing I needed.”
Another thing I loved about Cora was her sense of humor. I loved the scene in the pub, when she find’s out her hippie father from Seattle, is actually an Earl of a kingdom in this world, and she breaks down in hysterics and cannot stop laughing!!! Her inner monologues are very funny and sweet. I totally connected with her character throughout the book.
And Noctorno “Tor” ended up falling for her pretty quickly, even though he convinced himself that she was playing him he was happy to go along with her nonsense as long as he got what he wanted from her. Well… you can see how this is going to end in disaster, right?
The part of the story that I didn’t like as much was The one good thing to come of it though… Tor suddenly realized… SHE WASN’T making that shit up!!!! And suddenly he found himself quite in love with her.
The story does end with a HEA… and a fantastical finale to boot!!!! These two characters have a shit load of chemistry, and they really know what to do with it!!!! The quotes are kickass and numerous!!! The dialogue fabulous…. as usual!!!! The sex, frequent and amazing!!!! And yes… a cool as shit epilogue to wrap it all up!!!!
“Quiet,” he repeated on a growl, “I’m about to fuck my wife and the only words I want her saying when I do it are ‘yes’, ‘Tor’, ‘my prince’, ‘baby’ and ‘oh my God’.”
No complaints here.
Cora Goode The Gracious
The title says it all!!! This is the third installment of the Fantasyland Series by Kristen Ashley, and it is definitely true to it’s title.
This is the story of Cora Goode from Seattle Washington, a regular girl with a regular job who goes to bed one night as usual, but instead of waking up in her own bed… she wakes up in a parallel universe. Where not only is she bombarded with a sister she doesn’t have, a whole group of strange but incredibly “hot” guys, in a strangely “vivid” new world, but she also unintentionally sets off a “curse” that has her newly discovered sister kidnapped by a strange and horrible beast, pissing off her sister’s fiancé and his brother her so-called “husband?…
Yep, she’s married too, to the scariest… but luckily the “hottest” of the men!!! This has to be a dream… right? NOPE No dream… and she is quickly sped from the scene of utter chaos on the front of her “husband’s beautiful black horse. Well this is how is begins… and it only get’s more fantastical from there.
And true to form… we have another hot badass ALPHA, the “Black Prince” himself… and no, that does not mean Satan. In this case it is Prince Noctorno Hawthorne…
”Whoa, I’m married to a prince.
And her response… “HOLY CRAP!” Which might have been mine as well. And this guy was not just a prince but a freaking HOT badass prince… a warrior prince… with scars, and black cloaks and all!!!! But the bad part of all of this is… he’s mean… and he hates her… and he’s not shy about it either. And as much as she tries to explain who she really is… the ruder and more hateful he gets. He is pissed about her part in the curse, and now he thinks she's lying about who she really is. Or more accurately, he starts to think she may by crazy! And she must endure his hatefulness until the curse can somehow be broken.
Cora’s character in this story does remind me A LOT of Finnie’s character in the first book. And I really really liked her. Instead of breaking down and boo hoooing about the whole thing, she just keeps on with the “truth” and makes the best of the situation, regardless of Tor’s obnoxious attitude. And even though she sets her sights of hating him right back… she somehow still feels drawn to him somehow (and against her will). And he to her… even though he’s better at hiding it.
“In this world,” I kept whispering, “you were the only thing I had but you were the only thing I needed.”
Another thing I loved about Cora was her sense of humor. I loved the scene in the pub, when she find’s out her hippie father from Seattle, is actually an Earl of a kingdom in this world, and she breaks down in hysterics and cannot stop laughing!!! Her inner monologues are very funny and sweet. I totally connected with her character throughout the book.
And Noctorno “Tor” ended up falling for her pretty quickly, even though he convinced himself that she was playing him he was happy to go along with her nonsense as long as he got what he wanted from her. Well… you can see how this is going to end in disaster, right?
The part of the story that I didn’t like as much was The one good thing to come of it though… Tor suddenly realized… SHE WASN’T making that shit up!!!! And suddenly he found himself quite in love with her.
The story does end with a HEA… and a fantastical finale to boot!!!! These two characters have a shit load of chemistry, and they really know what to do with it!!!! The quotes are kickass and numerous!!! The dialogue fabulous…. as usual!!!! The sex, frequent and amazing!!!! And yes… a cool as shit epilogue to wrap it all up!!!!
“Quiet,” he repeated on a growl, “I’m about to fuck my wife and the only words I want her saying when I do it are ‘yes’, ‘Tor’, ‘my prince’, ‘baby’ and ‘oh my God’.”
No complaints here.
Cora Goode The Gracious
February 1, 2016
RATING: 4.5 "Other half of my soul" Hearts! :D <3
Loved it! :)
Fave Quotes:
“In this world,” I kept whispering, “you were the only thing I had but you were the only thing I needed.”
“Only you.” It took a lot but I forced my eyes to his face to see his were moving around the room. I shouldn’t ask. I really shouldn’t ask. But I asked. “Only me, what?” His eyes came to me. “Only you could put color in a colorless world.”
“His mouth moved up to my ear. “Let me stroke you, swear to the gods, sweets, you loosen up just a hint, I’ll make you come so hard you’ll think you’ve exploded.”
“Indeed, love is everything but hate is the other side to that coin and it holds equal power.”
“Quiet,” he repeated on a growl, “I’m about to fuck my wife and the only words I want her saying when I do it are ‘yes’, ‘Tor’, ‘my prince’, ‘baby’ and ‘oh my God’. Am I understood?”
January 29, 2015
** 4-4,5 STARS **
That was FANTASTIC! I loved the heroine! I loved the hero! I loved the romance! I loved the story!
I am OBSESSED with this series!
Off to Book#4!
** FULL REVIEW TO COME!! **
August 29, 2020
3 Stars (Originally Read 7/11/2018)
3.5 Stars (Re-Read 8/28/2020)
Overall Opinion: I think no matter what, following The Golden Dynasty in this series was tough. That was such a fun read that it ended up setting high expectations for this one. While I liked both of these characters, they didn't have that connection that I felt like I did with Lahn and Circe in the previous book. I think what might've helped a lot would be to have been some of Tor's POV. I would've liked to understand his side of the connection between them and what all was going on with them. The sexual chemistry also felt off to me. I did like their banter and the "earning" game at the beginning, but it just seemed to fizzle out after a while. I didn't hate this or anything, but I definitely don't think it was the same caliber as the Golden Dynasty -- BUT I'll still probably read the other books in this series at some point...eventually 😜
Re-Read Note: I was feeling in the mood to revisit this world with a different book than The Golden Dynasty, so I decided to give this a re-read. I enjoyed it more than the last time I read it and I think that’s because it wasn’t so close to reading the Golden Dynasty the first time and still have my expectations high from that greatness. The “earning” (talked about above) didn’t bother me that much this time around either. I do think that having some of Tor’s POV still would’ve gone a long way and I skimmed some towards the end with the revisiting the other mcs and storylines in the series. The ending pretty much sucked, but it wasn’t the worst I’ve read either. Overall, an enjoyable re-read but still not the caliber of the Golden Dynasty and I’m not sure I’ll re-read again tbh.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Cora and Tor's story. Cora wakes up in a weird place where she can communicate with birds, she has a bubbly perfect sister, she's married to scarred and broody hottie, and she has somehow inadvertently started a curse set upon this new fairytale land she has found herself in. Tor doesn't like his wife Cora, and when she starts spouting tales of being from a different world he doesn't trust a word she says. After a while he decides he likes this changed Cora and he takes advantage of the situation and plays along with her, and they fall in love. There are some suspenseful and magical moments, some sexy times, and some funny scenes...and they get a HEA ending.
POV: This was told in Cora's POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Alright. It felt slow in the middle. I never skimmed because I was worried I'd miss something important, but it still felt slow and I was tempted to.
Instalove: Kind of. They move really quick, and I didn't fully get the progression into stronger feelings tbh -- but I will say that their situation could've contributed in making things speed up.
H rating: 4 stars. Tor. I liked him. I understood his hesitancy in believing the h, and I liked how he came to care for her.
h rating: 4 stars. Cora. I liked her. I felt bad for the situation she was in, but I appreciated her attitude and how she dealt with it all.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Alright. They did have some fun tension at the beginning as well as some sex scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW/OM drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: Yes
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: I would've liked more focus being in the couple in the epilogue. I get that this book is in the middle of some crazy things happening in the world, but I felt bummed when majority of the epilogue was about setting up the next book. It was just okay, and I would still classify it as a HEA ending.
Safety: This one is probably Safe with exception for most safety gang readers depending on personal preferences.
3.5 Stars (Re-Read 8/28/2020)
Overall Opinion: I think no matter what, following The Golden Dynasty in this series was tough. That was such a fun read that it ended up setting high expectations for this one. While I liked both of these characters, they didn't have that connection that I felt like I did with Lahn and Circe in the previous book. I think what might've helped a lot would be to have been some of Tor's POV. I would've liked to understand his side of the connection between them and what all was going on with them. The sexual chemistry also felt off to me. I did like their banter and the "earning" game at the beginning, but it just seemed to fizzle out after a while. I didn't hate this or anything, but I definitely don't think it was the same caliber as the Golden Dynasty -- BUT I'll still probably read the other books in this series at some point...eventually 😜
Re-Read Note: I was feeling in the mood to revisit this world with a different book than The Golden Dynasty, so I decided to give this a re-read. I enjoyed it more than the last time I read it and I think that’s because it wasn’t so close to reading the Golden Dynasty the first time and still have my expectations high from that greatness. The “earning” (talked about above) didn’t bother me that much this time around either. I do think that having some of Tor’s POV still would’ve gone a long way and I skimmed some towards the end with the revisiting the other mcs and storylines in the series. The ending pretty much sucked, but it wasn’t the worst I’ve read either. Overall, an enjoyable re-read but still not the caliber of the Golden Dynasty and I’m not sure I’ll re-read again tbh.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Cora and Tor's story. Cora wakes up in a weird place where she can communicate with birds, she has a bubbly perfect sister, she's married to scarred and broody hottie, and she has somehow inadvertently started a curse set upon this new fairytale land she has found herself in. Tor doesn't like his wife Cora, and when she starts spouting tales of being from a different world he doesn't trust a word she says. After a while he decides he likes this changed Cora and he takes advantage of the situation and plays along with her, and they fall in love. There are some suspenseful and magical moments, some sexy times, and some funny scenes...and they get a HEA ending.
POV: This was told in Cora's POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Alright. It felt slow in the middle. I never skimmed because I was worried I'd miss something important, but it still felt slow and I was tempted to.
Instalove: Kind of. They move really quick, and I didn't fully get the progression into stronger feelings tbh -- but I will say that their situation could've contributed in making things speed up.
H rating: 4 stars. Tor. I liked him. I understood his hesitancy in believing the h, and I liked how he came to care for her.
h rating: 4 stars. Cora. I liked her. I felt bad for the situation she was in, but I appreciated her attitude and how she dealt with it all.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Alright. They did have some fun tension at the beginning as well as some sex scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW/OM drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: Yes
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: I would've liked more focus being in the couple in the epilogue. I get that this book is in the middle of some crazy things happening in the world, but I felt bummed when majority of the epilogue was about setting up the next book. It was just okay, and I would still classify it as a HEA ending.
Safety: This one is probably Safe with exception for most safety gang readers depending on personal preferences.
August 10, 2012
Review posted at: Swept Away By Romance
4 Stars
Kristen Ashley Does Disney??…with a Rating NC17 of course.
This series has been such a wonderful unexpected surprise for me and book 2, The Golden Dynasty even makes my top 4 of KA favorites. I am not a big fan of anything even slightly paranormal, but KA just touches this realm in this series, and therefore I enjoyed her fantasy world.
At first when I began reading Fantastical I felt like I was in the animated movie Snow White with birds singing and fluttering around the characters heads. There was such gaiety with Cora, the heroine, and her sister Rosa, as they floated and frolicked humming and singing their Tra-la-las. Also adding to the Disney feel were three gallant knights riding in on their pure white, steel gray and midnight black stallions with dreamlike names of Dashiel, Orlando, and Noctorno (also called Tor who was the hero). You can’t forget the evil witch Minerva and her flying minions, the Vickrants,…think flying monkeys in Wizard of Oz. Of course you also have the rolling hillside, charming villages, and the magestic castle…think Disney’s recent movie Tangled where everything is sparkling and green with a magnificent Cinderella-like castle. KA’s vivid descriptions are what conjured up all of these fantastic memories in my mind of favorite and beloved animated movies of my past. She transported me, I LOVE IT!
Fantastical is the third book in the Fantasyland series, and this romance series is a fusion of several sub genres. It is a mixture of time travel to a parallel universe, it is historical yet, there is no history just a more primitive time setting, as well as, there is paranormal because of witches, sorceresses, and gods.
Cora (the good) wakes up and finds herself in a parallel universe, it felt like King Arthur's time frame. She is married to prince and future king who hates her. She was suppose to be the other half of his soul which he welcomed, but instead the Cora of his time is a cold, spoiled manipulative bitch who destroyed his feelings for her. The bad Cora is now in the future causing havoc in the good Cora's life. I have to say there were some good twists that I was hoping KA would explore in one of the Fantasyland series and it appeared in Fantastical. Hint: Multiples are a good thing!!
There also is this whole curse hoopla, which was silly and a little crazy, but brought together the star crossed lovers. This book was not as wild of a KA adventure where the action feels like it is on steroids. Instead of going full steam it sort of trotted into the climax, not necessarily a bad thing because the ending was still fulfilling and sweet. I also missed the abundance of those fantastic, stirring monologues and dialogs from the H&h that appear many times throughout KA stories and just melt your insides. Fantastical had KA’s typical steam factor of hot, crude at times, and oh yes, HOT, as well as, one or two heart breaker and heart builder moments that brought tears to my eyes.
This book was a compilation of similar traits or storyline aspects of the two previous books in the series and had the KA marvelous story structure. I know this is a criticism that I read in reviews about Kristen Ashley's books recently, but if you love KA’s style, her over the top alphas and strong sassy heroines, her intense and passionate love stories, Cora and Tor’s story will be a satisfying delight. I would just recommend to spread her books out. If you are a chocolate lover don’t deny yourself your perfect fix and don’t overdose enough that you become sick of it… Spread it out so you are satisfied, stimulated and content…that is what I do. Result: I AM AN ADDICT!
4 Stars
Kristen Ashley Does Disney??…with a Rating NC17 of course.
This series has been such a wonderful unexpected surprise for me and book 2, The Golden Dynasty even makes my top 4 of KA favorites. I am not a big fan of anything even slightly paranormal, but KA just touches this realm in this series, and therefore I enjoyed her fantasy world.
At first when I began reading Fantastical I felt like I was in the animated movie Snow White with birds singing and fluttering around the characters heads. There was such gaiety with Cora, the heroine, and her sister Rosa, as they floated and frolicked humming and singing their Tra-la-las. Also adding to the Disney feel were three gallant knights riding in on their pure white, steel gray and midnight black stallions with dreamlike names of Dashiel, Orlando, and Noctorno (also called Tor who was the hero). You can’t forget the evil witch Minerva and her flying minions, the Vickrants,…think flying monkeys in Wizard of Oz. Of course you also have the rolling hillside, charming villages, and the magestic castle…think Disney’s recent movie Tangled where everything is sparkling and green with a magnificent Cinderella-like castle. KA’s vivid descriptions are what conjured up all of these fantastic memories in my mind of favorite and beloved animated movies of my past. She transported me, I LOVE IT!
Fantastical is the third book in the Fantasyland series, and this romance series is a fusion of several sub genres. It is a mixture of time travel to a parallel universe, it is historical yet, there is no history just a more primitive time setting, as well as, there is paranormal because of witches, sorceresses, and gods.
Cora (the good) wakes up and finds herself in a parallel universe, it felt like King Arthur's time frame. She is married to prince and future king who hates her. She was suppose to be the other half of his soul which he welcomed, but instead the Cora of his time is a cold, spoiled manipulative bitch who destroyed his feelings for her. The bad Cora is now in the future causing havoc in the good Cora's life. I have to say there were some good twists that I was hoping KA would explore in one of the Fantasyland series and it appeared in Fantastical. Hint: Multiples are a good thing!!
There also is this whole curse hoopla, which was silly and a little crazy, but brought together the star crossed lovers. This book was not as wild of a KA adventure where the action feels like it is on steroids. Instead of going full steam it sort of trotted into the climax, not necessarily a bad thing because the ending was still fulfilling and sweet. I also missed the abundance of those fantastic, stirring monologues and dialogs from the H&h that appear many times throughout KA stories and just melt your insides. Fantastical had KA’s typical steam factor of hot, crude at times, and oh yes, HOT, as well as, one or two heart breaker and heart builder moments that brought tears to my eyes.
This book was a compilation of similar traits or storyline aspects of the two previous books in the series and had the KA marvelous story structure. I know this is a criticism that I read in reviews about Kristen Ashley's books recently, but if you love KA’s style, her over the top alphas and strong sassy heroines, her intense and passionate love stories, Cora and Tor’s story will be a satisfying delight. I would just recommend to spread her books out. If you are a chocolate lover don’t deny yourself your perfect fix and don’t overdose enough that you become sick of it… Spread it out so you are satisfied, stimulated and content…that is what I do. Result: I AM AN ADDICT!
October 10, 2014
4.5 Crash Into Me Stars
[image error]
”No. He’s not that into her.”
“Only you could put color into a colorless world.”
”Cora, I think you hold the other half of my soul.”
I'm jumping into the next book!
[image error]
”No. He’s not that into her.”
“Only you could put color into a colorless world.”
”Cora, I think you hold the other half of my soul.”
I'm jumping into the next book!
February 12, 2014
Continuing with the theme of the Fantasyland series, Cora goes to sleep in one world and wakes in another.
"I woke up in a parallel universe. A fairytale land. A fantasyland. Where they ride horses and birds talk to you and the air shimmers like it has glitter in it."
Unfortunately for Cora, her other world 'twin' is a frigid bitch. Despised by most, especially her husband, Tor - who happens to a gorgeous Prince. So not only does Cora have to adapt to this new world, she also has to try to convince Tor who she really is. This is KA, so of course she falls in love with Tor, and he is a bossy alpha male, throw in a little drama and angst and there's your story. I enjoyed this one, not as much as the first two, but it was good, sweet and fluffy.
"In this world," I kept whispering, "you were the only thing I had but you were the only thing I needed."
November 22, 2014
3.5-4*** I needed to sit and ponder this read since it followed the amazing Golden Dynasty. I don't think anything could top that for me, but nonetheless I enjoyed this, well because who would not love a smoking hot, moody warrior?
Noctorno "Tor" Hawthorne comes to the aide of a very out of place Cora Goode (Hawthorne) and their tale is one full of fiery insults and power struggle. Keeping in theme with the parallel universe and twin concept, Cora is Tor's "wife" created soul mate, who he dislikes passionately. So begins their tale of discovery fueled by fiery banter and hot sexual chemistry, a true chess match of wills. Only for Tor, he is discovering this new Cora, whether game playing or not, is not too bad to be around.
The majority of this book felt very fairyland/Disney musical with all the animals, but add the sexy bedroom talk and well, no longer on a kiddie ride! I know that Tor was a moody SOB, but I liked him, a lot! He spent years married to an absolute cow and when your "soulmate' is nothing by an uptight cold fish, well, he is guarded. I loved how Cora warmed him, even though he broke her heart!
In the fight to lift curses and survive, a true love story developed and what was discovered was that true soul mates were always existing in parallel universes. Tor and Cora were infinite and always destined whether together or apart!
Overall, I would not say this was my fave of the series, but after Circe and Lahn, well hard to follow up with that. Also I feel a bit jaded by the cliffy! I could have done without Noc, and hanging in present time Seattle. I want this series to say in Fantasyland...that is where it belongs and where the magic happens, so I think that although the characters were great, there was a bit of steam let out with book 3!
Noctorno "Tor" Hawthorne comes to the aide of a very out of place Cora Goode (Hawthorne) and their tale is one full of fiery insults and power struggle. Keeping in theme with the parallel universe and twin concept, Cora is Tor's "wife" created soul mate, who he dislikes passionately. So begins their tale of discovery fueled by fiery banter and hot sexual chemistry, a true chess match of wills. Only for Tor, he is discovering this new Cora, whether game playing or not, is not too bad to be around.
The majority of this book felt very fairyland/Disney musical with all the animals, but add the sexy bedroom talk and well, no longer on a kiddie ride! I know that Tor was a moody SOB, but I liked him, a lot! He spent years married to an absolute cow and when your "soulmate' is nothing by an uptight cold fish, well, he is guarded. I loved how Cora warmed him, even though he broke her heart!
In the fight to lift curses and survive, a true love story developed and what was discovered was that true soul mates were always existing in parallel universes. Tor and Cora were infinite and always destined whether together or apart!
Overall, I would not say this was my fave of the series, but after Circe and Lahn, well hard to follow up with that. Also I feel a bit jaded by the cliffy! I could have done without Noc, and hanging in present time Seattle. I want this series to say in Fantasyland...that is where it belongs and where the magic happens, so I think that although the characters were great, there was a bit of steam let out with book 3!
October 5, 2020
4 ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tor and Cora
Fantastical Third book in the Fantasyland Series
Different from the Golden Dynasty, when I started reading Fantastical, I didn't expect that it has Disney feel in it.
"This place is magnificent. Totally out of a movie. The colors are so… I don’t know… colorful. The trees seem to have ten times as many leaves. The stone seems like it’s almost glossy. It’s bizarre but so stinking cool. I wish I had a camera and I could take pictures. No one at home would believe this."
Though we have a crazy princess here and a bad-ass prince, you gotta admit that their story was really Fantastical. There was a scene here that truly broke my heart. 😭���
Each of the stories in the series are unique. We got a mix of both worlds here and we also get to meet their twins 😊 ..
Another amazing story from Queen KA 👏🏼👏🏼
Favorite lines from the book:
“In this world,” I kept whispering, “you were the only thing I had but you were the only thing I needed.”
“Only you could put color in a colorless world.”
Tor and Cora
Fantastical Third book in the Fantasyland Series
Different from the Golden Dynasty, when I started reading Fantastical, I didn't expect that it has Disney feel in it.
"This place is magnificent. Totally out of a movie. The colors are so… I don’t know… colorful. The trees seem to have ten times as many leaves. The stone seems like it’s almost glossy. It’s bizarre but so stinking cool. I wish I had a camera and I could take pictures. No one at home would believe this."
Though we have a crazy princess here and a bad-ass prince, you gotta admit that their story was really Fantastical. There was a scene here that truly broke my heart. 😭���
Each of the stories in the series are unique. We got a mix of both worlds here and we also get to meet their twins 😊 ..
Another amazing story from Queen KA 👏🏼👏🏼
Favorite lines from the book:
“In this world,” I kept whispering, “you were the only thing I had but you were the only thing I needed.”
“Only you could put color in a colorless world.”
August 27, 2024
I really enjoyed this re-read especially since it was on the heels of re-reading The Golden Dynasty.
Tor and Cora were great characters, and they possessed all the attributes I love in my fictional characters.
The parallel world that KA has created and the characters in it are interesting, colorful, and of course in true KA fashion, it has kick-ass-uber-dominant male leads and sassy, strong, compassionate funny women.
Great read!
Tor and Cora were great characters, and they possessed all the attributes I love in my fictional characters.
The parallel world that KA has created and the characters in it are interesting, colorful, and of course in true KA fashion, it has kick-ass-uber-dominant male leads and sassy, strong, compassionate funny women.
Great read!
April 5, 2013
"LOVE IS A MIGHTY THING."
Well, I'm a bit torn here. I'm thinking 3.5 Stars. The first 150-200 pages were pure Kristen Ashley awesome...if a bit similar to the first two series books. Sort of a mix between the two, actually. We have another modern woman who wakes up in some random parallel universe. Hot guys are everywhere...I mean, I think I actually NEEDED to get an average looking guy in this book. From the guards to the cops to the warriors, there's either ugly and fat or hot as hell. (Of course, this is also one of the things that is VERY Kristen Ashley, and I love usually...fiction, people!) But I actually started getting bored and thinking of other things while reading. Do you ever do that? Read a whole page and realize that you have no idea what you just read? That's what I did. Not usual for me in a KA.
So Cora wakes up in the same world as the other two women. Only the Cora of this world is like the uber bitch...in cahoots with an evil witch, mowing over everything to reach her goal...including Noctorno, our hero, her beloved sister, and even her kingdom! Needless to say, Tor doesn't like Cora very much. And he's not easy to convince that she's not of this world.
But the two have to endure each other, for spoilerish reasons. As they travel through Tor's kingdom...he's a handsome prince, after all...they endure and they fight the growing passion for each other. All the while, Cora has to deal with this new world, not knowing how or why she is here, or if she will ever get to go home. Soon she starts to wonder if she WANTS to go home. Because as jerkface as Tor can be, these two also have these BIG MOMENTS. You know, the kind that change their own way of thinking, then change the whole world.
There is magic in the air, and Cora is in the middle of it. When the inevitable happens and she falls for Tor, she is devastated over and over that he won't believe her. And when another inevitability occurs, their romance is tested bigtime...just how far will Tor go to keep this woman so unlike the Cora he once knew?
Tor's pretty great, but I have to say that I'm all for the barbaric hero in my fantasies. Tor didn't get much chance to show off his warrior skilz. We know he has them, because unlike his modern world twin, he is handsomely scarred...which is a total turn on to Cora (and me!!!)
So, not as great as the first two but still a great example of the alpha goodness we've come to know and love from this amazing author. Here's a taste...I can't resist a sexy time quote:
Well, I'm a bit torn here. I'm thinking 3.5 Stars. The first 150-200 pages were pure Kristen Ashley awesome...if a bit similar to the first two series books. Sort of a mix between the two, actually. We have another modern woman who wakes up in some random parallel universe. Hot guys are everywhere...I mean, I think I actually NEEDED to get an average looking guy in this book. From the guards to the cops to the warriors, there's either ugly and fat or hot as hell. (Of course, this is also one of the things that is VERY Kristen Ashley, and I love usually...fiction, people!) But I actually started getting bored and thinking of other things while reading. Do you ever do that? Read a whole page and realize that you have no idea what you just read? That's what I did. Not usual for me in a KA.
So Cora wakes up in the same world as the other two women. Only the Cora of this world is like the uber bitch...in cahoots with an evil witch, mowing over everything to reach her goal...including Noctorno, our hero, her beloved sister, and even her kingdom! Needless to say, Tor doesn't like Cora very much. And he's not easy to convince that she's not of this world.
"And where are you from, Cora?" he asked with ill-concealed impatience.
"Uh...earth?" I ventured.
His lipes thinned before he told me, "I'm from earth too."
Well, at least we resided on the same planet...ish."
But the two have to endure each other, for spoilerish reasons. As they travel through Tor's kingdom...he's a handsome prince, after all...they endure and they fight the growing passion for each other. All the while, Cora has to deal with this new world, not knowing how or why she is here, or if she will ever get to go home. Soon she starts to wonder if she WANTS to go home. Because as jerkface as Tor can be, these two also have these BIG MOMENTS. You know, the kind that change their own way of thinking, then change the whole world.
"He was watching me with a look so tender it was a shock when I felt it slice clean through me. The pain was so perfect, it felt exquisite, better by far than any orgasm he'd given me (and he'd given me lots and all of them were good) so I bit my lip and looked away.
There is magic in the air, and Cora is in the middle of it. When the inevitable happens and she falls for Tor, she is devastated over and over that he won't believe her. And when another inevitability occurs, their romance is tested bigtime...just how far will Tor go to keep this woman so unlike the Cora he once knew?
"Only you could put color in a colorless world."
Tor's pretty great, but I have to say that I'm all for the barbaric hero in my fantasies. Tor didn't get much chance to show off his warrior skilz. We know he has them, because unlike his modern world twin, he is handsomely scarred...which is a total turn on to Cora (and me!!!)
"He's a warrior," I whispered. "He has scars here," I moved my finger to touch his chest where Tor's scar was, "and here," I kept whispering, touching another place on his chest, "and...here." I finished with another touch and tipped my head back to look from his chest to his eyes. "He has your eyes, he has your voice and he has half my soul"
So, not as great as the first two but still a great example of the alpha goodness we've come to know and love from this amazing author. Here's a taste...I can't resist a sexy time quote:
"Quiet," he repeated on a growl," I'm about to fuck my wife and the only words I want her saying when I do it are 'yes,' 'Tor,' 'my prince,' 'baby,' and 'oh my God.' Am I understood?"
May 6, 2021
“Indeed, love is everything but hate is the other side to that coin and it holds equal power.”
So dear Cora, unlike Finnie, wakes up in a parallel universe against her will, or at least without her knowing. Initially, she believes it all to be a dream, which she finds perfectly splendid. That is until crazy monsters descend upon her and a sister she doesn't remember having, and she realizes that it all, in fact, is not a dream. After that, she is forced into hiding with Tor, a man who thinks she is the wife he loathes.
Personally, I think I might prefer Cora to Finnie. She just felt more relatable to me. And she didn't use the phrase freaking cool in response to everything she encountered, thank goodness for that.
Tor, on the other hand, might be about an equal level with Frey in terms of how much I like him. He for one does not believe Cora at all and seems not to even try to, at least not until he literally forced to face the truth. I mean seriously, in a world where magic exists and is readily accepted is the idea of traveling from another world really so crazy?
Anyways, believing our dear Cora is the Cora from his world, he somewhat brags to his friend he only went along with Cora's "act" because he reaped the benefits of it - specifically in bed. It is not until they were literally thrust into her world after she almost fell to her death (might be an exaggeration but you get the idea) trying to run from him and his deceit. So yeah Frey has him beat there.
But Tor did not use magic to trap his otherworldly bride in his world, though to be fair he did not believe she was from another world. Nor did he switch her birth control without telling her. So he definitely gets points over Frey for that.
One thing I did find lacking in this book versus the first is that there was far less bonding between Cora and other characters in the parallel world. Like she had mentioned, for most of the time, she only had Tor. While in the first book one of the things I enjoyed the most was that Finnie had the girls, along with her parallel universe parents to bond with outside of Frey. It better tied her into the world, but I suppose it'd make their experiences too similar if things always went that way.
Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
- - -
2021
Years later, this is still the book I go back and re-read scenes from the most 😊
So dear Cora, unlike Finnie, wakes up in a parallel universe against her will, or at least without her knowing. Initially, she believes it all to be a dream, which she finds perfectly splendid. That is until crazy monsters descend upon her and a sister she doesn't remember having, and she realizes that it all, in fact, is not a dream. After that, she is forced into hiding with Tor, a man who thinks she is the wife he loathes.
Personally, I think I might prefer Cora to Finnie. She just felt more relatable to me. And she didn't use the phrase freaking cool in response to everything she encountered, thank goodness for that.
Tor, on the other hand, might be about an equal level with Frey in terms of how much I like him. He for one does not believe Cora at all and seems not to even try to, at least not until he literally forced to face the truth. I mean seriously, in a world where magic exists and is readily accepted is the idea of traveling from another world really so crazy?
Anyways, believing our dear Cora is the Cora from his world, he somewhat brags to his friend he only went along with Cora's "act" because he reaped the benefits of it - specifically in bed. It is not until they were literally thrust into her world after she almost fell to her death (might be an exaggeration but you get the idea) trying to run from him and his deceit. So yeah Frey has him beat there.
But Tor did not use magic to trap his otherworldly bride in his world, though to be fair he did not believe she was from another world. Nor did he switch her birth control without telling her. So he definitely gets points over Frey for that.
One thing I did find lacking in this book versus the first is that there was far less bonding between Cora and other characters in the parallel world. Like she had mentioned, for most of the time, she only had Tor. While in the first book one of the things I enjoyed the most was that Finnie had the girls, along with her parallel universe parents to bond with outside of Frey. It better tied her into the world, but I suppose it'd make their experiences too similar if things always went that way.
Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
- - -
2021
Years later, this is still the book I go back and re-read scenes from the most 😊
August 15, 2018
I didn't enjoy it like the last two of this series. I seriously disliked some of the things.
1. I get that Tor didn't believe Cora cause she was asking him to believe impossible things. But pretending that you believed her and continue to do so for your own selfish reason was a vile thing to do. And there was no groveling. Just a sorry and some explanation, and our heroine's got teary eyes.
2. Next, there was cheating. Tor was married to his world's Cora and she was cold in bed. And she left him. So he continued to sleep with OW. And when another world, Cora came to his world, she had to endure the shame of his OW's issue. It certainly left a bad taste in my mouth.
***Cheating is Cheating... No matter what. You directly cheated on your wife. You want to sleep with OW then at least annulled the marriage before you do so. What happened to the vows you respect so much.
He was faithful to the heroine. After he meets her he was celibate.
3. It was also not believable that Tor was so talented that he figured out everything when he went to the heroine's world. But what am I to say, I was reading a PNR... Everything was unbelievable.
4. And I hate that Cora of this world had to leave behind everything to be with Tor. I didn't like this in the previous story also. It's very painful not to see your parents in your whole life.
I can't say I liked the heroine. She forgave him easily. There was a time I wanted her to fight for herself but all she did was wow, sweet, cool, hot, honey ......
I liked the story though! The way KA was trying to build a parallel universe and all. The conflict between this world & that world and the way she described it was good. As a writer, She was good, but I expected more from her. Writing Dominating heroes, again and again, is kinda irritating. A sweet, respectable hero can be strong also. I find it wrong when someone thinks that a dominating person can be a strong one.
Overall, it was not good for me compared to the previous book of this series.
1. I get that Tor didn't believe Cora cause she was asking him to believe impossible things. But pretending that you believed her and continue to do so for your own selfish reason was a vile thing to do. And there was no groveling. Just a sorry and some explanation, and our heroine's got teary eyes.
2. Next, there was cheating. Tor was married to his world's Cora and she was cold in bed. And she left him. So he continued to sleep with OW. And when another world, Cora came to his world, she had to endure the shame of his OW's issue. It certainly left a bad taste in my mouth.
***Cheating is Cheating... No matter what. You directly cheated on your wife. You want to sleep with OW then at least annulled the marriage before you do so. What happened to the vows you respect so much.
He was faithful to the heroine. After he meets her he was celibate.
3. It was also not believable that Tor was so talented that he figured out everything when he went to the heroine's world. But what am I to say, I was reading a PNR... Everything was unbelievable.
4. And I hate that Cora of this world had to leave behind everything to be with Tor. I didn't like this in the previous story also. It's very painful not to see your parents in your whole life.
I can't say I liked the heroine. She forgave him easily. There was a time I wanted her to fight for herself but all she did was wow, sweet, cool, hot, honey ......
I liked the story though! The way KA was trying to build a parallel universe and all. The conflict between this world & that world and the way she described it was good. As a writer, She was good, but I expected more from her. Writing Dominating heroes, again and again, is kinda irritating. A sweet, respectable hero can be strong also. I find it wrong when someone thinks that a dominating person can be a strong one.
Overall, it was not good for me compared to the previous book of this series.
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