Gina Rae Mitchell

She’s the One Who Won’t Behave by S.R. Cronin (The War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters Book 6) | Book Review, $20 Giveaway 

A book blog tour from Goddess Fish Promotions.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Marianne & Judy at Goddess Fish for providing me with the information for this tour.

Book Details

She’s the One Who Won’t Behave (The War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters, #6) by S. R. Cronin
Published by Cinnabar Press on 07/08/2022
Genres: Fiction, Historical Fantasy
Format: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 240

The War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters:

It’s the 1200’s in Ilari, a small mythical realm somewhere between Europe and Asia. Peace and prosperity have reigned for generations. That doesn’t mean every citizen is happy, however.
In the outer nichna of Vinx lives the seven troublesome daughters of an intellectual farmer and his ambitious wife.

Ilari has no idea how lucky it is to have this family of misfits, for the Mongols are making their way further westward every winter, and this prosperous realm is a tiny plum ripe for picking. Desperate, the seven sisters will devise a way to save their realm. Can their preposterous ideas possibly work?

She’s the One Who Won’t Behave:
Gypsum, the sixth of seven sisters, has always been a rebel. Yet no one thought she would go so far as to join the reczavy, a group living in tents on the edge of the desert and known for their sexual promiscuity and playful ways.

But as the date of the Mongols’ return draws near, Ilarians of all types must work together if they are to have any hope of surviving. And the reczavy, for all of their odd ways, do have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. Well, up their sleeves whenever they are bothering to wear clothes, that is.

Gypsum is touched when her oldest sister Ryalgar comes to call and brings an olive branch with her. Ryalgar recognizes that the reczavy have as much to lose as anyone and as much to contribute. Will Gypsum accept a key role in the plan to stop the invasion? Of course she will.

Unfortunately, her playmates don’t all feel the same sense of urgency. Many would rather simply enjoy the time they have left. A few claim to be allergic to long term planning. And some are too busy with their own poorly-timed plans to overthrow the government Ilari already has.

Good thing needlepoint is the one traditional skill at which Gypsum has always excelled. She will need to thread a fine needle in order to coax this recalcitrant group into becoming life-saving warriors of a very different kind.

Source: Goddess Fish Promotions, Received from the author or publisher for review.

 

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Excerpt from She’s the One Who Won’t Behave

I walked back to the room I shared and gathered up thread and supplies to occupy me all day. Then I walked until I found a sunny spot to sit.

Sewing had always calmed me. I did most of the mending for my family or had when I’d lived at home. It was the one activity that earned me any respect. What a shame this talent wasn’t considered worthy of advanced study, like art or music or teaching.

Now I did needlepoint for fun and sometimes crocheted, too, although others usually found my results too disorderly. Tatting was my favorite. The beautiful bits of knotted lace grew in whatever wild patterns suited my mood, and they always came out beautiful to anyone’s eye.

Today I took threads in shades of green. Green like the Velka, whom many referred to as green witches because of their talents with plants. We didn’t talk about them much at my house, of course, although I got the vague impression that my mother’s unexplained dislike of them had something to do with me. Maybe I’d work up the nerve to ask her about it. Someday.

I sat cross-legged on the ground in my day dress, cursing the confinement of my clothes. I’d have been far more comfortable in my night shift or even just wearing my breast band and the short breeches I put on under my skirts. I thought of how soothing the sun would feel on my bare skin and wondered why my world denied me such a simple pleasure.

My fingers flew as I made the familiar knots in the thick thread. The voices in my head stopped complaining as I worked, and I felt my shoulders relax. Good. I knew I put myself into each thing I created, and I wanted to infuse this green lace with all the calm I could. Then I’d fasten pieces onto each dress I owned. Maybe over the next several days they could wash the image of these horrible invaders from my mind.

Excerpt provided by the author/publisher for use in this post.

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Purchase Links for She’s the One Who Won’t Behave

Amazon – OneLink for every country   

Bookshop/IndieBound     Kobo      Waterstones

AppleBooks/iTunes     The Book Depository     Blackwell’s

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My thoughts on She’s the One Who Won’t Behave

The story of Gypsum, the sixth troublesome sister, is an entertaining tale.

This series is one of the most unique I have encountered. Each book is told from one sister’s perspective and covers the same time frame. It’s so fun to see the sister show up in each book.

Gypsum is the second youngest of the sisters and was also adopted into the family when her birth mother, passed away. She has fought a feeling of not quite belonging her entire life.

In “Won’t Behave” she comes into her own when she joined up with the Redzavy clan. They are similar to the Romany, living life on the fringe of society while embracing freedom. Freedom to live life on their terms includes wearing what they wish, choosing free love, and generally rejecting most rules appeals to Gypsum.

If she is to help protect Ilaria from the Mongols, she needs to grow into her powers and mature into the woman she is meant to be.

I enjoyed many of the characters in this story. Cronin does a remarkable job of creating suspense while building every aspect of her imaginary world. Occasionally, I became a bit impatient for more action, but I feel this might be because we are getting closer to the finale in book seven.

If you enjoy alternate history, in-depth world-building, and multi-layered storytelling, you will love this book.

 

I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

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I love my Amazon Kindle Unlimited Subscription. So many books, so little time!

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Purchase She’s the One Who Won’t Behave online from a local bookstore.

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Amazon – OneLink for every country 

She's the One Who Won't Beh...Shop on Amazon  She's the One Who Won't Beh...Shop on Amazon

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Giveaway!

S. R. Cronin will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit more stops on this Goddess Fish tour for extra chances to win!

Official Tour Page for She’s the One Who Won’t Behave

Full Tour Schedule:

July 25: Westveil Publishing
July 25: Long and Short Reviews
August 1: Kit ‘N Kabookle
August 1: The Faerie Review
August 8: Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!
August 8: Gina Rae Mitchell
August 15: The Avid Reader
August 15: The Reading Addict

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