Queen's Quest: Tower of Darkness-HOG Game

Amazon Kindle

Publication Date: April 20, 2016

Defeat the sorcerer and save the royal heir in a story inspired by one of the Grimms' Fairy Tales!

Queen's Quest: Tower of Darkness is an exciting adventure game inspired by one of the Grimms' Fairy Tales, taking place in a faraway realm full of magic, wonders and otherworldly creatures.
The idyllic life of the royal heiress and her husband is shattered when a demonic sorcerer arrives at their palace to kidnap their newborn daughter.
Magnus, the godfather, saves our heroine with his magic, but Prince Henrik gets turned into stone, while the intruder escapes with the royal heir.

Who is the sorcerer? Why did he kidnap the child? Is there a connection between the kidnapping and Prince Henrik's not so glorious past? 

Time is pressing. To save her family, our heroine will have to prove her mettle and act like a true queen. She will have to embark on a long journey through picturesque lands, solve numerous puzzles, meet many intriguing characters and discover the truth about a terrible curse that had befallen her family. Can she break the spell cast on her husband and retrieve her daughter?

This was one of my first introductions to HOG games and as such, this is a *throwback review* meaning I'm going on memory.

*My disclaimer: I'm not a professional gamer but a casual enthusiastic. Therefore I tend to enjoy HOG or adventure games with HOG elements. I don't play timed games unless it's part of the game and there wasn't a way for me to find that out ahead of time. Great graphics, an interesting storyline and mid level complexity play are how I choose the order in which games I play. Although I may have my favorites, I base each game on its on individuality regardless of the publisher. I do always play each game on easy mode. *

Complexity- Not completely complex but just right. 4 stars

Mechanics- As always, the smoothness of A.M.'s game makes the player's experience quite easy. 5 stars

Unique features- There weren't any minus. So no stars given or taken in this category

Graphics-Such a disappointment! The thing that draws me to Artiflex Mundi games is the consistency with their artwork. They have some of the most beautiful graphics I've ever seen in any medium. For people like myself, who enjoy the environment of a casual game, a beautiful background as well as characters really just helps envelope you in gameworld. The graphics in this game didn't do the storyline or the publishers justice. Graphics like these are what I expect to find in other standard HOA independent developers games. The icon cover of this game is what to me, is synonymous with artiflex mundi and I was especially disappointed that the graphics in the actual game play don't match that style. Overall, a less than pleasing illustrated experiencing earning them a 2.

Storyline- It's quite a different take on the whole "Damsel in distress" trope. You get to play as the damsel and your kingdom as well as your husband are the ones in distress. It was certainly a nice change of pace. I'm always partial to anything paranormal or fantasy related especially in game play, so having the mythical creatures and the use of magic in it's entirety really complemented the game play. 5 stars

Puzzles- A perfect blend of complicated and casual makes this game a winner in this category. Any game that offers me the chance to skip a puzzle is automatically a saint in my book. The puzzles accurately correlated with the storyline so even the more challenging ones made it worthwhile. 5 stars for a good blend of challenge and chill.

Sequel- Eh.. While I'm always a fan of any game with a strong heroine, I have to say the storyline is complete enough itself without needing a sequel. So no sequel requests for me.

Overall: I ended up paying the full amount as I played before the game was free. However, that didn't impact my ratings this time. I think the value of the game coupled with the fact that it's free certainly makes it worth playing.

Vampires-Todd & Jessica's Story- HOG

Amazon Kindle

Publication Date: December 21, 2015

Sink your teeth into a gripping vampire adventure that is equal parts fantasy, romance and suspense!
A vampire who longs to be human again, Todd is in the middle of proposing to Jessica, his one true love, when he’s kidnapped. Worse, Todd discovers that his close friend Zack, a charismatic and dangerous vampire, has sinister plans for Jessica. Now this desperate young lover must find his fragile fiancée and protect her from a terrible fate. Explore eerie locations, meet mysterious yet friendly characters, collect useful objects and solve brain-teasing puzzles as you experience an immortal love story with bite!

So this is my first game playing with Amazon underground. I didn't really know anything about it until it popped up on my screen. Therefore I'll be labeling future reviews with underground, free trial and paid for full version or bought outright to distinguish between the different play options.

*My disclaimer: I'm not a professional gamer but a casual enthusiastic. Therefore I tend to enjoy HOG or adventure games with HOG elements. I don't play timed games unless it's part of the game and there wasn't a way for me to find that out ahead of time. Great graphics, an interesting storyline and mid level complexity play are how I choose the order in which games I play. Although I may have my favorites, I base each game on its on individuality regardless of the publisher. I do always play each game on easy mode. *

Complexity- for a casual gamer used to more flexible i.e. Basic hidden object games, this one might prove to be a bit of a challenge for those wanting a quick bit of game play or for playing as a way to relax your mind before heading to bed (seriously, I can't be the only one doing that!) Since complexity tends to extend game play, I look upon that aspect favorably as it achieves a balance of difficult and easy, always providing the skip button. 5 stars

Mechanics- it was annoying as hell to have to drop the items in the exact required spot. One can not simply drop them in the area. An example would be the required finagling of the fishing pole. The bait must be at the end of the line not. If you don't put it exactly at the end of the line then it will mark the screen with an "X" therefore confusing those who aren't detail oriented into thinking that they have the wrong item. You can only imagine my annoyance when this aspect applies. There also isn't an additional puzzle which is something I always look forward to after completing the main puzzle. Since it's such a mainstream on other games, I was first inclined to knock a star off of the game. However, since it's completely on the Amazon underground platform and it truly doesn't require any in app purchases, I'll leave it alone and give it a 3.5 star rating.

Unique features- having the pause button is extremely helpful. I haven't noticed this feature on any of the other hidden object games so far. While it may not seem necessary it is actually most helpful to use when one's in the middle of a puzzle. That way, when you have to exit the game in the middle of the puzzle you don't lose your place or have to start over. Most helpful for middle of the action puzzles. Additionally, while there is no penalty for clicking on the wrong objects (as is the case in most easy modes) there is this somewhat jarring action that happens when the game can obviously tell you're just clicking on things for the hell of it. I'd rather not spoil it for the lazy bunches out there and let them discover it for themselves. Suffice it to say, it's just much easier to look for the items. 4 stars

Graphics-the background scenes are lovely while some of the character faces leave a bit to be deserved. If you're looking for a twilight esque theme, this really isn't related. So don't be disappointed as I have a feeling the developers created the icon to look similar to those book/movie characters as an attempt to lure people in. The main character that's a male is quite cute so that always helps! Overall, a rich graphic experiencing earning them a 4.5.

Storyline- quite basic although the most interesting aspect is that you're playing as a male vampire. I haven't played a male character before so that was new. The conversation is quite well written and its slow enough not get lost in the plot but interesting enough not to skip over the dialogue. 4 stars

Puzzles- Anyone who reads my reviews knows the logic, building puzzles are my least favorite. If I wanted to think, I wouldn't be playing a HOG. That being said, I felt this game was a good mixture of both logic and "other" puzzles. It breaks away from the traditional puzzles in the sense that more than quite a few are unique to the game. The Action puzzles are challenging but worth the struggle. The score for complexity, uniqueness and a good mixture of different types of puzzles would be 5 stars.

Sequel- Yes I'd love for there to be one so based on my potential interest...5 stars

Overall: Based on the fact that it's free, I would say that helped a lot of my ratings. While not as interactive or complex in the storyline, it did tidy up the lingering question about the fate of a certain character in the end.

Heir Untamed- Contemporary Romance

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Paperback

Publication Date: April 4, 2013

Connect With The Author

Author's note: This is book one of a six part series. It has a HFN (happy for now) ending. The saga plays out over all six books, culminating in the final installment, A Royal Legacy.
* * *
Desperate for work to avoid eviction from her Seattle apartment, photographer Chey Sinclair accepts a rare opportunity to travel abroad and photograph Latvala Royalty. Encountering the Royals for the first time, Chey experiences an instant attraction to Mattias, second in line to the throne. He's charming, confident—and taken.

During a horseback ride to clear her head, Chey finds herself in a scuffle with Sander Fisk, head of security. Rugged, determined and sharp tongued, Sander is infuriating as well as intriguing.

Faced with conflicting emotions and a mystery unfolding in the castle, Chey must decide between men: a Prince of Latvala, or an arrogant rogue.

She discovers the hard way that this particular fairy tale was more than she ever bargained for.

As a person who isn't crazy about getting bogged down in descriptions, this had to be one of the best descriptive romance novels I've ever read. The setting is so clearly described with vivid imagery. The characters are richly developed and detailed. Chey like the unique spelling is 5'9 yay! As a tall girl myself I was uber excited. Chey is the quintessential American girl next door with a passion and skill for the photographic arts. Oh yea-she's also a modern woman who speaks her mind and bluntness is a word that aptly describes her. For all her wits and smarts, she does have a few annoying hangs up.

I mean honestly, what's the big deal with curtseys and status? It's obvious royalty is higher socially so I felt her dislike of that was a sign of cultural immaturity. Sander Fisk-even the name sounds lovable and rugged. Pure natural and animalistic sex appeal. Mattias is every bit a royal- mysterious and alluring as his name and title insinuate. He's very classic and has the charm and grace of a true royal-just call him Prince Charming. After Sander was introduced, I wished this romance novel could be one of those choose your own adventure books. But instead of adventure, it would be choose your own guy.

That way I could read one ending with Sander and one with Mattias. Please, please, please don't make me pick between two pieces of perfection! It's like Danielle Bourdon read my mind-the guys are my perfect ideals for the perfect romance novel. The tension between Mattias and Viia plus some tension with Chey starts early and I like that it's not a soft introduction but more like a jolt of fresh water in your face. Four months to figure out the mysteries behind the royal family-bring on the drama! The plot of this novel is such a melting pot it's unbelievable! I really think you have just about everything in this novel- Romance, action, mystery, adventure etc. It's really so good that there should be an ABC show or at the very least a lifetime movie. It's a very smooth read that doesn't have any lags, so you constantly are engaged with the characters even in the more relaxing parts of the novels.

Even during the moments when she's just with her camera taking photos, she manages to keep the pace going by adjusting it to a more calm but still moving speed.The ongoing whodunnit mystery turns into a spooky literally half way thru-that was my cue to continue reading in the daytime! Literally, my heart skipped serious beats because more than a few parts were terrifying. As heart pounding as the thriller scenes were, the love scenes made my blood boil for a different reason-wowzers!! Sander made me bite my lip and shift uncomfortably- hot straight to the core! The romantic moment was very fast in terms of pace and had just a few words to describe it, but it was done so well that the heat from longer scenes in other novels had nothing on this book.This novel could easily cross over from romance to fiction to mystery-an excellent blend of all genres. I stayed up until 5am reading this book because I couldn't tear myself from the pages.

Immediately upon reading the first few chapters, I knew this book was 5 stars. You really don't want to read this book if you have to go to work because you'll be late. Don't even turn a page if you have to go to school in the morning because you will over sleep. Basically, don't do anything that would require not reading this book including the essentials of eating, sleeping and working. Ms. Bourdon, I blame this book for the "B" I got on my test as I was too busy reading your chapters to study. I recommend Bourdon's novel if you want sleepless nights and a story so good you don't want to put it down.