Fantastical (Fantasyland Series Book 3)

I really resisted reading any of this series which was a huge mistake on my part. I absolutely LOVED every book in this series. I should have known that Kristen Ashley would have made a genre I'm not a fan of, one of my favorite series so far.

I loved this book and I was again so very very surprised that I did. I am not a fan of fantasy or science fiction or anything of the like but since KA wrote this I HAD TO READ IT. And it was perfection.

The Golden Dynasty was awesome- very creative with the language, thorough and descriptive, sexy as hell...And Wildest Dreams was my second favorite, another very cool creation. Fantastical was the last I read and it was good, but didn't quite hook me as much as the other two. Not sure why. Overall, love the series, though

It is, of course, pure Kristen Ashley: stream of consciousness prose; copious descriptions of hairstyles, fashion, furniture, makeup, landscapes, architecture, pets, shoes, hot guys, girl posses... etc.

The couple is the standard KA couple, so they're very familiar, but they're characters you can care about and you want them to be happy.

Fantastical isn't going to win KA new fans. But if you can check your logic circuit at the door, the Fantasyland series is well worth reading. It's a fun fairy tale. And Fantastical is a good addition.

like I did. I have read ALL of KA's books now, but I put off reading the fantasy ones. I didn't thing they would be as good as her others, or that I would like this style of book. I was so wrong! Everything she writes is awesome!

I really liked the first two books, particularly The Golden Dynasty. This book really fell short for me. It had nowhere near the depth of the first two books and didn't have much of a story. Cora was just a twit and Tor (hate the name) just wasn't clearly drawn for me. It's also strange to me that all four woman in this series have the exact same vocabulary! Their inner dialog all sounds like the same woman.

Never disappointed! I've read all Ms Ashley's books, and I'm never dissappointed! Wasn't sure about the fantasyland theme, but as always, the hero is hot and sexy, and the heroine is strong, sassy, loveable, real, and a rock chic at heart.

This 3rd installment to this series is by far not my favorite.
It did have it's moments however. I was not feeling the plot in this one. The major things that started the plot in the first place, ended in a way that was very anti-climatic to me. What happened to open this story up was solved without allowing the reader to see what unfolded. This I did not like.

Although Tor (Noctorno) finally won my praise, I am just not feelin him either on all fronts. But he is definitely Alpha male material.
He and Cora really worked my nerves the first half of this story. I was not impressed with their situation or how they interacted with one another the first half. I know this is fantasy but part of what makes a fantasy great is that you believe it. And with these two, I didn't. Not until the second half of this book anyway. And although things faired well on that front they are still my least fave couple in this series.

This book to me, definitely felt more like a "filler" book in a lot of ways. Just a means to move things along in preparing you for the next story. But as I said there were still plenty of entertaining moments in this one.

Now what makes this book an interesting read and installment for the series is the updates you will recieve from other characters of the first 2 books and obviously the opening for our beloved Apollo's book.

So I would recommend this read and also this series.

aka From the Sublime (Golden Dynasty) to the Ridiculous (Fantastical)

This is Book 3 in the Fantasyland Series. I feel like Kristen Ashley is playing a joke on her readers. Only sheer stubbornness (and the fact that I had already downloaded it) made me read Golden Dynasty, which was such a wonderful surprise after the let-down of Wildest Dreams.

Ms. Ashley often creates over the top type characters. That is not an issue for me, as when I read her books, I know what I am getting. What is unusual in Fantastical is absolutely how Rock Chick/Disneyesque this story is.

Cora is possibly one of Ms. Ashley`s most annoying, least believable female leads. It doesn't matter that our heroines come from Seattle in this series instead of Denver. Apparently, all American 30 year olds talk like... erm, ...hum freakin' adorable (and by adorable I mean ADORABLE) awesome teenagers. The men aren`t just gorgeous, they are g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s. For those of you who enjoy spelling, there is a lot of it in this book. At no time does Cora ever attempt to adjust her vocabulary to the formal setting."Are you well, Cora? he called. This is not a man named, "Dude." I felt like I was in the middle of a Dick and Jane story with some of the conversations. How many women in their 30`s still say DUDE?!!

"Well, I hate you more than I hated you before." "I don`t really care." "And I hated you a lot before," I informed him. Now that I think about it, this pretty much sums up how I feel about Fantastical.

I loved ALL of Kristens Fantasyland series except the one titled 'The Golden Dynasty'
I love the settings and the way she brings her characters to life, would love to meet some of them. Kristen has great talent at character development with a great use of homour too.

I was so involved with this book. I love how I could imagine how each character looked and enjoy their personality. I have all ready told my friends about Kristen Ashley and her Fantasyland Series :) Just loved this series!!!!

KA continues to amaze, I have not been able to find an author that churn out hit after hit irrespective of genre....mead the entire Fantasyland series you will not be disappointed. Golden Dynasty was by far my favorite.

There were some parts i didnt like, but it made it up at the end so its all good XD out of the other series this was my least favorite, but this was also good cause the end you get to see something cool.... he he he...

This isn't my typical genre, but it was a KA book so I thought I would give it a try. I was not disappointed. It was a trip to another world with an alpha male that was swoon worthy. Great story, I am looking forward to reading the rest in this series.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. Cora was hilarious!! And the bantering between Cora and Tor was equally funny. After that the book felt a little flat to me. I really don't know why. Maybe because Clara seemed to lose her spark. It probably would have been more enjoyable to read if she'd battled on instead of falling in line with what Tor wanted. That said, I didn't dislike the book. It was an okay read but probably not one I will reread any time soon.

Oh boy.
Holy Moley! Why cant something like this happen to me????

I started with Sweet Dreams. It funny, when I was choosing a book to read, I skipped over All of these. After Sweet Dreams, I had to have more. I plowed through each series. I thought I wouldn't like The Burg series. Boy was I wrong. Dream Man didn't interest me on the face, but since I had run out of books, I dove right in. The one I thought I wouldn't like, I liked best. Now I am working on the stand alone books by KA. I LOVE Every thing she has written. Some reviewers have mentioned that she goes into too much detail. Uh, No she doesn't. When I read these stories, I am There. I can look around a room and in my minds eye see it all. I have no idea what im gonna do when im finished with all of her books. Write on KA!

Kristen Ashley does a great job with story telling and her hero's are awesome. Really liked this story but so far Golden Dynasty is the best of the three. You really can't go wrong with any of her stories!

Fantastical (Fantasyland Series Book 3)

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Yet another world class story!
Easily a 5.5 plus stars.
I don't know how Kristen Ashley does it, but each book in this series is fresh, entertaining and absolutely amazing. Once you start reading it, you can not put it down.
The characters are fully developed and the story keeps your undivided attention.
Amazing writing. Amazing world build. Amazing characters.
The romance is adult. The suspense is non-stop. Twist and turns that keep you gasping and making other audible sounds that tend to get the attention of others around you.
I don't know what sound I made, but my husband looked at me with that eyebrow thing and asked me if I was okay. I just shrugged and kept on reading.

READING PROGRESS
October 13, 2017 – Started Reading
October 13, 2017 – Shelved
October 13, 2017 – Shelved as: kristen-ashley
October 15, 2017 – Finished Reading
October 18, 2017 – Shelved as: 1-ntr-share

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4.5 stars

Noctorno “Tor” Hawthorne, hot prince and bad ass warrior saves poor Cora Goode (Cora the Exquisite) from the vickrant’s talons sent by the evil witch Minerva. A lonely girl from Seattle that mysteriously finds herself in a world straight out of a disney cartoon movie and involved in a curse! Tor and Cora are two halves of a whole, souls parted that are destined to be together, their love story was written in the heavens. They become part of Minerva plot to cause chaos throughout the lands. Fantastical is a lovely romance story with a major steam factor (oh yeah... these two are hot together). I adored Tor, he’s handsome, valiant, courageous and funny.

This story ends in a CLIFFY! Leaving me craving to find out what is in store for their world....kingdoms unite, the players and battle fields are set and the witches are pooling their powers together...I can not wait to see what happens next!

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.

This book for me is the weak link in this series although I know Golden Dynasty is a hard book to follow.
I don't know what it is about this book that I don't like but the first time I read it I felt a bit deflated, I assumed that after Wildest and Golden my expectations were just too high so I left it for a few months then tried again and still I didn't like it. I think partly it seems more like a fairy tale especially following on from Golden, it seemed very soft. Tor and Cora didn't really appeal to me either, which is unusual with Kristen's characters since that's generally one of her strengths, I also didn't particulary like the part where they travel back so all in all not the best in the series by a long way.
Recently I find I struggle a bit with rating Kristen's books, this wasn't an issue in the past since they were all 4 or 5 star but now for me it's difficult. If I compare Fantastical with At Peace, Motorcycle Man, Wildest, Golden, Until the Sun Falls from the Sky, you get the picture it falls well short, but how do I rate it. Own the wind and Fire Inside were the same I was disappointed with both these yet gave them both 4 stars, now compared with Kristen's best books these should get a 3 leaving Fantastical with a 2 but there's no way this is a fair rating since in my opinion even a disappointing Kristen book is still a good book in the grand scheme of things. One of the factors I take into account when reviewing is if I'd actually read the book again and with her recent work the answer is no I wouldn't, I did read Fantastical again but only to confirm my earlier opinion, Own the Wind, Fire Inside and I'm sorry to say Broken Dove are not books I'd revisit so again should this affect my rating?

“In this world,” I kept whispering, “you were the only thing I had but you were the only thing I needed.”

I am not typically a fantasy genre girl, but it was one of the few series by Kristen Ashley that I hadn’t read. Glad I did. 

This is the 3rd book in the Fantasyland Series. Cora Goode wakes in an unknown land and she soon discovers that she is married to a prince named Noctorno, or Tor, as she calls him. Additionally, she learns quickly that the “her” of the otherworld? Not well liked. *shaking head* Not even by her husband. Tragedy strikes quickly for Cora and her family and she is whisked away by her husband for her safety and the safety of others… He still isn’t a fan, but he starts to notice many differences in her.

As the story progresses, Cora tries to convince Tor of the fantastical journey she has taken from her world to his, but naturally, he does not believe her. As they develop their relationship, Cora falls in love. Tor begins to fall for her as well, despite still not believing her story. And then things get good. Really good. Chaos ensues and in true KA fashion, let the chase begin!
I really felt connected to Cora and Tor. He was an Alpha male and all, but he was so likable from the very beginning. He was strong, brave and stoic, but as she revealed herself as a kind person rather than the “her” he knew, he began to show her tenderness.

“On the third day, it hit me what he was doing. He was taking his time. Allowing me to chat with townsfolk, window shop, smell the flowers, taste the foods and drink in the landscape. He was giving me his world.”

And how can you not love Cora? They had a wonderful chemistry. He found all of her idiosyncrasies adorable and charming and she supported him through adversity, despite not truly understanding the issues of his world. They were great together.

“You’re peeved a lot” he observed.
“Learn from that, big guy,” I educated and twisted right back.
He chuckled.”

This story had a twist that made it different from the previous two books. It made the second half quite the adventure. They discover one another with a new understanding that strengthens their bond even more than before. I am really looking forward to the next book, as they are all linking together. I just know that the last book in the series will be epic!

Loved this story, but I did skim some parts towards the end. I love that each of these stories in the series is unique. I was worried that they would all be super similar, but that wasn't the case at all. But I will say that the epilogue, as with most KA stories, did not disappoint. In fact, I can't wait to read the last book in this series. She set it up beautifully and I love the idea behind it all. And to think I put off reading this series because I "just wasn't sure"... Tsk, tsk. Always trust KA.

I give this book 4 stars and two pints of ale!

WOW!! This book is magical- literally!! KA delivers once again! Cora wakes in a fantasy world where birds talk and furniture is a marvel of construction! It’s something straight out of Disney. She doesn’t know how she got there and unknowingly unleashes a curse upon the land. She finds out she is married to a sexy hunk: Nocturno the Black Prince. She is soon swept up in the beauty of the land- its scenic views, castles, cozy villages and of course with its witches and evil creatures. The description of Bellebryn and its surrounding land is breathtaking! She learns the Cora of this magical world is a total hag and not liked. The interaction between Cora and Tor is so comical! I was laughing my butt off! Their bickering and bantering is classic with the insults they let loose. However, the more time Cora spends with Tor she realizes how much she likes his world and him. Tor notices the difference in Cora and believes he is being played regardless of the million times Cora tells him she is not of his world. This story comes with a twist as we see both characters traveling to the heroine’s realm! Plus we get Noc- Tor’s twin in Cora’s world!! Talk about drama!! We see Tor navigate Cora’s modern world and it’s refreshing- he learns to drive, changes a lock, hogs the remote and goes grocery shopping!! Cora has tons of spunk as she took on this new, frightening parallel world where her alternate twin was hated head on and went to rectify the damage caused by the other Cora. She took every challenge and overcame many adversities especially Tor’s refusal to believe she was telling truth and not spinning a web of deceit. Tor was the total alpha male prince- he was a strong, valiant warrior with a heart of gold. I do have to say he was stubborn and set in his ways, but which hunky, dominant male isn’t? The “new” Cora mesmerized him from the beginning she was kind, hardworking and feisty. She’s intriguing and beguiling to Tor, but he couldn't seem to believe her wild tale of being from an alternate world. Once, he learns the truth we see his struggle with his previous actions and its consequences. He really stepped up, as all of KA’s alphas do, he accepted his mistakes and did everything in his power to remedy them. I was swept up in this fantastical story with its scenic beauty, a love that transcends worlds with its feisty warrior princess and brooding sexy prince and the ancient curse that brought them together. Have to give a shout out to Aggie- chirpity, chirp! I was happy to see everyone from the other books YAY!!! These characters are wonderful, I loved them all. Oh my, the ending was awesome- Apollo and Ilsa and Noc!! I’m eagerly anticipating the next book!! Can’t wait!

Cora Goode woke up in a fairytale world where the birds actually talk to her and she has a sister she never knew she had, and men ride horses and have feathers in their hats. Even thinking she is in a dream without knowing it she allows a centuries old curse to start to sweep the land and it will get worse if she is captured by the evil Minerva. At this point Cora's dream turns into a nightmare. Luckily she has her very own hot guy to save her, Noctorno, even though he doesn't like her at all. Cora tries to explain that she is not the Cora of his world but a parallel one. Noctorno doesn't believe her and it doesn't matter what Cora says.

Another wonderful addition to Fantasyland series! Cora and Tor are amazing. This is pure KA, twists and turns, trying to beat the bad guy, falling in love, besting challenges thrown their way. Everything a KA Fangirl loves is in this book.

This was such a fun read; incredibly whimsical I wasn't sure whether or not I'd enjoy the set up to this book, but I should have trusted Kristen Ashley's genius. The setting was as always stunning, and the world building was lighthearted and magical. Tor and Cora were definitely a love match and I highly ejoyed the back and forth between them at first. Tor is definitely one of the more sweeter heroes in this series, but I enjoyed how he fought for the love he knew he deserved. Cora was hilarious, although a little silly at times, but overall, I enjoyed reading her point of view. Now I can't wait for Noctorno's book! (less)

Can I just say.... I love Kristen Ashley! She is my guilty pleasure. Though, I should probably say, all of my romance reads are my guilty pleasure. While this one isn't the best of this series, it is still pretty awesome. Tor finally got to me, though I will say, Cora should have made him suffer more for his rough treatment of her at first. Still one great read!

Fantastical was a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. But... it unfortunately doesn't come near to as good as the previous book in this series (Golden Dynasty) and is only somewhat below the one for that (Wildest Dreams).

It's safe to say that the second book in the Fantasyland Series by Kristen Ashley is by far my favorite out of the whole lot. With Wildest Dreams a close second and then this one, Fantastical taking third place. It's a rare occurrence, since I usually end up loving a the next book more than the first and this is the first time I can say that it's not the case.

Fantastical was really good. As in awesome and exciting... but that just gives you an idea of what I think about Golden Dynasty and how brilliant that book is compared to this one.

Keeping with the theme of transporting between two parallel universes, in Fantastical we follow Cora Goode, who one day wakes up in this mystery world with no idea how she got there. Tor... (Noctorno) is her husband in this world and it's safe to say it's clearly evident that he doesn't hold much love towards his wife... or the Cora from his world (She's not very nice). Needless-to-say... he ends up noticing major difference's between the two Cora's, but he's convinced that the Cora (the nice one) is in fact his wife Cora and he believes she's playing games by pretending to be friendly and lovable. He doesn't understand that traveling between the two realms are true (even though she keeps telling him she's not his wife Cora) and he thinks she's trying with all her might to pretend to be someone else she is not... which in fact is not the case and everything Cora (the nice one) does is who she really is.

I've probably confused you here... but it's a little complicated to explain.

The point in the book, just before he realizes that Cora (the one that's not his wife) is telling him the truth is seriously heartbreaking. My heart honestly clenched with pain for Cora (the one who's not his wife and the nice one)

Anyway... so for the first time in this series, the hero takes a trip to the heroine's realm... ie... Seattle and thus begins the part where he realizes she was telling the truth and that's when the book really takes off.

Evil forces, twin doubles x2 and a witch all make appearances in this book and it's another first in this series. (Well not the witch part... that's kind of in all three) but anyway... We get to meet both sets of twins (both Cora's and both Tor's) and it's nice to know that although Cora's twin is in fact a real cow... Tor's is actually a great guy.

"Quiet," he repeated on a growl, "I'm about to f*** my wife and the only words I want her saying when I do it are `yes', `Tor', `my prince', `baby' and `oh my God'."

The end of the book confuses me a little, since it's clear whatever happens from there, is going to become clear in the next installment. How... I have no idea, because at the end we are brought back to the Seattle Tor and that's again, another first in this series. Usually we didn't spend must time getting to know the other twins, but in Fantastical we do and I actually don't know if I like that or not. But I guess we will just have to wait and see how that plays out.

It seems the 4th book is going to be taking another completely different route again and I'm not sure if I'm happy about that since I do like the current themes in the past ones.

What I can say is that I am looking forward to finding out and I really hope that it's sooner rather than later in the new year.

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4.5 STARS!!

This was good! To me...book 2 is still the best but this was a good read.

Cora wakes up on the morning of her sister's wedding in a Fantastical land where birds talk and her sister actually sings and dances around the room. At first Cora thinks it is a dream. She lays eyes on a good looking prince named Noctorno (Tor).

"Oh, and he was h-a-w-t, hawt."

Come to find out...they are married. Well Tor is married to the Cora of the Fantastical world and despises her. He believes that Cora (of our world) is her and keeps her at a distance. Cora does her best to try to convince him that she is not HIS Cora but one of another dimension. Tor thinks that she is playing him but plays along because he wants so badly to connect, to create an heir.

At first he really believes she is his cold, heartless wife. Well everyone thinks she is the mean Cora...and treats her badly because of it.

Then he begins to know something is different because this new Cora is sweet, she is not lazy, she speaks differently and she burns passionately when they are intimate. So their relationship begins to develop.

Cora is falling in love with him and in the middle of the book her hurts her...she is hurt so bad that she goes back to her world (our normal world).

She tells him that, "In this world," I kept whispering, "you were the only thing I had but you were the only thing I needed."

He really messed up :(

What is different about this book compared to the first two is that Tor is holding her when she crosses back over...so he crosses with HER!!

He gets to be in her world, learns to drive, meets her parents...

He has time to try to heal the wound he inflected...

"Love is a mighty thing," she carried on. "When we deal with the people we love, everything they do, no matter how slight or how huge, has awesome power over us, our emotions, our behavior, our reactions."

Something else that is different...is there actual interaction between Tor and the Noctorno of our world, Noc.

I think the ending is very interesting because it ends with all three couples from all three books in one place...

Something is a brew!! Kristen what are you up too?? Can't wait for book 4!!!

I am in love with this series. This book was my least favorite but I still enjoyed it. It was a bit short and would have wished it to be longer. It left the story with lose ends. Obviously there is at least one book left with Ulfs story. I really want to read this but I dont see her writing it yet so i hope she does soon. The only other book I've read from her apart from this series was "three wishes" which i Loved. I can not wait to read the rest of her books.

I loved Cora. Poor girl having to deal with all the ugly fall-out of an evil twin. Didn't like Tor much to begin with but who could blame him once you got to know why. I quickly changed my mind only to change it back when his deception is revealed. Luckily he redeems himself in a BIG way. I have to say I am now hooked on the song Crash Into Me by the David Matthews Band. I liked Noc as well, he was very sweet at moments. I really enjoyed that I got a small peek at past characters. It was a great bonus.
Highly recommended series
Adult read

I was so engrossed in their story I couldn’t put it down to make notes on it. I loved pretty much every part of it. This might be my favorite story of the Fantasyland series. I was so happy to learn that there is a book four already published (my next review) and a book five about Noc coming soon. I seriously love Noc, I wanted him to find love too. I can’t wait to read his story.

I really enjoyed this time travel, fantasy story. Kristen Ashley's female leads have such amusing inner dialogues with themselves that I really like and this was no exception. I love this world, in which women can talk to certain animals and they find themselves suddenly in place where they are princesses, with the best clothes. Such a great fantasy world.

This was a fun read. Kristen Ashley delivers a grown up fairytale romance complete with her signature hot alpha hero and spunky heroine.

Cora wakes up in an alternate universe and unwittingly unleashes a curse upon that land, requiring hot alpha male Noctorno to keep her safe until the situation can be controlled. If you've read any of KA's other books, well we all know what that means.

I really enjoyed this story and look forward to the next one.

This author is freaking awesome. Each and every one of her books totally ROCK!!! Highly recommend anything written by this author. All of her books are sexy, fun, and totally enjoyable. Each series is well worth the read!!!

Can't get enough of Ms. Ashley's work.. each one is a precious piece of art.. at least for me. An absolute joy! A delightful surprise at every turn!! One AWESOME series!! Can't wait for Apollo's story!!

Really, I just love this series. Each book brings something different. I don't want to give any spoilers. I like how each book is so different in what each of the women experience. I wasn't sure I would like this book from reading the sample, but KA didn't fail me. I can't wait for the 4th book!!

This wasn't my favorite Kristen Ashley book but it was still a great read. I really enjoyed it. What's not to love about a.fairytale princess that takes no shit and speaks her mind. I look forward to more book in this series. It was.well worth the money.