recommendations
Truthwitch was one of the most hyped books of 2016, for me. I mean, I think the build up for this book began near enough a year before it was released and gradually it became more and more talked about. You literally could not avoid this book even if you wanted to. Eventually, it got to the point where I wasn’t even going to read the book. I wasn’t certain I was going to like it anymore. It had been talked about so much and raved about so often that there was no possible hope of this book ever living up to my expectations. I didn’t want to do that to the book. End up being disappointed when it was no fault of the book and every fault of the marketing campaign for it.
I received a copy of this book in the second Illumicrate I received in February, even then I waited until April to read it. I just couldn’t be certain what to expect from it. I’d already witnessed other bloggers have differing opinions on it, possibly due to the hype. After, finally, reading it in April, though, I had to question why I waited so long. It was a really enjoyable read.
Source: Illumicrate
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
My Rating:
In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.
Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.
Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.
In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.
So why should you overlook the hype around this book and get reading?
This book is all about the friendship
Seriously, there are friendship goals in this book. This entire book is about two girls, Safiya and Iseult, and the bond they forged in their years together. The friendship is solid, they make each other better and always work together, even if they don’t always agree on things. They make each other better. I mean, they are opposites in so many ways, they shouldn't be friends, but they are and it’s amazing.
Everything which happens in this book happens because they are both trying to protect each other and because they care for each other. It’s great reading a book where it’s not a romance being the driving force, but instead a friendship.
There are so many fantastic characters and shades of grey
It’s been a little while since I’ve read a book where my feelings towards characters flip-flopped so much. I liked them, I disliked them, I was rolling my eyes and wanting to hug them. I just couldn’t make my mind up of what to think. Take Iseult, I say I love her friendship with Safiya, but at times I found her so boring. Then sometimes I loved how in control and restrained she was, but that’s what bored me about her a chapter previously. Safiya I adored half the time and half the time thought she was an impulsive brat who doesn’t consider anything or anyone else before she acts.
Aeduan is the bloodwitch tracking the two witches and he’s the villain and I love him. I want so much more story in the next book for him. He acts for very selfish, self-serving reasons but he is just perfect. He isn’t written as this evil character but instead well written so he has the potential to be more in the story. I can’t wait for more from him, even though I frequently wanted to punch him in the face.
The magic system is unique (I think)
I haven’t read a magic system like the one in the book before. It’s sort of like a people with powers thing, but not. There are various witches who fall into different strands of witchery and then there are divisions over the abilities they possess within that strand. It’s actually quite interesting how different witches get defined and the different preconceptions people have. I mean, in general, the world building in this book is really good. It surprised me in a lot of ways.
One thing I will say to temper your expectations, though, is that I didn’t love this book. I enjoyed it, but I was continually filled with doubts throughout my reading. Dennard did a very effective job of banishing the things I disliked. When I disliked flaws in a character's personality she helped the character grow to overcome that flaw. When I was upset with the pacing she got the story moving so fast your head was spinning. The writing and world building in this book is good and I can see the potential for more. I don’t want people to write this book off too soon. Is the hype justified? Maybe. Ask me again after I’ve read the second book.
The politics in this book is insane and very realistic
The politics. I love books where the politics and scheming feel genuine. Does it suck that we don’t get more of it and it’s more in depth? Yes. But what we do get is still pretty aces. I mean, everyone’s got their own angle in this and it’s insane. You’ve got the crazy kind overtaxing everyone and then the rich fire nation and they join forces and this poor small nation is essentially destroyed without them actually fighting one another.
I really felt for Merrick’s struggle. His people lost their land and their food sources and no one is willing to trade with them, there is essentially an embargo on them as their rivals hope to starve them out and weaken them so they have no other option. Instead, this small nation struggles and fights. Some turn bitter and want to take sneaky underhand methods, and he wants to do it the peaceful way. It was amazing. I also loved the reiteration of the fact that history is written by the victors so no-one even knows of the struggles of his nation as it’s been glossed over in the history books.
You don’t know who to trust or what to believe
My favourite thing about this book (apart from the friendship bit, that’s my favourite) is the fact that you never know who should be trusted. I mean, you really don’t. Safiya’s uncle is he a cruel drunk and a genius mastermind? Is the bloodwitch good or bad? What about these firewitches? Who do we trust? What’s going on?
I just didn’t know what to think when reading and I loved being surprised. I think it’s the only way to truly enjoy this book is to go in blind and see how it goes. I was shocked at the twists and turns the story took. They aren’t the most shocking ones I’ve ever read but it was still an enjoyable read.
Look, don’t let the hype stop you from reading. For me, this was a book where the hype was there for good reason. It’s an enjoyable read and it deserves the attention.
Have you read Truthwitch, what were your thoughts? Can it feel like the hype is stopping from reading books?
You know those books you just adore and struggle to put into words why to any sane human being? That is what Who’s That Girl was to me. At first. I thought it was just a romantic storyline book being set in The Midlands which was making me happy (along with an insanely pretty cover I seriously want to photograph from every angle). It wasn’t that, though. I already knew Mhairi McFarlane was an excellent writer (I’ve read her other books after all) but it was more than that, this was a well-written book with amazing characters, a fantastic storyline, it was genuinely funny and it was realistic. You don’t get what you expect and I adored every second of it. I would read it again immediately if it didn’t feel like that would be premature and too soon… that and my growing pile of unread books is threatening to fall and kill me one day if I don’t tackle it.
I thought I would write a review on the book, but how do your write a review without sounding overly gushing when you knew that this book would be love once you were a few chapters in and already started out Masterchef when you did, in fact, want to watch it on TV? Instead, I will begin a new feature I had already been contemplating and that is my Five Reasons To… where I convince you to do things. It was going to just be a feature where I convince you to read various books, but why limit myself when there is so much potential for everything else to get included in this?
Instead of flailing aimlessly in an ineffectual review to get you to read a new favourite of mine I will give you five reasons why you should read it. If that doesn’t convince you I can say I tried and move on.
The Book
Published: 7th April 2016
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Chick-Lit
An achingly funny story from the author of the bestselling YOU HAD ME AT HELLO
What’s the one thing you do at a wedding? Kiss your groom. What’s the one thing you DON’T do at a wedding? Kiss someone else’s groom.
When Edie is caught in a compromising position at her colleagues’ wedding, all the blame falls on her – turns out that personal popularity in the office is not that different from your schooldays, and if the groom is the head boy, Edie is closer to the geek with NHS glasses and purple braces. Ostracised by her colleagues, her boss suggests an extended sabbatical and has the perfect project to fill it – ghostwriting an autobiography for hot new talent, Elliot Owen. All she has to do is keep her head down, get on with the star and not snog him. Easy, right?
Wrong. Banished back to her home town of Nottingham, Edie is not only dealing with a megabrat of epic proportions but also facing the ghosts of her past as she moves back in with her widowed father and layabout sister. As she questions the woman she has become, Edie realises that turning to look at her past is not just painful – it could potentially change her future.
Why You Should Read It:
It’s Hilarious
Seriously, this book is laugh-out-loud funny. There are a lot of books I have found funny, but there is a smaller list of books that made me laugh out loud. I actually had my mom come ask me what I was cackling about. It is honest, surprised out of you laughter that makes you snort (or cackle) and basically gives that laugh you tend to reserve for family and friends.
It’s Set In The Midlands!!!
Look, I am very easy to please when it comes to books. I like it when I find a good book set in the UK, and they aren’t as easy to find as they aren’t as widely advertised in the blogosphere. This book is one of the even rarer books that are set in the UK and aren’t exclusively set in London! You wouldn’t believe how rare that is. It’s set in Nottingham, which isn’t really all that local, but it’s The Midlands and it makes me insanely happy. Anyone who reads UK books and watches British TV is probably convinced London is the centre of the universe with the way it’s the only place people can safely name. I understand it’s the capital, but it’s nice to see other places too.
Anyway, this is meant to be about the book, not about UK geography. It was so refreshing to have the book be set in Nottingham and then to have a famous actor be from there and actually like his hometown! I just, it was really nice to have characters come from their lives in big cities and actually like a smaller city and not disparage it for being ‘not-London’ or whatever. I feel like all I ever see are books and films where your main character is moving to the big city to begin their life, not returning home to find themselves.
It Has An Awesome Sentence About Friends
‘Some friendships, they’re like favourite mix tapes. You hit pause but when you un-pause and play it again, you pick up right where you left it. You know all the right words and what comes next.’
I mean, this fully fits me and my friends from home and my housemates at uni. We may not have kept in perfect contact, but when we do get together it’s like we saw each other yesterday.
Who’s That Girl does friendship so perfectly. I adored and Hannah and Nick, they were hilarious and the perfect friends for Edie because they helped her face reality.
The Characters Were Perfect
I’ve already said I love Hannah and Nick (and I do, why are they not my friends?) but I also loved everyone else. I love Archie and the utter ridiculousness of his character. I loved Edie and how she was adorable and unsure and allowing life to carry her forward instead of acting herself. I loved Meg and how she was ready to be an utter hypocrite but she was still an awesome sister. Edie’s dad was the sweetest man and so funny, I just wanted to pick him up off the page and cuddle him close. I loved Elliot and his wit as well as his ridiculously good looks. I just really loved every single character in this book. Even the characters you weren’t meant to like I adored because they were such excellent villain characters whilst still coming across like real people.
I Loved Edie And Elliot’s Talk About Parents
I don’t want to spoil anything (like at all) but there was a really wonderful moment over halfway through the book where Elliot and Edie talk about their parents and their feelings on things and I felt like it was so amazingly on point describing things that I couldn’t help but hug this book close for getting it so right! It is a spoiler what specifically I loved and I don’t want to spoil things without you reading it first, but when you get to their conversation about parents you will know what I’m talking about and you will understand. It feels like Mhairi McFarlane gets the impact that their experiences can have and they were so utterly correct in their summation of the issue and their circumstances and I will love this book every day for being perfect on this point (as well as others).
***
Look, I probably haven’t managed to convince you, but I can honestly say I tried. I have loved Mhairi McFarlane ever since I read Here’s Looking At You and found myself a weeping mess hugging the book and trying to thrust it at everyone I knew because it made me smile like an idiot. I can say I tried, though. I needed to try because this book is a definite favourite of 2016 and McFarlane has reaffirmed to me why she is a must buy author and a favourite of mine.
Have I managed to convince you to give Who’s That Girl a chance? And have you read any other Mhairi McFarlane books? I would appreciate any suggestions you have for books that fit my 5 reasons for you reading this book too, I love finding new things to love.
I’ve been planning to type this post properly for at least a fortnight. I have wanted to have a nice Christmassy post up after seeing everyone doing their Blogmas posts and I have felt extremely jealous. Sadly life keeping me away from my laptop, and the fact I haven’t felt in the festive mood have really hampered my progress on this one. Luckily for me, my Christmas party for work instantly made it feel like Christmas so I absolutely need to type this all up for you now before that festive feeling fades as I’ll still be at working until 12:30 on Christmas Eve.
Now, normally, my Bite Sized Books feature is a bunch of reviews, but this time it’s more of a recommendation feature for me. I do not read a lot of seasonally appropriate books. I am not the kind of person who changes what they read with each season. I don’t want to grab a beach read when summer hits, or want to read something dark and scary when Halloween approaches, I simply read whatever takes my fancy. Sometimes, though, you read a book and instantly think ‘I wish I had read that book in x season’ because it brings up a feeling that seems appropriate for that time. I remember I read Morgan Matson’s ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ this time last year and I instantly yearned for summer. Well, I decided that for this Christmas I would look back on the books I’ve read that gave me that same yearning for the Christmas season. Much like seeing Christmas specials for my favourite TV series does.
There is not a single thing which makes books feel Christmassy to me, but I think the main thing I look for is quite simply the mention of Christmas in some way. These are the books which do it best for me, and a few I’ve contemplated reading each year at Christmas.
My True Love Gave To Me Edited by Stephanie Perkins
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me ...This beautiful collection features twelve gorgeously romantic stories set during the festive period, by some of the most talented and exciting YA authors writing today. The stories are filled with the magic of first love and the magic of the holidays.
I read this book when it was released last year and was completely unsure. I had read Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and was not as enamoured as every other YA reader on the blogosphere, so you may question why I would want to read a collection edited by her and the answer is simple… because I loved, at least, half of the authors included in this book. I had never been a short story reader before this collection and I am so glad everyone was talking about it last year because I honestly adored it.
I had a little mini review written up for each of the stories in this book and completely intended to publish a review last year, but then Christmas came and went I didn’t have the time (are you noticing a theme with my Christmas’s?) so I want to tell you why you should read this now. This is not all contemporary YA reads, my favourite stories in the collection are actually some of the more fantastical ones. I adored The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link with the mystery and the originality of the story, and I obviously adored The Girl Who Woke The Dreamer by Laini Taylor for it’s darkness and the amazing story. The romance helped as well. And it was Holly Black’s short story, Krampuslauf, which made me search out her other books and is also to blame for me being eager to watch Krampus at the cinema.
Those stories stand out in my mind, but then so did the contemporary reads by authors such as Kiersten White, Rainbow Rowell and Matthew de la Pena. Every single short story in this collection is fantastic and gets you excited for Christmas. I will be reading these once more in the run up to Christmas and you should all read them as well if you haven't already. I know Christmas reads aren’t for everyone, much like Christmas films, but I loved them.
Recommended For: YA Readers and anyone who enjoys a good romance, in whatever form it takes.
Hot Toy by Jennifer Crusie
Previously published in the anthology Santa, Baby, HOT TOY is now available as a standalone e-story for the first time!
Mayhem ensues under the mistletoe as a determined shopper grabs the very last hot toy action figure off the shelf, only to find herself plunged into the middle of a real-life spy game and in the arms of a sexy secret agent...
This is another short story, although a standalone one, and is one I requested off of NetGalley a few weeks back for no other reason that Jennifer Crusie wrote it (did you know she’s my favourite?) and I am so glad I am so easily swayed by seeing a favourite author’s name on something.
This is a ridiculous little romance story set at Christmas involving the kind of romance and drama you expect to see from made for TV Christmas films… but it’s better than that. This may be my own bias, but this is such a fun absurd story for Christmas. It is the perfect short escapism read for Christmas day when things have gotten a bit crazy with the family gathering, normally the sleepy hours after Christmas dinner when everyone has eaten too much and are napping on the sofa, you can take those quiet hours to escape into this book and simply enjoy. Or maybe that’s just what I crave on Christmas.
Recommended For: Romance readers and those in need of some Christmas escapism
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems besides the point now.
Maybe that was always besides the point.
Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her.
When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.
That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .
Is that what she’s supposed to do?
Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?
Okay, so I have already reviewed this book recently and I’ve already mentioned that it made me think of Christmas, and it makes me think of Christmas for one very obvious reason, it’s set in the days leading up to Christmas and is all about Georgie being separated from her husband and children at Christmas. It’s a beautiful book and it will really make you want to cuddle up to your loved ones this Christmas, even if they are being their most obnoxious on Christmas day. This book will remind you that it’s the little things that matter and it reminds you to think about others as well as ourselves (it’s sometimes easy to get lost in your own dreams that you forget about other people’s).
You know, that, and Rainbow Rowell wrote it so it’s a dream to read she does write the best books. I won’t go any further telling you why you should read, you can read my review for that one, but it is a good Christmas read.
Recommended For: Those who like to read something a bit more serious at Christmas and fans of good writing.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.
This is another book which surprised me with making me think of Christmas and it doesn’t make me think too much of Christmas, but more Autumn and the run up to Christmas. It’s basically a book that goes all the way up to Christmas and once I finished I both needed the next book in my hands (like, so much) but also I wanted it to be Christmas to get wrapped up in cozy jumpers and drink hot chocolate and all those good things. Also, Christmas cookies, I really needed Christmas cookies.
This is just a sweet YA duology (the second book is just as good and really wraps this story up well) and I really enjoyed it. I think I expected something a bit more serious, at times, but I didn’t care that this book didn’t get more serious than it did because I liked it the way it is. It’s a sweet fake romance book and is another escapism book for Christmas, but in this case, it’s a fluffy book for you to escape into.
Recommended For: YA fans, those looking for a fluffy read to escape into, preferably whilst in your cosiest pyjamas wrapped up in a blanket and with a mug of hot chocolate to hand.
Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis
In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother - a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.
Starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career - if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.
The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes - and mouth - are making it hard for her to remember that she's sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past, though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor.
I didn’t actually think of this book on my own, it was one I stumbled across when trying to select out some other Christmas reads for you to check out and I felt like hitting myself for not thinking of it on my own.
Christmas may not be mentioned in the blurb, but this first novel in the Lucky Harbor series is set around Christmas time. These three sisters come together at their mom’s old inn and attempt to renovate it together, although they each have their own ideas with what they will be doing with it once it is renovated. It is a book that has the perfect little family scenes with these sisters together, and it is a book that has a Christmas tree playing a very central part in their bonding experiences together. At university we had a Christmas tree at our flat which we all decorated together in a rather similar way, although we did try to make our own decorations as well, turns out paper snowflakes are difficult to make when drunk (who knew?) and so it wasn’t the prettiest of trees, but it was ours.
I don’t have much to say about this book I haven’t said before, but I absolutely love Jill Shalvis and this is a perfect book both for Christmas, but also for any who are thinking about checking her books out.
Recommended For: Anyone looking for a steamy romance set during Christmas.
Now, I intended to show a few more books for you all, which I know to be Christmas themed but I haven’t read myself… but then I thought why bother? I would much rather hear from you about what books you recommend for Christmas than tell you about books I’ve never read so cannot vouch for.
What are your favourite Christmas Reads? Do you have books you like to read at Christmas or are you more like me just reading whatever takes your fancy?
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week’s theme is all about like for like recommendations. I will have a selection of books for you, rather than ten recommendations based upon one book, which seems too much and could get repetitive, it will be a couple of recommendations for several books. I hope you enjoy them anyway.
My recommendations are all romances because those are what came to mind when I was trying to think of some like for like recommendations for you folks. I hope you like them.
First up we have my recommendations for fans of Cora Carmack’s Rusk University series, of which I am a huge fan. I may not enjoy sports in real life, but give me a good sports romance and I am pretty content in life. For those who are looking for another football romance then you should definitely check out Rush Me by Allison Parr, it’s not set at University but I still enjoyed it. A more adult football romance is the Chicago Stars series by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, I’ve only read Nobody’s Baby But Mine, which was pretty darn hilarious and so I plan on checking the entire series at some point (you know, when I’m not at risk of being killed by my towering TBR pile).
If you’re looking for more college sports romances I can also recommend a couple of different books for you, I’ve recently read The Year We Fell Down, which focuses on a couple of hockey players at college, it’s a bit more serious than the other books but still an excellent read. That book also links perfectly with my next rec of The Deal by Elle Kennedy as she partnered with Sarina Bowen to write a book, Him, which I’ve not read. Anyway, The Deal also features hockey players and I enjoyed both that book and The Mistake, they are excellent books and are perfect NA sports reads.
These are a few recommendations for you folks who were fans of Jennifer Echols’s Such a Rush. I loved that book, you know, once I finally got around to reading, and the thing I liked most was the fact it was all about a girl trying to make her way out of the trailer park where she was born. A few suggestions for those who were also a fan of a girl from the wrong side of the tracks trying to make it our are I’ll Meet You There, all about a girl who is set to go to university and finally get out of her small town and the trailer she lives in until she meets a boy and several things lead her to question if it’s right for her to leave for college.
My other suggestions are Sugar Daddy because this begins with a grill growing up in a trailer park and is all about her journey to get out, it was awesome, there are more books to that series but I just haven’t read the yet. And my final rec is Stay With Me by Jennifer Armentrout, it’s not about a girl who has made it out of a trailer park, but it is about a girl whose mother is an addict and who has had to claw her way to college and to a better life. It’s a little different from the others but it definitely links up.
And the last book I’m recommending based upon is Simply Irresistible and the entire Lucky Harbor series by Jill Shalvis. I am sure everyone is aware I am a fan of hers by now, and so I just had to do a few recs based on her series. First up we have The Sullivans series by Bella Andre, it isn’t set in a small town or anything, but instead is an entire family (a huge family) and that is what makes it good. I’ve only read one of the books, but I can tell it’s a series I will enjoy reading. It is about ridiculous at tomes, but it’s romance and it’s fun.
Then there is Summer in Napa and the St Helena’s Vineyard series, this is a small town romance series. Again, I’ve only read the one book, but it’s great, all about this small town in California and the residents there and I quite enjoyed that one and am eager to investigate the entire series. And finally there is the Rock Canyon Romance series from Codi Gary, this is a series I’ve been following from the start. It is just a fun romance series set in the town of Rock Canyon and it’s great, don’t know when there’ll be another one out, but I like the books published so far anyway.
Do you have any good recs based on the books on here? I’d love to hear them because who doesn’t need to add to their TBR list?
Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale
My Rating:
Release Date: 5th May 2015
The breathtaking start to a seductive high-fantasy from New York Times bestselling author of Throne of Glass series.
Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price.
Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.
I am a huge fan of Sarah J Maas, have been ever since I read Throne Of Glass, so when I was given the opportunity to read a copy of it on Netgalley I instantly requested it and was thrilled to be approved. It is the second really big book I was approved for and so you can imagine my excitement. I initially thought I would simply review this book on my blog for you all and be done with it, but that didn’t so the book justice, it deserves more than a review where I struggle to find the words to describe my love for this book and how I enjoyed it. I decided, instead, to tell you why you need to give it a chance instead.
It’s original. I know that sounds like a ridiculous reason to read a book, but it’s true. This is a book which I cannot compare to any other book I’ve read before. Maas has created this magical world that is a bit like a fairy tale, but so much beyond that at the same time. She has fairies and monsters in this book, and people struggling through abject poverty which their neighbours can so easily ignore, and it is all done in a way that makes it unique and really standout that it’s fantastic.
Fairies! This is another reason to read which probably seems like a ridiculous reason to even bother, but it’s true. The fairies which Maas writes about are not like what you envision. There is no Tinkerbell, and they definitely aren’t the same fairies you see in True Blood either, they are different. They are closer to the folktales of fairies, I think. They are powerful and awe-inspiring, but vicious and cruel as well. They are not friends to humans, but nor are they necessarily evil, they just believe themselves to be so utterly superior and humans so beneath them that they do not view them as an issue.
The big bad is really big and awful. You know how there is always a ‘big bad’ in Buffy, there is the same thing in books. I know it’s actually the antagonist in the book, but big bad sounds better. The big bad of A Court of Thorns and Roses is wicked, and cruel. It lingers on the outskirts, hinted at but never mentioned out right through the first half of the book. You never know what it is until the big reveal, and at the point Feyre is in too deep and the story too far gone than for the inevitable to happen. and the inevitable in this book, the confrontation that occurs is so good, it is not what you expect, and it carries on far longer than you believe.
Nothing is black and white. I entered this book with some very obvious misconceptions about what was going to occur looking back. I didn't know this, I thought I could vaguely predict what was going to happen, and Maas blew that all out of the water with what she actually wrote. You think you know what is happening when you read, but you really don’t. You think you know who you should like and hate, but that isn’t true. Nothing and no-one is as they necessarily appear. That can sound ridiculous and possibly disconcerting, but it just makes for a good read that is really intriguing.
I hope you all get a chance to read this book and that you enjoy it. If you agree with my reasons for reading, or if you can think of anymore let me know!
Genre: Paranormal, Sci FI
My Rating:
A masterful, twisted tale of ambition, jealousy, betrayal, and superpowers, set in a near-future world.
Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?
In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn’t automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.'
I’d never read a Victoria (VE) Schwab book until last week. After I finished Vicious all I could think is ‘why on earth did I not read her books sooner?’ especially since she had been on my radar for a while. After I read Vicious, though, I can safely call her a fantastic author and I cannot wait to read A Darker Shade of Magic.
This post is for all of you who have heard of her and were a bit uncertain whether or not to take the leap and give her a go. Do it, do it now. Below are a long list of reasons to push you to take the leap, I can practically guarantee you won’t regret it.
The story is nothing like you expect. I never know what to expect going into books, and I thought it was going to be a more linear story, but once I started reading and I began to meet the characters I was blown away and the story just went to new places I would not have even thought of. It’s incomparable to anything else I’ve read, and for that reason alone you should check it out.
The characters, they are so human you can almost accept they could be people. You read and you expect to have an idea who is good and who is bad and what is right and what’s wrong, but then you can innumerable shades of grey and you just feel confused. You would think that would be disconcerting, but it’s not is, it’s refreshing to read about people that sound genuine.
You will be stuck trying to figure out the story the entire way through. It flicks from past to present, which makes it interesting as you continually looking back to figure out how you got to where you enter the story. It’s not that the story is confusing, it’s just details and motivation are confusing. You’re waiting for the moment where things change and someone does something that helps it all click, but it takes a while.
It is the most original take on superheroes and villains I have ever read, I only wish I had read it sooner because it is so intriguing the various ideas on good and bad.
And I could list a long list of other reasons to read Vicious, but I won’t. I insist you give it a go though, you will not regret your venture into her writing. She has several other books I’m going to have to check out now because if they are all as good as this one, I’m missing out on book gold.
Publish Date: 7th August 2014Rating:The perfect life or the perfect love. You choose.
For as long as she can remember, Sabine has lived two lives. Every 24 hours she shifts to her 'other' life - a life where she is exactly the same, but absolutely everything else is different: different family, different friends, different social expectations. In one life she has a sister, in the other she does not. In one life she's a straight-A student with the perfect boyfriend, in the other she's considered a reckless delinquent. Nothing about her situation has ever changed, until the day when she discovers a glitch: the arm she breaks in one life is perfectly fine in the other.
With this new knowledge, Sabine begins a series of increasingly risky experiments that bring her dangerously close to the life she's always wanted. But if she can only have one life, which is the one she'll choose?
A compelling psychological thriller about a girl who lives two parallel lives - this is Sliding Doors for the YA audience.
I read this book over a month ago I think, I wrote this review at the same time and it has been littering up my drafts, but finally, it is around publishing time so let's post. I received a copy of this free via NetGalley. I went in a bit warier when it came to this book, the previous two books I received through NetGalley did not meet my expectations, so I did not think this book would be as good as I had hoped. Luckily for me, this book went ahead and exceeded all my expectation, it was all I wanted and more.
My Initial thoughts
I liked the sound of this books premise. Its why I requested it on Netgalley. I mean how often do you get the opportunity to read a book about someone with 2 lives? This book really reminded me about the TV show Awake with Jason Isaacs. I only ever saw a couple of episodes and then it got cancelled, but it is a very similar premise. The idea of how simple changes can make a big difference to the way someone lives.
Initially, I was bored. I’m going to be honest. I could not understand how I was going to be drawn into this story, I could not understand where the story was going. Then I got a couple of chapters in everything started to click with me. Well, it started to click with me in her less than perfect life. Her ‘perfect’ life just bored me still, I kept thinking ‘why should I care that you are living a seemingly perfect life where you fake it ‘til you make it’'?’ because I didn’t get why I as a reader should care. Luckily, that thinking did not last all that long, I was still more eager to read one life than the other, but gradually that evened out as more things happened in both worlds.
I think the characters were really quite well written, even when I was bored I loved all the characters, I just didn’t get why I should care too much. And then I started caring. There were some twists that even I couldn’t predict happening in this book. I had moments where I was left gobsmacked going ‘wait…what?’ and I loved every second of it.
So why should you read?
I really enjoyed this book, way more than expected. Maybe it was my lowered expectations that helped me enjoy it, although thinking about it, I had no expectations. It was a book I got sent to read, and I went in having not heard anything about it, so there was nothing there to ruin it for me. It was nice to go in blind, you don’t get the too often in the blogosphere, books get hyped and I have a need to read them immediately, I don’t often go in blind before buying a book, I like to check out reviews and ratings before taking the plunge. It’s not too often I go into a book with no knowledge of what’s to come.
Anyway, what I am saying is, this a book that will surprise you with the depth held within it. It will surprise you with how attached you grow to the characters and how much you find yourself caring. It will just surprise you. This may surprise you, but this book had me in tears by the end. I was a mess and a wreck even though I'd already guessed the stuff about Ethan. It is such a surprising read and that’s why I loved it. It surprised me with a lot of the events in the book. The storyline surprised me because you are expecting sort of weird sci-fi style read but it is nothing like that, it is a contemporary read that has a few areas of science fiction thrown in. This is a book I think many will underestimate since the entire premise of the book as a bit out there, but the whole two lives thing is not really what this story is about, it’s all about choices and enjoying your life and realising that normal is subjective.
I hope anyone reading this will be tempted to go out and get this book because it's definitely worth a few hours of your life. I almost definitely guarantee you'll enjoy it.
So part 2 focuses on series and crossover books and New Adult books. This is because new adult books tend to be part of a series, crazy stuff, I know. I was going to include a few more books in this post, but I decided to only put on the ones I really enjoyed. For any books that are a part of a series I tried to link to the other books or to the GoodReads series page for you to check it out. Please, read on and enjoy, hopefully they’ll give you some decent ideas for the #sexmeupreadathon next week.
Rush Me – Allison ParrSeries: #1 New York Leopards
Genre: Romance, New Adult, Sports Romance (don’t ask, saw it on goodreads)
Sexual Rating: medium
My Rating:
When post-grad Rachael Hamilton accidentally gate-crashes a pro-athlete party, she ends up face-to-face with Ryan Carter, the NFL's most beloved quarterback.
While most girls would be thrilled to meet the attractive young millionaire, Rachael would rather spend time with books than at sporting events, and she has more important things to worry about than romance. Like her parents pressuring her to leave her unpaid publishing internship for law school.
But when Ryan's rookie teammate attaches himself to Rachael, she ends up cohosting Friday-night dinners for half a dozen football players.
Over pancake brunches, charity galas and Alexander the Great, Rachael realizes all the judgments she'd made about Ryan are wrong. But how can a Midwestern Irish-Catholic jock with commitment problems and an artsy, gun-shy Jewish New Englander ever forge a partnership? Rachael must let down her barriers if she wants real love—even if that opens her up to pain that could send her back into her emotional shell forever.
Genre: Romance
Sexual Rating: Medium/sexy
My Rating:
"You have to teach your heart and mind how to sing together…then you'll hear the sound of your soul."
Mia Kelly thinks she has it all figured out. She's an Ivy League graduate, a classically trained pianist, and the beloved daughter of a sensible mother and offbeat father. Yet Mia has been stalling since graduation, torn between putting her business degree to use and exploring music, her true love.
When her father unexpectedly dies, she decides to pick up the threads of his life while she figures out her own. Uprooting herself from Ann Arbor to New York City, Mia takes over her father's café, a treasured neighborhood institution that plays host to undiscovered musicians and artists. She's denied herself the thrilling and unpredictable life of a musician, but a chance encounter with Will, a sweet, gorgeous, and charming guitarist, offers her a glimpse of what could be. When Will becomes her friend and then her roommate, she does everything in her power to suppress her passions-for him, for music-but her father's legacy slowly opens her heart to the possibility of something more.
A "heartbreaking and romantic" (Aestas Book Blog) debut, Sweet Thing explores the intensity and complexities of first love and self-discovery.
Faking It – Cora Carmack
Series: #2 Losing It
Genre: New Adult, Romance
Sexual Rating: Steamy
My Rating:
Mackenzie “Max” Miller has a problem. Her parents have arrived in town for a surprise visit, and if they see her dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings, they just might disown her. Even worse, they’re expecting to meet a nice, wholesome boyfriend, not a guy named Mace who has a neck tattoo and plays in a band. All her lies are about to come crashing down around her, but then she meets Cade.
Cade moved to Philadelphia to act and to leave his problems behind in Texas. So far though, he’s kept the problems and had very little opportunity to take the stage. When Max approaches him in a coffee shop with a crazy request to pretend to be her boyfriend, he agrees to play the part. But when Cade plays the role a little too well, they’re forced to keep the ruse going. And the more they fake the relationship, the more real it begins to feel
I loved the second one in this series best, but I do own the other two and I have a soft spot for Cora Carmack so definitely check out her other books, she does write sexy well.
Series: #1 Rock Canyon Romance
Sexual Rating: Steamy
My Rating:
Good girls don't steal.
Good girls don't visit sex shops.
Good girls don't have one-night stands.
For Katie Conners, being a good girl just isn't worth it anymore. It used to mean getting the life she always wanted. But that was before she got dumped and her ex got engaged to his rebound. So, after a bad day and one too many mojitos, Katie starts making a list of things a girl like her would never do, not in a million years . . .
As a tattoo artist with a monster motorcycle, Chase Trepasso isn't the kind of guy you bring home to mom and dad.
And when he finds Katie's list in a bar, he's more than happy to help her check off a few items. Especially the ones on the naughtier side . . .
Katie's more than tempted by Chase's offer, as long as they keep things uncomplicated. But as they spend more time together, she may just wind up breaking the most important rule of all: Good girls don't fall in love with bad boys
I would also recommend the other two books in this series Good Girls Don’t Date Rockstars and Bad Girls Don’t Marry Marines but the first one is my favourite of the series I think.
Series: #1 The Ivy Chronicles
Genre: Romance, New Adult
Sexual Rating: sexy with some mild steamy
My Rating:
Before she goes after the life she’s always wanted, she’s about to find the one she needs.
Pepper has been hopelessly in love with her best friend’s brother, Hunter, for like ever. He’s the key to everything she’s always craved: security, stability, family. But she needs Hunter to notice her as more than just a friend. Even though she’s kissed exactly one guy, she has just the plan to go from novice to rock star in the bedroom—take a few pointers from someone who knows what he’s doing.
Her college roommates have the perfect teacher in mind. But bartender Reece is nothing like the player Pepper expects. Yes, he’s beyond gorgeous, but he’s also dangerous, deep—with a troubled past. Soon what started as lessons in attraction are turning both their worlds around, and showing just what can happen when you go past foreplay and get to what’s real…
The first in this series is again my favourite, but I loved the second too, Tease.
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Sexual Rating: mildly steamy
My Rating:
In the game of love…
Dumped by her college boyfriend for her best friend, the last thing Jenna Brandt needs to deal with is working beside her backstabbing-BFF's hotter-than-hot brother. But when he offers her a chance to get some revenge on her ex, she can hardly say no--even if spending more time with Sutton puts her heart in jeopardy all over again.
Someone's going to get hurt…
Sutton Bell has had a thing for Jenna since they were in high school, but after one screwed-up night, she didn’t want anything to do with him. Now, with just the summer before he leaves to begin his new career, Sutton’s determined to convince Jenna he’s not the player he used to be. But saving his sister from making an awful mistake may mean losing Jenna for good.
Those are my recommendations for next week, please enjoy and let me know if there are any books you would recommend for me to read, I adore a good recommendation. I’m going to get a post up on the weekend on with my ideas of books I want to try and read. Books which have caught my interest and fit my sexy book criteria of basically having a decent sounding plot and plenty of romance. Get your recommendations in early nad they may get in on my list.
I said I was going to do some recommendations in the lead up to the readathon. The readathon begins next week, on Monday. So I’m going to do a couple of posts this week about the readathon and some recommendations. These res are not limited to the readathon, they are books which I genuinely recommend you read if you happen to enjoy a good romance.
As a dedicated romance reader I feel I have some knowledge about romance books. Now the romance I tend to read comes in the form of new adult books and books which would have formerly been deemed chick-lit, I don’t know what it gets classed as anymore. I am going to begin with my recommendations for that which I would class as being chick-lit. The characters are all grown up, they have lives, jobs, houses, etc. They have responsibilities. There are going to be some crossover, my new adult list will have grown ups in as well, I don’t know. It’s difficult to classify.
Genre: Romance
Sexual Rating: Light
My Rating:
Kaylie Flynn was luckier than most children left to the Texas foster care system, blessed with a foster mother who taught her the comfort of home - and the healing power of baking the perfect brownie. Now, Kaylie has journeyed back to Hope Springs to open a cafe in the charming Victorian she once shared with her foster family - and to finally find answers about her past and where she came from.
Yet Kaylie's carefully laid plans quickly become complicated. The house needs far more work than she realized, and Tennessee Keller, the carpenter Kaylie hires, stirs up feelings she hasn't felt in a long while. When an unexpected crisis threatens to unravel her dreams, Kaylie seems to have all the ingredients for a perfect disaster - or quite possibly the perfect love
Genre: Romance
Sexual Rating: mild/medium
My Rating:
A Chicago reporter in her mid-twenties unexpectedly finds love in Napa Valley when she’s assigned to spend a week with a famously reclusive genius.
Kate Corbin has lost her spark. From the outside, her life seems charmed. She has a handsome, long-term boyfriend and a budding journalism career at a popular Chicago newspaper. But in reality, her relationship is going nowhere, and she’s quickly losing motivation for what she once believed was her dream job. When her boyfriend dumps her unceremoniously, Kate loses all hope of finding love.
With no living family and few friends, Kate confides in her boss. Trusting that the hungry, ace reporter is buried somewhere deep inside, he gives Kate the opportunity to jumpstart her career. The assignment: to interview the famously reclusive R.J. Lawson, a wealthy tech genius who disappeared years ago but recently reemerged as a Napa Valley vintner. The week takes an unexpected turn, however, when Lawson refuses to divulge any information. Desperate for a lead, Kate turns to Jamie, a vineyard hand who shows her the romance of wine country—and stirs her aching heart. But his connection to Lawson is ambiguous, and when Jamie disappears before the end of the week, Kate is left to investigate another story: the truth behind the man who stole her heart.
USA TODAY bestselling author Renée Carlino explored love and heartbreak in her beautifully written debut Sweet Thing, and her newest novel does not disappoint. For fans of Colleen Hoover, K.A. Tucker, and Katja Millay, Nowhere But Here is a stirring and satisfying romance that you won’t want to put down
Some Girls Do – Clodagh MurphyGenre: Romance
Secual Rating: medium/sexy
My Rating:
Claire Kennedy is NiceGirl, the anonymous author of steamy online blog 'Scenes of a Sexual Nature'. An internet sensation, she attracts the attention of Mark Bell, a hot London publisher. But when it becomes clear that Mark is interested in more than just a book deal, Claire has to act fast. Because little does Mark know that NiceGirl is a lot more experienced in the bedroom than real-life Claire Kennedy.
Mark is offering Claire the life she's always dreamed of - a steady relationship, the literary world of London and a posh Highgate apartment.
But when Claire hires the services of struggling artist and commitment-phobe Luca to brush up on her sex skills, things get more complicated...
Great sex, friendship AND love ... can't a girl have it all?
Genre: Romance
Sexual Rating: Light
My Rating:
When Alexis “Lexi” Moreau caught her husband, Jeff, sampling the sous-chef’s more intimate wares in their New York restaurant, she ran—all the way back to her hometown of St. Helena, California. Six months later, Lexi has no husband and no restaurant. But she does have a three-step plan: First, convert her grandmother’s bakery into her dream bistro. Second, ignore Grandma’s matchmaking attempts. And third, avoid Marco DeLuca, her ex’s commitment-phobic, distractingly sexy best friend.
In school Lexi was off-limits for Marco. After all, she was his buddy’s girl. But she’s still as smart and as gorgeous—and apparently as immune to his charms—as she used to be. Yet the simple fake romance they agree upon to dodge Lexi’s grandmother’s matchmaking plans soon turns deliciously complicated. And the sultry summer might bring together all the right ingredients for Marco to win the only woman he’s ever wanted
Bet Me – Jenny Crusie
Genre: Romance
Sexual Rating: Mild/Light
My Rating:
Minerva Dobbs knows that happily-ever-after is a fairy tale, especially with a man who asked her to dinner to win a bet.
Cal Morrisey knows commitment is impossible - especially with a woman as cranky as Min Dobbs...
When they say good-bye at the end of their evening, they cut their losses and agree never to see each other again.
But Fate has other plans - and it's not long...
Genre: Romance
Sexual Rating: mild/light
My Rating:
A hilarious and heartfelt tale by the master of romantic comedy, Jennifer Crusie!Six books for a post seems like more than enough, right? These are the ones which can be read independently, I think I’ll do another post for some series, although New Adult books tend to always be a part of a series. I’ll also have post dedicated to the new adult, collegey, post college type books. I’m thinking this may be a three parter. I trilogy of book recommendations.
Dumped by her boyfriend and demoted from WBBB's prime-time spot, radio producer Allie McGuffey has nowhere to go but up. She plans to make her comeback by turning temporary DJ Charlie Tenniel into a household name. And if he's willing to help cure her breakup blues with a rebound fling, that's an added bonus.
Charlie just wants to kick back, play good tunes and eat Chinese food. He's not interested in becoming famous. But he is interested in Allie. And after all, what harm is a little chemistry between friends?
But suddenly their one-night stand has become a four-week addiction. Night after night on the airwaves, his voice seduces her…and all the other women in town. He's a hit. It looks as if Charlie's solved all Allie's problems…except one. What is she going to do when he leaves?
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