06 November 2017
Blog Tour | Wilde in Love // A Book Which Fit My Reading Mood Just When I Picked It Up
Published: 31st October 2017
Source: Publisher
Genre: Historical Romance
My Rating:
Lord Alaric Wilde, son of the Duke of Lindow, is the most celebrated man in England, revered for his dangerous adventures and rakish good looks. Arriving home from years abroad, he has no idea of his own celebrity until his boat is met by mobs of screaming ladies. Alaric escapes to his father’s castle, but just as he grasps that he’s not only famous but notorious, he encounters the very private, very witty, Miss Willa Ffynche.
Willa presents the façade of a serene young lady to the world. Her love of books and bawdy jokes is purely for the delight of her intimate friends. She wants nothing to do with a man whose private life is splashed over every newspaper.
Alaric has never met a woman he wanted for his own . . . until he meets Willa. He’s never lost a battle.
But a spirited woman like Willa isn’t going to make it easy. . . .
The first book in Eloisa James’s dazzling new series set in the Georgian period glows with her trademark wit and sexy charm—and introduces a large, eccentric family. Readers will love the Wildes of Lindow Castle!
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
There are certain authors in life you hear plenty about and get on your radar. Eloisa James is one of those authors. I know her name, I know she writes historical romance, beyond that I had no clue. When I got an email about her latest release I knew I wanted to read it, even though I had no clue what Eloisa James’s writing was like, I mean, it sounded pretty good to me. As my first Eloisa James book, I think this was pretty perfect. It was the right balance of romance, humour and drama. I had witty characters who were drawn together. Excellent secondary characters I know will get their chance to shine and a Wilde family filled with siblings with ridiculous names. Everything about this book worked for me and I just know I will be reading more of Eloisa James's books in the future.
Wilde in love is the first in a series of books about the eccentric Wilde family. The head of the Wilde family is on his third wife and probably had more children than he cares to count and his current wife is expecting another child any day. We get to meet Lord Alaric Wilde in this book. He is renowned for being an adventurer and is very much adored, maybe not for the right reasons. He has finally returned to English soil for the first time in a long while and he is forced to return to his father’s castle for a party celebrating his brother’s engagement. Whilst there he is learning women are believing some farfetched rumours about him and he is getting far more attention than he ever thought his books would get. He also meets Willa, a woman he becomes very intrigued by as she is not falling over herself to get his attention. In fact, she believes his stories to be lies.
Willa is a woman who had a perfect first Season and who has a lot of rules to ensure she comes across as the perfect English lady because if she let her true self out she knows men would be intimidated by her intellect and find her attitude unbecoming, except she can’t seem to follow her own rules around Alaric, no matter how much she wishes to.
Willa was the kind of heroine you are destined to love in a romance. She is intelligent and unswayed by a man's riches or fame. She instead wants a man who is intelligent and respects and will never be daring or reckless. She is a woman you can respect and love for her wit and when she meets Alaric, the exact opposite of what she wants in a husband, you just know there will be chemistry.
I loved the adventuring Lord Wilde, but it was Alaric who was the fun version of his character. The man is drawn to Willa despite her protests and who pursues her without ever trying to force himself upon her. His jealousy was sweet but even then he didn't go all he-man on her he just seethed and gave folks dirty looks. It was love.
What I really loved was how Willa was embraced by the Wilde family and how the Wildes were just the most entertaining family. They had a ridiculous naming system but they were fun and you could tell they were close. I adored all the secondary characters. They all seemed interesting and I just know their stories will be brilliant. The hints for the next book have gotten me so excited!
This was definitely the best book to pick up when I was craving a little historical romance. Which book did you stumble across at just the right time to fit your reading mood?
That’s right guys, it’s Bonfire Night tonight! For us in the UK that means bonfires, fireworks, and usually burning a Guy Fawkes on the bonfire. Although we also like to burn folks right along with Guy Fawkes, I’ve seen one bonfire in Kent is burning an effigy of Harvey Weinstein, Trump got burned last year. Anyway, I’m looking forward to sitting in my pyjamas with the lights off and seeing the fireworks out of my window. I had my outdoor bonfire fun on Friday night. I went to the same bonfire I did last year and me and my friend had a great time. They had a bar and food stalls and a DJ on so we had a drink and then danced in a field (we may have been the only ones dancing outside of the children). It was great as we only had one drink before realising that was a bad decision as our hands got cold so we danced sober in a field. The fireworks were very pretty and the bonfire was warm. I will definitely try and go again next year.
Work is getting busier again so I’m glad I’ve got some holiday booked over the next couple of months to give me a break. I have plans on my days off but I am looking forward to the rest. I mentioned last week we’re looking to get my nan in a home, I am thrilled that the home near to us is willing to keep a room for her and think she’d be suitable to move in. They’re only concern is how my nan will be told about the move so we’ve got to plan how best to broach the subject with her. She has little choice (in the kindest possible way, the money is simply gone so this is our only solution) but I know she will not be happy with the lack of choice. We’re hoping the fact she will be closer to us and that we can visit more frequently will help persuade her. Keep your fingers crossed for us.
I actually gave myself a long weekend this weekend, I was off Friday and I have Monday off, I’m trying to get organised for my friend's wedding and also do that thing no one wishes to talk about (Christmas shopping). I haven’t successfully shopped at all yet but the thought is there. I did get my haircut for the wedding, though! And they cut it to the right length for once, it’s shorter than I usually have it and I really love it. I definitely need to try and keep putting in the effort to getting it cut regularly because this once every six months business is not working for me and my hair.
I also got myself organised Saturday. We have family coming round on Sunday so I knew I had to make the house look less like a bomb has gone off, more specifically in my room. I vacuumed, dusted and chucked stuff out. I also took a long hard look at my shelves and my unread books. I’ve created a pile of last chance books (yes, more of them). Much like my ARCs, I am going to read between 10% and 25% and if I’m not interested after that they are going to a better home. I also need to find a better home for all of my no longer want books. Maybe more Twitter swaps? Or I might start my own Depop, that could work.
What I’ve Been Reading
Yes, guys, I did read six books this week. One was a skim read to the finish and another a DNF, but I attempted to read six whole books! That’s pretty damn impressive for me. But Then I Came Back was good, I enjoyed it way more than expected. The Scot Beds His Wife was the skim read and Duke With Benefits the DNF. I am slowly tackling my overflowing ARC piles though! I was surprised how much I enjoyed Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index, I think because I’d attempted two books from my ARC pile I didn’t enjoy I was expecting a repeat experience. It wasn’t an original YA but I really enjoyed it regardless. Completely was a guilt read from Nick and I think her for it because it was so good. I can now swoon over Kal. I then began rereading The Shattered Court because I have The Forbidden Heir ARC and I am excited but remember very little of the story!
New To Me
My shopping looks terrible, doesn’t it? Chasing Crazy I had to get when it went down to 99p, I’ve been interested in reading for a while and decided to say screw it and buy. Lady of Magick I also got on sale, and I may not have read the first one but I am pretty certain I’ll love it (I hope) so figured might as well make sure my Kindle is stocked up with the second. I got two freebies, Neanderthal Seeks Human was free and Defenseless way my Kindle First book of the month. I loved the first couple of Renee Carlino books I read so when I saw Wish You Were Here on sale I immediately bought a copy. And I adore Rainbow Rowell so I preordered Almost Midnight even though I have both short stories already. The book is sparkly! How could I not?
I admit, I got a little ARC happy. I finished (or DNF) a few and I got all excited at Netgalley again. Oops? I also requested The Forbidden Heir form the author when I saw the email about bloggers getting review copies, I loved the first book, how could I not? I am excited for all of these, and it is all romance heavy, but I am totally in the mood for that right now. Fingers crossed for me reading all of these. I am on an ARC quest for the end of the year. I can do it!
And that is my week. I feel like I’ve been really productive this week guys. What have you been reading? Anyone else had a surprisingly productive week?
03 November 2017
But Then I Came Back // It Exceeded Expectations But I Had To Be In The Right Mood To Read
Published: 6th April 2017
Source: Bought/Netgalley
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult
My Rating:
Estelle Laure is a bright new talent with a gorgeous voice - perfect for fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell. Eden has always let her head lead the way. It's why she excels at ballet, at school, and at life in general. But when she nearly drowns and then wakes from a month-long coma, everything is different. She's troubled by dreams that seem more real than waking life, and her neat cookie-cutter existence is no longer satisfying. Unable to stifle her passionate heart anymore, she finds herself drawn to a boy with melting-chocolate eyes, and to a future different to what she ever imagined. That's when Eden discovers that when it comes to love, first you fall, then you have to leap. Estelle Laure's debut, This Raging Light, was a stunning debut with an unforgettable voice that has captured the hearts for readers.
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review (and then I bought my own copy anyway).
I read This Raging Light a while back and I enjoyed it. The book took me several attempts to get into because the writing is unique and I had to be in the right frame of mind to read it. I think this was the same. I only bought it recently and picked it up a couple of times and gave it a shot only to have to put it down again. I mean, this is a book I got approved for on Netgalley and still didn’t manage to read so I ended up buying my own copy to see if that would motivate me months after the fact. It was this attempt on a Saturday when I didn't want to do a whole lot that this book clicked for me and the writing was just enchanting as in This Raging Light.
This book delves a little into magical realism and was insanely interesting. The story was so good because we are all intrigued by death so for someone to return from a coma and near death and the experiences then and after are interesting. It was not wholly unrealistic to think that a brush with death could change things. That by almost dying Eden began to see things no one else could and that her personality may be influenced, as would her attitude to certain things.
Eden wasn't my favourite character in the first book. In fact, I called her a bad best friend for not being more supportive to Lucille while she was trying to care for herself and her sister and making vaguely bad life choices with Eden’s twin, Digby. She was too focused on her own problems in that book and I honestly didn’t like her. It’s was probably why it took me so long to pick this up. I didn't care for Eden so why should I care for what happened to her? She was mean and selfish and she still was in this one. But getting to see in her head and her thoughts made her so much easier to like. Instead, I found myself getting frustrated with Lucille and Digby and their attitude to Eden (I’m seeing a parallel here). I did find myself much more forgiving of Digby and Lucille and their attitude to Eden and some of her choices because they cared and only wanted to help, even if Eden did interpret their actions as manipulation instead.
I did find myself rolling my eyes a little at the romance. Eden meets Joe at the hospital during her recovery and is strangely obsessed with him and his friend who was also in a coma. They grow closer and explore the strange things Eden can see and no one else can and at the same time fall for one another. Both acknowledge it’s very inappropriate timing and I liked that Eden found a friend who didn’t know her before the accident and so wasn’t trying to force her to fit who she used to be, but allowed her to be who she was. I just found it convenient how the romance progressed, but maybe I’m becoming a bit of a cynic.
This was definitely a book of growth, metamorphosis, and generally what happens when life continues. I adored the writing. Laure once more demonstrated great skill in sucking me completely into a story. I stayed up late to finish this one and I'm glad I did. I feared I'd be disappointed by the companion novel to This Raging Light but this one met and exceeded expectations.
Have you read this or This Raging Light? What did you think? And have you got a rec for a good YA romance because it turns out that’s what I’m fancying right now?
My months are flying by and we’re so much closer to Christmas! It’s truly terrifying how fast time has gone, but then some might say that’s a good thing because this year hasn’t exactly been sunshine and rainbows. I am shocked at how fast Christmas is approaching, I mean there has been mention of the Christmas party, that’s how fast time is flying by.
October was a month which was all about being busy. I went to Bath for a hen do and had my first spa experience. I had to be the temporary supervisor at work while my own supervisor was out of the office. I had a bit of a blogging and reading slump but picked myself back up and now I’ve got a whole bunch of posts brewing… if only I could remember to schedule them all.
Can’t Stop Listening
Revenge – P!nk
Gorgeous – Taylor Swift
I feel like I should apologise for how much Taylor Swift I put in these posts each month but you know I’m going to do this until her new album is out next month, right?
October Reads
Pretty Face // Satellite // Seeing Red // Rule // Here We Are Now // The Scot Beds His Wife
Duke With Benefits // Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index
Rereads weren’t counted in my monthly favourites (otherwise Act Like It and Pretty Face would have totally been there) but I don’t think it was a terrible reading month. I enjoyed some decent reads. And more romance than I realised.
October Posts
Sunday Summary // 08.10.2017 (which I accidentally labelled up 04.10.2017)
October Links
Fine Print | Stepping Outside Your Bookish Comfort Zone
We Live and Breathe Books | Yea or Nay – Alternative Format Books // Ending That Let Me Down
Kirsty Chronicles | Where are all the relatable new adult books? // How To Get Out Of A Reading Slump // Why I prefer e-books to physical books
The Innocent Smiley | Why I Have Been Seriously Slacking
Boats Against The Current | On Being A Kindle Convert
Nose Graze | It’s getting harder for me to write book reviews
It Starts at Midnight | When Your Brain Betrays Your Books
Confessions of a Book Geek | 8 Reasons Reading is a Superpower
What’s been the highlight of your October? Any amazing reads you need to tell me about?
Published: 31st October 2017
Source: Edelweiss
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
My Rating:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Winter Kingcomes a breathtaking new tale of love and adventure set in the mystical land of Mystral...
He wasn't supposed to choose her...
Seafaring prince Dilys Merimydion has been invited to court the three magical princesses of Summerlea. To eradicate the pirates threatening Calberna and to secure the power of the Sea Throne, Dilys vows to return home with a fierce warrior-queen as his bride. But politics has nothing to do with unexpected temptation.
She didn't dare wed him...
A weathermage like her sisters, Gabriella Coruscate's gentleness exemplifies the qualities of her season name, Summer. Yet her quiet poise conceals dangerous powers she cannot begin to wield. Better to live without excitement, she reasons, than risk her heart and lose control— until an irresistible Sealord jolts her awake with a thunderclap of raw desire.
Until evil threatens everything they hold dear...
When pirates kidnap Summer and her sisters, Dilys is in a desperate quest to save the woman he loves. Only by combining his command of the seas with the unleashed fury of Summer's formidable gifts can they defeat their brutal enemies and claim the most priceless victory of all: true love.
This was one of my most anticipated releases. I read The Winter King a little while ago and loved it in all it’s cheesy, romantic, crazypants ways because it was fun and had story and it was fantasy romance and that is such an uncommon mix. It had the usual romantic drama and it had this great story line and characters. It was a little ridiculous and I loved it for that and I was so, so excited to read The Sea King so I was daring and requested on Edelweiss (which I’d never done before because that place scares me). I am so glad I did request it because it’s a brilliant read and I will definitely be buying my own copy as well because this book really builds on the larger story arc hinted in the first book but it’s on your face and obvious by the end of this second one.
First of all, the storyline is a little farfetched and ridiculous once more. This time we have Dilys (who we should all hopefully recall from the first book) here to claim his prize, his right to court and try and win the hand of one of the Seasons of Summerlea. The only problem is, one of the seasons, Summer, has more than a few secrets and she doesn’t want anyone finding them out, certainly not Dilys who has a fire in his eyes who from a single look makes her feel more than she is used to. Gabriella is hiding her powers and avoiding being courted by Dilys Merilylidion. He makes her feel too much and last time that happened there were terrible consequences so she isn’t risking that again. Dilys can tell there is more to her than the kind and gentle persona she puts out the world. She also fears that madness runs in her family (her father did go loop-de-doop in the first book) and she fears the same is happening to her so she plans to get through this courting nonsense and plan her escape and isolation. Only, Dilys is far more intrigued with her than he should be and is determined to figure out what the hell is happening with her. I think we all know where this one is going, right?
I admit, the book was long and the pacing was a little off for me. I kept waiting for more to happen than misunderstanding and Summer avoiding people and being a ridiculous person scared of her own feelings but it took a long while for the story to really get going. It was the second half of the book which hooked me once Gabriella and her sisters were kidnapped (which is not a spoiler as it’s in the summary and yes that takes like half a book to happen so you understand how slow the build up in the first half was). It was the kidnapping and then the need to rescue them where the action really got going right up until the end of the book.
I admit, the kidnapping and what follows was uncomfortable, I know it’s a spoiler so be warned when you get to the bold be wary… *SPOILER* there is non-consensual touching and rape happening upon the kidnapping. I won’t reveal how it happens partly because I don’t fully remember the details, but also because that’s a major spoiler but it’s important to know *SPOILER*. The kidnapping and the events that followed whilst the Seasons were taken did make me uncomfortable because it was so awful. It was definitely my least favourite part of the book because I understood why it was there and happening but it felt unnecessary as well almost as if it was for effect except I am certain the events of this book will be important when it comes to the next one so I think it is part of developing the characters but it sucked to read and may put readers off.
Apart from that part of the book, though, the rest I loved. I was fully there cheering Dilys on (even though he was a bit of a dick who didn’t think before he spoke) and wanting Summer to admit she was more than meets the eye and get it on with the hot guy she obviously loves and cares for and who will treat her like a queen! Who doesn’t want to be treated like a queen by a hot guy? I would so sign up for that.
I really enjoyed this book, basically. I am so here for the next one and I know I’ve missed loads out of this review because I loved it so much and I always miss major plot points when I love a book. I also waited an age to write the review to try and get my thoughts straight and that so didn’t help anything. If you’re looking for a slightly ridiculous but totally awesome fantasy romance this and Winter King are the books for you. They rocked my socks off. So often in fantasy romance either the fantasy or the romance is stronger, in this one both are good. You get awesome world building, fantastic characters and steamy romance all in one book. What’s not to love?
Have you read this or any of C.L. Wilsons’s other books? And what is your favourite fantasy romance? I need more of this genre.
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