ARC Review | Vow of Thieves

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Vow of Thieves (Dance of Thieves, #2)

Author: Mary E. Pearson

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 480

Publication Date: August 6, 2019

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Suspense

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Kazi and Jase have survived, stronger and more in love than ever. Their new life now lies before them―the Ballengers will be outlaws no longer, Tor’s Watch will be a kingdom, and the two of them will meet all challenges side by side, together at last.

But an ominous warning mars their journey back, and in their rush to return to Tor’s Watch, just outside the fortress walls, they are violently attacked and torn apart―and each is thrust into their own new hell.

Unsure whether the other is alive or dead, Kazi and Jase must keep their wits among their greatest enemies and unlikeliest allies. And all the while, Death watches and waits.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Co and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.

This book wrecked me but in a good way! I had anxiety, heart palpitations and I even cried a few times! Was I expecting any of that? NO.

Vow of Thieves continues right after the last chapter and harrowing cliff-hanger from Dance of Thieves. Kazi and Jase return to Tor’s Watch and what greets them is unexpected. From then on, it was non-stop worrying and praying on my part. The world-building is lush as usual and the story is written so well I was wondering if Kazi would get out of this alive. After all she had been through, Kazi needed to make it out alive, she deserved some happiness.

At each turn something thwarted Kazi, but this girl has a brain on her like no other. And her fighting skills are just so good, she’s my hero. I love her heart, her penchant for riddles, her skill for thievery, the survival instincts she’s honed because of her past and her will to not die when it seems like hope is lost, “die tomorrow“. Kazi inspires me.

Jase and Kazi together are a dream team. Their love is deep but not so consuming that they can’t do things without one another. They weren’t even together in a good chunk of the book, but in spirit, they were pushing one another to keep going. It was all the things I love in a romance between two characters. They are strong together as a couple, but strong also even torn apart. I was swooning all over their relationship, their teasing and banter. I love them. Speaking of this duo – the book once again is told in dual POV. The story flows so well between the two characters and builds up tension where it should.

Then there is the supporting cast who is always outstanding. The villain was unpredictable, devious, obsessive, and cunning. Some of my favorite characters reappear in this book, Kazi’s best friends Wren and Synové. These three young ladies make a fierce trio. We also see cameos from characters in Mary E. Pearson other series, The Remnant Chronicles which made me want to reread the series again!

I could go on and on about this book, but I don’t want to spoil anything. It is perfection in my eyes. I’ve read very few duologies, but I notice that it’s becoming the trend and personally I’m starting to love it more than trilogies. It keeps the story-telling tight, whereas a trilogy sometimes is one book too long, with a weak finish. If duologies are written like this Dance of Thieves series, then sign me up for more of them!

I fell in love with Kazi, her friends, Jase and his crazy, loving family. It ended beautifully. I hope this isn’t the last story in the Remnant world. I want more adventures set in this world or any world that Mary E. Pearson creates. Vow of Thieves is the perfect sequel to an epic series.

Get it here: Amazon

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ARC Review: T-Minus

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: T-Minus

Author: Shannon Greenland

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: August 6, 2019

Categories: Suspense, Young Adult, Thriller

I am the daughter of the first female POTUS, and today is about to become the longest day of my life…

24 hours—that’s how much time I have to save my mother before terrorists assassinate her. But now my father and brother are missing, too. This goes deeper than anyone thinks. Only someone on the inside would know how to pull this off—how to make the entire First Family disappear.

I can’t trust anyone, so it’s up to me to uncover the conspiracy and stop these madmen. Because little do they know, they picked the wrong person to terrorize.

My name is Sophie Washington, and I will not be a victim. No one, I repeat no one, is taking me or my family down. But the clock is ticking…

Thank you to Entangled: Teen and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.

If you like shows like 24 and Homeland, then this book is for you. I can’t say I ever watched 24 but Homeland is one of my favorite shows. T-Minus takes place in a span of 24 hours. Right away I get thrown into Sophie Washington’s life and she’s being taken to a safe house because a plot to assassinate her mother, the President of the United States is underway. She’s separated from her mom, dad and brother and doesn’t know who to trust.

But Sophie is no ordinary president’s daughter – she and a bunch of her friends underwent TIA training. Something similar to special ops training but for teens! So yes, she and her friends are skilled at espionage, fighting, hacking, you name it, each of them excels at what they were trained to do.

The clock ticks down as Sophie and her friends have to find out who is behind this plan that is killing people she loves. This story is fast-paced and full of suspense. I sort of suspected early on who the villain was but that didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the story. And sometimes it’s unbelievable to think teenagers can be the ones to save the day in a situation like this. But I think Sophie and her friends convinced me they could handle any situation with the training they went through.

I believe this is a standalone novel but I feel like there could be a whole series devoted to Sophie and her friends saving the day. This is an entertaining page-turner with lots of thrilling action to keep anyone engaged

Get it here: Amazon

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Arc Review: Crown of Coral and Pearl

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Mara Rutherford

Format: eBook

Pages: 384

Publication Date: August 27, 2019

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

For generations, the princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. But though every girl longs to be chosen as the next princess, the cost of becoming royalty is higher than any of them could ever imagine…

Nor once dreamed of seeing the wondrous wealth and beauty of Ilara, the kingdom that’s ruled her village for as long as anyone can remember. But when a childhood accident left her with a permanent scar, it became clear that her identical twin sister, Zadie, would likely be chosen to marry the Crown Prince—while Nor remained behind, unable to ever set foot on land.

Then Zadie is gravely injured, and Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. To Nor’s dismay, her future husband, Prince Ceren, is as forbidding and cold as his home—a castle carved into a mountain and devoid of sunlight. And as she grows closer to Ceren’s brother, the charming Prince Talin, Nor uncovers startling truths about a failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen… and a plot to destroy the home she was once so eager to leave.

In order to save her people, Nor must learn to negotiate the treacherous protocols of a court where lies reign and obsession rules. But discovering her own formidable strength may be the one move that costs her everything: the crown, Varenia and Zadie.

Thank you to Harlequin TEEN and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-arc.

The beginning of this story is intriguing. We meet twin sisters, Nor and Zadie, and they live in Varenia, a place on the water where the most beautiful girls are from. They are so beautiful, the kingdom of Ilara always goes there to find their future queen. Requirements for being chosen as a queen? The potential queen has to be the most beautiful girl in Varenia. Appearance wise, you have to be flawless, meaning no scars among other things.

Zadie is perfect. Nor, on the other hand, has a scar on her face she acquired from saving her sister’s life. I love their sisterly bond and how they would do anything for each other. I also enjoyed this world of Varenia that the author created, it’s a poor place to grow up in, the people are struggling and the pearls they survive on is becoming more scarce. It’s a beautiful place with gorgeous girls, but the reality is that they will struggle without their pearls. Varenians are a part of the sea, their life is the ocean, but Nor dreams of exploring beyond Varenia.

I think the first part of the book was stronger than the second half only because Nor’s connection is strongest with her sister and her home. When she arrives in Ilara it cuts her off from the sunshine, ocean, fresh air and her relationships. In New Castle she is bereft of all the things she loves and lives with a villain, her future husband.

There is a romance in the story but it doesn’t take over the book, which was fine. I felt like even if it it didn’t have romance, the love between the sisters would have been enough for me. There is also some thrilling action which I enjoyed. But the ending was rushed which is so unfortunate because this book started off so well and I was really into it.

Overall, it is an enjoyable read about a loving sisterly bond and how the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

Get it here: Amazon

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ARC Review: Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Author: Jacquelyn Firkins

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: December 17, 2019

Categories: Jane Austen Retelling, Romance, Young Adult, Coming of Age

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Mansfield, Massachusetts, is the last place seventeen-year-old Edie Price wants to spend her final summer before college. It’s the home of wealthy suburban mothers and prima donnas like Edie’s cousins, who are determined to distract her from her mother’s death with cute boys and Cinderella-style makeovers. She’s got her own plans, and they don’t include any prince charming.

But as she dives into schoolwork and getting a scholarship for college, Edie finds herself drawn to two Mansfield boys strumming for her attention: First, there’s Sebastian, Edie’s childhood friend and first love, who’s sweet and smart and . . . already has a girlfriend. Then there’s Henry, the local bad boy and all-around player who’s totally off limits—even if his kisses are chemically addictive.

Both boys are trouble. Edie can’t help herself from being caught between them. Now, she just has to make sure it isn’t her heart that breaks in the process.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group and NetGalley for this opportunity to read this eArc.

I read this last night, thinking to go for some light teen romance story and a few hours later, past midnight, with my heart racing, I thought, THIS BOOK. ❤️💔

Reading the book, I thought, is this a Jane Austen Mansfield Park retelling?! Yes, I silently screamed it in my mind, as to not wake anyone up but I didn’t get the memo! The blurb said nothing obvious about it, except Mansfield is the town they live in? Duh – I should’ve caught that. And though I have never read Mansfield Park, I have watched the movie…a million times. I love Mansfield Park. I love the story of Fannie Price and her sweet love in the end. Now because I know the way Mansfield Park ends…I was feeling all kinds of conflicting emotions while reading Hearts, Strings and Other Breakable Things – (I love the title by the way)…because I did NOT want it to end like Jane Austen’s ending. Not that anything is wrong with Miss Austen’s version. But there is a character in HSAOBT (yes I just did that, sorry) that made me want a different ending! 😩

Edie Price is in foster care but goes to live with her aunt Norah. She has two cousins, Julia and Maria, who try to give her a make-over and help her fit into their life. The sisters are always arguing and Maria is just over-the-top but I find her hilarious. There is a next door neighbor, Sebastian, who Edie shares childhood memories with, and who she has the biggest crush on. But alas, he has the perfect girlfriend, Claire. And Claire has a devastatingly handsome and player of a brother, Henry, who is breaking hearts left and right. Henry has his eye kind of trained on Edie – but she isn’t having it. Edie is smart, not into the materialistic things, she writes music, loves to read and pines for Sebastian.

Well…Henry and Edie, stole this book. If you know Mansfield Park then you know how it ends, but I was team Henry. He’s such a player but when that player falls in love, whew…it’s an amazing thing. So the ending was inevitable but oh Henry. There is a scene between Edie and Henry that just smolders, like there is no kissing involved, no sex, it’s innocent but it stopped my breath. 10 seconds of 🔥. It was funny, intense and sexy at the same time and I fell in love with Henry.

Speaking of sex – there are situations in the book, which I was fine with because Edie is coming of age and learning these things. She’s allowed to feel this way and dream these things, what teenager doesn’t when going through puberty? And with Sebastian and Henry around, who can blame her? 😅

Like Mansfield Park there are other things happening besides Edie’s love life. She’s dealing with a broken friendship with her BFF from back home who isn’t talking to her. I liked that Edie wasn’t perfect and did something she needed to own up to. She also has to figure out her future – what to do about college, missing her mom, and learning about love.

I absolutely loved this book and I only knocked off half a star because I wanted Henry to be the one. But it’s basically a 5 star read for me, so just round it up. HAHA. Henry and Edie’s relationship was the book, the sexual tension between them is off the charts and the sweet moments between are swoon worthy. I couldn’t sleep after I finished the book, thinking of THAT scene and how broken my heart was for him. 😫 🤣 Also um, can they make this book into a Netflix movie so I can see that scene come to life and like…rewatch it a million times? K – thanks!

So basically I need more books from this author ASAP – with more scenes like that particular one! This is a fantastic retelling and I am definitely adding this to my book collection.

*P.S. – I know I’m posting this review super early from the publication date but I love it so much, if you are on NetGalley. Definitely try to get your hands on this one.

Get it here: Amazon

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Arc Review: Dream Keeper (The Dark Dreamer Trilogy, #1)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Amber R. Duell

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 288

Categories: Death, Dreams, Urban Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Romance

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

The Sandman is seventeen-year-old Nora’s closest friend and best-kept secret. He has to be, if she doesn’t want a one-way ticket back to the psychiatrist. It took her too long to learn not to mention the hooded figure in her dreams to her mother, who still watches Nora as if she’ll crack. So when Nora’s friends start mysteriously dying gruesome deaths in their sleep, she isn’t altogether surprised when the police direct their suspicion at her. The Sandman is the only one she can turn to for answers. But the truth might be more than she bargained for…

For the last five years, the Sandman has spent every night protecting Nora. When he hid the secret to the Nightmare Lord’s escape inside her dreams, he never expected to fall in love with her. Neither did he think his nemesis would find her so quickly, but there’s no mistaking his cruel handiwork. The Nightmare Lord is tired of playing by the rules and will do anything to release his deadly nightmares into the world, even if that means tormenting Nora until she breaks.

When the Nightmare Lord kidnaps Nora’s sister, Nora must enter enemy territory to save her. The Sandman is determined to help, but if Nora isn’t careful, she could lose even more than her family to the darkness.

(Please note: This story contains vivid death scenes.)

Thank you to The Parliament House and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.

I didn’t have a specific expectation for this book. I’ve been following The Parliament House Instagram account and was intrigued by their posts. Their books seem dark and I decided to satisfy my curiosity by finally requesting their books on NetGalley.

I love the cover of this book! Now if only the story I read was as enchanting and mysterious as the cover. The story was creative but as I got to know the characters, it felt like the writing was targeting a younger audience. I get that I’m an adult, reading a YA book, but for a story set in a dream world with a character called The Weaver who is the Lord of Nightmares – I was hoping for darker aspects to the characters. The Weaver is pretty villainous but I was hoping for a hint of it in The Sandman.

The Sandman came off like a sweet teenage boy! He is immortal and stuck in his seventeen year old body but with all the power of dreams at his fingertips, I just wanted him a bit more haunting and mysterious..

Nora is our main character and right away in the book there is action. People start dying around her. And the deaths, are bloody and descriptive. It’s a dark story in that aspect. It reminded me a lot of Nightmare on Elm Street, yes…I’m an 80’s child. Anyway those movies freaked me out as a child! Nightmares indeed! Dream Keeper is creepy and scary in that the deaths in the book are pretty horrifying.

So The Sandman helped people sleep, the Weaver gives nightmares and he wants to bring his Nightmares to life in the Day World (the real world). Nora is needed for this to happen so he goes after her and the people she loves.

Now this is a quick read, it’s under 300 pages so it’s a fast read and the writing is actually really good. It flows nicely, and the author drew me into this fascinating dream world. But in the last few chapters of the book we get introduced to new characters! I’m sure they will appear in the second book, but I wish they made an appearance in the middle of the book at least. It threw me off just a little.

And the romance…well…for me at least, it wasn’t believable. The Sandman has been protecting Nora since she’s been twelve and she’s seventeen now. He tells her he fell in love with her a year ago…why? What is it about Nora that he loves? I just didn’t believe their love story.

I think the story is promising, and I loved the creepy/mild horror nightmare scenes. I’ll definitely pick up the second book and read it in the Fall around Halloween maybe – because this would be a perfect mood reading kind of book. I just wanted a bit more depth with The Sandman and Nora, other than I liked it.

Get it here: Amazon

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Book Review: The Orphan’s Song

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Lauren Kate

Format: eBook

Publication Date: June 25, 2019

Pages: 336

Categories: Romance, Historical, Adult Fiction

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Book Blurb:

A song brought them together.
A secret will tear them apart.

Venice, 1736. When fate brings Violetta and Mino together on the roof of the Hospital of the Incurables, they form a connection that will change their lives forever. Both are orphans at the Incurables, dreaming of escape. But when the resident Maestro notices Violetta’s voice, she is selected for the Incurables’ world famous coro, and must sign an oath never to sing beyond its church doors.

After a declaration of love ends in heartbreak, Mino flees the Incurables in search of his family. Known as the “city of masks,” Venice is full of secrets, and Mino is certain one will lead to his long-lost mother. Without him, the walls close in on Violetta and she begins a dangerous and forbidden nightlife, hoping her voice can secure her freedom. But neither finds what they are looking for, until a haunting memory Violetta has suppressed since childhood leads them to a shocking confrontation.

Vibrant with the glamour and beauty of Venice at its zenith, The Orphan’s Songtakes us on a breathtaking journey of passion, heartbreak, and betrayal before it crescendos to an unforgettable ending, a celebration of the enduring nature and transformative power of love.

MY REVIEW

Thank you to Penguin Group PUTNAM and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.

I requested this book because it takes place in Venice during the 1700’s. I fell in love with Venice when my husband and I visited the city briefly on a European tour. My time there was short but so memorable. It is a place oozing with mystery and character.

Violetta and Mino are orphans of the Hospital of the Incurables, which was a place for treatment of those suffering from syphillis. The hospital also had an orphanage attached to it. The children that grow up there are given some opportunities as they age. The girls can sing in the church coro (choir) and the boys are given apprenticeships.

Violetta wants to be a singer in the coro with all her heart. Mino plays the violin and they befriend each other, sharing moments in their secret place, the rooftop of the orphanage. There is love between them, but Violetta doesn’t see any hope for them. As a child, Violetta witnessed Mino’s mother dropping him at the orphanage and since that moment she vowed never to become a mother.

Violetta’s rejection devastates Mino. It was heartbreaking watching him lose his way, trying to find the mother that left him, and moving on from the girl that broke him. The two of them take on separate journeys and they only meet again in the later half of the book. All throughout the story it’s evident their lives are intertwined by what seems to be fate or love. I just felt awful for Mino though.

The only thing that didn’t quite work out for me was the secret of Mino’s father. When that was revealed, I thought, really? It had to be him of all people? Poor Mino, hasn’t he been through enough?

I read this book in one night. I kept rooting for Mino and Violetta, because their love was so beautiful in the beginning. I was hoping they would eventually find their way to one another. It’s a rough journey for them but I enjoyed this love story and being whisked away to the “city of masks” was a plus.

Get it here: Amazon

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Happy Book Birthdays! – June 4, 2019

Happy Tuesday everyone! I’m going to try and do a book birthdays post every Tuesday to showcase the new books being published.

There are so many book birthdays today! Some of these books I can’t wait to get my hands on and some I already read through NetGalley. So 🥳Happy Book Birthday🥳 to all these books:

Breakout by. A.M. Rose

Published: June 3rd, 2019

My Review: Click HERE

Links: Goodreads * Amazon

That’s the amount of time until Lezah’s execution.

She’ll die never knowing what got her locked up in this godforsaken prison in the first place. Her only chance of survival is to escape. Except the monitoring bracelet that digs into her wrist, the roaming AI, and the implant in her neck make freedom close to impossible.

Her best chance is to team up with the four other inmates who are determined to break out, even if one of them is beyond (gorgeous) annoying—oh, and in for murder. But he has a secret of his own. One that could break Lezah if she finds out, but could also set him free.

Figuring out how to work with him and the rest of this mismatched group of criminals is the only way Lezah will survive to see the outside world again.

But nothing in this prison is as it seems. And no one.

Cinder & the Prince of Midnight by. Susan Ee

Published: June 3, 2019

Links: Goodreads * Amazon

An orphan girl. A dark and twisted kingdom. An ongoing shadow war resulting in enslaved fairies.

This is the world of Cinder. A world where a girl like her can be sold to be human prey for a ritualistic hunt.

But on this night, even the predators might have something to fear. On this night, even a royal prince might find himself trapped by the expectations of the Dark King…and a girl like no other.

Rebel Born by. Amy A. Bartol

Published: June 4, 2019

My Review: Click HERE

Links: Goodreads * Amazon

Roselle faces a mind-reeling showdown with the deep state agent controlling her psyche in the conclusion to the Wall Street Journal bestselling Secondborn series.

Roselle St. Sismode is many things: victim of a conspiracy, unwilling host of an ever-evolving mind algorithm, spy for a rebel army, and heir to the Fate of Swords. As a warrior, she’s also the anticipated main event at the Secondborn Trials. When the opening ceremonies erupt in chaos, Roselle is abducted by a sadistic agent with a diabolical plan: transform Roselle into a mind-controlled assassin to topple society. But a rogue scientist has implanted Roselle with a genius technology that is far more powerful. It renders her untouchable. Faster. Stronger. And maybe immortal.

With her enhanced abilities come the highest stakes yet, as Roselle confronts shifting realities at every turn as well as her own mother’s stunning betrayal. Racing against time with a determined resistance group, can Roselle overthrow the forces of destruction and reclaim the most valuable of commodities—her humanity?

The Rest of the Story by. Sarah Dessen

Published: June 4, 2019

Links: Goodreads * Amazon

Emma Saylor doesn’t remember a lot about her mother, who died when she was ten. But she does remember the stories her mom told her about the big lake that went on forever, with cold, clear water and mossy trees at the edges.

Now it’s just Emma and her dad, and life is good, if a little predictable…until Emma is unexpectedly sent to spend the summer with her mother’s family—her grandmother and cousins she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl.

When Emma arrives at North Lake, she realizes there are actually two very different communities there. Her mother grew up in working class North Lake, while her dad spent summers in the wealthier Lake North resort. The more time Emma spends there, the more it starts to feel like she is divided into two people as well. To her father, she is Emma. But to her new family, she is Saylor, the name her mother always called her.

Then there’s Roo, the boy who was her very best friend when she was little. Roo holds the key to her family’s history, and slowly, he helps her put the pieces together about her past. It’s hard not to get caught up in the magic of North Lake—and Saylor finds herself falling under Roo’s spell as well.

For Saylor, it’s like a whole new world is opening up to her. But when it’s time to go back home, which side of her will win out?

Sorcery of Thorns by. Margaret Rogerson

Published: June 4, 2019

Links: Goodreads * Amazon

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

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Monthly Wrap Up: May 2019

Another month is done! Wow, I can’t we are in June…I’m not ready for the second half of the year. I think I did pretty good this month despite not reading anything before the GoT finale. 😂 Here’s what I read:

Lady Smoke by. Laura Sebastian – ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Pretty Reckless by. L. J. Shen – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Living God by. Kaytalin Platt – ⭐️⭐️

The Bluestocking by. Christi Caldwell – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Storm And Fury by. Jennifer L. Armentrout – ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

What The Woods Keep by. Katya De Becerra – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Four Dead Queens by. Astrid Scholte – ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Some Like it Scandalous by. Maya Rodale – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rebel Born by. Amy A. Bartol – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Broken Trust by. Jaymin Eve & Tate James – ⭐️⭐️

Kingdom of Exiles by. Maxym M. Martineau – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Memory Thief by. Lauren Mansy – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Brazen and the Beast by. Sarah MacLean – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Supernatural Academy: Year One by. Jaymin Eve – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Children’s Books:

I did manage to review some Children’s Books – I read so many of these to my kids, I haven’t been able to keep up with reviewing them. I will probably be moving all my Children’s book reviews to a new blog to keep things separate. Stay tuned with that!

Stinky Science by. Edward Kay – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Boy From The Dragon Palace by. Margaret Read MacDonald – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bye Bye Big! by. Margaret Read MacDonald – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Look Inside Space by. Rob Lloyd Jones – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Llama Llama Mess, Mess, Mess by. Anna Dewdney – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m caught up on my NetGalley reads, just waiting to get approved for a few books. Since I’ll be waiting on that, I can catch up on the hardcover books I have waiting on my shelf and books I borrowed online as well. 😄 There are a few books I am really looking forward to reading in June. 🤗

Happy reading everyone! And hello June…😘

Book Review: Brazen and the Beast

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Author: Sarah MacLean

Format: eBook

Pages: 400

Publication Date: July 30, 2019

Categories: Historical Romance

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Book Blurb:

The Lady’s Plan

When Lady Henrietta Sedley declares her twenty-ninth year her own, she has plans to inherit her father’s business, to make her own fortune, and to live her own life. But first, she intends to experience a taste of the pleasure she’ll forgo as a confirmed spinster. Everything is going perfectly…until she discovers the most beautiful man she’s ever seen tied up in her carriage and threatening to ruin the Year of Hattie before it’s even begun.

The Bastard’s Proposal

When he wakes in a carriage at Hattie’s feet, Whit, a king of Covent Garden known to all the world as Beast, can’t help but wonder about the strange woman who frees him—especially when he discovers she’s headed for a night of pleasure . . . on his turf. He is more than happy to offer Hattie all she desires…for a price.

An Unexpected Passion

Soon, Hattie and Whit find themselves rivals in business and pleasure. She won’t give up her plans; he won’t give up his power . . . and neither of them sees that if they’re not careful, they’ll have no choice but to give up everything . . . including their hearts.

MY REVIEW

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to read this eArc.

Whenever I want to read a historical romance novel there are only a handful of authors I turn to, one of them being Sarah MacLean. Her books always come through for me, ticking every box I need in a historical romance: humor, delicious banter and sex, and of course, a happy ending.

Book two of the Bareknuckle Bastards series definitely came through on all the things I love in a romance novel. And I love, love, love Hattie.

Lady Henrietta Sedley, or Hattie has concluded that her twenty-ninth birthday be christened the Year of Hattie. She has plans to accomplish and no one will get in her way of them. Well, at least that’s what she thinks. A dangerous and gorgeous man by the name of Beast, puts a wrench in her plans – but I blame her brother for that.

Hattie is funny, smart, brave, ambitious and determined. Her best friend Nora who is basically a sister to her helps her along the way with her plans. I love their friendship and glad Hattie had someone believing in her dreams. As for Beast, who is Saviour Whittington or Whit for short, he has a harsh past which makes it difficult for him to believe he deserves love. Least of all Hattie’s love. But these two are a perfect match. He admires her mind and ambition. She loves that he believes in her.

I really enjoyed their banter and there are some very sexy scenes between them. Hattie managed to accomplish all her goals in the end, bravo for her. She did it all with class and sass!

This is a wonderful second installment to the Bareknuckle Bastards and am looking forward to the next one!

Get it here: Amazon

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Book Review: The Memory Thief

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Lauren Mansy

Format: eBook

Pages: 368

Publication Date: October 1, 2019

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Book Blurb:

In the city of Craewick, memories reign. The power-obsessed ruler of the city, Madame, has cultivated a society in which memories are currency, citizens are divided by ability, and Gifted individuals can take memories from others through touch as they please.

Seventeen-year-old Etta Lark is desperate to live outside of the corrupt culture, but grapples with the guilt of an accident that has left her mother bedridden in the city’s asylum. When Madame threatens to put her mother up for auction, a Craewick practice in which a “criminal’s” memories are sold to the highest bidder before being killed, Etta will do whatever it takes to save her. Even if it means rejoining the Shadows, the rebel group she swore off in the wake of the accident years earlier.

To prove her allegiance to the Shadows and rescue her mother, Etta must steal a memorized map of the Maze, a formidable prison created by the bloodthirsty ruler of a neighboring Realm. So she sets out on a journey in which she faces startling attacks, unexpected romance, and, above all, her own past in order to set things right in her world.

MY REVIEW

Thank you to Blink and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eARC.

The premise of this story is really interesting. Memories are used as currency and the world created around this idea is fascinating. Taking memories sounds a bit scary to me, just because I wonder how someone would stay themself with other memories in their head. Also it feels like cheating. If you want to learn a skill, steal a memory and now you are an expert in it. It shows how the Gifted has the upper hand in this world.

Etta Lark is hiding from her past. Her best friends are dead and her mother is in an asylum. Etta made a deal with Madame, the ruler of Craewick, that would help her hide from the Shadows, a group she betrayed to help save her mother. But Madame changes the rules on her and Etta has to go back to the people she hurt to help her mom again.

This was a fast read. I devoured all the information about the Gift, Ungifted, and Minders. The world of the Shadows is really intriguing and probably my favorite part of the book. Some of the story is told through memories, since Etta has taken a few. There is insta-love but I think it works because it is a standalone book. Etta and her love interest do get to know each other on their quest. I’m so used to reading trilogies with love stories drawn out that seeing insta-love in a book that isn’t purely a romance novel is sometimes hard to get used to. It works in this story but I wasn’t that invested in the romance though.

When Etta and Reid get to the end of their journey, Etta’s past is revealed in a twist and it seemed so convenient. Etta accepts this reveal so easily. From there on, the story wraps up and everything works out in the end. Which is great, but my interest was dwindling by then. The time span of this story happens in one week, so the ending felt rushed.

Overall, this was an interesting book, with a potential to be amazing because I really enjoyed the underworld of the Shadows. Everything else though fell flat for me.

Get it here: Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost for you. Thanks!