Month: August 2018

NetGalley Reviews (4 Books)

Posted in Book ReviewTagged , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Hey Everyone,

So this is a combination of all the book that I have received from NetGalley today, I don’t usually do this but I thought it would be much easier to combine the books that I got on NetGalley than review them individually, just in case I miss a book or didn’t want to do an individual review.

36040949

The Patriot Bride by Kimberly Woodhouse

Published: 1st August 2018
Publishers: Barbour Books
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Format of Reading: Kindle

Goodreads Star Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

I received the book at the same time as The Captured Bride while I found the book to be really good, I did find myself not connecting to this book than the previous one.

While I found myself really liking Faith and Matthew’s relationship, I was more interested in the setting of the book. After reading it, it was set before 4th July Independence Day and I was very much interested in that. Honestly, I felt that the relationship between Faith and Matthew felt a little pushed but also it was just a bit predictable.

40239061

A Duke of Seduction by Darcy Burke

Published: 21st August 2018
Publishers: Darcy Burke Publishing
Genre: Historical Romance

Format of Reading: Kindle

Goodreads Star Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟

I have never tried Historical Romance before I never found an interest in it until this book. Lavinia is someone who is more interested in rocks and spending time outside, while her family want her to think about marriage and finding a husband. William Beckett or Beck as he likes to be called is a secret poet, he calls himself the Duke of Seduction. He writes poems of eligible woman who he believes needs more assistance in the Marriage Mart. He writes a poem about Lavinia but Lavinia doesn’t appreciate it, but even though he writes a poem for her, he develops feelings for her.

I found the book to be very fun to read, I enjoyed the moments between Lavinia and Beck but I also liked how the history of how Beck decided to write poems for women. It’s something I think you need to read and find out because it’s seen throughout the book and I don’t want to spoil it. I got myself very attached to this book. I am considering reading the rest of the series since I really enjoyed this book.

40882313

Lighting Fire by Leslie North

Published: 26th August 2018
Publishers: Relay Publishing
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Romance

Format of Reading: Kindle

Goodreads Star Rating:🌟🌟🌟

What is not to love? Fire and hot Fireman. This book follows Chase, Fireman from Alaska, he agrees to volunteers to help with the forest fires in California. He is known to be a ladies charmer but is even more charmed to be with the Chief’s sister, Sookie who works for the National Guard. Sookie and her brother Hank have a lot of issues, issues that don’t reveal much in this book, maybe in Hank’s book when it’s set to release. I felt a little bit disappointing to not know what happened between the two but I enjoyed the relationship between Sookie and Chase. I honestly think that they got together really quickly but skipped getting to know one another and went straight to the sex.

40507334

Lord of Vice by Erica Ridley

Published: September 8th 2018
Publishers: WebMotion
Genre: Historical Romance

Format of Reading: Kindle

Goodreads Star Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book is set to come out next week but I wanted to give it a review because I really enjoyed it.

This book follows Vice Merchant Maxwell Gideon, he co-owns a building called The Cloven Hoof which is a gambling room. He wants to buy out his silent partner but discovers that he is a she, Bryony Grenville is one of the youngest and is eligible to marry. Her mother has sent high standards and Bryony is more focused on what Maxwell Gideon is like.

This was a really enjoyable book to read, I loved Maxwell and Bryony’s relationship. I liked their conversation and their attraction to one another. Their relationship grows even more when they connect over music, sewing and maths. Bryony wants someone to accept the skills of being a mathematician and not be considered as one of the women who only think about their status and money.

That is all the book from NetGalley that I have received from them so far. I hope you enjoyed it and have given a go of reading the books. It might become a regular thing but we shall see… Xx

Book Review – Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Posted in Book ReviewTagged , , , , 2 Comments

Hey Everyone,

Sorry that I have been MIA, I’ve been a little preoccupied with other things in life and I wanted to focus on that. I know that I have missed a couple of Top Ten Tuesdays but honestly, I haven’t been in the mood to do them so I might leave it until next month and see how I feel about it. I have been reading (hence the fact that I am uploading a book review) but you can follow me on my Goodreads account if you want to see any updates from me I am gladly ok for you to follow along.

34503674

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Mia Corvere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death.

Destined to destroy empires, the child raised in shadows made a promise on the day she lost everything: to avenge herself on those that shattered her world.

But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, and Mia must become a weapon without equal. Before she seeks vengeance, she must seek training among the infamous assassins of the Red Church of Iltreya.

Inside the Church’s halls, Mis must prove herself against the deadliest of opponents and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars and demons at the heart of a murder cult.

The Church is no ordinary school, but Mia is no ordinary student.

Published: August 2016
Published Edition: June 2017
Publishers: Harper Collins
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Pages: 463

Format of Reading: Paperback/Hardback

Goodreads Star Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Review

Honestly, this book has been the year in the making. I was immediately attracted to the cover which was illustrated by Kerby Rosanne. He is amazing, I have one of his published colouring books and it was his style of art which drew me to Nevernight.

Initially, I thought the book would be like Throne of Glass but it was more than that. It starts off with Mia who is a teenage girl but is filled with anger and hate towards the man that destroyed her family, turned her into an orphan and her sole desire to kill him. But she wants to learn how to kill him. Mia is smart and witty but she also has her weaknesses, I enjoy scenes with Mia and her shadow familiar Mister Kindly the dynamic reminds me of Kiki and Jiji from Kiki’s Delivery Service minus the witches and broomsticks, and add poison, death and sex.

The writing was a little hard to get into when I first started reading the book, I wasn’t too keen on the additional information of the world which ended up me DNFing last year but I was able to get past it this time and enjoyed the book. I am still quite surprised that this book was categorized on Goodreads as Young Adult which I think it’s not. To me, it’s quite explicit when it comes to the graphic sense of death.

I am looking forward to Godsgrave, I interested in learning a lot more about Mia and the reason why she is the only one to have a shadow familiar. I hope that with whatever happened at the end of Nevernight, that there would be more depth and more vengeance for Mia. I am very intrigued by how the series continues.

I hope you are having a lovely day

xx

 

Book Review – The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep (Daughters of the Mayflower #3)

Posted in Book ReviewTagged , , , Leave a comment

Hey Everyone,

So it’s been a while since my last Book Review, mostly it is because I have been a little bit distracted with other things and I have been slowly reading. I have also started to get back into getting books from NetGalley which I highly recommended for anyone who wants to get books before the published date. (Not a Sponsor but I do recommend it) I got this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

38931823

The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep

A War-Torn Countryside is No Place for a Lady.

Mercy Lytton is a lady like no other. Raised amongst the Mohawks, she straddles two cultures, yet each are united in one cause…to defeat the French. Born with a rare gift of unusually keen eyesight, she is chosen as a scout to accompany a team of men on a dangerous mission. Yet it is not her life that is threatened. It is her heart. Condemned as a traitor, Elias Dubois face the gallows. At the last minute, he is offered his freedom if he consents to accompany a stolen shipment of French gold to a nearby fort – but he is the one they stole it from in the first place. It turns out that the real thief is the beguiling woman, Mercy Lytton, for she steals his every waking thought. Can love survive divided loyalties in a backcountry wilderness?

Published: June 1st 2018
Publishers: Barbour Books
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Pages: 256

Format of Reading: Kindle

Goodreads Star Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Review

The book was a very enjoyable read, I have been getting into reading Historical Fiction and coming from someone who lives in the UK, this book is set between the French and Indian War (1760), I found this to be very interesting. I liked the setting of the book, I kept imagining something of a Wild Wild West when the sun is high and Native American’s are in their full beauty. I liked Mercy, she is of two worlds, the world in which she is half Mohawk and half White. She struggles to choose between her Father’s beliefs and her Mothers but in the book, she soon starts to learn and understand more about the belief in God.

I have to admit she is a big feminist, throughout the book she clashes with the men who keep pushing her to side while she is stubbornly determined to do the things that she knows best. Which is why I really enjoyed the relationship between Mercy and Elias, while Mercy doesn’t like the man at first she later discovers how much of a respected man he is, he knows of her skills and her beliefs, and he doesn’t push her to do things she doesn’t want to do. He may be a traitor but he is a decent honest man.

It surprised me that one of the themes of this book was about Christianity, Mercy’s mother is a Christian and had tried to introduce the belief to Mercy but Mercy being a Mohawk, she often followed her Father’s belief’s. But once she meets Elias and Liv, they both believe in God and Mercy tries to understand why and even if she is able to believe in it.

I didn’t expect much from this book I basically went into this book blind and I really enjoyed it. The book has already been released but the next book in the series has already been released so you can expect another review as I have been approved to review the next one. Which is interesting because the series is written by different authors.

I hope you get a chance to pick up any of the books in the series and stay cool on this heatwave. xx

TTT – Top Ten Tuesday – Sequels I am Dying (In My TBR) Read

Posted in TTT - Top Ten TuesdayTagged , , , Leave a comment

Hey Everyone,

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and has now been transferred to The Artsy Reader Girl.

The theme for this month was to mash up two books together to make a good story but honestly, I struggled a lot with this topic and decided to do a different topic instead. So I picked Sequels I am Dying to Read, it’s really more books in series that are on my TBR that I have yet to read.

I hope you enjoy it.

53646314655

Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon – I read Outlander two years ago after watching the first season and I remember really enjoying it. But I haven’t seen the second or third because I was worried that it would spoil the book for me because the first season was so detailed to the book.

Flowers On Main by Sheryl Woods – I got into the Cheasepeake Shores Tv series and I enjoyed The Inn at Eagle Point. I just haven’t gotten in the mood to continue with the series.

1279943517901125

Imprudence by Gail Carriger – I got very into Gail Carriger in 2016 and I really enjoyed Prudence. I know the third book has recently been released and I would like to continue on with the series.

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon – I read The Bone Season (again) two years ago and I really enjoyed the use of clairvoyant abilities in a dystopian future. I really wanted to get to The Mime Order but I have been unsure to continue on with the series.

1846002924885524

Police by Jo Nesbo – I have always enjoyed Nesbo’s work and I really enjoyed the Harry Hole series. I read Phantom years ago and I remember really not enjoying it, I felt the pacing too clunky and I didn’t enjoy the premise entirely. I think the reason why I haven’t continued on because of the previous book.

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare – I have been wanting to get into this series, the TV show is good and the fact that Cassandra Clare is a writing machine in expanding the world, and I want to get into the series. I read COB earlier this year and honestly, it was not that good.

2598524130053072

Before The Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray – I have been a huge fan of Libba Bray for YEARS and I really enjoyed the first two books in the Diviners series. I did read Lair of Dreams last year, so I am not rushing to pick the book up. But I really like the characters and the dark plot is so intriguing.

Tatiana and Alexander by Paullina Simons – I LOVED The Bronze Horseman and I really do want to read the book since it has been a while since I read the first one. I might pick it up sometime at the end of the year because I feel that a book like this deserves my full attention and at the moment I am still frazzled over losing my job.

31450852JLD_2_CVR_fnl_5af487d9466240.22688736

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J.Maas – I have been UMing ad AHing this book since it came out, I love the series and I am looking forward to the Kingdom of Ashes being released at the end of the year. I would like to get to it soon.

Justice League Dark Issue #2 – This has yet to be released but I have started it and I am eager for the second issue. I loved the New 52 JLD and I am even more excited for the new series. I have found a website where I can read comic’s online and it’s a really good website.

I hope you are having a lovely day xx

My Bullet Journal – August

Posted in MiscTagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Everyone,

I wanted to introduce you to my Bullet Journal and how much I love it. If you want to know what a Bullet Journal is, here it is.

I have been using a Bullet Journal for over two years, I found the process to be fun and very imaginative. I found diaries to be boring and plain, so when I discovered Bullet Journaling I was intrigued and started immediately.

Firstly, if you ever want to start a Bullet Journal, don’t fret over what type of stationery you need. All you need is a pen, a notebook and yourself. One of the things that I have realised about Bullet Journaling is that it is your book your creation. It took me a while for me to accept that because I tried different methods and after doing it a few times, I grew tired of it.

I wanted to show you what I had done for the month of August. The theme for August is Sailor Jupiter. I grew up watching Sailor Moon for years and I had found a planning video in which the Youtuber used her monthly theme by using the anime she had watched, and it inspired me to create my own one.

2018-07-30 111314432193939313030..jpg

My title pages have always been collages, I find it so much fun to put a collection of pictures altogether and it gives the impression of the theme of the month. I get most of my pictures from Pinterest and it’s also a good place to get inspiration for the next theme.

2018-07-30 118547334873349431640..jpg

My mood tracker has been one of the difficult things to do personally, I first started using a Mood Mandala and I loved doing it but I had struggled to do the mandala and gave up on filling it in. I loved finding different types of mood trackers on Instagram, Youtube and Pinterest and it gave me a big inspiration to do this month. I wanted to use the theme of Sailor Jupiter to contribute throughout the month and designed a mood tracker in the shape of Sailor Jupiter’s wand.

I’ve had a hit and miss when it comes to my habit tracker, much like the mood tracker I try to change things around to make it more interesting and sometimes I just like to go for the traditional style.

2018-07-30 112587754184509171904..jpg

When it comes to reading, I wanted to do a tracker for it. I found some trackers but not a tracker for reading. I have always liked seeing how long I’ve read the book but also see how many days that I read it and the days that I don’t.

2018-07-30 114397026001397911167..jpg

So when it comes to my weekly spreads I decided to do something very very minimal. Before I would make my weekly spreads by weekly (Obviously since it is called weekly spread) but I grew tired of it, I didn’t like looking back at my spreads and seeing nothing on the page. I had seen somewhere where you draw in boxes and fill them in for the days and I have to say I really liked it, I used it for the month of July and it was so much easier. It’s a good way to know what days I am in for work and for how long.

Here are a few recommended Bullet Journal Youtubers:

Thank you so much for following along and I hoped you liked it