WWW Wednesday 4/24/2019

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On a World of Words and to participate all you have to do is answer the three W’s listed below. Once you’ve posted your WWW, drop a link to your post in Sam’s comments <3’s!

The questions:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

A little coffee along with the latest Grey’s Anatomy episode playing in the background sets the mood for a long overdue WWW Wednesday post. I don’t want to jinx myself but I’ve been reading non-stop & with that comes reviewing. I second guessed myself on being able to draft up a review since I’ve been on hiatus for a while but I was very happy to see it felt very much like coming home. This year I’m very focused on quality reading which I’m hoping means less meh & more awwwww shi**!!! haha! This also means, I will be making use of the good ol’ DNF if necessary. Something I’ve never done cause my personality often gets in the way, my mind says I MUST finish whatever I start but that’s just not realistic or fair to myself at this point. My last two reads were both 5 star reads motivating me to sort of (haha!) create a TBR which I may just post 😉

Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

Currently I’m 60% into this read set in Seattle, leaning towards 3.5-4 stars. It’s my first read by Jenn Bennett & it has stirred up interest in towards her other books. The romance in this one had to grow on me but it only gets cuter as the story progresses. There’s a LATINX side character I am ABSOLUTELY love! & the MOST creative first date ever that has me all in my feels. I’ve always been enamored with the idea of one day living in Seattle, this book reignited that dream 😍

Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy #1) by Emily A. Duncan

This book truly surprised me in the BEST deliciously dark way possible! 🖤 Confession that may get me in trouble: I was never a big fan of The Darkling in the Grishaverse…YUP! I said it! no backsies. The villain in Wicked Saints has been compared to the Darkling & I feel this villain is WAY more appealing while also being 50 shades of messed up. The last 30% had me in its clutches & I cannot wait for the sequel. The magic system is A+! I’d recommend to those who were fans of Children Of Blood and Bone by Toni Adeyemi. If you love the premise of a MC who is divinely protected by the Gods & can communicate with them, this is your book. If said Gods also happen to have a range of personalities on the page, this is your book. My 5 star review will go live tomorrow 4/25/19.

Middle Game by Seanan McGuire

“Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.”

I was very blessed by the Book Gods to receive an ARC of Middlegame earlier this year (LOVE TOR!!!) & it’ll be my very 1st Seanan McGuire read. I don’t know very much about this book other than it featuring twins, one whois a genius with words and the other with numbers. That they aren’t necessarily human & that this may be somewhere between Fantasy & Science Fiction. It’s a pretty thick book that is set to release May 7th so I am making it my next beast to tackle. I’ve heard some mixed reviews but mostly that it is quite the odd read & I can dig that so fingers crossed I do hope I enjoy this one 🖤

It’s that time of year when I try to aggressively tackle my TBR in preparation for BEA. Good thing I’ve been craving books like water cause the shelves have been crying for some TLC 🖤 I hope you’re all falling in love with some amazing fictional characters & stepping into worlds that leave you wanting more 😉

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SPOILER FREE GUSH REVIEW: THE SIMPLE WILD BY K.A.TUCKER

Title: The Simple Wild

Author: K.A. Tucker

Pub. Date: August 7th. 2018

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 388

🖤 ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review 🖤

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLE | AMAZON

Whenever K.A. tucker writes a book I stop whatever I’m doing to read said book & gahhhh! I’m always left with a book hangover but it can’t be helped. I LOVED The Simple Wild & felt the relationships that formed all throughout the very depths of my soul. This is the story of Calla Fletcher who we meet in the process of losing her 9 to 5 office job. She lives at home with her mom and supportive Stepdad Simon while also running a lifestyle blog on the side with her best friend. One day she gets a call from a woman asking her to fly to Alaska to see her dad who is terminally ill. Calla feels so many things at once for the man who stayed behind when she was just 2 years old & her mother decided she wasn’t cut out for Alaskan life. Feelings of abandonment, detachment, and also a need to have her questions answered. Calla doesn’t know very much about Alaska other than the stories & descriptions her mother has shared, none have been very pleasant. She isn’t prepared for the change in lifestyle or the people who will become like a second family to her while she gets to know her estranged father.

“Life up here may be simple but it’s not easy, and it’s not for everyone. Water runs out; pipes freeze; engines won’t start; it’s dark for eighteen, nineteen hours a day, for months. Even longer in the far north. Up here it’s about having enough food to eat, and enough heat to stay alive through the winter. It’s about survival, and enjoying the company of the people that surround us. It’s not about whose house is the biggest, or who has the nicest clothes, or the most money. We support each other because we’re all in this together.”

We follow Calla as she settles into her dad Wren’s home, they’re strangers sharing a house for the bit of time she is visiting. I loved that Wren wasn’t written to be the type of dad who right off the bat wanted to justify his decision to stay behind while she was raised without him. He’s a quiet man full of regrets but he also understands that Calla flying to Alaska to see him is a big move on her behalf. While navigating the awkwardness around seeing her dad for the very first time, Calla also has to deal with the tall, rugged, unshaven yet handsome, proud Alaskan neighbor. Jonah has been her dad’s right hand man in a small yet profitable charter plane business. He loves everything about life in Alaska and in many ways is a younger version of Wren. Calla is a trendy city girl who has had a moderately easy life back home. Jonah sees Calla as attractive but he also has a ton of reasons (mostly Calla in his opinion being high maintenance) for which he’d never act on anything. This is definitely hate to love & I LIVED for every moment of this romance! 💓

*Content Warning: Death, Cancer, abandonment, grief

Calla, I feel was dealt a hard hand. Not only does she have to face her dad with all her feelings of abandonement but she’s also uprooted and very far from home in a state that isn’t accommodating to city lovers. She then meets Jonah who although she’s sexually attracted to, finds that he can’t stop giving her a hard time. Calla loves to dress in the latest fashion and trying out new hair/makeup products. I saw nothing wrong with trying to maintain some level of norm while being in a place that demands you shed your past life. I loved that Calla was the complete opposite of her mother, she didn’t allow her mother’s experience to taint her view of Alaska. She’s open minded & willing to put in the work. At her very core, I felt Calla had Alaska running through her blood 🖤

Jonah as rugged as they come, but he’s honestly all bark and no roar 😂 Jonah has a huge heart & he’s very vulnerable when it comes to those he loves. Wren is someone he views as a father figure and just wants to make sure he’s well taken care of. Jonah loves piloting planes and is the very definition of a space cowboy. He isn’t without purpose though, life isn Alaska is all about community & he loves to help out whenever/wherever he can. I was bothered a bit by how hard he got on Calla over her wanting to do her makeup/hair, it just shouldn’t have mattered & I’m glad that ultimately it didn’t. Besides that, it’s safe to say I swooned hard for this guy 💓

Wren aka Calla’s Dad a man of very few words who fell in love with Calla’s mother but knew deep down she’d never be happy living in Alaska. Respectful and regretful all at the same time, Wren knows he could’ve been a better dad. Seeing the subtle way he showed Calla that he was happy to have her there warmed my heart. Ultimately my heart went out to Wren who although it may appear he continued living after Calla’s mom left, really has just been holding onto them both from afar.

Calla’s Mom Perhaps my least favorite of all the characters. I can understand making mistakes in life & doing what’s in your best interest. I get it. When Calla’s mom decided life in Alaska wasn’t for her & she had to get back to life in Toronto, she got to take Calla with her. My biggest issue with Calla’s mom is that she continously harps on how miserable she was during her time there. This happened up until the very last minute of Calla packing to go to Alaska. Then she persistently called Calla in what felt like she was hoping Calla would feel the same way & hate it there too. Lastly, although I know this happens, I am never comfortable with it. Calla is clearly still emotionally attached to Wren & there’s mention of years past where she very much could’ve left Simon her current husband, for Wren. I feel this was emotional cheating 101 & Simon just didn’t deserve it.

Simon aka Stepdad SUPER SUPPORTIVE! is very well aware of the feelings that still linger between his wife & Calla’s dad yet that never changes how good of a stepdad he is to Calla. Simon is a Psychiatrist & listening to Calla comes as second nature. He is by all definition a real dad to her, Simon definitely deserved a better love than Calla’s mom but that’s just my opinion 🤷🏻‍♀️

K.A. Tucker’s characters always manage to linger in my thoughts way past the last page. It’s not just the MC & their love interest, it’s the way she brings in side characters you begin to think of as family. I LOVED all of the characters Calla met in Alaska and often wonder about their lives only to have to remind myself that they are fictional characters. Alaska really did come to life on the page and it just seems like Tucker really did her homework on the way of life all throughout the state. I enjoyed seeing the trips Jonah took on his small aircraft into the more rural parts of Alaska where medical help & supplies are needed. The Simple Wild will transport you into it’s cold atmospheric setting but I guarantee you won’t want to leave once you meet the hard-working & neighborly people who will treat you like family…

Happy Sunday Bookworms! by the time you’re reading this i’ll probably be on my 2nd cup of coffee 🖤 but I’d love any RECOMMENDATIONS for contemporary romance books with atmospheric settings…

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books By My Favorite Authors That I Still Haven’t Read

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This weeks topic spotlights the top 10 unread books by your favorite authors. I typically like to read my faves as they are released but this year saw me collecting them & not reading them? yea It’s this new thing where I find myself avoiding book hangovers by not reading my faves 🤦🏻‍♀️ this will be changing in 2019 though that’s for sure. Watch me play catch up 😉

*These are in no particular order*

September 25th: Books By My Favorite Authors That I Still Haven’t Read

Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor– Strange made an appearance in my TTT last week as will others because I will be reading them this Fall/Winter season. Laini is my #1 favorite YA author of all time, this book is going to break me with its beauty & I’m finally ready to embrace all of it!

Wonder Woman by Leigh Bardugo– My Dark Queen has written two books that I haven’t read but know that I’m going to LOVE! I actually learned about this book from Leigh Bardugo while listening to her speak at a signing at NYC Strand. It wasn’t news in the bookish community so it was a real treat to get the 411 straight from Leigh Bardugo. Definitely reading WW this season.

The Language Of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo– This book is STUNNING both inside & out with eye popping illustrations. I meant to read this last Winter just cause it has cold season vibes but that didn’t happen. This Winter season I will be reading this collection.

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff– Jay Kristoff won me over with The Illuminae Files & since then I’ve just wanted to read all of his books. I also own The Lotus War trilogy that I’d really like to get to but Nevernight has 100% of my interest for next Kristoff read.

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare– It’s been a while since I’ve been in the Shadowhunter world & returning to it this Fall will probably be a bit nostalgic. I have a ton of good memories buddy reading TMI & TID with my hubby. Since he’s already read Lady Midnight, I will have someone at home to bounce my thoughts off of 😂

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman– Uncle Gaiman as I affectionally have dubbed him here on the blog, wrote a book and I haven’t read it 🙈 what’s worse is that I love anything Greek or Norse Mythology so I really don’t have any excuse. I’m a big fan of Gaiman’s audiobooks, he has one of my favorite narrating voices & it always feels like I’m getting a bedtime story. This is a collection of short stories so I may just read it along with another book.

Wire and Nerve by Marissa Meyer– This Illustrated Graphic Novel has been sitting on my shelves for far too long! I loved The Lunar Chronicles & Iko was my fave character along with Captain Thorne of course. Iko as a lead though is all my heart could’ve hoped for so it’s time I give this one a go.

Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker– K.A. Tucker holds a special place in my heart as the first New Adult author I ever read. I’m so happy it was Tucker cause since then I’ve been OBSESSED with anything she writes. Until It Fades gave me darker vibes though but that might just be my perception. Either way, having just recently finished The Simple Wild by Tucker, I want nothing more than to read those books I have yet to get to by this author.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab – I actually received my Owlcrate exclusive edition box for the sequel Vengeful earlier today & it was EVERYTHING I could’ve hoped for 🙌🏽 I LOVED The Monsters of Verity Duology so much last year that I just simply couldn’t resist! Most bookworms love the Darker Shades Of Magic books & although I didn’t become obsessed after reading the 1st book, I haven’t quite given up on them either 😂 I will be reading Vicious sometime in October.

The Winds Of Winter by George R.R. Martin – Sort of cheating here since this isn’t out in the world for me to read but I feel putting it out in the Universe may make it actually happen in my lifetime #jussayin 🤷🏻‍♀️ We keep getting other books in this EPIC world & I welcome them all but I just really need book 6 like yesterday 😂

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JULY BOOK HAUL

Hello Bookworms! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend & an even better start to your week! ❤ I legit spent the weekend reading The Raging Ones by Krista & Becca Ritchie. I don’t usually ever have the time to read a whole book in 1 weekend but I did which means I lived & breathed this book at all hours of the day LOL! My hubby cheered me on all the way every time I reached a certain percentage & by the end I felt like I had accomplished the biggest feat! Two tiny humans on the weekends usually take up all of my time but the wonders a couple of remote control race cars can do to let Mommy read haha! 😉

I come to you now with my July Book Haul!!! I have a mix of books I bought, was gifted, and received from the publishers so without further ado…

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Thanks again Mellie Mel! You ROCK & so does that face mask you sent me! XoXO! 🙂

FAIRLYLOOT

Heart Of Thorns

Ok….so this wasn’t my favorite box at all and it breaks my heart to admit this. It just seems like the curation was off par with what we’re used to receiving in terms of quality this go-around. i am still very excited to get this book with the red sprayed edges & the Children of Blood and Bone print is by far my MOST favorite item in this box….it’s getting framed by my desk *heart eyes*

BOOK OF THE MONTH

The Last Time I Lied

KINDLE & AUDIBLE

eGalleys

SOooo this Fall is looking AMAZING amiright?!?! Excited for all of these reads & sequels. I’ve been mixing up my reading to make sure I’m reading from all of the genres I really enjoy & it has made quite the difference! No more Fantasy burn-out, I’m actually craving Fantasy more now & have been reading some AMAZING ones lately! Keep an eye out for my blog tour stop tomorrow for The Raging Ones by Krista & Becca Ritchie…this is one I’m going to HIGHLY recommend to all of my YA Sci-Fi Bookworm Buddies 🙂

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May Book Haul

Hello Bookworms! a part of me wanted to believe I could abstain from buying or collecting books in any shape or form in May… what with BEA/Bookcon right around the corner first week of June SMH. Things didn’t quite pan out that way & May ended up being the month of book mail/approvals every other day. This isn’t the norm around these parts haha! but nonetheless I rolled with it & also finally purged my shelves of some books to make space for new stories…

*Both FURYBORN & To Kill A Kingdom were 5 star reads, so happy to have them on my shelves! Girls’ Night Out is the only physical arc I received in May, super excited for this one since the thriller/suspense bug has finally bitten me 🙂

The Hating Game | The Astonishing Color Of After | Filthy Gods | OPAL | Ramona Blue

*Here’s where I started justifying my purchases smh…I have physical copies of Astonishing Color & Hating Game but I just couldn’t resist a good Kindle deal ($1.99) & said why not?!?

No words…well maybe a few 😂 I can honestly say I’m excited over each & every one of these titles. I’ve already rated Bruja Born 5 EPIC stars!!! Scream All Night is not a book I’d gravitate towards cause spooky and I don’t mix. However, the publisher reached out after reading my review of The Dangerous Art Of Blending In & sold me on this book! Both What If It’s Us & Blanca Y Roja are on my HIGHLY anticipated list. Adam Silvera & Anna-Marie McLemore are two of my FAVORITE YA authors, ANYTHING they write is a MUST read for this Bookworm! 💜

FAIRYLOOT

ONYX & IVORY BY MINDEE ARNETT

Sprayed edges is almost always a win for me but Onyx & Ivory is one of those book I’ve really been looking forward to. This box was a slam dunk! from the beautiful book sleeve to the practical lip scrub I had heart eyes while unboxing 😍 the art print is STUNNING & I’m already using the page flags 💜 my least favorite item is perhaps the tea once again 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

BOOK OF THE MONTH

THE PERFECT MOTHER BY AIMEE MOLLOY

I hope you’re all having a wonderful day while squeezing in a good read or two along the way! 💜 if you’ve read any of the books I’ve posted here & think I should boost up on my TBR, drop a comment down below 💜

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April Wrap-Up

Hello Bookworms & happy Friday!!! here in NYC we’ve decided to skip Spring & go straight to Summer and although when I’m outside I truly dislike it…when I’m inside, I get to blast that A.C. & no sleep is better than one right next to that powerful ice machine 😂 anyways, I pulled up Goodreads to see how many books I’d read in April & had to do a Britney…

I cannot remember the last time I read 8 BOOKS!!! *GASP* it was a great quality reading month, no complaints here (except for maybe Professed haha!) I was able to get ahead in my TBR 💜 I participated in 2 Buddy Reads and had so much fun talking to the Bookworms in our group chats. I also borrowed for the very first time from another blogger buddy who is simply an amazing human being! Thank you Sarah @TheYaBookTraveler I appreciate your kindness 💜 Out of the 8 books that I read, 4 were 5 star reads which means I had a lot of fun reading in April. I’m hoping for an equally as good May & so far I think I’m getting my wish thanks to Harper & some new arc approvals that came through. Now without further ado I present to you my April Wrap-Up…

Professed by Nicola Rendell ★★ STARS: Not what I expected but I read along since this was a book club pick for Julie & Chelsea’s Book Hangover Book Club. The characters just felt over the top & the “steamy scenes” were terrible 😞

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas ★★★★ 4 STARS: This being the first book I p/u as a reintroduction to the NA genre (not that I’ve read all that very many 😂) was UNPUTDOWNABLE! 😳 I seriously couldn’t stop reading & now I’m on a Penelope Douglas binge

Ace Of Shades by Amanda Foody (Review) ★★★★ 4 STARS: Falls into the younger side of YA but still very enjoyable with its Sin City/Moulin Rouge vibes. Book 2 was just announced today, titled King of Fools for 2019 & I’m REALLY looking forward to It 💜💜💜

Sky In The Deep by Adrienne Young (Review) ★★★★ 4 STARS: Character driven, less focused on the bloody history of Vikings we’ve all come to know. This one is for those bookworms who love stories about family bonds and loyalty and choosing who your family is when you’ve lost it all.

My Plain Jane (The Lady Janies #2) by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows (RTC closer to publication date) ★★★★★ 5 STARS: I mean C’mon! I LOVED My Lady Jane to pieces when I first read it & waited ever so patiently for this sequel. When a bookworm friend offered to loan me her copy I was STUNNED & Happy & grateful! I devoured it & all I can say is THANK YOU My Lady Janies for the ode to my childhood faves The Ghostbusters 😂😂😂

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson (RTC) ★★★★★ 5 STARS: a witchy read with a plus sized POC MC who’s a bit of a curmudgeon dishing out the sarcasm when she sees fit. Practicing witchcraft was never supposed to yield any real results until she needed it to & then…👀

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland (Review) ★★★★★ 5 STARS: This is perhaps my fave read of the month! a black MC who kicks a** & doesn’t back down whether it’s racist white men or the walking dead trying to make a snack out of her. This book has so much more going on underneath the surface, #Blacklivesmatter, Colorism, and racism are all weaved into this tale. I have a giveaway currently running until Sunday 5/6, open to international Bookworms as well 💜 Click on the link to take you to my review post to enter 💜

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw (Review) ★★★★★ 5 STARS: Take me back to this little town & island PLEASE! so atmospheric & haunting, I cannot stop singing this books praises! Please pick this one up before the Netflix series airs, it’s a short read but sooooo good that it’s guaranteed to stick around even after you’ve read that last line 😉

Avengers: Infinity War

Date Day this month with the hubby was a ton of fun & led us to visit some of our favorite haunts. Starting off with breakfast at our fave diner by the theatre & a quick trip to The Strand where I picked up Leah On the Offbeat (Creekwood #2)by Becky Albertalli & the Graphic Novel Moonstruck: Magic To Brew. I spent a little too much time in the stacks & we ended up having to cab it to the other side of Manhattan to the theatre for a 1:30pm show. IMAX 3D…why do I always forget to wear contacts? instead I watch movies through 4 lenses 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

The movie was about 2.5 hours long & it just exceeded expectations! Thanos our villain is one complex character with depth to him, he wasn’t just trying to kill everything in sight for power or control. I found this villain really interesting but that ending still had me giving him major side eye 😂 It was awesome seeing some faves back on the screen & after watching Black Panther just last month, I was super stoked to return to Wakanda. This being part I of II, I expected to walk away with unresolved story line and I felt the ending sets up for the next movie rather nicely. The after credit scene led to a really cool development & now I spend my time on Screen Rant looking for any bread crumbs being released for the next set of Marvel movies. Overall I gave this movie 5 BUTTERFLIES!!!

I hope you’re all having a wonderful start of the month 💜 what was your favorite read in April? feel free to link those wrap-ups down below & I’ll make my way over to your corner of the interwebz 💜’s! Don’t forget to throw your 🎩 in the ring for a chance to win a copy of Dread nation (see here)! 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

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WWW Wednesday 4/18/2018

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

Happy Hump Day Bookworms!!! I hope you’re all having a good week, if not *HUGS* I have been on a reading binge this month & I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon *fingers crossed* Recently I’ve decided to try out other genres that I’ve visited in the past but haven’t returned to in a while. This week I’m trying out New Adult Romance & I’m a little excited if I’m being honest. Spring hopefully will make an appearance in this lifetime & I’m in the mood for some light reads to mix in with my love for Fantasy. Happy reading <3’s!!!

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

I am 82% into this buddy read & although it’s not quite what I expected, it is one I’m really enjoying. Slower paced with writing that transports me each & every time I dive into its pages. More than anything, this Viking story is more about family and loyalty. Coming together in the face of adversity. This is NOT the book you’d go to for non-stop bloody Viking battles. Although we do get some of that, it really isn’t the core focus. I’m in the final stretch now wondering how it will all end & kind of wishing there is a sequel out there I haven’t heard about yet…

Birthday Girl by Penelope

Highly persuaded by Melanie @Meltotheany who can basically sell me anything through her Instagram stories SMH…Seriously though, not only is she the Queen of EPIC reviews but her IG stories & unboxings are not to be missed 🙂 So Mel was really hyped to hear Penelope Douglas had released Birthday Girl a few days early & her excitement was contagious. I know nothing of this author & I’m a newb to the genre having read only 3 K.A. Tucker books so I figured why not start with one of my most trusted friends fave authors? So! by the time this post is live, I’ll already be reading this one on my breaks at work. Possibly not the best place to start a steamy romance but what can I say? I’m a newb HAHA!

Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1) by Amanda Foody

I recently finished Ace of Shades & gave it 4 stars (my review) & can honestly say this is one new Fantasy series I will be continuing with. In this book I found influences from some of my favorites like Cabaret, Moulin Rouge, and many of the gangster movies I love. I have a deep appreciation for Fantasy writers who diversify their cast of characters & in Ace we get Bi-sexual & gender fluid representation. The reviews on goodreads seemed to be a mixed bag, with many comparisons to Six of Crows. It’s hard to compare to anything by Leigh Bardugo, there may be some similarities but the same can be said of Six Of Crows. Both draw inspiration from some of our favorites but their characters are VERY different & Ace isn’t heisty. I say, if you can separate the two & enjoy casinos, seedy characters, mobsters, and friendships over romance (there’s still some) then this may be one worth checking out 😉

Dread Nation (Dread Nation #1) Justina Ireland

Influenced by Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the author gives us a different version. In a Bustle interview with author she tells us about her inspiration…

“I wrote [Dread Nation] many moons ago, after I read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” Justina Ireland tells Bustle. “Sure, you have well-to-do white women fighting, but it didn’t seem realistic. It would’ve been black women fighting in the streets.”

I am BEYOND ready for this read & can’t wait to dive in! 🙂

Professed by Nicola Rendell

Two of my FAVORITE Booktubers Chelsea @Chelseadollingreads & Julie @PagesandPens started a book club called Book Hangover Book Club They chose Professed as their April book pick & I will be buddy reading with Melanie from Meltotheany this coming weekend! I’m excited to read more from this genre Bookworms & can’t wait to see how these two New Adult books I’ll be reading this week fare with me 🙂

Happy reading Bookworms! I’ll be blog hopping in just a few & can’t wait to see what you all are reading. I’m always up to hear from you down in the comments below, what’s on your nightstand? also, out of curiosity since I mostly review & talk about Fantasy & contemporary, would you be interested in me possibly reviewing New Adult here on Lair Of Books? 💜

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Books On Books On Books

Hello Bookworms! hope you’re all having a wonderful morning & for some of you afternoon/night 😀 it’s my 1st day back in the office after a week off from work & I’m so NOT ready! but there is one good thing about getting back to the daily grind of commuting…READING! 😍 being home with my wonderful family was much needed & so reading took a back seat. Today I’m back at it with a heavy commute that gives me a total of 5 hours for reading or listening to a audiobook. This means I can get back to whittling down the stacks to make room for…well, you know?

MORE BOOKS! …

2018 is the year I mix it up even further on Lair Of Books. I already read Diverse/Own Voices whenever possible but I’d also like to try other genres. Although I’ll still mostly read YA Fantasy & contemporary, I’ll also be giving New Adult and Middle Grade a go (polar opposites haha!). Also, since I’ll be making a more conscious effort to read from my shelves more often, you’ll be seeing Fiction & Adult Fantasy as well. Maybe this way I’ll finally tackle my past Book of the Month boxes 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

Foolish Hearts

Sadly this will be my last Owlcrate box, it was a good run & I may still return but for now it’s time to say goodbye 💙

Sourdough | The Wife Between Us | The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1)

These caught my attention instantly! but I’m MOST excited for The City of Brass 🤗🤗🤗

Ace Of Shades (The Shadow Game #1) | Girls Burn Brighter

*I’m getting better at requesting only what I’m super stoked for 😉

Considering a couple of these were Twitter giveaway wins, I’d say this was a good month? 🤷🏻‍♀️😂 although I’ll no longer be subbed to Owlcrate, I will be giving Fairyloot a shot so we’ll see how that goes. I’m pretty stoked for my 1st box this month 🤗🤗🤗 Did you haul anything exciting in December? if you’re a BOTM subscriber, what were your picks?

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Review: Surving Ice (Burying Water #4) by K.A.Tucker

Surviving Ice (Burying Water #4) by K.A. Tucker

Published by: Atria Books

Date of Publication: October 27th 2015

Genres: New Adult

Pages: 352

Format: e-book

Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ivy, a talented tattoo artist who spent the early part of her twenties on the move, is finally looking for a place to call home. She thinks she might have found it in San Francisco, but all that changes when she witnesses a terrible crime. She’s ready to pack up her things yet again, when a random encounter with a stranger keeps her in the city, giving her reason to stay after all.

That is, until Ivy discovers that their encounter wasn’t random. Not at all…

When I first was recommended this series, I fell in love with all of the covers and knew that I could NOT wait until I reached this last book in the series. Surviving Ice screams edgy! & our female protagonist is just that and so much more. Ivy: a half Asian-half Spaniard tattoo artist with a sharp tongue, wanderlust spirit, and a no effs given attitude—can now go into my vault of FAVORITE female characters! there aren’t many & she made the cut. Although this is the 4th book in the Burying Water Series, and there are some Easter eggs from the previous books, the plot itself reads like a stand-alone. We get some of our beloved characters pop into this story but Ivy & Sebastian’s story is their own.
Ivy’s character was refreshing to read about, she has very tall walls built around her and not many people in her circle. She prefers to live life on the edge with nothing holding her back from getting up and moving to another country. I loved that Ivy had no inhibitions holding her back, she is confident in her tattoo artist skills as well as her body. When we meet her, she has just returned from Ireland (setting of book 3) & was once again working at her uncle Ned’s tattoo parlor the Black Rabbit. Uncle Ned who idolized Willie Nelson & therefore embodied his style, became an instant favorite. Ned fully accepted Ivy (unlike her parents) & together they ran the most sought out tattoo parlor. Ivy however, did not know that Uncle Ned had found himself in a bit of a bind due to gambling. The events that take place lead to Ivy meeting Sebastian who has been given a target & an assignment…Ivy.

When we meet Sebastian, we get a bit of his backstory in the Navy Seals & how he came to work for an independent government contractor. Sebastian deals with some PTSD and tends to be a loner who has no care for commitment, instead he pays for easy sex. When his military friend/contractor calls his burner phone, it’s always for a new assignment. Sebastian is the best as what he does, eliminating threats to our government by any means necessary. When he receives the file on Ivy, he is fully prepared to undertake this task….

The only reason I docked a star is because unlike the previous books in this series, the supporting cast were just OK (with the exception of Ned of course lol). I’ve been spoiled by K.A. Tucker’s ability to deliver a stellar supporting cast who I crave to hear more from. I guess with this being the last book in the installment, maybe she wasn’t trying to lead us on by giving us any interesting side characters lol. Overall, I LOVE this series & would recommend it as a starting point for anyone interested in reading New Adult.

Does anyone have any New Adult recommendations? I’m looking for a tried and true author. Plenty have recommended COHO & I will read one of her books soon *I promise* lol but I’d like to have a variety to choose from 😉

Review: Chasing River by K.A. Tucker

Chasing River.jpg

Chasing River by K.A. Tucker

Published by: Atria Books

Date of Publication: July 7th 2015

Genres: New Adult

Pages: 336

Format: e-book

Rating:★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Armed with two years’ worth of savings and the need to experience life outside the bubble of her Oregon small town, twenty-five-year old Amber Welles is prepared for anything. Except dying in Dublin. Had it not been for the bravery of a stranger, she might have. But he takes off before she has the chance to offer her gratitude.

Twenty-four-year-old River Delaney is rattled. No one was supposed to get hurt. But then that American tourist showed up. He couldn’t let her die, but he also couldn’t risk being identified at the scene—so, he ran. Back to his everyday life of running his family’s pub. Only, everyday life is getting more and more complicated, thanks to his brother, Aengus, and his criminal associations. When the American girl tracks River down, he quickly realizes how much he likes her, how wrong she is for him. And how dangerous it is to have her around. Chasing her off would be the smart move.

Maybe it’s because he saved her life, or maybe it’s because he’s completely different from everything she’s left behind, but Amber finds herself chasing after River Delaney. Amber isn’t the kind of girl to chase after anyone.

And River isn’t the kind of guy she’d want to catch.

Having loved the previous two books in this New Adult series, I’m not sure why I went into this one with some sort of skepticism. I thought that I couldn’t love a new couple more than I already do Jesse/Alex & Rain/Luke…Once again K.A. Tucker has managed to suck me in with her deeply layered characters, beautiful settings, and crazy story telling. I ADORE Amber & River to pieces!!!! This time we were transported to beautiful Ireland & given a good amount of historical background on the events that lead to the formation of the IRA. Up until this book, I only knew of the great famine in Ireland but not much more. It’s only a plus when I come away with knowledge of actual historical events from a book that isn’t non-Fiction. We also get to see some of our favorite characters from Burying Water (Burying Water#1) make an appearance in this book in K.A. Tucker fashion. Rich with Irish history, obstacles to overcome, violence, and amazing characters, this story of 2 lovers from opposite sides of the world was a smash hit in my book!

****SPOILERS****

I totally did NOT see myself liking Amber at all in this book since I did NOT enjoy her parts in Burying Water. Amber was very judgmental & was comfortable being a part of the “mean girls” clique during her High School days. As an adult, she never ventured outside of her small town nor did she attempt to look outside the box. There were rules & Amber followed them to the tee. My biggest issue with Amber was how harsh she was on her brother Jesse in Burying Water, it was as if she chucked him off to be a low life because of some mistakes he had made as a teenager (given Jesse was a magnet for shit but still lol). I LOVED seeing Amber step away from her small town in Oregon & travel to Ireland. Her family doubted she would ever leave her comfort zone & it was a major step for her. Amber meeting River may not have been in the most romantic of ways (I won’t give that away), but from the minute he entered her life, all her inhibitions were thrown out the window. Now this is an Amber that I could be friends with. From her unlikely friendship with the tattoo artist Ivy to falling in love with River whose family history was deeply entrenched in the IRA of before & current day…she kept surprising me. I loved the travel bucket list she created with Alex the night they were a bit tipsy on wine & the fact that River managed to get his hands on it & continued to tease her about it. Actually, being that I got to know her as a rule follower, I was a bit embarrassed for her every time I thought about #1 on her list…~~Have a torrid affair with a foreigner, Country:TBD~~ <—BWAHAHAHA! I would’ve DIED if it were me & the hottie I’m interested in, found my list. Then again I was kind of smirking BECAUSE for a change, she was the one chasing the guy and putting in some work (he really did make her work for it though lol). This book also stirred up so much hope in me for these two, I wanted so badly for everything to work out but it seemed that all odds were against them. There were definitely some casualties along the way…I cried when Rowen’s leg had to be amputated & cursed Aengus all throughout for putting Ma & Da through it. I am currently jumping right into the last book in this series Surviving Ice (Burying Water #4). I’m excited to get Ivy’s story & even more eager to see if there’s a glimpse of Amber & River because it’s K.A. Tucker & I love all of her characters! it always feels like a treat when we hear about one of the couples or characters from the previous books.