Saturday, January 28, 2017

Let's Talk: When the Dead Come A Knockin'

Title: When the Dead Come A Knockin'
Author: B.L. Brunnemer
Series: "Veil Diaries" #2
Genre: Paranormal/RH Romance
Page Length: 519 pages
Publication Date: January 27, 2017
Date Started: January 27, 2017
Date Finished: January 27, 2017
Rating: 5/5 stars

*Non-spoiler section*

It's hard for me to decide if I liked this book more than I liked the first. Both were fantastic and amazing, just in their own ways. In this book we got a whole lot more of the characters, and we also got quite a bit of ghost actions. I laughed, I cried, and I couldn't put it down.

At the end of book 1, I was hoping we got to see a lot more of the boys' backstories. I was not disappointed. While it wasn't them sitting down and spilling their entire life story, we got bits and pieces here and there of each of their pasts or troubles. My heart aches for all of them. I don't want to potentially spoil anything, so I'll just leave it there. The different things each of them are revealing to Lexie just shows that she's a part of their family. I know for sure we'll be getting even more in depth with their pasts in the next book.

There were girlfriends, which I was skeptical about when I first read the synopsis. However, it was different than I thought it would be. I think that putting girlfriends in made the story stronger and strengthened the relationships between Lexie and her guys. 

The ghosts really vamped it up in this book. There wasn't a particular ghost after her the whole book (like Mary Summers was in the first), but there were ghosts that kept popping up in unwanted places. There was a lot of ghost and Veil action in this book. And the guys took care of Lexie like they always do after she encounters one, and I loved it. The feels were real.

What I liked most about this book was the balance. There was always a balance between the paranormal aspects, friendship aspects, and romantic aspects. The book was plotted perfectly and it never felt like it was going too fast or too slow. There was never too much of trying to figure out how to deal with ghosts. There was never too much of trying to deal with the girlfriends. It was all very nicely balanced. 

I'm super excited for the next book. Hopefully it will be coming in March (it should be, I think) and I can't wait. I genuinely love these characters and this plot so much. I'm excited to see where it goes. 

Thanks for reading. I'll see you back here after you read the book :)

*Spoiler section*

There were girlfriends in this book. When I read the synopsis, I went "Noooo they were supposed to all get together in this book!". Suffice to say, that did not happen. At first, I was worried about the girlfriends potentially getting in the way of Lexie and the boys' relationships, but then we met Zeke's girlfriend, Riley. I loved Riley. She was awesome and cool and a good person. My hopes were rising. Then we met Trisha. Right away I did not like Trisha. The moment we met her she was kind of a bitch, excuse my language. Throughout the book she was constantly trying to keep Lexie away from Asher and calling her names. I really hated her. Especially when she left Lexie in the bathroom in a puddle of blood while Lexie was being attacked by a ghost. Like, WTF?! 

Ethan and Isaac's girlfriends were pretty terrible too. At first glance, I liked Faith and Cece. They chatted with Lexie and such. But then they started getting jealous and being snide towards or about Lexi. When they joined with Trisha to be terrible to Lexie, that was the last straw. I'm so glad all the guys dumped their asses (except for Riley, I'm glad she's still here). I hope they never have girlfriends again.

Dylan and Lexie finally got together. I was excited but I also wanted them to end on a good note so that Lexie could be with the guys. While they were together, their relationship was so cute. Lexie was so sweet to him and Dylan was the perfect boyfriend. He shared his secrets with her and she told him about her seizures (her cover story for her ghost problem). But then they ended. I really hated how they ended. Dylan took her to a party and made her think everything was ok (since he had seen her after an episode and had froze). Then he took her to Asher's after the party and dumped her. He had "wanted one last good memory". F*ck him (pardon my language). He told her she had "too many problems". Urgh! It made me so mad. I was torn between wanting the guys to go beat his ass and him crawling back to Lexie on his knees. 

Throughout the whole book, Lexie was trying to build a way into the Veil. And Dylan's breakup pushed her to go farther than she should have gone in one attempt. She ended up on the bathroom floor unable to move until the guys found her. She was pushing them away and talking about how she was ruining their lives and she was stupid for always needing a babysitter. Urgh that annoyed the shit out of me and made my heart break. Then she ran to the cemetery and continued working on the Veil despite the fact that she should have been resting and not pushing it. 

There were a bunch of ghosts who were angry at her for not helping them move on. A bunch of them were telling her to work on it and do it faster while they watched, but that would end up killing her. There was even a time when groups of them would team up on her and harass her. It was interesting to see how the Veil was making them do certain things. 

Sophie. I gotta talk about Sophie. Sophie's the whole reason Lexie's working so hard on trying to get the Veil fixed. Sophie, Ethan and Isaac's little sister, who either hasn't moved on or was pulled back. I knew Sophie was one of the driving factors for Lexie wanting to get the Veil fixed quickly, but in the end Lexie went a step further and said that it was all about Sophie and not wanting her to rot here. Ah be still my heart. She even said something about helping Sophie and then leaving the guys alone.

And lastly, there was this terrible soul (rapist serial killer) who really did a number on Lexie. He cornered her in the bathroom at a bowling alley (where Trisha left her) and started pouring his memories into her. He didn't want to move on or possess her. He just wanted to hurt her. And he did. Lexie ended up in a pile of blood unable to move and barely able to talk. She ended up with nightmares and sometimes woke up thinking she did those terrible things. Honestly, he was 10000x worse than Mary Summers. 

Honestly, this book gave me so many feels. Any time Lexie didn't tell the guys about their girlfriends being mean to her: feels. Any time Dylan and Lexie did something cute: feels. When Lexie was giving Dylan his Christmas presents: feels. Christmas time when the guys all got gifts from Rory and they gave her a puppy and a picture of her dad: feels. The chapter where Lexie was thinking she was ruining the guys lives and they basically just said "It our lives, let us decide, shut up": feels. The last two chapters from Miles and Asher's perspectives: feels. There were just a lot of feels in general.

I love the Lexie and the guys even more, if that's possible. This has quickly grown to become one of my favorite series ever, ranking up there with Sarah J. Maas, J.K. Rowling, and Stephenie Meyer. This series is so unique and amazing. I've never read anything like it, and that's one of the reasons I love it so much. 

But honestly, the slow burn RH is killing me. Around fourth book is when we're gonna get the first kiss between them, and I'm so excited. I can't wait. That should be around May or June (hopefully). 

I'm so excited for the next book. I think it's projected to be finished, edited, and released in March. The pace at which the author has written and put out these first two books makes me excited (it's currently a little less than 2 months). This means we could get 6 new books this year! 6! I really hope it continues like that, but until then, I'll just reread these books over and over and over again. In fact, I've already reread my favorite scenes from book 2. 

Book Links:

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren

~

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link:

~

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Let's Talk: The Pants Project

Title: The Pants Project
Author: Cat Clarke
Genre: Middle-Grade/Coming of Age/LGBTQ+
Page Length: 272 pages
Publication Date: March 7, 2017
Date Started: January 19, 2017
Date Finished: January 21, 2017
Rating: 5/5 stars

I loved this book, surprisingly. I was a little hesitant going into it (not because of an lgbtq+ main character, but for other reasons). I've been in a very high-fantasy mood this past month and generally the only middle grade I gravitate to currently are action-packed ones like Percy Jackson or Fablehaven. So it was amazing for me to open up this book and be hooked on the first page.

Liv was such an amazing character. I loved him. I loved his personality and the way he went about standing up for what he wanted.  The different number of trials and tribulations that he goes through in this book really struck a chord in me. I think that this book is so important, especially for young adults and children. I have been a huge supporter of the lgbtq+ community for as long as I can remember, but this book opened my eyes even more to what some members of this community go through on a daily basis.

Liv is made fun of for having two moms. Nobody knows he's transgender (except his dog), but he still gets made fun of for having a hairstyle different from the girls in the school and for wanting to wear pants. Operation Pants Project begins. Liv wants to change the dress code, and maybe make some new friends and change his life as well.

I think that this book is such an important one for people of all ages to read. Mostly, I think that this book will really help younger teenagers who are struggling with discovering who they are or not knowing what they're feelings. Maybe this book can show them that they are not the only ones who feel a certain way. Maybe they can find a kindred spirit in Liv.

I loved Liv. I loved his motivations. Most of all, I loved this book.

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren

~

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link:

~


Sunday, January 15, 2017

Reverse Harem Book Recommendations!

Hello all! This is a new intro to this post, but it's just to provide you with more resources after reading this post! I'm working on a 3-4 part RH guide series on my blog and, currently, two of them have been posted! Part 1 is "What is RH" and goes even further in depth on RH books, stereotypes, and more! Part 2 is even more RH Book Recommendations! Check them out after this post!

What is RH?

To begin this post, you might be asking: What is RH?

RH stands for Reverse Harem. As you may or may not know, a traditional harem (in former times) was part of Muslim culture and usually consisted of multiple wives, concubines, and female servants all belonging to the man of the household. Essentially, it was multiple women and one man. Reverse harem is the opposite: multiple men and one woman.

That was just a way to explain it, of course. The focus on RH in literature and art is not the same as taking a traditional harem and gender-swapping everything. The men are not owned and the woman does not control them. If any of you readers watch anime, occasionally there is harem or reverse harem situation. It is widely accepted in Japan already, but there is not much knowledge about it here.

Reverse-harem--in terms of reading--is a sub-genre that is not focused on any religion or culture. Most of the time, the story is about a group of guys and a girl, and somehow things start to progress romantically or platonically towards where a book can be considered RH. This may seem confusing, but it really isn't. The only time it gets confusing is when you have to compare ménage and reverse harem (ménage is 2 guys/1 girl while RH is 3+ guys/1 girl).

Enough of the explaining part, let's get into the fun part of the post. And I promise you, if you give RH a chance, you might find some of your favorite books in this sub-genre (I know I have).

My Top Recommendations

There are a few easy series to try if you want to test out the RH waters. I personally think that this sub-genre has so many different types of books in it: there are contemporary, dystopian, espionage, sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, and so much more.

For someone who wants to try different authors and genres, there is a RH anthology compiled by some of the top-rated RH authors out there. It is only $1.99 and comes with 10 short novels (and all proceeds go to charity). The title is Falling For Them and there are plenty of well-known RH authors who contributed, such as C.L. Stone.
I am currently reading this anthology and really enjoying it. Personally, as a reader, I think there is something in here for everyone. I'm only on story 4, but already I've read diverse writing styles and plots. There are a few that are short and sweet, and others that are fast-paced and action-filled.

Goodreads Description: 
Indulge in 10 all-new reverse harem stories from New York Times, USA Today, and bestselling authors, as well as up-and-coming indie authors. This collection of modern, paranormal, and sci-fi romances is sure to satisfy every palate. Whether you love to turn up the heat with a spicy romance, or savor a sweet love story, Falling for Them has it all. On sale for a limited time, all proceeds will go to charity. Help us make a difference for the new year by doing what you love…meeting our guys.

Amazon     Goodreads     Review TK

~

Next is one of the most popular (if not the most) RH series out there. This was my first foray into this sub-genre before I even knew what RH was. It was quick and fun and amazing. There were times I laughed and cried. I've bonded with so many people over this series and it will always hold a special place in my heart. That series is: The Ghost Bird Series by C.L. Stone. The first book (which is always free on Amazon or iBooks) is titled Introductions.
As I said, I loved this series. There are currently 10 installments and 2 novellas, with about 12+ being planned. I understand it is a lot to invest in, but it is such an amazing series. The first book is always free on Amazon and iBooks, of course, so it really doesn't cost anything to just try it out *wink*

Goodreads Description (Book 1)
With an agoraphobic mother and a barely-there father, Sang abhors the isolation keeping her in the shadows. The only thing Sang craves is a fresh start and to be accepted as ordinary by her peers, because for her being different meant being cast out alone.
When her family moves to a new school district, Sang infiltrates a group of boys nearly perfect in every way. Grateful for an influence outside of her parents’ negativity, she quickly bonds with the boys, hoping to blend in and learn from them what it means to have a natural relationship with friends.
Only the boys have secrets of their own and they’ll do anything to keep her safe from the knowledge of the mysterious Academy that they've sworn allegiance to. Bit by bit, Sang discovers that her friends are far from the normalcy she expected. Will her loyalty change when she's forced to remain in the dark, or will she accept that she's traded one house of secrets for another?
Meet Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke and North in a story about differences and loyalty, truth and mystery, friendships and heart-throbbing intimacy.
The Academy, ever vigilant.


~

I'm just gonna move onto the next series with a free first book, and that is the Faith series by Nikki Bolvair. I discovered this series when I first discovered RH was an actual thing and I fell in love. This series is so interesting and heart-pounding and I loved it. The first book (always free on Amazon) is called Love is Not Lost.
This was one of my favorite series of 2016. I read the first book and was instantly hooked. Faith's story really hit me in the feels and her boys are just perfect. I bought and binge-read the next three books and just fell in love. It's a nice, fluffy series that also has darker undertones. I loved it. There's currently four books out (the main four) with an epilogue/5th book releasing soon. As I stated above, book one is always free.

Goodreads Description (Book 1)
"It's Daniels." 
All sixteen-year-old Faith Daniels, or Daniels for short, wanted was a chance. A chance to forget her dark past and forge her own future. But that's hard to do when your past is full of great darkness. 
Death always comes at a hefty price, more so, when you're unsure if you've carried out such a sentence. 
Given the chance to break free from her hometown with an officer by her side, Daniels will find out that sometimes it's not the past you have to be worried about; the future can be just as scary. Especially in a new town where three hot neighbor guys want your attention. 
As Tyler, Kayden and Lincoln McGuire try to break down the walls Daniels has formed; things get a little out of hand. 
Maybe it was the dumb mutt that kept harassing her or the crazy cop foster parent that seemed to keep her on her toes, either way; Daniels walls were cracking. 
Sometimes it takes more than just one guy to keep your walls down. To gain your trust. To help you love again. 
Maybe for Daniels, three hot guys was her lucky number. Or perhaps, it was all about the mutt.

Amazon     Goodreads     Review TK

~

Next up is one of my top 3 RH series ever. It is the Seraph Black series by Jane Washington. Again, this is a series I found right at my first foray into RH and I binge-read it so quick. The first of four books is Charcoal Tears.
I fell in love with these characters and this story. The characters are all so different and unique. The story was dark and riveting yet fluffy and light. The plot was amazing. It was all so well put together. Book four releases soon and I promise that this is a series you will want to binge-read.

Goodreads Description (Book 1)
“You see, there is safety in simplicity… in a life of simple peace, where the electricity doesn’t dance across the backs of my eyelids, and the sparks don’t slither over my consciousness. Only asinine peace, where my paintings don’t seem to paint themselves, leaving me with terrible feelings of premonition and a chill beneath my fingernails.”
Seraph Black used to think that she was prepared for anything. She could last days without eating, and she always walked away from the violent altercations with her father relatively unharmed. She even survived working at the club, surrounded by the dregs of society, all staring into their bottles instead of noticing the unravelling lives that trailed behind them.
She had thought that she could survive anything, but she wasn’t prepared for Noah and Cabe to come bulldozing into her life, careless of the precious secrets they picked apart in their quest to take over her world. She was even less prepared for the mysterious Miro and Silas, but most of all…
Most of all… it was the stalker that threatened her talent for surviving. She wasn’t ready for the photos, and the messages. The warnings. The threats.
Seraph’s life of surviving in the shadows was over, because the searchlight had found her, and there was nowhere that she could hide.

Amazon     Goodreads     Review TK

~

Next we have another of my top 3 RH series. It is the My Pack series by Lane Whitt. It is a paranormal New Adult RH series, and it's amazing. Sometimes it is easy for RH authors to use cliche characters or make all the characters the same except for their hair color or favorite food. Every character in this story, however, is completely unique from each other. I loved it 100%. The first of (currently) three book is Finding My Pack.
This is another series that I binge-read (easy to do considering there's only two books out currently, with a third in editing). I loved each and every aspect of these books. I especially loved the paranormal aspect. I've reread them and loved them over and over since I first bought them. It's definitely a great introduction to RH, in my opinion. I think anybody who enjoys paranormal or romance novels would like this one.

Goodreads Description (Book 1)
Abandoned as a baby and forced to grow up way too fast, Kitten has learned to live and survive by her own unique code. When Kitten is at her lowest point and thinks she can’t carry on, she meets an extraordinary group of men who welcome her into their home and their hearts, showing her more kindness than she has ever known. What will happen when she finds out the secrets they keep? They may be more connected than they all thought when secrets about Kitten begin to surface as well.

Amazon     Goodreads     Review

~

Last, but certainly not least, is another of my top 3 RH series/books: The Veil Diaries series by B.L. Brunnemer. Currently, only the first book has been released, but there are 15 in this first series planned with a sequel series planned after. The first book is titled Trying To Live With The Dead.
This book was so amazing. It's pretty freaking long, but I read it in less than a day. I cried over it, I laughed over it, I obsessed over it. It combined so many different paranormal aspects with simplistic high school and friendship trials. The first book is also different than many other RH stories I've read. The romance is a very slow-burn, and the first book has absolutely no romance between the main character and her group of guys. Which brings me to another point: all the characters are so unique. The plot was amazing, yes, but it was the characters that made the book so good. 

Goodreads Description
Hi, I’m Alexis Delaney. I’m your average 17 year old girl. Except I can see the dead. And talk to the dead. And push them away and, well, help them move on. So..okay, I’m not your average 17 year old girl. For years I’ve been struggling to survive the souls still roaming around. The shitheads always seem to find me. Moving from town to town every few months never helped either. More dead just always find me. But things are changing for me now. I’m moving in with my uncle Rory and cousin Tara. I’m finally going to be able to do normal teenage stuff I’ve been missing out on. Right? 
Well, if this one bitch of a ghost could leave me alone on campus that would be great. Especially since I haven’t told my new friends about my abilities. Can you believe this? Five good looking guys practically adopt me on my first day of school, and I still think they’re a bit nuts for it. Now if I can only just keep my life with the dead from mixing with my normal life everything would be great. Yeah...I don’t see that happening either. But I’m going to give it a shot. Who knows? It might work.

Amazon     Goodreads     Review

~

Well, there you have it folks: my top reverse harem recommendations. This sub-genre is such an amazing one and four of the books/series I mentioned above made it on my top books of the year list for 2016 (ranking up there next to Cassandra Clare, Marissa Meyer, Amie Kaufman, and Sarah J. Maas. I truly believe that this genre has something for every reader. 

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren

~

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link:

~

Friday, January 13, 2017

Let's Talk: Darkness Descends: A Skye Faden Novel

Title: Darkness Descends: A Skye Faden Novel
Author: Alisha Ashton
Series: "Skye Faden"
Genre: Ménage Paranormal Romance
Page Length: 767 pages
Publication Date: July 22, 2014
Date Started: January 7, 2017
Date Finished: January 9, 2017
Rating: 5/5 stars


I LOVED this book! There were so many amazing aspects to it! There were so many different things that I'm interested in that made an appearance in this book! I slowly fell in love with these characters and this story. The amount of times I cried was in the double digits (as much, if not more than, the number of times I cried during Empire of Storms, excluding the after-affects of EoS). It was so intense and I loved every second.

I love Celtic history (but sadly have not had much chance to research it or learn about it), so when half of this book had to deal with Celtic histories and names and phrases, I was in surprised in such a good way. A lot of the book is steeped in Celtic and Scottish/Irish history and lore. The amount of research that must have gone into this book is mind-boggling (as this book is 767 pages-longer than EoS). Even the werewolves and vampires (or rather, faoil and fògaraich) that showed up were based in Celtic lore. And if you know me, you know I love me some books with werewolves and vampires.

I thought the whole premise around the werewolves (faoil) and vampires (fògaraich) was amazing. Fògaraich have been terrorizing cities and killing people. The main character, named Skye, was kidnapped by the fògaraich 12 years prior to the start of the book; Her parents were murdered and her brothers changed into fògaraich. Yet, no matter how bad the fògaraich get, the faoil don't intervene at all. It was so frustrating to not know why, especially because the main character didn't know the faoil existed at the beginning of the book. By the end of the book, it was all explained and I was happy with it.

This book mostly took place at a castle in Scotland (hells yeah!) and many of the characters had Scottish/Irish accents. I've come out of TV shows speaking in an accent, but never have I come out of a book speaking with one...until this book. It was so cool, to be completely honest. I also loved how there were occasional Celtic phrases or words. It really felt that much more authentic and amazing.

Let's get into the men...so. many. amazing. men. Literally the main character is the first female faoil in history, and a gathering is called where ALL of the faoil in the world come. As in thousands of immortal, ripped, men. So many abs. So much long hair. So many accents. They were all amazing. Tarran and Ciaran were just perfect. They were polar opposites but with so much history. Their personalities melded effortlessly. They seemed to flow around each other with ease (especially in the bedroom).

That brings me to the smut. There wasn't a lot of it, but it was amazing. It was detailed...and long...and amazing. I loved that her mate allowed her lover to be with them...ah it was awesome.

Everything was just amazing. My heart belonged to these characters at the beginning of the book and they kept it. I cried so many times in the last hundred pages. There was sad crying. There was happy crying. There was crying just for the sake of crying. I seriously hope the author releases a sequel, but if not, this book's ending was perfect. 

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren


~

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link:

~

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Favorite Books of 2016!

It's that time of year again! The time of end-of-the-year book hauls, wrap-ups, least-favorites, and favorites. We list what book we got and what we've read, we talk about what was good and what was disappointing, and then we make goals for the upcoming year. My participation in this trend can all be found under this link. But as for right now, we're here to talk about my favorite books of the year. 

I couldn't narrow it down to only 10 books, so I did my top 14 books of the year. Some of these are interchangeable (until my top 6). I'd say my 7-12 favorites are all pretty much the same in terms of my love for them. Let's just hop right in because it's going to be a pretty lengthy post about my favorites :)

~

#14
A Shadow Bright and Burning
by Jessica Cluess
Goodreads Review
I just recently read this and blew through it. I adored the characters and the world. The plot was fantastic. The world building was amazing. Everything about this first novel left me wanting the next one so much more. I'm excited to see how the main character progresses in both her powers and her personality. I especially can't wait for more of my favorite witty magician ;)

#13
"Shadow Falls"
by C.C. Hunter
Born at Midnight Review
Awake at Dawn Review
Taken at Dusk Review
Whispers at Moonrise Review
Chosen at Nightfall Review
I fell in love with this series the moment I read the first three pages. I was hooked. I wanted it all. I binge-read this series so fast and I loved it. I seriously think a reread is in order because I miss these characters. Or maybe I should just continue on to the sequel series? Either way, I loved this story and these characters. 

#12
"Faith"
by Nikki Bolvair
Series Review TK
I binge-bought and binge-read this series as well (all but two of the series on here were binge-read). I adored it. The books were the perfect length. The characters kept me coming back for more. I loved everything about this series and I'm so excited to see everyone's happy ending in the fifth and final book (hopefully coming soon!). 

#11
Trying To Live With The Dead
by B.L. Brunnemer
Seeing as I just wrote a long review for this one, I won't put too many words here. I just loved this book so much and I'm so excited for the next one. This is definitely going on my 'favorite books' shelf right along the rest of these. 

#10
Charcoal Tears + Watercolour Smile + Lead Heart
by Jane Washington
Series Review TK
Be still my heart. I loved this series to the moon and back (it was another binge-buy/read). The first book had me entranced from the first page. Everything moved so fast yet took so slow. There were slow-burn relationships and other relationships that were almost instant connections. All the events were so well plotted and planned. This whole series was just so much fun. Very excited for the last book. 

#9
"The Lunar Chronicles"
by Marissa Meyer
Cinder Review
Scarlet Review
Cress Review
Winter Review
I finally read this series (go me!). I actually bought Cinder, read it in a couple of hours (I couldn't put it down) and immediately ordered the second two. Thank god for free Prime shipping on Amazon because I got them the day after I ordered them. Within two weeks I had not only bought but read the four main books in the Lunar Chronicles. I fell in love with these characters and the events. I am excited to reread my favorite chapters randomly. I think Winter was my favorite as so much happened in that one and everything turned out the way I wanted it to. 

#8
Lady Midnight
by Cassandra Clare
This is by far my favorite Cassandra Clare book yet. I think part of what made this my favorite was that the main characters already knew about the Shadowhunter world. Emma was so badass and I loved all of her wit. Her and Julian's parabatai relationship was so beautiful. There was never a dull moment for me when reading this book. I cried, I laughed, I loved. I can't wait for the next one! 

#7
Nowhere But Here + Walk the Edge
by Katie McGarry
Nowhere But Here Review
Walk the Edge Review
I'd been seeing this series around for a few months before I bought it. When I got them, I fell in love. The first book was fabulous and the second book was equally as amazing. The characters were so intricate and interesting. The plot was action packed but also not too intense. It seemed very realistic and I loved these two. The third book releases in exactly thirty days and my excitement just keeps on growing!

#6
Finding My Pack + Keeping My Pack
by Lane Whitt
It took me no time at all to fall in love with this series. The main character, Kitten, was so intricate and had many layers to her. Her backstory made my heart ache. Everything about this story from Kitten to the boys to the paranormal aspect had me dying for more. Everyone was so uniquely relatable despite there being werewolves in this story. The boys made me feel like I was laying in a ball of happy sunshine and rainbows. There were moments when I cried and moments when I laughed. Everything was just so amazing. 

#5
Hide and Seek Her + Finders Keep Her
by H.B. Stumbo
Hide and Seek Her Review
Finders Keep Her Review
Wow...my feelings for these two books know no bounds. I fell in love with Charlotte, Vance, and Riley in the first book and I fell into a deeper abyss in the second book. Everything was so intense and creepy, but just the right amount. Jackson was the perfect villain and getting to see inside his mind was amazing. The second book left me in tears. I couldn't function for a solid few minutes. I'm sure the next installment will be just as great, if not better. 

#4
Illuminae + Gemina
by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kaufman
Illuminae Review
Gemina Review
Illuminae was the first book I read in 2016 and I zoomed through it. I fell in love. I laughed, I cried, and I ached for Gemina. Katy and Ezra were such an amazing set of protagonists. I fell in love with them while experiencing their story. AIDAN was an amazing antagonist and I couldn't help but adore him. I was so lucky to get an arc of book 2 and once I opened it, I had it finished in a day. Hanna and Nik were almost as amazing as Katy and Ezra and I fell in love with them too. Gemina left me in tears and with an even bigger obsession than before.

#3
Stalking Jack the Ripper
by Kerri Maniscalco
Review TK
This book was so freaking cool. The main character was so awesome. The side characters were amazing. The mystery and plot line were fabulous. Everything about this book was great. I fell in love with Audrey and Thomas. Those two characters made the book. They were fabulous and amazing and their interactions together are what made me love this book so much. Not only that, but the mystery and intrigue and twists at every corner were mind-spinning. It was amazing. 

#2
A Court of Mist and Fury
by Sarah J. Maas
Review
I'm not going to go into huge detail here as my review was pretty in depth, but I loved this book. It raised the bar for this series. While I really liked ACOTAR, I loved ACOMAF. The new characters and new part of the world was amazing. I loved every second of this book...there was not a dull moment for me. Everything fell into place and things went in unexpected ways. I could not anticipate what would happen in this book but I can't imagine it going any other way. Simply put...it was amazing. 

#1
Empire of Storms
by Sarah J. Maas
Since I wrote a very, very, VERY long review for this book, I'll try to keep this short as well. EoS destroyed me in every way: it destroyed me with happiness, it destroyed me with sadness, and it destroyed me with everything in between. So many things happened and we saw so much more of the world. We saw old characters and we met new characters. Everything was amazing. The side-characters really pulled this story together and I loved it. Even more so, the plot building and foreshadowing from four books ago started to come together. I was blown away. I was mind-f*cked at every turn. It was amazing. And the ending just slayed me (I curled up in a ball and cried for 15 minutes). It was simply fantastic. 

~

Thanks for reading and for such a great year.
xoxo
Lauren

~

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link:


December 2016 Wrap-Up

1.
Title: Tracing the Stars
Author: Amanda Richardson
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
I really enjoyed this story. I liked the characters and the plot. I did think that for the amount of time it covered, it didn't show a whole lot of the passing of time. But I still loved it. I cried, I laughed, and I loved it. 

2.
Title: Barbie Girl
Author: Heidi Acosta
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
This was an interesting book. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. Somehow, I couldn't put it down, though. It is like the books I read on Wattpad just for something to pass the time. I do think that it discussed some important topics and I do want to read the next one to see what happens with these characters. 

3. 
Title: Twilight: The Graphic Novel: Collector's Edition
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Illustrator: Young Kim
Rating: 5/5 stars
Getting to re-experience the world of Twilight through this graphic novel was so fun and nostalgic. It was a quick read for me considering it was mostly pictures, but I loved every moment. I loved getting to see drawings and picture portrayals of Edward and the rest of the Cullens. I can't wait to buy the New Moon graphic novel so that I can continue my nostalgic tour. 

4. 
Title: A Shadow Bright and Burning
Author: Jessica Cluess
Rating: 5/5 stars
First, this cover is GORGEOUS! It's what initially drew me to this book and then the synopsis kept me coming back for more. It took me a while to finally open it up and read it but when I did, I read it so fast. Almost the whole book I read in one sitting. I loved it and can't wait for the sequel. More non-spoiler thoughts in my Goodreads review linked above :)

5.
Title: Trust & Treachery
Author: Charissa Dufour
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
I enjoyed this book but I didn't love it. I am going to continue on with the series because I'm interested in seeing what happens with the RH aspect and with the other characters. 

6.
Title: Star Crossed Hurricane
Author: Wendy Knight
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
This book was free, so I can't really complain much. I did enjoy it but I didn't love it. It wasn't fantastic or anything but I did fly through it.  

7.
Title: Broken & Hunted
Author: Charissa Dafour
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Things got heated in this book and there were a lot of mysteries in this installment. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure if I enjoyed it more than the first book. This one seemed to drag on a little bit whereas the first didn't. We'll see how the next one goes. 

8. 
Title: Introductions
Author: C.L. Stone
Rating: 5/5 stars
I reread this book simply so I could listen to the audiobook, which I enjoyed immensely. It was so fun and refreshing being back in the Ghost Bird universe. It's making me want to reread the series and getting me pumped up for the 11th book's release. 
9. 
Title: First Days
Author: C.L. Stone
Rating: 5/5 stars
Again, I reread this for the audiobook as well as because I wanted to continue in this world. I'm itching to reread my favorite books in this series before the newest release (soon...hopefully). 

10.
Title: Finding Honor
Author: Ripley Proserpina
Rating: 3.75/5 stars
I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I enjoyed it immensely and I'm excited to see how it continues, but I didn't love it. I enjoyed the characters and I enjoyed the plot quite a bit. I'm excited to see how Nora's relationship with each of the boys continues to grow in upcoming novels. 

11 & 12.
Title: Trying To Live With The Dead
Author: B.L. Brunnemer
Rating: 5/5 stars
(I read it twice this month)

13.
Title: CW Boys: The Beginning
Author: C. Shell
Rating: 3/5 stars
This book was okay, but it wasn't fantastic (in my mind). I read it pretty quickly and it was pretty basic. It's similar to stories I've read on Wattpad with the same premise. But I'm not sure I would pay $3 to read it. I enjoyed reading it, but I didn't feel a connection.

14.
Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Illustrated Edition
Author: J.K. Rowling
Illustrator: Jim Kay
Rating: 5/5 stars
Ah...I love HP and the illustrated editions are just so freaking gorgeous. Jim Kay's drawings are beautiful and I can't wait to see the rest of the series. This is definitely the edition I'm going to read out of when I introduce my children (or nieces and nephews) to HP. 

~

My favorite new book I read this month was Trying to Live with the Dead. It was just so amazing. I've been obsessing over it since I first started reading it. I've read it twice now and am feeling the urge to read it a third time! Definite must read!

~


~

Thanks for reading and thanks for such a great year.
xoxo
Lauren

~

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link:

December/Christmas Book Haul!

December...the month of finals, holidays, and snow. Except where I live we didn't have snow for more than a grand total of five days. And I didn't have to take finals this year because my grades were high enough. So, December was mostly a month of holidays and reading for me. 

I had a pretty good Christmas this year, and not just in terms of presents. I got to see my cousins (who I see about two or three times a year) and I got to spend a few days at my dad's house. It was also my niece's first Christmas and it was pretty fun watching her trying to open presents. She had so many presents (pretty much the whole tree) this year. She was like the Dudley Dursley of Christmas. There were so many presents that there are still some that have yet to be opened.

I myself got a few excellent presents, but I'm only here to talk about the books for y'all. (Just a little disclaimer: I am in no means trying to brag. I understand I'm lucky to have such a great family who spoils me and I also understand that not everyone has that. Once again, I'm not trying to brag or show off. I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew that)

Let's just hop right in...

So, I was finishing up some Christmas shopping when I was at target and saw this bad boy: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. 
I'd been meaning to get my hands on this 10th anniversary edition for a while now (as I love this series). When I saw this at Target I just had to at least hold it. And then I saw it, hiding under the 20% off, was this golden sticker. A signed Richelle Mead book?! For $10?! I had to get it. I didn't even think...I just bought.

Then came Christmas. I visited my dad and my grandma when my cousins were there. It was our yearly family Christmas. I got some money (which I've spent some of it on books) and I also got a few books from my grandma. First she got me this beautiful edition of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.
I saw this Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition at BAM one day and fell in love. It's uses thicker paper for the cover and the pages are deckled. I loved it. And this was the classic that I'd been most interested in (due to it being Bella's favorite book in Twilight) so when I saw my grandma had gotten it for me I was pretty excited.

She also picked me up another book I'd been dying to get my hands on. This one I'd had my eye on for so long (and I had actually preordered it before I had to cancel), and I'm so excited to have it in my grabby hands. It was The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer. 
I freaked out when I heard Stephenie Meyer was releasing a new book. Then I read what it was about and I was even more intrigued. It's quite a long book, but I'm excited nonetheless to dive into it and read more of Stephenie Meyer's amazing writing.

A few days later (after driving home and then back to my dad's again) we visited my grandma again. I was pretty surprised when she threw out the option of going to BAM, which we accepted. I ended up getting 3 books (one of them was free due to a sale). The first was  The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia. 
I've had my eye on this beauty since BEA/BookCon. It sounds like the contemporaries I actually enjoy and way more up my alley than TFIOS or other sappy stories. I am really excited to get into this. 

She also got me Kids of Appetite by David Arnold.
I'll admit that when I first heard about this book I wasn't too interested in it. Then I read the description and slowly, over the past few months, my interest in it has grown. I finally caved and picked it up at BAM. I'm pretty interested in reading about this adventure. Plus, the under-jacket is such a stunning color of red. I'm obsessed.

Lastly, my grandma got me A Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes.
This was the book that was free with the discount (a $20 book for free? hell yea!) and I was pretty excited to add this to my collection. I've read her other series (except for the most recent release...which is taking forever to come in the mail) and enjoyed it. This prequel/companion sounds even better (in my personal opinion). I'm excited to dive into this book this year. 

One last shoutout to grandma for the books! I love you!

After all of this I took my sister to Target because she wanted to use her Christmas money to buy the boxed Harry Potter set. I, too, picked up a book. This is one I'd had my eye on since before Lady Midnight was released. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare.
I couldn't justify to myself buying each of the novellas at $3 each, so I waited for the bind up to come out. When I didn't get it for Christmas, I bought it for myself (because...of course). I'm super excited to add this to my Cassandra Clare collection and I'm even more excited to read it. Maybe a reread of CoHF and then this and Lady Midnight before Lord of Shadows releases in May. 

Lastly, I picked up a book from Amazon for pretty cheap. I finally read the description of this book and became very very interested in it. That was All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. 
It sounds pretty interesting to me and I've heard a lot of great things about it. I'm interested in seeing what exactly this book is about. I heard a lot of people cried in this book...and I'm not anything if not a book crier. We'll see how it goes.

~

Here's one last picture with all of the books together.

~

I hope you all enjoyed this book haul. Stay tuned for next month's (which could possibly be even bigger). Thanks for reading.
xoxo
Lauren

~

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link: