Wednesday, July 31, 2019

July 2019 Wrap-up



Well July was an interesting month, I received quite a few unexpected but very welcome ARCs that turned out to be awesome!  I also decided to participate in The Reading Rush at the last minute.  So in the end I only read 3 of the books that were on my July TBR, but I read a ton of books this month and reviewed a lot of them so I call that a win.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

  • Girls Like Us by Cristina Alger
    • Review
    • This one came out out July 2nd.  This is another thriller/mystery that reads like a crime TV show.  This was different than what I expected.  It follows an FBI agent as she unravels a murder while on leave after she has been injured and for her father's funeral.  She begins to suspect her father of the serial murders or if not he was involved in some way.  This was a bit slow paced for my taste as it is more procedural than suspenseful.  I found parts of it to be really predictable, but other parts I didn't seen coming.  Overall I enjoyed it.
  • The Elemental Trial by J.A. Armitage and Claire Luana
    • Review
    • This came out on July 15th.  This is the 2nd book in the Faerie Race series.  Like the first book it was really fun.  It was a little heavy on the romance and insta love, but the actual race part was fun.  The series is really creative and I am looking forward to the next installment.  
  • The Doomsday Trial by J.A. Armitage and Claire Luana
    • Review
    • This came out August 1st.  This is the final book in the Faerie Race series and by far my favorite.  It wrapped up the race nicely leaving me satisfied and content.  I loved the action and the magic.  This one wasn't as heavy on the magic and focused more on the sinister plot and the game the characters had to play.  This series overall was really fun and creative.
  • Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson
    • Review
    • This is a really good domestic thriller following two women trying to outsmart each other in the most epic game of Never Have I Ever.  One woman is trying to blackmail the other in exchange for not releasing her deepest darkest secret and potentially ruining her perfect life she's made for herself.  The perfect life woman has to play the game or potentially lose not only her rainy day stash of money she's been saving and maybe lose everything she's built for herself.  It's really good
  • Senior Year Bucket List by J.M. Miller
    • Review
    • This was released on July 29th.  This is a new adult second chance romance and I loved it!  It follows Celia in the wake of her best friend Merilyn's death as she reunites with Mer's brother Caleb.  Caleb and Celia have an uncomfortable reunion, but they are willing to push past it to fulfil Mer's last wish, to complete her and Celia's incomplete Senior Year Bucket List items.  I couldn't put this down and Celia stepped out of her comfort zone to complete the tasks and sparks flew Caleb.  
  • The King by Jennifer L. Armentrout
    • Review
    • This is the 2nd installment of the spinoff to the Wicked Series.  It follows Brighton, a member of a secret order of evil fae hunters and Caden, the king of the Summer Fae aka the good fae.  This is part of the 1001 Dark Nights franchise and each novella is considered a standalone, and a way to introduce you to the world the story is set in.  This is a continuation of the story that began in The Prince, and I understand there will be one more installment.  Brighton and Caden not only have to fight off the evil fae, prevent the evil fae Queen from crossing over into this realm, but they are also fighting their blossoming romance.
  • Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
    • I started this a while back on audio but could not get through it.  The audio was really bland, but the story was good so I hoped to pick it up later.  I gave it until 30% and in an unusual turn of events I DNFed it.  While the story is interesting and the writing is fine, it just find it slow and it didn't grab my attention.  This book is far to long and I have too many other things I want to read to force myself to read it.  Maybe I'll come back to it someday.
  • The Magic of Race Bailey by Eric Hobbs
    • Review
    • I read this for The Reading Rush for a book with a title of 5 or more words.  I've had this forever and just never got around to it but I'm glad I finally did.  This was fun and action packed.  There is some magic, both magician type magic and actual magic, supernatural stuff, and it's pretty action packed.
  • Skyward vol 2 by Joe Henderson
    • This is a graphic novel series about a world that has lost its gravity.  Willa and her friend are trying to restore gravity, but as they are on their journey they find out how Low-G has affected things outside the city.  Willa's mission to fix the world and turn gravity back on will not be easy and plenty of people want to stop her.  This is fun and the art is really beautiful.  I think the rest of the issues are out, but I'm waiting until the 3rd volume is out this fall to continue.
  • Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
    • Review
    • This is a fun middle grade spooky story.  This would be perfect for the fall time right around Halloween.  While is is geared towards kids this is also perfect for those of any age who want to dip their toes into horror but don't want anything overly scary.  This follows Ollie and her friends as they find themselves in a nightmare fighting the likes of  The Smiling Man.  They have to figure out how to get out of his maze and save the rest of their class who have turned into a creepy scarecrow army.  I'm looking forward to reading the sequel Dead Voices which is out soon.
  • Black Dawn by Mallory McCartney
    • Review
    • I've had this on my Netgalley shelf forever.  It is one of the first books I picked up for review.  Unfortunately, this book just didn't work out.  It is poorly constructed despite having great potential.  
  • The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
    • I read this for The Reading Rush prompt for a debut, but I'm not 100% sure it was Carroll's first book.  I had other books that filled that prompt.  This also filled the Popsugar challenge for a book that inspired a common phrase or idiom.  We all know "Mad as a hatter", and this book is just that.  It is completely nonsensical as Alice traverses Wonderland and the world through the Looking Glass in her dreams.  Again Disney did a great job keeping to the story, but this was kind of ridiculous and a bit too whimsical for my tastes.  I'm glad I finally read it though.

Audiobooks

I got through a ton of audio's this month, they just weren't the ones I was hoping to get to.  I think 9 audiobooks is an awesome number so I'm not complaining.  
  • Shadowglass by Rin Chupeco
    • This was the perfect ending to the series.  Tea's story finally comes to an end and all is revealed.  As her story is slowly revealed, we come to learn what really happened during her exile and what she is really trying to achieve.  Between the past and the present all of the loose threads that were left open in the previous books came to a close, and I really liked the ending.
  • Rise by Ellen Goodlett
    • This was the conclusion to the Rule duology and follows three sisters Zofi, Ren, and Akeyla as they navigate the path to the throne as their father the king lays dying and must declare the next heir.  Each of them has a secret and is being blackmailed by someone calling themselves the true heir.  The sisters have to decide to trust each other with their terrible deeds or suspect them of betrayal.  This is full of magic, political intrigue, and lots of twists and turns.  I really enjoyed the family and friendship dynamics between the sisters and I honestly wasn't sure who the culprit was until the final reveal.  This is a really fun YA story with some really creative elements..
  • Sweet Evil, Sweet Peril, Sweet Reckoning, and Sweet Temptation by Wendy Higgins
    • This series has been recommended so many times by fans of other authors I love.  It also frequently pops up as a recommendation on my library's overdrive site based on my reading habits.  I'm finally getting around to it as it is going to fill the popsugar prompt for a book with a title that contains "salty", "sweet", "bitter", or "spicy".  This series is definitely a "guilty pleasure" read.  It follows the children of fallen angels and has all of the YA tropes that you would expect, bad boy attracts the good girl, the insta-love, the love triangle, all of that stuff but I find myself engrossed in the story and invested in the characters.  This is different enough from other YA angel/demon tales that it keeps my interest and I want to know what happens next.
  • The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
    • I've been loving this series. I love the mythology, the characters, and the writing style.  This was a great ending to the trilogy, everything came full circle.  I will admit, the Russian naming conventions still confused me as everyone has more than one name and several of the character names are very similar.  That didn't take away from the awesome story.  I see myself revisiting Vasya on her adventures in the future.  
  • The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
    • I'm using this for two challenges, The Reading Rush and a book I saw being read on TV.  I saw one of the characters reading this to her kids on season 3 of True Detective, and it fits the non-human main character prompt for reading rush.  I found a really good version on Hoopla narrated by Gildart Jackson, but there are many versions to choose from plus I followed along the ebook version to keep the characters straight.  I didn't realize this is a collection of stories, not just the tale I know from the Disney movie about Mowgli and Baloo.  This was actually pretty enjoyable.
  • A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
    • I never read this as a girl, but I loved the movie.  This and the Secret Garden by the same author were favorite movies of mine.  While the stories have a similar feel, they are different enough for a young girl to enjoy.  As an adult I enjoyed it and it was nostalgic to finally listen to it.  This fulfilled The Reading Rush prompt to read a book and watch the movie.  I also used this as my Popsugar prompt for a book that makes me nostalgic because it makes me remember watching it as a little girl and playing make believe at my grandmother's house in her living room.  I loved this story and the Secret Garden as a girl and I still love them today.
  • Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart
    • This is the sequel to Grace and Fury.  It follows a pair of sisters as they fight back against the oppressive society that gives women no rights and treats them as property.  The sisters have had enough of being submissive and treated as little more than slaves.  This was a decent sequel, but it moved a bit slowly.  I really liked the first book and looking back I couldn't put it down.  It took until about 60% until things started to happen and the build up wasn't as suspenseful as the first book.  It still love the message of this series about girls not needing to be pretty and silent and rely on their male counterparts.

Blog Tour: The King by Jennifer L. Armentrout

We are beyond excited to be sharing this release from Jennifer L. Armentrout with you today! THE KING is part of the Wicked series and it is releasing as part of 1001 Dark Nights. It just went live! Check out an excerpt and book trailer from the title below. Click here to grab your copy now.


Purchase your copy of THE KING today!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

About THE KING:

From #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes the next installment in her Wicked series.

As Caden and Brighton's attraction grows despite the odds stacked against a happily ever after, they must work together to stop an Ancient fae from releasing the Queen, who wants nothing more than to see Caden become the evil Prince once feared by fae and mortals alike.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**


Add THE KING to your Goodreads TBR here!

Purchase your copy of THE KING today!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

BOOK TRAILER


“Jennifer L. Armentrout’s intoxicating new fantasy is her best yet!” New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter on Storm and Fury
“Dark, mysterious, and yet often hilarious, this riveting page-turner sparkles with innuendo and delivers a breathtaking romance; a stunning conclusion to the trilogy.
Library Journal on Moonlight Scandals
“With this first title in her new Dark Elements series, powerhouse author Armentrout delivers another action-packed, believably narrated ride through a paranormal world as seen by a teen.”Booklist on White Hot Kiss






About JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT:

# 1 New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Connect With Her:


Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Review: Black Dawn

Black Dawn Black Dawn by Mallory McCartney
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m not sure if the copy I received is an arc or a final copy. It was already published when I grabbed a copy to review. I really hate to give this a bad review but this book was really lacking in all of the things I look for in book.

The cover caught my eye and the description sounded like a promising YA fantasy. Unfortunately, this did not deliver. This book is just shy of 200 pages, which I consider to be novella length. A book needs to be clear and concise in such a short amount of time, and I was confused the entire time. This book needed atleast 200 more pages to tell it’s story. There is little to no world building, no character development, the plot was all over the place and everything happens way too fast.. This story has a ton of potential, but the author takes every fantasy element and trope out there the chosen one, a love triangle, multiple perspectives, time travel, magic, superpowers, witches, shapeshifters, and fae and throws them into this book without really developing any of the plot or explaining anything. That didn’t work for me.

The author has a decent story here and the actual writing isn’t bad. This book needs better explanations and more details especially with all of the plotlines happening and all of the characters that get a voice.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  This book was published in February 2017 and the series is complete.  It does have decent reviews, it just wasn't for me.


View all my reviews

Review: Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

Small Spaces Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fun middle grade "scary story". It wasn't over the top scary so those who want to dip their toes into horror but don't want to be terrified, this would be a good one to start with. It still has Arden's beautiful writing while being whimsical enough to appeal to young readers. This book is perfect for Halloween/fall time when you really want to read something spooky. This is reminiscent of reading RL Stine’s Fear Street series for me as a kid, which I loved!

This follows Ollie, a 6th grade girl who has recently lost someone very close to her. She is grieving and uses books as a coping mechanism. She comes across a strange book by even stranger circumstances, but she doesn’t know that this book will save her and her friends on a very weird field trip. As the trip unfolds, Ollie teams up with two of her classmates, Brian and Coco, to figure out what is going on and try to find a way out of what seems like a nightmare. The trio is warned to stay in small spaces to stay safe. Guided by the book and prompts from Ollie’s watch, the trio faces scary situations and creatures on their way to save their class and themselves.

Overall, this was a fun little book and I’m looking forward to Dead Voices. I love Arden’s writing and I really enjoyed this.

I was provided an ARC of this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  This book was published in September of 2018.  Dead Voices is due out at the end of August 2019.

View all my reviews

Monday, July 29, 2019

Reading Rush Wrap Up



I can't believe The Reading Rush is over!  The week went by so quickly!  I didn't think I'd be so successful with getting through so many books this week.  I'm really happy I participated this year and I'm very impressed that I completed all of the challenges.  In addition to the original 7 challenges, I also read over 1000 pages (1507 to be exact)

  • Read a book with purple on the cover
    • a. Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
      • This was a really fun middle grade, spooky story.  I love Arden's writing and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
  • Read a book in the same spot the entire time
    • a. Skyward, vol 2: Here There be Dragonflies by Joe Henderson
      • This is the 2nd bind up of a graphic novel series about earth in a low gravity environment and the fallout in a world with little to no gravity.  The main character is on a dangerous mission to fix the world and turn gravity back on.  I really enjoy the art in this series and I'm looking forward to the next bindup.
  • Read a book you meant to read last year
    • Black Dawn by Mallory McCartney
      • This has been on my shelf for 2 years and I kept meaning to get to it.  I'm glad I finally read and reviewed it, but I really did not enjoy it.  It has a ton of potential but lacked development.
      • This is also a debut novel.
  • Read an author’s first book
    • The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
      • I didn't read this one, I read Alice in Wonderland instead.
    • The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
      • I read that this was Carroll's first novel.  I'm not 100% sure if that is true, if not could count this as my 5+ word book and swap Black Dawn and Race Bailey and still meet all the challenges.  Not much needs to be said about the story.
  • Read a book with a non-human main character
    • The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
      • I didn't realize this was a collection of stories, but I really enjoyed it.  Almost all of the character are animals.  I didn't love all of the stories, but I enjoyed most of them.  Rikki Tikki Tavi was one of my favorite movies that we watched in elementary school in library class, and I've only ever watched the Disney movie version of The Jungle Book.  I will say Mowgli and Baloo's tale stays fairly to Kipling's original, minus the singing of course.  I also really enjoyed The White Seal.  I highly recommend the audio narrated by Gildart Jackson.
  • Pick a book that has five or more words in the title
    • The Magic of Race Bailey by Eric Hobbs
      • This is a fun YA story about a teen who lives in the shadow of his famous magician father.  After a tragic incident Race finds out his father was actually a secret agent in a magical society.  Hijinx ensues.  
      • This could have also fit the meant to read last year challenge.  I've had this one for quite a while as well.
  • Read and watch a book to movie adaptation
    • A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
      • This was one of my favorite movies alone with The Secret Garden when I was a girl.  Who doesn't make believe they are a princess when they are a little girl.  I realized I had never read the books last year when I read The Secret Garden.  This is a rags to riches tale that is truly heartwarming and was my 5 star read.  This was just so nostalgic for me and I really enjoyed the story.
      • I did watch the movie, and while I know there are many adaptations out there mine did a decent job staying true to the book. There some major changes made, but it didn't take away from the heart of the story and I enjoyed it.  
  • Bonus Challenge: Read 7 books!
    • I can't believe I read 7 books.  To be fair I did listen to 2 of them on audio, but to keep with the spirit of reading I have ebooks for both of them and I read along with them and did end up finishing both of them via ebook.

RELEASE DAY BLITZ: Senior Year Bucket List by J.M. Miller

SYBL ebook cr

Senior Year Bucket List
Genre – New Adult Rom-Com
Cover Photo – Artist Regina Wamba
Cover Design - Qdesign Amy Queau






Caleb Samuels.
Smug. Irritating. Pain in the …
After high school, I was content with the idea of never seeing him again.
But as his sister Merilyn’s best friend, it was bound to happen eventually. I just didn’t expect it to be at her wake, where, following a foolish, naive, and completely ridiculous incident, I’m prepared to return to my completely routine life and wash my hands of him forever. Again.
Unfortunately, Merilyn had other plans.
Even though she traveled the world, her final request is for Caleb and me to recreate our senior year bucket list and take her ashes along for one last adventure.
All the foolish, naive, and, you guessed it, completely ridiculous memories return in an instant.
He tormented me, teased me, kissed me like no one ever had, made me fall for him, and broke me like no one else ever would.
Reliving it all might end with a crash worse than the first.
Or maybe not.
Maybe the fall would never end.





SYBL teaser
I blinked longer than necessary, knowing I should have looked away entirely. The memory of how her lips had felt on mine not even a week ago seemed to hold me hostage, though. A copious amount of whiskey may have been coursing through every part of me that day, blurring my very existence and creating a haze of chatter inside my head—spoken words of sympathy and mourning from others as well as thoughts of anger and agony from myself—but I remembered every f**king thing about her as if she were the rain within, clearing it all away.





J.M. Miller currently resides in Florida's panhandle. When she isn't distracted by social media sites, she writes romance novels that vary in genre from contemporary to fantasy. Aside from spending time with her family, she loves to travel and will jump at the chance to go anywhere, whenever life allows.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

N.E.W.T.s Magical Read-a-Thon TBR


I participated in the O.W.L.s in April, and now it is time for the N.E.W.T.s.  Any Harry Potter fan will know what I'm talking about.  If you don't have a clue what I'm talking about, NEWTs are the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests that 7th year students take at Hogwarts to determine their magical career paths upon graduation.

If you want more information about the Magical Read-a-Thon go check out Book Roast's announcement video.  She does such an amazing job with all of the prompts the documents she creates.

So when I took my O.W.L.s back in April, I picked Magizoologist as my career path based on what I thought my initial TBR would be.  I did end up finishing all the reading prompts (see what I read), so I think I can pick any career in the guide depending on how many N.E.W.T.s I finish in August.  I'm going to stick with the original plan and try to use the ARCs I've got coming up for fall and some of the books I was planning on reading for the Popsugar and Read Harder Challenges.  As I read other things I'll pencil in where they fit on my sheet to see what else I can finish.

There is also a group read book that you can use to fill in any prompt, Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell.  Not sure if I'll get to this one, but it sounds interesting.

Keeping with the Magizoologist plan, that means I need receive the following marks on my NEWTs
  • O in Care of Magical Creatures
  • E in Charms
  • E in Herbology
Below are the prompts and the books I plan to read to achieve the required marks to become a Magizoologist:

Magical Creatures Prompts
Charms Prompts
  • Read a book that you think has a gorgeous cover
  • Read a comic/graphic novel/manga (book under 150 pages)
    • Star Mage Vol 2 by J.C De La Torre and Facundo Percio
      • I read volume 1 for the OWLs but I think I'm going to read the version that has issues 1-6 because they are really short.
Herbology Prompts
  • Listen to an audiobook
  • Read a book between 350-390 pages
    • The Furies by Katie Lowe
      • Goodreads lists this at 368 pages







Friday, July 26, 2019

Review: The King by Jennifer L. Armentrout



The King The King by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided a copy of this novella via the author in exchange for an honest review.

The King picks up where The Prince left off. Brighton is determined to avenge her mother's death by tracking down the evil Ancient fae who attacked them and murdered her mother and left Brighton for dead. Caden, The King, is set on keeping Brighton from hunting fae because despite the fact that he says they can't be together because of reasons, he doesn't want any harm to come to her. Brighton is no longer the meek, quiet researcher that everyone in the Order has come to know, driven by her need for vengeance she has trained on her own to be a fierce warrior.


As Brighton and Caden both hunt for Aric, the Ancient fae who has cause both of them unspeakable pain, they find it hard to deny the attraction they feel for one another. Caden knows he can't be with Brighton because his duties as king require much of him. Fueled by her anger at Caden, her feeling of inadequacy within the Order, Brighton is only more determined to find Aric and kill him. Unfortunately Aric has plan of his own for Brighton and Caden. Aric takes Brighton and holds her in captivity for several weeks, as you can imagine this is brutal and torturous. He plans to use her as leverage to get Caden to do something, and Aric reveals several juicy details about Caden's past that may influence the King's decisions.


Fans of Tink will not get their fix, as he doesn't play a big role in this installment. He, Ivy, and Ren are all in the story but their parts are small and the main focus of the book is really on Brighton and her strength. She endures so much pain and while I won't say she is OK, she survives only to be presented with more issues to deal with. Can you say cliffhanger. There is another novella coming and I can't wait to find out how it all ends for Brighton and Caden. I really love this world and how the characters have developed over time. Brighton has come so far from the original series and she is only getting better.










View all my reviews

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Cover Reveal: I Hate You by Ilsa Madden-Mills

I HATE YOU CR BANNER
I want you . . . even when I hate you.

I Hate You, an all-new enemies to lovers sports romance standalone from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills, is coming August 19th and we have the sexy cover!

IMMIHateYouBookCover55x85_HIGH

Blaze Townsend: I hate you.

Charisma Rossi: I hate you more.

She’s been expecting this ever since their latest showdown. She had good reason.
Hottest guy she’s ever seen.
Former fling.
Dumped her in front of her friends.
At her own party.
So no, she’s not about to forgive and forget just because he sits next to her in class.
He thinks all he has to do is turn on those baby blues, and she’ll melt right back into his arms. Please.She’d be crazy to let this cocky player affect her again. (Tell that to her body.)
Charisma Rossi.
Nerd girl with a dash of bad.
The one who got under his skin.
The one he cut loose.
Blaze knows she’s the riskiest prospect at Waylon University, but none of the interchangeable girls he hooks up with have ever made him feel the way she did. There’s absolutely no way he can have the girl and the game.
So why can’t he stop trying to win her back?
Can this wide receiver score the girl or will he make the biggest fumble of his life

I HATE YOU COMING SOON GRAPHIC

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2ZhXn09

Be notified FIRST when I Hate You is live! Text ROMANCE to 21000
*Standard text messaging rates apply
Cover Designed by: Letitia Hassar, RBA Designs
Photographer: Wander Aguiar
Model: Eddie

IHY Teaser Official

About Ilsa Madden-Mills
Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.
Eight of her eleven novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Fake Fiancée and I Dare You #2; I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.
A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.
She's addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online.

Ilsa head shot-2

Connect with Ilsa
Join her Unicorn Girls Group on FB, the best way to keep up: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ilsasunicorngirls/
Sign up for phone alert for book releases (max of 4) Text ROMANCE to 21000
Stay up to day with Ilsa by joining her mailing list: http://www.ilsamaddenmills.com/contact

Cover Reveal: The Kiss Me Series by Emma Hart

SERIES BANNER 1

The Kiss Me Series, an all-new hilarious series of standalones from New York Times bestselling author Emma Hart is coming August 27th and we have the fresh and fun covers!

Kiss Me Not

Releasing August 27th
Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000035_00027]

Let me make this clear right here, right now: I, Halley Dawson, do not care that Preston Wright is kissing other women.
Not a lick. Not at all. Nuh-uh-freakin’-uh.
I do care that he’s doing it six feet away from me behind a gaudy velvet curtain—making him my competition in this year’s kissing contest.
Why do I care, you ask? Because I’ve had an unfortunate crush on the insufferable idiot since I was sixteen years old, but I also know it’s never going to happen.
He’s the Creek Falls bachelor to die for, and I’m the Creek Falls racoon lady who puts peanut butter sandwiches out for them every night.
I’m not going to let him break my four-year-long reign—no matter how many times he breaks the rules and slides the curtain across to do the one thing he’s not allowed to:
Kiss me.

seriesgraphic4.jpg

Pre-order your copy today!
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/KissMeNot

Kiss Me Tonight

Releasing September 24th
KISSMETONIGHT-1

What do a wrong number text, a burning building, and a quirky florist have in common?
A hunky firefighter with an extra-large…hosepipe.

In hindsight, I never should have opened that text message. The last thing I needed first thing on a Monday was a picture of some stranger’s, um, eggplant, in my inbox.
I also should have replaced the batteries in my fire alarm, because my Friday night did not need to end with my apartment building going up in flames.
But it’s fine. It’s fine. Everything is fine.
I’m only lying in a hospital bed with more split ends than I’ve ever had, almost all my Earthly possessions have turned to ash, and apparently, they don’t serve wine to patients in this place.
But like I said, it’s fine.
Until he walks in.
The guy who saved my life. My hero. Noah Jacobs.
And the universe is amusing itself at my expense, because the dirty photo I woke up to on Monday?

It’s his.

Pre-order your copy today!

Kiss Me Again

Releasing October 22nd
KISSMEAGAIN

WANTED: ROOMMATE. Must be tidy, polite, and absolutely not my brother’s hot as sin best friend.

I have no idea why I said yes.
Maybe I’d had one too many wines. Maybe I’d done it accidentally. Maybe I’d been sleep-texting.
One thing I know for sure is this: I absolutely do not want Ethan Hawkins in my apartment, up in my business, taking over my space.
Yet he’s here. Moving his stuff into my spare bedroom. Sending a wave of panty-melting, musky man-scent my way every time he walks past me.
Here’s the thing.
We don’t get along—at all. We never have, and I don’t think we’re going to start now that we’re under one roof.
There’s also that little issue where I’m kinda, sorta, totally in love with him…
Uh-oh.

Pre-order your copy today!

About Emma Hart
Emma Hart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels and has been translated into several different languages.
She is a mother, wife, lover of wine, Pink Goddess, and valiant rescuer of wild baby hedgehogs.
Emma prides herself on her realistic, snarky smut, with comebacks that would make a PMS-ing teenage girl proud.
Yes, really. She's that sarcastic.
EmmaHart

Connect with Emma
Stay up to date with Emma by joining her mailing list: https://www.emmahart.org/newsletter

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Netgalley Reviewathon TBR

Photo Credit: Netgalley

I've been reviewing books from Netgalley for about 2 years.  This year they are holding a reviewathon from July 22nd through August 30th to encourage reviewers to clean up their TBR and increase their reviewer stats.  The higher your feedback ratio and the  more reviews you leave, the more likely you are to be approved for future requests.  Who doesn't want to read books early and promote their favorite authors?

My feedback ratio is pretty good, it hovers between 75 and 80%, but that doesn't mean I get approved for everything I request.  I have plenty of books on my backlog that I need to clear out.  Several of these were already published when I downloaded them for review, and I kept putting them off.  I still plan on reading and reviewing them.  This reviewathon is the perfect opportunity to clean up my TBR shelf and post all of my outstanding reviews.

Check out the Netgalley IG for the weekly challenges.

Here are the books on my shelf currently in no particular order.  I plan on reading quite a few of these for current and upcoming reading challenges.  I've already started Small Spaces for The Reading Rush and hope to get to Black Dawn by the end of week 1 of the reviewathon.

  1. Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
  2. Black Dawn by Mallory McCartney
  3. A Boy Made of Blocks by Keith Stuart
  4. The Broken Destiny by Carlyle Labushagne
  5. Last Night by Karen Ellis
  6. Extinction of All Children by L.J. Epps
  7. Journey To Territory M by L.J. Epps
  8. Journey To Territory U by L.J. Epps
  9. An Act of Faith by C.A. Oliver
  10. The Furies by Katie Lowe
  11. The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

All the lovely covers of the books I need to read

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Release Blitz: The King by Jennifer L. Armentrout

We are beyond excited to be sharing this release from Jennifer L. Armentrout with you today! THE KING is part of the Wicked series and it is releasing as part of 1001 Dark Nights. It just went live today! Check out an excerpt and book trailer from the title below. Click here to grab your copy now.


Purchase your copy of THE KING today!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

About THE KING:

From #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes the next installment in her Wicked series.

As Caden and Brighton's attraction grows despite the odds stacked against a happily ever after, they must work together to stop an Ancient fae from releasing the Queen, who wants nothing more than to see Caden become the evil Prince once feared by fae and mortals alike.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**


Add THE KING to your Goodreads TBR here!

Purchase your copy of THE KING today!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

Excerpt:

“I don’t think this is wise,” Tink said for what had to be the hundredth time since he realized I was getting ready for a night out. “Like I think this is very poorly thought-out, if you ask me, Lite Bright.”
“I didn’t ask you, Tink.”
My uninvited roommate of sorts hovered outside my bathroom. Tink wasn’t human, but right now, he looked like any normal twenty-something guy. Well, if normal, twenty-something guys had natural, shockingly white hair and were beautiful in a way that almost seemed fragile.
This was his full-grown Tink size, something I was still—even after all this time—getting used to. I was more accustomed to pint-sized Tink with the translucent wings. After all, he was a brownie.
After the attack that had taken my mother’s life and should’ve ended mine, he’d basically moved in with me. He’d been here for the last two years, something Ivy’s husband pretended to be grateful for, but in reality, I knew he secretly missed the dude.
“You should ask me,” he replied. When I glanced over at him, I got a little distracted by the dazzle…emanating from the sequin tank top he wore. It was so shimmery that I wondered if he was using some of his magic.
Tink may be a goofball, but he was also one of the most powerful creatures in our realm.
Thank God there was only one of him.
“I am a wealth of amazing advice,” he continued. Dixon, the cat he’d named after a Walking Dead character that Tink called “the hottest redneck eva” slinked around Tink’s ankles. The cat was all gray except for his tail, which looked like it had been dipped in white paint.
I snorted. “When have you ever given me good advice?”
“When I told you two weeks ago not to eat the whole carton of beignets because you’d get sick and you did,” he shot back.
I winced, picking up my mascara. I had gotten sick, but I deserved that carton of sugary, fried goodness. That day…
I didn’t want to think about that day.
“And what about when you ordered that supreme pizza and ate almost all of it?” he said. “I told you that it would probably make you feel bad later.”
Nose wrinkling, I tried to remember what night he was talking about. There were a lot of Friday nights—pizza night in my household—that I ate an entire pie and felt terrible afterward.
“Or how about that time I told you that the seared ahi tuna looked a little gray for my liking? But, oh no, Brighton knows better.” He reached down, scratching Dixon between the ears. “You ate it all, and then I spent the night cleaning up your puke.”
Ew.

BOOK TRAILER


“Jennifer L. Armentrout’s intoxicating new fantasy is her best yet!” New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter on Storm and Fury

“Dark, mysterious, and yet often hilarious, this riveting page-turner sparkles with innuendo and delivers a breathtaking romance; a stunning conclusion to the trilogy.
Library Journal on Moonlight Scandals
“With this first title in her new Dark Elements series, powerhouse author Armentrout delivers another action-packed, believably narrated ride through a paranormal world as seen by a teen.”Booklist on White Hot Kiss






About JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT:

# 1 New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.



Connect With Her:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Twitter | Bookbub

Monday, July 22, 2019

Review: The Magic of Race Bailey by Eric Hobbs

The Magic of Race Bailey The Magic of Race Bailey by Eric Hobbs
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a fun read. It follows Horatio "Race" Bailey Jr, son of a famous magician after his father's untimely death after one of his magic tricks is tampered with during a show. When Race's home is ransacked by strange men looking for a trinket his dad gave him only a few days earlier, Race isn't sure what to do. He and his best friends Penny and Max find themselves pulled into a secret government agency for magical arts, but he isn't sure who he can trust. Race and Penny come to find out that they hold an ancient artifact that might let them speak to the dead, or it might bring on the zombie apocalypse.

Race soon realizes that the people he thought he could trust are actually not trustworthy at all. Race soon finds himself in a magical battle and he must rely on all of those magic tricks he thought he hated to survive.

This was a quick, fast paced read. This is a standalone but is definitely open for more magical adventures as Race has taken up his father's mantle as magician and secret agent with Penny and Max by his side.   I've read several of Hobbs books and they are all whimsical and fun.  I look forward to reading more of his stuff in the future. 

I was provided an advanced copy of this by the author for an honest review, but I purchased the final copy from Amazon when it was free.  I've had this on my to review list forever.  I put this on my Reading Rush TBR for this week and I'm glad I did. 

View all my reviews

Friday, July 19, 2019

The Reading Rush TBR


I kept seeing all of these read-a-thon videos on youtube about reading rush, soI finally watched one to see what it was all about.  I usually just watch the vlogs and the wrap-up videos because I want to see what people thought about the books.  I came to find out that Booktubeathon got a new name, and it feels a bit more inclusive so those of us who don't vlog feel inclined to participate.  Go check out Reading Rush's website or channel for all of the details.  You can also create a profile, join forums, track your progress, and connect with other bookish people doing the challenge.  Plus you can get fun badges for all the challenges you complete.

The read-a-thon runs from July 22 to July 28 and there are 7 challenges for the week.  There will be additional video and instagram challenges as well.  I just want to get lots of reading done.  Maybe I'll even participate in some of the instagram challenges.

As for my TBR, I probably won't read 7 books next week but if I get through 4 that will be an accomplishment.  I'll be happy if I complete any of these during the week.  I'm so behind, so what better way to read more books than join an unplanned readathon.  I put together a pretty ambitious TBR, but I plan to listen to at least two of them on audio.  Most of the books are around 200 pages so hopefully I can get through half or more in a day and start another. 

Connect with me on Reading Rush via my profile link

1.  Read a book with purple on the cover
a.   Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
2.  Read a book in the same spot the entire time
3.  Read a book you meant to read last year
a.   Black Dawn by Mallory McCartney
4.  Read an author’s first book
a.   The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
5.  Read a book with a non-human main character
a.   The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
6.  Pick a book that has five or more words in the title
a.   The Magic of Race Bailey by Eric Hobbs
7.  Read and watch a book to movie adaptation
a.   A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Bonus Challenge: Read 7 books!