Reading Rush 2020 TBR

It is that time of year again for The Reading Rush.  You can check out The Reading Rush's website or channel for all of the details.  This year's challenge run's from July 20-26th.  There are always 7 challenge prompts, and you can do the challenge however you like.  All types of media count, so ebooks, audiobooks, comics, graphic novels, or whatever you consider reading fits.  You can read 7 things or you can double up on things so you fill all 7 prompts.  You can also deviate from your TBR and no

Check out their website for forums, merchandise, badges, and all the information you need for the challenge.  It is a fun challenge and a mid-year push to read some things already on my TBR.  While this is mainly a vlog based challenge I like to participate in the TBR and wrap up portions as well as the instagram challenges.  There is no pressure to participate, and the forums are a fun way to participate with other book lovers.

This year's group read is Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid.  I've already read it, and highly recommend the audiobook.  If you want to know what I thought you can see my review here.

Like last year I am planning read 7 things in 7 days.  I purchased Amazon's Forward Collection, which consists of 6 individual sci-fi books by authors I already really enjoy.  Several of them fit prompts this year and since they are all under 100 pages they are perfect for a read-a-thon.  I could probably read the whole collection if I wanted.  I've been rediscovering my love of sci-fi over the last few months and this is the perfect time to read these.

The challenges and what I plan to read:  

1. Read a book with a cover that matches the colour of your birth stone.
1. Randomize by Andy Weir
2. My birthstone is amethyst, and the cover of this one looks purple on my kindle.
2. Read a book that starts with the word “The”.
1. The Red Threads of Fortune by JY Yang
2. I read the first book last year and really loved it.  It has a diverse cast of characters and a really interesting fantasy storyline.  I'll likely be going with the audiobook of this one because it is only a few hours and I can listen to it while I'm at work and doing other stuff.
3. Read a book that inspired by a movie you’ve already seen.
1. Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang which inspired Arrival
2. I've been meaning to read the short story after watching the movie.  I plan on reading the entire collection of short stories.
4. Read the first book you touch.
1. I'm not sure how I'm going to do this yet.  I have another prompt on my Popsugar list that is basically the same challenge.  I've got a ton of books on my physical bookshelves that I can use, but they are all pretty long.  Since most of my other books are short this gives me a little more room for a longer book.  I'll probably post the something on instagram closer to the challenge on what I picked.
5. Read a book completely outside of your house. 
1. Emergency Skin by NK Jemison
2. This is around 30 pages so it shouldn't be a problem for me to read it outside of my house.  I have a really nice front porch and backyard  that will work nicely if I can't get away from home because of coronavirus.
6. Read a book in a genre that you’ve always wanted to read more of. 
1. I have a read harder challenge to read a play so this kills 2 prompts with one "book".  Plays are something I never read and this one has won a ton of awards.
2. How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel
7. Read a book that takes place on a different continent than where you live.
1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.  
2. I've had the audiobook of this for quite a while now, and this is a great time to read this classic.

Review: The Safe Place by Anna Downes

The Safe Place by Anna Downes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a perfect summer thriller.  It was engaging, the pace was good, and while I did find it predictable I still thoroughly enjoyed it!   This will be published on July 14, 2020.

This alternates between three perspectives Emily a down on her luck actress who can't seem to hold a job, Scott a powerful businessman who seems to have everything all figured out, and Nina's diary entries which give us insight into events of the past.  I found Emily to be annoying at times because she seemed unrealistically gullible, naive, confused by the simplest of task, and the ability to make every bad choice presented to her.  This was all blamed on a bad childhood she can't remember, despite being saved from said childhood and raised with solid, loving adoptive parents from a very young age.  Scott and Nina were very much in love at one point, but they live apart much of the time.  Nina raises their sick daughter and is working restoring their French home with grand plans to turn it into a vacation home of sorts while Scott funds her escapades from England.  Nina is lonely and needs help with the restoration and upkeep of the property, so when Emily is conveniently fired as a temp from Scott's company, her acting career goes belly up, Scott swoops in with an offer she can't refuse.  Desperate to make some cash, Emily finds herself taking a position as a housekeeper, groundskeeper, jack of all trades, and possibly aupair to help Nina with whatever she needs.  Emily finds herself immediately drawn to Nina and her daughter Aurelia and in love with the French home.  Everytime she finds something amiss she dismisses it as something she doesn't understand or part of Aurelia's illness.

The more the story unfolds the more Emily starts to see that something strange is happening at the house.  Determined to unravel the mystery, she sets out to find out the truth behind all of the weird things that have happened since she arrived in France.  What she discovers is more than she expected, and hits closer to her own story than she planned.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: The Queen by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.  This will be released on Tuesday July 14, 2020.  There will also be a bindup available with all 3 novellas in the series.  

While each of the books in the 1001 Dark Nights offerings is a standalone, I would recommend reading the previous novellas in the series so you understand what is going on.  I don't think you need to read the main Wicked series to read the novellas, Jen does a good job giving you enough information in [book:The Prince|37531545] to get you set up for this storyline.  I do believe this is the final installment of books in the world and series, however the ending does leave things open ended.  I wouldn't be upset if we got more from this world.  

This picks up where [book:The King|41142454] leaves off.  Brighton has just returned from her ordeal with Aric and has to deal with the trauma she experienced there.  She also has to deal with learning that Caden is the King and how their relationship with impact the Summer Court.  Both Brighton and Caden want to do the right thing, but in doing so they both leave out important details when they are talking to one another.  As you can imagine this miscommunication or lack thereof leads to some tense situations.  Brighton is dealing with physical, emotional, and mental stressors.  She's just learned a whole bunch of surprising information and is trying to figure out what the best thing is to do for herself, her relationship with Caden, and the fate of the world.  In the meantime the members of the Order and the Summer Court are out looking for Aric's right hand man Neal and still trying to prevent the evil Fey queen from crossing over and causing more destruction.  Once Brighton and Caden get their relationship status on the same page, they have to deal with more unrest at Hotel Good Fae.  I don't want to spoil too much of the story because it is a novella and quite a bit happens in a short amount of pages.  This is not as action driven as the rest of the series, and is more character driven as things wrap up.

I really enjoyed this novella trilogy as a whole.  I really loved getting to know Brighton and watching her develop as a character and the same goes with Caden.  Brighton plays a small role in the main Wicked series, but in the novellas she is the main character and very much shines, no pun intended.  We also get to know Caden as he takes his role as the King of the Summer Court aka the good Fey in these novellas, where he was kind of the bad guy in the main series.  He's got some pretty aww inducing quotes in this little book.  Then we have everyone's favorite side character Tink.  Tink is pretty much the best character in the series and I'm glad he's back in this installment.

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Review: Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayronn

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  This was published on July 7, 2020.

If you like twisted tales and retellings, you need to give this a go.  I really enjoyed this take on Cinderella.  It isn't anything like the fairy tale we are all used to.  It does however read like many other YA fantasy novels out there.  This has a diverse cast of characters and takes on some serious issues.  

Sophia doesn't want to live by the kingdoms rules for women.  She doesn't want to  attend the ball and be chosen by a man to marry and serve.  In fact she wants to run away with her best friend and live happily ever after with her.  Unfortunately, the kingdom doesn't support same sex relationships, women have a curfew, and they are the property of their fathers or husbands until they die.  Sophia doesn't want to pretend to be happy in this type of life, and when the ball that Cinderella herself found her Prince is at hand she finds herself faced with an opportunity to escape for good.  Sophia encounters Constance, a distant relative of one of the "evil stepsisters" and learns that the tale of Cinderella may not be entirely true and the laws that the King has imposed may not be what Cinderella wanted for her subjects.  Determined to stop the King for good they seek out the Fairy Godmother to find out what the true story of the famed Cinderella really was and if there is a way to save the kingdom from the tyrant King.

This does lack the world building you expect from a fantasy or fairy tale.  While the setting is not that important to the story,   It also lacks the character development I expected from a book that takes on such important topics.  Our main character, Sophia, is set in her ways from the very beginning and that never changes.  I appreciate that she never loses focus on taking down the patriarchy and never stops fighting against the wrongs that are done to the women of the town.  She is immature and impulsive throughout, but I would have liked to see her develop a little bit of maturity throughout her adventures.  While the plot was a bit predictable, especially if you've read a ton of YA fantasy like I have, I still enjoyed this.  Cinderella is one of my favorite fairy tales and I really liked how the author spun this.  I also really liked how she took on the social issues.

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Cover Reveal: Always Crew by Tijan

Always Crew, the all-new, highly anticipated conclusion of the Crew series by New York Times bestselling author Tijan, is releasing August 25th, and we have the incredible cover!

For the longest time, I was Bren Monroe. I lived in Roussou, California. I had no parents, no brother, but I had a crew.

Then things started to change. I never planned for any of it. I didn’t think I’d fall in love. I didn’t think I’d have a relationship with my brother again. I didn’t think that he’d come back.

Now I’m in Cain. My crew is in college. They’re growing, going through their own things. And here I am, figuring out my life.

There’s always hurdles and obstacles to overcome. That was never my hardship. That was my regular. But living? Being content? Being happy? Those were my challenges now.

Everything was going well… Until it wasn’t. Again.

A/N: Always Crew is the conclusion of the Crew Series, and a 106k novel.

Pre-order your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3if3T1q Apple Books: https://apple.co/2BN6H5h Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/alwayscrew Nook: https://bit.ly/2ZAggNd Kobo: https://bit.ly/2YKEC7K Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2BOv7Lx

Add ALWAYS CREW to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2BkteWY

To celebrate, Tijan is giving away a $50 Gift Card! Click here to enter → https://bit.ly/38xXI4d

Cover Designers: Hang Le and TJ Designs

About Tijan

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores.

Connect with Tijan

Amazon: https://amzn.to/30oxe0f Facebook:http://bit.ly/2vreAub Twitter: http://bit.ly/2Vx4DpD Instagram: http://bit.ly/2PyLhwy Reader Group: http://bit.ly/38bz8nQ Audiomen Group: https://bit.ly/3bFFKgB Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2EcGBqB

Review: Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this is my favorite book of Sager’s so far!  I really loved this!

I was provided an ARC via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.  This book was published yesterday, June 30, 2020 and I highly recommend it.

Every house has a story, and boy does Baneberry Hall have a story to tell.  Maggie Holt has just inherited the famed mansion after her father's death.  She spent only a few weeks there as a child, but  she has no real memories of her time there as a five year old girl.  Her memories are supplied by the book her father wrote, House of Horrors, a nonfiction account of her family's time spent in the house.  All grown up, a designer and house flipper, Maggie is determined to clean up Baneberry Hall and sell it, and in the process find out what really happened so she can prove that "the book" is all lies and get rid of it from her life once and for all.

As I said initially, I think this is my favorite of [author:Riley Sager|15263414]'s four books to date.  I've enjoyed the other three, but there was just something about this one that really kept my attention.  This book is told in what I would call mixed media format.  It alternates between Maggie's perspective, and excerpts from "the book".  The chapters from Maggie's perspective are present day, while the chapters from the book give you a past tense version of what happen when the Holt's stayed in Baneberry Hall the first time.  The longer Maggie stays in the house and investigates her past, the more she comes to realize that some of the things that her father wrote about actually did happen.  This leads her and the reader to wonder, is Baneberry Hall really haunted?  I really liked how Sager misleads the reader several times before revealing what is really going on.  I thought I had it figured out a few times, but then he revealed something that completely busted my theory.  I think I was just as confused as Maggie was at times, and I really love that in a thriller.

I thought the pacing was good.  Maggie's POV has a slightly slower pace than the sections from Ewan's (her dad's) book, which is a little faster paced.  While this has a good many side characters, the house itself is the character that shines the most.  While Maggie and Ewan tell the story and have the majority of the experiences in the house, the house itself provides not only the backdrop but the atmosphere for everything that happens.  Without Baneberry Hall and all it's creepy vibes, there would be no story.  If you like suspenseful thrillers with a paranormal element give this a go.  I loved every moment I spent with this book and I can't wait for more from this author.

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Review: Not My Romeo by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Not My Romeo by Ilsa Madden-Mills
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.  This will be published on August 18, 2020.

 

I was expecting this to be more serious, but it is actually more of a rom-com.  I found myself laughing out loud fairly often at the situations and the banter between the main characters Elena and Jack.  Their very first meeting sets the stage for the comedy that ensues throughout the book.  Elena's best friend has set her up on a blind date on Valentine's Day, she is running late, and sits down with the only single man in the place.  She assumes that Jack is the person she is supposed to meet, and when he is charmed by her antics and the fact that she has no idea who he is, he doesn't correct her.  Sparks fly and they have a very nice evening.  Jack feels bad that he didn’t tell her who he was, but he does intend to make things right.  Unfortunately, the timing doesn’t work out and Elena finds out before he can explain. 

 

Both Elena and Jack have been betrayed by people they cared about, and Jack has a lot of baggage in his past that causes him to have major trust and commitment issues.  Elena is constantly trying to live up to everyone else's expectations and trying to fit into what the people in her small town think she should be doing.  Over the course of the book Elena has to decide if she really wants to go after her dreams of entering the fashion world to design lingerie while Jack has to figure out if he can heal from the past hurts he’s experienced and start to trust people again.  As an unlikely couple, they have to work together to see if they can make things work.

 

Just when you think this is going to be another insta-love story, it turns out not to be.  Jack and Elena are caught up in insta-lust for sure, and they can't deny that they are able to relax and be themselves when they are together.  They both have to grow as individuals as well as a couple before they can finally face their issues.  The whole time they are "dating", but they refuse to acknowledge that as they get to know each other.  This story takes place over time vs a few days which I really appreciate.  It gives the characters time to actually build a relationship that feels realistic instead of falling in love in a week and living happily ever after.

 

I really enjoyed this and I’m looking forward to more books in the series.  I hope we get books about some of the side characters.

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