February TBR

I thought February was going to be an easy month, I'm ahead on my ARC reviewing, and I don't have that many books to review this month or next.  Then I wrote down all the stuff plan on reading and it is a little daunting.  I have a ton of stuff I want to read this month and I didn't even list out all the audiobooks I hope to get to.

I talk alot about the challenge prompts I'm working on and which books fit what prompt in my TBR and wrap-ups.  If you are interested in the prompts or want to participate along with me, the links to the challenges are below.  I'm working actively on the Popsugar and Read Harder challenges.

• 2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge
• Book Riot’s 2019 Read Harder Challenge

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Last Life of Prince Alastor by Alexandra Bracken
• I've been reading this for 2 weeks already but I've been very distracted.  Not the books fault, I've just been kind of in a slump.  I'm hoping to finish it this weekend before it releases. This comes out February 5th.
• The Dysasters by Kristin Cast and P.C Cast
• I was really excited to get an ARC of this.  It looks really awesome.  This comes out February 26th.  This sounds like Twister meets X-Men meets Smallville.  Sign me up.  I love all of those things.
• Erased, Volume 4 & 5 by Kei Sanbe
• I read volume 1 for the Read Harder challenge and proceeded to read volumes 2 and 3 in January.  Now that I understand how to read the manga style of the book, I'm really interested in the plot.  I have these 2 volumes and hope to binge read them once I finish Prince Alastor.  I really enjoy this series and plan to review it as a series when I'm done.
• In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
• This just came in at the library and I'm next in line on the hold list.  I'm anxious to get back to this world and see where the next door takes us.  They are so creative and usually fast paced.
• Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
• I thought the movie trailer for this looked really cool, and the movie is 99% of the time better.  I thought I'd read this before I saw the movie.  I have no idea what this is about.
• The Queen's Resistance by Rebecca Ross
• This is the sequel to The Queen's Rising.  This comes out March 5th.  This is filled with political unrest, feuding families, star crossed lovers, and long lost magic.  The main character must work with the rightful queen and her resistance (hence the title) to help restore things to the way they should be.  I really loved the first book and I'm looking forward to getting to this one.
• Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson
• This comes out March 5th.  This is a psychological thriller.  The main character is bipolar and begins to suspect that her neighbor may be a murderer, but she isn't sure of herself or if she is an unreliable narrator in her own life.  I've been really into thrillers lately and I'm looking forward to this one.  

Audiobooks

I have about 10 audiobooks on hold but I have the first two listed checked out already.  After that it is all up in the air on what comes in when.  I also recommend a bunch of new releases for purchase and I never know if and when those will show up.

• Firestarter by Stephen King
• This fulfills my read a book with the same title prompt.  I already started this and I'm well over halfway done with it.  I am really enjoying it.  I hope to finish it this weekend.
• Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare
• This is another challenge book, Read a book by and author whose first and last name start with the same letter.    I enjoy Clare's books.  This one is fairly long, and will likely take me 2 full weeks to complete.  This is the conclusion of The Dark Artifices series I believe don't quote me on that. 
• Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard
• This comes out February 12th, and I've already read an early excerpt of this and I like what I've read so far. I can't wait to get the full copy, it picks up where book 3 left off and all of our favorite characters are present and on their own journeys.  I've listened to the entire series on audio so I'm going to continue on that way.  The narration is excellent and I'm excited to see where the various storylines go.  I hope to get this right away in February, but you never know with library holds.

January Wrap Up

I think I had a pretty good reading month to start out the year.  I got through 10 books and 7 audiobooks.  Of my books 6 of them were ARCs, and between the 17 books I finished I think atleast 12 of them can be used for reading prompts between the 2 challenges I'm working on.  Now if only I could find time to review everything I finished...I plan to do series reviews on many of these so look for those coming in the future.  

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• White Stag by Kara Barbieri
• Review
• This is the first book in a new YA Fantasy series.  This was pretty good.  It is dark and violent, so not for the weak of heart.  This follows a human who has been captured in the goblin realm for the last 100 years.  I found the plot a bit confusing at times, but overall it was pretty good.
• Freefall by Jessica Barry
• Review
• This is a mystery/thriller out on January 8th.  There's a plane crash, a daughter determined to survive, and a mother who is determined to find out what really happened.  I really enjoyed this debut.
• Firestarter by Tara Sim
• Review
• This is is a January 15th release and the 3rd book in the Timekeeper series.  I've really enjoyed the series and I'm happy with the ending for our Clock Spirit and Clock Mechanic.  I enjoyed the mythology and plot, but by the 3rd book there was a bit too much focus on the romance.  
• Moonlight Scandals by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• Review
• I love this series about three intimidating brothers and their super creepy house in New Orleans.  You aren't sure if it is haunted or not but weird stuff happens there all the time.  This book follows Devlin the eldest brother and a sexy ghost hunter named Rosie.  I loved Rosie, she's a puts up with none of Devlin's BS kind of gal.  She's quirky, and I want to be friends with her.  This had some twists in it I was not expecting.  This came out on January 29th.
• Romeo and/or Juliet a Choosable Path Adventure by Ryan North
• The Popsugar challenge has an adult choose your own adventure prompt this year.  I checked this out from the library and it is so much fun.  I've read the original Shakespeare, so I can appreciate that this is a fun twist and not meant to be taken seriously.  It is hilarious and a ton of fun to play as Romeo and Juliet and pick what you want them to do.  
• The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander
• This was the Tor ebook club pick of the month for January.  If you like sci-fi/fantasy I suggest signing up for their newsletter, they usually offer up a free book every month for subscribers.  This is an alternate history novella set around WWI.  Women used to paint dials of clocks with radium, here elephants are tasked with painting them.  It is beautifully written and very impactful in about 100 pages.  
• Erased, Volume 1, 2, & 3 by Kei Sanbe
• One of the Read Harder prompts was a to read a manga.  Barnes and Noble had a list of best Mangas from 2018 so checked out my library to see if they had any of the ones with plots that sounded interesting to me.  This is about a 29 year old pizza delivery guy/manga artist who can also travel back in time to save the day when things are going wrong.  He can't remember what went wrong in his own timeline because his memories have been erased, hence the title.  Reading manga was really challenging for me because the book is read back to front and right to left.  Once I got the hang of it, and figured out the plot I really enjoyed it, so much I got the rest of the books from the library and have proceeded to binge read the series.  I'm hoping to do a series review on it when I'm done with the 5th installment.
• Motion by Penny Reid
• I was so excited to get an ARC of this.  This is a serial series.  It follows a very intelligent, socially awkward Mona, who must impersonate her socialite sister Lisa.  Lisa is in trouble with the law and her famous parents.  Mona agrees to impersonate her twin until Lisa can return home and they can return to their normal operating schedules.  Mona finds an unexpected love interest in the person sent to watch over "Lisa" to make sure she stays put until adult supervision can arrive.  I'm sad I have to wait a few more weeks for the next one, but I know it will be worth the wait.   

Audiobooks

• Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
• Review
• This is the 2nd book in the Precious Stone Trilogy.  I didn't like this one as much as Ruby Red.  The main character was too boy crazy and everyone kept telling her she was stupid all the time.  That got irritating after a while.  I did enjoy it, it just wasn't as entertaining as the first book.  I still like the time travel aspect, and did I mention the pet demon gargoyle.  He was my favorite.
• Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier
• Review
• Pretty much the same review as book 2.  Main character continues to be dumb and boy crazy and everyone treats her like she's an idiot.  She acts idiotic at times sure, but this was pretty eye roll inducing.  The ending was convenient and you can tell this was written for 13 year old girls.  It's entertaining, but not thought provoking in anyway.
• Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
• Review
• I listened and read the e-book.  This was fairly short and both the book and audio were really good.  This book had an unreliable narrator and a mystery/thriller element that keeps you wondering what is going on.
• The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemison
• I love this series.  I love the plot, and the writing is fantastic.  This series deserves every award it has won and all the hype it has gotten.  If you like fantasy/sci-fi give this series a try.  This continues on the story from the first book but continues to explain what happened and what needs to happen in the future.  It is climate fiction and centers around a woman an her daughter who can potentially save the earth from utter destruction.  It is fairly violent and definitely not YA.
• Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel
• I loved this series.  It was so engaging.  The audio books were fairly short but I couldn't wait to get back to them every time I had to turn them off.  In this final installment we find out more about the creators of Themis, Rose saves the day again, and Vincent and Eva have the most epic father-daughter stand-off.  If you like sci-fi I recommend this series.  The full cast is awesome.
• Armada by Ernest Cline
• I loved Ready Player One, and Wil Wheaton did an awesome job with the narration of RPO, so I took a chance on this one.  It isn't as good as Ready Player One, but it still has some nostalgic references to movies, music, and video games.  Wheaton does a great job with the voices again.  
• Wildcard by Marie Lu
• I didn't love this.  I wanted more of the Warcross game and less of the relationship baggage.  I just had a hard time connecting and caring about any of the characters, which led me to not care about the plot.  It wasn't bad by any means, I just didn't enjoy it and I had much higher expectations after reading Lu's other works.  This series just wasn't for me.

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Self-Published Books

This week is a freebie because there is an extra Wednesday this month.  I went with an old topic that I've never done before since I just started participating regularly.

January 30th: Favorite Self-Published Books
I used to read self-published books a lot when I first got my Kindle, because often times they are free or really cheap to get to sucked into a series.  I've found some of my favorite authors that way.  Some of these may not be self-published any longer, but they were at the time.  These are in no particular order because this was much harder than I thought it would be.  If you've read any of my posts before many of these authors should come as no surprise, they've been favorites of mine for a very long time.  

1.     Slumber by Samantha Young

a.       

b.     I know Samantha Young has gone on to have a very successful career in adult contemporary romance, but when I found her she was writing YA paranormal and self-publishing her books.   This is the first book of hers I ever read and it remains my favorite.  I recommend all of her YA stuff and all of her adult/NA stuff as well.  She is one of my favorites and one of the few romance authors I will read.  This one is about a handmaiden who has to save the princess and the kingdom by tracking down a mysterious flower to cure the princess' sleeping sickness.  It has adventure, romance, action, and I loved it.  

2.     Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan

a.       

b.     This was self-published when I bought it, I checked.  I'm not sure what the status is today.  I have a bunch of Mia's books I need to get to, her books are heart wrenching but they are worth it.  This one is my favorite to date.  This involves a man who is mute and kind of a hermit and a woman who is running away from the bad things in her own life.  One moment of kindness on her part slowly begins to uncover the pain in his past shows how much we all need love and kindness in our lives.

3.     Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout

a.       

b.     Jen is one of my favorite authors, and she self-published this series.  I remember her posting about figuring out how to self publish something on her blog or in her group about it ages ago when her publisher wasn't really interesting in the storyline.  The series is great, it involves fae, steamy romance, and a badass female lead.

4.     Fallen Flame by J.M. Miller

a.       

b.     I am pretty sure this was self-published, if not the sequel (Scattered Plume) was for sure.  I love a good fantasy with a unique twist, especially if it has its own mythology to go with it.  The main character is a royal guard, but she is no ordinary soldier.  She has skin that burns and turns to rock like lava.  As the story unfolds we find out more about her and the magic surrounding her, the political unrest at work, and much more.  

5.     Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid

a.       

b.     The whole series is awesome as is the spinoff The Winston Brothers, so go read all of them.  You're welcome!  Penny is my go to author when I’m down.  I love all of her female characters, and their male counterparts are equally excellent.  They all have some quirk about them and I love that she puts technical stuff and science stuff in her books.  They are all so well researched.  Contemporary romance isn’t my thing but if Penny wrote it I’m going to read it and I know I’m going to love it.  I do believe all of Penny’s works are self-published.

Release Blitz: Moonlight Scandals by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Moonlight Scandals: a de Vincent novel from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is available now!

It takes a fearless woman to love the most scandalous man alive in New York Times Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout’s breathtaking novel

Even a ghost hunter like Rosie Herpin couldn’t have foreseen the fateful meeting between two mourners that has brought her so intimately close to the notorious and seductive Devlin de Vincent. Everyone in New Orleans knows he’s heir to a dark family curse that both frightens and enthralls. To the locals, Devlin is the devil. To Rosie, he’s a man who’s stoking her wildest fantasies. When a brutal attack on her friend is linked to the de Vincents, he becomes a mystery she may be risking her life to solve.

Devlin knows what he wants from this sexy and adventurous woman. But what does Rosie want from him? It’s a question that becomes more pressing—and more dangerous—when he suspects her of prying into the shadows of his past.

Now, the legends surrounding the de Vincents may not be myths at all. But if she’s to discover the truth, she must follow them straight into the arms of the man she can’t resist—the handsome devil himself

Download your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2DdOLiz

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2PMZV4I

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/MoonlightScandals

Nook: http://bit.ly/2RJEz5x

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2qEqzyk

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2PlCkZA

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2qEpkiE

Audible: https://amzn.to/2G09OGW

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

Start the Series Today!

Moonlight Sins (de Vincent series, book 1)

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2v8VLen

AppleBooks: http://bit.ly/MoonlightSins-iBooks

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/moonlightsins

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2EHHQLQ

Nook: http://bit.ly/MoonlightSins-Nook

Audible: http://amzn.to/2DJB1JZ

About Jennifer L. Armentrout

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, 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, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

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 Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more. She is also the creator and sole financier of the annual Write Your Way To RT Book Convention, a contest that gives aspiring authors a chance to win a fully paid trip to RT Book Reviews.

Connect with Jennifer L. Armentrout:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferLArmentrout

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JLArmentrout

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_l_armentrout/

GoodReads: http://bit.ly/1DiIjRa

Stay up to date with Jennifer by joining her mailing list today: https://bit.ly/2qBce5m

https://jenniferlarmentrout.com

Review: Moonlight Scandals by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Moonlight Scandals by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.  This book will be released on January 29, 2019.  I'll put the purchase links below if you are so inclined (not sponsored or affiliated, just a supporter of Jen's books and love the series).  If you love Jen's writing, you will love this.  This stands on it's own but I recommend reading the other books in the series, but you don't need to.  There are a few things that will make more sense if you do, but it isn't required.  I really appreciate that about this series.

This is the third book in the de Vincent series and it doesn't disappoint. This follows Devlin, the most enigmatic of the three brothers and Rosie Herpin, who is probably the most entertaining of the three heroines.  I want her to be my friend in real life.  I want to go ghost hunting with her and work in her family's bakery.  I love Rosie, she is smart-mouthed, quick-witted, she is kind, and she loves weird stuff. She challenges Devlin and makes him feel things, something he isn't used to doing.

Devlin has been hardened by life as the eldest of the de Vincents and we learn that he has endured some pretty rough treatment in order to protect his family, specifically his brothers. Rosie is no stranger to heartache, but she surrounds herself with people who love her and accept her love of the paranormal. Dev and Rosie meet by chance, and they keep running into each other. They immediately don't like each other, but it is evident that they are going to develop a hate-to-love relationship. Their banter is spectacular as they fight about the most ridiculous things and work up to more significant topics.

I really appreciated the twists and turns that this book took me on. I didn't see most of them coming. I almost always see the twists coming, but this book took me on a ride. I really enjoyed how the series wrapped up. I liked that each of the other brothers had a spotlight, and that they get to see Devlin in a new light.

Watch the Trailer (by Jillian Stein):

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2DdOLiz

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2PMZV4I

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/MoonlightScandals

Nook: http://bit.ly/2RJEz5x

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2qEqzyk

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2PlCkZA

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2qEpkiE

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

Start the Series Today! 

Moonlight Sins (de Vincent series, book 1)

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2v8VLen

AppleBooks: http://bit.ly/MoonlightSins-iBooks

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/moonlightsins

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2EHHQLQ

Nook: http://bit.ly/MoonlightSins-Nook

Audible: http://amzn.to/2DJB1JZ

Top 5 Wednesday: Top of Your TBR

January 23rd: Top of Your TBR


This is a tough one because there are so many books I want to read! I've mentioned some in the books I didn't get to last year and my most anticipated books already. I'm going to list books I haven't mentioned already to keep things fresh because I plan on reading those.

I'm always looking for recommendations. What's on the top of your TBR?

• The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemison
• 
• I've been listening to this series on audio and it is fantastic.  I forgot how much I like adult epic fantasy.  This series deserves all the hype it gets and every award it has won.  I love the characters and the premise of the story.  I can't wait to find out how it ends.  Will mother and daughter resolver their differences? Will the moon return?...I have so many questions!
• Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
• 
• This is another series that I listened to over the last year or so.  It is full of political intrigue, some mythology, and great characters.  This is the 6th and I believe final book in the series.  This series surprised me as it isn't something I normally go for, but as it progressed it is full of surprises.  I'm excited to find out how it all plays out.  
• Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
• 
• This is supposed to be another adult fantasy but set in a convent.  Assassin Nuns...sign me up.  I enjoyed The Grave Mercy series by Robin Lefevers, but this is adult versus YA, so I'm looking forward to it.  It has gotten really good reviews from some of my favorite reviewers and I can't wait.  I'm loving adult fantasy right now.
• Beard Necessities by Penny Reid
• 
• Contemporary romance really isn't my thing, but I make an exception if Penny writes it.  She's one of my favorite authors, I highly recommend her!  I love The Winston Brothers series and I've been waiting patiently like many of the other fans for Billy and Claire's book for what seems like forever.  This isn't due out until October.  I know it is going to be heartbreaking, but so worth it.
• The King by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• 
• Jen is another of my favorite authors, and this is a companion novella to the Wicked Trilogy.  It is due out in July.  We were left hanging in the last novella, and I'm dying to know what happens in this fae, paranormal romance.  

Trailer Reveal: Moonlight Scandals by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Moonlight Scandals: a de Vincent novel from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is coming January 29th and we have the brand new trailer for you!

It takes a fearless woman to love the most scandalous man alive in New York Times Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout’s breathtaking novel

Even a ghost hunter like Rosie Herpin couldn’t have foreseen the fateful meeting between two mourners that has brought her so intimately close to the notorious and seductive Devlin de Vincent. Everyone in New Orleans knows he’s heir to a dark family curse that both frightens and enthralls. To the locals, Devlin is the devil. To Rosie, he’s a man who’s stoking her wildest fantasies. When a brutal attack on her friend is linked to the de Vincents, he becomes a mystery she may be risking her life to solve.

Devlin knows what he wants from this sexy and adventurous woman. But what does Rosie want from him? It’s a question that becomes more pressing—and more dangerous—when he suspects her of prying into the shadows of his past.

Now, the legends surrounding the de Vincents may not be myths at all. But if she’s to discover the truth, she must follow them straight into the arms of the man she can’t resist—the handsome devil himself

Watch the trailer:

Trailer by Jillian Stein

Pre-order your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2DdOLiz

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2PMZV4I

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/MoonlightScandals

Nook: http://bit.ly/2RJEz5x