Friday, January 31, 2020

Book Blogger Hop #121, January 31st

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer from Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer's permission, I relaunched the meme on February 15, 2013. Check out the hop here

Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end on Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop's purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

The Question of the week is: What is your opinion of bibliotherapy? Do you think this is a useful way of dealing with psychological issues? If you've used it yourself, or know someone who has, what book(s) would you recommend? (submitted by Maria @ A Night's Dream of Books)

I have never heard of that, so I had to look it up. I think it would have to depend on what books, and what psychological issues, and if there's a trained professional helping or not. I think that it could be additional help. What about you guys? Happy reading!

First Lines Friday #455, January 31st

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. We encourage all of our fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

-Grab your current read(s)
-Share the first line(s)
-Include the title and author so that other FLF participants can add the book to their TBR Lists!

"It's midday, and the desert air is shimmering with heat, the streets painted black with the bodies of dead passenger pigeons. A week ago these birds flew thick enough to block out the sun, but now only a few remain, circling over Entropia's mountain city. The mournful cries echo in the air, a carpet of fallen feathers whipping into twisted clouds when the wind whistles through the hills. The city once glowed with life, dreams, and possibility, but now it's an empty, desolate monument to the dead." -The Vicious Cure by Emily Suvada

Well, that's pretty dark! Must read more! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Thursday, January 30, 2020

Random Reads #428, January 30th

Random Reads is a monthly meme (that I'm going to do weekly) hosted by I'm Loving Books to read some books that have been on our TBR piles for a long time. Using Random.org, I got 6331 which turned out to be A Psalm for Lonely Girls by Katie Bayer! It's been on my TBR pile since January 10th, 2017, and I added it because it sounded really good! Happy reading!

Third Sentence Thursday #442, January 30th

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Third Sentence Thursday is a weekly meme which likes to watch fireworks especially while eating a cookie!
1) Take the book you are currently reading and open it to a random page. Share the third full sentence on that page. (If there isn't a third one – like at the end of a chapter or a blank page – you can share the third sentence of the book or just choose another random page.) Feel free to share more than one sentence, if you feel the need to do so.
2) Review this sentence anyway you want (funny and silly reviews encouraged)
3) Post a link to your sentence at Words I Write Crazy (This Blog)
4) Visit one or two of the other blogs to check out their third sentences!

"But apparently it favors people who can barely walk and breathe at the same time, trip over shadows on the sidewalk, and fight off inconvenient face-plants wherever possible even when reading cell phones doesn't apply." -The New Improved Sorceress by Sara Hanover, page 1.

Yeah, that sounds like some awkward moments that are never ending!

What are your guy's 3rd lines? Link up below!

Will the Time Come #452, January 30th

Every Thursday I am going to list a book which I really want to read/keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books which have been on my shelf for awhile now but don't have to be, maybe you got it two weeks ago and really want to read it! Thanks to Jodie from Books for Company for this meme!
Want to Join?
-Pick a book you have been meaning to read
-Do a post telling us about the book    
-Link the post up in the linky  
-Visit the other blogs

The Dallas SWAT team is hiding one helluva secret . . . they're a pack of wolf shifters.

The team of elite sharpshooters is ultra-secretive—and also the darlings of Dallas. This doesn't sit well with investigative journalist Mackenzie Stone. They must be hiding something . . . and she's determined to find out what.

Keeping Mac at a distance proves impossible for SWAT team commander Gage Dixon. She's smart, sexy, and makes him feel alive for the first time in years. But she's getting dangerously close to the truth—and perilously close to his heart... 

Why the time hasn't come yet...
I dunno, and I don't have a copy, so it's not telling me to read it! But I want to read it, as always! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Waiting on Wednesday #455, January 29th

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

Wolf's Curse by Kelley Armstrong
Expected Publication: March 31st, 2019
From Goodreads:
For Kate and Logan Danvers, sixteen-year-old twins of the werewolf Alpha, nothing could ruin a summer faster than the words “supernatural teen leadership conference.” They expected a boring week of earnest political discussions and team-building exercises. Instead, in Wolf’s Bane, they got a crash-course in real-life leadership, when the camp imploded and the twins and their new friends fled into the West Virginia forest.

Now, in Wolf’s Curse, the group has taken refuge in a magically warded cabin only to discover that they might have been safer taking their chances with the demon outside. Trapped in a dark witch’s sanctuary, surrounded by hell hounds, the twins will need to hone their leader and team building skills fast. There are battles to be waged and mysteries to be solved. Friendships to be forged in conflict and lost in betrayal. Even romances spark to life amid the turmoil.

It might not be the way Kate and Logan expected to spend their week, but it will certainly be a summer camp to remember.

Imagine Me by Tahereh Mafi
Expected Publication: March 31st, 2019
From Goodreads:
The explosive finale to the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Shatter Me series.

Juliette Ferrars.

Ella Sommers.

Which is the truth and which is the lie?

Now that Ella knows who Juliette is and what she was created for, things have only become more complicated. As she struggles to understand the past that haunts her and looks to a future more uncertain than ever, the lines between right and wrong—between Ella and Juliette—blur. And with old enemies looming, her destiny may not be her own to control.

The day of reckoning for the Reestablishment is coming. But she may not get to choose what side she fights on.


Badger to the Bone by Shelly Laurenston
Expected Publication: March 31st, 2019
From Goodreads:
She’s the woman he’s been hired to kidnap. But ZeZé Vargas has other ideas . . . like getting them both out of this nightmare alive. Just one problem. She’s crazy. Certifiably. Because while he’s plotting their escape, the petite Asian beauty is plotting something much more deadly . . .

Max “Kill It Again” MacKilligan has no idea what one of her own is doing with all these criminal humans until she realizes that Zé has no idea who or what he is. Or exactly how much power he truly has.

But Max is more than happy to bring this handsome jaguar shifter into her world and show him everything he’s been missing out on. A move that might be the dumbest thing she’s ever done once she realizes how far her enemies will go to wipe her out. Too bad for them Zé is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her alive . . . and honey badgers are just so damn hard to kill! 


The Final Deception by Heather Graham
Expected Publication: March 31st, 2019
From Goodreads:
How do you confront a threat that is hiding in plain sight? FBI agent Craig Frasier and psychologist Kieran Finnegan hunt an escaped serial killer in the latest explosive thriller in the New York Confidential series.

It was one of Kieran’s most chilling cases: her assessment of a murderer known as the Fireman. There was no doubt that the man needed to be locked away. Now Craig is called to a gruesome crime scene that matches the killer’s methods, and news breaks that the Fireman has escaped prison.

Amid a citywide manhunt, Kieran and Craig need to untangle a web of deceit, privilege and greed. They suspect that those closest to the killer have been drawn into his evil, or else someone is using another man’s madness and cruelty to disguise their crimes.

When their investigation brings the danger right to the doorstep of Finnegan’s Pub, Kieran and Craig will have to be smarter and bolder than ever before, because this time it’s personal, and they have everything to lose. 


Night of the Dragon by Julie Kagawa
Expected Publication: March 31st, 2019
From Goodreads:
Master storyteller Julie Kagawa concludes the enthralling journey into the heart of the fantastical Empire of Iwagoto in the third book of the Shadow of the Fox trilogy. As darkness rises and chaos reigns, a fierce kitsune and her shadowy protector will face down the greatest evil of all. A captivating fantasy for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Sarah J. Maas and Marie Lu.

Kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko has given up the final piece of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers in order to save everyone she loves from imminent death. Now she and her ragtag band of companions must journey to the wild sea cliffs of Iwagoto in a desperate last-chance effort to stop the Master of Demons from calling upon the Great Kami dragon and making the wish that will plunge the empire into destruction and darkness.

Shadow clan assassin Kage Tatsumi has regained control of his body and agreed to a true deal with the devil—the demon inside him, Hakaimono. They will share his body and work with Yumeko and their companions to stop a madman and separate Hakaimono from Tatsumi and the cursed sword that had trapped the demon for nearly a millennium.

But even with their combined skills and powers, this most unlikely team of heroes knows the forces of evil may be impossible to overcome. And there is another player in the battle for the scroll, a player who has been watching, waiting for the right moment to pull strings that no one even realized existed…until now.


Dead in the Doorway by Diane Kelly
Expected Publication: March 31st, 2019
From Goodreads:
Dead in the Doorway is the second in a delightful cozy series from Diane Kelly set in Nashville—where the real estate market is to die for.

A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES. . .

Whitney Whitaker has scored the perfect piece of real estate: a ramshackle white Colonial at the top of a hill with views of downtown Nashville. What more could a self-taught home-improvement maven and occasional house-flipper ask for? Ideally, the property of Whitney’s dreams would not have come with a dead body blocking the entrance to the foyer. But Whitney, always quick to take heavy-duty matters into her own hands, also happens to be a skilled amateur sleuth. So that helps.

AND SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET.

Who is this older woman—and how did her corpse end up at the bottom of the staircase of this locked, unoccupied house? That is what Whitney, along with the support of her wood-working cousin Buck, Detective Collin Flynn, and, of course, feline partner-in-crime Sawdust, intends to find out. Her friendly-neighbor investigation takes a sharp turn, however, when Whitney discovers that the house’s former owner was a gourmet baker whose secret recipe for peach pie was to die for—perhaps literally. Now it’s up to Whitney to learn the truth about what happened before she loses this killer real-estate deal . . . and the killer comes knocking at her door.


The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag
Expected Publication: March 31st, 2019
From Goodreads:
The critically acclaimed author of The House at the End of Hope Street combines love, mystery, and magic with her first foray into bewitching fantasy with a dark edge evocative of V.E. Schwab and Neil Gaiman.

Once upon a time, a demon who desired earthly domination fathered an army of dark daughters to help him corrupt humanity . . .

As children, Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea dreamed of a strange otherworld: a nightscape of mists and fog, perpetually falling leaves and hungry ivy, lit by an unwavering moon. Here, in this shadowland of Everwhere, the four girls, half-sisters connected by blood and magic, began to nurture their elemental powers together. But at thirteen, the sisters were ripped from Everwhere and separated. Now, five years later, they search for one another and yearn to rediscover their unique and supernatural strengths. Goldie (earth) manipulates plants and gives life. Liyana (water) controls rivers and rain. Scarlet (fire) has electricity at her fingertips. Bea (air) can fly.

To realize their full potential, the blood sisters must return to the land of their childhood dreams. But Everwhere can only be accessed through certain gates at 3:33 A.M. on the night of a new moon. As Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea are beset with the challenges of their earthly lives, they must prepare for a battle that lies ahead. On their eighteenth birthday, they will be subjected to a gladiatorial fight with their father’s soldiers. If they survive, they will face their father who will let them live only if they turn dark. Which would be fair, if only the sisters knew what was coming.

So, they have thirty-three days to discover who they truly are and what they can truly do, before they must fight to save themselves and those they love.

We Are the Wildcats by Siobhan Vivian
Expected Publication: March 31st, 2019
From Goodreads:
A toxic coach finds himself outplayed by the high school girls on his team in this deeply suspenseful novel, which unspools over twenty-four hours through six diverse perspectives.

Tomorrow, the Wildcat varsity field hockey squad will play the first game of their new season. But at tonight’s team sleepover, the girls are all about forging the bonds of trust, loyalty, and friendship necessary to win.

Everything hinges on the midnight initiation ceremony—a beloved tradition and the only facet of being a Wildcat that the girls control. Until now.

Coach—a handsome former college player revered and feared in equal measure—changes the plan and spins his team on a new adventure. One where they take a rival team’s mascot for a joyride, crash a party in their pajamas, break into the high school for the perfect picture.

But as the girls slip out of their comfort zone, so do some long-held secrets. And just how far they’re willing to go for their team takes them all—especially Coach—by surprise.

A testament to the strength and resilience of modern teenage girls, We Are the Wildcats will have readers cheering. 


Seven Endless Forests by April Genevieve Tucholke
Expected Publication: March 31st, 2019
From Goodreads:
In this gorgeous standalone companion to the critically acclaimed fantasy, The Boneless Mercies, April Tucholke spins a bold and blood-hungry retelling of the King Arthur legend that is perfect for fans of Naomi Novik, Garth Nix, and Laini Taylor.

On the heels of a devastating plague, Torvi’s sister, Morgunn is stolen from the family farm by Uther, a flame-loving Fremish wolf-priest who leads a pack of ragged, starving girls. Torvi leaves the only home she’s ever known, and joins a shaven-skulled druid and a band of roaming Elsh artists known as the Butcher Bards. They set out on a quest to rescue Torvi’s sister, and find a mythical sword.

On their travels, Torvi and her companions will encounter magical night wilds and mystical Drakes who trade in young men. They will sing rowdy Elshland ballads in a tree-town tavern, and find a mysterious black tower in an Endless Forest. They will fight alongside famous Vorseland archers and barter with Fremish wizards. They will feast with rogue Jade Fell children in a Skal Mountain cave, and seek the help of a Pig Witch. They will face wild, dangerous magic that leads to love, joy, tragedy, and death.

Torvi set out to rescue a sister, but she may find it’s merely the first step toward a life that is grander and more glorious than anything she could have imagined. 

Some fantastic books coming out on the 31st, I'm so excited for these, I can't wait for them to come out! What about you guys? Happy reading!

WWW Wednesday #459, January 29th

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

Thanks to MizB of Should Be Writing now A Daily Rhythm for starting this meme!

I'm currently reading The Late Great Wizard, and I'm really enjoying it, I can't wait to read more!
I read Brightly Burning, it was a fantastic retelling, and it's in space, and I really enjoyed it!
I'm going to be reading The New Improved Sorceress, and I can't wait, it sounds fantastic!

What about you guys? Happy reading!

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

We Have the Cover of Hell's Library #2!!!!

Yeah, we have the cover (and title!) of The Archive of the Forgotten by A.J. Hackwith!

24 Hour Reading Challenge 4th January Sign Up

Yeah, another challenge! I have a lot of free time this month, what can I say? Again I'll try for a 24 hours period to read in vs. 24 hours of reading, but who knows. I'll start early tomorrow, hopefully, since I'm read for bed right now.

My goal as ever is 6-8 books, and the books I want to read this week are obviously here, Blood Countess, Dread Nation, Deathless Divide, The June Boys, The Last Great Wizard, The New Improved Sorceress, The Look-Alike, Together We Caught Fire, and Yes No Maybe So.

Others that I want to read are How to Love Your Elf, Good Girls Lie, Just Breathe, Loveboat, Taipei, Infinity Son, Life is Short and Then You Die, A Dress for the Wicked, Beyond a Darkened Shore, Crier's War, The Beholder, The Beckoning Shadow, Far from the Tree, Angel's Mage, Day Zero.

Can't wait to start reading! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Teaser Tuesday #459, January 28th

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Today's teaser comes from Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne, page 83.

"We read together every night, allotting the last half-hour before bed for Hugo's chatter, by which point he was always more than a little drunk. It became second nature to parry his too-personal questions with lighter fare, usually updates on Jessa or recounting the book I was reading."

Well, that sounds pretty nice. Though the personal questions sounds a bit annoying! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Monday, January 27, 2020

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #451, January 27th

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!

What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #450
Teaser Tuesday #458
WWW Wednesday #458
WOW #454
Will the Time Come #451
Third Sentence Thursday #441
Random Reads #427
First Lines Friday #454
Book Blogger Hop #120
The Reward Challenge Update #436
How Well I Stuck to It #288
Wrote that Review Update #285

Week 4 Reviews:
One Dark Throne
Two Dark Reigns
Five Dark Fates
The Hand on the Wall
The Stars We Steal
Dead in the Doorway
The Last Witness
Seven Deadly Shadows
The Will and the Wild
Vendetta Road
You Owe Me a Murder

Tours:
Stellar Fusion: Review

24 Hour Reading Challenge:
3rd January Sign Up
Update 1
Update 2
Update 3
Update 4
Update 5
Update 6
Update 7
Update 8 and Wrap Up

Random:
My Boxing Day Book Outlet Orders
We Have the Cover of The Archives of the Invisible Sword #2!!!!
We Have the Cover of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #27!!!!

OK, so I got 34 posts in 7 days, it was a pretty great week, lots of great books read, so I'm happy! Can't wait for next week! What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read Blood Countess, Brightly Burning, Dread Nation, Deathless Divide, The June Boys, The Last Great Wizard, The New Improved SorceressThe Look-Alike, Together We Caught Fire, and Yes No Maybe So.

A historical YA horror novel based on the infamous real-life inspiration for Countess Dracula

In 16th century Hungary, Anna Darvulia has just begun working as a scullery maid for the young and glamorous Countess Elizabeth Báthory. When Elizabeth takes a liking to Anna, she's vaulted to the dream role of chambermaid, a far cry from the filthy servants' quarters below. She receives wages generous enough to provide for her family, and the Countess begins to groom Anna as her friend and confidante. It's not long before Anna falls completely under the Countess's spell—and the Countess takes full advantage. Isolated from her former friends, family, and fiancé, Anna realizes she's not a friend but a prisoner of the increasingly cruel Elizabeth. Then come the murders, and Anna knows it's only a matter of time before the Blood Countess turns on her, too.
Seventeen-year-old Stella Ainsley wants just one thing: to go somewhere—anywhere—else. Her home is a floundering spaceship that offers few prospects, having been orbiting an ice-encased Earth for two hundred years. When a private ship hires her as a governess, Stella jumps at the chance. The captain of the Rochester, nineteen-year-old Hugo Fairfax, is notorious throughout the fleet for being a moody recluse and a drunk. But with Stella he's kind.

But the Rochester harbors secrets: Stella is certain someone is trying to kill Hugo, and the more she discovers, the more questions she has about his role in a conspiracy threatening the fleet.
The sequel to Dread Nation is a journey of revenge and salvation across a divided America.

After the fall of Summerland, Jane McKeene hoped her life would get simpler: Get out of town, stay alive, and head west to California to find her mother.

But nothing is easy when you're a girl trained in putting down the restless dead, and a devastating loss on the road to a protected village called Nicodermus has Jane questioning everything she thought she knew about surviving in 1880's America.

What's more, this safe haven is not what it appears - as Jane discovers when she sees familiar faces from Summerland amid this new society. Caught between mysteries and lies, the undead, and her own inner demons, Jane soon finds herself on a dark path of blood and violence that threatens to consume her.

But she won't be in it alone.

Katherine Deveraux never expected to be allied with Jane McKeene. But after the hell she has endured, she knows friends are hard to come by - and that Jane needs her, too, whether Jane wants to admit it or not.

Watching Jane's back, however, is more than she bargained for, and when they both reach a breaking point, it's up to Katherine to keep hope alive - even as she begins to fear that there is no happily-ever-after for girls like her.
From award-winning and highly acclaimed author Court Stevens comes a heart-wrenching story of small towns, rumors, and thirteen missing boys.

The Gemini Thief could be anyone. Your father, your mother, your best friend's crazy uncle. Some country music star's deranged sister. Anyone. Someone is stealing Tennessee's boys. Report suspicious behavior. The Gemini Thief is a serial kidnapper, who takes three boys and holds them captive from June 1st to June 30th of the following year. The June Boys endure thirteen months of being stolen, hidden, observed, and fed before they are released, unharmed, by their masked captor. The Thief is a pro, having eluded authorities for nearly a decade and taken at least twelve boys.

Now Thea Delacroix has reason to believe the Gemini Thief took a thirteenth victim: her cousin, Aulus McClaghen.

But the game changes when one of the kidnapped boys turns up dead. Together with her boyfriend Nick and her best friends, Thea is determined to find the Gemini Thief and the remaining boys before it's too late. Only she's beginning to wonder something sinister, something repulsive, something unbelievable, and yet, not impossible:

What if her father is the Gemini Thief?
A young woman must work with a magician who is not what he seems to find her father in this new contemporary portal fantasy series.

With her father vanished under suspicious circumstances and her old life destroyed, Tessa Andrews is determined to pick up the pieces and forge ahead. If only their borrowed house didn't shake and rumble as if haunted. But at least she and her mom have a roof over their heads, so her luck couldn't be all bad, could it?

As if to prove her wrong, Tessa gets an urgent call for help one night from crusty old Professor Brandard, one of the people on her charity meals route. She dashes over, only to find the house in flames and the professor gone. A handsome young man steps out of the ashes to request her assistance, claiming to be the professor and a Phoenix wizard. She not only has to believe in him, but in magic, for an ancient evil is awakening and it will take the two of them, plus a few shady friends, to stand against it.

Because the rejuvenation ritual has gone horribly wrong. The late, great wizard desperately needs to get his mojo back, for only if Brandard regains all his magic do they stand any chance of defeating this deadliest of perils.
The second book in this contemporary fantasy series returns to the life of Tessa Andrews as she balances the magical and mundane worlds.

Tessa didn't believe in magic, but magic believed in her, and that started a fight for her life.

An ancient artifact known as a maelstrom stone has embedded itself in her left palm. It thrives on chaos, which describes her new life perfectly. She battles to find a balance between the ordinary world and the magical one, all while freeing her father from his ghostly state, helping a phoenix wizard restore his rejuvenation ritual, and retrieving the stolen Eye of Nimora for the Broadstone clan. Tessa must also help her mother navigate the rocky road of academia and single motherhood finances, fall in love herself, and steer her college teammates to a divisional championship. She needs friends, both ordinary and magical, by her side.

Then a strange and forbidding book of the Dark Arts strikes her with actual power...and Tessa realizes more than ever that there is no I in team--unless it's the one in new, improved sorceress.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Other Girl and Justice for Sara comes a thrilling psychological drama about a woman who believes she escaped a brutal murder years ago—but does anyone else believe her?

Sienna Scott grew up in the dark shadow of her mother's paranoid delusions. Now, she's returned home to confront her past and the unsolved murder that altered the course of her life.

In her mother's shuttered house, an old fear that has haunted Sienna for years rears its ugly head —that it was she who had been the killer's target that night. And now, with it, a new fear—that the killer not only intended to remedy his past mistake—he's already begun. But are these fears any different from the ones that torment her mother?

As the walls close in, the line between truth and lie, reality and delusion disintegrate. Has Sienna's worst nightmare come true? Or will she unmask a killer and finally prove she may be her mother's look-alike, but she's not her clone?
A forbidden attraction grows even more complicated when the guy Lane Jamison has crushed on for years suddenly becomes her step-brother in this sexy and gorgeously written debut novel about the lines between love, desire, and obsession.

What happens when the boy you want most becomes the one person you can't have?

Lane Jamison's life is turned upside down the week before her senior year when her father introduces her to his new fiancée: mother of Grey McIntyre, Lane's secret, longtime crush. Now with Grey living in Lane's house, there's only a thin wall separating their rooms, making it harder and harder to deny their growing mutual attraction—an attraction made all the more forbidden by Grey's long-term girlfriend Sadie Hall, who also happens to be Lane's friend

Torn between her feelings for Grey and her friendship with Sadie—not to mention her desire to keep the peace at home—Lane befriends Sadie's older brother, Connor, the black sheep of the strict, evangelical Hall family. Connor, a metal working artist who is all sharp edges, challenges Lane in ways no one else ever has. As the two become closer and start to open up about the traumas in their respective pasts, Lane begins to question her conviction that Connor is just a distraction.

Tensions come to a head after a tragic incident at a party, forcing Lane to untangle her feelings for both boys and face the truth of what—and who—she wants, in this gripping and stunningly romantic debut novel.
New York Times bestselling authors Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed have crafted a resonant, funny, and memorable story about the power of love and resistance.

YES
Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state senate candidate—as long as he's behind the scenes. When it comes to speaking to strangers (or, let's face it, speaking at all to almost anyone), Jamie's a choke artist. There's no way he'd ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya.

NO
Maya Rehman's having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is canceled, and now her parents are separating. Why her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing—with some awkward dude she hardly knows—is beyond her.

MAYBE SO
Going door to door isn't exactly glamorous, but maybe it's not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer—and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural romance of the century is another thing entirely.

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Wrote that Review Update #285, January 26th

Create your own banner at mybannermaker.com!
If you want to participate, set a certain amount of reviews to write, and once you make that goal, you can get a reward!

My reviews to reward is writing all of the reviews of the week, and I motivated myself to write my review for Stellar Fusion, One Dark Throne, Two Dark Reigns, Five Dark Fates, The Hand on the Wall, The Stars We Steal, Dead in the Doorway, The Last Witness, Seven Deadly Shadows, The Will and the Wild, Vendetta Road, You Owe Me a Murder, so I have 10 of 10 reviews written!

And as always, I want to review this week's reviews!

What about you guys? Happy reading!

How Well I Stuck to It #288, January 26th

So I decided that I should have accountability on sticking to what should be in a week, so I'm doing How Well I Stuck to It every Sunday, because my schedule should be fixed in by now!

Week 5:
Blood Countess by Lana Popović, Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne, Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland, The June Boys by Court Stevens, The Late Great Wizard by Sarah Hanover, The New Improved Sorceress by Sara Hanover, The Look-Alike by Erica Spindler, Together We Caught Fire by Eva V. Gibson, Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed

Tour Books: NA.

Review Books: NA.

NetGalley: 4. Check.

Old NetGalley: NA.

Edelweiss: 2. Check.

Old Edelweiss: 1. Check.

Rereads: NA.

New Books: 3. Check.

Yeah, this week is a little longer than I would like, but there's plenty of amazing, fantastic books, and I can't wait to read them!

Week 4:
Dead in the Doorway by Diane Kelly, The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson, Stellar Fusion by E.L. Strife, This Vicious Cure by Emily Suvada, The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg

vs.

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake, Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake, Five Dark Fates by Kendare Blake, Stellar Fusion by E.L. Strife, The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson, The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne, Dead in the Doorway by Diane Kelly, The Last Witness by Claire McFall, Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. Maetani, The Will and the Wild by Charlie N. Holmberg, Vendetta Road by Christine Feehan, You Owe Me a Murder by Eileen Cook

Yeah, I read all but 1 of what I planned, and so many other books that I didn't plan on, so I'm very happy with this week! Can't wait for the next one! What about you guys? Happy reading!

The Reward Challenge Update #436, January 26th

The Reward Challenge is almost the complete opposite to a book buying ban as you'll end up buying lots of new books throughout the challenge but only after you've completed a certain amount of reading. It was hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly, so thanks to her for starting it!

OK, so I read One Dark Throne which counts 6 times as a Edelweiss Book and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Book, RR Book, WoW Book, and WTC Book, Two Dark Reigns which counts 3 times as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Book and a WoW Book, Five Dark Fates which counts 3 times as a End of Series 2020 Book and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Book, The Hand on the Wall which counts 4 times as a End of Series 2020 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Book and a WoW Book, The Stars We Steal which counts 6 times as a 2020 Retelling Reading Challenge, Edelweiss Book, SAC 2020 Book, Sophomore Challenge Book and a WoW Book, Dead in the Doorway which counts 4 times as a NetGalley Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Book and a WoW Book, The Last Witness which counts 3 times as a NetGalley Book and SAC 2020 Book, Seven Deadly Shadows which counts 4 times as a Edelweiss Book, SAC 2020 Book and a WoW Book, The Will and the Wild which counts 3 times as a SAC 2020 Book and a WoW Book, Vendetta Road which counts 4 times as a NetGalley Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Book and a WoW Book, You Owe Me a Murder which counts twice as a SAC 2020 Book.

So I have 42 counts which translates to $21 this week! I'll use it to buy books!

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Week 4 Review: You Owe Me a Murder

From Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Kim gets more than she bargained for when she is set up for murder. Perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying, E. Lockhart, and Gillian Flynn.

17-year-old Kim never expected to plot a murder. But that was before her boyfriend dumped her for another girl. Now, Kim's stuck on a class trip to London with him and his new soulmate and she can't help wishing he was a little bit dead, even if she'd never really do that.

But when Kim meets Nicki, a stranger on the plane who's more than willing to listen to Kim's woes, things start to look up. Nicki's got a great sense of humor, and when she jokes about swapping murders, Kim plays along—that is, until Kim's ex-boyfriend mysteriously dies.

Blackmailed by Nicki to fulfill her end of the deal, Kim will have to commit a murder or take the fall for one.

My Review:
So there seems to be several common themes between Eileen Cooks most recent YA books, which are mystery/thrillers. Like they're a little twisted, especially the endings. There's mention of the previous one, and they are all enjoyable! I just love reading them!

So this book is a bit like Strangers on a Train, which I haven't read, but it's been referenced enough that I get the gist. So I don't know how serious the people talking on the train were, but in this book, one person acts on another's worst desire, and is basically blackmailing the other person to act on theirs. Not fun.

I felt a bit bad for Kim. She's a bit naive, and as we learn, a bit of an unreliable narrator, because of her so called relationship with her boyfriend, which was more than it seemed. Or less, I guess. There were a few secrets, as well, that were so entertaining to read, as well as watching Kim maybe start a new relationship. So much was going on!

How it all ended, I really enjoyed how it all came together, details that Nicki mentioned, details that Kim picked up, and Kim putting it all together. It was awesome to read, and the twist happened, and I just couldn't put it down! Really enjoyable read!

This book was fantastic, I enjoyed it so much, and I can't wait for her next book!

Author: Eileen Cook
Read: January 24th, 2020
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: I love her writing so much, and it's a SAC 2020 Book!
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Published: March 5th 2019
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 4 Review: Vendetta Road

From Goodreads:
#1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan pushes the limits in her next novel in the Torpedo Ink series.

Isaak "Ice" Koval is on a club mission when he sees a woman who stops him dead in his tracks. Soleil is a sweet, sexy, girl-next-door type. She's an innocent who should be nowhere near the rough-and-ready world of the Torpedo Ink motorcycle club. But Ice knows Soleil belongs with him—and he'll do whatever it takes to keep her.

After a life of drifting from one thing to the next, Soleil Brodeur is determined to take control of her life. When her breakup with her manipulative fiancé turns ugly, Soleil searches out the stranger who offered her a lifeline and ends up in a Las Vegas biker bar where she meets a gorgeous, dangerous man straight out of her most secret fantasies.

High on adrenaline, she finds herself falling faster than she thought possible. But Soleil knows little about the territory she's stumbled into, and even less about what it really means to be Ice's woman.…

My Review:
This book was a pretty great read! I enjoyed Ice and Soleil's story, he's a biker and because of his past, needs to be an exhibitionist, or at least, is comfortable having sex in front of his gang, his family. Soleil wants that as well, and yeah, they're a pretty good match! 

The first 100 or so pages, we're introduced to these characters, and it's pretty intense, we have a lot happen over the course of an afternoon and evening, and yeah, I just couldn't put this book down! I mean, it all flowed together so well, I just couldn't put it down!

There were two main threats in this book. A group that targeted Soleil for her money, and then human trafficking ring that Torpedo Ink has been taking down member by member since Czar's book, I believe, though it's been a long time. Since I think it's been an ongoing plot in this series.

My one thing with this book, is that Soleil was all, I have a vendetta against the bad guys on her side of things. And then nothing happens, she isn't involved, I don't even know if she knows that her husband and the rest of Torpedo Ink were involved. So that was a lower point. There also was a point where it's brought up that Soleil has an ability or two, and it isn't reacted to, and just never mentioned again. Bah.

Really enjoyed this book, and I can't wait for Absinthe's book and that is just a couple months away! Yeah that we get 2 of this series this year!

Author: Christine Feehan
Series: Torpedo Ink #3
Read: January 24th, 2020
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Love her her writing and this series, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Berkley
Expected Publication: January 28th 2020
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 4 Review: The Will and the Wilds

From Goodreads:
A spellbinding story of truce and trickery from the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician series.

Enna knows to fear the mystings that roam the wildwood near her home. When one tries to kill her to obtain an enchanted stone, Enna takes a huge risk: fighting back with a mysting of her own.

Maekallus's help isn't free. His price? A kiss. One with the power to steal her soul. But their deal leaves Maekallus bound to the mortal realm, which begins eating him alive. Only Enna's kiss, given willingly, can save him from immediate destruction. It's a temporary salvation for Maekallus and a lingering doom for Enna. Part of her soul now burns bright inside Maekallus, making him feel for the first time.

Enna shares Maekallus's suffering, but her small sacrifice won't last long. If she and Maekallus can't break the spell binding him to the mortal realm, Maekallus will be consumed completely—and Enna's soul with him.

My Review:
This book was such a great read! I really enjoyed the world, it was really interesting, with the mysting and their world, the threat they pose to ours. I enjoyed reading about Enna and her journey, her relationship with Maekallus. It was all just so interesting!

So were were in both Enna and Maekallus's heads. So we knew that he wasn't on the up and up. but then again, he isn't human. Well, that's a point of contention, because the origins of his particular kind of mysting is a bit mysterious.

Each time Enna gave him a kiss, she gave him a piece of her soul so that he would survive here. And each time, she got a little weaker, a little bit less of herself. And at the same time, Maekallus is gaining some humanity, and it was an interesting balance!

This world is pretty darned interesting, we explored but a tiny portion of it. And what we did became pretty important to the plot. The epigraphs for each chapter were strange, and gave details that helped the plot along-and then it turns out that it's from the events of this book that they were drawn, because it was a book written by Enna about her experiences her. So that was a great realization!

I enjoyed this book so much, it was so enjoyable and great to read!

Author: Charlie N. Holmberg
Read: January 22nd, 2020
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really good, and it's a SAC 2020 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: 47North
Published: January 21st 2020
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 4 Review: Seven Deadly Shadows

From Goodreads:
Kira Fujikawa has always been a girl on the fringe. Bullied by her peers and ignored by her parents, the only place Kira's ever felt at home is at her grandfather's Shinto shrine, where she trains to be a priestess.

But Kira's life is shattered on the night her family's shrine is attacked by a vicious band of yokai demons. With the help of Shiro—the shrine's gorgeous half-fox, half-boy kitsune—Kira discovers that her shrine harbors an ancient artifact of great power . . . one the yokai and their demon lord, Shuten-doji, will use to bring down an everlasting darkness upon the world.

Unable to face the Shuten-doji and his minions on her own, Kira enlists the aid of seven ruthless shinigami—or death gods—to help stop the brutal destruction of humankind. But some of the death gods aren't everything they initially seemed, nor as loyal to Kira's cause as they first appeared.

With war drawing nearer by the day, Kira realizes that if this unlikely band of heroes is going to survive, they're going to have to learn to work together, confront their demons, and rise as one to face an army of unimaginable evil. 

My Review:
I enjoyed reading this book so much! I enjoyed getting to see this world, getting to know these characters, go on this adventure! It was a fun read, and I'm really glad that it exists! I thoroughly enjoyed the other Courtney Alameda book that I have read, and while I haven't read any by Valynne E. Maetani before, if I get the chance, I'll read by both again! 

I'm not all that knowledgeable about the lore of Japan, so there were a lot of terms that went over my head, that were part of this world, because this is part of that world. So that was a bit of a stumbling block, but not a insurmountable one!

I really enjoyed getting to know these characters, Kira and Shiro, were our main characters and entertaining to read about! But there were also the Shinigami that she recruited, like Shimida and
Yaza, though I would've liked a bit more development for both. Details for Shimida, though those might be out there, not in this book. Yaza, because it was a pretty quick turn around.

So I raged for Kira, for her family's response to the attack and her subsequent actions. I mean, they didn't initially know the extent of the attack, well, they were pretty uncaring and cruel in measures. And they caused more stress for Kira, plus everything that was going on, that wasn't good. But it did work out, and the ending worked out, so that was great!

This was a fantastic read, and I enjoyed the experience!

Authors: Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. Maetani
Read: January 23rd, 2020
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and yeah, it's a SAC 2020 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Expected Publication: January 28th 2020
5/5 Hearts
4.5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 4 Review: The Last Witness

From Goodreads:
A group of friends awaken a malevolent spirit bent on revenge in this haunting thriller from award-winning author Claire McFall

Heather agrees to a group camping holiday with Dougie and his friends because she's desperate to get closer to him. But when the two of them disturb a pagan burial site above the beach, she becomes certain that they have awoken a malevolent spirit. Something is alive out there in the pitch-black dark, and it is planning to seek deadly revenge.

One year later, Heather knows she was very lucky to escape Black Cairn Point, but she is still waiting for Dougie to wake up from his coma. If he doesn't, how will she prove her sanity—and her innocence?

My Review:
This book was unexpected and wonderful! I loved how it was told going back and forth from when the events were happening, and a year later, when she's accused of killing her friends. We saw it unfold, and we got her thoughts about them after the fact. It worked really well with this story!

The set up for this book takes a while. Things don't start going really wrong until around the halfway mark. But the atmosphere was dark and chilling, and I wanted to know what had happened to the group, so it was pretty compelling to keep turning the pages!

I wasn't sure whether or not this was a paranormal book. Since she is saying that there's a malevolent spirit and all that killed the rest of her group. But that's not really mentioned what it was when it was happening, and wasn't really explained in the year later. Yeah.

My one complaint was I wish the ending was longer, to explain the twist fully. Because I can kinda plot out what really happened, but I'm not totally sure, and I would've liked a few more details to flesh it out! I loved the twist, which is why I wanted more of it!

All in all, this was a twisty, dark, and wonderful book and I really enjoyed it!

Author: Claire McFall
Read: January 22nd, 2020
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a a SAC 2020 Book!
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Published: January 1st 2020
5/5 Hearts
4/5 Books
4/5 Stars