Tag: book

Review: Catching Carly by Emma Hart 4/5

Leave a comment

33514283

Buy on amazon here:

“My name is Carly Porter… And I’m really good at bad decisions.

How do I know this, exactly? Well, not including the time I accidentally bleached my eyebrows or sprained my ankle changing a lightbulb…
I had sex with my best friend’s brother.
Zeke Elliott has been a thorn in my side for eleven years. A very sexy, very tempting, very freaking annoying one. With big…hands.
And now my clitoris has a crush on the guy.
Seriously. I can’t look at him without my vagina performing accidental kegels. Which would be fine, but he’s Cain’s brother. I hate him. He’s off limits, right?
Right.”

Being Brooke was an eye opening and mental experience. I feel guilty that I couldn’t give this book the five out of five that Emma Hart’s insightful, awkward, and hilarious inner monologues deserve. The relationship between the main couple were brilliant but a bit stilted, there wasn’t much tension apart from the hovering spectre of the ex ‘Becky’, but she didn’t actually appear once.

Despite the lack of tension and … dare I say, plot, the characters of Carly and Brooke make up for any of that and meant that I left the final page of this book happy with the outcome.

I thoroughly enjoy Emma Hart’s Barley Cross characters, and cannot wait to see where this goes next.

4/5

M x

Review: The Opposite of You – Rachel Higginson (Kindle Unlimited)

Leave a comment

33932353

Buy on amazon here:

“I’m stubborn. And headstrong. And I’ve just survived the worst three years of my life. After escaping an abusive boyfriend to live in hostels and cheap hotels while I worked my way across Europe, I’ve come to two conclusions.

The first? Now that I’m back home, I’m going to squander my expensive culinary degree on a food truck that caters to the late night drunk crowd.”

If you love hipster, food truck culture you will love this novel. On the flip side, if you love a bit of steamy and high pressure kitchen relationships this is also the book for you.

It is two sides of the coin of the restaurant industry and the relationship dynamic between both of the main character makes for a witty and brilliant, romance with depth.

The back and forth between the two main characters was hilarious.

One word: Salt

If you liked the film ‘Chef’, I would recommend this book.

5/5

M x

Review: A Girl Called Dust by V.B Marlowe (Kindle Unlimited)

Leave a comment

30370958

Buy on amazon here:

Arden Moss is used to being invisible. The kids at her high school call her Dust—something that no one pays attention to, that doesn’t matter. Then one impossible moment changes her life. When a boy named Fletcher gets hit by a speeding bus, she runs to help him, only to discover that he’s unscathed. He tells her it’s because he’s not entirely human…just like her. 

This book encapsulates what it means to be an awkward teenager. To not fit in with your family. To lose your best friends to the beast of popularity.

Unfortunately for the main character, Arden, she is also a monster. Part-Banshee and Part-Wendigo!

This book, and the books that come after it are brilliant. I must say that my favourite character is a tie between Fletcher and Arden.

Fletcher is unapologetically brilliant and hilarious. Witty and oblivious.

This book isn’t what you would expect at all. Marlowe throws enough curve balls that you don’t expect the book to end the way it does.

5/5

M x

Dreamy Book Covers Tag

1 Comment
screen-shot-2017-03-30-at-8-59-50-am.pngTagged by Kayla @ KdrewTheBookWorm
Image and Book tag created by Tiana @ The Book Raven

I love a good book tag! This one was a bit of a challenge, but here are my selects!

“No ideas by in Things”

A book cover that perfectly expresses the novel inside it:

Getting Wilde: Immortal Vegas, Book 1

30980008

This cover does exactly what is says on the tin, supernatural action and adventure with lots of tarot cards. This is such a brilliant series, and the tension between Sara and the Magician is palpable. The first book is available on amazon, for free, here:

 

“Dark and Lovely”

A book cover that is so creepalicious you want to eat it up:

Unbeautiful by Jessica Sorensen

The scariest part of this book is the fact that mental illness strikes even the strongest and prettiest of us.

unbeautiful.jpg

 

“Sugary Sweet”

A cute cover that is so fluffy you want to give it a hug:

Adorkable by Cookie O’Gorman

download (6)

I couldn’t believe this book was this author’s debut. Witty, funny and cute as hell. Just as a YA romantic comedy should be.

 

“The Simple Aesthetic”

a book cover that stuns with the most simplistic of design

Paper Princess by Erin Watt

The-Royals-Paper-Princess-cover-Erin-Watt-Elle-Kennedy-Jen-Frederick.jpg

 

“Cover envy”

A cover you wish you had on your shelves yet but don’t yet

A Court of Wings and Ruin (Can’t wait until the 2nd of May!)

23766634

I have booked the day off work for when this book comes out. I have been waiting with baited breath since Mist and Fury came out. I am so excited to see my favourite OTP again, I can’t even.

 

“Travelling abroad”

A beautiful book cover featuring a country outside of your own

Gifted Thief by Helen Harper

26794855.jpg

Although I live in England, and this series is set in Scotland I think it counts! I honestly could find a book that I loved as much as this one that also had a cover with a location on the front. Integrity is one of my favourite heroines, with an addiction to pink and an attitude that could knock even the biggest alpha on their butt.

 

“The Colour Wheel!”

A cover that showcases one of your favourite colours

The Wilds by Donna Augustine

26193300

Green, glorious green. Set in the the forest, in a dystopian world taken over by beasts. This series is addictive, and the slow burn of the main love interest leaves you with deep feels.

 

“Switching gears”

A cover change you absolutely adore

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Such a modern classic.

“Oldie by a goodie”

A favourite cover of your favourite classic

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

41Akk9Z302L._SX315_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

 

This is one of my all time favourites. And, yes, I am aware that I shout ‘favourite’ and ‘recommend’ like it’s going out of fashion but this novel changed my life. It encouraged me to write The Bleeders and not to white wash over my own, and my characters mental illnesses.

 

“And the winner is…”

Which cover mentioned above is your favourite?

23766634

 

A Court of Wings and Ruin, just because…

 

I tag…

Candace @ Book Addict Haven

Kristi @ YAandWine

You are under no obligation to do the tag, but I think this one is such a brilliant one that I had to give it ago.

Let me know what you think of the covers, and if there are any books you would recommend based on my selections! I’d love to hear from you.

M x

 

Review: Pennies by Pepper Winters (Dollar Series – Book 1) 5/5

Leave a comment

 

Buy on amazon here:

At eighteen years old, I was murdered.

I wish my tale ended there.

However, my killer resuscitated me and sold me to the highest bidder, sentencing me to a world worse than Hell.

For the past two years, I’ve lived a life of torment as a man’s property. I suffer in silence and wish for freedom, but I never break.

I can’t.

I won’t.

But then he arrives.

The first stranger since I was killed.

Earlier this month, I helped unveil the new cover look for the Dollar series by Pepper Winters. Which is, in my opinion, one of her best works to date. So much so, that I had to pre-order the entire series after I finished the first book, which is something I almost never do.

It wasn’t until I sat back, emotionally exhausted and triumphant (no spoilers!) at the end of Pennies, that I realised that the lead character was as silent as a mouse for almost the entire novel. I was in awe of this writer. Having a character that can’t speak is the most intriguing and difficult feat to accomplish without falling on clichés (like telepathy etc).

Pepper Winters has created an amazingly strong female character in Pimlico. This series is darkness personified.

5/5

M x

 

Review: 5/5 Groupie (Rock-Hard Beautiful Book 1) by C.M. Stunich

Leave a comment

download (4)Buy on amazon here:

Five rockstars. One girl. Six dark hearts, six withered souls.
But can one broken person really put another back together again?
And is a cross-country tour the place to do it?

Rarely is a reverse Harem romance done correctly. Groupie has blown all others out of the water.

Intense and thorough character development. Five men and one woman, each character different and complex. I had to say, this book was absolutely brilliant. I loved it. Their relationship is genuine and their love is real.

I love the way that C.M Stunich breaks her characters and then stitches them back together using the relationships in her books. I love the world that she has created, full of drugs, sex and damaged people.

Groupie is a must read for this summer!

I honestly cannot wait for the sequel of this book and would highly recommend this to anyone that isn’t averse to be a bit of group…romance.

5/5

M x

Review: How to Date A Douchebag: The Failing Hours by Sara Ney

Leave a comment

32066878Check it out on amazon here:

In the first book in this series, I was intimidated by Zeke Daniels. He was the angry, protective frat brother of Oz. In the second book of this series, (although they work well on their own as well) we get up close and personal with Zeke and Violet. An unlikely couple, both broken in their own ways. Zeke is full of anger, abandoned by his rich parents. Violet lost her parents at the age of four, she is sweetness and light but no pushover!

The only difference is, one sees the glass as half full, the other sees it as half empty. This is such a brilliant romantic story, with complex characters and amazing depth. I honestly love this author and would recommend this series if you love a bit of contemporary/new adult romance.

5/5

M x

Review: The Sorcerer’s Concubine by Jaclyn Dolamore

Leave a comment

30373912

Read on amazon here:

I did not know what to expect with the first book in this series. I am ashamed to admit, I looked at the title and lumped this book in many other genre cliché fantasy erotica books. I apologise to the Dolamore for this!

__

Born of wood, cloth, and a substantial dose of magic, Velsa is a Fanarlem, a beautiful artificial girl. Raised to be a concubine, she has seen her friends at the House of Perfumed Ribbons sold off to be the pets of wealthy men. Now her own dreaded day has come. Grau Thanneau is a kind and handsome sorcerer who expects to own a spectacular piece of spellwork–he doesn’t realize that everything he has been told about Fanarlem is a lie. Velsa is not a dull-witted doll, but an intelligent and luminous soul who captivates his heart. Neither of them expected to fall in love, in a land where the law will never recognize her as his equal…

__

This book has an amazing premise, such an ingenious world and honestly made me want to read more right from the first page. It’s the concept of ‘love dolls’ in a fantastical setting, and a country on the border of war.

If you loved the Grisha series by Leigh Bardudo, you will love this novel!

5/5

M x

 

Review: Firebolt by Adrienne Woods (The Dragonian Series) 5/5 Kindle Free eBook

Leave a comment

firebolt_1-banner.jpgGet Free on Amazon here:

It’s been a while since I had read a book that has transported me into a world, so well constructed, so beautiful and in-depth that I’ve had to purchase every book in the series and stay awake until 4 am for two days running to cram as much of the books into my skull as possible.

Dragons. Right. Teenage girls don’t believe in fairy tales, and sixteen-year old Elena Watkins was no different.
Until the night a fairy tale killed her father.
Now Elena’s in a new world, and a new school. The cutest guy around may be an evil dragon, a Prince wants Elena’s heart, and a long dead sorcerer may be waking up to kill her. Oh. And the only way Elena’s going to graduate is on the back of a dragon of her own.
Teenage girls don’t believe in fairy tales. Now it’s time for Elena to believe – in herself.

This is that series. This is what you need if ACOTAR and Harry Potter are your bread and butter. The mythology of each of the dragons, the magic school and the slow build up with the main character make for a well-paced story that reveals just enough to keep you salivating for more.

5/5

M x

Review: Real Ugly (Hard Rock Roots #1) by C.M. Stunich 5/5 FREE eBook

Leave a comment

17869239Free on amazon here:

Ever been thrown into a book headfirst. Right into a perspective that leaves you feeling dirty, sexy and transcendent? This is Real Ugly in a nutshell.

The effect this book has had on me? Damaged characters, complex flaws and a new pendant to want to write the word ‘f***’ every other word. Oh yeah. This book is absolutely amazing.

It’s not just an exercise in broken character development and a well-built world on the rock and roll tour bus; it’s the mystery. The thrill and suspense. The bloodshed!

You need this book in your life. Read it now! It’s free, so you have no excuse.

Turner Campbell is an a**hole.
I f*cking hate him.
But I can’t get enough either.
He sings like an angel and f*cks like a devil.
If I could, I’d run away and never look back because to tell you the truth, I think this man might be the death of me.

& & &

Naomi Knox is a b*tch.
I can’t f*cking stand her.
But I can’t stop thinking about her either.
She looks like an angel and plays like a devil.
If I could, I’d f*ck her good and forget all about her, but to tell youthe truth, I think this woman might be my last saving grace.

5/5

M x