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Mid-Year Book Freakout 2020 | Book Tag

Jun 14, 2020

I haven’t done a book tag in a while and I thought it was time to do one. And just in time for the mid-year book freakout tag. This tag was created by Ely and Chami. Most of the time this tag is more seen on youtube, but I thought I would bring it over here and share my year in books so far.

As from today, I’ve read 152 books. That is a lot for me for this time of year. I read just under 200 last year and I imagine that I’m going to go over that this year. I’ve read a mix of books this year, but most of them have been romance. And I don’t think that will change too much. Anyway, let’s get into this.

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2020

I can’t pick just one book here, but I do have a top three. This is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield, The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune and Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1) by Cassandra Clare. I loved every one of these. They are just fantastic. This is How We Change The Ending and The House in the Cerulean Sea are stand-alone – so if you don’t like series, then pick these ones up.

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2020

Again there are two books that I had to pick for this one. Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels #6) by Lisa Kleypas was such a fantastic final book. I loved the romance in this one so much, it just made me smile so much. And After the Fall (The Fallen Men #4) by Giana Darling. This book was so intense, holy crap. So much happened in this one and gosh it ruined me, but it was also fantastic.

3. New release you haven’t read yet but want to

So many! But I still need to read Check, Please!, Book 2: Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu, I have my copy and I just haven’t picked it up yet. But I think I will get to it this month. I’m also still waiting for my copy of Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. I’ve only heard amazing things about it so far, and I want my copy now.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year:

I’m so excited for Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett, this was supposed to be mid-year but it got pushed back to November and I can’t wait! I love Jenn Bennett and this one sounds like it’s exactly my type of book. I also cannot wait for Blood & Honey (Serpent & Dove #2) by Shelby Mahurin. Serpent & Dove was one of my favourite books last year and I cannot wait to get back into this world.

5. Biggest disappointment

This has to be Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered #1) by Tessa Bailey. I was so angry and disappointed with this book I can’t even explain. You can read more about my thoughts in a discussion I had with Ely. But I was just so upset with a lot of this book.

6. Biggest surprise

The books for this up are some of my recent reads. I just finished Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes and it was fantastic! I’m so angry that it took me so long to pick this one up. But thanks to my Best Friends picks my TBR challenge I’m doing. I had to. And then I also have to mention Rebel (Women Who Dare #1) by Beverly Jenkins. I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. You can check out my review now!

7. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you)

This has to be Nic Stone. I got Dear Martin last year when I was in the US, and only picked it up recently, and gosh it was fantastic. It was beautifully written and I cannot wait to read more from Nic. I’m excited for Dear Justyce which is coming out in September.

8. Newest fictional crush.

This one is hard, come on. I love falling in love with characters in books. But I love Teddy Taualai from Making Friends with Alice Dyson by Poppy Nwosu, Jordy from Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes and Camden Daniels from Great and Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros. They are all so different but I love them all so much.

9. Newest favourite character.

Ohh another hard one for me. But all the main characters from Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1) by Cassandra Clare. I think they might be some of my favourite group of characters from Clare. I just love them all so much. I love their banter and everything else. I cannot wait to see more of them in the coming books.

10. Books that made you cry.

I cry at everything people! I just do. I’m a mess all the time. But the ones that ruined me are How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox, Great and Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros and Dear Martin by Nic Stone. All these books made me cry in different ways. But they all got me good.

11. A Book that made you happy.

While I do cry a lot in books, there are so many that just make me so happy reading them. So far this year The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune has taken the cake. I smiled so much through this book. If I was reading this in public, people would have thought I was strange. But this book gave me so much feels, you can check out my full review and see why.

12. The most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)

I brought this beautiful box set from the 10th anniversary of Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan. I love this box set so much! It’s just so stunning. And they look so nice together as well!

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

All of them? I have so many books that I want to read, but by the end of the year, I want to read The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil #1) by Soman Chainani – Because my little sister has warned me that my books will start to disappear. I also want to read Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, I’m waiting for my copy to come into work, but I want to read this one, as well as The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1) by Julia Quinn

14. Favourite Book Community Member

There are so many people that I can mention here, so many. But I will try and keep it smallest. Firstly if you don’t follow Ely, my best friend. The person that gets me through most days. And she is also on booktube! Ashley from Bookish Realm is an gem! If you don’t follow Jean Bookishthought I don’t know what you are doing with your life. She is fantastic. Francina Simone videos are fantastic and so well thought out. They are something to watch. And I have been following Nick from The Infinite Limits Of Love and if you love your romance books so do you.

And that is it for this post! How has your reading been going so far this year? What have been your favourites? What has disappointed you? Do we share anything that is the same? Let’s chat!

May Wrap Up | I Can’t Stop Reading Romance

Jun 5, 2020

Hey all, sorry about the lack of post the last couple of days. I’ve wanted to focus on everything that is happening in the world. Again, please remember that Black Lives Matter and they need your support and voice. I’ve been RT’ing and sharing heaps on my twitter so if you would like please head over there for more.

I read a lot of books in May, 40 to be exact. I wasn’t working as much, plus without places to go, I had a lot more reading time. But I also did read a lot and I mean a lot of romance. Most of what I read in May were romance books. I’ve been reading a lot more of them in the last few months and I can’t put them down. They are just fun to read. But I did always have a few re-reads again this month. Now I’m going to stop babbling and get on with it.

Hades Hangmen #6 – #8 by Tillie Cole: I started this series last month and wanted to keep on reading it. It’s a dark series for sure. And it gets much darker as you go, but I still liked reading them. I’m going to do a series review in the coming weeks so keep an eye on that.

King Series #1-#7 by T.M. Frazier: I seriously don’t know why I kept on reading this series. I’m not even joking it. I wasted so much of my time. But each book ended in a cliff hanger and I wanted to know what was going to happen and it was bad. I didn’t like these books at all.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune: This has to be one of my favourite books of the year, if not all time. It’s a magical and profound novel that truly takes the reader on an experience. It will make you smile and laugh and just feel safe. It’s a warm novel that does with what it’s like to be a little different. I highly recommend this to anyone. Because it’s simply amazing. Check out my full review.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: This was my first re-read of the month. Oh gosh, I loved this book just as much the second time. I love recommending it at work and it just makes me so happy. Ely and I did a discussion about it last year which you can check out. It’s such a good well-rounded romance.

Sure Shot (Brooklyn #4) by Sarina Bowen: You know that I love my sports romances and Sarina Bowen so of course, I had to read her book. I liked this one. The romance was fantastic, it was adorable and sexy at the same time. This second chance romance was great – you can see my full thoughts here.

Men of Inked Series #1-#3 by Chelle Bliss: I honestly knew nothing about this series before going in. I just wanted to read a romance book that included a tattoo artist. These were okay. Nothing special. It wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. But nothing horrible either.

The Lunar Chronicles #1 – #4 by Marissa Meyer: This was another re-read that I did in May, and man did I love doing it. I adore this series so much. They are just so good. I love the romance, the plot, the writing. The friendships are fantastic and everything works so well here. If you haven’t picked this series up please do.

Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered #1) by Tessa Bailey: This is the book that disappointed me the most this month. While it was an okay read, I had so many problems with it that it just made the experience of reading the book not great. Ely and I had a discussion with all our thoughts about it. So check it out.

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas: If you are even a little bit part of the romance bloggers world then you would have heard this book. I put off reading it for a long time. But I finally picked it up in May – and I didn’t hate it. It’s a close 4 star for me. I did have problems with it, but overall not bad.

Up Close and Personal by Kathryn Freeman: This is another one that I wanted to enjoy. On paper, this sounds like my thing, but it turned out to be just okay. The romance didn’t feel complete, I felt rushed and wished there was more character development.

Voyeur (Voyeur #1) by Fiona Cole: Like Birthday Girl, this is one that I have seen a fair bit in the romance community. Again another one I was hesitant to read it. But I ended up enjoying this one quite a bit. It was interesting, I did have a fair few problems with it, but not horrible.

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata: This is my second book from this author and I enjoyed this one more. I love my sports romances so that part added to this. Plus to a marriage of convenience and that is just great. It’s a slow burn romance for sure! If that is not your thing, then this isn’t for you.

The Kings of Retribution MC Series #1 – #6 by Crystal Daniels and Sandy Alvarez: You all know I’m on a massive MC binge, so I picked up another series. I enjoyed this series. It’s a solid MC series for sure. I liked that it wasn’t overly dark, but still had classic MC elements in it.

When a Heart Trips by Dominique Laura: This is honestly such a sweet YA romance. It was adorable. I loved Devon and Julian and just everything about them was adorable. You can check out my full review now.

Hell’s Handlers #1 – #4 MC Series: This is another MC series that I started this month. I like this series. I think it’s one of my favourites I’ve read so far this year. It was harsh and a little dark, but still filled with family and that just made everything great.

And those are all the books that I read in May! Sometimes I don’t know how I do it. I don’t. What did you read in May? Did we read anything that is the same? Let’s Chat!

Books That Are Perfect For Winter

Jun 2, 2020

Before I start I do want to say a few things. Right now the world needs your voice. Black lives need your voice. Use it. And use it right. Here are some ways to help as well as some resources, please check them out. I’ve been posting and RT’ing more things on twitter. So please head over there and let your voice be heard. #BlackLivesMatter.

This week I’m sharing the books I think are perfect for winter! Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.

Winter isn’t my favourite season, it’s my least favourite really. I’m mostly a spring and autumn time of girl. And right now it’s getting pretty cold here. So I’m all rugged up in bed, writing this post up. But one of the things I do love about winter. Is curling up in bed and reading. So today I’m sharing the books that I think are perfect to read in winter. Like always these are in no order.

The Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas: If this isn’t perfect, I don’t know what is. I love this book and series so much. If you are thinking about picking any historical romance series – this is the one. It’s so much fun and perfect to binge read in winter – or any time of the year.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune: One of my favourite typed of books to read during winter are feel-good ones. And this book is up there. One of my favourites so far in 2020. This book will make you smile, laugh and just have a good time. You can check out my full review now.

The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand: When I’m all rugged up inside, I can have a good cry and no one can see me. And this book will make you cry. But it’s also such a beautiful story that I loved reading. It left me a mess, but I am okay with that.

Rookie Move (Brooklyn Bruisers #1) by Sarina Bowen: What is better than reading a winter sports romance in winter? Not much. This one of my favourite books from Sarina Bowen and I love this series so much, especially the first three. This one just makes me smile a whole lot.

Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett: Being able to curl up and fall into a good detective and mystery story is so much fun. I adore Jenn Bennett and this one here is a blast to read. The protagonists are amazing and I just loved it. If you love a good mystery with some romance then this is the book for you.

Life on the Edge (Edge #1) by Jennifer Comeaux: Another sports romance that is perfect for winter. I always have so much fun reading this series. It’s just something that you can fall into and just love reading. It’s not heavy, but it also looks at things in life.

Midnight Pursuits (Killer Instincts #4) by Elle Kennedy: It is a few books into the series, but it’s also one that always makes me think of a cold, cold winter. We rarely see snow in my parts. So as soon as the snow is involved I love it. This is an action-packed romantic suspense and I love it.

The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give #1) by Angie Thomas: I haven’t talked about this book in a while, but right now I think I need to. If you haven’t read this book. Please do. It’s important. It’s one you need to take your time and read. The Hate U Give is a book that you need to sit down and just take everything that you read in.

When Michael Met Mina by Randa Abdel-Fattah: If you haven’t picked this one up please do. Its another one of those books that aren’t always a present read, but it’s the right one. I’ve say this all the time, but it show be on every school book list.

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler: I don’t talk about this book enough. This is such a sweet, YA romance that I love so much. It’s one to make your feel all warm inside and perfect for winter. If you want to read a book that will make you smile then this one is it.

That is it for this post! What are some of the books that you think are perfect for reading in winter? Do we share anything that is the same? Let’s Chat!