Review: THE RAVEN KING by Maggie Stiefvater

 

Title: The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: April 26, 2016
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Supernatural
Source: book bought
Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | Indiebound | iBooks

The fourth and final installment in the spellbinding series from the irrepressible, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.

All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love’s death. She doesn’t believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

 

Review: The Place on Dalhousie by Melina Marchetta

 

Title: The Place on Dalhousie
Author: Melina Marchetta
Publishing Date: April 2, 2019 (Viking)
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary
Source: bought Kindle ebook
Buy Links: Paperback | Ebook 

‘You look the type to break your father’s heart.’
‘Yeah, but he broke mine first.’

When Rosie Gennaro first meets Jimmy Hailler, she has walked away from life in Sydney, leaving behind the place on Dalhousie that her father, Seb, painstakingly rebuilt for his family but never saw completed. Two years later, Rosie returns to the house and living there is Martha, whom Seb Gennaro married less than a year after the death of Rosie’s mother. Martha is struggling to fulfil Seb’s dream, while Rosie is coming to terms with new responsibilities. And so begins a stand-off between two women who refuse to move out of the home they both lay claim to.

As the battle lines are drawn, Jimmy Hailler re-enters Rosie’s life. Having always watched other families from the perimeters, he’s now grappling, heartbreakingly, with forming one of his own . . .

An unforgettable story about losing love and finding love; about the interconnectedness of lives and the true nature of belonging, from one of our most acclaimed writers.

 

The year that was and the year that has come

It’s been ages since I’ve last posted and to be honest, 2017 was not a good year of blogging for me. (Or if I’m really being honest, I haven’t done much blogging at all.) I’ve been so busy with grad school work as well as I’ve lost some steam and motivation for blogging. I’ve read how this kind of burnout has affected other bloggers as well. I can’t say for sure that this new year will be different, at least for my blogging routine but here’s me trying again; trying to remind why I started blogging about books in the first place.

Anywho… I was not able to read much in 2017. I don’t even want to look at my TBR backlog but I’d like to mention some books that I was able to finish and loved after reading (and hopefully be able to write full reviews on them as well). I also want to talk about books that I am excited for for 2018.

Sooooo… here we go!

   

 

The Q, I loved so much that I couldn’t help but write a post about it and share it with you guys. It was just so refreshing and just heartwarming reading this  book.

The Bird and the Sword was such a surprise read because it was better than I was expecting it to be. I loved the whole character dynamics in this story. 

e-ARC Review: READY TO RUN by Lauren Layne

 

Title: Ready to Run (I Do, I Don’t #1)
Author: Lauren Layne
Publishing Date: August 22, 2017 (Loveswept)
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Source: e-ARC from publisher
Buy Links: Kindle | Nook | iBooks | Kobo | GooglePlay

The Bachelor meets The Runaway Bride in this addictive romance novel about a reality TV producer falling for her would-be star: a Montana heartthrob who wants nothing to do with the show.

Jordan Carpenter thinks she’s finally found the perfect candidate for Jilted, a new dating show about runaway grooms: Luke Elliott, a playboy firefighter who’s left not one but three brides at the altar. The only problem? Luke refuses to answer Jordan’s emails or return her calls. Which is how she ends up on a flight to Montana to recruit him in person. It’s not Manhattan but at least the locals in Lucky Hollow seem friendly . . . except for Luke, who’s more intense—and way hotter—than the slick womanizer Jordan expected.

Eager to put the past behind him, Luke has zero intention of following this gorgeous, fast-talking city girl back to New York. But before he can send her packing, Jordan’s everywhere: at his favorite bar, the county fair, even his exes’ book club. Annoyingly, everyone in Lucky Hollow seems to like her—and deep down, she’s starting to grow on him too. But the more he fights her constant pestering, the more Luke finds himself wishing that Jordan would kick off her high heels and make herself comfortable in his arms.

 

Review: The Q by Beth Brower

 

Title: The Q
Author: Beth Brower
Publishing Date: October 19, 2016 (Rhysdon Press)
Genre: Fiction, Historical
Source: bought Kindle ebook
Buy Links: Paperback | Ebook 

CAN QUINCY ST. CLAIRE KEEP THE Q?

A dying man with a scheme
A charming smuggler one step ahead of the law
A former foundling with a mangled hand
A family of kingmakers
A printing tycoon
A constable on the trail of justice
An idealistic solicitor with secrets of his own
&
The genius at the center of it all, Quincy St. Claire

 

Top Ten Tuesday (44): Top (Five) Books I’ve Added to my TBR List Lately

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the gals at The Broke and the Bookish. 

 

Top (Five) Books I’ve Added to my TBR List Lately…

 

 

CROOKED KINGDOM by Leigh Bardugo

I can’t wait to read what happens!

 

 

 

 

ROYALLY SCREWED by Emma Chase

I haven’t read many of her books but SUSTAINED has become one of my favorite contemporary romances in recent years so I’m excited to learn she has a new series and it sounds very, very intriguing.

 

 

 

Top Ten Tuesday (43): Top Ten Songs I Love

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the gals at The Broke and the Bookish. 

 

Top Ten Songs I Love…

This week’s list is a bit different. It has almost nothing to do with books, though sometimes I have these songs in the background when I’m reading so there’s that.

There’s no particular order to them. And I’ve included two Korean songs here. I love them all and I love everything about them. But most specially, the lyrics and music.

 

LOST BOY by Ruth B

 

 

BETWEEN THE LINES by Sara Bareilles

 

Catching Up With Me

 

  

So first up, I’m currently reading these two books from two of my favorite authors of all time. They’re both part of a series and I have to say that it feels good reading something great from authors whose work you’ve followed since the beginning. I haven’t had that much time to read these past year but getting to read Lauren Layne and Kate Meader feels like coming home.

And now, for the Catch Up With Me time…

Hi guys! Long time, no… everything. I am so sorry to have taken such a long hiatus from blogging. I have no excuse but just to say that sometimes you get caught up in real life (lol) and I wasn’t able to maintain the balance I wanted when it came to blogging. To be honest, at this point, I’m still not sure how often I can post but I’ll try my best to share my love for books, still.

The semester’s about to start and they say the first one is the busiest but I will try to push through. Seriously, I’ve missed you guys. I’ve missed the community. I’ve missed reading. And I’ve definitely missed blogging. I also want to start blogging about my life in Japan. I think I’ve mentioned it before, around last year maybe, but yeah, again, I wasn’t able to accomplish that too. T____T I’m crossing my fingers this time around.

So that’s it for today. Tell me what you guys are reading lately. Send me your links and I’ll surely visit your posts and comment. 🙂

e-ARC Review & Giveaway: HOW FOREVER FEELS by Laura Drewry

Title: How Forever Feels (Friends First #4)
Author: Laura Drewry
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Publication Date: October 13, 2015
Source: eARC from publisher
Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo

From USA Today bestselling author Laura Drewry comes a warm and witty new Friends First novel—perfect for readers of Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery. How Forever Feels is a sweet tale about the one that got away . . . and the one that came back.

Maya McKay’s heart is as big as Jack Rhodes’s shoulders are broad. Their chemistry is out of control, but it could never work between them because Jack is more than just best friends with her cheating ex-husband—they’re like brothers. Maya, the sensitive, practical florist, has given up on love and is ready to settle for like. But now that Jack’s around again, he’s stirring up old feelings—and turning Maya’s fantasies into irresistible reality.

Jack blew his chance with Maya years ago when he stepped aside for his best friend, Will, and he’s still kicking himself about it. Maya was promised forever once before, and she got burned. But when Jack realizes that second chances aren’t going to fall out of the sky, he seizes the moment—and the woman he’s always loved—to show her how forever truly feels.

 

Follow the Tour HERE.

 

e-ARC Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway: ROCK REDEMPTION by Nalini Singh

Title: Rock Redemption (Rock Kiss #3)
Author: Nalini Singh
Release Date: March 10, 2015
Source: e-ARC from publisher via TRSoR
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | iTunes | B & N | Kobo

Kit Devigny could have loved rock guitarist Noah St. John. Their friendship burned with the promise of intense passion and searing tenderness…until the night Noah deliberately shattered her heart.

Noah knows he destroyed something precious the night he chose to betray Kit, but he’d rather she hate him than learn his darkest secret. All he has left is his music. It’s his saving grace, but it doesn’t silence the voices that keep him up at night. Chasing oblivion through endless one-night-stands, he earns a few hours’ sleep and his bad boy reputation.

When a media error sees Noah and Kit dubbed the new “it” couple, Kit discovers her chance at the role of a lifetime hinges on riding the media wave. Wanting—needing—to give Kit this, even if he can’t give her everything, Noah agrees to play the adoring boyfriend. Only the illusion is suddenly too real, too painful, too beautiful…and it may be too late for the redemption of Noah St. John.