Friday 31 December 2021

December 2021 Wrap Up

 And just like that, it's the end of 2021! December has been another crazy month to finish the year off with, as it always is. Despite having so much going on over the month, I still managed to read a total of 7 books in December. I read almost exclusively Christmas books, which was great, discovered a new author whose books I binged and, most importantly, really loved reading again. So let's chat about the final seven books I read in 2021.






Falling For Christmas by Kate Hewitt -

This is a Christmas novella about a woman who leaves a Christmas party after her ex brings his new girlfriend and ends up driving for miles with no destination in mind, when she ends up stranded and completely unprepared in a small town. She is rescued by the local carpenter and has no choice but to stay in his house with him over Christmas. This was a fun festive novella but really nothing particularly special. I enjoyed the small town setting and I like a snowed in together story, but the romance wasn't that well developed so I couldn't fall in love with it.

Rating: 3/5


Underneath The Christmas Tree by Heidi Swain - 

This is a cozy, festive read about a woman who returns to her late father's Christmas tree farm to spend one last Christmas before she sells her shares. This is not something I would typically pick up. It is much more women's fiction than romance, although does feature a romance, but turned out to be exactly what I wanted. The Christmas tree farm is the perfect setting for festive fun and I loved being immersed in this little community. It was lovely to get to know all of these characters as our main character does and just fall in love with the place along with her. The romance was a dull, which did affect my rating, but it wasn't the main aspect of the book. Overall, this was a lovely Christmas read and just what I needed at the time.

Rating: 3.5/5


Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone -

Now that I have an Audible membership again, I have been wanting to try out the many Audible Originals. I had heard great things about this one so decided to pick it up. It follows a woman who sparks up a friendship with the customer service representative she ends up on the phone to for hours while trying to get her business website fixed. It seems like such an odd concept but I thought it worked so well. Vera and Cal end up getting to know each other through this phone call and the connection they have is so clear, even without them ever having me. It was such an adorable romance, with two really great characters that were such fun to follow. There is a bit of a twist at the end that I managed to work out pretty early on but it was still a lot of fun to read about. This was written for audio so the audiobook was a full production with sound effects and everything. It was the most fun and immersive audiobook that made for a great reading experience. I can't wait to listen to more like this.

Rating: 4/5


Mince Pies And Mistletoe At The Christmas Market by Heidi Swain -

I have gone down a Heidi Swain Christmas rabbit hole. I want to read every Christmas book she has written because they give me all of the cozy festive vibes. This one follows a woman who drops out of university and returns to her home town to run a market stall for her friends cafe over Christmas, but things get complicated when she discovers she is working next door to her ex-boyfriend. This one was just as festive as my first Heidi Swain as the stallholders all come together to make this the best Christmas ever and save their struggling small town market. It was just so sweet and I loved it. Again, this is more women's fiction but does involve a romance. The romance takes a definite backseat and while it was quite sweet, I wasn't all that bothered about it. What I really loved was getting to known all of the characters in this small town and experiencing the magic of Christmas alongside them. It seems that this is all I want this festive season.

Rating: 4/5


Sleigh Rides And Silver Bells At The Christmas Fair by Heidi Swain - 

Yet another Heidi Swain Christmas book! This is in the same series as the previous book and follows Anna who takes a job at Wynthorpe Hall in an attempt to avoid Christmas. However, when the Christmas plans at the hall change, Anna finds herself thrust into the festivities she has tried so hard to avoid for many years. This is a really adorable found family story featuring a great cast of characters who all bring so much to the story. Anna has had a really tough past and the characters in this sweet little town all help her to move on from that and look to the future. There is also some change and uncertainty at Wynthorpe Hall involving the owner's youngest son, Jamie, who has an instant connection with Anna. This was another fun and heartwarming Christmas story from Heidi Swain, with an adorable romance and lots of festive spirit. It was another perfect read to get me in the Christmas mood.

Rating: 4/5


Snowflakes And Cinnamon Swirls At The Winter Wonderland by Heidi Swain - 

When I say I fell down a Heidi Swain rabbit hole, I mean I really fell down a Heidi Swain rabbit hole. This was my fourth and final Heidi Swain Christmas book of the month and it takes us back to Wynthorpe Hall for more festive fun. This follows Hayley, the Wynthorpe Hall housekeeper who we met in the previous book, after her engagement has ended dramatically and she has moved into the Hall with others. Also moving to the Hall for this Christmas season is Gabe, a friend of Jamie who has come to work in the grounds and has baggage of his own. This has all of the heart, mayhem and festive fun I have come to expect from these books and it was great to spend another Christmas season in Wynthorpe Hall with the characters we met in the previous book. I didn't love this one quite as much as the others I have read this month, which I think is a lot to do with the romance. Hayley has just ended her engagement when she meets and feels a connection to Gabe, which is fine and I would have enjoyed a nice slow burn romance between them. What we actually got was a lot of angst followed by everything moving very fast. I also felt as though Gabe's past wasn't explored as much as it could be. I enjoyed the festive activities and the side characters just as much as I knew I would, but the rest fell a bit flat for me.

Rating: 3/5


Christmas At Carly's Cupcakes by Jessica Redland - 

I moved on from Heidi Swain to something with similar vibes. This is another women's fiction-y Christmas book with a bit of a romance thrown in. This follows Carly who own a small town bakery and has given a job to her struggling younger sister, despite her lack of skills in the baking department. She is also discovering her long held feelings for her childhood best friend who is coming home on leave from the Army over Christmas. This was a little all over the place for me and didn't quite hit the mark. I liked the small town bakery setting and loved seeing how all of the business owners worked together and became good friends. I liked the family aspect and how Carly was trying to help out her sister. I also liked the idea of the childhood friends to lovers romance. However, all of these aspects of the story felt half done and could have all been executed better. I constantly felt while reading that Carly's sisters storyline would have been better told from Bethany's point of view as it felt like the main focus of the story and took away from Carly's own storyline. The romance was really poorly executed, in my opinion, as Liam, the love interest, didn't appear until the last quarter of the book meaning we had such little time to see the couple together that is was difficult to be invested in them. It also meant that everything moved very quickly and felt rushed. This could have been great but ended up being pretty average.

Rating: 3/5


Those are the very last 7 books I read in 2021. I would say a load of Christmas books and a Heidi Swain marathon was a pretty good way to end my reading year. As I said, I have really fallen back in love with reading in December, which I am hoping will continue into the new year. I have also been getting back into blogging and I'm ready to jump back into things with the end of year content in January!

What was the best book you read in December?

Sophie :)

Tuesday 14 December 2021

Five Christmas Reads At The Top Of My TBR

 I am all about the Christmas romance in the month of December and my list of Christmas books I want to read is pretty extensive. I thought I would share the five that I really hope to get to before the end of the month, mainly to help me not forget about them among the mountain of other books on my TBR. 





1. The Boss Who Stole Christmas by Jana Aston - This was on my list last year but I never got to it. This is the first in a series of Christmas novellas and features an employee-boss workplace romance.


2. Mistletoe And Mr Right by Sarah Morgenthaler - This is the second book in the Moose Springs, Alaska series that I started a couple of months ago. This follows the best friend of the heroine from book one and has the typical Christmas movie/book storyline of the rich person buying the small town.


3. The Fake Santa Apology Tour by Julie Olivia - A heroine who only dates fake Santas ends up snowed in with her grinchy santa-lookalike enemy in a small town. This sounds like a lot of fun.


4. A Cross-Country Christmas by Courtney Walsh - A Christmas road trip with her brother's best friend, who she also happens to have had a crush on for years, this definitely sounds like my kind of thing.


5. Kiss The Girl by Melanie Jacobson - This is a small-town, fake dating romance following our heroine who has returned to her hometown temporarily and has vowed never to fall for a small-town guy.


Those are five of the Christmas romances on my TBR this year that I am most interested in at the moment. I am really excited for all of these and I'm hoping I can get to at least a few of these before the end of the month.

What is your favourite Christmas book?

Sophie :)

Friday 3 December 2021

November 2021 Wrap Up

 Well, 2021 is almost over! I know I say this every month but it really is crazy how fast this year is flying in. November was another busy month that caused me to put blogging to the bottom of my priority list. Despite being on holiday from work for some of the month, thing in my personal life took a challenging turn and my priorities had to change a lot. This is likely to be the case for the foreseeable future, however I am hoping to get more organised with blogging and bookstagram in the New Year which should help.

Back to November though, I read a total of 5 books, three of which were non-fiction for Nonfiction November. They covered pretty much the whole rating scale, one being a stand out favourite that will most likely make my favourites of the year list.





Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker -

This was my first read for nonfiction November, a true crime novel detailing the case of the online escorts who became victims of the long island serial killer. This is a case I had never heard anything about so thought it would be a good first true crime nonfiction read as I would be super interested in learning about something totally new. Unfortunately, I really didn't enjoy this book. It focused much more on the lives of the girls than the mystery itself, which is an interesting idea and makes a point of humanising people who may have been seen as simply victims previously. However, I don't feel it was done particularly well. The way it was written is incredibly jarring and confusing as the reader is introduced to so many different people in a very short period of time, all of whom have quite similar stories, and then continuously flips between each girl's story. I found it very hard to keep track of who was who. This book also focuses so much on the issues in these girls' lives and the family drama. I found this really took away from the fact this was a real crime that is still yet to be solved and made it into some kind of soap opera. Overall, this was a disappointing read and after reading a 400+ page book about this mystery I still don't know anything about it.

Rating: 2/5


The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren -

After discovering Christina Lauren last year and really enjoying a lot of their work, this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. It follows a single mother who, on a total whim, signs up to a new app that promises to find your soulmate based on DNA. When her results come back as an unprecedented 98% match with the app's founder, the pair agree to fake date in order to gain publicity for the app ahead of it's official launch. I really like the premise of this as it sounds like a much more light-hearted and romantic version of The One by John Marrs, which I read and enjoyed but definitely had a different vibe. I also love a fake dating trope, especially when it is also enemies to lovers as this is, and I typically like single parent romance. This really should have ticked all my boxes, but ended up being a bit of a disappointment. I was bored for a lot of it and considered DNFing as it has such a slow start. I struggled to find the desire to keep reading but found my enjoyment of the relationship developing helped me get through it. While there were aspects I enjoyed, such as the relationship and our heroine's daughter, they just weren't enough for me to love it. I expected more from this author duo but this one just wasn't for me.

Rating: 3/5


The Only Plane In The Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M Graff -

This was my absolute stand out of the month. Another nonfiction November read, this is an account of all of the events of September 11th told by the people who experienced it first hand. This is probably the most comprehensive account of that day, and the days following, that you could ask for. It has accounts from those inside the Towers at the time of the attacks and family members of those who died both in the Towers and on planes, those inside the Pentagon and family member of those who lost their lives in that attack, family members of the passengers on Flight 93, air traffic controllers and those working in the airports, first responders involved in all three attacks, government officials and those who worked with them, and so many more that I can't list without being here forever. It was incredibly informative but also emotive and intense. It was such a powerful read and as someone who is too young to remember that day in anymore than very faint memories, it gave an idea of just how horrific that day was for those all over the world. 

Rating: 5/5


Fighting For Your Life by Lysa Walder -

My third and final nonfiction read of the month was, of course, some form of medical memoir. This is a memoir of a London paramedic, in which Lysa Walder shares just some of the most memorable jobs she has had within her role. I have read a lot of books like this so I am pretty critical but I didn't particularly enjoy this book. This was very much an account of the most shocking calls the author has been to and seemed to be much more about the shock factor than human emotion. I started to wonder at one point if any of the stories were going to involve the patient actually living in the end. While this may be more exciting to read about for some, as someone with experience in this area this definitely gives a very inaccurate view of the job. Though much of the role of a paramedic does involve really shocking calls with life threatening emergencies, so much of the job is about being caring and compassionate individuals, which was not something that came across at all in this book. In fact, some of the language used made the author seem not very caring or compassionate at all at points. Overall, this did have it's interesting parts but did not showcase the role of a paramedic well in my opinion.

Rating: 3/5


The Christmas Blanket by Kandi Steiner -

I was planning to save my Christmas reads until December but I just couldn't wait that long. This is a short novella following a woman who gets stuck in a blizzard on her way home for the first time in four years to see her family for Christmas. However, when she is rescued by her ex-husband things get awkward as the two are stuck in his cabin together through the storm. I absolutely loved this novella. It was such a sweet second-chance romance, with the chemistry between the main characters being apparent from the beginning. It was a very cozy, festive read and my only complaint is that I wish it had been longer. I could have read a full length novel of these characters. 

Rating: 4.5/5


A Groom With A View by Sophie Ranald - 

My last read of the month was one that I have owned in my ebook library for far too many years but never got around to picking up. It follow a woman who has been in a long term relationship for years with no plans to get married until one drunken night the pair end up engaged. While she has very little interest in the wedding plans, her husband-to-be becomes wrapped up in planning the perfect, extravagant wedding, with the help of his mother, who does not think she is good enough for his son. I knew nothing about this going into it so didn't realise that this is really not my kind of book. It's definitely more Women's Fiction than romance, which isn't usually my thing, and I hate the meddling mother-in-law that makes the life of her son's significant other absolute hell. Despite not being my kind of book, this was fine and I enjoyed it enough, until something happened at the end that I wasn't a fan of. I probably should have DNFed this when I realised it wasn't my cup of tea.

Rating: 2.5/5


Those are all of the books I read in November. A bit of a mixed bag, both in terms of genre and enjoyment, but a couple of really great reads in there. I am so excited to get to all of the Christmas romance in December, so definitely leave me some good recommendations.

What was the best book you read in November?

Sophie :)

Sunday 31 October 2021

October 2021 Wrap Up

 How in the world are we at the end of October already? I genuinely cannot comprehend that 2021 is nearly over! We are getting to my favourite time of year, which is obviously great, but it has come around far to fast. 

After a very slumpy past few months, I have finally started to get back into reading in the month of October. I read a total of 7 books in October, including quite a few that have been on my radar for years now. I have been trying to prioritise the books I already own, either physically or as an ebook, and managed to get 3 books off of my ebook TBR and 2 off of my physical TBR, so I'm very happy about that. I also got a surprise 5 star read this month for the first time since July! This was definitely a much better reading month, so let's get into the books.





The Guest List by Lucy Foley -

This is a book that has been on countless TBR lists over the past year and I finally got around to reading it in October for my 'reading three popular thrillers' post. It takes place on a secluded Irish island during a wedding and we follow the wedding party both in the lead up to the wedding, and on the wedding night when someone turns up dead. I shared more of my thoughts in that three thrillers post, but I ended up really enjoying this book. The setting was so creepy and atmospheric, the characters were a really mixed bunch that were all interesting to read about and for the most part had unique voices. I think the flipping between the past timeline in the lead up to the wedding and the present timeline of the wedding night worked well for this story as it kept the suspense building and the reader hooked. The thing that worked the best for me with this book, however, was the various points of view. This story was told from multiple different perspectives and that made for a really fast paced read, but also helped the reader find out more about the characters and made you question who you could trust. The ending was full of twists that kept me hooked and despite managing to guess who was responsible I still thought the reveal and how everything wrapped up was very well done. I would definitely pick up more from Lucy Foley in the future.

Rating: 4/5


Pucked by Helena Hunting -

From a nice surprise to a bit of a disappointment, this one did not live up to the hype for me. It is a book I have heard such great things about over the years so finally decided to pick it up when I was in the mood for a sports romance. It follows Violet who has sworn off hockey players having seen the player behaviour of her professional hockey player stepbrother. However, when she meets his new teammate Alex and the two have a connection, she starts to question that decision. I love sports romances, no matter the sport I am here for it. This one, though, was not for me. It was an instalove romance, which I don't always hate but I couldn't see much of a connection between these characters in the beginning, and it had no plot. This book was entirely sexy times and discussions about each others genital area, things I can enjoy in moderation when there's some plot mixed in but that wasn't the case with this book. Don't get me wrong, the steamy scenes were great and very well written, but it was just a bit much. I also found Violet to be an incredibly annoying heroine and thought her reaction surrounding the conflict in the story was completely over the top. I definitely had some issues with this book but I didn't hate it, it was just fine. I'm still undecided about whether I want to continue with this series.

Rating: 3/5


Final Girls by Riley Sager -

This is another book I have had on my shelves for a while and finally picked up for the reading popular thrillers post. This follows Quincy who is known to the media as a 'final girl' after she was the sole survivor of a massacre. When one of only two other 'final girls' is found dead, the remaining two are brought together. However, things are not what they seem. This is another book that has been pretty hyped since it's release and didn't totally live up to my expectations. Again, I share more of my thoughts in that reading popular thrillers post. This was hard for me to get into as I found the first half to be really slow. I struggled to care about these characters much to begin with and just wasn't interested in the story much at all. However, when things started to pick up in the second half I did start to enjoy it a bit more. It did get quite intense, this is definitely a darker read and not for the faint hearted. While a lot did happen towards the end, I didn't find much of it particularly shocking and had guessed a lot of the twists quite early on so they didn't make as much of an impact on me. I did really enjoy Riley Sager's writing, though, so would read more from him in the future.

Rating: 3/5


Rush by Kandi Steiner -

After a pretty intense read, I decided to pick this up on a complete whim as it seemed like the perfect lighter read. This is the first book in a NA series following a group of college students as they navigate both Greek life and life in general. This was a lot of fun and exactly what I needed as a bit of a palette cleanser. It is told almost in the form of a TV show in episodes. This first book is comprised of six episodes and we follow seven different characters and all of the drama that they are involved in. It is very dramatic and it reminded me a lot of shows like Gossip Girl, which I love. It's nothing that will blow your mind but it is a lot of fun and a super quick read. I will definitely be picking up the rest of this series.

Rating: 3/5


The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler -

This is the first book in a series of companion novels set in a small town in Alaska and it has been on my radar ever since I fell in love with The Simple Wild by KA Tucker. I know that I love an Alaska setting, I know that I love a small town grump, this sounded like exactly my kind of book. It didn't quite live up to the very high bar set by The Simple Wild, but it was a fun read. It follows Graham, the grumpy diner owner in this small town who hates tourists, and Zoey, a big city girl who is on her dream trip. The pair meet and have an instant connection. This was very much instalove and was another instance in which I just couldn't see why they were so obsessed with each other so quickly. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much had it not been set in Alaska as the plot wasn't anything special. It was made clear that Zoey was 'not like other girls', which is something that annoys me in book, especially as all that really seemed different about her was the fact she wasn't rich. Overall, this was a fun read made a bit better by the Alaska setting but didn't blow me away. I will probably continue on with this series at some point.

Rating: 3.5/5


Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh -

This was the third book I read for the reading popular thrillers post and was the biggest surprise of them all. It is a legal thriller following the high profile murder trial in which an actor is being accused of murdering his wife and head of security. The book is told from two perspectives, one the lawyer who has become involved in the case and the other the serial killer who has made his way on to the jury. This was unlike anything I have ever read before and I loved every second of it. It was intense and graphic at times, we are seeing into the very twisted mind of a serial killer who is not afraid to do what he needs to do to get his way. I found the trial from the perspective of the lawyer really interesting and enjoyed following his investigation. This was full of twists, none of which I saw coming, and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was such a cleverly written, well crafted book that I couldn't put down. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Rating: 5/5


Thicker Than Water by Tyler Shultz -

I have recently started another Audible free trial, after cancelling my membership years ago, so wanted to try out some of the Audible originals that come with the membership. This is a short non-fiction audiobook, that felt more like a podcast, detailing the Theranos scandal from Tyler Shultz perspective a the whistleblower in the case. I had never heard anything about this so it was interesting to learn something new. It felt very informal and more like a chat, which threw me off a bit as I was not expecting more of a podcast vibe. It was interesting enough but as someone who knew nothing about this situation going into it, I found some points hard to follow and could have done with a bit more explanation. 

Rating: 3/5


Those are the seven books I read in October. My reading was a bit mixed this month, with a few different genres thrown in there. I think I was starting to get a little burnt out on romance and that was causing me to be slumpy. I found that when I was breaking up my reading with different genres I could enjoy what I was reading a bit more.

I'm really excited for my reading in November, so hopefully that means I can read all of the books! 

What was the best book you read in October?

Sophie :)

Thursday 28 October 2021

Reading Three Popular Thrillers

 Before I started reading predominantly romance, I used to read a decent amount of thrillers. Whether they were YA or Adult, I found myself reaching for them regularly but started to get annoyed with them being so hit or miss. I have only read a handful of thrillers over the past couple of years so I thought, given the time of year, I would give a few popular thrillers a go. I decided to pick up three books that I have heard a lot of great things about and see if I could find the book to make me fall in love with thrillers again. I decided it might be interesting to share my thoughts before, during and after reading to see how my feelings changed throughout.





The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Initial Thoughts: This is a thriller that has been so hyped in the book community, both by thriller readers and those who don’t typically read this genre, so I’ve been a bit scared to pick it up. I have had it on so many TBRs but just kept putting it off. It takes place on a secluded island during a wedding where someone is found dead. I love the idea of a wedding party on a secluded island, it has the potential to be so atmospheric and intense. This is probably the one I’m most excited about. 

50% Thoughts: I am completely hooked. This book sucked me in straight away with the atmospheric setting and flipping between the wedding night and the days before. I really enjoy the various POVs, I think it makes for such a fast read. The mystery is still so unknown at this point, we don’t really know much about what has happened yet. I like that as I can’t make any guesses, which is usually what ruins a mystery/thriller for me if I manage to guess correctly. I’m really enjoying this so far and I just hope nothing happens to change my thoughts. 

Final Thoughts: I am happy to say that this is a thriller that was worth the hype for me. It was full of twists that kept me reading on and I just loved the way it was written. We are following the bride, groom, various members of the wedding party and the wedding planner in the days leading up to the wedding and the wedding night. The multiple POVs made for such a fast paced read and kept the mystery going as you didn’t know who you could trust, as did the jumping between past and present timelines. I enjoyed how the ending was set up as even though I did manage to guess who the killer was, the journey to get to the reveal was still so intense and intriguing. This was exactly the kind of thriller for me and I will definitely be looking for more like this in the future.

Rating: ★★★★



Initial Thoughts: This has been on my TBR for the longest time! I remember seeing the synopsis for this book and being instantly interested. It follows a group of women who are all the sole survivors of horrific events. When one is found dead, the others’ lives start to get more complicated. This just sounds like such an interesting premise and I’ve heard that it gets really intense. 

50% Thoughts: The first half of this book was boring. I hate to say that as it was not what I was expecting from this. All I have heard is how thrilling and intense this book is but I haven’t felt any of that so far. Despite the slow start, the characters are interesting and the plot still has potential so I am hoping it picks up a bit from this point. I’m pretty sure I’ve guessed the twist though, I hope I’m wrong. 

Final Thoughts: I wasn’t wrong. I guessed the twist the second a character was introduced. It doesn’t bother me too much when I guess the twist if getting to it is exciting and the reveal is worth it. Sadly, this was a bit disappointing. It wasn’t a bad book, it just didn’t live up to the hype for me. It did pick up a bit in the second half and things got more exciting and intense but never enough for me to be all that invested. As I said before, the characters were interesting and just as twisted as I like to see in my thrillers. While the pacing was slightly off, the plot itself wasn’t bad. It was a unique concept and the author did a great job of throwing in red herrings and keeping you guessing; It’s just a shame that I made a good guess early on. Although this one was a bit of a disappointment for me, I would be interested in reading more from Riley Sager now as I did enjoy the writing.

Rating: ★★★



Initial Thoughts: I would probably say this is the book out of the three that I am most unsure about. I picked this one up before I had heard anything about it because the tagline ‘the serial killer isn’t on trial...he’s on the jury’ had me hooked when I read it. I then saw a lot of people rave about it but just never got around to reading it. I think this is more of a legal thriller, which I don’t think I’ve ever read before. I have no idea what to expect going into this one.

50% Thoughts: This one has been a bit of a surprise for me because so far I am really enjoying it! It is unlike anything I have read before and has me completely hooked. This is following a high profile murder trial of a movie star following the murder of his actress wife and their head of security and is told from two perspectives. The first is of the lawyer who becomes involved in the case, the second is that of the killer who has gotten himself on the jury. I am so in awe of how cleverly written this is. Maybe it is just because I don't read a lot of books like this but I don't think I have ever been this hooked when reading a thriller. It is intense and pretty graphic and gory, which are not things I really love to read, but it is all just so intriguing. The twists keep on coming, I have no idea where this is going and I can't stop reading. I really am loving this so far!

Final Thoughts: In a surprising turn of events, this was my favourite of the three and probably the best book I have read in months. I loved it! I am now questioning my reading tastes; am I actually a romance reader or should I now be reading legal thrillers and crime novels? My final thoughts are pretty much the same as my thoughts from the half way point. This book just continued to keep me interested and shock me with the twists it took. I never knew what would come next, it was so cleverly written. It was intense and gripping, I was completely immersed in this story and couldn't put the book down. I'm a lover of true crime documentaries and this read in a similar way, to me at least. I will definitely be reading more from this author and I might have to start asking my family for some book recommendations as they are all big crime readers. 

Rating: ★★★★★


This was something a little different for me as I have been reading so much romance this year. Even though I love romance, I was starting to get a little burnt out and found myself getting slumpy and rating everything around the 3 star mark. This has definitely gotten me out of my reading slump and I even found a new five star book. 

If you have any thriller recommendations based on my thoughts on these three books, please let me know so I can find some more new favourites.

What is your favourite type of thriller?

Sophie :)

Sunday 17 October 2021

Five Books That Give Me Autumn Vibes

 Now that we are officially into Autumn/Fall/Spooky Season, I am feeling all of the Autumn vibes. I just want to wear oversized jumper and drink hot chocolate while I curl up under a blanket and read. This is the time of year where my reading taste get a bit all over the place. I go from reading almost entirely contemporary romance to reading a little bit of everything. So I thought I would share five books, from various genres, that give me autumn vibes.



 

1. The Simple Wild by KA Tucker - If I remember correctly this is technically set in the summer, but the Alaska setting just gives me the autumn vibes. This is a hate to love romance following Calla, who travels to Alaska to spend time with her estranged father after finding out he has cancer and meets grumpy pilot Jonah. This is one of my favourite books of the year, I can't recommend this book enough.


2. Verity by Colleen Hoover - If you're not into scary but want a bit of creepy this time of year, this is the book you need. This book took me on a ride! It follows a woman who is hired to complete the book series of a bestselling author. She goes to stay in the authors home with her family and discovers some secrets. I went into it knowing nothing and enjoyed every intensely creepy second of it.


3. Eleanor & Grey by Brittainy C Cherry - This is another one that probably takes place in the summer but gave me all the cozy, autumnal vibes. This is romance following two teenagers who form an unlikely friendship to help each other through some rough times, which of course develops into more. It then jumps into the future when the two have lost touch but Eleanor ends up becoming the nanny to Greyson's children after the death of his wife. I would recommend this one if you want to shatter your heart and spend your autumn sobbing.


4. Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire - This is a great book if you're not a fantasy reader but want something just a little fantastical around this time of year. It takes place in a home for children who have returned from other worlds (think Narnia) and are having a difficult time readjusting. There is a bit of a mystery element to it, which gives some creepy undertones as well. It's very unique and a great quick read for this time of year.


5. Only When It's Us by Chloe Liese - I'm pretty sure this only gives me autumn vibes because of the colours on the cover but I will take any opportunity to talk about this series so I'm going with it. This is a romance between a college soccer star and the grumpy guy in her class who the professor tells her to get help from, but he just keeps ignoring her. After she discovers he not actually ignoring her but is deaf, the two have the cutest frenemies to lovers romance ever. 


Those are five books that give me very autumnal vibes. My reasoning for that might not always be completely solid, but they are all great books that I would definitely recommend picking up sometime soon. 

What book always gives you autumn vibes?

Sophie :)

Friday 1 October 2021

September 2021 Wrap Up

 I know I only shared my July and August wrap up a few days ago but it is already time to wrap up September. I can't believe how fast this year is flying in! September was a really busy month for me, and on top of that I was ill for basically all of it, so I didn't get a lot of reading done at all. I only read 3 books in the month, which is more than August but still not enough for me to be happy with. None of my September reads were really stand-outs for me but let's talk about them





Hate Notes by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward -

When I'm feeling slumpy, I tend to pick things up on a whim in the hope it can keep my attention long enough for me to finish it. That is what happened with this book. It is a hate to love workplace romance, which I seem to be reading a lot recently, following a woman who finds a note inside a wedding dress and ends up becoming the assistant to the writer of the note. The premise of this didn't actually excite me all that much so I'm not sure why I thought the book itself would. It was an average book for me, with a decent hate to love romance between two kind of dull characters. I didn't gel with the main characters, but I did enjoy their banter and the romance was pretty sweet. I thought the whole letter storyline was a bit odd and made our heroine seem a bit creepy, and it didn't really add a whole lot to the story. I also wasn't a huge fan of chronic illness being thrown in as a twist or a plot device, I felt as though that could have been incorporated a bit better. Overall, it wasn't anything special or exciting but I would read from this author duo again.

Rating: 3/5


Lessons In Corruption by Giana Darling -

I was in the mood to pick up something totally different so I went with a MC romance. This is the first book in Giana Darling's Fallen Men series, which is raved about within the romance community. The first book is a forbidden romance between the 18-year-old son of the MC club president and his young teacher. I'm not into age gap and I'm not into student/teacher romances, but I didn't hate this. I really enjoyed both King and Cress as characters and loved getting introduced to the world of the Fallen Men. I am definitely invested in this series and the Fallen Men already. However, I don't think this was ever going to be my favourite in the series. While I really did enjoy the relationship between King and Cress, that was mostly because a lot of the time I could ignore the student/teacher part. It did cross a bit of a line for me at times in terms of that aspect, though, which did make me uncomfortable but that is totally a me thing. I also found myself getting a bit bored in the middle and feeling as though it could have been shorter. Other than that, I enjoyed the relationship, the bit of action at the end, and getting an introduction to the Fallen Men MC.

Rating: 3.5/5


Dark by Penelope Bloom -

This is another book that is totally different from what I usually read and I only picked it up as I am trying to complete BooksAndLala's Buzzword challenge this year and the buzzword for September was 'Dark'. This is the third book in a mafia romance series that I have never read before. It follows a therapist who ends up sleeping with one of her patients, who happens to be involved in some bad stuff, and of course she gets pregnant and he disappears before she can tell him. I enjoyed this more than I was expecting to. I know a lot of people hate the secret baby trope but I don't mind it and actually enjoyed it in this book. I wasn't really invested in these characters because the book was so short and full of action that we didn't really get to know them. This also meant that their romantic connection wasn't really developed much, so I wasn't that invested in their relationship. I did find the action fun and gripping, it kept me reading to know how their story would end. Overall, this was better than I expected and I had fun with it, but it definitely wasn't the best book I've ever read.

Rating: 2.5/5


Those are the three books I read in September. Thankfully, I seem to be getting out of my reading slump and I'm now in the mood to read again. I'm hoping I can make up for my lack of reading in the coming months.

What was the best book you read in September?

Sophie :)

Sunday 26 September 2021

Where I've Been And What I've Been Reading: July & August 2021 Wrap Up

 So, it's been a while! As seems to be the case every year, August was just not a blogging month for me. With everything starting to open up here in the UK, August was crazy busy for me as I was spending any time I wasn't at work being back out in the world again. With everything being so crazy, I had very little time to blog or read at all. I never got around to wrapping up my pretty great reading month in July or my very poor reading month in August, so let's chat about those books now.

I read 9 books in July, which is the most I have read in a month since the beginning of the year, and only 2 books in August, which is the least I have read in a month in a really long time. I'll be honest, I don't remember much about some of these books so this will not be my best wrap up.





Ever After Always by Chloe Liese -

This is the third book in the Bergman Brothers series and follows Freya, the eldest sister in the family. This is a marriage in trouble romance with Freya and her husband Aiden dealing with some big issues going on in their marriage. I love this series and this book was no exception. I haven't read a lot of marriage in trouble romances but I'm starting to think it could be something I really enjoy. I found Freya and Aiden's journey through their struggles to be really interesting and was really rooting for them throughout the book. This book also features a family trip, which was my favourite part as we get to see the entire Bergman family together. I just love this family so much.

Rating: 4/5


Dating In The Dark by Alexandria Bishop -

This is one that I picked up for free because the premise sounded so interesting. This is an enemies to lovers romance that follows a woman who is forced by her friends to go to a speed dating event, but the twist is it takes place entirely in the dark. This just fell flat for me. The speed dating premise sounded so much fun, but it was such a short part of the story and the rest was just boring. I didn't really love the relationship as I didn't really see any chemistry between the two. This is also part of a series that basically splits the one story into multiple books, meaning it ended on a cliffhanger in the middle of the story, which I didn't love. I will not be carrying on with this series.

Rating: 2/5


From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata -

I have been wanting to read this book for the longest time! This was on my radar before I even became a romance reader as I have always really loved figure skating and the idea of a romance involving skating sounded amazing to me. This is an enemies to lovers romance between two figure skating rivals who are forced to become skating partners. As I expected, I loved this book. It is everything I normally love in books; slow burn, enemies to lovers, sports romance. This was just perfect. I loved the enemies to lovers aspect and how long it took them to even be able to tolerate each other to becoming such close friends before developing into anything more. The family relationship was a lot of fun and I want to read a whole other book just about Jasmine and her siblings. Basically I loved this book and now want to read everything Mariana Zapata has ever written.

Rating: 5/5


Hollywood Roommates by Elizabeth Briggs -

This is another one I picked up randomly after seeing some people in the romance community reading reverse harem and wanting to try it out. This follows a woman who moves to a house with three actors and obviously enters into a relationship with all three of them. There isn't really much to this. It's minimal plot with a lot of sexy times but it was a quick, fun read.

Rating: 3/5


Being Hospitable by Meka James -

This is a super short sapphic novella that I saw recommended on youtube so picked it up. It's about a woman who's best friend's younger sister moves in with her and tries very hard to seduce her. Again, there is really not much happening in this at all other than the steamy scenes. It was fun but nothing super special.

Rating: 3/5


Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas - 

This is one of the most popular books in the romance community so I was kind of scared to pick it up. This is a romance between a girl and her boyfriends father, so obviously a bit more forbidden and taboo than the romance I usually pick up. While I enjoyed this book, I think the hype ruined it a little for me. This is such a well loved book that I found myself getting disappointed when I wasn't completely in love with it. Like I said, I don't read a lot of age gap romances and this has made me think it is not going to be a favourite kind of romance for me. I liked the slow burn romance between Jordan and Pike, but it made me feel uncomfortable at times. I also found myself getting a bit bored at times throughout this book and I'm finding it kind of forgettable now. I did enjoy it, it just didn't live up to the hype.

Rating: 4/5


The Hating Game by Sally Thorne - 

Speaking of a hugely popular book that didn't live up to the hype, I also read possibly the most loved book in the romance community. The Hating Game is like the original hate to love romance and everyone seems to consider it one of their favourites of all time. It is a hate to love office romance between two rival colleagues going for the same promotion. Hate to love is one of my favourite tropes but this book just didn't do it for me. I know it's an unpopular opinion but I didn't really like our main characters and wasn't that invested in their relationship. I thought it was a kind of cute, but sometimes cringey, fun romance but I didn't love it the way everyone else seems to.

Rating: 3.5/5


The Last Summer Of The Garrett Girls by Jessica Spotswood -

This is a book I had owned for a few years before finally picking it up. It is a YA contemporary following four sisters during the last summer they are all together before one of the sisters moves away for college. Each sister is dealing with their own issues over the summer that lead to them questioning their identities and trying to find themselves. This was a really sweet story of family, love, finding your place and discovering who you are. I struggled to get into it at first but soon found myself really invested in these sisters and their lives. I love books set in small towns over the summer, so this setting was perfect for me and it gave me all of the Gilmore Girls vibes. This was a nice surprise and I ended up enjoying it much more than I expected to.

Rating: 4/5


To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn -

Another month, another Bridgerton book. This is the 5th book in the Bridgertons series and follows Eloise, the second oldest Bridgerton daughter and self-imposed spinster. After the death of her distant cousin, Eloise writes to her husband with her condolences and so begins a correspondence between the two. When Eloise runs away to Sir Phillip's home in the middle of the night, the two begin a bit of a hate to love romance. Eloise has always been one of my favourite characters in the Bridgerton family and I was very excited to read her story. Sadly, this wasn't one of my favourites in the series. I didn't like Phillip at all and I couldn't see him and Eloise being a good match, which made me pretty disinterested in their romance. The one thing I did love, though, was the relationship Eloise formed with the children. I love children in books and Phillip's children redeemed this one for me. I'm disappointed as I wanted so much more for Eloise.

Rating: 3/5


The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon -

Clearly I've been in a hate to love mood recently. This is another hate to love workplace romance, this time between two rival coworkers at a radio station who are forced to be fake exes in order to present the new show which is hoped will save their struggling station. I really loved this premise and really enjoyed the beginning of this book. However, for a book about a radio show, they didn't spend a lot of time actually doing the show. I wanted to see this relationship develop through their work on the radio show but that all seemed to happen outside of the workplace. The characters felt a bit flat for me, and at times annoying, but I did still enjoy their romance. It was the conflict that ended up letting me down more than anything, with certain characters actions making me kind of angry, but that is probably more of a me thing.

Rating: 3/5


Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines -

This is a YA sports romance that I had on my Goodreads TBR since 2016 and only just got around to it. It follows a girl who moves to a new town to live with her Aunt and Uncle after witnessing her father kill her mother. Despite not having spoken a word since her mothers death, she forms a connection with the town's star football player whose father is dying from cancer. As you can tell from the premise, this wasn't exactly a light, cheery read. It was very emotional and dealt with some hard topics, but other than that it fell flat. The characters were bland and didn't have much more to them than their respective family issues. The friendship they developed to help each other through their struggles was really sweet but the development into a romance wasn't very exciting. Overall, this was fine and I enjoyed it enough while I was reading it, but I'm not sure that I'll carry on with this series.

Rating: 3/5


Those are the 11 books I read in July and August. I had one new favourite, a couple I really enjoyed and a whole lot of average reads. I seem to be incapable of giving anything more than 3 stars since the beginning of August, which I'm putting down to being slumpy, so I'm hoping that will change soon. If you have any recommendations for a great book to get me out of this slump, please let me know.

What was the best book you read recently?

Sophie :)

Thursday 22 July 2021

Top Ten Books On My Kindle Unlimited TBR

 Ever since getting a Kindle Unlimited subscription at the end of last year, my TBR has never stopped growing. As I'm still trying to find what I like within the romance genre, KU has been a great way to try out new things and discover new authors. There are so many amazing books on KU, so I thought I would share some of the ones I am most excited to try out hopefully soon. 





1. The Dugout by Meghan Quinn - I read the first book in the Brentwood boys series recently and I really want to continue with the series. This is a sports romance series following a college baseball team.


2. The Match by Sarah Adams - This is the first book in the It Happened In Charleston Series and follows a woman who trains service dogs and a man looking for a service dog for his daughter. Sarah Adams is a new author I am really wanting to try out.


3. Lessons In Corruption by Giana Darling - This is the first book in the Fallen Men series, a MC romance series that is super popular in the romance community. This is unlike anything I would usually pick up, but I want to try new things within the romance genre.


4. Desolate by Autumn Grey - This is a NA romance about a man who has planned his whole life to become a priest, but falls in love and must choose between his calling or his love. This is one a lot of people seem to love.


5. The Two Week Stand by Samantha Towle - This is one I haven't heard much about but it sounds interesting. It is a beach romance following two strangers who meet on a two week trip to the Maldives, which is exactly what I'm in the mood for right now.


6. Twisted Love by Ana Huang - This is a dark romance that, again, is not really something I have picked up before but want to try out. It is a brother's best friend romance between two characters with dark pasts.


7. Pucked by Helena Hunting - This is the first book in a the super popular college sports romance series following a hockey team. I have heard a lot about this, and love a sports romance, so I'm excited to get started with this series.


8. One Hot Italian Summer by Karina Halle - Another one I'm really in the mood for this summer. This follows a writer who escapes to her agent's Italian villa after the death of her writing partner, only to discover her agent's ex-husband and son are living their. Karina Halle is an author I have really been wanting to try out.


9. On A Tuesday by Whitney G - This is another college sports romance series, with the first book following a footballer and his tutor.


10. Out Of Bounds by RS Grey - This is the second book in the Summer Games series, following athletes at the summer Olympic Games. I didn't love the first book, but the second is a romance between a gymnast and her coach. With the Olympics about to start, I'm totally in the mood for this. Hopefully I'll enjoy it more than the first book.


Those are ten of the books on KU that I am super excited to get to soon. I add books to my KU TBR constantly, so no doubt this top ten will be changing soon.

What is your top KU recommendations?

Sophie :)

Saturday 17 July 2021

Down The TBR Hole: Version 2, Round 7

 


I've been slacking so it's time to get back to trying to get my Goodreads TBR down. Down The TBR Hole was created by Lost In A Story as a way of clearing out your Goodreads Want To Read Shelf. The idea is to sort your Want To Read shelf by date added, oldest to newest, and 5-10 books at a time, decide if you are still interested in reading them.

You can find my last round here: Version 2, Round 6.

This follows a group of teenagers working at a high-end restaurant and a game of dares with the chance to win some prize money. This sounds like something I would have absolutely loved a few years ago, but it's just not my thing anymore.
Stay/Go

This is a book about a girl who, after her first time with her boyfriend goes wrong, discovers she is intersex, and follows her journey as this information is leaked to her entire school. I've never read anything with an intersex main character and have heard such great things about this book.
Stay/Go

This is a YA historical fiction book following the first black girl in a previously all white school and a girl who's father is very vocal about his opposition to school integration who have to work together on a school project. This sounds like a really important read and I have heard some great things about it, but I'm really not into historical fiction.
Stay/Go

This is a memoir of a flight attendant. I am really into these kinds of books as I love learning about other professions and individual's experiences in their profession. This is a book I would be interested in, but the reviews are not great.
Stay/Go

This is a YA paranormal romance about a girl who can sense the bodies of people who have been murdered and the 'imprints' they attach to their killers. When a serial killer is terrorising her town, she decides to try and hunt them down. This is such an interesting premise, and I almost kept it based on premise alone, but it has some really bad reviews that have put me off.
Stay/Go

This is one that seems to have been rereleased just last year but I have had it on my Goodreads shelf since 2015. It is a YA thriller about a girl who goes on a camping trip and during the trip disturbs a pagan burial ground, leaving the boy she was with in a coma. I think I added this to my TBR because it was set in Scotland. It's an interesting premise but not something I would reach for usually.
Stay/Go

I clearly added this one because everyone else was reading it and I didn't want to be left out. This is a YA fantasy about a land in which the King takes a new bride each night only for her to be killed by the next morning. It follows a girl who volunteers to be his next bride with the intention of not only surviving the night, but killing the King. Typically this wouldn't be my thing but I'm so intrigued by that premise that I kind of want to give it a go.
Stay/Go

This is a YA contemporary about a girl who uncovers a secret about her boyfriend and best friend that leaves her heartbroken, just before leaving for a summer in Hawaii. I'm so tempted to keep this because of the Hawaii setting, because I'm desperate to be somewhere sunny, but this does just sound like a typical YA contemporary and nothing too special.
Stay/Go

This is a YA Sherlock Holmes retelling of sorts, but following Sherlock Holmes great-great-great-granddaughter. It takes place in a boarding school and she has to solve the murder of one of the students. This is some thing I would have loved a few years ago but now it probably not something I'll ever get around to picking up.
Stay/Go

I remember adding this to my TBR purely because the title was catchy. This is YA fake dating romance, following the good girl who has always been very dedicated to her studies and the bad boy surfer. The two have to fake date after getting drunk at a party and waking up next to each other. This is another one I probably would have loved years ago but now will never get around to.
Stay/Go

Two staying, Eight going. Want To Read shelf at 589.

Another brutal round this time. I think I'm getting to the point in my Goodreads shelf in which I was adding everything that sounded remotely interested because I wanted to read the books everyone was talking about. That should mean I'll be doing a lot of clearing out in the next few rounds. So even though my total number of books on the shelf didn't go down, because I added a new shelf for all of the KU books on my radar, I'm still doing a good job of getting rid of the books I will never get around to reading.

Have you read any of these books? What were your thoughts?

Sophie :)

Wednesday 14 July 2021

Mid-Year Book Freakout 2021

 We've reached that point in the year already, it's time to look back on the first half of the year and see how my reading has been in 2021 so far. I have been doing the Mid Year Book Freakout since 2015 and it's one of my favourite posts to do each year. I find it so interesting to look back on my reading and see what I should be reading more of in the next half of the year. 

From the beginning of January to the end of June, I have read 46 books. Considering I usually set my yearly goal for 50, thats pretty impressive for me. Of those 46 books, 17 were audiobooks, 15 were ebooks, only 4 were physical books, and 10 were a combination of audio and either physical or ebook. I have read mostly Adult books at 34, with 6 NA and 6 YA, which is a big shift from previous years. Unsurprisingly, my most read genre so far this year has been Romance at 34 books and I don't see that changing. I have had SEVEN 5 star reads so far this year, which is more than I had in all of 2020, and my average rating is currently sitting at 3.5 stars. From those stats alone you could say 2021 has been a pretty great reading year so far.



1. Best Book You've Read So Far In 2021

This is so hard to choose this year! I have a few that are all fighting for the top spot but I'm going to go with The Simple Wild by KA Tucker. I loved this book so much and am already caught up with the series, which says a lot since I'm so terrible at reading series.

2. Best Sequel You've Read So Far In 2021

This is another really hard one! I've read a lot of really great sequels so far this year. I could definitely say the sequels to The Simple Wild, but I can't use those books for every answer. I'm going to go with Love Her Or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey. This was a bit of a surprise as I only gave 3 stars to the first book in the series, but I really loved this one.

3. New Release You Haven't Read Yet But Want To

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren is one that I have been desperate to read, and own the ebook of, but just haven't picked it up yet. I'll definitely be getting to it soon.

4. Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half Of The Year

I probably have to go with With You Forever by Chloe Liese. This is the fourth book in the Bergman Brothers series, which I started this year and am already caught up with. I am so excited for Axel's book and just to spend more time with this family.

5. Biggest Disappointment

Unfortunately, I have a few disappointments in amongst all of the great books I have read so far this year. As sad as it makes me, I have to say Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson. This was one of my most anticipated books of the year but it just wasn't for me.

6. Biggest Surprise

I would have to say The Duke And I by Julia Quinn, or really the Bridgertons series as a whole. I had never read historical romance before I picked up the first book in this series, and only did so after watching and loving the TV series, and I was so surprised when I really enjoyed it. I definitely want to pick up more historical romance once I've finished this series.

7. Favourite New Author

This has been the year of discovering amazing new authors, so this is the hardest question. I'm going to go with Brittainy C Cherry because I have read three of her books so far this year and given out two 5 stars and a 4 star. My favourite from her so far has to be Eleanor & Grey.

8. Newest Fictional Crush

Again, this is so hard! I've read a lot of really great heroes so far this year. One of my favourites was definitely Alex from People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry, he was an absolute sweetheart.

9. Newest Fictional Character

This is another one I could have so many answers for but I'm going to go with Penelope from Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn. I just love her so much!

10. Book That Made You Cry

I didn't want to use the same book to answer more than one question but no book made me ugly cry the way The Simple Wild by KA Tucker did. I'm talking full on sobbing.

11. Book That Made You Happy

I've been really into the emotional romances lately so I didn't have a lot of choice for this question. I'm going to go with Forever Wild by KA Tucker because being with these characters makes me happy.

12. Favourite Book To Movie Adaptation You've Seen So Far This Year

I'm cheating slightly because it's a TV show rather than a movie but I definitely have to say Bridgerton. I loved that adaptation so much.

13. Favourite Review/Post You've Done This Year

I've been really slacking with blogging so far this year but Reading Booktube's Favourite Romances Of 2020 was really fun.

14. Most Beautiful Book You've Bought So Far This Year

I haven't bought a lot of physical books this year so far but I did buy Wild At Heart by KA Tucker and that cover is beautiful.

15. Books You Need To Read By The End Of 2021

Oh God, there's so many! I would like to read all of the books I've physically owned since 2014 or earlier, which is only 7 books but none are ones I'm excited to read. I think I might start doing a series here on the blog about this process. I would also like to finish the Bridgertons series, I don't think that will be too big of an ask.


That was the 2021 Mid Year Book Freakout. I've definitely had a good reading year so far this year, I'm really hoping it will continue throughout the second half of the year. 

What has been your favourite book of 2021 so far?

Sophie :)