Tag: book reviews

Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: September 2024

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How did September get here???
I made it another month without having any books in the under three star (or least favorite) category and had plenty of great books to choose from!

Favorites this month:

  • Sunday Supper
  • The Key to Deceit
  • Heir
  • Words of Radiance (reread)
  • Guy’s Girl
  • Playing it Safe
  • It’s Always Us
  • The Christmas You Found Me
  • A Sky Full of Dragons
  • An Academy for Liars
  • An Improper Proposal
  • Locked in Pursuit
  • The Games Gods Play

Least favorites:

  • NONE!
  • [ARC] Sunday Supper by K. Sinko
  • The Girl with No Reflection by Keshe Chow
  • [ARC] Phantasma (Wicked Games #1) by Kaylie Smith
  • The Key To Deceit (Electra McDonnell #2) by Ashley Weaver
  • Little Monsters by Kara Thomas
  • The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas
  • The Champions by Kara Thomas
  • [ARC] Heir (Heir Duology #1) by Sabaa Tahir
  • All out of Love (Boys of Riverside #3) by Gracie Graham
  • [ARC] The Scarlet Throne (The False Goddess #1) by Amy Leow
  • [ARC] Of Gold and Shadows by Michelle Griep
  • [Reread] Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archives #2) by Brandon Sanderson
  • [ARC] Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood
  • Guy’s Girl by Emma Noyes
  • Playing it Safe (Electra McDonnell #3) by Ashley Weaver
  • [ARC] It’s Always Us (The Abandoned Brothers #3) by Stacy Williams
  • Loyally, Luke (Skymar #3) by Pepper Basham
  • [ALC] The Christmas You Found Me (Heart of the Wilderness #1) by Sarah Morgenthaler
  • Cole and Laila are Just Friends by Bethany Turner
  • A Dawn with the Wolf Knight (Married to Magic #5) by Elise Kova
  • [ALC] A Sky Full of Dragons (The Wand Keepers #1) by Tiffany McDaniel
  • [ARC] A Queen’s Game (A Queen’s Game #1) by Katharine McGee
  • An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson
  • An Improper Proposal (Improper Agreements #4) by Audra Wells
  • The Shadow of the Gods (Bloodsworn Saga #1) by John Gwynne
  • Locked in Pursuit (Electra McDonnell #4) by Ashley Weaver
  • A Royal Promise (Royal Hearts #4) by Amanda Schimmoeller
  • Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas
  • On a Flight to Sydney (Love Along the Way #1) by J.A. Forde
  • The Cheerleaders (The Cheerleaders #1) by Kara Thomas
  • One Last Thing (The Seddledowne #1) by Susan Henshaw
  • The Games Gods Play (The Crucible #1) by Abigail Owen
  • Unbearably Yours (It’s Always Been You #3) by Elodie Colliard
  • [ARC/ALC] The Courting of Bristol Keats (The Courting of Bristol Keats #1) by Mary E. Pearson
  • The Heart of the World (The Isles of the Gods #2) by Amie Kaufman
  • [ARC] Across the Star Kissed Sea by Arlem Hawks

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Book Review: The Gravity of Us (Elements #4) by Brittainy C. Cherry

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 270 pages
Author: Brittainy C. Cherry
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casa
Release Date: December 17th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Graham Russell and I weren’t made for one another.

I was driven by emotion; he was apathetic. I dreamed while he lived in nightmares. I cried when he had no tears to shed.

Despite his frozen heart and my readiness to run, we sometimes shared seconds. Seconds when our eyes locked and we saw each other’s secrets. Seconds when his lips tasted my fears, and I breathed in his pains. Seconds when we both imagined what it would be like to love one another.

Those seconds left us floating, but when reality knocked us sideways, gravity forced us to descend.

Graham Russell wasn’t a man who knew how to love, and I wasn’t a woman who knew how to either. Yet if I had the chance to fall again, I’d fall with him forever.

Even if we were destined to crash against solid ground.

Thank you to Colored Pages Book Tours, Sourcebooks Casa and Brittainy Cherry for my gifted copy.

THIS WAS EVERYTHING.

I couldn’t put this down from chapter one. All of a sudden I had a deep need to know what happened next and so I began a journey of ALL the dang emotions through the lives of Lucy and Graham.

“If you need to fall, fall into me.”

I mean, COME ON. Look at those words. Did you swoon? Because I swooned so many times throughout this book!! One of my new favorite grump and sunshine trope reads. I loved these characters with my whole being. I found myself almost in tears by the end waiting for a happy ending. I love that Lucy was optimistic and truly cared from her soul about her loved ones. That Graham was hardened by abandonment, but was also able to work on himself. The chemistry was undeniable. It was a slowwww burn and incredibly romantic with all of the lead up.

An incredibly sweet story that has a lot of heavy and deep content matter (I’ll put that in the warnings below). I adored the banter and soft smiles. The cute way they just hung out together. How they undeniably stood by each other’s side when things got hard instead of running away. I was wrapped up in this opposites attract love story and I beg of you to read it!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses to one brief open door scene
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: a mother smoked while pregnant (off screen), emergency delivery, preemie baby in NICU, cheating, loss of parent(s), domestic abuse, alcoholism, child abuse, parental/spousal abandonment

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: September 2019

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Okay okay.

Apparently I got real crazy this month. My life was a bit out of whack so I retreated to my books. That means I ended up reading twenty-five books. Hopefully October will chill out a bit and I’m planning on picking up some spooky reads (which is out of character so we’ll see what happens!).

And I would like to apologize ahead of time that none of the reviews are posted. They’ll be out in October though so please come read them then! Or ask in the comments if you have questions, I’m more than happy to discuss the books.

On a kind of sad note, I only gave TWO books a full five stars this month. Wish there had a been a few more!

  • Sword and Pen (The Great Library #5) by Rachel Caine – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • Crown of Feathers (Crown of Feathers #1) by Nicki Pau-Preto – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • When the World Didn’t End: Poems by Caroline Kaufman – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • The Dire King (Jackaby #4) by William Ritter – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center – (RTC – ☆☆☆ 1/2)
  • One Day in December by Josie Silver – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • Lock Every Door by Riley Sager – (RTC – ☆☆☆ 1/2)
  • Waking Gods (Themis Files #2) by Sylvain Neuvel – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow – (RTC – ☆☆☆)
  • Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove #1) by Shelby Mahurin – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆☆)
  • A Kingdom of Exiles (Outcast #1) by S.B. Nova – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • Wild Savage Stars (Sweet Black Waves #2) by Kristina Perez – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • The Need by Helen Phillips – (RTC – ☆☆☆)
  • [ARC] Tweet Cute by Emma Lord – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • Only Human (Themis Files #3) by Sylvain Neuvel – (RTC – ☆☆☆)
  • American Royals (American Royals #1) by Katharine McGee – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • Onyx and Ivory (Rime Chronicles #1) by Mindee Arnett – (RTC – ☆☆☆ 1/2)
  • Shadows of Self (Mistborn #6: The Alloy Era #2) by Brandon Sanderon – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆☆)
  • Well Met by Jen DeLuca – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • [ARC] The Silvered Serpents (The Gilded Wolves #2) by Roshani Chokshi – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell #1) by Deanna Raybourn – (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • Lifel1k3 (Lifelike #1) by Jay Kristoff – (I haven’t finished, but will today; probably ☆☆☆☆)
  • The Vine Witch (Vine Witch #1) by Luanne G. Smith – (I haven’t finished, but will today; probably ☆☆☆ 1/2 or ☆☆☆☆)

Favorite of the month: Serpent & Dove

Least favorite of the month: The Need

How did your month for reading go? What was your favorite book? Least favorite? Curious about any of these? Lets talk in the comments!

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: June 2019

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It was another month with 16 books! I couldn’t believe it when I counted at the end. I don’t count during the month at all. That’s not the point. It’s nice to get through so many of the summer books I’ve been interested in though.

Would anyone be interested in a post about how I read so fast? I know some of it is purely some people are faster readers than others (which isn’t a bad thing at all — some people read 20+ books a month and that blows my mind). But, I do have some tips for choosing reading and how it helps you get further during the day.

Anywho, here is what I read this month:

  • The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson –
  • The Black Witch (The Black Witch Chronicles #1) by Laurie Forest
  • Normal People by Sally Rooney
  • Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
  • Dark Shores (Dark Shores #1) by Danielle L. Jensen (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreryrou (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly (RTC – ☆☆☆☆☆)
  • Stalking Jack the Ripper (Stalking Jack the Ripper #1) by Kerri Maniscalco (RTC – ☆☆☆ 1/2)
  • The Vanishing Throne (The Falconer #2) by Elizabeth May (RTC – ☆☆☆ 1/2)
  • The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom #1) by Danielle L. Jensen (RTC – ☆☆☆☆☆)
  • The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan (RTC – ☆☆☆☆☆)
  • Age of Swords (The Legends of the First Empire #2) by Michael J. Sullivan (RTC – ☆☆☆☆☆)
  • Beartown (Beartown #1) by Fredrik Backman (RTC – ☆☆☆☆☆)
  • Beastly Bones (Jackaby #2) by William Ritter (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • Air Awakens (Air Awakens #1) by Elise Kova (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)
  • The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #2) by Rick Riordan (RTC – ☆☆☆☆)

Number of 5 stars: Five

Number of 4 stars: Seven

I would call that a good reading month having that many highly rated books! My favorite this month was WITHOUT A DOUBT AND EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT: THE BRIDGE KINGDOM.

My not so favorite this month would be Normal People.

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