Spell the Month in Books [4]

 

Spell the Month in Books is a monthly meme hosted by Reviews from the Stacks. Each month, you select books that correspond with the letters in that month’s name (for example, December) and create a list. You can also link your post on Jana’s site each month.

The Mountains Wild by Sarah Stewart Taylor

Review Snippet: I don't read a lot of mysteries, but I am so happy I took a chance on The Mountains Wild. I never wanted to put it down! Once I reached a certain point, I wasn't capable of stopping. I stayed up until nearly 4 AM, BECAUSE I HAD TO KNOW. It was crazy! I was second-guessing myself, the characters, and trying to read between the lines. My brain felt overworked, like I was actually there and someone's life depended on me personally (sooo stressful, but also weirdly invigorating). I wasn't able to figure it out, but I really enjoyed the journey! Regardless, the story was fantastic, the characters relatable and authentic, and the Ireland setting was lovely. I could clearly picture the breathtaking views.

I've always wanted to go to Ireland, and this book only solidified those feelings. The pubs! The accents! The views! I have no idea if it's all in my head or not (books tend to impact expectations), but I still want to go one day. I thought the author did a wonderful job of describing where the characters were within the story (what streets they were on, which buildings they passed). I felt like I was there with Maggie, walking down an alley, turning corners, feeling the wind in my hair and on my face. It was so vivid and detailed, but without feeling overdone. Amazing. *click here for the original post and full review

All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton

Review Snippet: I loved this. 

I loved this.
I loved this.
I loved this.
I loved this.

I am overflowing with love for this book! L.D. Crichton has created something beautiful and memorable, and I cannot wait to see what she writes next. The writing was lovely and flowed from one page to the next. Kyler and Lennon were two very distinct characters that I could relate to and enjoyed reading about. Everything about this book was perfection, and that's not something I say lightly. I honestly have nothing negative to say about All Our Broken Pieces. Whether you purchase a copy for yourself or borrow one from the library, this is a book you need in your life.

First of all, I want to say how much I enjoyed the family dynamics. Lennon has to move in with her father and stepmother after an accident, and it's an adjustment for everyone. Her OCD is new to them, and they have to learn how the condition impacts Lennon, and also what it means to have her in their lives. They are more than willing to help and really try to understand. It's super obvious they love and care about her. Her father shares memories of her mother and how they met, and Claire (Lennon's stepmother) laughs along with everyone else. There is no jealousy or hatred, just happiness and acceptance. *click here for the original post and full review

The Raging Ones (The Raging Ones, #1) by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Review Snippet: First of all, the quote on the cover is inaccurate. It says, "ONE predetermined day to DIE. THREE who choose to DEFY." Franny, Court, and Mykal didn't choose to defy anything. They expected to die like everyone else on their predetermined day, but for reasons unknown to them, they did not. It wasn't like they'd found some way around their deathday. Second, and this one is completely personal, I'm not a huge fan of the cover. I don't feel like it represents the story at all. I've read the book and I'm still not sure why the R looks like a sunbeam.

Initially, The Raging Ones made me think of They Both Die at the End. However, people knowing when they die was the only similarity. In They Both Die at the End, people get a phone call on the day they're going to die. The people in The Raging Ones are tested at birth and placed into one of three categories based on how long they'll live. *click here for the original post and full review

Cold-Hearted Rake (The Ravenels, #1) by Lisa Kleypas

Review Snippet: The synopsis is a bit misleading, because Devon is nothing like the cold-hearted rake it promises. I never thought of Devon as cold-hearted or rakish. He may have pretended to be in the beginning, but it quickly becomes clear that’s not who he truly is. Devon is compassionate and consistently puts the well-being of others before his own. He didn’t want the responsibility that fell to him, but he handled it well and made improvements that benefited everyone, not just himself.

Despite his past exploits, Devon claims he hasn’t lived that way for quite some time and that those activities have lost their appeal. He was mostly bored with the life he’d been living, and I think he (subconsciously) saw this new responsibility as a challenge—something meaningful and exciting. While he sometimes vocalized thoughts that came across as insensitive, his actions almost always contradicted his unkind words. *click here for the original post and full review

The Hollow Inside by Brooke Lauren Davis

Review Snippet: I read The Hollow Inside in just two days! Do you know how long it’s been since I binged a book? AGES. The twists! The turns! It was a masterfully crafted debut, and I’m already looking forward to more from this author. If you enjoy puzzles, definitely add this one to your TBR—I promise you’ll be piecing it together long after you’ve finished the story.

Phoenix is a wonderfully complex character that I enjoyed reading about. She loves her mom, but she’s conflicted about some of their choices and the lengths they go to in order to survive. Her mother doesn’t seem as fazed by the brutality or uncertainty of their lives, though she’s haunted by a past that continues to affect her. Phoenix often finds her mom silent and trapped within her own mind, which leaves Phoenix feeling alone and unsure of herself. For so long, the only other person in her world was her mother, so it makes sense that she would do anything for her. However, the head games Nina played—using affection like a reward—made their relationship extremely toxic. *click here for the original post and full review

Happy March, lovelies!

Once and Again by Rebecca Serle

Synopsis (via Goodreads): The women of the Novak family were each born with a gift: they can, just once, turn back time.

Lauren has known since she was fifteen that her mother Marcella saved Lauren’s father from a deadly car accident. Dave is alive and happy, and out on the Malibu waves. But ever since, Marcella, her power spent, has lived in fear of what she won’t be able to reverse. Her own mother, Sylvia, is her polar opposite: a free-spirited iconoclast with a glamorous past she only hints at. Lauren has spent her life between these two role models—and waiting for her own catastrophe to strike.

Then one summer, Lauren’s husband takes a job in New York and she moves back to Broad Beach Road, back into her childhood home on the shores of Malibu. Lauren looks forward to surfing with her dad again and perhaps repairing an unspoken fracture in her relationship with her mother. What she doesn’t expect is for the boy next to door to return home as well: Stone, Lauren’s first love, who broke her heart nearly a decade before.

As Lauren falls into familiar patterns, with her family and, more dangerously, Stone, she finds herself thinking about all the choices, large and small, that have brought her to this moment. And wondering, finally, if one of them should be undone.

I think it’s time I admit to myself that Rebecca Serle’s books just aren’t a good fit for me. I really enjoyed In Five Years, but One Italian Summer was a DNF, and I barely got through Once and Again. I found all three women to be incredibly selfish, which made it hard for me to connect with them as characters. Sylvia was easily my favorite of the three, but I still didn’t agree with many of her choices.

All three women are very different. Sylvia is aloof and fiercely independent, traveling often and preferring to be on her own. She cooks incredible meals and is extremely secretive about her past. She also wasn't a very present parent, frequently leaving her daughter with others while she went off to do whatever she wanted. 

Marcella, on the other hand, longs for a family. She doesn’t know who her father is (Sylvia is her mother), and she’s certain that she wants to be a mother herself. Unfortunately, she struggles to connect with her own daughter, though she does find love with Dave. She blames her mother for a lot of things, but mostly for their lack of a relationship.

Lauren is the daughter of Marcella and Dave, and Sylvia’s granddaughter. She doesn’t have the best relationship with her mother, but she’s very close to her father—and even her grandmother. She and her husband, Leo, are trying to have a baby, but fertility treatments haven’t been successful.

My heart broke for all three women. It felt like each of them was searching for something they never quite found, even though they could have found it with each other. Instead, they drift apart and only seem to come together when a ticket is used—or when one of them truly needs the others. Only then do they seem able to find comfort in one another.

I actually agreed with Sylvia’s reasoning about the tickets. She only told her daughter about the magical ticket when she believed it was really necessary. Marcella, however, chose to tell Lauren at a young age, and Lauren ultimately used hers for something that felt small by comparison. It might have seemed huge in the moment—most mistakes do—but it also felt like something she could have moved forward from without using the ticket.

I absolutely hated the ending. I hated the choices Lauren made. I hated the secrets all three women kept from each other. And I hated how the final ticket was used. After everything these women went through, it felt like the story threw away the chance for growth, honesty, and real connection. I had such high hopes for this one, but the ending left me feeling frustrated and disappointed. (★★⭑☆☆)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

State of the ARC [41]

 

State of the ARC is a monthly meme hosted by Avalinah at Avalinah's Books and Sarah at All the Book Blog Names Are Taken! It's an opportunity for readers to catch up on their long overdue ARCs, but right now I'm using it to keep up with my upcoming ARCs instead. It helps me stay organized!

Midnight on the Celestial by Julia Alexandra (3/3)

Once and Again by Rebecca Serle (3/10)

The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale by C.M. Waggoner (3/17)

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying, #1) by Ilona Andrews (3/31) *review

Killing Me Softly by Sandie Jones (3/31)

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer; Tamara Moss (4/7)

Bloodsinger (The Fire That Binds, #2) by Juliette Cross (4/9)

Morsel by Carter Keane (4/14)

Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai (4/14)

Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West (4/14)

Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe (4/14)

Every Version of You by Natalie Messier (4/21)

Dark Is When the Devil Comes by Daisy Pearce (4/28)

Burnout Summer by Jenna Ramirez (5/12)

First and Forever by Lynn Painter (5/12)

Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth (5/12)

Strange Familiars (The Seamere College Duology, #1) by Keshe Chow (5/19)

The Final Target by Nora Roberts (5/26)

Man of My Dreams by Olivia Worley (6/2)

Winner Takes All by Emily Martin (6/23)

The River She Became by Emily Varga (6/30)

Witch Season (Broken Coven, #1) by Julia Blanco (6/30)

I think the pub date for Every Version of You was moved back to July, but I'm seeing inconsistent release dates for it. I'm going to leave it in April for now, and will adjust it once I have a more definitive answer.

What are you reading right now? Are any of these on your TBR? Let me know!

The Notorious Virtues (The Notorious Virtues, #1) by Alwyn Hamilton 🎧 Max Meyers, Colin White, Karissa Vacker, and EJ Lavery

Synopsis (via Goodreads): A glittering fantasy thriller about a glamorous media darling, a surprise heiress, and the magical competition of a lifetime.

At sixteen, Honora "Nora" Holtzfall is the daughter of the most powerful heiress in all of Walstad. Her family controls all the money—and all the magic—in the entire country. But despite being the center of attention, Nora has always felt like an outsider. When her mother is found dead in an alley, the family throne and fortune are suddenly up for grabs, and Nora will be pitted against her cousins in the Veritaz, the ultimate magical competition for power that determines the one family heir.

But there's a surprise contestant this time: Lotte, the illegitimate daughter of Nora's aunt. When Lotte's absent mother retrieves her from the rural convent she'd abandoned her to, Lotte goes from being an orphan to surrounded by family. Unfortunately, most of them want her dead.

And soon, Nora discovers that her mother's death wasn't random—it was murder. And the only person she can trust to uncover the truth of what happened is a rakish young reporter who despises everything Nora and her family stand for.

While the dangers of the Veritaz competition threaten each of the Holtzfall girls, and the stark class differences turns political outrage to terrifing violence—the new cousins must fight to stay alive, no matter what.

Incredible tests, impossible choices, and deadly odds await both girls. But there can only be one winner.

The Notorious Virtues was a really interesting story with a unique concept, but I definitely think it was longer than it needed to be. The pacing dragged in places, which was a bit of a bummer since we didn’t get as much worldbuilding or character development as I would have liked. The story alternates between several POVs — Lotte, Nora, August, Theo, and even a few secondary characters — but unfortunately none of them felt especially fleshed out, and I think that hurt the overall story a bit.

I still ended up giving this one 4 stars, although if I’m being completely honest it probably lands closer to a 3.5 for me. I’m not sure I would have made it as far if I’d been reading a physical copy, but the narrators did a fantastic job bringing the story to life and giving the characters more personality.

The ending does set up the next book really well, even though it leaves us with quite a few unanswered questions. I have a feeling the regular folk are about to learn what the Holtzfall family’s protection really meant when it came to their safety and wellbeing. I think people forgot the original story and only saw the Holtzfalls as power-hungry elites who refused to share their wealth.

Things definitely needed to change, and even Lotte and Nora seemed ready to see what that might look like — but I don’t think they anticipated some of the events that transpired. It will be interesting to see how they come back from everything that's happened, and what their new world will look like when they do. (★★★★☆)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Bride (Bride, #1) by Ali Hazelwood

Synopsis (via Goodreads): A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.

It’s been ages since I read a vampire or werewolf story, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I picked up Bride. It’s been popping up everywhere lately, and I’m happy to say it absolutely lived up to the hype! Misery and Lowe were such fun characters to read about, and I loved watching their relationship slowly take shape. No one expected them to work — even their biology seemed incompatible — yet they defied the odds and learned to love one another despite their differences.

My one real frustration was Lowe’s secrets regarding Misery. He allows her to believe things that aren’t true and never really corrects her assumptions, even when it’s clearly hurting him. He trusts her with Pack secrets — literal life-or-death information — but somehow doesn’t trust her with something that directly involves her? Dude, come on. I didn't buy his justifications, and his hurtful denial didn't feel fair to Misery.

That said, Misery was easily my favorite character. She’s supposed to be this cold, unfeeling Vampyre, yet she clearly cares deeply — especially when it comes to her foster sister and Lowe’s niece. She doesn’t process emotions the same way Humans and Weres do, but she’s nothing like her father or the other Vampyres she grew up around. I really loved her personality and the unique way she sees the world around her.

Overall, I had a great time reading this one. I loved the main characters (though I would have appreciated a bit more development from some of the secondary ones), and several of the twists genuinely caught me off guard. The ending also did a great job setting up the next book, and it definitely left me curious about where the story will go from here. If you enjoy paranormal romance with memorable characters, this one is definitely worth checking out! (★★★★☆)

The Sunday Post [85]

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly at the Caffeinated Reviewer! It's an opportunity to share news, post a recap for the previous week, showcase books, and highlight what's planned for the week ahead.

News

We had a very busy weekend! I took a personal day on Friday to celebrate my son’s birthday, and the kids loved getting to skip school for the day. We ended the evening with Stations of the Cross at church, followed by a meal where everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to him. On Saturday, we tried a new nacho place that was delicious! We couldn’t decide what to order, so we ended up splitting three dishes so everyone could try more than one.

The first picture is their version of Jalapeno Poppers (so spicy!), and the second is their Strawberry Cheesecake Nachos (amazing!). I also had to take a picture of the bathroom because the wallpaper was so unexpected!

 

After dinner we went bowling and had a blast! I also managed to squeeze in a quick trip to the thrift store on our way home (my husband and son weren't as excited by this, but they were good sports).

Previous Posts on the Blog

• Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
• Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
• The Sunday Post [84]

What I'm Currently Reading

Once and Again by Rebecca Serle

Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1) by Callie Hart

What I Plan on Reading Next

Paper & Blood (Ink & Sigil, #2) by Kevin Hearne

Candle & Crow (Ink & Sigil, #3) by Kevin Hearne

What I'm Watching

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End gets better and better the more I watch it! Sein just joined their party and I love the new dynamic. I'm worried his path my diverge from theirs for awhile, but I'm hoping they decide to join him before continuing on. 

Challenge Updates

• Audiobook Challenge: 5 / 30
• Goodreads Challenge: 20 / 100
• Physical TBR: 2 / 25
• NetGalley: 33 / 50
• Discussion Post Challenge: 1 / 20
• Beat the Backlist Challenge: 15/50

I'm really happy with my progress so far! I wasn't able to post as often this week, but that's okay! I'm still chugging along and visiting blogs whenever I can. ❤️

I hope you have a wonderful week! Happy reading!

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

Synopsis (via Goodreads): From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set on an isolated Pacific island with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.

When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.

Shimmering on the horizon after days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome expects, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. But what they don’t expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and well-stocked bar are any indication, rich. Now a party of six, the new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn’t felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace.

But with the arrival of a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge: it seems that Brittany and Amma haven’t been completely honest with Lux about their pasts––and perhaps not even with each other. And though Jake and Eliza seem like the perfect pair, the rocky history of their relationship begins to resurface, and their reasons for sailing to Meroe might not be as innocent as they first appeared.

When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive.

Reckless Girls was an okay read for me. I found the murder mystery aspect a bit confusing at times, though the alternating timelines between past and present — and between different characters — did help me better understand who they were and why they made certain choices. Still, the overall plot felt convoluted and not as well executed as it could have been. Some of the deaths were poorly explained, and the motivations behind them weren’t entirely believable.

I did enjoy the remote island setting and the tension of trying to figure out who was behind the killings, but the characters do very little exploring while they’re there. They make a few trips onto the island, but mostly stay on their boats or in the water. I felt like everyone should have been more suspicious of strangers, but no one seemed to care that they were isolated with people they barely knew.

Unfortunately, the ending left a lot to be desired. It felt like it ended without truly ending, leaving too much up to the reader’s imagination. Lux’s choices also seemed out of character, even considering everything she had been through. After such a promising start, I was expecting more. (★★★☆☆)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.