December Book Haul & Wrap Up

It's the end of a month which means a quick recap on my reading goal and book haul. My December book haul wasn't anything large or abundant but I did get four new books that I was really looking forward to owning. It's been one of my bigger hauls, in a while, but who doesn't want even more books?

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith

The Archive of the Forgotten by A. J Hackwith

My reading goal for December was to read 5 books. As you can see, I surpassed that goal, which is very exciting! This is the first time, in a very long time, that I surpassed my goal by so much. Usually, I don't even reach my goal, so this was a nice surprise! 

Jingle All the Way by Debbie Macomber

Witches of Brooklyn by Sophie Escabasse

Fangs by Sarah Andersen

I Want To Be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom

Frontier Follies by Ree Drummond

Rascal by Jean-Luc Deglin

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

How did you do with your monthly reading goal? Did you hit it or fall short? What about your December book haul? Did you get anything really awesome?

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December 2020 TBR

Happy first day of December, bookworms!

Did you have a good reading month in November? I was able to read 2 novels and one graphic novel.

Now that it's December I am into my seasonal holiday romance novels. Most of them are ridiculously cheesy but I just don't care, haha. I've only read 2 so far, so hopefully I will be able to get more read in December because there are a bunch I want to read this year.

Here's what I'm reading this month:

Jingle All the Way by Debbie Macomber

The Noel Letters by Richard Paul Evans

In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

One Charmed Christmas by Sheila Roberts

Here's to hoping for a great reading month! What about you? What are you reading this month?

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November Wrap Up & Book Haul

It's the end of a month which means a quick recap on my reading goal and book haul. This was another one of my small book haul months, and by small I mean practically nonexistent, haha!

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens

I didn't really set a reading goal for November. I wanted to start reading some holiday romance but didn't know which ones I wanted to start with and how many I wanted to read. I decided to just go with picking a few I wanted to read and see how many I got to. I've already reached my goal for the year so anything read right now is just a bonus.

Happily This Christmas by Susan Mallery

The Brightest Star by Fern Michaels

I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider

How did you do with your monthly reading goal? Did you hit it or fall short? What about your November book haul? Did you get anything really awesome?

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November 2020 TBR

Happy first day of November, bookworms!

Did you have a good reading month in October? My goal was to read 3 books even though I was really hoping to read more. I was able to fit in 4 books during October so I am excited about surpassing my goal, even if it was just by a little bit.

Now that it's November I am ready to start in on my holiday romance novels! There are actually quite a few I hope to read between November and December but most of them are on my kindle so I only took a photo of the three I had on hand already. Fingers crossed that November is a great reading month!

Here's what I'm reading this month:

In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

The Brightest Star by Fern Michaels

Happily This Christmas by Susan Mallery

Here's to hoping for a great reading month! What about you? What are you reading this month?

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October Wrap Up & Book Haul

It's the end of a month which means a quick recap on my reading goal and book haul. This was another one of my small book haul months. I seem to have a new trend, ha!

Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

My reading goal for October was to read 3 suspense & thrillers. It was a small goal and I wasn't sure what else I was in the mood to read except for The Night Swim, The End of Her, and When No One Is Watching. I was able to read all three books plus Deadly Education.

The Night Swim by Megan Golding

The End of Her by Shari Lapena

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

How did you do with your monthly reading goal? Did you hit it or fall short? What about your October book haul? Did you get anything really awesome?

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October 2020 TBR

Happy first day of October, bookworms!

Did you have a good reading month in September? My goal was to read 5 books even though I was really hoping to read more. I started off so good! I thought for sure it would be my month to get a lot read but then suddenly it went downhill and it took me F.O.R.E.V.E.R to read Love & War. Like, an embarrassing amount of time. Ugh. I’m not adjusting well to working and my kids being in school, and after-school activities. It feels like we suddenly went from nothing to a whole lot of something real fast.

That being said, I decided that this month I needed another small TBR, mostly because I know not to overreach with my goals. Anyway, I am expecting to read 5 books this month but I only picked out three for my TBR pile because I’m not sure what exactly I’m in the mood to read. I might add in some more thriller or I might just switch over to Holiday romance. It’s yet to be determined, haha.

Here's what I'm reading this month:

Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey

The End of Her by Shari Lapena

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

Here's to hoping for a great reading month! What about you? What are you reading this month?

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September Wrap Up & Book Haul

It's the end of a month which means a quick recap on my reading goal and book haul. This was definitely one of my smallest book haul months, I said that in August too but somehow bought even less in September! I have preordered some books for October so I should have more to show off next month.

Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey

The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim

My reading goal for September was to read 5 books. I've been sticking with 5 books for the last few months because it seems attainable but still a bit of a stretch for me. I'm usually rushing to finish up a book by the end of the month. I ended up reading 6 books and I actually surpassed it this month by one. Yay!

The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine

Love & War by Melissa de la Cruz

Debt 101 by Michele Cagan

You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson

How to be Fine by Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer

Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

How did you do with your monthly reading goal? Did you hit it or fall short? What about your September book haul? Did you get anything really awesome?

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Review: Love & War

Love & War
(Alex & Eliza, #2)
by Melissa de la Cruz

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Publication Date: April 17 2018
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Pages: 369
ISBN: 9781524739652
Genre: Young Adult | Historical Fiction | Romance
Source: Own

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Available for Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: Alex & Eliza are now married but instead of what should be a lovely honeymoon, it's back to business as usual for Alex. Alex is off to war with General Washington and Eliza is. left behind in Albany with her family. Alex & Eliza have decided to wait to settle down into a place of their own, waiting to see just where they would end up. While Eliza is at home helping around the Schuyler residence, Alex is leading his own charge in the war.

Once the war is over, Alex & Eliza find themselves living in New York City. Alex struggles to build his business but the Hamilton's are determined to persevere so they push forward with their new life and begin laying down the framework for their life together as a couple.

Review: I really wasn't feeling this book. I enjoyed the first one quite a bit but this one was just, meh. It took me so long to read this and I thought about just giving up so many times. I really was just hoping that if I stuck with it, it would get better? Ugh. It didn't. It wasn't that there was anything in particular that was bad, it was just so slow, and boring. I don't know, it's hard to explain but it just felt like a letdown. I resented Alex for being gone so much for work and I hated seeing the jealousy within Eliza. However, I did enjoy the historical references and aspects of it.

“We will only stand if we learn to accept and even embrace each other’s differences rather than allow them to divide us. It is a childish fantasy to expect everyone to agree all the time, but how much better to live in a country where one is free to think differently from one’s neighbors, and even one’s government, without risking life and limb.”
― Melissa de la Cruz, Love & War

Overall I give this book a three but it could have easily been a 2.5. Yes, it was that forgettable. Now I need to decide if I want to read the final book in the series or just call it good and move on entirely.

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Review: The Wife Stalker

The Wife Stalker
by Liv Constantine

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Publication Date: May 19 2020
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9780062967282
Genre: Adult Fiction | Thriller | Mystery
Source: Library

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Available for Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: Joanna seems to have everything she could ever want. A loving and handsome husband (Leo), two beautiful children (Evie and Stelli), and a middle-class lifestyle that allows her to spend all her time as the perfect housewife and mother. But Leo is suffering from severe depression and struggling at work with his law firm. Then Leo gets the opportunity of a lifetime, a high profile case. To help him win the case, Leo begins gathering information on his client. He decides to visit his client's therapist to get more information that could help him with his case. That's when Leo meets Piper.

Gorgeous, beautiful, charming Piper. Piper has just recently moved to Connecticut, looking for a fresh start after the death of her husband and stepdaughter. To help her move on, Piper changes her name (from Pamela) and takes over the local wellness center as the new owner and therapist. Piper seemingly has it all, and when she meets Leo she knows that she will stop at nothing to make him hers, even if he is already wearing a wedding ring.

Joanna soon realizes that Leo's happiness is not because of her but because of Piper. Trying to stop Leo from leaving, Joanna begins to look into Piper's past but what she discovers makes her worry about the safety of her kids, especially when Leo doesn't believe her and brushes her thoughts aside. Now Joanna is living with her mother and no longer able to see her children as Piper begins to step into the role of adoring wife and dotting stepmother.

Review: I spent 95% of this book totally upset and mad. I ended up reading this over the course of two days because I couldn't put it down and I wound up hate reading the entire thing. That's not to say that I didn't like it, quite the opposite in fact! I was sucked in and needed to know what was going to happen. Would Joanna be able to save her marriage and the lives of her children? Or would she lose everything to Piper? This story was full of twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

“You know, it's what everyone needs, really -- a place where they can spill their insides and let it all out. It's like a cleansing of the soul. All of us have wounds we bury deep inside, and they affect us without our even realizing it.”
― Liv Constantine, The Wife Stalker

It's thrilling. The characters are all untrustworthy and being super shady. You want to root for the main character but it's impossible because she's really not at all that likable. Both narrators are unreliable and also a little bit terrifying. I wanted to know who was going to "win" but there really was no winner at all. As a mother I wanted to relate to Joanna, I couldn't comprehend the pain she was feeling losing her children and at the same time, I was shocked at how manipulative and conniving Piper was. I just kept thinking, "this seriously can't be happening" and also "this lady is bat shit crazy!" I definitely recommend this but at the same time, I feel like this book could cause some triggers for those that have experienced affairs and divorce.

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September 2020 TBR

Happy first day of September, bookworms!

Did you have a good reading month in August? My goal was to read 5 books and I knew that was a pretty realistic goal for me. I ended up finishing the month by reading 6 books. Not bad!

This month I have another small TBR picked out, mostly because I know not to overreach with my goals. School is starting back up for my kids and dance. I'm definitely going to struggle with getting back into a routine so I don't anticipate having much free time or time to relax. Anyway, I am hoping to read 5 books this month which is my average.

Here's what I'm reading this month:

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

Love & War by Melissa de la Cruz

You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson

The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine

Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

Here's to hoping for a great reading month! What about you? What are you reading this month?

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August Book Haul & Wrap Up

It's the end of a month which means a quick recap on my reading goal and book haul. This was definitely one of my smallest book haul months, I guess I just lost track of time and never really got around to ordering anything. I guess I will just have to make up for it in September!

My reading goal for August was to read 5 books. I figured I should play it smart and keep it realistic since I've managed to average 5 books for the past few months. I ended up reading 6 books and I actually surpassed it this month by one. Yay!

Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa R. Sloan

When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald

Gone Girl by Alisha Rai

Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras

Alex & Eliza by Melissa de la Cruz

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty

How did you do with your monthly reading goal? Did you hit it or fall short? What about your August book haul? Did you get anything really awesome?

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Review: Island Affair

 

Island Affair
(Keys to Love, #1)
by Priscilla Oliveras

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Publication Date: April 28 2020
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Pages: 283
ISBN: 9781420150179
Genre: Adult Fiction | Romance | Contemporary
Source: Own

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Available for Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: Sara has always felt like an outsider in her family. Both of her parents are huge successes in the medical field and her two older siblings followed in her parents' footsteps. Sara made her own path in life and is a social media influence with over 500,000 likes. Sara's brother and sister were teenagers when Sara was born, making it almost impossible for her to connect with them since they didn't form a strong sibling relationship as children. This, coupled with never feeling like enough or wanted by her parents, led Sara to suffer from a slew of anxiety problems that led to an eating disorder. Sara has been in recovery and doing great but her parents' constant worrying frustrates her.

Having recently finished chemo and being declared cancer-free, Sara's mom books a family vacation to Key West to help celebrate. Sara's father has left strict expectations for all of his children - make this vacation as stress-free as possible. Not wanting to feel like an outsider, Sara invites her boyfriend to go along with her but when he stands her up at the airport Sara has no choice but to make a drastic decision.

Sara convinces Cuban firefighter Luis Navarro to play the part of her boyfriend. Luis is hesitant at first because he is dealing with his own issues but he reluctantly agrees to play along on the condition that his family doesn't find out.

Review: First of all, this font is so horribly tiny and the spacing between lines is very minimal. I ended up having to read this on my kindle because the font hurt my eyes so bad. I actually almost chose not to read it at all since it was so bad. Which would have been a shame because I really quite enjoyed this read! I'm shocked by the low rating on Goodreads because this was such a lovely meet-cute.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The relationship between Luis and Sara was really sweet and they were such a perfect couple. I loved all the steamy parts between them but was very disappointed that when they finally connected, the author skipped it and jumped to the after. That was disappointing. I loved the Navarro family dynamic. I could picture all of those things happening and I loved seeing their strong bond and relationship. I actually had a hard time connecting with Sara throughout the entire story. I really wanted to like her but I just couldn't relate to her and she seemed whiny. Parts of this book felt very rushed, and the ending wasn't spectacular - there was absolutely no closure! It's also been several years since I took Spanish so some of it went right over my head. I wish the author explained what some of those sayings meant, I ended up having to Google them.

“As long as we allow the past to negatively affect our present, it's impossible to build a positive future.”
― Priscilla Oliveras, Island Affair

I definitely recommend this to anyone who is interested in a quick, cute, steamy love story. It's the perfect summer read and the plot/setting makes you just want to be in Key West, laying on the beach with a cabana boy while you sip margaritas.

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Review: Alex & Eliza

 

Alex and Eliza
(Alex & Eliza. #1)
by Melissa de la Cruz

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Publication Date: April 11 2017
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Pages: 368
ISBN: 9781524739621
Genre: Young Adult | Historical Fiction | Romance
Source: Own

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Available for Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: It's been a year since the Second Continental Congress declared their independence as the United States of America. The Schulyer family is dealing with the loss of their Saratoga home and on the brink of financial ruin. With their dire luck, it is imperative that the three oldest Schulyer children, Angelia, Eliza, and Peggy, marry as soon as possible. In order to speed up the process of marriage, Mrs. Shculyer hosts a grand ball.

When Eliza hears that Alexander Hamilton will be attending the ball, she can barely contain her excitement. She is curious about Alexander and has heard a lot about him. Alex in enthralled by Eliza's personality and beauty and their meeting sets off a two-year epic love story with Alexander trying to win over the heart of Eliza and the approval of the entire Schulyer clan.

Review: I don't read a lot of historical fiction, it's not a particular genre I am interested in. I came across the cover of this book a while ago and added it to my "want to read" list, not even knowing what the story was about (I didn't even read the synopsis). Then I saw a Bookstagram post that was showcasing this series along with other things from Hamilton and realized it was ahistorical fiction about Alex & Eliza - duh!

I loved the Broadway show of Hamilton and Eliza seemed like such a strong female character so I couldn't wait to read this fictional account of their love story. I held off on reading it because the reviews weren't super high, and again - I generally don't like historical fiction. Ahh! I'm so glad I finally read this. I loooove how Melissa portrays Eliza and the Schuyler sisters. They are so sassy for the time period but still in a respectable way. When Alex and Eliza were finally together, their relationship was adorable to watch - total swoon!

“He scooped her into his arms once again, his doubts quelled. "I shall never be worthy of you, my angel," he said. "I know I shall disappoint you in a thousand ways before our time on earth is through. But I hope that you will always see the good in me and know that this unworthy heart of mine will always be yours, no matter what obstacles or failures I bring to your life.”
― Melissa de la Cruz, Alex and Eliza

Overall I really liked this story and I can't wait to finish the rest of the series. I wish the series showed more of Alex's relationship with Angelica but it skipped over that entirely. I did enjoy the fact that Peggy has a lot of notable scenes. She's often overlooked (and Peggy) so it was nice to see her and her beau a bit in this installment. I think the reason the review ratings were so low is because of the historical inaccuracies in this book. But who cares - it's historical fiction and definitely fan-fiction and even Melissa says it's a fictional account of their relationship and mostly fabricated.

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Review: Girl Gone Viral

 

Girl Gone Viral
(Modern Love, #2)
by Alisha Rai

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Publication Date: April 21 2020
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9780062877888
Genre: Adult Fiction | Romance | Contemporary
Source: Own

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Available for Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: Katrina King likes living a low-profile life, out of the public eye. After striking up a conversation with a cute guy in the local coffee shop, Katrina finds out that the entire encounter was live-tweeted by the girl at the table next to her. Now the internet is dying to find out who #CuteCafeGirl is and Katrina would do anything in her power to make sure no one knows her real identity.

Jas Singh, Katrina's bodyguard, and friend comes to her rescue and takes her up North to his family's farm. But being alone with Jas in a remote setting makes it that much harder for Katrina to hide her attraction to him. Does Jas feel the same way? What happens if Katrina tells him how she feels and ends up losing him forever?

Review: I read the first book in this series, The Right Swipe, and really liked it so I couldn't wait to get this book and read it. I was so excited to find out this book was about Katrina because I really liked her in The Right Swipe and hoped she would finally get her happy ever after.

I liked that the characters had real-life problems - Veteran with PTSD, parental and emotional abuse, and anxiety. They both had a lot going on in their personal lives (not just emotionally) and were very career-focused.

“Sometimes we think a person doesn't need to hear something because it's obvious because they know what's in our hearts. But that's not how the world works. We have to say the things.”
― Alisha Rai, Girl Gone Viral

Overall I liked this book, it was a fun read. I wish the romance scenes were a bit more steamy, especially since the entire book these two characters are pining for each other and have been for years, but it was still a good read. I loved that both characters were selfless and really kind. Both cared a lot about other people and seemed really genuine.

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Review: A Good Marriage

 

A Good Marriage
by Kimberly McCreight

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Publication Date: May 5 2020
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9780062367686
Genre: Adult Fiction | Thriller | Mystery
Source: Library

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Available for Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: One night while working late at elite law firm Young & Crane, Lizzie Kitsakis receives a phone call from an inmate at Rikers asking for help. Lizzie wants nothing to do with the case even though her law school friend Zach Grayson is pleading with her to take it on. Zach's wife, Amanda, was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in their Park Slope brownstone and Zach is the primary suspect.

Lizzie finds herself being drawn into the investigation and the close-knit parent group of the private school in Park Slope. The more she gets dragged in, the more she realizes that neither Zach nor his wife Amanda is quite what they seem.

Review: This is my first read of Kimberly McCreight, and she definitely didn't disappoint! I found it to be very comparable to Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. A murder has taken place but who is the killer? It becomes evident that no one is quite like they seem and everyone is hiding their own secrets. I loved the alternating narrators and going along with the story, trying to figure out who really killed Amanda. Every character had their own secret and their lives were so intertwined with each other. I thought I had it all figured out and then realized I was completely wrong.

“That's the hardest part about marriage, isn't it?" Zach went on. "Somebody else's problems because your own. It doesn't always feel fair.”
― Kimberly McCreight, A Good Marriage

I definitely recommend this. It's a fast-paced thrilling read. I ended up reading the entire book in one day, it was that good and I couldn't put it down. I loved reading the different perspectives and learning the backstories of the characters. It's interesting to see into their past and the events that led them to be who they are and the choices they made. Fantastic writing and I can't wait to read more by this author.

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