June Wrap Up & Book Haul

It's the end of a month which means a quick recap on my reading goal and book haul. Most of my book haul purchases are books that were published before June and almost all of them were written by authors of color.

My reading goal for June was to read 8 books. I figured it was unrealistic but I really wanted to shoot for it. I ended up finishing the month at 5 books, which tends to be my typical average.

With The Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory

The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Kingdom of Copper by S. A. Chakraborty

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

More Myself by Alicia Keys

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

Read More

Review: The Boyfriend Project

 

The Boyfriend Project
(The Boyfriend Project, #1)
by Farrah Rochon

Website | Twitter | Instagram

Publication Date: June 9 2020
Publisher: Forever
Pages: 368
ISBN: 9781538716625
Genre: Romance | Contemporary | Adult Fiction
Source: Book of the Month Club

Add to Goodreads

Available for Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: Samiah Brooks has no time for a boyfriend. Especially after she just found out that the guy she was casually dating also happened to be dating two other women at the same time. Samiah finds herself to be the victim of catfishing, and even worse- the horrendous date is live-tweeted, making her and the other three ladies a trending viral sensation.

Samiah forms an unlikely friendship with the other two "girlfriends", London and Taylor. They make a pact to spend the next six months investing in themselves and swearing off dating and men. This should be easy for Samiah, she has been trying to find the time to finish developing an app that she has been working on, and now she has the perfect excuse to work complete the project. One problem though, Samiah ends up running into Daniel Collins, the new guy at work who happens to be very attractive and smart, just the type of man Samiah is looking for. But could it be too good to be true? Turns out Daniel is hiding his own secrets.

Review: This was such a fun read with a unique storyline. Samiah's character is strong and smart, she doesn't take anybody's crap and works really hard to have the life she wants. Overall the character development is great. The characters are culturally diverse and the story is full of strong females. Farrah has such an engaging and witty writing style and gives this intricately plotted story a heartwarming tone.

There isn't a lot of romance or steamy love scenes in this story compared to many others I have read but it's definitely a feel-good rom-com revolving workplace romance and with an emphasis on strong female relationships. There's a joke in the story where the girls call their friendship Squad Goals, and I couldn't agree more. It's the type of friendship group all women are looking for.

“The thought of eventually leaving her, of having to live without that smile, caused an ache to settle deep in Daniel's chest. How could he contemplate giving her up until he absolutely had to? She was like a drug, his own sweet addiction.”
― Farrah Rochon, The Boyfriend Project

I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a quick and fun read.

Read More

Review: The Happy Ever After Playlist

 

The Happy Ever After Playlist
(Friend Zone, #2)
by Abby Jimenez

Website | Twitter | Instagram

Publication Date: April 14 2020
Publisher: Forever
Pages: 401
ISBN: 9781538715635
Genre: Romance | Contemporary | Adult Fiction
Source: Library

Add to Goodreads

Available for Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: They say that time heals all wounds, but for Sloan Monroe, that isn't the case at all. It's been two years since Sloan lost her fiance Brandon in a horrific motorcycle accident. In those two years, Sloan has become used to just existing. She has lost her self and her identity and most days she just feels lost. But then all of that changes when a dog (named Tucker) literally jumps through the sunroof of her car and wiggles his way into her heart.

Sloan tries to track down the dog owner but after leaving multiple voicemails over the course of several weeks she decides that she is going to keep the dog for herself since his owner clearly doesn't want him back.

Jason has been off the grid for two weeks, traveling all over the globe as a famous musician. When Jason finally is able to charge his phone, he is bombarded by text messages and voicemails from some random woman who claims to have his dog, and worst of all - she says she's not giving him back.

Jason reaches out to Sloan to clear the air, and get his dog back, and at first, Sloan wants nothing to do with Jason, but then she begins to change her mind and there seems to be some chemistry happening between them.

Review: When I found out that this book was the sequel to The Friend Zone, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I was excited to see that the story focused on Sloan and her life following the accident. I'm not really a dog person but watching Sloan and Jason build a relationship because of Tucker, I couldn't help but have a soft spot in my heart for him.

“I was a ghost, wandering the rooms of a museum of the person I used to be, and Jason was like one of the living who could somehow see me and decided to wander the place with me.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Happy Ever After Playlist

I loved the storyline of this book. I liked that the storyline was more light and airy compared to The Friend Zone. I fell in love with the characters and I really enjoyed seeing Kristin and Josh make multiple cameos. Jason was such a sweetheart in the story and you could tell how much he cared about Sloan. His gestures were so sweet and attentive. I couldn't help but swoon and smile, in fact, my cheeks hurt so bad from smiling through the entire story. I cannot wait to read the third book in this series, set to be published in 2021.

Read More

Review: Dragonfly in Amber

 

Dragonfly in Amber
(Outlander, #2)
by Diana Gabaldon

Website | Twitter | Instagram

Publication Date: July 1 1992
Publisher: Ballantine Bantam Dell
Pages: 963
ISBN: 9780385335973
Genre: Historial Fiction | Romance | Adult Fiction
Source: Audible

Add to Goodreads

Available for Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: Twenty years after her trip to Scotland, Claire Randall, now a doctor, returns with her grown daughter, Brianna, to find information on the death records of the Jacobite soldiers and to share the shocking truth, Brianna's father is not Frank Randall, the man who loved and raised her, but instead is James Fraser of Lollybroch.

Claire meets up with young historian, Roger Wakefield, to find more information about the Jacobite Rising in 1745. Roger begins to feel like Claire is hiding something from him and is shocked to hear about Claire's tale about time-traveling two hundred years into the past. Claire recounts of her time spent with Jamie, their life in Paris, and the rising of the Jacobites who were set on putting Prince Charles back on the thrown.

Review: I loved this book. Granted, it's not as good as the first one, but it was still really good. Diana's descriptive writing style, character-driven storyline, and fast-paced dramatic tone pulled me right into the story. I love the historical fiction aspects of this story, especially since a majority of it takes place in France in 1774.

I did struggle for a bit because two of my favorite characters were killed off in the series, and I knew it was coming but it was still painful. I enjoyed getting to meet Fergus though and hearing about his adventures as a small boy on the Paris streets.

Having watched the tv show, I knew what to expect for the general outline of the story. Obviously some details were different and there was a lot of stuff left out of the show or changed, but the general premise was still the same. I've always loved Roger's character and found Brianna to be a bit annoying. I have such a soft spot for Murtagh and Fergus though and I loved following them along in this sequel.

“I will find you," he whispered in my ear. "I promise. If I must endure two hundred years of purgatory, two hundred years without you - then that is my punishment, which I have earned for my crimes.”
― Diana Gabaldon, Dragonfly in Amber

This is such a great series, I'm really looking forward to the next book and the adventure that waits with Voyager.

Read More

Review: The Kingdom of Copper

 

The Kingdom of Copper
(Daevabad, #2)
by S.A. Chakraborty

Website | Twitter | Instagram

Publication Date: February 21 2019
Publisher: HarperVoyager
Pages: 625
ISBN: 9780062678133
Genre: Fantasy |Adult Fiction
Source: Library

Add to Goodreads

Available for Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: The Kingdom of Copper, book two in the Daevabad series, takes place five years after The City of Brass. The prologue at the beginning of the book details the immediate aftermath that transpires following the conclusion to The City of Brass. We get a glimpse into the three main characters' lives; Nahri's arranged marriage to the crowned prince of Daevabad, Muntadhir, Alizaydi al Qahtani's possession by the marid and his exile, and Darayavahoush's death.

The story begins five years later. Nahri has come to terms with Dara's death, the loss of her best friend Alizaydi (who also betrayed her and murdered Dara), and her arranged marriage to Muntadhir. She has been busy keeping herself occupied by practicing healing and forming a relationship with her mentor.

Ali has been building a life for himself in exile in the barren lands of Bir Nabat. He has newfound abilities with water and has many new friends and alliances in his new life. He is happy with the simplicity of life in Bir Nabat and starts to look forward to his future their.

Dara has been brought back to life, much to his dismay, by Manizheh. Manizheh has plans to take back Daevabad and restore the Daeva tribe with the Nahids leading the way. Dara finds himself in the role of a dutiful warrior once again as he helps Manizheh to make her plans come true.

But then Ali finds himself back in Daevabad, and he witnesses the havoc his father is creating between the tribes. There is a lot of political unrest and Ali once again finds himself in the middle of conflict while he tries to rebuild his friendship with Nahri, be the obedient son his father expects him to be, and be the man he was always meant to be.

Review: I can't say enough good things about this book. Usually, the second book in a series is pretty mediocre, at best. Not Kingdom of Copper. It was absolutely fantastic and so hard to put down. The characters are culturally diverse and well developed. It has such a fast pace dramatic tone with a compelling writing style.

The world-building in this story is fantastic. It draws you in right away and continues to evolve as the story goes on. It's impossible to not feel like you also live in this world.

“People do not thrive under tyrants, Alizayd; they do not come up with innovations when they're busy trying to stay alive, or offer creative ideas when error is punished by the hooves of a karkadann.”
― S.A. Chakraborty, The Kingdom of Copper

This series is probably one of the best fantasy series I have ever read. If you haven't read it already, do it!

Read More

June 2020 TBR

Happy first day of June, bookworms!

Did you have a good reading month in May? My small goal was to read 5 books and my stretch goal was to read 8. I finished with 5. Not bad! I am in the process of finishing Kingdom of Copper so unfortunately, I can't count it for May.

This month I have another small TBR picked out, mostly because I'm back to working outside of the home and putting in more hours. That's leaving me for less time to read and even when I am home, I feel so exhausted and sometimes fall asleep in the middle of reading. Anyways, I am hoping to read 6 books this month and also to finish The Kingdom of Copper and Dragonfly in Amber....yikes! I hope I can do it.

Here's what I'm reading this month:

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

The Happy Ever-After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

Beach Read by Emily Henry

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Chosen One by Veronica Roth

More Myself by Alicia Keys

Not pictured........

The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

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

Read More