Monthly Wrap Ups

August and September Wrap Up!

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. My goodness it has been a busy couple of months, and being that busy has meant my reading has taken a backseat.

In August I started three or four different books and I was just… bored quite honestly, I couldn’t get through them and I don’t think that is anything about the books themselves I think it was my tired brain. So, I decided not to do an August wrap up and now it is October so I am going to do the books I have read in August and September all in one big wrap up!

So, August!

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – I did not read this book

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard – I was not in a fantasy mood at all.

Ninth House by leigh Bardugo – Same point as above

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn – I did not read this book either but I am very excited to get around to it hopefully soon

The Library of the Unwritten by A J Hackwith – Another book I did not read in August (this was a very common theme this month)

Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco – I did not read this. I don’t know why I put so much fantasy in my August TBR because I obviously wasn’t going to eat it.

Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb – I did not read this book either

Crownbreaker by Sebastien de Castell – this is one of the books that I started reading, I got about halfway before I stopped

Six Tudor Queens Katherine of Aragon by Alison Weir – I did not read this book either

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas – there was no way I was going to read this book in August

By the Book by Amanda Sellett – I actually did read this one, in August and September

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett – I did not get around to this but I am excited to.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas – I did not read this

Small Favours by Erin A Craig – Another book I did not read

The Shadows between us by Tricia Levenseller – I did not read this either

Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey – I did not read this

The Falconer by Elizabeth May – I did not read this either

So, also in this month I read The Very Nice Box (review is already up) and Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah which brings my total books to 3.

September!

Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price – I did read this and by the way, I loved it!

The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton – I am currently reading this so technically I read this in September

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – I did not read this

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo – I did not read this

Dance of Thieves by Mary E Pearson – I would have liked to get around to this one but unfortunately I did not

It sounded better in my head by Nina Kenwood – I did not read this

Down comes the night by Alison Saft – I did not read this

Hunting Party by Lucy Foley – I did not read this.

So in two months I read five books which is pretty good considering everything else I have been doing.

What was your August/September reading like? let me know in the comments!

Monthly TBRs

September TBR!

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you are all having a good day today. As it is the 2nd of the month I am bringing you my TBR for September, believe it or not my TBR is actually a bit shorter this month than usual because I am swamped with so many other things going on I haven’t actually had much chance to read at all. In September I am taking part in the month long Bookopolathon readathon hosted by Becca and the Books on YouTube so my prompts were all spaces on the specially made for this readathon bookopoly board.

Onto the TBR!

Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

The first space I landed on gave me the prompt of Spring and this book has a bright green cover with these flowers that look like they have all been stitched into the cover, what’s more spring than a floral cover? With a dash of murder mystery of course.

The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton

The second prompt came out as dice roulette which picks a shelf and then picks a random book on that shelf. For me this came out as The League of Gentlewomen Witches and I am looking forward to reading this book- witches, enemies to lovers and pirates sounds pretty good to me.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

This book actually covers two of my prompts: My favourite trope which is enemies to lovers, and Highest rated. I know this book has been on loads of my TBRs but hopefully I will get around to it this month.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

This prompt was a random letter generator which gave me K and I am very excited to be getting back into the Six of Crows/Shadow and Bone world.

Dance of Thieves by Mary E Pearson

This covers the prompt of big book. I remember when I got this book I was really excited to read it with the cast of outsiders type plot but I just haven’t gotten around to it yet so maybe this month I will.

It Sounded Better In My Head by Nina Kenwood

This was my chance prompt, I picked a book title from my jar where I have all the titles written on pieces of paper and this was the book that I got. I honestly don’t know much about this book.

Down Comes the Night by Alison Saft

This was for the prompt buildings on the cover. I had so much trouble finding a book for this prompt, I am obviously not drawn to books with buildings on the front.

Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

I chose this book for the random emoji prompt, I got a sunflower and this book is bright yellow so that is why I chose it. I am reticent about this one because I tried to read her other book, The Guest List, and I got 50 pages in, put it down and so far I haven’t picked it back up again so I don’t know if I will enjoy this book or not.

That’s it for my TBR this month! Have you read any of these book? What did you think of them? Let me know!

Uncategorized

Book Couples Opinions

Happy Monday bookish people! And Happy Valentine’s day! Today I wanted to bring you some of my opinions on the couples – or characters that are often shipped together in some cases- in some of the books that I have previously read.

There may be spoilers in this post so read at your own risk.

Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn – Camille and Ada

Camille and Ada are already dating when the book begins and there is a lot of tension growing between them throughout the book and I enjoyed the relationship because they seemed to be struggling through real problems that readers can relate to even though it is a fantasy book.

Dangerous Remedy (Battalion of the Dead #1) by Kat Dunn

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh – Celine and Sebastian

These two have an enemies to lovers thing going on which I really enjoyed. They are both very strong and feisty characters that bounce off each other. I think their relationship fits well within the plot and doesn’t take over. I am looking forward to seeing how these two characters develop in the rest of the series.

The Beautiful: Amazon.co.uk: 9781524738174: Books

Optimists Die First by Susin Nielsen – Petula and Jacob

This was one of the first books I read that fit properly within the contemporary romance genre. It has a simple enough story but it is full of heartache and delving into characters with mental health issues that are also trying to navigate a relationship. I liked the build up to Petula and Jacob getting together but their relationship throughout the rest of the book was difficult to read about because I didn’t completely understand the struggles they were experiencing.

Optimists Die First : Nielsen, Susin: Amazon.co.uk: Books

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton – Ned and Cecelia

Again these two characters start off as enemies which I love in books, also the reason they meet was one of my favourites in the books that I read last year. Their personalities lend to some very sassy dialogue and I enjoyed their pairing. The only thing is that both of them love their freedom and don’t seem the type to be in committed long relationships.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo – Lira and Elian

To be honest this book didn’t get much emotion from me, it was an average rating from me and so I didn’t feel that much for either of these characters or their relationship. I feel that the two characters were thrown together to make it into a Little Mermaid retelling but actually neither of them fit together well in my opinion.

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern – Zachary and Dorian

I don’t feel like I saw enough of this couple. The Starless Sea is my favourite book ever and I would enjoy any couple that was written into it. It was great to see LGBTQ representation in this book and the only way to describe the way this couple was portrayed is enchanting.

The Starless Sea: TIKTOK MADE ME BUY IT! The spellbinding Sunday Times  bestseller.: Amazon.co.uk: Morgenstern, Erin: 9781784702861: Books

Not Here To Be Liked by Michelle Quach – Eliza and Len

This is another book that I struggled to get any enjoyment from. I felt that the whole romance was forgotten generally or just used to forward the author’s views on feminism and the place it has in relationships. I really like Len as a character but I didn’t feel that Eliza was fleshed out more than a 2D character.

Not Here To Be Liked : Michelle Quach: Amazon.co.uk: Books

The Upside of Unrequieted by Becky Albertalli – Molly and Reid

I love this pairing. Reid was one of my favourite male characters until I properly started reading fantasy and he’s nerdy and sweet and exactly the type of man I like in books, and in reality actually. Molly is a very interesting character and I enjoyed being taken along with her as she discovered so much about herself and what she wanted.

The Upside of Unrequited : Albertalli, Becky: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco – Thomas Cresswell and Audrey Rose Wadsworth

One of my all time favourite couples. Thomas Cresswell is charming and intelligent and completely annoying but I love him. Audrey Rose is also incredibly intelligent and full of fire and personality, she lets nobody stand in her way and that sets them up for very interesting moments.

Stalking Jack the Ripper: 1: Amazon.co.uk: Maniscalco, Kerri, Patterson,  James: 9780316273497: Books

Caraval by Stephanie Garber – Julian and Scarlett/ Tella and Legend

Okay so there are two main couples in the Caraval series of books. The first is Julian and Scarlett, which I think are probably my favourite book couple ever. They start as enemies – do you see the trend starting here?- and develop feelings later but I love that Scarlett struggles to trust him, it fits perfectly with the plots and if there was a lot of tricks happening I would have trouble trusting him too.

Then there is Tella and Legend. Currently, I haven’t read the third book yet, I don’t love them as much. I think they would make a good pairing, he offers her the enchantment and the mystery that she craves but they don’t have as much of a spark in my opinion.

Caraval (Caraval, #1) by Stephanie Garber

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – Cath and Levi

I don’t usually like romance books but this one I ended up loving. Cath reminds me of myself in a lot of ways, particularly her shyness and then Levi is cheeky and cute and I would honestly love to find a Levi in real life to be with, you just know that no matter what he would be there for her.

Fangirl : Rowell, Rainbow: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco – Wrath and Emilia

Emilia is a headstrong witch who, when her sister is murdered, decides to investigate for herself and summons a demon, Wrath. Wrath is so morally grey that I never know if he’s on the good side or the bad and this just draws me to him, the same as it does for Emilia and I think they challenge each other both physically and mentally which is great to see in book characters.

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

The Lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson – Eleanor and Phillip Stanton

Another pairing that starts off as enemies, I really can’t help but have a type. I love the historical nature of the relationship, the bending of the boundaries. He is so charming and charismatic that I can’t help but like him even when the main character doesn’t. I liked the way this was a slow burn and you saw the moment when it all changed for Eleanor and she realised her feelings.

The Lady in the Tower - Scholastic Shop

I am going to leave this post here as I have included a lot of great pairings but if everyone enjoys this I have plenty more couples to make a part 2 or part 3!

Bookmas 2021

Merry Bookmas Day 7 – 7th December – The Best Book Covers of 2021

Happy Tuesday bookish people! Merry Bookmas day 7. Today I am going to be showing you what I think are the best book covers of 2021, now I’m not just showing books that were published in 2021, I’m not even sure if there are any published in 2021 on my list, but the books that I have read in 2021. I have chosen my top ten and it’s a collection of books I wanted to read and books I was on a book tour for.

Up first is…

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A Craig

This book is a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses and it has one of the most beautiful covers of all the books I own.

How The King of Elfhame Learned To Hate Stories by Holly Black

This is a companion to the Cruel Prince series by Holly Black and depending on the version there are white, black and purple covers that I’ve seen.

Ever Cursed by Corey Ann Haydu

This is an interesting books about witches and the power of women

The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant

This is a middle grade book that has a beautiful dust jacket and a beautiful cover under the dust jacket

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

The colours on this cover are fantastic

Instructions For Dancing by Nicola Yoon

This cover fits the book perfectly – I have posted a book review for this book on this site this year as part of a blog tour

Secrets of the Stars by Maria Kuzniar

Charmcaster by Sebastien De Castell

The illustrations on these covers are so detailed

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holt

and finally…

Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain

That’s it for my favourite book covers of the books that I have read so far this year, I hope you all enjoyed it.

Monthly Wrap Ups

August Wrap Up!

Happy Thursday bookish people! I’m sorry this post is going up so late, it is now the second of September and a few things have changed this week, the main thing being that I moved in with my partner! So I’ve spent the last few days packing up most of my things and then yesterday moving into the new place. But I’ve got some time now where I can finally put up this post and right after I’ll be posting my September TBR post so check that out too if you’re interested.

onto the wrap up!

The month of August was really busy for me, I finished and submitted my dissertation, I went for a job interview which I’m hoping to get and of course I moved out of my old house. Honestly, I’m surprised I managed to read as much as I did this month.

Olay, let’s get it out of the way, I did not finish my TBR, but I did read a few books outside of my TBR. Let’s see what I did and didn’t read this month!

August TBR and thoughts:

  • An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson – I did not read this, I wanted to get to it but in the end there wasn’t time.
  • Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert – I read this one! I surprisingly really enjoyed this book and if you want my full thoughts I have written a review of this book.
  • The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis – I did not read this.
  • The House in the Cerulean Sea – I didn’t read this one either.
  • Legendary by Stephanie Garber – I read this one! I loved Caraval so much and although I didn’t love Legendary as much it was still a great book.
  • The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow – I did not read this.
  • Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard – I didn’t read this one either, there were some big books on my TBR so I didn’t get to most of them.
  • Rivers of London – I wanted so badly to get to this one but I didn’t manage it.
  • Soulbinder by Sebastien De Castell – I read this one and loved it, I don’t have many left in the series and I’m so sad about that.
  • The Appeal by Janice Hallett – I read this one and thought it was a very interesting take on a murder mystery, you can see my review post if you’re interested in all of my thoughts.
  • The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman – I read and loved this book, Kai and Irene are quickly becoming two of my favourite fictional characters.
  • The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry – I read this one and I’m excited to get to the sequel soon.
  • These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan – I did not read this.
  • Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angelles – I didn’t read this one either.
  • The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton – I read this one!

So that was my TBR and I ended up reading seven of the books but on top of that I also read:

  • Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horrowitz
  • Girl, 11 by Amy Suiter Clarke
  • The Gauntlet and the Fist Beneath by Ian Green
  • Alice Shaken and Definitely Stirred by Paula Smith
  • The Turnout by Megan Abbott

Overall I’ve not done too badly this month, I read 12 books and I’m pretty proud of that. So, that’s it for this wrap up, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am bringing you my book review of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton. I read this book this weekend just passed while I was down at my Partner’s Dad’s. My Partner always sleeps in a lot later than I do so I went down to the kitchen, got myself a cup of tea and read this book.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels Plot:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I really enjoyed the uniqueness of this book. Although it was set as if in Victorian England and mentioned places such as Bath and Devon, it also included elements of magical realism like houses that could fly with pirate flags on top of them. It felt both serious and witty throughout the novel and I mostly liked this but some times I was hoping it would focus on one at a time. I felt that this book focused more on it’s characters rather than the plot.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels Characters:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

In this book there are many characters and for the most part they have distinct personalities but I wish some of them had been more fleshed out, and more useful to the story. The main protagonist, Cecelia, is very adventurous and very determined to prove herself to the society so that she can be moved up from Junior to Senior and I felt that this was her motivation for most of the book (except for the end where I really feel her character was lost because of the decisions she made although I sort of expected them). I also felt Cecelia came across much younger than her age and a little whingy. The male love interest character was Ned, I liked his charm and his wit and the way he and Cecelia conversed. Also, he’s a pirate and I’m a sucker for a good pirate. Oh, and there’s also the only one bed trope for anyone who’s interested in that…

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels Writing and Dialogue:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

There’s not much to say here, I think the writing fit the universe very well and I thought the dialogue presented all the characters to the reader – also the dialogue between Cecelia and ned were my favourite parts of this book.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels Overall:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I gave this book three stars overall because it was an enjoyable read, it had pirates in it but it just wasn’t quite enough for me. I plan on picking up the next book in the series though.

Blurb/Synopsis:

A prim and proper lady thief must save her aunt from a crazed pirate and his dangerously charming henchman in this fantastical historical romance.

Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She’s also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it’s a pleasant existence. Until the men show up.

Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is smitten with Cecilia from the moment they meet. Unfortunately, that happens to be while he’s under direct orders to kill her. His employer, Captain Morvath, who possesses a gothic abbey bristling with cannons and an unbridled hate for the world, intends to rid England of all its presumptuous women, starting with the Wisteria Society. Ned has plans of his own. But both men have made one grave mistake. Never underestimate a woman.

When Morvath imperils the Wisteria Society, Cecilia is forced to team up with her handsome would-be assassin to save the women who raised her–hopefully proving, once and for all, that she’s as much of a scoundrel as the rest of them.

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Monthly TBRs

August TBR!

Happy Saturday bookish people! July is coming to a close and I’m hoping August will be a great month, not just for reading but also for experience. Next week is my partner’s Father’s birthday and I’m going down to Cornwall for that weekend. Hopefully that will be lovely, I think it will be.

So, in July I ended up reading thirteen books and starting two others and I’m hoping this good reading will continue in August.

Again I’ve given myself a large TBR and that is before any book tour books, let’s get into it:

August TBR:

  • An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson – I started this one a while back but I’m excited to get back to it in August.
  • Get A Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert – I’m not that keen on contemporary but I won this in a giveaway and I’m willing to give the book a go.
  • The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis – I don’t know much about this book but from the blurb it looks good.
  • The House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Clune – I’ve seen so many good things about this book and I can’t wait to read it.
  • Legendary by Stephanie Garber – I absolutely loved Caraval, the first in this series, and I’m not sure if I will love this one as much because it follows Tella and honestly I didn’t like her much in the first book.
  • The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow – Witches are a common theme in books I enjoy so I hope that will continue with this one.
  • Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
  • Rivers of London by Ben Aaronivitch – a supernatural detective just sounds amazing
  • Soulbinder by Sebastien De Castell – I’m very excited to continue with this series.
  • The Appeal by Janice hallett – this looks like a very unusual murder mystery and I’m looking forward to reading it.
  • The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman – I’m actually halfway through this book already, I started it a while ago and I’m excited to finish it.
  • The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry – another murder mystery that should be a good read.
  • These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan – the blurb of this sounds so good.
  • Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angelles – this is set in a circus and has a competition in it, it gives me a similar feeling to the night circus and I’m looking forward to it.
  • The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton – this one sounds like a light but still intriguing book.

That’s it for my August TBR! Have you read any of these books? Are any on your TBR?