My Blogging Journey is Changing ( Update)

Hello everyone!

So its been a crazy year and few months, and along the way I somehow decided to take a break from blogging. I made this decision because I found that I was not enjoying reading like I used to. It felt too much like a task, with deadlines and always giving the most awesome review. Its no ones fault but mine, I just needed to take a step back and re-ignite my love for it.

I started posting intermittently but I just could not get my rhythm back.  And now I think I want to start reading properly again but I think this is the end of my journey for this blog.

I want to focus more on the book community on Goodreads and Bookstagram (Instagram)

The blog will still be live and I might use it now and again but all my reviews will not be hosted on Goodreads.

If you still would like me to review your book (This is for authors) I am still happy to although the review will be primarily on Goodreads and other 3rd party sites you may want it to be posted to.

Its been a pleasure although this is not a goodbye just a slight change to my journey.

Follow me on Goodreads  , Instagram and Twitter

               

 

 

The Plus One by Sophie Money-Coutts

Publication date : 9th Aug 2018
Genre: Womens Fiction
Rating:★★★.5

About the book

Three little words all single ladies dread…
Polly Spencer is fine. She’s single, turning thirty and only managed to have sex twice last year (both times with a Swedish banker called Fred), but seriously, she’s fine. Even if she’s still stuck at Posh! magazine writing about royal babies and the chances of finding a plus one to her best friend’s summer wedding are looking worryingly slim.

But it’s a New Year, a new leaf and all that. Polly’s determined that over the next 365 days she’ll remember to shave her legs, drink less wine and generally get her s**t together. Her latest piece is on the infamous Jasper, Marquess of Milton, undoubtedly neither a plus one nor ‘the one’. She’s heard the stories, there’s no way she’ll succumb to his charms…

The Review

I was very curious about this book… why? Its summer and this time of year calls for a fun light-hearted read to lift your mood.
Also, I am a huge Bridget Jones fan and thought this was right up my street.
So Polly is 30, single and apart from writing great articles about celebrity babies and pets for her job at Posh! magazine, she can’t seem to hold down a decent relationship. Her best friend is engaged and while she doesn’t have a plus one for the wedding she is determined to get her life on track and accomplish everything she has been dreaming of.

What did I think? So…. this book…. It was actually an enjoyable read. The story although quite predictable didn’t quite get executed in a way that I loved, but all the same it was fun from start to finish. Let’s talk about the characters first.
Polly, while I liked her I found her quite frustrating but then again that’s what makes her quite personable. The conversations she has with herself are so relatable (not about the sex though) and watch out for lots and lots of wine… Bill, he was not my favourite character, hugely annoying and very whiney. I actually ignored him throughout the story. I think I wanted a bit more depth from him that made me want to get to know him. But he is that best friend who is the voice of reason that you just don’t want to listen to at the best of times. Lex, that loud annoying friend that tells you the truth no matter what. I really enjoyed their friendship and the realness that they share. Their bonding moments made me miss my besties. Friends like that are rare to come by.
Lala, I really did not like her…. need I say more. Read it and you will understand why. Susan (Polly’ mum) I really loved her, she was such a warm character. Finally Jasper – playboy, Marquess, millionaire….. I actually liked him. He sounded so dreamy and perfect (but we all know that’s too good to be true). There really wasn’t much more about him.
There were parts of the story that were seriously cringey in that ‘how the hell could that happen’ kind of way. To quote someone else ‘This book doesn’t take itself seriously’ it was an emotional rollercoaster. From crazy cringe moments to sad moments and silly funny moments. Overall it is really a fun read and I would recommend it to fans who just want to have a good laugh.

Midnight (The Romany Outcasts #3) by Christi J Whitney

Midnight by Christi J Whitney
(The Romany Outcasts #3)
Publication date: May 25th 2017
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Rating:★★★★★

About the book

Sebastian Grey’s sole purpose is to be a guardian for secretive gypsy clans and to protect the girl he loves, Josephine Romany. But what happens when your guardian is the one in trouble?
When Kari Corsi is found dead in his trailer, all evidence points to him being killed by a shadow creature. This is a threat to the entire clan: frightened, rumours begin to spread among them, and Sebastian becomes the main suspect.
Josephine must risk everything to find the inner strength to save Sebastian and uncover the true killer. Then, and only then, can they be together? Can they prove that love is stronger than stone?

The Review

My very first review of the year and I am so glad that I started off with this series which I have been wishing to conclude for a while now.
So let’s start from where we left off, if you haven’t read the previous books then please stop right now….. spoiler alert!
Karl Corsi is dead, Augustine has reappeared with a sinister plan, Sebastian is in a cage being transported to goodness knows where and Josephine is caught between saving her guardian and her duty to her clan.

What did I think?
This book has by far one of the best in the series as it was charged with a lot of raw emotion and action. Sebastian’s strength is showcased in such a cool way that even I was willing him to keep going despite the odds.
Favorite characters in this book 3 were Ezzie, she was just a boss with how she was kicking butt and yes you guessed it! Hugo. Big burly tattooed gypsy that is not afraid of anything.
Characters I was irritated with were Katie…. need I say more. At some moments I wanted to scream, I was wishing she would die so I don’t have to deal with her non-stop talking.
The pace of the book was just right and also some unexpected and surprising twists and turns that had me flipping pages even faster to get to the end. I finished this book at 2am because I couldn’t sleep without finding out the end. Josephine was the only character that I kinda loved and hated at the same time. I wanted her to be more ballsy especially when it came to Quentin and the things he said and did.

Anyway such a fantastic series, I hope to read more from this author in the near future, if you love dragons and mythical creature then this is one for you.

Blog Tour Stop: The Chosen Knights by Mary Ting

The Chosen Knights by Mary Ting
(The Angel Knights #1)
Publication date: March 19th 2016
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

About the book

When teens go missing in Hawaii, a group of demon-hunters—half human and half angel—disguised as high school students, must leave Crossroads, the place where they reside. In a race against time, they uncover the mystery connecting the missing teens, which dates back to the era of the Knights Templar. However, when they discover one of the Templars passed down a book containing all the secrets and codes to finding a particular treasure, they soon realize this forbidden treasure needs to be found before Cyrus, the lord of the possessor demons, acquires it—a treasure which been safeguarded and hidden from him.

There is only one problem: the pages containing the clues leading to the treasure is missing. When the first page is found, Cyrus threatens to kill more descendants of the Knights Templar if it is not given to him by Friday the thirteenth. In the midst of threats and discovery, the demon-hunting angels find they are not alone when supernatural beings begin to reveal themselves. Can they put their differences aside and work together to solve the Knights Templars’ cipher? As they astral travel to the past, they witness a lot more than they have bargained for. And some things are better left unseen.

Buy it here

Amazon

Excerpt

Eli willed his sword away. It disappeared behind his back, just the way I would have done it. “You know nothing. Nothing about me is human. I won’t be a part of something that could kill any one of you.”

“How could it kill us if—?” Then I had a thought, recalling the first time I’d seen him in the cafeteria. I had no evidence but it was worth the shot. “You can astral travel, can’t you? You’ve done it before, when you first saw me in the cafeteria. You can travel in the present too. That’s why you took off.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Do you even know what that is?” His jaw clenched.

I knew he was lying. “Out-of-body experience.” I followed behind him when he started walking away.

“You have no idea of the consequences when you travel. Astral travel.”

“Then let it be my consequence.”

Eli whipped around. His face was just a breath away from mine. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Then show me.”

Eli pierced his eyes into mine. His heart drummed a mile a minute. “You want to feel pain, Lucia? You want to know what happens to people when they astral travel?”

“I-I—” I didn’t know what to say. I certainly didn’t expect him to say the things he did.

Eli extended his arm to me. “Take my hand.”

“No.”

“Take my hand, Lucia.” His tone was stern.

I shook my head.

“Last warning.”

“Last warning for—ELI.” I screamed. My stomach dropped, along with my body. Eli’s arms embraced me as we plunged through multiple layers of clouds with my back facing down. Hair whipped my face and the force of gravity made me dizzy.

“You didn’t heed my warning, Lucia,” Eli grumbled.

“So you’re trying to kill me?” The normal reaction for someone in this situation would be to fight back, but my instincts told me I wasn’t in danger. “What are you doing?” The clouds got smaller as we plummeted faster by the second. I began to have second thoughts. Wanting to believe so badly I could get through to him, I’d let it possibly cost my life.

He ignored my plea. Looking squarely in my eyes as air rushed against us, he said nonchalantly, “Get ready to die.”

 

About the author

International Bestselling Author Mary Ting/M. Clarke resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children’s chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.

 

Author links

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Blog Tour organised by

Book review: Moonbreeze (The Dragonian series #4) by Adrienne Woods

Moonbreeze (The Dragonian Series #4) by Adrienne Woods

Publication date: 15th October 2015

Rating:★★★☆☆

Synopsis

The life or a star-studded royal has not been kind to eighteen-year-old Elena Watkins. With a Council breathing down her neck and a dragon that refuses to accept her as his rider, she must convince everyone that she is ready to rule Paegeia like her parents before her. But she has made a promise to her father, King Albert, that she will not go looking for him and free the people of Etan. Elena has promised to never truly fulfill her destiny.

However, situations out of her control will soon force her to confront herself and the evil that seeks to destroy her. Elena must look inside of herself to discover if she can defeat the approaching darkness, be accepted by the people of Paegeia, bring her dragon back to light and fulfill the destiny written in their stars.

The Review

First off let me start by saying that this is book 4 and there is still soo much in the story to cover. I honestly thought this would be the last book in the series but boy was I wrong.
So let us get into it! Elena has claimed the Rubicon but where the heck is Blake? no one seems to know exactly. The one time he makes an appearance is because he can’t seem to handle Elena’s feelings through their “connection”.
Elena’s true identity has been discovered and she is slowly learning that being the princess is really hard especially when the decisions you make have terrible consequences. One night when she is ready to give it all up some events happen that will force Elena to decide on what kind of future she wants for the people of Paegeia.

What did I Like? Well, I had mixed feelings for this particular book. I have been hooked on this series from the first book so I was racing through this.
The author included a whole lot of fillers in this book which made it seem pretty long and frustrating at some moments.
The one thing I didn’t really like that the author did was how Elena is treated in part of the book. To me it was highly unnecessary, I mean this is a YA book for crying out loud. I don’t actually see how this made the story even better.

I was so upset after reading it. That being said, the rest of the book was ok. I think Blake was the star in this particular book, I know he was annoying in other books but he was just amazing to Elena, I was swooning every time he had something to say.
I won’t lie, I skim read a lot of the book because Elena started to annoy me that I just wanted to smack her or something.
I enjoyed seeing Blake and Elena’s relationship grow, I don’t even understand why Becky and George featured so much at some point I was ready to give up the story.
This book is setting up for the epic finale which I honestly can’t wait to read. Watch this space for even more action when I finally finish book 6!

Book review: Awakening (Lost Legacy #1) by C.E Dimond

Awakening (Lost Legacy #1) by C.E Dimond

Publication date: 9th July 2015
Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis

Finn Adams thought she knew what her life had in store for her; a mundane existence of day to day life. The arrival of a stranger in town turns her world upside down. When her mother goes missing, Finn soon discovers that she is a witch and she is being hunted for her power. Ripped from the only life she’s ever known, Finn is transported across the country to Broadhaven, Maine to discover the secrets she never knew about herself, her heritage, and the tremendous power that’s been kept from her for so long. Her loyalties are tested when she learns of her true parentage and discovers she is part of a prophecy, destined to awaken an ancient power that has been lost for centuries. As she struggles to learn from her mother’s past, she is faced with the ultimate struggle of good and evil, family or friends, she must learn who she can trust and find the power within herself to stop the prophecy from coming true.

The Review

Apologies to the author regarding the delayed review

Witches, Warlocks, magic and a formidable villain, what more do you need from an awesome fantasy story?
The story centers around Fionnuala or Finn. She has just turned 16 and lives with her mom. Life of a teenager seems pretty mundane for her as it seems she just has 2 friends and is a bit of a social outcast.
Everything is normal until she meets Eamon, the new kid. He doesn’t seem friendly but also for some reason she seems drawn to him. Soon everything seems to be falling apart, her mom is missing and someone is after her plus she just found out she is a witch. In search of answers, she follows Eamon to Maine where her family coven lives and soon Finn makes some shocking discoveries about who she is and if she can truly trust the people around her.

What did I think? I absolutely loved reading this book! No word of a lie, I was pretty sad when it finished and now I need to get my hands on book 2 to find out what happens.
The plot is pretty solid, with bits of new revelations here and there and there was one piece of info I kind of thought of that I would like to confirm in the next book.
I liked the characters although a lot of them came across pretty insensitive towards Finn, which is understandable due to the volume of testosterone in the coven.
I thought Eamon was cute with his macho exterior, but we know he is like a marshmallow on the inside. I am not a fan of keeping information from the rightful owners so I was pretty upset with the way they were drip feeding Finn information about her heritage.
Also, I found Finn a bit frustrating, then again what more do you get from a 16-year-old. I do like that she can stand her ground, though.
Carmac sounds like a villain I would like, all the other characters in the story just seemed like background noise. It might have been better if they weren’t there.
Overall it was a great fun read, I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

 

Book review: Editing Emma by Chloe Seager

Editing Emma by Chloe Seager

Publication date: August 10th 2017

Rating:★★★★☆

About the book

When sixteen-year-old Emma Nash is ‘ghosted’ by the love of her life Leon Naylor, she does what any normal teenage girl would do…Emma spends the summer lurking in her bedroom, avoiding all human contact (and the shower), surrounded by the collection of chewit wrappers she saved from packs Leon gave her, back when he actually acknowledged her existence…

The Review

After being in a reading slump for ages, I honestly never imagined a book like this would get me back into reading.

This is not a book I would normally read but after checking the synopsis I thought why not. Trust me I wasn’t disappointed.

The story is about 16 year old  Emma, she has just been dumped by the love of her life and here begins her process of dealing with it. From dating random guys to bad advice from friends, Emma is determined to get over Leon Naylor and move on to a better life. Do you think she can? or will she somehow find her way back in Leon’s life?

What did I like?

Where shall I start? Let me just say that this book is probably not for everyone, for me this book brought back memories of high school and how funny some of the things you did were. This felt like a teenage Bridget Jones to me, and of course that made it even more fun.

The book made me laugh so much and at times I was sad because I really wanted more for Emma, it also made me angry purely because now I’m older I know better and it made me disgusted….. uhm you have to read the book to work that one out.

My favourite characters were her best friend Steph because she was just rebellious and we all had or have a Steph in our lives. I also liked Faith because she kept it real all the time when she had to give her opinion. I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with the lead character- Emma, maybe because I always felt that she should know better or maybe because I saw a little bit of my 16 year old self in her.

I really enjoyed the pace of the book, even though I thought it was a weird way to blog but as a personal blog you can write it any way that suits you. The author openly writes about sex and the sexuality of the characters which made it quite realistic. These are the thoughts and pressures of the average 16year old, it’s not always roses and unicorns. Also the way technology has consumed our lives, I mean i could relate with a lot of what was in this book.

It had a nice realistic ending and also the growth of the main character made me smile while I turned the last page of the book with satisfaction. I really recommend this book to people out there but as I said, you either love it or you don’t! But I 100% loved it.

Blog Tour Stop : Quanta Rewind (Shadow Ravens #4) by Lola Dodge

Quanta Rewind (The Shadow Ravens #4) by Lola Dodge

Genre: Dystopian Romance

Release Date: April 25th 2017

Publisher: Ink Monster Publishing

About the Book

With more and more Red Helixes turning up missing or dead, the Shadow Ravens are ready to take their fight to Doctor Nagi himself.
But breaking into Alpha Citadel is no cakewalk, and Quanta isn’t so sure about this whole “teamwork” thing.
If she and the Ravens can’t learn to work together, no amount of rewinding time will save them from the inevitable.
And if the Seligo win, everyone loses.

The Review

SO if you have been reading my reviews you will know I have been waiting for this book to be released for a while. I just want to see how it all ends.

So for me the things I am looking forward to most in this book are

1. Why can’t Dr Nagi just die? (Ah well, he is the villain isn’t he and a formidable one at that)

2. Lots more swoon moments with Altair (who is just my dream guy)

And everything else that follows you know the fall of the seligo and all that.

To be honest the author did not fail to impress me with this one. This one by far was more action packed and fast paced, I really enjoyed how it was going. I love that the spotlight just remains on Altair and Quanta and being able to see things from their own perspectives is a plus. I really enjoyed the development in Tair and Quanta’s relationship.

A fun packed read that trully does not disappoint. I look forward to a lot more from this author.

Buy it Here

Amazon | Kobo| B&N | iBooks | Google Play

About the Author

Lola is a compulsive traveler, baker, and procrastinator. She earned her BA in English from Stonehill College and MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University—and hasn’t stopped moving since. When she’s not on the road, Lola spends her time indoors where the sunlight can’t melt her, writing or bingeing on anime and cherry soda. She can be summoned in a ritual involving curry, Hello Kitty idols, and a solid chocolate pentagram

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

Blog tour organised by

Book Review: Crazy for Alice by Alex Dunn

Crazy for Alice by Alex Dunn

Publication date: August 1st 2016

Rating:★★★★★

About the book

 Donnie Darko meets Pleasantville in this dark urban fantasy about sixteen-year-old Ben Howard. When Ben accidentally kills his father and is sectioned after a failed suicide attempt, he escapes the guilt by seeking solace deep within the recesses of his own mind.

Waking in a strange ethereal black and white world, where most people exist as living statues, Ben leaps from New York skyscrapers into African jungles without fear of injury, severed from his emotions, until he meets and falls in love with Alice. But, no sooner does he settle into this strange, new existence, he’s traumatically catapulted back to the brutal reality he left behind.

Nobody believes he’s spent the last six months in a Gray World. Not his neurotic mother, his policeman brother Gavin, or his friends Mitch and Wendy, and certainly not Dr. McKenzie who’s threatening to give him even more pills. They all think he’s crazy, and why wouldn’t they when he’s been in some strange coma locked up in a mental asylum?

The Review

So this will actually be my first 5-star review for the year.
Special thanks to the author for the opportunity to read this awesome title.
The story centers around 17year old Ben, he is about to be sectioned due to a failed suicide attempt. His family cannot understand why he doesn’t want to live. Ben blames himself for his father’s death and so he falls into despair and depression escaping his guilt when he accidentally wakes up in a gray world where there is no color and of course no more pain.

Top Ten Tuesday : Top Ten Most Unique Books I have read

Top Ten Tuesday is brought to you by the cool crew at The Broke and the Bookish.

First off I really don’t get to read a lot of unique books, but i have come across a few that have left certain impressions on me. I struggled to get 10 books because I have been too busy reading YA I need to branch out and just read more abstract stuff.  And I’m a bit lazy today as I didn’t include the book covers.(I know I’m a bit off my game, desperately playing catch up)

1. Ghana Must go by Taiye Selasi
This is such as an awesome story. A bit slow at the beginning but such a moving narration of events that can alter your life forever. Highly recommended
2. Alive by Chandler Baker
I thought this was your typical YA book, but it was one of those that was just eerily creepy. Felt like I stepped into a scary movie, a bit dark but it highlights the fact that some things are better left unknown.
3. Diva by Carrie Duffy
I read this book a few years ago and I really enjoyed it. Maybe because it tells how the world of showbiz and celebrity lifestyles is not a walk in the park.
4. Bond girl by Erin Duffy
I really loved this book. Two reasons, a strong female lead and also the fact that she was kicking ass in Wall street which can be so full of testosterone.
5. Tuesday’s with Morrie by Mitch Albom
This is an all time fave of mine. I can re-read this book over and over again. So many life lessons and advice you can apply to your life.
6. Crazy for Alice by Alex Dunn
This was a spur of the moment read. I haven’t even reviewed it yet but it was just such an awesome book. I liked that it addressed mental health issues and how sometimes all we need is someone to give a crap about what we are going through or what we are trying to say.
7. The Hybrid by Venue Morales
Debut YA paranormal story with amazing characters. The female lead was just a bad ass and I really wish the author would send me book 2.
8. The Midnight sea by Kat Ross
I never like historical fiction but this one was different. I like that the main characters were not your typical Adonis and Aphrodite, They were just 2 ordinary people with disabilities doing extraordinary things with a lot of heart.
9. Dinner with a vampire by Abigail Gibbs
A fun paranormal YA story, actually it was pretty dark and a bit twisted when I think about it. But I remember enjoying it a lot for its weirdness. I mean who chooses to live with a vampire instead of your freedom?
10. The Five people you meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Another stunning thought proving read by Mitch Albom. It makes you think about how the people in your live impact who you are. I can’t recommend it enough.