Keep Her Safe by K.A Tucker: A Review

From Goodreads: Noah Marshall has known a privileged and comfortable life thanks to his mother, the highly decorated chief of the Austin Police Department. But all that changes the night she reveals a skeleton that's been rattling in her closet for years, and succumbs to the guilt of destroying an innocent family's life. Reeling with grief, Noah is forced to carry the burden of this shocking secret.

Gracie Richards wasn't born in a trailer park, but after fourteen years of learning how to survive in The Hollow, it's all she knows anymore. At least here people don't care that her dad was a corrupt Austin cop, murdered in a drug deal gone wrong. Here, she and her mother are just another family struggling to survive...until a man who clearly doesn't belong shows up on her doorstep.

Despite their differences, Noah and Gracie are searching for answers to the same questions, and together, they set out to uncover the truth about the Austin Police Department's dark and messy past. But the scandal that emerges is bigger than they bargained for, and goes far higher up than they ever imagined.

My thoughts: I'm a fairly recent fan of K.A Tucker (loved Until It Fades so much), so I was so excited when the opportunity to review this one came up. One of the things that I love so much about Tucker's books are the characters. They're always so real, relatable, and at times, unlikable. I don't know about you, but I like characters who aren't perfect specimens. Nothing is more frustrating than reading about perfect people who never so much as have a strand of hair out of place. Noah and Gracie were endearing because they struggled, and were far from perfect.

There were a few mysteries in this book, and they're all woven together to tell the complete story. I liked how each different mystery told a different part of the main story. There are 4 points of view (Gracie, Noah, Abe, and Jackie), and I really liked how you got a glimpse of the past in between the present. It allowed me to try and figure out the mystery with the little clues that were sprinkled in the past and present chapters. 

There was a romance in this, but it's sweet and not overwhelming. I love a good romance, and I love a good thriller/mystery, but I like them separate. The romance in this worked well, and didn't take anything away from the other plots. 

Tucker is Canadian, and I really wish that her stories would take place in Canada. That is my only complaint. There are so many US eccentric books, and I'd love some more mainstream Canadian located stories. 

I gave this one a 4 out of 5 stars based on Goodreads rating system.

A free copy of this book was provided by Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for a review. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

Are you looking for the perfect summer read? Well, you can stop searching now because The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid absolutely delivers a scorching summer read. This book has it all: diversity, romance, humor, and a little intrigue. If you've never read anything by Taylor Jenkins Reid, you seriously need to. I read my first book by her last year and immediately fell in love. She's one of my favourite authors and one I can truly say just keeps getting better. This story is woven together so intricately that you will begin to wonder if you're actually reading a celebrity memoir.

Evelyn Hugo is a 79 year old former Hollywood headliner who is finally ready to tell the story of her seven husbands. Throughout her time in Hollywood she was the seductive blonde with massive sex appeal and more than one scandal to her name. There is way more than meets the eye with Evelyn, though. She recruits journalist, Monique, to tell her story. Monique is fairly young and going through a divorce. Evelyn's choice to recruit Monique leaves her curious and left me wondering if there was some sort of connection between the two.

I found myself getting lost in this beautiful story. Each section is about Evelyn's relationship with one of her husbands and I could not read this fast enough. There is one person in particular who is the love of Evelyn's life and one of the reasons she has chosen to finally tell her story. I won't spoil anything, though, because it is truly better to not know who her one true love is until she wants you to know.

This story was completely captivating. Evelyn was a fantastic character full of contradictions; humble yet bold, soft yet hard, and a little infuriating at times. She was the perfect actress and one Hollywood would surely be obsessed with today if she were real. I really did feel like she was real at times, which is a testament to Taylor Jenkins Reid. Reid has a way with words, especially when dealing with love and loss. She shines brightest when she's writing about love and loss and what it means to be human. Her characters become real people right before your eyes.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a must-read this summer! It's on sale today, so go out and buy it! While you're there, pick up one of Taylor Jenkin Reid's other books because she is amazing. I would probably read her grocery list and be enthralled.

I'm part of Simon and Schuster Canada's blog tour, so a copy of the book was provided for free, but as always, opinions remain my own. Make sure to check out my fellow bloggers posts; something tells me their feelings will be similar to my own.

Promises to Keep by Genevieve Graham

Hi everyone! It's been a while. My son is now 7 months old, which is absolutely crazy. Time flies even faster when you become a parent!

Today I've got a review of Promises to Keep by Genevieve Graham, which was sent to me by Simon and Schuster Canada. As always, opinions are my own.

I was initially drawn to this book because a.) it's by a Canadian author and b.) it takes place (partially) in Nova Scotia. I think I've mentioned it before, but I love Nova Scotia. I've only been there twice, but it completely stole my heart both times. I was also drawn to this story because it's based on actual events. In 1755, the Acadians of Grand Pré, Nova Scotia were expelled from their land by British soldiers. They were forced onto ships and sent away to various parts of Canada and the US. Promises to Keep tells the story of Amélie Belliveau and her Acadian family and their expulsion. Amélie and her family are loaded onto two separate boats and sent off to sea.

Amélie is a strong willed, spirited girl who falls in love with someone she shouldn't - a soldier for the British, however, Connor is not the soldier he appears to be. He is not as loyal as the British think he is. Amélie lives with her mom, dad, two sisters, and two brothers. She also has a close relationship with some members of the Mi'kmaq tribe who live in the forest nearby.

I liked Amélie because she was tough. She didn't just sit back and let the awful expulsion happen without consequence. She was perhaps a little too headstrong, but I liked her fearlessness. She was the sister and daughter her family needed her to be. I liked Connor for the same reasons. He was definitely not afraid of the British and had no trouble trying to undermine their mission.

I did feel like the connection between Amélie and Connor was a little instantaneous, but it felt and read genuine. I loved that it was written in dual perspective, because I was able to read how both were feeling and it made the whole experience that much more emotional.

I also really enjoyed the character of Me'tekw. He only has a couple of chapters, but they are so significant integral to the whole story. His story begins as a prequel and just leaves you wanting to know where his story ends.

I gave this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars because I really enjoyed it and it was a quick read. If you're looking for a great historical fiction based on actual events then definitely pick this up. Pick it up if you're looking to read beautiful descriptions about Nova Scotia. Graham made me remember why I love the province so much and reminded me that I need to get back there immediately.

I've never been to Grand Pré (it poured rain the day we were going to go), but we did go to a lookout spot that overlooks the general area of where Grand Pré is. Fun story, our car died at the top of the lookout point.

Isn't it pretty? Go and buy Promises to Keep so you can read about these beautiful views. It's on sale today!

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The hardest thing as a book blogger/reviewer is writing a review for a book you absolutely loved. If I didn't like a book, I can usually find a few reasons why and BAM, there you go. For a book I loved, I just want to write, 'THIS WAS AWESOME. READ IT,' but I don't think that's really effective.

The book that I absolutely loved and am therefore having a hard time reviewing, is One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I picked up After I Do by Reid earlier this year, and completely fell in love. Why did no one tell me to read her books earlier? When the lovely people at Simon and Schuster Canada contacted me and asked if I'd like an early copy of One True Loves, I immediately said YESPLEASEGIMMETHANKYOU. Or, you know, 'yes, please! Thank you!' like an actual polite human. I devoured this book in two sittings, staying up way too late one Sunday night.

The quick synopsis for this book is Emma marries her high school sweetheart, Jessie. They spend their days traveling and living their lives far away from their hometown. On their first wedding anniversary, Jessie disappears in a helicopter accident over the Pacific. Emma moves home to grieve and try to start over, where she is reacquainted with an old friend named Sam. Sam used to work in her parent's bookshop. They fall in love, get engaged, and then Jessie is found alive. Emma clearly has a choice to make. Does she choose Sam, her new love who offers her the quiet life she's discovered she really loves, or does she choose Jessie, who offers her the crazy, travel-filled life she once had?

I loved both Sam and Jessie for different reasons, however I did lean towards one of them more than the other. I won't say who, because that's who she ultimately picked and I was very happy with the end of this book. They both offered her a completely different lifestyle, and part of her choice was choosing which version of Emma she wanted to be. It wasn't just about choosing the right guy. She had to choose the right Emma. I loved trying to figure out who she was going to pick and see her settle into her future. There was a lot of growth for Emma, and it all felt very genuine.

One of my favourite chapters in this book was the chapter dealing with Emma's grief. It was so raw, and yet so beautifully written. I completely felt Emma's pain and anguish. That chapter didn't follow the format of the rest of the book, but I thought it worked really well. The rest of the book is written in Before and After, so you really get a sense of Emma, Sam, and Jessie.

No one writes about love and loss like Taylor Jenkins Reid. I've now read all of her books, and I've loved every one of them. She has a way with words that leaves you nodding along. I'm married, and many of her books deal with marriage in some sense, so I can always relate to the characters. I think you could definitely enjoy these books even if you aren't married. There is something to take away from each book, no matter your season of life. Her books always leave you wondering what you'd do in the situation she poses, and I find myself incredibly grateful for all I have.

One True Loves is on sale today, so please do yourself a favour and go out and buy it and then buy her entire back list. You won't be sorry.

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

A couple years ago I wrote a post on why you should be reading Morgan Matson. Since that post, I've read Since You've Been Gone and her latest, The Unexpected Everything, and I can 100% say that everything I said in that post still holds true today.

In The Unexpected Everything, we meet Andie who has always been the girl with the plan. Until she was the girl with no plans. As you can imagine, this completely throws her off and leaves her disheveled. To top it all off  her congressman father, whom she's not really close with anymore, is being investigated and is home for the entire summer.

I loved the relationship between Andie and her father. It developed perfectly and really left me feeling good. Matson always has positive family relationships in her books and that's something I really like. It's easy to write about the dysfunctional family, but it's important to write about the realistic family. Mind you, Andie and her dad go through their fair share of dysfunction but they end up becoming much closer because of it. I loved seeing her dad really own up to being a good father figure for Andie.

Since Andie has no summer plan, she ends up walking dogs for the summer, which sounds like the perfect summer job to me. Who doesn't want to spend time outside in the sunshine with happy dogs? Add in the adorable guy she meets, Clark, and hello, perfect summer. Except it's not a perfect summer because there is no such thing. Clark is fantastic. He is absolutely everything that Andie needs and he's her complete opposite. I think Clark may be my favourite Matson guy so far. He's mature but super nerdy. Sweet, but not afraid to be tough if he needs to, and what he does for a living is super impressive.

Another thing I love about Matson's books are the friendships. She always seems to write about positive friendships, which is sometimes rare in YA. There are no frenemies here, and I love that. Andie has three best friends, Palmer, Toby, and Bri and I loved them all. They each had their own thing going on, but they were always there for each other. Like every friendship, they do have their issues but they aren't catty and mean to each other. I loved trying to decipher Toby's emoji conversations. They were pretty hilarious!

Andie ends up having the absolute perfectly unplanned summer and it's everything she never knew she needed.

This is the perfect summer book to completely lose yourself in on a beautiful day. Cute boys, friends, dogs, ice cream, and an awesome scavenger hunt. This book made me want to go back to being 16, and that doesn't happen very often. Definitely go and pick this one up. It's on sale today!

SimonTeen (Simon and Schuster Canada) provided me with a copy of this book for review, but that didn't sway my opinion at all.

Top Ten Best Books I Read In 2015

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.

Narrowing down my favourite books of the year is next to impossible. In order to do so, I went to Goodreads and these 13 books are the only books to receive the coveted 5 star rating from me this year.

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven - This book killed me and broke my heart.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - If you like historical fiction, this HAS to be on your list. It was fantastic!

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios - I loved this one. It felt very authentic and real.

The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World by Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, and Amanda Pressner - This made me want to quit my job and travel even more than I already do.

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen - I was starting to wonder if I was outgrowing Dessen, but after this book, I definitely think I'm not.

Before The Storm and Secrets She Left Behind by Diane Chamberlain - Such a fun duology with an awesome main character.

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley - Another historical fiction, but this one takes place in the past and present. Can't wait to read the rest!

The Blue by Lucy Clarke - Clarke's books have the best settings and always make me long to travel. This one had a bit of a mystery, too.

Those Girls by Chevy Stevens - If you're looking for a thrilling mystery, this is the book you want.

Always The Bridesmaid by Lindsey Kelk - Kelk is hilarious and this one had me laughing out loud.

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes - Another one that broke my heart into a million pieces.

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson - Lawson is a brilliant advocate for mental illness, but she is also hilarious.

Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2015

 

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.

Creating this list, I found I didn't actually read a lot of new authors. There was only about a handful more that I could have added to this list. I should make a goal to change that in 2016. Who knows how many other fantastic authors I'm missing out on.

This is not in any particular order, just the order they showed up in my Goodreads.

Some of these authors are debut authors, like Sabaa Tahir and Susan Philpott so I've only obviously read their debuts. You should check them out if you're looking for a new author. Sabaa Tahir wrote An Ember in the Ashes, which I absolutely loved and was one of my favourite fantasy novels this year. Philpott wrote an exciting cross-Canada story about an underground railway system that helps women in trouble. It's called Blown Red and I have an arc of the second one, Dark Territory, which is set to come out in January.

The others on the list all have multiple books out and some are very well-known. I wrote yesterday about my complicated relationship with Colleen Hoover. My favourite of her books so far is Maybe Someday.

Morgan Rhodes is releasing the fourth book in her Falling Kingdoms series next week and I cannot wait to get my hands on it! Check it out if you're missing Game of Thrones, like I always am.

Lucinda Riley writes historical fiction novels and I read the first book in her newest series called The Seven Sisters and I loved it. I'm impatiently waiting for the next one, The Storm Sister, to come out in the spring.

Emery Lord is a master at writing female friendships and I fell in love with her love of female friendships.

Marissa Meyer writes the Lunar Chronicles series and I should be ashamed that I only read them this year, but I actually loved being able to mostly marathon the series. Winter was an incredible end to the series.

Jennifer Niven wrote All The Bright Places which killed me and I think it's an important book for everyone. It's, of course, being made into a movie so that should be interesting.

Harlan Coben is the author of many suburban thrillers and I love me a good thriller. I seem to get instantly addicted to his books and fly through them.

I've only read one JoJo Moyes books so far, Me Before You, and that book left me a weeping mess. I seriously need to pick up her other books asap.

Mini-Reviews: Ink and Bone and Off The Page

The last two months have not been very good reading months for me. I always seem to get a bit slumpy during the beginning of fall, which makes no sense as fall is such a good reading time. I think I'm finally getting out of the slump, as it's only November 9th and I've already read 3.5 books. In an effort to make this blog more active, I have two mini-reviews today.

 



 

First off, this cover is gorgeous! The spine looks like an old leather bound hardcover, and I just love it. The reason I was so drawn to this book was because it's about books, and because it had a lot of Harry Potter comparisons. It is definitely nothing like Harry Potter. They both take place in a learning environment, but there is no awesome school like Hogwarts in this book. The only real similar thing was a chess set that moves itself, which to be honest, kind of bugged me. Oh, and there's a train that transports them, but it's much more fancy than the Hogwarts Express.

 

I spent the first half of this book not really caring about it. I was liking it enough, but it wasn't completely holding my attention. The premise is really interesting. Real books are kept controlled by the Library and to be in possession of them is a crime. There's a group of students who are being trained to work for the Library (there are different job titles), and then they are sent to war-torn England to try and smuggle out some books. Naturally, people are trying to kill the students. This was when the story got really interesting.

 

At times I found it hard to care about the characters. I thought they were well-written and such, but I just didn't care that much until about the middle of the book. It probably sounds like I didn't enjoy this book, and that's not true. I did like it, but I did have some issues. I didn't really like/care about the romance . It felt forced and rushed and just off. I do plan to read the next one because once I finally became invested in the story, I really needed to know what happens.

 

I gave this a 3 out of 5 stars because it was a bit slow at first, but it ending up picking up in the latter half.

 

 

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time then you know that Jodi Picoult is one of my favourite authors, and I will basically try anything that she writes. Off The Page is the companion book to her book Between The Lines, which was co-written with her daughter Samantha van Leer. I read Between The Lines back in 2012 and really liked it.

 

Between The Lines is about a girl who falls in love with a prince from a book, and about how they try to get him out of the book. Off The Page is about the boy, Oliver, out of the book and living in the real world. I'll mention right away that you do need to suspend your beliefs in order to read this book, but I really loved it. I had such a good time reading this book. It's fun, and cute, and maybe a bit cheesy, but there are also some serious undertones to it.

 

In order for Oliver to leave the book, someone had to take his place. The authors son, Edgar, happened to be the one who took Oliver's place.  The author doesn't know that the boy living with her is the character she created, and most definitely not her son.

 

Watching Oliver try to navigate modern life/high school was funny and sweet, until something happens to the author and it's decided that Oliver needs to go back to the book so that Edgar can come out and be with his mom. Problems arise when they try to get Edgar back out and Oliver back in. I loved the cast of characters, both in the book and in the real world. I will never forgive Picoult and van Leer for a particular THING that happened, though. I just don't think IT had to happen.

 

Like I said before, I had a lot of fun reading this book. It's almost like a modern day fairy tale, and is perfect for anyone who hasn't read a good old fairy tale in a long time. After all, who hasn't fallen for a book character and wished they could be a real person?

 

 



 

 

It's time for another edition of 'holy crap, another month has gone by!' otherwise known as my August wrap-up. This month I read a total of nine books, which is a little less than I had been reading lately, but I'm okay with that because I took my time with two of the books I read.

 

A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay - This was a 3 star read for me. It wasn't really anything spectacular, but I did enjoy reading it. There were twists and turns, and I always like a good mystery/thriller. Barclay has a way of drawing you completely into the story.

 

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh - Ooh, this book. I was very hesitant about reading this when I first heard about it because it didn't really sound all that appealing to me. Then one day this month I got it into my head that I absolutely HAD to read it, so I picked it up. I should have listened to my gut. It was just okay. I had a few issues with it, mostly with the romance, which made reading it difficult. I just did not like the way the romance played out. Also, I was horrible at pronouncing the names, which was kind of frustrating. I struggled to get through the first half, but it did pick up during the second half. I didn't HATE it, but I really didn't love it. I don't know if I'll continue with this series. Actual rating for this is probably 2.5 stars. A lot of people absolutely love this book, so don't let my thoughts stop you from reading it.

 

A Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes - If you've been reading my blog the last month or so, you'll know that I've fallen for the Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes. I've devoured the three books in that series so far, and I can't wait for the fourth to come out in December. A Book of Spirits and Thieves is a spin-off series, so I picked it up this month. While I didn't enjoy this as much as the Falling Kingdoms books, it was still interesting and I'll be reading the rest of the series. It takes place in modern day Toronto, as well as the land in Falling Kindoms, Mytica. I love Mytica, which is why I think I didn't like this one as much, because I just wanted more Mytica scenes.

 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling - This was my 4th/5th? time re-reading this, and I just loved it again. I bought the new Bloomsbury paperback edition because I absolutely love the covers. I have all the original first edition hardbacks, but I could not resist this cover. I want to get the rest of them asap. This was one of the books that I took my time reading this month. I just wanted to take it slow and enjoy it.

 

 

 

All The Rage by Courtney Summers - This book was fantastic, but also infuriating and sad. Basically, a girl is raped by a popular, rich boy and no one believes her and makes her life hell. Then, a popular girl goes missing and people start opening their eyes. This book was hard to read at times because of how real it truly was. Countless rapes go unreported every year because the victim thinks that no one will believe her/him. This needs to change. More people need to read this book, and look at the consequences of victims keeping quiet.

 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling - My awesome husband came home one day and surprised me with the next book in the lovely new Bloomsbury covers, so of course I had to read it. I've been on a huge Harry Potter kick this month. We re-watched the first movie, I bought a shirt, and I've been playing the Lego Harry Potter game for the Wii. I will never stop loving this world. I also took my time re-reading this book.

 

Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center - I loved this book. I have a full review here, so I won't say much, but it was a great read if you're looking to read about self-discovery in an awesome wilderness adventure setting.

Always the Bridesmaid by Lindsey Kelk - I plan to do a proper review for this book, so I'll just say that I loved it! It was hilarious, and real, and might be my new favourite Lindsey Kelk book.

 

Other things:

This month went by way too quickly! I really didn't do anything, except work and hang out with my husband and our cats. I'm ready for the weather to cool down a bit, but am definitely never ready for snow. Below are a few photos of Ollie because he's cute, and the only one of our three cats that somewhat tolerates photos.



 

I love this face.

All stretched out for a Sunday nap.

 We bought a new bed, and Ollie had to test the mattress to see if it was safe for us.

Top Ten Of My Auto-Buy Authors

Top Ten Of Your Auto-buy Authors (no matter the genre or what it's about...you'll buy it from these authors!) Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.

I feel like a broken record with many of these, but what can I say? I like to support my favourites. Some of these authors I still have unread books by, but I intend to get to them.

Jodi Picoult - I don't think I could rave about Picoult any more than I already do. Leaving Time blew me away, as do all of her books.

Kristin Hannah - Hannah is an author that I think just keeps getting better the more she writes. I absolutely adored The Nightingale. It's a historical fiction set during WW2, and shows the struggles that the women had to go through. It also shows had amazing they were, and how integral to the war effort they were.

Chevy Stevens - If you like thrillers, Stevens' has to be on your TBR. She is fantastic at writing thrillers that get into your head. Her latest release, Those Girls, left me an emotional wreck by the end.

Lucy Clarke - She only as three books out so far, but I have absolutely loved each one. Her newest, The Blue, just came out this month and it was a 5 star read for me. She is a master at writing breathtaking settings. Random bonus: her covers are always gorgeous.

Emery Lord - Lord is a new addition to my auto-buys, as I just read both of her books, Open Road Summer and The Start of Me and You, this year. She writes YA contemporary fiction, and celebrates female friendship, which is a nice change.

Sarah Dessen - I've been reading Dessen's novels for about 10 years now, and I don't see myself ever stopping. They're YA, but they always make me nostalgic and understand my past a little bit more. Saint Anything was released earlier this year, and it's Dessen at her finest.

Kimberly McCreight - Her latest, Where They Found Her, as well as her previous book, Reconstructing Amelia, kept me guessing the entire time. Her characters are very relatable, and you may find yourself in one of them. Perhaps even the 'bad guy'.

Morgan Matson - She is another contemporary YA writer who writes realistic characters. I wrote a Why You Should be Reading Morgan Matson post last year that better explains my love for her books.

Lindsey Kelk - Her books are just so much fun to read. I always turn to her when I need something light and fun. I don't consider 'light and fun' to be a negative thing at all. I recently started her I Heart series and loved the first book. I also really loved The Single Girls' To-Do List.

Diane Chamberlain - She is an author whose back list I still need to finish (I have Summer's Child sitting right next to me), and is someone I turn to when I need a book that I know I'll love.

I know I've mentioned all of these authors in previous posts, buy they're all just so good! Who is your #1 MUST BUY author?

Mini-Reviews

It's been awhile since I've done any mini-reviews. Sometimes I don't have enough thoughts/feelings about a book to write a whole post, so mini-reviews can be easier and more fun to do for those books.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
This was Kinsella's first YA book, and while I did enjoy it, I had some problems. I was not a big fan of the romance. It bothered me that a boy was so pivotal in helping her with her anxiety. He did not 'cure' her, which I appreciated, but it seemed like he had a lot more influence over her than her family. Audrey's mom was hilarious. She was neurotic and totally not helping Audrey's anxiety, but I thought she was funny. I gave this 4 out of 5 stars.

I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk
I really love Kelk's novels. They're light, funny, and all feature relatable characters. This one was about Angela who catches her fiancé cheating on her at her best friend's wedding, causes a scene, and flees to New York City. Who hasn't thought about doing that? I sure have. Angela meets a cast of awesome people while in NYC, including Jenny (who I love) who decides she needs to date around to get over her fiancé. Plus, she's a writer and writes about it in her blog. I loved this book. I loved the setting, characters, and all the random things she gets up to. Can't wait to read the others in the series. 4.5 out of 5 stars for this one.

In The Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
I feel like I'm in the minority here because I did not LOVE this book. I didn't read Blume growing up. I was more into The Babysitters Club, Little Sister and Goosebumps books. I read Summer Sisters years ago, and liked it, but I didn't have those nostalgic Blume feelings like many others. Perhaps that affected my rating because I didn't feel nostalgic. I thought the book was good, but not amazing. I was a little bored at times, and all the characters were a bit confusing in the beginning. I read this during a crazy heat wave, so maybe I was just hot and cranky. 3.5 stars.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
This was a case where I should have listened to my gut. I resisted reading this for a long time because it just didn't sound like my thing, but then I gave into the hype and read it. Shazi volunteers to marry the king who kills his brides every morning at dawn because she plans to kill him. Sounds decent, right? I didn't love it. Part of what bothered me was that I didn't know how to pronounce many of the names, so I was spending too much time trying to figure them out. The romance was also not for me. I struggled to get through the first half, though it did pick up during the last half. I haven't decided if I'll continue with this series. 2.5/3 out of 5 stars.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Authors I've Read The Most From

Thought I'd try something new and put some text on one of my photos. Do you like?

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.

I used Goodreads for this, and I wasn't really all that surprised by my results.

Jodi Picoult - 19 books
Not surprised by this at all because Picoult is one of my most favourite authors. Her books just keep getting better and better! I'd recommend Leaving Time, 19 Minutes, Handle with Care, and The Pact. I always know to expect some sort of twist in her books, but it still usually manages to catch me off guard.

Kristin Hannah - 15 books
Also not surprised at all. You must check out her most recent release, The Nightingale. I loved it so freaking much. Also Firefly Lane (though it's sequel Fly Away was just okay), Night Road, Home Front, and Winter Garden. Her books are all quite different and I just really enjoy her writing.

Sarah Dessen - 12 books
I've read every single Dessen book, and will continue to do so until she stops writing. I hope to one day have a daughter that I can pass these books onto.

Jane Green - 9 books
One summer a few years ago (2010? holy crap that was 5 years ago) I went through a big Jane Green phase. I still enjoy her books, especially when I want something light and fun. Favourites include The Beach House, Family Pictures, and Another Piece of My Heart.

Nicholas Sparks - 9 books
I feel like some people are ashamed that they read Sparks books. I'm not. I like his books, though I hate that he seems to be writing books just to get them made into movies. My favourite is The Last Song. The movie was pretty terrible, but I flew through this book and still randomly think about it.

Diane Chamberlain - 7 books
I thought this number would be higher because I freaking love Chamberlain. I'm still slowly working on her back list, but so far there's only been one book that I thought was just okay. I really recommend Before The Storm, Secrets She Left Behind (don't read the synopsis before reading Before the Storm!), Necessary Lies, and The Midwife's Confession.

Cassandra Clare - 6 books
I was really into The Moral Instruments series late last year/early this year. I still need to read City of Heavenly Fire, but I want to read the last two Infernal Devices books first. I think I kind of burned myself out on this world a bit, so I'm taking a break.

J.K. Rowling - 6 books
This is actually 7 books because I've read all 7 Harry Potter books multiple times, but I'm currently re-reading the 5th, so I think Goodreads is confused. I've also read The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith and want to pick up The Silkworm.

Chevy Stevens - 5 books
I've read all of her books and absolutely love them. I can't even recommend one over the other because I loved them all, but definitely read her latest Those Girls and Still Missing.

Diana Gabaldon - 5 books
I really love the Outlander series and am slowly working my way through it. The books are so long, so it's taking a while because I can't read them back to back. I love Jamie and Claire, though. My favourite book in the series after Outlander is Drums of Autumn.

Have you read any of these authors? Who was your #1 read author?

July Wrap-Up!

Somehow it's the end of July already. Summer is flying by, which is definitely not a good thing. Where I live, it seems to be cold and snowing from November (sometimes October) to March/April, which is so NOT a good thing.

This month I read 11 books, and 1 comic. I didn't actually think that I read all that much, but I guess I had.

The Blue by Lucy Clarke - I started this June 30th, but read the majority of it on July 1st. It was so good! Full review here.

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes - I really like this series! It's fantasy, but a little lighter on the fantasy side, which I appreciate. It's told from four different perspectives and I liked all the voices. There are some Game of Thrones comparisons for this series, which I really didn't find accurate. They're completely different in my eyes.

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson - This is such an important comic, and one that is really well done. Kamala is an American Muslim teenager struggling with her overly strict parents. I think the comic showed the struggle that all teens go through really well. I was a little confused about how she got her powers, but other than that, I enjoyed it. The art was beautiful, and I'm excited to see where the story goes.  

Safe With Me by Amy Hatvany - This was a good read, nothing exceptional. I liked the character of Maddie. She was a sweet girl with a hard life.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella - Really enjoyed this one. I wasn't that into the romance because I find it a little distressing that a boy was able to make her start feeling better. It was funny, and cute, and everything I needed it to be at the time.

Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes - I read this in one sitting, if that's any indication to how much I enjoyed it.

Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes - This is a very character driven series, and one I'm really enjoying. It's a fun series, but one that's also pretty dark. I really like the magical elements, and all the things that are slowly being revealed about the world and the characters. The beginning of this one was a little slower, but it picked up eventually.

Those Girls by Chevy Stevens - My favourite thriller this year so far! I cannot rave about Stevens' work enough. Full, gushy review here.

I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk - After the intensity of Those Girls, I needed something light and Kelk is one of my favourites for light (but awesome) reads. I've been wanting to read it for ages. This book is my (former) dream. Take off to New York and start completely over. I had such a good time reading this and I want to be friends with everyone, minus Tyler (Team Alex!). I effing love Jenny Lopez. Can't wait to dive into the others.

Virtue Falls by Christina Dodd - This book was, unfortunately, a bit of a miss for me. It dragged on, and I got to the point where I was basically skimming it just to finish. I did not understand the whole frog god thing and how that fit into the story. I'm sure it'll pop up in the next book, but I won't be reading. The writing was good, and the story itself was interesting, but it dragged. I would probably try another book by the author, but not from this series.

Caught by Harlan Coben - I don't know what it was about this book, but it completely sucked me in. It was pure entertainment, which is exactly what I was looking for.

In The Unlikely Event by Judy Blume - This one was a 3.5 star read for me. I didn't hate it, I liked it quite a bit, but I wasn't enthralled with it. It was a little slow, but I love Blume's writing style. There's a lot of characters, and I don't know if it's just the heat (it's like Hades outside right now), but I was having a slight problem keeping track of them all. I did enjoy how they were all linked in some way, and kind of crossed paths at different times.

I'm currently reading A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay. I've really been into mystery/thrillers for the past little while.

Aside from reading and working, I got up to a few fun things this month. July 5th was our one year wedding anniversary, so we decided to go wander around the conservation area where we got married.

This is the beautiful bridge we were married on.

 

We also kept the top tier of our wedding cake and ate it on our anniversary. Any traditions involving cake I am down for!

 

And, an Ollie photo because he's cute. I sent my husband to buy litter one day and instead, I came home to find a 5ft tall cat tree. They all love it, though, so it was worth it. Except that he forgot to buy the litter.

 

Happy August!

June Wrap-Up!

June will probably be my favourite month of this entire year, but not because of what I read (not that I didn't read anything great). This was the month my husband and I returned to the east coast of Canada!

Before I get into that, I will talk about the books I read this month:

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley: This was my favourite book this month! I really loved it and need more. It's going to be a series of seven books with each book featuring a different sister trying to track down where she came from. The seven sisters were all adopted by the same man, and after his death, the girls are each left clues to where they came from. This book featured Maia's story, with her roots tracing back to Brazil. There is an alternate story in this as well, from Maia's Brazilian relative. SO good. I loved it!

Cocktails at Le Carmen by Isabelle Andover: I was offered this book for review, and was happy that I accepted it. It was a really fun book that is perfect for summer reading. I did a full review here if you're interested.

The next three books are audiobooks. Our trip to the east coast was a road trip, and we wanted something other than the radio to listen to (plus, we went through Quebec (French speaking province) and trying to find an English radio station is impossible!). Before we left, I'd downloaded Serial and we listened to that on the way (it was awesome!) Before we left PEI to head to Nova Scotia, we stopped at a Chapters and picked up an audiobook.

King and Maxwell by David Baldacci: We needed something that would hold both of our attentions, so we decided on this. We didn't know it was the sixth book in a series at the time, but that really didn't affect us. It was really good and definitely held our attention. It was so interesting that I actually found the first book at a used bookstore we went to and bought it.

Leaving Nova Scotia for home, we stopped at another Chapters and picked up two more audiobooks.

The Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry: This one had such potential, but fell short for both of us. We both like historical things, but this was just too much. We may have been more captivated by it had we not started listening to it at, like, 7am. It was okay, though. It was interesting, but there were a lot of repeated historical data, which got a little tedious. Perhaps it would have been better to actually read this one.

The Confession by John Grisham: I actually started reading this years ago, but put it down because reading the dialogue was tedious. I saw this and thought it'd be better as an audiobook, and we wanted something Serial-ish. I'm definitely glad we chose this one because it was really good. Of the three audiobooks we listened to, this one was my favourite. The ending became a little dragged out, but it definitely held our attention through a long drive. I kind of want to try another Grisham book now.

The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango: This book left me confused, which seems to be the general consensus. I enjoyed it and it was really short, but I can't decide if I truly liked it or not. I reviewed it here.

Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson: I really enjoyed this historical novel. It's about a young woman who, against her parent's wishes, decides to join the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps as an ambulance driver during WW1. She eventually ends up at the same hospital where her brother's best friend works as a surgeon, and they just happen to be in love with each other. There is a companion novel which I'm super excited to get to because I liked this one a lot.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - I HAD to read some Harry Potter because summer = Harry Potter. I've read the first three more than the others, so I decided to re-read the fourth. I got just as sucked into the story as I always do. Lovelovelove.

In total, that's eight books for June. Not too bad considering I was away for ten days and, other than the audiobooks, only spent about an hour actually reading. This month I also hit my goal of reading 50 books! I'm thinking of upping it to 100, but that seems a bit intimidating. I'm sure I could do it, but I know I'm in for a reading slump eventually.

As I mentioned, my husband and I went on a week-long road trip to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. We went to NS last year for our honeymoon, and I loved it so much that I just had to go back. While there, we went to a few used bookstores AND we went to Anne of Green Gables in PEI. In one of the stores I found a copy of Anne of Avonlea from 1956, which was very cool.

We had such a fantastic time! Nova Scotia is definitely my favourite province. I just feel at home when we're there, and I've only been twice. Some photos I took there:

We were exploring the house, and I happened to look outside and there was Anne hangin' out on a bench.

Inside Anne's room.

Lilacs outside the house.

Hiking the Skyline Trail on the Cabot Trail.

The views along the Cabot trail were spectacular!

Peggy's Cove!

The village of Peggy's Cove is one of my most favourite places.

Lobster traps and dandelions.

The lighthouse in Louisbourg, NS.

Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians!

what I've read lately.

I am a terrible blogger, and I have no excuses other than the usual (work, husband time, etc.). I am still constantly reading, though, so I guess there's that. There's a difference between reading and blogging about reading, and blogging is where I suck.

Anyway, I thought I'd talk a bit about the books I've read since my last post. There have been some good ones lately!

 

This was an emotional book written by what I expect will be a future bestselling author. This book makes you reflect on what you would do if you found out you were dying. Would you pull your loved ones closer, or push them away and retreat into yourself? 

 

I felt myself getting teary eyed, frustrated, downright angry, and then happy. I felt emotionally spent reading this book, but in a good way. Oftentimes, I almost forgot I wasn't reading a fiction book. It reads as a non-fiction, which I think makes it better. 

 

The characters are frustrating and real, and flawed. Pamela annoyed me, and I kind of wish we'd gotten more of her story. I won't say much, but I couldn't help but be suspicious of Pamela's motivations. I would have been just as suspicious, if not more, as Daisy was. 

 

 I loved the Jack part at the end. I really liked learning how it ended, and getting to read some of his perspective.

A must-read for fans of beautifully written fiction - not JUST woman's fiction, but fiction.

 

 

 

If you know me really well, you know I love a good psychological thriller, and Chevy Stevens never disappoints. I discovered her last summer when I won a copy of Always Watching and I've been hooked ever since, devouring all her books in a matter of weeks. I even got my mom hooked! For months all I heard was, "when is the new Chevy book coming out?" (my mom doesn't do the internet).

Toni and her boyfriend, Ryan, have been accused of murdering Toni's younger sister, Nicole, because they were the last to be seen with her. One thing I loved (among many) about this book was that it shifted time frames. It switched between when Toni was in high school (when the murder occurred), when Toni was in jail, and after she's out of jail. I loved feeling like I was in Toni's head throughout the entire story.

You can always expect a twist in Steven's novels, and this one was no exception. Around the middle of the book, I had my suspicions about whodunit, and I was right, however, I had no idea what the motive was and it blew me away.

This book has characters you'll love, and many that you'll hate. At times, I found myself loving and hating the exact same character, which plays with your head and makes the story even more compelling.

The Canadian in me appreciates that her stories take place in Canada, and I love the Canadian references in it (Tim Hortons!).

 

 



Diane Chamberlain is another of my favourite authors, but this was not my favourite. It was definitely engrossing, but I just felt like something was off. Riley and Lisa both annoyed me for different reasons, and I think that affected my perspective. I have a hard time enjoying a book when I feel absolutely no connection to any of the characters.

 

Another issue I had was that some things seemed too perfect, such as the ending. Everything was wrapped up in a pretty little bow, and nothing was left for me to imagine on my own.

 

I did enjoy the book, and think it will do very well when it's released (October 7th), and I would recommend it to people who like a good dysfunctional family thriller.

 

This was a cute read, and one I've been hearing about for years. I especially loved reading about Anna exploring Paris, as (like many) I would love to go to Paris one day.

I liked Anna, but at times I felt a little annoyed at her. Some of her 'problems' didn't seem like problems at all. Also, St. Clair annoyed me a bit, too. If you're unhappy, end your relationship, don't just stay in it because you don't want to be alone. I didn't really like what Anna and St. Clair did to Meredith. Anna seemed to try and justify her actions a lot throughout the book, and I felt myself sympathising with Mere, rather than Anna.

That being said, I did enjoy the book. I was looking for a sweet, quick read and that's what I got. I enjoyed the friendship between the 5 of them, and felt like their conflicts were pretty accurate (albeit, a bit predictable).

 

I didn't LOVE it like many others did (perhaps I would have if I was younger?), but I do intend to read about Lola and Isla soon.

 

I've also read Outlander lately, but it deserves its very own entry soon because I loved it so much!

 

Let's chat! What has been your favourite book you've read lately?



January Wrap-Up

In an effort to make this blog more active, I've decided to do a monthly wrap-up at the end of each month. It will be all the books I've read that month, and anything else I deem interesting enough to go up. Maybe a quote from a book from that month, or my favourite photo I've taken. Anything is pretty much fair game!

The Books
Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding
Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgmery
Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay
One Summer by David Baldacci
Roomies by Sara Zarr (review here)
Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (review here)

I really liked all of the books I read this month. My favourite was Roomies by Sara Zarr. I loved the overlap between the two characters, and the emails back and forth between the two. Definitely check it out!

Least favourite was Mad About the Boy. I meant to write a full review, but never got around to it. I knew the big spoiler that leaked before its release, but I don't feel that took anything away from my reading experience. Bridget's kids were adorable, but I felt like it lacked something. I did re-read the first two books before reading this one, so it's possible that I was just on Bridget overload. I think I would have liked it better if there was more discussion about Mark. I felt like those parts were few and far between. I would definitely recommend reading it, especially if you've read the first two books.

My favourite quote from this month comes from my favourite character this month. Anne (the 'e' is important, you know) Shirley from Anne of Green Gables:

 

The entire book was quotable, but this was my favourite. Anne was just lovely to read about. It may be classified as a children's book, but I think it has something for everyone, no matter how old you may be. The descriptions in this book were most definitely my favourite. I've always dreamed of visiting Prince Edward Island, but this book made that wanderlust even stronger. I need to see all of the beautiful landscapes that Montgomery painted with her words.

Doesn't that just make you want to pack your bags and wander away?

Favourite Photo
I love to take pictures. Of anything and absolutely everything. With my phone, but my favourite way to take photos is with my real camera.

This is Ollie, our almost 8 month old kitten. He is absolutely crazy, lovable, and has the biggest, fluffiest tail ever. We have two other cats, Itty Bitty our 5 year old princess, and Boo our age unknown black beauty. We are cat people, through and through. I would be a crazy cat lady if it weren't for my almost-husband. Instead, we are crazy cat people and I wouldn't have it any other way!