Hey friends! I’m excited to be back for another tour with @TheWriteReads for Bad Habits by Flynn Meaney. Be sure to check out all the other bloggers participating in this tour: here! ๐
Special thanks to Penguin & Netgalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Goodreads: Bad Habits Publisher: Penguin Published: 11 February 2021 Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Panda Rating: (4 pandas)
Hilarious, bold, sparky and surprising, this is the funniest feminist book you’ll read all year.
Alex is a rebel from the tip of her purple faux-hawk to the toes of her biker boots. She’s tried everything she can think of to get expelled from her strict Catholic boarding school. Nothing has worked so far – but now, Alex has a new plan. Tired of the sexism she sees in every corner of St Mary’s, Alex decides to stage the school’s first ever production of The Vagina Monologues. Which is going to be a challenge, as no one else at St Mary’s can even bear to say the word ‘vagina’ out loud . . .
I’m back with another blog tour today and this time it’s for The Death of Honor by Lyra Thorsson. Special thanks to Heather Fitt from Overview Media for asking me to be part of this blog tour and to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review!
All Rebecca wants in life is to sail through space in her shipโis that too much to ask? The moment she lays eyes on her old military buddy Jonathan, Rebecca knew there was no running away from her duties. With her best friend, sometimes with benefits, Nik, she desired to return home to the Nreff Nation, one of the four government powers of the systems, to serve on one last mission.
However, the problem with returning is that they all are wanted for treason. It wasnโt their fault, however, as they had been framed by their old admiral, Sebastien Wilde. Fortunately, succeeding in this mission might give them a clean slate, as they are to find evidence of Wilde’s involvement in the illegal human experimentation ring that goes against the Treaty Of World Equality and Rights (T.O.W.E.R.).
Rebecca and Nik agree to the mission, hoping to earn a more peaceful life, however Rebecca hides a dark secret: she was once closer to Sebastien than any of them ever realized, and the evidence incriminating him might also implicate her.
Now Rebecca has a choice: turn her back on her comrades and run for her life, or face her sins in order to prevent an all-out war.
CW/TW: This book contains sexual content, violence, drug abuse, and physical, sexual, and mental abuse.
Please someone tell me how the first month of this new year has already come to an end. How did that happen so quickly?
2021 kicked off pretty quietly (on this side of the world) although globally, it seemed that chaos still reigned in many places causing tensions to remain high and people to feel pretty low, not to mention the pandemic. I took a one-week holiday at the start of the month to “decompress” between work contracts, although not much of that happened before it was time to start work again but this time on a part-time contract! I have to admit that since I started working three days a week, my days have begun to blur into one giant blob of working, reading, blogging and not much else. ๐
Half the time I feel like I don’t even know what day it is anymore and that definitely didn’t help by the brain fog that came creeping in around mid-month. Although I still struggle with my mental health and this month got a bit rough towards the end, the three day work week has really helped to keep extra pressure at bay and that’s exactly why I agreed to it in the first place!
In bookish mail news, I was surprised to actually receive the Cemetery Boys pre-order goodies from Aiden Thomas (even if it’s quite late)! I never usually receive these goodies and I blame that entirely on the mail system in my country so colour me very shook when I saw the beautiful character cards (and sign plate) arrive the other week. My photos don’t do the cards justice but trust, they’re gorgeous and I love to see them! ๐ If I’m not mistaken, the art is by: @mmarsloud.
January ended up being a pretty great reading month thanks to having more time in general. I ended up reading 22 books (that I’m counting with three books that I read and won’t be counting towards my GR goal). This month was unsurprisingly heavy on fantasy and romance with a sprinkle of middle-grade and literary fiction. A couple books took me a few steps out of my comfort zone but I ended up really loving them and they were strong contenders for favourites this month! The majority of the books I read were also by new-to-me-authors with some potential favourite new ones on the list!
I’m still a bit behind on my reviews and part of me just wants to start writing mini-reviews for all of them but is that a cop out? ๐ I loved most of my reads this month but I also had quite a few ratings below three-stars and I don’t tend to give those out a lot, so that was pretty surprising! With only one five-star read this month Ever After Always was the winning favourite and I’ve linked my review below if you want to check it out. ๐
Today’s my stop on the blog tour hosted by Rachel’s Random Resources for The Viscount’s Unconventional Lady by Virginia Heath. Thanks to the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Goodreads: The Viscount’s Unconventional Lady Publisher: Mills & Boon Historical Release Date: 21 January 2021 Genre: Historical Romance
Panda Rating: (4 pandas)
The notorious viscount And the most gossiped-about ladyโฆ After years as a diplomat in the Napoleonic Wars, Lord Eastwood is reluctant to return to London society. His scandalous divorce has made him infamous, not to mention cantankerous! To halt the rumor mill, he should marry a quiet noblewomanโinstead itโs bold, vibrant artist Faith Brookes whoโs caught his attention. They are the least suitable match, so why is he like a moth to a flame?
Hey friends! I’m excited to be back for another tour with @ TheWriteReads for White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton. Be sure to check out all the other bloggers participating in this tour: here! ๐
Special thanks to the author for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!
Guthrie was a good place to be from, but it wasnโt a great place to live, not when you were like Adam, in all the ways Adam was like Adam.
Adam Binder hasnโt spoken to his brother in years, not since Bobby had him committed to a psych ward for hearing voices. When a murderous spirit possesses Bobbyโs wife and disrupts the perfect life heโs built away from Oklahoma, heโs forced to ask for his little brotherโs help. Adam is happy to escape the trailer park and get the chance to say I told you so, but he arrives in Denver to find the local magicians dead. It isnโt long before Adam is the spiritโs next target. To survive the confrontation, heโll have to risk bargaining with powers heโd rather avoid, including his first love, the elf who broke his heart. The Binder brothers donโt realize that theyโre unwitting pawns in a game played by immortals. Death herself wants the spiritโs head, and sheโs willing to destroy their family to reap it.
I’m back with another blog tour today with Rachel’s Random Resources for The Little Swiss Ski Chalet by Julie Caplin. Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Be sure to click on the banner below to check out the other bloggers on tour!
Goodreads: The Little Swiss Ski Chalet Release Date: 30 January 2021 Genre: Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance
Panda Rating: (3.5 pandas)
Itโs time to pack your bags and head to the breathtaking, snow-covered peaks of the Swiss Alps for velvety hot chocolates, delicious cheeses and a gorgeous love storyโฆ
Food technician Minna has always believed that chocolate will solve everything โ and itโs just what she needs when her latest relationship mishap goes viral! So with her bags packed and a new determination to sort her life out, Minna decides to drown her sorrows with the best hot chocolate in the world at her godmotherโs cosy Swiss chalet. Chocolate: yes. Romance: no. Until she has a run in on an Alpine train with a mysterious but oh-so-gorgeous strangerโฆ
Special thanks to Algonquin Books for inviting me to be on the blog tour and for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Goodreads: At the Edge of the Haight Publisher: Algonquin Books Release Date: 19 January 2021 Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Panda Rating: (actual 2.75 pandas)
Maddy Donaldo, homeless at twenty, has made a family of sorts in the dangerous spaces of San Franciscoโs Golden Gate Park. She knows whom to trust, where to eat, when to move locations, and how to take care of her dog. Itโs the only home she has. When she unwittingly witnesses the murder of a young homeless boy and is seen by the perpetrator, her relatively stable life is upended. Suddenly, everyone from the police to the dead boysโ parents want to talk to Maddy about what she saw. As adults pressure her to give up her secrets and reunite with her own family before she meets a similar fate, Maddy must decide whether she wants to stay lost or be found. Against the backdrop of a radically changing San Francisco, a city which embraces a booming tech economy while struggling to maintain its culture of tolerance, At the Edge of the Haight follows the lives of those who depend on makeshift homes and communities.
As judge Hillary Jordan says, โThis book pulled me deep into a world I knew little about, bringing the struggles of its young, homeless inhabitantsโthe kind of people we avoid eye contact with on the streetโto vivid, poignant life. The novel demands that you take a close look. If you knew, could you still ignore, fear, or condemn them? And knowing, how can you ever forget?โ
Today is my stop on the TBR & Beyond Tours for Cast in Firelight by Dana Swift. Special thanks to Delacorte Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Be sure to click on the banner above to check out the rest of the amazing bloggers on tour!
Goodreads: Cast in Firelight (Wickery #1) Publisher: Delacorte Press Publication Date: 19 January 2021 Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Panda Rating: (4 pandas)
Adraa is the royal heir of Belwar, a talented witch on the cusp of taking her royal ceremony test, and a girl who just wants to prove her worth to her people.
Jatin is the royal heir to Naupure, a competitive wizard who’s mastered all nine colors of magic, and a boy anxious to return home for the first time since he was a child.
Together, their arranged marriage will unite two of Wickery’s most powerful kingdoms. But after years of rivalry from afar, Adraa and Jatin only agree on one thing: their reunion will be anything but sweet. Only, destiny has other plans and with the criminal underbelly of Belwar suddenly making a move for control, their paths cross…and neither realizes who the other is, adopting separate secret identities instead.
Between dodging deathly spells and keeping their true selves hidden, the pair must learn to put their trust in the other if either is to uncover the real threat. Now Wickery’s fate is in the hands of rivals..? Fiancรฉes..? Partners..? Whatever they are, it’s complicated and bound for greatness or destruction
I’m back with another blog tour with The Storytellers on Tour for Kept from Cages by Phil Williams. Thanks to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review!
Be sure to click on the banner below to check out the rest of the bloggers on tour!
No one returns from Ikiri. Reeceโs gang of criminal jazz musicians have taken shelter in the wrong house. Thereโs a girl with red eyes bound to a chair. The locals call her a devil โ but Reece sees a kid that needs protecting. Heโs more right than he knows. Chased by a shadowy swordsman and an unnatural beast, the gang flee across the Deep South with the kid in tow. She wonโt say where sheโs from or who exactly her scary father is, but sheโs got powers they canโt understand. How much will Reece risk to save her? On the other side of the world, Agent Sean Taskerโs asking similar questions. With an entire village massacred and no trace of the killers, heโs convinced Duvcorpโs esoteric experiments are responsible. His only ally is an unstable female assassin, and their only lead is Ikiri โ a black-site in the Congo, which no one leaves alive. How far is Tasker prepared to go for answers? Kept From Cages is the first part in an action-packed supernatural thriller duology, filled with eccentric characters and intricately woven mysteries. Start your journey to Ikiri today.
Note: Review originally posted on Goodreads 07 January 2021
Among the Beasts & Briars Publisher: Balzer + Bray Published: 20 October 2020 Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Panda Rating: (3 pandas)
Cerys is safe in the kingdom of Aloriya.
Here there are no droughts, disease, or famine, and peace is everlasting. It has been this way for hundreds of years, since the first king made a bargain with the Lady who ruled the forest that borders the kingdom. But as Aloriya prospered, the woods grew dark, cursed, and forbidden. Cerys knows this all too well: when she was young, she barely escaped as the woods killed her friends and her mother. Now Cerys carries a small bit of the curseโthe magicโin her blood, a reminder of the day she lost everything. The most danger she faces now, as a gardenerโs daughter, is the annoying fox who stalks the royal gardens and wonโt leave her alone.
As a new queen is crowned, however, things long hidden in the woods descend on the kingdom itself. Cerys is forced on the run, her only companions the small fox from the garden, a strange and powerful bear, and the magic in her veins. Itโs up to her to find the legendary Lady of the Wilds and beg for a way to save her home. But the road is darker and more dangerous than she knows, and as secrets from the past are uncovered amid the teeth and roots of the forest, itโs going to take everything she has just to survive.ย
TL;DR: Mine is an unpopular opinion but I didn’t end up loving this as much as I hoped I would and I was sad about not enjoying it more. If you’re looking for a YA fantasy that’s light on the world building and character development, but has a nice fairytale vibe with “far-off places, magical spells, and a prince in disguise” then I would recommend it!
dinipandareads 