Tag: Netgalley

#WWWWednesday: 16 December

Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

Um… How is it already mid-December? Every day this week so far has felt like a Friday and I have a feeling that’ll continue to be the case until the new year 😂 Where is time going?!

Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

Since last week I managed to finish five books:

Steel & Stone (The War of the North Saga #1) by Kate Haley ★★★☆☆
I really loved the concept of this story but I felt that the writing was a bit clunky, especially with changing POVs in chapters, and sadly, I found the main characters and their love-triangle angst a little too frustrating. Our characters were around the 18-21 age but really came across as much younger. That said, I’m curious to see what will happen next! Check out my full review.

Spellbreaker (Spellbreaker Duology #1) by Charlie Holmberg ★★★★☆
It took me a little while to actually get into this story but once I did I ended up really liking it! The first half was a bit slow in pace, but once the action really kicked in, I sped through in less than a day. I enjoyed the historical setting, the magic, and of course, I was a fan of Elsie and Bacchus, and their slow burn romance. There were some twists and turns that I didn’t expect and I’m so curious to see what happens next! Review coming soon.

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#WWWWednesday: 09 December

Dini @ dinipandareads27 Comments

Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

Since last week I managed to finish three books:

Love thy Neighbor (Roommate Romps #2) by Teagan Hunter ★★★★☆
The second book in Hunter’s latest romcom series was everything that I loved about her Texting series. I loved Caroline and Cooper’s best-friendship and their romance was swoontastic! Their connection as friends was undeniable but their chemistry WAS ABSOLUTE FIRE! 🔥🥵 Review coming soon.

The Bitterwine Oath by Hannah West ★★★★☆
You know I’m The Ultimate Chicken™️ so I can’t believe I read this, but at the same time I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone! West has written an extremely chilling atmosphere in this story involving witches, magic, spirits and demons. There’s a touch of romance that I actually enjoyed, but the “supernatural girl gang” vibes won me over! Check out my review.

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November 2020 Monthly Wrap Up!

Dini @ dinipandareads15 Comments

Can you believe it’s already December? I’m a little shook at how quickly November seemed to zoom right by me and that I can’t recall reading much of anything at all last month!

Work in November was been overwhelmingly busy with projects ending, people leaving, and new things to start sorting for next year as my organisation goes through a merger. Having to prepare communications for the region and projects, as well as representing Southeast Asia in our global works council (similar to a union), on top of finding time to blog and read, really stretched me quite thin! To say that everything seemed to be overflowing might be a bit of an understatement and part of me is even glad to see that we’re in the last month of 2020 now because I’m truly running low on steam 😂

But it hasn’t been all bad! It has been an incredible month for book mail and I’ve received many of the special editions that I ordered earlier in the year. I haven’t spent much on regular book buying in 2020, but I’m 100% positive I made up for all that with the many special editions that I purchased. I really kissed that money goodbye, friends 😂

1) Stack of random new books; 2) SE A Deadly Education; 3) SE The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Illumicrate Archives: The Poppy War, naked cover art + mind-blowing jacket art!

Now… ON TO THE “FUN” STUFF!

In November, I read 15 books! **Okay, I just totally surprised myself with that count because I expected to see that I only managed to read five books or something because that’s really what this month has felt like 😂 LOL I didn’t have any five star reads or DNFs and the majority this month were 4 stars. If you can’t tell I went on a bit of a historical romance binge and the light reads were exactly what I needed! The books were a good mix of blog tour reads, ARCs and new books on my TBR.

Being the only book I rated 4.5 stars this month, The Cousins was my favourite read but I think the Moose Springs series are close contenders because they really brought me a lot of joy and I can’t wait to continue on with the series in December as I was lucky enough to get the ARC!

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First Impressions Spotlight: Big Girl, Small Town by Michelle Gallen

Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

So it turns out that I noted my date incorrectly for this Algonquin tour and I didn’t bother to recheck it like I usually do because it’s been so busy… and I feel terrible about it! 😰 I have read 30% of the book though so this will be a “First Impressions” review but I will follow it up with a full review ASAP!

Thanks to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads: Big Girl, Small Town
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Release Date: 01 December 2020
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Irish Literature

Majella is happiest out of the spotlight, away from her neighbors’ stares and the gossips of the small town in Northern Ireland where she grew up during the Troubles. She lives a quiet life caring for her alcoholic mother, working in the local chip shop, and watching the regular customers come and go. She wears the same clothes each day (overalls, too small), has the same dinner each night (fish and chips, microwaved at home after her shift ends), and binge-watches old DVDs of the same show (Dallas, best show on TV) from the comfort of her bed. But underneath Majella’s seemingly ordinary life are the facts that she doesn’t know where her father is and that every person in her town has been changed by the lingering divide between Protestants and Catholics. When Majella’s seemingly mundane existence is upended by the death of her granny, she comes to realize there may be more to life than the gossips of Aghybogey, the pub, and the chip shop. In fact, there just may be a whole big world outside her small town. 

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#WWWWednesday: 02 December

Dini @ dinipandareads6 Comments

Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

I don’t know y’all… Reading has been hard lately 😂 and since last week I managed to finish these two books:

The Price of Temptation by Harmony Williams ★★★☆☆
I was really looking forward to this one so I was disappointed that I didn’t love it more. I had trouble connecting with the characters and empathising with their situations. There were inconsistencies in character and plot that took me out of the story, and while the con-artist aspect was intriguing, I found the overall execution fell short. Review to come.

Gargantis (The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea) by Thomas Taylor ★★★★☆
I loved coming back to the aptly named Eerie-on-Sea for another mystery with Herbie and Violet. We reunited with many familiar faces but are introduced to a host of new characters, including a wickedly creepy nemesis, Deep Hood. It was great to learn more about the legends and old fishermen’s tales in this action-packed and extremely fast-paced adventure! Check out my review.

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ARC Review: Gargantis by Thomas Taylor

Dini @ dinipandareads9 Comments

Thanks to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gargantis (The Legends of Eerie-On-Sea #2)
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: 26 May 2020
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, Fantasy

Panda Rating:


In the second fantasy set in Eerie-on-Sea, Herbert and Violet team up to solve the mystery of the Gargantis — an ancient creature of the deep with the power to create life-threatening storms.

There’s a storm brewing over Eerie-on-Sea, and the fisherfolk say a monster is the cause. Someone has woken the ancient Gargantis, who sleeps in the watery caves beneath this spooky seaside town where legends have a habit of coming to life. It seems the Gargantis is looking for something: a treasure stolen from her underwater lair. And it just might be in the Lost-and-Foundery at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, in the care of one Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder. With the help of the daring Violet Parma, ever-reliable Herbie will do his best to figure out what the Gargantis wants and who stole her treasure in the first place. In a town full of suspicious, secretive characters, it could be anyone!

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Blog Tour Review: The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

Dini @ dinipandareads11 Comments

Hey friends! I’m excited to be back for another @WriteReads blog tour for the highly anticipated The Cousins by Karen M. McManus. Be sure to check out all the other bloggers participating in this tour: here! Thanks to Dave for organising the tour and Noly for the banner! 😍

Special thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads: The Cousins
Publisher: Penguin Random House Children’s UK
Published: 03 December 2020
Genre: Young Adult Mystery/Thriller
Panda Rating:

The Storys are the envy of their neighbours: owners of the largest property on their East Coast island, they are rich, beautiful, and close. Until it all falls apart. The four children are suddenly dropped by their mother with a single sentence:
You know what you did.
They never hear from her again.

Years later, when 18-year-old cousins Aubrey, Milly and Jonah Story receive a mysterious invitation to spend the summer at their grandmother’s resort, they have no choice but to follow their curiosity and meet the woman who’s been such an enigma their entire lives.

This entire family is built on secrets, right? It’s the Story legacy.
This summer, the teenagers are determined to discover the truth at the heart of their family. But some secrets are better left alone.

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First Lines Friday – 27 November

Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are the rules:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First lines:

“Picking up hitchhikers never worked out for Easton Lockett. It would start fine, but then things always got really weird, really fast.”

Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?

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#WWWWednesday: 25 November

Dini @ dinipandareads16 Comments

Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

Is it just me not reading anything this month or is anyone else also hitting struggle town? I feel like I’ve been reading but I’m clearly very mistaken. Since last Wednesday I’ve managed to finish two books.

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus ★★★★☆
I had so much fun with this and I literally couldn’t stop thinking about it when I had to put it down. I’m a fan of McManus’ YA mysteries and this one was probably my favourite. Our main characters are easily likeable and although not super action packed, the twists this story takes was a thrilling ride! I defo said my fair share of “OMG NO!” while reading! 🤣 My review for the blog tour is up Saturday!

A Scandalous Bargain (The Pretenders #2) by Darcy Burke ★★★½
This was another enjoyable historical romance by Burke! I loved the feisty heroine and our slightly “tortured soul” hero. It was fun to watch them get close as friends and eventually give into the sizzling chemistry–because oof, it was fire 🔥 There were some loose ends that I wish had been better tied up but overall, this was an entertaining story. Check out my review!

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ARC Review: A Scandalous Bargain by Darcy Burke

Dini @ dinipandareads12 Comments

Thanks to NetGalley and Darcy Burke Publishing for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Scandalous Bargain (The Pretenders #2)
Publisher: Darcy Burke Publishing
Publication Date: 10 November 2020
Genre: Historical Romance
Panda Rating:


Tricked into marriage five years ago, Thomas Devereaux, Lord Rockbourne is suddenly a widower. Rumors abound that his wife’s death may not have been an accident and given the troubling secrets Thomas keeps buried, even he isn’t entirely sure. But when a woman sees what happened, he agrees to accept her help to disguise the facts in exchange for not divulging her suspicious behavior. Their arrangement grows more complicated under the force of a scorching mutual attraction.

Abandoned by her father—a duke—after the death of her mother—his beloved mistress—Beatrix Linley has fought to become a daughter he could be proud of, that he would regret leaving. She becomes the toast of the Season until her penchant for pilfering pretty things threatens to expose the illicit past she needs desperately to remain hidden. Soon the scandal and darkness both Beatrix and Thomas fear comes to light, compelling them to finally face their demons—and potentially driving them apart forever

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