June Wrap up and July TBR

I honestly didn't really follow my June TBR, there were just so many books that I got after that I took higher priority over. I think I finished maybe one book from my TBR. I hope to follow my July TBR a bit more closely. I have the time anyway. I read 12 books this month.

1. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

A book about two best friends and their friendship. One girl is hot and the other is cold. They balance each other out very well. This book is high fantasy, I really enjoyed it, I gave this book 4 stars.

2. The Martian by Andy Weir

This book was very accurate and so funny. It's about a man that got stuck on Mars and now he has to survive until he can be retrieved. Although I loved the fact that it was very scientifically accurate, it was a bit draining because I read this during finals. I had to cram other facts into my mind while this book is trying to cram in more. I ended up giving this book 4 stars.

3. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

I loved this book. It's about a rich generals daughter. She is heavily immersed in politics, and the story starts with her taking a slave. So the chain reaction begins. I read this book so quickly, I loved it, it was not what I expected and it surprised me. I loved that. I gave this book 5 stars.


4. The Forbidden Men Series by Linda Kage

I figured I would just go over all of these as one so that this didn't take all day. This is a series about "Forbidden" romances as you can probably already tell. Each book is centred around a different couple. Over all I loved the series, I binged it in a few days. I gave the series an average of 4 stars.

5. Up in Flames by Abbi Glines

This is the 13th book in the Rosemary Beach series. I loved it. It's about the "Villain" of the series. The girl that everyone loves to hate. I loved the book because I love when the bad guy has a story. It's my quirk, but seriously it truly was a very good book. I gave it 5 stars.


Okay onto my July TBR.

1. The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski

Well I'm already halfway through this book so I would hope that I would get this done by the end of the month. Or else this would just be really sad.

2. The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

I want to finish this series, I loved the first book and I love The Winner's Crime so far, so I just need to take the final step and finish the series.

3. The Last Star by Rick Yancey 

I think I've put this one off for long enough, I want to read this this month, I just have to. It's the last book in the series, I just have to take the plunge. I'm sure I'll love it.

4. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

I just ordered this on Bookoutlet, so I will probably get it this month and I'm very excited to read it. Everyone always talks about how much they love it, I need to jump on the bandwagon.

5. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

I know the first one actually has a name, but the whole having different names on different covers thing just confuses me so much that I'm just going to call is Mistborn. I also ordered this on Bookoutlet, I'm ready to finally read this.

6. Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault

I love history, and I've put this book off for a few weeks so I should really get on that. Anyway I have a lot of time to read. No worries.

7. Finders Keepers by Stephen King

I now have all the books in this series, I bought the last one because it was pretty and was on sale. So now I have three Stephen King books and I haven't touched one since I read Mr. Mercedes like over a year ago. I really need to get a move on  or Stephen King is going to haunt me.


That's it, anything else I decide to read will probably be spontaneous. Ready to get all my summer reading done!

Top 5 Settings You Want to See More Of

I don't really have a specific order to any of these. Honestly I would be over the moon with any of these settings.

1. Ancient Rome

Not like just a mention in the future or studies in the present of old buildings and structures and stuff, but actual things going down in Ancient Rome. Rome has a certain reputation and it would be such an amazing story to tell. I love history.

2. Ancient Greece

I don't actually know much about Ancient Greece other than there were Pagan Gods and they had lots of artists and philosophers. It sounds pretty great to me.

3. Settler Era America

Like when Christopher Columbus first came here and people realized that there was actually more land outside of Europe and Asia and Africa. When they first discovered the Natives and how all that went down. The fights because I have no doubt there were a lot of those and then the fur trade.

4. Egypt, really any time period of Egypt, especially Ancient

Egypt is like this whole unknown thing to me, all I really know is that there are pyramids, lots of mummies, and Cleopatra and the Pharaohs. Also, I know a bit about their Gods. I mostly don't know anything about the actual people, the politics, the land. All I know about is basically just mythology and legend.

5. Ancient Time Vikings

I seem to have a new found obsession with Vikings, so I really want a good story about them. Their raids and their life style. I know a bit about Vikings, but I want more. How did this obsession come along? The show Vikings and the fact that my favourite baseball player had a cameo in the 4th season.

Up in Flames Book Talk

Up in Flames
by Abbi Glines

Release Date: June 28th, 2016

Spoilers

Synopsis:

The villain of Rosemary Beach finally gets her own happy ending in the long-awaited final novel of the #1 New York Times bestselling new adult romance series by Abbi Glines.

The blockbuster #1 New York Times bestselling Rosemary Beach series ends with a bang when the troubled character readers love to hate gets her very own happily ever after in this eagerly anticipated and overwhelmingly requested story. Known for causing problems for everyone in Rosemary Beach, Nan has been growing up lately, and she’s finally taking center stage—and finding love with the man she least expected. 

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 5 stars. I loved it. I mean I usually love all of Abbi Glines' writing, but I think this one may just be my new favourite. It was so much different than her usual writing. She wrote about the usual protagonist of the series. I loved that aspect. The first thing I did when I got up this morning was buying this book. I have been heavily anticipating this book for a long time now, it's finally here.

From the very beginning of the series, I wanted Nan to redeem herself. She was just so hateful, that I new her story would be great. I personally love stories about the "Bad Guy". The bad guy usually has a very complex background. There is something about them, something about their past that made them the way they are. There is also something in the future that will seal their fate. They can either become worse, or they can redeem themselves. Nan did a very good job with her redemption.

I was very confused at the beginning of the book because, Nan was with Major. I had a sort of bet with myself that she would end up with Cope, because from what was shown in the past books was that they were basically as opposite as opposite could get and Nan and Major were just way to similar to actually get together. It turns out my theory from the beginning was right and Nan did fall for Cope.

I hadn't really learned much about Cope from the earlier books other than the fact that he was stone cold and could kill as easily as breathe. I for some reason didn't expect him to be as hard-assed to Nan as he was, I mean I liked it enough, it just surprised me a bit. I think he complements Nan very nicely and gives her exactly what she needs. I love them together.

Major. I honestly started to hate him around the middle of the book. He was getting between Nan and Cope and that had to stop. The next thing you know he died and I was surprised. I had to go back and reread the paragraph before because I did not see that coming at all. And then it turned out that he hadn't died and I wanted to be surprised, but I really wasn't. I kind of expected it because they didn't seem like the type that would be careless enough to die like that. 

I loved the fact that Nan had reformed her ways and made up with those in her life. She made up with her brother, made some friends in Blaire and Bethy. She wouldn't even introduce her father to the drug lord, Franco. She didn't want to cause that kind of trouble for him despite everything he put her through. Nan stopped being that jealous little girl and she grew up a bit in this book. I loved everything about it.

Quotes:

"Villains were created, not born."

"I trusted you with me. Like I knew we would, we clicked. Locked into place like two pieces waiting for their match."

"I was done wasting my time on wanting a man who didn't want me. I wouldn't pout or sulk. I'd just go to Vegas."

Forbidden Men Series Review

Okay, I figured I would break this one into parts. I don't want to go into too much depth on each book, so this review is spoiler free. I also figured I would do the entire series because I binged all of the books in a 3-4 days. I am a go getter.

1. Price of a Kiss
Linda Kage

I gave this book 4 stars. This book is about a girl who just came from a terrible relationship that she is trying to hide from, and a guy who is, to be blunt, a gigolo. I love Mason and I love Reese and together they are so amazing, the romance was steamy and their friendship was beautiful. What I loved about this book was the fact that it wasn't all about the romance, I wasn't waiting for all the other stuff to pass while i waited for the romance parts. I was completely content reading about their daily activities and their friendships and they hardships. There is something completely addicting about Linda Kage's writing.

2. To Professor, With Love
Linda Kage

I gave this book 3.5 stars. The whole story is about a student and a teacher falling in love and to me that is pretty risqué no matter how often it's used. It makes me nervous every time I read something like that. You know that at some point in the book they are going to get caught. It's what the story builds up to. This was another unforgettable story, very steamy, very real.

3. Be My Hero
Linda Kage

I gave this book 4 stars. Right from the start it is established that Eva is Pick's soul mate. Eva just came from a shallow relationship and she is left with a little present from that time. Pick is, I don't really know how to describe Pick. Pick is a good guy with a bad reputation. From the earlier books it seems that Eva is just some party girl, but in this book she is given more depth than before. What I loved about this book is that it started to bring more and more characters from the different books in this series together. I so want to be in their friend group.

4. With Every Heartbeat
Linda Kage

I gave this book 4 stars. At the start of the book I was surprised to see that Zoey was very similar to Quinn. Usually books use the whole "Opposites attract" trope. That was not the case in this book and I thought I may like it less because of this change in scenery. I was actually pleasantly surprised by what happened. I loved this book, may be one of my favourites in the series. This one was the longest in the series and it took me longer than the others to read. It was a beautiful romance and I really respect the main character.

5. A Perfect Ten
Linda Kage

I gave this book 5 stars. I don't know what it is about Ten, but this was the story I had been waiting for since I met him in the second book. There was something about him that I still can't quite pick out. He seems to be this loudmouth asshole and most books where the guy is a loudmouth asshole he doesn't really have the depth with Ten does. I love Ten. I love Caroline. And I loved the whole falling for the brothers best friend thing. I was very pissed off at Noel in this book though. I won't say much more than that.

6. Worth It
Linda Kage

I gave this book 3 stars. I don't know exactly what I was expecting when reading this book, but it didn't quite meet up to my expectations. I love the characters and all, but I didn't care for much else. I needed to read it though, it enhances my over all experience of this series. I also think that Linda Kage is my spirit animal, I mean in the first book she talks about Harry Potter and in this book Knox's middle name is Arrow, as in Green Arrow, and his love interest's name is Felicity. Someone was watching Arrow when she decided to write this. :)

7. The Girl's Got a Secret
Linda Kage

I gave this book 4 stars. This was actually the very first book in the series I read because I didn't know it was in a series until I checked and realized it was number 7 and then I knew who all the characters were and I had tor had the rest of the books. This book is about a girl who tries out for a band and when they reject her for being a girl, she dresses up as a guy and blows their minds and then she has this whole secret. I like to compare it to "She's the Man" except less cringey and less second hand embarrassment. I loved the main character and it made me really want to learn Spanish. I feel like it would be a good thing to know

8. Priceless
Linda Kage

I gave this book 4 stars. I was so happy to read a book about Sarah, I feel like people think that just because you have a disability that you shouldn't be able to do things that are "normal." This book is about a girl with Cerebral Palsy, and her best friend Brandt who is insanely protective of her and is completely in love with her and her him. I also loved that it gave us grown up Colton because I'm pretty sure he is Ten's mini me and I am so ready for his book because it's being written.

Waiting On Wednesday

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy 
Cassandra Clare

Okay so technically this book is already out, but only in ebook for and I absolutely refuse to read the separate ebooks. I want one big book. That's the way I've always read Cassandra Clare books and it will always be that way. I can't wait.

Top 10 Worst Book Covers

10. The Crown

One of my biggest cover pet peeves, is when the person on the cover is looking directly at you, or mainly when you can see the persons entire face. Like this whole frontal view. I hate it, that means I can't imagine the character the way I want to imagine them.

9. Soundless

This one is lower on the list because it had such potential, if it weren't for the cover model having her full face on the cover, I swear I would have loved it, but her face is just there and it makes me hate the cover.

8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Okay, I forgive this one a bit because I feel like the plain green cover may have been a statement like "Don't judge a book by it's cover" or something because of the story. But I swear that cover is hideous, it's not even a nice colour of green

7. Shatter Me original

I am so glad that they changed the cover for this one, I mean the original doesn't even make sense. It just has some chick on it wearing a fancy white dress, except she is locked in an asylum for a better part of the book, when does she ever have the chance to even where a fancy white dress? I don't understand. Plus, the whole full frontal view thing again.

6. Vampire Academy and Bloodlines

This is a two for one because I can't decide which series of covers I hate more. When they changed the Vampire Academy covers I was excited like "Oh my gods! They are going to come up with something actually worth while." But then I was very disappointed to discover that was not the case. Man, I didn't even want to buy the Bloodlines series at first because I hated the covers so much. I mean I did still buy them, but let's just say I don't have their covers facing out on my shelf.

5. Pretty Little Liars 

I don't know what it is about these books, but I honestly hate looking at them, they are like an eyesore. I got rid of those as quickly as I possibly could.

4. Throne of Glass original

These were all sorts of wrong. I mean the girl on the front is looking at me once again, and then there is the fact that she looks nothing like Celaena, she doesn't have the gold/blue eyes, and Celaena has like white blond hair. The girl on the cover is a brunette. I hate this cover so much.

3. Days of Blood and Starlight

Okay, at first I really liked the cover of this book, It just looks so cool, but with further inspection, I notice that the girl on the cover had these noticeable grey veins in her eyes and it grossed me out. Anyway overtime I look at the cover now, all I see is those gross grey veiny eyes.

2. The Winner's Curse remake

You guys know how much I hate the new covers. Seriously worst thing ever, I went on a huge rant about this in my review, so I won't rehash everything I went over, but if you want you can go check out my review here.

1. Lola and the Boy Next Door original

This cover is just so creepy. I mean who okayed this? Where they drunk? Where they on drugs? I hate it so much, I am so glad that they changed the cover because I never would have even read the first book if they kept this cover. Just look at it for a bit and feel a little bit of your soul shrivel and die.