Recent Reads: One Week 'Til Christmas by Belinda Missen

One Week 'Til Christmas by Belinda Missen
Publisher: HQ Digital
Publication Date:  November 1st 2019

 

Format: Ebook
Source: From Netgalley and HQ Digital in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Rating:







Goodreads Synopsis: 

Two people. One chance meeting. Seven days to Christmas.
Isobel Bennett is waiting for the number 11 bus when a man quite literally falls into her lap. Snow is falling, Christmas lights are twinkling, and a gorgeous man with dark brown hair has just slipped on ice and is now pressed against Isobel.
Isobel knows she’s not imagining the chemistry between them. But then his ride arrives and, embarrassed, he beats a hasty retreat, murmuring apologies – and Isobel realises only too late that she didn’t manage to catch his name…
When she runs into him again the next morning, she decides it’s fate.
It’s a second chance for Isobel and Tom – but there’s only one week until she’s leaving London for good. Seven days of enjoying all the festive delights the city has to offer: ice-skating at Somerset House, mulled wine on the Southbank, Christmas shopping at Liberty.
There’s magic in the air and mistletoe in the trees – but what will happen when the week is over?
For fans of Josie Silver, Lucy Diamond and Marian Keyes, this is one Christmas romance you don’t want to miss! 

Review: 
I know it is well past the holidays and Christmas, but I finally dug myself out of work and school assignments and was able to read this one. 

It was such a lighthearted and wonderful holiday romance. I really love holiday romance reads, the whimsical holiday feel and the immediate love interests are just nice. This was a fun book about a journalist who meets a guy in the city and then spends a week with him before Christmas, getting to know him and also improving herself little by little. 

Isobel, the main character was realistic as a character and Tom is fun and keeping her on her toes which was fun to experience. I really liked Isobel's growth through the book and her courage for trying so many things in the week they spent together. Overall this was a festive insta-love romance that if you enjoy those types of books you will probably enjoy.

Building the Book Pile #317

Welcome to Building the Book Pile!  A Weekly meme inspired by Stacking the Shelves

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 

Hello Friends - it has been a while... Grad school is time consuming...hahaha.
I am trying really hard to get back into the swing of somewhat regular blogging again and think that I have made a little progress, hoping to get it more regular soon, especially though the summer when work is slower.

How are you all ? How is winter where you are? In Vermont we have had a good amount of snow... and ice :/ and it has stayed pretty cold. I am ready for sun and warmer weather.

If you enjoy the blog and want to share some love and caffeine, you can buy me a coffee via Ko-fi

Share about your week with me in the comments below!

 

Current Giveaways






Coming up on the Blog

Recent Reads: One Week 'Til Christmas by Belinda Missen (Adult)
and maybe some other things...


Books Received Recently...
For Review

      

Dogchild by Kevin Brooks - from Librarything Early reviewers and Candlewick Press for review

Camping with Unicorns (Phoebe and her Unicorn #11) by Dana Simpson - From Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for review.

The Eye of Zeus by Alane Adam - From the author for review.

Saltwater Secrets by Cindy Callaghan - From the author for review.

Fly Back Agnes by Elizabeth Atkinson - From the author for review.

Have you missed anything lately?

Recent Reads: Camp Red Moon by R.L. Stine (Audio, MG)- 4 stars
Early Reader Review: Snug by Catana Chetwynd (GN, Adult)- 5 stars
Recent Reads: The Hippo at the End of the Hall by Helen Cooper (MG) - 4 stars
Recent Reads: The Princess in Black and the Bathtime Battle by Shannon and Dean Hale (Youth)- 4 stars
Early Reader Review: A Little Courage by Taltal Levi (Youth)- 4 stars

Comment and leave me a link to your Round-up/ STS/ Weekly...anything, post and I will happily stop by and say hello!

Happy Reading!

Early Reader review: A Little Courage by Taltal Levi

Source: From Netgalley and NorthSouth Books in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

A Little Courage by Taltal Levi
Publisher:  NorthSouth Books
Publication Date:  February 4, 2020

 

Format: Ebook

Rating:







Goodreads Synopsis: 

Through the eyes of a child, the world is full of adventure! 
A teacup-sized little girl discovers a playground in a potted plant, and the perfect swimming pool in a glass of water. Then when she sees a mysterious shadow lurking beyond her books and paper clips, she must summon her courage. But wait! Could this fluffy, purring creature be a friend? 
Taltal Levi’s evocative text and illustrations tell an inventive story about courage, imagination, and friendship.

Review: 
A tiny girl awakes every day to explore the great big world around her, and she is an extra tiny girl. One day she comes across a fluffy creature and must find the courage to find out what it is. 

The illustrations in this children's book were wonderful. The whimsical story along with these images really made the book a great read. The author explored the wonders of the world from a smaller perspective and makes them so much more interesting. 

I think that parents and their children alike will enjoy this book. It is fun and magical and overall just a gorgeous book.

Recent Reads: The Princess in Black and the Bathtime Battle by Shannon and Dean Hale

Source: From Librarything Early Reviewers and Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

The Princess in Black and the Bathtime Battle by Shannon and Dean Hale, Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Series: The Princess in Black #7
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date:  November 26, 2019

 

Format: Hardback


Rating:








Goodreads Synopsis: 

Something smells like trouble! Can five princess heroes and one Goat Avenger pool their talents to vanquish a monstrous stink?

The Princess in Black is in a very stinky situation. A foul cloud is plaguing the goat pasture, and it smells worse than a pile of dirty diapers or a trash can on a hot summer day. But every time the Princess in Black and her friend the Goat Avenger manage to get rid of the odor, they accidentally blow it to another kingdom! Other masked heroes and their trusty companions show up to help, but how do you battle a stench when your ninja moves fail? Fans with a nose for slapstick will be tickled to see the six stalwart friends join their wits to take on an impossibly beastly stink.

Review: 
While this is the 7th book in the Princess in Black series, you can pick any of these books up and still get a great story without following the series. In this installment, there is a very stinky smell wafting all around the land and the heroes must come together to fix the stinky problem. 

The text of this book is a great vocabulary builder for younger readers and it is accompanied by wonderful images that are colorful throughout. The chapters are shorter so that younger readers can read through slowly but still feel accomplished and the overall story is fun and cute and all the heroes are a lot of fun to look at in the images. Each takes on a persona like the things they enjoy and that is a lot of fun. This book also features diverse characters which is a wonderful thing. Overall I think younger readers will love this chapter book. It is shorter and full of images, it also has a great lesson about needing to bathe... otherwise you become the stinky monster.

Recent Reads: The Hippo at the End of the Hall by Helen Cooper

Source: From Librarything Early reviewers program and Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

The Hippo at the End of the Hall by Helen Cooper
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date:  October 8, 2019

 

Format: Paperback ARC
Rating:








Goodreads Synopsis: 

When Ben receives a mysterious invitation to an odd museum, he's swept into a peculiar world of forgotten secrets and wild magic in this illustrated novel. 

The invitation to the Gee Museum was delivered by bees. It wasn't addressed to anyone, but Ben knows that it was meant for him. Why else would the images on the postcard have stirred up memories of his father, who was lost at sea long ago? Ben makes his way to the old dilapidated building to find a host of curious talking animals awaiting his arrival. They are certain he is the only one who can save the museum. But Ben and the animals in the Gee collection will have to outwit a devious rival museum owner and a greedy land developer. With a bit of luck, some strange magic, and a little help from his mom, Ben might succeed in ensuring the future of the museum -- and finding the answers about his father that he's been searching for his whole life. Helen Cooper's first novel brims with mystery and hope, and her lovely illustrations bring the wonders of the Gee Museum to life.

Review: 
When a strange invitation to an old museum arrives for Ben, he is both interested and curious. Upon arrival he finds a mess old museum full of artifacts and taxidermy, but he also finds a plot unraveling. People in the town are looking to take over the land the museum is on and do away with all the interesting exhibits and Ben feels compelled to help the museum - it just feels right.

The Hippo at the End of the Hall is an adorable middle grade read about family and friendship, and also a little bit of magic. The story is full of surprising and tense moments and includes illustrations throughout. The overall story is whimsical and fun to read and I think that middle grade readers will enjoy the suspense and the magical elements. 

The main character, Ben, was brave albeit a bit stubborn but overall was a great character to follow along with to rescue the museum. The other characters were mostly animals that came back to life by magic to help save the museum, each with they own fun and quirky personality. It made for some laughs and I loved the images throughout the book to help really see the characters. 

Overall this suspenseful, adventure would be a great read for a family.

Early Reader Review: Snug by Catana Chetwynd

Source: From Netgalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Snug by Catana Chetwynd
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date:  February 4, 2020

 

Format: Ebook

Rating:






Goodreads Synopsis: 

Why bother getting out of bed when you could stay bundled up with that special someone and a book of cozy, cute comics. From the author of the bestselling Little Moments of Love comes Snug, a collection of comics that perfectly captures the honest, playful, and relatable snapshots of romantic life.
Chetwynd’s second book has the same charming and inviting style as her first and includes 50 percent new, never-before-shared comics. Snug is a celebration of the quirks and peculiarities of every one of us—and the magic that happens when we find our matching puzzle piece.

Review: 
I absolutely adore and recommend this collection! Snug is a collection of comics about dating your best friend and all of the fun things you share together. These comics are so real, you can really resonate with them. The comics themselves are simplistic and easy to read and follow and the scenes are all moments in time that you can tell are true and full of love. I was cracking up with laughter reading some of these and my husband would hover behind me to see what I was laughing at, more than once I got an "oh that's us"

This would be a great gift/ collection for Valentine's Day or an anniversary. It is a cute, funny, feel-good, joyful read.

Blog Blast w/ Giveaway! Angel Bred by Heather Burch

Blast Schedule

About the Book

Series: Halflings (Book 2)
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: HezLand Publishing (January 13, 2020)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1734449829
ISBN-13: 978-1734449822

Praise for HALFLINGS

'Packed with action, Halflings is stocked with a feisty, likable cast and a fantastically impossible love-triangle that made my heart flutter, race and sigh. This hard-to-put-down novel kept me up late into the night and burrowed itself into my imagination.' ―
Serena Chase, USA Today 

To stop evil, would you resort to murder?

Her home has been destroyed. Her parents are dead. And Nikki may be next.
Forced to flee with a group of Halflings, Nikki struggles to find her place among the tight family of angelic beings.
Living in close proximity with Mace and Raven forces her to confront her growing feelings for each of them.

But there's no time for love when piece by piece, the plot to destroy Nikki—and in doing so set about the end of the world—is unveiled.

Tensions mount and everyone's loyalties are tested. Nikki may be important to the Halflings mission, but she refuses to be anyone's babysitting assignment. She's tired of standing on the sidelines and letting others fight her battles. Nikki will take matters into her own hands.

But when confronted with abject evil, does she have what it takes to commit murder?

Grab your copy now, and spread your wings. It's time to fly. This is the second installment in the award-winning Halflings series. It was originally published as Guardian.

You can purchase Angel Bred at the following Retailers:

Photo Content from Heather Burch

Find the Author

Heather Burch is a #1 bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She lives in Southern Florida with her husband, John. Her title, One Lavender Ribbon was in the top 100 bestselling books for the year on Amazon. In 2014, she became one of the most quoted authors by Kindle readers. Her deeply emotional stories explore family, love, hope and the challenges of life. Her books have garnered praise from USA Today, Booklist Magazine, Romantic Times and Publisher’s Weekly. Heather lives to tell unforgettable stories of love and loss—stories that make your heart sigh.

        

Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter

- Winner will receive the Angel Bred Swag (Signed Copy and Door Hanger) by Heather Burch.

- Winner will receive a $25 Dollar Amazon Gift Card.

*JBN is not responsible for Lost or Damaged Books in your Nerdy Mail Box*

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Blog Blast w/ Giveaway! Angel Born by Heather Burch

About the Book
Series: Halflings (Book 1)
Paperback: 310 pages
Publisher: HezLand Publishing (December 31, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1734449810
ISBN-13: 978-1734449815

Praise for HALFLINGS

'Packed with action, Halflings is stocked with a feisty, likable cast and a fantastically impossible love-triangle that made my heart flutter, race and sigh. This hard-to-put-down novel kept me up late into the night and burrowed itself into my imagination.' ―Serena Chase, USA Today 

Synopsis
Life was normal for Nikki until otherworldly wolves chased her through the woods near her high school. Now she’s a target for a myriad of supernatural beings.

Three half-human, half-angels are sworn to protect her. Complicating life further, Mace, Raven, and Vine--the Halflings--are the swoon-worthy new guys at her school.

For the Halflings, safeguarding Nikki isn't just an assignment. All of humanity hangs in the balance.

Together, they outsmart the demons hunting her, but when Nikki's name is connected to a research laboratory bent on world domination, the stakes rise.

This is the Author’s Cut edition and was previously published as Halflings.

Dive into this first book in the critically acclaimed Halflings series where angels aren’t always perfect and teen girls are more than what they seem.

You can purchase Angel Born at the following Retailers:

 

About the Author

Heather Burch is a #1 bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She lives in Southern Florida with
her husband, John. Her title, One Lavender Ribbon was in the top 100 bestselling books for the year on Amazon. In 2014, she became one of the most quoted authors by Kindle readers. Her deeply emotional stories explore family, love, hope and the challenges of life. Her books have garnered praise from USA Today, Booklist Magazine, Romantic Times and Publisher’s Weekly. Heather lives to tell unforgettable stories of love and loss—stories that make your heart sigh.

Find the Author

WEBSITE / TWITTER / GOODREADS / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM

*JBN is not responsible for Lost or Damaged Books in your Nerdy Mail Box*

a Rafflecopter giveaway