Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people!
Dec 26, 2021
Building the Book Pile #363
Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people!
Dec 25, 2021
Merry Christmas!!
Hope that your holiday is filled with love, wellness and happiness!
Dec 15, 2021
Blog Blast w/ Giveaway! -Violets are Blue by Barbara Dee
Twelve-year-old Wren loves makeup—special effect makeup, to be exact. When she is experimenting with new looks, Wren can create a different version of herself. A girl who isn’t in a sort-of-best friendship with someone who seems like she hates her. A girl whose parents aren’t divorced and doesn’t have to learn to like her new stepmom.
So, when Wren and her mom move to a new town for a fresh start, she is cautiously optimistic. And things seem to fall into place when Wren meets potential friends and gets selected as the makeup artist for her school’s upcoming production of Wicked.
Only, Wren’s mom isn’t doing so well. She’s taking a lot of naps, starts snapping at Wren for no reason, and always seems to be sick. And what’s worse, Wren keeps getting hints that things aren’t going well at her new job at the hospital, where her mom is a nurse. And after an opening night disaster leads to a heartbreaking discovery, Wren realizes that her mother has a serious problem—a problem that can’t be wiped away or covered up.
After all the progress she’s made, can Wren start over again with her devastating new normal? And will she ever be able to heal the broken trust with her mom?
"Dee addresses with aplomb important topics such as opioid addiction, divorce, bullying, and moving. This inspired novel deftly depicts the self-doubt and loneliness that many children (and adults) feel." —September 2021, School Library Journal
“Dee again successfully tackles tough topics, making them relatable for middle-grade readers.” —Booklist
“A touching, realistic story about a mother-daughter relationship and its ups and downs.” —Kirkus Reviews“Weaving two very different but timely topics–makeup tutorial videos and opioid addiction–Dee’s frequently poignant middle grade novel depicts the ways that both adults and children can feel out of control. … With flawed, realistic characters and dynamics, this reconciliatory novel is a believable balm for young people at the mercy of adult choices and scenarios.” —Publishers Weekly
Dec 13, 2021
Recent Reads: If the Fates Allow: A Short Story by Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Publication Date: November 18, 2021
Source: Borrowed from Amazon Prime Reading Library.
Rating:
Goodreads Synopsis:
After a long, lonely year, two people stumble toward each other in this holiday short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor & Park and Fangirl.Social distancing came easily to Reagan. Maybe a little too easily. She’s always liked people better from afar. But Reagan doesn’t want her grandpa to be alone for Christmas this year—he’s already spent too much time on his own in 2020. So she heads back to her hometown with a dish of holiday Jell-O salad, hoping they can have a little normalcy. Hoping it will be safe…She isn’t expecting to run into the boy next door. Mason is all grown up now. He’s considerate. He’s funny. He doesn’t mind how prickly Reagan is—he maybe even likes it. And it makes Reagan feel like her defenses are falling. She needs her defenses, doesn’t she? In a time when six feet is close enough, how long can they keep their distance?
Dec 10, 2021
Recent Reads: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Publisher: Berkley Books
Publication Date: September 14, 2021
Source: From Book of the Month.
Rating:
Goodreads Synopsis:
As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding... six-pack abs.Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.
Review:
Dec 9, 2021
Recent Reads: Nick and Noel's Christmas Playlist by Codi Hall
Series: Mistletoe Romance #1
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: October 5, 2021
Source: From Sourcebooks Casablanca in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review. (I also downloaded the Audible Audiobook).
Rating:
Goodreads Synopsis:
Curl up this Christmas with a sparkling romance filled with:• Irresistible friends-to-lovers romance• The kiss that changed everything• Warm nights on the family Christmas tree farm• All your favorite Christmas songs!Nick Winter is just out of the military, and his Christmas homecoming is not going as planned. What was supposed to be a memorable holiday with his long-time girlfriend goes sour when he learns she cheated on him while he was stationed overseas. At least Nick can rely on his usual shift at the family Christmas tree farm with his best friend, Noel Carter, and her endless supply of Christmas tunes to lift his spirits. A night of fun together is just what he needs to forget about his ex.But then they kiss. And it feels...so right.
If Noel can turn Nick’s Blue Christmas merry and bright, this might be the last Christmas Nick spends with a broken heart. This year, they’ll be Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree as a couple―as long as Nick’s ex doesn’t go standing under any mistletoe.“Codi Hall brings all the feels.”—Monica Murphy, New York Times bestselling author
Review:
I received this book for review but grabbed it off Audible as a freebie so that I could listen to it while moving and unpacking. It was not what I expected but it was very entertaining either way. I fully expected a cozy romance with some affection in the friends to lovers’ side of things and snarkiness of an ex. This book brought the extremes. I got very spicy love scenes and full-on violence between the characters. So, forewarning - if you don't like spicy romance, this book is not for you. If you don't like woman/woman hate and violence, this book also isn't for you.
Noel and Nick have been friends forever. The book is told from both POVs, and we alternate back and forth throughout the story. Noel has been adamant for years that love isn’t for her and she doesn’t want to be married or have kids, there is just too much loss in her past for her to do that. Nick is a kind-hearted hero who comes back from serving to get dumped on the spot by his long-term girl. When the ex makes an appearance while Nick and Noel are out with friends, Noel makes a rash decision and kisses Nick and then we spiral into a slow burn, friends to love romance. The complications to their plan are that they are stuck close friends and Noel is so scared to connect and really have a relationship and Nick and his family have become her family over the years since her parents passed away. The story is cute with a lot of will they/won’t they moments.
I enjoyed the banter and I think Nick and his friends were a lot of fun. I also liked the spiciness of romance and the anticipation; the overall build was fun and light and well done.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Noel; she was a little self-absorbed and liked to talk about her issues/baggage a lot and that was a little off-putting. I also wasn’t a fan of the girl/girl cattiness and violence. I understand bad blood and grudges but this one went above and beyond, and it was a little hard to listen to.
Overall if you are looking for a quick, fun, holiday rom com, this one could be it for you. If you are a fan of music, it also includes a playlist at the end that you can follow along with. It was quirky and cute, and had some drama as well.
Dec 3, 2021
Early Reader Review: Oddball by Sarah Andersen
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date: December 7, 2021
Rating:
The newest Sarah's Scribbles collection from New York Times bestselling author Sarah AndersenThe fourth book in the enormously popular graphic novel series, the latest collection of Sarah's Scribbles comics explores the evils of procrastination, the trials of the creative process, the cuteness of kittens, and the beauty of not caring about your appearance as much as you did when you were younger. When it comes to humorous illustrations of the awkwardness and hilarity of millennial life, Sarah's Scribbles is without peer
Review:
Dec 2, 2021
Blog Tour: Review - One Book Away by Debbie Ioanna
Publisher: Debbie Ioanna
Publication Date: December 3, 2021
Source: From Zooloos Book Tours in exchange for review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.
About the Book
I have been really enjoying romance lately, the cozy ones that warm your heart and make you swoon. Once Book Away is a cozy romance but also a story about growth, happiness, and self-love. Charlotte is a romance reader and lover and her relationship with Sam was all love and romance in the beginning but now they have just settled into life, and she is very unhappy. Charlotte makes the decision to work on herself and get her life back in order, starting with her weight and then by writing the romance novel she has always dreamed of writing.
Charlotte is a wonderful lead character - she is determined, hardworking, sensitive, and down to earth, and it made for a fantastic and realistic story in some ways. As for the plot of the book, I really enjoyed the pacing, although sometimes the jumps in time were a little confusing in the eBook copy that I received. It was a quick and pretty light read overall. I liked that the focus was on self-care and growth versus just the romantic relationships. I also liked that Charlotte knew her boundaries and was hesitant at times in a new relationship, that was refreshing. I also enjoyed that it covered some harder topic: mental health, physical health including weight loss, and adoption. It was light-hearted but also very well done. I wasn’t sure about the ending, it was nice and an enjoyable wrap up, but I felt like it was a little rushed for me.
Overall,
if you are looking for a light romance read that really focuses on a woman
rebuilding her happiness, this is a perfect quick read.
Dec 1, 2021
Happy Holidays from Cover2CoverBlog
Nov 29, 2021
Blog Blast: Excerpt & Giveaway! The Journey by Kelsey Ketch
The Journey by Kelsey Ketch
(Death Island, #1)
Publication date: November 25th 2020
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, New Adult
About the Book
With her family name tainted by her great-grandfather’s crimes, Meriden Cummings could only dream of fleeing her oppressive life. Then she unearthed a piece of tanned skin, and her blood revealed an ancient map adorned with Mayan glyphs, launching her on the journey of a lifetime. However, she finds herself bound to the map, and there is a cost to her newfound freedom. One that will torment her mind as well as her soul.
After being shanghaied by pirates, Gregory Wilson escapes to a small English village where he runs into an obnoxious auburn-haired beauty. When he learns she is about to set sail on dangerous waters, he signs up to join her crew, hoping to defend her from the pirates seeking her great-grandfather’s treasure. But, will he be able to protect her from the ghost that haunts her or the curse running through her veins?
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play
Only 99¢ for a limited time!
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[Meriden]
Tucker barked at something that had recently washed up onto the shore. Curious, I walked toward the obvious tangled mess. “What do you have there?”
I pushed him aside and grabbed the green and grey mass. I peeled off the debris and seaweed and rinsed the mud and sand off in the Mouth of the Severn. From the mess appeared an object, which I could only describe as an elaborate golden coin, about four inches in diameter. Yet, the slightest touch caused three outer rings of glyphs—similar to the ones painted on the map—to rotate around a sitting man with a long headdress, bowl, and club. His face profiled, and his legs crossed. The most outer ring consisted of nineteen complicated glyphs, including an eagle’s head, a goat-like face, and a demon face; the middle ring held twenty square glyphs with three curls underneath, some depicting things like hands, skulls, and faces; and the innermost ring had a series of dots and lines—much like Roman numerals—that counted up to thirteen. On the other side of the coin, the same skeletal figure from the map sat in the center while nine teetered glyphs were spaced out along the outer rings—five on the outer ring and four in the middle. Among the glyphs of the middle ring were four arrows pointing in what I would call the cardinal directions. Overlapping the middle and inner rings were three large arrows. Much like a compass pointing north, east, and west. And to the south, two skulls faced each other, leaving a microscopic gap.
My mind spun with disbelief. This had to be related to Death Island. I was sure of it. But how? And where did it come from? How did it get here?
The breeze carried my hair off my shoulder, a shiver ran down my spine, and goose bumps unraveled across my arms when I sensed a presence nearby. I turned to spy a man as pale as ash with a beard as white as snow watching me. Black veins stretched throughout his exposed flesh. His eyes nothing but two black pieces of coal. The mere sight of him made me jump in my own skin, nearly causing me to drop the Mayan coin as I gasped in fright. In an attempt to regain my composure, I took my eyes off the man for a second to steady myself, only for them to fall back on the gardener, or ghost, I met at the Railings’ home.
About the Author
Kelsey Ketch is a young-adult/new-adult author, who works as a Wildlife Biologist and Data Analyst. During her free time, she can often be found working on her latest work in progress. She also enjoys history, mythology, traveling, and reading.
Find the Author
Blitz-wide giveaway (INT)
Amazon gift card