Top Five Wednesday - Independent Ladies

I was so excited to participate in Top Five Wednesday again this week. The topic of independent ladies was too fun to resist. I love main characters that are less focused on romance especially when those characters are strong independent women! While I don't have all my favorite women (because that list would go on forever) on this list, I did try to feature books that I don't talk about as often. 

Review: Once Upon a Marquess by Courtney Milan

 

Series: The Worth Saga #1

Genre: Historical Romance

Age Group: Adult

Ebook - 277 pgs

Source: Library

Published: December 2015

Add it // Buy it

Rating: 4/5

The last man Judith Worth wants to see again is Christian Trent, the Marquess of Ashford—the man who spent summers at her family home, who kissed her one magical night…and then heartlessly ruined her father. But when a tricky business matter arises, he’s the only one she can ask for help. With any luck, he’ll engage a servant to take care of the matter, and she won’t even have to talk with him.

But Ashford has never forgotten Judith. He knows she will never forgive him for what he’s done, but when offered the chance to assist her, he arrives in person. His memory of Judith may have haunted him, but it pales in comparison to the reality of the vivacious, beautiful woman he rediscovers. Throughout his life, he has always done what is correct. But now, he finds himself doing something utterly wrong…falling in love with the one woman he can never have. 

Courtney Milan was recommended to me so many time and I finally picked up one of her books when I was in the mood for romance.

What I particularly appreciated about this book was Milan's ability to make me believe these two characters knew one another well before this book started. Their chemistry was spot on and very compelling. It is easy to write a story where two people are attracted to each other, but this story was more complex than that. Judith and Christian have difficult history and Milan did an excellent job showing how painful it would be to navigate their situation. I believed this part of the story.

Overall this was a good romance with a well written story. It was nicely paced and I don't remember any serious problems with the language. Each of their characters was well defined outside of their relationship as well. Judith was a very independent young woman with a sharp mind and skills. Christian was funny and had his own problems to solve other than the ones Judith needed help with. I appreciated seeing her personality on the page and will be sad when I follow someone else in the next book since I adored her so much

A very good romance story with great characters. I'll be checking out more Courtney Milan soon. 

Last Review---> Darius by Grace Burrowes

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Couples In Books

As always if you would like to participate in Top Ten Tuesday, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl for topics and more information!

This week I'm keeping things simple because 1) if I talked about this relationships in detail, we would be here forever and 2) there would be a lot of repetition. So just know these are some of my favorite book couples. There is a mix of recent favorites and some of the couples that first introduced me to "shipping" (aka Alanna and George) 

1) Alanna & George Cooper (Tamora Pierce's Tortall World)

2) Sabriel and Touchstone (The Old Kingdom Series by Garth Nix)

3) Ronan Lynch and Adam Parrish (The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater)

4) Captain Fredrick Wentworth and Anne Elliot (Persuasion by Jane Austen)

5) Kate Daniels and Curran Lennart (Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews)

    

6) Sophronia Temminnick & Phineas B. Crow (Soap) (The Finishing School Series by Gail Carriger)

7) Annith and Balthazar (His Fair Assassins by Robin LaFevers)

8) Henry and Simon (The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by KJ Charles)

9) Cas and Swift (The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie)

10) Tessa Gray/Will Herondale/Jem Carstairs (The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare)

    

My Last Top Ten Tuesday---> Top Ten Books I've Added to My TBR Recently

Review - Darius by Grace Burrows

Series: Lonely Lords #1

Genre: Regency Romance

Age Group: Adult

Ebook - 378pgs

Source: Library Borrow

Published- April 2013

Add it // Buy it

Rating: 4/5

With his beloved sister tainted by scandal, his widowed brother shattered by grief , and his funds cut off, Darius Lindsey sees no option but to sell himself—body and soul. Until the day he encounters lovely, beguiling Lady Vivian Longstreet, whose tenderness and understanding wrap his soul in a grace he knows he'll never deserve...

This story intrigued me because I saw someone promote it on twitter when it was a daily deal. I didn't purchase it that day but I was looking for a romance and started googling, carefully googling, the premise of this book to try to find it.

Even though this premise sounds warped, I'm glad I gave it a chance. Darius and Vivan have an interesting relationship and both their characters were more complex than I was expecting. This didn't turn out to be the shallow lust fueled story I thought I might find. Instead, it is layered with mystery and missed opportunities. Even though Darius's situation is a little murky and unexplained, I found both characters intriguing. The writing is a little unpolished and does a lot more telling than showing, but overall I liked this first installment and decided to continue on with the series.

My Last Review ---> If He's Wicked by Hannah Howell

Weekend Reads - February 9th

So far in February I've thrown all my reading plans to the wind and instead picked up several romance novels and Truthwtich by Susan Dennard. This was not supposed to happen! I was meant to be reading all Fae books this week and it just hasn't happened. This is how my brain works. If I stick to a TBR for one month, my brain wrecks havoc on all plans the next month. Oh well, hopefully this weekend and I can get back on track.

Here's what I'm hoping to read over the next couple of days.

Currently Reading:

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard: 

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.




Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare:

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?

Review- If He's Wicked by Hannah Howell

Series: Wherlocke #1 

Genre: Historical Romance

Age Group: Adult

Ebook - 357 pgs

Source: Library Borrow

Published: 2009

Add it // Buy it

Rating: 3/5

She Saves His Life...

For Chloe Wherlocke, it all begins with a vision - a glimpse into the future that foretells a terrible plot against Lord Julian Kenwood and his newborn son. Chloe's psychic gift allows her to save the child from certain death, but the earl remains in grave peril...

But When He Steals Her Heart...

Julian Kenwood knows someone is trying to kill him and he suspects his scheming wife and her lover are behind the plot. But Julian is shocked when Chloe, a captivating, dark-haired stranger, warns him that sinister forces are indeed at hand - and exposes a devastating secret that changes his life forever...

Will She Resist - or Surrender?

As Chloe reveals her plan to save Julian, neither can deny the attraction that grows each moment thy're together. Chloe knows the highborn earl could never love her as she loves him. But when danger strikes closer than ever, Chloe must risk everything - or lose Julian forever...

This was an interesting story. Sadly, my least favorite part was the romance. I didn't find the chemistry between the two main characters very compelling and neither one had much depth. Chloe and her family grabbed my attention and I enjoyed the paranormal elements involved in the story. Even though there isn't a lot of information about the family and their powers, I knew the story was going to focus on the romance and hoped the following books would expand on the paranormal abilities. Howell created a believable historical setting but at times the language was bit too modern. Overall, I was interested enough to carry on reading the series, but I wasn't wowed by anything in this book.

My Last Review---> The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet

Unfinished Series on My Shelf

Over the past few years I've started a lot of book series and failed to finished most of them.This week I wanted to chat about the series I have on my shelves that either I'm not caught up on or that I have left unfinished despite having the final book in my hands.

Why do we do this? I love a lot of these series. The characters are special and the plots intriguing. Why have I left them languishing on my TBR shelf while I pursue other series? I think the most obvious answer is: new series are shiny. New books and new releases grab my attention and steal it away from those older backlisted series on my shelves. Hopefully I'll finish a few of this this year and reduce the number on my shelf!

Weekend Recap - February 1st-3rd

This was the first weekend in three weeks where I didn't need to work at all and my busy season is officially over. Therefore, I spent most of this weekend relaxing and reading. There was much tea and many blankets involved.

On Friday night was really excited to start my reread of Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers. I started this reread on audiobook because I listened to the first two on audio. However, by the time Sunday rolled around I was too anxious to read Annith's story I was reading the physical book. I'm about two thirds of the way through and will be ready for Courting Darkness release day!

Faebruary started on Friday and, while I wanted to read some of the books I selected for that readathon, I also wanted to finish some of the books I was already reading. So I read Mortal Heart and decided to DNF The Yard by Alex Grecian. I tried to read this book on audiobook and physically. Nothing was working for me and I'm really disappointed. All my buzzwords were involved, but this book just didn't work for me.

On Saturday night I had trouble falling asleep so I borrowed one of Grace Burrow's Lonely Lord books from the library. I started this series last year and was a little disgruntled with it, but I was intrigued enough to try it to solve my insomnia. In the series we follow a group of interconnected lords finding love in various places. Once I finally did sleep, I finished this off with my coffee in the morning. I also borrowed the next book Gabriel. I am actually really excited for this Lonely Lord story. The characters we are following were in a previous book and I was curious about their relationship. 

The rest of my Sunday was cleaning and video games. I didn't actually read much more. I think my brain needed a little break after spending so much time reading on Saturday. How was your weekend? Did you read anything fun or exciting? My copy of King of Scars arrived this week and has been tempting me even though I have many other things started. 

Happy Monday!

January Wrap Up (2019)

This month I've read quite a bit and I'm proud of myself for reading everyday so far this year. I participated in several readathons which have helped me read so much this month. As we move into February, a historically bad reading month for me, I hope I can continue this reading trend.

Books Mentioned:

The Curious Case of the Werewolf that Wasn't by Gail Carriger (audiobook)

Becoming by Michelle Obama (audiobook)

Herding Cats by Sarah Anderson

Uprooted by Naomi Novak

Read Bottom Up by Neel Shah & Skye Chatham

Tales of the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare

Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger (audiobook)

Grave Mercy by Robin Lafevers (audiobook) 

March Vol. 1 - John Lewis

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers (audiobook)

Hope Against History by Jack Holland

Review: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Series: Wayfarers #1

Genre: Science-Fiction

Age Group: Adult

Paperback - 404 pgs

Source: Purchased

Published - August 2015

Hodder & Stoughton

Add it // Buy it

Rating: 5/5

Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe. 

What this book is: A character centered story of found family aboard a spaceship with some space travel and difficult decisions.

What this book is not: Action packed, plot driven or hard science-fiction.

When I picked up this story I was a little hesitant because I've had trouble with science-fiction in the past. Though I had heard a lot of positive things, I wasn't sure this book would be for me as I'm usually more interested in fantasy than sci-fi. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and how it was much more character focused. Though we learn about the world throughout the book, it is more in context with how it has effected the characters we follow rather than a big picture. Space and science are not the focus of this story. The plot is thin for the most part, but the story works nonetheless. The focus of this story is the crew of the Wayfair as well as their interactions and relationships with one another.

While recommending this book to my IRL family and friends, I described it as Firefly meets Star Trek. There is a rag tag crew with tight knit relationships much like Firefly. Then much like Star Trek, there are interspecies crew members and inter-planet politics as well. It is rare that I push books on my family and friends because we all enjoy different books, but I think this holds appeal for readers of all types.

My Last Review--> River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Faebruary TBR

This month I'm doing my best to participate in the Faebruary Readathon which is hosted by Sarah-Jane from TheBookLife. She's created this fun Fae centered readathon and I can't wait to read all my Fae themed books this month. I have a few on my TBR and am hoping to cross off as many of the bingo squares as possible. More on that here.

My TBR is a little flexible because I'm unsure if some of the books are going to contain enough Fae to make them count!