Saturday, June 30, 2018

My June 2018 Wrap Up & Book Haul!

Happy Saturday, Bookworms!!

I hope you're all having a great weekend!
Can you believe today is the last day of June??
This month, like all the others so far this year, has gone by too quickly.
But, I'm really excited for July,
and I hope it's going to be a much quieter month than June has been!

Here's my wrap up for June!
The Emerald Sea by Richelle Mead
My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
Dreams of Falling by Karen White
The Mermaid by Christina Henry
The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand
The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling *
Lost and Found Sisters by Jill Shalvis
Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken
The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson *
The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson *
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan
City of Bastards by Andrew Schvarts
Roar by Cora Cormack
The Emerald Sea by Richelle Mead
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah
My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

* = re-reads


The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls by Jessica Spotswood
Broken Prince by Erin Watt


So, despite being a super busy month, June was a pretty good reading month!
I really enjoyed all the books I read this month,
and I read *almost* all the books on my TBR for the month,
so that's great!

I'm super excited to get started on my July TBR now,
and I hope it's going to be another great month as well!

How was your reading month in June??

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

My (Belated) Week in Review • Week 24 & 25



Happy Sunday Tuesday, Bookworms!!

Welcome to my weekly Week in Review post!

Here I share all the things I've been up to during the past week.
Check back every Sunday for new updates!

Now, here's what I've been up to this week!


Ok, so... I'm very behind not just on my week in review posts,
but on ALL my posts. But, better late than never, right??

Here's what I've read over the past few weeks!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32320202-lost-and-found-sisters https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36449971-the-last-summer-of-the-garrett-girls https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34840184-the-perfect-couple

Since it is now officially Summer, I'm ALL about reading the summer books! I read three really great ones over the past few weeks, including Lost and Found Sisters by Jill Shalvis, The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls by Jessica Spotswood, and The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand! Reading these books has really gotten me in the mood for more summer books, and I plan to have a LOT of them on my July TBR!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29519514-broken-prince https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36390340-the-emerald-sea https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16150830-never-fade

I also read Broken Prince by Erin Watt, The Emerald Sea by Richelle Mead and Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken over the past two weeks as well. All of these were interesting reads!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18006496-queen-of-shadows https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21569527-the-heart-of-betrayal https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25944798-the-beauty-of-darkness

And I finally read Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas, and finished my re-reads of The Heart of Betrayal and The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson, and I'm SOOOOOOO excited get started on Dance of Thieves next month!




I haven't had a lot of time to watch much tv or movies this week, but The Hubby and I are *still* watching The Office, and we are super close to being finished with it! We also watched Now You See Me 2 the other night as well!!


(Too many posts to mention. Check out my Instagram HERE!)



I have to say, this summer is officially kicking my arse. I actually thought I would have SO much free time to do all the things, and the exact opposite is what has happened instead. (Isn't that how it always works out though?) Lately trying to keep up with the blog, and Instagram, and Twitter has been crazy, and I need to figure out what to do about it, and soon.

I am hoping to do a better job of updating soon, and updating about more than just books as well. We shall see how it goes!!

Are you having a good summer so far?? I really hope you are!!

Thursday, June 21, 2018

My Thoughts & Giveaway - The Wife Between Us by Greer Henricks & Sarah Pekkanen

** Today I'm teaming up with St. Martin's Press to bring you an awesome giveaway for The Wife Between Us!!

The Wife Between Us
by Greer Henricks & Sarah Pekkanen
In Stores Now (Released January 9, 2018) 
Published by St Martin’s Press

The instant New York Times Bestseller!

"A fiendishly smart cat-and-mouse thriller" —New York Times Book Review
"Buckle up, because you won't be able to put this one down." —Glamour
"Jaw dropping. Unforgettable. Shocking." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The best domestic suspense novel since Gone Girl." —In Touch Weekly

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous ex-wife.
You will assume she is obsessed with her replacement – a beautiful, younger woman who is about to marry the man they both love.
You will assume you know the anatomy of this tangled love triangle.
Assume nothing.

Twisted and deliciously chilling, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen's The Wife Between Us exposes the secret complexities of an enviable marriage – and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.

Follow St. Martin’s Press on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

Read an excerpt from The Wife Between Us



When I first discovered The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, I knew I would have to read the book. It sounded SO interesting, and after watching the book sit at the top of Goodreads Most Popular Books Published In 2018 list since before it was even released, I was determined check it out asap. When the opportunity arrived to check out the book and host this giveaway, of course I jumped on it, and I couldn't wait to get started on the book!

So, I'm going to keep this short and sweet, because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't yet read the book. Let me just say, The Wife Between Us was awesome. It was full of twists and turns that kept me completely guessing, as did the narrator, who relatable and a little bit fearless. Just when I thought I had something in the story figured out, there would be some kind twist that completely took me by surprise. I LOVE THAT! And the ending definitely took me by surprise as well! If you've, for some reason, not yet read this book, you definitely need to check it out. It's great, and I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more books by these authors!!

Keep reading for a chance to win a copy of this book for yourself, AND a more great prizes as well!




Oh Shit Kit!
Planning to disrupt a wedding (or maybe just read about it)?
Winner receives the ultimate must-have kit including:

  • an “Oh Shit Kit” cosmetic bag;
  • stemless wine glass set with corkscrew;
  • make-them-stare Mac red lipstick;
  • plus a copy of The Wife Between Us!

Giveaway open to US addresses only.
Prizing and samples provided by St. Martin’s Press.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!!



Greer Hendricks spent over two decades as an editor. Her writing has been published in The New York Times and Publishers Weekly. The Wife Between Us is her first novel.

Sarah Pekkanen is the internationally and USA Today bestselling author of several novels, including The Wife Between Us, The Perfect Neighbors and The Best of Us. A former investigative journalist and feature writer, her work has been published in The Washington Post, USA Today, and many others.

Monday, June 18, 2018

My Thoughts: The Emerald Sea by Richelle Mead (Blog Tour!)



https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36390340-the-emerald-sea
The Emerald Sea
(The Glittering Court #3)
by Richelle Mead
Website | Twitter | Instagram

Publication Date: June 26th 2018
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9781595148452
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy
Source: Review Copy

Add to Goodreads

Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository


The final installment in Richelle Mead’s sweeping, enthralling Glittering Court series answers the trilogy’s biggest question: what is the secret that drives Tamsin to win at all costs?

Tamsin Wright is unstoppable. She must become the Glittering Court’s diamond: the girl with the highest test scores, the most glamorous wardrobe, and the greatest opportunities to match with an elite suitor in the New World. Training alongside other girls in the Glittering Court, Tamsin immerses herself completely in lessons about etiquette, history, and music–everything a high-society wife would need to know. Once she’s married, she’ll be able to afford a better life for her family, so the sacrifice is worth it if she can be the best.

When her friendship with Mira and Adelaide, her roommates at the Glittering Court, threatens her status as the top-ranked prospect, she does the only thing she knows will keep her on track: she cuts them out of her life. But when her voyage across the sea goes off course, Tamsin must use her unrelenting grit and determination to survive the harsh winter far north of her intended destination in hopes of making it back to the Glittering Court in time to secure a proposal–and a comfortable future for her family.

Experiencing new cultures and beliefs for the first time, Tamsin realizes that her careful studies haven’t prepared her for everything, and with new alliances formed with roguish tradesman Jago Robinson and good-natured minister Gideon Stewart, Tamsin’s heart begins to be pulled in different directions. But she can’t let her brewing attraction get in the way of her ultimate goal: protecting the secret she holds closest to her heart, the one that would unravel everything she’s worked for if it’s uncovered. (Penguin Random House)


The Emerald Sea is the third and final book in The Glittering Court series by Richelle Mead, and I don't know about you guys, but I absolutely could not wait to get my hands on this book! I was so super curious to see how the story would end for the girls of the Glittering Court, and I'm beyond thrilled to have read this final book in the series!

As I mentioned above, The Emerald Sea is the third book in The Glittering Court series, and this book is all about Tamsin's story, and what happened to her after leaving the finishing school. All of the girls stories in this series have been interesting, but it was Tamsin's story that I was probably the MOST curious about. She was really so different from the other girls, she wanted to succeed so much more than the rest of them, and in this book we find out exactly why that is. Her back-story is a little heartbreaking, and you can't help but root for her as the story goes along. She definitely proves over and over that she's a leader, and that she's willing to do whatever she has to do to survive, and that makes me like her so much more. There were a lot of interesting secondary characters in this story as well, some that we haven't had the opportunity to meet in the previous books, and they were all really interesting! (And a few that were kind of scary, to be honest!)

The storyline follows along the same line as the previous books, as in the first half of the book all of the girls are still together at the finishing school, and then their journeys branch apart toward the middle of the book. After reading the previous books in the series, I absolutely couldn't wait to finally find out what happened to Tamsin on her journey to the new world, especially after what we thought happened to her in the previous books. (Sorry, that is a bit vague, I know, but I'm trying not to spoil anything!) I do think Tamsin has the most interesting journey of all three girls, by far, and that is definitely an understatement. What a wild ride she had!

Overall; The Emerald Sea was a really great conclusion to this Glittering Court series by Richelle Mead, and I'm beyond thrilled to have finally read the book! I really enjoy so much about these books, from the interesting characters, to the fascinating storylines, and I kind of hate to see the series come to an end. Luckily for me I still have the Bloodlines series by Mead that I need to finish, and finishing this series has totally made me want to start on that one soon. :) If you've not yet read The Glittering Court series, do consider checking it out!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27272506-the-glittering-court https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29935867-midnight-jewel https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36390340-the-emerald-sea


Richelle Mead is the author of the international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series, its bestselling spin-off series, Bloodlines, the fantasy standalone Soundless, and the Glittering Court series. A lifelong reader, Richelle has always had a particular fascination with mythology and folklore. When she can actually tear herself away from books (either reading or writing them), she enjoys bad reality TV, traveling, trying interesting cocktails, and shopping for dresses to wear on tour. She is a self-professed coffee addict, works in her pajamas, and has a passion for all things wacky and humorous. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington, where she is hard at work on her next novel. Visit RichelleMead.com to find out more.


Friday, June 15, 2018

My Thoughts: Lost and Found Sisters by Jill Shalvis

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32319723-lost-and-found-sisters
Lost and Found Sisters
(Wildstone #1)
by Jill Shalvis
Website | Twitter | Instagram

Publication Date: June 20th 2017
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Pages: 371
ISBN: 9780062448118
Genre: Women's Fiction | Contemporary
Source: Own

Add to Goodreads

Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes her first women's fiction novel—an unforgettable story of friendship, love, family, and sisterhood—perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover, Susan Mallery, and Kristan Higgins.

They say life can change in an instant…

After losing her sister in a devastating car accident, chef Quinn Weller is finally getting her life back on track. She appears to have it all: a loving family, a dream job in one of L.A.'s hottest eateries, and a gorgeous boyfriend dying to slip an engagement ring on her finger. So why does she feel so empty, like she's looking for a missing piece she can't find?

The answer comes when a lawyer tracks down Quinn and reveals a bombshell secret and a mysterious inheritance that only she can claim. This shocking revelation washes over Quinn like a tidal wave. Her whole life has been a lie.

On impulse, Quinn gives up her job, home, and boyfriend. She heads up the coast to the small hometown of Wildstone, California, which is just a few hours north, but feels worlds apart from Los Angeles. Though she doesn't quite fit in right away, she can't help but be drawn to the town’s simple pleasures…and the handsome, dark-haired stranger who offers friendship with no questions asked.

As Quinn settles into Wildstone, she discovers there's another surprise in store for her. The inheritance isn't a house or money, but rather something earthshattering, something that will make her question everything she thought she knew about herself, about her family. Now with a world of possibilities opening up to Quinn, she must decide if this new life is the one she was always meant to have—and the one that could finally give her the fulfillment she's searched so long for. (Goodreads)


I have had a copy of Lost and Found Sisters by Jill Shalvis sitting on my shelf for too long, and with the second book in the series, Rainy Day Friends, set to release later this month, I figured it was the perfect time to finally read the book. I had originally picked up this book last year to read at the beach, but didn't get to it before we left, so I waited until this summer to finally devour the book. This is my first read by Jill Shalvis, but it definitely won't be my last!!

Lately I've been trying to step outside the box with the books I read so I could experience different types of new books, and this book was high on my list to read. I have heard a lot of good things about Jill Shalvis, and I was really looking forward to reading something by her. And since I've been trying to read more women's fiction, this book seemed like a good place to start.

There was really so much to like about this book, including the characters. There were so many of them to like, including the main character, Quinn. I found myself relating to Quinn in so many ways as the story went along, and I really love it when that happens.  There are also a lot of interesting secondary characters in the story, even a few that you won't want to like at first, and there are quite a few swoon-worthy characters as well. *cough, Mick, cough*.

I like that the story was told from a couple of different viewpoints, as that always makes me feel like we get so much more information in the story. The storyline for the book was really cute, and it made for a really relaxing read. A perfect book to read at the beach, which is where I wish I had gotten to read this! But, I'm just thrilled to have finally read it, so there's that. :)

Overall; Lost and Found Sisters was a cute, touching read, and, as I mentioned above, my very first read by Jill Shalvis. I love these types of books, the ones that make you feel good when you read them, and that definitely makes me want to pick up more books like this, especially those by Jill. I'm also now super excited to pick up Rainy Day Friends, which is set to release in just a few weeks, and I can't wait to check it out!

Thursday, June 14, 2018

My Thoughts: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10576365-the-darkest-minds
The Darkest Minds
(The Darkest Minds #1)
by Alexandra Bracken
Website | Twitter | Instagram

Publication Date: December 18th 2012
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 488
ISBN: 9781423157373
Genre: Young Adult | Sci-Fi
Source: Own

Add to Goodreads

Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that had killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living. (Goodreads)


The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken has been on my TBR for way too long, but I was determined to finally read the book this year. I planned it so that if I read one book a month for the next few months, I would be completely caught up on the series when the newest book, The Darkest Legacy, is released in July, and that I would also have all the books read when the movie is released in August. I was super excited to finally read the books, because I seriously think I'm the only person who hasn't read them already, and I'm thrilled that I really enjoyed the book! I can't wait to read the second book in the series soon.

Can we start by talking about the characters in this story? These kids are pretty awesome, and I love that they can pretty much take care of themselves, and do what they have to do to survive. I don't know what I would do if I were ever in their situation, but these guys handled whatever came their way like pros. I enjoyed watching the bond form between the main characters throughout the story as well. It's not really like you could trust many people when you're in their situation, but that's exactly what happens, and watching these bonds form is one of my most favorite things ever. I don't want to go into too many details and spoil the story, so if you want to know more, go read the books!

The storyline for the book was interesting, and definitely addictive. I liked the idea that the kids had different kinds of powers, and I definitely hope to learn more about those characters and their powers as the series goes along. This book was a pretty quick read for me, mostly because once I started reading it I was hooked, and I really just needed to know what was going to happen next. I like that it had a few twists along the way that kept me guessing as well. The book ends in a way that will definitely leave you wanting to start the next book right away, and thank goodness I don't have to wait for it to be released before I can start it. It's on my TBR for this month, and I can't wait to dive into it.

Overall; I really enjoyed The Darkest Minds! Since I am a fan of Alexandra Bracken's more recent books, this shouldn't have been a surprise to me at all, but it was. I'm definitely looking forward to starting the second book in the series as soon as possible to see what happens next for Ruby, Liam, and the rest of the characters in the book. If you're a fan of Alexandra Bracken and haven't yet checked out this series, or if you're a fan of dystopian stories in general, I do recommend you check out The Darkest Minds! And I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did!
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