Letterbox Love (31) A Quick Catch-Up!

Letterbox Love is a meme hosted by Lynsey @ Narratively Speaking for UK based book bloggers to showcase the books that they’ve received each week.

So I've been MIA from the blog this past week because I had a bout of terrible insomnia and was just so exhausted all of the time and hardly read anything. I go through phases like this every so often and fingers crossed I seem to be coming out the other end of this one now. It's *so* nice to be able to sleep again! Only now I have a lot of blogging and reading to catch up on! I received quite a few review books whilst I was away and I also took a trip to London to attend a press conference with the cast of City of Bones which the publishers very kindly invited me to - it was awesome! Needless to say I did some book shopping in Foyles (one of my favourite book shops in the world!) I can never resist! Especially their cheap US imports...

I have a lot of books and e-books to get through so this will just be a quick catch up meaning I won't go into as much detail as I usually would about the books. If I did that would take me a while and this post would be huge and nobody would want to read it. So this will be short and sweet - I hope that's okay! As always I'll link each title up to Goodreads in case you'd like to find out more. Now, on to the books! :)

 For Review

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan
Fire With Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
Stay Where You Are And Then Leave by John Boyne (proof copy)
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
More Than This by Patrick Ness
Hurt by Tabitha Suzuma

Twisted Perfection by Abbi Glines
Wait for You by J. Lynn
Rule by Jay Crownover (proof copy)
Coco's Secret by Niamh Greene
Another Way to Fall by Amanda Brooke
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
A Heart Bent Out of Shape by Emylia Hall

 Bought

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown

On My Kindle 

For Review 

Once We Were by Kat Zhang 

The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine 

The Returned by Jason Mott 

 The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell 

The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman 

Swimming Pool Summer by Rebecca Farnworth 

The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes 

The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle 

 Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott 

 These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner 

Bought 

The Redemption of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen 

My Favourite Mistake by Chelsea M. Cameron 

These are all of my lovely new books! Now I just need to get reading because I have some absolute gems here that I can't wait to get on to! As always thank you to the lovely publishing folk for the review copies. If you decided to do a Letterbox Love, Book Haul, IMM, Showcase Sunday, Mailbox Monday or whatever else featuring the books you got this week leave me a link as I’d love to check out your books too! ^_^ 

Happy reading till next time!

Review for It’s Raining Men by Milly Johnson

It’s Raining Men by Milly Johnson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release: 1st August 2013
Genre: Romance, Chick-lit, Women’s Fiction, Friendship
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Summary: 

"A summer getaway to remember. But is a holiday romance on the cards…? Best friends from work May, Lara and Clare are desperate for some time away. They have each had a rough time of it lately and need some serious R & R. So they set off to a luxurious spa for ten glorious days, but when they arrive at their destination, it seems it is not the place they thought it was. In fact, they appear to have come to entirely the wrong village… Here in Ren Dullem nothing is quite what it seems; the lovely cobbled streets and picturesque cottages hide a secret that the villagers have been keeping hidden for years. Why is everyone so unfriendly and suspicious? Why does the landlord of their holiday rental seem so rude? And why are there so few women in the village? Despite the strange atmosphere, the three friends are determined to make the best of it and have a holiday to remember. But will this be the break they all need? Or will the odd little village with all its secrets bring them all to breaking point…?"

Review 
I’ve read and loved four books from Milly Johnson so far and It’s Raining Men has to be my new favourite! With three lovable heroines, one secretive little village, buckets of mystery and a sprinkling of magic I found myself engrossed in the story and reading long into the night.

The book is about three unlucky in love career girls and work friends Lara, May and Clare. All three of them are having relationship problems and are tired and overworked so they decide to treat themselves to a luxurious spa break to relax and catch-up. Only fate has other plans for our lovely ladies and they end up stuck in the mysterious little town of Ren Dullem a place where clouds hover forebodingly overhead, the locals are unwelcoming and secretive and there are hardly any women around at all. However appearances are not what they seem and as the friends open up to each other about the truth behind their seemingly perfect lives and relationships the mystery of Ren Dullem is slowly revealed as are the secrets the villagers are desperately trying to keep.

As well as being a brilliant new title in women’s fiction It’s Raining Men also has a real sense of mystery throughout the novel which I thoroughly enjoyed. I found all of the little clues and folklore cleverly placed. I quickly fell in love with the curious little village and I loved watching the girls slowly come to love it there too. It was lovely to bump into Coco and Gideon (two characters I loved from An Autumn Crush!) who were staying in Ren Dullem too and to have a catch up with them.

I loved all three heroines they were all distinctive from one another and I loved their individual stories as well as their friendship. My absolute favourite had to be Lara – her relationship with Gene reminded me of a Doris Day film. The two would end up in an argument every time their paths crossed but there was also chemistry there and as you get to know them you realise how perfect they’d be together. They were both unlucky in love and I really wanted a happy ending for them.

Overall It’s Raining Men was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and is definitely a favourite of mine from this summer. If you love warm and relatable heroines, stories about friendship, mystery, fate and a little bit of that magic in life I’d strongly recommend It’s Raining Men to old Milly Johnson fans and newbies discovering her books for the first time – this is a fantastic place to start!

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts UK Blog Tour: Robyn Schneider Vlogs About The Inspiration Behind Her Book!

I'm very happy to welcome debut novelist and Youtube personality Robyn Schneider to the blog today to talk about the inspiration behind Severed Heads, Broken Hearts. This book is being pitched as being perfect for fans of John Green and I'm so excited to be reading this soon! In case this book isn't on your radar yet here's a little bit about what it's about...

"After witnessing his girlfriend in a “very friendly” position with a guy who is definitely not him, closely followed by a catastrophic car accident that shatters his leg along with his pro Tennis hopes, Ezra Faulkner returns to school for senior year, cast into social oblivion, a shadow of his former self. Ezra believes that everyone suffers a defining tragedy: it appears that his has just occurred.

But this new tragic self might have its own appeal, especially after he meets the clever, oddly sexy Cassidy Thorpe, a girl who launches him into a series of transformative adventures that help Ezra learn the truth about tragedy: unlike lightning, it can and will strike the same place twice."

 Robyn's Vlog 

Fabio and the Roller Coaster: Where Authors Get Book Ideas 

 For more of Robyn's vlogs subscribe to her channel here. 

Or Follow her on Twitter @robynschneider 

I absolutely loved this video! What a unique and gory way to be inspired for a book! Thanks for sharing and being on the blog today, Robyn! Severed Heads, Broken Hearts is available to buy in the UK NOW so be sure to treat yourself to a copy and to continue following the blog tour which will be stopping at Fiction Fascination tomorrow!

Review for Cruel Summer by James Dawson

Cruel Summer by James Dawson 
Publisher: Indigo
Release: 1st August 2013
Genre: YA, Murder Mystery, Thriller, UKYA, Contemporary
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary: 

"A year after Janey’s suicide, her friends reunite at a remote Spanish villa, desperate to put the past behind them. However, an unwelcome guest arrives claiming to have evidence that Jane was murdered. When she is found floating in the pool, it becomes clear one of them is a killer. Only one thing is for certain, surviving this holiday is going to be murder…"

Review 
Cruel Summer was my first read from talented UK YA author James Dawson. I’ve been on a YA Summer Thriller kick this year and so was immediately interested in checking this book out after reading the synopsis. Then in came the glowing reviews and my book blogging friends telling me how much I’d love this one and so I decided to read it ASAP and promptly read the entire thing in one sitting because it was that good!

In a nutshell Cruel Summer is about a group of friends who haven’t seen each other for a year since their friend Janey suspiciously committed suicide. On the one year anniversary of her death the friends decide to reunite for a sunny holiday in Spain. But in a remote area, with no phone reception, the teens are about to discover that Janey’s death was only the beginning and that her killer might be on the Island with them demanding an encore.

Sun, Sea and Sand - I loved the setting for this story! The group’s holiday villa sounded like a dream come true until it became their worst nightmare. I loved every single character in this book and really enjoyed reading about UK teen characters abroad. Each character gets to narrate the story and add their version of events at some point but for the majority this book is told from Ryan and Alisha’s point of view. I really enjoyed having the dual boy/girl narrative that wasn’t between a couple for once. Cruel Summer has a very cinematic feel which Ryan only adds to with his flair for the dramatic and how he imagines his life as an on-going TV series – starring himself as the main character of course! I can definitely see this as a TV show or British film – think Skins meets The Inbetweeners movie only with more murder and intrigue.

I really loved getting to know this group of friends and I soon felt like I was part of their group. But like every group of friends each of them has their secrets that they keep from each other. Some are connected to Janey’s death and some are not. I loved untangling their messy little lies! Each character had motive to be the killer and I suspected everyone at some point or another but at the same time I couldn’t imagine any of them being a cold blooded murderer because I liked them all so much!

Although by the end of the book I did suspect who the killer was (which I don’t think really counts as like I said I suspected everyone!) I didn’t see their motive coming at all although looking back there are some very subtle clues. There were twists and turns until the very end and there were a lot of red herrings to keep you guessing. I must warn you that this is most definitely a thriller, once you start it you won’t want to do anything else! And James Dawson isn’t afraid of killing off his characters so don’t go getting attached to anyone like I did! *Sobs.*

Overall Cruel Summer delivered everything I could want from a gripping Summer Thriller/Murder Mystery and it genuinely gave me the creeps at times. I’d really love it if James Dawson stuck to this genre as I’d love a thriller as good as this one to read every summer! Cruel Summer is definitely one for the beach (or not if you’re a big baby like me!) and I’m now eager to get my hands on Hollow Pike - James Dawson you have yourself a new fan!

Review for Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angelfall by Susan Ee 
Publisher: Hodder
Release: 23rd May 2013
Genre: YA, Angels, Romance, Dystopian
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Goodreads Summary: 

"It's been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain. Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When angels fly away with a helpless girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back..."

Review 
I’m a huge fan of both the Angel and Dystopia trend in YA so I really should have known that Angelfall ( a brilliant mixture of both genres ) would go on to become one of my new favourite books! I’m a little late to the party for this one but I recently found myself in a reading slump and needed something fresh and compelling to pull me out of it. I’m so happy that I decided to pick up Angelfall! I was immediately sucked into the world and I’d stay up late reading long into the night promising myself just one more chapter which would inevitably turn into several more.

Penryn lives in a future world where Angels of the Apocalypse have destroyed Earth as we know it. The world is in a state of chaos and the remaining humans are out for themselves with supplies and safe houses running low. It’s a gritty and brutal new world and if survival wasn’t hard enough Penryn also has a disabled younger sister to take care of and a schizophrenic mother who has run out of medication to stabilize her illness. All too often in Paranormal YA the characters are young, perfect, healthy and beautiful the fact that Penryn’s family have real world struggles to contend with on top of the apocalypse made them feel like real people which I couldn’t applaud more.

The book begins with Penryn and her family witnessing an Angel brutally having his wings hacked off by his own kind. Noting her sister Paige’s distress Penryn tries to help the Angel and as punishment the angels that were attacking Raffe fly away with Paige and so Penryn and Raffe are forced to work together as Penryn needs Raffe to find where the Angels took her sister and Raffe needs Penryn to navigate the human world now that he’s without his wings.

The banter between Raffe and Penryn was quick and witty. Their relationship builds at a slow and steady pace throughout the novel as they go from accomplices to something more. I loved that despite whatever Penryn felt for Raffe her priorities never shifted from saving Paige. Penryn had a good head on her shoulders and I respected her as our heroine. I loved the relationship between Raffe and Penryn - Raffe was always on hand to support Penryn but she was always more than capable of taking care of herself. Instead of the powerful angel saving the weak human girl they worked together as a team.

Although I loved them together I also enjoyed both characters separately. Penryn has quickly become one of my favourite heroines and Raffe one of my favourite book boys. Penryn was intelligent, loyal to her family, and strong both mentally and physically. She’s a total survivor and adapts to her frightening new surroundings thanks to her mentally unstable mother having her trained in several types of self-defence to protect herself against her mother’s dark episodes. Raffe was different to any other angel I’ve ever read about he’s witty, hilarious, modern and doesn’t believe in god. I loved him straight away but he’s also still so much of a mystery. I can’t wait to find out more about his past in future books!

Angelfall has such a cinematic feel to it that I could vividly picture everything in my mind making it easy to absorb myself in this gritty and harrowing world. I can’t believe I waited so long to read this absolute gem of a novel but I am glad that I now don’t have long to wait for the sequel!