Letterbox Love (42)

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.

Hi guys! I'm back with another book haul this week. I've got a really exciting mix here of books that I've bought and books that I've received for review including festive reads, 2015 proof copies and a couple of new releases. I hope you enjoy being nosy at what's new to my shelves and are having a brilliant weekend!

It's Not Me, It's You by Mhairi McFarlane (Proof Copy, For Review)
I've had the worst headache all weekend and I wanted something funny and feel-good to read so I decided to pick this one up. I'm a hundred pages in and really enjoying it! A lot of reviews have said that this is Mhairi's best book yet and from what I've read so far I completely agree! Here's hoping the rest of the book is just as brilliant.
A Proper Family Christmas by Chrissie Manby (For Review)
I read the first book in this series A Proper Family Holiday when I went on holiday in September and I could not put it down or stop giggling! I'm so excited to spend some time with the hilarious Bensons in the build up to Christmas!
The Christmas Party by Carole Matthews (Bought)
Carole Matthews is one of my favourite chick-lit authors and her last Christmas book Calling Mrs Christmas is quite possibly my favourite Christmas book of all time so I have high hopes for this one!
The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan (Bought)
This is Jenny's third Rosie Hopkins' book and I'm really looking forward to catching up with Rosie and Stephen again soon.

The Walled City by Ryan Graudin (For Review)
I've been so excited about this book since I found out about it this Spring and now I finally have a copy to read and review! I'm on a blog tour for this book so I expect I'll be picking it up very soon.
The Fire Sermon by Francesca Haig (Proof Copy, For Review)
If you haven't heard of The Fire Sermon yet then let me be the first to tell you that this is a 2015 release you want on your radar. The early reviews have been phenomenal and there is a lot of early hype in the blogosphere. I'm hoping to get to this in either December or January and I hope it lives up to my expectations!
Winterspell by Claire Legrand (Bought)
Winterspell is one of my most anticipated releases of 2014. Since I was a kid I've been spellbound with The Nutcracker. I've been to see the ballet a couple of times and have watched several film adaptations so when I found out that a dark YA re-telling was coming out can you imagine my excitement!? This has been praised by Marissa Meyer whose books I love so I really hope this one is as good as I want it to be.
Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater (Bought)
I mean, we're all pretty excited for this one, right? I absolutely love The Raven Boys and Maggie's writing in general and will be reading this one hopefully in the next week or two.

   

The Great Christmas Knit Off by Alexandra Brown (E-book, Netgalley)
I haven't read any of Alexandra Brown's books yet but I know a lot of my blog friends love her Carrington's series. I believe that this is the first in a new series from this author and I am really excited to have it on my Christmas TBR.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (E-book, Netgalley)
This is another 2015 release that is getting a lot of early love. This is being pitched as the next big thriller with praise from Before I Go To Sleep author S J Watson blurbed on the cover. I have re-kindled my love for adult thrillers this year and am glad I have such an exciting book in the genre lined up for 2015.
Three Amazing Things About You by Jill Mansell (E-Book, Netgalley)
This sounds like it could be Jill Mansell's most emotional book yet! It's definitely one of the chick-lit 2015 releases I'm most excited for. If you like emotional life affirming reads I urge you to check out the synopsis for this one.

 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!

OCD, the Kindle and Me

Lately I’ve noticed that more and more publishers are relying on websites like Netgalley to get early proof copies to book bloggers. Recently I’ve been receiving more emails with a direct link to download an e-galley than I have with offers of a physical proof to read and whilst I think this is fantastic for a lot of reasons I couldn’t help but wonder if this is the way publicity is going in the future and how bloggers who don’t own or dislike e-readers feel about this new digital approach.

Personally I like my Kindle Paperwhite but I LOVE my physical books and really can’t see that ever changing. I have so many exciting books on my Kindle right now but they often get neglected in favour of physical books. In fact I’ll often be excited about an early e-proof for all of a day and then decide that I’d actually much rather wait and buy a finished copy which some people might think is a little crazy when I’m given the chance to read these books sometimes months in advance which brings me nicely on to a realisation I made the other day.

After thinking about this topic a lot over the last few weeks I realised that a large part of why I prefer not to read on my Kindle is because of my OCD. Part of my condition means that I have to do things as thoroughly and correctly as possible and when I’m reading on my Kindle I don’t feel like I’m getting the full reading experience. This is kind of silly when I’m quite happy to read proof copies that are subject to change but try telling my OCD that. I don’t get it either.

So after a lot of thought I have decided to make this year Project Learning to Love My Kindle. At the moment I tend to read one Kindle book per month (if that) and I’d like to start trying to up that to two or three books a month. I’m tired of not reading the books I want to read because I have this irrational fear of not reading the book properly. There are lots of pros for me personally for reading more on my Kindle and it’ll also help tackle an aspect of my OCD which can only be a good thing. I’m not saying that I want to become a full on Kindle advocate but if I can get to a stage where I feel like I can happily read what I want to on my Kindle that would be great.

If you’re a blogger who doesn’t own or dislikes e-readers I’d love to know how you feel about the rise of websites like Netgalley? Do you ever feel like you’re missing out on the latest thing? If you’re a publisher is there a future for paper proof copies? Or are you a reader who hates missing out on exclusive e-book short stories from your favourite authors? If for whatever reason you’ve ever missed out on reading a book due to a dislike of e-readers I feel your pain.

Letterbox Love (37) Books From The Past Few Weeks

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.

Hi lovelies! Here is my haul for February so far and it's pretty exciting! I received so many books from all different genre's some of which I've already read and were absolutely brilliant. My TBR is full of fantastic books right now and I feel like a kid in a sweet shop. In other bookish news I was delighted to find I had been quoted in another book and I also received a Valentines card from one of my favourite book boyfriends - not many people can say that right? But more on that later...Here is my book haul for February so far.

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Proof Copy)
This one dropped through my letterbox yesterday and I didn't know what it was at first 1.) Because I didn't recognise the cover and 2.) Because I didn't realise it was being published in the UK. And then I read the synopsis and did a happy dance when I realised it was one of my most anticipated books of 2014 in disguise. This sounds like a brilliant thriller and I can't wait to read it!
Sweet Damage by Rebecca James
This one sounds like another brilliant thriller! I've wanted to read something by Rebecca James for such a long time so this looks like my chance!
A Single Breath by Lucy Clarke (Proof Copy)
The Sea Sisters by the same author is a book I really wanted to read last year and just didn't have time to get around to so I'm hoping to read both A Single Breath and The Sea Sisters this spring because Lucy Clarke sounds like an author I'd love!
The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer
I'm SO excited for this book guys! It recently won the Costa Book Award and has been labelled 'one of the best books about mental illness' by Jo Brand a former mental health nurse. I believe that the author himself has also worked as a mental health nurse so I'm expecting good things from this one.

The Dead Wife's Handbook by Hannah Beckerman
This is another book that I'm ridiculously excited to read! All of my blog friends who have read it have absolutely loved it and I've spoken to the author Hannah on Twitter and she's so lovely. This is her debut novel and is about a woman who is dead who has to go through the stages of grief and watch her family move on without her. It sounds like such an emotional and beautiful read and I'm going to be picking it up very soon!
Sleuth or Dare by Robin Benway
Okay, so I haven't read the first book in this series yet but now I have the second one I can read both back to back. Robin Benway is one of my favourite authors and I seriously have to check this series out already!
Amy and Matthew by Cammie McGovern
I LOVED THIS BOOK! It's about a girl with Cerebral Palsy and a guy with OCD and their beautiful friendship. I'm going to have a review for this one up soon but if you're a fan of Eleanor and Park you want this book.
Cress by Marissa Meyer
This one arrived as a belated birthday present from the lovely Ellie and it was belated because she had it on pre-order for me. Needless to say I devoured this one pretty much straight away and it is my favourite of the series so far! Roll on Winter!

Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott
I just finished reading this book last night and I really enjoyed it! People seem to either love or hate this book but it's actually one of the only dystopian books that has held my interest in a very long time. I couldn't put it down and now really want a Pandora! I'll have a review up for this one soon.
Half Bad by Sally Green (Proof Copy)
Two copies of this actually arrived for review by mistake and so I'm giving away my spare copy on the blog now if you want to go and enter. This is another one of my most anticipated books of 2014 and the early hype has been through the roof with comparisons to J.K Rowling! I'm going to be reading this one very soon.
Where the Rock Splits the Sky by Philip Webb
I haven't heard too much about this one so far but the synopsis sounds interesting.
Shattered by Teri Terry
I'm so excited for this! My lovely friend Cait who works at the publishing house sent me out a copy of this for review. I really love this series and can't wait to see how Kyla's story ends. When I opened it up there was a little surprise on the first page but more on that a bit later...

 E-books For Review

 

Once again Netgalley and Edelweiss had too many tempting titles to resist. And that is all I have to say about that.

 Bookish Things

In case you missed my super subtle hint earlier on in this post I got quoted in another book! My quote is in the last book of the Slated Trilogy Shattered and I had no idea until I opened the book. This is the 11th book I've been quoted in now and it's still as exciting as the first time it happened.

I also received a lovely valentines card and chocolate heart from Mal from The Grisha Trilogy and I felt really special until I realised that he'd sent a card to all of the girls in the #GrishaArmy *sighs* I suppose I will just have to share him. Seriously though, massive thanks to Nina at Indigo for this it was such a lovely Valentines surprise! Publishers are awesome people.

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!

Letterbox Love (36) Birthday Book Haul!

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.

Thursday marked my 24th birthday and I had so many nice messages from you guys on Twitter! Thank you so much for that, they were coming in all day long! I had a really relaxed day of eating cake, reading my book, and catching up on some TV. I received make-up, PJ's, lovely smelling things from The Body Shop, chocolates, a gorgeous handmade Twiss pen, perfume and books. More books than I was expecting actually! I'm guessing you guys are here for the books so here's what I got for my birthday as well as the books I got for review this week. Needless to say I am feeling very lucky and spoilt! On a side note sorry about the quality of these photos - I took them whilst it was dark and storming outside.

 Birthday Books

Mother, Mother by Koren Zailckas
It's been ages since I read an adult thriller but I really felt like picking one up recently so after reading some good reviews from my blogger friends I bought this with some birthday money. I've been reading it this weekend whilst it's been stormy and I'm loving it!
How to Fall in Love by Cecelia Ahern
This one was a gift from my brother. I used to love Cecelia Ahern and read her books religiously but I haven't read any of her new books in recent years. This ones synopsis really caught my attention and I'm looking forward to rediscovering this author soon.
Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach
This is another book a little out of my comfort zone but I think it sounds fantastic and I've seen so many good reviews for it! Maybe this will be the year I rediscover my love for adult thrillers?
Vicious by V. E. Schwab
This one has been on my wishlist since it was first released in the US but I've been holding out for the UK edition and was so happy to receive this from my mum and dad. I love Victoria Schwab's YA novels and I can't wait to read this!

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
This book has been on my wishlist for ages but there are so many gorgeous editions of it that I wasn't sure which one to get! I was really pleased to receive this edition which has the girl in the dress from the UK cover and the lovely design of the US hardback. Basically it's the best of both from the two covers I was torn between! I've heard great things for this series and can't wait to see what the fuss is about.
Golden by Jessi Kirby
Jessi Kirby is an author I've been meaning to check out for a while. I've read so many rave reviews for Golden and I'm so glad I have a hardback copy - it's absolutely beautiful!
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
Laurie is one of my favourite authors from when I was a teen so I was all over this one when I opened it! It's also about PTSD which I've been diagnosed with so I can't wait to see how she handles it. 

For Review

Far From You by Tess Sharpe (Proof Copy)
I was so excited when this came in the post! It sounds like a fantastic YA thriller and has been on my radar for a while now. I'm looking forward to reading and reviewing this soon.
The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes
This book arrived as a total surprise and I couldn't be happier! I've only read one book by the author before and that was the beautiful Me Before You which is actually one of my all time favourite books so I'm really excited to read something new from Jojo.
If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
This one I've actually already read and reviewed (check out my review here) but it arrived as a surprise along with Far From You from the publishers. This is the new paperback edition and I'm completely in love with this cover! I only had the proof copy until now so I'm so happy to replace it with this beautiful edition.

 From Netgalley 

Netgalley got me again this week! Simon and Schuster UK have recently joined and have been tempting me with their upcoming titles. I just finished reading The Wish List by Jane Costello which I read for my birthday and I absolutely loved it! I just had to snatch up The Time of Our Lives when I saw it on there! The Year of the Rat is one that I've heard exciting things about for months now and it sounds absolutely heartbreaking and beautiful. Then there's the new J.A Redmerski who is one of my favourite NA authors. The publishers emailed me about The Memory Book which sounds right up my street and like another beautiful and moving read. It also has a comparison to Me Before You which completely sold me. I have so many exciting books on my Kindle right now that I'm like a kid in a sweetshop - spoiled for choice and not sure where to begin first!

 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 A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey

A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey 
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release: 2nd January 2014
Genre: Historical Fiction, YA, Paranormal, Witchcraft
Source: Received for review via Netgalley





Goodreads Summary:

"Emma Day and her two cousins, Gretchen and Penelope, are uninterested in their debutante lives. All the boring balls, tiresome curtsying and polite conversation leave much to be desired. Then a girl is found dead, frost clinging to her lifeless body, and the murder is traced to Emma. As their world is turned upside down, Emma discovers more about herself and her cousins, from her connection to the murders to the secrets of her family legacy. Now the girls must embrace their true Lovegrove inheritance in order to stop the chaos, even if that means risking their lives. Dangerously handsome Cormac Fairfax wants to help Emma – but, with secrets of his own to hide, can she trust him?"

Review 
I really enjoyed Alyxandra Harvey’s previous historical novel ‘Haunting Violet’ so when I heard about her latest novel ‘A Breath of Frost’ which is about witches and set in Regency London I figured what’s not to like? And decided to give this book a go. For me this book was very hit and miss. Although it didn’t tick all of the right boxes for what I’m currently looking for in a great read I have no doubt that fans of Alyxandra Harvey and witchcraft will love it.

A Breath of Frost has a lot going on and we’re thrown into the action right away. There’s murder, mystery and magic with debutantes, finishing school and romance. Where this book went wrong for me is that I feel like the author tried to tackle too many topics at once leaving some aspects of the book feeling underdeveloped. I personally loved the story of the Lovegrove’s legacy and the girls discovering their powers during a time when being a powerful and strong woman is not the norm in society. However I was really underwhelmed by the whole murder mystery, I guessed a few of the plot twists and I found myself skimming over those parts of the book. I also felt like the rules regarding the magic were never fully established which I think is crucial when making a paranormal world believable. I would have liked to have understood the magic in this story better.

The highlight of the book for me were definitely our three heroines Emma, Penelope and Gretchen. Although at times they seemed a bit modern and overly British (I lost count of the amount of times they said “bloody”) they each had distinctive and strong personalities and were so much fun to read about.

Overall A Breath of Frost was a decent read that I enjoyed at the time but it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me and I probably won’t be continuing on with this series.

Letterbox Love (35) First Book Haul of the Year!

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.

Why, hello there Letterbox Lovers! I haven't done one of these things since October. My reason? I'm being really choosy with what I accept for review these days and with the books I actually buy. I've found myself being really picky with the books I read recently - which I don't think is a bad thing - but it does mean that gone are the days of mega book hauls which is kind of sad but I'm actually really enjoying being selective with my reading. It's all about quality over quantity! There are actually only 5 books on my wishlist that are out right now which is kind of crazy. Anyway, I digress. I do have a book haul for you today which consists of all of the books I've acquired so far in January. It's my 24th birthday next Thursday so I might be back with another little haul next week. I'm not sure how often I'll be taking part in Letterbox Love in the future but I will be doing them whenever I have enough books to put together to do a post. Here's my haul for January so far!

 For Review

Looking For JJ by Anne Cassidy
I first read and loved Looking For JJ when I was a teenager and with the anticipated sequel Finding Jennifer Jones finally out next month the publishers have very kindly sent me the first book to re-read and refresh my memory ready for the sequel! I hope I love this just as much the second time around.
The Three by Sarah Lotz (Proof Copy)
This book was a total surprise, I hadn't even heard of it until it landed on my doorstep from the publishers but after reading the synopsis I am SO excited to read this! It sounds so strange and creepy and I HAVE to know what's going on. I have high hopes for this.
Finding Jennifer Jones by Anne Cassidy
This arrived along with Looking For JJ and I plan on reading and reviewing both books back to back soon!
The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson by Paige Toon
I've been so excited for this book ever since I heard about it! Paige Toon is a hugely successful writer of women's fiction and this is her first venture into YA revolving around the daughter of Johnny Jefferson from her adult novels Johnny Be Good and Baby Be Mine.
It Felt Like a Kiss by Sarra Manning
This book came as another surprise! I received a proof copy at the end of last year and this week I was sent a gorgeous finished copy. I love Sarra's YA books and have yet to read one of her chick-lit novels so this will be a fantastic place to start. Really looking forward to reading this soon!

e-books

  

Netgalley and Edelweiss have been full of tempting goodies lately which is where I got all of these apart from Making Faces which I bought after reading the synopsis and seeing the Beauty and the Beast comparison. After receiving a new Kindle Paperwhite for Christmas I have been loving reading on my Kindle even more than usual lately and I'm really looking forward to reading these beauties!

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 The Reunion by Amy Silver

The Reunion by Amy Silver 
Publisher: Arrow
Release: 12th September 2013
Genre: Fiction, Friendship, Women’s Fiction
Source: Received via Netgalley




Goodreads Summary:

"They thought they'd be friends forever.

Jen, Andrew, Lilah, Natalie and Dan were inseparable at university, but in the seventeen years since they left they have hardly seen each other. Until Jen invites them all to stay at her house in the French Alps. The house where they once spent a golden summer before tragedy tore them apart.

When a snowstorm descends, they find themselves trapped and forced to confront their unresolved issues, frustrated passions and broken friendships. And as relationships shift and marriages flounder, the truth about what really happened years before is slowly revealed. And Jen realises that perhaps some wounds can never be healed..."

Review 
Amy Silver is one of my favourite authors for women’s fiction and I don’t think that her books get nearly enough attention as they deserve. If you enjoy character driven stories about realistic, and at times difficult, topics then Amy Silver is the author for you – I love unravelling the messy tangle of her characters’ lives! The Reunion is moving and compelling and it makes a nice change of pace from the happy festive reads that you can find in abundance at this time of year whilst still being an ideal read for cosying up with by the fire.

This story of betrayal, friendship and secrets begins with five old friends who haven’t spoken in years being thrown together in a remote cottage in France during a snow storm. Best friends at University until tragedy tore them apart Jen, Dan, Nat, Andrew and Lilah haven’t spoken since that fatal day. With news to share Jen invites them under false pretences to spend a weekend at her home in France that’s haunted by the happy and sad memories of the summers the group shared there. When a snow storm hits, the group are trapped and are forced to confront the past and untangle the messy and complicated relationships they have with one another as well as confront the blame and guilt they feel over the part they played on that life changing day. Amy Silver doesn’t give up all of her secrets at once; everything is slowly revealed in chapters that are set both in the past and present so that we get to thoroughly examine each character and their actions and the revelations that add vital pieces to the puzzle keep on coming until the very end.

Each character is so well developed. They’re all incredibly human with both good and bad traits. By the end of the book I felt like I knew every one of them inside out from what makes them tick to what brings them happiness. Each character had their flaws but I couldn’t help but love all of them because I could always understand where they were coming from and the thought process behind their actions. Each character has a place in the group and holds a piece of the puzzle and I loved seeing how one characters actions would then go on to influence somebody else’s decisions and so on until that heart-breaking final.

The Reunion is such a hard book to review because I don’t want to give away any of its secrets but if you enjoy books that give you plenty to chew over and characters who you can’t stop thinking about once you’ve put the book down then this is the book for you. Amy Silver has delivered an emotional and enthralling read and I’m already looking forward to what she comes out with next.