November Wrap Up

Hey guys! I hope you all had a great November. I decided to fill this post out as the month went on rather than all at once at the end of the month and it has definitely helped! This post hasn’t taken nearly as long as it wold have done if I had done it all at once and I think I am definitely going to keep filling out my Wrap Up posts throughout the month. Looking back over the month, I definitely need to go onto a book buying ban until at least the new year! I feel like I had a great reading month and I am well on my way to completing this year’s Goodreads Reading Challenge with 87/90 books read so far.

Read:

• Diplomatic Immunity by Brodi Ashton – DNF, 1 star (Read in October, reviewed in November).
• The Crown’s Fate by Evelyn Skye – DNF, 1 star.
• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin – 5 star
• Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano – DNF, 1 star
• Fighting Destiny by Amelia Hutchins – Review on Goodreads (Adult), 5 star
• Taunting Destiny by Amelia Hutchins – Review on Goodreads (Adult), 5 star
• Beta Read – A bond of Destiny and Dragons by Karen Tomlinson (obviously no review)
• You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston – ARC, 4 star.
• Warcross by Marie Lu – 5 star
• Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton – 4 star
• The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson – DNF, 1 star (review to come!)
• First We Were IV by Alexandra Sirrowy – DNF, 1 star (review to come!)

Physical Books read this month! Missing is The Crown’s Fate by Evelyn Skye because I traded it for another book with someone 

Bought:

• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
• The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
• The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
• The Assassin’s Heart by Sarah Ahiers
• What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler
• Skinny by Ibi Kaslik
• A Whole New World: A Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell
• Once Upon a Dream: A Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell
• Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
• Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
• Bleed Like Me by Christa Desir
• The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh M. O’Brien
• What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang
• Once We Were by Kat Zhang
• Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
• Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
• The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
• Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody
• The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell
• Warcross by Marie Lu
• Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre (Trade)
• Red Rising by Pierce Brown
• Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
• Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao
• Flashfall by Jenny Moyer
• First Days by C. L. Stone
• Drop of Doubt by C. L. Stone
• Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception by Maggie Stiefvater
• The Hobbit (Parts 1 and 2) Slipcase edition by J. R. R. Tolkein
• Roseblood by A. G. Howard
• Fairyloot book (See unboxing to avoid spoilers)

Physical books bought this month! I found a website that is similar to Book Outlet but for Germany and I may have gone a little wild!

ARCs Acquired:

• You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston – Netgalley
• #Prettyboy Must Die by Kimberly Reid – Netgalley
• Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy – Netgalley
• Fairyloot book (see unboxing to avoid spoilers)

Goodreads Monday:

• Monday 6th – Skinny by Ibi Kaslik
• Monday 13th – The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
• Monday 20th – No Saints in Kansas by Amy Bashear
• Monday 27th – Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julia C. Dao

Special Posts:

• Release Day Spotlight: Alone By Cyn Balog
• Fairyloot Unboxing – Ladies that Slay.

Book of the Month

I’ve decided to add a new feature to my monthly wrap ups and that is the Book of the Month. This will be my favourite book read during the month! So, this months book of the month is a from an author I wasn’t expecting to love because I disliked all of her previous works!

Warcross by Marie Lu

Published: September 12th 2017 by G. P. Putnam’s son book for Young Readers

My Review

Amazon: Warcross

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

This has been a fantastic month for me and I cannot even believe that it is nearly the end of the year already! In other news, I have already put the Christmas decorations up (bar the tree) and the house is looking pretty festive!

How has your month been? Feel free to let me know in the comments and feel free to add your links to monthly wrap ups so I can see what you guys have been up to!

Find me Here:

Instagram/Twitter/Goodreads/Litsy @ Lauren’s Page Turners

 

Hoax by C. L. Stone

Hoax by C. L. Stone

Published: October 16th 2016 by Arcato Publishing

Someone tried to kill Kayli Winchester. That someone is going to pay.

After going overboard and nearly drowning, Kayli regroups and joins Axel, Corey, Brandon, Marc, and Raven back on board the Lucienda. This time, she’s brought reinforcements. Liam and Henry join the team in an all-out hunt for a killer. It can’t be too hard; there’s only so many places to hide on a cruise ship. But the number of suspects is climbing.

Tensions are high, and everyone is on alert, but along the way, there’s way too many distractions–very hot distractions. Kayli’s done hiding her feelings. She’s showing her hand, come what may. She’s never held back before she met this team–why start now?

But when one of their team members disappears, all clues point to mutiny. Is the team going to fracture because of her? Did someone throw her overboard because of jealousy?

Kayli refuses to believe it, but she’ll have to provide proof before the murderer finds out she’s still alive and comes back to complete the job.

C. L. Stone is easily one of my absolute favourite authors out there. I could easily jump into any one of her books and know that I am going to love it! It has been a while since I read the previous book in this series and I didn’t feel like I was missing any information or that I needed to go back and remind myself as to what happened.

This book starts exactly where the previous one left off. There is no time lapse in between the ending of the previous book and the start of this book, which I quite like because there was no explanation needed as to what had happened in between. I don’t want to go into too much because of spoilers, but it was easy to remember what had happened within the previous books.

I absolutely LOVE Kayli as a character. She completely slays everything she does, but at the same time she has her character flaws, which keeps her relatable to the readers. I enjoyed reading her interactions with all of the boys and the way in which the relationships grew and changed as the circumstances began to change – the relationship dynamic has become something completely different and I cannot wait to see how it continues to grow throughout the next book!

The plot of this book was fast paced and kept me on my toes throughout. There was always new information coming out and the twists and turns that revealed themselves throughout kept me hooked. This was a really quick read for me purely because I was loving every second of it – both plot wise and character wise.

Please excuse me whilst I go for a cold shower! The scenes between Kayli and the various boys (don’t judge it before you read it) was absolutely amazing and, as mentioned, I needed a cold shower! There was such a connection between her and each one of the boys and the dynamic between each of them helped keep each relationship fresh and interesting. I also liked the way that the author represented a gay couple – they were absolutely adorable and I cannot wait to see their relationship (finally) develop and grow, along with the relationship dynamic with Kayli.

All in all, I LOVED this book and this author is most definitely one of my favourites. I cannot even wait for the next book in this series and I am so looking forward to the way things play out – especially after the ending with Raven. I gave this book 5/5 stars.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and Bookish

Hey guys! 🙂 This weeks TTT is top ten books I picked up on a whim! So in nor particular order:

10.  The Line by Teri Hall – Amazon recommended this to me and I decided to grab a copy! It wasn’t that bad – should really continue with this series!

9.  Invisible – I – Am by Harriet Showman – I saw this on Netgalley and decided to request it! I did have a few problems with it, that weren’t meant to be there, so I have been given a new copy, without the grammatical errors and I am going to re read it!

8.  Wrecked by Maria Padian – Again, I saw this on Netgalley and thought that this is definitely my kind of read! I received an ARC copy of this book and I really enjoyed it 🙂

7.  A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas – Believe it or not, I actually had no idea what this book was even about before I went into it! I saw the authors name and decided I had to pick up a copy … without reading the premise.

6.  Camp Outlook by Brenda Baker – Everything always comes back around to Netgalley!!

5.  Cinder by Marissa Meyer – I ummed and ahhhed about this for a very long time before I just decided to pick it up. Kicked myself afterward for not picking it up sooner!

4.  Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi – Because who can resist a cover like that!

3.  Introductions: The Academy by C. L. Stone – This looked like my kind of read, so I picked it up!

2.  Reluctant Guardian by Melissa J. Cunningham – i was offered a free copy of this book in return for an honest review. I just decided to take it, even though it wasn’t really my kind of thing.

1.  Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas – I was in hospital, bored… I had to do something! I loved Dangerous Boys, so this was a must read…
3. What did you guys pick up on a whim? Feel free to leave links and I will check them all out!  Ignore the 2. and 3. … my WordPress is acting out!!

The Healing Power of Sugar by C. L. Stone

It’s been a week since Sang has attended any classes at Ashley Waters, and since then, everything has changed. Her school schedule has been turned upside down, and now, thanks to her absences, the school counselor, Ms. Wright, has suspended her. The fear of school officials getting further involved and looking to contact her parents has Sang and the boys forced into their best behavior. It seems that the once perfect student, Sang Sorenson, is now one of the school’s worst, and without explanation, because she needs to keep her lips tightly sealed. Academy secrets are becoming hazardous to keep.

The more that Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke and North try to protect her, the more inevitable her downfall seems to be. They do their best to make sure Sang stays in school and when she returns to classes, try to help her get back on the straight and narrow—she can’t afford to screw up anymore.

But then fate deals out a setback that cripples the whole team, and they need to make a move, it turns into a risky one. There’s no way to predict the outcome. If they fail, the boys may lose the job they were sent to do, and worse, they may even lose Sang.

Everything gets more difficult when it’s revealed there might be a traitor amidst the group. Desperate to fix things, Sang needs to stop the group from spilling secrets and find out the truth.

And why all fingers seem to be pointing to Luke.

The Academy, Magnanimous (Goodreads)

So, I actually received an ARC copy of this book a few weeks before it came out (like I do with all of this author’s new releases). At that time, I didn’t have a kindle, so I downloaded it onto my Laptop… ibooks. When I get my kindle, what do I do? I forget completely about this book!!! How Could I forget about this book – this series is one of my all time favourites!! So, when I received an ARC copy of First Kiss last week – I obviously had to read it! I am just kicking myself right now.

For anyone who has read the other books in this series, we all know (just from the title) that the book is going to focus primarily on Luke… aka the sugar freak. In a way, I think this book helped me to get the idea of Luke being the baby of the group out of my head. Throughout the series, I have always viewed him as the smallest and the youngest (although I can’t actually remember if this is technically true) for absolutely no apparent reason. I think this book helped to develop him as a character to to see him as someone who could easily be a part of the group and the plan they have to get Sang to be a part of them.

Of course, the rest of the boys were perfect – as per usual. It is Thanksgiving in this book, so it was nice to see some of the things that America apparently does on this holiday. I have to admit, I don’t really know all that much about it except from the part where they eat a whole ton of food and spend time with the family. The Thanksgiving activities had me smiling throughout and I thought it was all very cutesy and helped to show progress with their relationships. Also, can I just say Mr Blackbourne! I am literally pining after his story and I really hope it comes soon!

I think Sang was a little to fast to jump to conclusions when it comes to Luke. She suspected him of things that he would never do and she seemed to break the cardinal rule of trust – which wasn’t even mentioned. I liked all the action scenes and I actually felt really sorry for Luke when it comes to North – because he is constantly on Luke’s case!!

The one this I will say is that there were a few grammatical errors, which I am afraid is going to have to lose a star for me. Whilst I love this book and this series, I really dislike simple errors that could have been ironed out during the publishing process.

All in all, I really adored this book and I do not feel that it is losing steam, despite being the 9th book in the series! I really look forward to reading First Kiss (which I am going to read next!). I gave this book 4/5 stars.

Grab your copy here!

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and Bookish.

Hey guys! Time for another TTT. This week it is top ten books that made me laugh (or giggle). I am just going to jump right in there – so in no particular order:

10. Spelled by Betsy Schow. This book had me rolling around with laughter! Amazon

9.  The Distance Between Us by Kasie West – This author never fails to make me smile or laugh! Especially because her books are just so damned cute!! Amazon

8.  Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – This book is pretty adorable, especially because the MC’s are easily relatable and fairly funny. Amazon

7.  The Selection by Kiera Cass – America made me laugh more than once, especially because she reminded me of myself!! Amazon.

6.  Introductions by C. L. Stone – This book (series) is very cutesy and the boys just make everything funnier! Amazon

5.  Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill – I thought Jason was a wild card and fairly amusing. I loved his easy going attitude. Amazon.

4.  Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols Another really easy going book in which the MC made me laugh throughout! Amazon

3.  To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han – I think certain situations in this book were highly amusing! Amazon

2.  Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi – I know this is not your average laugh out loud book, but some of the things that Kenji came out with just had me in stitches! Amazon.

1.  On the Fence by Kasie West – I know this is another Kasie West book, but who can resist the witty charm of this authors’ MC’s?? Amazon

That is it!! All of these books made me laugh in one form or another! What did you guys add? Please feel free to leave links and comments and I will check them all out!

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews.

Hey guys!! It has been another week already, which I find pretty dang crazy!! I wasn’t actually planning to get any new books this week, because of my little spree last week. However, Netgalley is a bad addiction for me…

 Invisible-I-Am by Gregg Davis (and Harriet Showman) – I was drawn in by the premise, but the book was a major disappointment for me personally and I ended up DNFing it. This book was published last year, so it was a free ebook in return for an honest review. My Review. Amazon.

 Wrecked by Maria Padian – I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review. I actually really enjoyed this book and would be happy to buy a physical copy when it comes out in October! My Review. Amazon.

 The Awakening (Emerge #1) – I am currently reading this book and it is pretty good so far 🙂 So, go netgalley!! Amazon.

 Camp Outlook by Brenda Baker – I actually quite enjoyed this book, with a few points that were’t so good. I think this book sent a pretty powerful message across… Again, this was a book given to me for review. My Review. Amazon.

 First Kiss by C. L. Stone – I am on the mailing list for all of C. L. Stone’s new books, so I was happy when this came into my inbox!! This comes out 25th April 🙂 Amazon.

So, that is it for me! I will try and stay away from Netgalley next week… I really need to get through the books I have! What have you guys added this week? Feel free to leave links and comments and I will check them all out!

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and Bookish.

Hey guys!! Hope you all had a great christmas and got everything that you all wanted and had fun rocking around the tree! 🙂 This weeks TTT is top ten most anticipated releases for the first half of 2016 – but I will probably just go for the whole of 2016! So, in no particular order:

10.  The Crown by Kiera Cass. This really is the last instalment in the Selection set and I just cannot wait!

9.  This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp I literally cannot wait to read this book!! I love books with themes like this and I just … need it!

8.  Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard. I think as an official member of the Scarlet Guard, it is my duty to pine for this book… which I was doing even before I became a member!

7.  Heartless by Marissa Meyer This is not the official cover, but good enough for the point – if this book is anywhere near as good as the Lunar Chronicles, then we are in for a treat!

6.  Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins. For anyone who read my reviews of the first two, I was less than impressed. Having said that, I am willing to give this series a chance to get the finale right!

5.  Endure by Sara B. Larson. I adore this series and I literally cannot wait for this instalment!

4.  Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi. Again, I adore Mafi’s writing, so I cannot wait to see what she in store for us next!

3.  The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude. I know nothing about this author – but the premise looks promising! 🙂

2.  Shiny Broken Pieces by Sona Charaiporta and Dhonielle Clayton. I LOVED Tiny Pretty Things!!! So, it is obvious that I need this book!

1. Hoax by C. L. Stone. This doesn’t have any form of cover whatsoever and also no premise! It is, however, the 5th in the Scarab Beetle series and I can’t wait!

Thats it!! What are you guys waiting on? Feel free to leave links and answers below!

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and Bookish.

Hey guys! This weeks TTT is top ten christmas wishlist. There are so many books that I want, it is pretty hard to narrow down this list! Some of them are physical copies of books that I have already read, whilst others are new books that I want.

10.  What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler I loved this book! I really want a physical copy of this book just so I can stroke it and sleep with it under my pillow…

9.  The Programme by Suzanne Young. This is a book that I have heard a lot about, but have never had the chance read it yet – I cannot wait to get my hands on this book!

8.  Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would and I would love to have my own physical copy of it!

7.  Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I actually own (and am currently reading) a copy of Winter, so I need to complete this set of physical copies of my shelf by buying the first three in the series!

6.  The Young Elites by Marie Lu. I have been anxious to read this book for a long while!

5.  Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton. Who would not want to own a physical copy of this book???

4.  The Academy Series by C. L. Stone. I actually own all of the Academy books as an E – Copy – whether that be The Scarab Beetle series or the Ghost Bird – What I would love is to own physical copies!

3.  A Song of Ice and Fire series. Because life isn’t complete without ASOIAF.

2.  Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick. I have had this on my TBR for quite some time now – I really want to be able to take it off of the list!

1.  Splintered by A. G. Howard. Physical copies of this series to encourage the madness in me! 😉

This is it! This is my christmas wishlist (If I ever had one!). What do you guys want from santa this year? Feel free to leave links and comments below!

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and Bookish.

Hey guys! This weeks TTT is a Thanksgiving Freebie! So, the only thing I seem to actually know about Thanksgiving is what I see in the movies – Family and enough food to last a few months! Anyway, away from American holidays, I am going to do top ten series I am thankful for! There are so many series that I just LOVE and I am not sure what I would do if they didn’t exist. Of course, I also have to narrow it down! In no particular order:

10.  Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. I adore this series!! Especially because this is the first book in which I fell in love with the seemingly evil character instead of the character that we are supposed to love!

9.  Introductions by C. L. Stone. The Ghost Bird series is something that I am addicted to. I get withdrawal symptoms whilst having to wait for the next instalment.

8.  A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. This is a given – anything that is great on the big screen and in print is worth a spot on this list!

7.  The Selection by Kiera Cass. A dystopian version of The Bachelor – what’s not to love?

6.  Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. “Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well.”

5.  The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. I was late to jump onto this bandwagon – but better late than never!

4.  Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I actually really need to catch up with this series, but I love what I have read of it!

3.  The Stolen Empire by Sherry D. Ficklin. Historical fiction… I adored this series from the very beginning and I cannot wait to read the last instalment.

2.  Defy by Sara B. Larson. A strong female lead and a lot of action – anyone who doesn’t love this series lives clearly under a rock. Again, I cannot wait for the last instalment!

1.  Splintered by A. G. Howard. For the madness in all of us!

So, this is it (here I am). What did you guys do? Feel free to leave comments and links below.

 

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s reviews.

Hey guys! This post is coming a little bit late in the day, but between my son, shopping and cooking, I never got around to doing it earlier on. i only have two new additions this week, both of which are review books and both of which made up my “This Week in Books” post.

 Distraction by Laura Clark. I am slowly working my way through this book. I have mixed feelings about it so far – we shall see how it pans out!

 The Healing Power of Sugar by C. L. Stone. I have been waiting for this book ever since I read the last instalment in hospital in April!!! I cannot wait to read it! 🙂

What did you guys add? Feel free to leave answers and comments below.