Hey guys,
I’m not feeling too great today – let me say that boy drama sucks so bad. So I’m really excited to do this post because I think it will be a great distraction. I’ve been meaning to do this for over a month but I just haven’t gotten around to it because I had quite a few other tags I had to get to first.
I was very kindly tagged to do this by One Book More. I love her blog – she has amazing content and is just so sweet, plus she loves Les Mis just as much as I do! – you should definitely check her out.
What is the best book that you’ve read so far in 2020?
I think it was probably Man Crush Monday by Kirsty Mosley. I think it’s the highest reviewed books in my blogs history. I cannot recommend it enough.
Perma-single Amy Clarke prides herself on three things: her pink hair, her Converse collection, and her ability to drink copious amounts of margarita without puking. She isn’t looking for love. She’s perfectly content with her simultaneous love affairs with Netflix and both Ben and Jerry. The trouble is, sometimes, love finds you. Five months ago, he climbed aboard her train, and nothing has been the same since. Fast-forward to now, she still doesn’t know his name, but she knows she wants his babies. Her crush—this tall, dark, and handsome dork who gets on her train every other Monday—has no idea he brightens her day with his panty-wetting smile and laugh that makes her pulse quicken. When a chance encounter outside of work forces them to have their first proper conversation, things quickly go from loving him from afar to up close and very personal. With a string of disastrous exes in her past, has Amy finally found her Mr Perfect? Or does fate have other plans?
What has been your favourite sequel of the first half of the year?
It is definitely Scorched by Joss Stirling. I am so sad that this series is done. I could seriously read another 100 books about these characters and their lives. You need to read this.
Love is a fire. But who will get burned?
Ember Lord is facing charges for the murder of her father. She was found at the scene of the crime, holding the murder weapon, and refuses to explain herself.
Joe Masters is tasked with getting under Ember’s skin, and breaking through her stony facade; to gain her trust and find out what her plans are now her father’s legally-questionable business is under her control.
But as the two get closer, Joe begins to break down the wall that Ember has built around herself, and gets a glimpse of the truth behind. Is he really falling for a cold-hearted killer? Or is there more to the murder than meets the eye?
The incredible final instalment of Joss Stirling’s Young Detective Agency series, a companion novel to Stung, Shaken, and the award-winning Struck. Romantic thrillers that will make your heart skip a beat.
Is there a new release that you haven’t read yet but you’re really excited for?
I was super excited for both Rebel Spy by Veronica Rosssi and Hood By Jenny Elder Moke but I haven’t gotten around to reading either of them.
RS – Rebellious Frannie Tasker knows little about the war between England and its thirteen colonies in 1776, until a shipwreck off her home in Grand Bahama Island presents an unthinkable opportunity. The body of a young woman floating in the sea gives Frannie the chance to escape her brutal stepfather–and she takes it. Assuming the identity of the drowned Emmeline Coates, Frannie is rescued by a British merchant ship and sails with the crew to New York. For the next three years, Frannie lives a lie as Miss Coates, swept up in a courtship by a dashing British lieutenant. But after witnessing the darker side of the war, she realizes that her position gives her power. Soon she finds herself eavesdropping on British officers, risking everything to pass information on to George Washington’s Culper spy ring as agent 355. Frannie believes in the fight for American liberty–but what will it cost her? Inspired by the true “355” and rich in historical detail and intrigue, this is the story of an unlikely New York society girl turned an even unlikelier spy.
Hood – Isabelle of Kirklees has only ever known a quiet life inside the sheltered walls of the convent, where she lives with her mother, Marien. But after she is arrested by royal soldiers for defending innocent villagers, Isabelle becomes the target of the Wolf, King John’s ruthless right hand. Desperate to keep her daughter safe, Marien helps Isabelle escape and sends her on a mission to find the one person who can help: Isabelle’s father, Robin Hood. As Isabelle races to stay out of the Wolf’s clutches and find the father she’s never known, she is thrust into a world of thieves and mercenaries, handsome young outlaws, new enemies with old grudges, and a king who wants her entire family dead. As she joins forces with Robin and his Merry Men in a final battle against the Wolf, will Isabelle find the strength to defy the crown and save the lives of everyone she holds dear?
What is your most anticipated release for the second half of the year?
This is easy – Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett. I am in love with everything she’s ever written. This was meant to come out in June but got pushed back until November because of Corona so I have to wait a little longer before I can get to it.
Budding photographer Josie Saint-Martin has spent half her life with her single mother, moving from city to city. When they return to her historical New England hometown years later to run the family bookstore, Josie knows it’s not forever. Her dreams are on the opposite coast, and she has a plan to get there. What she doesn’t plan for is a run-in with the town bad boy, Lucky Karras. Outsider, rebel…and her former childhood best friend. Lucky makes it clear he wants nothing to do with the newly returned Josie. But everything changes after a disastrous pool party, and a poorly executed act of revenge lands Josie in some big-time trouble—with Lucky unexpectedly taking the blame. Determined to understand why Lucky was so quick to cover for her, Josie discovers that both of them have changed, and that the good boy she once knew now has a dark sense of humor and a smile that makes her heart race. And maybe, just maybe, he’s not quite the brooding bad boy everyone thinks he is…
What is your biggest disappointment so far?
This is hard because I read a lot of books for Uni that don’t live up to expectations – Frankenstein by Mary Shelley being a big notable one. But books that I picked up of my own volition that I was disappointed in definitely Altered Helix by Stephanie Hansen. I really didn’t like it. It felt forced and had mistakes that still irk me to this day.
I didn’t want to take the traditional path. First, I wasn’t ready for college. Second, I was going to live with my best friend, Tiff, and work at the Haunted House. Third, did I mention the hot guy Josh that works there too? The most exciting thing about Austria’s new job, at a local haunted house, was the fact that the toughest looking people screamed the loudest. But when she meets the boy without a home, Josh, Austria’s life takes intriguing and eventful turns. Up until now, Josh has managed to hang with his Street crowd, but they’re in danger, and so is Austria, the girl Josh recently fell for. The group finds themselves joining forces with previously considered enemies who also now find themselves in danger. Deeply compassionate and full of twists, Altered Helix captures the struggle of polarized people that must work together for the greater good.
What is your biggest surprise so far?
It was probably Technically , You Started It by Lana Wood Johnson. I got this for Christmas, and it’s written entirely in text form which I wasn’t entirely sure about at first. But I completely adored it! It was so unique and amazing. Totally recommend.
When a guy named Martin Nathaniel Munroe II texts you, it should be obvious who you’re talking to. Except there’s two of them (it’s a long story), and Haley thinks she’s talking to the one she doesn’t hate. A question about a class project rapidly evolves into an all-consuming conversation. Haley finds that Martin is actually willing to listen to her weird facts and unusual obsessions, and Martin feels like Haley is the first person to really see who he is. Haley and Martin might be too awkward to hang out in real life, but over text, they’re becoming addicted to each other. There’s just one problem: Haley doesn’t know who Martin is. And Martin doesn’t know that Haley doesn’t know. But they better figure it out fast before their meet-cute becomes an epic meet-disaster . . .
Who is your favourite new to you, or debut, author?
The author who is new to me that I really enjoyed was Rebecca Crunden. I read Haze, and I am currently trying to motivate myself to read A Game of Wings and Marks because I have no motivation to read at the moment, but I also really want to get to it.
Who is your favourite fictional crush from this year?
Probably Colin from To Be Your Last by Rae Kennedy. He was amazing. But it’s close because I also LOVED Logan in that book. He was just adorable and brilliant. Gracie may not have wanted him but I do ❤
“Come with us.” Logan is charismatic. And when he invites me to run away with his band on tour for the summer, I say yes. I’ve never done something so reckless. But I’m desperate to escape. Desperate to run away from the lies I’ve been telling my family, away from expectations, away from being perfect Gracie Gallagher. This summer I’m going to be fun Gracie. Exciting Gracie. I’m going to get wild. Screw being responsible. Screw Colin—the broody, tattooed singer who doesn’t want me here. Screw the consequences—even if that means a broken heart.
What are 6 books that you want to read by the end of the year?
I currently have 5 Netgalley Reads that I need to get to. And then also A Game of Wings and Marks by Rebecca Crunden. And then Also chasing lucky! So I certainly will be busy.
Anyway, that’s all for this one. I really liked it and it actually made me feel a lot better to get writing – so thank you blog. I think singing Wait For It at the top of my voice probably helped a little too haha. I love looking back at what I have managed to accomplished. It always makes me feel more positive so this was perfect for me today.
Just like One Book More I will tag anyone who made it this far to do the tag. I can’t wait to see how all of your years have gone so far. See you tomorrow ❤
Hawthorn Book Reviews 
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