Clare's October Wrap Up and November TBR

October Wrap Up:

In October I read a total of 14 books which is pretty good I think! This month I read my top 3 favourites of the year so far (and honestly they'll be hard to top) so quality wise it was also an amazing month! 

14/13/12. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen: I did actually enjoy these books but I wasn't as connected to the characters as I would have liked and, whilst fun, the mysteries weren't compelling enough for me - I found them a little too easy to solve which was disappointing. I do still want to continue on with this series however.

11. White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz: I've enjoyed her novels under the name Amanda Quick before so I was keen to give her other books a try. I enjoyed this about as much as I expected to. It was a light and fun read with a good mystery/thriller element. The romance developed a little too fast for me and the ending felt slightly off but overall I really enjoyed it.

10. With Malice by Eileen Cook: This was very similar to Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas but I did really like the format of this book - the added in blog posts and transcripts really added another dimension to the story. It was truly chilling to see how the media and online commenters manipulated stories and photographs to paint Jill as guilty and then how quickly they switched when they found someone else to hate. 

9. The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie: This is the first in the Miss Marple series and yet surprisingly - not a lot of Miss Marple! She does come in at the end to solve the mystery and put everyone straight but for the most part she is the main characters slightly annoying neighbour which was odd. The mystery itself was excellent - kept me guessing so, so much and I really liked the way it ended.

8. This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab: This was dark and engrossing - the characters were so compelling and the writing was beautiful. This was my second Schwab book and definitely my favourite of the two (the other being The Near Witch) - it has definitely made me want to read more by her.

7. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake: After so many mixed reviews I was a little nervous about this one but I needn't have worried. It is slow to start and very much a character driven book that is definitely setting the stage for more action in later books. But I loved the characters so didn't mind the pace of the book and the last few chapters were very intense!

6. Death Wears a Mask by Ashley Weaver: The second book in the Amory Ames mystery series. I really enjoyed this one although the relationship drama was starting to grate on me. The mysteries in this series are so excellent and I love the characters so I didn't want the focus to keep drifting to the was he/wasn't he unfaithful plot line.
5. Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver: Honestly this series surprised me so much. I picked it up on a whim because of the beautiful covers and the fact that I felt like reading an Agatha-Christie-esque novel and they surpassed all expectations. Amory is such a wonderful character and I am so glad I am into this series now.

4. Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare: The 5th book in the Spindle Cove series with a crossover to her Castles Ever After series as well. I love Tessa Dare's books. She gets the perfect blend of humour and romance and mystery and they are just such great, well-written books! Can't wait to see what she will write next.

3. Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff: Just as good, if not better, than I had expected. Absolutely loved the artwork and the main characters were so vibrant. There were also so many twists that I never saw coming. It, weirdly, reminded me a little of Die Hard which is definitely not a bad thing. I loved this and I can't wait for the next book.

2. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas: In any other month this would have been an easy favourite. As it is - I adored this book. The first book in the series was a bit disappointing to me and I nearly didn't continue on but thank goodness I did! I loved everything about this book and the ending was so stressful - the next book cannot come soon enough for me!

1. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo: I don't even have the comfort of a next book for this series. This is it. I was not ready to say goodbye to these characters and I am definitely going to miss them (fingers crossed for more books set in this world?) - the duology as a whole is one of my all time favourite series' and I just love these characters so, so much. 

Reviews Posted This Month:

• You and Me Always by Jill Mansell
• In the Month of the Midnight Sun by Cecilia Ekback
• After Alice by Gregory Maguire
• The Unseeing by Anna Mazzola
• Fell by Jenn Ashworth

November TBR:

I am planning to write a lot of reviews in November (so I can focus on Christmas in December)! These are all my current physical copies of review books and I would love to get to them all in November!

15. Friction by Sandra Brown: My review for Sting will be up in the next couple of weeks - but it was definitely one I really enjoyed so I am excited for this one. It strikes me as  a very wintry read (not sure why) so November feels like a good time to read it.

14. Burn by Suzanne Wright: I have been wanting to pick this one up for ages. There is already a sequel out for this so if I enjoy Burn I may have to grab a copy of Blaze as well. It certainly looks like it will be a quick and exciting read.

13. The Secret by Kathryn Hughes: This already strikes me as an emotional read - and I am a complete emotional wreck (I've been known to cry at adverts) so I am sure this will hit me. But I am still very excited for that. 

12. The Smoke Hunter by Jacquelyn Benson: Possibly the book I am most excited for this month. It's described as Lara Croft meets Indiana Jones which already sounds amazing and the plot itself just grabs me so I am excited to dive in.

11. The House on Sunset Lake by Tasmina Perry: From what I understand this book takes place in two different times - one where the characters are young and in love and then the other much later when one of them returns to the house and old memories resurface. I love split time novels and this looks like it could be a great romantic read.

10. Kids of Appetite by David Arnold: I've heard some great things about Mosquitoland (also by David Arnold) and the plot of this one intrigues me even more. It sounds like a great Young Adult read and I feel like I haven't read a lot of YA contemporaries lately so I am hoping for good things.

9&8. Mercury Striking and Shadow Falling by Rebecca Zanetti: I was sent the second book for review and decided to grab the first book from Amazon. I believe they can be read as stand-alones but I don't want to miss any world building and feel like I will get a more complete reading experience if I read them in order.

7&6. Autumn Thorns and Shadow Silence by Yasmine Galenorn: Again - I was sent the second book for review. I think in this case they really should be read in order as both books follow the same characters. These books have such beautiful characters and the plot sounds really interesting!

5. The Trouble with Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis: This is a recent author discovery for me and I am loving her books. This is the second book in the Heartbreaker Bay series (I reviewed the first Sweet Little Lies) and I am very excited for it.

4. Deadly Silence by Rebecca Zanetti: Another Rebecca Zanetti book! This sounds like a great romantic thriller and I love the creepy looking cover. I want to go into this one a little bit blind so I can be really surprised. This is the first in the Blood Brothers series.

3. Christmas in Eternity Springs by Emily March: This is actually the 12th in the Eternity Springs series but they can definitely be read as standalones which is good as I have only read one of the previous books in the series. I am loving all the Christmas reads I have coming up!

2. To Love and Cherish by Lauren Layne: This is the 3rd book the Wedding Belles series. This is another series where each book can be read as a standalone, I think. I am debating getting the first two books before I read this.

1. Miracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan: I love, love, love Sarah Morgan's books and this is the 3rd in a series I adore so I am obviously very excited about this one! This follows Eva who was actually my favourite character in the first two books!

 You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading