Sunday Post 31st July 2016

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer, it's a chance to post a recap on the past week, show the books we have received and share what we plan for the coming week. Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and the aim is to show our newest books and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops or downloaded on to their e-reader. As always you can click on any of the pictures to be taken to the Goodreads page for that book if you're interested in finding out more about it.

Last Week on the Blog:

• Cover Characteristic: Schools
• Wednesday Catch-Up

Books We Got This Week:

Aussie Rules by Jill Shalvis: I really want to read more by Jill Shalvis, this is a standalone which makes it a good place to start.

Get a Clue by Jill Shalvis: I've read a few Jill Shalvis books lately and really enjoyed them - this sounds a little different with more of a thriller element but I am excited to give it a go.

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson: This is a book I've had my eye on for a while but never bought, so I was very glad when my Nan brought it around for me. 

Run by Kody Keplinger: I always enjoy Kody Keplinger's books so I had to get this one. 

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan: I saw the trailer for the movie recently and definitely want to see it so, of course, I need to read the book first. 
What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick: I got The Boy Most Likely To last week so this completes my Huntley Fitzpatrick collection and I can start reading them.

Hard Rules by Lisa Renee Jones: I received a review copy from Headline Eternal and I am very, very excited to read this one. 

The Six Train to Wisconsin/Highway Thirteen to Manhattan by Kourtney Heintz: The author contacted me about these and they sounded great so I am interested to give them a go. 

Wonderfully Wicked/Beautifully Burned by C.J. Burright: I received these via Netgalley. They sound like a great mix
Glimmer by Tricia Cerrone: Another Netgalley read, this sounds really intriguing to me. And I am interested to see how things resolve. 

Reading Update:

Sunset in Central Park by Sarah Morgan: 4.5 stars, I will admit that before reading this Frankie wasn't my favourite character of the group (I am very excited for Eva's book) but she definitely grew on me. 

The Second Love of My Life by Victoria Walters: 3 stars, This was perhaps a bit too sweet for me. The characters were interesting but I never felt emotionally connected to the story perhaps, ironically, because there was just too much emotion. 
Wait for You by J. Lynn: 4 stars, I don't always enjoy New Adult so I was kind of nervous about this but I liked the main characters a lot and I enjoyed the plot. I think there was a build up of threat that didn't really go anywhere but overall I enjoyed it.

The Problem With Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout: 3.5 stars, This was set in high school so it felt like Young Adult and New Adult simultaneously which was kinda weird but again, really liked the characters and the way the story resolved. 
Get a Clue by Jill Shalvis: I recently read a few other books by Jill Shalvis so I was interested to check out this one which sounded different and more mysterious but ultimately the mystery side let me down. I liked the romance but it moved very fast. Not her strongest book. 

Next Week on the Blog:

• Cover Characteristic: Flags
• Top Ten Books You'd Buy Right This Second If Someone Handed You a Fully Loaded Gift Card
• Wednesday Catch-Up
• Friday Reads

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

Wednesday Catch-Up 27th July 2016

Every Wednesday we are linking up with WWW Wednesday. WWW Wednesday is hosted at Taking on a World of Words and asks 3 questions: What are you currently reading?, What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you'll read next? 

Currently Reading:

I am about to start reading Wait For You by J Lynn. I've only read her Lux series so far so I wanted to try some of her romance novels. This is the first in the Wait For You series and it sounds like an interesting read. 

Recently Finished:

I had a very Sarah Morgan heavy week, I started by reading the O'Neil Brothers trilogy which was a great series. I enjoyed all of the books but I think the first one was my favourite. I then read the second book in the From Manhattan with Love series. I really loved it and I am very excited for the third book in the series. And then I read The Second Love of My Life which I will be posting a review for soon. I thought it was ok but a bit too sweet for my taste.

Planning to Read Next:

Next I am planning to read The Problem with Forever which I have seen some great reviews for. Plus I love the cover. I then want to read Hard Rules which I received for review from Headline Eternal. I am also looking forward to reading more by Jill Shalvis and just got a couple of her books, I want to start with Aussie Rules.

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

Cover Characteristic: School

Cover Characteristics is a weekly feature hosted at Sugar & Snark. 

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

Sunday Post 24th July 2016

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer, it's a chance to post a recap on the past week, show the books we have received and share what we plan for the coming week. Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and the aim is to show our newest books and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops or downloaded on to their e-reader. As always you can click on any of the pictures to be taken to the Goodreads page for that book if you're interested in finding out more about it.

I feel like this is a very good year for movies! We are getting ever closer to the release of Suicide Squad which I am looking forward to seeing with my brother, Sharknado 4 is coming out on the 31st (I love Sharknado), and n ow we have a full trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them which is exciting!

Last Week on the Blog:

• Wednesday Catch-Up
• Clare Reviews: Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis
• Friday Reads

Books I Got This Week:

Burn by Suzanne Wright: Received from Netgalley, this sounds like such a great story and I look forward to reading it soon.
Conquest/Empire/Dominion by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard: I received Dominion for review from Headline so I went ahead and got the first two from Amazon - I am very excited to read this series which has been recommended for people who love Veronica Roth!

Reading Update:

To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell: 3 stars, I really liked the two main characters and the plot was engaging but I thought the ending was a bit rushed.

Heartsong Cottage by Emily March: 3 stars, Really exciting plot but I wasn't as engaged as I wanted to be, definitely want to read more books by Emily March though.

Summer Kisses by Sarah Morgan: 3 stars, I wasn't expecting this to be two stories rather than one. I liked the first more than the second but they were both good. 

Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan: 4 stars, Kayla and Jackson were such great characters and I was absorbed in the story. 
Suddenly Last Summer by Sarah Morgan: 4 stars, I loved Elise from the beginning. Sean took a little longer but by the end of the book I loved them both.

Maybe This Christmas by Sarah Morgan: 4 stars, Possibly not my favourite of the series, but still a great installment. Really liked the way it ended. 

Next Week on the Blog:

• Cover Characteristic: Schools
• Top 5 Most Unlikable Characters
• Wednesday Catch-Up
• Friday Reads

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

Friday Reads 22nd July 2016

Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice and Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader. The idea is to share a sentence or so from the first page and the 56th page of the book you are currently reading! 

Book Beginning:

"Phone call for you, Dr O'Neil. She says it's an emergency."

Friday 56:

"Pascal hadn't killed her belief in love. You only had to look at Walter and Alice or Jackson and Kayla to know love existed. No, he'd killed her belief in herself."

I loved the first book in the series (Sleigh Bells in the Snow) so I am expecting great things from this one. I am only about 70 pages in so far but I love Elise, although I think Sean may be a character that has to grow on me. 

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

Clare Reviews: Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis

Title: Sweet Little Lies

Author: Jill Shalvis

Series: Heartbreaker Bay #1

Source: Received from Headline Eternal in exchange for honest review

Pages: 384

Rating: 4.5/5

Blurb: Choose the one guy you can't have... As captain of a San Francisco Bay tour boat, Pru can handle rough seas - the hard part is life on dry land. Pru loves her new apartment and her neighbors; problem is, she's in danger of stumbling into love with Mr. Right for Anybody But Her.

Fall for him - hard... Pub owner Finn O'Riley is six-foot-plus of hard-working hottie who always makes time for his friends. When Pru becomes one of them, she discovers how amazing it feels to be on the receiving end of that deep green gaze. But when a freak accident involving darts (don't ask) leads to shirtless first aid, things rush way past the friend zone. Fast.

And then tell him the truth. Pru only wants Finn to be happy; it's what she wishes for at the historic fountain that's supposed to grant her heart's desire. But wanting him for herself is a different story-because Pru's been keeping a secret that could change everything...

It took me just 30 pages to fall in love with this book and these characters. A few pages after that I was lost to the world. Jill Shalvis has written characters that are compelling and likable and a plot that was engaging. Even the side characters were interesting, fully developed people.

The book follows Pru and Finn. Pru is the captain of a tour boat. She is also strong and intelligent and selfless - but haunted by some secrets (the lies of the title). Finn owns a pub and managed to be, pretty much the perfect guy (despite his reaction to her telling the truth). They were a great and believable couple from the beginning and I was rooting for their happiness all the way.

There were times when I wanted to shake Pru and, towards the end, Finn. I just wanted her to tell him the truth but the suspense kept things interesting and drove the story forward. I really liked the way in which their relationship developed. It felt like a natural development and it made both the characters and their romance more believable. I also liked that both characters were fairy honest about their feelings. There was very little miscommunication (aside from Pru's omissions) which I always prefer. 

I really liked that, whilst the main focus of the story was Finn and Pru's developing relationship, friendships were never neglected and instead played a big role in the story. There was a really strong friendship group and I appreciated the way in which they supported each other as well as Finn and Pru. Both Pru and Finn had quite difficult back stories, they had both seen their share of tragedy and hurt but they were dealt with well and realistically. I would have liked Pru to come to terms with her past more successfully but complete resolution wouldn't have been as realistic and overall I liked the way it was handled.

I already know that I will be reading the next book in the series (The Trouble with Mistletoe) as soon as I can get my hands on it. I am also keen to discover more of her books because if they are as good as Sweet Little Lies I know I will love them. If you enjoy contemporaries with great characters and a seriously sappy ending (in the best way possible) - then read this. You wont be disappointed.

Wednesday Catch-Up 20th July 2016

Every Wednesday we are linking up with WWW Wednesday. WWW Wednesday is hosted at Taking on a World of Words and asks 3 questions: What are you currently reading?, What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you'll read next? 

Currently Reading:

Yep, Sleigh Bells in the Snow is a Christmas novel. And I started reading it on the hottest day of the year. Because that makes sense. It's the first book in her Snow Crystal trilogy and I am really enjoying it. I only have a few chapters left but its been a great book so far.

Recently Finished:

Hunted and Hush were both really fun and absorbing reads. I did enjoy Hush slightly more if only because I felt more connected to the characters. I then read Garden of Lies which I have been wanting to read for a while and it did not let me down. It may be one of my favourite Amanda Quick novels. I then thought I would give Jill Mansell a try and read To the Moon and Back which I thought was a really engaging read, there were a couple of points at which I got a bit teary. Heartsong Cottage was not exactly a light and fluffy read but I enjoyed it and I am intrigued to read more of the series. And finally Summer Kisses was a book with two stories in it. I enjoyed the first (Flora's) slightly more but they were both good reads. 

Planning to Read Next:

I am planning to complete the Snow Crystal trilogy by reading Suddenly Last Summer and Maybe This Christmas (at least one of them is a Summer book!) and then I want to read Sunset in Central Park which is the second book in the From Manhattan With Love trilogy, I loved the first book and I have been looking forward to this one. 

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