My Favourite 2017 Releases So Far!!

I've been on a (tentative) book buying ban for most of the year. But the thing is - I'm really bad at book buying bans. I allowed myself pre-orders (cause they totally don't count) and my Fairy Loot subscription so whilst my book buying isn't as extreme as it was last year - it does mean I've read a lot more new releases. And 2017 has been a stellar year for books so far!! These are in no particular order.

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

This was everything I wanted it to be. Road trip adventure, cute romance, amazing friend dynamics. It was very close to perfect and I am not off the charts excited for the companion novel following Monty's sister! 

Sweet Lake by Christine Nolfi

I was sent a copy of this for review and was just blown away by the characters and the setting. I think I got more involved with this story and the romance than I have done with any contemporary in a really long time - the whole thing was incredible and I am looking forward to the second book which I believe is releasing soon!

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Pirates are one of my reading weaknesses. They're kind of everyone's reading weakness right? So a kickass female pirate captain with an amazing and loyal crew on a secret mission with magical powers thrown in? I was so on board. I wasn't massively looking forward to the romance (wanting to focus on the pirate-badassery but the romance totally surprised me and I ended up loving it as well.

Frostblood by Elly Blake

This was packed full of tropes YES but have you considered how much fun tropes can be? I've gotten so used to being bored by the familiar in YA but this was so comforting and exciting and I loved the characters so much. I didn't love this despite the tropes I loved it with them and bonus; this book got me out of one of my worst reading slumps of the year. 

Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas

Lisa Kleypas is pretty much always going to make my favourite lists. She is an auto-buy author for me and I love her historical romances. This was the third book in the Ravenel's series but also featured Evie's son (from the third Wallflower book - Devil in Winter) and I loved tying the two series together and seeing old favourite characters whilst meeting new favourites!

Done Dirt Cheap by Sarah Nicole Lemon

Two perfect, yet wildly different, romances and one incredible girl power friendship. Both main characters were strong and relatable and very unique. This wasn't at all what I had expected going in but I absolutely loved it and raced to the ending. 

The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova

My first Elise Kova book and I absolutely adored it. Ari keeps popping up in my posts this year because I fell head over heels for her. The world was so unique and interesting and there was no info-dumping which I really appreciated. It took me a few chapters to immerse myself in the world but once I had there was no going back!

Dreamfall by Amy Plum

A real surprise because I went in expecting something quick and fun and exciting and came out thrilled and desperate for the second book. This book features characters with insomnia relating to different causes which I related to (I have insomnia related to anxiety and depression) and I thought the mental illness was handled really well. The nightmares were also genuinely frightening which made this a book I could not put down!!

Proof of Lies by Diana Rodriguez Wallach

One of the best sister-relationships I've ever read which was exciting! The romance was believable but didn't overpower the story and the plot was thrilling and compelling but I was totally on board even with the bits that seemed unlikely. Plus the settings were gorgeous and felt so real to me. Venice was my favourite (it will always be my favourite) but all of them were so well described.

A List of Cages by Robin Roe

This book broke my heart so many ways and I feel like a different person having read it. I genuinely recommend this book to everyone (with caveats for triggers - please be careful if abuse is a trigger for you) but I'm having a lot of trouble describing how I feel about this book so why not go and read Vera's incredible review of this over at Regal Critiques - since she is the one who convinced me to read this!!

Ararat by Christopher Golden

Horror is a relatively new genre for me. I've loved horror movies for a long, long time (my Dad got me into them) but I haven't really read horror before this year. And I am loving it. It's definitely a new favourite genre and I've learned that I enjoy suspense far more than gore - so if you also love suspense then definitely read this. The characters were unlikable yet lovable and I was rooting for everyone to get off the mountain even knowing that was incredibly unlikely!! Thank you to the publisher for sending me this for review!

Crimson and Bone by Marina Fiorato

I received a finished copy from the publisher for review. Marina Fiorato has been one of my favourite historical fiction writers for a long, long time. Possibly my absolute favourite. And this is her best book so far. It was creepy and compelling and so emotionally manipulative. I wanted the main character to be happy so badly and I could not stop reading at any point because I just had to know what would happen next. 

Let me know what your favourite reads of 2017 have been so I can torture myself (and my TBR) with them! AND what books are you most excited for in the last half of 2017??? I have so many! 

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