Top Ten Favourite 2016 Releases So Far

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at The Broke and the Bookish! I have been trying to restrain my book buying this year, yet I seem to have come upon an awful lot of new releases! It's been great looking back through the amazing books I've read so far this year and I am excited for the releases the rest of the year will bring! These are in no particular order.

1) Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

This was my first Ruta Sepetys read and I was blown away. She took a historical event that is sadly not well known or talked about and made it the only think I could think about for a long time after finishing this book. I will definitely be reading more by her.

2) Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas

I have always enjoyed Lisa Kleypas's books - her Wallflowers series is one of my favourite historical romance series - but I didn't expect to love this as much as I did. I nearly went into a reading slump after reading this.

3) The Steep & Thorny Way by Cat Winters

Cat Winters never fails. Every time I pick up one of her books I am transported - this was amazing. 

4) The Vatican Princess by C. W. Gortner

I read this book in Italy which made it that much more real - but I would have loved this no matter what. Lucrezia Borgia is such a fascinating person and C.W. Gortner is an amazing author.

5) Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

I won't lie - I didn't love this as much as I loved The Mortal Instruments or The Infernal Devices but I did really enjoy it - it was one of my most anticipated books of the year.

6) Imprudence by Gail Carriger

I had a permanent smile on my face throughout this book. Gail Carriger is such a great writer and her humour is perfect.

7) Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston

This book is so important. Like a lot of people I liked A Thousand Nights but didn't love it so I wasn't sure what I'd feel about this book but it was so brilliantly written with amazing characters.

8) These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas

This book lived up to its promise which was - X-Men meets Jane Austen. What more could I ever ask for.

9) Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

I was excited for this book from the moment I heard about it and it absolutely did not let me down. 

10) Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey

God I loved this book! It was so very, very good and I am very excited for more from Cindy Anstey.

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

Sunday Post 19th June 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.

Our Giveaway came to an end this week and we have now got a winner! We have contacted them and will hopefully be announcing more soon! Thank you to everyone who took part and everyone who has been there for our first year of blogging!

Last Week on the Blog:

• Cover Characteristic: Arrows
• Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of the Year
• Wednesday Catch-Up
• Blog Tour: Following Evan by Elida May
• Friday Reads

Books We Got This Week:

A Cottage by the Sea by Ciji Ware: This was something of an impulse buy. I am forever trying to find books like the Susanna Kearsley books and I am hoping this will be good!

The Problem With Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout: I am sure I am not alone in finding Armentrout's books so very readable. This is a contemporary and I am sure I will love it.

Look Both Ways by Alison Cherry: I loved Red by Alison Cherry so I tend to pick up any of her books I see and this definitely sounds perfect for me.

Fell by Jenn Ashworth: Received from the publisher - this sounds like such an intriguing and unusual read, I am definitely excited for it. 
Girl in the Shadows by Gwenda Bond: Received through Netgalley - I am intrigued by this book, I love the cover and the plot sounds great.

Reading Update:

Ann: Since I am studying for exams I haven't read anything this week. 

Clare:

Enchanting Pleasures by Eloisa James: 4 stars, These characters made such stupid decisions at times! But of course everything works out OK.

A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas: 4 stars, No it's not Christmas! But I love the Wallflower series so I had to read this. It was fun with some great new characters and of course I loved seeing the old characters again!

Somewhere I'll Find You by Lisa Kleypas: 3 stars, I liked the characters but not as much as with some of her other books.
Because You're Mine by Lisa Kleypas: 4 stars, Great main characters and a good plot but it lost momentum.
Stranger in my Arms by Lisa Kleypas: 3 stars, Not sure about the resolution of this one but otherwise good.

Where Dreams Begin by Lisa Kleypas: 4 stars, This actually made me cry which I wasn't expecting.

Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas: 4 stars, A little ridiculous in some places and surprisingly sad in others but overall good.
What the Duke Desires by Sabrina Jeffries: 4.5 stars, This was a really sweet romance with an intriguing plot.

When the Rogue Returns by Sabrina Jeffries: 4.5 stars, I flew through this book. And the characters didn't make a whole lot of stupid decisions which I liked.

How the Scoundrel Seduces by Sabrina Jeffries: 4.5 stars, This whole series is great - I am just waiting on the last book to arrive now so I can complete the series.

Love Come to Me by Lisa Kleypas: 3 stars, This was, I think, her first book and it does show in the writing but its an enjoyable story. 

A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare: 5 stars, I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. Plenty of humour and a great romance.

A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare: 5 stars, This made me laugh out loud so many times - which I loved. Plus I really liked and believed in the romance.

A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare: 5 stars, Bless them - this romance was so sweet and I loved the Grammercy family.

Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare: 5 stars, I enjoyed this so much. Tessa Dare has a gift for making books both funny and romantic.

Lord Dashwood Missed Out by Tessa Dare: 4.5 stars, I don't often read novella's but this was a great one.

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare: 4.5 stars, I didn't love it as much as the Spindle Cove books but I still really enjoyed it.
A Rake's Midnight Kiss by Anna Campbell: 4 stars, Since I had basically run out of regency romances that I own I decided to grab some from the library and stumbled upon this one by an author I never heard of. It was a very enjoyable read and I think I will be checking out more by her. 
Scandal Wears Satin by Loretta Chase: 5 stars, I have read Loretta Chase novels before but never considered her a favourite until this book. 
Vixen in Velvet by Loretta Chase: 5 stars, This is the third book in the series (the library did not have the first or fourth) and I definitely want to read more.

Next Week on the Blog:

• Cover Characteristic: Classrooms
• Top Ten Favourite 2016 New Releases So Far This Year
• Wednesday Catch Up
• Blog Tour - Following Evan by Elida May
• Friday Reads
• Guest Post - Dane Cobain

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

Release Day Blitz: Following Evan by Elida May

We'll be very glad to be taking part in the Blog Tour for Following Evan by Elida May - our stop on the tour will take place on 23rd June and you can check out the other stops on the tour at the bottom of this post. Here is some more information about the book.

Title: Following Evan

Author: Elida May

Release Date: 16th June 2016

Genre: Romance

Publisher: Self-Published

Format: E-Book

Summary: Three years on from the sudden death of her husband Matt and a subsequent miscarriage, interior designer Laura is still lost in grief, hiding out in the smart London townhouse that was going to be her family home. On the encouragement of her best friend Carla, she signs up to a dating website and receives a message from a mysterious stranger, imploring her to visit him in New York because he has seen her face in his dreams. 

Meanwhile, Laura visits an art gallery and is captivated by a painting of a beautiful woman in a flowing dress. It seems to be speaking directly to her, beckoning her to take a leap of faith. 

These seemingly disparate events lead Laura on an epic journey to the bustling streets of the Big Apple and the desert landscape of Wyoming, where the clues to her future happiness are waiting to be discovered… 

Elida May was born in Albania in 1972. Growing up in a Communist country, where access to books was severely restricted, helped to nurture her love of the written word, and she avidly read whatever genre she could get hold of, including a lot of European literature. Today Elida lives in London with her son Elidon. Following Evan is her first novel, and she is currently working on her second, Diary of Michael Vica.

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Wednesday Catch-Up 15th June

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?

Clare:

Currently Reading:

I am currently reading Love, Come to Me by Lisa Kleypas. As you'll see by my recently finished books - I have been in a bit of a regency mood lately. I am also reading Rebel of the Sands which is the book of the month for one of my Goodreads groups and Framley Parsonage which is my Classic for June.

Recently Finished:

I found Omens a tiny bit disappointing, it was an interesting read with a great pair of main characters but I wasn't as absorbed as I usually am with an Armstrong book. I then read At First Sight which also let me down a little bit. I found the romance to be way, way too insta-love (which sometimes works but didn't here) and the characters a bit annoying. The Fixer was a great read, all the characters were very strong and three dimensional and the plot was interesting, though there were some obvious twists. And then I finally read The Conspiracy of Us which was a light and fun read though fairly unbelievable and the romance was definitely not my thing, one of those "love triangles" where I root for the wrong guy - always frustrating. I then read Struck and Shaken by Joss Stirling which were both quick, fun reads. I then read Imprudence my review of which will be up tomorrow. I loved this book, it was a really great, fun read - I laughed, I blushed I even almost cried. And then I read A School for Unusual Girls which was another fun, quick read, I loved the characters and the plot was interesting and it was a great romance. I then read the Pleasures trilogy by Eloisa James, this wasn't as good as some of her later books but they were still fun and engaging reads that I flew through. A Wallflower Christmas was a great read which I very much enjoyed - I love the Wallflower series so it was good to revisit it. 

Planning to Read Next:

Even more regency romance in my future! I am waiting for If the Viscount Falls to arrive (anything not ordered with Amazon Prime seems to take forever) so I can complete the series. I am then going to try a new-to-me author Tessa Dare who I have heard great things about. 

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