Category Archives: 2017

Day 4 Challenge: Character Dating Profile

Posted in 2017, Bout of Books 19, For the love of books, Reading Challenges by

I decided to do a character profile on a character from one of my recent reads, The Bear and the Nightingale. I really loved this book and how fantastical it was, I thought the main character of the book would be a great inspiration for this post!

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Name Vasilisa (Vasya) Vladimirovich
Height 5’9″
Eye Color Green
Hair Color Black
Age 18

Hometown the edge of the Russian wilderness

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Family I have three brothers, one sister, and one half sister. My mother died in childbirth but my father is loving. My stepmother is the same kind of crazy as me but super mean

Occupation Well it isn’t a paid position but I keep the town safe. At least until the new priest came to town and started mucking up everything.

Hobbies Talking to wood nymphs and guardians of the stove (domovoi) and the stables. Adventuring in the woods. Talking to horses. 

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Looking For A man on a brilliant white stallion with startling blue eyes who I met in a dream when I was young

Bout of Books 19 Update – Day 3

Posted in 2017, Bout of Books 19, For the love of books, Reading Challenges by

KcxHEGZ

Well Day 3 was a pretty busy workday for me so I didn’t get much reading done. I was in a training all day and then I had to catch up on work after it so I only managed to read about 1.5 hours probably. I did finish a book and start another though! So my Wednesday’s progress is below:

Updates

Wednesday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 90
Total number of pages I’ve read: 550
Books read today: I finished The Perfect Stranger (LOVED IT – you can see my review here) and started The Simplicity of Cider (it’s really good so far!)
Challenges: I did the shelfie challenge for Wednesday, you can see my Twitter post here

I have a pretty busy workday again today but then I’m off tomorrow! Looking forward to sleeping in and then reading all morning!

Bout of Books 19 Update – Day 2

Posted in 2017, Bout of Books 19, For the love of books, Reading Challenges by

KcxHEGZ

Well Day 2 went better than Day 1. I still had to work but I ended up reading for 3-4 hours (mostly thanks to a devoted reading break after the dentist but before Lions). So my Tuesday’s progress is below:

Updates

Tuesday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 251
Total number of pages I’ve read: 460
Books read today: Continued reading The Perfect Stranger (IT IS SO GOOD)
Challenges: I did the Not a Font challenge for Tuesday, I posted it on Twitter here

I’m hoping to make good progress through the rest of today. Today is a busy workday for me but I spent some time reading before work and will also read before bed. I’m looking forward to a day off on Friday! Happy reading to you all!

2017 Book #43 – The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda

Posted in 2017, Book reviews, Bout of Books 19, Fiction, Reading Challenges, Suspense, Thriller by

51MUPopm41LTitle: The Perfect Stranger
Author: Megan Miranda
Date finished: 5/10/17
Genre: Fiction, suspense
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: April 11, 2017
Pages in book: 353
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

Confronted by a restraining order and the threat of a lawsuit, failed journalist Leah Stevens needs to get out of Boston when she runs into an old friend, Emmy Grey, who has just left a troubled relationship. Emmy proposes they move to rural Pennsylvania, where Leah can get a teaching position and both women can start again. But their new start is threatened when a woman with an eerie resemblance to Leah is assaulted by the lake, and Emmy disappears days later.
Determined to find Emmy, Leah cooperates with Kyle Donovan, a handsome young police officer on the case. As they investigate her friend’s life for clues, Leah begins to wonder: did she ever really know Emmy at all? With no friends, family, or a digital footprint, the police begin to suspect that there is no Emmy Grey. Soon Leah’s credibility is at stake, and she is forced to revisit her past: the article that ruined her career. To save herself, Leah must uncover the truth about Emmy Grey—and along the way, confront her old demons, find out who she can really trust, and clear her own name.
Everyone in this rural Pennsylvanian town has something to hide—including Leah herself. How do you uncover the truth when you are busy hiding your own?

My rating:  4.75 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book tells the story of Leah Stevens, a journalist who has recently relocated from Boston to rural western Pennsylvania to escape the mess she’s made of her life. Starting over with a teaching position, she hopes to leave her failure behind her. Leah moves in with a friend that she’s recently reconnected with, Emmy. She and Emmy lived together for a few months right after Leah graduated from college, when she became a new person and began to form the structure of her adult life. After not seeing Emmy for eight years, she suddenly reappears just when Leah seemingly needs her most. But then a dead body is found by the lake and this small rural town in western Pennsylvania starts to feel a little less safe. And as the bodies, and the secrets, start piling up, with Emmy missing and Leah left to connect the dots, the truth unravels and Leah learns that the danger really is everywhere.
AHH Overall, my gosh, I loved this book. I was addicted, on the edge of my seat, didn’t want to put it down. I found myself continually looking around trying to “find the danger” when I wasn’t reading. Leah as a character was great. She’s on the edge of losing it and she gets so deep into this that the reader even starts to question if Emmy is real or not. I loved the mind-games that this book plays with the reader, the danger really is everywhere and Leah is in much more trouble than she could have ever imagined. The way that the author presents the different relationships within this book I found to be really interesting too. Leah realizes later on in the book and its true but relationships are all about perspective. Your specific perspective of that person and what they present to your relationship could only be one facet of them as a person and of their lives, which I found to be a thought-provoking aspect to this story. This was a great and interesting book with great plot twists and a constant threat of danger. This is going to be a must read for this summer, I would definitely recommend!

The bottom line: I loved this book, I was on the edge of my seat and I just loved the twists and turns in the plot. This one is a must read for the summer, I would definitely recommend!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

Bout of Books 19 Update – Day 1

Posted in 2017, Bout of Books 19, For the love of books, Reading Challenges by

KcxHEGZSo! This read-a-thon started out slightly slow for me yesterday. I did met my goal of reading 2 hours but I only ended up reading 85 pages. Today so far is going a little better but that is information for tomorrow’s update! So my Monday’s progress is below:

Updates

Monday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 209
Total number of pages I’ve read: 209
Books read: Finished Never Trust a Pirate (see my review on the book here) and started The Perfect Stranger
Challenges: I did the introduce yourself in six words challenge for Monday, posted it on Twitter here

Stay tuned for continued progress made in tomorrow’s post on my Tuesday update!!

2017 Book #42 – Never Trust a Pirate by Valerie Bowman

Posted in 2017, Book reviews, Bout of Books 19, Historical Romance, Reading Challenges by

51HzyMz0VaL._SY346_Title: Never Trust a Pirate
Author: Valerie Bowman
Date finished: 5/8/17
Genre: Historical romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Date: May 2, 2017
Pages in book: 321
Stand alone or series: #7 in the Playful Brides series
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

The rules of engagement were never so scandalous. . .
A rumored pirate and the scurrilous black sheep of his well-to- do family, Cade Cavendish relishes his world of rebellion, deception, and seduction. Nothing and no one can hold him to be the duty-bound, honorable man he is expected to be. But when an unexpected run-in at his twin brother’s estate with a ravishing, raven-haired maid leads her to believe he’s actually a viscount, Cade’s renegade life is thrown wildly off-kilter. And even though a case of mistaken identity can be quickly set to rights, matters of the heart are quite different…
Miss Danielle LaCrosse is startled to learn that the handsome gentleman who radiates sin and has the devil in his eyes is not her employer the Viscount, but rather his infamous brother. A former heiress, orphaned and left penniless, Danielle has more than a few secrets of her own. Cade may be skilled at coaxing even the most hidden desires out of Danielle but can he earn her trust—and win her heart—as they embark on an adventure to confront a dangerous enemy from both of their pasts . . . and uncover the identity of the so-called Black Fox along the way?

My rating:  3.75 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. I also participated in the Blog Tour for this book, you can see the post here.  This book tells the story of Danielle LaCrosse, a lady spy assigned to watch over Cade Cavendish, brother to Rafe from a previous book. Danielle is a pirate but is adaptable and therefore takes a post as a lady’s maid to Cade’s sister-in-law, Daphne. Cade is a bit of a mystery and Danielle doesn’t learn much from watching him other than he’s a first class rake. Danielle is on a mission to avenge her murdered father, and so when her boss informs her that the man she’s been hunting is within her reach, she leaves her post thinking never to see Cade again. Little does she know that fate, and her boss, have more in store for her.
Overall I liked this book. It was an easy and quick read with adventure and romance all in one. I liked how mysterious Cade stayed through the first half of the book, the reader really starts to wonder if he’s up to no good. I also liked how the setting changed halfway through the story, I think that added a great hook mid way through the book when it might have gotten dry otherwise. The supporting characters, including Mary and the housekeeper among others, are all really entertaining and I loved the little make-shift family that Danielle had made for herself within the household. The book had a great dramatic ending, I liked the pace of the story and I was interested throughout. I would recommend this one!

The bottom line: I liked this book, it was a sweet story and a quick, light read. I would recommend it!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

Bout of Books 19 – Sign Up Post

Posted in 2017, Bout of Books 19, For the love of books, Reading Challenges by
Bout of Books

Last year I participated in a reading challenge called Bout of Books, and I had a great time participating so I thought I would do it again this year.

For those of you who don’t really know much about Bout of Books (including me), it is basically a week-long, no pressure read-a-thon that has been going strong since 2011! Here is a description directly from the Bout of Books blog:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 8th and runs through Sunday, May 14th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 19 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

The Bout of Books Read-a-Thon was created by Amanda @ On a Book Bender on a complete whim in August 2011*. It took on a life of its own and was such a hit that Amanda decided to do it again and turn it into a somewhat regular occurrence.

  • Bout of Books is a week long read-a-thon, usually from 12:01am on a Monday through 11:59pm on a Sunday in whatever time zone you are in.
  • It is low pressure, meaning participants are only asked to push themselves to read more than they normally would during any given week. There is no competition between readers.
  • How much time a reader wants, and can commit, to read, tweet, or network with fellow bloggers is left to individual preference. All challenges and giveaways are optional.
  • Networking with fellow bloggers is actively encouraged, though never required.
  • Use Twitter to post updates throughout the read-a-thon. Everyone will be tweeting with the #boutofbooks hashtag.

Since I’m so behind in my reading schedule, this will be a great week to devote to reading and catch up! This is, unfortunately, looking to be a busy week for me work wise and we also have a number of family plans next weekend, so I won’t be able to devote as much time to reading as I would like to. But let’s hope to get a lot accomplished.

Time Devoted to Reading

I plan to read at least 2 hours each day during the week, with additional hours on the day or two I am home during the week. Also the Saturday and Sunday during Bout of Books I have other plans during much of both days but I hope to read for at least 2-3 hours those days as well.

My Goals

My goals for this read-a-thon are that I’d like to participate in as much as I can: the daily posts plus reading every day.

Books to Read

 

Hopefully I’m actually able to get through all of those, if so I could at least catch up with one week of books which would be great. I have a long list of backlog books that I have to catch up with still from 2016 and the first four months of 2017, but hopefully those will happen over the rest of the year. I’m really looking forward to this week-long reading challenge devoted to reading though! If you do want to join make sure to add yourself to the page’s Sign Up Post by Tuesday, May 9th at 11:59pm! Happy reading!