2019 Reading Goals

Hello bookworms!

I am so sorry for my absence. I really have no idea why I have abandoned this blog, but I won’t do that in 2019. In fact one of my goals in 2019 is to be more active on the blog. Anyways it is the time of year where I have sit down for a while and thought long and hard on not only goals or I guess my New Years Resolutions, but reading goals I have for 2019. Can you believe that is already 2019?!? When did that happen? 

2018 was a weird reading year for me and I am hoping to avoid the dreaded slump which I feel like I was in for a majority of the year. Thinking on my top reads is super hard for me, because nothing really stood out to me. So here is to hoping 2019 will be different. 

My goal this year Goodreads wise is going to be set low, because I want to focus my attention on writing my own book. The only thing I am going to reveal about my book is that it is currently untitled and being called Project X. It is set during the time of the Revolutionary War and has a fantasy element thrown in there. That is all that I can reveal and that is really all there is at this point in time since I am in the very early beginning phases. So I am setting my reading goal to 30 this year, which is not a lot, but hopefully I will be able to surpass that. 

I am also going to focus on catching up on reading series that I have started, but yet to complete. A few that come to mind is the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas, Truthwitch series by Susan Dennard and Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard. 

One of my biggest goals this year is to buy less books and focus more on what I have and trying to read all the books I already own (we shall see how long that lasts). I am going to strive to utilize the library more and shop more used bookstores versus going to Barnes and Noble whenever I have the itch to buy. I’m also going to try my hardest (try is the key word) to keep myself from impulse buying.

So tell me, what are your reading goals in 2019?

Happy Reading! 

The Beau & The Belle Review

Synopsis from Goodreads

Beau Fortier starred in most of my cringe-worthy teenage fantasies.

I met him when I was a junior in high school, a time that revolved exclusively around bad hair, failed forays into flirting, and scientific inquiries into which brand of toilet paper worked best for stuffing bras.

That is, until Beau moved into the small guest house just beyond my bedroom window.

A 24-year-old law student at Tulane, Beau was as mysterious to me as second base (both in baseball and in the bedroom). He was older. Intimidating. Hot. Boys my age had chicken legs and chubby cheeks. Beau had calloused hands and a jaw cut from steel. Our interactions were scarce—mostly involving slight stalking on my end—and yet deep down, I desperately hoped he saw me as more of a potential lover than a lovesick loser.

Turns out, I was fooling myself. My fragile ego learned that lesson the hard way.

Now, ten years later, we’re both back in New Orleans, and guess who suddenly can’t take his eyes off little ol’ me.

My old friend, Mr. Fortier.

But things have changed. I’m older now—poised and confident. My ego wears a bulletproof vest. The butterflies that once filled my stomach have all perished.

When I was a teenager, Beau warned me to guard my heart.

Let’s hope he knows how to guard his 

My Thoughts

R.S. Grey has done it again! I swear Rachel is the queen of all rom-coms. I can easily devour her books in one day if I didn’t have to work and well sleep, but who I am kidding, I only get a few hours of sleep when I read her books because of the whole “one more chapter.”

I loved how the first few chapters are set in the past to help build character development and you get a peak at the chemistry that is brewing, but neither one will act on it because of various reasons mainly because of one and that is age difference.

After splitting ways Beau and Lauren run into each other again and their chemistry is like they were never separated. I loved the slow burn romance that builds although there were times where I was screaming just get together already, but I was happy with the pace that book went at.

This book was oh so, so, so sexy! It was also sweet, charming and full of laughs. Lauren was quirky, fun and very straightforward. While Beau is a pure gentlemen. His relationship with his mother made me all heart eyes and swoony (I am a sucker for a momma’s boy 😉 ) He is also a hard-working man thoughtful and so perfect with the slow seduction. Can he be a real person, because I want to be with man like him.

The Beau & The Belle is the perfect slow burn, second chance romance book. It is charming, laugh out loud funny, feel good and will make you fall in love all over again. With the setting in New Orleans it is hard not to fall in love. Now someone make some Beignet’s and I will bring the coffee, because the craving is real after reading this book.

XO

The Upside of Being Single Review

Synopsis:

If anyone asks, I knew better than to flash my boobs for Mardi Gras beads.

I still don’t know why I did it.
Maybe it was the dare from my two best friends.
Maybe it was the guys on the balcony saying they’d throw Fireball shots with the beads.
Or maybe it was the quiet guy in the corner of that same balcony with piercing gray eyes, wavy dark hair, and a smile so tempting I wanted to climb up there and lick it off his face.
Maybe it was because I never thought I’d see them again.
Not that it matters. Not today.
Because the hotel I manage was finally bought—and the guy who walks in and introduces himself as my new boss is Mr. Tall, Dark, and Silent.

There are many upsides to being single.
Your new boss knowing what your boobs look like?
Not one of them.

My Thoughts

I turned to this book after craving more romantic comedies, but I was not ready to turn back to R.S. Grey, I am trying to stretch out her books instead of binging them all in a row, but Amazon recommended The Upside of Being Single to me after I finished The Beau & The Belle and it sounded intriguing.

At first I adored Mellie. She is a spit fire, slightly a hot mess and completely relatable. But the whole clumsy thing stopped being funny after awhile. It was at first like when she first encounters her new boss and drops the gin all the floor was funny, but the other times it got annoying. I didn’t stop liking Millie, I just didn’t love her.

As for Jake, I loved him! Although come on now how can you get away with the things he did in that office and not get in trouble with HR? And some of his commentary made me shudder. I know it’s supposed to be funny, but some of it hit the mark. At least for me.

So I kind of got the things I didn’t love about the story so here are the things that I freaking loved about this story. Starting with the friendships. Mellie has the best friends and I loved their friendship in this story,  I need more of them please! Millie is not your usual heroine. She is strong, independent and funny! Her banters with Jake were priceless. Plus I would love to go out and get donuts with her. Third the sexual tensions in this book was so, so, so good! I also love how Emma Hart showed how being single is fun.

If you are looking for a fun, quick, and has a great focus on friendship then this is a book for you!

Happy reading!

XO

Cover Reveal: The Beau and the Belle by R.S. Grey

I am so excited to show off the cover for R.S. Grey’s next book The Beau and the Belle! Last year I picked Anything You Do on a whim wanting something quick and fun to read and I got that and more. I fell in love with the characters and R.S, Grey has a thing for witty banter, which is my all time favorite! I will be doing a review on that later reviews are going to be a little slow, because right now I am without internet so I am blogging on my free time at coffee shops or the library until I can get back to the 21st century.

Enough of the rambling, its time to show off the cover of The Beau and the Belle!

 

I absolutely love this cover! The purple! The ombre! The scruff! Ah I just love it! I am so ready to read another romantic comedy by R.S. Grey! You can get your copy on February 1st!

I hope you bookworm’s have a wonderful day and happy reading!

XOXO

Courtney

 

2018 Reading Goals

I can’t believe that it’s already 2018, how did that happen? Now that the new year is here, it is time to set up the goals. 2017 was not the greatest reading year for me. I read a decent amount of books, I ended up reading 56 books which is not great but it is not bad either. The problem with 2017 was it was so hard for me to find a book that was good. I did end of finding a handful of books that ended up becoming favorites. Also 2017 was the year of the slumps in reading and with life.

This year I am setting my goal at 65, which I think was my original goal in 2017 but I had to knock it down because a lot of personal stuff was going on and like I mentioned already it was the year of the slump.  I plan on knocking out a lot of books that I have had sitting on my shelf for a while and I am really excited for another year of reading and discovering new favorites. If a book remains untouched on my shelf this year and I have had it for a while it is going to be donated in 2019.

This year my goal is to read more fantasy, read more classics, read more Stephen King for my Stephen King reading challenge and most importantly I want to read more of what I want to read and less of what everyone else is reading.

What are your reading goals this year?

Stalking Jack the Ripper Review

 

 

Book: Stalking Jack the Ripper

Author: Kerri Maniscalco

Page Count: 326

Publisher: Jimmy Patterson

Rating: 5/5 Stars

 

Synopsis from Goodreads:

“Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.”

My Thoughts Going Into the Story:

Give me anything about Jack the Ripper and I am game.  I am not sure what it is, but I have always been fascinated by Jack the Ripper, I think a majority of what catches my attention is that the cases were never solved. I don’t really read synopsis before diving into a book, because they sometimes tend to give away some of the book and I like to go into a book completely blind. What sold this book was; Jack the Ripper (obviously) and that there was a strong female lead.

Plot:

I was completely hooked starting on page one. Granted it started off kind of gross with the autopsy descriptions, but I enjoyed that part as well (I think there is something not right with me) and I found those parts kind of fascinating since I have a thing for forensic science. I have one major complaint and it is not really even that big of a deal. I wish that the story had dived more into Jack and why he did and why he did it. I was going to give this book a 4.25 star rating until that ending which took me by surprise and had me on the edge of my seat and that is when I bumped it up to a 5 star rating.

Characters:

I adore the characters so much in this story. Audrey Rose is a perfect female lead character who has a passion for forensic science in a time where women were supposed to be attending tea and what nots. Thomas Creswell who I can’t wait to get to know more in the coming books gave me serious Sherlock Holmes vibes and I am okay with that.

Overall Thoughts:

I enjoyed this book overall and I cannot wait to see where the story will go in the series and the character development of Audrey and Thomas. I cannot wait to get my hands on Hunting Prince Dracula!

 

Hamilton Book Tag!

Okay so here is something you need to know about me. I am obsessed with Hamilton. It never fails there is always a Hamilton sing-a-long going down in my car. So when I heard there was a Hamilton book tag, I knew I just had to do it. So without further ado lets get started!

The Room Where it Happens. A book where you would put yourself.

Harry Potter. I want to study potions and learn about magical creatures. I want to eat to my hearts content in the Great Hall. I want to try out for a spot on the Ravenclaw qudditch team.

The Schuyler Sisters. An underrated female character. 

Elisa from The Girl of Fire and Thorns series. I honestly think this series is completely underrated and deserves so much love! I will forever push this series on people especially if they love fantasy or to those who have never read fantasy.

My Shot. A character who goes after what they want no matter what.

I am going to go with my latest obsession and that Laia from An Ember in the Ashes. I am not sure how many people would pretend to be a slave to spy on someone to save their brother.

Stay Alive. A character you wished was still alive. 

I know how I want to answer this, but I won’t because potential spoilers. So I am going with Sirius Black, because I don’t think a fictional death has hit me that hard before. Okay… it has, but this was the first death in a book that truly hit me.

Burn. The most heartbreaking end to a relationship.

Clockwork Princess. Need I say more?

You’ll be Back. Sassiest villain.

Okay I had to stop and think about this. There are so many villains I can choose for this, but I am going with the Darkling from the Grisha trilogy, because if you have read this you would understand. He has some sass. I also miss the Grisha world so that was factored in to my decision.

Nonstop. A series you marathoned. 

Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus. I bought the box set and read all the books in one week. It was pretty intense.

Satisfied. Favorite book with multiple POVs. 

Illuminae. Hands down. I went into this book not even sure I would like it and I ended up being mind blown by the whole experience.

Who Lives Who Dies Who Tells Your Story?  A book or series that you think will live throughout history.

Harry Potter there is no doubt about it. I feel like it is going to be one of those series that is going to be passed down from generation to generation and people will always remember the boy who lived.

Alright guys so that was the Hamilton book tag! Tell me below what books you would have picked. Also if you are a Hamilton fan like me, what is your favorite song and why? I am super curious to hear people’s response to that. I am always up to discussing some Hamilton.

 

 

 

 

 

20 Facts About Me

Hey guys so I have gained quite a few followers and I thought it would be fun to do 20 facts about me. Just a warning I am not that fascinating of a human. So without further ado let’s get started!

1. I am a cat mom to Nelly who is a pain in my butt and a dog mom to Summer who is the laziest of lazy Chocolate Labs out there.
2. I cannot go a day without making a Hamilton reference.
3. I also can’t go a day without making a Harry Potter reference.
4. I don’t listen to a lot of music, but when I do its soundtracks to my favorite movies or TV shows. I am obsessed with Outlanders soundtrack.
5. I have had a love for Scotland since Braveheart and Outlander just increased my love even more. One day I will visit Scotland… one day.
6. I have a house conflict at Hogwarts I was sorted into Slytherin and Ravenclaw, but I think of myself more of a Ravenclaw.
7. I am going back to school to become a librarian.
8. I’m writing a book. Yep you heard that right, I am writing a book. More on that later, I am working on that post right after this one.
9. I am addicted to chai latte’s.
10. I am also addicted to coffee in general.
11. Gilmore Girls is life and I wish I watched it when I was younger, because Rory would have been my childhood hero like Hermoine was.
12. I think Harry Potter made me obsessed with owls, I even have a small owl collection.
13. I once read the entire dictionary out of complete boredom, but I don’t think I retained it all ha ha!
14. In real life I am an introvert until I find out someone likes something that I like, but online I don’t hesitate to strike up a conversation.
15. This goes with my obsession of Scotland, but I really like bagpipes, I am the only one I think that gets excited when the bagpipes come in parades.
16. I love learning about history.
17. I played the violin when I was younger and regret quitting.
18. 2016 has been the worst year for slumps, like what did I do to deserve this!?!
19. I always cry at the end of the The Return of the King, no matter how many times I see it, because the Lord of the Rings trilogy was beautiful and it meant everything to me.
20. I wish that it could be fall year round.

Alright, alright now that’s what I’m talking about! Sorry Hamilton reference. Anyways there you have it 20 facts about me. Comment below some facts about you!

 

 

 

 

#ReadThemAllThon TBR

I am in need of a way to tackle my TBR that has gotten out of control, and what better way than doing a Pokemon theme read-a-thon. This one is being hosted by Aentee (Read at Midnight) for more information about this read-a-thon go here to sign up.

Now onto the TBR!

Peeler City: Boulder Badge, read the first book in a series.

For this one I went with Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes, I have heard nothing but great things about the Falling Kingdom series and I cannot wait to start it!

Cervlean City: Cascade Badge, read a book that might make you cry. 

Forever Interrupted by Tayler Jenkins Reid, I read One True Loves a month ago and that book made me feel some serious feels, and I heard this one is promising to do just that. Some even say it is sadder than One True Loves, but we shall see.

Vermillion City: Thunder Badge, read a book with thunderous hype.

I think Falling Kingdoms is one of the most seen series in the bookstagram community besides a few other series like TMI, TID and Harry Potter. But I really want to dive into this series so for this challenge I chose book 2 of the Falling Kingdom series; Rebel Springs.

Celadon City: Rainbow Badge, read a book featuring diversity. 

I keep meaning to read this book, but I haven’t made time for it, but for this challenge I am going with More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera.

Fuchsia City: Soul Badge, read a book with an epic romance.

I am not sure if this one counts, but I am going with To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han.

Saffron City: Marsh Badge, read a book with fantasy or supernatural elements.

With the sequel coming out real soon I am going with An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Cinnabar Island: Flame Badge, read a book with red on the cover.

This book has been on my shelf for over  year now and it is about time I finally pick it up, but for this challenge I am going with Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige.

Vivian City: Earth Badge, read a book with post-apocalyptic settings. 

Again this is another book that has just been hanging out on my shelf for a while now. For this challenge I am going with The Prey by Tom Isbell.

 

One True Loves Review

Publication Date: June 7th 2016

Publisher: Atria

Genre: Adult Fiction

Edition: Paperback

Page Count: 327

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

 

Goodreads:

“In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.

On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.

Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.

That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.

Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?

Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.”

This is my first time reading Taylor Jenkins Reid, although I have heard her other works are definitely worth reading soon and don’t worry I had ordered her other books once I hit the half way point of One True Loves, because I was hooked.

At first though I was not sure if I was going to enjoy this book or not. This is a book that is completely out of my element and is now a genre that I am wanting to dive more into. I am usually one to read YA, but now I want to explore more of adult fiction. Once we were past the part where we introduce the characters I was invested and  ready to see where the story was going to go.

I felt like Emma was relatable, even though I have never been in her situation before I could relate to the turmoil that she was going through of moving on from a long relationship and stepping into a new one. I have recently ended my longest relationship, because things were sizzling out and we were growing to be two different people who didn’t blend together anymore like we did when we were younger. I also really loved her character development throughout the story with her parents, sister and really how she views things.

Even though the topic is pretty heavy in this book, I read this book quick and practically devoured it at any chance I could. One True Loves is a book that makes you question and think on your own life. It is a heartbreaking, moving and a book that will make you feel overwhelmed with love.

I cannot wait to read more from Taylor Jenkins Reid so that I can compare this one to her other books. Have you read anything by Taylor Jenkins Reid? If so which are your favourites?