Month: December 2021

Review: An Offer From a Gentleman

Title: An Offer From a Gentleman
Author: Julia Quinn
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Avon
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: July 1, 2001
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Sophie Beckett never dreamed she’d be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton’s famed masquerade ball—or that “Prince Charming” would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.

Who was that extraordinary woman? Ever since that magical night, a radiant vision in silver has blinded Benedict to the attractions of any other—except, perhaps, this alluring and oddly familiar beauty dressed in housemaid’s garb whom he feels compelled to rescue from a most disagreeable situation. He has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, but this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her. Yet, if he offers her his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only chance for a fairy tale love?

Review:

Sophie is the illegitimate daughter of an Earl, who is left in the care of her stepmother when he dies suddenly. She disguises herself and goes to a masquerade ball at the Bridgerton home, where she meets Benedict Bridgerton, the second son. When Benedict sees the mysterious girl at the ball, he instantly falls in love with her. However, she leaves before he can find out who she is. Now, two years later, Sophie is working as a maid. She and Benedict meet again when he saves her from being attacked by a group of men. Benedict insists on helping Sophie find another job, though he doesn’t know that she’s the woman he fell for years ago. He needs to marry soon, and he likes Sophie, but his heart still belongs to the mysterious woman from the ball and Sophie is a much lower social status. They have to figure out if their love is strong enough to get past these differences.

This Bridgerton novel didn’t disappoint! The first couple of chapters were a Cinderella story. Sophie was left with her stepmother and stepsisters after her biological father died, though he never claimed her as his own so she didn’t benefit from being his daughter. She had the chance meeting with her Prince Charming at a masquerade ball, but then she had to flee before her stepmother returned home. I love it when fairytales are part of a story. This fairy tale part was only in the first couple of chapters but it was an entertaining entrance to the story.

The only thing I didn’t find believable was how much Benedict and Sophie loved each other at first sight. They didn’t know anything about each other and they couldn’t even see what they really looked like since they were wearing masks. This felt like a forced relationship at the beginning because they were head over heels in love without actually knowing the other person. By the end, I was rooting for them, but their love felt forced in the beginning.

An Offer From a Gentleman is a great Bridgerton romance!

Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters

Other books in the series:

Have you read An Offer From a Gentleman? What did you think of it?

Review: A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3)

Title: A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3)
Author: V.E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: February 21, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Witness the fate of beloved heroes – and enemies.

THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS FINALLY TIPPED…
The precarious equilibrium among four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise.

WHO WILL CRUMBLE?
Kell – once assumed to be the last surviving Antari – begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. And in the wake of tragedy, can Arnes survive?

WHO WILL RISE?
Lila Bard, once a commonplace – but never common – thief, has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry. Meanwhile, the disgraced Captain Alucard Emery of the Night Spire collects his crew, attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible.

WHO WILL TAKE CONTROL?
And an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown while a fallen hero tries to save a world in decay.

Review:

The darkness of the other Londons has bled through to Red London. Kell must focus on saving his brother and protecting his world. Lila has new magic that she has to learn how to control. Alucard returns to a place he thought was lost. They all must work with an unlikely ally to save London from the darkness that threatens to take over.

This was a fantastic conclusion to the Shades of Magic trilogy. It was action packed and fast paced. The short chapters made it easy to read.

Despite the fast pace, the beautiful, poetic writing made me want to savour it. There are so many great quotes in this series. My favourite one in this book was, “A myth without a voice is like a dandelion without a breath of wind. No way to spread the seeds.”

A Conjuring of Light is a wonderful book. I can’t wait for the story to continue in future books.

Shades of Magic, Vol. 1: The Steel Prince by V.E. Schwab

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Other books in the series:

Have you read A Conjuring of Shadows? What did you think of it?

TBR Thursday – December 30

TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.

My pick this week is Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Perfect for readers of The Hazel Wood and The Night Circus, this lush and layered story about magic and the captivating power of dreams is delivered with acclaimed author Rebecca Ross’s signature exquisite style.

A curse plagues the realm of Azenor—during each new moon, magic flows from the nearby mountain and brings nightmares to life. Only magicians, who serve as territory wardens, stand between people and their worst dreams.

Clementine Madigan is ready to take over as the warden of her small town, but when two magicians challenge her, she is unwittingly drawn into a century-old conflict. She seeks revenge, but as she secretly gets closer to Phelan, one of the handsome young magicians, secrets begin to rise. Clementine must unite with her rival to fight the realm’s curse, which seems to be haunting her every turn.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Review: How to Pick a Fight

Title: How to Pick a Fight
Author: Lara Kaminoff
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Nobrow
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: October 5, 2021
Rating: ★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Scrappy young Jimmy is a pro wrestler in the making, and he’s up for taking on anyone and anything. From his own family, his schoolwork, wild animals and pirates, he’s challenging the world one small fight at a time, but can his hopes and dreams take him all the way to stellar success? Or will his fists finally get him into too much trouble?

Jimmy dreams of one day being recognised as JIMMY RUCKUS, world famous featherweight, beloved by all but in his eleven-strong house, Jimmy is the last thing on anyone’s minds. He knows he’s destined for greatness, so he sets off to seek his fortune. What he finds are circus animals, painters, pirates and heavyweight champs, each one challenging Jimmy’s idea of success. By the end of it, Jimmy realises he has to decide whether living life fist first is all it’s cracked up to be. Lara Kaminoff’s stellar art style and sharp characters give us a snappy, fresh story about a scrappy kid who means well, but never quite gets it right.

Review:

Jimmy dreams of becoming a pro wrestler, like his idol Pimmy. When he’s constantly ignored by his large family, he decides to run away and make his dreams a reality. He goes on a journey where he encounters circus animals, pirates, a painter, and a castaway. Each of these encounters make Jimmy question if his dream is really the only path to success.

This graphic novel had a really good premise. Jimmy felt overlooked by his family, so his solution was to run away. However, it wasn’t as easy to follow his dream of becoming a pro wrestler as he thought it would be. He saw a lot of people who had worked hard all their lives yet hadn’t reached the levels of success that he expected.

By the comical cover and exaggerated look of Jimmy’s hair, I expected this story to be funnier. There were some serious learning moments that I wasn’t expecting. There was a surprising twist near the end, but I found the ending to be too open ended. I would have liked to see a more positive and concrete ending to Jimmy’s story.

How to Pick a Fight was a good graphic novel.

Thank you Nobrow Press for providing a copy of this book.

Girl Haven by Lilah Sturges

Have you read How to Pick a Fight? What did you think of it?

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – December 29

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is The Last Grand Duchess by Bryn Turnbull. The expected publication date is February 8, 2022.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

This sweeping new novel from the internationally bestselling author of The Woman Before Wallis takes readers behind palace walls to see the end of Imperial Russia through the eyes of Olga Romanov, the first daughter of the last Tsar. 

Grand Duchess Olga Romanov comes of age amid a shifting tide for the great dynasties of Europe. But even as unrest simmers in the capital, Olga is content to live within the confines of the sheltered life her parents have built for and her three sisters: hiding from the world on account of their mother’s ill health, their brother Alexei’s secret affliction, and rising controversy over Father Grigori Rasputin, the priest on whom the Tsarina has come to rely. Olga’s only escape from the seclusion of Alexander Palace comes from her aunt, who takes pity on her and her sister Tatiana, inviting them to grand tea parties amid the shadow court of Saint Petersburg. Finally, she glimpses a world beyond her mother’s Victorian sensibilities—a world of opulent ballrooms, scandalous flirtation, and whispered conversation.  

But as war approaches, the palaces of Russia are transformed. Olga and her sisters trade their gowns for nursing habits, assisting in surgeries and tending to the wounded bodies and minds of Russia’s military officers. As troubling rumours about her parents trickle in from the Front, Olga dares to hope that a budding romance might survive whatever the future may hold. But when tensions run high and supplies run low, the controversy over Rasputin grows into fiery protest, and calls for revolution threaten to end 300 years of Romanov rule. 

At turns glittering and harrowing, The Last Grand Duchess is story about dynasty, duty, and love, but above all, it’s the story of a family who would choose devotion to each other over everything—including their lives.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Happy Pub Day – December 28

Happy Pub Day to all of these new books!

Better Off Wed by Susanna Craig

It Happened One Midnight by Saranna DeWylde

Here’s To Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska

The Replacement Wife by Darby Kane

The Sorority Murder by Allison Brennan

The Spanish Daughter by Lorena Hughes

Find Your Unicorn Space by Eve Rodsky

Cry Wolf by Hans Rosenfeldt

What books are you most excited for this week?

Top Ten Tuesday – Best Books I Read in 2021

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Best Books I Read in 2021. Here’s my list:

1. Sisters of the Snake by Sarena and Sasha Nanua

2. Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

3. Never Say You Can’t Survive by Charlie Jane Anders

4. Lucky by Marissa Stapley

5. The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

6. White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

7. A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli

8. Bridge of Souls by Victoria Schwab

9. A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

10. Instamom by Chantel Guertin

(All book covers from Goodreads)

What’s your list of books on your Top Ten Tuesday?

Review: The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe (Manga Classics)

Title: The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe (Manga Classics)
Author: Edgar Allan Poe, Stacy King
Genre: Manga, Horror, Short Stories
Publisher: Udon Entertainment
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 17, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe is a brilliant collection of some of his best-known stories: 
The Tell Tale Heart (a murder’s haunting guilt), illustrated by Virginia Nitouhei
The Cask of Amontillado (a story of brilliant revenge), and illustrated by Chagen
The Fall of the House of Usher (an ancient house full of very dark secretes), illustrated by Linus Liu and Man Yiu

Also included in this collection are The Mask of the Red Death (horrors of ‘the Plague’), as illustrated by Uka Nagao, and the most famous of all his poems, The Raven (a lover’s decline into madness), illustrated by Pikomaro. 

Best read in a dimly-lit room with the curtains drawn, Poe’s brilliant works come to life in darkly thrilling ways in this Manga Classic adaptation.

Review:

This is a manga collection of some of Edgar Allan Poe’s best short stories. They include: The Tell Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Raven, The Mask of the Red Death, and The Fall of the House of Usher.

These stories are some of my favourite short stories. They are all descriptive and have lots of imagery that translates well to illustrations. I loved revisiting these classic stories and seeing them illustrated for the first time.

The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe (Manga Classics) is a great manga adaptation of his classic horror stories.

Thank you Udon Entertainment for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jane Eyre (Manga Classics) by Charlotte Brontë, Stacy King

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, Stacy King

Have you read The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe (Manga Classics)? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – December 27

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe (Manga Classics) by Edgar Allan Poe and Stacy King.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap Up – December 26

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 6 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?