First Lines Friday – February 19

This is a weekly meme hosted by Wandering Words, where you give the first few lines of a book to hook your readers before introducing the book.

Here is my first line:

“Anthony Bridgerton had always known he would die young.”

Do you recognize this first line?

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And the book is… The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgertons #2) by Julia Quinn.

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Goodreads synopsis:

1814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, This Author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton, London’s most elusive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry. And in all truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better…

–Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, April 1814

But this time the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn’t just decided to marry–he’s even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended’s older sister, Kate Sheffield–the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate’s the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams…

Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes to not make the best husbands–and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate’s determined to protect her sister–but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony’s lips touch hers, she’s suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself…

Have you read The Viscount Who Loved Me? What did you think of it?

Review: Miss Benson’s Beetle

Title: Miss Benson’s Beetle
Author: Rachel Joyce
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Dial Press
Source: Once Upon a Book Club VIP
Format: Paperback
Release Date: November 24, 2020
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

She’s going too far to go it alone.

It is 1950. London is still reeling from World War II, and Margery Benson, a schoolteacher and spinster, is trying to get through life, surviving on scraps. One day, she reaches her breaking point, abandoning her job and small existence to set out on an expedition to the other side of the world in search of her childhood obsession: an insect that may or may not exist–the golden beetle of New Caledonia. When she advertises for an assistant to accompany her, the woman she ends up with is the last person she had in mind. Fun-loving Enid Pretty in her tight-fitting pink suit and pom-pom sandals seems to attract trouble wherever she goes. But together these two British women find themselves drawn into a cross-ocean adventure that exceeds all expectations and delivers something neither of them expected to find: the transformative power of friendship.

Review:

After an incident of bullying at the school where she teaches, Margery Benson decides to embark on her lifelong dream to find the golden beetle in New Caledonia. She has to find an assistant so she puts an ad in the newspaper. After going through a few different possibilities, she ends up with Enid Pretty, a woman wearing the most colorful clothes and pom-pom sandals. Enid is the opposite of what Margery was looking for in an assistant but she has no other choice. The two women embark on a trip around the world to search for the golden beetle, while also keeping their secrets hidden.

This story was very well plotted. There were a few different plot lines that were all woven together and kept me guessing. Along with the main story of Margery and Enid on their trip, there were a couple of subplots involving people from their pasts. Everything that happened in the story had a purpose and a meaning in the plot.

Unfortunately, I didn’t like the ending. I was loving the story until one thing that happened at the very end. I won’t give any spoilers of what it was, but it was something on the final pages that I don’t think needed to happen for the plot to be completed.

This was a great, original story!

Thank you Once Upon a Book Club for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a subscription box review.

What to read next:

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce

Have you read Miss Benson’s Beetle? What did you think of it?

TBR Thursday – February 18

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 Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Presented by James Patterson’s new children’s imprint, this deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion…

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.

The story’s shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling, #1 New York Times bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget. 

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

Review: The Times I Knew I Was Gay

Title: The Times I Knew I Was Gay
Author: Eleanor Crewes
Genre: Graphic Novel, Memoir
Publisher: Scribner
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 6, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A charming, highly relatable graphic memoir that follows one young woman’s adventures in coming out and coming of age.

Ellie always had questions about who she was and how she fit in. As a girl, she wore black, obsessed over Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and found dating boys much more confusing than many of her friends did. As she grew older, so did her fears and a deep sense of unbelonging. From her first communion to her first girlfriend via a swathe of self-denial, awkward encounters, and everyday courage, Ellie tells her story through gorgeous illustrations—a fresh and funny self-portrait of a young woman becoming herself.

The Times I Knew I Was Gay reminds us that people sometimes come out not just once but again and again; that identity is not necessarily about falling in love with others, but about coming to terms with oneself. Full of vitality and humor, it will ring true for anyone who has taken the time to discover who they truly are.

Review:

This graphic memoir is about coming out and growing up. Ellie had a close group of friends as a kid, but she always felt different. She dated boys but didn’t feel the same way about them as her friends did. Ellie came out multiple times before having the courage to live as her true self.

This was an original coming of age memoir. In most stories, when a character comes out, it’s a single moment that changes the course of their life. This book gave another perspective, where a person has to come out many times before finally deciding to live that way. Even though Ellie knew she was gay, she continued dating boys because that’s what her friends did. When she finally accepted herself, she was able to live her true life.

I loved this original graphic memoir!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Love Letters to Jane’s World by Paige Braddock

Juliet Takes a Breath: The Graphic Novel by Gabby Rivera and Celia Moscote (illustrator)

Have you read The Times I Knew I Was Gay? What did you think of it?

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – February 17

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 Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales. The expected publication date is March 9, 2021.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

In Sophie Gonzales’ Perfect on Paper, Leah on the Offbeat meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: a bisexual girl who gives anonymous love advice to her classmates is hired by the hot guy to help him get his ex back

Her advice, spot on. Her love life, way off.

Darcy Phillips:
• Can give you the solution to any of your relationship woes―for a fee.
• Uses her power for good. Most of the time.
• Really cannot stand Alexander Brougham.
• Has maybe not the best judgement when it comes to her best friend, Brooke…who is in love with someone else.
• Does not appreciate being blackmailed.

However, when Brougham catches her in the act of collecting letters from locker 89―out of which she’s been running her questionably legal, anonymous relationship advice service―that’s exactly what happens. In exchange for keeping her secret, Darcy begrudgingly agrees to become his personal dating coach―at a generous hourly rate, at least. The goal? To help him win his ex-girlfriend back.

Darcy has a good reason to keep her identity secret. If word gets out that she’s behind the locker, some things she’s not proud of will come to light, and there’s a good chance Brooke will never speak to her again.

Okay, so all she has to do is help an entitled, bratty, (annoyingly hot) guy win over a girl who’s already fallen for him once? What could go wrong?

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother)

Title: The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother)
Author: David Levithan
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Text Publishing
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: February 2, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author David Levithan takes young readers on a twisting journey through truth, reality, and fantasy and belief.

Aidan disappeared for six days. Six agonizing days of searches and police and questions and constant vigils. Then, just as suddenly as he vanished, Aidan reappears. Where has he been? The story he tells is simply. . . impossible. But it’s the story Aidan is sticking to.

His brother, Lucas, wants to believe him. But Lucas is aware of what other people, including their parents, are saying: that Aidan is making it all up to disguise the fact that he ran away.

When the kids in school hear Aidan’s story, they taunt him. But still Aidan clings to his story. And as he becomes more of an outcast, Lucas becomes more and more concerned. Being on Aidan’s side would mean believing in the impossible. But how can you believe in the impossible when everything and everybody is telling you not to?

Review:

Twelve-year-old Aidan disappeared for six days, leaving his family and town to search for him everywhere. On the sixth day, his brother, Lucas, heard a noise in the attic and went to investigate. He found Aidan lying on the floor, claiming to have returned from a different land called Aveinieu. The problem now is that no adults believe Aidan’s story. Lucas wants to believe his brother’s story but it’s difficult to believe in an impossible story.

This story was an original take on the traditional story of children disappearing into magical lands. There are lots of stories of children who climb through portals to magic lands, such as Narnia and Wonderland. Those stories have been told, but this story tells the family’s perspective of losing the child. Time worked differently in the world Aidan disappeared to, so he was gone for six days in real time but he was in the other land for many weeks.

This story was very fast paced. Aidan returned from his disappearance fairly early in the story, and the rest of it was him trying to convince everyone of what happened to him. It was sad to see how he wasn’t believed because he was a child and it sounded like a made up story, but he insisted it was true. I’d like to believe these kinds of fantasy lands do exist on the other side of wardrobes, to keep the magic alive!

I really enjoyed this story!

Thank you Text Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel by Sheela Chari

Whispering Pines by Heidi Lang and Kati Bartkowski

Have you read The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S.? What did you think of it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Purple, Yellow, and Green Book Covers (Mardi Gras!)

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 Purple, Yellow, and Green Book Covers, in honour of Mardi Gras. Here’s my list:

1. Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

2. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

3. The Dating Plan by Sara Desai

4. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

5. Serena Singh Flips the Script by Sonya Lalli

6. The Vanished Queen by Lisbeth Campbell

7. A Love Hate Thing by Whitney D. Grandison

8. Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

9. These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling

10. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

(All book covers from Goodreads)

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

Happy Pub Day – February 16

Happy Pub Day to all of these new books!

Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher

The Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis

The Centaur’s Wife by Amanda Leduc

The Wide Starlight by Nicole Lesperance

Serena Singh Flips the Script by Sonya Lalli

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

Of Silver and Shadow by Jennifer Gruenke

Reaper of Souls by Rena Barron

A Shot at Normal by Marisa Reichardt

What books are you most excited for this week?

Blog Tour Review: The Iron Raven (The Iron Fey: Evenfall #1)

Title: The Iron Raven (The Iron Fey: Evenfall #1)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: February 9, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

You may have heard of me…

Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Prankster, joker, raven, fool… King Oberon’s right-hand jester from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The legends are many, but the truth will now be known as never before, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat to the lands of Faery and the human world unlike any before.

With the Iron Queen Meghan Chase and her prince consort, Puck’s longtime rival Ash, and allies old and new by his side, Puck begins a fantastical and dangerous adventure not to be missed or forgotten.

Review:

Puck, the jester from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, tells his own story in this new book. He meets a faerie from the Forgotten, who doesn’t remember her past but is working with the Iron Queen’s son. There is a mysterious threat to their land. Along with Puck’s friend Meghan the Iron Queen, his rival Ash, and some other friends, they have to find the source of the threat.

This story is a spin off of the Iron Fey series. I haven’t read that series, but I still understood everything in the story. There were some descriptions of events from the past, which I think were from the previous books. This made it accessible to new readers, like me, but I feel like I know what happened in the other books now, so I probably won’t go back and read them.

Puck was a fun character. I’m glad he had his own story in this book. He was a funny trickster. I also liked the blend of the real world with the faerie world. Puck has been to the human world, so he would compare fae items to human items, but the other fairies didn’t know what he was talking about. These parts were really funny and unique to this story.

I really enjoyed this story! It ended with a cliffhanger, so I’m excited to see what happens in the next book.

Thank you Inkyard Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

About the author:

JULIE KAGAWA is the New York Times, USA TODAY and internationally bestselling author of The Iron Fey, Blood of Eden, The Talon Saga and the Shadow of the Fox series. Born in Sacramento, she has been a bookseller and an animal trainer and enjoys reading, painting, playing in her garden and training in martial arts. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and a plethora of pets. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Have you read The Iron Raven? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – February 15

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 Iron Raven (The Iron Fey: Evenfall #1) by Julie Kagawa.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. by David Levithan.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Gutter Child by Jael Richardson.

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