Review: Snug: A Collection of Comics about Dating Your Best Friend

Title: Snug: A Collection of Comics about Dating Your Best Friend
Author: Catana Chetwynd
Genre: Comics, Humour
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: February 4, 2020
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Why bother getting out of bed when you could stay bundled up with that special someone and a book of cozy, cute comics. From the author of the bestselling Little Moments of Love comes Snug, a collection of comics that perfectly captures the honest, playful, and relatable snapshots of romantic life.

Chetwynd’s second book has the same charming and inviting style as her first and includes 50 percent new, never-before-shared comics. Snug is a celebration of the quirks and peculiarities of every one of us—and the magic that happens when we find our matching puzzle piece.

Review:

This is an adorable collection of comics about the author, Catana, and her boyfriend, John.

These comics show warm and fuzzy moments between Catana and John. These moments include things from their everyday lives, like eating and sleeping.

Even if you don’t have a partner, these comics were relatable. They talk about everyday things, like buying food or feeling stressed. I laughed out loud many times, and I could relate to so many comics.

I really liked this collection of comics!

Thank you Andrews McMeel for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Little Moments of Love by Catana Chetwynd

Herding Cats (Sarah Scribbles #3) by Sarah Andersen

Have you read Snug: A Collection of Comics about Dating Your Best Friend? What did you think of it?

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – February 5

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 Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham. The expected publication date is March 3, 2020.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The Home for Unwanted Girls meets Orphan Train in this unforgettable novel about a young girl caught in a scheme to rid England’s streets of destitute children, and the lengths she will go to find her way home—based on the true story of the British Home Children.

2018

At ninety-seven years old, Winnifred Ellis knows she doesn’t have much time left, and it is almost a relief to realize that once she is gone, the truth about her shameful past will die with her. But when her great-grandson Jamie, the spitting image of her dear late husband, asks about his family tree, Winnifred can’t lie any longer, even if it means breaking a promise she made so long ago…

1936

Fifteen-year-old Winny has never known a real home. After running away from an abusive stepfather, she falls in with Mary, Jack, and their ragtag group of friends roaming the streets of Liverpool. When the children are caught stealing food, Winny and Mary are left in Dr. Barnardo’s Barkingside Home for Girls, a local home for orphans and forgotten children found in the city’s slums. At Barkingside, Winny learns she will soon join other boys and girls in a faraway place called Canada, where families and better lives await them.

But Winny’s hopes are dashed when she is separated from her friends and sent to live with a family that has no use for another daughter. Instead, they have paid for an indentured servant to work on their farm. Faced with this harsh new reality, Winny clings to the belief that she will someday find her friends again.

Inspired by true events, The Forgotten Home Child is a moving and heartbreaking novel about place, belonging, and family—the one we make for ourselves and its enduring power to draw us home.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: Ember Queen (Ash Princess Trilogy #3)

Title: Ember Queen (Ash Princess Trilogy #3)
Author: Laura Sebastian
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: February 4, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The thrilling conclusion to the series that began with the instant New York Times bestseller “made for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sabaa Tahir” (Bustle), Ember Queen is an epic fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people.

Princess Theodosia was a prisoner in her own country for a decade. Renamed the Ash Princess, she endured relentless abuse and ridicule from the Kaiser and his court. But though she wore a crown of ashes, there is fire in Theo’s blood. As the rightful heir to the Astrean crown, it runs in her veins. And if she learned nothing else from her mother, she learned that a Queen never cowers. 

Now free, with a misfit army of rebels to back her, Theo must liberate her enslaved people and face a terrifying new enemy: the new Kaiserin. Imbued with a magic no one understands, the Kaiserin is determined to burn down anyone and everything in her way. 

The Kaiserin’s strange power is growing stronger, and with Prinz Søren as her hostage, there is more at stake than ever. Theo must learn to embrace her own power if she has any hope of standing against the girl she once called her heart’s sister.

Review:

This book is the exciting ending to the Ash Princess series. It was one of my most highly anticipated books of 2020.

This story gave me everything I wanted in the ending of a book series. There were heartwarming moments, but there were also some tense moments where I was holding my breath. It didn’t have as many twists as the first two books had, because those plot points had to be resolved in this book.

I really liked the ending of this book. Some authors can be brutal with their characters at the end of a series, but I think Laura did a great job in completing the storylines in the least painful ways.

This was a great ending. I can’t wait to see what Laura Sebastian writes next!

What to read next:

The Beholder (The Beholder #1) by Anna Bright

Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard

Other Books in the Series:

Have you read Ember Queen? What did you think of it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Books On My TBR I Predict Will Be 5 Star Reads

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 Books On My TBR I Predict Will Be 5 Star Reads. Here’s my list:

1. Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin

2. Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon

3. The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham

4. Iphigenia Murphy by Sara Hosey

5. This Vicious Cure (This Mortal Coil #3) by Emily Suvada

6. To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters

7. Influence by Sara Shepard, Lilia Buckingham

8. Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner

9. Thorn by Intisar Khanani

10. Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

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

Blog Tour Review: Witness Protection Widow

Title: Witness Protection Widow
Author: Debra Webb
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Thriller
Publisher: Harlequin
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: January 21, 2020
Rating: ★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Can the witness protection program keep her identity secret? 

After Allison James finally escapes her marriage to a monster, she becomes the star witness in the case against her deceased husband’s powerful crime family. Now it’s up to US Marshal Jaxson Stevens, Ali’s ex-boyfriend, to keep the WITSEC widow safe. But as the danger escalates and sparks fly, will Jax be able to help Ali escape her ruthless in-laws?

Discover more spine-tingling suspense in the Winchester, Tennessee Thriller series:
In Self Defense
The Dark Woods
The Stranger Next Door
The Safest Lies 
Witness Protection Widow

From Harlequin Intrigue: Seek thrills. Solve crimes. Justice served.

Review:

This is the first Harlequin romance that I’ve ever read. It is part of their line of thrillers, called Harlequin Intrigue.

Ali is in the witness protection program. She was a witness to her husband’s murder by his father. They were part of a crime family, and she had information about the crimes they had committed. Ali was assigned a marshal to look after her, but when he was injured, they had to call in another man. It turns out that the new marshal, Jax, and Ali used to be engaged. They spend a lot of time together while he is protecting her, and they rekindle their romance.

This was an interesting concept for a thriller. I’ve never read a book about someone in the witness protection program, but I’ve seen it in many movies. This situation made many twists when her life was threatened.

There was a lot of build up to the court case at the end, which I found kind of disappointing. The whole story was about protecting Ali for her witness testimony, but that was the shortest part of the story. I wished it was longer because it could have created more tension.

There was also a lot of internal monologue of the two main characters. They spent a lot of time reflecting on their feelings, rather than doing things. This may be the format of these novels, but I wish there was more action and less reflection.

This book was a good introduction to Harlequin’s intrigue series.

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

What to read next:

In Self Defense by Debra Webb

About the Author:

DEBRA WEBB is the award winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than 150 novels, including reader favorites the Faces of Evil, the Colby Agency, and the Shades of Death series. With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood on a farm in Alabama. Visit Debra at www.DebraWebb.com

Have you read Witness Protection Widow? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – February 3

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 Witness Protection Widow by Debra Webb.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading Ember Queen (Ash Princess Trilogy #3) by Laura Sebastian.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #1) by Holly Jackson.

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

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – February 2

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 8 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… Witness Protection Widow

The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

This Sunday I’m reading Witness Protection Widow by Debra Webb.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Don’t miss the high-stakes police procedural thriller from USA TODAY bestselling author Debra Webb. 

Can the witness protection program keep her identity secret? 

After Allison James finally escapes her marriage to a monster, she becomes the star witness in the case against her deceased husband’s powerful crime family. Now it’s up to US Marshal Jaxson Stevens, Ali’s ex-boyfriend, to keep the WITSEC widow safe. But as the danger escalates and sparks fly, will Jax be able to help Ali escape her ruthless in-laws?

Discover more spine-tingling suspense in the Winchester, Tennessee Thriller series:

In Self Defense

The Dark Woods

The Stranger Next Door

The Safest Lies 

Witness Protection Widow

From Harlequin Intrigue: Seek thrills. Solve crimes. Justice served. 

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – Books About Bloggers/Vloggers

This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.

This week’s prompt is Bookstagrams or Blogs to Follow, but I changed it to Books About Bloggers/Vloggers. Here’s my list:

1. Finding Fraser by KC Dyer

2. Don’t Read the Comments by Eric Smith

3. Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

4. The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su, Kate Rorick

5. Fan the Fame by Anna Priemaza

6. Internet Famous by Danika Stone

(All book cover images from Goodreads)

Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list?

Review: Wildfire

Title: Wildfire
Author: Carrie Mac
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: January 28, 2020
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Into the Wild meets The Serpent King in this story about Annie and Pete, two best friends on a dangerous and emotional trek through the woods. 

Annie and Pete have been best friends since they were little. They know each other better than anyone, and they’ve been on more adventures than they can count–they even have a notebook filled with all the times they’ve almost died. But they always survive, because together, they’re invincible.

And they’ve always been just friends. But lately, Annie has been thinking that maybe friendship is just the beginning, and she’s been mentally replaying all the times they were almost something more.

Now they’re heading out on their next great quest: a ten-day backpacking trip through the mountains of Washington State, ending at Fire Camp, where they’ll learn to fight the area’s growing wildfire problem. The woods spark with the promise of adventure, but a freak climbing accident interrupts their progress, and as the wildfires close in and smoke envelops them, Annie and Pete wander farther from the trail. Carrie Mac’s gripping story of the power of unrequited love and the danger of the elements is harrowing, beautiful, and unforgettable. 

Review:

This was a heartbreaking story about friendship.

Annie and Pete are best friends who have experienced many tragedies in their young lives. They have both lost their mothers and Annie’s grandmother. They have also almost died many times. In this story, they embark on a hike through the forest. They intend to end their journey at a camp, where they will learn to fight forest fires, but they have to face many obstacles along the way.

I loved Annie’s narrative voice. At the beginning, the story jumped around a bit between a difficult time in their journey where Pete was sick and a few weeks earlier when Annie’s grandmother died. After a couple of chapters, I became hooked on the story. There were some parts of their lives, such as when and how their mothers died, which weren’t explained until close to the end of the story. That kept up some suspense since I was wondering what happened to them.

This story was heartbreaking and terrifying. On Pete and Annie’s journey, they faced unpredictable threats. They weren’t immediate threats, like wild animals, but more subtle things that threatened their lives. They were fairly close to civilization, but they were also too far to get help.

I became really attached to the characters throughout this story, which made the ending of it all the more difficult. This is a great book.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

10 Things I Can See From Here by Carrie Mac

Paper Towns by John Green

Have you read Wildfire? What did you think of it?