Jill's Book Blog

Review: Judy Moody and the Right Royal Tea Party

Title: Judy Moody and the Right Royal Tea Party
Author: Megan McDonald
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: September 11, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Jolly smashing! Could the Moodys really have royal blood? Judy brings her new look to a comical episode about the ups and downs of exploring a family tree.

Judy Moody is in a royal purple-mountain-majesties mood. Make that Majesty with a capital M! With Grandma Lou’s help, Judy has dug up proof that some old-timey Moodys (aka the brave Mudeyes) lived in merry olde England. In fact, if her grandpa’s notes are right, Judy might even be related to — royal fanfare, please — the Queen herself! Should Judy start packing her purple robe for a sleepover at Buckingham Palace? But then Judy’s family tree gets a few more shakes — thanks to her nemesis, Jessica “Fink” Finch — and some more surprises come tumbling out. Crikey! These new gems are not nearly as shiny or sparkly as the crown jewels. Now Judy has some right royal family secrets she’d like to keep hidden away in a dungeon somewhere — and especially away from Jessica, the princess in pink herself!

Review:

Judy Moody becomes a Queen in this new story.

I had never read a Judy Moody book before this one, and I enjoyed it. Judy is a quirky, funny girl. She reminded me of Junie B. Jones, who was one of my favourite characters when I was a kid.

I liked the plot of this story. Judy has to do a family tree project for school, which I remember doing too. It was surprising that Judy’s grandmother could trace their family back to Queen Elizabeth I! It encouraged Judy to explore her royal roots and become a queen herself.

I really enjoyed this story. It would be great for middle grade readers!

Top Ten Tuesday – Hidden Gems

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 Back to School, so I will be listing Books That Take Place at a School. Here’s my list:

1. Another Woman’s Husband by Gill Paul

2. The Raging Ones by Krista and Becca Ritchie

3. Kiss of the Royal by Lindsey Duga

4. My Name is Victoria by Lucy Worsley

5. I See London, I See France by Sarah Mlynowski

6. The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde

7. Ghost by Jason Reynolds

8. The Window by Amelia Brunskill

9. The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross

10. Giant Days, Vol. 1 by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Whitney Cogar

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

Blog Tour Review: How (Not) to Marry a Duke

Title: How (Not) to Marry a Duke
Author: Felicia Kingsley
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Aria
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: August 21, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A hilarious romantic comedy perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Jo Watson and Meg Cabot.

One minute, Jemma Pears is a struggling theatrical make-up artist in London. The next, she’s been left a vast fortune by her estranged grandmother. The catch: she must marry a man with a title to inherit.
Jemma thinks this is truly impossible: she’s a romantic, searching for true love, not just a convenient marriage… and besides, where would she even find a titled guy?

Enter Ashford, the new Duke of Burlingham. His legacy: massive debts that he must pay back immediately or risk the bank seizing his assets. Or worse: his mother’s wrath!

When their lawyer hears of their situations, a secret match is made despite their mutual hatred of each other: through marrying Ashford, Jemma can inherit and Ashford can pay back his debts immediately. Problem solved. That is, until their marriage is leaked to the press and everyone finds out…

Now they have to play out the charade for at least a year or risk going to jail for fraud!

A hilarious pretense ensues and Jemma must battle against a crazy mother in law, a stuffy aristocracy, and finally, and most surprisingly of all, confusing feelings for Ashford…!

Review:

I absolutely loved this book! It was cute and funny!

The ending was kind of predictable because of the storyline. Jemma needs to marry a man with a title to receive her inheritance from her grandmother and Ashford is a Duke who requires a lot of money for him to save his properties. By coincidence, they have the same lawyer who sets them up to solve both of their problems! Of course, at first they hate each other because Jemma is not part of the aristocracy that Ashford usually associates with. But after living together for a while, things change.

There were a number of times that I laughed out loud. Ashford’s mother reminded me of Jane Fonda’s character in the movie Monster-In-Law. Jemma could not please her no matter what she did. They were completely different, so many of the scenes reminded me of that movie.

Though I could see where the story was heading, I loved the ending. I really enjoyed the whole story, and I fell in love with the characters. This is a great romantic comedy!

About the Author:

Felicia Kingsley was born in 1987. She lives in a small town near Modena and works as an architect. Her debut novel How (Not) to Marry a Duke was the second most read e-book in Italy in 2017.

Thank you to Aria for letting me participate in this blog tour.

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – September 10

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 How (Not) to Marry a Duke by Felicia Kingsley.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading Another Woman’s Husband by Gill Paul.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen.

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

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – September 9

I had a great week. I finished my Master’s dissertation for my Master’s in Critical and Creative Writing! I’m so relived to have it finished, and I’m excited to continue writing my book.

Here’s my weekly wrap up!

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

Study Hall of Justice (DC Comics: Secret Hero Society #1) ★★★★
Valiant High ★★★
The Benefits of Being an Octopus ★★★★
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle ★★★★★
Hilda and the Hidden People ★★★★
Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) ★★★★★

I did 7 weekly blogging memes:

I also shared my unboxing of my Litjoy Crate from July 2018

Litjoy Unboxing – July 2018

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… Another Woman’s Husband

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.

Well that’s an unfortunate title… This Sunday I reading Another Woman’s Husband by Gill Paul.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Another Woman’s Husband is the latest gripping novel from Gill Paul.

Two women who challenged the Crown. Divided by time. Bound by a secret…

1911

At the age of fifteen, carefree Mary Kirk and indomitable Wallis Warfield meet at summer camp. Their friendship will survive heartbreaks, separation and the demands of the British Crown until it is shattered by one unforgivable betrayal.

1997

Rachel’s romantic break in Paris with her fiance ends in tragedy when the car ahead crashes. Inside was Princess Diana. Back in Brighton, Rachel is haunted by the accident, and intrigued to learn the princess had visited the last home of Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, only hours before the crash. Soon, the discovery of a long-forgotten link to Wallis Simpson leads Rachel to the truth behind a scandal that shook the world…

Richly imagined and beautifully written, Another Woman’s Husband is a gripping, moving novel about two women thrust into the spotlight, followed by scandal, touched by loss.

What book are you in bed with today?

Review: Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2)

Title: Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2)
Author: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books
Source: Purchased
Release Date: October 18, 2016
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminaecontinues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

Review:

This series is one of the best book series I’ve ever read. It has everything: mystery, thriller, science fiction, fantasy, romance. At the same time, it all makes sense. It’s like real life, with a little bit of everything.

It took me a while to get back into the story because it has been a while since I read the first book. It threw me off when I learned that this story follows different characters from the first one. I was disappointed when I found out. But I fell in love with these characters pretty quickly. It’s amazing how much emotion can be put into these characters who only speak through texts for the most part of this story.

At one point the two stories from the first and second books collide and I was so excited when it happened! The ending was also amazing and had my heart pounding. One thing I figured out by the end is that nothing is what it seems…

I loved this book! I can’t wait to read the next book, but I don’t want the series to be over!

Stacking the Shelves – September 8

This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

I only bought one book this week. It was an Kindle ebook on sale :

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

As of the writing of this post (Thursday night) The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is still on sale for $1.99!

What books did you get this week?

Review: Hilda and the Hidden People

Title: Hilda and the Hidden People
Author: Luke Pearson, Stephen Davies
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: September 4, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Introducing the novel based on the Netflix animated series, Hilda, coming to screens in fall 2018.

Meet Hilda: explorer, adventurer, avid sketchbook-keeper and friend to almost every creature in the valley! Join our beloved heroine as she encounters her very first troll, negotiates peace with some very persnickety elves, and reunites two lovelorn ancient giants. Fantastic creatures and daring adventures are all just part of another average day for Hilda, but what will she do if she is forced to move to Trolberg city, far away from her beloved valley home? Dive into the adventure with this illustrated chapter book, based on the first two episodes of the show.

Review:

This is a cute middle grade story.

Hilda and her mom are going to be kicked out of their house by the invisible elves that live in front of it. The elves can become visible if you sign a form to see them (the elves love forms). Hilda must travel to see the elf Prime Minister and elf king to save her home.

Hilda learns a lot about her homeland throughout the story. It is a land with elves and giants shaped like mountains. There are also trolls that can be scared off by bells. But Hilda realizes that the land doesn’t belong to her and her mom, since they built on top of someone else’s home.

This series is becoming a Netflix show, and I’m curious to watch it. This is the start of a book series that will be continuing next year. I look forward to following Hilda’s story.

First Lines Friday – September 7

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 are my first lines:

“A sex tape. A pregnancy scare. Two cheating scandals. And that’s just this week’s update. If all you knew of Bayview High was Simon Kelleher’s gossip app, you’d wonder how anyone found time to go to class.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

…

And the book is… One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus.

Goodreads synopsis:

The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

Have you read One of Us Is Lying? What did you think of it?

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Nancy Clancy Seeks a Fortune by Jane O’Connor

Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentime by Barbara Park

1. Another Woman’s Husband by Gill Paul

2. The Raging Ones by Krista and Becca Ritchie

3. Kiss of the Royal by Lindsey Duga

4. My Name is Victoria by Lucy Worsley

5. I See London, I See France by Sarah Mlynowski

6. The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde

7. Ghost by Jason Reynolds

8. The Window by Amelia Brunskill

9. The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross

10. Giant Days, Vol. 1 by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Whitney Cogar

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

About the Author:

What I just finished:

What I’m currently reading:

What I’m reading next:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Warcross by Marie Lu

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Lumberjanes: Unicorn Power! (Lumberjanes #1) by Mariko Tamaki

Hildafolk (Hilda #1) by Luke Pearson

Goodreads synopsis: