angelreads, Author at Angel Reads

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Books I Read Because of a Recommendation

Oct 20, 2020

This week I’m sharing the books that I loved that I read because of a recommendation. Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.

I’m always open to reading books recommended by others. Whether it’s from other bloggers, booktubers, friends or even customers at work. It’s a fantastic way to pick up a book that you know someone loves. So today I’m sharing some of my favourite books that I read because of a recommendation.

Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1) by Nalini Singh: Nick is the main person that recommended I started this series, but it has been on my radar for years. It’s one of those series that so many people talk about and love. And let me tell you I have become one of these people. Check out part one of my series review for more.

Only When It’s Us (Bergman Brothers #1) by Chloe Liese: There was no real one person that this recommendation came from, but I kept seeing it pop up with romance bloggers and I knew that I had to pick it up. And I’m so glad that I did because it’s fantastic. You can check out my full review now.

The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1) by Julia Quinn: This one has been recommended to me for years, especially after I started reading more historical romance. One person that has pushed me to read is Bec. I read this one the other day and now I want the whole series.

Romanov by Nadine Brandes: I can’t remember who recommended me this one, but I adore retellings and this was fantastic. It has magic, romance and explores the fight for family on the backdrop of war. Full review.

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas: This is another one that wasn’t recommended by one person in particular. But by multiple romance bloggers and booktubers. Penelope Douglas is one of those authors that is always recommended and I’ve glad that I did pick this one up. Because I did enjoy it. Check out my review now.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: This is another one I read because of a recommendation for my love for retellings. And it’s one that I’m always recommending to others now. It’s fantastic. The writing is amazing, the characters are captivating and I cried so much. But it’s so well done.

Unearthly (Unearthly #1) by Cynthia Hand: I read this one a while ago now so I can’t remember who gave me the recommendation, but I do know that Ely really enjoyed the series and pushed me to read it. This series is fantastic and still holds up pretty well even though it was published a while ago now.

Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers #1) by Lisa Kleypas: When I started wanting to read historical romance Lisa Kleypas was one of the most recommend authors for me to pick up and now I’ve read 3 of her series and plan to read more and more.

Trial by Fire (Worldwalker #1) by Josephine Angelini: This is another one that I now recommend to people because of how much I love this series. I can’t remember who got me to read this as it was years ago now. But this series is so interesting and I wish more people read it. This series is underrated for sure.

Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits #1) by Katie McGarry: I first read this in 2013 so I can’t even remember who gave me the recommendation. But I just love this series and every few years I will do a re-read. I think this is one of the series that got me reading the romance I do now.

And that is it for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday! What are some of the books that you have loved reading from a recommendation? Do we share any that is the same? Have you read any books because of me? Let’s Chat!

Tattoos and Football| Mariana Zapata Mini Reviews

Oct 19, 2020

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been slowly reading my way through Mariana Zapata’s backlist and newer titles. So today I thought I would share my thoughts on some of the recent ones that I have read. I’ve had an up and down relationship with Mariana Zapata books. I’ve really enjoyed some and then just liked some. You can also check out my mini-review of Luna and the Lie.

Today I’ll be reviewing Under Locke and Hands Down. It’s a mix of a backlist title and her newest release.

Under Locke by Mariana Zapata

Pages: 496
Publish date: January 19th 2014
Publisher: Mariana Zapata
ISBN: 9780990429203
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

He was my boss, my brother’s friend, a Widower, an ex-felon, and a man I’d seen casually with a handful of women. But he was everything that gripped me, both the good and the bad. Worst case scenario if things turned awkward between us, I could go somewhere else. I’d gotten over epic heartbreak before, one more wouldn’t kill me.

After moving to Austin following six months of unemployment back home, Iris Taylor knows she should be glad to have landed a job so quickly… even if the business is owned by a member of the same motorcycle club her estranged father used to belong to. Except Dex Locke might just be the biggest jerk she’s ever met. He’s rude, impatient and doesn’t know how to tell time.

And the last thing they ever expected was each other.

But it was either the strip club or the tattoo shop.

… she should have chosen the strip club

Under Locke:

I think this has to be one of my favourites of the Marina Zapata that I’ve read so far. One of the things that Zapata is very good at slow-burn romances. And when I say slow I mean very slow. But it’s different and I really enjoyed that.

Under Locke follows Iris Taylor who has recently moved to Austin to be with her half brother. She is broke and just wants a fresh start. And when Sonny gets her a job at a tattoo shop owned by his friend Dex, she thinks she is finally on her way to starting again. But Dex Locke isn’t all that nice. He is hot-headed, rude, impatient and a jerk at times. But as they spend more time together Iris and Dex get to know different sides to one another and sparks start to fly.

Iris was an interesting protagonist. I didn’t love her like I normally do with a female protagonist, but as the novel went on I grew to like her. Iris just needs to help in life. She feels lost and doesn’t even know when to begin and when she lands the job at Dex’s place, she thinks she can get that start. One of my favourite things about Under Locke is that the reader gets to see Iris grow throughout the novel and not only find herself, but those around her.

Dex is great. It took me a long time to get to like him as a character. However as the novel went on and Iris got to know him better, I enjoyed him more. Dex is stubborn and impatient and at times that made me really dislike him. But like Iris, he grew throughout the novel and let go of his demons.

The romance was interesting, to say the least. It’s a very much slow burn and I liked seeing both Iris and Dex slowly fall for one another. It’s a hate to love romance for sure and it was really well done. The romance moved nicely and I liked the built-up and the tension. It was hot and sweet at the same time.

Overall, I loved reading Under Locke by Mariana Zapata. It’s got a slight MC undertone and you know that I love my MC romances. I adored the slow burn of the romance. It’s different to see it and I enjoyed the change. In saying that at times I did feel that it went a little too slow. I adored the banter between Iris and everyone at the tattoo shop, it just made the novel that much more entertaining. The romance was great and I had a fantastic time reading it. I think this is a great one to start with for sure.

Photo by Lucas Lenzi on Unsplash

Hands Down
by Mariana Zapata

Pages: 548
Publish date: July 2nd 2020
Publisher: Mariana Zapata
ISBN: 9781953262004
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Before he was Big Texas, he was Zac the Snack Pack.

Bianca Brannen knows time—mostly—heals all wounds. Including those, your once loved ones might have unintentionally given you. (Those just take longer.)

She thinks she’s ready when a call has her walking back into her old friend’s life. Or at least as prepared as possible to see the starting quarterback in the National Football Organization. Before the lights, the fans, and the millions, he’d been a skinny kid with a heart of gold.

Waltzing out of Zac Travis’s life should be easy. Just as easy as he walked out of hers.

Hands Down:

This is Mariana Zapata’s newest release and my least favourite of the books that I’ve now read. I couldn’t connect with the characters and the story. And it was way too long.

Hands Down follows Bianca Brannen as she is dragged back into Zac Travis life. Friends from a young age they connected right away, but as they got older they started to drift. So much so that they haven’t talked in some time. But it was good for Bianca, and then she is dragged back into this life and old feelings rise to the surface. Will she survive being back in his life again?

Bianca was pretty easy to get along with, I didn’t mind her as a protagonist. However, it was hard to connect with her. In saying that I did enjoy Bianca’s character arc. The reader is able to see her grow throughout the book and find herself.

On the other hand, I didn’t like Zac all too much. He didn’t feel real. One of my favourite things about romances is how real the characters can sometimes feel, and I didn’t get that here. I kept on waiting for more from him and I didn’t get it. There were times where I was thinking I was going to start liking him and then he did something stupid.

The romance is a mix of second chance plus friends to lovers and I didn’t love it. I normally love age gap romances, but I don’t think it was done great here. The age gap isn’t big, but it felt strange. I think it was mostly to do with how Zac talked about and to Bianca that made it hard to read. Heaps of reviews mentioned this, but the number of times he refers to her as ‘kiddo’ just put me off the romance.

Hands Down also felt too long. It was over 500 pages and for a contemporary romance that just way too much for me. There was so much angst and drama, that it did a little too much for me. I did like that the romance was another slow burn. I’ve come to learn that Mariana Zapata is pretty good at writing great slow-burn romances.

Overall Hands Down by Mariana Zapata was an okay read. I had problems with it, but I didn’t hate it. It’s probably my least favourite of her books that I’ve read so far, but it won’t be stopping me from trying more. The romance was okay, I wasn’t able to fully connect with the characters and that made liking the romance a little harder. It’s a decent read and fans of Mariana Zapata will enjoy it.

Photo by Project 290 on Unsplash

And that is it for these mini-reviews. Have you read these Mariana Zapata books? What did you think of them? What is your favourite of her books? Let’s Chat!

Books To Give You Those Spring Feels

Oct 17, 2020

Today I thought I would share books that give me the feels of spring. Now that it’s started to get that little warmer where I live, it’s starting to feel more like spring. So today I would share some of the books that I think are perfect to read in spring and give you those spring feels.

I tried to recommend all types of books here from young adult to romance and everything in between. Spring is also the end of the year here in Australia so I tent to either re-read or try and get what I wanted to read in in the year done – quickly. But anyway here we go. Like always these are in no order.

The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1) by Julia Quinn: I just finished this one and now I want everyone to read it. Historial Romances are perfect for spring. They are fun, entertaining and exactly what you need. And this one has it all. I’m so ready to read the rest of this series now.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune: I could not do this list and not include this book. I’m going to recommend this one to everyone and anyone. It’s perfect spring read and one that you can just sit down and smile at.

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales: While this isn’t set in spring, it gives me that spring feels. It just has all the right things that I look for in a contemporary YA. If you haven’t picked this one up and looking for a great YA read, then pick this one up.

Always Only You (Bergman Brothers #2) by Chloe Liese: I love this book so much. It has fantastic disability rep, the romance is adorable plus adds to that, it’s a sports romance and I’m in love. It is also emotional and heartbreaking at times.

The Guinevere Deception (Camelot Rising #1) by Kiersten White: I haven’t talked about this one in ages, but the cover is the first thing that gives me the spring feels. I don’t know what exactly gives me the spring feels about this one, but if you haven’t picked it up yet please do.

The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke #1) by Tessa Dare: This one just feels like spring to me. The cover is the first clue, but even when I read it, I just feel happy. This is such a fantastic historical romacne and if you haven’t read a Tessa Dare and want to start, here is a great place.

Scandal in Spring (Wallflowers #4) by Lisa Kleypas: There was no chance that I wasn’t going to include this one here. It’s fantastic and exactly what I want to read in spring. Plus look at that cover. It’s exactly what spring is.

The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde: This is another one that just reminds me of spring, the bright colours of the cover, plus the book itself. Brightsiders is such a fun read that always makes me happy. It’s also a little emotional so be ready for that.

Rookie Move (Brooklyn Bruisers #1) by Sarina Bowen: This is another one that screams spring to me right from the start. The colours used in the cover, plus the feeling that the book gives me. It’s what I want to read in spring.

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And those are some of the books that will give you those spring feels. Have you read any of these books? Do you agree? Let’s Chat!