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#LoveOzYA You Need To Check Out

#LoveOzYA You Need To Check Out

Oct 10, 2020

Today I thought I would share some of the #LoveOzYA that I think you need to read. I adore #LoveOzYA and if you haven’t read anything by Australians authors, especially those writing YA. Get on it. Here is the list of #LoveOzYA that I think you need to read. 

The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim: This is an empowering novel that explores family, mental health and trying to find your own feet. The characters were fantastic and clever, while the romance was fantastic and what I love. And while there is darkness in this novel and sometimes you feel like there is no hope. There is also warmth. 

This is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield: This novel is a powerful read that explores the low socioeconomic communities in Australia and how it impacts daily lives, especially teens trying to make their way through school. This book made me feel so many things from anger to hope. From sadness to being proud. This poignant coming of age story that captures the lives of those that struggle day by day.

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales: I wasn’t expecting to like this one as I did. The romacne has it’s ups and downs, but it’s a great young adult contemporary novel that explores first love. As well as finding and believing in yourself. 

It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood: This is an honest, heartwarming coming of age novel. It truly captures all those feelings of leaving high school and the anxieties of what to do with life as an ‘adult.’ If you haven’t picked this book up, please do. If you are looking for a YA contemporary that isn’t going to tear you apart but still makes the reader feel so many emotions.

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde: I feel like I recommend this more than I already do. It’s a fun but emotional read that is for every pop-cultural fan. It explores the notion of friendship and relationships. It’s about falling in love and letting yourself love. It’s about stepping out of that bubble and letting yourself be free. 

Every series by Ellie Marney: I will never stop recommending this series. It’s honestly only of my favourites of all time. A sherlock esp retelling set in Melbourne. There are many very intense scenes including one in a lion’s den. But if you pick anything up by Ellie Marney you are in good hands. 

The Protected by Claire Zorn: I haven’t’ talked about this book in years. But this is a fantastic read. The Protected is a beautiful, heartbreaking novel that tales a story of a girl who not only has to deal with her sister dying, but memory lost, her family breaking down and the torment of school.

Frankie by Shivaun Plozza: It’s a story of heartbreak, belonging, finding yourself and what it is to be a family. It captures Melbourne as Melbourne from the language to the setting, it brings to light that sometimes when you think that you are alone, you are not alone and all that you need to do is let them in. 

And that is it for today’s post. I hope that you give these #LoveOzYA books a go. They are all fantastic and I think you will love them. 

Have you read any of these? What did you think of them? Are you planning on picking any of these ups? What are some of your favourite #LoveOzYA? Let’s Chat! 

 

Book Tag | Musical Theatre Book Tag 2020

Book Tag | Musical Theatre Book Tag 2020

Oct 9, 2020

So I did the musical theatre tag a few months ago now and then I saw that there was a new one and I couldn’t stop myself. So here we are again. This tag was created by Book Browsing Blog over on Youtube. I wasn’t tagged by anyone, but I love musical theatre so I had to do it. 

 

HAMILTON – ‘Satisfied’  | What book had an unsatisfying ending or needs a sequel?

I would love a sequel to A King so Cold by Ella Fields. I’m not sure if there is going to be one, but I would love to know more about what is happening after the book finished. It’s one of those endings that if we don’t get a sequel it’s okay. But it would make it even better if there is. You can check out my full review of it now to find out more. 

EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE – ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ | What is a really hyped book you want to read-only because of the hype?

I don’t think there is any just because of the hype. I normally don’t pick up a book if I don’t think I will be interested in it. I feel like it’s a waste of my time if I do that. But a hyped book that I do want to pick up is Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1) by Talia Hibbert. My copy is on its way right now and I’m so excited. 

ANASTASIA – ‘Journey to the Past’ | Name a book that features flashbacks or developed backstories.

For this, it has to be a recent read of mine, Lies & Lullabies (Hush Note #1) by Sarina Bowen. I think it did an excellent job at navigating flashbacks while also moving the story forward. It was a great way to understand the two protagonists before the book started and see where they have come. You can check out my full review. 

BE MORE CHILL – ‘Michael in the Bathroom’ | If you were escaping a party by hiding in a bathroom, what book would you take with you?

I always want to escape parties, and in reality, it’s whatever I have on my phone that I can delve into. But at the moment I would pick the next Nalini Singh that I want to read, which is Hostage to Pleasure (Psy-Changeling #5). I’m loving this series and I can’t wait to read more. 

SIX – ‘Ex-Wives’ | Name a book that is a twist or retelling of a well-known story.

I love reading retellings or a twist on a well-known story and I could list many that I adore. I could do a whole post of this. But one of my recentish reads of a retelling that I adored was Romanov by Nadine Brandes. It was beautifully written, an interesting story and I could not out it down. Here is my full review for more. 

THE LAST FIVE YEARS – ‘Still Hurting’ | What book hurt you and has stuck with you ever since?

I can just think about The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros and want to cry. This book tore me into so many little pieces I can’t even explain it. It’s emotional, beautiful and it hurt a lot. 

COME FROM AWAY – ‘Me and the Sky’ | Pick a book that features your dream job, real or fantastical.

My dream job would be to work in publishing and the one that I can book that I can think of at the moment is The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary. 

NEWSIES – ‘Santa Fe’ | What fictional place would you love to visit?

Oh so many. But at the moment I would love to live in the Psy-Changeling world. While there are some not so great parts, there are also so many amazing parts. Beautiful shapeshifters, lots of cubs and so much more. 

WAITRESS – ‘When He Sees Me’ | What book did you fall in love with the second you saw the cover?

If I didn’t pick The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. This cover just has so much simple in a way, but also so beautiful. The colours, the house. It all works. Plus I adore this book to bits. 

DEAR EVAN HANSEN – ‘Disappear’ | Hype an underrated backlist book.

If you haven’t read The Conqueror’s Saga by Kiersten White. I adore this series and I’m always recommending it. It’s just fantastic and I think that more people need to read it.

LEGALLY BLONDE – ‘What You Want’ | What do you want to see more of in books?

Disability. I don’t think I have to say too much about it. But I would love to see more disability in everything that I read. I did write about it recently, which you can check out now. 

And that is it for this tag. I had so much fun doing the Musical Theatre Book Tag. It was a blast and I love that tag used newer musicals as well. 

Author Interview: Helen Hardt | Romance Thursdays

Author Interview: Helen Hardt | Romance Thursdays

Oct 8, 2020

Welcome to this week’s Romance Thursdays interview with Helen Hardt. If you missed last weeks interview with Hallie Alexandra, please do check it out. It was fantastic talking with a debut historical romance author. 

Romance Thursdays is a feature that spotlights romance authors to highlight how amazing the romance writing community is. Each week I’m will be interviewing a different romance author from across subgenres as well as both traditionally and self-published. I want to share their experience writing romance and why they love it so much. While also focusing on their writing and books. 

I’m so excited about this weeks interview because it’s none other than Helen Hardt. Hardt is a #1 New York Times best-selling author has published across genres from contemporary to paranormal romance. She is the author of multiple series including; the Steel Brothers Saga, Blood Bond Saga and The Temptation Saga. Her newest novel, Follow Me Darkly was published in September this year. Now let’s get into the interview. 

Hi Helen, and welcome to Angel Reads. For those who haven’t read anything by you yet, tell us a little about yourself and your books?

Hi, and thank you for having me! I’ve been published since 2008, but I didn’t hit a list until 2016. All of my published fiction is romance. I have one non-fiction book out as well.

Why did you start writing romance novels? Is there anything in particular that drew you to it over other genres?

Back in 2006, I decided to get serious about my writing. I was working on a young adult fantasy, but then I picked up a Nora Roberts book for a plane ride. I read a ton of romance when I was younger. But at that time I hadn’t read any in about ten years. I was hooked all over again, and I decided romance was what I was meant to write.

You write a range of romances, including writing across sub-genres in romance. Why do you like writing a range of different romances?

Yes, I’ve written historical, paranormal, and mostly contemporary. I love all romance genres, but my contemporary is the most popular with readers, so I stick with that sub-genre for the most part. I love writing across genres because it gives me a lot more creative latitude as a writer. In the end, though, I want to give my readers what they’re clamouring for, so I stick mostly to contemporary.

What is your favourite thing about romance as a genre? Why do you like reading and writing it?  

It’s an escape. You’re eventually guaranteed a happy ending with romance. These days, I think everyone is looking for an escape into the pages of a good book!

Most of your series span across several books. Why do you prefer to write longer series? Do they always start that way or do they become longer as you writing each book?

I love writing series because I get to know the characters better with each book. Sometimes ancillary characters become so big that I have to give them their own books. In addition, readers love series. They appreciate getting to know the characters better as well, and they love learning what they’re up to in subsequent books.

 

What are some of your favourite tropes that you like reading and writing in the romance genre?

As any of my readers will tell you, I’m a huge fan of the tortured Alpha hero. Almost all of my heroes fall into this category. As for heroines, I like them strong and full of spunk. One trope I love is fated mates, and I’m not just talking about paranormal. Almost all my books use this trope. Call it insta-love or love at first sight. It’s the same thing.

 Who are some of your favourite romance authors? Who inspired you to write?

Some of my fangirl-moment-inducing authors are Diana Gabaldon, Nora Roberts, Sylvia Day, and Lisa Kleypas. But no other author inspired me to write. That was my father, and I wrote my first story at age six. 

What are some of the ways that you think we can start overcoming the stigma of romance novels? 

I guess I look at this a different way. Romance is the bestselling genre of fiction in the US. Yes, some people look down on romance. So what? It makes people happy. I’m proud of what I do. I’ve had readers tell me that my books got them back into reading. One reader even told me that one of my books saved her life. That’s pretty powerful.

 

Thank you so much for coming by Angel Reads. It was lovely having you here. And I can’t wait to read more of your books!

Thank you! I enjoyed being here. Please check out my brand new series beginning with Follow Me Darkly which was published September 29!

About the Author 

#1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Helen Hardt’s passion for the written word began with the books her mother read to her at bedtime. She wrote her first story at age six and hasn’t stopped since. In addition to being an award-winning author of romantic fiction, she’s a mother, an attorney, a black belt in Taekwondo, a grammar geek, an appreciator of fine red wine, and a lover of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. She writes from her home in Colorado, where she lives with her family. Helen loves to hear from readers. 

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Website | Goodreads

 

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March was a better reading month than February for March was a better reading month than February for me, and while I’m still stuck in my heated rivalry fanfiction era I managed to scrap out of it a little this month. 

I reread four books from the sweet omegaverse series and honestly had the best time. I also read two of my most anticipated reads of the year and had a blast. Sadly I did also have my first dnf of the year.

What did you read this March? Any standouts? What are you looking forward to reading in April? Let’s chat! 
🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #marchwrapup
I have a love-hate relationship with this series. I have a love-hate relationship with this series. But I ended up really enjoying this one. It’s best friends to fake dating to-lovers. It’s always been you, bad-boy/good-girl, and I loved that. While Save Your Breath has quite a few tropes, it really leads itself to it, and it works. 

Aleks and Mia have known each other for years now. Since they were teenagers, that angst has been building up this whole time. And you can tell right from the get-go, it’s fantastic. I even wanted more of it, because I love pain. When Aleks went to live with Mia’s family as a teenager, sparks flew, but for many reasons, they both put their feelings aside. And well, now they are not only going to be fake-dating, but they might as well be engaged, too. 

I really enjoyed seeing how both Aleks and Mia both tried to hide how they were feeling throughout the whole ‘fake-dating’ situation, but anyone could see it. They know each other as no one else does. Aleks has a lot going on, and while I do think this was brushed over a little too much, Mia is his centre. Mia is a massive music star and is a female in the industry, so yeah, people don’t respect her. Obvsiouly because why couldn’t a female star be badass and write about the things that she has gone through? Aleks and Mia get each other, and that is very clear from the start; they are both just trying to squash everything. We get to see them slowly start to show how they feel, and well, one night it all explodes. 

Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot; it’s not my favourite of the series, but I had a great time reading it. I liked Aleks and Mia a lot as characeters and while I think the mental health aspect could have been explored a whole lot more, I can see why it wasn’t. The romance was slow and spicy, the angst was great, and the payoff for these two was what they needed. 

Tropes
🏒Sports/Hockey Romance
🎤Fake Dating/Engagement
🏒Childhood Friends to Lovers
🎤Forced Proximity
🏒Athlete x Pop Star 
🎤Angsty Slow Burn 

Content Warnings
Mental Health Struggles 
Suicide Intention 
Family Deaths 
Alcohol Consumption
Violence on Ice

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #bookreview
Well February wasn’t the best reading month. I onl Well February wasn’t the best reading month. I only ended up reading 3 books in. 3 pretty fun books but one of my slowest readings months in a while. 

And I’m going to be honest here it’s because I’ve been constantly reading Heated Rivalry fanfics. 🤷‍♀️ I’m having the best time though. 

How was your reading in February? Any 5  star reads? 

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #februarywrapup
January was a really solid reading month. I read s January was a really solid reading month. I read some books that had been on my tbr for some time, reread a few things that peaked my interest. I also started a few new series. And just had a good time!

I just had a really good start to the year. While February is a little slow so far I’m looking forward to what I can pick up.

What did you read in January? Any 5-star reads? Let’s chat! 

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #januarywrapup
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