angelreads, Author at Angel Reads

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My Dream Library: Author Edition

Sep 27, 2020

As bookworms we’ve all thought about what our dream libraries would look like, right? Maybe it’s floor to ceiling bookshelves and one of those cool ladders a la Belle, or maybe it’s perfect rainbow shelves or something else entirely. Today I thought I’d share which authors I’d definitely want in my dream library.

Agatha Christie

If you know me at all, you’d know that I’m a huge Agatha Christie fan. I’m definitely on my way to owning all of her books, but it’s still a little way away yet. She could probably have an entire bookshelf to herself.

Rick Riordan

I’m much, much closer to owning all of Riordan’s books. I’m only missing the Trials of Apollo series at the moment. He already has an entire cube to himself on my shelf, but he’s definitely going to need another.

Sabrina Jeffries

As my current favourite historical romance author, Sabrina Jeffries is also well on her way to having a shelf of her own. I have to be honest, if I was going for wall-to-wall shelves then I’d happily fill an entirely separate room of just historical romance.

Alice Oseman

I have loved Alice Oseman since Solitaire so while I already own all of her books, I’d happily give her a shelf to herself just so I can look at it and sob every day.

Daphne du Maurier

I couldn’t make this post and not mention du Maurier. Again, I own a lot of her books already but she deserves her own shelf. Maybe an old bookshelf, tucked away in a nook in my library just to capture the dark, slightly creepy vibe of her books.

So those are just five authors I’d have in my dream library. Who would you have in yours? You can check out more from me at Earl Grey books.

Reading The Highest Rated Books on My TBR

Sep 26, 2020

Today I’m sharing with you something really fun. I decided to read the highest rated books on Goodreads tbr and see if I agree with the rating. Not only was this something fun to do, but it also helped me read a few more books on my tbr. Which may or may not be getting out of hand.

So I went onto my Goodreads to be read list where I have a mix of books that I own that I want to read and books that have yet to come out and I want to read. I then picked 2 books off the list. I did have some points that it had to hit just to make it a little easier for me.

The books that I had to pick had to be

– a published book
– have over 1000 ratings
– be fiction
– not the next book in a series that I haven’t read or don’t remember
– I have to own the book

Because of this it easy for me to find the books that I wanted. In the end, the two books that had my highest-rated and hit the points above were The Burning Shadow (Origin #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout and Always Only You (Bergman Brothers #2) by Chloe Liese. Yes they are both sequels but I had just read the first in the Bergman Brothers series and I remembered what happened in the first Origin book.

The Burning Shadow (Origin #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Pages: 432
Publish date: October 8th 2019
Publisher: Tor Teen
ISBN: 9781250258069
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

When Evelyn Dasher crossed paths with Luc, she was thrown headfirst into the world of the Lux–only to discover that she was already far more involved in their world than she ever suspected.

Because the Luxen aren’t the only ones with a hidden past. There’s a gap in Evie’s memory, lost months of her life and a lingering sense that something happened, something she can’t remember and nobody is willing to tell her. She needs to find out the truth about who she is–and who she was. But every answer she finds only brings up more questions.

Her search for the truth brings her ever closer to Luc, the Origin at the centre of it all. He’s powerful, arrogant, inhumanly beautiful, extremely dangerous…and possibly in love with her. But even as Evie falls for him, she can’t help but wonder if his attraction is to her, or to the memory of a girl who no longer exists.

And all the while, a new threat looms: reports of a flu-like, fatal virus that the government insists is being spread by Luxen. A horrifying illness that changes whoever it touches, spreading panic across a country already at its breaking point.

The Burning Shadow:

I’ve been dying to read this one since last year. But I just never seemed in the mood to pick it up. I have to be really in the mood to read a science fiction book. It’s not something that I always read and I need to be in the right frame to read it. But as soon as I saw it was one of my highest rated I knew I wanted to pick it up. And I’m so glad that I did.

The Burning Shadow follows the events of The Darkest Star. Evie is still reeling from the news of who she is and the events of the past book. Evie doesn’t know who she is and there are gaps in her memory. Months that she can’t remember, but she does know that they are important. And now things are getting more dangerous. A flu-like virus is spreading the government is blaming Luxen. As the tension heats up Evie needs to not only survive her new life and everything that is happening around her, but also her feelings for Luc. Who she can’t help but keep on falling for.

I have forgotten how much I love this world and characters. The world is bold, changing and always pulling me in. The characters are sassy, intriguing and you never know who to trust. It’s one of those books that you never know what is going to happen. You think you do and then it does a 180 and you are throw in another direction.

I love Evie as a protagonist in The Burning Shadow. She is resilient, strong and she grew more and more as the novel went on. One of my favourite things to see is a character grow over a series and we are getting to see that her with Evie. She is not only getting to know herself more but also who she was. There were times when I want to give her a little push in the right direction, but she made it there eventually.

Luc is one of my favourite characters of all time. He is funny and entertaining. He can relieve the tension in a very intense book. Luc had these classics moments throughout The Burning Shadow that just made me laugh out loud and it was fantastic.

I adored that the reader can see old characters come in and out of The Burning Shadow and I think they will be heavily featured in the next book for sure. It was like seeing old friends and put a smile on my face.

The ending was intense and I have no idea what is going to happen next. Jennifer L. Armentrout knows how to write massive cliff hangers that leave you guessing. I’m nervous and excited to see where it all goes. The Burning Shadow was intense, but it was only the tip of the iceberg and things are about to plummet and get very interesting.

Overall, I love reading The Burning Shadow. Evie and Luc are simply fantastic, both as their character, and together they are so much fun. I adored the romance, the friendships and the plot keeps on giving. If you are looking for a fun science-fiction high adult young, then this series is for you.

Always Only You (Bergman Brothers #2) by Chloe Liese

Pages: 355
Publish date: July 25, 2020
Publisher: –
ISBN: 9798657410969
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Ren

The moment I met her, I knew Frankie Zeferino was someone worth waiting for. Deadpan delivery, secret heart of gold, and a rare one-dimpled smile that makes my knees weak, Frankie has been forbidden since the day she and I became coworkers, meaning waiting has been the name of my game—besides, hockey, that is.

I’m a player on the team, she’s on staff, and as long as we work together, dating is off-limits. But patience has always been my virtue. Frankie won’t be here forever—she’s headed for bigger, better things. I just hope that when she leaves the team and I tell her how I feel, she won’t want to leave me behind, too.

Frankie

I’ve had a problem at work since the day Ren Bergman joined the team: a six-foot-three hunk of happy with a sunshine smile. I’m a grumbly grump and his ridiculously good nature drives me nuts, but even I can’t entirely ignore that hot tamale of a ginger with icy eyes, the perfect playoff beard, and a body built for sin that he’s annoyingly modest about.

Before I got wise, I would have tripped over myself to get a guy like Ren, but with my diagnosis, I’ve learned what I am to most people in my life—a problem, not a person. Now, opening my heart to anyone, no matter how sweet, is the last thing I’m prepared to do.

Always Only You:

Last month I picked up Only When It’s Us and loved it to pieces, so when I saw that Always Only You was one of the highest-rated books on my tbr, I was immediately happy. Ren was someone that caught my eye from the first book. I wanted to know more of his story, and then I found out that it always includes a disabled love interest. You know me.

Always Only You follows Ren Bergman as he tries to keep his distance from Frankie Zeferino. He knows that he wants her, but that becomes forbidden when they became coworkers. He likes her one dimple and her deadpan remarks. But he’s running out of time. And he wants to make sure that he’s not left behind once she leaves. Frankie knows that Ren is trouble, but he keeps pushing her in ways that she can’t help but let him. She wants him there is no denying it, but she feels like she will be a problem – one that he can’t help but want to fix.

Frankie was such a fabulous protagonist. I love her so much. I liked that she was oh so smiley and happy all the time. It created such a great contrast with Ren and different from what we normally see. I loved that we go to see her living with a disability. The highs and lows and having a chronic condition as well as having autism. It was such a fantastic thing to see and I want more of it. The reader can see Frankie grow throughout the novel and I loved that a lot.

Ren was just so amazing. I like the difference between him and Frankie, but together they were amazing. Ren is always so happy and that makes the novel such a pleasure to read. I mean I love seeing grumpy male protagonist, but it was nice to see something a little different. I also liked that he wasn’t all smiles the whole time. Always Only You explores the different emotions that people can go through and you don’t always have to be the same.

I adored the romance in this one. I think it’s been my favourite of the two so far. It was simple, but because and just made me smile. I liked that they both cared for another one and never pushed the other for anything more. But they still pushed each other when they needed that little bit more. It was a great balance.

One of my favourite things about Always Only You is the way that disability is explored. I loved the first book and it was explored there, and this is just as amazing. Frankie has gone through things in her past and that has made her very warning of relationships, but Ren can break down those walls. And they both learn how to be there for one other. Frankie learns that it’s okay that someone wants to look after her, and it doesn’t always mean that they think that she can’t do it.

There are some fantastic moments throughout the book, but there is one scene when Frankie does something for Ren and his family and gosh it melted my heart and made me cry so much. It was beautiful.

Overall I loved reading Always Only You by Chloe Liese. It’s a fun, beautiful and charming sports romance that explores the ups and downs of falling in love. Ren and Frankie were amazing and I can’t wait to see more of them in future books. I adore the exploration of disability in the book and I can’t wait to see more of it throughout the series. This is a fantastic read and if you haven’t picked up this series yet please do.

And there we have it. Those are two of the highest-rated books on my TBR. I’m so happy that I enjoyed them as much as I did. These are both fantastic books and live up to their rating for me. Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

Would you like to see more of this? Maybe read some of my lowest rated books? Maybe some more of my highest? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: Lies & Lullabies (Hush Note #1) by Sarina Bowen

Sep 25, 2020

Lies & Lullabies (Hush Note #1) by Sarina Bowen

Pages: 300
Publish date: September 22, 2020
Publisher: Tuxbury Publishing LLC
ISBN: 9781950155071
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Once upon a time, he gave me a summer of friendship, followed by one perfect night. We shared a lot during our short time together. But he skipped a few crucial details.

I didn’t know he was a rock star.

I didn’t know his real name.

Neither of us knew I’d get pregnant.

And I sure never expected to see him again.

Five years later, his tour bus pulls up in Nest Lake, Maine. My little world is about to be shattered by loud music and the pounding of my own foolish heart.

Lies & Lullabies:

I received a free copy of Lies & Lullabies by Sarina Bowen for review in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Lies & Lullabies is the first book in a new trilogy from Sarina Bowen, Devney Perry and Rebecca Yarros. Each author takes on a member of one band and tells their story. I was super excited when this series was announced. Not only was it a rock star romance, but it included two of my favourite romance authors. So, I jumped at the chance to review Lies & Lullabies by Sarina Bowen.

Lies & Lullabies follows Kira and Jonas who after an unforgettable summer together when their separate ways. Now years later Jonas is back in Nest Lake and Kira has a surprise for him. A massive one. Both Kira and Jonas need to navigate their new lives. Their summer together was full of sweet passion and first love. They both never forgot about each other, but they never imagined seeing one another again. And Kira’s secret isn’t something that can stay hidden. But being back in each other lives isn’t going to be easy especially when old feelings come right back.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

I had a lot of ups and downs with Kira. For the most part, I enjoyed her. I loved seeing her growth throughout the whole book. And hell, she has been through a lot and is still an incredible mother. One of the things that I loved about Lies & Lullabies is that we can see the growth of Kira throughout the whole book. Through both flashbacks and current day events, the reader can see Kira’s characterisation – which I think was really well done. However, I hated that she kept their daughter, Vivi from Jonas for as long as she did. I understood some of the logic, but it also doesn’t sit well with me.

Jonas was an interesting protagonist. I didn’t fall in love with him like other Sarina Bowen male protagonist. But I still enjoyed him a lot. Jonas was entertaining and mysterious, but he was also sweet and caring. I loved that we can see different sides of him throughout the book. We get to see the younger Jonas who wants to care for Kira, and then we get to see adult Jonas who wants to love Kira. It was a great combo. I adored that he was able to take on the dad role right away. It was like he was made for it. There were ups and downs, but he loved Vivi so much and that was so nice to see.

Photo by Yvette de Wit on Unsplash

This romance was a combo of being sweet and sexy. And the reader not only gets to see Jonas and Kira fall in love once but twice. And both times were fantastic. Through flashbacks, the reader can see both Jonas and Kira when they were young and vulnerable. They had this amazing summer together, and when it was up, they went their separate ways. But they still both cared deeply for one another. And Kira had a piece of him to remember him by. In current times the romance is much sexy and went from sweet to loving. I liked seeing the contrast between the two.

I love a surprise baby trope; however, I didn’t love that Kira kept it a secret from Jonas for so long. While her reasoning was understandable, I didn’t love it. That was soon forgotten though, because Jonas, Kira and Vivi were adorable together. I loved seeing their interactions and they all melted my heart. This is a very sweet book with sexy moments intertwined. I feel that the rest of the books in the series are going to be more emotional and hard-hitting. but this was a great way to start the series.

I adored Adam, Kira’s brother a lot. The reader can see throughout Lies & Lullabies how much he cares for his sister and niece and I just wanted to hug him all the time. I wish we did get to know the rest of the Hush Note bandmates a little more, just to set up the rest of the series. But it wasn’t a massive deal for me.

Photo by Artur Aldyrkhanov on Unsplash

Overall, Lies & Lullabies by Sarina Bowen explores second chances, family and finding your place. Kira, Jonas and Vivi are an awesome little family. The romance turns from sweet to sexy and beautiful. With interesting protagonists and storyline, Lies & Lullabies is a fantastic read and a great introduction into the world of Hush Note. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series in the next few weeks.

Have you read Lies & Lullabies by Sarina Bowen yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading the rest of the series? Let’s Chat!

Also, have you checked out the first post in my Romance Thursdays series? This week I interview Giana Darling, author of The Fallen Men Series, The Enslaved duet and more.