angelreads, Author at Angel Reads

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Top Ten Books For Your Beach Bag

May 23, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new Top Ten list that members at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone join as you please. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books For Your Beach Bag.

While it’s hitting summer in the US, it’s drawing to winter here in Australia and all I want is the sun and heat. So I thought I would share ten books that you should have in your bag when hitting the beach this summer.

When I think summer books, contemporary always jumps to mind. I think because they are most of the time, fun, quick reads that you can just sit and enjoy. There isn’t any world building or new worlds to understand. You can just pick up and book and just fall right in. Like always these are in no parilaur order.

This Beats Perfect by Rebecca Denton: It was fun, addicting and put a smile on my face. It explores the notions of finding yourself, loving what you do and finding those who will stand by you. It’s about family, friendship and those you love | Full Review

The Hundred Oaks Series by Miranda Kenneally: This series is full of ups and down. You go on a ride with all the characters, but it’s so fun. All from the same area, but all have different lives that you just fall in love with. This series is a perfect beach read.

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett: It explores the notions of love, family and finding yourself. With intriguing characters, a plot that had you on the edge of your seat and writing that kept you right there. It’s a must-read for those who love a little romance and friendship that has been built for a while |Full Review

The Ivy Years Series by Sarina Bowen: This series, although a little older than YA was so much fun to read. And yes there is Ice Hockey, but it’s still nice for a beach read. Different characters, different relationships. You call in love with each one of them and want to know their story.

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde: I have just recently finished this one and it was fantastic. What is better than a book at a con. Queen of Geeks explores the notion of friendship and the length that you would go for it. And how love can be right in front of you. It deals with anxiety and living up to standards of everyone else.

Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil: It ventures friendship, first love, family and what it is like to keep everything bottled in. It shows that sometimes love needs to start off as a friendship and that the bonds of friends are not always broken – even if there is some turbulence on the way.

The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig: Overall The Girl from Everywhere is about friendship, family, and love, about what would you do for those that mean so much to you, and that sometimes you have to give up one thing for another. Plus it’s set in Hawaii and on a pirate ship so it’s a perfect beach read | Full Review

Summer Skin by Kirsty Eagar: Not for the faint hearted, be prepared for a sexy, slow-burning love full of passion and secrets. Summer Skin deals not only with young men taking advantage of women but how women can act differently to it. It shows us that people hide behind fronts not only to keep themselves safe but others as well. Summer Skin is full of empowering young women that take a stand.

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson: It is a tale of friendship, family, love, and unexpected adventures that all feels real. The Unexpected Everything is for every author, book lover and reader alike. It’s a beautiful story of friendship, heartbreak, and family. Morgan Matson brings together a beautiful contemporary novel that makes you smile, laugh and cry.

On The Fence by Kasie West: Is a book of self-discovery, love, friendship and family. The tales of a girl becoming a ‘girl’, finding love and friendship. On the Fence is mesmerizing, moving and funny.

And that is it for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday! What are some books that you think should be in your beach bag? Do we have any that are similar? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: The Nanny Arrangement by Rachel Harris

May 21, 2017

The Nanny Arrangement by Rachel Harris

Pages: –
Publish date: May 22, 2016
Publisher: Entangled
ASIN: B071NKWD4K
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Soft-spoken and shy Hannah Fisher is determined to make the man she’s loved her entire life finally see her as a woman. With the help of a makeover, a new mission—Operation Find My Happy—and the conveniently forced proximity of a tour bus, she vows to win her best friend Deacon’s heart.

Former bad boy and current fiddle player Deacon Latrell has the world at his fingertips: a new gig with a famous band, plus his best friend on tour as his son’s nanny. Life couldn’t get much sweeter. Now if only he could stop imagining kissing the daylights out of his childhood BFF…

With one friend set on pushing the boundaries and the other afraid to rock the boat, one thing’s for certain—their story would make one heck of a country song.

The Nanny Arrangement:

I received an e-arc of The Nanny Arrangement by Rachel Harris from Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This has no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I’ve read a lot of Rachel Harris books before and I have a pretty good idea of how I am going to feel about them and The Nanny Arrangement was no different. This is book 2 in the Country Blues series, but book 3 about Blue’s band.

The Nanny Arrangement follows best friends Hannah and Deacon as they begin their journey with Blue. Deacon as the fiddle player and Hannah as the Nanny for the little ones on the tour. Things have always been effortless for these two. But when feelings start to change, everyone is in for a ride.

Hannah was a fun protagonist to get along with and I was able to really connect with her. Although Hannah no longer has her stutter, the reader is able to see that she is still riddled with anxiety and that haunts her. She let’s past comments take over and when she is feeling down, they consume her. But, I admire her strength. While she does let these comments take over – she also challenges them and faces them head on. The reader is able to see that she has grown before the book has even started. Throughout The Nanny Arrangement, we are able to see Hannah grow even more and it was really fantastic.

Deacon is a hard protagonist to crack. We only know him slightly from the pervious books in the series, but the reader gets to really know him in The Nanny Arrangement. I really enjoyed it because we get to see two sides of him, the first is the side that he shows. Then there is the other that only Hannah can see. It was really nice, seeing that. There were times that Deacon really did hit a nerve and I just wanted to yell at him – but he did make up for it.

What I loved most about The Nanny Arrangement was the aspect of family. I cannot explain how much I loved Deacon and his little boy. I loved their relationship and how much he cared for him. How much he would do for him. His whole life is about making sure his little boy is going to have what he needs and he doesn’t want to let him down. I also loved how much Hannah cared for him – she has loved him since he was born and she like Deacon would do anything for him.

The romance side of The Nanny Arrangement was a hit and miss for me. For the most part, I really enjoyed it. I adored friends to lovers and I think it worked so well in this novel. The reader is able to see that they both care deeply for one another and in reality, they have loved each other for quiet some time. However, I didn’t feel like we got to see Deacon’s feelings enough until the end. I felt there was a barrier between the reader and his feelings. I was able to understand his feelings until the end.

Plot wise The Nanny Arrangement was very cliche at times, but I really didn’t mind it. Sometimes I just want a book that will put a smile on my face. I want to fall into the world and in love with the characters. And that is what The Nanny Arrangement did. I also think because the reader already knows most of the characters – we want to see how they are going on their journey.

Overall, The Nanny Arrangement was a fun read. Yes, it was full of high emotions, heartbreak, and adorableness, but it was a quick read. The Nanny Arrangement explores the notion of what family really is and best friends that are totally something more. It explores friendship and what you would do for your family. If you are a contemporary romance lover, then this is for you.

Have you read The Nanny Arrangement by Rachel Harris? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read any other books her? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

May 18, 2017

The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1) by Rick Riordan

Pages: 359
Publish date: May 3rd, 2016
Publisher: Penguin Teen Australia
ISBN: 9780141363936
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

How do you punish an immortal?

By making him human.

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disoriented, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus’s favor.

But Apollo has many enemies—gods, monsters, and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go… an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.

The Hidden Oracle:

I knew before I started reading this books that I was going to love it. Rick Riordan has never disappointed me before and The Hidden Oracle stood up to his previous books. I was hooked from the start and didn’t want to stop.

Just a note you will need to read all previous books in this world if you do not want to get spoiled or miss anything that is important.

The Hidden Oracle has a very different feel her Rick Riordan’s other books simply because of the protagonist. We are usually in for a ride with a demi-god, but this series is different. It’s a God that takes charge. Well, a God that is now human.

The Hidden Oracle follows protagonist Apollo as he falls from Mount Olympus, literally. Not only does he have to deal with not having his powers anymore and not being immortal but also losing his memories. When he runs into trouble in New York, he knows one person that could help and where he might just have to go.

Apollo for some people might be a difficult protagonist to get along with. His arrogant, full of himself and thinks he’s the best person in the world. But, he is a God or was. He has been this way for thousands of years and you can’t just let that go in one day. Throughout the book, the reader is able to see him struggle with being human. His whole life he has relied on his godly powers and with them gone – he feels useless. It was hard to see Apollo this way, he not only is doubting himself but feels like that without being a God, he is nothing.

In saying all that, Apollo was hilarious. He would get angry at little things that just cracked me up – like acne. A God does not have acne like he says.

Early on in the novel Apollo becomes tied to Meg, a 12-year-old who isn’t having the time of her life. Meg’s very stubborn, to say the least, and at times this can be quite frustrating. She is also very opinionated at while it did annoy me, she is 12, and I totally understood. However, I felt that we didn’t get to know her that much and she was in a lot of the book. I didn’t feel that her character was developed enough for the reader to really get to know her.

What I love about this world is that we get to see those we have loved from previous series’ again and again. We see Percy, Nico, Will and just so many of those characters that we have come to know and love.

Talking about old character, we find ourselves back in Camp Half-Blood and I loved it! We haven’t been here for a while and I just love the atmosphere, the activity and everything in between.

One thing that I love about Rick Riordan’s books is that there isn’t a romance focus – there is very little romance in The Hidden Oracle. The reader hears a lot about Apollo previous love interests and we come to find out that his bi and just my heart. I loved it all too much. But, there is also heartbreak there and we see that Apollo does have human traits that most of us feel – heartbreak.

The plot was very well paced. The last third I couldn’t keep my eyes of the page and I just kept on reading and reading. While the first half or so was a nice setup for what is going to happen in the series. We are seeing this world from a totally new perspective and it was refreshing

Another thing I loved so much about The Hidden Oracle was its focus on Greek History and Mythology. If you don’t know already, I am a major history buff. Especially when it relates to mythology so these books and so in my element. I loved how much it focus on that and took from myths.

Overall, I loved The Hidden Oracle was such good read. It’s fun, heartbreaking, addicting. It’s that classic Rick Riordan humor and in a world which we know and love. With new and old characters you are sure in for a ride in a world where things are always wrong. The Hidden Oracle explores the notion of finding yourself, friendship, family and more. It’s about believing in yourself and those around you.

Have you read The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read any of Riordan’s other books? Let’s Chat!