Book Hauls Archives - Page 12 of 16

April Book Haul | Recent Books I Have Bought

Apr 23, 2020

I don’t do many book hauls on here, simply because I buy a lot of books through work and never really remember when I buy things. But today I thought I would share some of my recent buys. I mostly buy either from my store if it’s a physical book or from amazon for ebooks and most of my romances.

I try and limit the books I buy, but that never really works out for me. Honestly, I have no control and I’m always buying books. But anyway here are the latest books that I have bought. As always these are in no order.

Check, Please!, Book 2: Sticks & Scones (Check, Please! #3-4) by Ngozi Ukazu: I’ve been waiting months for the second issue to come out. I read the first Check, Please earlier this year and fell in love. I had so much fun reading it and I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. And this one came into work last weeks and I got it right away.

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales: I picked this one up a couple of weeks ago and I’ve already read it. It’s fantastic! It was such a fun and emotional read and I really hope more people get a chance to read it. And it’s a #LoveOzYA so get on it.

Heartstopper: Volume One (Heartstopper #1) by Alice Oseman: I’ve been waiting to pick this series up for some time now. I’ve read a couple of Alice Oseman’s books before and really enjoyed and I’ve heard some really good things about these graphic novels.

Heartstopper: Volume Two (Heartstopper #2) by Alice Oseman: I know that once I finish volume one, I would want to keep on reading so I picked up the second volume as well. I just couldn’t help myself and we have them both in stock. So it wasn’t a hard decision.

There Was Still Love by Favel Parrett: I had seen this one floating around but it never really caught my eye. I did some more research, and it sounded like something that I might enjoy. And then my best friend Ely read it, loved it and talked about it a whole lot. And that is always a good indication for me.

The One You Can’t Forget (The Ones Who Got Away #2) by Roni Loren: I read the first in this series not too long ago and really enjoyed it a lot. And I knew that I needed to pick up the rest in the series. So I tracked down the rest of the books that I didn’t have. I’ve already read this one and loved it so much.

The One for You (The Ones Who Got Away #4) by Roni Loren: This was the last one that I needed to get from this series and now I’ve got them all and cannot wait. I do have to wait a little while between the books though because gosh do they tear me apart.

Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered #1) by Tessa Bailey: I have heard a lot about this book and this series and when I saw it in the shop I couldn’t myself and bought it. I’m a sucker for romance like this. It uses one of my favourite romance tropes and sounds adorable! I cannot wait to read it.

Incandescent (Knights Rebels MC #1) by River Savage: I didn’t know too much about this one when I got it. I first saw it in a video I was watching. And I’ve been in the mood for MC romances lately and this one sounded interesting.

And those are some of the books that I’ve bought recently. What are some of the books that you have bought? Do we share any that is the same? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: Great And Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros

Feb 25, 2020

Great And Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros

Pages: 400
Publish date: February 25th 2020
Publisher:Entangled: Amara
ISBN: 9781640638167
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

How do you define yourself when others have already decided who you are?

Six years ago, when Camden Daniels came back from war without his younger brother, no one in the small town of Alba, Colorado, would forgive him—especially his father. He left, swearing never to return.

But a desperate message from his father brings it all back. The betrayal. The pain. And the need to go home again. But home is where the one person he still loves is waiting. Willow. The one woman he can never have. Because there are secrets buried in Alba that are best left in the dark.

If only he could tell his heart to stay locked away when she whispers she’s always loved him, and always will…

Great and Precious Things is a heart-wrenching story about family, betrayal, and ultimately how far we’re willing to go on behalf of those who need us most.

Great And Precious Things:

I received an earc of Great And Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros via the publisher for review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Going into Great And Precious Things, I knew that I was going to be torn apart. Rebecca Yarros really knows how to hurt me. I’ve cried in nearly every one of her books. I’m not even joking here, she knows how to tear me into little pieces and leave me there. And I was right because Great And Precious Things really did tear me apart – but gosh was it beautiful.

Great And Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros follows Camden Daniels comes home from war. And he doesn’t get the heroes’ welcome. No, he comes back to a town that hates him to the core. That despises him and wants him gone. But he knows he has to push that aside because his family needs, even if his father hates and doesn’t want him there either. Because Camden killed his brother. The town knows it, his father knows it, and Camden knows it. There is only one person in the town that Camden is there for. But it’s also the one woman he could never have.

Olivier Guillard

Camden was such an interesting protagonist. It’s not often that I read books with a male protagonist at the forefront. If they are a protagonist, it’s normally because they are the love interest. But Camden was front and center and that alone intrigued me. Yarros has a real good knack of writing characters that have fantastic arcs – and Camden was no different. The reader gets to see Camden go on a journey. A journey that is long and hard. Not only does it have to deal with the grief of losing his brother, but also the guilt that he was the one responsible.

Sometimes it was really hard being in Camden’s head. He is filled with guilt and with how everyone is treating him in town, that takes its toll. But I also loved seeing Camden’s soft side. The reader is really able to see that he feels everything and that really shapes Camden into the person that he is. And while at the start he let everyone in town walk all over him, as the novel goes we get to see Camden let the guilt go and stand up for himself.

Willow was such a nice female protagonist in Great And Precious Things. I loved that she didn’t take over the novel. She was able to stand her own. Like Camden, the town has really influenced the way that Willow presents herself. But, Willow has also been through a lot and she has to try and work her way out of those things. Willow was really easy to get along with. She felt very real while reading the novel, she had her faults. But that is what made her such an enjoyable character.

freestocks

The relationship in Great And Precious Things had many ups and downs. But it was beautiful. Camden and Willow together, just fit for me. They worked. There weren’t any ifs and buts. They just did. One of the things that I loved most about the romance was that the ‘climax’ in the book wasn’t because of miscommunication or because of Camden or Willow. It’s not often you see that in a romance novel and it was great. I adored that Camden and Willow had so much history, it made for this rich romance that I got swept up in. Their connection was spot on.

Another thing that Rebecca Yarros does extremely well is exploring the notion of family, and things were no different in Great And Precious Things. While I normally prefer the representation of good family dynamics, sometimes there need to be representations of bad families. Both Camden and Willow have a lot of trouble with their families, but it was also nice to see them both try and work things out.

Another major focus of this book is the notion of Alzheimer’s. Camden’s dad has been suffering for a couple of years before he arrives back in town. It was really hard to read certain scenes in Great And Precious Things, because of the way that Camden’s father reacts. Most of the time he can’t stand the sight of Camden and that was really hard to read. Because the reader is able to see that Camden loves his father and wants what is best for him. Even if it’s breaking his own heart. I think that Rebecca Yarros was able to represent the ups and downs of Alzheimer’s throughout Great And Precious Things. And gosh did it hurt at parts.

Sorina Bindea

Overall, Great And Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros is heartbreaking, beautiful and just so good. It explores the notion of guilt and grief, as well as a fresh start. Camden and Willow were perfect protagonists that each had their own story. Rebecca Yarros knows how to tear me apart and she did again. The romance in this one is so perfect, it’s a friend to lovers, to absolutely perfect. If you are looking for a romance that is haunting, but also beautiful, then this is for you.

Have you read Great And Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read anything else by her? Let’s Chat!

Books I Bought on My Trip 2019

Jul 21, 2019

This post is a little late, but I still really wanted to post that. In May I headed on my month-long trip where I went to Denver, New York, London and finished my holiday off in Hong Kong. I really tried to stop myself from buying heaps of books, but it didn’t really work out that much. I ended up buying 14 books on this trip and honestly if I had room for more I would have brought a heap more.

There was a couple of different bookstores that I went to on this trip. In the states, I went to Barnes and Noble, Tattered Cover and a couple of independent bookstores in New York. While in the UK, I went to Waterstones, Blackwells and again a couple of independent bookstores. I seriously had the best time. As a bookseller, I always like going into bookstores and seeing how they have things and it was great seeing this in a different country.

My plan for buying books on this trip was to; get books that I can’t get back here in Australia easy and signed books. It’s rare that I find signed books back here, especially by international authors so that was my goal. Let’s Go!

Dear Martin by Nic Stone: I have been wanting to read this one for some time now, but I have never had the chance to get it in at work, and also it’s been so expensive when I’ve looked into it. So when I saw it in Denver I knew that it was finally my chance to pick it up – and now I can’t wait to read it.

The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros: This is my third copy of this book, but I don’t even care because I found a signed copy of it in Denver and I knew I needed it. If you don’t know Rebecca Yarros is one of my favourite romance authors and honestly is also one of my favourites of hers. If you haven’t read my review of this one, see how it broke me to pieces.

The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi: Honestly I know nothing about this book. But it was signed and look really interesting, so I got it. I bought this one while in Soho NY – I think. Really I can’t remember all that much.

The Everlasting Rose by Dhonielle Clayton: I quite enjoyed The Belles when I read it last year and I’ve been meaning to pick up book two for some time now. I finally had the chance while I was away. The Belles finished on a pretty good cliffhanger and I am really excited to see where Dhonielle takes this one.

Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman: This one has been on my TBR before it even came out. But I never got an earc and it wasn’t published here in Australia so trying to get my hands on it was hard. So when I saw it in NY. I jumped to get it. I can’t wait to read it.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: I love this book so much, I can’t even begin to explain. You can check out my post with Ely where we talked all about Red, White & Royal Blue. This one was the only book that I had ‘planned’ to get while I was away. Again it was a little harder to get it here in Australia and I was leaving close to the release day. So I was really happy when I found a copy.

The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill: This is a frustrating buy. Because while I really want to read this one, the Australia cover is so much better! Ah. But anyway this one sounds so interesting and I am always up for a retelling and I hope that this one hits the spot.

Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen: I couldn’t stop myself from picking up a physical copy of one of my favourite sports romances. As soon as I saw it, it was in my basket. Seriously if you are looking for a sports romance, then pick this series up for sure.

Hard Hitter by Sarina Bowen: Book two was also there so I picked it up. I am so excited that I’m starting to get my Sarina Bowen collection underway. I can’t wait to get more.

Romanov by Nadine Brandes: Again this is one of the books I was on the lookout for. I had seen it pop up quite a bit before I left and hoped I would find it on my trip and I did. I’ve also now read this one and loved it! I hope to have my review up soon.

Prince Charming by Rachel Hawkins: I have heard so much about this series, so when I saw it in the store I grabbed it. I also just love the covers of this series. They are simple yet so adorable. I seriously cannot wait to pick it up.

Penguin Monarchs Series: While I was in the UK I kept on seeing these series of Penguin books. And when I realised what they were, I knew I needed to get them. If you didn’t know, I really enjoyed learning and knowing things about the English Monarch. It’s such an interesting time in history. The different ways that people became to power. I also love that they are only about 150 – 200 pages. Nice and short. So I do plan to get this whole series, but for now, I only have three.

I picked up; William I: England’s Conqueror by Marc Morris, Henry VIII: The Quest for Fame by John Guy and Stephen: The Reign of Anarchy by Carl Watkins.

Those are all the books that I bought while I was away. I could have easily gotten more, but I was already nearly overweight so I had to be very careful. Have you read any of these books? Are you planning on it? Let’s Chat!