Recommendations Archives - Page 12 of 18

Highest Rated Books I’ve Read

May 25, 2020

Recently I’ve shared some of my lowest books that I’ve read, but today I thought I would change it up and share some of my highest rated reads.

All the books that I’m going to talk about today have 5-star ratings from me. These days I rarely give out 5 stars. Thinks year I’ve only given out 3 or 4 I think – while reading over 120 books. But I used to give them out a lot more. I think I’m just more selective these days. However, I would still classify all the books here as 5 star reads for me. Enough chit chat lets get into it.

Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor: I don’t it’s a surprise that this one is on my list. I love reading Laini Taylor and I love Strange the Dreamer so much. I love the world, the characters, the writing. Laini Taylor just knows how to grab me from the start.

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett: I think you guys already know how much I love Jenn Bennett and this one is just fantastic. With intriguing characters, a plot that had you on the edge of your seat and writing that keeps you right in the story.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: I still talk about this book till this day. It’s one that I always highly recommend and I think I always will. The Hate U Give is a brilliant and powerful story. It’s heartbreaking, poignant and so so true. It’s a book that everyone should read, and understand.

Frankie by Shivaun Plozza: I love this book so much. 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’s one of those books that catches you by surprise.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1) by Brigid Kemmerer: I was captivated by the characters, world, and the plot from the very first chapter. There is fantastic worldbuilding, court intrigue and everything else that you want. I still haven’t managed to pick up book 2 yet – but I will.

Frostblood (Frostblood Saga #1) by Elly Blake: I really loved this book when I first read it, and I think I still would now. It’s a fantastic fantasy that has a lot of elements that I really enjoy. I love the romance, the characters and the world. I also really enjoyed book two.

The Conqueror’s Saga by Kiersten White: This is possibly one of my highest-rated series. The first book was a 4.5 while the other two were both 5 stars. I love this series so much. It has everything that I look for in a book and more. If you love historical fiction with a twist and fierce and an “unlikeable” protagonist. Then this is for you.

Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1) by Sylvain Neuvel: I read this one as an audiobook and let me tell you, it’s the way to go! It’s such a fantastic book and that really is highlighted when you listen to it on audio. It just leans it’s self to it. If you enjoy Scifi but don’t love everything in space – then this might be the one for you.

When Michael Met Mina by Randa Abdel-Fattah: I have a serious love for this one and I wish I talked about it more. It’s written in such a fantastic way that from the start I was sold. I think it should be on every high school list.

And that is it for this post. Those are some of my highest rated books that I’ve read over the last couple of years. What are some of yours? Do we share any that is the same? Let’s Chat!

Romance Recs: Favourite Sports Romances

May 23, 2020

A few weeks ago I shared some of my favourite MC Romances and today I thought it was time to share some of my favourite sports romances. This is probably the sub-genre that I’ve read the most in romance. There is a lot of sports romances in New Adult and that is what I read a lot before I moved into all romance. So over the years, I’ve read many books and series that include a sports romance. And today I’m sharing my favourites.

I love sports romances! It’s one of my favourite sub-genres of romance. I can’t even really pinpoint why, but I just do. I do watch a lot of sports in my everyday life. It’s something I’ve grown up doing and that might be why I’m drawn to it. There was a time when I fell into ice hockey romances and could not get out, still can’t. So a lot of the romances here are ice hockey, but in reality, I love reading all types of sports romance. Anyway, here are some of my favourite sports romances. Like always these are in no order.

The Year We Fell Down (The Ivy Years #1) by Sarina Bowen: I read this one nearly four years ago, and it still holds up to be one of my favourite romances ever! I just love so much about it. I love that it includes disability, friends to lovers and ice hockey. It’s such a good read and I could re-read it all the time. I also want to make a special mention of this whole series. If I could put every book on this list I would.

Getting Lucky Number Seven (Taking Shots #1) by Cindi Madsen: I think this had to be one of the first sports romances that I read. It’s when I first started to read New Adult and just feel in love with it. While it does have a few problems overall, it’s such an enjoyable read. Plus, it’s best friends to something more.

Catching Jordan (Hundred Oaks #1) by Miranda Kenneally: While this one is classed as “young adult” – I think this what drove me to read more sports romance. I first read this series back in 2013 and fell in love with everything. Each book in the series mostly includes some sort of sport and I love that each one is different. This one is fantastic and great for someone that reads YA but wants to slowly move into new adult and romance.

Edge Series by Jennifer Comeaux: Every time I watch something to do with ice skating, I want to re-read this series. And I always have so much fun when I do. This whole series is just so great. It’s a great way to get into sports romances but it still feels like a general romance. If you love ice skating especially pairs, pick anything by Jennifer up.

The Deal (Off-Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy: If you love sports romances and haven’t read this one – get on it. This series is just so much fun. This one features the trope of what I would call the unlikely couple and it’s fantastic. I love that we get to know not only the main protagonist but everyone else in their lives too.

Him (Him #1) by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy: I’ve spoken about this one from time to time, but this M/M sports romance gets to me every time. I love the relationship between Jamie and Wesley so much. It’s friends to lovers, second chance and everything in between. I also love the fact that two of my favourite sports romances authors came together.

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata: I just finished this one this morning and I had such a lovely time. It’s a very slow-burning romance, very slow. But I enjoyed seeing that for once. It’s a big book, but it didn’t feel like that for me. This is my second Mariana Zapata book and I think that I enjoyed this one more.

Rookie Move (Brooklyn Bruisers #1) by Sarina Bowen: Of course there had to more Sarina Bowen on this list. I think this might be one of my favourite of hers. It’s a second chance romance that melted my heart. I adore Georgia and Leo together so much. Ah!

Play On (Lewis Creek #1) by Michelle Smith: I haven’t spoken about this one in a while, but I have so much love for this book and the series. It’s such a fantastic sports romance that isn’t just about sports but so much more. This is another great one that boards young adult and new adult and I love it. It has this sweet and beautiful romance that melted me.

And that is it for today’s post! Those are my favourite sports romances that I’ve read so far? What are yours? Do we share any that are the same? Do you have any recommendations?

Romance Recs | Favourite MC Romances

May 6, 2020

Hiya all. Over the last couple of years, I’ve been reading more and more romances and loving it. So I thought I would start a new feature where I recommend some of my favourite romances that fit a theme. These books might be every week or every other week, I’m not too sure yet. But we will see as we go. And the themes will range from sub-genres to types of romance. I’m really excited to start sharing some of my favourite romances.

This week I decided to jump straight in and share my favourite MC romances. Motorcycle romances are very interesting to say the less and most of the time it’s not something that I recommend to everyone. But if you like your darker romances and alright with some not so great things happening – then you might like these for sure. I tried to share a range of MC romances. Some that are tamer than others, but I wanted to offer a range for those wanted to dip their toes in or love it already.

Anyway enough of my rambling. Here are my favourite MC romances. Like always these are in no order.

Wind Dragons MC Series by Chantal Fernando: If you are looking to start reading MC romances, then this a great place to start. While at times it is hard, it’s one of the more tamer ones that I have personally read. Some of the later books in the series get a bit harder to read, but overall they are pretty fantastic. Most of the books in the series are 4 stars for me, with a few getting 3-3.5 stars. My favourites have to be Dargon’s Liar, Last Ride and Fallen Princess.

Thunder Road Series by Katie McGarry by Katie McGarry: This was my introduction into reading MC romances for sure. This is more on the high YA, NA side of things. But it is fantastic. Katie McGarry is still one of my favourite contemporary writers now and this series was so good. It dealt with some classic MC problems but also dives into some teen and coming of age issues as well. Nowhere But Here is still my favourite by far.

The Fallen Men Series by Giana Darling: This is one of my recent reads and I really enjoyed this series a lot. However, I do want to put a warning there is a lot of taboo themes through the books and they aren’t for everyone. This series isn’t fully dark, but I do feel that it might go that way in the coming books. It’s one of those that are on the border, which could go either way. I can’t really decide which is my favourite at the moment. I really enjoyed all of them a lot.

Hades Hangmen Series by Tillie Cole: Before I say anything. This is a dark series. There is a lot in this series that isn’t easy to read. So be warned before you jump in. I found this series really interesting. It did take me a while to really get into the first book. It’s much harsher than the MC romances that I had read before and much darker. But there is something that kept on pulling me back into this series. It’s fascinating truly. And I understand that it isn’t for everyone. But if you like dark romances, then give this one a go.

Savage Disciples MC Series by Drew Elyse: This series had it’s up and downs for me. There were some that I really enjoyed and some that were okayish. But as a series overall I really did enjoy it. This is one of the tamer MC romances. And while there are still some questionable things that do happen throughout the series, overall it’s pretty okay. I also really enjoyed the spin-off series – Sailors Grave. And while it really isn’t about the MC, there is a lot of intertwining.

Raven Riders Series by Laura Kaye: This is another series that is overall pretty tame, but also enjoyable. I really like the relationships in this one and the family bond that everyone seems to have. I like that this connects with her Hark Ink series and again how characters pop up between both of them. Book 1 and 3 are my favourite though.

And that is it for this post! What did you think of my first Romance Recs post? Have you read any of these books? Are you planning on reading any of them? Let’s Chat!