Angel Reads

06 Dec

An Up and Down Month | November Wrap Up

Posted by angelreads Uncategorized 1 Comment

November has been a strange month for me. At the start I was in a little bit of a slump, then it really picked up and I read a heap. But then towards the end of the month, I changed jobs, and I have been swamped for the last 2 weeks. Basically now I’m a full-time bookseller and I could not be happier. So my reader has taken a hit and it’s been up and down.

I read 19 books in November which is one the lower end for me. But I also read some fantastic books this month. I did also have some that just weren’t my thing. But overall it was pretty good. Now enough of this and let’s get into it.

King’s Descendants MC Series #1 – #5 by Bella Jewel: I had many ups and downs with this series. I enjoyed some of the books and really didn’t like others. But I still wanted to know what was going to happen next. It’s not one of my favourite MC series for sure, nevertheless, it still kept me hooked.

Playing with Fire by L.J. Shen: This is my first L.J. Shen book that I have picked up and I don’t think it will be my last. I haven’t read a new adult romance in some time, and this one really gave me NA vibes, I loved that. The romance was intriguing, I enjoyed the characters. And the plot was great.

Hostage to Pleasure (Psy-Changeling #5) by Nalini Singh: I couldn’t wait too long before I picked up the next one in this series and it was just fantastic. I adore Dorian, so this one hit me in all the right spots. It did take me a little longer to get into, but once I did. Bang!

Lacy’s Legacy (Westward Home and Hearts Mail-Order Brides #1) by Elaine Manders: This isn’t my usual thing, but I picked it up. I didn’t love it, that is for sure, but I didn’t hate it either. The romance was cute, and the story was intriguing.

A Rogue of One’s Own (A League of Extraordinary Women #2) by Evie Dunmore: Man I loved this one. You can check out mine and Ely’s discussion on it and see how much both of us really enjoyed it. But the romacne was fantastic, the characters were amazing and I could not put it down.

Branded by Fire (Psy-Changeling #6) by Nalini Singh: This has to be one of my favourites from the series so far. Riley and Mercy were just fantastic. I adored that we got to see the two packs interact more and it was just great. I can’t wait to see more of them both.

Stoney’s Property (Devil’s Riot MC: Originals #1) by E.C. Land: I don’t have much to say about this one except that it was not for me. The writing was great, the characters were bland and I could not get into it.

My (Mostly) Secret Baby (My (Mostly) Funny Romance #1) by Penelope Bloom: This one was another book was that was down for me. I didn’t know too much about it when I picked it up. I just saw it on KU and it sounds interesting. But I didn’t find it funny, at all. And I hated up much the protagonists was up and down with one another.

Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny (Loose Ends #1) by Rebekah Weatherspoon: I’ve been wanting to pick this one up for years now and I finally did. And gosh did I love it so much. I really enjoy romances where there are children involved with one of the love interest. It just adds another dynamic to the romance and the novel. I can’t wait to read more from Rebekah.

Xeni (Loose Ends #2) by Rebekah Weatherspoon: I picked this up as soon as I finished Rafe and while I didn’t love it as much as the first book, I still enjoyed it. I couldn’t fully connect with Xeni, and I think that hindered my enjoyment of the book. But I really loved the romance. It was absolutely adorable.

Birthday Shot by Rilzy Adams: I read this after my interview with Rilzy a few weeks ago. And gosh did I love it. This was such a fun read. It’s an older brothers best friend romance and I can never get enough of those. It was sexy and sweet all rolled into one and I can’t wait to read more from Rilzy Adams.

Daring and the Duke (The Bareknuckle Bastards #3) by Sarah MacLean: While this is my least favourite in the series. I adored reading it and will continue reading more and more Sarah MacLean. The choose of love interest is so intriguing, especially since he since two books as the villain.

To Pleasure a Prince (Royal Brotherhood #2) by Sabrina Jeffries: I finally picked up the next book in this trilogy and I had a blast. It took me a while to get into this one. But after 100 pages I started to really enjoy it. I’m loving Sabrina Jeffries HR and I have a whole lot more to read.

One Night with a Prince (Royal Brotherhood #3) by Sabrina Jeffries: This was a great ending to this series, and I loved how it was all wrapped up. I loved the romance in this one. It was intriguing and interesting and I could not put the book down. I had such a fun time reading it, and I want to find more HR romances like this.

The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke #2) by Tessa Dare: I’m slowly making my way through this series and it’s so good. This just made my heart smile. It was a very sweet historical romance and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.

And that is it! Those are all the books that I read in November. Like I said while I had an up and down reading month. I read some fantastic books and there was only a few that let me down.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? How was your November? Let’s Chat!

04 Dec

Book Review: Loverboy by Sarina Bowen

Posted by angelreads Uncategorized No Comments

Loverboy (The Company #2) by Sarina Bowen

Pages: 320
Publish date: December 1st 2020
Publisher: Tuxbury Publishing
ISBN: 9781950155095
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Secrets, desires, and exquisite pie. It’s all in a day’s work at The Company.

Growing up, I was the rough guy from the wrong neighbourhood who couldn’t catch a break. Posy was the pampered girl I tried to impress. But I managed to steal only a single kiss before I had to skip town.

Now I’m back, and the tables are turned. Posy runs a struggling pie shop. I’m the VP of a secretive billion-dollar security company.

Not that I can tell her.

There’s a murderer on the loose in New York, and he seems to spend a lot of time at Posy’s shop. I can’t let on that I’m here to bring him down before he can harm a hair on her pretty head.

Going undercover as Posy’s new barista wasn’t my idea. I don’t even drink coffee. But now I have to call her “boss,” and do everything the curvy perfectionist asks of me. I’d forgotten how much we infuriate each other, and that she somehow fills me with both irritation and desire in the same breath.

There’s nobody more skilled at stealth ops than me. I can bring this killer down. Right after I take a cold shower. And just as soon I figure out how to make a skinny peppermint latte with milk poured in the shape of a kitten…

Loverboy:

I received an earc of Loverboy by Sarina Bowen from the author in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thought and feelings about the book.

It took me a little while to get into this one. I can’t figure out why. I think it was a combo of both me being not particularly in the mood for it and it took me a while to connect with the characters. But as I got novel went on and I continued really, I ended up enjoying the book. It’s not my favourite Sarina Bowen book out there, but I had a good time reading it.

Loverboy by Sarina Bowen follows Gunner who works for The Company. And when a murderer is on the loose in New York, Gunner finds himself back in a place he doesn’t like to stay long. Not only that he has to see and protect someone he never thought he would see again. Undercover as a barista at Posy’s pie shop, Gunner has to find out who is killing people in NY and fast. But the more time that Gunner and Posy spend together, the more old and new feelings arise.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Gunner was an interesting character in Loverboy. As readers, we were introduced to him in Moonlighter, but there isn’t much we know about him going into this one. As the novel goes on and Gunner starts to let Posy in a little more, the reader gets to know him better. I still don’t know how I feel about Gunner. And I wasn’t able to connect with him throughout the series, and that made it hard for me to really enjoy him. I didn’t hate him, but he was just another character.

I felt very similar in regards to Posy as well. Something was holding me back from really connecting with her. Like Gunner, I didn’t hate her, but I couldn’t love her either. I liked she was independent and the reader can see her grow even more throughout the novel. Before the novel starts, she has distance herself from her father and that really sets up a lot of the story and her character. And while I didn’t love Posy, I enjoyed getting to know her and seeing her grow.

Photo by Kenny Luo on Unsplash

And while I didn’t love both protagonists, I did enjoy the romance. Gunner and Posy had a lot of heat and tension and that made for a fantastic romance. They both had a past with one another and it didn’t finish on good terms. But as the novel goes on Gunner and Posy get to know each other again and everything seems to fit. I loved when they egged each other one and pushed the other. It was a great dynamic and played a great role in the novel.

I found that I didn’t care too much about the plot side of Loverboy. Again I’m not sure why I wasn’t able to connect with this book like Bowen’s others, but something felt off to me. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but this one I didn’t have the same highs from the action. I felt that things were building up and then were over too quickly. In saying that I will continue with the series for sure. There were some hints on what other characters might come together and I need to know more.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Overall, Loverboy by Sarina Bowen was a decent read. I felt that it was hard to connect with the protagonist at first, but as the novel went on, everything becomes better. Gunner and Rosy were a mix of sweet and hot. They could flip between being nice with one another and then trying to one-up the other. Loverboy is a second chance romance, where they never really got to see where it would go the first time. While I didn’t love this one, I will read the rest of the series as they come out.

Have you read Loverboy by Sarina Bowen yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning too? Have you read anything else from her before? Let’s Chat!

01 Dec

Books That I Would Love To Read Again

Posted by angelreads Top Ten Tuesday 6 Comments

This week I’m sharing the books that I would love to read again. Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.

I’m a massive re-reader. I love doing it. Sometimes I don’t even read the whole book again, but certain scenes that I love. So today I thought I would share some of the books that I would love to re-read but haven’t yet. There is a mix of YA, and romance here like normal. And like always these are in no order.

The Guinevere Deception (Camelot Rising #1) by Kiersten White: I think I’m going to read this one again soon. The second book just came out and I think I want to be fresh reading it. I adore this book so much and It’s such an interesting retelling.

Check, Please! Book 1: # Hockey (Check, Please! #1-2) by Ngozi Ukazu: I absolutely adore both part one and two of this series and I would re-read them again in an instant. The romance is adorable, the illustrations are perfect and it just made me feel so happy. And I also feel that with graphic novels, manga etc you always pick up something new each time.

Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1) by Nalini Singh: I only started this series a few months ago, but there is no doubt that I will be reading it again soon. I have seriously fallen in love with the characters, and the story and everything else in between. I’m about to start book 7 and I can’t wait.

The Belles (The Belles #1) by Dhonielle Clayton: It’s been a few years since I read this and I really want to re-read it before I continue with the series. I remember really enjoying it and excited to see where the story is taken.

The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1) by Julia Quinn: This is another series that I have started this year and I will be re-reading again soon. This has to be one of my favourite historical romances and that just makes me so excited. It has everything that I look for in an HR and more.

Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1) by Cassandra Clare: I always love re-reading Cassandra Clare and I will most likely read this one again before Chain of Iron comes out next year. Just to give myself a refresher. But honestly, I adored the characters, the world and the writing and I can’t wait for more.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune: Do I honestly need to say much about this one. You should all know by now that is one of the best books I have ever read and I will re-read it at any time. This book just makes me so happy. So it will be a fantastic pick me up.

And I Darken (The Conqueror’s Saga #1) by Kiersten White: This has to be the start of one of my favourite series of all time and I think it’s about time that I do a re-read. It’s such a fantastic series, it’s intense, the stakes are always high and I love it.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: This book is just fantastic and it’s one that I would read again in a heartbeat. The writing is incredible, the romance hits me hard and I cry like a baby throughout. It’s one of those books that just blows me away.

Disruption (Disruption #1) by Jessica Shirvington: This is one that I have already re-read, but I would do it again. It’s been a few years since I’ve read this series, but it’s such a fascinating dystopian duology and I feel like it’s time for a re-read

And those are the books that I hope I can read again soon. Do you like re-reading? What are some of the books that you want to? Let’s Chat!