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The Last Ten Books That Tore Me Apart
18 Feb

The Last Ten Books That Tore Me Apart

Posted by angelreads Features, Top Ten Tuesday 6 Comments

This week I’m sharing the books that tore me apart while reading them. Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. 

I cry quite easily while reading, it’s something that has always happened. But today I’m sharing the books that have recently torn me apart. I don’t mean a little tear here and there. I mean kick to the gut and sob crying. Like always these are in no order. 

 

Great And Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros: Rebecca Yarros knows how to tear me into a million different pieces. I’m not lying here when I say I’ve nearly cried in every book I’ve read of hers. She knows how to hit me right in the guy. My review for this one will be up in the next week, but can I just say I adored it, but was I a baby. 

The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim: I just finished this the other day and damn did it break me. But it was also powerful, beautiful and really good. It’s hard to read at times, I’m not going to lie, but it explores mental illness in families and what happens it breaks that bond | #LoveOzYA

 

The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand: If you want to cry like a baby then this book is for you. I put off reading this one for such a long time because I knew that it was going to tear me apart. But I still wasn’t prepared for it all. I was a mess after finishing it, but it was also so beautiful. 

The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros: What did I say about Rebecca Yarros tearing me to pieces. I think this one is one of the most emotional books that I have ever read. It literally hurt me to read it, but it’s also so fantastic. 

 

Letters to the Lost (Letters to the Lost #1) by Brigid Kemmerer: This is another author that knows how to make me cry and this one here was the worse. There is so much hurt in this book. But it’s done so well that you just fall right into the trap. Kemmerer knows how to write honest characters and this really shone throughout the book.

The Love That I Have by James Moloney: Anything set in World War II is always bound to make me cry. I don’t know that it is really, but this one tore me apart. Plus that ending! There is so much power in this book and it really gets to the reader – well it did to me. 

 

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys: I have only read this book once and I don’t think I could do it again. This book left me a less, it tore me to pieces and I mean pieces. But it is also so beautiful and perfect and just what I am looking for. It’s one of my favourite books of all time. 

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: I think you all know how I feel about this one here. It’s one of my favourite books of all time. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking and just so perfect. I knew what was going to happen the whole time. I knew it. But that didn’t stop me from sobbing like a baby. 

 

All the Rage by Courtney Summers: Anything by Country Summers tears out my heart. And this one really does do that. It’s a hard book to read and I’m not going to lie it’s not for everyone. It’s also such a powerful and important read. And I think you should definitely try. 

Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices #3) by Cassandra Clare: There is no surprise that Cassandra Clare made this list. Queen of Air and Darkness absolutely killed me. There is so much at stake, so many things could have gone wrong or happen. I had no idea where it was going to go. 

 

 

And that is it! What are the books that tore you apart? Do we share anything that is the same? Let’s Chat! 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Scarred by Drew Elyse
16 Feb

Book Review: Scarred by Drew Elyse

Posted by angelreads Book Reviews No Comments

Scarred (Sailor’s Grave #3) by Drew Elyse

Pages: 228
Publish date: October 8th, 2019
Publisher: –
ASIN: B07YW9H7H3
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

TRAUMA HAS A WAY OF LEAVING ITS MARK.

It took years to do it, but I can finally look in a mirror and see more than just the scars. If only that were true for the rest of the world.

The whispers, the stares, the pity, they’re familiar now. Except his eyes don’t linger, his demeanor never changes. Maybe that’s why I trust him and take the leap to move in with a virtual stranger. A stranger who might be more scarred than I am.

YET NOT ALL SCARS ARE LEFT ON THE SURFACE.

The day I got a spot at Sailor’s Grave Tattoo Parlor, I had everything. A roof over my head, an honest living, a few friends. The times when I went without no longer factored.

Until she comes into my life. Until I offer her a place to stay. Until she draws me in with that blinding light inside her, and almost makes me forget to keep the past in the dark where it belongs.

Scarred:

I received an e-arc of this book in exchange for a review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book. 

This review should have been up months ago and I mean months. But life likes to change a lot. Anyway, I thought it was time to share my thoughts on the last book in this trio. I’ve really enjoyed the series so far, so I was really looking forward to falling more into this world, and Scarred didn’t disappoint me. 

Scarred by Drew Elyse follows Parker and Gwen as they find each other and try and overcome the many hurdles in both of their lives. Parker, we’ve met before. He has been working in Sailor’s Grave Tattoo Parlor for a little while now, but he has always been in the shadows, while Gwen is new to us readers. When Parker goes to the animal shelter that Gwen works at sparks fly, throw in that Parker is giving Gwen a tattoo, things are heating up. And then he offers his spare room to Gwen and the rest is history. But they both have demons, and sometimes those are hard to leave. 

Black and White kittle in person hand. Image is in Black and White

Sindy Strife

Parker was seriously such a great male protagonist. I was already intrigued by him from previous books, so it was really great being inside his head in this one. Parker has had a lot of things going on in his life and the reader doesn’t know the start of it, but as the novel goes on and Gwen gets to know him, so do we. His demons not only take over the way that he thinks about life but the way that he thinks about himself. And that was really hard to read at times. Parker’s character arc was fantastic, the reader is really able to see him grow throughout the novel and really come to understand him. 

Gwen was also a fantastic protagonist. She was fierce and strong and I just loved getting to know her. She had something about her that just made me connect with her straight away. It was fantastic. Like Parker, Gwen has a lot of demons and it was great seeing her break this down and fight them. I loved seeing Gwen grow throughout Scarred. I loved seeing her become this strong, independent woman who truly starts to understand and know herself. Gwen was so easy to get along with and it made reading the novel so much easier. 

The romance in Scarred was so good. I adored Parker and Gwen together so much. While at the start Gwen and Parker seem quite different from one another as the novel goes on, the reader gets to see that they are pretty perfect for one another. They just seem to fit. Parker is able to break Parker down and gets him to talk about his feeling and about this past. While Parker is able to help Gwen realise that she is okay. They were just so great for one another. 

Male and Female legs on a dock

Andrew Neel

There was a lot going on in Scarred, but everything worked together so nicely. It wasn’t really any outside things that wreaked havoc, but more of the internal between Parker and Gwen.  Sometimes it’s nice not having so many things happening in a novel where everything goes to shit. It was “nice” seeing it was just human mistakes. Or more human guilt and hurt. 

Scarred rounds up the Sailors Grave trilogy and can I just say I loved this series so much. It was emotional as hell, but it was also so beautiful.  Marked and Inked were both such good reads and I loved getting to know everyone in the parlor. We also got to see some old faces from Drew Elyse’s previous series and that just made everything more perfect. 

A person wearing blue gloves tattooing a skull

Genesis Marasigan Castillo

Overall, I loved reading Scarred by Drew Elyse. It was emotional and beautiful all at the same time. Parker and Gwen were fantastic protagonists that really took me on the ride with them. They caught my heart and didn’t let go. I was cheering for them the whole way. Scarred explores what it means to be a family and be loved. But also letting go of your past, because sometimes it’s holding you back. If you are looking for some emotional books, that will also put a smile on your face, pick this series up for sure. 

Have you read Scarred by Drew Elyse? What did you think of it? Have you read anything else by Drew Elyse? Let’s Chat!

Romance Books on my TBR | TTT
11 Feb

Romance Books on my TBR | TTT

Posted by angelreads Features, Top Ten Tuesday 16 Comments

This week I’m sharing the romance books on my TBR. Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. 

This has to be one of my favourite themes of Top Ten Tuesday. It’s a Love freebie and I’m sharing the romance books that I hope to get to this year. Some of these I have, some I need to get and some I’m waiting to be published.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve been reading more and more romance. First, it started with New Adult, then a little military and now I just read what I fall in love with. So here are the top romance on my TBR. Like always these are in order. 

Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels #6) by Lisa Kleypas: I cannot wait for this one. Seriously, it’s so close but so far away. I cannot wait to see how this relationship unfolds. There is so much that could happen and I have no idea what way Kleypas will go. I adore Cassandra and don’t particularly like Tom Severin, so this is going to be interesting. 

The Ones Who Got Away (The Ones Who Got Away #1) by Roni Loren: This one has been on my TBR since I heard about it, and late last year I picked the first two books up. So I can’t wait to finally dig into it. But I think I need to be in the right frame of mind to read this one. Because I already know it’s going to be intense. 

 

Bringing Down the Duke (A League of Extraordinary Women #1) by Evie Dunmore: I have heard nothing but good things about this one, I have a copy. I just need to sit down and read it. Ely loved it and don’t think I’ll be any different. It sounds right up what I’m loving at the moment and totally fun as well. 

Wherever You Are (KGI #12) by Maya Banks: I read this series a couple of years ago now, and I’ve been waiting and waiting for this one to come out. There has been a lot of push back in the date of this one, so hopefully, it comes out this year? But I’m not even sure anymore. 

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics (Feminine Pursuits #1) by Olivia Waite: Another one that I’ve heard so many good things about. An f/f historical romance – hell yer. It just sounds fantastic and it was added to my TBR as soon as I heard about it. 

The Beast of Beswick (Everleigh Sisters #1) by Amalie Howard: Said to be Beauty and the Beast meets Taming of the Shrew – I am so in. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Amalie Howard, but I’ve never picked any of her books up. I don’t think this will be on my romance TBR much longer, because I’ll be reading it. 

The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club #1) by Lyssa Kay Adams: This book just sounds fantastic and crazy and I love that. With the second book come out, I really want to get into this series as soon as possible. There are so many things about this book that screams out at me and I can’t wait. 

Say Yes to the Marquess (Castles Ever After #2) by Tessa Dare: I need to continue with reading Tessa Dare and this is the one that I’m up to. I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve read so far so I can’t wait to dig into this world even more. 

The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1) by Julia Quinn: Before the TV series comes out I really want to read this series, so of course it’s on my romance TBR. It sounds like it’s right up my alley and I can’t wait. Plus I have heard nothing but good things about Julia Quinn and that makes me even more excited. 

Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry: I still can’t believe that I haven’t read this one yet. I’ve read everything else by her but time has gotten away from me. Anyway, I will pick it up this year. 

 

 

And those are the romance books on my TBR! Do we share any that’s the same? What is on your list? Let’s Chat! 

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💌 angel@angelreads.com
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March was a better reading month than February for March was a better reading month than February for me, and while I’m still stuck in my heated rivalry fanfiction era I managed to scrap out of it a little this month. 

I reread four books from the sweet omegaverse series and honestly had the best time. I also read two of my most anticipated reads of the year and had a blast. Sadly I did also have my first dnf of the year.

What did you read this March? Any standouts? What are you looking forward to reading in April? Let’s chat! 
🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #marchwrapup
I have a love-hate relationship with this series. I have a love-hate relationship with this series. But I ended up really enjoying this one. It’s best friends to fake dating to-lovers. It’s always been you, bad-boy/good-girl, and I loved that. While Save Your Breath has quite a few tropes, it really leads itself to it, and it works. 

Aleks and Mia have known each other for years now. Since they were teenagers, that angst has been building up this whole time. And you can tell right from the get-go, it’s fantastic. I even wanted more of it, because I love pain. When Aleks went to live with Mia’s family as a teenager, sparks flew, but for many reasons, they both put their feelings aside. And well, now they are not only going to be fake-dating, but they might as well be engaged, too. 

I really enjoyed seeing how both Aleks and Mia both tried to hide how they were feeling throughout the whole ‘fake-dating’ situation, but anyone could see it. They know each other as no one else does. Aleks has a lot going on, and while I do think this was brushed over a little too much, Mia is his centre. Mia is a massive music star and is a female in the industry, so yeah, people don’t respect her. Obvsiouly because why couldn’t a female star be badass and write about the things that she has gone through? Aleks and Mia get each other, and that is very clear from the start; they are both just trying to squash everything. We get to see them slowly start to show how they feel, and well, one night it all explodes. 

Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot; it’s not my favourite of the series, but I had a great time reading it. I liked Aleks and Mia a lot as characeters and while I think the mental health aspect could have been explored a whole lot more, I can see why it wasn’t. The romance was slow and spicy, the angst was great, and the payoff for these two was what they needed. 

Tropes
🏒Sports/Hockey Romance
🎤Fake Dating/Engagement
🏒Childhood Friends to Lovers
🎤Forced Proximity
🏒Athlete x Pop Star 
🎤Angsty Slow Burn 

Content Warnings
Mental Health Struggles 
Suicide Intention 
Family Deaths 
Alcohol Consumption
Violence on Ice

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #bookreview
Well February wasn’t the best reading month. I onl Well February wasn’t the best reading month. I only ended up reading 3 books in. 3 pretty fun books but one of my slowest readings months in a while. 

And I’m going to be honest here it’s because I’ve been constantly reading Heated Rivalry fanfics. 🤷‍♀️ I’m having the best time though. 

How was your reading in February? Any 5  star reads? 

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #februarywrapup
January was a really solid reading month. I read s January was a really solid reading month. I read some books that had been on my tbr for some time, reread a few things that peaked my interest. I also started a few new series. And just had a good time!

I just had a really good start to the year. While February is a little slow so far I’m looking forward to what I can pick up.

What did you read in January? Any 5-star reads? Let’s chat! 

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #januarywrapup
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