Angel Reads

19 Dec

Books Angel Made Me Read (And You Should Too!)

Posted by Ely @ Earl Grey Books Discussions, Guest Post, Recommendations No Comments

Hello there everyone! I’m Ely from Of Wonderland, and I’m Angel’s best friend. I’m here to do a little guest post today talking about all the books Angel has made me read, and why you should pick them up too!

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

I had given up on Cassandra Clare after City of Heavenly Fire and vowed that I’d never pick up her books again. And then Lady Midnight came around, and Angel spoke about it non-stop for an entire week before I caved and picked it up. As it turns out, I wasn’t done with Cassandra Clare at all.

Without a doubt, The Dark Artifices series is the best thing Clare has done. It’s full of diverse, lifelike characters with all the best parts of the Shadowhuter world. It’s well worth the read.

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

I was super excited by the premise of Serpent & Dove until I suddenly started seeing a bunch of mixed and low ratings. Then, again, Angel started talking about how much she enjoyed it and how much she thought I would. She gifted me a copy for my birthday, and I was immediately sucked in.

If you also love a good fake dating and/or enemies to lovers trope like Angel and I do, then you should absolutely pick this one up.

Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas

I’ve never been a big romance reader. Like a lot of people, I had a (completely fake) idea of what the genre was. But then Angel started reading primarily romance books and constantly telling me how happy they made her, and I started to cave.

This one by Lisa Kleypas is my favourite so far, though I now suddenly have a romance TBR a mile long. This is the first in a historical romance series called The Wallflowers, and if you follow Angel anywhere, you’ve probably already heard her gush about Kleypas a million times over. Take her word for it, Kleypas is great fun!

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

I’ve got to admit that I have a soft spot for a good YA contemporary. Over the years, I’ve become fussier about what I like, but they still hold a special place in my heart. Just like everything else, I listened to Angel talk about Jenn Bennett’s books for a good couple of months before I finally picked one up.

Alex, Approximately is the only one I’ve read so far but it made me immeasurably happy. If you’re looking for something sweet, look no further!

So there we are! Just a couple of the books that Angel has made me read over the years of us being best friends.

Has Angel convinced you to read anything in particular?

17 Dec

Books On My Summer TBR | TTT

Posted by angelreads Features, Top Ten Tuesday 5 Comments

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

While nearly everyone else is going to winter around the world. It’s becoming Summer here in Australia. And it’s out in full force. It’s going to be hot this week that is for sure. So I thought I would share the books that I want to get through this summer. I’m going on a cruise early January, so I’m hoping to read a whole bunch during that time. There is a combination of new releases and backlist titles here. Like always these are in no order.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power: I got this one soon after it was released and still haven’t managed it pick it up. I just haven’t been fully in the mood for it. But I really want to get to it in the next couple of months. It sounds like it’s going to be intense. Plus, I’ve heard all different things about it, so I’m really excited to see where I fall.

A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers #2) by Brigid Kemmerer: There should be no surprise that this one is on my list. I adored A Curse so Dark and Lonely so much and I can’t wait to see where Brigid takes this world and the characters. But I also don’t think I’m ready for all the heartbreak. It’s going to rip me apart and be so intense.

The How and the Why by Cynthia Hand: This is a new book on my radar and I can’t wait to read it. It sounds so interesting and I’ve already seen so many amazing reviews. The How and the Why sounds heartbreaking but also beautiful. I think it’s going to be of those books that stay with me forever.

Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry: I’m not sure why I haven’t read this one yet. I’ve had it for nearly a year, but I just keep on forgetting I own it. But don’t worry, I’ll be reading it this summer for sure. Katie McGarry has never disappointed me, so I’m really looking forward to reading this. I know I’m going to love so much about it,

The Ones Who Got Away (The Ones Who Got Away #1) by Roni Loren: I’ve been hearing such good things about this series for some time now, and I feel that I can finally pick it up. I think it’s going to tear me apart, but it’s also going to be so beautiful. And I needed to add a romance book to this list.

The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett: Again this one I didn’t really need to think about. I love Jenn Bennett’s YA contemporaries and when I heard she was bringing out this YA historical fiction, fantasy. I knew I needed to add it to my TBR. But I haven’t been in a massive fantasy slump lately, so hoping I can dig into this.

Man Cuffed (Man Hands #4) by Sarina Bowen and Tanya Eby:This is one of the only Sarina Bowen books that I haven’t read it. And I can’t wait to get into it. This whole series is just so fun to read and I can’t wait to see more action.

The Burning Shadow (Origin #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout:After the ending of the first book, I cannot wait to see where this story is taken. There is so much that could happen and it’s going to be really exciting to read. I really enjoy the world that Jennifer L. Armentrout has created and it’s going to be interesting seeing what’s going to happen next.

The Bookworm Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts:I hadn’t heard much about this book when I picked it up, but I think it’s the perfect summer read. This one sounds like it’s going to be fun, moving and just the book that I need to read in a pick me up.

Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman:I got this book way back in May when I was on my holiday and I just haven’t picked it up it. It’s going to be the perfect summer read and I cannot wait to get stuck into it. I already know that I’m going to love it and just, I’m so ready for something like this.

And that is it for this week’s TTT. What are some of the books on your summer/winter TBR? Do we share any that’s the same? Let’s Chat!

15 Dec

Book Review: Moonlighter by Sarina Bowen

Posted by angelreads Book Reviews No Comments

Moonlighter (The Company #1) by Sarina Bowen

Pages: 370
Publish date: October 21st 2019
Publisher: Tuxbury Publishing LLC
ISBN: 9781942444824
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Only in my family could a professional hockey player earning seven million dollars a year be considered a slacker.

I’m at the height of my athletic career. Yet my arrogant brother is always trying to recruit me into the family business: a global security company so secretive that I don’t even know its name.

Pass, thanks. I don’t need a summer job.

But the jerk ambushes me with a damsel in distress. That damsel is Alex, the competitive, sassy girl I knew when we were kids. Now she’s a drop-dead gorgeous woman in deep trouble.

So guess who’s on a flight to Hawaii?

It’s going to be a long week in paradise. My job is keeping Alex safe, while her job is torturing me with her tiny bikinis. Or maybe we’re torturing each other. It’s all snark and flirting until the threat against Alex gets serious. And this jock must become her major league protector.

Book name:

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

I’ve been reading Sarina Bowen’s books for a couple of years now, so I’m always excited when she brings something new out. Moonlighter is the start of a new series being dubbed ‘The Company’ and includes characters that we have loved before. Eric Bayer from the Brooklyn Bruisers and Alex, tech CEO and billionaire and things are about to get rocky.

Alex is in need of some help. She is pregnant and things are about to get dangerous. When she needs to be in Hawaii for a conference she calls in the help of Alex’s father and brother and The Company. And Eric is roped into helping her. Now her fake boyfriend and personal bodyguard things are about to get intense. Add in misogynist billionaires and investors, and a past that is catching up with her, Alex is in more danger than she thinks. But Eric and Alex have a past of their own and now stuck together they have to put aside their difference, and maybe this fake relationship will turn into something more.

Khachik Simonian

Eric was a very interesting protagonist, but it did take me a while to like him. He was just really hard to connect with. But as Moonlighter went on, I feel that Eric become more real and so much easier to connect with and like. Eric goes through a lot throughout the novel and there are times where his heart was ripped to pieces. His body is falling apart, the pressure from his family is building and his relationship with Alex is very unsteady. The reader is able to feel how unsteady and unsure Eric is about this life and what to do in the future.

Alex has a lot going on in life even before Moonlighter starts, and things just explode as the novel goes on. I wasn’t a massive fan of Alex throughout the other books, mostly because she was trying to get in between Nate and Rebecca especially in Brooklynaire. But as Moonlighter went on the reader is really able to understand her. One of the major things that I adored about Alex, was that she was this strong independent woman. She had worked her ass off to get where she is and she isn’t going to let anything or anyone stop her. I loved that she stood up to male colleagues and didn’t let them put her down.

The romance had its ups and downs for me. There were parts that I really enjoyed. Like I think Alex and Eric were fantastic together. They have amazing chemistry and I loved reading their interactions. Moonlighter also included two of my favourite tropes – second chance romance and fake dating. These two together were fantastic. In saying that, there were times throughout the book that Alex really got on my nerves. She was one to keep her guard up and that meant she kept everything up even with Eric. This meant that Eric was let down a lot and the reader is able to see the disappointment in him very clearly. After they both let down their walls, things were a little easier.

freestocks.org

Moonlighter felt a lot different from Sarina Bowen’s other books from the start. While it still had that sports romance vibe of her other books, the suspense aspect of the novel really stood. This was a different side of Sarina Bowen that I hadn’t really read before. And while it took a little to get used to, I really enjoyed it. The suspense and action were great and kept me on the edge of my seat. It not only pushed the novel forward, but also set the tone for the rest of this series.

One of the main plotlines in Moonlighter is the fact that Alex is pregnant, the reader already knows somewhat about the pregnancy from the previous series. But we really get to know more about it here. I loved that just because Alex was pregnant she didn’t let it stop her from being the working woman she is. One thing that Sarina Bowen does well is exploring the notion of family. And this is again present in many different ways throughout Moonlighter. Eric’s up and down relationship with his father and brother and Alex becoming a mother and trying to work the whole thing out. I always love seeing with Sarina Bowen does with family and I think she does a fantastic job here.

Elizabeth Tsung

Overall, Moonlighter was a fantastic read. It was a great start to a new series and I can’t wait to see where Sarina Bowen goes with this. There are so many different ways that she could go and it’s going to be an interesting ride. Moonlighter is action-packed, but also has time for those great romance moments that were done so well. The novel explores the notion of second chances, letting tour guard down, and sometimes it’s okay to be vulnerable. If you are looking for a great romance read, that also has a little something more than this is for you.