Angel Reads

09 Dec

A Slow Kind of Month | November Wrap Up

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After the amount of reading that I did last month, November was a little slow. I finished 10 books in November and unlike October, it was a nice range of romance, YA and historical fiction. I spoke recently about my changes in reading habits, and November was a great month to show the diverse range of books that I am now reading. Anyway, let’s get onto the wrap-up.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K Rowling: I am currently re-read Harry Potter through audiobook. I’ve spoken about this before briefly, but it’s a whole new experience listening to the series. It’s like I am reading it for the first time again and it is magical | 4.5 Stars

The Pearl Thief by Fiona McIntosh: Every since I started at my job I’ve heard a lot about Fiona McIntosh, but none of her books really caught my eye. Until, her most recent one. The Pearl Thief is set in 1963 but includes flashbacks to WWII. It’s haunting, beautiful and looks at an interesting side of WWII. At times it’s hard to read not going to lie, but it’s also captivating. | 4.5 Stars

One Small Thing by Erin Watt: It was fun at times but is also very emotional. One Small Thing explores the notions of forgiving, coming of age and family. It delves deep into the lives of teens that shows both the horrors and breathtaking moments of becoming an adult. I do wish that there was more depth to the lead characters of Beth and Chase. Nevertheless, I did enjoy reading their story. There are many ups and downs to this novel and if you want a quick read that is a little different then this is for you | Full Review. 3.5 Stars

Butterface by Avery Flynn: I enjoyed Butterface by Avery Flynn. It was an easy read, that explores not the typical romance. Thought it does utilize classic romance tropes to move the story forward. Gina and Ford were both interesting characters that gave the story substance. | Full Review 3 Stars

Muffin Top by Avery Flynn: I really liked Muffin Top by Avery Flynn. It was engaging, entertaining and had me wanting more. I loved that family was a really big theme of this novel and much of the Hartigan series. Lucy and Frankie were hot on fire, and that just made the novel that more sweet. If you are looking for a romance novel, that you can just fall into, then this is for you | Full Review 4 Stars

Love Restored by Carrie Ann Ryan: Last month I started reading Carrie Ann Ryan books and really enjoyed what I was reading. The Gallagher Brothers novels are apart of the world that Carrie created. This first one was emotional as hell. I wasn’t prepared for what had happened and gosh the tears poured out of me | 4 Stars

Passion Restored by Carrie Ann Ryan: This one was my least favourite in the trilogy. I just wasn’t able to connect with both protagonists as much as other novels. I did enjoy the romance though. It was intense and full of passion – no pun intended | 3 Stars

Hope Restored by Carrie Ann Ryan: As the first in this trio, this one was very emotional. It dealt with more heavier themes than other romances or any of the books in Carrie Ann Ryan’s world – but that also made it really enjoyable and captivating. I adored the protagonists of this one so much and gosh they were cute. | 4 Stars

A Gathering of Shadows by V. E Shwab: I ended up re-reading this one in November, I am not even sure why. I was feeling like it. I wanted to read a fantasy but wasn’t sure what to pick up, so since I re-read the first one a little while ago, I decided this was the perfect opportunity | 4 Stars

And that was my November! What did you read in November? Did we read any of the same books? Let’s Chat!

02 Dec

Butterface and Muffin Top by Avery Flynn | Mini Reviews

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I have seen ‘The Hartigans series’ popping up for a while now. But I never really paid attention to it before, and then I read the synopsis of both and I was immediately taken. These are my types of books, and it doesn’t feature the typical thin, “beautiful” protagonist like most romance books do. So today I thought I would share with you my thoughts on the first two books in the series that are out; Butterface and Muffin Top by Avery Flynn.

Butterface (The Hartigans #1) by Avery Flynn

Pages: 250
Publish date: July 30th 2018
Publisher: Entangled Amara
ASIN: B07DTFT2KT
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

It’s true. I’m not what most people would call “pretty” and, well, high school was rough. Fast forward ten years and life is good…

Until a bunch of jerks think it’s hilarious to put the “butterface” (AKA me) on a wedding Kiss Cam with the hottest guy ever—and that old humiliation hits hard.

I recognize him immediately. The hottest cop in Waterbury and totally out of my league.

But then he kisses me. And we totally forget the room, the crowd, everything. Then he tells everyone we’ve been dating for months.

Soon everything starts to feel too real, from adorable fights over “necessary” tools to fix my broken porch to surviving a free-for-all dinner with his six siblings to picking up where our last kiss left off.

But there’s something he’s not telling me about why he’s really hanging around, and I’m pretty sure it has to do with my mob-connected brothers.

Because this is not a make-over story, and Cinderella is only a fairy tale…

Butterface:

I hadn’t picked up a book by Avery Flynn (I think) before I started Butterface, and I was slightly disappointed. While I did enjoy reading it, I didn’t fall in love with it, like I thought I would. But I still did really enjoy it.

Butterface by Avery Flynn follows Gina Luca who’s life growing up came with relentless cruel because of the way that she looked. Overcoming that as an adult Gina has grown to stand up for herself and live with who she is. She has a thriving wedding planning business and some great friends. When a kiss cam falls on her and Police Detective, Ford Hartigan, things get a little out of hand.

Now Gina and Ford are fake dating, and both are getting something out it. Gina doesn’t have her brothers on her back, and Ford well he might just get the biggest break of his career. But true feelings do start to get to play with them both. But is it even real?

I really liked what Avery Flynn did do with Gina’s characterisation. While she didn’t need a man to make her life better, or make her feel pretty. Ford was used to help remind Gina, that all she needed to be was herself. Gina was also an intriguing character on her own. I liked that throughout the novel she is really able to stand up for herself, but also let her walls down and let Ford in.

Another thing that Avery Flynn does is remind us how cruel the world can be. How horrible some people are with how people look. There are some scenes that really tore me apart. Sometimes these scenes were really hard to get through and I did have to stop for a while.

The romance in Butterface wasn’t my favourite. At times I found Ford very hard to like therefore making the romance hard to love. In saying that I was able to feel the chemistry between Gina and Ford and I did like that it took a while for them to admit to one another, that there were feelings.

Overall, I enjoyed Butterface by Avery Flynn. It was an easy read, that explores not the typical romance. Thought it does utilize classic romance tropes to move the story forward. Gina and Ford were both interesting characters that gave the story substance.

Muffin Top (The Hartigans #2) by Avery Flynn

Pages: 216
Publish date: October 29, 2018
Publisher: Entangled Amara
ISBN: B07FSJ6SZH
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

The only thing about me that’s a size zero is the filter on my mouth. I’ve got a big personality, a big rack, and a big number on the scale. And I’m perfectly fine with that.

But when some random guy suggests I might not be eating alone if I’d ordered a salad instead of a hamburger I’m shocked silent, which is a feat, trust me.

That brings us to one sexy fireman named Frankie Hartigan. He’s hot. He’s funny… And he’s just apologized for being late for our “date” then glared at the fat-shaming jerk. Next thing I know, he’s sitting down and ordering himself dinner.

I have no problem telling him I don’t need a pity date… unless of course it’s to my high school reunion next week. Oops where did that last bit come from? And what do I do now that he’s said yes?!

Because this is no make-over story, and I think Frankie is using me for something. I just have to figure out what…

Muffin Top:

I liked Muffin Top, so much better than the first book in this series. I was able to connect with the characters and story more, and that only made it a better read.

Muffin Top by Avery Flynn follows protagonist Lucy Kavanagh, a very successful woman who works in PR for crisis communication. She is strong, and will always stand up for herself. But when a guy tells her that she should be eating a salad instead of a burger, she needed to lose weight and then she might not be living alone- let’s just say that she is in shock. But then Frankie Hartigan steps in and he is now Lucy’s date.

From one fake date, to going to Lucy’s high school reunion the following week. Lucy and Frankie are in for some trouble. From road trips, small hotel rooms, and high school bullies it’s going to be a hell of a ride.

I was able to connect so much more with Lucy in Muffin Top from the very start. I’m a bigger woman and man do I love my food, and while I have never really experienced an event like Lucy’s, society expectations are still the same. I loved that Lucy was unapologetic, she didn’t let people bring her down too much. But Lucy was still self-conscious and making the novel more real. One of the main reasons why I did enjoy Lucy so much, was her determination for her job and the way that she made a name for herself.

I also enjoyed Frankie in Muffin Top. Avery Flynn was able to make him different from his brother but also share the same traits as a Hartigan’s and that made me happy. Frankie is very job-driven and doesn’t really make time for himself. So this road trip is not only a way to make his boss happy, but also experience something different. While Frankie is very much a ladies man, Lucy tests the way that he thinks and feels.

The romance in Muffin Top was slow, novel-wise, but did move quite fast as a timeline in the story. But it was still full of sparks, heat and made me want to keep on reading. It was nice at times that Lucy’s weight wasn’t made a big deal about between Frankie and Lucy herself. It was just a normal romance. There were times where Lucy’s weight did make her second guess why Frankie would like her, but that was quickly overcome.

Overall, I really liked Muffin Top by Avery Flynn. It was engaging, entertaining and had me wanting more. I loved that family was a really big theme of this novel and much of the Hartigan series. Lucy and Frankie were hot on fire, and that just made the novel that more sweet. If you are looking for a romance novel, that you can just fall into, then this is for you.

Have you read Butterface and Muffin Top by Avery Flynn? What did you think? Are you planning on reading these? What are some of your recent favourite romances that you had read? Let’s Chat!

21 Nov

Changes in Reading Habits | Discussion

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When I starting blogging here at Angel Reads, I only read YA fantasy/supernatural. I had been reading it since I was 12 and many of my reading habits didn’t change. Then I joined the world of book blogging and was introduced to a new side of YA. A new side that I didn’t know too much about and didn’t know what books to read it. It was YA contemporary. And although I was reading it, I kept on going back to YA fantasy and supernatural. It’s where I found my solace, where I was able to just go away from the world.

Then a couple of years ago, I fell into the world of New Adult and Romance and I was gone. I’m now reading more romance books than ever before. I think because my life is just so busy now, that being able to finish a book in a couple of hours, is great. I’ve found that with romance books, I don’t need to stress or try and remember all the characters and layers of the world. I can just sit down and relax. I’ve spoken about reading more romance books in more detail before, but ever since then, I’ve read more and more romance.

There is a lot of factors in my changes in reading habits and it’s just not the fact that I am reading more romance. So I thought that today I would talk about changes in reading habits.

Annie Spratt

Changes in Reading Habits

I’ve really thought that I would sway about from reading YA fantasy and supernatural. I had been reading it for so long and loving it that it just stuck with me. I would try and read other genre’s, but I always seemed to go back to read it. This has a lot of this had to do with me being in high school at the time. My friendship group read, but not like me. So I had no one really to talk to about trying different books. When I made Angel Reads, it was the first time I was really exposed to other genres on a regular basis. Reviews of new books were easier for me to find, people that I trusted were reading different things to me and I was going into bookstores and book sections more. This let me see a whole different side to YA.

After I finished high school, I went straight into a writing and editing course at university. So you can imagine the range of books that I was reading, hearing about, and getting recommended. And while even then I was falling back into YA, I was branching out on what I was reading YA. But it was a great way to see and hear people’s thoughts on different books. But reading YA was looked down on and that was a struggle. And while I didn’t care all that much, it was hard to recommend books that I loved, because not many people thought about even picking them, up.

It was probably before even university that I discovered Katie McGarry and I am so glad that I did. She was able to introduce me to a whole new genre of romance and gosh I am glad that I started. What I love about Katie McGarry was that she was on the border of YA and NA romance, so it was easy for me to transition into reading NA romance. Then I started reading Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy, and Rebecca Yarros’ New Adult books and again it just grabbed me, and then I wanted to read more of these so I moved into their adult romance. It all flowed naturally, and I wasn’t just thrown into the deep end of romance. Which can be scary and different sometimes. And now I probably read way more romance than I do YA – and I don’t’ mind it.

I think for a while I was getting bored with YA. It was just everything was reading the same and I wanted something new and different. I ended up only reading the same authors because I just didn’t know what to read next. But I think that this last year has seen something happen in YA, that I am so happy about. It’s like it’s been rejuvenated and I am slowly starting to read more and more.

Something else that has changed my reading habits is the fact the last year and a half I’ve worked in a bookstore. I see new books come in nearly every day and sometimes things catch my eye, that I never thought I would. I’ve read more adult books this last year and a half than I have my whole life. And that’s saying something. Adult books never caught my eye, all the ways that I ever saw just bored me. But I did pick some up, after being recommended by both co-workers and customers. In saying that, most of the ones I have read have been historical fiction, but you get my drift.

It’s scary changing what you read, to be honest. Like I said I will always love YA, but reading different genre’s and readerships has made me love books even more.

João Silas

Don’t be afraid

I don’t know what the point of this post really is, other than to say; it’s okay to branch out on what you normally read. It’s okay to blog about different genre’s and readerships. And it’s alright for your reading habits to grow with you. I will love YA forever, I will never, ever let it go. It embodies a lot of my values and it explores diversity in a way that makes me excited. Being able to recommend teens new and exciting books at work, is what makes my day. Seeing their faces light up when they find a book they might light – it gets to me.

So don’t be afraid to read what you want. Don’t be afraid to blog about that aren’t your usual thing. And while it might be a set back at first blogging wise, I am so much happier now, blogging about YA and romance. I get to talk about all the books I love in one place, because in the end Angel Reads, is about what me, Angel is reading.

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Have your reading habits changed over time? Why do you think they changed? Is there a moment or book in your life that did change what you read? Let’s Chat!