No. 15 for 2015

Title: Hush
Author: Karen Robards
Rating: 4/5
Book: 15/50
Pages:  405 pgs
Total Pages: 5,326/15,000 pages
Version: Book
Next up: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t wait to see how everything turned out.

And an added bonus, the book had a GREAT male character. I hope we see more of Finn in future books!

About the Book:

When Riley Cowan finds her estranged husband Jeff dead in his palatial home, she’s sure it’s no coincidence. The police rule it a suicide, but Riley thinks someone’s out for blood—specifically someone Jeff’s father ripped off in one of the biggest financial fraud cases of all time. She suspects that someone is trying to send a message to Jeff’s father: Tell me where the money is, or everyone you care about will die.

Riley’s in-laws might be billionaires, but she’s afraid that not even their dirty money can protect her from an irate investor who will stop at nothing to get his hands on his misappropriated cash. Enter Finn Bradley, Philly-based FBI agent and Riley’s love interest from way back when. Finn agrees to help Riley, and the two reignite sparks they both thought were extinguished long ago. But can they discover the killer’s identity in time, before he resurfaces—and strikes again?

No. 14 for 2015

Title: Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Rating: 5/5
Book: 14/50
Pages:  222 pgs
Total Pages: 4,921/15,000 pages
Version: Book
Next up: Hush by Karen Robards

Wow. All throughout The Lunar Chronicles series I absolutely loathed Queen Levana (while still being one of my favourite literary villain) but this book was actually successful in giving her a redeemable quality that makes her likable. This book gave us insight into why Queen Levana is the way she is and it definitely was a satisfying read which leaves me eagerly anticipating Winter!

About the Book:

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

No. 13 for 2015

Title: Cane and Abe
Author: James Grippando
Rating: 4/5
Book: 13/50
Pages:  356 pgs
Total Pages: 4,699/15,000 pages
Version: Book
Next up: Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #0.1) by Marissa Meyer

The first quarter of this book was super slow for me but it finally picked up around the half way mark and when it grabbed me, it didn’t let go. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and it kept me guessing. Despite it’s slow start, I do highly recommend this one.

About the Book:

An explosive psychological thriller from New York Times bestselling author James Grippando in which Miami’s top prosecutor becomes a prime suspect when his wife’s disappearance may have a chilling connection to the vicious murders of beautiful women in the Florida Everglades

Unbelievable was the word for her. Samantha Vine was unbelievably beautiful. It was unbelievable that she’d married me. Even more unbelievable that she was gone . . .

Samantha died too soon. Abe Beckham’s new wife, Angelina, feels like Samantha never left. Through it all, Abe has managed to remain a star prosecutor at the Miami State Attorney’s Office. But his personal life is a mess, and it’s about to get worse.

When a woman’s body is discovered dumped in the Everglades, Abe is called upon to stay on top of the investigation. The FBI is tracking a killer in South Florida they call “Cutter” because his brutal methods harken back to Florida’s dark past, when machete-wielding men cut sugarcane by hand in the blazing sun.

But when the feds discover that Abe had a brief encounter with the victim after Samantha’s death, and when Angelina goes missing, the respected attorney finds himself in the hot seat. Suspicion surrounds him. His closest friends, family, professional colleagues, and the media no longer trust his motives. Was Angelina right? Was their marriage failing because he loved Samantha too much? Or was there another woman, and did Abe have a dark side that simply wanted his new but very unhappy wife gone?

No. 12 for 2015

Title: Private Vegas (Private #9)
Author: James Patterso and Maine Paetro
Rating: 4/5
Book: 12/50
Pages:  416 pgs
Total Pages: 4,343/15,000 pages
Version: Book
Next up: Cane and Abe by James Grippando

I really enjoyed this book. Private is one of my favourite series by Patterson. Although the plot is sometimes predictable at times, I still really enjoyed it and I do look forward to the next one!

About the Book:

Las Vegas is a city of contradictions: seedy and glamorous, secretive and wild, Vegas attracts people of all kinds–especially those with a secret to hide, or a life to leave behind. It’s the perfect location for Lester Olsen’s lucrative business. He gets to treat gorgeous, young women to five-star restaurants, splashy shows, and limo rides–and then he teaches them how to kill.

Private Jack Morgan spends most of his time in Los Angeles, where his top investigation firm has its headquarters. But a hunt for two criminals leads him to the city of sin–and to a murder ring that is more seductively threatening than anything he’s witnessed before.

No. 11 for 2015

Title: Geek Girl (Geek Girl #1)
Author: Holly Smale
Rating: 2/5
Book: 11/50
Pages:  378 pgs
Total Pages: 3,927/15,000 pages
Version: Book
Next up: Private Vegas (Private #9) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

While I didn’t hate this book, I didn’t love it either. It was entertaining for what it is and it definitely made me laugh out loud a few times while reading it but overall, the story fell flat for me. The characters were very annoying and the book just lacked a plot in my opinion. I don’t think I will be continuing on with the series.

About the Book:

Harriet Manners knows a lot of things.

She knows that a cat has 32 muscles in each ear, a “jiffy” lasts 1/100th of a second, and the average person laughs 15 times per day. What she isn’t quite so sure about is why nobody at school seems to like her very much. So when she’s spotted by a top model agent, Harriet grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Even if it means stealing her Best Friend’s dream, incurring the wrath of her arch enemy Alexa, and repeatedly humiliating herself in front of the impossibly handsome supermodel Nick. Even if it means lying to the people she loves.

As Harriet veers from one couture disaster to the next with the help of her overly enthusiastic father and her uber-geeky stalker, Toby, she begins to realise that the world of fashion doesn’t seem to like her any more than the real world did.

And as her old life starts to fall apart, the question is: will Harriet be able to transform herself before she ruins everything?

No. 10 for 2015

Title: Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society
Author: Adeline Yen Mah
Rating: 4/5
Book: 10/50
Pages:  322 pgs
Total Pages: 3,549/15,000 pages
Version: Book
Next up: Geek Girl (Geek Girl #1) by Holly Smale

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I highly enjoyed it. I definitely recommend this one to everyone! It’s a must read!

About the Book:

fter enduring abuse at the hands of her cruel stepmother, Chinese Cinderella (CC) seeks refuge at a martial-arts school and joins a secret dragon society.

Under the guidance of Grandma Wu, CC is introduced to the exciting world of espionage as a part of the Chinese Resistance movement. And when CC and her new comrades take on a daring mission to rescue a crew of WWII American airmen, they prove that true bravery knows no age barrier.

It’s All About the Series!

A lot of BookTubers are listing the series that they have completed so I thought I’d do the same as it would be fun to see what my number is.

However, I’m going to also list the series that I have started and are up to date on as well as the series that I have started but not finished. I think it will be fun to re-evaluate at the end of the year as one of my goals for this year is to become up to date or finish the series that I have started.

Series That I have Started But Not Finished Or Up to Date With

1. The Kovac and Liska series by Tami Hoag
2. The Deer Lake series by Tami Hoag
3.  The Sophie Katz Murder Mystery series by Kyra Davis
4. The Darkest Minds series by Alexandra Bracken
5. The Grant County series by Karin Slaughter
6. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
7. The Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Cain
8. The Bloodlines series by Richelle Meade
9. The Evernight series by Claudia Gray
10. The Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong
11. The Beautiful series by Jamie McGuire
12. The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
13. A Song of Ice & Fire series by George R.R. Martin
14. The Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout
15. The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
16. A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket
17. The Blood of Eden series by Julie Kagawa
18. The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry
19. Under the Never Sky trilogy by Veronica Rossi
21. The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss
20. The Millenium series by Steig Larsson
21. The Supernatural series by Various authors
22. The Lincoln Rhyme series by Jeffrey Deaver
23. The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima
24. Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
25. The 5th Wave series by Rick Yancey
26. The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson
27. The Rebel Belle series by Rachel Hawkins

Series That I Am Up to Date With

1. The Alex Cross series by James Patterson
2. The Women’s Murder Club series by James Patterson
3. The Private series by James Patterson
4. The Michael Bennett series by James Patterson
5. The NYPD Red series by James Patterson
6. The Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella
7. Rizzoli & Isles series by Tess Gerritsen
8. The Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus series by Faye Kellerman
9. The Jack Swyteck series by James Grippando
10. The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich
11. The Fox & O’Hare series by Janet Evanovich
12. The Sean King & Michelle Maxwell by David Baldacci
13. The John Puller series by David Baldacci
14. The Will Robie series by David Baldacci
15. The Robert Langdon Series by Dan Brown
16. The Heather Wells series by Meg Cabot
17. The Ty Huack series by Andrew Gross
18. The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward
19. The Midnight Breed series by Lara Adrian
20. The Rosato & DiNunzio series by Lisa Scottoline
21. The Dark Artifices series by Cassandra Clare

Series that I have completed

1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
2. The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer
3. The Precious Stone trilogy by Kerstin Gier
4. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series by Anne Brashares
5. The Chesapeake Bay series by Nora Roberts
6. The Southern Vampire Mysteries series by Charlaine Harris
7. The Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen
8. The Shoe Addict series by Beth Harbison
9. The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
10. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
11. The Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth
12. The Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan
13. The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan
14. The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
15. The Legend trilogy by Marie Lu
16. The Anna and the French Kiss trilogy by Stephanie Perkins
17. The Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin
20. The If i Stay duology by Gayle Forman
21. The Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
22. The Dancer series by Shelley Peterson
23. The Darcy & Rachel duology by Emily Giffin
24. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
25. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
26. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
27. The Me Before You Duology by Jojo Moyes

Series that I have Started But Will Not Finish or Unlikely to Finish

1. The Selection series by Kiera Cass
2. The Alex Barnaby series by Stephanie Evanovich
3. The Quincy & Rainie series by Lisa Gardner
4. The Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell
5. The FBI Thriller series by Catherine Coulter
6. The Troubleshooter series by Suzanne Brockmann
7. The House of Night series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
8. The Vampire Diaries series by L.J. Smith
9. The Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton
10. The Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton
11. The Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard
12. The Ender’s Saga by Orson Scott Card
13. The Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty
14. The Fifty Shades of Grey series by E.L. James
15. The Order of Darkness series by Philippa Gregory
16. The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld
17. The Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
18. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (I’m on the fence about this one right now)
19. The Maze Runner series by James Dashner
20. The Newsoul series by Jodi Meadows
21. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
22. The Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor (Again, I’m on the fence about this one)
23. The Hopeless duology by Colleen Hoover
24. The Glass Slipper Inc. series by Donna Kauffman
25. The Last Vampire series of Christopher Pike
26. The Lovegrove Legacy series by Alyxandra Harvey
27. A Darker Shade of Magic series by V.E. Schwab
28. The Lizzie & Diesel series by Janet Evanovich

No. 9 for 2015

Title: Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky #2)
Author: Veronica Rossi
Rating: 4/5
Book: 9/50
Pages:  341 pgs
Total Pages: 3,227/15,000 pages
Version: Book
Next up: Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society by Adeline Yen Mah

A good sequel to the first book. While this series isn’t my favourite, it’s still very enjoyable and I do look forward to reading the final book in the series. I think my main issue with this books is I don’t connect with any of the characters but I still did enjoy this book and I would recommend it to those who like dystopian books.

About the Book:

It’s been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don’t take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe’s precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.

Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, can their love survive through the ever night?

Epic Reads Book Tag!

This tag was created by the lovely gals at Epic Reads! It looked like fun so I thought I’d participate. You can check out their video here!

1. If you could invite one author and one of their fictional characters to tea, who would you invite and what would you serve them?

Author: Diana Gabaldon
Fictional Character: Jamie Fraser

There’d be definitely lots of alcohol as who would hold a party with a Scot without serving them some alcohol? Though I wouldn’t be doing much eating or drinking as I’d be too busy staring at Jamie.

2. What book do you wish the author would write a prequel for?

The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward. I’d love to see some back story into Beth’s father as well as some more insight into the Omega. I’d also love to see some more of Tohr and Wellsie’s story as well.

3. Which two characters (NOT FROM THE SAME BOOK) do you think would make a good couple?

Oh geez. Tough question. Annabeth Chase from The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and Victor Krum from the Harry Potter series. I don’t know why but I think they’d work well together.

4. If you ran into your favourite author on the subway and only could say one sentence to them who is it and what would it be?

This is a tough question because I have SO many favourite authors but for the sake of this question, I’m going to use Jennifer L. Armentrout as she’s a new favourite for me and I’d tell her that I need another book in her Lux series about the back story of the Luxen and more of Daemon’s story. Daemon is annoying at times but endearing at the same time.

5. What book made you a reader and why?

I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember. I read all of The Berenstein Bears, Clifford the Big Red Dog, The Little Critter and so many other books. When I was the age of young adult, there wasn’t much choice other than The Babysitter’s Club and Sweet Valley High. I read most of these books but I quickly grew bored of them so I moved onto adult fiction and I raided my mom’s bookshelves. The first book I remember reading when I dabbled in adult fiction was Pop Goes the Weasel by James Patterson. It was a book that was well into the Alex Cross series but I remember sitting by the pool in my backyard and devouring it. I then went to the library and grabbed all of the earlier books to read.

6. Incendio! Your bookshelf just caught on fire Show us the one book you save.

This may be cheating as it’s a series and not just a single book but if my bookshelf caught on fire (*sobs*), I’d be saving my Harry Potter books!

7. Which dystopian world would you want to live in if you had to choose one? Why?

I’m not sure anyone wants to live in a dystopian world. If I had to chose one though, I would go for the Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken world. As long as I have no special super powers, I’d be just fine.

8. What is your most epic read of all time?

Harry Potter. Definitely Harry Potter and I’m sure I don’t have to explain my reason but I doubt I’ll ever find any series that made me feel all of the emotions that this series did. It’s just so well written it is an epic story that appeals to many generations of readers.