Monday’s Minutes

Monday’s Minutes is my weekly post where I share what I’m reading and what I’m reading next.

WHAT I’M READING

Siege and Storm (The Grisha, #2) by Leigh Bardugo

I just finished Shadow and Bone and really liked it. It’s another one of those books where you read the description and think, “eh.” But I’ve read so many blogs where people raved about it so I thought I’d give it a try. I think a full review is in order. As soon as I finished it I started Siege and Storm. I’m only a couple chapters in and so far so good.

WHAT I’M READING NEXT

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

I started this book a couple weeks ago and haven’t made it past the first chapter. It’s a review copy so I really need to get to it. I’m hoping it gets better as it goes along.

What are you reading?

A Bride for Keeps by Melissa Jagears – 3 stars (out of 5)

I received a copy of this title from NetGalley

Synopsis (from Good Reads)

Although Everett Cline can hardly keep up with the demands of his homestead, he won’t humiliate himself by looking for a helpmate ever again–not after being jilted by three mail-order brides. When a well-meaning neighbor goes behind his back to bring yet another mail-order bride to town, he has good reason to doubt it will work, especially after getting a glimpse at the woman in question. She’s the prettiest woman he’s ever seen, and it’s just not possible she’s there to marry a simple homesteader like him.

Julia Lockwood has never been anything more than a pretty pawn for her father or a business acquisition for her former fiancé. Having finally worked up the courage to leave her life in Massachusetts, she’s determined to find a place where people will value her for more than her looks. Having run out of all other options, Julia resorts to a mail-order marriage in far-away Kansas.

Everett is skeptical a cultured woman like Julia could be happy in a life on the plains, while Julia, deeply wounded by a past relationship, is skittish at the idea of marriage at all. When, despite their hesitations, they agree to a marriage in name only, neither one is prepared for the feelings that soon arise to complicate their arrangement. Can two people accustomed to keeping their distance let the barricades around their hearts down long enough to fall in love?

Thoughts:

-The first couple chapters in A Bride for Keeps felt like a story I’ve read several times before. The plot seemed obvious and clichéd. But the more I got into the story, I saw that it wasn’t quite the same. Was the ending still predictable? Sure. But, the journey to get there was not quite what I was expecting.

-I found most of the characters likable. Dex and Rachel, the meddling neighbors, and their children were all entertaining and, at times, insightful. I really liked Everett, who had been jilted by several potential brides before Julia. He was sweet and faithful and insecure. I felt like Julia and Dex were a little harder on him than he deserved at times. Julia asked that their marriage basically be a business arrangement and when he tried to protect himself from being hurt she resented him for it. While I’m not saying he behaved perfectly by any means, I don’t think he was really the bad guy in their relationship.

-And then there’s Julia. I went so back and forth on liking her. I understand her hesitancy around Everett – and men in general. I understand the need she felt to prove she was a good worker around the farm. But for most of the book she took no responsibility in her failing marriage. I also got really annoyed with how often she went on and on about how beautiful she was and how she wanted to be more than just a pretty face.

-Overall, I enjoyed A Bride for Keeps. It was a good mix of romance and faith and it took a clichéd idea and made it something different and interesting. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy Christian Fiction and Romance.

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead – Some Thoughts so far

  

Click the picture for a full synopsis of each book.

The Bloodlines series is the spinoff of the Vampire Academy series. I’m not feeling a full review right now, so I’m just going to go with some thoughts about the series so far.

BEWARE OF SPOILERS

-As I mentioned in my Monday’s Minutes, I like Sydney more than I did Rose from The Vampire Academy. She’s more mature and not as impetuous. She’s just all-around more likable. One major problem I had with her, though, was in the first two books where she obviously has an eating disorder and it’s never addressed. She is finally confronted by Adrian in the end of the second book, so she’s a little better by the third book.

-There aren’t a lot of surprises in this series so far. Everything is pretty predictable. The writing and the characters (and by characters I mean Sidney and Adrian) still make it an enjoyable read.

-After the first book, the secondary characters kind of stop developing. They still have some storylines, but we don’t see much of them and they really aren’t developed into the full characters I would expect them to be this far into the series.

-I’m not really a fan of the magic/witch storyline. I found myself skimming the parts where it focused solely on Sidney practicing or learning about magic.

-With a spinoff series you still expect to get some interaction with the first characters you met. The first couple books had a little tiny bit of Rose and Dimitri and just a glimpse of Lissa and Christian. I hope the next books brings them back a little bit more. Or at least gives us a little more information about their lives now.

-Ok, now let’s just all agree on the reason for reading this series: ADRIAN. I loved him in The Vampire Academy and I love him now. He’s still charming and sarcastic and tortured. But he also grows a lot in this series. His relationship with Sidney really challenges him to be a better version of himself, not change into a different person like he was with Rose. And I just love him and Sidney together – their banter, their teamwork, their spirit dreams…

-Overall, I would suggest this series to anyone who read The Vampire Academy series and was disappointed in the end of it, like I was. I agree with the other bloggers I’ve read that the Bloodlines series is better than VA. While I would suggest reading VA before this series, I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary. I am anxiously waiting for the next book in the series to come out in November.

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Sequels Ever

This week’s Top Ten, sponsored by The Broke and the Bookish, is about the best sequels ever. My picks aren’t necessarily sequels that I liked better than the first, but ones that were just as enjoyable. (Click on the cover for synopsis.)

1.
Circles of Time by Phillip Rock, the follow up to The Passing Bells. This book is a little more like what I thought the first book would be. And there is lots of Martin Rilke, one of my favorite literary characters ever.

2.
Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi, the second book in the Shatter Me series.

3.
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, the second book in The Lunar Chronicles. I actually enjoyed this book more than I did, Cinder.

4.
Onyx by Jennifer Armentrout, the second book in the Lux series. As I’ve said many times, I love this series.

5.
Insurgent by Vernoica Roth, follow up to Divergent. This book ramped up the action, the romance, and the “mythology”.

6.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, follow up to The Hunger Games. The first book in the series will always be my favorite, but this series is one of my all time favorites and Catching Fire did not disappoint.

7.
Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo, the second book in the Kate Burkholder series. I think this one might actually be my favorite storyline of the series.

Ok, so I only have a top 7 because I can’t really think of any more. I’m sure as soon as I post this or read through some other’s lists I’ll come up with some more. What sequels do you think are the best ever?

Monday’s Minutes

Monday’s Minutes is a weekly update on what I’m reading and what I’m reading next.

WHAT I’M READING

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) by Richelle Mead

So because of how annoyed I was that so much of the last book of The Vampire Academy series was used to set up the spinoff series, I was determined not to read this series for a long while (I thought about ignoring it altogether, but I must know what happens to Adrian). Then I fell into a little bit of a reading slump. I started a couple other books and couldn’t maintain interest. I kept hearing about how this series was so much better than VA so I decided to try it. Now I’m just about done with the second book. Other than these being completely predictable, I’ve been enjoying them. I actually like Sidney more than I did Rose. And, of course, Adrian.

WHAT I’M READING NEXT

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead

Of course now that I’m into the series, I have to keep reading. The third book in the Bloodlines series, The Indigo Spell, is next on my list.

What are you reading?

 

Top Ten Books on your Fall To Be Read List

Today’s Top Ten are the books on your Fall To Be Read list. Some aren’t coming out until fall and some I just haven’t read yet. As always, it’s hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1.
Allegiant by Veronica Roth. I’m pretty sure this has been on every list I’ve seen. It’s an obvious choice. I have been dying for this book since I finished Insurgent.

2.
Trust in Me by J. Lynn. I’m a total sucker for retelling of stories from another character’s POV.

3.
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman. I don’t not read books for their cover, but there are some books I definitely read because of the cover. This is one of those.

4.
Word After by Susan Ee. I wasn’t in love with the first book, but I liked it. It’s an interesting take on the angel genre and I’m looking forward to see how it continues.

5.
Resist by Sarah Crossan. The second – and final – book in this series. I’m a fan of authors who don’t stretch things out to trilogies or beyond, when they can tell the story in less books.

6.
The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen. Klassen can always be counted on for a sweet romance.

7. Untitled Shatter Me novella by Tahereh Mafi. This doesn’t have much info yet, but I’ve heard it will be from Adam’s POV.

8.
The Unexpected Gift by Berna King. I got my signed copy a few weeks ago and am excited to finally start it.

9.
Replica by Jenna Black. I thought this looked interesting and got it awhile ago, but I haven’t started it yet.

10.
The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle. Amish + Vampires. I’m so in.

Trapped by Irene Hannon – 2 stars (out of 5)

I received a copy of this title for review from NetGalley.

Synopsis from Good Reads:

When librarian Laura Griffin’s sixteen-year-old sister disappears on a frigid February day, leaving only a brief note behind, Laura resolves to do whatever it takes to track down the runaway teen. That includes recruiting ATF agent turned PI James “Dev” Devlin to help. But the deeper he digs, the more he begins to suspect that something sinister is at work in the girl’s disappearance. And the closer he gets to uncovering the truth, the clearer it becomes that the situation isn’t just dangerous–it’s deadly.

Chilling and at times terrifying, “Trapped” is the latest thrilling read from Irene Hannon, the queen of romantic suspense. Hannon outdoes herself with this fast-paced tale of fear, deception, and just the right dose of romance.

I’ve read a couple books by Irene Hannon and found them to be a good blend of suspense, romance, and faith. I was expecting to enjoy Trapped just as much, but found it a little underwhelming.

Let’s start with the suspense angle. There wasn’t much. I felt like the whole book was pretty predictable. There was one thing that surprised me and it wasn’t that much of a surprise. The pace was slow and there really wasn’t a whole lot going on for most of the book. However, the last few chapters ratcheted up the action and made it enjoyable.

The romance was a little lacking for me, as well. It followed the “insta-love” formula that seems to be so popular, but I rarely appreciate. The main characters, Laura and Dev, are likable, but pretty boring. There was nothing that interesting about them that would justify the instant attraction and affection other than both being attractive.

I would’ve liked to see the secondary characters developed a little more. Darcy, the teenage runaway/kidnap victim, wasn’t much more than a cliché. Dev’s PI partners, Cal and Connor, were both likable, but rarely seen. Since this is the second book in the Private Justice series, I gathered the first book was about Cal, so readers should’ve been already acquainted with him. The next book in the series I would assume will be about Connor, so he’ll be more fully developed in that book. My biggest complaint about this type of series – where each book is focused on a different character – is that it seems like an excuse to only develop one set of characters at a time. And then when you like those characters, they’re pushed to the background in the next book and almost forgotten. This complaint is one for the genre, though, and not just this particular book.

One character that I really found interesting, however, was Mark. I felt like he was the most developed of the book and some of the best moments of the story were with him. Even though he’s the villain of the story, he was a sympathetic character that I really felt sorry for.

The faith of the characters in the story sets it apart from your normal romantic suspense. Hannon does a pretty good job of letting Laura’s faith define her character and it never seems like it’s a reach when she prays or talks about God. However, it seems to be a much less central theme in the story than the other books I’ve read by Hannon and I would’ve liked to see more of Darcy and Dev’s spiritual growth.

Overall, this book was just ok for me. It moved much too slow for me to be suspenseful and it felt like it was way too long. Fans of Hannon may still find it enjoyable, but I would direct readers unfamiliar with her work to pick up Fatal Judgment or Against All Odds.

My First Giveaway Win!

I checked my mail after work today and was excited to see I had a package. I won my first giveaway recently and it finally arrived! I won On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin, courtesy of Cassie from Bookshelves and Windows (go check out her blog!). Thanks Cassie! I’m looking forward to reading this!

Synopsis from Good Reads:

Lt. Georgiana Taylor has everything she could want. A comfortable boyfriend back home, a loving family, and a challenging job as a flight nurse. But in July 1943, Georgie’s cozy life gets decidedly more complicated when she meets pharmacist Sgt. John Hutchinson. Hutch resents the lack of respect he gets as a noncommissioned serviceman and hates how the war keeps him from his fiancée. While Georgie and Hutch share a love of the starry night skies over Sicily, their lives back home are falling apart. Can they weather the hurt and betrayal? Or will the pressures of war destroy the fragile connection they’ve made?

“With her signature attention to detail and her talent for bringing characters together, Sarah Sundin pens another exciting tale in her series featuring WWII flight nurses. Fans new and old will find in On Distant Shores the perfect combination of emotion, action, and romance.

 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – 4 stars (out of 5)

Synopsis from Good Reads:

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

So I love Rainbow Rowell. As I’ve mentioned several times, Attachments is one of my all time favorites. It pretty much solidified that I will read any book Rowell ever writes. I would read a shopping list if she wrote it because she would probably find a way to make it emotive and relatable and funny and charming. I’m actually a little tempted to go all fangirl about Rainbow Rowell right now and make this whole post an ode to how much I love her. Now is not the time, but I’m sure I’ll do it someday. And it will be all hearts and rainbows (ha! I didn’t even plan that) and book quotes. But anyways, back to Fangirl.

I feel like I need to get what I didn’t like out of the way first. Cath’s fanfiction. I don’t have a problem that she writes it. Or that she’s obsessed with it. Or that she reads it out loud to Levi. (Oh Levi). I just didn’t like having to read so much of the fanfiction story. Every chapter ends with an excerpt from either the Simon Snow (very Harry Potter-esque) series or Cath’s own fanfiction about the series. And there were parts – maybe not long, but longer than I wanted them to be – of just Cath’s writing. For me, for that to really work, I expect to see symbolism and parallels between the two stories. The Simon Snow story should help give insight into Cath’s. Maybe I just didn’t pay enough attention to it, but I didn’t see it. The majority of it just seemed to be a little something extra Rowell could write for the fun of it. Or maybe it’s because I never got into Harry Potter?

Ok, so now that the ugly business is out of the way…

I liked Cath. She was probably one of the least annoying YA characters I’ve ever read. She had a good blend of smart and naive, innocence and growth, seriousness and humor. She’s just a well-balanced character – even though she’s a little unbalanced as a person. I just wish the other characters were as well developed.

Then there’s Levi.  If there is one thing Rowell does well (and she does everything well), it’s writing leading men that are impossible not to love. Levi is sweet and smiley and sweet. He’s not entirely perfect, but he’s only twenty-one. I’m pretty sure he’ll grow into it.

As always, Rowell’s writing is the real highlight. Even though it’s in third person, it gives a very strong emotional connection to the main characters. The comic timing is perfect. The characters are relatable and likable. And even though there was never a cliffhanger, I couldn’t wait to start the next chapter. This book took me a little over a day to read and it only took that long because things like work and sleep got in the way. (Work is seriously getting in the way of my reading.)

Overall, I really enjoyed Fangirl. Even, though my first reaction to the ending was, “What? That’s it?” My second reaction was, “I’m going to read that again.” I would recommend this book to all Rainbow Rowell fans – and everyone should be a Rainbow Rowell fan – and those who write and read fanfiction.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’d love to see as a tv show or movie

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s theme is top ten books you’d like to see as a tv show or movie.

1. Divergent. Yes I know this is going to be a movie, but it would be a great tv show. Action, romance, intrigue. And I would love to recast some of the characters.

2. The Night Circus. As either a movie or tv show. If the special effects are awesome and not cheesy. This would be amazing to see on screen.

3. The Kate Burkholder series. There was a Lifetime movie based off the first book, but it was pretty horrible. A little recasting and new writers and it would be a great serial/procedural.

4. The Passing Bells. Pretty much everything I read about this series compares it to Downton Abbey. I’ve never seen Downton Abbey, but this would probably have the same type of mass appeal. And Fenton Wood-Lacey and Martin Rilke in person? Sigh.

5. The Lux series. Teenage aliens. Perfect for the CW.

6. The Mortal Instruments. Enough humor, romance, action, and surprises to make this a long running series. And I would love the opportunity to recast from the movie.

7. Shatter Me. Juliet, Adam, Warner. This could be paired with the Lux series on the CW and be the best night of tv.

8. A Voice in the Wind. Action, faith, romance. This book has a little bit for everyone.

9. Gone Girl. Yes, this is going to be a movie, but it has enough potential to be a series. And there’s ton of opportunity to add to Amy and Nick’s backstory.

10. Anna and the French Kiss. This would be an adorable little show on ABC Family.