Hello, loved ones! I’m back with another batch of mini reviews! Today’s theme is Non Fiction & Art! =D I’ve been on the mood to read guides and DIY books, so here are my reviews for the ones in the Art department!
Tag: ebooks
Mini Reviews: M/M books #1
Hello, panda shippers! Hope everyone is on the beautiful path for the new year and having a good time =) Today I’d like to talk about those 83479303203902 late reviews I own you all.
I know, it’s bad, but thanks to Cait, from The Paper Fury, I FINALLY found a perfect solution to speed things up with my reviews, especially regarding books that were good, but not remarkable: MINI REVIEWS!
I know what you’re thinking. But Annelise, the whole internet and the galaxies know about your George R. R. Martin syndrome, so how are you planning to write mini reviews?!
Thankfully, I have another awesome friend that helped me solving this problem: Lindsey, from @thepagemistress ❤ A looong time ago, she asked how I organized my ideas for a review and we chatted about this for hours until she finally came up with her own method for Goodreads reviews and I’m graciously using them as well for the Mini Reviews posts =)
As this is the first one, I apologize for it being so long, but explanation is necessary! I’ll try to stick to a theme when doing mini reviews, so you know what you’ll find here =) Feedback is always welcome and needed, but in this section especially, PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO DO IN THE COMMENTS LATER, PLEASE?!
Now, let’s do this, haha!
In this post, you’ll find mini reviews for:
- Andrew Grey – Eyes Only For Me
- Aria Grace – More Than Friends (More Than Friends #1)
- Aria Grace – Drunk In Love (More Than Friends #2)
- Chad Lane – Only For You (Only For You #1)
- Holley Trent – Winterball (Den of Sin #10)
- Jack Woolf – Police Force
BOOK BLITZ: Remembrance, from Michelle Madow (Transcend Time #1)
Hi, there! Today the blog is bursting with news, haha! Welcome to another book blitz by YA Bound Book Tours! Some of you may have already heard of our star: Remembrance, the first book in the Transcend Time series, from Michelle Madow! 😀
Remembrance
(Transcend Time #1)
by Michelle Madow
Genre: YA Historical Romance
Release Date: July 27th, 2011
Dreamscape Publishing
Summary
Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from 1815, England … but she doesn’t realize it until she meets her soul mate from the past and he triggers her memories to gradually return.
When Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie’s high school, she feels a connection to him, like she knows him. But he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching Drew is more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can’t she get him out of her mind?
Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, but fighting fate isn’t easy, and she’s determined to unravel the mysteries of the past.
Now you ask me: why is this any news if the book was published in 2011? Simple, my dear. You can now get Remembrance FOR FREE at Amazon and Barnes & Noble!!! 😀
Also, if you feel that you’ll love the series, you can win the whole trilogy FOR FREE! ❤ All you have to do is sign up for Michelle’s newsletter here 😀
As Michelle is already on my TBR with two series, I didn’t lose anytime signing up, haha! Oh, and bellow you can learn more about her in case you haven’t heard of the Elementals series or The Secret Diamond Sisters series 😀
Michelle Madow grew up in Baltimore, graduated Rollins College in Orlando, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. She wrote her first book in her junior year of college, and has been writing novels since. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.
That’s it, thank you for reading 😀 And thanks to YA Bound Book Tours for the blitz, I can’t wait to start the Transcend Time series!
BOOK BLITZ + GIVEAWAY: Murder Madness Such Sweet Sadness, by Jamie Blair & Dawn Rae Miller (Kiss Kill Love Him Still #2)
Hi, there! Welcome to a blitz for a book series that I’m dying to read, haha! I bring to you Murder Madness Such Sweet Sadness, second book from the Kiss Kill Love Him series from Jamie Blair and Dawn Rae Miller, courtesy of YA Bound Book Tours!
Murder Madness Such Sweet Sadness
(Kiss Kill Love Him Still #2)
by Jamie Blair & Dawn Rae Miller
Release Date: March 21th, 2016
Summary
Haddie, Livie, Reggie, and Val. Four girls with secrets to tell.
A murderer is loose on the FU campus, and despite their best efforts, the police are nowhere near making an arrest. It’s beginning to look like Jackson’s murderer may walk free — until someone calling themselves The Fifth begins threatening each girl.
Suddenly, The Fifth starts revealing the girls’ darkest secrets: Reggie is the campus drug dealer, Livie is a kleptomaniac, Haddie hasn’t remained a virgin, and Val is struggling with her sexuality.
With no option but to work together, the girls dive deeper into Jackson’s web of lies, and hope to unmask The Fifth while solving the mystery of Jackson’s death.
The more answers they get, the more dangerous life at FU becomes — not just for the girls, but for the people they love the most.
Which makes a girl wonder, who’s next on the murderer’s list?
This have a distinct Pretty Little Liars sound, right?? I’ve never read the books and am not the greatest fan of the tv show, but the Kiss Kill Love Him series caught my eye since I participated from this very same book cover reveal 🙂
You can find Murder Madness Such Sweet Sadness in our usual favorite places:
Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books│iTunes
And do you know what is the best part of this blitz? The first book in the series, Kiss Kill Love Him Still is now FREE everywhere! *—* Don’t miss the chance of starting a possible great series for free!
Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books│iTunes
Bellow, you can learn more about both authors: Jamie and Dawn!
Jamie Blair
Jamie Blair lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband, their two kids and a cat that broke into their house and refused to leave. She won a young author’s contest in third grade, but it probably shouldn’t count since her mom wrote most of her entry. Leap of Faith is her first novel. She promises her mom didn’t write one word of it.
Website│Twitter│Facebook│Goodreads
Dawn Rae Miller
Dawn is a Twitter and fashion addict whose favorite things in life are her family, gorgeous dresses, tea leaf salad, and French macarons. She splits her time between San Francisco and Northern Virginia, and is always up for a trip to Paris.
Now, it’s…
GIVEAWAY TIME!
- 10 lucky winners will receive an digital copy of Murder Madness Such Sweet Sadness! (INTERNATIONAL)
To enter, just click here: GIVEAWAY!
That’s it, thanks for reading ❤ And thanks to YA Bound Book Tours for the sweet blitz 🙂
February TBR!
Hello, there! January came to an end and it is time to decide which books will be read on February 😀 I did my list in phases during last month, trying to balance received books, bought books, book club books and re-reads. The result is this list:
- Convincing Arthur, from Ava March (re-read to celebrate the re-release with the new cover <3)
- Convincing Leopold (re-read to celebrate the upcoming re-release with the new cover <3)
- The Answer, from D. M. Thornton (received)
- Eternal War: Army of Saints, from Livio Gambarini (received, you can learn more about this book here)
- Carry On, from Rainbow Rowell (bought)
- Sipping on Midnight, from Lee Brailsford (received, you can learn more about this book here)
- Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms #1), by Morgan Rhodes (book club)
- A Court of Thorns and Roses, from Sarah J. Maas (bought)
- The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror, from Joyce Carol Oates (received via NetGalley)
Ava March’s both books are quick reads, so they won’t take my time. I hope I can make through these books, as I’m not as fast as I used to be for reading, haha!
That’s it! Thanks for reading 🙂 Have you decided which books you’ll be reading this month??
Literary wishes for 2016!
Hi, again! I hope you have enjoyed your first day of the year as much as I did ❤
Some of my wishes for myself in 2016 are to re-read and review some books for the blog. I also want to finish reading the books that I have won from authors last year and tackle down my personal TBR pile, that is huge, haha! So, I decided to reunite here some of the titles that I want to read this year – I’ll have my official TBR for January on Monday, promise!
Books that I want to re-read and review in 2016
- The Vanishing Game, from Kate Kae Myers
- The Naked Duke, from Sally Mackenzie
- Duchess of Love series, from Sally Mackenzie
- Sharp Love, from Ava March
- The Nobleman and The Spy, from Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon
- The Vampire Diaries, from L. J. Smith
- Of Poseidon, from Anna Banks
- Harry Potter series, from J. K. Rowling
- Pride and Prejudice, from Jane Austen
- Percy Jackson series, from Rick Riordan
- The Gentleman and the Lamplighter, from Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon
- Restless Spirits, from Jordan L. Hawk
- Goddess of Legend, from P. C. Cast
- The Storybook of Legends, from Shannon Hale
- Nevermore, from Supernatural books
- Deltora Quest series, from Emily Rodda
- Rowan the Guardian series, from Emily Rodda
- Pride & Prejudice and Zombies, from Jane Austen & Seth-Grahame Smith
Mangas that I want to re-read and review
- Sailor Moon
- Angelic Layer
- Sakura Card Captors
- Runouni Kenshin
- Meru Puri
Books that I want to read in 2016 and that I already own
- Emma, from Jane Austen (haha)
- Persuasion, from Jane Austen
- The Book of Lost Things, from John Connelly
- The Key to Rondo, from Emily Rodda
- The Diary of a Whimpy Kid (Cabin Fever), from Jeff Kinney
- Daughter of Smoke and Bones, from Laini Taylor
- A Court of Thorns and Roses, from Sarah J. Maas
- Escape to Gettis… And Love, from Gerri Bowen
- Stepping Out of Midnight, from Lee Basilford
- The Merchant and The Clergyman, from Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon
- Cracking the Career Code, from Tom Henricksen
- Alice’s Adventures in Underland: The Queen of Stilled Hearts, from DeAnna Knippling
- It’s Not Your Journey, from Rebecca Lombardo
- Melophobia, from James Morris
- The Answer, from D. M. Thornton
- Ashes of Waterloo, from Olivia M. Andem
- Immortal Kiss, from Laura Daleo
- The Carnelian Legacy, from Cheryl Koevoet
- The Doll-Master and other tales of terror, from Joyce Carol Oates
- Fairy Tales for Modern Queers, from Emily Reed
- Everealm, from J. D. Wright
- The Scarlets, from Madeleine Roux
- Peter Pan
- Bridge in Flames, John Flanagan
I’m currently reading Spellbinder, from L. J. Smith, as I write this post, but I’m hopping that I’ll have finished it by Sunday, as tomorrow I’ll spend the day on the road and may be tired to read, haha! I think I’ve thrown something like 75 titles here, counting the books inside the mentioned series. Seems like a good start to guide my year, right??
That’s it, guys! Thank you for reading! Do you have an official TBR for 2016??
After Death, from Jacqueline E. Smith (Cemetery Tours #3)
Hi, yet again! It’s with the purest heartache that I announce that this will be the last post in my Cemetery Tours marathon 😦 After Death is the third and last published book in the series by oh-so-talented Jacqueline E. Smith, so it closes the review frenzy of this week and I shall never recover of this awesome books. Thanks again, Jacqueline, for providing me with the whole series in exchange of an honest review for each book ❤
Anyway, just a quick recap: I already reviewed Cemetery Tours (book 1) and Between Worlds (book 2) of the Cemetery Tour series and After Death is here, as book 3 🙂
The Story
Michael and Kate are finally really dating after so many delays and are trapped with way simpler problems than before: are they ready for the next step? Is Kate over Trevor? Should Michael propose now or wait for a job to appear?
All those doubts are put on hold when Michael receives a weird invitation for the inauguration of Cirque Somniatis, in Hugo, Oklahoma. Kate jumps into the opportunity on the spot and convinces Michael that he should invite Luke Rainer as second escort for the event. Michael doesn’t really like the idea, as Luke seems to always causes him weeks of trouble and headache each time the three of them hooked up, put agrees nevertheless.
As always goes with people that handles with spirits, soon enough they realize that Cirque Somniatis is way darker than it should.
The Analysis
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
I’m sorry if I sound repetitive when I talk about any book of this series, but THEY ARE FREAKING AWESOME! After Death was even better than Between Worlds and made me crave for more like a possessed girl when I finished it and there wasn’t more. Five stars because Goodreads doesn’t allow me to give more.
The good news is that Jacqueline assured me that Cemetery Tours is not ending any time soon! YAY, THANK YOU MY LORD!
Ok, I’m under control now. Maybe. But let’s (try to) get professional.
The narrative style is once again kept and it worked just fine for me for the whole series: third person with alternating point of views. The news is that we get to hear more of the story through Luke’s eyes, and it was awesome 😀 Now I officially love Luke, even with his very weird romantic notions.
The plot was breathtaking. Really, Smith evolved a lot through her books and I had no idea who were the real villains until the very end. Everybody – even Luke himself in some parts – seems to be hiding something awful. How many ghosts are there in the circus? Is the Ringmaster really a human being? Can Chance be more obnoxious? ARE THEY GOING TO FREAKING SURVIVE?!
Seriously, Jacqueline broke me with this book. I read it in one day, crazily and non-stop as much as I could.
Once again, the aspect that more appraised me were the characters. Besides our bffs Michael, Kate, Luke and Brink, we are introduced to new people and spirits. They all grew up a lot, specially Michael (again), the Luke himself points out on his parts of the book. Their friendship gets stronger and it’s just beautiful. I like Claire too, a new ghost in town, but she is kind of scaring and crazy, in the worse way possible: the innocent looking way, haha! Blink also has a big part in this book and it was heartwarming to see what Michael did for him in the end. I cried hard, tears of joy ❤ But, putting all the magic aside for a moment, I have to share a theory with you guys or I may die.
There’s this guy that shows up as well, called Chance. He also owns a TV show based in ghost hunting and all, called Ghost Crusaders or some other non-sense like that. The thing is that Chance is a very jerk individual, but he is especially mean with Luke and we can clearly see that it goes beyond TV rating rivalry. In the end, his reasons are revealed, but I kinda didn’t believe him. I mean, NO ONE is so cruel for such a stupid reason without being a psychopath (which Chance wasn’t, he had too many passion in his hate for Luke). Which brings me to my theory: is Chance hiding some sort of insane and sick passion for Luke? It would make all the sense in the world for me and I was so sure that I was right that I even gasped when I read what it was all about. Seriously. Love and hate are apart thanks to a very thin and transparent line. I don’t know if Chance’s dedication to Luke’s fall is fed by only hate. I don’t think he has this notion, but I believe with all my heart THAT I AM STILL RIGHT AND THAT CHANCE IS JUST MAKING EXCUSES FOR HIMSELF.
Ahem, back to the book.
Bonus point: the circus aspect was a huge one. Smith manages to immerse her reader on that feeling of darkness, magic, joy, mystery and decadency all the same time. I’m fascinated about circus in horror/ghost/suspense books and for its history in general, so I felt butterflies in my stomach all the time while “I was” on the circus with Michael, Kate and Luke.
Overall, this was one of the best full series that I read this year. I’m just not going to say that it was the absolute best because I’ve read all Percy Jackson’s books earlier this year for the first time and I also liked them very much, haha! But seriously, it’s the best ghost series ever. CEMETERY TOURS BEATED THE MEDIATOR SERIES IN MY HEART =O
That’s it! Thanks for reading and for bearing with me and my Cemetery Tours marathon ❤ And, of course, thanks once again to Jacqueline, this awesome author that manage to find her own place in my heart 😀
Ps: That was my third book on the #12daysofbooksmas2 readathon!
December’s new books!
Hi, there! Am I the only one that already is head over heels for Christmas?!! ❤ It’s my favorite time of the year, as I got to be with my family (we live very far from each other, unfortunately), the food is awesome, the weather is great (we are in the middle of summer in my country, haha!) and I’m on vacation ❤ Best time ever!
Anyway, the releases for December are truly hot, we readers will have to sell some organs to have them all this month, haha! (just kidding. Or maybe not ;D) I apologize in advance, as there are MANY mass-market historical romances in my list this month, but I regret nothing, haha!
Those are my highlights:
Day 1
The Captain’s Christmas Bride, by Annie Burrows
A fast and funny read Christmas themed. Perfect for the month!
Death’s Leash (Hellhounds #1), by J.D. Stroube
Heavily-photoshoped-cover aside, I found this book very interesting. Since I’ve read Meg Cabot series Abandon (if you haven’t, PLEASE READ, IT IS AWESOME!), I got more interested in this genre that explores Death’s servants and all. The cover could be better, but the book itself promises a lot!
Forgetting August (Lost & Found #1), by J.L. Berg
I usually wouldn’t pick up this kind of contemporary romance, it’s not my favorite genre. But I don’t know, something in this book just calls my name, haha! Have to read it!
The Holiday Courtship (Texas Grooms #7), by Winnie Griggs
Another Christmas themed mass-market romance that got me curious. I mean, the female character won’t accept a marriage proposal even loving the man? I need to find out why!
How to Seduce a Scot (Broadswords and Ballrooms #1), by Christy English
If there is ever a Monthly Hot Releases list in my blog without a mass-market historical romance, call the police because I’m dead and someone replaced me, haha! This one had me with its ever so funny blurb, haha! I already love the idea of Alexander and Catherine together!
In Search of Scandal (London Explorers #1), by Susanne Lord
I got highly interested on the personality of the main female character, Charlotte. It feels like she will run Will over, haha!
A Lady’s Guide to Ruin (Birch Hall Romance #1), by Kathleen Kimmel
This historical romance seems slightly deeper than the others of this category that are present on this list, as the main female character is a runaway from a mental institution. All eyes on this one!
Médicis Daughter: A Novel of Marguerite de Valois, by Sophie Perinot
Historical romance + Paris + The Médicis + Intrigue and Death = I need to read this!
One Rogue at a Time (Rakes and Rogues #2), by Jade Lee
I liked that both main characters in this romance aren’t from London’s high society. I would love to see what they are going to do to go up on those stairs, haha!
The Painter’s Daughter, by Julie Klassen
I love historical romances and this one, although having a dramatic tone, seems awesome!
The Rosemary Spell, by Virginia Zimmerman
I saw that my dear friend Jacqueline E. Smith wanted to read this novel and I got curious, haha! The synopsis could be better, but left me wondering anyway.
Time of Departure: A Novel, by Douglas Schofield
This sounds like a mystery thriller and I love those! I have to read this genre more in the future ❤
Your Beauty Mark: The Ultimate Guide to Eccentric Glamour, by Dita Von Teese and Rose Apodaca
I LOVE DITA VON TEESE! She’s one of my personal idols and I’m totally partial to her: I think she is beautiful, talented, funny, stylish, an example. I need to read this book!
Day 8
Ashley Bell (Ashley Bell #1), by Dean Koontz
I don’t know this writer or this series or anyone that has already heard of this. So, what got my attention? The fact that this cover uses the same picture as one of the Brazilian editions of Twilight, last book of the Mediator series, by Meg Cabot:
I like this picture, so I had to know what this book was about and sounds nice! If you already heard anything of it, please tell me ❤
Inherit the Stars (Inherit the Stars #1), by Tessa Elwood
This is a sci-fi dystopian book that I found on Goodreads and sounds different, haha! I’m not really a dystopian person (please don’t kill me) and I read less sci-fi than I wished, but this book, the first in a series, sounds like a good bet!
Lord Dashwood Missed Out (Spindle Cove #4.5), by Tessa Dare
I’m sure this book will rock! A woman that writes an open letter to all women about the boy next door that has never even looked at her way? AWESOME! I need to read it ❤
Planetary Submissives series, by Amber Kell
This series was previously released in 2012 and it has passed through re-editing, that’s why I added it to my list 🙂 I know Amber Kell from ads on the end of other m/m books that I already read, but never read anything by her. This series got me curious, so here I go! Nothing like a bit of dystopian BDSM to relax a person, haha!
Queen Victoria’s Mysterious Daughter: A Biography of Princess Louise, by Lucinda Hawksley
I love to know more about royal families, I find them highly interesting. I didn’t knew of Princess Louise existence until I find this book and the synopsis had me in a cliff already, haha! It will be awesome to know more about her!
The Wilderness of Ruin: A Tale of Madness, Fire, and the Hunt for America’s Youngest Serial Killer, by Roseanne Montillo
This is a non-fiction book that I stumbled on internet a while ago and knew that would be awesome, haha!
Day 11
Maelstrom (Whyborne & Griffin #7), by Jordan L. Hawk
I’ve become a big hardcore fan of Jordan L. Hawk since her Restless series (you can see my review for book number #2 here), and I’m dying to start Whyborne & Griffin, I even bought the first book and it will be on my January TBR, so I’m celebrating ahead that there are seven books in the series, haha! (I don’t think I made much sense here, oops!)
Day 15
Changeling (The Faewyld #1), by Leigh Teale
Since I’ve read Shattered Blue, from Lauren Bird Horowitz (review here!), I’ve got totally interested in the Fae’s world. When I found this book, I knew it would be perfect!
A Seditious Affair (Society of Gentlemen #2), by K.J. Charles
I met K. J. Charles through Twitter and I just knew I had to read her work asap! I’m going to buy the first book in this series as a self xmas present and highly recommend this series for anyone that likes gay historical romances, like I do ❤
The Violinist of Venice: A Story of Vivaldi, by Alyssa Palombo
Hm, I guess it is pretty obvious by now that I really love historical romances, even when they are based on true stories, right? Haha! I love Vivaldi’s music and will love to dive deeper on his world ❤
Untamed (Splintered #3.5), by A.G. Howard
So, I’m dying to start this series too (such beautiful covers!) and I couldn’t leave this book out, right? Haha!
Day 18
Scoundrel of Dunborough (The Knights’ Prizes #3), by Margaret Moore
My history with Margaret Moore is old and special, haha! The first mass-market historical romance of my life was written by her (The Welshman’s Bride). Not my best read, but it was the one that made me read one after another and find my favorites (I did a post about that a while ago with my top 5 favorite ones). I don’t know this series that she is currently writing, but the theme is the same of the two books that I read from her and I can tell you this: Margaret is AWESOME at Medieval romances, okay? If that’s your genre, give her a go ❤
Day 20
Royal Savage, by Victoria Ashley
At first, I was drawn by this amazing cover, but the synopsis did little to hold my interest. And then, I got curious: how a book with a kind of lame synopsis is rated on 4.94 stars* so far?! I have to see what those people loved about this story! #thespiritofajournalist
Day 29
Dukes Prefer Blondes (The Dressmakers #4), by Loretta Chase
Another one of my historical romances set in 19th century London and I regret nothing! ❤
Feeew, that’s it! Thanks for reading! So many books, so little money, haha! Do you already know which books are you buying for Christmas??
*data consulted on Nov. 29th
The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange 