Monday, August 27, 2018

Bout of Books 23: Wrap-Up & It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #307

Hosted by: The Book Date

Here is what I finished last week:
Bout of Books 23 was a smashing success!! I finished 19 books and a total 4,981 pages! This was totally a contemporary YA week (except for the SMW novellas) and I don't think I've ever read so much from one genre in a row! But most of them were summer-y books and I wanted to read them before the season ended! I honestly did not think I was gonna read this much, my goal was 8 books maybe 10, but I just read every spare second and by the end I read more than I could have imagined! The Susan May Warren series was by far my favorite but the YA ones were for the most part enjoyable!

What I am currently reading:
Haven't started anything yet after finishing one last night.

What I hope to read this week:
Doubt I'll do much reading this week after last week but if I do it I'll probably start to work through this one.


Hope you have a great reading week, thanks for taking the time to check out mine!
Leave your link below and I'll be sure to stop by!

Sunday, August 26, 2018

Bout of Books 23: Day 6 Update


Books I Read Today: 
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (310 pages)
The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick (433 pages)

Books I Finished Today: 
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Pages Read Today: 743

Total Books Finished: 17

Total Pages Read: 4,481

My Thoughts on Day 
Had to work my part time job at the bakery today so I didn't get to start reading till after 4, but I was still happy with what I was able to read! Hoping to get a bit more read tomorrow and end this thing well!

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Bout of Books 23: Day 5 Update


Books I Read Today: 
The Comeback Season by Jennifer E. Smith (222 pages)
Not in the Script by Amy Finnegan (367 pages)
Some Like It Hot by Susan May Warren (142 pages)
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (84 pages)

Books I Finished Today: 
The Comeback Season by Jennifer E. Smith
Not in the Script by Amy Finnegan
Some Like It Hot by Susan May Warren

Pages Read Today: 815

Total Books Finished: 15

Total Pages Read: 3,738

My Thoughts on Day 
So my evening plans fell through and I had different plans come up that allowed reading time so I actually got another decent reading day! I have to work 8 hours tomorrow but then I have a free evening so hoping to get some more in then. Sunday however looks to be booked pretty solid but we shall see what I get read in these last two days!

Friday, August 24, 2018

Bout of Books 23: Day 4 Update


Books I Read Today: 
This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith (407 pages)
Happy Again by Jennifer E. Smith (84 pages)
You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith (251 pages)
Light My Fire by Susan May Warren (162 pages)
The Comeback Season by Jennifer E. Smith (24 pages)

Books I Finished Today: 
This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
Happy Again by Jennifer E. Smith
You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith
Light My Fire by Susan May Warren

Pages Read Today: 928

Total Books Finished: 12

Total Pages Read: 2,923

My Thoughts on Day 
Really surprised by how much reading I'm able to get in this week since I feel like I've been crazy busy but I'm happy! This weekend is pretty full so I doubt I'll have any more really good days but I'm hoping to finish a few more books.

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Bout of Books 23: Day 3 Update


Books I Read Today: 
That Summer by Sarah Dessen (198 pages)
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (383 pages)
Light My Fire by Susan May Warren (152 pages)

Books I Finished Today: 
That Summer by Sarah Dessen
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Light My Fire by Susan May Warren

Pages Read Today: 733

Total Books Finished: 8

Total Pages Read: 1,995

My Thoughts on Day 
Still going pretty strong! Today was long and exhausting, little sleep and lots of crying children. But thankfully there's nap times and bed times so I still got a good chunk of reading in!

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Bout of Books 23: Day 2 Update


Books I Read Today: 
One Paris Summer by Denise Grover Swank (349 pages)
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han (276 pages)
It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han (275 pages)

Books I Finished Today: 
One Paris Summer by Denise Grover Swank
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Pages Read Today: 900

Total Books Finished: 5

Total Pages Read: 1,262

My Thoughts on Day 
A great day of reading! I was off work so I was hoping for a little more but I slept in a bit later than planned, had an unscheduled babysitting job come up, and had a phone call with my sister. Overall though I'm happy!

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Bout of Books 23: Day 1 Update


Books I Read Today: 
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han (337 pages)
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han (325 pages)

Books I Finished Today: 
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

Pages Read Today: 662

Total Books Finished: 2

Total Pages Read: 662

My Thoughts on Day 
I had a pretty busy day but I was happy with the amount of reading I got in!

Monday, August 20, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #306

Hosted by: The Book Date

Here is what I finished last week:
Thirst was amazing and I was wrecked by the end. Jane was sweet and cute and wonderful. To All the Boys was a fun read and I can see what the hype was about.

What I am currently reading:
Of course I had to read book two right away!

What I hope to read this week:
It's the Bout of Books Read-a-thon so I'm hoping to get a lot of reading in this week!


Hope you have a great reading week, thanks for taking the time to check out mine!
Leave your link below and I'll be sure to stop by!

Saturday, August 18, 2018

Thirst of Steel by Ronie Kendig

About the Book
Dismantled centuries ago, the sword of Goliath is still rumored to thirst for its enemies' blood. Cole "Tox" Russell only wants to begin his life with Haven Cortes, but he must first complete a final mission: retrieve that sword and destroy the deadly Arrow & Flame Order.
The AFO, however, is determined to claim the sword. Wielding their father's life over Tzivia and Ram Khalon, they threaten to expose Ram's long-held and dangerous secret while demanding Tzivia locate the sword. With the Wraith team slowly being torn apart, things only worsen when Mercy Maddox, a new operative, emerges with the stunning news that the sword is tied to both Ram's secret and a string of unsolved serial murders.

Tox, Ram, and the others are forced to set aside fear and anger to focus only on the enemy. No matter the cost, Wraith must stop or take the enemy down with them.

My Thoughts
I’m writing this immediately after finishing this book, which may not be the greatest idea but I needed to get my thoughts down before I could move on with life.
This book. This series. This author. I’ve been a Ronie Kendig fan since day one and I’ve faithfully read each and everyone of her romantic suspense novels. And each and every time she blows me away. This Tox series was a little different than her other ones in that it focuses on one main character throughout the series. So I’m going to keep this spoiler free for those who haven’t read books one and two, which is why I may be a little vague.
I’m sitting here typing this out just minutes after reading the final page and I’m honestly wrecked. My heart and emotions still haven’t returned to normal and there are still tears on my face. It takes skill to write a fast paced suspense that also can make you feel all the feels, and it is a skill Ronie Kendig has by the bucketful!
I have loved getting to know this whole cast of characters, Tox and his team, Haven, Tzivia, and so many others. Each one is unique and masterfully written and throughout the book you get to see more and more of what makes them tick until you feel like they're not just fictional characters but actul people. I really liked how this book gave more of Ram’s story since he’s one of my absolute favorite team members, though they're all pretty awesome!
Every second of this book was brilliant and it got to the point that I could barely stand to put it down!

A fitting conclusion to a series that was absolutely amazing from start to finish. You absolutely need to read them if you enjoy suspense with a little romance-but definitely make sure to start at the beginning or you may be a little lost! These books are a little on the long-side and there are countless characters but once you are inside the pages it doesn’t feel like that at all and you get totally sucked into the epic story.

Meet the Author
Ronie Kendig is an award-winning, bestselling author of over twenty novels. She grew up an Army brat, and now she and her Army-veteran husband live a short train ride from New York City with their children and a retired military working dog. Ronie's degree in psychology has helped her pen novels of intense, raw characters. Visit her at roniekendig.com.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Friday, August 17, 2018

Month in Review: July


July was by far the best reading month I think I've ever had! At the beginning of the month I took a reading vacation with my sister to Galveston beach (pictured above) and over the ten days I was gone I managed to read 19 books and start a twentieth! And a couple of those days actually had little to no reading time! I read some others the rest of the month bringing my total to 25 for July! So many good books-couldn't pick a favorite if I tried!

Books Read

Goal Progress

-Read 150 books 117/150
Passed my goal of 75 so I upped it to 150
-Read 12 Christian Living Books 10/12
-Read 2 educational books and/or biographies 1/2
-Finish 1-2 classics 2/2
-Read 75 non-review fiction books 68/75
Way exceeded my goal of 15 so I've changed it to 75
-Read 20 kindle TBR 12/20
Upped this from 5 to 20
-Try 20 new-to-me authors 23/20
Went from 5 to 20 with this as well

This year has been a much better reading year than the last couple so most of my goals that originally found optimistic turned out to be completed or surpassed before the first half of the year was over.

Month in Review: June

So this is going up a month and half late but better late than never! June was not a great reading month for me. I was crazy busy and in a bit of a reading slump so I only manged to read 7 books.
The rainbow picture above I took while at a concert in June, it was a beautiful full rainbow and later you could even see a second one a bit making a double rainbow!

Books Read
The top three probably tied for my favorite this month!


Goal Progress

-Read 150 books 92/150
Passed my goal of 75 so I upped it to 150
-Read 12 Christian Living Books 10/12
-Read 2 educational books and/or biographies 1/2
-Finish 1-2 classics 2/2
-Read 75 non-review fiction books 46/75
Way exceeded my goal of 15 so I've changed it to 75
-Read 20 kindle TBR 12/20
Upped this from 5 to 20
-Try 20 new-to-me authors 17/20
Went from 5 to 20 with this as well

This year has been a much better reading year than the last couple so most of my goals that originally found optimistic turned out to be completed or surpassed before the first half of the year was over.

Bout of Books 23: Sign-Up

Bout of Books  
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 20th and runs through Sunday, August 26th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 23 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. 
- From the Bout of Books team

Excited for another Bout of Books! Hoping to finish off some summer reads before the season ends!


Thursday, August 16, 2018

Called to Protect by Lynette Eason

About the Book
For the past year, Chloe St. John has been working as a K-9 cop with her German shepherd partner, Hank. After being dumped by her fiancé for another woman, Chloe has decided that Hank is just about the only male she likes. She's over the whole romance thing and focuses her attention on doing her job. Because a serious case of human trafficking with connections to her missing cousin just landed in her lap.
When US Marshall Blake MacCallum's daughter goes missing, he's ordered to kill the judge he's protecting and tell no one about his daughter's disappearance or she will die. Blake races against the clock to rescue his daughter while Chloe and Hank are asked to be a part of the task force assembled to bring down the traffickers. Chloe finds herself attracted to the silent, suffering man, but thanks to her previous bad judgment, she wonders if she can trust him. And can Blake trust himself around this firecracker of a woman?

Bestselling author Lynette Eason warns readers to buckle in for a fast and furious ride that will have their hearts pumping from the very start.

My Thoughts
Lynette Eason knows how to write gripping suspense and this definitely lived up to my expectations! I was totally hooked into the story and was reading every spare chance I had so that I could find out the ending.
Everything played out in such a non-predictable way that as soon as I thought everything was worked out there was another twist thrown in!
I really appreciated how the romance aspect was subtle and played out in a way fitting the story. I was a little worried at first that it would be kinda insta-relationship but I loved the way she handled it!
Chloe and Blake were both really wonderful characters that had strong senses of right and wrong and fought to find justice. I also loved their commitment to those they loved.
I enjoyed seeing more of the St. John family and look forward to getting the rest of the siblings stories!

All in all a non-stop exciting read that I definitely recommend!

Meet the Author
Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of Oath of Honor, as well as the Women of Justice series, the Deadly Reunions series, the Hidden Identity series, and the Elite Guardians series. She is the winner of two ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award. She has a master's degree in education from Converse College and lives in South Carolina. Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Monday, August 13, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #305

Hosted by: The Book Date

Here is what I finished last week:
Enjoyed Caught by Surprise and I took a break from review books to quickly read Guernsey before the movie released. It was really good!

What I am currently reading:
Just started this and I'm so excited for this next (and final) Tox adventure!

What I hope to read this week:
Not sure what's next-lol!

Hope you have a great reading week, thanks for taking the time to check out mine!
Leave your link below and I'll be sure to stop by!

Thursday, August 09, 2018

Caught by Surprise by Jen Turano

About the Book
Miss Temperance Flowerdew is on her way to work when a stranger suddenly grabs her off the street and sends her on a Chicago-bound train before she can figure out what happened.
When Mr. Gilbert Cavendish is called upon to rescue a missing woman, he follows the trail to Chicago only to discover that the woman is his good friend Temperance. Before they can discover who was behind the abduction, they're seen alone together by a New York society matron, putting their reputations at risk.

Gilbert is willing to propose marriage--except Temperance will have none of it. She's finally stepped out of the shadow of her relations and won't give up her independence. But when it becomes clear the misunderstanding in Chicago has escalated into a threat on her life and followed her to New York, accepting Gilbert's help in solving the mystery may lead to more than she ever could have dreamed.

My Thoughts
A wonderful conclusion to a great series! Full of Turano's trademark humor and quirky characters this book had me laughing out loud several times. Gilbert and Temperance were fun together and I enjoyed watching their story play out! The banter was entertaining and the antics of the characters were just the sort of hi-jinks you would expect from Turano! I was sad to see the series end but ready for what the author has next!

Meet the Author
Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publisher Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. When she’s not writing, she spends her time outside of Denver, CO. She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jenturanoauthor/ or visit her on the web at www.jenturano.com. She is represented by the Natasha Kern Literary Agency.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Monday, August 06, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #304

Hosted by: The Book Date

Here is what I finished last week:
Absolutely adored Sons of Blackbird Mountain and Called to Protect totally sucked me in!

What I am currently reading:
Enjoying this light-hearted read!

What I hope to read this week:
So excited for this last Tox novel!!

Hope you have a great reading week, thanks for taking the time to check out mine!
Leave your link below and I'll be sure to stop by!

Thursday, August 02, 2018

Sons of Blackbird Mountain by Joanne Bischof

About the Book
A Tale of Family, Brotherhood, and the Healing Power of Love
After the tragic death of her husband, Aven Norgaard is beckoned to give up her life in Norway to become a housekeeper in the rugged hills of nineteenth-century Appalachia. Upon arrival, she finds herself in the home of her late husband’s cousins—three brothers who make a living by brewing hard cider on their three-hundred-acre farm. Yet even as a stranger in a foreign land, Aven has hope to build a new life in this tight-knit family.
But her unassuming beauty disrupts the bond between the brothers. The youngest two both desire her hand, and Aven is caught in the middle, unsure where—and whether—to offer her affection. While Haakon is bold and passionate, it is Thor who casts the greatest spell upon her. Though Deaf, mute, and dependent on hard drink to cope with his silent pain, Thor possesses a sobering strength.
As autumn ushers in the apple harvest, the rift between Thor and Haakon deepens and Aven faces a choice that risks hearts. Will two brothers’ longing for her quiet spirit tear apart a family? Can she find a tender belonging in this remote, rugged, and unfamiliar world?

A haunting tale of struggle and redemption, Sons of Blackbird Mountain is a portrait of grace in a world where the broken may find new life through the healing mercy of love.

My Thoughts
Where to even begin? This book took my breath away with its quiet beauty.
Based on the caliber of this author and some high praise from trusted sources I knew this book was going to be amazing, but there’s nothing quite like experiencing mind-blowing story for yourself.
This author somehow took a man who was deaf and mute with a dependence on strong drink and turned him into a hero with unimaginable layers and depth that you couldn’t help falling in love with. She gave him a voice all his own, that was even more powerful than those who can speak and hear. I was honestly in awe of the way the author made him come alive on the page. Thor was quite simply amazing and one of the best written characters I have ever seen.
Aven was wonderful in her own right as well. She had a hard life but she still had hope for the future and I loved the way that she accepted Thor for who he was while also cheering him on to become better. Many people would have just written him off but Aven saw a deeper side of him and stuck close.
Thor and Aven’s love story quietly unfolded in such a beautiful way and you couldn’t help but getting swept away in it.
The brother’s relationship was certainly rocky at times but through it all they were there for each other and I loved seeing their dynamics. There were also many other characters and relationships that were all wonderfully written and captured my heart.
This book dealt with many hard issues, alcoholism, racism, family rifts, and deafness, to name the big ones, but they were all handled in a respectful yet realistic manner. Which is another testament to this author’s brilliance!

I could honestly go on for days raving about this book but I think I’ll leave you with this-I loved every page of this book and cannot recommend it enough!

Meet the Author
Joanne Bischof is an ACFW Carol Award and ECPA Christy Award-winning author. She writes deeply layered fiction that tugs at the heartstrings. She was honored to receive the San Diego Christian Writers Guild Novel of the Year Award in 2014 and in 2015 was named Author of the Year by the Mount Hermon conference. Joanne’s 2016 novel, The Lady and the Lionheart, received an extraordinary 5 Star TOP PICK! from RT Book Reviews, among other critical acclaim. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her three children. Visit her online at JoanneBischof.com; Facebook: Author, JoanneBischof; Instagram: @JoanneBischof.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.