Wednesday, November 28, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #319

Hosted by: The Book Date

Here is what I finished last week:
A pretty great week of reading!

What I am currently reading:
I have technically finished this book already since I am posting this on Wednesday instead of Monday and it was a pretty good read. It was cool to catch up with the girls of the sisterhood!

What I hope to read this week:
Trying to end this month with a bang!

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!

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Small Business

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I love supporting small businesses, usually online through Etsy. As we approach Christmas I thought I'd share some of my favorites in case you're looking for great gift ideas!

#1. The Cozy Life book sleeves
I love these book covers, they're adorable, and they keep my beloved treasures from getting destroyed when I take them with me! I have so many of these and I can't stop buying them!

#2. CreateExploreRead bookmarks
Ever since I discovered these bookmarks they're all I use!

#3. From the Page candles
So many great candles from this shop! They have such amazing scents, and colors, and bookish themes.

#4. Canterbury Road Co candles
Another amazing candle shop. Her labels are gorgeous and she has such a great selection of scents.

#5. Lucy in the Sky prints
Her prints are absolutely stunning!

#6. Get Fictional candles
I wasn't sure about these candles at first since they were a little darker than my normal go to ones. But then I bought one and I was blown away by the rich, powerful scents. I've gotten more and love them!

#7. LemonCakes Candle Co candles
Yes I have a candle problem but this is another amazing shop!

#8. Novelly Yours candles
My first introduction to bookish candles and it's all been downhill since then.

#9. Fashion Street Apparel shirts
I ordered custom shirts from this shop and I adore the way the text was printed on and the shirt is extremely comfortable!

#10. Flickering Fandoms candles
Ending with another fabulous candle shop! I love that they have TV show related candles!


Monday, November 19, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #318

Hosted by: The Book Date

Here is what I finished last week:
Not a bad week of reading!

What I am currently reading:
Enjoying this one! Hoping to finish it soon!

What I hope to read this week:
Almost through my TBR for the month! Looking forward to them!

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, November 15, 2018

An Hour Unspent by Roseanna M. White

About the Book
Once London's top thief, Barclay Pearce has turned his back on his life of crime and now uses his skills for a nation at war. But not until he rescues a clockmaker's daughter from a mugging does he begin to wonder what his future might hold.
Evelina Manning has constantly fought for independence, but she certainly never meant for it to inspire her fiancé to end the engagement and enlist in the army. When the intriguing man who saved her returns to the Manning residence to study clockwork repair with her father, she can't help being interested. But she soon learns that nothing with Barclay Pearce is as simple as it seems.

As 1915 England plunges ever deeper into war, the work of an ingenious clockmaker may give England an unbeatable military edge--and Germany realizes it as well. Evelina's father soon finds his whole family in danger--and it may just take a reformed thief to steal the time they need to escape.

My Thoughts
Oh where to even begin putting into words how much I adored this book?! Every time I think this author has written her best book ever she has to go and top it in a spectacular way. But regardless of the next masterpieces she creates I think this one may hold its spot as my favorite, because Barclay.
I loved Barclay in the first two books, the protective big brother watching out for everyone. But getting to really know him in this book made me just melt into a puddle. The way he sacrificed for anyone who needed something without hesitation or giving a thought to the personal sacrifice. Everyone knew to go to Barclay with problems because he would do whatever he could to solve them, whether giving the coat off his back or risking his life to save another’s. And his honesty was inspiring, it would have been easy to sugar-coat who and what he’d been but he never did. He may have not told Evelina the full story at the start but he never lied about any of it. I absolutely loved the way Barclay took people in like family, he struggled to provide for himself but that didn’t stop him from collecting siblings and then doing whatever necessary to make sure they were provided for. And he didn’t just take care of their physical needs he opened his heart and loved them like they were blood. Watching him interact with his various siblings, being protective, teasing, and just caring about every little detail of their lives, made me smile so much as I read this book. Honestly I could go on about Barclay for days but I suppose I should move on...
I loved Evelina as well, she hadn’t had an easy go of life, living through polio while her brother didn’t, learning to walk again, a distant and critical mother, a harsh aunt, and a painful rejection, but she stood resilient through it all. But with resiliency came walls, walls that Barclay seemed to easily get around, making her feel in ways she’d started to believe she was incapable of. I loved how accepting she was of Barclay’s unconventional family. Sure it surprised her at first but it wasn’t long till she was on the floor with them as if it were a normal occurrence.
Barclay and Evelina’s romance was lovely to watch unfold. It started as a ploy but quickly turned into something more. Barclay was the first to realize it and his steadfast devotion and patience while Evelina figured out what it truly meant to love and be loved was just another sign of the great man he was.

The cast of characters was again vast, due mostly in part to the beautiful family Barclay started and continually added to. I loved catching up with Rosie and Peter, Willa and Lukas, and seeing more of Margot. Evelina’s father was also a wonderful character. I really wish this series could be epically long and that each sibling could get their story because I just don’t want to say goodbye. Basically I loved every single thing about this book and this series and while I’m sad to say goodbye I can’t wait to see what else this brilliant author has for us!

Meet the Author
Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she's homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of nine novels, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her new British series. Roseanna lives with her family in West Virginia. Learn more at www.roseannamwhite.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, November 12, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #317

Hosted by: The Book Date

Here is what I finished last week:
A pretty good week of reading! Two TBR reads knocked out and a highly anticipated new release!

What I am currently reading:
Not a bad read, almost done.

What I hope to read this week:
TBD

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!

Monday, November 05, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #316

Hosted by: The Book Date

Here is what I finished last week:
I had a fantastic week of reading-almost a book a day! I finished all the books from my October TBR just in time! My favorite read was definitely Wait for Me (finally Pete and Jess's story) but In Too Deep and Life After weren't far behind!

What I am currently reading:
Started this one this morning and so far it's pretty enjoyable!

What I hope to read this week:
This arrived on my porch today and I almost dropped everything to read it but I think I'm going to be good and finish my current read first. I'm hoping to read more than this but I'm not sure which book(s) from my TBR I want to tackle next!

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!