To Reread or not to reread…

I’ve never reread a book. Ever. *LE GASP* Yes, I buy the physical book and keep it

shelved in my library with no intention of ever opening it up again but I just love looking at my collection.

But why won’t you reread a book? If it’s your favorite, wouldn’t you want to reread it?

I think the main reason I don’t choose to reread books is because there are so many other books out there that I have yet to read and want to read! I have an ever growing TBR list on my Goodreads page (add me on Goodreads!), books I want to get to but something always comes ahead of them. Literally, I have books on that list that have been there for three or more years, but one of my favorite authors is always putting out another one or I get a recommendation from a friend.

But guess what… I’m currently rereading one of my favorite books…

This is the very first time! But thinking about it, I’m nervous. Here’s the thing, my favorite book is 99 Days by Katie Cotugno and it got mixed reviews from what I remember. When it first came out, I think I might have been one of the only people who actually enjoyed it (apparently people don’t like teen love triangles anymore).

I’m terrified that rereading it is going to make me not like the book as much as I did two years ago when I first read it. I’ve grown up a little since then, and my style of reading has matured. I’ve gotten more into adult romance. I’m terrified that if I don’t like it as much as I liked it the first time, that I’m not going to want to read the sequel that comes out next month. Which would put me in a bad spot since I bought tickets to Cotugno’s Epic Reads book signing next month as well!

I’ll continue with the reread of 99 Days because I need a refresher before I read the sequel and there will no doubt be a book review up for the sequel.

What about you? Do you reread books? What’s your opinion on the subject? Leave a comment and let me know!

The Beau & the Belle Book Review

Title: The Beau & the Belle

Author: R.S. Grey

Genre: YA/NA/Romantic Comedy

Rating: 5/5 stars

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Beau Fortier starred in most of my cringe-worthy teenage fantasies.

I met him when I was a junior in high school, a time that revolved exclusively around bad hair, failed forays into flirting, and scientific inquiries into which brand of toilet paper worked best for stuffing bras.

That is, until Beau moved into the small guest house just beyond my bedroom window.

A 24-year-old law student at Tulane, Beau was as mysterious to me as second base (both in baseball and in the bedroom). He was older. Intimidating. Hot. Boys my age had chicken legs and chubby cheeks. Beau had calloused hands and a jaw cut from steel. Our interactions were scarce—mostly involving slight stalking on my end—and yet deep down, I desperately hoped he saw me as more of a potential lover than a lovesick loser.

Turns out, I was fooling myself. My fragile ego learned that lesson the hard way.

Now, ten years later, we’re both back in New Orleans, and guess who suddenly can’t take his eyes off little ol’ me.

My old friend, Mr. Fortier.

But things have changed. I’m older now—poised and confident. My ego wears a bulletproof vest. The butterflies that once filled my stomach have all perished.

When I was a teenager, Beau warned me to guard my heart.

Let’s hope he knows how to guard his.

 

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This was probably the cutest book I’ve read in a very long time. I fell in love with the characters from chapter one and loved watching the change in them after the 10 year time gap. This novel starts out as a YA, Lauren a 16 year old who is very unfamiliar with dating and ends up developing a crush on Beau, the tenant who is renting out her parents apartment.

This love continues to fester for 10 years of ‘what if’s’ until they finally reconnect when Lauren is in her late 20’s and Beau in his 30’s. Once we do the time jump, things get spicier! This is one of those books that it’s been a few days since I’ve read it and I’m still thinking about/ missing the characters. Lauren’s internal monologue had me laughing out loud through the entire book.

With most romantic novels, you expect them to have sex, her move in with him and then get engaged. This novel is realistic and I was so happy to see that! There are a lot of things left open to your imagination but I didn’t feel like there were any cliffhangers whatsoever. This romantic comedy was very enjoyable and I plan on reading more from R.S. Grey.

January Wrap Up & February TBR

 

January Wrap Up

January was a slow month of reading for me, you could call it a reading slump, but it was more like a life slump. I didn’t feel like doing much at all, but I was doing a ton of editing on my next novel. I managed to read two romance novels this month. I don’t know about you, but I really like reading adult romance during the winter!

Darker by EL James– 3/5 Stars

This is the second Fifty Shades of Grey novel in Christian’s perspective. I loved the first one from his POV, but this one lacked something for me. Maybe it was the fact that I didn’t really like Ana in this version, she seemed like the shell of a character, not fully developed at all. On a side note, who else plans on going out to see the new movie in February?

 

Blaze by Rachael Herron– 2/5 Stars

So I started watching the show 9-1-1 on Fox and then it got me on a steamy firefighter kick, so I bought this one because it was free on Kindle. This isn’t a BDSM erotica like Darker, more of a sweet romance with a non-detailed sex scene, so if you’re looking for smutty stuff, go elsewhere. This was cute, but I couldn’t see Tox as the sexy firefighter he was supposed to be and I wasn’t sure if that was the author’s lack of physical details on him or me. It was a super quick read, but I just wouldn’t get into it. The climax was very predictable and after that, I wasn’t too interested in finished the novel. There are more in this series, but I think I’ll be saying goodbye to the residents of Darling Bay.

 

 

 

 

February TBR

 

Three Sides of a Heart by Natalie C Parker and others-

This is a bunch of short stories about love triangles by various authors. I bought it just because Katie Cotugno had a short story and I already read hers! Planning on finishing all of them in honor of Valentine’s Day.

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Yes, for the hundredth time, I’ve added this to my TBR. This one has been a struggle for me to sit down and read, so now I’m just listening to it on audiobook while I’m driving to various places. I’m ten chapters in, so I am making progress!

Unashamed by Christine Caine

Part of my bookish resolutions this year was to read more faith-based books, so twice a week I’ve been trying to do just that. This month, Unashamed is that book. I’m not too far into it, but hoping to finish it before March.

The Ones Who Got Away by Roni Loren

I received this book via NetGalley months ago, and kind of forgot that I need get to read it and review it for free! I saw Colleen Hoover recently read it and loved it! So I’m going to make sure I read that in February, for sure.

 

 

 

 

 

Top 10 Favorite Books

10. Forever… by Judy Blume

I read this along time ago, but I just remember it being the first romance book that I read that was honest about teens and sex and I loved that! I didn’t really care for the characters, but I did like that this was the first romance book that I had read.

9. Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino

What I liked most about this was how mature the writing seemed for a YA/NA romance. It wasn’t full of the typical troupes you see in most novels, but it was still romantic and I was rooting for the characters to have a happy ending.

8. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

I have no shame. This was the very first book that got me into my obsession with books, after a long hiatus of not reading for pleasure after elementary school. I remember devouring this series in about a month. I’m still obsessed. What can I say? I’ll always make room for Twilight on my favorites list.

7. Teach Me by R.A. Nelson

Wonder what happens behind closed doors of a teacher/student relationship. This one is for you. I think I’m going to reread this one in 2018.

6. Zac and Mia by AJ Betts

For those who enjoyed The Fault in Our Stars, take a chance on this one. For me, this was way better and more honest than TFiOS. Don’t get me wrong, I loved TFiOS, but this novel has all the raw emotions of what being a cancer patient is really like (and I should know, I went through it).

5. The Cellar by Natasha Preston

This novel is about a girl who is kidnapped and put in a cellar along with a handful of other women who have been brainwashed by their kidnapper to basically love him because their lives depend on it. I was on the edge of my seat for the entirety of this novel.

4. Stolen by Lucy Christopher

If you end up enjoying Cellar, you’ll probably like Stolen. It’s along the same lines except our character is taken to the dessert where she tries to find a way to escape, but where can you run to in the dessert?

3. How to Love by Katie Cotugno

The next two novels were hard for me to rate because I love them both so much. It took me awhile to pick up How to Love, but once I did, I wished I had read it sooner. The synopsis had turned me away from it originally, I loved it and couldn’t put it down.

2. 99 Days by Katie Cotugno

I just might be one of the only YA readers around who enjoyed the love triangle in 99 Days and I’m not ashamed of that. I can’t wait for the sequel!

1. November 9 by Colleen Hoover

I didn’t think any book would ever pass up a Katie Cotugno book on my favorites, let alone a Colleen Hoover book. I’ve read a few of her novels, and nothing was ever favorite worthy. That was, until I picked up November 9, on November 9th. It was book fate, haha. This book had me on a rollercoaster of emotions and I was constantly rooting for the couple, until the moment Ben broke my heart, but I still loved him as a fictional boyfriend. This is a must read!

2017 Goodreads Challenge COMPLETED!

So I completed my 2017 Goodreads Challenge and even went an ‘armful’ of books over! I thought I’d share with you the stats of the books I read over 2017 because it’s fun for me to look back on all the books. Some of them feel like I read them YEARS ago!

 

No-where But Here was sooooo good!

 

 

Loved Everything, Everything but the movie fell short for me. Of course, my novel was the least ‘popular’ one that I read. And yes, I did read my own novel, a few times actually. Show your support for an indie or local author! It doesn’t even have to be me (but I’d love if you checked my novel out), us small time authors love hearing feedback! The Last July is out in paperback and e-book, the e-book is usually $4.99 but you can sometimes catch it on sale for .99 cents.

Overview of Book Ratings in 2017

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover- 4/5 Stars

Outcast Volume 1 by Robery Kirkman- 4/5 Stars

How to Love by Katie Cotugno- 5/5 Stars

True (#1) by Erin McCarthy- 2/5 Stars

Denton Little’s Still Not Dead by Lance Rubin- 5/5 Stars

Cheater by Rachel Van Dyken- 3/5 Stars

Coming Up For Air by Miranda Kenneally- 2/5 Stars

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West- 4/5 Stars

Pucked (#1) by Helena Hunting- 3/5 Stars

Say Anything by Sarah Dessen- 3/5 Stars

Trusting You and Other Lies by Nicole Williams- 4/5 Stars

No-Where But Here (Thunder Road #1) by Katie McGarry- 5/5 Stars

Shadowlith (Umbral Blade #1) by Stuart Thaman- 5/5 Stars

Fireworks by Katie Cotugno- 4/5 Stars

Mann Cakes by Mysti Parker- 4/5 Stars

Kingdom Marriage Devotional- I didn’t finish this, but my husband and I read a devotional once a week from it and it’s been a good conversation starter for us.

Walk the Edge (Thunder Road #2) by Katie McGarry- 4/5 Stars

Long Way Home (Thunder Road #3) by Katie McGarry- 5/5 Stars

Bad Penny by Staci Hart- 3/5 Stars

Wonderlost by Jenny Malone- 2/5 Stars

Once and for All by Sarah Dessen- 5/5 Stars

Trust by Kylie Scott- 3/5 Stars

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon- 5/5 Stars

Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino- 5/5 Stars

The Last July by Breanna Mounce- I’d give it a 5/5 but I wrote it!

Dearly Departed (Grave Reminders #1) by Rachael Rawlings- 4/5 Stars

Dirty by Kylie Scott- 3/5 Stars

Top Ten by Katie Cotugno- 3/5 Stars

Wytches Volume 1 by Scott Snyder- 4/5 Stars

November 9 by Colleen Hoover- 5/5 Stars

Dear Delilah by T Bester- 2/5 Stars

What Light by Jay Asher- 5/5 Stars

 

As for the 2018 Challenge, I set my goal to only 15. This year I want to read more non-fiction, faith based and classic books. I also want to publish two of my own, so I’m going to slow down on my writing a little bit.

 

 

 

Bookish Resolutions for 2018

 

1.) Read IT by Stephen King all the way through. Why is this a battle? Because I’ve never read anything by Stephen King and this book is about 900 pages. My husband started IT two months ago and he’s almost done.

 

2.) Read some classic books. I stick to YA and romance most of the time because they’re easy reads, but I’d like to read some classics that I’ve been trying to get around to.

 

 

3.) Read without feeling pressured to read. I got into doing a lot of ARC reading last year and I’m going to stay away from that this year. I’m not against ARC’s, but I feel like I have to enjoy them and write a good review for the author.

 

4.) Finally finish The Raven Cycle. Yes, I still haven’t read The Raven King yet. It’s on my TBR pile. I swear.

 

5.) Publish two of my own novels. I just finished my first set of edits on a novel I’ll be co-authoring with my husband and I just started editing another contemporary YA. Looking forward to getting those done! I just have to kick myself to sit down and complete this.

 

4.) Finish reading all the hardback/paperback books I bought in 2017 but didn’t get to. Here’s my current TBR pile of those novels:

 

 

What Light by Jay Asher Book Review

Title: What Light

Author: Jay Asher

Rating: 5/5 Stars

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Sierra’s family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon—it’s a bucolic setting for a girl to grow up in, except that every year, they pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other. 

Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other.

By reputation, Caleb is not your perfect guy: years ago, he made an enormous mistake and has been paying for it ever since. But Sierra sees beyond Caleb’s past and becomes determined to help him find forgiveness and, maybe, redemption. As disapproval, misconceptions, and suspicions swirl around them, Caleb and Sierra discover the one thing that transcends all else: true love.

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This was probably the coziest YA romance I could have picked up for the month of December. I’ve had it on my TBR since earlier this summer and had been waiting for the holiday season to hit so I could read it (yes, I prefer to read books in whatever season they take place in.)

I loved this novel so much, it wasn’t a life changing, I’m in complete since I finished it like I was with November 9 last month, but it was still super cute and I was totally crushing on Caleb.

I didn’t find too many issues with the plot in this and I never found the characters annoying or bland. Which was why I gave this novel a perfect rating. The drama was minimal, and was usually quickly resolved.

This is the perfect novel for you to snuggle up to this Christmas! I highly recommend it, no complaints here! Beautiful scenery, plenty of details, wonderful story.

 

 

Surviving my first book signing…

 

On December 2nd, I did my very first book signing. I’ve gone along with my husband to various signings and comic-cons, but this was the first time my book would be on the table to purchase.

Now, let me tell you, I was nervous. I was shaking like crazy on the way to the venue and I get this weird voice when I’m going to have to talk to strangers in person, where I sound like I’m going to burst into tears. I’m fairly sure I have a mild case of anxiety that I haven’t been able to shake since middle school, but I refuse to admit it sometimes.

My husband was running late, so it was up to me to get everything ready to go, I’m used to following his lead when we go to shows like this.

When I got to the venue though and set the table up, I felt a lot better. It wasn’t too crowded so there weren’t many people I could make a full of myself in front of. It’s a lot different when you’re trying to sell your own book, versus someone else’s. I was honestly surprised about how confident I was talking to people, the pride I felt for accomplishing something I’ve always wanted to do. But… I did have some trouble finding the words I wanted to say when someone asked me a question. I’m not a good BS’er or salesperson, I’ll admit that right now. I don’t know what to say to convince someone that they must read my book, but honestly, that doesn’t bother me.

I’m not writing for money or fame. Even if only a handful of strangers love my novels and writing style, I’d say I was successful. I write because it’s my passion, I want to write the perfect book boyfriend that you’re going to fall in love with and beg me for a sequel.

I didn’t sell out at the signing, but my husband and I managed to make back what we paid for the booth and then some. If anything, it was a great learning experience and I found some stuff I want to work on for the next signing. I totally need to improve on my selling pitch and get my next novel out ASAP. It was still fun. I had my very first in person sale to someone who wasn’t a friend or family member! Can’t wait to sign up to do some more next year!

If you want to stay up to date on signings and specials, follow my FB author page.

 

 

Dear Delilah by T Bester Book Review

Title: Dear Delilah

Author: T. Bester

Genre: New Adult

Rating: 2/5 Stars

Published: August 2017

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It has been said that boys and girls can never be ‘just’ friends, and until Nathan Penn barged into my life, I thought it was complete and utter nonsense. But one night changed everything, and what I thought was the defining moment in our friendship turned out to be more than either of us were ready for.
When my boss tasks me with writing the University’s new sex advice column, Dear Delilah, I make it quite clear that I’m the least qualified person for the job – my experience is limited to one sexual encounter that taught me about love and loss all at once.
So what makes me say ‘yes’?
Simple.
A distraction.
Something to take my mind off Nathan.
But once I start, I find myself wanting to be the voice of the girl who’s too afraid to ask for advice, the girl who wants to own her sexuality but doesn’t know how. Sounds easy enough.
Except it isn’t.
It’s complicated, and messy and awkward, and when Nathan offers to help, I’m caught between a rock and his hard place. Literally.
It’s only when my identity is threatened that I realize I might be in over my head. With all of it.

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I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

After reading the synopsis for this book, I was really excited to dive right in, thinking it would be a fun book to fly through. I was mistaken. According to my kindle, I only had an hour reading time left and I decided to DNF this book, I cannot finish it. I can’t recall ever reading a book where I didn’t care what happened to the characters in the end, until this one.

The characters were flat. I don’t think they had any loveable traits. If you were to take out the dialogue tags, I couldn’t tell you who might say what because everyone was just that boring. The character development was almost non-existent in this novel. The only character that had any ‘spunk’ was Nathan’s sister and I got really annoyed with her because it seemed like she was pressuring Sav too much to be sexually empowered. She did not sit well with me.

The setting was bland. It really bothered me that it felt like Sav was always just sitting in the room and no one else was around. What do I mean by this? When she went into the newspaper department, I never saw anyone else there but Toby. When I hear talk of a school newspaper, I think of the newspaper from Gilmore Girls where people were always bustling around, trying to meet deadlines, this newspaper just seemed… dead. It was as if Toby, Nathan and Sav were the only staff. I wanted more description. It seemed like Sav and her friends were the only people who existed on campus.

The romance was not swoon-worthy. I love romance, but there really wasn’t any in this novel. Nothing about Nathan seemed to make him good book boyfriend material. I’ve seen more loveable villains.

Why did I not give this one star if I hated it so much? Because I feel like this had the opportunity to be a really good book. From other reviews I’ve read, everyone loved the synopsis, but the writing was lacking. I’m assuming since this was an ARC, there were drastic changes that were made between when I received it a few months back and the actual publication. My copy read more like a first (very) rough draft.

 

November 9 Review by Colleen Hoover

Title: November 9

Author: Colleen Hoover

Rating: 5/5 stars

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Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

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I’m sure if you’re reading a blog about books, you’ve probably experienced the feeling I’m about to explain. You know when you finish a book and you just don’t know what to do with yourself? You got so invested in the characters lives that once you put the book down, you can’t imagine ever starting another book because you loved the last characters so much? That’s how I felt after reading November 9. This book has made it to the tip top of my favorites list.

Prior to reading November 9, I hadn’t enjoyed the books that I’ve read from Hoover, so I wasn’t expecting much from this one. I only started it because I saw it was on sale since it’s November. This book exceeded my expectations. The characters were beautiful, I loved the plot, and I adored how we only got to see the one day out of the entire year for these characters.

I laughed, cried, screamed… everything while reading this novel. I’ve never experienced such a crazy roller coaster of feelings.

I don’t want to say too much, and spoil this amazing novel, but I must say, it comes full circle but I was still very shocked by the plot twist. Normally, I can predict pretty well what will happen, but not with this one.

Even though I loved this book, I’ve seen many negative reviews, mostly on Goodreads. This novel has stirred some unnecessary controversy (guys, it’s fiction, get off of Hoover’s metaphorical dick!) that I don’t really agree with, but we’re all free to have our own opinions. I won’t go into those reviews because I don’t think they deserve attention, and I’m kind of still fuming from the annoying tumblr rants, sadly, Hoover felt like she had to apologize for some of what was written. That being said, proceed with caution when reading this book, but also have an open mind.

I’m planning on ordering an autographed copy of this novel from her website, if that helps you understand just how much I enjoyed the lives of Ben and Fallon. Three days after finishing this book, I’m still having issues with moving on from their story.

Well done, Hoover, well done!