Title: House of Earth and Blood

Series: Crescent City #1

Author: Sarah J Maas

Bound by blood.
Tempted by desire.
Unleashed by destiny.

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

I was so pumped for this book!

Let me just say this book was long. Really long, 27 and a half hours on audio! I really enjoyed it, this author comes through again!

I had so many thoughts throughout this book that I decided, just like a story, to give my feelings beginning, middle and end.

Beginning – I was internally screaming at Bryce in my head anticipating what was coming! The relationship between Bryce, Danika and pack was heartwarming. They took her under their wing and it was beautiful. So I was understandably choked when the event happened!

Middle – oooh it’s all hotting up. The story ramping up and oh my gosh the sexual tension! I think I was looking forward to that more! Hunt and Bryce sitting in a tree! I think you know the type of relationship I mean *insert winky face*!!!!!!

End – what an ending! The last quarter of the book was non stop….and it was totally amazing!!!! I just kept shouting noooooo, no, no!!!! And that ending….what is to come??!!

The world building was great, set in the modern day but with all our favourite supernaturals, the slow burn romance was delish and the twists and revelations made my jaw drop!

I also want to give special mention to my fave character throughout…..Lehabah. That little fire sprite won my heart!

 

Top 5 Tuesday is brought to you by Shanah at the Bionic Bookworm, see her original post here.

Top 5 Cute Romances

I wanted to vere off the romance genre for books for this week, but I couldn’t do it entirely!!!!

Lou and Reid: Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Reid (witch hunter) and Lou (witch) find themselves married. And it is just so cute!

‘He gave me you.’

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Bryce and Hunt: Crescent City – House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas

It was an enemies to lovers, slow burn, friends first, romance for Bryce and Hunt. They made my heart swell, especially Hunt!

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Aurora and Kal: Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff

Be’shmai, need I say more?

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Cress and Thorne: Cress by Marissa Meyer

Oh the memories! I need a reread!

‘I promise, I will not let you die without being kissed.’

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Josh and Hazel: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Josh and Hazel, they made my heart so happy!

 

Who would make your top 5?

What is happening to me?

Sticking to a buying limit?

What am I becoming?

Dare I say it, sensible?

Nah no not really. There were just not many books I wanted to buy (that I’ve discovered yet, let me just add that caveat!)

Well in my book limit for April, this is what I got:

Aurora Burning by Jay Kristoff

OMG I GOT AN ARC, I WAS SO HAPPY!! <— yes shouty caps! Look out for my review!

🎧 Audio

The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli

I decided that I might as well listen on audio even though I have the physical book!

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What books did you get in April?

Welcome to Closing the Chapter! I hope you had a great reading month?

Well what a month, a month like I’ve never had before!

I’m working from home and my son is home schooling and we have slipped into this being the norm now, not sure if that’s a good thing or not!

But I am pleased to say my reading mojo is back! It makes me so happy to say that!

📚

Aurora Burning by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufmann

See my review here.  

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Ho, Ho Hennessy by Jamie Begley

See my review here.

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Baiting Him by Aurora Rose Reynolds

See my review here.

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By Any Other Name by Kayti McGee and M Pierce

See my review here.

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Splinters of You by Anne Malcom

See my review here.

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🎧

Crescent City by Sarah J Maas

Look out for my review soon!

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What did you read in April?

Anyone collect the House Editions of the Harry Potter series?

I did miss a trick when I started collecting these by getting Gryffindor instead of my house, Ravenclaw (one day when I have spare money I will go back and collect if I can!!!)

Anyway, I was doing some online browsing and realised the pre-order is out for The Goblet of Fire and there is a FREE NOTEBOOK!!!!

TAKE MY MONEY!!!

Title: Splinters of You

Author: Anne Malcom

Words are my weapon.
Stories wrap around my soul, choking me, capturing you.
I don’t work in dreams.
I don’t offer escapes.
I cage you within my nightmares.

Magnolia Grace is a horror writer, despite what the name might suggest.

One of the best in the business, if you asked around.

Pressure comes with that title. Expectation for the next nightmare. The next bestseller.
Sickness.
That’s what it is.
She can’t be healthy. Because that means she won’t write.
And she hasn’t been writing.

A looming deadline and a crumbling psyche drive her into the woods. To a cabin which was the site of a grizzly murder.

A serial killer, butchering women, toying with her.

Her plan is to borrow some of the horror that seeped into the soil.

But hers follows her.

The woods are meant to be her escape. But they are almost her demise.
Almost.

He was an unlikely saviour. An unexpected muse. He has horrors of his own. A motorcycle club looking to settle a score. A soul too broken to offer her anything but pain.

Author, Magnolia Grace has left New York for the middle of no where in Washington (it’s called Terror people, be warned!) to basically get her mojo back and maybe to run away. I’m still thinking about this whilst I mull it all over in my mind still!

‘I was here to save myself. With my laptop and my fucked-up imagination.’

Five reasons you should read this book:

The starts to every chapter. Chilling but strangley beautiful!

The god damned suspense, the trepidation, in this story killed me. I don’t read suspense or horror for that matter normally as I am a pussy but I swear I nearly wet myself a few times reading this! I was just so into it that I couldn’t look away!

This book is as dark as my soul!

The best friend, Katy. I love her ‘And she did save me. By being her insensitive, callous, self.’ Katy = my spirit animal.

Mags and Saint’s relationship. God they are perfectly imperfect for each other!

I need to go and calm myself down after devouring this in 1 sitting…..hopefully I can sleep without the details going over and over in my mind!

Top 5 Tuesday is brought to you by Shanah at the Bionic Bookworm, see her original post here.

Top 5 series I want to start

As I said in my Top 5 post last week, my tbr is large so compiling this list from my tbr wasn’t a stretch!!!

The Witchlands (Truthwitch) by Susan Dennard

 

Book of the Ancestor (Red Sister) by Mark Lawrence

 

Iskari (The Last Namsara) by Kristen Ciccarelli

 

Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson

Tin Gypsy (Gypsy King) by Devney Perry

Title: Aurora Burning

Series: The Aurora Cycle #2

Authors: Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

Our heroes are back… kind of. From the bestselling co-authors of the Illuminae Files comes the second book in the epic series about a squad of misfits, losers, and discipline cases who just might be the galaxy’s best hope for survival.

First, the bad news: an ancient evil—you know, your standard consume-all-life-in-the-galaxy deal—is about to be unleashed. The good news? Squad 312 is standing by to save the day. They’ve just got to take care of a few small distractions first.

Like the clan of gremps who’d like to rearrange their favorite faces.

And the cadre of illegit GIA agents with creepy flowers where their eyes used to be, who’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on Auri.

Then there’s Kal’s long-lost sister, who’s not exactly happy to see her baby brother, and has a Syldrathi army at her back. With half the known galaxy on their tails, Squad 312 has never felt so wanted.

When they learn the Hadfield has been found, it’s time to come out of hiding. Two centuries ago, the colony ship vanished, leaving Auri as its sole survivor. Now, its black box might be what saves them. But time is short, and if Auri can’t learn to master her powers as a Trigger, the squad and all their admirers are going to be deader than the Great Ultrasaur of Abraaxis IV.

Shocking revelations, bank heists, mysterious gifts, inappropriately tight bodysuits, and an epic firefight will determine the fate of the Aurora Legion’s most unforgettable heroes—and maybe the rest of the galaxy as well.

To say I was excited to read this is an understatement. Yes, I went in with high expectations. And oh my lanta, this book should come with a warning = Buckle up people, cause this is one hell of a ride!

‘Know the past, or suffer the future’

I wasn’t prepared for this. Mentally, physically, everything!

It was not just good, it was phenomenal!

There are so many things I loved about this book, the plot, the characters, new and original, the feeling of family, Scarlett, Fin and the mystery of Zila’s earrings!

But the clear winners for me are Aurora and Kal. I’m a romantic at heart and I was so interested in The Pull. Everytime the word Be’shmai was uttered I melted in a puddle of love (please don’t read too much into that!!!!)

‘She is smoke and starlight, she is blood and fire, she is a song in my veins as old as time and deep as the Void.’

We get a little bit of everyone’s lives. The journey they each had to take to get where they are now and what the future could possibly bring. It was mostly heartbreaking but there was beauty there too.

It was non-stop action, mystery and drama. I was actually out of breath reading it! I mean these poor kids couldn’t catch a break! And that ending….I was like wtf, where’s the rest….noooooooooooo, it cannot be left like that!

They did it. The authors wrote a humdinger of a second book. Words fail me. It was totally and utterly amazing.

Title: Supernova

Series: Renegades #3

Author: Marissa Meyer

All’s fair in love and anarchy…

The epic conclusion to Marissa Meyer’s thrilling Renegades Trilogy finds Nova and Adrian fighting to keep their identities secret. While the battle rages on between their alter egos and their allies, there is a darker threat shrouding Gatlon City.

The Renegades’ worst enemy is back among them, threatening to reclaim Gatlon City. Nova and Adrian must brave lies and betrayal to protect those they love. Their greatest fears are about to come to life, and unless they can bridge the divide between heroes and villains, they stand to lose everything. Including each other.

Intrigue and action will leave readers on edge until the final, shocking secrets are revealed.

This series is one of my faves. I didn’t know if superheroes were my thing, but they really are!

You know when your heart is in your mouth? The suspense, the tension! I do not do well with tension! In the beginning I had to keep putting this down and picking up because the suspense was killing me! But I couldn’t leave it for long and then I was just gripped!

‘Everyone has a nightmare. I guess I am yours.’

The big finale,

The villains against the heroes,

Secret identities are revealed,

Shocks all round!

And that epilogue. I knew it! Spin off please!