Title: Book Lovers

Author: Emily Henry

One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn’t see coming…

Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.

‘One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn’t see coming…’

To say I loved this story is an understatement! So much so that I immediately went and preordered a signed edition! Do yourselves a favour and do the same!!!!

Sisters Nora and Libby go off for a vaccay together to a small town where their favourite novel was set with a checklist of stuff they have to do.

I cackled a lot reading this and spent most of my time with a smile on face, my son asking me what was so funny!

Now let me talk first about Nora and one of my fave things…..a checklist……apart from the dating checklist, Nora is me:

‘Do you really have the emotional resilience to leave a checklist unchecked?
Something in me twitches. I really do love a checklist.’

I loved Nora and Libby, their love, their sisterhood, their banter and the fact that they want the best for each other, always.

Charlie is everything I always want in a male lead, broody, sarcastic and cutting! Their banter was golden, he was basically Nora’s other half, they fit and I was rooting for them from the get go!

The story coupled with the fabulous humour, small town vibe setting and heartwarming romance made my life!

This is truly the ultimate book for books lovers and defo on my reread pile!

Happy Easter! 🐰🐣

Hope today is filled with love, family and chocolate!!!!

‘Easter egg hunts are proof that children can find things when they really want.’ – unknown

‘Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life.” — S.D. Gordon

‘Easter is the only time when it’s perfectly safe to put all of your eggs in one basket.’ – Evan Esar

March 2022 theme is: A LIFE OF ITS OWN!

Sometimes things don’t act as you expect: sentient houses, skeletons that serve you breakfast, AI gone rogue.

Items inspired by Gideon the Ninth, Deathless, Murderbot, Other Words for Smoke and Howl’s Moving Castle!

💛 We Do Bones Mug – artwork from @rosiethorns88 of Gideon the Ninth
💛 Like a Winter Night Cushion Cover – inspired by Deathless with artwork by @afterblossom_art and designed by @chattynora
💛 Murderbot’s Headphone Case – with artwork by @heyatlascreative
💛 Howl’s Moving Castle Motel Keyring – with artwork from @blissfullybookishtees
💛 Owl in the Wall Notepad inspired by Other Words for Smoke with artwork by @daphnasebbane

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💛 FEATURED BOOK 💛

Gallant by VE Schwab

Redesigned cover
Digitally printed edges
Foil embossing
Artwork Endpapers by @rachelbostickillustration

Ok so this month I’m going rogue!

My promise to myself of a couple of books a month has gone out the window and it will be books, books, books!!!

I’ve preordered 4 of them, read 1 already (but obviously need that physical copy!) and *think* I’m getting another in a book box!

Book of Night by Holly Black
The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna

Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer
Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater

Spark of Ash by Molly E Lee
Empress Crowned in Red by Ciannon Smart

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What books are you looking forward to?

Top Ten Tuesday is featured by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Theme: Authors I Haven’t Read, But Want To

Rachel Smythe – Lore Olympus
Olivia Dade – All the Feels
Romina Garber – Cazadora
Ava Reid – Wolf and the Woodsman

Akshaya Raman – Ivory Key
Tracy Wolff – Crave
Kristin Cashore – Graceling
Mark Lawrence – Red Sister

MA Kuzniar – Midnight in Everwood
S Jae-Jones – Wintersong

Who would be on your list?

Title: The Shadow Wand

Series: Black Witch Chronicles #3

Author: Laurie Forest

HER WORLD-ALTERING SECRET CAN’T BE HIDDEN MUCH LONGER

Elloren Gardner hides the most powerful secret in all Erthia—she is the Black Witch of Prophecy, and destined to triumph…or be used as the ultimate weapon of destruction.

Separated from everyone she loves, isolated and hunted, Elloren must turn to the last person she can trust—her fastmate, Commander Lukas Grey. With the Mage forces of Gardneria poised to conquer all of Erthia, Elloren has no choice but to ally with Lukas and combine their power to keep herself out of the hands of Gardnerian leader Marcus Vogel…the holder of the all-consuming Shadow Wand.

With just weeks to train to become a warrior, and no control over her magic, Elloren finds unexpected allies among those under orders to kill her. It’s time to step up. To fight back. And to forge onward through the most devastating loss yet.

Things are going along, Elloren goes to Lukas for help and WW3 breaks out!

I actually loved this book and I’ve totally switched from liking both love interests to be firmly in the Team Lukas camp. And let me tell you why……..

Lukas is literally the only person who has done anything to remotely help Elloren. He builds her up, he protects her, he’s there for her, he is good for her in every way and she is also good for him. They were beautiful together.

To say I spent the majority of this book in a Lukas haze is an understatement. I am now questioning Ellorens pull to Yvan at all so I am actually dreading reading the next book.

Honestly I don’t think my heart can take another pounding so I’ve decided to wait to read Demon Tide as I just don’t think I can take it if anything bad happens to Lukas and I just know that Yvan is going to make a miraculous appearance (that’s a guess!) and I don’t want that!

Anyway….not much of a review apart from my Lukas gushes, a moan and you having a front row seat to my tantrum about the next book!!!

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer It’s a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received.

Hi everyone, hope you’ve had a good week!

We had my Mum’s birthday in the last week, I did a huge declutter and also a big unhaul of books, felt good but unsettling!!!

School holidays have now started for my son and I have this week off of work, whoop!!! We have stuff planned like an eye test appointment and a hospital visit so we need to plan something fun too (although my son is nearly a teen and what used to be fun is not fun anymore, aaah the joy of teenage years!!!)

What I’ve Read

📚 Gallant by VE Schwab
Three word review = dark, morbid and strange!
📚 Famous in a Small Town by Kylie Scott
Three word review = cute, sweet and hot.
📚 Lacybourne Manor by Kristen Ashley
Three word review = fabulous, humorous, reincarnation!

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Bookish Arrivals

Gallant by VE Schwab

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

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In case you missed it…..

Challenge – Beat the Backlist update
Review – Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
Feature – New-to-me authors: March
Review – A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
Review – Iron Flower by Laurie Foster
Review – Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare

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What have you read lately?

Title: Chain of Iron

Series: The Last Hours #2

Author: Cassandra Clare

Cordelia Carstairs seems to have everything she ever wanted. She’s engaged to marry James Herondale, the boy she has loved since childhood. She has a new life in London with her best friend Lucie Herondale and James’s charming companions, the Merry Thieves. She is about to be reunited with her beloved father. And she bears the sword Cortana, a legendary hero’s blade.

But the truth is far grimmer. James and Cordelia’s marriage is a lie, arranged to save Cordelia’s reputation. James is in love with the mysterious Grace Blackthorn whose brother, Jesse, died years ago in a terrible accident. Cortana burns Cordelia’s hand when she touches it, while her father has grown bitter and angry. And a serial murderer is targeting the Shadowhunters of London, killing under cover of darkness, then vanishing without a trace.

Together with the Merry Thieves, Cordelia, James, and Lucie must follow the trail of the knife-wielding killer through the city’s most dangerous streets. All the while, each is keeping a shocking secret: Lucie, that she plans to raise Jesse from the dead; Cordelia, that she has sworn a dangerous oath of loyalty to a mysterious power; and James, that he is being drawn further each night into the dark web of his grandfather, the arch-demon Belial. And that he himself may be the killer they seek.

Back with Cordelia, Lucie, The Merry Thieves and more goings on in the next Shadowhunter book! And it was absolutely superb!

But…..my heart! It was agony. But the sort of angsty, blissful agony. You know?

Lucie, Jesse.
Cordelia, James, Matthew.

‘How do I live in this moment forever, and not let it go?’

Cordelia Carstairs is a woman that I love. All that is thrown at her and she takes it all in her stride. She is so strong and she is the first of the authors female characters that I truly love. That has to count for something doesn’t it??!!!

James and Matthew. Omg. I cannot choose. I cannot!

I know this is a jumble but I’ve literally just finished reading and I cannot string a coherent thought, or sentence, together!

I don’t know how I’m going to wait for the next book! All I know is that James better hop foot it to Paris immediately!

Title: Iron Flower

Series: Black Witch Chronicles #2

Author: Laurie Forest

Elloren Gardner and her friends were only seeking to right a few wrongs, but their actions have propelled them straight into the ranks of the realm-wide Resistance against Gardnerian encroachment. As the Resistance struggles against the harsh rulings of High Priest Marcus Vogel and the Mage Council, Elloren begins to realize that none of the people she cares about will be safe if Gardneria seizes control of the Western Realm.

With tensions heating up in Verpacia, more and more Gardnerian soldiers continue to descend upon the university…led by none other than Lukas Grey, now commander of the newly rebuilt Fourth Division base. Though Elloren tries to keep him at arm’s length, Lukas is determined to wandfast to her, convinced that she has inherited her grandmother’s magic—the prophesied power of the Black Witch. As his very nearness seems to awaken a destructive power inside her, Elloren finds it more and more difficult to believe that she’s truly powerless, as her uncle always claimed.

Caught between her growing feelings for the rebellious Yvan Guriel and the seductive power offered by Lukas Grey, Elloren must find a way to stay true to what she knows is right and protect everyone she loves…even if that means protecting them from herself.

It’s all heating up for Elloren and her crew! It was equally heartbreaking and heart-warming at the same time! I’m getting so obsessed with this series!

Honestly there were some stuff in here that was hard to stomach. The majority of Gardnerian’s are total bigots and I hated everything about them!

Now characters!! I didn’t love Elloren in the first book but in this book I did, she’s grown and she has grown on me!

Diana and Rafe make my life. I love them and if they are not endgame I will cry big, fat tears!

Yvan and Lukas…..gaaaah, as in the first book I still love both love interests. Why is this happening to me? Whhhhhhhy?

So the story….I don’t really want to say anything about the plot but it was full of action, scheming and beautiful friendships.

That bombshell near to the end! I literally cannot get enough so I’m moving onto the next book!