What I've Been Reading Lately {9.29.17}

This month was a little...different. Both with life and with my reading. But you only care about the reading aspect. =) I started off the month on a bit of a vampire kick, but I got bored with that pretty quick. And then I got on a Sherry Thomas kick, which would actually be an ongoing thing if I had more of her stuff to read/listen to. As is, that reign of awesome led to a craving for more historical romance, and since I've listened to all of the Sarah MacLean and Lisa Kleypas on offer at my library, I had to go in search of authors unknown. (Read below in the adult category to see how that went.)

I only read a few new YA novels, but what I did read was phenomenal. So good...I-can't-wait-to-read-them-again good. :D Highly recommend.

And without further ado, here's what I've been reading lately...

(More on why I've gone to this format here in lieu of traditional reviews for each.)

Y O U N G   A D U L T

Heartstone - Pride and Prejudice and dragons. Have you ever heard a more wonderful idea? I chanted pleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegood the whole time I was downloading the audio, for which I was awesomely rewarded. It's kind of amazing how true to the source material this story is but how winsomely unique it is at the same time. I almost can't even with how much I loved this novel. The dragons! The other mythical creatures! The sisters! The romance(s)! So much yes! Oh, and the narration is kinda perfection, if audiobooks are your thing. ;0) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Air and Ash - This tale on the high seas was remarkably similar to Daughter of the Pirate King, which I loved. Except in tone. Where DotPK felt almost playful at times, this book had a much darker feel to it, ominous and deadly and full of portentous events. But I liked that about this story. I've really been jonesing for more nautical stories, especially after DotPK, and I've really enjoyed the majority of the ones I've read, this one included. But this novel ended on the same note that all the others have: abruptly, leaving me full of expectations and wishing I already had the next book in my hands. Not a bad way to go out, but I want MORE, dammit! Also, the narrator was A++. I always knew which character was speaking because she used such unique voices and accents for each. I can't wait till the next audiobook is available. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Zero Repeat Forever - I hate when I'm reading a book, thinking it's a stand-alone, only to discover that is definitively not. What I don't hate, though, is this book. It was a lot of things I wasn't expecting: the beginning of a series and a contemporary sci-fi novel set in real world Canada. For some reason, I was envisioning a futuristic world being invaded by alien forces, not present-day. But it so works. If I'm being honest, maybe even better than The 5th Wave, especially after that mind-fuck of a final book. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Truthfully, I should probably write a full review for this one because I have a lot to say, but I'll try to condense it for now. Basically, I felt like the reactions, the instinctual humanness of the story was where it shined best. The mistrust. The constant fight or flight. The not immediately falling in love with your alien captor, regardless of whether he looks human or not. And getting to experience half the book from the alien's perspective only made the story seem more human and emotional, not less. I kind of loved this book. Don't me wrong...it's kind of slow at times and understanding dawns slowly. There's a lot of travel and seeking of safe havens and answers aren't always forthcoming, especially since the alien can't speak. But it was good. It was engaging. And it was also a rather brutally honest look at humanity itself. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

R E - R E A D S

A Study in Scarlet Women - I wanted to read the sequel since it was just released, but I also just really wanted to read this book again. And it was every bit as good as the first time. Maybe even more so, as I found more threads for future books. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Luckiest Lady in London - After reading A Conspiracy in Belgravia, I still wasn't ready to say goodbye to Sherry Thomas' luscious writing, so I decided to re-listen to this one. And it is still one of my favorite historical romance novels to-date. That push and pull, the chemistry...it's just so smartly written. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Princess of Thorns - I haven't always had the best luck with Sleeping Beauty retellings, so it's a good thing this story follows her daughter instead. ;) Seriously, though, I loved this audiobook when I first borrowed it from the library in 2015, but when I stumbled upon it again the other day, I could not for the life of me remember it. Which sounds like it must have been pretty forgettable, right, but I had given it five stars previously, so it had to have been at least a decent listen. Upon relistening, it was almost like experiencing a new story, considering how much I'd forgotten, but it was SO good. I honestly can't tell you why I don't remember it, except that I read/listen to anywhere between 250 and 280 books a year these days and I forget a lot.  *shrugs* 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

An Enchantment of Ravens - Even though I just read this in August, I couldn't pass up the chance to experience it again on audio when given the opportunity to review it. Sure, the story isn't wholly unique -- faerie princes kidnapping human girls who have slighted them in some way is nothing new -- but it's the cleverness of these characters and the gorgeous writing that really stand out for me. That made me want to read the story again after less than two months since my first reading. Pair that with a brilliant narrator like Julia Whelan and you've got an audiobook that I will listen to again and again. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

A D U L T

Chicagoland Vampires (books #4-6) - I stopped listening after the third book because my library didn't have anything past that, but then I discovered that Hoopla does! I think Hard Bitten (book #4 in the series of 13 books -- thus far, anyway -- is my favorite, even with that awful ending. Maybe because I had been away from the story for so long and it was nice to come back to it? I don't know. But I think I like where book six leaves off, so I may not continue any further. After six books in a series, it tends to jump the shark somewhere thereafter and I want to remember these books fondly. 🌟🌟🌟


Undead series (books #5-6) - A friend let me borrow all her copies of the books in this series. After only reading the first book. Needless to say, I feel an obligation to finish. They're fun enough but they're just not my usual cuppa. But after finding out that the next book starts a new story arc, I think I'm done. Maybe. Unless I get a craving for more vampires before I return all the books... 🌟🌟🌟

A Conspiracy in Belgravia - I obviously loved the previous book -- I re-read it prior to starting this sequel. But I did not expect to love this second book even more. I mean, the second book is rarely as good as the first, but in this case, it is just. So. Unbelievably. Good! I love all of the relationships in this series -- the intrinsic ones and those with side characters that develop along the way -- and the banter and camaraderie just elevate them for me. Then you've got the mystery that ties them all together, but even the side gigs that Charlotte takes on are equally as intriguing. But I think the thing that sealed this installment as my favorite of all of Sherry Thomas' novels thus far was that ending. I was utterly speechless...and then I was screeching. And I already want to read it again. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

A Perilous Undertaking - I quite enjoyed the first book in this series and had planned to read this book as soon as it was released. But my library never purchased it for their collection so I had to wait until I'd accumulated some extra credits on Audible. That said, I should have probably just waited for my library to acquire a copy. It was all well and good, but I think I was just expecting...more. The mystery was titillating to some extent but not enough. And then there's the little romance that could. I believe this is a five-book series, so I can see why the author is biding her time in that respect, but I'm gonna need a little bit more than this. 🌟🌟🌟

The Spinster's Guide to Scandalous Behavior - I took a chance on a new-to-me author when my library had nothing new from my faves on offer, and it paid off. I loved the bequest of a cottage to Lucy by her dearly departed aunt and where it led the spinster-to-be, but I also loved the parallels between the two women's lives, as drawn through Lucy's reading of Lady E's diaries. And, of course, I always enjoy stories about spinsters and wallflowers finding love in unexpected places. Cute story. Would definitely read more from this author. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Match of the Century - Another chance on a new author that paid off...mostly. I know it's kind of awful, but I do enjoy a story that pits brothers against each other for the hand of the fair maiden. ;0) I had a really awesome theory about the kidnapping plot that didn't pan out, but I think the story would have been that much better had it done so. I think this was more like 3 1/2 stars because the way that plot played out was kind of boring and way less dramatic than I'd hoped, but I'm rounding up because I did enjoy the writing and the characters. 🌟🌟🌟🌟


The Perks of Loving a Scoundrel - Since my first Jennifer McQuiston read was a success, I thought I'd give her another try. And I enjoyed this novel, which follows the exploits of the ne'er-do-well brother of the heroine in the previous book I read, but maybe not quite as much? It was fun and unique and I liked the characters, but it was missing that certain je ne sais quoi that charmed me in the previous story. Still, I appreciate this author's writing style and content, so I'll definitely be checking out the first book in this series, as well as anything else my library has of her work. 🌟🌟🌟

Falling into Bed with a Duke - Look at me, my third new historical romance author of the month week! And another success! I'm so glad my gambles thus far have paid off. And that I'm adding even more authors to my go-to list. :) This one was fun...sexy but not tawdry. And I appreciated that once all was revealed, it didn't take another ten chapters or more for the characters to make their way back to each other, which happens all too often for my taste in historical romance novels. I feel like I've read a similar premise at some point, but while it wasn't wholly unique, it did make me want to keep listening. Which is quite an achievement considering I wasn't sure I was going to be able to tolerate the narrator in the beginning...but she grew on me. ;0) I do wish the narrator for Ash in the epilogue had been used for his POV during the rest of the book, though. 🌟🌟🌟

Catch a Falling Heiress -Eh. You win some, you lose some. This wasn't a terrible story or anything. I just think I prefer my lords to fall for English women, not American heiresses. Especially when the aforementioned heiress is so naive and untried -- and so, so stubborn! -- even compared to her English counterparts. Hell, even the wallflowers and spinsters sitting on the shelf in most historical romance novels seem less prudish. The hero wasn't anything special, either. And to make matters worse, I didn't particularly enjoy the narrator, which never bodes well for an audiobook. Probably not an author I'll try again. 🌟🌟

Diary of an Accidental Wallflower - So, I'm pretty sure of the new historical romance authors I've tried in the last couple of weeks, Jennifer McQuiston is my favorite. And I finally listened to the first book in the Seduction Diaries series and I think it's my favorite so far. Everything that was only hinted at in the other two books finally makes sense. (Of course, if I were a normal person, I would have read them in order in the first place, but that's neither here nor there.) I loved Clare and the facade she put on for society while being a wallflower at heart. I loved the little twists and surprises. I especially loved Lady Austerely and Clare's family. But my heart was really all aflutter for Dr. Daniel Merial. There is just something about the common man who seeks to wins a society lady's hand that I adore. It was just such a sincere, lovely story and it kind of makes me want to go back and re-listen to the two subsequent books, even though I just did that last week. :) 🌟🌟🌟🌟


Alice - Well, that just might have been the darkest, most violent, and oddest Alice in Wonderland retelling I've ever read. And lover of the strange and unusual that I am, I quite enjoyed it. It was wonderfully reminiscent of the original story in the most twisted way. I've had it on my TBR for awhile, but when Audible had it on sale over the weekend, I had to grab it. And I really enjoyed Jenny Sterlin's narration...it felt very fitting for this weird story. I really want to download the sequel, but I also think my dreams need a break from the strangeness, so maybe next week. ;0) 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Caught by the Scot - Wow, I did not expect to find a new favorite historical romance author when I received this audiobook for review, but that's exactly what happened. Now I want to read ALL of Karen Hawkins' novels. Or listen to them, if you can promise me they're all narrated by Gary Furlong, whose narration I fell hard for when I listened to Timekeeper earlier this year and even more so with this story. I loved the premise and the hero's cheekiness and the heroine's attempts not to fall for it, and even the secondary cast of characters was fun. But I might have only enjoyed this story half as much had I not listened to it, that's how great I found the audio. Still, I'm eager to read the author's other books, even if I don't get to experience Furlong's Scottish brogue again. :P 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Jane Austen Project - So, that ended differently than expected. Granted, I don't know what exactly I was expecting, but it wasn't that. I enjoyed the book overall, though I definitely could have used more exposition there at the end. Anyway, I adore all things Jane Austen so getting to see what she was like in real life -- if only hypothetically because of time travel -- was beyond awesome. I loved seeing how hard it would be to go from a future far more advanced than ours (but also maybe not as great) and trying to survive in 19th century England. And I really loved what developed between the intrepid time travelers. I could use an entire book based on their very surreal experiences upon their return and finding what their choices in the past had wrought. But...I also kinda just like imagining it. :) 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Have you read any of these? What did you think? Find any new titles to check out? ;0)

Until next time! Happy reading!