Happy Friday to all my fellow readers!
I'm so excited it's the weekend, as I actually have the weekend of from work this time, but at the same time, I'm freaking out that we leave for Vegas in 11 days! I still have so much to get done, so I'm definitely going to be busy this weekend. I'm so excited for this trip, and I find myself talking about it more and more to everyone around me. As I've said before, it's my first time even going to a book signing, so I'm super excited, but also a tad nervous, and it's also my hubby's and my first time going to Vegas, so we're both really excited about that as well.
Anyways, enough ramblings, I'm here today to do my March 2016 wrap up! So let's go ahead and get started:
One Star Books:
Yay, thankfully March was another month where I had no one star books. :)
Two Star Books:
March was obviously a decent reading month for me, because I also had no two star books.
Three Star Books:
Until the End by Abbi Glines: I was highly excited when I heard that Abbi Glines was going to be including Rock and Trisha's story as the final novel in the Sea Breeze Series. Throughout all the rest of the series, I loved the glimpses the reader was given of their awesome relationship, and so this was a novel I was highly anticipating. Unfortunately, I found myself slightly underwhelmed by this. I knew going into this novel, that she had included epilogues of all the other characters in with it, and that was fine with me, as I always love those little glimpses into other character's lives, but I was not expecting the epilogues to take up what seemed like half of the book. I felt like Rock and Trisha's story was almost more of a novella, and I would have honestly liked for their story to have been more of a central focus of the overall novel. While I did enjoy it overall, I just wish there had been a bit more to it.
Soundless by Richelle Mead: This is honestly such a hard book to write about. Richelle Mead is without a doubt, one of my all time favorite authors, and I was so excited for this book as the premise sounded amazing, but sadly it did not end up being a favorite for me. And I think I can honestly sum up my one main problem with this book in the main character. I've come to love Richelle Mead's kick butt, don't need anyone else to save me female characters, like Rose and Sydney, and I just did not get the same impression from this character at all. I had a had time sympathizing with her throughout the novel, and she just wasn't my personal favorite. As well, I didn't really like how the mythical element was incorporated into this one, so all in all, it was definitely not my favorite by Richelle Mead, but I'm beyond belief excited to read her new series, The Glittering Court, when it releases soon.
Maid For Love by Marie Force: This is the first book in the Gansett Island series, and while it's a cute read, and I really enjoyed Maddie and Mac's characters, I really found this overall love story to be a tad unbelievable as the insta-love angle featured in this novel was just too hard of a sell for me. I am continuing on with this series, as I really do like her writing style, and am enjoying many of the characters, I just hope the other novels have timelines that are a little more realistic, as to me, falling completely in love with a perfect stranger in a week is a bit too hard to believe.
Mandie and The Charleston Phantom by Lois Gladys Leppard: While I enjoy reading all the Mandie books, this one I didn't find quite as interesting as the rest. I loved how it was set in Charleston, since I'm always fascinated by Charleston, and would love to visit it someday, but I didn't care for the mystery as much in this one.
Invaded by Melissa Landers: I absolutely loved Alienated when I read it a few months ago, so I had such high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, this one was a little bit of a let down for me. I didn't find the story on L'eihr to be as interesting as it was on Earth, and I also found the first half of this book to be severely slow moving. The second half was really interesting, and I found myself really enjoying it, but it took me quite awhile to get into it, and that definitely never happened with the first book. While I am only giving this book three stars, I'm still beyond belief excited that this series is getting a third book, and I will be anxiously awaiting getting to read it.
Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy: I finished this book over a week ago, and honestly my brain is still reeling. I adored Dumplin by this author, and I was really excited to give this one a go, but wow I was not prepared for Alice's character at all. Without a doubt she is one of the meanest characters I've ever read before, and some of the things she was willing to do to get her way were downright jaw dropping. I kind of liked the message that Julie Murphy brought out in this novel about sometimes sickness doesn't always bring out the best in everyone like so many books before have shown, but wow Alice took this to depths I was not expecting. While I definitely did still overall enjoy this book, Alice's character was a bit much to take, and I would forewarn anyone picking this up that you're in for an eye opener of a true "mean girl" when you read this.
Fool For Love by Marie Force: I did enjoy this one more than I did the first novel, Maid For Love, because the insta-love connection was a lot more believable in this one. Overall, it's a cute series to read, I just wish the reader was given more glimpses into the actual relationship, instead of it being so much fall into bed, fall into love, instantly be perfect each other type of romance. I am currently reading the third book in this series, so I will see if I like it more than these two.
Four Star Books:
A Family For Christmas by Mona Ingram: I stumbled upon this adorable, holiday romance when it was one of the featured free eBook's included in an email from Book Bub. I love free eBooks, as I love having books on my phone that I can read while on my break at work, or waiting in the car or such, so I'm always excited to find new ones. I found this story to be overall adorable, and I really loved both Maddie and Lily, and how the author focused the story around both of their characters, and love interests, instead of just one or the other. I also absolutely adored Annie's character. I'm often a sucker for sweet, romances that have kids involved, and this one was definitely not an exception. Lastly, it was so cool to see that this book takes place in Calgary, Alberta, as I don't often see too many books that focus on Canada, outside of Ontario, so that was a sweet surprise.
Jesse's Girl by Miranda Kenneally: I really went back and forth with this one on whether to give it three stars or four stars, as while there were a lot of elements I liked, there were also a lot of elements I didn't like. But I did decide to go ahead and give it the higher rating, as I did really enjoy the chemistry between Jesse and Maya, and both of their characters. However, I honestly felt it was a tad disappointing, compared to what I was expecting, and seemed really redundant from previous books in this series. This series is honestly probably the biggest hit or miss series with me. I read the fifth book, Breathe Annie Breathe, first, not knowing it was part of a series, and I loved it. I then went back and decided to read the rest of the series. I was slightly underwhelmed by the first book, although it was still ok, I absolutely hated the second book as I couldn't stand either main character, the third one fell somewhere in the middle, and I ended up really liking the fourth one. So I went into this one with really mixed expectations, but I was really disappointed considering the last two books were so good! Overall, I did really enjoy the overall story, but these books are all starting to become too similar for my liking, and I'm not sure if I will be continuing on with this series in the future or not. Obviously, this is just my opinion, as my book bestie has loved most of the books in this series, I just don't think they're the right fit for me personally.
Mandie and the Trunk's Secret Lois Gladys Leppard: I've mentioned many times before just how much I enjoy the Mandie series. I thought this one was really enjoyable, and the mystery included in it was one I actually hadn't pieced all together by the time it was revealed. I also enjoyed another novel where Mandie's grandmother plays a central role, as she is absolutely hilarious. I adore these books, and will be continuing on with my quest to reread them all.
His Baby Bond by Lee Tobin McClain: This was a cute, sweet and short romance that I purchased through IBooks. I believe this is a self published title, which I always love getting to read, and helping to support lesser known authors. I enjoyed the overall romance, and once again, I loved how the romance was centered around a child, as I'm always a sucker for those. While it wasn't a deep, or intense romance novel, it was cute and sweet, and I really enjoyed it overall.
Finding Cinderella by Colleen Hoover: When I first started reading Colleen Hoover's books, I had no idea they would be as intense and moving as they are. So while I've come to expect certain things from her books, for some reason I was still expecting this novella to be a more, sweet and fun comteporary, and boy was I ever wrong. I absolutely loved getting to read Six and Daniel's story, as Six was one of my favorite characters in Hopeless. I was in no way prepared for it to be such an intense story, but I loved how real, and non-superficial that this novel was written. In a way I actually ended up enjoying this one more than the actual two novels in the series, although I highly recommend them all :) Just be prepared with Kleenex when you do read this series, or really any of her books for that matter ;)
Finding Southern Comfort by Barbara Lohr: I'm not even embarrassed to admit that my intial draw to this book was the fact that it was about the south, which I may have a mild obsession with. That being said, I did enjoy this overall sweet romance about a woman who comes to work for a workaholic single father as his daughter's nanny, and comes to bring about changes throughout the household that no one was expecting. I will definitely be looking forward to reading more books in this series in the future.
Meant To Be Mine Becky Wade: I read the first book in this series, Undeniably Yours, back in January, and I absolutely adored Meg and Bo's story. While I did enjoy Celia and Ty's story overall, and I really love Becky Wade's writing style, I gave this one four stars instead of five, simply because I didn't totally like how Celia and Ty's past was handled. I didn't feel like Ty truly showed remorse to Celia over everything that happened, and I just wish that it had been done a little differently, but overall this was a great book, and I'm definitely becoming a huge fan of her books.
Swinging On A Star by Janice Thompson: There's just something so quirky, and chaotic about the Rossi family, that has me loving this series. I love how this series mixes an Italian overbearing but loving family, with a side of Texas cowboys, and some wedding planning thrown in for good measure. I never know exactly what to expect going into this books, except that I'll get a heartwarming, family story that will have me laughing out loud.
Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover: Hopeless was an amazingly, emotional ride that had me in a book hangover long after finishing it, and I couldn't wait to pick up Losing Hope, to read Holder's story, and hear his point of view on everything that happened. I think I actually liked this story even more, as it was awesome to get the whole background information, and I loved some of the stories from their past, particularly why Holder didn't want to be called Dean anymore. This was a series overall, that left a huge impact on me, and just reconfirms in my mind, what an amazing author Colleen Hoover is :)
Mandie and the Medicine Man by Lois Gladys Leppard: As always, Mandie's adventures are a fun time to follow along with, and I remember really enjoying reading this one as a child, as it focused more on her Cherokee family, and so we got to see more of Uncle Ned, Morning Star, and Sallie, who were always some of my favorite characters.
It Had To Be You by Janice Thompson: Right from the first book in the Weddings By Bella series, I've been waiting for the day when it would finally be Bella and DJ's turn at the wedding facility. In typical Janice Thompson fashion, this book was a quirky, emotional roller coaster ride that had me laughing, smiling, and even tearing up throughout it. I loved finally getting a chance to "meet" Uncle Sallie, and all the Rossi's relatives from Italy. I loved how movie star Brock Benson appears again, and as always, how the readers were treated to a comforting, family story that makes you want to curl up in PJ's, with a cup of tea to read it. The only reason I gave this one four stars instead of five, is I felt there really wasn't as much mention of Bella and DJ's big day as I was hoping for, but overall this was a great read, and I look forward to reading the fourth and last book within the next couple of months.
A Love Like Ours by Becky Wade: I've really enjoyed the novels in the Porter Family series, and I've been looking forward to finally reading Jake's story, after his PSTD, and fragile, emotional state were hinted at often in the first two books. I really did enjoy this sweet romance, although not as much as Bo and Meg's or Ty and Celia's story, as I didn't feel the chemistry between Jake and Lyndie was as obvious to the reader as it had been in the earlier books. I still really enjoyed this story, it's just that so far I've liked them in order of their publication date, but I will be anxiously looking forward to Dru's story being released soon, to see if I have a differing opinion on that one.
Mandie and the Abandoned Mine by Lois Gladys Leppard: This was one of my favorite Mandie adventures as a child, and this has definitely continued with rereading them. The mystery is kind of strange, but in an interesting way, and I love the way everything comes together when Mandie learns to listen, and rely on her faith to get her through.
The Trouble With Destiny by Lauren Morrill: Lauren Morrill's book's always bring one word to mind for me, and that is cute. This is my third book by her, and I've loved all of them. They're always sweet, and adorable, with a touch of sarcasm, and some pretty good insight into the angst facing teenagers today. I loved the plotline of this one being about a marching band embarking on a Caribbean cruise to compete in a talent show contest, with hopes of saving their band program, and this book honestly left me with a huge smile on my face when I finished it. I highly recommend that everybody give her books a chance if you're a fan of contemporaries.
Trial By Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes: I've really been loving Jennifer Lynn Barnes' novels, and this continuation of Raised By Wolves was fantastic. Bryn is such an amazing character, and I really loved the added depth of all the werewolf politics that she faces in this book that shows even more so what kind of character she is, I'm really looking forward to reading the final book in this trilogy, and I really hope to see more of Bryn and Chase's relationship in it.
Five Star Books:
Fateful by Claudia Gray: This is the first book I've ever read by Claudia Gray, and it will definitely not be the last. I received books one and two in the Firebird trilogy for Christmas, and now I'm even more excited to get to read them. I've been fascinated with the Titanic ever since childhood, especially since my sister was extremely intrigued by it, and used it as the topic of her science fair experiment one year. So I was definitely intrigued when I discovered Fateful, as a supernatural novel taking place on the Titanic, it definitely intrigued me. This book definitely did not disappoint, and I loved the way that Claudia Gray intertwined the history of this famous ship, with her darker, paranormal story. I highly recommend this book to anyone, and I will definitely be looking forward to reading more of her books soon!
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson: Wow this book was super intense, but also super amazing! It reminded me of Graceling by Kristin Cashore, and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, both of which I also loved. Lia was one of my favorite female protagonists that I've read in awhile, and I really enjoyed Rafe's character, and the chemistry between them. I definitely didn't see the plot twist coming, and I honestly can't wait to read the next book in the series, although it definitely won't be till after RT Booklovers as I just have too many books in my TBR pile right now.
Sabotaged by Dani Pettrey: I completely loved The Alaskan Courage Series, and while I was excited to finally get to read the fifth and last book, I'm also highly disappointed that now the series is over. I loved getting to read about each member of the McKenna family, and I also loved how Dani Pettrey incorporated a different aspect of Alaska's culture into each novel, this one being about the Iditarod, a world famous sled dog race. This was honestly one of my favorite books of the series, as I really enjoyed both Reef and Kirra's characters, and I also found that the mystery kept me guessing almost all the way to the end. I really hope that Dani Pettrey revisits all these characters in future novels, cause I'm going to miss reading about them and their adventures :) This whole series is a definite recommendation from me.
Almost Midnight by C.C. Hunter: Shadow Falls has become a much beloved, favorite series of mine, and I was beyond belief excited when I found out that all the novellas were being released as one bind up, including one previously unreleased one about Fredericka's character. While I had read three of the five novellas going into this novel, I still completely loved it, and really enjoyed the two that I hadn't read before, the other one being Spellcaster, which was Miranda's short story. It was so amazing to be back in the Shadow Falls world, and I'm even more excited to find out that C.C. Hunter is writing one final book in this series, telling Miranda's story! Now I'm even more anxious to get to finishing Unspoken, so I can be all caught up when Miranda's novel is released.
November 9 by Colleen Hoover: Suffice to say, I completely fell head over heels in love with this book. It was completely amazing how Colleen Hoover combined her typical deep, emotional pull on your heartstrings type novel, with sarcastic and quirky humor, and two characters who were honestly really easy to fall for right from the start. This is by far my favorite book of hers that I've read so far, and honestly, I cannot recommend this book to anyone enough. Please pick this one up, I can guarantee it's an amazing read :)
A Girl's Guide To Moving On by Debbie Macomber: This was the last book I read in March, I finished it last night at about eleven thirty pm, and I can honestly say that it was such an amazing novel to finish out the month with. This is the sequel to Last One Home, which I loved as well, and it tells the story of Nichole, and her ex-mother in law, Leanne, both who have chosen to walk away from their cheating husbands, and start over, with just each other as moral support. While they're both facing drastically different challenges, Nichole having a three year old son to raise, and Leanne, having been married to the same man for thirty- four years, they create a "guide" to help them move on with their lives. I can honestly say this story was heart warming and touching, and reminded me once again why Debbie Macomber remains one of my all time favorite authors. I only finished this book twelve hours ago, but I have literally already recommended it to a couple of my book friends. I highly recommend checking this novel out, and I will, as always, be anxiously awaiting Debbie's next release. :)
And that's it for the books I read in March 2016. I didn't finish nearly as many this month, as I did in February, but this was also a lot busier month for me at work, and with various other things going on. Thanks for reading everyone! I will be back on Monday with one last post about the RT convention, I will be doing Top 5 Wednesday on Wednesday, I've got a new review lined up for next Friday, and then the following week I will have to see what the wi fi situation will be at our hotel in Vegas before I can decide what blog posts I will be posting. :)
Thanks again for reading, and I hope everyone has a great weekend!
This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. The photos were not taken by me, and they do not belong to me. All rights to the respective owners.
I'm so excited it's the weekend, as I actually have the weekend of from work this time, but at the same time, I'm freaking out that we leave for Vegas in 11 days! I still have so much to get done, so I'm definitely going to be busy this weekend. I'm so excited for this trip, and I find myself talking about it more and more to everyone around me. As I've said before, it's my first time even going to a book signing, so I'm super excited, but also a tad nervous, and it's also my hubby's and my first time going to Vegas, so we're both really excited about that as well.
Anyways, enough ramblings, I'm here today to do my March 2016 wrap up! So let's go ahead and get started:
One Star Books:
Yay, thankfully March was another month where I had no one star books. :)
Two Star Books:
March was obviously a decent reading month for me, because I also had no two star books.
Three Star Books:
Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr: I went into this book with mixed feelings. While I found the first book, Wicked Lovely, to be a tad on the confusing side, I did enjoy it overall, and gave it four stars. Unfortunately, I did not feel the same way about this book. Being that it was about the Dark Court, I knew this novel was likely to be a darker, more sinister novel than the first, but I was ok with that. However, I really could not stand Irial's character at all. He came across standoffish, selfish, and just plain annoying to me throughout most of the book, and he was definitely one of the reasons I didn't care for this one overall. I also found this novel to be written even more confusing than the first, and I had a really hard time following it at certain points. Lastly, it felt like there was a huge build up throughout the novel as to the events happening, and yet, the ending was rushed, and didn't feel truly resolved to me. I'm glad I gave this one a try, but I'm not sure if I will be continuing on with this series or not.
Until the End by Abbi Glines: I was highly excited when I heard that Abbi Glines was going to be including Rock and Trisha's story as the final novel in the Sea Breeze Series. Throughout all the rest of the series, I loved the glimpses the reader was given of their awesome relationship, and so this was a novel I was highly anticipating. Unfortunately, I found myself slightly underwhelmed by this. I knew going into this novel, that she had included epilogues of all the other characters in with it, and that was fine with me, as I always love those little glimpses into other character's lives, but I was not expecting the epilogues to take up what seemed like half of the book. I felt like Rock and Trisha's story was almost more of a novella, and I would have honestly liked for their story to have been more of a central focus of the overall novel. While I did enjoy it overall, I just wish there had been a bit more to it.
Soundless by Richelle Mead: This is honestly such a hard book to write about. Richelle Mead is without a doubt, one of my all time favorite authors, and I was so excited for this book as the premise sounded amazing, but sadly it did not end up being a favorite for me. And I think I can honestly sum up my one main problem with this book in the main character. I've come to love Richelle Mead's kick butt, don't need anyone else to save me female characters, like Rose and Sydney, and I just did not get the same impression from this character at all. I had a had time sympathizing with her throughout the novel, and she just wasn't my personal favorite. As well, I didn't really like how the mythical element was incorporated into this one, so all in all, it was definitely not my favorite by Richelle Mead, but I'm beyond belief excited to read her new series, The Glittering Court, when it releases soon.
Maid For Love by Marie Force: This is the first book in the Gansett Island series, and while it's a cute read, and I really enjoyed Maddie and Mac's characters, I really found this overall love story to be a tad unbelievable as the insta-love angle featured in this novel was just too hard of a sell for me. I am continuing on with this series, as I really do like her writing style, and am enjoying many of the characters, I just hope the other novels have timelines that are a little more realistic, as to me, falling completely in love with a perfect stranger in a week is a bit too hard to believe.
Mandie and The Charleston Phantom by Lois Gladys Leppard: While I enjoy reading all the Mandie books, this one I didn't find quite as interesting as the rest. I loved how it was set in Charleston, since I'm always fascinated by Charleston, and would love to visit it someday, but I didn't care for the mystery as much in this one.
Invaded by Melissa Landers: I absolutely loved Alienated when I read it a few months ago, so I had such high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, this one was a little bit of a let down for me. I didn't find the story on L'eihr to be as interesting as it was on Earth, and I also found the first half of this book to be severely slow moving. The second half was really interesting, and I found myself really enjoying it, but it took me quite awhile to get into it, and that definitely never happened with the first book. While I am only giving this book three stars, I'm still beyond belief excited that this series is getting a third book, and I will be anxiously awaiting getting to read it.
Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy: I finished this book over a week ago, and honestly my brain is still reeling. I adored Dumplin by this author, and I was really excited to give this one a go, but wow I was not prepared for Alice's character at all. Without a doubt she is one of the meanest characters I've ever read before, and some of the things she was willing to do to get her way were downright jaw dropping. I kind of liked the message that Julie Murphy brought out in this novel about sometimes sickness doesn't always bring out the best in everyone like so many books before have shown, but wow Alice took this to depths I was not expecting. While I definitely did still overall enjoy this book, Alice's character was a bit much to take, and I would forewarn anyone picking this up that you're in for an eye opener of a true "mean girl" when you read this.
Fool For Love by Marie Force: I did enjoy this one more than I did the first novel, Maid For Love, because the insta-love connection was a lot more believable in this one. Overall, it's a cute series to read, I just wish the reader was given more glimpses into the actual relationship, instead of it being so much fall into bed, fall into love, instantly be perfect each other type of romance. I am currently reading the third book in this series, so I will see if I like it more than these two.
Four Star Books:
A Family For Christmas by Mona Ingram: I stumbled upon this adorable, holiday romance when it was one of the featured free eBook's included in an email from Book Bub. I love free eBooks, as I love having books on my phone that I can read while on my break at work, or waiting in the car or such, so I'm always excited to find new ones. I found this story to be overall adorable, and I really loved both Maddie and Lily, and how the author focused the story around both of their characters, and love interests, instead of just one or the other. I also absolutely adored Annie's character. I'm often a sucker for sweet, romances that have kids involved, and this one was definitely not an exception. Lastly, it was so cool to see that this book takes place in Calgary, Alberta, as I don't often see too many books that focus on Canada, outside of Ontario, so that was a sweet surprise.
Jesse's Girl by Miranda Kenneally: I really went back and forth with this one on whether to give it three stars or four stars, as while there were a lot of elements I liked, there were also a lot of elements I didn't like. But I did decide to go ahead and give it the higher rating, as I did really enjoy the chemistry between Jesse and Maya, and both of their characters. However, I honestly felt it was a tad disappointing, compared to what I was expecting, and seemed really redundant from previous books in this series. This series is honestly probably the biggest hit or miss series with me. I read the fifth book, Breathe Annie Breathe, first, not knowing it was part of a series, and I loved it. I then went back and decided to read the rest of the series. I was slightly underwhelmed by the first book, although it was still ok, I absolutely hated the second book as I couldn't stand either main character, the third one fell somewhere in the middle, and I ended up really liking the fourth one. So I went into this one with really mixed expectations, but I was really disappointed considering the last two books were so good! Overall, I did really enjoy the overall story, but these books are all starting to become too similar for my liking, and I'm not sure if I will be continuing on with this series in the future or not. Obviously, this is just my opinion, as my book bestie has loved most of the books in this series, I just don't think they're the right fit for me personally.
Mandie and the Trunk's Secret Lois Gladys Leppard: I've mentioned many times before just how much I enjoy the Mandie series. I thought this one was really enjoyable, and the mystery included in it was one I actually hadn't pieced all together by the time it was revealed. I also enjoyed another novel where Mandie's grandmother plays a central role, as she is absolutely hilarious. I adore these books, and will be continuing on with my quest to reread them all.
His Baby Bond by Lee Tobin McClain: This was a cute, sweet and short romance that I purchased through IBooks. I believe this is a self published title, which I always love getting to read, and helping to support lesser known authors. I enjoyed the overall romance, and once again, I loved how the romance was centered around a child, as I'm always a sucker for those. While it wasn't a deep, or intense romance novel, it was cute and sweet, and I really enjoyed it overall.
Finding Cinderella by Colleen Hoover: When I first started reading Colleen Hoover's books, I had no idea they would be as intense and moving as they are. So while I've come to expect certain things from her books, for some reason I was still expecting this novella to be a more, sweet and fun comteporary, and boy was I ever wrong. I absolutely loved getting to read Six and Daniel's story, as Six was one of my favorite characters in Hopeless. I was in no way prepared for it to be such an intense story, but I loved how real, and non-superficial that this novel was written. In a way I actually ended up enjoying this one more than the actual two novels in the series, although I highly recommend them all :) Just be prepared with Kleenex when you do read this series, or really any of her books for that matter ;)
Finding Southern Comfort by Barbara Lohr: I'm not even embarrassed to admit that my intial draw to this book was the fact that it was about the south, which I may have a mild obsession with. That being said, I did enjoy this overall sweet romance about a woman who comes to work for a workaholic single father as his daughter's nanny, and comes to bring about changes throughout the household that no one was expecting. I will definitely be looking forward to reading more books in this series in the future.
Meant To Be Mine Becky Wade: I read the first book in this series, Undeniably Yours, back in January, and I absolutely adored Meg and Bo's story. While I did enjoy Celia and Ty's story overall, and I really love Becky Wade's writing style, I gave this one four stars instead of five, simply because I didn't totally like how Celia and Ty's past was handled. I didn't feel like Ty truly showed remorse to Celia over everything that happened, and I just wish that it had been done a little differently, but overall this was a great book, and I'm definitely becoming a huge fan of her books.
Swinging On A Star by Janice Thompson: There's just something so quirky, and chaotic about the Rossi family, that has me loving this series. I love how this series mixes an Italian overbearing but loving family, with a side of Texas cowboys, and some wedding planning thrown in for good measure. I never know exactly what to expect going into this books, except that I'll get a heartwarming, family story that will have me laughing out loud.
Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover: Hopeless was an amazingly, emotional ride that had me in a book hangover long after finishing it, and I couldn't wait to pick up Losing Hope, to read Holder's story, and hear his point of view on everything that happened. I think I actually liked this story even more, as it was awesome to get the whole background information, and I loved some of the stories from their past, particularly why Holder didn't want to be called Dean anymore. This was a series overall, that left a huge impact on me, and just reconfirms in my mind, what an amazing author Colleen Hoover is :)
Mandie and the Medicine Man by Lois Gladys Leppard: As always, Mandie's adventures are a fun time to follow along with, and I remember really enjoying reading this one as a child, as it focused more on her Cherokee family, and so we got to see more of Uncle Ned, Morning Star, and Sallie, who were always some of my favorite characters.
It Had To Be You by Janice Thompson: Right from the first book in the Weddings By Bella series, I've been waiting for the day when it would finally be Bella and DJ's turn at the wedding facility. In typical Janice Thompson fashion, this book was a quirky, emotional roller coaster ride that had me laughing, smiling, and even tearing up throughout it. I loved finally getting a chance to "meet" Uncle Sallie, and all the Rossi's relatives from Italy. I loved how movie star Brock Benson appears again, and as always, how the readers were treated to a comforting, family story that makes you want to curl up in PJ's, with a cup of tea to read it. The only reason I gave this one four stars instead of five, is I felt there really wasn't as much mention of Bella and DJ's big day as I was hoping for, but overall this was a great read, and I look forward to reading the fourth and last book within the next couple of months.
A Love Like Ours by Becky Wade: I've really enjoyed the novels in the Porter Family series, and I've been looking forward to finally reading Jake's story, after his PSTD, and fragile, emotional state were hinted at often in the first two books. I really did enjoy this sweet romance, although not as much as Bo and Meg's or Ty and Celia's story, as I didn't feel the chemistry between Jake and Lyndie was as obvious to the reader as it had been in the earlier books. I still really enjoyed this story, it's just that so far I've liked them in order of their publication date, but I will be anxiously looking forward to Dru's story being released soon, to see if I have a differing opinion on that one.
Mandie and the Abandoned Mine by Lois Gladys Leppard: This was one of my favorite Mandie adventures as a child, and this has definitely continued with rereading them. The mystery is kind of strange, but in an interesting way, and I love the way everything comes together when Mandie learns to listen, and rely on her faith to get her through.
The Trouble With Destiny by Lauren Morrill: Lauren Morrill's book's always bring one word to mind for me, and that is cute. This is my third book by her, and I've loved all of them. They're always sweet, and adorable, with a touch of sarcasm, and some pretty good insight into the angst facing teenagers today. I loved the plotline of this one being about a marching band embarking on a Caribbean cruise to compete in a talent show contest, with hopes of saving their band program, and this book honestly left me with a huge smile on my face when I finished it. I highly recommend that everybody give her books a chance if you're a fan of contemporaries.
Trial By Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes: I've really been loving Jennifer Lynn Barnes' novels, and this continuation of Raised By Wolves was fantastic. Bryn is such an amazing character, and I really loved the added depth of all the werewolf politics that she faces in this book that shows even more so what kind of character she is, I'm really looking forward to reading the final book in this trilogy, and I really hope to see more of Bryn and Chase's relationship in it.
Five Star Books:
Fateful by Claudia Gray: This is the first book I've ever read by Claudia Gray, and it will definitely not be the last. I received books one and two in the Firebird trilogy for Christmas, and now I'm even more excited to get to read them. I've been fascinated with the Titanic ever since childhood, especially since my sister was extremely intrigued by it, and used it as the topic of her science fair experiment one year. So I was definitely intrigued when I discovered Fateful, as a supernatural novel taking place on the Titanic, it definitely intrigued me. This book definitely did not disappoint, and I loved the way that Claudia Gray intertwined the history of this famous ship, with her darker, paranormal story. I highly recommend this book to anyone, and I will definitely be looking forward to reading more of her books soon!
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson: Wow this book was super intense, but also super amazing! It reminded me of Graceling by Kristin Cashore, and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, both of which I also loved. Lia was one of my favorite female protagonists that I've read in awhile, and I really enjoyed Rafe's character, and the chemistry between them. I definitely didn't see the plot twist coming, and I honestly can't wait to read the next book in the series, although it definitely won't be till after RT Booklovers as I just have too many books in my TBR pile right now.
Sabotaged by Dani Pettrey: I completely loved The Alaskan Courage Series, and while I was excited to finally get to read the fifth and last book, I'm also highly disappointed that now the series is over. I loved getting to read about each member of the McKenna family, and I also loved how Dani Pettrey incorporated a different aspect of Alaska's culture into each novel, this one being about the Iditarod, a world famous sled dog race. This was honestly one of my favorite books of the series, as I really enjoyed both Reef and Kirra's characters, and I also found that the mystery kept me guessing almost all the way to the end. I really hope that Dani Pettrey revisits all these characters in future novels, cause I'm going to miss reading about them and their adventures :) This whole series is a definite recommendation from me.
Almost Midnight by C.C. Hunter: Shadow Falls has become a much beloved, favorite series of mine, and I was beyond belief excited when I found out that all the novellas were being released as one bind up, including one previously unreleased one about Fredericka's character. While I had read three of the five novellas going into this novel, I still completely loved it, and really enjoyed the two that I hadn't read before, the other one being Spellcaster, which was Miranda's short story. It was so amazing to be back in the Shadow Falls world, and I'm even more excited to find out that C.C. Hunter is writing one final book in this series, telling Miranda's story! Now I'm even more anxious to get to finishing Unspoken, so I can be all caught up when Miranda's novel is released.
November 9 by Colleen Hoover: Suffice to say, I completely fell head over heels in love with this book. It was completely amazing how Colleen Hoover combined her typical deep, emotional pull on your heartstrings type novel, with sarcastic and quirky humor, and two characters who were honestly really easy to fall for right from the start. This is by far my favorite book of hers that I've read so far, and honestly, I cannot recommend this book to anyone enough. Please pick this one up, I can guarantee it's an amazing read :)
A Girl's Guide To Moving On by Debbie Macomber: This was the last book I read in March, I finished it last night at about eleven thirty pm, and I can honestly say that it was such an amazing novel to finish out the month with. This is the sequel to Last One Home, which I loved as well, and it tells the story of Nichole, and her ex-mother in law, Leanne, both who have chosen to walk away from their cheating husbands, and start over, with just each other as moral support. While they're both facing drastically different challenges, Nichole having a three year old son to raise, and Leanne, having been married to the same man for thirty- four years, they create a "guide" to help them move on with their lives. I can honestly say this story was heart warming and touching, and reminded me once again why Debbie Macomber remains one of my all time favorite authors. I only finished this book twelve hours ago, but I have literally already recommended it to a couple of my book friends. I highly recommend checking this novel out, and I will, as always, be anxiously awaiting Debbie's next release. :)
And that's it for the books I read in March 2016. I didn't finish nearly as many this month, as I did in February, but this was also a lot busier month for me at work, and with various other things going on. Thanks for reading everyone! I will be back on Monday with one last post about the RT convention, I will be doing Top 5 Wednesday on Wednesday, I've got a new review lined up for next Friday, and then the following week I will have to see what the wi fi situation will be at our hotel in Vegas before I can decide what blog posts I will be posting. :)
Thanks again for reading, and I hope everyone has a great weekend!
This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. The photos were not taken by me, and they do not belong to me. All rights to the respective owners.
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