October 2016 Wrap Up

Guys how crazy is it that it's already November!

I'm always sad to see October go, as fall is my favorite season, but, Christmas is definitely my favorite time of the year, and I'm always excited as we get closer and closer to it.

Since it is already November, I thought today would be the perfect time to go ahead and share my October 2016 reading wrap up with all you guys.

As you may remember, I had a bit of a stressful month, and unfortunately, I went through a bit of a reading slump. As such, I didn't finish nearly as many books this month as I normally do, but I'm excited to talk about all the ones I did finish.



One Star Books:

I'm excited to say that October was once again a month with no one star books for me. :)


Two Star Books:

One Night In The Ice Storm by Noelle Adams:

I've mentioned quite a few times on my blog that I'm a sucker for free ebooks from Ibooks. This was another case of one I ended up downloading because it was free, and I love Christmas romance stories. Unfortunately, I ended up extremely disappointed in the length of it, as even for a novella I found it quite short, and I honestly found the main character to be slightly annoying. This was my first experience with a Noelle Adams novel, and I definitely hope to have a more positive experience in the future.


Something In The Heir by Jenny Gardiner:

I ended up downloading this one for free from Ibooks, simply because I saw it had the whole "royal person falls for a regular person" story line, which everyone knows, I'm always a huge fan of. Unfortunately, this one was almost a DNF for me, as I honestly didn't care for either of the main characters, and I didn't find any of the parts that were supposed to be funny actually funny. This book was just definitely not for me.


Christmas With The Alexanders by M. Malone:

Going in to reading this book, I knew I might be a little lost as I hadn't read any of the other books in the Alexanders series, however, I expected this novella to still be an enjoyable story. Unfortunately, though, I really don't get what the point of this novella is, as although Kaylee and Elliot's story is introduced here, you have to read the next book to read their story, and if I'd known that, I probably wouldn't have read this one in the first place.


Tell Me Again by Michelle Major:

I posted a full review of this one about two weeks ago, and anyone who read that will know that I found it just didn't live up to the hype I'd created in my mind for it. Mainly because, I did not like the main male character at all, and as such, didn't care for the romance at all either.



Three Star Books:

Royally Lost by Angie Stanton:

I was prepared to fall head over heels in love with this book, as I'm always a huge sucker for the "famous or royal person falling for the regular person" type storyline, and I've also really enjoyed Angie's books that I've read in the past. While I definitely did still enjoy this one, it just felt that there was something missing throughout the novel, and unfortunately, I felt it also took on an insta-love type angle, that kind of hindered my overall enjoyment. However, it was definitely a cute, fluffy read, and I'm not at all sorry that I took the time to read this one. 


Four Star Books:

Kingdom Keepers: The Return, Legacy of Secrets by Ridley Pearson:

I've been a huge fan of the Kingdom Keepers right from day one, and this new series just proves to me what an amazing author Ridley Pearson is. He's been able to extend these characters past the original seven books, and still have a series that's exhilarating and intriguing to read, and I love the fact that he's included time travel into this awesome spin off series. I also love how you can always tell how much time and effort is invested into the research part of these books, and I noticed that even more so with this one, as so much of the books focuses on Disneyland during opening days. I highly recommend this series guys, with every book I'm reminded again just why it's one of my all time favorites.


A Bramble House Christmas by C.J. Carmichael:

I didn't read the previous books in the series before I read this one, but I definitely plan to remedy that soon, as I completely loved this heart wrenching story of a private care nurse who's son is suffering from leukemia, and a children's book illustrator who's turned his back on love, who are brought together by a strange bequest in a will, and just might both find what they needed in the first place. This honestly came really close to being a five star read for me.



Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare:

This month I finally finished The Infernal Devices, and part of me still feels like I'm not ready to discuss this amazing book, and how much these characters affected me. I'm so excited that Cassandra Clare is continuing to write more Shadowhunter books, as her characters have fast become some of my favorites, and I'm excited to get to read more and more about them. I was so happy with how she concluded this trilogy, and it definitely left me with a huge bookhangover that I'll definitely be needing to read more of her books to rectify. 


The Christmas Light by Donna VanLiere:

Time and time again, Donna VanLiere's Christmas novels are some of my absolute favorites to pick up. This was my first time reading this particular one in the series, and while I didn't end up loving it quite as much as the previous novels, I did really enjoy the story of a mismatched bunch of characters coming together to put on a nativity pageant. I can honestly say that Donna's novels are some of the most heartwarming books I've ever read, and I have yet to make it through one with dry eyes. 


Breakable by Tammara Webber:

Easy by Tammara Webber is one of my all time favorite NA novels, and I was beyond belief excited to get to read the story from Lucas' point of view. Hearing about Jacqueline and Lucas' intense relationship from his point of view definitely made this book a winner in my eyes, I only wish that the book hadn't focused quite so much on his childhood, as I found some of those segments to be a tad on the boring side, but overall I loved this book. I'm really looking forward to continuing on with this  series. :)

Moonlight In Winter Park by Samatha Chase

Samantha Chase has become one of my favorite authors in the romance genre, and I'm beyond belief disappointed in myself that I didn't take the opportunity to have met her while I was at RT this spring. This particular novella was free through Ibooks, and I didn't know if it would be my thing or not since I'd read reviews that it was an insta-love novel, which as you all know, I typically can't stand. However, the hilarious banter and intense chemistry between Hope and Beckett had me completely hooked line and sinker into this book, and I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a lighthearted Christmas themed romance.



The Brands Who Came For Christmas by Maggie Shayne:

I read this particular story years and years ago (I wanna say maybe 12 or so years ago?), and I actually didn't realize which story it was when I downloaded it from Ibooks. However, I really enjoyed getting to reread this one as I forgot just how much I enjoyed this charming story about a do gooder who's one bad choice ends with her pregnant with twins by a man who lied about his true existence, the first time around, and I was definitely happy to have gotten a chance to reread it.


The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia:

It's no secret that I love YA bad boy romances. Katie McGarry's Crash Into You, Simone Elkeles' Perfect Chemistry, Alison Van Diepan's On The Edge, honestly the list could go on and on. So to put it mildly I was beyond belief excited to find out about this romance book by Kami Garcia, and it definitely did not disappoint. The bad boy angle was spot on, the chemistry was hot and intense, and I really found myself not only loving Frankie and Marco's characters, but also most of the supporting characters as well. The only thing that kept this from being a five star read for me was that I found the love story moved a wee bit too fast for me to be truly believable, but other than I completely loved it, and I highly recommend checking this one out. 

Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck:

I've been anticipating Tiger's Quest ever since I finished Tiger's Curse in December of last year, and this month I finally got around to reading it. 
While I didn't love it quite as much as the first one, mainly because I really felt the absence of Ren's character, but I really did enjoy it, and that cliffhanger definitely has me hankering to read the third book soon.


Better Than Chocolate by Sheila Roberts:

Sheila Roberts is definitely becoming an author that I expect great things from, and the first book in her Icicle Falls series definitely didn't disappoint. This heartwarming story about a family fighting to keep the chocolate factory that's been in their family for many generations, from bank foreclosure was a definite win for me, and the only thing that kept it from being a five star read was that I felt there wasn't quite enough focus on the romance element to truly have this labeled as a romance novel.



Five Star Books:

Lastly, we come to the best of the best. The best books I read in October, and thus, the books I rated five stars. 


The Christmas Note by Donna VanLiere:

The Christmas Hope series by Donna VanLiere is one of my all time favorite holiday reads, but it's also a series I love picking up when I'm going through a rough time, like I was this month. I always find them uplifting, and heartwarming, and this particular one about a woman who had an extremely rough childhood and has to try and learn how to accept friendship and love from those around her, is definitely one of my favorites.



Christmas At Copper Mountain by Jane Porter:

I read Flirting With Forty by Jane Porter a couple of years ago, and I completely loved it, and yet somehow, I didn't connect that this was by the same author when I downloaded it free from Ibooks. Guys, this was such a heartwarming Christmas story, and not gonna lie, it definitely had me completely ugly crying. This novel is an emotional roller coaster from day one, and I highly suggest having Kleenex nearby when you read it. I can't wait to continue on with this series. 

The Comeback Season by Jennifer E Smith:

This was one of the few novels by Jennifer E Smith I hadn't read, but it's been sitting on my TBR shelf since January, as I'm not a sports fan at all, and I just wasn't sure it would be the book for me. I can tell you I'm so glad I took the leap and read it, as this emotionally gripping story about a girl who's lost her father and a boy who's dealing with some challenging life circumstances, find solace in the Cubs and Wrigley Field, and in the process, find solace in each other as well.


The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak:

Guys since I did already fully review this one a few days ago, I won't go on to much about it. I will however say that this adorable novel proved once again just why Ali Novak is one of my all time favorite authors, and I can't recommend it enough. :)



And that's it for the books I read in October 2016. I was quite impressed with just how many four and five stars books I read this month, and here's to hoping that I'll discover many more amazing books in November!



Thank you guys so much reading, and I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. :)



This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. The photos do not belong to me, and all rights to their respective owners.