Hello Bookish Friends :)
Can you believe it's already April? I mean it seems like Christmas was only a few weeks ago, and instead it was over three months ago. It also seems like our January Disney World trip literally just happened, and yet it's already been over two and a half months since we've been back.
And I feel like I was just posting my February wrap up, and now it's already time to post my March wrap up. 2019 is just going by at warp speed it seems!
I hope you all had a great March. Mine was not my favorite month ever as work was kind of stressful, and we also seemed to have the usual issues with taxes and whatnot. Ugh I really can't stand tax season. However, because of these things I spend a lot of time with my nose buried in a book last month, and as such, I ended up reading quite a few more books than I'd originally intended on.
As always, my wrap ups will be done in the order in which I finished the books, and not in either a best to worst or worst to best type of order.
Shades of Doon and Forever Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon:
I ended up finishing the Doon series in March, and I read both books three and four. The third book, Shades of Doon, ended up being my favorite of the series as I really enjoyed the modern day setting. All in all, I really ended up enjoying this series, and I gave both of these final installments a rating of four out of five stars.
Cottage by the Sea by Debbie Macomber:
I really ended up enjoying this recent release by one of my favorite authors, and especially loved the way it focuses around hurting and healing. So many different issues are represented throughout the course of the story. First we have the main character, Annie, who's entire family was killed in a mudslide, and her having to find her way back from the senseless tragedy. Next we have her love interest, Keaton, who's dealing with the side effects of emotional abuse, and the way it's affected him. We have the next door neighbor, Millie, who's dealing with agoraphobia and lastly, is Britt, the teenager who's life is held up in a complicated situation. Of course, all of these stories intertwine in a beautiful story that could only be told by the amazingly talented Debbie Macomber. I gave this one a rating of four out of five stars, and I highly recommend it.
The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron:
I'll be sharing a full review of this one with you all shortly, but for now I'll simply say that it was a beautiful, timeslip story that I gave a rating of four out of five stars.
Christmas at the Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson:
I think it's a sign of a really talented author that can make each book in a series just as good as the one before it, and that is the case with the Prince Edward Island Dreams series by Liz Johnson. This novella is the last installment in the series, and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. Brooke and Chuck's story was everything I could have hoped for, and was the perfect finish to this new favorite series of mine. I highly recommend it, and I gave it a rating of five out of five stars.
Beastly by Alex Flinn:
I'd really wanted to reread this one, as it was a favorite of mine back from about 2014, and I wanted to see if I'd still enjoy it as much today. While I still did enjoy the story, and I decided not to change my original rating which from 2014 was five out of five stars, it definitely wasn't exactly what I remembered it to be. I also could have done without a lot of the innuendos and such that I didn't think was necessary to be included in a book about young teenagers.
Olivia Twist by Lorie Langdon:
After having such a positive experience with Lorie's Doon series, I wanted to give her new historical fiction novel a chance. I'll be sharing a full review of this one soon, but I will say that I thought it was a brilliant retelling of Oliver Twist, and I gave it four out of five stars. I really loved Olivia as a character, and her determination to continue to help the orphans of the city, despite the rest of high society turning a blind eye towards the situation. Plus, her and Jack's romance is super swoon worthy, and was one of my favorite parts.
Ice Kissed and Crystal Kingdom by Amanda Hocking:
March 2019 was the month I finally got around to finishing the Kanin Chronicles by Amanda Hocking. I hadn't loved the first book when I read it a year or two ago, but I still wanted to try and finish the series out. However, I'm not sure if I've just outgrown Amanda Hocking's books or what, but I really didn't love either of these. I gave Ice Kissed a three star rating, and Crystal Kingdom a two star rating. While I continue to love the world building in these series, I feel they failed to live up to their potential, and I didn't enjoy the writing style either. I didn't enjoy Bryn as a character, and found her to be selfish, shallow and immature for the majority of the story. Plus I really felt like some of the content was completely unnecessary to the story. And the fight scenes are extremely graphic and detailed; to the point of making me slightly squeamish while reading them.
Haven, Mirage and Eternal by Kristi Cook:
March was also the month that I finally got around to reading the Winterhaven trilogy by Kristi Cook. I'd read (and loved) her contemporary novel Magnolia a few years ago, and had bought these right after that. They'd literally been sitting on my shelf ever since, and I finally decided it was time to get to them. All in all, I really enjoyed these, and I gave each installment a rating of four out of five stars. I liked Winterhaven as a setting, I liked the paranormal world building, I liked all the characters for the most part, and as always, I loved Kristi Cook's writing style. I only wish the innuendos and sexual implications could have been a bit toned down, as it just didn't seem necessary and definitely hindered my enjoyment. Without those additions, I honestly think this could have been a five star series for me.
Bad Blood, Night School, Blood Ties, Soul Bound and Blood Forever by Mari Mancusi:
One of my 2019 reading goals was to finally finish some more of the series that I started ages ago, and never got around to finishing. So in March, I finally read the last five books in the Blood Coven Vampires series. This series was really hit and miss for me honestly. I gave books four, five and six each a three star rating, and while I was invested in each story I could have definitely done without all the innuendos and other bothersome content. However, I still did enjoy the story lines and most of characters. Unfortunately, book seven, Soul Bound, was where this series took a serious nosedive for me, and I only ended up rating it one out of five stars. I didn't like the fact that almost the entire novel focuses around the underworld, and how it's done so in a mockery way that goes completely against everything I believe as a Christian. I didn't find it funny the way it was intended to be, and it definitely rubbed me the wrong way. I did still go ahead and finish the series, but I only ended up giving book eight a two out of five star rating. Overall, this series is not one I feel I will be personally recommending, as there's definitely better vampire books out there.
Courting Mr. Emerson by Melody Carlson:
I was part of the Revell Reads Blog Tour for this one, and you can find my full review here.
I adored this contemporary romance by one of my favorite authors, and the way it took me a little outside of my normal reading comfort zone in the fact that the protagonists are both in their fifties. I gave it four out of five stars, and I highly recommend.
Castle on the Rise by Kristy Cambron:
I enjoyed this one very much, and I actually think I liked it even a little bit more than I did the first book. Unfortunately, just like the first book I did find the three timelines to get a tad bad confusing, but overall it's a very enjoyable read, and I gave it four out of five stars.
The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck by Bethany Turner:
I know this particular title has been a tad controversial, but I downright loved it. I thought it was raw, realistic, heart warming and hysterically funny. You can read my full review here, but for now I'll simply say that I gave it four out of five stars, and I highly recommend it.
The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson:
I had such high hopes for this mystery series by Maureen Johnson, but it just hasn't shaped up to be what I was hoping for. I will be sharing a full review of this one with you all next week, but for this wrap up I will simply say that I found it massively underwhelming, and I gave it a rating of two out of five stars.
Persuasion by Jane Austen:
I read Persuasion, and as expected, I loved it! Jane Austen's works belong to an entire genre all their own if you ask me, and I'm so glad that I decided to continue working my way through them. I enjoyed that this was a second chance romance story, and I also particularly enjoyed Anne Elliot as a heroine. I gave this one five out of five stars, and I only wish I'd taken the time to read it earlier.
Bite Club, Last Breath, Black Dawn, Bitter Blood, Fall of Night, and Daylighters by Rachel Caine:
March was also the month that I finally got around to finishing the Morganville Vampire series by Rachel Caine. I started this years ago, and only got as far as book nine, so last month I read books ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen and fifteen. I gave all six of these books a rating of three out of five stars, and found them all pretty enjoyable. I liked the setting, I love Claire, Eve, Shane, Michael and Myrnin, and I thought most of the plot twists were pretty original and didn't seem like typical, cookie cutter type of vampire stories. However, I really didn't appreciate the language and sex content that's extremely prevalent in these novels, and that's why they all lost two stars. Plus, I'm not convinced that this series really needed fifteen titles plus many, many short stories, and I kind of found myself growing a tad bored with it.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber:
I was really in the mood for a fantasy novel last month, and since Caraval had been on my TBR since it's release, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. I really found myself enjoying this story that has plot twists and turns around every corner, and I thought the world building and setting was extremely well done, and I loved how beautiful and compelling the writing was. I gave this a rating of four out of five stars, and I plan to start the second book this week.
Mandie and the Hidden Treausre, and Mandie and the Mysterious Bells:
My last reads for the month were two titles from one of my all time favorite childhood series. I'd started rereading these last year, and hadn't gotten very far in doing so, and since I was feeling nostalgic towards them last month, I decided to pick up a couple more. I gave Mandie and the Hidden Treasure a five out of five star rating, and Mandie and the Mysterious Bells a four out of five star rating.
And that's all the books I finished in March of 2019 guys! I hope March was a great reading month for you all as well, and I'd love to hear what your favorite book you read in March was!
Thanks so much for stopping by today guys! Have a great rest of your day :)
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photos do not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
Can you believe it's already April? I mean it seems like Christmas was only a few weeks ago, and instead it was over three months ago. It also seems like our January Disney World trip literally just happened, and yet it's already been over two and a half months since we've been back.
And I feel like I was just posting my February wrap up, and now it's already time to post my March wrap up. 2019 is just going by at warp speed it seems!
I hope you all had a great March. Mine was not my favorite month ever as work was kind of stressful, and we also seemed to have the usual issues with taxes and whatnot. Ugh I really can't stand tax season. However, because of these things I spend a lot of time with my nose buried in a book last month, and as such, I ended up reading quite a few more books than I'd originally intended on.
As always, my wrap ups will be done in the order in which I finished the books, and not in either a best to worst or worst to best type of order.
I ended up finishing the Doon series in March, and I read both books three and four. The third book, Shades of Doon, ended up being my favorite of the series as I really enjoyed the modern day setting. All in all, I really ended up enjoying this series, and I gave both of these final installments a rating of four out of five stars.
Cottage by the Sea by Debbie Macomber:
I really ended up enjoying this recent release by one of my favorite authors, and especially loved the way it focuses around hurting and healing. So many different issues are represented throughout the course of the story. First we have the main character, Annie, who's entire family was killed in a mudslide, and her having to find her way back from the senseless tragedy. Next we have her love interest, Keaton, who's dealing with the side effects of emotional abuse, and the way it's affected him. We have the next door neighbor, Millie, who's dealing with agoraphobia and lastly, is Britt, the teenager who's life is held up in a complicated situation. Of course, all of these stories intertwine in a beautiful story that could only be told by the amazingly talented Debbie Macomber. I gave this one a rating of four out of five stars, and I highly recommend it.
The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron:
I'll be sharing a full review of this one with you all shortly, but for now I'll simply say that it was a beautiful, timeslip story that I gave a rating of four out of five stars.
Christmas at the Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson:
I think it's a sign of a really talented author that can make each book in a series just as good as the one before it, and that is the case with the Prince Edward Island Dreams series by Liz Johnson. This novella is the last installment in the series, and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. Brooke and Chuck's story was everything I could have hoped for, and was the perfect finish to this new favorite series of mine. I highly recommend it, and I gave it a rating of five out of five stars.
Beastly by Alex Flinn:
I'd really wanted to reread this one, as it was a favorite of mine back from about 2014, and I wanted to see if I'd still enjoy it as much today. While I still did enjoy the story, and I decided not to change my original rating which from 2014 was five out of five stars, it definitely wasn't exactly what I remembered it to be. I also could have done without a lot of the innuendos and such that I didn't think was necessary to be included in a book about young teenagers.
Olivia Twist by Lorie Langdon:
After having such a positive experience with Lorie's Doon series, I wanted to give her new historical fiction novel a chance. I'll be sharing a full review of this one soon, but I will say that I thought it was a brilliant retelling of Oliver Twist, and I gave it four out of five stars. I really loved Olivia as a character, and her determination to continue to help the orphans of the city, despite the rest of high society turning a blind eye towards the situation. Plus, her and Jack's romance is super swoon worthy, and was one of my favorite parts.
Ice Kissed and Crystal Kingdom by Amanda Hocking:
March 2019 was the month I finally got around to finishing the Kanin Chronicles by Amanda Hocking. I hadn't loved the first book when I read it a year or two ago, but I still wanted to try and finish the series out. However, I'm not sure if I've just outgrown Amanda Hocking's books or what, but I really didn't love either of these. I gave Ice Kissed a three star rating, and Crystal Kingdom a two star rating. While I continue to love the world building in these series, I feel they failed to live up to their potential, and I didn't enjoy the writing style either. I didn't enjoy Bryn as a character, and found her to be selfish, shallow and immature for the majority of the story. Plus I really felt like some of the content was completely unnecessary to the story. And the fight scenes are extremely graphic and detailed; to the point of making me slightly squeamish while reading them.
Haven, Mirage and Eternal by Kristi Cook:
March was also the month that I finally got around to reading the Winterhaven trilogy by Kristi Cook. I'd read (and loved) her contemporary novel Magnolia a few years ago, and had bought these right after that. They'd literally been sitting on my shelf ever since, and I finally decided it was time to get to them. All in all, I really enjoyed these, and I gave each installment a rating of four out of five stars. I liked Winterhaven as a setting, I liked the paranormal world building, I liked all the characters for the most part, and as always, I loved Kristi Cook's writing style. I only wish the innuendos and sexual implications could have been a bit toned down, as it just didn't seem necessary and definitely hindered my enjoyment. Without those additions, I honestly think this could have been a five star series for me.
Bad Blood, Night School, Blood Ties, Soul Bound and Blood Forever by Mari Mancusi:
Courting Mr. Emerson by Melody Carlson:
I was part of the Revell Reads Blog Tour for this one, and you can find my full review here.
I adored this contemporary romance by one of my favorite authors, and the way it took me a little outside of my normal reading comfort zone in the fact that the protagonists are both in their fifties. I gave it four out of five stars, and I highly recommend.
Castle on the Rise by Kristy Cambron:
I enjoyed this one very much, and I actually think I liked it even a little bit more than I did the first book. Unfortunately, just like the first book I did find the three timelines to get a tad bad confusing, but overall it's a very enjoyable read, and I gave it four out of five stars.
The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck by Bethany Turner:
I know this particular title has been a tad controversial, but I downright loved it. I thought it was raw, realistic, heart warming and hysterically funny. You can read my full review here, but for now I'll simply say that I gave it four out of five stars, and I highly recommend it.
The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson:
I had such high hopes for this mystery series by Maureen Johnson, but it just hasn't shaped up to be what I was hoping for. I will be sharing a full review of this one with you all next week, but for this wrap up I will simply say that I found it massively underwhelming, and I gave it a rating of two out of five stars.
Persuasion by Jane Austen:
I read Persuasion, and as expected, I loved it! Jane Austen's works belong to an entire genre all their own if you ask me, and I'm so glad that I decided to continue working my way through them. I enjoyed that this was a second chance romance story, and I also particularly enjoyed Anne Elliot as a heroine. I gave this one five out of five stars, and I only wish I'd taken the time to read it earlier.
Bite Club, Last Breath, Black Dawn, Bitter Blood, Fall of Night, and Daylighters by Rachel Caine:
Caraval by Stephanie Garber:
I was really in the mood for a fantasy novel last month, and since Caraval had been on my TBR since it's release, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. I really found myself enjoying this story that has plot twists and turns around every corner, and I thought the world building and setting was extremely well done, and I loved how beautiful and compelling the writing was. I gave this a rating of four out of five stars, and I plan to start the second book this week.
Mandie and the Hidden Treausre, and Mandie and the Mysterious Bells:
My last reads for the month were two titles from one of my all time favorite childhood series. I'd started rereading these last year, and hadn't gotten very far in doing so, and since I was feeling nostalgic towards them last month, I decided to pick up a couple more. I gave Mandie and the Hidden Treasure a five out of five star rating, and Mandie and the Mysterious Bells a four out of five star rating.
And that's all the books I finished in March of 2019 guys! I hope March was a great reading month for you all as well, and I'd love to hear what your favorite book you read in March was!
Thanks so much for stopping by today guys! Have a great rest of your day :)
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photos do not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
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