Monthly Archives: February 2018

Goodbye February

26 Monday Feb 2018

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Hey! It’s Monday! I’m a little late with the post, but it’s still Monday!

Not sure I can count this for starting March off on the right foot or not. Since, you know, it is still February. But It’s definitely not hurting for starting March off. Getting the posts back on track and where they belong.

I subscribed to OwlCrate back in December. I do have to say, I’m loving the crates. I keep meaning to do a blog post for the unboxings, and I keep forgetting with the whirlwind that is life. I’ll try and get one done for February’s though. Just need to get some good pictures in for it. So far I’ve been loving their book choices too. I can’t wait to get into those books.

Reading has picked up this last bit of the month. I don’t know if I’ll finish the whole of my February TBR, and the books I don’t will be moved up to March, but I’m at least getting some done. I always forget how nice it is to curl up and read a good book when I’ve not been doing it a while.

Writing and Editing are going a little slower than reading, but I am getting some of the stuff done.

We had more rain this weekend too, so that didn’t help the whole, my basement is a lake scenario. But now that it’s warm and sunny, it seems to finally be clearing up the way it needs to. Thankfully. So excited for that issue to be done.

What are you excited for come March? Any book releases? Movie releases? Writing or Editing goals? Let me know down in the comments!

Down and Dirty

23 Friday Feb 2018

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It’s the last full week of February. February has not been kind to my life. And as a reflection, this blog has started posting on Fridays instead of Mondays.

I’m hoping to get back on track starting with next week. But it’s a small hope. One that I’m going to cling to.

The weather has been crazy here. One day 70’s the next 30’s. That doesn’t seem terrible, but when you get migraines at the drop of a hat due to the shifts in pressure caused by those radical temperature shifts, it becomes a serious issue. I’ve been lucky to be at work most days with the weather turning back and forth like it has been.

I was able to get about one page of editing done this last week. Just one page. It’s not a lot, and I’m actually a little disappointed in myself for it.

And reading wise, I haven’t been after a couple of books at the beginning of the month. So I’ve got some catching up to do there too. I have goals and books to finish – both my own writing wise and other people’s reading wise.

Short update because short week. Also, my basement flooded the last two days, and I’m exhausted from the up and downs of pumping all that water out. So I’m just going to leave you with, I will do better! And the cute picture of the cat sleeping on a ball of yarn above.

Halfway Gone

16 Friday Feb 2018

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Can you believe we’re a little over halfway through February. The second month of the year. We’re almost a sixth of the way through 2018. I’m not even sure where the month went.

I lost a whole week due to a root canal getting slightly infected and being on both antibiotics to kill it and pain meds to mange everything going on in my mouth. It’s why I didn’t get to post Monday, and it’s why I’ve been fairly quiet on Twitter recently. It’s taken everything in me to be able to get into work and focus. Especially with the cold and the snow storm we ended up having.

I mean, look at those icicles up in that picture! That’s the eve of my roof as the sun rises over my neighbor’s house. The bushes in front of my house are about a foot shorter due to the weight of the snow we received over last weekend. Of course, Wednesday and Thursday were in the 40’s so all the snow and ice is slowly melting. But it’s supposed to drop back into the teens for the weekend. At least it means I’ll be snuggled in the house, finally feeling better, so I can write, edit, and read all weekend.

I want to get Chapters 2 and 3 of my current WIP edited by next Thursday! The goal is to get them to my writer’s group for feedback.

I also want to work on the short that a friend of mine is helping and encouraging over on her blog. You should check her out here!

Hopefully though, the end of February will be good to me. After the pain the first half caused me, I think the month owes me.

Book Review: Paper Princess & Broken Prince by Erin Watt

14 Wednesday Feb 2018

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Author: Erin Watt 
Publisher: Erin Watt
Genre: Contemporary (Coming of Age)
Rating: 4 Stars

Ella Harper spent her whole life moving from town to town with her mother, struggling to make ends meet. After her mother dies, it leaves Ella alone, striving to finish high school as she does what she can to support herself and not get found by social services and put in foster care. Her goals involve finishing High School, going to College, and finding a way to give herself a normal life.

Everything changes when Callum Royal appears in her life claiming to be her legal Guardian. He turns Ella’s life upside down when he brings her home to his posh mansion on the ocean, one shared with his five sons who all automatically hate her appearance in their lives and at their Prep School.

The story caught my attention right out of the gate. I was instantly hooked and wanting to find out what would happen, why these five guys automatically hated her, and if she’d stay or find a way to run and go back to her old life at some point. The world is filled with complex characters, some that make you care for them and others that make you want to knock their teeth in.

I finished Paper Princess within 24 hours of starting it. And the cliffhanger it ends on had me picking up book two, Broken Prince, immediately. And less than 12 hours later I had devoured Broken Prince.

I’m trying not to give too much away, which is why there’s not a LOT of saying what’s up in book two. But I will say it was a fantastic read, and there’s not a lot that has me finish a book in less than 12 hours – and it’s not because it was a short book but rather because it truly was that interesting.

I love the Royal family, and have to say that I love seeing them stand together for family. I’m already itching to pick up book three and continue my journey in this posh and luxury filled world.

If you like mystery, intrigue, and don’t mind a little bit of sex – this is definitely a book for you. The plot has you hanging, wondering what will unfold next, who’s behind it, and what in the world is going on.

Book two did end on a cliffhanger as well, which may be why I’m itching to read it. So be aware, these do tend to end with a ‘WHAT?!’ moment.

Book Review: Twisted Fate by Jessi Elliott

07 Wednesday Feb 2018

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Author: Jessi Elliott 
Publisher: Jessi Elliott
Series: Twisted #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy (New Adult)
Release Date: February 13, 2018
Rating: 5 Stars

Everything in Aurora Marshall’s life is going smoothly. She’s in her final year of her business degree, she’s on track to graduate, and she has plans for her own business after she graduates. It looks like everything will happen the way she’s planned it to.

One night changes everything when she meets Tristan Westbrook. Dragged into the Fae world, Aurora’s carefully planned out life tilts sideways and she struggles to keep her life as normal as possible while handling the dangers that come with being of interest to the dark fae’s leader and plunged deeper and deeper into all things fae.

I have to say, honestly, I loved this book. The characters were engaging, the world was built beautifully, and while time did pass quickly the author did it in a very organic way. I found myself rooting for Aurora as she faced obstacles, wanting her to come out the other side unscathed. Caring about Aurora and what was going on with her life, and with her family, became second nature and at one point in the book I felt as deeply sad as she was.

Now, lets be clear, I’ve read books where sad things happen before. But I will say, it takes a special kind of talent to get your readers so involved with the characters that they cry with them. Jessi has a beautiful way with words and how she weaves this tale.

The story of the fae, and their world and everything about them interests me with how Jessi made it her own and weaved her own mythos for them. I feel for the fae, for everything they’ve been through even as Aurora gets the raw end of a deal with having to deal with them and move in their world.

The completion of the book left me both satisfied with the ending of the plot within its covers, but also craving the next installment of the series.

Disclaimer: I did receive an arc of the book in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion. All thoughts are my own, and were not colored for receiving the arc.

Synopsis

Being kidnapped by the leader of the fae really puts a dent in your senior year.

Aurora Marshall is sharp, witty, and always has a plan. Ready to finish her business degree and graduate, her life is going smoothly—until the night she meets Tristan Westbrook.

Tristan, the overbearing, gorgeous fae leader, and an admired businessman in the human world, is all kinds of dangerous. While he finds Aurora intriguing, her refusal to bend to his will keeps them locked in a constant power struggle.

Entering into a deal is the only way to escape Tristan’s clutches, which only plunges Aurora deeper into the fae world. With her future at stake, she is forced to handle his arrogance and extraordinary fae abilities as she fights to stay grounded in her mundane life.

Not to mention her struggle to ignore the growing attraction she knows she shouldn’t feel for the man who kidnapped her.

When people said college would be the most exciting time of her life, Aurora never thought this is what they meant.

 

Available February 13th

 

 

About The Author

 

Jessi Elliott is a newly graduated law clerk and debut author of both young adult and new adult romantic fiction. Her love of writing was born after many years of reading and reviewing books on her blog Living Within Fiction.She lives in Southwestern Ontario with her family and two adorable cats.
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When she’s not plotting her next writing project, she likes to spend her time hanging with friends and family, getting lost in a steamy romance novel, watching Friends, and drinking coffee.You can find Jessi at www.jessielliott.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay up to date on book news and upcoming releases.

 

Frozen but Working

06 Tuesday Feb 2018

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The Midwest had a couple days of nice weather. Just a couple. And then it plunged right back down into single digits and dumped a bunch of snow on us too. The above photo is not from after it snowed, but it is from this winter. I have an outdoor mall near me, and they have a fountain that runs all winter to keep the pipes from freezing over. So the top of this fountain, for the most part, is all frozen except for where the jets of water come out. It’s super cool to see.

With the snow has come the one thing I hate with weather shits. Migraines. Sunday I was knocked back for a good chunk of the day with a migraine and I couldn’t do much of anything.

One thing I managed to do was rewrite the beginning of a short I had started that caught my attention. I was proud of myself. I took this bit of story and the three pages I had flourished into six pages after expanding on the detail and reworking everything.

And then in the shower my brain went – but what if we do this, that, and the other.

Needless to say, I’m hoping to get it rewritten for a third time this week. and then hopefully that will be put to bed enough that I can flush it out and finish it. I’m only expecting a 10k short from it. But it’d be nice to get it finished. One more thing off my long list of open WIPs that I can cross off.

How is your WIP going? Do you have one you have as your sole focus? Do you have many with an idea book beside you to jot down any wayward plots that cross your brain? Let me know down in the comments!

Also! Stay tuned tomorrow for my review of Twisted Fate by Jessi Elliott! You’re going to love it!

January Wrap-Up/February TBR

01 Thursday Feb 2018

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So it is that time. When we pass from one month into another. When we say goodbye to January and all it offered us, hug what we learned close to out hearts, and move ever forward into (if you’re in the Midwest) frozen future of February.

Were you able to finish everything you hoped you would in January? Anything left undone that you’re moving to the new month? Personally, I wasn’t able to finish everything I strived to in January, but I am moving some of them forward to try and finish them in February.

Lets reevaluate my goals for 2018 and see how well I did in January.

  • Write/plot 3 times a week

This one, sadly, hasn’t been in full force. I DID  get chapter one of my drafted novel edited though. So we are moving forward. I just need to work a little harder to carve out more writing/plotting time.

  • Read more

This one I most assuredly am doing well at. I was able to slide through five books in January. What are they? Keep reading to find out, I do list them below.

  • Post a Book Review on the blog twice a month

So, this one was half completed. I didn’t get through the plethora of books this month until late in the month. Literally, I consumed three books in three days. Which, being so late in the month, leaves little time to get those reviews up. But. With reading going better, I’m hoping to get a few reviews in the drafted and scheduled folder so as I read I’ll just keep sliding them into the line to be pushed out. And who knows. If I can keep up the reading as I am, I may try to squeeze in a third review a month. But that’s more down the line as I see how the year pans out. I already know a couple months will be a little busier than others due to annual things going on in my life.

So grand overview, I’m not terrible in working to fulfill my goals, but there’s definitely room for improvement. Here’s to February showing some of that improvement.

January Wrap Up

So, wrapping up January, like I said I read five books. That’s three more this month than I had planned, in the grand goal of reading. But it’s actually two short of my January TBR list.

I was able to finish the following books:

  • Shattered Circle by Cassandra Larsen
  • Twisted Fate by Jessi Elliott
  • Paper Princess by Erin Watt
  • Broken Prince by Erin Watt
  • The Selection by Kiera Cass

Broken Prince wasn’t on my January TBR list, but after the way Paper Princess ended I couldn’t stop myself from devouring the second book.

The reviews for Paper Princess&Broken Prince by Erin Watt and Twisted Fate by Jessi Elliott will be up this month. So make sure to watch for those. I’m doing both The Royals books together, because I read both of them in less than 48 hours. That’s not to say they were short books, they just caught my attention that well.

The two books I didn’t get through are:

  • Message of the Crow by Ellen Dugan
  • Resurrection by Tucker Malarkey

For Message of the Crow, I just didn’t get to it before the month ended. If I hadn’t chosen to read Broken Prince this month, I might have had the time to finish it. But alas, I was just too enamored by the The Royals to stop. Though I was able to tear myself away to read The Selection.

Resurrection isn’t a lack of time for not finishing. I did try. I just couldn’t get into the writing and the book. Nothing against it or the author, it just wasn’t my cup of tea so I won’t be finishing the book.

January Book Haul

Because I thought it would be fun too, I figured I’d share all the books I purchased in January. It’s almost a sickness. I read five books, but I ended up purchasing 27 books due to sales on Amazon a lot of times.

  • Rune Service by J.B. Garner
  • Once in a Blue Rune by J.B. Garner
  • Because You Love to Hate Me edited by Ameriie (Anthology)
  • Mojitos & Murder by Sara Bourgeois
  • Pirate’s Vengeance by LJ Andrews
  • Aveline by Lizzy Ford
  • Charred Heart by Lizzy Ford
  • Hinder by Kristin Ping
  • Soul of the Witch by Deanna Chase
  • Gifted by the Moon by Lilith Black
  • Shadow Queen by Harlow Thomas & Anastasia James
  • Spear of Destiny by Ines Johnson
  • The Haunting of Willow House by Anthony M. Strong
  • Blood and Magic by Ilana Waters
  • Marked by Power by Cece Rose & G. Bailey
  • Winter’s Guardian by G. Bailey
  • Sapient Salvation by Jayne Faith
  • Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
  • Queen of Gods by Scarlett Dawn and Katherine Rhodes
  • The Lunar Effect by C.J. Pinard
  • Moon Cursed by Tori Centanni
  • Daughter of Magic by Teresa Roman
  • Stolen Ink by Holly Evans
  • Broken Prince by Erin Watt
  • Twisted Palace by Erin Watt
  • Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

I also started an Owl Crate subscription, and their January Fearsome Fairytales box so I received a special cover book:

  • The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

It’s a super long list of books. It’s an addiction, really. Most of those, at least, are ebook so at least they’re not taking up floor space because my shelves are full.

February TBR

Just like January, I’m going to be ambitious for February. Now, I realize this month is shorter than any other month but after the amount I was able to read in January, and looking at most of my calendar for February and finding it relatively absent of anything but writing goals, I have faith in myself to find the time to read these books.

I am looking to finish:

  • Message of the Crow by Ellen Dugan

My not getting to it in January is by no means because I wasn’t interested in it, but merely because I wanted to read something different. Paper Princess and The Selection are both more Contemporary than I normally read. There’s no magic, there’s no wizard or spell or werewolf or vampire. And while i do love my urban fantasy, and high fantasy, and I always will, it was kind of nice to step out of that box for a little while.

I’m also looking to read:

  • A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest
  • Daughter of Magic by Teresa Roman
  • Twisted Palace by Erin Watt
  • The Elite by Kiera Cass
  • Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Six books. And if you’re reading this carefully you’ll recognize two author from January. Twisted Palace is The Royals book three, and closes the sage for the characters that make up the first two books. So I’m really looking forward to seeing how their story ends. There is a book four, and a book five that’s pending release, that I may pick up later because I am interested in that world, but it’s narrated by a different person in that world so I won’t feel as compelled to continue it immediately. The Elite is book two of The Selection Series, and I’m curious but ready to jump into America’s story as she moves forward in the Selection. Both of those worlds, while there is no magic involved, have captured my undivided attention. But I’m excited to get through all five of my books.

Did you get any amazing books in January? What are your reading plans for February? Let me know down in the comments!