Book Blogger Test

Hello my loves!

I’ve been tagged in the Book Blogger Test by both my gorgeous friend’s Ash and Dani, head over to their blogs to check out their awesomeness!

Lego!

RULES:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and add a link to their blog
2. Answer the ten questions asked on this post
3. Nominate at least five people to do it also
4. Let your nominees know you nominated them

TOP THREE BOOKISH PET PEEVES:

1. Love triangles!
2. Insta-love
3. Book cover changes

THREE BOOK CONFESSIONS:

1. I have dogeared a book in the past – I know I’M SORRY!! I 100% use bookmarks now!
2. I bought the first two books in a series, read the first, hated it and never gave the second a chance.
3. I can be really slow with review books! I feel so bad for it, but I’m a mood reader and can’t force myself to read a certain book.

LAST TIME YOU CRIED READING A BOOK?

Probably when reading Love Simon, it was happy tears, it’s a sweet book.

NUMBER OF BOOKS ON YOUR BEDSIDE TABLE?

I used to be a real bedside hoarder and could have up to 15 books piled high, but I’ve since put a stop to it and don’t read in bed at the moment, so none.

FAVOURITE READING SNACK?

I don’t generally snack whilst reading because I get so immersed in the book.

THREE BOOKS YOU’D RECOMMEND TO ANYONE:

1. Renegades by Marissa Meyer – READ IT!
2. The HP series – you need them all!
3. Uprooted by Naomi Novik – so so good!

A PICTURE OF YOUR BOOKSHELF

It’s not in its full glory right now, I’m in the middle of hanging lights and replacing props!

HOW MUCH DO BOOKS MEAN TO YOU?

Seriously?! What don’t they mean to me! Books are my way of escaping the world (especially when it’s sh*t) and taking me to another. Reading brought me closer to my mum at a young age and it was and is so important to my learning. Books are magical creations and I couldn’t live without them!

BIGGEST READING SECRET?

I’m not overly interested in reading the Cassandra Clare books. I have the Mortal Instruments boxset, but feel no pull to read them.

I tag:

Dora
Courtney
Lori
Lauren
Shealea

Feel free to do this tag or not! 🙂

Hope you enjoyed! Until next time ❣

 

 

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Bakerdays – Product Review

*Bakerdays Logo*

Hey guys!

This is a completely different post than you’re used to, but I couldn’t pass up a chance to eat cake right? I’m really excited to be sharing this with you guys!

Bakerdays is an online cake shop that specialises in creating unique and personalised cakes. They can create cakes for many occasions, anything from birthday cakes to engagement cakes to cupcakes. They even have the Letterbox cake, this is what I received to review.

The Letterbox cake is a marvellous idea! Do you want to send a friend a celebratory ‘you got the job’ cake? This is the perfect product for such an occasion. The cake fits perfectly through your letterbox, ready to be opened up and devoured. The first item in the box is a cute little ‘just for you’ card which I think is a nice extra touch. You also have your order slip and a handy list of ingredients contained in the cake, this is an excellent inclusion, especially for people who may have allergies.

Then comes the best part, the cake! I honestly did not expect this adorable little tin to be included! I love this extra special touch, it makes the product feel rather premium and of course you can keep it and re-use it, bonus! mmmm cake!

I love love love this design! I chose it myself from the website – it felt very me 😉 There are dozens of designs to choose from for various occasions, or you can ask the in house designer to create one for you and then personalise the cake in any way you like, including photo’s. You then choose the filling, I went with ‘ultimate chocolate chip’ but there’s plenty of choice. Are you a victoria sponge fan or lemon drizzle? You can also ask for gluten free, wheat free and dairy free which is amazing!

My verdict

I really loved the Letterbox concept. You could use it for so many different occasions and have it conveniently posted with their speedy delivery service. I love how much you can personalise the cake, be it with a specially created design or your child’s face slap bang in the middle, the possibilities are endless.

The packaging was perfect. I liked the added ingredient list and the unexpected little mmm cake tin! The design was just what I wanted and it was delicious! The icing wasn’t too sweet, so I didn’t feel sick and the cake was moist chocolatey deliciousness!

For the price you pay (£14.99) it was exceptional service and an exceptional product. I will definitely be using Bakerdays again!

Fancy trying your own Letterbox cake or another product from Bakerdays? The fabulous company kindly provided me with a 15% off code for you guys! Add BOOKHOOKEDNOOK15 at the checkout to claim your discount!

Thank you so much to Bakerdays for sending the cake my way in return for an honest review!

Hope you enjoyed! Until next time ❣

Blood Will Out – Jo Treggiari – Arc Review

Ari Sullivan is alive—for now.

She wakes at the bottom of a cistern, confused, injured and alone, with only the shadowy recollection of a low-pitched voice and a gloved hand. No one can hear her screams. And the person who put her there is coming back. The killer is planning a gruesome masterpiece, a fairytale tableau of innocence and blood, meticulously designed.

Until now, Ari was happy to spend her days pining for handsome, recent-arrival Stroud Bellows, fantasizing about their two-point-four-kids-future together. Safe in her small hometown of Dempsey Hollow. But now her community has turned very dangerous—and Ari may not be the only intended victim.

Warning: Contains violence, very graphic scenes and animal abuse.

We begin the story with the protagonist Ari trapped at the bottom of a cistern. I liked how the story brought you straight into the action, not knowing who did this or how it happened. It’s a really interesting concept. I had a lot of questions swimming in my head and it definitely drew me into the story and made me want to read on. Ari had a lot of trouble recalling what had happened due to the huge trauma to her body and more importantly her head. I was really rooting for her and urging her to remember something, anything!

The part that really intrigued me was who the second point of view was – the perpetrator. From this angle, we saw into their head and also their past. How they became to be this way and the actions they took to get to the present. These scenes were very psychotic and very violent to say the least. I enjoyed trying to figure out who the perpetrator was from these parts, but while this really interested me, it was also very difficult to read at certain points due to the extreme content.

Here’s my main problem with this book. It took way too long for the story to move on! The first 50% or so is switching between Ari in the cistern and the perpetrator. That’s a very long time for nothing to happen. This also made the second half of the book feel rather rushed and a tad confusing at times.

Some of the characters didn’t feel very real to me, especially Ari’s parents. They didn’t want to believe anything that Ari was saying and assumed she was having problems because of her head injury. Whilst I understand you would be concerned about her memories or lack of them, wouldn’t you also believe your child? Especially when they keep repeating it? I don’t know, it just didn’t feel very genuine.

The ending for me was very lacklustre. I had all these guesses at who the perpetrator was from their POV and when it was revealed, I was a bit miffed. It didn’t make a ton of sense to me and I was very confused. I was expecting this huge reveal and a battle to survive – what I got was a few pages of rolling around in the forest and a disappointing unveil – just meh.

It was a mostly enjoyable, if yet disturbing read and if you’re a fan of psychological horror books then go for it.

I’d like to thank Penguin Teen and Netgalley for sending the book my way in return for an honest review.

Find the book: (due to release June 5th 2018)

Goodreads
Amazon

Inside Out Book Tag

Hey guys!

I saw this tag on Kristi’s blog Boston Book Reader and decided to steal it! Kristi always does the best tags amongst other things, she’s amazing!

The original tag is from Kristina Horner’s YouTube channel. I adore the Inside Out film so I had to do this tag!

Lego!

Joy: Which book brings you the most joy?

Has to be the Harry Potter series! I bet you were all surprised by that answer 😉

Disgust: Which book grossed you out the most?

Finding Kyler by Siobhan Davis, I liked that book until the icky ending, just nah!

Fear: The book that scared you more than anything?

I don’t really scare easily from books, but anything by Stephen King is pretty terrifying.

Sadness: Which book made you cry the hardest?

Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix, waaahh!!

Anger: Which book pissed you off? 

Most recently The Royal Companion by Tanya Bird. I don’t understand why there had to be abuse? It just really made me angry and I stopped reading at 74% because of it.

This was a lot of fun, short and sweet, like me 😉

I tag:

Dora

Maggie

Megs

Courtney

Hope you enjoyed, until next time ❣

Monthly Wrap Up – April 2018

Hey guys!

So April went fast huh. Did I blink and May just appeared?!

My goal for April was to do better than March’s five books, did I achieve that goal? – Nope (hangs head in shame).

I only managed to read four books and one of those was finishing a previously started book and one was a DNF – yeah I suck.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

• Library paperback
• ★★★★☆

In Fallen Woods by RN Merle

• E-book copy from author
• ★★★★☆
• Review

Blood Will Out by Jo Treggiari

• Netgalley arc (finished this month)
• ★★★☆☆
• Review 

The Royal Companion by Tanya Bird

• E-book (DNF at 74%)
• ★★☆☆☆ (rated as I read so much of it)

There you go, my shameful dirty book laundry! I do hope May is better for me. How many did you manage to read? Let me know!

Until next time ❣

The South Winds – Allison Mullinax – Cover Reveal

Hi guys!

I’m really excited to be featuring Allison Mullinax on my blog once again! Allison is a brilliant author and I adore her previous book covers, but this one is my absolute favourite!

The South Winds is for lovers of Contemporary Romance (like me)! Here’s the synopsis.

Cassie Ray, manager of her family’s successful oyster house, has never asked for much out of life. The sun, surf, and sand are her companions. The regulars and tourists that flock to The Slippery Oyster are her livelihood. But when the Atlantic kicks up a hurricane, sending waves of black water threatening the coast, Cassie quickly learns that the south winds have blown in a lot more than debris and saltwater.

​Dean Alexander left Turquoise Isle eight years ago and never looked back. With his sister’s wedding approaching, and a hurricane churning in the Gulf, Dean returns home, where he’s welcomed with a rip tide of memories determined to pull him under.

Will Cassie and Dean make it through the crashing waves of the past? Will they get a second chance before it’s too late or will the storm ahead be too much for them to handle?

About The Author

North Alabama native, Allison Mullinax, grew up in the small lake town of Guntersville, AL. She discovered the escapism and addiction of writing at an early age. Today she remains a lover of reading, all things outdoors, and spending time with her husband and three daughters.

Find out more about the author here:

Website
Facebook
Twitter

Cover Reveal

I love this cover! It’s so contemporary and very sweet. Definitely my favourite so far!

The book is due to be released on August 7th 2018 by Fiery Seas Publishing.

Hope you enjoyed, until next time ❣

The Spring Cleaning Book Tag

Hey friends!

So I have another tag this week and my awesome friend Dani tagged me, as she usually does lol. I thought this tag was appropriate since it’s Spring (or supposed to be)!

Lego!

The struggle of getting started: A book or series you struggle to begin because of its size.

The Mortal Instruments box set that I own TERRIFIES me! I got it in January for my birthday and still haven’t read one!

Cleaning out the closet: A book or series you want to unhaul.

I’ve mentioned this book a few times and I recently removed it and its sequel from my shelves! I’ll just never touch it again.

Opening windows and letting fresh air in: A book that was refreshing.

Am I talking about Renegades again, YES I AM!!! Renegades is like nothing I have ever read before and It’s AMAZING!

Washing out the sheets: A book with a scene you wish you could rewrite.

I was enjoying this book and was invested in the series until the ending. It’s just icky and I really hoped it hadn’t gone in that direction, I won’t be touching it now.

Throwing out unnecessary knick knacks: A book in a series you didn’t think was necessary.

I honestly don’t read many series’, but novella’s tend to not be needed.

Polishing doorknobs: A book that had a clean finish.

To Kill A Kingdom was just great from start to finish! The ending was tied up nicely.

Reaching to dust the fan: A book that tried too hard to relay a certain message.

This book really annoyed me. The scenes were so cheesy and cliche high school and I just thought it was pushing too hard.

The tiring, yet satisfying finish of spring cleaning: A book series that was tiring but satisfying to get through.

Ok, I ADORE this series. I read it so long ago and always go back to it. But it tired my poor heart and I needed the happy ending! Such an amazing contemporary series.

I tag:

Maggie

Nicola

Megs

Hope you enjoyed! Until next time ❣

In Fallen Woods – R.N Merle – Review

Long ago in England, and far away to the west…

In the dark heart of Fallen Woods, Darklin, a sixteen year old witch and her mother Gressyl, live hidden among the tangled trees. They are bound to a secret coven practicing dark and cruel magic. Darklin is taught to be merciless and to despise humanity, to believe that beauty is treacherous, and that love and kindness do not truly exist.

But when Darklin has a fateful encounter with a beautiful and kind hearted young man, powerful feelings are unleashed. As urges of attraction and destruction war inside Darklin’s heart, which urge will she give way to, and where will it lead her?

A dark twisting tale about witches, love and discovering the truth behind the lies.

I’m a real lover of Fairytales and the darker the better. In Fallen Woods sounded like a dark and twisted tale about witches, what’s not to like? First off I want to comment on how beautiful the cover is! The author actually created it herself which is amazing, she’s not only a talented writer but a darn good designer!

The.writing.is.stunning.! I often get tired of flowery writing and drawn out stories, but this style of writing was superb. It reminded me a lot of Wintersong and Uprooted, which are both amazingly written books that I love. In Fallen Woods has definitely joined them. The descriptions were just beautiful and whimsical and I felt like I was within the fallen woods myself.

Darklin was an interesting character. I started the story really not liking her, just because of the horrid things she thought about people and how repulsed she was. But I quickly began to realise why she is this way and felt huge amounts of sympathy for her. She is scared and she doesn’t know anything about the world, other than what Gressyl has told her. Gressyl is the witch who raised Darklin to be this way and who taught her about ‘the bad folk and their ways’.

Darklin is hugely manipulated and fed poisonous lies, so she doesn’t know what really lies beyond the woods. Through out the story we see her discovering the world and realising the truth for herself. Her feelings begin to change when she meets John and his family and they show her kindness regardless of her wrong doings. It really emphasises how good life can be if you find the right people and love deeply and true.

The story really struck a chord with me and made me feel so many things that I didn’t expect. It’s stories like this that make you look at the world around you and look closely.

I enjoyed the few little tales that were told within the book and felt they added depth and emotion to certain scenes. Gressyl’s story really intrigues me and I’d love to know more about how she came to be, other than what I discovered near the end of the book.

If you’re a fan of witches, beautiful writing and want to fall deep into the woods, then give In Fallen Woods a read.

I’d like to thank R.N Merle for sending the book my way in return for an honest review.

The Liebster Award

Hey guys!

I was nominated for The Liebster Award by my lovely friend Megs! Thank you my love. Go ahead and check out Meggan’s blog, it’s just as beautiful as her!

Rules for Accepting the Award

• Write about it on your blog and thank the person who nominated you. Write a bit about their blog.
• Display the award on your blog.
• Nominate 5 or 10 blogs which you feel deserve it.
• Let the nominees know you nominated them.
• Don’t forget to create 10 new questions for the nominees to answer. Notify your nominees and provide a link to your post so that they will know what to do. Once you are done, come back here and post the link so I can check your answers!

Meg’s Questions

What was the first book you read this year?

I actually read this book on my birthday, which is January 2nd, and gave it 4 stars.

If you could only read books from one author, who would you choose?

Do you really expect me to answer this Meggan?!

What is your favourite thing about blogging?

Sharing great books with like minded people! And of course the community. I know it’s had some backlash recently, but I love the community and how supportive everyone is. I’ve made such great blogging friends ❤

Recommend 3 books you think everyone needs to read this year!

 

 

What is your favourite film of 2018 so far?

I haven’t watched many films released this year yet! So I’ll say Jumanji, I watched it earlier in the year but it was released late December.

What is your favourite song at the moment?

Make Your Own Kind Of Music by Paloma Faith!

A 2018 book release you’re anticipating the most?

There’s a few, but my number one is Arch Enemies, sequel to Renegades!

What is your favourite blog post from this year?

I always like writing book tags. I think my favourite is my most recent one, the Aesthetically Pleasing Book Tag, I really enjoyed looking through my books and admiring their beauty.

What was the last book you bought?

I most recently bought a trilogy that was on sale on my Kindle. Blood Flesh Bone by Juliet Vane.

How many books do you have on your TBR? (If you don’t know, have a guess!)

Well. My GR’s to be read list is at 101. Then I have around 30 on my shelves that aren’t read and I don’t think they’re all listed in my GR’s list. Then there’s kindle books that again probably aren’t listed. 150-160? It could be so much worse!

My Questions

1. What in life makes you happiest?
2. Where is your favourite place to blog?
3. What made you want to start blogging?
4. List your top 3 reads of 2018 so far!
5. What is your least favourite thing about blogging?
6. Your all time favourite book? (I’ll let you have a few!)
7. Are you a writer or a reader? Perhaps both?
8. Do you use libraries?
9. What’s the most you’ve ever spent on one book?
10. Do you see yourself  blogging forever?

I tag ten bloggers who I think deserve some recognition!

Dani
Dora
Ash
Maggie
Tiffany
Beth
Courtney
Lauren
Jess
Lori

Hope you enjoyed, until next time ❣

 

Aesthetically Pleasing Book Tag

Hey friends!

I have a really fun tag for you today. One of my best blogging friends Dora kindly tagged me (she knows I’m obsessed with tags!) thank you babe! Go ahead and check out Dora’s blog, it’s beautiful and she’s amazing!

This tag is all about beautiful covers and pretty pages of books. It was created by Book Syrup over on YouTube.

Lego!

1. Best colour combo on a book cover.

I agree with Dora here, I love shades of Blue’s and Black’s for book covers.

2. Best typography/font on a book cover.

I love the font for both Caraval and Legendary, both UK and US covers, they’re very similar.

 

3. Best simple cover.

One Of Us Is Lying is definitely a simple cover, but I love the red and white.

4. Best endpages.

Not many of my books have nice end pages, but the hard copies of the Hush Hush series have pretty feathers.

5. Best map.

Again I don’t have many maps in my books, but the one for Caraval is really cool.

6. Best naked hardback.

Without a doubt, The Language Of Thorns is gorgeous. This is the Fairyloot special edition which is red lettering instead of orange.

7. Best back cover.

I can’t choose between these two, so I’m not going to! They’re both so beautiful! A Shiver Of Snow & Sky and Ink.

8. Best chapter headers.

These are from A Place Called Perfect and each chapter header is different and very cute!

 

 

9. Best illustrations.

Has to be from The Language Of Thorns. These are just two of the pictures and they’re stunning!

 

8. Best spines.

The one on my shelves that I always look at is Forest Of A Thousand Lanterns, even my husband agrees.

11. Favourite cover on your shelves.

What kind of question is this? That’s so difficult, but my favourite colour is purple and I’ve been in love with Daughter Of The Burning City since I got it!

 

I’ve never spent so long looking through my books! But I enjoyed every minute of it!

I tag:

Cody

Libby

Lindsay

Maggie

Ash

Until next time ❣