Reading Right Now! (225)

What I'm Reading Right Now! is...

The Wastelanders by K.S. Merbeth which is a bind-up of two books

 and  

I'm currently 95 ish pages into the first book Bite and I'm enjoying it. It's a post-apocalyptic, Mad Max style story. It is the aftermath of a nuclear event that has wrecked the world. Survivors live in small shanty towns, everything is desert, and food and water are hard to come by. A teenage girl accepts a ride from strangers and becomes part of their crew, but these strangers aren't necessarily the good guys.

I like it. It is dealing with tons of violence and grossness and wrongness, but it's fun, if that makes any sense at all. It's a lighthearted kind of read in a way, mixed with a lot of death.

 So that's what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you reading?

BLOG TOUR: Mother Knows Best by Kira Peikoff

I am very excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Mother Knows Best by Kira Peikoff, which released into the world September 10, 2019. I received an arc from the publisher for honest review. I love a good thriller and Mother Knows Best hit the mark.

Title: Mother Knows Best

Author: Kira Peikoff

Published by: Crooked Lane Books

Released: September 10, 2019

Source: arc from Publisher

Goodreads  Amazon

Synopsis: A mother’s worst nightmare, a chance at redemption, and a deadly secret that haunts a family across the generations.

There’s only room for one mother in this family.

Claire Abrams’s dreams became a nightmare when she passed on a genetic mutation that killed her little boy. Now she wants a second chance to be a mother, and finds it in Robert Nash, a maverick fertility doctor who works under the radar with Jillian Hendricks, a cunning young scientist bent on making her mark—and seducing her boss.

Claire, Robert, and Jillian work together to create the world’s first baby with three genetic parents—an unprecedented feat that could eliminate inherited disease. But when word of their illegal experiment leaks to the wrong person, Robert escapes into hiding with the now-pregnant Claire, leaving Jillian to serve out a prison sentence that destroys her future.

Ten years later, a spunky girl named Abigail begins to understand that all is not right with the reclusive man and woman she knows as her parents. But the family’s problems are only beginning. Jillian, hardened by a decade of jealousy and loss, has returned—and nothing will stop her from reuniting with the man and daughter who should have been hers. Past, present—and future converge in a mesmerizing psychological thriller from acclaimed bestselling author Kira Peikoff.

My Thoughts: Oooh boy, what a crazy book of science and revenge. This is the perfect tale of Twisted Science. Just because we can, should we?? I enjoyed Mother Knows Best quite a lot. It kept me turning the pages and racing to the end. If you're looking for a thriller that has a lot of science, then Mother Knows Best is the perfect read.

I was kind of hooked. I just found the whole premise so interesting. This kind of science might just be closer than we think, and that's kinda terrifying. Kira Peikoff did a great job of writing this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat. It was so interesting. I wasn't sure how this whole thing was going to end, where it was going to go, but it got me good.

I'd definitely recommend giving this a read if you are looking for a good thriller. I'm glad I got to read it.

Thanks for stopping by my Blog Tour Stop for Mother Knows Best by Kira Peikoff. Thanks so much to Crooked Lane Books for sending me an advanced copy and letting me be a part of this fun tour!

Fresh Releases: September 24, 2019

These Releases are Fresh Fresh. So Fresh.

 

 

 

The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen, which I was lucky enough to get an arc of!! Thanks Tor Teen :D

No Judgements by Meg Cabot. I love me some Meg Cabot, although I need to catch up on a lot of her series.

The Trouble With Christmas by Amy Andrews which I also got an arc of and need to read. It looks real cute! Thanks Entangled Publishing!

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht. I've heard a lot about this one.

Six Goodbyes We Never Said by Candace Ganger. I was lucky enough to receive an arc for this and be on a blog tour! Thanks Wednesday Books.

Steel Crow Saga (#1) by Paul Krueger. I'm really interested in reading this one, it sounds good! Got an arc through Netgalley, I think.

And that's all I've got. I know there are more, but I can't remember them. I'm getting old. Sorry. What books should I be on the lookout for?

Review: Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1) by Patricia Briggs

Title: Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1)

Author: Patricia Briggs

Published by: Ace Books

Released: 2006

Audience Level: Adult Urban Fantasy (but no sexy times from what I remember)

Source: Library

Synopsis: Mercedes Thompson, aka Mercy, is a talented Volkswagen mechanic living in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. She also happens to be a walker, a magical being with the power to shift into a coyote at will. Mercy's next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a bus for a vampire. This is the world of Mercy Thompson, one that looks a lot like ours but is populated by those things that go bump in the night. And Mercy's connection to those things is about to get her into some serious hot water... (Synopsis from Goodreads)

My Thoughts: I've finally joined the Mercy Thompson Pack. It took me long enough, but I'm committed now. I really enjoyed this. It was very fun, fast, and just nice to read. I was sucked into the story pretty quickly. It was addictive. Moon Called is a great start to the series.

I really liked Mercy. She does her own thing. Well, as much of her own thing as she can when surrounded by werewolf packs and hierarchy. Mercy is someone I'd like to be friends with. I don't know if she would want to be friends with me, but I'd try. Her history is very interesting too and I'm excited to learn more of it.

I'm not sure how I feel about Sam. As of right now, I don't know if I could root for a romance between them. I don't even know if one will happen, but there was just circumstances that I didn't like.

I'm definitely going to continue on with the series. I'm excited to continue it. I love urban fantasy and sometimes I forget just how satisfying it can be. How much fun it can be to read.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4.3/5

Ahwoooo!!

Reading Right Now! (224)

What I'm Reading Right Now! is...

-- The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg -- I am enjoying this. It's like a future version of Walt Disney World, but there's a darkness underneath. The Princesses are all Android Human mixes. Extinct Animals have been bred and also androidized. The park is beautiful, it's a fantasy. Happily Evr After is just a step away. 

History Term: It's like the Gilded Theme Park (Gilded Age!! If you know what that refers to, then you'll get what I'm saying)

There are Trigger Warnings for Animal Abuse and a teeny bit of Self Harm. The animal stuff is what probably bothers me the most.

I'm a little bit hooked. It's just a really fun concept. It goes back and forth in time, so you know something bad happened in the future, and then the story goes back to the past to tell the story of how the bad happened.

Also, it fits perfectly for a book with a non-human main character, if you ever have that prompt in a readathon.

I'm gonna read more of this definitely. I don't think it's the best book I've ever read, but it's fun and dark and a tad bit disturbing.

What I'm Thinking of Reading Next!

-- One Dark Throne (#2) by Kendare Blake -- I liked the first book and I want to continue this series. I'm awful about waiting forever between books and I'd like not to do this with this series. Plus the ending of book one threw me for a loop. I need to know what happens.

And that's what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you Reading?

BLOG TOUR: Six Goodbyes We Never Said by Candace Ganger

I am really excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Six Goodbyes We Never Said by Candace Ganger. Thank you to Wednesday Books and Candace Ganger for letting me be a part of it. This book caught my eye and I knew I had to read it pronto.

Title: Six Goodbyes We Never Said

Author: Candace Ganger

Published by: Wednesday Books

Releases: September 24, 2019

Source: e-arc from Publisher through Netgalley

Goodreads  Amazon

Synopsis: Two teens meet after tragedy and learn about love, loss, and letting go

Naima Rodriguez doesn’t want your patronizing sympathy as she grieves her father, her hero—a fallen Marine. She’ll hate you forever if you ask her to open up and remember him “as he was,” though that’s all her loving family wants her to do in order to manage her complex OCD and GAD. She’d rather everyone back the-eff off while she separates her Lucky Charms marshmallows into six, always six, Ziploc bags, while she avoids friends and people and living the life her father so desperately wanted for her. 
Dew respectfully requests a little more time to process the sudden loss of his parents. It's causing an avalanche of secret anxieties, so he counts on his trusty voice recorder to convey the things he can’t otherwise say aloud. He could really use a friend to navigate a life swimming with pain and loss and all the lovely moments in between. And then he meets Naima and everything’s changed—just not in the way he, or she, expects. 

Candace Ganger's Six Goodbyes We Never Said is no love story. If you ask Naima, it’s not even a like story. But it is a story about love and fear and how sometimes you need a little help to be brave enough to say goodbye.

My Thoughts: As soon as I saw the cute cover, I knew I wanted to read Six Goodbyes We Never Said. It just looked like such an interesting read.

This book covers some dark and heavy topics. It explores grief, mental illness, and friendship. It's a complex and interesting story that I really enjoyed. I'm glad I got the chance to read it.

I don't tend to reach for contemporary books all the time, I tend to go for sci-fi or fantasy, things that aren't exactly real. But it is always refreshing to pick up a good contemporary from time to time.

I'm not going to say that Six Goodbyes We Never Said is an accurate representation of specific types of mental illness, because I don't really know. From personal experience, I do have an uncle that struggles with mental illness and I see how stressful situations can be for him. I myself can't really judge this book on that aspect, but I do think it's a good stepping stone into discovering more about mental illness.

It also explores grief and how consuming that can be. It offers thoughts to really think about. I really enjoyed the writing for this book. Candace Ganger is one to watch. I also really liked going on a journey with Naima and Dew as they came together and helped each other.

I'm really glad I got to read Six Goodbyes We Never Said by Candace Ganger.

I received an e-arc of this for honest review from the publisher through Netgalley. My thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

A Little About Candace Ganger

Candace Ganger is a mother, blogger, Entertainment writer for Showbiz Cheat Sheet, and contributing writer for sites like Romper, Teen Vogue, TWLOHA, Bustle, XO Jane & Hello Giggles. She’s also an obsessive marathoner and continual worrier (yay!). Her debut YA novel, THE INEVITABLE COLLISION OF BIRDIE & BASH, is out now via St. Martin’s Griffin, and she’s part of a YA mental health anthology, LIFE INSIDE MY MIND, out now via S&S. Her forthcoming YA novel from St. Martin’s Wednesday Books, SIX GOODBYES WE NEVER SAID, releases September 24, 2019.

Aside from having past lives as a singer, nanotechnology website editor, and world’s worst* vacuum sales rep, she’s also ghostwritten hundreds of projects for companies, best-selling fiction and award-winning nonfiction authors alike. Candace—aka—Candyland— has a severe** Milky Way latte addiction + eats way too many*** donuts/doughnuts but all things in excess, amiright?

FYI: She’s TOTALLY awkward in person (#sorrynotsorry).

*she was okay, at best.
**what counts as severe?
***don’t judge me

Thank you for stopping by my Blog Tour Stop for Six Goodbyes We Never Said by Candace Ganger. Thanks to Wednesday Books and Candace Ganger for letting me be a part of such a fun tour. Be sure to check out the book when it releases September 24, 2019!!

Fresh Releases: September 17, 2019

These Releases are Fresh Fresh. So Fresh.
I've only got one, buuut that's better than the nothing I've been doing the past couple months ;p

-- A Hero Born (#1) by Jin Yong -- I've heard a lot of good things about this one and I'm excited to read it!!

And that's it. That's all I've got for Fresh Releases. What other books should I have my eye out for?

Review: Binti (#1) by Nnedi Okorafor

Title: Binti (#1)

Author: Nnedi Okorafor

Published by: Tor.com

Released: September 2015

Source: Library

Synopsis: Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.

Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti's stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.

If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself - but first she has to make it there, alive.

My Thoughts: What was this? I'm being serious here. I had heard so much hype about Binti and was super excited to read it, but it really did nothing for me. I don't get it. I don't get the hype.

This felt like a strange dream that someone had, and upon waking up, they wrote down all they remembered from it. I mean, we've all had those weird dreams where strange things are going on, but I wouldn't say they would make a good book. It was a novella, so it was really short. It could have benefitted from being longer. It had these weird time jumps. It was just a very weird story. Very odd. I don't know how you can go from a massacre to being friends. Am I crazy? Did I miss something?

I thought I was going to really enjoy Binti, but I didn't. I didn't hate it, but I certainly don't see what makes this story so great. I'll probably read the rest of the series, but I don't know if I'm going to be in a rush about doing so. It was just very average and strange. The writing was fine, but the story was a little too odd for me.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.5/5

Odd. Very Strange.

Reading Right Now! (223)

It's Friday the 13th!!!
So, I don't even know what happened this week. I kept meaning to post, to do stuff, and then I didn't. I don't know if I'm burned out and just needed a break, I don't know if I've put too many book related social medias on my plate, I just don't know.
I kinda sorta started booktubing again, and those have just been reading vlogs. I haven't posted my vlog for last week though because I just don't feel like it. It's a lot of work to edit and upload and film. I mean, I'll post it sometime, I just don't know when.
The only thing that I've been really good about keeping updated is my instagram (@gotbookcitement) but my stories have been suffering.
I'm just in a weird place with book social medias. I don't know when that will change, but I really hope next week I get better about this lovely blog. The good news is that none of whatever this is has affected my reading.
So, what I'm Reading Right Now! is...

-- Waking Gods (The Themis Files #2) by Sylvain Neuvel -- It's been quite a while since I read the first book, which is not a smart thing to do when trying to read a series, so I don't remember a lot of what happened in it. I have vague memories of things and events, but I'm a little lost. I just started this though, so hopefully stuff comes back to me.

I remember enjoying the first book, Sleeping Giants, so I hope I like this just as much.

So that's what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you reading?

Reading Right Now! (222)

What I'm Reading Right Now! is...

-- Dark Shores (#1) by Danielle L. Jensen -- I've been excited to start a Danielle L. Jensen book for the longest time, so when I saw this one on the library shelf, I grabbed it! I know she has a series about trolls (??) that people rave about and I'm interested in reading that.

Dark Shores is about pirates! I love pirates!! I'm not very far into this. I'm actually writing this post early just in case I lose power from the storm, which probably won't happen, but it could! So, I just started Dark Shores and I'm a little confused because there is a lot of stuff going on. I'm ready to love it though.

That's what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you reading?

Also, sorry for being such a trash person when it comes to keeping this blog updated. I'm trying to get back to filming youtube videos, and I'm not good at trying to juggle all my book things.

BLOG TOUR: How to Love a Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrne

I'm so excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for How to Love a Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrne. Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press and Kerrigan Byrne for letting me be a part of this fun tour! I was provided with a free e-arc for honest review through Netgalley. I love a good historical romance and this is the start to a great series.

Title: How to Love a Duke in Ten Days (Devil You Know #1)

Author: Kerrigan Byrne

Published by: St. Martin's Paperbacks

Released: August 27, 2019

Source: e-arc from publisher through Netgalley

Goodreads   Amazon

Synopsis: These men are dark, bold, and brave. And there is only one woman who can bring them to their knees...

Famed and brilliant, Lady Alexandra Lane has always known how to look out for to herself. But nobody would ever expect that she has darkness in her past—one that she pays a blackmailer to keep buried. Now, with her family nearing bankruptcy, Alexandra strikes upon a solution: Get married to one of the empire’s most wealthy eligible bachelors. Even if he does have the reputation of a devil.
LOVE TAKES NO PRISONERS

Piers Gedrick Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne, is seeking revenge and the first step is securing a bride. Winning a lady’s hand is not so easy, however, for a man known as the Terror of Torcliff. Then, Alexandra enters his life like a bolt of lightning. When she proposes marriage, Piers knows that, like him, trouble haunts her footsteps. But her gentleness, sharp wit, independent nature, and incredible beauty awakens every fierce desire within him. He will do whatever it takes to keep her safe in his arms. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

My Thoughts: I received a free e-arc from the publisher for honest review. Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press and Kerrigan Byrne for having me on this tour!

Brava! Brava! I love a marriage of convenience trope and Kerrigan Byrne did it so well! I also love that both of our main characters are flawed individuals, or they are perceived as flawed. They have their secrets and are judged for them, rightly or wrongly. Lady Alexandra and Duke Piers hatch a scheme that will benefit both of them, and manage to fall in love along the way.

I really enjoyed How to Love a Duke in Ten Days. It was really fun, really addicting, and had all the romance that I could wish for. It was good, really, really good. It's a great start to a new romance series, and I'm definitely going to read more of it. I'm glad that I got the chance to read it. If you are a fan of romance, I'd definitely recommend giving it a read.

The Author: Kerrigan Byrne

Whether she’s writing about Celtic Druids, Victorian bad boys, or brash Irish FBI Agents, USA Today bestseller Kerrigan Byrne uses her borderline-obsessive passion for history, her extensive Celtic ancestry, and her love of Shakespeare in every book. She lives at the base of the Rocky Mountains with her handsome husband and three lovely teenage girls, but dreams of settling on the Pacific Coast. Her Victorian Rebels novels include The Highwayman and The Highlander.

Thank you for stopping by my Blog Tour stop for How to Love a Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrne!