Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

July 10, 2019July 10, 20191 Comment

“When you’re constantly treated as a pariah and labeled bad, you might begin living up to that expectation.”

When I first heard about this book I knew it was going to be one of my most anticipated releases of 2019. After being denied an arc from Edelweiss I impatiently awaited the release date. This book was so good! I struggled with the beginning, because the Korean words threw me off but once I got used to it the book flew by. This book was everything and more 💖

This is a Korean lore fantasy story about a Gumiho, a fox with nine tails. This story is set in modern day Seoul, following Miyoung. She is on a hunt for Gi, a humans life force. She must consume Gi at least once a month in order to survive. On this particular night, she runs into a Dokubai, a large goblin, attacking a teenage boy. In the attempt to save his life she loses her fox bead which contains her soul.

Miyoung – A 16 year old high school student who is half Gumiho and half human. A nine tailed fox who takes the form of a beautiful girl. She tries so hard to pleas her mother Yena, an old but gorgeous Gumiho. Miyoung struggles with her human emotions, which usually leads to trouble.

Jihoon – A high school boy, who lives with his grandmother over the restaurant she owns. He finds out that Miyoung is a Gumiho and when she starts going to his school, he really wants to befriend her. He has two best friends, who are absolute gems! He is so soft and adorable! I loved him so much.

“When you’re constantly treated as a pariah, and labeled bad, you might begin living up to the expectation. “

I really loved the friendship and later in the book, romance between the two characters. There early interactions reminded me of Twilight which I’m currently reading. Miyoung tells Jihoon to stay away from her and is grumpy when he talks to her in the halls. Eventually she starts to let her guard down, and there adorable together! They both have such strong character arcs, and have a lot more in common than you’d believe a Gumiho and a human boy would have. Such as absent parents and trying to figure out how to fit in.

I also loved Jihoon and his grandmothers relationship, there so tender and sweet, but also hand so many funny moments. I wasn’t expecting this book to make me so emotional but I cried more times than I’d like to admit.

Besides all the cute moments there is also a lot of action. The second half of this book had so much conflict. This was the first book I read that was set in Korea and I need more. The setting and atmosphere was beautiful. Kat Cho is such an amazing writer I can’t believe this is a debut novel, her words transported me into Korea and the I never wanted to leave. This book was an absolute joy to read.

I cannot wait for the sequel! I highly recommend Wicked Fox.

Tithe by Holly Black

July 6, 2019July 6, 20191 Comment

“If curiosity killed the cat, it was satisfaction that brought it back.”

Holly Black is the queen of fae stories!

Tithe by Holly Black was the first fae book I ever read way back in 2002, this book started my love for Fae and I’ve never looked back. I re read this book as part of #faerieathon in anticipation for Holly Black’s newest book Queen of Nothing being released in November 2019. It is amazing to revisit Holly Blacks first book, because I got to see how much she has grown as a writer. Her newer books are breathtaking and so clever. Even in this book, her Fae worlds are so intricate and woven together.

I had forgotten almost everything that happened during this book, which was expected after 10 years. This book really threw me was how problematic some of the writing was, there’s homophobic slurs and racist remarks. There’s also a scene with an attempted sexual assault. All of these things go unchallenged, even to the point where Kaye says she’s flattered how how wont take no as an answer.

On a good note, this story is such a fast paced and addicting read. Kaye has always been able to see glimpses of the faerie world ever since she was a child. She is forced to move back to her childhood home, one night she is walking home in the rain when she ends up saving the life of a faerie Knight. She soon discovers that’s she’s not exactly human, and is caught up in some heavy faerie politics.

“Crippled things are always more beautiful. It’s the flaw that brings out beauty.”

Kaye – Our Main Character, a 16 year biracial teen, she is a little unlikable, she can be selfish. She discovered that she is actually a pixie and not a human girl.

Roiben – He is a faerie knight, I forgot how much I liked him as a character.

Janet – Kaye’s childhood best friend,

Corny – Janet’s brother, gay, becomes friends with Kaye and knows that she is actually a pixie

There was a lot of laugh out loud scenes, I especially loved when Roiben came into the diner! Being in the faerie world is always my favorite, its so dark and cunning. I love it! I enjoy the plotting and tricks of the Fae. I cant wait to read Valiant in July with everyone.

I do recommend you read Tithe, as its faced paced and a fun read if you can overlook the problematic themes,

Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno

July 3, 2019July 3, 20195 Comments

“On the island of By-the-Sea you could always smell two things: salt and magic.”

SUMMER OF SALT is an incredible atmospheric and magical novel that follows Georgina and her family who live on a strange island called By-the-Sea. Her family own the only Inn on the island, and ever summer a large group of people they call birdheads visit the island in search of a special bird they call Annabella. She fly’s to the island every summer to lay her eggs, except this summer she is missing.

Georgie – Our main character, who is a twin and it’s the summer before leaving for college, she struggles with having to leave her home on the island. She is a lesbian, and a witch who has yet to discovered her power.

Mary – Georgina’s twin sister, who has discovered her power since birth, she has the ability to float in midair. She is the wild sister, the free spirit.

Vira – Georgina’s best friend, her full name is Elvira and she works at the local ice cream parlor. She is aroace, and she is freaking adorable .

Harrison – Is a new guest to the island, he is researching Annabelle.

Prue – Is Harrison’s sister, she is bisexual and developing feelings for Georgie.

“In a family full of girls, you realize quickly that no girls are ordinary”

Georgie takes it upon herself to find out what has happened to Annabella. Mary has been acting depressed and secretive, Georgie is determined to help her sister, while also trying to figure out if she will manifest her power before her 18th birthday. I loved how this story was about family, friendship and unconditional love. The romance between Georgie and Prue was really adorable!

This book also explores some darker issues, about rape and rape culture throughout the story. I was not expecting these issues to be explored and was a little shocked, so please be cautious if that is a trigger for you.

Overall, I really loved this book, I can see myself reading it again. It’s whimsical, atmospheric and queer, and so much more! It is the perfect combination of sweet and dark.

Content and trigger warnings for off the page sexual assault, underage drinking, drug use, animal death.

June Wrap Up

June 30, 2019June 30, 20193 Comments

Hello loves ! Can you believe June is over, that we’re halfway through the year already. June was a really good reading month, I participated in two readathons. This didn’t complete all the challenges for either but it was still a lot of fun. I think June has been one of the best reading months I’ve had all year.

I know I’ve been slacking on the blogging, I have so many reviews to write and a few other posts to finish up. I promise there is going to be a lot of content from me coming up. I’ve also been toying with the idea of YouTube. I tried starting a channel before I ever made my blog but I let my anxiety get the better of me. However recently I’ve been thinking about it again.

Book’s Read In June

> Vicious by LJ Shen

This was the first book I read for #Smutathon, I’ve been really interested in this book ever since Melanie first mentioned that it reminded her of Cardan. Oh boy was she right! I loved every minute of this book. This is very much an enemies to lovers story, Vicious is an even bigger bully than Cardan, so fair warning if that’s not your thing than you probably wont enjoy this book.This book is told between flashbacks of when Emilia is in high school and present day. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series !

> Hate Notes by Vi Keelan and Penelope Ward

My second read for #Smutathon, this book surprised me. This was a fun book, it starts when Charlotte goes into a shop to return her un-worn wedding dress. S. While in the shop she spots a beautiful dress and finds a blue handwritten note. he decides she needs to now who has written the note, but soon she finds herself working for that same man. This was a cute hate to love office romance.However near the middle of the book, things took a turn and it became more serious than I expected.

>The King of Bourbon Street by Thea De Salle

My third and final book I finished for #Smutathon. The writing is amazing, and it has has such amazing representation. The MC is fat and doesn’t shy away from her body. Rain is a heiress, and used to being in the spotlight. After a sex tape scandal that she orchestrated to upset her mother, she fly’s to New Orleans with her brother, and Corgi. Where she immediately meets Sol, the hotel owner, who is also bi. Sol and Rain were such a great characters! There is very explicit sex scenes, so if that’s not your thing you may not enjoy this book. I’m really looking forward to reading the companion novel.

> Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

This was a re-read and now that I’ve finished it the rest of Cassie Clares books are new to me! I love this book so much more than all the Mortal Instrument books. I love Tessa so much more than Clary. Jem remain my favorite character. I have somehow managed to avoid all spoilers for this series, thank God. I’m extremely excited to continue on with this series but first I need to go back to the Mortal Instruments.

>Tithe by Holly Black

I re-read Tithe as part of #faerieathon and this was my first time coming back to this book after almost 10 years. I first read this book way back in the early 2000’s when it was first released and I fell in love with Holly Blacks writing and Fae world. I’m currently working on writing a full review, as i have many thoughts and cannot begin to write them all in this short paragraph. Basically, I really enjoyed being back in the world of fae but had some issues I will discuss in my review.

>A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell

This book will make a great Beach read. It is suspenseful and has a lot of twist that will draw you in and keep you turning the pages to find out more. I read this book in a day, I needed to know what was going to happen next. A Stranger on the Beach was my first of Campbell’s books, but it wasn’t my last!

>Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

What first drew me to this book was because I loved the cover. Just look at it, it’s adorable, I am loving all the illustrated romance covers!This is the first book I’ve ever read by Tessa Bailey and I thoroughly very much enjoyed myself. I expected Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey to be light, fluffy but oh boy was I wrong! There was some really cute sweet moments but this book was so steamy!I ! I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS BOOK!.

>City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

This book was a hot mess, I’ve always heard this book wasn’t the greatest and that’s what put me off with continuing with the series.I’m glad I did read it because now I can move on. Jace is literally the worst, in each new book he seems to annoy me more. Simon had some bad choices in this book as well, and I love Simon but i was really disappointed in him. I don’t want to reveal any spoilers so I’ll just finish off by saying that I’m so happy the next book is Clockwork Prince!

> Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

I cannot honestly tell you how many times I’ve read this book, when it was first released I read it over and over. I am loving this re read with the audiobooks, its such a different experience. This book introduces us to so many amazing characters, Lupin, Sirius, Crookshanks (I know hes a cat but I Love him) and the Dementors. One of my favourite things about this series is Harry and Hermione’s friendship. Hermione has so much character development in this book,which makes me love her so much more. The movie really left a lot of things out, which makes me so sad because this book is just so good!

>Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno

I can’t express in words how much I love this book. I want to scream from rooftops about how amazing and stunning this novel is. What drew me to this book was the promise of a witchy F/F relationship.This book was so much more than I was expecting.SUMMER OF SALT is an incredible atmospheric and magical novel that follows Georgina and her family who live on a strange island called By-the-Sea.I really loved this book, I can see myself reading it again. It’s whimsical, atmospheric and queer, and so much more! It is the perfect combination of sweet and dark.

>Well Met by Jen Deluca

THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE ROMANCE BOOK! I loved everything about this book. This is Renaissance Faire-inspired contemporary romance, and a debut novel. This book follows Emily, who has moved in with her sister and niece after her sister was in a car accident. Her Niece wants to participate in the Faire and Emily is told in order for Cait to be able to that Emily must also volunteer. This is where she meets Simon, a grumpy English teacher who is a stickler for the rules. This is a slow burn romance and it is so cute! Everyone needs to add this to there list of book to be on the lookout for in September.

Well there you have iot, all the books i read in the month of June. Let me know down below if you’ve read any of these or if there on your TBR. Also what was your favorite book you read this month? I love hearing your guys thoughts. Have a Happy Canada day tomorrow !

June Book Haul

June 29, 2019June 29, 20191 Comment

Happy Saturday, I hope your all having a good weekend. Can you believe June is over. I really wasn’t expecting to haul so many books this month! But I am so thankful and blessed to have gotten books from publishers and I won a giveaway. I’m really excited about all of these.

Physical Books I Purchased

> Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

> Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

> Tithe by Holly Black

> Valiant by Holly Black

Sent by Publishers / Giveaway I Won

> Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle

> The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

> That Kind of Guy by Talia Hibbert

> Silver in the Woods by Emily Tesh

> Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki

> Wicked Saints by Emily A Duncan

Ebooks Bought / Kindle Unlimited

> All Fired up by Elle Kennedy and Vivian Arend

> On the Way Down by Ella Fox

> On the Rocks by Kandi Steiner

> Getaway Girl by Tessa Bailey

> A really Bad Idea by Jennie Colette

> Center of Gravity by K.K Allen

That’s all for this month! Let me know down below if you got any of these books 😊 To all my Canadian followed, I hope you all have a happy Canada day on Monday ❤️

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

June 26, 2019June 26, 20198 Comments

Arc was provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This book introduces us to Georgie who is the youngest member of her family. She has been trying to make a name for herself outside of the family’s business. They own a construction company, she works as a clown , yes you read that right ! She is a clown and performs at children’s parties. Georgie is tired of everyone in her family, and community treating her as a child.

Now our leading man, Travis; he is a retired baseball player after having an injury to his shoulder. He was force to move back his hometown, he is also Georgie’s older brothers best friend. She has had s crush on him ever since she can remember. He has been sulking in his apartment since returning home and no one can get him to move on. Enter Georgie, she storms into in throwing old Chinese food at his head, and insults to get inside his head.

“Dammit, Georgie. You had to be exactly what I need, didn’t you”

Travis soon finds himself in line for a new job opportunity but his bad reputation might compromise his chances. Georgie approaches him with a deal to help both of them get what they want. They will fake date, making Travis look like a good guy who can make a commitment and in turn he will help Georgie be seen as an adult and not the child everyone sees her as.

Of course, real feelings start to develop and they find themselves in some compromising situations.The romance is perhaps my favorite part of the book because it was so damn swoony!

I absolutely loved Georgie’s character development, she went from a meek quiet girl to a strong empowered woman. She honestly is one of the best written characters I’ve come across. She is witty, smart, strong yet vulnerable.

There is also a side story with the women in the family, they have started a little club to encourage each other with there goals and to be supportive. I loved all the girl power scenes, which just added so much more love to this already fantastic book.

Tessa Bailey wrote a great romance, and I’ve find a new favourite author soon after reading this book I started picking up her backlist titles. This book was just so stinking cute, with a mix of really hot naughty scenes, I read this whole book with a smile of my face.

Summerathon TBR

June 19, 2019June 19, 20196 Comments

THE DATES:
June 21 – June 27

THE HOSTS:
Amy @ A Court of Crowns and Quills

Jen @ Pinot and Pages

Heather @ Bookables

Aimee @ Aimee Reads

Reading Challenges

THE CHALLENGES:
1. A Beachy Read: this can be either a book set at the beach or just a book think would be perfect to read on the beach or poolside.

Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno

2. Sunrise colors on the cover: pink, orange, yellow, purple, blue…really, there are so many directions to go for this.

Josh and Hazels guide to not Dating by Christina Lauren

3. Book with a roadtrip, traveling, or vacation

Next Year in Havana by Chanel

4. Book set in the summer

Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno

5. Food on the cover (Or drink! Make it your own!)

Natalie Tans book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim

6. Drink your favorite summertime drink while reading!

I’m going to leave this challenge open in case I pick something up I really want to read and it doesn’t fit the other challenges.

I’m so excited for all of these books ! Are your participating in this readathon? What are some summer-ey type books your reading?

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

June 16, 2019June 19, 2019Leave a comment

Thank you so much to Dutton, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read Riley Sager’s previous novels and absolutely LOVED them and this one was no different. I had really high hopes for this book and oh boy did it deliver.

Jules Larsen has recently been laid off from her job, broke up with her cheating boyfriend and finding herself in need of a place to live with little to no money. When she accepts a job as an apartment sitter at one of NYC most famous buildings, The Bartholomew, Jules beloved her luck is about to change. The pay is amazing so she pushes away thoughts that this could be to good to be true. Of course there are a lot of rules she must follow; she cannot ever have any visitors, she must sleep in the apartment each night, no sharing anything on social media as the residents of the building are very private. Which also includes no talking to the residents unless they speak to her first.

“Every so often, life offers you a reset button. When it does, you need to press it as hard as you can. “

So, Jules moves into apartment 12A and meets a young girl, Ingrid. Who lives in the apartment below her in 11A, who is also an apartment sitter. They quickly become friends, and agree to meet in Central Park every day at noon for lunch. Ingrid shares her feelings with Jules about how the Bartholomew frightens her but she needs the money so she stays.

The next morning Ingrid is gone, she apparently moved out during the middle of the night without a word to anyone. Jules tried repeatedly to get into contact with her, texts and phone calls go unanswered. Of course Jules becomes worried about the girl and is curious about how she left. As Jules tries to uncover what happened she starts to uncover a series of dark and disturbing secrets that have been happening at The Bartholomew for quiet some time.

This is a fast paced read, suspenseful and it kept me wanting to pick it back up and read until it was finished. There were a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and a few I figured out but it was still an incredible book.I am a huge fan of Sager’s thrillers and I cannot wait to see what he writes next! Definitely recommend if you enjoy atmospheric settings, mystery and shady people.

*Quotes included are from a digital advanced reader’s copy and are subject to change upon final publication

Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

June 10, 2019June 10, 201915 Comments

Thinking about history makes me wonder how I’ll fit into it one day, I guess. And you too. I kinda wish people still wrote like that. History, huh? Bet we could make some.

Trigger warnings for drug use, drinking to excess, outting, depression, grief depiction, racist/homophobic views/statements, and mention of a past attempted sexual assault

I adored this book. So. Much. I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if it ends up being my favorite book of the entire year. I want to mention that this book is new adult (not YA!) So there are some steamy scenes! Most fade to black, but they’re still steamy nonetheless.

In this story, the President of the United States is a democratic woman from Texas who was elected after Obama. Her re election is coming up quickly, the politics and scheming were so well done. The MC Alex, is the son of the president, and is is to attend a royal wedding with his family. At the wedding he comes across Prince Henry, whom he strongly dislikes as he has always been a jerk to Alex in the past. Things get heated between them, an incident occurs where Alex accidentally destroys the wedding cake. In order to get the media to stop with all the negative comments the two families have come up with a game plan that Alex and Henry will spend time together convincing everyone there friends. I bet you can guess what comes after that.

Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz – The First Son, who is quickly realizing that he is bisexual, but slowly coming to terms with how he feels about this new term for himself. He starts to come out to the people in his life he feels safe with. Alex is also biracial (Mexican and white). He’s is bold and confident in himself, he doesn’t shy away from any situation. He is also witty and loyal to his family.

“He’s just as attracted to Henry’s cloudy tempers, the way he comes back from them, and the millions of shades in between.”

Henry George Edward James Fox-Windsor – A Prince of England,in Whales to be specific, who is closeted gay to most in his family and to all public, because he feels the weight of the expectations placed on him by royal family and his country. He is charming, charismatic and handsome.

If you couldn’t guess this is a romantic comedy, so of course I need to talk about the romance. This book starts out as enemies to lovers, and if you didn’t know by know that is my absolute favorite trope in any book! Alex and Henry felt so realistic, and genuinely felt like real people, that I wanted to google them and see how they were doing. . I was rooting for Alex and Henry so hard and fangirling even harder when they started to explore there feelings for each other. I could gush forever, honestly. And the humor in this story! I laughed out loud so many times, especially when it came to the turkeys.There texting/emails are the most adorable thing ever! Casey’s over here making me swoon and killing me with cuteness!

“That kind of love is rare, even if it was a complete disaster.” He sucks his teeth, considering. “Sometimes you just jump and hope it’s not a cliff.”

This book explore other topics such as coming out to your family and friends and how that effects you. This book has so much heart, Alex is very close with his sister June and there friend Nora. There friendships are so pure and I was so here for it. Henry is also very close with his sister Bea. I was rooting so hard for everything happening in this book, from Alex and Henry to the reelection, all of it.

This story is a 10/10 for me. There was not a single thing I could think of that would have made this story better.

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

June 6, 2019June 6, 20197 Comments

ARC provided by the publisher though Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Like many of you I fell in love with the authors debut, The KISS Quotient last year and was really looking forward to her sophomore novel. I didn’t love this installment as much as I did The Kiss Quotient, but I still think that this book is a gem.I just need ya’ll to know the Helen Hoang is my new romance queen.

“Girl loves boy loves girl.”

Just like The Kiss Quotient, this is an ownvoices novel, Helen is Vietnamese and is Autistic. One of my favourite things about this book is seeing the difference between Stella from TKQ and Khai who is the main character of this book. I love how Helen brings enlightenment to the Autism spectrum and how each person has an individual experience and feelings. As I said in my review for TKQ my brother has Aspergers, and people seem to group everyone with autism in the same category. And this book does an amazing job at showing the differences each person experiences.

The Bride Test is written in dual perspective following Esme and Khai. The premise of this book is that Khai’s mother wants him to get married. Khai does not want to get married but his mom believes if she just finds him the perfect woman he will change his mind.

Khai – Vietnamese, Autistic, he is Michaels cousin from TKQ. He believes he can never fall in love, because he feels differently than other people he doesn’t recognize some emotions he experiences. He is a successful accountant at a large company. I really loved him as a character and thought his ba k story was really well written.

Esme – Biracial (Vietnamese and white), living in Vietnam with as a single mother with her daughter, mother and grandmother.She has never met her birth father. She works as a housekeeper in a hotel, where she meets a woman offering g her a chance to fly to California and marry her son, Khai. As the story goes on she developed real feelings for Khai. I really liked Esme as a character, she’s ambitious and hardworking, while being sweet and funny.

“My heart works in a different way, but it’s yours.”

I adore both Khai and Esme! Their chemistry was amazing and I loved how there relationship organic grew. They’re vastly different, but also worked so well together.I LOVED the relationship between Khai and his brother Quan. I really hope the next book will be his story!

My few complaints: As a parent I really didn’t like how Esme hid the fact that she had a daughter. Her child is a huge part of her life and ordinarily the main reason she agreed to come to California. She wants to give her a better life but yet she doesn’t tell anyone about her. I also wasn’t to thrilled about the Epilogue but I can’t talk about that because I don’t want to spoil anything.

Overall, The Bride Test wasn’t on the same level as The Kiss Quotient but it was still incredibly enjoyable.