Reading Round Up April 1-10th

Happy April Book Friends!! I managed to read 4 books in my first round up and I am ok with that. I know that my reading is slower now because of school with my kids during the day. I did one blog tour, one ARC and 2 audio books. I am finding that audio books are helping me get more reading done right now!

Sensational by Jodie Lynn Zdrok – 3.5 Stars This is the second book in a duology that follows our main character Nathalie. Nathalie inherited her power from her father and it manifests itself when she touches a body or glass infant of one so she can determine if they were murdered or not.  Her power works as a vision from the killers perspective right before the victim dies.  This book follows Nathalie and her friends as she tries to find the killer who is beheading his victims in the fashion of the French Revolution including using a guillotine.  The victims were all found around The World’s Fair that was taking place in Paris in 1889 and introduced the Eiffel Tower.

I really enjoyed the story of Nathalie and her friends. I also thought the premise of how the blood magic worked.  I found it unique and interesting. I also loved the setting, Paris is one of my favorite cities in the world and I loved following around these characters.  I think it would have been so cool to experience the world exposition in Paris at that time.  The Eiffel Tower was completed for this exposition and I enjoyed reading more about it.  Every time the author mentioned something interesting I found myself going to down the rabbit hole of google to learn more about them.  I never knew that the morgue was a tour destination at this time and that people would line up all day just to see the bodies they had on display.  I also learned that vin de coca was wine laced with cocain and this led to the making of coke-a-cola. I love when a book can teach me things I didn’t already know.

What I didn’t like about the book was that the author would intermix French terms and phrases and at times I found this to be distracting.  A lot of them were common phrases but a few I had never heard before and had to look them up.  I was also disappointed by the ending of this book, I felt that it rushed the ending of the characters after figuring out the mystery.  I wanted a little more for the characters that I had come to know while reading their story.  Overall this was still a fun read and if you like your history with a little bit of magic then this is a great pick!

You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle – 4 Stars This story follows Naomi and Nicholas as they play a game of chicken to see who can cancel their wedding first. When I first started this book I was not sure if I was not sure if I was going to like it. I found Naomi to be very mean towards her fiance, she would talk about how she only loved him 20% or 10%. However, as we get deeper into their relationship things start to make more sense as to why they are having troubles. The things these two characters did to each other was hilarious. I love when a romance book takes a couple who is already together and the story is about them working on their relationship. As I am someone who has been in a relationship for so long, I like to see these stories of how couples work to stay together. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a fun and easy romance! This one comes out on Tuesday April 7, 2020. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you Netgalley and Putnam Books.

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle – 4 Stars I listened to this book in one day while I was driving around for work. I was really surprised with where it went. I thought this would be a love story and in a way it was. It was about the bond between 2 friends who have been through everything together and when tragedy happens how they deal with it together. Danny I really enjoyed this book!! But be prepared to cry!

Follow Me by Kathleen Barber – 3 Stars This was another audio book for me and I really enjoyed the narrators. We have three points of view for this book, the first is only referred to as Him and he is the one of Audrey’s Instagram Followers. The second narrator is Audrey who is an influencer and just recently moved to DC. The third pov is from Audrey’s roommate and friend, Cat. We follow Audrey as she chronicles her new job in life in DC and what happens when someone becomes obsessed with you due to your online presence. I enjoyed this story and thought the pacing was well done. I didn’t see the twist coming at the end and I liked being surprised. My only complaint was that EVERY single person who met Audrey instantly liked her and was in love with her. She was described as nothing special and yet attracted everyone! Over all a fun read and I liked all 3 narrators.

Until Next Time, Happy Reading!