Get To Know The Fantasy Reader Book Tag

I saw this a couple of weeks ago on Kristen Kraves Books and her post can be seen here.

Rules

  • Make sure you give credit to the original creators of this tag – this tag was originally created by Bree Hill.
  • If you want to, pingback to the post you first saw this tag.
  • Have fun!

1. What is your fantasy origin story? (The first fantasy you read) The first fantasy I read was Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind. I was on a road trip with my husband back when we were in high school and he was reading this book and I started reading over his shoulder and wanted to read it as soon as he was done.

2. If you could be the hero in a fantasy novel, who would be the author, and what’s one trope you’d insist be in the story? I would want Juliet Marillier to write my story because I love her fairy tale like stories and I would want an enemies to lovers trope just like she did for Liadan and Bran.

3. What is a fantasy series you’ve read this year, that you want more people to read? The Others by Anne Bishop. Its such a unique take on shifters its a great Urban fantasy series!

4. What is your favorite fantasy subgenre? Urban fantasy, it’s my go to! I love Anne Bishop, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Jeaniene Frost, JR Ward, Nalini Singh.

5. What subgenre have you not read much from? Grimdark, Im not sure I have ever read any from this subgenre.

6. Who is one of your auto-buy fantasy authors? Juliet Marillier, Nalini Singh, Lynsay Sands, Anne Bishop and Ilona Andrews.

7. How do you typically find fantasy recommendations?  I have some friends and youtubers that I follow and will take their recommendations but I have become a lot more picky about the fantasy I read as I get older.

8. What is an upcoming fantasy release you’re excited for? Ruby Fever the new Ilona Andrews, the next Rebecca Ross book A Fire Endless and Storm Echo by Nalini Singh.

9. What is one misconception about fantasy you would like to lay to rest? That fantasy is not just YA books. Most of what I see recommended is YA fantasy and there is so much more to the genre than just that.

10. If someone had never read a fantasy before and asked you to recommend the first 3 books that come to mind, what would those recommendations be? Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh, this series is a lot of fun and the world building is fantastic but not overly complicated. Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, this was my first Urban Fantasy series and it is still a favorite! Kate is such a badass! Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier, this is a fairy tale retelling set in ancient Ireland and Juliet is a master story teller. I can never recommend this series enough!

11. Who is the most recent fantasy reading content creator you came across that you’d like to shoutout? Kristen Kraves Books!

WWW Wednesday – 6/29

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived by Sam on Taking on a World of Words. All you have to do is answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!

What are you currently reading?

  • The Beach Trip by Ali Brady – 75% into this one and I AM LOVING IT!!!
  • Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley – 52% into this one and I am enjoying it so far.
  • The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark – started this arc awhile ago but only about 14% in, having a hard time getting into it.


What did you recently finish reading?

  • Seven Days In June by Tia Williams – 2 Stars
  • Beach House Summer by Sarah Morgan – 4 Stars
  • The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray – 1 Star
  • American Royalty by Tracey Livesay – 3 Stars
  • The Woman In The Library by Sulari Gentill – 4 Stars

What do you think you’ll read next?

  • The Moment I Met You by Debbie Johnson – This came out already but the publisher sent me a copy so I would like to get to it.
  • The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager

What are you currently reading? Let me know in the comments below!

Top 5 Tuesday: June 28th 2022

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Shanah @the Bionic Bookworm and is now being hosted by Meeghan @Meeghan Reads. This week’s topic is Top 5 books of 2022… so far.

When I was trying to come up with my five favorites so far this year I went and looked at all my 5 stars and I had 13 so far! Narrowing it down was hard but I think these are my five favorites so far for the year! Honorable mention to Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez, Silence For The Dead by Simone St. James and Homecoming King by Penny Reid!

  • Running Wild by K.A. Tucker – I read this back in January and I still love it so much!!
  • Crowbones by Anne Bishop – This is one of my favorite fantasy series and I really liked the setting and characters in this one.
  • Everything For You by Chloe Liese – Chloe’s books have all been 5 stars but I think Oliver’s book could be my favorite!
  • A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn – After reading this one the Veronica Speedwell series quickly became a favorite and I can not wait for next year when we get a new book!
  • The Last Train To Key West by Chanel Cleeton – This one was a backlist for me and I am so sad it took me so long to get to. I loved this one and the stories of the three women that we follow in it.

Where are some of your favorite books you have read this year?

July New Releases

Hi Friends! Im sharing some of my anticipated July releases today! Do we have any we are both looking forward too? Or did I miss any of your most anticipated books for July? If so let me know down in the comments!

  • Dream On by Angie Hockman – 7/5 – Contemporary romance
  • The It Girl by Ruth Ware – 7/12 – Mystery/Thriller
  • Eclipse The Moon by Jessie Mihalik – 7/12 – second book in this sci-fi romance series.
  • What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher – 7/12 – The Fall of the House of Usher retelling, creepy horror about a house with fungal growths and possessed wildlife. Already Pre-ordered!
  • Things We Do In The Dark by Jennifer Hillier – 7/19 – New thriller!
  • The Bodyguard by Katherine Center – 7/19 – really enjoyed this one but I love all of her books!
  • The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – 7/19 – Can not wait for this historical science fiction book! Already pre-ordered.
  • The Retreat by Sarah Pearse – 7/19 – Sequel to The Sanatorium.
  • From The Jump by Lacie Waldon – 7/19 – Contemporary romance!
  • Folk Around and Find Out by Penny Reid – 7/21 – I am always excited for any Penny Reid book that comes out!
  • The Last To Vanish by Megan Miranda – 7/26 – Auto buy author for me.
  • Storm Echo by Nalini Singh – 7/26 – This is probably my all time favorite paranormal series and I have been anxiously awaiting this one since last year!

Reading Round Up: June 11th – 20th Part 2

Here is the rest of my reading for this round up! I kept re-reading some favorites as well as getting something off my backlist!

In A Badger Way by Shelly Laurenston – 4 Stars This is book 2 in The Honey Badger series and this one follows the youngest sister. Also a re-read for me and pretty much the same as the first, spicy funny and filled with action.

Happiness For Beginners by Katherine Center – 4 Stars Since first reading How To Walk Away I have read all of Katherine Center’s books as soon as they are released but I have still wanted to go back and read her earlier works. This one was fun because one of the side characters is the main character in a future book and I love seeing glimpses of them before and after their books. Helen is recently divorced and decides to take a two week survival course along with her little brother’s best friend. This was a fun age gap romance but I will say at times it felt very insta lovey and thats never my favorite. Still a great book and highly recommend if you are fan of Katherine Center’s books.

Flying Solo by Linda Holmes – 3 Stars I read Evvie Drake a few years ago and loved it so I was excited to pick up the author’s newest book Flying Solo. I felt like this book was trying to make a case for woman who want to remain single their entire lives and really pushed that agenda. Maybe I was reading more into it but thats how it felt coming across. Laurie is returning home to Maine to clean out her great aunts house after she passes away and finds a wood carved decoy duck and starts to look into the history of it. While Laurie is home she reconnects with her high school boyfriend and the two start something while knowing it can’t lead anywhere. Overall I still really enjoyed the writing style, I just wasn’t that into the story.

Badger To The Bone by Shelly Laurenston – 5 Stars Still making my way through this series and this one follows the middle sister and her baskestball team that is all shifters. Again these books are wild, hilarious. spicy and fun.

Stuck With You By Ali Hazelwood – 3 Stars This a the second in a novella series following three woman in STEM. This one was not as good for me as the first, wasn’t a fan of the structure or the romance. Felt very insta love which is not my favorite.

Mid Year Book Freakout Tag

Hello Friends! I am here today with a tag, unfortunately I am not sure who the originator is but I found it on Youtube. If you like tags then consider our self tagged!

–The Questions–

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2022 – I always find this to be a hard question because I enjoy so many books! Running Wild by K.A. Tucker, Crowbones by Anne Bishop and Everything For You by Chloe Liese have been some of top favorites so far this year.

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2022 – Pretty much the same answers from question #1 as they were all sequels.

3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to. – Children On The Hill by Jennifer McMahon

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year. – The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Storm Echo by Nalini Singh

5. Biggest disappointment. – Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto, this book was a waste of my reading time and I really hated it.

6. Biggest surprise. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn, this book lead to the love of one of my new favorite series. Also Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez, I wasn’t a huge fan when I read her first two books but this one was fantastic and now I want to go back and re-read her first two again.

7. Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you) Deanna Raybourn of course!

8. Newest fictional crush. Oliver from Everything For You, he was just such a sweet cutie and while normally I am drawn to Gavin who was a cross between Roy Kent and Kulti I just couldn’t get over how much I loved Oliver! I even got an Oliver book mark from @stephsbookherapy over on instagram!

9. Newest favourite character. Veronica Speedwell from the Veronica Speedwell series, she was so much fun to read about! Especially an independent woman in late 1800’s Engalnd.

10. Book that made you cry. So many, I am big cryer but Life’s Too Short wrecked me! Also Meet Me In Paradise by Libby Hubscher had me crying like a baby through most of the book.

11. Book that made you happy. Again there are way too many that made me happy but here are some that didn’t make other lists on this tag. Nora Goes Off Script, Homecoming King, Maggie Moves On and Part Of Your World.

12. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received) I personally love all the covers for Chanel Cleetons books. They always invoke such feelings for me. I also loved Crowbones this year.

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year? I always like to say all of them but really I don’t NEED to read any there are just a bunch I want too. Here are a few that are older, some just came out and some are not out yet that I would like to get too this year.

WWW Wednesday – 6/22

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived by Sam on Taking on a World of Words. All you have to do is answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!

What are you currently reading?

  • Seven Days In June by Tia Williams – Picked this one up on a whim and I am 61% into it.
  • The Children On The Hill by Jennifer McMahon – Only about 10% into this but trying to finish this for the live show with The booktroop!
  • The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark – started this arc awhile ago but only about 14% in, having a hard time getting into it.


What did you recently finish reading?

  • In A Badgered Way by Shelly Laurenston – 4 Stars
  • Happiness For Beginners by Katherine Center – 4 Stars
  • Flying Solo by Linda Holmes – Stars Somewhere between a 3 and 4 star still deciding on my feelings.
  • Badger To The Bone by Shelly Laurenston – 5 Stars
  • Stuck With You By Ali Hazelwood – 3 Stars
  • The Change by Kirsten Miller – Stars Still deciding on what to rate this one.

What do you think you’ll read next?

  • The Moment I Met You by Debbie Johnson – This came out already but the publisher sent me a copy so I would like to get to it.
  • The Woman In The Library by Sulari Gentill – Hoping to start this audio soon as I have a bookclub discussion on Saturday about it!
  • American Royalty by Tracey Livesay – Arc coming out next week that I want to get too.

What are you currently reading? Let me know in the comments below!

Top 5 Tuesday: June 21st 2022

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Shanah @the Bionic Bookworm and is now being hosted by Meeghan @Meeghan Reads. This week’s topic is Top 5 rainy day reads.

I went with comfort reads, something that makes me feel cozy while curled up under a blanket. These are all books I go to when I want something familiar that I know I am going to love.

  • Son Of Shadows by Juliette Marillier – Fantasy
  • Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata – Romance
  • Shield of Winter by Nalini Singh – Paranormal Romance
  • Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese – Romance
  • Beauty and The Mustache by Penny Reid – Romance

Where are some of your favorite books to pick up on a rainy day?

Reading Round Up: June 11th – 20th Part 1

Hi Friends! I read a lot again during this round up. My husband has been out of town for the last two weeks and my kids are in camp so I have been treating myself with reading and very little chores! Also audio books really help!

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley – 3 Stars This was the third book I have tried by this author and the first one I have finished. The idea of it being set in Paris is what really drew me and over all I enjoyed the atmosphere of this book. This story follows a woman who goes to visit her brother in Paris but when she gets there he is not there. This book when to weird places but I was along for the ride and was very much enjoying myself until the end. I was left with so many unanswered questions at the end, if it wasn’t for that I might have added a star to it.

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers – 3 Stars I am so glad I knew that this book focused more on personal growth than a romance going into it. There is a romance but it really is on the back burner for the book. Grace has been working very hard to finish up her PhD in Astronomy but now that its done she doesn’t know what to do next. While in Vegas celebrating she ends up married to a woman that she doesn’t have any real memories of doing. The story follows her running off to New York to spend some time with her wife and trying to figure out whats next. I really enjoyed the first half of this book and the writing was so pretty! I felt like the second half dragged and then a lot was crammed into the end. I am curious to see what the author does next because the writing was so good!

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley – No Stars This was pretty much a DNF. I got about a third of the way in and just didn’t care what was happening but I did skim the rest of the book to get the main plot points and it didn’t make me regret my decision to not finish it.

Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston – 4 Stars This one was a re-read and it follows the oldest sister of three honey badger shifters. These books are crazy fun and completely out there! They are full of humor and action as well as a spicy romance. This is the first in the Honey Badger Chronicles.

How To Fake It In Hollywood by Ava Wilder – 5 Stars I loved this book and read it in one day! This follows grey who was a child actor and is trying to break it into adult roles. Her publicist decides that she should fake date an actor who is trying to get his reputation back up. Ethan lost his best friend five years ago and then went through a messy divorce now he spends his days usually drinking and being alone. The two initially don’t hit it off but after a few weeks they both realize there might be something more. This one is heavy on the romance but also has great character development for both Grey and Ethan. As with most books for me I could have used more in the end but thats because I like stories to be completely completed. Highly recommend this one!

Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough – DNF Got about 30% in but it was not holding my interest at all. The story felt all over the place and I wasn’t sure what was going on.

Reading Round Up: June 1st – 10th Part 2

Hello Friends! Here is part 2 of my round up! If you have read any of these let me know your thoughts below in the comments!

Fool Me Once by Ashley Winstead – 4 Stars Do you ever see a book and read the reviews and decide it’s not for you to only end up reading it anyways and really liking it? That was this one for me! After not finishing the authors first book I was reluctant to try her new romance and then seeing a certain review I decided I was going to skip it. But it ended up in my @authenticbooks box so I gave it it a chance and I am so glad I did! This book gave me all the feels and I was rooting for our main characters the entire time! My only draw back for this one is it is centered around politics and thats just not my jam. Can’t wait to see what she does next!!

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan – 5 Stars I spent an entire day on the couch and read this entire book in one sitting because I had been sick and didn’t want to do anything else. I could not put it down!!  This is about Nora who writes scripts for a Hallmark like channel but ends up writing something more dark while going through a divorce. The new script is picked up and they actually use her house for part of the filming which is how she meets actor and former sexiest man alive Leo Vance. Leo needing a break asks to stay on Nora’s property and the two start up a friendship. I could have used a little more at the end but otherwise this book was pretty perfect! Thank you @bookswithnopictures for passing this one along so I could read with you! If you are looking for a good vacation read I would look into this one!

Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering – 4 Stars I am not sure how to categorize this book, the closest I can think of would be a domestic suspense. We are following two different points of view and a few different timelines, our main characters are Molly and Sabrina. Molly meets Jack in 2013 and they had a relationship while hi band was just taking off now in present day she is married to Hunter and living in a small town in Connecticut. Molly is struggling with her life and not fitting into their new town when she meets Sabrina. The two quickly become friends but Sabrina is keeping secrets and when they are revealed both of their lives will change. I really enjoyed this one and once I started I could not put it down. The story was fast paced and I didn’t have any problems when we jumped back in time. I have another book by this author and I am excited to read it after enjoying this so much. Thank you St. Martin’s Press for my gifted copy for review!

After The Bite by Lynsay Sands – 5 Stars This book doesn’t come out till September but I could not resist starting it once I was approved! This is book #35 in The Argeneau series and follows Enforcer Valerian as he is tasked with protecting Natalie and her daughter from a possible serial killer. Natalie is the owner of a golf course and one evening while mowing the green she is attacked, Valerian who was finishing up his round of golf witnesses the attack and comes to her aid. While trying to help her Valerian discovers that he can not control her which means he may have finally found his life mate! I always enjoy these books, they are one of my all time favorite series and every book as just as good as the first! I especially love getting to see past characters as well as the fact that these stories have over arcing plots so the books are connected. However, this one is a good starting place because the story is a new one and the only spoiler would be seeing a few of the couples from previous books. If you are looking for a fun paranormal romance series with excellent writing, great action and swoony romance than I would highly recommend this one! This one is out September 27th but the previous 34 books are already out. Thank you Avon for my gifted copy for review!

On Rotation by Shirlene Obuobi – 3 Stars Angela Appiah is a Ghanaian-American who is in medical school and recently bombed a major test much to this disappointment of her family and on top of that she was just dumped. Deciding she needed a me day she goes to a street fair and has a good cry in a secluded garden. While in the garden Angela meets Ricky who was in there drawing, the two decide to spend the day together and strike up a friendship. This story is much more than just the progression of their relationship but also about the struggles that Angela goes through as a med student as well as first born daughter who feels the weight of her family on her shoulders alone. I really struggled with this one and I am not sure why. The writing drew me and I read it very quickly but I never felt attached to the two characters and wasn’t very invested in their story. Over all this one was just ok for me but I am curious to see what else this author writes in the future. Thank you Avon and Netgalley for my gifted copy for review.