Lifestyle Of Me

Saturday, April 15, 2023

Review: A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab SPOILERS

A year and a half after reading the first book, I finally made time for the sequel and it captured my attention from the very beginning, with a character that I didn't care for that much. Lila Bard was always hyped up when people would talk about this series and she just wasn't my cup of tea.

The start of this book has pirates and how Lila was in a certain situation immediately hooked me. I was worried when I picked this up that I wouldn't remember much about the four Londons or the magic system or the characters and I remembered pretty much everything.

Surprisingly this was my favorite over the first. I was intrigued with everything and loved the characters. The 4 star rating is definitely worth it but I did dock a star because it took me a week and a half to get through and I am not a slow reader. I just put it down and I sometimes had to hype myself to pick it up because the constant descriptions of the same thing, settings, magic feeling, how the characters were bruised was annoying as hell.

With the ending being a cliffhanger, I can't wait to see what happens to Kell, Rhy, Alucard and Lila. Did Lila survive at the end and make it. Is she an Antari for real. Is Rhy and Alucard going to try to save Kell?

Friday, April 14, 2023

Review: Shattered Midnight by Dhonielle Clayton

The sequel to one of my favorite books from last year. I couldn't wait to get to this one because I am a fan of generational family stories. This takes place years after the events of the first book Broken Wish by Julie C Dao and this one was good, but it was not like the first one. I loved that there were mentions of Mathilda and Agnes and Hanau, Germany.

This one takes place in New Orleans and I am quickly finding myself considering New Orleans a place that is top of my bucket list. I felt that I was there in New Orleans because of the descriptive settings and also I did read this in the middle of a heat wave, so it was fitting.

It does have the plot of race. Our main character Zora is of mixed race but she is considered black because she passes more black than white. She is originally from New York, but her mother sent her to New Orleans to hide because she cannot control her magic and she ends up killing her mother's white employer.

She ends up staying with her high society aunt and her two daughters and this is where the fairy tale aspect comes into play because it is not exactly Cinderella evil stepmother and step sisters but it is close enough. Zora has to become a debutante and become a good little girl who needs to find a husband to take care of her. She is matched with a good son whose family owns a cotton company. But along the way Zora becomes entangled with a white boy who is from Agnes' side of the family from Broken Wish and the towns people call the family cursed.

Like I said, I enjoyed reading this but it didn't grab my attention like the first one and also race problems. How Zora was treated and just looked down upon and hated.

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

BLOG TOUR: Talk of the Town by Jennifer Bardsley

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the TALK OF THE TOWN by Jennifer Bardsley Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: TALK OF THE TOWN

Author: Jennifer Bardsley

Pub. Date: April 11, 2023

Publisher: Montlake

Formats: Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 379

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/TALK-OF-THE-TOWN

In this lighthearted romance filled with small-town humor and high jinks, an unsuspecting real estate agent becomes the wildest dream come true for all the single moms—except the one he wants.

They’re coworkers, friends, and confidants, but Peter Marshal has always pined for a little something more with Noelle Walters. As a widow and a single mom, Noelle prefers to play it safe, and falling for Peter was never part of the plan.

Then again, neither of their plans accounted for the well-meaning but meddling actions of Peter’s sister, who offers him up as their town’s most eligible bachelor in the local moms’ Facebook group. He’s none the wiser about the source of this sudden surge in attention, but he only has eyes for Noelle. And from where she’s standing on the sidelines of Peter’s popularity, it’s getting harder to pretend that she doesn’t see what everyone else sees in her best friend.

With all eyes on them, will Peter and Noelle finally see beyond the hurdles to the happily ever after that’s been there all along?

Review: coming soon

About Jennifer Bardsley:

Jennifer Bardsley believes in friendship, true love, and the everlasting power of books. A graduate of Stanford University, she lives in Edmonds, Washington, with her husband and two children. Bardsley’s column, I Brake for Moms, has appeared in the Everett Herald every week since 2012. She also writes young adult paranormal romance under the pen name Louise Cypress. When Bardsley is not writing books or camping with her Girl Scout troop, you can find her walking from her house to the beach every chance she gets.

To find out more, visit www.jenniferbardsley.com or join her Facebook reader group, Jennifer Bardsley’s Book Sneakers.

Subscribe to Jennifer’s newsletter!

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of TALK OF THE TOWN, US Only.

Ends May 6^th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

4/1/2023

The Momma Spot

Excerpt or Guest Post

Week Two:

4/2/2023	Writer of Wrongs	Excerpt or Guest Post
4/3/2023	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt or Guest Post/IG Post
4/4/2023	Author Z. Knight’s Guild	Excerpt or Guest Post/IG Post
4/5/2023	@jael_and_jenessa_reads	Review/IG Post
4/6/2023	Crandom	Excerpt or Guest Post/IG Post
4/7/2023	@allyluvsbooksalatte	IG Post
4/8/2023	Reads by Radus	Excerpt/IG Post/TikTok Post

Week Three:

4/9/2023	@dastardly.reads	Review/IG Post
4/10/2023	Rajiv's Reviews	Review/IG Post
4/11/2023	@fieldstone_lfl	IG Post
4/12/2023	Lifestyle of Me	Review
4/13/2023	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
4/14/2023	The Book View	Review/IG Post
4/15/2023	Review Thick And Thin	Review/IG Post

Week Four:

4/16/2023	onemused	IG Post
4/17/2023	NeverKnotReading	IG Review
4/18/2023	Secretreadinglife	IG Review
4/19/2023	Breysreviews	Review/IG Post
4/20/2023	laura's bookish life	Review/IG Post
4/21/2023	More Books Please blog	Review/IG Post
4/22/2023	jeff_of_allmedia	IG Post

Week Five:

4/23/2023	Tracey Reads and Rambles	Review/IG Post
4/24/2023	@thrillersandhistoricalfiction	IG Review
4/25/2023	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic
4/26/2023	@carlysunshinebooks	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic
4/27/2023	OneMoreExclamation	Review/IG Post
4/28/2023	Brandi Danielle Davis	IG Review/TikTok Post
4/29/2023	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post

Week Six:

4/30/2023

@jypsylynn

IG Review

Thursday, April 6, 2023

BLOG TOUR: When We Had Summer by Jennifer Castle

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the WHEN WE HAD SUMMER by Jennifer Castle Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: WHEN WE HAD SUMMER

Author: Jennifer Castle

Pub. Date: April 25, 2023

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 336

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/WHEN-WE-HAD-SUMMER

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants meets 13 Little Blue Envelopes in this new young adult novel about a tight-knit, daring, and eclectic group of friends who dedicate every summer to completing their #SummerSistersBucketList together – that is until one of their own passes away.

Best friends Carly, Daniella, Lainie, and Penny – aka the self-proclaimed #SummerSisters – have been coming to the New Jersey shore town of Ocean Park Heights ever since they could remember. And every year, the girls make a bucket list and dedicate their entire summer to completing every item on it, documenting their wacky escapades on FotoSlam for everyone to see. It’s their tradition, and as long as the Summer Sisters had each other, the rocky jetty on the shore, and their bucket list, that would never change. Right?

But then, tragedy strikes after Carly – the mastermind behind the bucket list– unexpectedly passes away. As the remaining Summer Sisters try to wrap their heads around their best friend’s death, life seems determined to throw more curveballs at the girls, threatening to split the Summer Sisters up for good. Daniella is accepted to a prestigious music academy in New York City, Lainie finds out her family is moving to Florida and leaving Ocean Park Heights for good, and Penny struggles to find her footing as she feels ready to leave childhood behind more quickly than either of her friends. What will hold them together with Carly gone and the Summer Sisters seemingly over?

Then, Daniella finds Carly’s final bucket list. And just like that, the Summer Sisters are back! But of course, things don’t always go as planned, and the girls try their hardest to navigate grief, loss, and coming-of-age woes while keeping the Summer Sisters – and Carly’s memory – alive.

Review: coming soon

About Jennifer Castle:

Jennifer Castle is the author of twelve books for children and teens, including the novels for BLAIRE WILSON, American Girl's Girl of the Year 2019. Her YA novels published by HarperCollins include THE BEGINNING OF AFTER, which was an American Library Association Best Fiction for Young Adults selection, YOU LOOK DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE, WHAT HAPPENS NOW, and TOGETHER AT MIDNIGHT. Her four-book middle grade fantasy series from Bloomsbury USA is BUTTERFLY WISHES. She’s also the co-author of two non-fiction books, FAMOUS FRIENDS: BEST BUDS, ROCKY RELATIONSHIPS, AND AWESOMELY ODD COUPLES FROM PAST TO PRESENT and FRIENDS AND FRENEMIES: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE AWKWARD. Jennifer lives in New York's Hudson Valley with her husband, two daughters, and two cats/writing assistants on the edge of deep woods that are most definitely filled with magic...she just hasn't found it yet. You can visit her online at www.jennifercastle.com.