Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews {5}

Back for another edition of Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews! So I feel a little bad giving mini-reviews to two of my hands down, all-time, will buy everything they write, favorite authors but I just love them so much that it's hard for me to articulate WHAT makes me love them so much so flailing mini-reviews of feels combined with JUST READ THE BOOK YOURSELF ALREADY is what we get. Susanna Kearsley and Mhairi McFarlane deserve more words than I give them but I just haven't figured out how to translate flails into text yet. Maybe one day. Enjoy!

As you probably know by now, Susanna Kearsley has become an instant favorite author. Her books speak to me on such a deep level. I feel as literally transported as is possible while not leaving my couch. Which actually fits perfectly with her books because they almost always involve some sort of transportation. Kismet. The Rose Garden did not disappoint in any respect from what I have come to expect from Kearsley. This book had love. Longing. Deep and complex emotions. Historical elements. Time travel. It was incredible. It's truly hard for me to articulate exactly what makes these book so special to me, they just are. The fill me with a desire. A sense of longing parallel to what her characters are feelings. I feel at home when reading her books. I feel like I want to experience a journey just like her characters and book a plane ticket to somewhere in Britain and never come back. How I feel about the UK and the feelings it invokes in me for no reason at all is exactly how her characters always seem to feel so I feel akin to her characters in a way I never thought I would be able to feel. She describes these places and sense of belonging to a place you shouldn't feel a longing for in the exact way I feel I cannot say enough how much I love her books and will enjoying re-reading all of them immensely and eagerly await for her newest book! Rating: VIP

Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews {4}

Another round of mini-reviews from some books I've read over the past few weeks!

After my The Winter Sea high I was so excited to start this and while I liked it and enjoyed reading it, it was a very small letdown compared to The Winter Sea however I still couldn't put it down and find myself thinking about it even after finishing. Disappointment might be too harsh a word, it was just different than what I expected. Very minimal historical element which is something I wasn't anticipating and what really attracted me to these books in the first place. It was a bit difficult to get into a rhythm with this book even though I wanted to keep reading. I finished it quite quickly (over 2.5 days) but I didn't have that enveloping feeling as I did with her previous book I read. Positives? It takes place in Scotland. The imagery of writing takes your right to the Borderlands with the harbor in the distance and the beautiful fields of Scotland right in my mind's eye. The book was also extremely character-driven rather than plot-driven. I loved getting to know the motley crew of characters and it made up for the lack of Roman history I was expecting. Also, with the addition of a ghost, it was the perfect book to read around Halloween!
Reserved Seating

The Best of Books {2016}

This week I'm going to be doing The Best of 2016. Today is books! I'm going to highlight my favorite reads of 2016! I read a lot of great books this year but not too many made a long-lasting impression but the ones that did were worth it. I'm talking about the books you keep thinking about long after you finish reading them, the books that you complete and the thought of starting another book fills you with lackluster eh emotion. These are my books. These books gave me light, made me remember why I love reading, and why I will always believe that reading is magic made real.

Fantasyland by Kristen Ashley

(Note: This is also probably my favorite review I've written of the year!)

"We all know I read a lot, I'm sure if you're reading this you read a lot too so you know...you KNOW and understand that special moment when a book or series hits you right in the face and heart and feels and soul and you didn't expect it. This is how I feel about this series."

Review

The Merridew Sisters by Anne Gracie

"On par with the Wallflowers and Hathaways, the Merridew sisters will steal your heart...and their men aren't so bad themselves."

Review

The Chance Sisters by Anne Gracie

"After reading and absolutely loving the Merridew Sister series by Anne Gracie, I knew I wanted to read her Chance sisters series ASAP. I was not disappointed!! I am convinced Anne Gracie is historical romance's best kept secret." 

Review

Neighbors from Hell by RL Matthewson

"Omg this was so freaking good!!!! HILARIOUS, sweet, sexy, perfect travel read! I looked forward to my train rides because this was so fun and easy to get into!"

Words Have the Power to Change Us // Mhairi McFarlane

I debated writing this post because there's a high likelihood of me coming off like asshole. But then I remembered I don't really care and here we are. I recently read my second Mhairi McFarlane novel, Who's That Girl, and it was amazing! Without going into a mini-review I knew that when I read the quote above that I wanted to talk about it. Background of the quote: Main character has feelings for a coworker, he has a girlfriend yet blatantly leads the main character on via chatting, only to have another acquaintance be brutally honest and tell her he's an irrelevant person because he is. He's a jerk with no regards for how his actions affect other people etc.. Why does this quote resonate with me? Probably not for the reason you think.