DNF Review: Snowflakes on Silver Cove by Holly Martin

I received a copy of the this novel for an honest review from Netgalley. 

Genre: Holiday Romance
Publication: 10/30/2015 by Bookouture
Series: White Cliff Bay #2
Pages: 294 Pages
Source: e-ARC
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars (DNF)
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Goodreads Summary:
Libby Joseph is famous for her romantic Christmas stories. Every December, readers devour her books of falling in love against the magical backdrop of the Christmas season. If only Libby believed in the magic herself…  

Struggling to finish her current novel, Libby turns to her best friend and neighbour George Donaldson to cheer her up. But George also needs a bit of support himself. Nervous about getting back into the dating saddle after splitting from his wife, he and Libby strike a deal. She will teach George how to win over the ladies, and Libby will in turn be inspired to inject her novel with a good dose of romance.  As Libby and George explore the beautiful White Cliff Bay on a series of romantic Christmas-themed dates, Libby finds herself having more fun than she’s had in ages and…discovers feelings that she never knew she had for George. But is it too late? Will George win someone else’s heart or can Libby act like the heroine in one of her stories and reach for her own love under the mistletoe this Christmas? Snuggle up with a piece of Christmas cake and mulled wine, and spend the festive season at White Cliff Bay. You won’t want to leave! Christmas at Lilac Cottage also out now.

My Thoughts: 
After some deliberation, I decided to put this book down. I am just not interested in finishing it at this current moment. Why may you ask? Well, this story just isn't for me right now. I requested it back when I was craving romance but when I actually got around to reading it, I just wasn't in the mood. There is nothing wrong with this book but there also isn't anything that makes it unique. It's a classic holiday romance and if that is what you're looking for this is definitely your book. 

I made it 50% of the way through this book and I think I have a good feel for the story. The biggest reason that this book isn't holding my attention is that every time I put it down I just don't have the desire to pick it back up. I enjoy my time while reading but once I set it down I never feel like going back to it. I would really have to push myself to pick it up to finish and I don't want to have to push myself when there are numerous other books I am interested in reading right now. 

I do enjoy the characters in this book and there is a lot of humorous dialogue between our love interests. It also follows a friends to lovers plot which is one of my favourite romance tropes. However, I think I can figure out what is going to happen so I don't feel bad setting this book aside. I do honestly recommend this to people who are a fan of romances. This is cute and not too in your face (as far as I have read anyway). I guess I have learned my lesson, don't try and read cutesy holiday romances when you are in a serious fantasy mood. 

Review: My True Love Gave To Me - Edited by Stephanie Perkins

Genre: YA, Holiday Romance
Publication: 08/14/2014 by St. Martin's Press
Pages: 336 Pages
Source: Library E-Book
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary
If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year's there's something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.


My Thoughts
This book came into my life just at the right time. I was looking for Romance and some Holiday spirit, and I found just want I needed. I also thought I should get it from the library before the holiday rush. I enjoyed this book for the most part, I really enjoyed some of the stories in this book and there were others I could care less about.

My favourite stories in the anthology were Midnights by Rainbow Rowell and It's A Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins. Midnights was very bittersweet and it reminded me of New Years Eves of my past. I was super flustered after reading this story for hours, so many memories. Also, Stephanie Perkins story was so sweet that I nearly melted. I loved how the story was told and how the romance unfolded. I really want to pick up her other romances now, they have been added to my ever growing TBR. 

However, there were stories that I really didn't enjoy which brought my rating down. I also find it hard to get into short story collections. I get connected to one story then it just ends and I have to connect with another right after. It's exhausting! But I do think there is something for everyone in this collection and if you are looking for some holiday romance check these out. 

Review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling, Romance
Published: 05/12/15 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books
Series: The Wrath and the Dawn
Pages: 388
Format: Library Hardback
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Amazon | Goodreads | Indigo

Goodreads Summary
Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all. 

Review:
This book seriously makes me want to watch Aladdin again. 

The Wrath and the Dawn is a fun, exotic, and interesting retelling of 1001 Nights. Even though I don't really even know the original... oppies. Ever since starting this book I have had the song "Arabian Nights" from Aladdin stuck in my head. I did really enjoy this book. My biggest problem with it was that I found the beginning quite slow. I wasn't invested in the story or the characters until after the first 1/4 of the book. However, I did eventually buy into the story and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

I am a sucker for romance, I accept that as a fact in my life and don't deny myself cheesy romance. I really enjoyed Shazi and Khalid together, it might not be the easiest romance to buy into but I really enjoyed them. They definitely have chemistry, and you can really tell from the way the author described them together. However, I am going to be super annoyed if there is a love triangle going on in the next book. Shazi and Tariq have history but she knows she loves Khalid and doesn't feel any connection to Tariq anymore. 

Shazi is also a strong female character which is really good to see. She doesn't have to become strong, she just is from page one. I liked seeing her be brave at every turn because becoming Khalid's bride was incredibly brave. I also like how she doesn't want to be Khalid's possession, I am like that in my relationships too so I loved seeing that. Khalid is your fairly typical distant romantic interest. You know he is keeping a secret and most of the book which you are craving to find out what that is. I did like this plot point, I kind of guessed it early on but I still enjoyed it. You really learn why he is the way he is and you definitely feel for him.

One thing that I really loved in this book was the description of the food they were eating. OMG, it made me starving. I have been craving flat bread dipped in oil for days now. If Renee Ahdieh gives up on fiction, she could make a killing as a food blogger. 

Conclusion: The Wrath and the Dawn was pretty awesome. I can see why so many people enjoy it. If you love romance with substance this is for you. I can really see this book taking some interesting turns in the next instalment. I would definitely recommend this book, 2 thumbs up! 

Review: From A Distant Star by Karen McQuestion

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Genre: Science Fiction, Romance

Published: 05/29/15 by Skyscape 

Pages: 272 

Format: ARC e-book, Netgalley

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars 

Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Description:

Seventeen-year-old Emma was the only one who hadn’t given up on her boyfriend, Lucas. Everyone else—his family, his friends, his doctors—believed that any moment could be his last. So when Lucas miraculously returns from the brink of death, Emma thinks her prayers have been answered.

As the surprised town rejoices, Emma begins to question whether Lucas is the same boy she’s always known. When she finds an unidentifiable object on his family’s farm—and government agents come to claim it—she begins to suspect that nothing is what it seems. Emma’s out-of-this-world discovery may be the key to setting things right, but only if she and Lucas can evade the agents who are after what they have. With all her hopes and dreams on the line, Emma sets out to save the boy she loves. And with a little help from a distant star, she might just have a chance at making those dreams come true.

My Thoughts
This book is essentially E.T. but if E.T. took over your boyfriends body. So essentially the alien, Scout, gets stuck inside Lucas and has to find a way to "Phone Home".

I did enjoy this book. It was fun and I did find it to be a fresh story (besides it's similarities to E.T.). However, if you are looking for romance, you are not going to find a lot of it here. It is more a story of friendship between Emma and Scout and trying to find a way to get him home so she can have Lucas back. It does take some interesting turns and I'm the kind of girl who loves a good alien conspiracy theory so this book was up my alley. 

I did have a few issues with this book. First, I am a pessimist when it comes to teenage relationships (likely because I had one crazy and burn). I find it hard to believe that Emma and Lucas are "soulmates" or whatever. They have only been together a year, which isn't very long in the grand scheme of things. Which also bothered me because if they have only been together a year, how long did Lucas have cancer? It could have been a very fast moving cancer but I still find it hard to believe that he went from perfectly healthy, doing all those things with Emma to dead in less than a year. I know it happens but I feel like it's a short timeline for them to be that in love before he got sick.

But most people can overlook those kinds of things, and there was an interesting adventure to try and get Scout home. I also really enjoyed how the first chapter was told by a dog. It was adorable. You also get a few chapters in Scouts POV which really helped for you to get a feel for his world and situation. 

Conclusions: Besides me being a pessimist to young love, this book was enjoyable. It wasn't perfect but it's a cute quick read with a Extra Terrestrial twist. If you enjoy contemporary books and E.T. then this book is for you.  

Losing It by Cora Carmack Review

Losing It by Cora Carmack is a New Adult Novel about a virgin named Bliss. Bliss is in her senior in college and still hasn't lost her virginity. When she goes out to find a guy to have an exciting one night with, she meets Garrick. Sparks immediately fly but it turns out to not be as easy as she thought it would be. 

I have some major issues with this book, however I was exactly what I expected a very guilty pleasure romance read. What it had going for it was that Garrick could be quite swoon worthy and their relationship was definitly steamy. However, that was all it had going for it. My biggest issue was that I felt like Bliss' friends were virgin shaming her. Which isn't right or fair. Losing your virginity is a very personal thing and everybody should do it when they want to and how they want to. The major culprit of this was her friend Kelsey, whom I hated right from the start, She was the most annoying and selfish character I have read in a very long time. Bliss needs to drop her as a friend ASAP. Another thing that I disliked was the pressure from Bliss' mother to be engaged by the time she graduates. Ummm, girls don't go to university/college to get engaged. This is not the 60's, women don't need men to support them. I did however like that Bliss realizes this herself and didn't take that shit from her mother. 

Conclusions: It was at times an entertaining guilty pleasure book. It followed the "new adult romance" formula to a T and was very predictable. I have some issues with it that really brought down the reading experience for me. Not the worst thing out there but I feel like the author took some tips from Fifty Shades of Grey. Why is biting of the lip thought to be so attractive?  I will never know.

Rating : 2.5 / 5 (Essentially a bad lifetime movie)

Short & Sweet Reviews: Cocktails in Chelsea by Nikki Moore

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Cocktails in Chelsea by Nikki Moore is a short story that takes place mostly in a cocktail bar in London. I can't say a lot about this story or else I would spoil it but it follows a girl named Sophia who is visiting London for a long weekend to spend some time with her friends. In the meantime, she meets a boy and the story takes off from there. 

I had a fun time reading this story. It was short, sweet and to the point. I liked how Moore developed the characters in a short period of time, as well as the romance. I think the length of the story was a perfect length to develop the kind of romance that was portrayed. It could give you a few butterflies without investing into a 300 page epic roller coaster romance (which can be exhausting). What I had trouble with was how confident Sophia seemed at some points then the complete opposite in others. I didn't like that she kept second guessing herself after just being so confident. However, I could relate to her character a lot and she reminded me of myself at certain points. I was also thrown off a bit when you got a duel perspective from both Sophia and Nathan. I didn't expect it but I think it would okay for this story. I found that you only got small amounts of Nathan and mostly all Sophia. I would have liked to see more of both of them because that is something I haven't seen a lot of in this genre.

Conclusions: A very light romance that can definitly make someone smile. Not ground breaking by any means but a cute quick read. The romantic interest is swoon-worthy enough for a quick daydream. Would be something that I read recommend to light romance lovers.

Rating: 3.5/5 (Cute but average romance)

Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me follows a teenage girl named Juliette who had a special power, her touch is lethal. Our story begins where she is locked up in a prison/mental institution and hasn't spoken to anyone in nearly a year. Juliette is broken and believes herself to be a monster. She spends her days looking out her window at the destroyed world outside. Which has changed due to environmental impacts caused by humans. When Juliette gets a roommate, her life is changed forever. 

Honestly, in the beginning I wasn't enjoying this book. I had a very hard time getting into the writing style. I found the metaphors were overused along with certain phrases being crossed out. However, as the story went along it grew on me and I did enjoy it at the end. Once you get passed the beginning and into the meat of the story, it takes lots of interesting turns and keeps you interested. 

One other issue I had was with the love story (because no book can go without a love story :s). There was a lot of love, and not as much action as I would have hoped. I like to read dystopian because of the world building; however, Juliette and Adam were the center of the story. I also found it annoying that they kept thinking about having sex while on the run. Who has time to make out and have sex while running for their lives. Nobody! 

Don't get me wrong I did still enjoyed this book. Warner is a great villain, he is powerful and persistent. I want to know more about him and about what his plans really are for Juliette. Another thing I really like is that I don't know who to trust. You think Warner is the bad guy but is that really the truth? We shall see in future books.

Conclusions: I did actually enjoy this book. It was hard to get into but worth it once you get into it. I see a lot of potential in the rest of the series. I already own them so hopefully I get to them soon. I can see why lots of people love this book, and how others hate it as well. If you want to read it I recommend you give it a shot! 

Rating: 3.5/5  (Anyone else getting an X-Men Vibe?)