Happy Wednesday! What are you up to today? I realized that I hadn't done a WWW Wednesday post since back in April and I felt like chatting about my current reads so here we are. I spent a bit of time yesterday visiting blogs and commenting and it felt great to be completely caught up. Even though it only lasted a few minutes. LOL
How is your week going? What are you reading today?
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?
Currently reading: I've been in the mood to finish up the plethora of series that I've started over the years. In the last couple of weeks I finished Jennifer Armentrout's Harbinger trilogy along with the Roommate Duets series by Kennedy Fox. It sounds silly, but it's such a feeling of accomplishment. :) Next up is the Jamison Valley series by Devney Perry. I'm enjoying getting Maisy's story in The Bitterroot Inn and already have a few theories about Hunter's true identity.
Current progress: 15%
Currently listening: I'm finding that the Bergman Brothers series is rather hit or miss for me. I struggled through the first book, Only When It's Us, because I found the female lead to be so unlikable. Then came Always Only You, which I adored. Ren and Frankie both captured my heart and I truly felt for both of them. Now I'm more than halfway through Ever After Always and... I'm on the fence. I like Freya, I really like Aiden, but there have been several times where the narrative seemed to veer into a direction that left me thinking just get on with it already. So I'm not exactly flying through this one. On the plus side, I am loving the narration and appreciate that the same two narrators have been used throughout the series.
Current progress: 60%
WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?
Read: Katie McGarry has long been a favorite and one of the few authors that can still entice me to read YA. So I was super intrigued when she released her first adult novel. Fantasy is not my genre, but it's Katie. A Wicked and Beautiful Garden is more urban fantasy than high fantasy and I ended up enjoying it so much. I will say that I found a lot of the Fae lore hard to keep track of. There was a lot of information shared and sometimes I found myself just going with it and not trying to retain it all. I adored the two main characters, the incredible cast of secondary characters, and the ending totally left me wanting more. Now I need to get my review written before it starts getting fuzzy in my mind. :)
Listened To: Magic in the Wind. Oof. This was just weak. At 112 pages maybe it's supposed to be an introduction to the series (although it's considered #1 in the series, not a #0.5 prequel) but everything about it was paper thin. The characters, the plot... all of it. Zero characterization, no background information, no explanations for the "magic", just nothing. Plus, the insta-love was so off the charts that it was absurd. All of it combined to a great big thanks but no thanks for me. I definitely won't continue the series and I doubt I'll pick up anything else by Feehan. This was not for me.
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'LL READ NEXT?
I'm not 100% sure of what I'll pick up next, but these are strong contenders. I've been savoring Heart Bones on my shelf and have lapped up the anticipation of having a CoHo book ready and waiting for me. I think now I'm ready to immerse myself in what is (almost) sure to be a five-star read. I'm also ready to get back into the world of the Brooklyn Bruisers hockey team, and it's time for O'Doul's story in Hard Hitter.
What are you currently reading?
I wanna know! :)
Oh, that's kind of a bummer to hear you're not loving the Liese book, but I get what you're saying, too!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm not disliking it... more middle of the road. I'm finding that I like Liese well enough but I don't think she's ever going to be a top fave.
DeleteI really want to start that Devney Perry series! I love Chloe Liese's books. I've read Heart Bones and really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed the Jamison Valley series so much. Just one book to go after this one. I'll be sad to say goodbye!
DeleteI've somehow missed WWW, but it reminds me of Sunday Salon which I have done since I first started blogging thirteen years ago.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the WWW Wednesday meme since what I read often changes from one Sunday to the next.
DeleteAhh I'm sad you are having mixed thoughts about Ever After Alwaays but I can 100% see where you are coming from. That book was definitely more introspective than anything else.
ReplyDeleteI agree on the McGarry book. It was fun but it was kind of info-dumpy.
Right! And I don't mind introspective at all but this is a lot. And all the intense, heartfelt/emo talks between the Aiden and all the brothers just isn't ringing true with me. It does not feel realistic at all.
DeleteI love that you're tackling those series! I hope that Liese's book gets better for you. At least you're enjoying the narration. And I loved your next up books.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a great feeling to tackle all the in-work series I have! :)
DeleteI only read the first two Bergman books, but I loved them both. Hope it gets better for you. I was a little sad McGarry's new book wasn't contemporary, but glad to hear you enjoyed it. I love the Brooklyn boys. Enjoyed the whole series a lot.
ReplyDeleteI adored Ren and Frankie's story. Something about them really clicked with me.
DeleteI'd love to see McGarry do an adult contemporary, but the urban fantasy was a good one!
that is very interesting about Magic in the Wind, It was one of the books by her I read last. I don't remember much about it and only read it for the series and the family it surrounds. Wish there had been a different book you had picked up by her as she is one of my favorites. Her novella's aren't that great. But she also isn't for everyone especially if alpha males aren't your favorite to read.
ReplyDeleteLove Devney Perry and that series.
I enjoy a good alpha hero, but I honestly couldn't even tell if that's what the main character was in Magic in the Wind. I knew nothing about him... or any of the other characters. It was the strangest reading experience.
DeleteWhoa I didn't know about the Katie McGarry book! I'm surprised it's urban fantasy and yet it kind of fits!
ReplyDeleteYes, I was pretty surprised when Katie announced a fantasy novel! But I had a lot of fun with it.
Deletei get your feeling of accomplishment and don't think it is foolish at all. i feel the same way.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
I get such a thrill from completing each series. :)
DeleteI'd like to read more of the Jamison Valley series. I've seen mixed reviews for Every After Always so I'm not surprised at your reaction. I've enjoyed Katie McGarry and I love UF so I'll have to check that one out!
ReplyDeleteI finished the Jamison Valley series over the weekend and enjoyed it so, so much. I'll miss those characters!
DeleteEver After Always sounds like something I would really like!
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll enjoy it if you decide to try it!
DeleteI can't wait for your review of A Wicked and Beautiful Garden! So a lot of the elements in her book, of what characters could do totally reminded me of JLA's characters abilities. It was weird but I kept seeing that and wrote notes while reading in my kindle. I haven't seen anyone else mention that so I think I'm alone in those thoughts lol. I'm looking forward to her releasing the next book!
ReplyDeleteJen @ Star-Crossed Book Blog
I am so behind on reviews it's crazy! I didn't notice the similarity with JLA's character's abilities so it's interesting that it really stood out to you. Thank goodness we don't have to wait too long for the next book!
DeleteSame ack! I re-read two books this weekend so I could write their reviews since I read them months ago. And yes so true!
ReplyDelete