What Are You Reading Wednesday #04

What Are You Reading Wednesdays is a weekly feature 

hosted by Andie at It’s A Reading Thing. 

How to participate:

Grab the book you are currently reading and answer three questions:

1. What’s the name of your current read?

2. Go to page 34 in your book (or 34% in your eBook) and share a couple of sentences.

3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

1.  Torn Hearts (Hearts #1.5) by Claire Contreras

2.  "What'd you tell him?" I asked as he opened my car door.

     "I told him that if I catch him checking you out the next time we come here, I would rip his eyes out and stomp on them." He closed the door and left me gaping at him as he rounded the car to get into the driver's seat.

     "You did not," I said as soon as his ass hit the seat.

     He glanced at me. "Did you not see the look on his face?"

     I nodded slowly. "Yeah, but he's bigger than you." Jensen was athletic, but he wasn't a gym rat. That guy looked like he could bench two football players.

     "I'm bigger where it counts," he said with a shrug.

3.  Absolutely! I loved the characters I met in Kaleidoscope Hearts (the first book) and now getting to know more about Mia and Jensen's background is wonderful. These are people I would love to know.

What are you reading today? Want to share a snippet from page 34 (or 34%)? 

I love comments so tell me below. :)

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Genres: New Adult, Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling
Release Date: May 5, 2015 by Bloomsbury USA
Format: Kindle version
Source: Library loan
Find it here: GoodReads | Amazon

Synopsis

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down.

My Thoughts

I'm not sure which is greater: my enjoyment of this book or my total surprise at my enjoyment of this book. I'll put it right out there - I am not a fantasy reader. The few that I've read I have struggled with and I haven't been particularly blown away by them. It's just not my genre. That even goes for Maas' Throne of Glass. I feel very much in the minority when I admit that I liked it but didn't love it (and I've yet to continue on with the series). But it was impossible to ignore the hype and the rave reviews surrounding A Court of Thorns and Roses. And the synopsis grabbed me right away - a Beauty and the Beast retelling with Faerie lore? I decided to take a chance. And I'm so glad I did!

I've read some reviews stating ACoTaR had a slow start but I didn't find that at all. I was pulled into the story right away and instantly wanted to know more about Feyre, more about the world she lived in, and about the world she soon found herself in. Feyre was an amazing character, full of contradictions. For a young woman with such backbone and spirit, she was sorely taken advantage of by her family. She obviously had the internal fortitude to live with the burden placed upon her by her dying mother, but Feyre's true sass and strength didn't really become apparent until she was taken forcibly to the faerie realm.

“Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don’t feel anything at all.”

Feyre was such a richly drawn, fully realized character and I loved that! She was intelligent but not without faults. She was brave but not without fear. She used her wits and constantly sought ways to escape, to learn more, to understand her situation, to protect her family. She was stubborn but also willing to let down her guard at times and to show compassion and incredible loyalty. She made foolish decisions at times and I would find myself ranting out loud at her but it made for a more realistic story. I can't relate to a character who never makes mistakes and always, always takes the intelligent, well-thought-out choice. Watching Feyre adapt as her situation changed again and again was fascinating and the strength and vulnerability she showed in the later part of the book had me utterly enthralled.

“Some would say it’s unwise to insult a Fae in his home,” Tamlin ground out. “Some would say you should be grateful for me finding you before another one of my kind came to claim the debt, for sparing your life and then offering you the chance to live in comfort.”

Tamlin, the "beast" in this retelling, was definitely worthy of hero/book boyfriend status. Truly a case of there being more than meets the eye. Despite his initial gruffness, there are glimpses of kindness and compassion (while still being completely badass). And as Tamlin reveals more of himself it's obvious that he, too, carries a great burden and, like Feyre, understands the feeling of being responsible for others even against almost impossible odds. I loved watching as Tamlin progressed from socially awkward to protective and charming and downright swoon worthy.

“Because your human joy fascinates me—the way you experience things, in your life span, so wildly and deeply and all at once, is … entrancing. I’m drawn to it, even when I know I shouldn’t be, even when I try not to be.”

Maas cut no corners when it came to secondary characters. In fact, several jumped from the page and felt every bit as fleshed out as our two leads. Particularly Lucien and Rhysand. Loved these characters! I won't say much for fear of spoilers but I'll just say that I loved the wit, the snark and the darkness and I can only hope for more (much more!) of them both.

As for the plot and the world building, I was captivated by both. As I said, I'm not a fantasy reader - it's just not my genre - but Maas managed to do what I thought was impossible: draw me into a fantasy world, make me see it and experience it, and connect with the story in a way that had me fascinated and full-on grabby hands for the next book. (Which isn't until next May? Say it isn't so!)

But I lived in that moment - my life became beautiful again for those few seconds when our hands grazed.

A Court of Thorns and Roses reeled me in from the very beginning and kept me turning the pages through every twist and turn. I was completely invested in both main characters and, I'll admit it, by the end I was getting pretty emotional over the impossible choices they were faced with. ACoTaR was epically entertaining and, I can't believe I'm saying it, but for the first time ever a fantasy book just may be included in my yearly favorites. It's just THAT GOOD.

What was your favorite read in September?

Sunday Post #03

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's a chance to share news - a post to recap the past week on your blog, 

showcase books and things we have received, and share news about what is

coming up on your blog in the week ahead. You can find the rules here:

Sunday Post Meme

~IN GENERAL~

This past week was a busy one and I wasn't finding as much time for reading. Busy at the office and it seemed like there was something to do several evenings after work as well. It was a week of too much adulting. ;-)

Yesterday I took time for some fun and met my sister for lunch. I'd forgotten about the portion sizes at The Cheesecake Factory. The simple soup and salad lunch could have fed a family of four. I wonder how many heads of romaine had to die for my Caesar salad?

~LAST WEEK ON THE BLOG~

On Musing Monday I pondered the question: does a rainy day inspire you to read? Hint: It didn't take a lot of pondering.

The week's Top Ten Tuesday theme was all about our Fall TBR's. Lots of good ones to look forward to!

Top 5 Wednesday was Title Fonts and it was tough to choose only five. I'm a sucker for those hand written fonts.

I always look forward to That's What He Said Thursdays. Picking a swoony quote from a swoony book boyfriend? What's not to love? Last week's quote was from a 5-star read by Mia Sheridan. 

~NEW ADDITIONS~

In anticipation of meeting Krista and Becca Ritchie in Savannah next weekend, I bought two more books in the Addicted series. I've already read these on my Kindle, but I'm super excited to get these physical copies signed by K&B!

~CURRENTLY READING~ 

I'm still reading A Court of Thorns and Roses. I started it a week ago and I'm at about 65%. This honestly doesn't reflect on the book - just lack of reading time. I'm seriously enjoying it and just reached a point where all sorts of bad things are in store. I'm nervous for Feyre and Tamlin! 

~TOTALLY RANDOM~

Because teddy bear friends are the best kind of friends...

So what was your week like? Any new books?

Anything interesting happen? Tell me about it!

That's What *HE* Said Thursday #10

That's What He Said Thursday is a weekly meme created 

and hosted by Chapter Break. It's a fun way to share a quote 

from a favorite book boyfriend (aka male protagonist) to his girl.

For more info, visit Chapter Break here.

This week's quote is from Leo by Mia Sheridan. 
This is one of those books that took me completely by surprise. I remember doing an update 
on GoodReads right after I'd started it saying that I had fallen in love with the story by page two. 
Now that's a good book! 

"No matter how far apart we are. No matter the distance or time, 

I will never love anyone except you. Not ever."

Do you participate in That's What He Said Thursday? 

Or just have a favorite quote you want to share? 

Leave a comment and tell me about it. :)

What Are You Reading Wednesday #03

What Are You Reading Wednesdays is a weekly feature 

hosted by It’s A Reading Thing. 

How to participate:

Grab the book you are currently reading and answer three questions:

1. What’s the name of your current read?

2. Go to page 34 in your book (or 34% in your eBook) and share a couple of sentences.

3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

1.  A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

2.  "Even though Lucien revealed some of our closely guarded secrets," Tamlin said, throwing the last word at his companion with a growl, "we've never used your misinformation against you." His gaze met mine. "We never willingly lied to you."

3.  I'm going with a definitive NO to living in this world. Humans barely survived a war with the Faeries. And Feyre, now in the faerie realm, is finding it treacherous and downright dangerous.

What are you reading today? Want to share a snippet from page 34 (or 34%)? 

I love comments so tell me below. :)

Top 5 Wednesday: Title Fonts

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at GingerReadsLainey.

Click HERE for a complete list of participants and future topics.

This week's topic is Top 5 Title Fonts on Covers. I'm a total font junkie so this is right up my alley. This would be a perfect post to showcase all kinds of fun fonts. And if I could figure out Google Fonts and the necessary CSS there would be a never ending array of fun fonts here on the blog. But, as far as I'm concerned, it might as well be NASA code so I'm stuck with the basics Blogger offers. ;-) Even more reason to get excited about the swoon-inducing fonts on my Top 5 picks for this week.

  

HAS TO BE LOVE - Jolene Perry

While I wasn't a fan of the book, that doesn't change the fact that the cover font is gorgeous. 

I love not only the hand written style but also all the extra swirls and flourishes.

THE INFINITE MOMENT OF US - Lauren Myracle

I love hand written fonts and the script on this one is just beautiful. It's

loose and open and I can almost imagine it being written by main character Wren.

THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN - Holly Black

Here's a great example of a font matching its story perfectly. It love the

gothic look of the font and, to me, it seems to evoke a creepy vibe 

even from the cover.

 

HEART-SHAPED HACK - Tracey Garvis Graves 

The scratchy look of this one is fun and I love the take on names

or initials being scratched/carved onto a tree. 

WHAT YOU LEFT BEHIND - Jessica Verdi

And now my favorite. This one makes me positively giddy. The mix

of upper and lowercase lettering gets me every time and I like 

the large size font that takes up the entire cover. Just dreamy.

Do you pay attention to title fonts? What are your favorites? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Fall TBR Edition

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme 

created by The Broke and the Bookish.

I rarely make TBR lists because I never stick to them. I'm very much a mood reader so TBR lists seem rather pointless. But there *are* books that I'm super excited to read and that I hope to get to sooner rather than later. So my Fall TBR just may include...

Stay With Me (Wait For You #2) - Jennifer L. Armentrout

All Played Out (Rusk University #3) - Cora Carmack

Until Friday Night (Field Party #1) - Abbi Glines

How To Love - Katie Cotugno

The Sea of Tranquility - Katja Millay

The Edge of Never - J.A. Redmerski

I'll Meet You There - Heather Demetrios

Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road #1) - Katie McGarry

What You Left Behind - Jessica Verdi

November 9 - Colleen Hoover

What's on your Fall TBR? Do we share any of the same books?

Musing Mondays #01

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm 

that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

*I’m currently reading…
*Up next I think I’ll read…
*I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
*I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
*I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
*I can’t wait to get a copy of…
*I wish I could read ___, but…
*I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Is a rainy day likely to inspire you to read?

I'm currently reading A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Outside my comfort zone but I'm really enjoying it! The whole Beauty and the Beast retelling was too good for me to ignore.

Up next? Wow, that's up in the air. Despite the number of books on my shelves and on my Kindle, I still can't seem to resist the siren song of the library. Tell me I'm not the only one that does this. :) So I currently have a stack of about five library books that I may or may not get to before they're due back. I'll just have to see what I feel like reading after I finish ACOTAR. I'm very much a mood reader so who knows what I'll grab next.

And this week's random question: Does a rainy day inspire me to read? Absolutely! It's not like I need an excuse to read anyway, but something about a rainy day just makes it all the more perfect. I love a rainy day or even a good thunderstorm (and living in Florida means I get a hefty does of both) and those tend to make me want to stay at home. And staying at home is the perfect opportunity to curl up in a comfy chair, turn the ceiling fan on and grab a blanket (some would say that these cancel each other out but I disagree), and a good book completes the scene. Then it's just a matter of how long until reading time becomes nap time. Zzzz...

What are you reading today?

Does a rainy day make you feel like grabbing a book?

Sunday Post #02

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's a chance to share news - a post to recap the past week on your blog, 

showcase books and things we have received, and share news about what is

coming up on your blog in the week ahead. You can find the rules here:

Sunday Post Meme

~IN GENERAL~

Friday was my birthday which I don't make much of a fuss about. I've never been a big birthday person. Not because of the getting older thing (I'm way beyond caring LOL) but it's just kind of another day. I did come across this on Friday and probably found it way more funny than it actually is. Just seeing it now has me giggling again. :)

Tell me it's not just me. That's seriously funny, right? Okay, maybe it's just me.

Saturday night night my husband and I went out for dinner (pretty much the extent of birthday celebrations). I chose Copeland's because it's always a favorite. I never fail to get the exact same thing. I'm sure the whole menu is delicious (well, not the actual menu... you know what I mean), but the Shrimp & Tasso Pasta is to die for. I mean, what's not to love? Pasta, shrimp, spicy tasso, a creamy sauce... yes please! Oh, and the broccoli bites with tiger sauce is the way to go for appetizers. Good stuff.

I imagine some Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift cards may be coming from family so there might be a little birthday book haul in the near future. More good stuff. 

~LAST WEEK ON THE BLOG~

Wednesday I took part in What Are You Reading Wednesday (always fun) and it gave me a chance to gush about Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway.

Thursday brought That's What He Said Thursday - probably my favorite meme of the week. Choosing and sharing lines from my favorite book boyfriends has a way of making me happy. :)

Friday brought a review and another opportunity to gush about Emmy & Oliver. Seriously, do yourself a favor and read this book. You can thank me later. 

~NEW ADDITIONS~

No new physical books graced my shelves this week but I did add one to the Kindle. Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone was on sale so I snagged to read later. I really enjoyed her Time After Time duology so I'm looking forward to this one. 

~CURRENTLY READING~

I've stepped *way* outside my comfort zone and picked up A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Fantasy is not my genre of choice. #1 - I find them rather intimidating and #2 - I *really* love my contemporaries. But this Beauty and the Beast retelling caught my attention as soon as it was released back in May and the reviews have been glowing, so I'm giving it a try. I'm happy to say that so far (I'm 20% in) I'm totally enjoying it, and the intimidation factor is almost nil. :) 

~TOTALLY RANDOM~

And now I bring you sea otters holding hands. Because why not? 

So what was your week like? Any new books?

Anything interesting happen? Tell me about it

below... I'd love to hear!