The Sunday Post #105

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 info here:

Sunday Post Meme

• Happy Sunday from Past Tanya! I'm actually writing this on Friday because by the time you read this I'll be drinking margaritas by the sea, mamacita. Okay, technically it'll probably be a non-alcoholic daiquiri by the pool, but bonus points if you know what movie that line came from. LOL

• I doubt there will be any posts from me this coming week - and probably no blog hopping, either. My plan is to be Unplugged while I'm away. Sometimes it's good to step away and recharge. :)  

• Once last thing before I go... any 80's movies fans? Pretty In Pink was always one of my favorites so when I came across this Drop the Mic clip a couple days ago I was loving it! It's Andie vs Duckie! :)

Tuesday, April 24
Review: Juniper Skies by Lora Richardson

Wednesday, April 25
WWW Wednesday #4

Thursday, April 26
New Release: The Royally Series Collection by Emma Chase

WHAT I FINISHED IN THE LAST WEEK:

    

The One You Can't Forget (The Ones Who Got Away #2) - Roni Loren

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING: 

 Moonlight Seduction (de Vincent #2) - Jennifer L. Armentrout

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY LISTENING TO: 

Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1) - Ilona Andrews

About 90% done with this one. My plan to switch to the ebook was foiled since there was a hold for it on Overdrive. At this point I probably won't continue with the series... but I'll see how I feel after I finish it.

    

PHYSICAL BOOKS:

Leah on the Offbeat - Becky Albertalli

So excited to dive into this one! I can't wait to be back in the Simon-verse. :)

eARCs FOR REVIEW:

    

What If It's Us - Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

I might have actually squealed when I got the approval for this one. Don't judge. :)

Someone I Used to Know - Patty Blount

We're headed to our favorite resort for some much needed R&R 

so this will be my view for the next week. Wish you were here! :)

How was your week? Any new books? Any news to share? 

I'd love to hear about it!

New Release! The Royally Series Collection by Emma Chase!

Okay y'all, I've been pretty vocal about my love for this series. I feel like I talk about it All. The. Time. And with good reason! These books are the absolute perfect blend of romance, and humor, and sexytimes, and emotion. When I picked up the first book it was on a whim and I expected something fluffy to pass the time. And I got so much more than I bargained for! I knew immediately I wanted to grab the next book... and then the third. And any day now I'll be diving into the short story that takes place 20 years after the end of the second book. (I keep putting it off because I don't want it to be over!) I listened to all three books on audio and it was an amazing listening experience, but now I'm buying the series collection so I can relive it all again. If you haven't read the Royally series yet, what are you waiting for?! 

Prepare to be swept off your feet by The Royally Series Collection – three sexy, swoony, modern royal romances that will capture your heart, and satisfy your desire for a breathtaking happily ever after.

Royally Screwed – By order of the Queen, Crown Prince Nicholas Pembrook has five months to choose a suitable bride. Then one snowy night, in New York City, he meets spirited and beautiful waitress, Olivia Hammond. Their whirlwind romance makes Nicholas question everything--who he is and who he wants to be--a King...or the man who gets to love Olivia forever.

Royally Matched – Responsibility has never been Prince Henry Pembrook's strong suit. So when an unexpected heap of it is dropped in his regal lap, he reacts accordingly--by secretly signing up for a reality TV dating show. Henry plans on partying his worries away. What he doesn't plan on...is Lady Sarah Von Titebottum...the quiet, stunning, shy, librarian hiding behind a book. As Henry and Sarah grow closer, old words take on new meanings for the irresponsible royal. Words like Duty, Honor and most of all--Love.

Royally Endowed – For years, broody royal bodyguard Logan St. James has watched over--and wanted--perfect, perky, beautiful Ellie Hammond, the younger sister of Princess Olivia. But he's bound by loyalty to the crown and, of course, the golden bodyguard rule: Never lose focus, never let them out of your sight, and never, ever fall in love. But Logan and Ellie are about to learn that when it comes to passion and pleasure, rules were definitely made to be broken.

Royally Raised - This sweetest of short stories focuses on Henry and Sarah, 20 years after the conclusion of Royally Matched.  

AVAILABLE NOW

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AU

 iBooks | Nook | Kobo

     

About the Author

Emma Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the hot and hilarious Tangled series and The Legal Briefs series. Emma lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children and two naughty (but really cute) dogs. She has a long-standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | NEWSLETTER | TWITTER | GOODREADS | READER FAN GROUP    

WWW Wednesday #4 | April 25, 2018

WWW Wednesdays is a meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

Just answer three questions and share what you're reading.

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

    

    

I'm almost halfway through The One You Can't Forget. While I'm not loving it quite as much as The Ones Who Got Away, it's still totally engrossing. And Wes Garrett is incredibly swoony! :)

Confession time: I've almost DNF'd this audio version of Burn For Me a dozen times. It's mainly the narration (which I realllly dislike) but I'm also not totally loving the story. It feels like things are progressing slowly and the dialogue is bugging me... maybe Ilona Andrews just isn't for me. *shrugs* I plan on switching to the e-book and I'll see if that makes any difference.

WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

I finished Juniper Skies on Sunday and it is such a top notch YA contemporary. I loved the two previous books just as much. This series deserves so much more love and attention.

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'LL READ NEXT?

        

Decisions, decisions. It's a toss up between Moonlight Seduction by Jennifer L. Armentrout (an author that never lets me down), or Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky. It's been years and years since I read anything by Delinsky but the synopsis of this one really grabbed me.

What are you currently reading?
I wanna know! :)

Review: Juniper Skies by Lora Richardson

Juniper Skies by Lora Richardson

Series: Juniper Series #3

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: April 17, 2018

Format: Kindle

Source: Author

Find it here: GoodReads | Amazon 

Delphine has been traveling in an RV with her grandmother since she was two years old. Abe has never lived anywhere but Juniper.

Delphine has seen America, but life on the road is lonesome for a teen. She’s never had friends her own age, a job, or her first kiss. When her grandmother buys a house in Juniper, it seems like everything Delphine longs for is finally within reach. She quickly makes friends, but Abe, the one friend she wants the most, keeps pushing her away.

When Abe meets Delphine at the Founder’s Day Festival on her first day in town, he can’t deny that she intrigues him. But his life is too complicated to make time for friends. His father is getting out of prison, and Abe doesn’t want him to return to Juniper and undo all the changes of the last four years. But how can he keep that from happening? And can he dare let Delphine be his friend and find out about his past?

Delphine’s life has been a nomadic one, traveling the country with the beloved grandmother who raised her. Now she’s looking forward to settling into life in Juniper the summer before her senior year of high school. She even has a list of things she wants to do – Friday night football games, a lunch table filled with friends, and her first kiss. Again and again she finds herself spending time with quiet and broody Abe, despite warnings about him from her new friends. And working alongside him at a part-time job shows her a much different side to Abe than the boy her friends describe.  

“I liked the way he backed down when I was right. I liked other things about being around him, too. I liked the way he’d look at me, but look away as soon as I noticed. I liked that I didn’t feel the need to be on my best behavior. I could let down my defenses some. It felt safe to be my messy self with Abe.”

Abe has a history in Juniper. And everyone knows about the event four years ago that shattered his family and sent his father to prison. Since then, Abe went through a couple of rough years, getting into trouble, and now he might as well be invisible. He keeps to himself and his former friends keep their distance. And then there’s Delphine – a girl who doesn’t know his past and who ignores his attempts to rebuff her friendship. He’s spent so long living on the fringe he’s not even sure how to talk to her. All he knows is that he wants to, because when he’s around Delphine he finally feels a sense of peace.

A lump rose in Abe’s throat and he clenched his hands into fists beneath the table. He hadn’t said the things he wanted to say in a long time. He hadn’t let anything matter in an even longer time. The things that mattered were the things that could cause pain.

I adored Delphine and Abe, both separately and together. They were both lonely and in need of a true friend who would accept them as they were.  As their friendship developed I often found myself reading with a big smile on my face because they were just so good together. Delphine was friendly and open and just filled with positivity. She practically radiated sunshine. Abe was living with a staggering burden of guilt and self-loathing and my heart broke for him again and again. But it was so rewarding to watch as he started to come out of his shell, learned to open up to Delphine, and began to allow something good back in his life.

People told him he didn’t have anything to be guilty about. But it didn’t matter if that was true. Abe felt the need to atone. So he did. Every day.

Returning to the small town of Juniper was like getting a warm hug. I’m not often drawn to rural settings, but there’s something about Richardson’s bucolic little town that makes me want to pack up and head to Indiana. Sure I want to wander around the park, hang out at the pond, and get some ice cream at the Dream Cone, but it’s the people that really draw me in. I want to hang out and talk to Fay at her tea shop, I want to spend time soaking up Gram’s wisdom and Marigold’s kindness and acceptance, and I want to be friends with Delphine. It’s Richardson’s multi-layered and oh so genuine characters that keep me coming back for more.

"Hey, it's going to be okay." I didn't know what was upsetting him so badly, but I figured it would probably turn out okay.

He didn't look at me but shook his head. "When? When will it be okay?"

I swallowed, the hurt in his voice reaching down through my ears and pinching my own heart.

Juniper Skies has so many of the elements that I love in a YA contemporary: realistic characters and dialogue, loyal friendships (no mean girls in sight), parents and other adults who are present and flawed, and swoony romance that is slow paced and feels completely genuine. I can’t understand why this series does not get more attention because it truly deserves it. Let me put it simply: if you enjoy contemporary YA, you need to read this book. (While you’re at it, do yourself a favor and read the whole trilogy.)  This is likely the final book in the Juniper series and while I will miss these characters, I’m excited to see what comes next from Richardson. Because after three amazing, heartfelt novels, I’ll read whatever Lora Richardson writes.

4/5 STARS

Note: A complimentary copy was provided by the author. This is no way changes my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

The Sunday Post #104

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 info here:

Sunday Post Meme

• Vacation is just a week away and I am counting the hours days. I'm so (past) ready for some down time and lazy days spent reading poolside is just what I need.

• There was a 10% chance of rain yesterday and yet it rained All. Day. Long. I'm thinking they left a zero off that percentage. I'm trying to get all my errands run early today so I can get home before the rain starts again. A rainy afternoon spent at home reading sounds perfect!

Tuesday, April 17
Review: Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Friday, April 20
The Aesthetically Pleasing Book Tag

WHAT I FINISHED IN THE LAST WEEK:

    

The Ones Who Got Away (The Ones Who Got Away #1) - Roni Loren

Juniper Skies - Lora Richardson

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING: 

 The One You Can't Forget (The Ones Who Got Away #2) - Roni Loren

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY LISTENING TO: 

Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1) - Ilona Andrews

Check out the cringey cover! LOL I'm enjoying the story but the narration is just not working for me. I may have to switch to the Kindle version before the narrator annoys me to death.

    

PHYSICAL BOOKS:

Alphas Like Us (Like Us #3) - Krista & Becca Ritchie

Now that I have the first three books in the Like Us series, it's time to have a binge read.

KINDLE BOOKS:

A Boy Like You - Ginger Scott

This one has been on my TBR for quite a while so I snagged it when it went on sale this week.

eARCs FOR REVIEW:

Juniper Skies - Lora Richardson

I loved returning to the small town of Juniper.

WON:

Remembering Ivy - Claire Kingsley

I won this from a giveaway on my friend's Facebook group, Carol's Crazy Bookish World. It's such a friendly bunch of book lovers. If you're looking for a new romance-based group to join, this is a great one!

How was your week? Any new books? Any news to share? 

I'd love to hear about it!

The Aesthetically Pleasing Book Tag

I recently saw Heather of Bookables do this tag and thought it looked like fun. 

Because who doesn't like pretty books? 

The original creator of this tag is Book Syrup.

best color combo on a book cover

I have a serious crush on this book cover. The colors are stunning. 

The blues, purples and pinks make me happy.

best typography/font on a book cover

   

I'm a sucker for handwritten fonts. And When Dimple Met Rishi is a perfect example.

And the typography on The Serpent King is so good it's crazy. The font that looks like snakeskin, the falling scales from each letter... STUNNING.

best simple cover

The simplicity of this one is nice but it's the use of the waffles that really appeals to me. It's a perfect nod to Jessie and SN. :)

best end pages

    

Eleanor & Park is my favorite by Rainbow Rowell. The fan-created end pages in the collector's edition give me all the feels and make me want to hug these two little cupcakes.

best map

There's nothing particularly amazing about this map. It's your fairly generic Map At The Start Of Fantasy Novel. But I loved the A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy and I was constantly consulting the map to learn where the Courts were situated in relation to one another.

best naked hardcover

The Cruel Prince... naked.

best back cover

I have this 50th anniversary edition of To Kill a Mockingbird and I love how the front cover wraps around to the back, showing both Scout and (I'm assuming) Jem.  

best chapter headers

Unique chapter headers are always a bonus. Why be basic with just a number when you can be fabulous? And the chapter headers in Shadow & Bone are anything but basic. 

best illustrations

      

I loved the illustrations sprinkled throughout Everything, Everything. 

best spine

Photo Credit: @abbie_reads_books

I actually considered using The Problem with Forever as my favorite cover because it's just that pretty. I even have the cover facing out on my bookshelf so I can see it all the time. And the spine is just as gorgeous. I love the colors, I love the watercolor effect, love it all.

favorite cover on your shelves

Since choosing just one favorite seems like cruel and unusual punishment, I managed to narrow it down to three. I love the pinks on the cover of It Ends With Us and the shattered flower fits the story so well. For The Summer I Found You, the heart in the sky (made of... rose petals?) is so gorgeous - again with the pink - and I find it simply stunning. And I love all the covers for the Shatter Me series. So unique, slightly eerie, and so bold. 

Do you have a favorite book cover?

If you want to take part, consider yourself tagged!