rapid reviews – Bibliophile Book Club

Recent Reads Rapid Reviews

Hey guys,

I’m back again with another batch of recent reads for review. I swear, I’ll get back to fuller reviews soon, but this is really helping me clear the backlog of books…

I think! 🙂

The Gods of Love

Meet Frida: divorce lawyer, cynic and secret descendant of the immortal love god Eros. She’s about to have a really bad day . . .

When a handsome but clearly delusional man named Dan bursts into Frida’s office and insists that she is fated to save the world, she has him ejected faster than you can say ‘prenup’.

But a creepy meeting, a demon or three and one attempted kidnapping later, Frida is beginning to face the inconvenient truth: Dan is in fact The Oracle, the gods of Greek mythology are real and Frida herself appears to be everyone’s only hope.

The world is doomed.

I had seen this one popping up on social media, and Ellen had read it too so I figured I would give it a shot. I actually enjoyed it more than I expected! It is a super fun read. It reminded me of something, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it was. Anyway, yeah it was definitely a quirky read, with some unexpected turns in the story. I would happily pick up book 2 whenever its out!

The Gods of Love by Nicola Mostyn

World After

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what’s left of the modern world. When a group of people capture Penryn’s sister Paige, thinking she’s a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige.
Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels’ secret plans, where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can’t rejoin the angels, can’t take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

Ok. So I loved Angelfall. It was a cracking opener to the trilogy and it set everything up really well for the subsequent books. Enter World After. I got about halfway into it and it just kinda got stuck. I found it lost pace, and there was a lot of focus on lesser characters, when all I wanted was Penryn and Raffe! Less explosive than Angelfall, but it was still an ok middle for a trilogy. I will definitely be buying book 3 because I need to know what will happen with these two characters!!!

World After by Susan Ee

Night School

Jack Reacher is having a bad day.

It would be a dumb idea to make it worse.
Reacher sees a West Point class ring in a pawn shop window. It’s tiny. It’s a woman cadet’s graduation present to herself. Why would she give it up? Reacher was a West Pointer too, and he knows what she went through to get it.

All he wants is to find the woman.

He’ll have to go through bikers, cops, crooks, and low-life muscle.
If she’s ok, he’ll walk away. If she’s not … he’ll stop at nothing.

Best advice: stay out of his way.

I love the Jack Reacher series of books, and The Midnight Line was no exception. Reacher is like a dog with a bone in this one. Spotting a West Point Class Ring in a pawn shop while on a bus rest stop, he wants to know who owned it and why it was pawned. So begins a story that ticks along slowly, unfolding layer by layer until we are presented with the unexpected towards the end of the story. I really enjoyed The Midnight Line, it was a great story and it kept my attention. Not quite the Reacher of old, but still a goodie all the same!

The Midnight Line by Lee Child

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic (aka Confessions of a Shopaholic)

Meet Rebecca Bloomwood.

She has a great flat, a fabulous wardrobe full of the season’s must-haves, and a job telling other people how to manage their money. She spends her leisure time … shopping.

Retail therapy is the answer to all her problems. She knows she should stop, but she can’t. She tries Cutting Back, she tries Making More Money. But neither seems to work. The letters from the bank are getting harder to ignore. Can Becky ever escape from this dreamworld, find true love, and regain the use of her credit card?

I was eager to read a non-crime book, and this one was on my TBR for ages. I actually love the movie, so I was interested to see how different (similar) they would be to each other! I’m not going to lie, I spent a lot of the book comparing it to the movie, so I can ony imagine what I would have been like if I went about it the other way around! I definitely enjoyed this one. It was light-hearted, fun, and it definitely catered to my shopaholic heart. Although I am not as bad as Becky, thankfully! I actually went and bought the others in the series after finishing this one, so its safe to say I enjoyed it!

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Ok! That’s it until the next batch. If I have time, I have a couple of actual reviews to get done so keep an eye out for those too!

Until next time, happy reading 🙂

Recent Reads Rapid Reviews

Hi guys,

I’m back again with the next batch of reviews, and these are all books I have read in the past couple of months. I actually think I’m up as far as August now so YAY! 🙂

Percy Jackson and The Battle of the Labyrinth

Half Boy. Half God. ALL Hero.

Honestly, blowing up another school was the last thing I wanted to do.

As the son of a Greek God, I’ve had my share of near-death disaster – and now my arch enemy Luke wants to invade our camp via an ancient labyrinth.

If he succeeds, thousands of bloodthirsty monsters will attack. So it’s goodbye sunshine, hello darkness as four of us descend into the terrifying underground and beyond . . .

So I ploughed through these, begging the library to get them in if they weren’t available on BorrowBox and I’m so glad I did. These books are just so much fun, I love the relationships between the characters, and I really enjoyed the plot in this one. Plenty to keep me turning the pages and it made me eager to read the final book in the series!

Percy Jackson and The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Angelfall

It’s been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain.

Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night.

When angels fly away with a helpless girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Including making a deal with the enemy.

Angelfall had been on my kindle for ages and in need of a change I picked it up one night to read. I was hooked immediately. I feel like I’ve gone through a thing of reading about fallen angels, as Laini Taylor has angels in her books too. And before either of these series, I hadn’t read any! Angelfall was a great opener. Chock full of action, avenging angels, the odd bloodbath, genuinely tons of stuff to keep me reading. I was so glad I had book two waiting for me as well because this one ends with a bit of a cliffhanger. Definitely recommended!

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Percy Jackson and The Last Olympian

Most people get presents on their sixteenth birthday. I get a prophecy that could save or destroy the world.

It happens when you’re the son of Poseidon, God of the Sea.According to an ancient prophecy, I turn sixteen and the fate of the entire world is on me. But no pressure.

Now Kronos, Lord of the Titans, is beginning his attack on New York City. And the dreaded monster Typhon is also heading our way. So it’s me and forty of my demi-god friends versus untold evil . . .

I was so sad to get to the end of these books. Honestly, it left me a bit bereft because I had devoured them and become wholly invested in everyone’s fate. The Last Olympian was a fitting end to the Percy Jackson books though, and while there are no more of his exploits to read, there is a TON of other books in the Camp Halfblood universe. I can’t recommend this series highly enough, for both kids and adults. Wildly entertaining, and with real heart, these are books that have so much going for them that it’s hard not to love them!

Percy Jackson and The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

Hold Back The Stars

Ninety minutes.

A few years from now, not too far in the future, two people meet.

It is a classic story of boy meets girl.

Except that it’s not.

When we find them, they have an hour and a half left.

Unless they can save themselves, they won’t survive.

The clock is ticking.

Hold Back The Stars confused me a little if I’m honest. I enjoyed it, but I kinda got lost a little bit on the way. I know loads of people have read this and loved it, but I think that because I got lost I found it hard to stick with it. But I did. And it was a lovely story.

Hold Back The Stars by Katie Khan

Have you read any of these? Would you? Let me know 🙂

Recent Reads Rapid Reviews

Hey everyone,

I swear I feel like I’m repeating myself every time I start one of these, but there are only so many ways I can introduce these review posts I guess! So, with that in mind, here’s some more reviews on what I’ve been reading lately!

The Extinction Trials

Betrayal. Sacrifice. Survival. Welcome to The Extinction Trials…

In Stormchaser and Lincoln’s ruined world, the only way to survive is to risk everything. To face a contest more dangerous than anyone can imagine. And they will do anything to win.

But in a land full of monsters – human and reptilian – they can’t afford to trust anyone. Perhaps not even each other…

The Extinction Trials was a super fun read. Packed full of action, and DINOSAURS! It was different to what I was expecting, but I couldn’t put it down. Its got some great characters, a Hunger Games-esque plot and it was just really good escapism!

The Extinction Trials by S. M. Wilson

Evie’s Year of Taking Chances

It’s Evie’s birthday and the start of a year she’ll never forget. An emotional story of love, friendship and grabbing life by the horns.

Evie’s job has always been her safe haven. As a librarian in the little town of Becton she loses herself in books – after all it’s far easier to read about other people’s problems than set about solving her own.

Then, one birthday, everything is turned upside down. A mysterious parcel containing a beautiful book with a poignant inscription arrives for Evie. It’s the beginning of a new chapter for Evie and she’s inspired to try and find her real mother.

Evie’s search leads her to meet handsome author Noah Jones. Charming and intelligent, Noah seems the perfect catch but what Evie doesn’t realise is that he is hiding something – a key to Evie’s past.

As Evie gets closer to Noah and discovering her mother, she must take a giant leap of faith. Can she embrace the new and make this her year of taking chances? And if she does, will she get her heart broken?

Evie’s Year of Taking Chances was a book with subject matter close to my heart. Being adopted, I found it was dealt with really well and with great sensitivity by the author. It was an emotional read, but it was also really heartwarming. Not my usual kind of read to be honest, but not one I’ll forget in a hurry!

Evie’s Year of Taking Chances by Christie Barlow

Dreams of Gods and Monsters

By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.

Common enemy, common cause.

When Jael’s brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz … something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy. At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of ? And does anything else matter.

This is the third book of the trilogy, and I have to be honest, I felt so let down by it in comparison to the first two books. I was hoping for a satisfying resolution to the events of previous book, but it just didn’t make sense to me. I so badly wanted to love this one, but it just didn’t hit the spot for me!

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

Desperately Seeking Heaven

Love always comes when you least expect it, at least that’s what PA Alice Fletcher tells herself as she looks forward to another Friday night of trash telly and wine-for-one. But what happens when the unexpected is daytime TV crush Jimmy Mack, and he’s sitting on your couch watching the news…of the accident that claimed his life?

Soon, Alice finds her ordered life turned upside down by helping Jimmy right the wrongs of his life so he can cross over to the ‘other side.’ But most unexpected of all is Alice’s growing realisation that her gorgeous ghost has taken up residence in her heart as well as in her home.

Being in need of lighter reads lately, I started this one because it sounded like it would be exactly what I needed, and it was for the most part. It is definitely an easy read, but you kinda have to suspend belief a bit. It reminded me of Just Like Heaven, the movie with Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo. I loved that movie, so I think that’s why I got on with this one. Light-hearted, romantic and playful, Desperately Seeking Heaven was a nice read!

Desperately Seeking Heaven by Jill Steeples

That’s is for this post. I think I have at least 3 or 4 more of these to come between now and October so do check them out!

Happy reading 🙂

Recent Reads Rapid Reviews

Hi everyone,

Another batch of mini-reviews for you all again today. I didn’t realise just how many of these I had to do until I wrote out the books that need reviewing, so there will be a good few more of these posts, haha!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance.

On the one hand, she’s a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family.

Raised half in our world, half in ‘Elsewhere’, she has never understood Brimstone’s dark work – buying teeth from hunters and murderers – nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

I had been meaning to read Daughter of Smoke and Bone for years, so I finally picked it up during the summer to read. My husband had actually read it before me and kept telling me I should read it as I would enjoy it, and he wasn’t wrong. I loved Karou, and the story was really interesting. I couldn’t put it down once i started reading, and I was eager to find out what was going to happen. We had been to Prague this year too, so the location was easy to keep up with as it was familiar. A really great start to a series and definitely recommend it if you enjoy fantasy!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

You’re still alive in alternate universes, Theo, but I live in the real world where this morning you’re having an open casket funeral. I know you’re out there, listening. And you should know I’m really pissed because you swore you would never die and yet here we are. It hurts even more because this isn’t the first promise you’ve broken.

Griffin has lost his first love in a drowning accident. Theo was his best friend, his ex-boyfriend and the one he believed he would end up with. Now, reeling from grief and worsening OCD, Griffin turns to an unexpected person for help. Theo’s new boyfriend. But as their relationship becomes increasingly complicated, dangerous truths begin to surface. Griffin must make a choice: confront the past, or miss out on the future…

I have seen Adam Silvera’s name a lot this year, so when I saw History in my local library I figured I would give it a go. I actually think I read the whole book in one day. It was one of those kinds of books where you just have to keep reading. While I had some issues with the main character and his actions at times, I still found myself compelled to keep reading to see how it would all go. I enjoyed this one, as it was a departure from my usual reads.

History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

About A Girl by Lindsey Kelk

Tess Brookes has always been a Girl with a Plan. But when the Plan goes belly up, she’s forced to reconsider.

After accidently answering her flatmate Vanessa’s phone, she decides that since being Tess isn’t going so well, she might try being Vanessa. With nothing left to lose, she accepts Vanessa’s photography assignment to Hawaii – she used to be an amateur snapper, how hard can it be? Right?

But Tess is soon in big trouble. And the gorgeous journalist on the shoot with her, who is making it very clear he’d like to get into her pants, is an egotistical monster. Far from home and in someone else’s shoes, Tess must decide whether to fight on through, or ‘fess up and run…

I haven’t read a book like this in years. When I say like this, I mean the light-hearted, girly kind of books. They are not something I would usually pick up, but that is exactly why I went for it this time. It is fun and it kept me turning the pages. Escapism is what I was after, and I found it with this one. A perfect holiday read!

About A Girl by Lindsey Kelk

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a new way of living – one without massacres and torn throats and bonfires of the fallen, without revenants or bastard armies or children ripped from their mothers’ arms to take their turn in the killing and dying.

Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon’s secret temple and dreamed of a world that was a like a jewel-box without a jewel – a paradise waiting for them to find it and fill it with their happiness.

This was not that world.

Back to the second book in the series, and while it didn’t capture my imagination as much as the first one, I was still hooked and invested in the characters. Taylor’s world-building is really good, and it is easy to get pulled into the story. An enjoyable second installment, but it definitely left me wanting more!

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Until next time, happy reading 🙂

Recent Reads Rapid Reviews

Hey everyone,

I’m back with the next batch of super speedy reviews, and I’m still catching up so I think these four books were read back in June. It feels like AAAAAGES ago!

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Queen of Flame and Fury, was murdered before her eyes. Ten years later, Theo has learned to survive under the relentless abuse of the Kaiser and his court as the ridiculed Ash Princess.

When the Kaiser forces her to execute her last hope of rescue, Theo can’t ignore her feelings and memories any longer. She vows revenge, throwing herself into a plot to seduce and murder the Kaiser’s warrior son with the help of a group of magically gifted and volatile rebels. But Theo doesn’t expect to develop feelings for the Prinz.

Forced to make impossible choices and unable to trust even those who are on her side, Theo will have to decide how far she’s willing to go to save her people and how much of herself she’s willing to sacrifice to become Queen.

I really enjoyed Ash Princess. I borrowed it from the library as I had seen it pop up on BorrowBox a couple of times so figured I’d give it a go and I’m glad I did. It’s got strong characters, an interesting and twisty plot and I found it really engaging. It’s a YA fantasy book, and it kind of reminds me of Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas’s books, so of course I was hooked early on. Definitely recommended if you enjoy these authors!

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

Golden Son by Pierce Brown

‘I’m still playing games. This is just the deadliest yet.‘

Darrow is a rebel forged by tragedy. For years he and his fellow Reds worked the mines, toiling to make the surface of Mars inhabitable. They were, they believed, mankind’s last hope. Until Darrow discovered that it was all a lie, and that the Red were nothing more than unwitting slaves to an elitist ruling class, the Golds, who had been living on Mars in luxury for generations.

In RED RISING, Darrow infiltrated Gold society, to fight in secret for a better future for his people. Now fully embedded amongst the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his dangerous work to bring them down from within. It’s a journey that will take him further than he’s ever been before – but is Darrow truly willing to pay the price that rebellion demands?

I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t love Red Rising. It was only ok for me, but boy oh boy did Golden Son redeem that! I was sucked back into Darrow’s world, and I was absolutely blindsided with how things went in this one. There is so much going on, lots to take in, but I was absorbed in this one compared to Red Rising. I loved Golden Son, and I am dying to read Morning Star to find out what happens next. Highly recommended if you’ve not read it already!

Golden Son by Pierce Brown

Blood Lines by Angela Marsons

How do you catch a killer who leaves no trace?

A victim killed with a single, precise stab to the heart appears at first glance to be a robbery gone wrong. A caring, upstanding social worker lost to a senseless act of violence. But for Detective Kim Stone, something doesn’t add up.

When a local drug addict is found murdered with an identical wound, Kim knows instinctively that she is dealing with the same killer. But with nothing to link the two victims except the cold, calculated nature of their death, this could be her most difficult case yet.

Desperate to catch the twisted individual, Kim’s focus on the case is threatened when she receives a chilling letter from Dr Alex Thorne, the sociopath who Kim put behind bars. And this time, Alex is determined to hit where it hurts most, bringing Kim face-to-face with the woman responsible for the death of Kim’s little brother – her own mother.

As the body count increases, Kim and her team unravel a web of dark secrets, bringing them closer to the killer. But one of their own could be in mortal danger. Only this time, Kim might not be strong enough to save them…

Angela kindly sent me a copy of Blood Lines as I was playing catch up with the DI Kim Stone books so I was eager to read it! Not only does it bring back one of my fave baddies, Dr. Alex Thorne, but it’s chock full of tense moments! So much so that I actually had to put this book down for a couple of weeks before I could finish it. It was absolutely brilliant though, and I’m looking forward to reading the next books in the series!

Blood Lines by Angela Marsons

Percy Jackson and The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan

Half Boy. Half God. ALL Hero.
It’s not every day you find yourself in combat with a half-lion, half-human.
But when you’re the son of a Greek God, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a Goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster.
Oh and guess what. The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive . . .

Another rip-roaring read here. This series is just so much fun that it’s impossible not to enjoy them while reading. I love Percy and this book was no exception. Witty, fast-paced and with plenty of monsters to fight, the Titan’s Curse was another brilliant read. Super fun for children and adults alike!

Percy Jackson and The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan

So that’s it for now. I’ll have another one of these posts up soon as I’m still working my way through the backlog of books to be reviewed! The joys of taking a break 😂

Until next time, happy reading 📚

Recent Reads Rapid Reviews

Hey everyone,

Since I decided to take a bit of a break from reading and reviewing back in June (read why HERE), I hadn’t really envisioned that I would read enough to post any reviews. BUT since then I have actually managed to read almost 40 books! Not many were crime/thriller as that is what I’m trying to avoid for the time being, but I’m going to be splitting the reviews into quite a few of these posts, so do keep an eye out for them over the coming weeks!

The Vogue Factor is her candid account of life at the heart of the fashion industry, from photo shoots and celebrity interviews to the ugly truth behind the glamour – infighting, back-stabbing and the dangerous pursuit of beauty.

This is the behind-the-scenes story of an illustrious career in fashion, from receptionist to the editor’s chair. It’s a life of dazzling parties, outrageous fashion and exotic travel that most people can only dream of.
But behind the glossy photos is a hidden world of chaos and pressure, where girls as young as twelve starve themselves to fit into a sample size.

Kirstie Clements’ eye-opening account of life in fashion’s fast lane has hit headlines all over the globe. Both a celebration and a critique of this extraordinary industry, The Vogue Factor is this season’s must-have.

I have had this on my kindle since 2013. I just never got around to it and I was looking for a light read so I figured I would give it a go. I really enjoyed it. I’m not in any way fashionable, but I do love fashion documentaries and magazines. The Devil Wears Prada is a favourite film of mine too, so this book was right up my street. It is a really good glimpse into early Vogue Australia and how it all works, but it also shows the darker side of the industry as mentioned above. Far flung locations, parties, glitz and glamour made this a really fun read, and got me back into reading Vogue again!

If you want to check it out, click the link below to order your copy:

The Vogue Factor by Kirstie Clements

Half boy. Half God. ALL Hero.

Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood. I never asked to be the son of a Greek God.

I was just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher. Now I spend my time battling monsters and generally trying to stay alive.
This is the one where Zeus, God of the Sky, thinks I’ve stolen his lightning bolt – and making Zeus angry is a very bad idea.

Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief is book one in the series, and it was yet another book left languishing on my kindle for far too long. I needed something light, but fun, that would keep me reading without making me think too much and keep the anxiety at bay. This book was EXACTLY what I needed. YA adventure at its finest, with a great cast of characters and lots of perilous quests along the way, I couldn’t put it down. I love the movie, but the book is definitely better. Highly recommend this one, my eldest even went and bought himself a copy after I said how good it was 🙂

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

You can’t tell by looking at me that my dad is Poseidon, God of the Sea. It’s not easy being a half-blood these days. You mortals can’t even see the monsters we have to fight all the time. So when a game of dodgeball turned into a death match against an ugly gang of cannibal giants, I couldn’t exactly ask my gym teacher for help.

And that was just for starters. This is the one where Camp Half Blood is under attack, and unless I get my hands on the Golden Fleece, the whole camp will be invaded by monsters. Big ones.

Can Percy survive the treacherous Sea of Monsters and restore order to Half-Blood Hill?

I devoured the first book, so it goes without saying that I moved straight on to the next book in the series. Introducing some new characters with this one, I found it even more action-packed than the first one, but just as fun. Its hard not to feel sorry for Percy with all he gets dragged into, but that is the joy of being a demigod I guess. I sound like a broken record, but these books are FUN!

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Alexis Wyndham is the other type of Queen B—the Queen B*tch.

After years of being the subject of ridicule, she revels in her ability to make the in-crowd cower via the exposés on her blog, The Eastline Spy. Now that she’s carved out her place in the high school hierarchy, she uses her position to help the unpopular kids walking the hallways.

Saving a freshman from bullies? Check.
Swapping insults with the head cheerleader? Check.
Falling for the star quarterback? So not a part of her plan.

But when Brett offers to help her solve the mystery of who’s posting X-rated videos from the girls’ locker room, she’ll have to swallow her pride and learn to see past the high school stereotypes she’s never questioned—until now.

I downloaded this on a whim as it was (and possibly still is) free on Kindle and it sounded like the kind of easy teenage drama-y kind of read that wouldn’t require much thought. Confessions of a Queen B* reminded me a lot of Gossip Girl, and the whole idea of a blog that exposes peoples private lives for peers to see. Books like this make think high school in America would be an interesting place to see because there always seems to be a hierarchy, but then again I’m sure the same can be said of schools the world over. Confessions of a Queen B* is an easy read, a little on the predictable side, but I sTill enjoyed it, and will most probably read the next two in the series at some point when I get time.

Confessions of a Queen B* (The Queen B* Book 1) by Crista McHugh

Until the next one, happy reading… 🙂

Recent Reads~Rapid Reviews

Hi everyone,

So, I’m back with another Recent Reads Rapid Reviews post. I’ve not posted many reviews lately, even though there has been plenty of other bits and pieces on here. It made sense to carry on with this feature as it’s the only way I can get some mini-reviews done for what I’ve been reading lately.

Fault Lines by Doug Johnstone

A little lie … a seismic secret … and the cracks are beginning to show…

In a reimagined contemporary Edinburgh, where a tectonic fault has opened up to produce a new volcano in the Firth of Forth, and where tremors are an everyday occurrence, volcanologist Surtsey makes a shocking discovery.
On a clandestine trip to new volcanic island The Inch, to meet Tom, her lover and her boss, she finds his lifeless body, and makes the fatal decision to keep their affair, and her discovery, a secret. Desperate to know how he died, but also terrified she’ll be exposed, Surtsey’s life quickly spirals into a nightmare when someone makes contact – someone who claims to know what she’s done…

I love anything to do with volcanoes, and if you add in murder, I am sold. I picked this one up after a run of not so good books, and I ended up reading pretty much the whole thing in one day. Doug Johnstone has a great writing style and Fault Lines is no different. It is a cleverly re-imagined crime thriller, but nature takes centre stage due to the fact there is a volcano in Scotland. I really enjoyed the escapism with Fault Lines. I had suspicions early on, but that in no way took away from my enjoyment of the book. It is a really good read packed with plenty of intrigue and secrets. Recommended for sure!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

**A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready?**

In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days.

When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune – and control of the OASIS itself.

Then Wade cracks the first clue. Suddenly he’s beset by rivals who’ll kill to take this prize. The race is on – and the only way to survive is to win.

Why oh why did I leave this languishing on my kindle for so long?! Even my husband, who doesn’t read that much, read it before me! I picked this up when I was in need of something different, and boy did it sing to my 80’s, geek-loving heart. John Hughes references, music I love and gaming references, what wasn’t there to love with this book?! I was hooked immediately, and I read it at every available opportunity. There wasn’t a thing I didn’t enjoy with Ready Player One. As soon as I had finished it, I wanted to go back and read it again, and that rarely happens to me with books! Highly recommended!

Trunk Music by Michael Connelly

Harry Bosch is back at the LAPD in Homicide after disciplinary leave. But his first case proves to be one of the most difficult.

In the wooded hills overlooking the Hollywood Bowl, he opens the trunk of a white Rolls-Royce and finds a corpse. It looks like a simple case of Trunk Music – the execution style of the Mafia where the victim is shot in his own vehicle – but the victim is LA movie producer Tony Aliso, and the mob weren’t the only ones after him.

Bosch finds himself up against the FBI – and back in the arms of a beautiful ex-felon. It’s starting to look like Harry’s first case back in Homicide is in danger of being his last . . .

Continuing my re-read of the Harry Bosch series and Trunk Music was another great read. I am really enjoying this series, more so now that I am reading it in the correct order. The thing that stands out in these books is Connelly’s ability to create characters that are so well-written that you can’t help but become immersed in their stories. Trunk Music is a prime example of this. Bringing back an earlier character works really well here, and it really adds to the tension of the book as a whole. I can’t recommend these books highly enough!

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

Five years ago, Geo’s first love was revealed as a terrifying serial killer.

But he escaped custody and went on the run.

Now, bodies have started turning up, killed in exactly the same way as before.

The message is clear: he’s making his way to her, one murder at a time…

Last but not least, Jar of Hearts. This was a really gripping book for so many reasons. Clever plotting, emotive scenes and great writing made this an interesting read. I loved Geo as a character, and I really felt for her in some parts of the book. This is a book for lovers of the serial killer thriller genre, because that is exactly what it is. There is a lot going on in Jar of Hearts, but it all weaves together beautifully. Highly recommended if you want a fast-paced thriller!

And that’s it for now. I have more reviews to do, some for blog tours, and some Netgalley reads as well. I will be raving about To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo and Furyborn by Claire Legrand sooooooooooon 🙂