Thursday, December 26, 2019

2020 Reading Challenges


We're only a few days away from 2020 guys, which means one thing and one thing only: READING CHALLENGES. I've done reading challenges almost as long as I've been book blogging with various degrees of success. I'm very happy to say that I'll be doing reading challenges in 2020 too, and I'm already excited to start them. Let me show you which ones I'm signing up to. And remember, if you have any good reading challenges that you think I should sign up to, share them in the comments and I'll check them out! Without further ado, here's the reading challenges I plan on doing in 2020.

Friday, December 13, 2019

Blog Tour Book Review: The Darkest Assassin by Gena Showalter

We are beyond excited to be sharing this release from Gena Showalter with you today by participating in the blog tour! THE DARKEST ASSASSIN is part of her Lords of the Underworld series and it is releasing as part of 1001 Dark Nights. Check out an excerpt and book trailer from the title below. Click here to grab your copy now.

 

Purchase your copy of THE DARKEST ASSASSIN today!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

Author: Gena Showalter
Series: Lords of the Underworld #14.6
Audience: Over 18
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
Release Date:  December 10th 2019
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):


From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gena Showalter comes a new story in her Lords of the Underworld series…

Fox is a demon-possessed immortal with many talents.
Ability to open portals—check
Power to kill the most dangerous Sent Ones—check
Scare away any man who might want to date her—mate
Now, the keeper of Distrust has been marked for death, a winged assassin with rainbow-colored eyes tracking her every move, determined to avenge the males she accidentally decimated. If only she could control the desire to rip off his clothes…

Bjorn is a fierce warrior with many complications.
Tragic, torture-filled past—check
A wife he was forced to wed, who is draining his life force—check
Ever-intensifying desire for the enigmatic Fox—mate
Never has he hesitated to exterminate an evil being. Until now. The sharp-tongued female with a shockingly vulnerable heart tempts him in ways no one else ever has, threatening his iron control.

But, as Fate itself seems to conspire against the unlikely pair, both old and new enemies emerge. And Fox and Bjorn must fight to survive.

And learn to love…
Add THE DARKEST ASSASSIN to your Goodreads TBR here!

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As such my review my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

The newest installment in the Lords Of The Underworld series is here guys, and I. Am. Stoked! Any chance I have of going back to this wonderful world is something I shall grab with both hands (and feet...monkey style!). If you're a fan of this series, you're in for a wild ride. If not, let me tell you why you should put everything on hold and start reading this series right now.

Saturday, December 7, 2019

2019 Bookending Winter Day 6: A Very Potter Christmas!



Bookending Winter is  a wonderful month-long event created by Clo @ Cuppa Clo and Sam @ Fictionally Sam where each day has a different prompt for the participants to talk about.

Day 6 of Bookending Winter is here! Our new host is Tabatha @ Broken Soul reviews and her prompt is about Harry Potter. Can I screech in happiness now??
If you are anything like me, you have one healthy (or rather unhealthy) obsession with all things Harry Potter! Christmas/Winter time in Potter land has always been one of my favorites. It introduced us to Hogsmeade and opened up a door to tons of adventure for the crew. Today, we are taking a trip – right down to Hogsmeade, to grab ourselves some Butterbeer and talk about the upcoming Winter Ball! To get us in the Potter Winter Ball Spirit; there are some things I want to know about all of you!
It's no secret that I adore Harry Potter, flaws and all, so I am VERY excited to see what Tabatha has in store of us. Before we start, please remember to check out Tabatha's post first.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

2019 Bookending Winter Day 4: Organizing Christmas Challenge



Bookending Winter is  a wonderful month-long event created by Clo @ Cuppa Clo and Sam @ Fictionally Sam where each day has a different prompt for the participants to talk about.

It's day 4 of the Bookending Winter event!! Laurie @ Laurie's Bookshelf is hosting today and her prompt of the day is Organizing Christmas Challenge. Here's more about today's prompt:
Uh oh, Christmas is just around the corner. Life happened and therefore you totally forgot to prepare yourself for the holiday. Answer the following questions and choose which character from books/movies/TV shows would help you to fulfill this task and help you prepare for Christmas.
Rules:
  • This is an originally created challenge, so please link back to the creator and this post.
  • Answer all the challenges!
  • Mention who challenged you to do this challenge.
  • Challenge at least three other bloggers.
  • Have fun!

Don't forget to check out Laurie's post about this prompt. Without further ado, let's get started!

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Blogmas Day 3: Best Books...Of The Decade


According to Goodreads between 2010 and 2019 I read a little over 1000 books. That is something young Ruby never thought possible. Since we're close to the end of this decade (I'll let you guys add all the adjectives you want about this decade) I thought it would be fun to look back at the books I've read so far and see which ones stand out the most. I'm going to try really hard to pick one book per year, but we'll see how it all goes. Let's get started!

Book Review: Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber

Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber
Author: Debbie Macomber
Series: N/A
Audience: Over 18
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: October 3rd 2017
My Rating: 3.5 Cups
Source: Won in a giveaway
Blurb (from Goodreads):
Merry Knight is pretty busy these days. She’s taking care of her family, baking cookies, decorating for the holidays, and hoping to stay out of the crosshairs of her stressed and by-the-book boss at the consulting firm where she temps. Her own social life is the last thing she has in mind, much less a man. Without her knowledge, Merry’s well-meaning mom and brother create an online dating profile for her—minus her photo—and the matches start rolling in. Initially, Merry is incredulous, but she reluctantly decides to give it a whirl.

Soon Merry finds herself chatting with a charming stranger, a man with similar interests and an unmistakably kind soul. Their online exchanges become the brightest part of her day. But meeting face-to-face is altogether different, and her special friend is the last person Merry expects—or desires. Still, sometimes hearts can see what our eyes cannot. In this satisfying seasonal tale, unanticipated love is only a click away.
*Disclaimer: I won an ARC of this book in a giveaway hosted by the author. I'm writing my review voluntarily, and my opinions and rating are not influenced by having won this book.

I've been meaning for years to try out one of Debbie Macomber's books, so I was very excited when I won an ARC two years ago. I wasn't really sure what the book was about, except that it was set around Christmas, and I love books set around that holiday. There is a good reason for why I held off on reading it for so long after reading the blurb though. One of my favorite movies growing up was You've Got Mail, which is a 90s romcom that I watched many many times over the years. This meant that I had very high expectations for this book, so I had to manage them a bit before picking up this book.

I'm very glad I waited to read this book, because it turned out to be a very enjoyable read, one I probably wouldn't have appreciated had I not managed my expectations.

2019 Bookending Winter Day 3: Blanket, Tea, Read!



Bookending Winter is  a wonderful month-long event created by Clo @ Cuppa Clo and Sam @ Fictionally Sam where each day has a different prompt for the participants to talk about.

It's day 3 of the Bookending Winter event!! Laurie @ Laurie's Bookshelf is hosting today and her prompt of the day is Book, Tea, Read!" or the books that get you in the winter/Christmas mood. People, I have a TON on books that get me in the mood for Christmas Don't forget to check out Laurie's post here. Without further ado, let's get started!

Monday, December 2, 2019

2019 Bookending Winter Day 2: Reflection Time



Bookending Winter is  a wonderful month-long event created by Clo @ Cuppa Clo and Sam @ Fictionally Sam where each day has a different prompt for the participants to talk about.

It's day 2 of the Bookending Winter event and today's host, Laurie @ Laurie's Bookshelf has a very interesting prompt. As she says, December is the perfect time to look back over how the year went, if we managed to hit the goals we set out for ourselves in January, and also set goals for the new year. Don't forget to check out Laurie's post here. Without further ado, let's get started!

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Blogmas Day 1: November Wrap-Up



It's December already. Can you guys believe it? Because I cannot wrap my head around the fact that there's only 31 days left of 2019. It seems like 2019 flew by me, and it took me completely by surprise. I'm going to do Blogmas this year (and unlike last year, this time I'll do the full month, I promise). I thought I'd start with a proper month wrap-up, because this has been one of my best reading months of the year, with over 20 books read. Let's dive right into it, shall we?

2019 Bookending Winter Day 1: Ways A Villain Could Ruin the Holiday Season



It's December 1st and that means it's time for Bookending Winter!! In case you don't know what Bookending Winter is, let me enlighten you. It's a wonderful month-long event created by Clo @ Cuppa Clo and Sam @ Fictionally Sam where each day has a different prompt for the participants to talk about. Basically awesomeness all around! And there's hosts, so you can not only do some blog hopping, but also discover new bloggers while you're at it, and since we're an amazing community, we need to all be friends and be merry. 'Tis the season, people!!!

The first host of this year's event is Sophia @ Bookwyrming Thoughts and her prompt is Ways  A Villain Could Ruin the Holiday Season. Let me tell you, these villains have tremendous power to destroy all nice things, including the Holiday Season. Let me tell you how they could ruin mine.

Audiobook Review: Kulti by Mariana Zapata



 Kulti by Mariana ZapataAuthor: Mariana Zapata
Series: N/A
Narrator: Callie Dalton
Audience: +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Length: 16 hours and 13 minutes
Release Date: July 28th 2015 (first published March 20th 2015)
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: Audible
Blurb (from Goodreads):


“Trust me, I’ve wanted to punch you in the face a time or five.”

When the man you worshipped as a kid becomes your coach, it’s supposed to be the greatest thing in the world. Keywords: supposed to.

It didn't take a week for 27-year-old Sal Casillas to wonder what she'd seen in the international soccer icon - why she'd ever had his posters on her wall or ever envisioned marrying him and having super-playing soccer babies.


Sal had long ago gotten over the worst non-break-up in the history of imaginary relationships with a man who hadn't known she'd existed. So she isn't prepared for this version of Reiner Kulti who shows up to her team's season: a quiet, reclusive shadow of the explosive, passionate man he'd once been.
I've been meaning to read Mariana Zapata for a while now. In fact, she's the author that finally convinced me to try out the Audible Escape subscription I now love so much. Because I didn't know where to start, since I've heard a lot of good stuff about her books, I pestered my dear friend Sam from Fictionally Sam to point me in the right direction and Kulti was the second book on her list I think. Since it was also the first book that I noticed by her on AE, I decided to go with it. And let me tell you, it was glorious.

Book Review: A Holiday By Gaslight by Mimi Matthews

Author: Mimi Matthews
Narrator: Alex Wyndham
Series: N/A
Audience:  +18
Genre: Historical Romance, Christmas Romance
Publisher: Perfectly Proper Press
Release Date: November 13th 2018
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):
A Courtship of Convenience

Sophie Appersett is quite willing to marry outside of her class to ensure the survival of her family. But the darkly handsome Mr. Edward Sharpe is no run-of-the-mill London merchant. He’s grim and silent. A man of little emotion—or perhaps no emotion at all. After two months of courtship, she’s ready to put an end to things.

A Last Chance for Love

But severing ties with her taciturn suitor isn’t as straightforward as Sophie envisioned. Her parents are outraged. And then there’s Charles Darwin, Prince Albert, and that dratted gaslight. What’s a girl to do except invite Mr. Sharpe to Appersett House for Christmas and give him one last chance to win her? Only this time there’ll be no false formality. This time they’ll get to know each other for who they really are.
*Disclaimer: I received an eARC from Netgalley and Perfectly Proper Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

The first thing that caught my eye was the cover. How could I ignore it, when it's so pretty? The next thing that made me want to read this book was the fact that it was not only a Christmas story, but a historical romance one. So basically you have the two best things in the world put together. I've never read Mimi Matthews before, but I absolutely loved this introduction into her world and I believe I shall dive into her backlist in the upcoming year.
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