Well hello my dear book lovers and welcome to another Reading Challenge sign-up post!
First, let me wish you the best of Happy New Years. I hope your year started out amazing, as it should start or everyone, and that you'll have a wonderful 2018.
I've missed discovering new authors and getting out of my comfort zone. While I have managed to read some books by new-to-me authors in the past years, it's been a while since I've pushed myself to actually seek out books by new authors. Basically since the last time I signed up for the New Authors Reading Challenge hosted by the amazing gals behind Literary Escapism.
The rules are pretty simple: just pick a goal for yourself, a number of new authors you want to discover in a year, and then read. Read as much as you can. If you want, you can also write reviews, which is what I'm going to do, because I love spreading the word about the books I read.
For this year, I'm going with my regular number, the one I've picked in the past, and that is 100. Yep, I commit to reading at least 100 books written by 100 authors I've never read before 2018. I will update this page with the authors and links to my reviews as I read them, so you can find out which authors I've discovered.
If you want to join in on the fun, just go to the sign-up post on the Literary Escapism website. Have fun reading!
WHISKEY SECRETS by Carrie Ann Ryan, the first book in her new WHISEY & LIES series, is available today! Read a sneak peek below and pick up your copy today!
About WHISKEY SECRETS (Whiskey and Lies #1)
Sparks fly between a former cop-turned-bartender and his new innkeeper in the first installment of a Montgomery Ink spin-off series from NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan.
Dare Collins is a man who knows his whiskey and women—or at least that’s what he tells himself. When his family decides to hire on a new innkeeper for the inn above his bar and restaurant, he’s more than reluctant. Especially when he meets the new hire. But he’ll soon find that he has no choice but to work with this city girl and accept her new ideas and the burning attraction between them.
Kenzie Owens left her old life and an abusive relationship behind her—or so she thought. She figures she’ll be safe in Whiskey, Pennsylvania but after one look at her new boss, Dare Collins, she might still be in danger, or at least her heart. And when her past catches up with her despite her attempts to avoid it, it’s more than her heart on the line. This time, it might mean her life.
Once again, Kenzie had no idea if she was making the smartest of moves, but she wasn’t about to back down now. Though it was September, the weather fluctuated between stifling humid and hot to downright chilly. Right now, it was a pleasant day where she didn’t feel like she was walking through a wall of humidity, nor did she need a jacket. Between that and the bright sun and tiny dots of clouds above her, it was a pretty nice afternoon.
“This is the main drag for the town.” Dare gestured at the street. “It’s pretty much a straight line except for one part where it curves over the bridge. The creek below that only starts pumping real good after a storm or right when the run-off from the mountains begins to melt. Other than that, it’s a decent trickle that tourists like for selfies.”
As Kenzie herself had taken a selfie in front of the creek for her personal album of memories, she ignored the humor in his voice at the comment. She’d told herself she would start taking more photos and enjoy where she was and who she was now that she was free of everything that had held her back for so long.
“It’s a beautiful town,” she said simply, and she was being honest about that. Everyone took great care of their buildings and businesses. There were coffee shops, teahouses, bakeries, restaurants, antique shops, clothing stores, and a couple dozen other shops that catered to practically every need. Everything was unique and could only be found in Whiskey.
And now, she was part of it.
“It’s home.” Apparently, Dare wasn’t a man of many words today.
They walked another block in easy silence, and Kenzie sighed. She hated feeling awkward.
“So, have you always lived here?”
He looked down at her and studied her face as they waited at the crosswalk. “No. I lived in Philly for a few years.”
“Big city,” she said dryly then immediately regretted it. Weren’t they supposed to be friends now? Or at least friendly?
He snorted before stuffing his hands into his pockets. She couldn’t help but notice the way his forearms tightened at the movement. She shouldn’t be noticing the man’s arms, damn it. Nor should she think forearms were sexy.
She’d come to Whiskey for herself, and had sworn off men and relationships. That meant no more looking at Dare Collins’ arms and the way he filled out his jeans.
“Sorry about that. Like I said, I had a rough night and took it out on you.”
“You already apologized. Let’s get back to the bar. I know you have to work, and I have paperwork to go over.”
His jaw tightened as he studied her. “Starting already?”
She raised her chin and then cursed herself for doing so yet again in front of this man. He set her on edge, and she wasn’t sure if it was because they kept bumping heads or because she found him attractive when she didn’t want to.
“I’m here to help your parents, Dare, and to do a job.”
“I know you are.” He turned away from her, giving her his profile. “And I’m glad my parents are taking a step back to actually try and relax. I’m just not a fan of change. Hell, I hate it, and I hate surprises even more.”
That, she could totally understand. “I hate surprises, too. As for change? Well, sometimes, change is good.” She was living proof of that, wasn’t she?
“That’s true enough, but it doesn’t mean I’m quick to like it.” He stared at her, and she blinked at the intensity. There was something there, she thought, some heat she couldn’t quite name, and it worried her. Was he attracted to her? Or was that flare because she represented that change he wasn’t ready for?
Either way, it didn’t matter; thinking too hard along those lines when it came to Dare wasn’t something she could do.
“But I guess it doesn’t matter, does it?” Dare continued. “As for your new job? I’ll be around if you need help. I don’t know everything about the inn since I have my own two business to handle, but I can probably at least point you in the right direction. And if you’re looking for upgrades like you mentioned? Talk to Loch. I know he’s family, but he’s damn good at handyman work and carpentry when he puts his mind to it. He hasn’t done much on the inn since our parents weren’t ready to update yet, but Loch’s good at what he does.”
Surprised, she found herself nodding. She’d already heard from her new employers about Loch and how he could help, and she was glad to know that the family stood together no matter what. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You do that, Red.”
She rolled her eyes. “My name’s Kenzie.”
“I know. I like Red too, though. Plus, it’s fun to see you get all rattled when I call you that.”
And she found this man attractive? She was seriously losing it. It must just be the nonexistent heat talking. Once she was fully immersed in her new job and life, she wouldn’t be thinking about Dare and those sexy forearms of his again.
Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Talon Pack, and Gallagher Brothers series, which have sold over 2.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over fifty novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not writing about bearded tattooed men or alpha wolves that need to find their mates, she’s reading as much as she can and exploring the world of baking and gourmet cooking.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, comes BROKEN BEAUTIFUL HEARTS—a red-hot romance that will break your heart and put it back together again! Don’t miss this stunning new title from Kami Garcia!
BROKEN BEAUTIFUL HEARTS releases on February 6, 2018. Pre-order your copy today!
BROKEN BEAUTIFUL HEARTS Synopsis:
From #1 New York Times–bestselling author Kami Garcia comes a red-hot romance that will break your heart and put it back together again.
Her heart has to break before it can open.
When star soccer player Peyton Rios receives an offer from her first-choice college, senior year starts off exactly as planned. But when Peyton uncovers her boyfriend’s dark secret, she confronts him—and finds herself falling down a flight of stairs. Peyton’s knee—and maybe her dream of going pro—is shattered. Everyone is talking: Was she pushed, or did she fall? Peyton knows the truth, even if no one believes her.
He has to let someone in before it’s too late.
With her future on the line, Peyton goes to stay with her uncle in a small Tennessee town to focus on her recovery. Dating is the last thing on her mind—until she meets sweet, sexy Owen Law.
But Peyton doesn’t trust her heart, especially when she senses that Owen is hiding something. When their secrets are finally exposed, Peyton has to decide if love is worth fighting for.
“Something wonderful happened to me as I read this—I fell in love. Genuine, shattering, deep, heart-pounding love. Thank you, Kami Garcia, for Peyton and Owen. We need their story." —Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places and Holding Up the Universe
About Kami Garcia:
Kami Garcia is the #1 New York Times, USA Today & international bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures and Dangerous Creatures novels. BEAUTIFUL CREATURES has been published in 50 countries and translated in 39 languages, and the film Beautiful Creatures released in theaters in 2013, from Warner Brothers. Kami’s solo series, The Legion, includes the instant New York Times bestseller UNBREAKABLE, and the sequel UNMARKED, both of which were nominated for Bram Stoker Awards. Her other works include THE X-FILES ORIGINS: AGENT OF CHAOS and the YA contemporary novels THE LOVELY RECKLESS and the forthcoming BROKEN BEAUTIFUL HEARTS (February 2018).
Kami was a teacher for seventeen years before co-authoring her first novel on a dare from seven of her students. If she isn’t busy watching Supernatural, Kami can teach you how to escape from a pair of handcuffs or bake a Coca-Cola cake. She lives in Maryland with her family, and their dogs Spike and Oz (named after characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Visit Kami at www.KamiGarcia.com.
Carrie Ann Ryan's WHISKEY AND LIES kicks off in just under a week...but we couldn't wait to share the first chaper of the first book, WHISKEY SECRETS, with you! Read it below below, find out more about the series (and how it ties into the Montgomery Ink series!) and preorder your copy today!
Wednesday Chatter is a weekly feature at Ruby's Books where we'll be talking about anything and everything related to books and reading. Click here if you want to see what we talked about in the previous weeks
WARNING: Some bad words might be used in the following post. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Hey everyone! I think it's safe to say that, by now, you all probably know about the limitations Netgalley and Goodreads have put on authors and international readers. You've seen the posts, the tweets, the confusion and anger, which I've felt, as well as many, many other international readers and reviewers. It's only natural.
And before anyone starts thinking "OMG, yet another international blogger complaining about ARCs", the point is so not about the ARCs here. The entire situation is not about that. I'm one of the lucky, privileged bloggers that do get ARCs even if I'm international. But the ARCs are not the point.
And this post isn't about the negative side. It's about the positive side. Here's why:
After people started discovering the changes in Netgalley and Goodreads, a bunch of international bloggers started getting together. And lo and behold the International Book Bloggers group was born. And here's why it is absolutely awesome:
1. Meeting new people and making friends
It is fantastic to discover bloggers. I love the feeling, because we're not only united by a common passion, which is books, but I got to discover the people behind the blogs. I can safely say I've made new friends. They're truly awesome people and beside following each other and supporting each other, we're really just people having fun, talking, making friends, and being nice.
2. Support Group
This is obviously one of the "perks" if you want to call them that, but not only do we follow each other, we also support each other. There's no competition over there to be the "best", the most popular or to one up one another. Which is something I think a lot of bloggers have forgotten a little bit. We've all heard the talk about the competitive side of the community, but when you dig deep enough, you realize it's actually not competitive at all. Which to me never made any sense. It's not as if certain books are available only to a certain group of people, while the rest of the population doesn't have access to them. We're not in the middle ages, basically. In the time I've been in that group, the members have shared giveaway links, tutorials, blogging hacks and ideas, arc announcements, they've commented on each other's blog posts and have been offering encouragements. If that doesn't prove that this isn't a competitive group, I don't know what will.
3. Non-bookish Support and General Fun
Before you go thinking that we're only talking about books, let me tell you, it is not true. We talk about everything and anything. Wanna talk about fitness? You can do that. Video games? They're your people. TV shows and movies? Most definitely. Vent about something? You can do that too. Want a virtual party? You guessed it, we got that too.
It's a safe place and I don't say that to get on anyone's good side.
It just has that feeling, you know?
Do I need to go on? No? Thought so.
In case you're wondering who these awesome human cupcakes are, Pagan over at Paperback Kingdom compiled a list including all of them, a list that's growing constantly by the way, so be sure to check it regularly. Also, check out Fanna @ Fannality, as she interviews each of the members of the group who signed up for an interview/guest post over on her blog. As a side note, my dear friend Rafael from The Royal Polar Bear Reads also has a blogger spotlight feature where he interviews bloggers, but I don't know if all of them are in the International Book Bloggers group. I may be wrong, but I'm not sure.
Anyway, this is why being international is awesome. And I'm glad I get to end 2017 with this Wednesday Chatter, because I can only imagine how much better 2018 will be with these amazing people.
P.S.: If you want to be a part of such an awesome group and if you're international, send me a tweet over on my Twitter account and I'll see what I can do.
Happy Holidays my dear bookworms! The year may not be over just yet, but I've been getting excited about 2018 for months now. Why? Because it's a really good year for literature in my opinion. I am dying to get my hands on a ton of books and I'll try really really hard to stick to just ten of them. So without further ado, here's Top Ten Books I'm Looking Forward To In 2018:
2. Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian - The blurb reminds me a little of Ruined, which I loved. Plus, I love revenge stories :D
3. Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong - I decided 2018 will be the year I'll read series endings, and one of the series I need to finish is Armstrong's Women Of The Otherworld
5. Dealing In Dreams by Lilliam Rivera - There's something about this book that calls to me. I can't exactly tell what, but I usually don't question this feeling, as it's helped me discover great books that I love. I cannot wait to see the cover.
6. Indiscretion by Hannah Fielding - I've had by eye on this book for a while now. I love the sensual feel of the story, and the cover art is fantastic.
7. The Forest Queen by Betsy Cornwell - One of my other auto-read theme is Robin Hood. And this book is a retelling of Robin Hood's tale and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.
9. Furyborn by Claire Legrand - I love books told from dual POVs, especially when they don't happen simultaneously, but a length of time separates the two main characters.
My list is way, way longer than this to be very honest, but I decided to limit myself at just 10 books. What about you? What are ten books you cannot wait to read in 2018?
