Saturday Stack ~ Reads for the Holidays

The holidays are a time for good books and good company.

As many of you know, the second half of this year was extremely busy for me. With finishing my uni thesis + degree (so happy to have that behind me!) and dealing with challenges that arose within the family, it was hard to find time to sit back and devour some of the best books that 2017 had to offer.

The holidays allowed me to finally sit down and - one after the other! - get to reading some truly transportive reads. From assassins and magic, to mystery and trickery, there was so much to enjoy and many, many memorable quotes to bookmark! 

So today's post is going to be a recap of this stack of reads that kept my imagination company over Christmas + the Christmas weekend and that can keep you entertained this holiday season (whether you're celebrating New Years or just taking a break from work or study!). I can't wait to share what I thought of each of these six books with you guys.

A massive thank you to Allen and Unwin, Bloomsbury, and Hot Key Books for sending me these copies to review.

So without further ado...let's get stacking!

2016 Debut Authors Bash ~ Erin Beaty Interview

Welcome back to this year's Debut Authors Bash.

The Debut Authors Bash is an annual event that YA Reads started in 2013 to promote debut authors through reviews, guest posts, interviews, promo posts, etc. It's an exciting chance to get to know a little more about the year's incredible authors and their brilliant books!



This year's Bash runs from December 1st through to December 30th. To view the rest of the tour schedule click here.

The author I'm featuring today is the lovely Erin Beaty!

I got the chance to chat with Erin about her novel The Traitor's Kiss (which I loved!), writing characters, and femininity. 

Along with the interview is a giveaway you don't want to miss thanks to Erin Beaty and the wonderful people over at YA Reads, so be sure to check that out if you love books and free things I mean who doesn't?!

Now let's get this Debut Authors Bash started!

All The Gothic Feels ~ The Hummingbird Heart by A. G. Howard | Review

A.G. Howard has created another whirlwind read.

A. G. Howard is the queen of hand-picking magical elements of fiction and weaving them into a beautiful tapestry. Her Haunted Hearts Legacy series is a testament to her brilliant storytelling and its latest addition, The Hummingbird Heart, is a diamond of the first water. Enchanting and addictive, it showcases a cast of winsome characters and a plot that holds your interest from start to finish.

A big thank you to A.G. Howard for sending me a copy of the book to review.

Without further ado, let's get started!

Fire's Kiss by Brittany Pate ~ Blog Tour, Review & Excerpt

The stakes are high in this paranormal romance.

My terrible stake pun aside (apologies to Ryder and his vampire hunting!), Fire's Kiss is a read that presents a great blend of romance and paranormal elements. With intriguing protagonists and two well balanced POVs, it's certainly an enjoyable read.

Today's stop on the blog tour is an exciting one.

I'm so excited to be a part of the Fire's Kiss Blog Tour and as well as a review of the book, I have a great excerpt to share with you all. A big thank you to Fiery Seas Publishing for organising the blog tour and for sending me a copy of the book to review.

So without further ado, let's get started!

Spook or Sweet? Halloween Reads for the Brave (and Not-So Brave!) of Heart

Trick or treat...spook or sweet?

It's that time of year again! The perfect opportunity to pick up a read that sends a shiver down your spine, or has you glancing over your shoulder to make sure no vampires or ghouls have entered your home unannounced.

But sometimes we like to keep our sanity intact.

Halloween can be a time of spookiness overload, so it's important to have a balance between the tricks and treats, and spooks and sweets. Luckily for you guys I've come up with three sets of Spooks & Sweets - with each set featuring a spooky read and a sweeter read to calm the nerves or tickle the funny bone.

The three sets are organised by theme: Haunting History (historical fiction), Ghoulish Girls (female leads), and Terrifying Tech (technology or sci-fi based).

A big thank you to Allen and Unwin, Hotkey, Pan Macmillan Australia, and Bloomsbury for sending me these copies to review.

Pick your poison and settle down with a Spook & Sweet pairing that fits your reading preferences this Halloween!

Drink Your Way Through A Court of Thorns & Roses: Tea Edition

'"Who wants someone around who's covered in thorns? (...) Thorny. Prickly. Sour. Contrary."

He leaned forward and kissed me lightly. "Not forever," he said onto my mouth.'

There are few books I adore more than A Court of Thorns and Roses. After all what is not to love about a Sarah J. Maas book that (A) includes a feisty heroine, (B) is a fairytale re-telling, and (C) features gorgeous fae men?

You know what would make this great book even better? Tea!

Today I've paired up A Court of Thorns and Roses characters with tea choices that I felt were destined to be their better half. I've also included a few A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) Moments To Drink To for each character - moments that not only link well with the chosen tea, but that are just too awesome not to raise a teacup to!

So without further ado...let's get sipping!

Quick Picks ~ This Week's Top 3 Reads

Witches, troublemakers, and choices...oh my!

From a waitress and pop-star love story, to a tale of prophecies and magic, this past week has been filled with books that captured my attention and imagination.

Today I'm bringing three of these to your attention: The Black Witch by Laurie Forest, When It's Real by Erin Watt, and If There's No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

All three novels had something to offer and I hope they will intrigue you, entertain you, and above all have you falling in love with them just as much as I did.

A big thank you to Harlequin Publishing Australia for sending me these copies to review.

Let's get listing!

A New Shade of Summer ~ Review

Love in Lenox is back!

It's time to crack out the bookmarks (and the tissue boxes!) because author Nicole Deese is back with her third book in the Love in Lenox series, A New Shade of Summer.

The Love in Lenox series is a treat of a contemporary romance series that has gifted readers with many a fictional couple to journey along with and root for. And I am so delighted to have gotten the chance to discover Callie and Davis' romance.

Read on for more information on the book + my thoughts on the latest Love in Lenox addition!

We That Are Left Blog Tour ~ Review + Guest Post

I am woman, hear me roar.

Women have always played a diverse and multi-layered role in our world's history. Whether it was at the forefront, or behind the scenes, women often found ways of dealing with seemingly impossible trials and overcoming them.

Lisa Bigelow's We That Are Left is a story that highlights the ability of women to adapt, evolve, and triumph in times of turmoil and war. Thanks to Allen and Unwin I was able to obtain a copy for review as a part of their We That Are Left Blog Tour. It was an emotional read that balanced history and heart.

Read on to find out more about We That Are Left and my thoughts on the book. Also be sure to check out the guest post by We That Are Left's author, Lisa Bigelow!

For more We That Are Left Blog Tour content, follow the tour as it hops from blog to blog! Details can be found on the tour's official poster (bottom of post).

Spellbinding From Start to Finish ~ Spellslinger Review

Now you see it...now you don't!

Magic has such an allure. Whether it's the kind of magic that involves wands and Nimbus 2000s...or the type that's entrenched in trickery and relies on sleight of hand. Magic and magic tricks are a world of wonder for the senses and the mind, encouraging us to second guess everything and question what is real and what is illusion.

Sebastien De Castell's Spellslinger weaves a tale centred around a protagonist who straddles the line between magic and con-artistery. Thanks to Allen and Unwin and Hot Key Books I was able to obtain a copy for review. And let me just say, it was not an easy book to put down!

*No kings, queens, or jokers were harmed during the taking of these photographs.

Read on to find out my thoughts on Spellslinger. And be sure to let me know which De Castell magic band you'd choose to belong to in the comments below!

Love & Loss ~ 3 Reads That Will Tug On The Heartstrings

Most bookworms have a love-hate relationship with heartstring-pullers.

Heartstring-pullers have a spot on every bookshelf (usually hidden behind intensely emotionally fan art, tissue boxes, and empty wine glasses!). They're the reads we're drawn to despite the potential heartbreak and tearjerking scenes to come.

But there is sense of catharsis that comes with reads like these - stories that get us to think about, or re-connect with, moments in our own lives. Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer, Lost for Words by Stephanie Butland, and Out Of Heart by Irfan Master, are three examples of reads that will have you shedding a tear or two or a flood of tears to rival Alice in Wonderland's tear-fest and learning some heartwarming lessons.

A big thank you to Allen and Unwin, Hot Key Books, and Bloomsbury for sending me these copies to review.

Read on to find out my thoughts on these books and be sure to let me know which reads tug at your heartstrings in the comments below!

Drink Your Way Through SJTR: Tea Edition (Hunting Prince Dracula Blog Tour)

There are few books I adore more than Stalking Jack The Ripper and I am so excited to be a part of tour for the latest book in the series Hunting Prince Dracula.

You know what goes well with a great book? Tea!

Today I've paired up Stalking Jack The Ripper characters with tea choices that I felt were destined to be their better half. I've also included a few Stalking Jack The Ripper (SJTR) Moments To Drink To for each character - moments that not only link well with the chosen tea, but that are just too awesome not to raise a teacup to!

A massive thank you to author Kerri Maniscalco and one of the amazing Knights of the Whitechapel Library Luv from Beyond the Book Reviews for organising this awesome event.

Also don't forget to enter the tour's giveaway for a chance to win an ARC of Hunting Prince Dracula (INTL)!

Quick Picks ~ This Week's Top 3 Reads

It's been awhile but Quick Picks is back!

A massive thank you to all of you guys for being patient with me over the last couple of months as I took a bit of a health hiatus from blogging and reviewing. Taking a break to focus on my health is a decision I am truly thankful I made, but I missed reviewing and am so, so happy to be back!

This past week I've indulged in some great reads. 

Today I'm bringing three of these to your attention: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, Nightstruck by Jenna Black, and The Trials of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan.

Each of these reads had something in common.

All three novels had plots whose unique concepts captured my imagination from the start. I hope they will intrigue you, entertain you, and above all have you falling in love with them just as much as I did.

A big thank you to Allen & Unwin, Bloomsbury, Pan Macmillan Australia, and Penguin Random House Australia for sending me these copies to review.

Let's get listing!

Here There Be Dragons ~ The Dragons of Nova by Elise Kova Review

Elise Kova breathes new life into the steampunk genre.

I've always adored steampunk. It's the perfect mix of technology ingenuity and magic, setting fire to our imaginations and testing reality's boundaries.

But after reading books from the genre for such a long time, one starts to develop a 'sixth sense' - an irksome feeling that you know all there is to know about a genre. You're no longer wowed by dirigibles or by goggles with cogs. You find patterns in use, authors borrowing from other authors. Nothing seems original anymore.

Elise Kova's steampunk world - Loom, Dragons, Guilds and all their magic - is such a refreshing change of pace. It's vivid, new, and filled with inventions and concepts that will have your mind whirring with possibilities. And it's latest addition, The Dragons of Nova, is just as utterly spellbinding as its predecessor.

A big thank you to Keymaster Press and Elise Kova for the chance to review this incredible book.

Read on for my thoughts on The Dragons of Nova (as well as my favourite quote from te book!).

Roar by Cora Carmack ~ Release Day Launch

        

From New York Times bestselling author Cora Carmack comes her debut young adult fantasy, ROAR!

Now available, Roar by Cora Carmack takes readers on an adventure filled with charismatic characters in an enthralling world sure to keep them turning the pages.

Read on to find out more!