The Romance Tropes – Book Tag 💕

Hello lovelies and Happy Valentine’s Day! 💕

Yesterday was my birthday and I had an amazing tag and U thought that for Valentine’s Day I could do a fun romance tag! I came across this tag on the amazing blog that is @Words About Words and knew that I wanted to do it! 🥰 Thank you to the creator if this wonderful tag! I tag whoever wants to do it.

The Rules

• If you’ do the tag, make sure to link back to the original post
• You can find graphics on the original post.
• Although this is based around romance tropes, your answers don’t have to be romance books. Whatever fits the prompt!

I begged the reviewer for an ARC because I had loved the previous books in the series but I knew this one would be special. It was the first time I saw myself represented in a romance book with all the tropes I love reading about. Talia Hibbert has such a funny and special writing style that makes me all warm, fuzzy and delirious and Act Your Age, Eve Brown is Talia Hibbert at her best. The banter, the chemistry, the plot, the representation…it was perfect.

Blogmas Day 13 – Winter Wonderland Book Tag ☃️📚

Hello lovelies!

I am back with another tag!! I have seen this tag around and have actually seen it from thisbellereadstoo but I don’t know the creator of the tag. Credits to them. I hope you enjoy!!

The Questions ☃️📚

One: What book is so happy and so sweet that it just warms your heart?

Sick Kids In Love by Hannah Moskowitz was the sweetest, cutest, healthiest romance ever! Because of my unconscious bias, I thought this would be tragic but it was actually a wonderful story about sick kids who fall in love and learn to navigate their feelings and their life. It was wonderful!

Two: What’s your favourite book with a white cover?

Blogmas Day 3: The Festive Christmas Book Tag ☃️🎄

Hello lovelies, welcome to day 3 of blogmas! I haven’t done a book tag in a whiel and I forgot how fun they were, especially Christmas-themed ones! The original tag was made by the Booktuber: GirlReading and I tag anyone who wants to do it but especially Kira Jeannette and Books-N-Bullshit since they’re taking part in Blogmas! 🥰

1. A fictional family you would like to spend Christmas dinner with?

How I Choose My Books – Book Tag!

Hello lovelies!!

I have been tagged by the lovely Hundreds and Thousands of Books to do the How I Choose My Books tag!! If you’re not familiar with her account, please check it out because her posts are always so well-written and wonderful! When I read her post I knew I had to do it and I was thrilled when I saw that she tagged me, so thank you so much hun! 💕

Think of a book you didn’t expect to enjoy, but did. Why did you read it in the first place?

It was The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta! I don’t usually like books written in verse, but I was doing a readathon and found the audiobook which was very short (three hours, I think) so I ended up reading this in one-sitting and unexpectedly teared up when I finished it. It was a beautifully raw book about discovering yourself and fully becoming the person you were meant to be.

2021 Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag! 📚🥰

Hello lovelies! 🥰

It’s here! My favorite tag of the year is finally here! 🥳 I love watching videos, posts, pictures, etc. of the Mid-year Book Freak Out tag and I finally sat down and wrote mine!

This photo represents what I’ve been doing: forever reaching for a new book.

Here are a few stats: 
I have read 53 books out of my goal of 70, which means that I am 15 days ahead of schedule. 
Last year I managed to read 57 books in the year. I am such a slow reader and these 53 books are really a huge achievement for me! 🥳

In 2020, I didn't really have all-time favourite books or books I was obsessed with, whereas in 2021, I have discovered so many new authors and so many amazing books which pleasantly surprised me (but let's not get ahead of ourselves). 
The 53 books make a total of 18 432 pages, which is mind-blowing if you think about it 🤯. 

So, without further ado, let's dive into my 2021 mid-year book freak out tag! 🥰

The Last Ten Books – Book Tag

Hello lovelies!

I was tagged by the lovely Margarida @IcthusBookCorner to do the The Last Ten Books Tag !! Thank you so much for tagging me on this fun tag and if you’re not familiar with her blog, go check it out everyone!

Last Book I Gave Up On

I rarely DNF books so I kind of do *research* before diving into a book of the tropes it contains and I read reviews of people I trust to avoid this. Since I can’t remember a book I recently gave up on, I’m going to tell you about the only book I gave up on and that is sadly Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. No one is sadder than I am about not liking this book! It is constantly on my mind and every year I try to convince myself to read it!

The Last Book I Reread

I scarcely reread books because I’m a very slow reader and my TBR is never ending so I don’t have the luxury of rereading. Though, last year, for the first time ever I reread Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid which made me realize that this book is my favourite book ever.

The Last Book I Bought

I was supposed to be on a book buying ban for the whole month of March after my frantic buying in February…well I failed. In my defense, I bought a book I’ve always been curious about. The Shadowhunters universe is everywhere and with the release of Chain of Iron, I thought now was as good a time as any to catch up on the series! I bought a second hand copy of City of Bones and it only cost me 1€ which is really nothing; so did I really buy it? (yes, I’m in denial.).

The Last Book I Said I Read But Didn’t

Haha I rarely say I read a book but didn’t because I’m always so excited to talk about books and if someone engaged a conversation with me about said book and I had nothing to say it would be tragically embarrassing.

Last Book I Wrote in the Margins of

Okay so I didn’t really write in the margins but I highlighted some parts of Act your Age, Eve Brown because well, the book was excellent and it was my ARC copy; I’m going to buy a finished and immaculate copy so it’s fine.

Last Book That I Had Signed

Getting books by English speaking authors in FRANCE is a struggle so the last copy that I had signed was actually The Beholder by Anna Bright which I got from A FairyLoot special edition.

Last Book I Lost

*scoffs* I don’t lose books; who do you think I am? (just kidding, I lose everything; I just can’t remember the last book I lost.

Last Book I Had To Replace

I never had to replace a book, thankfully!

Last Book I Argued Over

I actually argued over The Princess Trap with my sister who I basically forced to read the book! She had some opinions on the book and I had mine! She’s still currently reading it so I hope she ends up enjoying the book a little more.

Last Book You Pre-Ordered

Funny story, after my last mishhap with preordering How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories I decided that I was cursed. I’ve only had catastrophic stories with preordering books which is a shame because I really want to support authors and some of the books coming out genuinely interest me! But no pre-oredring for me to spare me the frustration, tears, money and anger it induces. I have learned my lesson.

Feel free to do this tag if you want to!!

WWW Wednesday – February, 24th

Hello lovelies!

Long time no see. I took went on an accidental hiatus after my birthday but I am back!! I have read so many books these past week (more than usual) and I have been loving all of the books I read! Also I received 12 books for my birthday so I’m going to upload a book haul soon! In the meantime I wanted to catch up on my reading and what better way to do that than with WWW?

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words. Enjoy!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

I feel like all of the book community is reading this book haha (as they should). As I’m writing this post I am 300 pages in and I AM LOVING IT. I missed all of these characters so much!! I really didn’t like Nesta at first and it was hard forgiving her for what she put her sisters through but I am slowly changing my mind; I can’t wait to see how I stand on this topic by the end of the book.

What did you recently finish reading?

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Okay so I don’t know what happened last weekend but I finished three books in three days and they are all 5 stars reads for me! A great reading weekend indeed. I’m going to put up a review for The Traitor Queen and Legendborn! If you are looking for amazing books with great characters, writing style and plot, these are the ones for you!

What do you think you’ll read next?

Remember when I mentioned receiving 12 books on my birthday? Yes, I’ll probably reading one of those. I’m going on book buying ban to keep my TBR low haha;

What are you currently reading?

Let me know! xx

Blogmas Day #18 – Book beginnings weekly meme

Welcome to day 18 of blogmas lovelies!

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Gilion @Rose City Reader. The idea is to share the beginning of a book.

You pick up a book and read the first few sentences. Will it hook you straight away? Does it have significant meaning that will be revealed later? Good. Book. Beginnings. Are. Crucial.

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Title: An Extraordinary Union

Author: Alyssa Cole

As the Civil War rages between the states, a courageous pair of spies plunge fearlessly into a maelstrom of ignorance, deceit, and danger, combining their unique skills to alter the course of history and break the chains of the past . . .

Elle Burns is a former slave with a passion for justice and an eidetic memory. Trading in her life of freedom in Massachusetts, she returns to the indignity of slavery in the South—to spy for the Union Army.

Malcolm McCall is a detective for Pinkerton’s Secret Service. Subterfuge is his calling, but he’s facing his deadliest mission yet—risking his life to infiltrate a Rebel enclave in Virginia.

Two undercover agents who share a common cause—and an undeniable attraction—Malcolm and Elle join forces when they discover a plot that could turn the tide of the war in the Confederacy’s favor. Caught in a tightening web of wartime intrigue, and fighting a fiery and forbidden love, Malcolm and Elle must make their boldest move to preserve the Union at any cost—even if it means losing each other . . . (Goodreads)

Prologue

April 1861

Baltimore, Maryland

“It will be an easy assignment, a simple passing on of information. One that even a girl such as yourself should be able to handle.” Elle suppressed a bitter laugh as she recalled her Loyal League master LaValle’s briefing from a few days before.

Easy?

Either her superior had dreadfully underestimated the Southern male’s love of an opportunity to do violence, or he’d purposely set her in the middle of danger.

I have to begin this post by saying that this was one of my favorite books of the year. I think I will do a reread soon because I can’t get this out of my head; and that is telling because I usually don’t reread books.

I knew when I read these lines “Either her superior had dreadfully underestimated the Southern male’s love of an opportunity to do violence, or he’d purposely set her in the middle of danger.” that this book would ruin me. I think the plot is incredibly unique and I love seeing Black main characters in historical fiction. The characters are spies so the anticipation and adrenaline kept me on the edge of my seat every page. I liked the whole forbidden love trope and the complicated aspects of the interracial relationship especially during the civil War. The book is full of wit and sarcasm and I love Elle more than anything. She’s an amazing female character. This book tackles so many stereotypes from both sides and treats them brilliantly.

I initially gave this book 3 stars because it was more triggering than I thought in terms of racism and slavery but I decided to give it five stars a few months later because I couldn’t get it out of my head. Also now that I know what happens, I don’t think I will be as stressed as I was when I first read it. Anyway these first lines are crucial in terms of plot and you can see just how good and subversive the author’s writing style is. I highly recommend this book!

Blogmas Day #15 – Top 5 covers of 2020!

Hello lovelies!

Happy day #15 of Blogmas! We have a shorter post today.

Here’s my weekly Top 5 Tuesday created by the wonderful Shannah @Bionic Bookworm Blog and hosted by Meeghan @Meeghan Reads (go check out their blogs; they’re amazing!). I know we shouldn’t judge book by their covers but as a book hoarder, I cannot help but sometimes buy books by their covers…anyone else? I don’t know if these books are the best book covers of 2020 but they are some of my favourites!

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How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories – I won’t ever shut up about this beautiful edition – ever.

The Hunter and the Mage. I love the covers of this series and the MC Lyana is soo beautiful! loving the representation!

Children of Virtue and Vengeance– This cover was way better than the book…Well, at least I have something nice to look at.

Blood and Honey – This is one of the most beautiful book covers I’ve ever seen and it compliments the first book in the series perfectly.

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue – When I saw this book cover, I knew i had to have it

What are some of your favourite book covers? Let me know in the comments!

Karla xx

Blogmas Day #11 – Book beginnings weekly meme

Welcome to day 11 of blogmas lovelies!

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Gilion @Rose City Reader. The idea is to share the beginning of a book.

You pick up a book and read the first few sentences. Will it hook you straight away? Does it have significant meaning that will be revealed later? Good. Book. Beginnings. Are. Crucial.

“Coriolanus released the fistful of cabbage into the pot of boiling water and swore that one day it would never pass his lips again. He needed to eat a large bowl of the anemic stuff, and drink every drop of broth, to prevent his stomach from growling during the reaping ceremony.”

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins has such a special and unique writing style. Coriolanus Snow is one of the most famous villains in the book community and when it was announced that there was a prequel about his days at the Academy I did not expect the book to begin this way but I was hooked. These first few lines are crucial to the story and how Snow sees himself and others. We expect opulence and extravagance from his young days and the author takes a completely different direction and I loved it; it made me buy the book immediately and I really enjoyed it. (You can see my mini review for the book here).

Do these first lines make you want to read the book? Have you read it? Let me know in the comments!

Karla xx