September Wrap Up

Hello everyone! Can you believe it's October already? First off, I'd like to apologise for the lack of blog posts this month. I got into a major reading slump as soon as I started reading Empire of Storms - yes the book is to blame - and it's taken me weeks to get out of it. I had no desire to pick up a book or even look at my blog. But I feel like I'm starting to get out of it now! 

So, other than my reading slump, September wasn't that busy of a month for me. I did get a horrendous cold towards the end, but before that I spent three nights in a row seeing my favourite band of all time playing in Glasgow! McFly did a comeback anthology tour that involved them doing 3 shows in four cities and singing the entirety of their 5 studio albums. It was honestly some of the best nights of my life. I was paying for about a week afterwards, but it was worth every bit of pain I was in just to see them.

I just love these boys so much.

Movie wise, this month I saw 4 movies at the cinema: Bad Moms - hilarious! Don't Breathe - very tense and nail biting. I loved it! Blair Witch - a very boring sequel. Laughed my way through it. And lastly, Deepwater Horizon -  an amazing film of a heartbreaking disaster. Definitely my favourite of the month.

Reading wise, it was very clear I was in a reading slump. I only managed to finish 3 books.

1. The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

2. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

3. PS I Like You by Kasie West

I didn't really have an overall favourite this month, but I think I'd have to go with PS I Like You mainly because it was super adorable.

So this month I'm going to take it easy again. I probably won't have regular reviews up, but I'm planning to have a few up. I definitely need to start getting my EoS thoughts down too.

So how was September for you guys? Is there a book coming out this month that you just can't wait to get your hands on? Let me know in the comments!

August Wrap Up

Hello everyone! Sorry this wrap up is a bit late, last week was a super busy week for me so I didn't manage to get anything done. I was working a lot, and my cousin was over from New Zealand so I spent some time with her, and then the rest of the time I spent in bed because I was exhausted! Hopefully this month isn't as jam packed!

Movie-wise, this month I saw 7 movies at the cinema: Finding Dory - a brilliant and hilarious sequel; Suicide Squad - much better than I thought it was going to be!; Nerve - AMAZING! My favourite of the month; The Shallows - a bit boring and they didn't show you the good parts; Mike and Dave Need Weddings Dates - very bad and stupid, but a bit funny; War Dogs - very, very good movie and Miles Teller is fantastic! and lastly, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping - not as good as I'd hoped, but it was alright.

Book-wise I managed to read 13 books (9 of which were re-reads). I'm powering through my re-read of the Morganville Vampire series. I honestly forgot how much I loved this series and the characters. I just can't get enough!

1. Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine

2. Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins

3. Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine

4. Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine

5. Carpe Corpis by Rachel Caine

6. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

7. Wanderlost by Jen Malone

8. Fade Out by Rachel Caine

9. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

10. Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine

11. Ghost Town by Rachel Caine

12. Kissing in America by Margo Rabb

13. Bite Club by Rachel Caine

It Ends With Us was hands down my favourite book of the month. I still need to process my thoughts of the book, but it was definitely the best book I read in August.

So, for September, I'm going to continue my Morganville Vampires re-read (and hopefully finish it!), and I'm also reading The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen - which I'm loving - so I'll probably grab the second book in the series too. Empire of Storms is finally out this month. To be honest, I'm not particularly looking forward to it anymore after all the spoilers - which I'm still hoping aren't true! - but we'll see when it comes out.

So that's my August wrap up! Let me know what the best book you read in August for and which book your most looking forward to reading this month!

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Series: Jasper Dent #1
Publisher: Audiogo
Publication Date: April 3rd 2012
Source: Library
Narrator: Charlie Thurston

What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?

Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round.

Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view. And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

I Hunt Killers is a super creepy book about a boy called Jasper Dent who's father is the world's most infamous serial killer. Jasper is determined to prove that he is nothing like his father, so when he is stalking the police and notices some odd things about a body they have found, Jasper is sure it's a serial killer. He joins in the police hunt to catch the serial killer in a desperate bid to shake off his fathers memory. But Jasper is struggling to get his fathers voice out of his head, will he eventually turn out like his father in the end?

I freaking loved this book! It was so creepy and fast-paced, and I just honestly loved everything about it. 

Jasper might possibly be one of my favourite characters now, he's so complex. Jasper is struggling with the two sides of himself - the side that knows what's right, and the side that his father talks to. Jasper constantly hears Billy in his head and does everything he can to block him out, but there are times when Jasper lets Billy in, and when he does, there's no limit to what Jasper could be capable of. 

The story line revolves around a serial killer copying Billy Dent's killings from when he first started. The serial killer - The Impressionist - is copying the way Billy killed and placed his victims. He's even copying their initials and loosely interpreting their jobs as well. Jasper is determined to find out who is copying his father and put a stop to them.

I Hunt Killers had some seriously creepy moments, and I honestly couldn't work out who the killer was! I spent the whole book wracking my brain trying to piece everything together, and it turns out I didn't even suspect this person at all! I did enjoy getting the snippets from the killers POV and getting an insight into what they were up to and what happened when they realised the police were onto their victims. 

The ending was fantastic and after the big showdown with the killer, Jasper was in for an even bigger shock which left me dying to move onto the next book!

I Hunt Killers is a fantastic YA mystery novel! I completely adored everything about it and I'm sure the whole of the Jasper Dent trilogy is going to become one of my favourites.

Truly Madly Deadly by Hannah Jayne

Truly Madly Deadly by Hannah Jayne
Series: No
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: July 2nd 2013
Source: Audible
Narrator: Erica Sullivan

They Said It Was An Accident...

Sawyer Dodd is a star athlete, a straight-A student, and the envy of every other girl who wants to date Kevin Anderson. When Kevin dies in a tragic car crash, Sawyer is stunned. Then she opens her locker to find a note:

You're welcome.

Someone saw what he did to her. Someone knows that Sawyer and Kevin weren't the perfect couple they seemed to be. And that someone—a killer—is now shadowing Sawyer's every move...

Truly Madly Deadly was the next book on my July mystery/crime/suspense spree! I'd had this one sitting on my phone for ages, I think I downloaded it from audible a few months ago and forgot about it, so this one ended up next on my listen to list!

Truly Madly Deadly follows high school student Sawyer Dodd who's boyfriend Kevin died in a car accident. One morning, Sawyer opens up her locker and finds a green envelope. Inside the envelope is a note with the words 'you're welcome'. Sawyer panics and begins to think that Kevin's death was no accident. Someone must know what Kevin did to her and got him out of the picture, and that same someone is now taking out everything and everyone that could harm Sawyer.

The whole story of this one felt a bit amateur and kind of childish. The narrator didn't help either, she had a pretty childish voice and the characters all sounded whiny. But, the tone of this book just came across way too childish and it didn't create any suspense for me at all. I was intrigued to find out who was leaving Sawyer notes and why they were doing what they were doing. Even when it came to revealing who was behind everything, I wasn't surprised. It'd been extremely obvious to me for quite a few chapters and I basically gave up caring after that.

Overall, I didn't particularly enjoy Truly Madly Deadly. It was OK, but probably not a book I would recommend. 

Trust In Me by Sophie McKenzie

Trust In Me by Sophie McKenzie
Series: No
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Publication Date: September 11th 2014
Source: Kindle

Julia has always been the friend that Livy turns to when life is difficult. United fifteen years ago by grief at the brutal murder of Livy's sister, Kara, they've always told each other everything.

Or so Livy thought.

So when Julia is found dead in her home, Livy cannot come to terms with the news that she chose to end her own life. The Julia that Livy knew was vibrant and vivacious, a far cry from the selfish neurotic that her family seem determined to paint her as.

Troubled by doubt but alone in her suspicions, Livy sets out to prove that Julia was in fact murdered. But little does she realise that digging into her best friend's private life will cause her to question everything she thought she knew about Julia. And the truth that Livy discovers will tear the very fabric of her own life apart.

I picked up Trust in Me right after reading He Will Be My Ruin because it was on offer on kindle, and again, had the same sort of premise. I probably shouldn't have jumped into this one right after reading such an amazing book, because although this was a good book, the story just didn't live up to what I knew it could be.

Trust in Me follows Livy who turns up at her best friends house one afternoon and finds her lying dead on her couch. Julia had always been someone Livy could relying on ever since the death of her sister Kara, so when Livy finds her, she just can't believe that Julia would take her own life. Livy sets out to try to prove that Julia's death was murder, but Livy doesn't realise what she's getting herself into. 

The actual story line for Trust in Me was a bit boring, predictable and a bit too dramatic. Livy's husband has cheated on her before, and this is basically all Livy focuses on throughout the whole book. Even though it's been years and she'd forgiven her husband, she basically believes everyone else over him, even if he tries to prove it to her, and is determined to ruin her marriage. Parts of the story felt a bit far-fetched as well. Like, going to an agency to hire a girl to chat up your partner to see if he cheats? I mean, really? And the fact that Julia hid the guy she'd been dating for months and agreed to marry from everyone?! It just seemed a bit too unbelievable.

That being said, I did enjoy parts of it. It was a quick read and I did like getting to see Livy digging into what Julia had been looking at, and it turns out that Julia had been investigating Kara's murder and thought she'd found the killer. So that added a bit of spice to the story.

There were also chapters from the killer's POV and you got to get into their heads and see how they thought and see exactly what they'd done over the years. So that was pretty interesting.

The ending was a bit of a surprise. I never saw it coming at all! I enjoyed getting to see everything come to a head and find out exactly what had happened.

Trust in Me is a decent mystery novel and a very quick read. It was enjoyable, but also a bit predictable and made me roll my eyes more than once. If you're looking for a bit of mystery and something quick to pass the time, I'd recommend this one. 

He Will Be My Ruin by K. A. Tucker

He Will Be My Ruin by K. A. Tucker
Series: No
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: February 2nd 2016
Source: Audible
Narrator: Kate Rudd and Olivia Song

A woman who almost had it all...

On the surface, Celine Gonzalez had everything a twenty-eight-year-old woman could want: a one-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a job that (mostly) paid the bills, and an acceptance letter to the prestigious Hollingsworth Institute of Art, where she would finally live out her dream of becoming an antiques appraiser for a major auction house. All she had worked so hard to achieve was finally within her reach. So why would she kill herself?

A man who was supposed to be her salvation...

Maggie Sparkes arrives in New York City to pack up what’s left of her best friend’s belongings after a suicide that has left everyone stunned. The police have deemed the evidence conclusive: Celine got into bed, downed a lethal cocktail of pills and vodka, and never woke up. But when Maggie discovers a scandalous photograph in a lock box hidden in Celine’s apartment, she begins asking questions. Questions about the man Celine fell in love with. The man she never told anyone about, not even Maggie. The man Celine believed would change her life.

Until he became her ruin.

On the hunt for evidence that will force the police to reopen the case, Maggie uncovers more than she bargained for about Celine’s private life—and inadvertently puts herself on the radar of a killer. A killer who will stop at nothing to keep his crimes undiscovered.

I've read quite a few of K. A. Tuckers books (The first two books in her Ten Tiny Breaths series and her Burying Water series - which I loved!), so in July when I was feeling like something kind of mystery/crime and I was looking for a new audio book, I came across He Will Be My Ruin. The premise sounded exactly what I was in the mood for so I grabbed it and started listening straight away, and I was hooked. I honestly couldn't put this book down. I wanted to constantly listen to it and even ended up sitting in the house with my earphones in listening to it and ignoring my fiance... It was too good!

So, He Will Be My Ruin follows Maggie Sparkes as she arrives home from doing charity work to deal with the death of her best friend Celine. Maggie is packing up Celine's apartment and getting all of her art collection prepared to sell when she comes across some things Celine had hidden away. Maggie begins to question Celine's death and begins to wonder if her best friend really did kill herself, or whether she was murdered because of something she found.

The whole storyline of He Will Be My Ruin was just the fresh kind of story I was looking for. I'm not really a big reader of crime/mystery/suspense novels, but the whole of July this year was basically taken over by them. An apparent suicide, hidden notes, secrets and lies, this book just had everything going for it.

Maggie was a bit of a hit or miss main character, but I did like her. She was strong willed, and never let anyone boss her around. She was determined to prove that her best friend wouldn't have killed herself. Maggie knew Celine, and she just knew there had to be some other reason for her death. Maggie basically stopped at nothing to try to uncover what happened to Celine. I admired her loyalty to her best friend and her determination to get justice for Celine.

Celine had a lot of secrets, and although her main one was extremely obvious, I still enjoyed seeing the story progress and seeing Maggie uncover Celine's secrets and seeing how she dealt with them. Maggie thought she knew everything about Celine, so it was hard for her to come to terms with Celine's other life. 

There is a bit of romance, but it definitely doesn't detract from Maggie's main focus. There's two pretty hot guys and Maggie has been away for a while, so I'm not surprised she made use of the opportunities they presented. 

And when it came to trying to work out what was going on, I was constantly changing my mind. I couldn't decide what I thought had happened, and I only managed to completely figure it out right before the book took a dramatic turn at the end! But oh my, what a roller-coaster! I'd had my suspicions, but I just couldn't get my mind to settle because there were so many red herrings!

Overall, He Will Be My Ruin was a fantastic mystery/suspense novel. It's honestly one I'll be recommending to everyone, and K. A. Tucker has just rightfully earned herself a spot as one of my favourite authors, and I will definitely be buying whatever she comes out with next!

Do You Remember the First Time? by Jenny Colgan

Do You Remember the First Time? by Jenny Colgan
Series: No
Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: April 11th 2013
Source: Bought

Life doesn’t have a rewind button. Ever wished it did?

As her best friend Tashy cuts into her wedding cake, 32-year-old Flora realises she is disillusioned with life. Suddenly, her well-paid job, cosy flat and stable relationship with sensible Olly don't amount to a whole lot. Flora wants to be 16 again. She closes her eyes and wishes. Her wish has come true.

Waking up the next morning is a shock. But now Flora has the chance to right some wrongs. Trading crows feet for pimples, love handles for a torso Britney Spears would kill for and dull dinner parties for house parties where White Lightning and snogging are the order of the day, Flora revels in a life where things are far less complicated and just much more… FUN.

It's not all laughs though. Will what she does change the future? How can she get back to the present and her ordinary life? And does she even want to?

Do You Remember the First Time? was an 'on a whim' purchase because it was on offer for kindle. The storyline sounded extremely intriguing and unusual, so I just had to get it. And it turned out to be a pretty enjoyable read!

Flora is beginning to realise she is unhappy with her life. Her job and her relationship with Olly aren't making sense to her any more. So,, when her best friend Tashy cuts her wedding cake, Flora closes her eyes and wishes she was sixteen again. The next morning, Flora wakes up and she's sixteen again! But, it's only her, her mother and her father that have changed ages. Everyone else in Flora's life stay the same, and Flora has jumped back a month before Tashy's wedding. Flora has a second chance to change her life, but what does she want to do? And will Flora get back to the present, or will she be stuck to live her life from sixteen again?

I wouldn't exactly call Flora a likeable main character, but she was definitely interesting. She was unhappy and just going along with the way her life had turned out, but then she magically got a second chance at being sixteen. Sixteen year old Flora could be extremely selfish at times, but she also had her selfless moments that started to make me like her. She was funny, and it was extremely interesting seeing a 32 year old in a 16 year old body.

The story line was easy to follow and it basically gave Flora the opportunity to think about her future and decide whether she wants to keep it the way it is, or whether she's going to use this chance to change her future. Does she really love her job? Is Olly the right guy for her? Flora has a lot of decisions to make about her own life. She also takes the chance to try and rebuild the relationship between her mother and father, and she tries to see whether she can fix them. 

The ending of the book wrapped up nicely and ended exactly how I would have expected it to. It was a fun and interesting read, and I really enjoyed it.