#AYearAThon June 2015 Finish/Catch Up • Reading List

Reading List:

Since I decided I want to take part in more read-a-thons, of course #AYearAThon was a must. I have done one of these before but that was a year ago and I didn't do as good as I wanted to. 

June 2015 challenge is to finish/catch up on series that I haven't finished yet. Its a week long read-a-thon from June 1-7.

I will be reading:

If you would also like to join this read-a-thon, visit #AYearAThon on Goodreads.

King Arthur: The Bloody Cup by M.K. Hume - Review

Book Three

Synopsis

For many years, the people of Briton have enjoyed peace and prosperity under the reign of King Artor and the Union of Kings. Having spurned the despotism of his predecessor, Uther Pendragon, Arthur has ruled with a strong sense of duty, goodness and honour. 

Artor is now weakening with age, however, and the seeds of discontent are being sown. Seeking to cleanse the land of Christian belief, dissenters need a symbol with which to legitimise their pagan claim and gather malcontents together into a cohesive weapon. These shadowy, subversive elements seize upon the ancient cup of Bishop Lucius of Glastonbury as a way of fragmenting Artor’s hard-fought-for kingdom. But first, they must lay their hands on the relic and, in doing so, unleash a force for evil from which murder and violent mayhem ensue. 

But it emerges that the ultimate threat to Artor’s rule lies far closer to home; Artor is betrayed by kin. Celt will slay Celt and the river will run with blood.

Review

What a brilliant conclusion to an amazing trilogy. I will try my best not to spoil anything for you if you have not yet read this series. Which by the way you should.

It took me a while to finally pick up the final book, and it took me even longer to finish. I knew it was going to end up in tears with most, if not all, of my favourite characters dead. So in my mind, if I prolonged it then it wouldn't be as painful....how wrong I was.

King Artor is now in his 60s, and if you are familiar with Arthurian folklore, then you will know what is about to happen. Last battle, everyone killed, tears, etc.

There were too many occasions when I had to put this book down after a character died. Not another one was all I was thinking. 

I enjoyed reading the journey of Artor from childhood to old age, the things he has seen and what he needed to do to keep the peace with his people. I couldn't do what he did.

I've never read a character development like this before, been with him from start to end. 

I wish I could say more on this book and how much I love it. But like I said earlier, I don't want to give any spoilers away.

Please, if you have not yet picked this trilogy up, do it. There are only a few books out there that I highly recommend and this is one of them.

I will definitely be picking up more of M.K. Hume in the future. Which I heard recently there is a sequel series to King Arthur, now that would be very interesting to read.

My star rating for King Arthur: The Bloody Cup by M.K. Hume is:

(no surprises)

Celtic Vikings by Lexy Timms - Review

**Advance reading copy provided courtesy of NetGalley**

Book One

Synopsis

In a world plagued with darkness, she would be his salvation.

No one gave Erik a choice as to whether he would fight or not. Duty to the crown belonged to him, his father's legacy remaining beyond the grave.

Taken by the beauty of the countryside surrounding her, Linzi would do anything to protect her father's land. Britain is under attack and Scotland is next. At a time she should be focused on suitors, the men of her country have gone to war and she's left to stand alone.

Love will become available, but will passion at the touch of the enemy unravel her strong hold first?

Review

I know it said it will end on a cliff hanger, but c'mon, that was uncalled for. Even knowing throughout the book you will be left on a cliff hanger, you still can't help but be completely absorbed in this book that when it does end, you are left screaming. 

If I don't get book two as soon as possible, I don't know what I'll do. 

The first book in the trilogy is basically introducing the characters. We get to know everything there is to know about Linzi and her family. More importantly, we get to know Erik. 

It was a bit slow at times, I just wanted Linzi and Erik to finally meet, but overall I really enjoyed this book. The writing style was beautiful, as well as the accents the characters had. It felt genuine to the setting these characters were in. 

There isn't much else to say about Celtic Viking without giving away spoilers. What I can say is, I'm looking forward to reading book two to see what happens to Linzi and Erik.

My star rating for Celtic Viking by Lexy Timms is:

Night Owls by Jenn Bennett - Review

**Advance reading copy provided courtesy of NetGalley**

Synopsis

Since school had let out in May, gold graffiti had been popping up around San Francisco. Single words painted in enormous golden letters appeared on bridges and building fronts. Not semi-illegible, angry gang tags, but beautifully executed fonts done by someone with talent and skill...

Meeting Jack on the Owl—San Francisco's night bus—turns Beatrix's world upside down. Jack is charming, wildly attractive...and possibly one of San Francisco's most notorious graffiti artists.

On midnight rides and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who this enigmatic boy really is. But Jack is hiding much more - and can she uncover the truth that leaves him so wounded?

Review

I loved how different it was from any other book I've read before. I'm not talking about a boy and girl falling in love (I've read a few of those), what made this different was Beatrix. She wants to be an anatomy artist, basically where she draws the inside of bodies so they can be featured in medical books. 

What a brilliant idea for a character to be interested in something as strange as this, I can definitely say I have not read a character who wanted this to be their career.

To say that I was hooked from page one is an understatement. The writing technique was amazing, Jenn Bennett knew how people actually talked. She also made such fun, interesting characters, and I would have to say Beatrix's mother, Katherine and her brother, Heath, had to be my favourite characters. Just their simple conversations they were having was making me laugh out loud. Wish I could of seen more of them throughout the book, but I was happy none the less.

The only problem I had was the pacing of the novel. At times it felt a bit slow, maybe because I was anxious to find out what will happen next. 

Before I finish my review I should talk about Jack, except I don't want to give away too much of his character. So lets just say he is a very interesting character with a lot of drama of his own. 

My star rating for Night Owls by Jenn Bennett is:

Read-a-thon Challenge

Lately I've been in the mood for read-a-thons. Not only are they fun to do, but it's also a great way to get some reading done. Plus, I don't want to go into another reading slump.

The very first read-a-thon I did I pushed myself too hard, I assumed this was some sort of "competition" and didn't enjoy it at all.
It's not about trying to beat other people, it's about having fun and seeing how much you can accomplish in a certain amount of time.

I did a read-a-thon not long ago with this in mind, and I absolutely enjoyed myself. So I'm going to join a few read-a-thons out there and see what happens.

The following is my calendar of all the read-a-thons I'll be participating in:

MAY:
23 - 24 Hour Read-a-thon Hooked on Books

JUNE:
1-7 - Finish Series #AYearAThon
7-14 - Week Read-a-thon Hooked on Books
20-21 Weekend Read-a-thon Hooked on Books

JULY:
5-12 Week Read-a-thon Hooked on Books
6-12 - Agatha Christie #AYearAThon
25 - 24 Hour Read-a-thon Hooked on Books
? - BookTube-a-thon

AUGUST:
3-9 - Week Read-a-thon Hooked on Books
3-9 - TV/Movie Adaption #AYearAThon
17-23 - Bout of Books 14.0
22 - 24 Hour Read-a-thon Hooked on Books


I'm only doing up to August because at the end of that month I will be giving birth to my second child. This does not automatically mean I won't be participating in other read-a-thons throughout the year, it just means I'll be playing it by ear.

Can not wait to start, bring on May 23rd.

Broken Juliet by Leisa Rayven - Review

**Advance reading copy provided courtesy of NetGalley**

Book Two

Synopsis

Some loves never let you go ...

Cassie swore she'd never forgive Ethan for breaking her heart when they were in acting school years ago. He was her one great love, and when he refused to love her back, a part of her died forever ... or so she thought. Now she and Ethan are sharing a Broadway stage, and he's determined to win her back. Finally he's able to say all the things she needed to hear years ago ... but can she believe him? Has he really changed, and what makes this time different from all his other broken promises? The answer lies somewhere in the past, and now the truth will come to light.

Will Cassie rediscover what it's like to be trusting and open again - the way she was before Ethan? Or is it too late for these star-crossed lovers?

Review

What can I say, Leisa Rayven continues to captivate me. Book one, Bad Romeo, is literally my favourite book, so even though I was a bit worried about Broken Juliet, I knew deep down it was going to be another fantastic read.

Unlike Bad Romeo, Broken Juliet was set more in the past life of Cassie and Ethan than the present. It gave us a more understanding of these characters and what they went through together. We also finally get to understand Ethan in his own words. Well you know what I mean once you read this story (which you should).

I think every girl can understand the powerful feelings of first love, especially the dumb things we do for it. No matter the difference, I can relate to Cassie's feelings 100%. Finally there is a book out there where your "first love" isn't all peaches and cream. There are a few hard pips along the way.
For me I think it's was good for them to break up and go their separate ways, not only for them to grow up, but also to learn life's lessons on their own.

Again I can not fault Leisa Rayven's writing skills. I'm laughing, crying, on the edge of my seat from page one. I can not wait to see what other stories she creates, and hopefully soon, I need more.
Leisa Rayven is an author I'll be happy to pay an arm and a leg to get my hands on her next masterpiece.


My star rating for Broken Juliet by Leisa Rayven is:

Wicked Lovely by Melisssa Marr - Review

Book One

Synopsis

Rule 3: Never stare at invisible faeries.

Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world.

Rule 2: Never speak to invisible faeries.

One of them, a beautiful faerie boy named Keenan, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule 1: Don't ever attract their attention.

Now it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King and is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost. Without her, summer itself will perish... 

Review

I think a few of my brain cells dies while reading this book, so if I begin to make no sense or start to ramble on about nothing, blame it on Wicked Lovely.

I'm trying to work out where I should begin to tell you what parts made me want to throw it against a wall. The story line, the characters, the whole concept of this story was boring. No joke, I literally skipped through the whole book I was that bored.

The idea was there, the execution was horrible. 

I was struggling throughout the book trying to understand the relationships between all these characters, yes they might proclaim their "love" for one another, I just didn't feel it or care. 

Aislinn annoyed me the most, oddly enough she  is the protagonist in the story and the most boring. Oh no, I can already feel my brain cells dying again just thinking about this book, I'm using the word boring over and over again.

Even though it was such a poorly written book, I'm going to sacrifice myself and read book two in the series. That's right, this is a series of 5 books. 

Usually if book one is a big fail I wouldn't pick up the rest of the series, but I'm having faith. Maybe, just maybe, Melissa Marr's writing ability improves along with the characters. Here's hoping. 

If you have read this book I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Do you agree or disagree with what I've said? Let me know.

My star rating for Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr is:

Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven - Review

Book One

Synopsis

Cassie Taylor was just another good girl acting student. Ethan Holt was the bad boy on campus. Then one fated casting choice for Romeo and Juliet changed it all. Like the characters they were playing onstage, Cassie and Ethan's epic romance seemed destined. Until it ended in tragedy when he shattered her heart. 

Now they've made it to Broadway where they're reunited as romantic leads once again - and their passionate scenes force them to confront the heartbreaking lows and pulse-pounding highs of their intense college affair. For Ethan, losing Cassie was h is biggest regret-and he's determined to redeem himself. But for Cassie, even though Ethan was her first and only great love, he hurt her too much to ever be trusted again. The trouble is, when it comes to love, sometimes it's the things that aren't good for us that are the most irresistible. 

Review

When I first saw this book in stores (a while ago now), I was hesitant to buy it. The cover looked beautiful, but the title had me second guessing. Now why I didn't read the synopsis is anybody's guess, because the whole time I was believing this book was a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet. I just have this feeling that the author is going to destroy the story that I've loved since I was a child.
Now if only I had read the synopsis, which I normally do, I would've known it really had nothing to do with a re-telling of anything. This story is 100% original, and boy did I LOVE this book.

I've never literally laughed out loud so many times in any other book before. The banter between our main characters, Cassie and Ethan, was something I enjoyed most about this book. Even when they were fighting, the chemistry between these two was mesmerizing.

It's in Cassie's point of view, alternating between past and present. Sometimes, more often than not, when a book is like this it ends up being terrible and all over the place. I can happily say Bad Romeo is none of that, it's so well written that everything just falls into place.
Leisa Rayven knows how to write a complex love story with amazing and even more complex characters. Whatever this author writes in the future, I'm definitely going to read it.

This is a duology, so knowing that going into the book I knew it was going to end on a cliff hanger of some kind. What I didn't anticipate was my obsession and my lack of ability to put this down. So when it ended like it did, was I pissed off. In a way thank goodness I don't have to wait long for the second book to come out, it was actually released a few days ago. That's what I call good timing.
Also, if this ends with Cassie and Ethan not being happily together, then I'm going to be really angry. So watch out Leisa Rayven, this OTP better end beautifully.


My star rating for Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven is: