Romance – Page 3 – Mithah Reads

adult, contemporary, fantasy, Five Star Book, LGBT, Romance, ya

🌹 Beauty and the Beast Book Tag 🌹

March 16, 2020March 15, 2020 Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

Tags are so fun and I am so glad my friend Erin tagged me in this! She’s a baby blogger. You should all go give her a like or follow over at EagerBeaverReader!

Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie and has been since I was a child. I mean, who doesn’t want Belle’s library?! This tag was found at The Book Nut. Let’s dive in!

🌹 “Oh what a guy, Gaston!” A villain you can’t help but love 🌹

The Darkling from Shadow and Bone for sure. He’s a love/hate kinda guy and I think we all secretly wish for him and Alina to be together.

🌹 “Here’s where she meets Prince Charming” Your OTP 🌹

Kaz and Inej 10000%. I will ship them until I die.

🌹 “I want so much more than this provincial life” A character destined for greater things 🌹

Alex and Henry are going to rule the world with so much love and inclusion. I want to live in this universe!

🌹 “Be our guest!” A book that made you hungry. 🌹

Between the baking and the grilled cheese wars, I just wanted to eat the most unhealthy things while reading this book.

🌹 “Beauty and the Beast” Opposites attract. 🌹

Ok, hear me out. There was a mild love interest in this, and they are definitely opposites.

🌹 “But there’s something in him that I simply didn’t see” A character who is more than they appear 🌹

Who is good? Who is bad? No one is who you think they are. This is the book all other thrillers have to live up to now.

🌹 “I was innocent and certain, now I’m wiser but unsure” A book that changed you in some way 🌹

D1V is more than just a gamer. She stands up for what she believes in and tries to make a stand against cyber bulling, especially in the cruel world of online games. I want to be more like her.

🌹 “Kill the Beast!” A book you picked up because of hype. 🌹

And did I love it as much as everyone else did? Of course I did!

🌹 “I’ll never shake away the pain” A book or moment that always makes you cry 🌹

My sweet JVN has been though some shit. My heart hurt for him the whole time I was listening. I’m so amazed that he could come out on top and be the beautiful human that he is.

🌹 “How does a moment last forever” A book that you’ve loved since you were little. 🌹

When I was three my Nana thought I was reading this book. She called my mom in a panic/surprise. They then realized I was holding the book upside down and had just memorized it.

I loved this tag! Some of the prompts really made me think!

What would your answers be for the prompts? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

fantasy, Romance, ya

⚓ First Impression Friday ⚓

March 13, 2020March 12, 2020 Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

Normally when I do First Impression Friday, I read the first chapter and review it, give my thoughts and predictions. Yeah. That did not happen. I started and I.couldn’t.stop. I’m on chapter 6 now.

Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice.
She will reign.
As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer—the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.
When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he’ll help her prove she’s fit to rule, if she’ll help him reclaim his stolen magic.
But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder—and more peril—than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she’ll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stow-away she never expected… or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever.
I am the right choice. The only choice. And I will protect my kingdom.
-Goodreads

So, like I said, when I started this book I couldn’t stop. I’m usually not super into pirates and sea adventures, but this cover was gorgeous so I knew I had to try. I’m so glad I did.

It starts out with lying, people disguised as others, and magic that goes awry. Plus there’s so many different kinds of magic and rules. It’s so interesting!

I was immediately drawn to Amora. She just seemed so likeable and a heroine I can root for. I’m already shipping her and the love interest! Ahhhh!

I think this will be a 4-5 star read. Too soon to tell, but I know it’ll be a great fantasy!

Plus: we are discussing this book over at Words & Whimsy! Join us here!

Have you read All The Stars and Teeth? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below.

Until next time…

ARC, fantasy, Romance, ya

🗡️ The Queen’s Assassin ARC Review 🗡️

March 12, 2020March 22, 2020 Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

🗡️ Title: The Queen’s Assassin
🗡️ Author: Melissa de la Cruz
🗡️ Publisher: GP Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
🗡️ Publish Date: Feb 4, 2020
🗡️ Book Form: Physical ARC
🗡️ Pages: 384
🗡️ Genre: Fantasy, YA, Romance
🗡️ Dates Read: Mar 7 – Mar 11
🗡️ Rating: 🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️

Thank you to GP Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Red Queen, this is the first novel in a sweeping YA fantasy-romance duet about a deadly assassin, his mysterious apprentice, and the country they are sworn to protect from #1 NYT bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.
Caledon Holt is the kingdom’s deadliest weapon. No one alive can best him in speed, strength, or brains, which is why he’s the Hearthstone Guild’s most dangerous member. Cal is also the Queen’s Assassin, bound to her by magic and unable to leave her service until the task she’s set for him is fulfilled.
Shadow of the Honey Glade has been training all her life to join the Guild, hoping that one day she’ll become an assassin as feared and revered as Cal. But Shadow’s mother and aunts expect her to serve the crown as a lady of the Renovian Court.
When a surprise attack brings Shadow and Cal together, they’re forced to team up as assassin and apprentice. Even though Shadow’s life belongs to the court and Cal’s belongs to the queen, they cannot deny their attraction to each other. But now, with war on the horizon and true love at risk, Shadow and Cal will uncover a shocking web of lies that will change their paths forever.
– Goodreads

I received a beautiful arc of this in the mail and could not wait to dive in. We all know how much I love assassins. This book was good, but there was not enough assassin action for me!

The Queen’s Assassin is told from two POV’s – Shadow and Cal. Cal is the Queen’s Assassin. He saved Shadow’s life one day. As she ran to tell the Queen of his heroics, he was put into jail. Shadow knew she had to rescue him, along with convincing him to let her be his apprentice.

Cal agrees begrudgingly. Then, friendship forms. And also love, because why wouldn’t it?

I loved the growth of the relationship between Cal and Shadow. I was rooting for them the whole time. I mean, what ya fantasy couple do I not root for? I was so glad when feelings started forming. I wish there would have been more romance, but I liked the slow burn, will-they-won’t-they. I feel like there will be plenty of room for romance in book two!

The mystery of who was trying to kill the princess was great. I didn’t guess who the villain was. I loved all the espionage they had to go through to get to the answers.

My only complaint was for a book with assassin in the title, there wasn’t a lot of killing. Does that sound morbid? Probably. But if there’s assassin the title, I want assassin work! Hopefully there will be more of that in book two as well.

If you love ya fantasy, assassins, and slow burn romance, this book is definitely for you!

Is The Queen’s Assassin on your tbr? Have you read it? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

adult, mystery, Romance, thriller

📚 Down the TBR Bonus! 📚

March 11, 2020March 8, 2020 Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

Hey guys! I am deep into The Queen’s Assassin and loving it so far. Today I decided to do a bonus TBR and hopefully I’ll have my The Queen’s Assassin review tomorrow!

Today we are going to clean out all the books added on July 11, 2015. My TBR is starting at 1860 and we’ll be looking at 16 books!

✔ What I Kept ✔

✔ Hand of Fate by Lis Wiehl

I have book one on my tbr this month actually, so I’ll keep for now. If I don’t like book 1, I’ll come back and delete this.

✔ Heart of Ice by Lis Wiehl

Same as above. It stays unless I don’t like book 1 or 2!

✔ Dark Lover by JR Ward

Oh, boy. Here we go. So I was on the fence about this one, but then I saw that a ton of my friends rated this 4-5 stars. This has 19 books in the series, and I have 10 on my list for today. So I’ll just add them all below this one, and they stay until I don’t like them 🙂

The Rest of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series on my TBR:
✔ Lover Eternal
✔ Lover Revealed
✔ Lover Unbound
✔ Lover Enshrined
✔ Lover Avenged
✔ Lover Unleashed
✔ Lover at Last
✔ The King
✔ The Shadows

✘ What I Deleted ✘

✘ Wake by Amanda Hocking

I was really on the fence about this one, but after reading some reviews I decided to skip. My late teens/early 20s would have been the time to read this I think

✘ Lullaby by Amanda Hocking

Book 2 of the Watersong series, so it goes too.

✘ Tidal by Amanda Hocking

Tidal rounds out the Watersong trilogy.

✘ Forgotten Lyrics by Amanda Hocking

A novella for the Watersong trilogy. #0.5

Well, I honestly thought that would go differently. I only deleted 4, so my TBR is at 1856. I didn’t expect to keep 10 out of a 19 book series so that kind of sucks. But they sound good and my friends liked them so we will see!

Have you read the Black Dagger Brotherhood series? Was it worth keeping? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

ARC, contemporary, Four Star Book, review, Romance, ya

💔 Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak ARC Review 💔

March 9, 2020March 7, 2020 Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

💔 Title: Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak
💔 Author: Adi Alsaid
💔 Publisher: Inkyard Press
💔 Publish Date: April 30, 2019
💔 Book Form: E-ARC
💔Pages: 384
💔Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
💔 Dates Read: Mar 3 – Mar 7
💔Rating: 💔💔💔💔

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The summer after senior year is not going as eighteen-year-old Lu Charles expected: after her longtime boyfriend unexpectedly breaks up with her, Lu can’t write a single word, despite the fact that her college scholarship is tied to her columnist job at hip online magazine Misnomer. Then, she meets Cal.
Cal’s ever-practical girlfriend Iris is looking ahead to her first year of college, and her plans do not include a long-distance boyfriend. When Lu learns that Cal and Iris have planned to end their relationship at the end of the summer, she becomes fascinated and decides to chronicle the last months the couple will spend together.
The closer she gets to the couple, the more she likes them, and the more she wants to write about them. The summer unfurls, and Lu discovers what it really means to be in love. On the page, or off it. The book is touching exploration of love and how it shapes us both during a relationship and after it has ended.
– Goodreads

This is the first book by Adi Alsaid, but I know it will not be my last. I was instantly pulled into Lu’s story and couldn’t wait to see what happened.

In the beginning, and throughout the whole book, really, I wanted this weird relationship with Lu and the couple she eavesdropped on – Cal and Iris. I wanted Lu and Iris to become bffs. They seemed to instantly click and they jsut had a nice flow to their friendship. However, Lu met Cal before she met Iris. He sat beside her on a bench where they talked in fake French accents and helped French tourists find their way. They seemed to have instant chemistry and I really wanted Cal to be the one to mend Lu’s heart.

For a while, this weird situation seemed to work. Lu started hanging out with Cal and Iris together, then separate. When she and Cal were together, it seemed like a romantic connection. When Lu and Iris were together, they seemed like they had been friends forever.
Lu had a best friend before all this went down – Pete. He might have been my favorite. He was asexual and Lu described him as her wise old uncle, which he thought was pretty fitting. He was funny and smart and gave the best advice.

Lu was eavesdropping on Cal and Iris because she writes a love column. Since her boyfriend broke up with her, she had writer’s block. She was listening to what she thought was their breakup for inspiration. This is really the central plot of the book – Lu working through her heartbreak so she can write again. Besides, her whole future lies in this column. She has to keep it to get her scholarship to go to NYU for journalism.

Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak was such a quick, fun read. It made me laugh out loud at times. It also took me back to my past days of high school romance when a break up was totally the end of the world.

I would recommend this book if you like YA romance contemporaries – but the ending will surprise you! I want to say more thoughts about the ending, but I’m scared it’s spoilery so I will refrain.

Have you read Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

fantasy, middle grade, Romance, ya

Down the TBR Part 14!

March 8, 2020March 6, 2020 Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

So I added some books to my TBR this week… I’m up to 1863. Today I’ll be clearing the day of July 7, 2015 which is 13 books.

At first glance, I already see some I’ll keep. A lot of YA series in this one!

✔ What I Kept ✔

✔ Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

I love a good dystopian YA, and this still sounds amazing. I really need to work this in soon. I’ve almost bought it at the bookstore about 100 times!

✔ Graceling by Kristin Cashore

I’ve actually wanted to read this book for forever too! I love YA fantasies with kings and royals and forbidden romances.

✔ The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

My friend Stephanie has been trying to get me to read this! Like as of the last month or so. So, it’s staying and I’m reading it just for her.

✔ The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

I love a good ghost story around Halloween! I am going to save this one for my spooky tbr later this year!

✔ Fallen by Lauren Kate

So, I’m not sure about the synopsis, or if I’ll even like this book.

But look at that beautiful emo cover. I’ll be listening to Brand New and Taking Back Sunday while reading this.

✔ Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

I’ve never read one of Maggie’s books. I’ve been looking at this one a lot recently. I really need to read some of her work!

✔ Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I’m usually not an alien fan. However, many people have told me this is a great series. I may try this one soon!

✘ What I Deleted ✘

✘ The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

This just isn’t sounding good to me anymore. I definitely would have liked it in my younger days, but two kids trying to keep the lights going in a dystopian world is just kind of eh to me.

✘ Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

This is another I would have loved in my younger days. I just need a little more substances to my vampires now that I’m older. I’m looking for more of an Eric than an Edward, if ya know what I mean.

✘ Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

This sounds a little young for me too. The MC is 12, which I’m not opposed to, however, this just isn’t striking my fancy. I should have read this long ago.

✘ The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I’m not a huge fan of gods, demigods, mythology.. all the books with that subject matter I end up giving low star ratings. I’m just going to save myself the pain and say nah fam.

✘ The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

I don’t know what it is, but this just does not seem appealing to me at all. Maybe its the cover? Maybe it sounds too juvenile? I don’t know but I’m going to pass.

✘ Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

This is another paranormal book I would have loved back in the day. I just need a little more oomph now.

Wow! I kept 7/13 – over half! I think that’s the most I’ve ever kept. This was also all YA, which is pretty amazing. I figured I’d keep more once I started getting into my YA backlist.

I wish I would have read all the books I deleted in the past. The synopses sounded just like something I would have liked in my younger days. I’m sad I didn’t get to them because I feel like I wouldn’t enjoy them now.

I’m officially ending my TBR today at 1857.

What did you think about what I kept and deleted? Did I make any mistakes? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

contemporary, fantasy, Five Star Book, Romance, two star book, ya

The Prediction Book Tag

March 4, 2020March 3, 2020 Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

Thank you so much to Love for Words for tagging me in this one! This is the first tag I’m participating in, but I hope to do more! Here’s how this one works –

💖 Ping back to the creator of the tag, @bookprincessreviews
💖 Tag the person who tagged you, @LoveForWords
💖 Find an answer to match each prompt.
💖 Have fun!

💖 All these prompts are predictions for your… 💖

💖 Next read💖

This has been on my ARC backlong for too long. I’m trying to catch up as quick as I can! I’m hoping to finish my current read and start this one today!

💖 Next 5 Star Read 💖

I received a beautiful ARC of this and I can’t wait to dive in! I think I may read it after A Brief Chronicle.

💖 Next 1 Star Read 💖

My current read. I don’t normally rate one stars, and this will probably get a two. It’s an ARC, so I will finish and review it, but I’m just not loving it.

💖 Next Love Interest (Or Character Who Seems Really Cool) 💖

A bastard aching to belong…
Reviled son of a dead king, Rafe would do anything for his beloved half-brother, Prince Lysander Taetanus, including posing as him in the upcoming courtship trials. When a dragon interrupts their secret exchange, he orders his studious sibling to run. After suffering a fatal blow, Rafe is saved by a beautiful dove who possesses forbidden magic, just like him.
– Goodreads

I mean, just look at that pic and read that synopsis of him. I’m already swooning.

💖 Next Book You’ll Be Buying 💖

This is one of the books that has been on my TBR the longest! I’ll have to buy it but I’m determined to work more of these books in!

💖 Next Book That Will Leave You With a Hangover 💖

I’m so into the girl power in this book! It’s one of my most anticipated this month!

💖 And now for tags! 💖

💖 Sarah at Bookish Bug Blog
💖 Destiny at Howling Libraries
💖 Lauren at Lala’s Book Reviews
💖 Kristin at Kristin Kraves Books
💖 Leslie at Books Are The New Black

I hope you all enjoyed this tag as much as I did! What is your next read? What are your thoughts on these? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

contemporary, Romance, three star book, ya

Lock and Key Review!

March 3, 2020March 2, 2020 Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

Title: Lock and Key
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Viking’s Children’s Books
Publish Date: April 22, 2008
Book Form: Ebook
Pages: 432
Genre: YA, Romance, Contemporary
Dates Read: Feb 24 – Feb 26
Rating: ★★★

Ruby, where is your mother?
Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she’s been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return.
That’s how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she hasn’t seen in ten years, and Cora’s husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future; it’s a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give?
Best-selling author Sarah Dessen explores the heart of a gutsy, complex girl dealing with unforeseen circumstances and learning to trust again.
– Goodreads

I remember reading Sarah Dessen as a high schooler and loving her. I wanted all her books. So when Lock and Key popped up on my TBR, I knew I would keep and give it another go. Unfortunately, I was pretty underwhelmed.

Lock and Key is almost like a day-to-day in the life of a high schooler. Sure, Ruby had some issues. Her mother left her, she lived alone for weeks, it’s hard for her to trust anyone. She’s been lied to more times than she can count. That’s the makings of a dark, interesting character. Ruby just didn’t live up to it. I was sorely disappointed in just… the lack of personality, I guess? I didn’t feel bad for her at all.

Nate was the love interest – if you can even call him that. Yes, there was flirting. Almost kisses. And Nate had some secrets of his own. However, there was so little romance I’m not sure it even should count as a romance book. I’m obviously not expecting smut, but they barely flirted. They were more like best friends.

My favorite characters were Jamie and Cora, Ruby’s brother in law and sister. They were fun to me and seemed like they really cared. They had the most personality of anyone.

Lock and Key is probably a great read for middle school to high school aged kids. I think I would have loved it back then, but there just wasn’t enough action for me now. If you have kids or siblings 13-18ish, I think they would love this book!

Have you read Lock and Key? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

adult, ARC, blog tour, contemporary, fantasy, mystery, Romance, ya

March 2020 TBR

March 1, 2020February 29, 2020 Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

February flew by compared to January! I know it’s two days shorter, but it felt weeks shorter! I almost hit my goal of 15 books last month. Here’s what’s on the TBR now! I have an extra book because I can’t decide what to cut!

What’s on your TBR this month? Are we sharing any of the same books? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

adult, ARC, Erotica, fantasy, Historical Fiction, mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, ya

February 2020 Wrap Up

February 29, 2020February 28, 2020 Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

I felt a little better about this month! I read more than last month, which was nice. I think overall I enjoyed my books more, too. Let’s jump right in to what I read this month!

Ebooks Read

Harmony by Addison Jane ★★★★
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller ★★★★★
Second Star by JM Sullivan ★★★
The Girl’s Weekend by Jody Gehrman ★★★
We Are Blood and Thunder by Kesia Lupo ★★★
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson ★★★★★
Chasing Starlight by Teri Bailey Black ★★★
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen ★★★

Audiobooks Read

Human Errors by Nathan H Lents ★★★
The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish ★★★★
Buried Deep by Margot Hunt ★★★★
My Lost Family by Danny Ben-Moshe ★★★

I had two favorite books this month – The Shadows Between Us and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder! They were my only 5 star reads and so totally different. The Shadows Between Us is a fantasy about two bad people falling in love and being bad together. It was great. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’s inspiration came from true crime podcasts and it totally had that feel!

My least favorite book was probably Second Star or Lock and Key. Second Star was a sci-fi Peter Pan retelling and I just didn’t really connect with anyone. Lock and Key was like a day-to-day in the life of a teenager and it just wasn’t very enticing to me.

Stats

Goodreads Goal: 21/165. I’m 5 books behind schedule now, which is one more than last month. However, I read more so I think if I can keep up the pace I can get back on track!
I read 3204 pages, almost double last month! I also listened to 12 hours, 45 minutes, which is only two hours less than last month. My average rating was 3.5.
I read 1 erotica, 2 fantasy, 1 historical fiction, 3 mystery, 3 nonfic, 1 romance and 1 sci-fi.
I read 6 YA, 4 adult, and 1 new adult! I read 6 ARCs this month which was way better than last month.

Yearly Goals Check In

I didn’t think about doing this last month, so we will start here!

Monthly goal of 15 books a month – I read 12, 3 more than last month. I’m slowly getting there!
TBR Goal – I’ve kept up my TBR posts and even did a bonus post! I want to read 20 books off my tbr. I think I am at 3. I probably need to pick up the pace on that. I also want to get my TBR below 1800. I’m at 1904 so we’re getting there!
Words & Whimsy – I’ve done one author chat so far this year and I’m already scheduled for a couple more! It was so fun and I remembered why I loved it so much!
Book Battle – I used a lot of arcs that have been released as recs this month so that was great! I think I only missed two days of my discussion this month so that’s better!
My Blog – I wanted to do more blog tours and I think I have 3 coming in March! I wanted to up my follower count to over 150. I’m already at 151 in two months! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!! As of right now, I’m not going to up this. I”m just going to see where this year takes me. I also wanted to post at least every other day. Earlier this month I missed a few days, but I’ve been going good these last couple of weeks!
I wanted to keep up with my Owlcrate reading planner. That lasted all of a week. However, I have kept up with 3 book log spreadsheets, so I say that’s still a win! I also thought about getting back into bookstagram, but that’s on the back burner for now. I’m doing good just to keep up with what I got!

How many books did you read this month? What was your favorite and least favorite? How are you on your goodreads goal? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…