Tag: book meme

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

The Prediction Book Tag

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, ya

First Impression Friday!

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

This is becoming one of my favorite posts to do! I love reading the first chapter of a book and really analyzing it. So far, I haven’t been far off in my predictions!

This week we are looking at Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen, the book that’s been on my TBR longest! It’s also from my TBR posts.

“”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?” Goodreads

So, I don’t know if I’ve ever read Sarah Dessen. I may have way back in the day, like high school days. I wasn’t super sure what to expect going into it.

The first chapter was LONG. Like, 32 pages. I’m more of a short and sweet kinda girl – I hate not ending on a chapter! So that was my first hiccup.

The first chapter was also LONG. It opened up with a ton of descriptions, which I don’t do well with. I don’t need to know the exact color of the carpet, walls, and drapes. Just tell me it’s nice and super expensive and I can imagine the rest. I found myself skimming the first few pages.

I also felt like nothing really happened in the first chapter. You meet Ruby, her sister Cora, and brother in law Jamie who she just moved in with. You find out she was living alone before that. But like, nothing else? I don’t know. It just seemed unnecessarily long.

My predictions for this book. Hm. I don’t think I’ll hate it, but I think maybe it isn’t really in my wheelhouse anymore. I feel like it’s going to be more of a day to day life thing instead of any action. I’m guessing it’ll be a 2-3 star read.

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

You can follow my live-reactions to this book on twitter here!

Until next time…

adult, contemporary, Historical Fiction, Romance, ya

Down the TBR Bonus Post!

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

I am so close to getting under 1900 with my TBR so I decided to do a bonus post! This is hosted by Zezee With Books and here’s how it works!

The rules for Down the TBR Hole:

  • Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?

So I am starting at 1920. I’m going to look at the next 20 books on my TBR to see if we can get to 1900!

My Blue Suede Shoes by Tracy Price-Thompson and TaRessa Stovall

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Four novellas by African-American women that each tackle some form of abuse. I’m trying to be more diverse in my reading, and these stories all sound great.
  • Keep or Delete: Keep!

Poseur by Rachel Maude

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Four girls who have nothing in common get put together to create a fashion label. I probably would have liked this in high school, but not now.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete.

An Amish Christmas by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Barbara Cameron, Kelly Long

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Four Amish Christmas romances. I think we know how I feel about these.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete.

Blue Moon Promise by Colleen Coble

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Ranch romance. I liked the cover, but the synopsis just isn’t doing it for me.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

It Happens Every Spring by Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: The start of a series that follows four married couples from the same town.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Falling for You Again by Catherine Palmer and Gary Chapman

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: The second in the series of the above book. I’ll delete this one too.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Cruel and Unusual by Patricia D Cornwell

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Number 4 in the Kay Scarpetta series. I read the first and loved it, so I’ll keep this one. I need to read 2 and 3 first.
  • Keep or Delete: Keep.

Point of Origin by Patricia D Cornwell

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Number 9 in the Kay Scarpetta series. Same as above, I’ll keep, but need to read the others first.
  • Keep or Delete: Keep

Commitments by Barbara Delinsky

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: A woman meets a man, who is then accused of murder, and fights for his innocence.
  • Keep or Delete: Sounds interesting. I’ll Keep

Escape by Barbara Delinsky

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: A 32 year old lawyer just up and leaves her life one day to start over.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Flirting with Pete by Barbara Delinsky

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: A woman’s father leaves her a manuscript, and she goes searching for who it is about.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

American Beauty by Zoey Dean

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Number 7 in the series, but it sounds like another Poseur type series – one I would have liked in high school.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Heart of Glass by Zoey Dean

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Number 8 in the series. Same as above.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

California Dreaming by Zoey Dean

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Number 10 in the series. Same as before.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

She Went All the Way by Meg Cabot

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Girl gets lost in the wilderness with a Hollywood star.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Size 14 is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Number 2 in a series, but it’s about a pop star and someone gets murdered, I think?
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: I am going to delete this one. I read it in high school. While I don’t remember it enough to review or anything, I don’t want a reread.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete.

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: You know, Nicholas Sparks just isn’t my jam anymore.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete.

The Lucky Ones by Nicholas Sparks

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Another Nicholas Sparks, another I’ll have to pass on.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete.

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Woman falls for a monk? I’m not so sure about it. I wanted mermaids.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

And here we are ending at 1904!! This Sunday, SURELY I will be under 1900! I am so excited.

I don’t know what the deal was with adding like the 7,8, and 10th books of a series? Who knows.

I’m still seeing a lot of my mom’s influence in these books. I’m ready to get to more YA books and see if I forgot about any great ones!

Did I make any wrong decisions? Should I have kept or deleted any? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time…

adult, contemporary, dystopian, fantasy, Romance

Down the TBR Part 12!

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

Another week of trimming the TBR! This meme is hosted by Zezee with Books. Here’s the rules:

The rules for Down the TBR Hole:
  • Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?

So, today we are starting at 1940. I just added the 7 arcs I got approved for this week. Oops. On first glance, there are definitely some I might consider keeping. There’s actually some fantasy and maybe some YA in here!

Three Fates by Nora Roberts

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Three people try to find a stolen statue. Eh.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Captivated and Entranced by Nora Roberts

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Two love stories. One about a screenplay writer and a witch. The second about a detective and a PI. Ok I’m into it.
  • Keep or Delete: Keep.

Three Brides, No Groom by Debbie Macomber

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Chick lit about three women at their 15-year reunion.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

The Fair Folk by Marvin Kaye

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Book of short stories about Fey. I like it.
  • Keep or Delete: Keep!

The Passage by Justin Cronin

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Government experiments. Kidnapped kids. I don’t think it’s for me.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

A Dance of Cloaks by David Dalglish

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: My husband was excited to see this on the list. One of the few books he’s read and he loved it. About rogues and assassins.
  • Keep or Delete: Keep. I’ll give it a chance even though it’s epic fantasy, which usually isn’t my deal.

A Dance of Blades by David Dalglish

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Book 2 of A Dance of Cloaks. I’ll leave it in case I like the first.
  • Keep or Delete: Keep

The High Druid of Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: I mean, this sounds good. High fantasy kind of scares me – it’s usually too involved and too many people to keep up with. But I’ll give this one a try.
  • Keep or Delete: Keep

Madman by Tracy Groot

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: The synopsis confuses me, so I’m going to say this is a no go.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

The Thin Executioner by Darren Shan

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: The MC takes a slave to sacrifice to the fire god to then get inhuman powers. I am going to pass.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

We are ending at 1935. I kept 5 and deleted 5, so not too terribly bad. I actually deleted the YA, which surprised me. I also kept more of the high fantasy than I thought I would. They just sound SO GOOD.

What do you think? Did I make any wrong decisions? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

adult, ARC, mystery, thriller

First Impression Friday!

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

Another week and another first impression. This week I am tacking a thriller arc:

“June Moody, a thirty-something English professor, just wants to get away from her recent breakup and reunite with girlfriends over summer break. Her old friend and longtime nemesis, Sadie MacTavish, a mega-successful author, invites June and her college friends to a baby shower at her sprawling estate in the San Juan Islands. June is less than thrilled to spend time with Sadie–and her husband, June’s former crush–but agrees to go.

The party gets off to a shaky start when old grudges resurface, but when they wake the next morning, they find something worse: Sadie is missing, the house is in shambles, and bloodstains mar the staircase. None of them has any memory of the night before; they wonder if they were drugged. Everyone’s a suspect. Since June had a secret rendezvous with Sadie’s husband, she has plenty of reason to suspect herself. Apparently, so do the cops.

A Celtic knot of suspense and surprise, this brooding, atmospheric novel will keep you guessing as each twist reveals a new possibility. It will remind you of friendships hidden in the depths of your own past, and make you wonder how well you really know the people you’ve loved the longest.”

So I read the first chapter of this book. Again, it had a great first line. I’m hitting the jackpot with these lately!

“Like most clusterfucks these days, it starts with a group text.”

I mean, I laughed out loud. It was great. You then see June talking to her best friend about this girl’s weekend with her old college friends. You can tell she doesn’t want to go, but won’t really get into why. I am already intrigued about what happened and why she has distanced herself from three of her four closest friends. There’s not really much in the first chapter except the text and phone call.

I feel like this will be maybe a three star book? I think it will be good, but as you can see, the first chapter is really just a phone call and didn’t give me a lot to go on. I think the ending will probably surprise me, I won’t figure out the bad guy. But I hope I like it!

Have you read this yet? What are your thoughts?

Until next time…

adult, contemporary, Romance

Down the TBR Part 8!

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

I’m so excited to go through these next 10 books! At a quick glance, it looks like I might only keep one, so I feel like I’ll really dwindle it down this week! This may be the first 10 book delete!

I’m starting my tbr at 1962. I added two books this week. I’ve bought a ton so far this month – 18! So it may be some of them.

Let’s get to it!

Second Sight by Amanda Quick

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: This is the one I thought I’d keep. Paranormal romance with fake death.
  • Keep or Delete: Keep

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Nonfic about a guy that leaves his life for Alaska and then is found dead. I’m not so sure about it.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Adult mystery with PD and medical examiner. Just didn’t catch my attention.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Forget about It by Caprice Crane

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Girl is taken advantage of, runs into a car, fakes amnesia, gets to try a new way of living. Very chick lit.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

The Return of Jonah Gray by Heather Cochran

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: IRS Auditor falls for man because of what she sees on tax papers.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

A Plain & Fancy Christmas by Cynthia Keller

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Amish girl and NYC girl switched at birth, find out, and see how they like the other life.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Christmas in Sugar Creek by Shelley Shepherd Gray

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Another Amish Christmas story.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Best Friends by Martha Moody

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: First, this cover is great. I love the simplicity, but I didn’t think I would like the book. However, this one sounds great. About best friends and secrets.
  • Keep or Delete: Keep.

Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: A very chick lit romance.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Seeds of Summer by Deborah Vogts

  • Date Added: June 27, 2015
  • Thoughts: Rodeo, country, ranch, pastor chick lit romance.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Okay! I was pleasantly surprised by Best Friends. Like I said, I was drawn to the cover but figured I’d let it go after the synopsis. But it sounds so good! I’m also keeping the PNR, which I thought I would at the beginning.

I’m still at a loss to why there are so many Christmas books – especially Amish ones. I guess in 2015 my book tastes were totally different. I do remember reading a lot of chick lit at the time. Now days, they usually don’t hold my interest.

I am ending my TBR at 1954. I can’t wait for the day I see it below 1900! Or even 1000! Ha, if that will ever happen.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

adult, mystery, thriller

First Impression Friday!

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

I loved doing this post last week, so I decided to do it again this week! First Impression Friday is hosted by JW Martin!

Here’s how it goes:

First Impression Friday is a meme where you talk about a book you just started! You can be just a chapter or two in, or a little more.
Based on the start of the book, give a few impressions and predict how you’ll feel about the end!

This week I am featuring The Wives by Tarryn Fisher. This book has been so hyped so I’m excited to start it!

“Thursday’s husband, Seth, has two other wives. She’s never met them, and she doesn’t know anything about them. She agreed to this unusual arrangement because she’s so crazy about him.

But one day, she finds something. Something that tells a very different—and horrifying—story about the man she married.”
– Goodreads

So I read chapter one of The Wives. The first thing that stuck out to me was the dedication – to Colleen. Tarryn and Colleen Hoover are BFF’s so I thought that was the sweetest thing!

So like I said, this novel has a ton of hype. But what drew me in was the polygamist relationship! I was obsessed with Sister Wives. I love learning about how other people live who are different than me!

The MC of this book is Thursday. That’s the day Seth comes to stay with her. His other wives are Monday and Tuesday. I think it’s interesting we only know them by the days of the week. It left me very curious as to who they actually are. Thursday talks about getting ready for Seth to come home, and how she looks forward to this day every week. I can’t imagine only seeing my husband one day a week! It would drive me crazy! I’m also way too jealous to share.

As of now, she hasn’t met the other wives. I’m not sure if she’ll ever meet Tuesday. I feel like I won’t figure out the twist because I never do. I’m guessing this will be a four star read!

Have you read The Wives? What did you think? Let me know below!

Until next time…