Reading Challenges!

 It's a brand new year; which means time for all new reading challenges. So the reading challenges that I'll be participating in will all be down below. So The StoryGraph is epic and they have lots of challenges on there that can be signed up for with different prompts and whatnot as well as the normal how many books you want to read in a year like Goodreads. I'm actually preferring StoryGraph to Goodreads and I've signed up for 3 counting the basic one. I'm thinking of doing the 12 recs for 12 friends challenge so I've included it.

Challenges:

1) 2021 Reading Challenge
I want to read 52 books this year. I'm bad about updating but as that is one of my resolutions I think I can do it. 

2) Alphabet Reading Challenge:
So the goal is to read 26 books, one that starts with each letter of the alphabet without using The or A.

3) Jane Austen's Novels Challenge:
Pretty self explanatory but the idea is to read all of Jane Austen's books with 3 bonus prompts for the unfinished manuscripts that were published and I own all of her novels except for Lady Susan and Sandition so I should be able to complete this. 

4) 12 Recs for 12 friends:
Not 100% sure I'm doing this one yet but I'm going to have decided by the time this post goes live. So keep an eye out because in my reviews, I'll be marking if they were part of a challenge or not. 

Waiting on Wednesday

 

WoW is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where we talk about upcoming books that we are excited for!

Title: Concrete Rose 

Author: Angie Thomas

Publisher: Balzer & Bray 

Release Date: January 12, 2021 

Add to Goodreads

If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.

Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.

Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.

Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.

When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can't just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.

Maverick's book!? Of course this is what I'm waiting for. And the cover is so simple but it has such a gorgeous appeal to it as well. Not much more that I can say but other than that I'm glad this is out in a little under a week at this point. 

What are you all waiting for? 

Top Ten Tuesday #1

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme

Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2021

A Psalm of Storms and Silence

Ace of Spades

Luck of the Titanic

As Far As You'll Take Me

How To Find A Princess

Concrete Rose

Witchshadow

The Right Side of Reckless

Jay's Gay Agenda

I Think I Love You

Sarina Bowen's World of True North Cover Reveal

 Hey everyone! I'm super excited to share not 1, not 2 but 3 cover reveals this morning! These are the first 3 titles in Sarina Bowen's World of True North: Vinos and Veritas series. 

The Vinos and Veritas series is an LGBT+ series and has some of my favorite authors in its line up. I already have these 3 pre-ordered and can't wait for the rest to come out as well this year. The first 3 authors for this series are: Annabeth Albert, Garrett Leigh, and Eden Finley.  I could ramble forever about how excited I am and how much I love these authors in particular but we're here to see some covers. So let's get on with it. 

FEATHERBED BY ANNABETH ALBERT

Release Date: March 15, 2021

Pre-Order here: https://geni.us/AmazonFeatherbed

Add to Goodreads here: https://bit.ly/3mKWKXJ 

Share this page: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/vino-and-veritas/  

Cover Design: Christine Coffey

Blurb: 

When a bookworm on borrowed time meets a younger, free-spirited chicken farmer, sparks and feathers fly…

Harrison Phillip Fletcher, III isn’t supposed to be here. Not in Burlington, Vermont, not running Vino & Veritas, a quaint inclusive bookstore and wine bar, and definitely not still alive, at forty-two. Also not supposed to be here? An unexpected delivery of chickens.

Finn Barnes knows chickens. The burly organic farmer knows all about rare breed poultry, but dealing with a hot, older bookseller is an entirely different matter. City slicker types like Harrison never end up staying in Vermont for the long-term.

They should steer clear of each other. But the flare of attraction is mutual. And somehow amid book discussions and farm tours, they discover plenty in common. Now they’re stealing kisses in Finn’s barn, sneaking out like teens, and burning up the sheets.

What starts as a fling brings very real feelings for two lonely souls, but a future together seems as unlikely as chickens in a bookstore. Feathers may be flying, but learning to trust takes time neither may have. Can they take a leap of faith together before it’s too late?

Featherbed is a stand-alone novel in Sarina Bowen’s World of True North. This opposites-attract, age-gap romance features a low-angst, fluffy—and feathery—romp as a fish out of water discovers the home he never thought he’d find.

HEARTSCAPE BY GARRETT LEIGH

Release Date: March 22, 2021

Pre-Order here: https://geni.us/AmazonHeartscape 

Add to Goodreads here: https://bit.ly/3roFo6y 

Share this page: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/vino-and-veritas/  

Cover Design: Christine Coffey

Blurb:

From award-winning author Garrett Leigh comes a gorgeous new romance in the True North world! Think: great food, burly men and good times. Beards are optional but encouraged.

I’m not the obvious choice to run Burlington’s coolest wine bar—quiet, brooding, clueless about tannin content, and always one wrong turn away from another downward spiral.

But no one seems to mind that I'm a wreck. Besides me. I just focus on getting through each shift until the night a beautiful stranger appears, looking as lost and damaged as I feel.

When a mutual friend calls in a favor, the sexy newcomer winds up crashing on my couch. I don't know if it's his melodic Cornish accent, or his ocean blue eyes, or the rock-hard body with the mysterious scars, but I get the feeling whatever happened to him runs far deeper than those wounds. 

Having Jax in my home makes my chest warm. Makes me shiver. Makes me want more. But I've got a pile of baggage and I don't want to be a burden on anyone let alone a man who seems to have enough demons of his own. 

Our chemistry is off the charts. His arms feel like home. The last thing I want is to screw this up. Is it wrong to hope we can heal each other? Or will one of us die trying?

HEARTSCAPE is a heartfelt MM friends-to-lovers romance in the True North world, with a brooding bartender, a rugged outdoorsman, sweet angst and lots of Shipley cider. Triggers: contains mentions of depression, suicidal ideation and PTSD recovery.

HEADSTRONG BY EDEN FINLEY

Release Date: March 22, 2021

Pre-Order here: https://geni.us/AmazonHeadstrong 

Add to Goodreads here: https://bit.ly/34H76l7 

Share this page: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/vino-and-veritas/  

Cover Design: Christine Coffey

Blurb:

A straight guy gives gay hookup tips to a virgin. What could go wrong? 

When I first met Whit, I couldn’t get away from him fast enough. He’s a hockey player, and I hate everything to do with the sport that broke my heart.

But I can’t help feeling sorry for the guy. He’s newly out and desperate to meet someone, but his eagerness seems to scare potential hook-ups away.

Agreeing to be his wingman should’ve been simple. Watching him flirt with other guys made things complicated.

Whit challenges me in every aspect of my life, from my hatred of hockey to the new questions I’m asking myself. Like why a straight man suddenly can’t stop thinking about kissing another guy.

I think the answer lies somewhere on Whit’s lips...

So now that all 3 of these awesome covers have been revealed, which one is your favorite? For me it might just be Featherbed because of that little chick on his arm. The blurbs for all 3 are fantastic as well and I can't wait for their release dates to add them to my collection. 

2021 Bookish Resolutions

 

1) Post 2 -3 times a week

 For this one I want to post at least 2-3 times every week and not let the blog fall to the wayside. Whether its memes, reviews, promo for upcoming releases, I want to have the content like I used to. 

2) Be more active

Get back to being more active with the book community that I have been a part of on Twitter. I have met lots of amazing people on there and I want to get back on there and participate more. 

3) Start a Book Tok
Ok so I have a TikTok account. Really who doesn't anymore though and I don't post videos but I see a lot on BookTok, I just see a lot of the same books being promoted. So this one is a long shot but possibly start a BookTok for books that I don't see on there. 

4) Come up with new ideas
I want to come up with some new ideas for my blog for some different ideas to keep it fresh and exciting. I do have some plans already in mind so this shouldn't be too hard to do, I hope. 

Book Review: The Falling In Love Montage

Title: The Falling In Love Montage 

Author: Ciara Smyth 
Publisher: HarperTeen 
Release Date: June 9th, 2020 

Synopsis: 

Saoirse doesn’t believe in love at first sight or happy endings. If they were real, her mother would still be able to remember her name and not in a care home with early onset dementia. A condition that Saoirse may one day turn out to have inherited. So she’s not looking for a relationship. She doesn’t see the point in igniting any romantic sparks if she’s bound to burn out.

But after a chance encounter at an end-of-term house party, Saoirse is about to break her own rules. For a girl with one blue freckle, an irresistible sense of mischief, and a passion for rom-coms.

Unbothered by Saoirse’s no-relationships rulebook, Ruby proposes a loophole: They don’t need true love to have one summer of fun, complete with every cliché, rom-com montage-worthy date they can dream up—and a binding agreement to end their romance come fall. It would be the perfect plan, if they weren’t forgetting one thing about the Falling in Love Montage: when it’s over, the characters actually fall in love… for real.

Review: 

My first book and review of 2021 everyone. This book was everything, so let's get into it. 

Saoirse was a great character to follow along with, she may not believe in happy endings but watching her fall in love and see how she grew was an adventure and there was a lot of emotions seeing her follow along with the plan to just have fun with Ruby. Ruby to me was the opposite of Saoirse and which is why I felt that they were able to click as well they did. Their chemistry was there and I wanted so much for them. 

The writing was very well done and flowed well. The humor and emotions that went into the story brought it to life, so that it felt like was there with the cast. The story also went into some heavier topics such as early onset dementia and seeing how they was put on the page was well done from what I know of. 

The ending of the book really got to me and I'm not going to say why because of spoilers but it left me emotional in a good way. Its definitely a story about falling in love and realizing how great of a feeling it is. 

Rating: 4 Stars 

It's 2021!

 Well 2020 is officially behind us now (at least the number is), so I'm kicking off the new year with bringing myself back back. I'm hoping to post every couple of days like I used to and be better about it. So welcome back and here's to the blog's comeback.