Review: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

Book: A Court of Mist and Fury, Sarah J. Mass

Series: A Court of Thorn and Roses #2

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s

Release Date: May 3^rd, 2016

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

ARC Review: The Time Keeper by Kate Harre

Book: The Time Keeper, Kate Harre

Series: The Guardians of Time #1

Publisher: Kindle Edition

Release Date: February 5^th, 2015

Undemanding and beautiful in an understated way, Emilia Delcourt is the perfect girlfriend for Justin, high school football hero and all around golden boy. With plans to go to Stanford University after graduation, the future is golden… except everything is not quite as perfect as it seems. Behind her quiet, submissive front is another Emilia – daring, feisty and craving adventure. And that girl is itching to break free. When Emilia finds out she’s from a long line of time travellers destined to save the world, it just might be time to find out who the real Emilia is. 

Sebastian Gates is ex-Army, smoking hot and able to do some pretty wicked magic. He has it all… except he doesn’t. Haunted by a painful past, he’s a loner and that’s the way he likes it. So when he’s partnered up with Emilia to travel back in time, he’s furious... to put it lightly! He’s always made a point to keep Emilia at a careful distance and that’s the way it’s going to stay. The only problem is, with no expectations on her, Seb is the one person who brings out the real Emilia and she’s determined to find out what makes this brooding, enigmatic guy tick. Thrust into Regency England and WWII Paris, they have to find a way to work together and trust each other. Surely, it’s only a matter of time before Seb’s walls begin to crumble. 

Introducing the Summer 2016 Review Train!

Hey everybody! Well, exams are almost over, TV shows are finishing their seasons, the weather is getting warmer, so you know what that means? SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE! Can I get an excited cheer from the audience?

Thanks Hermione :)

For me, summer means catching up my sleep, planning fun days out with friends, and of course, lots and lots of reading! And a nice way to start off the summer was to plan something fun with my fellow bloggers. This is called the Summer 2016 Review Train!

For anyone wondering, this is something organised by the very sweet Brittany over at Space Between the Spines. Basically, 10 bloggers have gotten together and decided to read and review a summer read (hence the name), and then post that review on the day selected. Click the link to Brittany's blog to get more information! There's also going to be an awesome giveaway at the end of the tour, so I hope you'll all stick around for that! 

Below are all the dates, blogs and books being reviewed for this review train. I hope you all get involved in this as much as possible! :)
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May 30th - Genni at Ready, Set, Read is reviewing The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

May 31st - Lauren at Always Me is reviewing Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs

June 1st - Laura at Blue Eye Books is reviewing The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

June 2nd - Sam at Tsundoku Books is reviewing Even if the Sky Falls by Mia Garcia

June 3rd - Czai at The Blacksheep Project is reviewing Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

June 4th - Alicia at A Kernel of Nonsense is reviewing The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

June 5th - Ashley at [Insert Title Here] is reviewing Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

June 6th - Sinead at Less Reality, More Books is reviewing The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood

June 7th - Ashley at What's She Reading? is reviewing Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

June 8th - Brittany at Space Between the Spines is reviewing Summer Days and Summer Nights by Stephanie Perkins et al + GIVEAWAY! =D

Review: The Crown by Kiera Cass

Book: The Crown, Kiera Cass

Series: The Selection, #5

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: May 3^rd, 2016

When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined. 

Who is Sinead? | The Get to Know Me Tag

Image credit to The Bibliolater

I got tagged to do this great tag by Fiona over at A Girl Between the Pages! I can’t wait to do it, so let’s go!

Basics about Sinead

Name: Sinead Buckley (pronounced Shin-aid)

Nicknames: When I was little I used to be called Sinchie, and my brother calls me Ned sometimes… but my name isn’t really easily nicknamed, tbh!

Birthday: 1^st of February

Star Sign: Aquarius!

Occupation: I’m in college, studying Montessori Education, which I love. Three years down, one to go! I’ve also recently started a new job banqueting at a hotel for the summer!

How She Looks Like

Hair colour: Brown and looks really light in the sunlight!

Hair length: My hair is super long, and I’m super proud of it! It’s super curly so it was quite hard to get it as long as it is (almost down to my butt) and I don’t plan on cutting it any time soon!

Eye colour: I have weird eyes that change eye colour on different days. Sometimes they’re grey, or brown, or blue, or green, or a combination of all four! It makes my eyes really interesting though :)

Best feature: My long hair, or my awesome smile. Those braces were really worth it!

Braces: When I was fifteen I had train tracks, and I still have to wear a retainer at night.

Piercings: I have single ear piercings on each ear. Those two are enough for me.

Tattoos: I got my first tattoo back in February – a quote on my right wrist that says “The centre will hold” from Richelle Mead’s Bloodlines series. I absolutely love it!

Right or left handed: I’m the only leftie in my family, and that makes me super unique, I think.

Firsts

Best friend: I’ve had lots of best friends over the years, from sisters to cousins to classmates. My current best friend is Maria, and we’re currently living together for college this year!

Award: I was always a super shy girl in school and was too scared to properly get involved in school events, so I never won anything. Kind of regret it now, though.

Sport: Nope!

Real holiday: I went to London with my best friend/roommate last August and that was amazing! My first real holiday without the family was going to Spain with a bunch of friends back in 2014 – that was awesome as well! I've also been to east coast of America, Lanzorote and Disneyland Paris too.

Concert: I saw Taylor Swift live in Dublin last June and that was far my most amazing concert experience. I don’t think anything will compare!

Favourites

Film: I love animated movies, including Disney, Dreamworks and Studio Ghibli. I can’t pick one!

TV Show: Once Upon A Time, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Grey’s Anatomy…. I’m addicted!

Colour: I’m a girly girl, so I love pinks and purples!

Song: My current favourite is Piece by Piece by Kelly Clarkson – the Idol version! It’s amazing.

Restaurant: I love Italian restaurants!

Shop: Only, H&M, Vila, River Island… don’t leave me there alone, it’s dangerous, haha :)

Books: Really? Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead, anything by Jennifer L Armentrout and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas!

Shoes: I love my black Converse!

Currently...

Feeling: Tired and achy. I’ve been feeling kinda sick the last few days (the doctor thinks it’s a virus!) and I even had to cancel work this weekend! I’ve aches all over my body and I can barely walk up the stairs. Not good.

Single or Taken: Single! :)

Eating: I just ate sausages and eggs, yum!

Thinking about: How I should really be studying for my exams right now, haha

Watching: I’m not watching anything right this minute.

Wearing: A light pink dress as it’s quite humid out and I'm not feeling pants today, lol.

Future

Children: While I don’t want to have kids any time soon, I would like two boys and a girl if we got to choose :)

Marriage: Like with kids, marriage is way way in the future, if ever. If someone wants to marry me, great! If not, I’ll survive too.

Careers: I want to work with children and be their teacher.

Where you want to live: I’m going to stay in Ireland, my home, for the time being, but maybe when I’m finished college I’ll go travelling! My brother just took off for Tenerife, Italy, England and Switzerland over the next three months, and I’m a little jealous to be quite honest.

Do you believe in...?

God: Honestly? I don’t know.

Miracles: I do like to believe in miracles.

Love at first sight: I think you can have a real connection to someone, but not love at first sight. How can you tell just by glancing at someone that you love them?

Ghosts: Hey, I watch Supernatural. I’ll believe in anything.

Aliens: Our world is teeny-tiny. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s aliens out there!

Soul mates: I don’t know. I'm not sure if there’s one specific person out there for everybody, but if everyone tries, we’re bound to find someone who understands us. It may not be romantically, but they do understand our needs.

Heaven/hell: If there’s one, there must be the other, right?

Kissing on the first date: If there’s a connection, why not?

Yourself: It took me a while, but I do finally believe in myself. And that’s the most important thing to believe in, right?

I tag...

Alis – Readers in Wonderland

Erin – Me Read A Lot

Alex – The Book’s Buzz

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: The Problem with Forever by Jennifer Armentrout

Hey everyone, welcome to today's stop on the review tour for The Problem With Forever by Jennifer L Armentrout! I'm so excited to be a part of this tour.

Book: The Problem With Forever, Jennifer L Armentrout

Series: Stand-alone

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date May 17^th, 2016

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes a riveting new story about friendship, survival, and finding your voice.

For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of—that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with the lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory faces a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants, and the truths that need to be heard. 

Buy Links:                       

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Indiebound

Register your preorder of THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER by May 20th to receive a FREE fan pack! Includes inspirational wall art, a colourful poster, and flag-as-you-read stickers. You will also get immediate access to an extended excerpt from the book.

Fill out the form here: http://bit.ly/24awVFw

My Review:

Mallory Dodge did not have a happy or conventional childhood. She didn’t have loving parents, or a warm bed to sleep in at night, or the guarantee that there would be food on the table every day. She didn’t grow up safe. Always told “not to make a sound” by her best friend and protector, Rider, for if she made any type of sound, their foster father would not be happy. This childhood fear resonated with Mallory, for at seventeen years old, silence is a shield. She struggles to have ordinary conversations with people as her tongue seems stuck.

“Words were not the enemy or the monster under my bed, but they held such power over me. They were like the ghost of a loved one, forever haunting me.”

Even though she was saved from her foster family by two people who care very deeply for her, Mallory still appears to be stuck in the past. But she knows she can’t stay stuck in the past forever, so like a brave little soldier, she’s ready to face her fears by attending her senior year at a public school, when she’s always been home-schooled. From this, Mallory meets someone from her past she never expected to see again: Rider Stark, her once best friend and protector.

And so what follows is Mallory and Rider helping each other face the demons in their past together and look forward to a bright future. Even though Mallory was saved from her foster home, Rider wasn’t as lucky. Therefore, they both have very different demons to face.

And it was so emotional to read! This is the book that will make you so truly grateful for everything good in your life, and what things you take for granted. I come from a loving family, and have a bright future ahead of me. But it’s so easy to forget that not everyone has that. Hearing about Mallory and Rider’s past, and seeing Mallory struggle with speaking broke my heart so many times. There were times when all she wanted to do was hide in her closet like when she was young and let Rider protect her, but we see her grow as she realises that she has to learn to save herself. She can’t always let Rider save her, even though he’s more than willing to.

I just loved her as a character. She was scared and brave at the same time. While most people remember the loud strength and bravery, all types of strength are important and should be acknowledged. Mallory’s quiet strength is just as significant. I loved how she praised herself every time she spoke, even if it was just three words.

“I was not going to rain on my own wow, because talking to new people was hard for me. Like as hard as it would be for someone to walk naked into class.”

And she and Rider were so amazing together. After not seeing each for years, their reunion was something special. And the romance between them was slow-building but sweet. It was obvious they cared so much about the other, but was it only because of the past they shared? Were they even the same people they were back then? We see them learn more about the person they’ve grown into, while remembering the child they once were. A lot of obstacles stood in their way, both from outside sources and their own insecurities, but by the end the right choice has been chosen and all you can do is cheer and try not to cry.

Mallory and Rider’s journey is something I believe everyone should read, especially if you’ve ever suffered from anxiety and would relate to what Mallory’s going through.

“None of this was forever. But trying was. Living was.”

______________________________________

About Jennifer L. Armentrout:

# 1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

 Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

  

Links:

Website| Twitter | Facebook| Goodreads

Giveaway

A Messenger Bag filled with a Kindle Fire, Signed THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER, Signed Copies from Jennifer L. Armentrout and Katie McGarry, and Book Goodies and Swag for 1 Winner!
Click the link to enter:  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review Tour Schedule:

May 9

Mundie Moms

Mary Had a Little Book Blog

K-Books

Reads and Thoughts

Booklovers For Life

May 10

Milky Way of Books

Deity Island

Less Reality More Books

Lovin' Los Libros

Once Upon a Twilight

The Book Bratz

May 11

Stuck in YA Books

The Book Swarm

The Book Hookup

Take Me Away To A Great Read

Love Between The Sheets

May 12

City of Books

Krista's Dust Jacket

PBC

The Reading Geek

Readers Live A Thousand Lives

May 13

kimberlyfaye reads

True Story Book Blog

StuckInBooks

Bows & Bullets Reviews

MEReadALOT

A Bookish Escape

May 14

My YA NA Book Obsession

DanaSquare

The Cover Contessa

My Random Book Thoughts

May 15

Owl Always Be Reading

No BS Book Reviews

Nose Stuck in a Book

MrsLeifs Two Fangs About It Book Reviews

Jenuine Cupcakes

May 16

A Glass Of Wine

Star-Crossed Book Blog

One Year Blogging Anniversary!

Can you believe it? It's officially been ONE YEAR since I started blogging! One year ago today I posted my very first review, The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead, and Less Reality More Books truly became a reality! 

I think this is something to be truly proud of, even if I am technically a newbie in the whole blogging world, haha. I honestly didn't know if this blog would even be a success when I first started; I really just wanted another outlet to post my reviews and let my inner booknerd roam free. 

But seeing how many people I've met, and new authors I've spoken to, and all the ARC's I've been given in this one year alone... I think it's safe to say this was one of the best decisions I've made, and I'm not going to quit any time soon!

I just really want to say thanks to everyone who's seen my blog, commented on my posts, and following me. Without any of you, I'm not sure I would be as committed to keeping this blog updated as I am! It's all because of YOU. So thank you all so much, and I love you all to bits. I can't wait to see what the next year will bring, and how many more people I'll meet.

Review: P.S I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Book: P.S, I Still Love You, Jenny Han

Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before #2

Publisher: Simon & Shuster Books

Release Date: May 26^th, 2015

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Timesbestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.