February 2021 – Jenjenreviews

#TheWriteReads #BlogTour Review: Aether Ones by Wendi Coffman-Porter

February 26, 2021February 26, 2021Jenny (jenjenreviews)2 Comments

Definitely a book that requires a lot of brain power in order to follow what’s going on.

Thank you so much to The Write Reads and Wendi Coffman-Porter for allowing me to be part of this experience and also providing me with a complimentary physical copy!

Purchase this book (affiliate link): Amazon

Review

Book CWs

For a list of warnings, tropes, and representation for this book, check out its page on BookTriggerWarnings.com.

Premise (from Goodreads)

Leilani Falconi is a top agent for the Imperial Investigative Service, tasked with policing the veil between two realities. Long ago, the Great Sundering tore the universe into two mirrored halves; aether space, which progressed using magical energy or eldrich, and kuldain, which advanced via electromagnetic technology.

But now a series of suspicious deaths stretching back more than a decade has the agent trapped directly between secretive bureaucracies and their peoples. If she can’t solve the mysterious crimes in time, existence as she knows it could erupt into chaos.

Review (No Spoilers)

I think this book expanded my brain! Have you ever read a book where once you finish you feel like your head is fuller?

Aether Ones follows Agent Leilani Falconi who finds herself stuck in the middle of a deeply rooted political scandal, full of murder and suspicious occurrences. I had a really hard time keeping up with everything that was happening because this book is chalk-full of information. I can’t even begin to imagine how much work Wendi Coffman-Porter had to put into making such a fantastically complex world. I’ll definitely have to re-read this book again when I have a clearer headspace because I feel like I really only comprehended around 20% of it. I think it might have been easier to follow if the pacing slowed down a bit to build the world up more comprehensively but it could have just been me tbh.

Throughout the book we are introduced to multiple types of characters, species, magics, and realms. It was fascinating to read about all of these creatures existed and how they interact with each other. I would recommend keeping track of the character names as you read because the narration switches back and forth between referring to them by their first name, last name, and/or their rank. There are also quite a few time jumps, so if you aren’t good at remembering names (like me) than this list will keep you from having to flip back and forth between chapters to remember who someone is.

The book ending paves the way for a second (or perhaps even more?) book so it will be interesting to see where these characters are headed!

Disclaimer: Most posts made on this blog will include affiliate links, identified by the phrase (affiliate link). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This comes at no additional cost to you.

WWW Wednesday – February 17, 2021

February 17, 2021February 17, 2021Jenny (jenjenreviews)5 Comments

I missed last week’s WWW Wednesday because of two blog tour posts being due that day but here I am, back again! I’ll cover books that I’ve read since my last update.

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Taking on a World of Words, where you answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What have you recently finished?
What are you reading next?

Currently Reading

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Guess who still hasn’t made any progress on this book!!!

I’m in a bit of a reading (and mental health) slump and I’ve had basically no motivation to read anything lately, which is a shame because I think I’m going to really like this book. Hopefully I can finish it this month.

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

I started this a few days ago because it’s a book my partner, Rob, chose for my TBR this month. I’m enjoying it quite a lot. The main character is a total dick but he knows this about himself which is a new take on this.

I’ve been reading so many books lately where the main character is a terrible person and doesn’t seem to realize it, so this is strangely refreshing.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

This is part a buddy read with Hannah’s Not-a-Book-Club Book Club. We split this book into four sections to cover over four weeks and I missed last week’s section (oops) so I’ll have to do some extra reading to catch up before our next discussion.

So far nothing has really happened in the parts I’ve read so I don’t really have an opinion on this yet. I hope it lives up to the hype!

Recently Finished

Since my last update on February 3rd, I’ve finished the following books:

Murder on the Menu by Fiona Leitch

I read this for a blog tour so you can read my full review here.

This is the first book in a cozy mystery series and I enjoyed it a lot! The writing style is very informal and funny so I laughed quite a bit. I’m also a huge fan of DCI Winters and I’m hoping that I’ll see more and more of him as this series progresses.

Bad Habits by Flynn Meaney

I read this book for a blog tour with The Write Reads and I unfortunately didn’t like it. It is book that has a really big sense of humor and is sure to illicite many laughs from you, but I found it’s view on feminism very harmful.

It’s a very sex-positive book, which is great, but it relied too much on virgin-shaming for me to be on board with it.

You can read my full review here.

A Brush with Death by Fiona Leitch

This is the second book in the same series as Murder on the Menu that I mentioned above. I also read this for a blog tour so you can read my full review here.

I didn’t like this one as much as the first because it dealt with themes that I really don’t like such as cheating and love-triangles. I’m honestly not sure if I’m going to continue the series because it’s relying very heavily on the love-triangle trope right now and I hate them so much.

Ever Alice by H.J. Ramsay

I really really disliked this book, which is unfortunate because it has SUCH A GORGEOUS COVER. I read it as part of a blog tour and had to switch to a spotlight post because of how much I disliked it.

Not only was I not a fan of the writing style or plot, but I also felt like this book never took mental health seriously. You can visit my spotlight post here.

A Dash of Romance By Paullett Golden

This book might have singlehandedly saved my reading week. It consists of a short romance novella and several short stories and the novella was the ultimate feel good novel. I loved it so much.

The only thing that I wanted to change was a small plot point involving the heroines dad. I didn’t understand why he did/didn’t do what I expected him to do and I can’t make sense of it. Maybe I’m missing something…

You can read my full review here.

Reading Next

I have a blog tour coming up and several books I have to finish in order to complete my February TBR. Here are a few of them!

Do you see any books you’ve read or want to read? Let me know in the comments!

Book Review: A Dash of Romance by Paullett Golden

February 12, 2021February 12, 2021Jenny (jenjenreviews)4 Comments

I loved basically everything about this book!

Book CWs: For a list of content/trigger warnings, tropes, and representation found in this book, check out its page on BookTriggerWarnings.com!

Premise (from Goodreads)

With quills and fantasies, they write their future.

Percival Randall lives an uncomplicated life of luxury, as he likes it. Not even an ultimatum requiring marriage can tip the scales. A conniving young lady who compromises his name to force a betrothal, however, is an impediment to happiness Percival must confront.

Abigail Walsley dreams of publishing novels rather than marrying dashing heroes. An unexpected proposal and a subsequent Banbury tale tumble her into a betrothal with a man she has never met. Following her dreams proves a challenge with a marriage of inconvenience on the horizon.

This is the love story of Percival and Abigail, two dreamers who write their love story one scene at a time.

From second chance romances to mistaken identities, experience A Dash of Romance in this collection of one short novel and fourteen bonus flash fiction pieces.

Purchase this book (affiliate link): Amazon

Review (No Spoilers)

Thank you so much to Paullett Golden and BookTasters for providing me with a complimentary digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

A Dash of Romance consists of one historical romance novella and several short stories. My review is going to be focused on the novella since I feel like it’s the main part of the book and that the short stories are more like fun additions. I’ve actually read a few of them already and they’re also really good so really this book is a treasure all around!

The novella in the book revolves around the story of Percival Randall and Abigail Walsley. When Abigail is proposed to by a man she has no interest in, she quickly makes up the perfect imaginary fiance. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) for her, she basically manages to describe a man named Percival whom she’s never met. Suddenly the two of them find themselves forced to fake an engagement to avoid a social scandal–with the plan to call it off as quickly as possible, of course.

What happens next is basically exactly what you think would happen next, but it was done in a way that was so lovely that I loved reading every trope-y second of it! Percival and Abigail had such playful chemistry that the book managed to somehow be dramatic, entertaining, and light at the same time. I can definitely imagine myself rereading this book over and over again as a comfort read.

Blog Tour Review: A Brush with Death by Fiona Leitch (Nosey Parker #2)

February 10, 2021February 10, 2021Jenny (jenjenreviews)3 Comments

Not as good as the first book but still a solid installation in the Nosey Parker series.

Foreword

Thank you so much to Rachel at https://www.rachelsrandomresources.com/ and Fiona Leitch for allowing me to be part of this experience and also providing me with a complimentary digital copy and blog tour media kit!

About the Author

Fiona Leitch is a writer with a chequered past. She’s written for football and motoring magazines, DJ’ed at illegal raves and is a stalwart of the low budget TV commercial, even appearing as the Australasian face of a cleaning product called ‘Sod Off’. Her debut novel ‘Dead in Venice’ was published by Audible in 2018 as one of their Crime Grant finalists. After living in London, Hastings and Cornwall she’s finally settled in sunny New Zealand, where she enjoys scaring her cats by trying out dialogue on them. She spends her days dreaming of retiring to a crumbling Venetian palazzo, walking on the windswept beaches of West Auckland, and writing funny, flawed but awesome female characters.

Review

Book CWs: For a list of warnings, tropes, and representation for this book, check out its page on BookTriggerWarnings.com.

Premise

Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker is back!

When a body turned up at her last catering gig it certainly put people off the hor d’oeuvres. So with a reputation to salvage, Jodie’s determined that her next job for the village’s festival will go without a hitch.

But when chaos breaks out, Jodie Parker somehow always finds herself in the picture.

The body of a writer from the festival is discovered at the bottom of a cliff, and the prime suspect is the guest of honour, the esteemed painter Duncan Stovall. With her background in the Met police, Jodie has got solving cases down to a fine art and she knows things are rarely as they seem.

Can she find the killer before the village faces another brush with death?

The second book in the Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker cosy mystery series. Can be read as a standalone. A humorous cosy mystery with a British female sleuth in a small village. Includes one of Jodie’s Tried and Tested Recipes! Written in British English. Mild profanity and peril.

Review (No Spoilers)

Hey everyone! I’m back again with a review of another book in The Nosy Parker Mysteries! If you missed my review of the first book, Murder on the Menu, you can click here.

A Brush With Death takes place shortly after the first book and once again follows our heroine Jodie “Nosey” Parker as she sticks her nose into yet another case. Similar with the last book, I’m still not convinced that Jodie is contributing anything to these cases (other than some much needed humor), but it’s undeniable that the story wouldn’t be the same without her.

While this second installment has the same wonderful style of writing and sense of humor, I definitely preferred Murder on the Menu. The same trope of “Jodie is too attached to the main suspect and wants to prove them innocent” is used in both books and I grew a bit tired of it. As an ex-cop I would think that she would be a bit better at not being completely biased in these investigations. I’m incredibly thankful for DCI Winters (who is by far my favorite character) as he often provides a much needed reality check for Jodie. If Fiona Leitch decided to write a series with DCI Winters as the main character, I’d be all over it.

Returning back to the story, if you’ve read some of my past reviews, you know that I can’t stand cheating. In fact, books with cheating as a many plot device tend to trigger me pretty badly. If I had known that the main (non-crime) plot of this book was going to revolve around Jodie wanting to get romantically involved with a married man, I would have chosen to skip it. I’m also not a fan of love triangles and this series seems to be headed in a very love-triangley direction. Jodie kind of comes across as the type of person who would fall for any attractive man she meets, and I’m really hoping she’ll grow past that as the series progresses .

Personal gripes aside, A Brush with Death not only has an amazing pun in the title but it is also an extremely solid installment in The Nosey Parker Mysteries. It has all of the elements you would want in a cozy mystery and even more. Murder? Nosey main character? Hot dudes? Cute dog? Food? Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes! Plus, with all of the food talk, you are sure to feel hungry as you read this. But don’t worry! Fiona Leitch has your back with recipes at the end of both installments for you to try at home.

If you’re looking for a new cozy mystery series to start, be sure to pick up/pre-order your copies of Murder on the Menu and A Brush with Death today!

Feel free to follow along with the rest of the tour listed below! If you’d like to purchase a copy of A Brush with Death, you can find it on Amazon US (affiliate link) or Amazon UK!

#TheWriteReads #UltimateBlogTour Review: Bad Habits by Flynn Meaney

February 10, 2021February 13, 2021Jenny (jenjenreviews)2 Comments

As a celibate virgin who graduated from the University of Notre Dame, this book probably wasn’t for me. But as a woman and a feminist, I feel like it still should have been.

Thank you so much to The Write Reads and Flynn Meaney for allowing me to be part of this experience and also providing me with a complimentary digital copy!

Purchase this book (affiliate link): Amazon

About the Author

Flynn Meaney is the author of The Boy Recession and Bloodthirsty. She studied marketing and French at the University of Notre Dame, where she barely survived the terrifying array of priests and nuns, campus ghosts, and bone-crushing athletes who inspired Bad Habits. Since completing a very practical MFA in Poetry, she works for a French company and travels often between New York (when she’s in the mood for bagels) and Paris (when she’s in the mood for croissants).

Review

Book CWs

For a list of warnings, tropes, and representation for this book, check out its page on BookTriggerWarnings.com.

Premise (from Goodreads)

Hilarious, bold, sparky and surprising, this is the funniest feminist book you’ll read all year.

Alex is a rebel from the tip of her purple fauxhawk to the toes of her biker boots. She’s tried everything she can think of to get expelled from her strict Catholic boarding school. Nothing has worked so far – but now, Alex has a new plan.

Tired of the sexism she sees in every corner of St Mary’s, Alex decides to stage the school’s first ever production of The Vagina Monologues. Which is going to be a challenge, as no one else at St Mary’s can even bear to say the word ‘vagina’ out loud . . .

Review (No Spoilers)

I think I need to preface this review by saying I am probably not the intended audience for this book. As a celibate (and Catholic, though my celibacy didn’t actually originate from religion) virgin who graduated from the University of Notre Dame (the school that inspired the book’s setting) I found myself frustrated and frankly offended by things that the average reader probably would have just happened read past. For this review, I’m going to attempt to step out from my personal experiences to give a kind of more general view of what I thought of this novel.

It is undeniable that Bad Habits is a funny book. Flynn Meaney is an extremely talented writer with a style that young adults (and adults who read YA like myself) will be able to gel with. Written in first person by a snarky fauxhawk toting feminist, you could probably imagine some of the great one-liners that come out of the narration. On top of that, several side characters manage to slide in some pretty good lines in themselves.

The setting of the book is in a kind of funhouse exaggeration of what the University of Notre Dame would look like as a high school. A lot of the traditions (and even names of buildings) are directly lifted from those of Notre Dame, the main difference that the obsession with football has been shifted to be an obsession with hockey. Notre Dame isn’t as conservative as St Mary’s is in the book (at least not when I was there), but a radical feminist struggling to express herself in the middle of an oppressive and conservative Catholic high school is a great stepping ground for tackling issues (often religious-based) that are still present in society today.

Unfortunately, I felt the book fell short of this goal. The main character, Alex, was really good at believing in and promoting one type of feminism. She is very sex-positive (which is great!), but somewhere along the way the translation of “my body my choice” turned into “if you want to be a virgin, you’re perpetuating the patriarchy”. Now, there was some pushback by the people around Alex as to how contradictory (and privileged) she was, but this happened too late in the story for us to see really any growth from her at all. It would have been nice to see Alex take more time to reflect and acknowledge the hurt she was ultimately causing while on her crusade of liberation.

In the end, the book did conclude on a very positive and forward-looking note, so I’m still hopeful that eventually Alex will learn that there are many ways to be a feminist that don’t necessarily disagree with each other. Bad Habits had a lot of potential to be a book I would have loved, and I can definitely see how this will be a book loved by many.

If you’re looking for a funny, light-hearted story about a young woman struggling to find her voice in a society determined to shut her up, definitely give this a try.

Blog Tour Spotlight: Ever Alice by H.J. Ramsay

February 8, 2021February 8, 2021Jenny (jenjenreviews)5 Comments

Today I’m bringing attention to the lovely book Ever Alice by H.J. Ramsay. I’ll take you through the blurb, about the author, a few tour excerpts, and information about the Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award (BBYNA)!

Premise

Alice’s stories of Wonderland did more than raise a few eyebrows—it landed her in an asylum. Now at 15 years of age, she’s willing to do anything to leave, which includes agreeing to an experimental procedure.

When Alice decides at the last minute not to go through with it, she escapes with the White Rabbit to Wonderland and trades one madhouse for another: the court of the Queen of Hearts. Only this time, she is under orders to take out the Queen.

When love, scandal, and intrigue begin to muddle her mission, Alice finds herself on the wrong side of the chopping block.

Book CWs: For a list of warnings, tropes, and representation for this book, check out its page on BookTriggerWarnings.com.

Purchase on Amazon US (affiliate link)

About the Author

H.J. Ramsay has loved fantasy ever since she was a child. Growing up, she was influenced by movies like Legend, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth as well as books and short stories, such as The Collected Works of Brothers Grimm. She is drawn to fantasy with a darker side to its glittery world and the idea that things are never what they seem. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University, Los Angeles and teaches writing classes at her local community college. Ever Alice is her first published novel.

What readers have to say

If you’re a fan of Alice in Wonderland, this book needs to be up next on your TBR because you will not be disappointed.
Books Are 42

I really enjoyed reading this book as it felt more of a continuation of the story of Alice in Wonderland than a retelling or reimagining or the original story. I felt like that character’s were well written, the world building was strong and that the fantastical nonsensical feeling of the original story remained.
Sarah’s Book Life

This book has gained a special place in my heart for continuing on a story I have loved for years, but it is done so well without ruining the magic of the original for me! This I feel is a book I will be raving about for months to come.
allthingsgee

I think the author did an amazing job of giving this world a great twist and her own flair while leaving the crazy, whimsical and enchanting side that we all love.
Read to Ramble

The writing of this was just incredible (if I haven’t said that word enough) and H.J.Ramsay deserves a massive rid of applause for her ability to make Alice in Wonderland fresh and exciting while staying within the parameters of the original world.
Shelves of Starlight

The Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award

I received this book to read and review as part of the BBNYA tours organized by the @The_WriteReads tours team. All opinions are my own, unbiased and honest.

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors. If you are an author and wish to learn more about the 2021 BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website (https://bbnya.com) or our Twitter account, @BBNYA_Official .

If you would like to sign-up and enter your book, you can find the BBNYA 2021 AUTHOR SIGN UP FORM HERE. Please make sure to carefully read our terms and conditions before entering. If you are a book blogger or reviewer, you can apply to be part of BBNYA 2021 by filling out this form (also remember to read the terms and conditions before signing up)!

BBNYA is brought to you in association with the Folio Society (http://foliosociety.com) (If you love beautiful books you NEED to check out their website!) And the book blogger support group TheWriteReads.

First Lines Fridays – February 5, 2021

February 5, 2021May 6, 2021Jenny (jenjenreviews)4 Comments

Welcome back to my blog! Today I’m bringing you another First Lines Fridays post!

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

Today’s First Lines

I imagine being kissed about a hundred times a day.
The tense moment just before the kiss, when they look right at me like there’s no one else in the room. The way they caress my cheek, maybe put their hand ont he small of my back. To be so close to someone I care about, someone I like or maybe even love, feeling the warmth of their skin near mine, would be magic. They smell good, and I can almost feel their lips on mine, even before they’re there. And then they are–soft, gentle. And I forget who I am, just for a second. I forget everything else.
I forget that I don’t always have the right thing to say. I forget about comparing myself to my best friend. I forget about the issues with my mom. I forget how badly I wish I were a size two.
I forget it all.
Except for that kiss.

So what do you think? Have I got you hooked? Can you guess what book it is?

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado

Coming of age as a Fat brown girl in a white Connecticut suburb is hard.
Harder when your whole life is on fire, though.

Charlie Vega is a lot of things. Smart. Funny. Artistic. Ambitious. Fat.

People sometimes have a problem with that last one. Especially her mom. Charlie wants a good relationship with her body, but it’s hard, and her mom leaving a billion weight loss shakes on her dresser doesn’t help. The world and everyone in it have ideas about what she should look like: thinner, lighter, slimmer-faced, straighter-haired. Be smaller. Be whiter. Be quieter.

But there’s one person who’s always in Charlie’s corner: her best friend Amelia. Slim. Popular. Athletic. Totally dope. So when Charlie starts a tentative relationship with cute classmate Brian, the first worthwhile guy to notice her, everything is perfect until she learns one thing–he asked Amelia out first. So is she his second choice or what? Does he even really see her? UGHHH. Everything is now officially a MESS.

A sensitive, funny, and painful coming-of-age story with a wry voice and tons of chisme, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega tackles our relationships to our parents, our bodies, our cultures, and ourselves.

If you’re interested in Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, you can purchase it on Amazon (affiliate link)! It’s also one of the team books for Team Contemporary/Literary/Historical Fiction for Trope-ical Readathon in March. You can check out the readathon announcement post if you’d like to participate!

Blog Tour Review: Murder on the Menu by Fiona Leitch (Nosey Parker #1)

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021Jenny (jenjenreviews)3 Comments

The perfect introduction to a fun new cozy mystery series. Full of laughs and innuendos.

Foreword

About the Author

Review

Book CWs: For a list of warnings, tropes, and representation for this book, check out its page on BookTriggerWarnings.com.

Premise

The first book in a NEW cosy mystery series!

Still spinning from the hustle and bustle of city life, Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker is glad to be back in the Cornish village she calls home. Having quit the Met Police in search of something less dangerous, the change of pace means she can finally start her dream catering company and raise her daughter, Daisy, somewhere safer.

But there’s nothing like having your first job back at home to be catering an ex-boyfriend’s wedding to remind you of just how small your village is. And when the bride, Cheryl, vanishes Jodie is drawn into the investigation, realising that life in the countryside might not be as quaint as she remembers…

With a missing bride on their hands, there is murder and mayhem around every corner but surely saving the day will be a piece of cake for this not-so-amateur sleuth?

The first book in the Murder on the Menu cosy mystery series. Can be read as a standalone. A humorous cosy mystery with a British female sleuth in a small village. Includes one of Jodie’s Tried and Tested Recipes! Written in British English. Mild profanity and peril.

Review (No Spoilers)

This book was definitely a lot funnier than I thought it would be. I’ve only ever really read two cozy mystery novels (I’ve read 3 Hercule Poirot novels but those don’t seem like cozy mysteries to me) and Murder on the Menu was by far the funniest one. I laughed out loud several times and I really enjoyed following Jodie (Nosey) Parker on her journey to clear her old friend’s name.

The fact that Jodie was nicknamed “Nosey” at a young age was absolutely perfect for her character. As an ex-cop, she definitely has the experience needed to hunt down clues, but it’s her nosiness that ultimately pushes her to do so. While I do think the police in this book would have been able to solve this one without her, I can definitely empathize with her need to poke around.

I think by far my favorite part about reading this was the writing style. I would probably describe it as informal, light, and fun. It kind of felt like I was reading a blog post or a well-written diary that was dedicated to recounting the events of the case. It was this style that enabled me to enjoy the book as much as I did. Not only was it funny, but it was also very relatable. You can definitely count me in for this entire series!

Feel free to follow along with the rest of the tour listed below! I’ll be back on the 10th to review the second book in the series, A Brush with Death. If you’d like to purchase a copy of Murder on the Menu, you can find it on Amazon (affiliate link) or here!

WWW Wednesday – February 3, 2021

February 3, 2021February 3, 2021Jenny (jenjenreviews)4 Comments

I’ve been a hot mess lately and missed a bunch of these but I’m finally bringing back WWW Wednesday!

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Taking on a World of Words, where you answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What have you recently finished?
What are you reading next?

Currently Reading

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I started this a long time ago and still haven’t finished. It was actually a book club read for December but my book club never even gathered to talk about it, so me not reading it didn’t affect anything.

Despite taking so long to read this, it’s actually pretty creepy and interesting. I just had a few months with too many books to read which is why this has been on the back burner. Hoping to finish it this month!

Murder on the Menu by Fiona Leitch

I technically haven’t started this yet (at the time of my writing) but it’s for a blog tour and my post is due tomorrow so I’ll be starting it very soon.

This is the first book in a cozy mystery series and I’m also doing a blog tour for the second book as well. I’ve been trying to read more cozy mysteries so I’m quite excited!

Recently Finished

In the past week I’ve finished the following books:

White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton

This book was really interesting and had phenomenal world building. If Goodreads allowed quarter stars, I’d probably rate this a 4.25.

David R. Slayton is an amazing writer and he had me hooked by the very first chapter. This is the first book in a series so I’ll definitely be waiting for the next installment to be announced!

You can read my full review here.

The Lovely and the Lost by Page Morgan

This was one of the books that Rob picked for me to read in January and in true fashion, I waited until the very last minute to read it.

While I still am very much enjoying this series, I’m upset at how much the love triangle trope was played up in this book. It’s one of my least favorite tropes so I found myself getting more and more frustrated as it went along. I’m still 100% continuing on to the next book though.

This is the second book in The Dispossessed Trilogy and you can find my review of the first book here.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I kind of wanted to give this book a 4.75 because while I felt like it wasn’t a 5-star read for me, it definitely felt better than a 4 or 4.5.

Reading this book was a strange experience for me because although I had never read it before, I kept feeling a sense of deja vu throughout.

It was tragic and powerful and I definitely think everyone should give it a go.

Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan

This book suffered from another case of “the blurb is misleading”. I thought that this was going to be a cute YA romance about forbidden love but instead what I got was an incredibly dark and tragic love story.

Granted, it is marketed as a Romeo and Juliet retelling (which I don’t necessary agree with but oh well) and Romeo and Juliet is pretty freaking tragic so maybe I should have expected it.

The Viscount’s Unconventional Lady by Virginia Heath

This book was a lot of fun! It was a blog tour book that I wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as I did because I’m normally not a fan of historical fiction.

As someone who DNFed Pride and Prejudice, The Viscount’s Unconventional Lady was basically the book that I wished Pride and Prejudice would have been. While it wasn’t an enemies-to-lovers, it still had a good amount of drama and angst that I loved.

You can read my full review here.

Reading Next

I have a few blog tours coming up so that’s what I’ll be focusing on reading in the next week.

Bad Habits by Flynn Meaney

My tour post for this is due February 7th and I’m going to be completely honest–I have no idea what this book is about.

BUT JUST LOOK AT THE COVER!!!! I’M SO EXCITED!

A Brush with Death by Fiona Leitch

This is the second book in the same series as Murder on the Menu that I mentioned above.

My post for this is due on February 10th which is the same day as the next WWW Wednesday so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do a WWW Wednesday next week. We’ll see!

Do you see any books you’ve read or want to read? Let me know in the comments!

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: The Viscount’s Unconventional Lady by Virginia Heath

February 1, 2021February 1, 2021Jenny (jenjenreviews)1 Comment

A fun and enjoyable read!

Foreword

Thank you so much to Rachel at https://www.rachelsrandomresources.com/ and Virginia Heath for allowing me to be part of this experience and also providing me with a complimentary digital copy and blog tour media kit!

About the Author

When Virginia Heath was a little girl it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happy ending. Then one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Despite that, it still takes her forever to fall asleep.

Social Media Links:

Giveaway to Win 2 x e-copies of The Viscount’s Unconventional Lady (Open INT)

Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Review

Book CWs: For a list of warnings, tropes, and representation for this book, check out its page on BookTriggerWarnings.com.

Premise

The notorious Viscount And the most gossiped-about lady…

After years as a diplomat in the Napoleonic wars, Lord Eastwood is reluctant to return to London society. His scandalous divorce has made him infamous, not to mention cantankerous! To halt the rumour mill, he should marry a quiet noblewoman – instead it’s bold, vibrant artist, Faith Brookes, who’s caught his attention. They are the least suitable match, so why is he like a moth to a flame…?

Review (No Spoilers)

This book was exactly what I needed! I just read two back to back books that are centered on trauma and The Viscount’s Unconventional Lady was a light enjoyable read that gave me a much needed mental health break. I’m not much of a historical romance reader so it took me a while to get used to the setting, but once I did, I was hooked. If you’ve been following be long enough, you’ll know that I DNFed Pride and Prejudice because it was too slow for me to keep with it. The Viscount’s Unconventional Lady, on the other hand, felt like the book I had wanted to read with Pride and Prejudice. You can be sure that I’ll be continuing this series when the next installment comes out!

Unlike many novels that I read, I felt like this book did a really good job at making the main characters reasonable and likable. While there were many “dramatic” storylines, I was very happy with how each character dealt with these unfavorable situations. I also particularly enjoyed the family dynamic between both the Brookes family and the Eastwood family. They were all very supportive of each other despite any disagreements, and I’m a huge fan of books that portray healthy relationships. I’d recommend this book to any romance lover who is looking for a nice, light, feel-good read.

If you’d like to purchase a copy of The Viscount’s Unconventional Lady, you can find it on Amazon US (affiliate link) and Amazon UK!

Jenjenreviews

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Month: February 2021

#TheWriteReads #BlogTour Review: Aether Ones by Wendi Coffman-Porter

Review

WWW Wednesday – February 17, 2021

Currently Reading

Recently Finished

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Book Review: A Dash of Romance by Paullett Golden

Blog Tour Review: A Brush with Death by Fiona Leitch (Nosey Parker #2)

Foreword

About the Author

Review

#TheWriteReads #UltimateBlogTour Review: Bad Habits by Flynn Meaney

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Review

Blog Tour Spotlight: Ever Alice by H.J. Ramsay

Premise

About the Author

What readers have to say

The Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award

First Lines Fridays – February 5, 2021

Today’s First Lines

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado

Blog Tour Review: Murder on the Menu by Fiona Leitch (Nosey Parker #1)

Foreword

About the Author

Review

WWW Wednesday – February 3, 2021

Currently Reading

Recently Finished

Reading Next

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: The Viscount’s Unconventional Lady by Virginia Heath

Foreword

About the Author

Giveaway to Win 2 x e-copies of The Viscount’s Unconventional Lady (Open INT)

Review