Your Next Favorite Book: Spring Break Reads

Over Spring Break I had a list of books I wanted to read.  And since I wasn’t going to be going out of town I had plenty of time to get through lots of them.  So today I bring you the review of the all of said books!  (Well save for the one I read for my blogger book club.  That one is coming to you next week.)

So I read just about anything.  I like most genres and so these three book have absolutely nothing in common.  Well the lat two do in that they are YA novels and both can be considered fantasy.   But that’s about it.  🙂

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GoodReads synopsis:  The arrogant Duke of Trent intends to marry a well-bred Englishwoman. The last woman he would ever consider marrying is the adventuresome Merry Pelford— an American heiress who has infamously jilted two fiancés.

But after one provocative encounter with the captivating Merry, Trent desires her more than any woman he has ever met. He is determined to have her as his wife, no matter what it takes. And Trent is a man who always gets what he wants.

The problem is, Merry is already betrothed, and the former runaway bride has vowed to make it all the way to the altar. As honor clashes with irresistible passion, Trent realizes the stakes are higher than anyone could have imagined. In his battle to save Merry and win her heart, one thing becomes clear:

All is fair in love and war.

My thoughts:  Ok confession.  I’m a HUGE fan of cheesy, ridiculous, eye-rolling historical romance novels.  I don’t think I’ve ever actually said that on the blog.  Yes, I’m a tad embarrassed to admit it, but now it’s out there and I can’t take it back.  So, this book was a super fun and easy read.  I’m pretty sure I could have read the entire thing in a day but I made myself slow does so I could enjoy it more.  The story was easy and fun to follow along with.  I loved that there were bits of American history thrown into the mix, which is appropriate since it’s about an American girl become a duchesses (which secretly may be a dream of mine! lol).  For example, Merry gets a dog and names him George, after George Washington.  And since I teach the first part of American History I thoroughly enjoyed those bits.  

So if you’re looking for a completely fluffy, romance novel….I suggest you read this one! 🙂

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GoodReads synopsis: “You must never do anything that might expose our secret. This means that, in general, you cannot form close bonds with humans. You can speak to us, and you can always commune with the Ocean, but you are deadly to humans. You are, essentially, a weapon. A very beautiful weapon. I won’t lie to you, it can be a lonely existence, but once you are done, you get to live. All you have to give, for now, is obedience and time…” 

The same speech has been given hundreds of times to hundreds of beautiful girls who enter the sisterhood of sirens. Kahlen has lived by these rules for years now, patiently waiting for the life she can call her own. But when Akinli, a human, enters her world, she can’t bring herself to live by the rules anymore. Suddenly the life she’s been waiting for doesn’t seem nearly as important as the one she’s living now.

My thoughts:  I loved the Selection series by this same author.  And I really really wanted to love this one too.  But…I hated it.  I just could not get on board with the storyline.  I didn’t feel like any of the characters (starring or supporting) were fully developed and the storyline itself fell flat for me.  Which was so disappointing because like I said, the Selection series is by far one of my all time favorites (you can read my review here)!  But yeah, I read it in an entire day so it is a very easy read.  But I just wasn’t a fan.

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GoodReads Synopsis: She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth…a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.

Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.

My thoughts:  This is the third book in the Throne of Glass series.  I have loved reading Calaena’s story.  It is a very well thought out series so far and I’m really liking it.  But the third book in the series was a little bit of a struggle to get through for me.  I didn’t much enjoy the chapters where it was just Calaena, mostly because it was a lot of poor pitiful me chapters, that is until she got over herself and started acting like a badass again.  Which I loved!  Sadly though that doesn’t happen until the last third of the book.  Now, the chapters that were not solely about Calaena I loved!  I especially loved the chapters that described the coven of witches that are now going to be a large part of the over all series.  They were so good.  Now obviously I will be reading all the rest of these books.  I believe there are going to be 6.  In fact I will be starting the 4th one this weekend.  But I won’t lie and say that the third installment was my favorite because it definitely wasn’t.  Still very good and worth reading (obviously) because of story development for the entire series.  

I’m actually really excited to see how this story pans out.  

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Alrighty friends, there ya have it.  So far I’ve read 11 books in 2016, which means I’m almost met 1/4 of my goal.  Not too bad if you ask me! Especially considering it’s only March! 

Have a great Wednesday! Linking up with Jenn and Jess!