Adult

An English Bride in Scotland by Lynsay Sands [Highland Bride Series Book #1] Book Review

 in Adult / Books by

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure here.

Summary

“From New York Times bestselling author of The Husband Hunt, The Heiress, and other beloved historical romances, comes Lynsay Sands’s An English Bride in Scotland, the first book in a new series set in the wilds of the Highlands.

Annabel had planned to become a nun. But when her mother arrives at the Abbey to bring her home to marry a Scottish laird—her runaway sister’s intended husband—her life takes a decidedly different turn.

And though Annabel isn’t the wife he’d planned for, strong, sexy Ross McKay is taken with his shy, sweet bride.

Annabel knows nothing about being a wife, running a castle—or the marriage bed. But her handsome new husband makes her want to learn. When Annabel’s life is threatened, Ross vows to move the highlands itself to save her and preserve the passion that’s only beginning to bloom.”

– From Amazon.com

Review

This was one of those books that I started at book #4 or something and then realized it was a series. I have a habit of doing this with books, especially romance ones. But thankfully it wasn’t too confused to start in the middle and then later pick up book #1. I decided to read the whole series, or as much as I can.

Honestly, this book was super cute! Yes, it is an adult book because there is sex. Duh. I mean, I would hope you can tell from the cover.

It’s one of those books that you purchase for the beach or just to read with a glass of wine. Not really to analyze like you would a classic. It’s a very simple read and one you can just let your mind wander in. Relatively.

One thing which I REALLY loved about this book was the writing style. With the Scots, you were really able to get into their minds and mannerisms because their conversations and sentences were written in a Scottish style. So the words were abbreviated in the way it should be pronounced. It is a little confusing in the beginning if you’re not used to it or unfamiliar with how the Scots talk, however if you speak it out loud a few times, it gets it into your head and all makes perfect sense.

I really enjoyed the strong yet feminine women in the books. They were strong Scottish or British lasses so they didn’t take any BS from their partners or families, but they were still feminine and realistic for the time period that the book was set in, which I adore! If you’ve been here for a while, you know I love a strong female character who can handle herself well. Of course this book did have the male coming in and saving the lady many many times, as it is with these series, but I just loved it in general. Well done overall.

There honestly isn’t too much to say about these books without giving the book away because it’s simple.

Woman exists. Man meets woman. Man gets in a relationship with woman. Evil person shows up. Tries to either hurt man or woman. Someone saves the day. Happy ever after.

There’s a generic formula used for these books so while all the books in this series are relatively similar, there are unique twists and turns which makes each book unique.

Honestly, I really enjoyed it. For that, I will give it 4 out of 5 teacups!

4 Teacups

Happy reading!

the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace [Book Review]

 in Adult / Books / Older Readers by
*Header from Target

Summary

From Amanda Lovelace, a poetry collection in four parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, and you. The first three sections piece together the life of the author while the final section serves as a note to the reader. This moving book explores love, loss, grief, healing, empowerment, and inspiration.

the princess saves herself in this one is the first book in the “women are some kind of magic” series

-From Amazon.com

Review

I was recently recommended this book by a friend of mine, and whenever I get a recommendation, I immediately check it out. I may not be into the book, but sometimes you find interesting recommendations and it’s sometimes fun to see what people around you are enjoying!

This book was definitely not something I would generally pick up. They were short little poems on the pages that constituted as stories. Some were pretty deep and I definitely connected to them but honestly the book was just super depressing. It was, to me, about a woman’s struggle and about some things she may face – heart break, abuse, family problems. And to me, it was just…sad.

I generally read to escape, not to have a heavy ready. I mean, this didn’t exactly take long. I spend 30 minutes for 2 nights and read the whole books. It’s a lot of white space on the pages.

In all honesty I didn’t like it, just because of how heavy it was. But the writing was creative and the little stories/poems, even though they were short, were super powerful. Like, really powerful.

I’d still give it a 3/5 teacups because while it is not my kind of book, at all, it was very well written and creative in how it was presented. If you like those kind of heavier reads, then this is definitely worth checking out. I know that it got quite a lot of support and people really enjoyed it. I just wasn’t in the frame of mind to really read it. I also went into it not knowing what it was about and that threw me off.

If you’ve read it, I am curious what you think about it, because I know this kind of short poem writing still is a new thing since Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur came out a while ago. They were a thing before, but they became much more popular after the release of that book.

I may check this book out again when I’m looking for a heavier read (as I sometimes go through phases of liking something more deep), but at this moment, it wasn’t my cup of tea.

But I’m definitely curious to see what everyone else thought about it!

Comments?

Happy Reading!

3 Teacups

 

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell [Book Review]

 in Adult / Book Reviews / Books / Books-to-Movie / Young Adult by

Summary

“When the unconventional Durrell family can no longer endure the damp, gray English climate, they do what any sensible family would do: sell their house and relocate to the sunny Greek isle of Corfu. My Family and Other Animals was intended to embrace the natural history of the island but ended up as a delightful account of Durrell’s family’s experiences, from the many eccentric hangers-on to the ceaseless procession of puppies, toads, scorpions, geckoes, ladybugs, glowworms, octopuses, bats, and butterflies into their home.”

-From Amazon.com

Review

This was another Christmas book and I swear, I devoured this one sooooo fast. I am obsessed with this book, the story and just everything to do with it honestly.

It’s a memoir but it didn’t feel like it at all.

It’s so challenging to keep in mind while you read this that the book is based on true events. It’s just so…unbelievable with everything that happened. But, it was a different time then, in a completely different world than any of us are used to. So, anything is possible in Corfu. You must always remember that! But while this is a memoir, it never felt like it. Memoirs can be sometimes dry and a little dull and a drag to read, but this one was a page turner. It was hilarious, exhilarating, heart-warming, sad and just everything you needed.

Who needs a vacation when you can travel in these wonderful books?!

Honestly, I felt like I had this wonderful vacation while reading this book. I was able to imagine the sun and the warmth and I just felt like I was part of this incredibly dysfunctional family in a wonderful way. I honestly don’t know what it was, but you just were able to feel like you were with this family in their trials and tribulations, there for just everything. It’s so wonderful and beautiful to read and the fact that there are 2 other books (The Corfu Trilogy) makes me so happy!!!

The writing was just so beautiful and eloquent.

The writing was unlike anything else. Reading about this young boy, Gerald, the author (who the story is about) and everything he went through, from his perspective as a young boy, was unlike anything else. Gerald is disgustingly smart and just such a free spirit. Reading about his perspective on everything that was happening was just so different. I don’t have tons to compare it to as besides memoirs for school that I have to read, I honestly don’t read many of these, but based on the few that I have read, this was, by far, the most enjoyable ever!!!

Overall this is a book that EVERYONE needs to read.

It’s just so sweet and innocent and a beautiful book to read during these really troubled times. It was a fantastic escape, and once I get through a few other reads, I will be working through the rest of this trilogy! Everyone needs that book in their life that they can pick up and relax to, and for me, this is one of them. I felt so calm reading it and was constantly laughing out loud. It’s such a wonderful story, and there’s an amazing TV show to boot that does a fantastic job depicting the book (it’s on Amazon so check it out if you can!). But of course, read the book first!!!!

I easily give this book 5/5 teacups. This is one of the few books that will hold a special place in my heart.

5 teacups

Happy Reading!

A Pocketful of Crows by Joanne M. Harris [Book Review]

 in Adult / Books / Fantasy / Fiction / Hot Off The Press / Young Adult by

Illustrations by Bonnie Helen Hawkins

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure here.

Summary

I am as brown as brown can be,
And my eyes as black as sloe;
I am as brisk as brisk can be,
And wild as forest doe.
(The Child Ballads, 295)

So begins a beautiful tale of love, loss and revenge. Following the seasons, A Pocketful of Crowsbalances youth and age, wisdom and passion and draws on nature and folklore to weave a stunning modern mythology around a nameless wild girl.

Only love could draw her into the world of named, tamed things. And it seems only revenge will be powerful enough to let her escape.

Beautifully illustrated by Bonnie Helen Hawkins, this is a stunning and original modern fairytale.

From Amazon.com

Review

I was immediately drawn in by the cover of this book, because yes, I am one of those! The black with the gold in contrast, especially since the gold is so shiny, really caught my attention. Also, the design on the cover is just so gorgeous.

Simple writing style- even though its for adults.

While this is classified as an adult book, because of maybe one or two of the themes, the writing style is very simple. To me this didn’t bother me because since it was a fairytale, it was like re-reading some of your favorite classics from when you were a child. It was written in first person which was a little different as not many books are written in first person now, or so I see.

A classic fairytale with a new twist.

This was the traditional kind of story of love and revenge when a lover turns against you. But instead of it being a wicked witch who does all the work, it was the hurt lover, who happens to be some kind of witch or woodland creature. So it was interesting to see how the townspeople viewed her and why they disliked her but as a reader you really understood what she was going through. I really did enjoy that being able to see it from a few sides.

Gorgeous illustrations – so rare!

Once you get to a certain age, people stop putting illustrations into books and this one had so many gorgeous illustrations! Each chapter started with an illustration with sometimes images being placed throughout. It was so refreshing and really added to the story in my opinion. Since it’s so rare to get a book with pictures, to me, it just took me back to my childhood more!

One of the gorgeous illustrations from the book!

Overall this book was incredibly simple to read, with it really only taking a day to get through. It’s not challenging but just so beautiful overall. It had an interesting ending, which I didn’t see coming, and was just such a joy to read. I’m very happy that I picked it up and this would be a wonderful book to add to your collection, or give as a gift!

For that, I give this book 4/5 teacups!

4 Teacups

Happy Reading!

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson [Book Review] 19

 in Adult / Books / Fiction / Young Adult by

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure here.

Summary

“First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a “haunting”; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.”

-From Amazon.com

Review

As it’s spooky season, I had to give some of the classics for this season a read. I’ve read all the basics like Dracula , Stephen King books, Clive Barker books, and many others. But this one, I hadn’t read. 

I recently started a small book club with my mum, so we read books together, and as we were going to be quite busy this month, this was the perfect book – it’s not too long and not exactly a difficult read.

Spooky without being scary.
As the book is quite old, their idea of scary is not our idea of scary, which was kind of nice. I wasn’t reading this book and absolutely terrified or questioning if I could read it at night. It was just a classic kind of scary read, like Dracula. So as an autumnal read, this one fits the bill perfect. I’d say 15 and older could give this one ago, if they can get around some of the strange writing styles.

A little slow but picked up suddenly.
Now, since it’s an older book, I have to be careful with this comment. Books now are written at a much faster pace to appease the reader. This one had a very slow beginning that had you questioning exactly when something was going to happen. You were nearly halfway through the book before you even made it to Hill House and 3/4 of the way through before the strange stuff started happening. It made the read a little slow in a sense, but you also wanted to get through it faster to find out what was going to happen and when.

Nothing like the modern movie The Haunting.
In early 2000’s, a movie with Liam Neeson and other famous actors came out called The Haunting which is based off of this book. I went into this book thinking it was going to be like the movie. This movie is a common one many have seen, so I’m going to say now that if you think it’ll be like the movie, then you’re wrong. It definitely had some parallels and the overall idea was similar, but it wasn’t the same for the most part. The ending especially.

Eleanor is a little odd, just naturally.
What adds to the book is the fact that the main character is quite…out there. She’s odd so even from the beginning you just seem to be thrown off from the way she speaks and thinks. It actually puts you off balance as a reader. The speaking patterns are all over the place, which seems to confuse you. While you were reading it can be a little confusing, as her thought processes is like a roller-coaster, but afterwards you realize that it adds to the whole story!

Kind of shocking the ending.
You had this idea of how it was going to end and it didn’t end that way at all. Don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil anything, but just be prepared to not be ready for what happens. You think you can figure it out and then boom.

Overall, I absolutely loved the book. Even though it was a little slower, it’s a classic and such a good read. It’s not needed around Halloween but it’s great for autumn in general. It’s bite sized, so no need to worry about it being a massive reading commitment.

I easily give this book a 5 our of 5 teacups!

5 teacups

Spooky Reading!