Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts

Monday, October 3, 2022

{Review} Mr. October by Bethany Weaver

 


Page count: 65
Publisher: Bethany Weaver
Published on: October 13, 2022 
Genres: Adult romance
Format: eARC from Bethany

Preorder NOW on Amazon! Only $2.99!

Tropes: best friends to lovers, small-town romance, Halloween romance Spice: 🌶.5/5 Rating: 4/5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
Halloween has come early in this steamy, friends to lovers, teacher/teacher romance filled with secret pining, fun hijinks, and quirky small-town feels. Sabrina is no stranger to the Halloween pranks played around Grimsby, Indiana in the month of October. In fact, she is the recipient of nearly all of them. Usually, she would laugh it off and spend the rest of month looking over her shoulder anxiously awaiting the next scare. But not this year. She’s ready to fight prank with prank…starting with her best friend and Grimsby High’s favorite history teacher: Mr. October.

~ ~ ~

Hey, guys!

I had the pleasure of reading my friend, Bethany's, Halloween romance novella while I was down with COVID -- and I have to say that it was one of the highlights from those two weeks! Bethany and I graduated together from Indiana University and I had the pleasure of taking classes with her throughout my four years of undergrad. When she told me she was releasing a novella, I was ecstatic! Her work is so much fun to read and she writes romance like no other. Any snippets of her work that I got to consume while at IU was just absolutely phenomenal. She's so talented.

Needless to say, I'm biased toward her work. But that isn't going to stop me from hyping her up to the gods. I can't recommend her work enough. When her full-length books come out, prepare to be sick of me because she is THAT. GOOD.

I'm absolutely a sucker for any kind of romance, but I love a holiday centered read. I'm a huge fan of Halloween romance novellas. It's always such a great time. A fantastic mixture of cozy, spooky, and hilarious. Bethany didn't disappoint!

Mr. October is sixty-five pages of fun and swoony romance. It follows Sabrina and Adam who are best friends and coworkers at a school. I won't explain because it's sixty five pages! They fall in love and things get spicy. It's so much fun!

There are two reasons why this only got four stars, but they're selfish reasons:

1) I really wanted just a bit more. Just maybe five thousand more words tacked onto the fifteen thousand. Some of the plot points were a smidge too rushed or glossed over, but overall, it worked so so well. I'm just always grooving for more from Bethany.

2) I've read snippets of Bethany's upcoming work. It's just SO GOOD. Compared to the stories she is preparing for 2023, this story was just four stars for me. Those that are reading this review are going to go absolutely feral for Bethany's upcoming work. Preorder them! You won't be disappointed!

If you love cozy, fall themed romances, this is one to pick up. You'll love Mr. October and the easily frightened Sabrina and swoony Adam October. You need this novella in your life. Also! It comes out on my birthday! It's fate! Read this novella!

Follow Bethany!
Instagram/ Amazon
Weaver Literary Agency



Happy reading, friends!
Olivia
Liv the Book Nerd



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Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Valentines Day Book Tag

      I'm a day late because I've been so busy with work and school and life, but it's alright to put this up a day late! Happy Valentines Day, everyone! I decided to put up this simple and cute tag up and make it a bit of a tradition to do holiday-centered tags. I know I know. Valentines Day is a made up holiday to make major stores money, but who doesn't love celebrating love? Anyway, I found this tag on The Bookie Monster's blog and I thought it was adorable, so here's the tag! I tag anyone who wants to do it!


The Bookie Monsters: {click here}
Graphic: made by me with Pic Collage

1. Favorite Couple Ever – You Want To Have Their Relationship:

Feyre & Rhysand from A Court of Mist & Fury by Sarah J. Maas




I ship this so hard. I haven't shipped two people so hard since I first read Harry Potter and Twilight. This is probably one of my number 1 fandoms...ever. I just adore this series. I'm about to reread it really soon just because I need to prepare myself for A Court of Wings & Ruin in May. I've already preordered my copy and I'll probably buy myself a Books-A-Million edition too. I would die if I got a copy of an ARC. I literally cannot handle how much I love this book. I'm so excited!
To get an official map, preorder the book and send proof of purchase to {click} and they will send you a free poster too! 

My Review: {click here}

~~~

2. Relationship That Never Happened – You Wanted Them To Get Together But They Never Did:

 Louisa Clark and Will Traynor from Me Before You by Jojo Moyes


      Words cannot describe how sad this book made me feel...I mean I tried to in my review, but it's not perfect. I still tear up a bit just thinking about the ending of this book. I have yet to watch the film, but I plan to really soon. I just loved this book and I even loved ranting about how I feel about the controversy. My opinions aren't exactly agreed with 100%, but they're my opinions so they don't really affect others. Anyway, I loved these characters and I really loved their story. I plan on reading more of Moyes's writing soon, but I'd have to get my hands on more of her work haha. I can't exactly get into my reasons for choosing this book without spoiling it, but if you've read the book or know about the ending then you'll understand...

My Review: {click here}

3. Your ‘Bookish’ Crush:

Rhysand from A Court of Mist & Fury by Sarah J. Maas


I just love Rhysand. He's just so perfect. Words cannot describe how much I love Rhys. He's such a fantastically written character and I can't wait to reread ACOTR & ACOMF and I can't wait for May to come and ACOWAR to be born. I cannot wait! I need more Rhysand!

Image: {click}

4. Favorite Feel-Good Romance:

Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins



I just adore the is book. Anna & the French Kiss was the first book that I reviewed on my blog, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. I just love the characters that Stephanie Perkins has created. She writes these fantastic fluffy romances that aren't cliche and it's just one of my all time favorite romance books. I definitely need to reread this book sometime. 

My Review: {click here}

5. Favorite Genre To Add Romance To:


I just adore reading fantasy and retellings and I just love it when there's a bit of a romantic subplot. Of course, this tag ended up being a gush-fest about A Court of Mist and Fury, but I just love love love it when there's a fantastic romance in fantasy novels. 

Awesome Fantasy Novels:
      I hope you enjoyed this tag! I apologize for posting this so late, but I've just gotten so busy. When I actually have free time, I end up feeling guilty for not doing school work so I usually work on that. I've also tried to keep up with my Instagram and I'm trying to post almost every day. I've gotten so behind on reading and I've gotten in a reading slump and I've gotten really overwhelmed. I'm trying guys! :)

Anyway, happy reading everyone!
Have a great weekend!
Olivia 
~LivTheBookNerd~
@LivTheBookNerd on Books


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Tuesday, December 27, 2016

My True Love Gave To Me edited by Stephanie Perkins

20309175
Page Count: 321
Published on: October 14, 2014
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Genre(s): Short Stories, Holiday, Fantasy, YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Print: Paperback
Age Rating: PG

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @naturallysteph

My Rating: (overall) 4.5 stars
-individual reviews below








Goodreads synopsis:

 If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year's there's something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love. 
~~~

Hey, guys!
I managed to nab a copy of this book from my local Books-A-Million when it was put on the $10-&-below shelf. I got a hardback copy for $6! Not only was it a bargain, it made sense to buy it during this time! I have been putting off grabbing a copy of this book just because it’s a holiday-themed anthology. I really didn’t want to buy it and then not read it for months and months because it wasn’t the proper time. Anyway, I really enjoyed the short stories in this anthology.

They were all so nicely done and festive. Each story had these characters that were really compelling…you wanted to know what their story was about. Some were longer than others, but they were just as great as the shorter ones. Each story was completely unique and special. I enjoyed every one of the stories. There were at least 3, however, that have stuck with me as I’ve finished it.

·       ~Rainbow Rowell’s Midnights
·       ~Stephanie Perkin’s It’s A Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown
·       ~Laini Taylor’s The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer

Special Mentions!

·   ~Holly Black’s Krampuslauf
·   ~Ally Carter’s Star of Bethlehem

Not only are these stories written by a few of my favorite writers, but (in my book) they deserve the “best story” label. This is just my opinion, though, so don’t take my word for it. There is definitely a story for everyone in this anthology. I’m really happy with the diversity in this anthology. It wasn’t just Christmas stories. They were a bit of everything! I just really liked this aspect to the book.

I actually rated all of the short stories so that I could get a feel of my full feelings for the anthology. None of them were below a 3-star rating, so that says quite a bit to me. I’m really proud of Stephanie Perkins for starting this anthology. I’m really excited to read Summer Days and Summer Nights, the summer-y themed anthology that was published earlier this year.

·        Midnights: 5 stars
o   This story was the first one that I read (it was the first one, anyway) and it was just the perfect story to get me in the mood.
·        The Lady and the Fox: 4 stars
o   This was so cute, but the ending is kinda weird for me. I wasn’t sure what to think
·        Angels in the Snow: 3 stars
o   I enjoyed the whole aspect of this story. The cat really tied it all together.
·        Polaris Is Where You’ll Find Me: 4 stars
o   This was really cute, but I didn’t like how it ended. It was somewhat satisfying, but not what I wanted.
·        It’s A Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown: 5 stars
o   This was just adorable. Another masterpiece from Stephanie Perkins
·        Your Temporary Santa: 3 stars
o   This was adorable as well, but I didn’t connect to it like I hoped I would. I wasn’t a fan of the narration style.
·        Krapuslauf: 4 stars
o   This was creepy and absolutely loved it. I need to read more books like this short story. The perfect blend of creepy and heartwarming.
·        What The Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?: 3 stars
o   I’m not sure how I feel about this one either. Not a fan of the narration style and I didn’t really like the characters.
·        Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus: 4 stars
o   I loved the forgiveness in this story. It was so funny and clever. I loved this one.
·        Welcome to Christmas, CA: 4 stars
o   This was pretty cute. I loved the cooking-aspect to this. It was mysterious and kind of magical. I loved the characters, and the ending was so great. I want more from Kiersten White.
·        Star of Bethlehem: 4.5 stars
o   This was the last story that I read from the anthology, and I think it was the perfect ending for this anthology (for me).
·        The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer: 5 stars
o   This was the second story that I read from the anthology, but I’m so glad that I didn’t save it for last. It was so different from the other stories, but very festive at the same time. I love how different Laini Taylor’s writing is. I can’t wait to get back into her books. I’ve put them off for far too long.


      I can't wait to immerse myself in more short stories like these this summer. I'm really pleased with this anthology. I've found some new authors to try out, and I'd call that a success. 
Happy reading and happy holidays!
Olivia
~LivTheBookNerd~

@LivTheBookNerd on Books

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