Weddings, Blog Tours, and Hard Shoes {a look back at May}

May is over!  *breathes a sigh of relief*

Now, I'm not one to wish my life away, but I'm kind of really happy that May is over?  It was really busy, really stressful, and I think that may be why I got so much reading done (I needed the respite, lol).  So without further introduction, let's get started!


Things which happened in May include:
~ Our regular dance recital, which went swimmingly.  I honestly think that recital day was the best time I've done the tap dance.  Which is always good.
~ My sister finished with her physical therapy and is almost totally recovered!  She still has to take it easy a bit but she's doing really well.
~ One of my very dearest friends got married!  I was in the wedding party, we had a lovely time (even if the clouds decided to let loose their rain right as I walked down the aisle blergh) (but they stopped just in time for her to walk down the aisle so that was great), and overall I can't complain about the clouds because it meant I didn't get sunburned or anything so. Yay.
~ Anyway she's currently in Canada with her new husband and I'm very jealous because the weather there looks gorgeous and it's still rainy and dreary here.  All I want to do is curl up with a book.  Actually, maybe that's why I got so much reading done.
~ We competed in our... third... fourth? ...what number is this now? ...Irish dance feis (pronounced fesh, which is basically a competition) and my sister and I ended up tying for first in one of our dances? Which is weird?  But also cool. 

~ What I Read ~

I read eleven books this month.  ELEVEN.  What is this madness??
(as usual, click on the first collage for links to my more in-depth reviews on Goodreads)
~ Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea ~  This was easily one of the most adorable things I've ever seen.  It's all about a Narwhal, his best friend Jelly, and their love of waffles.  {5 stars}
~ Entwined ~  I absolutely adored this.  It was so perfectly magical.  New favorite, for sure.  {5 stars}
~ The Rebellion ~  Check out my review for more thoughts, but I loved this sequel! So sweet, so fun.  {4 stars}
~ Dagger's Sleep ~  Again, my review has more thoughts, but this was such a pleasant surprise!  I had no idea I would like it as much as I did, lol.  {4.5 stars}
~ How to Be a Viking ~  This was easily one of the most adorable things I've ever listened to.  Cressida Cowell narrates the audiobook herself and it's just. so. precious.  {5 stars}
~ How to Speak Dragonese ~  Obviously after listening to the adorable-ness that is the prequel story, I wanted to listen to the audiobooks for the main series as well.  This was the first one available from my library, so this is the first one I listened to, despite it being book 3.  {4.5 stars}
~ Dissociate ~  AHHHHHHH.  Here's my review for more coherent thoughts.  {4.5 stars}
~ How to Train Your Dragon ~  The hold on my audiobook came through, and I listened to this next.  It was so much better in audiobook form.  {4 stars}
~ The House of Hades ~  Not my favorite in the series, never has been.  But I love my kids and the Seven's powers really shone so I really enjoyed that.  {4 stars}
~ Mary Poppins ~  The next in my personal challenge to read a children's classic every month this year.  This was interesting.  I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about it?  {4 stars}
~ How to Be a Pirate ~  I love Hiccup and Fishlegs so much, y'all.  {4 stars}

~ What I Watched ~

Nothing out of the ordinary, I don't think.  Greatest Showman a few more times.  Monk, Psych, and Murder, She Wrote.  Which are all great and I highly recommend them.  And a lot of YouTube, I watched a lot of YouTube.  I was clearly too busy reading to watch anything, lol. 

OH but Nadine Brandes (aka one of the sweetest and most adorable human beings on the planet) started a YouTube channel!  Here's the link, go check it out, she's wonderful.

~ What I Listened To ~

This ended up being a really short playlist?  But mainly that's because the things I mostly listened to aren't on Spotify.  (Spotify, please add the Lightning Thief cast album.  Because everyone needs to hear it.)  But both For King & Country and Steven Curtis Chapman released new music and guys, I am obsessed with them.  And Jillian Edwards and Michael W. Smith released new stuff not too long ago and I'm obsessed with that too so yeah.  That's what's here. 

~ What I Posted ~

Favorite Quotes: Classics Edition {about my favorite quotes from classics}
Dagger's Sleep and Dissociate Blog Tour {+ book reviews!}  {about two awesome stories}
Kiera Cover Reveal {about a gorgeous cover}


So that's about it for May!  What was your favorite song you listened to this month?  How's the weather where you are?  Favorite audiobook?  Let me know in the comments below!

~ Abby

"Kiera" Cover Reveal!

Today, is a very exciting day!  The super-sweet Kate Willis has released the cover for her new novel!  And let me just tell y'all, it's gorgeous.

And

now

you're

going

to

get

to

see

it!



Isn't it pretty??

And here's the synopsis so that you can get even more excited:

Kiera is looking forward to her eighteenth birthday. The official end of school, a party with her best friend, and chocolate cake. A sudden military draft, no possible exemptions, had never crossed her mind.
Kiera is terrified! Getting drafted would mean leaving her family, her little friend Jade—life as she knows it.
A surprising offer from Brennan Stewart just might be the answer to her prayers, but an even worse trial leaves her with one question…
If God truly loves her, why did this tragedy happen?

Kiera by Kate Willis is a YA dystopian novel releasing in late June 2018 (which is next month AHH).  You can add it on Goodreads here.

So who's excited for Kiera?  I know I am!

~ Abby

Dagger's Sleep and Dissociate Blog Tour {+ book reviews!}

It... is... time...

(that intro probably won't make sense to anyone who hasn't seen the Lion King show at WDW but anyway...)

Today is the day!  Dagger's Sleep and Dissociate are going on tour!  And because their lovely authors were kind enough to include me, I'm here with not one, but TWO book reviews for you!

The first, of Dagger's Sleep, which is available for pre-order on Amazon here!



Author: Tricia Mingerink
Genre: High fantasy/fairytale retelling
Content: A good bit of violence, but I think that's it.

Synopsis:
A prince cursed to sleep.
A princess destined to wake him.
A kingdom determined to stop them.
High Prince Alexander has been cursed to a sleep like unto death, a curse that will end the line of the high kings and send the Seven Kingdoms of Tallahatchia into chaos. With his manservant to carry his luggage and his own superior intelligence to aid him, Alex sets off to find one of the Fae and end his curse one way or another.
A hundred years later, Princess Rosanna learns she is the princess destined by the Highest King to wake the legendary sleeping prince. With the help of the mysterious Daemyn Rand, can she find the courage to finish the quest as Tallahatchia wavers on the edge of war?
One curse connects them. A hundred years separate them. From the rushing rivers of Tallahatchia’s mountains to the hall of the Highest King himself, their quests will demand sacrifices neither of them could imagine.

Placement in Series: 1 of I don't know how many.

What I Thought:

^ that's a happy dance.

To be honest, I had no intention of reading this book when I went to sign up for the tour but then I found out it was a fairytale retelling and I had to.  Fairytale retellings are my weakness, y'all know this about me.  And man, am I glad I ended up reading it.  This was one of the most original takes on the tale of Sleeping Beauty I've ever read.  Not only is it genderbent, but it's set in an absolutely fascinating story world, and has such a strong message about God's love and power.  Rosanna and Alex are perfect protagonists; their character arcs are so good. 
The only issue I had is that it took me about 100 pages to get into it.  The world was a smidge overwhelming for me, but I think that's just because it's been literally years since I've read a true high fantasy.  But once I got to where the world wasn't distracting and I could fully immerse myself in the plot, oh my word, did it get amazing. 
I know most people don't like being able to anticipate plot points before they happen, but I love when that happens.  And it happened a few times in this book and BOY was it great.  The story kept me up late reading several nights, and I don't really regret it.  I can't wait to dig into more of Tricia's writing, and I am highly anticipating further exploration into the other fairytales I saw mention of.  Idk if that's actually going to happen.  But I will devour it if it does.

Favorite quote:
She would be fine.  She would be strong, and she would face tomorrow without complaint.  But, for tonight, she let her hands shake.

Will I Keep Reading? YES.  More. Now. Please.

Overall Rating: 4.5 cursed daggers out of 5

About the Author:

TRICIA MINGERINK is a twenty-something, book-loving, horse-riding country girl. She lives in Michigan with her family and their pack of pets. When she isn't writing, she can be found pursuing backwoods adventures across the country.
You can connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog.



And now on to my review for Dissociate which you can buy on Amazon here!



Author: Sarah Addison-Fox
Genre: Dystopian fantasy
Content: A few bad words, a good bit of violence, and it's got a strong romance plotline, so.
Main Characters: Mick Haynes, Celeste, Torrance Kyle, and Amaya Mason

Synopsis:
Freedom begins with finding the truth.
Amidst the turmoil caused by Smyth’s arrest, Celeste is stuck in limbo, stripped of her citizenship, with no choice but to flee to a peaceful Kyraenean hideaway with the tumultuous Amaya Mason.
When bounty hunters threaten the local orphanage, Celeste and Amaya must work together and fight. Even if it means risking what they cherish the most.
His plans in tatters, his career in jeopardy, Mick Haynes is forced to leave Kyraenea with the enigmatic Torrance Kyle, the agent he still can’t trust.
Torrance is good at lying, and even better at hiding his pain, but is he strong enough to deal with the consequences of betraying his own father?
Can Celeste accept the truth, accept her place in the Haynes family or will lies chain her to the past and destroy her chance at a new life?

Placement in Series: 3 of 4 (? I think?)

What I Thought:

I'M SO EMOTIONAL.  I know this story isn't over (because there are definitely adventures to be had!) but I also feel like an arc has come to a wonderful close, and I'm feeling a weird mix of really happy and sad.  I'm not going to spoil anything for those of you who haven't read it, but if you've read books 1 and 2 and aren't sure about book 3 READ BOOK 3. 
I love all of the characters.  (well, except for Smyth, but you know...)  Celeste and Mick are my current OTP, y'all.  Close second goes to the main couple of Dagger's Sleep which I will not spoil.  Close third comes to Torrance and Amaya because oh my word, y'all, I love them so much.  The relationships, the development, the amazing friendships, I loved it all.

Series Playlist:

I've been working on this playlist since I started reading... book 2, I think?  Anyway, I like it a lot.  Hopefully y'all do too.

Will I Keep Reading?  again, YES.  MORE. NOW. PLEASE.

Overall Rating: 4.5 sweet romances out of 5

About the Author:

Sarah Addison-Fox is a New Zealand-born home-schooling mother of two who loves action-packed, clean, fantasy with strong heroines. She has an astonishing amount of nail polish, has all her creative writing credentials shoved in a drawer somewhere, and has a husband who, after 27 years, can still make her blush. When she’s not working on both her YA fantasy series' she can be found fangirling on Goodreads or sending GIFs on Twitter.
You can connect with Sarah at:
Her website ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter


Also, guess what, as if this could get any better, THERE ARE GIVEAWAYS!!!


Tricia Mingerink is giving away a paperback of Dagger's Sleep.  The giveaway is open internationally where such giveaways are permitted and where CreateSpace or the Book Depository ships.  The book may or may not be signed depending on where the winner lives.
To enter, click on the picture!


Sarah Addison-Fox is giving away a paperback set of the first three books in the Allegiance Series.  The giveaway is open internationally where such giveaways are permitted and where CreateSpace ships.  The books may or may not be signed depending on where the winner lives.
Again, to enter the giveaway, just click the pic!

I'm so, so excited for both of these ladies!  Huge shout-out to them for letting me do my part and read your fabulous books! 
~ Abby

Favorite Quotes ~ Classics Edition

Classics are something that have always been a huge chunk of my reading experience.  And some of the most beautiful quotes in literature have come from classic novels.  (not that modern books don't have some beautiful quotes... but that's another day.)

So today, we're going to take a look at some of my favorite quotes from classics. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oof, those were hard to choose.  I'm sure as I read more classics, I'll find more favorite quotes, but for now, there's a few.  What's your favorite quote from a classic?

 

~ Abby 

[Insert a Creative Title] {a look back at April}

See, I knew this would happen.  I would get into May and this post would go to the backburner.  But hey, here I am.  With a less-than-stellar title, but a look back at a fairly good month!

April was busy (not nearly as busy as May is gonna be *siiiiigh*) but some fun things happened this month including:
~ EASTER HAPPENED.  And went off, praise God, with only a few hitches.
~ I entered the OYAN short story contest!  That's the first contest I've ever entered, and I'm pretty happy with my story (a prequel to the novel I'm working on), even if it doesn't win (which, tbh, is a pretty big possibility).
~ We had our dance picture week, which went way smoother than most in the past (and that's probably because I'm only in one class and we didn't do individual shots, so we just had to show up for group pictures, lol)
~ A ton of house stuff got done this month.  Like...
~ GETTING A NEW COUCH.  We needed one desperately (sitting to either side of our old one resulted in a slide to the side and down into the divot which made it nearly impossible to stand back up), so we got one! It's big and fluffy and perfect for curling up to watch a movie or read a book.  One of our church friends graciously took time out of his busy schedule to help us put it up and we're so grateful (because there's no way we could have done it alone, lol)
~ Setting up Mom's new Sleep Number bed (because she wanted to downsize from the king she had with Dad and now has a smaller [but still comfy] queen)
~ This section in May is probably going to be way longer because I'm sitting here looking at my planner and dying inside a little at the sheer number of days that are filled.

~ What I Read ~

 (click on the collage to go to my Goodreads shelf for more in depth reviews :D)
~ The Son of Neptune ~ I... I think this might be my favorite Heroes of Olympus book?  I haven't finished rereading them but good grief, I love this one. {5 stars}
~ At Her Fingertips ~ Such a good one!  I loved the romance :) {5 stars}
~ Little House in the Big Woods ~ A beautiful flash of nostalgia that I really needed.  {4 stars}
~ The Dressmaker's Secret ~ So sweet! I loved going back to see Alice as a kid after seeing her as a young adult.  {4.5 stars}
~ The Mark of Athena ~ I don't know how I felt about this, because I loved the kids being together, but I felt like this one dragged a little bit?  So idk, I gave it  {4.5 stars}

~ What I Watched ~

Okay so Mom downgraded our U-Verse this month, which is fine because we gained the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel so basically all we've been watching this month is things on that channel.  Like, all my favorite mystery shows.  Murder, She Wrote, Monk, Psych, ahhh I love them all.

Oh and I also saw Infinity War.  I have a lot of thoughts.

~ What I Listened To ~

All the feels this month!  Tons of Broadway was listened to (no surprise).  Some great Christian music.  Celtic Woman.  TV series.  Yeah.

~ What I Posted ~

The Get to Know Me Tag: Writer's Edition {about my writer-ly life}
What I'm Currently Reading {about the books that I was in the middle of}
At Her Fingertips {blog tour + book review} {about a super sweet story}


ALSO the YouTube channel run by my sister and myself now has 49 subscribers! And we're currently running a giveaway! IT'S VERY EXCITING.

Anyway, that's what happened in April!  What about y'all?  How was your month?

~ Abby

The Rebellion {blog tour + book review}

WHO'S EXCITED??

Yes, I totally am going to use Cinderella's Castle for every Livy-related post I make, lol.

Will I ever post anything but blog tours?  Eh, probably not.

But that's fine because Livy's new book comes out TOMORROW!!!

And because I got to be part of this awesome blog tour, you get a review right now!


The Rebellion

Author: Livy Jarmusch
Genre: Contemporary/Christian
Content: None
Main character(s): The royal family of Tarsurella, Vanessa Bennett, Hansen Fletcher

Synopsis:
Vanessa Bennett lands her dream job working at the Palace in Tarsurella. She struggles to balance everything on her plate: life in a new country, stressful deadlines, crabby co-workers, college classes at the local University, and blossoming feelings of romantic adoration toward her boss–King Addison. Keeping up with her To-Do list, while trying to earn respect in Addison’s male-dominated administration, presents its challenges. Nevertheless, she can’t help but fight a reoccurring thought and the excitement rising with it: is Addison interested in her?
Addison is adjusting to his new role as King. Rumors of a rebellious uprising among the youth in Tarsurella intensifies, as acts of violence and protest break out across the city. Addison is determined to uncover the hidden instigator who fearlessly blogs democracy-driven ideals with a secretive pen name. Will Addison discover and expose the fiery rebellion leader? Or will his efforts fail to stop the rebellious thoughts spreading like wildfire, causing a heartbreaking rift in his divided nation? 

Placement in Series: 2 of I don't know how many (I am so stoked for book 3, I can't even tell you) in the Tales of Tarsurella series.

What I Thought:

This was such a perfect follow-up!  Just as much fluffy feel-good-ness with a touch of angst, and just enough suspense and intrigue to keep the plot going.  I really, really enjoyed it!  Being back with these characters was great, and I love pretty much all the ships.  (Mostly the main one, tbh, I love them with all my heart)  It was so fun.

Favorite Quote:
"You can't change the world by becoming just like it."

Book Playlist:

This is the same playlist as the first book, only now it's a whole series playlist, has a few new songs, and a pretty new cover picture.  I really like this playlist a lot (guess who's been listening to this playlist for the past few days straight?  This gal!)

Will I Keep Reading? YESSS

Overall Rating: 4 Up-themed dates out of 5

About the Author:

Livy Jarmusch is a twenty-something author, singer, and songwriter. She enjoys crafting YA Christian fiction that is pure, lovely, inspirational, and of course, entertaining! When she's not writing, you can usually find her playing guitar, blogging, drinking peppermint tea, connecting with new friends, planning her next trip to Disney, or pinning images of Europe and Golden Retriever Puppies.
Connect with Livy via: her blog ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Twitter ~ YouTube ~ Goodreads

PLUS there's a giveaway for a signed paperback of book one (!!!!) going on and you can enter it here!

Be sure to check out the Tales of Tarsurella!  They've been pure magic so far. <3

~ Abby

At Her Fingertips {blog tour + book review}

Today's the dayyyyy!

Kellyn Roth's newest book, At Her Fingertips, is officially available now! 


And because she's the sweetest person and sent me a review copy, you get a review too, yay!


At Her Fingertips


(isn't this cover gorgeous?)

Author: Kellyn Roth
Genre: Historical fiction
Content: A few mentions of unsavory things, but nothing explicitly shown
Main character: Alice Knight

Synopsis:
Debutante ​Alice Knight has a plan: have her first social Season in London, meet her husband, and marry him. As the Season begins, Alice’s feelings and common sense both begin to undermine her goals. But she must stick to her plan—and everyone, including God, had best stay out of it.
The plan looks even less appealing when a childhood friend reappears, an American author shows her a different kind of faith, and a charming gentleman is not all he should be.
The life she longs for is finally at her fingertips, but how can she know it's the right one?

What I Thought:

I don't even know how to describe my love for this story.
This was exactly what I wanted and not at all what I expected.  I didn't really read the synopsis, I just kind of wanted to go in blind and see what was behind that gorgeous cover.  Turns out it's a really sweet, twist-filled romance that gave me vibes of [the adaptation of] Jane Austen's Emma (I say the adaptation because I haven't actually read the book yet).  It was just what I was in the mood for, and I'm so glad of it.

The Characters:
Alice Knight - She's such a fun protagonist!  Seeing the world through her eyes was so fascinating.  I'm not much older than her now, and knowing that she had all that expectation on her even when she's just trying to figure herself out, I don't envy her a bit, lol.  But she was so witty and smart and not afraid to speak her mind, and I can appreciate all of that.

Peter Strauss - Okay, so, when he was first introduced, I thought he was old.  Like, in his forties or something.  So then certain plot points started occurring, I was confused because "isn't this dude forty or something?".  Come to find out, he's actually perfect and amazing and I love him and I spent the second half of the book shipping it so hard, y'all.

Kirk Manning - Sweet, innocent Kirk.  He deserves the world.

Gibson Ashfield - ew do I have to talk about him at all?

Favorite Quote:
"I've learned that if you can weather the hard times, more often than not the sun will shine when you need it most."

Overall Rating: 5 paint brushes out of 5

About the Author:

Kellyn Roth was born and lives on a cattle ranch in North-Eastern Oregon. Always fascinated with telling stories, she created crazy games to play with her little brothers as a child. Today, she writes Christian and Historical Fiction with a focus on truth and family.

Connect with Kellyn: Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ Google+ ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ Youtube ~ Amazon ~ her personal blog ~ her review blog


ALSO there's a giveaway going on over at Kellyn's blog! 

Definitely go check it out! (Because don't those covers look so beautiful together? *heart eyes*)

Thanks so much to Kellyn for sending me a review copy of her lovely book!  I really enjoyed it, and I highly recommend it to all of you! 

~ Abby