Things You Save In A Fire

jacqui_monet
July 28, 2019

Title: Things You Save In A Fire

Author: Katherine Center

Genre: Adult/ Romance/ International

Pages: 308

After seeing the book cover floating around online, this book instantly went on my TBR List. I can’t help it, I’m a sucker for a pretty cover. So imagine my surprise when I received and ARC/ARE/Galley as book mail from Macmillan Publishers! (Insert pterodactyl screech here.) I read it as much and as quickly as I could while holding/nursing/snuggling/diapering my two babies. It. Was. SO. Good.

This first person story is about a talented young female firefighter from Austin, Texas who, for a handful of reasons, relocates to the east coast to take care of her estranged and ailing mother. Her new firehouse is sorely out of date and underfunded, the guys are not particularly fond of having a female in their midst and the only place for her to bunk during shifts used to be the supply closet. It’s a high stakes story about love and family but ultimately forgiveness.

I recommend this book to anyone that has ever felt like an outcast or an under dog. AND it should totally be a movie.

Ratings

Plot: 5/5          Characters: 5/5          Ease of Reading: 5/5

China Rich Girlfriend

jacqui_monet
March 1, 2019

Title: ChinaRich Girlfriend

Author: Kevin Kwan

Series: Crazy Rich Asians, number 2

Genre: Adult/ Romance/ International

Pages: 479

This book, the second in the CRA trilogy did not disappoint at all! The story picks up 2 to 3 years after the first and, my goodness, it doesn’t miss a beat. Like all good soap operas we’ve got a car crash, plastic surgery, social climbers, meddling parents, a wedding, shopping sprees (in Paris!) and fabulous parties.

We’re reaquainted with past characters and introduced to a host of new ones who are hell bent on shaking things up. I loved seeing where Rachel, Nick, and Astrid are in their lives and seeing previous side characters like Kitty Pong become more fleshed out was fantastic. Kevin Kwan continues to do a great job at peeling back the curtain on the ultra elite VVIP life. I eagerly await book three.

Ratings

Plot: 5/5          Characters: 5/5          Ease of Reading: 5/5

Crazy Rich Asians

jacqui_monet
February 22, 2019

Title: Crazy Rich Asians

Author: Kevin Kwan

Series: Crazy Rich Asians, number 1

Genre: Adult/ Romance/ International

Pages: 546

I  enjoyed this book a lot. It was a pretty quick read and I appreciated that the author used authentic slang from the different languages that the characters speak and included a glossary for those terms and them bottom of each page.

Even though many of the characters come from obscene amounts of money, they still felt like real human beings. None of the characters were “all good” or “all bad” which tends to happen in these types of stories. Everyone had their own motivations, hopes and dreams. There were also a ton of characters, so I liked that the author titled the chapters with the character whose POV we were experiencing.

I’m definitely going to read the rest of the trilogy and watch the film.

Ratings

Plot: 3/5          Characters: 5/5          Ease of Reading: 5/5

The Belles

jacqui_monet
February 15, 2019

Title: The Belles

Author: Dhonielle Clayton

Series: The Belles, number 1

Genre: YA/ Coming of Age/ Fantasy

Pages: 434

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Like any novel, the first few chapters took a couple of days to move through. The world created by Ms. Clayton is very detailed and because of the concept of it is so fresh and unique, it took a moment for me to find my bearings, get a good grasp on the rules and understand the lingo. But, honestly, it doesn’t take long to hit your stride.

The characters are well thought out and in a world where changing your entire out appearance and your demeanor can take place in an hour, no one is who they seem to be. The settings and their descriptions are so lush but in a way that distracts from the action.

I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the second book when it comes out and as it’s published by FreeForm (an imprint of Disney Books), I would love to see this on television in the future.

Ratings

Plot: 4/5          Characters: 4/5          Ease of Reading: 5/5

Bonus!

Sadie

jacqui_monet
August 30, 2018

Title: SADIE

Author: Courtney Summers

Series: N/A

Genre: YA/ Thriller/ True Crime Fiction

Pages: 320

Check out my Two Minute Review of SADIE on my ‘booktube’ channel:

Don’t forget to visit:

Sadie’s Cinnamon Toast

Sadie’s Cinnamon Toast

jacqui_monet
August 30, 2018

In the book SADIE by Courtney Summers, the title character spends the  majority of her time making a good life for herself and her sister. She takes on the responsibility of being “the parent” after her mother skips town. even though she doesn’t have much to give, she gives her sister her all. I think that cinnamon toast is one of those foods that is so incredibly simple to make as well as being super inexpensive because most people already have all of the ingredients in their pantry. Cinnamon Toast can make a great after school snack, a sweet treat after dinner or even a yummy breakfast when paired with some fruit!

You will need:

2 Tablespoons of butter (melted)

3 slices of bread

1/2 Tablespoons of Cinnamon

2 Tablespoon Sugar

Small bowl, Toaster (or toaster oven), Basting/BBQ/or Pastry Brush

Directions:

Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Lightly brush butter onto one side of the slices of bread. Sprinkle with sugar mixture.

Repeat on the other side of the bread slices.

Toast coated bread slices to your desired firmness. I like for the crust to be crispy but not burned.

Alternative:

You can sub the butter for a butter based cooking spray or a cooking oil that doesn’t have a strong flavor.

Healing Stone

jacqui_monet
August 22, 2017

Title: Healing Stone

Author: Brock Booher

Series: N/A

Genre: YA/ Coming of Age/ Paranormal

Pages: 336

Check out my Two Minute Review of Healing Stone on my ‘booktube’ channel:

November Book Haul!!

jacqui_monet
November 18, 2016

 

So, I absolutely love to read as you all know. This has lead to some interesting opportunities for me lately. I have been asked by up and coming authors to beta read their manuscripts, sent ARCs to read and I’ve been asked to make videos reviewing books by the authors who wrote them. What?! Starting this blog and actually starting to do what I love has been amazing. So amazing, that I’ve decided to start a Booktube channel!

For some people I’m sure that could have seen it coming, but I didn’t. I had no idea that I would end up here! Anyway, I want to say thank you for supporting my blog and interacting with me on social media. You all are amazing.

I didn’t know what I wanted to do for my first video and after doing some brainstorming I decided on a book haul video! I went to Barnes and Noble and accidentally spent more that I planned and didn’t even buy what I went in for. Ah, such is the life of a bookaholic.

Check out my first video below:

The Porcupine of Truth

jacqui_monet
November 7, 2016

img_4461

Title: The Porcupine of Truth

Author: Bill Konigsberg

Series: N/A

Genre: YA/ Coming of Age

Pages: 336

Review:

Okay, I’m just going to start this off by saying that I absolutely loved The Porcupine of Truth. I like, jump-up-and-down-cried-in-the-middle-recommend-it-to-everyone loved this book! I connected to this book in a way that I haven’t experienced in a really long time. Seriously, I haven’t sobbed while reading since Shadows in Flight, the final book in the ‘Bean Saga’ of the Enders Game series.

So what’s the book about in a nutshell? The Porcupine of Truth follows teenagers Carson and Aisha and they search for his grandfather. See, Carson’s dad is dying and he wants to reconnect the two before it’s too late. What starts out as an hours long trip ends up being and epic journey across the western United States. During their trek, the friends learn a lot about each other and even more about themselves. This book is about growing up and coming into your own; discovering what makes you you.

I don’t want to say anything about the plot. So much happens that I feel the slightest  detail will give something away. I will say that I think everyone should read it. I gave it to my brother to read and if they made a movie I’d watch it. Heck, if they made a miniseries I’d watch it. This book made me laugh out loud one moment and cry the next. Mr. Konigsberg wrote an incredible and I found myself very deeply moved. That’s it, that’s all I can say.

 

Check out the links below to get the book yourself:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Witches of East End Book Review

jacqui_monet
October 25, 2016

witches

Title: Witches of East End

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Series: Witches of East End (book 1)

Genre: SciFi, Fantasy,

Pages: 288

Ok, so my favorite writer for the past few years has been Melissa de la Cruz of the Blue Bloods and the Ashleys series. I have loved almost every book that she has written. I mean, there was one that I got less than a chapter into and pitched it. But this book was great! In keeping with the Halloween theme I read The Witches of East End.

The Witches of East End is the first in her series about a pair of sisters and their mother who try to live quiet lives without magic in a simple cottage in the Hamptons. Now, I feel that I must add that this is not a “pretty, rich, white girls with problems they created” type of book. In fact, not all the problems that come their way are their fault. Trouble tends to come to them because they are a little too generous. You see, they have been banned from using their powers but then one of them does so to help a friend who’s been trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant. Then they all start helping people. THEN they get accused of being witches. So much for laying low. The story is really interesting and has since become a series on Lifetime which is also pretty good.

Speaking of series: if you have read the Blue Bloods series of the same author (which you should in order to be able to laugh at certain jokes) you will recognize characters that have cameos. I’m not saying that you should read all of those to be able to understand this book, but I am saying that you should read this between Blue Blood books 7 and 8. Mimi talks about some of the action that takes place in this book, therefore it’s crucial for BB fans to read this.

 

Check out the links below to get the book yourself:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble