March 2018 Wrap Up

So yeah…that title probably threw you through a loop.Especially since you’re bound to start seeing APRIL wrap ups across your feed, but I’ve been swamped with IRL issues recently (funerals, bachelorette parties, birthdays, signing events, etc.) so I’m hoping you’ll forgive me. Assuming we’re golden, let’s go ahead and dive into my March 2018 Wrap Up!

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March Reads (Full RsTC):

1) Fraternize by Rachel Van Dyken – 2.75 STARS 

I wanted to start the month with a light read to get the pace going and decided to try this free football-themed read I found on Kindle Unlimited. And while it had a lot going for it (sports aspect, charismatic male leads vying for our plus-sized heroine’s attention, and love from the community with a 4.17 current Star rating on Goodreads) this contemporary landed a few yards shy of the goal line for me. I’m not sure if it was the dual — and often repetitive — POVs or the telegraphed plot “twists,” but this book just didn’t leave me cheering. It wasn’t all bad though (looking at you, Grant!) and could easily be tackled in an afternoon.

2) Into The Light by Aleatha Romig – 3.5 STARS

When the previous contemporary didn’t score, I moved onto a dark thriller that landed on several trusted reviewer’s top of 2016 lists. Centered on a woman who wakes up injured and into a life — among a religious cult — that she has no recollection of this twisted mystery had be flipping through digital pages toward an infuriating cliffhanger ending. Especially since I thought this was a standalone! I’m still shaking my head over that…anyways, until I complete book 2 I’m leaving my full opinions off the blog.

3) A Target On My Back: A Prosecutor’s Terrifying Tale Of Life On A Hit List by Erleigh N. Wiley – 2 STARS

Next up was my first ever commissioned read for Lone Star Book Blog Tours, an organization of Texan bloggers promoting the works of Texas authors. Because #TexasPride, y’all! Anyways, this true crime memoir was chilling because as the genre implies it took place in real life. Real people, real problems, real cold-blooded killers. The story is written by the would-be victim and was actually fascinating to read. My rating was greatly reduced purely due to lack of editing and repetition, which is my biggest pet peeve in the literary world. Check out my full review here!!

4) Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – 5 STARS

I did it, chums! I finally did it! I’ve been wanting to read this sci-fi trilogy for ages! And I’m pleased to report — even years late to the space party — that this lived up to the hype. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook WHILE following along with the hardback because both were phenomenal. I’ve never seen a book formatted quite like this, nor listened to a full-cast audiobook recording and it completely elevated my experience. I’m talking GAME CHANGER!! If you were like me and had this sitting on your “one day” shelf, make that day today! Seriously finish reading this post, comment with your love, and then go read Illuminae! 😉

 5) ARC: Love And Other Words by Christina Lauren – 3.75 STARS

I was fortunate enough to win a copy of this ARC via a Goodreads giveaway. As many of you know, I’ve been hugely Pro-CL since Roomies, and picked this bad boy up the day it arrived in the mail. And here’s the thing I really did love MOST of this book. I was charmed from the very beginning. I loved our two leads and their quirks. I loved the humor and how the story easily transitioned between the present and the past. I loved the serious sloooww-burn and all the tissue-worthy emotions this book made me feel. HOWEVER my biggest flaw and star-reducer was Elliot’s portion of “what happened that night.” I can’t say more without spoiling, but if you’ve read it I think you’ll get it and understand why glossing over it ticked this little bookworm off. That being said it is a book worthy of your time.

6) ARC: One Small Thing by Erin Watt – 3.75 STARS

So this doesn’t come out until the end of June. June 26, 2018 to be exact. But few things — clearly — could keep me away from an ARC written by one of my favorite  writing duos. The day I was notified I’d been approved for an ARC via Edelweiss I stopped, dropped, and rolled up in a comfy blanket to read this emotional book. As with their previous works, I devoured this in day. There were no rage-inducing cliffhangers like in their Royals series, or fluffy, butterfly-inducing content like in When It’s Real. In fact this was a much heavier read (tw: death, abuse, bullying, etc) with a somewhat rushed ending that featured the WORST CHARACTERS IN THE WORLD. Not our leads, but like EVERYONE else. I seriously ALL-CAPS HATED almost every character involved in our main pair’s lives. This is an interesting take on grief and a positive addition to the genre.

7) Vicious by L.J. Shen – 4 STARS

Last up in my “something borrowed”/free on Kindle Unlimited reads of the month, was this surprising gem. It featured one of my favorite romance tropes (enemies-to-lovers) and featured a seriously addictive writing style. This was my first Shen read, but it definitely won’t be my last! And while there were a few things — and clique names — that kept this from a 5-Star rating, it was a super quick and easy read. Plus, I needed to check off my shirtless model book of the month!

8) To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo – 5 STARS

I saved the prettiest cover for last because I’m shallow like that. Just kidding. What I’m not joking about was how much I enjoyed this fresh take on The Little Mermaid. You guys know I’m trash for fairy tale retellings and, apparently, I also have a serious affinity for charismatic pirates. So it should come as no surprise that when you combine the two I’m fully on board.  I was lured into this Siren’s song from the first sentence and stayed enraptured till the satisfying — and very Disney — ending. I’m still in shock that this is Christo’s debut and will definitely be ordering any future works!

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Beyond books…

In March I posted:

1 Book Haul: February Book Haul – my FIRST one ever!!!

4 Award Posts: Unique Blogger Award 1&2 and Mystery Blogger Award 1&2

2 TTTs: Favorite Book Quotes (so far) in 2018 and Spring TBR Cleaning

2 Reviews: This Darkness Mine and A Target on My Back (see #3 on this list)

and

1 Wrap Up: February 2018 Wrap Up

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My March 2018 wrap up consisted of 8 books and an average star rating of 3.69, which is a forth of a star higher than my January reads. So it definitely seems like I’m moving in the right direction as the year progresses.

At the end of the day, I got 2 ARCs off the list and exclusively read books I already owned/was able to read for free so I’m considering that a win! Have you loved/hated/meh’d any of these books? What books are you diving into in April/May?

And, as always, Happy Reading!

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