The Monthly Newsletter: March 2015

Welcome to The Monthly Newsletter brought to you by the bloggers of Books and Ashes! Each month we’ll have a general update about the blog and what we’re expecting to happen in the next month. We hope you’ll enjoy this feature and tell us what you think! We’d appreciate the chance to get to know our followers 🙂

I took a little break from blogging for a bit this month, only posting when I needed to put up a review. This month was really stressful personally and I thought it would do me some good to step back a bit and relax. Next month will be more normalish for me with posting!

I didn’t get the chance to write up the entire discussion post this month unfortunately, if I have time next month it should be up.

What my brain wants to write: 3

What I need to write: 1

I did both muse writing and necessary writing this month, which is a good thing and I really enjoyed my muse writing.

I’ve spent most of this month writing away my muse for an RP group on Tumblr I’m fond of, so I’ve had a lot of fun between that and reading.

I spent the month slow reading or reading whatever I fancied for the most part so it was really nice. Together though we still reviewed 34 books which isn’t all that bad, considering we read 40 total!

Favorites of the month:

 

All of those were really good reads this month, especially the Crazy in Love series!

Also that journal I started last month? I couldn’t keep up with it at all. So I’m back to just winging my reviews but my new method is to write them after I finish the book immediately. We’ll see how well I keep up with that this coming month!

Covers lead to the review!

Stones and Finger Bones by Jessica Minyard

Stones and Finger Bones (The Black Towers #1)
Jessica Minyard
Published: 10th February, 2015
Centurion Books
Genre: Fantasy
Age: Young Adult
From: Xpresso Book Tours

Summary:

Aurelia Barone, Jewel of Starry Stone, harbors no illusions about the purpose of her life as heir to the throne. But after two failed betrothals, she starts to feel like nothing more than a pawn being moved aimlessly about a game board.

Until the night she loses everything.

Kidnapped by a wise-cracking mercenary with more than one identity, Aurelia embarks on a mission across land and sea to avenge her father’s death.

But an evil is rising from the ashes of memory. Insidious magic is stirring. The dregs of a once-powerful nation are thirsty for blood and revenge.

They seek to harness Aurelia. To tempt her. To manipulate her.

And if necessary, to destroy her.

The Escape by Allana Kephart & Melissa Simmons

The Escape (Gumshoes & Grifters #.5)
Allana Kephart; Melissa Simmons
Published: 1st February, 2015
CreateSpace
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense, Thriller
Age: Young Adult (Upper)
From: Girls *Heart* Books Tours

Summary:

Run for your life…

Sixteen-year-old Claire McBride just witnessed a brutal murder at the hands of someone she knew, someone she thought she could trust. Now she’s alone, afraid and desperate to put as many miles as possible between herself and the killer. Seeing no other options, she flees her home town of Galena, leaving behind everything and everyone she’s ever held dear.

Run for your life…

Carter Emerson’s whole world has come crashing down around him. He woke to the news his best friend, Claire has gone missing without a trace, and there’s nothing he can do about it. Finding out her car was abandoned in the busy city of Chicago, he and his brother can’t help but fear the worst… With no solid suspects or leads, it looks like Carter’s worst nightmare could come true, and Claire’s disappearance may turn into a cold case.

Run for your life…

With the killer at her heels, Claire has no choice but to leave Carter in the dark. She can’t risk his safety just because she misses the sound of his voice… But will the run of Claire’s life be worth it in the end? Or will her past catch up with her no matter how hard she tries to escape it?

Fire in Frost by Alicia Rades

Fire in Frost (Crystal Frost #1)
Alicia Rades
Published: 13th March, 2015
PaperPlane Publishing
Genre: Paranormal
Age: Young Adult

Summary:

Crystal Frost has spent her whole life believing she’s ordinary, and her mother has long held the secret of her heritage. When Crystal begins seeing the ghost of a dead classmate, her life spirals out of control. She’s faced with the threat that everyone will find out she’s a freak, as if the struggle to figure out her new-found abilities wasn’t enough pressure. Crystal has to find some way to save the people who have come to her for help all while trying to keep her abilities a secret. Will she be able to fulfill these overwhelming demands while solving the mystery that is the ghost of Olivia Owen?

Proximity series by M. A. George

Proximity (Proximity #1)
M. A. George
Published: 23rd September, 2012
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance
Age: Young Adult
From: Girls *Heart* Books Tours

Summary:

She’s an alien whose home world doesn’t even know she exists.

He just inherited a planet, and now he’s running from it.

She has spent a lifetime hiding in plain sight.

He wants to escape the spotlight.

Her touch can heal.

His wounds are deep.

Two hearts, two planets collide. It’s the perfect union.

Except the part where the world’s about to end.

Shh! by Stacey Nash

Shh! (Oxley College #1)
Stacey Nash
Published: 23rd February, 2015
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Age: New Adult
From: YA Bound Book Tours

Summary:

Nineteen-year-old Olivia Dean has the perfect reputation, the perfect boyfriend, and an increasingly perfect CV. She has it all, until Christian breaks up with her in public, calling her out as a self-gratifying sexoholic: the kind that plays solo. But Olivia doesn’t do any such thing — the only thing she does at night is sleep … right?

Now all the boys on campus seem to want her attention for the absolutely wrong reason — including resident hottie, Logan Hays. He’s pulling out his best moves to gain her attention, so resisting his sexy charm is hard work. With rapidly slipping grades, a disturbingly lurid reputation and demanding parents, Olivia must discover the truth behind her rumoured sleeping problem. If she doesn’t, the perfect life she’s worked so hard for may slip away, including the one person who has Olivia breaking all her rules — Logan.

What do you do when you’re asleep?

***

Shh! is a story about acceptance, learning to trust and in turn love while facing life’s unexpected difficulties.

NB: This book is of a mild heat level, and contains no explicit sex scenes.

Content warning: bullying

Hell’s Menagerie by Austin Dragon

Hell’s Menagerie (After Eden: Tek-Fall #2)
Austin Dragon
Releasing: 30th March, 2015
Well-Tailored Books
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian
Age: Adult

Summary:

Hell’s Menagerie: Tek-Fall (Episode II) is the companion novella in the After Eden science fiction and international thriller series by Austin Dragon—a dramatic mix of politics, religion, and intrigue.

The sci-fi, adventure started in Episode I with the hunt for the elusive “Man Made Out of String.” But it was only the tip of the iceberg for a broader mission for the Faithers.

In Episode II, they seek the “Zoo.” Monsters are being made—for war, for study, for amusement—and some have escaped into the wild. From the tek-cities of America to Spanish Australia to secret island locations all over the world, the sci-fi adventure thriller continues in the year 2093.

Tek World loves the advancements of modern genetic-engineering to eliminate disease, genetic-designing to pick the traits of offspring, and body-farms to grow and replace damaged limbs and organs—and even to “perfect” the human body. But it hasn’t stopped there. There is a secret bio-tek race by rogue international alliances to create life—bizarre, amazing, and horrifying.

The Soul Thief by Majanka Verstraete

The Soul Thief (Angel of Death #1)
Majanka Verstaete
Published: 10th November, 2014
Booktrope Publishing
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Age: Young Adult
From: Girls *Heart* Books Tours

Summary:

When sixteen-year-old Riley is injured in a car crash and sees a girl stealing a boy’s soul, she’s convinced she’s hallucinating. But when she sees the same girl at the hospital later, she knows she wasn’t dreaming. That’s when Riley learns her secret heritage and who she really is: a halfling Angel of Death.

Riley must come to terms with her new reality and supernatural abilities, but before she can do this, girls her age start dying in mysterious circumstances. It’s up to Riley to figure out why, what the innocent victims have in common, and what she can do to stop them.

Swoon Romance YA Wednesdays: Beautiful Curse by Jen McConnel

Welcome to this weeks Swoon Romance YA Wednesday, where each week I get the chance to highlight a YA novel that’s been published by Swoon Romance, with the chance to win some ebooks! I reviewed this book last year in December and really enjoyed it so take a look and maybe you will too!

Beautiful Curse
Jen McConnel
Published: 9th December, 2014
Swoon Romance
Genre: Retelling, Fantasy, Mythology
Age: Young Adult

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Mya Jones is cursed.

She is, hands down, the most beautiful creature on earth. But beauty can wound, and Mya finds herself reviled and shunned by her peers. If there is even a chance that she could start over, Mya longs to take it, no matter the risks.

So when the strange Mr. Merk offers her a new life away from home, Mya is hesitant but hopeful. Only she didn’t count on the mysterious Ross, or her feelings for him.

BEAUTIFUL CURSE is a contemporary retelling of the myth of Psyche and Cupid.

Wind Catcher by Jeff Altabef and Erynn Altabef

Wind Catcher (The Chosen #1)
Jeff Altabef; Erynn Altabef
Published: 21st March, 2015
Evolved Publishing, LLC
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Age: Young Adult
From: Novel Publicity

Summary:

Juliet Wildfire Stone hears voices and sees visions, but she can’t make out what they mean. Her eccentric grandfather tells her stories about the Great Wind Spirit and Coyote, but he might as well be speaking another language. None of it makes any sense.

When she stumbles upon a series of murders she can’t help but worry her grandfather might be involved. To discover the truth, Juliet must choose between her new life at an elite private school and her Native American heritage. Once she uncovers an ancient secret society formed over two hundred years ago to keep her safe, she starts to wonder whether there’s some truth to those old stories her grandfather has been telling her.

All she wants is to be an average sixteen-year-old girl, but she has never been average—could never be average.

Betrayed by those she loves, she must decide whether to run or risk everything by fulfilling her destiny as the Chosen.

Winner: Mom’s Choice Award — Silver Metal

Winner: Awesome Indies — Seal of Approval

Recipient: Readers’ Favorite — 5 Star Review

“Wind Catcher is a suspenseful, wonderfully written story that will capture your attention and hold it prisoner. A book that you won’t want to escape from. Brava!” ~ Stephen Fisher, Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews