TTT: Books I LOVED with Fewer than 2,000 Ratings on Goodreads

Books I LOVED with Fewer than 2,000 Ratings on Goodreads

This was a tricky one to answer! In the end I searched through my bookshelves for the books that jumped out at me, then I check them on Goodreads but, alas, most had over 2000 ratings but a few were not! So, here they are... And I don't have 10. I have 5.

P.S - The book covers link to GoodReads.

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OMG! I loved this book. Loved, loved, loved.
 I need to finish the series (it's 4 books). And I need to re-read this one.

The Hidden Library

After years in Wonderland, Alice has returned to England as an adult, desperate to reclaim sanity and control over her life. An enigmatic gentleman with an intriguing job offer too tempting to resist changes her plans for a calm existence, though. Soon, she’s whisked to New York and initiated into the Collectors’ Society, a secret organization whose members confirm that famous stories are anything but straightforward and that what she knows about the world is only a fraction of the truth.

It’s there she discovers villains are afoot—ones who want to shelve the lives of countless beings. Assigned to work with the mysterious and alluring Finn, Alice and the rest of the Collectors’ Society race against a doomsday clock in order to prevent further destruction . . . but will they make it before all their endings are erased?

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In Bloom is such feel-goodod book. Glitz and glamour, actresses, rockstars, mad PR people, paparazzi, crazy exes and overly forgiving employers... It's a whirlwind. Read it if you want to escape into a different world. Read it if you want to fall in love. Or, you know, just read it because it's awesome.

My name is Olivia Bloom and I. Am. Free.

I left for LA with everything I owned piled into my old Volkswagen and dreams of becoming a costume designer. Little did I know I’d wind up designing for a lingerie company—yeah, not sure how I landed this gig—and taken under the wing of two young Hollywood insiders. The fashion shows and parties were great, but life really got exciting when the seriously hottest lead singer of my favorite band started to fall for me.

How does someone like me, an ordinary girl from Pittsburgh, wind up in the arms of the world’s sexiest rock star—surrounded by celebrities, fashion, and music—and not be eaten alive? Berkeley is everything I've ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, but the paparazzi, the tabloids, the rumors, it's all getting a bit too crazy. My life has become every girl’s dream come true, if only I don’t blink and lose it all…

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This is such a poignant, heartbreakingly beautiful book set both before WWII in the roaring twenties and then into the war. 
I read it years ago (like fifteen/sixteen years ago) and I have no idea why it has so few GR ratings!

Early One Morning Sebastian Fawkes

In the flamboyant Twenties, Englishman William Grover-Williams and Frenchman Robert Benoist were fierce rivals racing their elegant Bugattis on the glittering European race circuits. Not only is the World Championship in their sights, but they have both fallen for the sensuous charms of the extravagantly beautiful Eve Aubicq.


But when war breaks out, everything changes. Paris is in the iron-grip of German occupation and Robert and William join the Special Operations Executive to help the French Resistance undermine the brutal occupying regime. Their missions involve utmost courage and daring in the face of the horrors of war. Based on a true story of British covert activity and the French Resistance during the Second World War, this is a gripping novel of heroism, self-sacrifice, love and betrayal.

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This book left me speechless in a very good way. 
It was so engrossing, so completely captivating and generally spellbinding that I haven't forgotten it despite not having read it in years... Something I'll have to remedy soon and see if it's as good as I remember!

Heather Lyon Deep End of The Sea

What if all the legends you’ve learned were wrong?

Brutally attacked by one god and unfairly cursed by another she faithfully served, Medusa has spent the last two thousand years living out her punishment on an enchanted isle in the Aegean Sea. A far cry from the monster legends depict, she’s spent her time educating herself, gardening, and desperately trying to frighten away adventure seekers who occasionally end up, much to her dismay, as statues when they manage to catch her off guard. As time marches on without her, Medusa wishes for nothing more than to be given a second chance at a life stolen away at far too young an age.

But then comes a day when Hermes, one of the few friends she still has and the only deity she trusts, petitions the rest of the gods and goddesses to reverse the curse. Thus begins a journey toward healing and redemption, of reclaiming a life after tragedy, and of just how powerful friendship and love can be—because sometimes, you have to sink in the deep end of the sea before you can rise back up again.

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This isn't my usual genre of book but I was offered a review copy of the novel so gave it a try and I am so glad that I did! It was a wonderful story, very simple in a way as it is basically a story of the main characters' survival. A story about hope, courage and love.

After a terrible virus ravages the planet, Carly Daniels, one of the few survivors, hides in her apartment in Juneau trying to survive the best she can with only occasional forays to gather food. With her is Sam, a wolf puppy she found starving on the streets. He becomes her companion and a reason to continue when giving up sometimes seems like the more attractive option. Still dazed with shock and grief, she hopes for the world to go back to normal soon.

She is discovered by Justin, an ex-soldier who is intent on making his way to Florida before the winter sets in. Justin coaxes her out of her hiding place and convinces her to join him on his journey, because a warmer climate will be their best chance against the extremes of Mother Nature.

Together, they begin a perilous journey through a nation laid to waste by the disaster. Challenges abound along the way. The weather, injury, and shortage of supplies all help to slow them down. In time, they discover that they aren’t the only survivors. Some are friendly but some have had their minds destroyed by the high fever. Then there are those who simply take what they want, leaving Carly and Justin with no choice but to defend what is theirs.

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What books made your list?

Thoughts on The Lego Movie 2

I have an 8-year-old son. 

Like most 8-year-old boys he is obsessed with Lego. 

He loved the first movie, he loved the Lego Batman movie. 

The Lego Ninjago Movie sparked a love affair with the Ninjago TV series and this was followed by a rampant binge watching of all the available Lego animated shorts ranging from Justice League to Marvel, Jurassic Park and Star Wars. 

He loves Legoland and no matter how often we go, he wants to go again.

He is the perfect audience for The Lego Movie 2 and naturally, he absolutely bloomin' loved it. 

In fact, he loved it more than he loved the first movie.

He talked about nothing but the movie for weeks afterwards. He spent his remaining Christmas money (and a fair bit of his parents') on Lego Movie 2 Lego sets. 

He drove us mad with listening to the soundtrack on the google home. 

Needless to say, with the kid, The Lego Movie 2 was a raging success. 

With the adults?

Well, everything was not so awesome.

Yes, it was good to look at. Yes, the story was endearing. Yes, it was funny.

But I found myself bored for huge chunks of the movie. 

I found the songs/singing weird. 

It felt like a movie made for no other reason than to make money and milk the surprise success of the first Lego movie for all it was worth and that made me feel sad. 

So what was the movie about?

Emmett, Wild Style and the gang are living in a post-apocalyptic world since being invaded at the end of the first movie.

In this movie, we see the gang - Batman, Wild Style, Benny, UniKitty and the pirate guy - abducted by an evil agent from the Sistar System. 

Hapless but lovable Emmett must save his friends and prevent all from being lost into the bin of storage. 

But is all as it seems...? Of course it isn't! 

The two sides must unite or all is lost!

However, will they?

Well, what do you think?

I imagine that as soon as this movie is available on DVD, the little dude will be buying it (or begging us to buy it for him). I hope it holds the same charm for him the second (third, fourth, fifth!) time as it did the first but I for one do not look forward to having to sit through it once more. 

Once was definitely enough!

TTT: Favorite Couples In Books

Favourite Couples In Books

I've got two camps for my favourite couples: Those who I grew to love over a lengthy series and those who stole my heart in a single book (or two).

In most cases, I can't put them in order of who I love most but Kate and Curran definitely top the list with Rachel and Trent at second... Or maybe it's the other way around? I don't know... It doesn't matter. Those two couples top the list for me.
 The others are in no particular order.

Kate & Curran from Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews

These two were made for each other. They're all in, there for each other through thick or thin, willing to do anything, give up everything for each other. It wasn't insta-love. Their relationship starts off rocky and grows slowly through the series.
They're funny, they're loyal, fierce and just perfect.
They are a couple who worked for it, fought for it and continue to put the time in every single day to stay strong and be there for each other.
These two are relationship goals. Well, minus the always having to kill things but even that this pair make like a good sport.

Rachel & Trent - The Hollows Series - Kim Harrison

Oh, Rachel and Trent... I shipped this pair from the very first book where Rachel was out to get him and Trent retaliated by locking her in a cage while she was transformed into a rodent and kept her for a while before putting her into a rat fight.

They really did start out as enemies.
Then they became very reluctant allies/partners when the situation called for it.
Then they became friendly, but not friends.
Then their relationship went backwards.
Then they slowly built back up to friends.
But through it all there was an ignored attraction that built until the friends became more.

They changed each other for the better.
They fell in love and studiously ignored it because how could they possibly work?
They eventually gave in and it was perfect even though Trent lost everything as Rachel predicted.
He thought she was worth it - sobs - and she would have given up the love of her life so he didn't have to lose everything.
How perfect are they?!

In the end, they live happily ever after.
I live happily ever afters!

Rose & Dimitri from Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

Rose and Dimitri Belikov had me from their first meeting.

The banter, the chemistry, the forbidden elements... Cat nip.
The twist at the end of Shadow Kiss broke my heart (if you've read the series you know what I mean), Blood Promise killed me, Spirit Bound should have made everything better but just broke me some more and Last Sacrfice was the best ending ever.

Cassie & Pritkin - Cassandra Palmer Series - Karen Chance

This series is nuts. It moves at a pace where no matter how carefully you read it, it can be hard to follow. There's always attacks, always running, fighting, timeshifting... And right in the middle of all of it is the hapless Cassie who would be dead a hundred times over if not for her warrior mage Pritkin.

Interestingly, he hated her and tried to kill her himself in the beginning but somehow he went from there to defending her out of duty to defending her because no one is going to harm her as long as he breathes and, more amusingly, Cassie feels the same for her messy haired mage.
 For, oh about 8 books, Pritkin's curse made it impossible for them to be more than just friends - despite some 'emergency' situations 😉 - but now he's free of it so the remainder of this series is going to rock!

They've both realised what they are to each other, they're now able to be together except for the interference for a vile master vampire - yeah I hate Mircea, sue me! - so I can't wait for these two lobsters to live all happy... Once they've defeated one more god or whatever.

Valerius & Tabitha - Seize The Night  - Sherrilyn Kenyon

Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunters used to be my favourites. Strong, sexy, wounded men and the woman who make them live again... Quite literally returning their souls!

None of them have stayed so prominent in my memory as Valerius and Tabitha.
Tabitha is weird, quirky and loves hunting vampires.
Valerius, a despised roman Dark-Hunter, who is the arch nemesis of Tabitha's brother-in-law.
Oh how he broke my heart and how I loved him.

To be honest, no matter how much I liked Tabitha, she wasn't good enough for my sweet Val because no one is... But I suppose they make an awesome couple and she brought him peace and all that jazz so she'll do.

Ivan & Jasmine - From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata

Enemies to lovers to a backdrop of ice-dancing/figure skating.

Ivan and Jasmine made me laugh and made me cry.
Peel away years of rivalry and caustic banter and you have two people who were made for each other and the one thing you can't understand throughout the entire book is all the wasted years where they should have been skating together!

Shy & Tabitha - Own The Wind - Kristen Ashley

Another pair that is just perfect.

This book, this couple, broke my heart a million times over but was so freaking beautiful.
Tabby sparked a change in Shy that changed his life and Shy is the guy strong enough to stand by Tabby's side without crushing her or dimming her shine.
They didn't have an easy beginning but they are one of those couples who you know will have a wonderful life and a love that is one-in-a-million.
My romance loving heart could hardly take it.

Caroline and West - Deeper - Rebecca York

Caroline and West. Oh... How to descibe Caroline and West?

When you first see Caroline and West togther its like BAM!! Instant curiosity and need to know more. Your "ooh yummy" radar goes absolutely haywire and the most amazing part is that you don't even know what West looks like! He could look like a bridge troll and it wouldn't matter because your reaction to him is caused by the way Caroline reacts to him, it draws you to him and the way that he reacts to her? That makes you sit up and say hello.
They were addictive.

On paper the are complete opposites but they are made for each other.
Their relationship is beautiful. It's not perfect but all the imperfections just made it more beautiful for me. They make each other better people and together they grow into something more than either could have been on their own.
It's gorgeous to read and it shines a spotlight on the issue of revenge porn which more people need to educate themselves on.

Lucas and Jacqueline - Easy - Tammara Webber

Lucas!! I love me some Lucas!!

I love how he loves Jacqueline.
Oh man, I could ramble incoherently for hours on Lucas... He is perfect. He has issues, he has secrets but he is wonderful. Protective without ever being a caveman ass, smart, sexy... He is exactly what Jacqueline needs. He gives her what she wants, what she needs, makes her strong and able to stand on her own while being someone she can lean on. He is someone who will always put her first, will give her everything and she loves him back just as fiercely.

Their relationship is one that is believable and the book isn't fluffy with the way it tackles the issue of rape on college campuses in a sympathetic and realistic way.

Jimmy and Lena - Stage Dive Series - Kylie Scott

I love the Stage Dive rockers, like actually love them. Well, maybe not Ben. I think Ben is an asshole, but I LOVE the others and none more so that Jimmy.

And, I LOVED Lena. She made me laugh with her wit and sarcasm, she's a curvy woman and Jimmy loved the curves she was rocking. I loved how Lena's personality clashed and complimented Jimmy's with downright hilarious results. 

Both Jimmy and Lena are vulnerable in their own ways. They are both lonely and they fit together like the pieces of a two-piece puzzle. The chemistry between them was smokin' hot and their relationship was unnecessarily complicated, which could've been annoying but I loved the feels it caused... I laughed, I squirmed, I cried (not literally but my heart squeezed and kinda wanted to) and I just loved them.

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Who are your favourite couples in books?

Any of these make your list?

Book Blogger Hop: Audiobooks vrs Ebooks

Audiobooks vs Ebook?
If the world stopped printing books which would you prefer between the two?

Simple: ebooks.

But, I'll explain why...

I know that people love audiobooks but it's no secret that I don't.
I guess you could say that I've just never mastered the art of listening to books.
Typically, in order for me to follow an audiobook, I need to be sitting still, in silence, doing something that requires little to no thought whatsoever or I fail to follow the story.
I also need my head to be pretty empty otherwise I get lost in my thoughts and miss whatever is going on.
This makes escaping into an audiobook pretty difficult!
When you combine it with how expensive they tend to be, how long they take to listen to and the fact that, I almost always hate the sound of the narrator's voice (to the point where I'd rather have a knitting needle jabbed through my ears rather than listen to them speak) it's safe to say I usually that I avoid them.

However! I want audiobooks to work for me. I really really do. They'd make my life so much easier. I'd get through so many more books! I'm desperate to get to a point where I can tune out the world and sink into a story while doing the mundane tasks of life like ironing but, alas, I can't even manage that at this point.

The only success I've had with audiobooks was recently when I discovered that I can listen to them on my drive to and from work - as long as I manage to empty my brain of all the buzzy thoughts before I drive!
I think this is because the commute is so ingrained in me that I don't have to think about the journey, I just need to watch the road, and having someone chatting away in my ear is so commonplace in the car that it's almost irrelevant that it's a book and not a person speaking to me.

I also discovered - thanks to my kid's love of audiobooks - that by signing up for an audible subscription, I can get one 'free' a month, I can access discount bundles, and if I buy a kindle version, I can get the audiobook for a few pounds extra.
Shame that my audible account is basically my kid's audible account... He'd legit kill me if I used his credits. He has his reading agenda for the year all planned out! But I digress...

In a bid to try and convert myself to an audio lover, I've signed up to an audiobook challenge this year. My goal is to listen to 5 and I'm targeting the kiddo's Heroes of Olympus (by Rick Riordan) series. This is because we own the audios already so I'm not wasting money if I give up and because we also own them in print, I can finish the stories if I lose the will to live listening to the audiobooks.
It's a win win!
And the good news is that I've already finished one! I listened to The Lost Hero (book one in the series) on my commute over the past few weeks and I must admit I really enjoyed it! The narrator was good, the story completely engaging and addictive and I'm - gasp! - actually looking forward to listening to the next book in the series!

However, even if I manage to train myself into becoming an audiobook lover - and my minor success so far this year leaves a lot to be determined - the ebook will always be my favourite.
I love my ereader.
I can read an ebook faster than I can listen to one. They're less expensive. There is more choice in material. Annoying pronunciations and accents don't interrupt the reading experience. If you get distracted or fall asleep, it's easy to pick your place back up.

Ultimately though, I think there's a place for both in the world.

What you think? Audio or ebook?