I'm back to tell you about some of my favorite reads from this past month! It's always nice when I realize I had a varied stretch of reading. Sometimes I get caught up in a series and realize weeks have gone by without me sampling from multiple authors. Not that I mind those jaunts into a talented writer's backlist, but it makes the recommending game a bit more difficult.
No issue with that this time around!
Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
One of the best things about YA novels is watching characters grow. Not that this doesn't happen in adult novels, I just feel like the transition is so much more drastic because we're often watching characters grow into a maturity. We see them figure out the person they're going to be. This book does this fantastically. Laia starts out as a terrified girl who runs in fear even when her family is in danger. By the end of the book ... well I don't want to spoil things, but she does some pretty badass stuff. That's just one of the reasons I loved this book, and I can't wait to follow the rest of the series.
99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne
Finally! Sally Thorne has released another book! Her debut The Hating Game was so sweet and goofy and swoony, that the the second I finished it I looked for Thorne's back list. There was nothing! But now I have this gem, and I can't fully express my love for Tom Valeska. Any man described as a the embodiment of a fiercely protective husky immediately has my vote. I wish I was one of the lucky ones that got a percentage of his love! But if I have to give him up to any one, I guess I'm okay with it being the wild, yet secretly lonely, Darcy Berrett.
Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas
There is an actual sketch of a dog in this book. Need I say more?
Okay, I guess I'll say more, for those of you not already sold.
This historical romance is amazingly detailed in exploring how the horrors of war can affect a man's ability to function in normal day to day life. The heroine is the perfect combination of sweet, odd, and patient; all traits that help her help him. Her letters and love don't fix him, but they give him something to hope for, something good to work for. Also, this book is full of animals. Major plus.
That's it for this time around!
Best,
Lauren