Author: Bunny

Did I Read My 2022 Anticipated Releases?

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For Bookmas day 11, I’m going to be talking about if I read the books I talked about in my most anticipated book releases of 2022 post. Let me just say that I didn’t do so well.
Related Post: 2022 Anticipated Releases // January – June
Related Post: 2022 Anticipated Book Releases // July – December

In January, I was looking forward to reading ‘Echoes and Empires’ by Morgan Rhodes and ‘The Bone Spindle’ by Leslie Vedder, but these books haven’t crossed my mind all year. Actually, I don’t even remember what they’re about. The Sam goes for ‘League of Liars’ by Astrid Scholte, which was a February anticipated release. However, I did happen to read ‘Finding Her Edge’ by Jennifer Iacopelli.

In March, ‘Remember Me Gone’ by Stacy Stokes and ‘Live, Laugh, Kidnap’ by Gabby Noone came out. I’m not sure I’m still interested in these two books, anymore. I was anticipating the release of ‘Hotel Magnifique’ by Emily J. Taylor, as well as ‘With and Without You’ by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka in April. Although, I’m not surprised I didn’t get to ‘Hotel Magnifique’, I’m shocked that I still haven’t read ‘With and Without You’.

And, sadly I didn’t read my May or June anticipated releases. However, I am still looking forward to reading ‘The Noh Family’ by Grace Shim, ‘Beauty and the Besharam’ by Lillie Vale, ‘TJ Powar Has Something to Prove’ by Jesmeen Kaur Deo, and ‘A Secret Princess’ by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz.

I also didn’t read my most anticipated books for July. Mainly because it was hard to get a hold of the audiobook for ‘Frightmares’ by Eva V. Gibson. And. I really forgot about ‘A Heavy Dose of Allison Tandy’ by Jeff Bishop.

However, I did however read all of my August anticipated book releases! Yay me! And, luckily, I really enjoyed ‘Long Live The Pumpkin Queen’ by Shea Ernshaw, ‘12 To 22: POV You Wake Up in the Future!’ by Jen Calonita, and ‘Nothing More to Tell’ by Karen M. McManus.
Related Post: Long Live The Pumpkin Queen // Book Review

Unfortunately, I did bad on reading my September anticipated releases ‘Wishtress’ by Nadine Brandes and ‘Mere Mortals’ by Erin Jade Lange, which is a bummer since they both sound so interesting. I did manage to read one of my October anticipated releases, ‘Pretty Dead Queens’ by Alexa Donne, but didn’t find the time to read the other October release want to ‘The Art of Insanity’ by Christine Webb.

My November anticipated releases were ‘Friends Like These’ by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez and ‘Whiteout’ by Various Authors. I haven’t read either of them, but I will be picking up ‘Whiteout’ soon seeing that it’s my December 2022 book club read.

As for December, one of my anticipated releases hasn’t come out yet. Still, it is safe to say that I won’t be reading ‘Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are’ by Kathryn Foxfield and ‘So, This Is Love’ by Tracy Andreen before 2022 comes to an end.

So, I only read 5 of the books off my most anticipated book releases lists. There is just not enough time to read backlist titles as well as new release in the year. Hopefully, I can get to some of these books in 2023.

In the comments, let me know if you’ve read any of these books. Which ones should I make a priority to read soon? If you want to support my book blog, please give this post a like and a follow!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

The Christmas Clash // Book Review

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About The Book
Sworn enemies from rival families, Chloe Kwon and Peter Li have always hated each other. But when their local mall is put up for auction right before Christmas, they band together to help save it, along with their families’ food court restaurants. This fun read will leave you nostalgic for that magical feeling of the mall at Christmastime.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3hekMNY

My Rating

If you like a YA enemies-to-lovers, with a slight Romeo and Juliet aspect, then you should give this book a read. In the book, we follow two teens, Chloe and Peter, who’s parents run restaurants at the local mall. However, their parents are sworn enemies.

Chloe and and Peter are meant to be seen as enemies throughout the book, but I got more of a frenemies vibe from them. We hear a lot about how they dislike each other, yet their interactions during the story are fairly civil. And I could definitely see something developing pretty early on between them.

I found Peter and Chloe yo be likable characters. It was nice that they could be honest with each other. There were times that they would be snarky, or snap at one another, but they were mature enough to apologize for their attitudes.

The dialog between the two was funny and real. I could tell from the beginning that I was going to enjoy the story. Although the writing was good, it did feel very YA. But, not necessarily in a bad way, if that makes any sense.

“I was just thinking about us. And how I didn’t really know you just two months ago, and now I can’t picture life without you. It’s truly a Christmas miracle.”

There were a few heavy topic touched on in the book, one being that parenting is hard. Children don’t always see the struggles that parents have to go through. Things aren’t always easy when it comes to being a parent.

The other major subject that the book focused on was racism. First and foremost this is a YA romance, but it did showcase that racism is still a big part of the world we live in today. I think that the race issue was handled well, but not sure it fit with the story. I wanted a more light and fluffy Christmas read, yet it is still a serious issue, so it is good when books shed light on real world topics.

Overall, the story was cute, enjoyable, and a quick read. However, I did find the ending a little far-fetched. It was one of those cheesy, happy, everyone wins kind of endings that can be a little too much for me at times. Nevertheless, it was a good reading experience, and there was a subtle nod to food delivery apps that was a nice bonus.

In the comments, let me know if you are a fan of enemies-to-lovers. I myself cannot get enough of them. Don’t forget to follow my blog if you like bookish content.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Maria Kuzniar // Author Interview

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About The Author
Maria Kuzniar spent six years living in Spain, teaching English and traveling the world, which inspired her debut novel ‘The Ship of Shadows’.. Now she lives in Nottingham with her husband, where she reads and writes as much as she can, and bookstagrams at @cosyreads. She is always planning her next adventure.
Follow The Author
Instagram – Twitter

Books By This Author:

Hi, and thank you so much for doing this interview with me! In 2021, you released two books – first, the second installment of ‘The Ships Of Shadows’ book series. And, in October of 2021, ‘Midnight In Everwood’ came out.

In your own words, could you summarize ‘Midnight in Everwood’?

Hi, thank you for having me! Midnight in Everwood is a magical retelling of The Nutcracker, set between Edwardian Nottingham and a fantasy world inspired by the Land of Sweets. We follow Marietta, a young woman in her early twenties, who is desperate to pursue a career in dancing ballet, although her family has other plans for us. Things take a very strange and magical turn, and she soon finds herself in a land of snow and sweets with a frozen sugar palace, moose-drawn sleighs, and gingerbread galas. . .

What inspired you to write such a compelling story?

I’ve always been drawn to fairy tales and retellings, and since I absolutely adore both ballet and all things wintry, The Nutcracker felt like the perfect choice to tackle for my first retelling.

Being that ‘Midnight in Everwood’ is a retelling, can you talk about any research you did prior to writing it?

I’ve always loved the ballet and The Nutcracker is the very first one I saw. I also attend adult beginner ballet classes—though I am quite happily terrible at it!—so a lot of my research into ballet comes from my hobbies and speaking to my ballet teachers. I also read E.T.A Hoffman’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, which is the original, surprisingly much darker, story that Alexandre Dumas rewrote in a more family-friendly style in his The Nutcracker, which is the version Tchaikovsky looked to in composing the ballet.

What is the biggest difference, for you, when it comes to writing a Middle Grade fantasy, as opposed to writing an adult historical fantasy?

I think the biggest difference is that with Middle-Grade you have a much younger audience, so you need to keep things fast moving and action-packed or you run the risk of losing them to something more interesting! Of course, the word count is much tighter with Middle-Grade, so I do enjoy being able to take my time with my books for adults and flesh them out more, especially the descriptions, but then they do take longer to write as a result of being longer. . . Both age ranges present their own challenges but I get something very different from each of them and I really enjoy writing for both.

What was it like finding out that your book had become a Sunday Times Bestseller?

It was one of the best moments ever. A lifelong dream achieved! I still get teary when I think about it, months later.

How has your writing process changed, compared to when you first started writing?

It hasn’t really, I still approach writing the same way and though I’ve tried experimenting with things, I always end up going back to what works best for me! I do try and develop my writing though and am always pushing myself to improve.

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently editing my second book for adults which I’m very excited about – it’s like Swan Lake meets The Great Gatsby and it’s my oldest book idea so it’s been challenging yet amazing to put it down on paper at last! I’m also working on a few secret projects but I can’t talk about those yet. . .

What would your advice be to aspiring authors?

That there’s no one right way to do things. Everybody works differently and finds different things useful. So whatever way you find that helps you get words written, that’s the best way for you. And it’s not necessary to spend lots of time and money on expensive writing courses or creative writing degrees or books on how to write, lots of published authors haven’t done any of that! Reading and practicing writing taught me everything I’ve learnt so far.

What is one book that you didn’t write, that you wish you had?

Oh, so many! But my all-time favorite childhood book is Northern Lights by Philip Pullman and each time I reread it, I notice something new. It has layers upon layers and is very clever yet so readable and fun!

In the comments, let me know if you have read any of Maria Kuzniar books. Also, if you are an author interested in being interview for the blog don’t hesitate to reach out for more information visit my contact page. As always hit the follow button before you leave!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

The Cozy Christmas Book Tag

- Bunny 2 Comments

Hi Friends,
Happy Bookmas Day 8! For today’s post, I wanted to do a fun holiday book tag. This is the Cozy Christmas Book Tag, which was created by Call Me After Coffee on YouTube. I must say that I love how one of the question is called ‘The Perfect Tree’, because a lot of people forget how great the movie ‘Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree’ is. I mean, we get a young Robert Downey Jr. singing. What could be better than that? Now that I’ve said that, let’s get on to the tag!

Related Post: Five Feet Apart // Book Review

Related Post: The Holiday Swap // Book Review

Related Post: Hocus Pocus and the All New Sequel // Book Review

I want to tag all of you to do this tag, because it is a lot of fun. Leave me a comment, letting me know if you did (or have done) this tag, and I will be sure to read it. Feel free to like and share this post with others, and follow my book blog too!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

The Christmas Murder Game // Book Review

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About The Book
Agatha Christie meets Clue in this delightful, tense manor house murder mystery. This clever murder mystery is the perfect gift for fans of classic mysteries, festive Christmas books, and armchair detective work. Twelve clues. Twelve keys. Twelve days of Christmas. But how many will die before Twelfth Night?
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3UBj1s0

My Rating

I had been looking forward to this book since I heard the plot, but sadly, it was a complete let down. When I think of this book, the word that comes to mind is ‘boring’. That’s not to say the plot was bad, because the story truly did have potential. However, it was executed poorly.

Most of the characters were unlikable or uninteresting. The tolerable characters played relatively small roles within the story. And, we didn’t get to know each person enough to fully understand them.

The main character, Lily, was okay, but I felt as though the author made her out to be this golden girl. She was smart, kind, and clearly her aunt’s favorite. At times, I could understand why her cousin, that aunt’s daughter, couldn’t stand her.

It was annoying that Lily never came to terms with her mothers death. Sure, finding her mothers body was terribly traumatic but it is infuriating when fictional characters ignore seeking help for something so obvious. You can only really move on once you have faced the loss.

“It’s cruel, when she thinks of it, to ask her to return to this house, with its secrets written on walls and she’s the one who has to strip back the wallpaper.”

Now the second half of the book was a lot faster-paced then the first half. Although, it was pretty clear to me who the killer was. I wasn’t completely correct on the killer, and didn’t guess their motive, but I was half right.

Overall, the book was slow, and the murder-mystery aspect didn’t actually take place until the halfway point. I will say that if you are looking for a book with a complicated family relationship in it, then you might want to give this one a read. Because family being ruthless is very central to the plot.

As for the writing style, it wasn’t horrible, so I might try to give this author another chance. This particular book just wasn’t for me. Also, there is a romance situation that I can’t talk about much since it’s a spoiler, but definitely research trigger warnings for this book before picking it up.

In the comments, let me know if you’ve read this book or are planning to. Don’t forget to support my book blog by giving a follow, too!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Holiday Reads // Books Meet Fashion

- Bunny 1 Comment

Hi Friends,
It’s Bookmas Day 6! I thought it would be fun to create some outfits inspired by book covers. I loved the looks that I created and really were inspired by each book cover. Also, I think that all the outfits are prefect for the winter season.

It is always fun, yet challenging, doing these books meet fashion posts. Let me know in the comments, which outfit is your favorite. Mine is probably the ‘One Day In December’ look. Don’t forget to hit the follow button before you leave.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Bookish Giveaway // Holiday 2022

- Bunny Leave a comment


Hi Friends,
Today is Bookmas Day 5! And, it is giveaway day. I am going to be doing a bookish giveaway because I want to give back to all my lovely readers. This giveaway will run from today December 5th up until December 18th at 11:59 pm Central Standard Time.

The Rules
Follow My Blog
Must Be 18+ Or Have Parental Permission
Must Love Books

Prize
A Book Off Your Amazon Wishlist (Not Exceeding $15)

How To Enter
Comment Below Your Favorite Book Of 2022

I know that this giveaway might seem small, but I hope that you appreciate it nonetheless. But, in honor of the holiday season I want to give another small gift to all my readers. Using the code: BOOKSWITHBUNNY you can get 10% off everything in my bookish Etsy Shop (But First Bunny).

If you would like to support my social media you can follow me on Instagram (@Books.With.Bunny), Twitter (@BooksWithBunny) and TikTok (@BooksWithBunny). And, don’t forget to follow the blog and comment to enter the giveaway.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Holiday Book Recommendations // Underrated Reads

- Bunny Leave a comment

Hi Friends,
In my Bookmas day 4 post, I’m going to be talking about some underrated holiday books. I always seem to see book lovers recommending the same old holiday reads, so these are some books that I think deserve more recognition.

What Light by Jay Asher
Honestly, I can’t remember a lot about this story, but I do know that it had a Christmas Tree farm setting. The plot follows a young girl that spends the holiday season helping run her Christmas tree lot in California. Although this is a sweet holiday romance, it’s really a story of forgiveness and redemption. I remember this being a slower read, but it is a great wintertime book.

My New Crush Gave To Me by Shani Petroff
Nobody ever talks about this book, which is crazy to me. This is an enemies-to-lovers Christmas story that is a jolly good time. The book follows Charlotte. who rigs the Secret Santa drawing, so that she draws her crush, Teo’s, name. However, she needs to enlist the help of her crush’s cousin J.D., who she can’t stand, in order to get Teo the perfect gift. This is a fun holiday romance with a fun Secret Santa plot.

Snow In Love by Various Authors
This is a collection of four holiday short stories by different different YA authors. The stories focus on the holiday season, and of course there is romance involved in every story. My personal favorite story was written by Kasie West, but she’s one of my favorite author. So, there’s no surprise I’d enjoy her story most. However, the book as a whole is a pretty decent holiday read.
Related Post: Snow In Love // Book Review

Whiteout by Various Authors
This is another holiday short story collection, which was released in November of 2022. I, myself, have yet to read this book but it sounds amazing. The story takes place in Atlanta, before the Christmas season, and is all about black teen love. I find that this book has flown completely under the radar, yet I can’t wait to give it a read.
Related Post: December 2022 // To Be Read

The Chaos of Standing Still by Jessica Brody
Although this isn’t exactly a Christmas book, it is still a holidays read in my opinion. The book follows a teenage girl trapped at an airport on New Years Eve, which happens to be the day before the anniversary of her best friend’s death. Sure, there is a romance plot, but the main focus is about letting go and the loss that goes along with it. It is a beautifully written and well done story. Also, every reader could use a good sad holiday read right?

There you have some of the holiday books that I think deserve more hype. And yes, they are all YA book recommendations, but that’s my go-to genre. Before you leave, give my little book blog some love by becoming a follower.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

A Merry Little Meet Cute // Book Review

- Bunny Leave a comment

About The Book
Cowritten by #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy and USA Today bestselling author Sierra Simone—a steamy plus-size holiday rom-com about an adult film star who is semi-accidentally cast as a lead in a family-friendly Christmas movie, and the former bad-boy pop star she falls in love with.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3UtRnNB

My Rating

After reading the plot of this book, I was a little unsure if I should pick it up. Not only is it an adult romance, but it has a bit of a smutty romance element to it. I am neither a big fan of adult romance or smutty books. However, I decided to give it a chance.

The plot is fairly straightforward with a plus-size adult pornstar, Bee, and former boy-band member Nolan cast as the leads in a new Hallmark like holiday film. But, things get complicated when Nolan is a fan of Bee’s adult work and Nolan happens to be Bee’s childhood crush.

Honestly, I loved how the book normalized the adult film industry. Bee besides being a porn star has a CloserDoor account (think OnlyFans). The book showcased that sex workers deserve to be treated as humans and shouldn’t be shamed for their careers.

There were also a lot of funny moments, since many of the characters worked in the adult film industry. And, all characters were fairly likeable. It was nice to have a plus-size main character, especially one that has a job that is typically associated with a certain type of figure.

The book does touch on the fact that you have to pretend a lot in Hollywood, and that the media twist a lot of things. Also, I like how the authors mentioned that internet hate is real. The internet has made it okay for people to say the most hateful things, which is really sad.

“The literal bed could have been on literal fire, and I still would have been there, pumping into my girl like a man possessed.”

Something that I found interesting and refreshing was that both main characters are bisexual, which I find to be pretty rare. I also liked how the subject of Bipolar disorder was handled. Nolan’s mother struggles with the disorder, and the topic was handled in a very real way. As someone that has Bipolar disorder, I truly appreciated the authors take on it.

Now for the smut side of things. This book was spicy. I am not a smut reader so take this with a grain of salt, but I found the book to have a 3/5 spice level. Truthfully, the more smutty scenes were a little weird for me to listen to.

Overall, the concept was unique, yet it worked well. The ending was cute, and everything wrapped up with a nice little bow. I did get the subtle message that everyone – not even ‘Hallmark’ movie watchers – are squeaky clean. And, perhaps those types of networks should broaden their views.

In the comments, let me know if you have read this holiday romance. What would your smut rating be? Before you go don’t forget to like this post and follow the blog.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

2022 Bookish Holiday Gift Guide

- Bunny 4 Comments


Hi Friends,
It’s Bookmas Day 2! In this post, I’m going to be sharing with you bookish gift ideas. Some of these gift ideas can work as stocking stuffers, while others can be more of a traditional present. I, for one, would love to receive any of these gifts during the holidays.

Book Stamp
Custom book stamps have become so popular lately, and they’re a great way to tag your books. You can find multiple different personal book stamps for sale on Etsy. I recommend DelightfulStamps, who has the pretty book stamp designs. These stamps can range anywhere from $20 – $26, which might seem a little steep for a small gift, but the book lover in your life will surely love it.

Bookmarks
This is an obvious gift idea, since a reader can never have too many bookmarks. However, these days, bookmarks have become way more sophisticated. On Etsy, you can find traditional bookmarks, resin bookmarks and leather bookmarks. The prices for these types of bookmarks fall anywhere between $5 to $15.

Blind Date With A Book
Honestly, receiving a ‘Blind Date With A Book’ is so much fun. There are a ton of Etsy shops that sell them, and these days you can even find some at Barnes and Noble. The great thing is that they can cost anywhere from $8 to $30, which means they work for any budget. And, a lot of Etsy shops include little extras with the book.

Reading Journal
This gift is more on the expensive side, since normal these types of journals typically start at $25 and can cost up to $50. However, I myself would love one of these journals. Its a more fun and creative way of keeping track of your yearly reading. Also, Etsy has a ton of digital reading journals, as well as physical ones, if the person you’re buying it for is more into digital journaling.

Kindle
If you are looking to splurge on the book lover in your life, then a Kindle is the way to go. As I mentioned, they are a little expensive with the Kindle Paperwhite costing around $140, but would make a great bookish gift. Not only will it possibly introduce your reader to the world of ebooks, but pairing it with a Kindle Unlimited subscription ($9.99 a month) will set them up nicely for the upcoming year.

My Etsy Shop (But First Bunny)
I have to add a shameless self promo here and mention that I have my very own bookish Etsy shop. Currently, I am only selling bookish mugs, but I hope to expand to tumblers soon. My mugs are very affordable, and are perfect for book lovers like myself.

In the comments, feel free to leave any bookish gift ideas that you might have to share. And, don’t forget to hit that follow button because it really does help out my book blog.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Related Post: December 2022 // To Be Read (Bookmas Day 1)