From the Library of Mrs. Gardner

😮 The Illuminae Files are complete! I really didn't mean to buy this book at full price right when it released (I have plenty of other neglected, unread books on my shelves), but man, am I glad I did! I feel like I waited 5 years for this book to come out which is absolutely ridiculous, but that's how much I was looking forward to it. It was probably tied for most anticipated release this year for me (tied with A Reaper at the Gates), which of course means there was major potential for letdown. But, I am relieved to say this final installment delivered! I absolutely love that the cast from books 1 and 2 reappeared for this book, and I loved reading their interactions! There were also a few new characters, and somehow I fell in love with them too! None of the relationships or friendships feel forced or in-genuine through the writing, and despite the rather large number of main characters, it actually wasn't too difficult to follow. I did not reread books 1 and 2 ...

I'm so sad that I missed this book-birthday, but better late than never! Thank-you, Emma, for sending me this beautiful book in exchange for a review! Although I haven't had a chance to dive in yet, it adorns my shelf and winks at me from time to time.. 😉 I think this will be an amazing spring/summer contemporary read! So, friends, check out the synopsis below and let me know if you'll be picking up a copy! "Julia thinks her life is pretty good. She loves her job as a teacher, and she's starting a business on the side with some friends to raise money to provide solutions for women's issues in other parts of the world. But when she returns home after some time away to find her nemesis Nick living in her Edinburgh flat, she discovers perhaps her life isn't as well put together as she would like it to be. And then there's the problem of how she might not hate Nick so much after all..." Cross My Heart is a Contemporary Romance with Chris...

Katharine. Arsinoe. Mirabella. They're baaaaaaaack! The triplet queens from Three Dark Crowns return in the sequel, One Dark Throne, and deliver a creep-tastic and slightly more romantic tale. I'll try to stay non-spoilery! Click to add to your Goodreads! Overall, this was a great sequel. The pacing was quick, the characters developed, the relationships developed, and there were a couple of good 😱 OMG! moments. My one complaint? The ending. I truly feel that this could have successfully gone two other ways. With about 50-100 more pages, the story could've continued and been wrapped up completely, resulting in a very solid fantasy duology (which is rare!), or it could've ended exactly as it did but  rather than leading into a third and possibly even fourth installment, a companion novel following a very significant side character could've been written. I truly don't know which character is my favorite, and I love that! It's very "This ...

Ahoy there! 💦 (No idea why I felt like greeting you that way... But I did.) I just had to gush on two particular things today: 1. My Shelfie 2. My Shop Item #1 on the agenda: The shelfie I posted yesterday! Click the image to visit my bookstagram! I gotta admit.. I really  like the way my shelves look right now. Unfortunately, in order to showcase some of my favorite covers of the moment, I had to hide about half of my books behind  other books. Which is kind of fun because next time I rearrange my bookcase and take them all out, I will have undoubtedly forgotten about many of them and it'll be like re-discovering lost treasure. 😂However, it also means I simple don't get to enjoy the visibility of about half my books. 😔 Sad times. At this point, nearly every single little cubby has books behind books. So, I mean, I can't just keep doing that forever. Eventually, I will need to get a new bookshelf to add to my bookcase. The problem is, I really want a whi...

Asdfghjkl. All the stars!! 5/5 Three Dark Crowns blew me away! To be fair, I had been warned by several people that the pacing could be rough and the rapidly changing POVs throughout the book would make it difficult to follow at times, so maybe I went into it with lowered expectations, but I truly loved this book! Click to read the full synopsis on Goodreads! I have no complaints. Each of the three queens (by the way, love  that they are called queens instead of princesses) was unique in her own ways and had interesting supporting characters around her. A couple of reveals/twists at the end had me like 😱. One of them was foreshadowed, but I didn't know exactly how it would come about. Overall, this book was neither flat nor predictable and when you read a lot of fantasy, it gets pretty hard to feel like you're reading anything truly original. This. felt. original. The world was interesting, and the book contained a great map that made it easier to follow where e...

Well, well... It's about time! I haven't finished a book since January until this past weekend. And FINALLY I am on a roll. I've actually finished two this week, but we'll get to that later. My first read was The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. Now, I have to admit, this was one of those "Bookstagram buys." You know what I'm talkin' about... Yes, I liked the synopsis too, but overall this was really bought because I saw the beautiful cover all over bookstagram. I had never read this author before, and I decided to give her a shot. There was a lot of buzz surrounding this book and although I enjoy the fantasy genre as a general rule, I have been let down by a lot of over-hyped books.. especially  young adult fantasy. Click the image above to read the full synopsis on Goodreads! So, what did I think of this one? Did it live up to the hype? Yes and no. Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. Pretty good, right? Let's back up. Let's st...

What a beautiful spring day to feature a beautiful book! 💗 From author Lindsay Harrel comes a refreshing contemporary novel about taking a risk, seeking adventure, and falling in love with life. Click to see this image in my bookstagram feed! Synopsis: Megan Jacobs always wished for a different heart.Her entire childhood was spent in and out of hospitals, sitting on the sidelines while her twin sister Crystal played all the sports, got all the guys, and had all the fun. But even a heart transplant three years ago wasn't enough to propel Megan's life forward. She's still working as a library aide in her hometown and living with her parents, dreaming of the adventure she plans to take "once she's well enough." Meanwhile, her sister is a successful architect with a handsome husband and the perfect life-or so Megan thinks. When her heart donor's parents give Megan their teenage daughter's journal-complete with an unfulfilled bucket list-Mega...