“How strange that instead of taking his heart, I’m hoping he takes mine.” – 4.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: ships, loyalty, cold blood, licorice, swords, human hearts, necklaces, freckles, colorful scales, keys, royals, tattooed arms, marriage, sea foam, pistols, siren songs, tridents and crystals.

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.

The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

Who would have thought I would turn this into siren/pirate books? I have so much fun reading books like these!

Compared to my favorite siren/pirate book, the “Daughter of the Pirate King“, this has more of a serious/realistic tone to it. The author did a great job setting an atmosphere that makes you travel to another dimension.

Apparently this is a retelling of “The Little Mermaid” but I honestly don’t understand why people would say that. The only thing both stories have in common is that the main character is transformed from a siren to a girl. But other than that, there is not that much in common to make me think of this as a retelling.

Even though I liked it, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the romance. Both the relationship progression and timing fell flat for me. It was too slow at first and then everything happened all at once!

This is also considered a dark book but I also didn’t think it was that dark. Maybe I would consider the first chapters dark, but it was mostly a very normal fantasy book.

I think it’s very interesting to see a book like this written as a stand-alone! Not very common in this area of fantasy.

I listened to this as an audiobook and I really recommend this format! Also, it’s probably just me, but the male voice reminded me a lot of Cole Sprouse’s voice. Oh, it was just me? Alrighty.

“Faith is not just about what you believe but also to the kind of person you become because of that belief.” – 2.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: faith, workouts, guitar, religion, specialization and generalization.

It’s one of the biggest lies you’ve probably heard your entire life: Mastering one specific skill set is the key to success. That may have been true 20 years ago, but in today’s global economy, being the best at a single thing just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Think about those people who somehow manage to be amazing at everything they do – the multi-millionaire CEO with the bodybuilder physique or the rock star with legions of adoring fans. We all quietly envy them from time to time—how do they manage to be so much better at life?

It’s tempting to believe they’ve achieved greatness because they’re the very best in their field… or think that maybe it’s just dumb luck. But it’s much more than that. They’ve defied traditional perceptions of success by acquiring and applying multiple skills to make themselves valuable to others. They’ve become generalists.

In How to Be Better at Almost Everything, bestselling author, fitness expert, entrepreneur, and professional business coach Pat Flynn shares the secrets to learning (almost) every skill, from marketing to music to martial arts to writing and relationships, teaching how to combine interests to achieve greatness in any field. His direct, “Generalist” approach to self-improvement gives you the tools you need to make your mark on the world and make buckets of money—without losing your soul.

Discover how to:

Learn any skill with only an hour of practice a day through repetition and resistance.
Package all your passions into a single toolkit for success with skill stacking
Turn those passions into paychecks by transforming yourself into a person of interest.

In today’s fast-paced, constantly evolving world, it’s no longer good enough to have a single specialty. To really get ahead you need a diverse portfolio of hidden talents you can pull from your back pocket at a moment’s notice.  How to Be Better at Almost Everything teaches you how to gain a competitive edge in both your professional life and personal life.

This was another case of I-like-the-title-so-let’s-read-it. Do you know the famous quote “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one”? This is exactly what’s behind this book and I strongly agree: it is better to be good at a lot of things than the best at a single thing.

I was excited to read this book and it started out on the right foot for me. I was interested to see how the author would develop this topic and his perspective. At the end… it didn’t work out for me.

One of the biggest reasons why I didn’t like this book is that it feels more like a memoir other than a self-development book. It’s very focused on the author, his experiences and interests. This means there is a lot about playing the guitar, working out and faith/religious. It’s not a practical book where there’s tips and/or directions, only a few pointers on why you should do certain things. Also, it gets very repetitive at times.

The humor was a little cringey – and I don’t mean dad joke kind of cringey – and unnecessary at times, but I appreciate the author’s effort to try and make the book more pleasant.

I’m also not sure what I feel about the use of religion here. I personally don’t mind the issue but I can see how this can be a no-go for some readers because it gets a little too preachy.

At the end of the day, did I learn anything from this book? I… don’t know? If I did, it was definitely not in the conventional way. I like to read other people’s lives and experiences, so I guess I took more from this book in a memoir kind of way other than self-development.

Long story short: the main idea was underdeveloped, there was a lot of filler and the good/evil preaching session was probably unnecessary for this particular audience. Not the worst book I have ever had, but it was all over the place and I didn’t take much from it.

“To be empowered—to be free, to be unlimited, to be creative, to be genius, to be divine—that is who you are…. Once you feel this way, memorize this feeling; remember this feeling. This is who you really are.” – 4.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: meditation, habits, genetics, brain waves, frequency, thoughts, emotions, change, new identities and scientific proof.

You are not doomed by your genes and hardwired to be a certain way for the rest of your life. A new science is emerging that empowers all human beings to create the reality they choose. In Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, renowned author, speaker, researcher, and chiropractor Dr. Joe Dispenza combines the fields of quantum physics, neuroscience, brain chemistry, biology, and genetics to show you what is truly possible.

Not only will you be given the necessary knowledge to change any aspect of yourself, you will be taught the step-by-step tools to apply what you learn in order to make measurable changes in any area of your life. Dr. Joe demystifies ancient understandings and bridges the gap between science and spirituality. Through his powerful workshops and lectures, thousands of people in 25 different countries have used these principles to change from the inside out. Once you break the habit of being yourself and truly change your mind, your life will never be the same!

This was a really nice book! I took a lot from it and I want to apply what I learned in my daily life. I definitely want to read it again in a few months!

In this book, Dr. Joe Dispenza defends that if we want to manifest a different life, we need to break the habit of being ourselves – because what we do on a daily basis is obviously not working. The author talks about the importance of changing our thoughts and taking back the control of our minds. He shows scientific proof throughout the book to support the claims, and he shares with the readers some useful tools to make the important changes in our lives.

There were a few things that stood out to me, and I want to share them with you!

The first thing that really stood out for me was the experiments made on sick patients, that showed the power of prayer. This was mind blowing and a very interesting way of showing the power of intention. I’m going to take this chapter for the rest of my life.

Another thing that stood out to me was when he talked about how his daughter manifested the trip to Italy. That was insane! It made me think of all the possible things I could achieve in my life if I focus on my goals. I’m definitely making my own experiences on this!

Another major thing that I took from this book was the fact that we should be at an optimal frequency to start the manifestation process. It seems like common sense, but I never thought about the ideal brain waves. So of course, it’s better to do this while meditating! It made me reflect and think about how I should do a little upgrade on that aspect of my life.

The only thing I want to point out is that this book is full of scientific terminology and sometimes it was not easy to keep up with. I had to reread a few chapters just to make sure I understood what the author was trying to transmit. This is not necessarily a negative point, but it’s something to take into account if you decide to pick up this book. I wouldn’t necessarily consider it a dense book, but there is a lot of information that can be overwhelming!

This is a really nice book, full of knowledge and with a very positive message. Highly recommend it!

“When it comes to building great habits and ditching lame ones, your commitment to staying focused on who you’re becoming regardless of where you are/who you are right now is the mightiest power you’ve got.” – 4.75/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: mantras, small steps, 21 days, interviews, discipline, courage, self-love and a lot of humour.

New York Times bestselling author Jen Sincero gets to the core of transformation: habits–breaking, making, understanding, and sticking with them like you’ve never stuck before.

Badass Habits is a eureka-sparking, easy-to-digest look at how our habits make us who we are, from the measly moments that happen in private to the resolutions we loudly broadcast (and, erm, often don’t keep) on social media. Habit busting and building goes way beyond becoming a dedicated flosser or never showing up late again–our habits reveal our unmet desires, the gaps in our boundaries, our level of self-awareness, and our unconscious beliefs and fears. Badass Habits features Jen’s trademark hilarious voice and offers a much-needed fresh take on the conventional wisdom and science that shape the optimism (or pessimism?) around the age-old topic of habits. The book includes enlightening interviews with people who’ve successfully strengthened their discipline backbones, new perspective on how to train our brains to become our best selves, and offers a simple, 21 day, step-by-step guide for ditching habits that don’t serve us and developing the habits we deem most important. Habits shouldn’t be impossible to reset–and with healthy boundaries, knowledge of–and permission to go after–our desires, and an easy to implement plan of action, we can make any new goal a joyful habit.

Jen Sincero’s books never disappoint me. So, how would I describe this book? If you read her other books, I would say this one is a little different. This book has more to it other than the author sharing her experiences and advice – which was something I wasn’t expecting, but it was definitely a nice surprise. I would describe this one as her most practical book. A big part of the book is a detailed guide on what to do to change habits (either stopping or beginning a new habit). The idea is to follow all the steps (1 step of the book corresponds to 1 day) for 21 days and… tadaa! You’re set! She also makes the point that if the habit is still a little shaky, that you should repeat the 21 steps until it becomes a solid habit.

The book is very easy to read and follow, and the instructions given are clear and simple. Like I said, this is the most practical book from Jen Sincero yet, and I loved that about it. I don’t usually take notes about books, but I kept reaching for my notebook to write down some of the exercises the book provided!

I found the book extremely positive, motivating and accessible to readers of all ages. I flew through the pages and I feel like I absorbed all the good tips to apply them in my life. There are a lot of things I would love to change in my life, so I am definitely re-reading this again soon to use the practical guide daily!

“At the end of the day, whether one returns to the past or travels to the future, the present doesn’t change.” – 3.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: romance books, ghosts, time traveling, photographs, letters, pregnancies, Alzheimer’s, a very specific set of rules and hot cups of coffee.

What would you change if you could go back in time?

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.

In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-travelling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer’s, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.

But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .

Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beautiful, moving story explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?

Looking for a small, inspirational book? Then look no further, this one’s for you! “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” is a book written by a Japanese author, and it has a clear message for the reader: live in the present and focus on what’s in front of you because we can’t change the past and who knows what the future holds.
This story is about a café where you can go and time travel if you follow a strict set of rules:

1. Whatever you do, there’s no way you can change the present;

2. You can only interact with people who have visited the café;

3. You need to sit in a specific chair and you can’t leave it;

4. You need to return before the coffee gets cold.

Sounds interesting, right? The book is divided into four chapters, each one having one person time traveling trying to save a relationship (married couple, siblings, mother/daughter and boyfriend/girlfriend).
This book got me reflecting on my own life and what would make me want to time travel. While reading this book, you’ll find yourself thinking about what it would be like to go back and relive a moment from the past or what it would be like to peek into the future. Would you do it if you had the chance?
Keep in mind this is a fantasy book – more on the magical realism type of fantasy -, but I wouldn’t consider this science fiction though. I personally thought the time traveling element was okay, but it’s not something I usually look for in books.
With all that said, it’s not the most memorable book ever – which probably goes against what the book is trying to achieve. It’s a cute book with a nice message, but I didn’t think it was super special. Maybe this is more of a personal opinion, because I can see it being impactful for other readers.
I would say it’s probably a little overhyped, but still a nice book. It’s small, easy to read and you can definitely read it in one sitting!

“She’d called him a hero. No one had ever done that before. No one would ever do that again. In that moment, that one unforgettable moment, she’d made him feel like a hero. Her hero. Jesus, was it wrong to wish that she’d never remember who she truly was?” – 3/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: amnesia, romance novels, war heroes, unnecessary lies and comfy homes.

To escape a forced marriage to her loathsome, social-climbing cousin, Cecelia Harcourt banks on selling a romantic novel. But when she’s hit by a coach on the way home from meeting a potential publisher and loses her memory, the accident leads to an encounter with a fascinating man. . . who she’s convinced is the hero of her novel.

Due to his brother’s influence, Lieutenant Adam Hunt finds himself honorably discharged from the army. Adam intends to make his way in the world without the help of a war-hero duke, brother or no. He finds his plans for independence sidetracked by a chance encounter with a lady whose memory has gone. She believes he’s a hero. Can Adam become the man he was meant to be and fill that lofty role?

I think this novella had potential to become a nice full-length book. I really liked the amnesia and romance novel aspects in this, and I think if it was well developed these elements would have made a great story. It felt underdeveloped and all the lying from the family members was weird and unnecessary.

I liked the characters, but they were undeveloped so I don’t have a lot to say on that subject. What really didn’t work out for me was the romance. Nothing happens romance wise most of the book, and then all of the sudden they decide to share their feelings? It was super weird and the timing was very off.

I don’t know… I’m kind of losing hope with this series. Part of me wants to keep up because I want to finish the series, but is it worth all the time I’m spending on it? This is the fifth book I’ve read and only one of them was a 4 star read.

“He had a relationship of sorts with the stars. They might be cool and distant, but they were good listeners.” – 3/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: ships, secrets, spies, missions, rogues and crushes.

Lady Daphne Swift comes from a family with two brothers who have proudly served the Crown. She may be a female, but she’s willing to do whatever it takes to prove that she’s as useful to the war effort as her brothers. She even went so far as to secretly marry a spy. The fact that she just happened to have been pining for Captain Rafe Cavendish for years didn’t hurt matters. But after their first mission, when she realized their marriage had been strictly business, Daphne immediately wanted an annulment. The fiery Daphne has always been a multi-tasker and now she’s hell bent on two things: finding the men who killed her brother and securing her engagement to another man to forget about Rafe forever.

As a spy for the War Office, Captain Rafferty Cavendish has been on dozens of missions. But one mission haunts him, the mission that resulted in the death of Daphne Swift’s eldest brother, Donald. Rafe agreed to work with Daphne once and put her life in danger. Now he must find the men who killed Donald, avenge the family, and convince Daphne to give him one more chance. But Daphne’s enlisted her other older brother, Julian, to help her get a quick and quiet annulment so that she can marry a fop who only wants her for her title and money. Can Rafe convince Daphne to give him one more chance, on the mission and with her heart?

I was hoping this would be a bop just like the previous book but this was just… okay? Looking back, I had two main issues with this book:

1. It’s incredibly unrealistic – and yes, I know it’s fiction… but c’mon, this was on another level of unrealistic. The spy plot-line was silly at times;
2. Where is the romance? I could be fine with the silly plot-line, but the story lacked romance and that’s the main reason why I picked up this series in the first place. I just wish the focus of the book wasn’t the secret spy mission. There were so many scenes with potential to develop the romance!

The characters were okay, though a little on the annoying side. It was good to see some of the older characters from the series back, though!

If you decide to pick up this series from Valerie Bowman because you like historical books, keep in mind that there are a lot of historical inconsistencies in this book. Personally this doesn’t bother me, but I can definitely see this being a deal-breaker to some readers.

Needless to say I wasn’t super impressed with this book. Not the best book of the series nor the worst.

“I’m glad to hear it because it seems the two of you are accusing me of something.  Perhaps something duplicitous involving teacakes?” – 4.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: masks, bad decisions, boat rides, secrets, horseback riding, sabotage, despicable shrews and biscuits.

Miss Jane Lowndes is a confirmed bluestocking. She’s convinced that if she can wait out her parents’ demand that she marry, someday she can be a confirmed spinster and hold intellectual salons, her fondest dream. No man wants a bluestocking for a wife, after all. And that’s exactly the way Jane likes it. In fact, she’s invented a fictitious chaperone to help her achieve that purpose.

Lord Garrett Upton is a devil-may-care confirmed bachelor. He’s lived through the war, and now that he’s back in London, he intends to enjoy life to the fullest. Marriage is certainly not a part of that plan. He’s known Miss Lowndes for years, and the two of them have long engaged in a war of words. Jane’s latest scheme to pretend she has a fake chaperone is none of his business . . . until her desire to involve herself in a scandal becomes all too personal.

When Garrett and Jane mistakenly kiss at a wedding party masquerade, their well-documented dislike for each other is turned on its ear. And when a devious widow, who will stop at nothing to have Garrett, plots to keep them apart, will their desire for each other overcome their dreams of remaining unattached?

This was very unexpected but this was by far my favorite book from this series! I say this because the first two books were a little underwhelming, so I was surprised I found a romance I loved so much.

Jane and Garrett were my two favorite characters since the beginning of the series, so I was super excited to get into this book! Thinking of both of them individually: Jane is a very relatable character and it’s impossible not to love her and her personality; and Garrett is also a very likable and kind male lead. Now what REALLY made this book so good was their chemistry. Oh my lord, the chemistry. It was cool to see their relationship develop from bickering all the time to a true romance.

It was everything I could want in a romance. Absolutely loved it (and may read it again in the future)!

The rest of the books of this series have not been translated yet (and to be honest, I don’t think they ever will), so I’m wondering if I should continue the series in english?

If you read the rest of the series, let me know if you liked it or not!

“We all make mistakes, Cassandra. Some of us are merely forced to pay more for them than others” – 2.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: letters, old friendships, lies, silly shenanigans, war traumas and blond curls.

CAN A SCANDALOUS CHARADE

For seven long years, Lady Cassandra Monroe has waited for the man of her dreams to return from the war. Unfortunately, he happens to be engaged to her flighty cousin. What Cass wouldn’t give to take her cousin’s place! When he mistakes Cass for Patience Bunbury, a fictitious friend her cousin has invented to escape social obligations…even with her future husband, Cass thinks this is her chance.

LEAD TO TRUE AND LASTING LOVE?

After defeating Napoleon at Waterloo, Captain Julian Swift is not quite ready to settle down and enter into his unwanted arranged marriage—especially when the real object of his affection turns out to be a beguiling beauty he meets at a party. Patience Bunbury is witty, independent, passionate…and, unbeknownst to him, the cousin of his current fiancée. When the truth about Cass comes out—and Julian discovers that their courtship is anything but accidental—will he surrender his heart to a woman who really is too good to be true?

This book… omg. I initially gave it 3 stars, but I honestly can’t keep that evaluation. What went wrong here? Let’s get into it!

The main problems I had with this book were the boring main characters and the nonsense plot. If you don’t know, this book is basically built entirely on a pointless lie that is told in the beginning. So, as you can imagine, instead of developing the romantic relationship naturally, the MCs build their romantic relationship on a lie. It’s not an irreversible kind of lie too, it’s just pointless and nonsensical to the context of the book.

There were some good things about this book though – mostly the female friendships like I previously talked about in the first book -, but since the main focus here is romance, I was disappointed.

C’mon, let’s be real here: was all of that really necessary? The entire story of the book based on a weird lie that makes zero sense to the story? What was even the point of this book? I feel like it would be great if we could just follow Julian and Cassandra’s love story as it would naturally be. None of the lies told were necessary and I’m sorry but I couldn’t get past that in the book. Like Gordon Ramsay would say: “it’s bland, tasteless and undercooked… what a shame.“

Not gonna lie, I’m starting to lose hope, but I will remain strong! Next book is about Jane (whom I love) and I’m hoping that her romantic story will be as good as her character is. Fingers crossed.