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Red, White and Royal Blue

Dee’s Reading Tree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Author: Casey McQuiston 

Published: May 14, 2019

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

ISBN: 1250316774/9781250316776

Synopsis from Goodreads:

What happens when America’s First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?

When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There’s only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.

Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramablefriendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through?

Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn’t always diplomatic.

Maybe there’s more than one dream for you, or more than one way to get there.

June

My Review:

This book was absolutely hilarious. The puns, the analogies and the wit had me laughing out loud the whole time. I kept see this book everywhere on social media alongside raving reviews. I’m happy I finally decided to read it. I also liked the historical background of the story, as well as all the letters from previous gay men and women in history that were provided. I enjoyed the idea that this type of political change could ever be possible in the United States as well as England. Mostly, I would love to live to see the day when there is a sitting female President of the United States.

I kind of fell in love with Prince Henry. I believe this was inevitable because his character is so likeable, and Alex’s descriptions of Henry were so full of affection…eventually. At first, they’re mortal enemies, and this enemies to lovers trope is also one of my favorites. I liked Alex as well, although his personality was a bit too much at times, which I think he was also aware of which helped a bit. I could also have done with a bit less angst, pining, and introspective musings from both of them. I did love all of Alex’s Harry Potter references, he took “The Prisoner of Azkaban” with him on one of the flights and I was in love with him too then 🙂

Not only did I love Henry and Alex’s relationship, I also really enjoyed how they interacted with June, Nora, Pez, and Bea. My favorite minor character was June, I liked how down to earth and supportive she was. Another minor negative for me was I thought the ending was a bit dragged out and I could’ve done without a lot of that. This book had me wishing we actually lived in a world where political changes like this could be possible, it had me thinking maybe they are within our reach. Love is love. 

A bit of a warning, the sex scenes were not SUPER explicit but there were some details mentioned as well as a lot of language used. It’s not as much detail as I’ve encountered in other books, but it’s there, so be warned. I apologize for how many times I wrote the word “love” in this review I just really really enjoyed this book. If you’re looking for a feel-good Contemporary Romance, I highly recommend this one.

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The Institute

Dee’s Reading Tree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

My bookstagram

Author: Stephen King

Publication date: September 10, 2019

Publisher: Scribner

ISBN: 1982110562

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis’s parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there’s no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents—telekinesis and telepathy—who got to this place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and ten-year-old Avery Dixon. They are all in Front Half. Others, Luke learns, graduated to Back Half, “like the roach motel,” Kalisha says. “You check in, but you don’t check out.”

In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the Institute.

As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is Stephen King’s gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good vs. evil in a world where the good guys don’t always win.

My Review:

No one writes like Stephen King. The characters in this book all had great character arches, even the minor ones. King can weave a whole backstory, and establish a unique personality for each one of his characters with only a few carefully worded sentences. Each character had a purpose and they were all somehow interconnected.

Luke was a great kid, he reminded me a lot of my own kid, so bright and kind and full of life. My favorite side characters were Kalisha and Nicky, but I did love all the kids. I felt for them. Now that I’m a mother of two I find that this happens to me more and more with stories involving children and I have been avoiding them, but I will endure anything for a good Stephen King story.

This story had me in the literal edge of my seat. It got my foot tapping, my breath catching, and my heart racing, like only a good thriller can. My only negative was that I felt like all this action and suspense was building up to something monumental, but the actual ending felt a bit anticlimactic. But to me it’s about the journey, not the ending, and the journey was amazing. I recommend this book to all Stephen King fans, old and new, and anyone that wants to read a good thriller/suspense.

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The Kiss Quotient

Dee’s Reading Tree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

the kiss quotient by Helen Hoang
Picture from Goodreads

Author: Helen Hoang

Publication Date: 06/05/2018

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases — a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice — with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can’t afford to turn down Stella’s offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan — from foreplay to more-than-missionary position…

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he’s making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic.

I like you better than calculus, and math is the only thing that unites the universe.”

Stella

I completely devoured this book. I started reading it in the afternoon one day and unfortunately had to stop to get a few hours of sleep, and then I finished it in the morning. I fell in love with all the characters in this book, even the minor ones, especially Ngoai (Michael’s grandma). The plot was fast paced, and there was no fluff to fill gaps between time. For example, if their next date was on Friday the story skipped right to Friday without making us wait and filling the gap with useless pining. I love when stories are straight to the point.

People called it a disorder, but it didn’t feel like one. To her, it was simply the way she was.”

Stella

I became highly invested in these characters’ lives and wellbeing. I wanted them, or better yet NEEDED them to be happy. I appreciated the progress both the main characters, Stella and Michael, made throughout the story. They went through a lot of healthy personal and emotional growth, and learned to appreciate themselves and accept who they are. This was exactly the kind of feel good story I needed to balance out my dark TBR for this month. I highly recommend this light hearted read to all romance fans, and readers who need a little pick me up. Also, fair warning that the sex is very explicit and not shy on the details.

Have you read this book? Are you planning on reading book two? I know I definitely AM!

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Reasons for Mini Hiatus

Dee’s Reading Tree

Some of you might have noticed I’ve been absent for a while. I took some time off from the blog to work on something I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time. I’m happy to announce I finally opened my very own Etsy Shop! I’ve been designing my own bookmarks with some of my favorite bookish quotes from beloved series such as Harry Potter, ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, Shatter Me, and the Shadowhunter books. The hardest part for me was not the designing part, this part was actually a lot of fun and a great creative outlet. The printing, cutting, and laminating part was so tedious, but I guarantee you each one of these was made with a ton of love. Go check out my new shop!

A court of thorns and roses books and bookmark etsy listing picture
Deesreadingtree Etsy Shop

The second reason for my prolonged absence is the fact that my first born just started pre-school. This was so nerve wracking for me, but not for him, he was super excited and had been counting down the days until the start of school. He walked into class on the first day with his new haircut and a back pack that looked huge on his small frame. He then immediately headed over to play with some toys, and soon he forgot that mom and dad were even there. My husband and I stared at each other and then we shrugged, we tentatively waved goodbye (he blew a kiss back), and we slowly… begrudgingly walked out of the room. We both kept glancing back at the little piece of our hearts we were leaving behind.

But that is what I’ve come to realize parenthood is all about, you bring these little people into the world, you fall in love with them, and then you have to let them go. You have to let them spread their wings out in this cruel world, all the while hoping you’ve prepared them enough. This is however impossible to do, they have to make their own mistakes, you can only hope you’ve given them the emotional support and stability they will need in order to work through life’s struggles on their own.

fireheart thorne of glass by sarah j maas picture
My Etsy Shop

Well there you have it. I’m sorry I’ve been gone for so long. I’m currently attempting to catch up on my posts and all my reading. I HAVE done some reading while I’ve been gone. I read the rest of the Illuminae files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, reviews coming soon! I’m currently re-reading the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, because I desperately needed something good but lighthearted to read while going through all this turmoil. I will also write a post on that series soon! Thank you guys for being so patient.

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Sky in the Deep

Dee’s Reading Tree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Picture from Goodreads

Vegr yfir fjor. Honor above life.”

sky in the deep

In Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young, we follow Eelyn’s journey, as she fights to uphold everything she has ever believed in amidst a changing reality. Eelyn is part of the Aska clan, who for generations has fought against the Riki clan, the feud said to have been started by the Gods themselves. Then, one day she sees her brother in the battle field, the brother she had thought to be dead, but instead he is fighting for the other side. This moment sparks a series of events which threaten to break the very fabric of their society, maybe for the better.

Adrienne Young paints a striking Viking-like world for us, a harsh place where only one thing is certain, you fight or you die. Her descriptions make everything come alive, especially the cold. I have never seen the snow, but Young makes it seem equal parts beautiful and terrifying. The mountain, the fjord, and the forest, are all described in great detail as well.

I was the ice on the river. The snow clinging onto the mountainside.”

sky in the deep

This story had great character development. The characters change gradually, and with good reason. I liked the romance aspect of it, mainly because it didn’t take over the whole plot, and it wasn’t “insta-love,” it developed slowly and realistically. I especially liked the father-daughter relationship between Eelyn and her dad. I’m glad I’m seeing more of these in my most recent YA/Fantasy reads. This story touched on all the things that make us family, and the fact that sometimes family is the people you choose and not the ones you are born to.

We find things, just as we lose things. If you’ve lost your honor, you’ll find it again.”

sky in the deep

The women in this book are strong, and many of them are leaders. The men worship their women, and fight to protect their people. I liked that both sexes are seen as warriors and providers. Unfortunately, even the children are encouraged to be strong in this harsh world which mostly leaves no place for innocence and growing up. It makes for some interesting children though, I especially liked Halvard, Fiske’s little brother. I heard her next book The Girl the Sea Gave Back is in part about him. I loved everything about this book, and I will definitely be reading anything else she writes.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

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Mini Reviews

Dee’s Reading Tree

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

⭐️⭐️⭐️

My bookstagram

“Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.” ~Synopsis from Goodreads

There are different kinds of fathers. Those who love unconditionally, those who love on condition, and those who never love at all.”

Riden

I found this adventure very entertaining. The banter between Alosa and Riden was fun to read. I quite enjoyed how full of herself Alosa was, she reminded me of Celaena from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. I docked a few stars because I found the story became a bit repetitive after a while. Also, I really disliked how Riden kept calling Alosa “lass” when he is only one year older than her. Overall, it was a good story but not life changing. I’m told the next one in the series is much better, Daughter of the Siren Queen, and I will definitely give that one a try.

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

⭐️⭐️

My bookstagram

“The battle for the Crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail?

With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can’t seem to prevent.

In this enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake’s New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, Fennbirn’s deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other.” ~Synopsis from Goodreads

I really wanted to like this book. I started reading the actual paperback, and about four chapters in I couldn’t take how dry it was any longer so I stopped. A few weeks later I downloaded the audio book, and it was better but still not good enough. I kept telling myself it would get better, like the first book in the series which only got better towards the end, but it never did. I felt like the story was too slow at times and then too rushed in others. Honestly, the only reason I kept reading was because I love Arisinoe and I really wanted to see what happened to her. I don’t think I will continue with this series.

Have you guys read these? What did you think?

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Catwoman Review

Dee’s Reading Tree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Picture from Goodreads

Two years after escaping Gotham City’s slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Batwing is left to hold back the tide of notorious criminals. Gotham City is ripe for the taking. Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove he has what it takes to help people in his role as Batwing. He targets a new thief on the prowl who seems cleverer than most. She has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and together they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman may be Batwing’s undoing. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Don’t leave me alone in the darkness. This place where we both exist, yet serve different callings.”

cATWOMAN

Catwoman: Soulstealer was written by Sarah J. Maas, and the audio book was narrated by Julia Whelan. I read it in my down time, and listened to it on my work commute, as well as in the shower and while doing house-work. Honestly, I found myself looking for any possible excuse to listen to this book. This narrator was the best I’ve heard yet, she did all the male and female voices perfectly and even did their accents. The only problem when it comes to audio books for me is the fact that it’s harder for me to save the quotes I like, notice I only have one quote in this review 🙂

I’ve never been much of a fan of Catwoman, but this book made me fall in love with her anti-hero character. Her relationship with her sister was so sweet and pure, their love for each other almost made me cry a few times. Luke’s relationship with his parents, especially his dad, was very refreshing to read. As I mentioned before, good father-son relationships have been hard for me to find in YA/Fantasy books lately. I recently talked about Jesper’s relationship with his dad in Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, and I’m glad these types of healthy supportive relationships are becoming more prevalent.

Maas is a master at keeping her characters’ schemes under wraps until the very end, and once again she does not disappoint. As the story progresses we know Selina is back in Gotham on a secret mission which mostly involves her causing a lot of chaos, but we don’t know what her whole plan is. I have to admit I never anticipated the full scope of her plan. This is book was full of action, fighting scenes, with a little romance and friendship thrown into the mix. I really enjoyed it.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

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WWW Wednesday

Dee’s Reading Tree

On Wednesdays I share what I just read, what I’m currently reading, and what I plan on reading next.

What I just read:

1. The Sparrow -by Denna M. Davis ⭐️⭐️ (review pending on onlinebookclub.org)

I am not allowed to say much about the online book club reviews. I will post the link to it later on when it’s approved.

2. The Watchmaker’s Doctor -by G.M.T. Schuilling ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another online book club review which I posted yesterday.

3. The Wicked King -by Holly Black ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I posted all about this amazing book last week ♥️

What I’m currently reading:

1. The Red Scrolls of Magic -by Cassandra Clare

This has been a much anticipated book on my TBR list. It came out this month and it just became available for me to read on Overdrive.

2. Crooked Kingdom -by Leigh Bardugo

This book started right in the middle of the action and I love it for now. I had to put it on hold to finish The Red Scrolls of Magic before it expires.

3. Legendary -by Stephanie Garber

This is a re-read because Finale (the 3rd book in this series) is coming out soon, and I had to brush up on the events of this book.

What I will read next:

1. One Dark Throne -by Kendare Blake

I better get to this one soon before I forget everything that happened on the first book.

2. Daughter of the Pirate King

I just picked this one up while on vacation. I heard the second one in the series is also really good.

That’s all for now guys!

What’s on your WWW lists? Leave a comment below!

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Monday Cleaning Day

Dee’s Reading Tree

Monday is cleaning day in my household. My goal is always to get all the deep cleaning done in one day so I can spend the rest of the week doing other things, and only needing to touch up here and there.

This week I decided to do the same on my Goodreads TBR list. I have 70 books on there right now and it’s getting a bit out of control. I started by organizing the list in reverse order, filtered by the date the book was added so that the older books show up first. Then, I went through the first ten books. For each one I read the reviews of those who’s opinions I trust on my friends list, I also read the synopsis again, and finally I made a decision. Keep or delete.

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

I’m not even going to pretend I thought about deleting this one. I will always read anything Maas writes, even if it’s a narrative about watching water boil. This book is highly anticipated and I cannot wait for the cover reveal. I know it’s going to be epic.

Keep : )

Can’t wait for the cover reveal!!

Imagine Me (Shatter me, #6) by Tahereh Mafi

I’ll admit I was a little disappointed with the last book. I felt like it was more like a filler book, and it could’ve just been a novella. That said, I definitely want to finish this series and I hope Mafi will redeem herself with this one.

Keep 🙂

Catwoman: Soulstealer (DC Icons, #3) by Sarah J. Maas

Please refer to book one on this post.

Keep 😉

Circe by Madeline Miller

I have never read a book by this author before which made me a bit hesitant. But, I currently have seventeen of my Goodreads friends who gave this book a good review. I also love books about Gods. It reminds me of the book Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor.

Keep 🙂

One Dark Throne (Three Dark Crowns, #2) by Kendare Blake

I really liked the first one of this series, and I am really curious to know what happens next. Her books do start out a little slow, but once they pick up they’re great.

Keep 🙂

La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust, #1) by Philip Pullman

I really liked the whole Eragon series. But I think I have outgrown these type of books.

Delete 😦

Shadow of the Fox (Shadow of the Fox, #1) by Julie Kagawa

I love most of her books, except the Talon series, so this could be a hit or miss. I decided to read a sample before making a decision. The first sentence reads “It was raining the day Suki came to the Palace of the Sun, and it was raining the night that she died.” Well now I have to read it.

Keep 🙂

Untitled (Oxygen, #2) by Shelly Crane

I loved the first book called The Other Side of Gravity, but I have lost hope that she is ever going to write a second one. She wrote the first one back in 2016. I’ve been holding on to hope for too long and it’s time to let go. If she ever does write one I am sure I will find out.

Delete 😦

The Seeker and The Soul (The Host, #2 and #3) by Stephenie Meyer

Meyer wrote The Host in 2008, once again I’ve lost all hope. I’m starting to think she never really announced these for real and it was all made up by the fans.

Delete 😦

Hold on to Me and Melt for Me (Against All Odds, #2 and #3) by Elisabeth Naughton

I really liked the first book in this series Wait for Me, but I feel like it should’ve stayed a stand alone book. I was happy with the ending, an it looks like a lot of other reviewers felt the same.

Delete 😦

Okay, so really I ended up deciding on twelve books instead of ten, but only because some were part of a series. In the end I deleted six out of twelve books and it feels right. Like spring cleaning.

Were you sad or surprised I deleted any of these? Which ones would you definitely keep? Leave me a comment!