Sunday, December 1, 2013

Best of the Bunch - November 2013

Best of the Bunch is a book blog hop hosted over at Always Lost in Stories on the last day of each month, where we can look back over the books we have read over this past month and give a Best of the Bunch award to our favorite book of that month.

November 2013

I'm pretty happy with the number of books I managed to read this month, considering that I also edited Unlocking Brisingamen (the upcoming sequel to Scars of the Bifrost).  Unfortunately, I only read a few that I really loved, but at least I definitely had a clear winner.  :-)

This month I reviewed the following books:

  • Waking Up Dead by Margo Bond Collins | Review | Rating: 3/5
  • Replica by Jenna Black | Review | Rating 4/5
  • North Pole Reform School by Jaimie Admans | Review | Rating 4/5
  • Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge | Review | Rating 4/5

  
  • Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder | Review | Rating 4.5/5
  • One Bite by Jennifer Blackstream | Review | Rating 4/5
  • Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder | Review | Rating 4/5
  • Lichgates by S.M. Boyce | Review | Rating 4.5/5

    • Through the Door by Jodi McIsaac | Review | Rating 4/5
    • Sanctuary by Pauline Creeden  | Review | Rating 3.5/5
    • Impossibly Love by Shane Morgan | Review | Rating: 2.5/5
    • Prodigal by Rektok Ross | Review | Rating 4/5

    • Firebolt by Adrienne Woods | Review | Rating 3/5
    • Deep Blue Secret by Christie Anderson | Review | Rating 3/5
    • The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson | Review | Rating: 3/5
    • The Guardians by T.M. Franklin | Review | Rating 5/5

    • Sia by Josh Grayson | Review | Rating 4/5
    • Fragile Brilliance by Tammy Blackwell | Review | Rating 4.5/5
    • My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick | Review | Rating: 5/5

    And my November 2013 Best of the Bunch winner is . . .

    My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

    I absolutely adored this book and I think that it will stick out in my mind as a favorite for a very long time!

    Summary: "One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time."

    The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.

    As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

    A transporting debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another.
      

    So, what was your best November read?