Monthly Recommendations – Standalones

Monthly Recommendations is a group on Goodreads created by Kayla and Trina.
Every month there is a new theme for the recommendations.
This months theme is…

Standalones

These are all fantastic stand-alones and there is something from every genre!

 

If you are in the mood for a paranormal stand-alone, you should read Girl Under Glass by Monica Enderle Pierce. I am putting this one right at the top because it was amazing and because I never hear this book talked about! Seriously it is SO good you guys, check out the Goodreads summary, you won’t regret it.

For a standalone western I can’t recommend Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman enough! I love the slow romance, the MCs determination and the setting. The author really drew me in until I could feel the heat, taste the dusty dry air and hear the buzzards.

If a science fiction standalone is more your taste then might I talk you into Origin by Jessica Khoury

 

If you are looking for a retelling standalone I suggest Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay. You can read my full review here.

 

Next I have a couple contemporary stand-alones, I don’t read a lot of contemporary but I loved these two. Up Country by Alden Carter and The Last Summer by Ann Brashares

For a historical fiction stand-alone Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman is a book I recommend. I have talked about it a lot and with good reason. You can read my full review here.

 

And last but certainly not least I have a collection of fantasy stand-alone recommendations. These are all outstanding and you NEED to add them to your TBR. East by Edith Patton , The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson and The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater 

 

And that is it for my list of best stand-alone novels, now I want to hear your recommendations! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Read this if you’re in the mood for…

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week there is a new bookish topic. For more details, and to participate, click the link above.

 

Read this if you’re in the mood for…

So this weeks topic is ‘Read this if you’re in the mood for X’ and my mind just sort of jumped to this idea I have had for a little while now. I wanted to recommend books based on drink choices. As readers I think most of us are curled up with a book and a cup of something delicious so here is a bit of a twist on this weeks topic.

• If you are in the mood for espresso
  Something strong and dark; try Red Rising by Pierce Brown
  
• If you are in the mood for a hazelnut latte
  Something warm and comforting; try Alanna by Tamora Pierce
  
• If you are in the mood for chai
  Something spicy and rich; try The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson
  
• If you are in the mood for herbal tea
  Something light and fun; try Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery
  
• If you are in the mood for earl grey
  Something bitter but sweet; try Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman
  
  

 

Review: Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman

Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: February 9th 2016
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Source: Pre-ordered copy from Indigo
Link to the author: http://nicolecastroman.com/

Click Here For The Goodreads Summary 

Rating:
4 stolen spyglasses out of 5

Buzz Words:
Pirate, Adventure, Dreams, Love, Blackbeard

Favourite Quote:
“From the moment I saw you, you captured my heart and I was powerless to do anything about it”
– Teach, Page 247

My thoughts:
Beware! This is not a story about pirates, it  is a story about unlikely love and heart ache. Anne is a smart girl of mixed heritage who has fallen into working as a maid in the Drummond household. She is quick to distrust and often jumps to conclusions. Teach, sure of himself in every way,  is the son of Master Drummond and has just returned from a year at sea to be wed to Patience. He meets Anne is a most memorable fashion, and quickly falls for her, despite her stubborn attempts to dissuade him.  The romance between Anne and Teach is so slow burning I think it appropriate to call it a smoulder. While the story is very character driven I really enjoyed the setting also. It felt so true to the times that it was immersive. I fell right in and could picture it all so beautiful and vivid from the shop stalls to the clothes worn. The way it all unfolded Castroman made me feel exactly what she wanted me to feel. She wanted me to dislike Patience and boy did I! She also wanted me to care deeply for the happiness of our main characters.  The ending left me broken and my hear aching for Anne and Teach, but I’m glad the author didn’t butter me up. I needed to feel all that pain to know exactly how a man like Teach could one day become the pirate we know as Blackbeard. I applaud her for not giving us a happily ever after and leaving the ending as she did.

What I liked:
The story was woven beautifully. Some people didn’t like the ending but I thought it was perfect, I was so angry and heartbroken that I could easily imagine Teach feeling the same. Only those feelings could lead a man to become the infamous Blackbeard.
I also really appreciated the Authors Note at the end of the book explaining a little about how the story was built. I liked the insight, especially as someone unfamiliar with the true history of Blackbeard.

What I disliked:
I was warned that there would be no pirating in this book but I did think that some of it would take place on a ship. So I was a little disappointed when it all took place safely on land.
Anne also drove me a little crazy with her constant pessimism and jumping to conclusions.

Would Recommend To:
Lovers of romance and historical fiction of the 1700’s