Happy New Year!

Happy New Year my friends!

May all your dreams come true and 2015 filled with amazing moments!

Best Books of 2014

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish. 

This week the girls want to know my

Top Ten Books I Read In 2014

I know I am two days late but I really really wanted to do my Top Ten Books of 2014 but didn'T have enough time to finish the post Monday evening. 

I read some great books in 2014 but these 10 really stood out. I didn't pick any re-reads (with one exception) but discovered that I did quite a lot of re-reading this year but more on that another time. 

Where Rainbows End by Cecilia Ahern

Night School by C.J. Daugherty

The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

 How To Love by Katie Cotugno 

Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae

Also Known As by Robin Benway

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

If you remember (or click on) my Top Thirteen Books of 2013 list, you might already know which book is my re-read that made my list again this year. Yes, The Heist made it on here again - a really great mystery I highly recommend to everyone.

I finally got my hands on this awesome book

Showcase Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits & Tea.

It is a possibility for us to show what amazing books we got during the week.

 

Since my last Showcase Sunday post I only got one book. 

 

 

I finally got my hands on The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. It was a gift from my mum and dad and I immediately started reading it. It was a fantastic story and I loved every page. I cannot wait for the next one. 

Just a quick info for all you guys:

I am not sure how much I'll be able to blog during December. I have a whole list of post ideas but currently I need to study for my exams and after I took them, it'll be pretty close to Christmas and I really want to spend time baking, drinking lots of mulled wine, visiting Christmas markets and attending Christmas parties. I'll be doing my best but my schedule might be irregular over thenext two weeks.

My Wishlist of 2015 Releases

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish. 

This week the girls want to know my

Top Ten Books I'm Looking Forward To In 2015

Prudence by Gail Carriger

Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger

All Fall Down by Ally Carter

Endgame by C.J. Daugherty

Love, Lucy by April Lindner

99 Days by Katie Cotugno

Mr. Kiss & Tell by RobThomas & Jennifer Graham

The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Rebound by Noelle August

My Winter TBR

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish. 

This week the girls want to know my

Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR List

On September 23rd I posted my Fall TBR list here and till today I haven't read a single one of them. Whoops! I am a mood reader, so things like this happen. I do not really care if I am able to read all the books I put on these TBR lists that's why I am sharing my Winter TBR list with you today. 

Christmas Themed Books

The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan

Merry Christmas, Baby by Jill Shalvis

Merry and Bright by Jill Shalvis

With Love at Christmas by Carole Matthews

Silent Night by Jack Sheffield

Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger

The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

From Notting Hill with Four Weddings...Actually by Ali McNamara

Going Rogue by Robin Benway

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon  

The week of the ultimate Christmas book buying

Showcase Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits & Tea.

It is a possibility for us to show what amazing books we got during the week.

During the last week I accumulated some books - most of them Christmassy themed. 

Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger

One in a Million by Jill Shalvis

My mum bought the following two books for me when she was in New York City about a week ago:

Literally Murder by Ali Brandon

The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane by Kelly Harms

For my Kindle:

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Abby Clement

The Great Christmas Knit Off by Alexandra Brown

The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan

Jenny Lopez Saves Christmas by Lindsey Kelk

Merry and Bright by Jill Shalvis

and I pre-ordered 

Merry Christmas, Baby by Jill Shalvis (which will be out on December 2nd)

New York City, 1897

Review

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar

by Kady Cross

 

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar is the second book in the Steampunk Chronicles.

I would highly recommend reading The Girl in the Steel Corset first

otherwise you will spoil yourself!

First sentences:

High above the Atlantic Ocean

July 1897

“What are you doing?”

Summary:

In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling-or dangerous Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper from the clutches of a devious criminal demanding a trade-the dangerous device Jasper stole from him... for the life of the girl Jasper loves.

One false move from Jasper, and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens and tightens. From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens follows Jasper's elusive trail. And they're about to discover how far they'll go for friendship.

More than ever, Finley must rely on powerful English duke Griffin King to balance her dark magic with her good side. Yet Griffin is at war with himself over his secret attraction to Finley... and will risk his life and reputation to save her.

Now, to help those she's come to care for so deeply, Finley must infiltrate the criminal gang. Only problem is, she might like the dark side a little too much…

source: Goodreads

My opinion:

I really like Kady Cross’ writing style and her way of telling stories and The Girl in the Clockwork Collar didn’t disappoint.

The story starts where the Girl in the Steel Corset ended and we follow Finely, Griffin, Emily and Sam to New York City to save their friend Jasper. We get introduced to new characters – some nice and others just evil. There is one character in this book which I was not really sure about in the beginning but pretty soon started to dislike. I felt bad about it in the beginning but in the end my feelings were legitimate and I was so glad that I could still follow my guts when it comes to judging people, even fictional ones.

New York City in 1897 is described so well. You can see the city form before your inner eye and the way Kady tells the story is really cool. She mixes facts with fiction and that makes the series so special to me. You are not only entertained by great writing but you also learn some things while reading. Of course she takes some freedom in her writing but she also does a lot of research before writing.

Finely is still my favorite character. She is still unsure if she really belongs with Griffin and his friends but over the course of the book she discovers what loyalty feels like and takes a huge step in her becoming who she wants to be.

Emily is also amazing. The little Irish inventor is such a strong anchor and amazing friend to Finley. She’s clever and interested in the world surrounding her and even though some people think she needs protection she might be the strongest character in the whole story.

I love the power these two ladies have and how well they can manipulate Griffin, Sam and other men in their lives. Finely and Emily are two incredible characters and I am really impressed by their determination to their cause.

If you enjoyed the Girl in the Steel Corset you will like the Girl in the Clockwork Collar as well. The characters grow, their relationships evolve and together they are stronger than ever.

Don’t forget to read the novellas too because they provide a lot of useful and needed information for the other books in the series!

The Books in the Steampunk Chronicles are:

• The Strange Case of Finley Jayne (Steampunk Chronicles, #0.5) read my review here
• The Girl in the Steel Corset (Steampunk Chronicles, #1) read my review here
• The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles, #2)
• The Dark Discovery of Jack Dandy (Steampunk Chronicles, #2,5)
• The Girl with the Iron Touch (Steampunk Chronicles, #3)
• The Wild Adventure of Jasper Renn (Steampunk Chronicles, #3,5)
• The Girl with the Windup Heart (Steampunk Chronicles, #4) 

For more information about Kady Cross visit her Homepage, her Blog, her Facebook or Twitter page.