Top Ten Tuesday: Likes/Dislikes of Romance in Books

Hosted By: The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish, where we list our top ten according to a topic of the week. I'm actually not participating in this weekly, only because I know that for some of the topics I really can't come up with a list of ten. For future topics though, check them out here.

Likes

The Chase

Constantly eyeing each other, note passing and playful banter? Yes please! I think it's so sweet and I always end up giggling at the banter that goes on. 

Connecting

When characters connect, building their relationship over common interests and various dates, that shows how realistic their love for each other is. They can actually hold conversations about different things - that is the key. 

Dates

As much as I don't like cheesy, I do love a cute prom or first date scene. That whole panic over what to wear and fretting over what the other person will think of them. It's such a relatable aspect to everyone.

Friend's Brother/Sister

I don't know why I like seeing the character end up liking their friend's brother or sister, but it just makes their relationship all that much more worthwhile when they finally end up together. They have to overstep all these boundaries but the ending is worth it.

Intimacy

I love that authors aren't afraid to have their characters connect both intellectually but also physically. A good intimate scene raises the heat when I'm reading but also conveys how passionate the characters feel about each other.

Dislikes

Insta-love

I'm pretty sure this would top the list of dislikes for nearly every reader. You know that moment when you're like "what you guys are already in love? how, what when?". That moment is the worst to encounter when reading.

Bad Boy/Good Girl

This is such a classic move when it comes to romance in books. The boy is either a total badass who meets a nice girl and changes, or really screwed up inside and needs the right girl to fix him. There's a reason why it's popular, but it's overused and frustrating at times. 

Stupidity

The term "love is blind" is really stretched in most romances, where the character, especially the girl, acts in a way that really makes me question whether they have a brain or not. Like stop, please!

Cheating/Lying/Anything Wrong

I don't appreciate a couple who cheats, lies or tries to manipulate their partner. It doesn't who it is, but that destructive is appalling. Being under the influence isn't an excuse either. 

Too Romanced Focused

When the book takes a turn and loses its' initial focus to the romance, that's when I've had enough. Clearly I've picked up the book for other reasons - if I wanted to read about two people falling glove only then I would've gone for an actual Romance novel.

What do you Like or Dislike About Romances?

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January Wrap Up

I definitely haven't been the best blogger these past few months, but I have managed to show you guys what January was like for me!

On The Blog

Yearly Wrap

2014 was a whirlwind so to narrow it down I created a short snapshot of the year! 

"Top Ten Tuesday"
2014 New Release I Didn't Get To Read

Reading Time

Usually I do a wrap up video but if it hasn't been obvious, I've been absent from very corner of the book blog/booktube world since last year. Don't worry guys I will have an update post up soon explaining everything, but until then, this is a short recap of what I read! 

        

I was on a massive fantasy kick in January, and I enjoyed every one of these - especially Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I didn't read as much as I wanted to but I read books that were worth it, so I'm happy (sorta). 

Reviews

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The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer Trilogy #3) - Michele Hodkin

Read: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) Review | The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) Review

Title: The Retribution of Mara Dyer
Series: Mara Dyer Trilogy #3
Author: Michele Hodkin
Publishing Date: November 4th, 2014
Add to Goodreads | Buy from The BookDepository 

Mara doesn't believe that Noah's dead. She would know if he was loss to her at right now it doesn't feel like it. So Mara is determined to find him Noah, as well as the answers to everything that has happened to her.

Mara's out to get what she wants, no matter the cost.

Review

The Retribution of Mara Dyer was my most anticipated release of 2014, and I was hugely disappointed when I didn't get to read it right on release. I finally got my hands on it, but I actually don't know if it really lived up to my expectations.

I think my main problem with the book was that it kept building but once it reached the finale, it ran out flat. I loved every moment before the resolution hit. The plot pulled me straight in, which is expected from Hodkin's writing. The creepiness level was hitting the roof in this one and a lot of it had to do with the gruesome and disturbing acts that added to the insanity that is this series. I loved that whilst I was reading, I was also squirming over how grotesque most of it was.

I also liked that Mara's character really gained strength and independence. She did lose herself but without that I felt like she would never have built up the character that she ended up being. The side story about her grandmother was both intriguing but also helpful to understanding Mara and her situation. Her grandmother was introduced in The Evolution of Mara Dyer through brief flashbacks, but her life unravels as Mara gains her memories. It tied together a lot of questions and revealed answers to them.

There isn't a lot of relationship building besides that of Mara and Jamie's. A lot of the plot was focused on the condition that Mara & co. carried, which was explained quite well but wasn't explored enough that it stuck with me. I really wanted to know a lot more about Claire and Jude and whilst Jude's motives were revealed his character carried no weight by the end of it. Instead a whole new bad guy suddenly appeared and Jude was reduced to a mere tool. Kind of deflating after building him up to be this villain they needed to defeat.

I don't love where Hodkin had this series end at though. I always thought it was a great psychological thriller and for the most of The Revolution of Mara Dyer that's what it is. However, she ends it on a note of romance, which I did like in the first two but it didn't overtake the overall theme. The ending was quite bland and a little cheesy for me. There was a lot that happened and in that time span I just couldn't pick up everything. It was definitely a whirlwind and I probably have to re-read it again to fully grasp it.

Still, it was enjoyable experience overall and I was hooked for most of it. I do think the series is worth the read and I know I will eventually go back and re-read it all again.

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Top Ten Tuesday: 2014 New Releases I Didn't Get To Read

Hosted By: The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish, where we list our top ten according to a topic of the week. I'm actually not participating in this weekly, only because I know that for some of the topics I really can't come up with a list of ten. For future topics though, check them out here.

Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't

Let's be real here, listing only 10 was very hard. There were so many books I really wanted to get my hands on but alas, life is not always fair. These are on my definite to-read/to-buy list; I just don't know when I will that's all. 

1. The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters
2. The King's Curse (The Cousins War #6) by Philippa Gregory
3. Rebel Belle (Rebel Belle #1) by Rachel Hawkins
4. Everything Leads To You by Nina LaCour
5. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

6. Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas
7. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfield
8. Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine
9. A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) by Claudia Gray
10. I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

Which 2014 Releases Did You Want To Read?

(Image Source: Goodreads)

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2014: The Year That Was

This is such a late post, but it doesn't feel right to head into the new year without looking back at how the previous year turned out.

A Year In Books

Twenty fourteen really was a good reading year for me - at least compared to 2013 that is. I read a total of 105 books. I never expected that to happen and it kind of blows my mind. Of course that does include re-reads, but majority of them would be first reads. Instead of getting you guys to read chunks of info about what I've read though, I did a quick summary that you can watch! 

I added some random facts and all, but I thoroughly enjoyed most of what I read this year and I do think that it has been a feat for me to get to that number of books. Kind of crazy, really.

A Year In Life

I found that 2014 really opened up some great opportunities for me, and I got to experience so many different things. 

I really settled into university better than I did in my first year, and I actually enjoyed my time there. I met a few new people, but what excites me most is that I solidified some really great friendships with people I've known for awhile. I think that's one of the most positive things from this year - the fact that I managed to build and maintain strong relationships. 

Another positive was exploring who I am and who I want to be. I discovered things about myself I never really thought about and it surprised me in both good and bad ways. I can probably confidently say I know what I want out of life and everything else that comes with it, and what I want to give back in return.

Some of the exciting things I did this year included - 

• re-vamping "PrintedWordsAnd" and focusing on blogging
• connecting with other bloggers, especially fellow Aussie readers
• seeing Wicked on stage 
• attending my first concert
• seeing The Fault In Our Stars a month before release
• attending PTA Live
• going to the Australian Open

Twenty fourteen was a fulfilling year albeit some hip cups here and there. It went by so fast though, that I feel like I didn't spend everyday how I wanted to. That's something I have yet to learn. 

I hope you guys had a great year though!

Tell Me How 2014 Went For You!

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