August Wrap up - Book Haul & What to Expect Next Month

Hi there!

In this post I'll be showing you this month's ratings, my bookhaul and what to expect next month.

What a GREAT reading month this was, for me... August is the month of my summervacation. As a teacher it's the perfect time to read a lot of books!

I've been working this week, to get the classroom ready. The kids will be joining me this Monday. 

A vacation is never long enough, but I'm very excited to be teaching again!!

Thanks for stopping by and Enjoy! 💜

Review: The Summer of Annah: A Midsummer's wish (The Seasons of Annah #1)

Author: Tinthia Clemant
Started reading: August 14th 2017
Finished the book: August 20th 2017
Pages: 292
Genres: Romance
Published: May 28th 2016
Source: Got a physical copy from the author
Goodreads score: 4.63
My score:

Synopsis
When Annah-Belle Henderson cast a spell for love she never envisioned her wish would be granted in the young nephew of her best friend. With a face that rivals the Norse god Thor, and a body to match, the charismatic Eric Ashworth draws Annah into a dizzying current of emotions. Should she accept the chance for love with a man twenty years younger or should she reject her feelings?

As a past darkness threatens to destroy all that she longs for, Annah makes a decision that begins a journey fraught with judgement, betrayal, disloyalty, and perhaps death.

Review: The Girl In The Ice (Detective Erika Foster #1)

Author: Robert Bryndza
Started reading: August 18th 2017
Finished the book: August 22nd 2017
Pages: 396
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Published: February 12th 2016
Source: Kindle
Goodreads score: 3.95
My score:

Synopsis
When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation.

The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London.

What dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding?

GIVEAWAY: The Mercenary by Petra Landon

Hi there,

Hope you're having a great day! I'm so excited to announce that I'm doing another Petra Landon giveaway!

This time we've decided to not just give away ebooks, but also include a signed physical copy!

This giveaway is open worldwide so read this post to get all your necessary information!

She’s a prisoner of the Imperial Forces. He’s a nomad with a private mercenary army. Can a desperate girl’s risky gamble and a fierce warrior’s love turn the tide of war and alter the balance of power in their slice of space?

Review: Holy Crap! The World is Ending! (The Anunnaki Chronicles #1)

Author: Anna-Marie Abell
Started reading: August 11th 2017
Finished the book: August 13th 2017
Pages: 350
Genres: Science Fiction
Published: September 21st 2017
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads score: Not enough ratings
My score:

Synopsis
End Times Are Here!
Now you can eat whatever you want and not care if you gain weight.

Autumn (who for the purpose of this retelling asked to be portrayed as drool-inducing hot with kick-ass ninja skills) has just been handed the task of saving all of humanity. With the help of her unbelievably sexy alien boyfriend and her kleptomaniac friend with fire-retardant hair, Autumn takes a spaceship and races to save her fellow humans by using the Ark of the Covenant. Along the way, she discovers how sheltered people are from the truth of extraterrestrials and their power to either protect us or destroy us.

Stupid government.

Review: Triptych (Will Trent #1)

Author: Karin Slaughter
Started reading: August 7th 2017
Finished the book: August 11th 2017
Pages: 514
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Published: August 15th 2006
Source: Bought the book
Goodreads score: 4.14
My score:

Synopsis
When Atlanta police detective Michael Ormewood is called out to a murder scene at the notorious Grady Homes, he finds himself faced with one of the most brutal killings of his career: Aleesha Monroe is found in the stairwell in a pool of her own blood, her body horribly mutilated.

As a one-off killing it's shocking, but when it becomes clear that it's just the latest in a series of similar attacks, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is called in, and Michael is forced into working with Special Agent Will Trent of the Criminal Apprehension Team - a man he instinctively dislikes.

Twenty-four hours later, the violence Michael sees around him every day explodes in his own back yard. And it seems the mystery behind Monroe's death is inextricably entangled with a past that refuses to stay buried...

Review: The Prophetess

Author: Desy Smith
Started reading: August 4th 2017
Finished the book: August 7th 2017
Pages: 150
Genres: Fantasy
Published: August 2017
Source: Got a digital copy from the author
Goodreads score: Not enough ratings
My score:

Synopsis
Fallen from Heaven and forced to live amongst the humans in exile, angel Ezekiel bares the tragic fate of a disgraced angel. Having overheard the rebellious Lucifer’s plans to rise up against the sanctuary of Heaven, Ezekiel remains silent, and for his inaction, he is cast from the pearly gates and onto the unforgiving lands of the mortals. Two thousand years pass with a cold and hollow wind at his back, and for a moment, Ezekiel resigns to his fate.

However, in the year 2016, the winds of fate begin to change, and redemption comes in the form of his brother, Gabriel, who bares great news. Ezekiel is given a chance to return to Heaven, but only once he has taken down Molach, an evil demon on the rise. If Ezekiel can stop Molach from helping Lucifer return, he will be welcomed back into Heaven. However, there is more than just a demon in his path, Ezekiel must uncover what else fate has in store for him, including a lovely solitary Prophetess named Isabelle and the endless possibility for joy and whimsy she offers.

Review: The Seer of Possibilities and Other Disturbing Tales

Author: Thomas O.
Started reading: August 9th 2017
Finished the book: August 10th 2017
Pages: 158
Genres: Horror, Short Stories
Published: March 2017
Source: Got a digital copy from the author
Goodreads score: Not enough ratings
My score:

Synopsis
Sometimes, otherworldly beings reach out to you in strange and mysterious ways. They may have a request for you to fulfill, or maybe they simply take pleasure in terrifying you senseless. It’s even possible that they just want your help in creating something beautiful. If you’re lucky, you might even live to tell the tale… or maybe not.

This book contains six stories that will enthrall you on one page and scare you on the next. The popular story, The Seer of Possibilities, starts this collection off.

GIVEAWAY: 100 free copies - We Were Swans

So.. This is actually a last-minute thing!

I noticed my review of We Were Swans to be pretty popular.

You can read it here.

Review: May (Calendar Girl #5)

Author: Audrey Carlan
Started reading: August 3rd 2017
Finished the book: August 4th 2017
Pages: 112
Genres: Erotic
Published: May 28th 2015
Source: Kindle
Goodreads score: 4.11
My score:

Synopsis
Tai Niko had everything the average man lacked. Height, broad shoulders, a nipped in waist, square pecs, tree trunk thighs, and a look that rivaled “The Rock.” The part that made me drool and weakened my knees, was the thick, intricate tribal tattoos running down the entire left side of his muscled frame from shoulder to ankle. The design was unlike anything I’d ever seen, and I couldn’t wait to trace the tips of my fingers over every inch.

In the fifth book of the Calendar Girl serial, Mia is sent to Oahu, HI. Still on her mission to save her father, she embraces the model life to prove beauty really does come in all sizes.

Review: We Were Swans

Author: G.J. Freeman
Started reading: August 1st 2017
Finished the book: August 3rd 2017
Pages: 368
Genres: Thriller
Published: February 25th 2017
Source: Got a digital copy from the author
Goodreads score: Not enough ratings
My score:

Synopsis
Tom and Sacha are ordinary people. They have no special skills which they are forced to resurrect, they aren't retired CIA or former Assassins. There are no puffs of smoke, no trapdoors, no sliding walls to swish magically open revealing a startling array of weaponry. They are normal people, like you and me.
Until their 3 year old child is abducted and murdered by teenage freaks, as a game, a joke, or at least, that's how it played out in court. In the style of the feral underbelly of modern society, these vile, sick delinquents even film what they did on a mobile phone. Eight years later, they're out, their debt written off, ready to begin their lives as blithely as they destroyed yours. That can't be how this ends. If it were me and I were given the opportunity offered to Tom, would I take it? Yes. In a heartbeat. Could I do it? I'd like to think so. But here's the thing. Would you? Could you?

Review: The List

Author: Patricia Forde 
Started reading: July 27th 2017
Finished the book: August 1st 2017
Pages: 336
Genres: Fantasy, Dystopian
Published: August 1st 2017
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads score: 3.55
My score:

Synopsis
In the city of Ark, speech is constrained to five hundred sanctioned words. Speak outside the approved lexicon and face banishment. The exceptions are the Wordsmith and his apprentice Letta, the keepers and archivists of all language in their post-apocalyptic, neo-medieval world.

On the death of her master, Letta is suddenly promoted to Wordsmith, charged with collecting and saving words. But when she uncovers a sinister plan to suppress language and rob Ark’s citizens of their power of speech, she realizes that it’s up to her to save not only words, but culture itself.

Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4)

Author: J.K. Rowling
Started reading: July 27th 2017
Finished the book: July 30th 2017
Pages: 617
Genres: Fantasy, YA, Adventure
Published: September 28th 2002
Source: Bought the book
Goodreads score: 4.53
My score:

Synopsis
"There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways... their magical prowess - their daring - their powers of deduction - and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."
The Triwizard Tournament is to be held at Hogwarts. Only wizards who are over seventeen are allowed to enter - but that doesn't stop Harry dreaming that he will win the competition. Then at Hallowe'en, when the Goblet of Fire makes its selection, Harry is amazed to find his name is one of those that the magical cup picks out. He will face death-defying tasks, dragons and Dark wizards, but with the help of his best friends, Ron and Hermione, he might just make it through - alive!

Review: The Mercenary (The Araloka Chronicles #1)

Author: Petra Landon
Started reading: July 24th 2017
Finished the book: July 27th 2017
Pages: 175
Genres: Science Fiction, Romance
Published: August 25th 2017
Source: Got a digital copy from the author
Goodreads score: Not enough ratings
My score:

Synopsis
In a far corner of the galaxy, a deadly war rages on. The Budheya people are one of the worst affected. Once the most advanced civilization in the quadrant, they now struggle under the cruel yoke of Ketaari occupation.

Saakshi, a Budheya girl imprisoned by the Ketaari Imperial Forces, is sent to a distant space station to work as a server girl in an alehouse. For a girl who has known only hardship in her short life, things could be worse. Until an old foe from the past walks into the alehouse. Alone, friendless and far from home, desperation forces her to turn to an unlikely source for assistance. Zoran is Hadari’Kor, notorious across star systems for their prowess in battle. Their reputation as nomadic mercenaries who owe allegiance to none and only fight for hire make people wary of tangling with them.

The fallout from this improbable alliance between a Budheya rebel and the Hadari’Kor mercenary reverberates across space. Old assumptions are broken and new partnerships between unlikely allies forged. Through the minefield of shifting alliances, Zoran must fight to protect Saakshi from a relentless enemy. When passion flames amidst the embers of a smoldering war, will one warrior’s quest for justice being a mighty Empire to it’s knees…

Review: No Time To Say Goodbye

Author: Bill Adler Jr.
Started reading: July 27th 2017
Finished the book: July 27th 2017
Pages: 50
Genres: Science Fiction, Short Story
Published: April 1st 2017
Source: Got a physical copy from the author
Goodreads score: Not enough ratings
My score:

Synopsis
Yesterday, all Dennis Tanner wanted was to love his wife, Rachel, and to be the best doctor he could. Today, all Dennis wants is to stop traveling forward in time, before the woman he loves, his friends, and his entire world are gone.

Will Dennis discover the answer to why he’s been traveling into the future? Will he finally be able to stop or will he continue to travel, alone and bereft, until time itself ends?

No Time to Say Goodbye is a gripping novella about one man’s desperate attempt to hold onto love and life no matter what happens, no matter where—or when—he is.

Cover Reveal: The Mercenary by Petra Landon

Hi there,

So.. This is the first ever Cover Reveal here on Bite Into Books.

I don't plan to do a lot of those, but there is this one author that I can't refuse!

I'm talking about the awesome Petra Landon.

Her new book, The Mercenary will be published on August 25th!

Review: We Are All Made of Stars

Author: Rowan Coleman
Started reading: July 23rd 2017
Finished the book: July 24th 2017
Pages: 432
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Published: January 28th 2016
Source: Borrowed from library
Goodreads score: 4.09
My score:

Synopsis
Stella Carey has good reason to only work nights at the hospice where she is a nurse. Married to a war veteran who has returned from Afghanistan brutally injured, Stella leaves the house each night as Vincent locks himself away, unable to sleep due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

During her nights at the hospice, Stella writes letters for her patients, detailing their final wishes, thoughts and feelings – from how to use a washing machine, to advice on how to be a good parent – and posts them after their death.
That is until Stella writes one letter that she feels compelled to deliver in time, to give her patient one final chance of redemption...

Review: Little Boy Blue (Helen Grace #5)

Author: M.J. Arlidge
Started reading: July 18th 2017
Finished the book: July 23rd 2017
Pages: 368
Genres: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Published: March 10th 2016
Source: Received from a friend
Goodreads score: 4.23
My score:

Synopsis
In the darkest corners of the city, there is a thriving nightlife where people can let loose and cross the lines of work and play, of pleasure and pain. But now that sanctuary has been breached. A killer has struck and a man is dead.
In a world where disguises and discretion are the norm, one admission could unravel a life. No one wants to come forward to say what they saw or what they know—including the woman heading the investigation: Detective Helen Grace.
Helen knew the victim. And the victim knew her—better than anyone else. And when the murderer strikes again, Helen must decide how many more lines she’s willing to cross to bring in a devious and elusive serial killer...

Review: How Ornithology Saved My Life

Author: Michael H Bernhart
Started reading: July 16th 2017
Finished the book: July 21st 2017
Pages: 232
Genres: Action, Fiction
Published: June 17th 2016
Source: Got a physical copy from the author
Goodreads score: Not enough ratings
My score:

Synopsis
Life doesn't seem to get any easier for Maxwell Smythe Brown IV. He thought he could settle down with his soul mate, Sally, but the thugs who once worked for Indian intelligence are on his trail with both money and mayhem on their minds. Set on a pleasant resort island off Holland's coast, this, the second installment chronicling Brown's travails, finds him questioning his value and his values. Drawing on rusty skills - and a trick he learned from a bird - he tries to protect himself and those he loves from a determined and vengeful gang who torture and behead for sport.