Lil

Happy belated Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful day! I've been a bit absent lately, and so as the lull between Christmas and New Year begins it's time to finally have a catch up! I came across this tag over on Jillian's Books and thought it might be fun to have a go! How much do you love snow? Easy question, A LOT. Waking up and opening your curtains to find the world covered with snow is one of the most magical feelings in the world. And I actually had that feeling this morning! It was only a light dusting but it made my day! How do you eat your gingerbread men? Head first or feet first? I have to eat the head first and get it out of the way. I'm one of those people who feels bad eating things shaped like people/animals. Jelly babies, chocolate rabbits, you name it and I have to eat the head first. Silly but true. Do you like seasonal reading? Do you specifically seek out books set around winter during winter? I do but I hardly ever get them all read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This past year has flown by - I've just realised that I actually missed my first blogiversary two days ago! I've read many great books this year, but I actually found this list relatively easy to compile, you know a good book when you read one! So without further ado, here are my top picks that I've read this year: There are two books I read this year that went straight onto the all-time favourites list, and interestingly they are very similar in theme, Full of 'magic', mystery and illusion, thy transport you completely into another world.  The Illusionists  has a plot that will grip you from the very first page, whilst the feats of imagination described in  The Night Circus  are just stunning. I can't recommend them enough. I won  The Secret Place  in a Goodreads giveaway, and admittedly it isn't to my usual taste, but I found myself  hooked! Gripping, tense, and brilliantly written.  Sea

  Now that December is here I can finally break out the Christmas themed books. I've had to restrain myself until now and have quite a list to get through this month, so watch this space! Today I'm excited to be hosting the blog tour for The Twelfth Night Wager by Regan  Walker. I really loved this book, and now can't wait to read the rest of Regan's work! Read on for a synopsis, review and a giveaway to win a Twelve  Days of Christmas Bracelet. I know I'll be entering! Synopsis THE REDHEADED RAKE It was a dull day at White’s, the day he agreed to the wager: seduce bed and walk away from the lovely Lady Leisterfield, all by Twelfth Night. This holiday season, Christopher St. Ives, Viscount Eustace, planned to give himself a gift. THE INNOCENT WIDOW She was too proper by half—or so was the accusation of her friends, which was why her father had to find her a husband. But Lord Leisterfield was now gone a year, and Grace was at last shedding the drab colors of mourning

Meet Johanna Morrigan, an embarrassment unto herself and her family. It's time for Johanna to die. Not literally of course. She must die so a that new girl can be built, rising from the ashes of her former self. Meet Dolly Wilde, a wild child music critic renowned for her devil-may-care attitude, her scathing reviews, and her trademark top hat. At sixteen years old she is a smoking, drinking 'Lady Sex Adventurer', determined to save her family from financial ruin and make a name for herself in the process. But as her exploits gets wilder and her reputation gets worse, Dolly starts to doubt herself. Is this really the kind of girl that she wants to be? Or is it time to tear herself down and start again? I was lucky enough to see Caitlin Moran at Cheltenham Literature Festival this year (free front row tickets - being a volunteer certainly has its perks!) and she was just hilarious. Since then I have been desperate to get my hands on her debut novel, and I wasn't disappo