Introducing my new feature: Readers Choice- Where YOU take charge

Hello fellow readers!

Today I’m extremely excited to finally be bringing to you a new feature I’ve been mulling over for some time now Readers Choice. So here’s the deal I wanted to think of a way to interact with you guys more, if your here I take it you’re a book lover and I know a lot of my followers are also fellow book bloggers. Having a book blog is mainly all about recommending to your readers books that you’ve enjoyed. If you follow my blog I take it we have very similar tastes and so once a month I want to turn the tables and have YOU guys recommend a book to ME. On the second week of every month I will do a post similar to this one with a list of 6 books from my to be read pile, sporting a little something from each genre I’m interested in. The books in question will all be books I haven’t picked up yet for whatever reason but want to. I’ll post the title, author, cover and synopsis and you my lovely readers can vote and on the second week of the following month I will announce the winner and read and review it for you. Voting will be open to absolutely anybody whether you’re a follower or not I’d love your input. You can also vote for any reason you want whether that’s because you’ve read and loved the book, are interested in the sound of the book and would like me to review it for you, or even if you simply think it sounds like a good book and I should give it a go.

I really love this idea of interacting with you guys more, reading books I might not have picked up next, finding out my readers opinions on books and most importantly giving you guys the chance to have your input on Jess Hearts Books and reviewing one book a month that your personally interested in. Obviously for this feature to take off its going to need a LOT of reader interaction so if you like this idea I would REALLY appreciate you taking the time to vote and have your say :-)

I think I’ve covered everything and I’m sure you’ll get the general idea more and more as the months go on. If you want to make a request for future Readers Choice Nominees that option will be available in the form and if it sounds like something I’d enjoy and I haven’t read it yet then you never know it may just appear in a vote!

So I’m going to stop rambling and put up the vote for Septembers Readers Choice. Fill out the form bellow to vote and the winning book will be announced, read and reviewed next month with a fresh batch of books to vote for, so without further ado it's over to you! :D

Septembers Readers Choice Nominees


Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Amy Goodnight's family are far from normal. She comes from a long line of witches, and grew up surrounded by benevolent spirits and kitchen spells. All fairly harmless, but Amy can't wait to get to college and escape the "family business".

But things take a darker turn when she and her sister Phin spend the summer looking after Aunt Hyacinth's ranch. Amy is visited by a midnight spectre who is clearly trying to send her a message. It seems that the discovery of an old grave on a neighbour's land has been the catalyst for an apparent ghost uprising.

Aided by local friends and Ben, the handsome cowboy who just can't take his eyes off Amy, the sisters investigate. And they soon find that there's something strange and dangerous going on, deep in the heart of Texas...


The Single Girl's To-Do List by Lindsey Kelk

Rachel Summers loves a to-do list:

• Boyfriend
• Flat
• Great job

NOT on the list:

• Being dumped

Best friends Emelie and Matthew ride to her rescue with an entirely new kind of list – The Single Girl’s To-Do List. Rachel doesn’t know it, but it will take her on all kinds of wild adventures – and get her in some romantic pickles too. And then it won't be a case of what but who she decides to tick off…

• Mr. bendy yoga instructor
• Mr. teenage sweetheart
• Mr. persistent ex
• Mr. deeply unsuitable

The Single Girl’s To-Do List gives Rachel the perfect heartbreak cure – and proves love is out there if you’re willing to take a chance.


The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:
Debate Club.
Her father’s “bunny rabbit.”
A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:
A knockout figure.
A sharp tongue.
A chip on her shoulder.
And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.

Frankie Laundau-Banks.
No longer the kind of girl to take “no” for an answer.
Especially when “no” means she’s excluded from her boyfriend’s all-male secret society.
Not when her ex boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places.
Not when she knows she’s smarter than any of them.
When she knows Matthew’s lying to her.
And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.

Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16:
Possibly a criminal mastermind.

This is the story of how she got that way.


Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home, continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark, and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kona, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an other-worldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her - and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.



The Woman He Loved Before by Dorothy Koomson

Libby has a good life with a gorgeous husband and a home by the sea. But over time she is becoming more unsure if Jack has ever loved her - and if he is over the death of Eve, his first wife. When fate intervenes in their relationship, Libby decides to find out all she can about the man she hastily married and the seemingly perfect Eve. But in doing so she unearths devastating secrets. Frightened by what she finds and the damage it could cause, Libby starts to worry that she too will end up like the first woman Jack loved ...




Entwined by Heather Dixon

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

This vote is now closed check out the results here!

Review for Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

Synopsis
"Before I used it, the key had infinite possibilities.

Eleven-year-old Elise feels stuck. Her school locker-buddy squashes her lunch and laughs at her, every day. She doesn't want to go to school - and her best friend Franklin just makes things worse.

Now I was ready for something to be different. Anything, really.

One day Elise discovers an incredible secret. A secret that might just help her unlock her past, and take a chance on the future.

I decided that tomorrow I would see what that key opened up. It had my name on it, after all . . ."

Despite Eight Keys being aimed at the tween audience I was really eager to give it a read due to all the critical acclaim for LaFleur’s debut novel Love, Aubrey and I was surprised by how much as an adult I enjoyed it.

Suzanne LaFleur captures what it’s like to be an eleven year old girl perfectly. Right from the start I was back there with Elise understanding what she was going through and feeling. Eight Keys is a charming coming of age story about family, friendship, and crossing that difficult and unsteady road from childhood into the teen years. LaFleur expertly captures the growing pains of leaving childhood games behind and muddling through your first year at a new grown up school. Mixed in with insecurities, bullying issues and a lovely secret legacy left behind by her late father and Elise has a lot to contend with and a lot to learn! This story is narrated with charm, honesty and innocence making it hugely relatable and endearing to a young reader.

Suzanne has a magicial and moving way of telling a story and is a hidden gem amongst her genre. If you’re starting out at high school at the end of this summer or are a parent of or know somebody who is I would whole heartedly recommend this gorgeous story on growing up. I only wish that Suzanne LaFleur was writing books when I was younger!

Overall Eight Keys was a sweet and tender read that has the rare ability to capture the hearts of everyone even this slightly older than aimed for reader!
My Rating 4/5 stars

Thanks go to Puffin for sending me this book to review

Synopsis taken from Amazon

Review for Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Synopsis
"Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts, especially since her mother has worked as a fraudulent medium for a decade. Violet has taken part in enough of her mother's tricks to feel more than a little jaded about anything supernatural. The ghosts, however, believe in Violet and she's been seeing them everywhere. One ghost in particular needs Violet to use her emerging gift to solve her murder ...and prevent the ghost's twin sister from suffering the same fate."

Despite hearing a lot of praise for Alyxandra Harvey’s The Drake Chronicles, Haunting Violet is my first book from this author. Eighteenth Century London is a time period that fascinates me particularly society’s interest in mediums, séances and the like and Violet’s story really appealed to me from the start because of this. Add on top of that a mother whose a fake medium, Violet whose spent her whole life not believing in ghosts to suddenly being haunted by one and best of all a delicious murder mystery and this book might as well of had my name written all over it with big pointing arrows saying read me!

Haunting Violet was everything I hoped it would be and more. In some parts it was gothic and chilling which is what I would expect from a good ghost story. But at the same time it was romantic and luxurious with Violet attending elaborate debutante balls and parties. I quickly became absorbed in this book thanks to Harvey’s atmospheric writing style.

There’s so much going on throughout this book. Whether that’s with Violet trying to solve a murder, her learning to manage her new psychic abilities or choosing between her heart or a society marriage. There’s never a dull moment to spare and I loved the fast pace of the plot.

As well as the snappy writing and suspenseful plot Haunting Violet is chock full of endearing characters. Violet is a heroine you’ll really fear for, bookish and clumsy, I easily liked her. Violet’s best friend Elizabeth is also hugely likeable with her bright and bubbly personality.

As for the murder Alyxandra Harvey really keeps you guessing. Although I did suspect the murderer there were so many other suspects that it really kept me guessing. I won’t say anymore than that other than the intrigue of the murder will definitely keep you reading!

I adored everything about this book from learning the tricks of the trade behind fake séances to the extravagant parties Violet gets to attend. This is a historical ghost story at its best and whilst I think this book works well as a standalone I really hope Alyxandra writes more books about Violet in the future simply because I love her so much! In the meantime I’m definitely going to be checking out Alyxandra’s other books!
My Rating 4.5/5 stars

Thanks go to Bloomsbury for sending me this book to review

Synopsis taken from Amazon

PSST!! Haunting Violet is available on Amazon for only £1.99 on the Kindle, what are you still doing here? Go snatch it up now whilst the offer lasts! ;)

Book Thoughts: Ultraviolet and Birthmarked

Because I receive so many books to review I decided to create this feature Book Thoughts. I don’t always have time to review every single book that I read so in Book Thoughts I group together 2 or 3 books that I purchased myself and give a brief summary on my opinions after I’ve read them. Think of them as mini reviews! I’m going to keep them quick and snappy whilst still informative and I hope you guys find them helpful! :-)

Ultraviolet by R J Anderson

Ultraviolet is honestly like nothing I’ve ever read before. Our main character Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens after killing her classmate, popular and perfect, Tori. Except Tori’s body hasn’t actually been found and all Alison can remember is noise, pain and- she knows it sounds crazy but hey if the shoe fits!- Tori disintegrating piece by piece in front of her.

I loved the fact that this book is told from the point of view of somebody who is seen to be mentally unstable. As the layers of this story unfold you can’t help but question everything Alison tells us. Especially as the story gets more and more crazy and unbelievable! Is there some kind of strange phenomenon going on? Or is Alison simply an insane and imaginative narrator? R J Anderson certainly keeps you on your toes and I absolutely raced through this book for answers. Anderson’s writing is so beautifully descriptive and this books ending completely blew my mind. I adored this books uniqueness and individuality and it comes with my highest of recommendations and a warning that once you pick up this intense psychological thriller you won’t want to put it down!
 5 stars.



Birthmarked by Caragh M. O’Brien

Unfortunately this book fell a little short for me. There’s no denying that Caragh M. O’Brien’s writing is gorgeous her descriptions really sucked me into our heroine Gaia’s harrowing world but unfortunately the rest of the book didn’t really do anything for me.

I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting from this book but with it being a dystopian I went into it expecting something futuristic and instead Gaia’s world despite being set 300-400 years in the future if anything has gone back in time and instead of the “code” that’s talked about on the cover being all high tech and extreme like I imagined it was all fairly simple and dull compared to what I’d built up in my head.

That being said when I got over my disappointment surrounding the books plot and the code I could appreciate this book for what it was. Gaia’s a strong likeable heroine and the future she inhabits is brutal and terrifying. O’Brien isn’t afraid to make her world unfair and cruel. With Caragh’s haunting writing she really paints a picture in your mind of a shocking future that’s easily believable. Is this the best dystopian story I’ve ever read? No. But would I recommend it? Sure.
3.5 stars.

Book of the Month! Featuring Purple Covers, Magic, and Pet Lobsters

Hi guys, welcome to July’s book of the month and monthly round up! This is a feature to sum up for you my reading and recommendations for the past month and to share with you the exciting things that have been going on on the blog and books I’m looking forward to in the following month.

July's Book of the Month is...Ultraviolet by R J Anderson

Last month I hit a bit of a reading and blogging slump. I didn’t read as much as I would have liked and a couple books I was really looking forward to just didn’t hit the mark for me. Being less passionate than normal about what I was reading definitely affected my book blogging and I just didn’t feel motivated to blog at all. However this month’s book of the month was the first book I read in July and remained my favourite and only 5 star book. Ultraviolet is a highly original, mind splode of awesome and I absolutely devoured it, this book is crazy good and I’ll be doing a book thoughts post on it shortly.

Best Plot: Ultraviolet by R J Anderson
Best Writing: Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
Best Cover: Lucy in the Sky by Paige Toon
Best Characters: Katy Carter Wants a Hero by Ruth Saberton
Best Ending: Ultraviolet by R J Anderson
Best Romance: Katy Carter Wants a Hero by Ruth Saberton
Most un-put-down-able: Ultraviolet by R J Anderson
Most Memorable: Ultraviolet by R J Anderson
Best Moral: Katy Carter Wants a Hero by Ruth Saberton

Books read this month
43.) Ultraviolet by R J Anderson (5*)
44.) Lucy in the Sky by Paige Toon (4*)
45.) Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey (4.5*)
46.) Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (3*)
47.) Katy Carter Wants a Hero by Ruth Saberton (4.5*)
48.) Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton (4.5*)
49.) One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt (3*)

Top 3 Most Recommended Books: Ultraviolet, Katy Carter Wants a Hero and Blood Magic

Bookish Highlights of the month
Not many to be honest! It’s been a not so good book month. Book related it was possibly going to see the last HP movie and book shopping with the bestie after :)

Bookish Lows of the month
Reading slump, blogging slump- it wasn’t the best.

Book’s I’m looking forward to in August
Nothing like a bunch of sparkly new releases to get me back in the reading mood! Let me see... well first of all the book I’m most excited about has to be Bloodlines by Richelle Mead I’m a HUGE fan of Richelle and the VA books and Bloodlines is probably my most highly anticipated book of the year never mind the month! There are also a few chick-lit titles I have my eye on like Bad Sisters by Rebecca Chance, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? by Claudia Carroll and What You Don't Know by Lizzie Enfield. I’m sure there’s more but those are the ones that stand out in my mind! Can’t wait! Love a sparkly new book me!

So there you have it my July reading summed up for you guys. Have you read any of the books I’ve read this month? What were your thoughts on them? Leave me a comment and let me know and don’t forget to treat yourselves to Ultraviolet! – You won’t regret it! ^_^ Here’s to a month of better reading and more productive blogging. Reviews on all the books I’ve read this month will be on the blog soon now that I’m back in the swing of things :D