~ Goodreads TBR Cleanup #7 ~

To aid my efforts to clean up my endless TBR, I decided to go with the Goodreads TBR Cleanup (created by @ Mega Bunny Reads). This challenge can be done bi-weekly or weekly (or any other timeframe that suits you). If you’re interest in the other Down the TBR Hole meme, then you can check it out following the links. The meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story — she has a new blog though called Sunflowers and Wonder!

How It Works:

• Go to your Goodreads want-to-read shelf.
• Ask Siri (or any other generator) to pick a number between 1 and however many books are on the list.
• Go to that book and look at it and the 4 after it, for a total of 5.
• Read the synopses of the books.
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

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For the number selection, I used an online random number generator.

TODAY’S RANDOM NUMBER: 1337

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1. The Stolen Kingdom

For a hundred years, the once-prosperous kingdom of Perin Faye has suffered under the rule of the greedy and power-hungry Thungrave kings. Maralyth Graylaern, a vintner’s daughter, has no idea her hidden magical power is proof of a secret bloodline and claim to the throne. Alac Thungrave, the king’s second son, has always been uncomfortable with his position as the spare heir—and the dark, stolen magic that comes with ruling.

When Maralyth becomes embroiled in a plot to murder the royal family and seize the throne, a cat-and-mouse chase ensues in an adventure of dark magic, court intrigue, and forbidden love.

THOUGHTS:

This novel’s main genres, fantasy and romance, are right up my alley as I love reading these novels and I have been reading some pretty good ones lately. The secret bloodline sounds like a fun concept mixed with the spare heir concepts are really fun ideas and I am hopeful that this novel will pull it off. I actually requested and received this novel as an ARC initially as I immediately fell in love with the cover. It is a gorgeous cover and the story sounds fascinating so I am looking forward to reading this!

2. The Light at the Bottom of the World (Light the Abyss #1)

In the last days of the twenty-first century, sea creatures swim through the ruins of London. Trapped in the abyss, humankind wavers between fear and hope–fear of what lurks in the depths around them, and hope that they might one day find a way back to the surface.

When sixteen-year-old submersible racer Leyla McQueen is chosen to participate in the prestigious annual marathon, she sees an opportunity to save her father, who has been arrested on false charges. The Prime Minister promises the champion whatever their heart desires. But the race takes an unexpected turn, forcing Leyla to make an impossible choice.

Now she must brave unfathomable waters and defy a corrupt government determined to keep its secrets, all the while dealing with a guarded, hotheaded companion she never asked for in the first place. If Leyla fails to discover the truths at the heart of her world, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture–or worse. And her father will be lost to her forever.

THOUGHTS:

The cover of this novel is gorgeous and one reason why this novel ended up on my TBR. Although it sounds like a fun series, I wonder if it could be similar to The Forever Sea where the writing gets caught up in the world building and the story gets a little lost. As this is the start of a series, I have a feeling that it could be the case and it makes me hesitant to keep this novel. For now, I think given that series require a lot more commitment, this novel is a toss for now.

3. All the Murmuring Bones

Long ago Miren O’Malley’s family prospered due to a deal struck with the mer: safety for their ships in return for a child of each generation. But for many years the family have been unable to keep their side of the bargain and have fallen into decline. Miren’s grandmother is determined to restore their glory, even at the price of Miren’s freedom.

A spellbinding tale of dark family secrets, magic and witches, and creatures of myth and the sea; of strong women and the men who seek to control them.

THOUGHTS:

Mermaids are always very fun mythical creatures to feature in stories. I adore reading stories about the sea and this one immediately appealed to me. The synopsis and cover both are super appealing and I love that I cannot wait to read this story. It is actually an ARC that I have on my TBR, so this one, similar to The Stolen Kingdom, was an easy choice to keep since I already have it on my schedule to read.

4. Hot British Boyfriend

After a horrifying public rejection by her crush, Ellie Nichols does what any girl would do: she flees the country. To be more precise, she joins her high school’s study abroad trip to England. While most of her classmates are there to take honors courses and pad their college applications, Ellie is on a quest to rebuild her reputation and self-confidence. And nothing is more of a confidence booster than getting a hot British boyfriend.

When Ellie meets Will, a gorgeous and charming Brit, she vows to avoid making the same mistakes as she did with the last guy she liked. Which is why she strikes up a bargain with Dev, an overachieving classmate who she’s never clicked with, but who does seem to know a lot about the things Will is interested in—if he helps her win over her crush, then she’ll help him win over his.

But even as Ellie embarks on a whirlwind romance, one that takes her on adventures to some of England’s most beautiful places, she still needs to figure out if this is actually the answer to all her problems…and whether the perfect boyfriend is actually the perfect boy for her.

THOUGHTS:

This story sounds super cute! Although I have lot of novels on my TBR and might not get to reading this anytime soon, there were so many good reviews about this novel that I decided to keep it.

5. If It’s Perfect (The Wedding Business #1)

One thing I learned this week: DO NOT flirt while at a client’s wedding. (especially with anyone in a tux)

Success-driven Hope Fletcher has some lofty goals for her life. But is it really too much to want a thriving cake design business by age 29? Marry a perfect (emphasis on the perfect) man by age 30? Then have the kids, dog, and house in suburbia by age 34? If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Dean. Wonderful, dreamy Dean who loves kids (and will eventually grow to love dogs) steps into Hope’s world. He’s the exact type of man she’s been looking for and she starts falling. Hard.

But will Hope’s perfect image of Dean crumble when she finds out about his past?

THOUGHTS:

The concept sounds really fun considering that it seems like it will give a dash of humor to the romance stories that I enjoy. I can see how this novel ended up on my TBR, even though I do not remember adding it to the list. Unfortunately, I have a lot more novels that are higher on my list and I cannot imagine getting around to reading this any time soon considering I am always adding more to my TBR and this one will just become buried even further.

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This is my seventh Clean-up and I have discovered I am not the best at this considering I only tossed two novels this week. Two at least is better than zero, though, so I am not being too hard on myself. Before I started this, I believed that I would be tossing at least three per week, so two at least is not far off. This week was at least easier on two of the novels as they are both upcoming ARCs, so I already had them on my list to read next and did not need to think about keeping them or not. One more week down and many more to go!