Hello, my lovely readers! Currently, I'm on a (very) small break from university in order to celebrate Easter this Sunday. Here in Portugal, where we have a strong Roman Catholic tradition, this is a very important celebration and because of that this Friday (14th of April) is a holiday and (obviously) Sunday is too.

Last week I finally received two of my three copies of The Norton Anthology of World Literature, which I plan to use as an aid to my literature classes. Honestly, I also think that if I want to be a serious "aspiring academic" in literature I have to do some extra reading in order to broaden my horizons. One of my lecturers told me this is one of the best anthologies that cover a wide span of literature and that it is perfect for some further reading as well as an aid for my class work  (*caughs* essays * caughs again*). This is quite an investment since the books are really expensive but I hope that this will be a worthy one. 

Along with this, I have a lot of tests and assignments coming up! I find myself spending an increasing amount of time in the library studying. The other day I spent four and a half hours sitting down and revising Cultural Studies materials and was only reminded I had class by my Google Calendar. 

Sometimes is very difficult to keep track of time! There is so much stuff to do that I get lost in my tasks and end up working like a robot. The library is also a good place to sit down and read books for reviews. This happens because I can actually sit down put my kindle/book on the table and take notes on what I cannot forget to mention on the review post.

When you are surrounded by a bunch of people that are being productive it is easier to be productive. At least that is what I believe in. When I'm in a library full of professionals (or serious students) working I find myself in kind of a competition on who's studying more (not that they're aware of that).

When I cannot find the time to got to the library I try to use all the dead time I have to read what I need/want to read. I read on the train, on the bus, between classes, while I'm eating, while I'm brushing my teeth, before I go to bed... No this is not an addiction!

Having a book blog is something I love and it fulfils me but I have to admit that it is also very time consuming (especially when you have many many books to read and analyse for university). I have to find the time to sit down and read critically, which is something I'm getting better at. I also have to find the time to sit down and write, plan and format blog posts and also reply to emails and work on the blog's social media platforms. Blogging is not only writing, you have to find source material, original ideas and also cannot forget to cross post!

One of the things that I have noticed that changed a lot since high school is studying in school breaks. Before I never even thought of studying when I was on break but now I know that doing work in advance will save me a lot of pain during the rest of the semester!

Now that I'm home, I'm trying to read and schedule some posts for the blog while also doing some work in advance and studying for my exams. While doing all of this is essential it is also crucial to understand that you need to get out of the house, absorb a little of sun and hang out with some friends. A balance is always needed so please always try to achieve it (believe me, that's how you avoid burn out).

To end all the rambling mess this blog post is I have some very very cool news! I'm now a Book Depository Affiliate! This is my way of trying to get some funding to get better source materials and resources to make this blog the best it can possibly be!

From now on, all of the links to Book Depository within the blog will have the affiliate link and with that, I will win a small commission on your order. You do not pay more because of this. 

I hope you liked this post!

Love, Ana

Blackburn Castle

Tortured Souls Series Book 2

by R.C. Matthews

Genre: Historical Romance, Paranormal

Victor Blackburn is living on borrowed time. An ancient curse violently claims the life of each Blackburn male on his twenty-seventh birthday. As his approaches, his only hope of survival is a witch who vanished long ago without a trace.Mercy Seymour eagerly counts down the days until the curse will claim Victor’s life. She watched him murder her mother, and only his death will free her of the hatred and anger she harbors.When fate throws them together in Devil’s Cove, desire simmers between the handsome pirate and the spirited barkeeper’s niece until they learn the truth about each other. Desperate for her cooperation, Victor spirits her away to Blackburn Castle in the Scottish Highlands, where forces of magic and mists from beyond the grave weaken her resolve, opening her eyes to the truth of the past.As Victor and Mercy unearth the fabled stones needed to break the curse, they discover that the only weapon powerful enough to destroy hate is love. But will they have to sacrifice their relationship to save what means the most to them?

RELEASE DATE of April 10, 2017

Goodreads * Amazon

Devil's Cove

Tortured Souls Book 1

Shrouded in unspeakable horror and spoken of only in whispers, the abandoned Devil's Cove Manor lures Captain Devlin Limmerick and his unquenchable thirst for revenge to its doors. Feared as the Devil on the high seas, the pirate's desire to avenge his past is matched only by his hunger for the powerful young medium he has coerced to aid him in his nefarious quest.Blinded from youth and touched with an ability to communicate beyond the grave, Grace is both feared and revered by the uneasy town folk. Yet she is powerless against the unrest brewing within the manor walls and finds herself drawn to the Devil's darkness. Still, she refuses to sacrifice her soul to set Devlin's unspeakable plans in motion.But an evil lurks within these walls, and their very souls are in jeopardy. Grace's presence at the manor spurs inexplicable happenings, forcing Devlin to believe nothing is as dead as it seems - not even his heart. Plunged into the throes of passion and danger, they discover the only way out is to search deep within and summon the courage to believe in true love.

Goodreads * Amazon

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads

R.C. Matthews’ debut book entitled Little White Lies, was conceived in 1997 while living in Cologne, Germany. However, marriage, children and a day job that paid the bills put writing the book on the back burner until 2012 when she discovered the folder with her research in the basement while reorganising! Determined to finally realise her life-long dream of writing a book, R.C. Matthews spent 15 months writing on weekends to complete the manuscript.R.C. Matthews was raised in the Metro-Detroit area by deaf parents along with four siblings. She graduated from a liberal arts college with a B.A. in Accounting and German and continues to work as a certified public accountant. She enjoys travelling with her loving husband and children, reading, downhill skiing, and playing board games. Talisman and LIFE are high on the list of favourites at her home.R.C. Matthews is the author of contemporary and historical romances featuring bold, sassy heroines and magnetic alpha heroes. Warning! The chemistry between her characters is off the charts hot, so read at your own risk. She resides in the Midwest and is surrounded by men: her husband and three sons. During her free time, you'll find her watching The Walking Dead, reading a fabulous book or hanging out with her family.

Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Source: ebook (purchased)
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Summary:

Abandoned by her birth parents and ignored by her adoptive family, Maddy Page believes she is unlovable. She only allows herself to dream of falling in love. That changes when she meets MJ; handsome and kind, MJ penetrates Maddy’s defenses. Maddy soon finds herself confiding in MJ like she has with no one else, revealing secrets even her closest friends don’t know. He makes her feel safe—a feeling she’s never experienced except in her dreams.
When Maddy witnesses MJ disappear and reappear in thin air, she realizes she might have been wrong about him. He could be dangerous—maybe even a killer. Determined to uncover the truth of who—or what—MJ is, Maddy ignores her instinct to run. But she soon realizes that getting close to MJ could cost more than a broken heart—it could cost Maddy her soul.

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realise that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. - Goodreads

Elias and Laia are running for their lives. After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.

Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars’ survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.

But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.

Bound to Marcus’s will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape…and kill them both. - Goodreads

Abandoned by her birth parents and ignored by her adoptive family, Maddy Page believes she is unlovable. She only allows herself to dream of falling in love. That changes when she meets MJ; handsome and kind, MJ penetrates Maddy’s defences. Maddy soon finds herself confiding in MJ like she has with no one else, revealing secrets even her closest friends don’t know. He makes her feel safe—a feeling she’s never experienced except in her dreams.
When Maddy witnesses MJ disappear and reappear in thin air, she realises she might have been wrong about him. He could be dangerous—maybe even a killer. Determined to uncover the truth of who—or what—MJ is, Maddy ignores her instinct to run. But she soon realises that getting close to MJ could cost more than a broken heart—it could cost Maddy her soul. - Goodreads

Publisher: Evernight Teen
Source: ebook (given by Netgalley)
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Summary:

A princess, a pea, and a tower of mattresses. This is the sliver that survives of a story more nightmare than fairytale... Maggie Rhodes, high school junior and semi-reformed stalker, learns the tale's true roots after a spying attempt goes awry and her best friend Kate ends up as the victim of an ancient curse. At the center of the curse lies an enchanted emerald that has been residing quietly in a museum for the past fifty years. Admirers of the gem have no idea that it feeds on life. Or that it's found its next victim in Kate. Enter Lindy, a school acquaintance who knows more than she's letting on, and Garon, a handsome stranger claiming he knows how to help, and Maggie is left wondering who to trust and how to save her best friend before it's too late. If only Maggie knew her connection to the fairy tale was rooted far deeper than an endangered best friend.