Today Stacey Hargreaves from the blog Fairy Tale Ending Book Reviews has pulled up a chair at the table to tell us all about her book obsession.

Tell us a bit about yourself

I’ve been a bookworm for as long as I can remember but like most teenagers, I was easily distracted by the boys and soon the books took a backseat! Whilst doing my GCSEs and studying for my Chartered Accountancy exams during my late teens/early twenties, I struggled to find much time to read. Now I’m happily engaged and settled in my job, I’ve picked up where I left off but in the fortunate position of being able to afford more books!

What made you start a blog reviewing books?

When I read a book I love, I want to tell the world but unfortunately, very few of my close friends enjoy reading like I do. I’d come across a few book blogs and decided that could be my outlet to spread my love for the books I’d enjoyed.

Just looking at your list I think we have similar tastes, would I be right in thinking you prefer a book with a bit of steam?

It’s the romance I’m a true fan of, hence my love of new adult and chicklit too but it never hurts to have a bit of steam!

What in your opinion is the sexiest book out there (that you have read)?

Forbidden by Lora Leigh. I think Joe in the book is right when he says that Keiley is living every woman’s sexual fantasy but it is a fantasy that for me, was made sexier by the fact that there was so much love involved too.

Do you have a favourite series of books?

With a bit of steam: The Crossfire series (so far). This series is such a nice light read with just the right amount of steam. I was really shocked that the third book wasn’t the end of the series as I’d expected – I can’t wait for books 4 and 5 to be released.

Otherwise I’d have to say the Paige Toon books. Whilst not technically a series, there is always a clever link between the characters of each book so I like to class them as a series. Paige writes fantastic chicklit stories and I’ve yet to read a book I’ve not enjoyed. My favourites are Lucy in the Sky and Chasing Daisy.

Is there any book out there that just downright shocked you?

The Original Sinners series by Tiffany Reisz. The Catholic priest is shocking enough to begin with but then they move on to blood-play, rape-play and breath-play… Suddenly Christian Grey and his red room of pain seem like child’s play. That said, they’re fantastically written and I enjoyed the series so much I would still recommend the books to others – I’d just warn them beforehand.

Who is your ultimate book boy?

Travis Maddox from Beautiful Disaster/Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire.
He’s everything you could want in a bad boy and more. Sexy, intelligent, kind, caring, sexy, thoughtful, passionate, protective… and did I mention sexy?!

Please feel free to give us a visual!

For you what are the essential ingredients in a book?

I think all books need a hot guy, some romance and a fairy tale ending.

Do you prefer digital or paperback?

In an ideal world, I’d prefer to read paperback but since I have a house rather than a library, I mostly read ebooks. I read on my iPad so I’m lucky that I can access both the iBooks and Kindle libraries, having a huge choice available to read within minutes and they’re often cheaper than a paperback too. I do have all of my favourites in paperback though, even if it means buying a second copy.

Are you finding authors are supportive of your reviews?

I haven’t really had much interaction with many authors but those I’ve tagged in Twitter links are generally polite and retweet the link to the reviews.

If you could have a party with 8 characters who would they be?

I think the majority of the party guests would have to come from Lindsey Kelk’s books:
Angela & Jenny to provide the chaos and glamour
James because every good party needs a gay Hollywood star
Alex to provide the music (and some eye candy)
And the fun trio from Single Girls; Redhead Rachel, Emelie and Matthew

The final guest would have to be Max Stella from Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren – for me. Just me. No touching!

Do you have any pet hates about being a reviewer?

ARCs are my pet hate. I totally understand why they exist and the benefit to the authors to have reviews out there creating demand ahead of the release date but for those reviewers not lucky enough to receive them, it often means that our reviews are almost outdated since we’ve had to wait until the release date. I’m really not comfortable asking for ARCs either – I feel like I’m being really cheeky and asking for a freebie when I’d be quite happy to pay for it.

How many books on average do you read a week?

Probably about 3-4 most weeks. I can easily read an entire book in an evening – I’d rather go into work tired than have to put down a book that has me gripped!

Do you feel under pressure if you haven’t had a blog post for a couple of days?

Definitely. I find it particularly difficult to split my time between work, reading, reviewing, sleeping and my fiancé (because apparently he can’t be ignored all of the time!). There are so many books I want to read that sometimes I just want to get started on the next book rather than spending time writing a review.

If you could take credit for reading any one book or series what would it be?

I think ultimately, this would have to be the Harry Potter series. I usually really struggle with fantasy books, not being able to immerse myself into the make-believe world, but like million of other readers I was fascinated by the Harry Potter series. A series so successful it had been translated into over 60 languages and has captivated the imaginations of such a wide audience; young and old.