Sunday, June 30, 2013

Immortals Of Meluha Read Along: Week 4 {Wrap up}


It just seemed like yesterday when we'd started the conversation on how all of us wanted to read The Immortals of Meluha and before the blink of an eye we had a read along on our hands. It seems totally unreal to me that 4 weeks have passed so soon and we're onto the wrap up of the Immortals of Meluha read along.

For those of you, like me, who haven't caught up yet to all the discussions and the very beautiful posts made by my co hosts you can go take a look at them through the links below-

by Ankita at Booklok Coffee.

by Sarika at The Readdicts

by Kartik at MeBookGeeko

Now, I gotta admit that I haven't read the book yet. Yes, shame on me and I suck as a host and I have no excuses to give. So, I'm gonna keep it simple. I lack the creativity unlike Sarika and Ankita who made such lovely posts and I lack the details as I haven't read the book yet. So I have no lengthy questions or answers or any great philosophical finds.

I'm just gonna ask a bunch of general questions and answer them truthfully hoping y'all do the same :)

Q 1. Have you finished reading Immortals of Meluha?

This is embarrassing but I guess I deserve it. No, I haven't finished reading Immortals of Meluha yet.

Q 2. Did you enjoy reading it?

Again, I can't say but in general from what I've heard and spoken with Ankita and Sarika the book is not all that easy to get into. You need to have time and patience to enjoy it, I guess.

Q 3. What are your last thoughts on the book? Will it stay with you for a long time or is it that you can't wait to forget about it?

I'm gonna skip this one.

Q 4. Will you be reading The Secret of the Nagas and The Oath of the Vayuputras?

I do not see this happening for me in the near future at least. But you never know what might happen.

Q 5. Was the book how you expected it to be?

I'm no one to speak here but before starting it I did have hopes and good, if not high expectations of it. Therefore I was one of the few or many, who were disappointed by it.

Q 6. Would you recommend this series to anyone?

Um, I don't think so, unless and until the person is like a hard core mythology fan and just desperately wants to know what's going on in Amish's books. There are several better books out there.

Q 7. How do you feel about Amish's writing style?

From what I can tell the lengthy descriptions are not easy to get through but if it helps in the whole world building I wouldn't mind it. But I don't know if this series has that much of a capacity to pull me in.

Q 8. What are you expecting from The Immortals of Meluha movie if there is one? Will you be watching it?

When Sarika and I had gone for Amish's book signing he did say that there was a movie in the works. I am a movie buff so I will probably watch it in spite of how the book turns out to be.

Q 9. Do you think the book lives up to its hype?

There are several books which don't live up to its hype and sadly, Immortals of Meluha is one of them for me. Actually, maybe it does live up to its hype for some of you but it is just a genre I failed to instantly connect with so it was a fail for me.

Q 10. What are you currently reading? What do you plan to read next?

I'm currently reading Allure by Nina Lane and I'm enjoying every single word of it. Its an amazingly brilliant book which I hope to devour. I plan to read some new adult book like, The Forever of Ella and Micha next.

I would love to know your answers to any and every question!
Hope y'all had a good time :)
Happy Reading!

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Review- This Girl by Colleen Hoover

Goodreads Summary:

There are two sides to every love story. Now hear Will’s.

Colleen Hoover’s New York Times bestselling Slammed series has brought countless readers to their knees with a whirlwind of love, passion, and heartache. 

Layken and Will’s love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances and the young lovers, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union. As much as Layken relishes their new life together, she finds herself wanting to know everything there is to know about her husband, even though Will makes it clear he prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong. Still, he can’t resist his wife’s pleas and so he begins to untangle his side of the story, revealing for the first time his most intimate feelings and thoughts, retelling both the good and bad moments, and sharing a few shocking confessions of his own from the time when they first met.

In This Girl, Will tells the story of their complicated relationship from hispoint of view. Their future rests on how well they deal with the past in this final installment of the beloved Slammed series.


Slammed series:


REVIEW:

I got schooled this year by three books- three very heart-warming books and one author- one very amazing author. 
It taught me many things about love, life, family and friendship

I could tell you how much I loved Slammed and Point Of Retreat. 

But there's nothing you haven't already heard. 

I could tell you how much I loved This Girl. 

But there's nothing you don't already know. 
When we read books, we meet people. 

People we don't realise we've missed until we go back to them. 

And once we go back to them, they do nothing but bring a smile to our faces. 

 Colleen Hoover's make us believe love happens in the most unexpected yet oddly familiar ways. 
It might be cheesy, it might be cliché, it might be repetitive and it might be the same. 

But if it's done right and if it's loved, then why should she stop? 

It's breathtaking, this book. 

Although I missed the grandparents and wished for more Kel, Caulder, Kiersten, Eddie and Gavin, what it was, was lovely. 

Lake and Will, with their flaws and imperfections, make an amazing couple with their love and care.   

You'd wish for nothing but happiness for them. 

But happiness doesn't come easily because reality comes in the way. 

And when that happens, it only shows you your own path and where your heart lies. 
I can't say much. 

This book was, not surprisingly, very pleasing. 

I hope this atrociously ridiculous attempt at slam (if this can even be called that) shows how much I loved this story of this one girl and that one guy who will remain in my heart for a very long time. 

It's been three butterflyingly beautiful books and one bittersweet journey, full of tears and laughter. 

And now, after that super sweet epilogue, let Lake and Will be happy for as long as they love and live. 


RATING:


Cover Reveal- My Unexpected Forever by Heidi McLaughlin

We're excited to join in the Cover Reveal for Heidi McLaughlin's My Unexpected Forever (Beaumont #2). Just look below! 



ebook
Expected publication: 
September 2, 2013
I expected a life of music.
I expected to raise my son.


It took one look to make everything change.

I never expected happiness.
I never expected to find her.
I never expected to feel desire.
I never expected I’d be a family man.
I never expected to be loved.
I never expected to fall in love.
They say you should expect the unexpected. I didn’t realize my unexpected would be the forever kind.







Heidi is the author of USA Today, Digital Book World, Amazon and Barnes & Noble Bestselling novel, Forever My Girl.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell and two Parakeets.

During the day Heidi is behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, she's writing one of the many stories planned for release or sitting court-side during either daughter's basketball games.
Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr | Facebook | Blog 





Friday, June 28, 2013

Cover Reveal- I Breathe You by Lori L. Clark

Hello, guys! I am extremely happy to join in the Cover Reveal for author Lori L. Clark's new book, I Breathe You. Lori's books are truly different, dashing and very exciting so I cannot wait for this one! 
Below is the gorgeous cover and all the basic info about the book. 

BOOK & AUTHOR INFO:

I Breathe You by Lori L. Clark 

Publication date:  July 2013 
Genre: NA contemporary romance



SYNOPSIS:

When a tragic accident leaves Rhane Evans -- lead vocalist for the rock band Fate's Crazy -- permanently unable to speak above a whisper and kills the love of her life, she moves across the state to pick up the pieces. Shattered, Rhane struggles to understand what happened the night of the accident, an accident everyone blames her for, even though she wasn't driving the car.

Enter Ian Callahan. He's the one person who may have a more tumultuous past than Rhane. Though they try hard to deny the sizzling attraction between them, it proves nearly impossible. When Ian's troubled past threatens to tear them apart, they begin to believe happiness isn't in their cards.

Because Fate's Crazy that way...


AUTHOR INFO:


I read, I write, I run 1/2 marathons for fun. Ten things about me: 

1. I'm an only child. 
2. I love dogs! 
3. I was born in Iowa City, Iowa and lived in Iowa my whole life until January 2007. 
4. I worked as a professional psychic reader for 2 years. 
5. I'm a Pisces Sun, Leo Moon with Aquarius rising. 
6. I've written 5 books and am in the process of brainstorming a 6th. 
7. I don't look or act my age! 
8. I ran my first 1/2 marathon at age 50. 
9. I love 80's hair band music. 
10. My day job is as a claims payment analyst for one of Fortune 500 Magazine's "Top 100 places in America to work."

AUTHOR LINKS: 


I can't wait for this book to come out! 









Feature & Follow Friday #45


Feature and Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Today's question is:

Q: What is your preferred reading format? Hardcover, eBooks, paperback etc?

My answer: 

Honestly, books are books, no matter what format they are in. If I know that I really want to read something, I'll read it in whatever format I can get it in. Over time, however, I have realized that, in terms of speed, I go faster with e-books as they are convenient and easy. At the same time, I love to collect and leisurely read physical copies of books as well. 

What's your preferred format? 

We are THIS close to reaching 500 GFC followers, so new followers, a GFC follow would be highly appreciated. We'll follow back via the method of your preference. 


Happy Friday and happy reading! 





Thursday, June 27, 2013

Review- Love is Vodka by Amit Shankar

Summary-

If love is all about freedom and honest expression then how can one associate it with loyalty?

Being a love child; Moon, the protagonist is anything but a conventional teen. With a leading TV news anchor as her mother, an aspiring entrepreneur as her boy friend, the word LOVE baffles her. The whole idea of having one partner and love being eternal is beyond her comprehension. 

Life turns upside down when she falls for the CEO, who happens to be her mother's boyfriend too. Destiny further complicates things by blessing her with a big time modelling assignment and she becomes famous and popular overnight.

A war starts waging between her head & heart on a lot of issues exposing her to various forms of love online & offline. 

Will she decipher the true meaning of love? Embark on an exhilarating rendezvous with Moon and discover love like never before.

Review-

I thought Love Is Vodka a Shot ain't Enough would be a different read with the protagonist trying to figure out herself and the world around her. She is 19, almost the same age as me so I expected to relate to her without even trying to. Unfortunately, none of these things happened. I was frustrated with Moon and her actions and had to force myself to get through the book.

Moon, is our protagonist. Being the love child of a French father and a mother who is a leading TV news anchor her life has always been complicated. She is still trying to figure out what love means and if love equals to loyalty. Maybe that is the reason she strings along numerous boys along with her. Sometimes Moon's internal monologues just made her sound whiny, indecisive and shallow to me.

First, Moon has her childhood boyfriend and first love, Ash. I didn't exactly get the reason for her getting bored with him, but she does and immediately falls for her mother's boyfriend. Yes, you read that right, her mother's boyfriend who is 25 years older than her. But still, age is just a number and I could actually accept that but all this happens while she is cheating on Ash. Then there are other guys like Nikhil, Aditya and Gautam who are sprinkled along the book with sexual interludes.

I did not get the point of it. There was no real meaning behind her actions and her behavior most of the times frustrated me. There was no journey about discovering the meaning behind love and why we all seem to have stereotyped it a certain way. Moon is shown as a beautiful young girl who becomes popular overnight  with her modelling assignments but then suddenly the book takes a turn into politics.

Maybe it was just me, but I really couldn't understand Moon's motives behind her actions. The latter part of the book was focused on political parties and rallies and anti corruption. But what has all this got to do with love? I didn't get it. Moon's character shows little growth and her tantrums made me dislike her even more. The end felt a bit too abrupt to me. The only thing good about the book was its writing which was clear and fast paced. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the book. At all.

*Note: This book was provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.



Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway- Confessions Of An Almost-Girlfriend by Louise Rozett

Hello guys and welcome to our stop on the Confessions Of An Almost-Girlfriend Blog Tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours
You can find the full Tour schedule and follow it right here


Confessions Of An Almost-Girlfriend is the second book in author Louise Rozett's Confessions series. You can read Janhvi's review of the first book, Confessions Of An Angry Girl right here. 


Confessions of an Angry Girl (Confessions #1)  
Release Date: 08/28/12
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Paperback/e-book
288 pages           

  Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend (Confessions #2)
Release Date: 06/18/13
Publisher: Harlequin Teen


CONFESSIONS OF AN ALMOST-GIRLFRIEND BOOK SUMMARY:

Rose Zarelli has big plans for sophomore year—everything is going to be different. This year, she’s going to be the talented singer with the killer voice, the fabulous girl with the fashionista best friend, the brainiac who refuses to let Jamie Forta jerk her around...

...but if she’s not careful, she’s also going to be the sister who misses the signals, the daughter who can only think about her own pain, the “good girl” who finds herself in mid-scandal again (because no good deed goes unpunished) and possibly worst of all...the almost-girlfriend.

When all else fails, stop looking for love and go find yourself.

BOOK LINKS:



                                             ABOUT AUTHOR LOUISE ROZETT: 


Louise Rozett is an author, a playwright, and a recovering performer. She made her YA debut with Confessions of an Angry Girl, published by Harlequin Teen. The next book in the series, Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend, is due out June 2013. She lives with her 120-pound Bernese Mountain dog Lester (named after Lester Freamon from THE WIRE, of course) in one of the world's greatest literary meccas, Brooklyn...and also in sunny Los Angeles. (Being bi-coastal is fun!) Visit WEBSITE for more info.


REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of Confessions Of An Almost-Girlfriend (Confessions #2) by Louise Rozett from Net Galley. We thank Louise and Net Galley for the book! 

I had read some absolutely great things about the first book in Louise Rozett'Confessions seriesConfessions Of An Angry Girl. For me, the book turned to be full of teenage drama which was like watching a TV series that I didn't quite like as much as the others did. But the second book, Confessions Of An Almost-Girlfriend, was much better with a lot of content and many things happening. 
Rose Zarelli, the protagonist is about to start her new school year after summer break. She wants the school to meet a new Rose, Rose 2.0. After everything that happened with Rose in the first book, it is hard not to feel anything for her. I like how Rose stands up not only for others but for herself as well. I liked her more in the second book than I did in the first one. I really admired how Rose was, slowly and steadily, starting to do what she wanted to do. The memorial website she starts to honour her dad was a nice gesture.
The Confessions series has a ton of characters and I found this phenomenon very confusing in Confessions Of An Angry Girl, but in Confessions Of An Almost-Girlfriend, I had a strong hold on all the characters I was reading about and I even wanted to get to know them better. 
Along with a lot of changes in situations and personalities, in the second book, we get a look at the general scenarios of all the characters who matter most. Some stories were heartbreaking while others gave a new outlook on the same situation. I felt a lot while reading this book because it had a lot of emotions- something that the first book lacked. 
The huge number of secondary characters makes it difficult to write about them. Prominent among them were Jamie, who was there a lot in this book and the few romance scenes between him and Rose were well shown. I also like Jamie's best friend and Rose's friend Angelo. He's an awesome guy who is funny and sweet. Rose's family (her mom Kathleen and her brother Peter) were broken in their own way and were trying their best to get things back on track. All of Rose's friends made for great supporting characters and had a major role to play when it comes to the plot. 
I really liked how an important issue was taken up in a dramatic yet casual way by author Louise Rozett. That was what got me and made me like the book more than I thought I would. Overall, even though the book didn't exactly end abruptly or on a cliffhanger, it ended on such a note that shows there's more to come. Confessions Of An Almost-Girlfriend was way better than the first book and it was an emotional yet highly enjoyable read that Young Adult fans will devour. 

RATING:


GIVEAWAY:

One lucky winner will get a signed copy of ANGRY GIRL, a signed copy of ALMOST-GIRLFRIEND, and a $25 iTunes gift card! (US only)


Thank you so much for stopping by and happy reading! 


Review- Confessions Of An Almost-Girlfriend by Louise Rozett

Goodreads Summary:

Rose Zarelli has big plans for sophomore year—everything is going to be different. This year, she’s going to be the talented singer with the killer voice, the fabulous girl with the fashionista best friend, the brainiac who refuses to let Jamie Forta jerk her around...

...but if she’s not careful, she’s also going to be the sister who misses the signals, the daughter who can only think about her own pain, the “good girl” who finds herself in mid-scandal again (because no good deed goes unpunished) and possibly worst of all...the almost-girlfriend.

When all else fails, stop looking for love and go find yourself.


Confessions series:


REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of Confessions Of An Almost-Girlfriend (Confessions #2) by Louise Rozett from Net Galley. We thank Louise and Net Galley for the book! 

I had read some absolutely great things about the first book in Louise Rozett's Confessions series, Confessions Of An Angry Girl. For me, the book turned to be full of teenage drama which was like watching a TV series that I didn't quite like as much as the others did. But the second book, Confessions Of An Almost-Girlfriend, was much better with a lot of content and many things happening. 
Rose Zarelli, the protagonist is about to start her new school year after summer break. She wants the school to meet a new Rose, Rose 2.0. After everything that happened with Rose in the first book, it is hard not to feel anything for her. I like how Rose stands up not only for others but for herself as well. I liked her more in the second book than I did in the first one. I really admired how Rose was, slowly and steadily, starting to do what she wanted to do. The memorial website she starts to honour her dad was a nice gesture.
The Confessions series has a ton of characters and I found this phenomenon very confusing in Confessions Of An Angry Girl, but in Confessions Of An Almost-Girlfriend, I had a strong hold on all the characters I was reading about and I even wanted to get to know them better. 
Along with a lot of changes in situations and personalities, in the second book, we get a look at the general scenarios of all the characters who matter most. Some stories were heartbreaking while others gave a new outlook on the same situation. I felt a lot while reading this book because it had a lot of emotions- something that the first book lacked. 
The huge number of secondary characters makes it difficult to write about them. Prominent among them were Jamie, who was there a lot in this book and the few romance scenes between him and Rose were well shown. I also like Jamie's best friend and Rose's friend Angelo. He's an awesome guy who is funny and sweet. Rose's family (her mom Kathleen and her brother Peter) were broken in their own way and were trying their best to get things back on track. All of Rose's friends made for great supporting characters and had a major role to play when it comes to the plot. 
I really liked how an important issue was taken up in a dramatic yet casual way by author Louise Rozett. That was what got me and made me like the book more than I thought I would. Overall, even though the book didn't exactly end abruptly or on a cliffhanger, it ended on such a note that shows there's more to come. Confessions Of An Almost-Girlfriend was way better than the first book and it was an emotional yet highly enjoyable read that Young Adult fans will devour. 

RATING:



Release Day: Excerpt + Giveaway- Addicted To You by Coline Brennan

Today is the release day of Coline Brennan's Young Adult/ New Adult Contemporary Romance, Addicted To You and we're glad to participate in the release day madness for the Addicted To NA Campaign
We have an excerpt and a giveaway for you in the post below. 

Colina Brennan
ADDICTED TO YOU
Addicted to NA 2013 Campaign


BOOK SUMMARY:

When twenty-one-year-old Leah Carter's latest one night stand burglarizes her apartment, her roommate forces her to attend therapy for sex addicts. Leah insists she isn't a sex addict; she just doesn't do relationships. After all, sooner or later, everyone lets you down.


At first, the group sessions are little more than an education on how to be promiscuous. Until she meets the newest addict—blue eyes, killer body, and a smile that tempts relapse.



Psychology student Will McLean is posing as a fellow addict while researching a case study on unusual addictions. But the more he learns about Leah, the more certain he is that his desire to break through her walls and unearth her secrets has nothing to do with his assignment.

As the uncertainties spike alongside the sexual tension, the only thing Leah knows for sure is that falling in love would be disastrous. Too bad love might be one addiction she can't kick.


EXCERPT:

Leah hated Thursdays. Specifically, she hated what she was forced to do on Thursdays—a program called ‘Heal the Heart, Save the Body,’ which was a convoluted way of saying ‘therapy for sex addicts.’
Despite her roommate’s insistence, Leah did not have a ‘sex problem.’ So she liked the occasional one night stand. So what? She was twenty-one and single. There was nothing wrong with wanting to make the most of it.
Yet here she was, preparing for another session where she’d have to listen to some old guy attempt to teach a room full of so-called sexual deviants the skills to function in a civilized world.
Because left to their own devices, they wouldn’t be able to resist the primal urge to hump everything that moved. Obviously.
Who decided sex was an addiction anyway? Or that someone should need therapy to “fix” it? Sex was good for you. It was a de-stresser. If it wasn’t, then you were doing it wrong.
She made a face at the platter of cookies set on an uneven seat a few feet away. She had tried one of them a few meetings ago, and it had nearly broken her tooth. They were sturdy enough to survive a nuclear apocalypse. They were cockroach cookies.
Maybe that was the key to these therapy sessions—to knock everyone out with stale confections so they were incapable of having sex.

AUTHOR INFORMATION: 

Colina Brennan grew up in a small city, which gave her plenty of time to read and stretch her imagination. By day, she's attached to her kids, and by night, to her laptop. She writes about the fantastical and the romantic, and everything in between. Addicted to You is her first novel.

Facebook: BrennanColina
Goodreads: Colina Brennan
Twitter: @BrennanColina

GIVEAWAY: