Top Ten Tuesday #58

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is: 

top ten of Sarika's auto-buy authors

Here's my list:

Please note that all author images have been taken from Goodreads. Also, I don't necessarily read books by these authors as soon as they're out, but I buy them anyway. *winks* 

1) J. K. Rowling- I'm a  Potterhead, so JKR is my queen. 

2) Khaled Hosseini- No one can tell raw and real stories like him. 

3) Kelley York- She blows away my mind with her mind-fucking story-telling, every damn time. 

4) David Levithan- The. Most. Brilliant. Contemporary. Writer. 

5) John Green- His books are too interesing and cannot be skipped! 

6) Trish Doller- Her story-telling is very, very intriguing. 

7) Krista and Becca Ritchie- Their stories are very different and refreshing. 

8) Abbi Glines- She's my go-to author for when, once in a while, I'm in the mood for silly reads that aim for reader entertainment. 

9)  Laura Lee- Her stories are unconventional and really well thought of. 

10) Chetan Bhagat- King of controversy, yes. But I have to buy his books, for the collection, if nothing else.  

Do link me up to your posts in the comments below. Thank you for stopping by. Happy reading, everyone! 

Review- The Arithmetic of Breasts and Other Stories by Rochelle Potkar

Goodreads Summary:

Narain who lusts for Munika, hypnotized by her bosom in The Arithmetic of Breasts, and old Jaganlal who wants a favour from young Dia in The Room with a Sea-view.

Jackie who is in love with Nic in Sky Park, and the surgeon in Dr. Love who is changing much more than Sneha’s hairline, nose, lip and chin.

Shonali and Neel who are realizing that infidelity might not be such an easy thing in The Scent of a Conscience, and a woman who walks the tight rope between tradition and sexual exploitation in A place they call Scary.

And Sunil who meets the woman of his desires in What Men Want through an adult dating site.

Through these stories, Rochelle Potkar explores the intensely personal ‘unrelationship’ that exists alongside its conventional and socially articulate twin, the relationship.

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of The Arithmetic of Breasts and Other Stories by Rochelle Potkar from the author in exchange for an honest review. We thank Rochelle for the book! 

Author Rochelle Potkar's The Arithmetic of Breasts and Other Stories is a very offbeat and interesting collection of short stories that focuses on a series of themes, but ends up being about sexual drives and desires mostly. When I first heard about the book, I assumed that the common theme in all the stories would be the female breast- which is what made it interesting for me, as I have worked on the subject before. It was only when I read the first story that I realised that The Arithmetic of Breasts is just the title of the first story. So while exploitation of the breast wasn't the focus of this collection, it still leans towards feminism, which works well enough for me. 

While some of the stories seemed every vague and sometimes incomprehensible to me, the others were absolute hits. Some of my most favourite being- The Arithmetic of Breasts, Dr. Love, The Scent of a Conscience and Our Lovers. These four out of a total of nine stories really struck a chord with me, not just because they ticked all the boxes of some great story-telling on the part of the author, but also because these stories had human emotions and feelings at their core, which made it very raw and real. Some were even uncanny and rather difficult to fathom just because of the intensity of them. But honestly, those are the stories I hunt for, so it was satisfying. 

Coming to author Rochelle Potkar's writing, it was very smooth and easy to follow. The language was really well thought of and developed, with as tiny a use of colloquial language as possible, which is again a hit. I can easily see Rochelle's writing next to the feminist giants of the literary world that I have grown to admire and appreciate. I feel that the author's stories and most importantly, her story-telling are both very powerful. Just the way every story was different from the other and was equally gripping at the same time is real work on the author's part. 

Overall, there were a few stories in The Arithmetic of Breasts and Other Stories that I don't really care about, but as mentioned before, there are four stories that really stood out for me and that I have carried with me outside of the book. This is a great collection of short stories that really makes sense, has the reader contemplate over common human urges and basically just keep the reader occupied and entertained as well. It's definitely worth a read, or two in case one loves a story so much that it calls for reread or to just read some stories again only to understand them better. 

RATING:

Release Week Blitz: Review + Giveaway- The Moment of Letting Go by J.A.Redmerski

You can follow the rules or you can follow your heart...THE MOMENT OF LETTING GO

Sienna Murphy never does anything without a plan. And so far her plans have been working. Right after college, she got a prestigious job and gained the stability she'd always craved-until work takes her to the sun-drenched shores of Oahu and places her in the path of sexy surfer Luke Everett. For the first time, she lets her heart take control. Drawn to his carefree charm, she makes a spontaneous and very un-Sienna-like decision to drop everything and stay in Hawaii for two more weeks.

Luke lives fast and wild. When he meets Sienna, he's convinced that some no-strings-attached fun is just what she needs. As their nights quickly turn from playful to passionate, Luke can't deny the deep connection he feels. But there's a reason Luke doesn't do long-term. He can't promise Sienna forever, when the enormity of his past has
shown him just how fragile the future can be . . . 

Review-

I decided to read J.A.Redmerski's The Moment of Letting Go solely based on the fact that it had a pretty cover and the summary sounded really intriguing. I enjoy reading new adult contemporary romances but The Moment of Letting Go was so much more than just another romance. This book totally blew me away and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Let's start with Sienna. Sienna has seen her parents struggle financially when she was growing up so now she never does anything without a plan. She has a well paying job though it doesn't give her much time to pursue her passion of photography. But everything changes when she meets Luke in Hawaii. I really liked Sienna. She was such a sweet girl with her head on her shoulders. I loved her personality and she was very easy to relate to.

Then we have Luke. Luke likes living on the edge. When we first meet him you think he is just another guy but there is SO much more depth and history to him. Luke likes doing extreme sports for a reason and he is still dealing with the loss of a loved one. He finds peace when he is with Sienna and the attraction between them is easy to see. I loved the fact that Luke was a good guy. He genuinely cared about Sienna and her feelings. 

Sienna and Luke have chemistry from the instant they meet. You'd think this book would go like a no strings attached relationship but I was happy to be proved wrong. It kinda goes the slow burn romance way but the friendship and attraction is there ever present. I loved how Luke helped Sienna overcome her fears. Sienna gave Luke the peace he was searching for. They both overcame a lot of their issues by the end of the book.

I also enjoyed Luke and Sienna's friends. All the side characters were fully fleshed out and had an important role to play. This book sends out such a great messgae. We sometimes get so wrapped up in achieving the material things in life that we forget to live freely. This book just hit all the right notes for me and I would highly recommend it to everybody.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided via Netgalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Buy the book!

Amazon

B&N

iBook

GooglePlay

Kobo

BAM

About the author:

J. A. Redmerski, New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas with her three children, two cats and a Maltese. She is a lover of television and books that push boundaries. 

Connect with the author!

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Share link- https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/26635ce2238/

Thank you so much guys and happy reading! :)

Review- The Moment of Letting Go by J.A.Redmerski

Summary-

You can follow the rules or you can follow your heart...THE MOMENT OF LETTING GO

Sienna Murphy never does anything without a plan. And so far her plans have been working. Right after college, she got a prestigious job and gained the stability she'd always craved-until work takes her to the sun-drenched shores of Oahu and places her in the path of sexy surfer Luke Everett. For the first time, she lets her heart take control. Drawn to his carefree charm, she makes a spontaneous and very un-Sienna-like decision to drop everything and stay in Hawaii for two more weeks.

Luke lives fast and wild. When he meets Sienna, he's convinced that some no-strings-attached fun is just what she needs. As their nights quickly turn from playful to passionate, Luke can't deny the deep connection he feels. But there's a reason Luke doesn't do long-term. He can't promise Sienna forever, when the enormity of his past has shown him just how fragile the future can be . . . 

Review-

I decided to read J.A.Redmerski's The Moment of Letting Go solely based on the fact that it had a pretty cover and the summary sounded really intriguing. I enjoy reading new adult contemporary romances but The Moment of Letting Go was so much more than just another romance. This book totally blew me away and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Let's start with Sienna. Sienna has seen her parents struggle financially when she was growing up so now she never does anything without a plan. She has a well paying job though it doesn't give her much time to pursue her passion of photography. But everything changes when she meets Luke in Hawaii. I really liked Sienna. She was such a sweet girl with her head on her shoulders. I loved her personality and she was very easy to relate to.

Then we have Luke. Luke likes living on the edge. When we first meet him you think he is just another guy but there is SO much more depth and history to him. Luke likes doing extreme sports for a reason and he is still dealing with the loss of a loved one. He finds peace when he is with Sienna and the attraction between them is easy to see. I loved the fact that Luke was a good guy. He genuinely cared about Sienna and her feelings. 

Sienna and Luke have chemistry from the instant they meet. You'd think this book would go like a no strings attached relationship but I was happy to be proved wrong. It kinda goes the slow burn romance way but the friendship and attraction is there ever present. I loved how Luke helped Sienna overcome her fears. Sienna gave Luke the peace he was searching for. They both overcame a lot of their issues by the end of the book.

I also enjoyed Luke and Sienna's friends. All the side characters were fully fleshed out and had an important role to play. This book sends out such a great messgae. We sometimes get so wrapped up in achieving the material things in life that we forget to live freely. This book just hit all the right notes for me and I would highly recommend it to everybody.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided via Netgalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Waiting on Wednesday #133

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Dream Things True by Marie Marquardt

Publication Date: September 1, 2015

Summary-

A modern-day Romeo and Juliet story in which a wealthy Southern boy falls in love with an undocumented Mexican girl and together they face perils in their hostile Georgia town.

Evan, a soccer star and the nephew of a conservative Southern Senator, has never wanted for much -- except a functional family. Alma has lived in Georgia since she was two-years-old, excels in school, and has a large, warm Mexican family. Never mind their differences, the two fall in love, and they fall hard. But when ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) begins raids on their town, Alma knows that she needs to tell Evan her secret. There's too much at stake. But how to tell her country-club boyfriend that she’s an undocumented immigrant? That her whole family and most of her friends live in the country without permission. What follows is a beautiful, nuanced, well-paced exploration of the complications of immigration, young love, defying one’s family, and facing a tangled bureaucracy that threatens to completely upend two young lives.

The summary of Dream Things True looks really interesting so I'm looking forward to reading this one.

What are you waiting on? :)

Book Blitz- Blackmail Boyfriend by Chris Cannon

Blackmail Boyfriend

by Chris Cannon

Release Date: 08/11/15

Entangled Teen: Crush

Summary from Goodreads:

Sometimes, blackmail is the only weapon a girl has…

Haley Patterson has had a crush on golden boy Bryce Colton for ages. But then when she hears a rumor—Bryce is telling everyone that  he hooked up with her. With Haley’s reputation taking a nosedive, she gives Bryce him a choice: be her boyfriend for a month for a month or face the angry, cage-fighting boyfriend of the girl he actually did hook up withto show other guys that she’s dateable—despite her overprotective and very intimidating brothers.—or deal with the angry, cage-fighting boyfriend of the girl he actually did hook up with.

Bryce didn’t know the other Haley even had a boyfriend. He was just trying to get his ex off his back. And now doesn't know what's more unbelievable, not only is—that he's he being blackmailed,  or that he's being blackmailed by an honor student. His little “hook up” was supposed to end his problems with girls, not create new ones. Not only that, but his new “girlfriend” has two overprotective brothers, three-legged dogs, her father mows grass at the country club, and she's…well, difficult. And different.

Besides, everyone knows that perfect boys never fall for imperfect girls…Sometimes, giving in is all a boy can do…Can something so fake turn into something real?

Buy Links: 

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books│iBooks

About the Author:

Chris Cannon lives in Southern Illinois with her husband and her three dogs, Pete the shih tzu who sleeps on her desk while she writes, Molly the ever-shedding yellow lab, and Tyson the sandwich-stealing German Shepherd Beagle. She believes coffee is the Elixir of Life. Most evenings after work, you can find her sucking down caffeine and writing fire-breathing paranormal adventures or snarky romantic comedies.

Author Links:

   

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Series Review- Come Here, Go Away by Lori L. Clark

Goodreads Summary of Box Set:

Box Set: COME HERE, GO AWAY. 

All five books previously published individually. This box set includes five thousand extra, never before published words, where we find out, "And then what happened?!" 

COME HERE, GO AWAY is about the steamy, angsty, emotionally charged and flawed romance between a feisty self-defense instructor and a jaded billionaire who may or not be responsible for the death of his ex-wife. 

Follow along with Tori and Ambrose as their roller-coaster-ride of a romance unfolds. 

COME HERE, GO AWAY is the story of the screwed-up, sometimes deadly, romance between Victoria "Tori" Isley and Ambrose Flynn. A couple of complete opposites brought together when Flynn--a smoking hot billionaire--hires Tori to train his daughter in self-defense. 

Flynn was accused of hiring a hit-man to kill his ex-wife due to their bitter divorce and custody battle. Though Flynn was acquitted, the killer was never brought to justice and some still insist Flynn's guilty. His daughter moved back home with him, and now, Flynn worries that someone will try to kill her. Flynn maintains he had nothing to do with his ex-wife's murder and believes it was motivated by revenge. When Flynn hires Tori to give his daughter private lessons in self-defense at his mansion. Sparks fly!

Goodreads links to books in the series: 

Come Here, Go Away (Part One)

Come Here, Go Away (Part Two)

Come Here, Go Away (Part Three)

Come Here, Go Away (Part Four)

Come Here, Go Away (Part Five)

REVIEW:

What the hell! That ending was... No. Just, no. For a dark matter addict like me and for a series that has been intriguing and creepy, that ending was too full of sunshine and rainbows. So, no. 

I have read a few books written by author Lori L. Clark previously, and each one has left me wanting more. The Come Here, Go Away series wasn't any different. A five book series, we have here the story of Tori who went through a rough past and is now a self-defence instructor and does many part-time jobs. She is hired by Ambrose Flynn, hot millionaire who was suspected for the murder of his wife, to teach self-defence to his daughter Rose. 

There's no doubt for me now that Lori's writing is really nice. It's simple and has a nice flow that keeps the reader interested. The Come Here, Go Away series goes from Tori's point of view, and it was fun to be in her head. Her strong exterior is clearly a result of some major interior damage. I liked the idea of having a self-defence teacher as the protagonist. It kept the story very entertaining as I hadn't read anything similar before. Tori has her share of awkward moments, and they were amusing. Tori got on my nerves many times as the series progressed as she just seemed very vulnerable and weak for the sketch we got of her personality initially. She meets Ambrose through her instructor Patrick whose character was well done and described throughout. 

When Tori meets Ambrose, it was but obvious that something would cook between the two. I didn't like Ambrose all that much. He just seemed like another Christian Grey to me. And the more I read about him, the more my assumption was affirmed. While I was hoping that his character would develop and progress eventually, he just stayed the same. He was a nasty, fake and selfish brat who didn't appeal to me at all. His daughter seemed like a spoiled brat at first, but she was nice enough. Honestly, by the end, Rose was the only sensible character in this series. 

                         

Overall, the Come Here, Go Away series was quite interesting and eerie, which is a plus. Tori's relationship with her mother was very well portrayed and stood out the most for me. An intriguing read, it really left me wanting to know more, especially to see where the story was headed every time I finished one part. The epilogue kind of final end which is featured at the end of the box set was honestly the cheesiest, dumbest and most unrealistic end ever, and I just did not like all the unnecessary flare and useless drama. Read as separate books over some intervals, the series manages to pack some punch, but read as a whole series at once (like I did from book two onwards), it wasn't that great. 

Having said that, this series was a quick read that was quite decent, and definitely worth one read. 

OVERALL RATING: