Feature & Follow #55

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

Today's question is: 

Bookshelf Tour! Take us on a tour of your shelves.

My answer:

I've made a 30 second high on books and background noise and low on quality video.

And for those of you who are lazy like me or if the video doesn't load for some reason or the other, there's a collage of my shelves too so you can skip my bad attempt at videoing. 

I can't wait to go on numerous book shelf tours so link me up to your posts.

Follow us and we'll follow back.  

Happy Friday and happy reading! 

Review- Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

Summary-

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

Review-

I was super excited to get started on Wild Cards. I love Simone Elkeles. She's a fabulous writer and I had really high expectations out of this one, well, because she's Simone Elkeles! Wild Cards turned out to be a really good read if not brilliant.

Derek gets kicked out from his boarding school after he and his friends play a prank on his seniors. Now, he has no choice but to live with his step mother because his dad is deployed. Then he finds out that his step mother is pregnant and she plans to move back to her childhood home. I liked Derek. I felt a little sad for him cause he had nowhere to go and is essentially alone but he was a cocky charmer.

Ashtyn has only one aim in life, to play football. Try as she may he father refuses to notice her and so football is the only good thing left in her life. Then her sister moves back home, in tow with her 5 year old nephew and none other than Derek. Ashtyn was a cool girl. I liked how little fuss she made. She just wanted to be loved for who she was.

The fireworks start right at the moment Derek and Ashtyn meet. They have the whole chemistry thing going on but none of them are really ready to admit it. I enjoyed all the banter between them. They both have issues to sort through but I felt they were denying their feelings too much. There is a nice balance of humor and romance.

We also get to meet Ashtyn's team, whom I think the remaining books in the series will be based on. Simone Elkeles writes a beautiful story which captures the young adult mind to perfection. I really enjoyed Wild Cards and would recommend it to everyone.

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

Waiting On Wednesday #55

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

The Chaos of Starts by Kiersten White

Publication Date- September 10th 2013

Goodreads Summary:

Isadora’s family is seriously screwed up.

Of course, as the human daughter of Egyptian gods, that pretty much comes with the territory. She’s also stuck with parents who barely notice her, and a house full of relatives who can’t be bothered to remember her name. After all, they are going to be around forever—and she’s a mere mortal.

Isadora’s sick of living a life where she’s only worthy of a passing glance, and when she has the chance to move to San Diego with her brother, she jumps on it. But Isadora’s quickly finding that a “normal” life comes with plenty of its own epic complications—and that there’s no such thing as a clean break when it comes to family. Much as she wants to leave her past behind, she can’t shake the ominous dreams that foretell destruction for her entire family. When it turns out there may be truth in her nightmares, Isadora has to decide whether she can abandon her divine heritage after all.

Aside from the super prettiness of both the cover and the title, this book actually sounds very interesting. I'd love to give it a try once it's out. 

Link me up to your Waiting on Wednesday post this week so I can come check it out. 

Happy reading! 

Blog Tour: Book Spotlight/ Promo Post + Excerpt- Forget Me Not by Sarah Daltry

We're excited to be part of another Blog Tour hosted by Asli for New Adult novel, Forget Me Not by Sarah Daltry. 

Take a look below for all the info you'll need about the book! 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Forget Me Not

by Sarah Daltry

Published by SDE Press

New Adult erotic romance (18+ for explicit sex and language)

Heat Level: 4

Length: 309 pages

BOOK DESCRIPTION: 

Lily had a crush on her brother's best friend, Derek for years - which led to their steamy night ten months ago in her bedroom. Now, Lily is going off to college and she and Derek are still going strong. However, when school starts, she realizes it's hard to maintain a relationship while also trying to live her own life. She and Derek find themselves falling apart and Lily has no idea where to turn.

Enter Jack. Everything about him is wrong for Lily and she knows it, but she can't stop herself from being attracted to him. When things implode with Derek, it's Jack who is there to pick up the pieces - and show Lily an entirely new set of experiences she didn't know she was missing.

Of course, Jack has his own problems and once Lily gets to know him better, she starts to wonder if she can handle all of Jack. When Derek reappears on the scene, Lily is forced to decide between two guys and herself. Can she find herself without losing the people who matter in the process?

See where it began in the short story, "Her Brother's Best Friend."

LINKS (AVAILABLE AT):

AMAZON / AMAZON UK / APPLE / SMASHWORDS / BARNES & NOBLE / KOBO / SONY / ALL ROMANCE / PAPERBACK

EXCERPT:

He moves closer and already my body is responding. He smells like cigarettes and leather, two smells I never thought were sexy until now. I want to fall into his body, to be wrapped in his arms, and I fight it. It’s wrong and it makes no sense. I have everything I could ever want. Jack is just a distraction.

“I’m not that kind of girl,” I tell him.

He steps closer still and kisses my neck. His lips are soft, which is unexpected, and it sends a shiver through me. Jack brings me in to his chest. I can feel his heart beating; it’s quickening and it matches mine. I feel his tongue sliding down along my collarbone. There is nothing like this, but I need him to stop. And yet, I never want him to stop. “I’d love to know exactly what kind of girl you are.”

Almost as if they are not my own, my hands slip between his jacket and his shirt. The heat of his skin burns me even through the fabric of his clothes. His lips continue to travel downward, but as they reach the curve of my breasts, something in me wakes up. I tear myself away from him and back up a few inches.

“I have a boyfriend,” I repeat. “I can’t do this.”

“Where is he?” Jack asks. His eyes are burning.

“What?”

“Where is your boyfriend? You’ve mentioned him before, but you run into me a lot for someone who’s so in love.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sarah Daltry writes erotica and romance that ranges from sweet to steamy. She moves around a lot and has trouble committing to things. Forget Me Not is her second full length novel, although she also has several story collections and two novellas available. Her other novel, Bitter Fruits, was available shortly, but is now in the contract phase with a major publisher. When Sarah isn’t writing, she tends to waste a lot of time checking Facebook for pictures of cats, shooting virtual zombies, and simply staring out the window.

AUTHOR LINKS:

WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / PINTEREST / TUMBLR

Hope you enjoyed the post! Thank you for stopping by!

Teaser Tuesday #55

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Here's my teaser-

"I have no doubt that the wheels are turning in her head wondering why someone would cover their arms with ink. All she has to do is ask and I'll tell her. I'm an open book once you crack the cover."

-My Unexpected Forever by Heidi McLaughlin

Summary-

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.

What's your teaser?

Review- Uses For Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt

Goodreads Summary:

Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.

Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical,  Uses for Boys  is a story of breaking down and growing up.

REVIEW:

Wait. What? The book is over? Already? Seriously? 
This is perhaps the first book that I finished in a single sitting simply because I knew I'd be confused and perplexed had I taken a pause. I just wanted to get it over with and I was amazed and shocked to be greeted by the Acknowledgements just when I thought that the story was going somewhere. 
Okay, I must admit that I am a sucker for abrupt, cliff-hanger-ish and unhappy endings and I am always up for disturbing and messed up, which is why I was really excited for Uses For Boys. 

But. But, but, but, Uses For Boys has left me feeling everything and yet it feels like I'm feeling nothing. 
I want to actually sit and think over it and then, the next moment, I want to throw it all away and forget that I even read the book. 
I have no idea what I feel about Uses For Boys. 
Initially I thought the book would be fun with Anna having a go at numerous guys before finally meeting the one boy who changes her and her life forever, kind of like a female player version of a book. 

Unfortunately, Uses For Boys is anything but fun. 
With it's opaqueness and mystification, Uses For Boys begins with Anna's mom ignoring her little daughter and in turn, Anna finds herself seeking affection from anyone and everyone who is willing to shower it upon her in any and every way. 
Although I completely understand her need to feel wanted, I just don't understand how and why Anna let all those boys touch her here, there and everywhere. It was disturbing and repelling. 
What I did really like about Uses For Boys is something that most readers and reviewers didn't quite like. The writing, for me, was absolutely gorgeous. It was different, unlike anything I've read before. The broken sentences, the half spoken lines... The story might be plagued by darkness, but the writing was fresh and clean. It was as if the thoughts in Anna's mind are flowing unfiltered and finding their way straight on paper. 
Author Erica Lorraine Scheidt's writing is truly exquisite. 
I couldn't relate to anything or anyone in Uses For Boys. It is a dark, deep and disturbing book that I can neither love nor hate. When you look at it profoundly, it is a very challenging, concrete, sincere and serious book. But I don't even want to look at it profoundly. It is too much for me to take in and for me, it was a lukewarm read that was different and the writing was really sparkling.  

RATING:

Review- The Paperback Badshah by Abhay Nagarajan

Summary-

‘In life…you can choose to become a specialist or a generalist. But in love, please don’t become a reluctant fundamentalist. Instead become a love scientist.’
-Raghu Balakrishnan

Raghu Balakrishnan is a laidback 25 year old, who quits his regular job as a financial advisor to focus single-mindedly on his dream of becoming a published author in India. He stays with his parents. They reluctantly tolerate his new found creative ‘nonsense’ as he works on his book, a love story, which he titles The Paperback Badshah. 
As time passes by, he realizes that writing the book is just one part of the dream.
How did one go about getting it published? 
What about the marketing and promotion?
What about reactions from the readers?
Would it open up the faucets of love in their hearts or would it irritate them, given the sheer absurdity of the plot?
Along the way, will Raghu also get lucky in matters of the heart?
Find out by joining him in his entertaining journey, as he chases his writing dream to eventually become a published ‘100 Rupee’ paperback author.

Review-

The Paperback Badshah is the journey of Raghu Balakrishnan who leaves his job as a financial advisor to pursue his dream of becoming a writer. The book starts off with Raghu at his work place being sick and tired of his job in which he has no interest. Raghu comes from a slightly upper middle class family and can afford taking a break to complete his manuscript.

He starts to work on his book, The Paperback Badshah which is supposed to be a love story. All his friends make fum of him, that he is writing a love story when he himself has never been in love. I thought Raghu was a sweet guy. He really had no evil intent in mind and his thought processes were unique. 

He could relate one random thing to another at the spur of the moment and make it into a ridiculous rhyme. It was actually quite amusing. The Paperback Badshah is supposed to be a comedy and there were some moments where I genuinely laughed out loud. The jokes were sometimes a bit crude but over all it was a book filled with silly jokes.

Those who enjoy reading books where you don't really have to use your brain but just enjoy the book and its sense of humor in the moment can pick up The Paperback Badshah. It is not meant to be a life changing read. I can appreciate such books from time to time without over thinking it. But there is a ton of Hindi mixed in the book so I would only recommend it to those who get it.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Srishti Publishers in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.