Thursday, June 25, 2015

Review- Shards of Hope by Nalini Singh

Summary-

Awakening wounded in a darkened cell, their psychic abilities blocked, Aden and Zaira know they must escape. But when the lethal soldiers break free from their mysterious prison, they find themselves in a harsh, inhospitable landscape far from civilization. Their only hope for survival is to make it to the hidden home of a predatory changeling pack that doesn’t welcome outsiders.

And they must survive. A shadowy enemy has put a target on the back of the Arrow squad, an enemy that cannot be permitted to succeed in its deadly campaign. Aden will cross any line to keep his people safe for this new future, where even an assassin might have hope of a life beyond blood and death and pain. Zaira has no such hope. She knows she’s too damaged to return from the abyss. Her driving goal is to protect Aden, protect the only person who has ever come back for her no matter what.

This time, even Aden’s passionate determination may not be enough—because the emotionless chill of Silence existed for a reason. For the violent, and the insane, and the irreparably broken…like Zaira.

Review-

I am a HUGE fan of Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling series. Shards of Hope is the fourteenth book in the series and it shows no signs of stopping. I would highly recommend getting to this series from the first book because there is so much world building and so many threads and a lot of character growth throughout the series. It is no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed Shards of Hope.

Shards of Hope is about a psy-psy couple. Let's start off with Aden. Aden is a nice guy and that is the simplest way to describe him. He is the leader of the Arrow squad and he cares for his people and is willing to do anything for them. The only place where he is a tiny bit selfish is Zaira. I loved Aden. He was an amazing guy who didn't let many people see his power. I loved the way he was with Zaira and all the other Arrow kids.

Then we have Zaira. Zaira herself, is a member of the Arrow squad and she is fiercely protective of her friendship with Aden. Even though Zaira loves Aden she thinks that she is too damaged inside to actually share a relationship with him. Zaira was unlike any other heroines in this series. She was hard core and ruthless and I loved that about her. The possessiveness and protectiveness she felt for Aden was what made them perfect for each other.

The main focus was not the romance in Shards of Hope but what romance we get was amazing and sweet and real. Aden is determined to be with Zaira, come what may. I cannot even begin to tell how many other things are going on in this book. There are several sub plot lines and we get to meet a ton of new characters. Many story threads from before get tied up while opening up new ones.

I am especially curious about the sea changelings and Remi's pack. I do hope we get a book for everyone in the future. While Shards of Hope concludes a part of the story arc it also opens up a new one. I am highly curious to see how Nalini will take forward the series because it is obvious she knows what she is doing. With excellent writing and characters Shards of Hope was an amazing read.



Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday #128

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

A Million Miles Away by Lara Avery
Publication date- July 7th 2015


Goodreads Summary:

Perfect for fans of Nicholas Sparks, this breathtaking story of love and loss is guaranteed to break your heart and sweep you off your feet.

When high school senior Kelsey's identical twin sister, Michelle, dies in a car crash, Kelsey is left without her other half. The only person who doesn't know about the tragedy is Michelle's boyfriend, Peter, recently deployed to Afghanistan. But when Kelsey finally connects with Peter online, she can't bear to tell him the truth. Active duty has taken its toll, and Peter, thinking that Kelsey is Michelle, says that seeing her is the one thing keeping him alive. Caught up in the moment, Kelsey has no choice: She lets Peter believe that she is her sister.

As Kelsey keeps up the act, she crosses the line from pretend to real. Soon, Kelsey can't deny that she's falling, hard, for the one boy she shouldn't want.

This sounds just like the kind of story I devour, so I'm excited for it. 

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?


Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Kick-Start Your Summer With These 10 FREE Must-Reads!

  Beautiful Beach Panoramic At Volunteer Point - Falkland Islands
Ahh, summer. It's finally here. Hot days, tall glasses of lemonade, and the perfect time to dive into a good book...for FREE!

Kick-Start Your Summer With These 10 FREE Must-Read Contemporary Novels From Some Amazing Authors!

  Beautiful Beach Panoramic At Volunteer Point - Falkland Islands

Ready to feed your e-reader?

Lucky young woman with perfect male body

Where there’s a Stone, there’s a scandal.


Learn more about The Lust List Series on Mira's Website.
Connect With Mira Bailee Online:

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Trouble_thumbnail

Sometimes coming home is the hardest part...


Learn more about the series on Sarra's Website.
Connect with Sarra Cannon Online:

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  5.5"X8.5" Post Card Template

Jack has some ‘splainin’ to do! Dog trainer Callie Lassiter's normally well-behaved Great Dane Jack has run off and done the wild thing with the neighbor's dog and now she's pregnant. It must be puppy love!


Learn more about the Going To The Dogs Series on Zoe's Website.
Connect with Zoe Dawson Online:

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Opposing Sides - Small

I was falling, emotions first, in The Raven’s trap. And I didn’t try to stop myself.


Learn more about the University Park Series on C.M.'s Website.
Connect with C.M. Doporto Online:

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BTM 150

Is a future together worth drudging up their past?


Learn more about Belong To Me on Laura's Website.
Connect with Laura Howard Online:

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Derailed - Alyssa Rose Ivy

When you're lost, sometimes the only place you can go is home.


Learn more about the Clayton Falls Series on Alyssa's Website.
Connect with Alyssa Rose Ivy Online:

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MIL

Make it Last is a second-chance love story about two people trying to find their way in life, and the friends that always support them.


Learn more about Make It Last on Bethany's Website.
Connect with Bethany Lopez Online:

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Break You smallest - Jennifer Snyder

Together the two learn there are moments in life that hold within them all the power to break you...


Learn more about The Coldcreek Companion Series on Jennifer's Website.
Connect with Jennifer Snyder Online:

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Summer Sky

Sky changed her life for a man once, and she has no intention of doing so again - even if he is a six-foot, tattooed rock god who makes a mean bacon sandwich.


Learn more about Summer Sky on Lisa's Website.
Connect with Lisa Swallow Online:

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Paper Heart

Getting into her top choice sorority? Easy. Failing out of college? Oops.


Learn more about My Paper Heart on Magan's Website.
Connect with Magan Vernon Online:

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Happy Reading!

Be sure to spread the word about these Must-Read #FREE Novels!


Monday, June 22, 2015

Review- Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Goodreads Summary:

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.


REVIEW:

Based on my read and to-read shelves, Goodreads kept recommending Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda to me. It wasn't long before I finally took the recommendation seriously and read the book. After having recently read a series of books with predictable plots, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda came as a pleasant surprise. This was one of those stories that pulled me in immediately. From the very beginning, I felt that I was part of the story and when a book does that, it is bound to be awesome. 

Simon is a regular sixteen, soon to be seventeen year old, and he was one of the coolest protagonists ever. He reminded me so much of Charlie from The Perks of Being A Wallflower because of his innocent, sort of awkward and quirky but friendly personality. He really is the kind of person anyone would want to be friends with. I absolutely loved him. He was adorable and what was most admirable was how his family and friends ended up being just as important as he was throughout the book. What a pleasure it was to meet the Spiers and to spend some fun time with Simon's awesome friends and classmates. From the beginning until the very end, this was the wonderful story of Simon coming out and coming of age.

For me, the book itself was something like and between The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky meets Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan meets Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan, three books that I absolutely love. The plot was really awesome and the fact that there was a school play involved made it all the more awesome because it's just so wonderful when that happens. Like I said before, as a reader, the story put me right there, with Simon and the gang. The pace  was good and the story stayed lovely throughout and ended on a very sweet note. 

Author Becky Albertalli has written a cute, funny, emotional and absolutely awesome book. The writing was so pretty that if I could, I would highlight every line from it. Oh, and don't even get me started on all the Harry Potter references. It was the coolest part ever, and I loved every bit of it, from the glasses to the costume to the fanfiction. Nothing can make me fall in love with a book more than having Harry Potter stuff in it. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda was an enjoyable read that put me in a happy and sunshine-like mood, as if having Harry Potter in it wasn't enough.

RATING:





Friday, June 19, 2015

Excerpt Reveal- Up in Smoke by Tessa Bailey


Excerpt 
Connor broke away, allowing them both to suck in oxygen. “Stay. I’m sorry. Stay.” He bent his knees to bring them eye to eye. His spoke of torture, but he was trying to hide it. “Look at me. I can handle this. I want you here. Don’t leave.”
“I don’t know if I can handle it,” she whispered.
His heavy breaths ceased. “What do you mean?”
She drew out a lighter from her back pocket and ignited the flame. It cleared her head a little, allowing her to search for the right words. Words that wouldn’t sound crazy. “I like touching you. It makes me feel really…good. And there isn’t a whole lot that makes me feel good, you know?” Her throat closed up. “I wish you could touch me, too. I don’t think I can stay here knowing I’m hurting you by making myself feel good…and I don’t think I can stop touching you. It feels like a must.”
A flare of panic flashed across his face. “I shouldn’t have said what I did earlier. You just caught me off guard.” He massaged his forehead with four fingers. “Did I scare you? Is that why you’re really leaving?”
“No.” She shook her head. “No.”
“Okay. Jesus. Okay.” He was silent a moment, but gears were turning behind his eyes. “You need to touch me and I need you to stay. Let’s give each other what we need. All right?”
Why was this so damn confusing? She’d only met this man yesterday and they were already tangled up in her web of fucked-up issues. He should want to be clear of her, shouldn’t he? No one else had ever bothered with her this long before. “Why? Why do you need me to stay? I—”
“I won’t rest,” he growled. “I’ll think about you somewhere, scared like you were last night, and I’ll go fucking crazy.”
Her heart lurched, dislodging her pride. “I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. If the only reason you want me here is to play nursemaid to the crazy girl, that’s not going to work for me.”
“You know there’s more to it. You know.” He visibly centered himself with a deep breath, appearing to debate with himself. “I’ve got my own skeletons, Erin. They don’t rattle so much when you’re around. Your touching me…it makes me hot. But it soothes elsewhere.”
She knew her expression was pathetically hopeful, but couldn’t find a single shit to give. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he repeated. “I’m not going to lie, Erin. Yes, I want to sleep with you like hell. But only if it’s healthy. Would you trust me enough to go slow? A little at a time?”
Her pulse hammered out of control. “You touching me?”
Connor watched her closely. “When you’re ready. Not before. Never before.”
This is where she should climb down the fire escape and vamoose toward the street. A weight pressed down on her rib cage, making it difficult to draw a breath. It felt like the point of no return. But Connor’s eyes grounded her.
Safe. He’s safe.
“Okay, baby. Slow.”
His body drained of tension. “Thank you.” He leaned in and brushed their lips together, gently, reverently. “First, we talk.”

Summary-
Never start a fire you can't control...
Connor Bannon is supposed to be dead. Dishonorably discharged from the Navy SEALs, he's spent the last two years working as a street enforcer in Brooklyn for his cousin's crime ring. Through a twist of fate, he's now in Chicago, working undercover to bust criminals. But when a cute little arsonist joins the team-all combat boots, tiny jean shorts, and hot-pink hair-Connor's notorious iron control slips.
Erin "she's getting away" O'Dea knows two things. She hates authority. And... Nope, that's it. When she's forced to operate on the "right" side of the law, her fear of being confined and controlled blazes to the surface. The last thing she expects is a control freak like Connor to soothe her when she needs it most. Worse, something behind the sexy ex-soldier's eyes ignites a dangerous inferno of desire. One that invites Erin to play with fire. And one that could get them both killed...

About the Author:

Thank you for your interest in my books! I'm Tessa and I live in the crazy, loud, overcrowded borough of Brooklyn, New York. I love it here. This city is a constant source of inspiration, which is why I've decided to set my most recent books in the Line of Duty Series here.

I moved to New York when I was eighteen, the day after I graduated high school. Threw my suitcase in the back of a Chevrolet Cavalier and drove across the country to find my adventure. I'm still finding it, little by little.​Thank you for being a part of it.


THANK YOU!

Feature Follow Friday #62


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

Hi, everyone! Janhvi and I are so excited and elated to be the featured blog this week. We'd love to thank both Alison and Rachel for this. 


Today's question is: 

If you were to get a tattoo, what would it say or what would the graphic be? Or if you have a tattoo, share a picture and its meaning.

Our answers:

Janhvi: I already have a tattoo of a butterfly on my neck. It symbolizes beauty, grace, life and change. But I do want another one which says "read." On my wrist. It will be a matching one with my BFF and co blogger, Sarika.

Sarika: I don’t have any tattoo(s). Janhvi has already said what was on my mind and I’m hoping that happens soon. Other than that, I would love to get a few very magical words tattooed. 

Here is what we were asked as the featured blog:

When did you start blogging?

Janhvi: We started blogging in August 2012. We are going to be celebrating our 3 year Blogoversary soon. Can't believe it's been 3 years already!

Sarika: Janhvi and I started blogging in 2012, so we’ve been blogging for nearly three years.

What is your favorite part of book blogging?

Janhvi: Meeting other bloggers and finding out new books is the most exciting part. I love that we can share our love for books through blogging.

Sarika: My most favourite part about book blogging is definitely ranting about books. Whether it is writing reviews, pretending a book character is real, getting recommendations from other readers, recommending books to others, drooling over book pictures, endlessly stalking authors… It is so much fun. Also, I’ve met some really spectacular people because of blogging, and I feel proud to call them my friends.

What type of books do you mainly blog about?

Janhvi: Well, Sarika and I have pretty different reading tastes so I'd say we are pretty diverse in our reviews. I love reading any and all kinds of romances with a dash of young adult.

Sarika: Even though I love to read anything and everything, I find myself mostly drawn to contemporary realistic fiction and LGBT reads, so I try to include them in my reading, and hence, blogging list. Having done my Masters in French literature, I also make sure to share some French marvels that I come across.

What are your favorite books?

Janhvi: The Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh, The Lucky Harbor series by Jill Shalvis, F.B.I/U.S.Attorney series by Julie James, The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay, I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios..this list can go on and on..

Sarika: That’s a very tough one! Some of my favourites are: the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, The Stranger by Albert Camus, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan, Made of Stars by Kelley York and many, many more.

What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?

Janhvi: Meeting new people is very cool. We also love reading all the comments people post on our blog. Getting to read arcs is also a pretty sweet deal.

Sarika: That would definitely be the fact that I can freely and easily spread my love for books and it has definitely got Janhvi and I closer. Getting to know authors and fellow readers is an added bonus. 


 

We will be forever grateful to you for following us, and make sure you provide us with the link to your blog, so we can follow you back. 

Thank you so much! Happy reading, and see you around! 



Thursday, June 18, 2015

Review- What the Lady Wants by Jennifer Crusie

Summary-

If he's Cary Grant, where's his Girl Friday?

Mitch Peabody was learning pretty fast that the life of a private detective was nothing like the movies. He'd envisioned a world of tough-talking detectives and smart-mouthed, stunning dames. Instead he saw case after case of cheating husbands, suspicious wives and unsuspecting mistresses until she walked through the door.

Right down to her stilettos, Mae Sullivan was a knockout with a lethal body and a lethal family to go with it. There was something not quite on the up-and-up about her, but she came with a case he couldn't afford to refuse and left him with a case of lust he hadn't had since high school. It didn't take long for him to fall for her, hook, line and sinker. But was Mae interested only in catching the double-crossing crooks who murdered her uncle or did the lady want to catch him?

Review-

I had read quite a few books by Jennifer Crusie's book list a few years ago. When I stumbled upon What the Lady Wants and saw that I hadn't read it I decided to pick it up and see if I still enjoyed her books as much as I did in the past. I am happy to report that I did. What the Lady Wants was a fun, short romance with a few elements of suspense thrown in.

Mitch is actually a stock broker who has been playing detective for the past year. Being a detective is clearly not as adventurous as he thought it would be and he's almost about to give up. Until Mae Sullivan shows up. At first I thought Mitch was an ass who didn't think very highly of women. But as we get to know him you see that is not the case. Mitch was actually quite sharp and intelligent.

Mae wants to find her Uncle's diary but to do that she has to pretend that there is a case and her Uncle was murdered. All Mae wants is a dumb detective who'll turn things around and the diary will fall into her hands. Mae was really funny with her lethal family. She does have genuine problems but she is not willing to give up so soon.

It was hilarious how both the leads at first thought the worst of each other. Their minds changed as they got to know each other and as they spent time together on the case. Jennifer Crusie writes hilarious characters and Mae's family was just that. I also found it refreshing how not good looking Mitch was and how Mae had issues all of her own.

I enjoy a little old school romance from time to time and What the Lady Wants was just that. I cannot say that there was a lot of depth to all the characters. It was a quick fun read with a light hearted plot. Mae's uncle's murder does get resolved so there was that. I liked What the Lady Wants.