Thursday: On My Wish List

Author: Alexandra Bracken

[website][goodreads]

Coming out on January 5, 2016

Book 1 in the Passenger series

Summary

(from goodreads)

Violin prodigy Etta Spencer had big plans for her future, but a tragedy has put her once-bright career at risk. Closely tied to her musical skill, however, is a mysterious power she doesn't even know she has. When her two talents collide during a stressful performance, Etta is drawn back hundreds of years through time. 

Etta wakes, confused and terrified, in 1776, in the midst a fierce sea battle. Nicholas Carter, the handsome young prize master of a privateering ship, has been hired to retrieve Etta and deliver her unharmed to the Ironwoods, a powerful family in the Colonies--the very same one that orchestrated her jump back, and one Nicholas himself has ties to. But discovering she can time travel is nothing compared to the shock of discovering the true reason the Ironwoods have ensnared her in their web. 

Another traveler has stolen an object of untold value from them, and, if Etta can find it, they will return her to her own time. Out of options, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the mysterious traveler. But as they draw closer to each other and the end of their search, the true nature of the object, and the dangerous game the Ironwoods are playing, comes to light -- threatening to separate her not only from Nicholas, but her path home... forever.

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About the author

I was born in Phoenix, Arizona and spent all of my life there up until college–I miss it all of the time, but primarily when I’m forced to deal with ice/snow/mass transit/or some combination of the three.  I’m a middle child, which supposedly means I’m full of angsty feelings of neglect, but, in reality, it just means I’m always sandwiched between my older sister and younger brother in Christmas pictures.  On a whole, I had a pretty typical childhood, with only one big exception: my dad was a big time Star Wars collector, which means I went to more antique shows, toy stores, and Star Wars conventions then you could ever imagine! No, really, I’m up to six conventions. I will now pause to let that soak in…

I recently graduated with a degree in History and English from The College of William & Mary in Virginia. (Four years in Colonial Williamsburg is enough to give anyone a sense of humor about life, trust me.) I began writing Brightly Woven there during my sophomore year as a birthday present to my dearest, darlingest friend Carlin… and finished six months AFTER that date. The number one question I get asked is how I wrote a novel while I was still in school. There are two answers to this: sacrificing a social life and a depressingly effective will to see even the most futile projects through.  I signed with my agent on my 21st birthday, and sold it later that year.  I spent a good portion of my senior year buried under edits, and the rest of that year trying to figure out what else I was going to do with my life.

After graduating, I left my colonial bonnets behind and moved to New York City, where I attended the Columbia Publishing Course and worked in publishing for five years. I now write full time.

Monday: Latest Book Haul

Bought/Signed

Abbi Glines

You Were Mine

When I'm Gone

When You're Back

Breathe

Because of Low

While It Lasts

Just For Now

Sometimes It Lasts

Mishbehaving

Hold On Tight

Bad For You

These books I purchased at the Love N. Vegas Author Event. I didn't attend, but I had an awesome person who picked them up and got them signed by Abbi Glines for Me. Thank you soooo much Kris :) You're amazing and I'm so grateful for all of this. I really hope to make it up to you :)

Review: Pale Kings and Princes by Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman (Tales from Shadowhunter Academy, #6)

Summary

(from goodreads)

Simon has an encounter with Downworlders and is reprimanded for not following the rules for Academy students interacting with Downworlders. A story within a story: Andrew Blackthorn, while a student at the Academy, becomes enthralled by a faerie and has two children with her: Mark and Helen.

Read from: July 25 to July 26, 2015

Read on: Ereader

Review:

Simon returns for his second year at the Academy after spending his summer in Brooklyn with Clary, Jace and the whole gang. From the beginning, we see that his dates with Isabelle haven't been successful and we are yet to see where their relationship is going.

But back at the Academy, Simon has his first lecture of his second year by Helen Blackthorn who is half shadowhunter and half faerie. She is to teach them how Faeries can't be trusted through the story about her father and her mother.

But, Simon isn't for being all things being black and white and that's what I really love about him; he sees they are bad faeries, but he also believes that they can't all be all bad or as bad as every shadowhunters try to tell them, I really enjoy how he is passionate about his opinions and his interactions with Helen are really giving us readers something to think about because this novella reflects a lot about today's society.

But also, Isabelle come to Idris and together, they try to give it another shot, but I really liked the fact that through another almost bad date, they both realized what they were doing wrong in the first place to mend their relationship. Would it work out for real or not? I guess we need to continue to read the next few novellas left to these tales :)

Once again, I devoured this novella like the others and I'm waiting impatiently for the next one.

The Evil We Love by Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman (Tales from Shadowhunter Academy, #5)

Summary

(from goodreads)

All evil starts somewhere, and Simon Lewis learns how The Circle—led by Valentine Morgenstern—began. One of ten adventures in Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy.

The Shadowhunter Academy has only just reopened following the disastrous rise of the Circle. Now the faculty can finally admit to what happened when Valentine was a student.

This standalone e-only short story follows the adventures of Simon Lewis, star of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments, as he trains to become a Shadowhunter. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy features characters from Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices, and the upcoming Dark Artifices and Last Hours series. The Evil We Love is written by Cassandra Clare and Robin Wasserman.

Read more of Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter Chronicles in The Infernal Devices, The Mortal Instruments, and The Bane Chronicles.

Read from: July 21 to July 22, 2015

Read on: Ereader

Review:

I've really enjoyed this novella. In this one, we learn more about The Circle through Alec and Isabella's father's eyes, Robert, and I really liked that we got inside his mind because the version we would have gotten if we were reading through Simon's eyes would have been more technical I fear.

I still don't like the guy, but it was great to see how he felt during his time in the circle and even before that; we see a glimpse of his past life and how it effected him. I really feel like he wants to be better for his children, but he has a hard time trying to find the right way to do it.

Also, Isabella comes back to the Academy with her father and is torturing poor Simon by flirting with other boys and ignoring him as much as she can.

But Simon has other problems as his fellow students are starting to break some rules and he must decide whether to join them or stop them.

This was a nice addition to the series and I can't wait to start the next one. They teach us so much about the past of shadowhunters and it makes a lot of things make more sense now.

Thursday: On My Wish List

Author: Wendy Higgins

[website][goodreads]

Coming out on September 8, 2015

Book 4 in the Sweet Trilogy

Summary

(from goodreads)

Bad boy Kaidan Rowe has never wanted for anything—money, popularity, musical talent…hot girls—but seducing them is part of his duty as a Nephilim, slave to the demon Dukes. As the son of the Duke of Lust, Kaidan has learned his father’s ways, becoming a master of passion, a manipulator of chemistry. Disobeying his father would mean certain death. Thankfully for Kaidan, he’s good at his job. And he enjoys it. 

Until he meets Anna Whitt—sweet, smart, feisty, and inexplicably good—the one girl seemingly immune to his charms. The daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, she has a certain power over him, one that makes him wish for more than he could ever deserve. 

Determined to save all the Neph from their dark lives as the influencers of sin, Anna joins forces with Kaidan to overcome the demons’ oppressive ways. In the light of her affections, Kaidan must undergo his toughest test of all, a battle of the heart.

Sensual and swoon worthy, this companion volume to the acclaimed Sweet Evil series from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins, told from the perspective of the irresistibly sexy and mysterious Kaidan Rowe, gives readers revealing insights into his struggle, his intense connection to Anna, and most of all, the true emotions that drive him.

Author Note:

Sweet Temptation will encompass the entire trilogy in a condensed version, beginning with Kai's life before he met Anna, and taking readers through the epilogue of Sweet Reckoning. Sweet Temptation is a companion novel, not meant to be a stand alone story. It will definitely be a richer experience for those who have read the original trilogy.

_____________________________________________________

About the author

Wendy Higgins is the USA Today and NYT bestselling author of the Sweet Evil series from HarperTeen and her independently published Irish fantasy, See Me. She is a former high school English teacher who now writes full time, and lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with her veterinarian husband, daughter, son, and doggie Rue. 


Wendy earned a bachelor's in Creative Writing from George Mason University and a master's in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford. Writing Young Adult (YA) stories gives her the opportunity to delve into the ambiguities of those pivotal, daunting, and exciting years before adulthood.

Review: Beautiful Bitch by Christina Lauren (Beautiful Bastard, #1.5)

Summary
(from goodreads)


Picking up where Beautiful Bastard left off, Chloe Mills and Bennett Ryan continue their steamy, combative relationship.

Just when Chloe’s career starts to take off, Bennett wishes it would all slow down long enough to spend a wild night alone with his girlfriend. But after he refuses to take no for an answer, Chloe and Bennett find themselves with two plane tickets, one French Villa, and a surprising conversation that, predictably, leaves them wrestling under the covers.

Read from: July 20 to July 21, 2015

Read on: Ereader

Review: 

Okay, I will just point out something right now and then I'll let it go... I don't know if it was on purpose or not, but there were some mistakes in the french bits of this book. Like I said, I don't know if it was for a reason or not, but I won't lie, it sort of annoyed me since my maternal language is french.

Okay, moving on from this. I give this book between 3.75 and 4 because novellas are shorter and sometimes, I just need more details, but it was really interesting.

I was happy we got to see a bit more about where Chloe and Bennett's relationship was at now. They still argue, but I won't lie, it wasn't as much fun as in the first book, but they still manage to keep it entertaining for us readers I believe.

Still told in dual point of views, we get to see how each other them realize where they believe they are at now. I liked to see how no matter how different their thoughts were, they still led them to the same conclusion.

Also liked that there were a few flashbacks from their year together. There could have been more, but I think they went with the more important ones.

I will admit that to get some alone time together, they really seemed to have a lot of problems. Always someone or something stopping them from being alone. Even their trip to France came with a few problems.

The chemistry between the two of them was still explosive and I hope to read more about them even if it's only snippet to see what will happen with them.

So I will continue this series because now I'm really intrigued to find out about new characters and I really hope they'll be as much fun as Chloe and Bennett were.

Sneak Peek of the Week

Author: Jay Crownover
[website] [goodreads]
Coming out on August 11, 2015
Book 3 in the Welcome to the Point series

Summary
(from goodreads)

In New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jay Crownover’s third novel in her sexy, thrilling Welcome to the Point series, a woman’s search for repentance leads her to the one man from her past she can’t forget as they join forces to save their city—and the explosive love neither can live without.

Titus King has always seen his world in black and white. There is a firm right and wrong in his mind, which is why as a teenager he left behind the only family he’d ever known to make a better life for himself. Now a police detective in one of the worst cities in the country, he can’t deny his life has turned into a million different shades of gray.

The new criminal element in The Point has brought vengeance and destruction right to Titus’s front door, and walking the straight and narrow seems far less important now. The difference between right and wrong is nothing compared to keeping those he loves alive. To add to his already strained moral compass, the beautiful and mysterious Reeve Black has made her way back to town. This girl might be as dangerous to Titus as the guy trying to destroy the Point but he can’t walk away because he needs her—in more ways than one.

Reeve knows all about the threat trying to destroy The Point. She knows how ruthless, how vicious, and how cruel this new danger can be… and instead of running away, she wants to help. Reeve knows that she has a lot to repent for and saving the city, plus the hot cop that she hasn’t been able to forget might just be the only way she can finally find some inner peace.

With an entire city poised on the brink of war, Titus and Reeve stand in the crossfire—and it will take two brave souls to fight for the ultimate love.

To buy it, click on the image below:

But before Titus and Reeve, you had Bax and Dovie...

This is where all of this started...

Summary

(from goodreads)

Welcome to the Point

There’s a difference between a bad boy and a boy who’s bad . . . meet Shane Baxter.

Sexy, dark, and dangerous, Bax isn’t just from the wrong side of the tracks, he is the wrong side of the tracks. A criminal, a thug, and a brawler, he’s the master of bad choices, until one such choice landed him in prison for five years. Now Bax is out and looking for answers, and he doesn’t care what he has to do or who he has to hurt to get them. But there’s a new player in the game, and she’s much too innocent, much too soft…and standing directly in his way.

Dovie Pryce knows all about living a hard life and the tough choices that come with it. She’s always tried to be good, tried to help others, and tried not to let the darkness pull her down. But the streets are fighting back, things have gone from bad to worse, and the only person who can help her is the scariest, sexiest, most complicated ex-con The Point has ever produced.


Bax terrifies her, but it doesn’t take Dovie long to realize that some boys are just better when they’re bad.

and you also had Race and Brysen...

Summary
(from goodreads)

Some men are just better when they're bold.

Welcome to the Point...

In a dark and broken kingdom, a ruler has to be fearless to control the streets and the ruthless people who run them.

Race Hartman is just bold enough, just smart enough, and just lost enough to wear the crown. Places like the Point will always have bad things and bad people, but the man in control of all that badness can minimize the devastation. Race has a plan, but can he prevent total annihilation without destroying himself?

Brysen Carter has always seen her best friend's brother for what he is--too pretty, too smooth, and way too dangerous to touch. Basking in Race's golden glow is very tempting, but Brysen knows she'd eventually get burned.

When she starts receiving threatening texts and someone tries to take her out in parking lot, the only person interested in keeping her safe is the one man she can't allow herself to have.


Sometimes being bold is the only way to stay alive. But can she let Race save her life . . . if it means losing herself to him?

Monday: Latest Book Haul

Gift

Kelly Creagh

Enshadowed

This was given to me by my sister. Well, I actually asked to go get it for me because it was on sale at Chapters, but the only story that had some of these books was in Ontario and she lives closer to there, so she went and when I asked her how much I owe her, she just told me it was on her, so I just love her more now hahaha

Bought

Alice Clayton

Wallbanger

Rusty Nailed

C.J. Duggan

The Boys of Summer

Stan

An Endless Summer

Max

Ringer

These books I bought after I read them on ebooks. I really enjoyed them and I think you all should take a look at them if you haven't considered getting them :)

Review: Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren (Beautiful Bastard, #1)

Summary
(from goodreads)

An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling. 

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office. 

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they're willing to lose in order to win each other.

Read from: July 16 to July 18, 2015

Read on: Ereader

Review:

I've been seeing this book often on my Goodreads dashboard for a long time now and always thought I would need to give it a try one of these days. With Christina Lauren coming to Montreal, I finally thought it was the time to get myself into this series.

When reading this kind of book, I never expect anything before starting them except just to find entertainment with hot book guys and hot sex and this book delivered.

Bennett is a jerk and yeah, I would probably slap him in real life, but with Chloe who gives just as much as she receives, their chemistry was simply explosive. I'm not sure if I would have believed there could be love if the book started with their meeting and a few months later, they were in love due to their personalities clashing big time, but with insight that they've been working together for nine months and knowing he was attracted to her all this time, it makes it more believable that it could change from simple attraction to love, but it's still fiction and anything is possible in books so who am I to judge? hahaha :)

I liked to read from both POV's because Bennett's attitude might have been annoying without knowing anything from his part and I might not have enjoyed this book as much. Did the authors know this or did they just decided to do it like this? I don't know, but I believe they took the right decision. :)

I gave this book a 4 stars because it did exactly what I wanted, but I won't lie, will I buy this series or not will depend on the next books. I really hope all the characters will be as fun to read as Bennett and Chloe were.

Recap of June's Reading Pile

So this post is where I would post about what I read during the month. This one is for June 2015. My blog was not started, but I figured out, why not start with that one. So here we go:

Ereader:

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton
Breathe by Abbi Glines
Nothing but Shadows by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan
While it Lasts by Abbi Glines
Because of Low by Abbi Glines
Just for Now by Abbi Glines
Sometimes it Lasts by Abbi Glines

Secret by Brigid Kemmerer
Sacrifice Brigid Kemmerer

Kiro's Emily by Abbi Glines

Physical Copy:
Rush too Far by Abbi Glines
Simple Perfection by Abbi Glines
Take a Chance by Abbi Glines
One More Chance by Abbi Glines
Sleeping with the Boss by Marissa Clarke

Terminal by Kathy and Brendan Reichs
Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Thursday: On My Wish List

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
[website] [goodreads]
Coming out on November 3, 2015
Book 3 in the Naturals series

Summary
(from goodreads)

Three casinos. Three bodies. Three days.

After a string of brutal murders in Las Vegas, Cassie Hobbes and the Naturals are called in to investigate. But even with the team's unique profiling talents, these murders seem baffling: unlike many serial killers, this one uses different methods every time. All of the victims were killed in public, yet the killer does not show up on any tape. And each victim has a string of numbers tattooed on their wrist. Hidden in the numbers is a code—and the closer the Naturals come to unraveling the mystery, the more perilous the case becomes.

Meanwhile, Cassie is dealing with an equally dangerous and much more painful mystery. For the first time in years, there's been a break in her mother's case. As personal issues and tensions between the team mount, Cassie and the Naturals will be faced with impossible odds—and impossible choices.

__________________________________________________

About the author

Jennifer Lynn Barnes (who mostly goes by Jen) was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has been, in turn, a competitive cheerleader, a volleyball player, a dancer, a debutante, a primate cognition researcher, a teen model, a comic book geek, and a lemur aficionado. She's been writing for as long as she can remember, finished her first full book (which she now refers to as a "practice book" and which none of you will ever see) when she was still in high school, and then wrote Golden the summer after her freshman year in college, when she was nineteen.

Jen graduated high school in 2002, and from Yale University with a degree in cognitive science (the study of the brain and thought) in May of 2006. She was awarded a Fulbright to do post-graduate work at Cambridge, and then returned to the states, where she is hard at work on her PhD.

Review: The Seer's Spread by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (Beautiful Creatures: The Untold Stories #2)

Summary
(from goodreads)


Fate is a powerful thing... 

Ethan Wate is still grieving the loss of his beloved Amma when he receives an unexpected gift--the old, yellow Whitman's Sampler box that held Amma's most closely guarded secrets. "One day I might let you have a look under that lid, Ethan Wate," Amma used to say. "But today isn't the day."

Now it's time for one of her greatest secrets to be revealed. In a long-lost letter, Amma tells Ethan the story of growing up as a young Seer with a remarkable gift for reading cards. But with a power that far-reaching comes responsibility, and Amma has been honoring her mission since before Ethan was born--to protect the Wate family at any cost. So when Lila Jane Evers enters Mitchell Wate's life, bringing the whole Caster world with her, Amma turns to her cards. This time, it's a the reading that will define the rest of her life--and Ethan's.

In this second installment of Beautiful Creatures: The Untold Stories, #1 New York Times bestselling authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl bring you even deeper into the Caster world.

Read on: July 16, 2015

Read on: Ereader

Review:

This will be a short review, but still. I really enjoyed reading about Amma. It was short novella and I'm sure we could have said a lot more about her, but I liked to have this insight in her past and how she came to be part of the Ethan's life.

I feel sad that whatever she did, her destiny was set in stone. She couldn't change it and even if she could have, a part of me believe she would have done the same things if only for Ethan.

You can see just how deep she cared for him and it's really touching that Ethan got to read about it and learn more about the woman who was part of his family.

These novellas are a nice addition to the series and I can't wait for the next one.

Review: Screwdrivered by Alice Clayton (Cocktail, #3)

Summary:

(from goodreads)

Readers back for a third round of the bestselling Cocktail series will enjoy a madcap romantic comedy about bodice ripping and chest heaving, fiery passion and love everlasting. Plus a dash of paperwork filing and horseshi—wait, what?

By day, Viv Franklin designs software programs. By night, Vivian’s a secret romance-novel junkie who longs for a knight in shining armor, or a cowboy on a wild stallion, or a strapping firefighter to sweep her off her feet. And she gets to wear the bodice—don’t forget the bodice.

When a phone call brings news that she’s inherited a beautiful old home in Mendocino, California from a long-forgotten aunt, she moves her entire life across the country to embark on what she sees as a great, romance-novel-worthy adventure. But romance novels always have a twist, don’t they?

There’s a cowboy, one that ignites her loins. Because Cowboy Hank is totally loin-ignition worthy. But there’s also a librarian, Clark Barrow. And he calls her Vivian. Can tweed jackets and elbow patches compete with chaps and spurs? You bet your sweet cow pie.

In Screwdrivered, Alice Clayton pits Superman against Clark in a hilarious and hot battle that delights a swooning Viv/Vivian. 

Also within this book, an answer to the question of the ages: Why ride a cowboy when you can ride a librarian?

Read from: July 14 to July 16, 2015

Read on: Paperback

Review:

We met Viv in the second book of this series. She is Simon's old friend and already in 'Rusty Nailed' I liked her. She had this explosive personality so when I saw this book was about her, I was really happy and pretty excited to start it.

So what did I think of this book in reality? I really love it. It was funny and Viv is such an interesting character. I knew she had a particular personality when we were first introduce to her, but in this book, you finally get just how much. But it's nice to see that even if from the outside, she looks like someone who doesn't need anyone in her life, when you start this book, you realize just how much she is craving for romance. She wants to fall in love.

Getting an insight of her thoughts was really entertaining as she likes to imagine a lot of things through scenarios of romance novels. Each time she meets a guy, her imagination kicks in. So when we are first introduced to Hank, the cowboy taking care of the horses, her imagination is running wild; she truly believes he could be the one. Through the whole book, she tries to get his attention, but he's tough to crack. But if you ask me, I would have just left that one alone. He had no personality and he was just plain blah. I know many would like the idea of him being seen as a "bad boy", but to me, he just acted like a douchebag.

And you're are introduced to the librarian, Clark, who is totally the opposite of Hank. He's proper and I won't lie, he could be a pain the ass, but he was really sweet from time to time. He's a good guy, plain and simple and totally not what Viv looks for.

But even if he comes out as the good guy, when Viv and him meet, it clashes as they don't see eye to eye about the house situation. She doesn't like to be told what she can or can't do and he is really set on following the rules when it comes to restructuring a house on the historical register of the city.

When Viv and him are arguing over the house, it made me laugh because they are both stubborn. Their relationship between the two of them changes a lot in the book. Sometimes they fight, sometimes, they talk like friends and other time, you can tell they are lusting for one another even if most of the time, you can tell she's trying to ignore that. Through their nightly calls, you get what Viv calls 'Nighttime Clark' who is slightly more loose. Let's say there are a lot of innuendos during those calls.

I'm trying to do this review without any spoilers so I'm stopping here, but I will just add that I enjoyed this book a lot. We had cameos from Caroline, Simon, Mimi and Ryan and it just made me smile because I really love them.

I'm sure you will enjoy reading about Viv and I think we can all see a big of ourselves in her when you read her thoughts, her needs and her dreams, etc.

Oh, I just need to add one point to this review:

I missed Clive's epilogues though. This cat is just hilarious, but I guess it's normal since it would be weird to add that to Viv's story, but still.