Book Haul #19

I don't remember when was the last time I was THIS excited to share my haul with you lovelies. Guess what?! I got a Kindle! And not just any Kindle. A Kindle Paperwhite. Uh-uh ;) I am really, really, really glad I got this baby. I actually didn't have an e-reader before so it's good to finally have one. It's brilliant! I asked advice from Jenni, Giselle and Jenny and they were all very helpful. Thanks, ladies! I also got a leather case for it. I've had it for a week and a half now and eeeek! I have the biggest smile on my face right now. I am just very happy with it at the moment and I hope I won't have anything to be disappointed about. I've been reading on it a lot (never mind my promise not to because I have exams coming next week already) and since it's warm and sunny outside, I've been sitting on our terrace every day after classes at uni or work and just taking time to relax by studying there and, of course, reading. Yay! It's a really good reading device and I honestly don't know how I survived so long withouth one. I definitely know now what I've been missing this whole time. Anyhow, here's a picture of actualy proof that I really got one lol.

As for the books, I've already read all of the physical ones, but I have a habit of purchasing physical copies in addition of books that I've enjoyed as ebooks. Just so I can re-read them I guess. Also, The Iron Fey box set was about 50% off for a day recently and I couldn't not get it. Love Julie Kagawa! She's a great author and Ash, Meghan and Puck deserve to be re-read. Pushin the Limits was one of my favorite contemporaries last year so of course I wanted it as a physical copy as well.

The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa (my review here)

The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa (my review here)

The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa (my review here)

The Iron Knight (The Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa (my review here)

Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits #1) by Katie McGarry (my review here)

Ebooks

Down London Road (On Dublin Street #2) by Samantha Young

Gameboard of Gods (Age of X #1) by Richelle Mead

Reboot (Reboot #1) by Amy Tintera

Thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for Gameboard of Gods arc and Jenni at Alluring Reads, Giselle at Xpresso Reads and Jenny at Supernatural Snark for advice on purchasing an e-reader. 

What did you get this week? Leave your links below and I'll check out your goodies :)

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Mod Podge Bookshelf and Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Published: November 15th 2011
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.
The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.
Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Could everyone who hasn’t heard of this book please raise a hand? Yeah.. That’s what I thought. This series is very talked about and the new cover art definitely allures (most of) us to experience it ourselves. I had put off reading Shatter Me long enough so I finally caved in and finished it within two nights.

“I hope it’s not too late to fight back”

The story. Shatter Me introduces us to a world where environment has been ruined by its inhabitants. This kinda hits close to home since I do agree that we should treat our planet more carefully but since it’s not an environment protection essay, I’ll leave it at that. Juliette is our girl and she is locked up in a pretty freaky institution. Why, you ask? She killed someone with her bare hands just by merely touching one. She’s been alone, silent with her thoughts for 246 days until now – the day she gets a cellmate.

My thoughts. Of course I had heard of the unique writing style. It was hard to adjust to it and it was probably the reason I didn’t connect to Juliette that much, although I must admit, the writing style at the beginning of the book is genius. The more the book progressed, the more usual the writing became and mostly because of the changes inside Juliette. I liked how she opened up and what part Adam played in it. #TeamAdam. Oh, by the way, Kenji? He was introduced in the last third of the book but he became my favorite character nonetheless.

At first I didn’t mind the lack of information about the society and how it came to be. Come on! It’s been so talked about – we’re destroying Earth yada yada yada. What more is there to add as an author? The lack of action didn’t bother me either at first since the writing was so unique and took me by surprise. However, now, 2 days after finishing it, I realize that not much happened action wise nor in general. Yes, we have our villain, our hero, our strong heroine, escaping, romance, fighting back etc. It’s nothing I haven’t seen though.

To sum up my review, I’d say that the covers are gorgeous (sorry, I couldn’t not mention it ;)), the synopsis was great, the feedback from fans is awesome, the writing is unique, Tahereh herself is out of this world hilarious but but but there was just something missing for me. It’s such a shame. I really wanted to love, adore and pet this book, unfortunately it didn’t satisfy my needs enough. I'll still pick up the sequel even though I'm terrified of that inevitable and silly love triangle. (Oh, boy...)

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Meet the author

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Teaser Tuesday #38

This is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

To participate you:

• 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!

My teasers

With a garbled noise of distress I clamped an arm over my breasts and a hand in front of my vajajay. Pale blue eyes met my horrified grey gaze. "What are you doing in my apartment?"

~ p. of On Dublin Street (On Dublin Street #1) by Samantha Young

Review: Reckless by S.C. Stephens

Title: Reckless (Thoughtless #3)
Author: S.C. Stephens
Published:
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

When the band hits it big, Kiera and Kellan must ask themselves: Can their love for each other survive the constant pressures of superstardom? The friendships they've formed, the new family they've found, and the history they've forged will all play a part in helping them navigate the turbulent waters of the band's exploding popularity. A greedy executive hell-bent on success, a declining pop star looking for an edge, and a media circus that twists lies into truths are just some of the obstacles the lovers will have to overcome if they are going to remain together. Fame comes with a price-but will it cost Kiera and Kellan everything?

I feel like Kiera became her own person in this one. Even though at times that calmness of hers didn’t feel that organic to me, I’m really proud that she has surpassed these infidelity issues and sets a few goals of her own in this book. You know… The idea of Kiera writing and publishing her book felt as S.C. was giving a piece of her own experience for us. I liked that. 

“Because I love you more than any one person should be allowed to love someone."

One thing I didn’t like was that Kell-Sex name. Wth? It sounded so bad, sorry. I think it should have been something along the names like Kellenna, Siellan, Kylston – I don’t know… What I do know is that Kell-Sex sounded soooooo cheesy and wrong. Oh, the other thing I kind of don’t get is how did Kiera get all of these bartenders and girls close to her together with Matt, Evan, Griffin and Justin? It sounds way too convenient. Still, I’m not going to complain since I just found this to be funny and a little unbelievable, that’s all.

Okay, more about great stuff? I know Kellan and Kiera are the heart of the story, but Griffin – my god! I couldn’t have wiped a smile off my silly face even if I tried to. Every time his name was mentioned, I just had this goofy grin on my face from one ear to the other. I simply adore this Neanderthal. LOL. He is literally the life of the party and I can’t imagine these books without him. When life gets serious for our beloved hero and his girl, Griffin is bound to make us laugh with his killer remarks and sex jokes. My mind will never be the same when I watch a movie about Hulk. Haha. I can’t believe I just wrote that.

This final installment is everything I hoped for and even more. I was ready to give it a decent 3 stars as I did for the first two books. I know I was a bit harsh with the first two, but I really do love this series and it’s one I will be re-ready many, many times in the future. Reckless was alluring, sexy, adorable, a tear-jerker, one that gave me goofy grins and quite a few laughing-out-loud moments. I think this series being picked up by Atria books could not have been better and I am so glad that our favorite rock star and his soul mate finally got their chance of happiness they deserve.

P.S. I know there have been talks about the first book being written from Kellan’s POV. While I don’t mind that, I’d love a story about Anna and Griffin – their life before and after Gibson. Yup, I love that idea very much, thank you! (I just gathered from S.C.'s webpage that she is indeed considering these two - Thoughtless from Kellan's POV and a novella for Griffin and Anna. Hell to the hallelujah, I say!)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Meet the author

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Review: Fallen Crest High by Tijan

Title: Fallen Crest High (Fallen Crest High #1)
Author: Tijan
Published: October 31st 2012
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon

Mason and Logan Kade are two brothers who did their own thing. They were rich and expected to attend her school, Fallen Crest Academy. They chose public school and now Samantha has to live with them. The problem is that she doesn't care at all: about them, about her friends, about her cheating boyfriend, or even about her parent's divorce. But maybe that's a good thing. Maybe change is a good thing.

The thing is that Mason and Logan Kane are probably what you’d find in a dictionary if you were to look up ‘trouble’. These two along with their friend Nate don’t mess around. BUT, they’re also synonyms to loyalty, protection and love. Yes, love. If they love someone, they do it with passion and boy did Mase and Sam have passion. I am taken aback by Mason’s hotness, by the way. Every time he walked in, I had to fan myself, literally. He is soooooo hawt!! And Logan is hilarious!

“I run to run." (meaning: she runs physically to run away emotionally.)

It’s funny, because I cried more than once while I was reading Broken and Screwed, but I didn’t while I was enjoying this one. It’s so much darker and really twisted. I really liked different types of characters and their interactions. I loved how Mason and Sam have a relationship that has nothing to do with being step-siblings, but at the same time Sam has a bond with Logan too. After I finished FCH, I stalked Tijan’s FB page and read the teasers (oh, my, by the way!!) and there were lots of comments regarding Mason-Sam-Logan and not one person mentioned wanting Logan and Sam to be romantically linked so I hope Tijan takes that into consideration while writing the sequel.

As for the other characters, most of them were douches. Especially Sam’s Mom, Jessica, Miranda and almost everyone else. I still had fun watching them do stupid stunts and be teenagers, even if sometimes these intrigues were over the top. What do you expect from an elite school in literature anyway? Exactly! Oh, and what was up with Becky? That girl was seriously too obsessed with gossip. If she were to turn half as much attention to herself, just maybe she’d get the guy of her dreams. She’d give Gossip Girl a run for one’s money.

Ahhh, and that not-cliff-hanger-cliff-hanger? I want to know what happens next so bad, I can’t even tell you how much. All these feelings. *gaaahh* I literally thought about FCH for two days straight after finishing it and I re-read my favorite parts over at least three times if not more. The funny remarks, snarky attitudes, hot smexy scenes, layered characters – it was really good. I didn’t expect to like this book so much. I’m so glad I stumbled upon Tijan on GR. Since she’s just in the beginning of her writing career, there’s room for improvement, but the potential is remarkable. I didn't mind the somewhat makes-no-sense plotlines and these not so advanced vocabulary and storytelling issues, because I got so sucked into the story that I didn't even bother to turn my attention to everything imperfect. I give thumbs up to this one! (On a side note: yuck on the cover.)

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Meet the author

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Review: Rules of Entanglement by Gina L. Maxwell

Title: Rules of Entanglement (Fighting for Love #2)
Author: Gina L. Maxwell
Published: March 31st 2013
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
*A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review*

Seven days. And seven rules to break...
District Attorney Vanessa McGregor firmly believes that structure and order are the stuff that dreams are made of. Happiness can be planned - and it starts with seven rules she's laid out for her future. But as she's organizing her best friend's wedding in Hawaii, all of Vanessa's best-laid plans are about to meet their match in a wickedly hot MMA fighter...
Jackson "Jax" Maris is focused on surfing, training and fighting. That is, until he opens up his big mouth, and finds himself having to pretend he's engaged to his little sister's best friend, Vanessa. When they're force to share a romantic bungalow, however, their little charade suddenly takes a turn for the seriously sexy. And while Jax is definitely not part of Vanessa's long-term plan, he has seven days - and seven naughty nights - to turn her seven-rule plan upside down

Entangled’s Brazen imprint is known for its books filled with sizzling chemistry, drool-worthy male characters and sexual tension. I have enjoyed most of the ones I’ve read. They’re easy to follow, fun and short. Most importantly, they’re companion novels so you don’t have to read the whole series to follow the storylines. When I saw Rules of Entanglement’s synopsis, I was sure it was bound to be a fun ride.

“Never date a man who can’t out-drink you in tequila.” 

The story. We have Vanessa, an attorney, and Jackson, a surfer and an MMA fighter, as the main couple or rather fake fiancées. Vanessa’s best friend, who among other things is Jackson’s sister, is marrying Jackson’s best friend Reid. Vanessa and Jax pretend to be engaged so they can arrange their friends’ wedding. Jax is intrigued by Vanessa and makes a promise to himself to break down Vanessa’s walls and make her break her seven rules.

My thoughts. I read it mostly when I was taking a bus to home-university-home and most of the time I must have looked like a lunatic for trying not to smile. I’m a rule follower by nature (come on, Virgo alert here!) and it was fun to see Jax break Vanessa’s walls and rules down like it was something he does for a living.  Jax was such a fun character to read about and boy did these two have hot chemistry and tons of tension. The only thing I didn't enjoy was that the um.. love blossomed in a really short time. It wasn't forced though and took lots of doubting and decision-making in order to make it work between these two.

I’d recommend this story to every Brazen fan as well as readers who enjoy great chemistry and fun plots in addition to exotic destinations. I WANT TO GO TO HAWAII NOW!!! Oh and body shots have never sounded so good, trust me! I think it was the best I've read from this Entangled’ imprint and I thoroughly enjoyed this sizzling book.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Meet the author

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Teaser Tuesday #37

This is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

To participate you:

• 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!

My teasers

"I think I'll go to bed too" I said. Before I tear her fingers off. 
"I'll walk you to your room. I'll even sing you a lullaby ... and maybe you could show me what makes you howl," Connor said, a smile sliding across his mouth. 

God I wish Connor was a love interest for Calla (the MC). He is just plain awesome! I hope he and Adne are love interests for each other since the sexual tension is killing me lol.

~ p. 172 of Wolfspane by Andrea Cremer