Monday, March 31, 2014

The Romeo Club Tour: Guest Post and Giveaway


Today I have the pleasure to take part in The Rome Club tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. You can follor the rest of the tour here. Rebekah will tell you about her favorite movies and the couples she ships and that's what we're all about, yeah? Shipping is the best when reading :) So let's find out if we have any in common with her.

Favorite Romantic Comedy/Romance Movies/or couples in a movie

Okay, I admit, I LOVE romance movies (LOL). I’m a sucker for a happily ever after and people finding true love (which might also account for me writing YA Contemporary Romance). There are some movies that I can watch over and over and over again and never get tired of them. Now, all the movies I’m gonna mention don’t necessarily fall under the “romance” category, but I love the couples in them (totally swoonworthy—LOL). Here are my top five (in no particular order).

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Title: The Coldest Girl in Cold Town
Author: Holly Black
Published: September 3rd 2013
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.
One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.
Let’s play a game of never have I ever. Never have I ever read a Holly Black book before I read The Coldest Girl of Coldtown. Never have I ever been excited about reading it. Never have I ever thought that “ooooh, ME NEEDS TO READ THIS ASAP OR I’LL DIE.“ No. Nothing of sorts. Yeah, a bunch of people enjoyed it, Giselle and Rachel among them, but I still didn’t feel like reading it. Thank goodness for the magic that is audiobooks or else I wouldn’t have given it a try at all. Yay that I did.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Mini-reviews: Until Fountain Bridge and Castle Hill by Samantha Young

Title: Until Fontain Bridge (On Dublin Street #1.5)
Author: Samantha Young
Published: June 18th 2013
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Ellie Carmichael had a crush on Adam Sutherland, her brother, Braden’s, best friend, for years, and although Adam treated her with proprietary concern he made it clear he thought of her only as a little sister.
Over the years, as Ellie’s crush develops into love, her romantic idealism makes it difficult for her to move on. To make matters worse, as she’s gotten older, Adam’s attitude has changed toward her. His affection for her is now joined by attraction, but his loyalty to Braden, and his fear of losing the only family he has, stops him from claiming Ellie the way she wishes he would.
But one night his attraction is put to the test, and as much as Adam would like things to remain the same everything changes between them in a simple brush of the lips.
Soon lust, love, jealousy and heartbreak combine to force change upon their relationship… and Adam discovers the hard way that life is too damn short to spend it on regret.

At first I was sad to hear that Adam and Ellie wouldn't get their own full-length novel, but after reading this last summer I have come to realize how glad I am that it was just a walk down the memory line with some key scenes and not an excessive drama-fest which would be totally unnecessary for these two. I adored this novella so much and it can be described with one word: brilliant! I loved Ellie and Adam's relationship even more than I loved the main couple's in On Dublin Street (yes, while Braden is still my number one man in this series, Ellie and Adam's is hands down my favorite relationship) and I couldn't have been happier how things happened/ended for Ellie and Adam. This was such a sweet, heartbreaking read. We get to see them in the now and the before. I cried like a baby while reading this book. It had hurt tears, happy tears--everything. The story was totes adorbs! I hope Samantha will write some random scenes for these two in the future :)

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Hothouse Flower Promo Tour: Character Interview and Giveaway

I won't write a long intro for this, because if you know me at all then you know that this series, these authors, these companions (Kiss the Sky and Hothouse Flower) don't need any introduction for you since they're some of my favorite books ever. Anyhow, if you want to follow the rest of the tour you can do so here. Also, there's a giveaway at the end of the post, good luck and enjoy! :)

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Review: Down London Road by Samantha Youg

Title: Down London Road (On Dublin Street #2)
Author: Samantha Yong
Published: January 1st 2013
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Johanna Walker is used to taking charge. But she’s about to meet someone who will make her lose control....
It has always been up to Johanna to care for her family, particularly her younger brother, Cole. With an absent father and a useless mother, she’s been making decisions based on what’s best for Cole for as long as she can remember. She even determines what men to date by how much they can provide for her brother and her, not on whatever sparks may—or may not—fly.
But with Cameron MacCabe, the attraction is undeniable. The sexy new bartender at work gives her butterflies every time she looks at him. And for once, Jo is tempted to put her needs first. Cam is just as obsessed with getting to know Jo, but her walls are too solid to let him get close enough to even try.
Then Cam moves into the flat below Jo’s, and their blistering connection becomes impossible to ignore. Especially since Cam is determined to uncover all of Jo’s secrets …even if it means taking apart her defenses piece by piece.

Thanks to the amazingness that was On Dublin Street and Until Fountain Bridge I knew that when I was in the need of something smexy, I’d have to pick up something by Samantha Young. Seriously! This woman knows the recipe to writing the best kind of smexy that isn’t overbearing nor underwhelming. That being said, I knew that this was perhaps the least loved installment in the series, but it didn’t stop me from giving it a try.

Monday, March 17, 2014

Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Title: Hallowed (Unearthly #2)
Author: Cynthia Hand
Published: January 1st 2012
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.
Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.
In this compelling sequel to Unearthly, Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are.

Having read Unearthly last year and quite liking it, I had high expectations before going into Hallowed. I was a bit scared, not going to lie. The ending of Unearthly left me in a good place, but I had a feeling that not everything will stay the same in Hallowed and I was right. Cynthia Hand took Clara’s story to places, whether good or bad, is left for the readers to decide. For me, it was a mix of both.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Title: Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1)
Author: Kasie West
Published: February 12th 2013
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier ...

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy.One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through ... and who she can’t live without.
Before I get on my thoughts I wanted to say a huge thanks to Nick [Nick’s Book Blog] who gifted me this lovely paperback. It’s absolutely gorgeous and I love the extras in it :) Allrightyyy, so Pivot Point. Who doesn’t know about this book? It was on almost every 2013 wrap-up post I read and everything I’ve heard about this novel has been positive. Naturally I was excited and I mostly got what I was expecting.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Blogger Interview: Jasprit from The Reader's Den

As you guys know I'm going to intereview my friends every month so expect more of these posts in the future. Today I have the honor to host this gorgeous, friendly and lovely creature we all know as Jasprit on Little Pieces of Imagination. She's so adorable and such a sweet girl and I cannot wait for you to guys see what kind of answers she provided me. I'm not going to hold you longer with this intro so let's get on with it and here's Jasprit's interview :) Enjoy!

Profile

Name: Jasprit
Origin: The UK!
Blog name: The Readers Den
URL: http://www.thereadersden.blogspot.co.uk/
Blog’s age: Coming up to two years in March.
Favorite book of all time: Eeep you can’t aske me to just choose one book, but if I had to it’d be Sophie Kinsella’s Can You Keep A Secret. It’s one of my favourite comfort reads.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Review: The Destiny of Violet and Luke by Jessica Sorensen

Title: The Destiny of Violet and Luke (The Coincidence #3)
Author: Jessica Sorensen
Published: January 7th 2014
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review*

Luke Price's life has always been about order, control, and acting tough on the outside. For Luke, meaningless relationships are a distraction-a way to tune out the twisted memories of his childhood. He desperately wishes he could forget his past, but it haunts him no matter what he does.
Violet Hayes has had a rough life. When she was young, she was left with no family and the memory of her parents' unsolved murders. She grew up in foster homes, living with irresponsible parents, drugs, and neglect, and trying to fight the painful memories of the night her parents were taken from her. But it's hard to forget when she never got closure-and she can't stop dreaming about what happened that tragic night. To make it through life, she keeps her distance from everyone and never allows herself to feel anything.
Then Violet meets Luke. The two clash instantly, yet they can't seem to stay away from each other. Although they fight it, they both start to open up and feel things they've never felt before. They discover just how similar they are. But they also discover something else: The past always catches up with you...

Jessica Sorensen is an author plenty of people talked about last year. She has tousands upon thousands of ratings and reviews on Goodreads and Amazon and she is one of the leading ladies of New Adult fiction. Since I truly enjoyed reading about Lila and Ethan (my review can be found here; I wanted to link it to prove that I did, in fact, enjoy it thoroughly), I decided to give Violet and Luke a try as well.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Book Haul #32

I feel like I'm getting better at writing these posts. No long intro needed this week, because I really want to get on with it and show you all my books because I'm so exciteeeeddd about them :) If you have read any, let me know what you thought and be sure to leave your links below :) Have a great weekend, lovelies! x

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

February Wrap Up and Giveaway

Wow! February totally flew by and I cannot believe it's March already. I started my final BA semester in February and it'll be a crazy ride to the finish line this spring what with my thesis, classes, labs, work and blogging. Since February was a little less hectic I got to post every day, but during March and the rest of the spring I'll probably post like 2-3 times a week and won't be able to comment every day, but I'm going to try my hardest. Anyhow, let's move on to the books, shall we?

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Popular Authors I've Never Read

This week's list isn't that hard to craft, because I'm so behind with many of the hype authors. I don't really know why, I guess it's because I'm afraid of the disappointment. Then again, I may be missing out on something amazing, so I really ought to start reading more hype books, yeah? lols. Anyhow, here are some of the authors who are extremely popular, but whose books I still haven't read yet.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Review: In Honor by Jessi Kirby

Title: In Honor
Author: Jessi Kirby
Published: May 8th 2012
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
Honor receives her brother’s last letter from Iraq three days after learning that he died, and opens it the day his fellow Marines lay the flag over his casket. Its contents are a complete shock: concert tickets to see Kyra Kelly, her favorite pop star and Finn’s celebrity crush. In his letter, he jokingly charged Honor with the task of telling Kyra Kelly that he was in love with her.

Grief-stricken and determined to grant Finn’s last request, she rushes to leave immediately. But she only gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen him in ages, thanks to a falling out between the two guys, but Rusty is much the same as Honor remembers him: arrogant, stubborn . . . and ruggedly good-looking. Neither one is what the other would ever look for in a road trip partner, but the two of them set off together, on a voyage that makes sense only because it doesn’t. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn--but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?
Last year was pretty good for Jessi Kirby as far as I could see, because so many of my blogging friends adored her novel Golden. I heard nothing short of amazing about that book and everyone was speechless over her well-crafted characters and character-driven plot. I had high expectations for this author’s work, I’m not going to lie. Luckily, it wasn’t disappointment what was waiting ahead of me.