Showing posts with label Arcs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arcs. Show all posts

Sunday 15 September 2013

(ARC) Book Review (252): Forever Innocent - Deanna Roy


Forever Innocent

Publication: 1st October 2013
Publisher: Casey Shay Press
Pages: 300
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Appropriate: New Adult

"Our baby died on prom night, and nothing was ever the same again."

Corabelle doesn’t feel like any of the other college girls. On what should have been one of the happiest nights of her life, she and her boyfriend Gavin watched a nurse disconnect the ventilator from their seven-day-old baby. During the funeral two days later, Gavin walked out and never returned.

Since then, her life has been a spiral of disasters. The only thing that has helped is her ability to black out whenever the pain gets too hard to bear, a habit that has become an addiction.

When Gavin shows up in her astronomy class four years later, he is hell-bent on getting her back, insisting she forgive him. Corabelle knows she can’t resist the touch that fills the empty ache that has haunted her since he left. But if he learns what she has done, if he follows the trail back through her past, her secrets will destroy their love completely. And once again, she’ll lose the only person who always believed she was innocent.
My Thoughts.
What a phenomenal story, one of the best new adult book's that I've ever read!
This was such an extraordinarily emotional story that will definitely tug at the heartstrings, as we share in the grief of a couple losing their baby.
This was a topic that is different from any other new adult book on the market and that's why I loved it so much, the two different POV'S from our two main protagonists Corabelle and Gavin and the different ways that they've both handled their grief after the loss of their seven day old son is devastating.
Both of them taking on the guilt and the blame for their son Finn's death, and the destructive paths that they've both taken to deal with it all.
What hasn't helped either of them is that they have never really dealt with the death of Finn, Corabelle especially, and after Gavin walks out at Finn's funeral, never returning, she's just been getting by day by day, never getting close to anyone or letting anyone really get close to her.
Until her first day at a new college when she comes face to face with Gavin after he disappeared four years ago, and this is where the story starts with Corabelle and Gavin's memories and flashbacks to the time of Finn's birth and death and even back to when they were childhood friends growing up together before their relationship progressed into a more intimate one.
There's nothing about this book that I didn't like, extremely well written I am on tenterhooks waiting for the sequel Forever Love to be released, hopefully not too long, *fingers crossed*.
Everybody should pick this book up it's fantastic, kudos Deanna for writing this remarkable book.
I give this 5/5 Stars.


About this author

Deanna Roy is the author of the novels BABY DUST and STELLA & DANE (Casey Shay Press), interrelated stories on the hardships of finding love and building a family. Her next novel, FOREVER INNOCENT, about a couple who rediscover their love four years after losing their premature baby, will be out Oct. 1, 2013.

Deanna is a powerful advocate for Baby Loss Moms and most of her books touch on this topic. She is the founder of Pregnancyloss.info and hosts numerous public and private support groups both online and in person.

You can follow Deanna and read pre-release sneak peeks and free ebooks on her private list. Subscribe!

Deanna also writes a series of books for middle grade readers under the name D.D. Roy, including JINNIE WISHMAKER and MARCUS MENDER.

She's pretty easy to spot on Facebook and Twitter.

Links.




Sunday 7 July 2013

(ARC) Book Review (242): Silence Of The Wolves (Call Of The Wilderness #1) - Hannah Pole


Silence of the Wolves

Publication: 26th June 2013
Publisher: Carina UK
Pages: 251
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Age Appropriate: Adult
Fate is calling… 
After a strange encounter in a dark alley, journalist Tamriel’s life is turned upside down. She’s missing days, developing odd new abilities, and being followed by mysterious Leyth. 
Dark, dangerous – and too gorgeous for his own good –Leyth’s determined to teach Tamriel about her new life – as a werewolf! And just as intent on keeping their relationship strictly business. 
But as their simmering bond grows, Tamriel and Leyth face a bigger challenge; Tam may be their kind’s strongest weapon against the Circle, a deadly group of paranormal creatures gone rogue. That is, if she’s ready to give into her destiny and put up the fight of her life...
My Thoughts.
I absolutely loved this book, I can see author Hannah Pole having an exceptional career if this debut novel is anything to go by.
From reading this book you just get the sense that there's no way that this could be a debut novel, it feels as if this is the work of someone who's been writing for years and has a library of books to their name, that's how well written this was.
As soon as I saw the cover and read the synopsis I was sold, anything paranormal and I'll devour it and this was no exception!
The author's take on all the mythological beings throughout the story was so fresh and different than what I normally read in a book of this genre, which made me love it all the more.
The characters were well written and fleshed out and added to the intriguing storyline.
Tamtriel 'Tam' and Leyth have such great chemistry together that I found myself egging them on throughout, eager for them both to admit their feelings towards one another, and really happy when they finally did.
I'm really excited that there will be a second book based on a different couple, and I hope that there's many more to come, I'm now invested in this world that Hannah has created, and will eagerly await each instalment in this series.
My only complaint is that you can only buy this in ebook form, I would have loved a physical copy for my bookshelf.
Hannah you've definitely found yourself a fan and I look forward to many more books in the future.
I give this 5/5 Stars.


Monday 1 July 2013

(ARC) Book Review (239): Losing Hope (Hopeless #2) - Colleen Hoover


Losing Hope (Hopeless #2)

Publication: 8th July 2013 (Ebook) & 15th October 2013 (Paperback)
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 320
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Appropriate: New Adult
In the follow-up to Colleen Hoover’s #1 New York Times bestseller Hopeless, the charming and irresistible Dean Holder tells the passionate story that has melted thousands of hearts.

In Hopeless, Sky left no secret unearthed, no feeling unshared, and no memory forgotten, but Holder’s past remained a mystery.

Still haunted by the little girl he let walk away, Holder has spent his entire life searching for her in an attempt to finally rid himself of the crushing guilt he has felt for years. But he could not have anticipated that the moment they reconnect, even greater remorse would overwhelm him…

Sometimes in life, if we wish to move forward, we must first dig deep into our past and make amends. In Losing Hope, bestselling author Colleen Hoover reveals what was going on inside Holder’s head during all those hopeless moments—and whether he can gain the peace he desperately needs.
My Thoughts.
Such a heartbreaking, beautifully written novel that will touch everyone, even the coldest of hearts.
Colleen Hoover is a master of this kind of book, a gut-wrenching, emotionally driven story that will send you on a roller-coaster ride of feelings.
I didn't think that anything Colleen wrote would ever be as fantastic as Hopeless was, until I read this book, I was proven completely wrong.
I love the fact that quite a few new adult authors these days are re-writing their books in the POV of the male lead, I enjoy reading the dual aspects and being able to know what both characters are thinking and experiencing at the same time.
I'm a big fan of Holder's character and so when I discovered that this book was being written, well I was extremely happy, even happier now that I've read it and know his inner thoughts and feelings.
This book had me crying so much more than Hopeless ever did, because we experience through Holder the death of his twin sister Leslie 'Les', the kidnapping and disappearance of he and Les' childhood best-friend Hope thirteen years ago (and his subsequent guilt over the years) and then there were the letters he wrote to Les after she died *sob*.
When he meets Sky his world changes and he's finally happy for the first time in a long time, these two make such a good couple, and it's because of that and the fact they are such strong and interesting characters that so many people have grown to love them and their story.
Even after having read Hopeless and knowing what the shocking revelation is, it still hits you like a punch in the gut, the shock not lessened by the different protagonist of either book.
I do recommend tissues whilst reading this, you'll definitely need them.
My only complaint is that there will be no more stories featuring Sky and Holder, I wish that eventually we may get a short story of some sort to let us catch up with these two, and to find out what the future held for them.
Definitely one of my favourite reads of 2013, highly recommended this is a story you don't want to miss!
I give this 5/5 Stars.

Sunday 16 June 2013

(ARC) Book Review (230): The Book Of Broken Hearts - Sarah Ockler


The Book of Broken Hearts





Friday 21 September 2012

Blog Tour And Giveaway: The Star Child - Stephanie Keyes, Book Review (142).


The Star Child

The world is about to be cloaked in darkness. Only one can stop the night.

Kellen St. James has spent his entire life being overlooked as an unwanted, ordinary, slightly geeky kid. That is until a beautiful girl, one who has haunted his dreams for the past eleven years of his life, shows up spinning tales of a prophecy. Not just any old prophecy either, but one in which Kellen plays a key role.

Suddenly, Kellen finds himself on the run through a Celtic underworld of faeries and demons, angels and gods, not to mention a really ticked off pack of hellhounds, all in order to save the world from darkness. But will they make it in time?
My Thoughts...
Kellen is a seventeen year old genius, when we first join him in the book he's graduating from Yale University, with no family there celebrating, his mother is dead and his father is a cold man and has never had or wanted anything to do with him, he plans on moving to Ireland and living in his Gran's house that she left him in her will after her recent death.
When he was six years old and visiting his Gran he came across a girl Calienta his age with her father and ever since then she has been in his dreams every night, and he hasn't been back long when he see's her again, she takes him to a cave who's walls are covered in pictures that have been there for centuries, it's there that she explains to him that he is part of a prophecy and that they are destined to be together, Kellen doesn't believe her at first, but after a bit of convincing and a visit by her father who is kidnapped by his evil son they then set out to try to rescue him.
So begins Kellen and Calienta's trek through another world where gods, faeries, angels, demons, gargoyles and three headed dogs abound.
It's there that both of their destiny's will come into fruition, through time travel and a battle that will determine whether the prophecy will come to pass.
So if you like your books filled with action, adventure and a little romance then this is the book for you.
I'm interested to see whether this will become a series, because after the ending in this book I'm dying to know what will happen next.
I give this 3.5/5.


The giveaway (paperback and posters) is open to US and UK only. The ebooks are international.a Rafflecopter giveaway


About Stephanie...
When I'm not writing, I work as a freelance instructional and graphic designer, along with my husband of ten years. My most important job of all, however, is being a mom to two little boys under the age of six and Riley, the Cockapoo Princess.
When I am not working, mothering someone, or writing, I am an avid reader. Naturally, my favorite genre is Fantasy, but I'll read just about anything given the chance!
I'm also a gadget freak (if it's new I have to have it) and a music addict. I play the clarinet, saxophone, and sing.
My first novel, The Star Child, will be released in September 2012 by Inkspell Publishing. I am now currently at work on the second book in The Star Child Trilogy, The Fallen Stars.

Stephanie's Links.






Sunday 2 September 2012

(ARC) Book Review (130): Amarok - Angela J. Townsend

Amarok

Publication: 20th November 2012
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Pages: 181
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Life has been hell for seventeen-year-old Emma since she moved from sunny California to a remote Alaskan town. Rejected by her father and living with the guilt of causing her mother's death, she makes a desperate dash for freedom from her abusive stepfather. But when her car skids off the icy road, her escape only leads to further captivity in a world beyond her imagining. Dragged across the tundra by a crazed mountain man and his enormous black wolf, she finds that her gentle touch and kind heart earn her the wolf's friendship, and she names him Amarok, not knowing he was once a young man. When a vicious madman--trapped in bear form by an ancient Shaman--attacks the travelers and injures Amarok, Emma must find the strength to confront her fears and free the wolf she's come to love. But there's a catch--she must face down the evil shaman, a powerful Siberian mammoth hunter from the ice age, and he has no intention of giving up his power to her.
My Thoughts...
I really wanted to like this book more than I actually did, that's not to say it's bad but quite often I'd be reading it and my mind would go a-wandering onto something totally unrelated to the story, I found the constant walking throughout the book to be tedious, a little less of that and a bit more action and I definitely would have liked it a lot better.
Emma flees the home that she shares with her abusive stepfather into a snowy, dark night, trying to avoid hitting an animal on the road she swerves and ends up crashing her car, she is found by a man and a wolf,  the man Weasel Tail is crazy and evil, she's not the first female he's dragged to his cabin to torture and abuse, the wolf whom Emma comes to call Amarok is a seventeen year old boy turned into a wolf centuries ago by an evil shaman, and unwillingly tethered to Weasel Tail and his previous descendants, he is also a victim of abuse from Weasel Tail and his previous owners.
Amarok can be changed back, Weasel Tail keeps a totem around his neck to keep Amarok in line but there is an identical totem which when put together will turn Amarok back into the boy he used to be, the only problem is that the shaman who first cursed Amarok has the second totem but getting it from him will be the problem.
The ending of this book left an opening for another book, I'd be interested to see what would occur in another book.
I give this 3/5.
A Big Thanks To Spencer Hill Press.

Tuesday 17 July 2012

(ARC) Book Review (111). The Legacy Of Lord Regret - Sam Bowring


The Legacy Of Lord Regret (Strange Thread#1)

Publication: 1st August 2012
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Pages: 425
Genre: Fantasy
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Book One of the STRANGE THREADS duology. Centuries have passed since the Wardens slew the tyrant Lord Regret, but while the Wound that he ripped in the sky remains open, the earth trembles and the sun vanishes without warning.


The great warrior Rostigan wanders Aorn, weary of battle and unwanted renown. With him travels his lover, the minstrel Tarzi, who hopes she may soon witness further deeds from him worthy of song and tale. Despite Rostigan s reluctance to re-enter the world, she may get what she wishes for . . .

When they travel to the once magnificent city of Silverstone they discover it has been wrenched out of existence. Journeying onwards, they come to learn the disturbing truth. The land has descended into chaos for the Wardens, now craving destruction, have returned from their ancient graves and Lord Regret s malicious legacy grows ever stronger, corrupting the very nature of reality.
My Thoughts.
A highly exciting novel from a fantastic storyteller, that kept me turning the pages till late into the night.
After a bit of a slow start, the book gets better the further along you read, until you get to the end with a cliffhanger that will have you wishing you had the next book right there ready to go.
I loved how we get the back stories of all of the eight wardens as they are brought back to life after being dead for the last three hundred years.
The revelation when we find out about Rostigan's true identity was a shock, I had to re-read it to make sure that I read it right, but it made a good twist in the story that I really liked. 
The Wardens have no idea how or why they have returned, 3oo years ago they killed each other and themselves in hopes that they could fix the wound in the sky, but alas it did not work and so the eight Wardens rush to reunite with each other some good some bad and some on the fence with their decision on what side to fight on.
So they're out to get each other the Wardens on the side of good trying to kill the others on the evil side before they can harm or kill too many people.
I loved all the characters and the fact that before all eight of them were infected with a bit of Lord Regret's powers, that they were all friends and good people, but unfortunately some of them got his destructive and harmful powers which turned them into people that they would have killed before, I especially love Rostigan, Yalenna and Braston.
I really liked the originality of the story not having read a whole lot of Fantasy books, it was a refreshing read to what I'm used too and I like that, and the world building made this book so intriguing.
I would highly recommend this book, it has action aplenty and left me with a hankering to know what will happen next.
I give this 4/5.
A Big Thanks To Hachette Australia.


Friday 13 July 2012

(ARC) Book Review (110). Everything Left Unsaid - Jessica Davidson


Everything Left Unsaid


Publication: 1st August 2012
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Pages: 305
Genre: Contemporary
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
"I wait for him, the cold seeping through my clothes, until it finally dawns on me that he's not coming back. And I wonder why he chose her instead of me? Why he went looking for her when I was right there."



Tai and Juliet have been best friends forever – since they met at kindy and decided to get married in first grade.

They understand each other in the way that only best friends can.

They love music, beach walks, energy drinks and, they are slowly discovering, each other.

As they dream of adventures beyond the HSC – a future free of homework, curfews and parents, a life together – their plans are suddenly and dramatically derailed.

For Tai is sick.

And not everything you wish for can come true.

A poignant story of first love, hope, grief, family, and the twistedness of life.
My Thoughts.
Where have you been hiding Jessica Davidson? This is such an emotionally draining book, after finishing it I couldn't stop thinking about it, I suggest a box full of tissues and a place where you can bawl your eyes out alone!
Which to me is the sign of a fantastic storyteller.
This is the most depressingly, wonderful book I've ever read, it sent me on a roller-coaster of emotions, it was heartbreaking and sent me barreling towards the inevitable ending that you knew would happen but at the same time hoped it wouldn't.
The last half of this book had me in tears and I had to escape to the solitude of my room, because this book is so overwhelming, I just wanted to sit and reflect on the brilliance of this novel, I felt like I'd lost a friend once it was over.
Juliet and Tai have been best friends since the first day of Kindergarten, now that they are both in Year Twelve they have finally admitted their feelings for each other, and after finally becoming a couple Tai finds out that he is dying from a brain tumor with only a year left to live.
Told in alternating perspectives we get both sides, Tai having to deal with the fact that he won't get to do all of the things that he dreamed of doing after high school and Juliet who's faced with reality that she will lose her boyfriend and best friend.
And with Tai faced with the decisions on whether he wants to die at home or a hospital, or if he wants to be buried or cremated just made this so hard to get through without a steady stream of tears running down my face, and having him sit by and watch everybody else's lives carrying on around him knowing he won't get to do any of those things is heartbreaking.
Amidst all the tragedy is a fantastic book which everybody needs to read, this is real life, it's not going to end with a couple looking forward to their future together, but instead how a girl is having to carry on without the person she expected to spend her life with.
One of my favourite contemporary's of all time, I'm so glad I read this book.
I give this 5/5.
A Big Thanks To Pan Macmillan Australia.



Thursday 12 July 2012

(ARC) Book Review (108). Pushing The Limits - Katie McGarry


Pushing the Limits


Publication: 25th July 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen Australia
Pages: 376
Genre: Contemporary 
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
SO WRONG FOR EACH OTHER...AND YET SO RIGHT.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.

But when Noah Hutchins--the smoking hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket--explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.
My Thoughts.
One of the best author debuts I've ever read, Katie McGarry is sure to be the next big thing in YA!
It's hard to describe just how much I loved this book, I was constantly thinking about it whilst I wasn't reading it, and when I was I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
It's the sign of an amazing writer when all you want to do is eat, breathe and sleep in this story which was both heartbreaking and intense, I loved the chemistry between Echo and Noah, they were perfect for each other and their struggle to find themselves and to fight for their love for each other just makes them one of my all time favourite YA couples.
The build up we get with Echo trying to regain her memories of that day that she has blocked from her mind, was a great suspense and I loved trying to figure out what had happened, and I never could have guessed what it was in a million years it was tragic, and I can understand why she didn't want to remember and why her brain shut down such a traumatic memory.
As for Noah well besides the fact that he's hot, the way that he cares for his two brothers was so sweet and he too had a tragic story which gave both of them a lot in common, these two damaged souls found solace in each other, and each found someone who could understand what had happened to the other.
What also made this book amazing was the alternating chapters, I loved that we could know what each other was thinking and could find out back stories to them both, the memories they both had of happier times back before their world's got torn apart.
The supporting characters in this book were really great Isaiah and Beth who were also battling their own demons and Mrs Collins, Echo and Noah's counselor and the reason for them officially meeting, if only all counselor's were as sweet and helpful as she was.
There was absolutely nothing I could find fault with in this book, I strongly urge everybody to pick this book up, clear some time because you'll definitely never want to put this book down.
I give this a huge 5/5.
A Big Thanks To Harlequin Teen And Morey Media.




Wednesday 4 July 2012

(ARC) Book Review (106) Innocent Darkness - Suzanne Lazear


Innocent Darkness (The Aether Chronicles #1)


 I loved Noli, she's a strong female character who helped look after her mother after her father disappeared and her brother is away working, but being set in 1901 females aren't expected to work and so Noli's mother is frowned upon for owning and working in her dress shop to support them both.
Noli likes to fix mechanical things and gardening, and with the help of her best friend Steven 'V' manages to get them both into a lot of trouble, none more so than when she fixes up her dad's old car and takes it out flying, Noli doesn't have a license and since she's already been in trouble with the police before when she get's stopped by the police this time they show no leniency and sentence Noli to a reform school 'Finlay House.
But not all is what it seems there, the facade that Miss Gregory presents when Noli is brought to the school by her mother and their local policeman hides a lot of abuse and torture plus a male doctor who shows a bit too much attention to the girls, 'good girls' get treated better but to be them you almost become mindless drones.
Noli makes friends with Charlotte and together they help each other through their time in Finlay House, Noli gets to spend her time gardening where she finds a faery garden hidden away unbeknown to her what it is, it isn't until Charlotte is taken away by her abusive uncle and Noli is tortured again that she finds solace in the 'faery tree' where she wishes to be anywhere but there that she ends up in the Otherworld.
Keveighn the Huntsmen who has been hunting for a mortal girl with the 'spark' (someone who has a lot of creativity) finds her in the Otherworld and takes her back to his cabin, where he falls in love with her.
The land relied on the blood sacrifice every seven mortal years to nourish her and keep the magic alive
Noli starts to develop feelings too until she finds out the truth of why she's really there and what Keveighn's job really is, V comes to rescue Noli and it seems that Keveighn isn't the only one keeping secrets, V has been hiding something big from her.
Through it all the only thing that Noli wants is to go home to her mother.
"For reasons unbeknownst to me, I could easily fall for you, if I let myself-even though I know better."
 I loved the ending, it was a bit of a shock and I really can't wait to find out what occurs next in Noli's life.
I give this 4/5.
 A Big Thanks To Flux And NetGalley.