Tuesday, 5 August 2014

Book Review (370): Virgin - Radhika Sanghani


Virgin

Publication: 5th August 2014
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Pages: 304
Genre: Contemporary
Age Appropriate: New Adult
Okay, I admit it…I didn’t do it.

Yet.

This is normal, right?  I mean, just because everyone I know has talked like they’ve already done it doesn’t mean that they’re telling the truth…right?

It’s not like I’m asking for that much. I don’t need the perfect guy. I don’t need candlelight or roses. Honestly, I don’t even need a real bed.

The guys I know complain that girls are always looking for Mr. Right—do I have to wear a sign that says I’m only looking for Mr. Right Now?

Sooooo…anyone out there want sex? Anyone? Hello? Just for fun?

I am not going to die a virgin. One way or another I am going to make this happen.

Hey, what have I got to lose? Besides the obvious.
My Thoughts.
Virgin is a laugh-out loud contemporary novel that follows Ellie, a twenty-one year old student in her final year of college, and oh yeah she's a virgin, and she is determined to lose her V card before college is over.

Unfortunately Ellie has not had the best track record with guys, she feels left out whenever her friends talk about their sex lives, if only she could find a guy to lose her virginity to, or even to ask her out on a date.

With hilarious anecdotes and mishaps along the way, o.k a lot of mishaps, this book goes through what most females have had to deal with, and questions we've all had about our bodies and sex.

I also enjoyed the blog entries throughout after Ellie and her friend Emma start a blog about the aforementioned subjects.

I didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did, Ellie is a character that all females can relate to, not perfect in any way but with all the same worries girls have had at one time or another.

I'm intrigued to see what Radhika releases next, if it's anything like this book I'll be all over it.

A fantastic debut novel.

I give this 4/5 stars.


Radhika Sanghani is a journalist for the Daily Telegraph, where she specializes in writing about women and women’s issues. She has an MA in newspaper journalism from City University London, a BA in English literature from University College London, and recently came in second in GQ’s Norman Mailer writing competition. Virgin is her debut novel.


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Saturday, 2 August 2014

Book Review (369): No Attachments (Woodfalls Girls #1) - Tiffany King


No Attachments (Woodfalls Girls #1)

Publication: 5th August 2014
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Pages: 304
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Appropriate: New Adult
Ashton Garrison walked away from her current life to escape the one thing she’s unwilling to face. She knows her decision may be selfish, but in the end, leaving will be far less painful for everyone. Now she has one goal: live life to the fullest with no regrets and no attachments. What Ashton doesn’t count on is how fate always seems to find a way to screw up any good plan.
 
Nathan Lockton specializes in locating a mark. He’s done it over and over again—no attachments and no emotion necessary. What he thought was a routine lost-and-found job has forced Nathan to deal with something he has always ignored—his feelings. He’s never fallen for a target, yet he’s never met anyone like Ashton. Now deep in a dilemma, Nathan must decide to follow his heart, or complete the job he was hired to do.
 
Love can come when you least expect it. The question is: If the odds are stacked against you, how far are you willing to go for the one you love?
My Thoughts.
Ashton has run away from her former life, Nathan has been hired to find her and report back to his client her location, but when one night Ashton who plans on crossing an item off her list of twenty-seven things she must do, by having a one-night stand with a stranger, tries to pick him up at a bar (hilariously so as she's drunk at the time) he finds that he's charmed by her, better yet the attraction between these two is immediate and the chemistry is hot.

Against his better judgement Nathan holds off on divulging her whereabouts, and instead plans to get to know Ashton a bit better, from the start they both let the other know that they want no attachments, with neither knowing the other one's secrets they spend a lot of time together, but it isn't long before they both develop feelings for one another, when Ashton's reasons for running away finally catch up to her there'll be a long battle ahead if they are to have any kind of future together.

This book was extremely hard to put down once I picked it up, told in dual perspectives by both Ashton and Nathan, we got to see both of their thoughts as their relationship progressed, and when Ashton's shockingly unexpected secret was revealed I was a sniveling, ugly crying mess, especially the letter she wrote to Nathan, it killed me.

Tiffany has a way of writing that will keep you completely absorbed, the storyline was fantastic, the shock-factor was nothing that I was expecting and the characters will warm your heart, I look forward to starting the next book in this series which I will be picking up as soon as this review is finished.

A fantastic debut book in  a new series, I recommend everybody pick this one up.

I give this 5/5 stars.


USA Today Bestselling author Tiffany King is a lifelong reading fanatic who is now living her dream as a writer, weaving Young Adult and New Adult romance tales for others to enjoy. She has a loving husband and two wonderful kids. (Five, if you count her three spoiled cats). Her addictions include: Her iphone and ipad, chocolate, Diet Coke, chocolate, Harry Potter, chocolate, zombies and her favorite TV shows. Want to know what they are? Just ask.

Where to connect with Tiffany
Twitter- @AuthorTiffany

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(ARC) Book Review (368): Strange And Ever After (Something Strange And Deadly #3) - Susan Dennard


Strange and Ever After (Something Strange and Deadly #3)

Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 400
Genre: Steampunk/Paranormal
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Strange And Ever After is the final book in the Something Sweet And Deadly Trilogy, set in a historical time period, combining steampunk and zombies which gives every one of the books a gothic feel, and will send you on a journey across the world.

This book mainly takes place in Egypt, as Eleanor, the spirit-hunters and Oliver trek down Marcus to destroy him once and for all.

Without giving too much away, the power that Eleanor possesses is gradually increasing as is her hatred and fury for Marcus, still trying to keep away from the hellhounds that are after her, and also her will they-won't they relationship with Daniel will finally be resolved.

All questions are answered by the time the book comes to a close, but not everybody makes it out alive, and it's because of this that I disliked the end so much, after everything that all of these characters have suffered and been put through, I would expect all of them together to receive their well deserved happily ever afters, but instead we end up suffering the loss of a character that just ruined the whole series for me.

However I have enjoyed Susan's writing and imagery throughout the trilogy, and  I will certainly keep an eye out for her next release.

I give this 3/5 stars.


I’m a 30-year-old reader, writer, lover of animals, and eater of cookies. I used to be a marine biologist, but now I write novels. And not novels about fish either, but novels about kick-butt heroines and swoon-worthy rogues (I really like swoon-worthy rogues).
I live in the Midwestern US with my French husband and Irish setter, and you can learn more about my crazy thoughts and crippling cookie-addiction on twitter, facebook, or Goodreads.
My debut, Something Strange and Deadly,  is now available from HarperTeen along with its sequel, A Darkness Strange and Lovely. The final installment in the series, Strange and Ever After, will release 7/22/14. Plus, my new epic fantasy series–Truthwitch–will release from Tor in fall 2015!
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Friday, 1 August 2014

Blog Tour: (ARC) Book Review (367): Ugly Love - Colleen Hoover




Ugly Love

Publication: 5th August 2014
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 336
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Appropriate: New Adult
#1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with a new heart-wrenching love story.

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she doesn't think it's love at first sight. They wouldn't even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn't want love, she doesn't have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past. 
Don't expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can't handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated. 
Promises get broken. 
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.
My Thoughts.
The feels...the feels... OMG the feels....

Reading this book felt like Colleen Hoover had torn my heart out and stomped all over it, I sort of had a niggling suspicion of what had happened to Miles six years ago but to read and confirm what I had thought was just devastating.

Colleen's books have a way of pulling at my heartstrings, Hopeless and Losing Hope were two books that did just that, I didn't think that she could do it again, boy was I wrong!

This story told in dual perspectives of Tate and Miles was so well done, we have our heroine Tate who has moved in with her older brother Corbin, the day she moves in she comes across a drunk and passed out guy sitting against her new apartment door, that's our first introduction to Miles, we do eventually find out what got him so drunk that day *sob* but I won't ruin it for anybody.

The attraction and chemistry is hot between these two, but six years ago something happened to Miles that changed his life forever and turned him into the man he is today, unwilling to love or to be close to anybody, which brings me to his perspective his are told from six years ago, and each chapter comes closer to explaining the terribly devastating incident that made him into the shell of the boy he used to be.

They both decide to be friends with benefits, without the friends part, just sex, Miles tells Tate not to ask about his past and too never expect any kind of future with him.

But against her better judgement Tate finds herself falling for Miles, but his rules are clear, and although in the back of her mind she may be hoping that Miles will change his mind and come to care for her too, she knows this won't last forever and she'll need to break things off before she falls too deep in love with him.

Colleen has a way of creating characters that end up being unforgettable, Miles is one of those characters, damaged and in so much pain that you can't help but empathise with him and hope that he can eventually accept the past and move on, be happy and to live again.

Obviously this is one book that I will be recommending to everybody, this is up there with my other favorite books of Colleen's Hopeless and Losing Hope, do you see the pattern, the books that I love most of hers are the one's that shatter me the most and leave me bawling like a baby

A fantastic book that I cannot praise enough.

I give this a huge 5/5 stars.


Colleen Hoover's love for writing began in 1985 when she was five years old. Her first story was titled "Mystery Bob" and was a huge hit with her mother, who was really good at faking interest.
Colleen continued to write short stories for friends and family until December of 2011, when she decided to write a long story she titled, "Slammed." She self-published SLAMMED to Amazon in January, 2012 and it hit the NYT's bestsellers list in May, 2012. She has since signed with Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, and now has six NYT's bestsellers. Colleen prefers to be called a writer, as the term "author" still terrifies her and makes this feel like a job with expectations. She doesn't work well under pressure and hopes writing will always remain fun and exciting.
Colleen's newest novel, UGLY LOVE, releases August 5th, 2014. She is currently working on a new novel, CONFESS, which she is writing as fast as she can before she wakes up from this crazy dream.
You can follow Colleen on Instagram and Twitter @colleenhoover. You can also find her on her blog at www.colleenhoover.com where she holds a daily book-a-day giveaway, or on her very active Facebook page at www.facebook.com/authorcolleenhoover where she loves to give away more free stuff when her husband isn't looking.
Colleen also wants the world to know that writing short biographies in third person is incredibly awkward.

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Saturday, 26 July 2014

Book Review (366): All Of You (Between Breaths #1) - Christina Lee


All of You (Between Breaths #1)

Publication: 1st July 2014
Publisher: NAL Trade
Pages: 304
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Appropriate: New Adult
Avery has just met her hot upstairs neighbor. He's irresistible. Tattooed. And a virgin.

Nursing student Avery Michaels wants nothing to do with dating—she's perfectly happy single. Privy to too many of her mother's bad decisions and even worse taste in boyfriends, all Avery can handle is a string of uncomplicated hookups whenever the mood strikes.

When she meets smoking hot tattoo artist Bennett, she wants him—for just one night. But he won't accept a no-strings-attached arrangement. He lives by a straight-laced code of values based on his own troubled upbringing.

Bennett sees something special in Avery and he wants more from her. Way more. As Avery wrestles with her emotions for Bennett, danger and tragedy force them to open up to each other. And Avery must face the terrifying realization that she wants more from him, too.

So she needs to make a choice—let Bennett go or finally let him in.
My Thoughts.
All Of You would have to be one of my absolute favorite books of the year, the first book in a new adult contemporary romance series, this book was fantastic.

Avery doesn't do love or relationships, after an incident(s) when she was sixteen changed her outlook on men, she decided from then on that she calls the shots and she has no problem with sleeping with random guys, so when she first lay's eyes on Bennett at a party she's immediately attracted to him, but what she doesn't know at the time is that Bennett is a virgin, saving himself until he finds the one, so even though the chemistry between these two is off the charts, she is not willing to make the commitment that Bennett so want's her to give him.

Both coming from dysfunctional families where they were both responsible for their younger siblings, they have a lot in common, but can Bennett melt the ice around Avery's heart, and get her to finally take a chance on him and love.

This was a one sit read for me, Christina's writing has a way of getting you so absorbed in the story that nothing else outside of it matters.

I cannot wait for the next book which will be Avery's best-friend Ella's book, although I don't know if that book will make as much of an impact as All Of You did, this was one of those amazing books that don't come around too often, but when it does wow...you're in for a treat.

Highly recommended.

I give this 5/5 stars.


Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys.

She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.

Author of the Between Breaths series from Penguin. ALL OF YOU, BEFORE YOU BREAK and WHISPER TO ME available now, PROMISE ME THIS on October 7th, 2014.

Also Adult contemporary romance TWO OF HEARTS coming from Peguin/NAL on May 5th 2015.

Website + Facebook + Twitter + Goodreads
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Thursday, 24 July 2014

(ARC) Book Review (365): Sinner (The Wolves Of Mercy Falls #3.5) - Maggie Stiefvater


Sinner (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3.5)

Publication: 1st July 2014
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 368
Genre: Paranormal
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Buy It: Amazon + Barnes & Noble + The Book Depository
A standalone companion book to the internationally bestselling Shiver Trilogy. 

Sinner follows Cole St. Clair, a pivotal character from the #1 New York Times bestselling Shiver Trilogy. Everybody thinks they know Cole's story. Stardom. Addiction. Downfall. Disappearance. But only a few people know Cole's darkest secret -- his ability to shift into a wolf. One of these people is Isabel. At one point, they may have even loved each other. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Now Cole is back. Back in the spotlight. Back in the danger zone. Back in Isabel's life. Can this sinner be saved?
My Thoughts.
Sinner is a companion novel to The Wolves Of Mercy Falls series, continuing on and finishing up Cole St Clair and Isabel Culpeper's story arc's, this is the book that fans of this series have been waiting for.

This was definitely one of my most anticipated books of the year for me, I loved Cole's character and I was eager to jump in and discover whether Cole and Isabel would finally put themselves and us readers out of our misery and get together.

Unfortunately while I did find this book enjoyable in parts, I also found it to be quite dull and there wasn't enough of a storyline to keep me wanting to continuously pick this book up, I loved Cole's witty repartee but there was what seemed to be a monotonous storyline which consisted of: Cole and Isabel meeting up, having a fight, one or the other storming off, record a song, do something for the reality show that Cole is appearing on, change into a wolf and repeat over and over.

Maybe my expectations were set too high, I really don't know, but I was left disappointed regardless, I'm a huge fan of Maggie's but this book didn't have the spark that the original series had.

I do suggest that fans of this series read Sinner though, to finish of this series and get some closure for these two characters who are fan favorites.

I give this 3/5 stars


I am Maggie Stiefvater. I write books. Some are about dead Welsh kings. Some are about werewolf nookie. Some are about neither.
I have been a wedding musician, a technical editor, a portrait artist, and, for several fraught weeks, a waitress. I play several musical instruments (most infamously, the bagpipes), I still make art, and I recently acquired and unacquired a race car.
I live in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia with my husband, my two children, some cows, three dogs who fart recreationally, a criminally insane cat, an interminable number of miniature silky fainting goats, and one 1973 Camaro named Loki.
I like things that go.
Amazon
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Sunday, 20 July 2014

(ARC) Book Review (364): Unstoppable (Country Roads #3) - Shannon Richard


Unstoppable (Country Roads #3)

Publication: 29th July 2014
Publisher: Forever
Pages: 400
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Appropriate: Adult
Some things you don't dare let go . . .Melanie O'Bryan knows life is too short to be afraid of taking chances. And former Air Force sergeant Bennett Hart is certainly worth taking a chance on. He's agreed to help her students with a school project, but she's hoping the handsome handyman will offer her a whole lot more. Yet despite his heated glances and teasing touches, Mel senses there's something holding him back . . . 
Bennett Hart is grateful to be alive and back home in Mirabelle, Florida. Peaceful and uncomplicated-that's all he's looking for. Until a spunky, sexy-as-hell teacher turns his life upside down. After one smoldering kiss, Bennett feels like he's falling without a parachute. But with memories of his past threatening to resurface, he'll have to decide whether to keep playing it safe, or take the biggest risk of all. 
My Thoughts.
Unstoppable by Shannon Richard is an extremely enjoyable contemporary romance, number three in the Country Roads series, it can be read as a stand alone but to understand the history of the different characters I do recommend starting at the first book Undone.

Full of romance, steamy love scenes and unforgettable characters these books only get better as the series goes along.

Mel O'Bryan is a maths teacher who has enlisted the help of ex-Air Force sergeant Bennett Hart, who has become well known around town for his carpentry skills, for a project building new bookshelves for the schools library incorporating maths into the equation (pardon the pun) to teach kids the importance of maths in everyday life.
Both have a crush on each other, but neither is willing to take the first step, Bennett who is still coming to grips with injuries and the loss of soldiers/friends that were lost in a helicopter crash while on duty in a foreign country which subsequently put an end to his career, is adamant that he won't fall in love with anyone to save himself the trouble of losing anybody else in his life, but as much as he fights it he's drawn to Mel and they soon start a  relationship, but you know in these kind of books that it's never smooth sailing, and they will have hurdles to cross and issues to deal with before they both get their happily ever afters.

The chemistry between Mel and Bennett is hot, they were so well suited to each other and I was intrigued and absorbed with their whole relationship, egging them on the whole way through.

Shannon has a way of making every new book and story in this series fresh and exciting, leaving readers with the need to plow through these books as fast as possible, no matter how many times you tell yourself just one more chapter, before you know it you're finished and you're left wondering where the time went.

I can't wait for the next book, I'm eager and anxious to see what awaits these characters who are quickly becoming near and dear to my heart.

Highly recommended.

I give this 5/5 stars.



All About Shannon

Shannon Richard grew up in the Panhandle of Florida as the baby sister of two overly protective but loving brothers. She was raised by a more than somewhat eccentric mother, a self-proclaimed vocabularist who showed her how to get lost in a book, and a father who passed on his love for coffee and really loud music. She graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s in English literature and still lives in Tallahassee, where she battles everyday life with writing, reading, and a rant every once in a while. Okay, so the rants might happen on a regular basis. She’s still waiting for her Southern, scruffy Mr. Darcy, and in the meantime writes love stories to indulge her overactive imagination. Oh, and she’s a pretty big fan of the whimsy.

Website + Facebook +Twitter + Goodreads
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