Sunday, 8 February 2015

Book Review (433): Hero - Samantha Young


Hero

Publication: 3rd February 2015
Publisher: NAL
Pages: 416
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Appropriate: Adult
Buy It:  Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | iBooks | Paperback
The emotional and unforgettable new romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series.

Alexa Holland’s father was her hero—until her shocking discovery that her mother and she weren’t his only family. Ever since, Alexa has worked to turn her life in a different direction and forge her own identity outside of his terrible secrets. But when she meets a man who’s as damaged by her father’s mistakes as she is, Alexa must help him.

Caine Carraway wants nothing to do with Alexa’s efforts at redemption, but it’s not so easy to push her away. Determined to make her hate him, he brings her to the edge of her patience and waits for her to walk away. But his actions only draw them together and, despite the odds, they begin an intense and explosive affair.

Only Caine knows he can never be the white knight that Alexa has always longed for. And when they’re on the precipice of danger, he finds he’ll do anything to protect either one of them from being hurt again....
My Thoughts.
There are only two words needed to describe this book ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!

When you have a story that features a character like billionaire hottie Caine Carroway there's no way you can go wrong, especially when he has a tortured past and a long hidden secret that you'll be desperate to have revealed.

So of course you need a heroine who is able to handle him, enter Alexa Holland a smart-ass PA who is determined to crack Caine's hard as stone exterior and get to know the man behind the facade.

With both of their pasts intertwining in tragic circumstances, and Caine taking the blame out on Alexa for it after having hired her as his new PA, he pushes her to her limits, even though it was her Father that ruined both of their lives, but the simmering sexual tension rises to the fore and they engage in an affair that will have both of them dealing with the past and the repercussians that have gotten them to where they are today.

Featuring hot, steamy love scenes that will leave you fanning yourself and an extremely intriguing back story that will make this book so hard to put down.

This is my first Samantha Young book and is certainly not the last, I'm eager to read the rest of her books.

Very enjoyable.

I give this 5/5 stars.


Samantha Young is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author from Stirlingshire, Scotland. She's been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for her international bestseller ON DUBLIN STREET and Best Romance 2014 for BEFORE JAMAICA LANE. ON DUBLIN STREET is Samantha's first adult contemporary romance series and has sold in twenty-eight countries.

For more info on Samantha's adult fiction visit http://www.ondublinstreet.com

For info on her young adult fiction visit www.samanthayoungbooks.com

 Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


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Thursday, 5 February 2015

(ARC) Book Review (432): No Parking At The End Times - Bryan Bliss


No Parking at the End Times

Publication: 24th February 2015
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 272
Genre: Contemporary
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Abigail’s parents have made mistake after mistake, and now they've lost everything. She’s left to decide: Does she still believe in them? Or is it time to believe in herself? Fans of Sara Zarr, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell will connect with this moving debut.

Abigail doesn't know how her dad found Brother John. Maybe it was the billboards. Or the radio. What she does know is that he never should have made that first donation. Or the next, or the next. Her parents shouldn't have sold their house. Or packed Abigail and her twin brother, Aaron, into their old van to drive across the country to San Francisco, to be there with Brother John for the "end of the world." Because of course the end didn't come. And now they're living in their van. And Aaron’s disappearing to who-knows-where every night. Their family is falling apart. All Abigail wants is to hold them together, to get them back to the place where things were right. But maybe it’s too big a task for one teenage girl. Bryan Bliss’s thoughtful, literary debut novel is about losing everything—and about what you will do for the people you love.
My Thoughts.
No Parking At The End Times was an interesting and intriguing story of a family who's Father sells all of their worldly possessions to make their way from North Carolina to San Francisco to join the congregation of a Brother John whom they donated all their money to and who believes the world is about to end, when that doesn't happen the family find themselves poor and living in their van, having to line up for free food wherever they can, in-between praying and mass with Brother John.

Twins Abigail and Aaron are uprooted from everything, Aaron has seen the light and is sullen and angry disappearing most nights for hours at a time, Abigail is also slowly coming to the realisation that all is not right with Brother John and his beliefs, with both of their parents in a way almost brainwashed by him and their faith, Abigail and Aaron will have to find a way to leave their parents and find a way home, and to get back to a normal life.

While I'm hardly what you would call religious, I can understand how anyone can fall for these kind of people who prey on others and their faith.

A quick read that will get you thinking and will give you something different in the YA genre.

I give this 4/5 stars.


Bryan Bliss is the author of No Parking at the End Times. He holds master’s degrees in theology and fiction and – shockingly – found a professional job that allows him to use both of those degrees. His political philosophy degree, however, is still underutilized. His nonfiction has been published in Image Journal, along with various other newspapers, magazines, and blogs. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two children, both of whom wish he wrote books about dragons. Or wizards.

You can visit him online at www.bryanbliss.com 
and on Facebook and Twitter.


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Monday, 2 February 2015

Book Review (431): Last Hit (Hitman #1) - Jessica Clare & Jen Frederick


Last Hit (Hitman #1)

Publication: 3rd February 2015
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Pages: 368
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Appropriate: New Adult
Buy It: Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Barnes & Noble ~ iTunes ~ Kobo
From two bestselling authors—the first in a deliciously bold new series that takes readers to the most dangerous edge of desire . . .

Nikolai: I have been a contract killer since I was a boy. For years I savored the fear caused by my name, the trembling at the sight of my tattoos. The stars on my knees, the marks on my fingers, the dagger in my neck, all spoke of danger. If you saw my eyes, it was the last vision you’d have. I have ever been the hunter, never the prey. With her, I am the mark and I am ready to lie down and let her capture me. Opening my small, scarred heart to her brings out my enemies. I will carry out one last hit, but if they hurt her, I will bring the world down around their ears.

Daisy : I’ve been sheltered from the outside world all my life. Home-schooled and farm-raised, I’m so naive that my best friend calls me Pollyanna. I like to believe the best about people. Nikolai is part of this new life, and he’s terrifying to me. Not because his eyes are cold or my friend warns me away from him, but because he’s the only man who has ever seen the real me beneath the awkwardness. With him, my heart is at risk . . . and also, my life. 
My Thoughts.
I absolutely loved this book, the idea of a Hitman being the male lead and a naive farm girl as the heroine.

From the very first moment Daisy and Nikolai meet sparks fly and I could tell that this was going to be a romance that I wouldn't forget in a hurry.

There's something about bad boys that I really enjoy reading about, and Nikolai is the definition of a bad boy, I didn't seem to mind when he spent the start of the book watching/spying on Daisy through her apartment building window, through his POV we get to know his thoughts and reasoning behind it, and you know what, he can spy on me anytime!

His accent is hot and the feelings that he develops for Daisy just made me adore him even more.

Daisy is a very likeable character and her innocence and naïveté balances Nikolai out perfectly, she helps him to believe that he's worthy to be loved and to be happy.

There's so much to like in this book, the concept was executed so well and I really feel for these characters I've come to love.

I'm so excited and anxious for the next book, I feel really bad for Regan and I can't wait to read her and Daniel's story.

A great start to a new series.

I give this 5/5 stars.


Author Jessica Claire
This is a pen name for Jill Myles.
Jill Myles has been an incurable romantic since childhood. She reads all the 'naughty parts' of books first, looks for a dirty joke in just about everything, and thinks to this day that the Little House on the Prairie books should have been steamier.

After devouring hundreds of paperback romances, mythology books, and archaeological tomes, she decided to write a few books of her own - stories with a wild adventure, sharp banter, and lots of super-sexy situations. She prefers her heroes alpha and half-dressed, her heroines witty, and she loves nothing more than watching them overcome adversity to fall into bed together.



Jen Frederick lives with her husband, child, and one rambunctious dog.  She's been reading stories all her life but never imagined writing one of her own. Jen loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at jensfrederick@gmail.com.


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Saturday, 31 January 2015

(ARC) Book Review (430): The Mime Order (The Bone Season #2) - Samantha Shannon


The Mime Order (The Bone Season #2)

Publication: 27th January 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 528
Genre: Fantasy
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Buy It: Amazon  Barnes & Noble
Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal prison camp of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the survivors are missing and she is the most wanted person in London...

As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on the dreamwalker, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city's gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take centre stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner. Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided.
My Thoughts.
Last year I was sent a copy of The Bone Season for review, I was hesitant about reading it because of the amount of hype it was receiving, but I picked it up and was utterly amazed at how brilliant that book was, so when I got a an ARC in the mail of the sequel  The Mime Order you can bet your ass I was beyond excited!

I was captivated and enthralled from the get go, this series goes from strength to strength, the anticipation, sense of tension and fear for the fate of these characters just adds another dimension to this world and story we find ourselves absorbed in.

It's hard to write a review for this book without accidentally posting spoilers so I'm going to do a very short overview, Paige has escaped the penal colony Sheol 1 and is set on taking down the Rephaite leader Nashira, she is also the most wanted person in all of London, with the fate of Warden unknown, the murder of the Underlord Hector and the fight that will see a new leader crowned there is never a dull moment.

This is an epic series that I can't get enough of, thank goodness it's going to be seven books long!

I ship Paige and Warden so bad, if these two aren't a couple by the time that this series concludes I'll be inconsolable, although I think that us readers will be tortured with this will they/won't they relationship for the next five books.

I really can't say enough about how amazing, fantastic and utterly wonderful this book and series is, everybody needs to check this series out themselves, you won't be sorry.

I eagerly anticipate book three, bring it on!

I give this 5/5 stars.


I'm Samantha Shannon: dreamer, migraineur and author ofThe Bone Season, the first in a projected series of seven fantasy novels. I was born in Hammersmith, London in 1991. From 2010 – 2013 I studied English Language and Literature at St Anne's College, Oxford, specialising in Principles of Film Criticism and Emily Dickinson. I'm now working on the second book in the Bone Season series,The Mime Order (out 21 October 2014).

I'm a fan of old music, gramophones, silent film, good coffee, and real books. I have four siblings, four parents, and a male tortoise named Lily-Beth, some of whom live with me in west London. The Bone Season is my first published novel. 

My blog, A Book from the Beginning, tracks my journey to publication and my experiences as a debut novelist. Comments and discussion are always welcome. 


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Wednesday, 28 January 2015

Blog Tour & Giveaway/(ARC) Book Review (429): Tear You Apart (Beau Rivage #2) - Sarah Cross



Week One:
1/19/2015- Two Chicks on Books- Story Post
1/20/2015- Crossroad Reviews- Review
1/21/2015- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads- Story Post
1/22/2015- Bumbles and Fairy-Tales- Review
1/23/2015- Tales of the Ravenous Reader- Story Post                                                                    

Week Two:
1/26/2015- Jump Into Books- Review
1/27/2015- Du Livre- Story Post
1/28/2015- Head Stuck In A Book- Review
1/29/2015- A Glass of Wine- Story Post
1/30/2015- A Backwards Story- Review


Tear You Apart (Beau Rivage)

Publication: 27th January 2015
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Pages: 384
Genre: Fantasy/Fairytale Retelling
Age Apprropriate: Young Adult
There are so many reasons why I adore not only this book but the whole series, I really enjoy reading fairytale retellings no matter the fairytale I will pick it up and read it, also having this book compared to the tv shows Once Upon A Time and Grimm which I both love to watch made it almost a 100% guarantee that I was going to thoroughly enjoy this book, and enjoy it I did.

Having read and reviewed the first book Kill Me Softly and giving it five stars I was already familiar with the authors writing style and enjoyed it.

What I love most about these books are the twists that are made on these classic fairytale characters, the family situation with Viv's (Snow White) fated Prince Charming Jasper was genius, it definitely added another layer to the fairytale we have all grown to love.

The character of Viv added a whole new depth to the Snow White character, a Princess who doesn't want her pre-destined Prince Charming and instead wants to be with her on-off boyfriend Henley who happens to be The Huntsman in this tale and who is given the task of killing Viv by her evil Stepmother Regina.

With a sprinkling of fairytale characters throughout there is never a dull moment, you can't ever go wrong with a fairytale retelling written by Sarah Cross.

I hope there will be more companion novels added to this series, I'm eager for more.

I give this 5/5 stars.

Giveaway Details: 1 Winner.
10 winners will receive a signed finished copy of TEAR YOU APART. US/Canada Only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sarah Cross is the author of the fairy tale novels Kill Me Softly and Tear You Apart (coming January 2015), the superhero novel Dull Boy, and the Wolverine comic “The Adamantium Diaries.” She loves fairy tales, lowbrow art, secret identities and silence.
Find her: Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads

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Sunday, 25 January 2015

(ARC) Book Review (428): The Darkest Part Of The Forest - Holly Black


The Darkest Part of the Forest

Publication: 13th January 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown Books For Young Readers
Pages: 336
Genre: Fantasy
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Buy It:  Amazon, Barnes & Noble
Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?
My Thoughts.
It's hard for me to write a review for The Darkest Part Of The Forest, I didn't hate it nor did I love it, it was more of a meh read for me, I didn't feel connected to any of the characters at all which didn't help, the storyline only seemed to build to anything exciting at the very end and even then it wasn't an edge of your seat kind of action-packed ending.

The tone of the book pretty much stayed the same most of the way through, and while I wouldn't say that I was bored reading it I wasn't exactly eager to pick it up once I'd put it down either.

I loved the idea of the concept and I really enjoy stories that feature fairies, but it unfortunately wasn't enough to leave me as intrigued and absorbed as much as I wanted to be.

This was my first Holly Black book ever, and I've heard so many good things about her writing that I think my expectations were so very high that I hyped myself up a bit too much, however I will give her books another go, the way I look at it the next book I read of hers may just become one of my favorite books, you never know.

I still recommend picking this book up, everyone has different tastes and most people that have read this already seem to love it.

I give this 3/5 stars.


Holly Black is the author of bestselling contemporary fantasy books for kids and teens. Some of her titles include The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), The Modern Faerie Tale series, the Curse Workers series, Doll Bones, and The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. She has been a finalist for the Mythopoeic Award and for an Eisner Award, and the recipient of both an Andre Norton Award and a Newbery Honor. Her new books are The Darkest Part of the Forest, a return to faerie fiction, and The Iron Trial, the first book in a middle grade fantasy series, Magisterium, co-authored by Cassandra Clare. Holly currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret door.

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Wednesday, 21 January 2015

(ARC) Book Review (427): In His Keeping (Slow Burn #2) - Maya Banks


In His Keeping (Slow Burn #2)

by 
I loved the first book Keep Me Safe, so I was extremely happy to get my hands on a copy of In His Keeping, I adored this book so much more than the first.

From the very first page I was captivated, starting with a prologue which sets the story up and gives us a feel for the strong relationship between Arial and her parents.

When Arial who is telekinetic is attacked one day, she uses her telekinesis and is unknowingly filmed using her powers and it's then that her life becomes fraught with danger, forcing her to seek out the aid of Beau Devereaux who owns a family run security firm.

In amongst trying to keep Arial alive, Beau and Arial develop feelings for one another, a big case of insta-love if I've ever seen one.

But besides that this was still a thoroughly intriguing and action-packed novel that was a great addition to this series.

I eagerly await book three and the next couple which I believe is Zach's story.

I highly recommend this series for those who like a touch of paranormal with their contemporary romances.

I give this 5/5 stars.



Maya Banks is the #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today and international bestselling author of over 50 novels. A wife and mother of three, she lives in Texas.
Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads


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