(ARC) Book Review (505): May The Best Man Win (The Best Men #1) - Mira Lyn Kelly

Published: August 2nd 2016

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Pages: 352

Buy It: Amazon Barnes & Noble Book Depository

Four friends
Each a Best Man at a wedding
One chance to get it right

Jase Foster can't believe his bad luck. He's been paired with the she-devil herself for his best friend's wedding: Emily Klein of the miles-long legs and killer smile. She may be sin in a bridesmaid dress, but there's no way he's falling for her again.

They can barely stand each other, but given how many of their friends are getting married, they'll just have to play nice-at least when they're in company. Once they're alone, more than just gloves come off as Jase and Emily discover their chemistry is combustible, and there may be something to this enemies to lovers thing after all...

My Thoughts.

I absolutely adore contemporary romances, whether they be adult, new adult or young adult, I have a definite soft spot for them and every new book I pick up is a new adventure that I can't wait to dig into, I always love discovering new authors which I've done here with Mira Lyn Kelly.
One of my favorite things about May The Best Man Win was the relationship between our two leads Emily and Jase, the animosity between them at the beginning was funny and entertaining, the sexual tension was evident from the get-go and you know it's only a matter of time before these two act on it.
I enjoyed the supporting characters just as much as I did the leads and I eagerly await their stories, I also really appreciate having POV's from both Emily and Jace's perspectives, to be in their heads was a delight, the history they share having known each other since high school and the tragic past between them has put them at loggerheads with each other, this added an intriguing element to the story.
I eagerly await the next books in this series, this book was so fun and enjoyable and I'll be checking out Mira Lynn Kelly's other books for sure.
I give this 5/5 stars.

ABOUT MIRA LYN KELLY

For Mira's latest book news, sign up for her newsletter at http://eepurl.com/A-XKr

USA TODAY bestselling author Mira Lyn Kelly grew up in the Chicago area and earned her degree in Fine Arts from Loyola University. She met the love of her life while studying abroad in Rome, Italy, only to discover he’d been living right around the corner from her back home. Having spent her twenties working and playing in the Windy City, she’s now settled with her husband in rural Minnesota, where their four beautiful children and naughty dog provide an excess of action and entertainment. When she isn’t reading, writing, or running to keep up with the family, she loves watching movies, blabbing with the girls, and cooking with her husband and friends.

You can find Mira on FACEBOOK at www.facebook.com/miralynkelly.author


(Mira also has a backlist of Erotic Romance titles under the pen name Moira McTark)

Website: http://www.miralynkelly.com

Twitter: MiraLynKelly

(ARC) Book Review (504): You Before Anyone Else - Julie Cross & Mark Perini

Published: August 2nd 2016

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Pages: 400

Buy It: Amazon  Barnes & Noble  Book Depository

Model Finley needs someone to help her shed her "good girl" persona, so she'll try Eddie on for size.

New York City model Finley is fed up with hearing the same feedback at castings: she needs to take some serious action to wipe the "good girl" stamp from her resume if she wants to launch to stardom.

Enter Eddie Wells. He's shallow, predictable…and just as lost as Finley feels. Deep down, Finley is drawn to Eddie's bravado, his intensity. Except Eddie is hiding something. A big something. And when it surfaces, both loving and leaving Finley will become so much harder.

My Thoughts.

I'm a sucker for books where one of the main leads is hiding some big secret, it seems to be par the course for any new adult book these days, but I like it.
There were so many things to love about You Before Anyone Else, Finley's twin brothers are adorable and her Dad is just so cool, the family dynamics were a definite highlight of this story, I also really enjoyed Finley and Eddie's relationship, and yes there may have been a curveball thrown into the mix but I thought that being something I've never read about in any other new adult book it was original and had me intrigued as the book went on and we find out just how the big secret that Eddie is hiding comes into play and how it works out at the end of the story.
The modeling and dancing scenes throughout were quite interesting to read about, and I'm a sucker for dual POV's in books, especially when it's from both the female and male protagonists, I feel you get more details in the story when it's written that way.
For the most part the characters were extremely likeable, aside from Eddie's parents whom I'm sure were meant to be intolerable, You Before Anyone Else was a quick and enjoyable read, and though I only realised after starting this book that there was a first book in this series or companion novels, focusing on a different couple that made quite a few appearances in this book it didn't really feel like you had to have read it to understand what was happening in this story.
This was the first book I've ever read from either author and I look forward to continuing on with more of their works, gorgeous cover, riveting storyline and great writing makes this a book you won't want to miss.
I give this 4/5 stars.

About Julie

Julie Cross is a NYT and USA Today bestselling author of New Adult and Young Adult fiction, including the Tempest series, a young adult science fiction trilogy which includes Tempest, Vortex, Timestorm (St. Martin’s Press).

She’s also the author of Letters to Nowhere series, Whatever Life Throws at You, Third Degree, Halfway Perfect, and many more to come!

Julie lives in Central Illinois with her husband and three children. She’s a former gymnast, longtime gymnastics fan, coach, and former Gymnastics Program Director with the YMCA.

She’s a lover of books, devouring several novels a week, especially in the young adult and new adult genres.

Outside of her reading and writing credibility’s, Julie Cross is a committed–but not talented–long distance runner, creator of imaginary beach vacations, Midwest bipolar weather survivor, expired CPR certification card holder, as well as a ponytail and gym shoe addict.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

About Mark

Mark Perini is a New York City based author debuting his first YA novel, Halfway Perfect. Additionally, Mark is a featured author in the NA anthology, Fifty First Times.

Mark began his career as an international fashion model when he was 18 years old, while simultaneously obtaining a business degree from Seton Hall University. He has a passion for traveling the world, and he’s made a blood pact with friends to see all seven ancient wonders of the world before he’s thirty. Four down three to go.

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(ARC) Book Review (503): Swear On This Life - Renee Carlino

Release Date: August 9th 2016

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 320

Amazon  Barnes & Noble  Book Depository

When a bestselling debut novel from mysterious author J.Colby becomes the literary event of the year, Emiline reads it reluctantly. As an adjunct writing instructor at UC San Diego with her own stalled literary career and a bumpy long-term relationship, Emiline isn’t thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of a young and gifted writer.

Yet from the very first page, Emiline is entranced by the story of Emerson and Jackson, two childhood best friends who fall in love and dream of a better life beyond the long dirt road that winds through their impoverished town in rural Ohio.

That’s because the novel is patterned on Emiline’s own dark and desperate childhood, which means that “J. Colby” must be Jase: the best friend and first love she hasn’t seen in over a decade. Far from being flattered that he wrote the novel from her perspective, Emiline is furious that he co-opted her painful past and took some dramatic creative liberties with the ending.

The only way she can put her mind at ease is to find and confront “J. Colby,” but is she prepared to learn the truth behind the fiction? 

My Thoughts.
I knew as soon as I'd picked this up and had read the first entry of the story 'All The Roads Between Us' which is the book that has been written about our main character Emiline that I was going to fall in love with this book, especially after crying in the first chapter, reading any story that involves kids who are poor, don't have food and live in an unstable and abusive home situation always gets to me, it pulls at the heart strings and I end up shedding a few tears here and there.
The concept for this story was such a fantastic idea, discovering that your childhood friend and first love that you haven't seen in quite a few years has written a book about your lives written from your perspective, this is one of the most intriguing ideas for a book I've read in quite some time.
Like most people our heroine Emeline after starting this book is seeing red she is mad, and it's bringing back memories she has tried so hard to forget, she and Jason were inseparable, the only friends one another had, living in the only two houses on a dirt road that led to nothing but misery and heartache, the only thing that kept each other going was each other, raised by single parents who were more interested in their addictions to alcohol and drugs to care about their children, Emeline and Jason dreamed of the time when they could finally escape and get away from the bleak hopelessness their lives had become.
The idea that we see how their childhood and teenage lives occured through Jason's book was really well done, how they became separated for 12 years after trying so hard to stay together as teenagers was sad and left me an emotional mess, I can always tell how good a book has been written by how much emotion you can wrangle out of a reader and trust me Renee got a whole lot of tears out of me while reading Swear On This Life, and while this should have been a one sit read for me I had to take a few breaks in-between to just take it all in.
I just absolutely adored this book, an emotion charged love story that you won't soon forget, the writing will keep you enraptured and so desperately hoping that these two will somehow find their way back to one another.
Another brilliant story from Renee that will leave you hanging for her next release, no matter what it's about I want a copy!
Highly recommended.
I give this 5/5 stars.


Renée Carlino is a screenwriter and bestselling author of romantic women's novels and new adult fiction. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, and their sweet dog June. When she’s not at the beach with her boys or working on her next project, she likes to spend her time reading, going to concerts, and eating dark chocolate.
http://reneecarlino.com/

The Return From My Unplanned Hiatus From Blogging.

So those of you who may check out my blog have probably noticed that I haven't posted anything on here since November 2015, I wish I could give some really good reason why but the truth is I was burnt out.
And while I love reviewing books and the excitement of receiving new books to review from publishers I realised that in the entire 5 years since starting this blog I wasn't getting to read books that I'd purchased myself, some of these being from my favorite series/authors they all got pushed to the back burner while I kept up with release date deadlines, forcing myself to try to cram in as many books as possible.
My TBR pile is so big that I'll never get around to reading them in this lifetime, and so to cut down the piles I stopped reading/reviewing books I was sent and before I knew it, it's halfway through 2016 and not one post has been written, and while I've caught up and/or finished quite a few series, I still feel overwhelmed everytime I look at all the books I have to read, so I'm going to start posting reviews again and somehow work out a balance between reading review books and books I've brought.
And so while I'm going to try to be vigilant enough to post reviews quite regularly it will be a work in progress, I get up for work at 4 in the morning so by the time I get home I tend to sit down and fall asleep, and truth be told the last thing I feel like doing is sitting down and writing an interesting and informative book review which I feel I've never been very great at anyway.
But bare with me. I hope to get some reviews up soon, since my time away the review books sent from publishers have diminished drastically, which I know is my own fault, but I hope to remedy that eventually.
So stay tuned, I hope to be posting something very soon.
Thanks to all the followers that have stuck around, I really appreciate it.

Head Stuck In A Book: (ARC) Book Review (502): November 9 - Colleen Hoover

Buy It

November 9

by Colleen Hoover

Publication: 10th November 2015

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 320

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Appropriate: New Adult

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

My Thoughts.

I've read many of Colleen's books, I know enough by now to also believe that every book of hers should start with this disclaimer on the first page:

DANGER WARNING LABEL
READING THIS BOOK WILL RESULT IN HIGH CHANCES OF UGLY CRYING, YANKING OF THE HEART-STRINGS AND AN INABILITY TO FUNCTION PROPERLY AFTER HAVING YOUR HEART BROKEN (IN SOME INSTANCES NUMEROUS TIMES THROUGHOUT THE SAME BOOK), PROCEED WITH CAUTION AND A BOX OF TISSUES!

I think this is only fair, I try not to read Colleen's books in public for this very reason.

Like every story Coleen has ever written, November 9 has a twist, one that you'll never see coming, one that will shock you to realise that she's done it again, and you know that there will be more tears flowing, if the FOURTH NOVEMBER 9 section wasn't bad enough and hadn't already broken my heart, she had to cause even more grief, I have been an absolute mess reading this book, thanks Colleen!

I don't want to give anything away, the beauty of this book besides the relationship between Fallon and Ben is the incredible story and exceptional writing skills that keep me coming back time and time again to her books, they're like crack, addictive and will leave you wanting more!

November 9 would have to be up there with my favorite Colleen Hoover books, and it is for sure one of the best books of 2015, highly recommended, just be prepared for a bit of heartbreak and you should be fine!

I give this 5/5/ stars.

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of seven novels and one novella. Hoover's novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult categories. Hoover published her first novel, Slammed, in January 2012.Wikipedia

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Blog Tour: (ARC) Book Review (501) & Giveaway: Until We Meet Again - Renee Collins

Hosted By Rockstar Book Tours.

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/26/2015- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

10/27/2015- Cindy's Love of Books- Review

10/28/2015- Gone with the Words- Guest Post

10/29/2015- Seeing Double In Neverland- Interview

10/30/2015- Wishful Endings- Review

Week Two:

11/2/2015- My So-Called Book Reviews- Review

11/3/2015- The Cover Contessa- Guest Post

11/4/2015- Head Stuck In A Book- Review

11/5/2015- Fictitious Delicious- Interview

11/6/2015- Fiction Fare- Review

Until We Meet Again

by Renee Collins

Release Date: November 3, 2015

Pages: 336

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find It: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

They exist in two different centuries, but their love defies time

Cassandra craves drama and adventure, so the last thing she wants is to spend her summer marooned with her mother and stepfather in a snooty Massachusetts shore town. But when a dreamy stranger shows up on their private beach claiming it's his own—and that the year is 1925—she is swept into a mystery a hundred years in the making.

As she searches for answers in the present, Cassandra discovers a truth that puts their growing love—and Lawrence's life—into jeopardy. Desperate to save him, Cassandra must find a way to change history…or risk losing Lawrence forever.

My Thoughts.

Wow, was my first thought after finishing this book, through the tears and the heartbreaking ending which I'd hoped wasn't going to happen but in hindsight was inevitable, I came to realise just how beautiful and intense Until We Meet Again is, filled with mystery and intrigue this is one book that will stick with me for quite some time to come.

I'm a sucker for stories that feature characters out of time, through some unexplainable occurence the past and the present collide, in this case Lawrence from 1925 and Cassandra from 2015, both living in the same house at the same time decades apart, until they find each other on the private beach connected to the house, it's there that they fall in love, despite the fact that in the back of their minds they know they'll have to say goodbye at some point, knowing they'll never see one another ever again.

I don't want too say much so I don't spoil the story, because there is another plotline to do with these two that isn't mentioned in the synopsis which is better for the reader to find out themselves, it adds a bit extra to the story that will have you biting your nails anxiously awaiting the outcome.

All in all there is nothing bad that I can say about this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it, from the gorgeous cover to the very well written story there is a lot to love, I enjoyed the characters immensely, the plot was fast paced and extremely enjoyable, aside from the ending which I can understand was written the way it was but none the less had me crying this book was perfect.

One of my favorite books of the year, definitely add Until We Meet Again to your TBR, you won't be sorry.

I give this 5/5 stars.

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About Renee:

I'm a YA writer who loves historical settings, magic, and semi-tragic romance. I'm represented by the amazing Mollie Glick of Foundry Literary + Media.

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(ARC) Book Review (500): Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1)

by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff 

Publication: 20th October 2015

Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers

Pages: 600

Genre: Science Fiction

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: AMAZON • BARNES & NOBLE • BOOK DEPOSITORY • 

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

My Thoughts.

I'm sure if you looked up the word EPIC in the dictionary you would find a picture of  Illuminae, this book was amazingly brilliant and such a joy and pleasure to read.

The way the story is told through interviews, emails, documents, military files and IM messages provide such a unique and interesting sci-fi adventure, is made even better by the amazing characters that makes Illuminae a story you won't forget in a hurry.

In a way this book reminded me of the Terminator movies and the Skynet storyline, where the computers become aware (those who've read this book and seen the movies will understand what I'm talking about) and I loved that.

It's intimidating when you first see this book, at 600 pages it's a chunker of a novel, but I managed to read this in just over 12 hours, it's so hard to put down, from the very first page I was captivated and I knew I was in for something really special.

I'm really excited to see what the next book is going to give us, Amie and Jay are sure to give us another rip-roaring adventure sure to entertain and delight.

I can't put into words how amazing this book really is, whether you enjoy sci-fi or not give it a go, you may find yourself a new favourite.

I give this 5/5 stars.

Amie Kaufman is the New York Times bestselling co-author of the award-winning Starbound trilogy (These Broken Stars, This Shattered World) and The Illuminae Files trilogy (Illuminae). Her work has been published in fifteen countries, won the Aurealis Award for Best YA Novel, been named the Huffington Post’s best YA novel of the year, shortlisted for the Gold Inky Award and is in development for TV.

Amie had the good fortune to be raised just one block from her local library, and took full advantage of that fact growing up. She and her sister spent their childhood summers re-creating their favourite books by camping in the back yard, mapping their neighbourhood, climbing trees, stepping through magical doors and sailing the local seas. Raised in Australia and Ireland, she has kissed the Blarney stone six times, thoroughly cementing her gift of the gab.

As she grew older (but not up), she continued her education, and graduated with honors degrees in history, literature and law, and a master’s degree in conflict resolution. After working as a mediator for seven years, these days she’s a full time writer, working from her home in Melbourne when she’s not on the road in the US, Europe and Asia. A few of her top travel moments include camping in the Sahara overnight, climbing a mountain in Vietnam, standing on the Great Wall of China and cycling the Loire Valley, but she has a huge list left to cover.

Amie lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and their very quirky rescue dog, Jack. She’s a huge fan of chocolate and naps, has an enormous music collection, and an entire room of her house is devoted to her library. She still sails, and though she climbs fewer trees, she remains partial to investigating the occasional magical door.

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Jay Kristoff is a tragic nerd, but has spent the last ten years dumping expeez into his Intimidation stat, with the result that nobody is brave enough to say it to his face. He grew up in the second most isolated capital city on earth and fled at his earliest convenience, although he’s been known to trek back for weddings of the particularly nice and funerals of the particularly wealthy. He spent most of his formative years locked in his bedroom with piles of books, or gathered around dimly-lit tables rolling polyhedral dice. Being the holder of an Arts degree, he has no education to speak of.

His first trilogy, THE LOTUS WAR, is set to be published in over a dozen countries. The first installment, STORMDANCER, was critically acclaimed in Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, shortlisted for the Aurealis Award, and nominated for the David Gemmell Morningstar and Legend awards. The Lotus War novella THE LAST STORMDANCER won the 2014 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Fiction. Jay’s new series, the SciFi thriller ILLUMINAE, which he co-authored with Amie Kaufman, is due for publication by Random House in October 2015. A new fantasy series, THE NEVERNIGHT CHRONICLE, commences with book 1, NEVERNIGHT, from St Martins Press/Thomas Dunne Books in 2016. He is as surprised about all this as you are. He is represented byMatt Bialer and Lindsay Ribar at Sanford J Greenburger Associates.

Jay is 6’7 and has approximately 13380 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell.

He does not believe in happy endings.

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