Revealed (House of Night #11)
Expected publication: October 15th 2013 by St. Martin's Griffin
Monday 17 June 2013
Sunday 16 June 2013
(ARC) Book Review (230): The Book Of Broken Hearts - Sarah Ockler
The Book of Broken Hearts
by Sarah Ockler
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 352
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author ofBittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.
Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.
Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?
Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?
Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.
Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.
Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?
Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?
Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.
My Thoughts.
This book is the very first Sarah Ockler book that I've ever read and I'm happy to say that it won't be the last, I'll definitely be hunting down her other books if they are anywhere near as good as this one.
I loved the romance in this book, the bad-boy Emilio and the good-girl Jude, you know the saying opposites attract and with the oath that she took with her three older sisters to never ever get involved with a Vargas boy in the back of her mind, she's hesitant but also eager to get to know Emilio while trying to keep it secret, worried about how upset her sisters will be when and if they ever find out that she's tried and failed to stay away from him, united together to help rebuild her Father's old motorbike, the only tie to the memories he remembers vividly, which he sadly seems to be losing daily with his fight with Alzheimer's.
After her Father has a couple of meltdowns around her friends they distance themselves from Jude embarassed by Jude's Father's declining mental health the only one that has stuck around is Emilio, but can Jude count on the fact that Emilio may be nothing at all like his older brothers, and that her older sisters need to trust her enough to understand that she can make her own opinion about the youngest Vargas boy.
But ultimately as much as this is a love story this is also about a family's loss, their beloved Father and Husband who is losing his fight with the debilitating and awful disease which will leave him ultimately not knowing whom anyone in his family is, lucid only every so often it's a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking disease which is brought to life in this novel, I lost count of the amount of times I shed a tear in this book, and the end well let's just say I needed a tissue.
I highly recommend this book, a Contemporary Romance with heart and a storyline that will leave you so appreciative of the family you have and that Alzheimer's hasn't affected anybody you know, because it's just devastating.
I give this 5/5.
Cover Reveal: Infinite (Newsoul #3) - Jodi Meadows
Infinite (Newsoul #3)
by Jodi Meadows
Expected publication: January 28th 2014 by Katherine Tegen Books
Saturday 15 June 2013
Book Review (229): Wildlife - Fiona Wood
Wildlife
by Fiona Wood
Publication: 1st June 2013Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Pages: 384
Genre: Contemporary
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Life? It’s simple: be true to yourself.
The tricky part is finding out exactly who you are…
In the holidays before the dreaded term at Crowthorne Grammar’s outdoor education camp two things out of the ordinary happened.
A picture of me was plastered all over a twenty-metre billboard.
And I kissed Ben Capaldi.
Boarding for a term in the wilderness, sixteen-year-old Sibylla expects the gruesome outdoor education program – but friendship complications, and love that goes wrong? They’re extra-curricula.
Enter Lou from Six Impossible Things – the reluctant new girl for this term in the great outdoors. Fragile behind an implacable mask, she is grieving a death that occurred almost a year ago. Despite herself, Lou becomes intrigued by the unfolding drama between her housemates Sibylla and Holly, and has to decide whether to end her self-imposed detachment and join the fray.
And as Sibylla confronts a tangle of betrayal, she needs to renegotiate everything she thought she knew about surviving in the wild.
A story about first love, friendship and NOT fitting in.
Read an extract here: http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/resources/FW-Wildlife.pdf
The tricky part is finding out exactly who you are…
In the holidays before the dreaded term at Crowthorne Grammar’s outdoor education camp two things out of the ordinary happened.
A picture of me was plastered all over a twenty-metre billboard.
And I kissed Ben Capaldi.
Boarding for a term in the wilderness, sixteen-year-old Sibylla expects the gruesome outdoor education program – but friendship complications, and love that goes wrong? They’re extra-curricula.
Enter Lou from Six Impossible Things – the reluctant new girl for this term in the great outdoors. Fragile behind an implacable mask, she is grieving a death that occurred almost a year ago. Despite herself, Lou becomes intrigued by the unfolding drama between her housemates Sibylla and Holly, and has to decide whether to end her self-imposed detachment and join the fray.
And as Sibylla confronts a tangle of betrayal, she needs to renegotiate everything she thought she knew about surviving in the wild.
A story about first love, friendship and NOT fitting in.
Read an extract here: http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/resources/FW-Wildlife.pdf
My Thoughts.
I really wanted to like this book a whole lot more than I actually did, I've recently got into Contemporary fiction and have read some fantastic books but unfortunately this one fell short for me.
The main reason that I wasn't such a big fan was the characters, I couldn't connect with any of them and that's probably because there wasn't any characters that I liked, some I disliked much more than others, and I ended up more frustrated with them the further on I got into the book.
The character of Lou I may have possibly liked if she hadn't appeared in a previous book 'Six Impossible Things' that I've never read and it left me feeling like I'd missed out on a whole lot of back story that's important to the character development from that book to this one, the death of her boyfriend in the first book impacted her life but I couldn't sympathise with her being as I felt left out of the loop as it were.
I also couldn't understand why a lot of the characters did the things that they did.
Being a book written by an Australian author I did appreciate the Aussie slang scattered throughout but wasn't particularly interested in the camp or the amount of hiking that these students were expected to partake in.
This book has a very high rating of 4.50 on Goodreads so I'm thinking that it's just not my cup of tea, but I suggest this book to other people whom are into the Contemporary genre, you might just enjoy it a lot more than myself.
Be sure to check out the book extract at the bottom of the synopsis and decide for yourselves.
I give this 3/5 Stars.
The main reason that I wasn't such a big fan was the characters, I couldn't connect with any of them and that's probably because there wasn't any characters that I liked, some I disliked much more than others, and I ended up more frustrated with them the further on I got into the book.
The character of Lou I may have possibly liked if she hadn't appeared in a previous book 'Six Impossible Things' that I've never read and it left me feeling like I'd missed out on a whole lot of back story that's important to the character development from that book to this one, the death of her boyfriend in the first book impacted her life but I couldn't sympathise with her being as I felt left out of the loop as it were.
I also couldn't understand why a lot of the characters did the things that they did.
Being a book written by an Australian author I did appreciate the Aussie slang scattered throughout but wasn't particularly interested in the camp or the amount of hiking that these students were expected to partake in.
This book has a very high rating of 4.50 on Goodreads so I'm thinking that it's just not my cup of tea, but I suggest this book to other people whom are into the Contemporary genre, you might just enjoy it a lot more than myself.
Be sure to check out the book extract at the bottom of the synopsis and decide for yourselves.
I give this 3/5 Stars.
Friday 7 June 2013
Stitch by Samantha Durante is FREE on Kindle this Friday (June 7th) to (June 11th) & Giveaway.
Stitch by Samantha Durante is FREE on Kindle This Friday (June 7th) to (June 11th)
A college ghost romance with a SURPRISING dystopian sci-fi twist, Part 1 of this trilogy is sure to keep you on your toes! (And better yet, Part 2 - Shudder - launches on the 15th!) You definitely don't want to miss this innovative debut novel that will appeal to fans of the YA and New Adult genres - check out my review here: Stitch Review
Stitch Synopsis
— Social Media Links —
Stitch (Stitch Trilogy, Book 1)
Genre: YA/NA Dystopian/Paranormal Romance
Synopsis: see Amazon or Goodreads
Rating: 4.3 stars (100+ reviews)Get Your FREE Kindle Copy Today! Limited Time ONLY (June 7-11th):
Stitch Synopsis
Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa’s body screams at her to run… but yet she’s powerless to move.
Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees – and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell – Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.
Because what Alessa hasn’t figured out yet is that she’s not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university’s idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface…
The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.
— Social Media Links —
Facebook: Stitch Trilogy | Author Samantha Durante
Share the news for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card! (Open Internationally)Enter the $25 Amazon GC Giveaway HERE!!!
Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. The Stitch Trilogy is her debut series. Learn more about Samantha at www.samanthadurante.com.
Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Broken Dreams - Dawn Pendleton
Release August 1st, 2013
Broken Dreams, Book 2 of the Broken Series
Rainey Daniels has been keeping a secret since she left her hometown, three years ago. The death of a friend’s father, though, has her questioning whether or not running away from her past is what’s best for her future. Add sexy Chris Baker in the mix and she’s even more unsure. After all, life is short.
Baker is an all-around good guy with a great sense of humor struggling to keep his new bar afloat. And he always thought Rainey was hot, even when she carried a few extra pounds in high school. Hell, he thinks she’s too skinny now. He knows she’s hiding something, too, but when he pushes the issue, she pushes him away. He tries not to care; she only wants a summer fling, right? But when her life is threatened, he realizes he may just be in love with her… and then he learns her secret.
Can they find love together before it’s too late?
First in the series
For a limited time only, BROKEN PROMISES will be $.99
For a limited time only, BROKEN PROMISES will be $.99
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