Tuesday 31 December 2013

Top Ten Tuesday #16



Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Broke and Bookish. This weeks is:
Top Ten Books I Read In 2013 :

1. 13035203

2. 8709526 3.17233800

4. 1274595. 13505141 6.17258025

7. 13477883 8. 10507293 9.13514612 10.14062069

What's your Top Ten? Let me know below or link me up! Happy New Year guys!

El

Sunday 29 December 2013

Stacking The Shelves #24

Showcase Sunday's/Stacking the Shelves aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. This Sunday meme is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and Tynga's Reviews:

For Christmas: 

17188744 18335634

For review: 

The Holders (Holders, #1) 17457717 

1874772518334339

Netgalley: 

7875327

What did you get this week? Let me know below or link me up!

El


Thursday 26 December 2013

Review: Fireblood (Firelblood #1) by Trisha Wolfe

Synopsis
15841140To save a kingdom, Zara must choose between a prince who could be the answer and a rising rebellion that threatens to take control.

When Zara Dane is chosen to marry Prince Sebastian Hart, son of the man who ordered her father’s capture, Zara knows she must fight to save everything she loves from ruin.

Being betrothed to the prince means a life trapped behind the towering stone walls of the Camelot-forged realm. Under the watchful eye of the prince's first knight, Sir Devlan Capra, changing her future becomes difficult.

When an unlikely rebel reveals the truth about the deadly secrets that fuel King Hart’s twisted world, Zara’s path to rescue her father becomes clouded by deception. The Rebels clear her path by forcing Zara’s hand with an ultimatum: sway Prince Sebastian to join the Rebels, convincing him of his father’s evil nature, or they will take him out.

But Zara is uncertain about a future under the Rebels’ command and where the prince’s heart truly lies. She must decide who to trust, what to believe, and what she’s truly fighting for before the king destroys all of Karm, including her heart.


- Goodreads -

Opinion
Most dystopian books are full of new technology, new concepts but not this one. In this one we travel back to the time of King Arthur. The Knights of the round table are installed again, the castle represents Camelot and well it’s just like you have made a time jump to the past except that it’s not the case. Fireblood is set in the future and Camelot is cut off from the rest of the world. Outside of the walls nothing survives since there has been a mutation since the last war. And that is what drew me in at first, the book has a unique concept for a dystopian book.

But there were so many other great things about this book.  At first I thought that this book was going to be about Zara either escaping court or otherwise coming to terms with living there. And of course some secrets about court revealed from time to time. But then suddenly the rebels were introduced and this made the book much more complex and even better.
I loved the cover of this book, both Devlan and Zara look fierce on it but on the same time kind. And that’s exactly how they were in the book. Zara started off in this book as rather weak but in the end she was strong and very determined to do the right thing.
The only thing that bothered me in this book was Sebastian. I just don’t know what to think of him. From the very beginning I liked him, he had his charms. And yes he did some bad things but like Zara I could see kindness in him. But then suddenly at the end it was like you never knew him at all, the switch was made so fast that I could hardly understand it myself.


But anyway I really liked this book and I’m looking forward to read the others in this series.


Extra
Title: Fireblood
Author: Trisha Wolfe
Series: Fireblood
Genre: dystopian, YA
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Publication date: December 17 2013
Pages: 376 (Paperback) 
Other books: 

El



Wednesday 25 December 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #32: Don't Call Me Baby by Gwendolyn Heasley





Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

18599687

All her life, Imogene has been known as the girl on THAT blog.

Imogene's mother has been writing an incredibly embarrassing, and incredibly popular, blog about her since before she was born. Hundreds of thousands of perfect strangers knew when Imogene had her first period. Imogene's crush saw her "before and after" orthodontia photos. But Imogene is fifteen now, and her mother is still blogging about her, in gruesome detail, against her will.

When a mandatory school project compels Imogene to start her own blog, Imogene is reluctant to expose even more of her life online...until she realizes that the project is the opportunity she's been waiting for to tell the truth about her life under the virtual microscope and to define herself for the first time.

Don't Call Me Baby is a sharply observed and irrepressibly charming story about mothers and daughters, best friends and first crushes, and the surface-level identities we show the world online and the truth you can see only in real life.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why I can't wait: Don't Call Me Baby sounds like a fun read and that's just what I need now. 

Publication date: April 22nd 2014

What are you waiting for this week? Let me know below or link me up!

El

Tuesday 24 December 2013

Teaser Tuesday #14: Jane Eyre by Charolotte Brontë

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:
- Grab your current read- Open to a random page
- Share "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!

Jane Eyre
by 
Charlotte Brontë


10210


"Jane, will you have a flower?"

El

Friday 13 December 2013

Hey guys...

I just wanted to let you guys know that I'll be on a schooltrip/vacation till next friday. And I haven't had the time to premade some posts, maybe I still have time for it today and otherwise till next friday!



El

Wednesday 11 December 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #31: Blue Notes by Carrie Lofty



Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

18170610

For fans of Jamie McGuire and S.C. Stephens, a sizzling new adult novel featuring the tumultuous relationship between a young piano prodigy and a reluctant billionaire playboy—set against the vibrant backdrop of a New Orleans college campus.After being bounced from foster family to foster family, Keeley, a talented pianist, is ready to start over as a junior at Tulane. But when she plays a small concert that attracts the attention of Jude, a brooding playboy and heir to an enormous fortune in the wake of his parents’ tragic death, suddenly Keeley’s life is thrown off balance once again.

Jude is the first person to confront her about the pain behind her music, and she struggles with whether or not to let him into her life, or to keep protecting herself from the hurt that relationships have caused her in the past. But Keeley’s about to learn that the melancholy young billionaire who appears to have everything can open her eyes to exactly what she needs…


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why I can't wait: It has been a while since I last read a NA book and I like the sound of this one. 

Publication date: February 3rd 2014

El

Tuesday 10 December 2013

Teaser Tuesday #13: The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:
- Grab your current read- Open to a random page
- Share "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!


The Promise of Amazing
by
Robin Constantine 


17844678

"It was painful. Not inching-along-the-rink-wall painful, but painful. We glided along the ice.Well, I glided Gray shuffled unsteadily. It was the first time I felt like I had the upper hand, and I wasn't going to let that get away from me. After our third trip around the rink, I crossed in front of him and skated backward, holding both of his hands in mine." (p.154)

El

Sunday 8 December 2013

Stacking The Shelves #23

Showcase Sunday's/Stacking the Shelves aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. This Sunday meme is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and Tynga's Reviews:

For review: 


17394632


The Lightbearers by Nora M. Garcia (Thank you Nora M. Garcia!)
Netgalley: 


18633481 18661359 18365316


El 

Wednesday 4 December 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #30: Boys Like You by Juliana Stone

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

18215057
 
One mistake.

And everything changes.

For Monroe Blackwell, one small mistake has torn her family apart –leaving her empty and broken. There’s a hole in her heart that nothing can fill. That no one can fill. And a summer in Louisiana with her Grandma isn’t going to change that…

Nathan Everets knows heartache first-hand when a car accident leaves his best friend in a coma. And it’s his fault. He should be the one lying in the hospital. The one who will never play guitar again. He doesn’t deserve forgiveness, and a court-appointed job at the Blackwell B&B isn’t going to change that…

Captivating and hopeful, this achingly poignant novel brings together two lost souls struggling with grief and guilt – looking for acceptance, so they can find forgiveness.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why I can't wait: This book just sound great. And it sounds pretty emotional.
 
Publication date: May 1st 2014
 

El

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Book Blitz: Grounded by You by Ivy Sinclair

 

Synopsis

Lights, camera, and passions flare as a small town boy gets the break of his career. As the lines of life and art blur together, can he also find a way to win the love of the girl who got away?
Carter Samuel Groveson.
His name is on the lips of every woman in the country who has a pulse. An actor pulled from obscurity to star in the most anticipated movie of the century, he’s an enigma to all. Everyone wants a piece of him.
Except her.
Amelia St. John isn’t about to follow the life plan that her father set out for her. She refuses to be tied down or commit to anyone. A year ago, she ran as far and as fast from Sam Groveson as she could. But when he reappears in her life and asks her to be the friend he needs to keep him tethered to reality in the midst of the chaos, she can’t say no.
Unfortunately for Sam, his big break comes with expectations that threaten his career if he doesn’t toe the line. In this high stakes game of love, everyone is watching.

 
Giveaway
25$ Amazon giftcard (open internationally)
 
 
Excerpt
Sam held up his beer bottle. “Here’s to the wild and wacky world of finally being a grown-up.”
Millie giggled and clinked his bottle. She took a long pull and then startled him when she reached over without warning and grabbed his bicep. “I notice that somebody’s been hitting the gym. Impressive.”
His muscle twitched reflexively under her fingers, and her eyes widened. Sam wondered if she was looking at him in that moment like a friend, or something more, but then the expression on her face was gone. “It’s kind of a requirement for the acting thing,” he said. He downed the beer and put the bottle down, feeling anxious again.
“Have you snagged any decent parts? Will I get to see you on Broadway someday?” Millie giggled again.
It was the perfect opportunity to tell her. “I actually got a call today about a role I’m pretty excited about,” he said carefully.
Millie sat up straighter and then scooted closer to him. “Really? Tell me all about it!”
“Well, it was a complete fluke that I decided to audition for it at all,” Sam said slowly. “I’ve got so little film experience that I didn’t think there’d be anyway they’d consider me.”
“So it’s a movie? Anything I would have heard of?” Millie started to bounce on the sofa cushion. Sam loved her like that, so attentive and open. She had always made him feel like he could do anything.
“Funny you should say that.” Sam cleared his throat wondering how to say it just right. “I’m sure Kate told you that she got a call a few months ago from that executive producer in Hollywood who wanted to rent out the Willoughby for a few weeks.”
Millie squealed and clapped her hands over her mouth. “You got a role in Where My Heart Breaks? I couldn’t believe it when I heard that they finally cut through the red tape with Walter Moolen’s estate and got the green light for the film adaptation. It’s going to be HUGE! That is so exciting!”
“Yeah, I know,” Sam said. “It’s generated a lot of interest already.”
“So what’s the part?”
Sam took a deep breath. “Jackson Monroe.”
Millie’s eyes widened, and she looked shocked. “Are you serious? You got the lead?”
Hearing it said out loud made Sam’s mouth run dry. “I know. It’s crazy, right? That they picked a complete unknown for the part? I’m having a hard time believing it myself.”
Millie stood up and disappeared into the kitchen. She came back out with a magazine that he knew covered Hollywood gossip and news. She flipped open the cover and then shoved an article under his nose. “They’ve been speculating for weeks about who would be cast as Jackson. Like, everybody in the entire country is waiting to hear the news with bated breath. Sam, this will be massively huge when everyone finds out.”
His stomach muscles tightened. He knew that any expectation he had of what was about to happen was probably woefully inadequate. “They told me that the press release goes out tomorrow morning.”

Author bio

Ivy Sinclair cut her romance teeth on classics like Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, An Affair to Remember, and Sabrina. She is a firm believer in true love, a happily ever after ending, and the medicinal use of chocolate to cure any ailment of the heart. Ivy's guilty pleasures include sushi, endless Starbucks lattes, and wine. Readers of Ivy's stories can expect smoldering sweet stories of romance that tug at the heartstrings.
 
Extra
Title: Grounded By You
Author: Ivy Sinclair
Publication date: November 20th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Links:

El


 

Sunday 1 December 2013

Stacking The Shelves #22

Showcase Sunday's/Stacking the Shelves aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. This Sunday meme is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and Tynga's Reviews:

Netgalley:

18168637 18336825

What did you get this week? Let me know below or link me up!

El

Wednesday 27 November 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #29: Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5) by Richelle Mead

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

8709524
 
Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .

Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why I can't wait: I haven't read The Fiery Heart yet but after reading some comments on it I'm pretty sure that I want this book as soon as I finish reading The Fiery Heart.
 
Publication date: July 29th 2014
 
What are you waiting for this week? Let me know below or link me up!

 

El

 

Tuesday 26 November 2013

Review: Pawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion #1) by Aimee Carter

Synopsis
10838787YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

Previously titled Masked.


- Goodreads -


Opinion
These days there are so many dystopian novels and roughly they all have the same plotline: a corrupt government system and some people that want to overthrow it and a main character that doesn’t know at the beginning of the book that that’s exactly what she wants to do. So not many dystopian books stand out anymore, but Pawn managed to stand out. Maybe it was ‘cause we got to see the see the story from an insider within the palace instead of an outsider. I don’t know. All I can say is that I loved this book.

I loved how the world was build, in some ways their ranking system made sense to me. But of course there were to many flaws and some things were just twisted. That way the world Kitty lived in was dark, controlled and interesting.  The plot itself was rather fast paced which kept me interested in this book the whole time. Let’s say that it was quiet impossible for me to put this book down. This book was full of surprises, secrets and betrayals that it kept me on the edge of my seat.  
The characters were also great. Kitty was strong, okay she made some stupid mistakes certainly in the beginning of the book. But in the end she did what she thought was best for everyone. Then we got Lila’s fiancé, which was later Kitty’s fiancé (confusing I know right). I did really like Knox, he was determined to set the things he did wrong right and he was also protective of the persons he cared for. Yes he didn’t always tell the truth immediately, but just like Kitty he did what he thought was best for the others.

There is little, to no romance in this book. The focus was more the rebellion instead, which I liked. A lot of books actually focus too hard on the romance part and that way a lot of good aspects of the story get pushed to the background. But not in this book.
The only minor point in this book was the beginning. They just drop you into the world of Pawn without little introduction. So you have to find out on your own how their world works and that was confusing at times.

Pawn was a great YA dystopia. And I would recommend it to everyone who’s looking for a good dystopian read. I’m really looking forward to the next book in this series.


Extra
Title: Pawn
Author: Aimee Carter
Series: The Blackcoat Rebellion
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Publication date: November 26th 2013
Pages: 352 (paperback)
Other books:
  • Captive (The Blackcoat Rebellion #2) (Expected publication 2014)

El


Monday 25 November 2013

Cover Reveal: Draw Me In by Megan Squires

 
Synopsis
He’s a young, up and coming businessman with the keys to his family’s Italian wine enterprise.
I’m a fine arts student, navigating life in the Big Apple, my pencil and sketchpad in hand.
We meet. We fall in love.
But it’s not that story.
Sometimes, by a rare gift of fate, two lives cross paths. And hey, if that happens to occur when staring at Michelangelo’s naked masterpiece, even better. We can tell our future children how a seventeen-foot tall marble guy named David brought us together.
But there’s always more to a relationship than its beginning and ever after. In life, there’s a whole lot of backstory. There are ex-fiancés and hot roommates and family members whose advice continues, even beyond the grave.
When you say you love someone, it’s never just that one person you’re saying it to. And it’s never just that one moment that sets everything in motion.
There is always more that draws you in.

- Goodreads -

Author bio
Megan Squires lives with her husband and two children just outside of Sacramento, California. A graduate from the University of California, Davis, Megan is now a full-time mother, wife, and dreamer—though her characters don’t often give her much opportunity to sleep.
Visit www.theoutlierchronicles.com to learn more about her latest young adult series.

Extra
Title: Draw Me In
Author: Megan Squires
Publication date: December 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Links:

El