Wednesday 31 December 2014

Waiting on Wednesday #78: Where Sea Meets Sky by Karina Halle


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:

Where Sea Meets Sky
by Karina Halle

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A new adult novel that perfectly captures the existential angst of your early twenties with raw with, fresh insight, and true feeling from a critically adored USA Today bestselling author.

Joshua Miles has spent his early twenties spinning his wheels. Working dead-end jobs and living at home has left him exhausted and uninspired, with little energy to pursue his passion for graphic art. Until he meets Gemma Henare, a vivacious out-of-towner from New Zealand. What begins as a one-night stand soon becomes a turning point for Josh. He can't get Gemma out of his head, even after she has left for home, and finds himself throwing caution to the wind for the first time in his life.

It's not long before Josh is headed to New Zealand with only a backpack, some cash, and Gemma's name to go on. But when he finally tracks her down, he finds his adventure is only just beginning. Equally infatuated, Gemma leads him on a whirlwind tour across the beautiful country, opening Josh up to life, lust, love, and all the messy heartache in between. Because, when love drags you somewhere, it might never let go even when you know you have to say goodbye.

Goodreads

Why I can't wait

I haven't read any books by this author yet but it sounds really promising. Besides I love it when a book is set in another country then the US. I've never read one set in New Zealand so this should be really interesting.

Publication date: March 31st 2015

El

Tuesday 30 December 2014

Top Ten Tuesday #44: Top Ten Resolutions For 2015


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Broke and Bookish. This weeks is: 
Top Ten Resolutions For 2015

Bookish: 
1. Read at least 100 books
2. Read all the books that I've requested on Netgalley/Edelweiss
3. Read all the books on my bookshelf that I've not yet read
4. Write a book myself and sent it to a publisher
5. Write more blog posts

Not bookish: 
6. Graduate from College
7. Spent more time with my grandparents
8. Find a job
9. Travel a lot
10. Meet a lot of new people when I move to London

El

Monday 29 December 2014

Review: Wishes (Legacy #2.5) by Molly Cochran

18870147Title: Wishes
Author: Molly Cochran
Series: Legacy
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Publication date: April 29th 2014
Pages: 124 (ebook)
Source: received from author






In the e-only companion to NYT Bestseller Molly Cochran's Legacy and Poison, Katy Ainsworth learns that wishes come with consequences. 

On Walpurgisnacht, where it is said that fairies abound, Katy meets a troubled fairy who must grant her every wish. But her wish for Peter to lever her madly quickly backfires when he follows her around obsessively and weeps over he inattention. So Katy tries a different approach - but a wish for popularity brings about trouble as well. Can her good intentions make up for the misfortune and disappointment that seem to follow every wish? Katy must battle the magic of the Fairy Queen and her henchman to undo the spells - but can she truly repair the damage she's done?


When Katy and her friends learn about fairies in class they set out on a search for them. After all every fairy has a treasure. Katy had hoped that the stories were true but really finding one is a different thing all together. When she’s given wishes her life couldn’t be any better. But Katy is finding out the hard way that a wish isn’t as simple or as good as one expects. Can she undo all the mistakes she made by making the wishes or is it too late?

Wishes is a very enjoyable read with lovely characters and an interesting plot. Katy seems like a great character. She’s a bit naïve and clumsy, too clumsy to believe at some points even. But she’s also fierce and brave, she won’t back down. I liked the world that Molly created, magical beings live among humans but in a peaceful way. The world might not be perfect but that is the great thing. Nothing is perfect after all.


Since it’s only a novella Wishes is light and fast paced. It’s an enjoyable read and I probably would have liked it better if I had read the first two books in the series. Now I had only a vague image of the characters while I believe that they are all great characters. So I would recommend that you first read the other books in this series before you read this one. 


El


Sunday 28 December 2014

Sunday Post #2 & Stacking The Shelves #52

Sunday Post

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

This week went by really fast. Most of the time I spent studying for my exams in January. But there was of course also Christmas. It's one of my favorite holidays of the year with all the lights and the Christmas tree and all the presents. I spent some time with my friends and I read a lot of books this week. Also it started snowing yesterday, it's the first time in over a year that it had snowed so I'm really excited about that! So this week was a lot of fun. 



Last week on the blog

Next week on the blog

  • Monday: Review: Wishes (Legacy #2.5) by Molly Cochran
  • Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday #43: Top Ten Resolutions for 2015
  • Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday #78
  • Thursday: Review: Just One Day (Just One Day #1) by Gayle Forman
  • Friday: EOM Wrap Up December
  • Saturday: Review: Just One Year (Just One Day #2) by Gayle Forman



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:

Christmas Gifts

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Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1) by Richelle Mead

Netgalley

2379701522483750

Owlet (Society of Feathers #1) by Emma Michaels
Stung (Struck #2) by Joss Stirling

For free

18593175 21849253 18951555 13515176
21737625 17332746 23397864

Finding Cinderella (Hopeless #2.5) by Colleen Hoover
The Space In Between by Jenn Minkman
Beautiful Demons (Peachville High Demons #1-3) by Sarra Cannon
Flicker (Flicker #1) by Kaye Thornbrugh
Dying to Forget (The Station #1) by Trish Marie Dawson
Goddess Legacy (Goddess series #1) by M.W. Muse
Heartless: Episode 1 (Heartless #1) by J. Sterling

El




Saturday 27 December 2014

Book Blast: Angel Burn (Angel #1) by L.A. Weatherly



9713071Title: Angel Burn
Author: L.A. Weatherly
Series: Angel
Genre: fantasy, YA
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication date: May 24th 2011
Pages: 449 (hardback)
Buy links: Amazon | B&N | Book depository






They're out for your soul.
And they don't have heaven in mind...

Willow knows she's different from other girl, and not only  because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people's dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from.

But the assassin Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself does. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces and that he's one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems; least of all good and evil.


About the author

Lee Weatherly was born in 1967 and grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. She lives with her husband in Hampshire, England, where she writes, goes on walks, tries out new recipes and has a cat named Bernard.
L.A Weatherly is the pseudonym for Lee Weatherly. You can follow her on Twitter at @LA_Weatherly

Twitter | Website | Goodreads | Facebook

Giveaway


Open international, must be 13+ to enter.
6 winners will receive a copy of Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

Book trailer


Jean Booknerd

El

Thursday 25 December 2014

Review: Tempting Fate (Serendipity #2) by Brinda Berry

23386368Title: Tempting Fate
Author: Brinda Berry
Series: Serendipity
Publisher: Sweet Biscuit Publishing LLC
Publication date: October 1st 2014
Pages: 279 (paperback)
Source: Netgalley







When two worlds collide, it can only be fate; 

Collin knows trouble when he sees it. A beautiful girl crashing into his car? She could be flashing a neon DANGER sign. He knows  better than to get involved with a fresh-faced babe who could break his already-tattered heart. After graduating from college, he's on track to start over in a new place. He's discovering what he wants from life, away from the shadow of his overbearing father and the betrayal of his cheating ex-fiancé. 

Veronica's home life morphs from trailer park to homeless after a bloody fight between her brother and her ex. She's on the run from a situation that promises to be deadly. Without a home, money, or friends, she's at Collin's mercy. 

Fate brought them together. Will a secret from her past tear them apart?


While Tempting Fate is the second book in the Serendipity series it’s the first one I’ve read. Since it’s a companion series you can easily read this book without reading the first one in the series.

One accident turns Collins life upside down. He keeps running into her and he can’t help the urge to help her. But the thing is Veronica doesn’t want to be helped. All that she wants is to get so far away as possible from her hometown and never look back. But Veronica has no other option than to accept his help after she get stranded with her car with no money and nowhere to go.

It took me a while to warm up to Veronica since we didn’t really get to know her until we were well into the book. Collin’s past is still a bit of a mystery to me, all I know is that he left Chicago after a bad relationship. But other than that I know almost nothing about him. Maybe if I read the first book in the series that I’ll know more about him. It was clear that there was chemistry between Collin and Victoria from the start. But I’m glad that the real love story didn’t progress too quickly. The characters had time to develop their feelings and to grow as a person.


Overall I really enjoyed Tempting Fate, it was a great, cute read. The book was fast paced and very easy to read. The subject was rather serious but it wasn’t written in a heavy way. If anything I found that the book was too short. Everything was great until we were near the ending, suddenly everything happened so fast. It was almost like the author was out of time and just wanted an ending. So I wouldn’t have minded if the ending was a bit longer. I would recommend this book to everyone who is looking for a sweet NA contemporary read.  


El


Wednesday 24 December 2014

Waiting on Wednesday #77: Touch & Go (Dare to Love #2) by Mira Lyn Kelly


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:

Touch & Go 
by Mira Lyn Kelly

22471033

USA Today bestselling author Mira Lyn Kelly cranks up the heat for two lifelong friends whose most secret longings come true in every delectable way.

Vivacious and successful, Ava Meyers is living her dream life, except for one thing: Ever since childhood, she's been in love with her best friend... and she's never admitted it. Back then, Sam Farrow was a damaged young man with a tough past. Now he's supremely confident, super-sexy, and totally untouchable - until the night when Sam pretends to be Ava's boyfriend to save her from some unwanted attention. In a moment of weakness, Ava finds out that a long friendship is no match for blistering sexual chemistry.


After years of denying his own feelings, Sam finds that one amazing night with Ava isn't enough to chase away all the pent-up fantasies. So he proposes they spend a few weeks driving each other wild, exhausting their every desire, and then return to their perfect platonic relationship like nothing ever happened. But Sam's plan has one fatal flaw: the part where they give each other up. Because the more they let go of their inhibitions, the more they're tempted to never go back.

Goodreads

Why I Can't Wait

I've read the first book in this series, Truth or Dare, a couple of weeks ago and I really enjoyed it. Mira Lyn Kelly has a real talent to write steamy NA/Adult books. So I'm really excited to read this one!

Publication date: January 13th 2015

Don't forget to enter to win a copy of Magic of the Gargoyles by Rebecca Chastain:

23444155



El

Tuesday 23 December 2014

Top Ten Tuesday #43: Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing This Year


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Broke and Bookish. This weeks is: 
Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing This Year



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  1. The Diviners (The Diviners #1) by Libba Bray
  2. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
  3. Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1) by Richelle Mead
  4. The Hogwarts Library by J.K. Rowling
  5. Paper Towns by John Green
  6. Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas
  7. Easy (Contours of the Heart #1) by Tammara Webber
  8. Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo
  9. Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful #1) by Jamie McGuire
  10. Slammed (Slammed #1) by Colleen Hoover

Don't forget to enter the giveaway to win a copy of Magic of the Gargoyles by Rebecca Chastain: 

23444155



El

Sunday 21 December 2014

Sunday Post #1 & Stacking the Shelves #51

Sunday Post

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

From now on I'm going to participate in this meme. I was thinking earlier this week that you guys almost now nothing about me. So this is a nice place to tell something about what has happened the past week! 

This week was really crazy. I'm in my final year of university and I had to present a part of my thesis last week. The whole week was really stressing because of this but everything went well on Thursday so I'm really happy about that. Then Friday I had my last class ever, it was kind of weird after four years and I'm really going to miss my fellow students. Other then that my week was uneventful. Well except that one of my goldfish died I had Gemma (I name my fish after book characters, can you guess from which book she is?) for more than two years so it was sad that she died. I finally have my winter break but since my exams start in January I probably won't enjoy it that much. 

Last week on the blog


Next week on the blog

  • Monday: DNK
  • Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday #42: Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing This Year
  • Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday #77
  • Thursday: Review: Tempting Fate (Serendipity #2) by Brinda Berry
  • Friday: DNK
  • Saturday: DNK


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


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Kitty Hawk and the Icelandic Intrigue by Iain Reading
Kitty Hawk and the Tragedy of the RMS Titanic by Iain Reading

El




Saturday 20 December 2014

Review: Only the Good Die Young by Douglas Trueman

22829582Title: Only the Good Die Young
Author: Douglas Trueman
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Publication date: July 26th 2014
Pages: 297 (ebook)
Source: Xpresso Book Tours







Rebecca Lockhart moved to Vancouver to start a new life. What she found felt more like the end.

Raised with Victorian values and classically trained as a pianist, seventeen-year-old Rebecca takes solace in the prose of Jane Austen and the music of Debussy. But when a virtuoso guitar player exposes her to the free spirit of rock and roll, Rebecca's outlook on the world begins to change. She dares to take risks her old self couldn't imagine.

Hallway rumors of her new behavior reach the high school office, and Rebecca comes face-to-face with vice-principal - Cahterine Lockhart, her mother. Desperate to remain in mom's good graces, she lies. Before she can blink, Rebecca is caught in a web of deceit that envelopes her entire life. If she reveals the truth, she and her mother will have to face an unspeakable secret from their past. If she doesn't, a fellow student could be sentenced to prison.

Only the Good Die Young is a coming-of-age story for the teenager in all of us, laced with the dry, deadpan humor of a shy girl struggling to find her way.


This is one of those hard books to rate. There were times that I thought this book is great but a minute later I was considering to put the book away. There were some things I just couldn’t get over. So in the end I settled for a 3.

Only the Good Die Young follows seventeen-year-old Rebecca. She just moved from Toronto to Vancouver mid semester in her senior year. Together with her mom she tries to escape and forget her past. But how long will it be until their past and their secrets catch up to them?

One of the things that I liked about this book was that the characters seemed real. When I look back to when I was in high school I remember all the troubles that seemed so big back then but are so small when you look back on it. I liked that the main characters learns something in this book, not only about herself but also about the people surrounding her.

But I didn’t like Rebecca at all. I know that she is going through a rough period but all the choices she made and the way she acted towards everyone, especially Kyle were so wrong. I really enjoyed Kyle, he is a great friend but unfortunately Rebecca can’t see it immediately. He had this sometimes annoying ability to come up with a song for every situation. Near the end of the book I finally found some respect for Rebecca. She finally made the right decision and it didn’t make up for all the mistakes she made in the past but it was a start in the right direction.


The book is well written and has a good pace. So while it wasn’t a perfect match for me I would still recommend it to other readers. It opened my eyes to certain subjects and it has potential to be a great book for others. 


El


Thursday 18 December 2014

Review: Sleeping Beauty and the Beast by Melissa Lemon

22246544Title: Sleeping Beauty and the Beast
Author: Melissa Lemon
Genre: fantasy, fairytale-retelling, Young Adult
Publication date: June 24th 2014
Pages: 202 (paperback)
Source: received from author
Buy links: Amazon






Trapped in a cursed sleep, the only experiences Princess Eglantine has are the ones in her dreams. There she meets Prince Henry of Fallund, a neighboring kingdom on the brink of war. 

Meanwhile, Prince Henry's brother Duncan discovers a vicious beast imprisoned for murder. Captivated by her, he works to free her from both the prison bars she's locked behind and the ones surrounding her heart and mind. Sleeping Beauty and the Beast reinvents and seamlessly intertwines the classic fairy tales Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast. 




Sleeping Beauty and the Beast is a rather unique fairytale retelling. Like the title already suggests it combines Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast. And the author did it in a unique way, the whole book was unique. It was a very different fairytale retelling than I’ve ever read before.

Princess Eglantine, the sleeping beauty, has been dreaming for years. But suddenly her dreams seem to become more real. Prince Henry seems to see and hear her, Eglantine can’t be happier finally someone she can communicate with. But Henry on the other hand is not so thrilled. Is he losing his mind? Has the stress of ruling a country alone finally taken his toll? Or is Eglantine real?
Duncan, Henry’s brother, wants nothing to do with ruling the country. He rather rooms the street to see what’s happening. It’s there that he comes across “the beast”, a girl fighting off guards that want to imprison her like her life depends on it. Somehow Duncan can’t get this girl out of his mind, he knows that she’s a criminal but he still want to help her. But why?

I really liked all the twists the book took. Everything connected together. While some things might have been confusing while reading the book it all made sense in the end. Sleeping Beauty and the Beast, was very descriptive. You had a perfect sense of location, clothing and everything else.
 The characters are all well developed. And you can’t help liking them all and you really feel everything they have to endure. They all have their own distinctive voices. Henry and Duncan might have been brothers but they couldn’t have been more different. Duncan is the wild one, while Henry is the responsible one. And “the beast” she shows that not everything is as it might seem at first and bot the girl and Eglantine show us to never give up. There is always hope.

Overall I really liked this book. It might not have been my favorite fairytale retelling ever but I really appreciated the uniqueness of this book. So if you are looking for a fairytale retelling with a new twist than you should really check out Sleeping Beauty and the Beast


Author bio

Melissa LemonMelissa Lemon is the author of two other fairy tale retellings: Cinder and Ella and Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem. She is also the author of a sweet romance called Blue Sky. Writing is just one of her passions. She also loves music, reading, baking and exercising. She is wife to a patient man, mother of three spunky girls, and warden to a tolerant cat named Matilda.

El

Wednesday 17 December 2014

Waiting on Wednesday #76: Flintlock (Cutlass #2) by Ashley Nixon


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:

Flintlock by 
Ashley Nixon

22888980

Barren Reed hopes to protect the Orient from his tyrant uncle, but his plans to make the King's life a living hell aren't supported by the Elders of the pirate community. As it stands, Barren has earned the Elders' disdain for his carelessness, and they threaten him to exile if he makes one more mistake.

Barren's not the only one feeling the Elders' wrath - they don't trust Larkin either. Worse, Barren can't comprehend Larkin's wish to have a relationship with her father, and the secrets she's forced to keep create a tension that may pull them apart forever.

When the Pirates of Silver Crest begin to die, bullets laced with dark magic are to blame. With more and more of these weapons infiltrating the Underground, discovering who's behind the dissemination is no easy feat. As fear and tension mount among the people of the Orient, Barren and his crew find themselves in a race against time to stop the spread of dark magic before the world of Mariana spirals into collapse.

Goodreads

Why I Can't Wait

I read the first book in this series, Cutlass, earlier this year. I loved it so much! The whole pirate world Ashley has created is truly amazing. Besides I can't wait to see how Larkins and Barrens story continues. 

Publication date: April 2015

What are you waiting for this week? Let me know!

El