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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Covers

Hey, ladies!


It's Top Ten Tuesday by The Broke and The Bookish! This week's topic is all about the visuals, and since I don't read comics or picture books, I'm going with my favorite covers. Let's jump right in!


10.
Ainsley came into my life in a flurry of vibrant colors, lighting my world up when all seemed lost.

It wasn’t our quiet nights by the creek or stolen kisses surrounded by a sea of cotton that saved me.  

It was her. 

She was my comfort when life threw one ugly tragedy after another at me. 

Until she dealt me the greatest blow. 

Now, abandonment, betrayal, and death darken every corner of my life.  Anger and hurt burn bright where love and trust once lived.  

But, now, she’s back.  Sure, she’s changed, but I see through it—straight to her heart.


9.
Cloud Atlas meets Orphan Black in this epic dimension-bending trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray about a girl who must chase her father's killer through multiple dimensions.

Marguerite Caine's physicist parents are known for their groundbreaking achievements. Their most astonishing invention, called the Firebird, allows users to jump into multiple universes—and promises to revolutionize science forever. But then Marguerite's father is murdered, and the killer—her parent's handsome, enigmatic assistant Paul— escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite refuses to let the man who destroyed her family go free. So she races after Paul through different universes, always leaping into another version of herself. But she also meets alternate versions of the people she knows—including Paul, whose life entangles with hers in increasingly familiar ways. Before long she begins to question Paul's guilt—as well as her own heart. And soon she discovers the truth behind her father's death is far more sinister than she expected.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores an amazingly intricate multi-universe where fate is unavoidable, the truth elusive, and love the greatest mystery of all.


8.
From strip clubs and truck stops to southern coast mansions and prep schools, one girl tries to stay true to herself.

These Royals will ruin you…

Ella Harper is a survivor—a pragmatic optimist. She’s spent her whole life moving from town to town with her flighty mother, struggling to make ends meet and believing that someday she’ll climb out of the gutter. After her mother’s death, Ella is truly alone. 

Until Callum Royal appears, plucking Ella out of poverty and tossing her into his posh mansion among his five sons who all hate her. Each Royal boy is more magnetic than the last, but none as captivating as Reed Royal, the boy who is determined to send her back to the slums she came from.

Reed doesn’t want her. He says she doesn’t belong with the Royals.

He might be right.

Wealth. Excess. Deception. It’s like nothing Ella has ever experienced, and if she’s going to survive her time in the Royal palace, she’ll need to learn to issue her own Royal decrees. 



7.
He found me in blood and tears. 
I stayed with him through darkness and fire. 

We loved each other in the moment between innocence and bitter truth. 
We were the kids easily ignored, who grew into adults we hardly knew. 

We weren’t meant to last forever. And we didn’t. 

He ran away. 
I tried to move on. 

Yet I never stopped thinking about the boy who had fought to keep me alive in a world that would have swallowed me whole. He was the past that I buried, but never forgot. 

Until the day I found him again, years after believing I had lost him forever. 

And in cold, resentful eyes, I saw the heart of the man who had been everything when I had nothing at all. So I vowed to hold onto the second chance that was stolen from the children we had been. 

Sometimes fate is ugly. Life can be twisted. 
And who we are can be ruined by who we once were. 

For two people who had survived so much, we would have to learn how to hold on before we were forced to let go.


6.
From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Vincent comes a richly imagined, provocative new series set in the dark mythology of the Menagerie…

When Delilah Marlow visits a famous traveling carnival, Metzger's Menagerie, she is an ordinary woman in a not-quite-ordinary world. But under the macabre circus black-top, she discovers a fierce, sharp-clawed creature lurking just beneath her human veneer. Captured and put on exhibition, Delilah in her black swan burlesque costume is stripped of her worldly possessions, including her own name, as she's forced to "perform" in town after town.

But there is breathtaking beauty behind the seamy and grotesque reality of the carnival. Gallagher, her handler, is as kind as he is cryptic and strong. The other "attractions"—mermaids, minotaurs, gryphons and kelpies—are strange, yes, but they share a bond forged by the brutal realities of captivity. And as Delilah struggles for her freedom, and for her fellow menagerie, she'll discover a strength and a purpose she never knew existed.

Renowned author Rachel Vincent weaves an intoxicating blend of carnival magic and startling humanity in this intricately woven and powerful tale.
 


5.
Her life changed in an instant. 
And he's the only one who could have prevented it. 

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Pact and The Lie comes a new standalone contemporary romance about those McGregor men. 

Jessica Charles shouldn't have even been in London when the unthinkable happened. 
She should have been back at home in Edinburgh, perhaps hanging with her boyfriend, having drinks with her sister or doing yoga with her group of friends. She should have been going on in her normal, dependable life as always. 
But on that fateful day in August, when a mentally-ill ex-soldier opened fire in public, Jessica's world changed forever. 
Now single and crippled from the gunshot wounds, Jessica finds herself scared and alone, losing faith in herself and humanity with each agonizing moment that passes. 
That is until a stranger enters her life. A stranger who makes her live again. 
Keir McGregor has always been the strong, silent type. Throw in tall, dark, and handsome and you've got pretty much the perfect Scotsman. 
Except Keir is anything but perfect. He's got a past he's running away from and a guilty conscience he can't seem to shed. But the more time he spends with Jessica, the more he falls in love with her. 
And the more his secret threatens to tear them apart. 
He may have been a stranger to her. 
But she’s never been a stranger to him. 


4.
Step right up and meet Jay Fields: Illusionist. Mentalist. Trickster.

I think in triangles. You think in straight lines.
I show you a table and make you believe it’s a chair.
Smoke and mirrors, sleight of hand, misdirection. I trick and deceive.
But most of all, I put on a good show.
The world thinks I killed a man, but I didn't. Bear with me. It’s all a part of the plan.
Revenge is what I want. I want it for me and I want it for her.
I want it for all six of us.

She doesn't remember me, but she’s the reason for everything. She’ll be my prize at the end of all this–if I can hold onto my willpower, that is. Maybe I’ll slip up a little, have a taste, just a small one.

So go ahead and pick a card. Come inside and see the show. Look at my hands, look so closely that you can’t see what’s happening while you’re so focused on looking. I’ll be destroying your world from right here in the spotlight.

You’ll never see me coming until it’s too late.

I've only got one heart, and after I've pulled off my grand deception I’ll hand it right to her.

So, sit back, relax, and let my girl tell you our story. You’re in for one hell of a ride.


3.
Orange Is the New Black meets Jennifer Probst's New York Timesbestselling Marriage to a Billionaire trilogy, featuring a strong-minded prison tutor who discovers that her sexy bad-boy student is far more than he appears to be.

Haunted by nightmares of her father’s street murder fifteen years ago, Kat Lane decides to face her fears and uphold his legacy of helping others by teaching inmates at a New York prison. There she meets arrogant Wesley Carter, who’s as handsome as he is dangerous, as mysterious as he is quick-witted, and with a reputation that ensures people will keep their distance.

As teacher and student, Kat and Carter are forced to leave their animosities at the door and learn that one should never judge a book by its cover. As Carter’s barriers begin to crumble, Kat realizes there’s much more to her angry student than she thought, leaving them to face a new, perilous obstacle: their undeniable attraction to one another.
 



2.
What happens when the kink between the pages leads to heat between the sheets?

All Blake Crawford wants is to pass his creative writing course, get his university degree, and take over his dad’s ailing family business. What Amanda Newland wants is to graduate at the top of her class, as well as finally finish her novel and prove to her family that writing is a respectful career.

What Blake and Amanda don’t want is to be paired up with each other for their final project, but that’s exactly what they both get when they’re forced to collaborate on a writing piece. Since Amanda thinks Blake is a pushy asshole (with a panty-melting smirk and British accent) and Blake thinks Amanda has a stick up her ass (though it’s a brilliant ass), they fight tooth and nail until they discover they write well together. They also may find each other really attractive, but that’s neither here nor there.

When their writing project turns out to be a success, the two of them decide to start up a secret partnership using a pen name, infiltrating the self-publishing market in the lucrative genre of erotica. Naturally, with so much heat and passion between the pages, it’s not long before their dirty words become a dirty reality. Sure, they still fight a lot, but at least there’s make-up sex now.

But even as they start to fall hard for each other, will their burgeoning relationship survive if their scandalous secret is exposed? Or are happily-ever-afters just a work of fiction?
 



1.
I wanted to jump. 
He made me fall.

As a celebrity, I lived in the public eye, but somewhere along the way, I’d lost myself in the spotlight.

Until he found me.

Sam Rivers was a gorgeous, tattooed stranger who saved my life with nothing more than a simple conversation.

But we were both standing on that bridge for a reason the night we met. The secrets of our pasts brought us together—and then tore us apart.

Could we find a reason to hold on as life constantly pulled us down?

Or maybe there’s only one direction to go when two people fall in love at rock bottom—up.

I cannot recommend this one enough!



Monday, January 30, 2017

Mini Reviews Monday

I hired her to fix my company, to bring Marks Lingerie back to life. I didn’t expect her to become my friend. I didn’t expect to fall in love with her.

The first rule of business is to never touch your employees. I think there is another rule about not falling for your best friend—a rule against imagining the curves of her body, or the way her breathing would change if I pulled down her panties and unzipped my pants.

Now, I can’t wait any longer. I’m tossing out the rules.

Damn the company.
Damn our friendship.
Damn my fears.

4.5 stars!

I've had this author on my TBR for well over a year, and I finally got around to trying her out with this recent release. I was very pleasantly surprised!
It's a slow burn (emphasis on slow!) romance, and spans a good chunk of time. We get to see the characters' relationship evolve right from the start, and it gave a lovely and deep emotional connection.
I enjoyed both hero and heroine, and liked how everything was pretty much solely focused on the couple. It gave it an introspective feel and put me in the characters' shoes.



The first in the new SAINTS OF DENVER series from NYT bestselling author of the MARKED MEN series, Jay Crownover

Sometimes you have to tear everything down to build something new…

Sayer Cole is frozen inside. At least, that’s what it’s felt like for as long as she can remember. She’s yet to let anyone past her icy exterior – and the one guy she thinks might melt her heart couldn’t possibly be interested in someone so uptight.

Rough, hard and hot-as-hell, Zeb Fuller has rebuilt his life and his construction business since protecting his family sent him to jail all those years ago. His elegant client, Sayer, makes him feel like a Neanderthal in denim, but despite the many hints that he’s been dropping to get to know her better, she seems oblivious to his charms.

Just as things finally start to heat up, Zeb’s past comes back to haunt him and he needs Sayer’s professional help to right a wrong and to save more than himself. As these opposites dig in for the fight of their lives, fire and ice collide in an unstoppable explosion of steam…

4 stars!

I'm a big Crownover fan, and overall enjoyed this book. The hero was to die for, the relationship with his surprise son tugged at my heart strings, and I really enjoyed the side characters. Since this book is interconnected with with her other books, I enjoyed checking up on old characters, and was intrigued by the ones I hadn't yet read.
Two things took away from this story for me. One was that it was a little too wordy; I wanted more dialogue and interaction.
The second was the heroine. She got on my nerves and made me tired of her when she had too much page time. It wasn't because she didn't jump right into a relationship (good for her!), but she just..I dunno, didn't work for me. She had some issues, but I felt like she was too wrapped up in them and too intent on making those issues known. The other characters had issues too, especially the hero, but it didn't consume them the way they did her.


If anyone ever said being an adult was easy, they hadn't been one long enough.

Diana Casillas can admit it: she doesn't know what the hell she's doing half the time. How she's made it through the last two years of her life without killing anyone is nothing short of a miracle. Being a grown-up wasn’t supposed to be so hard.

With a new house, two little boys she inherited the most painful possible way, a giant dog, a job she usually loves, more than enough family, and friends, she has almost everything she could ever ask for.

Except for a boyfriend.

Or a husband.

But who needs either one of those?
 

5 stars!

I absolutely loved everything about this book. The heroine was spectacular, and has become one of my most favorite contemporary heroines to date. Her voice was honest, kind, genuine and really relatable.
I love romances with kids in them, and this one was so well done. Finally, a book where the kids have personalities and also act age appropriately! Both the boys in Wait For It brought so much for the story, made me laugh, and pulled at my feels.
Don't even get me started on the hero. *swoon*
It's very long, at almost 700 pages, but it really didn't feel like it. Everything flowed smoothly and easily, and it just...worked. So well. Loved it!



The new series is set in Vermont. True North is populated by the tough, outdoorsy mountain men that populate the Green Mountain State. They raise cows and they grow apples. They chop a lot of wood, especially when they need to blow off steam. (Beards are optional but encouraged.)

If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the orchard.

The last person Griffin Shipley expects to find stuck in a ditch on his Vermont country road is his ex-hookup. Five years ago they’d shared a couple of steamy nights together. But that was a lifetime ago.

At twenty-seven, Griff is now the accidental patriarch of his family farm. Even his enormous shoulders feel the strain of supporting his mother, three siblings and a dotty grandfather. He doesn’t have time for the sorority girl who’s shown up expecting to buy his harvest at half price.

Vermont was never in Audrey Kidder’s travel plans. Neither was Griff Shipley. But she needs a second chance with the restaurant conglomerate employing her. Okay—a fifth chance. And no self-righteous lumbersexual farmer will stand in her way.

They’re adversaries. They want entirely different things from life. Too bad their sexual chemistry is as hot as Audrey’s top secret enchilada sauce, and then some.
 

4 stars!

This book made me hungry. And gave me a strong desire to move to Vermont and find a cider making farmer. 

Loved the family dynamic, loved the gorgeous setting, loved the farm to table ideas, adored the hero, and the heroine was okay, but not great. Overall a solid start to this series!




From USA Today Bestselling Author, Renée Carlino, comes a totally unique love story that is sure to make you question what’s out there . . . or who. 

“My guardian angel is a drunk.”

Evelyn Casey's life is at a standstill. She's in her mid-twenties, struggling with the dating scene in San Francisco. Nothing seems to be working out, and she’s starting to think that she’ll live out her days in her crummy apartment with her overbearing roommate, Brooklyn. It's absurd, but sometimes Evey longs for a guardian angel to show up and save the day.

And then he does. Seriously. His name is Lucian and he's a guardian angel, been on the job for two thousand years. His sudden presence in her life is both good—he's brilliant, witty, and warm—and bad—he's brilliant, witty, warm, and hot as ----. But as perfect as Lucian seems, he’s got problems of his own. He’s taken up drinking and he’s brazenly inserted himself into Evey’s life, going against the greatest cosmic law ever created.

For Evey, the rules are simple: You are not allowed to hook up with your guardian angel. But sometimes fulfilling your destiny requires a leap of faith, a confrontation with God. 

Yes, God as in God.

1.5 stars!

This...oy. Where do I even start here?

I'm not a big Renee Carlino fan. I've read a few of her books and didn't care for them past 3.5 stars, but I always respected her writing and found her to be a solid author, just one that wasn't for me. 
This book didn't even feel like she wrote it. It truly read like bad fan fiction; it was full of plot holes, had no character development, the pacing was so choppy, and overall it was a massive disappointment. 





Sunday, January 29, 2017

The Sunday Post/It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Hey, everyone!



The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next. 


A little work and some wet and chilly weather, but overall a pretty good week. Some exciting work and life things are starting to get hammered out, which I'll be sharing as soon as everything is ready!




Fitness/Steps

Something I've struggled with on and off since committing to a solid exercise plan is being gentle and flexible with myself, and not pushing to finish my daily goal when I don't feel well. Cramps knocked me on my ass this week, but I made myself take it easy and actually felt better because of it!


Sunday - 9,725
Monday - 12,664
Tuesday - 7,020
Wednesday - 11,234
Thursday - 6,840
Friday - 9,477
Saturday - 11,528

Total - 68,488



This Week's Recap







Coming Up

Mini Reviews Monday 

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Covers

Waiting on Wednesday

TBR Thursday

Cover Lust, No. 54


Read This Week

5 stars!
This was really long (nearly 700 pages!), but I absolutely loved it, especially the kids that actually acted like kids!
DNF
Since I was more than halfway through it,  I'm still counting it as read. I just didn't care about either protagonist. 

4 stars!
I'm really enjoying this author! Loved the hero and the farm setting, but wasn't huge on the heroine. Overall really enjoyable!


Currently Reading

I just freaking adore this series, and the narration is stellar. It's so great to read a book and get such pleasure out of it!
Almost 50% through this one, and it reads like bad fan fiction. 



What Will I Read Next?



Friday, January 27, 2017

Cover Lust, No. 53

If anyone ever said being an adult was easy, they hadn't been one long enough.

Diana Casillas can admit it: she doesn't know what the hell she's doing half the time. How she's made it through the last two years of her life without killing anyone is nothing short of a miracle. Being a grown-up wasn’t supposed to be so hard.

With a new house, two little boys she inherited the most painful possible way, a giant dog, a job she usually loves, more than enough family, and friends, she has almost everything she could ever ask for.

Except for a boyfriend.

Or a husband.

But who needs either one of those?
 


I like the hazy background and bold font of this one, but it's really the story that stole my heart. It was amazing!


Thursday, January 26, 2017

TBR Thursday

Kimberly @ Kimberlyfaye Reads started a new weekly feature that I'm excited to join in! This feature is to showcase what's on your to be read shelf (or eReader, or Audible library) and see what others think of it. Have you read it? Should I read it or put it back on the shelf? It's a way to dust off the books on your self and decide if they're worth reading!


“We were perfect together. Until we met.”

Misha

I can’t help but smile at the words in her letter. She misses me.

In fifth grade, my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student, Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed.

It didn’t take long for us to figure out the mistake. And in no time at all, we were arguing about everything. The best take-out pizza. Android vs. iPhone. Whether or not Eminem is the greatest rapper ever…

And that was the start. For the next seven years, it was us.

Her letters are always on black paper with silver writing. Sometimes there’s one a week or three in a day, but I need them. She’s the only one who keeps me on track, talks me down, and accepts everything I am.

We only had three rules. No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. We had a good thing going. Why ruin it?

Until I run across a photo of a girl online. Name’s Ryen, loves Gallo’s pizza, and worships her iPhone. What are the chances?

F*ck it. I need to meet her.

I just don’t expect to hate what I find.

Ryen

He hasn’t written in three months. Something’s wrong. Did he die? Get arrested? Knowing Misha, neither would be a stretch.

Without him around, I’m going crazy. I need to know someone is listening. It’s my own fault. I should’ve gotten his number or picture or something.

He could be gone forever.

Or right under my nose, and I wouldn’t even know it.

I've heard good things about this author, and this book is the only one of hers I have on my Kindle. Is it any good?




Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!   


February 6th

She was my nightmare. Every time I closed my eyes, I watched her fall into that inferno. Over and over, I failed to save her.

I hadn’t been able to reach her, and the guilt only burned hotter over time. Four years later, I was the unreachable one.

Heroes aren’t always saints. Sometimes, we’re nothing more than jaded sinners driven by sleepless nights and hearts full of darkness.

And then I met her. She was a dreamer who managed to soothe my scars and heal my wounds.

But, as the flames closed in around us, I feared I wasn’t the right man to save her. That is until I realized she was the one woman I’d burn the world down to protect.

Aly Martinez is, without a doubt, one of my all time favorite authors. I can't freaking wait to get my hands on this one!



Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Tropes

Hey, everyone!


It's Top Ten Tuesday by The Broke and The Bookish! This week's a freebie, and I'm going with my recent favorites when it comes to tropes. Let's jump right in!


10. The sibling/aunt/uncle raising a kid



I've read a few of these types of books, where a relative is raising the kids of the dead or absent parent. It sounds morbid (and it kinda is, actually...), but the few I've read have been good!


9. The happy, charming hero


Don't get me wrong, I can get behind (or in front of ;)) a broody hero. However, I'm getting a bit sick of it. Happy, smiling and charming heroes are my current weakness!


8. Animal lovers


I'm a huge animal lover, as my house full of pets can account for. I love to see that from characters!



7. Surprise pregnancies


I don't even know why. At all. 



6. Perfect banter


Great banter takes a book to a whole new level!


5. Royalty 


Again, I don't even know why. I freaking love it, though!


4. Road trips


Because road trips!


3. Couple does not break up halfway through


Seriously, it's so refreshing to get this trope. 


2. Slow burns


I've never really been a fan of slow burns, but lately I'm appreciating them more and more!


1. Friends to lovers


Hands down, my all time favorite!



Monday, January 23, 2017

Authors I Need to Read in 2017

Hey, ladies!

Grace over at Rebel Mommy Book Blog had a great post about authors she wants to read in 2017, and since I am lazy and uncreative liked the idea so much, I wanted to do it too. Thanks, Rebel Mommy! e33

I have so many authors I've been meaning to read, but these are the ones I'm completely set on tackling in 2017.