Cover Lust, No. 66

In Colleen Hoover’s gripping novel, reminiscent of the bestselling works of Liane Moriarty and Jojo Moyes, a young woman decides to reveal the dark secrets of her seemingly-happy family before she leaves them behind, but when her escape plan fails, she must deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth.

I think this is my favorite CoHo cover!

The story also sounds different than her norm, and I'm curious to see where it goes. I'm not someone that loves every CoHo book just because she wrote it; confession time: I HATED It Ends With Us. As someone with a very similar background, I did not agree with the way children of abuse were portrayed at all, and the excuses for that one character...ugh. That said though, her stories are always absorbing! 

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!

Sloan will go through hell and back for her little brother. And she does, every single night.

Forced to remain in a relationship with the dangerous and corrupt Asa Jackson, Sloan will do whatever it takes to make sure her brother has what he needs.

Nothing will get in her way.

Nothing except Carter.


Sloan is the only good thing to ever happen to Asa. He knows this and he never plans on letting her go; even if she doesn't approve of his lifestyle. But despite Sloan's disapproval, Asa knows what it takes to get what he wants. He knows what he needs to do to remain on top.

Nothing will get in his way.

Nothing except Carter. 

I'm a pretty big CoHo fan (usually...there've been a few notable exceptions!), but haven't read this one yet due to several iffy reviews. Should I try it anyway?

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. 

This week was a working vacation spent around 40 minutes away from home, in a big, airy beach house. It was lovely, if a bit busy and very hot, but I'm so glad to be home! 

I did pretty well! Only missed two days of yoga, but the house was three stories and I more than made up for it. ;)

Sunday - 13,011

Monday - 14,143

Tuesday - 13,197

Wednesday - 11,039

Thursday - 11,039

Friday - 12,266

Saturday - 11,274

Total - 85,969

This Week's Recap

July Wrap Up

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd Buy Right Now if I Had a Fully Loaded Gift Card

Waiting on Wednesday

TBR Thursday

{Book Review} Reliquary (Reliquary, #1) by Sarah Fine

Coming Up

No clue for Monday!

Top Ten Tuesday

Waiting on Wednesday 

TBR Thursday

{Book Review} It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Read This Week

I seem to have my reading mojo back!

3 stars!
Very interesting world, surprisingly sexy, but with an obnoxious heroine.

2 stars!
Maybe I'm just a smut connoisseur, but this was not best erotica. 

4 stars!
Improved over the first, and left me wanting more. 

4.25 stars!
I love this series. The hero is a true bad boy! The story and couple are so screwed up, but it just adds to the appeal.

Currently Reading

Just started, but enjoying it so far!

Audiobooking this one. I've just started, but I have to say that this is the first book where I've genuinely liked Olivia Song's narration. 

What Will I Read Next?

Cover Lust, No. 31

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up. She graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true. 

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant and has a total soft spot for Lily; and the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head, but Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his no dating rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place. 

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan, her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened. 

With this bold and deeply personal novel Colleen Hoover delivers a heart-wrenching story that breaks exciting new ground for her as a writer. Combining a captivating romance with a cast of all too human characters, “It Ends with Us” is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.

Okay, so it's not my favorite cover of hers, but I'm so excited for it! Just about three weeks or so until release!

Cover Lust, No. 22

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up. She graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant and has a total soft spot for Lily; and the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head, but Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his no dating rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan, her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

With this bold and deeply personal novel Colleen Hoover delivers a heart-wrenching story that breaks exciting new ground for her as a writer. Combining a captivating romance with a cast of all too human characters, “It Ends with Us” is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price. 

I will read anything Colleen Hoover puts out, but I am seriously excited for this one. Plus, that cover! The crushed flowers look almost textured, and I love the colors. 

Releases August 2nd

Cover Lust, No. 19

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. 

I love how the scrapes of flying paper give the cover a textured appearance, plus the cityscape behind the title is cool. The book was good, too!

{Book Review} Never Never, Part 3 by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher

From Goodreads (all three book summaries)

Book 1

Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen.

Complete strangers since this morning.

He'll do anything to remember. She'll do anything to forget.

Book 2

Silas races against time as more truths unravel, while others twist tighter together. And now, the stakes are higher as Silas’ control slips and others begin to point fingers. Charlie is in trouble and he must be the one to bridge the chasm between their past and their present. Because somewhere between I love yous and Never Nevers and Never Agains, a truth they can't imagine, beckons to be found. 

Book 3

Together, Silas Nash and Charlize Wynwood must look deeper into the past to find out who they were and who they want to be. With time ticking down, the couple are in a race to find the answers they need before they lose everything. Can they regain what they once had? And will it restore who they once were?

My Thoughts

3.5-4 "I am so conflicted" Stars

I read the first Never Never book just a week or so after its release this time last year. How could you not with the gorgeous cover? 

I absolutely devoured that novella; it was such an unusual plot with compelling characters, great flow, and kept the viewer constantly guessing. Despite its shortness, it was never crammed or rushed. I slapped a 5 star rating on it, and it quickly wormed its way onto my "Favorites Shelf  Bookcase" as I not-so-patiently waited for the second installment that May. 

While book two was a touch slower paced and fumbled in a few places, I still throughly enjoyed it. My theories on what was going on kept circling around in my head, each one more outlandish than the last. I've been dying to read the final installment and see if any of my farfetched ideas were correct, and it finally released earlier this month. 

I immediately downloaded the sucker, and read it in a single sitting. 

And... I am unsure of how I feel. 

I'll try and keep this as non-spoilery as possible!

"Trust your gut. Not your heart, because it's a people pleaser, and not your brain, because it relies too heavily on logic."

I loved the beginning of the story; the reader is left high off the effects from the end of book two, and we're slammed back into where we left off. Things have drastically changed for our couple, and they're even more anxious and confused by these new circumstances. They begin searching for any sort of answer, and their journey leads them back through old memories. This part was so interesting to me - getting to see who the were in the beginning, who they were then, and the core of themselves now was so neat to watch.

Maybe it has nothing to do with anyone else, and everything to do with us.

Then...then things started going a little weird for me. Things really started unfolding, and I was underwhelmed by it. Perhaps it was because I went so long between part 2 and part 3, but it felt rushed to me. All my theories on what would happen fell flat, and I had questions left unanswered (what about the Shrimp? Their previous lifestyles?). 

I somehow have more feelings for this girl than will fit inside of me. 

Other than that though, I really enjoyed it. Silas has always been a favorite of mine, and he shined in part three. It was gorgeously romantic, and well written as always. I will definitely be doing a reread of this series soon! 

I've heard murmurings of another book collaboration for Hoover and Fisher in both their author Facebook groups, and I am beyond curious to see where that goes.

Overall, this is a 4.5 star series for me, and I highly recommend binge reading them.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten New-to-Me Authors for 2015

Hey, ladies!

It's that time of the week! ;) Today is The Broke and The Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday. This week's theme is Top Ten New-to-Me Favorite Authors I Read For The First Time in 2015. I've had the most incredible reading year for 2015, and had a hell of a time narrowing it down to ten. Let's get to it!

For the first time ever, this is mostly in order. 5 through 2 are interchangeable! And switch 8 with 9. Okay, they're only kind of in order. 

I couldn't narrow it down to 10, so here's 12!

12. Mia Sheridan 

Archer's Voice, Kyland, Stinger, and Grayson's Vow, among others.

I have a love/hate relationship with Sheridan's writing. Sometimes it's exactly the emotional, beautiful love story I want, and other times it's an angst fest I can't finish. She consistently has an addictive, flowing style of writing, and Archer's Voice has been one of my favorite books this year. 

11. Ilona Andrews

Kate Daniels series, The Edge series, and others.


It's Kate Daniels. Enough said.

Okay, in all seriousness now: Kate is one of my most favorite, kick ass heroines of all time! After the first book (which was admittedly a bit rough), I was completely sucked into the series, and read 8 released books in little more than a week. The world building is fascinating, with a well developed cast of side characters. The action is nail biting, and the chemistry off the charts.
And we can't forget Curran now, can we....rawr. See what I did there?

10. T.M. Frazier

King series and The Dark Light of Day series


T.M. Frazier is a newer one for me, and one I constantly flop around with while reading. My general thought process while reading one of her books is:

Book addict: This is everything I thought I didn't like, but I can't stop reading.
Logic: Come on, this is ridiculous!
Book addict: Did anyone ask you?! Go away so I can keep reading.
Logic: This guy is the biggest asshole!
Book addict: I don't care!
Book addict & a very reluctant Logic: Okay, that was seriously hot.
Logic: But this relationship is toxic!
Book addict: I don't care!
Logic: That is beyond unrealistic.
Book addict: It could happen!
Logic: This is so, so wrong....
Book addict: GIVE ME MORE!!!!!

Her novels are addictive, dark, fast paced, and seriously sexy, with a dash of stupefied skepticism thrown in for good measure. 

9. Karen Marie Moning

Fever series, Highlander series

Because Barrons, and incredible world building, to die for character development, crack-like addictiveness (I read this book, 600 page Shadowfever, in a day), and plenty of mystery and action.
But mostly because Barrons.
Gimme gimme. 

8. Aly Martinez

The Fall Up, On The Ropes series, Wrecked and Ruined series

One of my favorite contemporary authors! Aly Martinez writes some of the most amazing book boyfriends I've ever had the pleasure of coming across (ha...ha!). Add in her intensely-emotional-but-not-choke-you-angst feels, fast pace and amazing side characters and you have one hell of a new adult novel. The Fall Up and Fighting Silence will be on my "Best Contemporaries of 2015" list. 

7. Christina Lauren

Beautiful Bastard series, Wild Seasons series, The House, and others.

I will forever worship this writing duo simply for brining my travel/foreign boy fantasy to life with such flair. If you want a light, ridiculously funny and sexy romance, I highly suggest reaching for one of these bad boys.

6. Rachel Vincent

The Stars Never duology, Menagerie trilogy, Soul Screamers series, Shifters series, and others.

Few authors can evoke such intense physical responses for me like Rachel Vincent can. I have laughed out loud, ugly cried, felt nauseous (Menagerie is a tough - but wildly engaging and beautiful!- read), and slung a book so hard across a room that it knocked a picture frame down (three words: I hate Jace).
I think she is a gifted author who writes some of the most entertaining books ever, but her favor of love triangles annoys the ever loving shit out of me. Thankfully they seem to be absent in her more recent releases, but that Shifters series infuriated me. I can fully admit to not minding the love triangle in Soul Screamers (I actually thought it was well done and believable), but that's as far as I'll go.
I can't say enough good things about Menagerie and The Stars Never Rise!

5. Alice Clayton

Cocktail series, Redhead series and Nuts.

My go-to for hilarious and sexy contemporaries! These are lightning quick books; I don't think there's been a Clayton book that's taken me more than a day or two finish. You can always count on off the charts chemistry, humor in spades, and plenty of steamy sex.

4. Jeaniene Frost

Night Huntress series, Night Prince series, and others.

My all time favorite paranormal romance author and HolyBatBallsCanYouBelieveWe'reGettingTheGravesOuttakesBookThisMonth?!?!!
(insert epic fangirling)


Ehhm. Sorry about that. The Night Huntress series is one favorites ever, and one of the only series I've reread on more than one occasion. Action, fantastic cast of characters, humor, sexy fun, and Bones. What's not to love? Bones...sigh. I love that vamp.

3. Colleen Hoover

Slammed trilogy, Ugly Love, Maybe Someday, November 9, Never Never novellas (with Tarryn Fisher), and others.

No one writes quite like Hoover. Even if I don't love the plot of the book (Hopeless, Maybe Someday), I'm still completely sucked in to the story and finish in less than two days. Her writing style ensnares you, and I can't help but love it. She does know how to write a book boyfriend, too. ;)

2. L.H. Cosway

Hearts series, Painted Faces, The Hooker and The Hermit (with Penny Reid), and others.

I think Cosway's writing may just be more addicted than Colleen Hoovers! I love the fact that her books contain the potential for series emotional happenings, but she never falls into the oh-so-popular angst fest pool. Her writing style flows effortlessly, there's tons of humor and plenty of sex, and it is incredibly easy to sink into the characters' heads.

1. Karina Halle

Love In English, Dirty Angels trilogy, Experiment in Terror series, Sins & Needles trilogy, The Play, Racing The Sun, and others.


Hands down, my favorite author. I love everything about her writing, characters, plots, ect. In 30 odd books, I've only disliked one. She writes my ultimate book boyfriends, keeps me on the edge of my seat, and unfailingly sucks me into the books' worlds.
You think you've found your ultimate book boyfriend? Wait until you meet Dex Foray.

- The Bibliophile Babe

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Book Quotes (From This Year!)

Hey, ladies!

It's The Broke and The Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday! This week's theme is Top Quotes From Books You've Read This Year (Or So), and I've been looking forward to this one for weeks. My books are constantly dog eared, Post-It'ed, or highlighted with quotes that strike my fancy, and I had trouble narrowing it down to these!
Clearly, I went outside the typical 10, and these are mostly recent reads, with a few old favorites slipped in.


In no real order:

14.

"That bitch!"

"She's nice enough, just -"

"Nice enough? I'm gonna put a hit out on her!"

"Okay, hold on there, Tony Soprano. No one's putting a hit on anyone." I paused." Just to be clear, you don't have those kinds of connections, do you?"

"No, but I have money! I'm sure I can buy some connections."

- The Fall Up by Aly Martinez

13.

"My love... I want you free. I want you wild. I want you brave. I want you anyway I can get you. I want you now, and I want you for the rest of my life."

- The Hooker and The Hermit by L.H. Cosway and Penny Reid

12.

I was head over heels in love with her. No, that didn't describe it. 

I was tear my fucking heart out and throw it to her, beg her to take it into hers. I was falling for the greatest heights, with no safety net below. 

I was giving everything of my own life for hers, giving up every inch of my soul so she could wear it proudly. 

I was a former king on my knees before the queen. A jester begging for a chance. 

I was powerless, helpless, and at her mercy. 

- The Dex-Files by Karina Halle

One of my all time favorites! 

11.

I think that in the space between birth and death you can have one life, or you can have many. But in order to have many, you also need the strength to end the one that came before it. And therein lies the tricky part.

- King of Hearts by L.H. Cosway

10.

Much slower, I turned around to see Vlad examining his fingernails, as if his hands weren't still ablaze in the flames that had blasted the ghoul's head off moments before.

"What the hell was that?" I gasped.

"Premature inflammation," He replied. "Happens sometimes. Very embarrassing; I don't like to talk about it."

- This Side of The Grave by Jeaniene Frost

I don't quite know why, but this bit makes me laugh my ass off every time I read it. 

9.

"You're imagination both frightens and intrigues me."

- Racing The Sun by Karina Halle

That's one hell of a compliment. 

8.

"I am forever yours, Kitten, in this life and the next."

- This Side of The Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Oh, Bones! *swoons*

7.

"You're either on my side, by my side, or in my fucking way. Choose wisely."

- Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning

Can't remember which this one was from!

6.

I knew I loved her - fiercely and with every part of my heart, even the broken parts, even the parts that felt unworthy and without value. And maybe those parts most of all.

- Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan

5.

"Why not live with the magic? Be a kid again, and believe in the fantastical. Life is more fun with a little smoke and mirrors."

- Six of Hearts by L.H. Cosway

4.

She's lost in thought. I'm lost in her.

- Never Never (Part 1) by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher

3.

"In the light of day, I can see all your cracks and your darkness and your flaws, and I fall in love with it all. And I hope you can fall in love with everything that I am, all that lurks in my dark, all that shines in my light. I want you to love every little piece of me, because it all belongs to you."

- The Play by Karina Halle

This book left me with 45 breathtaking quotes! It was so hard to pick just one. 

2.

I moaned like a whore in church. To be fair, I'd never actually heard a whore moan in church, but I had a feeling it would sound a lot like the unholy sounds pouring forth from my mouth.

- Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

1.

He looked at me and I shivered. I never get enough of him. Never will.

He lives. I breathe.

I. Want. Him. Always.

Fire to my ice. Ice to my fever.

- Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

This one gives me chills. Gorgeous, especially after you read their story!

- The Bibliophile Babe

W...W...W... Wednesday

W… W… W… Wednesday, hosted by Taking on a World of Worlds, is a weekly meme showcasing what you just finished reading, what you are currently reading, and what you plan to start reading next.

What Did You Recently Finish?

 From the New York Times best-selling author of Beautiful Bastard, Beautiful Stranger, and Beautiful Player, Book Two of the brand-new Wild Seasons series that started with Sweet Filthy Boy - a story of friends, love, and lust.

Despite their rowdy hookups, Harlow and Finn don't even like each other... which would explain why their marriage lasted only 12 hours. He needs to be in charge and takes whatever he wants. She lives by the Want-something-done? Do-it-yourself mantra. Maybe she's too similar to the rugged fisherman - or just what he needs. 

This was an Audible.com credit, and I enjoyed it for the most part. It was quick, funny, and sexy! It lost some points for me because I never really felt Harlow and Finn's connection, and it turns out I do not like the voice of the narrator for Finn (Sebastian York). They also couldn't hold a candle to the first couple in the series. Other than that though, it was fun!

What Are You Currently Reading?

 A troubled Scottish rugby player who doesn't play by the rules.
A vivacious man-eater who's given up on love.
When it comes to Lachlan and Kayla, opposites don't just attract - they explode.

Kayla Moore has always been comfortable with her feisty, maneating reputation. At least it was fine until she hit her thirties and saw her best friends Stephanie and Nicola settle down with Linden and Bram McGregor, leaving Kayla to be the odd one out. Tired of being the third wheel with nothing but one-night stands and dead-end dates in San Francisco, Kayla decides to take a vow of celibacy and put men on the backburner.

That is until she lays her eyes on Linden and Bram’s cousin, hot Scot Lachlan McGregor. Lachlan is her sexual fantasy come to life – tall, tatted, and built like a Mack truck. With a steely gaze and successful rugby career back in Edinburgh, he’s the kind of man that makes her want to throw her vow right out the window. But Lachlan’s quiet and intense demeanor makes him a hard man to get to know, let alone get close to.

It isn’t until the two of them are thrown together one long, unforgettable night that Kayla realizes there is so much more to this brooding macho man than what meets the eye. But even with sparks flying between the two, Lachlan can’t stay in America forever. Now, Kayla has to decide whether to uproot her whole life and chance it all on someone she barely knows or risk getting burned once again.

Sometimes love is a game that just needs to be played.

I have several books on my "currently reading" shelf, but they've taken a backseat to this one. I'm around 45% in, and I'm in love!

What Will You Read Next?

 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 of 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.

She upholds the law. He breaks it. 

Two blue hearts, both alike in bravery
In not-so-fair London, where we lay our scene
From gun crime to petty theft
Where family is blood and survival makes hands unclean
In this place, we find two hearts who should be foes
And yet, amidst the turmoil their love still grows
Misadventure abounds and the divide will bring them strife
But with luck, death doesn’t always mean an end to life.

Hearts of Blue is a standalone contemporary romance that tells the story of star-crossed lovers Karla Sheehan and Lee Cross, a police constable and the thief who steals her heart. 

- The Bibliophile Babe