Back... From Outer Space... Books and More

Hi guys... I must sincerely apologise for my absence here on the blog... I have been reading though, I've just had a little break from blogging and trying to increase my social media skills... and it's taking a lot of my time up...
If you have the inclination then please visit my Instagram account using the links on the right of the page, I've been playing a lot with book photography and I'll put some of it up here but it's all over on my IG account... if you don't wanna use the link then my handle is @Jst1MoreChapter 

Anyhoo... I'm hoping not to leave it too long before my next post this time but!...

I thought, as it's the beginning of August now I'd start back off with a July Wrapup...

The books in my picture are my book buys of the month... the ones on the left are my brand spanky new books and the ones on the right are secondhand/adopted books...
There are 23 altogether which is more than I bargained for but hey books are my passion... this obv doesn't include the ebooks I downloaded on my kindle but there are so many I can't be bothered to count em all... I know I usually put links up to Amazon but I think perhaps that's why I got a little frustrated as it usually takes me ages to do a post  I may do a separate one later with links to my book bargains for you when I have a bit more time

☆

Anyhoo... this month I read:
 Charlie And Pearl 
 Cinder 
 The Little Android 
 Glitches 
 The Queens Army 
 Scarlet 
 Straight Talking 
 Bookends 

And I'm currently reading
Cress by Marissa Meyer    

4.5 Star Review for End of Days (Penryn and the End of Days Trilogy)...

4.5 Awesome Stars...

 

This series is freaking brilliant!!!

 

Okay so I'm just gonna gush about Susan Ee and her amazing writing skills... this series was awesome... I read the whole lot (plus an ARC for another author) within a week and I don't usually read that fast, it was so good I could Literally. Not. Put. It. Down!...

 

The first two books got 5 stars from me... book one set the scene and introduced us to the characters, you could feel the connection between Penryn and Raffe... and that ending... oh my gosh!... but as I have said in my original review for Angelfall, it's not over the top on romance, and the same could probably be said for the rest of the series too... it's there in a subtle way that's not in your face...
In book two we get to know the characters and plot better... there were some twists you would expect, but some you wouldn't either... it was lacking a lot of Raffe for the first half which I wasn't happy about but we got to know who Penryn was without him... oh and can I have an Archangel Sword please? Because Pookie Bear is totally badass!...

 

The only reason I gave End of Days a 4.5 Star rating and not a straight-up 5 was because of the ending... it didn't feel as emotionally charged at the end of the book as I was hoping for... it was a fantastic story with an original plot, and it had a really 'good' ending, and one where it could continue if Susan Ee so wishes to do so (and I would definitely be buying those!) but, we got to the point where I thought the main characters would get more romantically involved, and they do for the most part, but! when it came down to it there just wasn't enough for me... I wanted to hear a confession of love come from their lips... I wanted them to say how much they loved each other and fall into a passionate embrace and live happily ever after... you get my drift... 

I suppose what Susan Ee has done is made this a little bit of everything for a wide range of tastes... and it's worked really well because it's hella popular in my reading circles... a lot of my friends love the steamy romances, and a lot of them don't like romance at all, and being slightly in between this seems to fit the bill for both...

 

Anyway, I digress... this has to be one of the best Young Adult, Dystopian, Paranormal Romance series I've ever read... if you like any or all of these genres then do yourself a favour and read these books, they're easy to read, adventurous, original, funny and suitable for age teens and up (says the 36 year old book addict ;) and I highly doubt you'd be disappointed.........

 

 

 

The Blurb 

 

End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee's bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy.

After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They're both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn's sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe's past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

 

Here are the series links for all you 1clickers and GoodReaders:

 

Angelfall (Penryn and the End of Days Book One) - Amazon; GoodReads; My Blog Review

World After (Penryn and the End of Days Book Two) - Amazon; GoodReads

End of Days (Penryn and the End of Days Book Three) - Amazon; GoodReads

 

5 Star Review of Angelfall (Penryn & The End Of Days #1) by Susan Ee

I'm always a bit sceptical about reading something with a lot of hype... most of the time I'm left disappointed because I'm expecting something amazing to jump off the page and instead I get mediocre... but let me tell ya... this book deserves all the hype it's given... this now has to be number one on my list under Favourite Paranormal Dystopian Books...

I'm sure you've all read the blurb so I'm not going to rehash it... all I can say is that there's not one part of this book I didn't like... well okay, I'm not gonna lie, I'm a BIG Romance fan and I have to say that it wasn't very generous on that side of things BUT! the storyline itself was enjoyable enough... the attraction is there although it's quite subtle, even if the main characters are both trying to deny it, and there were some very touching moments - I fed off of those like a big underdeveloped scorpion angel sucking the life out of its victim - you'll probably only get that reference if you've read it so don't worry about it!

The characters are very likeable... Penryn is tough, loyal, brave, snarky and funny - yeah she's pretty frickin' badass!... she's had to be the grownup in her immediate family, looking after her sister and mother because, I just have to say this, her mother is just a bit nuts!!!
Raffe's also funny and snarky, and he's Hot!... yeah you've guessed it, I have a huge Raffe crush... so sue m'kay ;)

This story is a lot heavy on the Paranormal element, Susan Ee certainly has one heck of an imagination and a good eye for detail... there are some pretty disturbing images I have floating around my head now that I've finished the book (take note of the Scorpion Angel comment above) Paige should be an interesting character and I'm keen to hear how that turns out... I loved it, it was such a great read I found myself turning my virtual pages for hours after my bedtime... it's amusing and has plenty of action throughout to keep you gripped... and that ending! Oh my goodness I just wanted to take Raffe in my arms and hug him...

I'm a little disappointed that it didn't take me too long to finish, but there are another two books to go and I can't wait to read them... I have the next one ready to go and I'll probably be starting it tonight... it looks like a 'sleep less, read more' situation ha!

The Blurb

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again. 

Take a look at Angelfall on Amazon HERE

and on Goodreads HERE

5 Star Review of For The Win by Brenna Aubrey

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book*

 

I just knew Jordan's story was gonna be good...

 

April Weiss is a Business School Hopeful with a questionable set of friends, working as an intern under Hot Bad Boy Billionaire Jordan Fawkes proves to be quite a challenge but, unbeknown to her, he's the anonymous, costume-clad hookup she had at the Comic-Con where she videoed the best sex of her life and 'accidentally' uploaded it to the internet... if only she knew that's why he's putting her through her paces...

 

Jordan Fawkes is a cold-hearted, womanising, self professed rat-b@stard and CFO of Draco Multimedia... he knew that April was the girl in the Elf costume all along, but he didn't count on her videoing their steamy sex session and uploading it to the internet... now the video's gone viral and Adam (his best friend and CEO) is out for the blood of the employee(s) who dared to drag his company through the mud... so accident or not, he'll get his karma with the beautiful April... but will he be able to keep his identity a secret, and will it come at a price?...

 

Brenna's writing captured me yet again with this steamy story... it was attached to my hand at every opportunity...

We get to know the main characters in alternating first person POV's... they both have flaws, insecurities and similar family and ex partner issues... I read a review that said the reader didn't understand why all of the family drama and the 'Cari situation' was in this book... well, because of that we learn why they behave and feel the way they do, what makes them tick, we see them at their highest, lowest, best and worst.

I loved the character development and we experience all of the above with them... it's a highly emotive journey, it's funny, witty and I even found myself shedding an emotional tear or two near the end... also, the sex scenes are pretty damn hot *fan's face* who knew geeks could be that sexy ;) 

 

I've read all of the previous books in the Gaming the System series... you don't have to do that in order to enjoy this book, but I would definitely recommend it as there are a lot of references to the rest of the series... also, we catch up with Mia and Adam from the first three books, Cari is still being a psycho stalker and William is up next in a story of his own which should be an interesting read...

 

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed it... the writing and content was lovely and I'd highly recommend it to lovers of New Adult Romances aged 17+

 

 

 

The Blurb

 

Millionaire bad boy Jordan Fawkes has problems. Big problems.
That molten-hot intern he hooked up with at Comic-Con is now his assistant. No one can know they’re the stars of the cosplay sex tape that broke the Internet.

Business school hopeful April Weiss has drama. Big drama.
Working under the CFO of Draco Multimedia should be the opportunity of a lifetime for her, but Jordan Fawkes is the boss from Hell—a sexier-than-sin boss from Hell who holds all the cards for her future career.

And then there’s the small problem of a certain video…

**This novel can be read as a stand-alone** 

 

 

Take a look at For The Win on Amazon HERE

and on Goodreads HERE

 

Another Week, Another BookCrush!...

Hello ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... roll up roll up for this week's updates... from the HQ of JustOneChapterMore I have been downloading more books than I can probably read in a month! Ha!...

As usual I'll be giving you a list of the books I've read (two Novella's and a really good Novel) and the bargains I've managed to glean from Amazon... all with accompanying links for all you 1clickers and Goodreaders :)

So without further ado, here are the books I read earlier this week... the main links are to Amazon, and you'll also find links to Goodreads as well where I post all of my reviews






Eternally Human: Blood That Binds by Serenity K Mooon: your link to Goodreads > HERE... I gave this three stars and left a very short review on both links... here's the blurb:
Life as a human…
..in the 1300’s was pretty great. Well, at least for me it was.
My family seemed ahead of the times. They didn’t conform to the social norms.
They appreciated my intelligence and my dreams. They didn’t just see me as a pawn to acquire more land or money.
And, as the usual age for girls like me to be married off to a suitable suitor came and went. My family let it slide, never forcing me into anything and accepting that rumors would spread around town.
I’m glad they were like this, as honestly, I’d never seen myself as a girl who’d marry. It just seemed so… tame.
Well, I’d never seen myself that way until I met Antarus…
Tall with intense stormy blue eyes and a smirk that told of a dark secret, Antarus awoke within me feelings I’d never experienced before.
And, as my eighteenth birthday rolled around my future lay firmly in the never-aging hands of Antarus….
Was I to be eternally human?

Courting Mari by Sennah Tate: your link to Goodreads > HERE... again, I gave this one 3 stars and have left a short review on both links... here's The Blurb:
Marilee Davis
All my life I dreamed of the perfect husband, the perfect wedding, and the perfect life. It's what I was born to do -- be a good wife and mother -- and all I ever wanted. My sister's eighteenth birthday meant that she, too, was on the look-out for a husband. How could a curvy girl like me compete with my model thin sister? There was no chance of anyone noticing me with Sharilyn around -- or so I thought. 
I never thought that when the time came for me to walk down the altar I would be looking for an escape route. I never imagined that the man I would marry would be surrounded by dark rumors of a shady past. 
All I wanted was a way out of this disaster. The only thing I have to do is resist my ridiculously sexy husband for three months. No problem. 
Tristan Fulmore
For twenty years I've been an outcast -- a social pariah. Any invitations I received were solely for novelty's sake; no one wanted to know the truth, they just wanted the danger of being near Tristan Fulmore, the caged lion ready to pounce. 
But that wasn't me at all. I didn't think anyone would ever be able to see past all of the lies and rumors. I didn't even want to fantasize about it when I knew it would never happen. That was, until I met Marilee. 
Most men wouldn't be intrigued by a woman that slapped him in the face. But I wasn't most men. I had to have the firecracker blond if it was the last thing I did. 
I got my ring on her finger and the ceremony went off without a hitch... Now I just had to find a way to get my delectable bride into my bed. Piece of cake. 

Angelfall (Penryn & The End Of Days, Book 1) by Susan Ee: your link to Goodreads > HERE... I gave this awesome book 5 stars... you can check out my review at the links provided, but I will be posting a lengthier one on the blog during the week so watch this space... here's The Blurb:
It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.
Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.
Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.
Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.


And now for my usual Bargain Corner...
Here's some 1-Click's I found this week for all you bargain hunters out there ~ in the order I purchased them in:

Links to Amazon.co.uk - Current Price of download - ASR = Average Star Rating - #tags = Genres...

 

• Beware by Shanora Williams: £1.30 ~ ASR 4.7 ~ #EroticRomance #BDSM
• Accepted Fate by Charisse Spiers: free ~ ASR 4.8 ~ #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance
• Something Like This by Eileen Cruz Coleman: £1.95 ~ ASR 4 ~ #ContemporaryRomance
• Winter Kiss by Magen McMinimy: £1.99 ~ ASR 4 ~ #ParanormalRomance
• Death's Servant by C J Ellison: £1.99 ~ ASR 4.9 ~ #RomanticSuspence #DarkFantasy
• Summer Angel by Samantha Jacobey: 99p ~ ASR 5 ~ #NewAdult #ParanormalRomance
• The Passion To Survive by Dana L Elgrod: £2.58 ~ ASR 5 ~ #EroticRomance
• Perfectly Imperfect by Fabiola Francisco: £2.14 ~ ASR 4.8 ~ #ContemporaryRomance
• Strike Out by Cheryl Douglas: free ~ ASR 3.9 ~ #ContemporaryRomance
• All Aboard by Emma Plum: free ~ ASR 5 ~ #RomanticSuspence
• Attraction by Penny Reid: free ~ ASR 4.5 ~ #NewAdult #RomanticComedy
• Me, Cinderella? by Aubrey Rose: free ~ ASR 4 ~ #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance
• Open House by Krystal Shannan: free ~ ASR 4.1 ~ #RomanticComedy #Mythology #Fantasy
• The Cinderella Princess by Melissa McClone: free ~ ASR 4.1 ~ #ContemporaryRomance
• Fillies And Females by Bev Petterson: free ~ ASR 4.5 ~ #ContemporaryRomance
• Growl by Elaine Pierson: free ~ ASR 4.4 ~ #YoungAdult #UrbanFantasy
• Between The Sheets by Sárka-Jonae Miller: free ~ ASR 5 ~ #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance
• Silver Lining by EJ Shortall: free ~ ASR 4.5 ~ #RomanticComedy #ContemporaryRomance
• Close Encounters Books 1 &2 by CC Cartwright: free ~ ASR 3.8 ~ #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance
• Stifle by Kendall Grey: free ~ ASR 4.6 ~ #EroticRomance

These ebooks, downloaded from Amazon, are usually free or under £1 at my time of purchase... I always promote these books at my time of purchase via Twitter - if you'd like to follow me to get some cheaper deals during the week then find me there by searching for @Jst1ChapterMore, let me know how you found me and I'll follow you back :)

I'll be back during the week with some reviews so, until then...........

 

Bookish Bargains And Reads Of The Week.......

Another week of reading away brings me to write another blog post... After last week's post being quite short I've been putting some reviews up on here that I've had the pleasure of writing lately, so please feel free to check out the rest of the blog and see what I've been up to...

So it took me a little while to get through The Pledge trilogy but I managed to finish the last instalment this week:
The Offering by Kimberly Derting - I'm really pleased I stuck with this Young Adult, Dystopian series as the last book was certainly the best - I rated 4/4.5 stars - you can 1click it at Amazon - take a look at it via Goodreads - and read my review HERE

I also read a few little novellas this weekend... both of them were lovely little gems, short, sweet and very enjoyable:

Double Dare by Rhonda Nelson: I personally gave this New-Adult Contemporary-Romance 4.5 stars, though It has an average rating of 3.8 on Amazon where it's free to download at the moment... or you can take a look at it on Goodreads, you can see my reviews in both places...

It Was Always You (A Gaming The System Novella) by Brenna Aubrey (see the cover to the right): This Young-Adult Contemporary-Romance got 5 stars from me, it's also rated a 5 on Amazon and 3.8 stars on Goodreads... again, you can see my reviews in both places...




And now for my usual Bargain Corner...
Here's some 1-Click's I found this week for all you bargain hunters out there:

Links to Amazon.co.uk - Price of download - ASR = Average Star Rating - #tags = Genres...

 

• Hooked On The Game by CM Owens: free - ASR 4.4 - #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance
• Opposing Sides by CM Doporto: free - ASR 3.9 - #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance
• Addictive Collision by Chrissy Peebles: free - ASR 5 - #ContemporaryRomance
• Trust Game by Scarlet Wolfe: £2.30 - ASR 4.1 - #EroticRomance #BDSM
• Stranger Addiction by Bianca James: 99p - ASR 3.9 - #EroticRomance #BDSM
• Where We Belong by KL Grayson: £1.99 - ASR 4.6 - #ContemporaryRomance #RomanticComedy
• Solo Tu (Only You) by Mandy M Roth: £2.29 - ASR 4.5 - #ParanormalRomance #Fantasy
• Lemon Drops and Love by Angela Stevens: £1.99 - ASR 5 - #ContemporaryRomance #Thriller
• Her Incubus Master by Bliss Devlin: £2 - ASR 5 - #ParanormalRomance #Fantasy
• Seeking Nirvana by VL Brock: £1.99 - ASR 4.7 - #RomanticSuspense #PsychologicalThriller
• Eternally Human by Serenity K Moon: 99p - ASR 4.9 - #EroticRomance #ParanormalRomance
• Chey's Cowboy by Becky Barker: free - ASR 5 - #ContemporaryRomance 
• #1 Learn Pole Dancing by Lillianna Blake: free - ASR 4.5 - #ContemporaryRomance #Comedy
• In My Arms by Taryn Plendl: free - ASR 4.3 - #NewAdult #RomanticComedy
• My New Master by Amaris Oppenheim: 99p - ASR 5 - #EroticRomance #ParanormalRomance
• Guarding Suzannah by Norah Wilson: free - ASR 4 - #RomanticSuspence
• Silent No More by NE Henderson: free - ASR 4.6 - #EroticRomance
• Midnight by Elizabeth Miller: free - ASR 4.9 - #RomanticSuspense #EroticRomance
• Flicker by Anya Monroe: £2.58 - ASR 5 - #Dystopian #ParanormalRomance #YA
• Kissing Coach by Mimi Strong: free - ASR 4 - #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance 
• Cermen's New York Romance Trilogy by Nikki Sex: free - ASR 4.3 - #Erotica #BDSM

Well, that's it for me... I've had a busy weekend and am running behind on my posts and Twitter and Instagramme updates, I'm sure I'll be getting called a slacker but I'm trying not to neglect my followers honestly lol...

 

I have work very early in the morning and I'm sure to be pooped tomorrow considering what time it is, so I shall bid you all goodnight and sweet dreams... I'll be back next weekend with more of the above ;)

 

The Offering… Book 3 in The Pledge Trilogy by Kimberly Derting…

The third and final book in this series really was the best… I’m struggling on a star rating and I’m going with 4, possibly 4.5 stars…

This one was action packed starting with a dramatic scene where Sabara’s lover Niko betrays Xander when they visit Queen Elena to talk peace between Ludania and Astonia… a gruesome message is then sent back to Charlie and we’re not sure if Xander is dead or alive… Charlie then sneaks away from the palace and embarks upon a mission with Eden and Brook to rescue Xander (if he is still alive) and sort things out with Elena...

There weren’t really any plot twists as such. We as readers, get parts of the story from the different character's POV so we mostly know what's happening, but it was gripping, fun and entertaining. It was also emotional and upsetting in parts too which rings true to the Dystopian genre it's labelled under…

Despite what the synopsis says, Charlie’s still struggling with Sabara’s essence within her and I like how it’s depicted, we definitely see her personality, bravado and confidence grow… We meet some new characters and I enjoyed the POV shifts throughout… The only thing I wasn’t fussed on was the romance side of the story… it just wasn’t happening for me I’m afraid… being a big romance junkie, for me it’s a fundamental part of the story hence marking it down slightly… there were so many great opportunities there – Max and Charlie, Brook and Aron, Xander and Sage, even Sabara and Niko… but it didn't seem ‘heartfelt’ for lack of a better word… the writing was good but it didn’t make my eyes fill up or my heart flutter… that being said, I really wanted more from Xander and Sage and would love to hear their story.

Everything seemed to get wrapped up in the end with no loose ends, although I would have liked to know what became of Sebastian, the little *expletive* but the ending was good and satisfactory with a nice epilogue to round things off...

 

 The Blurb

 

True love—and world war—is at stake in the conclusion to The Pledge trilogy, a dark and romantic blend of dystopia and fantasy.
Charlie, otherwise known as Queen Charlaina of Ludania, has become comfortable as a leader and a ruler. She’s done admirable work to restore Ludania’s broken communications systems with other Queendoms, and she’s mastered the art of ignoring Sabara, the evil former queen whose Essence is alive within Charlie. Or so she thinks.

When the negotiation of a peace agreement with the Queendom of Astonia goes awry, Charlie receives a brutal message that threatens Ludania, and it seems her only option is to sacrifice herself in exchange for Ludanian freedom.

But things aren’t always as they seem. Charlie is walking into a trap—one set by Sabara, who is determined to reclaim the Queendoms at any cost.

 

Here are your links for the series:

 

The Pledge (Book One)... Amazon... Goodreads... My Review...

The Essence (Book Two)... Amazon... Goodreads... My Review...

The Offering (Book Three)... Amazon... Goodreads...

 

4 Star Review of The Essence... Book Two in The Pledge Trilogy by Kimberly Derting

This second instalment in The Pledge trilogy is a complicated book to review… this will most probably contain spoilers, which is something I don’t usually like doing but I’m afraid I can’t explain my thoughts and feelings about the book in any other way…

First of all - I didn’t love The Pledge… I gave it 3.5 stars as I found it lacking in a lot of places, but the storyline was good so I thought I’d give this one a shot and see if it improved any, and yes it did in some ways, but in others it was still sorta mediocre…

Most of this book is spent travelling… on horseback, train and boat, through the Scablands where we meet new, likeable and not so likeable characters. Charlie and her crew end up at The Summit, where she meets a host of Queens from other countries who are all rather odd and have their own powers, she discovers that one of her men is a traitor, internally battles the Essence of Sabara for control over her body, tries to resist Sabara’s lover Niko and ends up in a bad situation with Brook’s father which doesn’t end well!

Charlie and Max’s relationship doesn’t really develop much from the first book as they spend an awful lot of it apart and, unfortunately we didn’t get much character growth from Max either… there’s also something stiff in their interactions, maybe it’s the way the scenes are written but I don’t feel much connection with them from a readers POV.
Charlie vs Sabara – I liked this element of the story a lot… I found Charlie’s struggle for power over her mind and body to be well written… the dreams/memories that Charlie experienced gave us good insight into what Sabara’s life was like and I found myself empathising with her… I also felt the passion in her and Niko’s relationship and I’m actually hoping that they get a HEA of their own, without Charlie’s body present obviously!
I knew I was going to like Aron… we get to know him a little better in this and I’m looking forward to more from him in the next book, along with Brook of course who is probably my favourite female character, I’m also hoping her and Charlie mend their relationship as it seemed a bit bleak when I finished this…
Unfortunately there was a distinct lack of Xander in this book but I’m hoping to get more in the next one.  Also, the Assassin… I guessed who it was from their chapter and was a bit disappointed with how that situation ended… hopefully it will be resolved on the final one (fingers crossed)

Anyhoo… like I said, the storyline and writing were good but, there were a lot of inconsistencies and it was only the last 70% of the book where I couldn’t put my kindle down… it’s a nice Young Adult, Fantasy Romance and I will be reading the next one shortly to see how it ends…

 

 

The Blurb

 

At the luminous conclusion of The Pledge, Charlaina defeated the tyrant Sabara and took her place as Queen of Ludania. But Charlie knows that Sabara has not disappeared: The evil queen’s Essence is fused to Charlie’s psyche, ready to arise at the first sign of weakness.

Charlie is not weak, but she’s being pushed to the brink. In addition to suppressing the ever-present influence of Sabara, she’s busy being queen—and battling a growing resistance determined to return Ludania to its discriminatory caste system. Charlie wants to be the same girl Max loves, who Brook trusts, but she’s Your Majesty now, and she feels torn in two.

As Charlie journeys to an annual summit to meet with leaders of nearby Queendoms—an event where her ability to understand all languages will be the utmost asset—she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. And the only person she can turn to for help is the evil soul residing within. 

 

Click HERE to view this book on Amazon.co.uk

and HERE to take a look at it on Goodreads

3.5 Star Review for The Pledge... Book One in The Pledge Trilogy by Kimberly Derting

I wasn’t 100% sure what I was going to get with this… I got it for free somehow, (I don’t remember how or when exactly, but it feels like an age ago) and it’s been sitting on my Kindle ever since… anyway, it felt like the right time to read it and I was pleasantly surprised yet slightly disappointed at the same time…

When I read about it, it was listed under Young Adult, Paranormal, Dystopian Romance… so many genres I could tick off my faves list… and yet it seemed a bit ‘lacking’ for want of a better word…

The book is written from Charlaina (Charlie’s) first person POV in the predominant chapters, there are the odd chapters where we get from Max (the mysterious love interest) or Queen Sabara a third person POV scene… the main characters are all around the ages of 17/18, coming of age, with suggestive but no sexual scenes which gives it the perfect setup for a Young Adult audience…
It has a Paranormal ‘twist’ rather than a whole novel based upon the genre… the twist is good and original (for me) where Charlie can understand any language and read people’s gestures… her sister Angelina is mute and has a gift too, and of course we start the book in a scene where we learn what Queen Sabara can do…

This was nothing like the bigger Dystopian novels like The Hunger Games or Divergent… it feels more like Historical Fantasy… a city divided into classes where language is used to dictate the ranking system, ruled by a cruel and heartless queen… it’s only the part when Charlie is reading the story of Ludania’s history to Angelina that I recognised it as post-apocalyptic as it feels like a developing world rather than a collapsed one… although there probably isn’t much difference when I think about it, it just didn't 'feel' Dystopian to me…

The romance in this book was, unusually and unfortunately, not my favourite part, there were probably two scenes that were really good, the rest of the time it was all rather bland and Charlie pushed Max away so many times it was becoming frustrating… there was some physical attraction but I didn’t feel a connection… and then at the end it kind of leaps forward a couple of months and you don’t get any relationship development that I feel this book needs (sigh!)

Anyhoo… the writing was good, no typos or grammar errors… the plot was good and I liked the pace and development, there’s no cliffhanger but it definitely leaves you curious… I enjoyed the characters but I would say we could do with knowing them better, their growth throughout the story was nice, especially Brook... There were some twists I didn’t expect and I don’t know how I missed it, but I didn’t guess who either Max or Zander were until right at the last minute… I enjoyed the story, even if it wasn’t as much as I’d hoped for, and I’ve downloaded the second one and am optimistic that it’s going to get better...

 

 

The Blurb 

 

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

 

Click HERE to view this book on Amazon.co.uk

and HERE to take a look at it on Goodreads

 

4 Star Review of The Distance Btween Us by Kasie West

I absolutely adored this story... I know, I know! I only gave it 4 stars... I will explain in a moment!...

So, as far as the lead characters went... Caymen was great, I have some really good friends who have a sarcastic streak (and I've been known to throw a remark around myself from time to time) and her dry sense of humour was something I got and loved straight away...
I wasn't too sure about Xander at first, obviously I suspected that he was going to be the love interest so, although he acted a bit jerky I gave him a chance and he turns out to be cool and pretty down to earth, if not just a bit spoiled at times...
I loved all of Caymens friends... Skye more-so than the others but, Henry and Mason too... I did notice, however, that Xander seemed to be lacking in the 'real' friends department and that Richard turns out to be a complete douche... I really wanted to witness Xander hitting that guy in the face but alas it was not to be... his family were awesome though, they come off as being really nice people!

The story was one of those that develops rather than getting all up in your face... her mum's story was a sad one but I must admit she annoyed me quite a lot, keeping secrets and trying to push Caymen into going out with Mason etc... and the whole 'rich guys are bad' thing, I mean I got it, I just didn't agree with it!
I liked how they didn't necessarily fall head over heels in love at first sight, yes they found each other attractive and interesting, but their relationship was gradual... I loved what they did together, Xander walking her to school was so cute, how they spent their time on their 'career days' and the way that they had fun rather than just sucked face all of the time was quite refreshing... considering now it seems to be the norm in these contemporary romance books that they have to spend every second together with their tongues in each others mouths or trying to resist tearing each others clothes off lol!

Of course it all comes to a head in a dramatic climax as they do... and this is where it falters for me...  there could have been so much more detail in the last scenes and unfortunately it seemed to be a bit skimmed over, not necessarily rushed but more like just not filled in if that makes sense... there were so many conversations and scenes that should have been elaborated that I felt a bit cheated!
And I know I say this a lot in my reviews but, if there's not going to be a 'next book' I think these college stories need to have an epilogue... fact!

Anyhoo... I really did enjoy this book (apart from those issues at the end) it was very well written from Caymens POV... It's a Clean, Young Adult, Contemporary Romance with no sexual scenes or bad language... it's cute, flirty, dramatic and emotional with a HEA and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author ;)

To find this on Amazon you can click HERE and to find it on Goodreads click HERE



 

The Blurb

 

Money can't buy a good first impression.

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers learned early that the rich are not to be trusted. And after years of studying them from behind the cash register of her mom's porcelain-doll shop, she has seen nothing to prove otherwise. Enter Xander Spence—he's tall, handsome, and oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and the fact that he seems to be one of the first people who actually gets her, she's smart enough to know his interest won't last. Because if there's one thing she's learned from her mother's warnings, it's that the rich have a short attention span. But just when Xander's loyalty and attentiveness are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn't a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she'd ever realized. With so many obstacles standing in their way, can she close the distance between them?

Bookish Sales and Bargains of the Week...

So this week I'm gonna make this really short, I'll post some reviews soon as I only managed to read one book this week, which was:

The Essence (Book 2 in The Pledge trilogy) by Kimberly Derting... I finished it on Friday afternoon and spent the night trying to review it the best way I could... (then I spent the rest of the weekend inebriated in a field watching The Jam... awesome times!) so basically, the storyline and writing is good and I want to see where it's going so I've downloaded the final one in the series The Offering... I don't by any means think it's fantastic, the series seems kinda stuck in the middle of a few different genres and the main characters have a relationship that's almost skittish... anyway, I think it's more for a Young Adult audience and the Paranormal element is more prominent in this second book which I enjoyed... I'm not gonna go on about it too much as I'll be posting my review on here later for you to read...

So, with that being said...

Now for my usual Book Corner Bargains... I nabbed these this week for my kindle, I hope ya'll like em........
ASR = Average Star Rating, all links are to Amazon for you 1click addicts, #tags are some of the genres they're listed under:

• In His Silks by Patricia D Eddy: £3.55 - ASR 5 - #BDSM #Erotica
• He Found Me by Whitney Barbetti: 99p - ASR 4.6 - #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance
• The Guys Are Props Club by Ingrid Seymour: £2.03 - ASR 3.6 - #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance
• Luke Unzipped 1, 2 and 3 by Cassia Leo: free - ASR 4 - #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance
• The Publicist books 1 and 2 by Christina George: 99p - ASR 4.6 - #ContemporaryRomance
• Runes by Ednah Walters: free - ASR 4.3 - #YoungAdult #Paranormal #Romance
• The Recruiting Trip by Lexy Timms: free - ASR 3.5 - #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance
• Come Undone by Jessica Hawkins: free - ASR 4.6 - #ContemporaryRomance
• The Seasons by Elena Aitken: £3.32 - ASR 4.5 - #ContemporaryRomance
• Death By Request by Jaden Skye: free - ASR 4.8 - #RomanticSuspense
• Stone Cold by Olivia Rigal: free - ASR 4.2 - #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance
• The Seduction Factor by Scarlet Avery: free - ASR 4.7 - #ContemporaryRomance #RomanticComedy
• Jack And Djinn by Jasinda Wilder: free - ASR 4.2 - #Paranormal #Romance #PNR

Okay, that's all I have peoples... I'll be posting some reviews here shortly... if you live here in England enjoy the rest of your bank holiday :)
                                      .....................Claire xx

Short And Sweet With A Scattering Of Book Bargains...

Hello my fellow Bibliophiles... this week is gonna be a short and sweet update with all the usual stuff in a condensed version (I think)... I've read two books this week, both have reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, see below for the links, and I may put a few reviews up here on the blog too as I haven't done any of those for a while...

I have discovered though, that I can actually read while working out on the crosstrainer, bike and treadmill at the gym, so I'm doing a little happy dance about that as I'm there every night after work now :)

Anyhoo... without further ado:

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West: I gave this a good 4 stars - it's £3.99 at the moment with an Average Star Rating of 4.3 and the genres it's tagged under are #Contemporary #Romance #Teen #YoungAdult... you can find it to 1click on the above link to Amazon or read my review on Goodreads HERE...






The Pledge by Kimberly Derting: This one got 3.5 stars from me - it's £2.29 on Amazon with and ASR of 3.9... genres include #YoungAdult #Paranormal #Dystopian #Romance... 1click on the above link at Amazon or read my review on Goodreads HERE...







And now for my Book Sale Bargain Corner...  I found these in the sale bin as usual... ASR = Average Star Rating, all links are to Amazon for you 1click addicts, #tags are some of the genres they're listed under:

• Final Call for Happiness by Tamara Avner: £1.99 - ASR 4.8 - #Contemporary #Fiction
• A Secret Wish by Barbara Freethy: Free - ASR 4.4 - #Contemporary Romance
• Saved By The Dragon by Vivienne Savage: 99p - ASR 4.8 - #PNR #RomanticComedy
• Relentless by Karen Lynch: Free - ASR 4.8 - #YoungAdult #ParanormalRomance
• Undeniably Yours by Becky Wade: Free - ASR 4 - #ContemporaryRomance
• Awakening by C B Stone: Free - ASR 5 - #YoungAdult #Romance #Fantasy
• Night After Night by Lauren Blakely: Free - ASR 4.6 - #Romantic #Suspense
• Unauthorized Affair by Lisa Ladew: Free - ASR 4.6 - #Romantic #Suspense
• His Gift 3 by Aubrey Dark: Free - ASR 4.5 - #Erotic #Romance
• Darkangel by Christine Pope: Free - ASR 3.9 - #Paranormal #Romance #Fantasy
• The Girl On The Half Shell by Susan Ward: Free - ASR 5 - #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance
• The Last Thing by Briana Gaitan: Free - ASR 4.2 - #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance
• Spring Rush by Amy Chanel: Free - ASR 3.7 - #Contemporary #Romance
• Bitter Sweet Love by R C Stephens: Free - ASR 4.3 - #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance
• Shades of Pearl by Arianne Richmonde: Free - ASR 4.3 - #Erotic #Romance
• The Witch Hunter by Nicole R Taylor: Free - ASR 4.1 - #Paranormal #Romance
• The Diplomats Daughter by Alyse Zaftig: Free - ASR 4.5 - #PNR #RomanticComedy # NewAdult
• Gravity by Abigail Boyd: Free - ASR 4.4 - #YoungAdult #Horror
• All About You by Joanna Mazurkiewicz: Free - ASR 4.7 - #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance

 
Well, that's all there is from me this week peoples... for more bargains and updates during the week check out my other social media accounts to the right and give me a follow... see ya'll soon...........     Claire xxx

End Of Week Book Reads, Reviews, Thoughts and Bargains...

Being rather hungover, I've done nothing but lie on my settee and read for the last few days, only getting up to refuel on bacon sandwiches, cups of coffee and shortbread biscuits haha... I've had a three day week at work because of our English Bank Holiday Monday and I took a days Annual Leave on Friday so two long weekends in a row are making me a happy bunny... apart from the hangover *giggle!

 

So this week I managed to read the following books... as there are only three and the reviews are shorter than usual (due to the shortness of the actual books!) I think I'll put the reviews on here too... you'll find, as usual, the main links are to Amazon for all you 1-Clickers, with links to Goodreads as well... also, if you're a regular Goodreader I always accept friend requests, I love seeing what everyone thinks of my reviews and I always take special notice of my friend's reviews for books I'm about to read... anyway, I digress... here are those books I mentioned...

Sisters in Love by Melissa Foster - I've given 4 stars to the first instalment of The Snow Sisters Trilogy... this little book packs quite a lot into it...

Danika is part of the 'Big Sister Programme' and the situation with the girl she's assigned to is quite a good side to the story, Danika also has parental issues where she feels she needs to be the 'responsible and professional' daughter who always does what's expected, and one of those things was becoming a therapist... also, I have to admit that her biological sister Kaylie really rubbed me up the wrong way and that's one of the reasons I haven't started the next book yet...

Blake... jeez where do I start... he's a self proclaimed man-whore with anger issues who wants to change his ways but doesn't seem to be able to, then his best friend and business partner Dave has a tragic accident, Dave's wife then looks to Blake and having to help her and her son with the aftermath spurs Blake on to receive professional help...

Danica and Blake 'literally' bump into each other and they definitely don't 'Hit it off' in the positive sense of the word... Blake comes across as the player he is which irks Danika straight away and when Blake seeks the help of a Therapist, walking through the doors of his first session, he and Danika are both surprised when they recognise each other...

This was a nice, interesting, Cotemporary Romance with issues that were explored in an entertaining way... I liked the main characters a lot and will definitely be reading the rest of the series... the only thing I didn't really like was that I wasn't swooning at the end of it, I wanted more, and maybe I'm just being greedy, but I wanted to hear the L word come from their lips... also, there were a few issues that didn't really get resolved but I'm assuming they will in the following books, however, there's no real cliffhanger so it could possibly be read as a standalone... This review is also on Goodreads!

Sexual situations and language rate it as suitable for 18+  

Books 1 and 2 in the Foreign Affairs Series by Mari Carr and Lexxie Couper...
After a run of bad luck dating the no-good guys of New York, Annie's best friend Monet, drunkenly signs her up to an online dating website where she finds Dylan Sullivan, an Australian Cowboy, or Stockman as it were, who runs a cattle station with his twin brother Hunter... Annie decides the morning after that she should fess up to the Aussie and tell him she wasn't really serious about doing the whole online dating thing, but as it turns out our Dylan is a pretty easy going, charming guy and they end up becoming fast friends...
After a particularly bad day at work, Dylan messages Annie and they make a deal that neither would last long in the other's territory... betting that he wouldn't last long on the mean streets of New York, and she would run back home at the first sight of a snake or crocodile... and this is where their stories begin... they get their wires crossed along the way and Annie ends up in Sydney Airport and Dylan lands at JFK wondering where the hell Annie is!
Book 1 - Princess - 5 stars... Annie Prince is stranded in Sydney Airport all alone with not even a working cell phone, then here comes Hunter to the rescue, a sudden and strong attraction between them makes for an interesting if not guilt ridden rodeo because, she's here for Dylan right?... I thoroughly enjoyed this hot little Erotic Romance... I have to admit that I got more than I bargained for with this one, I love a bit of a cliché and I think I would use the phrase 'it's quality not quantity that counts' in this case... although this is a short story (roughly about 3 hours reading time) I really connected with the lead characters and got a sense of who they were... I loved Hunter, and not just 'cause he was hot with an Aussie accent, I liked his sarcasm, honesty, loyalty and passion! I liked Annie too, and together they smouldered... here's your Goodreads link.
Book 2 - Cowboy - 4 stars... Dylan's story is much like the first, he hops in a cab and ends up at Annie's apartment building where he bumps into her best friend Monet... again like the first book, it was written very well but, it was just a bit too 'samey' for me, it was sort of a repeat of the first book in a different country... don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it - the sex scenes were hot, I liked Monet, and Dylan was funny and charming and I even managed to conjure up an Aussie accent in my head for his dialogue... and believe me, I'd love an Australian Cowboy of my own after reading these books (fans face, checks flights for Sydney)... but I'm gonna have a break from the rest of the series right now, I will pick up the rest at some point though... Here's your Goodreads link.
I would still recommend these first two books to lovers of short, steamy fun... enjoy! ;)

And now for something completely different... well, I say completely different, it's still about books with this, ya know, being a book blog and all that haha... but anyway...

Insurgent - The Movie...

I eventually got to watch Insurgent last night and, although I still really liked it as a movie in and of itself, I have to say it's not a patch on the book!... Without the narration you don't get explanations, and without the inner dialogue of Tris you don't really know what's going on in that pretty little head of hers... it's all a tad confusing with bits taken out and cut short, and others added to the plot like the addition of the box... which was cool but not part of the Veronica Roth's original story...

Also I found it a little odd that Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort have been cast together in two high profile movies in such a short space of time... In John Green's The Fault In Our Stars, Ansel (who plays Gus) is Shailene's (Hazel's) love interest, and in the Divergent series they are actually brother and sister...

Now as for the Allegiant film(s)... I'm really not sure whether I'm looking forward to that or not... it was my least favourite of the books for obvious reasons, although when speaking to one of my bookie friends, she said that it was pretty obvious to her what was going to happen with Tris being so damaged... maybe I was just being an optimist, hopeful that they were going to have a happy ending, but then again... these dystopian novels aren't the stuff of romantic gestures and Happily Ever Afters I suppose, but it still completely broke my heart!... and, with all of these changes that the screenplay writers and Director (Robert Schwentke) are making to the story I'm going to hope that they change it for the better, give us the Hollywood HEA people! You know you want to!

To Read Or Not To Read...
So... I've been humming and hawing over Cassandra Clare's City of Bones... I'm always a bit apprehensive when starting a long series of books that have a lot of hype... so I've read the Blurb and it all sounds good but, I've also read a lot of controversy about this series and I thought it was quite interesting... upon looking into it, it seems that Cassie once went by the name of Cassandra Claire and was a VERY popular Fan Fiction writer in the Harry Potter and LOTR circles... her Draco Trilogy consisted of three Novel length stories written in instalments over 6 years between 2000 to 2006...

Evidence was found of plagiarism and other 'borrowings', it seems there were extensive sequences of action, description and dialogue taken from many different sci-fi novels and popular television shows including Babylon 5 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer to name but a few... now, FanFiction.net have rules on plagiarism, I know myself that when you sign up you have to agree to their terms and conditions, you also have to submit it again every few months and maybe this is one of the reasons why!...

Cassandra and her works were removed from the site and a lot of her readers protested, hence, the trilogy was then moved to FictionAlly which is a Harry Potter FF archive... in 2006 after uploading the last instalment, she announced that after a short time, she was going to remove her works from all of the fanfic sites and archives...

I assume, because FanFic is free and you can claim no moneys or benefits from the production of stories based on characters who are not your creation, I have found no evidence of any legal proceedings against her... although it seems she has suffered some consequences of this as there are a lot of readers who obviously don't like her acts of plagiarism...

So, what, may you ask, does all of this have to do with her City of Bones novel?... well, it seems that there are quite a few readers and fans of her fiction writing who have identified the characters in her Draco Trilogy to be eerily similar to the ones in The Mortal Instruments series... so I must ask myself if I'm really all that bothered about this whole controversy... I, in no way support plagiarism but, on the other hand it was fanfic work, not a published series of books. I never read any of her Draco works and I'm assuming that the Mortal Instruments books have all been gone through with a fine toothed comb for any discrepancies whatsoever...
If it wasn't such a hyped up series would I really have bothered to do all of this investigating? Probably not! And do I like the sound of the synopsis? The answer is yes, and I probably would have read it anyway... BUT! now I'm going to read it with a sceptical view, which in turn makes me think that I might not enjoy it as much, and, is it really fair to Miss Clare to be judged on her past mistakes?... hmmmm any of your thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated lol!...

Now for the usual Bargain Corner... here's some 1-Click's I found for all you bargain hunters out there:

 

Links to Amazon.co.uk - Price of download - ASR = Average Star Rating - #tags = Genres...

• Sweet Reunion by Melanie Shawn: Fee - ASR 4.9 - #YoungAdult #ContemporaryRomance
• Hope(less) by Melissa Haag: Free - ASR 4.5 - #ParanormalRomance #YoungAdult
• Stepbrother by Kathryn Turner: £2 (was free) - ASR 4.5 - #EroticRomance
• By Sea by Carly Fall: Free - ASR 5 - #ParanormalRomance #MilitaryRomance
• Beautiful Demons Box Set by Sarra Cannon: Free - ASR 4.6 - #ParanormalRomance #YA #Fantasy
• Roped by Eliza Gayle: Free - ASR 4.1 - #EroticRomance #BDSM
• Imperfect Chemistry by Mary Frame: Free - ASR 4.4 - #NewAdult #RomanticComedy
• Lone Bear by Ruby Shae: Free - ASR 4.1 - #ParanormalRomance #Fantasy #Shifters
• Promise Cove by Vickie McKeehan: £3.25 (was free) - ASR 4.6 - #ContemporaryRomance #Military
• Welcome to Paradise by Rosalind James: Free - ASR 4.5 - #ContemporaryRomance #RomanticComedy
• Prophecy's Queen (prequel to the Triadine Saga) by Tomithy Bond: Free - ASR 5 - #ScienceFiction #Fantasy
• So Much More by Taryn Plendl: Free - ASR 4.3 - #NewAdult #RomanticComedy

I thoroughly enjoyed this hot little Erotic Romance... I have to admit that I got more than I bargained for with this one, I love a bit of a cliché and I think I would use the phrase 'it's quality not quantity that counts' in this case... although this is a short story (roughly about 3 hours reading time) I really connected with the lead characWell, that's all from me folks... I hope you all have some fabulous books to read this week... feel free to share them with me via the usual links to the right of the page... I'll be back with more next week... much love Claire xxx