Four Star Review for Archers Voice by Mia Sheridan

4 Strong and Silent Stars for Archer...

I absolutely loved this story, the concept was beautiful and original... I actually didn't read the synopsis before I began, I rarely do to be honest, if it has a good amount of high rating stars and it's in a genre I'm in the mood for then I usually just go for it, and this time I wasn't disappointed...

The two lead characters were very likeable:

Bree is well rounded, intelligent and only occasionally a little frustrating, after suffering the loss of her father in a terrible event that she has witnessed, she takes a road trip to get out of town for a while and ends up in the town of Pelion... and bumps into Archer...

Archer... you can't help but fall in love with him, at the age of 7 he's involved in a tragic incident that leaves him both without a voice and losing his parents... he's adorable and you just want to look after him...
The secondary characters add to the story, although we don't get very in depth with their personalities.
Travis... it's easy to say you love to hate the villain (although his mother is probably the real evil one there) but I think he has potential to redeem himself, I'd love to read a story where he gets a HEA of his own.

I would have given this the full five stars but, my only qualm is the language Mia uses in the book... it's not written badly so don't get me wrong, no typos I noticed. It rarely bothers me, but for such an original storyline I would have loved her writing to be original too... the descriptions throughout the book I have found in far too many adult romance novels of late... although descriptive enough, I think there must be a generic phrase book for the YA/NA writer to follow... the way their 'eyes tangled.' Bree was 'pooling between her thighs' quite a lot, they feel things in their 'core' and Archer smelled 'male' and 'musky'

Overlooking that, it never really put me off finishing the book, in fact I couldn't put it down, it was just a niggling thing in the back of my mind while I was reading... it was such a lovely, emotional, tragic and romantic read, it brought tears to my eyes a few times in the sad and touching parts and I found myself smiling at the funny and sweet parts too...

It's written from mainly Bree's POV, with chapters throughout and a lovely epilogue from Archer.
The sex in this book is quite detailed in parts but it's not overwhelmingly packed full of these scenes.
On the whole I'd say the storyline really deserves 5 stars... but the writing (for me) just brought it down that little bit... I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves the New Adult genre with an audience of 17+ years... Happy reading ;)

 

 

 

 

 The Blurb

 

When Bree Prescott arrives in the sleepy, lakeside town of Pelion, Maine, she hopes against hope that this is the place where she will finally find the peace she so desperately seeks. On her first day there, her life collides with Archer Hale, an isolated man who holds a secret agony of his own. A man no one else sees.

Archer's Voice is the story of a woman chained to the memory of one horrifying night and the man whose love is the key to her freedom. It is the story of a silent man who lives with an excruciating wound and the woman who helps him find his voice. It is the story of suffering, fate, and the transformative power of love.

 

 

Click HERE to view or 1-click on Amazon

 

Click HERE to view on Goodreads

Sneaking Candy by Lisa Burstein Review and My Bookish Thoughts of the Week...

Goodmorrow fellow BookNerdigans!...

I've had a rather long week at work and, unfortunately my Saturday disappeared far too quickly...
I had a lovely old time celebrating my awesome buddy's birthday... A big Happy Birthday wish goes out to Linzi from Pusstaphah's Palace (who promotes some great Craft Therapy projects and local workshops etc)... We spent the day in Tynemouth in the Northeast of England, we visited their Sealife Centre, had some lovely food and did a spot of bargain hunting at the Market!... check out some of the photo's I managed to take with my little old phone...

 

 

Anyhoo... this week, because I was short on time etc I thought I'd post everything in one go so... First off I'll list my reads for the week, then the bargains I've managed to find and then my featured review... also, I think I might want to discuss the subject that seems prominent in 'Sneaking Candy' but I don't believe it would be fair to add that to the review... I've discussed this topic with a few people over the last couple of months and I think it's something that I would like to draw attention to... so here we go...

 

 

My Week In Books...

 

So this week I have read the following:

• One To Hold by Tia Louise - it's free to download at the moment... I awarded this book 4Stars and it has an average of 4.3 out of 290 reviews... A Hot and Steamy Adult Romance... read my review on Goodreads.
• Sneaking Candy by Lisa Burstein - is 96p on Amazon right now... I awarded this 4.5stars and it has an average of 3.7 out of only 6 reviews... A Fun and Flirty New Adult Romance... see my featured review below and also on Goodreads.
• Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan - £2.49 on Amazon at the moment... I'm about 60% through right now and I'm loving it so far... star rating and review to come later... average star rating on Amazon is 4.9!

 

Bargains of the Week...

 

Here's what I found in the sale bin this week... ASR = average star rating, tags are some of the genres they're listed under:

• Robin in the Hood by Diane J Reed - 99p and an ASR of 4.6... tags include #contemporary #youngadult #romance
• Come Away With Me by Ruth Cardello - this is free to download right now and has an ASR of 4.6... tags include #contemporaryromance #romanticcomedy
• Significance by Shelly Crane - a free download with an ASR of 4.6... tags include #youngadult #paranormalromance #pnr
• Temporary Bliss by BJ Harvey - free to download at the moment with an ASR of 4.7... tags include #contemporaryromance #romanticcomedy
• The Trouble With Flying by Rachel Morgan - a freebie right now with an ASR of 4.2... tags include #youngadult #contemporaryromance
• Unrequited by Melody Grace - A free download with an ASR of 4.0... tags include #contemporary #romance #women's #fiction
• This Much is True by Katherine Owen - free to download with an ASR of 4.6... tags include #newadult #contemporaryromance #fiction

As I've said before I don't usually read them straight away as I have such a long TBR list already waiting in the wings... but I just can't help looking for more bargains... I could have worse obsessions I suppose ;)

 

 

Review of Sneaking Candy by Lisa Burstein

4.5 Stars for this Fun and Flirty Story

Like the title says, this book was fun and flirty... I enjoyed the love triangle we had going on, I also didn't think Professor Dylan was all that bad until the end of the book, but he does turn out to be a douche!
James was very sweet, and hot, and I think I may have another name to add to my bookcrush list! (swoon)
Candice was a nice lead character... she did get a bit frustrating when she was trying to push James away, but in her situation I can kind of understand... there were a few instances throughout where it would have been nice to get James' POV but I liked how it was written and we still got a good story (although a few extra scenes would be fab Lisa ;)
Mandy was great... I loved the whole Mandy and Candy thing... I liked that she encouraged and helped Candice become what she wanted to be.
Candace's parents also come under the douche category, and I'm wondering, or rather hoping, that we'll get a sequel for Candace resolving the issues between them.

The writing is good, just a few typos near the end of the book. We get a lot of 'cliché' and 'double-entendre' moments, which, given the subject is probably expected, but they're actually recognised and made fun of which is quite refreshing.
The sex scenes were hinted at but nothing too detailed or graphic... nothing like a Candy Sloan book eh haha! I'd say the target audience is probably 17+

So yeah, on the whole a great little read that I'd definitely recommend, I'll be looking for more of Lisa's books in the future... and she has informed me that she has actually written 'The Reality O' (featured in this book) under the pseudonym Candy Sloan... it's now on my wish list haha... happy reading ;)

 

 

 

 

The Blurb 

 

A graduate student by day, an erotic romance author by night, a forbidden attraction I can't deny...

All I ever wanted was to make a name for myself as Candice Salinas, creative writing grad student at the University of Miami. Of course, secretly I already have made a name for myself: as Candy Sloane, self-published erotic romance writer. Though thrilled that my books are selling and I have actual fans, if anyone at UM found out, I could lose my scholarship...and the respect of my faculty advisor, grade-A-asshole Professor Dylan.

Enter James Walker, super-hot local barista and--surprise!--my student. Even though I know a relationship is totally off-limits, I can't stop myself from sneaking around with James, taking a few cues from my own erotic writing...if you catch my drift. Candy's showing her stripes for the first time in my real life, and I've never had so much fun. But when the sugar high fades, can my secrets stay under wraps?

 

 

 

Afterthought...

 

It's funny reading books about authors... although it's fiction, there's always something in it that feels true... like the author of the book you're reading is trying to convey what it's like through a third person, how they struggled to get where they are and the emotional obstacles they undertook to decide that, over all else, this is what they're most passionate about and what they want to do... and although I doubt that this is a recount of Lisa Burstein's life, I'd like to think a lot of those sentences she wrote came from the heart.

 

There are a few scenes and phrases in this book that really draw attention to the Romance Author versus The World debate, and I know from experience that there are people who frown upon the romance genre as a whole... but in my opinion, it doesn't matter what genre you read, there are amateur writers everywhere who can make a story either great or a complete load of twaddle... I have read a lot of awesome books (and a lot of bad ones too), and although I prefer the Romance genre on the whole it's not all I read, but it's actually the books that made me 'feel something' that I have enjoyed the most.

 

I go through phases and moods and my reading content usually reflects that... Misery loves company (cliché moment!) is a saying I've heard a hundred times and it's true... and I don't necessarily want to read a crime book or a thriller when I'm on holiday on a nice sunny beach... discounting any genre, whether new or old, your taste or not, doesn't sit right with me... any writer/author deserves respect, they put their imagination and hearts out there for people to read and they have to just hope that someone doesn't come along and rip it apart.

 

On that note I will pay you adieu and I'll be back with more booktastic bargains and reviews next time... enjoy your week and I hope you all read some awesome books... if you're reading a great book and would like to recommend it to me, feel free to comment below or find me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads and Pinterest

 

With love and other unknown variables

 

Claire ;) <3

5 Star Review of At Any Moment by Brenna Aubrey

Hello again... as promised in yesterday's post Bookish Thoughts Of The Week here's my review of the series of books I've read this week...

This last book was by far the best one in the trilogy... I'd like to summarise them all here but I'll try not to give any spoilers away :)

After reading book one (At Any Price) I grew to really like the characters in this series, it was nice, quirky and nerdy, but it leads you into a false sense of security... because Wham! when you're plunged into the second book (At Any Turn) it's like a totally different story from the one you started out with... It was dark and depressing, and Adam's side of the story left us all confused and wondering WTH was going on (which is depicted nicely to Mia in the third instalment) but I stuck with it because I wanted to see how Mia and Adam's story panned out...

At Any Moment was a very touching finale to the series... on the whole, these books take you through the journey of a couple who fall in love and come into tragedy early on in their relationship... we watch their struggles from each of their points of view and most of the time it's really frustrating, but the way the story ends is beautifully done... we see them heal as individuals and then come together and reunite as a couple once more... their HEA is one that will stay with me, and it's one to measure against in books to come...

If you read Brenna's comments on Goodreads there's a link to sign up for emails... when you do, you get a few extra scenes from Adam's POV from the first book which I really enjoyed, and a brief, but nice, 5 year epilogue that is downloadable in PDF format...

You have to read all three of these as a series, they are not standalone's, although the first book doesn't have much of a cliff hanger. I'm so pleased I stuck with these books and can't wait to read more from this author! :)

 

 The Blurb

 

 It's Dangerous to Go Alone!

Mia Strong never expected to be deciding the rest of her life at age twenty-two. Is she willing to become a human lab rat? Does she need to write a will? Does she ever want a family--and if so, with whom? She can't dodge the tough questions--not if she plans to live to see twenty-three. With her life hanging in the balance, Mia wants nothing more than to rely on Adam Drake, but he's hurt her before.

You Must Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth...

Adam Drake knows that he's made mistakes, but when he discovers what Mia's facing, he realizes how much those mistakes could cost him. Now he has to choose between being the man who can save Mia's life or the man she can love. No matter how much it tears him apart, Adam knows he has to put Mia first...even if it means he's out of the picture entirely.

Will their love survive this epic battle or is it game over?

 

 

Here are the links for the series by Brenna Aubrey on Amazon.co.uk

1. At Any Price
2. At Any Turn
3. At Any Moment

You can just check them out or 1-click to buy... Hope you all have a good week... I'll be back with more later :)

 

 

 

Bookish Thoughts of the Week...

Hello, Good Evening and Welcome...

It seems every week I post on here something dramatic has happened in my life... and this week is no exception!...
I managed to develop an eye infection... upon which there occurred an imbalance and swelling on the left side of my head thus making me feel dizzy, so my week has been kind of a dud... I have mostly been sleeping after getting home from work so unfortunately I haven't had the time to put much up on my usual pages, but I'm feeling a lot better now and hopefully back to normal from this weekend :)
Anyway, enough about my woes... I thought I'd take a different approach this week and talk about books in a different context...

Books To Film...

I see there's been a lot of hype about some of the big book adaptations recently... I'd like to think that it says a lot about how far we've come, the development and improvement of ebooks and being able to digitally review and recommend your reads on Amazon and Goodreads etc. on the whole has boosted our bookish community tenfold... readers were once a minority and reading seen as some kind of boring nerdy pastime, when in essence it is anything but... and asking your average person you pass on the street in todays society, you would most likely get a 'yes' when asked if they owned an e-reader or kindle... and having so many of the books we love made into movies for everyone to enjoy, only proves that reading is not done just for good old learning methods but for enjoyment purposes too... take these latest films for example:

Insurgent (novel written by Veronica Roth) the second book in the Divergent trilogy, was released here in the UK on 18th March...
I loved (most of) the books in this series, and after being pleasantly surprised by how good the Divergent film was I'm really looking forward to seeing the next instalment at the movies...
My only worry about this trilogy is the third book Allegiant, I confess it absolutely ripped my heart out... I couldn't pick another book up for almost a week giving me one of the worst book hangover's I've ever had!... so as much as I hate it when they change and Hollywoodise stories adapted from books, I might not protest too much if that did actually happen in this case!
I didn't review this at the time I read it but I did award the first two books in the series 5 stars... the third one, unfortunately, only came in with 3 because of the ending which left me completely devastated...




The controversially successful Fifty Shades of Grey... well... what can I say that hasn't already been said...
I know a lot of my friends have jumped on the bandwagon and slated this book (and film) without even reading or seeing it... why?... because of all of the hype and stigma that has gone along with it and listening to the opinions of other people... but I honestly don't see what all the fuss is about...
I'll be the first to admit that E. L. James has fallen on her feet with these books, they weren't written all that well, they were a bit repetitive and, from the information I have gathered weren't all that well informed...
But there's something about them... personally I really enjoyed them... what I read was a story of two people with a mutual attraction, acting on it and exploring and compromising their relationship and the things they are willing to try... and of course falling in love... all of these accusations of 'glorifying domestic abuse?' please!...
Also, I'd just like to point out to all of the haters out there that, E. L, James did an awful lot for writers of this genre... I myself was in a bit of a reading slump and this was one of the books that actually got me back into reading again... it's not the only one, but it's certainly one of the most poignant ones that has helped kick-start a new generation of readers (and writers too) that now support our bookish community because of the success of this series of books... that has to be a good thing don't you think?!



Gone Girl (Novel by Gillian Flynn)... this isn't one of my typical reads... I was actually asked by a friend to look at it and give my opinion before I realised they were making it into a film and... wow... what a book!... I won't say too much about it here but if you'd like too read my 4 Star review you can find it on Goodreads and Amazon... I may also post it here on my blog at some point so watch this space.
It was absolutely insane... brilliantly written but ultimately so very disturbing...
The film was pretty much like the book, they left out and changed a few things as they usually do which irks me... the plot and ending was the same... but as with most adaptations I preferred the book to the movie...



And last but not least on my list - The Fault In Our Stars (Novel by John Green)... I awarded this 4 Tear-jerking Stars on Amazon and Goodreads along with a review... this was one of the rare ones where I actually preferred the film to the book, but it was a very close call! I loved John Green's writing, the language he uses to narrate the book is wonderful and it was truly a literary delight to read, but, ultimately it was very depressing, and so the story should be given the content. I shed more tears reading the book than I did watching the film, and in my opinion the adaptation left us on a lighter note... I closed the book and felt sad and depressed... I walked away from the film and still felt sad, but a tad more hopeful...



I find that with most books (although not all of them) you get a lot more information and detail about the situations they deal with... the voice of the narrator becomes an inner dialogue and even when a character isn't speaking you still get background... what they're thinking, feeling, how it effects them, and ultimately the decisions the characters make are explained (usually and or eventually)... I like to read the books before watching the film which absolutely does my other half's head in because when we watch it I always compare and point out what's different... which I find quite fun much to my partner's dismay heehee!

Next on my Book Adaptations List is The Maze Runner (Novel by James Dashner) which I've heard some really good things about... I'll keep you all posted on that as it's been on my TBR list for months now...

In Other News...

Following on from last Sunday's review of 'At Any Price' by Brenna Aubrey... I have been reading the rest of the series this week and am almost done... so I think I'll finish off tomorrow's blog post with a review of the whole series as I'll be finishing that tonight, and I'll also put some Amazon links on for all three books :)

Books Downloaded This Week:

As usual I like to list my bargain of the week... here's the ones I've tracked down and downloaded to my kindle... they're all books that I want to read not just because they were cheap or free but they also have good a synopsis', reviews and star ratings too... check them out for yourself with these links to Amazon.co.uk:

• Monsters in the Dark by Pepper Winters A 3-book bundle for 99p rated at an average of 4.7stars... tags include #erotica #dark romance #thriller #suspense.
• Love, Chocolate and Beer by Violet Duke A free download rated at an average of 4.1 stars... tags include #romance #contemporary #womens fiction.
• Dust to Dust (A Broken Fairytale) by S. P. Cervantes on sale for 99p and rated an average of 4.3 stars... tags include #contemporary #romance #nonfiction.
• Forbidden Romance by Kathryn Turner this was a free download when I ordered it but it's now £1.99, rated at 4.4 stars on average... tags include #contemporary #romance #suspense.
• Dare to Love by Carly Phillips Free to download at the moment, rated 4.1 stars... tags include #contemporary #romance.
• Tough Love by Skye Warren free download at 4.5 stars... tags include #newadult #romance #mystery #thriller #suspense.

I hope you've enjoyed reading my post as much as I have writing it... take a look at the rest of my blog for more links and reviews... catch me during the week in all of the usual places by following the links to the right ;)

Review of 'At Any Price' by Brenna Aubrey

Loved this 4 Star read...

 

I picked up this book because at the time it was on sale, and sometimes you just fancy reading a nice, light and predictable romance where you don't get too emotionally involved... surprisingly this wasn't that book...
This is not your typical 'girl sells virginity to millionaire, meets guy and they fall head over heels with each other, so it's not really classed as prostitution is it - conscience clear - happily ever after' story... it's emotional, witty and engaging.

The writing was very good, I noticed no typos or grammar faux pas. It was easy to read and had me up way past my bedtime wanting more...

There are sexual situations throughout the book but it's all done pretty tastefully... I'd say it was suitable for a Young Adult audience, although I probably wouldn't let my daughter read it until she was at least 18 ha!

 

I'm not really into gaming but I have a lot of friends who are, plus I am a self professed nerd, so I liked the whole geek/gaming theme from the start.

I worked out who Adam was straight away, there were no surprises when he revealed his secret later on... and he's also a hot geek, definite book boyfriend material for nerdgirls like moi!

It tells from Mia's 1st person POV but you get a lot of emotion from Adam too... both of the lead characters are pretty messed up because of their past, and Mia is going through a pretty tough time presently with her mother... hence the auction.

 

I have to say that I did find it quite frustrating at times... Mia changed her mind about a lot of the decisions she had made, and there were a few times where both her and Adam kept secrets that could have been told, whether it be to each other or other characters in the story... and this is why I gave 4 stars instead of 5.

 

This wasn't your typical Contemporary Romance story and it was great to read a new version of something that has been done before, it's a three book series but it ends on a good note and there's no cliffy at the end... I already have the next one to go and I'm hoping that it will continue to be as good as last one...

 

This is still free on Amazon.co.uk at the moment so don't take me at my word... get yourself reading! Then come and tell me what you think ;)

 

 

 

The Blurb

 

When Mia Strong, popular gaming blogger, auctions off her virginity online, she knows she'll make waves. But what she will not be making is a love connection. Her rules are set in stone: One night. No further contact.

It's a desperate step, but it's the only way she can go to medical school and pay her mother's mounting hospital bills.

Adam Drake, the enigmatic auction winner, is a software prodigy who made his first millions at seventeen. Now, in his mid-twenties, he's sexy, driven and--as CEO of his own gaming company--he's used to making the rules. Before Mia knows what's happening, he's found the loophole in the rules of her auction. Every stipulation she's made to protect her heart gets tossed by the wayside.

She can't tell if he's playing her...or if he's playing for keeps.

 

 Click HERE to see this book at Amazon.co.uk

Very Merry Weekend!...

First of all, let me just apologise for the state of my blog... I can be such a tech freak at times... if you've noticed, I've changed the style and layout here as, when I first started, I was so focused and excited to get the blog up and running I just made it as simple and easy to set up as possible... now I'm looking to make it a bit more aesthetically pleasing but, unfortunately that meant having to edit some of my posts as the text was the wrong colour, and now my timeline is all outa whack! lol...

Anyhoo... as you can probably tell I'm so happy that it's officially the weekend!...

This week I have been mostly working at my totally boring day job until pretty late every night... I know I shouldn't grumble as it does pay the bills but... there are just not enough hours in the day for me to do everything!... and yes by everything that includes reading, blogging and tweeting ha!... I seriously need one of those Spinning Hourglass necklaces of Hermione's, it would make my life so much easier!

Also, I signed up for the gym last week, and unfortunately I was a little too enthusiastic on Wednesday night... 40 minute cardio session followed by an hour's Pilloxing class... ouch! haha... I think it's one or the other next time!



On a sadder note... this week saw the passing of one of my favourite Authors of all time... Sir Terry Pratchett... his writing was awesome and 'Mort' was the first of his books I ever read, I must have been all of 13 years old and I was hooked from then on... I loved his Discworld Series the most, I even had the computer games!... His books kept me entertained throughout most of my adulthood and a lot of my teens... pure fantasy and escapism at it's utter best... The world will now be a duller place, but we still have his stories to keep us going... RIP Sir Terry... in your own words... 'Don't think of it as dying, think of it as leaving early to avoid the rush.' 



Yes this is part of my actual bookcase... his books always had their own shelf in my home... All Hail the King of Fantasy!!! (Yeah that's right, bow your heads peasants! ;)








So... moving on from the sadness... let's get some happy on and take a look at the reads I've come across this week...

• Untamed by Ciana Stone ~ A Three Book Set ~ "The men of the Marsh family have spent their lives riding hard, in and out of the saddle.
  None of them have any plans on settling down. Falling in love just isn’t for them. Or so they thought." Take a look at Amazon.co.uk
• Book one: Feels Like the First Time... Unfortunately I'm gonna have to give this 2 stars... this was not the best book in the Trilogy, which is a damn shame really, I just couldn't get into it :(
• Book Two: When You Least Expect It... I'd give this one 3.5 stars... it was my favourite of the three and the longest story by far
• Book Three: Colton’s Memory... 3 stars for this one... it's the shortest in the series.
• At Any Price (Gaming The System Book 1) by Brenna Aubrey ~ When Mia Strong, popular gaming blogger, auctions off her virginity online, she knows she'll make waves. But what she will not be making is a love connection. Her rules are set in stone: One night. No further contact. Take a look at Amazon.co.uk
• I'm about 82% through this at the moment and it's really good... I should be finished it tomorrow but I'm anticipating the ending... as it's a trilogy I'm hoping it's not too much of a cliffy but I have every intention of reading them all anyway ha!

Hopefully, I'll have a review up tomorrow, it'll be in all of the usual places, just click on one of the links to the right :)


And to finish off, here is a list of the last five books I've downloaded this week, they all link to Amazon.co.uk and have either been free to download or on sale... so click away:

• Dancing in the Dark by Virginia Kelly
• A Perfect Mess by Zoe Dawson
• Blue Dahlia by Vivian Winslow
• She Belongs to Me by Carmen Desousa
• One to Hold by Tia Louise

I've had a few wines now so I hope this is alright haha... feel free to share and comment... I should be back up tomorrow with a review... good night and much love xxx

My First Week in Books...

So this week, unfortunately, our family home became the setting of a Zombie Apocalypse film and we all came down with the dreaded stomach bug... dun dun duuuuunnnn!

Not to press for sympathy but, I must have spent about 3 days in bed so I wasn't able to read as much as I usually do, and along with trying to set the blog up and work out how to use it my reading time has been limited.

I'm vaguely feeling human again so... my plan was and still is to post my Blogs mainly on a weekend... Saturdays I aim to list the books I've read that week with a short description and stars out of 5, and hopefully Sundays would be finished off with a full review of my fave book of the week... other than these posts, books I have read and reviewed previously will be featured and promoted.

As I've had a setback this week I'm probably about a day behind.

That being said... here is my First Blog Week in Books:

• Moonflower by E. D. C. Johnson... A Sweet Paranormal Romance Teen Read with a twist... 3.5 Stars!
• First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinskiy... A beautiful and sensitive YA Read... 4.5 Stars!

As you can see my favourite of these has to be First Comes Love... I'm going to try my best to write my review for that tonight and have it up on the blog tomorrow... my review for Moonflower is on Amazon right now and you can read it by clicking the link on the blog (as I haven't worked out how to put it on here yet ha)... have a fab Sunday everyone xxx

Review of First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky

4.5 Stars For This Lovely Story of Firsts...

'First' of all let me congratulate Katie Kacvinsky on writing such a charming, heartfelt and adorable book!

The writing was good and easy to read, there were a few typos but it doesn't spoil the story. 

It's one of those books that, after chapter 3 you just can't put it down... as I work full time, it took me two evenings to get through so it's not a lengthy read but it's not a novella either.

I loved the main characters: 

*Gray... oh lordy, Blue Eyed Gray... I felt his angst and totally understood the way he withdrew himself, the way he didn't want to let anyone in... and I loved the way he slowly let Dylan into his life and she helped him start to live again.

*Dylan... I really liked Dylan, she was a little 'too' quirky for me at times, but I loved the way she was laid back yet restless at the same time, she broke down Gray's walls and helped him come back out of his shell... I liked her randomness and the ideas she had about living life.
These two were such an adorable couple... I was rooting for them from the start.

This is also a story of a family going through tragedy, it was tackled with sensitivity, and after reading the Authors Note about her inspiration for writing First Comes Love (you should read that too) you can see that it's been written from experiences as well as imagination... and it totally works!

The content is suitable for Teens, there are suggestions of sex but no graphic descriptions of any kind... there is no bad language, the boys are cute, the girls are superficial, but Dylan is cool!... I mean she plays Miss Packman and listens to Counting Crows, you can't get much cooler than that haha!... and on that note... there's a playlist too... I love when an author adds a playlist! :)

Anyway... I recommend this to any Young Adult readers out there and can't wait to read Katie's book Awaken... if it's anything like this one it should be awesome!

 

The Blurb...

 

Like his name, Gray is dark and stormy. Dylan, a girl always searching for what's next, seemingly unable to settle down, is the exact opposite: full of light and life. On the outside, they seem like an unlikely couple. But looks can be deceiving and besides, opposites attract.
What starts as friendship, turns into admiration, respect and caring, until finally these two lone souls find they are truly in love with each other. But staying in love is not as easy as falling in love. If Dylan and Gray want their love to last, they're going to have to work at it. And learn that sometimes love means having to say you're sorry.

 

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

3.5 Star Review for Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Good but no Hush Hush...

 

I was really looking forward to reading something else by Becca Fitzpatrick because I loved her Hush Hush series...

The writing was good and descriptive... I did find a few typos which I don't usually pick up on, but I have to say a couple of times it made me pause.

I liked the story, it was gritty with lots of suspense while also having that chicklit element in it... I guessed correctly on 'who done it' pretty early on, but there were some twists and turns that changed my mind a few times, I wouldn't say it was predictable as such, but it wasn't too hard to know where it was going... there were too many clues and the dynamic between the characters gives too much away for you to be able to say 'no way... I would not have guessed that'...

 

The story is written from Britt's POV... I would have loved an insight chapter from Jude's side of things...

I know some reviewers have said that they didn't like Britt but, she grew on me... I think because she depended on her dad, brother and boyfriend put people off her, but she was sensitive, kind at heart and not entirely a brat... throughout the whole of the book she tried her hardest to be strong and survive the ordeal she went through, contributing to their survival and sensibly second guessing her feelings.
And Jude... I had such a bookcrush on him... I shall be looking for my own seasnail next time I'm at the beach ha!

I have no idea why Britt was best friends with Korby, she was such an awful character... I even preferred Calvin, but again I don't know what the obsession was with him either... according to Britt's thoughts and memories there were more bad instances than good throughout their short relationship... I think what it comes down to is that she'd known these two characters for most of her life and, ironically, she feels for them because of the way their parents treat them and cares about them enough to want to make them happy.

 

The romance that unfurls between the two main characters was slow and sweet, obviously because of the circumstances they get to know each other, their relationship is a bit rocky throughout, but I was pretty happy with the ending... that was probably my favourite part... but then again I'm a sucker for a HEA.

 

So, although enjoyable this just didn't hit that mark of awesomeness I was expecting, it didn't have that spark to make it into my favourites list... I think I'd like to read more of Becca's Paranormal Romance stuff... this was entertaining, it just wasn't her best :)
 

 

 

The Blurb...

 

Brit Pheiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants;but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

Britt is forced to guide the men off the mountain, and knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there and in uncovering this, she may become the killer's next target.

But nothing is as it seems, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

 

Click HERE to view this book on

Amazon.co.uk

This Week - My World in Books...

Happy weekend my fellow Readers, Bloggers, Writers and Enthusiasts of all things Bookish... I hope all of you guys have had a fabulous week!

This week in my world I have been tweaking the blog (I'm getting there, bare with me haha), I've been creating, linking and promoting my social media accounts... let me tell you it has been no mean feat but it's been lots of fun and hopefully it will all be worth it :)

In other news, I have joined my local gym to get some of that lingering Christmas poundage off, it's going well, I haven't injured myself yet... and I have my first Piloxing class to attend next Wednesday so wish me luck ha!

Anyhoo... I haven't really had a whole lot of time to do the thing I love the most this week - get lost in a world of words... but I've managed a few and my reading list goes as follows:

• Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick 3.5 Stars ~ "Falling in love should never be this dangerous... Dark and adrenaline-filled, Black Ice will have you on the edge of your seat right until the final twist." Click Here To View On Amazon.co.uk

 

• Untamed by Ciana Stone ~ A Three Book Set ~ "The men of the Marsh family have spent their lives riding hard, in and out of the saddle.
  None of them have any plans on settling down. Falling in love just isn’t for them. Or so they thought." Click Here To View On Amazon.co.uk

I haven't rated the Untamed books yet as I'm still half way though, but my Black Ice review will be up tomorrow here on the blog, as well as on the above Amazon link, and also on:

• GoodReads
• Facebook
• Instagram

And last but not least... I frequently post links on Twitter and share my bargain hunting finds... if there's a book on sale or I find a free one that looks really good I usually download them but don't always read them straight away... In fact, a lot of them sit on my Kindle for months, but when it comes time to read it and I go back to refresh myself on The Blurb, it's usually a nice surprise that I've saved myself some money...

So on that note, I thought I'd put a list of the books I've downloaded this week on here to share incase anyone fancies a look:

• Stagestruck Part 1 by Alice Ward
• Wicked Sense (Singularity - The Modern Witches Book 1) by Fabio Bueno
• Falling For You by Caisey Quinn
• At Any Price by Brenn Aubrey
• Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan

Thant's all for now folks... don't forget to check out my review for Black Ice available to view from tomorrow (March 8th 2015)... feel free to comment and share... peace out!

Hello and Welcome :)

Welcome to my BlogSpot... I'm new around here and I'm just winging it for now but hopefully my followers will enjoy popping over to say Hi every now and then...

So here's my first ever blog post and hopefully not my last haha...

I have a slight reading problem...
That's right... too many books and not enough time on my hands!
Being a reading enthusiast most of my life, I have always loved to immerse myself in books... if I'm happy or sad, I find that losing myself in the story of someone else's life is the best form of escapism and therapy...

So anyway, I digress... I am in the midst of setting up this Blog, and hopefully it's gonna be loads of fun! ...
My aim is to connect with readers and bloggers such as myself and create a community where we can share our passion for books, review and discuss our reads and generally have a blast! (in a nerdy kinda way ha!)
I mean, what was your opinion of Amy's character from Gone Girl?... and how did you feel at the end of The Fault In Our Stars?... Is Travis from Beautiful Disaster in your top 5 Book Boyfriends?... and if you've seen the Fifty Shades movie how do you think it compares to the book?... These are all relevant questions, along with a lot more...

My interests mainly include Young Adult (YA), Contemporary Romance, New Adult (NA), Paranormal Romance (PNR), Fantasy and Contemporary Fiction... and mostly anything else if I'm recommended or asked to read it...

I can't wait to meet all you lovely readers out there... lets discover some gorgeous books together!

If you use any of these social networks please follow and like my pages and lets have some fun...

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