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 ;)
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?
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
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