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 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

 

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?

Book Talk... Talking Books...

Happy Weekend my lovelies!...

 

I know I haven't posted anything new (other than the odd review) for a couple of weeks... I do have some excuses though... first of all it was my birthday (see my lovely Sugarskull bag I got from my BFF as a prezzie in the pic on the right!) and you know, we had to go out and celebrate me being another year older lol, and I've also been away visiting family which has been awesome... but I've sadly been back to work since Monday, and although I would love to be able to read, review and blog full-time, I would surely become homeless if I couldn't make my mortgage payments haha!

Anyhoo... Last week I finished the Awaken Trilogy by Katie Kacvinsky... now I don't want to repeat myself here, but, I have to say that this Dystopian series was awesome and if you like the Young Adult and Dystopian genres then this may just be a series for you!... You can browse through the rest of my posts, or follow the links below to read my reviews on each of the books, and there should be links to Amazon and Goodreads on there too...

 

1. Awaken - I awarded the first instalment of the trilogy 4.5 stars
2. Middle Ground - 4.5 stars for the second book in the series
3. Still Point - The final instalment I gave 4 stars

After reading Katie's Trilogy, I felt the need for some Smut... yes... you heard me correctly... I needed what I call a 'Reset Book' (or in this case a set of books) - something quick, light and carefree that would make me feel good after the long, heavy onslaught of emotions that always comes with reading something epic... so this week I decided to give Nicola Marsh's Burlesque Bombshells series a whirl... now I haven't put any reviews up this week so I will make time to post one for the series in the next few days, but for now I'll list them below with links to Amazon and Goodreads where I have already posted reviews for the series... if you like a bit of insta-love in your diet then go check these out, they're full of man-crushes, unrealistically beautiful people, insta-lust and just hotness in general... Enjoy!

• 0.5 - Before - the prequel... the story of how Jess and Jack first met 10 years 'before' Brash... Download it for free via Amazon or take a look at Goodreads
• 1 - Brash - ten years later Jack and Jess reunite... see it on Amazon and Goodreads
• 2 - Blush - Reid (Jess' older brother) and Adele meet at the end of Brash... get it on Amazon and Goodreads
• 3 - Bold - Chantal and Zane's story was my favourite so far... Amazon and Goodreads

These books don't have cliff-hangers and they could potentially be read as standalone's but, I would recommend reading them in sequence (not sequins, although each to their own) as the characters are all connected.

The next books in the series are all of Zane's brother's stories, they haven't been released yet so I don't have any links for you, but they should go as follows:

• 4 - Bad - Wyatt's story - should be released in July 2015... just in time to be my holiday read yaaay!
• 5 - Beg - Steele's story - releasing this year 2015 date to be determined
• 6 - Burn - Kurt's story - releasing early 2016

In-keeping with my smutty mood I have also read Beneath Him by Komal Kant this week (link to Goodreads and Amazon) - I awarded this book 4 Stars, this turned out to be something different to what I expected and I'm not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing... it's a frustratingly annoying love story that compelled me to keep reading... my review is on the above links so please have a look and see what you think... I'll give you The Blurb here which is really spot on:

 

Sometimes love can start with a little hate.
When Sky Hudson first has a run-in with tall, dark, and handsome Nicholas Ruggarson, she wants nothing more than to throw her coffee at him. He is rude and arrogant, and she is glad she never has to set eyes on him ever again.
Or so she thinks.
It turns out, not only does she have to see Nick again, she also has to live with him. Hired as the new nanny to work for Nick’s affluent family, she can’t seem to get away from the womanizing jerk.
With a hot and cold relationship, and an undeniable attraction between them, Sky might finally be the woman to break through Nick’s arrogance and discover that there is more to him than she ever imagined.
If she doesn’t kill him first.

 

 

Now that I've bored you with all of the stuff I've read over the last couple weeks here's my Bargain Bin List!

   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:

• Good Vibrations by S. L. Scott: Free to download with an ASR of 4.5 ~ #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance
•  Lovers at Heart by Melissa Foster: Free to download with an ASR of 4.3 ~ #ContemporaryRomance
• TAG by Shari J. Ryan: £1.36 - ASR 4.3 ~ #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance #Suspense #Military
• Breaking Braydon by MK Harkins: 99p with an ASR of 4 out of 5 ~ #ContemporaryRomance
• The Line That Binds by J. M. Miller: £2.29 with an ASR of 4 ~ #Paranormal #Romance #Urban #Fantasy
• How He Really Feels by Lisa Suzanne: 99p with an ASR of 3.8 ~ #Contemporary Romance
• Breaking My Heart by Aleya Michelle: Free to download with an ASR of 4.3 ~ #ContemporaryRomance #RomanticComedy #Erotica
• Every Soul by LK Collins: £1.99 with an ASR of 4.8 ~ #Romance #Erotica #Suspense
• The Billionaire's Counterfeit Girlfriend by Nadia Lee: Free to download with an ASR of 4.3 ~ #Contemporary #Romance
• Crave by Stephanie Brother: Free to download with an ASR of 4.3 ~ #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance #WomensFiction

And last but not least... On my TBR list for this week coming I have:

• Welcome to Sugartown by Carmen Jenner: It's £1.99 at the moment but it was free when I downloaded it. It has an ASR of 4.4 and genre tags include #Contemporary Romance #NewAdult #RomanticComedy #EroticRomance (just to round off my smutty mood :P)

• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare: £3.66 at the moment. It has an ASR of 4.5 and genre tags include #YoungAdult #Fantasy and #ScienceFiction

I can't wait to start reading the Immortal Instruments series, I'll most probably be posting again during the week with some reviews and whatnot... so until then remember...

'Sleep is good, and books are better' George R R Martin.

 

 

4 Star Review for Still Point... book 3 in the Awaken Trilogy by Katie Kacvincsky

I looked at a few reviews before reading this final book in Katie's Dystopian Trilogy and I would recommend others do the same, I didn't read any spoilers so I wasn't 100% how it was going to work out but, as I was aware that things weren't going to end in the predictable way you would like to think, I kind of prepared myself for it... and if I had gone into this last instalment blind then I don't think I would have liked the ending as much as I did... however...

There are a lot of people leaving low star ratings for this book which, kind of made me hesitate to read it as I thought I really wasn't gonna like it but, honestly, Katie Kacvinsky has a fantastic way of describing her character's feelings, thoughts and emotions... there are paragraphs throughout the whole series that are motivational, inspiring, thoughtful, reflective, and beautiful, and even though I would have loved for Maddie and Justin's HEA to be together in a perfect world, I really did like how it ended for them... I could see how Maddie matured and started to think about what was best for her and at the end of it all... it's a Dystopian Trilogy! They never end the way you think they will!...

I have conflicting feelings on the way that some of the scenarios panned out, which is why I couldn't give it the whole 5 stars, but the writing I cannot fault... I would definitely recommend this series if you liked the Hunger Games or Divergent and are a fan of Young Adult Romance genres...

Summary for the Trilogy (Includes Spoilers)
The first book Awaken focuses on getting to know the main characters and the setting for the story, and I think the reason a lot of people don't like the way it ended is because we grew to really like Justin, we got to know his history, his family, why he was fighting against Digital School.
In the second book 'Middle Ground' he was there for Maddie when she really needed him, you could see how much he cares about her and it seems like he opens up and accepts his feelings for her...
But then he does a complete turn around in the third book... you can tell he still loves her but, he doesn't really seem too concerned when she almost dies a handful of times within 24 hours, and he's not too bothered that she kissed someone else as long as it aids the cause...
I really like Jax but, it all feels a bit rushed, he just pops up from nowhere, he's not mentioned in any of the previous books and we don't get to know him on the same level as we got to know Justin... this is why I had such a hard time liking the way the story pans out and, although I do think that they had chemistry from the start, it's just not the ending a lot of us wanted...

There is a Prequel Novella to Awaken called Maddie's Tattoo... I didn't find it until after I read all of the other three books but, I would highly recommend reading it before the rest if you can... it's very short and doesn't go too in-depth but it does give you an introduction to Jax and it explains her tattoo as well

 

 

 

 

 

The Blurb

 

In the final installment to the trilogy begun with Awaken, Maddie returns home to make her final stand against Digital School, and uncovers deeply guarded secrets about her family an new truths about herself.

 

Maddie's Tattoo: "I never knew that taking one class would change my life. The most insignificant decisions can have the most significant impacts. That is the scary thing about choice. Choice is a methodical genius hidden behind the face of a child. We think it's all fun and innocent until we realize the force of our decisions. Choice is our life compass. It guides our every direction."

A prequel to AWAKEN, this provocative short story explains the history behind Maddie's tattoo, and sets up events in the final installment of the trilogy.

 

 

Your links to the Series:

 

Maddie's Tattoo (Prequel) on Amazon and Goodreads

Awaken on Amazon and Goodreads

Middle Ground on Amazon and Goodreads

Still Point on Amazon and Goodreads

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