Stacking the Shelves #82 & Weekly Wrap-Up

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews. It is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks.

This week, I added three books to my shelf, all from Amazon.

Unraveling You

(Unraveling You #1)

by Jessica Sorensen 

Lyric Scott has always had a good life. Outgoing, spunky, and musically talented, she’s constantly surrounded by family and friends, yet she still feels there’s something missing. 

Then she meets her new next-door neighbor Ayden Gregory. Mysterious, sweet, and sad, Ayden is the exact opposite of Lyric and exactly what she needs to fill the void in her life. 

Ayden has been through more than most people and believes his life is always going to be rocky, so when he’s suddenly adopted by the Gregorys, he’s thrown for a turn. But even with a new, loving family, he still finds himself haunted by the memories of his old life. The only true breath of fresh air is when he’s with his best friend, Lyric Scott. 

As Lyric and Ayden grow closer, the lines of their friendship start to blur. But when Ayden's past unexpectedly pushes its way into his new life, their friendship and newfound attraction will be tested. 

**A novel about Ella and Micha's daughter and Lila and Ethan's son from The Secret Series. However, this series can be read on its own.**

3:AM Kisses

(3:AM Kisses #1)

by Addison Moore 

New Adult Romance *Sexual situations* Mature audiences* 

Baya Brighton is looking forward to her first year at Whitney Briggs University, new friends, dorm life, and finally being close to her brother again. Love is the last thing on the list, but when Baya meets her brother’s roommate she begins to have thoughts and feelings that make even her blush. 

Bryson Edwards has a secret he prefers buried in the past and long forgotten. He keeps himself busy with the important things, loose girls, fast cars, and long nights working at the string of bars his family owns. When his roommate’s sister shows up on the scene, she’s far too innocent and sweet for him but he can’t shake Baya out of his mind and worse, it looks like she’s seeping into his heart as well. 

Baya seems determined to show her brother she’s not a little kid and equally determined to use Bryson’s body to prove her point. It’s been made pretty clear that Baya is off limits to Bryson but their undeniable sparks explode into a whole lot more than just a few 3:AM KISSES.

Reckless Longing

(Reckless #1)

by Gina Robinson 

Ellie and Logan's love story begins one hot August night…

Ellie

My mom betrayed me in the worst way possible. I can't forgive her, but I can outwit her. I'm going to unravel the family secret she's been keeping from me my whole life. So I'm going to college across the state from her, to the place that has the answers. I hope. But I have to be careful or I'll blow everything. I can't tell anyone what I'm doing.

I didn't mean to fall in love. I can't afford to give my heart away or open up to anyone, least of all charming, rich, former bad boy baseball star Logan Walker. But he looked so adorable sitting there nursing a black eye the night I met him at my very first campus event. The way he held my hand made me flush in the suffocating heat of August and feel really beautiful for the first time in so long I can't remember. My scar didn't even hurt.

But Logan's moods are mercurial. He's keeping secrets of his own that are too dark to share, even with me. We agree to be just friends. But our hearts and bodies have minds of their own. Before I know it, I'm in too deep with him and the answer to the family secret I came to campus to find may be the thing that tears us apart.

This is a contemporary romance with mature themes, language, and situations. Readers should be over 17!

Weekly Wrap-Up

Well, it's currently hard to believe it's Summer here in Melbourne. For the most part, this week has been rainy, cloudy and definitely on the cool side. With only a few weeks left of the Summer Break, one can only hope that the weather improves somewhat before the kids have to head back to school.

Books which featured on my blog this week:

TBR Tuesday ~ Deer in Headlights by Staci Hart

Teaser Tuesday ~ Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Waiting on Wednesday ~The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent

Swoon Thursday ~ Broken at Love by Lyla Payne

So... what did you add to your shelf this week?

I'd really like to know.

Please leave a comment below.

Swoon Thursday #122 ~ Broken at Love (Whitman University #1) by Lyla Payne

The fabulous girls over at YA Bound created this super HOT meme.

Here's how it works. From the book you're currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.

Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag#YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog!

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

My Swoon for this week comes from:

 Broken at Love
(Whitman University #1)

by
Lyla Payne  

First - The Blurb:

When a knee injury ends twenty-year-old Quinn Rowland’s pro tennis career, he’s not only dumped by his hot Russian girlfriend but ordered to attend college by his disinterested billionaire father. A rich kid who’s not used to being disappointed by life, Quinn and his sociopathic half-brother Sebastian create a frat house game intended to treat girls how they see them—as simple game pieces to be manipulated for their pleasure.

College sophomore Emilie Swanson knows Quinn’s reputation—after all, he did send one of her sorority sisters into therapy earlier in the semester—but the game and his charm bring them closer together and soon she starts to believe there’s more to Quinn than people think.

But what if the more is something darker than a game of toying with emotions and breaking hearts?

Quinn and Emilie might be falling for each other, but there are secrets he’s not ready to tell—and lifestyle changes he’s reluctant to make. She willingly stepped on the court, but if Emilie finds out she started out as nothing as a pawn in Quinn and Sebastian’s twisted game, she might never forgive him.

To his surprise, Quinn finds that he might finally care about someone more than he cares about himself…even if that means letting Emilie walk away for good.


Second - The Swoon(s):

I thought I’d won the match when she’d fallen into my arms, heart and all. The truth was, she’d beaten me. Snatched my soul and shattered all the lies I’d built around me to keep the pain of connecting at bay.

... Quinn

* * *

"I’m afraid you’re going to break me, Quinn."

"Don’t let me." The challenge in his eyes intensified, heating up and pouring strength into me."Don’t you let me f***ing do that, Emilie. Don’t let anyone break you. You’re stronger than that." 

... Emilie

At first, Quinn seems like a complete Douche. Not the kind of guy you'd want to fall in love with. But as the story unfolds and you discover the truth behind why he behaves the way he does, you can't help but change your mind about him. I know I did.

Emilie is sweet, smart, and not afraid to go after what she wants. Although attracted to Quinn, she doesn't fall for the game he and his half-brother have conjured up to seduce women. Instead, she manages to keep him at arms length (at least for a little while).

Not used to being rejected, Quinn sees Emilie as a challenge. However, the closer he gets to winning the game, the more exposed his true feelings become.

I quite enjoyed reading Quinn and Emilie's story and look forward to reading more books written by Lyla.

My Rating: 4 out of 5

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Okay, so what do you think?

If you liked my Swoon, please leave a comment below!

Waiting on Wednesday #17 ~The Stars Never Rise (Untitled Series #1) by Rachel Vincent

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine which spotlights highly anticipated upcoming releases.

This week I’m waiting on: 

The Stars Never Rise
(Untitled Series #1)

by
Rachel Vincent

Expected publication: June 9th, 2015 by Delacorte Press

Sixteen-year-old Nina Kane should be worrying about her immortal soul, but she's too busy trying to actually survive. Her town's population has been decimated by soul-consuming demons, and souls are in short supply. Watching over her younger sister, Mellie, and scraping together food and money are all that matters. The two of them are a family. They gave up on their deadbeat mom a long time ago.

When Nina discovers that Mellie is keeping a secret that threatens their very existence, she'll do anything to protect her. Because in New Temperance, sins are prosecuted as crimes by the brutal Church and its army of black-robed exorcists. And Mellie's sin has put her in serious trouble.

To keep them both alive, Nina will need to trust Finn, a fugitive with deep green eyes who has already saved her life once and who might just be an exorcist. But what kind of exorcist wears a hoodie?

Wanted by the Church and hunted by dark forces, Nina knows she can't survive on her own. She needs Finn and his group of rogue friends just as much as they need her.

I really liked the Soul Screamers series so I'm super excited for the release of The Stars Never Rise.

What are you waiting for?

Please leave a comment below with your WoW link!

Thanks in advance for stopping by!

Teaser Tuesday #122 ~ Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

My Tease for this week comes from:

Black Ice
by
Becca Fitzpatrick 

First - The Blurb:

Britt Phieffer has never been that adventurous, but that's about to change. Wanting to impress her ex-boyfriend, Britt convinces best friend, Korbie, to take a trip with her and go trekking through the Grand Teton Mountains in Wyoming.
But when a freak storm leaves the girls stranded they seek shelter in a cabin, and find two knights in shining armour, Shaun and Mason, who are also hiding out.

But all is not as it seems, and Britt quickly discovers that the guys are there for reasons other than hiking…dangerous reasons that mean they need to get off the mountain, fast. In exchange for her life, Britt is forced to guide them down, and as they set out on a harrowing journey through the cold and snow, Britt realises the only way to get out of this alive is to pretend she is on their side. 

But playing nice is hard, especially when Britt is unsure whether Mason, gorgeous and sexy, is the enemy or an ally. And as she begins to lose track of who is in control it is only a matter of time before things turn deadly…

Second - The Tease(rs):

Tease 1

“They say that when you're about to die, your life flashes before your eyes. They never tell you that when you watch someone you once loved dying, hovering between this life and the next, it's twice as painful, because you're reliving two lives that traveled one road together.” 

Tease 2 

"What about-you?" I kept my voice carefully indifferent. 

He flashed me a cold smile, sharp at the edges. "Worried about me?"

Because I couldn't think of anything snide to say, I stuck my tongue out at him. 

Jude wagged his head. "More tongue exercises? Would have thought you'd had enough last night." 

"Go to hell." 

"Sorry, love, but we're already there."

I'm a big fan of Becca's Hush Hush series, so naturally, I just had to read Black Ice.

Was it different? Yes.

Did I enjoy it? Yes

Would I recommend it? Hell, yes.

This is the first romantic thriller I've read and I was not disappointed. Becca did an excellent job of portraying the characters, describing the scenery and slowly unveiling the story. I was so enthralled I had a difficult time putting it down.

I really liked Britt. She's courageous, determined and willing to put the safety of her friends before herself. And then there's Jude/Mason. Right from the start, I guessed that he was not what he initially appeared to be and I thoroughly enjoyed discovering the real him.

Filled with unexpected twists and turns, Black Ice will have you glued to your seat right up until the very last page. For me, a must read.

My Rating: 5 out of 5

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Okay, so what do you think?

If you liked my Tease, please leave a comment below.

TBR Tuesday #79 ~ Deer in Headlights (Hearts and Arrows #1) by Staci Hart

My good friend Sharrice from Reese's Reviews: My Addiction to Fiction came up with the idea of 'TBR Tuesday'. 

If you want to join in the fun, then just do the following:

From your book shelf or your e-reader, pick a book that you own that is still on your TBR list. Post it however you want to, then leave a link below so others can see what's waiting to be read.

This week for me its:

Deer in Headlights
(Hearts and Arrows #1)
by
Staci Hart

Aphrodite never loses, not when it comes to love.

Immortality has its perks and its downsides. Boredom, for one, is unavoidable, but instead of playing Backgammon, the Greek gods devised a game using humans as pawns. Remember Shakespeare? That was Apollo. Bonnie and Clyde? Aphrodite versus Ares.

Aphrodite is on deck, and she’ll defend her domain of love by using her magic to get the two human players together. Time is not on her side, and she’ll have her work cut out for her as her opponent does everything in his power to keep the players apart.

Game one is against Apollo, who chooses the loner Dean, a rock star who takes dark and brooding to the next level. His band has finally gotten a break, and he can’t screw it up, not for another one night stand, and especially not with his new drummer’s girlfriend. He swore to the band that he’d keep it together, but from the minute he first sees Lex, it takes every bit of willpower he has to stay away. But Dean’s will is nothing for the Goddess of Love, who’s certain she has a fighting chance to win with Lex as her player. The artist and poet is perfect for Dean, if only she can open her heart and find a way to love for the first time.

There’s always more at stake than winning the game when you’ve lived for thousands of years. The Olympians are the original dysfunctional family, surviving eons of love and lust, betrayal and lies, as friends and enemies, through feuds and wars. From the douchebag Ares, who’s forever trying get Aphrodite into bed, to her best friend Persephone, who she can always count on for a hearty helping of bacon on a bad day, the gods will take you on a lighthearted trip as they toy with humans, laugh and fight, lose love and gain power.

SO NOW IT'S YOUR TURN!

Leave a comment and tell me what's waiting on your TBR pile.