Friday, April 15, 2016

Inspiring Fridays #2 ~ Easy (Contours of the Heart #1) by Tammara Webber




Inspiring Fridays is a post I've created to add something a little different to my blog. It's purpose is simple. Each week, it is my intention to feature a book, a song or a movie which inspires me. If you like, you can join in or just leave a comment below. I would love to see your thoughts on whatever is currently spotlighted, or discover what inspires you.



This weeks Inspiring Friday is...


Easy
(Contours of the Heart #1)

by
Tammara Webber 



When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, Jacqueline is assaulted by her ex's frat brother. Rescued by a stranger who seems to be in the right place at the right time, she wants nothing more than to forget the attack and that night - but her savior, Lucas, sits on the back row of her econ class, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. Her friends nominate him to be the perfect rebound.

When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy. 


After a long while where the only books I read were Paranormal / Fantasy, I came across a review of Easy which caught my interest and literally compelled me to read it. Not totally convinced though, I decided to borrow it from my local library before purchasing it. I was not even a quarter way through before I realized that this was a book which needed to be on my shelf, and so, I immediately went out and bought my own copy. I have since read many contemporary novels. Some I have enjoyed, some not so much. Easy will always remain a solid favourite. It was the book which inspired me to broaden my reading choices.



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Thursday, April 14, 2016

Swoon Thursday # 180 ~ Reckless Longing (Reckless #1) by Gina Robinson




Swoon Thursday was first bought to us by YA Bound.
Since they are no longer with us, Naomi @ Naomi's Reading Palace has kindly created a central meet up point for those of us who wish to continue to share our swoons.
So ladies (and any gents who feel so inclined) please leave a comment below, and then head on over there to link up and spread the love.


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My Swoon for this week comes from:


Reckless Longing
(Reckless #1)
by
Gina Robinson


First - The Blurb:


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.


Second - The Swoon:

He lifted the hair off my neck and nibbled softly, moving slowly to my ear, my cheek, tantalizing and teasing the edges of my lips. His simple kisses, his hot mouth on my skin against the cool of the night, rose pleasure like waves pulsing through me. His hand remained on my stomach, but I ached for his touch, full of longing I hadn't ever felt.

I rolled over on top of him and stared into his eyes, almost pleading with him to make another memory that would never be ruined. The moonlight was reflected in his deep brown eyes. He cupped my face and pulled it to his. And then he kissed me like I'd never been kissed before: leisurely, gently, and without tongues, as if we had forever to build to something more.



I picked up Reckless Longing when it was free on Amazon. It was a quick read but not an overwhelming favourite. Although Logan was hot and a total catch in the eyes of Ellie, I had a difficult time figuring him out. There's a lot going on with him and he's a little hard to read.
Ellie has some issues of her own to deal with, but because the story is told from her POV, it's easier to see where her thoughts are at. I think my most favourite character was Dex... Ellie's close friend and chem partner. He seemed the most realistic to me. Overall, an enjoyable read.

My Rating: 4 out of 5



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Okay, so what do you think?

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




Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday # 81 ~ A Million Worlds with You (Firebird #3) by Claudia Gray




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:


A Million Worlds with You
(Firebird #3)
by
Claudia Gray 


Expected publication: November 1st, 2016 by HarperCollins



A million universes. A million dangers. One destiny.

The fate of the multiverse rests in Marguerite Caine’s hands. Marguerite has been at the center of a cross-dimensional feud since she first traveled to another universe using her parents’ invention, the Firebird. Only now has she learned the true plans of the evil Triad Corporation—and that those plans could spell doom for dozens or hundreds of universes, each facing total annihilation.

Paul Markov has always been at Marguerite’s side, but Triad’s last attack has left him a changed man—angry and shadowed by tragedy. He struggles to overcome the damage done to him, but despite Marguerite’s efforts to help, Paul may never be the same again.

So it’s up to Marguerite alone to stop the destruction of the multiverse. Billions of lives are at stake. The risks have never been higher. And Triad has unleashed its ultimate weapon: another dimension’s Marguerite—wicked, psychologically twisted, and always one step ahead.

In the epic conclusion to Claudia Gray’s Firebird trilogy, fate and family will be questioned, loves will be won and lost, and the multiverse will be forever changed. It’s a battle of the Marguerites . . . and only one can win.




So, what are you waiting for?
Please leave a comment below with your WoW link!



Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Teaser Tuesday # 185 ~ Keep Me Still (Keep Me Still #1) by Caisey Quinn




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!

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Keep Me Still
(Keep Me Still #1)
by
Caisey Quinn


First - The Blurb:


Layla Flaherty had the perfect life, or close to it. Until a stranger gunned her parents down right in front of her, leaving her with seizure inducing PTSD. After years of trying to pass as normal and failing miserably, she resigns herself to being invisible. But new to town Landen O’Brien sees her, and he likes what he sees. Much to Layla’s surprise, he doesn’t freak out when she has a seizure in front of him. He does the exact opposite, calming her until the tremors subside. But Landen has secrets of his own. Secrets that both bind them together and tear them apart. 

Scarred by loss, Layla leaves her hometown of Hope Springs, Georgia, hoping to put her painful past behind her and start over in college in California. When she runs into Landen at freshmen orientation, she has a choice to make. Reinforce those steel walls she's built up around herself or give the only boy who can keep her still a second chance. 

Landen’s more than ready to tear down those walls but this time when they come crashing down, they might bury her.



Second - The Tease(rs):

Tease 1
"I am so gone. Lost. Her smile, the little sigh she lets out, the way her eyes light up. All of it. I’m broken down and rebuilt. And nothing will ever be the same again."
...Landen


Tease 2
"I love you, Layla Flaherty," I tell her because I can feel how badly she needs to hear it. "But you already know that, don’t you?"
I watch as her pupils dilate and she licks her lips. "I do."
"So what are you going to do about it?" I lean back, despite my body’s protest to throw her down and tear her clothes to shreds. 
"I'm going to love you right back."



When I purchased a copy of Keep Me Still, it included the prequel and sequel novellas - Let You Leave and Hold Us Close. I've read Let Me Leave but have not yet finished the novel and sequel so I will refrain on giving my rating and thoughts for now.





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Okay, so what do you think?
If you liked my Tease, please leave a comment below.







TBR Tuesday #143 ~ A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) & Ten Thousand Skies Above You (Firebird #2) by Claudia Gray



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:


A Thousand Pieces of You
(Firebird #1)
by
Claudia Gray  


Marguerite Caine's physicist parents are known for their groundbreaking achievements. Their most astonishing invention, called the Firebird, allows users to jump into multiple universes—and promises to revolutionize science forever. But then Marguerite's father is murdered, and the killer—her parent's handsome, enigmatic assistant Paul— escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite refuses to let the man who destroyed her family go free. So she races after Paul through different universes, always leaping into another version of herself. But she also meets alternate versions of the people she knows—including Paul, whose life entangles with hers in increasingly familiar ways. Before long she begins to question Paul's guilt—as well as her own heart. And soon she discovers the truth behind her father's death is far more sinister than she expected.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores an amazingly intricate multi-universe where fate is unavoidable, the truth elusive, and love the greatest mystery of all.


&


Ten Thousand Skies Above You
(Firebird #2)
by
Claudia Gray


Ever since she used the Firebird, her parents' invention, to cross into alternate dimensions, Marguerite has caught the attention of enemies who will do anything to force her into helping them dominate the multiverse—even hurting the people she loves. She resists until her boyfriend, Paul, is attacked and his consciousness scattered across multiple dimensions. 

Marguerite has no choice but to search for each splinter of Paul’s soul. The hunt sends her racing through a war-torn San Francisco, the criminal underworld of New York City, and a glittering Paris where another Marguerite hides a shocking secret. Each world brings Marguerite one step closer to rescuing Paul. But with each trial she faces, she begins to question the destiny she thought they shared. 

The second book in the Firebird trilogy, Ten Thousand Skies Above You features Claudia Gray’s lush, romantic language and smart, exciting action, and will have readers clamoring for the next book.



These two books have been sitting on my shelf for a while now. With the third and final book due for release later this year, I've decided to hold off reading them until I have all three. I guess that means they will be sitting on my shelf for a little longer.


So now it's your turn.
Leave a comment and tell me what's waiting on your TBR pile.