Saturday, February 28, 2015

An Affair Downstairs by Sherri Browning

The Basics:
An Affair Downstairs by Sherri Browning
Sourcebooks Casablanca
Historical Romance
Book Two in the Thornbrook Park series
Published January 6, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Why I picked up this book:

I enjoyed Thornbrook Park, the first book in the series, and I generally enjoy books from this publisher and genre!

Friday, February 27, 2015

City of Eternal Night by Kristen Painter

The Basics:
City of Eternal Night by Kristen Painter
Orbit
Urban Fantasy
Book Two in the Crescent City series
Published December 2, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Why I picked up this book:

The cover of City of Eternal Night is so striking and I'm always looking for new, good urban fantasy.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Not a Fairy Tale by Romy Sommer

The Basics:
Not a Fairy Tale by Romy Sommer
HarperImpulse
Contemporary Romance
Published February 19, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Why I picked up this book:

I grabbed this mid-way through my reading for my Cinderella-theme week because the contrast amused me.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Hero by Samantha Young

The Basics:
Hero by Samantha Young
NAL
Contemporary Romance
Published February 3, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Why I picked up this book:

Hero seemed to be everywhere when I requested it. I was curious!

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Two for One : February's DNF books

I've discovered that the more I read, the pickier and more discerning I become. I hate to DNF (did not finish) a book, but I realize that I can only read so many books - so why waste time with ones that I'm not enjoying?

Today I'm going to briefly review two books that I DNF'ed in the last month. One is YA with a sort of contemporary fairy tale feel to it, the other is a urban fantasy YA story featuring merfolk!


Hush by Stacey R Campbell
Green Darner Press
YA
Book One in the Lakeview Chronicles
Published November 15, 2012
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Goodreads

Blurb:

For small-town girl Blakely Henry, any hope of finding her biological parents died when she stopped believing in fairy tales and Disney princesses. That is, until she spots her boarding school’s new British exchange student, Max Ryder, staring at her. Why would a boy who looks like he stepped out of the pages of a magazine be looking at her? Because Max knows something Blakely doesn’t. 
Following the tragic demise of one of Europe’s most beloved royal families, Max has stumbled upon information he thinks may lead to a lost royal heir, and now he is on a quest halfway around the world to see if he’s right. 
Sworn to secrecy by his university professor and the headmaster of Lakeview Academy, Max is admitted into an exchange program with the sole purpose of finding out the truth. But will his personal feelings for Blakely get in the way? 
When a stolen email surfaces, Blakely and her friends’ lives are threatened, and Max starts to question what he is really after.
From the exclusive rolling lawns of Canada’s most prestigious boarding school to the University of Saint Andrews’ hallowed grounds, Blakely’s quiet, unassuming life is turned upside down. Is she really who she thinks she is? Can she survive long enough to help Max unearth the truth?

Reason for DNF:

I loved the simplicity of the cover. It really drew me in - probably appealing to my inner historian. I liked the feel of an old manuscript or document that was going to reveal this modern fairy tale. I read the first 50 pages of Hush and I had to call it quits. The plot was too outlandish for me. I was okay with the premise but once Max is sent undercover to determine whether or not Blakely could be royalty, I just... couldn't stick with the book. It seemed so far-fetched to me for a university to be sent uncover to a fancy boarding school in another country under the guise of this investigation because it would somehow be better for the family not to know, should the suspicion prove wrong. This, plus the way Max thought about the pictures of Blakely (reading so much into them), really put me off the book, unfortunately. 


Water So Deep by Nichole Giles
Jelly Bean Press
YA, Fantasy
Book One in the Water So Deep series
Published February 2, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Goodreads

Blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Emma Harris is drowning on dry land.

No one knows what’s happening to her, and she’d like to keep her evolution from human to mermaid a secret, but the truth is getting harder and harder to hide. From her adoptive family, from her friends, and especially from the irresistible James Phelps.

Her time in the ocean is spent dodging a possessive merman, while her time on land is split between caring for her special-needs brother and squeezing in every last possible moment of human life. She soon realizes falling for James is unavoidable when he constantly comes to Emma’s rescue and somehow manages to see through her carefully constructed icy facade to the vulnerability she lives with every day. Everything about James makes Emma yearn for a life on land she just can't have.

When Emma’s brother disappears on her watch, James is the only person she trusts to help her save him. But even if they can save her brother, nothing can prevent her return to the sea. Whether she likes it or not, Emma is changing—unable to breathe without yielding to the tide—and it's only a matter of time before she's forced to surrender forever.

Reason for DNF:

Again, I loved the cover. And I haven't read much merfolk fiction before so I thought, yes! Something new! My problem with Water So Deep was simply that it was impossibly slow. Though the story starts off in a really dark but eventful place, everything tapers off really quickly. I stuck with it for about a hundred pages but by then I was pretty well over my mermaid excitement and ready to move on.  

I suspect this book could be awesome for the right reader: that reader just wasn't me.


Monday, February 23, 2015

Blog Tour: Game Play by Lynda Aicher





Lynda Aicher's Game Play kicks off a new sports-romance themed series - Power Play. I'm excited to host a stop in the blog tour for this book! 

For other stops on the tour, check out Tasty Book Tours.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Stacking the Shelves - Episode 7, 2015



Stacking the Shelves is an awesome meme hosted by Tynga's Review.

Bloggers share the books they've received, bought, borrowed - and I collect more and more books for my 'must acquire' list.

I showed some restraint this week when it came to buying but not when it came to reviewing....

Friday, February 20, 2015

COVER REVEAL: Consent by Nancy Ohlin

Today I am pleased to present you with the cover for Nancy Ohlin's Consent. This is a contemporary Young Adult story that features some rather topical material. Due for publication on November 10th, 2015 from Simon Pulse, I think Consent sounds and *looks* like the kind of book I'd have a hard time putting down. 

Check out the blurb:

Bea has a secret.

Actually, she has more than one. There’s her dreams for the future that she can’t tell anyone—not her father and not even her best friend, Plum.

And now there’s Dane Rossi. Dane is hot, he shares Bea’s love of piano, and he believes in her.

He’s also Bea’s teacher.

When their passion for music crosses into passion for each other, Bea finds herself falling completely for Dane. She’s never felt so wanted, so understood, so known to her core. But the risk of discovery carries unexpected surprises that could shake Bea entirely. Bea must piece together what is and isn’t true about Dane, herself, and the most intense relationship she’s ever experienced, in this absorbing novel from Nancy Ohlin.
I just read a couple of articles written by young adults who had affairs with their teachers and they were really, really intriguing. I'm very curious to see how Consent handles this very charged material.

Now for a drum roll please! Here's the very compelling cover:

Inked by Eric Smith

The Basics:
Inked by Eric Smith
Bloomsbury Spark
Kids/YA Fantasy
Published January 20, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Why I picked up this book:

Magic tattoos + YA Fantasy?  Yes, please. 

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Blog Tour: Interference by Dakota Madison



Dakota Madison's Interference Book Tour is stopping here today! This New Adult sports romance has one of the hottest cover models I've seen so far this year. Ahem. I mean, this book brings together an unlikely pair in Sedona, the super smart neuroscience student and Jesse, a bad boy superstar of basketball! 

For other stops on the tour, check out Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

The Basics:
Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton
Delacorte Press
Book One in the Seeker series
YA Fantasy/Science Fiction
Published February 10, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Why I picked up this book:

That gorgeous cover promises all kinds of fantasy-goodness.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Cannonbridge by Jonathan Barnes

The Basics:
Cannonbridge by Jonathan Barnes
Solaris
Sci-fi/Fantasy, Historical
Published February 10, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Why I picked up this book:

Cannonbridge hits so many of my happy places - it's about books, specifically from the 19th century, and really, it's about discovering that a famous author from the period may never have actually existed....

Monday, February 16, 2015

Doctor Death by Lene Kaaberbol

The Basics:
Doctor Death by Lene Kaaberbol
Atria
Book One in the Madeleine Karno Mysteries
Historical, Mystery
Published February 17, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Why I picked up this book:

I really liked the cover, and I was in the mood for a mystery!

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Stacking the Shelves - Episode 6, 2015



Stacking the Shelves is an awesome meme hosted by Tynga's Review.

Bloggers share the books they've received, bought, borrowed - and I collect more and more books for my 'must acquire' list.

I showed some restraint this week when it came to buying but not when it came to reviewing....

Friday, February 13, 2015

Cinderella Week: Cinder by Marissa Mayer

The Basics:

Cinder by Marissa Mayer

Feiwel & Friends
Book One in The Lunar Chronicles
Science Fiction, YA, Romance
Published January 1, 2012
Source: Purchased ebook
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Cinderella Week:


One of the first books I considered when I decided I was going to do a Cinderella themed week of reviews. This has been sitting on my TBR shelf for far too long.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Cinderella Week: Cinderella and the Ghost by Marina Myles

The Basics:

Cinderella and the Ghost by Marina Myles

Kensington
Historical Romance
Published February 16, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Cinderella Week:


This was another easy pick-up for Cinderella week - a paranormal Cinderella sounds right up my alley!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Cinderella Week: A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James

The Basics:

A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James

Avon
Book One in the Fairy Tales series
Historical Romance
Published July 27, 2010 
Source: Purchased paperback
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Cinderella Week:


I'm a fan of James so it was with great pleasure that I selected this one for Cinderella week!

Monday, February 9, 2015

Cinderella Week: Wagon Train Cinderella by Shirley Kennedy

The Basics:

Wagon Train Cinderella by Shirley Kennedy

Kensington
Historical Romance
Published February 3, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Cinderella Week:


This was an easy pick-up for Cinderella week - it's right there in the title!

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Stacking the Shelves - Episode 5, 2015



Stacking the Shelves is an awesome meme hosted by Tynga's Review.

Bloggers share the books they've received, bought, borrowed - and I collect more and more books for my 'must acquire' list.

This week I apparently binged on freebies from Amazon, plus a few extra paperbacks and maybe one or two more books for review....

Friday, February 6, 2015

Rough Rider by Victoria Vane


The Basics:
Rough Rider by Victoria Vane
Sourcebooks Casablanca
Book Two in the Hot Cowboy Nights series
Contemporary Romance
Published February 3, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Why I picked up this book:

I have this not-so-secret love for rodeos. When I was in my early twenties, I'd watch them - mostly bullriding and roping events - late at night when I should have been sleeping. Rough Rider hit that sweet spot for me.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Earls Just Want to Have Fun by Shana Galen


The Basics:
Earls Just Want to Have Fun by Shana Galen
Sourcebooks Casablanca
Book One in the Covent Garden Cubs series
Historical Romance
Published February 3, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Why I picked up this book:

I've read Shana Galen before (and reviewed her books here and here) and enjoyed her. I grabbed this one based entirely on the cover, author recognition and publisher.



Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Release Day Blast: Let Them Talk by Susanna Carr



Join me today in celebrating Susanna Carr's Let Them Talk as part of a Tasty Book Tours Release Day Blast! 

This book in the Encounters series is a collection of steamy short stories. Published in the Harlequin Blaze line - so you know the book will be extra spicy, Let Them Talk was released on February 1st and is available at retailers now!  Stay with me for a blurb, excerpt, author information and a giveaway!

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday - Issue 4, 2015


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme from The Broke and the Bookish in which they post a book-related top ten every - you guessed it! - Tuesday.

This week the theme is Ten YA Books I Cannot Believe I Haven't Read (genre was my choice).

Monday, February 2, 2015

The Ruby Airship by Sharon Gosling

The Basics:
The Ruby Airship by Sharon Gosling
Switch Press
Book Two in the Diamond Thief series
YA, Steampunk
Published February 1, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads

Why I picked up this book:

The first book in the series, The Diamond Thief, was a pleasant though not perfect surprise and I wanted to give this YA steampunk series a second shot.



Sunday, February 1, 2015

January Round-Up!

I'm hooking into: 



This is a meme hosted by the Caffeinated Book Reviewer wherein everyone gets to share their news for the week. It's a great opportunity to see what's happening out there in the blogosphere, so go check out some other Sunday Posters!

Today's post is going to have a few sections:

1. General Update

2. Rags to Riches, Cinderella Week in February!

3. Currently...

4. Challenges

5. Resolutions

6. Last Week / Week Ahead