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....

Note: All blurbs are straight from Goodreads.

 If the Viscount Falls by Sabrina Jeffries

The heir presumptive to the Viscount Rathmoor, Dominick Manton once had his heart’s desire within reach—a bright future as a barrister and engagement to Jane Vernon, a wealthy baron’s daughter. Then a shattering betrayal by his vindictive brother George snatched away Dom’s inheritance and his hopes of offering Jane a secure future. Brokenhearted, and attempting to end their engagement without destroying Jane’s reputation, Dom staged a betrayal of his own to convince her that he’s not the husband-to-be that she thought.

Now George is gone and the viscountcy restored to Dom, since his brother’s widow, Nancy—Jane’s cousin and closest confidant—never bore an heir. But when Nancy goes missing, a panicked Jane calls on her former fiancé to track down her cousin. Dom knows the mistakes of the past may be unforgiveable—but now, entangled together in mystery and danger, will they rekindle a passionate longing that was never lost to begin with?

Chelsea's Thoughts: Right, so I discovered last weekend that I cannot resist Jeffries so much that I bought *TWO* copies of this book in the space of a week. 

Shooting Scars by Karina Halle

A Dangerous Kind of Love . . . 

When Ellie Watt offered herself to her thuggish former lover Javier to save Camden's life, she never imagined the twisted game Javier had planned for her. Trapped by him and his entourage of killers, Ellie is forced to commit a dangerous, heinous crime-or Javier will kill Camden. Now ex-con artist Ellie must find a way to stay ahead of the game . . . before it destroys her and the only man she ever loved. 
Camden McQueen can't forget Ellie Watt. Seeking revenge and pursued by the authorities for a crime he didn't commit, the talented tattoo artist does things he never thought himself capable of to save Ellie. As Camden straddles the line between love and retribution, he vows to do everything in his power to get her back. But if Camden unleashes his dark side, will Ellie still love him?

Chelsea's Thoughts: This sounds like a gritty contemporary romance. Plus I'm on a tattoo artist kick of late.

Haven 6 by Aubrie Dionne

A product of an illegal pairing, Eridani is the only woman without a lifemate aboard the colonization ship, the Heritage, and she is determined her less than perfect DNA will not get in the way of finding love. As the ship nears its final destination of Haven 6 after five hundred years of travel, images of the surface show evidence of intelligent life on a planet that's supposed to be uninhabited. Commander Grier assigns Eri to the exploratory team to spy on the alien society and return with information on how to defeat them.

When Eri's team lands, tribes of humans attack and Eri is saved by Striver, the descendant of a colonist and a pirate from Old Earth's colonization efforts in other parts of the galaxy. Striver helps Eri rescue her team and they are drawn to each other despite their different allegiances. While Striver battles with trusting Eri, Eri must decide whether to warn him and his people about the commander's intentions, or follow orders and complete her mission.

Chelsea's Thoughts: Entangled Publishing had a science fiction week last week and a few books were on sale - this is one of them!

Gravity  (The Taking #1) by Melissa West

In the future, only one rule will matter:

Don’t. Ever. Peek.

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.

Chelsea's Thoughts: Another sale book from Entangled. Some of the reviews suggest it's a bit stereotypical, full of the expected YA girl-saves-world tropes, but some people seem to really love it so my fingers are crossed. I'll be happy if it's fun.

Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs

While trying to save her brother from a witch’s fire four years ago, Greta was thrown in herself, falling through a portal to Mylena, a dangerous world where humans are the enemy and every ogre, ghoul, and goblin has a dark side that comes out with the eclipse. 

To survive, Greta has hidden her humanity and taken the job of bounty hunter—and she’s good at what she does. So good, she’s caught the attention of Mylena’s young goblin king, the darkly enticing Isaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her will to escape. 

But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena. An ancient evil knows she’s the key to opening the portal, and with the next eclipse mere days away, every bloodthirsty creature in the realm is after her—including Isaac. If Greta fails, she and the lost boys of Mylena will die. If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back...

Chelsea's Thoughts: The last of my Entangled sale books this week, I couldn't resist that gorgeous cover. Also, I have a soft spot for bounty hunters.


Now my books for review:

All of Me by Jennifer Bernard

Playing for the Kilby Catfish is hotshot pitcher Caleb Hart's last chance to salvage his career after a major league meltdown. But the day of his opener with the minor league team, Caleb strikes out with the gorgeous woman who is delivering a petition to run the unruly Catfish out of town. Now, to stay in the lineup, Caleb will need to score big with the feisty brunette he can't keep out of his thoughts.

After the nasty lies Sadie Merritt's rich ex-boyfriend spread about her all over town, she's lucky to have a job at all. She can't afford to screw it up by falling for the player who is supposed to be helping her change the image of the fun-loving Catfish. But that's easier said than done when Caleb's voice alone is enough to make her pulse race. And when he surprises her with a mind-blowing kiss, she knows there's no turning back.

Chelsea's Thoughts: I have a tour date with this book, and I'm looking forward to it after dabbling with Bernard's Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel series last year.

Fever by Jamie K Schmidt

Deep in the shadows of her exclusive fashion resort, Couture, Colleen Bryant presides over a much more intimate world: Club Inferno. The successful businesswoman and sex instructor has built an empire that caters to the BDSM elite, but now she finds herself longing for something a bit more ordinary: a man to love. She’s not sure how to find someone who will accept what she does for a living—or the kinks that drive her wild—until her old flame, ex-pro football player Chase Fairwood, comes back in her life.

There’s no woman as hot, sexy, or exciting as Colleen—and Chase knows it. He also knows he’s man enough to play her games, and to give as good as he gets. His return to Club Inferno reignites Colleen’s scorching demands, along with a new determination to test his resolve. Soon he’s competing against a rival Dom to brand Colleen as his own. But Chase has a secret weapon: the burning desire to offer his body—and his heart—in sweet surrender.

Chelsea's Thoughts: So, funny story. Loveswept disbanded their 'corps' crew and instead invited members to request a book and be set to their auto-approval list on Netgalley. Well, I'd already requested that book and been approved for it, so was invited to pick something else. So I selected this book - was approved and... apparently slipped through the cracks. Curses! I love being auto-approved - maybe next time?

Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M Lee

In the Labyrinth, we had a saying: keep silent, keep still, keep safe.

In a city of walls and secrets, where only one man is supposed to possess magic, seventeen-year-old Kai struggles to keep hidden her own secret—she can manipulate the threads of time. When Kai was eight, she was found by Reev on the riverbank, and her “brother” has taken care of her ever since. Kai doesn’t know where her ability comes from—or where she came from. All that matters is that she and Reev stay together, and maybe one day move out of the freight container they call home, away from the metal walls of the Labyrinth. Kai’s only friend is Avan, the shopkeeper’s son with the scandalous reputation that both frightens and intrigues her.

Then Reev disappears. When keeping silent and safe means losing him forever, Kai vows to do whatever it takes to find him. She will leave the only home she’s ever known and risk getting caught up in a revolution centuries in the making. But to save Reev, Kai must unravel the threads of her past and face shocking truths about her brother, her friendship with Avan, and her unique power.

Chelsea's Thoughts: Sounded kind of neat, I was in the mood for something fantastical.

The Infinite by Lori M. Lee

The walls of Ninurta keep its citizens safe.

Kai always believed the only danger to the city came from within. Now, with a rebel force threatening the fragile government, the walls have become more of a prison than ever.

To make matters worse, as Avan explores his new identity as an Infinite, Kai struggles to remind him what it means to be human. And she fears her brother, Reev, is involved with the rebels. With the two people she cares about most on opposite sides of a brewing war, Kai will do whatever it takes to bring peace. But she’s lost her power to manipulate the threads of time, and she learns that a civil war might be the beginning of something far worse that will crumble not only Ninurta’s walls but also the entire city.

In this thrilling sequel to Gates of Thread and Stone, Kai must decide how much of her humanity she’s willing to lose to protect the only family she’s ever known.

Chelsea's Thoughts: Sequel to the book above this one, I couldn't resist grabbing the pair. Plus look at those gorgeous covers!!! I love them!

Make Me Up by Avery Flynn

Former special ops-turned private-investigator Cam Hardy leaves a trail of broken hearts wherever he goes. He's all charm and sex appeal, and who can blame him for putting it to good use? Besides, it works damn well on the stunning and tough-as-nails makeup artist Drea Sanford. Only this time, Cam may be in over his head...

Drea is trying to keep her naughty affair with Cam a secret. After all, he's Harbor City's version of a Casanova...if Casanova had a motorcycle. When Cam makes their hot little liaison known to the public, however, Drea vows never to have sex with him again. Then one of her clients turns up dead. Now Drea is suspect number one—and she needs Cam's help. But sleeping with him is one thing...trusting him is quite another.

Chelsea's Thoughts: Hoping this will be a quick afternoon read, I'm hoping this is more nuanced than Drea telling Cam off, Cam swaggering around until Drea needs him again, and Drea caving to their chemistry and reluctantly agreeing that yes, they can work as a couple.

Chasing Desire by Joya Ryan

It's her best friend's wedding, and Autumn Lane is trussed up in a pink bridesmaid dress with a big “everything is great” smile plastered across her face. She's not going think about her life imploding, or spending the next two weeks housesitting in the ridiculously small town of Diamond. No, she'd rather think about the tattooed hottie in the wedding party...and how to turn the wicked way he’s looking at her into a night of intense pleasure.

Huck Galvin is fiercely attracted to his mystery woman's no-BS attitude, but their one-night-no-strings plan backfires when Huck discovers that Autumn is the out-of-towner he's “chaperoning” for the next two weeks. Outside the bedroom, the two can’t stand each other, yet Huck can’t deny how much he wants one more night with her. But Autumn isn't going to make it easy for Huck. Not by a long shot... 

Chelsea's Thoughts: Hoping this one is also a fun, quick read!

I read six books this week, so I'm up to thirty-two for the month. How many have you read so far? What's been your favourite? 

I don't think I've really been blown away by a book yet, but I've definitely read a bunch that I've thought were a lot of fun - including Vivi Barnes' Paper or Plastic which I didn't review for the blog but recommend you guys check out! It's a contemporary YA romance that I thought captured the teenage experience really well (the self-centred, slightly judgmental attitude; the fizz of new flirtations; the drag of summer jobs; the tension between friends, co-workers, family, etc. and all the slightly different selves teenagers (and adults!) present to the different people in their lives; and so much more!).  

That's it for me this week. What's on your list this week?