Enticed by Books: May 2014

Stacking the Shelves (29)

May 31, 2014 Aman 10

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme created by Tynga’s Reviews.

Since I didn't go to BEA, I went crazy this week on Edelweiss and downloaded a bunch a really awesome arcs! Let me know if you downloaded them too and also, which ones are you most excited about!

Bought

City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare

Take Me On (Pushing The Limits #4) by Katie McGarry

For Review

Thank You HarperCollins for all these pretties! Remember Me, Even in Paradise and A Thousand Pieces of You are the ones I'm most looking forward to!

How was your week in books?

This weeks WoW is by an author who is very new to me. When I saw that her upcoming book was an LGBT read with death, betrayal and a double life as some of the themes, I knew I had to add it to my tbr! Check out it's premises!

Title: Lies My Girlfriend Told Me
Author: Julie Anne Peters
Publication: Little Brown Books for Young Readers | June 10, 2013
Genres: Contemporary, LGBT, Young Adult
Goodreads • Amazon • Book Depository

When Alix's charismatic girlfriend, Swanee, dies from sudden cardiac arrest, Alix is overcome with despair. As she searches Swanee's room for mementos of their relationship, she finds Swanee's cell phone, pinging with dozens of texts sent from a mysterious contact, L.T. The most recent text reads: "Please tell me what I did. Please, Swan. Te amo. I love you."

Shocked and betrayed, Alix learns that Swanee has been leading a double life--secretly dating a girl named Liana the entire time she's been with Alix. Alix texts Liana from Swanee's phone, pretending to be Swanee in order to gather information before finally meeting face-to-face to break the news.

Brought together by Swanee's lies, Alix and Liana become closer than they'd thought possible. But Alix is still hiding the truth from Liana. Alix knows what it feels like to be lied to--but will coming clean to Liana mean losing her, too?

It's one of those books where you want to read it just to know the ending, and that's not a bad thing. I'm very curious to find out who Liana is and how Alix dealth with her.

What are you waiting on this week?

Review: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Aman 13

Title: City of Lost Souls
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publication: Margaret K. McElderry | May 8, 2012
Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Series: The Mortal Instruments #5
Source: Bought
Goodreads • Amazon • Book Depository

The New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments continues—and so do the thrills and danger for Jace, Clary, and Simon.

What price is too high to pay, even for love? When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith’s magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

I'm still not 100% sure if the second part to this original trilogy is a good idea, but as far as secondary characters are concerned, I'm loving these new turn of events! Isabelle and Simon are my favorite couple in this book! Oh and Jordan and Maia as well. How can I forget Alec and Magnus? SO MANY GREAT COUPLES TO ROOT FOR!!! Everyone besides Clary and Jace. I'm so sick of them, in general, but I'll talk more about them and their stretchy story later.

It's been more than 2 years since I read anything by Cassandra Clare and I really missed this shadowhunter world, so for that reason alone, I was completely immersed in this book from start to finish. Not a lot of books have successful multiple POV's and I loved how every character got their turn at the perfect point, Cassandra Clare in a mastermind in that area. My favorite POV's undoubtedly were that of Simon and even Sebastian. Valentine's son turned out to be a very intriguing character, I never knew if I liked him because of his impressively manipulative mind or hated him for same reason. Sebastian had my full attention whenever he appeared in any scene and I couldn't help but be charmed by him, in a very odd way. Is Sebastian redeemable? That was the one question that on my mind throughout this book. I want to believe that the answer is yes, but with Cassie saying that she's going to kill off 7 known characters in the finale, you never know. I can't wait to see how Sebastian's story goes down in the end!

After Sebastian's rebirth and Jace's disappearance, the Clave are rigorously searching for both of them. Weeks go by and they don't have an answer, so naturally they move on to other important issues (yeah right!), hence leaving Clary and the gang to find Jace using Magnus' help. Clary, being her usual reckless self, runs away to live with Jace and Sebastian in order to uncover their plan. I was a huge fan of Clary in the earlier books, but she seemed to bother me a lot in the last book and in this one, I was done with her. Yes, she has a very cool ability and yes, I love her chemistry with Jace, but I think there story should be over by now. I'm so tired of reading the same tension between them again and again. As a matter of fact, she is the least interesting character in this franchise right now and because of her and her annoying, repetitive scenes, I can't give this book a perfect score, though I want to just for the secondary characters.

My one regret after finishing City of Lost Souls was that I wish I would've read The Infernal Devices series before because there is a big spoiler in this book that refers to the fate of one of the character from the other series. It's not spelled out, but if you're smart enough or just a huge fan of this world, you're going to figure it out. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book.

City of Lost Souls was a great transitioning piece for City of Heavenly Fire. The stage is set, the secrets are uncovered, the Shadowhunters are prepared for the war and I'm prepared for an epic finale! I can't wait to read City of Heavenly Fires and finally know the fate of my favorite characters. I really hope no one I love dies, but that's too much for asking, right? We'll see.

This quote is THE BEST! Isabelle rocks!

It's like you stole the words out of my mouth, Izzy!

Review: The Raft by S.A. Bodeen

May 25, 2014 Aman 10

Title: The Raft
Author: S.A. Bodeen
Publication: Sqaure Fish | August 21, 2012
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Source: Bought
Goodreads • Amazon • Book Depository

Robie is an experienced traveler. She’s taken the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands where her parents live, many times. When she has to get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next cargo flight at the last minute. She knows the pilot, but on this flight, there’s a new co-pilot named Max. All systems are go until a storm hits during the flight. The only passenger, Robie doesn’t panic until the engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts at her to put on a life jacket. They are over miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max struggle with a raft.

And then . . . she’s in the water. Fighting for her life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that’s when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles. There are sharks. There is an island. But there’s no sign of help on the way.

JUST.WHAT.I.NEEDED!!!

The Raft was such an emotionally gripping and beautifully scripted read. And by beautiful, I really mean terrifying. The way the author laid out the events after the plane crash in such a realistic manner and showed the various stages of mental instability was just brilliant. The key part in writing survival stories is making the situation and particularly, the person's reaction to it as real as possible and S.A. Bodeen made that happen with Robie's story. Reading The Raft felt like I was watching one of those "I Should Have Died" episodes and the whole experience was very scary yet covertly exciting from a reader's perspective. Needless to say, I loved it!

Robie lives on a island with her research biologist parents just a few hours off Honolulu via plane and she visits the city frequently to meet her aunt. During one of her visits, on her way back, her cargo plane crashes and leaves her stranded on a yellow raft along with the co-pilot, Max. The crashing scene itself wasn't terrible, but the days after that were just pure torture. Reading the story, I felt the isolation alongside Robie, I felt the anticipation for rescuers and then the terror upon realizing that no one was coming. I would probably die in a situation like that, but I think because Robie has always been around ocean and the sea creatures, the knowledge somehow helped her survive the whole ordeal. It was tough and she did blank out more than once, but seeing the things she was going through, I'd say Robie handled the situation exceptionally well. And then there was Max. Poor Max who was in a comatose state throughout the ride because of a head injury. My head broke for him, even if he didn't have that many scenes, the ones he did made me cry like a baby. His past story was the one that got me...and still gets me whenever I think about it. I love Max so much, his presence was so special in this book, I don't think I'll ever forget him.

The Raft was my first S.A. Bodeen read and funny enough, it was just a random pick from my book outlet cart that I added to get a certain discount, but I'm so glad I did because this was like nothing I've ever read! It was captivating, engaging and a heart-pounding thrilling ride! This is the type of book I can read again and again, not because survival stories are one of my favorite but because this book is my favorite! And it's really tiny :)

Stacking the Shelves (28)

May 24, 2014 Aman 16

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme created by Tynga’s Reviews.

Wow, it's been a month since I did one of these! I didn't buy a lot of books, but I'm super excited for the ones I did, especially the Alexandra Bracken series! Here it is and more!

Bought

This series is a hit among my fellow bloggers, so I know I have to try it as well. Btw, LOOK AT THOSE GORGEOUS COVERS! I'm in love!

I've already read The Raft and OMG, you have to read this book!!! It is one of the best survival stories I've read after On The Island and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys these thrilling reads! My review will be up later this week.

Tempting the Bodyguard is finally out! I read it last week and it was pretty good. Very sexy, just like the cover suggested!

For Review

Have you read the premises of this book? "The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor & Park" YES PLEASE!!!

I can't believe I got a yes for the One Plus One, that was such a surprise! This will be my first Jojo Moyes read and I can't wait! Six Feet Over It is one of my upcoming wow pick, so naturally when I saw it on Netgalley, I had to have it.

That's about it! How was your week in books?

Blog Tour (Excerpt + Giveaway): Played by Liz Fichera

May 22, 2014 Aman 2

Hi Everyone! So last year I fell in love with Liz Fichera debut, Hooked and when I heard FFBC was doing a tour for her second book, I knew I had to get on it, but unfortunately I didn't end up liking this book as much as the previous one, so I won't be sharing my review today. If you follow my blog, you know that I already posted it few weeks ago (can be found in the archives). TOday, I'm going to share a really funny excerpt and a fabulous giveaway with you guys. As always thanks The Fantastic Flying Book Club for letting me be a part of this tour :)

Title: Played
Author: Liz Fichera
Publication: Harlequin Teen | May 27, 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Series: Hooked #2
Goodreads • Amazon • Book Depository

This Game Is Getting All Too Real

He said: I like to keep under the radar and mostly hang out with my friends from the rez. But when I saved Riley Berenger from falling off a mountain, that rich suburban princess decided to try to save me.

She said: If I can help Sam Tracy win the heart of the girl he can't get over, I'll pay him back for helping me. I promised him I would, no matter what it takes.

Excerpt

“How’s the matchmaking going?"

Slowly. But surely.”

“What if Ryan sees Fred with Sam and gets jealous or something?”

“That could be bad.” Really horribly tragically bad, but, oh, so good for Sam. My vodka lips sputtered.

"Do me a huge favor?”

“Anything.”

“If my brother shows up, keep him occupied? Any way you can. This could be your chance, too—you know, with getting my brother.” I shouldn’t have said that but it was too late to take it back. Drew looked like she could bust out of the car.

“Absolutely.”

“He was asking about you today,” I blurted. I knew that was a lie, too, even as I said it but I was on a roll. She grabbed my arm.

“Ryan?” Her eyes widened another notch. “What’d he say? Tell me! Don’t leave out a single word.”

I cleared my throat. “He just asked what you were doing tonight.” In truth, he asked what we were doing so it wasn’t like a complete and total lie. Only a little selective pronoun placement.

She squeezed my arm. “And what’d you say?”

“I may have said we’d be here.” That was another white lie. Ryan didn’t know I was invited. If I’d told him I was, he would have told Mom, and then Mom would have insisted on picking me up from the party and there was no way I could survive the humiliation of that. Your parents waiting to pick you up outside a cool party? I think not. What I did tell my brother was that I was spending the night at Drew’s. That was all.

Drew’s expression was hopeful. “Oh, my god. I totally hope he’s here already.”

I smiled at her. I really needed her to shower Ryan with attention, especially when Sam showed up with Fred. In Drew’s defense, my brother did like her. He thought she was really sweet. But he thought kittens and rabbits were sweet, too. That Drew was my best friend did not work in her favor. I didn’t have the heart to tell her all that. But, who knew what could happen when you threw people together. People could surprise you.

“Let’s go!”

My head was buzzing with excitement and alcohol as we walked across the driveway to the front door. I recognized guys from the varsity football team, a few girls from the junior cheer squad, even a senior girl from dance club, who nodded at me with approval as we passed through the front door. I tried to look disinterested, like I frequented these parties all the time, but my cheeks tightened from holding back a huge smile. Plus I was biting down on the inside of my cheek. Inside, the house was crawling with kids from school. If I didn’t know their names, I most definitely knew their faces. And they weren’t the faces I was used to seeing, either. Music blasted through speakers in every corner of the room. The ear-bleeding levels only added to the excitement. From the looks of the place, I wasn’t the only person pumped to be at the party. Drew dropped my arm and wove her way directly to the counter, leaving me at the edge of the room. I bumped someone’s shoulder everywhere I turned but no one cared. I smiled to a few of them and head nodded to the music.

I stood on tiptoe, looking toward the kitchen for Drew, when someone dropped a heavy arm across my shoulder.

“Wow!” The voice was clear but faint. I turned.

“Jay!” I yelled over the music, relieved. My whole body warmed at the mere sight of his face. He had perfect boy lips.
Completely kissable.

He leaned those lips down to my ear. His breath was hot, his words slurred. “Glad you made it, Mountain Girl. You come with Just Sam?”

I pulled back. “Sam? You mean, Sam Tracy?”

“Yeah. Just Sam.” His grin turned mischievous.

“No. I came with Drew.”

“Awesome.” Then his eyes traveled the length of me. “Been waiting for you to get here!” He fingered one of my pink highlights between his fingers.

About Liz Fichera

I'm an American author living in the American Southwest by way of Chicago.

Born and raised in Park Ridge, Illinois, I moved to Phoenix, Arizona, after college, never expecting to live more than one year among cactus and people who’d never seen snow. I was wrong. It certainly didn't hurt that I met my future husband in Phoenix too.

Most of my stories are set in the American Southwest because I think the desert is a cool place. Living in Phoenix, I'm surrounded by Native American culture and influences, not to mention intriguing Hohokam petroglyphs and centuries-old canals. There are over 20 tribes in Arizona and I'm lucky to be neighbors to the Gila River and the Salt River Indian Communities.

When I'm not busy writing my next novel, I like to travel, visit museums, support local theater productions, hike, and pretend that I'm training for a triathlon. I post a lot of photos from my desert and mountain hikes on my Facebook and Twitter pages. In no particular order, I've been chased by javalinas, rattlesnakes, coyotes, and even one curious black bear.

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

Giveaway

Win a signed copy of PLAYED by Liz Fichera (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Tour

Blog Tour (Review + Giveaway): Free to Fall by Lauren Miller

May 21, 2014 Aman 8

Hi Everyone! I know I've been MIA for a while without any notice and I apologize for that. There is really no reason behind it but my laziness. I'll try and be a better blogger from now on. No skipping! Anyways, today I'm so excited to host Free To Fall Blog Tour! This book, you guys! MUST READ!!! Before my review, here's a bit about the book and like always, thanks Book Nerd Tours for letting me be a part of this amazing tour!

Title: Free to Fall
Author: Lauren Miller
Publication: HarperTeen | May 13, 2014
Genres: Dystopian, Sci/Fi, Young Adult
Source: Blog Tour, Publisher
Goodreads • Amazon • Book Depository

What if there was an app that told you what song to listen to, what coffee to order, who to date, even what to do with your life—an app that could ensure your complete and utter happiness? What if you never had to fail or make a wrong choice?

What if you never had to fall?

Fast-forward to a time when Apple and Google have been replaced by Gnosis, a monolith corporation that has developed the most life-changing technology to ever hit the market: Lux, an app that flawlessly optimizes decision making for the best personal results. Just like everyone else, sixteen-year-old Rory Vaughn knows the key to a happy, healthy life is following what Lux recommends. When she’s accepted to the elite boarding school Theden Academy, her future happiness seems all the more assured. But once on campus, something feels wrong beneath the polished surface of her prestigious dream school. Then she meets North, a handsome townie who doesn’t use Lux, and begins to fall for him and his outsider way of life. Soon, Rory is going against Lux’s recommendations, listening instead to the inner voice that everyone has been taught to ignore — a choice that leads her to uncover a truth neither she nor the world ever saw coming.

Is it bad if I say I want a Gemini for myself? That little device is freaking amazing!!! Gemini is basically a very advanced i-pad that has a Siiri-like feature called Lux that is the guide to everything for these kids. From updating your forum with new messages to deciding what to drink or who to date, Gemini is a know-it-all in this futuristic world. Every person has it and they use it like we use our regular cell phones, and as you can tell, I'm obsessed with this device, just like out MC of this story, Rory.

Rory has recently been accepted to the prestigious Theden Academy, which guarantees her a free ride to college later on with an internship of her choice. It is a pretty spectacular deal and Rory is still mind boggled over how she got accepted, even though she's a very intelligent girl. From the first day, she starts hearing voices in her mind called "doubts" which in our world are just instincts or gut, as some like to say, and it was sad to see that the futuristic folks treat it like a mental illness. That part of the story was so crazy yet it was what made me glued to this book. Rory becomes paranoid and starts doubting her choices. Furthermore, it doesn't help that her late mother suffered from the same illness and hence dropped out of the same academy at Rory's age. So there's also the issue of history repeating itself and there are some people in the academy that want that to happen and it's Rory's job to prove them wrong to be save. There was so much going on in this story at every point that there was no place for any distraction or boredom, which I was so thankful for. Free To Fall was such an epic wild ride from start to finish, I was immersed in Rory's story and rooting for her to take risks and listen to the external voice at all times.

Theden Academy is full of secrets and it's coincidental enough that Rory is a part of majority of them. On her first day she is inducted in a secret society, which her mother was a part of, where she has to complete several tasks before she's officially becomes a member of this mysterious society. The puzzles and riddles were the fun part in this book! I loved how they would randomly pop up and lighten the moment. Speaking of fun parts, how can I forget North! An attractive, normal boy who ran a pretty boring coffee house, but (secrets again!) his side job was what made him so damn hot! I secretly love tech boys and North was definitely one of them; his skills helped Rory figure out most of the mysteries and overall, helped her decide which side she wanted to pick. North was a very old school guy, he wasn't attached to his Gemini and believed in taking chances and having fun. I loved the role he played in Rory's transformation, it was subtle yet very effective in the long run.

All in all, Free To Fall was a terrific read and gave me a tech high among other things. Lauren Miller debut, Parallel, was my favorite last year and her second book is undoubtedly going to be my favorite this year. I loved how accurate the world sounded and how real it felt. I could literally picture myself in Rory's place and going through the same things she did and even reacting the same way, though I wouldn't share everything with my roommate :D It was so easy to connect with her and so easy to fall in love with her story. Lauren Miller did a great job with pacing, initially I though it was slow, but once Rory was in the Academy, things picked up pretty fast and before I knew it, I was already in the end and longing for few more pages. I highly recommend Free To Fall to anyone who loves technology because you're surely going to have a kick out this!

Connect with Lauren Miller: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway

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Follow The Tour

May 17: Fictitious Delicious REVIEW + MUSIC PLAY LIST

May 18: Once Upon A Twilight REVIEW

May 19: Scott Reads It REVIEW + 10 RANDOM THINGS

May 20: Step Into Fiction REVIEW

May 21: Enticed By Books REVIEW

May 22: Loving Lit REVIEW

May 23: RealityLapse REVIEW + TENS LIST

May 24: A Dream Within A Dream REVIEW + AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 25: Wholly Books REVIEW + WHAT’S IN MY PURSE/ON DESK

May 26: Swoony Boys Podcast REVIEW + THIS OR THAT

Review: Rush Too Far by Abbi Glines

May 14, 2014 Aman 4

Title: Rush Too Far
Author: Abbi Glines
Publication: Atria Books | May 6, 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Series: Rosemary Beach, Too Far
Source: Bought
Goodreads • Amazon • Book Depository

Fallen Too Far was Blaire's story. Now it's time for Rush to share his side.

Everyone in Rosemary Beach thinks they know how Rush Finlay and Blaire Wynn fell in love. But Rush is back to tell his side of the story...

Rush has earned every bit of his bad-boy reputation. The three-story beach house, luxury car, and line of girls begging for time between his sheets are the envy of every guy in Rosemary Beach, and Rush handles it all with the laid-back cool of a rock star’s son. All he needs are his best friend, Grant, and his sister, Nan.

Until Blaire Wynn drives into town in her beat-up pickup truck with a pistol under her seat. The Alabama farm girl instantly captures Rush’s attention once he discovers that the angelic beauty is his new stepsister, but he vows to keep his distance. Even if she needs his help. Even if he craves her.

Because Rush knows why Blaire is all alone in the world, forced to ask for help from the father who abandoned her three years ago. And he knows if he gets too close it will destroy Nan, who has a secret connection to Blaire.

He has every reason in the world to stay away from her. Find out why he doesn’t.

Rush Too Far completely took me by surprise! Besides some Colleen Hoover reads, I've had some pretty bad luck with different POV books, usually they are boring, repetitive and pointless, but I'm happy to report that that was not the case with this book. It's not because Rush gave us some new content, there was hardly anything new about this book, minus a couple of Nan, Grant and Abe scenes here and there; it also wasn't because I fell in lurve with Rush's bad boy persona (I already was in love! Nothing new here as well), I think the reason why I loved this retelling so much was because I really wanted to read something from Rosemary Beach series and since I don't reread and I've already read all the other books in this series, this was naturally my next go-to read. Furthermore, being the biggest fan of Fallen Too Far, I knew that there was no chance of any disappointment from Abbi this time around.

Rush Too Far was basically the same story from Rush's perspective. But unlike, Walking Disaster where it felt like we were reading the exact same book again, Rush Too Far gave us some new insight into Rush's mind that made this book worth my time (now money is another issue!). The part I enjoyed the most was seeing how rough and stern he was with Abe; from their first conservation over Blair's arrival, it is clear to anyone listening that Rush can not stand Abe and if it were up to him, there would be no Abe in the picture. I loved that he constantly reminded his whiny mom and douchey Abe about who held the power in this house. Now that's the Rush I fell in love with in this series, but I don't think we ever saw this side of him until the second book. One thing that bothered me was how quickly he took the role of a protector for Blaire when mere pages ago, he hated what she represented to Nan. The attraction was a little rushed, but what the hell, I still love it!

Speaking of Nan, I have always hated her because of her bitchy, immature personality, but in this book, I felt sorry for her. Nan is the way she is because her mom was not a good, responsible mother. Georgina didn't know how to handle the father talk with Nan when she was just a kid and instead of thinking it through and finding a good enough answer, she spewed hatred in the little kid's mind with her mean words. If Nan was a teenager, I would want to help her deal with her issues, but she is grown up. There is no place for stupidity at her age, she needs to open her eyes and face the reality like a sensible person, but I guess that's too much to ask off her.

Final verdict: Rush Too Far didn't offer anything special in particular, but I would still highly recommend Rush fans to read this book because seeing him fall in love and give up everything up for Blaire, seeing that process happen was swoonalicious in itself! If you're someone like me who doesn't do rereads and want to visit Blaire and Rush one more time, I would encourage you to pick up this book and enjoy the ride!

Waiting on Wednesday (50)

May 13, 2014 Aman 4

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Breaking The Spine.

This week's WoW is by one of my favorite NA authors! None other than Jamie McGuire! She's writing a spin off to Beautiful Disaster with Travis' brothers as the main lead and the first book is going to be about Trenton, the second youngest of the five Travis brothers! I can't wait! Sidenote: Look at the cover!!! It's gorgeous!

Title: Beautiful Oblivion
Author: Jamie McGuire
Publication: Atria Books | July 1, 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Series: Maddox Brothers #1
Goodreads • Amazon • Book Depository

The Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster phenomenon continues in the first heart-pounding new adult romance in The Maddox Brothers series.

Fiercely independent Camille "Cami" Camlin gladly moved on from her childhood before it was over. She has held down a job since before she could drive, and moved into her own apartment after her freshman year of college. Now tending bar at The Red Door, Cami doesn’t have time for much else besides work and classes, until a trip to see her boyfriend is cancelled, leaving her with a first weekend off in almost a year.

Trenton Maddox was the king of Eastern State University, dating co-eds before he even graduated high school. His friends wanted to be him, and women wanted to tame him, but after a tragic accident turned his world upside down, Trenton leaves campus to come to grips with the crushing guilt.

Eighteen months later, Trenton is living at home with his widower father, and works full-time at a local tattoo parlor to help with the bills. Just when he thinks his life is returning to normal, he notices Cami sitting alone at a table at The Red.

As the baby sister of four rowdy brothers, Cami believes she’ll have no problem keeping her new friendship with Trenton Maddox strictly platonic. But when a Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever—even if she is the only reason their already broken family could fall apart.

In the first installment of the Maddox Brothers books, readers can experience the rush of reading Beautiful Disaster for the first time, all over again.

Did you read that last sentence? YES PLEASE!!!

What are you waiting on this week?

Top Ten Tuesday (24)

May 12, 2014 Aman 7

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and Bookish.

Topic: Books I Almost Put Down But Didn't

There are a few books I almost DNFed but didn't, some were worth the extra read, while others were just a disappointment. Here they are!

The Ones With Great Endings

The Ones with Meh Endings

The Ones with Disappointing Endings

Can you believe I almost DNFed Under the Never Sky? That most certainly wouldn't been a mistake because turns out, it's one of my favorites series of all time! The beginning is a bit slow though. Majority of the books in this list were a disappointment and some of them I wished I would've DNFed and saved me some time.

Have you read any of these books? What's your opinion on them?

Special News from Tracey Garvis Graves!!!

May 11, 2014 Aman 1

Hi Everyone! I have something special to share with you guys! Tracey Garvis Graves, the author of my all time favorite contemporary, On The Island and Covet, is coming out with a new book this year called Every Time I Think of You!!! The best part is that it's going to be an Adult Romantic Suspense and I CAN'T WAIT!!! Here's a bit more about the book and thanks to Wordsmith Publicity, I even have an excerpt to share with you guys!

Title: Every Time I Think of You
Author: Tracey Garvis Graves
Publication: Self Published | TBA, 2014
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
Goodreads •

Thirty-year-old Daisy DiStefano has two people she holds dear: the grandmother who raised her, and her three-year-old son, Elliott. But when Daisy’s grandmother is killed in a seemingly random act of violence, Daisy must take steps to protect herself and her child.

Despite a thriving career in San Francisco, thirty-six-year-old Brooks McClain has returned home to spend what little time his mother has left before she succumbs to the deadly disease that is ravaging her. The seasoned investigative reporter has taken a position with the local newspaper and been on the job less than twenty-four hours when he’s summoned to cover the death of Pauline Thorpe.

Brooks is all business, but the more time he spends with Daisy DiStefano, the more invested he becomes; there’s something about a single mother, a defenseless child, and an unsolved crime that has stirred Brooks’s protective instincts like nothing ever has before.

And when the unthinkable happens, Brooks will do whatever it takes to clear the name of the woman he’s fallen for and the child he’ll protect at any cost.

Romantic and suspenseful, Every Time I Think of You shows how far two people will go to fight for the ones they love, and the life they’ve always imagined.

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Excerpt

My watch said 11:00 p.m. Way too late to show up unannounced, but I knocked on Daisy’s door anyway, picturing her tip-toeing quietly to look through the peephole. It took a full minute because I’d undoubtedly roused her from a sound sleep. But then she opened the door far enough for me to cross the threshold and locked it again behind me.

The apartment was dark, save for a small beam of light that spilled into the hallway from her bedroom. As my eyes adjusted I noticed her hair. I’d never seen it down before. It fell way past her shoulders and was slightly messy, like she’d been tossing and turning in her sleep before I arrived. She wore a pair of pajama pants and a tank top with narrow straps, one of which had fallen off her shoulder.

“What is it?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

“My mom died,” I said. It felt strange to say the words out loud. My voice sounded flat, unemotional.

“I’m so sorry, Brooks,” she said, but she didn’t say anything else.

I wanted something that would take away the empty, restless feeling inside of me. Something solid and real. She was standing close enough that one step was all I needed to close the gap between us. She must have taken a shower right before she went to bed because when I plunged my hands into all that hair, grabbing fistfuls and pulling her up against me, I felt the dampness and smelled the faint traces of her shampoo.

I moved my hands to the sides of her face and cupped it. She didn’t miss a beat when I pressed my lips to hers. She was probably wondering how I could possibly kiss her at a time like this, but it didn’t stop her from putting her arms around me and kissing me back like it was exactly what she needed, too.

Like the steady turn of a release valve, everything that had been bottled up inside of me escaped slowly through that kiss. I hadn’t realized how rigidly I’d been holding my body until it slackened against hers. How tightly I’d been clenching my jaw until I relaxed it to kiss her. All the tension I’d been feeling disappeared when she opened her mouth and let me in.

It was a long slow kiss, the kind that wasn’t meant to lead to anything else and was all the more powerful because of it. When I’d finally had enough I said, “I don’t know why I came. It’s late. I woke you up.”

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “I don’t mind.”

“Go back to bed,” I whispered.

She nodded and I opened the door. “Lock this behind me,” I said, and I waited in the hallway until I heard the tumble of the lock clicking into place.

About Tracey Garvis Graves

Tracey Garvis-Graves is the author of On the Island and Covet. She lives in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa with her husband, two children, and hyper dog Chloe. She blogs at www.traceygarvisgraves.com using colorful language and a snarky sense of humor to write about pop culture, silly television shows, and her suburban neighborhood. You can e-mail her at traceygarvisgraves@yahoo.com. She’d love to hear from you.

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