Gone by Anna Bloom - Review and Giveaway

SYNOPSIS:

Title: Gone
Author: Anna Bloom
Genre: Mature YA (intended for readers ages 16-19)
Publication: July 28th, 2014

Rebecca Walters harbours a dark secret, and as the fifty-three bangles she wears on her wrists as a self-imposed sentence of guilt remind her, she can’t even begin to consider moving on. Not after what happened on that night six months ago… a night which she can’t remember and yet managed to change her life forever.

When Rebecca comes across Joshua Adams, man equally haunted by past tragedies, on a moonlit beach, both of their lives are destined to change forever, and when the girl made out of the sun meets the boy made out of the moon and sea, anything can happen… but will the knowledge of their murky pasts bring them together or drive them apart?

Will Rebecca finally be able to claim her freedom? Will she stay and fight to be the girl she found on the sandy beaches of Cornwall or is she destined to keep running and hiding from a past that won’t stay Gone? One thing’s for certain: either way, nothing will ever be the same again.

Amazon                  Barnes and Noble

○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○

MY THOUGHTS:

5 out of 5 stars

Gah.  This summer has been a bit different for me in that I've been on a bit of a rereading kick and have sort of put the blog on "vacation mode" to let my batteries recharge and maybe figure out a few things.  I definitely cut back on the number of book tours on my schedule.  

But this book - it has called to me from the very first time I saw it mentioned in a book blast sign up.  I love good angst and there was something about it that called to me and even though I really did intend to stay away from scheduled reviews, I knew I had to read it.

Y'all, when the book heart knows, the book heart knows.

Gone absolutely owns me right now.  I want to gush about it and quote pretty words and talk about how the angst was just the perfect amount without being over the top and how much I enjoyed the characters and how I wanted to make everything better and how Joshua is now my new book boyfriend.

Joshua.

Dreadlocked surfer painter boy with a heart and a car named Daisy.  For real.  My inner 20 year old is in love (and maybe my 39 year old self is a little bit as well).

He makes me grinny.

There was so much emotion in this story...I felt a little bit of everything, but not too much of anything if that makes sense.  The darkness felt by Rebecca and by Joshua was balanced with hope and swoons, the anger and sadness with happiness.  The angst...it was so so so good.

I'm sitting here writing my thoughts and wishing that I could just gush endlessly about Gone.  I want to reread it already.  I want to read it for the first time all over again.  I want to gather all my bookish friends and watch them read it and then talk about all our favorite parts.  As an emotional reader, I connected with this book in a way that doesn't always happen and I can't recommend this book enough.

○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Anna Bloom is a contemporary romance writer who writes about life as it happens. Combining a busy schedule of looking after two small children whilst working in a local school and completing The Uni Files series she also spends a lot of time imagining kissing hot guys – all in the name of her art.

                  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads  

○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make it Count by Megan Erickson - Review and Giveaway

SYNOPSIS:

Kat Caruso wishes her brain had a return policy, or at least a complaint hot-line. The defective organ is constantly distracted, terrible at statistics, and absolutely flooded with inappropriate thoughts about her boyfriend’s gorgeous best friend, Alec…who just so happens to be her brand new math tutor. Who knew nerd was so hot?

Kat usually goes through tutors like she does boyfriends—both always seem to bail when they realize how hopeless she is. It’s safer for her heart to keep everyone at arm’s reach. But Alec is always stepping just a little too close.

Alec Stone should not be fantasizing about Kat. She’s adorable, unbelievably witty, and completely off limits. He’d never stab his best friend in the back…

But when secrets are revealed, the lines of loyalty are blurred. To make it count, Alec must learn messy human emotions can’t be solved like a trigonometry function. And Kat has to trust Alec may be the first guy to want her for who she is, and not in spite of it.

MY THOUGHTS:

5 out of 5 stars

This book is ridiculously cute.  I'm talking "couldn't wipe the smile off my face when I finished it" level cute.  It made me happy and who doesn't love it when a book does that?

Kat is everything.  Funny, sassy, witty, and though she has her insecurities, she is determined to graduate from college and make something of her life.  She refuses to settle for working in the front office of her family's business.  Nope.

And Cam.  Holy nerdy hotness, Batman.  I fully admit I'm a sucker for a ridiculously smart boy in glasses.  But beyond the flutters, Cam believes in Kat and knows that she isn't as "stupid" as she is convinced she is.  That she is more than just a pretty face and flirty girl that she projects when she gets defensive.

Which brings me to what I loved so much about this book.  So many books in the New Adult genre focus on traumatic relationships, previous abuse, even current abuse -- and don't get me wrong, those topics are SO very important -- but Make it Count focuses on an issue that I don't see get nearly the attention it deserves.  While my issues are not the same as Kat, I remember struggling a bit with my classes in college and thinking that maybe I wasn't cut out for it -- ok, and maybe part of that was the fact that 8:00 classes were so early and it was super easy to hit the snooze button.  But when I met the man that would eventually become my husband, for whatever reason, he took it upon himself to make me realize that I wasn't as academically hopeless as I was starting to think I was.  And to this day, that still means so much to me.

Cam truly cares about Kat.  Sure there is physical attraction, and swoons, and more than a few moments where I needed to stop and fan myself, but there was also genuine care between characters.  All the characters -- primary, secondary, even Kat's ex-boyfriend managed to redeem himself after a bit.  There wasn't one single character that I felt was superfluous or a bit ridiculous.  They all seemed real and I can't wait to see where Megan Erickson takes them in this series.

So...basically what I'm saying is that I loved every single thing about Make it Count.  Thank you so much to Edelweiss and the lovely ladies at Bookslapped for allowing me a chance to read and review this fun book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Megan worked as a journalist covering real-life dramas before she decided she liked writing her own endings better and switched to fiction. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kids and two cats. When she's not tapping away on her laptop, she's probably listening to the characters in her head who won't stop talking.

Website: meganerickson.org

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeganErickson_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormeganerickson

Amazon buy link: http://amzn.to/1jxeZI8

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/make-it-count-megan-erickson/1118915758?ean=9780062353399&itm=1&usri=make+it+count

GIVEAWAY:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stolen Course (Wrecked and Ruined #2) by Aly Martinez - Review and Giveaway

Title: Stolen Course (Wrecked and Ruined #2)
Author: Aly Martinez
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 19, 2014

SYNOPSIS:

I fell in love with Manda Baker eight years ago, and I loved her to the core of her soul. We were supposed to have that elusive happily ever after and spend a lifetime together. But that was all before she was STOLEN from me.

Her best friend, Sarah Erickson, killed her. It wasn’t intentional. It was far worse. Everyone claims it was just an accident, but I can see through the lies. Even if it’s with my dying breath, I will make her pay for what she did.

Fate hates me. It robbed me of my first love and left me to navigate through this world emotionless and numb. Then, one day, spiteful fate gave me a woman to fill my shattered soul and make me feel again. It gave me Emma Jane Erickson. Now I spend my days searching for the answers that will ruin Sarah and my nights falling in love with her sister—the one person who is bound and determined to save her.

But what happens when everything you know to be true explodes around you? Who will be left to pick up the pieces, and who will need to be saved from the wreckage?

**Each book in this series can be read as a stand alone.**

PURCHASE LINKS:

Stolen Course (Wrecked and Ruined #2)

Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N

Changing Course (Wrecked and Ruined #1)

Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N
 

MY THOUGHTS:

5 out of 5 stars

Can I just tell you how much I loved this book?  The whole Wrecked and Ruined series?  I mean, I am in forever debt to Celeste over at The Book Hookup for telling me about the signups for this tour because I consumed every last word.

(Due to a scheduling conflict, I am posting this review before I post my review of  the first book in the series, Changing Course, and it may SLIGHTLY be messing with my bookish-OCD tendencies.  I keep telling myself that this is a good opportunity for me to grow as a blogger.)

Stolen Course picks up shortly after Changing Course ends.  Leaving Brett and Jesse's story behind, it is now time to learn more about Caleb and Emma.**

Right from the start, from the very first interaction, their relationship seemed doomed.  Emma's sister is responsible for Caleb's fiancee's death...I mean, not exactly a simple issue to overcome.  In fact, the more I think about it, their situation is probably one of the toughest scenarios I have read in all my romantical perusings.

But as we all know, emotions and attraction aren't always in sync and from the moment Caleb sees Emma in the hospital, he can't get her out of his mind and it frustrates him.  They can not happen.  Can. Not.  Nope.

Until he decides that maybe he just needs to act on it, make her one of his passing encounters, since those are the only type of relationships he has managed to have since the accident.  Since Manda.  Surely that will be enough.

Yeah, right.

There are so many unanswered questions that come into play and need to be addressed, not to mention the issues of forgiveness, letting go, guilt, family responsibility, healing...all the things that make Stolen Course so much more than a simple romance book. 

Y'all...Caleb and Emma's story blew me away.  Up and down and over and under and around and up and down again.  Knowing what I know from the first book, I had no idea where Aly Martinez was going to take this book.  I mean, the visceral thoughts I had about Emma's sister...I haven't loathed a character like that in a ridiculously long time...and while admittedly unfair, I had some serious preconceived notions about Emma.

And some serious flutters about Caleb.  

The good thing about books though, is that they tell a story.  And that maybe just when we think we know everything there is to know about a situation, we realize that we don't.  Because, yeah...because.  #nospoilers 

I absolutely loved Caleb and Emma together.  And while they definitely had their ups and downs, and while Caleb, in true form, had moments where he was a bit of an ass, their chemistry was undeniable.  They made total sense and their personalities absolutely worked together.  When the book ended, I was sad to let them go.  Yay for strong characters!

So, here is what needs to happen.  You need to go and read this book, this series and then we can talk about Brett and Caleb all the bookish things.  Yeah.  That.  I need something to do while I wait for the next book in the Wrecked and Ruined series -- is it September yet?!?!?


**One thing I do feel like I need to mention is while this book can technically be read as a stand alone, I HIGHLY recommend reading Changing Course first.  Not because the plot depends on the first book, but simply because it will allow you to have a deeper understanding of the dynamic and connection between characters.   

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in Chicago, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side. After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.
Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Whisper to Me (Between Breaths #3) by Christina Lee

SYNOPSIS:

A hot and consuming New Adult romance about a wayward musician and the one girl who keeps him grounded…

At college, Rachel has a reputation for being a sarcastic flirt with a thing for star athletes. No one at school knows that she’d had her heart ripped to shreds by her high school sweetheart, who’d driven them both off the side of the road on a borrowed motorcycle, and then abandoned her. No one knows the real Rachel Mattson—except one person…

Ever since he helped nurse his sister’s feisty best friend back to health, pierced bass player Kai Nakos has been head over heels in love. But the supposed bad boy can’t risk letting Rachel know the truth—especially now that the two of them are back in their hometown for the summer, together for the first time since the months following that fateful night. Never mind that Rachel’s ex is back, groveling for her forgiveness.

Shaken by her ex’s return, Rachel finds herself turning to the one guy she knows she can trust. Kai is willing to hide his feelings for her, just to have Rachel touch him again. After all, this is only a temporary fling. Until it becomes something more. But maybe it had been more all along.

MY THOUGHTS:

4 out of 5 stars

After reading and enjoying the previous books in the Between Breaths series by Christina Lee, Whisper to Me was everything I had hoped it would be and maybe even a little bit more.

This book tells the story of Rachel and Kai.  And while I have to admit that it took me a little while to remember how Rachel fit in with the series, once I placed her, I was excited to learn more.  As the more...ahem, social...of the trio of friends (Avery and Emma being the other two), I didn't feel a strong connection with her as a character, so it almost felt like I was starting completely over from the beginning.

Not unlike Rachel.

What I really liked about this story was the fact that Rachel and Kai had a history even before the story begins.  Friends since childhood, there were no real secrets between the two, aside from their developing attraction towards the other.  In fact, there were more secrets between Rachel and Dakota (her BFF and Kai's sister) than there were between Rachel and Kai.  They just "got" each other.  They were friends before and they were so determined to remain friends that their chemistry was really the only speed bump on the path towards the next step in their relationship.

I mean, what a tough problem to have, right?  </sarcasm>  No lies, no deceit, no cheating...seems like an easy obstacle to overcome, right?

You'd think.

But is a summer romance with somebody that knows your heart and soul worth the risk of losing them forever?  

As the story progresses, I started to realize that Rachel was so much more than she seemed in the other two books.  While in the previous installments, she never seemed to have a care in the world and seemed so certain of her path in life, the truth is actually the opposite.  The only real constant in her life has been Kai and it is only when they are together that she starts to realize that she isn't being true to herself or to her friends.  He allows her to feel safe and face the reality that she has been trying so hard to change.  

As for Kai, he has always been a bit of a lost soul.  The "bad boy" that really wasn't.  The brother who lived in the shadow of an over-achieving sister.  The musically talented son that always felt that he was disappointing his parents by not wanting to run the family business.  I found myself rooting for him from the very beginning.  

Simply put, I loved these two characters together.  I loved watching them travel down the friends to more path, all the while growing as individuals.  Their solid history as true friends allows them to support the other completely without having the issues of a brand new relationship getting in the way.  To me, they are about as real as two fictional characters can get and I truly enjoyed their story. 

 

Review: All of You by Christina Lee

From Goodreads:

Avery has just met her hot upstairs neighbor. He's irresistible. Tattooed. And a virgin.

Nursing student Avery Michaels wants nothing to do with dating—she's perfectly happy single. Privy to too many of her mother's bad decisions and even worse taste in boyfriends, all Avery can handle is a string of uncomplicated hookups whenever the mood strikes.

When she meets smoking hot tattoo artist Bennett, she wants him—for just one night. But he won't accept a no-strings-attached arrangement. He lives by a straight-laced code of values based on his own troubled upbringing.

Bennett sees something special in Avery and he wants more from her. Way more. As Avery wrestles with her emotions for Bennett, danger and tragedy force them to open up to each other. And Avery must face the terrifying realization that she wants more from him, too.

So she needs to make a choice—let Bennett go or finally let him in.

You know what, I really enjoyed reading this book.  

In a world filled with stories of good girls and bad boys, it was nice to see this dynamic.  Not that Avery is a "bad" girl, but she is definitely not like so many of the heroines we meet these days.  Having recognized the shortcomings and failings of her mother, she has taken control of her life and refuses to let a relationship define her.  Men and love are trouble with a capital T and she's better off without the distraction.  

Until she meets Bennett.

 
Bennett.  Gah, I need a minute to compose myself because just thinking about him makes me get all kinds of starry-eyed.  Like Avery, he also had a childhood that was far from textbook, but instead of emotional walls, he chooses abstinence.  Knowing what it was like living with a single mother, he refuses to be that man. 

Once Avery realizes that Bennett won't fit into her lifestyle, she tries her hardest to forget about him.  Easier said than done once he moves into an apartment in the same building.  

I love it when fate decides to intervene.

The dynamic between Avery and Bennett is one of my favorites in the New Adult genre.  With the proverbial lines drawn in the sand, they try to just be friends...and we all know how that ends up.  The chemistry between them is palpable, but beyond that, they genuinely care about each other.  Because they GET each other.

But with that connection comes a bit of vulnerability, and I'd be wrong if I didn't say that the two of them are ridiculously stubborn at times.  Thankfully there are strong secondary characters that do their best to knock some sense into Bennett and Avery and allow them to see what they could be missing.  Not gonna lie, I absolutely adored Mrs. Jackson and the role she played in this story.  What a gem.       

It is hardly a secret that I love swoony boys with ink and that I've been known to fist-pump when I find a story that has a heroine that refuses to be a Bella Swan doormat.  This book has both.  Add to the mix a storyline that didn't seem contrived or ridiculous and All of You is a book that did not disappoint.

  





 

Review: Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover

Where to even start about this book?  I finished it a few days ago and my thoughts are still all over the place.  I guess I'll start in the beginning.  Colleen Hoover has made me question everything I've ever believed about books that are a retelling in a different POV.  Until now, I've just sort of thought of them as a gimmick, or at times, even a cheap ploy to grasp on to readers (and before anybody gets offended, it was my opinion of the CONCEPT, not of a particular author or story) -- but maybe I need to rethink my generalization.  Because holy cow, Holder's POV of this story added an entire new level of depth and emotion that blew me away.

(In case you haven't read Hopeless, don't worry.  I'm not going to give away any plot twists or spoilers.  But definitely make sure you read it.)

This book was not just a retelling of Hopeless.  It answered questions I had as a reader.  It filled in gaps that were inevitable reading from Hope's POV.  It made me love Holder even more than I did before and you should have seen my flails when I was reading the first book.  Hello, book boyfriend.Holder in the first book was swoony.  But Holder exposed like he is in this book...

Not only do we get to hear his thoughts, but we also see more interaction with his friends and, most importantly, we gain more insight into his relationship with his sister -- and how this affects his relationship and deep connection with Hope.

I haven't had the opportunity to read as much as I'd planned over the summer because of various real life interferences, but from the moment I started this book, I couldn't put it down.  And I already want to reread the series again.

Some books just make you FEEL...this is one of them.

Review: Flirting with Disaster (Camelot #3) by Ruthie Knox

Dear Ruthie Knox -- I adore you.

How is it that you always manage to write books that I can't put down? Please don't ever stop ;)

Flirting with Disaster is the third book in the Camelot series and the story of Katie (Caleb and Amber's younger sister) and Sean.

Like we learned in the 2nd book, Katie has returned from Alaska and a failed marriage to her high school sweetheart. She is the office manager for Caleb's security firm but aspires to do more with her life and decides to take a shot at being a field agent.

Enter Sean Owens. An acquaintance from high school, a temporary transplant from California, an agent in the office...and Katie's new partner.

Can we just talk a minute about how much I love Sean. He is all the things a good contemporary romance hero should be and then more. I mean...I. Love. Him. And without giving anything away, can I just say that for the first time in my life, I wish I lived somewhere where it snowed.

What I loved the most about this book was the fact that while Katie and Sean both have obvious flaws, neither one of them allows their weaknesses to define them. They are both true survivors who, even their weakest moments, aren't too proud to refuse help from their friends and family. And eventually each other.

The chemistry between Katie and Sean is evident from the very beginning -- and watching it grow and evolve into more kept me up reading way past my bedtime. Their story is believable and the ending totally works.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in advance.

On the Island - Tracey Garvis-Graves

You know that feeling when you finish a really really good book and when you put it down you sort of feel like nothing you ever read will be as good as the one you just finished?  I call those book hangovers and I have one.  It is ugly. 

I remember seeing On the Island mentioned quite a bit when it was first published last summer and I've had it on my Kindle for months, but it had gotten buried somewhere on page 4 or 5 and I had forgotten about it.  On a whim, I started reading it on Wednesday afternoon and from the beginning, I couldn't. put. it. down.

I have to confess, I think part of the reason I had put off reading it so long is because the first thing I noticed when reading about the book was that it told the story of a 30 year old teacher being stranded on an island with a 16 year old student.  I mean, hello -- giant red warning flags, right?  But I sort of hate that it is even mentioned because that is SO not what this story is about and yet it was always kind of in the back of my mind saying "what kind of book is this going to be?".  Until all of a sudden, it was gone. Please don't let my ramblings scare you off -- I promise I wouldn't tell you to read something squicky.

Trust me.

Anna and TJ are on their way to a summer in the Maldives when tragedy strikes and their plane crashes.  After they survive the impact, they somehow make it to a deserted island where they hope for rescue.  Surely somebody will be searching for them, right?  Right?

Right?

Hours turn to days...to weeks...to months...to years.

As the story progresses, you find yourself pulling for these characters, for Anna and TJ to survive.  You don't see 30 and 16, you see trust and growth and strength.  Told in alternating POVs, this book evoked every possible reaction.  I laughed, I smiled, I cried, I was scared, I cried, I cheered, I was angry...and when I finished it, I was sooooo sad.  Not because of what happens, but because it was over.  Gah, it is so hard to write what I want to say without giving anything away.

Tracey Garvis-Graves writes beautifully.  The story was fluid even with the alternating POVs and captivating.  I look forward to reading more by this author.   

On a side note -- Jaime and Bri and Tara and Jess...WHY did you not make me read this one sooner? 

"Waiting On" Wednesday

What book are you anxiously waiting for?  My to-read list is over 300 books long, but the one I can't seem to get out of my head is the 3rd and final book in the Divergent trilogy - Allegiant

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

Is it October yet???

Leave me a comment and let me know what book you can't wait to get your hands on!

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a meme hosted by the lovely bloggers at Breaking the Spine - head on over and see what other readers can't wait to read.

The Fault in Our Stars - John Green

Run, don't walk and read this book.  And bring tissues.
 

If I could wrap up one of the 153 books I read last year and give it to everybody I know, this one would be it.   Amazing.

You can learn more about it here.

Have a great weekend!

The Testing - Joelle Charbonneau

4.5 Stars.   

Expected publication:  June 2013

It is no small secret that I am a bit of a dystopian junkie, so when I had the chance to read a galley of The Testing from Netgalley, I jumped all over it.  The first book in a new trilogy, a strong female main character, did I mention it was dystopian?  GIMME.

I was not disappointed.

Cia Vale has spent her entire life dreaming about being selected to attend University after graduation.  The world is rebuilding after the Seven Stages War and the University is where the brightest and best go to become leaders.  Growing up in the Five Lakes, Cia is more than aware of the fact that there hadn't been a candidate chosen from her sector in many many years, and when the graduation ceremony finishes just as it has in previous years, it looks as though nothing had changed.

Until it does.  

Cia and three other new Five Lakes graduates are selected and they are given 24 hours to pack and say goodbye to their families.

I know, I know...this sounds sooooo much like The Hunger Games.  In fact, for the first little bit, that was all I could think of.  Cia = Katniss.  I kept waiting for her to bust out the bow and arrow...and while there IS a crossbow involved, it doesn't belong to Cia.  

As I continued to read, I found myself focusing more on the story itself rather than the similarities.  I was completely drawn in and The Testing began to stand solidly on its own.  It is no surprise that Cia is a smart smart girl, yet she is not perfect.  The Testing is difficult physically, mentally, emotionally - and what I particularly liked about this story is that the author doesn't make Cia immune to the challenge.  She struggles.  She doubts.  She questions everything - both what she encounters with each new day and what she thought she already knew.  Her character is believable. 

Especially knowing that she has a weakness for dimples and a crooked smile.  Hello, Tomas!

Being the first book in a trilogy, The Testing ends in a bit of a cliffie - yet it wasn't so dramatic that I wanted to throw things and scream about the wait.  It was in the right place...there was enough closure to make me feel like the book was over yet enough left out there that I am anxiously awaiting the next installment.  

Well done, Ms. Charbonneau.  You passed the test.  (I know, I know...I couldn't resist!)   




You can learn more about The Testing here.