Swoon Thursday #1

http://yabound.blogspot.com

My first swoon! And it's from Tight Knit by Allie Brennan.

"A little closer," he whispers now. His knees spread even wider apart, and I step in between them. He's leaning over me and I feel his breath on my face. My arms are locked at my side. "We shouldn't, Lachlan." My head is angled down. My voice is breathy. It matches the light but also heavy feelings in my chest, my stomach, my knees. I feel like I'm floating and sinking at the same time. "I know we shouldn't." he touches his forehead to mine. "But I want to. I have to. It's killing me."

Ahhh! So good. Loving this book!!!

-M.

Quickie Review: Double Crossed by Ally Carter

Macey McHenry—Glamorous society girl or spy-in-training?

W.W. Hale V—Heir to an American dynasty or master thief?

There are two sides to every coin. Whether these two can work together is a tossup.

Born into privilege, Macey and Hale are experts at mingling with the upper class. But even if they’ve never raised an eyebrow at the glitz, neither teenager has ever felt at home with the glamour.

When Macey and Hale meet at a society gala, the party takes a dangerous turn. Suddenly they’re at the center of a hostage situation, and it’s up to them to stop the thugs from becoming hostile. Will Macey’s spy skills and Hale’s con-man ways be enough to outsmart a ruthless gang? Or will they have to seek out the ultimate inside girl to help?

The worlds of Heist Society and the Gallagher Girls collide in Ally Carter’s fast-paced, high-stakes and tantalizing new story. Get a behind the scenes glimpse as Ally delivers an irresistible thriller that is full of her signature style and savvy twists.

Review:

Ally Carter was my first YA author to ever read, and she got me started reading more. I loved her GG series, and Heist Society. Ally really knows how to plot.

In DOUBLE CROSSED Macey (from GG) and Hale (from Heist) come together to try and solve a crime, and it was so good. I would have never guessed how had set the whole thing up from the beginning  And it's always cool when totally different characters from two books come together to help, always something I enjoy alot!

And how it was from second person POV (not a real POV, but that's what I call it) Ally does such a great job with that, I just love her books. And this one didn't disappoint!

It's FREE now! So go and get your ecopy! :)

I can't wait for GG6, and Heist 3!

Rating:

5 stars!

-M.

Quickie Review: The Next Forever by Lisa Burstien

One night in college can change everything…

Away at college, Amy just wants one night alone without her high school sweetheart, Joe. So when he invites her to go to the library, she heads off on her own instead. How she ended up at a house party with the mysterious bad-boy Trevor is another story…

Joe so isn’t going to the library. He needs space from Amy, too, so he’s decided to rush a fraternity, to get back the swagger he had in high school. But it doesn’t take long for the brothers to invite him to the real rush here the beer is flowing and one particular girl has set her eyes on Joe.

Over the course of one wild night, both Amy and Joe will have to decide if their futures belong with two new people, or whether the next forever will have their first loves in it.

Review:

I LOVED Pretty Amy, it totally said what was true, and I think I could save a lot of girls from doing things they shouldn't. It was a great life lesson.

THE NEXT FOREVER wasn't a life lesson, it was a NA Comtemp. Romance, and it was still good! I loved reading Amy and Joe's story.

The only thing that didn't enjoy very much, was how they kept arguing with themselves throughout the whole book, they weren't sure what they wanted, and they were having a hard time figuring out what they wanted, so through the whole book, it was them arguing with themselves.

Now, I'm not an adult yet, I'm still a teen, a young teen at that, and maybe I just didn't understand that. (most likely)

But the ending did it in for me, it was such a happy ending, and I hope we get to read more about Joe and Amy in the future!! And the cover...woooeee...;)

Rating:

4 stars!

-M.

It's Monday! What are YOU reading?

bookjourney.wordpress.com

This week, I am reading:

Talia Gregory relies on her Nan for everything, especially helping her calm the anxiety that controls her life. But Nan gets sick, and it couldn’t be worse timing. Talia’s panic attacks are getting worse, her boyfriend is a jerk, her best friend is distant, her parents are more absent than usual and she’s stuck planning the Cozy Christmas Charity Drive for her knitting group in place of Nan. If that’s not panic inducing enough, enter Lachlan.

Lachlan McCreedy doesn’t rely on anyone. Not after what he’s been through. It’s him and Gram, nothing else matters but keeping his past buried, and his secrets hidden. So when Gram forces him to help with her Christmas sale, Talia is the last thing he expected, and trusting her with his secrets comes as a shock to both of them. But when he unexpectedly falls for her, the question becomes can he trust her with his heart?

~Mature YA~>

I am SO excited about this one!!

-M.

Review: Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life....

Review:

Plot:

Again, I'm a sucker for great plots, and how the author ties everything together at the end. I totally can't do that...(at least now in the first book) I loved all the twists and turns, I loved all the places they went. I just love SF and Fantasy!

Characters:

Avry was a great character. I liked her, she was stubborn, but not too stubborn, I wasn't annoyed when she tried to stand up for something and be stubborn, I agreed with her.

I was Team Kerrick from the start. He was totally mean in the beinging, but Avry totally softened his heart. And it wasn't insta-love either. It was down-to-the-last-chapters-love. The BEST kind of love. It always makes you want the second book a whole lot more.

The monkeys were hilarious, how they all worked together, and accepted Avry, Belen was so sweet, Flea was awesome, and all the others were just great, I wish I could meet them! haha

Tohan, when we read about him drove me nuts with his 'my dears'. And he was so insane and boastful. O.o

Writing:

It was good writing. It wasn't horrible, or perfect. The only I thing I didn't like, was the lack of action. Like all the characters did half the time was: I said. how did she say it? Did she look at something a certain way when she said it? It was like they had no emotion on their voice. And also how it looked like the author was trying to make scenes shorter, for sake of words and pages. But the writing didn't make me hate the book. I was just a little disappointed.

Romance:

The romance didn't start to the very end of the book, and that was totally ok with me. I enjoyed it alot! Could use a little less on one page, looks like their relationship went too fast. But otherwise than that, it was kind of like MG romance, not describing everything in huge detail. I liked it!

Wrap up:

I loved Avry's healer powers, even though they had a catch, this book was awesome. It was MG until the last few chapters, and I liked it that way. YA authors should write like that a lot more. And the swearing wasn't huge either, which was a HUGE relief. I cannot WAIT for book 2!!

Rating:

4 stars.

-M.

Staking the Shelves #4

I got a 50$ gift card to B&N this week, so I have a lot more books than I did last week!!



Bought:

Exiled by M. R Merrick

The Next Forever by Lisa Burstien

Cinderella Complex by Rebekah L. Purdy

That Boy by Jillian Dodd

Once Again by Amy Durham


Gifted:

Tight Knit by Allie Brennan

---

What did ya'll get??

-M.

Waiting on Wens. #2

Today, I am waiting on:

June 11th 2013

I can't wait to see the cover!! 

What are YOU waiting on?

-M.

Stacking the Shelves #3

I didn't get much this week! The B&N gift card is all gone. :/

Library:

Batman: Death Mask by Yoshinori Natsume

Pre-ordered:

Double Crossed: a Spies and Thieves Story by Ally Carter.

...

What did you guys get this week?? Hopefully more than I did!

-M.

Quickie Review: Neverfall by Brodi Ashton

A thrilling new novella from the author of the Everneath series!

Jack is trapped for eternity in the Tunnels while Nikki has managed to evade Cole's grasp . . . for now. But Cole is more desperate than ever to find answers about Nikki, his best chance for taking over the throne of the underworld. How did she survive the Feed? Can Cole find another Forfeit like her who can survive it too?

Cole's quest leads him to the other side of the world, to a mysterious, dangerous society known as the Delphinians, whose price for information might be higher than Cole can pay—a price that could destroy Nikki. But when Cole attempts to steal the answers instead, his mission ends in disaster. Faced with centuries in a Delphinian dungeon, Cole is confronted with questions he's been too scared to ask himself: Is he really obsessed with the throne—or is he obsessed with Nikki? And can she really give him a new beginning as the Everneath's king . . . or will she instead bring about his tragic end?

The summary is a spoiler from the first book, Everneath. Highlight to read it!

Review:

I was excited about reading this, but I didn't read what I exepected. I always thought that Cole was awesome, and the story in Neverfall was awesome, but the writing didn't do anything for me. I know a lot of authors are trying to write from a guy's POV. But some can't do it, and this one didn't come off as a guy POV very well. But it wasn't horrible either, it was just in the middle.

But the plot was awesome! I would have never guessed the ending, or anything in between. Cole's goals are amazing, even though he fails to see the failure in them.

As always, I'm always Team Cole, and always will be. Even though Jack is awesome.

Rating:

4 stars!

-M.

Review: Breaking Waves by Danielle Sibarium

From the moment they met, Jenna knew Reece would break her heart, but she never dreamed it would happen like this. Jenna is left shattered and broken. When life becomes too painful to deal with and she feels completely alone, there’s only one person to help her pick up the pieces and move on. The one person she doesn’t want to turn to. The one person she promised to stay away from. Tyler. 

Can Jenna put aside everything she knows about him and let Tyler help heal her broken heart?

***this is spoiler free***

Plot:

Ok, so...going into this, I was SUPER excited. I'd been looking forward to reading more about this story since I finished Heart Waves. And guess what? I wasn't disappointed. The plot just got a whole lot better. At the beginning of Heart Waves, I had thought this would be a pretty normal story line, just about love. But no, at the end of Heart Waves, it all changed.

So all in all, this plot pretty much rocked. All the suspense, romance, um, EVERYTHING. Rocked.

Characters:

I've always liked Jenna. She's like a normal human being, with feelings. Not all tough. But in this book a little, had some mixed feelings on her character, but I still think she's an awesome character.

Reece didn't have a big part in this story, but when he was in it, he made me cry. He made Jenna cry. I think he made everyone cry. And since he had to go away, I didn't get to see much of him.

Tyler was a pretty new character, since we didn't see a lot of him in Heart Waves, and I can't say I liked him. Just like Jenna, I was confused and a little bit scared of his mood swings. But I think all he needs is some love.

I always get upset when parents, and best friends kind of gang up on the main character, and it happened again in Breaking Waves. I kept wanting to protect Jenna from Grace, and her parents. I just don't get characters like that! But it went really great with the plot.

Writing:

The writing it just down to the point. I love it. I couldn't get any better. No fancy words, or trying to describe one room in like five paragraphs. Danielle does an amazing job with telling her story without all the fancy things that some authors use in their writing.

Romance:

The romance was sketchy throughout this book, but I wasn't flipping through the pages waiting for the romance to happen. And since Reece had gone away for this book, Tyler was the step in for the romance, which really complicated things for Jenna and her heart. I can't really say how much I liked the romance between Tyler and Jenna...let's just say...Reece is still my favorite.

Wrap up:

I cried through most of this. And since I don't cry often, and most of the time, some actual tears almost fell from my eyes. This book completely rocks. By page like....1o, Danielle had me almost crying. Which I think really is a sign of a great author. And even though it was short, I still thought it was amazing.

Rating:

5 stars!

-M.

Teaser Tuesday #1

Today's teaser is from BREAKING WAVES by Danielle Sibarium!


"I turned my phone off. It was better this way. Even if Tyler remembered every minute from last night it didn't change the uncertainty and apprehension I'd had about him." - page 114, NOOK.






Buy BREAKING WAVES now: Barnes and Noble, Amazon.


Not sure it was a great teaser, I've only posted teasers of my books before. haha. I hope you enjoyed!!

-M.

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined. - Summary from Goodreads.

Review:

**if I misspell any characters names, or places, I apologize!**

Plot:

SO. SO. SO. Good. There was another new little plot line every few chapters. And all in the end, it tied together. The plotting was amazing. And so was the story line. All the little peeks at Celeana's past, and what life was like. Every once and awhile, you read a book that's so good, you have no idea what to say, but say "wow" and it was "amazing".

Characters:

Celeana was an awesome character. I loved her. She was witty, and sassy, but she had her weak points. Just like a normal person. And even she was in the Salt Mines for an entire year, she came out a normal person, as she can went in. She hadn't given up hope. I always tend to see some of myself, and my characters in other characters, and I def saw a lot of me, and one of my characters in Celeana.

Dorian was so handsome. I was on his team from the beginning. (and the ending, GAAAH.) He was so witty, and funny. Everything I like about a book boyfriend. Too bad I can't have him...

Choal was cool too. Even though I wasn't on his team, I think he had some strong points. Even though he tried to keep distance between him and Celeana, he eventually kind of gave in, and admitted to himself that he couldn't keep distance like that between them anymore. He makes a wonderful Captain of the Guard.

Those were the three real main characters, but everyone else, including the Ellye princess, were awesome characters. Maas has real talent with her characters.

Writing:

It was third person point of view, and I had no idea it was. But I really enjoyed it! And how in the middle of it, it started to switch from person to person, so you knew what some of the 'bad' characters were planning, and you start freaking out. (some books just give me almost heart attacks) And how there wasn't a lot of swearing either, I really enjoyed reading along. (I'm also a sucker for Medieval times...)

Romance:

SOOOOO GOOOOOD. Like I said, I was on Dorian's team from the beginning. And even the romance wasn't right away, the wait was worth it. And I wasn't even waiting for it either, I was nervously biting my nails when they were alone together, but I wasn't flipping through the pages, and waiting for them to kiss. It was just right. It didn't feel like it was drawn out just for the use for more words/pages.

Wrap Up:

All in conclusion, I loved this book. A lot of 2012's debuts were amazing. And the authors have a future ahead of them for sure. I would love to see this book as a movie, I think they could do it. And the ending, GAH. I had to speed through pages during the duel...I think I almost had an heart attack. Don't worry, Dorian, I still love you!

TOTALLY can't wait for book 2!!!

Rating:

5 stars! Wish I could give it more...

-M.

Stacking the Shelves #2

Check out what I got this week:

Bought:

Breaking Waves by Danielle Sibarium

Neverfall by Brodi Ashton

A Dance with Darkness by Courtney Allison Moulton.

Pre-ordered:

A Selection Novella: The Prince by Kiera Cass

Won:

The Dreamers by Olivier Dahl.

Robin is very curious on what you got...;)

-M.

Waiting on Wens. #1

Today, I am waiting on:

Click for Goodreads page.

I can't wait to get this from my library!!

What are you waiting on? Tell me in the comments!

-M.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

This Monday, I am reading:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

- Summary from Goodreads.

What are you reading? Tell me in the comments!!

-M.

Review: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Goodreads summary:

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Plot:

The plot was amazing. How Jennifer can plot so well is beyond me. If I'd try that, there would be loose ends everywhere. And the story line just keeps getting better and better! When I started reading the Lux series, I thought it would be sort of a contemp. plot, because of Katy, and her love for books, and everything else. But when the aliens joined the picture, and everything else that came with it...oh no....

Characters:

I love Katy. She is so cool, even though she drives me nuts with wanting to do everywhere her way. But in the end, it pays off. 

Daemon is just awesome. In the beginning of the series, he was a serious jerk, and I know a lot of people didn't enjoy that, but if you get to Opal and a little bit of Onyx, you'll see how he's more than a jerk, he's got layers....like an onion. (sorry! Had to use the Shrek reference.)

Dee, Ash, Andrew, weren't big main characters, but I loved them anyway. Dee's still hurting, but in the end, she comes back a little bit. And you got to see a better side of Ash in this book, even though she's still a brat. And Andrew doesn't speak much half the time, but he's still cool too.

Blake...oh Blake...I just couldn't figure him out at all. I knew they shouldn't trust him, but then I would trust him, and then something would happen and then I would trust him...he is a puzzle I tell you.

And along with the rest of the characters, it all worked. Jennifer is so talented!

Writing:

The writing was alright. It wasn't hard to read. And since I had just finished Phantom of the Opera, I was on a classic high. But Jennifer is still amazing with her writing. And she didn't add as many swear and cuss words as the past books, which was really great for me.

Romance:

Ah, yes. The romance. It was good at first, but then it got to the point where it was too much. And some scenes, I had to skim, and wait them to be over. I'm not a huge over doser or romance, but others, I know that's what they like. But Daemon and Katy are just so great together.

Wrap up:

I'm still choking up when I think about the ending. It was so beautifully tragic. *sniffs* I can't wait for Origin though! *cries some more* I can't believe I have to wait until July...but as an author, I totally get that, but STILL! *sobs*

Rating:

****.5

-M.

Stacking the Shelves #1

Tynga's Reviews

Click on the title for the link to the Goodreads page!

Ones I bought:

the One, and the Dark by Heather Self

Ones from the library:

Passion by Lauren Kate

Venom by Fiona Paul

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder


What did YOU get this week? Tell me below in the comments!


-M

Welcome!

I have picked up the review business again, and I'm hoping to stick to it this time! Stay tuned for reviews, and other posts!

-M.