Monday, October 31, 2016

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #282, October 31st

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!

What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #281
Teaser Tuesday #289
WWW Wednesday #289
WOW #286
Will the Time Come #280
Third Sentence Thursday #270
Random Reads #257
First Lines Friday #276
The Reward Challenge Update #267
Follow Friday #259
How Well I Stuck to It #111
Wrote that Review Update #116
Show the Books Showcase #34

Week 44 Reviews:
Death Thieves
Lillian in Heels
Sworn to War
The Girl in the Picture
Dreamer's Pool
Tower of Thorns
Den of Wolves
Curse on the Land
City of Light
Winter Halo

Tours:
Cease and Desist: Review

Random:
We Have the Cover of Blight!!!!
We Have the Cover of Ivory and Bone #2!!!!
We Have the Cover of Discovering Eden #1!!!!!
We Have the Cover of Marked Girl #2!!!!
We Have the Cover of Assassin's Heart #2!!!!!
We Have the Cover of Burning Glass #2!!!!
We Have the Cover of This is How it Happened!!!!
We Have the Cover of The Crown's Game #2!!!!
We Have the Cover of Grit!!!!
We Have the Cover of House of Furies #1!!!!
We Have the Cover of Liberty: The Spy Who (Kind of) Liked Me!!!!!
We Have the Cover of Hibiscus Daughter #1!!!!
We Have the Cover of How to Disappear!!!!
We Have the Cover of Look Behind You!!!!

OK, so I got 34 posts in 7 days, so yeah, it was a pretty fantastic week! Can't wait for next week! What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read The Boomerang Effect, Dark One's MistressGemina, Pushing Perfect, Saving Red, Stay Gone, and The Stranger Game.

For centuries, the people have lived under the protection of their so-called Dark Lord. Now, with news of his death reaching the quiet village of Everdark, rumour whispers that his son, Lucias, is hunting for a mistress to beget him an heir.

Seventeen-year-old Clara doesn't put much stock in village gossip, until she finds herself forcibly taken to the Lord's fortress. Escape is not easy. She has no way out and, against a man with magic, little chance of fighting back. But the Lords are still men and the death of Lucias' father is proof that they die just the same. And yet, if Lucias dies heirless, his army will be free to terrorise the land.

Such is the goal of Lenora of Ne'ermore, an old enemy and ex-prisoner of the kingdom. She is sending a man to slaughter Lucias and, to ensure there's no chance of an heir, his mistress must die as well.

Caught between regaining her freedom or losing it for the good of the kingdom, Clara struggles to decide her path before certain death breaches the gates.
The highly anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller that critics are calling "out-of-this-world awesome."

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna's social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain's pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren't just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They've totally got this. They hope.

Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless.
"A mother is just a woman who gave birth to you. You don't need her to like you, or love you. Because a mother's just another person.

She was. And now she's dead."

Growing up, Rae played the good girl, hoping to win her mother Marlene's love. But Marlene favored Rae’s dangerous older brother Thomas, even after he nearly got teenage Rae killed. The night Thomas disappeared was the best night of Rae's life.

Now 28 years old and engaged, Rae is nursing Marlene, who has advanced cancer and one last request: for Rae to find Thomas and bring him home.

Thomas purports to be a changed man, the CEO of his own meteorically successful company. But Rae knows he’s hiding something. When Marlene takes a turn for the worse, is it assisted suicide or murder?

The answer goes back decades, through secrets and pain, and comes back full circle. Rae has to figure out who she can really trust. Or else.

Poor little good girl . . . who’ll save her now?

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Show the Books Showcase #33, October 30th

There are a ton of books out there! So here's a chance to organize some books and show them off in various ways!

So this week's theme is Covers! I chose to do Lettering that I like!

Flash Point by Nancy Kress
Publisher: Viking
Published: November 8th, 2012
From Goodreads:
A population hooked on televised entertainment. The chance to win millions of dollars. A producer who will do anything for ratings. One girl who doesn't know she's being fooled...

Amy had college dreams - until the Collapse destroyed the economy and her future. Now she is her family's sole support, desperate for any job. When she finds herself in the running for a slot on a new reality TV show, she signs on the dotted line despite her misgivings.

And she's right to have them. The show has an irresistible premise: predict what the teenage cast will do in a crisis, and win millions. But the producer has pulled strings to make it work, using everything from 24/7 hidden cameras to life-threatening illusions to flat-out rigging. Worse, every time the ratings slip, the network ups the ante. Soon Amy is fighting for her life - on and off camera. 

What's Interesting:

Burning by Elana K. Arnold
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Published: June 11th, 2013
From Goodreads:
Ben: Having just graduated from high school, Ben is set to leave Gypsum, Nevada. It's good timing since the gypsum mine that is the lifeblood of the area is closing, shutting the whole town down with it. Ben is lucky: he's headed to San Diego, where he's got a track scholarship at the University of California. But his best friends, Pete and Hog Boy, don't have college to look forward to, so to make them happy, Ben goes with them to check out the hot chick parked on the side of Highway 447.  

Lala: She and her Gypsy family earn money by telling fortunes. Some customers choose Tarot cards; others have their palms read. The thousands of people attending the nearby Burning Man festival spend lots of cash--especially as Lala gives uncanny readings. But lately Lala's been questioning whether there might be more to life than her upcoming arranged marriage. And the day she reads Ben's cards is the day that everything changes for her. . . and for him. 

What's Interesting:

The Creep by Jonathan Case and John Arcudi
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
Published: April 23rd, 2013
From Goodreads:
A young boy puts a gun in his mouth and pulls the trigger. The police don't care - not about his death or the death of his best friend two months earlier. The dead boy's mom seeks help from an old flame that's employed as a detective. What she doesn't know is that he suffers from a physical deformity that manifests at midlife. Will the detective's freakish appearance get in the way of uncovering the terrible secrets of these two teenagers? This collection features additional art by Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Ryan Sook, and Tonci Zonjic.

What's Interesting:

Piece of My Heart by Lynn Maddalena Mena
Publisher: Merit Press
Published: June 18th, 2013
From Goodreads:
Still in high school, Marisol Reyes gets the chance of a lifetime to be a real singer, and she leaps at it. After all, this is the dream she held on to, all the days and nights she spent growing up on means streets of East Harlem. Marisol never gave in--no matter what her boyfriend or her best friend had to say. Who cares if only one in a hundred pretty, talented girls make it? She will be the one. In her rush to fame, Marisol tramples on the heart of her loyal best friend, and Julian, the boy she loves. But will it be worth it?

One night at a private gig in the Hamptons, the little Latino girl with the big voice from East Harlem gets a severe reality check. A famous rapper who claims to be interested in her talents turns out to be interested in something else, threatening not only Marisol's dreams but her body and soul. Will the realities of the gritty New York music scene put out the stars in Marisol's eyes forever? 

What's Interesting:

The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Published: September 10th, 2013
From Goodreads:
THEY CALLED IT THE KILLING DAY. Twelve people dead, in the space of a few hours. Five murderers: neighbors, relatives, friends. All of them so normal. All of them seemingly harmless. All of them now dead by their own hand . . . except one. And that one has no answers to offer the shattered town. She doesn't even know why she killed—or whether she'll do it again.

Something is waking in the sleepy town of Oleander, Kansas—something dark and hungry that lives in the flat earth and the open sky, in the vengeful hearts of upstanding citizens. As the town begins its descent into blood and madness, five survivors of the killing day are the only ones who can stop Oleander from destroying itself. Jule, the outsider at war with the world. West, the golden boy at war with himself. Daniel, desperate for a different life. Cass, who's not sure she deserves a life at all. Ellie, who believes in sacrifice, who believes in fate, who believes in evil. Ellie, who always goes too far.

They have nothing in common. They have nothing left to lose. And they have no way out. Which means that they have no choice but to stand and fight, to face the darkness in their town—and in themselves.  

What's Interesting:

Shadows by Paula Weston
Publisher: Tundra Books
Published: September 10th, 2013
From Goodreads:
It's almost a year since Gaby Winters watched her twin brother die. In the sunshine of a new town her body has healed, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn't help that every night in her dreams she fights and kills hell-beasts. And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who's been appearing in Gaby's dreams, he tells her things about her brother and her life that cannot be true, things that are dangerous. Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And who is Gaby? The truth lies in the shadows of her nightmares. 

What's Interesting:

The Devil's Apprentice by Jan Siegel
Publisher: Ravenstone
Published: September 24th, 2014
From Goodreads:
The Devil is retiring… but who’s taking over? In the house with no front door, a group of teenagers are trapped in assorted dimensions of myth and history, undergoing the trials that will shape them to step into his cloven footwear – or destroy them...The Devil is retiring… but who’s taking over.

When teenage Pen inherits the job of caretaker for a London building with no doors and only a secret entrance from the caretaker’s lodge – which she must never use – little does she know it will lead her into unbelievable danger.

For Azmordis, also known as Satan, a spirit as old as Time and as powerful as the Dark, Immortality is running out. In the house with no front door, a group of teenagers are trapped in assorted dimensions of myth and history, undergoing the trials that will shape them to step into his cloven footwear – or destroy them.

Assisted by only by an aspiring teenage chef called Gavin and Jinx, a young witch with more face-piercing than fae-power, Pen must try to stop the Devil’s deadly game plan – before it’s too late.

What's Interesting:

Darkness Watching by Emma Adams
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Published: October 10th, 2013
From Goodreads:
Eighteen-year-old Ashlyn is one interview away from her future when she first sees the demons. She thinks she's losing her mind, but the truth is far more frightening: she can see into the Darkworld, the home of spirits– and the darkness is staring back.

Desperate to escape the demons, Ash accepts a place at a university in the small town of Blackstone, in the middle of nowhere - little knowing that it isn't coincidence that led her there but the pull of the Venantium, the sorcerers who maintain the barrier keeping demons from crossing from the Darkworld into our own world.

All-night parties, new friendships and a life without rules or limits are all part of the package of student life - but demons never give up, and their focus on Ash has attracted the attention of every sorcerer in the area. Ash is soon caught between her new life and a group of other students with a connection to the Darkworld, who could offer the answers she's looking for. The demons want something from her, and someone is determined to kill her before she can find out what it is.

In a world where darkness lurks beneath the surface, not everyone is what they appear to be...

What's Interesting:

Deadly.com by Cindy McDonald
Publisher: Createspace
Published: September 2nd, 2011
From Goodreads:
Make a note: never agitate a madman. Successful Thoroughbred trainer Mike West just made that mistake-and he's gonna pay-more than he ever realized. But it's all in the family; his sister, Kate, has been the object of the madman's desire on the social network "My Town." Her constant rejections have infuriated him! People who seem to be in the way start turning up dead, and he's got Mike and Kate next on his list! In the first book of The Unbridled Series, Cindy McDonald introduces you to the world of Thoroughbred racing, while taking her cast of characters on a wild ride through a maniacs mind. 

What's Interesting:

Unfiltered & Unknown by Payge Galvin and Lynne Jaymes
Publisher: Createspace
Published: February 14th, 2014
From Goodreads:
After a night-shift shooting of a drug dealer in The Coffee Cave, twelve strangers each walk out with more than $100,000 in dirty money, a pact never to meet again, and the chance to start over …

Dillon Varga has always craved the spotlight. Now, with his newfound riches, he jumps at the chance to leave his troubled past behind and take a shot at his future. With his best friend Savannah Miller by his side, Dillon hits the neon lights of Las Vegas for a chance at a spot on the hit TV show American Voice. As they both move up in the singing competition, feelings surface between them that make both singers wonder if there might be more to life than just fame and fortune. Together they'll have to dodge the perils of celebrity judges, sexy competitors, and the truth about the past to find the one thing they desire most -- each other. 

What's Interesting:

A Hole in My Heart by Rie Charles
Publisher: Dundurn
Published: October 14th, 2014
From Goodreads:
Are there wounds too deep to heal, pains too sharp to share? And if a family survives by cutting the ties that bind them, can they ever be whole again?

After losing her mother to illness and her father to his work, Nora Mackenzie must leave her home in the interior of B.C. for a North Vancouver school. Estranged from her classmates, her family, and the life she's lost, Nora walls herself off from the people around her. At the same time, her young cousin Lizzie is facing an uncertain future as one of the first children to undergo open-heart surgery. As the operation approaches, Nora discovers that she is not the only person in her family isolated by fear and grief.

What's Interesting:

Shucked by Megg Jensen
Publisher: 80 Pages, Inc.
Published: April 14th, 2013
From Goodreads:
Suburgatory meets Indiana Jones...on a farm

Fifteen-year-old Tabitha has had the kind of life that would impress even the greatest adventurers. She's escaped a croc attack in the Amazon, walked the length of the Great Wall of China, and earned a black belt in taekwondo in Korea. She owes her worldly experience to her mother's career in archaeology, but when her mother takes on a dangerous new assignment, Tabitha is devastated to learn she can't tag along. 

Instead, she's forced to live on a midwestern farm with her grandparents where she'll have to attend a full year of public school. It's Tabitha's greatest nightmare, because despite all her adventures, she has no practical experience with the one thing that frightens her the most - other teenagers.

Her math teacher is her mom's old high school boyfriend, she can't tell the friendly girls from the mean ones, and she develops a major crush on a boy she knows she can't trust. And just when she thinks she'll never get the hang of this normal teenager thing, an attack brings the danger of her previous life right up to her midwestern porch. Who could have ever guessed getting totally shucked would bring her face-to-face with her most exciting adventure yet?

What's Interesting:

Bittersweet Sixteen by Lexi Witcher
Publisher: Createspace
Published: February 22nd, 2014
From Goodreads:
A 300 year old curse... Bernadette's Curse Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. In the 1700s, Bernadette loved young Walter Doherty more than life itself, but when he chose another to be his bride, she vowed on his wedding day that the union would be cursed forever and that if a daughter was born unto them, the eldest would know her fate upon her sixteenth birthday and every generation afterward. 30 days to live... Dodie Jenks is your typical teenager until she learns of the three hundred year old curse that will claim her on her sixteenth birthday. She doesn't want to believe this is her fate, but what if it's true? Visiting a seer does no good. She's warned to not try to break the curse. Her family struggles to keep her alive, but none of them are prepared for what lies ahead. One Hot Warlock... Leopold. A powerful warlock seeking to regain acceptance by his coven agrees to help Dodie and her family try to break Bernadette's Curse. At eighteen he's a college graduate and a social outcast. He's awkward around others, but somehow he and Dodie connect on a personal level as he works to keep her alive.

What's Interesting:

The Wonder by Colleen Oakes
Publisher: SparkPress
Published: September 23rd, 2014
From Goodreads:
An Exiled Princess.
An Ancient Tribe.
A Dangerous Stranger with Unknown Loyalties. 

Dinah, the former Princess of Wonderland Palace, has been chased into the wilds of Wonderland after the brutal murder of her brother and the ruin of her impending crown. Now, as her half-sister Vittiore sits on the throne beside her Father, the brutal King of Hearts, Dinah finds herself alone in the forbidding Twisted Wood with only Morte, a homicidal beast, for company. 

Hunted by the King and his army of Cards, Dinah struggles to evade those who long for her head, including Cheshire, the King’s clever advisor, who is slowly tightening his grasp around her. Spurred on by her rising terror, the former Princess finds herself at the center of a web of conspiracy reaching far beyond the Palace and deep into the mysterious Yurkei mountain tribes. 
Even with the balance of an entire Kingdom at stake, Dinah knows something that her allies and enemies do not: that the most dangerous conflict of all has already begun as she battles the enticing rage that beckons her ever closer as love slips further from her grasp.

The second book in the bestselling and award-winning Queen of Hearts Saga, The Wonder takes readers back to the most wondrous and curious places in Wonderland, and continues this darkly addictive tale featuring one of the most infamous villains of all time.

But be warned…not every fairy tale has a happy ending.
This is the story of a princess who became a villain.

What's Interesting:

Betting Blind by Stephanie Guerra
Publisher: Skyscape
Published: November 4th, 2014
From Goodreads:
Some risks are worth taking...

The cards are stacking up against Gabriel James: first there’s Phil, the guy paying the bills for Gabe’s mom (but not leaving his wife). Then there’s Gabe’s new school, filled with kids competing for the Ivies, Silicon Valley, and Wall Street—while Gabe’s just trying to swing enough Cs to graduate.

Gabe’s luck seems ready to change when he meets Irina Petrova: a hot violinist who is home-schooled by her strict Russian parents. When Gabe gets her number, he impresses the top guys at his school. When he becomes the drug connection for parties, his reputation is solidified. How else is he going to afford hanging with his new crew and impressing Irina? Anyway, it’s not really dealing if you’re just hooking up friends...right?

Gabe’s never been loyal to a girl before, but he finds himself falling for Irina hard. As the stakes are raised, Gabe will have to decide how high he’s willing to bet on school, on friends, on Irina—but most of all, on himself.

What's Interesting:

One of the Guys by Lisa Aldin
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Published: February 10th, 2015
From Goodreads:
Tomboy to the core, Toni Valentine understands guys. She'll take horror movies, monster hunts and burping contests over manicures. So Toni is horrified when she's sent to the Winston Academy for Girls, where she has to wear a skirt and learn to be a lady while the guys move on without her.

Then Toni meets Emma Elizabeth, a girl at school with boy troubles, and she volunteers one of her friends as a pretend date. Word spreads of Toni’s connections with boys, and she discovers that her new wealthy female classmates will pay big money for fake dates. Looking for a way to connect her old best friends with her new life at school, Toni and Emma start up Toni Valentine’s Rent-A-Gent Service. 

But the business meets a scandal when Toni falls for one of her friends--the same guy who happens to be the most sought-after date. With everything she's built on the line, Toni has to decide if she wants to save the business and her old life, or let go of being one of the guys for a chance at love.

What's Interesting:

A Million Times Goodnight by Kristina McBride
Publisher: Egmont USA
Published: July 28th, 2016
From Goodreads:
A teen Sliding Doors. One choice creates parallel dual narratives in this romantic contemporary mystery-thriller perfect for fans of Just Like Fate and Pivot Point.

One Night. Two Paths. Infinite Danger.

On the night of the big Spring Break party, Hadley "borrows" her boyfriend Ben's car without telling him. As payback, he posts a naked picture of her online for the entire senior class to see. 

Now Hadley has a choice: go back to the party and force Ben to delete the picture or raise the stakes and take his beloved car on a road trip as far away from their hometown of Oak Grove, Ohio, as she can get.

Chapters alternate to reveal each possible future as Hadley, her ex-boyfriend, Josh, and her best friends embark on a night of reckless adventure where old feelings are rekindled, friendships are tested, and secrets are uncovered that are so much worse than a scandalous photo. 

What's Interesting:

Bleeding Earth by Kaitlin Ward
Publisher: Egmont USA
Published: August 4th, 2014
From Goodreads:
Lea was in a cemetery when the earth started bleeding. Within twenty-four hours, the blood made international news. All over the world, blood appeared out of the ground, even through concrete, even in water. Then the earth started growing hair and bones.

Lea wants to ignore the blood. She wants to spend time with her new girlfriend, Aracely, in public, if only Aracely wasn't so afraid of her father. Lea wants to be a regular teen again, but the blood has made her a prisoner in her own home. Fear for her social life turns into fear for her sanity, and Lea must save herself and Aracely whatever way she can. 

What's Interesting:

They Call Me Alexandra Gastone by T.A. Maclagan
Publisher: Full Fathom Five
Published: May 20th, 2015
From Goodreads:
When your life is a lie, how do you know what’s real?

Alexandra Gastone has a simple plan: graduate high school, get into Princeton, work for the CIA, and serve her great nation. 

She was told the plan back when her name was Milena Rokva, back before the real Alexandra and her family were killed in a car crash.

Milena was trained to be a sleeper agent by Perun, a clandestine organization from her true homeland of Olissa. There, Milena learned everything she needed to infiltrate the life of CIA analyst Albert Gastone, Alexandra’s grandfather, and the ranks of America’s top intelligence agency.

For seven years, “Alexandra” has been on standby and life’s been good. Grandpa Albert loves her, and her strategically chosen boyfriend, Grant, is amazing.

But things are about to change. Perun no longer needs her at the CIA in five years’ time. They need her active now.

Between her cover as a high school girl—juggling a homecoming dance, history reports, and an increasingly suspicious boyfriend—and her mission in this high-stakes spy game, the boundaries of her two lives are beginning to blur.

Will she stay true to the country she barely remembers, or has her loyalty shattered along with her identity? 

What's Interesting:

Bone Deep by Kim O'Brien
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Published: May 19th, 2015
From Goodreads:
Spending the summer on an archeological dig sounds like fun, and it would be, if Paige Patterson didn t have to work for her dad--the man who walked out on their family. Luckily, her best friend Emily Linton is also interning for her dad. The summer takes on a romantic possibility when she meets Jalen Yazzi--the super attractive son of her father s project manager. But then Emily vanishes. As the police struggle for answers, Paige sets out to find the truth. What was Emily doing alone in the ruins the night she disappeared? Did she see something she shouldn t have? The search for Emily brings Paige and Jalen closer together, but it also unlocks long hidden crimes and dangerous mysteries. As Paige digs deeper into Emily s disappearance, she realizes that uncovering the truth may cost her everything--even her life.

What's Interesting:

The Kiss by Lucy Courtenay
Publisher: Hachette Children's Group
Published: July 2nd, 2015
From Goodreads:
'Aphrodite kissed a mortal once by the light of this moon, many thousands of years ago. It drove him crazy. The next person that he kissed - boum. The craziness travelled like this from person to person. It travelled through time. Everywhere - boum! Tu comprends?' 'Where did it end up?' I whisper. His lips are on my cheek now. 'It ended with me. And now I am going to pass it to you. You will like that, mermaid?' Imagine the perfect kiss. A legendary kiss that makes people crazy with love. Imagine a summer's night, on a moonlit beach in the South of France, as French boy Laurent kisses 16-year-old Delilah after the best chat-up line she's ever heard. BOOM! Delilah is pretty sure the Kiss is fiction, despite her head-spinning holiday fling. But with all the sudden crushes, break-ups and melt-downs happening back at home, the Kiss starts looking a little too real for comfort. If only Delilah could keep track of where it's gone ...Who knew one kiss could cause this much trouble? A hilarious rom-com that will delight Geek Girls everywhere!

What's Interesting:

Belonging by Karen Ann Hopkins
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Published: April 30th, 2013
From Goodreads:
I left everything I knew behind. 

But it was worth it. He was worth it. 

No one thought an ordinary girl like me would last two minutes living with the Amish, not even me. There are a lot more rules and a lot less freedom, and I miss my family and the life I once had. Worst of all, Noah and I aren't even allowed to see each other. Not until I've proven myself. 

If I can find a way to make it work, we'll be NOAH & ROSE 

together forever. 

But not everybody believes this is where I belong. 

What's Interesting:

Forever by Karen Ann Hopkins
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Published: January 28th, 2014
From Goodreads:
All I want is my happily-ever-after.

That's all I've wanted since meeting Noah Miller.

From the day we met, the world has tried to keep Noah and me from being together, but now that I'm carrying his child, no one will be able to tear us apart. Or so I hope. But Noah and I have made some mistakes along the way, and the consequences are impacting the people we love. Worse, there's a storm on the horizon, and it's sure to cause serious devastation.

If we can get through this, we'll finally be Rose and Noah; a family, forever.

But first we have to survive the road ahead. And happily-ever-after is a long way off. 

What's Interesting:

Backward Glass by David Lomax
Publisher: Flux
Published: October 8th, 2013
From Goodreads:
Crack your head, knock you dead, then Prince Harming's hunger's fed.

It's 1977, and Kenny Maxwell is dreading the move away from his friends. But then, behind the walls of his family's new falling-apart Victorian home, he finds something incredible--a mummified baby and a note: "Help me make it not happen, Kenny. Help me stop him."

Shortly afterwards, a beautiful girl named Luka shows up. She introduces Kenny to the backward glass, a mirror that allows them to travel through time. Meeting other "mirror kids" in the past and future is exciting, but there's also danger. The urban legend of Prince Harming, who kidnaps and kills children, is true--and he's hunting them. When Kenny gets stranded in the past, he must find the courage to answer a call for help, change the fate of a baby--and confront his own destiny. 

What's Interesting:

The Saints by Lex Thomas
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Published: July 9th, 2013
From Goodreads:
A cross between the Gone series and Lord of the Flies, Quarantine #2: The Saints contunues this frenetically paced and scary young adult series that illustrates just how deadly high school can be.

Nothing was worse than being locked in—until they opened the door...

McKinley High has been a battle ground for eighteen months since a virus outbreak led to a military quarantine of the school. When the doors finally open, Will and Lucy will think their nightmare is finished. But they are gravely mistaken.

As a new group of teens enters the school and gains popularity, Will and Lucy join new gangs. An epic party on the quad full of real food and drinks, where kids hookup and actually interact with members of other gangs seemed to signal a new, easier existence. Soom after though, the world inside McKinley takes a startling turn for the worse, and Will and Lucy will have to fight harder than ever to survive. 

What's Interesting:

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Published: September 17th, 2013
From Goodreads:
Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, This Song Will Save Your Life is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

What's Interesting:

Sia by Josh Grayson
Publisher: Josh Grayson
Published: November 20th, 2013
From Goodreads:
When seventeen-year-old Sia wakes up on a park bench, she has no idea who or where she is. Yet after a week of being homeless, she’s reunited with her family. At school, she’s powerful and popular. At home, she’s wealthy beyond her dreams. But she quickly realizes her perfect life is a lie. Her family is falling apart and her friends are snobby, cruel and plastic. Worse yet, she discovers she was the cruelest one. Mortified by her past, she embarks on a journey of redemption and falls for Kyle, the “geek” she once tormented. Yet all the time she wonders if, when her memories return, she’ll become the bully she was before…and if she’ll lose Kyle.

What's Interesting:

The Violet Hour by Whitney A. Miller
Publisher: Flux
Published: March 8th, 2014
From Goodreads:
The voice inside me is breaking free. I can't stop it.

Some call VisionCrest the pinnacle of religious enlightenment. Others call it a powerful cult. For seventeen years, Harlow Wintergreen has called it her life.

As the daughter of VisionCrest's patriarch, Harlow is expected to be perfect at all times. She must be considered a paragon of integrity by the other Ministry teens and a future leader in the eyes of the world.

Despite the constant scrutiny Harlow is keeping a dark and dangerous secret, even from her best friend and the boy she loves. She hears a voice in her head that seems to have a mind of its own, plaguing her with violent and bloody visions. It commands her to kill. And the urge to obey is getting harder and harder to control .... 

What's Interesting:

Sing Sweet Nightingale by Erica Cameron
Publisher: Spencer Hill pRess
Published: March 4th, 2014
From Goodreads:
Mariella Teagen hasn't spoken a word in four years. 

She pledged her voice to Orane, the man she loves—someone she only sees in her dreams. Each night, she escapes to Paradise, the world Orane created for her, and she sings for him. Mariella never believed she could stay in Paradise longer than a night, but two weeks before her eighteenth birthday, Orane hints that she may be able to stay forever. 

Hudson Vincent made a pledge to never fight again.

Calease, the creature who created his dream world, swore that giving up violence would protect Hudson. But when his vow caused the death of his little brother, Hudson turned his grief on Calease and destroyed the dream world. The battle left him with new abilities and disturbing visions of a silent girl in grave danger—Mariella.

Now, Hudson is fighting to save Mariella's life while she fights to give it away. And he must find a way to show her Orane’s true intentions before she is lost to Paradise forever. 

What's Interesting:

The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Published: March 1st, 2014
From Goodreads:
All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction.

Kate's dream boyfriend has just broken up with her and she's still reeling from her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Aidan planned on being a lifer in the army and went to Afghanistan straight out of high school. Now he's a disabled young veteran struggling to embrace his new life. When Kate and Aidan find each other neither one wants to get attached. But could they be right for each other after all?

What's Interesting:

And next week's theme is going to be Synopsis' That Hooked Me!

Wrote that Review Update #116, October 30th

Create your own banner at mybannermaker.com!
If you want to participate, set a certain amount of reviews to write, and once you make that goal, you can get a reward!

My reviews to reward is writing all of the reviews of the week, and I motivated myself to write my review for Death Thieves, Lillian in Heels and Sworn to War, The Girl in the Picture, Cease and Desist, Dreamer's Pool, Tower of Thorns, Den of Wolves, Curse on the Land, City of Light and Winter Halo, so I have 7 of 7 reviews written!

And as always, I want to review this week's reviews!

What about you guys? Happy reading!

How Well I Stuck to It #111, October 30th

So I decided that I should have accountability on sticking to what should be in a week, so I'm doing How Well I Stuck to It every Sunday, because my schedule should be fixed in by now!

Week 46:
Nothing planned!

Yeah, a free week, and I can't wait to read whatever I want to read! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Week 44 Reviews: City of Light, Winter Halo


From Goodreads:
The first in an all-new futuristic fantasy series from Keri Arthur—the New York Times bestselling author of the Souls of Fire novels.

When the bombs that stopped the species war tore holes in the veil between this world and the next, they allowed entry to the Others—demons, wraiths, and death spirits who turned the shadows into their hunting grounds. Now, a hundred years later, humans and shifters alike live in artificially lit cities designed to keep the darkness at bay....

As a déchet—a breed of humanoid super-soldiers almost eradicated by the war—Tiger has spent her life in hiding. But when she risks her life to save a little girl on the outskirts of Central City, she discovers that the child is one of many abducted in broad daylight by a wraith-like being—an impossibility with dangerous implications for everyone on earth.

Because if the light is no longer enough to protect them, nowhere is safe...

From Goodreads:
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Souls of Fire novels comes the second in the futuristic fantasy series that will make you want to keep the lights on...

When the bombs that stopped the species war tore holes in the veil between worlds, they allowed entry to the Others. Now, a hundred years later, humans and shifters alike live in artificially lit cities designed to keep the darkness at bay....

The humanoid supersoldiers known as the déchet were almost eradicated by the war. Ever since, Tiger has tried to live her life in peace in hiding. But in the wake of her discovery that Central City's children are being kidnapped and experimented on, Tiger's conscience won't let her look the other way.

The key to saving them lies within the walls of a pharmaceutical company called Winter Halo. But as she learns more about the facility, Tiger's mission is derailed by a complication: Winter Halo's female security guards are being systematically attacked by an unknown force.

Now Tiger must summon all her gifts to stop those responsible for both atrocities—no matter the cost to herself...

My Review:
These books were just absolutely wonderful to read! I absolutely devoured them, and I just want to read more of this series! Because there has to be more! Plus in the back of the ARC, it had the insert teaser 16 pages thing, which makes me think that there's going to be a 3rd book, yeah!

This world, wow, this world! I'm pretty sure that this isn't our world with some changes because of the territories thing. So I want to know more! And we got that the war was started because humans kept pushing the shifters into smaller and smaller parcels of land. Again, I want to know!

Another thing that I would love to know more about, is the time immeditaely after the gassing and killing of everybody by Tiger in the bunker. We know it was really bad, but I want to know more about what she did-and what things were like out in the world!

The missing kids was the big mystery in this book. The why, the how, and how to find and rescue them. Which quickly becomes something bigger-wraiths and rifts and sun-resistant vampires and wraiths. Which isn't good for the population!

Loved reading these books, and with the similar endings of City of Light and Winter Halo, I really hope the 3rd book comes out soon!

Author: Keri Arthur
Series: Outcast #1, 2
Read: October 27th, 28th, 2016
Source: Ebook.bike, NetGalley
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and they're 2016 Dystopia Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2016 Books!
Publisher: Signet
Published: January 5th 2016
Expected Publication: December 6th 2016

City of Light:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars









Winter Halo:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 44 Review: Curse on the Land

From Goodreads:
Set in the same world as Faith Hunter's New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, the second Soulwood novel tells the story of a woman whose power comes from deep within the earth...

Before Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she had no one to rely on, finding strength only in in her arcane connection to the dark woods around her. But now she has friends in the newly-formed PsyLED team to keep her grounded—even if being part of the agency responsible for policing paranormals presents dangers of its own...

After training at the PsyLED academy, Nell returns home to her woods to find the land feeling sick and restless. And that sickness is spreading. With the help of her team, under the leadership of agent Rick LaFleur, Nell tries to determine the cause. But nothing can prepare them for the evil that awaits: an entity that feeds on death itself. And it wants more...

My Review:
I just loved reading this book! I've really loved Faith Hunter's books, and yeah, this was no exception! Loved spending more time with Nell, though I'm really itching to get back to Jane, because of the European Vampires visit!

This book deals with a number of things. The consequences of feeding Brother Ephraim to Soulwood, and that he's still there. Then there were the roots from when she was dying. The complicated relationship between Rick and Paka. And the investigation into the highly magical event that is connected to a sleeping monster who feeds on death. Yeah.

There were a lot of acronyms used in this book, the law enforcment ones, and the various governmental groups! Made things a bit confusing, if I didn't remember what the group stood for, but usually I remembered in what context, so I could kind guess what was going on!

This book did have some hard times going! Nell's magic does have some funky things to fight. And the Rick and Paka thing became a very big, very bad thing. I really enjoyed how things worked out, even if they were hard, because it was just so freaking fantastic to read!

Absolutely loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read the next book in this series, and Cold Reign!

Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Soulwood #2
Read: October 27th, 2016
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Love her writing and the Jane Yellowrock series and this spin off series! And it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2016 Book and WoW Book!
Publisher: Roc
Expected Publication: November 1st 2016
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 44 Reviews: Dreamer's Pool, Tower of Thorns, Den of Wolves



From Goodreads:
Award-winning author Juliet Marillier "weaves magic, mythology, and folklore into every sentence on the page" (The Book Smugglers). Now she begins an all-new and enchanting series that will transport readers to a magical vision of ancient Ireland...

In exchange for help escaping her long and wrongful imprisonment, embittered magical healer Blackthorn has vowed to set aside her bid for vengeance against the man who destroyed all that she once held dear. Followed by a former prison mate, a silent hulk of a man named Grim, she travels north to Dalriada. There she'll live on the fringe of a mysterious forest, duty bound for seven years to assist anyone who asks for her help. 

Oran, crown prince of Dalriada, has waited anxiously for the arrival of his future bride, Lady Flidais. He knows her only from a portrait and sweetly poetic correspondence that have convinced him Flidais is his destined true love. But Oran discovers letters can lie. For although his intended exactly resembles her portrait, her brutality upon arrival proves she is nothing like the sensitive woman of the letters.

With the strategic marriage imminent, Oran sees no way out of his dilemma. Word has spread that Blackthorn possesses a remarkable gift for solving knotty problems, so the prince asks her for help. To save Oran from his treacherous nuptials, Blackthorn and Grim will need all their resources: courage, ingenuity, leaps of deduction, and more than a little magic.

From Goodreads:
Award-winning author Juliet Marillier's "lavishly detailed"* Blackthorn & Grim series continues as a mysterious creature holds an enchanted and imperiled ancient Ireland in thrall.

Disillusioned healer Blackthorn and her companion, Grim, have settled in Dalriada to wait out the seven years of Blackthorn's bond to her fey mentor, hoping to avoid any dire challenges. But trouble has a way of seeking out Blackthorn and Grim.

Lady Geiléis, a noblewoman from the northern border, has asked for the prince of Dalriada's help in expelling a howling creature from an old tower on her land—one surrounded by an impenetrable hedge of thorns. Casting a blight over the entire district, and impossible to drive out by ordinary means, it threatens both the safety and the sanity of all who live nearby. With no ready solutions to offer, the prince consults Blackthorn and Grim.


As Blackthorn and Grim begin to put the pieces of this puzzle together, it's apparent that a powerful adversary is working behind the scenes. Their quest is about to become a life and death struggle—a conflict in which even the closest of friends can find themselves on opposite sides.

From Goodreads:
The "powerful and emotionally-charged" fantasy series from the author of the Sevenwaters novels continues, as Blackthorn and Grim face haunting secrets and old adversaries...

Feather bright and feather fine, None shall harm this child of mine...

Healer Blackthorn knows all too well the rules of her bond to the fey: seek no vengeance, help any who ask, do only good. But after the recent ordeal she and her companion, Grim, have suffered, she knows she cannot let go of her quest to bring justice to the man who ruined her life.

Despite her personal struggles, Blackthorn agrees to help the princess of Dalriada in taking care of a troubled young girl who has recently been brought to court, while Grim is sent to the girl's home at Wolf Glen to aid her wealthy father with a strange task—repairing a broken-down house deep in the woods. It doesn't take Grim long to realize that everything in Wolf Glen is not as it seems—the place is full of perilous secrets and deadly lies...


Back at Winterfalls, the evil touch of Blackthorn's sworn enemy reopens old wounds and fuels her long-simmering passion for justice. With danger on two fronts, Blackthorn and Grim are faced with a heartbreaking choice—to stand once again by each other's side or to fight their battles alone... 

My Review:
These books were just so fantastic to read! I loved the mix of mystery, daily life in a historical, magical Ireland, with bits and pieces of paranormal! They came together so well, and they were just so well written! I loved reading them!

Blackthorn and Grim start out in a pretty nasty place-a unkempt prison of a nasty chieftan. And things get better, but at a cost. And honestly, that was good, because otherwise, it wouldn't have mattered, Blackthorn would've gone for her vengeance, and probably would've died. The seven years gives her time to grieve, to make connections, and make plans. And to heal from the wounds that were the reason for her vengeance. So go, Conmael!

We got bits and pieces of Blackthorn's past, the bare bones, covered in emotional blood, which was pretty awful. Not all of it, but we got almost nothing of Grim's at first. We got one big part of his story in Tower of Thorns, about the monks, St. Erc, and an old name of his, Brother Conall! Though there's still some unknowns!

Finding out why Conmael made the deal with Blackthorn, that was a really fantastic discovery! We were given hints from the beginning, but in Den of Wolves, it's fully fleshed out, and that was just so awesome! Den of Wolves was a pretty big book in terms of events that happened, from this, the trial, and the developments in relationships!

I really enjoyed how these books were told! We got Blackthorn and Grim's POV, and then we got the POV of an important character to the mystery! The first, Prince Oram. The second, Lady Geiléis. The third, Bardan and Cara. If there are more books in this series (and I hope there are) I can't wait to see this pattern repeat, and wonder who might narrate!

Loved reading these books, they were just so fantastic!

Author: Juliet Marillier
Series: Blackthorn and Grim #1, 2, 3
Read: October 23rd, 24th, 25th, 2016
Source: Ebook.bike, NetGalley
Reason Why: Love her books, and and they're Historical Fiction 2016 Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2016 Books!
Publisher: Roc
Published: October 4th 2014, November 3rd 2015
Expected Publication: November 1st 2016

Dreamer's Pool:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars









Tower of Thorns:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars









Den of Wolves:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars