Taking a little time off…and a few book recommendations before I go

I’m going to be taking the rest of August off from the blog. Before I go, I have a few books that I would like to recommend…


Love Is a Number by Lee Monroe
Source: ARC provided by publisher for review
Buy it! Love is a Number

When her beloved boyfriend Huck dies, Eloise is wrecked. All she has left of him are the texts that he sent: short, succinct - but full of love.

They keep Huck alive. And so Eloise texts him back as if he can receive her messages from beyond the grave. She never expected to get a reply ....

Dan is travelling South America in one last hurrah before university and real life kick in.

He's ready for love, but not of the casual kind. He's not met a girl that's set his world alight. But he's ready for her when she decides to make an appearance. One night on his travels, Dan discovers an abandoned phone.

He pockets it, then forgets about it. He never expected it to ring ... ~ Goodreads

Thoughts: Love Is a Number is more about the journey than the destination. It is lighter on the romance, focusing more on coming of age and overcoming grief as the story follows both Elosie and Dan’s lives. It was odd to read a romance where there was little interaction between the characters at times but their romance was all that much sweeter because of the slow build up. They connected when they were both ready for it.

I had more than a few issues with this story at times. Particularly the extreme shallowness and outright cruelty of some characters, but then for some reason I was also charmed by Dan & Lo's journeys and how they intersected.

Fans of The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight and This is What Happy Looks Like – both by Jennifer E. Smith should enjoy this one.


This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
Source: ARC Provided by publisher for honest review
Release date: September 17, 2013
Buy it! This Song Will Save Your Life

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. ~ Goodreads

Thoughts:

“You think it’s so easy to change yourself.”

”You think it’s so easy but it’s not” pg. 1

Elise is shy and feels invisible. She makes a bold effort to change who she is so she can fit in but of course the right clothes and perfect hair don’t necessarily equate to popularity in the cut throat world of high school. This book struck so close to home for me that it was almost painful for me to read at times.
I was Elise. I actually experienced some of the things that happened to her.

This book is so honest and true and I love how it didn’t sugar coat anything and let Elise stumble her way to finding herself and learn what is really important in life. She makes mistakes. There are consequences and just maybe she finds herself along the way.

As you can tell from the title, music is an important part of this story. That was just icing on an already delicious cake.

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For an adult UF read, I highly recommend Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews (Goodreads) This is the 6th book in the Kate Daniels series and you really need to start at the beginning. It’s a slow build but each book goes deeper and doesn’t let the status quo stand for long. Magic Rises pushes the characters to their limits and leaves us desperate to read the next book. This was a very emotional read and my favorite of the series.



Looking for a good New Adult book? Then I would recommend Off Course by Sawyer Bennett (Goodreads) This is for people who like really angtsy NA. Practical, good girl Renner and bad boy Irish rockstar Cillian set off nuclear sized sparks when they’re together. I liked both of them and Cillian is a much better guy than he thinks he is. A little too good in fact as he tries to save everyone around him at the expense of poor Renner. I wanted to smack him upside the head a few times but this was a really nice story with great characters. I just wish there weren’t so many grammatical errors to distract me. 

Enjoy your summer everyone! While I won’t be posting I do hope to have time to visit and comment my favorite blogs! See you in September

Review: Here Without You (Between the Lines #4) by Tammara Webber

Everyone has secrets.
Some are buried so deep, their existence is forgotten.
But a secret never told can turn into a lie.
And in love, a lie is one thing:
Poison.

Reid's in love with Dori, though she hasn't told her parents that she's fallen hard for the guy they'd forbidden her to see. Now she's leaving for college, and Reid's promise not to push her to go public is wearing thin, especially when she can't - or won't - return those three important words he wants to hear.

Five years ago, Brooke and Reid were a Thing. That relationship is long gone, detonated amid allegations of cheating - but they still share a secret that would stun everyone they know and alter public perception of them both if it ever comes out. And it's about to do just that.

Here Without You is the fourth, final installment in the Between the Lines series, which includes: Between the Lines, Where You Are, and Good For You. ~ Goodreads

Spoiler warning: There will be no spoilers for Here Without You but it’s impossible to discuss it without referring to the previous books in the series. I’ll do my best to keep all spoilers to a minimum but you are warned :-)
Also, if you haven’t read this series yet, this review will probably not make any sense lol

Source: Purchased

Review:
I LOVE this series. LOVE. I’ve said this a hundred times before and in all my reviews for her books, Tammara is able to write very complex teenage characters in a totally honest way that makes you want to follow their journey even when they make horrible, heartbreaking decisions.

I hope people who have read Webber’s amazing NA book Easy will give this series a shot now. Two things about the Between the Lines series. 1.) You need to read it form the start. No skipping books. This series follows the same characters on their path to adulthood. Each book develops and furthers their stories.  2.) You will probably hate a few characters at different points in the series. Do NOT give up on them. Keep reading. Like I said, this is a journey and one oh so worth following.

So back to Here Without You, the final book in the Between the Lines series. I could not be happier with how it all ended.

I was terrified going in. At the end of book #3, Good for You, Reid had finally found something worth changing for and was on the road to happiness but then the ending pretty much put that HEA into question.

It also put him on a path with his very manipulative ex, Brooke. I was terrified for Dori, Reid’s current girlfriend. Brooke and Reid have been through a lot together and now share a bond that just can’t be broken. I didn’t trust Brooke.

I expected a lot of conniving and lapses into previous behaviors but instead Webber wrote such a beautiful story about choices, unconditional love and redemption. The characters surprised the hell out of me.

I thought Reid and Dori’s story had been told in book #3 but that just wasn’t the case. It was difficult for them but not in any of the ways I was expecting. I was shocked at how fragile Dori still was with her parents, faith and even her relationship with Reid and I was so proud of how he never let her down.

Reid had come so far and is absolutely amazing in this book but still needed to push himself further and own up to past mistakes.

Brooke. Oh dear Brooke I do not like you. She’s manipulated and plowed through anyone who gets int he way of what she wants. I saw glimpses of goodness at times so I had faith in her but then she did something that I just could not forgive. I couldn’t see how Tammara could ever redeem her in my eyes. I’m not sure she did 100% but this time Brooke’s determination and focus was used for good. It made her question her own motives and left her almost fragile. She put someone else's needs first for once. She came through in way that I never expected from her. I can’t say I like her but I can say that I now admire her.

The other thing that I liked is Reid is still his cocky self, Brooke is still a bull in a china shop, they didn’t lose themselves, But now they are better versions of that.

There is an added POV in this book from someone that I’m not going to spoil. I was unsure of it at first but it’s perfection and left me in tears of joy by the end.

I think I’ve rambled enough already. All I can say is that I loved this series from beginning to end and look forward to anything Tammara Webber writes.

Author: Goodreads | blog | twitter
Buy the book! Here Without You

Review: Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles, #2) by Marissa Meyer

The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner. ~ Goodreads

Review:

I enjoyed Cinder, Book #1 of the Lunar Chronicles, but I didn't love it. This is probably the most imaginative retelling of fairy tales that I have ever read but there was something about Cinder and especially Kai that left me feeling meh…whatever…instead of OMG what happens next. I had no intention of even continuing with the series until my friend, Julie, sent Scarlet to me in the mail.

I'm really glad she did because I loved this book. That can all be attributed to my love of Scarlet and Wolf. They are great characters on their own but dynamic together. The weaving of the Little Red Riding Hood tale was subtle but well done.

Wolf was a bit of a mystery and I enjoyed how layered his character was as I tried to uncover if he was indeed the big bad wolf trying to eat grandma or something else entirely.

As with Cinder, I think Scarlet misses a great opportunity by ignoring the location around them. Scarlet takes place in France (Cinder was New Beijing) but there isn't any local dialect or real descriptions of their surroundings. Despite knowing I'm reading about a far away/futuristic land…I can't see it in my mind. But at a long 452 pages already I'm not sure how you could do that anyway.

Cinder is still very much in the thick of things but with a new, hilarious, sidekick – Captain Thorne Carswell. I kept seeing him as a Harrison Ford/Hans Solo type in my head. He's funny and flirtatious but loyal when the chips are down. I loathe love triangles but for the first time I was hoping for one. Prince Kai better grow a pair soon or I will never buy into him and Cinder getting together. Kai is nice enough and I know he's on an emotional journey of his own but his decisions are flat out unproductive and stupid. Man up Prince Kai! lol

At times the plot feels like it veers away from resolution just for the sole purpose of weaving in the next fairy tale but again Meyer does it so well that I guess I'll just follow along for the ride.

Final thoughts: I had written this series off after feeling lukewarm about Cinder but Scarlet gave me the fast paced action, characters and depth I was looking for.

Author: website | goodreads | twitter
Buy the book! Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles, Book 2)

Review: Out of Play by Jolene Perry & Nyrae Dawn

Rock star drummer Bishop Riley doesn't have a drug problem. Celebrities—especially ones suffering from anxiety—just need a little help taking the edge off sometimes. After downing a few too many pills, Bishop wakes up in the hospital facing an intervention. If he wants to stay in the band, he’ll have to detox while under house arrest in Seldon, Alaska.　

Hockey player Penny Jones can't imagine a life outside of Seldon. Though she has tons of scholarship offers to all the best schools, the last thing she wants is to leave. Who'll take care of her absentminded gramps? Not her mother, who can’t even be bothered to come home from work, let alone deal with their new tenants next door.

Penny’s not interested in dealing with Bishop’s crappy attitude, and Bishop’s too busy sneaking pills to care. Until he starts hanging out with Gramps and begins to see what he’s been missing. If Bishop wants a chance with the fiery girl next door, he’ll have to admit he has a problem and kick it. Too bad addiction is hard to kick…and Bishop’s about to run out of time. ~ Goodreads

Source: E-ARC provided by publisher for my honest review

Review:
A spoiled, pill popping, overdosing rock star thrown into the Alaskan wilderness (ok, a cabin in the woods - but that's still roughing it yo!) + a confident hockey playing girl = awesomeness!

This book is a lot of things rolled into one. Empowering. Heartbreaking. And laugh out loud hilarious.
I'll get to Bishop the hot rock star in a second but right now I'm going to stick with Penny because she's a real stand out as far as I'm concerned.

She's one of my favorite book girls that I've read about in a loooong time. Penny wants to stay on the men's hockey team and in her hometown of Alaska after she graduates. All her friends and family keep pushing her to join a girls team and leave the state so she can expand her horizons. She's tough as nails and has a clear vision for her life but isn't sure how to express that without letting down everyone around her.

There are very few YA/NA girls right now that I consider to be as thoughtful and self aware as Penny is. I think I'm girl crushing on her. She's confident and while she melts at Bishop's touch, she knows how far she's ready to go (and not go) and doesn't mind saying so.

Which leads me to Bishop. Oh, he's a hot mess. Spoiled, confident, and in complete denial about his drug addiction. When he and Penny meet it's nowhere near insta-love and I appreciated that. They just come to understand and appreciate each other over time and it comes as a total shock to both of them. I liked watching Bishop get knocked down a peg or two and reach that turning point in his life where he knows he has to do the hard work to get healthy.

Out of Play has all the required angst, sexual tension and crossed signals but what it does really well is showing us two characters who take responsibility for their actions.

I thought the end was a bit rushed. All the things that were building up come to a head and started happening very quick, in a very dramatic way. I wish it had been allowed to play out a little more or subtly but overall I loved this book and the relationships that were written so true to the teenage experience.

Final thoughts: Despite all their issues I felt this was a very realistic, healthy romance because as much as they helped each other, it was about helping themselves first. Good stuff. I read it in 5 hours. And...despite some required angst it’s funny as hell!

Author: Jolene Perry | Nyrae Dawn
Buy the book! Out of Play (Entangled Teen)

Book Blogger Confessions

 

Book Blogger Confessions is a meme that posts the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month, where book bloggers "confess" and vent about topics that are unique to us. Feel free to share, vent and offer solutions.

Just keep it respectful - no bashing authors or other bloggers! If you want to participate just grab our button and include it in your post with a link to either Midnyte Reader or For What It's Worth. We will be providing a linky at the end of our posts so people can "hop" to see all the participants answers.

Question: 

Vlogging. Have you ever vlogged (video blogging)? Why or why not? What do think makes for an interesting vlog? How does a book review vlog compare to a written review in your opinion? What are few of your favorite book review/author vlogs? (Source: Amy Bookworm)

I have never and will never vlog. I won’t even let anyone take a picture of me never mind do a video. ON PURPOSE lol

I’m just way too self conscious of my looks (I think I resemble a zombie on film) / my voice sounds sort of like a shy, fast talking mouse when I'm nervous to ever do that. I also just don’t like vlogs all that much to be honest.

For the few authors/reviewers vlogs that I do like – I guess the key is humor and getting a sense of their personality.

I always enjoy author Myra McEntire’s vlogs. She’s hilarious when she vlogs. Of course there’s John Green’s Vlog Brothers videos which are enjoyable because they’re fun yet educational. I don’t watch them too often but I think it’s a great use of modern technology/networking.

As for bloggers, I watch a few book haul vlogs but that’s about it. Enthusiasm is what I look for. I'm not a fan of a really long vlog that doesn't express have any personality

I would imagine that a vlog review could be more personal. You would really be able to tell the reader’s enthusiasm level more whereas a written review can come out flat sounding or even rambling when there is no context to go by.

So, unfortunately I don’t watch enough to have a good answer for this one but I’m curious to see what other people have to say. They are growing in popularity so I guess there are people who really enjoy them.

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Announcement!

This will be our last Book Blogger Confessions. I want to thank everyone who has participated. I’ve loved the interactions and conversations we’ve been able to have about things that stress us poor...poor bloggers out lol

When my (former) BBC co-host Tiger Holland and I started the meme, everyone was kind of afraid to say out loud that there was a downside to blogging. Or even admit that we were overwhelmed. It was something you “confessed” privately in emails only with close friends.

I’ve noticed a huge, and welcome, change this past year where we feel free to express our feelings publicly and write posts about it on our blogs. So to put it simply…Book Blogger Confessions as a meme doesn’t really seem as necessary anymore.

I think I’ve read at least 10 blogger confessions type posts in the last week alone so everyone is already doing it on their own.

The other reason, and I guess my last official Book Blogger Confession, is that I’m still in a bit of a blogging slump myself. I will probably do some kind of venting posts on occasion and I would REALLY love to do something with my current BBC co-host Pam again. She’s become such a good friend and has always been there as a sounding board with blogging and in my real life for non blogging issues. Love you Pam {{tackle hug}}

Thank you to all who have participated and offered topic ideas. I love a good bookish discussion and I got quite a bit of inspiration from all of your posts.

Book Blogger Confessions Topic Reminder for Monday 8/5/2013

 

Book Blogger Confessions is a meme that posts the 1st Monday of every month, where book bloggers "confess" and vent about blogging/bookish topics. Feel free to share, vent and offer solutions.

Just keep it respectful - no bashing authors or other bloggers! If you want to participate just grab our button and include it in your post with a link to either Midnyte Reader or For What It's Worth. We will be providing a linky at the end of our posts so people can "hop" to see all the participants answers.

Topic reminder for Monday August 5, 2013

Vlogging. Have you ever vlogged (video blogging)? Why or why not? What do think makes for an interesting vlog? How does a book review vlog compare to a written review in your opinion? What are few of your favorite book review/author vlogs? (Source: Amy Bookworm)

2013 Book Blogger Confessions topics here

Note: Um....*smacks head* so I mistakingly put August 1st as the date for the next BBC post rather than the first MONDAY of the month which is August 5th.

I'm sorry about that and please link up your post Monday if you did one for August 1st so we can all read it!

Out of Play Blog Tour with Jolene Perry & Nyrae Dawn! Top 10 Hottest Rock Stars

I’m so happy to be on this tour! I loved Out of Play! Jolene and Nyrae have written two incredibly awesome characters and a story that I fell in love with.

Because Bishop is the eptiome of the hot - bad boy rock star, I asked Jolene and Nyrae to name their top 10 hottest rock stars.

(Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post! You could win an annotated bound copy of Out of Play or one of 3 e-books!)

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Top 10 Hottest Rock Stars

Jolene - (I’ll do 5 and then Nyrae can have five ;-) 

• Kurt Cobain. Yes. I’m a product of the nineties. But those EYES…
• Bono. Yeah. He’s getting older, but seriously, anyone who can save the world and sing and play the guitar??? Hot.
• Chris Martin of Coldplay. It’s the lyrics. Because they make me swoon.
• Sam Endicott from the Bravery. It’s the jaw and the hair. Yum.
• Okay. Not a rock star but I may have a crush on Justin Timberlake…

(I’m really banking on Nyrae putting Adam Levine on this list…)

Nyrae - Sigh. Jolene steals ALL the good rock stars! LOL. Just kidding.  

• Eddie Vedder. When the album Ten came out I had the hugest crush on him. That voice. Mmmmm.
• Adam Levine. Yeah, Jolene was right. Whatever ;)
• Bobby Long. Yes I know he’s not a “rock” star as in a band and all that but he’s GORGEOUS, and deep and an old soul and…British accent. Enough said.
• You guys, totally don’t laugh at me for my list but I’m also going with Bret Michaels. He was my first crush! I went to a Poison concert when I was way too young to go to a Poison concert and I cried and cried because I thought I was watching my future husband on stage!
• Bon Jovi. Come on, you can deny he is sexy!!
• And I am totally adding one more. Since Bishop is a hot drummer, I have to add another hot drummer so I’m going with Travis Barker.

******* 

Summary: Rock star drummer Bishop Riley doesn't have a drug problem. Celebrities—especially ones suffering from anxiety—just need a little help taking the edge off sometimes. After downing a few too many pills, Bishop wakes up in the hospital facing an intervention. If he wants to stay in the band, he’ll have to detox while under house arrest in Seldon, Alaska.　 Hockey player Penny Jones can't imagine a life outside of Seldon. Though she has tons of scholarship offers to all the best schools, the last thing she wants is to leave. Who'll take care of her absentminded gramps? Not her mother, who can’t even be bothered to come home from work, let alone deal with their new tenants next door. Penny’s not interested in dealing with Bishop’s crappy attitude, and Bishop’s too busy sneaking pills to care. Until he starts hanging out with Gramps and begins to see what he’s been missing. If Bishop wants a chance with the fiery girl next door, he’ll have to admit he has a problem and kick it. Too bad addiction is hard to kick…and Bishop’s about to run out of time.
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository 

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About Nyrae: Writing has always been Nyrae Dawn’s passion. There have been times in her life where she wasn’t able to chase that dream the way she desired, but she always found her way back to telling stories.
One of her loves has always been writing about teens. There’s something so fresh and fun about the age that she loves exploring. Her husband says it’s because she doesn’t want to grow up. She doesn’t think that’s such a bad thing and luckily for her, he doesn’t either.
Nyrae gravitates toward character-driven stories. She loves going on emotional journeys with characters whether it be reading or writing. And yes, she’s a total romantic at heart and proud.
Nyrae resides in sunny Southern California with her husband (who still makes her swoon) and her two awesome kids.
When she’s not with her family, you can be pretty sure you’ll find her with a book in her hand or her laptop and an open document in front of her.
She writes for Entangled Publishing, Grand Central Publishing and is self-published.
Nyrae is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel and Goderich Literary Management. Nyrae Dawn also writes adult romance under the name Kelley Vitollo. ~ website | blog | twitter | facebook | goodreads .


About Jolene: Jolene grew up in South-central Alaska. She’s lived in Anchorage, near the Alyeska ski resort, on a cabin on an island on a lake, and then in a boring old house.
Jolene kissed a boy on her high school graduation night. One she’d wanted to kiss for a long time. They got married two years later, have built two homes together, survived military deployments, law school, student loan debt, and two children.
Jolene plays the guitar, takes pictures, and loves to hike. She doesn’t like rivers, but loves the ocean. She loves to fly, but gets motion sick. Her ultimate vacation would be to sail through the deserted islands in The Bahamas. Two years ago, she got that wish when her parents retired on a sailboat.
She taught high school French when she was only a few years older than her students, and then taught middle school math with her degree in political science and French.
She spends grocery money on designer fabric, shoes, and books. Jolene cannot express how many times she wished she could write a whole novel. And now she has. Many times. Life is good. ~ website | blog | twitter | facebook | goodreads 

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Giveaway Details:

An annotated bound copy of OUT OF PLAY US Only

3 eBooks of OUT OF Play (International)
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Tour Schedule:

7/29/2013- A Love Affair with Books
7/30/2013- Books Over Boys
7/31/2013- A Bookish Escape
8/1/2013- For What it's Worth
8/2/2013- Stuck in Books
8/5/2013- Books Complete Me
8/6/2013- Books With Bite
8/7/2013- The Eater of Books!
8/7/2013- Fictionators
8/8/2013- Fictitious Delicious
8/9/2013- Mostly YA Book Obsessed