Sunday, July 31, 2016

Daughters of Jared by H.B. Moore

Series: Standalone

Publication: May 20th 2016 by Mirror Press

Source: Received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review from ebooksforreview.com. Thank you!

Goodreads Summary: From the Book of Ether comes a haunting story of two royal sisters. The elder sister, Ash, will do anything to bring her father, King Jared II, back to the throne. The younger sister, Naiva, only wants to save her family from destruction. The bond of sisterhood becomes precariously fragile when one man . . . named Akish . . . falls in love with the younger sister, Naiva. Yet he chooses to marry the elder sister.

The sisters’ hearts are divided. And when Ash becomes queen, seduced by the promise of power and wealth, Naiva watches her world crumble away. She sees only one way out. But it will require forsaking all that she holds dear.

Goodreads Page

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Series: Maybe #1

Publication: March 18th 2014 by Atria Books

Source: Purchased

Goodreads Summary: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance.

At twenty-two years old, Sydney has a great life: She's in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter's cheating on her--and she is left trying to decide what to do next.

Sydney becomes captivated by Ridge, her mysterious neighbor. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there's something about Sydney that Ridge can't ignore, either. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one...

Original music created for Maybe Someday by musician Griffin Peterson can be accessed through the website listed in the ebook and paperback.

From the author of the New York Times bestsellers Slammed, Point of Retreat, Hopeless, This Girl, and Losing Hope, Maybe Someday is destined to be another bestseller and long-lasting fan favorite.

Goodreads Page

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Series: Sookie Stackhouse #1

Publication: January 2nd 2008 by Ace Books

Source: Library Book

Goodreads Summary: Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of "disability." She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, handsome--and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting for all her life....

But Bill has a disability of his own: He's a vampire with a bad reputation. He hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of--big surprise--murder. And when one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next....

Goodreads Page

Monday, July 18, 2016

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #2

Publication: May 3rd 2016 by Bloomsbury USA Children's

Source: Library Book

Goodreads Summary: Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

Goodreads Page

My Thoughts:

First of all: what the heck? This is an 8 BOOK SERIES? WAT. 
*My review of the first book with spoiler tags here.*

It. Was. Amazing. What even was ACOTAR compared to this?? I'm so happy with how this book turned out and has completely redeemed my belief in the characters of this series. It's no secret that I didn't really care for ACOTAR. I have a whole review with spoiler tags all about the various things in it that made zero sense. Trust me, there's a lot. To be fair, it was the first of Sarah's books I'd ever read and now that I have read a couple others I better understand her books/style I think. Although, to be fair, I think if I reread ACOTAR, I still would give it my very-generous-at-the-time rating of 3 stars.

I don't know where even to begin. This book has the perfect balance between action and character development. It's full of emotion and realism and I LOVED it. Gone is the Feyre cross-breed of Katniss and Bella Swan that I despised so much in ACOTAR. We're given a newborn Feyre who finds her own feet and strength to make her own decisions. Sure, there were still times I wanted to tell her to stop being stupid but those times were shortlived compared to other characters I've seen (including Celaena), and Feyre would return to being the more mature, likeable version of herself that now lives. I loved who Feyre became in this and reading as she came into her own. I cheered for her the entire time.
Rhysand. I loved Rhysand in the first book. He's actually one of the only things I listed as a "like" in my ACOTAR review from last year. I wanted to see more of him. Wanted to figure out who he really was and what his true motives were. Let me tell you: you get all of that and more in this book. I wish I could write more but, alas, spoilers. Suffice it to say, I love him and I loved what happened in this book concerning him and just yes.
Of course, we are given some scenes with some of our original characters such as Tamlin and Lucien, but let me just say, I never cared for Tamlin and I'm glad that I never fell into that fangirl love so many readers had. Tamlin has always reminded me of Edward Cullen and he continues to keep that comparison well and alive. Lucien, poor Lucien. I do wish his history wasn't what it was and that he didn't have to live his life in the Spring Court. He deserves better.
I really liked the new characters introduced in this book. The Night Court certainly holds some interesting people and I enjoyed reading and learning more about them.

I loved how the plot was paced. I think it had the perfect balance between action and harrowing scenes and fun, playful scenes that allowed us more beautiful glimpses into the world of Prythian. The way the plot played out gave us plenty of new insight into the seven courts and I really liked learning more about them. It gave me the happy feels that I got when reading the Percy Jackson series and learning more about the different cabins and demigods. And, of course, I LOVED the romance in this book. I do think that if you aren't a romance fan, this book may be overwhelming for you and you won't enjoy it as much. I mean, it's literally laced throughout the book and is a deeper theme even than ACOTAR. Although the romance in this sequel is much different and less starry-eyed I would say. I loved what it brought to the book and felt it was absolutely perfect for this sequel.

Lastly, I'm glad my predictions for this book didn't run true. If you read my review on ACOTAR, you'll see I predicted a love triangle and predicted that Feyre would spend all of her time running back and forth between two guys. I'm so glad that I was wrong (and I really hate being wrong lol). Bravo, Sarah. That's all I got to say. Bravo.

Likes: Literally all of it. I loved how Feyre changed and who she became. I loved Rhysand. I loved the new characters introduced. I loved the plot. I loved the romance. I loved the new glimpses into the world of Prythian. I loved it all.

Dislikes: Literally cannot think of anything. I'm glad that I never liked Tamlin...

Overall:
Recommend? Yes!!!
Reading the Next One? Yes!!!




Sunday, July 10, 2016

Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies by Laura Stampler

Series: Standalone

Publication: July 19th 2016 by Simon Pulse

Source: Received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Thank you!

Goodreads Summary: The Devil Wears Prada meets Sex and the City in a wickedly funny debut novel about a girl who lands a dream internship at a magazine in New York City. If only she hadn’t lied about being a dating expert on her resume…

Harper Anderson has always thought she should have been born somewhere more glamorous than her sleepy Northern California suburb. After all, how many water polo matches and lame parties in Bobby McKittrick’s backyard can one girl take?

Already resigned to working at a Skinny B’s Juice Press for the summer, Harper is shocked when the ultra-prestigious teen magazine, Shift, calls to say they want her to be their teen dating blogger for the summer. All she needs to do is get her butt to New York in two days.

There’s just one teeny, tiny problem: Apart from some dance floor make-outs, Harper doesn’t have a whole lot of dating experience. So when Shift’s application asked for an “edgy” personal essay, Harper might have misappropriated her best friend’s experiences for her own. But she can just learn on the job...right? Will the house of lies Harper has built around her dream job collapse all around her, or will she be able to fake it until she makes it in the big city?

Goodreads Page

Thursday, July 7, 2016

The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding | Audible Audiobook

Series: Bridget Jones #2

Publication: 2013 by Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

Source: Purchased

Goodreads Summary: The Wilderness Years are over! But not for long. At the end of Bridget Jones's Diary, Bridget hiccuped off into the sunset with man-of-her-dreams Mark Darcy. Now, in The Edge of Reason, she discovers what it is like when you have the man of your dreams actually in your flat and he hasn't done the washing-up, not just the whole of this week, but ever.

Lurching through a morass of self-help-book theories and mad advice from Jude and Shazzer, struggling with a boyfriend-stealing ex-friend with thighs like a baby giraffe, an 8ft hole in the living-room wall, a mother obsessed with boiled-egg peelers, and a builder obsessed with large reservoir fish, Bridget embarks on a spiritual epiphany, which takes her from the cappuccino queues of Notting Hill to the palm- and magic-mushroom-kissed shores of ...

Bridget is back. V.g.

Goodreads Page

Monday, July 4, 2016

That Girl, Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Story by James Ramos

Series: Standalone

Publication: October 19th 2015 by Future House Publishing

Source: Received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review from ebooksforreview.com. Thank you!

Goodreads Summary: IT IS A TRUTH UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED that geeky guys never get to date the pretty girls with permanent scowls.

To Elliott Bennett, life is simple. It’s all parties, skateboarding, and arguing over who would win in a fight between Hulk and Superman with his friends. It’s his senior year, and he wants nothing more than to soak up his final year of freedom before real life begins.

That is, until Darcy Fitzwilliam and her best friend Bridget move in to the only mansion in the neighborhood. When Elliot meets Darcy at a party, he finds out that she isn’t into skateboarding (which he lives for), she hates science-fiction (which he loves), and she thinks his friends are a pack of morons (which, honestly, might be half true)—and yet, there’s something irritatingly intriguing about her.

When Elliot’s cousin Jake starts to date her friend Bridget, it complicates Elliot’s plans to ignore the scowling Darcy for the rest of the year. Why is Darcy so . . . ugh? Elliott doesn’t know, but for some reason, is determined to find out—even if she doesn’t know the difference between Star Trek and Star Wars.

Goodreads Page