Waiting on Wednesday #42

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog post by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases we're eagerly awaiting.
My pick this week is:

Title: Uses for Boys

Series: none

Author: Erica Lorraine Scheidt 

Release date: January 15th, 2013

Summary:

Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.

Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical, Uses for Boys is a story of breaking down and growing up.

 Why I want to read it:

Umm... why indeed? Did you read that summary up there^^^^^^??? If not, then scroll up and do read it!!! It's a hot contemporary YA romance of growing up and falling in love. Of course I can't wait to get my hands on it!!! Oh, and they have it on Netgalley ;)

So how about you? What amazing book are you waiting on this week?  

In her shoes ~ 30 ~

Every Tuesday I will pick a character I've read about recently, perhaps even the week before, and try putting myself in her shoes. What things would I do differently? What have I learned from her behavior? That kind of thing. You are welcome to participate if you want, just please link back, so we could build a nice community of followers. Thanks!!! :)

All The Broken Pieces featured one very brave young lady, who captured my attention in the most spectacular way. Liv was in a coma after a frightening car accident. She doesn't remember anything when she wakes up. She doesn't know who she is, who her parents are, or what happened.

She accepts her parents' story for what happened, but all the while feeling in her gut that something is terribly wrong.

Going through an assortment of weird events, Liv keeps her mind around. Even with all the broken memories that keep popping in her mind, she doesn't break down. She's so strong and brave that I am in awe with her.

Through all the different events, Liv stays true to her new self - she respects people, she doesn't defy authority, she is just really nice and open. I really truly loved her!

Who's shoes would you like to step into this week?

Book review: Duplicity by Nikki Jefford

Thank you Nikki for letting me review Duplicity! It was a very nice continuation to Entangled, and I really enjoyed it!

The writing style was once again entertaining, making me want to read until the end of the book. And to yearn for more after I was finnished. I can honestly not wait for Enchantment, Book 3 to come out, so I could have a closure for Graylee and Charlene's story.

So what can I say? Duplicity took my beloved characters, Gray and Raj, on an entirely new level. They grew into their roles and became better people.

To read full review, please click here.

Book review: All the Broken Pieces by Cindy Madsen

NOTE: I received this eARC from Entangled Publishing.
OMG! OMG! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! This book was so incredibly awesome!!!!! It took me several days to finish it only because I had a major exam to study for, otherwise I would've devoured it for one day!

All The Broken Pieces, in my opinion, is where Pushing The Limits meets One Moment. But it's also so much more! It's got a unique plot where most of the story revolves around this extremely humongous secret that just made me want to keep going so I could see if my theories would come out to be true. The rest of the story had all the romantic moments a teen girl would want to read about. Heck, it had all the cute stuff any girl/woman would want to read about.

So, I guess what I want to say is that the book was just perfect for my taste. I loved every bit of it: the plot, the world building, the characters, the writing style... it was so brilliant that I'm definitely putting it on my to-reread list.

Now about the characters, let me give my humble two cents.

To read full review, please click here.

Waiting on Wednesday #41

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog post by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases we're eagerly awaiting.
My pick this week is:

Title: Enchantment

Series: Spellbound, Book 3

Author: Nikki Jefford 

Release date: November 2012

Summary:

In the third and final installment of the Spellbound series, Graylee Perez (the duplicate), goes to Spain for a summer of escape. There she meets new friends and comes face to face with her old adversary, Adrian Montez.

When Gray tries to setup a spell that will banish Adrian from her life, she inadvertently falls under a love spell instead.

Charlene returns, having hijacked a new body, for one final battle between the twins.

 Why I want to read it:

Well, I loved the two previous installments in this series, and I'm waiting for book 3 with great anticipation! I can't wait to see what happens between Gray and Adrian and how they're gonna deal with Charlene :)))

So how about you? What amazing book are you waiting on this week?  

Book review: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

NOTE: I received this title from Netgalley.

I'm a total sucker for contemporary YA books, where there's an original and interesting story line. Dash & Lily's book of dares was one such book, that impressed me very much.

I liked the writing style. It was easy to read and follow, and I felt like it pushed me to read on until I was at the last page. The story was engrossing and full of cheery suspense, making me curious to know what the next challenge in the book would be. I really really enjoy such dare games, though I've never participated in one myself. So this was a nice way to experience the adventure.

If you want to read the full review, please click here.

Book review: Shift by Kim Curran

NOTE: I received this book to review from NetGalley.

When I read the title of this book, I thought I'd be reading just another animal type of shifter story. Guess how surprised I was when it turned out that this wasn't the case at all. Which was good actually, since animal shifting can't really offer much of a unique plot lately.

Anyways, so Shift was the story of a underground society of kids who can literally change their choices in time. The plot was original and the story telling was intriguing. So much that I could hardly put the book down. I was engrossed to the very last page.

There were moments of humor and moments where I wanted to just scream, and both of these are certain traits of an awesome read.

To read full review, please click here.

Cover Reveal: Eternal Hope by Frankie Rose

Hello guys! I got a message from author Frankie Rose, about her second book in the Sovereign Hope series. It's about the cover of Eternal Hope.

As you can see on the left, the cover is gorgeous! I love that guy, and his abs and that silhouette in the background is absolutely mysterious :))

I can't wait to read the book when it comes out  on Oct. 12th!!! Eep! That's tomorrow!!! YAY!!

Attention: MIA

Hello everybody!
For those of you who've noticed that I've been MIA in the past week, I thought I'd share some great news. I never mentioned this before, but I was pregnant, and since Oct. 4th am a proud mommy of a precious baby girl. Her name is Eli, and she's the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. Of course, each mother would say the same, so that's totally subjective. But I stand by my word :)) 

Here is a picture of her, from when we were in the hospital. She's so tiny, and still she's a large baby.

Well, that's all I had to say! Have fun reading! :)

Book review: Conjure by Lea Nolan

NOTE: I received this book for review from Entangled Publishing.

I hoped that Conjure would turn out to be a book I love, and I wasn't wrong. It was a very unique read that got me engulfed from the very first page and kept me going on and on until I reached the end. And now I just want MORE!!! Can't wait for the second book to come out!!! It was so engrossing, I finished it in barely two days!

I loved the story, not only because it was unique, but also because it wasn't at all connected to voo-doo of any sort. It had to do with healing, while having faith in the Lord. Now that was something that came to me very unexpected, but I liked it! I don't think I would've loved the story had it been about the voo-doo type of practices.

Anyways, the story revolved around a couple of ancient curses, a girl and two guys who got in the middle of it all, and an old Gullah Grannie (hoo-doo doctor) who had the knowledge and power to help. There are no love triangles here, and that was something I really liked. (I'm tired of the love triangle concept, to be honest. Can't there be just one girl to one guy attractions anymore????) I really liked how the plot developed and escalated until the very end when it turned into a sucking-your-attention hurricane of emotions. Loved it, loved it, LOVED IT!!!

To read full review, please click here.

Waiting on Wednesday # 40

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog post by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases we're eagerly awaiting.
My pick this week is:

Title: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

Series: none that I know of

Author:  Rachel Cohn, David Levithan

Release date: October 5th, 2012 by MIRA INK

Summary:

“I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.” So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

 Why I want to read it:

I am just really curious to see how this 'game' turns out. And treasure hunting is so cool! Besides, it's book-related, so how could I possibly not want to read it, huh? HUH?

So how about you? What amazing book are you waiting on this week?  

In her shoes ~29~

Every Tuesday I will pick a character I've read about recently, perhaps even the week before, and try putting myself in her shoes. What things would I do differently? What have I learned from her behavior? That kind of thing. You are welcome to participate if you want, just please link back, so we could build a nice community of followers. Thanks!!! :)

Well, I just finished reading Conjure by Lea Nolan last night, and I was very captivated by the lead female character, Emmaline Guthrie.

She started out just like any ordinary teenager at summer break - she enjoyed her time around her brother and unrequited love - Connor.

But then things get a bit out of hand when ancient curses come to play and Emma is stuck in the middle of it all. Now she either must stand aside and watch both boys fade out of life, or find a way to free them of centuries old feud.

This is where her character turns from timid to passionate and brave. This is where her limits are tested, along with her heart and mind. I loved her thinking, and the selflessness when dealing with the supernatural. She was amazing, and had all those nuances of the character - from angry to peaceful, to loving. I believe she completely deserves to be featured in this post :)



Who's shoes would you like to step into this week?

Book review: Blackwood by Gwenda Bond

NOTE: I received this book from Netgalley.

Since I love historically themed books, this one really got to me. I liked it very much, especially since the subject of the Lost Colony interests me. And the mystery surrounding Miranda (the female POV character) and her curse was definitely a nice concept to read about.

The story was written nicely, following a plot that spiraled ever upward, toward the grand finale. I must say that the grand scene could've been a bit more impressive, but other than that, I don't think the story lacked anything. It wasn't extremely fast paced, but it wasn't slow either. The characters were realistic and made me turn the pages until the end.

To read full review, please click here.