Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Blogging Break



Hey everyone!

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm taking a blogging break for a little while because I have been feeling really bad lately, with a lot of pain. It's so bad I can't even sit up straight so I'm really not up to blogging.

I plan on taking a break until Monday, the 2nd of May but if I'm still in pain by then I might take this break a little longer.

Thanks for understanding! 


Monday, April 25, 2016

Monday Madness: The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

Monday Madness is a bookish meme hosted by Bookfever & Booklover's Teaparty

You know that feeling when you feel like you are gonna go mad if you do not get a certain book right away, when you are obsessed and all you want is that one book and you will be happy? That is what Monday Madness is about. All those books you that drive you mad.

Pick a book. Talk about it- why do you want it? What has drawn you to it? Why is it making you mad with want for it?



The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead
The Glittering Court #1
Published April 5th 2016 by Razorbill

Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.

But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands…


I still need to get my hands on Richelle Mead's latest book. As some people know I was a big fan of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines (I still miss Adrian Ivashkov so much!) but I also really loved Soundless. So I'm very excited for this new trilogy!




And don't forget to check out Christina's post! ♥




Sunday, April 24, 2016

Review: Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Title: Rebel of the Sands
Author: Alwyn Hamilton 
Series: Rebel of the Sands #1
Publication: February 4th 2016 by Faber & Faber
Genre: Young Adult ~ Fantasy
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Kobo | Google Play

Rating: 4/5

   

"Tell me that and we'll go. Right now. Save ourselves and leave this place to burn. Tell me that's how you want your story to go and we'll write it straight across the sand."

Dustwalk is an unforgiving, dead-end town. It's not the place to be poor or orphaned or female. And yet Amani Al'Hiza must call it 'home'.

Amani wants to escape and see the world she's heard about in campfire stories.

Then a foreigner with no name turns up, and with him she has the chance to run.

But the desert plains are full of dangerous magic. The Sultan's army is on the rise and Amani is soon caught at the heart of a fearless rebellion...

An epic story of swirling desert sands, love, magic and revolution.


Where to start with this wonderful book? I really loved Rebel of the Sands. It wasn't quite a five star book but it was a close call. I don't think I'd ever get sick of these kind of books — The kind where every page is practically a wonder and where anything can happen.

I loved Amani's journey. Mostly because she truly evolves from this girl who thinks about herself first (because she mostly grew up with not a lot of people to have her back) to someone who discovers true friendship on the way and actually thinks about those people first. 

I also really liked her relationship with Jin. I'm glad to say it wasn't insta-love at all. So we can all cheer about that. She actually got to know Jin over the course of a couple of months. And I also can't say that the romance was a big thing in this book. There was a hint of it, a few kisses but that was it. I loved that.

The secondary characters were also very interesting to read about. They really brought something extra to the story that wouldn't have been there if it was just about Amani and Jin.

The story had a lot of plot twists. Some I had seen coming but other were unexpected and quite startling. The writing was impeccable. I almost felt like I was in the desert, along with Amani, Jin and all the others.  

Rebel of the Sand by Alwyn Hamilton was close to being flawless. The setting, the characters, the plot twists, the writing... all of it was so perfectly done. It was one of those books that I had a hard time to put down because I wanted to keep reading, to keep finding out more and more about this world and these characters.




       About the Author:

Alwyn Hamilton was born in Toronto and spent her childhood bouncing between Europe and Canada until her parents settled in France. She grew up in a small town there, which might have compelled her to burst randomly into the opening song from Beauty and the Beast were it not for her total tone-deafness. She instead attempted to read and write her way to new places and developed a weakness for fantasy and cross-dressing heroines. She left France for Cambridge University to study History of Art at King’s College, and then to London where she became indentured to an auction house. She has a bad habit of acquiring more hardcovers than is smart for someone who moves house quite so often.




Friday, April 22, 2016

Review: Unseen Messages by Pepper Winters

Title: Unseen Messages
Author: Pepper Winters
Publication: March 30th 2016

Genre: Adult ~ Contemporary Romance
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository | Google Play
Rating: 4/5

Review copy received in exchange for an honest review.

   

"Instincts are what keep us safe from fate. Ignoring them can change your life forever."

Fame and fortune arrived overnight and after months on the road with her singing tour, all Estelle craves is peace. Tired and ready for paradise, she travels to Fiji to recuperate.

Stubborn and surly, Galloway is avoided by most--which is exactly the way he likes it. However, he's done spending his life in regret and hopes to find redemption in the tropical wilderness.

Together, they board the flight that changes their fate forever. Crash landing on a deserted island, they not only have to figure out how to survive with no skills and daily dangers--learning how to fish, find water, and build shelter--but also inherit two children who look to them to keep them alive.

However, staying alive might be the least of Galloway and Estelle's problems. As days creep to months and rescue doesn't find them, their desire for each other ignites.

They started as strangers.
They grew to be friends.
They fought the desire to be lovers.

Lust can be the most beautiful thing. Love the most rewarding. But not on an island where life hangs by a thread and giving into temptation can kill you.

Can they survive being forgotten or will love be their ultimate undoing?

From New York Times Bestseller Pepper Winters comes a timeless love story answering the question of what happens when everything is stripped away.


So this book was long. Very long. With 714 pages it took me almost two weeks to finish this book, which is a long time for me. The story did drag at some points but overall it was a pretty epic story and Pepper Winters always knows how to tug on my heartstrings. Unseen Messages may be her most finest story yet.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this story except excellence as it's a book by Pepper Winters. I didn't even know this was a survival romance before receiving and starting to read it. But I was pleasantly surprised by the turn this book took when the characters crash landed on a deserted island.

I loved the main characters, Estelle and Galloway. They had chemistry right off the bat but they also had flaws and weren't perfect. But together they were pretty amazing. I also adored Connor and Pippa, the kids who also crash landed with them. 

There were some things, mostly some stupid actions by the characters that made me think they could've been much smarter about. I won't say what I'm refering to but I was quite annoyed by it. There were also parts that were so freaking sad and made me tear up so much. I'm still sad about it.

And as always the writing  was gorgeous. Pepper Winters can form the most gorgeous sentences, she's a true poet. 

So all in all, Unseen Messages by Pepper Winters was amazing. There were some parts that I enjoyed less and I also thought the story was a bit too long but overall it was such a great story and something different from this author.



       About the Author:

       Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Pepper Winters is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today International Bestseller. After chasing her dreams to become a full-time writer, Pepper has earned recognition with awards for best Dark Romance, best BDSM Series, and best Hero. She’s an multiple #1 iBooks bestseller, along with #1 in Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, and Erotica Thriller. She’s also honoured to wear the IndieReader Badge for being a Top 10 Indie Bestseller. Pepper is a Hybrid Author of both Traditional and Self-published work. Her Pure Corruption Series was released by Grand Central, Hachette.
Her books have garnered foreign interest and are currently being translated into numerous languages, including already released titles in Italian and Turkish. Audio Books for her entire back-list will be available in 2016.


Thursday, April 21, 2016

Review: Facade by Kim Carmichael

Title: Facade: A Modern Romance Inspired by The Phantom of The Opera
Author: Kim Carmichael
Publication: March 23rd 2016 by Irksome Rebel Press
Genre: Adult ~ Contemporary ~ Romance
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Rating: 2/5

Received in exchange for an honest review.

   

The world is nothing but one big façade. You have to be special to see the behind the mask.

Erik Renevant once lived in the spotlight. As lead singer for the wildly successful group, Specter the world revered him. When an accident destroyed his band and his face, he chose to live his life in the darkness, hiding away from the shadows of his former self and refusing to be seen again.

Christine Day longs to have her chance in the spotlight. Living her life flitting from one thing to the other and currently without a permanent residence, she sees her big break in becoming the backup singer for an unknown band and entering the Stage of Stars, the latest hit reality competition.

When Christine wanders into Erik’s perfectly controlled world and he hears her voice, he knows she is destined for super stardom. However, he never dreamed she would be the one to help him shatter his own façade and lead him into the light.

Façade is inspired by the beloved story of the Phantom of the Opera and is a combination of all the different incarnations.


Facade was a bit of a fail, sadly enough. Sure, it had some things that I liked but mostly it wasn't a very good book for me, which is really too bad because I'm a huge Phantom of the Opera fan.

I'll start with the good. What I liked was obviously that this book was inspired by The Phantom of the Opera. I liked how the author took elements from the original story and put them in a modern setting. It was also a pretty quick read so that's also a bonus.

Now the bad... the characters were kind of boring. Especially Christine fell flat to me. She really had no depth whatsoever. Erik could be okay at times, though. I also wasn't a fan of the writing. It was mediocre at best. I just wanted more character and world building, I guess.

I also want to say that the story itself wasn't bad either. Like I said before I liked the modern setting. And also Christine entering a competition called Stage of Stars where Erik trains her for. 

I'm not sure what to say about the secondary characters. I definitely liked Nash. But as for the others, I don't really feel like I got to know them that well. The romance aspect wasn't my favorite either. Sometimes it was okay, but other times it was just bad.

Overall I wouldn't recommend Facade by Kim Carmichael. I really wanted to like it but even though I'm pretty obsessed with all things Phantom of the Opera, this wasn't the story for me. 




       About the Author:

       Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Kim Carmichael began writing nine years ago when her love of happy endings inspired her to create her own.

A Southern California native, Kim's contemporary romance combines Hollywood magic with pop culture to create quirky characters set against some of most unique and colorful settings in the world.

With a weakness for designer purses, bad boys and techno geeks, Kim married her own computer whiz after he proved he could keep her all her gadgets running and finally admitted handbags were an investment.

A multi-published author, Kim is a PAN member of the Romance Writers of America, as well as some small specialty chapters.

When not writing, she can usually be found slathered in sunscreen trolling Los Angeles and helping top doctors build their practices.


Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Waiting On Wednesday: The Argument by Pepper Winters

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly anticipating.




The Argument by Pepper Winters
Expected publication: July 2016

They say the key to a good relationship is one with no drama.
They say you’re not trying hard enough or married the wrong person if you fight.
Sorry, but I call bulls***.
I’ve had plenty of relationships: some sweet, some happy, most an utter failure.
Until I met Harriet.
Our first conversation was an argument.
Our second conversation was an argument.
Our entire connection was based on…yep, an argument.
We tore up the rules of chance encounters and polite first meeting etiquette. And after the week I’d had, I was ready for a punch-up.
Hell, I craved one.
And Harriet was there to antagonise me.
The first time we met, we spent every hour from dusk to dawn, arguing.
And when the sun rose, neither of us wanted to stop.
Because there was something so refreshing about being honest. Saying exactly what you thought. Picking faults just because you itched to fight.
It was only supposed to be one night. A night where the town was our battlefield, the clubs a microphone to our bickering, and the stars a listener to our squabbles.
Only…I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
You see, arguing turned out to be the best damn thing I’d ever experienced.
So, instead of agreeing to the terms we’d set, I revoked them. I went home with her. I refused to leave. And our argument turned into something so much more than a random quarrel.
It turned into war and our love wasn’t sweet…it was hostile.


Since the cover reveal of this book was yesterday it seemed fitting to use it today for this week's WOW choice. And as it's a new book by Pepper Winters, of course I have to read it. The Argument sounds like another great one. I can't wait to get my hands on it!



What's your WOW pick?
Leave me the link to your post so I can stop by!



Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Cover Reveal: The Argument by Pepper Winters

Coming July 2016 from New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Pepper Winters...

  THE ARGUMENT - cover   


THE ARGUMENT releases in July 2016! If you would like to be notified as soon as THE ARGUMENT goes live, please feel free to sign up for the Release Alert Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/120b5

  the argument teaser 3  


From the New York Times Bestseller Pepper Winters comes a snarky standalone full of romance.

They say the key to a good relationship is one with no drama.

They say you’re not trying hard enough or married the wrong person if you fight.

Sorry, but I call bulls***.

I’ve had plenty of relationships: some sweet, some happy, most an utter failure.

Until I met Harriet.

Our first conversation was an argument.

Our second conversation was an argument.

Our entire connection was based on…yep, an argument.

We tore up the rules of chance encounters and polite first meeting etiquette. And after the week I’d had, I was ready for a punch-up.

Hell, I craved one.

And Harriet was there to antagonise me.

The first time we met, we spent every hour from dusk to dawn, arguing.

And when the sun rose, neither of us wanted to stop.

Because there was something so refreshing about being honest. Saying exactly what you thought. Picking faults just because you itched to fight.

It was only supposed to be one night. A night where the town was our battlefield, the clubs a microphone to our bickering, and the stars a listener to our squabbles.

Only…I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.

You see, arguing turned out to be the best damn thing I’d ever experienced.

So, instead of agreeing to the terms we’d set, I revoked them. I went home with her. I refused to leave. And our argument turned into something so much more than a random quarrel.

It turned into war and our love wasn’t sweet…it was hostile.

THE ARGUMENT - CR teaser 1

About Pepper Winters: Pepper Winters is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today International Bestseller. After chasing her dreams to become a full-time writer, Pepper has earned recognition with awards for best Dark Romance, best BDSM Series, and best Hero. She’s an multiple #1 iBooks bestseller, along with #1 in Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, and Erotica Thriller. She’s also honoured to wear the IndieReader Badge for being a Top 10 Indie Bestseller. Pepper is a Hybrid Author of both Traditional and Self-published work. Her Pure Corruption Series was released by Grand Central, Hachette.
Her books have garnered foreign interest and are currently being translated into numerous languages, including already released titles in Italian and Turkish. Audio Books for her entire back-list will be available in 2016.

Click here for a list of Pepper Winters' Published Books

Newsletter for New Release Alerts | Website | Twitter | Facebook


THE ARGUMENT - CR teaser 3




Monday, April 18, 2016

Monday Madness: In the Shadows by Kiersten White & Jim Di Bartolo

Monday Madness is a bookish meme hosted by Bookfever & Booklover's Teaparty

You know that feeling when you feel like you are gonna go mad if you do not get a certain book right away, when you are obsessed and all you want is that one book and you will be happy? That is what Monday Madness is about. All those books you that drive you mad.

Pick a book. Talk about it- why do you want it? What has drawn you to it? Why is it making you mad with want for it?





In the Shadows by Kiersten White & Jim Di Bartolo 
Published April 29th 2014 by Scholastic Press


From the remarkable imagination of acclaimed artist Jim Di Bartolo and the exquisite pen of bestselling author Kiersten White comes a spellbinding story of love, mystery, and dark conspiracy, told in an alternating narrative of words and pictures.

Cora and Minnie are sisters living in a small, stifling town where strange and mysterious things occur. Their mother runs the local boarding house. Their father is gone. The woman up the hill may or may not be a witch.

Thomas and Charles are brothers who’ve been exiled to the boarding house so Thomas can tame his ways and Charles can fight an illness that is killing him with increasing speed. Their family history is one of sorrow and guilt. They think they can escape from it . . . but they can’t.



Kiersten White is one of my favorite authors so I've wanted In the Shadows ever since it came out back in 2014. It sounds really amazing, especially since there are pictures in it by Jim Di Bartolo. The reason why I haven't bought this book yet is because it's pretty pricey. Illustrated books always are. I do hope to buy it someday. Hopefully soon. 



And don't forget to check out Christina's post! ♥





Sunday, April 17, 2016

Review: Norse Mythology by Robert Carlson

Title: Norse Mythology: A Concise Guide to Gods, Heroes, Sagas and Beliefs of Norse Mythology
Author: Robert Carlson
Publication: February 9th 2016 by Hourly History
Genre: Nonfiction ~ History
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Rating: 4/5

 

★ Norse Mythology ★
An introduction to such a vast subject as Norse Mythology can be problematic as it could well fall between two stools; so packed with details as to put one off, or so vague, that one is none the wiser for having read it. This text manages a pleasing balance, succeeds in whetting the appetite and supplying excellent online resources for the reader who wishes to find out more.

Inside you will read about...
✓ The Creation in Norse Mythology
✓ The Nine Worlds
✓ Major Gods and Goddesses
✓ Valhalla
✓ Ragnarok
✓ The Sagas
✓ The Influence of Norse Mythology on Our Lives Today

The author quotes generously from the most important relevant source which is freely available via the Project Gutenberg, and you are left with the sounds and taste of the times... ringing in your ears and tingling on your tongue.


This definitely was one of the better nonfictions on Norse mythology that I have read so far. It was also my first book by author Robert Carlson but I think it definitely won't be my last.

This book had a lot of great chapters and topics of Norse mythology that I was very interested in. My favorite chapters were: The Creation in Norse Mythology, The Major Gods and Goddesses, Ragnarok and especially The Influence of Norse Mythology on Our Lives today. 

It was all very informative and interesting to read about as well as a quick read. I think this would be the perfect book for people who don't know a lot about Norse mythology but want to learn more about it as well as people who are already familiar with it (like me). 

Overall, Norse Mythology: A Concise Guide to Gods, Heroes, Sagas and Beliefs of Norse Mythology by Robert Carlson was easily read with a lot of intriguing facts. Really one of my favorites so far on this topic!




This book is free right now on Kindle | Nook | Kobo