tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159035183041447852024-03-13T10:15:04.194-07:00The Secret Life of a BookwormSamantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.comBlogger549125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-89392644556804960852016-10-01T00:00:00.000-07:002016-10-02T02:22:52.480-07:00September Wrap Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;">Hello everyone! Can you believe it's October already? First off, I'd like to apologise for the lack of blog posts this month. I got into a major reading slump as soon as I started reading Empire of Storms - yes the book is to blame - and it's taken me weeks to get out of it. I had no desire to pick up a book or even look at my blog. But I feel like I'm starting to get out of it now! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">So, other than my reading slump, September wasn't that busy of a month for me. I did get a horrendous cold towards the end, but before that I spent three nights in a row seeing my favourite band of all time playing in Glasgow! McFly did a comeback anthology tour that involved them doing 3 shows in four cities and singing the entirety of their 5 studio albums. It was honestly some of the best nights of my life. I was paying for about a week afterwards, but it was worth every bit of pain I was in just to see them.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">I just love these boys so much.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Movie wise, this month I saw 4 movies at the cinema: <b>Bad Moms </b>- hilarious! <b>Don't Breathe </b>- very tense and nail biting. I loved it! <b>Blair Witch </b>- a very boring sequel. Laughed my way through it. And lastly, <b>Deepwater Horizon </b>- an amazing film of a heartbreaking disaster. Definitely my favourite of the month.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Reading wise, it was very clear I was in a reading slump. I only managed to finish 3 books.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>1. The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>2. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>3. PS I Like You by Kasie West</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">I didn't really have an overall favourite this month, but I think I'd have to go with <i>PS I Like You </i>mainly because it was super adorable.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">So this month I'm going to take it easy again. I probably won't have regular reviews up, but I'm planning to have a few up. I definitely need to start getting my EoS thoughts down too.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">So how was September for you guys? Is there a book coming out this month that you just can't wait to get your hands on? Let me know in the comments!</span></div>
Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-38211234376815327832016-09-05T00:00:00.000-07:002016-09-05T00:00:02.349-07:00August Wrap Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;">Hello everyone! Sorry this wrap up is a bit late, last week was a super busy week for me so I didn't manage to get anything done. I was working a lot, and my cousin was over from New Zealand so I spent some time with her, and then the rest of the time I spent in bed because I was exhausted! Hopefully this month isn't as jam packed!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Movie-wise, this month I saw 7 movies at the cinema: <b>Finding Dory</b> - a brilliant and hilarious sequel; <b>Suicide Squad </b>- much better than I thought it was going to be!; <b>Nerve</b> - AMAZING! My favourite of the month; <b>The Shallows </b>- a bit boring and they didn't show you the good parts; <b>Mike and Dave Need Weddings Dates </b>- very bad and stupid, but a bit funny; <b>War Dogs</b> - very, very good movie and Miles Teller is fantastic! and lastly, <b>Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping </b>- not as good as I'd hoped, but it was alright.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Book-wise I managed to read 13 books (9 of which were re-reads). I'm powering through my re-read of the Morganville Vampire series. I honestly forgot how much I loved this series and the characters. I just can't get enough!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>1. Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>2. Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>3. Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>4. Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>5. Carpe Corpis by Rachel Caine</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>6. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>7. Wanderlost by Jen Malone</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>8. Fade Out by Rachel Caine</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>9. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>10. Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>11. Ghost Town by Rachel Caine</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>12. Kissing in America by Margo Rabb</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>13. Bite Club by Rachel Caine</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>It Ends With Us </b>was hands down my favourite book of the month. I still need to process my thoughts of the book, but it was definitely the best book I read in August.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">So, for September, I'm going to continue my <i><b>Morganville Vampires</b></i> re-read (and hopefully finish it!), and I'm also reading <b>The False Prince</b> by Jennifer A. Nielsen - which I'm loving - so I'll probably grab the second book in the series too. <b>Empire of Storms </b>is finally out this month. To be honest, I'm not particularly looking forward to it anymore after all the spoilers - which I'm still hoping aren't true! - but we'll see when it comes out.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">So that's my August wrap up! Let me know what the best book you read in August for and which book your most looking forward to reading this month!</span></div>
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<span id="goog_2067076155"></span><span id="goog_2067076156"></span><br />Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-18330746413089069832016-08-29T00:00:00.000-07:002016-08-29T16:21:12.629-07:00I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: Jasper Dent #1</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Audiogo</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: April 3rd 2012</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Library</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Narrator</b>: Charlie Thurston</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16373710-i-hunt-killers" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Igoi1utyawE/U2pdYscCSEI/AAAAAAAAJ0c/mAUuRM4W8qMjT2emK-PWZGQ3s0xzbdGZQCKgB/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><i>What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view.
And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>I Hunt Killers </i>is a super creepy book about a boy called Jasper Dent who's father is the world's most infamous serial killer. Jasper is determined to prove that he is nothing like his father, so when he is stalking the police and notices some odd things about a body they have found, Jasper is sure it's a serial killer. He joins in the police hunt to catch the serial killer in a desperate bid to shake off his fathers memory. But Jasper is struggling to get his fathers voice out of his head, will he eventually turn out like his father in the end?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">I freaking loved this book! It was so creepy and fast-paced, and I just honestly loved everything about it. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Jasper might possibly be one of my favourite characters now, he's so complex. Jasper is struggling with the two sides of himself - the side that knows what's right, and the side that his father talks to. Jasper constantly hears Billy in his head and does everything he can to block him out, but there are times when Jasper lets Billy in, and when he does, there's no limit to what Jasper could be capable of. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">The story line revolves around a serial killer copying Billy Dent's killings from when he first started. The serial killer - The Impressionist - is copying the way Billy killed and placed his victims. He's even copying their initials and loosely interpreting their jobs as well. Jasper is determined to find out who is copying his father and put a stop to them.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>I Hunt Killers </i>had some seriously creepy moments, and I honestly couldn't work out who the killer was! I spent the whole book wracking my brain trying to piece everything together, and it turns out I didn't even suspect this person at all! I did enjoy getting the snippets from the killers POV and getting an insight into what they were up to and what happened when they realised the police were onto their victims. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">The ending was fantastic and after the big showdown with the killer, Jasper was in for an even bigger shock which left me dying to move onto the next book!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>I Hunt Killers </i>is a fantastic YA mystery novel! I completely adored everything about it and I'm sure the whole of the Jasper Dent trilogy is going to become one of my favourites.</span><br />
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Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-50538632515452682332016-08-25T00:00:00.000-07:002016-08-25T00:00:20.430-07:00Truly Madly Deadly by Hannah Jayne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Truly Madly Deadly by Hannah Jayne</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: No</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Sourcebooks Fire</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: July 2nd 2013</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Audible</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Narrator</b>: Erica Sullivan</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15942674-truly-madly-deadly" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Igoi1utyawE/U2pdYscCSEI/AAAAAAAAJ0c/mAUuRM4W8qMjT2emK-PWZGQ3s0xzbdGZQCKgB/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">They Said It Was An Accident...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Sawyer Dodd is a star athlete, a straight-A student, and the envy of every other girl who wants to date Kevin Anderson. When Kevin dies in a tragic car crash, Sawyer is stunned. Then she opens her locker to find a note:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><i>You're welcome.</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Someone saw what he did to her. Someone knows that Sawyer and Kevin weren't the perfect couple they seemed to be. And that someone—a killer—is now shadowing Sawyer's every move...
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Truly Madly Deadly </i>was the next book on my July mystery/crime/suspense spree! I'd had this one sitting on my phone for ages, I think I downloaded it from audible a few months ago and forgot about it, so this one ended up next on my listen to list!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Truly Madly Deadly </i>follows high school student Sawyer Dodd who's boyfriend Kevin died in a car accident. One morning, Sawyer opens up her locker and finds a green envelope. Inside the envelope is a note with the words '<i>you're welcome'</i>. Sawyer panics and begins to think that Kevin's death was no accident. Someone must know what Kevin did to her and got him out of the picture, and that same someone is now taking out everything and everyone that could harm Sawyer.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">The whole story of this one felt a bit amateur and kind of childish. The narrator didn't help either, she had a pretty childish voice and the characters all sounded whiny. But, the tone of this book just came across way too childish and it didn't create any suspense for me at all. I was intrigued to find out who was leaving Sawyer notes and why they were doing what they were doing. Even when it came to revealing who was behind everything, I wasn't surprised. It'd been extremely obvious to me for quite a few chapters and I basically gave up caring after that.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Overall, I didn't particularly enjoy <i>Truly Madly Deadly</i>. It was OK, but probably not a book I would recommend. </span>Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-28317911795819316792016-08-22T00:00:00.000-07:002016-08-22T00:00:00.191-07:00Trust In Me by Sophie McKenzie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Trust In Me by Sophie McKenzie</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: No</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Simon & Schuster UK</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: September 11th 2014</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Kindle</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19631864-trust-in-me" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Igoi1utyawE/U2pdYscCSEI/AAAAAAAAJ0c/mAUuRM4W8qMjT2emK-PWZGQ3s0xzbdGZQCKgB/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Julia has always been the friend that Livy turns to when life is difficult. United fifteen years ago by grief at the brutal murder of Livy's sister, Kara, they've always told each other everything.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Or so Livy thought.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">So when Julia is found dead in her home, Livy cannot come to terms with the news that she chose to end her own life. The Julia that Livy knew was vibrant and vivacious, a far cry from the selfish neurotic that her family seem determined to paint her as.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Troubled by doubt but alone in her suspicions, Livy sets out to prove that Julia was in fact murdered. But little does she realise that digging into her best friend's private life will cause her to question everything she thought she knew about Julia. And the truth that Livy discovers will tear the very fabric of her own life apart.
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<br />
<span style="color: #444444;">I picked up <i>Trust in Me </i>right after reading <i>He Will Be My Ruin </i>because it was on offer on kindle, and again, had the same sort of premise. I probably shouldn't have jumped into this one right after reading such an amazing book, because although this was a good book, the story just didn't live up to what I knew it could be.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Trust in Me </i>follows Livy who turns up at her best friends house one afternoon and finds her lying dead on her couch. Julia had always been someone Livy could relying on ever since the death of her sister Kara, so when Livy finds her, she just can't believe that Julia would take her own life. Livy sets out to try to prove that Julia's death was murder, but Livy doesn't realise what she's getting herself into. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">The actual story line for <i>Trust in Me </i>was a bit boring, predictable and a bit too dramatic. Livy's husband has cheated on her before, and this is basically all Livy focuses on throughout the whole book. Even though it's been years and she'd forgiven her husband, she basically believes everyone else over him, even if he tries to prove it to her, and is determined to ruin her marriage. Parts of the story felt a bit far-fetched as well. Like, going to an agency to hire a girl to chat up your partner to see if he cheats? I mean, really? And the fact that Julia hid the guy she'd been dating for months and agreed to marry from <b>everyone</b>?! It just seemed a bit too unbelievable.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">That being said, I did enjoy parts of it. It was a quick read and I did like getting to see Livy digging into what Julia had been looking at, and it turns out that Julia had been investigating Kara's murder and thought she'd found the killer. So that added a bit of spice to the story.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">There were also chapters from the killer's POV and you got to get into their heads and see how they thought and see exactly what they'd done over the years. So that was pretty interesting.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">The ending was a bit of a surprise. I never saw it coming at all! I enjoyed getting to see everything come to a head and find out exactly what had happened.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Trust in Me </i>is a decent mystery novel and a very quick read. It was enjoyable, but also a bit predictable and made me roll my eyes more than once. If you're looking for a bit of mystery and something quick to pass the time, I'd recommend this one. </span><br />
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Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-6188310560013247822016-08-18T00:00:00.000-07:002016-08-18T00:00:12.333-07:00He Will Be My Ruin by K. A. Tucker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>He Will Be My Ruin by K. A. Tucker</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: No</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Simon & Schuster</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: February 2nd 2016</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Audible</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Narrator</b>: Kate Rudd and Olivia Song</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25813905-he-will-be-my-ruin" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Igoi1utyawE/U2pdYscCSEI/AAAAAAAAJ0c/mAUuRM4W8qMjT2emK-PWZGQ3s0xzbdGZQCKgB/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><i>A woman who almost had it all...</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">On the surface, Celine Gonzalez had everything a twenty-eight-year-old woman could want: a one-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a job that (mostly) paid the bills, and an acceptance letter to the prestigious Hollingsworth Institute of Art, where she would finally live out her dream of becoming an antiques appraiser for a major auction house. All she had worked so hard to achieve was finally within her reach. So why would she kill herself?</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><i>A man who was supposed to be her salvation...</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Maggie Sparkes arrives in New York City to pack up what’s left of her best friend’s belongings after a suicide that has left everyone stunned. The police have deemed the evidence conclusive: Celine got into bed, downed a lethal cocktail of pills and vodka, and never woke up. But when Maggie discovers a scandalous photograph in a lock box hidden in Celine’s apartment, she begins asking questions. Questions about the man Celine fell in love with. The man she never told anyone about, not even Maggie. The man Celine believed would change her life.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><i>Until he became her ruin.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">On the hunt for evidence that will force the police to reopen the case, Maggie uncovers more than she bargained for about Celine’s private life—and inadvertently puts herself on the radar of a killer. A killer who will stop at nothing to keep his crimes undiscovered.
</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">I've read quite a few of K. A. Tuckers books (The first two books in her <i>Ten Tiny Breaths </i>series and her <i>Burying Water </i>series - which I <b>loved</b>!), so in July when I was feeling like something kind of mystery/crime and I was looking for a new audio book, I came across <i>He Will Be My Ruin</i>. The premise sounded exactly what I was in the mood for so I grabbed it and started listening straight away, and I was hooked. I honestly couldn't put this book down. I wanted to constantly listen to it and even ended up sitting in the house with my earphones in listening to it and ignoring my fiance... It was too good!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">So, <i>He Will Be My Ruin </i>follows Maggie Sparkes as she arrives home from doing charity work to deal with the death of her best friend Celine. Maggie is packing up Celine's apartment and getting all of her art collection prepared to sell when she comes across some things Celine had hidden away. Maggie begins to question Celine's death and begins to wonder if her best friend really did kill herself, or whether she was murdered because of something she found.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">The whole storyline of <i>He Will Be My Ruin </i>was just the fresh kind of story I was looking for. I'm not really a big reader of crime/mystery/suspense novels, but the whole of July this year was basically taken over by them. An apparent suicide, hidden notes, secrets and lies, this book just had everything going for it.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Maggie was a bit of a hit or miss main character, but I did like her. She was strong willed, and never let anyone boss her around. She was determined to prove that her best friend wouldn't have killed herself. Maggie knew Celine, and she just knew there had to be some other reason for her death. Maggie basically stopped at nothing to try to uncover what happened to Celine. I admired her loyalty to her best friend and her determination to get justice for Celine.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Celine had a lot of secrets, and although her main one was extremely obvious, I still enjoyed seeing the story progress and seeing Maggie uncover Celine's secrets and seeing how she dealt with them. Maggie thought she knew everything about Celine, so it was hard for her to come to terms with Celine's other life. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">There is a bit of romance, but it definitely doesn't detract from Maggie's main focus. There's two pretty hot guys and Maggie has been away for a while, so I'm not surprised she made use of the opportunities they presented. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">And when it came to trying to work out what was going on, I was constantly changing my mind. I couldn't decide what I thought had happened, and I only managed to completely figure it out right before the book took a dramatic turn at the end! But oh my, what a roller-coaster! I'd had my suspicions, but I just couldn't get my mind to settle because there were so many red herrings!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Overall, <i>He Will Be My Ruin </i>was a fantastic mystery/suspense novel. It's honestly one I'll be recommending to everyone, and K. A. Tucker has just rightfully earned herself a spot as one of my favourite authors, and I will definitely be buying whatever she comes out with next!</span><br />
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Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-51253493458516922042016-08-15T00:00:00.000-07:002016-08-15T00:00:06.313-07:00Do You Remember the First Time? by Jenny Colgan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Do You Remember the First Time? by Jenny Colgan</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: No</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Harper</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: April 11th 2013</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Bought</span><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Igoi1utyawE/U2pdYscCSEI/AAAAAAAAJ0c/mAUuRM4W8qMjT2emK-PWZGQ3s0xzbdGZQCKgB/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Life doesn’t have a rewind button. Ever wished it did?</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">As her best friend Tashy cuts into her wedding cake, 32-year-old Flora realises she is disillusioned with life. Suddenly, her well-paid job, cosy flat and stable relationship with sensible Olly don't amount to a whole lot. Flora wants to be 16 again. She closes her eyes and wishes. Her wish has come true.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Waking up the next morning is a shock. But now Flora has the chance to right some wrongs. Trading crows feet for pimples, love handles for a torso Britney Spears would kill for and dull dinner parties for house parties where White Lightning and snogging are the order of the day, Flora revels in a life where things are far less complicated and just much more… FUN.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">It's not all laughs though. Will what she does change the future? How can she get back to the present and her ordinary life? And does she even want to?
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Do You Remember the First Time? </i>was an 'on a whim' purchase because it was on offer for kindle. The storyline sounded extremely intriguing and unusual, so I just had to get it. And it turned out to be a pretty enjoyable read!<br /><br />Flora is beginning to realise she is unhappy with her life. Her job and her relationship with Olly aren't making sense to her any more. So,, when her best friend Tashy cuts her wedding cake, Flora closes her eyes and wishes she was sixteen again. The next morning, Flora wakes up and she's sixteen again! But, it's only her, her mother and her father that have changed ages. Everyone else in Flora's life stay the same, and Flora has jumped back a month before Tashy's wedding. Flora has a second chance to change her life, but what does she want to do? And will Flora get back to the present, or will she be stuck to live her life from sixteen again?</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">I wouldn't exactly call Flora a likeable main character, but she was definitely interesting. She was unhappy and just going along with the way her life had turned out, but then she magically got a second chance at being sixteen. Sixteen year old Flora could be extremely selfish at times, but she also had her selfless moments that started to make me like her. She was funny, and it was extremely interesting seeing a 32 year old in a 16 year old body.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">The story line was easy to follow and it basically gave Flora the opportunity to think about her future and decide whether she wants to keep it the way it is, or whether she's going to use this chance to change her future. Does she really love her job? Is Olly the right guy for her? Flora has a lot of decisions to make about her own life. She also takes the chance to try and rebuild the relationship between her mother and father, and she tries to see whether she can fix them. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">The ending of the book wrapped up nicely and ended exactly how I would have expected it to. It was a fun and interesting read, and I really enjoyed it.</span><br />
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Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-22246026595119840702016-08-11T00:00:00.000-07:002016-08-11T00:00:02.899-07:00Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: Rebel Belle #1</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Speak</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: March 3rd 2015</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Gifted</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22521588-rebel-belle" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OKooTOs5rzQ/U2p-D9Th5iI/AAAAAAAAJ3U/pxtrtfflf6EkMrmcTUrKgU4RSLkr9zMTgCKgB/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper's destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Just when life can't get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she's charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper's least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him—and discovers that David's own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.
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<span style="color: #444444;">Brittany was lovely enough to send me a signed copy of <i>Rebel Belle </i>when Rachel Hawkins did a signing near her, and we decided to buddy read it since we hadn't done one of them in a while. I failed at the buddy read and finished two days later than Brittany due to my iZombie obsession (I freaking LOVE that show!). Anyways, <i>Rebel Belle </i>follows Harper Price. Harper is a perfectionist and has been looking forward to being crowned Homecoming Queen. But after she finds herself in the middle of a fight in the school bathroom, she becomes a Paladin - an ancient guardian with awesome fighting skills. And, on top of being an ancient guardian, it turns out her task is to protect David Stark - Harper's least favourite person ever.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Rebel Belle </i>was a really funny, light and enjoyable read. I really liked Harper. Even though she could be very over the top sometimes when it came to being perfect, she was an extremely likeable character. She doesn't really want to accept her role as a Paladin to begin with - but who would? - and she struggles with the fact that if she does, she'll basically have to give up her life and her plans to protect David. She's also struggling with people comparing her to her sister, and she's desperate to do something that will make people see her as herself.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">I really love the story-line in <i>Rebel Belle</i>. I loved getting to see Harper train to become a Paladin. She could be so fierce when she wanted to be! I also actually just loved getting a glimpse into Cotillion and all that kind of stuff. I never really understood Cotillion, but I did love reading about it and seeing how much it meant to Harper. Getting into the whole Paladin/Oracle story was extremely interesting. Hearing from David's aunt about how it all came about and why male oracles are hunted was intriguing and I loved seeing them uncovering more about themselves.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Romance-wise, Harper's boyfriend Ryan has to be one of the most patient guys ever. Harper was constantly disappearing and lying to him, and at one point, she actually attacked him (not entirely her fault). But if I'd been him, I'd have given up on Harper loooong before he did. However, I did really love her relationship with David. It was obvious the had chemistry, but they were so focused on hating each other and then sorting out the Paladin/Oracle thing that it took a while for them, but I did really love them together.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">The ending was slightly predictable, but also extremely intriguing as it left off in a situation that is probably going to be super awkward! I really need to get my hands on <i>Miss Mayhem</i>!</span><br />
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Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-46900778269470194292016-08-08T00:00:00.000-07:002016-08-08T11:33:47.112-07:00Head Over Heels by Holly Smale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LM5_H-dYEVA/Vz3LD03qx3I/AAAAAAAAM9U/hciJOr2pXBg7mz1V41yS5UM143BYaretgCLcB/s1600/Head%2BOver%2BHeels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LM5_H-dYEVA/Vz3LD03qx3I/AAAAAAAAM9U/hciJOr2pXBg7mz1V41yS5UM143BYaretgCLcB/s400/Head%2BOver%2BHeels.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Head Over Heels by Holly Smale</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: Geek Girl #5</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Harper Collins Children's Books</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: April 7th 2016</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Netgalley [Publisher]</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Harriet Manners knows almost every fact there is.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">She knows duck-billed platypuses don’t have stomachs. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">She knows that fourteen squirrels were once detained as spies. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">She knows that both chess and snakes and ladders were invented in the same country.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">And for once, Harriet knows exactly how her life should go.She’s got it ALL planned out. So her friends seem less than happy, Harriet is determined to Make Things Happen! If only everyone else would stick to the script…</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">But is following the rules going to break hearts for GEEK GIRL?
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Head Over Heels </i>was another fantastic installment in the Geek Girl series. Ever since I read the first book back in 2013, it became one of my favourite series and I'm always dying to get my hand son the next book to see what Harriet is up to next!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Oh how I adore Harriet! She's so funny and awkward, and she just makes these books so easy to read and love. Again, I loved her constantly spouting facts and just being her general geeky self. She just makes these books so funny and I adore her.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Harriet is a serial planner, and she decides to take it into her own hands to plan all of the meetings with her friends. She has everything mapped out and tries to make all of her friends follow her plans, but her friends are less than happy with her. Also, Harriet finally does something unselfish for once! Go Harriet! Wilbur is in a bad place and Harriet does whatever she can to help him out.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Harriet is still getting over 'Lion Boy' - who I was hoping would appear - but there's also a new relationship brewing that Harriet can't see. She was so oblivious and it was so obvious to the reader and I just wanted her to figure it out!<br /><br />I adore all of Harriet's friends, and I loved that Rin made an appearance in this one too! She was brilliant in <i>Model Misfit</i>, so I loved getting to see more of them together.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">I need the sixth book like now! Harriet is going to have an amazing time in Australia, and I'm anticipating a Nick appearance? Yes? GIVE IT TO ME NOW.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HsPyIa2t3v4/U4p1V4704bI/AAAAAAAAKgs/gahh91Sn_Hc4zQXEOzVb-S75uZB54yoHQCKgB/s1600/5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="60" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HsPyIa2t3v4/U4p1V4704bI/AAAAAAAAKgs/gahh91Sn_Hc4zQXEOzVb-S75uZB54yoHQCKgB/s320/5.png" width="320" /></a></span></div>
Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-87451493811595299132016-08-04T00:00:00.000-07:002016-08-04T00:00:02.537-07:00The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XljqjVx0bf8/VzR8MibiEWI/AAAAAAAAM8Y/uTz9Y7unTpcNbKaQNCWGyOextmF07dJTgCLcB/s1600/The%2BUnexpected%2BEverything.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XljqjVx0bf8/VzR8MibiEWI/AAAAAAAAM8Y/uTz9Y7unTpcNbKaQNCWGyOextmF07dJTgCLcB/s400/The%2BUnexpected%2BEverything.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: No</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Simon & Schuster Childrens</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: May 5th 2016</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Bought</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29415084-the-unexpected-everything" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Igoi1utyawE/U2pdYscCSEI/AAAAAAAAJ0c/mAUuRM4W8qMjT2emK-PWZGQ3s0xzbdGZQCKgB/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Andie has a plan. And she always sticks to her plan.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Future? A top-tier medical school.
Dad? Avoid him as much as possible (which isn’t that hard considering he’s a Congressman and he’s never around).
Friends? Palmer, Bri, and Toby—pretty much the most awesome people on the planet, who needs anyone else?
Relationships? No one’s worth more than three weeks.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">So it’s no surprise that Andie’s got her summer all planned out too.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Until a political scandal costs Andie her summer pre-med internship, and lands both she and Dad back in the same house together for the first time in years. Suddenly she’s doing things that aren’t Andie at all—working as a dog walker, doing an epic scavenger hunt with her dad, and maybe, just maybe, letting the super cute Clark get closer than she expected. Palmer, Bri, and Toby tell her to embrace all the chaos, but can she really let go of her control?
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<span style="color: #444444;">Morgan Matson very quickly became one of my favourite authors after I read Amy & Roger. It's still one of my all time favourite books, so whenever she has a new book coming out, I need to get a hold of it ASAP. So I picked this one up in London and read a third of it on my flight back up to Glasgow. It's the perfect summer read, and I completely adored it.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444;"><i>The Unexpected Everything </i>follows Andie. Andie has her whole summer planned out. She's heading off to do her pre-med internship to get herself away from her dad and all of his political business. But when a political scandal costs Andie her internship, both her and her dad will be spending summer in their house together for the first time in years. Andie is determined to find something to do with her summer, she comes across a vague job advert which leads to her walking dogs for the summer. After a run in with a super cute guy and his dog, Andie begins to let herself go and finally start to loosen up. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>The Unexpected Everything </i>is the perfect summer read. Andie doesn't like to get too attached to any guy she dates. She keeps everything low key and doesn't get too personal with them. She was struggling with putting on a perfect front around her father when she hasn't spent quality time with him in years. She's harboring a lot of hate towards her father and isn't looking forward to spending the summer with him, I really liked Andie, although she did have her moments when I'd have loved to shake some sense into her. She's been struggling ever since her mothers death and because her father was absent, she built up a lot of resentment towards him. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">I completely adored Andie and her best friends: Palmer, Bri and Toby. I adored getting to see the four of them together. They were so close and I just loved getting to see them hang out. Their text conversations were hilarious! Especially Toby with her emojis! </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">So obviously it's never a contemporary without a bit of romance - enter Clark (cute guy with dog). Andie runs into him a couple of times when he's out walking his dog and he calls the dog walking company that Andie works for in the hopes of seeing her again. They don't get off on the right foot during their first date because of all of Andie's rules, but as the summer goes on, Andie begins to loosen up and their relationship blossomed. I completely adored Clark. He was slightly older than Andie, and he was a published fantasy novel author! He was just so adorable and awkward, and super sweet. I loved them together.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">I also loved getting to see Andie and her dad rebuilding their relationship. At first, it was very strained between them and neither of them knew what they were doing. But as the book progressed and they began spending more time with each other, their relationship began to rebuild itself. Her dad was determined to do whatever he could to get to know his daughter, and he realised how much his political career had been affecting them both.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">The bromance between Tom (Palmer's boyfriend) and Clark was brilliant. They hit it off straight away - mainly because Tom is a totally fanboy and loves Clark's books - but also because they had so much in common. It was really nice to see Tom with a friend since he's around the girls so much. He finally had someone he could goof around with.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">The scavenger hunt was probably one of my favourite parts of the whole book. It was just a lot of fun and it made me want to get all of my friends together and do something like that. It just looked so amazing.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>The Unexpected Everything </i>was an amazing summer read. Matson did it again! I'll probably re-read this one every summer along with Amy & Roger. I completely adored it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oHijqQfil_c/U2p-rcKMHbI/AAAAAAAAJ3k/GA8xKzB7alQFGwg4zhuu5Luoc2akNbzRACKgB/s1600/4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="60" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oHijqQfil_c/U2p-rcKMHbI/AAAAAAAAJ3k/GA8xKzB7alQFGwg4zhuu5Luoc2akNbzRACKgB/s320/4.png" width="320" /></a></span></div>
Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-36888728860056511552016-08-01T00:00:00.000-07:002016-08-01T00:00:13.084-07:00A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1qMUIHQL2FQ/VzM01WQclhI/AAAAAAAAM8I/aY0iP_Z0aT8yDg_4363OMeLm_JPM8cxCACLcB/s1600/A%2BCourt%2Bof%2BMist%2Band%2BFury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1qMUIHQL2FQ/VzM01WQclhI/AAAAAAAAM8I/aY0iP_Z0aT8yDg_4363OMeLm_JPM8cxCACLcB/s400/A%2BCourt%2Bof%2BMist%2Band%2BFury.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: A Court of Thorns and Roses #2</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Bloomsbury Childrens</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: May 3rd 2016</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Bought </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28477453-a-court-of-mist-and-fury" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OKooTOs5rzQ/U2p-D9Th5iI/AAAAAAAAJ3U/pxtrtfflf6EkMrmcTUrKgU4RSLkr9zMTgCKgB/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<div style="background: #cecdc8; border: 3px solid #a5a5a2; padding: 10px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">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.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">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.
</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>A Court of Mist and Fury </i>was probably my most anticipated release of 2016. I read <i>ACOTAR </i>waaaay back in November 2014 and I have been <b>DYING </b>to get my hands on it for quite a while. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">So, ACOMAF picks up after Feyre has defeated Amarantha and headed back to the Spring Court with Tamlin. She is determined to show her people her strength, but Tamlin wants to protect her and keep her safe.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">My feelings towards Tamlin began to very quickly change. He was being extremely controlling and was suffocating Feyre. The minute he blew up and destroyed the study was the moment my feelings did a complete 180 and I ended up hating him. I couldn't believe how he was treating her, and no matter how many time she tried to explain how she felt/get him to allow her some freedom, he locked her down again. And the ward to keep her in the house? Don't even get me started.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Now Feyre on the other hand, to begin with she had completely changed. She was becoming complacent with how Tamlin was treating her and I couldn't believe this was the same girl who had taken down Amarantha. She had completely lost her badassness and I wanted to shake some sense into her. However, once she had managed to escape from Tamlin, she started to blossom. She became the badass Feyre I knew and loved.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Now Rhys was the character I was most looking forward to getting to know. He was so mysterious in ACOTAR, and his very abrupt disappearance at the end left me extremely intrigued and I couldn't wait to find out more about him. Rhys uses his deal with Feyre to get her out of difficult situations and give her some breathing space, but when it really matters, Rhys gets her out for good. I completely adore Rhys. He's alluring, confident and a bit of a jackass, but he's just totally amazing. He's got a sweet side to him that he hides as it allows him to appear fierce and be feared, so that he can keep people from finding out his secret.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">So Feyre and Rhys's relationship was my favourite part of the book. The chemistry between them was unbelievable. Their banter was basically what I lived for. I adored how they complimented each other and how Rhys wouldn't take any of Feyre's shit and made her see she didn't need to be a wallflower. He gave her opportunities and allowed her to embrace her power instead of hiding it. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">I also adored the rest of Rhys's Night Court. Cassian, Azriel, Mor and Amren were all amazing. I loved their dynamic and how they just accepted Feyre as one of their own, and I just loved them all.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">The whole "trying to stop the bad guy from taking over the world" storyline was done extremely well. There was a hell of a lot of action, and I just adored going on adventures with Feyre, Rhys and the rest of the Night Court. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">And then there was the ending... OH MY GOD. OH MY GOOOOOOD. Like, I did not see any of that coming AT ALL. Not only was it an extremely shocking ending, it left me completely bawling my eyes out. It ending in such a cruel and heartbreaking way, and I just desperately NEED to get my hands on book 3!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HsPyIa2t3v4/U4p1V4704bI/AAAAAAAAKgs/gahh91Sn_Hc4zQXEOzVb-S75uZB54yoHQCKgB/s1600/5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="60" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HsPyIa2t3v4/U4p1V4704bI/AAAAAAAAKgs/gahh91Sn_Hc4zQXEOzVb-S75uZB54yoHQCKgB/s320/5.png" width="320" /></a></span></div>
Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-88306713400486645852016-07-31T00:00:00.000-07:002016-07-31T00:00:28.474-07:00May-July Wrap Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iIbkEhFM3Js/V4ka6mH2E0I/AAAAAAAANAs/2EJtFSOV_PIHup01LtR0mmA_oFOX6PzWACLcB/s1600/may-july.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iIbkEhFM3Js/V4ka6mH2E0I/AAAAAAAANAs/2EJtFSOV_PIHup01LtR0mmA_oFOX6PzWACLcB/s320/may-july.png" width="312" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Hello everyone! It's been a while since I've had a post on this blog. So this seems to be the month that I've started to get out of my slump. I've got reviews written and scheduled for the whole of August and I'm getting there with September as well, so fingers crossed this is me on my way back!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">So this is probably going to be a pretty big post. I haven't done a wrap up since the end of April, so there's a lot to catch up on.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b><u>May</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">In May I celebrated my 23rd Birthday, had two weeks off from work and headed off to London for the 3rd time. I completely adore London and of course, while I was there, I couldn't not revisit the Harry Potter Studio Tour due to the addition of the Hogwarts Express! I also went up to tour The Tower of London for the first time, visited the Natural History museum and did a couple of football stadium tours because that's what the fiance wanted to do. And then on the final day we happened across the BAFTA's and I met the lovely Katherine Ryan. I also got to see Busted live twice in Glasgow! Busted were my favourite band when I was younger, so I was super excited to see them back together. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xHUz7MpAkSg/V4kyQycp8wI/AAAAAAAANA8/zG4gkGxVGSgemGqHJ-jMdgDiX1j1zIslQCLcB/s1600/london.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xHUz7MpAkSg/V4kyQycp8wI/AAAAAAAANA8/zG4gkGxVGSgemGqHJ-jMdgDiX1j1zIslQCLcB/s400/london.png" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">May was a good month for reading as well. In May I read 10 books.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">1. Tangled by Emma Chase</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">2. Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">3. <b>A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">4. The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">5. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">6. The Dead List by Jennifer L. Armentrout</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">7. Wrong Number, Right Guy by Elle Casey</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">8. Do You Remember the First Time? by Jenny Colgan</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">9. Charged by Jay Crownover</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">10. Addicted After All by Becca and Krista Ritchie</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TOCB4qtgqS0/V4k101fGOGI/AAAAAAAANBI/F_SWE5VP0-UjtzvI4iVlmXBFRTBDfVcugCLcB/s1600/A%2BCourt%2Bof%2BMist%2Band%2BFury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TOCB4qtgqS0/V4k101fGOGI/AAAAAAAANBI/F_SWE5VP0-UjtzvI4iVlmXBFRTBDfVcugCLcB/s320/A%2BCourt%2Bof%2BMist%2Band%2BFury.jpg" width="208" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>A Court of Mist and Fury </b>was by far my favourite book in May.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b><u>June</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">June was a bit of a quieter month. Back to work and all that. I saw some pretty good movies in June as well: <b>Nice Guys </b>- brilliant, hilarous, and Matt Bomber as a villain <3; <b>Me Before You</b> - I sobbed my heart out; <b>The Boss</b> - extremely funny! I managed to read 9 books in June which I was pretty happy with. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">1. Fuel the Fire by Becca and Krista Ritchie</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">2. Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">3. Christmas with Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">4. Always with Love by Giovanna Fletcher</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">5. Sunny Side Up by Holly Smale</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">6. The Summer After You and Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">7. On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">8. Settling the Score by R. S. Grey</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">9. <b>He Will Be My Ruin by K. A. Tucker</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Swvjp6pQs6U/V4k14buk_iI/AAAAAAAANBM/9oPUTx2eKwY9KB2rbHFtntfa0hgC8WIogCLcB/s1600/He%2BWill%2BBe%2BMy%2BRuin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Swvjp6pQs6U/V4k14buk_iI/AAAAAAAANBM/9oPUTx2eKwY9KB2rbHFtntfa0hgC8WIogCLcB/s320/He%2BWill%2BBe%2BMy%2BRuin.jpg" width="212" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b style="font-weight: bold;">He Will Be My Ruin </b>just had to be my faourite book. Nothing else I read in June came anywhere close to this one.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b><u>July</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">July was a quieter month again. Didn't really do much. Spent more of the time inside due to the awful weather here. I got completely addicted to Pokemon Go because I was determined to beat my fiance at it - which I did! Haha! I saw quite a few movies this month: Absolutely Fabulous - which was hilarious; Central Intelligence - another one that was hilarous; The Neon Demon - very strange and weird, I may be scarred for life after it; Now You See Me 2 - AMAZING; Ghostbusters - really enjoyed it, a lot better than I thought it would be and Jason Bourne - boring, too much action not enough story, fell asleep. In July I read 9 books (3 of which were re-reads). I also kicked off my full series re-read of Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires which I can't wait to work my way through again!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">1. Trust in Me by Sophie McKenzie</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">2. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (re-read)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">3. Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">4. I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">5. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (re-read)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">6. Did I Mention I Miss You? by Estelle Maskame</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">7. Glass Houses by Rachel Caine (re-read)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">8. Torn by Jennifer L. Armentrout</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>9. Game by Barry Lyga</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3D-QpcpYP6o/V5xH4XBDtEI/AAAAAAAANDA/c5qjbPu-jv4pcJyRajeLGNDui8YzprtwQCLcB/s1600/Game.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3D-QpcpYP6o/V5xH4XBDtEI/AAAAAAAANDA/c5qjbPu-jv4pcJyRajeLGNDui8YzprtwQCLcB/s320/Game.jpg" width="211" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Game </b>was by far my favorite book of the month. <b>I Hunt Killers </b>was really good, but <b>Game </b>took Jasper's story to the next level and it was fantastic! I need to get book 3 right now since this ended on a pretty big cliffhanger!<br /><br />Let me know how you got on in July and what your favourite book of the month was!</span></div>
Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-66735050696211108772016-05-02T02:23:00.000-07:002016-05-02T02:23:04.347-07:00April Wrap Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VTxq5X_Yimc/Vx3G9woXdGI/AAAAAAAAM7Q/X6Zs5hzz4mYqa9dpTPWdMnwbos23x33TQCLcB/s1600/april.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VTxq5X_Yimc/Vx3G9woXdGI/AAAAAAAAM7Q/X6Zs5hzz4mYqa9dpTPWdMnwbos23x33TQCLcB/s320/april.png" width="312" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Hello everyone! I know it's been quite a while since I've posted, but this year has just been a terrible year for me so far and I just lost all motivation to blog and read. But today marks the first day of my two week holiday from work and I'm planning to get quite a lot of reviews written and scheduled - because I have A LOT to catch up on.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Anyways, in April I met Cassandra Clare - which wasn't as great as I'd been expecting. I'm not going to get into it, but she lives up to her reputation. I also saw <b>3 </b>movies in the cinema this month: <i>The Boy </i>- good, not scary, but did have a unexpected twist at the end; <i>Eye in the Sky </i>- amazing. Totally and utterly amazing; <i>The Jungle Book </i>- considering I never really liked The Jungle Book as a child, the live action version is really good. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Book-wise, I managed to read 9 books in April. I'm pretty happy with that considering I got off to a very slow start and couldn't get into anything. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oIooZy0epgc/Vycb9p9q_VI/AAAAAAAAM7s/FBCygTVdWJQjlPbrCS2a5DIA_CVHcC5ugCLcB/s1600/april1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oIooZy0epgc/Vycb9p9q_VI/AAAAAAAAM7s/FBCygTVdWJQjlPbrCS2a5DIA_CVHcC5ugCLcB/s400/april1.png" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">My favourite book of the month would have to be <b>Undecided by Julianna Keyes. </b>I was debating between this and <i>TPWF</i>, but ultimately, I liked the relationship more in <i>Undecided</i>, so it came out on top.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">So, on Thursday I'm heading back to London for a couple of days, so hopefully I'll managed to get some posts written before I go. And I'll be spending the rest of my two weeks off relaxing. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">So, that's my April wrap up! Let me know in the comments what you're favourite book you read in April was!</span></div>
Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-69247312314514907162016-03-08T00:00:00.000-08:002016-03-08T00:00:01.427-08:00The Fable of Us by Nicole Williams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cb9jiPATGpU/VsoubzN3O2I/AAAAAAAAM4c/jSJvhVLMJE0/s1600/The%2BFable%2Bof%2BUs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cb9jiPATGpU/VsoubzN3O2I/AAAAAAAAM4c/jSJvhVLMJE0/s400/The%2BFable%2Bof%2BUs.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>The Fable of Us by Nicole Williams</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: No</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Nicole Williams</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: February 2nd 2016<br /><b>Source</b>: Bought</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28483550-the-fable-of-us" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Igoi1utyawE/U2pdYscCSEI/AAAAAAAAJ0c/EWnilSJ9s0s/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Her heart can’t be destroyed by the same person twice. At least that’s what Clara Abbot finds herself hoping when she runs into Boone Cavanaugh less than an hour after returning to Charleston.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">As kids, Clara and Boone had been each other’s firsts, and no one or nothing could stand in the way of their forever. But all kids have to grow up sometime. The troubled son of the town drunk winding up with the firstborn daughter of the local royalty was a happy ending even the most imaginative of fairy tales couldn’t make believable.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Their fable came to an end as most do: tragically. Boone might have done the leaving, but it was Clara who got away and made a new life for herself in California. But after seven years of dodging her hometown, she’s only back in Charleston for seven days to celebrate her sister’s wedding. She won’t let her overbearing family or her run-in with Boone rattle her—though rattling her is obviously Boone’s primary objective.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Boone is her past and her past is behind her, a mere speck in the rearview. So why does she feel it coming back every time she looks at him? Why does she see it every time he looks back?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Just when Clara’s life can’t possibly get more complicated, the ground shifts, and she discovers just how far her family was willing to go to keep the wrong boy out of her life. Was it really Boone who left her? Or was it Clara who left him?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">The truth will be hard to face. Especially when she discovers most of her life has been built on lies.
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>The Fable of Us </i>was a <b>huge </b>disappointment. I've read two of Nicole Williams series - Lost & Found and Crash - both of which I loved, so when I heard she had a new book coming out, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! But unfortunately, this book turned out to be a major disappointment.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>The Fable of Us </i>follows Clara and Boone. Clara escaped from Charleston years ago and had no intention of returning. But as her sister is getting married, Clara has to step into her past once again and is dreading every second of it. And as soon as she turns up in Charleston, she runs into her old sweetheart Boone. Things with Boone were left on a bad note, and he clearly dislikes Clara. But Clara offers him a deal he can't resist - pretend to be her plus one for the wedding and she'll give him $10,000. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">I didn't like Clara or Boone, or any of the characters in the book really. Clara comes across all high and mighty, thinking she's better than her family because she's the only 'normal' one. Boone is just a complete ass. Both of them are terrible people and they both have awful families, Clara's is definitely the worst, and there's nothing redeeming about any of them.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Clara and Boone's relationship basically fell apart due to them being told things by other people, believing said things and never actually speaking to one another about anything. It was completely frustrating hearing about their past and what happened between them, and I honestly couldn't believe how stupid they both were for not even speaking to each other. It was ridiculous.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Overall, <i>The Fable of Us </i>was a major disappointment, and I'm actually pretty sad about writing this review because I was so convinced I was going to love this book. But unfortunately not.</span><br />
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Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-82334662287652941582016-03-03T00:00:00.001-08:002016-03-03T00:00:13.606-08:00Beyond the Red by Ava Jae<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cDpt4Hx2XaM/Vsno8S1n4OI/AAAAAAAAM4M/9aXNsle5-YQ/s1600/Beyond%2BThe%2BRed%2B-%2BMARCH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cDpt4Hx2XaM/Vsno8S1n4OI/AAAAAAAAM4M/9aXNsle5-YQ/s400/Beyond%2BThe%2BRed%2B-%2BMARCH.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Beyond the Red by Ava Jae</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: No</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: March 1st 2016</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Publisher (Edelweiss)</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25898435-beyond-the-red#" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VWqxVojeHoM/U2vspmZpdxI/AAAAAAAAKDQ/uv36I9zfIa8/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Alien queen Kora has a problem as vast as the endless crimson deserts. She’s the first female ruler of her territory in generations, but her people are rioting and call for her violent younger twin brother to take the throne. Despite assassination attempts, a mounting uprising of nomadic human rebels, and pressure to find a mate to help her rule, she’s determined to protect her people from her brother’s would-be tyrannical rule.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Eros is a rebel soldier hated by aliens and human alike for being a half-blood. Yet that doesn’t stop him from defending his people, at least until Kora’s soldiers raze his camp and take him captive. He’s given an ultimatum: be an enslaved bodyguard to Kora, or be executed for his true identity—a secret kept even from him.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">When Kora and Eros are framed for the attempted assassination of her betrothed, they flee. Their only chance of survival is to turn themselves in to the high court, where revealing Eros’s secret could mean a swift public execution. But when they uncover a violent plot to end the human insurgency, they must find a way to work together to prevent genocide.
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Beyond the Red </i>had so much potential and the storyline sounded like it was going to be amazing, but unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Beyond the Red </i>follows Kora - the alien queen - and Eros - a half blood rebel soldier. Kora is the first female ruler of her territory, but her people are calling for her twin brother to be the one on the trhone. Kora is determined to prove to her people that she is the best person to rule. Eros is a solider who is hated by both aliens and humans due to being a half blood. When Eros is captured, Kora gives him two options: either become her bodyguard, or be executed. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">For a story full of betrayal, political unrest and attempted assassinations, I found it extremely boring and also very predictable. I really wanted to enjoy this because it sounded so good, but I just couldn't get into the story and I ended up skimming through most of it. Not only was it boring, I was getting completely sick of Kora and Eros. Every time they were together - and I mean every. single. time - their thoughts were just full of how they want to kiss, but oh no they shouldn't because they just can't and I really didn't care! It was tiring reading about how they <b>just couldn't possibly kiss each other </b>and it all got a bit repetitive. And that was most of their thoughts about each other for the whole damn book. Also, Eros's storyline was extremely predictable and I'd guessed what was going to happen with him pretty early on.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Overall, <i>Beyond the Red </i>just wasn't for me. I found it boring and repetitive, and I just didn't enjoy it, no matter how much I wanted to. There hasn't been anything mentioned about a sequel yet, but if there is one, I don't think I'll be continuing with the series.</span><br />
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Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-63879829749027268632016-03-01T00:00:00.000-08:002016-03-01T00:00:03.767-08:00February Wrap Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;">Hello everyone! How was your February? Mines was pretty uneventful. It started to get a bit busier at work, and I also had a week off which was nice. I also went to the cinema quite a bit with my fianc</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.84px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444;">é. We saw: </span><b style="color: #444444;"><i>Dirty Grandpa</i></b><span style="color: #444444;"> (which was funny. Also shirtless Zac Efron <3); </span><b style="color: #444444;"><i>Deadpool</i></b><span style="color: #444444;"> (which I LOVED! Ryan Reynolds is just amazing, and I ended up seeing it twice); </span><b style="color: #444444;"><i>Zoolander 2</i></b><span style="color: #444444;"> (funny, but pretty bad); </span><b style="color: #444444;"><i>Grimsby</i></b><span style="color: #444444;"> (didn't like this one, I'm not a big Sasha Baron Cohen fan) and </span><b style="color: #444444;"><i>The Forest</i></b><span style="color: #444444;"> (it was jumpy, but not great. Natalie Dormer was good though). Bookwise, this month I managed to read 12 books and 5 of them were re-reads!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">1. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes </span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><br style="line-height: 20.02px; text-align: start;" /><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">12. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (re-read) </span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><br style="line-height: 20.02px; text-align: start;" /><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">13. After by Anna Todd </span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><br style="line-height: 20.02px; text-align: start;" /><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">14. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (re-read) </span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><br style="line-height: 20.02px; text-align: start;" /><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">15. The Fable of Us by Nicole Williams </span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><br style="line-height: 20.02px; text-align: start;" /><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">16. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor </span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><br style="line-height: 20.02px; text-align: start;" /><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">7. Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry (re-read) </span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><br style="line-height: 20.02px; text-align: start;" /><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">8. Kingdom of Ashes by Rhiannon Thomas </span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;"> </span><br style="line-height: 20.02px; text-align: start;" /><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">9. Beyond the Red by Ava Jae </span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><br style="line-height: 20.02px; text-align: start;" /><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">10. Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry </span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><br style="line-height: 20.02px; text-align: start;" /><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">11. Faking It by Cora Carmack (re-read) </span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><br style="line-height: 20.02px; text-align: start;" /><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">12. The Return by Jennifer L. Armentrout (re-read) </span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">★</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;"><b>Me Before You by Jojo Moyes </b>was <u>definitely</u> my favourite book of the month. It's one of the books Brittany recommended to me for our challenge and I'm kicking myself for not reading it sooner. I also hated Brittany slightly after I finished reading it because I just couldn't stop sobbing. It was so damn heartbreaking, but such an amazing story.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">So, in March I'm hoping to read around 10 books. I'm in the middle of three books just now: <b>Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor</b>; <b>The Power by Jennifer L. Armentrout</b> and <b>When We Collided by Emery Lord</b>.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15.9896px; text-align: start;">So that was my February wrap up! Let me know what you're favourite book of the month was and what you're most looking forward to reading in March!</span></span></span></div>
Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-46829248587576565932016-02-25T00:00:00.000-08:002016-02-25T00:00:17.524-08:00November 9 by Colleen Hoover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>November 9 by Colleen Hoover</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: No</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Simon and Schuster Audio</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: November 10th 2015</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Bought (Audible)</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Narrator</b>: Zachary Webber & Angela Goethals</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25785388-november-9" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u-di3QYi7u4/U2uTlnS9wjI/AAAAAAAAJ50/bcO368jyk70/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">F</span>allon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon—and simultaneously his novel—be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?
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<span style="color: #444444;">Colleen Hoover's books never fail to completely destroy me, and <i>November 9</i> was no exception. It follows Fallon and Ben who meet the day before Fallon is due to move to New York. They connect and spend Fallon's last day in L.A. together and before they part they decided to meet up on the same day every year and give each other tasks to push each other.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">This book actually sounded like the most adorable book ever. A slow burn romance with the characters only having contact one day per year, giving they time to experience new things and grow as characters. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">I adored Fallon. She's feisty and determined, but lacks confidence due to a fire that she was trapped in when she was younger which left her covered in burns and ruined her acting career. She took a major hit to her confidence, and I adored seeing her becoming comfortable in her own skin and gaining the confidence to put herself out there again. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Ben is a completely different story. He's basically an enigma for most of the book. We never really hear much about Ben's past, and he's pretty secretive about his personal life. But Ben is the sweetest guy ever. He's adorable and charming, and he really helps Fallon come out of her shell. He was just such an amazing character.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">And then came the biggest plot twist Colleen Hoover has ever written that completely and utterly destroyed me. I had no idea how I was supposed to feel after the twist or what I was supposed to do. It's the most horrific and heartbreaking twist ever, and I had no idea what was going to happen between Ben and Fallon after the reveal.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>November 9 </i>is probably the most cruel book Colleen Hoover has ever written. But it's beautiful and heartbreaking, and I loved every minute of it.</span><br />
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Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-20068976077403658552016-02-23T00:00:00.000-08:002016-02-23T00:00:02.961-08:00Kingdom of Ashes by Rhiannon Thomas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Kingdom of Ashes by Rhiannon Thomas</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: A Wicked Thing #2</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: HarperTeen</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: February 23rd 2016</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Publisher (Edelweiss)</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25788320-kingdom-of-ashes" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u-di3QYi7u4/U2uTlnS9wjI/AAAAAAAAJ50/bcO368jyk70/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Asleep for a hundred years, awoken by a kiss, Aurora’s life was supposed to be a fairytale. But since discovering that loyalty to the crown and loyalty to her country are two very different things, Aurora knows she can only dream of happily ever after. Once the enchanted princess, savior of her people, she is now branded a traitor.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Aurora is determined to free her home from the king’s tyrannical rule, even if it means traveling across the sea to the kingdom of the handsome and devious Prince Finnegan—someone who seems to know far more about her magic than he should. However, Finnegan’s kingdom has perils of its own, and any help he gives Aurora will come at a price.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">As Aurora and Finnegan work together to harness her power—something so fiery and dangerous that is as likely to destroy those close to Aurora as it is to save them—she begins to unravel the mysteries surrounding the curse that was placed on her over a century before…and uncover the truth about the destiny she was always meant to fulfill.
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><i>Kingdom of Ashes </i>picks up with Aurora on the run. She's escaped from court and left a huge mess in her wake. After the events that led up to Aurora fleeing, she's even more determined to find a way to save her Kingdom from the evil King. Aurora meets up with Nettle again, and the two of them journey to Vanhelm to get the help of Prince Finnegan. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">I liked Aurora a bit more in this one. She's not stuck in a position where she has no power anymore, so she's more determined to do whatever she can to save her Kingdom. She comes across a lot stronger than she did in the first book. She's still naive and makes some foolish decisions, but I did like her.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Aurora's love interests get slashed from 3 to 1 in this book, which I liked - I hated Aurora's indecision in the first book. Aurora spends a lot more time with Finnegan, and I adored the two of them together. Their banter is still my favourite thing about them. Finnegan is charming and flirty, and likes to tease Aurora. They're perfect for each other, in my opinion.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">I liked to see Aurora learning more about herself and her powers. Her link with the dragons that destroyed parts of Finnegan's kingdom was intriguing and I enjoyed learning more about it.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">There were, however, parts of the story that I did find slightly boring and I did find myself skimming parts of the book. But most of the time, I did enjoy the story.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">The last few chapters were full of action and Aurora fought for her Kingdom, but again, there's still so much left unresolved and Aurora still has a lot left to learn and uncover about herself. Overall, <i>Kingdom of Ashes </i>was a great follow up to <i>A Wicked Thing </i>and I'm looking forward to the next book - if there is one - to find out more about Aurora and hopefully see more of Aurora and Finnegan together.</span><br />
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Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-75614361427179794812016-02-17T00:00:00.000-08:002016-02-17T00:00:14.197-08:00Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: Red Queen #2</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Orion</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: February 11th 2016</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Received from publisher (Netgalley)</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26021603-glass-sword" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Igoi1utyawE/U2pdYscCSEI/AAAAAAAAJ0c/EWnilSJ9s0s/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">If there's one thing Mare Barrow knows, it's that she's different.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Mare's blood is red - the colour of common folk - but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from the prince and friend who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Pursued by the Silver king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red and Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Red Queen </i>was one of my favourite books of last year and I've been eagerly anticipating the sequel ever since! So I was super excited to get the chance to read it early and I spent a whole day doing just that and avoiding everything else I should have been doing. <i>Glass Sword </i>was an amazing sequel and yet again, Victoria Aveyard has left me <b><u>dying</u> </b>for the next book!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">So, <i>Glass Sword </i>picks up right after <i>Red Queen</i>. Mare and Cal have escaped from the Silver King and have joined up with The Scarlet Guard. The Scarlet Guard are intent on taking down the Silver King and everything he stands for. Mare comes up with a plan to rescue more 'newbloods' (people with Red blood and Silver abilities) like herself and build and army to fight the King.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Holy crap this book man! This book! As soon as I finished <i>Red Queen </i>last year I've was dying to get my hands on the sequel and it was totally worth the wait! <i>Glass Sword </i>was jam-packed full of action and kept me on my toes! </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Mare is still so damn amazing! I love her. She's strong and determined, and she'll do whatever she has to to save her people, no matter what the consequences are. I also loved getting to see more of Mare's family! I adored seeing Gisa again and seeing how she's adjusting to her hand injury. She's blossoming and still trying her hardest to make beautiful things. I also really enjoyed getting to see Mare's relationship with her brother Shade. Mare has spent the past few years thinking her brother had been killed, but he's been alive all along and working with The Scarlet Guard. So it was really nice to see them together again because they were so close.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;">Calis not entirely sure what side he's fighting for in <i>Glass Sword</i>. He can't bring himself to kill his own blood, no matter what they do to him or anyone else. He still feels like he should be loyal to his people, even if they are hunting him. </span><span style="color: #444444;">I really don't like Kilorn. He was acting like a 5 year old. He's in the middle of a war and throws a hissy fit when he can't go on expeditions. GROW. UP.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Story wise, the book was just action, action, action! We were always following Mare on trips to find other 'newbloods' or running from The Silver King, there was never a chance to catch my breath! I was always on edge!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">And then yet again Victoria Aveyard DESTROYED ME with that damn ending! WHY MUST YOU TORTURE ME?! But anyways, now I'm even more excited for book 3!</span><br />
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Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-69309868462482191402016-02-12T00:00:00.000-08:002016-02-12T00:00:27.629-08:00Me Before You by Jojo Moyes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Me Before You by Jojo Moyes</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: Me Before You #1</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Penguin</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: January 5th 2012</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Bought</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12649671-me-before-you" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OKooTOs5rzQ/U2p-D9Th5iI/AAAAAAAAJ3U/8FYJ2Ec2_DY/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Me Before You </i>has sat on my bookcase unread for almost 2 years and I finally decided to pick it up after the trailer popped up on facebook - because I had absolutely no idea it was being turned into a film. So, I figured it was about time I got around to reading it. Also because it was one of the books Brittany recommended me for our Reading Challenge last year which we both failed at and have carried over to this year.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Me Before You </i>follows 27 year old Louisa Clark. Louisa works at The Buttered Bun tea shops and she enjoys her life. But when The Buttered Bun shuts down, Louisa finds herself without a job and hasn't a clue what she's going to do. Then a job comes up to be a carer for a quadriplegic man and Louisa is offered the job on the spot. She'll be there to keep him company and do some work around the house. Will Traynor feels like his life has been destroyed since the motorcycle accident. He feels like his life is wasted and he knows what he wants to do. But when Louisa enters his life, everything starts to change. The more time they spend together, the more they alter each others lives.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">I haven't cried so much at a book in a while. <i>Me Before You </i>definitely packs an emotional punch. I completely adored every aspect of this book. I loved all of the characters - mainly Will and Lou - but Lou's family and Will's family, and also Nathan were all very important parts of the story and they each had their own role to play. Lou is eccentric and peppy. She's been with her boyfriend Patrick for years now, but it doesn't really feel like is working out - but Lou refuses to admit this out loud. She's sacrificed a lot for her family to help them stay afloat. She's got such a kind heart and she'll do whatever it takes to show Will how to live again. Will is depressed and snarky when we first meet him. He's basically given up and is just going through the motions because of a promise he made to his parents. But as soon as Lou enters his life, Will begins to change. He becomes less grumpy, and is more willing to have conversations. He becomes more light hearted and begins to come out of his shell. I loved seeing the effect that Lou had on his life, and how she gave him so many new and amazing memories.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Me Before You </i>revolves around Will's decision about what he's wants to do with his life. He's been looking into Dignitas - a clinic in Switzerland that legally allows patients to take their own lives - and when Lou discovers what Will is planning, she sets out to show him that he can still live and to show him all of the things he's capable of. I enjoyed seeing all of the things Lou managed to get Will to do: going to listen to an orchestra; dancing at a wedding and the tattoos! I loved Lou's determination to show Will a new way to live, but ultimately, the decision that Will has isn't Lou's to make. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Me Before You </i>is a powerful and emotional read that will leave you sobbing. I couldn't read the last few pages due to the tears streaming down my faces and I may have even chucked the book away for a bit before I could continue. It packs a very hard punch and I'd recommend having loads of tissues the closer you get to the end.</span><br />
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Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-46942699878222611872016-02-01T00:00:00.000-08:002016-02-01T00:00:02.156-08:00January Wrap Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;">Hello everyone! Can you believe the first month of 2016 is over already? Honestly, I'm glad January is over, I've had a pretty shitty and emotional month and I'm looking forward to getting on with the rest of the year and hoping it'll be so much better,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">So, in January I read 9 books which I'm pretty happy with since I was doing quite a few late nights at work this month. I also DNF'd a book this month - <i>Shallow Grave by Kali Wallace </i>just wasn't for me. I didn't like the main character or the writing style. The story was so slow and boring that I just couldn't continue to read it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Anyways, on to the 9 books I did manage to finish this month!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;">1. The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">2. First by Elizabeth Laurie Flynn </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">3. Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">4. The Deal by Elle Kennedy </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">5. Sever by J.M. Miller </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">6. The Mistake by Elle Kennedy </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">7. November 9 by Colleen Hoover </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">8. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">9. The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">★</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">DNF Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i style="color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">was </span><b style="color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">definitely </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">my favourite book of the month - November 9 was a very close second. I've been dying to read </span><i style="color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">Glass Sword </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">since around this time last year and it was everything I could have asked for and more! It was action packed and again left me dying to read the next book!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">In February I'm hoping to read 9 books again. I'm in the middle of listening to the audiobook of </span><i style="color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">and I have to say I'm enjoying the series a lot more on audio. I think if I'd listened to the full of DoSaB on audio I would have enjoyed it more. But we'll see! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b style="color: #666666; line-height: 15.9896px;">So, that's my January wrap up! Let me know in the comments what your favourite book you read in January was.</b></span></div>
Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-90460515537606790382016-01-29T00:00:00.000-08:002016-01-29T00:00:18.517-08:00Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E Smith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E Smith</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: No</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Headline</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: September 1st 2015</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Bought</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24485867-hello-goodbye-and-everything-in-between" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OKooTOs5rzQ/U2p-D9Th5iI/AAAAAAAAJ3U/8FYJ2Ec2_DY/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><b><i>One night. A life-changing decision. And a list...</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Of course Clare made a list. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">She creates lists for everything. That's just how she is.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">But tonight is Clare and Aidan's last night before college and <i>this</i> list will decide their future, together or apart.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">It takes them on a rollercoaster ride through their past - from the first hello in science class to the first conversation at a pizza joint, their first kiss at the beach and their first dance in a darkened gymnasium - all the way up to tonight.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">A night of laughs, fresh hurts, last-minute kisses and an inevitable goodbye.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">But will it be goodbye forever or goodbye for now?
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><i>Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between </i>follows Clare and Aiden during their last 12 hours together before setting off for University on the opposite side of the country from one another. It follows their journey through their past and trying to figure out whether they should break up or stay together.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Clare and Aiden have been together for the past two years and are now heading off to Universities on the opposite side of the country from one another. Clare is a realist and is trying to be practical about their relationship and thinks they should end it. She's trying to be strong, but Clare doesn't really want to end their relationship, but she also doesn't want to be pining after Aiden. Aiden is more of a romantic and he's determined to convince Clare to give long distance a chance and prove that it'll work for them.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Being introduced to a couple who have been together for years and are thinking about ending it was pretty odd. I don't think I've ever read a book that begins with a couple talking about breaking up, but even though we didn't get to see exactly how they ended up together, we still got a pretty good idea from Clare's trip down memory lane. It was clear how much Clare and Aiden cared about each other, and I was honestly thinking Clare was crazy for thinking about breaking up, but I also kind of got her point too. Everything in their town is wrapped up with memories of the two of them, so they revisit their high school, a pizza place, a bowling alley, and everywhere else with memories of their relationship to try to figure out what to do. But the whole book doesn't just surround Clare and Aiden. There's also Stella - Clare's best friend - who Clare feels has been growing distant from her, but it isn't just Stella's fault. Scotty - Aiden's best friend - is staying behind in their town to go to community college instead of heading of to California with Aiden. Also, Aiden's dad hasn't been speaking to him since he decided he didn't want to go to Harvard. So, other than decided whether or not to break up, Clare and Aiden have a lot to sort out on their last night.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">I completely adored Clare and Aiden's trip down memory lane. It was super sweet hearing some anecdotes of what happened before they got together, hearing about their first kiss and everything else. It was also pretty sad because I had no idea what they were going to do in the in - would they break up or stay together? The last chapter before the Prologue at the end had me sobbing. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">And then we had the Prologue at the end. Everything was kind of unresolved in the prologue, and I wasn't sure whether Clare and Aiden would have a chance in the future. It was kind of an open ending, but also, you kind of know how everything is going to turn out for Clare and Aiden, which I really liked.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Overall, Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between was a super cute and adorable read that had me tearing up quite a bit. It's extremely relatable because the main focus of the story - long distance relationship - is something that loads of people have to deal with, and I loved the way Jennifer portrayed it. It was an amazing read, and definitely one I'd recommend!</span><br />
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Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-59829647348824254972016-01-27T00:00:00.000-08:002016-01-27T00:00:01.279-08:00The Deal by Elle Kennedy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U6ULnhEoXQk/Vo_lIaG4c_I/AAAAAAAAM1U/COLKaRnCrfA/s1600/The%2BDeal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U6ULnhEoXQk/Vo_lIaG4c_I/AAAAAAAAM1U/COLKaRnCrfA/s400/The%2BDeal.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>The Deal by Elle Kennedy</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: Off-Campus #1</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Elle Kennedy</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: February 24th 2015</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Bought</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24920901-the-deal" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OKooTOs5rzQ/U2p-D9Th5iI/AAAAAAAAJ3U/8FYJ2Ec2_DY/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><b><i>She’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy...</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice…even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><b><i>...and it’s going to be oh so good.</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn’t take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn’t going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Brittany recommended <i>The Deal </i>to me basically the second after she finished it, and I was scrolling through amazon and saw that it was only 99p and I couldn't resist grabbing it. <i>The Deal </i>was an enjoyable read, not my favourite NA, but I liked it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><i>The Deal </i>follows Hannah and Garrett. Hannah is shy and hasn't been out on a date since her ex-boyfriend broke up with her a year ago. A new guy in her class has caught her eye, but Hannah can't work up the courage to talk to him. Enter Garrett. Garrett and Hannah literally run into each other and he convinces Hannah to tutor him to stop his GPA from dropping and getting kicked off the hockey team. Playing professional hockey after school is what he's always wanted to do, so he'll do anything to convince Hannah to tutor him. They make a deal: Hannah will help Garrett up his grade and in return, Garrett will help Hannah get the attention of the guy she likes. But the longer they spend time together, their relationship begins to develop into something more. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hannah is a very shy character. Something happened to her when she was younger that drove her out of her home town and has left her unable to return without the memories haunting her and the whole town treating her like a </span>pariah<span style="font-family: inherit;">. But, Hannah has dealt with what happened and has come out the other </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">end a stronger person. She doesn't let what happened rule her life, and I admired her for that. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Garrett is a charming asshole - sometimes - but he's also really sweet. Garrett has problems with his family life and he tries not to let them interfere with his life, but he can't escape. He's a cocky, charming and sweet character with a very dirty mouth. The one thing that did annoy me about Garrett's character was how blunt he was when it came to exactly what he wanted from Hannah. He didn't need to be so crude.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">I really liked Hannah and Garrett's relationship. Garrett is </span><span style="color: #444444;">persistent and finally convinces Hannah to tutor him, and their relationship goes from there. The begin their relationship as friends, and I really enjoyed seeing that develop. And then when the chemistry started to spark between them, it just got even better. They were just so perfect together, and they both helped each other. Garrett helped Hannah overcome something she wasn't able to do in years, and Hannah helped Garrett deal with his father. They came into each others lives at the perfect moment, and they changed each others lives for the better.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Overall, <i>The Deal </i>was an enjoyable read. It followed the usual NA storyline which made it predictable, but I still enjoyed and I'll definitely be continuing with the rest of the series.</span><br />
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Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-86775062293687286692016-01-20T00:00:00.000-08:002016-01-21T05:32:51.521-08:00Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>First by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: No</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: St. Martin's Griffin</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: January 5th 2016</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Bought</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25876099-firsts" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Igoi1utyawE/U2pdYscCSEI/AAAAAAAAJ0c/EWnilSJ9s0s/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Seventeen-year-old Mercedes Ayres has an open-door policy when it comes to her bedroom, but only if the guy fulfills a specific criteria: he has to be a virgin. Mercedes lets the boys get their awkward, fumbling first times over with, and all she asks in return is that they give their girlfriends the perfect first time- the kind Mercedes never had herself.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has been easy- so far. Her absentee mother isn’t home nearly enough to know about Mercedes’ extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend, Angela, won’t even say the word “sex” until she gets married. But Mercedes doesn’t bank on Angela’s boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a turn- or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in bed.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">When Mercedes’ perfect system falls apart, she has to find a way to salvage her reputation and figure out where her heart really belongs in the process.
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>First </i>only made it onto my radar towards the end of last year, but as soon as I read the synopsis I knew I HAD to read it. A YA book that doesn't shy away from sex? Sign me up, please! <i>Firsts </i>follows seventeen year old Mercedes who helps virgins give their girlfriends the perfect first time - because it was something she was denied. Only the people Mercedes has helped know about her secret. She's managed to keep it from her absentee mother and her best friend Angela. But what Mercedes didn't expect was Angela's boyfriend to find out about her secret and demand a turn. She also didn't expect her "Wednesday friend" Zach to fall for her for who she is, and not what she can do.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">To begin with, I wasn't a fan of Mercedes. I didn't agree with what she was doing as technically, it's still cheating. But, as the book went on, I began to understand why Mercedes does what she does for guys, and honestly, she believes what she's doing is right. Because of what happened to her during her first time, she wants to make sure that no one experiences sex for the first time like she did, and she wants to make sure that the guys give their girlfriends an amazing experience to remember. The other reason I ended up really liking Mercedes is because of how flawed she is. Her flaws made her seem like a real person I could relate to. Mercedes has made a lot of bad decisions, but that's what makes her human and that's what made me really like her character.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">A YA storyline that doesn't shy away from sex was refreshing. Sex is a big part of growing up, so I don't understand why it's so taboo and hush hush when it comes to YA. So I really did find this storyline refreshing. Mercedes is sexually active, big deal! It was actually really nice to read about a character who is sexually active. The one thing that kind of ruined that for me was the fact that she hid behind her friends religion so that no one would find out what she was doing. She was promoting herself as a nun basically so that people wouldn't judge her. That's the only major thing I had to pick with this book.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Mercedes best friend Angela is a super religious character, but the one thing I loved was that she never came across super preachy. Generally, every time I've read a book with a religious character all they've done is shove their religion down everyone else's throats, so I loved that Angela wasn't a judgmental character. She was a really good friend and Mercedes was lucky to have her.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Faye was probably my favourite part of the book. Faye moved to Mercedes school during the year, and instantly thought of herself as Mercedes friend. Faye is funny, outgoing and mouthy. She's not afraid to say what she thinks and do what she has to do to protect her friends. She's actually a pretty inspiring character, even if she does make some bad decision. But again, she's human.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">I felt so bad for Zach. He really, truly cares about Mercedes, but Mercedes is too wrapped up in helping other guys that she doesn't want anything serious and she risks losing out on such an amazing guy. He put up with so much from Mercedes, but he still stuck by her no matter what.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Flynn did an amazing job with the story. She managed to make me empathize with a girl who sleeps with other girls boyfriends and actually made me understand why she did it. It's still not something I can totally agree with, but by the end of the book, it didn't seem as bad as it did at the beginning. I also liked seeing the fallout due to Mercedes secret. It helped her to grow as a character, and begin to see what was staring her in the face all along.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Overall, <i>Firsts </i>was a very enjoyable read that's extremely controversial and definitely pushes the YA boundaries. It's a book that not everyone is going to enjoy, but in this case, it's one I really enjoyed and one I'd definitely recommend.</span><br />
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Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715903518304144785.post-84737103506523356842016-01-15T00:00:00.000-08:002016-01-15T00:00:04.052-08:00The Devil You Know by Trish Doller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>The Devil You Know by Trish Doller</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Series</b>: No</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publisher</b>: Audible Studios for Bloomsbury</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Publication Date</b>: June 2nd 2015</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Source</b>: Bought</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Narrator</b>: Susannah Jones</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22929537-the-devil-you-know" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OKooTOs5rzQ/U2p-D9Th5iI/AAAAAAAAJ3U/8FYJ2Ec2_DY/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Eighteen-year-old Arcadia wants <b>adventure</b>. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Living in a tiny Florida town with her dad and four-year-old brother, Cadie spends most of her time working, going to school, and taking care of her family. So when she meets two handsome cousins at a campfire party, she finally has a chance for fun. They invite her and friend to join them on a road trip, and it's just the risk she's been craving-the opportunity to escape. But what starts out as a fun, sexy journey quickly becomes dangerous when she discovers that one of them is not at all who he claims to be. One of them has deadly intentions.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Audio books have become my savior since I started my new job. I've got an hour on the bus to work and on the way back, and since physically reading on a bus makes me ill, I've taken to listening to audio books. Honestly, I doubt I'd even manage to finish more than 5 books a month right now if it weren't for audio books. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>The Devil You Know </i>was a book I'd had my eye on for a while, and when I listened to the preview on audible, it definitely peaked my interest and I had to get it. I then decided to read it during bout of books since it's a relatively short audio book (5 hours 33 minutes). <i>The Devil You Know </i>follows 18 year old Arcadia who is dying to get out of her home town. Ever since her mother died she's been taking care of her little brother while her dad is off working or "fixing things" with her uncle. She's fed up and wants a break, so when she meets two mysterious guys at a campfire party, she decides to join them on a road trip along with one of her friends. But one of the guys isn't telling the truth and is playing a very cruel game. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">I actually really liked Arcadia, despite her naivety and her willingness to go on road trips with complete strangers just because she thinks they're hot. Arcadia has basically been forced to grow up far too soon. She works at her fathers store, and then comes home to look after her brother and do whatever chores need done in the house. She basically does everything. She's stressed and feeling the pressure of not having any freedom, which leads her to act out and run away with two strange guys. Generally, she does have her head screwed on straight, but she was extremely naive and <b>very </b>trusting, which got her in quite a bit of trouble.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Matt and Noah are cousins, and they decided to go on a road-trip for their last summer together. Arcadia invited Matt to the party after passing by his car on the road, and it's Matt she meets first at the party. Despite Matt being good-looking and funny, it's Noah that Arcadia really hits it off with. Within about 10 minutes of them meeting they're making out and practically ripping each others clothes off. Noah is hot-headed, but he's also extremely sweet and caring. He could come across as a complete dick sometimes, but generally, he was a sweetheart. Matt is the funny one of the two. He was also cracking jokes and trying to lighten the mood whenever something happened that threw them off course.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Despite the book being slightly predictable, I really enjoyed it. I could totally picture this as a horror movie and I was actually getting a little bit anxious towards the end because there was going to be a big showdown and I had no idea how it was all going to play out. I constantly wanted to scream at Arcadia about how stupid and naive she was being (like I do during horror movies) and to get her ass the hell out of there! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Other than the thriller/horror aspect of the book, there was also a family aspect. After Arcadia ran off, her father had to fill in the role that Arcadia usually played, and he began to realise how much was on Arcadia's shoulders. It was nice to see that he finally started to understand why she wanted out, and I enjoyed seeing how their relationship had changed at the end. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>The Devil You Know</i> was definitely a brilliant thriller that kept you guessing and there were a lot of red herrings that had me constantly questioning whether I really knew who the dangerous guy was. I'd definitely recommend <i>The Devil You Know </i>because it kept me on my toes until the very end and it was just a superb thriller. </span><br />
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Samantha Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07751599254054669479noreply@blogger.com6