Waiting on Wednesday #71

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event,  hosted by breaking the spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: The Dark Elements #2
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: October 28th 2014

Every touch has its price

Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who’s pretty sure things can’t get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could.

But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla’s powers begin to evolve, and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She’s finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay…

I have 7 months to wait for this book. 7 month until I get more Layla. 7 months until I get more Roth. 7 months until I get more demon-y awesomeness. As you guys can probably tell I'm SUPER excited for this one. White Hot Kiss had a killer of an ending and I just NEED this one so bad. Like, really bad.

What are you waiting on this week?

This Girl by Colleen Hoover

This Girl by Colleen Hoover
Series: Slammed #3
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Publication Date: June 6th 2013
Source: Bought

There are two sides to every love story. Now hear Will’s.

Layken and Will’s love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances and the young lovers, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union. As much as Layken relishes their new life together, she finds herself wanting to know everything there is to know about her husband, even though Will makes it clear he prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong. Still, he can’t resist his wife’s pleas and so he begins to untangle his side of the story, revealing for the first time his most intimate feelings and thoughts, retelling both the good and bad moments, and sharing a few shocking confessions of his own from the time when they first met.

In This Girl, Will tells the story of their complicated relationship from his point of view. Their future rests on how well they deal with the past in this final installment of the beloved Slammed series.

Getting to hear parts of Slammed from Will's POV? Yeah, I may have squealed a lot when I found out what this was.

So, while I didn't enjoy This Girl as much as Slammed and Point of Retreat, I did love getting to hear everything from Will's POV. While there were some scenes that were in Slammed that were just changed to be from Will's POV, there were also some extra scenes - like Will finding out about his parents and some conversations between Will and Gavin - which added a lot and helped me understand Will a lot more.

By the time I'd finished This Girl, I'd fallen for Will even more. Actually getting to hear what happened to him when his parents died was heartbreaking and I really felt for him. I still enjoyed seeing that though because it meant I could finally understand Will fully and see how deep his love for his brother was. Will is still one of the sweetest guys ever and he makes my heart melt.

Lake kind of acted like a 5 year old again in this one. She wanted Will to tell her everything but the flounced off in a huff when she heard something she didn't like. She was starting to get on my nerves a little.

I just adored getting to see my favourite moments in Slammed from Will's POV and getting to see Will and Gavin's conversations because Gavin knew. I also really enjoyed getting to see Will's past and the events that led him to Lake. And also, what Will was thinking when he first met Lake. 

The epilogue was beautiful and had me in tears yet again. I've cried so much while reading this series, but it's been one of the best series I've ever read. If you haven't read the Slammed trilogy yet or any of Colleen Hoover's books, I highly suggest that you change that because her writing and her stories are beautiful.

Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover

Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover
Series: Slammed #2
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Publication Date: August 10th 2012
Series: Bought

Layken and Will have managed to overcome the obstacles that threatened to destroy their love, proving that they are destined for one another. What they are about to learn, however, is that the things that have brought them together may be the very things that ruin their connection forever...

Layken is left second-guessing the relationship whilst Will is jumping over hurdles to prove his love for her. What the young lovers discover about themselves along this journey may change their entire world, and the lives of those who depend upon them the most...

After I'd finished reading Slammed, I hurried off to grab the next two books in the series because I knew I had to read them straight away. I'd been warned to grab some tissues before going into this one - so I did - and I definitely needed them because this one was just as emotional - maybe slightly more - than the first one. And it was also just as amazing.

The one main thing that I think made this book better was that it was told from Will's POV. I absolutely adore Will and I'd been dying to get inside his head during Slammed so I kind of started jumping around when I realise Point of Retreat was told from his POV.

So after everything that happened in Slammed, Lake and Will are finally together (*cheers*). But what the two of them don't realise is that their relationship is about to be put to the test again. 

As much as a love Lake, there were times in this book when I just wanted to shake some sense into her. I get why she stormed off and was upset with Will, but did she really need to ignore him for that long? No, Lake. You didn't! But I do really love her character. Lake is getting used to her new role after the events at the end of Slammed and she seems to be coping well with everything. Lake is a tough character and she's got a lot of inner strength, but she's insecure about herself and her relationship with Will which causes quite a few problems in this book.

Oh, Will. I didn't think I could love you anymore than I already do, but this book proved me wrong. Getting to hear from Will actually helped me understand his character a lot more, and also allowed me to fall completely head over heels for his character. Will is just one of the sweetest guys ever and it broke my heart seeing him basically tearing his hair out to prove himself to Lake when she was acting like a 5 year old. It's so obvious to everyone but Lake that he cares about her deeply, and I just wanted to see them together again. Will has always got everyone else's best interests before his and he's so sweet that he just wants to help everyone.

So in Point of Retreat, Will heads back to college and it turns out his ex - who dumped him days after his parents died and completely broke his heart - was in his class. And obviously she's a complete bitch who tries everything she possibly can to win Will back and break up his relationship with Lake. She's constantly flirting with him and I really wanted to punch her. Eddie and Gavin had their own problems going on which were inter-twined with the bigger storyline because Eddie and Gavin are a massive part of Will and Lake's lives. 

The addition of Kiersten and Sherry to this book added a hell of a lot. Kiersten was like a mini Eddie and I loved her so much! She was so hilarious and was always coming out with something that made her seem older than she actually was. Sherry was... strange, but she was a fantastic character. She was there for Will and Lake when they really needed her, and she was amazing.

Colleen Hoover sure knows how to write soul-destroying twists. At about 60% there was a heart-wrenching twist that left me unsure of what was going to happen to a few of the characters. Honestly, I was preparing for the worst and I just didn't stop crying.

And then the ending also had me in tears because I was freaking happy. I love Will and Lake and that ending was just perfect for them. And also, Gavin and Eddie are adorable <3

Overall, Point of Retreat was a fantastic follow up to Slammed. It was so much more emotional, soul-destroying and beautiful than the first one and I adore Colleen Hoover's writing now. I'll definitely be buying ever single book she writes now.

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Slammed by Colleen Hoover
Series: Slammed #1
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Publication Date: August 10th 2012
Source: Bought

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

After reading Hopeless, I was curious about Colleen Hoover's other series. I'd heard so many great things about her writing that I just decided to start Slammed - also, I was in a NA/Contemporary kind of mood and this seemed perfect.

I totally wasn't prepared for how beautiful and emotional this book was going to be. Hopeless had me crying, but Slammed had me sobbing. The main thing that I loved about this which - which is also the main thing that had me sobbing - was the slam poetry. I'm not really a poetry person, but holy shit were these poems beautiful. Seriously, I can't even read the quotes without tearing up. I never thought I'd enjoy poetry, but Colleen Hoover won me over with her slam poems.

Will and Lake were my second reason for loving this book so much. Layken, her mother and her brother have had to move following the unexpected death of her father. Layken is trying to stay strong for her mother and her brother, but on the inside, she's falling apart. And then she meets Will. Will lives across the road from Layken's family. Within days, Will and Lake have an intense connection and things are starting to look up for Lake. And then on her first day at school everything (including my heart) fell apart. Will and Lake are forced to bring their relationship to a stop and trying to find a way to be around each other.

Lake and Will's relationship was such a beautiful and emotional one. Their connection was obvious from the second that they met when Lake was pretending to be a zombie and Will joined in. And that heart-shattering moment in the school corridor completely destroyed me. Up until the second that Will said "Where... What are you doing here?" I had no idea what was going on. And then it hit me, and my heart broke. But holy hell did these two go through a hell of a lot throughout this book. There were ups, there were downs, there were happy moments and there were soul destroying moments. But these two are so beautiful together and I was rooting for them the whole way. I didn't give one shit about what happened as long as these two found some way to be together because they're perfect.

Caulder and Kel had me laughing my ass off as well. Oh to be young again. These two were the ultimate BFF's. They had their own secret language and were constantly at each other's houses. Kel is extremely observant for a kid and my heart did break for him a few times. He's been through so much at such a young age and he's still got a lot more to go through.

Julie was one of my favourites as well. Julie was just such an awesome mother. She basically pushed Lake to make friends with Will and I love her for that. Julia was keeping something from Lake and Kel and I honestly never expected what her big reveal was. And it killed me. As if there wasn't already enough pain being caused by this book I also had that to deal with. It just seemed cruel and unfair, but it led to some amazing decisions.

Eddie and Gavin were amazing too. They've been together for quite a while and they're so adorable together. Eddie is extremely observant and up front, and is a perfect best friend for Lake. The two of them added a lot to the story.

The storyline of this book revolved mainly around Will and Lake's relationship. It caused me so much emotional pain it was unbelievable. I was almost ripping the hair out of my head because I was so distraught. I don't think I've ever been so emotionally invested in a couple in my entire life like I was with Will and Lake. I think it was probably Colleen Hoover's writing. Her writing is incredible. We also had Julia's big reveal which was also heartbreaking. 

The ending left me with tears streaming down my face, but it also left me smiling. Even though the ending was soul destroying, it was also happy. Julia is one of the most awesome characters ever. 

Overall, Slammed is the most beautiful and emotional book I've ever read. Thank you Colleen Hoover for writing such an amazing book with the most amazing characters ever and for introducing me to slam poetry. 

Split Second by Kasie West

Split Second by Kasie West
Series: Pivot Point #2
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: February 11th 2014
Source: Bought

Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too . . . but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories... once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything.

May contain slight spoilers for Pivot Point.

I'm starting to think that Kasie West can do no wrong when it comes to writing books. I've loved every single of her books that I've read and Split Second has just become my favourite of hers. Honestly, I had no idea how anything was ever going to because Pivot Point (because it was awesome), but holy crap! Split Second completely surpassed every expectation that I had and I freaking loved it!

Split Second picks up not that long after Pivot Point and this time we got to hear from both Addie and Laila (which made me extremely excited because Laila is awesome). Back in Pivot Point, Addie did a huge Search that allowed her to see two different paths that she couldn't decided between and then she had Laila erase her memories after she decided which path she had to take. And, if you've read Pivot Point, you'll know that the ending was soul destroying. 

I had absolutely no idea where Kasie West was going to go with the storyline in this book. All I knew was that it involved Trevor so I was 100000000% on board because I love Trevor with all my heart and I needed more of him and Addie. And I also needed to piece my  heart back together after the ending of Pivot Point.

Addie heads off to spend some time with her dad in this book, but when she arrives at her dad's she starts to have a sense of déjà vu and feels like she's completely missing something. Now, of course, we know that Addie is since she's Searched her future and saw her life with her dad for a few months, but Addie doesn't remember any of this. I loved getting back into Addie's head and seeing her meet everyone all over again (especially Trever *squeals*). I felt bad for her because she didn't remember anything about what had happened, but everything was so much more amazing the second time around. Addie was still such an amazing character and she had a new ability to try and get to grips with in this one - which was actually pretty awesome. 

Trevor <3 I looooooooove Trevor so much. Trevor is the most adorable guy ever. Seriously, he has no competition. He's number 1 on that list. Trevor is the main reason I was so excited to read Split Second. Trevor is suspicious of Addie because he sees her doing some extremely unexplained things, so obviously he's going to be a bit weary of her. But I loved seeing Addie and Trevor's friendship re-develop. It wasn't as cute and adorable as the last time (with all the letters <3) but it still made my heart melt. I just adore those two so much!

Laila is one of the best characters ever. Her and Addie are so close and are the best friends ever. Laila cares about Addie so much and it was so sweet! Actually getting to hear from Laila this time was awesome. Laila is so feisty and awesome and I love her. She's got a lot going on with her family because of her dad, which means her and her mother are constantly having to hide money to make sure they've got enough to feed the family. Laila manages to stay tough and strong throughout all of that and I really admired her.

I loved getting to meet Connor. Connor is snarky, slightly arrogant, a pain in the ass sometimes, but I loved him so much. No one knows what Connor's ability is because he never uses it - most people think he doesn't have one. Hearing about Connor's past was slightly heartbreaking and made me just want to give him a huge cuddle. Laila and Connor's relationship was an interesting one. They started off basically hating each other but there was a huge spark between them that they were both completely ignoring due to their hate for each other. I really loved seeing those two together though. There was never a dull moment when Laila and Connor were together.

There were a hell of a lot of unexpected twists throughout this book that had my jaw dropping. I honestly didn't expect this book to be as amazing as it was, it completely blew me away. Addie was pretty sure her father was hiding something from her which led to a lot of revelations and even more complications. Laila was trying to help her brother and stumbled across something that did more harm than good. Addie's mother was keeping secrets from her and trying to help her from The Compound - even though Addie didn't want her mother's help. I flew through Split Second because it was just one of those books that I was desperate to find out how it was going to end and I was completely satisfied with the ending of this series. Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect ending. My heart was melting and I was smiling like crazy because I was just so happy!

Overall, Split Second is one of the best sequels I've ever read. The Pivot Point duology is now one of my all time favourite series and has my all time favourite most adorable guy ever in it. It's also been one of the most emotional series I've ever read purely because of Addie and Trevor <3. If you haven't read Pivot Point yet, I seriously suggest that you do. I honestly cannot recommend this series or Kasie West enough. You definitely won't regret picking up this series. It's incredible.

Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau

Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau 
Series: The Testing #2
Publisher: Templar Publishing
Publication Date: January 1st 2014
Source: Bought

Seventeen-year-old Cia Vale survived The Testing, as has Tomas, the boy she loves, and they have both gained admission to the University. She has a promising future as a leader of the United Commonwealth and no memory of her bloody testing experience, thanks to a government-sanctioned memory wipe.

Cia should be happy but is plagued by doubts about the past and future. Determined to find the truth, she embarks on a path of study forbidden by the government delving into the Commonwealth's darkest secrets. What she finds is the brutal reality lurking behind the friendly faces of her classmates and the unbearable realization that leaders chosen to protect us can be our greatest enemy.

I hadn't actually planned on picking up Independent Study so quickly, but I wasn't in the mood to read any of the books on my TBR list and I just really wanted to know what Cia was going to do with the information she uncovered at the end of The Testing. Independent Study was a fantastic follow up to The Testing. It was less gorey/less horrific, but there were still a lot of unexpected twists and shocking moments that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through this book.

Independent Study picks up a few months after The Testing, and Cia and the rest of The Testing candidates that survived have started their University education. They're being put through another test to determine which path they will all take. 

I was slightly worried for Cia in this one because I had no idea whether the Government knew about the revelation she'd made. Cia is such a strong character. I don't think I would have been able to continue on as normal after I'd found out what really happened during The Testing, but Cia manages to pretend that everything is alright to keep herself from being found out. She's an extremely intelligent character and people tend to underestimate her. Cia is a very kind character and always likes to do the right thing which makes her some enemies during this book (but they were douches anyways).

I was still really unsure of Tomas in this one - mainly because for most of the book we had no freaking idea what actually went on with him during The Testing. Tomas is a sweet and protective character, but he did lie to Cia throughout most of the book so I'm still on the fence about him.

As much as I hated Will at the end of The Testing because of what he'd done, I actually couldn't help but grow to love him again. Will is such a hilarious and friendly character, but he's definitely got a dark side that we got to see in The Testing. I'm glad we got to see his nice side again though because I do really like Will.

I loved some of the new characters we were introduced to as well. I really liked Ian. He seemed to really care about what happened to Cia and wanted to help her however he could. Whether he has an ulterior motive or not, I guess I'll have to wait and find out. I was initially suspicious of Raffe, but he's a character I grew to love by the end of the book. I really liked getting to meet President Collinder as well. She seems like a nice and genuine character who wants to fight for what is right. I really hope she gets a chance to make a difference.

The plot, while it wasn't as fast-paced as The Testing - was still gripping. I was so intrigued to find out what was going to happen now that Cia knew everything that I just couldn't put this book down. Also, we were thrown straight into more tests when the candidates had to prove themselves during their initiations to their new residences. There were a lot of secrets to uncover, Cia had to find out the truth about what happened during The Testing and there were quite a few twists that I didn't see coming.

The ending was a major shock and I honestly had no idea what to do after I'd finished reading this book. I'm still kind of shocked over the events and I have no idea what's going to happen next - but it probably won't be good. I honestly can't tell you guys how excited I am for Graduation Day so I can find out what the hell is going to happen!

Overall, Independent Study was a fantastic follow up to The Testing. Even though it wasn't as action packed, it was full of a lot of shocking revelations that had you wondering what the hell was actually going on and who the good guys actually are. 

Showcase Sunday #60

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea. This meme allows book bloggers to show off the books they collected over the last week.

This week has been an extremely busy week. I haven't really had much time to myself because I've been working all week, but on the bright side, the rest of the month doesn't look as busy! I've been slacking slightly when it comes to blogging/booktubing so I'm hoping that I'll be able to catch up with them both this month!

Bookwise, I bought one physical book this week (which was a pre-order) and a few kindle books (which were also pre-orders). I also got a few books from Netgalley; a few from Edelweiss and a few from Bookbridgr for review. And I also received a very exciting package in the mail all the way from Canada!

Bought

• physical

The Assassins Blade (Throne of Glass #0.1-0.5) by Sarah J. Maas

• kindle

Half Bad (Half Life Trilogy #1) by Sally Green

Fire & Flood (Fire & Flood #1) by Victoria Scott

Review

Snowblind by Christopher Golden

Rags and Bones Edited by Melissa Marr & Tim Pratt

Thanks to Headline & Bookbridgr!

Netgalley

The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1) by Marie Rutkoski

Take Back the Skies (Take Back the Skies #1) by Lucy Saxon

A Kiss in the Dark by Car Clarke

Feather Bound by Sarah Raughley

Edelweiss

Tabula Rasa by Kristen Lippert-Martin

Amity by Micol Ostow

Gifted

The wonderful and amazing Brittany from This is the Story of My Reading Life went to a Marissa Meyer signing and got me a signed copy of Cinder! I honestly wasn't expecting that and it was a massive surprise when the parcel showed up at my door. I may have started jumping around squealing as soon as I'd gotten it open. AND, as if that wasn't awesome enough, she also sent me a copy of Outlander by Diana Galbadon! Brittany recommended this one to me because it's set in Scotland, and because it's one of her favourite series. I honestly can't wait to start it now that I've got a copy!

Thank you Brittany! :D <33333

What books did you get this week?