COVER REVEAL: Unknown by Wendy Higgins!!!

Hellooooo guys!!

I'm beyond excited to share with you the cover for a new book from one of my favourite authors!!

Wendy Higgins has a new book coming out very soon and today I can show you the utterly gorgeous coveeer!

Ready to see the precious??




Are you??




Scroll my pretties, scroll!!

UNKNOWN by Wendy Higgins

Apocalyptic Sci-Fi NA Romance
Coming August 16, 2016


Amber Tate believes the worst thing she’ll suffer in life is dealing with the unrequited love she feels for her brother’s best friend, Rylen Fite. She also believes war is something unfortunate that happens places far, far away from her rural Nevada town. She’s wrong on both counts.

When an unknown organization meticulously bombs major cities in the United States and across the globe, a trickle-down effect spreads to remaining towns at an alarming speed—everything from food and water sources to technological communications are compromised. Without leadership, the nation is split between paralysis and panic, but Amber isn’t one to hide or watch helplessly. She’s determined to put her nursing skills to use, despite the danger, even if it means working alongside the man she can never have.

In this first installment of NY Times bestselling author, Wendy Higgins’s debut New Adult series, a frighteningly realistic apocalyptic America is brought to life, entwined with searing romantic tension that will leave you eager for more.

About the author:

Wendy Higgins is the USA Today and NYT bestselling author of the Sweet Evil series from HarperTeen, the high fantasy duology The Great Hunt, and her independently published Irish fantasy, See Me. She is a former high school English teacher who now writes full time, and lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with her veterinarian husband, daughter, son, and doggie Rue.

Wendy earned a bachelor's in Creative Writing from George Mason University and a master's in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford University 

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Cover Reveal: As You Breathe Again by Molli Moran!!

Hey there guys!! Today I'm super honoured to take part on the cover reveal for As You Breathe Again by Molli Moran, hosted and organized by Xpresso Book Tours!

Ready to see the utterly gorgeous cover?!




As You Breathe Again
Molli Moran
(The Walker Boys #2)
Publication date: February 4th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

She’s never had the courage to hold on to anyone. He never learned how to let go of what he wants.

Delaney Shaw isn’t looking for anything complicated. After her teaching career is put on hold, she decides to spend the summer in Georgia with her best friend. Lanie lives for the here and now, and she isn’t thinking past the end of the summer. She’s never had any problem being unattached, because she learned a long time ago that life is safer that way.

Until Reece Walker decides to change her mind.

Almost a year after his ex-wife’s death, Reece is still reeling from her passing. He’s devoted himself to raising their son and working his family’s farm to keep himself grounded. Reece feels like he’s lost sight of the man he used to be, and he’s not sure how to find his way back.

Everything changes when the woman he’s unsuccessfully tried to forget walks back into his life.

Even though she’s fighting their sizzling chemistry, Lanie is losing the war. But love isn’t always like it is in the movies, and they have real issues. Lanie is terrified Reece’s small town won’t accept their interracial relationship, and she doesn’t know how to let him in.

Lanie has had years to build her defenses, but Reece isn’t the sort to give up without a fight. If he can counter Lanie’s fears with the future only he can offer her, maybe they can both learn to breathe again.

Sequel to:

 Pre-order

Author Bio:

Molli is a Southern author who doesn't consider her day complete if she hasn't written. She loves coffee and talking fast, things she attributes to being raised by Gilmore Girls. She's a romantic at heart, and brings that to her books, which are usually about characters chasing after their happily ever after. Although content when reading, she can often be found watching and flailing over Doctor Who, cuddling her various pets, or spending time with friends, family, or her girlfriend. Molli loves Oxford commas, country music, Stefan Salvatore, and scarves.

Molli is the author of The Walker Boys series, about a trio of rowdy brothers, their growth and individual journeys, and the sassy girls who love them. She's also written a New Adult standalone novel, ONE SONG AWAY, with other books constantly on her mind. You can keep in touch with Molli on Twitter, where she hangs out as @MissMolliWrites.

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Saturday Pages: ARC Review of A Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev!!!

Hey there guys!

Happy Saturday! I came back from spending a pair of days (mostly) unplugged at my parents' cottage, getting loads of puppy love, getting pampered by my mum and watching shooting stars at night with my mum and bro. And reading, loads of reading! Less ARCs than I should have, but I despite my best intentions, I'm always a mood reader at heart!

Still I managed to read a pair of ARCs and start another, and one of them is the one I'm reviewing today for this week's Saturday Pages, counting it towards my ARC August challenge and also since it is a diverse read, towards my 105 Challenge!

The Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I read and loved Sonali's debut last year so when I heard about her next book coming out this year I knew I had to read it! Of course I did a lil jig when I got approved for it on NetGalley by the publisher and after reading it I already have it preordered for myself and for my ex didi.

Ria's story is not an easy one, given what a traumatic past she had to deal with and what she fears will be the sure consequences to her future. She's carved herself a career on Bollywood and she keeps everyone away from her. But when her cousin calls her and begs her to attend her wedding, she feels like she needs to go and be there for the family that loves her, and after a potential scandal, leaving Mumbai for Chicago seems like the best option.

While I don't know all that much about the insides of the world of Bollywood, I have been treated as part of an Indian family both in India and in the US, and reading this book felt like being back there. The descriptions are effortless and vivid and the relationships between the characters always so well developed!

Ria is a very complex character with many different sides to her, and we can very well see them at play when she is just Ria with her family, to when we see her as Ria Parkar, the film star. She's both strong and enormously fragile, always battling with herself and trying to get through everything on her own. I wanted her to finally allow others to help her and seeing how hard her path was through it all really made my heart ache!

The romance here was particularly heartbreaking because of the history between Vikram and Ria and how meeting again after ten years there's a lot of pain and anger and suffering but still an undeniable chemistry and a knowing about each other that was painful to read about. I don't know if it'll be as painful for other people as it was for me, but the emotions jump out of the pages!

Mental health and the stigma still associated to mental health illnesses is also a big component of the book. Ria's life has been defined by that stigma and it's what continue to define how she sees herself and how she shapes her future.

A fantastic book with a wonderfully complex romance and a lot of depth. Bravo Sonali Dev! Very well deserved 5 stars!



View all my reviews

The Return by Jennifer L Armentrout Release Day Launch!!

Hey there guys!!

This Monday was release day for The Return, the spin-off series for the Covenant series, by Jennifer L Armentrout!!

As soon as it downloaded to my Kindle, I just had to read it, and you guys need to read it! Even if you haven't read the Covenant series, that I highly recommend!, you need to give this one a try! Seth is quite a character, he's both swoony, cocky and a bit annoying (or quite a bit, depending on who you ask!)!

The Return by Jennifer L Armentrout

The Fates are cackling their bony asses off...

It's been a year since Seth made the deal with the gods that pledged his life to them. And so far, the jobs they've given him have been violent and bloody--which is kind of all right with him. But now Apollo has something else in mind for Seth. He's got to play protector while keeping his hands and fingers off, and for someone who really has a problem with restraint, this new assignment might be the most challenging yet.

Josie has no idea what this crazy hot guy's deal might be, but it's a good bet that his arrival means the new life she started after leaving home is about to be thrown into an Olympian-sized blender turned up to puree. Either Josie is going insane or a nightmare straight out of ancient myth is gunning for her.

But it might be the unlikely attraction simmering between her and the golden-eyed, secret-keeping Seth that may prove to be the most dangerous thing of all.

Because history has once again been flipped to repeat.

  

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Excerpt

 And just in case you guys need some help deciding if you want to get it, or if you ought to start it already and ignore the rest of the TBR pile as I did... I have an excerpt to share with you all!!


"Shaking my head, I pivoted around and walked down the long hall to my dorm room. As I reached the door, the shiver was at the base of my spine again, dancing its way up until it traveled across my shoulders. My heart turned over heavily and I closed my eyes.

Twice in one day.
Oh God.
I’d never felt this more than once in any span of several days.

Swallowing hard, I wrapped my fingers around the doorknob, battling the urge to turn and scan the hall, because I knew no one would be there.

Dragging in a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside the room. My brows flew up, and I forgot about the feeling as I closed the door behind me.

Erin was sprawled on the floor, palms pressed down on a mat, her spandex-covered behind jutting up toward the sky. She turned her head, peering at me from under her armpit.

Her armpit.

“How in the world do you get your neck to bend like that without killing yourself?” I asked.

“Skills, yo.”

Erin did yoga and meditation religiously, saying it helped merge her yin and yang together or something. She’d once told me she had a hell of a mean streak, and contorting herself into painful-looking positions helped keep “good vibrations” around her. Which was strange, because I’d never seen Erin lose her temper in the two years I’d known her.

Erin unfolded herself from some kind of downward dog or upward pony and grinned at me. “Check under the bed.”

Curious, I dropped my bag and stepped over her legs. Bending down, I lifted the bedspread and my eyes grew to the size of saucers when I spotted the bottle. I snatched it up and clutched it to my chest as I whipped toward her. “José!”

Her grin spread into a smile. “The best boyfriend ever.”"

About the Author:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

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Saturday Pages: A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev!!

As the final Saturday Pages entry of this one, and with it I end the two reviews per day for now, since I've finally caught up on reviews, I have yet another ARC that I read late and after release day.

I was approved for this one by Kensington Books via NetGalley and for that I'm extremely thankful! It was a book I loved reading and that I would recommend for someone that wants a lil insight to modern India and its many contrasts.

As an ARC it does count towards my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge and I'm hoping to continue improving my NG ratio!

A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As a lover of India in my own particular way whenever I see a book set in India I get excited and a bit wary but the latest two books I've read with Indian settings have been both gorgeous, powerful in their different ways and have made me feel like I was back there in my beloved Hindustan.

A Bollywood Affair is not so much a book about Bollywood, but there are plenty of references to it. It's first and foremost a romance, but one where friends and family are present and important, and for the most part, the biggest motivators for everything to start.

Mili, our main character, is a girl from a small village from Rajasthan, that got married when she was 4 years old and that has never again seen her husband. She's worked and tried her best to be the wife she thinks her absent husband would want, except for when she decides to move to the US to study, because she is following her passion. While being there, she's sought out by her husband's brother but for very different reasons that she'd ever imagine.

I don't usually read romances but this one simply grabbed me by the heart and wouldn't let go! It's told in alternate POV of both Mili and Samir, and that's always fantastic to get the full scope of what's going on, although it adds to the reader's angst when you see the full picture but neither of the characters do!

From India, to the US and then back to India, the settings and the cultural details and differences between one place and the other felt so genuine and real that simply made me feel like I was there. And the craziness of Indian families and Indian functions and the food, the relatives, the clothes... it was so much fun to read!

The romance was a slow burn in a way, but not so much since it spans roughly 4 weeks and there was a certain level of attraction very early on. Still it never really felt rushed and you find yourself rooting for these two and hoping they will finally talk truthfully to the other.

I cried a lot with this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone that loves romance and India or is midly curious about India. You'll long to visit and eat some of their wonderful food and will want to wear a saree or two! Very much deserving of 4 stars!



View all my reviews

Lailah by Nikki Kelly: An International Giveaway!!

Hello guys!!

I still haven't started baking properly to bring back my Ink & Batter posts for Thursdays, but I'm hoping to do so soon. In the mean time, today I have a giveaway!

And what do I have for you guys today? Well, I got an extra copy of Lailah by Nikki Kelly, cause I preordered it but it didn't arrive before my trip to the US, so I bought another copy at the Fierce Reads event to get it signed. That means my unsigned preordered copy is looking for a loving house cause I really do not have the space for two copies of the same book!

So, to make it a lil more interesting, I'm also throwing in some awesome Styclar swag, since Nikki was amazing enough to give me loads of it at the event, she's an absolute sweetheart and I'm so very happy to be part of the Styclar Street Team!

If you are wondering if Lailah will be your thing, you can check my review HERE!

The giveaway is INTERNATIONAL, just remember that cheaters never prosper and I will check all entries!


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Last Will And Testament by Dahlia Adler: Excerpt!!

Hi there guys!

Today I am honoured to be part of the promo leading up to the release of Last Will And Testament by Dahlia Adler and I will be sharing with you guys an excerpt so you can see if it'll be something you'd like!

But first of all let me tell you a lil bit about the book.

Title: Last Will and Testament

Series: Radleigh University

Author: Dahlia Adler

Pub date: December 9, 2014

Lizzie Brandt was valedictorian of her high school class, but at Radleigh University, all she's acing are partying and hooking up with the wrong guys. But all that changes when her parents are killed in a tragic accident, making her guardian to her two younger brothers. To keep them out of foster care, she'll have to fix up her image, her life, and her GPA—fast. Too bad the only person on campus she can go to for help is her humorless, pedantic Byzantine History TA, Connor Lawson, who isn't exactly Lizzie's biggest fan.

But Connor surprises her. Not only is he a great tutor, but he’s also a pretty great babysitter. And chauffeur. And listener. And he understands exactly what it’s like to be on your own before you're ready. Before long, Lizzie realizes having a responsible-adult type around has its perks... and that she'd like to do some rather irresponsible (but considerably adult) things with him as well. Good thing he's not the kind of guy who'd ever reciprocate.

Until he does.

Until they turn into far more than teacher and student.

Until the relationship that helped put their lives back together threatens everything they both have left.

And now the excerpt!!



I wince at the mention of Connor, glad Max is too distracted by his surroundings to notice. He certainly had been nice, and I’m not sure I would’ve gotten through the past month without him. But I’m not his responsibility, and I’m not his friend, and I’m not sure how or when I forgot those things, but I need to start remembering them, stat. He’s my TA—not my chauffeur, not my broker, and not my confidant. I still can’t believe I told him about the Slutmobile. 

“Yeah,” I mumble when I realize I still haven’t answered Max. Thankfully, it’s a short-lived subject, and for the rest of the walk, Max peppers me with questions that are easy enough to answer—what this building is and that, what various signs say, and why so many boys and girls walk around wearing funny-looking pictures (i.e. Greek letters) on their chests. 

Then there are the slightly harder ones, like, “Why is that boy’s hand in her skirt?” Asked extremely loudly, of course, about a couple fondling each other on a bench bordering the quad. 

A twinge of loneliness both unfamiliar and unwelcome worms its way into my system at the sight of the happy, snuggling couple. I yank him in the other direction, for both our sakes. “He’s keeping his hands warm,” I say hastily as we take a slightly alternate route to the health center. 

I’m so busy keeping an eye out for other situations I don’t want to explain that only Max’s tugging hand keeps me from bumping into a couple standing just outside Nijkamp Hall, the biggest of the grad student dorms. “Crap, sorry.” Apparently it’s my destiny to have couples shoved in my face today. I step around them, squeezing Max’s hand tighter, but then the guy speaks.
“Lizzie? Max?”
Against my better judgment, and because there’s a witness, I turn at the sound of the familiar voice. It’s Connor, of course.
And he’s wearing flat-front pants.
I want to both laugh and cry at the sight. He looks really, really fucking good, and I look like a teen mom on one hour of sleep who doesn’t own a single article of unwrinkled clothing and couldn’t be bothered with so much as a hairbrush this morning, let alone lip gloss.
Meanwhile, the blonde he’s with looks like she got dressed by cartoon birds.
“Good morning,” I say, pasting on a smile. “Max, say hi to Mr. Lawson.”
“Mr. Lawson, huh?” the blonde teases. “And here I’ve been letting the kids call me Jessica. Clearly I need to take a more authoritative approach.”
The kids. Fuck you, Jessica. I do not like you.
“The bigger kids get to call me Connor,” he says with a smile and a wink in my direction that makes me want to hate him but instead does a weird flip thing to my stomach I’d prefer to pretend isn’t happening. “Jess, this is Lizzie, and this is her little brother, Max.”
“Jess” crouches down and holds out a hand for Max to shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Max.” He shakes her hand with a toothy smile and I decide that maybe she’s not a megabitch. Maybe. At least until she straightens up and says, “I have to run to class, but I’ll see you tonight,” to Connor before squeezing his forearm.
We exchange “Nice to meet you”s before she walks off, but my brain’s still working to process the past few minutes. Connor has taken my fashion advice. Connor has also, apparently, taken a lover. Or already had one.
And I care, apparently.
Which means I need to get laid. 

 About the author:

Dahlia Adler is an Associate Editor of Mathematics by day, a Copy Editor by night, and a YA and NA writer and blogger at The Daily Dahlia, YA Misfits, and Barnes & Noble at every spare moment in between. Her debut novel, BEHIND THE SCENES, is available now, and its sequel, UNDER THE LIGHTS, releases from Spencer Hill Contemporary on June 30, 2015.

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Cover Reveal: Hear Me by Viv Daniels!!

Hello guys!!

Today I'm very pleased to be part of the cover reveal for the latest New Adult book by Viv Daniels, the more adult alter ego of the amazing Diana Peterfreund!


First of all, I'm gonna share with you what the book is all about and the I can show you all the rather hot looking cover!



Hear Me by Viv Daniels


Listen… the bells have stopped ringing.

Once upon a time, Ivy belonged to Archer, body, heart, and soul. They spent long summer days exploring the forest, and long summer nights exploring each other. But that was before dark magic grew in the depths of the wilderness, and the people of Ivy’s town raised an enchanted barrier of bells to protect themselves from the threat, even though it meant cutting off the forest people—and the forest boy Ivy loved—forever.

And there’s a naked man lying in the snow.

Three years later, Ivy keeps her head down, working alone in her tea shop on the edge of town and trying to imagine a new future for herself, away from the forest and the wretched bells, and the memory of her single, perfect love. But in the icy heart of winter, a terrifying magic blooms—one that can reunite Ivy and Archer, or consume their very souls.

Warm up this winter with a sexy, paranormal New Adult romance from Viv Daniels. Contains magic spells, true love, and the hottest scene ever set in a greenhouse. Not meant for readers under 18.

 

Ready to see the cover now?

Wow, look at those eyes!!

Viv Daniels writes love stories for the young and young at heart. Like many of her characters, she met her husband in college, and knows all the ins and outs of navigating that kind of relationship — from how to date when you’re both flat broke to how to fit two people in narrow dorm room bed.

Her favorite new adult authors include Tammara Weber, J. Lynn, and Cora Carmack.

Viv can usually be found on her Facebook page or Twitter feed, chatting with readers about her favorite New Adult fiction, or sharing pictures of cute boys.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter

Mark This Book Monday: My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Winter Romances edited by Stephanie Perkins!!!

Hello there!

Finally trying to get back to a more or less normal schedule for the blog, and I'm starting with posting all the reviews that I have pending! Which adding the books I read while on vacation... well, they're quite a few!

I'm starting with the review for a book that I read before leaving but I didn't get to write a review for the blog before vacation time, so it's only fair I go back to it. So the first Mark This Book Monday entry after my hiatus/vacation is all about Twelve Winter Romances!

Aside from my review, I'm also adding the GR updates that I did for each of the stories, I saw Kaitlin from Reading is my Treasure doing it for her reviews as of late and loved reading her reactions to the books, and I think that when reading an anthology is even better, since it's your reaction right there after each story! Thank you for letting me steal your idea, Kaitlin!

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by Stephanie Perkins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Word of warning, I'm not the most enthusiastic person about Christmas you'll ever find. I'm not a proper Grinch but you won't usually find me reading Xmas anthologies as a rule, BUT I heard about this book and saw all the authors that were part of it and I thought that I had to give it a try for sure!

And that was a very good choice! I'm giving the book as a whole 5 stars because it's one of those books that I might have not been my usual read but even if I told myself just one story per night, I couldn't help but wanting to read the next one! Not all stories are 5 stars, not for me, but many of them were 4 stars, a few 5 stars and very few were 3.5. Add that to the amazingness that is the UK edition that I got, with the beautiful blue cover, the gold, the graphics and letterings... and it is a 5 stars book!

If I had to choose, my top 3 stories would be the ones writen by Rainbow Rowell, Stephanie Perkins and Kiersten White. They were Xmas-y but with enough of a different touch to not make it exactly only about the Xmas spirit, but still full of a certain magic! And let's not forget the Gayle Forman's story because that was a lovely adorable and hilarious surprise for me!

Jenny Han's story I found really intriguing and different but felt like it was cut too abruptly for my taste. Laini Taylor's story was gorgeously written but somehow something felt missing for me, but I think that might have also been because I was hoping the story featured here would have characters from the DOSAB trilogy and I was disappointed they weren't. Holly Black's was a great story with enough creepy to make it a very different kind of magical holiday spirit! And both Myra McEntire's story and Ally Carter's had more of a typical Xmas spirit but were still very cute!

The other three stories were the 3.5 stars, still cute and lovely but David Levithan's felt a lil too sad, Matt de la Peña was cute but a bit too much Hallmark's movie and Kelly Link's was intriguing to read but too much a mishmash of genres in one story. Enjoyed them a lot, but not as much as the previous ones.



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Friday Reads: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon!!!

Soooo, how is your Friday going guys??

Are you joining my birthday week celebration and entering the giveaways? I hope you are!!

Today as my Friday Reads entry I have a book that had not expected to read, and even less expected to love as much as I did. I blame it all on the amazing Outlander show on Starz and the awesome Twitter ladies that with their love for the show and books made me want to watch and then read: Sharon, Sara, Kate... THANK YOU!

I'm obsessed with the show and the book and my latest obsession that I was playing on loop while writing the review was the title theme song for the show and I must share it with you guys now, watch it and then feel free to read or ignore my review! ;)






Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I had seen the Outlander books many times out there but for some reason I was never drawn to them. But then time passed, the show was made and many of the awesome ladies I follow on Twitter started tweeting about the awesome show and even more awesome Jamie and I decided to give the show a try. So I started watching the show, loved it to bits and decided to read the first book in the series while waiting for the next episode!

As contrary as you would expect I'm not kicking myself for not having read this book before because I think this book was exactly what I needed in this moment in my life and it's simply meant so much to me that it wouldn't have at a different time.

Outlander is a story of love, adventure, history, time travel and magic. I wasn't very sure about the time travel bit but I think the way it was done, with the magic element and the unknown instead of trying to give us some explanation simply works great for the story. The focus is not so much the time travel, but finding yourself in another time, getting to grips with it and trying to adapt and not stick out too much while you try to go back to your own time.

Claire Randall (or Beauchamp) is a World War II nurse that is returning to normal life once war is over and is trying to find her way back to her marriage after all the time apart. They go on a second honeymoon to Scotland together to rebuild their relationship and their intimacy and it's during that time that Claire finds herself traveling back in time to 1743 without meaning to.

And Claire is such a great character, she tries logic first, trying to rationalize what might be a sensible explanation and then she ends up accepting that something very strange has happened and focuses on survival. Finding herself in the middle of a struggle and in what can be enemy territory, she can't help but follow her instincts as a nurse and help and by doing so, she starts a new thread in her life that she never would have imagine or wanted.

Seeing her trying to make the best of an extremely confusing situation and still being true to her values and not giving up on her strenght, even when she makes some not so intelligent choices was fantastic. She's a strong character and even when she has very few options, she always try to make her own choice, not letting others decide for her. Given that the 18th century isn't exactly a feminist haven, this strikes me as the hardest balance to keep for her, if we don't count the quite massive emotional turmoil that she goes through leaving behind her rekindled relationship with her husband and finding herself progressively falling in love with another man.

And that brings us to Jamie, ah dear Jamie! He's a young Scot that Claire helps heal on her first few hours on the 18th century and he's the one that seems to distrust her less and seems to appreciate her being different the most. He was a wonder to read about and I loved that despite all the hardships in his life, he still remained such a nice guy all around. He is nice, caring, strong, terribly stubborn but also very loyal and ended up being the most interesting and enticing guy I had read about in a loooong time. If there is a character that I'd really claim as a book boyfriend, it'd be James Alexander Malcom McKenzie Fraser. Even if at times he can also be infuriating and I felt like giving him a smack or a good talking to, something that Claire did for me every time! I just adored their relationship all over the book, how they get to know each other, find themselves as friends, allies, lovers and simply the best team ever.

The background for all this is a Scotland that is defying the British rule, even if not yet in open battle, so the political enviroment was perfect for a lot of action and plenty of drama. Though the book is a very long one I never once felt like I wanted to skip something or other, because in the end a lot of details here or there had relevance further on. The secondary characters were amazing in general, even if I fell in love with some more than with others.

All in all a fantastic book and one that has entered straight away into both my favourites and my therapy reads shelves! Very much deserved 5 stars!!



View all my reviews

Tell Me Tuesdays #13!!

Tell Me Tuesdays is a meme/feature created by the awesome ladies of Please Feed The Bookworm and La La In The Library where we can share how we choose the book we are currently reading from our TBR pile!

I'm always curious about that, cause as much as I tend to make myself a rough schedule for books to read and the like, I'm quite a mood reader and sometimes I just HAVE to ignore my schedule and read something else!

 Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon

"From the author of Outlander... a magnificent epic that once again sweeps us back in time to the drama and passion of 18th-century Scotland...

For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland's majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones about a love that transcends the boundaries of time ...and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his ....

Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire's spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising ...and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves."



I absolutely loved and adored Outlander, the first book in the series and that was a total treat read for myself, ignoring all my schedules, cause I had grown quite obsessed with the show and Mr James Alexander Malcom McKenzie Fraser! Massive book boyfriend crush on that one I'm having!

So what are you all guys reading and how and why did you decide to pick up that book? Shiny new ARC? Comfort read? Scheduled for review? Must have new release? Tell me!!

Sharing the Cover: The Wondrous & The Wicked by Page Morgan!!!

Well guys, today Page Morgan has officially shared the cover for the third and last book in her Dispossessed series!!

It had been UNofficially floating around the interwebs, but today we can finally oooohhhh and aaaaahhhh at it!

I was super excited when I saw the cover, because all the covers in this series are absolute stunners, but I think this one might just be the most gorgeous of them all!!

Feast your eyes guys!!

The Wondrous & The Wicked by Page Morgan

For fans of Lauren Kate's Fallen series comes the exciting conclusion to the trilogy that includes The Beautiful and the Cursed and The Lovely and the Lost. The Waverly sisters must save themselves before all is lost.

Since the Waverlys arrived in Paris, the streets have grown more fearsome by the day. As Ingrid learns to master her lectrux gift, she must watch Axia's power grow strong enough to extend beyond her Underneath hive. By all indications, the fallen angel's Harvest is near-and the timing couldn't be worse.

Targeted by vengeful gargoyles, Gabby has been exiled to London for her own protection. Meanwhile, the gargoyle castes are in disarray, divided between those who want Luc to lead them and those who resent him and his fondness for humans. The Alliance is crumbling from the inside as well, its members turning against one another, and possibly against the Waverlys, too.

Axia has promised that the world will burn. And now, unable to trust the Alliance, separated from Luc, Gabby, and her twin, Grayson, Ingrid is left to face the demon uprising alone.


And the best news for fans of the trilogy like me? The release date is April 14th 2015!! Not in May or June like the previous two books! Less waiting time FTW!!

Now guys, excuse me while I go check if I already have this one preorder and if I don't, to correct that and preorder right NOW!!

 

Saturday Pages: ARC Review of As Long As You Love Me by Ann Aguirre!!

Hello everyone & happy Saturday!

This week I'm back to having Saturday Pages around and it's all about another ARC review. I got approved for this one via NetGalley and I have to give a big shout out and thank you to Harlequin and all its imprints cause they always approve my requests! Thank you for the vote of confidence!

As an ARC it also counts towards my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge and will hopefully help eventually reach the 80% ratio on NG!!

As Long As You Love Me by Ann Aguirre

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


NA is not exactly a genre I have ever felt very drawn to and as such I haven't really read much of it, but I can safely say now that I love the kind of NA that Ann Aguirre writes!

As Long As You Love Me is the second installment on her 2B trilogy and I really enjoyed this one too, I'm not sure if I can say if I liked this one more than I Want It That Way but I know it hit me in the feels more closely to home than the previous one, and made me cry a whole lot more!

This one is all about Lauren, Nadia's best friend and roommate that decides to give up on university and run back home. We barely got to know Lauren through Nadia's story, and all because Lauren was already steeling herself to leave. The book starts with Lauren returning to Sharon, to live with her mom again and to deal with all the gossip surrounding her return.

By returning to Sharon, Lauren has to face all her bad choices in university, has to face all kinds of gossip and has to return to a home life that was less than ideal when she left. She stumbles onto Nadia's brother, Rob, who was her crush since she can remember having a crush and who has always treated her like a second sister.

They start hanging out as friends at first, even if Lauren is well aware that she's never got over the crush, and little by little they find themselves unable to deny the attraction and the connection between them.

As with IWITW, the main couple is made up of two individuals with their own diffent issues. Lauren has become an expert of hiding who she is and what issues she has and Rob has spent his whole life being relegated to be considered nothing but a hot guy with no brains. They both work as the foundations of self discovery of each other, but they also need to learn to stand on their own feet alone before getting into a healthy relationship. And that's one hell of an important message here, even if it can lead to some momentary heartbreak.

Great characters, realistic and believeable relationships with the focus not only on the main couple, but also family dynamics, friends, ex's, and the sometimes oppresive for some and comforting for others, feeling of a small town.

I connected so much with Lauren and Rob and loved their relationship, how they supported each other and how they made a great team. I loved how Lauren was so supportive of Rob, his hobby and his worth, even to the point of confronting those who are supposedly closer to him. Despite all her issues, Lauren is not someone to stay back and let others push her into a shape that is not her, and she takes charge of her life and makes sure that Rob does too.

I'm still not sure if New Adult is a genre that I will read a lot of, but I know for sure that I will be reading any and all the NA that Ann Aguirre writes and I'm already really looking forward to the third book in this trilogy! Well deserved 4 stars for this one!



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Cover Reveal With Xpresso Book Tours: One Song Away by Molli Moran!!

Hello guys!

Today I'm very pleased to be part of the cover reveal for Molli Moran's next book, organized by Xpresso Book Tours!


Before I let you see the pretty pretty cover designed by Marie Landry, I'm gonna tell you all about the book and about Molli herself!

One Song Away by Molli Moran
Publication date: December 2014
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

She needs a fill-in boyfriend. He needs a favor. It's the perfect, no-strings arrangement -- until they both realize it's too real...

Sophie-Claire Wright's life is like a bad country song on repeat. She keeps running into her cheating ex, her songwriting career isn't taking off, and to make matters worse, her roommate just kicked her out of their apartment. With nothing to lose, she decides to do the one thing she said she'd never do: she moves back home. She left her small Southern town with big dreams, but now she's going home with empty pockets.

Life moves at a slower pace in Sophie’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hometown, but her well-meaning, matchmaking mother doesn't have a slow gear. She invents a boyfriend to hold off her mother's efforts, but she’s out of luck when her mom wants to meet Sophie’s boyfriend. Sophie panics until she runs into Jake Cooper. Her high school crush is back in town, too, and when he asks her for a favor, she agrees -- on one condition. He says he'll be her fill-in boyfriend, so it should be simple: introduce him to her family and then "break up" with him after a few weeks.

Sophie is sure she'll be able to resist Jake this time and that their fake relationship will keep them both away from wagging tongues. Just because she was in love with him years ago doesn't mean she'll fall for him again now, right? But she didn't bargain for moments that feel all too genuine. Dates that don't seem fake. And she didn't count on old feelings resurfacing and complicating their arrangement —- which is starting to feel less like acting and more like the real deal.

Soon, Sophie can't tell which kisses are real or fake -- but she knows she's in deep. When she gets a chance to go back to Nashville and chase her dreams again, she has a choice to make: stay or go? Continue hoping that the life she wants is one song away, or write her own? 

Intrigued enough? Wanna see the gorgeous cover now??

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About the author:

 

Molli is a Southern writer who doesn't consider her day complete if she hasn't written. She loves coffee and talking fast, things she attributes to being raised by Gilmore Girls. She's a romantic at heart, and brings that to her books. When not reading or blogging, she can be found obsessing over Doctor Who, cuddling her various pets, or spending time with friends, family, or her girlfriend. 

Website | Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Mark This Book Monday: Isla And The Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins!!!

Hello everyone! What best to start Monday than with a wonderful & swoony book as the first entry of this week's Mark This Book Monday?

I'm starting this week's Mark This Book Monday with the next book in the Isla Is Coming readalong hosted by Andi from Andi’s ABCs, Jamie from The Perpetual Page Turner , Judith from Paper Riot, Lindsey from A Bookish Sinister Kid and Meg from Cuddlebuggery!

 Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I'm rightly chuffed that I finally decided to join the #IslaIsComing readalong, because I've absolutely loved reading Anna and Lola, and I'm happy that I didn't have to wait as long as most people for Isla to come out.

It's quite hard to decide which one of the books is my favourite, but if I had to choose... I'd be probably leaning towards this one. Isla and Josh are a fantastic couple and their struggles and relationship progression really captured my heart.

I had noticed both Josh and Isla while reading Anna's book and I was quite excited to read how their relationship will progress, and thankfully it was as absorbing and heartwrenching as I was expecting.

Isla is a tiny sweet and geeky girl with an inseparable best friend with high functioning autism, both setting themselves apart from the rest of school. She's had a crush on Josh since they started high school together in Paris but their interactions have always been sparse and awkward, but that changes during summer break in NYC once she's high on painkillers and they meet by chance on a cafe (Kismet, quite appropriate I'd say!).

Their relationship is a joy to read about, and even when things get tough for them and even when it breaks our hearts, it's so beautifully written and woven! I was cheering for them since page one even when I felt like shaking one of them, or both.

As always, there is much more in the book than just their relationship and romance, there's family issues between Isla and her younger sister Hattie, and between Josh and his political-centered parents. There's also the adjustment between friends of Kurt and Isla. Even if Josh does go through quite a lot in the book, I'd say that the most character development and growth is Isla's, not only she learns how to accept herself and being loved, she also has confront her own flaws and shortcomings and accepting that some of what she thinks as shortcomings, aren't really so.

We also get plenty of travelling and get treated to wonderful descriptions that make us want to be there and enjoy all that Josh and Isla are discovering! I have already been to Barcelona and Paris but after reading Anna and this one... I feel like I really need to go back there as soon as possible!

I missed having some of the rest of the gang appear a bit more for most of the book, but all those wishes were fulfilled by the end of the book when we see Anna, Etienne, Meredith, Cricket and Lola, and get treated to even more emotional swooning and tears and make us turn the last page with a huge grin, even if you have some tears still lingering!

A wonderful read, very much deserving of 5 stars!



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Mark This Book Monday: Lola And The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins!!!

Hello guys! A new week starts today and although Monday might not be everyone's favourite day, in my case it's not that bad, since I have it off!

I'm starting this week's Mark This Book Monday with the next book in the Isla Is Coming readalong hosted by Andi from Andi’s ABCs, Jamie from The Perpetual Page Turner , Judith from Paper Riot, Lindsey from A Bookish Sinister Kid and Meg from Cuddlebuggery!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Continuing with the #IslaIsComing readalong, I started Lola at 1 am Wednesday night (since it was already Thursday) and finished it at 4 am, when I had to wake up at 6'30 am for work! And it was totally worth it!

Lola is a teenager that is not scared of being different, she has her own style and she wears whatever she felt like every day, one day she'd be a strawberry and the next she'd be wearing 50's vintage style. She is happy now with her rock star boyfriend and she's planning the most amazing Marie Antoniette dress for the winter formal. Things change when the Bell twins move back next door.

I was a bit worried about Max and Lola's relationship, because even if the age difference wouldn't have been an issue at any other point, when you're under eighteen, it can be quite an issue. I liked Lola's determination to get what she wanted, but she seemed a bit blind to the issues that others could see in that relationship. It was understandable that her dads were not happy but were still trying for her sake, but it should have been quite a warning the dislike between her best friend Lindsay and Max.

When I first read Lola's reaction to the return of the Bell twins I was quite worried about what the other sibling might have done to Lola, and wondered if it had been some sort of bullying... but I was relieved when I discovered what had happened two years back. Misunderstandings & heartbreak would be ok, but starting a relationship with a bully... I wouldn't have been comfortable at all with that!

Cricket was simply an adorable love interest, he's quite the complete opposite of Max, and he's not a broody bad boy at all, and it was quite refreshing seeing someone so supportive of their family and so upfront with his feelings with Lola.

Lola might have not been very fair to either Cricket or Max, but she wasn't fair to herself either and it was quite a journey for her to acknowledge her feelings and then decide to act on them. And it was good for her that she had Anna and Etienne as friends to help her see things on a different perspective.

I loved seeing Anna and Etienne as secondary characters and see how their relationship kept on progressing and just kept on rooting for them as I did on their own book!

And another thing that I loved is how unusual Lola's family was, and how it was presented, it might not be usual, it might have been a reason for some bullying for Lola at school, but they were her family and she loved them as they were, or ended up learning to love all of them, not only her dads, but also her biological mother.

A story full of self discovery and acceptance, not of one self but of others and discovering that not all the things we feel we want are the right ones for us. Very much deserving of 5 stars too!



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Saturday Pages: ARC Review of I Want It That Way by Ann Aguirre!!

As the second and last entry for this week's Saturday Pages I have an ARC review that since was read last month, I won't count for ARC August but that will be counted towards my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge!

I Want It That Way by Ann Aguirre

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I haven't been very much a contemporary romance reader, and even less the rather recent New Adult genre that has come up, but when I saw that Ann Aguirre had a NA trilogy coming and read her tweets about the books and saw the titles, that makes me sing BSB songs EVERY TIME, I knew I had to read them!

So when I saw this one NetGalley I immediately requested it and was lucky enough to be approved by Harlequin! And I was right to do so, cause I really enjoyed this book a lot!

I Want It That Way is the story of Nadia, a girl determined to make a good future for herself, focusing on finishing college while working to help her parents pay for it and then try to find a job as a special education teacher. She's always been very focused and even though she's still trying to enjoy some social life with her friends and roommates.

And it's exactly how the book starts, with Nadia moving into apartment 2B with her best friend Lauren and friends from college Max and Angus and meeting Ty, the resident of 1B. The first meeting isn't exactly heartwarming but after a chat on the balcony at night, they start a tentative friendship with a strong underlying attraction between them.

Ty is a single dad, with 3 year old and trying to juggle too many things, with night classes, a job and taking care of Sam, his son. He also has quite an amount of baggage and so he's not ready to get embroiled into an affair with the girl from upstairs and even less, allow himself to think about a relationship. Sam is his first and only priority.

The book is not only about how Ty and Nadia deal with their attraction and how they try to work with their relationship, but also with friendship and family. The relationship between Nadie and her roommates and how they help each other with their issues was great, the secondary character were well developed and never felt like just background noise.

There was no unnecessary drama between Ty and Nadia, and even when things weren't exactly peachy between them, they were always very honest with each other, no hidden drama, no cards kept up their sleeves. I loved how determined Nadia was to go for what she knew she wanted and not being afraid of facing the changes that pile up on her life.

Ann Aguirre knows how to write good chemistry, not overly drama filled or overly typical cliches stories and her characters feel genuine and you feel like rooting for them from very early on! I really enjoyed this one, despite how much the final part of the story made me cry. All in all, well deserved 4 stars for this one and I cannot wait to read the next NA books that Aguirre has coming soon!



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Mark This Book Monday: Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins!!!

And the second entry for this week's Mark This Book Monday is my review for Anna & The French Kiss! I'm taking part of the Isla Is Coming readalong and I'm so very happy I decided to join in and finally give these books a chance!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I have seen this book around for quite a while and I've seen such great reviews, but it is a contemporary and it is a romance and I haven't really been in the best of places to reading books that deal with relationships, but when I saw that there was going to be a readalong for the whole series to celebrate that the third book was finally going to be published, I thought it was the perfect time to read it!

I was very glad to find myself enjoying the book immensely since the very first pages. The setting in Paris, and Anna somewhat clueless and adorable self were quick to ensnare my attention and my allegiance.

Anna is a character that I couldn't help but love, despite how silly she seemed to me sometimes, how small-town minded she sometimes seemed about her American-ism and how she thought she wouldn't fit in Paris, and her flaws give how short sighted and oblivious she sometimes was about the rest of the world's feelings. I just couldn't help but keep rooting for her and enjoy her discovering the wonders of Paris, its architecture and its glorious food!!

I loved seeing Anna breaking out her shell and making friends, braving Paris on her own and not letting her fears get in the way of her passion, movies! I loved how she didn't back down when others sniggered about her idea of becoming a movie critic! I also loved how she stood up for her friends when she needed to, even if she was a bit oblivious about their feelings at times.

I was a bit concerned about the romance itself, but I couldn't help but root for Anna and Etienne St Clair and I found myself really loving their friendship, their banter and not minding their drama all that much. I adored Etienne's English accent and language popping up all the time, since I'm quite a declared Anglophile myself! Thankfully none of the relationship troubles dragged me too much to think of my own personal woes and that's a testament of how much the story pulled me into itself!

I loved that the book was not only about the relationship of Anna and Etienne but also about friendships and how complicated they can be and how simply we can fix things if we simply really try. How important friendships are and how they can help us grow and become the person we really wanted to be, even when we're not sure at first.

I simply couldn't stop reading, the writing was wonderful, the setting so vividly painted that I felt I was back again in Paris (and really made me want to go back again SOON!!) and the characters felt like my friends by the end of the book! I cannot wait to meet them again soon!

If you are wondering about this book and the fact that it is a contemporary might make you wary of it... don't, just give it a try, I can assure you it will be worth your while! Very well deserved 4.5 to 5 stars to this one!



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Friday Reads: The One by Kiera Cass!

Hello everyone! I'm gonna be starting this week's Friday Reads with another series ender! Seem like this year I have a lot of series ending! This is also a series that I really need to feature in Ink & Batter soon-ish, cause I want to reproduce the dresses in the covers in cupcake shape!

Even if it's mostly all about the romance, the dystopian setting for it makes it count for my Dystopian Reading Challenge 2014!

The One by Kiera Cass

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This year seems to be full of series enders for me! Although I wasn't totally dying to get this one as much as I might have had other books, I still really wanted to know what the deal with the rebels was and who would America end up choosing, Aspen or Maxon?

I promise I will keep this review as spoiler free as possible, I've already spoiled everyone that asked about it, and I refuse to ruin the book for anyone!

Despite the dystopian elements in this book, it always seemed that it was mainly a romance (is dystopian romance a genre? if you, it's right for this trilogy!) with a setting on a dystopian world, but the whole dystopian world was never really a big part of the storyline. We got some hints here and there, and it got a slight bigger part on the second book, and here it also becomes a bit more important.

I think it might have been what lead to this book not working too well with me. These books have been a fluffly read, fast and adorable for me, and I feel like too much was crammed into this final book for its size. The resolution of the love triangle, with a few key revelations about the rebels, a change on plot direction and then a final showdown with something that for me felt like taking the very easy way out to solve some of the conflicts that were given so much importance.

I enjoyed the book, I got emotional at quite a few scences, though I'm not entirely sure of how necessary the death of a certain character was... and I was pretty happy with the resolution of the love triangle, since I was never clearly Team Aspen or Team Maxon. But once I finished the book I just felt that everything was solved too quickly, taking the easy way out sometimes. I was glad to see that the girls managed to tranform their competitive ways into something better for females everywhere, so thank you for that Kiera Cass!

Not the best series ender ever, but I enjoyed it well enough, so I give it 3 stars. I know I will be recommending it to a friend of mine that will probably totally love it, since it's right down her alley!



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