Waiting On Wednesday (5)

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. This is a once-a-week look at the book(s) we are anxiously awaiting release.

"High Voltage" by Karen Marie Moning

This book is to be released March 6th, 2018. It is the tenth book in the Fever series.

There is no action without consequence...

Dani O'Malley was nine years old when the delusional, sadistic Rowena transformed her into a ruthless killer. Years later, she's tough, hardened, yet achingly vulnerable and fiercely compassionate, living alone by her own exacting code. Despite the scars on her body, driven by deeper ones carved into her soul, no one is more committed to protecting Dublin. By day, she ensures the safety of those she rescues, by night she hunts evil, dispensing justice swiftly and without mercy, determined to give those she cares for the peace she has never known.

There is no power without price...

When the Faerie Queen used the dangerously powerful Song of Making to heal the world from the damage done by the Hoar Frost King, catastrophic magic seeped deep into the earth, giving rise to horrifying, unforeseen consequences--and now deadly enemies plot in the darkness, preparing to enslave the human race and unleash an ancient reign of hell on Earth.

There is no future without sacrifice...

With the lethal, immortal Ryodan at her side, armed with the epic Sword of Light, Dani once again battles to save the world but her past comes back to haunt her with a vengeance, demanding an unspeakable price for the power she needs to save the human race and no one--not even Ryodan who'd move the very stars for her--can save her this time...

What are you "waiting on" this Wednesday?

Top Ten Tuesday (2)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl and features different book related themes each week. This week the theme is:

Top Ten Books I Could Re-Read Forever

"Lover Eternal" by J.R. Ward
I love all The Black Dagger Brotherhood books but Rhage will always have a special place in my heart. I could read his love story with Mary over and over again without ever tiring of it and I have. I have read the series 3 times now and am hankering for another go through.

"The End" by G. Michael Hopf

I read this on a whim for a book tour and absolutely fell in love with the series. The author even read my review and thanked me for my positive feedback. Not only did that make me feel appreciated as a reviewer but also just hammered home the fact that the book was astonishing. I am normally a romance buff but this book made all the mushy books pale in comparison to it's might.

"Feed" by Mira Grant 
 This was one of the first books I openly reviewed (I think, it's been a while...). It took the token dystopian zombie novel and incorporated the blogging world. The only way to transmit information in this new world is through blogs and news stories. This made my little blogger heart pitter-pat with how much importance was placed on something I am so passionate about. It's really am amazing read if you love zombie novels.

"After the Ending" By Lindsey Fairleigh & Lindsey Pogue

This was my first dabble into the New Adult genre after a long stint of never wanting to touch a romance novel. I didn't really thing there WOULD be any romance what with zombies running around but there seemed to be a small dose of it underlying. That small taste of romance made me want to read more of the swoon-worthy love stories in that particular genre.

"Jet" by Jay Crownover
Another book given to be for a book tour that I fell in love with. I have read this series 2 times now and Jet was by far my favorite Marked Men in the series. Maybe it's the rock star aspect of him that gets me a bit twitterpated. Who doesn't love a hot man with tattoos and a guitar?

"Wait for You" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I got into Jennifer L. Armentrout with her young adult Lux series. When she announced that she was going to start writing New Adult I had to try it out to see if she could hack it in a more mature genre. Not only did she do so with this book series, but she far exceeded the love I had for her with her young adult writing.

"The Queen of the Tearling" by Erika Johansen
My taste in genres tend to change with the seasons. I did have a phase where I would read nothing by Fantasy novels. This was one of them. It was also a book given to me for a book tour. I seem to find all my hidden gems I love on book tours. Definitely need to do more of them.

"Breaking Nova" by Jessica Sorensen

Jessica Sorensen is an absolute goddess of New Adult books. This one handles a very controversial subject of drug addiction and how it shapes a person's life and their relationships with people. It was the first book I had ever read that touched on such issues and it was absolutely heartbreaking, but in the best way possible. 

"Splintered" by A.G. Howard
I adore retellings. An author taking a story that everyone knows and twisting it into something completely different. This was a retelling of Alice in Wonderland which is my favorite book. Also, it doesn't really contribute to my love of this book, but this cover art is beautiful.

"Dollface: A Novel of the Roaring Twenties" by Renee Rosen

My favorite point in time was the roaring twenties. Everything that we find mainstream today was taboo back then. The desire to live one's life the way they want to live it but also abiding by unrealistic social norms? Who wouldn't love something like that? Dollface was just such a tale of a determined girl wanting to live beyond settling down with a husband who can take care of her. 

Next week's theme:

Top Ten Favorite Book Quotes

Review: Cake by J. Bengtsson

Title: Cake

Author: J. Bengtsson

Series: Cake #1

Publication date: May 14th, 2016

Pages: 610

ISBN: 9781539844570

Synopsis (according to Goodreads):

Jake McKallister might have been a rock star, but he was no ordinary one. Surviving an unspeakable crime as a young teen had shaped him into a guarded workaholic, and he now lived his life trying to forget. If it hadn't been for music and the redemption he found through it, he might not have survived. Career success came easily for him. Personal connections did not. 

When outspoken, vivacious college student Casey Caldwell was paired with the famously reserved rockstar for a friend's wedding, she was prepared for the worst. What could they possibly have in common? She was a bubbly talker; he was a reclusive loner. His life was filled with music; she couldn't carry a tune. She'd enjoyed a happy childhood; his was a well-publicized nightmare.

Yet despite their obvious differences, Jake and Casey found each other, and her light balanced out his darkness. Would their love be strong enough to survive the weight of his tragic past?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a *full-length* standalone romance. Cake is a love story at heart but does deal with a sensitive topic and may not be for all.

Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of eighteen.

*This novel was professionally re-edited on June 28th, 2016*

Review:

I have to admit something that normally reviewers keep to themselves. I am a sucker for a cover. Sometimes I won't even read the description of the book and simply go off cover appeal. This one's cover was not something I would call particularly "wow-worthy". I could tell it was about a rock star as with the guitar and silhouette of a concert at the bottom, but other than that I didn't see anything that made me perk up with interest. However, as I determined I was going to read most if not all the books available for Kindle Unlimited I decided to try it out.

Jake is a rare breed. He's a rockstar who still has a down-to-Earth personality. You won't see him marring the front pages of the latest gossip magazine with wild antics. He is from a troubled past and a popularity he had hoped would not define his entire career. His past is traumatic and his present is unpredictable. Everybody wants something from him and it gets old fast. So when he meets Casey, who doesn't seem to care much for his fame, he can't help but to get to know her. When he does, he doesn't know how he survived without her. She is the first person who doesn't seem to immediately want something from him and it's that rare quality that makes walking down the aisle at his brother's wedding with her that much more exciting.

Casey knows the newspaper's report of what happened to Jake when he was younger. She wouldn't dream of feeling sorry for him, but knowing the man, who seems so put-together and accomplished, was hurt like that makes Casey's heart ache. Casey is awkward in the most delightful way and she keeps Jake on his toes. But when Jake's past starts to bleed into their life together, Casey must find a way to weather the storm so both her and Jake make it out alive.

I loved Casey. I loved everything about her. She was the perfect female lead in this story. Jake I don't feel was as flushed out as Casey was. The situation leading to Jake dealing with his past was very true to real life with someone with PTSD. The flashbacks and the feel of those types of traumas was real and clearly well researched. I felt for Jake even while being annoyed with him for the way he would treat Casey when he was having one of his "moments". He definitely had a diva side to him and Casey's role as the complete opposite did wonders for the story. If they had both been dramatic then the story would have come off as very whiny. It was a good balance.

Cake was the real story behind rockstar fame when you remove the drugs and alcohol that seems synonymous with that career path. Rockstars have a past and it's not always pretty but sometimes, like everyone else, they find the person to pull them from their dark abyss and into the light. 

Review: Torn by Carian Cole @CarianCole

Title: Torn

Author: Carian Cole

Series: Devil's Wolves #1

Publication date: August 29th, 2016

Pages: 422

ISBN: 9781539139461

Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
**Please note: there is NO underage sex in this book. There is NO incest or blood relation in this book. This is NOT an MC Club story. This is NOT Erotica. This is a slow burn romance. This book is intended for readers 18 years and older**

He's loved me since the day I was born.
He's taken care of me.
He's awakened me.

Tor. My father's best friend.
Fifteen years older than me, he's always been my protector.
The one I should never, ever want.
But I was born to be his.

She's always loved me.
She's shattered me.
She's healed me.

Kenzi. My best friend's daughter.
I held her the day she was born, and I never let go.
She's forbidden to me. But she's the only one that really gets me.
We're slowly being torn apart by everything we love.
Everything we want.
Everything we desire.

And now I want the one thing I can't have... I want her.

Review:

You would not believe how many times I passed this book over when browsing Amazon. I just have a thing against main male characters who have long hair. Perhaps that makes me a bit shallow to dismiss a book based on the physical characteristics of the main character, but when I read a book I want to be immersed. I want to feel the love and lust dripping off the pages as if it's my own life. It's a fantasy oasis that everyone deserves to have periodically in their choice of literature. But, I had made a promise to try to read almost every book I could get my hands on in the New Adult Kindle Unlimited selection. I had to go off cover appeal and what I thought would be a male lead who I couldn't get lost in. So I dove in.

Tor has been in Kenzi's life since she was born. He was her babysitter while her rock star parents were on the road. He was her confident when she needed a shoulder to cry on. He was a best friend when she felt alone or isolated due to never being able to trust anyone's intentions with her parents' lifestyle. He was her everything well before she started to feel something she had never felt before: lust. The problem is, Tor has been habitually known as Uncle Tor as he's her father's best friend. 

Tor knows these new feelings for Kenzi are wrong. It's a betrayal to her father and almost too close to incest for his liking. He should be looking at her as a daughter or sister not as someone he wants more than his next breath. Tor will go to any lengths to push Kenzi away, even breaking her heart. Will it be enough? Or is their connection just too powerful to ignore?

I thought this book was going to be a little too line-toeing for me. Yes, there is no blood relation but to go from having someone call you an uncle to uncontrollable lust? Makes me squirm a little. But, when I got around that little uneasiness I realized there is really nothing wrong with it. Kenzi and Tor as a couple were amazing. The honesty between these two was so romantic. I found myself rooting for them in the end and finding all their naysayers to be irritating. I binged this book so hard I was practically falling asleep in my living room chair while my 2-year-old quietly played with her toys. 

"Torn" stirs up so much fairy tale romance you want to slap your husband with the book and ask him why he can't be more like Tor. He's still grumbling at me for it, for the record. 

Purchase Your Copy Today!

 

Review: Loving Mr. Daniels by Brittainy C. Cherry @BrittainyCherry

Title: Loving Mr. Daniels

Author: Brittainy C. Cherry

Publication date: May 11th, 2014

Pages: 310

ISBN: 9780692221914

Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
To Whom it May Concern,

It was easy to call us forbidden and harder to call us soulmates. Yet I believed we were both. Forbidden soulmates.

When I arrived to Edgewood, Wisconsin I didn't plan to find him. I didn't plan to stumble into Joe's bar and have Daniel's music stir up my emotions I had no clue that his voice would make me hurts forget their own sorrow. I had no idea that my happiness would remember its own bliss.

When I started senior year at my new school, I wasn't prepared to call him Mr. Daniels, but sometimes life happens at the wrong time for all the right reasons.

Our love story wasn't only about the physical connection.

It was about family. It was about loss. It was about being alive. It was silly. It was painful. It was mourning. It was laughter.

It was ours.

And for those reasons alone, I would never apologize for Loving Mr. Daniels.

- Ashlyn Jennings

Review:

I said I was going to give Brittainy Cherry another chance after I read her book "The Air He Breathes" and I stuck by my word. I was so glad that I did. "Loving Mr. Daniels" was the next book on the list on Amazon's Kindle Unlimited New Adult Romance. The opportunity to read another book by her was presented and I dove in.

Ashlyn has lost her best friend and sister all at once. She doesn't know what to do with herself as a part of her has suddenly been ripped away. Now, her mother has decided to send her to stay with her estranged father. Does anyone truly want Ashlyn in their life because from the way it seems everyone is trying to get away from her or push her away? Ashlyn  only has one thing to hold onto; letters and a bucket list written to her by her dead sister. Ashlyn manages to meet a man... boy... manboy, on the train to her new life and upon his invitation and a chance to knock something off her bucket list, she finds herself standing outside the bar waiting to see his band. After an unforeseeable panic attack and the comfort of this manboy named Daniel, Ashlyn starts to find reasons to smile again. This is until she walks into her new school and sees her favorite reason for standing at the front of the class wishing to be addressed as Mr. Daniels. Now Ashlyn must figure out how to resist her new teacher while not losing the first person who seems to understand her loss.

Daniel definitely understands loss. He has lost more people in his life than he cares to think about. Which is how he chooses to handle this fact; don't think about it. You can't hurt if you merely accept what has happened and move past it, right? But is there really any way to move past losing people who mean the world to you? And what about finding a kindred spirit only to find she is forbidden? Can he manage his past and keep his future intact by resisting Ashlyn or is he going to give into temptation and find solace in someone as equally as broken as he is?

Daniel was an indecisive ass hat in my opinion. He couldn't decide whether to break up with Ashlyn or be with her. He would pull her close, then push her away, then pull her close and promise forever, then tell her they can't be together. Ashlyn spends most of her time crying which got to be a bit of a pain in the ass. Ashlyn is fine, flip the page, and there she goes again. I swear if her tears were physically manifested my house would be called Atlantis. But that is all minor irritants and doesn't reflect on the meat and bones of the story. The teacher/student thing was interesting to watch unfold. The splitting of the main male character in Ashlyn's eyes between Daniel and Mr. Daniels was also a good way of showing the differences between professional and personal lifestyles. There was a lot of good in this book which outweighed the character flaws and the fast-paced writing that seems to be the norm with Brittainy. All-in-all, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and felt like crying a lot of the time right along with Ashlyn. Some of the writing was almost poetic. Shakespeare would have added a death scene or twelve but he'd be proud either way.

Loving Mr. Daniels tests the bounds of the taboo and makes it less shockworthy by adding a healthy dose of romance in the face of tragedy. 

Purchase Your Copy Today!