Waiting on Wednesday (80)

Hi and happy Wednesday! Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine to share books we can't wait to read!

This week's pick is:

Defiance by C.J Redwine
August 28, 2012

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.


Any girl who can wield a sword is someone who I'm a fan of. And Rachel seems just like that girl. Logan doesn't sound half bad either! I'm definitely looking forward to seeing a romance between the two characters. I'm especially curious about the "monster that can't be killed" that's mentioned in the last paragraph. I can't wait for August!

Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker

Title: Unbreak My Heart
Author: Melissa Walker
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: May 22, 2012
Source: Thanks Netgalley and Bloomsbury
Add to your shelves 


Summary: Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams’ heart. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and long story short: he’s excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life. Enter her parents’ plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now. Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he’s just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem’s walls and heal her broken heart? Told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clem’s heart and the summer that healed it, Unbreak My Heart is a wonderful dual love story that fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti will flock to. 


Review: Unbreak My Heart is a fantastic contemporary romance book.  But this book isn't all about romance. It has a much deeper meaning and I loved every minute that I spent reading this book. 


The fact that Unbreak My Heart involves sailing gives it a million points in my book. I'm not a sailor myself but for some odd reason I love reading about ships, sailing, anything nautical and I'm in. I thought Walker did an absolutely fantastic job with sailing aspect of the book. It was realistic and it gave Unbreak My Heart an extra bang that a lot of books don't have. 


The characters are truly what got me in this book. Clem is so fantastic. The pain she went through literally jumped off the page. I grew to care so much about Clem during the book that it was almost a joy to see her grow and change through the course of Unbreak My Heart. Clem wasn't the only character that was multi-dimensional or just plain wonderful, many of the supporting characters were just as great. Clem's sister, Olive, was such a cutie! I felt like I got to know her and many other characters through Walker's unbelievabley good writing.

Of course there's romance, the title suggests that much. The romance in Unbreak My Heart was just what I needed. It was cute, real and it wasn't fast and rushed. James' and Clem's romance was sweet and slow moving. It makes me smile just thinking about it! I don't think romance in books can get much better then the one in this book.

All in all, Unbreak My Heart is a fantastic book that will makes you feel many awesome, heart-warming emotions. Unbreak My Heart has the added nautical aspect but it's so much more special than just that with its awesome characters and romance.


Rating:

This is So Not Happening by Kieran Scott

Title: This is So Not Happening
Author: Kieran Scott
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: May 1, 2012
Source: Bought
Add to your shelves 


Summary: The summary had a bit of spoilers to those who have not read the second book or even the first one. You can highlight below to read it! The review does not contain spoilers.


After their long summer apart, Ally and Jake were hoping for a drama free senior year. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like things will work out that way...again.


It turns out that Chloe is pregnant and says that Jake is the father. Hammond is pissed at his best friend, but mostly can't believe that Ally would stay with Jake. But Ally is tired of being apart from Jake and is willing to make it work. But that is easier said than done when Jake starts blowing Ally off to go to doctor's appointments with Chloe and Ally joins the school play and meets a new cute guy.But as graduation approaches, things get more complicated as new secrets come out and Ally realizes maybe Jake isn't the guy she thought he was. After everything they've been through can Ally and Jake get out of Orchard Hill with their relationship in tact? 


Review: This is So Not Happening is the end to one of my favorite series. This one, like the previous two, was filled was drama. I'm not a huge drama fan but this drama is done 100 percent right. 


My love for Ally grows and grows through every single book, and this one was no different. Ally's a very strong heroine and she never fails to be strong. She makes mistakes, like all people, but she's a real, relatable character. I suppose that's what makes her such a strong character and why I admire her so much. I'll miss all the other characters but I think I'll miss Ally's stubbornness and determination the most. .


But then I'm a huge fan of Jake, Ally's boyfriend. He is literally one of the most flawed love interests. He makes countless mistakes and says the wrong thing over and over again. You'd think I'd be sick of him. Truthfully, he can be a complete tool sometimes. Jake can also be one of the most caring and considerate people. I think that's what I like so much about Jake-he can be stupid sometimes but you're always rooting for him because you know that he deserves one more chance. And I don't mind saying that he's completely swoon, drool worthy or whatever. He's kind of hot.


I wasn't exactly sure where the plot was going to go in this one. I was expecting a shocking conclusion to the series but I was almost glad to see that it wasn't a huge conclusion. It was sweet, and it fit the feel of this book perfectly. 


I'm sad to see this fantastic series come to a close but it was a great one with This is So Not Happening. If you want to love and care about characters then I strongly suggest you pick this one up. The romance, the writing and I have to admit it, the drama, is what makes this a series that I wish would never end.


Rating: 

Romeo and the countdown to the end: May 6, 2012

Hi everyone! This was a great week for me in terms of books!

Bought:

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris-This references the countdown to the end because this book sounds like it was some crazy, awesome sci-fi elements in it.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth-I don't think there is any question why I need to read this.

Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame-This sounds a lot like Downton Abbey which makes me all the more willing to give it a try. 

When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle-This is a modern day retelling of Romeo and Juilet but I believe it focuses on Rosaline. 

I cannot wait to read all of these books! They all look fantastic!

For the Nook:

This is So Not Happening by Kieran Scott-I've already read this one and I loved it!

For Review: (from Netgalley)

I got a ton of books from Netgalley this week so to save time I'm only showing the titles and authors, not the covers.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee

One Moment by Kristina McBride

Timepiece by Myra McEntire

Bad Hair Day by Carrie Harris

Touched by Cyn Balog

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle

Velveteen by Daniel Marks

Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Before You Go by James Preller

As you can see I went a bit crazy. But many of the books I'd requested about a month ago and they just now came through!

This was inspired by Kristi over at The Story Siren to share the books we got during the week!

What to Read (22)

What to Read is just a little thing I like to do that features a slew of books from a certain genre. Sometimes I don't exactly do genres, but you get the gist!

Today I'm featuring:

My Favorites of April but What about May?

I read 9 books in April and just about everyone of them was absolutely fantastic! 

But my favorite two were...

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

This is one didn't come out in April but it was certainly one of the best books I read all month. It shows the harsh reality of what happened in the past, especially to the Baltic countries in Europe. This was was so hopeful and just plain beautiful. If you want a read that absolutely touches you, then pick this one up!

My review

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

I've featured this one a ton. But people it's just that good, just that amazing. The best thing to me about The Book of Blood and Shadow was the characters. Every single one of them is fantastic. Just thinking about this book makes me SO happy. 

My review

There are many, many May releases that I cannot wait to get my hands are. Here are a couple!

Insurgent is already out but my copy hasn't got here yet! I'm so sad....There are so many other books I'm waiting for this month that I would have a huge post if I posted them all.

Are there any May releases you just can't wait to get a hold of?

Speed Date with Em: The Summer my Life Began

Hi everyone, toady I'm doing something a little bit different. I'm participating in a thing called Speed Dating-with reviews. It's hosted by Mary over at The Book Swarm. The purpose is to tell your thoughts about the book in about 150 words. I think it's a fantastic idea! Go check out her blog to participate.

Title: The Summer My Life Began
Author: Shannon Greenland
Publisher: Speak
Publication Date: May 10, 2012
Source: Thanks Netgalley and Speak!
Add to your shelves 


Summary: Elizabeth Margaret—better known as Em—has always known what life would contain: an internship at her father’s firm, a degree from Harvard and a career as a lawyer. The only problem is that it’s not what she wants. When she gets the opportunity to get away from it all and spend a month with the aunt she never knew, she jumps at the chance. While there, Em pursues her secret dream of being a chef, and she also learns that her family has kept some significant secrets from her, too. And then there’s Cade, the laid-back local surfer boy who seems to be everything Em isn't. Naturally, she can’t resist him, and as their romance blossoms, Em feels she is living on her own terms for the first time. 


Review: The Summer My Life Began is a cute, very fun-hearted read that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It could be a little cheesy at times and predictable, though.

Em was, like the book, very cute. She didn't have much dimension nor did I connect with her. But she was a fun girl to read about. Her escapades on the island and in the kitchen were fantastic to read about. Now that I loved.

The Summer My Life Began features an adorable romance. I didn't want to think much while reading this book and the romance was perfect for that! I loved the dates that Em and Cade, her love interest, went on.

The overall plot of this one is predictable but one time I was pleasantly surprised. Greenland's writing style is sweet and simple. It was absolutely perfect for this book!

Overall, The Summer My Life Began is the perfect read for a lazy summer day. It has everything from cooking to a sweet romance and a awesome beach setting!

Rating:

Waiting on Wednesday (79)

Hi everyone! Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine to share books we can't wait for!

This week's pick is:

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
August 7, 2012

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.


This sounds amazing. Literally amazing. There's an assassin and a kingdom...and I just need to read this now! And training sessions with Captain Westfall? Sounds fun to me! :) This has tons of great reviews because I believe that this was on some sharing site or something of the like before. 


What you are waiting on this week?