Favorite Friday (#59) - Cress by Marissa Meyer

Have a favorite book? Series? One that you've just read or are currently reading? Favorite Friday is a bi-monthly meme hosted by Books and Swoons where we spotlight some of our Favorite Reads. Everyone is welcome to join. Just enter your information on the linky or leave us a comment!

This week pick is: Cress by Marissa Meyer.


Even in the future. there are damsels in distress...

In the third installment of the Lunar chronicles, Cress, having risked everything to warn Cinder of Queen Levana's evil plan, has a slight problem. She's been imprisoned on a satellite since childhood and has only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress a great hacker. Unfortunately, she's just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress involving Cinder, Captain Thorne, Scarlet, and Wolf goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes as a high price. Meanwhile, Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

This book is such a great adventure! I loved living vicariously through Cress. She has such a fresh perspective on life, and tends to see the good in everyone. Cress kept me on my toes. The whole series is such a great read, but Cress is at the top of my list.

About the author:



One of my first spoken words was “story” (right along with “bath” and “cookie”), my favorite toy as an infant was a soft, squishable book, and I’ve wanted to be a writer since I first realized such a job existed.

When I was fourteen my best friend introduced me to anime and fanfiction—over the years I would complete over forty Sailor Moon fanfics under the penname Alicia Blade. Those so inclined can still find my first stories at fanfiction.net. Writing fanfic turned out to be awesome fun and brought me in contact with an amazing group of fanfiction readers and writers. As Alicia Blade, I also had a novelette, “The Phantom of Linkshire Manor,” published in the gothic romance anthology Bound in Skin (CatsCurious Press, 2007).

When I was sixteen I worked at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Tacoma, Washington, affectionately termed “The Spag.” (Random factoid: This is also the restaurant where my parents met some 25 years before.) I attended Pacific Lutheran University where I sorted mail that came to the dorm, carted tables and chairs around campus, and took writing classes, eventually earning a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Children’s Literature. Knowing I wanted a career in books, I would also go on to receive a Master’s degree in Publishing from Pace University (which you can learn more about here). After graduation, I worked as an editor in Seattle for a while before becoming a freelance typesetter and proofreader.

Then, day of days, someone thought it would be a good idea to give me a book deal, so I became a full-time writer. CINDER is my first novel, though I have an adorable collection of unfinished ones lying around too.

I now live with my husband and our three cats (Calexandria Josephine, Stormus Enormous, and Blackland Rockwell III), who go in and out, in and out, about eight hundred times a day. My favorite non-bookish things include Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, re-watching episodes of Firefly, and playing all manners of dress-up.
Author's links: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

I hope you can join us in sharing and talking about some of your favorite reads. Book talk always make me happy. 

What are one of your favorite reads?

Waiting on Wednesday (#151)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spinethat spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Morning swooners!

This week pre-publication "can't wait to read" selection is:
Expected Release Date: July 26, 2016
Synopsis:
What if the person you were falling for was a total mystery?

While Lily is spacing out in Chemistry one day, she picks up her pencil and scribbles a line from one of her favorite songs on the desk. The next day, someone else has written back to her on the desk! Soon enough Lily and the mystery student are exchanging notes, and lyrics, and even sharing secrets. When Lily finds out that her anonymous pen pal is a guy, she's flustered -- and kind of feels like she's falling for him. She and her best friend set out to unravel the identity of the letter writer -- but when the truth is revealed, the guy is the LAST person Lily could have ever imagined it to be. Now that Lily knows the truth, can she untangle her feelings and gather the courage to listen to her heart?

From beloved author Kasie West (The Distance Between Us) comes an utterly charming story about mixed messages, missed connections, and the magic of good old-fashioned secret admirer notes.
This book sounds so adorable and like everything I love in a book. I want it and I want it now.

What are you "Waiting on?"

Review: The Epidemic by Suzanne Young

The Epidemic
(The Program #0.6)
Author: Suzanne Young
Release Date: April 19, 2016
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: ARC given by friend
Review by: Jenn
Can one girl help others find closure by slipping into the identities of their loved ones? Find out in this riveting sequel to The Remedy and companion to the New York Times bestselling The Treatment and The Program.

In a world before The Program…

Quinlan McKee has spent her life acting as other people. She was a closer—a person hired to play the role of the recently deceased in order to give their families closure. Through this process, Quinn learned to read people and situations, even losing a bit of herself to do so. But she couldn’t have guessed how her last case would bring down her entire world.

The only person Quinn trusts is Deacon, her best friend and the love of her life. Except Deacon’s been keeping secrets of his one, so Quinn must set out alone to find Arthur Pritchard, the doctor who’s been trying to control her life. The journey brings Quinn to Arthur’s daughter, Virginia, who tells Quinn the truth about Pritchard’s motives. The former closer will start to see that she is the first step in fighting an epidemic.

But Quinlan doesn’t want to be a cure. And with all the lies surrounding her, she realizes she has no one left to rely on but herself—even if she doesn’t know who that is anymore.

4 stars out of 5 stars

Good Lord, Suzanne Young always gets me with her books. I am always nervous as I read her books because I never know what is coming towards her characters. But unlike the other books in the series, The Epidemic doesn't kill me with the feels like the others did in the sense that I wasn't paralyzed with fear and sadness. However, I was still nervous for Quinn because she seriously put herself in danger's way in the worst possible way.

After already experiencing The Program and The Treatment, I know what is coming. And while I hope for the best and wish that Quinn, Deacon and everyone finds their way out of the clutches of the grief department, I know that my hopes are futile. With the way The Epidemic ends, I wonder what Quinn and Deacon were up to during the The Program/The Treatment story line because Suzanne piqued my curiosity.

Also, with the way The Epidemic end, I'm in the mood to reread The Program and The Treatment so I can see how everything progressed now that I know how The Program initially started. I might reread considering that Suzanne is treating us with a new book set after The Treatment called The Adjustment. If you haven't already picked up this series, I really hope you do because they're so good and deserve some more love.

Quotes (#152)

source


Morning Friends,
I had a stressful but fun weekend; this is basically me still today. I feeling a little flustered and overwhelmed with life. I know it's Monday but I want to start off the week on a positive note. Recently I read November 9  by Colleen Hoover and I loved it!! Here are some of my favorite quotes!

“You’ll never be able to find yourself if you’re lost in someone else.”
~Colleen Hoover, November 9

“If we’re going to kiss, it has to be book-worthy.”
~Colleen Hoover, November 9

“She “loved me” in quotations She kissed me in bold I TRIED TO KEEP HER in all caps She left with an ellipsis . . .”
~Colleen HooverNovember 9

“Whoever said the truth hurts was being an optimist. The truth is an excruciatingly painful son of a bitch.”
~Colleen Hoover, November 9

“Don't stop" I tease in a seductive voice. " Give me more, Ben. Did you read eBooks or..." I run my finger slowly down his chest."Hardbacks?"
He pulls his hands behind his head and a smug look washes over his face. "Oh, they were hardbacks, all right. And I'm not sure if you're ready for this, but...I have my own TBR pile. You should read it, Fallon. It's huge"”

~ Colleen Hoover, November 9

“Goals are achieved through discomfort and hard work. They aren’t achieved when you hide out in a place where you’re nice and cozy.”
~Colleen Hoover, November 9

“Loving someone means accepting all the things and people that person loves, too.”
~Colleen Hoover, November 9

Have a great week!

Review: Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry


Walk the Edge
(Thunder Road #2)
Author: Katie McGarry
Release Date: March 29, 2016
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: NetGalley
Review by: Jenn
One moment of recklessness will change their worlds

Smart. Responsible. That's seventeen-year-old Breanna's role in her large family, and heaven forbid she put a toe out of line. Until one night of shockingly un-Breanna-like behavior puts her into a vicious cyber-bully's line of fire—and brings fellow senior Thomas "Razor" Turner into her life.

Razor lives for the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, and good girls like Breanna just don't belong. But when he learns she's being blackmailed over a compromising picture of the two of them—a picture that turns one unexpected and beautiful moment into ugliness—he knows it's time to step outside the rules.

And so they make a pact: he'll help her track down her blackmailer, and in return she'll help him seek answers to the mystery that's haunted him—one that not even his club brothers have been willing to discuss. But the more time they spend together, the more their feelings grow. And suddenly they're both walking the edge of discovering who they really are, what they want, and where they're going from here.

4 stars out of 5 stars
*I received an egalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. However, my review is not influence by it.*

I was super excited when I managed to get my hands on this book. I've read almost all of Katie's books for the exception of a few novellas, so I know that when I have a new one to read, I'm gonna love every word. And that was exactly the case with Walk the Edge.

Walk the Edge follows the story of Breanna and Razor. They both come two completely different world. Breanna is number five from nine(!) kids, she is a good girl and is super smart. Razor is part of a Reign of Terror motorcycle club, which everyone is afraid of. However, both of them hide who they truly are from their close ones. This is especially true when Breanna gets into some trouble with a classmate and has to enlist Razor's help and in doing so, she helps him with something as well.

I really enjoyed the relationship that Breanna and Razor shared. I think that they are a good influence for each other and they bring out best in themselves. Which is especially important for their character growth. Katie McGarry write books that are set in the real world that teens are currently living in. The cyberbullying and threats Breanna receives rings very realistic and scary. Aside from that, the motorcycle world Razor lives in, it still is a little scary to understand and live in. Like Razor, I had (and still do) a hard time giving them complete blind trust without knowing what they would do. Especially considering the secret that was hidden from Razor. And to be honest, I don't agree or like with some of the stuff they do and what a potential girlfriend or wife has to be okay with.

I really savored this book. I took my time reading it until I couldn't anymore and had to plow ahead and read to find out how it would end. Like with every Katie McGarry book, there is no perfect bow to end the story but I love it just the same. Breanna and Razor managed to deal with their choices and their repercussions but not in their ideal way. However, considering the trouble that they get themselves in, their ending is pretty good.

I can't wait to read Chevy and Violet's story. I've been curious about those two since we've met them in Nowhere But Here and I'm excited to learn about their history. And if you haven't read a Katie McGarry's book, I beg you to start. You can start with any of her books since they are all companions books. But seriously, go pick up or borrow a copy of Walk the Edge and see how good Katie's books are.


Swoony Boy of the Month: Ben from November 9

Swoony Boy of the Month is our new feature where we spotlight a favorite swoony boy from the books we have read.

For this month swoony boy we are gushing about, Benton James Kessler in November 9 by Colleen Hoover. Ben won us over with his sweet book talk and his selflessness.

“She’s startled by my words. I think she expected me to let her go without a fight, but she’s not the kind of girl you choose your battles for. She’s the kind of girl you fight to the death for.” 
“But for the first time, I don’t feel like the English language has developed enough letters in the alphabet to adequately express the words I want to say to you.”
“Because when you love someone, you owe it to them to help them be the best version of themselves that they can be. And as much as it crushes me to admit this, the best version of you doesn’t include me.”~Colleen Hoover, November 9

“And I’m in love with her. Like, really in love with her. Crippling, debilitating, paralyzing love. So please accept my sincerest apologies, because she’s coming home with me tonight. I hope. I pray.” 
“All I care about is you. Being with you every day. Seeing you every day. I’m not finished falling in love with you yet.” 
“A body is simply a package for the true gifts inside. And you are full of gifts. Selflessness, kindness, compassion. All the things that matter. Youth and beauty fade. Human decency doesn't.”~Colleen Hoover, November 9
“Sometimes at night, I’ll rewrite conversations I had during the day, but I’ll change them up to reflect everything I wish I could have said in the moment. So I just want you to know that tonight when I write this conversation down on paper, I’ll say something really heroic and it’ll make you feel really good about your life.” 

*Swoons* Ben is such a sweetheart! What do you think? Tell us about your favorite Swoony Boy.

Mini Review: Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier


Emerald Green
Author: Kerstin Gier
Release Date: Oct. 7, 2014
Publisher: Square fish
Source: Library
Review by: Nahomi
Gwen has a destiny to fulfill, but no one will tell her what it is.
     She’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars

       I was so anxious to start Emerald Green after the ending in Sapphire Blue; so much so that if it weren't for my book buying band I would have bought it on the spot just to find out how the story continued. Emerald Green continued in the same manner as the previous stories; full of adventure and mystery. Although in this installment I finally got some of the answers I was looking for.

      There were some very funny scenes in this story; particularly one with Charlotte at a party (jejeje). I enjoyed imagining the dresses Gwyn would wear on her time traveling adventures. My heart raced as the book was coming to an end and everything was unraveling and I couldn’t figure out how everything would turn out.

      The ending was a little anticlimactic. Everything was wrapped up a little too nicely and open ended for my taste. Otherwise I really enjoyed Emerald Green.




Quotes (#151)

Source
Morning Swooners,

I feel like I spent my weekend walking like that cat up there, walking from one end of my apartment to the other end. If I wasn't cleaning, I was out doing groceries. If I was meal planning/prepping for the week, I was folding laundry. I feel like the weekend just blinked and now it Monday and I didn't even get to enjoy myself. Oh being a grown up is not all that fun. But to get us on the right foot for the day, let's do quotes.

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

“There’s no such thing as ruining your life. Life’s a pretty resilient thing, it turns out.”Sophie Kinsella, The Undomestic Goddess
“Dreams are the touchstones of our characters.”Henry David Thoreau

“Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living.”Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

“It's amazing how a little tomorrow can make up for a whole lot of yesterday.”John Guare, Landscape of the Body

“Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness.”Pearl S. Buck

“You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

“Sometimes, I feel the past and the future pressing so hard on either side that there's no room for the present at all.”Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Favorite Friday (#58) - Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

Have a favorite book? Series? One that you've just read or are currently reading? Favorite Friday is a bi-monthly meme hosted by Books and Swoons where we spotlight some of our Favorite Reads. Everyone is welcome to join. Just enter your information on the linky or leave us a comment!

This week pick is: Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg.


For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again — and one kiss away from true love?

I loved loved LOVED this book. I read it in on sitting and to this day, remains one of my favorite friends-to-more relationship. If you haven't already this book, please do! You can read my review here.

About the author:

Elizabeth Eulberg was born and raised in Wisconsin before heading off to college at Syracuse University and making a career in the New York City book biz. Now a full-time writer, she is the author of The Lonely Hearts Club, Prom & Prejudice, Take a Bow, Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality, Better Off Friends, and We Can Work it Out. She lives outside of Manhattan with her three guitars, two keyboards, and one drumstick.

Author's links: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Wattpad

I hope you can join us in sharing and talking about some of your favorite reads. Comment down below.

What are one of your favorite reads?



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