Stacking the Shelves — April 29th, 2017

(Images link to Goodreads, Titles link to Amazon using Amazon Affiliate links)

Stacking The Shelves is feature/weekly meme created by Tynga’s Reviews in which you share the books you are adding to your shelves, both physical and virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Lenoreo’s Haul

(All Ebooks unless otherwise specified)

NetGalley ARC Requests Approved:

• Tanner (American Extreme Bull Riders Tour #1) by Sarah Mayberry from Tule Publishing — releases May 9th, 2017.  Ms. Mayberry is one of my favourite authors from when I was a huge Harlequin reader, so I *had* to request this one.  🙂
• All the Stars Left Behind by Ashley Graham from Entangled: Teen (Entangled Publishing LLC) — releases June 6th, 2017.  This is a debut novel apparently!  That cover though.  Sold.
• It Had to be You (Brokemore Academy #1) by Lizzy Charles from Entangled: Crush (Entangled Publishing LLC) — releases May 15th, 2017.  I’ve read a Lizzy Charles before and enjoyed it, and I love the Crush series from Entangled, and diversity!!  Done.

Preorders That Went Live:

• Love Happens by Various Authors — I love anthologies for charity.  It’s like a no-brainer.  And it was 99 cents for the preorder, so even better!  Ginger Scott and Molly E Lee sold this one for me.

New Releases:

• The Bohemian and the Businessman (The Story Sisters #1) by Katy Regnery — released April 25th, 2017.  I loved this book (see my review here), so of course I snagged it up.  And bonus points, it’s on sale for 99 cents until May 1st, so I highly recommend nabbing it now.  Can’t wait to meet Ms. Regnery in a few weeks at Romancing the Falls.

Got It On Sale:

• Mister O by Lauren Blakely — I actually haven’t read anything by this author yet, but I’ve been collecting her books as I see them go on sale b/c the blurbs sound amazing and the reviews from friends have convinced me I need to give her a try.  BookBub let me know this one is on sale for 99 cents from its usual $4.99, and its still on sale!!

In Your Dreams by Ginger Scott

Blurb:
Casey Coffield has a growing list of personal flaws he keeps locked away in his head:
He’s never on time.
His list of IOUs to his best friend is endless.
Money is always short.
Goals are never in reach.

Oh, and he’s decided to add college drop-out to that list, too. He doesn’t really think that last one’s such a bad thing, but his family insists it is, so it stays on the list.

On paper, he’s a zero. But in person, when he’s mixing tracks for a sea of bodies at the hottest clubs and parties, he’s downright irresistible. Just-right stubble on his chin, body of a boxer and a smirk that stimulates all the right nerves—women have never been a problem. They flock to his swagger and fall for his charm…fast.

All except for this one.

Purple hair, gray eyes, a raspy voice and sass, Murphy Sullivan is a little bit country and a little bit rock-n-roll. And her and Casey? They have history. He can’t remember it, but she wrote a song about him—and it’s not exactly a love song. But it is good. Damn good. And uncovering her inspiration just might be the key to solving a few of his shortcomings—not to mention open doors to his own big break in the music industry.

But sometimes dreams get messy when they collide. Sometimes life changes patterns. A past paints the wrong picture and futures get cloudy. The only question that remains is who will you choose when the dust settles—you? Or the girl of your dreams?

** This book is a Falling Series spin-off. It can be read as a standalone. **

     

My Review:
5 stars — I don’t even know why this one is a full 5 stars for me, I just feel it in my bones, you know??  I just loved this whole book, I really really did.  It just made me feel good and happy and squeezed my heart and made me feel all those things that Ginger Scott has always makes me feel with her books.  I don’t know why it took me so long to get to Casey’s book, I should have read this right after release!!  *sigh*  Makes me want to go back and reread the whole Falling series.  It’s the series where I fell in love with Ms. Scott.

This one is going to be really hard to review, b/c I’m not sure how to accurately express exactly what it was about this book that just got to me so much.  I think Casey just surprised me a whole heck of a lot.  Now, my memory is crap when it’s been a bit since I’ve read a book, so I didn’t have detailed memories of him, but I don’t remember being particularly enamoured with him…not that I didn’t like him, I just didn’t have strong feelings one way or another.  And Casey was really complicated and flawed.  I think maybe that’s where the surprise came in.  He had way more depth than I had been expecting.  He was such a strange combination of a bunch of different personality quirks that somehow worked together, and I was still left in love with him.  Like really in love.  He could definitely be cocky and arrogant and an a-hole, but there was so much going on inside his head too.  He was sensitive, and easily hurt, and WANTED to be more.  But almost afraid of it too, you know?  He was shaped by the environment in which he grew up, and even that was strange and unique.  Not full out horrible, but not awesome either.  I LOVED the way he soaked up the love from Houston’s family and eventually Murphy’s.

And Murphy was fricking awesome too.  Her story and history with Casey were not at ALL what I was expecting, and I really appreciated that it didn’t follow the typical formulas, you know?  It shaped her, but there was a LOT that shaped her that had nothing to do with Casey.  And she was just someone I could empathize with, she reached to my heart as well with her mix of sass and shyness.  She just fit with Casey so well, and I was invested in her story all on her own.  Casey may have been my shooting star in this story, but Murphy held her own.  I LOVED her songs too.

And Lane was such a surprise.  He brought out the best in both Murphy and Casey.  I LOVED the way he fit into the story, he really brought a lot of heart.  And I loved Murphy’s parents too, they made me laugh and love.

And hot damn!  The chemistry was fantastic, and while the physical component came later, holy smokes was it hot when it came!  DAMN, the dancing scenes killed me.  I want to go to a club where Casey is DJing.

*sigh*  Yup, it was all just so nicely balanced with difficult topics, hard situations, heartwrenching scenes, sexy time and humour.  And Casey just may be the most surprising book boyfriend on my list, he won me over hook, line and sinker, even despite his flaws.  *happy sigh*

Pucked by Helena Hunting

Blurb:
With a famous NHL player for a step-brother, Violet Hall is well acquainted with the playboy reputation many hockey stars come with. She’s smart enough to steer clear of those hot, well-built boys with unparalleled stamina. That is until she meets the legendary team captain—Alex Waters.

Violet isn’t interested in his pretty, beat-up face, or his rock-hard six-pack abs. But when Alex inadvertently obliterates Violet’s previous misapprehension regarding the inferior intellect of hockey players, he becomes more than just a hot body with a face to match.

In what can only be considered a complete lapse in judgment, Violet finds out just how good Alex is with the hockey stick in his pants. But what starts out as a one-night stand, quickly turns into something more. Post-night of orgasmic magic, Alex starts to call, and text, and e-mail and send extravagant—and quirky—gifts, making him difficult to ignore, and even more difficult not to like.

The problem is, the media portrays Alex as a total player, and Violet doesn’t want to be part of the game.

     

My Review:
3.5 stars — HUGE thanks to my girl Kelly for loaning this book to me!!  I’ve seen this book around quite a bit, and I’ve been so torn on whether to read it or not.  See, I LOVE sports romance.  And I f-ing LOVE hockey romances in particular.  BUT.  And this is a big BUT.  I am NOT a fan of over the top comedy.  It’s not that I don’t understand why others enjoy it, it’s HONESTLY just a personal taste thing.  And I’d heard that this one was pretty OTT, so I was hesitant to pick it up.  And quite honestly, it both surprised me and didn’t.  I DID find the OTT very annoying, and it’s ultimately what has me giving this a 3.5 star and *wanting* to round down.  BUT, unlike other OTT comedies I’ve read (most of which I’ve cringed through and even DNFd) this one had a lot of redeeming qualities to it — and *that* was the surprise (and is what’s making me want to round up…we’ll see what wins).  So even this review will be kind of 2 sided.

So let’s start with the annoyances.  I had heard about the overuse of “Beaver” and “Monster Cock”.  And it was just as bad as I’d been told.  That was a bummer.  It’s funny, b/c I don’t mind crass, I enjoy certain parts of it.  But the overuse was too much.  It was humorous for the first maybe 20%, then it just got tiring.  And cooter?  Really?  I mentioned it to my husband, and he was like “are they 12 year old boys?”  And the way she played with “snuffie” when he was sleeping actually just disturbed me.  That was the side of the humour that *didn’t* mesh with me at all.

The ultimate problem for me with OTT comedies, is that the balance is off.  I guess I don’t really want pure comedies.  I need the heart too.  I WANT both.  I don’t think I’m meant to read about characters that feel like caricatures.  And quite honestly, that was what Violet ended up being for me.  I didn’t see any depth to her character, and I didn’t even really empathize with her as much as I was probably meant to when the big climax/breakdown happened.  I was just annoyed with her…though not majorly annoyed, just minorly annoyed.  Because here’s the thing…there were parts of her that I actually found quite amusing.  Her crass mouth wrt swearing and saying inappropriate things actually *did* work for me.  The moment when Buck first sees them kissing and asks what they’re doing and she says she’s sucking his dick?  And then proceeds to talk about mouth f*ing?  Hilarious to me.  I even embarrassed my husband by explaining the scene when we were on a date at the Melting Pot.  He was wondering how many more times I was going to say f*.  So I guess I can vibe with Violet on that one.  It was the more childish stuff that didn’t work for me with her.  And I was kind of sad with how judgey she was wrt Buck and his intelligence.  Not cool man.

So what worked for me then?  Cause that probably seems like a lot of negative.  Well, while the balance may not have been…well, balanced enough for me, it wasn’t completely one-sided either.  I did get to see some romance between them.  OK, let’s stop joking around.  You know what worked for me?  Alex worked for me.  BIG TIME worked for me.  Like, I’m a beta hero LOVER and while Alex wasn’t strictly a beta hero, he had a lot of beta in him.  Give me an unsure, nerdy/smart, awkward, trying too hard, bumbling guy and I’ll fall in love with him EVERY SINGLE TIME.  The single-minded and purposeful way he pursued her?  The sweet way he checked with her EVERY STEP OF THE WAY during their steamy encounters?  The way he kind of put his heart on the line?  OMG, yes baby, that’s my kind of man.  I even got why he allowed the playboy rep to spread…it was disappointing, but I got it.  And all the Canadiana (Tim Horton’s, The Hip)?  YES!  Love it.  And I loved that he balanced it out with his own bit of pervy boy, I enjoyed how fascinated he was with Violet’s tits, and I loved how grrrr he could be once given the full go ahead.  I mean damn, what a strange combination of aggressive and awkward.  Yup, works for me.

And if you could overlook all the beaver and MC comments during EVERY SEX SCENE, then they were actually pretty steamy and enjoyable as well.

So there you have it.  Not my fave heroine, but I didn’t dislike her…she just annoyed me.  Mixed with a total BOOK BOY WIN for me with Alex.  And…yup, going to round up.  Alex is just that worth it for me.  However, I’m not sure I can handle the comedy stylings going forward.  I’m definitely skipping Buck’s book, b/c I read some reviews that pointed out things that will annoy the crap out of me.  Still debating about Randy’s book.  And super intrigued by Lance’s book…that sounds like it might have more of my kind of balance.  Thanks again to Kelly for the loaner!!  I got to indulge in my curiosity without committing to buying.  😉

Coffee, Tea or Me by Rich Amooi

Blurb: Susie opens a tea shop next to Jack’s coffee shop and the war begins.

Jack Robbins has a booming coffee business, an eighty-year old customer who can’t keep his clothes on, and a rescue Chihuahua named Chimichanga that likes to kiss on the mouth. Life is good until the new business next door takes a bite out of his sales.

Susie McKenna has the new tea shop everyone is talking about, an over-protective brother, and a stubborn, good-looking neighbor who is trying to steal her customers.

Things really start to percolate when Jack and Susie both volunteer to help plan the downtown festival. They have to work together and soon Jack won’t be able to get by without his daily fix of Susie. But can a coffee lover and a tea devotee put their competition aside to get their happily ever after?

Favorite Quote

“You don’t know if you’re going to be here tomorrow or the day after. Neither do I. Ask her out.” “What if she says no?” “There’s something a thousand times more painful than her telling you no.” “What’s that?” “Regret…”

2.5 stars

This book was cutesy. But I felt it lacked a lot of depth.  A lot.  The potential was there, but the follow through was pretty non-existent.  I was pretty disappointed with the romance portion.  It was pretty flat and one dimensional in that area.  And it kinda went downhill from there.

It was too slow and was missing chemistry.  In a romance, that will kill a book for me in a heartbeat. I didn’t get why they were attracted to each other other than the fact that they were in close proximity to one another and they both had businesses of their own.  Other than that, I didn’t see them as a feasible couple.

Honestly, I felt the secondary characters had more depth and emotion than the main ones.  And I felt the climax was…to put it simply, lame.  I just didn’t get it.

Rabbit Bones (Redemption #2) by A.L. Tyler

Blurb: The time for closure has finally come.

Gina Gillespie is dead. That’s what the invitation to the funeral said, tucked into an envelope next to a prepaid ticket home.

It’s been two years since the summer that screwed up Ember’s life, and the time for closure has finally come. But when she returns to the island of Tulukaruk, she finds that things aren’t exactly as she remembers them. People are acting strange, and her sister claims she didn’t send a death announcement or an invitation to the funeral. Their mother has been dead for several months, having drowned earlier that year.

What’s worse, though she won’t say how or why, her sister believes that it was murder. She’s pegged it on the person Ember would have thought the least capable of such an act: the local bartender and fashion icon that took her in when her mother threw her out–Zinnia Knox.

Favorite Quote

“Let me put it this way…”  Delia said, sitting down next to Ember and pushing her brunette hair out of her eyes.  “You’re a…distraction, let’s say, to Acton.  So you’re like a thorn in his butt.  Your sister Thalia doesn’t like Acton, and he’s like a thorn in her butt, so she gets to being a thorn in Zinny’s butt.  All of this is fine with me.  But the thing is that when Zinny has a thorn in her butt, she gets to being a thorn in everyone’s butt.  It’s one long chain of thorns and butts while you’re here.”

4 stars

Damn this series is weird. Nothing really happened except that she got her memory back. I am still unsure where this story is going. But I can’t look away!!!

Okay, so I was trying to put a dent in my series reading challenge but when I checked to see how many books are in this series my eyes just about popped right outta my head. There’s like seven fricking books in this series!

So one of the things I liked about this book was the fact that she went back to the island. She belongs there no matter how many people tell her she isn’t welcome.  The paranormal-ness of this book was incredibly subtle and didn’t really show itself till like half-way through. A fact that upset me because its the second book in the series so….its not a secret.  Let’s see more of it please.  I mean, hello? I love demons and angels, so give me more please.  Another thing I loved is how dark it is.  These people are evil and have no redeeming qualities and they don’t try to be good.  They embrace their evilness.  And I like that.

Honestly, this series makes NO sense whatsoever, there isn’t a true plot, no true climax, and no tangible antagonist.  It just kinda flows with no real rhyme or reason.  The characters are hard to follow because Ember’s mind is so fucked up we have no way of knowing what’s real and what’s fake.

And I think that’s what appeals to me.  Trying to figure out the plot and her mind is like reading one of those choose our own adventure stories but reading it straight through. WTF right?

Top Ten Things That Will Make Me Instantly NOT Want to Read a Book

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish in which you make a list of ten to do with a certain topic.  This week’s topic is “Top Ten Things That Will Make Me Instantly NOT Want To Read A Book (topic originally done back in 2013) — tell us all your book turn offs!”  I’m a bit late yet again…

Lenoreo’s Top Ten:

Some of these are impossible to tell unless someone spoils it in their reviews, but they still turn me off…  (And it doesn’t mean there won’t be exceptions, or I won’t be convinced to give it a try, these are just what make me NOT want to read it)

1. CHEATING!  Yeah, I know this is hard to know beforehand, though you can guess some in the blurbs.  But if I do see any mention in a review, I’m dibs out.  It’s just hard to empathize with characters that go there.  It apparently tests my empathy gene, and I come up short.
2. Love Triangles.  Now, don’t get me wrong, one of my favourite authors, and 2 of my favourite paranormal series by her contain major love triangles.  I will tolerate them if there’s something else bringing me in, but I’d rather avoid them.
3. Motorcycle Club books.  I just can’t get interested in heroes that are often killers or torturers or dicks to women.  I’m sure there are exceptions, but yeah…I’m not good with unredeemable characters.
4. Glaring mistakes in the blurb.  Yup, if an author can’t make sure that at least the blurb is typo free and with good grammar, then it doesn’t bode well for the book.
5. The book is MEGA popular.  See, I’m a hipster.  So if the book is mega popular and I didn’t get in from the beginning, then I’m likely to NEVER read it.  I think there’s so many other great underhyped books to read.  And I’m paranoid I won’t like it as much as everyone else.  Oh, and if there’s a movie made of it, then I’ll probably watch it, the final nail in the coffin.
6. The book is highly recommended by a good friend.  TOO MUCH PRESSURE!!!  If it’s just vaguely recommended, then sure.  Or if I’m already interested in the author, or I already have the book, then sure.  But if they’re super excited about the recommendation, I will avoid avoid avoid.  I know, it’s crazy.
7. No romance WHATSOEVER.  Yeah, I don’t mind if it’s just a tiny hint, but I need something.
8. Fancy flowery language.  This pretty much rules out classics, historicals, and high fantasy.  If I have to think too much about what the words are saying, then I’m out.  AND, it makes it so that I can’t relate to the characters if the dialogue is too hard to parse.  Personal quirk, I know.
9. Flat characters.  These next two are ones that are hard to know beforehand, but that can sometimes be mentioned in reviews.  Characters are my favourite part of a book, so I need them to be multi-faceted.
10. Miscommunication problems.  Yeah, it’s what killed my most recent read.  I HATE miscommunication problems…or at least ones that don’t get resolved in good time.

OK, so that was a wide range.  What about you guys?  What makes you instantly NOT want to read a book?

Waiting on the Sidelines by Ginger Scott

Blurb:
Nolan Lennox had things figured out. Named after a baseball legend, she enjoyed being the Tomboy, her closet filled with her brother’s hand-me-downs, cut-off jeans and soccer shorts. But when her first trip to high school results in a broken heart from the first boy to ever make her heart flutter and cruel words from an older girl she once thought a family friend, Nolan starts to question the very person she thought she was and wonders if her humble upbringing can compete with the afforded luxuries of her privileged peers.

Throughout the next four years, Nolan struggles to maintain herself throughout her path of discovery, learning just how cruel teenagers can be through the pressures of underage drinking, sexuality and class. And despite how life seems to continue to work against her, she still manages to listen to her heart, falling deeper and deeper for the guy the entire town adores, even if he only sees her as a friend. Can Nolan strike a compromise between her own integrity and the boy she loves? And can she make him notice her before it’s too late?

Reed Johnson came to Coolidge High School with a lot of fanfare. The son of a hometown football legend and the brother of a local football hero, Reed wore all the pressures of carrying a town without hope into the spotlight. Thankfully, he had the talent to back it up. But when he meets a girl who makes him think twice about exactly what being a hero means, he starts to wonder if following in his brother’s footsteps might be all wrong.

Nolan Lennox was everything that was opposite of expected. She didn’t flirt, she didn’t drink and she didn’t sleep around. Nothing about her was easy, but something about her made Reed want to try harder. Though she didn’t look the part, she seemed to be spending a lot of time in Reed’s thoughts, and he wondered if she could be the one who made it all worthwhile. But could Reed handle letting her down? And would breaking her heart break him beyond repair?

Waiting on the Sidelines explores young love to its fullest, exposing how real young heartbreak and passion is and how important it is to discover yourself and hold onto your own identity. The story follows two young characters as they deal with mature situations, including the prevalence of bullying and promiscuity in today’s high school setting. Ultimately, Waiting on the Sidelines is a story of hope, honesty and those powerful, first true loves–the ones worth holding onto at any cost.

     

My Review:
3.5 stars — Well crap.  I can’t even tell you how bummed I am right now.  This book started off AMAZINGLY.  Like, I stupidly started it at midnight (I know, but I couldn’t get my brain to sleep), and then I proceeded to stay up til 4am reading — THAT kind of amazingly.  Like, amazingly enough that I gushed on Facebook about it.  But little things that bothered me kept building up and building up until I was left with an ending that was so unsatisfying for me.  I’m so sad right now.  😦

OK, so we’re going to sprinkle the good with the bad, b/c each aspect of the story had both for me.

Nolan was initially my kind of girl.  I love reading about insecure heroines (I know, kind of weird, but I can relate).  But she was so strong in other ways as well.  And this was truly a coming of age story.  She made some cringeworthy decisions at times, but it also felt authentic to a teenage experience (even if I don’t want that to be true).  She bowed to peer pressure on occasion, right from the very start…she wasn’t immune to the horrible things other teenagers can say and do.  I actually loved this part.  Because you know what?  Not every teen girl is strong and can brush that stuff off.  Especially early on in high school.  And I did get to see some growth there, she had strong moments and weak moments and vacillated between them in the way that often happens when a person is growing up.  So while I *hated* some of the things she did (mostly wrt her romantic relationships), I initially forgave her because I expected growth and change.  The problem is, I didn’t quite get enough growth and change to satisfy me.  Mostly wrt her relationship with Reed.  So while I actually celebrated the growth we did see — I adored the passion she developed with Nancy, and her memoir was beautiful — it wasn’t enough to make up for what ended up being a very unhealthy relationship that she continually pursued.

And that’s where the major problem lies for me in this book.  I ended up hating the romance.  There were glimmers in the beginning that had me sooooo excited.  I truly felt Nolan’s crush on Reed, and I could even see his feelings for her.  I found it so intriguing to read about Nolan’s high school journey and how her relationship with Reed changed over those years.  I kind of liked that it was initially unrequited, but that there was a strong friendship there.  But at a certain point I wanted to see more of what was keeping them interested in each other.  Again, I wanted growth and change, and I didn’t quite get that.  Reed had these glimmers of goodness, and the summer after sophomore year looked like it was going to be amazeballs!  I had so many tummy tingles, and I had forgiven him for his teenaged choices earlier.  I was just happy.  I knew it wouldn’t last, but I was not expecting what happened.  Or rather, I sort of was, but this time I was disappointed (there had been some other predictable plot choices earlier on, but I was fine with them).  The main reason I was disappointed was lack of communication.  I *hate* when the whole reason things don’t work is a lack of communication.  It’s so unrealistic to me that Reed wouldn’t have yelled out the reason right away.  Or that someone else wouldn’t have told Nolan.

And at that point, the romance spiraled out of control for me.  Not saying there weren’t good moments, but it stopped being enough.  Reed was a dick.  I could forgive earlier moments, but when he continued to make horrible and hurtful choices without learning and changing, his apologies didn’t end up feeling sincere.  I felt like Nolan bent over backwards for him, and that’s just not healthy.  It made Nolan look a bit more doormat-like, and it made Reed more and more unredeemable.

(This paragraph might be a bit spoilerish, so please stop reading if you haven’t read the book and still want to) I still held out hope though.  I sincerely did.  I vacillated between two major desires for an ending.  I WANTED that redemption for Reed, or I wanted it to not be a HEA for Reed and Nolan.  And I got neither.  I actually was leaning more towards the second scenario, and then this book really would have been more of a coming of age.  I wanted Nolan to realize that while she might love Reed, it wasn’t healthy for her and it never would be.  I wanted her to love herself more.  I wanted her to go to College and find a better love, and know that Reed would be her first, but that she deserved better.  BUT, if I couldn’t have that, then I wanted Reed to understand that he needed help.  Because he did.  He was unhealthy.  He had goodness in him, but he wasn’t treating Nolan well.  I at least needed him to truly change and make a grand gesture.  A hat is not a grand gesture.  And he should have been mortified that he had made Nolan believe she was at fault.  I needed to *see* him change before I could give him another chance.

(OK, end spoilers) I enjoyed a lot of the secondary characters though.  I found her best friends to be interesting, and I almost wish she had listened to them more (especially Sienna, she seems to have a good head on her shoulders).  I really loved Sean (and eventually Becky), and that *really* pleasantly surprised me.  And I loved most of the parents in this story.  Nolan’s were actually pretty good people, and pretty tapped into her.  And then there was Buck.  I wanted more from him for *Reed*, but I guess I can’t say what kind of conversations they had since we never had Reed’s POV.  But I LOVED what he was for Nolan.  He was a big pleasant surprise.

So yeah.  A super strong start, but for me it was mired with an unhealthy relationship, an unredeemable hero, and too many problems that boiled down to communication.  So, basically, bummer.  And reading the bad reviews for the next book, it sounds like more miscommunications, so I won’t be continuing on.

Déjà Revu April 24th, 2017

Déjà Revu is a weekly review round-up that is open to all book review blogs.

Meme

• Top Ten of the Most Unique Books I’ve Read – Lenoreo @Celebrity Readers
• Top Ten Tuesday: Most Unique Books I’ve Read – Katie @Just Another Girl and Her Books
• Top Ten Tuesday: Things You’ll Want if You’re a Potthead – Katie @Just Another Girl and Her Books
• Stacking the Shelves: 15 April 2017 – Katie @Just Another Girl and Her Books
• Stacking the Shelves — April 15th, 2017 – Lenoreo & Curly Carla @Celebrity Readers
• Top Ten Things That Will Make Me Instantly Want to Read a Book – Lenoreo @Celebrity Readers
• Stacking the Shelves: 22 April 2017 – Katie @Just Another Girl and Her Books
• Stacking the Shelves — April 22nd, 2017 – Lenoreo & Curly Carla @Celebrity Readers
• Stacking the Shelves #1 – Caroline Andrus || Author, Blogger & Reviewer

Contemporary

• The Inconceivable Life of Quinn by Marianna Baer – Caroline Andrus ~ Author & Blogger

Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic

• The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (Satire) – Czar Fancypants @Whose Review is it Anyway

Paranormal

• Bond to Break by Ginna Moran – Katie @Just Another Girl and Her Books
• Bluebells (Wolf Land #1) by Fiona McShane – Curly Carla @Celebrity Readers
• Blood Warrior (The Alexa Montgomery Saga #1) by H.D. Gordon – Curly Carla @Celebrity Readers

Religious

• Walton Dorsey, Wonder Boy by MA Field – Bob @ Platypire Reviews

Romance

• Wild Reckless by Ginger Scott – Lenoreo @Celebrity Readers
• The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han – Joood – Hooligan @Just Another Girl and Her Books

Contemporary

•  Who She Was by Stormy Smith – Lenoreo @Celebrity Readers

Romance

•  The Silent Waters by Brittainy C. Cherry – Lenoreo @Celebrity Readers
• Something Wonderful by M. Clarke – Katie @Just Another Girl and Her Books
•  Wicked Restless by Ginger Scott – Lenoreo @Celebrity Readers
• Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas – Curly Carla @Celebrity Readers
• Can’t Stay Away by Lilly Avalon – Curly Carla @Celebrity Readers
•  Noticed Me Yet? by Anyta Sunday – Curly Carla @Celebrity Readers

Contemporary

• Witchcraft by Jayne Ann Krentz – Curly Carla @Celebrity Readers

Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic

• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – J. Hooligan @Platypire Reviews

General Fiction

• Presidential Intentions by Douglas J. Wood (Satire) – Czar Fancypants @Whose Review is it Anyway

Non-Fiction

•  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot – J. Hooligan @Platypire Reviews
• The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman – J. Hooligan @Platypire Reviews
• Born Standing Up by Steve Martin – Joood – Hooligan @Just Another Girl and Her
  Books

Paranormal

• Hunt (The Grizzly Brothers Chronicles #1) by Alyssa Rose Ivy – Curly Carla @Celebrity Readers

Romance

•   Back Piece by L.A. Witt – Lenoreo @Celebrity Readers
• Walk of Shame by Lauren Layne – Lenoreo @Celebrity Readers
• Beauty of the Beast by Rachel L. Demeter – Caroline Andrus || Author, Blogger, Reader
•  Leaving Yesterday by Zoe Dawson – Caroline Andrus || Author, Blogger & Reader
• The Bohemian and the Businessman by Katy Regnery – Lenoreo @Celebrity Readers

Romance

• Silver Bastard (Silver Valley #1) by Joanna Wylde – Curly Carla @Celebrity Readers

Woman’s Fiction

• Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades #1) by E.L. James – Curly Carla @Celebrity Readers

The Faith of William Shakespeare by Graham Holderness

Blurb: William Shakespeare is arguably the world’s most famous writer. His plays and sonnets have been translated into many different languages, and are performed, read and loved the world over. But what of the man himself? What did he believe? Was he a secret Catholic, like his father, prepared to run the risk of being accused of treachery to the Tudor state? Or was he convinced by the new Protestant teaching? Or maybe did he not believe any of it, just saying and doing what was expected of him, in order to get by in a dangerous age? Shakespearean scholar Graham Holderness examines the evidence, both from Shakespeare’s life and his key works.

 

DNF

I tried and tried and tried to finish this book. I’ve had it for a looooong time. I think I thought this was a fictional story when I first requested it. I made it about 25% through before I couldn’t read anymore. This book is not in my wheelhouse so I wouldn’t count this as a negative review. I don’t generally read non-fiction and was trying to challenge myself to broaden my horizons. This one just didn’t do it for me.

I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

Shacking Up by Helena Hunting

Blurb:  Ruby Scott is months behind on rent and can’t seem to land a steady job. She has one chance to turn things around with a big audition. But instead of getting her big break, she gets sick as a dog and completely bombs it in the most humiliating fashion. All thanks to a mysterious, gorgeous guy who kissed—and then coughed on—her at a party the night before.

Luckily, her best friend might have found the perfect opportunity; a job staying at the lavish penthouse apartment of hotel magnate Bancroft Mills while he’s out of town, taking care of his exotic pets. But when the newly-evicted Ruby arrives to meet her new employer, it turns out Bane is the same guy who got her sick.

Seeing his role in Ruby’s dilemma, Bane offers her a permanent job as his live-in pet sitter until she can get back on her feet. Filled with hilariously awkward encounters and enough sexual tension to heat a New York City block, Shacking Up, from NYT and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting, is sure to keep you laughing and swooning all night long.

5 stars

I absolutely LOVED this book.  I was lucky enough to be offered to read this ARC through Netgalley.  I have actually never heard of this author before but the title, cover and blurb really drew me in. I hit the trifecta in the book world!

And now I find myself looking up all the other books by this author cause she writes my kind of romance.  It was witty. It was clumsy and full of humor.  It was a slow, simmering romance that also had some kinky sex scenes in it.  You see what I mean?

I really liked Rubys’ character. She had a stubbornness that I could identify with.  I totally get not wanting to rely on anyone to support myself.  But there is a difference in making it on your own with support and being fully supported.  And I think she was having a hard time figuring out which side she landed on at times. She had a great sense of humor rounding out her character. Along with a fierce sense of independence and penchant for looking for the silver lining of life. When life gives you lemons, you buy some fucking vodka to go with it, amIright?

And Bancroft!  Oh dear lord, this man is the epitome of sexy.  His alpha, millionaire manliness is physically attractive. But this man has layers, not just sexiness.  His sensitivity shines through with his care for his pets.  And his family values are clear as day with his willingness to compromise for them.

You know what? I think I’m gonna have to read this one again very soon.  Highly recommend to anyone who reads contemporary romantic comedy.