31 May 2015

Showcase Sunday #99

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea. This meme allows book bloggers to show off the books they collected over the last week!

Hello everyone! Today has been a pretty quiet week - which I was happy about! I haven't done much this week apart from reading and catching up with TV Shows. I also went to the cinema and saw San Andreas yesterday and it's such a fantastic disaster movie! I loved it.

Bookwise, this week I haven't got much to show you which is good! I've got a few physicals books to show you and I got a book from netgalley.

Bought/Gifted
• physical
P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #2) by Jenny Han
The Martian by Andy Weir

P.S. I Still Love You was a pre-order that I was dying to get my hands on! The Martian was a gift from Brittany for our challange this year!

kindle
Blood Bound (Unbound #1) by Rachel Vincent

Library
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Angels (Walsh Family #3) by Marian Keyes
The Mystery of Mercy Close (Walsh Family #5) by Marian Keyes

Netgalley
The Kiss by Lucy Courtenay

What books did you get this week?

29 May 2015

Legend by Marie Lu

Legend by Marie Lu
Series: Legend #1
Publisher: Puffin
Publication Date: February 2nd 2012
Source: Bought



What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors.

Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles.

Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect.

Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

June is the 15 year old prodigy of the Republic. She's the only person to ever score full marks in their trial which makes her important. Day is 15 years old, and he's the most wanted criminal in the Republic. June's brother Metias is murdered and Day is the prime suspect. June is put on the case and is hunting down Day to make him pay for what he did to her brother. But, as June spends more time with Day, she begins to realise that there's something else going on and begins to uncover the truth of what happened.

June is a strong main character. She wants to prove herself to the Republic, prove that she's ready. She's determined to avenge her brothers death and bring Day down.

Day is an extremely resourceful and strong. He would do anything for his family, which ends up being his biggest downfall.

The Republic are covering up a lot and June starts to uncover what's been going on with the help of some notes from Metias. Metias had been trying to figure out what happened to their parents, and he left everything he discovered for June. The Republic are controlling everything and June uncovers some things about Metias's death and the plague that cause her to turn against the Republic.

There's bit of romance between June and Day. It's not the main focal point, but it's there. I wasn't a huge fan of it in Legend because it felt so rushed, but it might get better in the next books.

After everything Day lost in Legend, I hope he can save his brother Eden, since he's the only family Day has left. I also hope there's a bit more about the Patriots in the next book, I'm curious to learn more about them. Legend was a strong start to this trilogy and I can't wait to read the next two books.

26 May 2015

Ten Books I Plan To Have In My Beach Bag This Summer

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
This weeks topic is:

Ten Books I Plan To Have In My Beach Bag This Summer
1. Dream a Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher - Giovanna writes fantastic contemporaries and her newest one sounds like a great summer/beach read.
2. A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger - I've only read one of Keplinger's books so far, but I loved it and I need to read more.
3. Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen - A Sarah Dessen book is a must for the beach.
4. Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty - Jessica Darling is hilarious and would definitely keep me entertained on the beach.
5. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson - This is the only Matson book I haven't read, but I've heard it's a tear-jerker so I'll need to read it with my sunglasses on!
6. I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios - Another possible tear-jerker, but I'm dying to read it.
7. Breathe by Abbi Glines - This one just seems like the perfect beach read.
8. Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella - I adore Sophie Kinsella's writing style so I'd definitely bring one of hers to the beach since she's hilarious!
9. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen - Another Dessen book. I just love her books.
10. Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop by Abby Clements - An ice cream shops just screams beach read!

What books would be in your beach bag?

25 May 2015

Unpopular Opinions TAG

I was tagged by Brittany @ This is the Story of My Reading Life.

I've been seeing this TAG around for quite a while and I've been wanting to do it, and since Brittany tagged me, I can finally get around to it!

1. A popular book or series that you didn't like
Beautiful Disaster was one of the very first New Adult books I picked up and I absolutely hated it. Travis Maddox is one of the most possessive characters I've ever read about. Abby couldn't do anything without him flying off the rails and she hardly ever stood up for herself. A weak female character and a male character that made me rage. I didn't get the appeal at all.
Real is another New Adult book that I completely despised. I got about 40% into this one before I decided to get a refund from Amazon because it was completely ridiculous. The sex descriptions made me want to throw up sometimes because they were that disgusting. I didn't like any of the characters either. It was a terrible book.

2. A popular book or series that everyone else seems to hate but you love
I had to use Goodreads for this one (lowest avg rating vs my rating). Landline only has an average rating of 3.56 and I gave it a 5. I adored Landline and it's quite possibly my favourite of Rowell's books.

3. A love triangle where the main character ended up with the person you did NOT want them to end up with OR an OTP that you don't like
I literally cannot think of another love triangle that I didn't like the end of. I was a die hard Jacob fan when I read the Twilight series back in high school. I hated Edward and I always wanted Bella to end up with Jacob.

4. A popular book genre that you hardly reach for
Crime. I'm not a huge crime reader. I've read a few YA Crime/Thrillers, but I haven't read many.

5. A popular or beloved character that you do not like
There's a lot of love for Gale out there, but personally, I really don't like his character. I remember rolling my eyes and making faces every time I had to read about him. My dislike of his character has only gotten worse with the movies.

6. A popular author that you can't seem to get into
Michael Grant is a very popular author, but I haven't liked any of his books. I only read two of the Gone books before I chucked them out; Eve and Adam was one of the worst books I've ever read and I just can't get into his BZRK series at all. He just isn't for me.

7. A popular book trope you're tired of seeing (e.g. "lost princess", corrupt ruler, love triangle, etc.)
Uhm, I'm kind of struggling with this one. I'm going to go with Insta-love. I'm really getting tired of reading a book when suddenly the main character catches the eye of another character and suddenly they're in love even though they've never spoke to/seen said character before. It really gets on my nerves. I have no problems with insta-lust because that's just purely natural if you find someone good looking, but insta-love isn't. I'm a huge romance fan, but this is really getting on my nerves now,

8. A popular series you have no interest in reading
For the past 14-15 years, I've had every intention of reading the Lord of the Rings series, but so far it hasn't happened and I'm thinking it probably won't now since I haven't even seen the movies...

9. The saying goes "The book is always better than the movie", but what movie or T.V. show adaptation do you prefer more than the book?
I really loved Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern, but Love, Rosie was a fantastic movie adaptation! I adored the movie more than the book mainly because the ending seemed a lot more plausible and left me crying with happiness!

I'm not going to TAG anyone specifically because I don't know who has done it and who hasn't, but if you haven't and you want to do it, I TAG YOU!

24 May 2015

Showcase Sunday #98

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea. This meme allows book bloggers to show off the books they collected over the last week!

Hello everyone! I've had a busy couple of weeks and that's why I haven't had a Showcase Sunday post up in a while, even though I did gather quite a lot of books. I went on holiday to Rome just over 2 weeks ago and it was fantastic! The weather was brilliant - a bit too warm actually - and Rome is such a beautiful city.
OK, onto the books! I've acquired quite a few physical books over the past 3 weeks: a few pre-orders and some books I've been wanting to grab for a while; I got a couple of kindle books and a few e-arcs from Netgalley.

Bought
• physical
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J Maas
I actually own three copies of ACOTAR - two finished copies and one physical arc - and I also got my ACOTAR book plate!
The Here and Now by Ann Brashares
Half a King (Shattered Sea #1) by Joe Abercrombie
Fourth Comings (Jessica Darling #4) by Megan McCafferty
Perfect Fifths (Jessica Darling #5) by Megan McCafferty
A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger
The Heir (The Selection #4) by Kiera Cass
The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1) by Marie Lu
Half Wild (Half Bad #2) by Sally Green
Salt & Stone (Fire & Flood #2) by Victoria Scott
Vicious (Vicious #1) by V. E. Schwab
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

kindle
Always the Bridesmaid by Lindsey Kelk
End of Days (Penryn and the End of Days #3) by Susan Ee

Netgalley
Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas
Spinning Starlight by R. C. Lewis
One by Sarah Crossan

What books did you get this week?




18 May 2015

Asa by Jay Crownover

Asa by Jay Crownover
Series: Marked Men #6
Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: April 21st 2015
Source: Bought



Royal Hastings has been a cop, first and foremost, for most of her adult life. So when a call-out goes wrong and her partner ends up in hospital, she finds herself suspended from the job, indefinitely. With too much time on her hands and a heavy load of guilt weighing her down, she seeks solace in oblivion – otherwise known as a golden-eyed bartender with a rap sheet as long as her arm.

Asa Cross has spent his live on the wrong side of the law, but a near death experience has left him rebuilding his life and relationships. But being good is tougher than it seems – especially when being bad looks as good as Royal does.

On paper, the cop and the con seemed doomed to heartbreak – but when love has stolen your heart, how can you walk away?

The Marked Men series has officially come to an end and I'm in mourning. I've loved this series from book 1 when I picked up Rule at the beginning of last year and these boys and their ladies have a special place in my heart. Even Asa, the Southern charmer with a dark past. 

So, as you probably know Asa obviously focuses on Asa and one of the most kick ass ladies in this series, Royal. Royal and Asa already have a past since Royal had to arrest Asa in the previous book even though what happened wasn't his fault and Royal was extremely reluctant to bring him in. Due to his past, Asa is determined to keep Royal at arms length because he doesn't get involved with cops and also because he feels like he doesn't deserve a happy future.

Oh Asa, Asa, Asa. I wanted to give this boy a smack around the ears and tell him to get his shit together more than once throughout the book. Asa is on a self destructive path because he feels like he doesn't deserve a happy ending after the way he acted in the past. He's clinging onto his guilt over what he did and it's preventing him from moving forward. Asa is a charmer. He's sexy, a straight talker and extremely protective of his sister and people he cares about. He can't seem to understand that he's changed and he's no longer the boy he used to be.

Royal is a bad ass. She's in a bit of a downer after her partner got shot in front of her and she blames herself. She's stuck in a pool of guilt and can't seem to shake it. No matter how many people tell her it wasn't her fault, she just can't seem to move past it. She's fierce, tough and incredibly sexy, but Royal also has a lot of her own shit to figure out.

Royal has been drowning her sorrows over her partners injury and her suspension in the bar where Asa works and has been constantly propositioning Asa and trying to get him to take her home. But Asa's having none of it and is trying his hardest to keep some distance between them. But with the chemistry sizzling between them, it's not long before Asa has Royal pressed up against her car in the parking lot. Asa revolves around two characters trying to absolve themselves of the guilt they carry and finally getting to a place where they can both be happy. But Royal and Asa both have a long way to go before either of them reach that place. Asa is constantly trying to scare Royal away and prove that he's not what she deserves, and he can't see that he's put in a lot of work to get himself in a decent place.

There were a lot of pregnancies, births, weddings and engagements in Asa, which all left me with a stupid grin on my face and sometimes a few happy tears. My old favourites were constantly present in this book and I loved seeing how close knit their group is. They all care so much about each other. Rome has been a huge help in getting Asa to where he is today, and I loved seeing their bonding moments together.

The Marked Men series has been such an amazing series to read. It will always be one of my favourites and I still can't quite believe it's over. No more from my favourite characters. It's been a hell of a journey and these characters will always have a place in my heart and I can see myself re-reading this series every year. Asa was a perfect end to a fantastic series and I just want to thank Jay Crownover for writing such amazing stories and extremely loveable characters.

14 May 2015

BLOG TOUR: All Played Out by Cora Carmack - REVIEW, EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY

I am absolutely thrilled to bring you the Review & Excerpt Tour for Cora Carmack’s ALL PLAYED OUT! ALL PLAYED OUT is a New Adult Contemporary Romance and is the 3rd book in the Rusk University Series, published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins.



All Played Out by Cora Carmack
Series: Rusk University #3
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: May 12th 2015
Source: Inkslinger PR



First person in her family to go to college? CHECK.
Straight A’s? CHECK.
On track to graduate early? CHECK.
Social life? …..yeah, about that….

With just a few weeks until she graduates, Antonella DeLuca’s beginning to worry that maybe she hasn’t had the full college experience. (Okay... Scratch that. She knows she hasn't had the full college experience).

So Nell does what a smart, dedicated girl like herself does best. She makes a "to do" list of normal college activities.

Item #1? Hook up with a jock.

Rusk University wide receiver Mateo Torres practically wrote the playbook for normal college living. When he’s not on the field, he excels at partying, girls, and more partying. As long as he keeps things light and easy, it's impossible to get hurt... again. But something about the quiet, shy, sexy-as-hell Nell gets under his skin, and when he learns about her list, he makes it his mission to help her complete it.

Torres is the definition of confident (And sexy. And wild), and he opens up a side of Nell that she's never known. But as they begin to check off each crazy, exciting, normal item, Nell finds that her frivolous list leads to something more serious than she bargained for. And while Torres is used to taking risks on the field, he has to decide if he's willing to take the chance when it's more than just a game.

Together they will have to decide if what they have is just part of the experiment or a chance at something real.

All Played Out has officially become my favourite Cora Carmack book of all time - and I'm pretty sure it'll be hard to beat. All Played Out follows Nell (Dylan's roomate) who is extremely smart and is graduating early. But when Dylan points out that she hasn't really had any experiences during college, Nell makes a bucket list of typical college things to do before she graduates. Mateo Torres is the receiver on the Rusk football team. Torres is famous for his jokes and his wild partying, but no one knows he does it to cover up his broken heart. Mateo decides he's going to help Nell complete her list, but it leads to something more than either of them bargained for.

Antonella De Luca was my favourite thing about this book. Nell is shy, smart and so wrapped up in her studying that she hasn't taken any time to experience things normal teenagers do at college. She's inexperienced and socially awkward and that's why I loved her so much. I could relate a bit to Nell because just like her, I was always more comfortable studying than I was going to parties and drinking, but unlike Nell, I had experienced those things. Nell's journey and her growth throughout the novel was amazing to see. She learned a lot about herself that she never would have if she hadn't set herself this challenge and it was just so fantastic seeing her coming out of her shell.

Mateo Torres has always been the joker. In the previous books he's always been the hilarious one that gets so drunk at parties that he looses his clothing. He's always been the funny one, but I enjoyed getting to see a different side to Mateo. He's been dealing with a broken heart for a while now, and he uses his humour to hide it. But after he meets Nell, Mateo's heart begins to mend. Mateo is just such a charming guy. He can be incredibly crude sometimes, but that's just Mateo and I still loved him.

Mateo and Nell's relationship was always going to be one with problems. With Nell's inexperience with most social situations and with Mateo's broken heart, the path for those two was never going to be an easy one. Every time Nell crossed off one of the things on her list, I felt incredibly proud of her. Sometimes she would do something I totally didn't expect from her like getting smashed and dancing on a table with Matt or flashing Mateo in public, I never knew what Nell was going to come out with next and I just loved her. I also really enjoyed seeing Mateo's journey. He was coming to terms with his feelings about the girl from his past and he couldn't properly be with Nell until he'd sorted everything out, but it was being with Nell that was making him better.

I still love getting to see the other characters again too. Dallas and Carson are as strong as ever; Silas and Dylan are adorable, but Stella is the character I most wanted to see. After what happened with her in the previous book, she's changed and I'm looking forward to getting inside her head in the next book. I've still got my fingers crossed for her and Ryan.

Overall, All Played Out has been my favourite book in the Rusk University series, but I think Stella's book could give it a run for it's money - it'd definitely take a lot to do that! Nell and Mateo's story was beautiful and I just adored this book.

Excerpt

I’ve always gone out of my way to avoid situations that might stir up that kind of reaction. When I was getting picked on in middle school, I found a teacher willing to let me eat lunch in her classroom during her off period. I didn’t really do much dating in high school, because the few times I tried, I couldn’t handle the stress of not knowing what would happen next. The mere possibility of embarrassing myself was always enough to make me run in the other direction. I didn’t take any chances. Not that kind at least. And now it seems as if my social life is not the only department where I’m playing catch-up.
Welcome to Humiliation. Population: Me.
Thankfully, I’m so miserable that the next few minutes only occur in bursts and patches for me. When I next lift my eyes, Dylan is there, and we’re inside the apartment. I blink, and I’m in my room. It’s dark, only the lamp by my bed providing light, and she’s dabbing at my forehead with a damp cloth that feels like heaven.
“Why did I do this?” I groan. “Why does anyone do this?”
She doesn’t laugh, though I can tell she wants to.
“Hindsight is twenty-twenty.”
“I hate that saying.”
“But it’s the truth.”
“I hate the truth.”
She does laugh then.
“Why did you do it?” she asks. “I tried to ask Matt, but he sounds like a yeti when he’s this drunk. I couldn’t make out anything he said.”
“I hate yetis,” I mumble.
“Yes, well, before you say you hate water, drink this.”
She tilts my head up to meet a glass, and half the water ends up running down my neck. And I do, indeed, hate water.
The only thing I don’t hate is sleep. Sleep will take away the churning in my stomach, and the awful taste in my mouth, and the flushed heat I know is still marring my skin.
Maybe I’ll wake up, and this will all have been a dream. I won’t have thrown up in front of the people I’m trying to make my new friends. I wouldn’t have told the most attractive guy to ever show any interest in me that I’m a virgin.
Maybe I’ll wake up to find that this whole list thing was a long, elaborate dream, and I can go back to being blissfully weird and antisocial and... Alone.
Somewhere between one forced sip of water and the next, I must fall asleep, because I wake up after what feels like hours to the sound of my door closing. Probably just Dylan checking on me, but I’m struggling to find the motivation to move my head the six inches it will take to confirm this suspicion.
Eventually, my bed shifts, slanting to one side, and my head ends up turning of its own volition. I decide I’m dreaming when I see who’s seated beside me, because there’s no way Torres would be in my room after everything that just happened. I’m sure Dylan wouldn’t even let him in. I decide that this must be my subconscious, trying to give me one last good-bye, unreal though it may be.
“I brought you some food,” he says.
I groan. My dream can’t even do me the courtesy of giving me a pleasant last memory. Or is it normal to be drunk in your dreams when you’re drunk in real life?
He breaks the corner off a bread stick and holds it up to my lips. I don’t open.
“Trust me,” he says. “I know you’re tired and probably miserable, but this will help. And the more food and water we get into you now, the less you’ll hate yourself in the morning.”
“Already hate myself,” I say, but I take a bite of the bread stick he’s offering. It takes me forever to chew it, and when I’m done, he holds up another. Grudgingly, I eat it.
“That’s my girl.” And now I know it’s a dream.
He offers me water, and I take it, if only to wash down the bread.
“What happened to our deal?” he asks, and he sounds almost angry. “If you’d waited for me, I could’ve taken care of you. Made sure you didn’t drink too much.”
Since it’s a dream, I don’t see the point in being dishonest.
“I don’t want you to help me with the list.”
“Why not?” Yeah. He’s definitely angry.
“Because I don’t want you to think I’m a loser.”
“Damn it. I think a lot of things about you, Nell. Some of them are certainly not nice, but trust me, they’re all complimentary.” I shake my head, too tired to pick out the meaning of his words. “You’re not a loser, Nell. And I’m going to help you with that list whether you like it or not. I didn’t like coming into your apartment and seeing you with that guy. I don’t like that he’s the one who you shared this first with. I want your firsts.” 

About Cora Carmack

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something New York Times bestselling author who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She now splits her time between Austin, TX and New York City and spends her days writing, traveling, and spending way too much time on the internet. In her books, you can expect to find humor, heart, and a whole lot of awkward. Because let’s face it . . . awkward people need love, too.


13 May 2015

The Heir by Kiera Cass

The Heir by Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #4
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: May 7th 2015
Source: Bought



Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.

I've been in love with The Selection series since I picked up the first book at the beginning of 2013. It's one of my all time favourite series. I adore the story, the characters and I was devastated after The One because it was the end. But it wasn't! As soon as I heard about The Heir, I was jumping around squealing. ANOTHER Selection book focusing on Maxon and America's daughter, Eadlyn? YES PLEASE. 

So after the events in the first three books, Maxon has finally managed to dissolve the caste system and it seemed like everything was working out alright. But it turns out that there are still people with prejudices about the castes and it isn't as easy for people to get the jobs that they want because of what caste the used to be in. The people are unhappy and are uprising, so Maxon suggests to his daughter Eadlyn that she has a voluntary Selection to get the attention of the people while he tries to work out what he can do to save his country.

As soon as I started reading The Heir, I knew I wasn't going to love it as much as the first three, and my main reason for that was Eadlyn. Eadlyn is an extremely self-absorbed character. She doesn't think before she speaks, she's spoiled, bratty and I just couldn't believe she was going to be Queen one day. But, that being said, Eadlyn does have her redeeming qualities. The main thing I liked about her is her determination to rule on her own. She's a strong, independent woman and she knows she doesn't need a man to be a great leader. She would also do absolutely anything for her family. She cares for them so much that even though she hates the idea of a Selection, she did it to help her father.

Now, the Selection process is completely different this time since it's a Princess looking for a male suitor, and we're also getting it from Eadlyn's POV. So it's completely different this time. I did feel bad for Eadlyn for being pressured into having a Selection, but as the Selection process went on, I started to see a completely different side to Eadlyn. I was so used to her stuck up attitude, but she eventually started letting her walls come down a bit and began to relax. She's actually a pretty funny, sweet and caring character but because she's been so isolated she's never had the chance to have fun.

The suitors are definitely a mixed bunch. There are a few that I had some bad vibes about and the vibes were right. But there are a few stand out guys for me: Kile, Henri and Erik. Kile and Eadlyn are my main ship. At first, Eadlyn hated Kile and I didn't understand why, but as soon as Kile's name was called out for the Selection, Eadlyn made an effort to actually talk to Kile and she realised that she actually liked him. While I'd love the chance for Kile to get out of the palace and do what he loves, I'd still love him to be with Eadlyn. There's no possible reason for hating Henri because he's one of the most adorable characters ever. There's a language barrier between Henri and Eadlyn, but there's definitely a spark of chemistry. Henri is just so sweet and he adores Eadlyn. And then we have Erik. While Erik isn't actually a part of the Selection, it definitely feels like there's a spark between him and Eadlyn. Erik is Henri's translator, but he and Eadlyn completely hit it off and she thinks about what could have happened if Erik entered the Selection. She thinks about him a lot and he's become a very good friend of hers and I'd be extremely happy if something happened between them.

All of the other guys left would be a good match for Eadlyn as well, but Kile, Henri and Erik are my top 3 choices.

Honestly, the best part of the book for me was getting to see more of Maxon and America. Those two are on of my favourite couples because they're so adorable and perfect for each other. They were so different, but they helped each other grow and they're still completely in love years later. It's odd reading about them being older though and having children, but I still adore them and their family. And also getting to see Lucy, Marlee, Aspen and May again was pretty awesome.

But then Kiera Cass had to go and basically rip out my heart at the end. I sobbed, and sobbed some more. I have no idea what's going to happen and it's making me extremely nervous because I can't even think about the situation getting worse. I don't want to think about it because I never want to read a book about that happening. I know this is extremely vague, but I don't want to ruin the ending for anyone. But everyone that's read it will totally get what I'm talking about and why I'm so heartbroken and nervous. I can't believe I'll probably have to wait a whole year to find out what happens!

Overall, The Heir was a great addition to The Selection series and I just NEED THE NEXT BOOK SO BAD. I have to know what's going to happen and I'm looking forward to seeing Eadlyn's character develop more and find out whether she actually falls in love during the Selection! 

11 May 2015

Bout of Books 13: TBR & Updates

Bout of Books
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 11th and runs through Sunday, May 17th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 13 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

TBR
I'm giving myself quite a few books to choose between since I'm not entirely sure what I'm in the mood for right now, but I'm hoping to finish at least 3 of these books.

Updates

Monday
Books read: The Heir by Kiera Cass and Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry
No. of pages read: 362 pages
Comments: Off to a great start so far. I've finished my first book - The Heir by Kiera Cass - which wasn't on my TBR list... Oops! And then I started reading Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry, but I've only read 2% (roughly 10 pages) so far, but I'm hoping to get this one finished tomorrow!

Tuesday
Books read: Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry and Broken Juliet by Leisa Rayven
No. of pages read: 690 pages
Comments: Day 2 has been a brilliant reading day! Despite getting distracted by Arrow and Game of Thrones this morning, I still managed to finish two books! Nowhere But Here was really good, not as good as McGarry's PTL series (imo), but I still really enjoyed it. Broken Juliet was a fantastic follow up to Bad Romeo. Super hot and full of angst; I adored it.

Wednesday
Books read: -
No. of pages read: 0
Comments: Very busy day today, so I never had a chance to get any reading done. Oh well.

Thursday
Books read: The Cage by Megan Shepherd
No. of pages read: 188 pages
Comments: Another busy day today, but I did manage to get some reading done! I was at the dentist this morning, then went to the cinema to see Mad Max. So I didn't start reading until I got home around half 5 and I managed to get almost halfway through The Cage, so hopefully I'll get that finished tomorrow!

Friday
Books read: The Cage by Megan Shepherd
No. of pages read: 36 pages
Comments: Haven't really felt much like reading today. I was up late last night because I couldn't sleep/because of my cold, so I slept until about 12 and I had to go out at 3.

Saturday
Books read: The Cage by Megan Shepherd
No. of pages read: 176 pages
Comments: I finally managed to finish The Cage today! Woo! I finally figured out why it was taking so long to get through - I wasn't really enjoying it. The story was pretty 'meh' up until 93% when there was a pretty big twist that I hadn't anticipated and only then did I find myself interested in the story and I'm curious to see what's going to happen next. I'm hoping I'll be able to squeeze in one more book tomorrow!

Sunday
Books read: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han (re-read) & Always the Bridesmaid by Lindsay Kelk
No. of pages read: 632 pages
Comments: The final day of bout of books has been a great reading day for me. I decided to re-read To All the Boys by Jenny Han because I just needed to, and I'd planned on that being my last read but I got through it really quickly and moved onto Always the Bridesmaid by Lindsay Kelk. I got just over halfway through this one and I'm extremely happy!

Total
Total no. of books completed: 5
Total no. of pages read: 2,084 pages
Books read: The Heir by Kiera Cass; Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry; Broken Juliet by Leisa Rayven; The Cage by Megan Shepherd; To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han & Always the Bridesmaid by Lindsay Kelk
Comments: I'm extremely happy with my reading during this bout of books, I managed to read more books than I'd planned to! I didn't get to take part in any of the twitter chats - which sucks - but I took part in a few of the challenges. Also, I didn't visit as many blogs as I usually do, which I'm definitely going to fix.

Get Dirty by Gretchen McNeil

Get Dirty by Gretchen McNeil
Series: Get Mad #2
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: June 16th 2015
Source: Publisher [Edelweiss]



The members of Don’t Get Mad aren’t just mad anymore... they’re afraid. And with Margot in a coma and Bree stuck in juvie, it’s up to Olivia and Kitty to try to catch their deadly tormentor. But just as the girls are about to go on the offensive, Ed the Head reveals a shocking secret that turns all their theories upside down. The killer could be anyone, and this time he—or she—is out for more than just revenge.

The girls desperately try to discover the killer’s identity as their personal lives are falling apart: Donté is pulling away from Kitty and seems to be hiding a secret of his own, Bree is under house arrest, and Olivia’s mother is on an emotional downward spiral. The killer is closing in, the threats are becoming more personal, and when the police refuse to listen, the girls have no choice but to confront their anonymous friend... or die trying.

Picks up basically right after Get Even. Margot is in hospital in a coma after her attack and Bree in jail after confessing to be DGM (which is what Christopher wanted) and being framed for the murders.

Olivia and Kitty are on their own with the other two members on DGM in jail and in hospital. But Ed the Head is quickly recruited after his help trying to find out who Christopher is. The girls thought that their ordeal was over since Bree had confessed to being the sole member of DGM, but apparently the killer has other motives and is determined to bring down the rest of them and hurt the people they love the most along the way.

After finishing Get Even, I was desperate to get my hands on Get Dirty. I had no clue who the killer could be and I wanted to know what had happened to Margo and what the other girls would do on their own. They're very inventive and the start to recruit new members into DGM - Ed is the first, followed by John and Logan - but the killer always seems to be one step ahead of them and attempts to kill them more than once. 

There were a lot of people I suspected in Get Dirty. Everyone was acting shifty (some more than others) and I think I suspected every character minus the original 4 members on DGM because it obviously wasn't them. McNeil set out clues to try to lead you to the killer, but she led me astray a few times. I found myself completely convinced a few people were the killer, only to find out I was completely wrong and it was the last person I ever would have suspected (mainly because we never got to know the background of any of the characters, therefore it was kind of hard to guess who it was). But I was still super shocked by the big reveal at the end. I never saw it coming.

The killer went out of their way to destroy the DGM members lives and even went as far as recruiting a new DGM group (under the guise of the old one) and set them up to take the fall for everything. It was exciting, fast paced and I couldn't put it down because I had to know how it was all going to end.

I was slightly disappointed with the way the killer completely opened up to the police about everything straight away because, you know, after everything they did to frame other people it seemed like they opened up way too easily. That's really the only thing I have to pick about it, everything else was done fantastically well and I enjoyed the way things wrapped up at the very end.

Overall, Get Dirty was a brilliant follow up to Get Even. It was a lot dirtier and more dangerous, but thrilling, exciting and kept me wanting more! McNeil is definitely a fantastic author and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next!