Showing posts with label Book of the Month. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book of the Month. Show all posts

June 6, 2015

Diana's Shelf: Book of the Month featuring Leisa Rayven, Amy Harmon and Kristin Hannah


On the 3rd place is Broken Juliet (Starcrossed #2) by Leisa Rayven

How do you fix a love that’s been broken beyond repair?

For years, Cassie Taylor tried to forget about Ethan Holt. He was the one great love of her life, and when he failed to return her love, a part of her died forever. Or so she thought. Now she and Ethan are sharing a Broadway stage, and he’s determined to win her back. Claiming to be a changed man, he’s finally able to say all the things she needed to hear years ago, but can she believe him? What makes this time different from all his other broken promises?

Ethan knows he can’t change their tumultuous past, but if he’s going to have any chance of being with the woman he loves, he’ll need to convince Cassie that her future belongs with him.

Don’t miss this stunning conclusion to the unforgettable love story that captivated over two million fans online.

My thoughts: Broken Juliet is the second installment of Bad Romeo, the complete story where we are able to find out how Ethan and Cassie’ story concludes. The two of them had been through a lot. After years of trying to forget him, Cassie is ready to hear Ethan out. Given his last chance, Ethan has to prove to her that they are right for each other, despite the bad memories and the time they were both miserable.
Like the first book, Broken Juliet develops similarly, but now we get to see the whole picture.
This has become one of my favorite series, mainly because Leisa Rayven is an amazing author who knows how to tell a great story. I highly recommend it!




On the 2nd place is Infinity+One by Amy Harmon


When two unlikely allies become two unwitting outlaws, will two unforgettable lovers defy unbeatable odds?

Bonnie Rae Shelby is a superstar. She’s rich. She’s beautiful. She’s impossibly famous. And Bonnie Rae Shelby wants to die.

Finn Clyde is a nobody. He’s broken. He’s brilliant. He’s impossibly cynical. And all he wants is a chance at life.

One girl. One boy. An act of compassion. A bizarre set of circumstances. And a choice – turn your head and walk away, or reach out your hand and risk it all?

With that choice, the clock starts ticking on a man with a past and a girl who can’t face the future, counting down the seconds in an adventure riddled with heartbreak and humor, misunderstanding and revelation. With the world against them, two very different people take a journey that will not only change their lives, but may cost them their lives as well.

Infinity + One is a tale of shooting stars and fame and fortune, of gilded cages and iron bars, of finding a friend behind a stranger’s face, and discovering love in the oddest of places.

My thoughts: Infinity+One is a sweet love story about two people who have nothing and everything in common.
Bonnie Rae Shelby, the famous country singer, has everything one could wish for. She’s beautiful, famous, rich and has a soul of pure gold. Only, the truth is different. After her twin sister lost the battle with cancer, Bonnie has never been the same again. Sick of feeling alone, she decides to end her life hoping she’ll see Minnie again. But her plan comes to an end when Fin ‘Infinity’ Clyde stumbles across her on his way to Vegas.
One thing that I love about this book are the references to Bonnie and Clyde, the two lovers known by everyone as thieves and public enemies. Another thing is that the characters are so imperfect in their beauty, it is impossible not to fall in love with the story.



On the 1st place is The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah


In love we find out who we want to be.
In war we find out who we are.


FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France...but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When France is overrun, Vianne is forced to take an enemy into her house, and suddenly her every move is watched; her life and her child’s life is at constant risk. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates around her, she must make one terrible choice after another.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets the compelling and mysterious Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can...completely. When he betrays her, Isabelle races headlong into danger and joins the Resistance, never looking back or giving a thought to the real--and deadly--consequences.

With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah takes her talented pen to the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France--a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

My thoughts: The Nightingale is a story about the devotion, love and the sacrifices we sometimes have to make in order to survive. In 1939, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, who heads to fight to the Front. Left with her daughter while the Paris is being assaulted by Nazis, Vianne has to make sure that they will survive, even after a german soldier comes into their home and watches their every move.
Isabelle, Vianne’s sister is her opposite. Always searching for something adventurous, she sees her opportunity when she’s asked to participate in an underground organization, The Resistance, whose purpose is to help as many people as possible in order to free their country.
This is the powerful story of two strong women who succeed to overcome each of the obstacles thrown their way, who fight to live and make huge sacrifices for the ones they love.


May 2, 2015

Diana's Shelf: Book of the Month featuring Colleen Hoover, Tarryn Fisher, Rachel Van Dyken, Jessica Park and Kylie Scott

Hey, guys! Diana here! 

Here is my recap with the books that I read in April and my top-five recommendations. Let me know what you think and if you've read any of these books.

On the 5th place is Deep by Kylie Scott



Don't miss a beat with the fourth and final novel in the USA Today bestselling Stage Dive series from Kylie Scott.

Positive. With two little lines on a pregnancy test, everything in Lizzy Rollins' ordinary life is about to change forever. And all because of one big mistake in Vegas with Ben Nicholson, the irresistibly sexy bass player for Stage Dive. So what if Ben's the only man she's ever met who can make her feel completely safe, cherished, and out of control with desire at the same time? Lizzy knows the gorgeous rock star isn't looking for anything more permanent than a good time, no matter how much she wishes differently.

Ben knows Lizzy is off limits. Completely and utterly. She's his best friend's little sister now, and no matter how hot the chemistry is between them, no matter how sweet and sexy she is, he's not going to go there. But when Ben is forced to keep the one girl he's always had a weakness for out of trouble in Sin City, he quickly learns that what happens in Vegas, doesn't always stay there. Now he and Lizzie are connected in the deepest way possible... but will it lead to a connection of the heart?



Genre: Romance, Adult, Contemporary, Humor, Erotica, Music


My thoughts: Deep is the final installment and the perfect ending to the Stage Dive series. 

Ben is the type who doesn’t do relationships and Lizzie is the now good girl who tries to make a career for herself. And she’s the only off-limits girl for Ben. But one night in Vegas will quickly change that and Ben has to learn how to grow up and take care of his unborn child. Despite the serious situation, there’s plenty of humor in the book and, once again, Kylie managed to make us go wild with the ending we were hoping for.



On the 4th place is Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park


Flat-Out Love is a warm and witty novel of family love and dysfunction, deep heartache and raw vulnerability, with a bit of mystery and one whopping, knock-you-to-your-knees romance.

It's not what you know—or when you see—that matters. It's about a journey. 


Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it. When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

Flat-Out Love comes complete with emails, Facebook status updates, and instant messages.

Genre: Romance, Drama, Contemporary, Young Adult

My thoughts: Flat-Out love is one the few books that manage to get to your heart, a sweet story about a dysfunctional family that tries to keep up the appearances. Two parents who don’t have time for their children, a geeky boy who, in reality, is more special than anyone thinks, and a 13-year-old girl whois too mature for her age.
When college freshman Julie Seagle comes to Ohio and founds that the place she was supposed to live in is, in fact, a shop, she’s finally taken in by her mother’s long time friend. Here, she meets a family like no other, one where happiness doesn’t make its appearance often.
What I most liked about this book is that the focus isn’t just on one or two characters. It’s a mix of every character’s story without it ever getting confusing or hard to follow and that makes it even more interesting.


On the 3rd place is Ruin Series by Rachel Van Dyken


Genre: Contemporary, Romance, New Adult, Drama, Sports


My Thoughts: Ruin quickly became one of my favorite series, mainly because Rachel Van Dyken is an amazing writer. Every book managed to make me anxiously turn the page, wondering what would happen next with the characters I liked.

In the first book, Ruin, we meet Kiersten, a freshman student who tries to deal with her past as best as she can. Here, she meets Weston Michals, the sick football player who teaches her that life is the best gift a human being can receive.

Books 2 and 3 are about Kiersten’s new friends, Gabe and Lisa, the ones she makes when she arrives at the University.
                                                                                                         
Gabe isn’t the person everyone thinks he is, and he has a well-hidden secret only his cousin, Lisa, knows about.  But all is about to change when Saylor comes into his life. While Gabe doesn’t expect a second chance regarding the bad decisions he made, Saylor is the one who proves him wrong.

The third book, Lisa’s, was a little different from the previous two, but not in the bad way. Like Gabe, Lisa has a past she hoped she could let behind her and start a new life. When she falls in love with Tristan, she doesn’t even realize what strong connection he has with her past.

This series will warm your heart and make you want to give every character a hug and tell them that it will be alright. 


On the 2nd place is Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher


When reclusive novelist Senna Richards wakes up on her thirty-third birthday, everything has changed. Caged behind an electrical fence, locked in a house in the middle of the snow, Senna is left to decode the clues to find out why she was taken. If she wants her freedom, she has to take a close look at her past. But, her past has a heartbeat... and her kidnapper is nowhere to be found. With her survival hanging by a thread, Senna soon realizes this is a game. A dangerous one. Only the truth can set her free.

Genre: Drama, Psychological Thriller, Contemporary, Adult, Suspense

My Thoughts: Like any other books written by Tarryn Fisher, you can never go wrong with Mud Vein.
On her 33rd bnirthday, successful writer Senna Richards wakes up only to realize she’d been kidnapped by someone and she’s not by herself. She’s surrounded by snow and an electric fence, locked in a house and provided with food to last for entire months. The last person she expected to see again is there with her and, together, they have to find a way to get out from the middle of nowhere. But things are far more complicated than they think, and Senna and Isaac have to acknowledge their pasts in order to find their way back. Mud Vein is one of the best books I have ever read and will manage to make you stay glued to the story from beginning to end.


On the 1st place is Confess by Colleen Hoover




From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a new novel about risking everything for love—and finding your heart somewhere between the truth and lies. 

Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry. 

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it. 

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…




Genre: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary

My Thoughts: I think that Confess is one of my top-favorite books written by Colleen Hoover, because of her originality and her style. Her stories aren’t just romance. In each and every book we get to know characters that are ordinary people, with flaws and that makes them amazing in the first place. The best thing about Confess was reading all the confessions and knowing they were real made by real people and integrated by Colleen into the book.

Looking for a job, Auburn stumbles upon Owen’s studio. Owen is an artist who paints when he’s inspired by people’s confessions left outside his door. Finally, Auburn realizes that she met someone who understands her, someone she can be herself with. The only thing that keeps her from following her heart is Owen’s turn to confess.



May 1, 2015

Mikky's Shelf: Book of the Month featuring A. Meredith Walters, Emma Chase, Abigail Roux & Madeleine Urban, Paige Weaver and Garrett Leigh

Hey guys!! 

I've decided to make a recap of all the books I've read in April and make a top five, sharing my opinions of every book. I also want to hear what you think so, feel free to comment and tell what was the highlight of your month and what would you recommend to others. 

On the 5th place is Only Love by Leigh Garrett


The diagnosis of a chronic stomach condition leaves thirty-two-year-old Sergeant Jed Cooper with little choice but to call time on his Army career. Then on the dusty streets of Kirkuk, an ambush gone tragically wrong decimates his team, and he returns to the US with a shattered leg and the memory of his best friend dying in his arms.

Life in his sleepy hometown proves intolerable until he finds solace in a lakeside cabin with vivacious young carpenter, Max O’Dair. In the shadow of the epilepsy that periodically plagues Max, he and Jed form an unspoken bond. After a late night episode, Jed realizes how much Max means to him, and life has taught him not to waste time.

But the lines between contentment and complacency are blurred. Things left hidden resurface to tear through their world, and before they can repair the damage, death comes to call again. Faces, past and present, rally around them to weather the storm, but before long, they are left with only love.

Genre: M/M Romance, Contemporary, Military

My thoughts- Only Love is the story of two damaged souls finding solace in each other. Jed and Max have been through so much and seen to much in their lives and the marks left on their souls and on their psyche will never be erased. But those marks are what makes them special and what brings them together. Their story will bring tears to your eyes more than once but it will also show that there's always hope, there's always a reason to fight even when we don't see it beyond the hurt and the pain. I really liked it and I can't wait to read the next book. 


On the 4th place is Promise Me Once by Paige Weaver

Once with him was never enough.



I am the girl you dislike. The girl you snub at parties. I am the one who flirts with men and knows no boundaries. I am the one you whisper about. The one who has no rules. I am the one who takes and uses without any regret or excuses.



On the outside I am perfect. I have money, looks, and a personality that makes people stand up and take notice, but on the inside I am broken and hurting.



Then I met Cash Marshall.



He wasn’t what I needed, but I wanted him anyway. It was Cash’s carved, muscular body I thought about. It was his cool, confident touch I craved. I swore he would only be a one-night stand, another distraction to take away the pain.

But then our world changed.

Our story is not about love. Love is pretty and sweet and full of niceties. Those no longer exist. Our story is about finding each other again in a world gone crazy. It’s about surviving the impossible when war ravaged our land. It’s about saving each other from the darkness and finding out just how strong we could be.

And maybe, just maybe, along the way, we’ll find love…

Once and for all.

Genre: Dystopian, Romance, New Adult

My thoughts- Promise Me Once is the third and final book in the Promise Me series. These books are among the top 10 on my favorites list. Paige brings us into a world where every single thing we take for granted everyday is taken away at the switch of a button and to survive, the characters are forced to return to the old ways. They'll have to be strong and smart and learn to adjust or be collateral damage in a world gone mad. 
Lets just say that this story is a little bit of an eye opener, at least for me. It made me think about what would I do? How would I survive? I wasn't happy with the answers to those questions. 
I highly recommend it but it cannot be read as a a stand alone. You'll have to start from book one, Promise Me Darkness.

Here you can read my reviews for Promise Me Light and Promise Me Once



Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett are back on the job, settled into a personal and professional relationship built on fierce protectiveness and blistering passion. Now they're assigned to impersonate two members of an international smuggling ring-an out-and-proud married couple-on a Christmas cruise in the Caribbean. As their boss says, surely they'd rather kiss each other than be shot at, and he has no idea how right he is. Portraying the wealthy criminals requires a particular change in attitude from Ty and Zane while dealing with the frustrating waiting game of their assignment. As it begins to affect how they treat each other in private, Ty and Zane realize there's more to being partners than watching each other's backs, and when the case takes an unexpected turn and threatens Ty's life, Ty and Zane will have to navigate seas of white lies and stormy secrets, including some of their own.





Genre: M/M Romance, Contemporary, Suspense, Mystery, Adult



My thoughts- Ty and Zane are the bane of my existence. LOL. This guys are driving me up a freakin' wall. One moment I want to hug them and the next I want to smack them because they frustrate the hell out of me.  

I picked out the first volume out of curiosity because everyone was singing it's praise and I'm more curious than a cat when it comes to books.
Being a debut novel it was a little bit of a challenge to get through it due to the constantly head hopping but the story was great and I fell in love with Ty on the spot. Guy's all kinds of nuts. Zane's the kind of character that you kind of dislike when you first meet him because he seems so stuck up but, later, you realize you were so very wrong in judging him.
Their relationship is ... complicated. Yes, I know, it sounds like a cliche but it's not. Those two give the word complicated a whole new definition. It's not the "I'm gay and I'm afraid what others might think" thing. They have too many issues and insecurities that they're unable to see what's right in front of them.
And, God, the trouble they get themselves into... 
This series gets better and better with every book and the writing style improves considerably by the second book. I can see it becoming one of my favorites and I still have six books to go. Great job!


On the 2nd place is Overruled by Emma Chase

Emma Chase, New York Times bestselling author of the Tangled Series, returns with the first installment of the Legal Briefs Series. 

As a DC defense attorney, Stanton Shaw keeps his head cool, his questions sharp, and his arguments irrefutable. They don’t call him the Jury Charmer for nothing – with his southern drawl, disarming smile and captivating green eyes – he’s a hard man to say no to. Men want to be him and women want to be thoroughly cross examined by him.

Stanton’s a man with a plan. And for a while, life was going according to that plan.

Until the day he receives an invitation to the wedding of his high school sweetheart and mother of his beloved ten-year old daughter. Jenny is getting married — to someone who isn’t him.

That's definitely not part of the plan.
***
Sofia Santos is a city raised, no-nonsense litigator who plans to become the most revered criminal defense attorney in the country. She doesn’t have time for relationships or distractions.

But when Stanton, her "friend with mind-blowing benefits" begs for help, she finds herself out of her element, out of her depth, and obviously out of her mind. Because she agrees to go with him – to The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, Mississippi – to do all she can to help Stanton win back the woman he loves. 

Her head tells her she's crazy...and her heart says something else entirely.
*** 
What happens when you mix a one stop-light town, two professional arguers, a homecoming queen, four big brothers, some Jimmy Dean sausage and a gun-toting Nana? 

The Bourbon flows, passions rise and even the best laid plans get overruled by the desires of the heart.

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Adult, 

My thoughts- God, I don't even know where to begin. I'm addicted to Emma's books. I just about devoured Tangled and now this. Emma writes beautifully. Her characters are strong, charismatic, smart and funny as hell. It's impossible to read her books and not laugh your head off.
I was afraid that after Tangled nothing she writes will be good enough or at least as good as that series. Boy, was I wrong. You'll love Stanton and Sofia, I promise! Just, go for it!

Read my review HERE.


And we have reached the first place. The book that totally blew me away was....



You may notice me, but you will never know me.
I prefer it that way.
I am the daughter of a monster.
Born from blood and lies.
Dead before I have truly lived.
But Elian tells me that I'm different. 
He tells me that I'm beautiful.
That I'm an enigma wrapped in irresistibly complicated skin.
Elian says that he loves me.
These words terrify me.
I can't trust love.
Or hope.
Or truth.
Because I fear the beast inside.
It threatens to drown Elian and his sweet, unconditional love.
It's a beast that will destroy everything.

*This is a psychological thriller and very different than my previous books*

Genre: Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Adult, Dark Romance

My thoughts- Meredith is one of the authors whose books I'll pick up the second they've been published because she is that good. This lady has yet to disappoint me and I've read everything she's written so far. She can switch from one genre to another flawlessly and you'll always end up loving her stories.
The Contradiction of Solitude was a complete surprise and so unlike anything she's written before. 
It's hard to describe it without getting into details and I don't want to do that. I'll just say that this is one of the books that you HAVE to read. 
See my review HERE.