Bonjour Cherie Review

It's Paris or bust in this New Adult comedy of errors about seeing beyond the surface...

Beth Jenkins is into all things French — especially her French teacher, André LeBlanc. She’s on the fast track to Paris and nothing will stop her, not even the very Australian Zach Mills, whose abs and attitude are a powerful combination. As she endeavours to catch André’s interest, she also stubbornly ignores the growing chemistry with Zach.

But as mishap after mishap delays her dreams, Beth begins to learn that neither Zach nor André are quite what they seem. Will it be too late to win the one man who shows her that Paris is not the only destination worth planning for?

I have a thing for Paris.  I admit it.  Even though I’ve only ever been to Disneyland Paris *glares at boyfriend* ONE DAY, I will get to the heart of Paris and Paris, I hope, will get to the heart of me.  In the mean time however, I am happy to live vicariously through people like Beth Jenkins who admittedly is way more obsessed than I am about all things French.  Girl is on a mission.  Mostly to get to Paris but it doesn’t hurt that her French teacher is hot, and all Beth has to do is make him realise how wonderful they would be together.  All the while, a guy who is actually her own age falls into the story and he can see this potentially disastrous situation unfolding in front of his eyes. Through a comedy of errors, they end up spending quite a bit of time together and there might just be a bit more than concern coming from Zach.  Green eyed monster, anyone?  But will Beth give Zach a chance with Andre still in the picture? Does she even realise what’s going on?  All this and more will be answered in the book!

One of the things I loved about Bonjour Cherie is that it is only 87 pages BUT it is 87 pages of perfection.  I never felt short changed or that the story didn’t reach a satisfying conclusion and the slow build up of romance was just right.  This is a quick but cute read that took me about an hour to finish. 

Another refreshing aspect of the book was the setting.  The title is somewhat misleading as the story takes place in Australia with some French elements added in of course.  I will say that I’m not sure why the story had to be new adult as it could easily work as a Young Adult book – it’s a clean read with no sexual situations in it that I can recall, just good old fashioned romance of the “I don’t really like you but it’s only because I really like you” variety.

If you’re looking for a quick read and a cute, fun story then this is the book for you and just so you know, I would be more than happy to read more from this author, especially if her full length books are as good as this novella. 

Bonjour Cherie is published on 1st September, 2013 in both the US and UK.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title. This week's pick is Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout.  Here's the synopsis:

It's a beautiful day for a war. Alex must face a terrible choice between destruction of everything she loves and her own destruction. The final book in the COVENANT series.

I have read and reviewed every single book in this series and I NEED to know how it ends.  There's just no question that I will be buying this book for my collection.  In some ways, I'm kind of scared to see how it all plays out but you know what? What will be, will be.  Bring it on.

Sentinel is published on 2nd November, 2013.

Soulmates Review

Every so often, two people are born who are the perfect matches for each other. Soulmates. But while the odds of this happening are about as likely as being struck by lightning, when these people do meet and fall in love…thunderstorms, lightning strikes and lashings of rain are only the beginning of their problems.

Enter Poppy, the 17-year-old cynic with a serious addiction to banana milk, and Noah, the heart-throb guitarist; residents of mediocre Middletown, sometime students, and…soulmates.

After a chance meeting at a local band night, Poppy and Noah find themselves swept up in a whirlwind romance unlike anything they’ve ever experienced before. But with a secret international agency preparing to separate them, a trail of destruction rumbling in their wake, (and a looming psychology coursework deadline), they are left with an impossible choice between the end of the world, or a life without love…
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Soulmates by Holly Bourne was some sappy, romantic, instalove kind of book given the title but...you’d also be dead wrong.  Trust me on this.  Soulmates is told from the eyes of Poppy, a regular teenage girl albeit a very cynical one, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.  She thinks it’s all just chemistry and hormones and the idea of soulmates? WHATEVER.  That is, until she meets her own soulmate.  But, like all good love stories, she doesn’t recognise him as her soulmate at first and their relationship certainly gets off to a rocky start! What follows is the story of two teenagers falling in love and all the while, an international agency is conspiring to keep them apart. BUT WHY?  This is the question that will drive you on through the novel until it reaches its devastating conclusion.

For someone who doesn’t read a lot of British books (I know, I know) I have to say that I absolutely loved this one.  It’s as British as Bridget Jones and laugh out loud funny in parts, which is something I greatly appreciated.  I think the story is fantastic in a The Adjustment Bureau meets Hancock kind of way and whilst I really don’t think the message is “true love is disastrous for all involved”, I love the juxtaposition of the idea surrounding soulmates - traditionally, we’re told that meeting your soulmate is a GOOD thing but in this book? Not so.  Well, they do say that the path to true love never runs smooth!

I like the fact that the book addresses issues of depression and anxiety whilst not making them the sole focus of the novel.  The characters are unique and interesting (and very British) and Noah is swoonworthy without being a bad boy and owning a motorbike, which is somewhat refreshing!

Poppy was in some ways a girl after my own heart although at her age, I think I was more idealistic than she is and it’s only now that I’m older that I feel more cynical.  DAMN IT, I’M SUCH A CLICHE! I love the fact that she doesn’t feel ashamed to go into a sophisticated coffee shop with her friends and order banana milk (and why should she?! I would do the exact same thing as I don’t drink coffee) and she’s smart about her decision making, on the whole.

I was proud of myself for making it through the entire book without crying UNTIL I got to the last two pages and then it was game over.  Soulmates is an impressive debut novel and a wonderfully original story with a fresh take on the idea of star crossed lovers.   I enjoyed every minute of it and it certainly got me thinking – recently, we’ve had five random power cuts at work, all in succession, not to mention the freakishly warm weather recently and I suddenly thought – COULD MY SOULMATE BE IN THE BUILDING?!  I guess I’ll never know and perhaps it’s a good idea that I don’t ;)

Soulmates is published on 1st September, 2013.  To find out more about Holly and her books, please click here to visit her website.

Letterbox Love (#66)

As always, Letterbox Love is a weekly feature that I'm hosting on the blog and basically, the idea came out of a discussion with other UK book bloggers about the need to do a weekly meme with more of a British feel to it. Therefore, Letterbox Love was born and the logo was lovingly designed by Dark Readers. Letterbox Love is a way for us to share the books that come through our letterbox, galleys and e books (through our electronic letterbox) and any other bookish goodies that we want to tell you about. Letterbox Love is intended to showcase upcoming books and build up some excitement for them as well as let you know what is available out there. It is not about competing with other bloggers or boasting of any kind (c'mon, we're British and we don't do drama!)

Review Books

I did not receive any review books this week.

Books Bought

I did not buy any physical books this week. 

EBooks

The Apollo Academy by Kimberly P. Chase (Bought)
This was the first book on my Amazon wish list to buy when I got paid and I was pleased to find that it had reduced in price.  It's new adult, it's Sci Fi - what's not to love? Looking forward to reading this one. 

The Darkest Part by Trisha Wolfe (Bought)
This was another book on my wish list.  I like the idea that it features a ghost but I'm afraid to read it considering my WIP.  I might have to leave this one for a while. 

Ten Days by Olivia Mayfield (Bought)
This is a new adult/YA cross over novel that sounds a lot like a dystopian/post apocolyptic story.  I'm interested to read it. 


Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles (Netgalley - For Review)
A new series from Simone Elkeles? Yes please. 

One More Day by M. Malone (Netgalley - For Review)
So apparently, I bought this back in December 2012 and so it's surprising to see it up on Netgalley.  Obviously I didn't realise I had bought it or I would never have requested it but I'm obviously interested in reading it!


Another quiet week for me in books but I don't mind as my personal life has taken over everything at the moment hence the quietness on the blog.  I'm tempted to post a "blog hiatus" notice but I'm not quite ready to do that - watch this space though.  As always, I hope you had a great week for books and please share your links below.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title. This week's pick is Minders by Michele Jaffe.  Here's the synopsis:

A high concept, cinematic read with a surprising twist, MINDERS asks the question: who is really watching who?

Q: If the boy you love commits a crime, would you turn him in?
Sadie Ames is a type-A teenager from the wealthy suburbs. She's been accepted to the prestigious Mind Corps Fellowship program, where she'll spend six weeks as an observer inside the head of Ford, a troubled boy with a passion for the crumbling architecture of the inner city. There's just one problem: Sadie's fallen in love with him.

Q: What if the crime is murder?
Ford Winters is haunted by the murder of his older brother, James. As Sadie falls deeper into his world, dazzled by the shimmering pinpricks of color that form images in his mind, she begins to think she knows him. Then Ford does something unthinkable.

Q: What if you saw it happen from inside his mind?

Back in her own body, Sadie is faced with the ultimate dilemma. With Ford's life in her hands, she must decide what is right and what is wrong. And how well she can really ever know someone, even someone she loves.

I find the idea for Minders absolutely fascinating and I am DEFINITELY adding this to my wish list.  Immediately.  And you should, too.  Minders is published on 30th January, 2014. 

Letterbox Love (#65)

As always, Letterbox Love is a weekly feature that I'm hosting on the blog and basically, the idea came out of a discussion with other UK book bloggers about the need to do a weekly meme with more of a British feel to it. Therefore, Letterbox Love was born and the logo was lovingly designed by Dark Readers. Letterbox Love is a way for us to share the books that come through our letterbox, galleys and e books (through our electronic letterbox) and any other bookish goodies that we want to tell you about. Letterbox Love is intended to showcase upcoming books and build up some excitement for them as well as let you know what is available out there. It is not about competing with other bloggers or boasting of any kind (c'mon, we're British and we don't do drama!)

Review Books

I did not receive any review books this week. 

Books Bought

Infinityglass by Myra McEntire

I loved the first book and will admit that I'm incredibly behind with this series for the simple reason that it takes too long for each book to come out and then I can't remember what happened in the last one.  Now all the books are out, I do plan to go right back to the beginning and read the whole lot from start to finish. 

EBooks

The Homecoming Masquerade by Spencer Baum (Free)
I LOVE the premise for this YA novel which pretty much sold me on the book.  I don't mind a vampire story as long as it's something fresh, I just hope it lives up to it!

Bonjour Cherie by Robin Thomas (Netgalley - For Review)
This is a New Adult novella (only 87 pages) and so I know it's going to be a quick read.  I just hope it doesn't whet my appetite and leave me frustrated for wanting more!  I love stories about Paris so I'm looking forward to reading this one. 

Beneath the Surface by M.A. Stacie (Netgalley - For Review)
This is an adult romance/erotica novel about a boxer (sorry, I just couldn't resist) and I definitely can't resist a hot, sexy man on crutches.  In a novel of course.   

No one's Angel by Kelly Walker (Netgalley - For Review)
Of course I don't just want to read it because when I first started getting into computers a million years ago, I too used the name 'Angel'.  I love the fact that this book is about an online relationship and I definitely want to read it. 

I've had a bit of a slow week this week, mostly because I ran out of money.  Seriously.  Although I have my eye on a few ebooks which will probably show up in next week's post.  I've slowed right down on reading and reviewing at the moment as I'm busy editing my own book in between working full time, cooking, cleaning and keeping clean clothes on our backs!  Bear with me, it's just me running this blog and if I could clone myself, I most definitely would!  I hope you all had a great week for books and as always, please share your links below.

The Star Killers Cycle

Just in case you didn't hear the AWESOME news, The Star Killer's Cycle, a YA Space Opera *be still my beating heart* written by Sarah J. Maas (author of Throne of Glass) and Susan Dennard (author of Something Strange and Deadly) is being released as a serialisation on their joined website.   The best part about this, besides the fact that it's written by two amazing authors and it's a fricking YA space opera is that IT'S FREE.  That's right folks, you can read it for free and even subscribe to have the latest instalment delivered straight to your inbox.  Chapters one and two are up there already and yes I have read them (several times) and LOVED THEM.  I cannot wait to read more and I hope one day they make it into a book I can physically put on my shelves!  In the meantime, let me tell you that the more subscribers they get, the more they will post (and probably faster) so please, please go check it out.  You won't be sorry.

http://thestarkillerscycle.tumblr.com/

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title. This week's pick is White Space by Ilsa J. Blick.  Here's the synopsis:

Ilsa Bick’s WHITE SPACE, pitched as The Matrix meets Inkheart, about a seventeen-year-old girl who jumps between the lines of books and into the white space where realities are created and destroyed – but who may herself be nothing more than a character written into being from an alternative universe.

The Matrix meets Inkheart? SOLD. IMMEDIATELY.  I think this book sounds AWESOME with a capital A and much more my kind of book than perhaps Ashes, which I still haven't read, mostly because I'm afraid to.  White Space is one of those books for me that I am majorly lusting after and I can't wait to read it! 

White Space is published on 11th February, 2014 with no news of a UK release at present.  

#JoinTheAgenda

Saltwater Kisses Review

When small-town girl Emma LaRue won a vacation to an exclusive tropical island, a last minute cancellation meant she would be going by herself. Shy and studious, she never had time to fall in love, and often wondered if she was just meant to be alone. However, that all changed when a handsome stranger literally walked into her life while on the beach and sparks began to fly.

New York's most eligible billionaire bachelor Jack Saunders thought this vacation would be the perfect escape, one last hurrah, before taking full control of his father's company. When an innocent Emma didn't recognize him, he figured that he might get a chance to have a vacation from being rich. He didn't tell her about the cars, the yacht, or the penthouse. All he did was let her fall in love with him.

Soon, Jack found that he was the one falling in love with Emma. When they enjoy a fantasy marriage ceremony on the beach, they thought it was a bit of harmless fun before returning to their normal lives. A bittersweet goodbye was supposed to be the end of their perfect vacation romance, but when photos of the ceremony were leaked to the press, everything changed.

Feeling lied to and thrust into a world of wealth and privilege, Emma must choose between following her dreams or following her heart. Will she be content at being nothing more than the billionaire's wife, or will she return to her normal life with only memories of saltwater kisses?
There’s a ton of books that I COULD and SHOULD be reading at the moment, not to mention the fact that I really want to re-read City of Bones by Cassandra Clare before the movie comes out in nine days time but I loved the sound of Saltwater Kisses so much that I couldn’t stop thinking about it and had to pick it up and read it.

I loved the idea that a seemingly average woman wins the holiday of a lifetime and just so happens to meet the man of her dreams there.  Sounds like a holiday romance but what if it blossomed into more? And what if he was New York’s most eligible bachelor who just so happens to be a billionaire?

I know what you may be thinking, because I was thinking the same – ‘not ANOTHER story about a billionaire’ but sometimes it’s a nice bit of fantasy/escapism.  In some ways it’s also good to see that the billionaire in THIS story may have a shit load of money, but he isn’t happy.  I think it goes without saying at this point that this is an adult book with adult content which will be discussed below.

Overall, I really liked the premise of the story but unfortunately, the execution of it did not quite meet my expectations.  I can overlook the blatantly obvious spelling and grammar mistakes (of which admittedly there were few, and mostly towards the end of the book) and I can even try desperately hard to ignore references to the male genitalia such as ‘throbbing member’ *insert obligatory Ten Things I Hate About You reference here* but there were things about the characters that simply didn’t make sense to me and here is where you may encounter some spoilers so look away now if you wish.

Emma and Jack meet on vacation and after less than two weeks of knowing each other, they have a marriage ceremony on the beach. They both admit that it probably isn’t legal and therefore doesn’t matter that much but WHAT?!  Who does that?!  Especially if you are a billionaire who is terrified that women are out for nothing but your money.  And the idea of getting married when you barely know someone? Not generally a good idea.  It never worked out for Britney ;)

Bearing in mind of course that Emma has no idea who Jack is when she meets him but when she finally finds out, at the end of the vacation just before they say goodbye, Jack offers to buy her a car to help out and she’s all “I’ll think about it.”  WHAT?!  If you’re trying to prove that you’re not just after someone’s money, isn’t that the totally wrong way to go about it? Also, having just slept with the guy, I would be incredibly insulted by that offer and it would make me feel like a whore.

But Emma isn’t a whore because they’re MARRIED, remember?! When they return to their respective normalities following their dream vacation, the papparazi are out in force and Emma is whisked off to NYC under Jack’s protection, after all “they are married”.  At no point does she say “no thanks” (okay, I understand this one as she wants to see him again)  or “Hey, you know it wasn’t a REAL wedding, right?!” (Fooling herself maybe?)  She just seems to accept everything so easily and comes across as a bit of a psycho who actually thinks they’re married, to be honest.   She lets him buy her clothes and all that crap and I would have liked her to have more independence.  I also didn’t like the idea that she had to choose between her career or the guy in the end, if I’m honest.

So yes, I wanted to like this book so bad but it just didn’t fully work out for me which makes me sad as I do think the author has potential. But please, for the love of God I wish that romance/erotica authors would just ditch the non erotic terms and just call a dick, a dick.

Saltwater Kisses was published on 9th August, 2013 in the UK and 22nd June, 2013 in the US. To find out more about Krista Lakes, please click here to visit her website.

Lockwood & Co UK Blog Tour: Guest Post from Jonathan Stroud

I am delighted to be taking part in the UK blog tour for Lockwood & Co. and today I would like to welcome author Jonathan Stroud to Narratively Speaking to talk about something close to a blogger's heart...book covers.

UK                                                       US

Hauntings are our business . . .

When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in...

For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood.

When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again...

I am married to a covers designer, so you can guess it’s been impressed upon me more than once how crucial a cover is to the success or failure of a book. It has to be one of the basic maxims of all traditional publishing (though the e-book revolution may yet have a thing or two to say about it) that having a decent cover is almost as important as having a decent text. In fact, you could argue that it’s more important, at least as far as the initial sales are concerned – we can perhaps all think of examples where a mediocre book has been airlifted to significant success on the strength of its fantastic cover. Conversely, a really lousy jacket has the same effect as a skunk’s perfume. I still shudder to remember going into a book shop and finding an incredibly horrible edition of one of Paul Auster’s novels, covered in iris-shredding multi-coloured stripes. I liked Paul Auster. I actively wanted to buy that book. But so foul was the exterior that I would rather have taken off my clothes and danced naked in the street than go up to the counter and part with hard-earned money for it. Presumably the cover has long since been changed. But I’ve never bought that book. Sorry, Paul. The moment had passed. This effect of active repulsion is something every author, for their books, would hope to avoid.

Getting it right, however, is very difficult. You’ve got different markets to attend to, different age ranges to please. And when you’re writing fantasy books – and fantasy books with a vein of humour running through them, at that – the problem is compounded, because of the inherent dangers of the form. My Bartimaeus series has been published in 35 different languages, in as many editions. It’s seen a lot of covers. Some foreign editions choose to take the UK or US jackets, but many go their own way, and the variety of depiction of Bart, Nat and their world takes some beating. (You can see many of the variations at: www.bartimaeusbooks.com.) There are a lot of great covers there. But also some that miss the mark. In fact, I soon discovered that Bartimaeus the djinni was incredibly hard to pin down. He’s quite often seen in gargoyle guise, and (understandably) this frequently makes him seem grotesque. Sometimes he’s played quite straight; at other times the artists try to bring his trademark humour out, not always successfully. The root difficulty for me is that my books are both serious and have jokes: but that essential mix is quite hard to pin down in a single image. The Screaming Staircase has three international covers so far (see the Lockwood page at www.jonathanstroud.com), all of which are really good and very different. Wisely, no one’s trying to tap the humour here: it’s the spectral adventure that’s the thing. But it’ll be interesting to see what happens as other countries’ editions come out… Watch this space!

Thank you Jonathan!  Now, it's no secret that whilst I have no problem with scary movies, I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to scary books, and I put that down to the fact that NOTHING is scarier than your own imagination.  And I have a good one!  Having said that, I think that this book sounds so intriguing and I will definitely be reading it...from behind a cushion...probably.

The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co#1) is published on 29th August, 2013 in the UK and 17th September, 2013 in the US. To find out more about Jonathan Stroud and his books, please click here to visit his website.  Please note that you can click on a UK or a US website from here and you can read the first chapter here.

Letterbox Love (#64)

As always, Letterbox Love is a weekly feature that I'm hosting on the blog and basically, the idea came out of a discussion with other UK book bloggers about the need to do a weekly meme with more of a British feel to it. Therefore, Letterbox Love was born and the logo was lovingly designed by Dark Readers. Letterbox Love is a way for us to share the books that come through our letterbox, galleys and e books (through our electronic letterbox) and any other bookish goodies that we want to tell you about. Letterbox Love is intended to showcase upcoming books and build up some excitement for them as well as let you know what is available out there. It is not about competing with other bloggers or boasting of any kind (c'mon, we're British and we don't do drama!)

Review Books

Taken by Storm by Kelli Maine

I'm a huge fan of Kelli Maine and this is the UK paperback of Taken By Storm, the second book in her series which I highly recommend!!  Note that this is an adult book and as such, has adult content. You can find my review here.

Children of Fire by Drew Karpyshyn (Unsolicited) 

This is a dark fantasy book that I haven't heard of although it looks interesting and is well written from all accounts.  I can't guarantee that I'll read it but I'll take a look. 

Taken by Kelli Maine

Taken is the first book in Kelli's series and it's a book that remains one of my favourite adult stories. This is the UK paperback and you can find my review here.

Charade by Nyrae Dawn
This is a New Adult book that I believe started off as self published and has now been picked up by a traditional publisher.  It does sound interesting and I definitely want to read it.

The 100 by Kass Morgan
Ever since I heard about this book MONTHS ago, I knew I wanted to read it and so I was very pleased to be sent a copy! Billed as The Hunger Games meets Lost = SOLD!  The TV rights have been sold to the CW (home of Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle) and OMG I CANNOT WAIT.  I need to read this like NOW. 
 

Stay Where You Are and Then Leave by John Boyne (Unsolicited)
I've never read a book by John Boyne but I did enjoy watching The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (although I inevitably cried at the horror of it).  This is set around the first world war and features a boy looking for his father. I did really appreciate the old fashioned sweets sent along with it and just FYI, sweets are ALWAYS welcome in this house. 

Thank You Publishers!!!

 

Books Bought

I have not bought any physical books this week apart from a pre-order of Infinityglass by Myra McIntrye, which I am waiting to be delivered next week. 

EBooks

Sometimes Never by Cheryl McIntyre (Bought)
I hadn't intended to buy this as I was interested in Before Now but then I learnt that it was a companion novel to Sometimes Never and whilst it could be read alone, I liked the idea of starting from the beginning and so I bought this one and the novella in addition.

Blackbird by Cheryl McIntyre (Bought)
This is a novella from the Sometimes Never series and details what happens in the years between the final chapter and epilogue of Sometimes Never. Apparently, this can be read on its own but really, why would you want to? Better to read the first book and become invested in the characters. 

Before Now by Cheryl McIntyre (Bought)
I really liked the sound of this New Adult book as I love reading about bastards and the girls that break through their walls.  I also love challenging relationships and I think I'm going to find that in this book. 

Present Perfect by Alison Bailey (Bought)
I love stories about falling in love with your best friend and so this was a definitely must buy for me.  This is a New Adult story that has had a lot of positive reviews on Amazon. 

Luke: Complete Series by Cassia Leo (Bought) 
This was on sale for 77p and you get five books!  Billed as erotic romance, I liked the sound of it and you can't really go wrong for the price. 

Chase: Complete Series by Cassia Leo (Bought)
Same as above.

Saltwater Kisses by Krista Lakes (Bought)
This is marketed as "a billionaire love story" which immediately puts me off but after reading the description, it makes me think a little of the movie Cocktail - small town girl wins a vacation to a tropical island but has to go alone, she meets a handsome stranger who just so happens to be New York's most eligible bachelor but she doesn't know who he is *le sigh*.  Yeah, I think I'm going to like this one.

Rainwater Kisses by Krista Lakes (Bought)
I think this is a companion novel featuring the sister of the main character and it was only 77p at the moment, I thought I would get it.

Letters to Nowhere by Julie Cross (Bought)
You may remember that Julie Cross wrote Tempest and this is her latest offering which is (I think) a contemporary YA story set in the world of gymnastics. 

Pulse by Gail McHugh (Bought)
This is the sequel to Collide, which I haven't read yet but both books sounds awesome and I think it was on sale or newly released so I bought it. 

Six Days by Jennifer Davis (Bought)
This is a New Adult book and I'm not entirely clear what it's about but it sounds like one girl's journey and how six days changes everything.

Breathless by Eve Carter (Bought)
This is a New Adult romance novel (on sale at the moment) about a bad boy professional motorcross rider and the woman who has caught his attention - only she's not interested.  I love that trope and so I had to get it. 

Deeper by Blue Ashcroft (Netgalley - For Review)
This is a New Adult novel about lifeguards and the girl who says she's never going to love again.  I'm thinking that's probably not going to last for long ;) 

Covet by Tracey Garvis Graves (Netgalley - For Review)
I LOVED On the Island and so I definitely wanted to read whatever book came next from this author. This sounds like more of an adult novel but I'm intrigued enough to read it. 

The Name on Your Wrist by Helen Hiorns (Netgalley - For Review)
This is the debut novel from the teenage writer and winner of the inaugural Sony Young Movellist Award.  I wasn't particularly interested until I read the synopsis and now I really want to read it!  I will say however that personally, I think the price is too high for an ebook from an unknown author but I'll be sure to let you know how good it is. 

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (Netgalley - For Review)
I couldn't believe that I'd been accepted for this book as I've been desperate to read it since I first heard about it - I mean, an epic, romantic YA Space Opera?  SOLD, SOLD, SOLD.



I didn't realise that I'd bought so many eBooks this week but there you go!  I think I've got some great reads there and now someone just needs to invent a way of stopping time so that I can read them all!  I'm still busy editing my manuscript at the moment which it taking up a lot of my time.  I had no idea how many hours it would take just to complete twenty pages!  And I still foresee another rewrite in the near future.  Anyway, I'm simultaneously reading Soul Taken by my friend Katlyn Duncan and hope to have that review up soon.  I hope you've all had a great week for books and as always, please share your links below. 

Throne of Glass Ambassador Post: The Assassin and the Princess (A Throne of Glass Novella) Part 8

I am a HUGE fan of Sarah J. Maas and and her books - Throne of glass, and Crown of Midnight, as well as all the digital novellas associated with the series.  With that in mind, I am proud to call myself an ambassador for the books and present to you today an EXCLUSIVE scene from The Assassin and the Princess, a Throne of Glass novella written especially for this blog tour.

Just in case you've missed any of it, you can read previous parts of this scene by clicking on the following links:

Part One 

Part Two  

Part Three  

Part Four 

Part Five 

Part Six  

Part Seven

The clock was striking four by the time they’d decided on the gowns, jewelry, and accessories Nehemia would purchase. Marta had long since brought out steaming cups of tea to Nehemia’s guards outside. She’d come back looking a little pale-faced and shaken, but at least the teacups had been empty. Nehemia’s guards weren’t a chatty sort—and were nothing short of lethal.

Nehemia was shoveling cookies down her throat as Celaena again strolled through the shop, taking in the dresses. She’d already ordered the lilac and lace gown, and since Kavill had her most recent measurements, she hadn’t bothered to try it on, save for holding it against her torso to make sure she really did love the color and fabric.
She paused in front of the red velvet dress in the display, running a finger down the skirts. There were no petticoats with this sort of dress, no corsets—she’d never seen a dress like it, actually. Never even heard of a gown like it, with the open back coated in midnight black lace, the plunging neckline, and form-hugging bodice. It left little to the imagination—and would surely turn heads.

“You should try it on,” Nehemia said in Eyllwe from behind her, finishing her praline cookie. “You’ve been ogling it all day.”

Celaena looked over her shoulder, brows high. “It’s…a bit daring. People would be scandalized.”

The princess grinned. “Who better to wear it then?”

Celaena found herself grinning as well. “Who indeed?”

Thus, five minutes later, Celaena found herself wearing the sample gown before the three angled mirrors of the shop, slowly turning in place.

Daring and scandalous were just the start of it.

Nehemia let out an appreciative whistle from where she was sprawled on the divan. “The Captain won’t know what to do with himself.”

Celaena shot her a glare over a shoulder. “He’s not my concern.” Though she could almost imagine Chaol’s face at the sight of the gown: tight-lipped, wide-eyed, a bit confounded and more than a bit angry. She could almost hear him, too, the claims he’d make about the King’s Champion spending such exorbitant sums on little more than scraps of cloth, the reputation she had to uphold now that she was employed by the king… Oh, she should buy the dress, if only to piss Chaol off.

 To be continued....at My Guilty Obsession tomorrow. 

To find out more about Sarah J. Maas and her books, please click here to visit her website.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title. This week's pick is Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott.  Here's the synopsis:

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to the middle of nowhere for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place? 

I loved The Collector and am looking forward to The Liberator but this is a new book series from Victoria Scott, and I think it sounds so interesting.  Even Hunger Games -esque.  I have so many questions just from reading the synopsis and the only way I'm going to stand a chance of having them answered is to read the book.  I'm adding it to the wishlist immediately.

Fire & Flood is published on 25th February, 2014 with no news of a UK release presently.

Letterbox Love (#63)

As always, Letterbox Love is a weekly feature that I'm hosting on the blog and basically, the idea came out of a discussion with other UK book bloggers about the need to do a weekly meme with more of a British feel to it. Therefore, Letterbox Love was born and the logo was lovingly designed by Dark Readers. Letterbox Love is a way for us to share the books that come through our letterbox, galleys and e books (through our electronic letterbox) and any other bookish goodies that we want to tell you about. Letterbox Love is intended to showcase upcoming books and build up some excitement for them as well as let you know what is available out there. It is not about competing with other bloggers or boasting of any kind (c'mon, we're British and we don't do drama!)

Review Books

Teardrop by Lauren Kate

This is the new series from best selling author Lauren Kate.  I actually really like the look of the ARC and would be quite happy for it to stay like this for the final book as I think the final cover looks more like a Britney Spears perfume ad. Sorry. Having said that, I think the story sounds really intriguing and I'm excited to read this.

Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper

This is a YA historical fiction book featuring a native American Indian and his white friend.  I want to read it for the native American Indian element although I'm really hoping for a love story embedded in amongst everything but I'm not entirely sure that's what I'm going to get.  I want to give it a go anyway.  

The Secret of Abdu El Yezdi (Unsolicited)

 This is apparently book four in a series that I've never read and it's steampunk which doesn't really appeal to me.  One for the library methinks.

Omens by Kelley Armstrong (Unsolicited)

This is the first in a new series from Kelley Armstrong and this may come as a surprise to you but I've never read a book by this author.   I'm not sure but it sounds like an adult paranormal book and honestly speaking, I'm not entirely sure that I will pick it up and read it as I have a very large TBR pile!

Thank You Publishers!!!

Books Bought

I have not bought any physical books this week. 

EBooks

Ferryman by Claire McFall (Bought)
I've been meaning to read this book for a long time now as I love the premise and actually have an ARC of it sitting on the shelf which was gifted to me by a fellow blogger.  I WILL get round to this one but I just couldn't resist buying a digital copy in the kindle sale.

Dawn of Eden by Julie Kagawa (Bought)
I had no idea that Julie Kagawa had released a prequel to the Blood of Eden series and so I jumped on this one when I saw it. 

The Bone Dragon by Alexia Casale (Bought)
I remember being offered this one for review a while back but I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to read it.   Now I'm under no pressure and I can read it if and when I want to. This was another book in the kindle sale.

Stung by Bethany Wiggins (Bought)
I'm pretty sure I was also offered this book for review at one point too but for whatever reason, I didn't accept.  Again, this was in the kindle sale and I do think it has an interesting dystopian premise. 

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa (Bought)
I already have a hardback edition of this book but I couldn't resist a bargain in the kindle sale and as I haven't gotten round to reading this yet, now I can choose to read it in whatever format I like. 

Earth Girl by Janet Edwards (Bought)
I LOVE the premise of the this book and I can't believe I haven't read it yet!  It was also in the kindle sale and now I have a final version of the book which I'm going to try and move up the TBR pile as I'm really into sci fi/space stories at the moment. 


Can anyone tell that there was a kindle sale on?! Actually, I think I was quite restrained considering!  You may have noticed lately that my reviews are dwindling and this is not because I haven't read anything, in fact I have a back log of reviews that need to be written but my personal and professional life are quite frankly kicking my arse at the moment and so I'm on a sort of unofficial hiatus.  It cannot be helped I'm afraid, sometimes life gets in the way.   Regardless of this, I am hoping that you all had a great week for books and as always, please share your links below.