I first read If I Stay by Gayle Forman in 2010. I can still say that it was an emotional read. It has a great love story, a tragic tale and the love of music all rolled into one. I saw the movie on opening day, August 22, 2014 and even though it wasn't like the novel (what movie is), it was still awesome to see it come to life on the big screen. I definitely recommend reading the novel and watching the movie, in that order.
I received this ARC of Before You by Amber Hart from Kensington Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this ARC of Fight For You by Magan Vernon through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
After The End by Amy Plum is about a girl who lives in a small community in Alaska. After Juneau’s clan disappears, it’s up to her to find out what happened to them. Once she leaves the place she’s called home for all her life, she finds out that what she thought was real was just one big lie. After reading Amy Plum’s Revenants series I was looking forward to reading After The End. The first few chapters hooked me right away. It was something different and interesting. As I read further I couldn’t really get into it; it felt off somehow. The relationship/romance aspect was lacking and I couldn’t really feel their chemistry. Their affection for each other came out in weird places. The way the events were unfolding was a little off, almost like there was missing information. It had a good premise but somehow it lacked excitement. I give After The End 3 out of 5 stars. Abbi Glines is an author worth taking a look at. I've read almost all of her released books and will continue to read anything she writes. She recently blogged some news that I'd like to share. You can read it below.
My series and the reading order Rosemary Beach series #1 Fallen Too Far (Rush Finlay) Fallen Too Far: A Rosemary Beach Novel (The Rosemary Beach Series) #2 Never Too Far (Rush Finlay) Never Too Far: A Rosemary Beach Novel (The Rosemary Beach Series) #3 Forever Too Far (Rush Finlay) Forever Too Far: A Rosemary Beach Novel (The Rosemary Beach Series) #4 Rush Too Far (Rush Finlay) Rush Too Far: A Rosemary Beach Novel (The Rosemary Beach Series) #5 Twisted Perfection (Woods Kerrington) Twisted Perfection: A Rosemary Beach Novel (The Rosemary Beach Series) #6 Simple Perfection (Woods Kerrington) Simple Perfection: A Rosemary Beach Novel (The Rosemary Beach Series) #7 Take A Chance (Grant Carter)Take a Chance: A Rosemary Beach Novel (The Rosemary Beach Series) #8 One More Chance (Grant Carter) RELEASES September 2, 2014 One More Chance: A Rosemary Beach Novel (The Rosemary Beach Series) #9 You Were Mine (Tripp Montgomery Newark) RELEASES December 2, 2014 You Were Mine: A Rosemary Beach Novel(The Rosemary Beach Series) Sea Breeze series #1 Breathe (Jax Stone) – this is a young adult book. It is a much “cleaner” read than my other books.Breathe (Sea Breeze) #2 Because of Low (Marcus Hardy) Because of Low (Sea Breeze) #3 While It Lasts (Cage York) While It Lasts (Sea Breeze) #4 Just For Now (Preston Drake)Just For Now (Sea Breeze) #5 Sometimes It Lasts (Cage York #2) Sometimes It Lasts (Sea Breeze) #6 Misbehaving (Jason Stone) Misbehaving (Sea Breeze) #7 Bad For You (Krit Corbin) Bad for You (Sea Breeze) #8 Hold On Tight (Dewayne Falco) Hold On Tight (Sea Breeze) The Vincent Boys series #1 The Vincent Boys (Beau Vincent) The Vincent Boys #2 The Vincent Brothers (Sawyer Vincent) The Vincent Brothers #3 The Vincent Boys & The Vincent Brothers EXTENDED & UNCUT The Vincent Boys Extended and Uncut Collection: The Vincent Boys — Extended and Uncut; The Vincent Brothers — Extended and Uncut - THESE two versions have 10,000 more words each and are for mature readers. The scenes are explicit where as the originals are young adult books. Existence series #1 Existence Existence #2 Predestined Predestined (Existence #2) #2.5 Leif Leif (Existence #2.5) #3 Ceaseless Ceaseless (Existence #3) Those of you who have read Rosemary Beach as I released each book know that the original reading order was Fallen, Never, Twisted, Forever, then Simple. However, since Rush Too Far’s release I needed to change it for new readers. Rush Too Far will be enjoyed more if new readers read it with the other Too Far books. Then they can start the Perfection books.
I will be announcing the title for the last Sea Breeze book on June 30. I will also have a little surprise involved with that book. Rosemary Beach will have two books for Mase releasing in 2015. After that the future of Rosemary Beach is still undecided. I love the characters and I hope to continue the series through several more books. FOR NEW READERS: the Sea Breeze books do not have to be read in order. They are each stand alone books for different couples with the exception of While It Lasts and Sometimes It Lasts. Those two books need to be read in that order. Following along in order is fun if you want to meet the characters of each book before their story is told but it isn’t necessary. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is about a teenage girl, Hazel, who has cancer and attends support meetings with other teenagers who share similar stories. One day she meets Augustus, who is in remission. They share a connection that links their lives together. I was curious to read this novel because on one hand it was being praised so highly, and on the other hand, the realism of the characters was being judged. To top it off, a movie was being released. I’m always a sucker for books that are adapted as movies. As soon as I saw a trailer, I ran to get my hands on the book. Right before the movie came out I finished reading The Fault in Our Stars. The characters were witty and their humor was dark, but I found it hilarious. Of course their teenagers, and teenagers don’t normally act or discuss things like these two characters, but they are fictitious. Their lives call for them to have matured sooner than your average teen. I loved the novel and had high hopes for the film. It’s been almost two weeks ago since I’ve seen it, which gave me enough time to get my emotions in check. I came out of that theater with my eyes red and swollen. Even though the movie adaptation was not completely like the novel I was extremely happy with it. I give The Fault in Our Stars novel and movie 5 out of 5 stars.
Every year, Harlequin's More Than Words award is given to three real-life heroines, women whose courage and vision have helped change people's lives for the better. Once again, three bestselling Harlequin authors have written stories inspired by these remarkable women.
In You Are Here, sixteen-year-old Jennifer Whitman wishes she could just disappear. After her father's death, her family lost everything, including their home and comfortable way of life. With the help of a local charity, they've relocated to downtown Phoenix. But Jenn has unfinished business back in Paradise Valley. Sixty-six days ago, Jenn fell in love with seventeen-year-old cowboy William Finnigan…and then he shattered her heart. She's been avoiding him ever since. But if Jenn wants to reclaim her beloved horse, she'll have to stop running. Jenn needs to face Finn one last time so she can put her past behind her and truly start over. Look for all three ebooks inspired by real-life heroines: Red at Night by Katie McGarry, You Are Here by Liz Fichera and The Gift of a Good Start by Earl Sewell. Visit the Harlequin More Than Words website, at www.HarlequinMoreThanWords.com, or your favorite ebook retailer to download these free novellas today. I received this ARC of Legal Affairs – Confessions of a Litigation God from Big Dog Books, LLC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sydney finds the two people who she trusts the most are the ones that betray that trust. Once she finds that her boyfriend is cheating with her roommate/best friend, she finds herself with no place to go and finds help in an unlikely person, her neighbor Ridge. Ridge is an extremely talented musician but is having a case of writer’s bloke. When he lends out a helping hand to Sydney, he finds that she can help him with his problem. They build a friendship that grows as their musical interactions increase and their chemistry sizzles. The only problem is that Ridge is in a very series relationship that starts to be compromised the closer he gets to Sydney. From the minute I picked up Maybe Someday, I couldn't stop reading it. The story captivated me, and with each page, I learned things that changed how I was viewing the story all together. I even lost sleep because I couldn't wait to devour the pages, but at the same time, I didn't want it to end. I loved all the characters in this novel. I felt myself liking Sydney no matter what bad decisions she made. Ridge was just an amazing character all around and I loved him for his honesty and “faithfulness”. I went through the motions with them and felt how real their connection was. The supporting characters had flaws that made them not seem fictional, but real. The only slight negative that I found was with Ridge’s girlfriend, I didn’t really feel that she was a very likable character than I believe she was meant to be. Regardless, with her it wouldn’t have been the same. One other aspect of the novel that was so original and cool and blew me away was the ability to hear the songs that Sydney and Ridge were creating. I loved being able to listen to the songs while I was reading the lyrics, it added an extra connection to the characters and story. Griffin Peterson did an amazing job with all the songs. Colleen Hoover wrote an amazingly gripping story that I absolutely loved. Wow, just Wow! I give Maybe Someday 5 out of 5 stars. Some Like It Wild is the second book in A Wild Ones Series by M. Leighton. Wild Child happened to be included in the Some Like It Wild novel and is a novella of characters from the First book in the Series.
I've read six of Jennifer Echols books and wanted to recommend two that I really liked. Forget You and Going Too Far are two of my favorite young adult romance novels to this day. The characters stayed with me long after I finished reading. Jennifer Echols is one author that I frequently check out to see if she has any new releases. Check her out!
So after I posted the Perfect Chemistry recommendation I thought to myself, I can't leave out Leaving Paradise, which is also by Simone Elkeles. These two novels are captivating, heartbreaking and sweet. Caleb and Maggie will stay with you even after you finish reading their story.
Shattered Promises is about a girl who has lived numb without emotions. One day she starts to feel and with it comes changes to her life that she would never have imagined. I’ve read a couple books by Jessica Sorensen and enjoyed them. I wish I could say the same about Shattered Promises. I don’t know if it’s because this novel is a Paranormal Romance and it didn’t really capture my attention like her New Adult genre or because my reading interests have changed. Sorensen’s storyline just felt off and her characters didn’t appeal to me. I struggled to read through it and finish the book but I didn’t give it a one star review because some scenes had redeeming qualities. I give Shattered Promises 2 out of 5 stars.
Following my last post, I wanted to recommend a series that has some characters that are definitely not the norm. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles is one of my favorite young adult series. The Fuentes brothers are sure to make you laugh, cry, seeing red but ultimately capture your heart. These books are addictive, so get ready.
I recently joined Liz Fichera's YA Revolution Crew and wanted to spread the word. I believe it's important to promote novels that include characters that aren't the norm. Check out what Fichera has to say and if you agree, join The Crew. Read Hooked, which is a perfect example of the awareness she is trying to spread. Become part of the revolution! Join The Crew! Publishing a novel and spreading the word is a daunting task for any author. It becomes even more difficult when you're an author like me who likes to write (and read!) stories with diverse characters. Unfortunately, in young adult literature today, the percentage of diverse characters--at least as main characters and not just as trusty sidekicks--is very small across all underrepresented groups. I'm doing my part to change that with the help of a lot of people who feel the same way. I'm always on the lookout worldwide for readers, bloggers, librarians, teachers, mothers, fathers, teens and even tweens with the passion and hunger for diverse stories and who'll join me in spreading the word on their social media sites, book clubs, classrooms, even at their kitchen tables when they talk with their families and friends about books that matter and pack an emotional punch. Each month, I feature middle-grade and young adult books with characters from underrepresented groups on my blog in a post called The YA Revolution Spotlight. Many of these books you've probably never heard of and that's a shame. Many of the books featured in the monthly spotlight come recommended by readers who are part of The Crew. Indies and traditionally published authors and books welcome! Do you have a hunger to read and discuss books in children's literature with diverse characters? Interested in joining me on this quest? Please email me for details and get involved! |
AVID READSMartha C. ZavalaI devour books in days and dabble at being a writer. Archives
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