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2015 Book and Blog Resolutions

2015 Book/Blog Resolutions
 

Book Resolutions

1. Read 40 books (I'm going to University in September, so reading will be scarce.)
2. Read the 5th, 6th and 7th books of the Harry Potter Series
3. Start and finish at least 5 series (Duologies/Trilogies)
4. Read at least 10 Fantasy books
5. Read 2 Classic books
6. Adventure more into New Adult Fiction
7. Read more debut authors
8. Re-read books you need to


Blog Resolutions

1. Finish up series reviews
2. Try and review at least 30 books read in 2015
3. Take part in more blog tours
4. Update the blog (Index reviews)
5. Upload more posts about depression
 
 
These are the 12 steps I plan to achieve in 2015. What are your goals? Let me know in the comments.

Review: My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins

Title: My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories
Author: A Bunch of Various Authors
Genre: Christmas / Romance
Publisher: MacMillan's Children
Published: October 9th 2014
Page Number: 359
Rating: 3.75/5
 
Summary:
 
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me ...This beautiful collection features twelve gorgeously romantic stories set during the festive period, by some of the most talented and exciting YA authors writing today. The stories are filled with the magic of first love and the magic of the holidays.
 
 
 
 
Review:
 
Midnights by Rainbow Rowell - 5/5
 
I absolutely loved this short story by Rainbow Rowell which follows a girl called Mags over the period of 3 New Years parties. Each year is different and the ending is super cute. Rainbow Rowell really captured my attention and wrote great, flawed characters.
 
“You’re a kaleidoscope. You change every time I look away.”
 
 
The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link - 1/5

I just did not like this short story at all. The beginning was a little all over the place and the writing didn't do anything for me. Maybe having Rainbow Rowell start the collection was a really bad idea.


Angels in the Snow by Matt De La Pena - 5/5

I absolutely adored this short story. It was great with it following a guy named Shy because men do have slightly different thoughts to women. I also loved how it wasn't exactly a happy-ish ending. It was a mutual ending that fitted the story very well.

“The feeling it gave me was an odd combination of weightless self-pity and excitement. I understood my life was meaningless, and this knowledge freed me up to accomplish absolutely anything.”  


Polaris is where you'll find me by Jenny Han - 4/5

I was so surprised that I enjoyed this short story because it was about Elves. I don't have anything against Elves, but I didn't think it'd work, but it definitely did. The characters were great and very life like. The only negatives were the fact that Flynn could touch Natalie's cheek when she was standing up. Can Elves even reach that far? and the ending was so abrupt. But it was still super cute!

"When I think back on it, I realize it was the first time I ever got to introduce myself. I'd known everyone at the North Pole since I was a baby, and they all called me Natty, because that was what Santa called me. It was my first time being Natalie."


It's a Yuletide miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins - 4/5

I really did love this short story. Stephanie can create some of the best characters ever and she did with Marigold and North. I loved how witty and awkward and fresh they were. It was a little weird with the situation, but all I could while I read it was smile.

"Until tomorrow, Marigold Moon." And he kissed her one last time.


Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan - 0/5

I decided not to read this short story because the past two books I've read by David Levithan I've hated. Detested. That's not to say that you guys wouldn't like the story because it does sound interesting and it is about a gay couple.


Krampuslauf by Holly Black - 0/5

This short story by Holly Black didn't appeal to me at all. I wish it did, because I'm sure Holly Black has a great writing style, but when I think of Holly Black writing a book I think of Faeries and Vampires, not two humans falling in love.


What The Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth by Gayle Forman - 3.5/5

I really enjoyed this cute story. It was warm, fuzzy and super cute. I love Gayle Forman's writing and the characters Sophie and Russell were perfect together. I got butterflies in my stomach. I did take over an hour to read this because I haven't read anything is about 2 weeks.


Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McIntire - 4/5

AHHH! I loved this short story so much. I was expecting it to be a 2 or 3 star rating, but I absolutely fell in love with the characters and the story. Prankster and the priest's daughter as a pair? You'd never see it, but it was all about forgiving and family and it was the perfect read.


Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White - 3/5

I very much liked this story, but it was also a little generic and predictable. The girl felt like she "lost" her mother when she met Rick, but it turns out that they wanted better for her. I've read it over and over again, but I still enjoyed it.

“But people don't need to remember how it felt to be happy and safe in the past. They need to have hope that they can get there again in the future.”  


Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter - 4/5

I really really enjoyed this short story. I've heard a lot of mixed feelings about Ally's writing style, but I liked it. The characters were great, the writing was great and the whole premise was great. It was just a cute, quick read.

“I sang because that is what I do when I am happy and when I'm sad. I sang because it is who I am when I am being the best possible version of me.”  


The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor - 3/5

This story was definitely a little different, but the writing was so unique, beautiful. I enjoyed the characters a lot and it ended up as a well done Christmas Day read (It's near 1am here on the 25th).

“She wanted to be free, and if she could never be free, at least she wanted to be brave - brave enough not to sell herself, no matter what the payment, or the cost of refusing.”  
 
 
 
 
If you could pick any of your favourite authors to appear in a book like this, who would you choose and why? (pick no more than eight)

Ps, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

 
 
 

Release Blitz: Wicked by Jennifer L Armentrout

Wicked RWB Banner

 

We are over the moon excited to bring you the Release Day Launch for Jennifer L. Armentrout's WICKED! WICKED is a New Adult Paranormal Romance and the first book in Jennifer’s Wicked Trilogy!


  Wicked

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iBooks ** Kobo

WICKED Synopsis:

Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans. Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart. Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her. But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.

A picture of a fresh cupcak placed on a sensual female butt

Excerpt:
 
It was him. Green Eyes. Ren. That was his name. Now I remembered. I started to step forward, but he beat me to it. Moving as quickly as a damn snake striking, he caught my wrists. He didn’t yank my arms to my sides. All he did was hold my fists away from his face.
A lopsided grin appeared on those full lips. “Can’t say I’m entirely surprised you took a swing at me.”
“Then I guess this won’t surprise you either.” Leaning back, I shifted my weight onto my left leg, but again, Ren outmaneuvered me with a quickness that was sort of embarrassing.
He stepped into what would’ve been a fantastic kick and forced me back against the wall. Then there was nowhere to go, no space whatsoever. My back was against the building, and the entire length of his hard body was pressed against mine.
Son of a bitch.
As if he could read my mind, that grin spread and the dimples played peekaboo. “Now I think we can have a conversation without me ending up bloody.”
I blew out an aggravated breath. “I wouldn’t bet on that not happening.”
He chuckled, and the sound rumbled through me. I couldn’t even remember being this close to a guy since . . . since Shaun. “Look, I’m sorry for snatching you off the street like a kidnapper, but you were about to make yet another huge mistake.”
His apology was lost on me. “Make another mistake?”
“Yeah, like the one last night that ended with you getting shot.” He dipped his chin, and the yellow glow of the light attached to the wall above us glanced off his broad cheekbones. “I know what you were about to do.”
“I didn’t make a mistake last night. I was doing my job,” I spat. “And I doubt your job includes grabbing chicks off the street.”
“That would be a hell of a lot more entertaining, but the moment you thought you could engage that fae last night, you made a mistake. And you were about to do it again, you little ass.”
“Little ass?” I sputtered. “You grabbed me off the street like a serial killer!”
“And I’ve apologized for that even though you should be thanking me. I just saved your life, sweetness.”
Floored, all I could do was stare at him for a moment. “You’re insane.”
“I’m a lot of things, but today I’m your fucking saving grace.”
black and white closeup of woman end man kissing  

Author Photo
About Jennifer L. Armentrout: # 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Novel Goodreads ** Author Goodreads

 

New Adult Recommendations

New Adult was never really a huge genre before, but now it's one of the biggest and most loved. I started reading New Adult after I found Erotica (50 shades) to be too much sex for me. I wanted something sexy, but fun, with great storylines as well. So here are 5 of my favourite New Adult books.
 
 
 
 
After by Anna Todd - Anna Todd became famous after 'After' become one of Wattpad's most read books. It may have been a 1D Fan Fiction originally, but everyone fell in love with it. I haven't read the published version, but I have read the Wattpad version. It was good.
 
Breathe by Abbi Glines - This is a big series, so you may want to make sure you have a lot of time on hand to read these. Not only is there the Sea Breeze series, but there's also the Rosemary Beach, and the Too Far series. That is a lot of sexy New Adult.
 
Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire - Jamie is one of my favourites. Her books are so addictive with incredible characters and a lot of drama. The relationship in Beautiful Disaster is a little intense, but Travis 'Mad-Dog' Maddox is sexy-as-sin and so are his brothers.
 
Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover - Colleen Hoover is the Queen of New Adult. There isn't one book I've read by her that I haven't loved, and what makes Maybe Someday the perfect New Adult is that it's more up-beat and comes with a side track. Also, Maybe Not was recently released, so it's definitely the right time to read it!
 
Slammed by Colleen Hoover - Like I said, QUEEN! Slammed is even better than Maybe Someday. It's filled with three beautiful, intense, heart-breaking storylines. And it's also got incredible slam poetry. Everything about this book was beautiful and I guess it's why she's been quotes as the 'female version of Nicholas Sparks'
 
 
What are some of your favourite New Adult books?

Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass

Title: The Elite
Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: Dystopia
Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: April 23rd 2013
Page Number: 326
Rating: 3/5

Summary:

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

Review:

To say I loved The Selection would be an understatement. I fell completely head over heels in love with it, not just the writing but the premise and the characters. Everyone was easily recognisable and courageous and that just isn't seen in Young Adult Dystopia.

However, this book fell short.

The storyline flowed nicely, but slowly and I'm not entirely sure if I loved it or not. It fitted in some scenes, but in others, I felt that it needed to be quicker. Not only that, I felt like the stubborn America had gone and been replaced by a hormone infested 14 year old, who wanted every guy she saw in her sights.

Maxon.
Aspen.
No, Maxon.
I need Aspen.
But Maxon makes me feel things.
I still love Aspen.
Wait! WAIT! It's Maxon...no. Aspen.
Shit! Who do I pick?!

I just couldn't keep up with her and her decisions. I understand that Maxon had to talk to the other girls because that is part of the show, America knows that, but it's like she only wanted him to spend time with her, while also spending alone time with Aspen. I also weren't fussed on that ending.

I had my predictions for the people who you can't trust and luckily for me I was completely right. I will say it's the quiet ones you've got to look out for.

Overall, I wasn't exactly satisfied with the book, but it was still great seeing the great characters being brought back onto the page.

Gift Ideas: What to buy your friends who love to read


So, the most normal and cliché gift to get your friends who love reading would be a book, but buying a book comes with a lot of stress.

1) What if they already own the book?
2) What if they've already read the book?
3) What if it's not their Genre?
4) What if they dislike the author?

Stress. Stress. Stress. Stress.

S T R E S S !

So here are 5 bookish gifts that your reading friends will love.


1. A Gift card -  It may be small and simple, but at least they get to pick the books they actually want. Plus, who doesn't love a gift card? I would suggest Amazon Gift cards, B&N Gift cards, WHSmith Gift Cards and Waterstones Gift cards.



2. Bookmarks - Another simple gift. All you have to do is choose a design that your friend/family member would like and then wrap them up. Plus, we all know that booknerds love super cute book marks that befriends our pages. I'd recommend you look at the ones designed and made by craftedvan on Etsy.



3. Bookish Art - These are a little more pricey, but they look amazing. What way to show off their love of a book then having their favourite quote hanging beautifully on their wall.



4. A book scented Candle - This is a weird gift, but it's also very thoughtful. Is book sniffers need to satisfy our needs and with this one, all you'd need to do is place it up to your nose and enjoy!



5. DVD's - Uh, DVD's. You sure? Yes, I am one hundred percent sure. 2014 was a great year for Books to movies/TV shows. The Fault in Our Stars came out, so did Divergent. But then there's also If I Stay and The Maze Runner releases this month. Also Amazon has a great deal on where both Hunger Games movies are £10. TV show wise, I'd recommend The 100, which became a huge hit and also Season 1 of Under the Dome (S2 was terrible)



I hope I've somewhat given you a few ideas on what to get and if you've already bought your book loving friends something, maybe this will help for next year.

Book Tag | Let it Snow

As it's December 1st I have decided that we need to kick the month off with a Christmas book tag. Let it Snow was the perfect one, and it was so quick and easy to write up. Anyway, I hope y'all have an amazing Christmas and I'll see you in 2015 (this is not my last post, lol).


1. What book gets you in the holiday spirit?
I've picked My True Love Gave to Me because it's a bunch of Christmas short stories and that'll get you into to Christmassy mood. Also, despite not having read it, I have won a copy of the book from Goodreads (MyKindaBooks) and I'm excited to start it!







2. It's a blizzard outside and you're snowed in, which character would you want to be stuck inside with?

I've chosen a character that no one else is going to pick: Mara Dyer from The Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin. She's in no way a trust worthy character because she's insane, but I just absolutely love her. She's a quirky character who's completely likeable.






3. You're having a snow fight, which cold hearted character would you aim for first?
He's not a horrible character, but this character got on my nerves so so much. I wanted to punch him whenever he appeared and that's not how I should feel about a character, especially one that was a side character. Aspen may be a guard, but he's so childish. It's a pity he wasn't shot!







4. Which family would you like to spend the holidays with?

Easy. I'd want to spend the holidays at The London Institute with Charlotte Branwell and everyone else. Despite not being a real family by blood, they acted like one and everyone was welcome. Plus I happen to love the 19th century. The clothes, the mannerisms, everything! Also, I want to meet Sophie and Gideon and see them get married.





5. Who would you want to kiss under the mistletoe?

Jase from My Life Next Door. He's my ultimate book boyfriend, so it seems right for me and him to kiss under the Mistletoe. However, if he's not the best kisser than I have a few guys on standby. *Starts counting down on fingers* Ridge from Maybe Someday, Adam from Where She Went and Will from Slammed.





6. Which character was on the Naughty list, but made his/her way on to the nice list?

Warren from Maybe Not (Maybe Someday #1.5) He's always been a great character, but Maybe Not showed a whole new side to him. He was sexy and masculine, almost an alpha male. He just gave me all the good reasons for me to love him......and man does he have patience.






7. You're HOME ALONE, when two burglars come into your house. Which character would you want to help fight them off?

Since I'm not like any of the boys from Home Alone, I will definitely need help in fighting them off. I'd have Tris from Divergent because she is fearless. She's kick ass and even though she's not the most happy of characters, she could shank a bitch if need be. DAUNTLESS FOREVER!




8. The Hallmark channel is having a holiday movie marathon, what book has the cheesiest cover?

Every cover of The Lux Series by Jennifer L Armentrout. These are going to be the UK editions and I just.....msbojsbdkjfnsdjkbjks. They're so cheesy, but I will say this: There is nothing wrong with cheese. Especially Hallmark cheese.

Hallmark film recommendation: A Christmas Kiss, Let it Snow and Where Calls the Heart (It's a TV series, but it's soo good!)


9. Spread the holiday love, who do you tag?

*Grabs mic and sings* And you and you and you!