Friday, December 29, 2017

All-New Guardians of the Galaxy (#1-5) by Gerry Duggan

All-New Guardians of the Galaxy (#1-5) by Gerry Duggan, Aaron Kuder (Illustrator)
Synopsis (via Goodreads): A NEW ERA OF COSMIC ADVENTURE BEGINS HERE! The Guardians of the Galaxy have taken off into space once more, on their biggest and weirdest misadventures yet! Kicking things off with the biggest heist they've ever tried, we join Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon and company as they blast their way through the galaxy, the peacekeepers of the Nova Corps hot on their tails.

๐‘‹

This is one of the first comics we picked up from our Local Comic Shop (LCS). We thought our son might like having it read to him, but he seemed disinterested. Totally not his fault, though. It would be hard for a three-year old (almost four) to follow. However, my husband and I really enjoy it! The movies are good, but you get so much more from a reoccurring comic. There's a lot of history and depth to the different characters.

Before reading this comic, I didn't know much about The Guardians of the Galaxy outside of what I had seen in the movies. I am slowly learning new things about each of them and it's fascinating! Did you know Drax is a pacifist now (or at least trying to be)? Gamora has been angry-killing her foes and seems to know something no one else does (her dreams have been wickedly weird). Rocket's history has always been a mystery to me. I know they touch on the subject during the movies, but what the hell happened to him and why? Star-Lord is as zany and obnoxious as ever (Chris Pratt was absolutely perfect for this). Groot is a tiny little thing that isn't behaving the way he should, and now everyone is starting to worry. We see what is happening, and I don't think anything good is going to come of it.

Did I forget anyone? Oh! There's a new-ish member to the team, but I'm not entirely sure what their role is going to be. Their problems seem to follow them even through time and space.

If you enjoyed the movies, I really think you'll like the comic. If you haven't seen the movies, still try the comic, haha. It's a great one to begin with, or even to add to your current collection.

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Borderline (The Arcadia Project, #1) by Mishell Baker

Narrated by Arden Hammersmith
Synopsis (via Goodreads): A year ago, Millie lost her legs and her filmmaking career in a failed suicide attempt. Just when she's sure the credits have rolled on her life story, she gets a second chance with the Arcadia Project: a secret organization that polices the traffic to and from a parallel reality filled with creatures straight out of myth and fairy tales.

For her first assignment, Millie is tasked with tracking down a missing movie star who also happens to be a nobleman of the Seelie Court. To find him, she'll have to smooth-talk Hollywood power players and uncover the surreal and sometimes terrifying truth behind the glamour of Tinseltown. But stronger forces than just her inner demons are sabotaging her progress, and if she fails to unravel the conspiracy behind the noble's disappearance, not only will she be out on the streets, but the shattering of a centuries-old peace could spark an all-out war between worlds. 


“Even if what you said was true, that only makes it worse. Truth should be left in wrapped boxes for people to open when they’re ready. When it’s used as a blade, they vacuum-seal the pain somewhere deep inside, sealing the truth in with it, until it’s time to turn it inside out and cut someone else.”
I started reading this book because I loved the cover and the synopsis, but it really fell flat for me. I didn't get attached to a single character, not even Millie, and felt disconnected from the overall story. People would get hurt or die, and I would just keep reading without feeling much of anything for them. I would be sad that something bad had happened, but I felt like a stranger.

I did enjoy all of the information on Borderline Personality Disorder. It wasn't something I was familiar with, and I'm a big fan of learning new things. Millie sort of narrates her thoughts as a person with BPD. For example, she's having an argument with someone and knows she should apologize and feel compassionate, but her response is angry and self-preserving. It's hard to explain without going deeper into the disorder itself. I will say this book engaged me enough to make me want to research BPD on my own.

I think this story had the potential to be more than it was, but it just wasn't for me. If I hadn't found her condition so interesting, I doubt I would have continued reading the book.

*highlight to view spoiler» The faeries in this story are vapid and uninteresting. I wish the author had explored Arcadia and maybe combined the two worlds, but the fae we see are obnoxious and boring. 

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Stacking the Shelves [3]

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews. This meme is for sharing all the books you’ve added to your shelves throughout the week.

I added quite a few books to my ever-growing list this week! Bonus: They were all free (e-book) downloads from Amazon! I was definitely in the right place at the right time. ๐Ÿ˜

A Beautiful Lie (Playing with Fire #1) by T.E. Sivec (Tara Sivec)
A Perfect Holiday Fling (Moments in Maplesville #1) by Farrah Rochon
Rock Addiction (Rock Kiss #1) by Nalini Singh
Finding Cinderella (Hopeless #2.5) by Colleen Hoover
Flow (Grip 0.5) by Kennedy Ryan
Neanderthal Seeks Human (Knitting in the City #1) by Penny Reid
Kiss the Sky (Calloway Sisters #1) by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie
Beloved (Salvation #1) by Corinne Michaels
Truth or Beard (Winston Brothers #1) by Penny Reid
This Regret by Victoria Ashley
Soaring by K.K. Allen

Did you get anything good this week? Let me know!

Friday, December 22, 2017

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

Narrated by Bahni Turpin
Synopsis (via Goodreads): Love hurts...

Makani Young thought she'd left her dark past behind her in Hawaii, settling in with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska. She's found new friends and has even started to fall for mysterious outsider Ollie Larsson. But her past isn't far behind.

Then, one by one, the students of Osborne Hugh begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasingly grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and her feelings for Ollie intensify, Makani is forced to confront her own dark secrets. 
“I guess you never really know what’s going on inside someone else’s head.”
I kept seeing this book everywhere. I wasn't initially intrigued because I had a hard time associating the author of Anna and the French Kiss with a murder mystery. I'm glad I ignored that part of my brain and decided to read this. It was gruesome, more so than I had originally thought it would be, and there were plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing. I love it when I'm unable to figure out a book before it's conclusion.

I was expecting to learn who the perpetrator was at the end, but Stephanie Perkins surprised me by identifying them in the middle. Their motives were still unknown, and it made the idea even scarier than before. Is it worse not knowing the face of the murderer, or to have known them all your life? Which would you find more disturbing?

I would also like to point out that the adults in this book, with the exception of Makani's grandmother and Ollie's brother, were infuriating. If there is someone in your town, or even close by for that matter, murdering children/students, why in the hell would you ever leave your child alone? It doesn't make any sense. I would never risk leaving my children unattended in that situation, and honestly, I probably would have left town until the issue was resolved. I would not fly to Vegas for some adult time.

There's Someone Inside Your House didn't make me want to cry in a corner, but it did make me uncomfortable reading it alone at night. 

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Elite & Apex (Hunter, #2-3) by Mercedes Lackey

Narrated by Amy Landon
Synopsis (via Goodreads): Joy wants nothing more than to live and Hunt in Apex City without a target on her back. But a dangerous new mission assigned by her uncle, the city's Prefect, may make that impossible.

In addition to her new duties as one of the Elite, Joy is covertly running patrols in the abandoned tunnels and storm sewers under Apex Central. With her large pack of magical hounds, she can fight the monsters breaking through the barriers with the strength of three hunters. Her new assignment takes a dark turn when she finds a body in the sewers: a Psimon with no apparent injury or cause of death.

Reporting the incident makes Joy the uncomfortable object of PsiCorp's scrutiny—the organization appears more interested in keeping her quiet than investigating. With her old enemy Ace still active in Hunts and the appearance of a Folk Mage who seems to have a particular interest in her, Joy realizes that the Apex conspiracy she uncovered before her Elite trials is anything but gone.

As the body count rises, she has no choice but to seek answers. Joy dives into the mysterious bowels of the city, uncovering secrets with far-reaching consequences for PsiCorp... and all of Apex City. 
“Learn the wisdom of the Hound. Always rest, eat, and play when you can, because the universe conspires to keep you from doing any of these things nearly as often as you would like.”
I was so excited to continue this series! At the start, the thorough descriptions of creatures and places seemed a little redundant. I had already become familiar with most of them after reading the first book. However, I do realize this extra information would have been nice had I waited a year or more to read the next one.

The attacks on Apex are becoming more and more frequent, and there are too few Hunter's to handle the overwhelming forces of the Othersiders. They also seem more organized and driven, so their attempts to break the barriers are more effective. The Folk play a larger role in the second book, and I really liked learning more about them. They are essentially faeries, but with their own twist. Speaking of The Folk, *highlight to view spoiler» I knew it! My earlier prediction (mentioned in my review of the first book) was correct! He does play a larger role, and he seems to only have good intentions.

Narrated by Amy Landon
Synopsis (via Goodreads): Being a member of the Elite Hunter Command imperils Joy in more ways than one. In their latest clash with Othersiders, the army of monsters nearly wiped them out. Apex City is safe . . . for now. But within the city barriers, Joy must wage a different kind of war.

The corrupt and powerful PsiCorps is determined to usurp the Hunters as chief defenders of Apex City and Joy is now squarely in their crosshairs. Unused to playing political games, she has very few people she can truly trust—not even Josh, her first friend in Apex City, who broke up with her when it became too dangerous for a Psimon to be dating a Hunter.

Then Josh comes to Joy for help. He fears that Abigail Drift, the head of PsiCorps, will soon use him in her twisted experiments designed to empower PsiCorps and render Hunters superfluous—a scheme that’s already killed off dozens of Psimons. Joy manages to smuggle Josh to safety, but he cannot evade Drift forever . . .

As Joy faces ever more powerful Othersiders, she is helped by the most surprising ally imaginable—the same Folk Mage she once met in battle on the train to Apex City. But can Joy trust the most cunning and treacherous of all Othersiders?

๐‘‹

I really fell in love with this story and the characters. They are all very unique and it's set in a world similar to our own. I also enjoyed the familiarity of the lore and mythology, and their intricate explanations were captivating. I recognized most of them, but others (like Knockers) were new to me.

The magical elements were a nice addition to the story. Opening portals and having Hounds aid people in battle was fascinating. The fact that those Hounds were also Otherworlders that could wield their own magic, only added to the excitement. Joy's relationship with her Hounds was beautiful and endearing. If my dogs could talk and breathe fire, I think life would be a lot more exciting.

The audiobooks are long, so I'm sure the books are hefty, but I would still recommend you get all of them at once. If you read the first one, you're not going to want to stop!

Monday, December 18, 2017

Generations (#1-10)

I haven't done a My Weekly Pull post in a few weeks--sorry about that! However, I have been reading a lot of different comic books. I really, really like that Marvel did a Generations series. It highlights some of the more popular heroes and the new generation they inspired.

My favorite two issues were Hawkeye and All-New Wolverine. The others were interesting and enjoyable, but I didn't feel as invested in those characters. That's the great thing about comics, though--there's something for everyone. If you're undecided on what comics to read, try a few of the Generations issues to see if anything intrigues you.

by Greg Pak, Matteo Buffagni (Illustrator) 

Generations: Phoenix & Jean Grey #1 (Generations #2) 
by Cullen Bunn, R.B. Silva (Illustrator),
Stephanie Hans (Illustrator) 

by Tom Taylor, Ramon Rosanas (Illustrator), Jorge Molina (Illustrator) 

by Jason Aaron, Mahmud Asrar (Illustrator) 

Generations: Hawkeye & Hawkeye #1 (Generations #5) 
by Kelly Thompson, Stefano Raffaele (Illustrator), Greg Smallwood (Illustrator) 

Generations: Iron Man & Ironheart #1 (Generations #6) 
by Brian Michael Bendis, Marco Rudy (Illustrator) 

by Margaret Stohl, David Nakayama (Illustrator), Brent Schoonover (Illustrator) 

by G. Willow Wilson, Paolo Villanelli (Illustrator), Nelson Blake II (Illustrator) 

by Brian Michael Bendis (Illustrator), Ramรณn Pรฉrez (Illustrator) 

Generations: Sam Wilson Captain America & Steve Rogers Captain America #1 (Generations #10) by Nick Spencer, Paul Renaud (Illustrator)

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Play & Lead (Stage Dive, #2-3) by Kylie Scott

Narrated by Andi Arndt

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Mal Ericson, drummer for the world famous rock band Stage Dive, needs to clean up his image fast—at least for a little while. Having a good girl on his arm should do the job just fine. Mal doesn't plan on this temporary fix becoming permanent, but he didn't count on finding the one right girl.

Anne Rollins never thought she'd ever meet the rock god who plastered her teenage bedroom walls—especially not under these circumstances. Anne has money problems. Big ones. But being paid to play the pretend girlfriend to a wild life-of-the-party drummer couldn't end well. No matter how hot he is. Or could it? 
“We’ve broken my bed,” I said, stating the obvious.
“In battle, sacrifices must be made, pumpkin.” 
This was another book that had thousands of quotes to choose from! Mal is hysterical, and Anne doesn't take any shit from him. “The first male to pee on me, however, would pay with his balls.”

I think I might have enjoyed Play even more than Lick, if that's possible. Mal and Anne have their problems, but they also have their individual demons to deal with. It was lovely watching the two of them learn to depend on each other, and finally connect emotionally. There was no judgment between them, just love and acceptance.

Also, Mal is a riot to read about! I really enjoyed his character in Lick, even though his appearances were brief. It was great to hear his story and learn more about him.



Narrated by Andi Arndt
Synopsis (via Goodreads): As the lead singer of Stage Dive, Jimmy is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, whether it's booze, drugs, or women. However, when a PR disaster serves as a wake-up call about his life and lands him in rehab, he finds himself with Lena, a new assistant to keep him out of trouble.

Lena's not willing to take any crap from the sexy rocker and is determined to keep their relationship completely professional, despite their sizzling chemistry. But when Jimmy pushes her too far and Lena leaves, he realizes that he may just have lost the best thing that ever happened to him. 
“Even with the head start, he was gaining fast. Given he liked jogging and I liked pie, this was to be expected.” 
The first two books made me really dislike Jimmy, so I was excited to see how he would be portrayed in Lead.

I don't know if I liked it more than Play, but it was another delicious read! I love how all of their stories are intertwined, so we still see familiar characters from the previous books. There's also no confusion, and Scott sets up their stories beautifully. I already have an idea what the last one will be about!

Lena was an awesome female character, and I love that she admitted to having feelings for Jimmy in the beginning. Both she and Jimmy were aware of her feelings, but they tried to make them go away instead of acting on them. It was sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. It was also an interesting spin for their story, and very different from the previous two books.

You learn a lot about Jimmy's childhood and the many obstacles he's had to overcome. Not all of his problems went away just because he became famous. If anything, they only made some of them worse. He's learning to deal with his addictions, and Lena plays a large role in that.

I am absolutely in love with this series and cannot wait to read the final book! 

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Where I Found You (Sea, #1) by Heidi R. Kling

Synopsis (via Goodreads): After her mother's plane went missing over the Indian Ocean, seventeen-year-old Sienna Jones gave up everything she loved about living in California. No more surfing. No more swimming. No more ocean, period. Playing it safe, hiding from the world, is the best call.

Until her dad throws down the challenge of a lifetime: spend the summer with his humanitarian team in Indonesia, working with orphans who lost everything in a massive tsunami.

The day they arrive, Sienna meets a mysterious boy named Deni, whose dark, intense eyes make her heart race. Their stolen nights force her to open up and live in a way she thought she couldn't anymore. When she’s with Deni, she remembers the girl she used to be… and starts to feel like the woman he sees in her.

A woman he wants for his own.

Gulp.

But when Deni’s past comes looking for him, Sienna’s faced with losing another person she loves. She can’t do it. Not again.

Fortunately, this time, she has a plan. 
"I wanted to tell him that you can meet someone and they can change your life forever, even if you have only known them for a short while, that when you leave, you’re a different person than before you met them…"
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Also, the quote I used may have changed or been altered in some way, but I am quoting from what I received.

I wish the book had been longer! I feel like a lot happens in too few pages. I would have enjoyed seeing more of the orphanage, or pesantren, and spent more time with the children there. The art and group therapy were interesting, and I would have liked for it to have been expanded on. It was eye-opening listening to them recall their memories of the tsunami, and seeing how far they had come after such a traumatic experience.

It's a sweet story with a whirlwind romance. I wouldn't really call what they had an insta-love, it was more like an insta-attraction. I like that Sienna wasn't afraid to act on her feelings, and that she trusted herself and Deni. Their feelings did grow rapidly, but don't all new relationships start off that way? They were both in a unique situation, and they never forgot that their time together was temporary. They wanted to enjoy what they had and live in the moment.

Deni is still a mystery to me. His entire life before Sienna and the tsunami is still unknown, and something else I wanted to know more about. I also felt like the information about her friends at home, Bev and Spider, was limited. I had hoped to learn a little more about them, too.

Oh, and Bapak? Deni made a lot of serious accusations against him that were never investigated. I feel like someone should have either verified his claims, or at least looked into them. I really love the story and the concept for this book, I just wish there had been more

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Hunter (Hunter, #1) by Mercedes Lackey

Narrated by Amy Landon
Synopsis (via Goodreads): They came after the Diseray. Some were terrors ripped from our collective imaginations, remnants of every mythology across the world. And some were like nothing anyone had ever dreamed up, even in their worst nightmares.

Monsters.

Long ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were ripped open, and it’s taken centuries to bring back civilization in the wake of the catastrophe. Now, the luckiest Cits live in enclosed communities, behind walls that keep them safe from the hideous creatures fighting to break through. Others are not so lucky.

To Joyeaux Charmand, who has been a Hunter in her tight-knit mountain community since she was a child, every Cit without magic deserves her protection from dangerous Othersiders. Then she is called to Apex City, where the best Hunters are kept to protect the most important people.

Joy soon realizes that the city’s powerful leaders care more about luring Cits into a false sense of security than protecting them. More and more monsters are getting through the barriers, and the close calls are becoming too frequent to ignore. Yet the Cits have no sense of how much danger they’re in—to them, Joy and her corps of fellow Hunters are just action stars they watch on TV.

When an act of sabotage against Joy takes an unbearable toll, she uncovers a terrifying conspiracy in the city. There is something much worse than the usual monsters infiltrating Apex. And it may be too late to stop them… 
“If you don’t look after your fellow man, if you think that what you want is always more important than what anyone else wants or needs, you’re not human, and that’s that.”
There were other quotes I really liked from this book, but since it was an audiobook I couldn't dog-ear the pages. I can usually find quotes on Goodreads, but there were only three. I really want a physical copy of this book, so I might be able to add more eventually.

Short version: I cannot stop thinking about this book! Joyeaux and her story have stayed with me for days. I was deeply saddened when I went to downloaded the next audiobook and there were none available. I've placed a hold, but that could take up to three weeks. 

I love the world Mercedes Lackey has created. There is so much amazing detail and world-building. She manages to tie in different mythologies and religious practices, magic and the otherworld. If you're not a huge fan of lengthy descriptions, you might say this book has a lot of "info-dumping," but I enjoyed it immensely. I was captivated by the story and was enthralled with the depictions of the creatures and scenery. The author paints a beautiful picture that easily played out in my head.

I have my theories about this book and Joy's multiple problems. I'm curious to find out if I'm right! *highlight to view spoiler» I think there are Hunter's working with the Folk and letting in more and more monsters. The one she ran into on the train said he wanted her to work for him, and that there were others. People, too. I want to know if the Folk are going to end up playing a larger role and helping Joyeaux in some way. 

I do wish we had been able to see what her life had been like on the mountain with the monks. She tells us all about it, but I would have really liked to experience that with her and not as a memory. It would have been an interesting perspective to see.

Now, I wait...

Edit 12-10-17: Elite became available at my library yesterday! It wasn't available when I wrote this post, and I am so very happy I do not have to wait three weeks for it. 

Friday, December 8, 2017

All-New Wolverine (#25-27) by Tom Taylor

All-New Wolverine (#25-27) by Tom Taylor, Juann Cabal (Illustrator), Terry Dodson (Illustrator)
Synopsis (via Goodreads): DAKEN has been kidnapped and it's up to WOLVERINE to find him. But when his trail brings her back to the FACILITY, the place that tortured and created her, what new horrors will LAURA find cooking there? And who, exactly, are the ORPHANS OF X?

๐‘‹

Yes! If you need a new comic to read, please grab this one! Laura (the all-new wolverine) made an appearance in my Hawkeye comic (Kate Bishop), and I really liked her character. I know it's not guaranteed that the cameo character and the actual comic will be the same, but it at least piqued my interest enough to make me go back and get the legacy issue and the two that came after it (so now I'm up-to-date). It did not disappoint! I actually took all of J's comics away until he read these three so we could talk about them, haha. He enjoyed them, too! Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) even made an appearance.

The Orphans of X story arc just started. They are people that have lost something to mutants, so obviously their goal in life is to destroy Laura and her "family". There's a magical sword, Old Wolverine is mentioned, and the living/leftover Wolverines appear to be their only targets. I don't know why they are going after the mutants that can regenerate and are nearly impossible to kill, but I'm sure it will be interesting. Oh, and let me just say that all Wolverines have a tragic, horrible beginning.

I think this is the first comic to make me feel afraid for the characters. It's a little more gruesome than the others I'm reading. They are Wolverines, so they heal and everything, but it's still awful to see.

Also, Daken's abs have abs. I know comics exaggerate a little, but I'm not complaining. ๐Ÿ˜

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West

Narrated by Shannon McManus
Synopsis (via Goodreads): When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship. 
“We rarely find a depth by looking inside of ourselves for it. Depth is found in what we can learn from the people and things around us. Everyone, everything, has a story, Gia. When you learn those stories, you learn experiences that fill you up, that expand your understanding. You add layers to your soul.”
After the first few minutes, I thought this book was going to be as empty as Gia's head. Her personality left a lot to be desired, and she was so vain. Again, this is a story that could have been avoided entirely if people just told the truth.

I liked that the main conflict was with Gia and her friends. Boys played a role, obviously, but it was minor compared to her friend and family issues. I enjoyed seeing how those played out, and I commend Gia on her patience. She didn't like conflict, and she showed a lot of restraint when people were clearly using her or lying to make her look bad.

The ending was not wrapped neatly and tied with a bow. There were loose ends and things left unsaid, uncertain and unknown. I will say that Gia made progress with her personality. She didn't seem as shallow, and appeared to really be making an effort. 

I didn't love or hate this book. It was a fluffy, light read that didn't require a lot of thinking or feeling on my part.

Monday, December 4, 2017

Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy, #1) by Ilona Andrews

Narrated by Renee Raudman
Synopsis (via Goodreads): Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

“One school of thought says that the best way to handle an issue like this is exposure therapy," Mad Rogan said. "For example, if you're terrified of snakes, repeated handling of them will cure it."

Aha. "I'm not handling your snake.”
This entire review could easily just be quotes from the book. I had so many favorites! Like, “If you’re really hard up, I can introduce you to my grandmother. She’s a fan.” Adam blinked. “She doesn’t typically sleep with pretty young things, but she would make an exception in your case. You might even learn a trick or two."

There are many others, but I'll let you read the book and discover them for yourselves--definitely worth it! I always mark the pages that have meaningful moments, or quotes that I want to go back to, and this would have been filled with bookmarks and post-it notes if it hadn't been an audiobook.

I will say this about Nevada... the girl has way too much self-control. Seriously. If I was being *highlight to view spoiler» magically touched in a very good way, I would seriously consider letting the world burn. 

But that didn't happen. Nevada is sensible and likes to be in control. She's proud of what she has accomplished, and she wants to remain as independent as possible. I can respect that. I will also admit that she has actual, decent reasons for not immediately having sexy times, but I still wish she had acted on more of her impulses and desires.

While I may have wanted more romantic scenes, this book wasn't lacking in action or humor. I smiled and laughed the entire time. It could have been just a small quip from Nevada, or Rogan asking an intentionally devious question--I loved it all!

I've been promised less self-control in book two, so my fingers are crossed!

Saturday, December 2, 2017

Stacking the Shelves [2]

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews. This meme is for sharing all the books you’ve added to your shelves throughout the week.

The family and I have been ridiculously sick since Thanksgiving. I'll spare you the gory details. ๐Ÿ˜ฐ I'm just lucky my husband was off and able to watch the kiddos (who were also sick). In sickness and in health, right? I still feel miserable. I wasn't able to eat for over 48 hours. I couldn't even keep water down. WATER. Anyways...
 
Amazon:

The Winter King by C.L. Wilson
The Sea King by C.L. Wilson
King by T.M. Frazier

Library Basement (BookCellar):
 
On the Hunt by Gena Showalter, Shannon K. Butcher, Jessica Andersen, Deidre Knight
Immortally Ever After by Angie Fox
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

#TBTBSanta ( @eli2squared )
Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong
Seven Black Diamonds by Melissa Marr
Uprooted by Naomi Novik

NetGalley:
Where I Found You by Heidi R. Kling

I'm so excited about my #TBTBSanta books! Thank you Eli! I'm so happy you included one of your favorites, too. I love the synopsis!

I was really surprised when I received a random copy of Where I Found You on NetGalley! ๐Ÿ’• I added it to my Wish List and just got incredibly lucky! Whoo!

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road, #1) by Katie McGarry

Narrated by 
Marguerite Gavin & Sean Pratt
Synopsis (via Goodreads): Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.


No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home. 
“There’s a reason why people shouldn’t talk at four in the morning. Exhaustion eliminates the ability to lie. It demolishes the ability to tiptoe around the truth. Emotions are too exposed and real. Heightened to the point of explosion.”
This is a beautiful story about family, and the lengths people will go to in order to keep them safe. Emily is unaware of her mother's past, as well as her own, and soon finds herself needing to uncover the truth no matter the consequences. She not only puts herself at risk, but endangers Oz and the new family she has started to care about.

Katie McGarry has always been able to write compelling stories with amazing characters, and Nowhere but Here was everything I wanted it to be. I fell in love with the people in this book, even though their way of life was unfamiliar to me, and likely not something I will ever experience for myself. It was different, and I'm glad I was able to see the world through that perspective. I love that books allow you to view a part of the world that you might not ever see for yourself.

Lying never works. It doesn't work in life, and it doesn't work in books. Lies create problems and make existing issues worse. If Emily's family had been honest with her from the beginning, there would have been a lot less danger and heartache.

I really enjoyed alternating perspectives between Emily and Oz. They are two completely different people, but they were able to see past their differences and find what really matters.

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Lick (Stage Dive, #1) by Kylie Scott

Narrated by Andi Arndt
Synopsis (via Goodreads): Waking up in Vegas was never meant to be like this.

Evelyn Thomas's plans for celebrating her twenty-first birthday in Las Vegas were big. Huge. But she sure never meant to wake up on the bathroom floor with a hangover to rival the black plague, a very attractive h
alf-naked tattooed man in her room, and a diamond on her finger large enough to scare King Kong. Now if she could just remember how it all happened.

One thing is certain, being married to one of the hottest rock stars on the planet is sure to be a wild ride. 

“I was going to kill him. Slowly. Strangle him with the overpriced thong. A fitting death for a rock star.”  
Lick is another audiobook I stumbled across on Overdrive (it's synced to your library with your library card). Overdrive is free, which is awesome, and they offer ebooks and audiobooks. I know a lot of people use Audible, but Overdrive lets me pull from most of my local libraries with one library card.

I was looking for a quick romance with steamy sex scenes, and that's exactly what I got. ๐Ÿคค There was also a deeper story there that I wasn't expecting, and it made everything else more meaningful. It was also completely believable. I could honestly see myself reacting similarly to their situation. There wasn't an ista-love, or anything like that, it was just two people that fell in love twice.

One of my favorite quotes from David is, “It’s not fair that I remember and you don’t, Evelyn.” He knew exactly what he was doing when he spontaneously married Evelyn. David, a rock star with girls begging to be with him, chose to marry her. It kills him to remember the reasons why, and what they did together, only to find out that she can't even recall who he is. I would have been furious if that had happened to me.

Ev is understandably shocked when she starts putting the pieces together, and I love how careful and kind she was. She desperately wanted her memories from that night to come flooding back to her, but I thought it was sweet the way she would remember just a fraction of a story only to have him elaborate and give her more details. Those moments were special to him, they meant something.

It didn't take me long to get through this book, so if you have an afternoon to spare, read this. Seriously. I giggled and laughed, swooned a little, and cheered them on from the sidelines. I borrowed the audiobook from my library, but now I own physical copies of the entire series.

I think the next book, Play, is from Mal's perspective. I loved his character in this book, even though his appearances were brief, and I'm excited to read about him on a more personal level.

“Mal!"
"What?"
"Close the door down there and lock it," David yelled. "Don't you come up here under any circumstances. Not till I tell you it's okay. Understood?"
There was a pause then Mal yelled back. "What if there's a fire?"
"Burn.”
  

Thursday, November 23, 2017

My Weekly Pull [3]

I completely forgot to do this last week (and possibly the one before that). My work schedule was weird, and J has been on call, so life has been a little hectic. I'll post the comics we got last week in addition to the ones we got this week.

Last Week:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ghostbusters II #3
The Mighty Thor #701
Spider-Men II #4
The Punisher #218
Hawkeye #12
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #76
Guardians of the Galaxy #147
Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #297
The Incredible Hulk #710
The Amazing Spider-Man #791

This Week:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ghostbusters II #4
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #16
Spider-Man Deadpool #24
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #25
The Invincible Iron Man #594
Black Panther #167

Let me know what comics you've been reading! Is there anything I should try? 

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court, #1) by Richelle Mead

Narrated by Kristen Sieh
Synopsis (via Goodreads): Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.

But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands… 
“Do you think my being someone else's wife will change anything? Don't you know that I'd lie with you in the groves, under the light of the moon? That I'd defy the laws of gods and men for you?”  
I love the Vampire Academy series, but I haven't read anything else by Richelle Mead until now. I just couldn't pass this up when it became available as an audiobook at my library. The cover is stunning! It also goes well with the story, which is a bonus. I hate when a cover has absolutely nothing to do with a book.

There are various settings for this book, which I enjoyed, but that also means there is a lot of background being given. That made this book feel like a longer read (or in my case a longer listen, hah), which I was completely okay with. I never felt like I was being bogged down with information, or that the pace of the story was lagging. Despite this, there are certain aspects of the story that remain shrouded in mystery. It was a little frustrating at first, but I later learned that it was because Tamsin and Mira would get their own books, which would explain their stories as they happened alongside Adelaide's. There are quite a few things that I need to know, but I guess that was Mead's intention. I'll have to read the other two books to learn their secrets.

I was thinking this book would be a little more fantastical, but it wasn't. It was very practical while also being incredibly engaging. I don't know why I felt compelled to listen to it nonstop, but I did. There's just something about it that hooked me from the beginning. The characters weren't annoying or unbelievable. I felt like I was listening to something that actually happened. They tried to do what was best for themselves, and in the end *highlight to view spoiler» it ended up being each other.  Cedric did love her enough to let her go. He tried to find a husband for her that she wouldn't hate being married to, and she was willing to commit forgery to help him. I'm really happy that things worked out for them in the end. It wasn't perfect, and the journey was messy, but things could have been a lot worse.

Friday, November 17, 2017

Stacking the Shelves [1]

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews. This meme is for sharing all the books you’ve added to your shelves throughout the week.

I discovered something amazing this week! One of my local libraries has a somewhat secret basement filled with extra books. When they have too many of one book, or they need to make room, they store the extras and sell them for 25¢ to 50¢.

These are just the books I bought for myself. I got a lot for my kiddos, too! Total amount spent: $29.


Stack 1
When You Were Here by
Witchlanders by
Virtuosity by
Sea Change by
Hidden (Firelight #3) by

Stack 2




Stack 3









Stack 4
Stay by








I have read a few of these, but I didn't have copies for my shelves. Others I have been wanting to read for years and never had the time. I just couldn't pass up this opportunity! My husband and I had to carry the girls so we could roll the books in the stroller. I'm sure we looked ridiculous, but books make us happy. 

I loved Bitter Spirits, so you can imagine my excitement over seeing The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett. There were also a few 2017 books like, The Dazzling Heights by