2016 Reading Challenges

I've decided to take part in a few reading challenges for 2016. I told about my intent to do one earlier in December. Then I found a few others I was interested in and decided to do one big group post for them. I plan to update my progress on these challenges monthly.

 

I posted about this challenge here.  

 

This is an easy challenge. All you have to do is read a book title starting with each letter of the alphabet.

Holiday Bookish Bingo

 This holiday bingo runs from Dec 1, 2015 to February 29, 2016 and is hosted by Pretty Deadly Reviews. I've already managed to cross off 2 spots (not counting the FREE space) and am working on another.

Goodreads Group - 2016 Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

This challenge lists 41 categories of books to read. For instance one is " A book based on a fairy tale". I'll give it a shot.

I thought I had bookmarked another one or two challenges, but I'm not finding them now. I'm sure I'll probably add a few more throughout the year.

Are you participating in any challenges in 2016? Are you hosting any? Feel free to leave links to your challenges in the comments. I love reading challenges.

 

The Friday 56 Week 5

The Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice.

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader

(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)

*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)

*Post it.

*It's that simple.

My post this week is from Hell on Wheels: Black Knights Inc. by Julie Ann Walker

   “Can y’puke while in motion, or do we need t’pull over?”   “Ali, do y’need me to pull over?”

   “No,” she assured him. “I’m…I’m fine.” She sucked in another cleansing breath and willed herself to be so.

   He snorted, the sound loud and particularly disbelieving through the Bluetooth headset.

   “Okay, I’m not fine,” she admitted shakily. “But I’ll live.”

Review: The Way We Fall by Cassia Leo

The Way We Fall (The Story of Us #1) by Cassia Leo

Release Date: February 20, 2015

Genres: New Adult, Romance

Pages:302

Source: E-Book

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Goodreads Description:

Maybe we shouldn’t have fallen so fast and so willingly.

Maybe we shouldn’t have moved in together before we went on our first date.

Maybe we should have given our wounds time to heal before we tore each other to shreds.

Maybe we should have never been together.

Houston has kept a devastating secret from Rory since the day he took her into his home. But the tragic circumstances that brought them together left wounds too deep to heal.

Five years after the breakup, Houston and Rory are thrust together by forces beyond their control. And all the resentments and passion return with more intensity than ever.

Once again, Houston is left with a choice between the truth and the only girl he’s ever loved.

Notes about the book:

 As of the time I'm writing this point this book is free on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. This book does contain sex scenes.

Book Quote:

“Lies are comforting. Soft blankets we wrap around our hearts. We roll around in them like fat, happy pigs. Gorging on their decadence. We prefer lies, though we claim otherwise. Trust me. If ignorance is bliss, believing lies is orgasmic."

"She was the drug that numbed the pain, but only temporarily. I just have to keep reminding myself of that so I don’t do anything stupid, like telling her the truth."

"This is the way we fall. First we lose our balance, teetering precariously on the edge of uncertainty, until, mercilessly, gravity takes over. You can’t outshine gravity."

"“Then, she let it go.” I don’t know if it was his intention, but these five simple words stir a newfound energy inside me. A sudden awareness that I don’t have to tell Liam anything about Houston. Liam can be my fresh start. All I have to do is let it go."

 

My Review

I fell in love with this book from the very first paragraph. I thought it was on track to being a 5 star review. However, the end of the book just fell short. It was almost like the author knew that what needed to happen was something most readers would not like. So she drug the story out into a second book.

There are bits of this book that are beautifully written. I've put several quotes above showing examples of this writing. The first quote is the first paragraph of the book. How can you not like a book when it starts off like this?

From the start of the book you can tell that Rory and Houston survived together through the death of someone. We learn later who it was and how this person died. I have to say that the author threw some surprises at me with the answers to how and why.

Rory has loved Houston since she was a young teenager. I have to say that I have a love/hate relationship with their relationship and with the characters themselves. Houston takes more of my hate than Rory does. Their relationship could be so good if it weren't for the circumstances that brought them together and ultimately tore them apart. Houston has the capability to be a sweet boyfriend but oftentimes ends up being a jerk.

I really thought that this book would have me crying by the end. However, we never really get an ending with how the author has chosen to end the book. I will probably continue the series because I want to find out what happens to these characters. The beautiful writing style will also bring me back.

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble

Review: With Visions of Red (Broken Bonds #1)

 

With Visions of Red (Broken Bonds #1) by Trisha Wolfe

Release Date: May 3, 2015

Genres: Erotica, BDSM, Mystery

Pages: 268

Source: E-Book Freebie

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

Goodreads Description:

Passion and lust ignite. Dark and light battle. This explosive first installment of the Broken Bonds series sets the exhilarating pace for a cat and mouse game where no one knows who’s really pulling the strings.

Criminal profiler Sadie Bonds knows blood. Her affair with the gruesome, dark world of killers began long before she started applying her analytical skills to investigate gory crime scenes. She gets inside the killers’ heads, breaks them down, relates to them on an arcane level. She prefers it this way—because it’s safer to ally herself with the villain than the victim. At least, that’s how she’s coped ever since she was abducted and tortured as a teen.

She will never be a victim again.

Now, she’s honed her skills in order to bring justice to these ritualistic offenders. Working alongside her colleagues, armed with sharp wit and a SIG, Sadie always catches her sadist. Until one ruthless serial killer gets inside Sadie’s head, turning the tables. He knows her secrets. Her obsessions. The darkest, most deviant part of her soul.

When she meets Colton Reed, dangerous stakes are raised as he threatens to unravel her control and reveal her darkest fantasies. The sexy-as-sin bondage rigger at an exclusive BDSM club pushes her boundaries, forcing her to acknowledge that side of herself she fears. Plunged into a realm of torture and suffering, pain and pleasure, Sadie balances on the razor-sharp edge of two intersecting worlds threatening to swallow her.

Notes about the book:

I know not everyone enjoys reading erotica or bdsm. So if this isn't your cup of tea, please just skip this review and come back tomorrow when I'll review another book. I only occasionally read erotica.

As I'm writing this review (Tuesday), this book is currently free on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Book Quote:

"I didn’t start out this way… I was made. Fashioned into an untouchable creature out of horror and pain."

My Review

This was a different sort of erotica book than I've ever read. A lot of the erotica that you read are written to put the lifestyle out there. This seemed to me to be written with the mystery as the story first and then erotica was added as a part of the characters background.

I love a good mystery/crime-solving book. This book definitely keeps you thinking about who could have done it. Plus there's some background with the main character Sadie that we only get glimpses of. I really enjoyed watching Sadie work and hearing her thought processes on figuring out what the killer's motive and next moves were. At first her partner Detective Quinn seems like a real prick. But then you get to see his devotion to his job and even to his partner I think.

The erotica in the book was very steamy, but it wasn't too much. Most of the book is the crime that needs to be solved.

I was shocked when the book ended suddenly. I was figuring the crime would be solved in this book, but it wasn't. I will more than likely continue the series because I will have to know who did it.

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble

Top Ten Tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This Week's Topic

Top ten books I wouldn't mind Santa leaving under my tree this year. These are in no particular order.

1. Summoned by Anne M. Pillsworth

 

 

I won the second book in this series and really want to give this author a try.

2.  Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

 

I really want to give this series a try.

3. The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden

This book is set in New Orleans and I love New Orleans. Therefore, I'm excited to read this one.

4.  In Rides Trouble by Julie Ann Walker

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and am looking forward to continuing it.

5.  Crossing the Ice by Jennifer Comeaux

 

I love to watch ice skating and would really like to read a book around the sport.

6. The End Game by Kate McCarthy

 

I started reading Kate McCarthy's Give Me series and loved it. I want to continue it and read this one as well.

7. Independence by Shelly Crane

 I'm in LOVE with this series and slowly making my way through it. This is the next book in line.

8. Mindsurge by Heather Sunseri

 

This is another series I'm working on and can't wait to read this book. 

9. The Collector's Society by Heather Lyons

 

I read about this book several months ago and was very intrigued by it. Plus I like the cover.

10. Generation M by Scott Cramer

 

 This is the last book in a series I started and I'd like to find out how it finishes up.

While trying to come up with this list, I realized that my TBR list has no organization to it. Maybe I need to work on that in the new year.

Feel free to leave me a link to your Top Ten in the comments.

Stacking the Shelves #5

Welcome to my post for this week’s Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews. This is where I can post about the books and book swag I received this week. I will be posting my list on Sundays and will include anything I received Sunday through Saturday.

I'm a bit late this week. I meant to post this yesterday, but it was a busy weekend and we also experienced some more internet outages. YEAH! Not!

 Yet again I've skipped a week. This past week was just really hard to write posts. The thing is that I can't honestly say I was busy with Christmas prep or anything. I did have stuff to do and then I guess the other times I was reading. I did finish two books this week. I'm hoping to get more regular with my posts come 2016.

Here's what I grabbed the last two weeks. 

FREEBIES

*Please check prices before one-clicking* Book covers are links to Goodreads.



 

 
  

Red Coat PR Book Advent Calendar

So I have forgotten to check my email a few days (especially over the weekend). But I'm still getting lots of great gifts!

    

Well, that was it for me this week. What did you grab this week? Feel free to leave a link in the comments to your StS post.

Review: Without A Doubt by Lindsay Paige

Without A Doubt by Lindsay Paige

Release Date: December 18, 2015

Genres: New Adult, Romance

Pages: 336

Source: Signed Paperback, ARC

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Goodreads Description:

Emerson Montgomery loves his high school sweetheart, Kelly Price. He'd do anything for her, including agreeing to a break where they'll see other people as he heads off to college. Struggling with the break and guilt over dating other people, Emerson meets Eva, a beautiful, funny, easygoing, and nosey junior.

Eva Harvey chose this particular college with the hopes of fulfilling her own fairytale and falling in love at the same college where her parents met. She does her best to go with the flow and simply see what happens, but Emerson simultaneously causes her to fall in love while making her second guess everything along the way.

There's some things you know without a doubt. However, Eva causes Emerson to doubt everything he believes about his future while he causes her to doubt what's right in front of her. Can they find a way to erase all doubts or will it tear them apart in the process?

Notes about the book:

I won this book in a contest Lindsay held and told her I would read it and review it. My review is not affected by being gifted the book.

This books is not meant for anyone under 18 as it does contain mild sex scenes as well as short violent scene.

Book Quote:

Quote #1

“I don't know you,” she tries again. "What if I want to take your picture and send your name and info to my best friend and my cousin in case I'm found murdered? You have motive." She thumbs back to my mildly damaged truck bed.

"Then take the picture, send your text, and get in."

Quote #2

"My head is still swimming from my time with Eva......It's  as if I went skydiving and I'm still high from the adrenaline rush."

My Review

I have to admit that when I first heard about this book I was concerned about the two love interests and that it would turn into a love triangle. I usually greatly dislike love triangles because I often find that I can't decide between the guys/girls. However, this is not a love triangle and I was happy with how the storyline was handled with the two girls. Hopefully, that's not a spoiler for you all.

I also want to discuss the breaking up before college thing. I have some recent experience with this and reflected on my personal experiences as I was reading about Emerson & Kelly's breakup. Before this last year, I probably would have been whole-heartedly on board with breaking up before going away to college to avoid a long distance relationship. Here's where my personal experience has made me rethink this. My daughter started college at a school two states and 7 hours from home. She was lucky to "meet" a fellow Arkansas online and select her as her roommate. However, her first semester of college has not been the flurry of new friendships as I'd hoped. This isn't from her lack of trying. She's joined clubs and even attended a football watch party when she severely dislikes football. Her boyfriend of 2 years remained at home and they remained boyfriend & girlfriend. I'm thankful she had this relationship to fall back. I'm sure they have talked/skyped or whatever they do these days and he's always seemed to know what to say to her to make her feel better - much more than I have. I'd like to think she'd come to her parents when things were bothering her, but I'm realistic and know this isn't always the case.

Sorry, I just really wanted to show how feelings can change. This also is the case for Without A Doubt. I can't go into details without spoiling the plot line. But there are things happening here that you're not aware of. At one point in the book, I did veer in the direction the book went. But my version was a little different.

I saw another review label Emerson as swoon-worthy. Oh, how accurate this title is! He has a southern boy charm to him. He walks Eva to her dorm room and doesn't just drop her at the curb.

I think I will try listing some things I like about the characters and the book in general.

WARNING: THIS SECTION BELOW CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS

Ok, you've been warned.
I like that Emerson chooses activities that are unique and are things Eva will like. It's just not the usual movie & dinner.
I like the instant camaraderie between Emerson & Eva. From their first meeting they are teasing each other back and forth.
I LOVE that Emerson appears to adore Eva - "her eyes were breathtaking" "her lips force the air from my lungs"
I like that Eva is nosy and takes control of the truck windows/radio (even though this drives me crazy when my husband does this while I'm driving)
I like that Emerson and Eva keep a running list of adjectives for each other
I like that Emerson visits Eva at work
I like that Emerson is honest with Evan about Kelly when it's important
I LOVE that Eva loves surprises (I do too)
I LOVE that Eva roots for the football team with the cute quarterback.
I also like that she understands the game well enough to know what the loosing team needs to do to win. (I couldn't do that)

SPOILERS DONE

I could go on and on. I just love this couple! This is the type of relationship every woman (if you're anything like me) dreams to be a part of. This is the type of couple that you long to catchup with to find out what is new in their lives. They feel like your friends.

This book is a must read for any die-hard romance fan!

Check out Lindsay's website to read excerpts from the book at http://authorlindsaypaige.blogspot.com/. Or you can also connect with her at her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/authorlindsaypaige/?fref=nf. She's posted teasers at both locations.

I'm currently hosting two giveaways from Lindsay. Be sure to enter!

Goodreads/Amazon/B&N

The Friday 56 Week #4

 

The Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice.

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader

(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)

*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)

*Post it.

*It's that simple.

My post this week is from the latest book in the Outlander series -

Written In My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon

Page 56

“Don’t let Mam give thee rhubarb syrup,” she advised him. “It makes thee shit like the blazes, and if thee can’t get to the privy, it –“

Book Blitz: Without A Doubt by Lindsay Paige (Excerpt + Giveaway)

 Happy Release Day, Lindsay Paige!

I'm so happy to be sharing this book with you today! I just loved Emerson & Eva. They are just such a great couple.

Title: Without A Doubt 

Author: Lindsay Paige

Publication Date: December 18, 2015

Genres: New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

Emerson Montgomery loves his high school sweetheart, Kelly Price. He’d do anything for her, including agreeing to a break where they’ll see other people as he heads off to college. Struggling with the break and guilt over dating other people, Emerson meets Eva, a beautiful, funny, easygoing, and nosey junior.
Eva Harvey chose this particular college with the hopes of fulfilling her own fairytale and falling in love at the same college where her parents met. She does her best to go with the flow and simply see what happens, but Emerson simultaneously causes her to fall in love while making her second guess everything along the way.
There’s some things you know without a doubt. However, Eva causes Emerson to doubt everything he believes about his future while he causes her to doubt what’s right in front of her. Can they find a way to erase all doubts or will it tear them apart in the process?

 Book Links:

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Kobo/iTunes

Excerpt

“You fixed breakfast?”

Eva glances over her shoulder before doing a double take. “Uh, yeah. Shouldn't you be

getting dressed?”

“Am I making you uncomfortable?” I ask teasingly.

“As uncomfortable as you would be if I walked into the room wearing only a towel.” She

picks up her sandwich, takes a bite, and then faces me. “You can't have yours until you

put on clothes.”

I laugh. “Okay, okay.”

By the time I change and make it back to the kitchen, Eva is walking past me to take her

own shower. I eat my sandwich and then start getting my books together. I'm grabbing a

pen from the end table in the living room when I hear, “Emerson.” I lift my head to see

Eva leaning against the threshold of the hallway. A white towel is wrapped around her

body and her hair. I swallow hard at the sight of her. Ample cleavage looks strained from

underneath the towel, one of her legs is showing from the hip down thanks to her not

having the towel completely wrapped around her, and her damp skin shines.

“Just wanted to prove a point,” she says before turning and walking to my bedroom.

“Feel free to prove points more often,” I call after her, causing her to laugh.

Giveaways

a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Lindsay Paige is the author of multiple Young Adult, New Adult, and Sports romances. She also coauthors sports romances with Mary Smith. Along with writing, she loves reading, watching hockey, especially the Pittsburgh Penguins, and finding funny terrible puns and recipes on Pinterest. All the while, she is also focused on completing college.

Lindsay resides in North Carolina and is inspired by the world around her and the people in it. She is currently working on numerous solo works and a couple of projects with coauthor Mary Smith as well.

 

 

 

 

Review: Collide by Shelly Crane

Collide (Collide #1) by Shelly Crane

Release Date: June 12, 2011

Genres: Paranormal, New Adult, Romance

Pages:360

Source: E-Book

My Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 Stars

Goodreads Description:

Sherry has always known there was something out there. She's eighteen, works for a tabloid newspaper in Chicago and has a brother, Danny who is a lazy mooch. They live a pretty normal dull life with hippie parents and a normal existence. Then the moon disappears and people start to go missing only to reappear later, but different. Sherry has an abusive ex-boyfriend who shows up and claims to be one of these beings that have been showing up around the world. He's no longer the same person in that body. He tells her he has come to protect her and her brother and takes her underground, against her will to save her, where they meet others like them. She begins to unravel the truth about Merrick, about what he's really doing here, about the way he looks at her, about the crazy dangerous world they live in. Can he convince her that he's here to help? Will she like what she finds when she opens up to the truth? Will he be the one to love her when everyone else has failed her? Will he be able to protect her?

Notes about the book:

This is the first book in a four-book series. 

This book contains humans and non-humans. The non-humans are named (Keepers, Lighters), but are never right out called Aliens. So at this point I'd say the interpretation is up  to the reader.

This books  does contain sex, but it is only discussed in the vaguest terms and I don't believe the word "sex" is even mentioned in the book.

Book Quote:

The one quote from Merrick that I love would give away spoilers. So instead I'll share two lines from the book that I loved.

"We’re not fighting each other. We’re fighting... extinction."

"We may live forever, but what’s the point if you don’t actually live?"

My Review

This book was Shelly Crane’s first published book. It contains things that I’ve liked about her Significance series, but I could definitely tell it was her first book. One thing I like about the Significance series, which this one also contains, is the fact that at every turn there’s something new that the characters are learning they can do (or it's just being revealed) - some new ability. I really like books where the characters have other-worldly abilities that no normal human should be able to do. I’m not sure why, but I do. I especially like it when the love interest characters are able to communicate with each other in their heads. We don’t get the full mind communication in this book, but Merrick is able to speak to Sherry in her mind.

I have to admit that I liked Merrick better than I liked Sherry. Sherry was constantly doing things that I knew wouldn’t be good for her or for the people around her. But she did have several redeeming qualities. When she loved someone, she loved them with all her heart. She was a very giving and caring person. Sometimes I think she was too nice for her own good as she seemed to attract all the bad seeds. I enjoyed the chapters that were told from Merrick’s point of view.

I actually think that the story had too much going on. I tended to get confused easily with terminology (Keepers/Lighters) and I think maybe this was because there was so much introduced in this book. The story also seemed to drag on a bit too much.

Overall, I liked the idea of this book and will probably continue the series because there is so much left to find out. It will be interesting to see if the writing gets better because I know Ms. Crane can write. I absolutely LOVE her Significance series! I’m slowly making my way through that one.