Thank you to The Broke and The Bookish for this wonderful meme! If you want to learn how to participate, click here and check it out. Promise you won’t regret it.
Top Ten New-To-Me Favorite Authors I Read For The First Time In 2015
Liz’s Picks
I have read so many books by so many author’s this year that I hadn’t heard of before 2015. Each author is perfect in their own way and their own writing. I am so looking forward to these author’s releases in 2016!
W.W.W. Wednesday’s is hosted by Should Be Reading. To play along all you have to do is answer three simple questions: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish? What do you think you’ll read next?
It’s W.W.W. DAY!! Woot Woot!
what are you currently reading?
what did you recently finish?
I actually won Elfin from the author and let me say I was sucked in. I probably wouldn’t have read it otherwise.
OH! EM! GEE! GUYS! I am so excited for Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout! I read through the entire Lux Series in like two weeks at max. This book is from the point of view of Daemon Black. However it isn’t a direct retelling of the Lux Series. It has new, never before read material- things that Katy doesn’t know. Go buy this book!
OBLIVION is LIVE today! Grab your copy, snuggle in and #GetInvaded with Daemon!
OBLIVION is a Young Adult Paranormal Romance being published by Entangled Teen, and is a part of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s New York Times and USA Today bestselling LUX Series. It is being released on December 1st, 2015. The eBook includes two bonus books from Daemon’s POV, as well as original music inspired by OBLIVION embedded in the eBook.
Oblivion (Trade paperback) – will be Obsidian in Daemon’s POV
Oblivion (digital copy across all retailers) – will be Obsidian, Onyx, and Opal in Daemon’s POV
“Marry me.”
“What?” I stared back at him, unblinking.
He moved closer, taking my face in his hands. “I love you, Evie. I look into the future, and the only thing I see clearly is you. Marry me.”
What’s an eighteen-year-old girl who was madly in love with her nineteen-year-old boyfriend say?
Of course, I said yes.
Twenty-four hours later, I married Adam Gunner at a Vegas chapel to the sounds of “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi. Not the best omen. I get that now.
Then, exactly one week later, I left him. I walked out, leaving behind my wedding ring, annulment papers, and my heart, and he never knew why.
I haven’t seen him since. Not in ten long years.
Now, he’s here, standing before me. Looking at me with nothing but hurt and hatred in his eyes, he wants answers.
Answers I can’t give.
review:
Before I bought this book I had no idea who Samantha Towle was. I purely bought When I Was Yours on a whim, completely based on the description. I had questions- what caused Evie to leave? What happened when they saw each other ten years later? I was intrigued. And I wasn’t let down.
Throughout the book you follow two timelines for them- The first year of their relationship and then ten years later when they meet again. Their dynamic is explosive. Their love is passionate. They truly are meant for each other.
I have found in many books that involve sex (gasp! yes there is sex as they are teens and that is what teens do) that authors don’t address the issues of consensual sex and protection. I give props to Samantha Towle. She is very forthright in addressing these issues. Adam is always asking Evie if she is okay with what they are doing, and that at any given point she can say no or stop. Also protection is a huge thing with me. We can’t have teens/young adults reading books where characters aren’t accurate and aren’t seen using protection. *Standing ovation*
This is a love story for the ages, intertwined with heartbreak. I couldn’t put down.
Also, because I loved this book so much I had to create a playlist for it and let me say I cried while making it. It’s been a few days since I finished and I still can’t get over it. I’d really like a sequel to find out when happens next.
W.W.W. Wednesday’s is hosted by Should Be Reading. To play along all you have to do is answer three simple questions: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish? What do you think you’ll read next?
Hey Guys! Liz here with my W.W.W. for this week! It’s been contemporaries for me recently.
what are you currently reading?
When I Was Yours by Samantha Towle
what did you recently finish?
Royal Marriage Market by Heather Lyons
what do you think you’ll read next?
Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout
what are you guys currently reading? or on your tbr list?
We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Cover Reveal for Heather Lyons’ ROYAL MARRIAGE MARKET! Releasing December 15, 2015, ROYAL MARRIAGE MARKET is a brand new standalone contemporary romance by Heather Lyons. Be sure you pre-order your copy today!
Royal Marriage Market- cover
Cover created by Daniela Conde Padron at DCP Designs.
“It’s an acceptable nickname for Christian.” The owner of the name snatches his glass of champagne back, chugging the rest of the drink. Naturally, this promptly sets off another round of coughing.
Parker is now the one to smack Christian’s back, and I am grateful because I most certainly do not need to be touching him again, even if in a life-saving gesture.
“Maybe so,” I murmur as Christian, rapidly turning redder from what surely must be embarrassment more than alcohol down the wrong pipe, shoves his friend’s hand away. “But it doesn’t fit.”
“If I might be so bold to ask, Your Highness, how so?” Parker inquires at the same time Christian wheezes, “What does that mean?”
I side skirt the men to claim a chocolate covered strawberry from the dessert table. “Chris is a boring name.”
“I believe you’ve just issued an unforgivable insult to all the Chrises in the world,” Christian says flatly while Parker struggles to hold in his mirth.
“Of course I haven’t. I simply said Chris is a boring name. Look at Elsa; it is a hopelessly old-fashioned name you find in old women who bake streusel. My parents aged me the moment I came out of the womb.” I point the zebra-striped berry at my sparring partner. “Now that is unforgiveable. You were given a nice name and have elected to make it boring when it doesn’t suit you one bit.”
Too much silence expands between us; I am tricked into looking up at him once more. One of his dark eyebrows arches upward. “Are you saying you don’t find me boring?”
Did I? Oh, bollocks. I did, didn’t I? I clear my throat and smile winsomely. “Just because I don’t wish to marry you doesn’t mean I find you boring as a bag of rocks.”
Both of his eyebrows shoot up, as if I informed him grass is blue and sky is green. As if he doesn’t already know he’s interesting. Please. Must I remind him of all the glossies dedicated to his comings and goings?
“When we were children, His Highness was teased quite a bit about his name,” Parker tells me.
I toss the strawberry stem back onto the table; it’s whisked up by a passing waiter in less than a second. “What! Why?”
“I’m named after a religion,” Christian grinds out. “There was Prince Jew. Prince Muslim. Prince Buddhist. Prince Hindu. Prince Zoroastrian. There were lots of choices, you see.”
Another moment I want nothing more than to just laugh and laugh. “How delightful. Now, those nicknames aren’t boring. Sacrilegious, yes, but definitely not boring.”
“You have a seed in your front teeth,” is Christian’s response.
“You are a veritable Prince Charming, publicly pointing out women’s flaws. How chivalrous of you.”
It is annoying how much I like that he refuses to appear properly chastised.
Royal Marriage Market- full cover wrap
About the ROYAL MARRIAGE MARKET:
Every decade, the world’s monarchs and their heirs secretly convene to discuss global politics and social issues—and arrange marriages between kingdoms.
Elsa may be the Hereditary Princess of Vattenguldia, but she finds the entire situation archaic and unsavory. While she wants what’s best for her country, she isn’t about to jump into an unwanted relationship—let alone a marriage—with a virtual stranger. Of course, her feelings matter little to her parents, whose wheeling and dealings over trade pacts and alliances achieved at her expense begin the moment they set foot in California for the Summit. So when a blindingly handsome royal runs into her, she doesn’t hesitate to tell him there’s no way she’s marrying him.
Christian is all too happy to agree: no marriage. As the Hereditary Grand Duke of Aiboland, his main goal is to get through the summit without a bride being foisted on him. Which is why he suggests they help each other field potential intendeds. As Christian slowly gets to know Elsa, though, he realizes they have a lot more in common than just their feelings about the Royal Marriage Market. Only he can’t fall for her, because royal or not, they’re not meant for each other.
Elsa and Christian will have to evaluate matters of the heart verses those of state and crown, and decide whether or not tradition trumps love.
Heather Lyons writes epic, heartfelt love stories and has always had a thing for words. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. She and her husband and children live in sunny Southern California and are currently working their way through every cupcakery she can find.
Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.
Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.
Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?
review:
Since this is a review of the last book in The Lunar Chronicles series. Short reviews for the first three books are first, followed by the review for Winter.
Cinder:
I liked the introduction to the main character Cinder. She does get on my nerves, but her family was so much worse. I love that she is a cyborg. Iko is so feisty. Oh Kai, what a dream boat! I love that she and Kai have a connection right away. Dr. Erland is mysterious. And I kept thinking Konn Torin worked for Queen Lavana.
3 OUT OF 5
SCARLET:
This is my favorite book of the series. I connected to Scarlet on a psychological level. She just wants to find her grand-mere and run her farm. And Wolf- ugh love him. Their chemistry is everything a relationship should be. We get a lot of Scarlet’s point of view, which is a nice break from Cinder. Captain Carswell Thorne- YUMMY! He can be my captain any day. Lots of character growth from all the characters- it was needed immensely. Except Cinder made alllllll the wrong decisions.
5 OUT OF 5
Cress:
I did enjoy Cress but not as much as I enjoyed Scarlet. I figured out who Cress was at the beginning and where she fit in with the group. She annoyed me a lot because all of her experiences were so “oh it’s so beautiful” or she was scared the whole time. I feel that some of the descriptions could’ve been taken out. I skipped some pages of Cress’ because it was too much. We got a lot of reading time with other characters which I loved! Also, how all the characters end up together is just too convenient. Cinder wasn’t as annoying as she was in Scarlet but her decisions, which have annoyed me from the beginning, don’t get any better.
4 OUT OF 5
WINTER:
It. Was. Too. Long. My ebook was 1,169 pages. Hard copy is about 800 pages. And the length wouldn’t bother me so much if there weren’t many scenes that felt unnecessary. I don’t need to be told that Winter is crazy. Over. And over. And over again. Yeah, I get that Levana wants to kill Cinder. How many times do we have to watch her try and fail? The constant dividing and bring back together of Scarlet, Kai, Iko, Wolf, Cinder, Cress, Thorne, Winter, and Jacin was just too much. Also the final scene between Cinder and Levana- it took too long. I was so excited to start this book but by the end I was just like “is this over yet?”. I will concede that there were moments where my heart hurt and I was worried about the love the author created- whether these couples would end up together or if someone would die.
It didn’t end how I pictured it. My ideal ending would have been Scarlet abdicating the throne, Winter getting an implant to help with her Lunar Gift and becoming Queen- the people loved her so much. Cinder would then have gone back to the Commonwealth and married Kai and become Empress. It. Just. Makes. Sense.
I liked Winter but it could have been better. Bright side- everyone get some kind of happy ending.
2.5 OUT OF 5
OVERALL:
It was a different take on Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White. I love the futuristic and sci-fi elements. I want to be a cyborg now. I want hover-pods. I want to live on the moon. I want to find an alpha mate like Wolf. Scarlet was my favorite character. She didn’t make stupid decisions like Cinder. She wasn’t afraid all the time like Cress. And she wasn’t crazy like Winter. She was independent and a great leader. She thought about her actions before taking action.
I sit in the front row of a small section of the Ellicott City Barnes and Noble waiting. On the edge of my seat, delighted, nervous, vivacious. This is an event I have been waiting for since I first read Shadow and Bone. The Magic and Mayhem tour with Leigh Bardugo for her newly released book, Six of Crows. She is animated, hilarious, and beautiful. She is gracious and genuine. She meets and exceeds all my expectations.
Leigh Bardugo read two excerpts. One from a book she started when she was 12 years about siblings Blood and Jared. It was amusing to see where Bardugo started and how far she has come. She followed that up with a scene from Six of Crows. One where Nina first meets Matthias- my two favorite characters from.
After the readings, there was a wonderful Q&A.
The easiest character for Bardugo to write was Matthias- he is dogmatic and a drama queen. Whoever she was writing at the time was her favorite or least favorite depending on how you looked at it.
She loved writing her contemporary stories. She liked uncovering secrets where we live.
She has a lot of favorite YA authors- Laini Taylor and Maggie Stiefvater.
Her idea for the Grisha world was Imperial Russia. Russia occupied the role of the great suppressor. Kertch is crafted after the Dutch Republic with a little Las Vegas thrown in.
It took her less than a year to write Shadow and Bone. And she didn’t publish her first novel until she was 35.
She always knew she wanted to come back to the Grishaverse and write a story about a Witch Hunter (Fjerdan) and a Witch (Ravkan). She had ideas about Kaz Brekker but didn’t know where he fit into the story until she came up with the idea for the heist.
She cried when she received Six of Crows in the mail.
The Darkling has a sweet tooth.
She might write a novella about Nikolai one day.
She uses music to help her write. Sinister Kid by the Black Keys is Kaz Brekker’s anthem.
She is currently reading Angela Carter short stories, The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness, and a book about art heists (I wonder why that is).
After the Q&A, she signed books and took photos.
Quote from Mal in the Grisha series.“The water hears and understands. The ice does not forgive.”Cup and Crow tattoo.
Overall it was a fantastic event. My review for Six of Crows can be found here. I can’t wait till Fall 2016 for the follow-up Crooked Kingdom. Check out the book reveal video here. Leigh Bardugo can be found on tumblr, twitter, and facebook.
Thank you to The Broke and The Bookish for this wonderful meme! If you want to learn how to participate, click here and check it out. Promise you won’t regret it.
Vero’s List:
A) “But pessimism and reality are usually mistaken for each other.”
–Joyride, Anna Banks
B) “I used to think that loving somebody meant sacrificing anything for them. I thought it meant writing them a blank cheque. I thought it meant that you would die without each other. But it turns out that death and a broken heart are not he same.
These days, I think that love is not so dramatic as all that. Maybe loving somebody means simply they bring out the best in you, and you bring out the best in them – so that together, you are always the best possible versions of yourselves.”
–Tonight The Streets Are Ours, Leila Sales
C) “Selflessness. It should be the basis of every relationship. If a person truly cares about you, they’ll get more pleasure from the way they make you feel, rather than the way you make them feel.”
–Confess, Colleen Hoover
D) “His pink fingers found the shell around my neck, touched it softly. He lifted it and saw the scar. His brow furrowed.
He whispered, “Is your voice inside the shell?”
I smiled a little sadly.
“That’s okay,” he said. “We don’t have to talk to be friends.”
–The Summer of Chasing Mermaids, Sarah Okcler
E) “Because with true friends, no one is keeping score. But it still feels good to repay them – even in the tiniest increments.”
–The Start of Me and You, Emery Lord
Liz’s List:
I’d like to point out this was difficult.
A) “Stay,” she panted. Tears leaked from her eyes. “Stay till the end.” “And after,” he said. “And always.” “I want to feel safe again. I want to go home to Ravka.” “Then I’ll take you there. We’ll set fire to raisins or whatever you heathens do for fun.” “Zealot,” she said weakly. “Witch.” “Barbarian.” “Nina,” he whispered, “little red bird. Don’t go.”
– Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo
B) “… Somebody who helps balance her out, someone who makes sure her feet stay on the ground when life is tough and lift up into the aid when her lips find his. She needs somebody smart and funny and comfortable and exciting all at the same time. She needs somebody to go to sleep with who makes her feel secure enough not to care that she snores or drools, and somebody to wake up with who won’t judge her when her hair sticks up and pillowcase lines crease her face.”
– A Matter of Truth, Heather Lyons
C)“Blue,” he warned, but his voice was chaotic. This close, his throat was scented with mint and wool sweater and vinyl car seat, and Gansey, just Gansey.
She said, “I just want to pretend. I want to pretend that I could.”
–Blue Lily, Lily Blue, Maggie Stiefvater
D) “I know what’s happened,” Apollo said after a few seconds. My brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?” He nodded at the board. My gaze dropped to the game and I nearly passed out. He’d spelled SEX and AIDEN with those stupid little squares.”
–Deity, Jennifer L. Armentrout
E) “If I were human, I’d plow the nicest farm for you.”
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.
Review:
As with any Jennifer L. Armentrout book I read, and I’ve read almost all of her books, I loved every second of Wicked. I also loved the fact that the story takes place in New Orleans, so you get the mystery of the city- hauntings, great scenery descriptions, everything New Orleans is known for.
Ivy Morgan is an admirable character. She made me nostalgic for my college days- though I wasn’t trying to kick some faerie butt. She is fiercely independent which is what drew me to her. (Also her red hair is out of this world.) She just wants to be a normal college student but she can’t be. She belongs to a secret society called The Order, dedicated to taking out all faerie life because they basically eat humans and well… that isn’t good. And of course she has a tragic backstory which stunts her personal growth and relationships with other people.
That is until she meets Ren Owens.
Ren is mysterious and hot, hot, hot. And a bad-ass. The chemistry he has with Ivy is swoon worthy. It was definitely a lust at first sight relationship. Ren also has an intriguing backstory which compliments Ivy’s. Ren is sweet and patient. He really pushes Ivy and helps her overcome her past.
Tink is my favorite character. He is an Amazon addict. He eats too much sugar. And he says what’s on his mind.
I was able to predict the ending. This seems to happen a lot to me. Maybe I read too much into what the authors write or maybe I’ve read so much that foreshadowing just jumps out at me.
The next book in the Series is called Torn. No release date as of yet.
The Talking Bookworm 