Author: Veronica Porras (TTB)

I am a thirty-something living in Southern California. I blog about books, read, and live life as best as I can.
NA Romance, Special Review

Book Review: More Than This (More Than This #1) by Jay McLean

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Disclaimer: Thank you Amazon Publishing and  NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this book for free does not sway my opinion.

Goodreads Summary:

When Mikayla imagined her prom night, she envisioned a fairy-tale evening full of romance. So when betrayal and tragedy come in quick succession, Mikayla is completely destroyed. Suddenly, everything she loved and everyone she relied on are tragically, irrevocably gone.

Jake, a handsome boy she just met, happens to witness her loss. With no one to turn to, Mikayla is forced to depend on this near stranger and his family, and he in turn is determined to take care of her. But Mikayla—thrust into adulthood with no one to guide her—is desperate to contain her grief and hide what she considers to be her weakness. Mikayla and Jake both want more, but despite their growing closeness and intense chemistry, she tries to keep her distance and protect her heart. As he does everything in his power to win her trust, Mikayla must choose between remaining alone and safe or letting love in.

Review:

All I can say is WOW. I decided not to read the synopsis and just dove into the book. To say it surprised me is an understatement. I totally thought this would go another way. Did not expect all the twists and turns at all. When I saw this was a part of a “series” I groaned thinking please don’t tell me they split up, please noooooooo, but I’m glad they ended up having their happily ever after.

I do have to warn people that there is some adult content. I did not expect it and I was like Ahhhhh, and skimmed ahead really fast. If you don’t like reading it you can just skip ahead. If I knew it had some adult content I wouldn’t have read it, but since I had requested this on NetGalley I kinda just skipped ahead every time it happened and stuck it out. Oh also, a lot of cussing. More than I thought there would be. Just a warning to those that don’t like reading books with that kind of stuff.

Anyways that aside, it wasn’t a bad read. I kind of thought it would be. It could be the very cliché new adult cover that made me come to that conclusion. I do have to say it was a tad dramatic at times and there were some parts where I literally rolled my eyes and said come on, but if you can get past those few eye-rolling clichés, it’s actually really good. I kind of want to read the rest, but after going to the author’s goodreads and saw she was classified under mature young adult fiction, I kinda of don’t want to.

But let me sidetrack and say MEGAN IS A HORRIBLE BEST FRIEND AND HUMAN BEING. OMG HOW COULD SHE HAVE DONE WHAT SHE DID.

If you want to read an over-the-top, crazy, dramatic, very swoony love story, this is for you. I’m sure you’ll like it.

Rating 3.75 out of 5

Reviews, YA Paranormal

Book Review: Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5) by Richelle Mead

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Goodreads Summary:

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .

Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.

Review:

This book was perfect. PERFECTION. My feelings are still a bit crazy and I already slept on it. I knew I couldn’t write this review fresh of finishing it because my review would have started and ended at: ASDKJASRHGLKJHGKLAJGHAKDSJGH

You’re probably glad I slept on it as you should be. Okay, let’s start this. I promise I’ll try my best not to be super scatter-brained.

Silver Shadows was really hard for me to read. Especially at the beginning. Why? Because Adrian’s chapters in the beginning were killing me. They made me hurt. They pissed me off. I also saw some part of myself in him and I just couldn’t keep reading. It took me five months to start reading it again… and then I had to take another month-long break until I told myself one evening “YOU WILL FINISH THIS EVEN IF IT KILLS YOU.” I listened to myself and I am very glad at did because once I got past those initial heart-breaking chapters it was all action, action, and action. I wasn’t bored even once.

At first I was angry that Richelle had split SS into two point of views because SHE DIDNT DO THIS WITH VAMPIRE ACADEMY, and also because if a series or book doesn’t start of with me knowing this will be dual pov, I tend to hate the guy’s pov for some reason. All that explanation to say at first I kind of hated Adrian’s point of view. I was mad at Richelle Mead because how dare she do this to me, and I was mad at Adrian as well because he better not disappoint me or he would fall pretty fast from being my #1 fictional boyfriend to the bottom of my list. It was pretty tense for about 100 pages and then everything turned out to be alright. I adjusted and now I NEED Adrian’s point of view in my life.

I really don’t want to spoil much if you haven’t read it yet, but I do want to discuss Eddie Castile. He has gotten the short end of the stick not only in VA but BL as well. ITS NOT FAIR. Eddie Castile felt so guilty even though he knew Sydney purposely tricked him to keep him safe. Eddie’s life job is to protect others(moroi mostly), those who cannot protect themselves, and Sydney being taken from him and Eddie realizing too late that Sydney had tricked him hurt him badly. I was so happy to see that Jill used her princess authority (which she never has before) and ordered him to help Adrian get Sydney back, and that’s exactly what he needed. And if you read Silver Shadows then you know how things turn out. A happy Eddie is what we get,

I shall be cutting my review short and just say that Richelle Mead can do no wrong, and I can’t wait for the final installment of one of my favorite series in the entire world! I NEED THE RUBY CIRCLE IN MY LIFE NOW.

ADRIAN AND SYDNEY FOR LIFE.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tuesday Meme

Top Ten Books I Can’t Believe I Haven’t Read From The YA Contemporary Genre

Veronica Porras (TTB)

TopTenTuesday

 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.  🙂

This week its all about the Top Ten Books I Can’t Believe I Haven’t Read From The YA Contemporary Genre. This list makes me feel ashamed about myself, but it’s out there now. For all to see. Hopefully this will be enough motivation so that I can finally read the books. Here we go!

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Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson – I know. I know. I tell everyone to read Morgan Matson. I force people to read her books yet I haven’t finished this one yet. I’m ashamed of myself.

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To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han – I love Jenny Han. I may have hated how she ended The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy, but she is still an amazing writer and I don’t have any excuses as to why I haven’t read it yet. NONE.

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Just One Day & Just One Year by Gayle Forman – I think I just love the If I Stay duology so much that I feel like I can’t get into these books. Is that sad? Maybe.. maybe. I don’t know.

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Just One Night by Gayle Forman – See my above argument. I know. I am shameless at this point.

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The Museum of Intangible Things by Wendy Wunder – I know why I haven’t read it… because Kayla said it was going to kill me emotionally and now I am afraid. I blame you Kayla.

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Slammed (#1 in the Slammed Trilogy) by Colleen Hoover – I know why I haven’t read this. Because I started it once and it killed my feels in the first 40 pages. I couldn’t go back. I’ll muster enough bravery one of these days…

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Uninvited by Sophie Jordan – I think the cover always made me look the other way, but I was browsing through Goodreads earlier and I saw this and I said to myself “Have I been riding under a rock?! Why haven’t I heard anything about it?!” so a very sane conversation with myself I decided I would add it to this list because I can’t believe I didn’t know about it, and that I haven’t read it either. Shame on me. SHAME.

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The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith – I started reading it once. I tried really, but then I just felt like my feels were going to die so I stopped. Do you see a pattern here because I do. I’m not in denial. I embrace my craziness.

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This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith – I started reading this before it was published. An ebook chapter sampler with the first five chapters came out and I read it, and I was stoked! Ready to devour it when it came out! And then it was released… and I never got around to reading it. SHAME ON ME.

Do we have any books in common by any chance? I can only hope someone shares this same madness with me.

#(f)mcm

#(f)mcm (Fictional) Man Crush Monday

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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I will be joining #(f)mcm aka (Fictional) Man Crush Monday for the first time ever!  As you all probably know by now if you read my post on Saturday, Anjie (my bestie and ex-staff member) left my blog to start one all on her own.  She made this up and urged me to join her so like the good best friend I aspire to be, I said, “Maybe, Idk, Maybe”. Aren’t I the best?! (Yes, that was a rhetorical question lol) Anyways enough of that, Let’s get to the good part.

As I thought of who would be my first fictional man crush only one name came to mind. Anyone wants to guess? You sure that’s who you want to go with? Going once? Twice? Well if you thought Adrian Ivashkov you would have won this round.

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Yes, I am using Book Trailer Adrian Ivashkov because I didn’t like the other fan casts I found. I feel like no one alive is his Doppelganger. This actor/model is the closest that does it for me. And even then… but still he’s hot so I’ll let it go…

 

Adrian Ivashkov is sweet, loving, witty, appreciates the good things in life, and is fiercely loyal. I can go on and on about Adrian, but I kind of don’t want to tell you. He’s mine. Not yours. I’m not about to share him with you. I don’t want you to fall in love with him too.

If you don’t know where Adrian Ivashkov is from *gasp* he first appears in Frostbite, the second book of the Vampire Academy series. He takes center stage in the Bloodlines series, the Vampire Academy spin-off series. If you want to know why I’m so in love with him, read the books. Yes, you can love him too, but he’s mine. Understood? Good. We can be friends again. 🙂

If you want to see Anjie’s post click here.

Who’s your Fictional Man Crush this Monday?

The Re-Read Challenge

#ReRead2015 January Recap

Veronica Porras (TTB)

Re-Read Challenge

A month has already passed this year and I can’t believe it. January went by too quickly. February will be short, and come March I will be turning 24 ( dear Lord have mercy). My vague goal for the Re-Read challenge was to re-read between 10 to 20 books this year and so far I think I’ve started off with a nice rhythm. Let’s hope that I keep this up!

January Rereads: 2

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I re-read The Boyfriend list because it had been about 6 to 7 years since I had last read it, and I needed something short and sweet. Short and  Sweet is exactly what I got. If you want to check out my review click on the picture above of the book. Fangirl was another one of my re-reads this month because I will be reviewing it along side Kayla over at The Thousand Lives as a part of the blogging event thing we are both holding in the month of March called Contemporary Conversations. I loved Fangirl even more the second time around. If you want to see our Fangirl review in March, head over to this post to know all about Contemporary Conversations.

Alright guys, that is all I have for the month of January. If I keep reading two books a month, I will be able to accomplish my goal and surpass it, re-reading a total of 24 books. I wish all of you luck this February. Let the re-reading continue!

Editor Letter

My nest is now empty

Veronica Porras (TTB)

I write this post today to let you all know that Anjie who has been with me for a year and a half (I was by myself for the first seven months) has now flown away from the nest and has created a book blog of her own. While I am saddened that she has left my blog, I’m also very happy for her and wish her great book blogging success. I encourage you all to go check it out as she has already posted her first piece ever. Congratulations my dear!

Anjie’s Blog: Love Thy Shelf

Reviews, ya contemporary

Book Review: The Boyfriend List (#1 The Ruby Oliver Quartet) by E. Lockhart

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Goodreads Summary:

Ruby Oliver is 15 and has a shrink. She knows it’s unusual, but give her a break—she’s had a rough 10 days. In the past 10 days she:
lost her boyfriend (#13 on the list),

lost her best friend (Kim),

lost all her other friends (Nora, Cricket),

did something suspicious with a boy (#10),

did something advanced with a boy (#15),

had an argument with a boy (#14),

drank her first beer (someone handed it to her),

got caught by her mom (ag!),

had a panic attack (scary),

lost a lacrosse game (she’s the goalie),

failed a math test (she’ll make it up),

hurt Meghan’s feelings (even though they aren’t really friends),

became a social outcast (no one to sit with at lunch)

and had graffiti written about her in the girls’ bathroom (who knows what was in the boys’!?!).
But don’t worry—Ruby lives to tell the tale. And make more lists.

Review:

Where do I even start?!
I remember the first time I read this book, I was in my senior year of high school…. Or was it my junior year? Honestly I don’t remember, but what I do remember is that I liked it a lot.

I’ve been on a bit of a reading slump and oh boy has it sucked, but this book achieved to get me out of that slump. The first thing I have to say about The Boyfriend List is that it’s freaking hilarious! I was laughing, rooting and booing at all the things. I know the title of this book sounds silly, but The Boyfriend List is much deeper than you think. Ruby’s sessions with her therapist made me realize a lot of things about myself and it made me think about my life choices. Weird right? A rather interesting outcome to a book that looks like it would be really silly. I don’t remember this happening the first time I read it, but I was a bit of an angsty teenager in high school (sad to say I was a little bit like Kim,  for example: Everything had to be perfect and I followed all the rules).

Ruby’s story made me realize that my high school experience could have been much worse. I was never a leper but I was publicly targeted for being the only Christian girl at a school where most of the kids were catholic. They took every opportunity to shame me and pick on me and condemn me for being different. I connected in that way with Ruby because she too was shamed for what others students saw as different, and if she didn’t fit into their cookie cutter mold, she was someone not of worth.

As I read the Q&A at the back of the book, it made me realize why The Boyfriend List impacted me so much the second time around. Ruby is going through a process of grieving for both the relationships she once had with her now ex-best friend Kim and her now ex-boyfriend Jackson that have now ended. I’ve had friends like Kim before and it really hurts when they betray you like that. It’s the worst.

Anyways getting to angsty here (that is what high school books bring out in me lol), The Boyfriend List may be about high school drama and at times seems a little childish, but once you digest what is being cleverly communicated to you through the pages of the book, you realize that there is more truth to Ruby’s life than we would like to acknowledge. I will continue to read Ms. Ruby’s adventures, and I thank Ms. E. Lockhart for writing books that send a message we should all be listening to.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tuesday Meme

Top Ten (Seven, really) Character’s I’d Like to Be Best Friends With

Veronica Porras (TTB)

TopTenTuesday

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.  🙂

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is a freebie and I’ve decided to do something fun,  Top Ten Character’s I’d Like to Be Best Friends With.

There are many characters that we love, but sometimes they wouldn’t exactly be BFF material for us. I thought deeply about this and this is who has made it on my I WANT THEM TO BE MY BFF list.

1. Sydney from Vampire Academy and  Bloodlines Series

She and I would definitely get along together. I’m also a fiercely loyal person and I like that characteristics in my to be bestie too. 😀

2. Adrian from Vampire Academy and  Bloodlines Series

Gosh, I want that hunk of a man as my best friend. At times I can be a little uptight and I know he would make any boring task into a fun one. Also fiercely loyal as well.

3. Rose from Vampire Academy Series

In the past I had a best friend that was a bit like Rose and we actually got along fine. We were a perfect friendship match. We were quite a team. Too bad we lost touch when I moved cities. This was back in the year 2000.

4. Eddie from Vampire Academy and  Bloodlines Series

Eddie is the type of guy friend I like to have as a best friend. He may not bear his soul, but he knows what’s important and is always there for you when you need him.

5. Savannah from Racing Savannah

Savannah and I are somewhat alike and I think those similarities would make us really good friends.

6. Mia from If I Stay Duology

Mia and I are so similar at times, it’s kinda freaky. But the differences we do have would make us really good friends. It also helps that I was the girl who at the age of 8 preferred the cello over any other instrument. I played it for many years until I wasn’t able to rent one from the school. Moving out of that district was the worst thing ever because it stunted my growth as a cello player. 😦

7. Sydney from Maybe Someday 

Sydney and I would be GREAT friends. I just know it. I can’t even explain it. I just KNOW.

Who do you think would make a great BFF for you? Tell me! I’d like to know.

The Re-Read Challenge

I’m joining “The 2015 Re-Read Challenge”

Veronica Porras (TTB)

Re-Read Challenge

After some debating for some time, I’ve decided to join The 2015 Re-Read Challenge! One of the reasons I decided to join this reading challenge is that I want to re-read a lot of my favorite books this year. When I first started being an avid reader, I was the person that vowed never to re-read a book because ain’t nobody got time for that. But as time passed I’ve change my stance on that. I truly have.

If you would like to join myself and many others on this year-long challenge click here and it will take you the information and sign up page!

THE CHALLENGE

I’m planning to re-read anywhere between 10 to 20 books. I don’t want to set an exact amount because I don’t want to pressure myself too much, but I think having a ballpark figure is good enough.

Some of the books I’m planning to re-read are:

  • Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
  • Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Okcler
  • The Lux Series, starting with Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
  • Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry
  • What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
  • and a few others…

That’s about it! If you too are doing the re-read challenge, please let me know! I would to see which books you think are worthy of being read more than once!

Uncategorized

New Year, New Look!

Veronica Porras (TTB)

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! The Talking Bookworm has a new look.

As this site enters its third year, I decided it was time for The Talking (Blogging) Bookworm to have a new look! What do you guys think? Is it okay on your eyes? I love the simple look, but I did want some color on it, hence the pinkish tones throughout. Please let me know what you guys think. Thank you to every single one of you for following me and reading my reviews. You guys are awesome!