A special thank you to Patricia @ TUABFC for making me this graphic

Yesterday was a signing that I had been really looking forward to. I had heard great things about Nantucket Blue from a lot of bloggers that I follow and thought it would be a perfect book for a summer read. And I was thrilled to find out that the author Leila Howland was going to be at the Huntington Barnes and Nobles on a Thursday. So I gathered up my usual troops and we head down there for the signing. But this signing was extra special because we got to bring my friend's 4 year old son Dean with us.

When we got there we started talking to a girl in front of us about books and different signings that we went to or planned to attend. I had a feeling she was a blogger, because she had an ARC of Nantucket Blue with her. She also looked familiar, but I had assumed I had just seen her at different signings. But when I got home I realized that she was Rachel from The Reader's Den so I quickly sent her a note on Goodreads to say Hi. Its just amazing to me how great the YA blogging/reading community is and how you can always run into people you follow or have discussed books with at a signing.

                                          

When Leila started she read an exert form her book. She had originally had chosen another piece, but changed her mind after spending the day at the water. If you would like to listen to her read you can go here!

Then she followed with a Q & A. Here were some of the questions asked.

Q: Have you ever been to Nantucket?

A: Yes she actually spend a summer down there when she was 18 as a chambermaid. Just like Cricket her protagonist. 

Q: How long did it take you to write this book?

A: About a year.

Q: Did you have someone like Jewel in your life?

A: Yes she did. She really hoped that she did Jewel justice. That she were pain enough to make her anger seem real. She had known people that when they go through a major life change, they push away the people closet to them. And with Jewel her tragedy is so severe, that she is not ready to cope with it yet. 

Q:  There's a sequel? (YAY) Who is the protagonist?

A: Cricket is the still the protagonist, but there is a whole new set of cirumstances. It takes place a year later in the summer. High school is over and now they are starting to face the reality that they are starting college. 

Q: Is Cricket still with Zack ? When does it come out?

A: "Ohhh I can't tell you that!"  There is no date yet, it is still with her editor. 

Guys I don't know about you but I am SUPER EXCITED about this book and am so happy to have my own copy!  And let me just tell you guys how sweet Leila is. 1st - Dean wanted to get his coloring book signed and she was so sweet to him and even left him a cute note.

         

2nd- I had tweeted Leila about how excited I was about coming to her signing. I didn't mention anything to her when I went up to get my book signed. I figured authors get TONS of tweets from their fans daily. But Lelia remembered and shortly after the signing tweeted me. That is super cool of her!

Anyways guys! You know how much I love finding new great books! And I love sharing them with you! So  I have a signed copy to giveaway! Just fill out the Rafflecopter below! and Good Luck!  Yes this is open internationally! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hey Guys the Hex Hall giveaway is officially over and the winner is

 Ashley R. 

She won by liking the Reading Nurse Facebook Page! 

Thank you to everyone who participated! Don't worry if you did not win a new giveaway will be posted tonight or tomorrow! And it's another goodie! 

Hey guys! There is less than 24 hours left for the Hex Hall Series Giveaway! Stay tuned until tomorrow because I will be posting another giveaway! =)

But for now here are 3 other blogs with great giveaways for you guys to check out!

My friend Christina over at Ensconced in YA  always has tons of great giveaways on her blog. But she was one special one up here. She needs help getting her short stories looked at on Figment.com. All you have to do is like her short stories and you can enter to win some Amazon GCs. She has been super supportive of me and my blog and I would really appreciate it if you guys take a moment to help her out!




The Mod Podge Bookshelf  is celebrating having over 3000 followers so go over to her website to check out her giveaways! But here is a less than a day left so make sure to hurry!

The last one is over at Chapter-by-Chapter they are giving a way a box of books! Less than a day left ! So you better hurry!

Hey Guys instead of doing an individual review for each one of the Steampunk Chronicles I read last week, decided to a a group one.

 Title: The Girl In the Steel Corset
 Series: The Stempunk Chronicles
 Author: Kady Cross
 Pages: 473
 Published: 05/24/11
 Acquired: Library
 Goodreads Rating: 3.86
 My Rating: 4.0



Goodreads Synopsis:

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one...except the "thing" inside her.When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no "normal" Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch....

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of "them." The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help--and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on--even if it seems no one believes her.

Title: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar

Series:  The Steampunk Chronicles

Author: Kady Cross

Pages: 416

Published: 05/22/12

Acquired:  Library

Goodreads Rating:  4.07

My Rating:  4.5

Goodreads Synopsis: 

In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling-or dangerous Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper from the clutches of a devious criminal demanding a trade-the dangerous device Jasper stole from him...for the life of the girl Jasper loves. One false move from Jasper, and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens and tightens. From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens follows Jasper's elusive trail. And they're about to discover how far they'll go for friendship. More than ever, Finley must rely on powerful English duke Griffin King to balance her dark magic with her good side. Yet Griffin is at war with himself over his secret attraction to Finley...and will risk his life and reputation to save her. Now, to help those she's come to care for so deeply, Finley must infiltrate the criminal gang. Only problem is, she might like the dark side a little too much....

Title: The Girl with the Iron Touch

Series: The Steampunk Chronicles

Author: Kady Cross

Pages: 384

Published: 05/28/13

Acquired: Net Galley: Thank you to Harlequin Teen and Kady Cross

Goodreads Rating: 4.06

My Rating: 4.0

Goodreads Synopsis: 

In 1897 London, something not quite human is about to awaken

When mechanical genius Emily is kidnapped by rogue automatons, Finley Jayne and her fellow misfits fear the worst. What's left of their archenemy, The Machinist, hungers to be resurrected, and Emily must transplant his consciousness into one of his automatons—or forfeit her friends' lives.

With Griffin being mysteriously tormented by the Aether, the young duke's sanity is close to the breaking point. Seeking help, Finley turns to Jack Dandy, but trusting the master criminal is as dangerous as controlling her dark side. When Jack kisses her, Finley must finally confront her true feelings for him...and for Griffin.

Meanwhile, Sam is searching everywhere for Emily, from Whitechapel's desolate alleyways to Mayfair's elegant mansions. He would walk into hell for her, but the choice she must make will test them more than they could imagine.

To save those she cares about, Emily must confront The Machinist's ultimate creation—an automaton more human than machine. And if she's to have any chance at triumphing, she must summon a strength even she doesn't know she has....

My Review: 

There were so many things that I love about this series, but the first thing that comes to mind is the amazing group of stubborn, pig-headed, narcissistic, yet loyal brave and amazing group of characters that make up the series. All of the members that make up this dysfunctional family have unique abilities that set them apart from everyone else. First there is Finley Jayne, who had extraordinary strength and superhuman hearing. Then there is Griffin King, the Duke of Greythorne. He is extremely loyal and takes on the responsibilities of the world on his shoulders. Then there is  Emily who is scientist, doctor, and engineer all rolled up in one.  Lastly there is Sam, who is a man of steel and with a heart of gold, well technically metal! 

This fearsome foursome works together to keep eachother safe and keep the country of England safe from others who want to cause others harm. This series has some amazing adventures, great friendship and even some love triangles.  I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good Steampunk Story! 

Title: Torn

Series: Miss Chatterley Part III

Author: Logan Belle

Published: 05/27/13

Pages: 80

Acquried: Edelweiss

Goodreads Rating: 3.90

My Rating: 4.0

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Torn between love and sex. By the time Connie decides, it could be too late. 

Surprised by Cliff’s sudden attention, Connie is caught between the life she always wanted and the passion she never knew she needed. Luckily, Connie’s wild, older sister Hillary comes to town to talk some sense into her—don’t throw away your future for a passing fling. But can Connie forgo the ecstasy of Mellors’s touch for a future with Cliff? Will Cliff be too distracted with the IPO to realize what’s at stake? 

My Review: 

We left off in Dirty with another major cliff hanger. Cliff knows that his and Connie's relationship is danger, instead of fixing the problem at hand, he believes the best way to save their relationship is to take it to the next level. Connie is so guilt ridden, that even though she loves Cliff she knows she can't accept his offer. Both Cliff and Connie realize that it is time to start working to repair their relationship. For Cliff the answer is to start spending more time with Connie. And for Connie the answer is dropping Mellor. But unfortunality for Connie, her relationship with Mellor has turned into more than just sex, but a pure out addiction. And just like going on a diet, before she can give up the unhealthy food, she was binge! And binge she does! 

In this episode, we get to know more about some side characters, specially Hillary, Connei's older sister who had came into town after her affair goes bad, and Cliff's partner at the Chattebox, Ivy. Usually in these types of situations the partner was the significant other out of the picture beacuase they want the partner to themselves. But this is not the case for Ivy, yes she wants Connie out the picture and will go throug any lengths to get it done, but she wants Connie gone because she beliees that if she does Cliff will take the compnay public and she will become and instant millionaire. Ivy befriends an unlikely person in her quest to rid of Connie. 

Don't miss the last part, Miss Chatterley Part IV: Spent will be out June 3rd! 

Title: SEAL of Honor

Series: Hornet #1

Author: Tonya Burrows

Pages: 352

Published: 05/28/13

Acquired: Netgalley - Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Tonya Burrows

Goodreads Rating: 4.11

My Rating: 5.0

Good Reads Synopsis: 

It’s a good thing Gabe Bristow lives and breathes the Navy SEAL credo, “the only easy day was yesterday,” because today, his life is unrecognizable. When his prestigious career comes to a crashing halt, he’s left with a bum leg and few prospects for employment that don’t include a desk.

That is, until he’s offered the chance to command a private hostage rescue team and free a wealthy American businessman from Colombian paramilitary rebels. It seems like a good deal—until he meets his new team: a drunk Cajun linguist, a boy-genius CIA threat analyst, an FBI negotiator with mob ties, a cowboy medic, and an EOD expert as volatile as the bombs he defuses. Oh, and who could forget the sexy, frustratingly impulsive Audrey Van Amee? She’s determined to help rescue her brother—or drive Gabe crazy. Whichever comes first.

As the death toll rises, Gabe’s team of delinquents must figure out how to work together long enough to save the day. Or, at least, not get themselves killed. Because Gabe’s finally found something worth living for, and God help him if he can’t bring her brother back alive.

My Review: 

For those of you continously read my reviews here on my blog or on goodreads, you know the one thing I am always craving more is originality! My main complaint most of the time is, that I can guess the ending about a third of the way into a book. 

Last week I was working on a research paper for nursing school when I was approved for this book in Netgalley. I struggled to not give into temptation of a good story, and yes I will shamelessly admit the gorgeous man on the cover! After my paper was over I dove into the book and immediately from the first chapter I was hooked. (And praised my good sense not to start this book before I finished my paper.) This book started with a rich business man in Columbia on a business trip. My first instinct was, here we go another story about an obscenely rich man falling in love, but towards the end of the first chapter I knew I was wrong. And I will honestly say that this book had one of the best first chapters I have ever read. There is no way anyone can put the book down when you get to the end of that chapter. 

When an American business owner is kidnapped in Columbia, an ex Navy Seal by the name of Gabe Bristow is given a job opportunity to put a crew together to go to Columbia and rescue him. Gabe is struggling with an injury that forces him out of the Seals and takes the opportunity to fill the void in his life. At the same time, Audrey, the sister of the American business man also takes of to Columbia to find out what happen to her brother. Haven't lost her parents, she will do everything in her power not to lose her brother. When a trained Seal who has spend his entire life in military school, living his life by the book, meets Audrey a free spirited artist things are bound to clash. But as the saying goes sometimes opposites attract. Will they save her brother in time? Who is responsible for his kidnapping and why? Will Gabe learn to let go of his duty and allow himself to give in to the chemistry he feels to Audrey? You guys have to pick up this book to find out

There were so many things I loved about this book! The amazing adventure was the first thing that caught my interest! This book literally reminded me of an episode of 24, with Gabe being a younger version of Jack Bauer. Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the amazing character development. Each and every character had a unique personality that stood out on the page. Wether they were just a side character who you only read about twice or one of the main characters. You felt like you knew them and they each had their own very distinct personalities. I loved the bond and loyalty of the Hornet Crew. They certainly had their fair share of disagreements, but they put them aside and worked together as a very cohesive unit. Then their is Gabe who is so physically strong, but yet so emotionally weak he needs a woman like Audrey in his life who gives him strength were he is lacking. 

I really enjoyed this book and hope some of you guys pick it up and give it a read!  Now I really need to get myself a finish copy of this book, because it was such a great read and Yes, I do need that cover on my shelf! 

This book comes out tomorrow which would be a perfect read after your Memorial Day celebration! So make sure to check it out.

Hey Guys!! Need to start putting together a TBR for great summer reads? My friends over at The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club have 2 new giveaways up! Make sure to head over there and check them out! 

Title: Dirty
Series: Miss Chatterley Part II
Author: Cora Carmack
Published: May 20, 2013
Pages: 80
Acquired: Edelweiss
Goodreads Rating: 3.57
My Rating: 4.0


Goodreads Synopsis: 

Torn between love and sex. By the time Connie decides, it could be too late. 

Consumed by desire, Connie’s body yields to Mellor’s outrageous demands even as her heart yearns for her sweet, steady boyfriend. Connie reaches out to Cliff to save their relationship but he is too distracted exploring a different sort of temptation—the promise of quick and easy money from the shifty Tommy Dukes. Can Connie stop Cliff before he makes an epic mistake? Can she stop herself before she falls too far to ever come back? 

My Thoughts: 

We left off in Hunger with Connie filling the void in her life by giving into temptation. Now she is being torn into two: Her love for Cliff and her desire for Mellor. As each day passes she feels more and more guilt over her actions. She tries to repair her relationsihp to the best of her ability, but no matter how much she tries she isn't able to replace what Mellor is giving her. 

Connie receives two tickets to a Cross Fit tournament and convinces Cliff to go with her. She thought it would be a good way of spending more time with Cliff, but little did she know that Cliff would become so intrigued with Cross Fit and want to start working out with her an Mellor. Now with the tension of sharing work outs with her boyfriend and her biggest temptation, Connie becomes torn into. 

Cliff is not oblivious to what his work schedule is doing to his relationhip with Connie and towards the end of Part II he will take any extreme to try to re-kindle the love that they once had. But is it too late?


FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IN MISS CHATTERLEY PART III: TORN - RELEASED MAY 27, 2013!!

Hey guys! I just got back from attending an authors event with Rachel Hawkins, the author of the Hex Hall Series, and the new stand alone School Spirit! The signing was at my local Barnes and Noble and went with my book signing partner in crime my friend Vivian! Also I has the privilege of meeting Stacee from Too Fond of Books. I noticed that she and I have been going to the same signings for over a year and I was looking forward to saying Hi to her! She also has a great recap of the event so you guys should check out her page!

Rachel was incredibly funny tellings us anecdotes of how she became a writer and her inspiration behind her Hex Hall Series and her new book School Spirit. I recorded a little bit of her story if you guys wanted to listen to her discuss her writing experience. She also did a few Q and A's which Stacee has over on her blog if you guys wanted to take a look. Overall she was incredibly funny, sweet and we had a great event!


Time for the Giveaway Info! 
For all my amazing followers I am giving you the chance to win the complete Hex Hall series SIGNED!

Book 1: Hex Hall
Book 2: Demon Glass
Book 3: Spell Bound

Just follow the Rafflecopter instructions bellow to enter! You have 2 weeks to enter and yes this giveaway is open Internationally!

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Title: The Strange Case of Finley Jayne
Series: The Steampunk Chronicles #0.5
Author: Kady Cross
Pages: 98
Published: 05/01/13
Acquired: Library
Goodreads Rating: 3.74
My Rating: 4.0

Goodreads Synopsis:

Finley Jayne knows she's not 'normal'. Normal girls don't lose time, or have something inside them that makes them capable of remarkably violent things. Her behavior has already cost her one job, so when she's offered the lofty position of companion to Phoebe, a debutante recently engaged to Lord Vincent, she accepts, despite having no experience. Lord Vincent is a man of science with his automatons and inventions, but Finley is suspicious of his motives where Phoebe is concerned. She will do anything to protect her new friend, but what she discovers is even more monstrous than anything she could have imagined...

My Thoughts: 

I received a copy of The Girl with the Iron Touch from Harlequin Teen on Netgalley and I knew that I wanted to do a re-read of the 1st book before I dove in to the 2nd and last book. I checked the 1st two books out from the library and was pleasantly suprised that the new paperback of the The Girl in the Steel Corset had this prequel in it. 

Usually I end up being pretty dissapointed in Prequels. How do you usually judge whether a prequel or a novella is any good? Your desire for it to be longer. And that is exactly how I felt about The Strange Case of Finley Jayne. 

This series is mixes Historical Fiction with Steampunk! And once again you through in anything Historical Fiction and I am usually willing to give it a shot.  This novella starts off with the main character Finley Jayne, just being fired from a job as a servant after the physically attacked the Governess for slapping a little boy. Things had starting changing with her over time and she found herself exerted an unnatural amount of physical strength that no female should have. Something is different about her, but she has no idea how she became this way, or what she even is? This may all be connected to her biological father who passed away years ago, whom she doesn't know much about.

Just went Finley starts panicking about where she is going to find new employment without a reference, a new job opportunity comes knocking on her door. She is offered a position as a companion, with high wage, new dresses and evenings out with Dukes and Lords. It seems to good to be true and she accepts the position cautiously.

She meets Lady Phoebe, the girl who is supposed to accompany. She is engaged to Lord Vincent one of the richest men around who in an inventor of different automatons. But he is old enough to be her grandfather. Finley starts to become suspicious when she realizes that Phoebe is almost a doppelganger of Lord Vincent's ex-wife. But just as Finley is becoming suspicious of Lord Vincent, Lord Vincent is staring to realize that there is more to Finley than what the eye sees.

I really enjoyed this little story and am eager to start re-reading the 1st book and getting reacquainted with the characters and the story line. :)

Title: The Sweetest Dark

Series: The Sweetest Dark

Author: Shana Abe

Pages: 334

Published: April 2nd, 2013

Acquired: Netgalley For Review

Good Reads Rating: 3.94

My Rating: 3.5

Goodreads Synopsis: 

For fans of Lauren Kate and Libba Bray, The Sweetest Dark is filled with thrilling romance, exciting adventure, and ancient magic. Shana Abé brilliantly captures the drama of post-Victorian England, while unfolding a passionate love story that defies time.

 

“With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of reach.” 

 

Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.

 

England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.

 

Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves.

 

Filled with lush atmosphere, thrilling romance, and ancient magic, The Sweetest Dark brilliantly captures a rich historical era while unfolding an enchanting love story that defies time.

My Thoughts: 

When I started reading this, I had a feeling that I was going to devour this book. 1) It was historical fiction, taking place in the early 1900s right at the start of WWI. 2) It was  story about a dragons or what they are called in this book Drakons. I figured historical fiction mixed in with an interesting new concept never done before, this was bound to be good! 

But alas if you noticed above I only gave this a 3.5. This just once again proves to me that even with a great idea and good intentions, an authors writing ability is so key to a story. Don't tell me the story, build it, paint it, make it come to life. I found myself bored repeatedly with this book, and couldn't wait to put it down. I am sad to say that I even skimmed the last 30 pages of the book just to get it over with. 

The story is about an orphan girl named Elenor, who not only hears voices, but can also hear the songs of inanimate objects. She has been given an opportunity to go live in a castle and attend a school for privileged girls at the home of Duke. While she is there she starts discovering that her placement in this school might not have been so shocking after all. While she is there she meets one of the servants Jesse who seems to know something about what is going on with Elenor. Then there is the Duke's second son Armand, who also has a secret of his own. Through out the book these three will develop an unexpected friendship which will be tested towards the end. 

One of my biggest problem with this book, was that I felt the author was doing too much at once. I wish that she had build on the idea of Drakons without throwing the historical aspect into it. All in all it did nothing to the story, but make it more difficult to follow. However, I must give the author credit for coming up with such an original idea. Another thing about this book that i didn't like, was that nothing was really explained about Drakon's or Jesse's abilities. It was just here is what they are and BAMN there they went. I did also receive a copy of the sequel to this book. And to be fair to the author, I do plan on giving it a try later on. I really hope that the writing improves and that I am able to enjoy the story more than I did the first one. 

                                      

I just saw this online and I thought it was so interesting that I thought I'd share it with all you guys. As an aspiring writer I was so intrigued and awed by this outline. I am not one of those writers that uses outlines. My characters just tell me where they want to go and I let them. 

Right now they are always nagging me about spending more time with them but unfortunately thanks to school, I don't spend as much time with them as I should. But hopefully one day soon. 

It's amazing how things like this pretty messy outline was what it took to make one of the best selling series in our lifetimes and what made the 1st Billionaire author! Go J.K Rowlng! YOU ROCK! 

Hey there my amazing followers!

For those of your in the states, I hope you had an amazing Mother's Day weekend! I had a terrific weekend off. This Thursday I will be attending another great signing event

with none other than Rachel Hawkins! And you know what that means. When I go to a signing that means you get a Giveaway!!

In the mean time if you are looking for a giveaway to enter, I have 2 for you. My friends over at The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club, have two giveaway up which are open INTERNATIONALLY! So run don't walk, or just click on the link to go enter!

 

Title: The Prince

Series: The Original Sinners #3

Author: Tiffany Reisz

Pages: 407

Published: 11/20/12

Acquired: Library

GoodReads Rating: 4.57

My Rating: 5.0

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer...preferably in bed. That's always been Kingsley Edge's strategy with his associate, the notorious New York dominatrix Nora Sutherlin. But with Nora away in Kentucky, now it's Kingsley's chance to take her place at the feet of the only man he's ever wanted -- Søren, Nora's on-again, off-again lover -- until a new threat from an old enemy forces him to confront his past.

Wes Railey is still the object of Nora's tamest yet most maddening fantasies, and the one man she can't forget. He's young. He's wonderful. He's also thoroughbred royalty and she's in "his" world now. But Nora is no simpering Southern belle, and her dream of fitting into Wesley's world is perpetually at odds with her dear Søren's relentlessly seductive pull.

Two worlds of wealth and passion call to her and whichever one Nora chooses, it will be the hardest decision she will ever have to make... unless someone makes it for her....

My Thoughts:

Wow oh Wow!!!! LIke many of the other Goodread reviewers, I have to say that this series is becoming my favorite Erotica stories. Yes more than the Crossfire series and every more than 50 shades of Grey. I think what captures me so much about the series is the DEPTH! Each character is so beautifully written and there is so much beautiful turmoil behind them. 

There were just so many surprises in this book and I really don't want to go into too much detail, because I don't want to  much away for any of you who decide to pick up this series. But what made this my favorite book out of the series thus far was reading into the past of two of the main characters and seeing how they became who they are now. Also, Nora is now exploring a whole new world and has to make some serious choices towards the end. There's still someone out there is who is out for revenge and may bring Soren, Nora, Kingsley and the whole underground world they live in down. And you will definatley not see the ending coming. The ending is one of those that will keep you hanging on the edge of your seat until the fourth book,The Mistress which comes out on July 30!  

I tweeted the author about my devastation and she gave me a link to some free short stories that she had on her blog. I will be reading those and will do a group review on them soon! 

Title: The Angel

Series: The Original Sinners #2

Author: Tiffany Reisz

Pages: 410
Published: 09/25/12
Acquired: Library
Goodreads Rating: 4.54
My Rating: 5.0

GoodReads Synopsis:

No safe word can protect the heart

Infamous erotica author and accomplished dominatrix Nora Sutherlin is doing something utterly out of character: hiding. While her longtime lover, Søren—whose fetishes, if exposed, would be his ruin—is under scrutiny pending a major promotion, Nora's lying low and away from temptation in the lap of luxury.

Her host, the wealthy and uninhibited Griffin Fiske, is thrilled to have Nora stay at his country estate, especially once he meets her traveling companion. Young, inexperienced and angelically beautiful, Michael has become Nora's protégé, and this summer with Griffin is going to be his training, where the hazing never ends.

But while her flesh is willing, Nora's mind is wandering. To thoughts of Søren, her master, under investigation by a journalist with an ax to grind. And to another man from Nora's past, whose hold on her is less bruising, but whose secrets are no less painful. It's a summer that will prove the old adage: love hurts.

My Thoughts: 

After finishing the Siren I couldn't wait to get my hand on this book and the 3rd book in the series The Prince. Usually when a book I have put on hold a the library is available for pick up, I let it sit for a day or two before I actually go pick it up. But not for these books. When I knew both books were ready, I was there in the next hour to get these beauties in my hand. Luckily for me, the books arrived just when I was starting my four days off.

This book picks up where the last book ended. Nora's assistant Wesley has fallen in love with her, but Wesley is pure and innocent and to top it off a Virgin. Nora knows she must do the only thing that is best for Wesley and that is go back to Soren and her BDSM underground world. She loves Wesley's innocense and the last thing she wants is to tarnish it with her world.

Nora goes back to being Soren's "little one" and everything seems like it is going perfectly. Yes she misses Wesley with each day, but Nora believes she is doing the right thing. Besides she is happy and she and Soren are back to loving eachother the best way they know how. But things starts to get suspicious when somone breaks into Kingley's (who lives up to his name by being the King of the Underground) home and steals her file. Everything that they have tried desperately to keep secret is now in jeoperdy. In order to protect her, Soren sends Nora and Michael, the newest recruit into their world to another members house while they sit there and wait for answers.

This is just a glimpse into the beautiful story that makes up the second book. What makes me love this story so much that every single page of this book is about love. Love and expressing that love means something different to each one of us and the author does a really great job of showing that. With some great sex scenes and some amazing character development and lots of twist and turns alongthe way The Angel ends with another big turn into the story that had me diving into book 3: The Prince! 

Title: Hungry
Series: Miss Chatterley: Part 1
Author: Logan Belle
Published: May 13, 2013
Pages: 80
Acquired: Edelweiss
Goodreads Rating: 3.86
My Rating: 4.0

Goodreads Synopsis:

"A modern-day retelling of D.H. Lawrence’s controversial early 20th century tale Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Belle sets her story in Palo Alto, California where Connie Chatterley is torn between marrying her tech genius boyfriend or giving him up for a fling with a masculine, muscular fitness coach.”

- – RT book reviews, THE BOOKS BEFORE THE BUZZ

I was received this book by the publisher on Edelweiss and after reading the synopsis for Part I,  I was eager to give this book a chance. This series is divided to 4 parts, each part being 80 pages long. This story is about a girl named Connie who is graduated from college and has just gotten  accepted to the grad school of her dreams. She had an amazing boyfriends who she shares an apt with. He is an entrepeuner who is being called the next Mark Zuckerberg. Her life is perfect and she is about to have the perfect graduation party.  Then everything comes to a hault, when Cliff her boyfriends tells her that he wants to move his company to CA and he wants her to go with her. She is torn between being the supportive girlfriends and living out her dream of going to Grad School in New York. And being the supportive girlfriend that she is she chooses to accompany Cliff out to California. 

A few months down the line, they are living in California, and Cliff becomes extremely busy and barely has time to spend with Connie. Their relationship starts suffereing in every sense of the word, and Connie struggles to make her own life in California. After spending hours bored each day, she starts going to the gym adn meets a Crossfit trainer who awakens the passion in her life that she's missing. But this new found passion for Crossfit and working out, also leads to passion for the coach that is training her, which will end up rocking Connie's world.

What I liked: I enjoyed watching the stuggle Connie felt day to day of being a good girlfriend and being true to herself and her own needs. I think many women can relate to this struggle each day. This story also had interesting side characters and side stories that made the story come to life. Yes there are also some great sex scenes and Part I, ends at a HUGE cliffhanger. 

DON'T MISS PART II: DIRTY - 05/20/2013

AND THE WINNER IS......

Thalia A.

Congratulations!

*Winner was chosen via Random.Org

 

Hey Guys!!!

Now that the givaway if officially over I wanted to write a quick note to thank you guys for making this such a big success!!! The giveaway ended with an amazing 2349 enteries!! That is amazing and exceeded my expectations! I'm going to take probably the next day or two to go over all the enteries and make sure they are all valid. And hopefully we will have a winner by end of the weekend! I will be notifying the winner via e-mail as well as on the blog and the winner will have 48 hours to contact me with their information! Good Luck everyone and thank you for participating! :)

Hey Everyone! My friends over at The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club is hosting a great giveaway to celebrate the launch of Shauna Granger's new book Spirit, which is book 5 of her Elemental series! Make sure to go over to their site to check out the giveaway! 

Title: Losing It
Series: Losing It #1
Author: Cora Carmack
Published: 10/15/2012
Pages: 205 (ebook)
Acquired: Edelweiss
Goodreads Rating: 3.86
My Rating: 4.0

Goodreads Synopsis:

Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

My Thoughts: Okay about an hour after setting up my TBR for this week, I was approved for this books and it's companion by Edelweiss and after re-reading what the book was about and seeing how short it was, I decided to dive right in. And once again I made a huge mistake starting a book like this right before going to bed the night before my nursing clinical. because I stayed up way late reading it. I won't bother trying to tell you what this book is about, because the synopsis does a great job setting it up. 

What I Liked: Bliss is at a bar with her best friend and they are looking around for "the one." The bartender is immediately attracted to her, but she doesn't feel a spark. So she's about to leave realizing that maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all, when she finds a guy, reading a compilation of work by Shakespeare, by himself, at a bar.  She's immediately attracted to him (as I would be) and goes over to meet this guy and tada he's British (positive point 2). I believe this is what sold me about this book. I was originally skeptical about the whole plot, just because I didn't like the idea of a girl being so carefree about who and when she gave her virginity too. But I always joke around with my friends that my dream is to meet my future soul mate is somewhere were we are both reading a book and  are immediately drawn to one another. The 2 main characters end up winning me over, because even though they immediately want to jump into bed with one another, it doesn't happen until the perfect moment. 

What I didn't Like: The reason why most of my books get 4's and not 5's has to do with predictability. This book pretty much had no big surprises, but in the end was a beautiful story. 

So this week will be an interesting, yet exciting week for me as a student, so I am not sure how much fun reading I will get done so I am going to shoot for 4 books but I doubt I will get through all of them, but hey I'm all for wishful thinging :)  I am starting a new clincal rotation tomorrow and we FINALLY be going to work at a hospital. So far in our program we have only been working at nursing home for the elderly and a rehab center where patient's go to recover from their surgeries. But starting tomorrow we will also be working 12 hour shifts. I am hoping we will be busy around the clock so the day goes by faster. 

Wednesday I will have my final exam for this term and afterwards my classmates and will be going to a bar to celebrate, because that means that we will only have 2 more terms left until we graduate! December can not come soon enough. Okay enough boring talk and onto the good stuff! 

Last Week: 
I was able to finish 2 books last week and they were: 
The Siren by Tiffany Reisz
Just One Day - By Gayle Forman

I posted the links incase you missed the reviews and wanted to catch up.

This Week: 
I am currently about a third way through The Sweetest Dark Shana Abe. I had received a review copy of this from Edelweiss and was finally able to pick it up/

The next three books I want to get to are:
Adaptation by Malinda Lo
Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan
Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

The first two I picked up from the library. I had never heard of them, but I was intrigued by the covers and synopses and I couldn't help pick them up!  The third book, I actually also received a review copy from Edelweiss and am eager to read. I met Aprilynne Pike at a book signing last year and she was super sweet and so excited about this project. She couldn't really go into detail about it but she couldn't stop raving about writing it. I linked all of their Goodreads pages if you wanted to take a look.

That's it for now guys! What are you reading plans for the weekend I would love to know!

First off I wanted to take a moment to thank all of the new comers to this blog. Thanks to all of you I officially hit over 100 followers on BlogLovin in less than 1 week! That is great news that just  makes me jump over the moon with appreciation for all of you!  I have to give a special thank you to 3 special ladies with two incredible blogs that have given me tremendous support and have helped get the word out about my blog and the giveaways I have been posting! They also happen to be from two countries that top my "I wish I could visit" list, which makes them that much cooler! So this special thank you goes to Sarah Elizabeth at Sarah Elizabeth's Bookshelf and Rosa and Patricia at The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club! So make sure you guys check them out! :)

A second thank you has to go to 2 of my best friends who I have mentioned a few times on here Viv and Amber. Who have been my fellow book loving addicts. We have been to many book events together and have spend countless hours and text messages sharing our passion for books.  (Text 123445 about Clockwork Princess! OH MY GOD THAT JUST HAPPENED!!!!!)  They both accompanied me to the San Diego book signing where I was able to get all of the books signed for my latest giveaway!

Giveaway News!

So a lot of you have been asking, and just to clarify.  YES THIS GIVEAWAY IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!

I recently took a sneak peak on the rafflecopter entries list and I just wanted to make a quick reminder. The only requirement for the giveaway is to tfollow me on BlogLovin. And there are a few of you that had selected that they are following but are not showing up on my follwers list. For those of you that may not be familiar with how to do this, you must click on the BlogLovin Icon that is directly on the right side of the blog. Please go ahead and do so, if you have not already!

That it is for now guys! I will be coming to you shortly with a TBR for next week probably later on tonight! Hope everyone is having a great week! 

Title: Just One Day
Series: Just One Day #1
Author: Gayle Forman
Published: January 08, 2013
Pages: 369
Acquired: Library Book
Goodreads rating: 4.18
My Rating: 4.0

GoodReads Synopsis:

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

My Thoughts: When I found out that Gayle Forman had a new book out, without even reading what it was about I knew I had to get my hands on this book. I remember reading If I Stay  and it's sequel both in one day and being completely mesmerized by the beautiful story that she had created and never did I recall shedding so many tears during a book. (and yes I cried more than when Dumbledore died and I didn't think that would ever be possible). And here we go again, with  me finishing another one of Forman's books in one sitting. I woke up this morning at 7am and picked it up and found myself finishing the book a few hours later with a sigh and running to goodreads to see when the sequel comes out. Luckily it's later this year in October. 

What I liked: The main character in this book is Allyson a recent high school graduate who is on a three week European vacation right before she starts her first year in College. It is a story about a girl who had every decision in her life made for her by her overbearing mother. She is in London as her trip is comming to an end watching her best friend have the time of her life and all she can think about is going home. In this process she meets Willem who changes her mood and well frankly her life forever. With one day left in her trip she makes a sudden decision to follow this guy she just met to Paris for the day and things go not according to her well-laid plans. Yes this book is love story, but not in the way you think it would be. Allyson is searching for love, but she searching for love of herself. This is a comming of age story, which combines  love for literature, the love of travel, the love of meeting new people and exploring new cultures and for the most part being true to yourself. I was blown away with this girls struggle and loved exploring London, Paris and all the different locations through her eyes. Yes there is a great guys in this book as well and I am looking forward to the next book which will be told in his perspective. Finishing this book makes me want to go dust off my passport, grab a world map, close my eyes and pick a destination and fly off. But alas I have 8 months off nursing school left. Who knows maybe I will give myself a graduation present :) 

What I didn't Like: Haven't to wait until October to find out more about Willem! I am really looking forward to seeing what his story is all about!