Waiting on Wednesday (7)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine that highlights upcoming books that you are excited to read!  This week, the book I want to talk about is Cinders and Sapphires by Leila Rasheed due at January 22.  This book first piqued my interest when I heard it compared to Downton Abbey, a show I absolutely love and reading further, it sounds like just the type of historical novel I can't put down.  Feisty and smart heroine, circumstances beyond her control, an impossible love interest, and of course characters who will probably try to get in her way.  Beyond that, we also get to see the other side of the household with the maids, butlers, cooks, etc. also telling their stories.

Here is a summary from Amazon:

One house, two worlds...

 

Rose Cliffe has never met a young lady like her new mistress. Clever, rich, and beautiful, Ada Averley treats Rose as an equal. And Rose could use a friend. Especially now that she, at barely sixteen, has risen to the position of ladies’ maid. Rose knows she should be grateful to have a place at a house like Somerton. Still, she can’t help but wonder what her life might have been had she been born a lady, like Ada.

For the first time in a decade, the Averleys have returned to Somerton, their majestic ancestral estate. But terrible scandal has followed Ada’s beloved father all the way from India. Now Ada finds herself torn between her own happiness and her family’s honor. Only she has the power to restore the Averley name—but it would mean giving up her one true love . . . someone she could never persuade her father to accept.

Sumptuous and enticing, the first novel in the At Somerton series introduces two worlds, utterly different yet entangled, where ruthless ambition, forbidden attraction, and unspoken dreams are hidden behind dutiful smiles and glittering jewels. All those secrets are waiting . . . at Somerton.

 

Doesn't it sound excellent?  I think so and I can't WAIT to read it come January!

Book Review: 52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody

Borrowed Review Copy from Library

52 Reasons To Hate My Father is first and foremost a fun, contemporary read.  Lexington Larrabee is an heiress and a troublemaker.  But in a few days she will turn 18 and her trust fund will be all hers...all 25 million dollars of it and she already has ways she's going to spend it with no rules and no one telling her what to do.  That all changes though when she crashes her new car into a convenience store after a night of drinking and her father has to bail her out of trouble.....again!  Her punishment?  52 weeks of minimum wage jobs that once completed, she will have earned her trust fund back. Of course her father has also hired a 20 year old babysitter who is the exact opposite of Lexi and whom she must see everyday and write a status report every week. And did I mention this babysitter is a guy and 20 years old and has great abs? That could be interesting! :)

Lexington definitely reminded me of Paris Hilton or Nicole Richey back when all those two girls did was party and get in trouble and be famous for doing nothing.  Girls like that are hard to relate to and in the beginning of this book, so was Lexi.  After a while though, you been to see the real girl under the facade of partying and causing trouble.  The jobs and the status reports on each are so humorous and it's interesting to see Lexi change as the jobs change as well.  Of course, there's also Luke who is a good guy.  Cute and understanding, maybe he's just what Lexi needs to help open her eyes to the real world. 

Can she really finish all 52 jobs?  Does she really hate her father?  This book is so fun and funny but beyond that it's about second chances, unconditional love and being to true to one's true self.

Waiting on Wednesday (6)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine that highlights upcoming books that you are excited to read! The book I can't wait for is Just One Day by Gayle Forman.  I loved, loved, LOVED If I Stay by Gayle.  It was one of those books that I didn't put down until I was totally finished and then wanted to pick it up and start all over again.  It stuck with me for a long time which is why I can't wait for this one which comes out January 8, 2013!! 

Here is a summary from Goodreads.

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay
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.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon.

A Few Young Adult Titles

Lately, I've had the pleasure of reading some young adult (some call them mature young adult) titles that were previously self published and have been picked up by major publishing companies!  I wish I had time to review each of them individually (and maybe I will later) but at the speed I'm reading them, I'm lucky to have to time to write this post!  I can tell you this though, they all have cute guys, strong heroines,  great relationships and meaty issues.

Seriously, it started with the book Flat Out Love by Jessica Park which a friend I trust dearly when it comes to books recommended to me.  I wasn't sure what to expect but immediately fell in love with Julie, Celeste and Matt.  Trust me, if you enjoy a good contemporary, young adult romance with some serious subject matter, give this one a try!  So good!

After that, I picked up Easy by Tammara Webber.  The main character, Jacqueline followed her high school boyfriend to college and things don't exactly go as planned when he dumps her a few months into their sophomore year.  Trying to fit in again with out him, she goes to a party and as she leaves, is attacked  by her exes frat brother but thankfully rescued by a mysterious stranger.  What happens next between Jacqueline and this stranger is what this book is all about.  Lots of meat to this story too as well as a hot relationship!  So good!

Next up were Slammed and Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover.  Laken and Will are the main characters in this book and if you don't fall in love with them, there is something wrong with you!!  Lake has just moved to Michigan with her mother and younger brother after their father dies.  And who should be Lake's neighbor?  You guessed it, Will.  After an amazing first date, things don't go as planned as unforseen obstacles begin to get in the way. What follows is an intense story of a couple who is meant to be together but because of circumstances can't.  Point of Retreat is the sequel and while I personally enjoyed Slammed more, I was happy to see the story continue. 


These are a few that I've read but up next are some books by Abbi Glines and Rebecca Donovan.  Any other recommendations from others out there?  These type of books have just really been what I've been craving lately! :)

Book Review: Something Strange and Deadly - Susan Dennard

Borrowed Review Copy from the Library

I’m just going to briefly review this book because I no longer have it in front of me to give an in depth review.  Sorry!!  But it had to be returned to the library today!  Anyway, what we have here are zombies, a necromancer, a strong willed girl, a missing brother, a cute felon, an evil spirit, a clueless mother and a rich suitor.  Sound interesting yet?  It is the first in a trilogy and so good!  Eleanor is our strong willed female who is determined to find her brother and her own path in life even as she tries to please her mother and other’s of the upper class.  Through her determination to find her brother, she encounters Daniel (cute felon) who is working with a group trying to save Philadelphia from the Dead.  There are lots of mysteries and dangerous situations and while some of it is solved, there is still plenty to look forward to in future books!  And I for one, can't wait!

Waiting on Wednesday (5)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine that highlights upcoming books that you are excited to read! This week, I am highlighting the book The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson which is the second book in her Shades of London series.  The first one, The Name of the Star was excellent.  It was a little creepy but was also lots of fun and included a nice romance.  So if you haven't read that one, do!  And just check out the cover for #2, it looks so sinister and scary....I can't wait for it to come out March 28.

Here is a synopsis of The Madness Underneath  from Goodreads:

When madness stalks the streets of London, no one is safe…

There’s a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London. Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose…

But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. A thrilling teen mystery.

Book Review: Age of Miracles - Karen Thompson Walker

Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Publisher: Random House

Review Copy: :NetGalley

This was such an interesting novel.  Short, yet full of depth and not what I was expecting at all.  Not in a bad way though, it was a lovely surprise to be unsure of how the book would go!

This is Julia’s story.   She’s a typical twelve year old whose world changes dramatically when the Earth’s rotation begins to slow.  Her voice is so genuine and true for the experiences she was going through at that age.  For while she is worried about the changes in her world, she also has typical teenage worries.  She misses her best friend, hates the bust stop, has a crush, wants a bra; all things typical of a twelve year old girl.  But there are bigger issues as well as we watch the slowing change people, including her parents.  Plants and animals begin to die, there are disagreements over how to keep the new time and hunger also becomes a point of concern.  As we see this through Julia’s eyes we begin to love her and ache for her when life reveals some big truths. 

This book has such a fascinating premise that left me thinking about many things after I had finished.  It is labeled as adult science fiction but it is so much more than that.  It’s an amazing story full of hope and despair, family and friendship, love and hate.  I recommend it to all.

Waiting on Wednesday (4)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine that highlights upcoming books that you are excited to read!   This week, the book I can't wait for is Diviners by Libba Bray.  I love all things Libba Bray especially A Great and Terrible Beauty and I really can't wait for this one to come out this September.

Summary from Amazon:

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

Book Review: Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein

This is a harrowing, fictional account of a Scottish young lady captured and tortured by the Nazi’s in occupied France. It is in her own words as she writes her story while in prison detailing all of the secrets she’s been giving away in order to keep herself alive.  She is Queenie, Eva, Julie and Verity and through it all we must figure out who the real her is.  She’s an unreliable narrator of the highest order and while we try to unravel the truth or la vérité we come to understand her, love her and ache for her and what she is going through.

I wish I had better to words to describe this novel to you and give the story all its due, but I don’t.  I don’t want to give anything away so what I will say is that I loved it.  The writing was exceptional and the story original and the characters – their strength, hope and courage above all else was heartbreaking and inspiring.  It’s one of my favorite World War II books that I’ve read since The Book Thief.  You must read it!

Book Review: Bittersweet - Sarah Ockler

Overview:  Hudson is a dependable junior in high school who helps her mom out at the diner, takes care of her little brother and has one close friend.  Her only claim to fame is the inventive cupcakes she makes for her mom’s diner which has earned her the nickname “Cupcake Queen”.  Everything begins to change as she starts secretly ice skating again (a sport that was once her passion) which leads to helping out the hockey team, which leads to lots of cute hockey players, which leads to Hudson dreaming of a different life.  All of these changes cause Hudson to spread herself a little too thin and eventually something will have to give.  But, what will it be?

Review:  One of the things I really liked about this book was that every chapter began with a specialty cupcake heading.  These were usually very humorous.  For instance, the “No One Wants to Kiss a Girl Who Smells Like Bacon, So I Might as Well Get Fat Cupcakes” Ha!  Each chapter heading gives a clue as to what is to come as well as a description of these amazing sounding cupcakes!  It made me really wish there were recipes at the end of the book but unfortunately there were not :(

However, that’s okay because the story was delicious on its own!  Hudson is a really likable character.  She is easy to root for and believe in although at times I also found myself wanting to shake her and say “What are you thinking?!?!?”.  She sometimes makes decisions that us readers know are bad ones but that really propel the story forward and give her a chance to grow.  She wants to be a good daughter, good sister, good friend, good coach, good skater, and good baker but at some point she can’t be all things to all people and be good to herself.  There are also multiple cute boys that come into her life and seeing her navigate that confusion and figure out what she wants is a lot of fun! 

This book delves into themes of family, friendship, hope, forgiveness and second chances and I would highly recommend this to Sarah Dessen fans and those who enjoy a romantic contemporary read!   

Book Review: Froi of the Exiles

Wow! If you enjoyed Finnikin of the Rock, you will love this book! I sure did.  It starts three years after Finnikin of the Rock finishes and we are back in Lumatere where Evanjalinn and Finn are beginning to rebuild their kingdom.  However, while we are in Lumatere occasionally, this is Froi's journey. And what a perilous journey it is.  Since returning to Lumatere, he has been training to join the Queen's Guard, become very disciplined and has become much loved to those in Lumatere.  He's almost unrecognizable from the Froi we once knew.  When an opportunity arises for him to sneak into Charyn and assassinate the King, he is ready for the honor to pay retribution to those who had harmed Lumatere before.  However, things in Charyn are not as they seem from afar and Froi must quickly decide who to trust and who's worth saving. 

Marchetta's writing is once again masterful. The journey for Froi and those in this book is a hard one. Many choices and personal sacrifices must be made and one must wonder: How far would you go to protect your home, your kingdom? And what, if anything, is too far?  This one definitely leaves you wanting, much, much more and  I can't wait to see what happens in the third book!

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine that highlights upcoming books that you are excited to read!   This week, the book I can't wait for is Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.  I've heard lots of good things about this one and luckily won't be waiting long since it comes out next week!

Summary from Amazon: 

Oct. 11th, 1943—A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun.

When “Verity” is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn’t stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she’s living a spy’s worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.

As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage and failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?

Harrowing and beautifully written, Elizabeth Wein creates a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other. Code Name Verity is an outstanding novel that will stick with you long after the last page.

---

Book Review: The Last Princess - Galaxy Craze

The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze
Review Copy:  ARC from Publisher
Available now!!


What a great debut novel by Galaxy Craze.  And by the way, how awesome is that name?  Love it!!

This novel takes place in Great Britain in the year 2090.  A revolution is brewing against the monarchy but the Windsor children, Mary, Eliza and young Jamie have been kept in the dark about that.  However, all that changes in an instant when their father is killed and Mary and Jamie are abducted.  Eliza escapes and makes a hard decision, to join the turdor army in order to get closer to the enemy and hopefully find her siblings.  What she doesn't count on is getting closer to another soldier, but is he friend or foe?  And how long can her charade last?  Those questions and more are answered in this consuming novel.

I found Eliza to be a force to be reconned with: she's headstrong, smart, compassionate and very easy to root for.  Her journey isn't an easy one and while the pace of this novel is very fast, it wasn't fast enough for me.  I couldn't reach the end quick enough!  This book is filled with lots of action and adventure, a little romance, and definitely some intrigue.  I recommend this first in a trilogy to fans of The Hunger Games as well as anyone looking for a quick, fun read!

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine that highlights upcoming books that you are excited to read!   This week, the book I can't wait for is The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.  I love all of Maggie's books and even though this one doesn't come out until September, it's definitely one to keep on your radar!

Summary from Amazon:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

Waiting on Wednesday (1)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine that highlights upcoming books that you are excited to read!  The book I'm looking forward to reading is Overseas by Beatriz Williams.

From Amazon:

When twenty-something Wall Street analyst Kate Wilson attracts the notice of the legendary Julian Laurence at a business meeting, no one’s more surprised than she is. Julian’s relentless energy and his extraordinary intellect electrify her, but she’s baffled by his sudden interest. Why would this handsome British billionaire—Manhattan’s most eligible bachelor—pursue a pretty but bookish young banker who hasn’t had a boyfriend since college?

The answer is beyond imagining . . . at least at first. Kate and Julian’s story may have begun not in the moneyed world of twenty-first-century Manhattan but in France during World War I, when a mysterious American woman emerged from the shadows of the Western Front to save the life of Captain Julian Laurence Ashford, a celebrated war poet and infantry officer.

Now, in modern-day New York, Kate and Julian must protect themselves from the secrets of the past, and trust in a true love that transcends time and space.

 

This one comes out May 10 and I can't wait to read it!  Romance and time travel....what can be better than that???

Book Review: I'll Be There - Holly Goldberg Sloan

Sam and Emily appear as complete opposite....Sam has moved time after time, takes care of his younger brother Riddle and has a father who is mentally unstable and always on the run from the law. Emily is musical, smart and comes from a supportive family who love her very much. A chance meeting and an instant connection will change both of their lives and change the lives of those around them forever.

I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give the story away but from the moment I began reading it I was instantly immersed in the characters and the storyline of this book. To me, the different point of views flowed seemlessly and made the whole concept of fate and destiny really show through in the end. Once I was finished I just wanted to hug the book and hope that it would reach through to the characters. And it also made me think about the day to day actions of our lives and how no matter how big or small they may appear, there is a cause and effect to everything. Holly Goldberg Sloan has written such an emotional and beautiful novel.  I highly recommend it!

Book Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Pandemonium - Lauren Oliver

Borrowed review copy from library.

Pandemonium alternates chapters between then and now.  Then being when Lena first escaped into the wilds, following the horrifying ending of Delirium and the now being that she is a member of a resistance group, pretending to be cured and infiltrate the DFA.  For me, the now chapters were the more intriguing.  Filled with plot twists, adventure, revolution and Julian.  Awww, Julian, the DFA’s poster child.  We can’t help but begin to care about him even as we still mourn Alex.  And Lena feels the same way.  When Lena and Julian find themselves in close quarters after they are kidnapped together at a DFA rally, sparks begin to fly.  And from there, things really take off.  Lauren Oliver delivered a book sure to make your pulse pound as you try to keep up with what’s going to happen next.  I loved what she did with the development of Lena’s character and was blindsided by the shocker of an ending.  I highly recommend this book, another great one by Lauren Oliver.  The third book won’t be published soon enough!

Book Review: Ditched

Ditched : A Love Story by Robin Mellom

Ditched is an extremely fun read that I enjoyed for what it was: quick and light!  The book begins the day after prom with Justine jumping out of a car and walking to the nearest gas station.  Once there, she has no money and no cell phone so she begins talking to the cashier and piecing together the events from the night before.  You see, she went to prom with her best friend Ian and she just knew that the evening was going to include a kiss and hopefully more.  After all, all the signs had been there.  But the evening didn't turn out exactly how she had planned and as we relive the wild events from the night before through Justine's colored lens, we begin to figure things out before she does.   Overall, a fun contemporary read with lots of humor and hijinks - just in time for prom season!