The Olympic Book Tag

This amazing book tag was created by Shannon from It Starts At Midnight and it is absolutely glorious. When I was a kid I used to watch the gymnastics events, synchronized diving, diving. I also used to watch show jumping, because the horses are gorgeous, but not so much anymore. Anyway, on with the tag.

I actually loved this book, from the very beginning. Especially since it starts with the girl hiding in a library. I'd hide there and never get out. EVER! Can you live from pizza and books?

I read The Edge Of Never about three years ago, and I remember loving it. I might do a reread soon.

Look, there's no nice or cute way for me to say it. Unless it's in erotic romance, in which case there's a threesome, I don't care for love triangles. And it's not a triangle. It's usually a character (most of the times female) that's attracted to two other characters (most of the times males) and doesn't know who to choose, because that character kind of needs to grow up and understand that there's love and then there's lust, and in no way does finding someone attractive means you're a cheater, but kissing someone else does and for the love of all the bookish gods, let's not have love triangles anymore please and thank you!

Look, Sophie Kinsella is probably one of my favorite authors ever, and she's on my Auto-buy list and probably will stay there forever. However, the Shopaholic series confuses me to no end. Because, and this is an honest question of mine, HOW MUCH TROUBLE CAN YOU GET INTO AND NOT LEARN ANYTHING FROM IT???? Becky seriously doesn't learn a goddamn thing, and it becomes frustrating. I actually put this one aside, because maybe I'll forget what the series is all about and pick this one up and like it, but honestly, I feel like 3 books about these characters are enough. Sorry, Shopaholic fans out there.

I realize now that haven't read many book set during the summer, which is very sad. I did love Nantucket Blue a lot.

Helm's Deep, people, Helm's Deep. 

Although I've stopped reading this series a while ago, I do remember one of the plot twists in this book that had me reconsidering, in a way, the books that I did read. Not a huge one, necessarily, but an important one. Maybe I'll pick the books up again sometime.

I think I've only ugly-cried during only a handful of books. One of them is this one. Because what else can you do when a character is drawing a portrait of their loved one and their child and then you get to learn the ugly truth, that I won't mention because major spoilers, but it's painful and I'm feeling like crying just thinking about it?!

Although a good book, Ironskin was too slow-paced for my taste.

Y'all were expecting me to say Harry Potter weren't you? I thought about it, and I realized that while, yes, it is a childhood favorite, it's not the book that I first fell in love with. The Hunchback is a fantastic book, and while it has some moments when I was confused, because most of the action is supposed to happen over the course of just two days, I loved it.

There are so many animals in Harry Potter that I adore. But you know what? I want to know what happened to Croockshanks. 

It's not that this book is bad, because it's not. My main issue is that I knew who the killer was before the detectives confirmed it. I felt disappointed that the author showed from the first few pages who the killer was. Sure, there's a certain twist at the end that kind of makes up for it, but barely, really.

The relationship that Wesley and Bianca have is pretty weird, and not a platonic friendship in any way, but I like it.

So I admit that I haven't read many books featuring Olympic sports. The only one that I can think of is Girl Against The Universe. I do imagine that at least one of the books from the Play by Play series by Jaci Burton features an Olympic sport, but I'm not sure.

*phew* I had fun doing this tag! Thanks Shannon for making it! Did you make the tag? If you did, let me know so I can check it out.

Book Tour Book Review: Reaper's Fire (ARC) by Joanna Wylde

Author: Joanna Wylde
Series: Reapers MC #6
Audience: +18
Genre: Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: August 9th 2016
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: TRSOR Promotions/Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

It’s time for more men and motorcycles in the latest from the New York Times bestselling author of Reaper’s Fall...<br />
The club comes first.

I’ve lived by those words my whole life—assumed I’d die by them, too, and I never had a problem with that. My Reaper brothers took my back and I took theirs and it was enough. Then I met her. Tinker Garrett. She’s beautiful, she’s loyal, and she works so damned hard it scares me sometimes . . . She deserves a good man—one better than me. I can’t take her yet because the club still needs me. There’s another woman, another job, another fight just ahead.

Now she’ll learn I’ve been lying to her all along. None of it’s real. Not my name, not my job, not even the clothes I wear. She thinks I’m nice. She pretends we’re just friends, that I’ve still got a soul . . . Mine’s been dead for years. Now I’m on fire for this woman, and a man can only burn for so long before he destroys everything around him.

I’m coming for you, Tinker.

Soon.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | iBooks | Nook | Kobo | Google Play

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Berkley and TRSOR Promotions in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion or rating of the book in any way.


I have been waiting for a very long time for this book. One of the things I liked about this book is that it somehow completes some details from the previous book in the series.

Tinker is a great heroine. I felt sorry for her a lot of times, especially when it came to her ex and her relationship with him. I did wonder a few times why she spend so many years trying to make that relationship work, but I'm glad that eventually she got out of that relationship. I really liked some of her scenes, and I giggled a lot because of her.

Gage is really loyal to his club brothers, and that alone made me forgive him for some of the things he did. In a strange way, I actually admired him for that loyalty. Just as I admired Picnic, the club president, for showing that that loyalty was not misplaced or unfounded. I think Gage is a bit different than the other Reapers, probably because of his background. I don't want to spoil anything, but there's a great scene where he talks a little bit about his past and he lets Tinker understand the real Gage a little bit more than I previously expected.

I mentioned Picnic earlier, and I have to do it again. Each and every book makes me fall in love a little bit more with him, and I cannot wait to read more of his scenes. He was insanely funny in this book, and I am hoping his sarcasm makes an appearance in the next books.

I have to say that the ending was not what I expected. There were a few things that were not answered in this book and I was kind of left with more questions than I would have wanted. That being said, based on how previous books were written, I have a feeling that these things will be addressed in future books. Or at least I hope so. The ending was sweet and I wonder what it means for the future of the series. Not going to say more, because of spoilers, but let's just say that if it means what I think it means, I'll be extremely happy.

All in all, a good story, and I cannot wait for more stories of the Reapers.

Excerpt

         “I can’t believe how late it is,” Tinker said, yawning, and I realized the movie had ended. Now she stretched upward, the blanket falling to her waist as her boobs pushed forward. 

         God, how much should a man be expected to take? 

         I should’ve stayed away from her completely—that’d been the plan—but something had snapped when I’d seen her out in the courtyard. Couldn’t remember the last time I’d met a woman like Tinker. She was smart and sexy and funny, and she worked damned hard to take care of her family and business. Sure, I wanted to fuck her—you’d have to be gay not to—but I respected her, too.

         “I should probably get going,” she said, offering me a smile so sweet I wanted to bite her lips. “I like to check on Dad before going to sleep, and I’ve got to be up early in the morning. I’ve got to package orders for the courier tomorrow—if they aren’t ready by two p.m., I’m screwed.” 

         I considered rolling over on top of her. Pushing her down into the couch cushions, shoving my leg between hers, and showing her what a real man feels like. 

         “Cooper?” she asked, looking confused. I blinked a couple times, forcing myself to focus on her face. 

         “I’m going to watch another one,” I told her, because I’m a goddamn masochist. “You sure you’re ready to head out?” 

         She frowned, and I could almost read her thoughts. Yes, she should leave. But she wanted me as much as I wanted her. And yeah, I realize that makes me sound like an egotistical ass, but this wasn’t my first rodeo. I saw the lust in her eyes, and the way she licked her lips and stared at my mouth. This wasn’t a one-way street, not even close. 

         “I guess I could stay a little longer,” she whispered. Christ, she was so sweet and soft. I wanted to bite her even more now. Suck that pouty lower lip into my mouth and shove a finger up her ass. 

         Break her. 

         You’re one sick fuck. 

         Why yes. Yes, I am. Thanks for noticing.

         I managed to control the urge, catching her hand instead, giving it a friendly squeeze like some kind of pathetic tool. Her fingers tightened on mine, then she pulled away and snuggled back down under the blanket, raising her feet to rest on the coffee table. I grabbed the remote and clicked through the menu.

         Tomorrow I’d do my job. I’d fuck Talia and spy on Marsh and look for any kind of weakness that might end this situation, the faster the better. Tonight, though . . . Tonight I’d pretend this wasn’t a waste of time. 

         Goddamn, but my dick hurt. 

         The next hour was torture. 

         Tinker sat next to me, all cute and classy and absolutely refusing to make any kind of eye contact. I don’t know how she felt, but to me the sexual tension hanging in the air was thick and heavy. I kept thinking about her hand in mine—small, but strong. The hand of someone who knew how to work hard. So far as I knew, Talia had never held down a job, let alone supported herself. 

          The couch shifted, and I glanced over to find Tinker sliding deeper into the cushions, drawing the blanket up to her chin. Our legs were maybe six inches apart. She shifted again, and then her hand bumped mine under the blanket. She jerked it back quickly, and I caught the hint of a flush on her cheeks. That was another thing I liked about her—her skin was so pale that I could see every hint of arousal. 

         Grabbing her hand, I pulled it over to rest on my thigh. This was a really bad idea, so I pointedly refused to think it through. Her hand tensed at first, then relaxed into my strength.            My cock swelled against the fabric of my jeans, just inches from her fingers—it’d be so easy to push her hand toward it, wrap it around my painfully swollen dick, and just go to town. 

         Tinker’s fingers gave a quick squeeze—almost more of a spasm—and I bit back a groan. 

         Yeah, okay. Really, really bad idea. I should get off the couch and shut this shit down right now, because I couldn’t afford to blow things with Talia just yet. Instead I found myself leaning toward Tinker, bumping shoulders. 

         God. 

         I’d grown a pussy. No other explanation, because I couldn’t figure out why the hell else an adult man would sit holding hands under a damned blanket like a kid. 

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About the Author

Joanna Wylde is a New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Reapers Motorcycle Club series. She currently lives in Idaho.

Stalk Her: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Book Review: Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven (ARC)

Author: Jennifer Niven
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Penguin
Release Date: October 6th 2016
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone - and love someone - for who they truly are.

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed 'America's Fattest Teen'. But no one's taken the time to look past her weight to get to see who she really is. Since her mum's death, she's been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby's ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything.

Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin too. Yes, he's got swagger, but he's also mastered the art of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a secret: he can't recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He's the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything, but he can't understand what's going on with the inner workings of his own brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don't get too close to anyone.

Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game which lands them in group counseling, Libby and Jack are both angry, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world - theirs and yours.

Jennifer Niven delivers another poignant, exhilarating love story about finding that person who sees you for who you are - and seeing them right back.

Praise for All the Bright Places:

'If you're looking for the next The Fault in Our Stars - this is it' Guardian

'[A] heartbreaking love story about two funny, fragile, and wildly damaged high school kids' Entertainment Weekly

'A do-not-miss for fans of Eleanor & Park and The Fault in Our Stars, and basically anyone who can breathe' Justine Magazine

'At the heart - a big one - of All the Bright Places lies a charming love story about this unlikely and endearing pair of broken teenagers' The New York Times Book Review

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Penguin in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my opinion or my rating of this book in any way.

Do you ever find yourself surrounded by one book and one book only? Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, even other blogs and booktubers at one point or another featured this book, so I got so curious I had to try it out.

The book is about Libby and Jack and their road to acceptance. Of themselves, of each other, of other people. It's also about standing up to bullies, which is a theme I don't get to read about that much.

Libby was an interesting heroine. She talks about her struggles with being overweight, her fear for her health for something that happened when she was a kid, and she's also talking about fitting in, in a society that equals thinness with being cool, smart, and "the way to be". It was interesting to read about her struggles, but what I loved most was reading about how she dealt with bullying. I also liked that she tries to understand the people around her, even with people that don't honestly deserve it.

Jack suffers from prosopagnosia, which means he can't recognize faces. I was actually more excited to read about his POV. This is because while I studied this disorder, back in university, I never got to learn what people that suffer from this disorder actually go through, how they deal with it, how it affects their everyday life. So it was a unique experience for me, and also a way to learn more about this disorder. I liked reading about his journey especially towards accepting what he's suffering from.

The book is pretty fast-paced, and I liked the way the focus shifted from Libby to Jack. I also liked the way the book ended, because it gave me the feeling that everything was possible for Libby and Jack moving on. I didn't get the feeling of Libby getting "better" and finding herself because of Jack, but I definitely got that feeling with Jack, that he got to accept himself because of Libby. It didn't bother me as much as I thought, because in the story it makes sense, and also because sometimes you just need another person to wake you up. My only issue with the book, and really the only reason why my rating isn't the highest possible, was with most of the adults in the book. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't talk about it, but let's just say that some of the adult figures in this book let me down. Not all, some were actually pretty cool.

All in all, a really good book, and I'll definitely be checking the author's books out in the future.

Release Blitz: Reaper's Fire by Joanna Wylde

Are you ready for Gage and Tinker’s story? 

Reaper’s Fire NOW AVAILABLE! 

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Blurb

New York Times bestselling author Joanna Wylde returns to the “wild and raw”* world of the Reapers MC with the story of Gage and Tinker…

The club comes first. 

I’ve lived by those words my whole life—assumed I’d die by them, too, and I never had a problem with that. My Reaper brothers took my back and I took theirs and it was enough. Then I met her. Tinker Garrett. She’s beautiful, she’s loyal, and she works so damned hard it scares me sometimes . . . She deserves a good man—one better than me. I can’t take her yet because the club still needs me. There’s another woman, another job, another fight just ahead. 

Now she’ll learn I’ve been lying to her all along. None of it’s real. Not my name, not my job, not even the clothes I wear. She thinks I’m nice. She pretends we’re just friends, that I’ve still got a soul . . . Mine’s been dead for years. Now I’m on fire for this woman, and a man can only burn for so long before he destroys everything around him.

I’m coming for you, Tinker. 

Soon.

Have you heard? 

Reaper’s Property by Joanna Wylde has a NEW COVER!

Meet Horse & Marie for ONLY $3.99 (normally $7.99)

Author’s Note: This book was originally released through a small publisher in 2013. This independent edition has been lightly edited, and contains a bonus short, “Sticky Sweet” (originally published on the author’s website) and a Q&A with the author.

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About the Author

Joanna Wylde is a New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Reapers Motorcycle Club series. She currently lives in Idaho.

Stalk Her: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Release Day Launch: Kayden/Simon by Alexandra Ivy & Laura Wright

 

KAYDEN/SIMON by Alexandra Ivy & Laura Wright, novellas in their Bayou Heat Series brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights, is here! Be sure you check out the trailer and excerpt below, and grab your copy today!

        Excerpt:

Xavier, the leader of the Geeks, winced at the noise assaulting his sensitive ears.
The center of the Wildlands was usually bustling with activity. It was the heart of the pack. The area where the Pantera gathered to enjoy meals and watch the cubs play in the dappled sunlight.
Over the past few weeks, however, it’d been crowded with the temporary shelters used by the various factions—Diplomats, Geeks, and Hunters—while the main headquarters was being rebuilt.
Standing at the edge of the clearing, the two males studied the roof being nailed down on the large, colonial-styled structure. The new headquarters would look a lot like the old one, although it would be larger, with the latest technology built in.
Xavier had just received an update from the electrician who was preparing to install the solar panels. He was a tall male with mocha-toned skin and brilliant blue eyes. He had powerful shoulders, a broad chest, and sharp features that were emphasized by thebuzzed cut of his dark hair.
Beside him was Raphael, the head of the Diplomats. He was equally tall, although his frame was lean rather than heavily muscled, and his blond hair was long enough to brush his shoulders. His eyes werejade, until his inner puma was aroused. Then they smoldered a pure gold.
The two alphas had been working closely together to not only repair the damage from the recent attack, but to reassure their people they were doing everything in their power to keep them safe.
Xavier was just filling in Raphael on the status of the electronic surveillance they were installing on the border of the Wildlands when he caught sight of the male Pantera strolling toward him with a grim determination.
Kayden.
The younger male was a fellow Geek with short dark hair that always looked messy to Xavier, but his mate told him was mussed in a sexy way. Just as she claimed that Kayden’s neatly trimmed goatee was sexy.
Whatever. Women were the strangest creatures.  
   

 

ENEMY TO LOVER

Kayden is obsessed with revenge after his parents disappeared when he was just a cub. Now the gorgeous Hunter has discovered the man responsible for betraying them – Joshua Ford – and it’s time for payback. Beginning with the kidnapping of Joshua’s daughter, Bianca. But last thing he expects is to be confronted with the horrifying realization that Bianca is his mate. Will he put revenge before his chance for eternal happiness?

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Sexy male model, Simon refuses to give up his exciting life in New York City to return to the slow heat of the Wildlands. For a decade, many pantera have tried to capture the rogue Diplomat and bring him home, but all have failed. Now it’s Tryst’s turn. The hard, brilliant, and gorgeous, Hunter is the ultimate tracker. But can the admitted beast-girl of the Wildlands capture her prey without losing her heart in the process?

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    Alexandra Ivy is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. From Alexandra: “I’m not exactly sure when I fell in love with books. Probably on my mother’s knee listening to her read Dr. Seuss to me. I do remember that I was barely old enough to cross the street by myself when I discovered the delights of the local library. Could anything be more wonderful than spending summer days surrounded by stacks of Nancy Drew mysteries? Over the years I fell in love with Victoria Holt, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, and J.R.R. Tolkien just to name a few. I read poetry, essays, biographies, and plays. In fact, I read anything I could get my hands on. Years later (no, I’m not admitting how many) I’m still an avid reader, and my tastes are still as varied as they were in my youth, which I suppose helps to explain why I enjoy writing regency historicals under the name of Deborah Raleigh, as well as my contemporary paranormals as Alexandra Ivy. For now that is enough to keep me busy, but who knows what the future might hold! I do have a few other loves in my life besides reading and writing, the most important being my unbelievably patient husband, David, and my two sons, Chance and Alexander. Without their constant support and belief in me, I never could have been able to follow my dreams. They are truly my heroes.

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  Laura Wright is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. From Laura: “Unlike many of my peers in the writing world, I wasn’t a writer or a reader until I left high school. During my youth I was into theater, song and dance, commercials and boys. I loved romance surely, but I had never read a romance novel until my late teens. With that said, I remember the day I did like it was a moment ago – my aunt gave me the Jude Deveraux novel, Knight in Shining Armor and I couldn’t put it down until the very last word. Then I went straight to the library and got another – then another until I’d read everything she’d ever written. After that, it was McNaught, Howard, Schone, Kleypas, and the Silhouette line, Desire. I instantly loved those emotional, sexy reads, so much so that I began to carve out ideas for my own stories, themes that were unique to me and moved me. In 1997 I enrolled in UCLA extension writing classes, met my mentor and critique partners and since have never stopped writing. I was committed then and I still am now; the need to tell my own romantic stories a full on obsession. My first manuscript was rejected, and though the second one was as well the editor who’d rejected it wanted to see something else from me. I had something (note to authors; always keep working, even after you’ve sent in a proposal) and sent it right away. The day I got the call telling me Desire wanted to buy Cinderella and the Playboy was the best day of my life. That is until I married my husband, and had my two beautiful children. But I must say, writing is much like motherhood – tough, grueling, surprising, delicious and for me, a dream come true.”  

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