Bout of Books - Start-up

Bout of Books 7.0 read-a-thon is finally here! 

I've been so excited for this and after I write this start-up post 

 I'm going straight to reading. Today I can catch around 5 hours of reading before work, so I hope I can manage that. The whole week will be hectic sine I work afternoons, but hopefully I'l reach my goals. I've finally settled on a few books but I'll probably add more or switch those up a bit. So far I know i'll be reading:

• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
• Partials by Dan Wells
• Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
• On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves

You can follow my updates on Twitter and on Wednesday I'll be posting the update post with today's and tomorrow's progress. You can link up your updates under this post!

Review: Lover Mine by J.R. Ward

TITLE: Lover Mine

AUTHOR: J.R. Ward

SERIES: Black Dagger Brotherhood #8

RATING: 5 out of 5

BLURB: John Matthew has come a long way since he was found living among humans, his vampire nature unknown to himself and to those around him. After he was taken in by the Brotherhood, no one could guess what his true history was- or his true identity. Indeed, the fallen Brother Darius has returned, but with a different face and a very different destiny. As a vicious personal vendetta takes John into the heart of the war, he will need to call up on both who he is now and who he once was in order to face off against evil incarnate.

Xhex, a symphath assassin, has long steeled herself against the attraction between her and John Matthew. Having already lost one lover to madness, she will not allow the male of worth to fall prey to the darkness of her twisted life. When fate intervenes, however, the two discover that love, like destiny, is inevitable between soul mates. (from goodreads.com)

John Matthew was and still is by far my favorite among all the BDB warriors (with the exception of Blay and Qhuinn, but those two come in a pair, so...). We met him in the begining when he was just a scruffy pre-trans – mute, depressed, forgotten by the world, broken. And then Thor and Wellsie took him in, all the Brothers accepted him, Lash nearly broke him all over again, then he transformed and despite the huge body he had gotten, he was still that little boy we all came to love. In past books I anxiously waited for his paragraphs, for every single insight into his and Xhex's relationship. Right from the start I just knew that those two MUST be together. Boy, how right I was!

When it comes to Xhex, BDB fans are divided. Some love her, some not so much. She basically is one of the fighters – she is part of the team. And therefore could be called an alpha-female. So what happens when to alphas collide? Pure fireworks, I'm telling you. The build up to this couple was painfully sweet, hot and dramatic. From their first encounter to their first time together. Everything was divine. I love it that she wants to stand her ground, be strong, fight along JM's side. She'll never be the damsel in distress even when Lash kidnapped her and tortured her and raped her and basically tried to break her. She was strong and strong-minded, not giving in to the pain, determined to save herself.

But I really do think that Xhex and JM saved each other. How Xhex overcame her fear of hospitals to be with John Matthew, how they both sacrificed a lot to be with each other and had to put all their trust in one another. This one might be one of my favorite BDB books if not a favorite one. We saw more of Payne, more of Qhuay (these two still break my heart everytime they come on scene or open their mouth). I'm not really sure what the whole purpose of reviving Lash and bringing him on as a fore-lesser was, since he's now dead after 2-3 books. But as said many times before – I couldn't care less about lessers. 

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE | AUTHOR'S FACEBOOK 

WOW: Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.  

Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross 

June 11th 2013

When Maude Pichon runs away from provincial Brittany to Paris, her romantic dreams vanish as quickly as her savings. Desperate for work, she answers an unusual ad. The Durandeau Agency provides its clients with a unique service—the beauty foil. Hire a plain friend and become instantly more attractive. 

Monsieur Durandeau has made a fortune from wealthy socialites, and when the Countess Dubern needs a companion for her headstrong daughter, Isabelle, Maude is deemed the perfect foil.

But Isabelle has no idea her new "friend" is the hired help, and Maude's very existence among the aristocracy hinges on her keeping the truth a secret. Yet the more she learns about Isabelle, the more her loyalty is tested. And the longer her deception continues, the more she has to lose. (from Goodreads.com)

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Review: Twisted Perfection by Abbi Glines

TITLE: Twisted Perfection

AUTHOR: Abbi Glines

SERIES: Perfection #1

RATING: 4 out of 5

BLURB:

Life outside of her house was a new experience for Della Sloane. The dark secrets of her past weren’t something she ever intended to share with anyone. They would never understand. No one would ever get close enough to find out. There was always a chance she’d go crazy sooner than they expected…

Woods Kerrington had never been one to be attracted to fragile females. They seemed like too much work. He wasn’t in it for the work just the pleasure. A night full of naughty fun had been exactly what was on his mind when he’d laid eyes on the hot little number that didn’t know how to pump gas and needed some help. What he didn’t know was she was as fragile as they came. The carefree girl who spoke her mind and didn’t care what the world thought of her was more breakable than he could ever imagine…  (from goodreads.com)

What I like about Abbi Glines' books is the way they make me feel. All warm inside, giggling one moment and trying to keep back tears the next. I was very much excited when I heard that Woods will be getting his own story. I liked him a whole lot in Fallen Too Far – the way he treated everyone around him, not making differences between rich people and lower classes, how he had the ability to take care of someone and love them. And in this book he finally find a person he can actually love and be loved in return. The begining was completely unexpected. I was prepared for a slow and torturous build-up, but I got full blown fireworks. 

Della turned out to be a bit more daring version of Blaire. She spent her whole life in one house, obeying the rules, taking her of her mad mother and after her death, she had to face the world alone. I can understand her need to live, to taste everything. But yet I was still surprised she gave in so quickly – though in a way I can understand, Woods has to be a really amazing piece of man-candy. This book was a whole new level of NA sexiness and passion. As much as I always appreciate a good build-up, this worked too – undeniable chemistry right from the start.

The storyline follows the usual, already tested and proven good, recipe of a good girl falling for a rich boy, throw in some problems with parents, class differences, some jealousy issues and you have it. It's funny how this would usually bother me with other NA books, but I've turned out to be a very loyal Abbi Glines' reader. I've read all her NA books and now I eat them up the very day of their release. They are so quick to read and are a perfect treat between heavier reads.

However, something bothered me beside Della's 'giving nature' – why is there a second book? I really feel like it could all be wrapped up in one and these days there's so many books getting sequels when they would be perfect stand-alones. This is one of them, Fallen Too Far another. And about a bunch of other books.

To sum it up, this will appeal to lovers of steamy YA or NA. People who like their book boyfriends a hint possessive but in the best possible away. Yes, there's a lot of – I can't be with you, I'm not right for you, you deserve better, I love you, be with me, don't be with me, etc. But these are books for fun! Something for you to swoon over, to cry over, to act like a sappy little girl and giggle every once in a while. They're like desserts.

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE | AUTHOR'S TWITTER

Bout of Books 7.0 - goals

So just one more week is left before the official start of Bout of Books 7.0 read-a-thon. During the next week I'll try to push my writing aside and focus more on the reading. I plan to visit most of the participating blogs, if nothing else just to say hello and cheer them on. 

I plan to participate in at least one twitter chat, I hope I can manage that even with my rough working schedule. And of course if I can throw my entries in some of the challenges... that would be pretty great too.

As for the books I'll be reading, I haven't yet decided on a whole list, but I've picked the first two books. I plan to post them all once the BoB starts, even though I don't like to plan my reading, I usually just go by my instinct. However I'm 100% sure I'll be reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. I've heard nothing but good things about the first one and am really excited about the second one. So these two are for sure. Others... we'll see. (:

What do you plan to read? Will you be participating in chats? ^^

Books on Sunday #2

 

This is a combined post for two memes, Showcase Sunday by Vicki @ Books, Biscuits and Tea and Stacking Shelves by reviewers @ Tynga's Reviews. The main idea is similar and very simple - show to the world what books you got/received/borrowed/bought over the week. 

Okay, today's batch is waaaay bigger than usual, because I haven't posted last week, so these are in fact books from the last two weeks. I ordered them mostly from The Book Depository and I bought three at a local bookstore (and basically just threw the money away, because they are much more expensive that way. TBD is really the best way for me to buy books).

• On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves
• On Dublin Street by Samantha Young (read before)
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• Vanity Fair by William Thackeray
• Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
• Masque of Red Death by Bethany Griffin
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter (read before)
• The Iron King by Julie Kagawa  (read before)
• The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa 
• The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
• The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa 
• Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry (read before)

What did you get this week? Leave your link in the comments.

Don't forget to check out the 'Back to Blogging' giveaway, it's ending next week' and get a chance to win a book of your choice from TBD! 

Review: Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward

TITLE: Lover Avenged
AUTHOR: J. R. Ward

SERIES: Black Dagger Brotherhood #7

RATING: 5 out of 5

BLURB: Caldwell, New York, has long been the battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the Lessening Society. It's also where Rehvenge has staked out his turf as a drug lord and owner of a notorious night club that caters to the rich and heavily armed. His shadowy reputation is exactly why he's approached to kill Wrath, the Blind King and leader of the Brotherhood. Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood-even though his sister is married to a member, for he harbors a deadly secret that could make him a huge liability in their war against the lessers. As plots within and outside of the Brotherhood threaten to reveal the truth about Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in his darkening world, Ehlena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him-and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction. (from goodreads.com)

There were many reasons why I was so excited to finally climb my way up to Rhev's book. One, his mohawk. Two, his amethyst eyes. Three, his sympath side. Four, he's a drug lord. Five, he's a night club owner. Six, you just know there's more behind all that hard surface. I've been on a BDB marathon these past few weeks but for some reason it took me a whole three to read this book – mostly because something kept getting the way but other things too. Like how there was always some other side-storyline interrupting Rhev and Ehlena. I didn't mind some of side-characters kicking in, however others pissed me off.

Once again I noticed I couldn't care less about the world between the vampire society and the Lessening society. If there would be no lessers I wouldn't mind at all – they seem to be there just to throw in some action and to mess up main characters. But reading their chapters and paragraphs usually bores me to death. I also hoped to learn more about sympaths, especially about the sympath princess Rhev's been sleeping with – but I didn't, unfortunately. It would be good to see a nice well-mannered sympath in the future though, Rhev and Xhex are after all just half-breeds. 

Those cons aside I loved the books as all those before. Rhev made my heart break with his longings after a normal life, after having a family of his own. He never even dared to hope for it since he was always trying to control his sympath urges, drugging himself up and denying himself any sorts of real pleasure. But Ehlena made him see things differently. As for Ehlena... at first I was really impressed by how she held her own, despite his flirty comments. I liked how she slowly opened herself up to him and how in the end she turned out to be quite a fierce heroine.

Blay and Qhuinn will kill me one of these days, I'm telling you. I almost always tear up as these two show up, especially when Blay is looking at Qhuinn with all that desire and he's just... ruining himself. Not to mention how much I adored John Matthew and Xhex. Their book is next and I'm fully prepared to start it right away. These were the side-stories that didn't bother me and were the ones that made me really anxious to read the next in series. These books are beyond addictive!

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE | AUTHOR'S FACEBOOK