Teaser Tuesday (46): Tro - The Elsker Saga

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just share two "teaser" sentences from your current read (please, no spoilers).

Tro 
Elsker Saga #3
by S.T. Bende
expected publication date: September 4, 2014

Teaser from 23% eARC:

 

"Or I could show you how to make it snow."

 

"Is that some kinky Asgardian phrase for something else?"

 

Ull let out a deep, guttural laugh that rang along the beach. "Well, it is now. But I meant it literally. Do you want me to show you how to make it snow?"

 

(*Quote comes from my eARC copy, therefore it and its location are not final.)

 

 

This series is so great! And I'm loving this third book. With the mix of sweet romance, Asgardian hunks, danger and suspense, and clean writing, I absolutely love this series. Instead of posting the synopsis for book 3, which could spoil the first two books for you, I'll post the synopsis for book 1.

 

Elsker - Book 1 of The Elsker Saga

Synopsis:

You don't win the heart of an immortal assassin without making a few enemies along the way. Kristia Tostenson prefers Earl Grey to Grey Goose and book clubs to nightclubs, but when she transfers from her one-stoplight town to Cardiff University in Wales she falls in love with Ull Myhr. Her new boyfriend isn't exactly what she was expecting. He's an honest to goodness Norse God - an immortal assassin fated to die at Ragnarok, the battle destined to destroy Asgard and Earth. Kristia's crazy visions are the only thing that can save their realms. Her orderly life just got very messy. 

Links: AMAZON -  GOODREADS



Review: Misunderstandings by Tiffany King

Misunderstandings by Tiffany King

(Woodfalls Girls #2)

May 6, 2014

Berkley Trade publishing

304 pages

Genre: Young Adult Romance

(Contains: strong language, sex)

Source: Personal purchase

Synopsis:

Just when she thought things were going up…

Two years after a devastating breakup, Brittni Mitchell has moved on from Justin Avery—or so she tells herself. But when she returns to Seattle for her best friend’s engagement party, Brittni finds herself the victim of a disastrously timed elevator breakdown. She’s trapped with the last person she wants to face, and forced to recount the past she desperately wants to forget.

She’s going to have to look back…

When Brittni left her podunk hometown for a big city college experience at the University of Washington, hooking up with a guy like Justin Avery was not part of her plan. Between Justin’s attention-grabbing tattoos, cigarette smoking, and bad boy attitude Brittni quickly chalked him up as Mr. Wrong.” But his charm was unrelenting, and Brittni’s decision to give Justin a chance quickly turned into the worst choice she ever made.

So that she might be able to move forward.

Now she’s stuck with Justin—literally—and the complicated web of misunderstandings that tied up the truth for two years is about to unravel.

My Review:

Misunderstandings is exactly what it is - a story about misunderstandings. Brittni and Justin broke up two years ago under circumstances that are unclear to the reader, but our main characters also lack the clarity of the complete picture. Hence why when they are trapped in an elevator for hours together, there are layers upon layers peeled back to reveal the truth to all parties involved. Slowly the beauty and the breakdown of their relationship from two years ago is unveiled.

I was completely sucked into this story and finished it within a day. Alternating past and present is hit-or-miss and in this instance I thought it was well done. I liked the build up between the characters, the suspense of trying to discern what actually happened, what the misunderstandings were, why it's taken us two years to get to this point, and wondering what might come next.

There is such beauty and tenderness to Brittni and Justin's past relationship but also such a sad level of insecurity, dishonesty, and immaturity. Finding out what happens between them was heartbreaking and frustrating. I think their issues, but also their hearts, were well displayed. I grew to like Brittni and Justin, and when hope seemed lost, I found myself rooting for them.

I would have liked a little more in the last few chapters of the present. But overall, I truly enjoyed this read, was completely engaged, and was happy with the ending. It should also be noted that though this is part of a series, Misunderstandings can easily be read as a standalone.

 

4 STARS

 

Book Links:

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS

It's Monday! What are you reading? (12)

 It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.

What I Read Last Week:
   
Puddle Jumping by Amber L. Johnson
Skygods by Sarah Latchaw  
Misunderstandings by Tiffany King
  

What I Started Listening To: 

 

 Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

 

My Reviews Last Week:

 
Outlaw by Amanda Lance (3 Star Review)
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell (4-1/2 Star Review)

 What I'm Reading This Week:

 
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Tro by S.T. Bende
 

Stacking the Shelves (73)

Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

 

Signed Book Purchase (with swag):

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

 

eARCs for Review:

  

 

Burying Water by K.A. Tucker
The Perfect Wave by A.J. Prior
Love and Other Known Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander
Kissing Santa by Kylie Gilmore

For My Kindle:
  
 
LOL Romantic Comedy Anthology
Puddle Jumping by Amber L. Johnson
Slow Dance in Purgatory by Amy Harmon
Hard to Hold On To by Laura Kaye
Don't Let Go by Sharla Lovelace
 

Audiobook Review: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

April 14, 2011

Dutton Adult publishing

323 pages

Genre: Contemporary Romance

(Contains: some language and sexual references)

Source: eARC and Audible purchase

Synopsis:

"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . "

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say . . . ?

My Review:

So cute! This was my first Rainbow Rowell read and it won't be my last. She has a new fan in me.

What an adorable way to write a romance! Lincoln, Beth, and Jennifer all work together. But Beth and Jennifer don't know Lincoln. He's the guy who works nights as an internet security officer, which includes reading flagged emails. Which is how he gets sucked into Beth and Jennifer's lives through their back-and-forth emails. What he didn't expect was that these emails would pull him so far in that he'd even fall for Beth. And what's he supposed to do with that?

Lincoln's story, his life, his perceptions, and his choices were fascinating to read. I really liked Lincoln. I loved that the story was from his point of view, and yet we also get Beth and Jennifer's perspectives through their email chats. Brilliant! What a fun yet awkward and slightly uncomfortable way to get to know our characters. What Lincoln is doing feels wrong, yet just like him I wanted to know more about Beth and Jennifer. Beyond the emails, we also get to know Lincoln from his interactions with his family and friends. The entire story had me hooked, with my nerves increasing all the while as the story built up and the point of no return was passed long ago. I was nervous and excited. I loved these characters and was fully invested in them. Plus it takes place during the whole Y2K fiasco, so I had a lot of nostalgia for living through that time period. The whole story came together so beautifully and I loved it.

If you like a unique take on a romantic story that also tackles several real life issues in a truly fascinating format with characters you will love and root for, than I highly recommend Attachments. Additionally, I enjoyed the audiobook version as well as the print version, so I would recommend it either way.

4 1/2 Stars

 

Book Links:

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS  *  AUDIBLE

Teaser Tuesday (45): Beauty and the Mustache

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just share two "teaser" sentences from your current read (please, no spoilers).

Beauty and the Mustache 
by Penny Reid
expected publication date: August 28, 2014
 
Ahh!! Love this so much! Funny and swoony and heartsy. Love me some Penny Reid!
 

 

Teaser from eARC 8%:

 

I imagined that this was what Snow White must've felt like when she woke up in the presence of the seven dwarves,

 

Seven hovering beards.

 

Seven sets of bewildered eyes.

 

Seven inquisitive expressions - half suspicious, half amused.

 

The fainting was my fault.

 

(*Quote comes from my eARC copy, therefore it and its location are not final.)

 

Synopsis:

 

There are three things you need to know about Ashley Winston: 1) She has six brothers and they all have beards, 2) She is a reader, and 3) She knows how to knit.

Former beauty queen, Ashley Winston’s preferred coping strategy is escapism. She escaped her Tennessee small town, loathsome father, and six brothers eight years ago. Now she escapes life daily via her Amazon kindle one-click addiction. However, when a family tragedy forces her to return home, Ashley can’t escape the notice of Drew Runous— local Game Warden, bear wrestler, philosopher, and everyone’s favorite guy. Drew’s irksome philosophizing in particular makes Ashley want to run for the skyscrapers, especially since he can’t seem to keep his exasperating opinions— or his soulful poetry, steadfast support, and delightful hands— to himself. Pretty soon the girl who wanted nothing more than the escape of the big city finds she’s lost her heart in small town Tennessee.

This is a full-length novel, can be read as a standalone, and is the fourth book in the 'Knitting in the City' series.

 

  

Review: Outlaw by Amanda Lance

Outlaw by Amanda Lance

(Wanted #1.5)

March 17, 2014

312 pages

Genre: New Adult Romance

(Contains: Violence, but fairly clean romance)

Source: Personal purchase

Synopsis:

I shouldn’t have done that job.

I shouldn’t have stolen that girl.

And I sure as hell shouldn’t have fallen for her.

Charlie Hays knows two things: how to steal, and the red—the rage that keeps him going. In Wanted when a last minute heist goes bad, he kidnaps the only witness, Addie Battes. But just when everyone begins to think he has gone and made the biggest mistake of his criminal career Charlie wonders if he hasn't made the best one.

Every love story has two sides…

My Review:

Outlaw is the retelling of Wanted from Charlie's point of view, as Wanted was from Addie's. I really enjoyed Wanted (and Conviction), buying into the strange romance between a thief and a kidnap victim. With Outlaw, I enjoyed getting Charlie's perspective and insights into his thinking.

Here are a few of my thoughts about reading Outlaw:

1. Outlaw could probably be read as a standalone, but I liked Wanted better, so I would choose that one first over this one. Outlaw has almost all of the same scenes as Wanted, just from Charlie's POV. But I thought it was better to be in the victim's head for the first read.

2. I read Outlaw months after finishing Wanted and Conviction, so it was like a re-read from a different perspective. But I would not necessarily recommend reading this right after Wanted, as I think it would be too repetitive. A side-by-side reading might be better (which I did for a few scenes and enjoyed seeing both sides together).

3. Reading Outlaw did reinforce the feelings between Charlie and Addie. They are an unconventional couple, but despite the strangeness (and terror) of their meeting, I still really liked them and found myself rooting for them all over again. We get Charlie's more mature thoughts, his side of their speedy romance, and a complete sense of his immediate and fierce protectiveness of Addie. I still would have liked a bit more about/from Charlie, but enjoyed it just the same. They are still a pretty sweet couple.

Outlaw is really for fans of this series, who want a little more Charlie. It is not an essential read. And I wouldn't recommend it for someone who hasn't read Wanted yet, as I think they should read that one first. But this is a great read for people like me who just wanted a little more and wanted to get lost in Charlie and Addie's world again, in a different, but the same, kind of way.

3 STARS

 

Wanted Series - Book Links:

WANTED #1

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS

MY REVIEW

 

CONVICTION #2

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS

MY REVIEW

 

OUTLAW #1.5

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS