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Sunday, February 28, 2016

Sunday Post: Weekly Wrap-Up (02.28)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news, recap the past week on your blog, showcase books, share upcoming news, etc. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme


What I've Been Up To:
Last weekend I attended the Love and Fifty Signing with some lovely book friends. We met really terrific authors and had a great weekend in Sacramento.

What I Read Last Week:
 
Capturing Peace by Molly McAdams
RoomHate by Penelope Ward

My Reviews Last Week:
 
Capturing Peace by Molly McAdams (my 3.5 star review)
RoomHate by Penelope Ward (my 3 star review)

What I'm Listening To:

Hounded by Kevin Hearne
(I love this series! I'm re-listening in preparation for the latest book that just came out.)

What I'm Currently Reading:

A Very Russian Christmas by Roxie Rivera

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Stacking the Shelves (150)

STSmall_thumb[2][2]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!


So many goodies to look forward to! I need more hours in my day!

*Signed* Paperback Pretties:
**From the Love and Fifty Signing in Sacramento**
  
  
Whisper Cave by Susan Griscom
A Gypsy's Kiss by Susan Griscom
Tempted by a Vampire by Susan Griscom
Shifting Dreams by Elizabeth Hunter
Vertical Lines by Kristen Kehoe
This is Falling by Ginger Scott

Audiobook Awesomeness:
  
  
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
Marking Time by April White
Morning Star by Pierce Browne
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Review: RoomHate by Penelope Ward

RoomHate by Penelope Ward
February 3, 2016
280 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance 18+
Contains: Explicit sex, mature language
Source: Personal purchase

Sharing a summer house with a hot-as-hell roommate should be a dream come true, right?

Not when it’s Justin…the only person I’d ever loved…who now hates me.

When my grandmother died and left me half of the house on Aquidneck Island, there was a catch: the other half would go to the boy she helped raise.

The same boy who turned into the teenager whose heart I broke years ago.

The same teenager who’s now a man with a hard body and a hardass personality to match.

I hadn’t seen him in years, and now we’re living together because neither one of us is willing to give up the house.

The worst part? He didn’t come alone.

I’d soon realize there’s a thin line between love and hate. I could see through that smug smile. Beneath it all…the boy is still there. So is our connection.

The problem is…now that I can’t have Justin, I’ve never wanted him more.

Author's note – RoomHate is a full-length standalone novel. Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

What do you do when a friend highly recommends a book to you, but after starting it you feel like DNF'ing it? Well, that was my experience with RoomHate. Honestly, I would have DNF'd in the first half of the book because I was just not feeling the story or the characters. But I figured my friend would not have recommended it unless it got better. And it did. Eventually.

The first half was a real chore for me. The dynamic between the main characters was uncomfortable. I get that they had years apart after a misunderstanding, so I get the awkwardness between them. But it went beyond that. Plus, the fact that he had a girlfriend and the MC could hear them having sex in the other room really grossed me out. My friend said there was no cheating, so I felt I needed to stick it out with the story, but it wasn't because I was in love with it. I was desperately trying to find the point of redemption in the story.

What can usually save a story for me at this point is great characters. Characters that I sympathize with and that I want to root for. Unfortunately, I just didn't love Amelia and Justin. Both of their behavior in the past was stupid and immature, but they were young. But now, nine years later, Justin is older but beyond immature. He's a crude jerk. I get that he was hurt by her past actions. I get that he has unresolved feelings and he's confused. Doesn't mean I have to like him. Now, he does eventually redeem himself, but it was a long road for me to like him. Amelia isn't as bad as Justin in the beginning. I felt sorry for her, and could see that she was trying to make up for her past mistakes. So Amelia had the opposite effect on me. She gradually declines in my view. She gets more and more insecure and whiny. The second half was frustrating with her insecurities and neediness. Good thing Justin started looking so much better. He made up for her decline.

Fortunately, the story started to grab me with the introduction of another important character in the second half. I did find the way Justin and Amelia went in circles to be exhausting, but I was much happier with the change of events in the story, and in Justin. I wanted the heartfelt story that so many others experienced, and was glad to finally be approaching it. The last quarter of the book was definitely my favorite. If the entire story had been like this, I would have loved it. I can see why some people love this story because the ending is absolutely wonderful. It was tender and sweet and exactly what I'd hoped for in this story.

My absolute favorite parts were with Justin and Bea. Always Bea. She was a breath of fresh air and the perfect addition to the story. I could have lived on the pages of Justin and Bea. I wish I could have given the story 5 stars just based on Justin and Bea, but I can't. But truly they were the absolute sweetest, and between them and the ending, redeemed the story.


Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Review: Capturing Peace by Molly McAdams

Capturing Peace by Molly McAdams
April 8, 2014
192 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance 18+
Contains: language, sex
Source: Personal purchase

 Coen Steele has spent the last five years serving his country. Now that he's back, he's finally ready to leave behind the chaos of the battlefield and pursue his lifelong dream. What he wasn't expecting was the feisty sister of one of his battle buddies—who has made it obvious that she wants nothing to do with him—to intrigue him in a way no woman has before.

Reagan Hudson's life changed in the blink of an eye six years ago when she found out she was pregnant and on her own. Since then, Reagan has vowed never to let another man into her life so that no one can walk out on her, or her son, again. But the more she runs into her brother's hot and mysterious friend, the more he sparks something in her that she promised herself she wouldn't feel again.

Can two people with everything to lose allow themselves to finally capture the love they both deserve?

This was my first Molly McAdams book. This is mostly because I tend to avoid love triangles, and she tends to write them. But this book/novella caught my attention because it's not a love triangle, and I love inter-racial relationships. Add in a strong Asian male, and I was sold. Too bad we don't get much of his background outside the military "incident." I would have loved more cultural things in there. But I loved Coen. He was a great character. Funny and sensitive, sexy and compassionate, and those scenes with Parker were the sweetest.

This was a heartfelt story with some trauma references, but not delved into too deeply to make this a dark read. It's light and lovely. The single mom story with the adorable son was great. Reagan has dealt with a lot, but I loved how supportive her family was of her and how much they encouraged her. Parker, her son, was nearly perfect, which made him slightly unrealistic (I have three sons, so I should know), but he was so adorable that I forgave it.

The romance was super sweet. It was pretty quick, but I guess with a novella, I expected it. But Coen and Reagan were really great together, so I really enjoyed their romance. The way they understood each other, were there for each other, and improved with each other, was heartfelt. Then add in the family aspect of Coen with Reagan's son, Parker, forming a terrific trio, and I couldn't help but root for these two.


Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Enjoyed Reading Last Year That Weren't My Typical Type of Book

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
For more information and a list of past and future topics, go here.

Top Five Books I Enjoyed Reading Last Year That Weren't My Typical Type of Book
(alphabetically by author)

This is fewer than ten books because I like several genres and tend to stick with what I like. So I chose these because they were different than my usual read, and either had little romance, or the romance they had was not the main focus of the story.


Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
The formatting of this book was really different. I wasn't sure if I'd like it. Turns out, I loved it!


The Crucible by Arthur Miller
I read this classic with my eldest son and some high school students. Turns out there's a reason it's a classic. It was fantastic.


The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
I read this with my book club. It was beautifully written. Ended up loving it.


Brilliance by Marcus Sakey
Started listening to this on audio with my husband. It's more his usual genre. Well, I loved it. I just finished the final book and loved this series.


Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
I read so many YA or romance books by women. It's so nice to read a great and unique YA book by a guy. Very impressed.

Honorable Mention:

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
I just read this a couple weeks ago, so it's not technically "last year." But I loved it so much, and it was so not my usual read, that I had to mention it.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Sunday Post: Weekly Wrap-Up (02.21)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news, recap the past week on your blog, showcase books, share upcoming news, etc. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

What I Read Last Week:
  
Adore by Nina Lane
Off Sides by Sawyer Bennett
The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler by William L. Shirer

My Reviews Last Week:
 
 
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (my 5+ star review)
Nikolai 2 by Roxie Rivera (my 5 star review)
In Kelly's Corner by Roxie Rivera (my 4 star review)
Adore by Nina Lane (my 4.5 star review)

What I Finished Listening To:

Written in Fire by Marcus Sakey

What I'm Currently Reading:

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Stacking The Shelves (149)

STSmall_thumb[2][2]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!

For My Kindle:
  
Transcendence by Shay Savage
Ten Thousand Words by Kelli Jean
RoomHate by Penelope Ward