In My Mailbox & Stacking the Shelves (6)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created by Kristi of The Story Siren, where bloggers share the contents of their mailbox - books bought, borrowed, received - and get to know other blogs.

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!

Okay, so with the whole Black Friday and everyone wanting to put their books on sale all week, my kindle purchases got a little out of control. Alright, a lot out of control. But it's so hard to pass up free or discounted books. I'm sure you can all relate, right? It can't just be me. Now I just need to find the time to read them sooner rather than later.

For Review:
  

Here by Denise Grover Swank
Unresisting by Shane Morgan

From NetGalley:

 

How to Tame a Willful Wife by Christy English (my review)

Won from Meg at Book Asylum:


How to Kill a Rock Star by Tiffanie DeBartolo

Won from The Sub Club:


The Proposition by Katie Ashley

For My Kindle:

     

     

     

     

     

     

The Ivy by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur
At First Touch by Mattie Dunman
Beg for Mercy by Shannon Dermott
Exhale by Kendall Grey
Flukes by Nichole Chase
Beyond by Willow Rose
Serenity by Willow Rose
Crescent Bound by Karli Rush
Sweetness by Lindsay Paige
New Revelations by Heather Topham Wood
Shackles of Honor by Marcia Lynn McClure
Playing for Keeps by Kate Perry
Return to You by Kate Perry
Miss Me Not by Tiffany King
Hyde by Lauren Stewart
The Last Bride in Ballymuir by Dorien Kelly
A Marriage Carol by Chris Fabry and Gary Chapman
 The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski

Book Review: How to Tame a Willful Wife

How to Tame a Willful Wife by Christy English
November 6, 2012
Sourcebooks Casablanca
352 pages
Source: borrowed from NetGalley

From Goodreads:

How To Tame A Willful Wife:

1. Forbid her from riding astride
2. Hide her dueling sword
3. Burn all her breeches and buy her silk drawers
4. Frisk her for hidden daggers
5. Don't get distracted while frisking her for hidden daggers...

Anthony Carrington, Earl of Ravensbrook, expects a biddable bride. A man of fiery passion tempered by the rigors of war into steely self-control, he demands obedience from his troops and his future wife. Regardless of how fetching she looks in breeches.

Promised to the Earl of Plump Pockets by her impoverished father, Caroline Montague is no simpering miss. She rides a war stallion named Hercules, fights with a blade, and can best most men with both bow and rifle. She finds Anthony autocratic, domineering, and...ridiculously gorgeous.

It's a duel of wit and wills in this charming retelling of The Taming of the Shrew. But the question is...who's taming whom?

My Review:

It's been a while since I read any historical fiction. I wouldn't tie this down in the historical fiction department, but it did play into a certain time era. Plus, the integrating of The Taming of the Shrew gave this book a historical and unique feel with the combining of the two. It took an adjustment to enjoy the verbage and style of the book, than I found that I really enjoyed the flow and workings of the story and setting.

The characters in their environments and with each other are really what make the book. Caroline is not your typical heroine. She has been raised to be somewhat independent, to protect herself, and to speak her mind. But now she must marry a man within two days of meeting him as a business transaction to payoff her father's debt. You can see this isn't going to go well.

Anthony is the domineering, controlling husband we would expect with those times. First, he is nearly twice Caroline's age, and second, he has been living a wealthy, bachelor lifestyle for many years, including having a longtime mistress prior to his marriage. To say he will accept a wife who challenges him and does not "obey" immediately is an understatement.

What I appreciate about this book is that it didn't downplay the difficulties of this time. Yes, women were treated as property. No, not all marriages were love matches. Many were not. Yes, husbands frequently had mistresses. Yes, there was a double standard. Women had to be "pure" and men did not. Women could be easily cast aside for their inappropriateness.

To say Anthony and Caroline had a tumultuous relationship would be an understatement. Did Anthony bother me with his arrogance and secrecy and domineering attitude? Yes! But if I'm being honest, he really worked through so much of his character throughout the book because essentially he had to rethink all his old learning because of his new feelings for Caroline. Was he a bit of a possessive bully? Well, sure. But did he redeem himself eventually? Thank goodness he did.

As for Caroline, she doesn't get off scot-free either. Would it have killed her to listen once in a while and not be so stubbornly independent? No, perhaps she would have seen the lurking dangers if she weren't being so obtuse. But with an obstacle like Anthony in the way, that easily distracted her from the real dangers about her. But I loved Caroline's spirit and fire. She was the perfect match for Anthony.

I loved the passion between Caroline and Anthony. I didn't expect them to fall madly in love after knowing each other two days. But I appreciated that they at least had a real physical attraction to each other, which helped propel them toward becoming more emotionally intimate as well. They had many steamy moments in the bedroom, as well as many heated arguments, furthering their passions for one another. But in spite of their stubbornness, you could see their hearts for each other gradually change (and hopefully not change too late).

Overall, I really enjoyed this read. I was uncomfortable with some of the historical situations (like mistresses and pervy men, yuck). But I was very satisfied with the flow of the story and the resolution and ending. I would be interested in reading more books in this series.

 

4 STARS

Opal Giveaway!

Want to win a copy of Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout?

 

Go check out her blog and enter the giveaway.

 

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to read Opal!

If you haven't started this series yet, the first book is Obsidian and the second is Onyx. I loved these books. Great characters and wild alien mojo. Grab a copy and get started.

Here's the Obsidian Summary to get you started:

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

Feature & Follow (4): Blogger Friends

Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by both Alison Can Read & Parakunkee’s View. This is a great way to gain blog followers for book bloggers, follow other blogs, and get to know each other. Each week a different question is posted by our hosts and we get to answer. You can find more info about this meme here.

 

Q: Are you thankful for a fellow blogger?

Tell us about him or her.

I have a special group of book friends that I am very thankful for - my Starbooks friends. I've actually never met any of them in person, as most of us don't live near each other (including living in different countries). This, however, has not stopped me from feeling the closeness of their friendship beyond our mutual love of books and reading. We may have bonded originally over books, but the depth of our friendship has gone to areas far beyond that. Several of my Starbooks gals have blogs, so instead of choosing one blog, I chose all of their blogs as one's I am thankful for (I know, I'm cheating, but I couldn't help myself).

My Starbooks Girls' Blogs

April at Books 4 Juliet

Lis at The Reader Lines

Angela at Reading Angel

Shellie at Creative Reads

Ron at Stories of My Life

Bailey at IB Book Blogging

Amanda at Stuck in YA Books
Brittani at Hope, Faith, & Books

Mariam at There Once Was a Girl

Dani and Heather at Refracted Light

Kristin and Kelly at Better Read Than Dead

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

There is so very much I am thankful for,
I can't even begin to sum it all up.

I wish you a day filled with gratitude and blessings,

family and friends, food and fun.
 

Oh, and perhaps a few hours to yourself for some reading :) 

Waiting on Wednesday (5): Splintered & This Is What Happy Looks Like

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

Splintered
by A.G. Howard
Expected Publication Date: January 1, 2013

I love Alice in Wonderland, so when I heard about this recently, I quickly added it to my wish list. I'm curious about this twist on AiW.

From Goodreads:

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

This Is What Happy Looks Like
by Jennifer E. Smith
Publication Date: April 2, 2013

 

I loved The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. So when I found out Jennifer was publishing another book, I immediately put it on my wish list. I loved her writing and characters, and can't wait to see what she does next.
 

From Goodreads:  

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

In This is What Happy Looks Like, Jennifer E. Smith's new YA novel, perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet—albeit virtually—when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an email about his pet pig, Wilbur. In the tradition of romantic movies like "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle," the two 17-year-olds strike up an email relationship, even though they live on opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's first names.

Through a series of funny and poignant messages, Graham and Ellie make a true connection, sharing intimate details about their lives, hopes and fears. But they don't tell each other everything; Graham doesn't know the major secret hidden in Ellie's family tree, and Ellie is innocently unaware that Graham is actually a world-famous teen actor living in Los Angeles.

When the location for the shoot of Graham's new film falls through, he sees an opportunity to take their relationship from online to in-person, managing to get the production relocated to picturesque Henley, Maine, where Ellie lives. But can a star as famous as Graham have a real relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie's mom want her to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

Just as they did in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, the hands of fate intervene in wondrous ways in this YA novel that delivers on high concept romance in lush and thoughtful prose.



Wishlist Wednesday (3): Once

Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop, hosted by Pen to Paper, where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist and onto our wonderful shelves. For more info on this meme, go here.


Once by Anna Carey, second in the Eve trilogy

I really enjoyed Eve, the first in this trilogy. It was fast-paced, had an interesting storyline, and great characters. I look forward to continuing this series and finding out what happened next to Eve and Caleb. Just need to get myself a copy.

Goodreads Summary:

When you're being hunted, who can you trust?

For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America.

But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America.

Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past--and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together--but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves . . . or risk losing Caleb forever.

In this breathless sequel to "Eve," Anna Carey returns to her tale of romance, adventure, and sacrifice in a world that is both wonderfully strange and chillingly familiar.