Book Review: Breathe (Sea Breeze, #1) by Abbi Glines

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Format: Paperback

Publishers: Simon & Schuster UK 

Published: 29th Agust 2013

Pages: 333

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Main Characters: Sadie, Jax

Date Read: 9th February - 15th February 2014
 

Rating Given:

Blurb:

In the shore town of Sea Breeze, Sadie discovers that fame is nothing in the face of passion. A steamy read from bestselling author Abbi Glines.

Sadie White’s summer job is at the beach, but she won’t be working as a lifeguard. Since her mom is pregnant and refuses to work, Sadie will be taking over as a domestic servant for a wealthy family on a nearby island.

When the family arrives at their summer getaway, Sadie is surprised to learn that the owner of the house is Jax Stone, one of the hottest teen rockers in the world. If Sadie were normal—if she hadn’t spent her life raising her mother and taking care of the house—maybe she’d be excited about working for a rock star. But she’s not.

Even though Sadie isn’t impressed by Jax’s fame, he is drawn to her. Everything about Sadie fascinates Jax, but he fights his attraction: Relationships never work in his world, and as badly as he wants Sadie, he believes she deserves more. Yet as the summer stretches on, Jax’s passion leaves him breathless—and Sadie feels like the only source of oxygen.

Can their love overcome the disparity in their lifestyles? One breath at a time, they’re going to find out…

After reading and loving The Vincent Brothers I knew this series would be my next. I can't believe us in the UK had such a long wait for this one as the next three in the series came before this one did!

I love the covers for the UK as they are very much artistic which I do have a soft spot for. I also love that for this particular cover it has a guitar as it is in keeping with the story.  The use of colour in the cover I feel works really well and I'm also glad that so far the other books (that are out in the UK) are the same so you know that they are apart of a series, even though this didn't mind as each book has different main characters.

I had very high expectations for this book after reading The Vincent Brothers/Boys and it didn't disappoint! From the moment I opened the first page I was hooked it was so beautifully written I just got swept away with the whole story. I haven't read many books that have one of the main characters as a rock star and now I have this feeling this won't be the last. I loved the romance side of the story was great as there was some really sweet and tender moments as well as some hot ones! There was a bit of heartbreak in there as well which I kind of expected but I didn't expect it to be so sad it had me in tears at certain times. The ending was great I just wish I could get more from Sadie and Jax.

There was so many great characters in this book with not very many that I didn't like. Sadie was a great character in the fact that she was sweet and kind and looked after anyone who needed it even if it was her own mother. In fact I would say she might have been too perfect. Jax I loved from the moment he was introduced to the story and the more I read about him the more I fell in love. He was such a sweetheart and some of the things he did for Sadie was so touching. Marcus was another character I fell in love with and I felt so sorry for him, I'm so glad he has his own story next as I can't wait to find out more about him.

Overall this was an amazing book I have a feeling that Abbi Glines can do no wrong!

Cover Reveal: The Queen of Zombie Hearts (The White Rabbit Chronicles, #3) by Gena Showalter

Today is the day! The cover of Gena Showalter's THE QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS is here! We're so excited to be able to share this with you as it joins an already stunning set! Ready to see it? Not quite yet lets take a look a the first two covers in the series!

First there was ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND...

Then came THROUGH THE ZOMBIE GLASS...

Now get ready to EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT!!!

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Official White Rabbit Chronicles website

On-sale date: Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Add it to your TBR!  Goodreads

Pre-order your copy! Amazon, Barnes & Noble

        

         

  Official book description:

I have a plan.

We'll either destroy them for good, or they'll destroy us.

Either way, only one of us is walking away.

In the stunning conclusion to the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, Alice "Ali" Bell thinks the worst is behind her. She's ready to take the next step with boyfriend Cole Holland, the leader of the zombie slayers…until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a sneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realizes that humans can be more dangerous than monsters…and the worst has only begun.

As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she, too, can control the zombies…and she isn't the girl she thought she was. She's connected to the woman responsible for killing—and turning—Cole's mother. How can their relationship endure? As secrets come to light, and more slayers are taken or killed, Ali will fight harder than ever to bring down Anima—even sacrificing her own life for those she loves.

About Gena:

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, the Angels of the Dark, the Lords of the Underworld, and the Otherworld Assassins series.  In addition to being a National Reader's Choice and RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazine, and have been translated in multiple languages.  She lives in Oklahoma with her family and menagerie of dogs, and truly believes love conquers all.

Website/Twitter/Facebook/The White Rabbit Chronicles Facebook

Giveaway Details:

1 complete set of The White Rabbit Chronicles (first 2 sent as soon as the giveaway is over and the winner will get the first hardcover of book 3 when it's available!) US/Canada Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Book Review: Once Upon A Masquerade by Tamara Hughes

About the Book EBook:

293 pages

Release Date: February 10, 2014

ISBN: 978-1622664511

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

New York City, 1883 A Prince Charming meets his match… Self-made shipping magnate Christopher Black first spies Rebecca Bailey at a masquerade ball and is captivated by her refreshing naiveté and sparkling beauty. She’s a stark contrast to the hollow behaviour of the ton and the guile of his former fiancée, but the closer he gets to her secrets, the further she pushes him away. A Cinderella with a secret… Rebecca is drawn to the charismatic Christopher from the first, but she cannot risk him discovering that she is really a housemaid impersonating an heiress. Her father's life depends on it. A Happily Ever After that could never be… When Christopher’s investigation of the murder of his best friend leads him straight to Rebecca, he fears his ingénue may be a femme fatale in disguise. Now he must decide if he can trust the woman he's come to love, or if her secrets will be his downfall.

Book Review:


I was asked if I wanted to take part in a Blog Tour for Once Upon a Masquerade and once I saw it said Cinderella in the blurb I jumped at the chance to review. I just wished I enjoyed it as much as I did Cinderella.




The cover is nice but I don't feel as though it's a gorgeous cover. I love the mask it looks so intricate and it really stands out over the rest of the cover.




When I first started this book I thought I was going to really enjoy it as it captured my interest and it made me laugh but the further I got into the story the more I started to dislike it. Nothing I read was believable especially for the time period in which the book was set it just didn't make sense. I didn't feel like the romance side of the story was very romantic as I didn't really believe in their love/like for one another and there was so many lies that I can't believe they would be able to trust one another. I kind of liked the murder mystery of the story as it was intriguing but I do feel like the solving of the murder was a bit of a let down as it was a little glossed over. I did like that the ending went a little further into the future so that I could see how things ended up but again I felt it was glossed over.


I wasn't a huge fan of most of the characters. Rebecca started of an interesting character who would do anything for her father but I felt like she went a bit too far. Again I started off liking Christopher as he seemed nice but by the end he really annoyed me and I also felt for someone who was meant to be into detective work he was very observant. Spencer was my favourite character he was so sweet and really funny there was things that he said or did that had me laughing.


Overall it wasn't a bad book but it was no Cinderella.

About Tamara:  

A small town girl with a big imagination, Tamara Hughes had no idea what to do with her life. After graduating from college, she moved to a big city, started a family and a job, and still struggled to find that creative outlet she craved. An avid reader of romance, she gave writing a try and became hooked on the power of exploring characters, envisioning adventures, and creating worlds. She enjoys stories with interesting twists and heroines who have the grit to surmount any obstacle, all without losing the ability to laugh. To learn more, stop by her website: www.tamarahughes.com.

You can also find her on: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page




Giveaway Details: 1 $25 Amazon Gift Card US Only 3 eBooks of ONCE UPON A MASQUERADE International Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway 




Tour Schedule
Week 1:
2/10/2014- The Passionate Bookworms - Review
2/10/2014- Night Owl Reviews - Guest Post
2/11/2014- Dandelionn Wine Book Blog - Review
2/11/2014- HEA Romances With a Little Kick - Guest Post
2/12/2014- The Reading Addict - Review
2/12/2014- 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! - Interview
2/12/2014- Lola Karns - Guest Post
2/13/2014- Kate's Book Life - Review
2/13/2014- Book Liaison - Guest Post
2/14/2014- Army Wife Reviews - Review
2/14/2014- Bending The Spine - Interview


Week 2:
2/17/2014- Always Reiding - Review
2/17/2014- Book Flame - Guest Post
2/18/2014- Stitch Read Cook - Review
2/18/2014- Reading Between the Wines - Guest Post
2/19/2014- Bookgirl Knitting - Review
2/19/2014- Manga Maniac Café - Interview
2/20/2014- Fab Fantasy Fiction - Review
2/20/2014- Imagine a World - Interview
2/21/2014- lilybloombooks - Review
2/21/2014- Fade Into Fantasy - Interview

Book Review: Shattered Promises (Shattered Promises, #1) by Jessica Sorensen

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Format: Kindle

Publishers: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Published: 24th February 2013

Pages: 372

Genre: New Adult, Paranormal Romance

Main Characters: Gemma, Alex

Date Read: 4th February - 10th February 2014
 

Rating Given:

Blurb: 

For twenty-one year-old Gemma, life has never been normal. She knows nothing about her past and has been haunted by the same monsters in her nightmares for the last few months. Unemotional and numb to life, she feels disconnected from everyone. Until the very first day she cries. After that, nothing in her life is the same.

Her emotions slowly surface and she starts experiencing love, happiness, and anger, feelings she never knew existed. But they leave her confused and she doesn’t know whether to embrace them or run away from them.

Her life only gets more complicated when she meets Alex. Sexy, arrogant, and secretive, Alex can get under Gemma’s skin like no one can. Yet she’s drawn to him by an invisible connection she has no control over. She’s also seen him before. In her nightmares.

Every part of Gemma’s mind is screaming at her to stay away from Alex, but every other part of her is begging to get close to him. But the closer she gets, the more she realizes Alex knows more about her than he originally let on.

As secrets about her past unravel, Gemma’s life becomes threatened. She needs to figure out what’s going on, before she winds up dead. But the only person she can turn to for answers is the one person she isn’t sure she can trust.

**Mature Content Warning** 17+ for language and sexual content.

(A re-imagining of my young adult book, The Fallen Star, told as a New Adult Paranormal)

I bought this book as it was a freebie on Amazon and it sounded very interesting. I was really excited about reading this book especially after loving another book by the same author but Shattered Promises left me feeling a little let down.

 Shattered Promises has had a few different covers and I think that this is one of my favourite versions as I love the colour and the use of stars in the background which is in keeping with the story.

This book is one of the most confusing books that I have ever read as there was so much going on and the closer I felt to a conclusion the more questions was thrown at us. I really couldn't get into it and there was times when I was close to not finishing it but there was a couple of times when I would start to like it which was why I never put it down. There was a lot of paranormal creatures in this book, you name it and they where either in it or mentioned but it did feel different to a lot of paranormal books that I have read which I enjoyed. The romance side of the story was completely unbelievable as I didn't feel like there was any chemistry between Alex and Gemma or even Laylen. I felt the ending did improve the book as it got interesting and now I do want to find out what happens next it's just I don't want to actually read the books.

I never warmed to most of the characters as they where either annoying or untrustworthy. Gemma had only just got her emotions back and she seemed to be feeling them all at the same time which did make me feel sorry for her, however there was a lot of times when I just couldn't believe the things that she was doing. For one of the first times I really didn't warm to the main male character Alex as when we first actually met him he was a jerk and when he was being kind I felt like there was a reason behind his kindness. Laylen was one of the few characters that I actually liked as he seemed more trustworthy than any of the others and he didn't seem to have an ulterior motive.

Overall I was very disappointed with this book but there was times when it was ok.

Showcase Sunday #75

Showcase Sunday is a weekly Meme that I am taking part of. This weekly meme is hosted by Vicky over at Book, Biscuits and Tea and for more info click on the SS image which will take you straight to the blog.

Click images to take you to Goodreads.

Kindle Books Bought

Brought this for only 99p from Amazon which I thought was a great price plus I still had some Christmas voucher left.

Free Kindle Books

  

Review Kindle Books

  

  

 

Book Review: Hourglass (Hourglass, #1) by Myra McEntire

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Format: Paperback

Publishers: Egmont

Published: 14th June 2011

Pages: 390

Genre: YA, Dystopia, Romance

Main Characters: Emerson, Michael

Date Read: 1st February - 6th February 2014
 

Rating Given:

Blurb:

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may also change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should've happened?

If I remember rightly I was gifted this book a few years ago and I have now finally gotten around to reading it and for the most part I wish I had read it sooner as it was really good.


I really love the cover it looks really quirky and slightly different to the other covers that have a girl on the cover. Even though you can't feel the over but trust me it has a beautiful velvet feel to it which I love, I just had to keep feeling it while I was reading it.


For the first part of the story it was quite confusing to the point where I didn't understand what was happening. Once I got over the confusion I fell in love with it and just got hooked by the end I didn't want to put it down. I haven't read that many time travelling books but I do find them engaging and this one was no different. There was a lot of things that kept happening in this book that I just never expected but there was also times when I predicted what was going to happen. The romance side of the story was good but I just wished there was more of it. I kind of enjoyed the ending as a lot of things was cleared up but I do feel like some of the issues was glossed over.


Most of the characters was enjoyable to read about but then there was some that I just didn't like but I guess that's how we was supposed to feel. Emerson was a great character as she seemed such a strong willed character but she also had a vulnerable side to her that really made me feel for her. She is a very short character but that didn't stop her from being physically strong especially when she threw Michael over her shoulder which I found really funny. I don't really know what I feel about Michael he was funny at times but then he would also annoyed me but overall he was nice. My favourite character would have to be Kaleb even if he wasn't in it much but when he was he was so funny but he was considerate to everyone. I can't wait for the next book as it's from Kaleb's point of view so I will get to see a lot more from him.


Overall Hourglass was a really enjoyable book although there was times when it got a bit too confusing.

BOTM #28

I had a great month of reading this month as a few of them where 5 stars I haven't had this many great books read in the same month for awhile now. Here's what I read in January 2014:

• The Secret of Ella and Micha (The Secret, #1) by Jessica Sorensen - 5/5
• The Winning Season by Alison Packard - 5/5
• Splintered (Splintered, #1) by A.G. Howard - 3.5/5
• Gerard's Beauty (Kingdom, #2) by Marie Hall - 4/5
• Wild Cards (Wild Cards, #1) by Simone Elkeles - 5/5
• My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers, #1) by Rachel Vincent - 4.5/5
• Tempting the Best Man (Gamble Brothers, #1) by J. Lynn - 5/5
• Losing It (Losing It, #1) by Cora Carmack - 5/5
• Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins - 5/5
• Suddenly Royal (Suddenly, #1) by Nichole Chase - 5/5

And the book of the month goes to...

Suddenly Royal (Suddenly, #1) by Nichole Chase

I absolutely adored this book even more than the other five stars I gave because if I could give this book more I would! My other five star books are still five star ratings and I love them so much but this book just took me somewhere no other book has ever done for me it's the best book I have read so far.

My review will be up at some point during this week so look out for that.