***Review*** The Day I Met Suzie by Chris Higgins

The Day I Met Suzie by Chris Higgins

Released: 7th March 2013
Publisher: Hodder
Series: No
Format: ARC
Source: From Publisher for review purposes
Find At: Goodreads | Amazon UK | The Book Depository

Author Site: Chris Higgins

Many thanks to the Publisher for my review copy, this is in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Synopsis:

'My boyfriend could get into trouble if he gets caught. He could go to jail.' I moan softly. 'So could I.' 'Anything you tell me is completely confidential.' I sigh deeply. What have I got to lose? 'I wouldn't know where to begin.' 'At the beginning?' she says. 'In your own words.' So that's what I do. I start at the beginning like she says. The day I met Suzie. Indigo (Indie) rings the Samaritans. She is frightened and desperate with no one to turn to. Over the course of one long night, Indie tells her story to the person on the end of the phone. She realises that her friend Suzie has taken over her home, her friends, her work, her boyfriend - and her life. After every few chapters we are brought back to the present moment, and see how piecing the story together helps Indie progress towards resolution.

 

My Review

Not a bad plot line but not enough to keep me wholly engaged with this book.  I started to read this and about halfway through lost the urge, so I put it down and it ended up being sat on my bedside table for about three months, left unread.  Then I though you know I really need to finish this book, so I did.  It was OK, nothing spectacular but on the whole an OK read.  I am glad I read the whole book as I was tempted just to not finish it.

I could see the major plot twist coming off a mile away, so no surprise when it panned out the way I thought it would.  The only bit that saved this book going in the two star rating was that it really did get interesting towards the end.  Which by far was the best bit of the book.  The start and finish was a bit bleh.

I can't say that I connected with the main character Indie, maybe this why why it left me feeling a little lukewarm.  Even Scarlett AKA Suzie wasn't that interesting either, yes she was manipulative that was the most interesting part about her character.  I hated Indie's boyfriend Rick, I would have sent him packing a long time ago, his whole behaviour throughout did not endear me to him. So for me not a likeable character among the lot of them.

I would say maybe give this book a try, just because I found it lukewarm does not mean everyone will.

Overview:

Not really for me, it was OK but that was about it.

My Thoughts on the Cover:

I do like the cover, it's fun it's funky and it does catch the eye.  I would certainly head towards this type of cover in the bookstore.

 

***Review*** Glittering Fortunes by Victoria Fox

Glittering Fortunes by Victoria Fox

Released:  6th September 2013
Publisher: Mira
Series: No
Format: Digital ARC
Source: Netgalley
Find at: Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

Author Site: Victoria Fox

Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my review copy, this is in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Synopsis:

 Two brothers. Two rivals.
One huge family secret.
Scandal is just waiting to happen…

Charlie Lomax hasn’t seen his brother in years. Cato’s been too busy living the A-list Hollywood dream to bother with the likes of a small Cornish town. But now he’s back. Hollywood and British aristocracy are about to clash, as Cato sets out to claim the Lomax legacy he believes is his birthright.

Unsuspecting Olivia needs a job after spectacularly failing to make a life for herself in London. Forced back to Cornwall, she has no idea what she's letting herself in for by becoming a gardener at the crumbling but beautiful Usherwood estate.

She certainly didn’t bargain on becoming embroiled in the biggest scandal of the year, and not least because the brooding Charlie is a man she can’t seem to stay away from…

My Review:

Been a while since I've picked up a chick lit book.  Turned out to be a nice easy read, a little predictable in places, but enjoyable none the less.  It might be time to check out more by this author as I did enjoy her style.

Where do I start, some characters really annoyed me but then again this was the point, others really endeared me. Cato seemed like a big idiot who you just wanted to strangle, arrogant and totally in love with himself and his equally whiny girlfriend grated on my nerves.  Two people who really suited each other! Then there was Charles and Olivia who couldn't have been totally opposite to the dastardly two. I liked the twist in the plot, very clever and I didn't see it coming, but the rest was as I said before just a tad bit predictable.

There are some heavy scenes and there are some really fun light moments that will make you chuckle.  So all in all a good mixed balance of dark and humour. It was nice to see some sort of comeuppance for some of the character, I had great pleasure in reading those parts.

If you are looking for an easy and enjoyable read then give this book a shot, you will not be disappointed. 

Overview:
I did enjoy the easy pace to this book, it was like honey and lemon, something to soothe my head.

My Thoughts on the Cover:
I can't say I'm a huge fan of the cover, I hate shocking pink.  In fact I try and run from it!

***Review*** Resist by Sarah Crossan

Resist by Sarah Crossan

Released: 10th October 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Series: Yes #2
Source: Netgalley
Format: Digital ARC
Find at: Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US | The Book Depository

Author Site: Sarah Crossan

Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my review copy, this is in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Synopsis:

 The sequel—and conclusion—to Sarah Crossan's Breathe. Three teen outlaws must survive on their own in a world without air, exiled outside the glass dome that protects what's left of human civilization. Gripping action, provocative ideas, and shocking revelations in a dystopian novel that fans of Patrick Ness and Veronica Roth will devour.

Bea, Alina, and Quinn are on the run. They started a rebellion and were thrown out of the pod, the only place where there's enough oxygen to breathe. Bea has lost her family. Alina has lost her home. And Quinn has lost his privileged life. Can they survive in the perilous Outlands? Can they finish the revolution they began? Especially when a young operative from the pod's Special Forces is sent after them. Their only chance is to stand together, even when terrible circumstances force them apart. When the future of human society is in danger, these four teens must decide where their allegiances lie. Sarah Crossan has created a dangerous, and shattered society in this wrenching, thought-provoking, and unforgettable post-apocalyptic novel.

My Review:

Wow, this book just jumps straight into it.  There isn't much of a recap from the first book so I advise that you have to read Breathe first.  If not you will wonder what the heck is going on.

I adore this series, it's only a two book series but boy does it pack so much in.  I love how the story is told from several points of view, it certainly gives you a different angle on the world created by Crossan.  And what a scary and realistic world it is.  You really do stand up and take notice of the underlying warning Crossan gets across.  It's powerful and I hope people will take it all in.

Now back to the story, as this is  a 2nd instalment I am not going to give any spoilers away as that is not my thing.  I will say that I was happy with the start, middle and end of the book.  I will also say that I just preferred Breathe just a little bit more, but don't think that this knocks resist down too much as this book is awesome too.

Like last time I think there are some amazing characters in this series. Alina still stays at the top for me, I like her bravery and she has just a touch of sass. 

I would recommend this series, it's not too exhausting on the brain and there's plenty of action and excitement.

I'm also going to check out more books by this author as I do really like her writing style.

Overview:

Great end to the series, I simply loved it.

My Thoughts on the Cover:

I think this cover has to be my favourite of the year so far.  It is beautiful and very poignant.  Just love it!

• You can check out my review for Breathe the first book in the series HERE

 

Blog Tour: P J Stone - Gates Trilogy

  

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Dragonfairy Store | Goodreads

Book one of the P.J. Stone Gates Trilogy
New Adult Paranormal Romance  
299 pages  
by D.T. Dyllin

For P.J. Stone, being a “Seer” who has never seen anything is less than fun. And P.J. isn’t known for her patience. To make matters worse, she must choose a suitable mate to continue the Seer bloodline. Duty always comes before her heart…at least that’s what her parents taught her. When she finds herself wanting someone who is considered off-limits, P.J. is forced to question everything she believes. As if navigating her love life isn’t complicated enough, P.J. finally receives a vision—of a threat to her world that only she can perceive. But no one will believe a fledgling Seer’s warnings. With nowhere else to turn, she may decide to trust a stranger with her life, her world, and maybe even her heart.

Amazon | Dragonfairy Store | Goodreads

Book two of the P.J. Stone Gates Trilogy

New Adult Paranormal Romance

241 pages

by D.T. Dyllin

P.J. Stone is a Seer who saw too little, too late. In the past, her biggest worries were boys and school—but war has a way of changing things. Now, the alien Riders are trying to overrun the world. As the last of their kind, P.J. and her friends must find a way to save humanity before there’s nothing left to save. After choosing a mate, P.J. hoped she'd have time to enjoy her love life. But with everything changing so quickly and major secrets revealed, who knows what the future will bring?

 

Book three of the P.J. Stone Gates Trilogy
New Adult Paranormal Romance  

by D.T. Dyllin

Bryn is gone. Jenna isn’t…herself, and the world has been taken over by the alien Riders. The only constant in P.J.’s life is Khol. But even he might not be able to help her pick up the shattered pieces of her life.

P.J. finally gets the answers to all of her questions, but will she be able to handle the truth? And will she be strong enough to face her own destiny when the time comes?

 

About the Author

Cynical-Optimist. Chocolate-holic. Sarcasm Addict. Paranormal Believer. Self-Imposed Insomniac. Sci-Fi Geek. Animal Lover. Writer…are just a few words to describe D.T. Dyllin. She was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and now lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and two very spoiled GSDs.

 

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Cover Reveal: Flirting With Chaos by Kenya Wright

Title: Flirting With Chaos

Author: Kenya Wright

Genre: New Adult Rock Star Erotic Romance

Publisher: Omnific Publishing

Release Date: November 19, 2013
Add to Goodreads

Synopsis:

 

Can two mentally unstable best friends have sex and not drown in chaos?

 

Rain's been washing blood off her hands for far too long. After five years, she accepts the fact that she"s still a little crazy but feels as if she's finally gotten it all under control.

 

Parties, drugs, and sex flood Jude's life, and music and scandal run through his veins. He's the son of a rock god and grandson of a jazz legend. It's no surprise that his own star is on the rise, and with so many groupies vying for his attention, his childhood best friend Rain keeps him anchored in reality.

 

She's nothing like him--an art student with no idea of her own beauty, who would rather curl up with a sci-fi novel than party in the spotlight. Everything changes when she asks him for a unique favor: she wants him to take her virginity. He's more than willing to oblige, but things get complicated when his pervy father gets involved. Meanwhile, intense feelings rise to the surface, ones neither Rain nor Jude are prepared to deal with.

 

If their relationship has any chance for survival, she must finally confront the demons of her past, and he must face the addictions of the present. When the smoke clears, will they find that sex between best friends was a good idea, or will they discover they had been Flirting With Chaos the entire time?

 

Short Teaser #1

Prologue

“Sometimes it’s okay to kill, if you’re saving someone else in the process, Rainbow.” Dad wiped my tears from my face with bloody hands. “Go ahead, sweetheart. Do it for Daddy. Pull the trigger.”

And I did.

Short Teaser #2

An intricate pattern of colorful tattoos decorated both of his arms. It was a mural of his life—stars that intertwined with musical notes; guitars interlocked into microphones; nude, big breasted angels riding hulky demons. Those arms and that face had adorned the covers of magazines for years. Now he represented a legend of rock history. To obtain his interview would mean lots of money and skilled maneuvering through his agent, publicist, bodyguards, entourage, and any of the other people that walled him away from society.

Short Teaser #3

Everyone jumped and swayed fast, pumped and wound their bodies around the dance floor. Jude and I continued rocking into each other. We were entangled into the moment—the song, the feel of our bodies, the heat radiating between us, our scents mingling together, and the mounting of an orgasm that sparked at my center and rose higher and higher, just yearning to detonate into sensual delight.

Kenya Wright always knew she would be famous since the ripe old age of six when she sang the Michael Jackson thriller song in her bathroom mirror. She has tried her hand at many things from enlisting in the Navy for six years as a Persian-Farsi linguist to being a nude model at an art university.

However, writing has been the only constant love in her life. Will she succeed? Of course.

For she has been coined The Urban Fantasy Queen, the Super Iconic Writer of this Age, The Lyrical Genius of Our Generation. Granted, these are all terms coined by her, within the private walls of her bathroom as she still sings the Michael Jackson thriller song.

Kenya Wright currently resides in Miami with her three amazing, overactive children, a supportive, gorgeous husband, and three cool black cats that refuse to stop sleeping on Kenya’s head at night.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ YouTube ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon

***Review*** Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Released: May 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Series: Yes #1 in the Beautiful Disaster series
Format: Digital ARC
Source: From Netgalley
Find At Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble

Author Site: Jamie McGuire

Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my review copy, this is in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Synopsis:

INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE.

Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

My Review:

Wowzer, that was a heavy book and no I don’t mean weight wise. Heavy as in packed the punch with the rollercoaster emotion it throws at you. I had a hard time reading this and it was totally absorbing, if you’re looking for a light read step away!! In fact just run away now.

I loved the feel of this book and the way it kept the reader on their toes, I wasn’t sure which way it was going. This did keep my interest at its peak. After the 60% mark I could not put this book down, I even stayed up late to finish it and yes it was worth feeling crap in the morning for.

 I would recommend this and I will certainly be checking out Walking Disaster. Nearly scored top marks with me, the only reason it didn’t was that I think the emotion just ran too high and I did feel like throwing the book at the wall with frustration. But 4.5 stars is pretty damn amazing.

Very complex in places, but I never felt out of my depth. The story is explained well and I felt a connection with the characters all the way through. Nice writing style which flowed like a fast flowing river. I did have to grimace in places at Abi - as realistically I couldn't see some of the scenarios working out, I think someone would have to be incredibly stupid or naive to not suss things out.  But hey if that's the only thing I can knock about the book, well that isn't too bad in my eyes.

Overview:

A fast addictive pace, leaving you a jumbled mess of emotions.  Loved it!

My Thoughts on the Cover:

Simple yet effective.  A beautiful creature trapped inside a glass cage.....

Cover Reveal: Ruined by Jus Accardo

Hi Guys!  I seem to be featuring Jus Accardo a lot on my blog at the moment, but I do love her books and I'm really thrilled to see she has another book coming out soon.  Here is a sneak peak at the new cover of Ruined which is out on the 11th November 2013. 

To celebrate the cover reveal there is a giveaway for a $10 Amazon gift card, to enter scroll down to the bottom for the rafflecopter form.

Ruined by Jus Accardo 

 Hell is looking for a way to break loose…

 Jax lost the genetic lottery. Descended from Cain, the world's first murderer, he's plagued by a curse that demands violence in exchange for his happiness. He left everything behind, including the girl he loved, but thriving on the pain of others is lonely… And it's killing him.

After a series of heartbreaking losses, Samantha put rubber to pavement and headed for college as fast as her clunker could carry her. But she can't outrun her problems. When an attack at school drives her back home, she's thrown into the path of a past—and a guy—she's been trying to forget.

Sam strains Jax's control over his darkness, but running isn't an option this time. Someone—or, something—followed her home from school: a ruthless monster with a twisted plan centuries in the making. Forced together to survive, and fighting an attraction that could destroy them both, Jax and Sam must stop a killer bent on revenge.

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

 a Rafflecopter giveaway