A Peek In The BiblioBin #73

Welcome to our Stacking the Shelves post! Stacking the Shelves (or as we like to call it, A Peek in the BiblioBin) has been created by the lovely ladies at Tynga's Reviews.

Stacking the Shelves is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, etc.  

As you can see, we've been on quite the shopping spree. This week's selection features old and new favorites.

For Review:

Popping The Cherry by Aurelia B Rowl (via NetGalley)




Purchased:

Witches of East End (The Beauchamp Family #1) by Melissa de la Cruz

Antigoddess (Goddess War #1) by Kendare Blake

United We Spy (Gallagher Girls #6) by Ally Carter

Between The Lines (BTL #1) by Tammara Webber

Where You Are (BTL #2) by Tammara Webber

Good For You (BTL #3) by Tammara Webber

Here Without You (BTL #4) by Tammara Webber 

CJ Lyons Talks "Broken" In Special Video Interview

There's a lot of buzz surrounding an exciting new thriller coming November 5, Broken, by CJ Lyons. It's already being described as "suspenseful" and "chilling".

Here's a description from Sourcebooks:

Fifteen-year-old Scarlet has one chance for a normal life. Only problem? It just might kill her. Diagnosed with a rare and untreatable heart condition, Scarlet has never taken the school bus. Or giggled with friends during lunch. Or spied on a crush out of the corner of her eye. Scarlet has come to terms with the fact that she's going to die. Literally of a broken heart.

When Scarlet asks for a week to prove she can survive high school, every slammed locker and sideways glance sends her heart beating out of control. But for the first time in her life Scarlet makes real friends. She also makes new discoveries about the truth behind her illness... a truth that might just kill her before her heart does.

"As a former Pediatric ER doctor, CJ diagnosed Abby with Long QT Syndrome a mere 20 minutes after she was born. This rare, untreatable heart condition is the same disease Scarlet suffers from in BROKEN. Watch the video to find out how Abby copes with her disease and how she feels about being the inspiration of CJ’s debut YA novel!" - Sourcebooks

You can pre-order Broken at the special price of $4.99 (ebook only) if you order before November 5.

To learn more about CJ Lyons and her other books, visit her website at: www.cjlyons.net

~ Bel

Breathless (Jesse #1) by Eve Carter

* * *

The young, hot professional Motocross rider, Jesse Morrison, knows how to leave an impression. Except lately, it has been bad impressions. Frustrated and wounded, he surrounds himself with women, booze and drugs, until one day, he finds himself in a world of trouble. Kicked out by his brother, he relocates to California for the summer to help his uncle open Rookies, a local sports bar.

In Santa Monica, Jesse meets the one woman who can lead him back on the right path, the beautiful 22 year old, Niki Milani. Only problem, she is not interested. Niki has her own demons to fight. A past that left her emotional abandoned by her own blood, her father. She keeps her heart guarded and finds it difficult to trust a man again. Especially not a bad boy player who is even more messed up than her. However, Jesse never backs down from a challenge. Blinded by a sizzling attraction, he is determined to prove to Niki that there is more to him than what appears on the surface. That he is the one who can heal her heart.

Jesse who had a promising career has turned into a major asshat. He ends up in Santa Monica with no intention of letting up. It’s once he meets Niki that he’s motivated to clean up his act.

What worked for me …

I really liked how Carter described the instant Jesse sees Niki. It’s written really well and you can easily picture that moment when you first notice someone and they leave an impression on you. I also liked how his new friends and family are important aspects of the whole story. And there’s a nice bit of surprise in the storyline that veers off from the initial plot.

What I was unsure about …

Can too much dialog be a problem? That’s what I felt whenever Jesse and Niki engaged in conversation. I bought their attraction to each other but once they started talking I wasn’t buying it any more. I just wasn’t convinced that Jesse could so easily drop his philandering lifestyle. And then there was Niki who was drawn to his unpredictable personality and wanted to take more risks herself, who expected him to completely change overnight. It was an impossible expectation to impose on him considering all of their issues combined. I guess I just didn't quite take to her personality.

In the end, Breathless was good especially for a quick read or as we've started calling them “palate cleansers”. You know a fun book to read when you’re in between books. And if you like your bad boy extra troubled, then Jesse fits the bill!

~ Bel

Waiting on Wednesday (78)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating.

By Jessica Shirvington
Publication Date:  October 1, 2013

LOVE WILL KILL US ALL
Violet Eden thought she was getting things under control. Then all hell breaks loose-literally. In the war between angels and exiles, she's about to face the biggest baddie of all time. Except she's not nearly ready.
The dark exile Phoenix is still messing with her head-not to mention her heart. And her undeniable attraction to Lincoln has gotten downright dangerous. When Hell unleashes its worst, Violet must embrace every facet of her angel self to save the people she cares about and the world as she knows it. But death is not the worst thing she will face...










By Heidi Cullinan
Publication Date: October 1, 2013

Love doesn’t come with a syllabus.

Kelly Davidson has waited what seems like forever to graduate high school and get out of his small-minded, small town. But when he arrives at Hope University, he quickly realizes finding his Prince Charming isn’t so easy. Everyone here is already out. In fact, Kelly could be the only virgin on campus.

Worst of all, he’s landed the charming, handsome, gay campus Casanova as a roommate, whose bed might as well be equipped with a revolving door.

Walter Lucas doesn’t believe in storybook love. Everyone is better off having as much fun as possible with as many people as possible…except his shy, sad little sack of a roommate is seriously screwing up his world view.

As Walter sets out to lure Kelly out of his shell, staying just friends is harder than he anticipated. He discovers love is a crash course in determination. To make the grade, he’ll have to finally show up for class…and overcome his own private fear that love was never meant to last.

Warning: This story contains lingering glances, milder than usual sexual content for this author, and a steamy dance-floor kiss. Story has no dairy or egg content, but may contain almonds.

Endless (Embrace #4/Violet Eden Chapters #4) by Jessica Shirvington

* * * *

Angels are real. They aren't always kind. Violet Eden is certain of all this because she is Grigori - part angel, part human. She has felt the influence of both light and dark.

When Hell unleashes its worst, Violet must embrace every facet of her angel self to save the people she cares about and the world as she knows it. But death is not the worst thing that Violet will face. For her, the endless question 'Can love conquer all?' will finally be answered.

I’m sure readers know how much I enjoy this series. It’s so much fun to see a heroine grow from an uncertain teen into a solid young woman who has a strong sense of who she is at her very core. And on a side note, these covers are freaking awesome!

Endless finds Violet trying to adjust to some major changes that have rocked her world. After the disastrous outcome of the Santorini trip, Violet is coming home with her long lost mother in tow. Things is she thought her mother dead. Turns out she was hibernating in the volcano along with Lillith. Once Phoenix, Lillith's son, released her from her imprisonment, Evelyn was released too. Violet has very hostile feelings towards her mother and wants nothing to do with her. She’s terrified of what her return will do to her father. Violet had decided previously to reveal everything to her dad. Now her mother’s presence just complicates things further.

That’s just at home. Then there’s work. The Academy – Josephine in particular – is coming down hard on the gang and has issued a summons for the group to come to New York to undergo tests and interrogations. Violet realizes there’s no way to avoid this but insists that she comply as long as she can do it on her terms. She has to keep her frustration in check as they investigate her origins while her own priority is to stop Lillith and her Exile minions.

As for her and Lincoln, they try to keep their feelings for each other at bay but in Endless we see Lincoln letting loose just a little. They work hard at establishing a neutral ground that will allow them to co-exist without too much drama. Yeah, good luck with that!

All in all, Endless is a terrific book and fans of the series will love it. It got me out of my annoying reading funk.  I won’t lie though. The events in Endless are so monumental and life-altering.  I was devastated when I reached the end as I'm sure  fellow fans will be too. For some reason, I was under the impression that this was it for the series. Thankfully, I was wrong. While I’m still shaking off what happened, everything has been set up for the final showdown and I have hope that things will be put in order in Empower.

~ Bel

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

* * * *

While flying an Allied fighter plane from Paris to England, American ATA pilot and amateur poet, Rose Justice, is captured by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious women's concentration camp. Trapped in horrific circumstances, Rose finds hope in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery and friendship of her fellow prisoners. But will that be enough to endure the fate that’s in store for her?

Elizabeth Wein, author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Code Name Verity, delivers another stunning WWII thriller. The unforgettable story of Rose Justice is forged from heart-wrenching courage, resolve, and the slim, bright chance of survival.









Review:

Elizabeth Wein hits another one out of the park with Rose Under Fire.  This is a different type of story than Code Name Verity.  Yes, Rose is an ATA pilot.  And, yes, Maddie and Jamie make an appearance.  But Rose is not an enemy agent being interrogated by the Gestapo.  She is a young American girl that makes a brave and foolish decision.  A decision that leads to her capture and subsequent interment in the women’s concentration camp, Ravensbrük.

Rose Under Fire doesn’t deliver that big shocking bang that we all experienced in Code Name Verity.  Instead it delivers a fictional story of a young unsuspecting woman and how she survives in a camp that later became known for its experiments on women.   Through Rose’s eyes we see the atrocities the women before her endured and how they survive.   Through her poems we get an idea as to how she and her prison companions coped with the inhumanity of their daily life.  Through her experience we learn that the horrors of the things they endured formed the strongest friendships where there otherwise would be none.

This story is both disturbing and educational in its truths.  As with Code Name Verity, Wein backs up her novel’s believability with an Afterward and Bibliography that explains her research and clarifies what is true and what is not.  I would venture to say that Rose Under Fire is one that should be added to school’s required reading list.  Although it is a fictional account, the reader receives an educated and empathetic view of what it was like to be held in a women’s concentration camp during WWII.




Nat

Waiting on Wednesday (77)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating.

We know what Shel is buying next week!  Welcome back, Heather Wells!




By Meg Cabot
Publication Date: September 24, 2013

Heather Wells is used to having her cake and eating it too, but this time her cake just might be cooked. Her wedding cake, that is.

With her upcoming nuptials to PI Cooper Cartwright only weeks away, Heather's already stressed. And when a pretty junior turns up dead, Heather's sure things can't get worse—until every student in the dorm where she works is a possible suspect, and Heather's long-lost mother shows up.

Heather has no time for a tearful mother and bride reunion. She has a wedding to pull off and a murder to solve. Instead of wedding bells, she might be hearing wedding bullets, but she's determined to bring the bad guys to justice if it's the last thing she does . . . and this time, it just might be.

Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

From Bloomsbury:

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed.  Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois.  Derek's counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else's family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain - people you care about leave without a backward glance.  A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave.  So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team.  Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek - someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules.  Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

The first in a new series, fans of Simone Elkeles will go crazy for this sexy, angsty love story.  I will definitely be marking my calendar for book 2!

The Bad:

There were a couple of inconsistencies in Wild Cards that I had a hard time with.  The first was that Derek was supposed to be a bad boy, but he was the farthest thing from a bad boy that you can find.  A prankster, perhaps.  Devastated by his mother's death and his father's deployment - absolutely.  Bad boy?  No way.  Secondly, Ashtyn is supposed to be this super strong and smart girl, which she is for the most part, but she's dating and "in love" with this total asshat, who whines because she doesn't put out, throws a fit whenever she is recognized for any accomplishments, is abusive and ultimately betrays his team and everyone he calls a friend.  This "relationship" does not fit Ashtyn's character at all.  I had a really hard time believing that relationship and reconciling that plot line.

The Good:

This was my first Simone Elkeles book and I can see why she has such a dedicated following.  Despite the inconsistencies above, I really liked Wild Cards - especially that it was set mostly in Chicago (what can I say, I love it when I can actually relate to the settings).  Derek's pain was honest and realistically depicted.  I was fascinated by his character, and he was by far my favorite (not just because he was hot, protective and sweet).  

Ashtyn was, for the most part, a great, strong heroine.  She's an individual that doesn't try to join the crowd and accepts with grace that she is different and that will cause her to be treated differently and force her to work harder to prove herself.  With the exception of her idiocy in dating a tool, I enjoyed her character as well.  

The story itself was interesting and had me all full of the feels.  If you love the angsty books like BiblioJunkie Nat, you will definitely want to read Wild Cards.  BUT, it's not just for the angst-lovers.  I am definitely anti-angst and I enjoyed it too.  :-)

~Shel  

A Peek In The BiblioBin #72

Welcome to our Stacking the Shelves post! Stacking the Shelves (or as we like to call it, A Peek in the BiblioBin) has been created by the lovely ladies at Tynga's Reviews.

Stacking the Shelves is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, etc.  

You know it's really a shame and rather annoying that real life keeps interfering with our reading plans. Can you imagine how wildly we'd attack and reduce the size of our TBR pile? Only in our dreams...

For Review:

Angel Fever (Angel #3) by L.A. Weatherly



Purchased:

Breathless (Jesse #1) by Eve Carter

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas

Perfect Fling by Carly Phillips

From Penguin/Signet Romance:

In the picturesque town of Serendipity, New York, three siblings have grown up in the shadow of their proud and respected police chief father.  But what do love, fate, and fortune have in store for the next generation of Serendipity's finest?

Assistant D.A. Erin Marsden is Serendipity's quintessential good girl.  The daughter of the ex-police chief, she's never made a misstep, content with her quiet, predictable life... or so she things.  Until Cole Sanders shows up with heated interest in his eyes and shadows in his past.

After seven years of deep undercover work in New York, Cole returns to town to help his aging father and find his moral compass again.  Not to get involved with wholesome Erin Marsden.  Even as a rebellious teen, he new a girl like Erin was off limits.  But neither can resist their off-the-charts chemistry, and a one-night stand brings complications neither expected.  

Then a case puts Erin in a killer's crosshairs, and Erin succumbs to Cole's take-charge attitude.  As a bodyguard, he's the best.  As a love, he's even better.  But there's more than Erin's safety at stake.  And Cole must forgive the sins of his past and prove to himself - and to Erin - that he's capable of the love and the forever she so desperately needs.  

Let's be honest, most romance stories have been told before.  The test of a good romance novel is whether you can look past this and still become enthralled with the story.  Here, we have girl's childhood crush (the town bad boy, of course) returns home.  Girl, restless and wanting adventure, hooks up with the bad boy.  Things happen, bad boy has to get over himself and eventually, against all odds, the two live happily ever after.  We all know this, yet we still can't get enough of a good romance.  Perfect Fling was a good romance.  

Perfect Fling is a perfect beach read, full of mystery and heart.  Despite the predictable story, Perfect Fling was thoroughly enjoyable.  If you are a fan of Phillips other works, you will love this return to Serendipity.  

~Shel

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J Maas

* * * * *

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice.

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

What can I say? Celaena is simply a badass and I love her for it. She’s not perfect. Her personal history is littered with tragedy, betrayal and she is far from innocent when it comes to her life as an assassin. It’s amazing that despite all the horrors that she has endured and even carried out, she still has a sense of justice and compassion.  Yes, it’s weird to say that about an assassin.

Now that she’s the king’s champion, the lucky girl gets to carry out all his dirty work. She receives an assignment to rid the kingdom of potential rivals and insurgents, and the king rewards her for this. She doesn’t do this out of any loyalty to the king. She does it so that she can maintain her hard-fought freedom and also to protect the one she cares for. The king learned her weakness at the end of the last book and has used that to his advantage. But after the events of Throne of Glass we know not to underestimate this very clever and resourceful young woman.  He will just have to learn that on his own.

In Crown of Midnight, the king charges her with the task of bringing down a certain rebel. Problem is that she knows this rebel personally – someone who knows her past and she had considered a comrade. Instead of carrying out the order immediately, she gives him a certain amount of time to supply her with information on who may be leading a revolution so that she can try to save him while at the same time delivering to the king what he has asked for.

Tricky work it is entering into a web of lies and deceit because she hasn’t told a soul what she’s been up to and what she plans to do. Keeping Chaol and Dorian in the dark is a means to protect them. But it starts becoming a chore to maintain two faces especially to Chaol with whom she has become very close.

It’s nice to see Dorian and Chaol develop as characters. Chaol isn’t just the scowling hard-ass from Throne of Glass.  He’s someone who takes responsibility and loyalty to heart.  Dorian who has never been comfortable with the way his father governs begins to question his role and develops his own agenda.  These two fast friends who have Celaena’s safety as mutual concern become distanced slowly as their own secrets begin to draw them apart.

Crown of Midnight is just as fantastic as its predecessor and the ending had me just as stunned as some of the major characters. Oh it’s on!

~ Bel

Darker Days by Jus Accardo

From Entangled Teen:

A little sin can be deadly...

Jessie Darker goes to high school during the day, but at night she helps with the family investigation business.  Cheating husbands and stolen inheritances?  They're your girls - but their speciality is a bit darker.  Zombie in your garage?  Pesky Poltergeist living in your pool?  They'll have the problem solved in a magical minute.  For a nominal fee, of course...

When gorgeous new client, Lukas Scott, saunters into the office requesting their help to find a stolen box, it sounds like a simple case - until the truth comes out.  The box is full of Sin.

Seven deadly ones, in fact. 

They've got five days to recapture the Sins before they're recalled by the box, taking seven hijacked human bodies with them.  Easy peasy - except for one thing...

There's a spell that will allow the Sins to remain free, causing chaos forever.  When the key ingredient threatens the life of someone she knows, Jessie must make the ultimate choice between love and family - or lose everything. 

Darker Days is fast-paced fun, featuring Accardo's signature snarky, strong female characters!  I'm a fan of Accardo's Denazen Series, so I was excited to see a new series from Entangled Teen.  Darker Days introduces the Darker Agency - Mother-Daughter private investigators that specialize in the paranormal.  A perfect set-up for adventure and fun.  There's laugh-out-loud moments intertwined with death matches.  

There are a lot of similarities between Accardo's two series.  Like Dez in the Denazen series, Jessie Darker is full of snark, bravado and one messed up family.  Like Kale, Lukas Scott is not your normal guy.  While Kale has been unable to touch anyone without killing them and has been locked away in a Denazen his entire life, Lukas is a man out of time, 147 years out of his time and locked away the entire time.  In both series, it is the headstrong heroine that takes the lead, with her friends and boys following.  

Truth is, I think I like Darker Days more than the Denazen series.  Jessie lacks the anger (at least so far) that Dez carries.  The premise is much more fun and sets the stage for high jinks and adventures - the field is wide open with where Accardo can take this series.  If you like paranormal romance, with tons of twists and turns, pick up Darker Days!

~Shel

A Peek In The BiblioBin #71

Welcome to our Stacking the Shelves post! Stacking the Shelves (or as we like to call it, A Peek in the BiblioBin) has been created by the lovely ladies at Tynga's Reviews.

Stacking the Shelves is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, etc.  

For Review:

Purchased:

Foreplay (The Ivy Chronicles #1) by Sophie Jordan

Sapphire by Brian Alaspa

Origin (Lux #4 by Jennifer Armentrout

Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

* * * * *

I have two weeks. You’ll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.

That’s what you do to enemy agents. It’s what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.

He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I’m going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of Two.

We are a sensational team.

Review:

Code Name Verity is the confession of a young woman that has been imprisoned by the Gestapo.  In exchange for prolonging her life, Queenie has agreed to write out everything she knows about British planes, airfields, anything that might help Germany invade Great Britain.  Within her confession we learn about her friendship with the young pilot, Maddie and how Queenie had come to be captured by the Germans.  

This story was unbelievably engrossing.  Queenie and Maddie’s burgeoning friendship is beautifully built into Queenie’s confession.  The wonder of it is described when she writes, “It's like being in love, discovering your best friend.”   Through her confession we see them both navigate their intriguing and very realistic roles in the Second World War.  Roles that gradually build and throw them together on one fateful flight to France.  What can I say about the story other than that?  Well, in the words of Maddie, “Careless talk costs lives.”  Or to be less dramatic, I can’t say anymore because I want to avoid giving away all the surprises.  

What I can tell you is that Code Name Verity is a brilliant and intricately woven story that had me smiling, crying, laughing and sobbing.  And the climax of the story….oh my.  By the time I was done reading I found myself going back and re-reading all the pivotal moments that I mistook for as mundane.  

The only negative thing I can say about this book is that I regret not reading it sooner.  It was beautiful.  It was heartbreaking.  It was stunning.  This is one of those stories that will stay with me forever and that I will be recommending to pretty much everyone.  

Nat

Love Lessons by Heidi Cullinana - Promo Spotlight

Love Lessons

Love doesn’t come with a syllabus.

Kelly Davidson has waited what seems like forever to graduate high school and get out of his small-minded, small town. But when he arrives at Hope University, he quickly realizes finding his Prince Charming isn’t so easy. Everyone here is already out. In fact, Kelly could be the only virgin on campus.

Worst of all, he’s landed the charming, handsome, gay campus Casanova as a roommate, whose bed might as well be equipped with a revolving door.

Walter Lucas doesn’t believe in storybook love. Everyone is better off having as much fun as possible with as many people as possible…except his shy, sad little sack of a roommate is seriously screwing up his world view.

As Walter sets out to lure Kelly out of his shell, staying just friends is harder than he anticipated. He discovers love is a crash course in determination. To make the grade, he’ll have to finally show up for class…and overcome his own private fear that love was never meant to last.

Warning: This story contains lingering glances, milder than usual sexual content for this author, and a steamy dance-floor kiss. Story has no dairy or egg content, but may contain almonds.

Expected publication: October 1st 2013 by Samhain

Love Lessons is available for pre-order through Amazon, BN and Kobo.

About the Author

Heidi Cullinan has always loved a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. She enjoys writing across many genres but loves above all to write happy, romantic endings for LGBT characters because there just aren't enough of those stories out there. When Heidi isn't writing, she enjoys cooking, reading, knitting, listening to music, and watching television with her husband and ten-year-old daughter. Heidi also volunteers frequently for her state's LGBT rights group, One Iowa, and is proud to be from the first midwestern state to legalize same-sex marriage. Find out more about Heidi, including her social networks, at www.heidicullinan.com.

Website/Blog     Twitter     FB Author Page      Goodreads

The Redemption of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence #2) by Jessica Sorensen

* * * *

The dark secret Kayden has kept hidden for years is out. Worse, he's facing charges for battery. The only way he stands a chance against the charges is if Callie speaks up, something he'll never ask her to do.

Callie knows Kayden is going back to his dark place and desperately wants to save him. But saving him means admitting her secrets aloud. Callie and Kayden are stronger than they think, especially when they're together. Together they move forward, face their demons, and finally start to heal from their traumatic pasts.

It’s pretty much out there that I adore Jessica Sorensen. I fell in love with her Ella & Micha series and the previous Callie & Kayden book left me in such a state that I was almost mad at her for that. Almost. The Redemption of Callie & Kayden did not fail me.

The events in the last book left Kayden fighting for his life in the hospital and Callie a complete mess. Picking up the pieces aren’t as easy. In Coincidence the two of them danced around each other so beautifully even if Callie was slightly awkward with the attention from Kayden. 

In Redemption, there’s so much pain and guilt, they don’t even know how to behave around each other. Kayden is worse off feeling hopeless and broken. All his insecurities are magnified so much that believes he’s no good for Callie and he doesn’t deserve her.  Callie is devastated to see Kayden spiral down and talk about getting a back bone! She stands up to him and reminds him that she still loves him no matter what.  She realizes that the only way to help Kayden heal and move past this means coming face-to-face with hers. She needs to be just as brave as she is demanding of him.

Everything that I love about Sorensen’s books is still here. It’s an uneasy ride for the two of them but once again with their friends Luke and Seth, they make progress. The chemistry between them is still there and I won’t lie, I enjoyed it. Aside from that, it’s how Sorensen addresses both their issues with sensitivity and honesty that makes this another winner.

~ Bel

Breaking Nova (Nova #1) by Jessica Sorensen

* * *

Nova Reed used to have dreams-of becoming a famous drummer, of marrying her true love. But all of that was taken away in an instant. Now she's getting by as best she can, though sometimes that means doing things the old Nova would never do. Things that are slowly eating away at her spirit. Every day blends into the next . . . until she meets Quinton Carter. His intense, honey brown eyes instantly draw her in, and he looks just about as broken as she feels inside.

Quinton once got a second chance at life-but he doesn't want it. The tattoos on his chest are a constant reminder of what he's done, what he's lost. He's sworn to never allow happiness into his life . . . but then beautiful, sweet Nova makes him smile. He knows he's too damaged to get close to her, yet she's the only one who can make him feel alive again. Quinton will have to decide: does he deserve to start over? Or should he pay for his past forever?

Jessica Sorensen has created a comfortable little niche for herself when it comes to writing fragile characters so damaged by horrifying events in their lives who are struggling to pick up the pieces.  Having read her previous books I kind of had an inkling of what to expect. Even with many similarities, Breaking Nova is undoubtedly the bleakest story of hers I’ve read.  

Nova and Quinton are interesting enough characters that kept me tuned in though I wouldn’t consider them as charismatic as other characters Sorensen has created. Both of them have suffered painful losses – Nova’s boyfriend committed suicide, Quinton’s girlfriend and his cousin were killed in a car crash in which he was the driver.  Neither has been able to move on, each feeling unworthy of forgiveness and love. Sound familiar? The differences are that this time around, Sorensen doesn’t offer up solid friends who look out for our protagonists. Instead, they’re as messed up as Nova and Quinton. I absolutely did not care for Nova’s best friend, Delilah or Quinton’s cousin Tristan and his roommate Dylan. They were more interested in getting high and drunk rather than do something with themselves. It’s especially hard when Quinton admits that he knows he could be much better, that he wasn’t always a “screw up” who spends his days lost in his room, aimless and hopeless. Nova has all the potential in the world but gets mixed up with Delilah and her mess.

Following this downward spiral isn’t easy and while it was depressing I was also impressed that Sorensen took the story in this direction. Unfortunately not everyone can be surrounded by good people with clear heads to pull them through. And not everyone can swim through the muddy waters in their minds as easily as others. If anything, it was a stark reminder that everyone handles loss and guilt in different ways and some get lost inside themselves more than others. 

In typical Sorensen fashion, we are left with a cliffhanger but a day after finishing it, I can say that Breaking Nova is another winner and I hope that Nova and Quinton get the peace that they’re desperately looking for.

~ Bel

Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts

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The world is living in the shadow of oncoming disaster. An asteroid is set to strike the earth in just one week’s time; catastrophe is unavoidable. The question isn’t how to save the world—the question is, what to do with the time that's left? Against this stark backdrop, three island teens wrestle with intertwining stories of love, friendship and family—all with the ultimate stakes at hand.

Reading Tumble & Fall was definitely an exercise in patience for me. Not because it’s a bad book but because I get very antsy when there are so many stories interconnected and I’m waiting for them all to finally align. There are three storylines: Sienna who is returning to her father and brother after a stay at the House for emotional issues; Zan who is still grieving over the loss of her dead boyfriend Leo; and Caden who is kidnapped by his birth father and discovers a whole other life he could have otherwise had. All of this takes place on Cape Cod as everyone gathers together to witness the asteroid hit. 

All three stories are fascinating. Sienna feels a bit estranged from her father since her mom died and when she returns to her family, he drops the bomb on her that he is remarrying. She tries to be happy for him but she’s conflicted and ends up befriending a boy she used to play with when she was younger. Zan discovers a receipt with a girl’s name on it in one of Leo’s belongings and instantly everything about their relationship is thrown into question.  Caden finally meets his father whose eccentric behavior completely confounds him. Of the three, I found myself enthralled with Zan’s story the most. The idea of being so in love with someone who may not have been as devoted as you thought has to be crushing.

There’s a heaviness to Tumble & Fall that you can’t shake off. In a way it reminded me of the movie Melancholia starring Kirsten Dunst but Tumble & Fall has an element of hope that the movie didn’t.  The world is coming to an end but these individuals involved here are doing their best to reach out to each other and make the most of the time they have left.

~ Bel

A Peek In The BiblioBin #70

Welcome to our Stacking the Shelves post! Stacking the Shelves (or as we like to call it, A Peek in the BiblioBin) has been created by the lovely ladies at Tynga's Reviews.

Stacking the Shelves is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, etc.  

Borrowed:

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

For Review:

The Iron Traitor(The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2) by Julie Kagawa