Waiting on Wednesday (121)

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

Title: Starstruck
Author: L.A. Witt
Publication Date: November 3, 2014
Publisher: Riptide Publishing

Hollywood is full of dirty secrets, but Carter refuses to be Levi’s.

Retired action star Levi Pritchard has made a quiet life for himself in the sleepy logging town of Bluewater Bay, Washington. But then Hollywood comes to film the wildly popular television series Wolf’s Landing, and Bluewater Bay isn’t so sleepy anymore. His retirement doesn’t stick, either, because he’s offered a part on the show—exactly the kind of complex role he’d always wanted, one that would prove him more than a glorified stuntman. The only catch? He has to stay in the closet—no matter how attractive he finds his co-star.

Carter Samuels is the critically-acclaimed male lead on Wolf’s Landing. And now, the man who inspired him to take up acting—and made him realize he’s gay—is joining the cast, and sparks fly between them instantly. But Carter is out and proud and determined to stay true to himself.

Remaining just friends is the only thing to do, as both the studio and Levi’s disapproving, dysfunctional family keep reminding them. Except their friendship deepens by the day, tempting them with what they can’t have but both desperately need.





Title: Killer Instinct (The Naturals #2)
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publication Date: November 4, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Seventeen-year-old Cassie Hobbes has a gift for profiling people. Her talent has landed her a spot in an elite FBI program for teens with innate crime-solving abilities, and into some harrowing situations. After barely escaping a confrontation with an unbalanced killer obsessed with her mother’s murder, Cassie hopes she and the rest of the team can stick to solving cold cases from a distance.

But when victims of a brutal new serial killer start turning up, the Naturals are pulled into an active case that strikes too close to home: the killer is a perfect copycat of Dean’s incarcerated father—a man he’d do anything to forget. Forced deeper into a murderer’s psyche than ever before, will the Naturals be able to outsmart the enigmatic killer’s brutal mind games before this copycat twists them into his web for good?

With her trademark wit, brilliant plotting, and twists that no one will see coming, Jennifer Lynn Barnes will keep readers on the edge of their seats (and looking over their shoulders) as they race through the pages of this thrilling novel

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

****1/2

From Author's Website:

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it’s one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took “mean girl” to a whole new level, and it’s clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She’s getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she’s falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn’t just buried deep inside of Sam’s memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

I loved Sam.  She finds herself wandering in the forest, unsure of who she is, how she got there - just lost, in every sense.  Her path of discovery is fascinating.  What do you do when you realize you don't like who you were, but you don't remember any of it?  The Sam that everyone describes to her is completely foreign and at odds with her instincts.  And for her family - her mom, dad and twin brother - the change is disconcerting to say the least.  

I don't know what it is about douche-bags (or as JLA would say douche-canoes) in the books I'm reading lately, but Sam's boyfriend is a complete douche-bag.  I'm anti-spoiler, so I won't say anything more, but someone needs to beat that boy.  Luckily, Don't Look Back also has an awesome Forever Boy in Carson.  Of course, Sam's mean girl past pretty much guarantees that she treated Carson like crap (him being the son of the "help" and all).  How will Sam figure out what happened when everyone had a reason to want to hurt her and Cassie?

I'm pretty stingy with my ratings.  I believe I've only given 5 stars to two books in the three years that we have been blogging, so giving Don't Look Back 4 1/2 stars is huge!  I am a JLA fan, a devoted adorer of Daemon Black, loved The Covenant series, et cetera, et cetera.  That said, Don't Look Back may be my favorite JLA book.  It is incredibly well written, a phenomenal plot, intriguing and down right creepy!  I stayed up far to late reading Don't Look Back and then was too creeped out to sleep - this is the sign of a great mystery!

~Shel

Nantucket Red (Nantucket #2) by Leila Howland

* * * 3/4

Cricket Thompson's lifetime of overachieving has paid off: she's headed to Brown University in the fall, with a spot on the lacrosse team and a scholarship that covers almost everything. Who knew living in the dorm cost money? An Ivy League education seems to mean living at home for the next four years.

When Cricket is offered the chance to earn enough cash to afford a real college experience, she heads back to Nantucket for the summer. But the faraway island challenges Cricket in ways she hadn't anticipated. It's hard to focus on earning money for next year, when she finds her world opening up in entirely new ways-to art, to travel, and, most unexpectedly, to a future completely different from the one she has been working toward her whole life. A friendship blossoms with Ben, the gorgeous surfer and bartender who encourages Cricket to be free, even as she smarts at the pain of seeing Zack, her first love, falling for her worst enemy.

But one night, when Cricket finally lets herself break all her own rules, she realizes she may have ruined her carefully constructed future with one impulsive decision. Cricket must dig deep to fight for her future, discovering that success isn't just about reaching goals, but also about listening to what she's been trying to ignore-her own heart.

I’ll just lay this out there – I simply adore Leila Howland’s Nantucket series. It’s cute, sweet and has enough of those awkward moments that anyone can relate to. It helps too that this is set on one of the most scenic spots around. Nantucket Red was like revisiting a favourite vacation spot.

At the end of Nantucket Blue, Cricket and Jake were just beginning to go public with their relationship while her friendship with Jules was still in tatters. Now she’s back at school trying to come to a truce with Jules so that they can lead their lacrosse team during their senior year. Jules is slowly coming around and while their friendship isn’t quite what it was, it’s better than how the summer went. In the meantime, Cricket and Jake have decided that rather than doing the long distance thing, they’ll go on a break instead. Hello? Have they not seen how that one Friends episode turned out?  You can see where this is going right?

The book continues to give us quick glimpses of Cricket through the school year until graduation when an unexpected opportunity comes her way to be able to live out one of her dreams. This causes her to switch her summer plans to find a job on Nantucket. Jules is happy to have her there whereas things have become extremely uncomfortable with Jake. Add to that, Cricket’s growing attraction to the surfer/musician-by-day-bartender-by-night at her job only confuses her about what she really wants.

Before I go further, I’d like to clarify that Nantucket Red isn’t just about Cricket and Jake. It’s about Cricket and what she still needs to figure out about her future. When she discovers a wish list that Nina (Jules’ mother) had written ages ago, Cricket feels it’s divine intervention telling her that she should explore the world and break out from her strict timeline. Even though she’s on Nantucket, she finds a way to fulfill that wish list, giving it her own twist. It has given her inspiration to look at her once solid plans through new lenses and she even starts to deviate slightly from her path which causes a potentially disastrous consequence. But it does force her to ultimately decide what’s in her best interest and that of her future.

Cricket’s growing up and it was a pleasure to see how she came to her decisions and how she managed to pluck the courage to do so. Graduating from high school is exciting and scary. Overwhelming expectations, especially your own that come from dreams and ideas mapped out for years can be unsettling. Cricket is a genuine sweetheart and she finds her strength with some very supportive friends and family in her corner.

Nantucket Red is just the perfect read for you if you just want something that’s delightful and easygoing. Like I said earlier, it’s adorable and sometimes that’s just what you need.

~ Bel

Burn Bright by Bethany Frenette

***

Audrey Whitticomb saved her entire city.

Well, kind of.  The superhero Morning Star (who just happens to be Audrey's mom) might have played a small part, and her sidekick, Leon-Audrey's sort-of boyfriend, who is gorgeous and frustrating-maybe helped, too.

But after two peaceful months, there is a vicious new threat in Minneapolis.  Her name is Susannah, and she's a Harrower, a demon hell-bent on destroying people like Morning Star, Leon, and Audrey-the Kin.  Like others before her, she seeks the Remnant, a Kin girl who has the power to unleash the inhabitants of the Beneath.  But to what end?   

Audrey already has a ton on her plate: dealing with her best friend Tink's boy drama, helping her other best friend Gideon figure out his nightmares, and exploring the highs and lows of "dating" Leon.  But when she develops a powerful new ability, Audrey seizes on the chance to fight, despite her mother's protests and Leon's pleas.

As Audrey gets closer to figuring out Susannah's motives and tracking down the Remnant, she'll uncover more than she bargained for.  The terrible truth is staring Audrey in the face.  But knowing the truth and accepting it are very different things.   

I enjoyed Burn Bright.  Audrey wants desperately to help protect not just the ones she loves, but the world, but she is haunted by the feeling that some knowledge is just outside her reach, and this knowledge would make the difference in the brewing war.  Unfortunately, those tasked with protecting and teaching her, underestimate her value and tell her to stay out of it.  But what's a headstrong girl to do, except prove to them that she can fight?

The world Frenette has created is fascinating.  Lots of action and drama mixed with a great mythology of superpowers, Burn Bright will drag you under and keep hold until the end.  

~Shel

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terril

* * * 1/2

What would you change?

Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside. 

Marina has loved her best friend, James, since they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it... at least, not as the girl she once was. Em and Marina are in a race against time that only one of them can win.

All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.


Review:

I’ve told you about my issues with time travel.  Time travel stories send me into an absolute tizzy that inevitably ends up with me getting into an argument with the Executive Officer about the impossibility of it all which then leads to the world’s biggest headache.  So the question I have to ask myself is this: Why am I such a masochist?  Because I willingly chose this story to read.  I requested it from Netgalley and then the library.  Twice, people.  I requested it TWICE.

Apparently I’m a glutton for punishment.

Or am I?

Because this book was pretty darn good.

The first chapter begins with Em staring at a drain in her prison cell.  By the end of the chapter she has found a way to open the drain and finds a list written in her own handwriting.  Everything on the list is crossed off except the last one, “You have to kill him.”  So she and her friend, Finn, escape their cells and go back in time to try to stop the creation of the time machine, Cassandra, before it can wreak havoc on the country and the world.

This story is in constant motion.  From beginning to end.  Some of it was predictable.  The relationship between Em and Marina was obvious (as was the identity of The Doctor) from the beginning even though I got the idea it was supposed to be a big surprise.  But that didn't detract from the story or lessen the anticipation I felt as I was turning the pages.  I found myself chewing on my nails in nervousness as I waited to see if Em and Finn would follow through with the last item on the list and, if so, how it would change their existence.

There were a couple things I didn't like about the story.  Em’s inability to commit to her task 100% drove me crazy at times.  But since that failing is a driving part of the story I can’t complain too much.  Also, there is a fairly useless scene at the very end of the book that tries to explain the inevitability of the person Marina will fall in love.  I think the message of hope and magic of the future’s possibilities would have been just as obvious and possibly had more of an impact had that scene not been included.

In the grand scheme of things, my complaints are small.  This was a fun and action-packed read.  If you enjoy stories of time travel, you will certainly enjoy All Our Yesterdays.

Nat

Waiting on Wednesday (93)

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

By Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publication Date: April 15, 2014

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend. 

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash. 

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

In Too Deep by Coert Voorhees

* * *

Annie Fleet, master scuba diver and history buff, knows she can’t fight her nerd status as a freshman at her Los Angeles private school. And she doesn’t care—except for the fact that her crush, Josh, thinks she’s more adorable than desirable. Annie is determined to set him straight on their school trip to Mexico. But her teacher has other plans: he needs Annie to help him find Cortez’s lost-long treasure.

Suddenly, Annie finds herself scuba diving in pitch-black waters, jetting to Hawaii with Josh, and hunting for the priceless Golden Jaguar. But Annie and Josh aren’t the only ones lured by the possibility of finding the greatest treasure ever lost at sea. Someone else wants the gold—and needs Annie dead. In deeper danger than she ever imagined, can Annie get the boy and find the Jaguar, or is she in over her head?

Critically-acclaimed author Coert Voorhees delivers breathtaking romance and non-stop action in his newest novel, the spirited and captivating In Too Deep.

Annie is a girl after my own heart with her love of archaeology and treasure hunting. Where I like to look at nature from a distance, she will actually get out into the field and get her hands dirty or wet in this case. 

When Annie's teacher presents her with the opportunity to go to Mexico to perform some charity work and may be find a little treasure on the side, she jumps at the chance.  Once she arrives there, she finds out the true mission of the trip and agrees to go along with it. It's a dream come true and it's more than flattering to have her teacher rely on her expertise. However, this has to be kept quiet from the rest of the group. It's tough keep secrets especially when things become precarious but Annie's pretty smart and finds ways in and out of some harrowing danger. 

It was fun to read something contemporary with plenty of action in it and best of all, a good mystery to be solved. I mean who doesn’t love tales of treasure hunting? There was definitely a good balance of humor and high-school romance thrown in as well. And even though the trip starts out with an unlikely group of teens, they do end up working together as a team. 

In Too Deep will make a perfect addition to your summer reading!

~ Bel

Waiting on Wednesday (54)

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

By Bridget Zinn

Publication Date:  March 12, 2013

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon