Shel's Top 10 of 2014

Well, with Nat & Bel already having posted their top 10's, I guess it's my turn.  I had a horrible time choosing (as I always do).  This year was especially difficult and I cheated just a little, by including to Jennifer L. Armentrout books, but I just couldn't decide which I liked more.  One book that didn't make the list, because it wasn't my top 12 list, but I loved equally with those on the list, is Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White.  It was great and you should all read it.  But enough about that, here are my Top 10 choices (in no particular order):

All Lined Up by Cora Carmack

It's been billed as Friday Night Lights as a New Adult book.  For me, I just loved Carson.  He has one of my favorite lines when discussing her father, he tells Dallas "Sometimes it's hard to see past our own broken pieces."  

Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost

   

This really should be the entire Cat & Bones series.  It became a favorite of both Nat & I this year and we love it!  Nat promised me a "Bones' chew toy" t-shirt for Christmas...

I Want It That Way by Ann Aguirre

I can't think Harlequin enough for sending this ARC, I LOVE this series!  I Want It That Way is definitely my favorite, but the entire 2B series is great.

The Bride Wore Size 12 by Meg Cabot

The long anticipated Heather Wells book!!!  I loved rejoining Heather and crew for more campus capers and I really hope there are more in the works!

The Bet by Rachel Van Dyken

Oh my god, you guys have to read this book!  I loved it so much!  The Wager is equally fantastic, but I went with The Bet because it was first in my heart.  Seriously, we should all be so lucky as to have such a fabulous grandmother!

Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

I admit, I didn't read this one.  I listened to the phenomenal Kristen Bell narrate the audio book and it was just like watching Veronica Mars with the voice overs.  

Boomerang by Noelle August

Boomerang is a refreshing bright and optimistic New Adult.  So many NA books are about seriously hurt or broken people, but Boomerang is about two, somewhat, normal people finding love.  I'm super excited for Rebound.

Wild by Sophie Jordan

The Ivy Chronicles are for anyone who loves great romance writing, because Sophie Jordan is a master.  I enjoyed all three books in the series, but Wild was my favorite.

Biting Bad by Chloe Neill
Vampires roaming Chicago with swords.  Enough said.

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I admit, I'm cheating.  I could not choose between these two.  Layla's struggles and Roth's hotness make White Hot Kiss a must read.  On the other hand, the haunting story and edge of your seat suspense of Don't Look Back makes that a must read as well.  Either way you win, really.  :-)

I hope we've given you a couple of ideas for your ever-growing TBR piles.  We here at BiblioJunkies wish you all the best for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2015.

~Shel

Waiting on Wednesday (126)

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



By Sophie Jordan
Publication Date: November 18, 2014

A good girl goes fabulously bad in the final book in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s sexy New Adult romance series, in which three Ivy League suite-mates seek higher knowledge of just how far they can go.

Months after her boyfriend dumped her, Georgia can still hear the insults he hurled at her. Boring. Predictable. Tame. Tired of feeling bad, she’s ready to change her image, and go a little wild. What better way to prove her ex wrong than a hot night of sexual adventure at the secret campus kink club?

In the shadowy den of the kink club, she unexpectedly runs into Logan Mulvaney, her friend’s little brother. A player extraordinaire too hot for his own good, he may be younger, but the guy is light years ahead when it comes to sexual experience. Now he’s telling her to go home—“good girls” don’t belong here!

Georgia is tired of having others define her. She’s going to teach Logan a lesson he won’t forget—one white hot, mind-wrecking kiss . . . that leads to another . . . and another . . . and. . . . Realizing she’s way in over her head, Georgia runs.

Only Logan won’t let her go. Everywhere she goes he’s there, making her want every inch of him. Making her forget who she is. Who he is. And just how wrong they are for each other.





By Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
Publication Date:  November 18, 2014

He’s a charming con man and she’s a dedicated FBI agent, and they’re about to drive each other crazy . . . again!

The FBI had one demand when they secretly teamed up Special Agent Kate O’Hare with charming con man Nicolas Fox—bring down the world’s most-wanted and untouchable felons. This time it’s the brutal leader of a global drug-smuggling empire. The FBI doesn’t know what their target looks like, where he is, or how to find him, but Nick Fox has a few tricks up his sleeve to roust this particular Knipschildt chocolate–loving drug lord.

From the streets of Nashville to the back alleys of Lisbon, from the rooftops of Istanbul to the middle of the Thames, Nick and Kate chase their mark. When they find themselves pitted against a psychopathic bodyguard and a Portuguese enforcer who gets advice from a pickled head, they decide it’s time to enlist some special talent—talent like a machete-wielding Somali pirate, a self-absorbed actor, an Oscar-winning special effects artist, and Kate’s father Jake, a retired Special Forces operative. Together they could help make this Fox and O’Hare’s biggest win yet . . . if they survive.

Wild (The Ivy Chronicles #3) by Sophie Jordan

* * * *

Available November 18, 2014

A good girl goes fabulously bad in the final book in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s sexy New Adult romance series, in which three Ivy League suite-mates seek higher knowledge of just how far they can go.

Months after her boyfriend dumped her, Georgia can still hear the insults he hurled at her. Boring. Predictable. Tame. Tired of feeling bad, she’s ready to change her image, and go a little wild. What better way to prove her ex wrong than a hot night of sexual adventure at the secret campus kink club?

In the shadowy den of the kink club, she unexpectedly runs into Logan Mulvaney, her friend’s little brother. A player extraordinaire too hot for his own good, he may be younger, but the guy is light years ahead when it comes to sexual experience. Now he’s telling her to go home—“good girls” don’t belong here!

Georgia is tired of having others define her. She’s going to teach Logan a lesson he won’t forget—one white hot, mind-wrecking kiss . . . that leads to another . . . and another . . . and. . . . Realizing she’s way in over her head, Georgia runs.

Only Logan won’t let her go. Everywhere she goes he’s there, making her want every inch of him. Making her forget who she is. Who he is. And just how wrong they are for each other.

Oh boy! That Sophie Jordan is a sneaky one. She saved the best, or rather the kinkiest for last. Foreplay hinted at the infamous kink club, Tease gave us a glimpse and now Wild invites us inside.

At the end of Tease, we found out that Georgia and her longtime boyfriend broke up.  Georgia’s seemingly happy and solid relationship was one that her roommates Pepper and Emerson wanted to emulate. Her break-up came as a surprise to her, devastating her.One night she gets fed up of feeling so pathetic and decides to accept an invitation to head over to the kink club to see what it’s all about.  This is more like a dare to herself. She’s tired of being the predictable good girl and she’s looking to shake things up. When she gets there, she realizes she’s in over her head.  She runs in to Logan (believe me, this scene is kind of hot!) who can instantly tell that she is way out of her comfort zone there and promptly escorts her from the premises. Even in Georgia’s very confused state, there’s no denying that there’s some chemistry between them. And as much as she’d like to forget about the fact that she’s lusting after her roommate’s boyfriend’s younger brother, who also happens to be younger than her, Logan won’t let her off that easily. He actively pursues her and every moment they are together, whether it’s a run in or at an actual social gathering, their moments are charged.

Each book in the series has gotten more daring in terms of sexual tension which is rather thrilling. But there’s more to it with Wild. Georgia’s break up and the relentless demands from her mother begin to grate on her. Away from her ex, she’s finally starting to see herself more clearly. She has spent so much of her life living up to everyone else’s expectations that she hasn’t given her own needs a second thought. Wild becomes about Georgia's self-discovery from under the rubble of a failed one-sided relationship and the shift in her relationship with her overbearing mother. It just so happens that there's a new love interest as well. Logan pushes her buttons, bringing excitement to her very calm, scandal-free life. The excitement is a lure but she’s still afraid to take that crucial leap in admitting what she really wants for herself.

As with the other books, it’s nice that all the previous players make appearances. What’s also nice is that Sophie Jordan has consistently allowed her heroines to grow and explore life beyond what they’re used to.  It’s great to see female characters overcome their own fears and not be ashamed to ask for what they want, do what they want and in the end, understand that they deserve happiness.  

So fellow readers, read Wild. If you haven’t tried the series yet, what are you waiting for? Romance, emotional growth and let’s not leave out fantastic sexual tension with really hot guys -- The Ivy Chronicles is one of the best New Adult series out there!

~ Bel