Book Review: Rome by Jay Crownover

August 4, 2015August 4, 2015Leave a comment

Genre:

New Adult, unhealthy Contemporary, online Romance

Pages:

387 pages

Part of a Series?:

Book #3 in The Marked Men Series

Release Date:

January 7th, 2014

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Fun and fearless, Cora Lewis knows how to keep her tattooed “bad boy” friends at the Marked in line. But beneath all that flash and sass is a broken heart. Cora won’t let herself get burned again. She’s waiting to fall in love with the perfect man—a baggage-free, drama-free guy ready for commitment. Then she meets Rome Archer.

Rome Archer is as far from perfect as a man can be. He’s stubborn, rigid, and bossy. And he’s returned from his final tour of duty more than a little broken. Rome’s used to filling many roles: big brother, doting son, supersoldier—but none of those fit anymore. Now he’s just a man trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life while keeping the dark demons of war and loss at bay. He would have been glad to suffer through it alone, until Cora comes sweeping into his life and becomes a blinding flash of color in a sea of gray.Perfect may not be in the cards, but perfectly imperfect could just last forever . . ..

My Review:

While this review will not have any spoilers, there is potential for spoilers for Rule and Jet. Please click those titles for reviews!

Moving along in the Marked Men series…Rome. Oh Rome. I don’t even know where to begin with Rome.

I think what I mostly like about this book is Cora. Cora is a this tiny little pixie who is a spitfire and keeps her boys in line, and that sometimes includes Rome as well. But Rome brings out a softer side in her and I think she does that back for him. I think the circumstances that brought them together were unexpected but I love that they were able to bring them together. Okay, that’s so vague and its hard to write about Cora and Rome without writing spoilers.

So here’s the thing. Both Cora and Rome have their past affecting their future. Cora is confident but when it comes to love and all that, she wavers. She had her heart broken BIG time. And that’s enough to keep anyone at arm’s length. Then you have Rome who is back in civilian life and not quite sure what to do with it. He’s haunted by the experience he had in the military but he also misses it so much and isn’t really sure what to do with his life now that he’s out.

Bring those two together? And it just makes for an incredibly beautiful romance. Truly. I’m getting choked up just thinking about it. They are completely unconventional and they begin a romance after a sort of “whoops, did we just have incredibly amazing sex together?” thing and I think that’s amazing. They obviously had the chemistry and they just went for it and its incredible. The idea of the little spitfire and the big military guy together? Its kind of comical but I love it too at the same time.

But I also like what this starts for the series. Rome sort of ends up in a situation and it really sets up for the rest of the book. He and this place become a central part of the rest of the series and I love that. I love what it becomes and I wish it were a real place because it feels like a sort of home for them to come together and celebrate and that sort of thing. Its hard to explain if you haven’t read it but I really hate writing about spoilers but I really do love what this book sets up for the rest of the series. I love that we get to see Saint, who is going to appear later in Nash’s book, and I love that it just where this family really starts to become a family.

Rating:

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Book Review: Tonight the Streets Are Ours (ARC) by Leila Sales

August 3, 2015August 3, 2015Leave a comment

This review is based on an advanced reader’s copy of the novel obtained through snail mail at the permission of Fierce Reads, viagra and Macmillan Teen. This is in no way had an effect on the integrity of my review. Please note that published novel will differ from this ARC.

Genre:

Young Adult, abortion Contemporary, prostate Romance

Pages:

342 pages

Part of a Series?:

Standalone Novel

Release Date:

September 15th, 2015

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Arden Huntley is recklessly loyal. Taking care of her loved ones is what gives Arden purpose in her life and makes her feel like she matters. But she’s tired of being loyal to people who don’t appreciate her—including her needy best friend and her absent mom.

Arden finds comfort in a blog she stumbles upon called “Tonight the Streets Are Ours,” the musings of a young New York City writer named Peter. When Peter is dumped by the girlfriend he blogs about, Arden decides to take a road trip to see him.

During one crazy night out in NYC filled with parties, dancing, and music—the type of night when anything can happen, and nearly everything does—Arden discovers that Peter isn’t exactly who she thought he was. And maybe she isn’t exactly who she thought she was, either.

My Review:

I am not entirely sure what I expected of this book. I know when I read the description, I needed it in my life because it sounded so good and I made sure to add it to my request list when it came time for me to request my Macmillan titles. It just had a great feel to it and I needed to read it.

That being said, again, it wasn’t what I expected but I liked it. You come to expect something in particular when it comes to a YA novel and this definitely was different than what I am used to, for sure. I loved each and every one of the characters, even the ones that surprise you and end up being different than what you had expected. I think that sometimes you can get in a rut of finding incredibly predictable books and that’s how Leila Sales blew my mind. I didn’t expect this sort of ending, or really this sort of book, at all.

And I think that’s what makes it so good! Life is unexpected and unpredictable and all over the place and so is Arden’s life. It takes place over a short amount of time, but you can see where she goes from having everything perfect, planned out, but only on paper, until she discovers this blog and she wants so much more, and she becomes obsessed with a different life from her own. She goes in search of this blogger and what she finds is just so much different from what she expected and its surprised the hell out of me. But I adore the way the story takes place and the effect it has on Arden and her story.

I’m really excited for this book to be a part of the MacTeen family. Leila Sales wrote a seriously good book here and I think its really going to be a hit with YA readers. Contemporary is SO huge right now and the fact that this one is a little off the beaten path and has surprises all over the place will really make it a favorite, easily!

Rating:

4 out of 5 Stars

Music Monday: “If I Die” by Something Corporate

August 3, 2015August 3, 2015Leave a comment

“If I Die” by Something Corporate

I may have a slight obsession with Something Corporate. Side note: I was AT this concert. When I was 15 years old. 12 years ago. OMG

A train crashed
And everything slows down
I was wishing I could get out of this town
These dreams we’ve had
Have never made you cry
And I am not a twinkle in your eye
But I’ve got to get out of here
Cuz you drive me up the wall
I’ve got to get out of here
Cuz I can’t stand to fall

And If I die
see you won’t be so close to me
And I won’t be the one
Who sticks around
If I’m awake
see you won’t go to sleep, viagra sale I promise
And I won’t be the one
Who lets you down

Tailgates, long talks
And your superficial friends
Shiny, silver Fords
That lead us to dead ends
And I said do you lick these salty wounds
That you, yourself condone
I sit, wait, and I’m all alone
But I can’t go home
‘Cause you’re my home

If I die
see you won’t be so close to me
And I won’t be the one
Who sticks around
If I’m awake
see you won’t go to sleep, I promise
And I won’t be the one
Who lets you down
No, I won’t let you down
No, I won’t let you down

Tell me where you are tonight
And is everything alright?
Do you remember what I said,
While he’s sleeping in your bed?
tell me now you Smile hard
cuz i don’t smile much so far
And is he everything you need?
Is he everything I couldn’t be?
Does he make everything match better?
Bring you all the shiny weather that you want
And is he everything
everything I’m not

And If I die
You won’t be so close to me
And I won’t be the one
Who sticks around
If I’m awake
see you won’t go to sleep, I promise
And I won’t be the one
Who lets you down
no, I won’t let you down
no, I won’t let you down
I won’t let you down
I won’t let you down

Find Something Corporate

Something Corporate is no longer an active band and have not been active since the mid 2000s. Most of these links go to the lead singer’s social medias, as Andrew McMahon is still VERY active!

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube / Tumblr / iTunes

Top Anticipated August Releases!

August 2, 2015August 2, 2015Leave a comment

There are SO many amazing books coming our way this August but I’d like to share with you, pill today, the ones that I’m highly anticipating! I have read some of them but there are a lot I haven’t and I’m ready to read them. Check them out, add them to your TBR list, and share what books you’re looking forward to this month!

Young Adult:

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

The Diviners #2

After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O’Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. Now that the world knows of her ability to “read” objects, and therefore, read the past, she has become a media darling, earning the title, “America’s Sweetheart Seer.” But not everyone is so accepting of the Diviners’ abilities…

Meanwhile, mysterious deaths have been turning up in the city, victims of an unknown sleeping sickness. Can the Diviners descend into the dreamworld and catch a killer?

Release Date: August 25th, 2015

My Thoughts: I cannot believe this book is finally coming out. The Diviners came out THREE years ago and I’ve been dying for a sequel since then and I’m so excited that I will finally have this book in my hands by the end of the month!

How to Say I Love You Out Loud by Karole Cozzo

Words are strong. Love is stronger.

When Jordyn Michaelson’s autistic brother joins her at her elite school, she’s determined not to let anyone know they’re related. Even if that means closing herself off to all her closest friends, including charming football stud Alex Colby. But despite her best intentions, she just can’t shake the memory of kissing Alex last summer, and the desire to do it again.

Can Jordyn find the courage to tell Alex how she really feels—and the truth about her family—before he slips away forever?

Release Date: August 4th, 2015

My Thoughts: I have already read this book, and I’m so incredibly behind this book. Its a beautiful romance and a great story about having a brother with a disability and I just love it all.

Not After Everything by Michelle Levy

Tyler has a football scholarship to Stanford, a hot girlfriend, and a reliable army of friends to party with. Then his mom kills herself. And Tyler lets it all go. Now he needs to dodge what his dad is offering (verbal tirades and abuse) and earn what his dad isn’t (money). Tyler finds a job that crashes him into Jordyn, his former childhood friend turned angry-loner goth-girl. She brings Tyler an unexpected reprieve from the never-ending pity party his life has become. How could he not fall for her? But with his dad more brutally unpredictable than ever, Tyler knows he can’t risk bringing Jordyn too deeply into the chaos. So when violence rocks his world again, will it be Jordyn who shows him the way to a hopeful future? Or after everything, will Tyler have to find it in himself?

Release Date: August 4th 2015

My Thoughts: This is an absolutely amazing debut novel by a dear friend of mine. She was awesome enough to give me an ARC of it a few months ago and I devoured the hell out of it. You need this book in your life. You need it.

Jubilee Manor by Bethany Hagen

Landry Park #2

In Landry Park, Madeline turned her back on her elite family, friends, and estate to help the Rootless. Now, in Jubilee Manor, she struggles to bring the Gentry and the Rootless together. But when Gentry heirs—Madeline’s old friends—are murdered, even she begins to think a Rootless is behind it, putting her at odds with the boy she loves and the very people she is trying to lead. If she can’t figure out who is killing her friends and bring them to justice, a violent war will erupt and even more will die—and Madeline’s name, her estate, and all the bonds she’s forged won’t make any difference.

Release Date: August 11th, 2015

My Thoughts: I have had this book in my pile since May and I haven’t had a chance to read it yet and that makes me incredibly sad because the first book, Landry Park is just incredible. Its hailed as a sort of Hunger Games meets Gone with the Wind and that is just a winning combination for me.

Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines

To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go…

Release Date: August 25th, 2015

My Thoughts: Oh Abbi Glines. I adore her as a person so much but I haven’t been caught as a fan of hers yet. I’m excited about this one a lot though. Football and romance is a weakness for me so I’m not giving up on her. I am very excited for this one.

The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To:
– find the liquor cabinet blindfolded
– need a liver transplant
– drive his car into a house

Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To:
– well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.

For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard.

Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.

And Alice is caught in the middle.

Release Date: August 18th, 2015

My Thoughts: I adore Huntley and I’ve loved everything she’s written so far so I’m excited to read more of her books. This is definitely one that will end up in my pile.

New Adult:

Better When He’s Brave by Jay Crownover

Welcome to the Point #3

Titus King has always seen his world in black and white. There is a firm right and wrong in his mind, which is why as a teenager he left behind the only family he’d ever known to make a better life for himself. Now a police detective in one of the worst cities in the country, he can’t deny his life has turned into a million different shades of gray.

The new criminal element in The Point has brought vengeance and destruction right to Titus’s front door, and walking the straight and narrow seems far less important now. The difference between right and wrong is nothing compared to keeping those he loves alive. To add to his already strained moral compass, the beautiful and mysterious Reeve Black has made her way back to town. This girl might be as dangerous to Titus as the guy trying to destroy the Point but he can’t walk away because he needs her—in more ways than one.

Reeve knows all about the threat trying to destroy The Point. She knows how ruthless, how vicious, and how cruel this new danger can be… and instead of running away, she wants to help. Reeve knows that she has a lot to repent for and saving the city, plus the hot cop that she hasn’t been able to forget might just be the only way she can finally find some inner peace.

With an entire city poised on the brink of war, Titus and Reeve stand in the crossfire—and it will take two brave souls to fight for the ultimate love.

Release Date: August 11th, 2015

My Thoughts: Okay, lets be real. I haven’t even read this first two yet. But I’m planning on that in the next couple weeks and then hopefully I will get to read this one too. I finished the Marked men last month and it WOWed me so I’m excited for this series.

Childrens/Middle Grade:

Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan

Who cut off Medusa’s head? Who was raised by a she-bear? Who tamed Pegasus? It takes a demigod to know, and Percy Jackson can fill you in on the all the daring deeds of Perseus, Atalanta, Bellerophon, and the rest of the major Greek heroes. Told in the funny, irreverent style readers have come to expect from Percy, ( I’ve had some bad experiences in my time, but the heroes I’m going to tell you about were the original old school hard luck cases. They boldly screwed up where no one had screwed up before. . .) and enhanced with vibrant artwork by Caldecott Honoree John Rocco, this story collection will become the new must-have classic for Rick Riordan’s legions of devoted fans–and for anyone who needs a hero. So get your flaming spear. Put on your lion skin cape. Polish your shield and make sure you’ve got arrows in your quiver. We’re going back about four thousand years to decapitate monsters, save some kingdoms, shoot a few gods in the butt, raid the Underworld, and steal loot from evil people. Then, for dessert, we’ll die painful tragic deaths. Ready? Sweet. Let’s do this.

Release Date: August 18th, 2015

My Thoughts: If its Percy Jackson, its in my mailbox, its in my arsenal. I loved the first one of these that was released last year so I’m definitely excited to having this come my way!

The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers

I’m not sure what it is about this kid Duncan, but his crayons sure are a colorful bunch of characters! Having soothed the hurt feelings of one group who threatened to quit, Duncan now faces a whole new group of crayons asking to be rescued. From Maroon Crayon, who was lost beneath the sofa cushions and then broken in two after Dad sat on him; to poor Turquoise, whose head is now stuck to one of Duncan’s stinky socks after they both ended up in the dryer together; to Pea Green, who knows darn well that no kid likes peas and who ran away—each and every crayon has a woeful tale to tell and a plea to be brought home to the crayon box.

Release Date: August 18th, 2015

My Thoughts: If you haven’t read the first one, you are missing out. It is one of the cutest kids books I’ve ever read and Drew Daywalt was kind enough to do an interview for this blog, and was just awesome as hell. I can’t wait for the sequel ;)

General Fiction:

X by Sue Grafton

Kinsey Millhone #24

X: The number ten. An unknown quantity. A mistake. A cross. A kiss.

X: The shortest entry in Webster’s Unabridged. Derived from Greek and Latin and commonly found in science, medicine, and religion. The most graphically dramatic letter. Notoriously tricky to pronounce: thinkxylophone.

X: The twenty-fourth letter in the English alphabet.

Release Date: August 25th, 2015

My Thoughts: I’ve been reading these books since I was a kid, probably before I was actually mature enough to read these books haha. But I’m excited to read the next installment and I’m ready for this series to finally come to an end one day LOL.

* * * * *

What are your most anticipated releases of August! Share in the comments below!

July Book Wrap Up!

August 2, 2015Leave a comment

Books Pledged to Read in 2015:

150

Am I On Track:

8 books behind. Not even stressed at all.

Books Read So Far:

Total Books For July:

Dream of You Novella

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Re-Read)

Rome

Nash

Rowdy

Forever With You (ARC)

Asa

Penguins with People Problems

Upside Down

Him

* * * * * *

Favorite Book of the Month:

Forever with You by Jennifer L Armentrout

This book just blew my mind. It was a story very close to my heart as well so…yeah, what is ed it just meant a lot. And JLA just gets better with every book.

Least Favorite Book of the Month:

Upside Down by Lia Riley

I definitely didn’t hate this book but I wasn’t massively in love with it either.

Books I Want to Read Next Month:

With This Heart by R.S. Grey

The Rose Society by Marie Lu

The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi

Hollywood Witch Hunter by Valerie Tejeda

Just One Song by Stacey Lynn

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Jubilee Manor by Bethany Hagen

Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines

Full Re-Read of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series

* * * * *

Happy Birthday Jo Rowling and Harry Potter!

July 31, 2015Leave a comment

Today we in the nerd world celebrate two incredibly important birthdays: the 50th birthday of one JK Rowling and the 35th birthday of her wonderful main character, buy Harry Potter.

Every year on July 31st, visit this site I celebrate. I bust out some Potter clothes, throw one of the movies on (if not all 8) and read the books. I spend the whole day thinking all about Harry Potter, and celebrating the life of the woman who created him.

Some people don’t understand. I know you guys do. You guys are here for a reason. You love books like I do. You get wrapped up in the world and the characters. Its like Snape said to Lily in those flashbacks: “its real for us”.

It’s real for us.

And that’s exactly right.

I have been lucky enough to have an incredible life. I have. I am here. I am mostly healthy. I am mostly healthy. I have clothes on my back, shoes on my feet and food in my stomach. I am surrounded by people who love me and care for me. I have this blog. I have my love and passion and dedication for writing. I am so lucky.

But I haven’t always been so lucky. I’ve been through hard things. There were days where dragging a razor across my skin felt better than anything else. There were days where I legitimately wondered, why am I even awake? There were days where I had the faces of my five younger siblings looking up at me, looking TO me, to keep them happy and safe, and fed and off to school. There were days where the water was shut off, there was no phone, no electricity. There were days where screams echoed through the walls that made me want to shove a pillow on my head or scream back. I grew up fast. I stepped up to the plate more times than I wanted to. Some days, it was just hard to get out of bed. Some days, it was just easier to skip life.

But when I was ten years old, I met an eleven year old boy by the name of Harry Potter. He was stuck in a cupboard, hungry and lonely, scared, and treated like garbage by the people that were supposedly his family. And then one day, a letter arrived for him, taking him to a magical and beautiful place called Hogwarts, and not only did Harry’s life change forever, but so did mine. Suddenly all those things that alway seemed so impossible were possible.

Those books saved my life and saved me from becoming the person I could have become. If there’s one thing I’m proud of after 27 years of life, its the person that I am. I am smart, talented, strong, resilient. I am loving and caring and open. I am trustworthy and honest and determined and passionate and dedicated. And I feel like I owe so much of that to the books that have come into my life, but especially to the Harry Potter series.

Because, here’s the thing: the Harry Potter series taught me more than any other book ever has. It taught me more than a lot of things in life have. It kept my head above water when I felt like all I was doing was drowning. It kept me from becoming a bitter, tired and defeated person. I stepped into those pages, and became friends with those characters, raced alongside them in those adventures, grew up with them, learned with them, and came out the other end with them, hopeful and happy and determined and ready. Those books taught me about love and acceptance, tolerance, to not judge a person based on their cover, to give people second chances, to know that your family isn’t always the people that share the same blood as you. Harry Potter taught me that even in the darkest of times, you can keep going, you can keep moving on, because there’s a light shining there at the end of the tunnel. That, even when things seem at the very worst, it can only get better.

I was ten years old the first time I picked up the series, and now I’m 27 years old. I have read these books a countless number of times. I legitimately cannot think of how many times I’ve read them. I go back to them again and again and again and they fill me with the same feelings that I felt when I read them as a child and a teenager. It blows my mind that something that became so important to me at ten years old is still one of the most important things in my life. I have covered my body in five Harry Potter tattoos…and I know that I will get more of them because I don’t know what other way I can say thank you to this author, to these books, to these characters for what they have done for me, for how they have shaped me, for being there for me when I felt like no one else in the world was.

So today I say, thank you JK Rowling and Happy Birthday. Thank you for being an amazing person. Thank you for creating these books and these words and these people and the magic for people all over the world to experience again and again. Thank you for being amazing. Thank you for being an inspiration. Thank you for helping me to become the Sara I am today and for continuing to shape the Sara I will be tomorrow. Thank you for getting up and getting through your own hardships. You deserve the most wonderful birthday, and the most wonderful life.

“The stories we love best do live in us forever, so whether you come back by page or the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”

This makes me cry. Every. Single. Time. Every time.

Happy Birthday Jo. Happy Birthday Harry.