Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Waiting on Walk the Edge

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Walk the Edge (Thunder Road, # 2)

By: Katie McGarry

Expected Publication: March 30th 2016 by Harlequin TEEN

384 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Razor knows his family is haunted by secrets of the past…

High school senior Thomas "Razor" Turner knows his family has a dark history as part of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, especially when it comes to the secrecy surrounding his mother’s death.

When Razor starts to dig deeper into his mum's case he turns to the unlikeliest source for help: classmate Breanna Miller, the shy, smart girl he's never looked twice at. But the more time they spend together, the more they realise they actually have in common, and how attracted to each other they really are.

When secrets from the past are revealed can their newfound feelings survive?

I love Katie McGarry, and Razor intrigued me from book 1, Nowhere But Here, so I'm excited to get my hands on this one! What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Top Ten Authors (Books) To Read if You Like Colleen Hoover

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Authors (Books) to Read if You Like Colleen Hoover.

So Colleen Hoover is one of my favorite authors. So far all of her books have been extremely romantic, but also carry some element of surprise and often deep sadness. The characters usually have some pretty big hurtles to overcome, and the writing really sucks me in. So that was my criteria for this top ten list: 1) romance, 2) surprise twist or deep sadness (bonus if the two are combined), 3) something to overcome, and 4) writing and characters that hook me quickly.

  1. Katja Millay (The Sea of Tranquility)
  2. Katie McGarry (specifically the Pushing the Limits series)
  3. Claire Wallis (the Push series)
  4. Rebecca Donovan
  5. Rebecca Shea (specifically Unbreakable)
  6. KA Tucker (specifically Ten Tiny Breaths)
  7. Tammara Webber (specifically Easy)
  8. Jamie McGuire (specifically The Maddox Brothers series)
  9. Anne Eliot (specifically Almost)

Are there any books you'd recommend to me because I love Colleen Hoover? What do you think? Let me know!

Monday, September 28, 2015

Stealing Third - Review

Stealing Third

By: Marta Brown

Published: July 24th 2014 by VP Publishing House (first published July 1st 2014)

184 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Won in an Armchair BEA Giveaway

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--For Emily, going to camp, the summer before college starts, means leaving her feuding parents alone for the next eight weeks, and coming back to divorce papers is a risk she can’t take. But no matter how many meddling phone calls, questionable hair decisions, and possibly illegal hookups she plans, her parents still march her off to Camp Champ totally against her will.

No matter. A few broken rules, and Em will be home free.

That is, until she learns Tyler Ford, her baseball coach father’s star player and her drunken party hookup, is at camp, too. And for Tyler, summer is the onramp to the biggest decision of his life: med school or major leagues. Mega hot, possibly underage Emily? A complication he does not need.

As the summer heats up with strikeouts and stolen bases will Tyler and Emily hit a home run and get what they’re after? Or will they both be thrown a curveball in the game of love?

I received Stealing Third in an Armchair BEA giveaway. I’d never heard of this book or the author before that time. Because this isn’t a book that I went out of my way to get my hands on, I probably would have put off reading it longer except for the length. I knew that once I started this book (even if I didn’t enjoy it) then I would be able to finish it really quickly. And that was the case for sure. I finished it in a couple of hours.

As the description says, Emily’s parents’ relationship has been kind of rocky lately and she’s worried that they’re going to get a divorce. She doesn’t want her family torn apart so she begins concocting all of these radical ideas and schemes to try to keep them together. Her biggest fear is that their marriage will fall apart while she’s off at summer camp and not there to intervene.

Tyler is a college baseball player (Emily’s dad is his coach) and he’s just been told that he has a chance at the minors. Yet, he’s also in school for pre-med. So he’s got a decision to make about his future. Does he want to play baseball or does he want to be a doctor? He’s not really sure. But in the meantime, he’s got a summer job shadowing the doctor on staff at the summer camp where Emily is planning to be a junior counselor.

Emily and Tyler meet at a party. They hit things off but are suddenly pulled apart with no firm plans on how to get in touch with each other from there. They’re not even sure they will see each other again. So when they both end up at Camp Champ they’re a bit surprised. Emily wasn’t exactly forthcoming about her age and the last thing Tyler wants is to screw up his future (his baseball future or his medical school future). Yet keeping the two of them apart is like a disaster waiting to happen. It can’t be stopped.

While I read Stealing Third quickly and I would say that overall I enjoyed it, there were some aspects that I didn’t love. At times the dialogue felt immature to me (both in the characters and in the writing style), and there were some major cheesy parts. I mean “Suck, Blow, Shots.” Really? I’m sure it’s a real thing, but it just felt like a better scenario could have been constructed. I’d say Stealing Third would sometimes fall into that category of books that “tell” too much versus “showing.” Showing is always better. Plus the amount of adjectives/adverbs used (specifically in the beginning) was a little overkill. My last complaint would be that everything fell into place just a little too perfectly. I like happy endings, but perfect endings I usually don’t love.

Stealing Third was a quick, light, and fun contemporary read. Although the writing felt a little unpolished and immature for my tastes at times, I still enjoyed the overall story. Would I go out and purchase Stealing Third? No probably not. But I would definitely read it if you had the option of getting it as a freebie like I did. Stealing Third gets 3 Stars from me. Have you read Stealing Third? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Sunday Post - 167 & Stacking the Shelves - 121

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

We had our last baby shower last Sunday. That was a blast. We're pretty much covered on everything we need for her arrival. We've 4ish weeks left (27 days) until my due date. Salvation Army came on Thursday to pick up our old living room furniture. I'm so thankful to be able to donate it. Friday, one of Husband's closest friends from Japan came to spend the weekend with us. He'll be leaving tomorrow morning. I can't believe next week starts October. I normally like to wait to discuss the upcoming week until it has already past, but I did want to mention that my All Things Halloween month-long event of reviews and features for books related to all things Halloween will be starting this coming week.

THIS PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy, # 3) by Rae Carson (4 Stars)
Tuesday: Top Ten Fall 2015 TBR List
Wednesday: Waiting on an Oldie # 1 (The Girl of Fire & Thorns by Rae Carson)
Thursday: Review of Sweet (Contours of the Heart, # 3) by Tammara Webber (4 Stars)
Friday: 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge - September Wrap Up

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of Stealing Third by Marta Brown
Tuesday: Top Ten If You Like X Author
Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday
Thursday: September EOM Wrap Up
Friday: All Things Halloween Review of Deception (Defiance, # 2) by CJ Redwine

Don’t forget to sign up for the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15, 2015 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

The Key (True Reign, # 1)

By: Jennifer Anne Davis

Published: November 16th 2013 by Clean Teen Publishing

342 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Source: Borrowed from my sister-in-law Holly

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Within these pages lie kingdoms with castles and princes who fall in love with fair maidens, but make no mistake−this is no fairytale.

His father’s kingdom is on the brink of upheaval and at the center of it all is an ordinary girl who could be the key to its undoing. When faced with the ultimate choice, will he choose the girl he’s falling in love with or the kingdom he has sworn to protect?

An ordinary girl with an extraordinary past. All she wants is to be free. What she doesn’t realize is that freedom comes with a price she can’t afford to pay. She’s forced to accept the proposal of a prince she despises, even though her heart belongs to someone else . . . his brother.

Seventeen-year-old Rema lives in a brutal kingdom where travel between regions is forbidden, people are starving, and looking at someone the wrong way can mean death. Nineteen-year-old Darmik is the king’s son and Commander of the King’s Army. He spends his days roving the island, doing his father’s bidding and trying to maintain control over the people.

When a chance encounter throws Rema and Darmik together, they share an instantaneous connection, but any sort of relationship between them is strictly forbidden. Darmik’s brother, the Crown Prince, notices Darmik’s interest in Rema and, in a calculated, political move, blackmails her. Faced with an impossible choice, Rema is forced to sacrifice her heart in order to save her family.

As Rema is taken to the palace with the Crown Prince, Darmik confronts the growing rumor that a legitimate blood heir to the throne exists and is trying to overthrow Darmik’s family. In Darmik’s quest to hunt down and kill the threat, he discovers that nothing is as it seems. Locked in the king’s castle, Rema finds herself a key player in a massive power struggle. When Darmik shows up, she’s not sure if she can trust him. The line between friends, enemies, and loyalty becomes blurred. As truths are unlocked, Rema understands that she just might be the key to finding the rightful heir and restoring peace to the kingdom… if she can manage to stay alive long enough.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

Friday, September 25, 2015

2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge - September Wrap Up

Time for our nineth Monthly Wrap Up for the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge hosted by Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know and Holly @ Words Fueled by Love!

Since posting the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge - August Wrap Up, I finished two series enders: The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, # 3) by Michelle Hodkins and Surviving Ice (Burying Water, # 4) by KA Tucker. Holly finished two also: War (True Reign, # 3) by Jennifer Anne Davis & Destiny Rising (True Calling, # 3) by Siobhan Davis.

Which series enders did you finish? Link the up below. Don't forget to include the title, your name, & your blog name (Ex: Requiem - Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know) Also, the September giveaway runs from September 25th - October 25th. On October 25th we will use random.org and the linky entries to pull a winner.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Sweet - Review

Sweet (Contours of the Heart, # 3)

By: Tammara Webber

Published: April 27th 2015

340 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--He’s the love of her life, but he doesn’t know it.
She’s his one moment of sacrifice in a lifetime of survival.

He was damaged and wild, but resilient.
She’s always been obedient. Now she’s restless.

Home for the summer between college and med school, Pearl Torres Frank knows two things: Boyce Wynn is the embodiment of everything she should run from, and everything she wants to run to. Rebellious and loud. Unconcerned with society’s opinion of him. Passionate. Strong. Dangerous.

And one more trait he hides from everyone but her:
Sweet.

This is another book where the description isn't necessarily wrong, but does give the book a completely different impression than what it really is. I don't think Pearl thinks that Boyce is everything she should run from, and I don't think she's restless either. And I really don't even think Boyce is dangerous. I don't know. The description just doesn't fit. Boyce and Pearl go way back. I'm talking...all the way to when she was 5 and he was 7. After they meet at that age, the two have many more experiences together throughout their childhood and teenage years. The thing is, no one else really knows that the two have any connection to each other.

Sweet is told in alternating points of view (Boyce and Pearl) and between memories of the past and moments of the present. I was somewhat frustrated in the beginning because it truly seemed like the majority of the beginning was focused more on the events of the past rather than what was going on with Boyce and Pearl in the present, but it's all to set the stage.

Pearl is anything but restless. She finally feels good about her life decisions and where she's going in her career. She's even standing up to her mother, who she thought would always have her back. One person who does have her back...Boyce. He seems to know her better than anyone else.

Boyce is doing pretty well for himself compared to where we last saw him in Breakable. Even though he grew up with an abusive father, his mother left him and his brother when they were young, and his brother died in the military, Boyce is making something of himself. He's taken lemons and made lemonade. He's taken over the garage that his father owned and has really turned it into a profitable business. He's become responsible. Not dangerous.

Pearl and Boyce have had a connection since they were 5 and 7. They've shared looks, a few kisses, and more in their past. Yet the two don't seem to have a clue what the other wants. It's clear that they both find the other attractive, but neither knows how deep the other's feelings go. I liked watching this relationship build as they had so much history.

The language was much more...colorful...and full of f-bombs than I would have thought. I don't remember the prior books being as bad about this, but it has been a while since I read them. The physical scenes were...well some were fairly tame and others more graphic. Sweet bordered on being a bit much for my preferences.

Favorite quotes:

-Nothing like a high school friend to drag you back to high school behavior.

-"...sometimes what seems like a gut feeling is just pride pretending to be instinct."

-"Nothing makes me feel how small and insignificant I am, how fleeting life is, like the sky and the ocean."..."You want to feel insignificant?" "I want to feel what's true."

I enjoyed the story of Sweet, and I'm glad that Boyce and Pearl got to have their story explored. Some conflict was visible to me from early on, but nothing happened that really had me rolling my eyes at the obvious. And I liked how these two were intertwined and connected from their childhoods yet still so distant until now. Sweet gets 4 Stars. Have you read Sweet? What did you think? Let me know!

Side note: I really hate the name Boyce.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Waiting on an Oldie # 1

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Ok you guys, today I'm doing something a little different. I'm featuring a book that's already been published, but I still haven't gotten a chance to read. I have searched and searched for an upcoming release this week and just couldn't find anything that really worked. Even though I have 50+ books on my upcoming releases shelf on Goodreads--none of them have all of the information necessary to do a proper post about (missing title, missing cover, missing release date, missing description, etc). And even though I've searched through Goodreads popular upcoming releases through June of 2016...I'm still not finding anything that has enough information to post or that I'm fully interested in. SO....here we are.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns, # 1)

By: Rae Carson

Published: September 20th 2011 by Greenwillow

423 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.
Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.

What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Top Ten Fall 2015 TBR List

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Fall 2015 TBR List.

The good thing about currently having a gap in between review books from November 3rd – January 19th is that I can actually read any book I’m in the mood for rather than trying to read by release date. But that also means that my reading is often unpredictable. I can plan to read the following books, but my mood might take me down a very different path.

  1. The Lies About the Truth by Courtney C Stevens
  2. Ruins (Partials, # 3) by Dan Wells
  3. November 9 by Colleen Hoover
  4. Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, # 4) by Marissa Meyer
  5. The Iron Trial (Magisterium, # 1) by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
  6. Kiss Kill Vanish by Jessica Martinez
  7. Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy, # 1) by Danielle L Jensen
  8. Kiss of Fire (Imdalind, # 1) by Rebecca Ethington
  9. Ruin & Rising (The Grisha, # 3) by Leigh Bardugo
  10. Article 5 (Article 5, # 1) by Kristen Simmons

Which books are on your fall TBR list? Let me know!

Monday, September 21, 2015

Walk on Earth a Stranger - Review

Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy, # 1)

By: Rae Carson

Expected Publication: September 22nd 2015 by Greenwillow Books

432 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--The first book in a new trilogy from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Rae Carson. A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush–era America.

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety? Rae Carson, author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, dazzles with this new fantasy that subverts both our own history and familiar fantasy tropes.

Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. Includes a map and author’s note on historical research.

Historical fiction isn’t always my favorite. I have a few time periods that I do enjoy reading about, but they’re not numerous. When I read the description of Walk on Earth a Stranger I was torn. On the one hand, I liked how different the description was from what I normally read, but on the other hand, I read what I normally read because I have a pretty good sense of what I’ll enjoy and what I won’t. Reading a book about the California Gold Rush wasn’t something I was sure I would enjoy. Yet, others have raved about Rae Carson's Fire and Thorns series which has been on my TBR list for a few years. So I took this as a good opportunity to get my feet wet and finally read something by Rae Carson. But as happens sometimes, after I requested Walk on Earth a Stranger I started to second guess myself and think that I’m just not in the mood for something like this. The release date was approaching so I knew that I really needed to start it sooner rather than later and here we are.

Lee Westfall has to work hard even as a girl. Her father is sick and this requires her to take on a lot of the household responsibilities. She has to feed chickens, muck stalls, and even hunt to provide for her family. Lee’s never been your typical girl. She’s never had that luxury. Her unique ability to sense gold has kept her family from starving, but it’s a secret that their family guards dearly. They can’t just keep taking gold in and getting paid for it because people will start to get suspicious. Aside from that, it seems like Georgia is running out of gold to find. It’s true that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil,” and when someone finds out Lee’s secret, she’s forced to flee her home. Her best friend, Jefferson, also ran away a few days before Lee is forced to and so she plans to meet up with him in Independence and follow the gold to California along with the many, many others who set out to travel east in search of gold.

For a large portion of her journey, Lee travels alone. The only companion she has is her horse from home. She encounters many dangers, but life on the road is made a little simpler by her choice to travel dressed as a boy. She’s able to trade services and work in exchange for food and lodging from time to time. The solitary nature of the first portion of the book could make for some slower parts, but I felt like the story progresses at a nice even pace, and I was driven by a desire to know if she would ever catch up with Jefferson or if Jefferson would have left Independence before Lee makes it there.

Lee eventually does make it to Independence and joins up with a wagon train heading to California. She signs on under contract as hired help and must therefore continue her disguise throughout the journey. Despite pretending to be male, Lee does make several friends within their traveling party. Yet she still has a secret bigger than her gender to hide. The wagon train journey takes approximately 50% of the book and Lee’s solitary journey to Independence approximately 50%. The journey was interesting and they have a ragtag group of traveling companions. There’s the family that Lee signs up to work for. The husband is headstrong but not always wise. The wife submissive and religious, often coming across as arrogant. There’s a group of men that we don’t know too much about but seem to be a bit wild. We’ve got a war veteran, some college dropouts, a German family, a preacher and his pregnant wife, a half Caucasian half Native America, a girl pretending to be a boy, several children, horses, oxen, sheep, and a couple of dogs. I had a few minor issues with this chosen group of characters. It seems that most of these characters fit into a stereotype of some sort that seemed more fitting (to me) for today’s culture than the culture of 1848/1849 thus taking away slightly from the authentic feel of the story and time period.

Walk on Earth a Stranger wasn’t big in the romance area. There’s a hint of potential for a relationship to grow and blossom into more, but the book was definitely not about this. If you’re looking for a romance/kissing book, this is definitely not the one. However, I do see where this aspect could grow and be a bigger piece of the remaining two books in the trilogy. We’ll see. For my own reading preferences, I hope so.

Favorite quotes:

-Everything’s harder when you do it alone.

-Strange how you don’t notice things until they’re taken away.

-“…But a man can’t wait forever and stay a man.”

-Turns out, the great, wide world doesn’t look anything like a flat, little map.

-Pretending is exhausting. I know it better than anyone. But I hope I never go so far as to pretend to myself…

-“No man should be a slave, but no man should be a thief either.”

Walk on Earth a Stranger was better than I expected it to be. I enjoyed Lee’s story and how her journey helped her learn so much about herself. The setting and time period was also more enjoyable than I expected, but I was slightly annoyed with some of the more modern stereotyped characters. I read Walk on Earth a Stranger in a little over 24 hours, although I can see where this might be a book that others could get bogged down with and take a good bit longer to read. I hope to see some romance really develop over the next book. But overall, I think Walk on Earth a Stranger deserves 4 Stars. Have you read Walk on Earth a Stranger? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Sunday Post - 166 & Stacking the Shelves - 120

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Another full week. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday were spent doing housework and organizing baby room stuff. I did get a quick trim on my hair Tuesday night. Thursday we had some new living room furniture delivered. I'm so excited about that. It almost feels like a different house to me. Friday I had a doctor's appointment (all's well) and then we were off half a day to go bowling with work for a team building exercise (I didn't bowl, but I did watch). Friday night Husband and I both crashed. I took about a 2 hour nap as soon as I got home. Husband proceeded to play video games all night and when I woke up I read an entire book. Saturday we drove to Birmingham to visit with a cousin and his wife and two kids that flew in from Colorado. It was so good to visit and catch up. And today we're having our last baby shower. I'm so excited to finally get baby laundry done and clothes put away where they need to go. It's another week where I realize how extremely blessed we are.

THIS PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of Raveling You (Unraveling You, # 2) by Jessica Sorensen (4 Stars)
Tuesday: Top Ten Characters I Just Didn't Click With
Wednesday: Waiting on Exit, Pursued by a Bear by EK Johnston
Thursday: Review of Awakening You (Unraveling You, # 3) by Jessica Sorensen (4 Stars)

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy, # 1) by Rae Carson
Tuesday: Top Ten Fall 2015 TBR List
Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday
Thursday: Review of Sweet (Contours of the Heart, # 3) by Tammara Webber

Don’t forget to sign up for the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15, 2015 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Beautiful Me: Believing God's Truth About You

By: Stasi Eldredge

Expected Publication: January 1st 2016 by David C. Cook

192 pages

Genre: Nonfiction, Spiritual, Religious, Inspirational

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In this ninety-day devotional, Stasi Eldredge takes excerpts from her book Free to Be Me and pairs them with prayers, Scripture, and positive declarations. Day by day, she turns you back to the truth that God sees you as beautiful beyond measure—and he delights in dreaming big dreams for your life!

Until Friday Night (The Field Party, # 1)

By: Abbi Glines

Published: August 25th 2015 by Simon Pulse

352 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Sports

Source: Borrowed from my sister-in-law

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--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…

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Awakening You - Review

Awakening You (Unraveling You, # 3)

By: Jessica Sorensen

Published: March 27th 2015 by Smashwords Edition

264 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle Library ($0.99 @ Amazon)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Lately, life has been going well for Ayden. His relationship with Lyric is starting to heat up and his career in music is taking off. But the disappearance of his sister still weighs heavily on his mind.

Desperate to find out where his sister is, Ayden decides to take drastic measures. But his dangerous risk leads to the unraveling of secrets, and he’s left facing a darker past then he ever could have imagined.

I feel like a lot of this review will be a repeat of my Raveling You review. This is a different kind of series than I’m used to. Instead of each book feeling like a separate piece of the overall puzzle, each book in this series really just feels like a continuation of one story. Awakening You picks up pretty much where Raveling You left off. Ayden is still in therapy trying to recover his lost memories. His relationship with Lyric is continuing to grow and deepen even if it’s not really moving forward physically. He is becoming more and more a part of the Gregory family. Ayden is not just helping the police search for his brother’s killer, but he’s also trying to find his kidnapped (again) sister. But just as he is pursuing those who held him captive several years ago, it seems as if those people are hunting and stalking him just as much.

There are so many small pieces of this story that are moving along. Lyric and Ayden are still in a band. They’re making music together. Lyric is still working to overcome her stage freight, and she’s working on getting Ayden to agree to do a duet with her. They settle for writing a song together. And there’s even the potential (through Micha’s connections) that they might be able to tour during the summer. But Ayden can’t commit to something like that as long as his sister is still being held captive.

Fiona seems to have some strange things going on. She keeps mentioning that she can feel things before they happen or as they happen or maybe she dreams that things are going to happen. Really it’s quite unclear, but what is obvious is that Ayden’s sister, Sadie, had/has a similar ability. I’m waiting to see what becomes of that.

With Lyric’s help in the form of sketching a tattoo design for him, Ayden begins to try to move beyond his past and really make some progress on the physical contact with other people. Getting the tattoo that was branded on him covered up is a huge step in him feeling free of the people from his past while also being a giant step because of the amount of time that the tattoo artist had to actually be in contact with his skin. That, plus his increasing desire to be with Lyric in a more intimate way has him pushing past some things that make him uncomfortable. The two still haven’t progressed too far physically, and we all know that I always appreciate that.

As I already mentioned, someone appears to be stalking Ayden. Leaving him notes. Breaking into his house. Snagging a chunk of his hair. Following him. And all roads point toward the cult people from his past that held and tortured him and his siblings. I’ve been continually impressed with how frequently Lyric and Ayden both actually turn to and turn over evidence to the adults and authorities instead of how a typical series about characters this age and undergoing these circumstances would have the characters trying to tackle these big things by themselves. Kudos. That’s not to say that Ayden and Lyric always involve their parents or the police but for the most part, I’ve been impressed.

As with the previous two installments, it doesn’t feel like we’ve actually made much progress at all in the overall story. Figuring out what happened to Ayden in his past, what these people want with him, finding his sister (alive or dead), or even in moving forward in his life. It’s hard to imagine how everything will be wrapped up in just over 100 pages with the next book, Inspiring You, but I do believe that’s the last book of the series.

Favorite quote:

”…wanting to overcome something is the first step to getting there.”

Awakening You feels like just as good of an installment as the previous two. I’m so curious to know the answers to all of my questions. I do worry a little bit that the last book will be slightly rushed in trying to wrap everything up as well as reveal all of the answers about the past considering the length. But I enjoyed Awakening You all the same. Awakening You gets 4 Stars. Have you read Awakening You? What did you think? Let me know!