Sunday Post - 181

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.

First off, today is my mom's birthday. I know she's not reading my blog, but a shout out and a "Happy Birthday" to her anyway! Friday I took Baby Girl to where I used to work (where my husband and the rest of my family still works) to show her off. Then she hung out with my mom and dad for a couple of hours while Husband and I went to see The 5th Wave with Holly and Paula. Saturday, we went back to my parent's house to celebrate my mom's birthday. No new books this week, but that's a good thing since I haven't been reading as many books lately.

THIS PAST WEEK:

Monday: 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge - January Wrap Up & Review of The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West (4.5 Stars)
Wednesday:

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers & January EOM Wrap Up
Tuesday: Top Ten Past/Future Settings
Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday
Thursday: Review of He Will Be My Ruin by KA Tucker

Don’t forget to sign up for the 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15, 2016 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!

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!

Waiting on Beautiful Burn

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

Beautiful Burn (The Maddox Brothers, # 4)

By: Jamie McGuire

Expected Publication: January 31st 2016

300 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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

Goodreads description--Fresh out of college, Ellison Edson has fallen through the cracks of rock bottom. While staying in her family’s vacation home in Colorado, her behavior has finally gained the attention of her parents—but not in the way she hoped. Cut off from the millions she’s always taken for granted, and left alone to fend for herself, Ellie spirals further out of control, making a mistake she can’t take back.

Like his twin brother Taylor, Tyler Maddox is a member of the Alpine Hotshots, fighting wildland fires on the frontline. As arrogant as he is charming, Tyler’s nomadic lifestyle makes it easy to contain his relationships to one night. When he meets Ellie at a local party during off-season, her extreme personality and dismissive attitude fascinates him at first, but as his feelings deepen, Tyler realizes that the crippling inner demons of the woman he loves might be the strongest enemy any Maddox has ever faced.

More Maddox brothers? Yes please! What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge - January Wrap Up

Time for our first Monthly Wrap Up for the 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge hosted by Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know and Holly @ Words Fueled by Love!

Since starting the 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge, I finished one series ender: Forever Summer (Summer, # 4) by CJ Duggan. Holly hasn't finished any series enders this month.

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 January giveaway runs from January 25rd - February 25rd. On February 25rd we will use random.org and the linky entries from all months to pull a winner.

The Fill-In Boyfriend - Review

The Fill-In Boyfriend

By: Kasie West

Published: May 5th 2015 by HarperTeen

352 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from library

( 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--When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend— two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party — three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

Kasie West does it again. The description actually tells you a good bit about the book so I don’t really think there were any major twists or things that happened to surprise the reader, but that’s not really the kind of book this was supposed to be anyway. Gia, like the description says, gets broken up with by her boyfriend, Bradley, in the parking lot of her senior prom. Tough break. Worst part about that to her though was that her friends might not believe that her boyfriend had been real to begin with. See her friends had never met her boyfriend. And there’s been a recent addition to her friends group in the form of Jules, a girl who seems to have it out for Gia. So what does Gia do? Snags the first guy she sees to be her pretend boyfriend for the night. Granted this storyline isn’t entirely original, but Kasie West always does such a great job on her characters that you don’t care.

Fake Bradley makes a comment about why he decided to agree to play along with Gia that has her unable to get him off her mind. She needs to know why he agreed. And she can’t stop thinking about him. One major piece of the story is that Gia is slowly learning that she doesn’t know herself very well. She definitely doesn’t really understand how other people see her. And she learns that she’s not always very considerate of other people’s thoughts or feelings. You can tell it’s not intentional by the way that it affects her when she does realize these things. But that doesn’t change the fact that others have been affected by her in the past and not always in the most positive of ways. Fake Bradley and his sister help Gia to see that she wants to be a better person. Fake Bradley has his own things to overcome as he’s not quite completely over the girlfriend that cheated on him. So Gia agrees to go with him to her graduation party in hopes of making said ex-girlfriend jealous. But she realizes that she doesn’t want Fake Bradley to end up back with his ex.

One of the things I loved most about this story was how multi-layered it was. Gia’s learning about herself. She’s trying to become a better person. There’s an issue dealing with a member of her group that she feels like is trying to steal all of her friends away. So there’s friendship issues. Gia’s brother exposes a couple of issues too. One of which is how much of a pushover their parents are. The other is really a commentary on social media. Normally, I’m not a fan of this type of thing within my books. I don’t read books for social commentary. But this is one bit that I can get behind. I struggle with social media a lot for a lot of different reasons and this book just touched on a few negatives to it. Either way, I think it really gives the reader something to think about. An added depth that wasn’t expected at all. Along with realizing that Gia’s hurt some feelings in her past, she does a good bit to try to mend fences and right wrongs. And I really have to commend her for that. Plus I mean, come on, the romance. Yep. I was completely rooting for these two.

Favorite Quotes:

-...I was worried that if I made everyone pick, they'd choose her. I was worried that no matter how much confidence I'd shown on the outside, deep down people didn't like me. And that maybe they were right not to.

-"Don't do it unless you mean it"...

-"You outgrew them?" "I think they outgrew me." "I disagree."

The Fill-In Boyfriend was a coming of age story that I didn’t mind reading—not one bit. Not only does Gia go on a journey to learn about herself and life, but I could get behind every single lesson that she learned. Kasie West is a master at weaving characters and storylines that I can get behind. And I’ve yet to be disappointed in one of her books. I only wish she wrote them faster. Also, a total side note, but I love how this story had no sex and no language. It just goes to show you that those two things don’t have to be involved for a story to feel authentic or to hook you. The Fill-In Boyfriend gets 4.5 Stars from me. Have you read The Fill-In Boyfriend? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post - 180 & Stacking the Shelves - 130

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.

A pretty uneventful week again. I haven't been much in the mood to read since finishing He Will Be My Ruin by KA Tucker. Book hangover! I did have a door-to-door salesman stop by the house on Wednesday. I didn't even know people still did that. I think needless to say that that business model is outdated. Also today we're having family portraits done with my side of the family. It should be eventful.

THIS PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of Sword and Verse by Kathy MacMillan (3.5 Stars)
Tuesday: Last 10 Books I Added to My TBR List
Wednesday: Waiting on Rise (The Order of the Krigers, # 1) by Jennifer Anne Davis

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West & 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge - January Wrap Up
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday (maybe)
Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday

Don’t forget to sign up for the 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15, 2016 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.

On Becoming Babywise

By: Gary Ezzo & Robert Bucknam

Published: September 28th 2006 by Hawksflight & Assoc Inc (first published February 1993)

252 pages

Genre: Non-fiction, Parenting, Self-Help

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( 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 infant management concepts presented in this book have found favor with over two million parents and twice as many contented babies. On Becoming Babywise brings hope to the tired and bewildered parents looking for an alternative to sleepless nights and fussy babies. The Babywise Parent Directed Feeding concept has enough structure to bring security and order to your baby's world, yet enough flexibility to give mom freedom to respond to any need at any time. It teaches parents how to lovingly guide their baby's day rather than be guided or enslaved to the infant's unknown needs.

The information contained within On Becoming Babywise is loaded with success. Comprehensive breast-feeding follow-up surveys spanning three countries, of mothers using the PDF method verify that as a result of the PDF concepts, 88% breast-feed, compared to the national average of only 54% (from the National Center for Health Statistics). Of these breast-feeding mothers, 80% of them breast-feed exclusively without a formula complement. And while 70% of our mothers are still breast-feeding after six months, the national average encourage to follow demand feeding without any guidelines is only 20%. The mean average time of breast-feeding for PDF moms is 33 1/2 weeks, well above the national average. Over 50% of PDF mothers extend their breast-feeding toward and well into the first year. Added to these statistics is another critical factor. The average breast-fed PDF baby sleeps continuously through night seven to eight hours between weeks seven and nine. Healthy sleep in infants is analogous to healthy growth and development. Find out for yourself why a world of parents and pediatricians utilize the concepts found in On Becoming Babywise.

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!

Waiting on Rise

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

Rise (The Order of the Krigers, # 1)

By: Jennifer Anne Davis

Expected Publication: May 17th 2016 by Month9Books

300 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

( 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 people of Nelebek live in fear of persecution from the evil Morlet, who reigns with a dark and destructive magic. The kingdom’s only hope lies with the Order of the Krigers—twelve warriors with mysterious powers linked to magical weapons.

For over a century, Morlet has been annihilating the Order, picking them off one by one. Eleven Krigers have been hunted down, tortured, and imprisoned in his dungeon. Now, only one remains.

Sixteen-year-old Kaia survives by keeping her head down and minding her own business. But when she finds herself in the middle of a public execution where the mysterious Morlet is in attendance, an odd compulsion she can’t resist comes over her.

Kaia looks into Morlet’s eyes.

Soon, an ancient power awakens and Kaia can no more blend into the scenery. Will she heed the call of the Krigers or will Morlet’s dark magic destroy the last of the Order?

Fans of GRACELING and THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS will enjoy RISE, book one in the RISE OF THE KRIGERS series from international bestselling author Jennifer Anne Davis.

Jennifer Anne Davis has surprised me. I've been impressed with each of her 4 books that I've read. What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Last 10 Books I Added To My TBR List

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Last 10 Books I Added to My TBR List.

So I'm totally skipping all of the children's books that I've been adding to my shelves that are my daughter's books. I'm also skipping untitled books and books without covers.

1. Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty (Dangerous Beauty, # 2) by Angela Elwell Hunt
2. Rise (Order of the Krigers, # 1) by Jennifer Anne Davis
3. Ruby Red (Precious Stone Trilogy, # 1) Kerstin Gier
4. Sapphire Blue (Precious Stone Trilogy, # 2) by Kerstin Gier
5. Emerald Green (Precious Stone Trilogy, # 3) by Kerstin Gier
6. Letters Written in White by Kathryn Perez
7. Autofocus by Lauren Gibaldi
8. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand
9. Night Speed by Chris Howard
10. A Walk in the Sun by Michelle Zink

Which books have you added to your TBR list recently? Let me know!

Sword and Verse - Review

Sword and Verse

By: Kathy MacMillan

Expected Publication: January 19th 2016 by HarperTeen

400 pages

Genre: Young Adult, 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--Raisa was only a child when she was kidnapped and enslaved in Qilara. Forced to serve in the palace of the king, she’s endured hunger, abuse, and the harrowing fear of discovery: everyone knows she is Arnath, but not that Raisa is a Learned One, a part of an Arnath group educated in higher order symbols. In Qilara, this language is so fiercely protected that only the King, the Prince, and Tutors are allowed to know it. So when the current Tutor-in-training is executed for sharing the guarded language with slaves, and Raisa is chosen to replace her, Raisa knows that—although she may have a privileged position among slaves—any slip-up could mean death.

That would be challenging enough, but training alongside Prince Mati could be her real undoing. And when a romance blossoms between them, she’s suddenly filled with a dangerous hope for something she never before thought possible: more. Then she’s propositioned by the Resistance—an underground army of slaves—to help liberate the Arnath people. Joining the rebellion could mean freeing her people…but she’d also be aiding in the war against her beloved—an honorable man that she knows wants to help the slaves.

Working against the one she loves—and a palace full of deadly political renegades—has some heady consequences. As Raisa struggles with what’s right, she unwittingly uncovers a secret that the Qilarites have long since buried…one that, unlocked, could bring the current world order to its knees.

And Raisa is the one holding the key.

Despite a really intriguing opening line ("I never knew Tyasha ke Demit, but her execution started everything."), Sword and Verse was initially difficult for me to get into. It had a slow start for me. Coupled with Kathy MacMillan doing a little too much telling and not enough showing had me struggling to connect to the characters. Since there's supposed to be a building romance between Rasia and Prince Mati this meant I didn't fully connect to their relationship either. Kathy MacMillan chose to "tell" the reader that Rasia and Mati had many conversations and spent much time together, but little of those moments were actually described or "shown" to the reader. That left me feeling a bit disconnected from the characters and their romance. I suspect that this was done to save time since the book is already right at 400 pages.

Kathy MacMillan not only created an entirely new world but she also created gods and goddesses to go with it, and an entire backstory for them as well. This added to the authenticity of the story, but I found myself with too many words that I didn't quite know how to pronounce all at one time. And I always find that this causes me to skim those words and thus not fully absorb what I'm reading. Does anyone else have this problem? I was initially annoyed with the added bits of story about the gods until I realized how closely it would be involved in the actual story.

Eventually, I did get involved in the story and even fairly invested in the romance. I don't always love my books to have some sort of motive--the motive here being about the importance of everyone having access to literacy--as sometimes these can come off as "preachy". But I didn't feel that way about Sword and Verse. If I had to read a book about this topic, Sword and Verse would be the one I think.

Ultimately, I did enjoy Sword and Verse, but I had a few issues with it as well. It took at least 40% or more before I started to feel invested. The world created was interesting and well thought out but also a bit complicated. Sword and Verse gets 3.5 Stars from me. Have you read Sword and Verse? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post - 179

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.

This has been a really laid back week. We didn't have any plans or anything happen out of the ordinary. But you know, that was really, really nice. Baby Girl has started really cooing and chattering and "talking". It's one of the cutest things ever. I'm sure I'll continue to say that at each milestone. In book news, I've finished 4 books since the new year. I'm really surprised. I don't expect to keep that pace up, but I'll take what I can get. No new books this week.

THIS PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of The Distancce from A to Z by Natalie Blitt (3 Stars)
Tuesday: Top Ten 2015 Releases I Meant to Read
Wednesday: Waiting on The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court, # 1) by Richelle Mead

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of Sword and Verse (Sword and Verse, # 1) by Kathy MacMillan
Tuesday: Top Ten Books Recently Added to my TBR List
Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday

Don’t forget to sign up for the 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15, 2016 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!

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!

Waiting on The Glittering Court

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

The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court, # 1)

By: Richelle Mead

Expected Publication: April 5th 2016 by Razorbill

416 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, 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--A dazzling new fantasy series set in a mix of Elizabethan and frontier worlds that’s dripping with romance from Richelle Mead, #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy.

Big and sweeping, spanning the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies capable of arranging powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together, they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first, as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and later, when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.

But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands. . . .

I love Richelle Mead so I'm all over this one. What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Top Ten 2015 Releases I Meant to Read

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten 2015 Releases I Meant to Read.

1. Their Fractured Light (Starbound, # 3) by Aime Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
2. Winter (Lunar Chronicles, # 4) by Marissa Meyer
3. Tricky Twenty-Two (Stephanie Plum, # 22) by Janet Evanovich
4. Six of Crows (The Dregs, # 1) by Leigh Bardugo
5. Legacy of Kings (Blood of Gods and Royals, # 1) by Eleanor Hermon
6. Chaos (Mayhem, # 3) by Jamie Shaw
7. Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
8. End of Days (Penryn and the End of Days, # 3) by Susan Ee
9. Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger

Which 2015 releases did you not get around to reading? Let me know!

The Distance from A to Z - Review

The Distance from A to Z

By: Natalie Blitt

Expected Publication: January 12th 2016 by HarperCollins

316 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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

Goodreads description--This full-length novel by debut author Natalie Blitt is a pitch-perfect blend of Stephanie Perkins and Miranda Kenneally that proves the age-old adage: opposites attract.

Seventeen-year old Abby has only one goal for her summer: to make sure she is fluent in French—well, that, and to get as far away from baseball and her Cubs-obsessed family as possible. A summer of culture and language, with no sports in sight.

That turns out to be impossible, though, because her French partner is the exact kind of boy she was hoping to avoid. Eight weeks. 120 hours of class. 80 hours of conversation practice with someone who seems to exclusively wear baseball caps and jerseys.

But Zeke in French is a different person than Zeke in English. And Abby can’t help but fall for him, hard. As Abby begins to suspect that Zeke is hiding something, she has to decide if bridging the gap between the distance between who she is and who he is, is worth the risk.

The Distance from A to Z sounded like a quick and fun read for me. I found it interesting that Abby felt so strongly against baseball and yet she would find that the guy who's constantly wearing all things baseball is one that she could really fall for. Sounds fun, right? It was. It was cute and fun just like I thought.

The reason why Abby's so against baseball is that her family and a few select boyfriends of the past have neglected Abby in favor of baseball. So it's easy to see how anyone would come to resent the sport were they in Abby's shoes. Yet there were times where I felt like she might be taking things a bit far.

Zeke was likeable. His big secret was pretty obvious, I thought. Because of that the times when Zeke would get mad at Abby when she would get close to his secret that was slightly annoying.

At times the amount of French in The Distance from A to Z was a little frustrating. It basically doubled the amount of words in the book because of how much needed to be translated. Obviously, I can't speak or read French so all of that was basically pointless for me as I was able to skim right over it looking for the translation instead. Periodically the translation wasn't spelled out. Instead you had to use the context of the conversation to determine it. But I did enjoy Abby's love for the language.

Favorite quotes:

-"Here's my thing: I'm a nut about French," I confess. "I love the language, the sound of the letters, the way they feel in my head. The fact that in French you don't say I miss you. You said tu me manques: literally, you are missing from me. Because when you miss someone, it's more than just an active feeling of missing, it's like they have actually taken a piece of you with them when they left, the piece of you that was theirs."

-Like, please don't make out with my across-the-hall neighbor before class because I'm allergic to the smell of her on you.

The Distance from A to Z was a cute and quick read. It wasn't earth shattering, and I might not even remember much about it come the end of the year. But overall it was a solid read. The Distance from A to Z gets 3 stars from me. Have you read The Distance from A to Z? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post - 178 & Stacking the Shelves - 129

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.

This was a fairly uneventful week. I was able to read a good bit more than I expected. I used 85% of my nursing sessions to read. That makes a difference. Sometimes those sessions have to be for adoring baby, and sometimes they make the perfect time to research new mom problems--diaper rash, foremilk/hindmilk imbalance, tummy time, etc. Oh and my friend Amanda had a baby girl this week too. I love that Ever will have a friend so close in age. Friday night we celebrated one brother-in-law's birthday and then Saturday we celebrated another brother-in-law's birthday.

THIS PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of Until Friday Night (The Field Party, # 1) by Abbi Glines (4 Stars)
Tuesday: Top Ten Resolutions for 2016
Wednesday: Waiting on Under the Lights (The Field Party, # 2) by Abbi Glines
Thursday: 2015 EOY Book Survey

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt
Tuesday: Top Ten 2015 Releases I Meant to Read
Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday

Don’t forget to sign up for the 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15, 2016 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.

Banished (Forbidden, # 2)

By: Kimberley Griffiths Little

Expected Publication: February 2nd 2016 by Harpercollins

416 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

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--She thought she’d lost everything . . .

After spending months traveling the harsh, unforgiving Mesopotamian desert, Jayden reunites with a broken, injured Kadesh. Although everyone was convinced the violent and unpredictable Horeb, Jayden’s betrothed, killed the handsome prince, Jayden knew in her heart that her love was alive and safe. But their reunion is short-lived, as they learn Horeb is on their trail and determined to take back the girl he has claimed. Soon, the two star-crossed lovers are on the run toward Sariba, Kadesh’s homeland, where, as heir to the Kingdom, he plans to make Jayden his princess.

But the trek to Sariba is fraught with heartache and danger. After narrowly escaping being stoned to death for a crime she didn’t commit, and learning that her sister has disappeared, Jayden’s only solace is her love for Kadesh. But even he is keeping secrets from her . . . secrets that will change everything.

This gorgeous and enchanting sequel to Forbidden, is full of love, danger, and heated passion that will leave readers breathless.

Walk the Edge (Thunder Road, # 2)

By: Katie McGarry

Expected Publication: March 30th 2016 by Harlequin TEEN

384 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (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--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?

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!