Blog Tour Stop: Falling for Hadie - Review

Falling For Hadie (With Me, # 2)

By: Komal Kant

Published: CreateSpace

316 pages

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Source: Egalley provided with participation of this blog tour

( Goodreads | Amazon $1.99 Kindle or $7.89 Paperback )

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

Running away from his old life in New York City, Lincoln Bracks ends up in the small town of Statlen, Iowa. He isn’t interested in making friends or getting to know anyone. He just wants to keep his head down and disappear amongst the crowd. That was the plan anyway, until he meets Hadie Swinton.

Nursing a broken heart and the realization that the boy she’s loved her entire life isn’t Prince Charming, Hadie is set against ever falling for the same type of guy again. But when new boy, Lincoln, arrives in town, she discovers that this is easier said than done. Hadie assumes that Lincoln is a typical arrogant jock—he is good-looking, confident and charming—but when he doesn’t do anything she expects him to, she is intrigued by him against her better judgment.

There is definitely more to Lincoln than just a pretty face, but Lincoln is hiding something that he doesn’t want anybody to discover because when they do, they will never look at him the same again. Falling in love was the last thing Lincoln wanted to do, so how will he convince himself to fall out of it?

Recommended for mature readers aged 17+ due to language and sexual content.

My Review:

I was hesitant to accept the offer of participating in the blog tour for this book. For one, I've never done a blog tour before. And reason number two, I haven't read book one in this series. Despite the fact that the Goodreads description says that it can be read as a standalone. But I'm glad that I did. The last two days before starting Falling For Hadie, I was beginning to wonder if I was hitting a reading slump. I started 5 or 6 books and nothing was hooking me--granted I gave one book a max of 7% and the others around like 3%, so it's not like I gave them a fair chance to reel me in. Regardless, Falling For Hadie had no problems hooking me.

While I can completely relate to Hadie's attitude toward the male species in the beginning of the book, I semi-struggled with the depth of the writing during these moments. Hadie seemed a bit immature and the writing felt the same way. As the book progressed, I felt like Hadie grew as a character and Komal Kant grew as an author. Things were looking up.

With the hint of secrets of the past, Link enters the picture, and despite his attempts at remaining closed off from the entire world, he starts to let Hadie in. I should have figured out what was going on with Link much sooner than I did, but Komal Kant did a pretty good job of keeping me guessing about his past and what Link's big secret was.

I feel it's hard to explain how the writing felt like it needed work while at the same time being so thoroughly hooked into the story. I finished Falling for Hadie in less than 24 hours. And Falling for Hadie even brought tears to my eyes at a couple of points--which honestly is not all that easy to do. I'm not the easiest person to make cry, but not the hardest either.

At the end of the experience, I enjoyed Falling for Hadie and even plan to go back and read book 1, Impossible, plus the ones to come as well. Falling for Hadie gets 3.5 Stars from me. Have you read Falling for Hadie? What did you think? Let me know!

( Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Website )

Komal Kant is the author of IMPOSSIBLE, FALLING FOR HADIE, and the upcoming WRONG SIDE OF TOWN. She currently lives in Sydney, but wishes she lived all over the world. You can tell she is weird because her days are filled with talking to imaginary characters and trying to justify choosing Stefan over Damon.

Komal talks too much, laughs too loud, sings out-of-tune, and generally says inappropriate things at appropriate times. She is not-in-a-creepy-way obsessed with blood and gore, so The Walking Dead is probably her favourite show at the moment. She is overly enthusiastic about video games, Spiderman, Batman films, Byronic heroes, horror movies, baking, and pretty shoes.

Other Tour Stops:

9-Jun thebookgirlreads.com Blog Tour Spotlight

9-Jun whatyareading.com Review

10-Jun http://themilelongbookshelf.blogspot.com Author Top Five

11-Jun http://www.thebookbelles.blogspot.com/ Review

12-Jun http://readyourbookcase.blogspot.com/ Author Interview

13-Jun http://whitsbookworld.blogspot.com/ Review

14-Jun www.rainydayreads.com Excerpt Reveal

15-Jun thebookgirlreads.com Review

16-Jun http://kindreddreamheart.blogspot.com/ Guest Post

17-Jun http://spicedlatte.blogspot.com/ Excerpt Reveal

18-Jun http://kitkat1242.blogspot.co.uk Review

19-Jun http://www.two-tall-tales.blogspot.com Excerpt Reveal

20-Jun themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com Book Spotlight

21-Jun http://aboveaveragebelowspecial.blogspot.co.uk/ Review

22-Jun Somewhere Only We Know Review

22-Jun thebookgirlreads.com Tour Wrap-Up/Dream Cast

Under the Never Sky - Review

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, # 1)

By: Veronica Rossi

Published: January 3rd 2012 by HarperCollins

374 pages

Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Fantasy

Source: Borrowed from my SNL, Holly @ Words Fueled by Love

( Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Books-A-Million )

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

Goodreads description--WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.

DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

I put off reading Under the Never Sky because my sister-in-law reviewed it and said she felt like it had a slow start, but she ended up loving it. (You can read her review here.) I really haven't been in the mood to get bogged down with anything that might be slow at all. So despite knowing that she ended up being really impressed with the book, I put off reading it for fear of getting stuck in a slow beginning.

I didn't have that problem. I read Under the Never Sky in around 24 hours. It's one of the better books I've read recently (and I've read some good ones), and I really got wrapped up in it. Sometimes when I'm reading a book that I'm only semi-interested in, I find myself getting sleepy while reading. But that wasn't a problem at all. I was totally absorbed in the world that Veronica Rossi created. Speaking of that, Under the Never Sky is definitely ones of the best worlds I've read recently as well.

Ok I'm trying to stop gushing and write something coherent, but I'm having a difficult time putting my thoughts into words.

Aria, as the description says, has lived in this protected and mostly virtual world her whole life. And she loves it there. Because her mother has gone radio-silent, Aria pretty much worries to the point of taking some risky chances with some friends in order to find out some information about what might have happened to her mother. She ends up thrown into the "outside" world where she expects to die pretty quickly because her people aren't known to be able to survive the outside. However, what she finds is a whole new world that she grows to adapt to and eventually find beautiful.

Perry has always been on the outside. Yet he has a deep struggle between his love for his family, specifically his nephew Talon, and his duty to help his people. Perry's brother, Vale, is Blood Lord over their tribe, and any move Perry makes against Vale's decisions results in this teetering, unstable balance of a fight to the death or Perry leaving the tribe. A crucial incident takes place that forces Perry's hand. He sets off on his mission and there runs into Aria.

I really connected to Aria. She's a quick learner, but I probably connected to Perry more. Aira and Perry come to an uneasy agreement, and then strike off on their journey together in hopes of solving both of their problems and returning to their homes. Aria and Perry are both quick to believe everything they've been taught about the other's culture and thus the tension between them. Aria thinks Perry is a savage and will just as quickly eat her as help her. Perry thinks Aria is a spoiled by her virtual worlds and will just as likely get herself killed as actually help him in their mission. But they suck it up and continue, all the while grieving in their own ways and for their own reasons. I also really enjoyed the alternating POVs, because I like to see how each character sees and preceives differently.

I loved the development between Aria and Perry. How they slowly begin to trust each other. How they both annoy each other to death at first, but then eventually small moments of kindness eek out and are seen. I loved how Aria begins to adapt to the outside. How I can see her change and grow. I'm intrigued by Perry's ability to scent tempers and the other Marks in this world. The Aether too. What a terrifying but beautiful picture. The beginning jumped into this world with terms that we're not accustom to, but it didn't take me long to figure them out and I actually enjoy being thrown into this world this way. I don't want every difference from the real world to the created world to be laid out for me like I'm not capable of figuring it out on my own.

I don't think there was too much of anything about Under the Never Sky that I didn't like. I've got Through the Ever Night in my possession, but I have to read some other review books before I can pick it up. I must say that I've got that feeling in my gut that I won't be satisfied until I get my hands and eyes on Through the Ever Night.

Under the Never Sky gets 4 stars from me. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys world building and dystopian novels. Have you read Under the Never Sky? What did you think? Let me know!

Waiting on The Distance Between Us

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

The Distance Between Us

By: Kasie West

Expected Publication: July 2nd 2013 by Harper Teen

320 pages

Genre: YA, Contemporary

(Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Booksamillion.com)

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

Goodreads description--Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

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

Top Ten Books on my Summer 2013 TBR List

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Books on my Summer 2013 TBR List.

I don't always do very well at sticking to these lists, but I do like to have some sort of plan for my upcoming reads.

1) Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon, # 1) by Anna Banks

2) Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

3) Siege and Storm (The Grisha, # 2) by Leigh Bardugo

4) A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, # 4) by George R R Martin

5) The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey, # 3) by Julie Kagawa

6) The Redemption of Callie and Kayden (The Coincidence, # 2) by Jessica Sorensen

7) Losing Hope (Hopeless, # 2) by Collen Hoover

8) Angel of Mercy (Cambion, # 3) by Shannon Dermott

9) Passion (Fallen, # 3) by Lauren Kate

10) Demons (Seers, # 2) by Heather Frost

That's it for my Summer 2013 TBR list. What are you guys hoping to read this summer? Let me know!

A Shade of Vampire - Review

A Shade of Vampire (A Shade of Vampire, # 1)

By: Bella Forrest

Published: December 14th 2012

149 pages

Genre: YA, Paranormal

Source: Author in exchange for an honest review(Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

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

Goodreads description--On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.

A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.

She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine. An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.

Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.

Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.

Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?

I'm always a bit wary when an author contacts me to review their book. I mean initially I was so stoked to even be considered and asked that I didn't pay much attention to what I was being asked to read. And as I'm sure most bloggers have had similar experiences, the first few I was asked to read and I agreed to weren't the most high quality material. However, I've been pleasantly surprised more than once, and A Shade of Vampire is one that falls into that category.

The only issues I really had with A Shade of Vampire is that the two main characters didn't have distinct enough voices. For instance, Sofia uses the word "sup" earlier in the book when Derek is nowhere around (or it may have even been in her head), and later Derek uses that same word. I understand that "sup" (as in eating, dining, etc) is a common enough word for more than one person to be familiar with it. But it's not a common enough word for two people to use in every day conversation in the exact same context--at least people that I know. This happens again later in the book. Sofia is thinking to herself that she has reservations about something Derek has asked her to do, and Derek immediately tells her that he understands that she has reservations. I think the author should have chosen a different word from Sofia to Derek. It's one thing for Derek to be able to read her facial expressions and get the general concept of what she's thinking, but to use the exact word she just thought (without the ability to read minds) is just a bit too much for me. Rookie mistakes, and not even a huge issue. Just a minor peeve of mine--I need the characters to have distinct voices and for the author to maintain a proper awareness of what information each characters has.

The story line wasn't necessarily completely original, but I was hooked fairly early on, and from there, I didn't really want to put the book down. That was a combination of knowing it was only 149 pages so it should be a quick and easy read for me and actually being invested in the story.

The main characters feel fairly well flushed out in the author's mind--she seems to know all of the backstories to each of her characters. However, much of the past has yet to be revealed. I was worried when Sofia talks about how the doctors haven't been able to fully diagnose her and with the disorders that she mentions in relation to herself, I was fully prepared to hate her. Such paranoia was unnecessary on my part.

Ultimately, I found A Shade of Vampire to have some small peeves and to be a little cheesy, but I personally don't mind cheese. I was more impressed with this book than I thought I would be so that's always nice. I'm giving A Shade of Vampire 3.5 Stars. Have you read A Shade of Vampire? If so, what did you think? Let me know!