January 2016 Book Haul | In My Mailbox

W...W...W...Wednesday 27/01/2016

To play along, just answer the following 3 questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

My current read is Grayson's Vow by Mia Sheridan

I recently finished reading An Ounce of Hope by Sophie Jackson

I think my next read will be The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst

#BUILT BLOG TOUR by Jay Crownover

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harper (28 Jan. 2016)
• ISBN-10: 0008116237
• ISBN-13: 978-0008116231

From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men books comes an electrifying new spin-off series,Saints of Denver, featuring all the characters fans have been dying to read about.

Sayer Cole and Zeb Fuller couldn’t be more different. She’s country club and fine-dining, he’s cell-block and sawdust. Sayer spends her days in litigation, while Zeb spends his working with his hands. She’s French silk, he’s all denim and flannel.

Zeb’s wanted the stunning blonde since the moment he laid eyes on her. It doesn't matter how many smooth moves he makes, the reserved lawyer seems determinedly oblivious to his interest—either that or she doesn't return it. Sayer is certain the rough, hard, hot-as-hell Zeb could never want someone as closed off and restrained as she is, which is a shame because something tells her he might be the guy to finally melt her icy exterior.

But just as things start to heat up, Zeb is blindsided by a life altering moment from his past. He needs Sayer’s professional help to right a wrong and to save more than himself. He can’t risk what’s at stake just because his attraction to Sayer feels all consuming. But as these opposites dig in for the fight of their lives, battling together to save a family, the steam created when fire and ice collide can no longer be ignored.Sayer Cole and Zeb Fuller are as different as two people can be. She’s country club and fine-dining, he’s cell-block and kill it and grill it. Sayer spends her days in litigation, while Zeb spends his working with his hands. She’s French silk while he’s denim and flannel.

The differences between the two of them don’t stop Zeb from dropping every hint he can think of that he would like to get to know her on a more personal level, but Sayer seems oblivious to his interest or is just too nice to tell him to take a hike. To Sayer, a guy like Zeb could never be interested in someone as reserved and boring as she is. She’s never been with anyone that was hot enough to melt the icy exterior she’s had wrapped around hera since her awful childhood. But what if Zeb is the one who might finally thaw her out…?

Cover:  I love this cover.  The black and white, with the vibrant pop of pink really makes it stand out.

I also like that it compliments the Marked Men series.

I've been a massive fans of Jay Crownover's Marked Men series from the second that I picked up Rule.  

So when I found out about a new series from her- I was extremely excited.  

Then I got even more excited when I found out that while it was a new series, it was still connected to the Marked Men - Sayer is Rowdy's sister.

On paper Zeb and Sayer shouldn't work- but there's this attraction and chemistry between them that shows otherwise.  I seem to love stories where the love interests are TOTAL opposites

As always Jay Crownover has written a guy to swoon over.  I love Zeb just as much as I loved Rule...and I LOVED Rule...just saying.  I found myself rooting for Zeb and Sayer- despite wanting to shake Sayer at some points.

While you don't have to read the Marked Men series first, I do think it gives you a nice platform to start this series, you'll be able to see connections and already know a few characters that pop up here and there.  And if you enjoyed the Marked Men series- then you need to pick this one up!!  I look forward to more installments in this series.

Definitely one to read!

Recommends for;

Romance lovers, New Adult fans, Marked Men readers

Teaser Tuesday 26/01/2016 'Grayson's Vow'

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read

- Open to a random pageShare two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

This week's teaser comes comes from the 88% mark of Grayson's Vow by Mia Sheridan.

"It was a gray dreary day in downtown Napa, made drearier by the fact that I had just pawned the ring I'd given Kira on our wedding day for some much needed cash.  Shame and embarrassment engulfed me.  This was what I'd been reduced to-again.  I had originall bought the ring for Vanessa, and yet handing it across the counter to the pawn shop owner had brought a sharp ache to my chest, not because of whom I had bought it for, but for whim I had ended up giving it to,  Kira."

Across a Moonswept Moor by Julie Moffett

Paperback
Publisher: Love Spell (Aug. 2001)
ISBN-10: 0505524481
ISBN-13: 978-0505524485

A love match...

An enchanted dagger bearing a mysteriously familiar inscription pointed Fiona Chancellor to Ireland in search of her missing cousin. Then a midnight visit to Celtic holy ground slid her into the seventeenth-century--and into the arms of the most gorgeous male she had ever seen. But after one clash with the stubborn man, Fiona longed only for her twentieth-century comforts.

Instead, she found herself pressed against Ian Maclaren, galloping across moonswept moors to escape death. The hot-blooded barbarian ordered her about as if she were a soldier. But his kisses left no doubt he thought of her as a woman, and soon she knew she would trade a thousand bubble baths for one of his passionate embraces. For although she had traveled across three centuries into the past, it had taken only a moment for her heart to recognize she had met her match.

Cover: Another typical romance cover, but I love it.

I re-read the first book in this duology recently, A Double Edged-Blade, and loved it just as much the second time around as I did the first.

But I had no idea there was a follow up novel, until the author mentioned it to me on Instagram.  So I immediately went about tracking it down.

And I’m glad I did.

Across a Moonswept Moor follows the story of Faith’s cousin, Fiona.  Fiona is still looking into the mystery of her cousin’s sudden disappearance during a mission in Ireland- and herself ends up travelling back in time- where she is reunited with Faith, but also is introduced to a Scotsman called Ian.

The romance between Ian and Fiona didn’t strike me as believable as Miles and Faith’s- because I think theirs built more gradually, whereas Ian and Fiona’s seemed quite sudden.  I wished for development between the two.

However, I did still enjoy it, and I loved seeing the characters from the first book again.

4/5 stars.

Weekly Vlog #1 Jan16 | Broken Glasses, Currently Reading, Rosie Update

My Anticipated Releases of 2016

[BLOGTOUR] An Ounce of Hope by Sophie Jackson

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Headline Eternal (5 Jan. 2016)
• ISBN-10: 1472224663
• ISBN-13: 978-1472224668

From the fanfic phenom whose debut A Pound of Flesh had over 4.5 million reads, this sequel, An Ounce of Hope, tells the passionate love story of Carter’s best friend, Max.

Max O’Hare can’t seem to let go of his past: his drug habit, the end of his relationship with Lizzie Jordan, the woman he knows he’ll never get over, and the loss of their unborn son.

After successfully completing rehab and learning to explore his deepest fears and dreams through painting, Max meets Grace Brooks. With her innate optimism, and her love of art and photography, Grace appears to be the perfect girl. Yet no one knows where she came from, or why she keeps her past so closely guarded. Over time, Max and Grace gradually allow each other in—but will he ever be able to fully let go of his past? Or will his heart remain closed forever?

Sophie’s Selection Of Songs From The AN OUNCE OF HOPE Playlist:

* ‘Bloodstream’ – Ed Sheeran https://youtu.be/XIJHg1XWR7o

* ‘Salvation’ – Gabrielle Aplin https://youtu.be/3IEMnWhT_7c

* ‘Latch (Acoustic)’ – Sam Smith https://youtu.be/pUK6HlzNWEg
* ‘Brazen (Weep)’ – Skunk Anansie https://youtu.be/BC4FN4uubYQ
* ‘Hedonism’ – Skunk Anansie https://youtu.be/LLs-JP5FGAg
* ‘Let Me Down Easy (Acoustic)’ – Paolo Nutini https://youtu.be/bC5_gJXUh-I
* ‘Give Me Love’ – Ed Sheeran https://youtu.be/FOjdXSrtUxA
* ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell https://youtu.be/Ni7HVJO8sHM
* ‘Please Don’t Say You Love Me’ – Gabrielle Aplin https://youtu.be/PxNYvk_0Onw
* ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’ – The Verve https://youtu.be/ToQ0n3itoII

Waiting On Wednesday 20/01/16 'A Thousand Boy Kisses'

 

Waiting on Wednesday is all about sharing the books that I'm eagerly waiting to be released.

This week the book that I'm waiting on is A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole.  A stand alone novel by one of my all time favourite authors- CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS ONE.

Cover, synopsis and released date were all unveiled today.

Release date 15th March.

One kiss lasts a moment.
But a thousand kisses can last a lifetime.

One boy.
One girl.
A bond that is forged in an instant and cherished for a decade.
A bond that neither time nor distance can break.
A bond that will last forever.
Or so they believe.
When seventeen-year-old Rune Kristiansen returns from his native Norway to the sleepy town of Blossom Grove, Georgia, where he befriended Poppy Litchfield as a child, he has just one thing on his mind. Why did the girl who was one half of his soul, who promised to wait faithfully for his return, cut him off without a word of explanation?
Rune’s heart was broken three years ago when Poppy fell silent. When he discovers the truth, he finds that the greatest heartache is yet to come. 

Standalone Young Adult Tearjerker Romance.

W...W...W...Wednesday 20/01/2016

To play along, just answer the following 3 questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

My current read is An Ounce of Hope by Sophie Jackson

I recently finished reading Winter by Marissa Meyer

I think my next read will be Built by Jay Crownover

Teaser Tuesday 19/01/2016 'An Ounce of Hope'

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read

- Open to a random pageShare two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

This week's teaser comes from page 88 of An Ounce of Hope by Sophie Jackson.

"Nina lifted her chin, watching Grace in that all-knowing way of hers.  "Grace, this is the first time since we started these sessions twenty-eight months ago that you've mentioned a man other than your brother or your ex-husband and, what's even more encouraging is that you're attracted to him.  Regardless of where you decide to take this, or whether he wants the same thing, remember, this is a step in the right direction."

Where The Hearts Leads by Jeanell Bolton

• Format: Kindle Edition
• Print Length: 368 pages
• Publisher: Forever Yours (17 Nov. 2015)
• ASIN: B00QQPJXVU

A woman's past...

A new beginning. It's the only thing former child star Moira Farrar wants. Putting her painful Hollywood memories in the rearview mirror, she's headed to Texas and to an exciting new job directing a small-town theater group. But it's the sinfully sexy smile of red-headed rancher Rafe McAllister that makes Moira really dream of starting over—even though she knows that anything more than a fling would set the stage for heartbreak.

A cowboy's future...

When Rafe buried his wife three years ago, he buried his heart along with her. Now, the only woman in his life is his daughter . . . and all of the women in Bosque Bend know that. But from the moment he lays eyes on Moira, he feels alive again. Maybe it's her quick wit and clear-eyed compassion. Whatever it is, Rafe wants Moira, body and soul. So why is she so skittish? Rafe aims to find out—before his second chance at happiness rides off into the sunset...
Cover:  I don't understand this cover- it's made to look like a Young Adult novel with two teen-ageish type characters on the front.  This is not a young adult novel.  It's an adult contemporary.  Weird.  I like the cover itself- it just doesn't match the story.

Unfortunately- I didn't enjoy this book.
It was slow, and kinda dull.
I didn't feel any chemistry between the two protagonists.
The suspense fell flat and the mystery was no mystery at all.
It was all very obvious.
The copious descriptions and repetion of the play, and the music etc, just bored me to tears really.
I just didn't have any interest in this book.
I feel
1/5 stars.

2016 Reading Resolutions

Waiting On Wednesday 13/01/2015 'Salt to the Sea'

 

Waiting on Wednesday is all about sharing the books that I'm eagerly waiting to be released.

 This week the book that I'm waiting on is Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys.  Released February 9th.
I'm yet to read any of Ruta's other books, but I am really intrigued by the sound of this one.

The author of Between Shades of Gray returns to WWII in this epic novel that shines a light on one of the war's most devastating—yet unknown—tragedies.

In 1945, World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia, and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, almost all of them with something to hide. Among them are  Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer toward safety.

Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.

W...W...W...Wednesday 13/01/2015

To play along, just answer the following 3 questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

 

My current read is Winter by Marissa Meyer

I recently finished reading Sweet Hope by Tillie Cole

I think my next read will be Grayson's Vow by Mia Sheridan

Teaser Tuesday 12/01/2015 'Winter'

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read

- Open to a random pageShare two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

This week's teaser once again comes from Winter by Marissa Meyer, the fourth and final book in The Lunar Chronicles.  Page 336.






"But she'd been tricked.  Selene was alive and attempting to take her throne from her.  Her attention refocused on the screens.  "These are my people," she whispered.  "My blood and my soul.  I am their queen."

December 2015 Favourites

Sweet Fall (Sweet Home #2 Carillo Boys #1) by Tillie Cole

• Format: Kindle Edition
• Print Length: 441 pages
• Publisher: Tillie Cole LLC; 1 edition (26 Aug. 2014)
• ASIN: B00MQGABYQ

From the USA Today Best Selling Sweet Home Series, comesSweet Fall; a tale of heartache, beating the odds and finding strength in the most unlikeliest of places. 

We all have secrets.

Secrets well buried.

Until we find the one soul who makes the burden of such secrets just that little bit easier to bear.

Lexington "Lexi" Hart is a senior at the University of Alabama. Surrounded by her best friends, her loving family and having fulfilled her life-long dream of making the Crimson Tide cheer squad, everything is going exactly as she always dreamed it would. But beneath her happy exterior, demons lurk, threatening to jeopardize everything Lexi has worked to achieve. When events in her life become too much to cope with, Lexi finds herself spiraling down into the realm of her biggest fear. Lexi falls hard, victim once again to the only thing that can destroy her and, on the way, finds herself falling straight into the dangerous tattooed arms of a guy from the wrong side of the tracks.

Austin Carillo, starting Wide Receiver for the Alabama Crimson Tide, must get picked in this year's NFL draft. He needs it. His brothers need it. Most importantly, his mother desperately needs it. Brought up in a world where the poor are forgotten, the sick are left to fend for themselves and no hero miraculously appears to pull you out of hell, Austin had no other choice but to make a living on the wrong side of the law—until football offered Austin the break to get his life back on track. But when a family tragedy drags him back into the clutches of the gang he believed he had left far behind, Austin finds himself falling. Falling back into criminal ways and falling deep into a suffocating darkness. Until a troubled yet kindred spirit stumbles across his path, where Austin quickly finds he is falling for a young woman, a young woman who might just have the power to save him from his worst enemy: himself.

Can two troubled souls find a lasting peace together? Or will they finally succumb to the demons threatening to destroy them?

New Adult/Contemporary Romance novel—contains adult content, sexual situations and mature topics. Suited for ages 18 and up.

Can be read as a stand-alone novel.

Cover: Simple, yet relevant.  Perfect.

I love Tillie Cole. 
I literally love everything of hers I've read.  She's like my spirit animal.
My favourite series of hers remains, and probabily will always remain, The Hades Hangmen series.  It has a special place in my heart.
I read the first book in the Sweet Home series, and while I really enjoyed it, I didn't love it quite as much as The Hades Hangmen.
But Sweet Fall got it back on track.
Major love for this book.
I love the characters, their chemistry, the plot, gang culture, series topics- basically A TILLIE COLE BOOK HAS EVERYTHING YOU COULD WANT!!
Austin and Lexie.  I loved them as characters.
On paper, Lexie and Austin shouldn't work.
Doctor's daughter and recovering anorexic Lexie, and ex-gangmenber footballer Austin.  And yet they are inextricably drawn to each other.
5/5 stars.
A must read.

Read from December 14 to 18, 2015

December 2015 Reading Wrap Up

W...W...W....Wednesday 06/01/2015

 To play along, just answer the following 3 questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

I'm currently reading Winter by Marissa Meyer

I recently finished reading Sweet Hope by Tillie Cole

I think my next read will be Grayson's Vow by Mia Sheridan

Teaser Tuesday 05/01/2015 'Winter'

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read

- Open to a random pageShare two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

This week's teaser comes from page 71 of Winter by Marissa Meyer, the fourth and final book in The Lunar Chronicles.




"She squeezed her eyes shut and fanned her fingers against the wall, as if she could feel his heartbeat through the stone.
Instead she felt something warm and sticky.
Gasping, she pulled away, finding her palm stained with blood.
Wxasperated, she used the bloody hand to push her hair back, although it instantly tumbled forward again.  "Not now," she hissed to whatever demon thought this was an appropriate time to give her visions."

Sweet Rome (Sweet Home #1.5) by Tillie Cole

Format: Kindle Edition

Print Length: 465 pages
ASIN: B00I4D2QYS

You met Romeo Prince in the Amazon & USA Today bestselling novel, Sweet Home. Now hear the story from his lips: unbarred, uncensored, and raw to the bone.

It makes me laugh when I hear folks think Molly and I rushed into things too fast, spouting that we couldn't possibly have felt what we did for each other in such a short space of time. I say, how the hell would they know? We made it, didn't we? She became my whole life, didn't she? And as for my folks not being real, being true? Tell that to me aged ten, eleven, twelve—damn, all my bastard life—when I was never enough, when I was beaten until I bled for being too good at football and not being everything they'd dreamed: the perfectly dutiful son. Tell that to thousands of kids around the world getting wailed on by asshole parents for whatever stupid reason; tell them evil don't exist in their eyes.

Fuck Romeo and Juliet. This is the story of me and my girl, from my lips. No mushy sentiment, no cheese, just the plain, hard truth, and, because I'm feeling generous, I'm going to let you in on more of our story too.

Sweet Rome is a New Adult Companion Novel to Sweet Home—contains adult content, sexual situations, and mature topics. Suited for ages 18 and up.
 Cover:  I like how the cover matches the first one.

I really love Tillie Cole's Hades Hangmen series- so I was stoked when I found she had more more books for me to get my teeth stuck into whilst waiting for my next Hangmen fix.
I read the first book in this particular series- and really enjoyed it, BUT I really missed having the male protagonist's point of view, and really think the story would have benefited from having his perspective.
So I was definitely looking forward to getting Rome's thoughts and feelings.  Seeing how much he loved and needed Molly- and I loved the bonus scenes.  My heart melted at some of the emotional scenes in this one.
Definitely worth picking up if you enjoyed Sweet Home.
I still think Sweet Home should have been told in alternating perspectives but still glad I got his POV at all.

4.5/5 stars.

Read from August 28 to 31, 2015

My Top 10 Books of 2015