June 7, 2013

First Lines Friday


First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Grab your current read(s).
  • Share the first line(s).
  • Include the title and author.

"Young people! With their hurrying and their worrying and their wanting all the answers now."
 
~ Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

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"New York Cabbies were a unique breed."
 
~ Entwined with You (Crossfire #3) by Sylvia Day

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"The rain fell in sideways sheets, cold and relentless, the winds whipping it in every direction, making an umbrella, slicker, and rain boots nearly useless."   

~ Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger


 

June 6, 2013

Bookish Photo Challenge

Enjoy my photos from a bookish photo-a-day challenge that I recently participated in.

Most Recent Book Haul

Book Nerds, Stand Up \o/

Bookfession

Bookish Blue Apps

Bookish Pet Peeve of Mine

My Bookish Quirks

Bookmarks

Literary Definition

Jay Gatsby

Memorable Scene from Movie Based on Book

Book Quotes

What I Miss

Where My Books Live ~ Good stories and characters stay in mind long after the last page is turned.
 

June 5, 2013

Easy


"'You okay?' For the third time, this question, from him, held deeper significance than the usual, everyday implication." ~ pg. 32

Jacqueline would've never imagined being dumped by the longtime boyfriend she followed to the college of his choice. She is blindsided by the breakup only two months into sophomore year. That is when reality hits. She is at a state university instead of a music school. Her circle of friends took her ex-boyfriend's side and now ignore her. And she's flunking a class because of her lack of focus. Leaving a party alone one night, she is physically attacked by her ex's frat brother. Thank goodness a stranger, named Lucas, was in the right place at the right time to rescue her. Suddenly she notices Lucas everywhere. In her econ class, at the campus Starbucks, in self-defense training... Lucas would be the perfect rebound guy, but who is he really? It's not so easy learning whom and whom not to trust.

Before I delve further into this review, check out the book trailer below.


Simple book trailer, right? But the well written story and underlying message is deep. Serious topics are addressed such as rape, harassment, self-defense, safety, romance, trust and healing. The close-knit Greek world is just as important a character as Jacqueline. I applaud the author, Tammara Webber, for bringing these real life issues to light in a well crafted fiction novel. The author stated she "adores novels with happy endings, because there are enough sad endings in real life." I couldn't agree more. And Tammara Webber is proof that good writers read.

Why did it take me a whole year to discover this book?! There are certain online friends that I will read anything they recommend. It doesn't even matter the genre. I trust their judgment because they know and appreciate good books. So when Easy was recommended by Steph, I did not hesitate to download the eBook onto my NOOK. As I was adding Easy to my Currently Reading goodreads shelf, I noticed that 43 of my friends read and reviewed it with an average of 4-star ratings. So yes, I put it ahead of other TBRs. If Easy isn't already on your shelves, download, borrow or purchase this NYT bestseller. And remember: pay attention to your surroundings.

"Three things are necessary for an assault: an assailant, a victim, and opportunity. Remove opportunity and you take a huge leap in reducing the likelihood of the assault." ~ pg. 94

Title: Easy
Author: Tammara Webber
Published: May 2012
Pages: 233
Edition: eBook
Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

June 4, 2013

Happy Pub Day!


Description:  
Andy and Emily, her former nemesis and co-assistant at Runway magazine, have joined forces to start a highend bridal magazine. Andy writes and travels to her heart’s content; Emily plans parties and secures advertising like a seasoned pro. Even better, Andy has met the love of her life, Max Harrison, and is on top of the world. But karma’s a bitch. The morning of her wedding, she discovers a secret letter with crushing implications, her wedding-day jitters turn to cold dread. She never suspected that her efforts to build a bright new life would lead her back to the darkness she barely escaped ten years ago—and directly into the path of the devil herself. . .

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Description:
The worldwide phenomenon continues as Eva and Gideon face the demons of their pasts and accept the consequences of their obsessive desires…. From the moment I first met Gideon Cross, I recognized something in him that I needed. Something I couldn’t resist. I also saw the dangerous and damaged soul inside—so much like my own. I was drawn to it. I needed him as surely as I needed my heart to beat. No one knows how much he risked for me. How much I’d been threatened, or just how dark and desperate the shadow of our pasts would become. Entwined by our secrets, we tried to defy the odds. We made our own rules and surrendered completely to the exquisite power of possession…. 
 

June 2, 2013

Series Sunday: S.E.C.R.E.T.

(Secret #1)


Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Read an installment of a series.
  • Share your review/recommendation below.
  • Include the title, author and series name.

"Sexual Emancipation of Cassie Robichaud. Exciting Times." ~ pg. 68

My Series Sunday pick is S.E.C.R.E.T., the first book in the Secret series by L. Marie Adeline. Cassie is a young widow whose life is filled with loneliness. Her life has become routine. Wait tables at work, home in her one-bedroom apartment with cat, repeat. But one day, a client at the café leaves behind a notebook. Cassie looks in the notebook hoping to find contact information for its owner and instead discovers explicit sexual confessions. The notebook eventually leads Cassie to an underground society called S.E.C.R.E.T. that helps women make their sexual fantasies come true in a ten-step journey.

No judgment. No limits. No shame.

The first three chapters were slow but the story picks up in the fourth chapter. Erotic fantasies become reality for Cassie as she meets sexy men, loses her inhibitions and transforms into a confident woman who knows her mind, body and desires.

I chose this book not because of the positive reviews or the many claims that this book is a page-turner (it's not), but because the author has my same name. (Although, L. Marie Adeline is a pseudonym for a bestselling author.) Some reviewers compare S.E.C.R.E.T. to the Fifty Shades and Crossfire series. I personally don't think it was as erotic but enjoyed the story and development of the main character nonetheless. I look forward to the second book of the S.E.C.R.E.T. series that is expected to be published in October. I am a sucker for a series and interested to know where this one will lead.

Title: S.E.C.R.E.T.
Author: L. Marie Adeline
Published: February 2013
Pages: 271
Edition: Paperback
Rating: ♥♥♥♡