Friday, February 21, 2014

Beautiful Addictions by Season Vining

*Received for review via NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Season Vining*

Josie Banks is a girl without a past.  After being found unconscious with no memory, she was shuffled in and out of foster homes where she suffered years of abuse. An experience that left her broken, damaged, and clinging to drugs and meaningless hook-ups to numb her pain.

When Josie disappeared years ago, she took a piece of Tristan with her.  She’s the girl he thought he lost forever—the one he’s never been able to forget.  Now a twist of fate has brought them back together, and he never wants to let her out of his inked arms again.  But Tristan is haunted by a dark past of his own.  On the run from ruthless criminals that shattered Josie’s world years ago, reentering her life puts them both in danger.

As Josie and Tristan’s lives become tangled once again, they find themselves unwilling and unable to escape the relentless pull that draws them together.  But will the past leave their love in ruins—or bind them together for a lifetime?


This book was definitely not for me. It was a little too dark and heavy for my tastes. That's not to say that this book isn't good, just not my cup of tea. 

Josie and Tristan are both screwed up in their own ways. They're both stuck and unhappy in their lives. I never really felt connected to Josie or Tristan, but I think that might have more to do with me not being able to relate to what either one of them is going through. I guess I just didn't understand them. 

This book was written very well, but it did confuse me when the point-of-view would switch around, not only between Tristan and Josie, but between other characters that majorly factor into the story. I think I would have liked it better if these jumps between character POV were spaced out better, maybe even in separate chapters. Even if the chapter was small it would have helped me, cause I felt like there would be a HUGE change from one paragraph to the next. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a darker kind of romance story with lots of action, drugs, and murder, but be prepared to see the darker side of addiction and abuse. 

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

College Boys (Men of Holsum College # 1) by Daisy Harris

*Big thanks to NetGalley, Siren Publishing, and Daisy Harris for the free copy to review*


When soccer star Chris Fischer moves next door to an openly gay classmate, he doesn't realize the wall between their rooms will be so thin he'll hear his neighbor's every move. But soon he and Peter become friends, and Chris is intrigued—imagining what happens on the other side of the wall.

Active on the Queer Student Council, Peter Cohen wishes he wasn't so damn hot for his straight neighbor. He can't tell if Chris is flirting or in denial or what, but Chris's innocent overtures lure Peter into flirtation that throws his world into chaos. Peter doesn't want to date a closet case, but he desperately, passionately wants Chris.

Soon Chris must choose whether to run away from his new feelings or embrace a relationship with the guy he loves. And Peter must decide if he can give his heart to a guy who hasn't yet figured it all out. -Goodreads.com


When I started reading this I planned on only reading a few chapters. I was busy and had chores I needed to get done, but I wanted a reading break. It was a bad idea to start reading this book cause I got no chores done and ended up reading the whole book in one sitting! (Although this book really isn't super long, only about 1,400 pages on my kindle). 

I loved the characters. Peter and Chris both came off and very sincere and real. They also are both nice people, and aren't jerks, which I liked a lot! The way it was written was really great too and very addictive. I was half way done with the book before I even knew I'd read that long. 

This book really got me thinking though about gay rights and how people are treated differently at times for loving the person they love. It just made me angry, even though this book doesn't delve that deep into all of those issues. This is a coming-of-age story, where both Chris and Peter find themselves and accept themselves for who they are. 

My only complaint I guess would be that it kind of got a little smutty in some spots. It's a romance novel though, and I kind of expected that would happen at least once or twice, so it wasn't a huge shocker. haha

Blood Descent (Blood Hunters # 3) by Marie Treanor

A child is born...into the final showdown of Vampire and Hunter

The face of a killer, the heart of a lost child… Konrad once led the legendary first team of Hungarian vampire hunters. Now, refusing to ally with the undead, he goes his own way, slaughtering vampires across the length and breadth of Europe.

The dying thoughts of one such vampire send Konrad to Britain in search of a dangerous instrument that might be just what he needs in his obsessive war with undead overlord Saloman – a war he’s determined to win at any cost. The only being who can lead him to the instrument and its current, evil possessor, is sexy, mysterious, young Glaswegian vampire Maggie, who holds herself aloof from her own kind.

Maggie sees much more than Konrad’s anger and cruelty. She makes it her mission to reach beyond the horrors of his past and find the man he should have been. Difficult, when he threatens her heart as well as everything she believes in; and when her whole being clamors for his body and his blood.

While journalists circle, about to break the news of vampire existence on mainstream television, Elizabeth Silk labors to give birth to Saloman’s daughter, and Maggie plays a dangerous game that risks everyone for her belief in one troubled man. - Goodreads.com


Okay, so I was planning on reading a few other books before I came back to this vampire romance series, but I just had to find out what happened next!

I really didn't understand the whole part with the journalist, Lisa, and I don't really understand why Soloman wants vampires to be out in the open. They've kind of been living it up without the majority of humans knowing about them, so why rock the boat? 


This book follows Konrad, who can be summed up in one simple word, DUMB. He's so hellbent on killing Soloman that he's throwing his whole life away, including his closest friends. Ironically, it's the vampire Maggie who wants to save him. He annoyed me so much in the other books, and at first I really wasn't very enthusiastic about spending a whole book with mainly just him. 


I did warm up to his character though after learning more of his back-story and how he came to hate all vampires. Also it helped in understanding that he wasn't always a crazy vampire slayer, that life had been thrust upon him. 


I loved Maggie. She was smart, compassionate, and strong. I felt like Maggie was just a girl that became a vampire, but she was still very much a person with values.


This book was okay. I read these books really fast. I did enjoy that this book had a lot more plot behind it than book 2 did, which was pretty much just vampire smut. 

Sunday, February 16, 2014

OMG. That's Paleo by Juli Bauer


OMG. That's Paleo? features 30 new recipes never seen before on author Juli Bauer's blog, paleomg.com, as well as a selection of her best blog recipes. Sections include poultry, beef, pork, fish/seafood, slow cooker, sweet and savory breakfasts, baked goods, 5-ingredient meals, side dishes, snacks and desserts; and each recipe features a color photo. Juli also writes about the paleo diet in general and why it works for her, suggestions for keeping a kitchen well stocked, and recommended resources for further reading. And just like her blog, you can expect plenty of funny stories and awkward moments.

First off, any cookbook that incorporates bacon into the recipes is definitely going to be a winner! 

I really want to try the majority of the recipes shown in this book, but there is one that makes me want to rush out to the grocery store, grab the ingredients, and start cooking right now! It's the Maple Bacon Pecan Pumpkin Donuts! I think that's about as close to heaven on Earth as you're going to get! haha

I also really want to try the carrot fries recipe. I've had sweet potato fries and I loved them. I've also made carrot cake from scratch and loved that as well, so these should be a win for me! Don't know why I didn't find them sooner.

The author's voice is very unique and I loved that. It made this more than just a boring run of the mill cookbook, it was like being given recipes from an old friend. I also love that the author has her own blog, which I now look forward to following! You can follow her too at paleomg.com

Saturday, February 15, 2014

From This Day Forward: Dragon Shifters of Derkesthai Academy by Mackenzie Lucas

From This Day Forward is the second story in the Derkesthai Academy Dragon Shifter series--a hot contemporary paranormal romance series with mystery and suspense elements where dragon shifters hunt a magickal hoard thief who threatens to bring down the entire dragon mage race. In the small town of Mystic Springs, only love and betrayal can show true character and the best signs are those hidden. Join April and Noah as they fight an unidentified evil who threatens everything they value.

Noah Easton, a Special Forces dragon shifter, escapes the torture of a hoard thief bent on stealing dragon hoard stones and their elemental power from the mages who possess them, but the situation becomes personal when the hoard thief targets April, the woman he loves. He must return to his hometown of Mystic Springs to protect his own hoard from a magickal threat he cannot identify before he loses everything.

April is a modern day oracle. She reads tea leaves and just about anything else that can predict coming events. However, past abandonment issues make her resistant to reading her own signs. But when evil comes to Mystic Springs, April must face her biggest fears of abandonment and betrayal in order to save what’s most important to her. Only by studying the past and owning her future can she stop a magickal criminal who threatens to steal everything she’s ever loved and destroy the one dragon mage who holds her heart always and forever. - Goodreads



I never really felt connected to the main characters. April and Noah both are nice and decent people, and they're both interesting because of their magical abilities. This might sound strange, seeing as how this is a fictional story, but the characters just never felt "real" to me. They were really fake and insincere the way they acted.

One thing from the very beginning that I guess annoyed me with this, or more like just confused my brain, was that the town is called Mystic Springs. I'm a huge Vampire Diaries fan and my brain just kept wanting to change it to Mystic Falls, which is then how I fall down the rabbit hole of smokin hot vampires (Damon fan here!). haha

I almost wonder if I didn't like this just because it is a novella and not an actual novel. Although, it was longer than I would expect a novella to be. I don't think I'll be checking out the other books this this series, I just didn't like this enough. 


I would like to find more books with dragons or dragon shapeshifters, cause this did spark my interest in that subject. Any suggestions?

Friday, February 14, 2014

Happy Valentine's Day!

<3 Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! <3

I hope you're all having an awesome day, whether you're celebrating with someone special or just flying solo. Either way, here's some bookish love to hopefully brighten up your day.








Thursday, February 13, 2014

Alienated by Melissa Landers

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them. 

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class. 

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.- Goodreads.com


This is the first alien-human romance book I've read, and I loved it! 

I've been looking forward to reading this book for a few months now, and after seeing that it had such good reviews I had to check it out for myself. It was so good and easy to read, I practically read it in one sitting, which is a testament to how entertaining it really is.

Some things in this book did give me the creeps though. The fact that Aelyx doesn't have a belly button and that he only has 4 toes per foot, because somehow the pinky toe became obsolete on his planet, was strange. Once I got past that though I did start to warm up to his character, since he is very interesting, and so smart (cause I love dudes with brains!) haha

I liked that the romance between Cara and Aelyx was so slow to form, but once things started, whoa there were sparks between these two! Lots and lots of sparks!

I can't wait to read the next book, Invaded, which sadly doesn't come out until early next year.