Appaloosa Summer by Tudor Robins

Sixteen-year-old Meg Traherne has never known loss. Until the beautiful, talented horse she trained herself, drops dead underneath her in the show ring.

Jared Strickland has been living with loss ever since his father died in a tragic farming accident.

Meg escapes from her grief by changing everything about her life; moving away from home to spend her summer living on an island in the St. Lawrence River, scrubbing toilets and waiting on guests at a B&B.

Once there, she meets Jared; doing his best to keep anything else in his life from changing.

When Jared offers Meg a scruffy appaloosa mare out of a friend’s back field, it’s the beginning of a journey that will change both of them by the end of the summer.

The start of this book really upset me (probably from being pregnant and over-emotional about EVERYTHING!) but I wasn't sure I wanted to even continue reading. I'm so glad I did though. This book turned out to be amazing and a perfect summer read for anyone who loves horses. 

I have an Appaloosa horse, Shadow, which I've had and loved for 13+ years, but he's getting old and coming to the end of his life. This book helped me realize that even when he is gone that doesn't mean I will never love another horse. Also another horse will never replace the memories and love I have for Shadow. 

I would completely recommend this to any of my horse loving, book reading friends! 

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

In this timeless new trilogy about love and sacrifice, a princess must find her place in a reborn world.

In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.

On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.

*Big thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Mary E. Pearson for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Wow this book really takes you all over! I loved the world building part of this more than anything, and A LOT of this literary world is shown. I wish I could move to and live the rest of my life in Terravin! That place sounds amazing!

I really liked Lia. She made a great main character and wasn't afraid to work hard for what she wanted, which was just a normal life where she could choose her own path. I loved her friend/maid, Pauline, even more. She was fiercely loyal to Lia and overall just a great person and friend for Lia to have in her life.

I'm not sure how I feel about the two main men in this book. They both have their moments, but it gets confusing in this love triangle that isn't really a love triangle, but I have a feeling might turn into a love triangle later on at some point. 

The only thing that I really hate about this book is that I have to wait a whole year now to find out what happens next!!! 

Baby

I've been horrible at reading and and reviewing lately, but I have an excuse! I'm having a baby! Between morning sickness, that for me has been lasting ALL day, and wanting to sleep like a hibernating bear, I haven't been very interested in reading. Thankfully for my books I am almost done with the 1st Trimester and feeling human again. I'm excited about reading more often and I can't wait to meet our future book nerd!

Catch a Falling Star by Kim Culbertson

Nothing ever happens in Little, CA. Which is just the way Carter Moon likes it. But when Hollywood arrives to film a movie starring former child star turned PR mess Adam Jakes, everything changes. Carter's town becomes a giant glittery set and, much to her annoyance, everyone is starry-eyed for Adam. Carter seems to be the only girl not falling all over herself to get a glimpse of him. Which apparently makes her perfect for the secret offer of a lifetime: playing the role of Adam's girlfriend while he's in town, to improve his public image, in exchange for a hefty paycheck. Her family really needs the money and so Carter agrees. But it turns out Adam isn't at all who she thought he was. As they grow closer, their relationship walks a blurry line between what's real and what's fake, and Carter must open her eyes to the scariest of unexplored worlds - her future. Can Carter figure out what she wants out of life AND get the guy? Or are there no Hollywood endings in real life?

*A Big Thanks to Netgalley, Scholastic, and Kim Culbertson*


At first I was a little wary of this book. It took me a little bit to start to like the characters, but when I did, everything just clicked for me and I really enjoyed this book. 

I think what I was turned off by at first was the Adam Jakes character, and in my mind I automatically equated him to someone like Justin Bieber. And I was not thrilled to read a whole book that made me think of someone that I view as an entitled douche. As the story went on though he became his own persona in my mind, and I actually came to like his character, all flaws included. 

I really liked Carter though, and I liked reading a book where the girl didn't feel fake or like the only thing she cares about is finding a guy to love her. I love books where I feel completely different about the characters in the end. 

Isn't She Lovely by Lauren Layne

Stephanie Kendrick gave up her whole summer to ace her NYU film school screenwriting course, so she's pissed to be stuck with a preppy, spoiled frat boy as her writing partner. Then again, with her piercings, black-rimmed eyes, and Goth wardrobe, Stephanie isn't exactly Ethan Price's type, either. He's probably got his eye on some leggy blonde with a trust fund... or does he?

As the summer scene kicks off in the Hamptons, Ethan is desperate to make his snobbish mother forget the pedigreed girl who broke his heart. While Stephanie's a stretch as a decoy, the right makeover and a pastel cardigan just might do the trick. She may not love the idea of playing Ethan's brainless Barbie girlfriend, but the free rent and luxurious digs make a tempting offer. So does the promise of a ready-made screenplay idea inspired by their charade.

But when Stephanie steps into Ethan's privileged world, the "acting" begins to feel all too real. The kissing and touching that were intended to fool the Hamptons crowd wind up manipulating "them." And Stephanie faces a question she's too afraid to ask: Is Ethan falling for the real her or for the dolled-up princess he wants to see?


I ended up liking this more than I thought I would and it surprised me by not being a typical smut filled romance novel. It was actually very sweet and funny and more times than I could count made me wish I could reach into the book and smack the characters. haha. 

I would recommend this as a good book to read while relaxing on vacation. It's short, sweet, and if you're anything like me than the tension between the main characters will drive you at least a little bit crazy!

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Eight years have passed since the young Princess Bitterblue, and her country, were saved from the vicious King Leck. Now Bitterblue is the queen of Monsea, and her land is at peace.

But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisers, who have run the country on her behalf since Leck's death, believe in a forward-thinking plan: to pardon all of those who committed terrible acts during Leck's reign; and to forget every dark event that ever happened. Monsea's past has become shrouded in mystery, and it's only when Bitterblue begins sneaking out of her castle - curious, disguised and alone - to walk the streets of her own city, that she begins to realise the truth. Her kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year long spell of a madman, and now their only chance to move forward is to revisit the past.

Whatever that past holds.

Two thieves, who have sworn only to steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, who possesses an unidentified Grace, may also hold a key to her heart 

I really enjoyed this book, but I think that Graceling is still my favorite. I still have to read Fire though, so maybe that will change. 

This book did take me a long time to read (I think I renewed it from the library 3 times, which is unheard of for me!). It took me so long, not because of the quality of this book, but because of other things going on and me just being too busy to read. 

The story was really good and I LOVED the characters, I think Teddy and Saf are my favorite characters, although they are both completely different. I also loved Death, but he kind of grew on me haha. 

I'm so glad I found Graceling last year and was introduced to this world, because I love it! I honestly think that these are books with the most well constructed world building that I've ever read! 

BROKEN by Lauren Layne *Teaser Reveal and Cover Spotlight*

When Olivia Middleton abandons the glamour of Park Avenue for a remote, coastal town in Maine, everyone assumes she’s being the kind do-gooder she’s always been. But Olivia has a secret: helping an injured war veteran reenter society isn’t about charity—it’s about penance. Only, Olivia’s client isn’t the grateful elderly man she’s expecting. Instead, he’s a brooding twenty-four-year-old who has no intention of being Olivia’s path to redemption . . . and whose smoldering gaze and forbidden touch might be her undoing.

Paul Langdon doesn’t need a mirror to show him he’s no longer the hotshot quarterback he was before the war. He knows he’s ugly—inside and out. He’ll do anything to stay in self-imposed exile, even accept his father’s ultimatum that Paul tolerate the newest caretaker for three months or lose his inheritance. But Paul doesn’t count on the beautiful twenty-two-year-old who makes him long for things that he can never have. And the more she slips past his defenses, the more keeping his distance is impossible.

Now Paul and Olivia have to decide: Will they help each other heal? Or are they forever broken?

I'm really looking forward to reading this book. It will hit shelves later this year on Sept. 2nd, so mark your calendars!

** Teaser Reveal!**

Olivia squirms. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I've never known a female to acquiesce that easily without a catch. How about you hit me with it now and get it over with?”

Olivia shrugs. "Fine. I was going to say that I won't run alone, if you promise to go with me."

"No," I say, almost before she's finished her sentence.

"Why not?"

I rap my cane once against the ground. "Well, for starters, despite the fact that there are tortoises that could surpass your sorry excuse for a jog, I'm in no shape to accompany even the most pathetic of runners."

"What a handy skill you have of overloading a sentence with insults," she says as she reaches up to adjust her ponytail. "That must be helpful what with your thriving social life and all."

I thump my cane against the ground again, studying her. "Must be nice, picking on the cripple."

Olivia rolls her eyes. "Please. Your soul's more crippled than your leg."

She has no idea how right she is, and I have no intention of letting her anywhere close enough to find out. I've gotten good at shutting people out by pushing them away . . . being as nasty as possible until they reach their breaking point. But with her? It's different.