Shut Up & Read

The lovely Kimba over at Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer  has made this wonderful challenge for the month of March - I think just for me!  This challenge is just what I need to get myself reading some of those dusty books I really, really want to read but just haven't made time for yet. Introducing the Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge!  You can find the complete list of rules HERE , but to recap, beginning March 1st, 2013 and ending March 31, 2013 at midnight read books from your TBR pile.  ALL books must have been published before March 2013.   I will also be joining the Take Control of Your TBR Pile Read-A-Thon running from March 15 - 18.  Find out more HERE .   ------------------- Here are the books I read for this challenge: 1. Divergent by Veronica Roth 2. Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning 3. To Tame a Highland Warrior by Karen Marie Moning 4. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver 5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Shattered Edge by A.M. Hargrove My rating: 5 of 5 stars Shattered Edge is the story of Terri and Justin. We met the two of them first in Edge of Disaster, though you do not have to read that book first in order to get this one (but I would suggest it, just because it's awesome and you'd be missing out). The two are stand-alone novels with repeating characters. Terri is recovering from a car accident that left her seriously injured and scarred. She is an incredibly strong character who pushes on, though she cannot seem to let her infatuation with Justin go. Justin is pretty much your typical playboy. Women like him, and he knows it. Except now he cannot seem to get Terri out of his head, or the guilt that has been plaguing him since the car accident. The two had gone on a couple of dates before the accident, but things had dulled down with them afterwards. When the two of them decide to give a try at a relationship, things get seriously hot! The chemistry betwee

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia My rating: 4 of 5 stars I had put off reading this book for a while, I think just because it seemed like your typical young adult romance story. Turns out, it was so much more and so much better. The story is told through the eyes of Ethan, your typical small town teenage boy. He plays sports, has a group of friends he hangs out with, and tries to figure out teenage girls. He is pretty much an all-American boy. Except he dreams of this girl. All the time. And then she shows up at school. And she's been dreaming of him, too. Through each page in the story we get a little more insight into Ethan's character, and really, he's just a great guy. He's smart, most definitely lovable, loyal, and determined. Lena is quite intriguing. She is dark and mysterious and tries to keep Ethan out of her life for reasons Ethan cannot understand. It turns out, though, that Lena is not the only one with secrets. In fact, everyone in the s

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia My rating: 4 of 5 stars Beautiful Darkness picked up right where Beautiful Creatures left off. Ethan finds Lena pulling away from him and he cannot figure out why. Ethan definitely has a stubborn streak, though, because he does not give up until he finds out what is going on with her. I really love Ethan and Lena, though we do not really get too much of Lena in this book. We do, however, get a whole lot more of Link, who I absolutely adore. Everyone needs a friend like Link. He's just awesome. We also get to know many of the characters we were briefly introduced to in Beautiful Creatures and also have a couple of new people in this book. Once again, I loved the writing style and descriptiveness the author uses. It was detail oriented and beautifully written. I listened to the audio of this one. The narration was done very well. I really liked the voice of Kevin Collins for Ethan. I also really enjoyed that we got music with the

I'm excited to introduce to you Dissolution:  Volume One     KICKSTARTER PROJECT LIVE LINK: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1027835983/dissolution-volume-one     Information from the Dissolution: Volume One project page: Summary:  Exploring the questions of life after death, the realm of the supernatural, and how characters' lives unexpectedly interweave. What is Dissolution?  What if there is another world, just beyond our own? It's there, it's footfalls are in sync with ours, but just slight enough that we fail to notice - and if we do, it's a barely-perceptible scratching noise that makes our hair stand on end. A shadowy movement out of the corner of our eye. The smell of roses where there is no reason for them to exist. A heartbeat whose source cannot be traced by our human ears. A world we fail to notice - but most definitely notices us. Now, imagine the veil being lifted and that world revealed at last - would you cling

Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler My rating: 4 of 5 stars Chelsea Handler's uninhibited storytelling and vulgar sense of humor make for a fun read. She has a gift for storytelling that will keep you laughing through each unbelievable and sometimes embarrassing real-life journey. This book is full of good, inappropriate fun. If you offend easily, you probably should not read it. Otherwise, have a good laugh! View all my reviews

Taming Her Wolf by Eve Langlais My rating: 3 of 5 stars Taming Her Wolf is a fun, sexy story of forbidden love. Gareth is a down on his luck werewolf who wakes up from a night of drinking chained to a wall in a cell. Though have may have been captured by vampires, Gareth is not going down without a fight. Helen is an age-old vampire looking for a new blood slave. Upon meeting the wolf, she decides she wants him, if for nothing else than to put him in his place. Bored with life, she sees a challenge in him and is looking forward to breaking him. I like the characters in the story. While Gareth is your typical Alpha male, Helen is a bit of a surprise. You won't find any helpless females waiting around for their big, strong men to save them in this book. Instead, Helen is an incredibly powerful vampire, much stronger than the wolf. She had a hard past and now is just barely living. That is, until she gets the wolf into her home and cannot seem to stay away from him.

When Smiles Fade by Paige Dearth My rating: 5 of 5 stars Paige Dearth has a way of writing about tough subjects that most people either gloss over or simply skip altogether. She does not pretty it up; she just writes what needs to be said. And although the books she writes are fiction, I have no doubt that there are girls and women out in the world who can relate to what she is not afraid to write about. When Smiles Fade is the story of Emma, a young girl growing up in an unloving, abusive family. Her father blamed her for his own mistakes; her mother lived in a fantasy world. The only love she receives is from her little sister, Grace, who she tries to protect from the worst of the abuse. Years of abuse leave Emma untrusting and wary, and her choices in the years to come reflect those feelings. While Emma does not always make the right choices, she makes the ones she can live with and she feels are the best for her and those she loves. Once again, Paige Dearth's ch

Check it out! 300 Followers! Which means I feel like a giveaway! In honor of Valentines Day I have picked a three of my favorite romances. 3 books - 3 winners! 1- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (hardcover) 1- Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma (hardcover) 1- Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James (paperback)   International   a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome to my 2013 Sequel Challenge hosted by Auntie Spinelli Reads ! The goal: To read as many sequels as you can.  I had decided on my own that this year I was going to finish every series I had started previously, so when I found this challenge, I thought it was perfect!   I don't have a number goal, I'm just going to read as many as I can.   Here are the sequels I am planning on finishing this year:   1. Amanda Hocking - Trylle Trilogy #2, 3 2. Jim Butcher - The Dresden Files #6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 3. Lara Adrian - Midnight Breed #4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 4. Jennifer Ashley - Immortals #5, 6, 7, 8 5. Rachel Vincent - Unbound #2, 3 6. Jeaniene Frost - Night Huntress - #1.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 7 7. Jeaniene Frost - Night Huntress World - #2 8. Nancy Straight - Destiny #2, 3 9. Gail Carriger - Parasol Protectorate #2, 3, 4, 5 10. Maria V Snyder - Study #2, 3 11. Sylvia Day - Reflected #2, 3 12. Colleen Hoover - Slammed #2, 3