Waiting on Wednesday (140)

Hey,

This week I'm waiting for...

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

Release Date: June 2, 2015

Sometimes, there are no words… 

The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d’Abreau was destined for stardom—until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can’t sing. She can’t even speak.

Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend’s invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse’s home in the Caribbean isn’t: An ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry—except for one.

Christian Kane is a notorious playboy—insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He’s also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn’t treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life. 

When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove’s high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn’t the only thing making waves, though—swept up in Christian’s seductive tide and entranced by the Cove’s charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn’t what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who’s best known for breaking them . . .

I was on a 2015 book hunt and I found so many YA contemporaries so guess what I've lined up for my WoW posts in the upcoming weeks! 

I'm sorry! They all sound so cute and THIS! The Summer of Chasing Mermaids? By SARAH OCKLER? YES YES YES PLEASE.

Leave a link to your WoW post in the comments below so I can check it out!

Have a good week,
Sam :D

National Readathon Day‏

Hello,

Today it is National Readathon Day and Casper, a new mattress company, has asked me to put together a post for the occasion as one of everyone's favourite places to read is most likely to be their bed. And only the best of beds will mean that you can read for hours without feeling uncomfortable or giving you a sore back. Casper's mattresses are said to have "just the right sink, just the right bounce. Two technologies come together for better nights and brighter days." 

They've also asked me to put together the top ten books that I plan on reading this year, which are the following:

1) The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #3) by Michelle Hodkin - November 4, 2014
2) Every Last Breath (The Dark Elements #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout - July 28th, 2015 

3) Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5) by Richelle Mead - July 29, 2014
4) The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines #6) by Richelle Mead - February 10, 2015

5) Ensnared (Splintered #3) by A. G. Howard - January 6, 2015
6) The Heir (The Selection #4) by Kiera Cass - May 5, 2015

7) Deliverance (Defiance #3) by C.J Redwine - August 26, 2014
8) The Infinite Sea (The Fifth Wave #2) by Rick Yancey - September 16, 2014

9) Alienated (Alienated #1) by Melissa Landers - February 4, 2014 
10) Of Triton (The Syrena Legacy #2) by Anna Banks - May 28, 2013

Sadly, I don't have all of these books waiting for me by my bedside table as some are not yet available but, mark my words, they'll be there soon don't you worry! 

Leave a comment letting me know how much time you spend reading on your bed and what books are on your to be read list for 2015 because I'm always looking for more books to add to my wishlist (which is about 1,000 books long).

Happy National Readathon Day,
Sam :)

Waiting on Wednesday (139)

Hey,

This week I'm waiting for...

The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski 

Release Date: March 3, 2015

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

I don't think you understand how much I adored The Winner's Curse. I LOVED THE FREAKIN' EVERYTHING OUT OF IT! 

Leave a link to your WoW post in the comments below so I can check it out!

Have a good week,
Sam :D

My review of The Winner's Crime

The Winner's Crime by (The Winner's Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski
Release Date: March 12, 2015
Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon | The Book Depository

Lady Kestrel's engagement to Valoria's crown prince calls for great celebration: balls and performances, fireworks and revelry. But to Kestrel it means a cage of her own making. Embedded in the imperial court as a spy, she lives and breathes deceit and cannot confide in the one person she really longs to trust ...


While Arin fights to keep his country's freedom from the hands of his enemy, he suspects that Kestrel knows more than she shows. As Kestrel comes closer to uncovering a shocking secret, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth.

After being introduced to the world and characters of The Winner's Curse I knew that I would not be able to do anything except love and go crazy over getting my hands on the sequel. The Winner's Crime does not disappoint with its story riddled with tension and mystery. No where is safe, and no one can be trusted, not even those you hold dear. I loved every moment of this book and anyone who enjoys fantasy should definitely be picking this trilogy up soon.

Closely following the events of The Winner's Crime, Kestrel is due to be married to someone she does not even know to protect Arin. Arin is struggling to aid his own people and is falling into deep depression not knowing what has happened to Kestrel or who she has become. The two can only have but stolen moments together because the king has spies everywhere and those who defy his authority will always pay the price.

I am in love with the setting of this story. I am in love with the characters and every twist and turn in the direction of their journeys. Kestrel is daring and brave and loyal beyond words. She knows what has to be done and she will do it, especially if it is to keep someone safe. I wish she and Arin could have one long sit down and talk about their feelings, but their relationship does not quite work that way. I do love the two and my soared every scene they were together in. Their relationship is endlessly complicated but this makes it more interesting to read about and enjoy. I'm so excited to read about what happens in the next book.

The Winner's Crime feels like such a unique story despite the idea of the evil dictator who obsesses over our main protagonist, her actions, and who she is in general. There is action and there is a mystery with all the spying work going on throughout the story, I couldn't put it down for a moment.

If you love fantasy, this is a must. 

Rating

A review copy was provided by the publisher

Waiting on Wednesday (138)

Hey,

This week I'm waiting for...

Salt and Storm (Fire and Flood #2) by Victoria Scott

Release Date: February 24, 2015

What would you do to save someone you love?

In Fire & Flood, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can't quit--she has to win the race, save Cody, and then fight to make sure the race stops before it can claim any more lives. In the next legs of the race, across the ocean and over mountains, Tella will face frostbite, sharks, avalanche, and twisted new rules in the race.

But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone's keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you'd relied on most suddenly isn't there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?

The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the start of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the final part of the race, just forty-one are left--and only one can win.

I really liked Fire and Flood and enjoyed the idea for the book very much indeed! I mean, come on, the people have cool Pokemon-like pets and it's just the coolest thing ever. The book also ended on a cliffhanger (as they do) so I need to get my hands on this.

Leave a link to your WoW post in the comments below so I can check it out!

Have a good week,
Sam :D

Book Haul (#98)

Hey,

I hope you all had a brilliant new year and welcome to 2015!

These last few weeks I have received:

Breaking the Rules (Pushing the Limits #1.5) by Katie McGarry - Received - 
Thank you Harlequin Teen UK! Pushing the Limits is one of my favourite contemporaries of all time and I am so glad that McGarry has decided to write a whole extra story for the characters. I'm almost finished I love Noah and Echo even more now.
99 Days by Katie Cotugno - Received -
Thank you Balzer and Bray! Another contemporary this week and this sounds like a mess of emotions. And I, for one, cannot wait to dive into this story.

Leave a link to your Book Haul/Stacking the Shelves/Letterbox Love/In My Mailbox/Showcase Sunday in the comments below so I can check it out!

Enjoy your books,
Sam 

Waiting on Wednesday (137)

Hey,

This week I'm waiting for...

Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway

Release Date: June 23, 2015

“We stayed and looked and waited for Oliver to come back, as if our love was a beacon that he could use to light his way home, to crawl up the sides of the earth and back through his front door, his shirt tag still sticking up in the back. After a while, though, after years passed and pictures changed and false tips fell through, it started to feel like the beacon wasn’t for him anymore. It was for those of us left behind, something to cling to when you realized that scary things could happen, that villains didn’t only exist in books, that Oliver might never come home. Until one day, he did.”

When Oliver was seven years old, his father kidnapped him in a custody dispute, spiriting him across the country and away from his family and his best friend, Emmy. Ten years later, Oliver is found and returns home, reuniting him with Emmy once again. But is their story still meant to be? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together?

This book is making my heart sing. I love a unique contemporary, and this one sounds like there is going to be some serious emotional flailing to be had! Emmy & Oliver. Gah, I can't wait to see what happens to these two characters in the story because the plot does seem very heavy with plenty of ways to explore the issues. June 2015 here I come!

Leave a link to your WoW post in the comments below so I can check it out!

Have a good week,
Sam :D

My review of Isla and the Happily Ever After

Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #3) by Stephanie Perkins
Release Date: August 14, 2014
Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon | The Book Depository

Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last? 


Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

Isla and the Happily Ever After is the final book in the Anna and the French Kiss line of stories. We have met all the characters and watched each couple fall in love in their own heart-warming way. I'm happy with how the story has ended and can't wait to revisit the characters in the future.

This story follows Isla who, on her holiday back home from the School of America in Paris, meets and finally talks Josh, the artist in her class who she's been interested in ever since her early years at the school. However, life and love are never simple and the two face obstacles that they never thought they'd have to face to be together. And obviously in this story we have the appearance of the characters from the previous stories: Anna and Etienne (Anna and the French Kiss) and Lola and Cricket (Lola and the Boy Next Door) so the story is twice as amazing.

I think my favourite story out of three would probably be Anna and Etienne's in Anna and the French Kiss, followed by Lola and the Boy Next Door. I felt this installment didn't have that charm to tip it over the edge and win the place as my favourite. The romance isn't gradual. Josh and Isla do jump into things quite quickly and this plays a big part in the messages of the story and the dilemmas, etc. but I simply didn't feel like I was crazy in love with what was going on. I did like it and felt that the story ended brilliantly in a way that I was satisfied and fulfilled but yes, it couldn't beat the previous books.

Overall, this is the perfect set of books to read if you want a triple punch from an entertaining YA contemporary writer. They will not disappoint you with their epic romance stories that will sweep you off your feet. 

Rating