REVIEW: Wait For You by J. Lynn

Title/Series: Wait For You | Wait For You #1
Author: J. Lynn | Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: J. Lynn | Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published: February 26th 2013
Format: eBook | 288 pages
Genre: NA, Romance, Contemporary
Source: Purchase B&N

★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!!!

Jennifer L Armentrout | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads 

Some things are worth waiting for…

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

Some things are worth experiencing…

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet…

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for...

Holy crap on a cracker!

So first off.. that cover.. is it not just absolutely beautiful?? Okay, okay.. On to the good stuff! Wait For You completely blew me away. I laughed out loud. I cried. My heart broke. Truly. A couple times! I was left nearly breathless and I'm sure quite a few shades of red...a LOT. And above all else...I fell in love.. with this book, with Cam, with Avery, with Brit, with Jacob, with Ollie, with the Hamiltons...hey even little Raphael! These characters felt so real and life like. Like they could have existed out there somewhere. Jennifer Aremntrout is seriously gifted that way, in my opinion, with creating these characters that you can't help but adore.

Speaking of. Cam *sigh*. *Swooooon* There are no words. I mean generally I cannot stand a cocky guy. It's such a turn off. But some how, some way, TWICE now she has gotten me into full on swoon mode over some arrogant jerk ..errr confident gentleman. It's a gift I tell you! Ha! Ok he really wasn't a jerk, I just said that more for effect :) 

I feel like such a nerdy fan girl but she is seriously my absolute favorite author. Period. There isn't a thing she can write that I won't devour without stopping except maybe to eat or sleep..sometimes not even then! This book needs to be added to your must buy list. It's funny, tear jerking, steamy, sexy and will leave you with a smile and maybe gasping for air ;) :)

Okay I'll end my fan-girl rant. Don't judge me! lol

And just a warning.. obviously this is a New Adult (NA) book so due to some of the content it's definitely geared towards a more mature "audience".

Waiting on Wednesday #02

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where we share our eagerly anticipated upcoming releases!

The Forever of Ella and Micha (The Secret #2) by Jessica Sorensen

Expected publication: May 28th 2013 

by Forever 

Ella and Micha have survived tragedy and heartbreak. When they're together, anything seems possible. But now they are thousands of miles apart, and managing their long distance relationship will put their love to the test.

Ella is back at school, trying hard not worry so much about her future. But with her father in and out of rehab, she's having a hard time making it through the days. All she wants is Micha by her side, but she refuses to let her problems get in the way of his dreams.

Micha spends his days touring the country with his band, but deep down he knows something is missing. Being away from Ella is harder than he thought it would be. He wants her closer to him-needs her with him. But he won't ask her to leave college, just to be with him.

The few moments they do spend together are intense and passionate, but it only makes it more difficult when they have to part. They know they want to be together, but is wanting something enough to get them to their forever?

Why I'm waiting for it... 

The Secret of Ella and Micha (The Secret #1) was the first book I read by Jessica Sorensen and I fell in love with it. I can't wait to continue their story :)

COVER REVEAL: Wait For You by Jennifer L. Armentrout writing as J. Lynn

What do early readers have to say about WAIT FOR YOU?

“J. Lynn creates a wonderful cast of characters that will make you laugh, swoon, and cry. Cam stole my heart.” – Cora Carmack, NYTimes and USA TODAY Bestselling Author of LOSING IT

“For the love of all that is Cameron without a shirt on! Wait for You will have you laughing out loud, fanning yourself and anxiously waiting to know what will happen next.” – Molly McAdams, NYTimes and USA TODAY Bestselling Author of FROM ASHES and TAKING CHANCES

“I don't think I have ever read a NA Contemporary novel with as much depth as this one. It really moved me and by the end I was just speechless over how inspirational and uplifting it was as well as being sexy and cute and funny and emotional.” - K Books

“Wait For You is uniquely different from anything else J. Lynn's written but it might possibly be her best work yet.” – Jenuine Cupcakes

“For all of you in love with Aiden and Daemon, PREPARE YOURSELVES! Your heart will have to expand a little more for Cam.” Total Bookaholic

“For the love of all things CAM, this book deserves more than 5 stars.” – Mundie Moms

“I cannot even begin to explain how much I adored this perfectly crafted contemporary.” – Shortie Says

Excited? Ready to see the cover for WAIT FOR YOU?

..Synopsis..

Some things are worth waiting for…

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

Some things are worth experiencing…

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet…

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for…

WAIT FOR YOU is available now!

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

J. Lynn, also known as Jennifer L. Armentrout, is the USA TODAY Bestselling author of the adult romance Gamble Brothers’ series, the young adult Lux Series and award winning Covenant Series. She pretty much writes everything—contemporary, paranormal, and fantasy. All of her books have one thing in common no matter the name or genre: kissing… and stuff. When she’s not busy writing, which is never, she’s usually hanging out with dog Loki, watching reruns of The Walking Dead, or procrastinating on the Internet. You can find out more about Jennifer by visiting the following websites:

  Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Website

REVIEW: Zoo by Tara Elizabeth

Title/Series: Zoo | The Enclosure Chronicles #1
Author: Tara Elizabeth
Publisher: Tara Elizabeth
Published February 2013
Format: eBook | 302 pages
Genre: YA, Dystopia, Sci-Fi
Source: Author in exchange for an honest review

★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!

Tara Elizabeth | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

A chronicle of my time living in a zoo . . . I'm not really sure where to start, and you may have trouble believing me even as I tell you my story. My family did. They laughed the first time I told them, so now I just say it was all a crazy dream. You see, I died in a totally preventable car accident . . . or so I thought. When I opened my eyes, I was shocked to discover that I had been resurrected into the year 2282 and, just as unbelievably, was locked up in a zoo! A HUMAN ZOO! Oh wait, I mean the People's Past Anthropological Center.

The Global Government created the Centers because all of the different cultures of the world had, over centuries of time, slowly absorbed into one uniform culture. Everything and everybody felt the same, and the world didn’t like it. So, to help the people of 2282 find cultures they thought worthy to live their lives by, they used time travel to zap the people of the past into the future. They created enclosures to house their live human exhibits. And that's what happened to me. I became a research project, a source of entertainment. I was a prisoner who was over two hundred years away from my family and friends.

Most of my time in the enclosure was spent trying to escape. I also made friends, lost friends, fell in love, was betrayed, was held captive within captivity, and lots of other fun stuff. There were some shocking moments and some devastating moments . . . It’s a lot to recount, but I’ll try my best to tell you all about my time travel . . . PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE.

I'm Emma, by the way.

I wasn't sure what to expect, I mean reading the synopsis I knew I wanted to take a chance because it's a very unique and original idea in my opinion. I've never read anything like it or heard anything like it. If it was done right it had so much potential to be amazing. I definitely didn't expect to be captivated by this world so completely. It was absolutely done right! 

Emma is fantastic. She's stubborn and fiesty and just the right amount of sarcastic. It is so much fun to read as she tells her story of how she ended up in the zoo and her struggles to try to escape and try to get home. This future world she's taken to after her death is brilliantly designed by Tara Elizabeth and it's so easy to fall into and feel like you're there with Emma and her friends.  And such an interesting concept. I mean being pulled from your "death" to be "saved" and put on exhibit at a human zoo?! Insane right? 

I laughed out loud so many times, seriously you will love Emma! There's also plenty of anxiety, tension filled, edge of your seat moments, the last 1/4 or so of the book was intense. This book is just so full of everything. I can't recommend it enough!

I want to thank Tara Elizabeth for offering me to read and review this book.  When the book grabs me the way this one did, it's simply a pleasure to read! :)

Top Ten Tuesday #01

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This weeks topic is...

Top Ten Authors That I'd Put On My Auto-Buy List. 

1. Jennifer L. Armentrout - I fell in love with the Lux series. It's kind of a book obsession of mine. She writes brilliant characters. I just love her work.

2. Jessica Sorensen - The Secret of Ella and Micha...The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden..The Fallen Star series... Come on she's amazing!

3. Tammara Webber - She had me at Easy. That book was SO good that I then gave a chance to the series Between the Lines that she's writing which really didn't interest me at the time but I figured Easy was amazing I'll try it...Love, love, love. Found my #2 book boyfriend :) Graham *Sigh* 

4. Lauren Oliver - So I've only read one of her books at this point but it was enough. Surprise, surprise no it wasn't Delirium..well yet at least it's towards the top of my TBR list. What I did read was Before I Fall and it was simply amazing. It was all I needed to put her on this list :)

5. Lauren Kate - I absolutely love her Fallen series. I could read it again and again and again.

6. Julia Quinn - So she's not my usual preference of YA. I started reading The Bridgertons series probably back in my teenage years and I just adore her.

7. Jay Asher - His book Thirteen Reasons Why simply blew me away.

8. Keary Taylor - All I've read by her so far was What I Didn't Say and I loved it so much. I can't wait to get into some of her other work I just know it'll be great.

9. Colleen Hoover - Hopeless is phenomenal, I mean really I can't tell you enough how much I love this book. And Slammed has such rave reviews that I'm looking forward to reading it.

10. Richelle Mead - One of my favorite series out there is The Vampire Academy. Matter of fact I'm itching to reread it at the moment! I'll admit I'm a huge fan of Twilight..but, Vampire Academy blows that one out of the water. I just hope the movies they make it into don't disappoint!

Who would you add to your list? I love finding new authors so post a link to your top ten I'd love to stop by!! :)

REVIEW: Exalted (Stained Series #4) by Ella James

Title/Series: Exalted | Stained #4
Author: Ella James
Publisher: Barkley's Books
Published: October 30th 2012
Format: eBook | 191 pages
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Source: Purchased B&N

★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!

Ella James | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

THE FINAL BOOK IN ELLA JAMES' BESTSELLING STAINED SERIES:

Ripped apart by the betrayals of two friends and ensnared by Celestial captors, Julia and Cayne are poised to fulfill their sacrificial role in The Three’s return to power. Their Chosen friends will move Hell and Earth to win their freedom, but how will they fight fate when a powerful deity gets the upper hand?

The net will come down.

Someone will be sacrificed.

A dear friend will die.

And a Celestial battle will play out on Earth, with everything—and everyone—at stake.

 

Most endings are bittersweet for me. I mean, I've done it! I've finally made it to the end and now I understand everything that's been going on. All those great things that give you sort of a book high and leave you with a smile. It's amazing right? Then there's the other side. The realization that...I don't get to hang out with these characters anymore. Their story is done for me. Instant deflation. I mean I can always reread them, which I do trust me. But it's not nearly the same when you're not discovering new things.

Out of the entire Stained series I think that Exalted is my favorite book. It's quite a bit darker than the others in my opinion. Death, painful battles, etc.  It's also more intense and well, except for people you grow attached to dying, I feel like this book ended the series beautifully. Endings are always scary. What if it's not how you picture it? I've put in all this time and what if I feel let down? There was no let down. Okay yeah once again some deaths were hard but you can't expect everyone to make it through when you're going through an apocalyptic type war. The very end of this book was just so intense, so on the edge of my seat. I swear I think I held my breath a time or two. And then the Epilogue. TEARS! Love, love, loved it.

Ella James is such an amazing Indie author if you haven't yet already, you really must go download the first book Stained... it's free so what are you waiting for. Get started on this great series it's very worth it.

Weekly Haul #01

  In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren where we get to share books we've received! I can't guarantee I will be able to do one every week, but at least a couple times a month. Happy reading! :)

Bought:

1. Legacy (Ganzfield #3) by Kate Kaynak

2. Accused (Ganzfield #4) by Kate Kaynak

3. Operative (Ganzfield #5) by Kate Kaynak

4. Death and the Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones

When I got my NOOK many months back, I went through a spurt of buying and downloading a bunch of first books in a series. Mostly to see if I'd like them especially if I'd never read the author before. And instead of finishing available books in those series I usually would move on to another one, until now I'm like one book in, in about 15 different series sets. It's time to start lowering that number. So for the for now I'll probably be spending my time and money trying to get caught up on those and every now and then I'll throw in something new!  Hence all of the Ganzfield novels :)

What's in your mailbox?!  

REVIEW: Hopeless (Hopeless #1) by Colleen Hoover

Title/Series: Hopeless | Hopeless #1
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Colleen Hoover
Published: December 19th 2012
Format: eBook | Pages: 391 
Genre: YA, Romance, Drama
Source: Purchased B&N

 ★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Colleen Hoover | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Due to heavy subject matter and mature content, this book is recommended for ages 17+

From the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of SLAMMED and POINT OF RETREAT.

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past she wishes could just stay buried. 

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever. 

A couple of warnings first...be prepared to fall in love with this book. Second, have some tissues on hand...you're going to need them. Third, you really need to be ready because where this book takes you really isn't for the faint of heart. That being said, this book was absolutely fantastic. So emotional.

This book has everything. After Sky and Holder quit fighting their feelings there is such a sweetness...a passion to their relationship. I can't tell you how many swoon worthy moments there are, I lost track! 

“The moment my lips touch yours, it will be your first kiss.

Because if you've never felt anything when someone's kissed you, 

then no one's ever really kissed you. 

Not the way I plan on kissing you.”  

*Insert dreamy sigh here* I mean come on does it get any better than that? I swear I would gladly tell a guy I've never felt anything if he would respond the way Holder does. Book Boyfriend perfection!

But sweetness and love and passion aren't the only things they have between them. There is so much playfulness and humor. I couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud at times. Her best friend Six is in a foreign exchange program and while she's away she's told Sky she's going to text motivational type messages and at one point Holder reads one and is like are you kidding me? So he decides, in order to avoid her getting a big ego, he's going to be Mister Anti-Positive Affirmation so you get things like this:

Six:

   “Sky, you are beautiful. 

You are possibly the most exquisite creature in the universe 

and if anyone tells you otherwise, I’ll cut a bitch.”

Holder:

“You fell asleep right when she was about to find out her mother’s secret. 

How dare you. I’ll be back tomorrow night so you can finish reading it to me. 

And by the way, you have really bad breath and you snore way too loud."

Colleen Hoover definitely has a great sense of humor and it popped up through the book. Just enough to break up the seriousness and the tragedy that the book centers around. Like I said, prepare yourself for the worst because the closer these 2 get and the further they travel down the road of secrets they find the truth about the tragedies of their pasts and they are very heavy issues for a mature audience.

But regardless of the heaviness of this book, it is A-MA-ZING. You really should read it. Go on! Do it!! You'll thank me later. :)

REVIEW: Being Henry David by Cal Armistead

Title/Series: Being Henry David
Author: Cal Armistead
Publisher: Albert Whitman Teen
Published: March 1st 2013
Format: eBook | Pages: 308 
Genre: YA, Mystery, Realistic Fiction
Source: NetGalley

★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Cal Armistead  | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old "Hank" has found himself at Penn Station in New York City with no memory of anything --who he is, where he came from, why he's running away. His only possession is a worn copy of Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. And so he becomes Henry David-or "Hank" and takes first to the streets, and then to the only destination he can think of--Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. 

Cal Armistead's remarkable debut novel is about a teen in search of himself. Hank begins to piece together recollections from his past. The only way Hank can discover his present is to face up to the realities of his grievous memories. He must come to terms with the tragedy of his past, to stop running, and to find his way home.

Wow!

I almost don't even know where to begin..I was hooked before I finished reading page one and couldn't put it down until I got to the end. I had about 15 pages or so left and I was getting so tired but, stubborn me, couldn't stop and sleep that close to the finish line!

"Being Henry David" pulls you through a full range of emotions. There were some humorous moments that made me, literally,  laugh out loud. There were also a couple of parts that completely pull at your heart and made me cry.  Actual sniffling, blurry vision, tears. Not to mention all of the anxiety filled  moments as Hank starts to unlock memories and the guilt he struggles with from it. The absolute war he has going on within himself. Things he goes through when he starts out in the streets. There's just so much emotion going on and you can't help but just...feel when reading this book. 

Being able to bring all that out in me has placed this book in my top 10 favorite reads. Ever. I'd even go so far as saying it's going into my top 5. It's passion inspiring books like this that make me glad I'm a reader.

I was hopeful that it would be good when I read the synopsis in NetGalley and put in a request and I'd like to thank the Teen department at Albert Whitman & Company for giving me the opportunity to read and review such an amazing book!

Waiting on Wednesday #01

  Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where you share upcoming releases you're eagerly awaiting!      

Shattered Promises (Shattered Promises #1) by Jessica Sorensen

Expected Publication: February 26th 2013

by Jessica Sorensen

**Mature Content Warning** 17+ for language and sexual content.

(A re-imagining of The Fallen Star told as a New Adult Paranormal)

For twenty-one year-old Gemma, life has never been normal. She knows nothing about her past and has been haunted by the same monsters in her nightmares for the last three years. Unemotional and numb to life, she feels disconnected from everyone. Until the very first day she cries. After that, nothing in her life is the same. 

Her emotions slowly surface and she starts experiencing love, happiness, and anger, feelings she never knew existed. But they leave her confused and she doesn’t know whether to embrace them or run away from them.

Her life only gets more complicated when she meets Alex. Sexy, arrogant, and secretive, Alex can get under Gemma’s skin like no one can. Yet she’s drawn to him by an invisible connection she has no control over. She’s also seen him before. In her nightmares. 

Every part of Gemma’s mind is screaming at her to stay away from Alex, but every other part of her is begging to get close to him. But the closer she gets, the more she realizes Alex knows more about her than he originally let on.

As secrets about her past unravel, Gemma’s life becomes threatened. She needs to figure out what’s going on, before she winds up dead. But the only person she can turn to for answers is the one person she isn’t sure she can trust.

 

Gorgeous cover! Jessica Sorensen is one of my favorite authors. She's been posting teasers on her blog for this one and I'm so excited for it to come out. I've just started in on the YA version of this series and love it, I know I will love this as well just like everything else I've read from her!