Weekly Haul #59

Stacking the shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It's basically a way in which we get to show off the lovely new goodies we got over the past week/month however you decide to do it.

(Click the covers to go to their Goodreads pages)

For Review:

The Illusion of Annabella (Honeyton #1) | Ultraviolet (Ultraviolet #1) by Jessica Sorensen

Last week I participated in the release day blitz for both of these books that Shh Mom's Reading did and the opportunity to get ARCs of both books was included so I jumped at the chance since Jessica has been a favorite author since my pre-blogging days. I'm super excited to read both of these!

Daisy and the Front Man (Backstage Pass #3) by Rebekah L. Purdy

I am loving this Young Adult series so much! It's bringing back all those teenage boy band feels that I had more years ago than I care to remember. I can't wait to read Trevin's story. I really like what I've seen of him to this point! Thanks to Entangled Publishing for this one!

Bought:

Waiting for Prince Harry | The Definition of Icing (Dallas Demons #1-2) by Aven Ellis

I'm loving all these sports books that are popping up everywhere lately, especially the hockey ones...even though I'm not a hockey fan. I know, makes total sense. Anyway, most of my friends are absolutely loving this series and are huge Aven Ellis fans and so I figure it's about time I see what all the fuss is about!

Fall for Me (Ladder Company #1) by J.C. Emery

Loving J.C. Emery's Bayonet Scars series so I wanted to give this one a try!

Fear of Falling (Fearless #1) by S.L. Jennings

The excerpt I read had me. Plus I like hard and emotional books

Consolation (The Consolation Duet #1) by Corinne Michaels

Once again give me a book with the potential to trample my feels and I'm sold!

So that's this past week's installment of me attempting to buy ALL THE BOOKS!
Some day.
Some day.
Haha. So what have you added to your shelves this week? :)

REVIEW: End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days #3) by Susan Ee

Title: End of Days
Series: Penryn & the End of Days #3
Author: Susan Ee
Publisher: Skyscape
Published: May 12th 2015
Format: Paperback | Pages: 331
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Source: Amazon
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Susan Ee | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy.

After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

I have no idea how I am going to write this review. It's so hard to find the words to say for a book at the end of a series, especially one that has just recently been released. There are so many things that I want to say but can't because I won't be that person. Now that I am finished, all I can think is that I feel like maybe I read them too fast. I should have slowed down and savored them. But that feeling, that drive to get to the end and see how everything would turn out wouldn't allow me to do it. Sigh. And now the only thing that's coming to my mind at the moment is...holy crap...that was amazing. I can be quite eloquent when I want to be no?

But the glorious elation ends too soon.

Through this entire series the one constant thing I could count on was the fact that for every minor good thing that happened, the terrible, heartbreaking and sometimes outright scary would always come back moments later in double doses. I'd feel brief moments of hope and joy only to be struck down with grief and despair in the blink of an eye. It kept me on the edge, never quite relaxing. Kept my mind spinning and captivated. Pushed me with the need to read faster, if only to see if there could be a way out of all the destruction and devastation and hopefully find a happily ever after.

"You won't always be fighting, Penryn. There will come a time when you'll be so bored that you'll wish you were fighting."

I'm really going to miss Penryn. I have no doubt that she is going to be one of those very memorable, ass kicking characters that I won't ever forget about. Her name will be one of the first ones I think of when talking about favorite characters. I mean, even when things were incredibly bleak and she would be thinking things like this is the moment I'm going to die, she didn't just roll over and let it happen. She fought and she fought hard. She is made of nothing but awesome!

Without his feathered wings, the angels won't accept him. And regardless of what kind of wings he has, humans won't accept him either.

Raffe's character was so bittersweet for me. I couldn't get enough of him but it was also heartbreaking the more I got to know him. He spends so much of this series outside of everything. Not fitting anywhere, well, except for maybe with Penryn but even that was a struggle more often than not. He was adrift and struggling with his sense of self and fighting his own battles to get all of that back. Raffe is fierce with a strong sense of loyalty, he's funny and sarcastic as hell. He was very complex in this very frustrating but good way that made it hard not to fall in love with him.

"A chick's a chick, man, regardless of her age. And an offer is an offer." Dum nods.

There is such a huge cast of characters that makes up this series, and you get to meet a whole bunch of new ones in End of Days on top of that. But it's such a vast variety as well. There are those that had me laughing more often than not like the twins, Dee and Dum. Yeah, you read that right. Think Fred and George Weasley in an apocalypse. They were favorites. Then there were the ones that were heart wrenching like Paige, who the thought of, days after finishing, still brings tears to my eyes. That girl is just as scrappy and tough as her sister. And a whole slew of the ones that had you feeling that burning hatred deep to your core. More of those than I want to try to count. It's quite a mix bag of love and hate.

"His brothers will keep him from falling."

What surprised me most as I made my way to the end of this series was the one death that I mourned and the one that I didn't. It was easy to think that by the time I made it to the third and final book that I would have a good grasp on each one of these characters and see how they tick. Feel secure in feeling one way or another about them. But then I sat here with tears streaming down my face over the death of someone I hated from the beginning, and it made me understand just how complex each one of these characters are. He was horrible and did terrible things and I guess I really wasn't necessarily mourning the loss of him as he was at the time of his death but who he could have been but wasn't able to become because of one tragedy after another. The other character I just felt indifferent to their death, equally surprising. It was just kind of an oh-that-sucks moment without even a twinge of feeling. A lot of unexpected in this series!

It's hard to believe that we used to live in a world where complete strangers would have given him medicine and hooked him up to machines to monitor his condition. They would have looked after him around the clock. Absolute strangers who knew nothing about him.

I should probably go ahead and wrap this up because this review is already way longer than I imagined I'd be able to get it. I guess I had more non-spoilery types of things to say than I first thought. I won't get into the did they or didn't they find a way to make things work on the relationship between Penryn and Raffe. That's something you're going to have to read about yourselves. Regardless of all of that I loved this series so much. It truly sucks that it's actually over. It makes it feel like something is missing from my life. Sigh. Susan Ee's writing has been beautiful and brilliant from beginning to end. I loved everywhere she took this series. All those incredible highs and dark and gut wrenching lows. This is a series not to miss and I cannot recommend it enough!

RELEASE DAY BLITZ: Ultraviolet (Ultraviolet #1) by Jessica Sorensen [Excerpt + Giveaway]

Happy Release Day to Jessica Sorensen and her new book ULTRAVIOLET. Ultraviolet is a novella series that is labeled as Young Adult Horror/supernatural/mystery/romance. Enjoy a sneak peek below and make sure to enter the giveaway!

♥ BUY THE BOOK ♥

Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

Hidden in the Red Hill Mountains is the quiet town of Hollows Grove.

In that town, there is a field where a secret is buried deep beneath the ground.

And in that field is where Mila was found abandoned with no memory of her past and haunted by visions of the future.

Nine years later, Mila’s life is almost as normal as any other eighteen-year-old. That is until she starts foreseeing the murder of Nyjah Bradley, a guy she’s never met before, but whose face is branded into her mind.

Constantly plagued by the vision, Mila decides to track Nyjah down and warn him of his impending death. But when the search leads her back to Hollows Grove, she learns there’s more to the sleepy town than meets the eye.

Goosebumps dot my arms as I become highly aware that there’s not a single drop of noise within earshot. Not even our shoes hitting the dirt make a sound. I want to ask Novela if she notices it, but I don’t want to risk upsetting her more than she is. I try to keep it to myself but then I hear the soft pitter-patter of light footsteps rushing up behind us. 

Do you hear us? Do you hear us? 

Welcome back. Welcome back. 

We’ve been waiting for you, Mila. 

Our gazes lock and without looking back, Novela and I take off in a mad sprint down the road 

“Oh my God, we’re going to die,” she pants as she struggles desperately to keep up with me. 

“We’re not going to die.” I gasp for air as I push my legs harder than I ever have before. I don’t know what’s behind us. If it’s following us. 

What it wants. But as we near the edge of town, I dare look back over my shoulder and instantly wish I wouldn’t have. Because standing in the darkness of the road, watching us from a distance, is a lofty figure. 

 

Jessica Sorensen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author from the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads







Jessica Sorensen ULTRAVIOLET Release Day Giveaway

RELEASE DAY BLITZ: The Illusion of Annabella (Honeyton #1) by Jessica Sorensen [Excerpt + Giveaway]

Happy Release Day to Jessica Sorensen and her new book THE ILLUSION OF ANNABELLA. The Illusion of Annabella is a Young Adult Contemporary Romance. Enjoy a sneak peek below and make sure to enter the giveaway!

♥ BUY THE BOOK ♥

Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

Annabella Baker has always lived a normal life with a loving family. She had dreams of going to college and becoming a dancer. But the summer before her senior year, the life she knew is ripped away from her, and she’s left wondering if it ever really existed in the first place.

Six months later, Annabella is living an entirely different life. The loving family she had no longer exists, and the girl who dreamed of being a dancer can barely walk. She spends most of her time getting into trouble and living in denial over what happened. One night she takes things one step too far and is left dealing with the consequences.

Put under house arrest, Annabella can no longer run away from her problems. With the help of her cute, sweet neighbor, Luca Benton, she rediscovers the girl she used to be, and finally learns the truth about what really happened that horrible day that changed her life forever.

I swallow hard, pressing my hands to the garage as my legs turn into noodles. “It seems crazy, wanting to help someone when you don’t even know them . . . Your life would be easier if you didn’t.”

“My life’s never been easy, but do you know what’s really easy?” he asks, and I shake my head. With a hint of a smile on his face, he reaches out, and I think he’s going to grab me, but instead he taps the box of sparklers I’m holding. “Lighting sparklers.”

I frown warily at the box. “That’s actually harder than it seems.”

Suddenly the wind gusts dead leaves across grass, and the cloudy sky grumbles, warning us of an impending storm. Clasping the lighter in one hand, I open the box and wiggle two sparklers out.

Can I do this?

I give one to Luca then fumble to light the lighter.

Am I really going to do this?

Blame it on my nerves, but I can’t get the damn thing to work.

Maybe I shouldn’t do this?

 Finally, Luca pries my fingers off it, flicks the top, and creates a steady flame. He lights his first then sticks it out in front of him as silvery sparks shoot out like a magic wand.

“Put yours up to mine,” he instructs, stuffing the lighter into his back pocket.

With a deep breath, I kiss the tip of his sparkler with mine. Oh, my God, I’m really doing this. They hiss as the flames aglow.

I move the sparkler in a circle in front of me. “Wow.” I forgot how magical a simple firework could be, and for a moment, I see the world through my old eyes, lit up like fireflies that I swear I could catch if I just stuck out my hand.

For the next few minutes, Luca and I play around in the driveway, going through sparkler after sparkler, giggling like a couple of kids as we clumsily skip around. When it comes down to the last one, he lights it up and hands it to me.

As the sparkler reaches the halfway point, Luca moves up behind me and circles his arms around my waist, covering my hand with his so we’re both holding onto it. His breath tickles my ear as he laughs and traces letters in the air. My hand moves with his, but I can barely focus on what he’s writing. I’m too distracted by his chest pressed against my back, his warm fingers covering mine, how very alive I feel in that moment, and how terrified I am.

“Luca, I think . . .” I trail off as he stretches our arms out to the side and fixes his finger under my chin. Turning my head toward him, his eyes search mine, then slowly, he leans in.   

 

Jessica Sorensen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author from the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads





Jess
ica Sorensen The Illusion of Annabella Release Day Giveaway

ARC REVIEW: Kissing Mr. Wrong by Kerri Carpenter

Title: Kissing Mr. Wrong
Author: Kerri Carpenter
Publisher: Entangled Lovestruck
Published: May 26th 2015
Format: eARC | Pages: 120
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Publisher
★★★✩ (3.5/5) Stars!

Kerri Carpenter | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Three months ago, graphic designer Vanessa Hewitt slept with the ridiculously hot guy she met after nearly falling to her death while stargazing on a bridge. The adrenaline-fueled night of we’ll-never-see-each-other-again sex fulfilled every fantasy, but with her best friend’s wedding on the horizon, Vanessa can’t stop thinking about what would happen if her sexy stranger passed through town again.

Haunted by his time in Afghanistan, soldier John Campbell returns to his hometown just long enough to help plan an engagement party for his sister. When he realizes her best friend is the sweet one-night stand he's been fantasizing about for months, he’ll do anything to have her again…though getting trapped together in a storeroom wasn't quite what he had in mind.

Vanessa is in hell. Or is it heaven? Because with every touch, their forbidden connection grows, until kissing Mr. Wrong starts feeling more like kissing Mr. Right...

I received a copy of this book, from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this sway either my review or my rating!

I didn't realize how very short this book was before I started it. Like 120 pages short to be exact. So even though it was very sweet and very swoon worthy, it was also very rushed. I did enjoy it but I do also wish that it had been longer and not so much in the insta-love category.

I thought both the characters were great from the little bits and pieces I was able to get from them. Though I was told things more so than I was shown I feel like. Like the fact that I was told that Vanessa was always pretty responsible and a rule follower, sort of a serious person. But the first I see of her she's having a very steamy one night stand with an incredibly sexy stranger. (John of course.) She observes that it wasn't her usual behavior but she just couldn't help her attraction to him and she wanted to be in the moment for once. Yet we never really get to see that other side of her, the one that she claims she is, which I would have liked to have seen. Still she's quite a fun character to read.

Once again I'd say John's character was great and he was beyond swoon worthy, but because the story was so short there really wasn't much of a chance to give his whole troubled soldier angle of his character it's full potential. I mean, he has these torturous types of memories from his last mission in the Army but because there just isn't enough room in 120 pages to delve too deeply into all of that he's just sort of better because of Vanessa and able to open up and so on. It would have almost been better to leave the whole soldier with a past thing out of it because I was way more into the whole best friend's brother trope anyway, it is one of my favorites! Regardless of all the rush I feel like there was definitely something between these two, like they just fit together. And their chemistry was absolutely sizzling!

I feel like I'm being so repetitive in this review but any time I have something I want to talk about that I liked there's just this huge bad spot hanging over it that all keeps coming down to: I liked this or that but...there just wasn't enough time. There was no major angst, the big scary monster that feeds my soul. Everything just sort of fell into place so easily and resolved a few pages after it fell apart. Had there been more of a fight, more of a push and pull, issues been deepened and explored further and causing greater conflict I could've gone closer to 5 stars easily. It was just that good and had so much potential. As it is now I blinked and it was done. I started it after lunch and was done long before dinner.

The writing was great, the storyline was lots of fun and the characters were so easy to like and fall and root for. If you're looking for a very quick and light and fun romance then I really do recommend it because I loved everything I read. I just wanted more of it! There's no question that I will be looking for more of Kerri Carpenter's books in the future!

Thanks to Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book!

ARC REVIEW: World After (Penryn & the End of Days #2) by Susan Ee

Title: World After
Series: Penryn & the End of Days #2
Author: Susan Ee
Publisher: Skyscape
Published: November 19th 2013
Format: eARC | Pages: 320
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Source: NetGalley
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Susan Ee | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

I received a copy of this book, from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this sway either my review or my rating!

If I thought that Angelfall was dark and disturbing, it really has nothing on World After. I'm now torn between allowing my heart and my mind time to recover before picking up End of Days and desperately needing to just jump right in and see how this all comes to an end. It's almost a given that the latter will win out in the end.

It was such a roller coaster reading this book. Things would be absolutely grim one moment and all of a sudden something good would happen. I'd have moments of joy and allow a smile to break out on my face, and I do mean moments, only to have something else come crashing down, sometimes literally, and knock that happy moment into the dirt. Worry and dread slowly ate away at me and I was almost permanently perched on the edge of my seat through the entire book. But I loved it. I loved feeling all of those things.

I've talked before about how much I sometimes love reading all things cute and fluffy. But there's that other side of me that enjoys the darkness and being shocked nearly to my core. And that's exactly what I've been getting with this seres. I mean, the angels do some horrible, horrific things to the humans. There's torture and a lot of bloodshed. A lot. It's graphic and so brilliantly written. I fully admit to having some pretty freaky angel dreams after these first two books. The kind that make you sit up, heart pounding and praying it was all just a dream.

Besides being scary and intense, it has also ripped my heart out on more than one occasion. For instance, Penryn's sister Paige's story is absolutely heartbreaking. Just about every moment she was in a scene she ended up bringing me to tears. Just thinking about Paige right now makes my eyes well up with tears. And then there's Raffe and all the things he's going through with his wings and his loss of self. Even though Raffe is part of team angel I have grown very attached to him. Oh who am I kidding? I love the guy. Err, angel.

It isn't all doom and gloom though I should probably point out since that's all I've gone on and on with to this point. Penryn is still a kickass heroine and I freaking adore her. She's actually more like the reluctant heroine. All she really wants is to get her family together and keep them safe and yet, even though she hesitates and argues with herself and says she won't do anything, she can't seem to not help others she stumbles upon that are in trouble. Even if it puts herself in the path of danger and risks that end goal she has for herself and her family in doing so. I love that about her. She tries so hard to be selfish and to her very core she ends up being selfless. Plus she's sarcastic and funny and tough as nails. Just very well rounded.

I must say some of my favorite scenes happen between Penryn and Raffe though. I feel like I need something to happen between these two like I need air to breathe. The possibilities of what could be are what keeps my heart beating. The problem is I'm not sure how in the heck that is even going to be possible. It's like the ultimate forbidden romance and Raffe is the ultimate rule follower. My heart can't help but want it wants though. But it isn't just the feels or possibility of romance because even if it doesn't happen I will live. It's their connection and understanding, the sense of teamwork and the way they push each other's buttons that make me crave their scenes together.

I feel like I've probably droned on enough and I'm itching to start End of Days! So, in a nutshell, I loved this book. It was intense, heart pounding, horrific, heartbreaking, funny...just so many different things. The writing and the characters are brilliant. And I can't wait to see how this series comes to an end. I'm sure things will get much worse before they get better and I'll be just as much on the edge of my seat as I've been up to this point and I can't wait!

Weekly Haul #58

Stacking the shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It's basically a way in which we get to show off the lovely new goodies we got over the past week/month however you decide to do it.

So guess who is up to her old ways again? Yes! Meeeeee! *Whispers* In other words there's kind of a lot here... *points further down the post* Anyway! Let's get on with the pretties shall we? :D

(Click on the covers to go to their Goodreads pages)

For Review:

Turning the Tables: An Italian Connection Novel by Joan Kilby

Crazy for the Competition (Hope Springs #2) by Cindi Madsen

Blame it on the Kiss by Robin Bielman

Beauty's Curse (Love on the High Seas #2) by Tamara Hughes

Thanks to Entangled Publishing for all of these! :)

Bought:

Angelfall | World After | End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days #1-3) by Susan Ee

I've become pretty obsessed with this series. I got 1 & 2 from NetGalley and I'm currently at about 65% or so on World After, at least as of Friday evening as I'm working on this post, but I had to get physical copies. I haaaaad to! It's SO GOOD! I'll probably be starting on End of Days by this evening!

In Real Life by Joey Graceffa

Joey is one of the many YouTubers whose videos I enjoy watching from time to time. He's definitely an acquired taste but I adore him and after watching his short films think he's extremely talented.

Illusionarium by Heather Dixon

I am so excited to read this one. I ended up pre-ordering it when I first saw it a couple months back. Plus it's cover is GORGEOUS! Especially on the hardcover. *Pets the pretty*

Falling for His Best Friend (Out of Uniform #2) by Katee Robert

I was so disappointed when I ended up missing this one when ARCs were going out. I can't wait to read it!!

Shatter Me by Tori St. Claire

Game for Trouble (Game For It #2) by Karen Erickson

Do I have anything to say for myself?

Ha! So what did you all add to your shelves this week? :)