Book Tag: Readers problems

A big thanks to Jumana from BooksByJ for tagging me! This is the 'Readers problems' - tag. and it's originally from some booktuber (I wouldn't know which one).



Let's start!

1. You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How in the world do you decide what to read next?

Depends on my mood actually. Or whatever everyone else is reading. I'm often motivated to read a particular book when nobody can't seem to shut up about it :D

2. You’re halfway through a book and you’re just not loving it. Do you quit or are you committed?

If the first 100 pages don't interest me, I just stop reading it. Except if a lot of people say it will be better. Then it usually makes me curious enough to continue. But if I'm already halfway thought a book and I still don't like, then I just quit. Often I just put it on my 'on-hold-shelf' and try again later.

3. The end of the year is coming and you’re so close, but so far away on your Goodreads reading challenge. Do you try to catch up and how?

I don't really stress about it. If I don't make it... well... it sucks. But I would try to catch up by reading smaller books or hold a readathon with some other people to keep it fun.

4. The covers of a series you love do. not. match. How do you cope?

I don't. I will be forever mad and it will bother me whenever I see these books. You just don't cope with this...

5. Every one and their mother loves a book you really don’t like. Who do you bond with over shared feelings?

I usually find at least one or two people who share my opinion on Goodreads :D

6. You’re reading a book and you are about to start crying in public. How do you deal?

I immediately stop reading. I don't like to draw attention in public. But usually, when I know it's an emotional book, I don't read it in public ;)

7. A sequel of a book you loved just came out, but you’ve forgotten a lot from the prior novel. Will you re-read the book? Skip the sequel? Try to find a synopsis on Goodreads? Cry in frustration?!?!?!?

I usually forget rereading the previous book, so I try to find as many spoilery reviews on Goodreads. Or I search for a recap of the book, like Recaptains does ;)

8. You do not want anyone. ANYONE. borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people nope when they ask?

I'm the worst at this! I try to mumble a few lame excuses haha :D Or I say I want to reread it and keep it. But when I do this, I feel guilty afterwards... don't know why :D

9. Reading ADD. You’ve picked up and put down 5 books in the last month. How do you get over your reading slump?

I sulk for days haha :D A good contemporary romance usually helps me! Last time Isla and the Happily Ever After helped me a lot!

10. There are so many new books coming out that you’re dying to read! How many do you actually buy?

ALL OF THEM! I have no way to contain myself when it comes to buying books :D

11. After you’ve bought the new books you can’t wait to get to, how long do they sit on your shelf before you get to them?

Way longer than I care to admit .... :D But the ones I REALLY want to read, I usually read them fast ;)

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If you read all of this: I love you :D I'm also tagging a few people, because I loved doing this!

• Yvonne @The Bookish Panda
• Stephanie @Bookfever
• Olivia @Olivia's Catastrophe

I don't know a lot of people, so if you're reading this and you aren't tagged, feel free to do it anyway! ;) 

xoxo, Melissa

November Wrap Up!

I read a few ARC's, which I'm very happy about! I also had the opportunity to beta-read a book. It's not included into the picture, because it doesn't have a cover yet, but it was Volition by Lily Paradis. It should be released in the beginning of 2015.

It was a pretty good reading month for me. I wished I read more, but I can't complain. 9 books is already impressive. Tomorrow, I'm starting a new job, so I don't know if will have a lot of time to read because of that. I hope I will, because I love the whole book community. I read so much this year and I hope I'll be able to do this for a long time :)

These are the books I read with the rating I gave them. For every book a review can be found on my blog (just click on the title)!

1. When We Met by AL Jackson, Molly McAdams, Tiffany King & Christina Lee (ARC): 4 stars
2. The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher: 4.5 stars
3. When It Rains by Lisa De Jong (reread): 5 stars
4. Volition by Lily Paradis (beta read): 4.5 stars (review will be posted when the book is published)
5. Fearless by Priscilla West (ARC): 3 stars
6. The Jewel by Amy Ewing: 3.5 stars
7. Living With Regret by Lisa De Jong: 4 stars
8. Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi: 5 stars
9. Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout: 4.5 stars

Review: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: ★★★★+0.5
Genre: young adult, paranormal, Greek mythology, romance.
Series: Covenant #1

Blurb from Goodreads:

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals--well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is.

If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

My review:

When I started this book I just knew I would like this series. Who doesn’t love JLA? Right? And who doesn’t love a badass main character and two sexy guys? I mean, come one! This is just 100 % ‘You will love this’-material!

“So? What are you going to do about it? Throw your mashed potatoes at me? I'm consumed by terror.”

The books starts with an introduction of the kinds of Hematoi and their history and rules. First I was like ‘How the hell am I going to remember all of this?’, but then I noticed it’s like Vampire Academy. I bothered me a little in the beginning, but after a while I was thankful for it, because it helped me remember the ‘status’ of everyone and who could be with who.

“There is a difference between love and need. Sometimes, what you feel is immediate and without rhyme or reason.”

First of all: Alexandra, or Alex, is a freaking badass! I loved her! I don’t want to compare this to VA too much, but she reminded me of Rose. She is determined and she stood up for herself. She’s been through one hell of a time, but she was still so strong. I just loved her.

Then he leaned forward and rested his cheek against mine. Hot tingles spread through me as his lips moved against my ear. "You should tell me to stop."

I didn't say a word.

And then, she meets Aiden. Ohmygoooood. HE. IS. FREAKING. HOT. I don’t think I need to say more? I’m so curious how Aiden and Alex are going to handle their… feelings. Oh, I’m SO excited!

Seth glanced back over his shoulder at the door. “Alex, you’re starting to worry me. Insult me… or something.”

Oh, but there’s also Seth. *sighs* He’s funny and I couldn’t get enough of him! I’m actually kind of glad he will have to spent a lot of time with Alex, because I cannot wait for them to work together with all that .. tension *squeals internally* between them!

“It was just a hug, but gods, it meant so much. It meant everything.”

This book has everything a paranormal (romance) series needs to have! It has a lot of action, Greek mythology, interesting/badass characters, a great plot and two sexy guys.

This book is the start of for this series. It has a lot of potential and I cannot wait to find out more about everything. I think I’m going to marathon this whole series! :D

“Need covers itself with love, but need… need is never love. Always beware of the one who needs you. There is always a want behind a need, you see.”

And now you’re probably wondering why I’m not giving it 5 stars? To be honest, I don’t know. I just feel like this isn’t worth a full 5 stars, because I’m sensing one of the next books in this series will blow me away. And I think that book will deserve the full 5 stars. Does this make sense? I hope it does :D

Review: Living With Regret by Lisa De Jong

My rating: ★★★★
Genre: new adult, romance, contemporary.
Series: Rain #3 (stand-alone series)

Blurb from Goodreads:

I had my whole life mapped out. Perfect guy. Perfect friends. Everything was exactly the way I wanted it.

That was until that night--the one I can’t remember. It’s all my fault, and now the memories are all I have left of him. Of us.

My guilt drowns me until Sam Shea steps back into my life and helps me to the surface. He slowly opens my heart and crawls deep inside before I even realize what’s happening. I know I don’t deserve him.

While I’m trying to get used to my new life, pieces of that night slowly start to come back to me. Lies and secrets shatter everything I thought I knew.

Maybe I’m not the only one living with regret.

My review:

“A well-written book is as powerful as a hug at the end of a long day.”

The book starts with Rachel waking up in the hospital. Not remembering what happened to her. Not remembering the last few days. She’s confused, because nobody can’t seem to tell her what happened. What she does find out is that she was in a car accident and her boyfriend, Cory, died. She’s obligated to move on. But it’s hard because she can’t remember what happened. She can’t seem to find the courage. She needs to find some closure.

 “Life doesn’t always give you a second chance, so when it does, seize it. If you don’t, you might always regret it.”

Then Sam sneaks back into her life. They were best friends, but they haven’t talked in a few years. However, they connect again without problems, because he’s there for Rachel. Nobody else is. All her friends ditched her and she needs him.

“Life is like a sealed cardboard box. Some are full of wanted treasures, but others are just empty. That’s mine.”

He helps her, but it’s difficult. Especially because old feelings for Sam are trying to surface in her. She’s even more confused, because she feels guilty about Cory. She’s desperately trying to get all her feelings sorted, but then she’s starting to have flashbacks from the night of the accident.

“There are lots of things people don’t have to do. The ones who do it anyway are the ones who can make a difference. Always remember that.”

Lisa, is an amazing writer, because whenever you think you figured out something, something happens and you’re just like ‘whaaaaat?!’. At least it was that way in the beginning. After a while it was a little predictable, but I didn’t let it bother me too much.

“Sam Shea is one of those forever guys. The kind you like a little more with each minute you spend with him.”

I liked the storyline. But it wasn’t how I expected it to be. Sometimes I couldn’t really connect with Rachel, but I loved Sam. He’s the town’s bad boy and I liked how he was with Rachel. He’s funny and cocky, but whenever he was alone with Rachel, you had a true glimpse of who he was. He’s so sweet and he truly cared about her.

“Everyone deserves happiness, no matter what they’ve done or what’s been done to them. A great person once told me every day should be worth at least one smile. It’s not always easy, but it’s true.”

The best parts of this book where the moments Rachel had with Kate. Kate is the main character from book one, When It Rains. This is a stand-alone series, so you can read the books in whatever order you want, but I recommend starting with When It Rains, Changing Forever and then Living With Regret. You will enjoy the little moments with Kate and Beau way more.

“Sometimes, after you’ve seen all the ugly parts of life, it’s hard to believe beauty still exists.”

Anyways, it was a great read. I think this is the last book? I hope it isn’t because I want more of these characters!

Take this Regret series by AL Jackson: Info + book sale!

Remember when I reviewed When We Met by those 4 authors? Well, this is a series by one of the authors: AL Jackson. This is a duology with a novella. I introduce you to this series, because there's a sale going on about these! Read further to find out more ;)

This is a New Adult, contemporary romance series, recommended for readers of 17+.

Prequel (#0.5): Lost To You

Click on cover to be redirected 

to its Goodreads page.

People come into our lives. Some stay, and many go. Some build us up, while most tear us down. They become our friends, our enemies, our lovers, our tormentors.
Christian Davison came into mine, and I knew I’d never be the same.
To Elizabeth Ayers, New York City had always been a dream. She’s worked her entire young life to make it here.
Groomed to one day take over his father’s law firm, attending Columbia University was Christian Davison’s only option.
Neither wanted anything more until they sat across from each other at a café table after being paired as study partners.
Christian wants her, but Elizabeth knows better than to give into their intense attraction. Yet there is little she can do to stay away.

Note: It’s unnecessary to have read Take This Regret to enjoy Lost to You.

Links to purchase: AMAZON; B&N; iTunes; KOBO

Book one: Take This Regret

Click on cover to be redirected 

to its Goodreads page.

There are some mistakes we make that we will regret for the rest of our lives. 

For Christian Davison, it was the day he betrayed Elizabeth Ayers. 

For five years, Christian has regretted the day he walked away from his family and will do anything to win them back. 

Can Elizabeth forgive someone who has committed the unforgivable? Or are there some wounds that go so deep they can never heal?

Links to purchase: AMAZON; B&N; iTunes; KOBO

Book two: If Forever Comes

Click on cover to be redirected 

to its Goodreads page.

If Forever Comes, the final chapter in the New York Times Bestselling The Regret Series 

Christian Davison’s life is complete. With a ring on Elizabeth’s finger and his daughter at his side, he’s ready to run headlong into their future. 

Elizabeth Ayers never believed she would again find this kind of joy—the joy of a family and the wholeness found in the touch of the man she’s always loved.

 
Their love is intense and their passion only grows as they set out to rediscover each other.
But life is never easy.
Rocked by the unforeseen, Christian and Elizabeth will find themselves fighting for the one thing they hold most important—family.

Links to purchase: AMAZON; B&N; iTunes; KOBO

About the author

A.L. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Take This Regret and Lost to You, as well as other contemporary romance titles, including Come to Me Quietly, Come to Me Softly, Pulled, When We Collide, and If Forever Comes.

She first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student.  She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.

Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves. 

To stay up to date with important news on A.L. Jackson, including new releases, sales, and exclusive specials and excerpts, text “jackson” to 96000 to subscribe!

Newsletter http://bit.ly/ALJacksonNewsletter

Website www.aljacksonauthor.com

Facebook www.facebook.com/aljacksonauthor

Twitter www.twitter.com/aljacksonauthor

Pinterest www.pinterest.com/aljacksonauthor

Instagram @aljacksonauthor 

About the sale

Recent Release #10: Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

Every Friday I share a recent release I’m excited to read. If you want to check out the previous ones, click here. These are all books I'm adding to my growing pile of tbr-books ;) 

Book: Girl Online

Author: Zoe Sugg

Series: stand-alone

Genre: YA, contemprary, romance

Release date: November 25th 2014

Publisher: Atria/Keywords Press

Length: 352 pages

Synopsis:

Penny has a secret.

Under the alias GirlOnline, she blogs about school dramas, boys, her mad, whirlwind family - and the panic attacks she's suffered from lately. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets the gorgeous, guitar-strumming Noah. Suddenly Penny is falling in love - and capturing every moment of it on her blog.

But Noah has a secret too. One that threatens to ruin Penny's cover - and her closest friendship - forever.

Weekly Recommendation #11: Breathtaking covers!

This week I’m recommending you five books because of their breathtaking covers! No need to say more ;)

PS: All covers are linked to Goodreads!

The Law Of Moses by Amy Harmon

Series: stand-alone

Genre: young/ new adult, contemporary, romance.

Release date: November 27^th 2014

Synopsis:

If I tell you right up front, right in the beginning that I lost him, it will be easier for you to bear. You will know it’s coming, and it will hurt. But you’ll be able to prepare.

Someone found him in a laundry basket at the Quick Wash, wrapped in a towel, a few hours old and close to death. They called him Baby Moses when they shared his story on the ten o’clock news – the little baby left in a basket at a dingy Laundromat, born to a crack addict and expected to have all sorts of problems. I imagined the crack baby, Moses, having a giant crack that ran down his body, like he’d been broken at birth. I knew that wasn’t what the term meant, but the image stuck in my mind. Maybe the fact that he was broken drew me to him from the start.

It all happened before I was born, and by the time I met Moses and my mom told me all about him, the story was old news and nobody wanted anything to do with him. People love babies, even sick babies. Even crack babies. But babies grow up to be kids, and kids grow up to be teenagers. Nobody wants a messed up teenager.

And Moses was messed up. Moses was a law unto himself. But he was also strange and exotic and beautiful. To be with him would change my life in ways I could never have imagined. Maybe I should have stayed away. Maybe I should have listened. My mother warned me. Even Moses warned me. But I didn’t stay away.

And so begins a story of pain and promise, of heartache and healing, of life and death. A story of before and after, of new beginnings and never-endings. But most of all...a love story.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Series: The Archived #2

Genre: young adult, fantasy, dystopia, ghosts 

Release date: January 22^nd 2013

Synopsis:

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what she once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

A Thousands Pieces Of You by Claudia Gray

Series: Firebird #1

Genre: young adult, sci-fy, time travel, romance

Release date: November 4^th 2014

Synopsis:

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

Nocte by Courtney Cole

Series: Nocte trilogy #1

Genre: new adult, contemporary, romance, mystery, dark

Release date: November 3^rd 2014

Synopsis:

Save me and I'll save you...

My name is Calla Price. I’m eighteen years old, and I’m one half of a whole.

My other half-- my twin brother, my Finn-- is crazy.

I love him. More than life, more than anything. And even though I’m terrified he’ll suck me down with him, no one can save him but me.

I’m doing all I can to stay afloat in a sea of insanity, but I’m drowning more and more each day. So I reach out for a lifeline.

Dare DuBray.

He’s my savior and my anti-Christ. His arms are where I feel safe, where I’m afraid, where I belong, where I’m lost. He will heal me, break me, love me and hate me.

He has the power to destroy me.

Maybe that’s ok. Because I can’t seem to save Finn and love Dare without everyone getting hurt.

Why? Because of a secret.

A secret I’m so busy trying to figure out, that I never see it coming.

You won’t either.

The Death Code by Lindsay Cummings

Series: The Murder Complex #2

Genre: young adult, dystopia, sci-fy.

Release date: April 21^st 2015

Synopsis:

With short, fast-paced, alternating point-of-view chapters, The Death Code starts several weeks after The Murder Complex ended. 

Zephyr keeps the secret about Meadow close—that if she dies, The Murder Complex will be destroyed, too. 

Meadow, desperate to find her brother, father, and little sister, is determined to fearlessly fight to the end, even if it means sacrificing herself and her friends, new and old. 

The Death Code introduces a memorable cast of secondary characters and delivers a vivid and scary thrill ride read.

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QUESTION: Do you agree with me? What are some of your favorite covers? ;)

COVER BLITZ: Lies Unspoken by Lisa De Jong

If you follow my blog for a while, you probably know that I love When It Rains by Lisa Jong.

And this time I'm presenting you the cover of her new book: Lies Unspoken!

This is a new adult, contemporary romance.

Pre-order on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1yC0yvH

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1yC0Q5P

RELEASE DATE: December 14th, 2014

Blurb of LIES UNSPOKEN

Teaser

I tried hard not to fall for the bad guy.

My new roommate, Blake, is a jerk—an unemployed artist with a chip on his shoulder. I can’t stand him unless his hands are on me. He makes me desperate for him, and everything he makes me feel.

And then there’s my new boss, Pierce--successful, charming, and extremely good-looking. He goes after what he wants, but what does he see in me?

I try to stay away, but I end up in the arms of exactly who I was hiding from. And when I find out what’s being hidden from me, my heart twists in ways it never should.

I thought I knew him.

I didn't.

The way he kissed me.

The way his hands traveled every inch of my skin.

I thought it meant something, but as it turns out, it was all lies unspoken.

 

About the author, Lisa De Jong

Lisa De Jong is a wife, mother and full-time number cruncher who lives in the Midwest. Her writing journey involved insane amounts of coffee and many nights of very little sleep but she wouldn't change a thing. She also enjoys reading, football and music.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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In collaboration with:

Book Of The Week #12 : The Law Of Moses by Amy Harmon

Every Sunday I share a book I discovered during the week. I think it's a good idea for you guys if you're looking for random recommendations ;)

If you want to see the previous ones, just click here.

Details about this book:

Series: stand-alone

Genre: new adult, contemporary, romance

Length: 324 pages

Release date: November 27^th, 2014

Publisher: /

What is the book about?

If I tell you right up front, right in the beginning that I lost him, it will be easier for you to bear. You will know it’s coming, and it will hurt. But you’ll be able to prepare.

Someone found him in a laundry basket at the Quick Wash, wrapped in a towel, a few hours old and close to death. They called him Baby Moses when they shared his story on the ten o’clock news – the little baby left in a basket at a dingy Laundromat, born to a crack addict and expected to have all sorts of problems. I imagined the crack baby, Moses, having a giant crack that ran down his body, like he’d been broken at birth. I knew that wasn’t what the term meant, but the image stuck in my mind. Maybe the fact that he was broken drew me to him from the start.

It all happened before I was born, and by the time I met Moses and my mom told me all about him, the story was old news and nobody wanted anything to do with him. People love babies, even sick babies. Even crack babies. But babies grow up to be kids, and kids grow up to be teenagers. Nobody wants a messed up teenager.

And Moses was messed up. Moses was a law unto himself. But he was also strange and exotic and beautiful. To be with him would change my life in ways I could never have imagined. Maybe I should have stayed away. Maybe I should have listened. My mother warned me. Even Moses warned me. But I didn’t stay away.

And so begins a story of pain and promise, of heartache and healing, of life and death. A story of before and after, of new beginnings and never-endings. But most of all...a love story.

How did I find it?

Colleen Hoover posted the cover of this book on her social media and I immediately fell in love with the cover! Then I saw it was written by Amy Harmon! I read Making Faces by Amy (click for review) and I LOVED it! It’s one of my favorites, so I’m super excited to read this when it’s published!