Review: The Deal By Elle Kennedy

Title: The Deal

Author: Elle Kennedy

Published Date: February 24th 2015

She’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy... 

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice... even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date. 

...and it’s going to be oh so good. 

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn't take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn't going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

(Synopsis Provided by Goodreads)

The Deal begins with a simple question and ends with the best answer! All around fun, The Deal is a great casual read for any New Adult lover! The characters have such great chemistry together and who doesn't love a hot hockey player? The main characters Hannah and Garrett are a great match with their self-confidence and sassy mouths - put a smile on my face for majority of the book! The book does introduce some pretty heavy topics of violence but does not dive too far into them. Overall I thought this book did a great job focusing/exploring relationships that begin as friends and how people move into something more.

SOMETHING NEW - Tuesday Thoughts & Talks!

Starting next week, the BloggityBLOG will be the host to a new blog meme:

TUESDAY THOUGHTS & TALKS!

This is a meme hosted HERE weekly, that asks you to write about something you've learned or thought about after finishing a certain book - sparking a conversation for us all! 

I was really inspired by all the great conversation surrounding books people have read on Instagram and book blogs online. Everyone experiences something after they read! The really great books we pick up spark something in us that make us think and so Tuesday Thoughts & Talks is all about getting those thoughts heard and sharing your opinions with this awesome book blogging community! 

If you want to participate in the Tuesday Thoughts & Talks, all you need to do is:

-tune in on Tuesdays

-grab the banner

-post your own TuesT&T on your blog 

-then leave a comment down below & link to your post!

Can't wait to start this adventure with everyone! Leave a comment down below if you're interested!

AS ALWAYS,

HAPPY READING!

-SHERRY

Waiting on Wednesday [1]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine - spotlighting books that haven't been released yet!

My Waiting on Wednesday this week is...

Between Us and the Moon By Rebecca Maizel

Expected Release Date: June 30th 2015

A luminous young adult novel that evokes Judy Blume’s Forever for a new generation.

Ever since Sarah was born, she’s lived in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Scarlett. But this summer on Cape Cod, she’s determined to finally grow up. Then she meets gorgeous college boy Andrew. He sees her as the girl she wants to be. A girl who’s older than she is. A girl like Scarlett.

Before she knows what’s happened, one little lie has transformed into something real. And by the end of August, she might have to choose between falling in love, and finding herself.

Fans of Jenny Han and Stephanie Perkins are destined to fall for this story about how life and love are impossible to predict.

(Synopsis Provided by Goodreads)

I can't wait to pick this book up in June since it's everything I love about teen romances! I feel it will be a great summer read with the setting by the waters. Also, a novel that evokes Judy Blume's Forever? MUST READ!

Who else is eagerly waiting for Between Us and the Moon?

What books are you eagerly anticipating? Leave a link in the comments below to your own Waiting on Wednesday & I'll make sure to stop by!

Review: The Retribution of Mara Dyer By Michelle Hodkin

Title: The Retribution of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Published Date: November 4th 2014

Mara Dyer wants to believe there's more to the lies she’s been told.

There is.

She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.

She should.

She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.

She will now.

Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.

Retribution has arrived.

(Synopsis Provided by Goodreads)

The Retribution of Mara Dyer was a good read overall. At some points, the story seemed to drag on (the entire first half of the book aka the beginning). Mara’s inner monologue got to be too much for me at certain points but her interactions with side characters carried me through it. And of course how Noah fits into all of the madness was, to me, meh. I had quite high expectations for the final book in this series and I was okay with how it played out. I wish the story didn’t end where it did – it came together in the end nonetheless.

This book continues where the last one ended – with Mara being captured by Dr. Kells. Mara wakes alone and scrambles to try to figure out how to get out of Horizons. She doesn’t know where Noah is, and last she heard he was dead. It seems like she’s the only one left at the facility but a path to Noah and ultimately freedom, appears. Set by none other than Jude Lowe (the crazy ex boyfriend/killer). All things scream ‘do not trust’ but Mara will do anything to get to Noah. The path set for her is not easy; she’s got to go against all morals. Weighing the odds of life and death – what is worth it? Who is worth it? And what will be the consequence if she takes the path to find Noah? Mara refuses to believe that Noah is dead and so as she trudges on through the dark and twisted road of Horizons. Only to discover more about what makes her unique along with Noah and the others with her at Horizons. The truth of why they were kept at the psychiatric ward is revealed and the truth is not what any of them could imagine. Filled with thrilling plot twists and a great deal of emotions, The Retribution of Mara Dyer will have you crying in sadness one moment and laughing the next.

Sunday Musings: Let's Talk Books & Blogging!

I don't know when exactly it happened but this past week has re-awoken my love of book blogging. Coming back to writing reviews about the books I've read has really been refreshing. I kind of hit a major hiatus from all things reading related when I started university three years ago but now hopefully I'll be back? I still got a lot of reading to catch up on and for now I'll be casually reading on a loose schedule of posting reviews. It was intimidating to enter this blogging community again - there is just so many great reviewers and bloggers out there!

With that being said, let's jump into talking about books! This week I came across two books that I want to add to my shelves. 

Liars, Inc. By Paula Stokes

The storyline for this one is quite intriguing. Seems like it starts off lighthearted but changes course to be more dramatic and dark. Most looking forward to reading about how Max the main character gets out of the complex situation involving murder!

The Truth About Jack By Jody Gehrman

I'm a huge sucker for teen romance so this one seems like a novel I'd love. What interests me most in this book up is the aspect of Jack, the main guy character, creating an image of himself that he THINKS Dakota, the main girl character, will fall in love with. I typically come across female protagonists conforming to that pressure so it seems really interesting to see a guy go through it in this book.

Anyone else interested in these books too? I saw them across some book blogs and they really appealed to me. If you've read them - how are they (spoiler free please)?

This week I also got a chance to get crafty! I had always wanted to create some bookmarks and this week I found some time to do just that! They're a very simple design and I just wanted to try out some ombre watercolour painting techniques. The bookmarks were spring colour themed so let me know what you think! Here are the results:

Some watercolour paper & paints, yarn, time, and this can be the result! I made a couple of them so if anyone out there is interested in having one, you could check out my etsy store HERE and pick one up! 

Question for you guys out there: What books caught your attention this week?

Let me know in the comments below - I really want to see what books you guys mention!

AS ALWAYS,

HAPPY READING! (&SUNDAY!)

-Sherry

Review: Very Twisted Things By Ilsa Madden-Mills

Title: Very Twisted Things (Briarcrest Academy #3) 

Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills

Published Date: March 1st 2015

A sassy violinist who lives next door.
An obsessed rock star who watches her through binoculars.
And one night when she bares it all.
Life will never be the same in Tinseltown.


Vital Rejects front guy Sebastian Tate never imagined his YouTube music video would go viral, sky-rocketing him to acting success in Hollywood.Okay, maybe he did. After all, he’s a cocky dude who knows he’s hot-as-hell, and it was only a matter of time before his stars aligned. 

But life in Tinseltown is never what it seems. 

After being cheated on by his ex-lover, his only rule to falling in love is simple: Keep Calm and Don’t Do It. So, spying on his mysterious new neighbor with binoculars seems innocent enough, but quickly escalates into an erotic game between two very unlikely people.

Twenty-year-old Violet St. Lyons is a world-renowned violinist who's lost her mojo on stage. She hides away in a Hollywood mansion, trying to find her way through her twisted past in order to make her future. 

He’s the life of the party with girls chasing him down for his autograph. She’s the introvert with a potty mouth who doesn’t even know who he is.

When they meet, stars collide, sparks fly, and clothes come off. Yet, giving his heart to a girl isn’t Sebastian’s plan; falling for a guy who craves attention isn’t Violet’s. 

Welcome to Briarcrest Academy—Hollywood style—where sometimes the best things in life are VERY TWISTED THINGS.

18+ Hot New Adult Romance
(Synopsis Provided By Goodreads)
~
This story had it's moments. Ultimately, I wished there was a deeper understanding of why these characters needed to be together. The story is told through alternating POV, chapter to chapter. Violet is a good POV to read from - definitely sassy but Sebastian was a little too serious for my liking. I finished the book in one sitting. That being said it was interesting and steamy enough to keep on reading.