Author: Anna (Page 8 of 48)

RAMBLINGS – To NA or Not To NA

July 20, 2016 / Anna / 18 Comments

TO NA1

I think it’s safe to say that NA is one of those genres that we all scratch our heads about (Anna : I personally face palm a lot, but what do I know) (Chelsea : She’s a bit dramatic). On the one hand, there’s so much potential. These young people are going out into the real world and about to begin their lives…and love is always in the air (Also, sex. What? Sex is important right? (Ummmm….). Plus, it gives us that relateable feel. Everyone wants to read about the trials and tribulations of young adults who are finding themselves (especially because let’s face it, finding ourselves is a lifelong goal). But too often in this newly coined genre do we see the same tired tropes that make us all rage (*cough* slut-shaming, magic dick, you name it *cough*) (I don’t mind the magic dick or slut shaming *cough*). I have seen an increase in people who are giving up on the New Adult genre completely (and at an alarming rate) and this makes me so sad. I know it’s (very) (Extremely) hard to find them, really, but there truly are some amazing books that people miss out on because

A) they aren’t looking in the right places (can I say here or would it be too conceited? Kidding, kidding) or

B) They have picked up one too many that turned them off so it’s the final straw (♬ ♪ THE FINAL COUNTDOWN! Okay, no idea where THAT came from) (Looks to the sky for guidance because friend is going crazy)

C) They never find what works and what doesn’t work for them, thus making it possible to find some winners in a sea of losers (an ocean seems more like it – Hell, a UNIVERSE of losers) (Pretty much)

SO, this is where Anna and I got the idea to make a post showcasing the winners that JUST might help you restore your faith in this dwindling genre again (Well, and I’ve been helping a couple friends try to rediscover what COULD be good about NA) (and I’ve been bitching about NA for so long that everyone and their grandma are tired of my whining). We hope you like (love, we gotta be hopeful) (They are soooo goooddd) the books we have highlighted-these are what worked for US, and they really are the best of the best, in our (not so) humble opinion.

TO NA2

Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar → Anna’s Review

5 Stars! These raw, multi-layered and messed-up characters grab you, remind you of random anecdotes from your past (also that cupboard there? Don’t open it), drive you to call your mum because really, it’s been a while, tear up but NO YOU DON’T FREAKING KNOW WHY SO WHO CARES THAT YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT SURF, you’re having a moment there and – Well, realistic fiction, anyone? (I need to read this so bad…)

Love Show by Audrey Bell → Anna’s Review

5 Stars! No slut-shaming. No asshole as a hero. (So loyal, our baby OMG POOR BOY!) A driven and independent MC. Neither love triangle nor instalove. Fantastic banter. Jack!! Don’t let go! JACK! I love these guys to pieces.

Fuel the Fire (Calloway Sisters #3) by Krista and Becka Ritchie → Anna’s Review

5 Stars! Strong female characters. PLURAL. Frienship. No miscommunication or stupid drama, but a couple (His tear stained cheek…) who fight battles as a TEAM. My heart is full. I am so proud of Connor and Rose that it’s getting ridiculous, but I don’t even care. They’re my perfect match.

Second Position (District Ballet Company #1) by Katherine Locke → Anna’s Review

4.5 Stars! I wish I could have stopped crying but alas, I guess that’s what happens when you read such a poignant and beautiful story. What a surprising and lyrical gem.

Boomerang (Boomerang #1) by Noelle August → Anna’s Review

4 Stars! Ethan and Mia’s story may contain some kind of instalust, they never fell into instalove but on the contrary, they… Okay, you’ll see. What I loved the most about this book was the female friendship it pictured (because YES, that is RARE) and alright, alright, the chemistry off the charts 😉

tona31

The Deal (Off Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy→ Chelsea’s Review

5 Stars! Okay so, this is a cliche book, with a cliche plot, with some cliche things…but people, this was popular for a reason-It’s cliche done well. And I’m willing to bet you’ll fall just as hard for Garret as I did. 😉 (alright, alright, I did like them, alright)

All Broke Down (Rusk University #2) by Cora Carmack → Chelsea’s Review

5 Stars! GAH. Okay, this was literally the best because I didn’t think it would be good. I had it on my iPad just sitting there, then I picked it up randomly one night and it was not at all what I expected. A respectful male lead who doesn’t stray at the first sign of trouble and a plot that, while it’s been done before, is done in a way that I can’t help but love. I don’t know…this just felt different to me.

I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios → Chelsea’s Review

5 Stars! Ugh, this borders the NA/YA line, but I don’t care. The content is more NA in my opinion and, frankly. it’s too perfect not to mention. This book is far from perfect-It’s characters even farther from perfect. But the journey they travel to find who they are and where they belong…it’s so fucking beautiful. An absolute favorite and I will absolutely never forget Josh and Sky (me neither)

Love Show by Audrey Bell → Chelsea’s Review

5 Stars! I have to thank Anna for this one…I would never have read it in January had she not made me read it. Jack is utter perfection and this story isn’t your typical NA drivel-It was literally almost flawless. Key word? ALMOST. Something happened at the end that always bothers me, so that will always stay with me-But I still will never forget this book and how much I ADORED it. (Especially Jack. Always Jack) (NEVER LET GO)

Kiss the Sky (Calloway Sisters #1) by Krista and Becca Ritchie→ Chelsea’s Review

5 Stars! Alright, alright, I know-Anna did FTF…and I was going to, too. But I decided that since we had a couple in common, it’s only fair to showcase the FIRST book in this wonderfully addictive spin-off series. The third book MAY (coughs loudly in an unladylike fashion) (“unladylike” is such bullshit anyway) be the best of Connor…but there’s just something so SEXY about the chase in this first installment. Connor is..he’s..I mean..I can’t…OKAY I FUCKING LOVE HIM, and seeing him try and protect Rose and finding how much he really DOES love her when he’s not capable of love…I CAN’T EVEN. FTF may be epic, but this is where the real feels begin (INDEED) (*nods firmly*).

I also wanted to add Isn’t She Lovely and Broken by Lauren Layne, but their pictures aren’t formatting correctly. So I will just say that they are what made me fall in love with NA, and while ISL might start out a little bit too much (it was her first novel) it evens out and made me fall for this author and her amazing way of dealing with NA and making men I instantly fall in love with. The book names are highlighted to take you to my review 🙂

So, did any of these books pique your interest? Which ones? Let us know in the comments because, as always, we LOVE to talk about our favorite books. Let us know if we helped you open up to NA again or we possibly found your next favorite! <3

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BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY – The Killer in Me by Margot Harrison

July 18, 2016 / Anna

The Killer in Me Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Hasn't he lived long enough? Why not? I could take him like a thief in the night.

This is how the Thief thinks. He serves death, the vacuum, the unknown. He’s always waiting. Always there.

Seventeen-year-old Nina Barrows knows all about the Thief. She’s intimately familiar with his hunting methods: how he stalks and kills at random, how he disposes of his victims’ bodies in an abandoned mine in the deepest, most desolate part of a desert.

Now, for the first time, Nina has the chance to do something about the serial killer that no one else knows exists. With the help of her former best friend, Warren, she tracks the Thief two thousand miles, to his home turf—the deserts of New Mexico.

But the man she meets there seems nothing like the brutal sociopath with whom she’s had a disturbing connection her whole life. To anyone else, Dylan Shadwell is exactly what he appears to be: a young veteran committed to his girlfriend and her young daughter. As Nina spends more time with him, she begins to doubt the truth she once held as certain: Dylan Shadwell is the Thief. She even starts to wonder . . . what if there is no Thief?

Follow the The Killer In Me by Margot Harrison Blog Tour and don’t miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

I was raised in the wilds of New York by lovely, nonviolent parents who somehow never managed to prevent me from staying up late to read scary books. I now work at an alt-weekly newspaper in Vermont, where my favorite part of the job is, of course, reviewing scary books and movies. The Killer in Me is my first novel.

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BOOK REVIEW – False Hearts (False Hearts #1) by Laura Lam

July 16, 2016 / Anna

False Hearts (False Hearts #1)
by Laura Lam
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
To save her twin, she must take her identity

One night Tila stumbles home, terrified and covered in blood. She's then arrested for murder, the first by a civilian in decades. The San Francisco police suspect involvement with Verve, a powerful drug, and offer her twin sister Taema a chilling deal. Taema must assume Tila's identity and gather information to bring down the drug syndicate. The police may then let her sister live. However, Taema's investigation raises ghosts from the twins' past.

The sisters were raised by a cult, which banned modern medicine - yet as conjoined twins, they needed life-saving surgery to replace their failing heart. And with help from co-conspirators, they escaped. Taema now discovers that Tila had found links between the cult and the city's criminal underworld. The twins were once unable to keep secrets, but will learn the true cost of lies.

scifiexperiment

After years without reading science fiction (because really, who cares about aliens anymore?), I decided to try and find some new authors because you know what? The real world sucks sometimes, and escaping it seems wonderful to me right now. Please feel free to send me your recs, and a big thank you to Emily for her review without which I would have never heard of False Hearts.

*looking at the news*

*turning my ocular implants off*

I don’t know what’s worst, really : reading about a futurist world both fascinating and frightening, or putting my book aside to discover, if needed, that our real world is more fucked-up than anything writers could create.

Alright, I lied : the second possibility is much, much worst. Too bad it’s the truth. As much as I’ve always prided myself on being able to see things in a positive light, I cannot deny that it’s becoming harder and harder to stand the internet lately – and let it be known that I love technologies.

In that aspect, False Hearts asked the good questions in my opinion (well, I don’t know if they are good, honestly, only that they’re the ones I always wondered about) : where do we stop? Is there a boundary, some kind of limit where science shouldn’t go? I’ve always been uncomfortable with people arguing against science or progress, because it reeked too much of censure for me, yet it does not mean that everything scientific or new is good by essence. What matters is what we, humans with twisted minds, do with it.

Everyone agrees (I strongly hope, at least) that experimenting on humans or animals is sick and inhuman. Everyone agrees that there are many countries that produce our stuff with no respect for basic human rights. Yet we welcome any novelty with open arms, we buy them cheaper and cheaper, and we’re very sorry, and then we shrug and say –

What you wanna do?

I am guilty of this hypocrisy as well. Sure, I pay attention to what I buy and try to choose human and animal friendly products more often than not – especially clothes, food, and beauty products – yet I own a smartphone, a tab, an ereader, a computer, games consoles… I love the internet and the freedom of speech it allows, even if I often struggle with the cultural – and legal – differences between the US and France (where incitement to hatred is outlawed and not protected under the cloak of freedom of expression).

And now you’re wondering why the fuck I am rambling about that and what this has to do with False Hearts. I’m coming to that, I promise.

It all comes down to : human beings are complex, our world is complex, and I need to find remnants of this complexity to be convinced by a fictional world.

Would I be able to live in the Hearth, the technology-free colony Tila and Taema come from? In this hidden cult where “meditation” allows you to share your neighbor’s mind? Oh, no, absolutely not.

Would I enjoy living in the Pacifica, this futuristic country where appearances are never what they seem, where you can order an ersatz of coffee – and anything, really – through a replicator, where all your steps are monitored and analyzed by your brain nanobots? Where the aseptic atmosphere hides loneliness and corruption? Where a psychoactive drug enables you to share dreams, at the risk of losing any interest in your real life? No, I don’t think I would.

And this, my friends – this imaginative and frightening world-building? It’s what makes False Hearts stand out from the overtroped Fantasy and Scifi out there.

But there’s more! Not only the murder investigation, filled with mistrust and twists, hooked me right away, but the depth (both with regards to the – diverse! – characters and to the questions asked) made my reading experience even better. If not for the writing that didn’t always convince me, and the beginning that I found a little slow, False Hearts was damn near perfect for me.

► Give me more of this, please.*

Oh, also? I’ll take some of these cleaning Bots, thank you very much. I’ll keep my real coffee, though.

*Apparently there is a sequel coming, and I cannot wait to dive into it.

RELEASE DAY LAUNCH + GIVEAWAY – We Awaken by Calista Lynne

July 14, 2016 / Anna / 2 Comments

We Awaken Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

We are ecstatic to announce the release of We Awaken by Calista Lynne, which brings light and attention on the important subject of asexuality.

So. Let’s take a look at the blurb, shall we?

Victoria Dinham doesn’t have much left to look forward to. Since her father died in a car accident, she lives only to fulfill her dream of being accepted into the Manhattan Dance Conservatory. But soon she finds another reason to look forward to dreams when she encounters an otherworldly girl named Ashlinn, who bears a message from Victoria’s comatose brother. Ashlinn is tasked with conjuring pleasant dreams for humans, and through the course of their nightly meetings in Victoria’s mind, the two become close. Ashlinn also helps Victoria understand asexuality and realize that she, too, is asexual.

But then Victoria needs Ashlinn’s aid outside the realm of dreams, and Ashlinn assumes human form to help Victoria make it to her dance audition. They take the opportunity to explore New York City, their feelings for each other, and the nature of their shared asexuality. But like any dream, it’s too good to last. Ashlinn must shrug off her human guise and resume her duties creating pleasant nighttime visions—or all of humanity will pay the price.

What about the author?

Calista Lynne grew up on the American East Coast and is currently theater in London. She’s having difficulty adjusting to the lack of Oxford commas across the pond and writes because it always seemed to make more sense than mathematics. Look for her near the caffeinated beverages.

With We Awaken, she decided to write the book she wish she had growing up : “So many young people who don’t feel sexual attraction think they’re broken because there’s so little representation in the media. Even if there is, it usually ends with the asexual character being “cured”. My intention was to show that being ace is normal and that these character can still have a happy ending.”

Curious? Enter the giveaway and win one of the 5 e-copies offered!

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And you, are there subjects that you wish had more representation in the media? Tell us about them in the comments!

BOOK REVIEW – Deceptions (Cainsville #3) by Kelley Armstrong

July 12, 2016 / Anna

Deceptions (Cainsville #3)
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Otherworld series delivers her most suspenseful novel yet, where the discovery of Cainsville’s dark past and the true nature of its inhabitants leads to murder, redemption, love, and unspeakable loss.

Olivia Taylor Jones’s life has exploded. She’s discovered she is not only adopted, but her real parents are convicted serial killers. Fleeing the media frenzy, she took refuge in the oddly secluded town of Cainsville. She has since solved the town’s mysteries and finds herself not only the target of its secretive elders but also her stalker ex-fiancé.

Visions continue to haunt her: particularly a little blond girl in a green sundress who insists she has an important message for Olivia, one that may help her balance the light and darkness within herself. Death stalks both Olivia and the two men most important to her, as she desperately searches to understand whether ancient scripts are dictating the triangle that connects them. Will darkness prevail, or does Olivia have the power to prevent a tragic fate?

✨ Now available in Paperback! ✨

Whaaaat? Is it finished already? Damn it.

▨ Gabriel character’s growth : Alright. I feel like a broken record, so don’t mind me. As in the first two books, here lies my favorite part of these books. I’m all about the characters most of the time, and a great characterization can decide of my love for a book. In Deceptions Gabriel continues to learn how to stop being a cyborg (not really) and I absolutely adored peeking through the layers of his character. GAH. I love this man. See, I love the way he talks. All practical. I’ve loved his tough side from the start, his inability to react like people are supposed to, because that what makes him different from other characters : he’s not a bad-boy, he’s not a knight in shining armor either, he just… is, and I can’t help but enjoy every time he appears, even if he is being an ass (yes, it happens. No, it doesn’t change a thing). When he starts showing vulnerabilities, though? I melt. I just – I can’t. It’s subtle, and it’s way more interesting as it is. It’s showing, never telling, but he cares, so much – it made my heart throb with wonder and yes, break a little.

“He kept giving me that look, the confusion deepening to something like disappointment, like hurt, as if he’d tried to be kind and thoughtful, and I was rejecting it, and he didn’t know why. That little boy, reaching out and being pushed away. Goddamn it, Gabriel. Don’t look at me like that. Wake up. Snap out of it, pull that wall back up and retreat behind it.”

Finally, his interactions with Olivia and really – everyone – made my day. I’ll take more of this, please.

“His brows shot higher. “That would imply I have time for such frivolities. I don’t watch television or movies, and while I read a fair bit, fiction would hardly advance my education. Data, data, data. I cannot make bricks without clay.” I crossed my arms and glowered up at him. “Obviously, you’ve made an exception.” “I never make exceptions. An exception disproves the rule.” ” I hate you so much right now.”

▨ Ricky’s case : Strangely, I feel bad about Ricky. Why? Because he’s genuinely adorable with Olivia and they seem really great together but even if 1)he doesn’t annoy me and 2)I don’t mind their sex scenes, on the contrary, I can’t help but feel not involved in their story. I’m a Gabriel girl through and through, even if I repeat, it’s not a love triangle-team Gabriel kind of situation. Not really. To be frank, I have nothing against Ricky : he’s sweet, respectful, charming, a little wild… I like him, really. And still… He isn’t near as fascinating as Gabriel. *shrug* Gabriel is the one who makes me smile. Always.

▨ Olivia’s behavior : I still like her, but I have to admit that she annoys me a little when she refuses to see the obvious View Spoiler ». However, she does act on it and I appreciate how realistic that makes her : yes, in real life we bury our head in the sand sometimes. I’m often the Queen of that ship, even if I’m not proud of it. That doesn’t prevent me from waking up when I sense that I need to, and Olivia does. Whilst lost and confused, she always stays brave, smart, and funny. Am I tired to be in her head? No, never. And that’s saying something : she doesn’t ramble, she doesn’t daydream, but she always tries to make the best out of the chaos that followed her arrival in Cainsville. However, I cannot stand how she handles a certain situation, and it’s a spoiler, so here we goes (sorry) :View Spoiler »

▨ TC! Every book needs a moody cat.

▨ Addictive factor : Once again, the writing is completely addictive and I couldn’t stop reading for the life of me. From page one I dived into Cainsville’s mess as if I had never stopped, and there are very few series about which I can say that.

▨ Creepy factor :

First of all : I’m a chicken (yes, it’s important to state). This being said, the creepy scenes increased in number in this third book, definitely. I got chills at her visions ~~and no, the light of my Kindle wasn’t enough anymore.~~ Chicken, I said.

▨ ANSWERS! I’m not gonna lie, the first two books let me –

You get the idea. Lost. Confused. Did I say lost? So, does it change? Yes we get explanations about the murders. Yes they’re twisted and wicked. Yes I loved that. Does the story seem less captivating after getting these answers? Oh hell no. I’m even more curious to see where the story will go from now on. Now, I must confess that some parts disappointed me and that I am scared that this series will become stereotypical (that’s why I lowered my rating) View Spoiler ». I hate Fate related plots and I really can’t fathom why authors do that. I strongly hope I’m wrong, and I want to trust Kelley Armstrong to stay far from the easiest path View Spoiler »love-triangle shit « Hide Spoiler[love-triangle shit (hide spoiler)], because so far everything was way more complicated than it seemed, and I loved these books for it.

Ps. I need to say something about the bike club scene : it made me cringe so bad. I do not like girl fight at all, and the whole “handling over” Olivia played with my nerves. I know, I have no idea if it is accurate or not. Maybe it is. I still can’t help but hate the casual sexism that is pictured there. Ugh.