Page 194 of 427

Item: Getting Lucky Number Seven
Rating: 5
Author: Chelsea

BOOK REVIEW: Getting Lucky Number Seven (Taking Shots #1) by Cindi Madsen

March 2, 2018 / Chelsea / 4 Comments

Getting Lucky Number Seven (Taking Shots #1)
by Cindi Madsen
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
What's your lucky number?

Lyla Wilder is done being the shy, chemistry nerd extraordinaire. While every other college student is out having fun, Lyla is studying. With her cat. Well, she's played it "safe" quite enough, thank you. So she creates a "College Bucket List"?with item #7 being a night of uninhibited, mind-blowing sex...

But she needs some help from her man-whore best friend.

Hockey player Beck Davenport thought Lyla's transformation would be subtle. Man, was he wrong. With every item she ticks off, Beck finds himself growing seriously hot for his sweet, brainiac best friend. And if he's not careful, he'll end up risking their friendship in order to convince Lyla that he might just be her lucky #7...

I couldn’t even talk to my best friend about the guy I was having sex with. Because, silly me, I’d gone and made them the same person.

Ya know, once again I’m plagued by the reviews stating this is the same old same old, there’s nothing new, it’s cliché, etc…and yet again I find this to be wrong. Why do I find this to be wrong? Well, there are so many reasons I can’t even begin to explain them.

“I’m sure you were a little disappointed when you found out I was your assigned chem partner.”
“Well, yeah,” I said, “but that was because with how damn cute you were, I was sure you’d be stupid, and that meant I was going to end up doing all the work.”
She rolled her eyes, and I smiled, unable to keep from adding, “Then I caught your scent, and your blood smelled so good, I was afraid I’d kill you and eat you. That’s why I was all broody and denting the table the first day.”
Lyla laughed and shoved my arm. “You’re stupid.”
“I am. I let you talk me into that Twilight marathon last Sunday. Clearly a mistake.”

MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE QUOTE lmao. Killed me when I read it.^^^ Also, I had way too much fun looking through twilight GIFs lol

I was having a bad month. I was borderline depressed. I wasn’t sleeping well and had barely any sleep. I wanted to escape reality. It. Made. Me. SMILE. And it was my rainbow on a cloudy, rainy day. I don’t care about clichés, so long as they’re done RIGHT-and these totally were. And, frankly, done better than any of the other books before it that made it ‘cliché’ to impersonate.

Beck was standing off to the side, two red plastic cups in hand. “Dead cats? You said you had a hard time talking to guys, but shit, Debbie Downer, I had no idea.”

One of my recurring thoughts throughout this book was ‘I want this relationship’. It was just too cute and there was no screwing around with other girls/guys like in other books I won’t mention *Cough* How to Date a Douchebag *Cough*. Yeah. Whoops. This was a sexy read without the smut and it never became all about sex-they were best friends first and built a solid relationship before any commitment and I really think the characters had the cutest connection because of it.

She clamped her lips as she took me in, and then she laughed. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands. “I’m sorry, now that I know you’re okay, it’s…” She laughed again, her shoulders shaking. “I’m just glad I’m not the only one to make a fool of myself when I’m drunk.”
“Fool of myself?” I pushed up to my knees and wiped gravel from my torn up palms. “What are you talking about? I’m suave as shit.”
This got another round of giggles, and she laughed so hard that she braced herself against me to keep from tipping over. That made me laugh, and then we were two idiots laughing in the middle of a parking lot, our clouded breaths filling the air around us.

Was it cheesy? Yes. But it was so cute without crossing the overly cheesy line-I hate this CHEESY line. I don’t cross it for much and this book didn’t make me. It was JUST enough-not OTT. And, more than anything, this book felt relevant unlike when a lot of authors try to recreate their youth or pretend like they know what every college student is like these days. Maybe I’m the one that’s out of touch but I felt like this book hit its mark. There were no repetitive phrases (LOATHEEEEE) like these type of stories tend to have and the dialogue melted me to my core. These two characters were beyond adorable and I couldn’t get enough of them.

I wanted to let everything spill out—how much I missed her. How I should’ve told her she was perfect and sexy and the smartest person I knew. That I was drowning without her, and for the first time in my life, I got why they called it a broken heart, because all mine did was sit in my chest and ache with each beat.

And Beck…oh man I just loved him. Yeah yeah he fell for her because of a certain something on her list (teehee) and yes they obviously had feelings for each other waaaay before they actually did anything about it, but, for whatever reason, I dug it. It just had the perfect amount of peanut butter and JELLY-ness and a touch of angst (and again, not TOO much) that really was just the cherry on top of a fun little book.

“When I look at you, you know what I see?”
I met her gaze, finding it suddenly hard to breathe.
“I see the guy who saw me when no one else did,” she said. “That’s what matters to me. That’s who you are.”

So…I’m sure many of you will dismiss this book without a second thought-but, just think, if you’re having a rough day, a dark day, a sad day…maybe a smile on your face is all you need. And if you want a smile…you want Beck. Very cute. Very sweet. Very adorable. I hope some of you will try it-I know I can’t wait to get my signed copy from Apollycon from my lovely Jen Jen!!! Eeps 😊

View all my reviews

Our Most Anticipated Releases For March

March 1, 2018 / Jen / 9 Comments

We love talking about books that we can’t wait to read! And that includes the ones that haven’t been released yet. So on the first day of every month we’ll share with you the books coming out that month that we’re the most excited about. There’s a link to Goodreads in case you want to add them to your tbr too! So here are the books we are counting down until they are released in March.

Releases 3/06 – More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer (Jen’s Review)

Goodreads ✩ Amazon

With loving adoptive parents by his side, Rev Fletcher has managed to keep the demons of his past at bay. . . until he gets a letter from his abusive father and the trauma of his childhood comes hurtling back.

Emma Blue’s parents are constantly fighting, and her only escape is the computer game she built from scratch. But when a cruel online troll’s harassment escalates, she not only loses confidence but starts to fear for her safety.

When Rev and Emma meet, they’re both longing to lift the burden of their secrets. They connect instantly and deeply, promising to help each other no matter what. But soon Rev and Emma’s secrets threaten to crush them, and they’ll need more than a promise to find their way out.

From the author of Letters to the Lost comes a new compulsively readable story for fans of Nicola Yoon.

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Releases 3/06 – To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo (Arielle’s Review)

Goodreads ✩ Amaon

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most–a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.

The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby–it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good–But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

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Releases 3/13 – Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Goodreads ✩ Amazon

From bestselling author duo Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff comes the exciting finale in the trilogy that broke the mold and has been called “stylistically mesmerizing” and “out-of-this-world-awesome.”

Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza–but who knows what they’ll find seven months after the invasion? Meanwhile, Kady’s cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza’s ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys–an old flame from Asha’s past–reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heros will fall, and hearts will be broken.

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Releases 3/20 – The Prophecy (Titan #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Goodreads ✩ Amazon

The final book in the series!
History is on repeat…
Seth never thought he’d have a future. But now he’s on the brink of having it all with Josie: A tomorrow. A family. A forever. And all that’s standing between him and that forever is the Titans. If he helps Josie entomb them — without killing them, a nearly impossible task for him — everything he could ever want will be in reach. But he soon realizes that as a god, every little choice he makes can reshape the world for the better… or worse. And in meddling with the Titans, Seth may have just set into motion catastrophic consequences that will force the Olympians to enter the mortal realm and reshape the delicate balance of power that keeps the world from total collapse.
A price must be paid…
Entombing the Titans is Josie’s top priority. After all, it was what she was born to do. But the plans her father put into play to help her are no longer an option, and the odds she and Seth face in forging their own path are grim. The escalating violence between halfs and pures only increases the danger closing in on them and their friends. Josie knows their chances of succeeding in their task are slim at best — and if they fail, they might lose everything. But she also knows she’s not fighting just for herself — she’s fighting for the man she loves, for their future, for the world. Together with the Army of Awesome, Josie and Seth will face the unthinkable. And to win this war, the ultimate sacrifice must be made.
For the end is here and the Prophecy will be fulfilled….

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Releases 3/20 – The Blood Curse (Spell Weaver #3) by Annette Marie

Goodreads ✩ Amazon

The final book in the series!
When Clio conned her way into the Underworld, her job was to steal magic that could protect her homeland. Instead, she escaped with the rebel son of a notorious spell weaver family.
And in the process, she exposed his most calamitous spell, putting her people—and all magic—in peril.
Now she and Lyre face two impossible feats: recover his creation, and do it before his family catches up to them. But when the spell is unleashed with devastating results, caution is no longer an option.
Clio and Lyre’s only chance lies in combining their strength, but to make it out alive, they’ll need magic more dangerous than they’ve ever wielded before. And if they fail, the realms will pay the price.

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So these are the books we can’t wait to be released this month! Are you excited about any of these releases too? Or is there a book we missed that we should definitely check out? Let us know. ♥

Monthly Wrap-Up – February

February 28, 2018 / Jen / 12 Comments

During our Monthly Wrap-Up, we’ll take a look at what has happened around here in the last month. That’ll include what’s happened in my life, what the three of us have read, any other posts we may have had, giveaways still going on, books that I’ve added to my ever-growing TBR and updates on my Reading Challenges.

♥ Enjoy!

Jen’s Life:

Some of my highlights from February were –

✮ We’ve had so much puppy time this last month! My Aunt & Uncle, who live near us, got a puppy. Her name is Zoey and she is the most adorable little girl in the world. You can see a picture of her here.
✮On Valentines my oldest surprised his BFF with flowers. Oh my gosh, her expression was so adorable and I love that they have such a strong, beautiful friendship!
✮My youngest had a huge break through at the pool. He takes weekly lessons and he can now swim free style across the smaller pool. And then he went and jumped off of the diving board, without a life jacket, and swam to the steps in 10 feet of water. I am SO proud of him and how hard he’s worked toward that.

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What Arielle, Chelsea & Jen Read:

5 Stars:
✮ From Lukov with Love
✮ Immortal Reign (Falling Kingdoms #6) by Morgan Rhodes
✮ Tempests and Slaughter (Numair Chronicles #1) by Tamora Pierce
✮ Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West

4.5 Stars:
✮ Return Once More (The Historians #1) by Trisha Leigh
✮ Assassin of Truths (Library Jumpers #3) by Brenda Drake
✮ About That Kiss (Heartbreaker Bay #5) by Jill Shalvis
✮ More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer

3.5 Stars:
✮ We Own Tonight by Corinne Michaels

3 Stars:
✮ This Heart of Mine by C.C. Hunter

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Our Favorite Books of the Month:

From Lukov with Love (Arielle’s Choice)
The verbal sparring that went on between him and Jasmine was HILARIOUS. Oh man I was dying so many times laughing because of the horrible crap they said to each other..and his nickname for her. Lol, sigh.

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Immortal Reign (Falling Kingdoms #6) by Morgan Rhodes (Chelsea’s Choice)
More than once I couldn’t breathe. More than once I had to put the book down, take a breath, release it, and just try to breathe because my heart was furiously pounding out of my chest, my stomach was in knots…

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About That Kiss (Heartbreaker Bay #5) by Jill Shalvis (Jen’s Choice)
There was an intense, sexual chemistry between the two of them. It was so much fun watching their slow burn romance play out. And I loved that slowly overtime, a true friendship started to emerge between the two of them.

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Books Added To Jen’s TBR:

Except for the first two books, these are books I added to my TBR because the authors will be attending RT this May. I’m hoping to get through as many of them as possible, and I can’t wait to meet these authors in just a few months! Now I just need more time to read between now and then……

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Reading Challenges:

This is the first year I’ve EVER joined a Reading Challenge. I went through Nicole’s huge list of reading challenges – check it out here – and found three that sounded absolutely perfect for me. Here’s where I am so far….

Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge
Status: 4
Goal: 16-20

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Beat The Backlist
Status: 2
Goal: 15-20

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Library Love Challenge
Status: 0
Goal: 12 books

I’ll get to this eventually. There’s a few authors attending RT who have books at my library. 🙂

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So that was our February. Did you read any of the same books that we did? Or share the same favorite book as us? If not, then what was your favorite book? Or have you read any of the books I just added to my TBR?

Here’s hoping you all had a wonderful February too. And cheers to March fabulous for all of us!

**We linked this post to February Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up Link-Up at Feed Your Fiction Addiction**

TOP TEN TUESDAY – Books We Could Re-read Forever

February 27, 2018 / Jen / 20 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday.13

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl
This week is Books We Could Re-read Forever. These are the stories that we love with our whole heart and soul. And these are the books that we wish all of our friends would pick up and read. We can’t help but gush about these books that constantly beg us to pick them up again and again. So here are our top twelve Books We Could Re-read Forever.

Chelsea’s Review

1. The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins
Amazon * Goodreads
No matter how many times I pick this series up, it enraptures and ensures me. And I’ll never forget that this is the series that helped me to become obsessed with reading AGAIN-I’ll be forever grateful.

2. Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee
Amazon * Goodreads
My snarky Raffe never ceases to put a smile on my face, and his and Penryn’s relationship from hate-to-love is unforgettable. I don’t think I could ever be tired of this story.

Chelsea’s Review

3. Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo
Amazon * Goodreads
Kaz. Kaz’s cunning, amazing, deceptive nature…it takes my breath away EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I think about this book so frequently it’s ridiculous-it will always be a forever favorite.

4. A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab (Victoria Schwab)
Amazon * Goodreads
This book was one that took me wholly by surprise. I met Kell and my heart went crazy (much like when I met Kaz in Six of Crows-it was instant), making this yet another book that stole my heart in less than a moment. This story will always be one I could read over and over again to lift my spirits.

Arielle’s Choice

5. A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas
Amazon * Goodreads
After reading this book (and then immediately re-reading) I can easily say that it’s my favorite book of all time. While I didn’t fall head over heels with the first book in the series, Feyre’s journey to emotional healing and finding her mate in this one was too addicting. Plus you can’t mess around with the hilariously, loveable squad that is the Night Court.

6. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Amazon * Goodreads
Who doesn’t love this book?! It’s a classic fairy tale/ fantasy about a young woman who ends up breaking her own curse because of her strength, bravery, and love. There are fairy godmothers, mythical creatures, a couple of nasty step sisters, AND one dashing Prince Char. What more could you want?

Arielle’s Choice

7. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Amazon * Goodreads
I couldn’t NOT add these to my list. Even though I haven’t read them in what feels like years, I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve read and re-read these babies in the past. These books are one of the main reasons I fell in love with reading. I CAN’T wait to read them with my daughter someday.

8. The Infernal Devices Series by Cassandra Clare
Amazon * Goodreads
I have two words for you: William Herondale. Only slightly joking there, but in all honesty, I have always loved books set in Victorian England. There’s something so magical about that time and place. Plus I can relate to the MC Tessa in numerous different ways, the main one being that she loves her books just as much as I do.

Jen’s Review

9. Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Amazon * Goodreads
Daemon Black will always be the one that I will hold all other BBFs against. His infuriating smug sexiness and bad-ass sexy self was so swoon worthy. And Katy turned into someone that I not only truly respected but is one of my favorite heroines. Together they are giggle inducing, their chemistry is through the roof hot, and they still have those moments that make you sigh and melt into a puddle. I love this series so much!

10. Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas
Amazon * Goodreads
Hate to love that was beautifully done! I was obsessed with Ryen, who came off not only confident but intoxicating too. Whether it was the looks he would give, or the words he would choose to use, he always left me wanting more This book was insanely seductive and emotionally raw and soooo addicting!

Jen’s Review

11. Come Back to Me (Come Back to Me #1) by Mila Gray
Amazon * Goodreads
I loved this story of forbidden love and falling in love for the first time. It slowly enraptured my heart and I fell hard for Kit & Jessa’s story. A month doesn’t go by where I don’t grab this book and read a scene here and there to feel all of their emotions it all over again.

12. The Union (The Union #1) by T.H. Hernandez
Amazon * Goodreads
Cyrus was sweet, patient and was someone that was discreetly captivating and pulled you in. He gave me butterflies and also made me smile and swoon. And when you add in romance, action, torture, twists, friendship and political intrigue filling the pages, well then it’s no wonder how many times I have picked up this series again and again!

So these are our Books We Could Re-read Forever. Are you obsessed about any of these books or series too? Or do you have them on your tbr? If not, then what books are you obsessed about?

REVIEW – This Heart of Mine by C.C. Hunter

February 27, 2018 / Jen / 2 Comments

This Heart of Mine by C.C. Hunter
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
A new heart saved her life―but will it help her find out what really happened to its donor?

C. C. Hunter's This Heart of Mine is a haunting, poignant tale about living and dying, surviving grief, guilt, and heartache, while discovering love and hope in the midst of sadness.

Seventeen-year-old Leah MacKenzie is heartless. An artificial heart in a backpack is keeping her alive. However, this route only offers her a few years. And with her rare blood type, a transplant isn’t likely. Living like you are dying isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But when a heart becomes available, she’s given a second chance at life. Except Leah discovers who the donor was ― a boy from her school ― and they’re saying he killed himself. Plagued with dreams since the transplant, she realizes she may hold the clues to what really happened.

Matt refuses to believe his twin killed himself. When Leah seeks him out, he learns they are both having similar dreams and he’s certain it means something. While unraveling the secrets of his brother’s final moments, Leah and Matt find each other, and a love they are terrified to lose. But life and even new hearts don’t come with guarantees. Who knew living, took more courage than dying?

Review:

This Heart of Mine was such a touching story. It revolved around family, friendships, sacrifices, new beginnings, first love and so much more. I just know that so many people are going to absolutely love this emotional story! I wish there wasn’t a but…….but I wasn’t able to connect to any of the characters. I tried again and again, and continually failed all the way till that very last page. I felt so heartless, especially since I got tears in my eyes reading the author’s letter to the reader, at the end of the book. Sigh. So I closed the book wishing that I could have felt that same emotion towards Matt and Leah.

I grin. “If you’re Matt, I’ve wanted you to kiss me since seventh grade.”
His gaze slides lowers to my mouth and lingers. “Is your heart strong enough?”
I burst out laughing. “Are you that good of a kisser?”
“Maybe.” A smile crinkles the corners of his eyes. He leans down. His lips are against mine, soft and sweet.

Leah’s thoughts and words could be so heartbreaking. Yes she’s pragmatic about the fact that her odds of getting a new heart are low, but it still was shocking to see how she viewed the world. I was hoping to resonate with her realness, but hopefully others will. And while there were some heavy moments before her heart transplant, there’s this one moment that was filled with nothing but brightness. Leah ended up having a study session with a boy named Matt. She’s had a crush on him forever, and after studying they shared one of the sweetest kisses. But after that moment, they both go back to their own lives. Leah knew she was fated to die and Matt had too many family problems at home to start a relationship with Leah. Yet both of their lives become irrevocably changed in the near future.

Gasping for air, the fear, the raw, ugly panic I felt in the dream, hangs on with sharp claws. My heart thuds against my rib cage. I can’t breathe. – Leah

One month later, Matt’s twin brother died and Leah, who was in desperate need of a heart transplant, received his heart. Every one believed that Matt’s twin killed himself, but Matt believed his brother was murdered. And after, they both started to have these dreams that ended up weaving their lives together. So when the pieces of their dreams started to come together, they both found themselves in the middle of a huge mystery. I’m not really a suspenseful person, but it was a fun mystery to figure out. While I had some guesses here and there, 3/4s of the way into the story I figured out exactly what happened, and I was excited for the characters to catch up with my knowledge.

“Why would I hate you?”
She unfurls her fingers and brushes the tear away. “Because I’m alive and he’s not.”

Both Matt and Leah were definitely likeable and I enjoyed alternating between the two of them. So I was grasping why I couldn’t connect to them. I’m not sure if it’s because I had just finished an extremely emotional book, and I was still partially hung up on that story? Oh, I don’t know. But what I do know is that it made me SO sad. This was the type of book that should have easily pulled me in and broken my heart and then mended it perfectly back together. So while this one didn’t work for me, I’d still recommend to give it a try. And here’s hoping you absolutely love it!

*ARC kindly provided by St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Page 194 of 427

BOOK REVIEW: Getting Lucky Number Seven (Taking Shots #1) by Cindi Madsen

Synopsis:

Our Most Anticipated Releases For March