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TOP TEN TUESDAY – Books We Meant To Read In 2017 But Didn’t Get To (and totallyyyy plan to get to in 2018!!)

Top Ten Tuesday.13

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
This week is – Books We Meant To Read In 2017 But Didn’t Get To (and totallyyyy plan to get to in 2018!!). And they are….

 

(Jen’s Choice)

(Jen’s Choice)

1. If There’s No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Amazon * Goodreads
Lena Wise is always looking forward to tomorrow, especially at the start of her senior year. She’s ready to pack in as much friend time as possible, to finish college applications and to maybe let her childhood best friend Sebastian know how she really feels about him. For Lena, the upcoming year is going to be epic—one of opportunities and chances. 
Until one choice, one moment, destroys everything. 
Now Lena isn’t looking forward to tomorrow. Not when friend time may never be the same. Not when college applications feel all but impossible. Not when Sebastian might never forgive her for what happened. 
For what she let happen. 
With the guilt growing each day, Lena knows that her only hope is to move on. But how can she move on when her and her friends’ entire existences have been redefined? How can she move on when tomorrow isn’t even guaranteed?

2. Seeker (Riders #2) by Veronica Rossi
Amazon * Goodreads
The final book in the duology!
When Daryn claimed she was seeing visions during her sophomore year of high school, no one believed the truth.
She wasn’t losing her mind; she was gaining the Sight—the ability to see the future. Daryn embraced her role as a Seeker. The work she did was important. She saved lives.
Until Sebastian.
Sebastian was her first—and worst—mistake.
Since the moment she inadvertently sealed him in a dark dimension with Samrael, the last surviving demon of the Kindred, guilt has plagued her. Daryn knows Sebastian is alive and waiting for help. It’s up to her to rescue him. But now that she needs the Sight more than ever to guide her, the visions have stopped.
Daryn must rely on instincts, intelligence, and blind faith to lead the riders who are counting on her in search of Sebastian. As they delve into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems and where Samrael is steadily amassing power, Daryn faces the ultimate test. Will she have to become evil to destroy evil?
The very fate of humankind may rest in the answer.


(Jen’s Choice)

(Jen’s Choice)

3. Trust by Kylie Scott
Amazon * Goodreads 

After being held hostage during a robbery at the local convenience store, seventeen-year-old Edie finds her attitude about life shattered. Unwilling to put up with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she enrolls at the local public high school, crossing paths with John. The boy who risked his life to save hers.
While Edie’s beginning to run wild, however, John’s just starting to settle down. After years of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, he’s going straight—getting to class on time, and thinking about the future.
An unlikely bond grows between the two as John keeps Edie out of trouble and helps her broaden her horizons. But when he helps her out with another first—losing her virginity—their friendship gets complicated.
Meanwhile, Edie and John are pulled back into the dangerous world they narrowly escaped. They were lucky to survive the first time, but this time they have more to lose—each other.

4. Hunted by Meagan Spooner
Amazon * Goodreads
Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. After all, her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering its secrets. So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters out of their comfortable home among the aristocracy and back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance. The Beast.
Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange creature back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of magical creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin, or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?


(Jen’s Choice)

(Chelsea’s Choice)

5. Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
Amazon * Goodreads
Classic movie buff Bailey “Mink” Rydell has spent half of her junior year falling for a sensitive film geek she only knows online as “Alex.” Two coasts separate them until she moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush.
Faced with doubts (what if he’s a creep—or worse?), Bailey doesn’t tell Alex she’s moved to his hometown. Or that she’s landed a job at the local tourist trap, the oddball Cavern Palace Museum. Or that she’s being tormented daily by Porter Roth, a smart-alecky yet irritatingly hot museum security guard. But when Porter and Bailey are locked in the museum overnight, Bailey is forced to choose whether she should cling to a dreamy fantasy in Alex or take a risk on an imperfect reality with Porter. The choice is both simpler and more complicated than she realizes, because Porter Roth is hiding a secret of his own: Porter is Alex. Approximately.

6. Renegades (Renegades #1) by Marissa Meyer
Amazon * Goodreads
The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies―humans with extraordinary abilities―who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone…except the villains they once overthrew.
Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice―and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to the villains who have the power to end them both.


(Chelsea’s Choice)

(Chelsea’s Choice)

7. Warcross (Warcross #1) by Marie Lu
Amazon * Goodreads
For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty-hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.
Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

8. Fireblood (Frostblood Saga #2) by Elly Blake
Amazon * Goodreads
Against all odds, Ruby has defeated the villainous Frost King and melted his powerful throne. But the bloodthirsty Minax that was trapped inside is now haunting her kingdom and everyone she loves. The answers to its demise may lie to the south in Sudesia, the land of the Firebloods, and a country that holds the secrets to Ruby’s powers and past….
Despite warnings from her beloved Arcus, Ruby accompanies a roguish Fireblood named Kai to Sudesia, where she must master her control of fire in a series of trials to gain the trust of the suspicious Fireblood queen. Only then can she hope to access the knowledge that could defeat the rampaging Minax–which grows closer every moment. But as sparks fly in her moments alone with Kai, how can Ruby decide whom to trust? The fate of both kingdoms is now in her hands.


(Chelsea’s Choice)

(Chelsea’s Choice)

9. Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab
Amazon * Goodreads
The sequel—and conclusion—to Victoria Schwab’s instant #1 New York Times bestseller, This Savage Song.
Kate Harker is a girl who isn’t afraid of the dark. She’s a girl who hunts monsters. And she’s good at it. August Flynn is a monster who can never be human. No matter how much he once yearned for it. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost.
Nearly six months after Kate and August were first thrown together, the war between the monsters and the humans is a terrifying reality. In Verity, August has become the leader he never wished to be, and in Prosperity, Kate has become the ruthless hunter she knew she could be. When a new monster emerges from the shadows—one who feeds on chaos and brings out its victim’s inner demons—it lures Kate home, where she finds more than she bargained for. She’ll face a monster she thought she killed, a boy she thought she knew, and a demon all her own

10. Three Dark Crowns (Three Dark Crowns #1) by Kendare Blake
Amazon * Goodreads
In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.
But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last queen standing gets the crown.


So these are the Books We Meant To Read In 2017 But Didn’t Get To (and totallyyyy plan to get to in 2018!!). Have you read any of these books already?  If none of them are on your tbr, then what are some of the books you meant to read last year but didn’t get to?

BOOK REVIEW – The Vanishing Spark of Dusk by Sara Baysinger

BOOK REVIEW – The Vanishing Spark of Dusk by Sara BaysingerThe Vanishing Spark of Dusk by Sara Baysinger
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Stand up.

When Lark is stolen from Earth to be a slave on the planet Tavdora, she’s determined to find her way back home to her family, no matter the cost. Placed in the household of a notorious slave trader, Lark quickly learns her best assets are her eyes and ears. And if she’s brave enough, her voice.

Be heard.

Kalen is the Tavdorian son of a slave trader and in line to inherit his father’s business. But his growing feelings for Lark, the new house slave who dares to speak of freedom, compel him to reveal his new plan for the slave ships returning to Earth—escape. Together, they just might spark a change that flares across the universe.

Fight back.

Review:

The beginning of The Vanishing Spark of Dust was magnificent.  It contained a heroine who I knew would come out of her shell, an alien who was forbidden but oh so addicting and a world that was beyond fascinating yet terrifying at the same time.  I was completely glued to the pages and thought that I had found my next favorite book.  But at 10% into the book, everything changed for me.  There were two triggers that adversely affected me.  And they made me take a huge step back emotionally, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to connect to the characters again. I tried again and again to feel what I did for Lark, our heroine, and Kalen, our alien, yet it never happened.

My eyes start to burn. My chest heaves. And I break. Shatter. Fall to my knees. And I don’t know if these are teardrops or water dripping down my face, but I don’t care because I’m broken. So broken.

So two of my triggers are cruelty or death to animals and children.  And this sadly had both of those.  In the first instance, we don’t get to know what happens to the dog that follows Lark around.  Something happened during Lark’s kidnapping, and I was left reeling.  There’s no closure or answers to what happened to her little dog.  I thought that possibly down the road we would find out, but by that last page we are still just as clueless.  And while that really bothered me, the next thing that happened upset me even more.  In the second instance, a child gets killed point-blank.  And it’s not just some random child, but one that I became attached to.  It was extremely hard to read, and it was difficult each time Lark rehashed or thought about what happened.  I truly wish those scenes didn’t affect me so strongly, or that I didn’t have these triggers, but unfortunately it is what it is.

Kalen said never to mention freedom again, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight for it. And I will. I’ll fight for it—I’ll risk my life for it. Because a life as a slave isn’t life at all.

So after those two events, which were pretty close to one another, I struggled big time.  I couldn’t find my way back to connecting to Lark or Kalen who has serious book boyfriend potential.  Sigh.  I read till the very end because I thought that something would grab me and pull me back in.  But all I could feel was indifference.  So while this book didn’t work out for me,  some of my book friends may truly enjoy this story.  And just know that while the book ended at a great stopping place, the door was definitely left open for a future book.  So here’s hoping that if you give this book a shot, you’ll end up enjoying this story much more than I did.

*ARC kindly provided by Entangled Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

TOP TEN TUESDAY – New-To-Us Favorite Authors We Read For The First Time In 2017

Top Ten Tuesday.13

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
This week is – New-To-Us Favorite Authors We Read For The First Time In 2017. And they are….


(Chelsea’s Choice)

(Chelsea’s Choice)

1. Margaret RogersonAn Enchantment of Ravens
Amazon * Goodreads * Review
A skilled painter must stand up to the ancient power of the faerie courts—even as she falls in love with a faerie prince—in this gorgeous debut novel.
Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes—a weakness that could cost him his life.
Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love—and that love violates the fair folks’ ruthless laws. Now both of their lives are forfeit, unless Isobel can use her skill as an artist to fight the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.

2. Sally Thorne – The Hating Game
Amazon * Goodreads* Review
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.
Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.


(Chelsea’s Choice)

(Chelsea & Jen’s Choice)

3. Brigid Kemmerer – Letters to the Lost
Amazon * Goodreads * Review

Juliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother’s death, she leaves letters at her grave. It’s the only way Juliet can cope.
Declan Murphy isn’t the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he’s trying to escape the demons of his past.
When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can’t resist writing back. Soon, he’s opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they’re not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart.

4. Cookie O’Gorman – Adorkable by Cookie O’Gorman
Amazon * Goodreads * Chelsea’s Review * Jen’s Review
Seventeen-year-old Sally Spitz is done with dating. Or at least, she’s done with the horrible blind dates/hookups/sneak attacks her matchmaking bestie, Hooker, sets her up on. There’s only so much one geek girl and Gryffindor supporter can take.
Her solution: she needs a fake boyfriend. And fast.
Enter Becks, soccer phenom, all-around-hottie, and Sally’s best friend practically since birth. When Sally asks Becks to be her F.B.F. (fake boyfriend), Becks is only too happy to be used. He’d do anything for Sal–even if that means giving her PDA lessons in his bedroom, saying she’s “more than pretty,” and expertly kissing her at parties.
The problem: Sally’s been in love with Becks all her life–and he’s completely clueless.
This book features two best friends, one special edition Yoda snuggie, countless beneath-the-ear kisses and begs the question:
Who wants a real boyfriend when faking it is so much more fun?


(Chelsea & Jen’s Choice)

(Jen’s Choice)

5. Cambria Hebert – #Nerd (Hashtag #1)
Amazon * Goodreads * Jen’s Review
Two people from completely different worlds are about to be thrown together…
In more ways than one.
She wants to keep her scholarship. He wants to stay on the team. An awkward alliance doesn’t even begin to cover Rimmel and Romeo’s relationship.
But that’s about to change.
It starts with a dare. An initiation. A challenge.
Quickly, it turns into more. But when you’re a victim of your status, there is no room for anything real. The rules are clear and simple.
Stick to your circle.
And never fall in love with anyone on the outside.

6. Penelope Douglas – Punk 57
Amazon * Goodreads * Review
Misha
I can’t help but smile at the lyrics in her letter. She misses me.
In fifth grade, my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student, Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed.
It didn’t take long for us to figure out the mistake. And in no time at all, we were arguing about everything. The best take-out pizza. Android vs. iPhone. Whether or not Eminem is the greatest rapper ever…
And that was the start. For the next seven years, it was us.
Her letters are always on black paper with silver writing. Sometimes there’s one a week or three in a day, but I need them. She’s the only one who keeps me on track, talks me down, and accepts everything I am.
We only had three rules. No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. We had a good thing going. Why ruin it?
Until I run across a photo of a girl online. Name’s Ryen, loves Gallo’s pizza, and worships her iPhone. What are the chances?
F*ck it. I need to meet her.
I just don’t expect to hate what I find.
Ryen
He hasn’t written in three months. Something’s wrong. Did he die? Get arrested? Knowing Misha, neither would be a stretch.
Without him around, I’m going crazy. I need to know someone is listening. It’s my own fault. I should’ve gotten his phone number or picture or something.
He could be gone forever.
Or right under my nose, and I wouldn’t even know it.


(Jen’s Choice)

(Jen’s Choice)

7. Susan McEachern – Shag Lake (Shag Lake #1)
Amazon * Goodreads * Review
When Geri McKenna takes leave from her dead-end assistance columnist job to go home for her brother’s wedding, she thinks its just a happy coincidence that her old teen crush, Sean Eastman, has returned to town after being MIA for eight years. Distracted by his looming height, crystal blue eyes and the guns he’s grown since high school, it doesn’t even enter her mind that Sean’s unexpected reappearance coincides with the mysterious disappearance of a woman in nearby Algonquin Park.
Until she runs into him at the crime scene.
Now he’s her prime suspect in an investigation that is leading Geri into the covert world of an alien cover-up and a shadow government that will stop at nothing to protect the secret. So when Sean knocks down her hotel room door intent on taking her into hiding from men who want to shut her down permanently, Geri must decide if Sean is being honest or acting on behalf of the organization that wants her dead.

8. Meg Kassel – Black Bird of the Gallows
Amazon * Goodreads * Review
A simple but forgotten truth: Where harbingers of death appear, the morgues will soon be full.
Angie Dovage can tell there’s more to Reece Fernandez than just the tall, brooding athlete who has her classmates swooning, but she can’t imagine his presence signals a tragedy that will devastate her small town. When something supernatural tries to attack her, Angie is thrown into a battle between good and evil she never saw coming. Right in the center of it is Reece―and he’s not human.
What’s more, she knows something most don’t. That the secrets her town holds could kill them all. But that’s only half as dangerous as falling in love with a harbinger of death.


(Jen’s Choice)

(Jen’s Choice)

9. Christina Bauer – Wolves and Roses (Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #1)
Amazon * Goodreads * Review
Seventeen-year-old Bryar Rose has a problem. She’s descended from one of the three magical races—shifters, fairies, or witches. That makes her one of the Magicorum, and Magicorum always follow a fairy tale life template. In Bryar’s case, that template should be Sleeping Beauty.
“Should” being the key word.
Trouble is, Bryar is nowhere near the sleeping beauty life template. Not even close. She doesn’t like birds or woodland creatures. She can’t sing. And she certainly can’t stand Prince Philpot, the so-called “His Highness of Hedge Funds” that her aunties want her to marry. Even worse, Bryar’s having recurring dreams of a bad boy hottie and is obsessed with finding papyri from ancient Egypt. What’s up with that?
All Bryar wants is to attend a regular high school with normal humans and forget all about shifters, fairies, witches, and the curse that Colonel Mallory the Magnificent placed on her. And she might be able to do just that–if only she can just keep her head down until her eighteenth birthday when the spell that’s ruined her life goes buh-bye.
But that plan gets turned upside down when Bryar Rose meets Knox, the bad boy who’s literally from her dreams. Knox is a powerful werewolf, and his presence in her life changes everything, and not just because he makes her knees turn into Jell-O. If Bryar can’t figure out who—or what—she really is, it might cost both her and Knox their lives… as well as jeopardize the very nature of magic itself.

10. Annette Marie – The Night Realm (Spell Weaver #1)
Amazon * Goodreads * Review

A nymph, an incubus, and an arsenal of deadly magic. What could possibly go wrong?
Clio is good at all sorts of things. As a nymph, she’s great at outdoorsy nature stuff. As a nymph living in exile, she’s got the “blending in with humans” thing down pat. As a nymph living in exile because she possesses the rare ability to mimic magic, she’s had to pick up some unique survival skills.
But stealing from the most dangerous spell weavers in the Underworld? Not so much.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what she has to do to earn a ticket back home. Conning her way into the night realm may have gone pretty well, but now she’s got a new problem. His name is Lyre and he’s a sinfully alluring incubus, a dangerously skilled spell weaver, and the only thing standing between her and stealing some damn magic.
Maneuvering around him without blowing her cover shouldn’t be that difficult, but chaos has been dogging her every step, monsters hide behind beautiful faces, and Lyre keeps saving her neck even though they’re enemies. Kind of enemies? Either way, her mission is geting complicated fast, and in the Underworld, even one mistake could prove fatal.

So these are our New-To-Us Favorite Authors We Read For The First Time In 2017. Have you read any of these authors we just discovered?  Or do you have any of their books on your TBR?

Our Most Anticipated Releases For January

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 January.

 

Releases 1/02 – The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black

GoodreadsAmazon

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

✩✮✩✮✩

 

Releases 1/02 Batman: Nightwalker (DC Icons #2) by Marie Lu

GoodreadsAmazon

Before he was Batman, he was Bruce Wayne. A reckless boy willing to break the rules for a girl who may be his worst enemy.

The Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list.
The city’s elites are being taken out one by one as their mansions’ security systems turn against them, trapping them like prey. Meanwhile, Bruce is about to become eighteen and inherit his family’s fortune, not to mention the keys to Wayne Industries and all the tech gadgetry that he loves. But on the way home from his birthday party, he makes an impulsive choice and is sentenced to community service at Arkham Asylum, the infamous prison that holds the city’s most nefarious criminals.

Madeleine Wallace is a brilliant killer . . . and Bruce’s only hope.
The most intriguing inmate in Arkham is Madeleine, a brilliant girl with ties to the Nightwalkers. A girl who will only speak to Bruce. She is the mystery he must unravel, but is he convincing her to divulge her secrets, or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees?

In this second DC Icons book–following Leigh Bardugo’s Wonder Woman: Warbringer–Bruce Wayne is proof that you don’t need superpowers to be a super hero, but can he survive this game of tense intrigue, pulse-pounding action, and masterful deception?

 
✩✮✩✮✩ 
 

Releases 1/02 – Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Sona Charaipotra, Dhonielle Clayton, Katie Cotugno, Jocelyn Davies, Nina LaCou, Emery Lor, Katharine McGee , Kass Morgan, Julie Murphy, Meredith Russo, Sara Shepard, Nicola Yoon, Ibi Zoboi

GoodreadsAmazon

Whether or not you believe in fate, or luck, or love at first sight, every romance has to start somewhere. MEET CUTE is an anthology of original short stories featuring tales of “how they first met” from some of today’s most popular YA authors.
 
Readers will experience Nina LaCour’s beautifully written piece about two Bay Area girls meeting via a cranky customer service Tweet, Sara Shepard’s glossy tale about a magazine intern and a young rock star, Nicola Yoon’s imaginative take on break-ups and make-ups, Katie Cotugno’s story of two teens hiding out from the police at a house party, and Huntley Fitzpatrick’s charming love story that begins over iced teas at a diner. There’s futuristic flirting from Kass Morgan and Katharine McGee, a riveting transgender heroine from Meredith Russo, a subway missed connection moment from Jocelyn Davies, and a girl determined to get out of her small town from Ibi Zoboi. Jennifer Armentrout writes a sweet story about finding love from a missing library book, Emery Lord has a heartwarming and funny tale of two girls stuck in an airport, Dhonielle Clayton takes a thoughtful, speculate approach to pre-destined love, and Julie Murphy dreams up a fun twist on reality dating show contestants.
 
This incredibly talented group of authors brings us a collection of stories that are at turns romantic and witty, epic and everyday, heartbreaking and real.

✩✮✩✮✩
 

Releases 1/09 – Unearthed (Unearthed #1) by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

GoodreadsAmazon

When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying’s advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.

For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study… as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don’t loot everything first. Mia and Jules’ different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance.

In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race’s secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race…

 
✩✮✩✮✩
 

Releases 1/12 – The Shadow Weave (Spell Weaver #2) by Annette Marie

GoodreadsAmazon

Clio might be a nymph living in exile among humans. And she might possess the rare ability to mimic any magic she sees. And she might have just seriously ticked off the most powerful family of spell weavers in the Underworld.

But she is not in love with an incubus.

Lyre is the rebellious black sheep of said weaver family, and he’s the only reason she survived her recent Underworld “vacation.” He’s also the sexiest thing she’s ever seen. Together, they have to track down a catastrophically dangerous magic—a magic he created, she sort of stole, and they both lost—before his family gets their hands on it. And that means fighting alongside him in a desperate attempt to avert complete disaster.

But she is definitely not in love with him. At least, she’s pretty sure she’s not.

Mostly sure.
Maybe sure?
…Crap.

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Releases 1/16 – Iron Gold (Iron Gold #1) by Pierce Brown

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They call him father, liberator, warlord, Slave King, Reaper. But he feels a boy as he falls toward the war-torn planet, his armor red, his army vast, his heart heavy. It is the tenth year of war and the thirty-third of his life.
 
A decade ago Darrow was the hero of the revolution he believed would break the chains of the Society. But the Rising has shattered everything: Instead of peace and freedom, it has brought endless war. Now he must risk all he has fought for on one last desperate mission. Darrow still believes he can save everyone, but can he save himself?
                 
And throughout the worlds, other destinies entwine with Darrow’s to change his fate forever: 
                 
A young Red girl flees tragedy in her refugee camp, and achieves for herself a new life she could never have imagined.
                 
An ex-soldier broken by grief is forced to steal the most valuable thing in the galaxy—or pay with his life.
                 
And Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile to the Sovereign, wanders the stars with his mentor, Cassius, haunted by the loss of the world that Darrow transformed, and dreaming of what will rise from its ashes.

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Releases 1/30 – Reign the Earth (The Elementae #1) by A.C. Gaughen

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Shalia is a proud daughter of the desert, but after years of devastating war with the adjoining kingdom, her people are desperate for an end to the violence that has claimed so many of their loved ones. Willing to trade her freedom to ensure the safety of her family, Shalia becomes Queen of the Bone Lands, a country where magic is outlawed and the Elementae–those that can control earth, air, fire and water–are traitors, subject to torture . . . or worse.

Before she is even crowned, Shalia discovers that she can bend the earth to her will. Trapped between her husband’s irrational hatred of the Elementae and a dangerous rebellion led by her own brother, Shalia must harness her power and make an impossible choice: save her family, save the Elementae, or save herself.

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Releases 1/30 – Say You’ll Remember Me by Katie McGarry

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When Drix was convicted of a crime—one he didn’t commit—he thought his life was over. But opportunity came with the Second Chance Program, the governor’s newest pet project to get delinquents off the streets, rehabilitated and back into society. Drix knows this is his chance to get his life back on track, even if it means being paraded in front of reporters for a while.

Elle knows she lives a life of privilege. As the governor’s daughter, she can open doors with her name alone. But the expectations and pressure to be someone she isn’t may be too much to handle. She wants to follow her own path, whatever that means.

When Drix and Elle meet, their connection is immediate, but so are their problems. Drix is not the type of boy Elle’s parents have in mind for her, and Elle is not the kind of girl who can understand Drix’s messy life.

But sometimes love can breach all barriers.

Fighting against a society that can’t imagine them together, Drix and Elle must push themselves—Drix to confront the truth of the robbery, and Elle to assert her independence—and each other to finally get what they deserve.

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Releases 1/30 – Moonlight Sins (de Vincent #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Julia Hughes has always played it safe until she learned a very painful lesson. Now Julia’s starting over with a job in the Louisiana bayou, working for the infamous de Vincent family, the massively wealthy brothers who are haunted by a dark reputation and whispers of misdeeds. Hired to care for their troubled sister, Julia can’t afford any distractions, but the menacing presence in the mansion and the ever-present temptation of the handsome Lucian de Vincent isn’t something anyone can ignore.

Julia knows better than to get wrapped up in Lucian. He’s from a world she can’t relate to. Plus, he’s her employer. But his wicked touch and sensual promises are too much deny. What starts with a kiss ends with so much more.

Lucian is the youngest brother—the wildest, most unpredictable one. He’s the unrepentant bachelor of the family, known for his escapades in and out of the bedroom, and he wants Julia. There’s something about her that makes Lucian want to lay himself bare, but some secrets are better left buried, right along with a past that could not only bring down a dynasty but destroy Julia in the process.

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Releases 1/30 – Runaway Groom (I Do, I Don’t #2) by Lauren Layne

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Gage Barrett’s reputation as a ladies’ man has been greatly exaggerated, but none of that matters after a drunken bet lands him on Jilted, a reality TV show that matches runaway grooms with wannabe brides. Now he’s stuck at a Hawaiian resort with nineteen women competing to drag him back to the altar—and one contestant who’s even more miserable than he is. Gage has no idea how feisty, independent Ellie Wright wound up in the cast, but it’s obvious she hates his guts. And if there’s one thing Gage likes, it’s a challenge. . . .

Ellie can’t believe she let her best friend talk her into exchanging her dignity for a glorified bikini contest. Still, she could use the exposure—her business is struggling—and she’ll probably be one of the first to get eliminated anyway. But Gage isn’t the shallow jerk Ellie anticipated—and he’s in no rush to send her home. As stolen kisses turn into secret trysts, she finds herself losing track of what’s real and what’s for the camera. With the wedding finale looming, this runaway groom is tempting Ellie to start believing in storybook endings.

 

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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. ♥

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Monthly Wrap-Up – December

 

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 Chelsea and I have read, any other posts we may have had, giveaways still going on and books that I’ve added to my ever-growing TBR.  And from this month on, I’ll also be including Reading Challenges that I’ve joined.

♥ Enjoy!

Jen’s Life:

Some of my highlights from December were –

The first weekend of December we went on the Polar Express.  My kids are obsessed with the book and the movie, so I’m beyond grateful that we live near one of the few places in the US that has a true Polar Express.  My 4&6 year old dressed up in their pjs and we got to board a train that took us to the “North Pole”.  Along the way they act out the book, read it to us, sing the songs and we get to sip hot chocolate and eat delicious cookies.  When we get to the North Pole, Santa joins us on the train and visits with every little boy and girl.  It’s so much fun and I love that my kids believe it’s truly magical!  I can’t wait to do it all over again next year!
I hosted both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at our house.  It was a very different Christmas, since it was 60 degrees here.  I live by Lake Tahoe, so it should be snowing or at least cold.  But instead we were outside playing baseball and Nerf Lazer Tag (such a fun toy!!).  This year was definitely a first with us not being bundled up or sledding before our Christmas Dinner, but we ended up having such a fabulous time!
I have to share that Chelsea, my co-blogger, got me the most fabulous non-bookish Christmas present ever.  It’s a t-shirt with my life motto on it.  I couldn’t stop laughing when I opened the box and I’m contemplating wearing it 24/7 because it’s just oh so perfect!  If you want to see a picture of me in my new shirt it’s here.  And in case you aren’t familiar with that quote it’s from Legally Blonde lol!
I made these Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies.  They were so easy to make and soooooo yummy!

 

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What Chelsea & Jen Read:

5 Stars:
Unknown (Unknown #1) by Wendy Higgins
Unrest (Unknown #2) by Wendy Higgins
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
Amour Amour (Aerial Ethereal #1) by Krista Ritchie & Becca Ritchie
Resisting the Rebel by Lisa Brown Roberts

4.5 Stars:
#Nerd (Hashtag #1) by Cambria Hebert
Undone (Unknown #3) by Wendy Higgins

4 Stars:
Concealed (Beholder #2) by Christina Bauer
Cherished (Beholder #3) by Christina Bauer
Crowned (Beholder #4) by Christina Bauer

3 Stars:
✮ Rival (Fall Away #2) by Penelope Douglas

 

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 Our Favorite Books of the Month:

 Unknown (Unknown #1) by Wendy Higgins (Jen’s Choice)
Intense, gritty, emotional and a book I can’t recommend enough.  It’s unlike any other dystopian that I’ve read because we actually got to witness the demise of the world.  And I had no clue the depths my heart would ache watching this tale unfold.

 

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An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson (Chelsea’s Choice)
This book, to me, was absolute perfection. A breath slowly releasing with each page that passed, calming me in a way not many books do anymore. It calmed my soul because, with every new moment, I felt like I was coming home. I don’t get to read fantasy often, so when I finally get to read one and it touches me in the way this novel did, it makes my heart sing.

 
 
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Other Posts:

Our Most Anticipated Releases For December
TRAILER & GIVEAWAY – Brave (A Wicked Trilogy #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
COVER REVEAL – Superhero High by TH hernandez
TOP TEN TUESDAY – Books We Hope Santa Brings Us
Bookish Naughty or Nice Tag
✮ TOP TEN TUESDAY – Books We’re Looking Forward to In 2018

 

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Books Added To Jen’s TBR:

This month was better, but I still added more books than I read this month.  Whoops.

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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.   I’d love to have friends join in a challenge with me, so if you sign up please let me know.   🙂

Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge – I love reading contemporary romance books, so I’m aiming for 3rd base, which means I plan on reading 11-15 contemporary books next year.  Although I have a feeling I can hit Home Run which is 16-20 contemporary books.

[scroll-box]Reading Challenge Details:

Runs January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2018 (books read prior to 1/1/2018 do not count towards the challenge). You can join anytime you want, though the sign up linky will close Nov. 15, 2018.
The goal is to read as many Contemporary Romance books as you’d like. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. You can move up a level as often as you’d like but no moving down. Remember, the idea is to challenge yourself.
Books that qualify for this challenge can be young adult, new adult, or adult. Books can be M/F, M/M, or F/F. Books must be a work of fiction (sorry, nonfiction does not qualify for this challenge).
Romances with the following elements do not qualify for this reading challenge: paranormal, historical, time-travel, fantasy, science fiction, or mystery/suspense/thriller.
Books can be any format (print, ebook, audio).
Novellas that are 100 pages in length (give or take), as well as full-length novels, will count for this reading challenge.
Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
Use the hashtag #ContRom2018 when posting your reviews/updates/re-caps/monthly topics on social media.
To join this challenge, grab the 2018 Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge button below and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. This will be your “update post” when doing the monthly link up.
You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, LibraryThing, BookLikes, etc., so as long as you have a dedicated shelf for the 2018 Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge (your designated “update post” for the monthly link up) and your profile is not private. The point of linking up is to have a place where people can see what you’re reading.

Levels:

1st Base: read 1 – 5 books
2nd Base: read 6 – 10 books
3rd Base: read 11 – 15 books
Home Run: read 16 – 20 books
Grand Slam: read 21+ books

Monthly Link-Up and Giveaway Details:

Your thoughts on each book you read must be posted somewhere, like your blog, Goodreads, Amazon, YouTube, Tumblr, etc., in order for it to count towards this challenge. Ratings on Goodreads, LibraryThing, BookLikes, etc. will also work.
Monthly link-up posts will go live the around the first day of each month so you can add your links throughout the month as your posts go up. Each linky will remain open five days into each new month to allow you some time to get all your posts linked up!
In order for us to tell what you’re linking to on the monthly linky, the format for the links you enter need to be as follows:
UPDATE POST @ your name/blog name.
REVIEW: [BOOK TITLE] @ your name/blog name.
MONTHLY TOPIC @ your name/blog name.
Each month we’ll choose a lucky winner from that month’s linky to win a Contemporary Romance novel of their choice (up to US$10).
Each link you enter in that month’s linky will count as one entry into the giveaway.
Challenge and Giveaways are open internationally. (As long as The Book Depository ships to your country, you are eligible for a prize.)

Monthly Topics:

Each monthly link-up post will include a Contemporary Romance topic for you to participate in if you’d like.
Monthly Topic posts can go up anytime in the specified month. Link them up as follows: MONTHLY TOPIC @ your name/blog name.
These posts will also earn you an entry in the monthly giveaway as long as you link back to them.
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Beat The Backlist – This one sounds like so much fun and as of yesterday there was almost 400 bloggers signed up!  It’s all about reading books that were previously published.  So anything that was published 2017, or before that, counts.  And I own sooooooo many books that qualify for this!  

[scroll-box]Reading Challenge Details:

In short, this is a reading challenge where your goal is to read backlist books (published prior to the current year). For 2018, it means reading any book that was published in 2017 or earlier. You have the entire year to read as many books as you can/want. YOU set your own reading goal and this challenge isn’t just for bloggers. You do NOT need to have a blog to participate. Any online social media account (Goodreads, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) will work, and if you have a blog you’re welcome to join in too!

Now to add a bit of a competitive edge, when you sign up for the challenge you’ll be randomly placed on a team. These teams will compete to see who can get the most points, and each month one winner will be drawn from the team with the most points to get a book of their choice (open internationally). You get points by reading books! And you can earn extra by posting a review to retail websites (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc).

Each team will have their own Rafflecopter that you can submit your points through so it’s super easy, and you’ll be able to see which team is in the lead too. You don’t have to submit anything if you don’t want to, but it will help your team and better YOUR chances of winning a book of your choice so you may find it’s worth it![/scroll-box]

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Library Love Challenge – My little boys and I go to our local library at the least once every other week.  Plus, I love that they have a fabulous on-line borrowing selection via Overdrive.  So I’m signing up for for Dewey Decimal: Read 12 books.  I know that I can definitely borrow at least a book a month from them!

[scroll-box]Details:

Runs: January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2018. You can join any time.

Put a sign up post on your blog or (dedicate a Goodreads shelf or LibraryThing) and link it below. Make sure it’s public.
The goal is to read at least twelve (12) books from the library, but you can read more. While twelve is the minimum, there is no maximum limit. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you.
Any format will work for this challenge (prints, ebooks, or audios); as long as you checked it out from the library, it counts.
Books can be any genre (fiction, nonfiction, romance, fantasy, mystery, thriller, horror, etc.).
Crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed, including re-reads. The goal is to support your local library and save money.
Write a review to enter the giveaway – 2 sentences or an essay, whatever works for you, but there is a minimum of 2 sentences. Not sure what to write? How about something like, “The plot was a delight, but the characters didn’t capture me.” “I enjoyed the story and really liked the characters.”
As an added bonus: We are offering up a GIVEAWAY with this Challenge. Winner will be picked at the end of the year!! The entries are the direct links to your book reviews and you will have until Jan. 3rd, 2019 to enter your reviews in the linky and then the Rafflecopter. Go here to enter the giveaway: 2018 Library Love Challenge Review Link-ups.

Levels:

Dewey Decimal: Read 12 books
Thrifty Reader: Read 24 books
Overdrive Junkie: Read 36 books
Library Addict: Read 48 books
Library Card on Fire: Read 60+ books
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So that was our December.  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?  Or do you want to join one of the reading challenges with me?   Pleeeeaaaassseeee lol. ♥

Here’s hoping you all had a wonderful December too.  And cheers to having a fabulous New Years and here’s hoping 2018 is our best year yet!

**We linked this post to 2017 End of Year Wrap-Up Round-Up Link-Up at Feed Your Fiction Addiction**

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