Page 209 of 423

BLOGIVERSARY + GIVEAWAY – Our Kindest BBFs

August 30, 2017 / Jen / 21 Comments

the kindest

We’re continuing our celebration of our 3rd blogiversary! So in keeping with our Book Boyfriend theme, today we’re going to talk about some of Our Kindest BBFs. Enjoy meeting some of our favorite men and and don’t forget to enter our fabulous giveaway below. We’re giving away 6 books that we love! And there’s extra entries with each post, in case you already entered in our last post. 🙂
PS – If you missed it, check out our Fiercest BBFs list here.

Billy from One Dark Throne (Three Dark Crowns #2) by Kendare Blake
* Amazon * Goodreads *

Omg. Billy from Three Dark Crowns. I just finished One Dark Throne and he’s easily my favorite character!

kindest_chelsea

Becks from Adorkable by Cookie O’Gorman
* Review * Amazon * Goodreads *

“But why? I don’t get it.”
“You don’t have to.”
“But Becks,” she whined, “I don’t understand. Why her?”
“Nothing to understand really,” he said, smiling down at me. “Sal’s my girl. Always has been.”

Alex from Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
* Review * Amazon * Goodreads *

He kisses my forehead. “Know what I’m scared of?”
“What?”
“That I like you way too much, and I’m afraid once you get to know me, you’re going to realize that you can do lots better, and you’re going to break my heart and leave me for someone classier.”

kindest_jen

Becks from Adorkable by Cookie O’Gorman
* Review * Amazon * Goodreads *

Ducking, he placed a lingering kiss on the spot right below my ear. The move made my hand shoot out to grip his jersey. Becks laughed silently, little puffs of air hitting my neck, as I shivered.

Becks was one of my many favorite things about this book. The way Becks looked at Sally, the way he claimed her as his, the way he protected her, his jealousy, oh my gosh even the way he touched her, it all made my heart beat so fast.

kindest_anna

Tommy from Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
* Amazon * Goodreads *

“I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it’s just too much. The current’s too strong. They’ve got to let go, drift apart. That’s how I think it is with us.”

Sophos from A Conspiracy of Kings (The Queen’s Thief #4) by Megan Whalen Turner
* Review * Amazon * Goodreads *

“Sophos stood at the window, looking across the city toward the port, and as he watched shadows of clouds move across the water in the distance, he felt a chill on the back of his neck. It was self-doubt, the black beetle that had pursued him all his life, pinching at him, poisoning his every success, whispering in his ear about his flaws and his failures and his unworthiness.”

Giveaway:

*There will be 6 winners, and prizes will be sent via Amazon Kindle. The first winner drawn will get to chose which book they want first, and so on. Prizes are ebooks of Adorkable, Illuminae, Six of Crows, The Fill-In Boyfriend, Adorkable, Good Girl & Broken Skies.*

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BOOK REVIEW – The Great Hunt (Eurona Duology #1) by Wendy Higgins

August 29, 2017 / Jen / 6 Comments

The Great Hunt (Eurona Duology #1)
by Wendy Higgins
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Wendy Higgins, the author of the New York Times bestselling Sweet Evil series, reimagines a classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale with The Great Hunt, a dramatic, romance-filled fantasy with rugged hunters, romantic tension, and a princess willing to risk all to save her kingdom.

When a monstrous beast attacks in Eurona, desperate measures must be taken. The king sends a proclamation to the best and bravest hunters: whoever kills the creature will win the hand of his daughter Princess Aerity as a reward. The princess recognizes her duty but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger—she was meant to marry for love—until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. And while there’s no denying the fiery chemistry between them, Princess Aerity feels that Paxton’s mysteriousness is foreboding, maybe even dangerous.

Paxton is not the marrying type. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He is determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast—but the princess continues to surprise him, and the secrets he’s buried begin to surface against his wishes.

Review:

The Great Hunt was absolutely enchanting! I became addicted to the story-line, infatuated with the characters, and I was reminded yet again why I love Wendy Higgins’ books. And while I thought I had it figured out, oh how wrong I was. Tears fell down long after I finished that last page. So I definitely can’t wait to see how it all ends in the final book!

She knew she should say something, but words . . . there were no words. Her life, as she knew it, was over. Her future, and the freedom she’d imagined, was dead. – Aerity

I have to throw this out there, since so many reviews have talked about this – but yes the beginning was slow. BUT it made perfect sense to me. You see, the first fifth of the book set the characters, theme, and land into place. Learning all about the characters and the world they were in had a twofold affect. One – I became easily attached to all of the characters since I felt like I knew them inside out. Second – I completely understood the world and visualized everything so perfectly and beautifully. And no, there’s no info dumps or overly detailed descriptions.

They were herding the beast straight for them.
“It’s coming!” Tiern shouted from behind him. – Paxton

So in a world of castles, royalty, and forbidden magic (except in a few instances), a great beast terrorized commoners and royalty alike. The beast was enormous and could tear men’s bodies to shreds in second. To restore peace to the land, the King declared a proclamation, kill the beast, and marry his daughter, Princess Aerity. Oh, how I loved the princess! Princess Aerity was brave, strong, honorable, and underneath it all she was compassionate and humbling. She was everything that would make a fair Queen one day! But at the same time, she pushed boundaries. Especially when those boundaries related to one of the hunters that was at the Castle to kill the great beast. And that hunters name was Paxton.

“What if I said I do want you to kill the beast, Paxton Seabolt? What if I want it to be you?” -Aerity

Paxton Seabolt is my favorite type of guy. Ever. He could be a jerk at times, he easily appeared closed off, yet he gave us these moments that showed he was so much more. Moments when he was selfless, rational, thoughtful and loved his family fiercely. Yet to Princess Aerity, he came across as a closed off jerk, the majority of time. I always have faith in those types of hero’s, and all I can say is that I am completely head over heels in love with Paxton. You definitely want to meet him!

“No,” Aerity whispered. A deep longing for Paxton expanded within her. “Seas, no. Please.” Her stomach knotted so hard that it sent another shooting pain through her ribs.

But there was SO much more going on in the book than just Aerity and Paxton. There was the magical group of the Lashed, whose history and current situation was terrifying. Then there was the hundred of hunters, many from afar, that had come to slay the beast. And then there was all of the royalty in the castle. I found myself attached to so many of them, and that made me nervous since deaths happened left and right. So what started out a little slow, easily led to a tale that gripped me. The tension, plight, sexual tension, and my emotional attachment to so many of the characters made me fall for The Great Hunt. Now I’m off to read the final book in this duology!

PS My faves, besides Princess Aerity & Paxton, were Tiern (Paxton’s brother), Lord Alvi, Harrison, Zandora, Lady Wyneth and Princess Dixie.

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
The Great Hunt #1 Review: Jen	The Great Pursuit #2 Review: Jen

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY – Ready to Run (I Do, I Don’t #1) by Lauren Layne

August 25, 2017 / Jen / 8 Comments

Ready to Run was beyond adorable and so much fun! Definitely check out my 5 Star Review below and enter a fabulous giveaway! Enjoy!

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY – Ready to Run (I Do, I Don’t #1) by Lauren Layne

Ready to Run (I Do I Don't #1)
by Lauren Layne
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
The Bachelor meets The Runaway Bride in this addictive romance novel about a reality TV producer falling for her would-be star: a Montana heartthrob who wants nothing to do with the show.

Jordan Carpenter thinks she’s finally found the perfect candidate for Jilted, a new dating show about runaway grooms: firefighter Luke Elliott, a known player who’s left not one but three brides at the altar. The only problem? Luke refuses to answer Jordan’s emails or return her calls. Which is how she ends up on a flight to Montana to recruit him in person. It’s not Manhattan, but at least the locals in Lucky Hollow seem friendly . . . except for Luke, who’s more intense—and way hotter—than the slick womanizer Jordan expected.

Eager to put the past behind him, Luke has zero intention of following this gorgeous, fast-talking city girl back to New York. But before he can send her packing, Jordan’s everywhere: at his favorite bar, the county fair, even his exes’ book club. Annoyingly, everyone in Lucky Hollow seems to like her—and deep down, she’s starting to grow on him too. But the more he fights her constant pestering, the more Luke finds himself wishing that Jordan would kick off her high heels and make herself comfortable in his arms.

Review:

Ready to Run was absolutely adorable and so much fun! It reminded me all over again why I fall so hard for Lauren Layne books. I always want to be bff with the girl, I fall madly in love with the boy, and there’s a group of friends that I would love to have in my life. Plus the pages are filled with fabulous banter and a storyline that captures my heart. It always makes for the perfect romance book that I can easily get lost in. So if you adore small town charm, a couple that goes from hate to love, and characters that leap off the pages, then you should definitely give Ready to Run a try!

“Wait, Luke.”
He paused but didn’t turn around.
“You know I’m right about everyone wanting you to do this show. Why is that?”
His shoulders tensed even more than they already were.
But the only answer she got was the slam of her front door shutting behind him.

Jordan Carpenter is on her way to hopefully snag the guy that will star in her new reality tv show. It’s called Jilted and while it’s similar to The Bachelor, the main guy has been a runaway groom. And the guy she’s after, Luke Elliott, has left three women at the alter. When I read that I was completely perplexed. Especially when we witness how much the whole town loves him. Plus did I mention that he is a firefighter?! Ugh, so hot! So I was more than intrigued! From the first few pages the storyline felt unique and I already loved all of the characters. I just knew that the rest of this book was going to be a huge hit for me!

“Have you?” She smiled back. “Saved a cat?”
He winced and looked away and she gasped. “Oh my gosh, you have, haven’t you? You’ve saved a freaking cat. You couldn’t be more perfect if you tried.”
His eyes locked on hers, and Jordan backpedaled . “Not perfect for me. I meant for the show. . . .”
It was the wrong thing to say.

Jordan and her colleague/friend, Simon, easily made connections to the people that lived in Luke’s quaint little town. It was so heartwarming to see how welcoming they were to them. And as Jordan slowly met Luke’s friends, I was happy to see that they truly wanted Luke to do the show. Yet there’s a huge snag, which of course had me grinning. Luke’s dead set on not being a part of the show, and not liking Jordan. Even though he feels an attraction to her. And he’s not the only one fighting it, because Jordan feels it towards him too. Thankfully we got to alternate between Luke and Jordan, so I could see all of their thoughts about one another. I’m a huge fan of a dual-narrative! Especially since the sexual tension between Jordan and Luke was mixed with banter, and that made for some explosive scenes. I had to know what they were thinking!

The more they touched, the more they wanted, the longer they kissed, the harder it was to stop.
And it had to stop. This was . . .
Luke’s mouth moved from her lips to trail down her neck, and her head fell back with a gasp.
Madness. This was madness and irresponsible, and . . .
Career suicide.
Luke’s hand was on her waist, sliding up over her rib cage . . .

If you’re wondering if Jordan is too pushy with Luke, the answer is definitely no. I mean, yes she moves into his town and infiltrates his life. Yet it doesn’t really feel like that since she establishes real friendships with so many of the town’s people. And she backs off from Luke too. But looking back, I think it all worked so perfectly because Jordan is this warm, friendly, person whereas Luke could be at times grumpy, standoffish and a jerk (that’s my favorite kinda guy, in case you didn’t know lol). Oh, I couldn’t help but love him when he was a jerk…..there’s just something so addicting about a relationship that has animosity. I root that much harder for them! And the way it all ended?! So many happy tears were streaming down my face. This book made me so elated and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to all of the new friends I made. So yes, I definitely recommend Ready to Run! Here’s hoping you love it as much as I do!

“We’re not sticking around here,” Jordan explained. “We’re about to storm a firehouse.”
Simon rested a hand across his chest. “Oh sweet Jesus, I think I might faint. Do you think I could talk one of them into wearing just the suspender things, no shirt?”

PS I loved, loved, loved Jordan’s colleague and friend Simon. The friendship between them had me smiling and laughing and he was such a fabulous person to have in this book! It made me desperately want to have a novella just about him!

*ARC kindly provided by Random House Publishing – Loveswept via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles)
Ready to Run #1 Reviews: Jen	Runaway Groom #2	Just Run With It #3

About The Author:

Lauren Layne is the New York Times bestselling author of romantic comedies. She lives in New York City with her husband.

A former e-commerce and web marketing manager from Seattle, Lauren relocated to New York City in 2011 to pursue a full-time writing career. She signed with her agent in 2012, and her first book was published in summer of 2013. Since then, she’s written over two dozen books, hitting the USA TODAY, New York Times, iBooks, and Amazon bestseller lists.

Giveaway:

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BLOGIVERSARY + GIVEAWAY – Our Fiercest BBFs

August 24, 2017 / Jen / 12 Comments

the fiercest

The month of August marks our 3 year anniversary! And we’re celebrating by talking about some of our newer book boyfriends and we’re giving away books that we absolutely love! Our posts will be about our Fiercest BBfs, our Kindest BBFs, our Favorite Female Heroines, our Darkest BBFs and our Most Tortured BBFs……are you so excited?! Because we are!

Today we’re talking about Our Fiercest BBFs! If you haven’t met any of them, we highly recommend you do! And don’t forget to enter our fabulous giveaway below where we’re giving away 6 books that we love!

♥
The Star-Crossed Ladies

fiercest_anna

Eugenides from The Thief (The Queen’s Thief #1) by Megan Whalen Turner
* Review * Amazon * Goodreads *

The most snarky, the most perfect snake, the most clever, my absolute fave, can I put him everywhere?!

Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas
* Amazon * Goodreads *

Hah. Rhysand. He’s one scary dood. Don’t mess with him, folks.

fiercest_chelsea

Romeo from #Nerd (Hashtag #1) by Cambria Hebert
* Amazon * Goodreads *

“You didn’t correct him,” I said when he pulled out onto the road.
He glanced at me quickly before turning back to the road. “Correct him for what?”
“He called me your girl.”
He paused. “Maybe I want you to be.”

Shane from Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires #1) by Rachel Caine
* Review * Amazon * Goodreads *

“Yeah,’” he said. “Well, obviously, not my first choice, but I’m all about second thoughts right now. But the thing is… I don’t want to leave you.’” His arm was around her, and there was nothing in the world to her but the warmth of his body against her, and his whisper, and the utterly vulnerable need in his eyes. “But it’s not going to be easy for me to say no. So help me out here.’”
Her heart was pounding. “You want to stay?’” “Yes. I—’”
He opened his mouth, then closed it, then tried again. “I need to stay. I need you.’”

fiercest_jen

Bastien from Thief of Lies (Library Jumpers #1) by Brenda Drake
*Review * Amazon * Goodreads *

From the first moment Bastien appeared, I fell head over heels in love with him. He knows what he wants in life and will do anything to get it, which is so sexy! Not only was he loving, caring and let Gia have her independence, but what he sacrificed for Gia in the 2nd book?! *clutches heart*

Giveaway:

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BOOK REVIEW – A Conspiracy of Kings (The Queen’s Thief #4) by Megan Whalen Turner

August 15, 2017 / Anna

A Conspiracy of Kings (The Queen's Thief #4)
by Megan Whalen Turner
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Sophos, under the guidance of yet another tutor, practices his swordplay and strategizes escape scenarios should his father's villa come under attack. How would he save his mother? His sisters? Himself? Could he reach the horses in time? Where would he go? But nothing prepares him for the day armed men, silent as thieves, swarm the villa courtyard ready to kill, to capture, to kidnap. Sophos, the heir to the throne of Sounis, disappears without a trace.

Across the small peninsula battles are fought, bribes are offered, and conspiracies are set in motion. Darkening the horizon, the Mede Empire threatens, always, from across the sea. And Sophos, anonymous and alone, bides his time. Sophos, drawing on his memories of Gen, Pol, the Magus and Eddis, sets out on an adventure that will change all of their lives forever

Look, I’m not going to beat about the bush : yes, I know that the relative absence of Eugenides as an explanation for my rating is ridiculous. I objectively, honestly know that. Now, does that change in any way the fact that my heart is ridiculous by essence, because that’s what hearts do, right, falling in love, breaking, and so on, as the unruly little shits they are? Well, no.

I can stress
a) how captivating A Conspiracy of Kings is ;
b) how brilliantly Megan Whalen Turner handles the POVs ;
c) how endearing and interesting Sophos is (and his growth! Awesome stuff here, I’m telling you!)

(we could go all day, but I’ll choose not to, if that’s okay with you)

… having said all that, I can’t ignore that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did books 2 and 3, and I very much believe that it’s because Eugenides’ interactions and tricks are necessary for me to give it a full 5. Sophos is a very good character, but he lacks Gen’s spark.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

HOWEVER, let’s not make it seem as if A Conspiracy of Kings wasn’t an amazing YA Fantasy novel, alright? Because just thinking about what that genre offers us 99% of the time, there’s no forgetting that Megan Whalen Turner has by far the upper hand over Morgan Rhodes, Sarah J. Maas or even – and I do love them – Cinda Williams Chima or Julie Kagawa. By the way, I saw readers shelving these novels as middle-grade, and I wonder… Is that because there’s no sex scenes, even fade-to-black? No, I have to ask, because I genuinely do not understand what’s so childish about intricate conspiracies, complex characters, a writing very engaging, blurred lines between good and evil – there’s no such thing as a moustache-twisting villain in these books, but rather, complicated human beings who make the choices they think are best… Perhaps I am deluded about what is Middle-Grade and what it is not, but please enlighten me? Or maybe not, as I’m quite convinced that I wouldn’t agree with you. So there’s that.

“Then I walked to my bed and sat, making a show of careless bravado by crossing my legs and slumping as if I had not a worry in the world. In other words, I gave my best imitation of Eugenides.”

Anyway, as usual with series, I won’t rehash the plot because
1) You may not have read the other books, and would probably burn me at a stake if I spoiled you, and we wouldn’t want that, would we?
2) I tend to repeat myself in these cases and I assure you that you don’t want to be on the receiving end of my disheveled rambling when this series is concerned. Trust me. Or no, better : ask my friends.

On a final note : Yes, every one of Eugenides’ apparitions gave me life, and I’m almost certain that would I reread A Conspiracy of Kings later, I’d probably give out a 5 stars rating.

For now, I’ll have to accept that I am not an objective reviewer.

*snorts*

As if it existed.

Jen	Chelsea
Arielle	Cassie

Jen	Chelsea
Arielle	Cassie

Page 209 of 423

BLOGIVERSARY + GIVEAWAY – Our Kindest BBFs

BOOK REVIEW – The Great Hunt (Eurona Duology #1) by Wendy Higgins

Synopsis:

Review:

She knew she should say something, but words . . . there were no words. Her life, as she knew it, was over. Her future, and the freedom she’d imagined, was dead. – Aerity

They were herding the beast straight for them.
“It’s coming!” Tiern shouted from behind him. – Paxton

“What if I said I do want you to kill the beast, Paxton Seabolt? What if I want it to be you?” -Aerity

“No,” Aerity whispered. A deep longing for Paxton expanded within her. “Seas, no. Please.” Her stomach knotted so hard that it sent another shooting pain through her ribs.

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY – Ready to Run (I Do, I Don’t #1) by Lauren Layne

Synopsis:

Review:

“Wait, Luke.”
He paused but didn’t turn around.
“You know I’m right about everyone wanting you to do this show. Why is that?”
His shoulders tensed even more than they already were.
But the only answer she got was the slam of her front door shutting behind him.

“We’re not sticking around here,” Jordan explained. “We’re about to storm a firehouse.”
Simon rested a hand across his chest. “Oh sweet Jesus, I think I might faint. Do you think I could talk one of them into wearing just the suspender things, no shirt?”

About The Author:

Giveaway:

BLOGIVERSARY + GIVEAWAY – Our Fiercest BBFs

BOOK REVIEW – A Conspiracy of Kings (The Queen’s Thief #4) by Megan Whalen Turner

Synopsis:

“Then I walked to my bed and sat, making a show of careless bravado by crossing my legs and slumping as if I had not a worry in the world. In other words, I gave my best imitation of Eugenides.”

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BLOGIVERSARY + GIVEAWAY – Our Kindest BBFs

Share this:

BOOK REVIEW – The Great Hunt (Eurona Duology #1) by Wendy Higgins

Synopsis:

Review:

She knew she should say something, but words . . . there were no words. Her life, as she knew it, was over. Her future, and the freedom she’d imagined, was dead. – Aerity

They were herding the beast straight for them. “It’s coming!” Tiern shouted from behind him. – Paxton

“What if I said I do want you to kill the beast, Paxton Seabolt? What if I want it to be you?” -Aerity

“No,” Aerity whispered. A deep longing for Paxton expanded within her. “Seas, no. Please.” Her stomach knotted so hard that it sent another shooting pain through her ribs.

Share this:

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY – Ready to Run (I Do, I Don’t #1) by Lauren Layne

Synopsis:

Review:

“Wait, Luke.” He paused but didn’t turn around. “You know I’m right about everyone wanting you to do this show. Why is that?” His shoulders tensed even more than they already were. But the only answer she got was the slam of her front door shutting behind him.

“We’re not sticking around here,” Jordan explained. “We’re about to storm a firehouse.” Simon rested a hand across his chest. “Oh sweet Jesus, I think I might faint. Do you think I could talk one of them into wearing just the suspender things, no shirt?”

About The Author:

Giveaway:

Share this:

BLOGIVERSARY + GIVEAWAY – Our Fiercest BBFs

Share this:

BOOK REVIEW – A Conspiracy of Kings (The Queen’s Thief #4) by Megan Whalen Turner

Synopsis:

“Then I walked to my bed and sat, making a show of careless bravado by crossing my legs and slumping as if I had not a worry in the world. In other words, I gave my best imitation of Eugenides.”

Share this:

Follow Us

Enter Email to Subscribe to Posts

Star-Crossed Ladies:

Recent Reviews

Fun Lists About Books

Recommendations

Jen’s Currently Reading

Chelsea’s Currently Reading

Archives

Follow Us:

Search:

Star-Crossed Ladies

Archives

Recent Reviews

Fun Lists About Books

Recommendations

They were herding the beast straight for them.
“It’s coming!” Tiern shouted from behind him. – Paxton

“Wait, Luke.”
He paused but didn’t turn around.
“You know I’m right about everyone wanting you to do this show. Why is that?”
His shoulders tensed even more than they already were.
But the only answer she got was the slam of her front door shutting behind him.

“We’re not sticking around here,” Jordan explained. “We’re about to storm a firehouse.”
Simon rested a hand across his chest. “Oh sweet Jesus, I think I might faint. Do you think I could talk one of them into wearing just the suspender things, no shirt?”