Page 239 of 427

Item: Glass Houses
Rating: 4
Author: Chelsea

FRIDAY STARS – Your Weekly Must Knows 10/21/16

October 21, 2016 / Jen / 4 Comments

Friday Stars.13

In case you aren’t familiar with our Friday Star Posts, we like to take a look at what’s happened around here in the last week, what’s coming up that we are excited about and anything else that we may have to share!

♥ Enjoy!

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Just Finished and Loved:

Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky #3) by Veronica Rossi → Jen’s Review

5 Stars! Into the Still Blue was an action packed, stunning conclusion! This series has easily become one of my favorite dystopian series ever, and I can’t recommend it highly enough!

The final book! In the first book, Under the Never Sky, Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive. A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. In alternating chapters told in Aria’s and Perry’s voices, Under the Never Sky subtly and powerfully captures the evolving relationship between these characters and sweeps readers away to a harsh but often beautiful world. Continuing with Through the Ever Night and concluding with Into the Still Blue, the Under the Never Sky trilogy has already been embraced by readers in twenty-six countries and been optioned for film by Warner Bros.

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4 Stars:
Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires #1) by Rachel Caine → Chelsea’s Review

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We also had a Top Ten Tuesday Post about Characters We Would Name A Child After. If you missed it, then you can check it out here.

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Reading Next:

The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis
The Swimmer.
The Rebel.
The Nerd.
All Ryan, Harley and Miles had in common was Isaac. They lived different lives, had different interests and kept different secrets. But they shared the same best friend. They were sidekicks. And now that Isaac’s gone, what does that make them?
Will Kostakis, award-winning author of The First Third, perfectly depicts the pain and pleasure of this teenage world, piecing together three points of view with intricate splendour.

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To Love and to Cherish (The Wedding Belles #3) by Lauren Layne
Sex and the City meets The Wedding Planner in The Wedding Belles, a contemporary and witty romance series about three high-powered New York City women who can plan any wedding—but their own.
Alexis Morgan has spent the past eight years devoted to turning her tiny start-up into Manhattan’s premiere wedding planning company, The Wedding Belles. Now that her business is thriving, it’s time to turn towards her much neglected personal life, and Alexis approaches her relationships like she does everything else: with a plan. Not a part of that plan is Logan Harris, the silent partner in the Belles, and the one person who’s been there for her since the very beginning. But Alexis needs someone fun, and Logan’s all business, all the time—except when a late night at the office ends with an unexpected kiss that leaves the usually cool and together Alexis reeling.
Logan has lusted after Alexis since the day he walked into the tiny Harlem apartment that used to double as her office. But the ambitious wedding planner has always been untouchable…until now. Alexis has made it clear that she’s on the dating market—and equally clear that he’s not in the running. But when Alexis finds herself in need of a date for her sister’s last minute wedding in Florida, Logan knows it’s the perfect time to show Alexis that there’s more to him than numbers and spreadsheets—and beneath the pinstripes and glasses lies a hot-blooded heartthrob. As Florida’s sultry days turn into even hotter nights, Logan’s out to convince Alexis that the fling of a lifetime could just maybe turn into forever…

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Upcoming Releases:

There aren’t any books releasing in the next week that we are dying to read. But we do have a huge list of books that we are counting down until they are released. You can check them out here → HERE

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Sales:

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5 Stars! Chelsea’s Review	4 Stars! Chelsea’s Review	4.5 Stars! Chelsea’s Review
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5 Stars! Jen’s Review Chelsea’s Review	4 Stars! Laura’s Review	Anna’s Review

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BOOK REVIEW: Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires #1) by Rachel Caine

October 21, 2016 / Chelsea / 8 Comments

Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires #1)
by Rachel Caine
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
From the author of the popular Weather Warden series comes the debut of an exciting new series set in Morganville, Texas, where you would be well advised to avoid being out after dark.

College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. Will she be able to face the town's terror or will she drown like everyone else?

So. I’ve always been a lovey dovey vampire lover as opposed to the GRR, I’M AN EVIL BASTARD kind. But, as it turns out….I fell really hard for this book. And, instead of sexy bites shared between vampire lovers (or, rather, a human AND vamp), we had the scary as shit psycho vampires. Honestly, I was disappointed at first. I mean, really. Who doesn’t like a little neck biting action? WHO I ASK, WHO?! But as the story progressed, it gave me something….a little more.

-and Dad, who was glowering at Shane in the background, was as tall and twice as broad. “Is it him?” Dad asked. “Did he get you into trouble?”
“Not me,” Shane said. “I’ve just got that kind of face.”

I won’t say it wouldn’t be a cool future twist (I’m looking at you, book two *wink*), but, for now, I’m satisfied. Why am I satisfied, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you. Instead of sexy neck play between two lovahs, we have a million other things: Mean girls who are actually VERY mean, evil vampires that cause a lot of heroic romantic suspense, not one, but TWO sexy boys, and a cast of four characters that live in a house together, doing everything they can to protect one another. Oh, and there’s an EPIC twist somewhere in this story-I like. I approve.

For me to love books that are….well….paranormal, the author better be hella creative. In this case?? She was. And I even thought it was a BIT more addictive than my other vamp series I’m reading…but only by a hair! To me, that’s amazing. I LOVE Evernight-I love the atmosphere, the boy, the main girl (most of the time), but sometimes it’s a bit lighter and not as intense in the writing area. I love that, but starting this series certainly made my heart pound in ways that are completely out of this world.

This book was creepy as shit, but it doesn’t really kick up the scary SCARINESS until book two. Oh yeah, I’m running through these vamp series like candy, so, yeah, I’m extremely behind on reviews FYI. These poor books aren’t getting NEAR the reviews they deserve, I realize. But, I digress, my point is this: These books are a lot more adult. They aren’t really……mature, per se, but they do border that fine line where you’re like, shit, are they really going to burn this guy alive? And are they honestly going to kill off one of my favorite characters brutally? I really can’t say….and I kind of dig it.

Now, okay, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t defend my darling males. You’ve got Shane and Michael. Michael is who everyone seems to like. I guess I did, too? But that’s only because I let reviews influence me. From the very beginning it’s clear that Shane is totally into Claire and he is going to be uber protective of her. I love this. So, in essence, I LOVE Shane. He is nothing but sweet and kind and funny from the very beginning-And when things get serious, so does he. So…what’s not to like? I swear, people lol. Who cares!!! But. Anyway. Moving on. Michael is great, too, but….I don’t see the large hype for him??? Other than loving him as a main character-I do, too. I guess I’m just still trying to figure that one out. Not trying to dwell on it.

She didn’t look up.
He came a step closer, and his bare feet and sweatpants came into her vision. “Claire. You’ve got to promise me.”
“I can’t,” she said. “I’m not some little kid. And I’m not your sister.”
He laughed, low in his throat. “Oh, yeah. That, I know. But I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

OH OH OH!!!! And, okay, I must say-these might be some of my favorite kissing scenes EVER. Or, at least, in a long long time. I just am extremely enamored with how she writes the exchanges-sexy, sweet, swoony, and then there’s how she explains the body? I don’t know…I just was very attracted to the way she described something as beautifully simple as kissing. It’s like authors forget how to, you know?? I have very high hopes for, ahem, future endeavors hehe.

God this review is so weird. I’m sorry guys-I’m sitting at work and going back and forth between work and writing this sad excuse for a review, so that’s likely it. I’d rather post something rather than nothing at all so, well….here you go. All I can really say is I adore this series very much and I am EXTREMELY excited to see what’s next for my darling Claire and Shane-I love Eve and Michael, too, but babies first!!! I think a lot of people are missing out on this-Yes, it’s silly. Yes, they get into some crazy situations….but it never once felt cheesy. So. Um. SCORE. That is all.

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Shockingly..I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK!! I’ve been waiting FOREVER to try and I am so glad I waited until my comeback (from being sick) for my month of vampires….Though, these vamps are pretty mean lol And I ADORE Shane. EEPS.

RTC!!

View all my reviews

TOP TEN TUESDAY – Characters We Would Name A Child After

October 18, 2016 / Jen / 17 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday.13

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
This week we get to talk about Characters We Would Name A Child After. Which is SO perfect because……
Chelsea is going to be a mommy! Next spring her husband and her will be bringing a sweet little baby into the world. We are over the moon ecstatic for them! See, isn’t this topic just perfect?! The first seven names are on Chelsea’s baby name list. We can’t wait to see which name she chooses! Two names are Jen’s choices that her husband said no to when she was pregnant back in the day. And the last two are names Anna loves for the future! Have fun reading through out list.

(Chelsea’s Choice – Review)

1. Miles from Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

2. Garret from Talon (Talon #1) by Julie Kagawa

(Chelsea’s Choice – Review)

3. Elias from An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes #1) by Sabaa Tahir

4. Xander from The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

(Chelsea’s Choice – Review)

(Chelsea’s Choice)

5. Christian from The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

6. Kellen from Thoughtless (Thoughtless #1) by S.C. Stephens

(Chelsea & Jen’s Choice – Review)

(Jen’s Choice)

7. Aiden from Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

8. Kallen from True of Blood (Witch Fairy #1) by Bonnie Lamer

(Anna’s Choice)

(Anna’s Choice – Review)

9. Liam from The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) by Alexandra Bracken

10. Jason from Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

So these are Characters We Would Name A Child After! Do you share any of the same with us? If not, what names do you have on your list?

BOOK REVIEW – Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky #3) by Veronica Rossi

October 17, 2016 / Jen / 6 Comments

Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky #3)
by Veronica Rossi
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
The race for survival comes to a thrilling close in the earth-shattering conclusion to Veronica Rossi's New York Times bestselling Under the Never Sky trilogy.

Their love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to find the fabled Still Blue and bring balance to their world.

Perfect for fans of the Hunger Games and Divergent series, Veronica Rossi's trilogy has been called "inspired, offbeat, and mesmerizing" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) and "incredibly original" (Seventeen.com). Brimming with romance and danger and building to a climax that will leave you breathless, Into the Still Blue brings this "masterpiece" trilogy to an unforgettable close (Examiner.c

Review:

*Spoilers for previous books*

Into the Still Blue was an action packed, stunning conclusion! And just like the two previous books, this story was an emotional journey. Torture, love, sacrifice, it honestly felt like my heart would stop beating at times. Even while they were strategizing, since the risks they were willing to take felt monumental. This series has easily become one of my favorite dystopian series ever, and I can’t recommend it highly enough!

**Why was it so hard to bring together the people she loved and keep them safe? Why couldn’t she just wake up and spend a day—one day—without running or fighting or losing someone?**

I started out this book feeling overwhelmed. Their situation had become dire. The Tides and Dwellers were about to become trapped in the cave and die because of how the aether was changing. They had to find the Still Blue! But to do that they needed hoovers and Cinder, which were both in the custody of Hess and Sable. And while that seemed daunting enough, their relationships with one another were all twisted. Roar, Aria, Perry. Nothing felt right. Oh. My. Gosh. I just wanted to curl into a ball and cry with how much each of them were struggling or suffering or pretending that they weren’t. I felt suffocated from their drama, but thankfully there was an awesome distraction coming up!

“Soren,” Roar called. When Soren looked back, Roar flung his knife into the air. The blade spun end over end, heading right for Soren, who yelped and dodged aside.
It missed him by a hair, as Roar had surely intended. Roar never missed.
“Are you insane?” Soren yelled, his face turning red.
Roar jogged over and calmly picked up his knife, but he sheathed the blade with a vicious thrust. “That’s how you do a warning shot.”

They had to form a team to rescue Cinder and obtain more hoovers. Hmm, I guess I should rephrase that, an unlikely team. Perry, Aria, Roar, Soren, Brooke and Jupiter. I definitely was uncertain about this, because while each of them was perfect for the mission, together they were not a good mesh. They fought. They didn’t always work together. And they screwed up because of those issues. But I will say that I found hope. Aria played a joke on Soren, which made me laugh so hard. And that moment led to that hope. Hope that this mismatched team would pull together and make not only everyone else, but themselves proud too! I mean, everyone’s survival rests on their shoulders. No biggie right?

“If we get to the Still Blue,” Soren said, “we should look at how to make more people like you, Aria.”
She laughed. “Make more people like me? You mean half-breeds?”
“No. I mean people who are forgiving and optimistic and things like that.”

I have to say a word about each character that affected me so strongly:

Aria & Perry – She made me so proud with the strategizing she came up with. Her and Perry have grown immensely since their first encounter. And Perry now felt like a true leader. The decisions and sacrifices he made, I’m so proud of him, even if I still can’t talk about it.

Roar – I never thought I’d find two book boyfriends in a story. But I absolutely loved Roar. Even when he was being an emotional ass. I will never be able to get him out of my head.

Soren – That dweller pulled me in, no matter how hard I fought it. He completely won me over and I was hoping he got a HEA too!

Cinder – He started out as a tag along, and in the Tides he finally found what he was always searching for. A family. He was braver than I ever could have been at his age, and I loved his moments throughout the story.

Aria didn’t even see Perry’s face before he hugged her. “I’ll be thinking about you,” he said, lifting her off the ground. “I love you.”
She said it back, and that was it.
All that mattered. Everything there was to say.

The twists and turns kept me on my toes, but the events that unfolded and affected the characters, that’s what moved my heart so deeply. I sobbed. I pleaded. I hoped they would all survive. Even though I should have known better. This story was perfectly destructive and uplifting at the same time. And I won’t be able to get their world or these characters out of my head for a long time to come.

PS Can we please have a novella looking into the future? My heart desperately needs that!

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
Under the Never Sky #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Roar and Liv #0.1 Review: Jen	Through the Ever Night #2 Reviews: Jen Chelsea
Brooke #2.5 Review: Jen	Into the Still Blue #3 Reviews: Jen Chelsea

FRIDAY STARS – Your Weekly Must Knows 10/14/16

October 14, 2016 / Jen / 2 Comments

Life:

I’ve been sick all week, which usually isn’t too horrible because then I get to stay in bed all day and read. But this time around I had a 102+ fever for 4 days and it has kicked my butt. Things are turning around and I’m hoping that by Sunday I can get myself to Trader Joes. It’s a grocery store chain that I am obsessed with. And it has over 60 or maybe 70 pumpkin items this time of year. I have tried all of them. Yup, I’m one of those people. The kind that are truly obsessed with every single thing that is pumpkin. I’m keeping my fingers crossed I can go shopping there this weekend and stock up on everything pumpkin!

♥ Enjoy!

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Just Finished and Loved:

Evernight (Evernight #1) by Claudia Gray → Chelsea’s Review

5 Stars! That moment when you realize you love a TOTALLY cliche book that almost all your friends (And most of the community) hates. I literally am laughing right now because, really, what are the odds that everyone hates a book I love. It’s crazy.

Bianca wants to escape.
She’s been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn’t fit in.
Then she meets Lucas. He’s not the “Evernight type” either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him
“I couldn’t stand it if they took it out on you,” he tells Bianca, “and eventually they would.”
But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can’t be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she’s ever believed.

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4.5 Stars:
Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo → Chelsea’s Review Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar → Anna’s Review

4 Stars:
Brooke (Under the Never Sky #2.5) by Veronica Rossi → Jen’s Review

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Reading Next:

Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires #1) by Rachel Caine
College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation, where the popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks in the school’s social scene: somewhere less than zero.
When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don’t show many signs of life. But they’ll have Claire’s back when the town’s deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood.

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Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky, #3) by Veronica Rossi
The final book! In the first book, Under the Never Sky, Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive. A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. In alternating chapters told in Aria’s and Perry’s voices, Under the Never Sky subtly and powerfully captures the evolving relationship between these characters and sweeps readers away to a harsh but often beautiful world. Continuing with Through the Ever Night and concluding with Into the Still Blue, the Under the Never Sky trilogy has already been embraced by readers in twenty-six countries and been optioned for film by Warner Bros

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Upcoming Releases:

To Love and to Cherish (The Wedding Belles #3) by Lauren Layne (Releases 10/18)
Sex and the City meets The Wedding Planner in The Wedding Belles, a contemporary and witty romance series about three high-powered New York City women who can plan any wedding—but their own.
Alexis Morgan has spent the past eight years devoted to turning her tiny start-up into Manhattan’s premiere wedding planning company, The Wedding Belles. Now that her business is thriving, it’s time to turn towards her much neglected personal life, and Alexis approaches her relationships like she does everything else: with a plan. Not a part of that plan is Logan Harris, the silent partner in the Belles, and the one person who’s been there for her since the very beginning. But Alexis needs someone fun, and Logan’s all business, all the time—except when a late night at the office ends with an unexpected kiss that leaves the usually cool and together Alexis reeling.
Logan has lusted after Alexis since the day he walked into the tiny Harlem apartment that used to double as her office. But the ambitious wedding planner has always been untouchable…until now. Alexis has made it clear that she’s on the dating market—and equally clear that he’s not in the running. But when Alexis finds herself in need of a date for her sister’s last minute wedding in Florida, Logan knows it’s the perfect time to show Alexis that there’s more to him than numbers and spreadsheets—and beneath the pinstripes and glasses lies a hot-blooded heartthrob. As Florida’s sultry days turn into even hotter nights, Logan’s out to convince Alexis that the fling of a lifetime could just maybe turn into forever…

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Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (Releases 10/18)
The 2nd book! In the first book, Illuminae, This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.
The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it’s clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.
Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

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Check out the rest of our list of upcoming releases that we can’t wait for → HERE

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Sales:

$0.99

New Sale 5 Stars! Chelsea’s Review	New Sale 4 Stars! Chelsea’s Review	New Sale 4.5 Stars! Chelsea’s Review
New Sale 5 Stars! Chelsea’s Review	New Sale 5 Stars! Chelsea’s Review	4 Stars! Chelsea’s Review
5 Stars! Jen’s Review Chelsea’s Review	5 Stars! Jen’s Review	4.5 Stars! Chelsea’s Review
5 Stars! Jen’s Review Chelsea’s Review	4 Stars! Laura’s Review	Anna’s Review

$1.99

5 Stars! Chelsea’s Review		4.5 Stars! Chelsea’s Review
4.5 Stars! Anna’s Review	5 Stars! Anna’s Review Jen’s Review Chelsea’s Review	5 Stars! Chelsea’s Review
	5 Stars! Chelsea’s Review	Chelsea’s Review