99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne: ARC Review

99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne

Synopsis:

Crush: a strong and often short-lived infatuation, particularly for someone beyond your reach…

Darcy Barrett has undertaken a global survey of men. She’s travelled the world, and can categorically say that no one measures up to Tom Valeska, whose only flaw is that Darcy’s twin brother Jamie saw him first and claimed him forever as his best friend. Despite Darcy’s best efforts, Tom’s off limits and loyal to her brother, 99%. That’s the problem with finding her dream man at age eight and peaking in her photography career at age twenty—ever since, she’s had to learn to settle for good enough.

When Darcy and Jamie inherit a tumble-down cottage from their grandmother, they’re left with strict instructions to bring it back to its former glory and sell the property. Darcy plans to be in an aisle seat halfway across the ocean as soon as the renovations start, but before she can cut and run, she finds a familiar face on her porch: house-flipper extraordinaire Tom’s arrived, he’s bearing power tools, and he’s single for the first time in almost a decade.

Suddenly Darcy’s considering sticking around to make sure her twin doesn’t ruin the cottage’s inherent magic with his penchant for grey and chrome. She’s definitely not staying because of her new business partner’s tight t-shirts, or that perfect face that’s inspiring her to pick up her camera again. Soon sparks are flying—and it’s not the faulty wiring. It turns out one percent of Tom’s heart might not be enough for Darcy anymore. This time around, she’s switching things up. She’s going to make Tom Valeska 99 percent hers.

Published Date: January 29th, 2019.

Teardrop Shot by Tijan: Book Review

Teardrop Shot by Tijan

Synopsis:

I asked for his criteria for bed buddies-that’s the PG version.

He swore at me and said he didn’t do groupies. And just like that, our friendship was off to a great start.

Reese Forster was the starting point guard for the Seattle Thunder.

Gorgeous. Cocky. Loved by the nation.

He’s also attending preseason basketball training camp where I used to work.

Correction: where I work again, because I was fired from my last job.

And dumped.

And I might have a tiny bit of baggage, but that’s normal. Right?

Reese and I shouldn’t have become friends. We shouldn’t have become roommates.

Sruthi Writes: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (Guest Review)

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Synopsis:

Katherine V thought boys were gross

Katherine X just wanted to be friends

Katherine XVIII dumped him in an e-mail
K-19 broke his heart

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton’s type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.

On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun–but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.

Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.
Publication Date: September 21st, 2006.

Links: Goodreads, Amazon.

Kissing Ezra Holtz (and Other Things I Did for Science) by Brianna R. Shrum: ARC Review

Kissing Ezra Holtz (and Other Things I Did for Science) by Brianna R. Shrum

Synopsis:

A fun, witty, light-hearted romantic comedy―The Rosie Project, for teens

Seventeen-year-old Amalia Yaabez and Ezra Holtz couldn’t be more different. They’ve known (and avoided) each other their whole lives; she unable to stand his buttoned-up, arrogant, perfect disposition, and he unwilling to deal with her slacker, rule-breaking way of moving through the world.

When they are unhappily paired on an AP Psychology project, they come across an old psychological study that posits that anyone can fall in love with anyone, if you put them through the right scientific, psychological steps. They decide to put that theory to the test for their project, matching couples from different walks of high school life to see if science really can create love.

As they go through the whirlwind of the experiment, Ezra and Amalia realize that maybe it’s not just the couples they matched who are falling for each other . . .

Published Date: June 4th, 2019.

My Rating:

Her Defiant Heart (Damaged Hearts, #1) by Monica Murphy: ARC Review

Her Defiant Heart (Damaged Hearts, #1) by Monica Murphy

 

Synopsis: 

Life can feel like a cruel joke. I grew up poor and motherless, with a father who never got over his wife’s abandonment. But now he’s gone too, and I’m dead set on finding the woman who so carelessly tossed me aside when I was a baby.

I want revenge. And I’m going to get back at my mother any way that I can.

I change my name. Start my new life in college, and just happen to cross paths with the gorgeous, ultra-rich Rhett Montgomery. He’s immediately interested in me, not that I’m surprised.

You see, I planned it that way. I meant for him to find me. He’s the one connection to my mother, and I’m using him, so I can destroy her. But I didn’t plan on Rhett being so charming. Sweet. Sexy.

And I definitely didn’t plan on falling for him either…

Publication Date: December 4th, 2018.

This or That Tag

I recently saw a tag on Jayati’s Blog and I loved it so much, I decided to self-invite myself to do this tag on my blog. Before I start, all of you should go to Jayati’s blog, it’s beautiful and lovely and all things book-lovers will crave. Give her a follow and lots of love!

Let’s do this!

Sadie’s Spirit by C.B Samet: ARC Review

Sadie’s Spirit by C.B. Samet

Synopsis: 

Sadie didn’t believe in ghosts, until she became one.

When pragmatic physician and budding researcher, Sadie Crawford, goes for a hike, she didn’t imagine she would die on the trail. She definitely didn’t imagine she would become a ghost. Rather than idling lingering on Earth, she focuses on finding her killer. Uncovering the truth means asking for help from her psychic ex-boyfriend—the one she dumped because she hadn’t believed in his supernatural abilities. Recruiting Asher Brenner plunges him into danger as Sadie’s search for answers becomes a race to stop a killer. Will they find the murderer before another victim falls?

Publication: May 21st, 2019.

 

My Rating:  

ARC Review: Mom’s Perfect Boyfriend by Crystal Hemmingway

Mom’s Perfect Boyfriend by Crystal Hemmingway

Synopsis:

A smart romantic comedy about mothers and daughters, and the hilarious consequences of a white lie.

Crystal has trouble saying no to her lonely, single mother. For 25 years, it wasn’t a problem. But when one small mistake leaves Crystal jilted, homeless and unemployed, she has to move back in with the one person who caused it all: her mother.

Soon Crystal is sucked into her mother’s vortex, partying with boomers and hawking misshapen marshmallows. Desperate for some independence, she hatches a foolproof plan: get an experimental android to play her mom’s “perfect” boyfriend. It’s only a matter of time before her mom finds out, and Crystal will never live down the hilarious and disastrous consequences.

Written in an addicting, fast-paced format, Mom’s Perfect Boyfriend is a humorous yet deeply honest portrayal about the complicated friendship between mothers and daughters. Because sometimes the people we least want to rely on are those who can help us the most

Publication: July 16th, 2019.

My Rating:    

 

My Favourite Quote: *subject to change*

David: I just read your first draft

David: and I have a very serious question for you

Crystal: ok, shoot

David: am i the velociraptor or the t-rex

Crystal: hmmm

             Crystal: I’ll tell you tonight

Links: Goodreads, Amazon

Wolf Rain (Psy-Changeling Trinity #3) by Nalini Singh

Wolf Rain (Psy-Changeling Trinity #3) by Nalini Singh

Synopsis: 

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us on a new adventure in this next novel of the Psy-Changeling Trinity series…

The end of Silence was supposed to create a better world for future generations. But trust is broken, and the alliance between Psy, Changeling, and human is thin. The problems that led to Silence are back in full force. Because Silence fixed nothing, just hid the problems.

This time, the Psy have to find a real answer to their problems–if one exists. Or their race will soon go extinct in a cascade of violence. The answer begins with an empath who is attuned to monsters–and who is going to charm a wolf into loving her despite his own demons.

Publishing Date: June 4th, 2019. 

 

 

 

My Rating: 

 

My Favourite Quote:  

 

Fractures. Cracks. Scars. 

We are all broken eggshells sewn back together. 

In the madness of courage. 

    

                                    –Adina Mercana, poet (b. 1832, d. 1901)

 

 

Links: Goodreads, Amazon. 

 

 

 

My Review

 

This book has been one of my most awaited read of the year, simply because one, Alexie and that’s enough said; two, we head straight back into the SnowDance world again thankyouGodI’vemissedthemsomuch and finally three, Nalini is always someone whose books I can rely on to deliver. While Hawke and Sienna will always always be my most favourite, I now have a very very soft spot for Memory. 

 

Truth be told, I was utterly drawn in by the plot in Wolf Rain than I was by the romance and I’m still unable to place why even though I utterly loved Memory. Memory was a lovely lovely representation of an E-Psy shed under a different light. I loved seeing her fight and anger and I especially loved the way she spoke to Alexei. I have a genuine girl crush on this girl. You guys, Memory was a worthy heroine and I don’t doubt she is the perfect mate for Alexei. 

 

Now, Alexei himself…Let’s see. Growly? check. Wolfy? Check. Chicken? Hahahahaha. (You’ll totally get that once you read the book). He was a typical SnowDancer wolf, protective, all-teeth, growly, loyal and crush-worthy. Perhaps the only reason I wasn’t all that into the Russian Bridegroom (*giggle giggle*) was because I didn’t have so much backstory into him. However, I also realized that has never really mattered before. So maybe it was just that the plot of this story was far far heavier than the love story, which I guess is perfectly fine *shrug*. However, despite this, his pain and loss and struggles were very very heart-clenching and any who has lost someone dear to them will feel it all the way to their bones. 

 

This story opens very very large doors and it basically sets up the stage for the rest of the series to unfold a certain way. The plot is utterly immersive. Things are happening from the word go and the narration doesn’t ever let up. People are always on their feet, darkness and anger at their heels and a whole race of people in possible imminent danger. A lot of well known and loved characters appear in this book and it was truly utterly revetting to see them again. Some changes have taken place in their lives that we get to see and we relive their familiar voices. It’s like we’re the wolves and they’re singing a song that resonates deep within our hearts. The familiarity is that immediate. 

 

Nalini, I swear, writes books for our souls. 

 

I highly recommend this book, but I definitely recommend it as a series because that’s when you can feel like you’re a SnowDancer or a leopard from DarkRiver or a Psy or whatever it maybe that you wish to be. 

 

Four stars!

The Game Series by Eve Silver (A Small Story)

The Game Series by Eve Silver

Rush (The Game, #1) by Eve Silver

So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

Miki Jones’s carefully controlled life spins into chaos after she’s run down in the street, left broken and bloody. She wakes up fully healed in a place called the lobby – pulled from her life, through time and space into some kind of game in which she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures.

There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Every moment of the game is kill or be killed, and Miki has only the questionable guidance of Jackson Tate, the team’s alluring and secretive leader. He evades her questions, holds himself aloof from the others, and claims it’s every player for himself. But when he puts himself at risk to watch Miki’s back, he leaves her both frustrated and fascinated. Jackson says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival. And the survival of every other person on the planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn


Push (The Game, #2) by Eve Silver

It’s either break the rules or die.

Miki Jones lives her life by her own strict set of rules, to keep control, to keep the gray fog of grief at bay. Then she’s pulled into the Game, where she – and her team – will die unless she follows a new set of rules: those set by the mysterious Committee.

But rules don’t mean answers, and without answers, it’s hard to trust. People are dying. The rules are unraveling. And Miki knows she’s being watched, uncertain if it’s the Drau or someone – something – else. Forced to make impossible choices and battling to save those she loves, Miki begins to see the Committee in a glaring new light.

And then the Game crosses a new boundary, pushes harder into Miki’s and her friends’ lives, and there’s nothing in the rules that can save them now.

Push is the sequel Rush fans will be screaming for. 


Crash (The Game, #3) by Eve Silver

A thrilling action/suspense novel for fans of The Fifth Wave about contemporary teens pulled in and out of an alternate reality where battling aliens is more than a game—it’s life and death.

Miki’s life is falling apart around her. Her dad and best friend are lying in the hospital. The Game is glitching, making missions more frequent and more deadly. And someone close to her is waiting for the right moment to betray her. 

Miki feels like she’s hanging on by a thread and the only thing keeping her tethered is Jackson’s hand in hers. Yet telling him how much she needs him, how much she loves him, feels like the biggest challenge of all. And if Miki really wants the missions to end for everyone, she’ll have to let go and be ready to fight when the walls between the Game and reality come crashing down. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that she’s got a whole lot left to lose.

Crash is the pulse-pounding conclusion to the Game trilogy fans won’t want to miss.

Links to Author: Goodreads, Website and Amazon.

Story Time!

Okay, so. Less than a month ago, I found out about this trilogy. I read the blurb for the first book–Rush–on Goodreads and I was hooked the very exact moment. However, none of the books were available for me to buy on Kindle (India). I reached out to Eve requesting if she could help me by sending me links that I could purchase the ebook-edition from. Eve sent me pretty much all the possible links that I could purchase the book from, but for whatever reason, the Indian websites didn’t have the ebook for me to purchase.

The libraries here aren’t precisely suited for the YA/NA department (mostly because the younger generation rarely borrow books from the library and are more likely to buy/order it online; God bless the Internet) and mostly stock up on regional authors/languages. I had genuinely decided to give up and figured the Kindle editions would be available at some point. The paperbacks were out of my budget and I was quite sad about that *sigh*. So Eve, *insert as many gooey mushy emojis here as possible* told me she’d send me the paperbacks for ALL three books. And she signed them for me. All. At. Her. Own. Expense.

It was the kindest, sweetest and (expensive *whimpers*) the single most amazing gesture from her. I had never expected it and I want to do a little something back. And the best I can do for an author is spread word. So find these books, give them a read, show them some love and drop a heart to Eve Silver wherever you find her.

Hearts and Kisses,
Ahana.