Waiting on Wednesday (29)

This is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where every Wednesday bloggers highlight a book that they are eagerly anticipating the release of! 

Such A Rush

By Jennifer Echols

Release Date: July 10, 2012

Summary: A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers. 

High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever. 

But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business--until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers--and the consequences could be deadly.

Another Jennifer Echols novel! Yayayayayay!!! I can't tell you how excited I am for this new one :) The first sentence of the summary is all it took for me to want to read this (that and the fact it's by Jennifer Echols). A pilot caught between two brothers? Yes please! I don't think I've ever read a book where the girl is a pilot, so I'm really excited to see how this one turns out. And I have to admit I'm a pretty big fan of love triangles. The brothers seem like such complete opposites, so you just know they're both going to be lovable in their own ways. Ahhhh I can't wait to see who she ends up with! This sounds like something brand new for Jennifer Echols, so I'm super excited to get my hands on a copy when it comes out! 

Book Review: Loves Me, Love Me Knot by Heidi Betts

Loves Me, Loves Me Knot

By Heidi Betts

Release Date: August 4, 2009

Summary: Jenna Langan knows what she wants, and as she tells her best friends after their weekly knitting group, she doesn't need a man to give it to her...only a few of his best swimmers. And just because her marriage to undercover vice cop Gage Marshall ended badly doesn't mean he can't still give her the baby she's always wanted. In fact, she's willing to bet a couple of her favorite hand-knit boas that she can tie him up in knots he'll definitely enjoy...

An unexpected seduction is one thing, but stud service? No, thank you. Gage had his reasons for pulling the plug on his happily ever after with Jenna, and nothing that's happened since their divorce has changed his mind. That is, until Jenna got it into her head to tie him up and drag him down. Now he has no choice but to stick around until he knows for sure if his ex-wife is pregnant. But the more time he spends with Jenna, the more his resolve begins to unravel...

Review: I have recently become obsessed with knitting, so when I saw this on the shelf at the library, I knew I had to read it. And boy did I enjoy it! The beginning of the book kind of dragged on, but once the story got out of that rut and got moving, I just couldn't stop reading it! I ended up finishing this book in one day because every time I put it down, I had to pick it back up to see what would happen next. 

Jenna and Gage hadn't spoken to each other in 18 months, after Gage told Jenna he didn't want children and they divorced. I normally don't like books about people who have been together then separated, then rekindle what they had, but this was definitely not the case. Jenna's Aunt Charlotte has a "magical" loom that will bring love to whoever knits with the yarn made from it, so she makes a special batch just for Jenna. While Charlotte is away for two weeks, Jenna stays in her house and after 18 months without speaking to Gage, one drunken night pushes Jenna to bring Gage back into her life. Jenna and Gage have clearly always been crazy about each other and still are despite their time apart, so as a reader I got really into rooting for them to finally kiss and make up. 

I loved the fact that Gage was a big, bad cop who has a lot of baggage from his undercover experience. That, along with his tattoos and motorcycle, makes him so dangerous yet irresistible. Even though Jenna is the complete opposite, being a teacher and a tiny woman, they seem completely perfect for each other. I loved them together and had to keep reading to see how things would turn out in the end. 

I haven't read the first book in the series, and I kind of wish I had. This book can be read just fine on it's own, but I would have loved to see how Ronnie and Dylan had gotten together because they are so adorable in the book. I loved how the story mainly focused on Jenna and Gage, but also gave the reader insight into the love lives of Jenna's two knitting buddies and best friends. I'm excited to read the other books of this series because this one was just so cute and lovable. Some things could have been different, but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless.

Movie Review: The Vow

Summary: A car accident puts Paige (McAdams) in a coma, and when she wakes up with severe memory loss, her husband Leo (Tatum) works to win her heart again.


Review: As you all probably already know, I'm OBSESSED with any romance story, especially anything written by Nicholas Sparks. Though this was not one of Sparks' creations, two of his previous actors (McAdams from The Notebook and Tatum from Dear John) came together to create a love story with his signature passion. 


Leo and Paige had such a perfect love in the beginning of the movie. They met, they dated, they fell hopeless and madly in love. So when Paige loses her memory of the last five years, the years she met Leo, they have to work to get that once in a lifetime love back. The only problem is Paige still thinks she's engaged to her ex-fiance and living a wonderful, classy life as a law student. Leo loves Paige with all his heart, but how does he make the love of his life fall in love with him all over again? 


This movie is filled with so much emotion and I just could not get enough of it! The movie had you rooting for Leo the entire time and there were enough twists in the plot to keep you on your toes. There were times I would sigh in delight and there were times I felt like throwing my popcorn at the screen because I was so mad at some of the characters, but those reactions just show how great this movie is. It's not the typical perfect love story; there are so many ups and downs in the relationship that it's impossible not to have some sort of reaction to it. 


Some events in the movie annoyed me and I wasn't too big of a fan of how everything ended, but the entire journey of the story was impossible not to love. If your in the mood for a love story that's perfect yet so unperfect at the same time, check out this movie. And watching Channing Tatum for a full two hours (and I mean REALLY seeing Channing Tatum) doesn't hurt either. Do you think if I went and got hit by a car, I'd wake up to have Channing Tatum as my husband? Hmmm, I'd say it's worth a shot ;)

Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

By Stephen Chbosky 

Release Date: 1999

Summary: Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie is navigating through the strange worlds of love, drugs, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", and dealing with the loss of a good friend and his favorite aunt.


Review: I just don't know what to say right now. Or think. Or anything. This book was like nothing I've read before, but definitely in a good way. I loved the author's style, how the whole story was told through Charlie's letters to a person he's never even met before. Charlie's letters and personality remind of The Catcher In the Rye a lot, but I'd have to say I liked this one a whole lot better. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower deals with so many issues, starting off with a suicide and moving on to drugs, drinking, sex, and just figuring out who you are. I felt myself loving Charlie and wanting him to make it out of everything okay. He was so naive and adorable that he's that kid that's impossible not to like. I love the other characters too, like Sam, Patrick, and even Mary Elizabeth. Everyone was so quirky and accepted you for who you were with no questions. I really can't find one thing I did't like about this book. 

After finishing this (I borrowed it from a friend), I had to talk to her like five different times that same night because I couldn't wrap my mind around what happened. There was just a feeling of, I don't know...I really just don't know. This book really makes you think but not really know what to think at the same time. It's really quick, so if you have the chance, you should definitely pick this up. I think it's something everyone should experience and I really can't wait for the movie. Everyone in the cast seems perfect for the character they're playing, so hopefully the movie lives up to the book!

Book Review: Anne of Hollywood by Carol Wolper

Anne of Hollywood

By Carol Wolper

Release Date: January 24, 2012

Summary: Carol Wolper re-tells the story of Anne Boleyn set in contemporary Los Angeles. 

“I wasn’t prepared for the enemies. Had I been as gorgeous as a supermodel, or as rich as an heiress, or an actress with an Oscar to my credit, people would still not be happy that I had Henry’s attention, but they’d understand. What they resented was the king coupling with a ‘nobody.’” 

Skirts may be shorter now, and messages sent by iPhone, but passion, intrigue, and a lust for power don’t change. National bestselling author Carol Wolper spins a mesmerizing tale of a twenty-first-century Anne Boleyn. 

Wily, intelligent, and seductive, with a dark beauty that stands out among the curvy California beach blondes, Anne attracts the attention of Henry Tudor, the handsome corporate mogul who reigns in Hollywood. Every starlet, socialite, and shark wants a piece of Henry, but he only wants Anne. The question is: can she keep him? 

Welcome to a privileged world where hidden motives abound, everyone has something to sell, and safe havens don’t exist. With her older sister Mary, a pathetic example of a royal has-been, Anne schemes to win her beloved Henry in the only way that gives a promise of forever—marriage. Success will mean contending with backstabbing “friends,” Henry’s furious ex-wife, and the machinations of her own ambitious family, and staying married to a man who has more options than most and less guilt than is good for either of them will take all her skill. Anne will do anything to hold on to the man—and the lifestyle—she adores, however, even if sticking your neck out in Hollywood means risking far worse than a broken heart. With Henry’s closest confidante scheming against her, and another beautiful contender waiting in the wings, Anne is fighting for her life. Can she muster the charm and wit to pull off her very own Hollywood ending?

Review: Reading the summary, this book sounded SO good! That is probably why I was so unprepared for how boring it ended up being. The story of Anne Boleyn was so interesting and scandalous, but this book was nowhere near capturing that emotion. 

The main problem I had with this book was the writing style. Almost the entire story was made up of thoughts and descriptions with very little dialogue/action going on whatsoever. This made the story seem to drag on and I found myself skimming pages at a time because I felt like they were pointless. Because of this, there didn't seem to be a real storyline going on, so time was so jumpy and I wasn't even aware so much time had passed until something had happened that wasn't supposed to happen until months down the road. This made me confused while reading and I just didn't feel like the book was worth the effort to understand what all was going on. 

The characters were okay, but I wasn't a fan of anyone in the book. Anne got annoying, Henry was a jerk, and everyone else just hated each other, so it got annoying real fast. Anne kept on referring to Henry as "the King" even though this was supposed to be a Hollywood adaptation. I still don't really understand what Henry did and I wish it had more of a hollywood aspect to it. 

What I did love was the cover! That color is so pretty and I love how it's the royalty-like chair with a martini to mix the old story with Hollywood. But that's really the only good thing about this book. As much as I wanted to like Anne of Hollywood, it just hit the mark for me.

Follow My Book Blog Friday (27)

This is a meme hosted every Friday by Parajunkee, where book bloggers answer a question each week and check out how others answered it. It's a cool way for bloggers and viewers to connect and learn more about each other!

Question: What would you prefer: Reading your favorite book over and over again until you get sick of it OR reading 100s of mediocre books? And why? 

Answer: Hmmmm I'd have to say reading my favorite book over and over again. Why? Well the only way I can explain it is this: 

I would rather look at this picture every single day of my life than see a bunch of mediocre actors in my favorite movies. I mean, what is life without Zac Efron!?!?!? And if I love something so much, I can never get tired of it! That's what I do with songs; I listen to them over and over again and never get tired of them! If a book is truly my favorite, I don't think I'd ever be able to not read it again. And when I read a mediocre book, I spend the time just waiting for the end. I don't think I'd be able to do that for the rest of my life. Books are my obsession, so why not aim for the best? 

Waiting on Wednesday (28)

This is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where every Wednesday bloggers highlight a book that they are eagerly anticipating the release of! 

Above

By Leah Bobet

Release Date: April 1, 2012

Summary: Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee's wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above—like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers. 

But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe's history and the shadows' attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home—not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before.

I am absolutely in love with this cover! I actually had no idea what this book was about until I made this post, but it's been on my TBR list for months. After reading the summary, it sounds even better! I love new, innovative stories and this ones sounds exactly like that. The story kind of reminds me of X-Men, which is just plain awesome. What I'm most excited for, though, is the love story between Matthew and Ariel. I can't wait to see what happens between them! Hopefully I can get my hands on this one as soon as it comes out :)