Stacking the Shelves (192)

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where bloggers share what books they got throughout the week!

From Publisher

Only one book came in the mail for me this week, but it looks so fun and I am definitely excited to read it! 

From Amazon

Lately there have been some amazing ebook sales on Amazon and it has been so hard to resist buying all of the books. But when I saw Amour Amour by Krista and Becca Ritchie on sale for only 99 cents, I could not pass it up. I loved Addicted to You and have been wanting to read another book by them ever since. Now I have the chance! I can't wait to see how this one turns out! 

That's it for me! What all did you add to your shelves this week? 

Book Review: I Want You to Want Me by Erika Kelly

I Want You to Want Me (Rock Star Romance #2)

By Erika Kelly

Release Date: July 7, 2015

Source: Publisher

Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Derek Valencia finally has the success he’s worked so hard for. His band is touring its debut album and great reviews are rolling in. But when pictures of him tossing naked groupies off a balcony go viral, it’s damage-control time. He’s assigned a “babysitter” whose sole job is to keep him out of trouble.

Violet Davis swore she’d never work in the music industry again, but being a minder for a rock star will earn her enough to pay off the mortgage on her wildflower farm. And for a girl brought up in the foster care system, owning her own home means more to her than anything.

Though at first the two bang heads, the rocker and the farm girl soon grow close and realize that they make sweet music together. But can a girl who craves the stability of life on a farm really make it work with a man whose life is spent on the road with his band?

Ever since I finished You Really Got Me, the first book in this series, I fell in love with Derek's sweet and caring personality. He was such a good brother to Emmie and I couldn't wait to see him have his own book. And to no surprise, it was just as sexy and amazing as I thought it would be!

Derek Valencia has finally made it big with his band, but not all of his bandmates are ready for the responsibility that comes with rock stars. Sex and drugs start to take over and Derek is watching his band crumble before his eyes. Enter Violet Davis. Violet has been working as a minder for those who need someone to keep them in check and she's hired to help out Derek's band. Derek doesn't need a babysitter, but the more time he spends with the sweet farm girl, he starts to find that it's impossible to keep his mind, or hands, off of her…

Oh boy, this book. I freaking loved every second of it. Derek was a sweet brother to Emmie, but he definitely has his bad boy side when it comes to women. From the moment Derek and Violet met, I knew it would be a fun ride and I loved how hard they fought against their attraction for one another. Violet didn't want to fall for a musician and Derek didn't want someone coming to his band and doing something he felt he should have been able to handle. Too bad for them they had such intense chemistry that it didn't matter what either of them wanted. 

What I have loved the most about the two books I have read by Erika Kelly is that her characters are real people with real insecurities and real problems. Derek was having insecurities concerning his father and Violet was trying to just make a home for herself. I loved the depth to Violet's character and how she wanted her own wildflower farm. It was so adorable when the guys spent some time at her house and Violet was finally finding that bond she was so jealous of Emmie for having with the band. 

Overall, this was definitely another hit for me from Erika Kelly. With irresistible musicians and irresistible chemistry, you can't go wrong with this Rock Star Romance series. I am already eager to read book three and watch yet another sexy rock star fall in love.

BookBuddyAThon TBR

Today, I decided to take part in the BookBuddyAthon with my best book friend Sarah from Words With Sarah! We did this readathon the first time around and could not resist when we saw that it was occurring again for round two! Sarah and I are constantly texting each other about books we're reading and our tastes are so similar that it gets scary at times. Here are the books I have decided to read for the readathon, which takes place from May 7th through May 15th. 

1. Choose three books and get your buddy to pick one from them for you to read.

I asked Sarah to choose between Chasing Spring by RS Grey, Nowhere but Here by Katie McGarry, and November 9 by Colleen Hoover. Sarah and I both share an unhealthy obsession with Colleen Hoover, so she chose November 9 for me to read and I could not be more excited! 

2. Buddy read a book with your buddy. 

Sarah and I both had bought a copy of The Girl in 6E awhile ago and it seems like something we would both love, so we decided to give this one a shot together! I can't wait to see how it turns out!

3. Read a book with your buddy's favorite color on it. 

Sarah told me that her favorite color was a blue/teal color, so I asked her if On the Island would count. She told me that the ocean is her favorite color, so it was perfect! We actually were between this one and The Girl in 6E for our buddy read, so when we didn't go with this one, I thought it'd be perfect to do for this topic! 

4. Read a book that's title starts with the first letter of your buddy's name. 

Sarah's name starts with an "s" and unlike my name (sorry, Sarah, for making it difficult for you!), lots of books start with the letter "s"! I finally settled on The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. I've heard that this book is amazing, so I'm definitely excited to read it! 

5. Read a book that you want to…just because. 

Since this readathon is going to take place during a school week for me, I'm not so sure I can get through five books. BUT, if I do miraculously find a lot of time to read, then this book will definitely be the last book I'd read for this readathon. I'm excited to read an Air Force romance and I hope it's as good as the cover looks!

And those are the books I am reading for the BookBuddyReadAthon. Wish me luck! 

Waiting on Wednesday (240)

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

A Season of Fireflies

By Rebecca Maizel

Release Date: June 28, 2016

A year ago, Penny Berne was the star of her high school’s theater department, surrounded by a group of misfit friends and falling in love for the first time. Now her old friends won’t talk to her, her new best friend is the most popular girl in school, and her first love, Wes, ignores her. Penny is revered and hated. Then, in a flash, a near-fatal lightning strike leaves Penny with no memory of the past year—or how she went from drama nerd to queen bee. 

As a record number of fireflies light up her town and her life, Penny realizes she may be able to make things right again—and that even if she can’t change the past, she can learn to see the magic where she never could before.

This captivating new novel about first love, second chances, and the power of memory is perfect for fans of Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall and Katie Cotugno’s How to Love.

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As usual for books that I am eagerly anticipating, this book has an absolutely gorgeous cover. Looking at the summary, I become even more intrigued by this book. What happened to Penny to make her life change so drastically? And the fact that she forgets that entire life-changing year is definitely going to make for a juicy read. I can't wait! 

Book Review: The Summer Games: Settling the Score by RS Grey

Settling the Score (The Summer Games #1)

By RS Grey

Release Date: May 2, 2016

Source: Author

Goodreads | Amazon

As an Olympic rookie, Andie Foster has spent far more time in her cleats than between the sheets. For 21 years, her Friday nights have consisted of blocking shots rather than taking them. But now that she's landed in Rio, she's ready to see for herself if the rumors about the Olympic Village are true:

The athletes are all sex-crazed maniacs...  The committee passes out condoms like candy...  The games continue long after the medals have been handed out...  As Andie walks the line between rumor and reality, she's forced into the path of Frederick Archibald, a decorated Olympic swimmer and owner of a sexy British accent--too bad he's unavailable in a way that "it's complicated" doesn't even begin to explain.

In other words: off limits.

It doesn't matter that he has abs that could bring peace to the Middle East and a smile that makes even the Queen blush; Andie fully intends on keeping her focus on the soccer field. But the Village is small. Suffocating. Everywhere Andie goes, Freddie happens to be there--shirtless, wet from the pool, and determined to show her a whole new meaning of the phrase "international affairs".

Words can't even begin to explain how obsessed I am with Scoring Wilder. Easily one of the best reads of 2015, it has been my go-to new adult recommendation to anyone who will listen. The moment I saw that Settling the Score was coming out, I couldn't wait to get lost in RS Grey's world of soccer, laughter, and undeniably sexy chemistry. 

Andie Foster has worked her entire life to make it to this moment- the Olympic Games. Once in Rio, Andie gets to see if the raunchy secrets of Olympic Village are true and finally live out her dream of winning a gold medal with the women's soccer team. When Andie finds herself crossing paths with Freddie Achibald, seasoned British olympic swimmer, their chemistry is impossible to deny. But Freddie comes with some serious baggage and Andie needs to decide if she's dedicating everything she has to the gold medal or risk it all for a man who might not be willing to risk it all for her…

I've got to tell you, RS Grey knows how to write some serious heat between her characters that just captivates you and won't let you go. I loved the attraction between Andie and Freddie and how it was impossible for them to even try to stay away from each other. It was fun seeing them run into each other around the Olympic village, between practices, and at events. There was a whole new dynamic to their relationship when they had to deal with not only their own personal feelings, but also the public's feelings about any possible relationship they may have had. Just leave them be, people!

As a sports romance lover, I have some non-negotiables when it comes to my books. A big one that is an issue in a lot of sports romances? Not enough action on the field. And for this one, I was lacking my sports that I love so much. When it was time to play in an Olympic match, Andie would walk on the field and the next sentence would be her after the game. What happened during the game!?! They were practicing their hearts out to play and we don't even get to see any of it? Even with Freddie's swimming, we never got the action inside of the pool, during the race. Only the before and after. While this may not bother many people, I wanted to see our characters in their element doing what they love to do. 

When trying to explain the intense drama involving Freddie's British world to my sister, she summed it up perfectly- A Gossip Girl Drama. At times, things got a little too dramatic with Caroline and I could have gone without how insane things were getting just to add more drama to Freddie and Andie's relationship. It definitely reminded me of something out a Gossip Girl episode. As a huge fan of Gossip Girl, that isn't an entirely bad thing, but I hadn't expected as much drama as was delivered in this book. 

Overall, I still got the same quirk and laughter that I found in Scoring Wilder, along with insanely attractive athletes and a smoldering romance. All I ask for is a little more action on the field and a little less drama as a point of conflict for the characters. In the end, I still loved this soccer world RS Grey has created and loved seeing my old friends from Scoring Wilder. I am definitely counting down the days until book two comes out and, until then, will tell everyone that they have to read RS Grey as soon as they can!

Top Ten Tuesday: Childhood Characters I'd Love to Revisit

This is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where each week bloggers share a list of books for the prompt given. So hopefully I'll have a new list to share with you all each week!

This Week's Topic: Top Ten Childhood Characters I'd Love to Revisit

1. The Beaudeliare Children from A Series of Unfortunate Events

2. Madison Finn from From the Files of Madison Finn

3. Abby Hayes from The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes

4. Harriet from Harriet the Spy

5. Sophie from The BFG

I read all the time when I was younger, but for some reason these are the only books that really stood out to me. I vividly remember an experience reading each of these books and they just make me smile whenever I see them. These were so good and helped foster my love and obsession for books!

Release Day Blitz: The Summer Games: Settling the Score by RS Grey

Title: The Summer Games: Settling the Score

Author: R.S. Grey

Genre: Sports Romance/Romantic Comedy

Release Date: May 2, 2016

As an Olympic rookie, Andie Foster has spent far more time in her cleats than between the sheets. For 21 years, her Fridaynights have consisted of blocking shots rather than taking them. But now that she's landed in Rio, she's ready to see for herself if the rumors about the Olympic Village are true:

The athletes are all sex-crazed maniacs...The committee passes out condoms like candy…The games continue long after the medals have been handed out…As Andie walks the line between rumor and reality, she's forced into the path of Frederick Archibald, a decorated Olympic swimmer and owner of a sexy British accent—too bad he's unavailable in a way that "it's complicated" doesn't even begin to explain.

In other words: off limits.

It doesn't matter that he has abs that could bring peace to the Middle East and a smile that makes even the Queen blush; Andie fully intends on keeping her focus on the soccer field. But the Village is small.
Suffocating. Everywhere Andie goes, Freddie happens to be there—shirtless, wet from the pool, and determined to show her a whole new meaning of the phrase "international affairs".

Amazon | Goodreads

I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold weather. Seriously, if I had it my way, I would be curled up on the couch with all of those things... everyday.

I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors include Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm a comedy geek and love all things "funny". Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.

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