Book Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Catching Jordan 

By Miranda Kenneally 

Release Date: December 1, 2011

Summary: What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.


Review: This. Book. Was. Awesome. Can I just leave it at that? Seriously. It was awesome. I literally could not stop reading this book after page one! Sports romances are one of my favorite genres, so reading a book with such amazing guys (yes, there are actually more than one!) was such a treat. Reading this made me want to go out and find a football player for myself ;) 

Everyone can relate to Jordan when it comes to her love life; nothing ever goes the way she wants it to. The only difference between Jordan and every other girl? She's the captain and starting quarterback for her high school's football team. She reminds me a lot of DJ from Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock (which was an AWESOME book too) because she's more of a tomboy and doesn't really know what she's doing when it comes to guys. I wouldn't either if I had to face the guys in this book! I completely felt for her when she was dealing with her feelings for different guys while trying to juggle her future with college football (well at least with the guys because I could not get enough of them!) 

For me, I fell in love with Henry from the very first time we met him, but I guess Ty was a great guy too. The rest of the team (at least Jordan's friends) were really cool and great friends to Jordan. I loved every character in this book, even the small ones, that I really did not want to put this book down! I'm so sad it's over and I'm regretting breezing through it so fast. if you read it, take your time! Savor this book! Or else you're going to have to read it again soon because you're going to want the feeling of reading such a great book again. Trust me. You have to get this book now!

Waiting On Wednesday (25)

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

In Honor
By Jessi Kirby
Release Date: May 8th 2012

Summary: Honor receives her brother’s last letter from Iraq three days after learning that he died, and opens it the day his fellow Marines lay the flag over his casket. Its contents are a complete shock: concert tickets to see Kyra Kelly, her favorite pop star and Finn's celebrity crush. In his letter, he jokingly charged Honor with the task of telling Kyra Kelly that he was in love with her.

Grief-stricken and determined to grant Finn's last request, she rushes to leave immediately. But she only gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn's best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn't seen him in ages, thanks to a falling out between the two guys, but Rusty is much the same as Honor remembers him: arrogant, stubborn. . . and ruggedly good looking. Neither one is what the other would ever look for in a road trip partner, but the two of them set off together, on a voyage that makes sense only because it doesn’t. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn—but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?

I was a HUGE fan of Moonglass by Jessi Kirby, so I'm really excited for her new book! It's sounds so sad, yet so good. Rusty sounds like the perfect leading man and Honor seems like someone you could really root for in the story. It sounds like the young adult version of a Nicholas Sparks novel, and that's exactly how I like them. I'm so excited to read it and it's going to be so hard to wait that long for this book. Hopefully the time will pass quickly! 

Book Review: Cera's Place by Elizabeth McKenna

Cera's Place

By Elizabeth McKenna 

Release Date: September 25, 2011

Summary: Life hasn't been exactly kind to San Francisco saloon owner Cera Cassidy, but she has built a successful business and a family of friends. She carries the reputation of a tough woman with a big heart, along with the derringer in her skirt pocket. One summer night, she discovers that the neighborhood thug is kidnapping Chinese girls to sell to the local brothels. Outraged, Cera vows to bring him to justice, but he's not going to let anyone interfere with his livelihood.

Jake Tanner, a scarred ex-soldier haunted by his Civil War experiences, is on a mission to fulfill a friend's dying wish. The trail has brought him to Cera's door. Captivated by her Irish beauty, he is more than willing to join in her fight - if only she would let him. 

Review: This isn't the typical historical romance I read, but it was definitely just as enjoyable! The reason this one was so different was because Cera, the main character, was the owner of a saloon and she was a hard-headed female instead of the normal damsel in distress girls that are normally in historical romances. It was also cool how this story took on a crime/mystery genre when Care was trying to catch the bad guys in town who were selling Chinese girls. 

But enough about that-- let's get on to the romance! Jake and Cera both loved and lost in the past, so when they first confronted their feelings for each other, they couldn't be more scared. Watching them open up to each other was cute, but sometimes things moved a little too fast. Whether it was a moment that appeared out of no where or someone randomly showing up to cause trouble, the story had it's moments where things went a little too fast. 

Since this book was so short (185 pages), the author could have developed and extended the story a little more, but it was still a sweet read. It was quick, but Cera's Place still leaves you with a nice, romantic story you can't help but get lost in.

In My Mailbox (22)

In My Mailbox is a meme that I picked up from The Story Siren's blog. It's where we share the new books that we've gotten for that week with our readers. These books could be from the library, the store, or from the writers/publishers for review. Whatever the reason, I will share my new books every Sunday!

From the library

I was so excited because earlier this week, I got a library card for the library just outside of campus! Now, I can get new(ish) releases and keep up with them while I'm at school! I got this one because I remember seeing it around A TON and loving the cover. I've seen some mixed reviews for this one, but I guess we'll see how I like it! 

That's it for mine! What did you all get in your mailbox this week? 

Shelf Candy (21)

Shelf Candy is a meme hosted by Five Alarm Book Reviews and every Saturday, bloggers choose a book whose cover really catches their eye. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but I always do, so I'm choosing books whose cover alone made me pick it up. So I hope you enjoy my shelf candy!

For this week's Shelf Candy, I decided to feature a series instead of just one cover. Every time I see these books, I just want to pick them up and start reading them. The designs are so cool, with the fonts and the shapes, and I love how that theme was carried out in the two books, but with different colors. I still don't know what the books are even about, but I don't care! The covers are awesome and I still want to read them! I'm really excited to see the cover of the next book too!

Book Review: Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

Bittersweet

By Sarah Ockler

Release Date: January 3, 2012

Summary: Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like. Then a betrayal changed her life, and knocked her dreams to the ground. Now she’s a girl who doesn’t believe in second chances… a girl who stays under the radar by baking cupcakes at her mom’s diner and obsessing over what might have been. 

So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified. Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life…and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals. She’s got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who’s been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done. 

It’s time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it. Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last….

Review: I remember reading Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler and loving it, so it's really no surprise that I loved this book even more! I was really excited to read a book about a girl who loves baking, but when I got into the book and realized it had to do with Hudson helping out the hockey team, I got even more excited. Sport romances are one of my favorite genres and this was definitely an awesome sport romance. To me, it was a combination of the movies Cutting Edge and Ice Princess and it rocked! 

My favorite part of this book was the hockey team and how Hudson helped them be more graceful in order to win more games. I mean, having to help out an entire team of hot hockey players? Yes please! And not only is Hudson dealing with a team full of guys, she has to deal with school, figure skating, baking, and helping out her mom at their diner. Life is anything but easy for her, so it's really nice to be able to read a realistic story that's not about someone's perfect life. 

Hudson's little brother Bug is adorable, but Josh is by far my favorite character because he's so sweet to not only Hudson but everyone in general. Some parts involving Josh and Hudson (and Will) made me mad, but that's because the characters were just acting stupid when it came to romance, not because it was unbelievable. I couldn't get enough of this book, especially the cover, so it was almost impossible to put it down! I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a bittersweet novel about romance and finally finding out who you really are. 

Follow My Book Blog Friday (23)

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: Many readers/bloggers are also big music fans. Tell us about a few of your favorite bands/singers that we should listen to in 2012. 

Answer: Hmmmm there are A TON of artists I like because I seriously cannot live without music. CANNOT! Maybe this will show you how much can't live without it....

And now that the lovely Darren Criss has clarified that, let's get on to my favorite music. I LOVE Gavin DeGraw, Mayday Parade, Safety Suit, Jessie J, Jesse McCartney, Parachute, Adam Levine, and yes, Justin Bieber (but I won't post any of his videos to spare any of you Bieber haters out there). Here are the videos of my all time favorite songs! 

Not Over You by Gavin DeGraw

  

Just so You Know by Jesse McCartney

Domino by Jessie J

Miserable At Best by Mayday Parade

Kiss Me Slowly by Parachute

These Times by Safety Suit

Okay, I'm done I promise! I have so many favorites that I felt bad leaving some out. My taste in music ranges from pop to alliterative, but it's mostly like my taste in books....as long as there's romance I'll love it :) So I really hope you enjoy all of the videos I posted and check all of these artists out! They're so amazing! And I hope you have a happy Friday :)