Weekly Roundup [4/30-5/6]

Wow, it's finally the last week of school! That means I have two exams and three days standing between me and being free for the summer. Surprisingly, I've gotten a ton of reading done this past weekend because my exams are not going to be too difficult. Thank goodness! I don't know what I'd do if I had a super stressful finals schedule. I guess that's the perks of being an English Ed major :) Here's what I got done this past week....

Book Reviews

Ballrooms and Ugly Poodles by Katie Schnack

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler

Promises to Keep by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Being Me by Lisa Renee Jones

Memes

Top Ten Tuesday: Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up a Book

Waiting On Wednesday (89)

Follow My Book Blog Friday (86)

Stacking the Shelves (50)

Book Review: Being Me by Lisa Renee Jones

Being Me

By Lisa Renee Jones

Release Date: June 11, 2013

Source: Publisher

Summary: The sexy second installment in the Inside Out erotic romance trilogy, following If I Were You—in the seductive tradition ofFifty Shades of Grey. 

Fascinated by the dark fantasies in the journals she’s discovered, and the two men who have now found a place in her life, Sara McMillan finds herself torn between her new life and her past. Now, more than ever, Sara identifies with the lost journal writer, Rebecca, and is certain that something sinister has happened.

In the arms of the sexy, tormented artist Chris Merit, Sara seeks answers about Rebecca and ends up discovering things about herself she never knew existed. Chris forces Sara to reconsider who she is and what she truly wants from life, but not before his dark desires threaten to tear them apart. Her boss, Mark Compton, offers her the shelter to understand just what those needs mean to her, and what they might have meant to Rebecca, but can she trust him to lead her to a final conclusion to Rebecca’s story?

Review: I really enjoyed If I Were You, the first book in this series, and the ending was such a cliffhanger! So you could say when an ARC of this one showed up in my mailbox, I was beyond excited to read it and figure out what would happen next with Sara and her world full of dangerous, yet oh so enticing men. 

Every since she read the dark secrets in Rebecca's journals, Sara has found herself living a life she's always wanted but was too afraid to go after. And after meeting Chris, the incredibly gorgeous and addicting artist, Sara couldn't imagine ever going back to her old life. But her new life contains secrets she isn't sure she's ready to uncover, secrets about Chris's dangerous past and secrets about where Rebecca really went after being missing for so long. Can she find Rebecca? Or will she be caught up in Rebecca's dangerous world where she doesn't quite know who she can really trust? 

Ever since that cliffhanger, I've been dying to figure out what happens next in Sara's story. And Being Me picks up right where the action left off. What I love so much about this story is how there's an actual plot line and it's not all about the relationship of the story. Sara isn't some helpless girl who lets any man walk all over her (*cough* Fifty Shades *cough*). No, she's someone who knows how to handle herself and will do almost anything to find out what she wants to know. I think that's what makes her so much fun to read about. Oh, and not to mention the man she's dating is completely dreamy! Yeah, he has a pretty messed up past that resurfaces in this book, but getting to know more about Chris is definitely something I loved about this book. 

Not only is Sara a great protagonist, but the other characters all have their perfect place in the story. Even the private investigators Chris hires to help out Sara have their own unique personalities that you grow to love. And did I mention I love Chris? Who wouldn't love a dreamy artist to come home to? He's so protective, but in a sweet and caring way, not a creepy way some books tend to be. 

So in the end this book ended up being just as fantastic as the first one. I'm sad yet excited for the next book because it's the last of the series, but it's going to be so good based off the ending of this one. Some mysteries were resolved, but more were uncovered, so there are still plenty of answers Sara is going to have to find. I can't wait for it!

Stacking the Shelves (50)

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

From Half Price Books

A couple of my friends and I made a special 30 minute trip to Five Guys Burgers and Fries as a way of celebrating the end of the school year, so of course we had to stop by the Half Price Books that was right down the road. I was so excited because I have not been to a bookstore in forever (which I guess should be good since I own way too many books already) and I couldn't have been happier. I found The Marriage Plot (how gorgeous is the cover?) and it sounded so good! The front cover said for fans of One Day and I actually enjoyed that book, so I thought why not read this one? And, the main character is writing her thesis at Brown on Jane Austen. That definitely sealed the deal for me :)

That's all I added to my shelves this week! What did you all get? I'd love to hear! 

Book Review: Promises to Keep by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Promises to Keep

By Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Release Date: March 12, 2013

Source: Publisher

Summary: The compendium of creations (SingleEarth, the Bruja guilds, the Midnight empire) intertwine in an exciting, unsettling plot featuring happenings both accidental and deliberate that will forever change the alternate landscape inhabited by vampires, Tristes, shapeshifters et al. It all begins with a wrong turn and a crashed party, and from there it's an epic clash of elements and the promise of more chaos still to come. At the center of the storm is Jay, a young vampire hunter that no one would ever have predicted might be earth's best bet to thwart the rise of a vampire-controlled slave empire called Midnight. Teens will find themselves drawn to Jay, who struggles to prove his worth even while he has his own fears that those who have written him off may be right to do so.

Review: Before going into this, I had no idea it was the ninth book in a series. Well, maybe that explains why it was so confusing. Because I had no idea what the heck was going on for about 95% of the book. 

Jay is a vampire hunter who goes to the wrong party at the right time. While a vampire ruled empire called Midnight threatens to take over the world, Jay is ready to fight them, no matter what it takes. 

Yeah, that's basically all I can remember about what happened. The world Jay lived in was so complex with so many characters that were different species that were part of different groups and I could not keep a single one straight. All I knew was that Jay was a witch and a hunter. That's it. I had no idea what SingleEarth was or who Jay even worked for. I didn't even fully understand exactly what powers Jay even had. It just seemed like he walked around doing whatever he pleased, which often included getting hurt or getting into trouble. 

I kept on reading hoping something would click and I would finally understand what was happening with all of the characters. But that "aha" moment never happened. I was probably more confused at the end than I was at any other point in the book. Sometimes, too, Jay seemed way older than 19, so I often forgot I was even reading a YA book. 

Maybe I was just in a weird mood where I couldn't comprehend what I was reading, but this one was pretty hard to get through. Hopefully those who have read the other books before this have a better sense of the world Jay lived in. Because I was so lost. If you're new to this author, definitely pass on this one!

Follow My Book Blog Friday (86)

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: Give us a sneak! What are you reading? Tell us about a fun or fail scene in your current read.

Answer: 

Right now I'm reading Being Me by Lisa Renee Jones. I'm only about 20 pages into it, so I don't really have any scenes to share with you guys. But it is the second book in the Inside Out trilogy and it actually doesn't come out until June 11th. I usually wait a little closer to the release date to read ARCs that I receive, but I really enjoyed the first book If I Were You and just had to figure out what happened next. So hopefully I'll be able to spend some quality time with this book today :) Hope you all have a fantastic Friday!

Book Review: How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler

How I Lost You

By Janet Gurtler

Release Date: April 23, 2013

Source: Publisher

Summary: There are a few things Grace Anderson knows for sure. One is that nothing will ever come between her and her best friend, Kya Kessler. They have a pact. Buds Before Studs. Sisters Before Misters. But in the summer before senior year, life throws out challenges they never expected. And suddenly the person who's always been there starts to need the favor returned. Grace and Kya are forced to question how much a best friend can forgive. And the answer is not what they expected.

Review: After reading Janet Gurtler's I'm Not Her, I wasn't all that impressed with her book. I found the characters annoying and just couldn't get into the story. Despite that experience, I read the summary of How I Lost You and decided to give Janet's books another try. And I'm so happy to say this one ended up being fantastic!

Grace and Kya have been best friends ever since Grace moved in next door, and absolutely nothing can change that. Even when Kya acts out and seems to only care about herself, Grace is always there to help Kya pick up the pieces of her life. Grace knows Kya is dealing with issues from what had happened to her years before, and she knows Kya needs Grace there for support. How far, though, is Grace willing to let Kya go before finally realizing their friendship may not be as strong and unbreakable as she thought?

The very first thing that got me in this book was all the emotion. You seriously want to hate Kya and punch Grace in the face for putting up with her crap. But what happened to Kya makes you realize exactly why Grace acts the way she does. I love how we aren't even told that secret until well into the book, keeping us in suspense and forcing us to continue reading until we figure out every last secret. 

Grace is such a sweet character and I loved how she was a paintballer who wants to play in college. I don't think I've ever read a book about paintball, let alone with a girl paintball player, so that was a really cool, unique aspect to Grace's character. Her family is great too and I just want to give James, her other best friend, a big hug. My favorite character, though, would have to be Levi. Now there is a guy that knows exactly how to make a girl happy. Grace is definitely one lucky girl.

This book deals with some real issues, but it still has a way of making things relatable and light as you're reading it. I finished this in one day because it was seriously impossible to put down. I had to know what would happen to Grace next and how all of the tension and secrets that were building up were going to turn out in the end. Full of emotion and lovable characters, Janet Gurtler created a book that keeps you hooked. So go out and find yourself a copy! Once you start it, it'll be impossible to put down.

Waiting On Wednesday (89)

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

Fangirl

By Rainbow Rowell

Release Date: September 10, 2013

Summary: A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love. 

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

Or will she just go on living inside somebody else’s fiction?

YAY!!!! Another Rainbow Rowell book! I could not be more excited to read another book by this amazing author. I recently read Eleanor & Park and I am so obsessed with how quirky and adorable it was. When I saw this one was coming out, I immediately added it to my to-read list and obsessed over the summery. I guess you could call it a New Adult book, but I'm excited about the fact that she's going to college and having to figure out about life on her own. And who's this handsome classmate? I can't wait to find out :)