Love-a-Thon 2016 Introduction

Hosted by: Alexa (Alexa Loves Books), Cee (The Novel Hermit), Hazel (Stay Bookish) & Mel (The Daily Prophecy)

Welcome! I always manage to just miss the Love-a-Thon somehow, so I'm glad to finally be participating! Here's an introduction, which will be handy for...well, probably, most of you. If you're new to the blog, hello there! Nice to meet you! If you're an old follower, hello to you, too! It'll be nice to get reacquainted. But anyway, here we go!

What’s your name?

Sharon

Where in the world are you blogging from?

Midwestern USA

How did you get into blogging in the first place?

I had a LiveJournal back in the day. I started reviewing books more and more often, and around the end of 2010, realized I wanted to start blogging about them, even though the only blog I followed at the time was Smart Bitches, Trashy Books (which remains awesome to this day). So I did some research, made a blog, and the rest is history! I made my own blog, then joined The Book Barbies with Racquel in 2012.

I accidentally took a very long hiatus due to fandom this past year, but I'm getting back into book blogging now, and I'm pretty excited about it.

What genre do you read and review the most on your blog?

Romance, probably. There's also quite a bit of YA. But my reading tastes have broadened recently, including more literary fiction, nonfiction, etc. so my reviews will reflect that. I even have posts on fanfiction and graphic novels in the works right now. You never know what might pop up!

Name the 5 books you’re most excited for in 2016!

• #1 is Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi, hands down! I am so in love with Mafi's writing, it isn't even funny. As an aside, I love how colorful the cover is!
• Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell. Rainbow + Star Wars? Count me IN.
• A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. Even though it was for none of the reasons I expected, I loved the first book and can't wait for the next one! I NEED MORE.
• Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas. I was intrigued by this couple in the first book and am quite desperate for their story!
• I am going to be a blind optimist and say Book #5 in the Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. Because going by previous release dates, one should be due out this year. And I will cross every possible appendage for this to happen.

What’s an underrated book or series that you think everyone should read?

Since I've already mentioned it, I won't say Queen's Thief series. You know, officially.

My official answer is Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill. Seriously one of my favorite YA books that doesn't get nearly enough love.

Which book boy or girl would be your book boyfriend/girlfriend?

Oh, trust me, you don't want to get me started! LOL. We'll just go with the standard answer of Hardy Cates. Boom. You can't go wrong with Hardy Cates.

Apart from reading, what are your other hobbies or interests?

I love cooking and watching way too much television (currently making my way through Farscape and Frasier). I am also pursuing my dream of being able to flawlessly sing my way through the entire Hamilton soundtrack. I've had over three months to practice at this point, so I'm probably as skilled at it as I'm going to get.

At a party, the DJ suddenly changes the song – and it’s your song. What song would be playing?

Literally any song from Hamilton. Preferably "Satisfied" or "Non-Stop," though, if I had to choose.

Author you want to meet and sit down to tea with?

SO MANY. Tahereh Mafi. Lisa Kleypas. Jill Shalvis. Jen Hatmaker. Sarah J. Maas. Margaret Atwood. Megan Whalen Turner. Megan Mayhew Bergman. Eloisa James. Can I just have a giant author speed dating session? Except instead of five minutes I get like an hour with each one. Someone make this happen.

There's a bit about me. I can't wait to read all of your answers, as well!

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(Review) Falling for Max by Shannon Stacey

Title: Falling for Max
Author: Shannon Stacey
Series: Kowalski Family, #9
Published: July 2014 (Carina Press)
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Format: Paperback, borrowed from the library

Summary: Max Crawford has reached the point in life where he's starting to think about settling down. Unfortunately, he's always been a little awkward when it comes to social interactions, and working from home doesn't help. He spends so much time alone, painting beautiful, historically accurate model trains that half of Whitford has begun to joke that he may be a serial killer. Not exactly prime husband material.

Tori Burns has found happiness in Maine, thanks in large part to her shifts at the Trailside Diner. She likes the work, and she loves the local gossip. When shy, geeky Max Crawford becomes a regular, she's intrigued. When she finds out he's in the market for a wife, she's fascinated…and determined to help.

Molding Max into every woman's dream turns out to be much easier than expected. But has Tori's plan worked a little too well? As she turns his comfortable life all sorts of upside down, she'll have to find a way to show just how she's fallen for him…the real him.

So, I was all set to use my spare time tonight to sit down and write my review for Level Up, which I read a few days ago and adored. But I plopped down with my Chick-fil-A in one hand and this book in the other, and once I started, I couldn't stop until I'd reached the end. So now I need to tell you about my feelings for THIS book. And be prepared, because I have a lot of them. (But be on the lookout for my other review, too, soon. Because Level Up was awesomesauce.)

Three things I love but can almost never find all together in one package: contemporary setting, a humorous tone, and slow burn.

And guess what?

Falling for Max has ALL THREE OF THEM. Plus awesome characters. And I'm not just talking about the main two, either.

(This review is just basically going to be me gushing. In case you hadn't gotten that vibe already.)

Honestly, though, I already knew I loved Shannon Stacey. But it had been quite a while since I'd read one of her books, and I'm a lot pickier about my romance nowadays. It takes more to hook me and keep me invested in the characters and the romance, much less actually impress me. But that is exactly what Stacey did.

I loved Max. I loved Tori. I loved Tori's best friend, Hailey, who was the town librarian and kept Tori supplied with books. You may think that this is extraneous information, but a) it actually wound up being important and b) she was just awesome. I really enjoyed reading about their friendship, from the book drops to the dialog to the supportive friend moments. Give me a solid lady friendship, and you're already one step further into my good graces. Also, Hailey said this, which has no relevance except for the fact that I love it and want to share it:

Bad things happen to people who write in library books, Tori. Very bad things.

BUT I WILL MOVE ALONG. To, you know, the romance. Or we might be here all night.

Falling for Max is basically a super amazing reverse Pygmalion / My Fair Lady / The Ugly Truth. The heroine offering to help "make over" the hero? HELLO, I'M THERE. I was very excited about this premise, and I love how it worked into the story. Tori didn't go overboard with the advice, never suggested that Max had anything to be ashamed of. She was more of a coach and a cheerleader, all wrapped up into one. Over the course of working together (which involved a fake date at one point, and let me tell you, if I have a single trope weakness, it's Fake Dating), Tori and Max bonded and quickly became friends. Of course, it didn't stop there, but they were friends for a very long time while the chemistry sizzled steadily in the background. But while my toes were curling in anticipation at every longing stare, it wouldn't have made sense for them to get together in the beginning. So they didn't. And I was a happy camper, just waiting for them to get around to figuring things out and then deciding whether or not to do anything about it. And in the mean time, I enjoyed the heck out of their friendship. They made me giggle and swoon, and I genuinely enjoyed every time they interacted.

As for the characters themselves, I was definitely fan.

Max was an introvert and socially awkward, but Stacey did an excellent job of writing him. A lot of times when authors attempt to write socially awkward or anxious characters, the characters wind up feeling like cartoonish stereotypes. But this wasn't the case with Max at all. He felt real. I understood his perspective. And he wasn't All Awkward, All the Time. He was just, in his own words, a bit of an odd duck, and I mean that in the most loving way possible. (And trust me, that's a lot of love.)

Max was very familiar with people saying logical in a tone that suggested the word had a negative connotation to it.

And Tori! Tori was a graphic designer slash waitress, and she was a delight, honestly. She was friendly and outgoing, and unlike Max, she was very engaged with the community. She had major hang-ups about love and marriage, due to her parents' nasty divorce (which weren't magically swept aside by The Power of Love, either), which she was honest and up-front about from the beginning of the story.

You know what else is great?

Honesty.

There was no Big Misunderstanding in this book, because the characters were honest with each other. They were up front about things. Was everything hunky dory? No. Did they fight? Yes. Did I believe they would make it in the long run? Without a doubt.

I have only one complaint about the entire book, and that is the ending. It was rather abrupt, and I wish it would have been drawn out a bit longer. It just felt a little jarring. And then there's the fact that it ended, period, which let's face it, was pretty sad. But I do happen to have two other Shannon Stacey books checked out from the library right now, so there's a silver lining.

I wasn't super impressed by the cover or title of Falling for Max, but please don't be fooled by either! This is honestly one of the best contemporary romances I've read in a long time. I laughed out loud on multiple occasions. I saved tons of quotes. And I fell hard for the characters and the romance. (And did I mention that it was slow burn? Because it was slow burn. And this fact alone makes me want to get up and do a happydance.) This book reminded me why I automatically smile when I see Shannon Stacey's name on a book cover, and I definitely recommend it.

First:On the first day of each month, Max Crawford made it a habit to compile a list of everything he wanted or needed to accomplish that month. Without a list, he tended to immerse himself in work and then wonder why he was out of mouthwash and the car payment was overdue.

As the calendar ticked over to October, he catalogued which projects he was working on and their due dates. He noted there were two birthdays on his calendar, which meant shopping for and sending gifts to his mother and niece. The furnace needed its annual checkup. And he wanted to find a wife.

---

Favorite:"I have feelings. I intend to kill them with ice cream."

---

Teaser:“Did I tell you how nice you look tonight? Definitely the good nice.”
“You didn't have to.” He took her hand and started toward the door.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I see the way you look at me in this sweater.” He stopped walking. “Maybe I should leave it in the car. This is a family restaurant.”
She slapped his arm and nudged him forward. “I've created a monster.”

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(Review) The Word for Yes by Claire Needell

Title: The Word for Yes
Author: Claire Needell
Published: February 16, 2016 (HarperTeen)
Rating: 2 stars
Format: Digital galley received from publisher in exchange for an honest review. (Thank you!)

Summary: After their parents’ divorce, Jan, Erika, and Melanie have to get used to the new world order: a father who’s moved to another continent and a mother who throws herself into moving on. Jan, off at her first semester of college, has plenty to worry about, including an outspoken roommate who’s kind of “out there” and an increasingly depressed and troubled long-distance boyfriend. Her younger sisters, left at home in New York City, and dealing with all the pressures of life in high school, aren’t exactly close. Erika is serious and feels awkward and uncomfortable in crowds, though her beauty tends to attract attention. Melanie is socially savvy and just wants to go out—to concerts, to parties, wherever—with her friends. The gap between all three girls widens as each day passes.

Then, at a party full of blurred lines and blurred memories, everything changes. Starting that night, where there should be words, there is only angry, scared silence.

And in the aftermath, Jan, Erika, and Melanie will have to work hard to reconnect and help one another heal.

{ Trigger warning for mentions of rape. }

This is a very difficult book to review. If it had been a library book, I would not have written it. In fact, if it had been a library book, I would not have made it past the first chapter.

The Word for Yes is the story of three sisters: Jan (The Oldest), Erika (The Brain), and Melanie (The Pretty One). It is also the story of some of their friends and acquaintances, because there are a few portions narrated by characters other than the sisters. But by and large, it is about these three girls going through the various stages of their lives along the course of several months, about the circumstances that draw them together and push them farther apart.

The main thing you need to know about this book is that it does tackle very heavy issues, the main one being rape. Needell did not shy away from the confusing, blurry circumstances that can surround it, and that is important. Rape isn't always about the random predator that leaps on unsuspecting girls from the bushes - in fact, scenarios along that line make up a scarily low percentage of sexual assaults. But I digress. Rape is an important topic, and I appreciate that Needell took on the challenge of writing a story about it.

One positive I can say about the book is that sometimes Needell captured very human aspects to some of her characters. There were moments where I felt like I was observing actual people, with their little details and idiosyncrasies that make them unique.

Unfortunately, however, the book overall was not a success for me.

My main complaint is, without a doubt, the writing. It was incredibly stilted and off-putting, especially in the first few chapters. The author relied very much on telling rather than showing, both in the narration and in the actual dialogue. The dialogue itself was often unrealistic, sometimes rambly to the point of being incoherent, in the case of Jan's roommate Eliza. The entire book was bogged down a slew of unnecessary details. The random backstories and side characters that were thrown around were distracting and did nothing to enhance the story. The author attempted to tackle too much in the limited number of pages and as a result, it just didn't all come together like it should have. I also wasn't a fan of the ending, which was very abrupt. I think a more thorough editing job would have helped this book immensely.

The other problem was the characters. I had trouble connecting with them. But I couldn't quite tell if it was because the characters themselves or because I couldn't connect to the book overall, due to the writing. They seemed to me to be at turns flat then larger-than-life, relatable then repulsive. There were moments when I would empathize with one sister or another, but then she would totally lose me. It was an odd experience that I can't quite describe, but it might have been a problem with me rather than with the book.

The Word for Yes had potential, and I appreciate the courageous effort by the author to tackle such an important subject. There was a great book here struggling to get out, but in my opinion, it ultimately failed.

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(Review) Between You & Me by Marissa Calin

Title: Between You & Me
Author: Marissa Calin
Published: August 2012 (Bloomsbury USA Children)
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Format: Hardcover, borrowed from the library

Summary: Mia appears on the first day of drama class, and she is fascinating. You can't cast someone to be fascinating, they just are. And Phyre can't help but want to impress her - especially since Mia is her teacher. But as she rehearses for the school production, Phyre realizes that her feelings for mia go deeper than she's ever experienced.

Phyre's best friend is a constant, ready to help Phyre make sense of her emotions. But just as Mia doesn't realize what Phyre feels, Phyre can't fathom the depth of her best friend's devotion...until it's almost too late.

Written as a screenplay, Between You & Me offers a breath-by-breath, moment-by-moment story of first love.

I've had Between You & Me on my TBR list for a couple years now, and I finally got around to picking it up for this round of Bout of Books! I didn't quite have time to sneak it in under the wire for BOB, but I kept it around and picked it up a few days later.

This is a somewhat difficult book to review, because there were a lot of things about it that worked for me but some things that didn't.

Between You & Me is the story of Phyre (pronounced like “fire” according to the baby name websites I checked), a sixteen-year-old girl who develops a crush on her teacher. It happens to the best of us. (I mean, I was homeschooled, so I didn't get the Hot Teacher experience until college. But hey, better late than never, right?)

The biggest thing I liked about this book is that Calin was not afraid to take risks when writing it. The whole thing is told in a screenplay format, but it's more than just reading a play. There's plenty of internal dialogue and description. It is difficult to describe, but trust me when I say it works! But perhaps the most interesting aspect is that the book is written from the perspective of Phyre (“me”) but addressed to her long-time best friend, known only as “you.” That's it. We don't get a name or a gender or a physical description other than tanned skin and blonde hair. It is entirely up to the reader's interpretation.

I am always up for something new and interesting in books, and this is no exception. It works very well with this story and these characters. To me, it felt new and refreshing and fun without being gimmicky. The script format in particular serves to enhance the story rather than take away from it, as the vast majority of the book focuses on theatre classes and rehearsals and performances. It all fits together in one easy-reading package.

But back to the story. Phyre develops an instantaneous crush on her new drama teacher, Mia. Ahh, crushes. Probably both the best and worst thing about being a teenager. I have to say that Calin does an exceptional job capturing what it is like. The way they overtake your every thought, the hyper-awareness of every single movement you make around them, the way you blow little moments entirely out of proportion. Reading this was like stepping into a time machine and jumping back the better part of a decade, and though the experience was not entirely pleasant, it was certainly familiar.

Yet for all the things I liked about Between You & Me, it took me a long time to really care about what was happening. I think it probably stemmed from the fact that I was obviously not rooting for the teacher/student romance, nor did I think it was going to happen. Because as long as you've read the cover summary (and probably even without it), you know the love story is clearly between Phyre and her best friend. You (the reader) just have to wait until she realizes that “you” (the best friend) has been there all along and that she belongs with them.

Go ahead and burst into Taylor Swift now. I'll wait.

However, most of the book consists of Phyre obsessing over Mia (though there's barely more than like two lines about sexuality, which I found odd) and not much else. I wanted a little more substance, a little more of her relationship with her best friend. I also found myself growing annoyed at Phyre at times, because her actions were often flighty and incredibly self-involved, even for a sixteen-year-old girl with an all-consuming crush. So that took away a bit of my enjoyment as well.

Overall, though, I did like the book, and I appreciate the risks that Calin took when writing it. It was courageous and definitely made an interesting change of pace. I would recommend Between You & Me to anyone looking for something a little different but not too deep or difficult of a read.

First:Phyre, sixteen, that's me! And this is my life. Or how I picture it. The door swings open and I smile up at you.

---

Favorite:Seeing a play stops time – makes the real world seem so harsh.

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Teaser:I wonder how different I would be in a world with no consequences. Will the voice telling me what's right always be so loud?

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(Review) Almost Famous Women by Megan Mayhew Bergman

Title: Almost Famous Women
Author: Megan Mayhew Bergman
Published: January 2015 (Scribner)
Rating: ★★★★☆
Format: Hardcover, borrowed from the library

Summary:The fascinating lives of the characters in Almost Famous Women have mostly been forgotten, but their stories are burning to be told. Now Megan Mayhew Bergman, author of Birds of a Lesser Paradise, resurrects these women, lets them live in the reader's imagination, so we can explore their difficult choices. Nearly every story in this dazzling collection is based on a woman who attained some celebrity—she raced speed boats or was a conjoined twin in show business; a reclusive painter of renown; a member of the first all-female, integrated swing band. We see Lord Byron's illegitimate daughter, Allegra; Oscar Wilde's troubled niece, Dolly; West With the Night author Beryl Markham; Edna St. Vincent Millay's sister, Norma. These extraordinary stories travel the world, explore the past (and delve into the future), and portray fiercely independent women defined by their acts of bravery, creative impulses, and sometimes reckless decisions.

The world hasn't always been kind to unusual women, but through Megan Mayhew Bergman's alluring depictions they finally receive the attention they deserve. Almost Famous Women is a gorgeous collection from an "accomplished writer of short fiction" (Booklist).

I will preface this review by saying that I don't tend to like short stories. I am all about the characters and getting to know them, and when one has less than 40 pages (sometimes less than 10), there simply isn't an opportunity do so. But I stumbled across this collection when I was at the library the other day, and I was too intrigued to let the opportunity pass me by.

I went ahead and picked it up, and then I took the plunge and began reading it. I am immensely thankful that I did.

Megan Mayhew Bergman's writing is absolutely stunning. She weaves together similes and adjectives and the most unlikely strings of words on occasion, but they all somehow coalesce into a moving reading experience. Whether you are experiencing joy or revulsion or compassion, the words are there to make each moment just that much more poignant.

Her stories are all compelling, though each is completely unique. It is difficult to compare a story about a multiracial swing band to that of a cross-dressing heiress who owns her own island and races boats. What I can say about all of these stories is that they all explored human nature in the most interesting ways and from all different angles.

The idea of taking real women from history and writing fictional stories about them is risky, but the author pulls it off splendidly. I felt like I was immersed in each woman's life from the very first sentence of each segment. While it is not an uplifting read – the stories tend to be rather dark in subject matter – it never feels cumbersome or depressing. It is more like seeing each woman when she is most human, whether viewing her in a single moment or in brief snapshots throughout the course of a life.

If I have a single complaint, it would be that “The Lottery, Redux” did not fit with the rest of the stories, being based on a fictional work. I have not, in fact, read “The Lottery,” (or if I have, it's been quite a long time), so reading a *cough*fanfiction*cough* “cover story” on it did not interest me at all. The author does say in her notes, however, that McSweeny's specifically asked her to write a cover story of a classic, so apparently someone felt that it was needed.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this collection, the writing in particular, and I will definitely be checking out Mayhew Bergman's previous short story collection soon.

First:Let me tell it, I said.
No, you're a liar and a drunk, she said. Or I said.

---

Favorite:L is choreographing in her head again, making mental diagrams: the arch of a back, a lunge, a flexed foot. Her own bare feet tap the floor of the rented flat. She wants to stumble upon an invisible idea and render it with her body, amplify it. She feels something savage and raw inside and wants to show it on the stage, or in a patron's garden. She wants to begin a discussion underneath the orange trees.

---

Teaser:Time didn't matter on Whale Clay. You did what Joe wanted to do, when Joe wanted to do it. That was all.

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(Bout of Books 14) Sharon's Goals & Updates

My Goals for Bout of Books 14

   • Read 6 books
   • Discover some awesome new blogs and friends
   • Participate in both Twitter chats
   • Participate in four or more challenges

Books To Read
Any books! All books! Anything that's not fanfiction, which is what has been stealing all of my time and feels as of late. My 2015 book count is looking really, really sad and needs some boosting! I would also like to actually read a few books I own.

Updates

Monday
Books Read Today:
  Completed:
The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy by Sam Maggs (208 pages)
Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe (128 pages)
Rat Queens, Vol. 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'rygoth by Kurtis J. Wiebe (128 pages)
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (232 pages)
Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams (256 pages)
  In-Progress:
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (40 pages)
Challenge: Fictional World Travel @ Between Library Shelves

A photo posted by Sharon (@starsaloft) on Aug 17, 2015 at 8:22am PDT

Total Books Read: 5.1
Total Pages Read: 992

Tuesday
Books Read Today:
  Completed: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (354 pages)
  In-Progress: The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick (213 pages)
Challenge: Bookish Scavenger Hunt @ The Book Monsters

A photo posted by Sharon (@starsaloft) on Aug 18, 2015 at 8:06am PDT

Total Books Read: 6.5
Total Pages Read: 1559

Wednesday
Books Read Today:
  Completed: The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick (219 pages)
  In-Progress:
Challenge: MASH @ Rocky Top Real Talk

A photo posted by Sharon (@starsaloft) on Aug 19, 2015 at 5:40am PDT

I met my husband Wes Baker while we were both at SDCC (hey, at least I get to go in my dreams!). We got married while I wore a lime green wedding dress. We now live in a house in Lucky Harbor with our 4 kids and our pet thestral. We drive a DeLorean, and I work as a caterer.
(SO MANY FLASHBACKS. I have such an undying love of this game, not even gonna lie.)
Total Books Read: 7
Total Pages Read: 1778

Thursday
Books Read Today:
  Completed:
  In-Progress: You Wish by Mandy Hubbard (200 pages)
Challenge: Alas, I did no challenges today. *sigh*
Total Books Read: ~7.66
Total Pages Read: 1978

Friday
Books Read Today:
  Completed:
You Wish by Mandy Hubbard (104 pages)
All the Ways to Ruin a Rogue by Sophie Jordan (384 pages)
Lumberjanes, Vol. 1 by Noelle Stevenson & Grace Ellis (128 pages)
  In-Progress: Wildthorn by Jane Eagland (14 pages)
Challenge:
Total Books Read: 10.1
Total Pages Read: 2608

Saturday
Books Read Today:
  Completed: Wildthorn by Jane Eagland (345 pages)
  In-Progress: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (66 pages)
Challenge: Road Trip Challenge @ In Wonderland

A photo posted by Sharon (@starsaloft) on Aug 22, 2015 at 10:25am PDT

My Road Trip:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (England)
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (California)
Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda (France)
Forever And a Day by Jill Shalvis (Washington. Though if Lucky Harbor itself decided to pop up on a map, I would be there in a heartbeat.)

Featuring Special Appearances By:
Oh, the Places You'll Go! (It seemed appropriate.)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling + Narnia boookmark (Because, duh.)
Total Books Read: 11.1
Total Pages Read: 3019

Sunday
Books Read Today:
  Completed: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (257 pages)
  In-Progress:
Challenge: None today.
Total Books Read: 12
Total Pages Read: 3276

Final Wrap-Up

I am so, so happy with this round of Bout of Books! Despite my horrible failing and forgetting about the second chat on Saturday (which I'm still bummed about), this was one of my best readathons in a while! I actually made a huge dent in my 2015 reading goal. I read books I owned. I read my first full graphic novel - 3 of them, in fact. It was great! And there was MASH. You can never go wrong with MASH!

Also there was the fact that I DOUBLED my reading goal. Yeah. Pretty proud of that. :D

Thank you to all the super awesome people who made this such a good time! I can't wait until next round!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 17th and runs through Sunday, August 23 in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

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(Review) Anticipation by Sarah Mayberry

Title: Anticipation
Author: Sarah Mayberry
Series: Brothers Ink, #2
Published: April 2015
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Format: Digital review copy provided by author for honest review. (Thank you!)

Summary: Blue Sullivan knows a player when she sees one. And Eddie Oliveira—charm and sex personified—was born to play. She never wanted him to say goodbye, so for the last ten years she’s ignored the sizzling attraction between them and focused on being the best sidekick a guy could have. Smart girl, right?

Then Blue has a serious accident, and overnight Eddie changes. Suddenly he’s more intense and singularly devoted…to her. With all this sexy attention, it’s hard to stay within the boundaries she’s scrupulously drawn. The temptation, the anticipation builds and, finally, she has to have what he’s offering. Of course Eddie proves to be brilliant. Now, she worries he’s ruined her forever…and she might regret leaping from friends to lovers.

I love that the title of this book is Anticipation, because that is entirely accurate in regards to my feelings about it. I've been looking forward to Blue and Eddie's story since meeting them in Satisfaction last year. While it is not absolutely necessary to read that one first, I would recommend doing so. It is nice to see Blue and Eddie's dynamic from an outsider's perspective before getting a peek at what is really going on beneath the surface. Plus it's just a great book!

Anticipation does not disappoint! I have a serious weakness for I've-loved-you-forever books. From the very first paragraph, you know that is going to be the case with this one. Blue has had feelings for her best friend Eddie for years, but she is trying to move past them. Alas, she is not, much to her dismay, having very much luck.

This book does have a Big Dangerous Incident. That is common enough in romance novels, and it is usually used as the catalyst to make someone - quite often the hero - realize that he does, in fact, have feelings for the heroine, that he cannot go on living with out her, etc. etc. And I don't know about you, but I've been sick of that plot device since the first ten times I read it. BUT in Anticipation, the Incident actually happens in the first chapter. Blue is hit by a motorcycle while crossing the street, and she winds up in the hospital. While Eddie is extremely upset, obviously, the accident is not merely the hit over the head he has always needed to realize he loves her. He already knows he cares deeply about her; they have been friends for years. It is treated seriously, and it has repercussions. It also leads to her staying at his apartment so he can help her recuperate, which is a 100% awesome setup, let me tell you.

One of the reasons I loved this book is that I was so convinced of how Blue and Eddie knew each other inside out. They were friends - close friends, real friends - for years before the book even started, and that shows in all their interactions. They give each other crap. They joke. They fight. But you always know that there is that foundation of caring that will always remain.

I really enjoyed having Blue as a main character. She is an atypical heroine, definitely, and rather difficult. A talented tattoo artist who wears her hair in varying shades of blue, she has walls a mile thick. She is straightforward and blunt, and she doesn't take crap from anyone. I've seen reviews that said she interfered with their enjoyment of the book, but I personally loved her! My heart broke as she struggled against her natural instincts to run away from anything that might wind up causing her pain.

Eddie is a great guy as well, and it is clear that he cares very much about Blue. He also has a great relationship with his brother, a dynamic I very much enjoyed reading. Then there's the chemistry between the two of them (er, "them" being Eddie and Blue, obviously). Yowza! I thought my Nook was going to start shooting sparks at one point.

Overall, Anticipation is definitely a winner. It could be just a standard friends-to-lovers with lots of long-time pining, but Mayberry makes it so much more. She brings the tattoo parlor and the secondary characters to life. Blue and Eddie are flawed people, but she weaves their story together beautifully.

First:Her life would be so much easier if she could hate him.

---

Favorite:Ground rules: anything I can do for myself, I do for myself. Period. End of story. You can, however, bring me food any time you like.

---

Teaser:“I can be as gracious as the next person.”
“If the next person is a sleep-deprived rhino with anger management issues.”

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(Bout of Books 13) Sharon's Goals & Updates

Nothing draws me out of a book-reading funk like Bout of Books! I am so excited to be participating this time around. I've been reading a bit the past couple days (A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass, and it's AWESOME), but I am totally going to amp it up and try to catch up to my goal, which I'm currently super behind on. I would tell you not to blame Once Upon a Time fanfiction, but, well, I'd be lying.

I'm not setting any specific book goals this time around, besides the fact that I will obviously be continuing A Court of Thorns and Roses. I will also attempt to finish the new Eloisa James, which is currently sitting abandoned on my dresser at about 75 pages in. Other than that, I'll just see what I'm in the mood for! I've heard good things about The Queen's Thief series, so I'm thinking of starting that. Time will tell!

As the OUAT finale is airing tonight (has already aired, actually, but I still have a bit until I can watch it), I will probably have terrible reading productivity for Day One, but I hope to make up for it the rest of the week! And I know it's going to be fun whether I get 200 pages read or actually make my goal of 1,000. I can't wait to see what all of you have planned for this week, too!

My Goals for Bout of Books 13
   • Read 1,000 pages
   • Discover some awesome new blogs and friends
   • Participate in at least one of the Twitter chats (I had to work during both of them. Sad day.)
   • Participate in four or more challenges

Monday, 5/11
Books Read Today:
  Completed:
  In-Progress:
Challenge:
Total Books Read:
Total Pages Read: Nada. Not even a page. Called it.

Tuesday, 5/12
Books Read Today:
  Completed:
  In-Progress: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass (57 pages)
Challenge:
Total Books Read: ~.25
Total Pages Read: 57

Wednesday, 5/13
Books Read Today:
  Completed: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass (300 pages)
  In-Progress: Anticipation by Sarah Mayberry (130 pages)
Challenge:
Total Books Read: ~1.5
Total Pages Read: 487

Thursday, 5/14
Books Read Today:
  Completed: Anticipation by Sarah Mayberry (148 pages)
  In-Progress: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (36 pages)
Challenge:
Total Books Read: ~2.05
Total Pages Read: 671

Friday, 5/15
Books Read Today:
  Completed:
  In-Progress: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (293 pages)
Challenge:
Total Books Read: ~2.75
Total Pages Read: 964

Saturday, 5/16
Books Read Today:
  Completed: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (104 pages)
  In-Progress:
Challenge: Your Favorite #BOB13 Read, hosted at Once Upon a Chapter

My favorite book of #boutofbooks so far, for today's challenge.

A photo posted by Sharon (@starsaloft) on May 16, 2015 at 6:06pm PDT

Total Books Read: 3
Total Pages Read: 1068

Sunday, 5/17
Books Read Today:
  Completed:
  In-Progress: On the Fence by Kasie West (55 pages)
Challenge:
Total Books Read: ~3.25
Total Pages Read: 1123 (Made it! Whew!)

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 11th and runs through Sunday, May 17th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 13 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

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(Review) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Title: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Published: June 5, 2012 (Crown Publishers)
Rating: Stay Up 'til 2 AM
Format: Paperback, purchased

Summary: On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

What can I possibly say about Gone Girl that hasn't been said a thousand times? I've heard that this book is very much a love-it-or-hate it thing, and I most assuredly am in the former category. Though I kind of want to create my own little club, called the Hate Myself a Little Bit for How Much I Loved It. Because this book was Messed Up, capitalization included. It was twisted and twenty kinds of disturbing, and it was incredible.

I picked up this book as part of my 2015 project to stop avoiding super-hyped books. It was my second one of the year, right after The Fault in Our Stars. That one did not have high results, which is why you haven't seen my review on it yet. I was bummed by how underwhelmed I was by Fault, so I was a little leery of starting Gone Girl. Surely it would be disappointing, too. Well, guess what. It wasn't. In fact, it surpassed my expectations.

This review probably won't be super long, because I don't want to spoil you. Funny story: I actually thought I had been spoiled for this book before I actually read it. Twice. But the two "spoilers" directly contradicted each other, so I wondered which could possibly be right. And guess what? NEITHER ONE WAS. I can totally see how some people guessed the Big Twist, but in my case, I was so concentrated on the two possibilities I had in my head that I didn't even think of other possibilities. So that was interesting.

But really, let's talk about the hero of this book, and I'm not talking about Nick. I am talking about Gillian Freaking Flynn and her Amazing Words of Awesome. I actually didn't save very many quotes from the book, for a couple reasons. One being that I was extremely sucked into the book and didn't want to stop to take notes. The second (and main) reason being that she had one of those writing styles where everything felt like a quote. Every single page. I could flip to a random spot in the book and pick out something worth quoting within moments, I guarantee it.

When I become enamored with someone's writing style, I kind of become their devoted servant for life (I'm looking at you, Vladimir Nabokov and Tahereh Mafi). And Gillian Flynn certainly made her way into the coveted ranks. Seriously, though. You might think that I'm just talking about the writing because I can't really talk about the plot, but YOU ARE WRONG. Because if I could talk about the plot? I would probably talk about the writing more. In addition to having a unique and evocative style, Flynn's writing was flat-out powerful. She could slam you in the gut, punch you in the face, make you want to throw up, enrage you, intrigue you, repulse you, surprise you, make you laugh, make you cry, all with her carefully crafted, perfectly chosen words. And they weren't always pretty words. Sometimes they were so crude, I wanted to put the book down, BUT IT WORKED. It was so perfect for the characters, and it only served to heighten the scene and what was happening in or around the character.

So, speaking of the characters, there were a few. I suppose I might have to talk about them a little bit. Nick was the husband of Amy, who disappeared on the morning of their fifth anniversary, but whom we get to know through diary entries. And you think these people are all charming but then you know things get messed up, and you are totally captivated by wondering HOW they got messed up and just how far it went. There were also some interesting side characters, such as Nick's twin sister Go (short for Margo) and Amy's parents. All of them were multifaceted, and can I mention how much I love that everyone was flawed? There were no cardboard cutout characters here.

That's about all I have. I can honestly say that I am not sure if I ever plan to re-read Gone Girl. I am happy that I own it, and I can look at it on my shelves and remember it (sort of?) fondly. But it was dark and disturbing. It was a great experience, but I'm not sure if I am going to put myself through that again. Regardless, Flynn has definitely shot up on my Authors to Watch list, so I will definitely be reading her other two books in the near future.

First:When I think of my wife, I always think of her head.

---

Favorite:And then you run into Nick Dunne on Seventh Avenue as you're buying diced cantaloupe, and pow, you are known, you are recognized, the both of you. You both find the exact same things worth remembering. (Just one olive, though.) You have the same rhythm. Click. You just know each other. All of a sudden you see reading in bed and waffles on Sunday and laughing at nothing and his mouth on yours. And it's so far beyond fine that you know you can never go back to fine. That fast. You think: Oh, here is the rest of my life. It's finally arrived.

---

Teaser:There's something disturbing about recalling a warm memory and feeling utterly cold.

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(Bout of Books 12) Sharon's Goals & Updates

As some of you may have noticed, I've been MIA lately; I also haven't been doing much reading. Of books, that is. Blame Once Upon a Time and its amazingly talented fanfiction writers. But I spent the second half of December catching up on my reading (it was a close call, but I made it to 100 books for the year!), and it was great! I'm getting back into reading more, trying to find a good balance between fangirling and being a book blogger (and, you know, work and a life and those crazy things). I've missed reading more books and spending time with you all! So Bout of Books really comes at the perfect time for me!

I'm taking it pretty easy this time around. They're actually doing this awesome thing where you don't have to set goals, so if they stress you out or you just don't know what to do with them, you can just skip them altogether! I decided to go ahead and keep them, if for no other reason than my irrationally fanatic love of lists. I'm also a Bout of Books expert, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask me here or on Twitter (@starsaloft)!


My Goals for Bout of Books 12
   • Read 1,000 pages
   • Discover some awesome new blogs and friends
   • Participate in at least one of the Twitter chats (Hopefully I can! I haven't double-checked them against my work schedule.)
   • Participate in four or more challenges

Books To Read

No, I'm not insane. I doubt even Kelly could make it through this many books during the short duration of awesomeness that is Bout of Books. But what I am doing is setting a limit: I'm only allowed to read books I already own! I have a terrible habit of picking up boatloads of books at used book sales, then never reading a large chunk of them. I've been wanting to do dedicate a BOB to this for a while, and now seems like the perfect time! Plus, I just bought Gone Girl, which is probably the only thing I'm 100% absolutely going to read.

Updates

1/5
Well, I failed right off the bat at my self-imposed restrictions, because the first thing I read was from the library. WHOOPS? Haha. I'd meant to finish it last night, but I got home super late due to car troubles, and I was exhausted, so I only wound up reading about 5 pages. OH WELL. So I read the last 100ish pages of TFIOS during Bout of Books. Not the end of the world! I shall just make sure not to cheat again...probably.

Books Read Today:
  Completed: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (103 pages)
  In-Progress: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (50 pages)
Challenge:
#1: Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt, hosted at Caught Read Handed.

1. Find an author with the same initials as you
Her Best Friend by Sarah Mayberry. My initials are SM, and I had a moment of sad panic when I read through this challenge list the first time, because I figured I wouldn't have anything. Even though my initials are pretty common. But lo and behold, SO MANY AWESOME AUTHORS share my initials! Sarah J. Maas, Sarah Morgan, Sarah Mayberry. I went ahead and picked Mayberry because I've loved her the longest of the three. But still, it made me so happy!

2. Find a book with the color yellow on it
Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas. Because you know if I have an opportunity, I am going to include a Travis book.

3. Find an author’s name with the letter “S” in it
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas. I already had HoF pulled out as a possibility for the first category, so I went ahead and used her here. Because LOVE. (Even though I actually haven't read this one yet? Whoops?) Plus, pretty cover is pretty!

4. Find a book with a female protagonist
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier. I wanted to include a variety of genres, so I decided to go with a classic. The most addicting classic I've ever read; SO GOOD.

5. Find the longest book you own
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Not counting compendiums or Bibles, I am 99% sure this book is the longest one I own.

6. Find a book with a map in it or on it
Graceling by Kristin Cashore. This was another category I wasn't sure I would be able to fill, but Katsa to the rescue with the first YA fantasy book I read!

7. Find a book with a face on it (photograph or illustrated)
The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson. I have a LOT of books with faces on them, but this one is featured the most predominantly without being cut off (due to the massive Showing Half the Face cover trend).

Bonus: Find something on your shelf that isn’t a book.
My Friends DVDs! They always stay on shelf #1 in the living room, as you can see from the above pictures of my bookshelves.

#2: New Years Resolution, hosted at The Book That...
This is perfectly related to Bout of Books for me, because I have two main bookish resolutions this year (besides the obvious one, to read more books and slightly less fanfiction), and I'm using BOB to get a jump on both!

The first is to actually read hyped books. I tend to avoid super hyped books for a variety of reasons: I'm afraid they won't live up to the hype; I just get sick of hearing about them; I talk about/hear about/see them so much that I start to feel like I've actually read them (no, seriously, be a book blogger and work part time at a library and full time at a bookstore, and see if that doesn't happen to you); I don't want to be That Person Who Jumped on the Bandwagon Just Because It Was Cool (which is ridiculous, and I hate that I even sometimes think that because seriously, SO WHAT? But that is another rant for another time.). But I know I am missing out on some good books this way, so I am resolving to read more of them in 2015!
Books related to this challenge: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (just finished) and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (just started).

My second resolution is to read the books I own! The books I own but have yet to read are piling up to the point where it's embarrassing, so I need to actually read some of them! A perfect example: Love, Come to Me, because seriously. Gorgeous cover, check. Historical romance, check. Civil war romance, even! Check. LISA FREAKING KLEYPAS, check. Yet it has been sitting on my shelves for 2+ years. WHY HAVE I NOT READ THIS BOOK YET? In 2015, I shall put an end to the madness!
Total Books Read: ~.5
Total Pages Read: 153

1/6
Books Read Today:
  Completed: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (372 pages)
  In-Progress:
Challenge: N/A.
Total Books Read: 1.3
Total Pages Read: 525

1/7
Books Read Today:
  Completed:
  In-Progress: The Ruin of a Rogue by Miranda Neville (210 pages)
Challenge: Character Coupling Challenge, hosted at Writing My Own Fairy Tale. This was a fun one! I tried not to overthink it, but there are just so many possibilities! I decided to just go with one of my first thoughts: Katsa from Graceling and Celaena from Throne of Glass. Neither of these ladies is used to having female friends, so I think it would take a while to warm up to each other, maybe. But then they would gradually start to talk about fighting strategies and whatnot and realize what all they have in common. They could be fabulous friends! And pity the enemy they go up against because ouch.
Total Books Read: 1.86
Total Pages Read: 735

1/8
Books Read Today:
  Completed: The Ruin of a Rogue by Miranda Neville (162 pages)
  In-Progress: Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally (20 pages)
Challenge: Synopsis Challenge, hosted at Lulo Fangirl. I'm going to create my synopsis for Gone Girl.
A woman stands in the kitchen, making crepes for her husband on their fifth wedding anniversary.
Hours later, she's gone.
What happened?
Something you will never see coming.
Total Books Read: ~2.4
Total Pages Read: 917

1/9
Books Read Today:
  Completed: Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally (284 pages)
  In-Progress: Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (14 pages - DNF)
Challenge: Describe Your Book in Pictures, hosted at The Book Monsters. For this challenge, I'm describing the first book I read today: Racing Savannah.

Total Books Read: ~3.3
Total Pages Read: 1,215

1/10
Books Read Today:
  Completed:
  In-Progress: Fancy Pants by Cathy Marie Hake (50 pages)
Challenge: N/A
Total Books Read: ~3.5
Total Pages Read: 1,265

1/11
Books Read Today:
  Completed:
  In-Progress: Fancy Pants by Cathy Marie Hake (120 pages)
Challenge: N/A
Total Books Read: ~3.75
Total Pages Read: 1,385

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 5th and runs through Sunday, January 11th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 6.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

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(Review) He's So Fine by Jill Shalvis

Title: He's So Fine
Author: Jill Shalvis
Series: Lucky Harbor, #11
Published: September 30, 2014 (Grand Central Publishing)
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Format: Egalley provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review (Thanks!); paperback borrowed from my sister, borrowed from the library.

Summary: For Olivia Bentley, Lucky Harbor is more than the town where she runs her new vintage shop. It's the place where folks are friendly to strangers-and nobody knows her real name. Olivia does a good job of keeping her past buried, not getting too cozy with anyone . . . until she sees a man drowning. Suddenly she's rushing into the surf, getting up close and personal with the hottest guy she's ever laid hands on.

Charter boat captain Cole Donovan has no problem with a gorgeous woman throwing her arms around his neck in an effort to "save" him. In fact, he'd like to spend a lot more time skin-to-skin with Olivia. He's just not expecting that real trouble is about to come her way. Will it bring her deeper into Cole's heart, or will it be the end of Olivia's days in little Lucky Harbor?

I had He's So Fine for several weeks before I finally read it. I would look at it, get excited, then stop before I actually read the first line. Why? Because reading it would mean there would only be one more Lucky Harbor book for me to read ever, and that's just a terrible thought. Thankfully, the release date came around, and my cousin devoured this book faster than you can say "sa-woon." This, of course, prompted me to finally crack it open (figuratively speaking, obviously, as it was on my Nook), so we could discuss it!

As always, it was wonderful to be back in Lucky Harbor. I always like seeing it through the eyes of characters who are both new to town (Olivia) and those who grew up there (Cole). And, of course, those who make the town as quirky as it is (Lucille, who had recently navigated the transition from Facebook to Tumblr, due to their less restrictive photo policies, all the better for posting shirtless photographs of our favorite resident ship captain).

Oh, Cole. He is what made this book for me. Truthfully, I was surprised to learn this book was about him, because in the Lucky Harbor mini-trilogies, the most intriguing hero of the three is usually saved for the last book, and I was drawn to Cole immediately. (I am certainly eager for Tanner's now! Who knows what amazingness Shalvis has been holding out on us?) Far be it from me to complain, though! I'll take a nice, sexy, honest, comfortable-in-his-own-skin handyman any day of the week. Cole had some things he had to work through, but he was definitely the star of the show.

Olivia was a little difficult to get to know as a character, because she was hiding a lot of her past. She had been a child star named Sharlyn, but her super popular show was canceled when at age 16, she finally looked too old to convincingly play a young girl anymore. After this, she had a typical Hollywood meltdown, went into hiding, and rebuilt her life as Olivia. She was scrappy, smart, and dedicated, but she was also used to being secretive and hiding her past. This created a problem when she started to get involved with Cole, who was all about the honesty.

Their interactions were spectacular! I mean, really. Their first official meeting happened because she jumped into the water to rescue Cole after watching him fall from a boat, only to make matters worse because he was actually fine, and she had no idea what she was doing. It was hilarious! She had the best of intentions, though, you had to hand it to her. Though they got started on kind of a crazy foot, Cole and Olivia fell into something like friendship pretty quickly and naturally, but although they had some pretty sizzling attraction, things had to be worked out before either was ready for a real commitment.

I only had a few small problems with this book. One is that the book felt kind of thrown together at times, the writing a little rushed. I would have liked to see some of the details a little more fleshed out, and I definitely wanted more interaction between the three main guys.

However, I was super excited to see Callie, Becca and Olivia's new neighbor, show up! She's clearly going to be the third heroine, and I'm already anticipating her story. Especially since she used to have a crush on Tanner AND is related to Lucille. I know the next book is going to rock. If I can ever convince myself to read it, that is. But if He's So Fine - and all the previous Shalvis books I've read - taught me one thing, it's this: Saying "yes" to a Jill Shalvis book is always the right answer.

First:For a guy balancing his weight between the stern of his boat and the dock, thinking about sex instead of what he was doing was a real bonehead move.

---

Favorite:“You’re engaged to be married,” Callie reminded her.
“Yes, but it’s Captain Jack Sparrow,” Becca said. “He’s a fictional character. You’re allowed to lust after fictional characters when you’re engaged. It’s in the Engaged Handbook somewhere.”

---

Teaser:“Just because we’ve done...it,” she said, “doesn’t mean–”
“We discussed your sexual vocabulary. ‘It’ is not on the list of acceptable descriptions for what we did.”
“Fine,” she said. “We had wild monkey sex that ruined me for all other men. Happy?”
“Getting there.”

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(Review) Once More, My Darling Rogue by Lorraine Heath

Title: Once More, My Darling Rogue
Author: Lorraine Heath
Series: Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James, #2
Published: August 2014 (Avon)
Rating: Stay Up 'til 2 AM
Format: Paperback borrowed from the library

Summary: Born to the street but raised within the aristocracy, Drake Darling can’t escape his sordid beginnings. Not when Lady Ophelia Lyttleton snubs him at every turn, a constant reminder he’s not truly one of them. But after rescuing her from a mysterious drowning he realizes she doesn’t remember who she is. With plans to bring her to heel, he insists she’s his housekeeper—never expecting to fall for the charming beauty.

While Ophelia might not recall her life before Drake, she has little doubt she belongs with him. The desire she feels for her dark, brooding employer can’t be denied, regardless of consequences. So when her memory returns, she is devastated by the depth of his betrayal. Now Drake must risk everything to prove she can trust this rogue with her heart once more.

I went into Once More, My Darling Rogue very excited but also a little hesitant. I'm not always a fan of amnesia stories. Although they can be enjoyable, a lot of them wind up blending together in my mind because they're so similar. In order for me to desire to read one, I need something more. The heroine being completely hateful to the hero, followed by the hero taking advantage of the heroine's amnesia and making her act as his housekeeper? That'll do it. I knew Heath would have to tread carefully, because while the story would definitely be unique, it could also be the perfect setting for a good, old-fashioned alphahole, the fastest way to ruin a book. Thankfully, my trepidation was for naught. I fell head over heels for this book and devoured it in a day.

Let's start with the characters. In the beginning, Ophelia Lyttleton was kind of horrid. And I LOVED it. She was spoiled by servants, totally taking them for granted, and you know what? That's real. Highborn ladies of the time were pampered, waited on hand and foot by servants. They weren't expected to do anything for themselves. She was of the upper class, and she was well aware of it, having been raised by a father who drilled into her their superiority to those of lower birth. It was incredibly refreshing to see this, even though it did not make her the most likable of heroines at first. In addition, she was a total witch to the Drake, snubbing him repeatedly in front of others. To be fair, we mostly saw this from his perspective and memories, and the small glimpse we got into Ophelia's head showed that she was using this behavior as a defense mechanism against her attraction toward to Drake, someone with whom she could never be associated without losing her dowry and what was left of her family. There was also a lot more going on beneath the surface with her, secrets she did not reveal even in her thoughts until much later in the story.

Then there was Drake. I think the first line says it all:

I was born Peter Sykes, the son of a murderer, the son of a woman murdered, a heritage that has always haunted me.

Um, HELLO. Way to make an impression with the first line. It wasn't at all what I expected when I cracked open the book. That first line captivated me, and I continued to be intrigued by Drake through the whole book. He was smart, a great businessman, intimidating, but fair, but he had innate inferiority issues due to his birth, despite being raised in a duke's family. (I was completely intrigued by his pseudo-adoptive parents, as well, and I really hope Heath has written their story at some point in the past. I got that impression, and I would love to read it!) He also had a dragon tattoo. I'll let you read the book to discover where, but I'll just say that there was a scene about it that caused some definite swoonage.

Drake and Ophelia each brought out the worst in each other. She was mean to him to keep him at a distance, and the easiest method was to remind him of his inferiority. This was his one big weakness, the one issue that would really get to him. While usually in amnesia stories, I prefer to know how the hero and heroine would have gotten together without that particular plot device, I don't think this one would've worked without it. They were caught in a circle of animosity. They needed some reason to see beyond the barriers they had erected. And in their particular case, I don't believe that really would've happened in normal circumstances.

BUT ANYWAY. Now that I've written an essay on the first 50 pages or so, I can move on to the rest of the book.

When Drake found Ophelia washed up on the side of the river, he rescued her. After he got her safely to his house and discovered who she was, he had the brilliant housekeeper idea. And this is where it all could've gone horribly wrong. Thankfully, it didn't. At this point in the story, Drake hated Ophelia, and I could absolutely see why. He had every reason to. He had an irrational whim and went with it. He just wanted a laugh, a little revenge, something to keep her in her place when she tried to humiliate him again in the future. He wasn't going to make her do anything potentially dangerous or harmful, only tedious things like preparing dinner and dusting the library shelves.

But - insert shocked face here - things didn't go as planned! Due to circumstances, Ophelia had to stay with him longer. And while Drake had a few idiotic moments and should've told her the truth way earlier, I always understood his reasoning. With the way things played out, Drake and Ophelia got to know each other for real, in a way they never would have before the accident. And oh, oh but it was wonderful to watch. I enjoyed both of their perspectives. Ophelia knew instinctively that something was wrong with her new life, knew that something was off, but she was a good sport and went along with it. Her attempts were sometimes rather hilarious, like when she went to prepare a pheasant for dinner:

She couldn’t cook something that had the ability to glare at her, to make her feel guilty about preparing it.

By the end of the story, Ophelia had a new-found respect for servants and their jobs, having been in their shoes for a while. But that was pretty much all that changed. It wasn't a magical transformation from evil termagant to glowing saint, something that is common and drives me absolutely bonkers. Ophelia always had a good heart: loyalty, devotion, compassion towards animals, and many other qualities. We just didn't see them until she (albeit, unwillingly) let her guard down and allowed Drake to see them.

And did I mention the chemistry? Because yowza! The chemistry between these two was phenomenal. You could tell from the beginning that there was something explosive there that was being strongly repressed on both sides. Obviously Drake held back for a long time once she was in his care, but there was still attraction simmering between them. While I wouldn't exactly call it a slow burn, it unfolded slowly and deliciously, and I enjoyed every moment.

Once More, My Darling Rogue fulfilled every one of my wishes and expectations. Heath took a prevalent plot device and put a unique spin on it with refreshingly real, flawed characters. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys actual hate-to-love stories, because this one was well executed and absolutely lovely. It made me want to go look up more books by her, which I will very likely wind up doing.

First:I was born Peter Sykes, the son of a murderer, the son of a woman murdered, a heritage that has always haunted me.

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Favorite:Friendship isn’t measured by time. It can happen in the blink of an eye when you meet someone you like.

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Teaser:If looks could kill...well, hers might wound him, but it wasn’t going to be the death of him.

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(Review) It's in His Kiss by Jill Shalvis

Title: It's in His Kiss
Author: Jill Shalvis
Series: Lucky Harbor, #10
Published: August 26, 2014 (Grand Central Publishing)
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Format: Egalley provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review (Thank you!)

Summary: Becca Thorpe has uprooted her life and escaped to the beach. Now's her chance to get away from city living, throw caution to the ocean winds, and live in the moment. Especially if the moment includes the deliciously sexy surfer she meets shortly after arriving in Lucky Harbor. Something about the dark intensity of Sam's eyes and the thrill she gets at his touch convinces her to stay awhile.

Boatbuilder and investment genius Sam Brody is a self-made man who knows how dangerous it can be to mix business and pleasure. But he can't resist offering Becca a job just to hear her laugh and have her near. Yet when her brother comes to town asking for help, will he tempt her back to her glamorous life in the city? Or do Sam and little Lucky Harbor have a chance to win Becca's heart?

If I could pack up and go live in my choice of any fictional setting I've ever read, I would choose Lucky Harbor. And not just because I've always had an obsession with small towns or the fact that it's constantly overflowing with hot, available men (though that certainly doesn't hurt). Maybe I'm just feeling a little melancholy and bittersweet because this is the beginning of the end - the first book of the last "trilogy" in the Lucky Harbor series. But really. Truly. I love the atmosphere of the town. I love Lucille. I want to stay at the B&B and visit the Love Shack and maybe even get pulled over by Sawyer (because yum!).

In all seriousness, though, Shalvis has captured my heart again. I am completely head over heels for this new group of guy friends: Sam, Tanner, and Cole. They have years of co-worker/friendship/blood brothers bonding behind them, and if I'm a sucker for any dynamic, it's that one. I love a good male friendship. I was already excited for Sam's story because he was the sexy, taciturn runner we got to see just enough to be teased in the previous set of Lucky Harbor books, but I was just as fascinated by Cole and Tanner as I was by Sam. I found myself wanting to know more about each of them individually, and I can't wait for their stories.

But back to the love story that I did get this time around, because it was a doozy. I laughed (because hello, this is a Jill Shalvis book, and if I don't laugh at least a dozen times when reading a Jill Shalvis book, call an ambulance) and sighed and swooned. I was captivated from the first page. I picked it up during Bout of Books, not sure if I was going to go for it or one of my other books on my goal list. But as soon as I started page one, I was a goner.

See, Sam wasn't the only one with secrets; in fact, that was not his department as much as it was Becca's. In fact, he wasn't nearly as silent as he gave the impression of being. He cared deeply for those within his circle. He was very sweet and sincere in his actions, even when not in words. Yeah, he was gruff sometimes, but it worked for him. I could absolutely see why Becca fell head over heels.

As for Becca, my heart hurt for her immediately, because you just knew she had something in her past that was haunting her. But she was a fighter. She went after what she wanted (including Sam, telling him straight-up what she wanted from him on a number of occasions, from wanting to sleep with him to wanting to date him, and can I just revel for a second in how refreshing that is?). She was scrappy and fun and totally obsessed with ranch popcorn and knew how to laugh at herself. Basically, I would totally be friends with her if I could somehow finagle my way into this fictional universe.

I was completely captivated by this story. It dealt with family problems and friendship, with fears and expectations, all against the charming and fun backdrop of the Pacific and Lucky Harbor. It had a good story and great characters, and not only the leads. I want to know more about Cole and Tanner. I want to know more about Olivia, Becca's neighbor. Thankfully, it seems I will be getting my wish in the next couple books! And while I'm not excited about getting closer to the end, I think these stories will be worth it.

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