June 2014 Wrap Up/July 2014 TBR

Hello everyone,

I hope you all have had a great month. My month in books was decent I read 6 books, but only one really blew me away. Hopefully July is a better month for me. Have any of you read the books and if so what did you think of them?

Books Read in June

Retribution by Amy Thompson - review book - 3 stars 

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare - 5 stars - review

Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn - review book - 3 stars - review

Alpha by Jasinda Wilder - 3.5 stars - review

The Dare by Hannah Jayne - review book - DNF 

Relinquish by Amy Thompson - review book - DNF

July TBR

I've still not read Wings, but I'm determined to this month :) Hopefully I can fit some other books in as well!

Book Hauling It Up (100)

Hello there :) 

I hope everyone has had a great week. I caught a couple of sales this week when I went book shopping. Yeah, for that! Other than that my week has been sort of laid back. 

For Review

Bought

I listened to I Hunt Killers awhile ago on audio book from my library and when I saw it for $4, I mean, I just couldn't resist and plus I need to read the sequel so I picked that up as well.

 I've also been curious about Elsewhere and Daughter of Smoke and Bone for the longest. So once again, for the prices, I just couldn't resist the temptation!

 I swear I love randomly popping into Books A Million. They always have some good bargains going on.

Alpha by Jasinda Wilder

Alpha
(Alpha, #1)
by Jasinda Wilder
Released |April 29th 2014|
Edition |Ebook|
Add to Goodreads

The first time it happened, it seemed like an impossible miracle. Bills were piling up, adding up to more money than I could ever make. Mom's hospital bills. My baby brother's tuition. My tuition. Rent. Electricity. All of it on my shoulders. And I had just lost my job. There was no hope, no money in my account, no work to be found. And then, just when I thought all hope was lost, I found an envelope in the mail. No return address. My name on the front, my address. Inside was a check, made out to me, in the amount of ten thousand dollars. Enough to pay the bills and leave me some left over to live on until I found a job. Enough to let me focus on classes. There was no name on the check, just "VRI Inc.," and a post office box address for somewhere in the city. No hint of identity or reason for the check or anything. No mention of repayment, interest, nothing…except a single word, on the notes line: "You." Just those three letters.
If you receive a mysterious check, for enough money to erase all your worries, would you cash it?
I did.
The next month, I received another check, again from VRI Incorporated. It too contained a single word: "belong."
A third check, the next month. This time, two words. Four letters. "To me."
The checks kept coming. The notes stopped. Ten thousand dollars, every month. A girl gets used to that, real quick. It let me pay the bills without going into debt. Let me keep my baby brother in school and Mom's hospice care paid for. How do you turn down what seems like free money, when you're desperate? You don't. I didn't.
And then, after a year, there was a knock on my door. A sleek black limousine sat on the curb in front of my house. A driver stood in front of me, and he spoke six words: "It's time to pay your debt."
Would you have gotten in?
I did.
It turns out $120,000 doesn't come free.

I've never read anything by this author before, but the synopsis had me so intrigued that I decided to give it a try. I use to read books in genres like this all the time, but over the last few years I just kind of stopped. I decided to pick Alpha up because I needed a change from the typical books that I was reading. I enjoyed the story, but I did have an issue with it. I think I was hoping for a bit more in some areas, but overall I did enjoy the story.

Waiting On Wednesday (25): The Third Twin

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is

The Third Twin

by CJ Omololu

Releases |2015 by Delacorte|

Add to Goodreads

When they were little, Lexi and her identical twin, Ava, made up a third sister, Alicia. If something broke? Alicia did it. Cookies got eaten? Alicia's guilty. Alicia was always to blame for everything. The game is all grown up now that the girls are seniors. They use Alicia as their cover to go out with boys who are hot but not exactly dating material. Boys they'd never, ever be with in real life.
Now one of the guys Alicia went out with has turned up dead, and Lexi wants to stop the game for good. As coincidences start piling up, Ava insists that if they follow the rules for being Alicia, everything will be fine. But when another boy is killed, the DNA evidence and surveillance photos point to only one suspect: Alicia. The girl who doesn't exist. As she runs from the cops, Lexi has to find the truth before another boy is murdered. Because either Ava is a killer…or Alicia is real

Why I'm Waiting...

I don't know if this is exactly my kind of book, but it made me curious enough to want to know more about it and to add it to my tbr. Sound pretty interesting and I like a mystery!

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

City of Heavenly Fire 
(the Mortal Instruments, #6)
by Cassandra Clare
Released |May 27th 2014 by Margaret K. McElderry|
Edition |Hardcover, 725 pages|
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In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother.
Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.
The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?
When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...
Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!

Oh my! After all these years of being with this series it has finally come to an end and I am extremely sad about it. Luckily, City of Heavenly Fire did not disappoint me in the slightest! This was a massive read with over 700 pages and I was never once bored with the story. This book went beyond any expectation that I had for it. Going into reading it I tried not to be overly excited for it because with final books you never really know what you're going to get. So much happened within the pages, sad moments and happy moments. It was fast paced, action packed, full of romance, decisions, and just everything. This is a must read book if you've been continuing along with this series :) I'd definitely recommend reading it even if you didn't like a couple of books in it.

Book Hauling It Up (99)

Hey everyone,

I hope you all have had a great week. My week has been pretty stressful, but I'm trying to push through the feeling. I did absolutely no reading probably because of the stress but I'm hoping to get some done next week. Wednesday my bachelor's degree came in the mail so now it's officially official that I'm a graduate! lol That made my mood cheer up a bit.

Anyways, on to the haul :) I did buy a couple of books.

For Review

I can't wait to read this sequel because I thought the first was pretty good.

Bought

Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn

Complicit
by Stephanie Kuehn
Releases |June 24th 2014 by St. Martin's Griffin|
Edition |eARC|
Source |Netgalley|
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Two years ago, sixteen-year-old Jamie Henry breathed a sigh of relief when a judge sentenced his older sister to juvenile detention for burning down their neighbor’s fancy horse barn. The whole town did. Because Crazy Cate Henry used to be a nice girl. Until she did a lot of bad things. Like drinking. And stealing. And lying. Like playing weird mind games in the woods with other children. Like making sure she always got her way. Or else.
But today Cate got out. And now she’s coming back for Jamie.
Because more than anything, Cate Henry needs her little brother to know the truth about their past. A truth she’s kept hidden for years. A truth she’s not supposed to tell. 

To be honest, I really don't know how I exactly feel about this book. I liked it and  enjoyed the story, but I didn't really get 'excited' until the end. One issue, which isn't related to the book itself, is that the synopsis on Negalley give away the major twist in the book. So, yeah I wasn't surprised when it happened. But then again, it was written so well that I still enjoyed it which doesn't happen often if I've read a spoiler. My tip, avoid reading the synopsis that is on Netgalley. For most of the book I was waiting for that twist to happen because I already new it would. I hadn't even realized that I'd been spoiled until I got to the last page of the book.

Waiting On Wednesday (24): Fairest

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is

Fairest

(The Lunar Chronicles, #0.1)

by Marissa Meyer

Releases |January 27th 2015 by Feiwel & Friends|

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Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?
Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.
Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series

Why I'm Waiting...

Well considering I love the Lunar Chronicles series, this is sort of a must read especially since it's a full length book and not just a short novella. I can't wait to see what the author has in store for us and I'm curious to see what Levana's life was like before the drama with Cinder came about. 

Release Day Blitz: Relinquish

 

Release Date |June 17th 2014|

Genre |New Adult Paranormal Fantasy|

Book Two in the Lost Souls Series

Regan has a life in Georgia. She is going to school, has managed to make some friends, and has even found a new love interest in Colter. So what happens when she can’t hide what she is anymore? When do all the lies become too much to handle? And how much longer can she hold onto her sanity—while Agro pushes her closer and closer to the edge of no return—her ascension to Elite?
Colter is beautifully oblivious. Wanting so much to believe that Regan is safe, and Agro has been halted, he ignores Finn’s constant skepticism at the risk of their friendship. Overlooking what is so clearly right in front of him, Colter passes off Regan’s outbursts of emotion on her recent trauma. Colter can feel Regan—his one exception to his retribution—slipping out of his arms, but fighting her to stay with him may not be an option.

Colter and Finn are now at odds, and there is a newly formed alliance between Kaiden and Exile Max. Will this group of Collectors be enough to fight off the new enemies and old threats that emerge in the battle for souls when Regan is broken, and their group is on the brink of self-destruction?

The lost will be found, the Collectors will be exiled, and the Elites will reign.

About Book One, Retribution

Regan Edison has just moved from California, to enter her first year at Georgia Liberty College, the place where jacked up Chevy trucks and hunting are a way of life. Regan hopes to start a new life for herself and she thinks that Georgia is just the place to do it. That is until she meets an unexpected stranger.
Colter Hayes is a member of the Collectors, a group of wrongfully punished lost souls. Colter and the rest of his team, Finn, Kaiden and Devon, work for the Requiem Council who pass judgment on those souls that are neither tagged for Heaven nor Hell. The Council has charged the Collectors with finding the lost in exchange for a chance at redemption.
When an ex-councilmember known to pass Retribution on lost souls sets his sights on Regan, the Requiem Council dispatches the Collectors to Georgia to work as protectors for Regan. The Collectors must fight to save Regan from a fate they know all too well, but can they work to earn back their chance at redemption or are their fates sealed forever?
Who is meant for Heaven?Who is meant for Hell?And who is just lost?

Start the series for just 99 Cents!

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/m9cml6m

Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/ouve6qf

Smashwords: http://tinyurl.com/kfn58lm

About Amy Thompson

Amy Thompson graduated from college with her B.S. in Biology. She currently works as a high school mentor and has just earned her M.S. in Higher Education. Amy is a self-published author of Retribution, a new adult, paranormal romance novel that is the first in the Lost Souls Trilogy. She lives in Southern Virginia with her family and two lazy cats. Amy Thompson is currently working on the next book in the Lost Souls Trilogy, Relinquish and continues to be an avid reader of all things books.

Website / Facebook / Goodreads

We Are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt

We Are the Goldens
by Dana Reinhardt
Released |May 27th 2014 by Wendy Lamb Books|
Edition |eARC|
Source |Netgalley|
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Nell knows a secret about her perfect, beautiful sister Layla. If she tells, it could blow their world apart.
When Nell and Layla were little, Nell used to call them Nellaya. Because to Nell, there was no difference between where she started and her adored big sister ended. They're a unit; divorce made them rely on each other early on, so when one pulls away, what is the other to do? But now, Nell's a freshman in high school and Layla is changing, secretive. And then Nell discovers why. Layla is involved with one of their teachers. And even though Nell tries to support Layla, to understand that she's happy and in love, Nell struggles with her true feelings: it's wrong, and she must do something about it.

We Are the Goldens was a very interesting read. But one thing I have to mention is that on Netgalley there was a different synopsis use that doesn't give so much away, but the one on goodreads practically tells you what happens. I thought that was a bit odd, but anyways, this story was very enjoyable. Yes, this book does involve a student/teacher romance so if you are not comfortable with books that involve them this might not be for you. We witness two sister that have always been close slowly start to drift apart. Layla (Nell's older sister) is keeping secrets from Nell and when Nell finds out her secret she knows that she should do something about it. But doing the right thing was not the easiest decision for Nell to make. Her sister is her idol and she's the only person she looks up to.

The King by J.R. Ward

The King
(The Black Dagger Brotherhood, #12)
by J.R. Ward
Released |April 1st 2014 by Penguin Group (USA)|
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J.R. Ward's # 1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood continues as a royal bloodline is compromised by a grave threat to the throne.
Long live the King…
After turning his back on the throne for centuries, Wrath, son of Wrath, finally assumed his father’s mantle--with the help of his beloved mate. But the crown sets heavily on his head. As the war with the Lessening Society rages on, and the threat from the Band of Bastards truly hits home, he is forced to make choices that put everything--and everyone--at risk.
Beth Randall thought she knew what she was getting into when she mated the last pure blooded vampire on the planet: An easy ride was not it. But when she decides she wants a child, she’s unprepared for Wrath’s response--or the distance it creates between them.
The question is, will true love win out... or tortured legacy take over?

As always, I get really excited going into a new black dagger brotherhood book. I've been with this series for so long, I just freaking love it. I was pleasantly surprised that I liked being back in Wrath's (the blind king) head again. Dark lover was a good book, but Wrath has never been one of my favorite brothers. Zsadist, John Matthews, Vishous, Qhuinn, etc. I mean hello?! But back to the subject at hand, Wrath has always been a tough one and in this book we see him being the a**hole that he typically can be, but we never really saw it directed towards Beth (his mate). That was kind of different. With Beth wanting a baby and Wrath being dead set against it, that started a lot of the drama, and to top it off, the Band of Bastards are still trying to dethrone him. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to what happened. I love the Brotherhood and I'm glad we got to see them all again in this book, except Phury. We don't really see him much anymore.

Waiting On Wednesday (23): Trust Me, I'm Lying

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is

Trust Me, I'm Lying

by Mary Elizabeth Summer

Releases |October 14th 2014 by Delacorte Press|

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Julep Dupree tells lies. A lot of them. She’s a con artist, a master of disguise, and a sophomore at Chicago’s swanky St. Agatha High, where her father, an old-school grifter with a weakness for the ponies, sends her to so she can learn to mingle with the upper crust. For extra spending money Julep doesn’t rely on her dad—she runs petty scams for her classmates while dodging the dean of students and maintaining an A+ (okay, A-) average.
But when she comes home one day to a ransacked apartment and her father gone, Julep’s carefully laid plans for an expenses-paid golden ticket to Yale start to unravel. Even with help from St. Agatha’s resident Prince Charming, Tyler Richland, and her loyal hacker sidekick, Sam, Julep struggles to trace her dad’s trail of clues through a maze of creepy stalkers, hit attempts, family secrets, and worse, the threat of foster care. With everything she has at stake, Julep’s in way over her head . . . but that’s not going to stop her from using every trick in the book to find her dad before his mark finds her. Because that would be criminal.

Why I'm Waiting...

I don't know. This sounds like it'll be a fast paced and lightweight read and of course I'm a sucker for a mystery. I'd like to give this one a try to see what it's all about.

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

The Eye of Minds
(The Mortality Doctrine, #1)
by James Dashner
Released |October 8th 2013 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers|
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An all-new, edge-of-your seat adventure from James Dashner, the author of the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series, The Eye of Minds is the first book in The Mortality Doctrine, a series set in a world of hyperadvanced technology, cyberterrorists, and gaming beyond your wildest dreams . . . and your worst nightmares.
Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it’s addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?
But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he’s holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific—the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer’s motives are a mystery.
The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker.
And they’ve been watching Michael. They want him on their team.
But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can’t even fathom—and there’s the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.

James Dashner is amazing when it comes to creating a unique world. The Eye of Minds was made up of a complex gaming world with 'hyperadvanced' technology. It was amazing and I could envision every little aspect. I'm typically not into gaming books, but I found this one to be fast paced and exciting. I've read the Maze Runner trilogy and the prequel to it and really enjoyed it. So going into The Eye of Minds I was expecting it to be fast paced and action packed. It didn't disappoint :) If you're wanting something with some romance in it, this book may not be for you because that was pretty much non existent, but I actually didn't mind it one bit. If you're looking for excitement and action then I'd definitely recommend giving the book a try.

Book Hauling It Up (98)

Hey everyone,
I hope you've all managed to have a great week. June's been a great month of reading so far for me. I'm almost finished with my fourth book. If you have any hauls, I'd love to check them out :)

Review Books

I'm very curious about every single one of these :)

May 2014 Wrap Up/ June 2014 TBR

Hey Everyone,

I hope you guys had an amazing May. May was still a little slow for me, but I'm hoping June is a good month. So far it has been :) Now that May is over I am finished with my college degree. I feel like I've been in school forever and now it's over!

I read four books and for the most part they were all pretty good.

May Wrap Up

Hexed by Michelle Krys - 4 stars - review book - review

The Liberator by Victoria Scott - 4 stars - review

The Warrior by Victoria Scott - 3.5 stars - review book - review

We are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt - 3.5 stars - review book

June TBR

These are the main books that I want to read for June. I've already read 3 of them (Retribution, Complicit, and City of Heavenly Fire), so more will be read hopefully. I just haven't figured out what they're going to be.

A Man's Promise by Brenda Jackson

A Man's Promise
(Grangers, #2)
by Brenda Jackson
Released |May 27th 2014 by Harlequin MIRA|
Edition |eARC|
Source |Netgalley|
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A man's word is his bond. His family is his strength. His heart is his own.
Superstar musician Caden Granger has spent years running from love, commitment and family. Yet despite his fame and fortune, he knows the kind of respect and adoration he needs can only come from one person—the very woman who wants nothing to do with him.
Corporate fund-raiser and society maven Shiloh Timmons finally got her life on track once her relationship with Caden ended, and she's in no hurry to revisit a romance with the man she left standing at the altar.
If Caden can't have Shiloh by his side, all the success in the world will mean nothing. Now he has a chance to renew his promises…but is it too late?

Last year I got the chance to read the first book in this series, A Brother's Honor and really enjoyed it. When I saw A Man's Promise on Netgalley I was excited when I got accepted to review it. This series consist of three brothers, the first book was about the oldest brother, A Man's Promise is about Caden, the middle brother and the next book will about the third brother. But the thing is, you need to read the books in order because the books connect to one another.

Waiting on Wednesday (22): A Thousand Pieces of You

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is

A Thousand Pieces of You

(Firebird, #1)

by Claudia Gray

Releases |November 4th 2014 by Harper Teen|

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Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.
Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

Why I'm Waiting...

It sounds pretty good and I don't read too many books like this. And I love the cover :)

Champion by Marie Lu

Champion
(Legend, #3)
by Marie Lu
Released |November 5th 2013 by Putnam Juvenile|
Edition |Hardcover, 369 pages|
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He is a Legend.
She is a Prodigy.
Who will be Champion?
June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position.
But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything.
With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion

Once again, I have ended a trilogy and it is always sad to see them end. Champion was a great ending to this Legend trilogy and it was sort of bittersweet. I loved being back in the world that the author has created and I also love being reunited with the characters one last time to see how things would wrap up. In Champion, there is a deadly virus spreading through the colonies and they're blaming it on the Republic and if the Republic doesn't come up with a cure and fast then they'll have to face yet another war.