Thursday 31 March 2011

Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them! (13)

The new feature co-created and co-hosted by LadyViolet and Jess hearts books where we show off a book cover which we find so damn scrumptious that we'd actually be willing to lick it! Every week we each pick a different cover so be sure to check both blogs!
My Pick for this Week
Deadly Little Games by Laurie Faria Stolarz
I’ve wanted to read this series for the longest time, way before I started book blogging but sadly haven’t even got round to purchasing the first book yet! Two things drew me in about this series one the beautiful covers and two the amazing reviews I have read about the books. Each cover seems to have a different season on it and although I love all of the covers, this one is my favourite. I love the snow I think it’s so pretty and reminds me of another fabulous cover Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares. I love the pretty design around the title and I’m so curious as to what the girls running away from. The colours used are really simple and elegant but I love how they’ve added a colour pop with the green scarf to make the book stand out a little bit more. I think these book covers are very understated and subtle and I really want to own copies of these books for myself someday so that they can look pretty on my bookshelf :) So that’s my cover for this week. Feel free to leave me comments letting me know what you think of this week’s pick and if you ever get insane lust over a book cover, does a lovely cover influence you buying the book? Let me know and don’t forget to stop by Rachel’s blog to find out what cover she’d like to Lick this week!

Wednesday 30 March 2011

Review for Rockoholic by C.J. Skuse

"Jody loves Jackson Gatlin. At his only UK rock concert, she's right at the front. But when she's caught in the crush and carried back stage she has more than concussion to contend with. Throw in a menacing manager, a super-wired super-star, and a curly-wurly, and she finds herself taking home more than just a poster. It's the accidental kidnapping of the decade. But what happens if you've a rock-god in your garage who doesn't want to leave Jody's stuck between a rock-idol and a hard place!" I got this book to review on the Amazon Vine program as I’d heard lots of fab things about it from my blogger friends. I started reading this book when I was having a pretty miserable day and needed cheering up and boy did it do the job! Rockoholic starts off with main character Jody at her beloved granddad’s funeral her granddad was Jody’s idol. Not the typical grandfather figure he loved rock and roll, would moon bathe and wanted his funeral to be called a “body barbeque” and we automatically get to see just how barmy Jody is when in the middle of her mums carefully laid out funeral arrangements Jody starts a food fight because she knows it’s the kind of thing her granddad would have loved. I started this late one night and I had to literally clamp my hand over my mouth to stop my hysterical laughter at Jody’s expense from waking everybody up. Jody is a carefree, fun loving, free spirit and her crazy ideas and mishaps make for a side splittingly funny book. Jody’s funny without even realising she is, without even trying to be and I automatically liked her and wanted to know what crazy plan she’d come up with next. The strongest aspect of this book I think is definitely the characters. I can’t think of one character I didn’t like and who wasn’t well developed. I loved Jody and her best friend Mac, rock god and lost soul Jackson and Mac’s adorable baby sister Cree who has some of the funniest heart-warming lines in fiction. Even Jody’s granddad who we as readers never actually get to “meet” was a total legend and I could happily live inside this book forever being bffs with all of them. Although Rockoholic is by the majority a fun read it also deals with serious themes such as bereavement, drug addiction and let’s face it kidnapping! But C.J. Skuse never makes the book feel heavy or depressing handling the matters respectfully with a side of funny. But ultimately this is a book about living your dreams but not forgetting the people who hold you rock steady when you come crashing back down to earth. It’s a book about reaching for the stars but never forgetting your reality and where you came from, it’s about knowing it might be impossible but going for it anyway. Even if you’re not a huge music fan I still think everyone can relate to and enjoy this book. Whether you’re a fan girl of a certain author or if you’ve ever had a crush on a celebrity or someone out of bounds I think everybody can relate to that feeling of being so passionate about something but feeling like you’re just one in a million never having a chance to shine. Well Rockoholic is a story about a girl who MAKES her dreams come true something I think a lot of people can take inspiration from. I could go on about Rockoholic and how much I loved it all day. It’s the perfect mood boosting, funny, feel good read and is definitely one of my favourite books of 2011. I can’t wait to check out C.J’s debut novel Pretty Bad Things and will be recommending/forcing everybody to check out Rockoholic. My Rating 5/5 stars ***** Thanks go to the Amazon Vine program for sending me this book to review Synopsis taken from Amazon

Monday 28 March 2011

Review for Clarity by Kim Harrington

"Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift. And a curse. When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case--but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother--who has supernatural gifts of his own--becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?" I loved this book and I wasn’t entirely expecting to. I picked up Clarity purely based on all the hype for it around the blogosphere without really knowing what it was about. I picked it up on a whim and read the first two pages and that was it that was all it took, I was addicted. I instantly liked Clare and was eager to know more. I definitely didn’t choose this book it seemed to choose me. I think that what I loved most about Clarity was how easy and fun it was to read. It didn’t take itself too seriously and is completely different to other books about psychic abilities. This book is set in the middle of summer in a busy tourist town by the beach. That’s right folks no quiet, gloomy, small town with rain and forests. This book was part fun summer read part murder mystery something I never thought would go together but it does and it works. It’s definitely a quirky read and I loved the fresh originality of it. Clare is such a likeable heroine she’s funny, smart and her character is a big part of what drew me into this story. She has me laughing only two pages in and there’s just something really endearing and likeable about her. I loved every single character in this book especially Perry Clare’s older brother. Kim Harrington has her own special gift at creating these hugely likeable, fun characters. When I wasn’t in fits of giggles over Clare and her family’s kooky psychic goings on I was glued to the pages desperate to know who the killer was and it came as a real shock when we do eventually find out. Like Clare I suspected many people along the way and when the truth was revealed I thought it was brilliant things tied together nicely in a really clever way. I’m usually pretty good as guessing the who done it aspect of these kind of books but Clarity really surprised me. I loved everything about this book it literally is a book that has everything. Great characters, an original plot, excellent writing, a hot romance it was just brilliant and was so fun and exciting to read. One minute my heart was pounding terrified by the killer the next I was cracking up over something Clare has said or done. Fans of books like The Body Finder are going to love this and I think it’s the perfect book to pick up this summer. Clarity totally deserves all the hype it’s been getting and I’m so glad that I read it. I believe that it’s the first in a series and I cannot wait for my next fix. If you only have the money to buy one book right now it should be Clarity, I can’t see how anybody would be disappointed with this fantastic debut. My Rating 5/5 stars ***** Synopsis taken from goodreads

Saturday 26 March 2011

In My Mailbox: The week in which I discover Read it Swap it

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren So this week I discovered a new way in which to further my book buying obsession without actually spending a penny (ok maybe £2 on shipping) and NOT adding more books to my bookshelves. That’s right friends I have discovered Read it Swap it. When I stumbled upon it I thought I was properly awesome and spread the word on twitter about this amazing site, yeah turns out half the blogosphere already new about it. Lame. So anyway RiSi is a fabby site for UK peeps looking to swap one book for another and if you haven’t checked it out you should here. But this isn’t a post promoting a website this is IMM so let’s get onto the books I received this week!
Bought/ Swapped
Wither by Lauren DeStefano (bought) Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton (ARC swapped) Personal Demons by Lisa DesRochers (swapped) Lost It by Kristen Tracy (swapped) Rumour Has it by Jill Mansell (swapped) Plan B by Emily Barr (swapped) How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life by Kaavya Viswanathan (gift from the lovely Michelle thank you!)
For Review
New Beginnings by Fern Britton (ARC via Amazon Vine) Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott (ARC via Walker) So that was all the awesome I got this week big thank you’s to everybody who sent me books! If you’ve read any of the books I got this week and want to leave me a comment letting me know what you thought please do and make sure you leave me a link to what you got in your mailbox. Here’s to another week of fantastic reading ahead :-)

Thursday 24 March 2011

Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them! (12)

The new feature co-created and co-hosted by LadyViolet and Jess hearts books where we show off a book cover which we find so damn scrumptious that we'd actually be willing to lick it! Every week we each pick a different cover so be sure to check both blogs!
My Pick for this Week
Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
I love absolutely everything about this cover. I’m in a bit of a paranormal slump right now but just looking at this cover makes me want to pick it up and read the book. I love the detail to the black roses I think it creates a certain gothic, romantic theme and the colour pop with the gorgeous red dress was a good call to make the book stand out. I’m in complete hair envy this week. That girl has the perfect Taylor Swift, Rapunzel princess hair and I want it! I think the whole effect creates a really romantic, fairy-tale, gothic cover making this book look completely inviting and like something I would enjoy. So that’s my cover for this week. Feel free to leave me comments letting me know what you think of this week’s pick and if you ever get insane lust over a book cover, does a lovely cover influence you buying the book? Let me know and don’t forget to stop by Rachel’s blog to find out what cover she’d like to Lick this week!

Wednesday 23 March 2011

BREAKING NEWS!!!

So I wasn’t going to do another post today but then I got some very exciting news from the Random House offices. Christopher Paolini fans the wait is almost over! It has just been announced that the fourth and final book in the Inheritance Cycle will be published in the UK on Tuesday 8th November 2011 simultaneously with the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It will also be available in ebook and audio editions. Eragon, Eldest and Brisingr have been international publishing sensations. The first three books have sold over 25 million copies worldwide and fans have eagerly been awaiting this final instalment since September 2008 when Brisingr hit shelves. I’m happy to announce the wait for INHERITANCE will soon be over. I have the first 3 books sitting on my bookshelf and with the official announcement of the last book I am very excited to make a start on them soon!

Review for Beauty by Robin McKinley

"When the family business collapses, Beauty and her two sisters are forced to leave the city and begin a new life in the countryside. However, when their father accepts hospitality from the elusive and magical Beast, he is forced to make a terrible promise - to send one daughter to the Beast's castle, with no guarantee that she will be seen again. Beauty accepts the challenge, and there begins an extraordinary story of magic and love that overcomes all boundaries." I’m a big fan of the story of Beauty and the Beast and have read and watched countless re-telling’s of it as well as the original fairy-tale and Disney movie. So despite not enjoying one of Robin McKinley’s previous books Sunshine I was willing to give this author another try what with me loving Beauty and the Beast and all and I hate to say that I was left disappointed again. The book takes a long time to get going with the Beast not even coming into it until we’re over 100 pages in. Before that point I considered giving up on it numerous times as like with Sunshine I wasn’t enjoying Robin McKinley’s writing style at all but decided to be fair and wait until the Beast came along hoping that then things would pick up and I’d be reminded of why I love this classic tale so much and whilst it did pick up to some extent it wasn’t enough for me to enjoy it. The main problem I have is with Robin McKinley’s writing style. What makes a book good for me is definitely the characters and interaction between them but Robins characters have very little dialog instead the pages are filled with what the characters are doing and thinking. Because there was little talk between Beauty and her Beast I wasn’t ever really convinced of their growing love and friendship instead we’re told it happens without any evidence really shown to support it. With the lack of dialog a lot of time is spent inside Beauty’s head and as I didn’t like her very much this was another reason why the book wasn’t enjoyable for me. Robin McKinley defeats one of the main reasons why I and so many people love this story. Beauty and the Beast is supposed to be a story about how beauty isn’t skin deep and instead Robin creates Beauty to be the most frustrating character I have ever come across. She refuses to wear pretty dresses because she doesn’t feel like she deserves them because she’s too plain, and when the Beast turns into a handsome prince she feels she can’t marry him because she is unattractive and therefore underserving of such a handsome husband it is only when the Beast leads her to a mirror showing her how beautiful she has become during her time at the castle that she finally feels like she deserves her happy ending with the now handsome prince. I’m sorry but what? Does that not just defeat everything the classic tale stands for? The only thing that made this book readable for me was the Beast I thought he was an interesting character and came to feel rather sorry for him and his lonely years spent in the castle. I also liked the fantasy world Robin McKinley created for the backdrop of this story and was intrigued by all the magical goings on in this world. I’m sad to say that the only reason I finished this book was because it was so short. By the time I decided it wasn’t going to get any better for me I was already half way through and figured I may as well finish it. This book for me didn’t capture what this classic tale is all about something that I believe is important with any re-telling which in this case are the beautiful epic romance and the lesson that it’s what’s inside that counts. That isn’t to say that I don’t think other people would enjoy it. I’m sure a lot of people will appreciate the magical fantasy world and whilst Robins writing style isn’t what I personally enjoy there’s no denying that she’s a very successful writer. All of her books sound wonderful and I know she has many fans out there but unfortunately her books just don’t seem to sit well with me. As a die-hard Beauty and the Beast fan I can’t say that I would recommend this book but if you’re a fan of Robin McKinley’s other books chances are you’re going to enjoy this one too. I hope that if you do decide to pick this up that you enjoy it more than I did. My Rating 2/5 stars ** Thanks go to Random House for sending me this book for review Synopsis taken from Amazon

Monday 21 March 2011

Review for Amy & Rogers Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

"Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew—just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road—diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards—this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself." We had our first sunny spring day here in England last week and that totally inspired me to crack out the summer reads starting with Amy & Rogers Epic Detour. The book starts with Amy waiting for family friend Roger to come pick her up to drive cross country from her home in California to her new house in Connecticut. Amy hasn’t driven since the terrible car crash that killed her father three months ago so with her brother in rehab and their mother setting up their new home it’s up to Roger to get Amy and her car there safely. At the beginning of the book Amy and Roger are both struggling with their own issues so it comes as no surprise when the pair ditch Amy’s mom’s carefully instructed plans to take an epic detour discovering America together and facing the past along the way. This book has the perfect mix of heartbreak and fun making this a compelling feel good summer coming of age story. Morgan Matson’s writing actually reminded me of queen of summer romance Sarah Dessen’s something that will always be a win with me. This book had everything a girl wants in a summer. There’s adventure, travel, sun and a cute guy making this incredible journey with you. This book is part self-discovery, part travel and part summer romance offering a little something for every girls ideal summer read. A really nice touch to this book that makes it stand out compared to other summer novels is all the fun pictures and maps, snapshots and playlists included making the book read like a travel journal/scrapbook. It really makes you feel like you’re along for the ride with Amy and Roger watching America pass by in the pages of this book. I loved seeing Amy and Roger grow throughout the days that they’re on this trip you see how and why their destinations change them as people and it’s really great to see them shrug off the baggage that has been weighing them down, let go and have some fun. I loved Roger from the start and grew to like Amy more and more as the book went on and we find out why she is the way she is. All in all this is a fun, touching, feel good summer read that will make you want to take your own journey this summer. My Rating 4.5/5 stars Synopsis taken from goodreads

Thursday 17 March 2011

Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them! (11)

The new feature co-created and co-hosted by LadyViolet and Jess hearts books where we show off a book cover which we find so damn scrumptious that we'd actually be willing to lick it! Every week we each pick a different cover so be sure to check both blogs!
My Pick for this Week
Crossed by Ally Condie
I read and loved the first book in this fantastic series Matched last year and have eagerly been awaiting this covers release to see how it would live up to the funky cover for the first book, and I’ve gotta say I really like what they’ve done. I love how she’s breaking out of the bubble that held her trapped in the first book I think that it sends a very straightforward message as to what we can expect from book two- lots of awesome rebellion! People who’ve read Matched may also have noticed that the colour of the books also represent the colours of the tablets. They’ve used the same model as they used for Matched and I think this book cover is going to look gorgeous standing right next to it on my bookshelf. To sum up I think this works perfectly. Can’t wait to see it in the flesh this November! So that’s my cover for this week. Feel free to leave me comments letting me know what you think of this week’s pick and if you ever get insane lust over a book cover, does a lovely cover influence you buying the book? Let me know and don’t forget to stop by Rachel’s blog to find out what cover she’d like to Lick this week!

Monday 14 March 2011

and the winner is...

1st. kirsty at the overflowing library - First choice Paranormalcy 2nd. Leanna (Daisy Chain Book Reviews)- Second choice Entangled Congratulations girls! I will be sending an email to you both shortly, you will have until next Monday to reply else another winner will be chosen. Huge thank yous and cyber hugs to everybody who entered this giveaway. If you didn’t win this time don’t feel disheartened I will most probably have another giveaway lined up soon. Thank you to each and every 398 of you. You all make my day smiley and make doing this blog worthwhile. To top it off this is my 200th post on the blog! How cool is that? Here’s to plenty more posts and giveaways in the future! Until next time, Happy reading! Jess x

Sunday 13 March 2011

In My Mailbox: The week in which my post man hates me

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren So this week was totally unexpected and awesome. I wasn’t really expecting any books but then two of my pre-orders dispatched and I got sent a whopping 15 books for review, good book week much? I’m really excited about these so I want to get straight into things, let’s get on to the good stuff and bring out the books!
For Review
Pretty Twisted by Gina Blaxill (ARC) Airhead by Meg Cabot Airhead: Being Nikki by Meg Cabot Airhead: Runaway by Meg Cabot Exodus by Julie Bertagna Divergent by Veronica Roth (ARC) Chime by Franny Billingsley The Fool's Girl by Celia Rees Rockoholic by C.J. Skuse (ARC) Virals by Kathy Reichs Evermore by Alyson Noel The Raising by Laura Kasischke Love Always by Harriet Evans (ARC) A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness Blue Moon by Alyson Noel
Bought
RSVP by Helen Warner Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard So that’s all the awesome that was in my mailbox this week! It was a very exiting week as I got snapped up as a reviewer on Amazon Vine something I’ve wanted to be a part of for ages and have been approached to be on the blogger team of several awesome publishers all in the space of this week. Huge thank yous have to go to Pan Macmillan for sending me such a brilliant welcome pack and of course thank you so much to all of the other publishers who sent me books this week! SO excited about all of these! If you’ve read any of the books I got this week and want to leave me a comment letting me know what you thought please do and make sure you leave me a link to what you got in your mailbox. Here’s to another week of fantastic reading ahead :-) GIVEAWAY: I have a giveaway going on! Exclusive to blog followers and open internationally today’s the last day to enter so stop here for more information

Friday 11 March 2011

Spoiler Free Review/ Love Letter for Where She Went by Gayle Forman

"It's been three years since the devastating accident ... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever. Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other. Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance." Ok first things first I feel like I should start this review by being completely honest, I don’t want to write this review. And if I didn’t receive this book for review from the publishers I’d probably put it off but I did and so now I have to try and write the hardest review that I’ve ever had to write because how do you put into words the effect a book like Where She Went had on you? It’s like trying to describe first love or that first mouthful of ice cold water after a run on a hot summer’s day. Words are not enough to describe those feelings the only way people know such a true moment is when they go through it themselves and that’s what Where She Went was for me, an indescribable experience. No amount of praise will do it true justice so please bear with me whilst I try and compose my thoughts, I’m still in awe, blinded by this books light. When I first heard that there was going to be a sequel to If I Stay I wasn’t sure. If I Stay set such high standards, but when I first read the synopsis for Where She Went I was immediately intrigued. Firstly as to why Mia and Adam had broken up when they’re so so perfect for each other, secondly what had happened to this couple since the three year period of If I Stay? and lastly does Mia remember anything about her coma? Does she remember getting to choose? Does she remember Adam’s plea for her to stay? As soon as these questions got going in my mind I was desperate to get some answers and so was completely over the moon when I got sent a copy of Where She Went early for review. I picked it up and devoured it immediately the whole book read in a bundle of fury, rage, utter devastation and loss. I closed this book literally breathless from hot angry tears and my first rational thought was “ This is why I read, this is what my blog, extensive book buying and reading is all about this feeling I’m feeling right now.” It’s a rare feeling that comes along only a few times in a lifetime with those magical, monumental books that stay with us forever. Where She Went was so much more than I expected it to be I thought I loved If I Stay but my feelings for Where She Went far surpassed that. This book is told from now 21 year old Adam’s point of view, Adam had changed so much since If I Stay he’s toxic and angry with the grief of losing Mia and that loss has shot him and his band to fame with their album Collateral Damage each song written by Adam to Mia about his utter devastation and heartbreak of losing her. Adam’s broken and the reader gets to see the extent of this through alternate chapters some being told in the present tense and others being told in the past tense catching us up with everything that took place after If I Stay. These chapters also have a lyric from one of Adam’s songs off the album headlining the chapter taking us into Adam’s mind and heart. It was so good to see where Mia went, what she done with her life and how far she’d come I felt so proud of her. The title has a real play on the book because not only do we get to find out where Mia went with her life we also get to find out why she went out of Adam’s. I want to keep this review spoiler free so I won’t say any more than that her reason brought me to my knees and broke my heart. Where She Went has a much more mature feel to it than If I Stay it’s regretful, painful and honest. It deals with Mia’s anger and grief at losing her family and Adam’s grief at losing Mia. The books turbulent and raw but like shattered glass Gayle Forman handles the matter gently and delicately holding up the broken fragments into the light for us to inspect showing us the quiet, fragile beauty to it. Gayle Forman is a poet at showing us the beauty in something so broken and ugly, and my words will never do justice to hers. I want to absorb every sentence, every word into my heart and lock it away forever so that I never forget Mia and Adam and all the lessons they have taught me. For those wondering Where She Went is by far my favourite book of 2011 so far, maybe even of the past 3 years, maybe even ever. Above any other review or recommendation that I’ve given I hope you read this book and I hope even more so that you find the same beauty in it that I did. My Rating 5/5 stars ***** Thanks go to Random House for sending me this book for review Synopsis taken from goodreads

Wednesday 9 March 2011

Review for To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell

Being a fan of chick-lit I’ve heard of Jill Mansell and have been eyeing her books for a while although had never picked one up. Twenty two books later and I was thrilled to find out that I’d won her latest book To the Moon and Back on Twitter. I was so excited to see what all the fuss was about and made it my next chick-lit read, and honestly why did I not pick up a book by this author sooner!? When we’re first introduced to our main character Ellie she seems to be living a blissful life, happily married to gorgeous hubby Jamie, but by the end of the first chapter Ellie’s world has come crashing down when Jamie’s in a fatal car accident that kills him. The book then skips to fifteen months later where whilst Ellie’s still grieving she’s not in the beginning horrifying grips of it keeping the book light and not too heavy or depressing. Ellie’s trying to rebuild her life by moving into a beautiful London flat and getting a new job as PA to gorgeous Zack McLaren. Zack wants a sensible, hardworking PA who isn’t going to fall head over heels for him making their working relationship awkward and he’s certainly found that in aloof, non-affected by his money, charm and good looks Ellie. The last thing Ellie wants is a new relationship but as Zack falls in love with her and Ellie starts to heal will a year of mishaps and near misses bring the love that both of them need? And more importantly will it be with each other? The thing that I immediately loved about this book were the characters. Ellie’s a lovely heroine who you can’t help but want the best for after all of her grief and upset. I loved watching her develop as she slowly began to heal and was rooting for her to find love and a happy ending, but will it be with boss Zack? You’ll just have to read it and find out! Ellie has three love interests throughout the book and whilst I was rooting for Zack at some points I honestly couldn’t be sure who she’d end up with. As well as Ellie’s story there are also the love lives of her neighbour Roo and her father in law to contend with. I loved reading about each characters story and found it to all tie together very nicely in the end. I loved Jill Mansell’s way of writing. Whilst this book is about a woman grieving the death of her husband it never feels heavy or depressing. Sometimes whilst reading I got a bit teary eyed but by the end of the page I’d soon be smiling again with Jill’s meticulous way of keeping things light hearted. I put this book down feeling happy and relaxed as if I’d just come back from a lovely holiday with friends. I’m so happy that I finally joined the Jill Mansell loop and will most definitely be buying and catching up with everything I’ve been missing out on with her other books. A lovely, heartwarming tale that I would most definitely recommend. My Rating 4/5 stars ****

Sunday 6 March 2011

350 Follower Giveaway!

Hi guys this post has been a long time coming seeing as I reached 350 followers a couple weeks ago now. So here it is my 350 follower giveaway! So here’s what’s up for grabs. A finished Hardcopy of Paranormalcy by Kiersten White OR an arc of Entangled by Cat Clarke. I LOVED both of these books and gave them both 5 stars. So I’m going to make this really simple because I haven’t got much time, want to enter? Of course you do! So here’s all of the important stuff that’s very boring to read but, well, important ^_^
To find out more about Paranormalcy read my review here
To find out more about Entangled read my review here
Rules * Open Internationally * Followers of this blog only (Winners will be checked up on via google name) * Contest ends Monday 14th March * Two winners will be chosen by random.org * The winner will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 1 week to respond. Otherwise, a new winner will be drawn All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment stating which book you would like to win, you can put down both books but please choose a first and second choice. And most importantly include your email address so I can contact you if you win, good luck! :) This Giveaway is now CLOSED and winners have been announced here. Please do not enter as it will not be counted.

In My Mailbox! The Return

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren I’m back baby! Some of you may or may not have noticed my absence of IMM posts over the last month, what with my computer dying and all but everything’s fine now and you can expect regular “freck yeah look at all the pretty books!!” posts from me every Sunday :-) I’m so excited to be back in the game so without further ado let’s bring out the books!
Bought
Clarity by Kim Harrington Haven by Kristi Cook Falling Under by Gwen Hayes Wood Angel by Erin Bow Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon Rosebush by Michele Jaffe You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
For Review/ Won
Where She Went by Gayle Forman ( Thanks Random House! I'm reading this now SO good) Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr ( Thanks Harper Collins! *strokes the pretty*) Girl Meets Cake by Susie Day ( Big thanks to Michelle for hosting such a fab giveaway) So that’s what I got this week! I’m not going to catch up on my month’s worth of books coz to be honest I mean look how many I got this week. Now imagine a month’s worth. It would be crazy times so I’m just going to show what I got each week like normal. SO excited about all of these! If you’ve read any of the books I got this week and want to leave me a comment letting me know what you thought please do and make sure you leave me a link to what you got in your mailbox. Here’s to another week of fantastic reading ahead :-)

Thursday 3 March 2011

It's World Book Day!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a happy world book day! Today’s kind of like a holiday to me so I thought I’d do my part as a book blogger and do a post making people aware of it. Today is a special day where every single person in the world can celebrate the joy of books and reading. I know some schools in the UK are inviting their children to dress up as their favourite book characters and there are a lot of authors going to schools or doing talks at radio stations, bookshops and libraries. Hopefully there’s something fun going on in your area that you can attend, and if not why not make the most of it anyway? Parents take your kids to the library for an hour or spend half hour before bedtime reading them stories. Then of course settle down with a book of your own when the kids are in bed! Non-parents like myself why not go book shopping or to your local library and treat yourself to some new titles? How about a nice soak in the bath with a favourite book? Or if you’re a blogger do a post on anything bookish! There are lots of fantastic ways to celebrate this wonderful day and I for one can’t wait to curl up in bed later tonight with my current read! For more information on world book day visit their website here. If you want to leave a comment letting me know how you or the kids plan on celebrating today feel free I would love to know! I hope that whatever you’re up to you all have a fantastically bookish day!

Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them! (10)

The new feature co-created and co-hosted by LadyViolet and Jess hearts books where we show off a book cover which we find so damn scrumptious that we'd actually be willing to lick it! Every week we each pick a different cover so be sure to check both blogs!
My Pick for this Week
Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr
I received Darkest Mercy for review earlier this week, and as soon as I saw this beautiful cover I knew it was going to be my pick for this week. All of the Wicked Lovely books are stunning, there definitely some of my favourite covers out there and this one doesn’t disappoint in fact it’s one of my favourites! So much detail goes into these covers pretty colours, a gorgeous model, pretty swirly vines around the titles, lots of glitter and sparkles to boot. These covers completely sell the book positively screaming look how pretty we are pick me pick me! I’m not a huge fan of the faerie books that I have read but I don’t mind the Wicked Lovely series. I much prefer the books about Ash, Seth and co and since the final book is about them I’m really eager to read it to see how everything turns out. I think that when you pick these books up you expect to be drawn into a world about beauty and magic and that really is the case with the Wicked Lovely books. I love the covers for this series and if I could hang them up around my house as art I totes would! So that’s my cover for this week. Feel free to leave me comments letting me know what you think of this week’s pick and if you ever get insane lust over a book cover, does a lovely cover influence you buying the book? Let me know and don’t forget to stop by Rachel’s blog to find out what cover she’d like to Lick this week!

Wednesday 2 March 2011

February Round Up and Book of the Month!

February’s book of the month is…Paranormalcy by Kiersten White!
I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump when it comes to paranormal books lately but Paranormalcy totally refreshed me. It was funny, sassy and fast paced and I made a new book BFF in Evie who quickly become my second favourite character (after Rose from Vampire Academy) EVER. I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for an original paranormal read that doesn’t take itself too seriously. To find out more about Paranormalcy and what I thought stop by my review here. I plan on doing a giveaway for this book very soon so be sure to stay tuned for that! Best Plot: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White Best Writing: Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin Best Cover: Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks Best Characters: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White Best Ending: Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks Best Romance: Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting Most un-put-down-able: The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan Most Memorable: The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan Best Moral: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger Books read this month 7.) Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty (3*) 8.) Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin (4*) 9.) The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan (4*) 10.) The DUFF by Kody Keplinger (4.5*) 11.) Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (5*) 12.) Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks (4.5*) 13.) Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting (4*) Top 3 Most Recommended Books: Paranormalcy, Safe Haven and The DUFF Bookish Highlights of the month Februarys been a pretty good month. I got quoted for the first time on a press release for Desires of the Dead which I was thrilled about. I done an author interview with the lovely Savita Kalhan which I enjoyed very much. I got some fab books for review and bought some fab books too! Bookish Lows of the month I’m pleased to say that there haven’t really been any. I have my computer back now and so far so good so it’s onwards and upwards so it seems! :) Book’s I’m looking forward to in March Soooo many fantastic books are coming out this month. I think it’s got to be one of my favourite months for books. Wood Angel by Erin Bow, Rosebush by Michele Jaffe, RSVP by Helen Warner, Clarity by Kim Harrington, Wither by Lauren DeStefano, Girl in the Mirror by Cecelia Ahern and that’s just to name a few off the top of my head, needless to say I am going to be skint come the end of this month :P So that’s my reading for Feb all summed up for you guys. Have you read any of the books I’ve read this month? What were your thoughts on them? Leave me a comment and let me know and don’t forget to treat yourselves to Paranormalcy! – You won’t regret it! Or better yet stop by next week for your chance to win a copy ^_^
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