Month: June 2015

Jun 30
Faking Perfect by Rebecca Phillips – Review & Giveaway

Faking Perfect by Rebecca Phillips – Review & Giveaway

Giveaways (Ended), Reviews 14 ★★★★½

This book was so incredibly thought-provoking, I couldn’t sleep after finishing it because I just couldn’t stop thinking about it! I have to confess that I was nervous when the book started out – I wasn’t necessarily thrilled with all of Lexi’s choices, and I wondered if the theme of the book was going to be that Lexi should be “who she was” – bad choices and all – without worrying so much about the consequences. I discovered, though, that this was not the theme of the book at all. Yes, Lexi accepting herself was a huge part of the story, but so was Lexi realizing that she wasn’t truly who she thought she was – and that maybe others weren’t either. The synopsis sums up the story pretty well, so I’m going to jump right into my review. What I LOVED: Everything is not as it seems. Like I said,… Read more »

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Jun 29
Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway – 5 Star Review

Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway – 5 Star Review

Reviews 11 ★★★★★

This book was so much more than I expected it to be! Okay, for some reason I didn’t go back and reread the synopsis before I picked this one up. I just noticed that a lot of people I trust (I’m talking to you, Shannon at It Starts at Midnight) had loved it and realized that it had just been released, so I decided to go for it. All I remembered was that it was a romance between two people named Emmy and Oliver (you see how perceptive I can be!). Well, it was a romance, but it was so much MORE! This book had me feeling everything and I am definitely in love! So, in case you’re like me and you didn’t read the synopsis very well. Oliver was kidnapped by his father when he was seven. His kidnapping has a profound effect on not only his mother, but also on… Read more »

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Jun 28
Sunday Post & Giveaways Galore 6/28/15

Sunday Post & Giveaways Galore 6/28/15

Sunday Post 21

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on my blog and share news about what’s coming up in the week ahead. Last week on FYFA (and in my life): Have to share at least one picture of Colorado. We’ve had tons of fun! This is the family on Mt. Bierstadt – a 14,000 foot mountain! My husband and kids actually made it all the way to the top. I actually couldn’t keep up with them – I only made it to 13,500 and then let them head up that last 500 themselves (they had to basically scale a huge thing of rocks – my husband was so impressed that the kids did it!). Meanwhile, I sat and read a book on my Kindle. LOL! Just as I predicted a… Read more »

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Jun 27
The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi – Review

The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi – Review

Reviews 14 ★★★★

The Night We Said Yes is a sweet, fun romance with a unique spin – it’s told over the span of just two nights. The book switches back and forth between the night that Ella and Matt met and a night, a year later, when he returns after disappearing for six months. You learn about their relationship in between through Ella’s thoughts and memories on the latter night.  What I loved: The alternating story. I really enjoyed learning about Ella and Matt’s beginnings as it was interspersed with their current story. I thought that Gibaldi did a great job of weaving the two stories together. Most of the connection between Emmy and Oliver was built in the past, on the first day they met, but it never felt like insta-love because you knew you weren’t seeing their full relationship in that one night. You got to see how Ella and Matt got… Read more »

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Jun 23
My Ten Favorite Top Ten Topics

My Ten Favorite Top Ten Topics

Top Ten Tuesday 15

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is: My Ten Favorite Top Ten Topics I’ve Ever Done Top Ten Tuesday has been around for five years! In honor of the meme’s birthday, The Broke and the Bookish asked us to list our favorite TTT topics ever! I haven’t been around since the beginning, but there have been plenty of TTTs I’ve loved! Clicking on the book cover will bring you to the post that featured that book! Top Ten Covers – The very first TTT I ever participated in was my top ten covers. I’m a sucker for a pretty cover!! Top Ten Books that Should be Required Reading – These books should totally be taught in school! Top Ten Unusual Character Names – So many crazy character names! Top Ten Covers I Wish I Could Redesign – Again, my obsession with covers. Top Ten Books that Made Me Cry – I LOVE books that make me cry! Top… Read more »

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Jun 21
Sunday Post & Giveaways Galore – 6/21/15

Sunday Post & Giveaways Galore – 6/21/15

Sunday Post 8

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on my blog and share news about what’s coming up in the week ahead. Last week on FYFA (and in my life): Colorado is beautiful! I’ll update you more on that later, though. Like I said, my presence on the blog and the blogosphere is spotty right now, but I’m trying to stay in the loop! Here’s what you may have missed on the blog last week: Two of Hearts by Christina Lee (review) I Am the Traitor by Allen Zadoff (review) Scorched by Jennifer L. Armentrout (release blitz and giveaway) Let’s Discuss – I’ve Met You, Now I NEED to Read You! Read This Round-up – A collection of reviews and book giveaways from around the web (hosted by Karen as Kissin’ Blue Karen) Next week on… Read more »

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Jun 20
I’ve Met You, Now I NEED to Read You! – Let’s Discuss

I’ve Met You, Now I NEED to Read You! – Let’s Discuss

Let's Discuss, RT 14

This is the third in a series of discussions that I’m planning based on my experiences at RT 2015 (you can check out my posts on faith in blogging and diversity by clicking the links!). These are thoughts that were inspired by specific panels, or by books from RT, or just by random passing things that happened there. I love that events like this help me to think critically about books, blogging and the publishing world in general!   Today, I just felt like posting something light and fun, so I thought I’d talk about how meeting an author and having a personal encounter with them makes you need to read their books! First off, when you go to a conference like RT, there are SO many authors there. Tons of authors, some that you know and some that you don’t. There are a few different reactions to meeting an author at RT: I have… Read more »

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Jun 17
I Am the Traitor by Allen Zadoff – Review

I Am the Traitor by Allen Zadoff – Review

Reviews 3 ★★★★

***NOTE: This review is for the third book in a series and may contain spoilers for the first two books. Click on the links to read my reviews of I Am the Weapon and I Am the Mission.*** I Am the Traitor is the exciting conclusion to the Unknown Assassin Trilogy. It’s full of just what I’ve come to expect from this series – action, intrigue, double crossing, twists and a dash of romance. In this book, Zach is on the run, trying to discover what really happened to his father all those years ago. In order to do that, he has to rescue Howard, who has been captured and who Zach is sure is being questioned – and possibly worse – so that the Program can find out what Zach knows. Of course, Zach can’t manage this rescue mission completely alone, but he doesn’t know who he should trust. There’s Mike,… Read more »

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Jun 14
Sunday Post & Giveaways Galore – 6/14/15

Sunday Post & Giveaways Galore – 6/14/15

Sunday Post 25

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on my blog and share news about what’s coming up in the week ahead. Last week on FYFA (and in my life): Well, as predicted, I lost a few followers after last week’s faith discussion, but I’m totally fine with that. The overall effect was only one Bloglovin’ follower. (Typically, every week I gain some Bloglovin’ followers. The ONLY times I’ve ever see a negative number are this week and one other week where I talked about a semi-controversial blogging topic – following back. So I can say with almost absolute certainty that the dip correlates to the discussion topic). I’m not sad that I lost a few followers, but I am sad that the mere mention of faith sends some people running… Read more »

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Jun 11
Reading and Writing Diversity – Let’s Discuss

Reading and Writing Diversity – Let’s Discuss

Let's Discuss 37

This is the second in a series of discussions that I’m planning based on my experiences at RT 2015. These are thoughts that were inspired by specific panels, or by books from RT, or just by random passing things that happened there. I love that events like this help me to think critically about books, blogging and the publishing world in general! Today’s topic is diversity. I tend to gravitate toward diverse books, especially books that show interracial couples or characters. My youngest son is black (he’s adopted from Haiti), and I think I like to imagine a world where that isn’t the least bit odd. (I do have to say that, living in the Chicago suburbs, I’ve almost never had anyone look at our family with anything more than mild curiosity, and that is a true blessing. I know that wouldn’t be the case everywhere.) Anyway, I attended two different… Read more »

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