Cover Characteristic #2 - Stars

Cover Characteristic is a weekly meme hosted by Sugar & Snark.  Each week they pick a characteristic and then all the participants choose 5 of their favorite cover's with that characteristic.  

I am going to try to pick books from my own library to fit the weekly characteristic whenever it's possible and this week's characteristic is:  Stars

Here's 5 books I found from my TBR with a star or multiple stars on the cover.

Blame It On The Stars by Jamie HIll

Unpredictable by Eileen Cook

Seeing Stars by Vanessa Grant

When Stars Collide by Tammy Robinson

and my favorite Stars cover in my library is

Star Fish by Nicola May

I haven't had the chance to read any of these so cannot comment on how good they are, but maybe there is a book you've read.  Please let me know!

Stacking the Shelves #2

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, in which bloggers share the books they've received in the past week!  

Another week where I couldn't keep my mouse from clicking on the ebooks section of Amazon.  Here's 12 of the books that I've downloaded this week!

Discovered by Kim Black

Kicking Eternity by Ann Lee Miller

Cape Maybe by Carol Fragale Brill

Fall From Love by Heather London

In Your Dreams by Amy Martin

Release by Rebecca Lynn

Risk Worth Taking by Melissa Klein

Ruined By You by Kelly Harper

Swift by Heather London

The Positive Paradigm by Dr. Diana Salas

Bosom Bodies by Maria Grazia Swan

Legal Affairs:  Objection by Sawyer Bennett

Only one author that I've had the privilege of reading before and that's Sawyer Bennett.  If her Legal Affairs episodic series is even a quarter as good as her Off series,  it's going to be a hit!! 

2 questions for you - have you read any of these yet and what books have you added to your stacks this week?

Friday 56 (#2) A Beautiful Mess

This is a fun meme to do hosted by Freda's Voice.  All you have to do is grab a book (any book will do)!  Turn to either page 56 or 56% in your ereader.  Find a sentence or two that grab your attention and then post it and link it here.


I'm a day late with my Friday 56, but only because yesterday was so crazy.  So here's what I picked out for my selection this week:

from A Beautiful Mess by T.K. Leigh

About the Book: 

What happens when you lose everyone that promised they would always be there for you? How can you protect the few pieces of your shattered heart that remain?

Olivia Adler is a woman with a troubled past. After losing her parents at the young age of six and being raised by an uncle who she lost years later, she refuses to get attached to anyone, including friends. For the past decade, she has been able to remain unattached to any man, too worried about losing someone to get too close. Until Alexander Burnham walks into her life one night and changes everything. But he has issues of his own. And he’s keeping a secret that could turn Olivia's world upside-down. Will Olivia let Alexander in enough for him to get close and protect her from a force threatening her very existence, or will she push him away, scared of letting Alexander in, in order to protect her heart?

A Beautiful Mess is the first installment of a three part series sure to captivate the heart with a story of secrets, courage, and love.

My Notes:

The ratings on Goodreads for A Beautiful Mess are all over the place.  It seems you either love it or barely like it, so I'm hopeful that I'll be among the loving it crowd.   I've moved it up to near the top of my TBR list and hope to get it very soon so I'll be able to let you know if I'm in the loving it crowd. 

What's Next Thursday? The Reluctant Bachelorette, Matchplay or Fall Into My Heart?

Hosted by: IceyBooks

Description: Can’t decide what to read next? Make a post with 3 books you want to (or have to!) read soon and link up every Thursday at IceyBooks, so your readers can help you decide by casting votes!

I'm still working on getting all 3 books read from last week's What's Next choices, but here's 3 more romances that are on my to-read-soon list.  Have you read any of these?  

Matchplay by Dakota Madison (Book #1 in the Matchplay series)

A Girl, a Guy, a Tournament and a Challenge

The Girl: At a time when most girls obsess about homecoming and high school prom, Rainy Dey spent her senior year caring for her dying mother. So when her father drops her off at college to start her freshman year, his words of advice to his bookish daughter are to start acting like a young person and finally have some fun.

The Guy: College senior, Aaron Donavan, aka Mr. Hot-and-Knows-It, is President of the Clubhouse, a social club for the college’s most wealthy and popular guys. Aaron can have any girl on campus except the one who challenges and excites him the most—Rainy Dey.

The Tournament: Every year, the senior members of The Clubhouse engage in a golf-inspired tournament to see who can sleep with the most freshman girls. When Rainy finds out about the tournament, she believes Aaron’s only interest in her is to score points by taking her V-Card.

The Challenge: Can Aaron convince Rainy that his feelings for her are true and that she won’t be just another notch on his tournament scorecard?

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The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Renee Anderson

Luke Carney has no idea what possessed him to move back to Shelter Springs, Colorado, to set up his veterinarian practice. His parents have long since left, the small farming community is on the brink of extinction, and only one close friend from his childhood remains--Taycee Emerson, his best friend’s little sister, who isn’t so little anymore. 

Then there’s the matter of Shelter’s Bachelorette, an online reality dating show created to raise some much needed funds for the town. 

Unwittingly cast as the bachelorette, Taycee wants out, especially when she discovers that Luke, her childhood crush, is back in town and will be one of the bachelors. To make matters worse, it's up to the viewers--not her--to decide which bachelors stay or go. And they all seem to like Luke.

Unwilling to let him break her heart again, Taycee launches a subtle attack on Luke’s good name with the hope of getting him voted off the show. But she’d forgotten that Luke's an eye-for-an-eye kind of guy, and when he discovers what she's up to, it means revenge

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Fall Into My Heart by Rebecca Elise (Book #1 in the Subzero series)

Three months after finding her fiancé in bed with another woman, Chloe Carver decides she needs a change and relocates from New York to London.

Her hope is that she will become more daring and impulsive. What she doesn’t expect is Jack, her hot rocker neighbor, who manages to turn her from a confident young woman into a bumbling fool at the sight of his crooked smile and gorgeous blue eyes. She makes the decision to avoid him at all costs, which seems like it could possibly work until she realizes that she is the new publicist for his band.

Sparks quickly fly between Chloe and Jack and they jump head first into a relationship. Add in the never ending antics of Jack’s band mates, a high maintenance actress and a playboy surfer and Chloe’s life becomes more exciting than she ever thought it could be. Just when things seem to being going so well, a surprise visit from Chloe’s ex will bring everything to a screeching halt.

Will Jack and Chloe’s relationship be strong enough to survive or will other factors be enough to tear them apart?

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Which one do you think I should read first?    Please leave me a comment with your choice for me!

"Waiting On Wednesday" - Because of Ellison by M.S. Willis

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My can't wait til it's out choice for this week is:

Because of Ellison by M.S. Willis

"What do you do when a girl walks into your life and challenges everything you know?  You hold onto her and never let her go."

About the Book:When I was nineteen years old, I lived for sex, drugs and a good party. I had it all - good looks, a fast car and a hot girlfriend. Nothing in life was more important. 

That was, until I met Ellison James….

Since the moment I first saw her she was a raging bull; tackling me in the mud and throwing out insults as fast as her tongue could form the sound. 

She was snarky 
She was rude 
And she pissed me off like no other woman could.

I lived beside her for a summer and in the three months that I walked by her side...

She opened my eyes
She changed my life
And she made me a better man

My notes

I've heard only great things about this book and this author, so I'm intrigued to learn Hunter and Ellison's story.  According the rave reviews  on Goodreads left by readers who were fortunate enough to have read an ARC, I'm looking forward to reading a book that is sure to hit my emotions hard! 

Expected Publication date 1/14/14 

Classified as New Adult Romance 

Top Ten Bookish (or not) Resolutions of 2014

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme sponsored by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's Top Ten list is all about our resolutions (book related or not or a combination of both) for 2014. 

Here's mine: 

1. I've been giving each book I read a star rating on GoodReads, but in 2014, I resolve to also give a review to each book, even if it's just a short one.

2. I resolve that barring any unforeseen circumstances where I do not have internet access (storms, power outage, etc.) that I will make a new post for my blog each and every day.   In the case of no internet access, I will play catchup and have a minimum of 1 post for each day that I was unable to post.

3. I resolve that by the end of 2014, I WILL have edited the metadata for each book i have in calibre to include the summary blurb and a picture of the cover, as both of these will help considerably when I'm trying to find a book to fit a specific challenge requirement.

4. I resolve to remember that it's ok to not finish a book if it's one that I don't like.  Luckily it's rare that I decide on a book only to find that I'm watching the percent meter on the kindle hoping that each page will make that number jump by leaps and bounds.   There's just too many great books out there that I shouldn't feel guilty if I pick one that is just for me.  (Exceptions of course will go to books I receive for a review.  I will still force my way through in hopes that the book improves as I go along.)

5. I resolve to read as many books as possible of my already existing TBR list instead of my newer additions.

6. I resolve to become more involved with the book blogging community.

7.   I resolve to leave more posts on the blogs that I visit.

8.  I resolve to get my 11 year old son excited about cooking by having him plan and cook at least 1 meal per week. 

9.  I resolve to spend more time playing board or card games with my boys, especially since my 9 year old is finally at the point where he does not have a breakdown if he does not win a game.

10. I resolve to try to remember to take my digital camera and/or video camera to more of their sporting events/ school events so that I can share these events with family who are unable to attend. 

What are your top ten resolutions for 2014? 

My Review - Friends & Lovers Trilogy by Bethany Lopez

About the Books:  Friends and Lovers Trilogy is a compilation of 3 stories written by Bethany Lopez:  Make It Last,  I Choose You and Trust In Me. 

Make It Last

In a small town, it's hard to recover from being dumped by your high school sweetheart. That's just what Briana has to do after Colin leaves her to follow his dreams. She focuses her energy into her friendships and the pursuit of her own goal of becoming a chef. Just when she finally feels like she's on the right path, he comes back to town.

Colin knew breaking up with Briana before leaving for college was the right thing to do. He was determined to leave small-town life behind forever, and that included his high school girlfriend. But when a sports injury puts him on the sidelines, he's forced to return home. Seeing Briana again brings back a lot of memories, and Colin wonders if he made the right decision. It doesn't take long for him to realize he wants her back, and this time, he wants to make it last.

I Choose You

Up until now, Nicole's life has been mapped out for her. She'd go to college, marry Jake and become the upstanding minister's wife. When she leaves that life to begin again in a small town in Texas, she finally has the freedom to live as she chooses. There, she meets Kent, a guy whose charm and passion make it hard to stick to her morals.

Dodging his father’s fists and protecting his twin sister made Kent into the man he is today. He learned by watching his mother stay by his father’s side that it’s better to keep relationships simple. Then he meets Nicole. Her sweet smile and genuine response to him land like punches to his resolve. After a lifetime of learning to protect his heart, can he finally let down his guard?

Trust In Me

Roni’s dreams of becoming a contemporary dancer were smashed under the brutal rage of her ex-husband's fists. Getting divorced and starting over at the age of twenty-two was never her plan, but maybe in Texas, she'll find her path. When the town's local player, Rich, opens a Rec Center, she sees a way to rekindle her dancing dreams...and maybe have a little fun with her sexy new boss.

Rich never expected to fulfill his dreams in the town he planned to leave behind, but that's just what he's doing. His reputation as a noncommittal ladies' man might make it challenging to earn respect in the business world, but he's willing to prove that he's serious. In fact, when it comes to pursuing Roni, he's more than willing. But she's taking a page out of his book, not wanting to risk another relationship. Can he convince her that his playboy days are over and that she can trust him with her heart?

My Rating & Review:

✶✶✶✶

I received a complimentary copy of The Friends & Lovers Trilogy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved all 3 stories and I especially loved that this compilation had a bonus chapter for each couple featured in the 3 stories.

Sometimes I need a quick, light hearted romance and the first story, Make It Last gave me that. There was just enough angst from Briana regarding her feelings towards Colin and of course with the ex-girlfriend drama to make it a believable story - no romance ever goes down without some kind of issue somewhere!

In I Choose You, I was glad that Kent was able to move on from his feelings for Briana and I'm glad that Nicole was willing to give him a chance. These characters also had a believable story. Kent had found his own way after a tumultuous childhood with his family life and Nicole had found her own way, not giving into living her life in the path her parents would have chosen for her.

Finally, Trust in me. This story was my favorite of the three. It had a broken girl and a guy willing to stand beside her and help her move on from her past. My heart broke for Roni for all the junk she'd been through and I absolutely loved Rich for changing his playboy ways and giving her the time and space she needed while she worked out her feelings.

These stories were so well written and the book flowed easily from each story to the next and most importantly it followed the same timeline. It involved such a great group of friends and I loved how each couple kept making appearances as the stories went along so we could keep track of their relationship's progression. And I especially loved the bonus chapters at the end for each couple so we could see what happened a bit down the road.

I would absolutely recommend this trilogy to anyone who is looking for a fun, lighthearted romance series which has no cliffhangers or any huge surprises.