Dare You To by Katie McGarry Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Bought
Second book in the Pushing the Limits series
Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."
"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....
"I dare you..."
If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....
Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.
But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....


Review
I may not have enjoyed this as much as Pushing the Limits but it was still amazing. This author has honestly become one of my favorites. 

This tells the story of Beth. She if forced to live with her uncle. No one at school knows about her past. Ryan has a past of his own. Ryan and Beth aren't exactly friends. Things start to change and it all starts with a dare. 

I think one of the reasons I didn't enjoy this as much was because I had a hard time connecting with Beth. She was a fabulous character. I was glad to get to read her story. I loved how complex and unique she was.  I just couldn't connect with her. I got annoyed with her a few times when it came to Ryan. I had troubles connecting with Ryan as well. I loved his personality. I loved how he didn't give up. I did end up really loving Beth and Ryan's relationship even though it took awhile. 

One thing I really loved about this story was that I had to wait to see how things would turn out. There is absolutely no predicting with this one. I loved how complex the story was. Ryan and Beth both had complex pasts. I loved getting to know them and seeing them grow together. I was the happiest person ever when we got to see Noah, Echo, and Isaiah. Overall I may not have enjoyed this as much as the first book but it was still amazing. I'm so glad I got to read it! 

Two Year Blogoversary!

 

OMG guys! It's really been two years! We've had the most amazing time in these past two years. We've made so many friends and had so many amazing experiences. This little blog has grown so much in these past two years. It doesn't feel so little anymore! We owe all you readers a big thank you. You've made our work worth it! Hopefully this coming year with be filled with even more amazing things!

 Now onto the fun part! Of course we have a celebratory giveaway for you guys! Over the past year we've found some extra books in our hands. So were going to give them away. Below you will find pictures of the extra books. If the winner doesn't see anything they want we will give them the option at another prize. We will also have an INT ONLY giveaway. If you aren't INT please don't enter! We've had problems with that before. Please no cheating! The US will have two winners and the INT will have one.


We have one copy of each of the books pictured below. The first US winner will pick and then the second will chose from what is left!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

US Giveaway!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/29e2b518/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway



INT Giveaway!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/29e2b519/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday: Into the Dark by Bree Despain

****"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill at the Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.****

My pick this week is:

Into the Dark by Bree Despain

Expected publication: March 11th 2014 by Egmont

Haden Lord, the disgraced prince of the Underrealm, has been sent to the mortal world to entice a girl into returning with him to the land of the dead. Posing as a student at Olympus Hills High—a haven for children of the rich and famous—Haden must single out the one girl rumored to be able to restore immortality to his race.
Daphne Raines has dreams much bigger than her tiny southern Utah town, so when her rock star dad suddenly reappears, offering her full tuition to Olympus Hills High’s prestigious music program, she sees an opportunity to catch the break she needs to make it as a singer. But upon moving into her estranged father’s mansion in California, and attending her glamorous new school, Daphne soon realizes she isn’t the only student in Olympus who doesn’t quite belong.
Haden and Daphne—destined for each other—know nothing of the true stakes their fated courtship entails. As war between the gods brews, the teenagers’ lives collide. But Daphne won’t be wooed easily and when it seems their prophesied link could happen, Haden realizes something he never intended—he’s fallen in love. Now to save themselves, Haden and Daphne must rewrite their destinies. But as their destinies change, so do the fates of both their worlds.

 

It's been forever since I've read a book by this author! I loved her Dark Divine series so much! I'm really excited to see what she does with this series :).

 

Let me know what you guys are waiting on in the comments <3 strong="">

 

Origin by Jennifer Armentrout Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Entangled
Source: Bought
Fourth book in the Lux series
Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.
After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.
All Katy can do is survive.
Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?
Together, they can face anything. 
But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on?
And will they even be together?

Review
I have been dying for this book. That ending in Opal didn't make the wait easy. This didn't beat out Opal for my favorite book in the series but it was insanely amazing. 

Katy is being held prisoner at Mount Weather. Daemon is going to doing anything to get her out. While Daemon tries to rescue Katy, Katy discovers some new information while being held captive. 

Do I even need to tell you how amazing Daemon and Katy are? You should know that by now! Their incredibly bad ass. They have the most adorable relationship on the planet. I loved seeing them stay strong and do whatever they had to do to survive. I also loved seeing all the great secondary characters and even some new ones! 

There was something kinda different about this book. The storyline didn't seen the same as the past books. It wasn't a bad thing at all. There was lots of action but in a different way. I loved getting to know lots of new information. I loved that I had no idea where the story was going. I didn't see any of the twists coming. Overall I thought this was a great addition to the series. I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait for the last book. If you haven't read this series, I highly recommend! 


 

Top Ten Tuesday (38)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

This weeks topic is Top Ten Books I'd recommend to X person. So you can pretty much pick anyone. I'm going to steal someone else's idea and do my future daughter. A lot of these were books I read as a preteen or books that helped me start reading!

1. The Anne of Green Gables series. This was my first classic series that I ever read. I loved it with all my heart.
2. A Little Princess. Another classic that I adored.
3. The Secret Garden. Clearly I had a thing for classics!
4. Shiver series by Maggie Stiefvator. This is one of my all time favorite series.
5. The Warrior Cats by Erin Hunter. I know this is a little kidish but I really loved reading these as a kid. I even read them through some of my teen years :).
6. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This is one of those books I was scared to read but am so glad I did!
7. Delirium by Lauren Oliver. This series just has so much meaning to it!
8. Harry Potter. This is an obvious choice for many obvious reasons.
9. Twilight. This series started my reading life and I will forever love it for that!
10. Percy Jackson. This is like a right of passage for reading!

So as you can see I mixed that one up a little. I think these books are great for all ages! Let me know what you guys would pick in the comments <3 font="">

Waiting on Wednesday: The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

****"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill at the Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.****

My pick this week is:



The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings
Expected release date: June 10th 2014        
from Greenwillow/HarperCollins

An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young's Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision. The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is-although he doesn't know it-one of the MC's programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family? Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.

I've wanted to read this book ever since I first met Lindsay and she told us about it. It sounds so amazing and intense. And the cover is amaze-balls. And Lindsay is super nice and has pretty hair. What else could you want?

What are you waiting on?

Golden by Jessi Kirby Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Source: Conference
Stand Alone
Love, tragedy, and mystery converge in this compelling novel from “an author to watch” (Booklist).
Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.
Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.
Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

Review
Jessi Kirby never ceases to amaze me. This was absolutely amazing. I loved it with all my heart. 

Parker has always been the good girl. She's about to graduate without having ever done anything risky. She gets her hands on Julianna, a town legends, journal. She's determined to discover what really happened all that time ago. 

I loved Parker. I loved seeing her grow throughout the story. She was very relatable. I could see her struggling but still trying. By the end of the story, she was a completely different person. She wasn't changing for anyone but herself. I didn't really like Kat. She was a good friend with good intentions. She just didn't go about things the right way. Trevor, I really liked. He was super cute. I loved how patient he was with Parker. 

I didn't get into this story right away. Once I did, I couldn't put it down. I loved the storyline so much. It had a sense if adventure but was very moving. It definitely wasn't happy all the time. It touched on some pretty serious stuff. I loved not knowing how everything would turn out. I had to wait and see. I really didn't see some of that stuff coming. Overall this was the best summer read. If your in for an adventure, this is for you!



 

October Monthly Wrap Up

Here we are with another wrap up for you guys! Leave us links in the comments to your wrap up post or video!

 

 

Marissa's wrap up

 

 

Jasmine's wrap up

Invisibility by David Leviathan and Andrea Cremer Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Philomel
Source: Conference
Stand Alone
Stephen has been invisible for practically his whole life — because of a curse his grandfather, a powerful cursecaster, bestowed on Stephen’s mother before Stephen was born. So when Elizabeth moves to Stephen’s NYC apartment building from Minnesota, no one is more surprised than he is that she can see him. A budding romance ensues, and when Stephen confides in Elizabeth about his predicament, the two of them decide to dive headfirst into the secret world of cursecasters and spellseekers to figure out a way to break the curse. But things don’t go as planned, especially when Stephen’s grandfather arrives in town, taking his anger out on everyone he sees. In the end, Elizabeth and Stephen must decide how big of a sacrifice they’re willing to make for Stephen to become visible — because the answer could mean the difference between life and death. At least for Elizabeth.

Review
I've never read an invisible story. I was really excited to finally read this. I had some troubles getting into it but once I did, I loved it! 

This tells the story if Stephen and Elizabeth. Stephen is invisible and has been alone for quite some time. Elizabeth moves into his building and can see him. As they grow closer they start to uncover the truth. 

I loved Stephen and Elizabeth. I loved that they didn't need to be together at all times. They made an amazing team but could still manage apart. They kinda jumped into their relationship. It was very fast but understandable. Laurie made a fabulous addition to the story. I loved him and Stephen and Elizabeth with all my heart. 

This had a very magical storyline. It took some time to get going. Once I got into it I couldn't stop reading. I loved the suspense and action. I had no idea where the story was going. I loved that Stephen being invisible wasn't the only aspect of the story. There was tons of magic aspects. Overall I really enjoyed this  it really surprised me. I highly recommend.

 

Waiting on Wednesday: Between the Spark and the Burn by April Genevieve Tucholke

****"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill at the Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.****

My pick this week is:

Between the Spark and the Burn by April Genevieve Tucholke

Expected publication: August 14th 2014 by Dial

The conclusion to Between the Devil and The Deep Blue Sea, this gothic thriller romance with shades of Stephen King and Daphne du Maurier is a must-read for fans of Beautiful Creatures and Anna Dressed in Blood.Freddie once told me that the Devil created all the fear in the world.
But then, the Devil once told me that it's easier to forgive someone for scaring you than for making you cry.
The problem with River West Redding was that he'd done both to me.
The crooked-smiling liar River West Redding, who drove into Violet's life one summer day and shook her world to pieces, is gone. Violet and Neely, River's other brother, are left to worry—until they catch a two a.m. radio program about strange events in a distant mountain town. They take off in search of River but are always a step behind, finding instead frenzied towns, witch hunts, and a wind-whipped island with the thrum of something strange and dangerous just under the surface. It isn't long before Violet begins to wonder if Neely, the one Redding brother she thought trustworthy, has been hiding a secret of his own . . .
Between the Spark and the Burn is the heart-pounding conclusion to the �lavishly rendered, darkly romantic, and beautifully unsettling

 

I may have had some mixed feelings about the first book  but that doesn't mean I'm not really excited for this one. I can't wait to see where this author takes this story!

 

Let me know what you guys are waiting on in the comments!

 

Drink Divine by Aryn Cordner Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Self Published
Source: Author
First book in the Drink Divine series
*This was gifted to me by author for review*
In late nineteenth century London, seventeen-year-old Selena Bancroft has been blessed with beauty and fortune—and the expectation that she marry when she comes of age.
Consumed with wanderlust, a beau is the last thing Selena wants. However, there is something inexplicable about Gabriel Easton that draws Selena’s attention.
When she decides to spend the summer in Germany away from the hated social season, Selena brazenly flouts her debutante duties—despising the dresses, the suitors, and feeling like a pretty trinket at auction—and is unexpectedly drawn into Gabriel’s world. But Gabriel has a secret, one that will change Selena’s world forever. Will she willingly sacrifice everything for the one thing she never wanted?


Review
It's been awhile since I read a vampire story. I enjoyed this but it didn't wow me. 

This tells the story of Selena. She's taken to Germany in hopes of avoiding the social season. She doesn't expect to find a relationship but she's drawn to Gabriel in more ways than one. 

I think I enjoyed this story the most because of Selena. She was a fabulous main character. Her personality was very well done. I loved how she handled her family. She stood up for herself without being rude. Gabriel was also a great character. I loved how sweet he was. His family was a little interesting but still well done. I didn't really see a lot of vampire aspects other than the blood of course. They seemed almost perfectly normal to me. 

This was a very historical read. It was set in an older time. I really enjoyed that aspect of the story. There wasn't a lot of vampire. That kinda threw me off because this is a vampire story. We didn't get to see a lot of that side. There was a fair share of action. There was lots and lots of suspense. I had trouble putting it down. Overall I did enjoy this. I did wish for more vampire aspects though. If your a fan of historical times, this is for you! 




 

Top Ten Tuesday (37)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

This weeks topic is Top Ten Sequels I can't wait to get my hands on. This is such a fun topic! I'm gonna make this more books in a series instead of just sequels!

1. The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. Dude I am seriously dying for this book. It's the last book in the mara dyer series.
2. Perfect Lies by Kiersten White. I cannot wait to see how she wraps up this series! This is the second and final book in the mind games series.
3. Infinite by Jodi Meadows. This is another last book in the series. I'm dying to see how it all ends.
4. Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi. I know I'm not the only one eagerly waiting on this pretty.
5. Between the Spark and the Burn by April Genevieve Tucholke . The cover is one of the reasons I'm dying to read this. It's so pretty!
6. Steadfast by Claudia Gray. I just read Spellcaster and the wait is already killing me!
7. Evertrue by Brodi Ashton. This is another last book in a series.
8. Empower by Jessica Shirvington. This is such a long series and it has my whole heart. I can't wait to see how it all ends.
9. The Warrior by Victoria Scott. I'm a new fan to this series but still a big fan.
10. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor. Another last book in a series.

Well that's it for me! Let me know what you would chose in the comments!