Book Review: Dare you to by Katie McGarry

AUTHOR: Katie McGarry

PUBLISHER: HarlequinTeen

PAGES: 456

STAND ALONE/SERIES: Pushing the limit Series (Pushing the limits, Crash into you, Take me On, Red at night, Crossing the line)

SOURCE: Netgalley

OUTLINE:
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..

MY THOUGHTS

Quick Thought

There are very few authors who have the ability to make me laugh one minute and then tear up the next, but Katie McGarry does an awesome job at it. I mean just read my review for Pushing the Limits or Crossing the line and you'll see. Whether it's a full length novel or a novella Katie McGarry knows how to capture my heart with her words. 

"That must be love: When everything else in the world could implode and you wouldn't care as long as you had that one person standing beside you."-Beth 

"We stayed because we were stray pieces of other puzzles, tired of never fitting." -Beth 

I love seeing the character(s) become so vulnerable when the whole time they try and keep that "don't give a fuck attitude."

PACING

I have no complaints with the pacing of Dare you to. Sometimes books are meant to be told slowly so we can enjoy and savor those moments in the characters lives when something happens that we know will make or break them.

"Finally, in a swift movement, she lays her head on my chest and curls the rest of her body around me."-Ryan

"Beth feels like this storm. Constant and persistent as a whole, but the more I get close and try to clutch the individual drops of rain, the more the water falls out of my hands." -Ryan

I love this push and pull thing Ryan and Beth have going on. Beth trying to push him away all while Ryan is trying to pull her in. Show her that there is something more then the life she had in Louisville. It's a constant struggle for them both, and somewhere down that road they're going to realize that what they both need, is each other.

CHARACTERS
I don't remember much about Beth in Pushing the Limits, actually I can't remember anything. It could be that I read it almost 2 years ago and she was just a secondary character. I'm glad we got to read about her though because her story, although sad at times is an inspiration to people who go through their lives on a daily basis like she was. #girlyouraninspiration

I'm glad that Ryan wasn't just another jock. On the outside he seemed perfect, but we soon find out that perfection is just something everyone hopes to be. Perfection is a myth. Ryan struggles throughout the book to find balance in his life. Little did he know that the taco bell girl would be just that. #notjustadumbjock

"I hold the bottle out into the rain and watch as the steady flow slowly fills it. Whene there is enough, enough that Beth can clearly see, I close the bottle and hand it to her. She raises a skeptical eyebrow, but accepts the bottle. It's our rain Beth. Her head barely shakes to show her confusin while I rub the back of my neck and search for my courage. I told you I loved you in this rain and when you doubt my words, I want you to look at this bottle." -Ryan

There were quite a few secondary characters Logan, Chris, Lacey, Gwen and more. The ones that stood out the most were Ryans friends because no matter what Ryan did they were always there to tell him what's what. 

"Drama! Lacey purposely blocks my view of Gwen's ass. She was nothing but drama. Remember? You said, Lacy, there's nothing real about her, and I said, I know, and I happily threw and I told you so in your face. Then you said, Don't let me go back to her, and I said, Can I rip off your balls if you attempt it, and you said...No. I said no because Lacy would actually do it, and I prefer my balls attached." -Ryan and Lacy

ENDING

I loved the ending, and happy with it and Beth deserved it too. I mean there's not much else to say. The gif explains it all. :)

Book Review: Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

AUTHOR: Becca Fitzpatrick

PUBLISHER: Simon and Schuseter for Young Readers

PAGES: 448

STAND ALONE/SERIES: Series, (Hush Hush, Crescendo, Finale)

SOURCE: Gift

OUTLINE:

WHEN SILENCE IS ALL THAT'S LEFT, CAN THE TRUTH FINALLY BE HEARD?

Nora Grey can't remember the past five months of her life. After the initial shock of waking up in a cemetery and being told that she has been missing for weeks - with no one knowing where she was or who she was with - she tried to get her life back on track. Go to school, hang out with her best friend, Vee, and dodge mom's creepy new boyfriend.

But there is this voice in the back of her head, an idea that she can almost reach out and touch. Visions of angel wings and unearthly creatures that have nothing to do with the life she knows.

And this unshakable feeling that a part of her is missing.

Then Nora crosses paths with a sexy stranger, whom she feels a mesmerizing connection to. He seems to hold all the answers...and her heart. Every minute she spends with him grows more and more intense until she realizes she could be falling in love. Again

MY THOUGHTS

Quick Thought

This was probably the least favorite book of mine out of the series so far. I just couldn't get into it like I had with the first two books. I don't know if it had to do with Nora and her memory loss or what but yeah not the favorite. In other thoughts, I see why it was titled Silence. #silenceikeelu (Yes that was Achmed the dead terrorist. Jeff Dunham anybody?)

PACING

What is with me and these slow paced books recently, you would think I'd learn or something. Unlike, most people I see that DNF books I can't give up after 50 pages if I'm bored. Hell I can't give up after 100 pages. I just keep on trucking, and hope to the heavens that it'll get interesting. I guess eventually it did because we finally get to learn who this black hand is (unless we learned in book 2 but I don't think we did), who Jev is (which by the way I totally had it figured out from the beginning.) but other than those there wasn't a moment where I was like "this is what I've been waiting...this is why I kept reading" it was more of a "I started the series and I want to finish it plus there is one more book" type thing. Is that horrible to say?

CHARACTERS

I wasn't really a Nora fan in this book because she seemed helpless, and granted she had a reason to be (read on) don't let these people push you around like some kind of merry go round. I guess I also kind of felt bad for Nora after having to go through what she went through, and then have pretty much everyone she loved and trusted lie to her about what actually happened. I get they wanted to protect her from the angel formerly known as Patch, but still it's her life shouldn't she know about it. Stop trying to kick her when she's already down. Pick her up and make her that strong Nora we know. #itsmylifeandillknowifiwantto 

I'm a little disappointed in Vee, Nora's best friend, she's suppose to be one of those people who don't lie to her. Who tell her like it is. I know from reading the other books that Vee was like that. Even the author said people hated Vee's character because she was blunt  (If I'm not mistaken) and publishers didn't like her. (Becca Fitzpatrick signing. I got this from youtube, and it's not mine.) but I loved in Hush, Hush and Crescendo so seeing her this way was a little bit of a let down. :(  #willtherealveepleasestandup

FYI: This paragraph will give away info you may not want until you read this book. 

Okay, so had I not figured out who Jev was in the book I was going to be unhappy for awhile, but I think in the back of my mind and in my gut I knew who he was. Let's say I'm glad I was right. His interactions with Nora, and the way he talked to her despite being a complete butthead sometimes I knew. He would never have let anything happen to her. Well besides the amnesia thing. I think that was him again trying to protect her from what he saw as a threat. Patch will always be Patch to me. I'm not a fan of him changing his name to Jev. It's undeniable that Nora and Patch are meant to be. #Notchforeva I love doing that.

ENDING

This was actually an ending I could deal with, but sadly (or happily however you want to see it) there is one more book, and I'm hoping it will be satisfying like this, okay well maybe not full on like it. You get the picture. So yes, in the beginning I thought the story was slow, but the ending brought it up. #anendingicouldendwith

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer Reading List

Hi everybody! How's everyone's week been going? 

 If you want to see all the other top ten post head on over to The Broke and the Bookish.

Some of these are for book tours. Others are the last book in a series I need to finish. Then some are full series I want to start. The other few are books I want to read because I haven't read anything by that author yet. :)

Fun: They call me...Werewolf Edition(1)

Hey Readers/bloggers! 

I thought I'd try to start a small feature here called "They Call Me..." 

Have any of you every heard of Ron White? Yes..No. Well if you have then that's why the line "They call me" sounds familiar. If not then let me explain, Ron White is a comedian and one of his jokes (and title of an album I think) is called They call me Tater Salad. So basically that's it. :)

What this feature is about is having fun and making up those names from the Name generators. You know what I'm talking about right? Usually, you'll see them pop up on your facebook feed. I'm always seeing them and sometimes I'll answer them by putting it in a comment. I thought it would be fun to have a place where everyone can see each others. After you figure out what your name is put it in the comment section below and let's have fun and talk about the names that it makes.

I might even get brave and actually make a few name generators myself once I feel comfortable with this feature. I have a few in mind already, and it's book related what! Also I'm going to try and add some gifs that fit with it because people seem to love gifs!

My very first will be The Werewolf name generator

My name is White Beast-Married
White Crescent-Maiden

Tv Show Trailer: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Pilot to the series Delirium by Lauren Oliver playing on HULU

Readers/bloggers and everyone else have you seen this yet? 

If not give it a watch and then read on.

What'd you think?

I'm sure if you've read the books then you have to have some sort of opinion about it. I actually just read all three books back to back in the past month or so...so I'm down for this to be a show. I really enjoyed the books. Okay, the last one, failed a little bit, but overall it really was a great series. Seeing it brought to life for just that minute and twenty two seconds was awesome. Now granted I saw Lena as a completely different person. I'm not sure Emma Roberts is right. I picture Lena as this stronger person not this tiny little girl. Sorry Emma I love you in your other movies. The casting looks all kinds of wrong, but that is just my opinion. Casting for any movie/shows that come from what we read will never fit what our image of them looks like in our mind.

My Reviews for the Books
|Delirium| |Pandemonium| |Requiem|

Why can't I have it now? (3)

We've all seen those widgets where it counts down to the minute when the book comes out that we've been patiently waiting for. Most of them you see on the sides of people blogs. Most of the time I would say that's okay, but after one or two are up it starts to get to crowded for my taste.

Here is my solution to that.
Every Month I will try and find some widgets to put up for the next two months or so. Since I'm just now starting this it'll have books that I want to read that come out in January only. I may or may not put up another Countdown page at the beginning of January or middle. Those will have February and March ones. Make sense? I will add t this page if I find more for january. :)

Expected Publication July 1
I was bred to be the perfect pet. I was bred for my beauty and grace, to be a showpiece, an ornament to sit upon the couch, to sing, to dance, to play the piano and paint. I was bred to willingly put my owner's happiness before my own. Until Penn. The handsome and rebellious son of the congressman who owns me, he's the only person who's seen past my perfect exterior to the girl underneath. Falling for him is forbidden. Falling for him is freeing. But there's a dark underworld lurking beneath my pampered life. The only thing more dangerous than staying with Penn's family is escaping it, because if I fail, I face a fate far worse than death... For fans of Kiera Cass's Selection series and Lauren DeStefano's Chemical Garden series, Perfected is a chilling look at what it means to be human, as well as a stunning celebration of the power of love to set us free, wrapped in a glamorous—and dangerous—bow

Expected Publication July 8th
In this gripping conclusion to The Forsaken Trilogy, Alenna’s loyalties are put the ultimate test—and it’s one of life and death. Alenna Shawcross and the others who escaped the wheel are working toward an all-out assault on the United Northern Alliance. The plan is to dismantle it from the inside—and Alenna is one of the few people who can access the organization’s inner sanctum. But when she returns to the home she has nearly forgotten, she encounters old friends and is swept into a secret plan that puts everything she loves in danger. Knowing what is at stake for her and her friends, Alenna ventures into the heart of the treacherous UNA. She’s determined to bring them down, because freedom is the only choice. Or is it?

Expected publication July 15th
In this timeless new trilogy about love and sacrifice, a princess must find her place in a reborn world. In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met. On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.

Expected Publication July 22nd
Delancy Sullivan has always known there’s more to reality than what people see. Every time someone makes a choice, a new, parallel world branches off from the existing one. Eating breakfast or skipping it, turning left instead of right, sneaking out instead of staying in bed ~ all of these choices create an alternate universe in which an echo self takes the road not travelled and makes the opposite decision. As a Walker, someone who can navigate between these worlds, Del’s job is to keep all of the dimensions in harmony. Normally, Del can hear the dissonant frequency that each world emits as clear as a bell. But when a training session in an off-key world goes horribly wrong, she is forbidden from Walking by the Council. But Del’s not big on following the rules and she secretly starts to investigate these other worlds. Something strange is connecting them and it’s not just her random encounters with echo versions of the guy she likes, Simon Lane. But Del’s decisions have unimaginable consequences and, as she begins to fall for the Echo Simons in each world, she draws closer to a truth that the Council of Walkers is trying to hide ~ a secret that threatens the fate of the entire multiverse.

Expected Publication August 5th
Revenge is a dish best served cold. Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn't imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She's not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, and he's impossible to forget. In one short summer, her entire life changes, and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly... bad things are happening. It's a heady rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turns from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil's bargains, she isn't sure who—or what--she can trust. Not even her own mind.

>

Expected Publication August 5th
In a city of walls and secrets, where only one man is supposed to possess magic, seventeen-year-old Kai struggles to keep hidden her own secret—she can manipulate the threads of time. When Kai was eight, she was found by Reev on the riverbank, and her “brother” has taken care of her ever since. Kai doesn’t know where her ability comes from—or where she came from. All that matters is that she and Reev stay together, and maybe one day move out of the freight container they call home, away from the metal walls of the Labyrinth. Kai’s only friend is Avan, the shopkeeper’s son with the scandalous reputation that both frightens and intrigues her. Then Reev disappears. When keeping silent and safe means losing him forever, Kai vows to do whatever it takes to find him. She will leave the only home she’s ever known and risk getting caught up in a revolution centuries in the making. But to save Reev, Kai must unravel the threads of her past and face shocking truths about her brother, her friendship with Avan, and her unique power

Expected Publication: August 15th

A fever ravages New London, but with the Brotherhood sending suspected witches straight to the gallows, the Sisters are powerless against the disease. They can’t help without revealing their powers—as Cate learns when a potent display of magic turns her into the most wanted witch in all of New England. To make matters worse, Cate has been erased from the memory of her beloved Finn. While she’s torn between protecting him from further attacks and encouraging him to fall for her all over again, she’s certain she can never forgive Maura’s betrayal. And now that Tess’s visions have taken a deadly turn, the prophecy that one Cahill sister will murder another looms ever closer to its fulfillment.

Expected Publication: August 14th
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

Kinde Deals (23)

I always see blogs that have a page that show deals for the kindle, and I occasionally find one or two books on there that I would want. I'm more of a YA girl, and seeing as how most my followers are (I'm assuming here) I decided to make a list of the YA books I found that are $3.99 and less for the kindle. There are plenty more Ya books that are on amazon, but these caught my attention because either I have them, I've read them, or I'm dying to read them. :) Just click on the title and it takes you to their amazon page in a new window.

I'm not sure how long these deals will be here so get them while they're available.

(Note: Prices are as shown from the date this was posted. Please be sure to check before hitting buy.)

$3.99 and up (none go past 6.00)

$2.99

$1.99

$0.99

Novellas

Novella Review: Crossing the line by Katie McGarry

AUTHOR: Katie McGarry
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Teen
PAGES:
STAND ALONE/SERIES: Novella too Pushing the limits
SOURCE: Bought (ebook only)
OUTLINE:
In this gripping novella, she tells the story of Lila and Lincoln, who discover that sometimes it’s worth crossing the line for love…

Lila McCormick, Echo's best friend from Pushing the Limits, first met Lincoln Turner when tragedy struck both their lives. But she never expected their surprise encounter would lead to two years of exchanging letters—or that she’d fall for the boy she’s only seen once. Their relationship is a secret, but Lila feels closer to Lincoln than anyone else. Until she finds out that he lied to her about the one thing she depended on him for the most.

Hurting Lila is the last thing Lincoln wanted. For two years, her letters have been the only thing getting him through the day. Admitting his feelings would cross a line he’s never dared breach before. But Lincoln will do whatever it takes to fix his mistakes, earn Lila’s forgiveness—and finally win a chance to be with the girl he loves

MY THOUGHTS

One funeral, 2 years writing letters, 10 hour long trip to see the girl of his dreams. This could sum up Katie McGarry's novella Crossing the Line in one sentence, but I would be depriving you of so much more. If you thought her book Pushing the Limits was awesome and a rollercoaster of feels. (like stated in my review of it) Then you should see what she can do with less then a hundred pages. Reading her Novellas (Crossing the Line and Red at Night) made her one of my fave contemp authors, and I will definitely have her on my auto-buy list.

Normally, I don't read novellas (unless they're related to books I REALLY loved). Now I'm thinking I should give them a better chance. Maybe, there will be that shred of information I longed for that the book its self didn't have.

Lincoln and Lila's connection was real to me, and if you can get me to feel that in only 60 pages or less it means something. They genuinely seemed to care for one another only having met the one time. The little snippets at the beginning of each chapter proved that they could talk through letters about nothing, anything, and everything.

When Lincoln couldn't stand it at home any longer, and he realized he had messed up he decided to go to Lila, the one person who seemed to understand him, but getting Lila to forgive him would be a challenge.

(more to come)

Read now for $1.99