SWOOON-WORTHY THURSDAY!!!!

Swoon-Worthy Directions

• Grab your current/just read book 
• Turn to a swoon worthy moment
• Post it and make sure to provide details of where 
• Make sure to let everyone know what book it is from so they can enjoy it as WELL..

Weeeellll I just finished The Game Changer last night and OH EM GEE I really love Cassie and Jack.. 

Even though Cassie drove me effing crazy in this book. Jack was still.... well, Jack.. 

I loved it and I wanted to do a swoon-worthy moment from this magnificent book!!

“I promise to stand by you, to hold you up when you’re about to fall, and to always keep you safe. I never believed there was a girl out there for me. Until I met you. You changed everything. And I never want to live without you. I love you more than I ever thought possible.”

Swoooonnn... seriously people if you have not been introduced to the almighty Jack Effing Carter then your life is just not complete...

He's a foul-mouthed, dirty, sexy, pitcher who will piss you off one second and then swoon your pants off the next moment.. 

Yes ladies and gentlemen HE is THAT GOOD!! 

But don't take my word for it find out for your self in 

The Perfect Game 

&

The Game Changer

Waiting on Wednesday

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

My WoW Selection this week is a book I have been waiting anxiously for, for almost a year. Rebecca Donovan is the reason I started reading indie authors.

Reason to Breathe was so freaking amazeballs that I cried for days afterwords, I couldn't put it down and I was gutted. Barely Breathing crushed my heart again and I was so mad when I realized that the next book wasn't out yet but I know pure art can't be rushed so I patiently waited for this book and NOW NOW NOW it is only 6 more days until 

OUT OF BREATH will be released!!! 

July 2nd, 2013..

Emma leaves Weslyn and everyone in it behind to attend Stanford University, just as she always intended. A shell of her former self, she is not the same girl. She is broken, and the only way that she’ll be whole again is through forgiveness. Emma must find a way to forgive herself and recognize her own worth before she can receive the love she deserves. This final installment will have readers holding their breath until the very last page

I have to admit I am super nervous about reading this book, I don't think my nerves can take it if Emma and Evan do not end up together. I love them and want their happily ever after but after reading all the teasers, posts etc from Rebecca Donovan I have a feeling they won't end up together and I will probably cry and throw things. But we shall see because like I said only 6 more days until the anticipation is over!!!! I can't freaking wait!! YAY!!

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

I waited for this book for a very long, long time!! I LOVED LOVED LOVED Pushing the Limits and in fact it was the very first book I EVER reviewed because of how much I freaking loved it. I just KNEW that I was going to LOVE Beth and Ryan's story just as much as Noah and Echo's and I wasn't disappointed!! 

Here is what I thought about Beth and Ryan's story in 

Dare You To 

Description:

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...

My Thoughts:

As I sit here listening to the Dare You To playlist (yes I am that person and yes these songs are perfect for the book) I am trying to decide what I want to say. 

From the very beginning of being introduced to Beth in Pushing The Limits, I just knew that Beth had a hard life and a story that would probably break any person, it almost broke Beth but luckily she still had one person in her corner. 

When the book first starts Ryan tries to get Beth's number in Taco Bell that everyone is hanging out in. He was dared by his friends to get her number and he failed miserably. But what started off as a dare turns out to be something nobody thought would change their lives.

Beth is still an angry teenager who spends more time fighting, drinking, getting high and taking care of her mother. Her mother is still a drunk and a drug addict who has a boyfriend that likes to use her as a punching bag. Beth ends up going to jail for her mother and you are left yelling at Beth for being stupid and sticking up for her mother over and over again with the same results. But what we don't expect is the curve ball (you like that baseball reference hehe)  that is thrown at us while Beth is waiting for the verdict of her fate. She has to go live with her uncle at his house in the backwoods country. The same uncle that left her to go pro in baseball and never came back for her until now. To say she has hostility towards him, would be an understatement. And wouldn't you know that the same cocky baseball player that she met at Taco Bell lives in the same town and goes to the same school. 

Ryan can't believe that the same skater girl is going to his school and he is determined to finally win the bet that his friends gave him. But what he doesn't expect is for this girl to totally turn his entire life upside down. He gets to know her and realizes how scared of life she is. She has had to deal with more in her life than anyone he knows. He doesn't expect to like her, she's just a dare to him but what happens when he starts to see the girl behind the armor? How can he continue to win a bet when he's falling for the subject? But Ryan never loses and that includes bets. 

"He stares at me as if he’s seeing beyond my skin and my heart pounds out of my chest so violently that he has to feel it. My nerve endings become raw. Somehow, Ryan’s seeing me and I’m exposed— as if I’m standing naked in front of a large open window. My hands slip from his neck, but as I try to step back, he clutches my waist, rejecting my escape."

Beth fights Ryan every step of the way. She challenges him and pushes him so he would leave and leave her alone. But what she didn't expect was for him to push back and push through her armor right into her heart. She can't figure out why a boy like him would be interested in a girl like her. She wants to leave him before he can leave her but just when she is going too, he figures it out and pushes her again. He needs her to stay, he needs to prove to her that she isn't just some girl, and he needs to show her his love...

“I don’t lose. Do you hear me? I don’t lose and that includes losing you. I’m done being kept in the dark. I’m done feeling like you’re slipping right past me. You are not saying goodbye to me. I’m in love with you and you love me back. You’re staying.”

This book is about trust and trusting others when you have been burned so many times in the past. Forgiving the ones who have let you down and learning to trust them again. Loving someone so much that you aren't afraid to stay and stop running from life.

“You’re a lot like that bird in the barn. You’re so scared you’re going to be caged in forever you can’t see the way out. You smack yourself against the wall again and again and again. The door is open, Beth. Stop running in circles and walk out.”

Beth and Ryan both grow up in this book and learn a lot about themselves. Their self-discovery is what truly makes this book amazing. Learning to trust yourself enough to know what you want out of life is what everyone must do. We have to stop listening to others and just live like we are suppose too, no holding back and no more caring what others are going to say. 

I loved this story and I really hope we are going to get more information about Beth and Ryan in the future. Like did Ryan and his dad ever see eye to eye? What is Beth going to do in the future? Will they stay close even in college? Gaaahhh I need more!! 

I don't do this often but while reading this book I thought about Liam Hemsworth as Ryan.. Don't know why but I surely didn't mind having to picture him.. 

So here is a gorgeous picture of this fine specimen of man/spank candy...

Hmmmm and since I put up my Ryan I guess it is only fair to show you who I pictured as Beth: 

Megan Fox

I give this book a 4.5/5 

Here it is on Amazon for you to buy it and see for yourself how amazing it is..

SWOoOOoNNn Your panties off Thursday

Swoon-Worthy Directions

• Grab your current/just read book 
• Turn to a swoon worthy moment
• Post it and make sure to provide details of where 
• Make sure to let everyone know what book it is from so they can enjoy it as WELL..

I finished Falling Into You last night and there are so many drop your panties and swoon moments, it is really hard to pick which one to choose...

But I am going to pick a non-popular highlight one.. 

Falling Into You- Swoon-Worthy Moment: 

"But Colton makes me okay, not because he fixes me, just because he’s him. He’s unchanging. He’s raw and rough and kind and smart and nearly illiterate but so brilliant and so talented and so fucking hot it’s absurd, and he’s mine. And all that makes me okay, because he loves me, even when I run away and even when I’m hyperventilating."

Mandatory Release by Jess Riley

SO this sweet sweet author asked me to review her book that is coming out in July and of course I said YES.. 

I just got done reading it and it took me a while to figure out what exactly I wanted to say about it. It was different from the regular books that I have read and I really enjoyed it... 

Here is what I thought about

Mandatory Release

Description:

Recently paralyzed in a car accident, thirty-year-old Graham Finch spends his days trying to rehabilitate a caseload of unruly inmates and his nights on one bad date after another, attempting to rehabilitate his heart—
—until his high school crush Drew Daniels walks through the prison gates one hot summer morning. On the run from a painful past that’s nearly crushed her faith in love, Drew is a new teacher at Lakeside Correctional. Graham, smitten all over again, tries to redirect his unrequited feelings. But when your heart keeps looking back, it's not easy to turn it forward.
Amidst escalating violence at work, Drew is forced to confront her secrets, find a way to forgive old sins, and learn how to listen to her heart and her head when it comes to men. Graham must also learn to make peace with his own past. Together they realize that if you’re going to save yourself, sometimes the best way to do it is by saving someone else first. If only finding their way to one another was easier than working with convicted felons.
Loaded with twisted humor and pathos, MANDATORY RELEASE is a darkly comic, unexpectedly sexy love story about broken people putting themselves back together. People who learn that no matter what you lock up—a person, a secret, or your heart—sooner or later, everything must be released.

My Thoughts:

So I started reading this book and within the first couple pages of the book I was already enamored with the lead character, Graham. 

He was cynical, funny, sarcastic, witty, and blunt. He is in a wheelchair from a car accident with a slim possibility of ever walking again. 

When we are first introduced to him, he is meeting people on an online dating website but not revealing to them that he is in a wheelchair. He wanted to have the other people get to know him first before being put off by the fact that he was handicapped. 

Of course he puts his own twisted humor in it, which makes the reader feel sorry for him but at the same time we are laughing with him and at his predicament. 

Graham works at a men's prison and I was totally confused about this jail that they spoke of.

When I think of prison, I think of Oz, that crazy ass drama about shanking people and raping in showers. So when the author was talking about a school being at the prison, I was like WHAT does that really happen?? WOw I learn something new everyday.. Maybe I shouldn't be stereotyping... Then again my only frame of reference was the show Oz and Locked Up (which my husband has a weird fascination with).

This school is where we meet the other main character, Drew.

Drew is a teacher who came to the jail after leaving her other school job because of an outrageous scandal. You do no know the deets about the scandal until almost the end of the book and it frustrated me that the characters kept referencing the incident but nobody said WHAT it was. 

Drew is heartbroken, witty, funny, just as cynical as Graham and trying to heal from what happened at her job, so of course she runs away to a prison..

"I wanted to escape, and what better place to do that than prison"

Graham and Drew went to high school together so they are already familiar with one another. When Drew comes to work at the prison with Graham, he is still just as attracted to her as he was in high school and Drew thinks Graham is just as charming and attractive as he was in high school but the wheelchair does make her pause and reflect. 

You see them both talk about the other in their internal monologues and realize that they both want to be with the other but for different reasons they do not pursue each other. 

 It's frustrating but it isn't what this book is really about, the romantic aspect of this book takes a backseat and you see something bigger developing. 

These characters are probably my FAVORITE part of this book. They are truly well developed and no stone is left unturned. You get a full range spectrum of each character and you love them all. They are all funny, twisted, sarcastic, and witty. By the end of the book if you haven't laughed at least once then you don't have a sense of humor (or not a dark sense of humor like me? ;) )

I hinted that this book was about something bigger than a romance and it was. It was about healing and finding yourself after a tragedy.

 Graham tried to find himself in the world where he didn't think anyone could/would accept and love him like he should be because of his handicap.

"So now I'm glib when I should be reflective. I'm caustic where I should be smooth. I'm half when I should be whole"

And Drew who is trying to get over her demons and find happiness again, without turning bitter. 

The prison actually teaches her bigger lessons than she ever thought possible. I think my second favorite part of this book were the people that Drew helped. She really seemed interested in helping these young men and it was rewarding to read all the good she did. What made it even better was when I read at the end that there were real people out there who did this in the real world.. 

Talk about a life experience. 

This author taught me about compassion and realizing that not every criminal is as heartless as people think, they are just desperate to fit into the world where they don't have the resources like others do. She taught me not to judge a book by its cover because the put together teacher who people look up too, may be just as sinister as a snake. And a criminal behind bars might actually be kind but lost in the world where nobody gave a damn about him. 

The only thing that gave me pause, was the ending. I can't put my finger on what exactly was off but it rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it was just too abrupt or seemed like the book was going one way and then the author did a 180. I liked what happened with the main characters but I think it was missing something, maybe more details. The book was listed as a love story but I didn't feel the love between the two characters, I thought they resembled friends more than lovers. But like I stated before, this book was about more than romance so it didn't deter me from liking the book, because I really did. 

When it comes out I hope all of YOU love it as much as me. 

I give this book a 4/5 and when it comes out on July 16th, I recommend buying it ASAP. 

Teaser Tuesday

Here is how this works:

• Grab your current read. 
• Open to a random page. 
• Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page, post the page number or location.
• Be careful not to include any spoilers so you do not ruin the book for others. 
• Make sure to add the title of the book and the author so others can enjoy the book as welll...
• Remember it is meant to TEASE not 

The book I am currently reading is Dare You To by Katie McGarry 

I LOVE this book already and I am only 50% done. I was FORCED against my will to put it down at 3am this morning and I wanted to weep.. 

So I got up today and I am determined to finish because 

I. CAN'T. PUT. IT. DOWN!!

“You stared at my ass. A lot.” I turn and lean over a little so I can give a demonstration. “Remember, there was a rip right along here.” I slide my finger along the back of my leg. “You bought me tacos afterward. And a drink. So I’m assuming you must have enjoyed the view.”

Giggles.. 

I knew I was going to love Beth's story!!! I can't wait to see what happens.. 

One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker

"Normal is boring. Tequila, Livie. It makes wallflowers into butterflies"

Oh excuse me for a moment while I turn into a FANGIRL and totally GUSH over this book...

AHHH I HEART THIS BOOK..OH EM GEEEE... <3 <3 <3 ... 
Ok ok ok now that I got that out of my system lets get started...

I really had my reservations with this book because I LOVED LOVED LOVED Kacey's character in Ten Tiny Breaths, that I didn't think I would relate or even like her sister's story as much as I liked Kacey's.... 
WEEELLLLLL Guess what.... 
I DID!!!!
 I am not sure if I liked it more or loved it the same, I can't seem to decide but one thing is sure.. 
this book is PURE PERFECTION!!!

Description:

Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents' tragic death and Kacey's self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would...and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.
Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t want in a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fits Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?
As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.

My Thoughts:

This book didn't play with my emotions as much as 10 Tiny Breaths but it was still very emotional.. 

I mean really the first line of the book is:

"Livie, I think you're completely fucked up" 

*Giggles*

Of course that line was expertly delivered by Kacey. 

Kacey has this crazy notion that her sister is way too perfect, she does not step out of line, she has been on the straight and narrow since birth and Kacey feels she has some deep serious issues that have not been dealt with so of course Kacey gets Dr. Stayner involved in unraveling the perfect world that Livie has built for herself. They get Livie to do some outrageous things over the summer before her college career starts. Livie can't believe that a doctor is prescribing fun and alcohol to get her to lighten up.

"I suggest tequila, Livie. Not crystal meth... And no, I'm not recommending tequila becaus you are only eighteen and I am a doctor. That would be highly unprofessional. I'm recommending that you go and have fun!"

Why yes if you have not figured it out by now Dr. Stayner is highly unconventional but seems like he knows what he is doing. And unbeknownst to Livie he slowly but surely makes his way through her life and makes a tremendous difference. 

As a future counselor I hope I can make an impact in someone's life like that and HELL I may even prescribe tequila... ;)

While attending her first college party Livie not only drinks for the first time in her life but she gets completely wasted, a tattoo, sees a couple penises and makes out with the captain of the rowing team.. 

Ashton..

OHH

Ashton..

The first meeting between him and Livie involves jello shots, a tongue, and a punch in the jaw. Yeah and that is only the beginning of their friendship.  

But as much as Livie likes him, Ashton is closed off, and not only that, he has a girlfriend of his own, So enter Connor from stage left who happens to not only be Ashton's roommate but also his best friend. Livie starts seeing Connor but can't seem to shake Ashton because well, he's unshakeable.

This starts the love triangle that I didn't mind being involved in. 

Livie takes Dr. Stayner's wayward advice and not only lives a little at college but creates a huge MESS that completely rocks her world and causes her to run back home to Kacey. 

"You helped shatter two hearts today. You must be proud. Goodbye, Livie"

You are mad at her, rooting for her, mad at Ashton and also crying buckets of tears all at the same time. You can't put the book down until the end, when you find out what is going to happen, what Livie is going to do, and what is going to happen to Ashton. 

Livie's world is completely turned upside down, she doesn't know who she is or what she is going to do with her life. The life that she always knew and thought she always wanted was completely shattered by one boy and one crazy psychiatrist. 

"Earth-shattering. My earth. Shattered. The one I knew or thought I knew, blown away"

By the end you find out why Ashton is the way he is and does the things he does and feeling entirely too heartbroken for this guy... 

GAhh my heart hurt so bad for him by the end of this book. Nobody should have had to go through what he had too in his life. 

This book was just incredible. I was a bundle of nerves and on the edge of my seat until the very last page where I was then laughing at how ridiculous Kacey was, yet again. My emotions went full-circle and I was in a book-love haze that didn't escape me for a while... 

K.A. Tucker takes you on a journey of self-discovery, with twists and humor that has you crying from either laughing so hard or crying in pain for the characters. I don't know how she did it but she made this book just as incredible as the first one and I am so excited to read more from this author.. She is fan-fucking-tastic... 

I give this book a 5/5 AMAZING stars!! I loved it and I know all of you will love it as much as I did. 

This book is a sequel but it can be read as a stand alone if you so incline. 

Here is the link to check it out on Amazon:

Torn by K.A. Robinson

I asked to review this book from Netgalley because the cover caught my attention and it looked like a good read. I was approved and then the rest was history. 
I completed this book in a day and I REALLY enjoyed it. Left with a cliffhanger I can't wait to dive into the second installment. BUT I heard there was a third book and I am not good with waiting so I might have to wait and read the second book when the third is closer to coming out.. 

Anyway, here is what I thought about 

Torn by K.A. Robinson

Description:

Chloe hasn't had the best life. With a mother who is gone more often than not, she has had to raise herself. After graduating high school, she leaves to start a new life away at West Virginia University with her best friends Amber and Logan, determined to leave her demons in the past.
On her first day, she meets a stranger who takes her breath away at first sight. Until she met Drake, no one had ever sparked her interest. Now this tattooed and pierced bad boy is all she can think about, no matter how hard she fights it.
Falling for Drake was never part of her plans, but when it happens, things seem to do anything but fall into place.
Dealing with a tragic past, Drake has never cared about anyone else but himself and his band. But when Chloe takes the empty seat next to him in class, things start to change. Instantly drawn to her, he begins to wonder if one girl can take a cold hearted womanizer and change every part of him?
Long hidden feelings are revealed and friendships tested to the brink.

My Thoughts:

So I always say I have to wait and review a series because I have to read all of the books before I can form an opinion on them. But since I asked to review this book before knowing about the cliffhanger and other two books I will forge ahead and review this anyways. 

I really liked this book, almost loved it but the angst had me so stressed and rolling my eyes so many times BUT the love between Drake and Chloe had me swooning and wetting my panties so that balanced out the angst for me.

Chloe has never had the best upbringing. 

Mother is a drug addict, used to abuse her physically and emotionally, and it did irreparable damage on her self-esteem and self-worth. 

With the help of her best friend Amber and her parents, Chloe was able to have a semi-normal life after her mother abandoned her. Logan is also one of her saviors who has been there for Chloe since he walked into her life. But Logan also has been in love with her since then, even though Chloe is completely oblivious. 

All three friends end up at the University of West Virginia where Chloe meets Drake. Pierced, tattooed, band playing... Drake... It was LUST at first sight..

"He was silent for a moment, so I glanced up at him and my breath caught at the look in his eyes. They looked as if he wanted to devour me on the spot and I gulped."

Drake and Chloe had an instant attraction to one another but Chloe didn't want to be another notch in his belt and Drake didn't feel good enough for Chloe.

This is where all the angst and stress comes in! They try to stay friends but it never works and they end up crossing the line but do they regret it??

This book was full of angst, love, tears, heartbreak, and characters who still had a lot of growing up to do. I enjoyed reading it and I was left in tears after a couple scenes. It made me sad for Chloe but at the same time I realized she did everything to herself and needed to pull her big girl panties up and stop running away. 

"What are you running from, Chloe?" I felt tears slip down my cheeks as I turned to look at him. "You. I'm running from you, and I can't even escape you here."

I will put more information down when I read the rest of the books of this trilogy so this is not the end of my thoughts of Chloe and Drake, you will have to stay tuned and find out later!!

I give this book a 4/5.. 

and if you want to check it out for yourself here is a link to Amazon..

Teaser Tuesday...

Here is how this works:

• Grab your current read. 
• Open to a random page. 
• Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page, post the page number or location.
• Be careful not to include any spoilers so you do not ruin the book for others. 
• Make sure to add the title of the book and the author so others can enjoy the book as welll...
• Remember it is meant to TEASE not 

I just finished One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker and I wanted to share a little teaser with all of you before my review of it later this week... 

"That's Kacey. Cool and confident when faced with a random penis"

*Giggles* 

I loved Kacey in Ten Tiny Breaths and I am so glad she was apart of this story as well!!!