Summer Skin by Kirsty Eagar

26211610Summer Skin by Kirsty Eagar

Paperback, 352 pages
Published February 1st 2016 by Allen & Unwin
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Jess Gordon is out for revenge. Last year the jocks from Knights College tried to shame her best friend. This year she and a hand-picked college girl gang are going to get even.

The lesson: don’t mess with Unity girls.

The target: Blondie, a typical Knights stud, arrogant, cold . . . and smart enough to keep up with Jess.

A neo-riot grrl with a penchant for fanning the flames meets a rugby-playing sexist pig – sworn enemies or two people who happen to find each other when they’re at their most vulnerable?

It’s all Girl meets Boy, Girl steals from Boy, seduces Boy, ties Boy to a chair and burns Boy’s stuff. Just your typical love story.

A searingly honest and achingly funny story about love and sex amid the hotbed of university colleges by the award-winning author of Raw Blue.

“Taking a keen look at modern day intimacy in a hook-up culture, Summer Skin expertly shatters notions of slut shaming and the pull of sexual desire. Realistic, modern and moving, the story of Jess and Mitch is as smart as it is hot. Kirsty Eagar has written the feminist love story that girls have been waiting for.” Clementine Ford

Capture * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * My Thoughts * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * 

When Jess and Mitch first meet it is a truly awkward cringe worthy moment – a real moment.

Summer Skin’s story was believable and the characters felt real. While Jess and Mitch’s burning then blooming romance pushes the story along, a lot of issues that face young adults these days are touched on in a realistic and un-preachy manner. Well Done Kirsty Eagar.

It was hideously beautiful! It made me thank the stars above that I’m not 19 anymore, while at the same time making me wish I still was.

I’d say it’s more suited to a 15-25 age range. I’m not saying that if your older you won’t enjoy it, you still will, I still did. I’m just saying that age bracket because If I had read this when I was the main character’s age, it would have blown me away.CbNv-YWUkAAPADg

Find out more on Kirsty’s:

Website Twitter FacebookGoodreads – Instagram – YouTube

Summer Skin on: GoodreadsAmazon AuAmazon US

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I found these two “adds” on Kristy’s twitter and just had to share them.

Advertisement

Bookish Babble: Y16.W6

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The “Oops the day is almost over, so I better chuck something together” Edition:

I’ve got so many things i’m trying to get on top of at the moment, so many plans in the works (I’ll do a post explaining this shortly -hopefully LOL) that this is my brain at the moment

But everyday!!!

I’m trying!!!

Oh dear, this speaks to my fragile mind at the moment.

I’m going to go have a nap! Sorry this really didn’t make sense.

Until next time, enjoy your naps, Oops I mean shelves 🙂

The Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

This is the first time I’ve tried to do a whole series review as appose to each book separately, so let’s see how this goes.

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The first book, Beautiful Creatures, follows Ethan and Lena as they discover each other and the connection that ties them together. We see Ethan plunged into a magical world he never knew existed and Lena escape being claimed. We meet many influential characters, including Lena’s Dark Caster mother, Sarafine. The main characters all bar one survive Lena’s 16th birthday and there are plenty of loose ends to drive you in to reading the second book, Beautiful Darkness.

The second book is non-stop, action packed and improves on the first. In The first book a large chunk of the story was set around Ethan and Lena’s experience at school, where as in the second book it is nearly entirely set in the underground Caster world. We keep all the characters we’ve previously met and more are thrown into the mix; the mysterious John, undead Abraham and adorable Liv, just to name a few. We find out the truth about Ethan’s mother’s death and her involvement with Macon, as well as some secrets about Ethan’s own special destiny.

Set between the second and third Caster Chronicles is Dream Dark, Link’s transformation novella. In this we see Link learning to handle his new semi-Incubus self and taking his first steps solo in the paranormal underworld as an adorable “Linkubus”.

In the third book, Beautiful Chaos, we find out about Abraham’s master plan which has been years and years in the making, to destroy the caster and mortal world. Ridley runs off, John’s trapped, Lena and Liv make peace, Amma goes mad, aunt Prue dies and Ethan has a run in with the wheel of fate. In the end we are left answer-less with a killer cliff hanger ending.

The forth book, Beautiful Redemption is by far the best book in the series. The story is told by both Lena and Ethan, which was a nice surprise as Ethan has narrated all the others. We journey with Ethan through the otherworld. We see him reunited with his mother and aunt Pure in death and we see him fight his way back to the land of the living. We see Lena deciphering the messages Ethan sends her from beyond the grave and together with all the loved ones Ethan left behind they send him the help he needs to defeat the ones who destined him to die.

You know how some last books in a series can be a letdown, Beautiful Redemption was the opposite – it went above my expectations. All my questions were answered and everything felt balanced and whole by the end. It certainly was a beautiful ending.

I read the books over a five-month period with others in-between, rather than devouring them one after another in a binge like I normally would. I’d give the series a four-star rating as a whole. I really liked it, but was capable of not marathon-ing it. I’m happy I read all five, they were well worth the read. I don’t intend on reading the spin off series Dangerous Creatures which follows Ridley and Link’s life after the events of the Beautiful Creatures series, but I am thinking that I will add Beautiful Redemption to my re-read list, yes I enjoyed it that much!

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1st book, 4 Stars. 2nd book, 4 stars. Novella, 4 stars. 3rd book, 3 stars. 4th book, 5 stars.

Kami Garcia: Website | Goodreads | Twitter

Margaret Stohl: Website | Goodreads | Twitter

Bookish Babble: Y16.W5

babble3I’ve had The Mortal Instruments series on my TBR for a while. I held off seeing the 2013 movie as I wanted to read the first book first, I gave in and ended up watching it on DVD in mid-2015 and I really enjoyed it. I watched the first two episodes of the Netflix TV series and seeing how much they’ve changed just from the Movie, I said to myself “Stop you need to read the books”, so I bought the first five books second hand on eBay for $25 including postage – I was pretty chuffed with that :-). I have just started the third book and I am loving the series so far, hence why I thought I’d do a Babble based on it.

The Destroyed Edition:

Since I just mentioned the movie and TV adaptations:69549f32f8b9fa93cd0710aa92dcea31

The TV Jace is more my cup of tea then movie Jace. He’s a pretty boy, but he’s supposed to be. I kept seeing movie Jace (Jamie Campbell Bower) as Caius in The Twilight Saga, looking all pale and evil. Jamie also played he young Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 – shame he’ll always be one of the Volturi to me.9f8983a5968ab3e14c295e905c98552d

Oh Simon! you make me giggle.

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Oh if only! If Jocelyn doesn’t wake up I’ll happily have Luke. Oops, what, who said that!

FullSizeRenderThis broke my heart, oh Jace! but I do agree with the sentiments. The more you love someone the more they can hurt you, but I’ve never seen that as a reason not to love!!

Well I’m going to go finish reading City of Glass, until next time 🙂 Enjoy Your Shelves 🙂

 

DEATH LOVE LUST Anthology

28869647by Aurelia Fray, Catherine StovallLily Luchesi, Emma Michaels, Michael Cross, Iskra Ryder, Patrick Tumblety, Libby Bishop, Charlotte Ondac, Jenn Nixon, Jaclyn Osborn, Jen L. Joyal, Victoria Kinnaird, Olivia Harper

DEATH LOVE LUST.

Death is definite. Love is infinite. Lust is eternal.

In the end, death always wins. And what of the threads that remain? Love? Lust? The desire to feel both? The desire to return to the living and feel again? Because, despite death, the heart will forever pine for the love that once was; the love that was once tangible but now is reflected back only in memories and photographs. Both love and lust are stronger than death and will always linger long after life is pulled from us. Because of this we will always remain definite, infinite, and eternal.

Published February 4th 2016 by Hot Ink Press.

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~ ~ ~ ~ ~  My  Thoughts  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

I received an ARC of this book in an exchange for an honest review, THANK YOU :-).

As I normally review teen appropriate YA books I better stress the fact that this anthology is for 18+ Adults Only!

I love anthology’s! I think they are great for getting a little peep at different authors ‘voices’ and finding new favorites.

The Death-Love-Lust Anthology is a collection of adult poems and short stories exploring, you guessed it, death love and lust, featuring both hetero and homosexual couples – oh and delicious demons and righteous reapers.

The poems are absolutely beautiful, I read them all multiple times.

The stories range from dark and mysterious to sexy and sinful, with beautiful deep everlasting love shining through.

Normally I’d stay away from erotica that dabbles with death, but as the lovely Lily Luchesi was a part of it and given how I really enjoy her Paranormal Detective series, I gave it a go. I was pleasantly surprised! This is a collection of well-rounded pieces connecting life, death and love. Obviously there were some stories I preferred over others, but as a whole it was a really enjoyable, engaging and entertaining read.

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Bookish Babble: Y16.W4

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I saw this on Instagram and loved it! I spend the bare minimum on everything I can (clothes included) for myself, my husband and the house. The only thing I put before books is my son. I buy no name toilet paper, tampons and juice, but Riley gets huggies nappies and when he was on formula I was buying the most expensive there was.

Where am I going with today’s Babble – I don’t even know UMMMM – sorry I haven’t pre-thought this week through. I just saw the above picture yesterday and had to share it LOL.

Bitch please! If you’re buying books it does equal happiness!

Yeah OK, valid point! I have been telling my husband that I want to get our son into a weekly habit of walking up to the library and borrowing books. But some books you simply HAVE to own.

10 ways to save money!

1. Don’t leave the house! other than to go to work, a library or the supermarket (I pretty much already do this).

2. Walk to work, the library and the supermarket (good idea, says the lazy bitch who drives everywhere).

3. At the supermarket all you will buy is no-name peanut butter, soy milk and trail mix (apparently you could survive like this, think i’d be ill after the first few days).

4. Don’t have pets (says the woman with two dogs and a husband).

5. Don’t have kids (says the woman with a 2.5 year old).

6. Go to the library (no comment, you really should) or

7. Rob a book store, so you’ll have enough books to nourish your soul – as there will be nothing else left in your life (hmm I think that’d be a criminal offence, HEY you can read in jail AND they cover all your food etc).

8. If you’re too much of a pansy to rob a book store and too lazy to walk to the library, re-read the books you own (don’t rob a book store).

9. Sell your soul and you’ll never have money trouble again (this is true, but without your soul will you enjoy your financial freedom).

10. Ok this list is ridiculous and probably not even funny – so that’ll do!

Until Next Time 🙂 Enjoy Your Shelves 🙂

Check out Sarah Anderson’s Instagram HERE she’s funny as 🙂

**Cover Reveal** Demonic Pact by Majanka Verstraete

demonic pact

Sixteen-year-old Halfling Angel of Death Riley Scott is on a dangerous mission. To save her friend’s life, she must make a pact with the man who just tried to kill them both and break him out of the Celestial Prison, guarded by Angels of War—fearsome warriors who can squash her like a fly. If caught, she’ll be sentenced to eternity in that impenetrable prison. Riley will have to make deals with demons and her number one enemy, turn her back on her most loyal friends, and risk losing her family forever. Worst of all, her very existence is in the hands of her devious new allies.

Title: Demonic Pact
Author: Majanka Verstraete
Series: Angel of Death, Book Two
Publication Date: March 2016

Majanka’s Website | Majanka on Goodreads

If you missed the first book >>

23168992The Soul Thief (Angel of Death Series #1) by Majanka Verstraete

When sixteen-year-old Riley is injured in a car crash and sees a girl stealing a boy’s soul, she’s convinced she’s hallucinating. But when she sees the same girl at the hospital later, she knows she wasn’t dreaming. That’s when Riley learns her secret heritage and who she really is: a halfling Angel of Death.

Riley must come to terms with her new reality and supernatural abilities, but before she can do this, girls her age start dying in mysterious circumstances. It’s up to Riley to figure out why, what the innocent victims have in common, and what she can do to stop them.

For My Review of Book One Click HERE

Join The Release Party!

28869647In the end, death always wins. And what of the threads that remain? Love? Lust? The desire to feel both? The desire to return to the living and feel again? Because, despite death, the heart will forever pine for the love that once was; the love that was once tangible but now is reflected back only in memories and photographs. Both love and lust are stronger than death and will always linger long after life is pulled from us. Because of this we will always remain definite, infinite, and eternal.

Death Love Lust, a Hot Ink Press Anthology.

Join the release day party, click here!

View book on Goodreads here.

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About the Authors:
Libby Bishop is a paranormal romance and erotic romance author. She loves reading, writing, movies, Lindt dark chocolate, autumn, the SyFy Channel (Haven and Bitten!), and spending time with friends and family. She has one fat, fluffy cat who thinks she’s queen of the house…and really, she is.
Michael Cross lives in Seattle, WA. This land is prone to lots of rain, fantastic adventures and the occasional flyby dragon. When Cross isn’t working on his next novel, he spends his time reading, modding steampunk inventions or working on his airship with his copilot chihuahua. Cross dreamed of becoming a storyteller back when he was read stories like “The Odyssey” and legends of Roman soldiers and Arthur. He writes mostly paranormal, fantasy, New Adult and steampunk
Aurelia Fray is the naughty Hyde side of a rather ordinary woman. Whenever her mistress lets her out to play, there are sure to be tales worth telling. She lives and works in London, England, enjoys all things artistic and spends most of her time buried in books or paint. With a degree in English literature and a love of all things wordy it is no real surprise she adores penning salacious stories. She has won various short story and poetry competitions and suspects that her foray into erotic literature will be a titillating adventure for author and readers alike.
Jen L Joyal lives in North Carolina with her husband for the last 14 years. A proud mother of four daughters, one son and has also been blessed with six beautiful granddaughters who are the light of her life. She works for Hot Ink Press as Head of Strategic Marketing. She has recently tried her hand at writing and has completed a couple of poems. Both have now been published with Crushing Hearts. This has given her the encouragement to write some short stories.
Victoria Kinnard lives in Glasgow, Scotland. She graduated from the University of Strathclyde in 2009 with a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Journalism, Creative Writing and English Lit. Victoria has been writing since she was 15 years old. She loves rock music, and 11 of her tattoos are related to bands that she loves!
Lily Luchesi a paranormal, horror, and erotic author. Her debut novel Stake-Out (Paranormal Detectives Series Book One), was published by Vamptasy Publishing on May 19th, 2015. Book two, Miranda’s Rights, was released on January 8th, 2016.
She has a short story, “Undead Ever After” in the CHBB anthology Love Sucks (released on June 13th, 2015). Her first erotic short story, “Have No Fears”, was published in the Hot Ink Press anthology Naughty Bedtime Stories: In Three Words on October 10th. She will also have a short erotic horror story, “The Devil’s Dozen”, in the upcoming Hot Ink Press anthology Death, Love, Lust, which will be released in February of 2016.
Emma Michaels is the bestselling author of the Society of Feathers series. As an avid reader she started her book blog in 2009 (www.EmmaMichaels.com) and over the years has received numerous publications. Working to help Indies and small presses from around the world she has received the nickname ‘The Mad Hatter’ for her versatility in graphic design, publishing, marketing, and blogging.
Jenn Nixon often adds a thriller and suspense element to anything she writes be it Romance, Science Fiction, or Fantasy. When not writing, she spends her time reading, observing pop culture, playing with her two dogs, and working on various charitable projects in her home state of New Jersey.
Charlotte Ondac is a writer with a loving partner and two children. Heavily inspired by writers such as Anne Rice, particularly The Vampire Chronicles, interested by dark gothic horror. Especially focused on the mythology of vampires, and the erotic nature of these beings. Lives in Wales. A practicing pagan, Charlotte Ondac has a deep interest in ancient mythology, and wishes to explore how these ancient mythologies could affect our current world, and our views of humanity. Wishes to explore more into the dark eroticism of vampires, and other strange creatures.
Jaclyn Osborn was born and raised in the state of Arkansas. When not working her day job, her days mostly consist of writing, reading, and having epic Lord of the Rings marathons. All types of genres interest her–in both reading and writing–and she hopes to delve into a few of them throughout her career.
Iskra Rider Iskra Ryder writes paranormal erotic romance. She is a graduate student living in Chicago with a roommate, a cat, and a hedgehog.
Catherine Stovall is a fearless creature who surrounds herself with the joys of life both in and out of her fictional worlds. She lives in Southeast Missouri with her husband, three children, and pets. When not writing, she spends her time riding motorcycles, wearing elaborate hats, and genuinely enjoying the oddities in life.
Patrick Tumblety work has been described as being able to deliver both “genuine fear and genuine hope.” (Amy H. Sturgis – Award Winning Author and Professor of Narrative Studies) . Mr. Tumblety‘s first published release was 2012’s Dark Passages, a collection of original thrillers. Since his debut, his work has been featured in a variety of notable publications, including Ross E. Lockhart’s Tales of Jack The Ripper from Word Horde Press, Miseria’s Chorale by Forgotten Tomb Press, and Fossil Lake from Sabledrake Enterprises, edited by Christine Morgan.

Grumpy Cat Volume 1 by Ben McCool

Grumpy Cat, Volume 1 by Ben McCool, Royal McGraw, Elliott Serrano, Ben Fisher, Steve Uy(Author) (Illustrations), Ken Haeser (Illustrations), Tavis Maiden(Illustrations), Agnes Garbowska (Illustrations).

Children’s Fiction
Publishing on the 16th Feb.
Dynamite proudly presents the comic book misadventures of Grumpy Cat, featuring “The World’s Grumpiest Cat” and her brother, Pokey! With her ever-present pout and sassy disposition, Grumpy Cat has won the hearts of people everywhere. Now, her unbearable cuteness and infectious sourpuss are featured in an all-new, all-sensational collection of comic stories, sure to make fans of all ages laugh! If you love the memes, the videos, and that irresistible scowl, then get ready for the wildly fun antics of Grumpy Cat and Pokey!

* * * * * * My Thoughts * * * * * *

Many thanks to the publisher via NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and review.

Grumpy Cat who’s real name is Tardar Sauce was born in April 2012 and thanks to an underbite and feline dwarfism she has a grumpy looking pout.  She shot to fame in September 2012 when a photo of her started circulating the internet and subsequently sporned multiple memes. GC meme

I don’t think you need to know who grumpy cat is to find this cute comic collection a fun read. But i’d be shocked if you hadn’t ever heard of her.

wxtkkpmrbnqnqhat4njuGrumpy Cat Volume 1 is a humorous, quick and light hearted read about two cats who are polar opposites personality wise and the mischief they get up to.

I think it’d be the perfect thing to have in a waiting room /coffee table as it would appeal to a large age range, who doesn’t like a grumpy cat and there isn’t anything in there anyone can get offended about.

Grumpy Cat reminds me of 90’s Garfield. With Grumpy Cat we get humor and sarcasm. She is grumpy yet adorable, loves food, loves to sleep and has a dog and Pokey to reign over. There are haunted houses, broken smart phones, stolen treats, revenge (against the dog) and more.  I give It Three “I Liked It” Stars.

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If you want more check out Grumpy Cat on Goodreads or Author Ben McCool’s Website.

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