Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Lisa's Looking Foward To #25 - August 6th, 2019

Back to joining up with the Waiting on Wednesday Posts, and the Can't Wait Wednesday posts hosted by Wishful Endings.  This week there are five on my list.

From my ARC list for August 6th:


I have an ARC of this one that I got through a trade a while back.  Need to get it read this week!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Nothing much happens in the sleepy town of Shy in Avon-upon-Kynt. And for eighteen years, Emmaline Watkins has feared that her future held just that: nothing.

But when the head of the most admired fashion house in the country opens her prestigious design competition to girls from outside the stylish capital city, Emmy’s dreams seem closer than they ever have before.

As the first “country girl” to compete, Emmy knows she’ll encounter extra hurdles on her way to the top. But as she navigates the twisted world of high fashion she starts to wonder: will she be able to tailor herself to fit into this dark, corrupted race? And at what cost?


Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE
 



Now, I won't say I begged for this ARC, but I might have.  I love this author, and this series is good so far!  I'm a little sad I don't have a contact at Freeform/Disney any more, in case this series goes on!  I'll be reading my ARC of this sometime later this week. Might even be starting it as this post goes live!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

WELCOME TO WHO WANTS TO BE A PANIAC?, the latest reality TV show on the hunt for the next big-hit serial killer. But don’t worry—no one is actually going to murder anyone, as real as the fake gore and pretend murder may appear . . . uh, right?

Seventeen-year-old Becca Martinello is about to find out. When her perfectly normal soccer mom dies in a car crash, a strange girl named Stef appears to let Becca know that her deceased mom was none other than one of Alcatraz 2.0’s most popular serial killers—Molly Mauler. Soon, Becca ends up on Who Wants to Be a Painiac? to learn the truth about her mom’s connection to Molly Mauler, but things turn sinister when people are murdered IRL. Will Becca uncover dark secrets and make it out of the deadly reality show alive? Or will she get cut?


Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.



This one sounds like a pretty deep story. 

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Best friends are forged by fire. For Winona Olsen and Lucille Pryce, that fire happened the night they met outside the police station—both deciding whether to turn their families in.

Winona has been starving for life in the seemingly perfect home that she shares with her seemingly perfect father, celebrity weatherman Stormy Olsen. No one knows that he locks the pantry door to control her eating and leaves bruises where no one can see them.

Lucille has been suffocating beneath the needs of her mother and her drug-dealing brother, wondering if there’s more out there for her than disappearing waitress tips and generations of barely getting by.

One harrowing night, Winona and Lucille realize they can’t wait until graduation to start their new lives. They need out. Now. All they need is three grand, fast. And really, a stolen convertible to take them from Michigan to Las Vegas can’t hurt.


Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE



I've been seeing this one around a lot on the blogosphere, and of course that cover is beautiful!  Plus, it seems to be a retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses fairy tale, and I love that story!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls' lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn't sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh's involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it's a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.


Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE




 
 This one just sounds really unique!  And once again, a beautiful cover.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

When 16-year-old poetry blogger Tessa Dickinson is involved in a car accident and loses her eyesight for 100 days, she feels like her whole world has been turned upside-down.

Terrified that her vision might never return, Tessa feels like she has nothing left to be happy about. But when her grandparents place an ad in the local newspaper looking for a typist to help Tessa continue writing and blogging, an unlikely answer knocks at their door: Weston Ludovico, a boy her age with bright eyes, an optimistic smile…and no legs.

Knowing how angry and afraid Tessa is feeling, Weston thinks he can help her. But he has one condition — no one can tell Tessa about his disability. And because she can’t see him, she treats him with contempt: screaming at him to get out of her house and never come back. But for Weston, it’s the most amazing feeling: to be treated like a normal person, not just a sob story. So he comes back. Again and again and again.

Tessa spurns Weston’s “obnoxious optimism”, convinced that he has no idea what she’s going through. But Weston knows exactly how she feels and reaches into her darkness to show her that there is more than one way to experience the world. As Tessa grows closer to Weston, she finds it harder and harder to imagine life without him — and Weston can’t imagine life without her. But he still hasn’t told her the truth, and when Tessa’s sight returns he’ll have to make the hardest decision of his life: vanish from Tessa’s world…or overcome his fear of being seen.

100 Days of Sunlight is a poignant and heartfelt novel by author Abbie Emmons. If you like sweet contemporary romance and strong family themes then you’ll love this touching story of hope, healing, and getting back up when life knocks you down.


 Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE


Now, actually, I had two more in my planner, but neither seem to be actually coming out, as their lack of covers and any more info on Goodreads seem to say.  Both are Entangled Teen books, so I am hoping this means they are just putting the release off, but not too long.  When I hear more about them, I'll be sure to share, but they are Sky-Kissed by Pintip Dunn, sequel to  Star-Crossed, which I loved; and Immortal by Gennifer Albin, an author I've looked forward to reading more by!
  
Final Thoughts:
Have you read any of these yet?  Are they on your TBR?  And hey, while you're here, you should go try to win some of my ARCs from Cleaning Up My TBR Post HERE. The US only giveaway is open till Friday at midnight, there are even some 2019 ARCs that can be one of your two choices.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Blog Tour: Willow (The Pepper Lane Club #1) by Grace Parks

Book info:
TitleWillow
Author:  Grace Parks
SeriesThe Pepper Lane Club #1
Genre:  Adult contemporary romance
Release Date:  April 16th, 2019

Synopsis:

Can a socialite and a technophobe fall in love?

A bubbly personality and a great job in social media didn’t mean that Willow Lawson had it all. Her love life was distant memory and her social life only work related. The maddening demands of life seemed to get in the way of finding time for herself or her friends. 

She starts the Pepper Lane Club as a chance to step away from her busy schedule once a month to reconnect with her friends. 

Thomas Greer, the proprietor of the Pepper Lane Café, annoys her. He’s her complete opposite; unsociable, serious, old-fashioned and dead set against social media. 

Always game for a challenge, Willow decides to take him on as a client. She’s going to prove to Thomas that he needs her help. She knew she would be successful, she just didn’t know she would lose her heart along the way.

Can Willow fall in love with a man that doesn’t respect her profession? Will Thomas let go of his preconceptions long enough to get to know the real Willow? Enjoy this sweet romance as Willow finds love and friendship in the first book in the Pepper Lane Series. 

Six women. Six stories. Six chances of love. One café.
The Pepper Lane Series follows the lives of six women as they share life, love and heartache once a month at the Pepper Lane Club. They might be an unlikely group of friends, but it takes all types to form a tribe.


Purchase Links






About the Author:
From Grace, with Love...
 
Grace Parks is a sweet romance / chick lit author with a penchant for the happily ever after.


Social Media Links – 





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Monday, July 29, 2019

Book Blitz with Giveaway: Good Guy (Rookie Rebels #1) by Kate Meader


Book info:
Title: Good Guy
Author:  Kate Meader
Series:  Rookie Rebels #1
Publication date: July 30th 2019
Genres: Adult, Romance, Sports
Synopsis:
He’s a Special Forces veteran making his pro hockey debut. She’s a dogged sports reporter determined to get a scoop. She’s also his best friend’s widow . . .
Fans can’t get enough of Levi Hunt, the Special Forces veteran who put his NHL career on hold to serve his country and fight the bad guys. So when his new Chicago Rebels bosses tell him to cooperate with the press on a profile, he’s ready to do his duty. Until he finds out who he has to work with: flame-haired, freckle-splashed, impossibly perky Jordan Cooke.
Also known as the woman he should not have kissed the night she buried her husband, Levi’s best friend in the service.
Hockey-stick-up-his-butt-serious Levi Hunt might despise Jordan for reasons she can’t fathom—okay, it’s to do with kissing—but her future in the cutthroat world of sports reporting hangs on delivering the goods on the league’s hottest, grumpiest rookie. So what if he’s not interested in having his life plated up for public consumption. Too bad. Jordan will have to play dirty to get her scoop and even dirtier to get her man. Only in winning the story, she might just lose her heart . . .
In this standalone romance set in the Chicago Rebels world, a new generation of players take to the ice and learn that all’s fair in love and hockey.



EXCERPT:
“Was this night worth your time? Don’t you have a boyfriend who’d like to see you once in a while? Or a life that doesn’t revolve around work?” They stepped into the elevator and he slapped at the lobby level button. Stab. Slap. He was angry and he didn’t know why. He hated not knowing something.

“This is my life, Hunt.” She giggled, the sound going straight to his dick where it proceeded to tease, caress, and kiss the traitor wide awake. “God, playing video games with you guys is gold. And then when your pal showed up proving you’re not such a cold-hearted, friendless Terminator type after all and that you might have a personality underneath that hard-ass demeanor? Icing on the cupcake.”

He opened the door to his building, ushered her out, and tried not to enjoy her bobbing pony-tail.

“So is it true?” she threw out over her shoulder.

“Is what true?”

“The Disney ice cream cake thing?”

“Where are you parked?”

“Around the corner. You don’t have to—”

But he was already eating the ground with every stride like it had offended his honor.

“Levi, what is your problem?”

“Nothing. Just making sure you get in your car and leave.” He was pissed and horny and only now realizing that he had no idea what Jordan’s car looked like.

“Here I am.” She stood by a Honda Civic, two cars back.

Retracing his steps, he tried to get his emotions under control which should not have been a problem. Emotion-wrangling was his bag. Controlling the narrative was his forte. At least, he’d thought so until he met Jordan again.

“I don’t have a boyfriend.” She pushed her key into the lock.

“Say again?”

“You seem to be under the impression that I had someone I could be spending time with tonight instead of enjoying Erik’s weird winking and odes to herring, or Theo’s conspiracy theories as to why Chicagoland has so many mattress stores, or your curmudgeonly ways with hints of Tin Man.” She hummed If I only Had a Heart from The Wizard of Oz.

He passed over the Tin Man reference, probably because he was inexplicably relieved at the implication of her other statement. “Don’t have an opinion on your dating practices. Just something Kershaw mentioned.”

“And you believed him?”

“I didn’t not believe him. Strange thing to make up.” Especially with the graphic detail of naked photos. If she wasn’t seeing someone, then what was all that about?

She opened the door a couple of inches but still stood there. Pertly perking. “You know, the sooner you cooperate the sooner I’ll be out of your hair.”

“I’m doing everything management has ordered.”

“Under sufferance.”

“What you see is all you’re getting.” He was done here. Done with her teasing scent and dick-springing laugh. Done with trying to negotiate a truce between his hands and his cock. Just. Done. “Safe home now.” He turned to walk back, but didn’t get far.

“Coward.”

He pivoted. “What?”

“You’ve never liked me for some stupid, God-knows-what reason and now you can’t be man enough to sit still for a few questions.”

He ignored the last part which was half—okay, all—true, and focused on the first part. “I’ve liked you fine.”

She took a step toward him, then another until she was right in his space. She looked up at him, her expression filled with fury and spirit. Typical, maddening, heart-stoppingly gorgeous Jordan. “Admit it. You can’t stand me. When I kissed you five years ago—”

“We’re not talking about that.”

When I kissed you five years ago,” she insisted, her voice rising with each word, “it was as if I ripped out a piece of your mind! You didn’t like me. You certainly didn’t think I was right for Josh and then when we had that moment, when we were at our lowest, we were drawn to each other. You hate that of all people, it was me who made you go to this fragile, needful place. It happened and you need to get over it so we can do this interview and you never have to see me again!”


Author Bio:
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Originally from Ireland, Kate cut her romance reader teeth on Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Harlequins thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron or a fire hose, and she's there. Now based in Chicago, she writes sexy contemporary romance with alpha heroes and strong heroines who can match their men quip for quip.


GIVEAWAY!

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Sunday, July 28, 2019

Review: Perky by Julia Kent

Book info:
TitlePerky
Author:  Julia Kent
Series:  Standalone sequel to Fluffy
Genre:  Adult romantic comedy
Release Date:  July 30th, 2019
Source:  E-galley from author which did not influence my opinion. 
My rating:  5 stars

Synopsis:
One hundred years ago when I was young and impulsive (okay, it was five, alright? Five years ago...) I let my boyfriend take, let's just say... compromising pictures of me.

(Shut up. It made sense at the time).

Surprise! The sleazy back-stabbing jerk posted them on a website and, well, you can guess what happened. That's right.

I'm a meme. A really gross one.

You've seen the pictures. And if you haven't - don't ask. And don't look!

As face recognition software online improves, I get tagged on social media whenever anyone shares my pictures. You try getting a thousand notifications a day, all of them pictures of your tatas.

So. I'm done.

It's time for revenge. Let him see how it feels! But how do you get embarrassingly intimate pictures of your jerkface ex who double-crossed you five years ago?

Especially when he's a member of the U.S.House of Representatives now?

Getting sweet between the sheets with a congressman is pretty much every political roadie's dream, right? I'm one in a crowd.

Except to this day, he swears he didn't do it. Pursued me for months after I dumped him five years ago. Begged me to take him back.

And I almost did it. Almost. I was weak and stupid and in love a hundred years ago.

Okay. Fine. Five.

But I still have the upper hand. Second chance romance has all the emotional feels, doesn't it?

I can't wait to punch him in the feels.

All I need to do is sleep with him once, take some hot-and-sweaty pics of him in... delicate positions, and bring him down. That's it. Nothing more.

Pictures first. Revenge after. And then I win.

At least, that's how it was supposed to happen. But then I did something worse than sexting.

I fell in love with him. Again.




My Review:
Honestly, I keep asking myself why in the world I waited to read a book by Julia Kent.  This one is my 2nd, and it might even be better than the first one!  The number of times I stopped to post an update on Goodreads as I was reading because I wanted to remember a line or something that happened was silly.  Usually I only update my Goodreads status when I've stopped reading the book for a while because I'm having to go do something else. But one night while I was reading in bed, I kept disturbing my dogs to reach over and grab my phone to update with another hilarious example from the book.   This book was laugh out loud from beginning to end. Even the sexy steamy scenes had funny bits, making me want my own Parker!

The characters are hilarious, and the connection between our couple is perfect.  I honestly don't have any issues I can think of with the book.  It was just all good.  In fact I would have sat and read from the very first page to the last page in one sitting if I didn't have to do life things like eat, sleep, go to work, celebrate my stepmom's birthday, babysit my niece and nephew, etc.  

Now, here are a few of the things I had to stop and make a status update on Goodreads because they made me laugh so hard.  There was a reference to Dolores Umbrage from Harry Potter when describing Parker's  mom, and that came from Perky's parents!  Mallory, who we met in book 1, Fluffy, has a thing about how tacos are supposed to be eaten. And when someone did something she didn't like, she said that "he didn't respect the taco".  To that one of the group said it sounded like a complaint after a one stand with a date from Tinder.  The sex toy factory worker parts were hilarious.  And then, there is Raul who works at the coffee shop with Perky.  He gets some of the best lines.  I also now have learned about a brown starfish, and I might be traumatized for life.  LOL!!!   

Once again at the end, like in the first book, we got an epilogue, or stinger as the author calls it, letting us get ready for how the next book will start.  While these are all standalones, the characters are all parts of the stories, and you will want to read all of them, in any order, but just read them all! 
 

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Let's Help Shooting Stars Mag Celebrate 12 Years of Blogging with a Giveaway!

I am not sure how long I've been following Lauren over at Shooting Stars Mag, but when she came up with the idea of making an extra long celebration of her 12th Blogoversary, I wanted to be a part of it!  I thought it would be fun to have Lauren do a Top 10 post for me.  Her idea was a fun one, hope you enjoy it!

Top 12 Bookish Items On My Bucket List 

1. Stay at the Library Hotel in New York: https://libraryhotel.com/en/
2. Become a published author 
3. Visit The American Writers Museum in Chicago: https://americanwritersmuseum.org/
4. Visit the Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris, France: https://shakespeareandcompany.com/
5. Visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, FL
6. Write an article for Book Riot: https://bookriot.com/
7. Stay at Gladstone's Library in Great Britain: https://www.gladstoneslibrary.org/
8. Go on a Writer's Retreat
9. Visit the New York Public Library
10. Read another book by Jane Austen (so far I've only read Persuasion)
11. Donate books to a Little Free Library
12. See a Harry Potter film being played with a live orchestra


Lauren has some great posts, and I enjoy seeing not only what she's been reading, but also all of the fun things she's been doing, like those you see in the list above!  Here's a picture of Lauren, along with her bio from her blog:
My name is Lauren Becker, and I’ve been running Shooting Stars Mag since around August 2007. It’s been through some changes and ebbs and flows, but we’re holding on strong. I just want to say that I appreciate every single person that leaves a comment, spreads the word about something we’re doing or have posted, and for everyone that has emailed/tweeted/messaged. It really does mean a lot and is a large reason I keep the blog going.
The blog is mostly my work, but I do have a co-writer for some YA reviews and her name is Alicia. If she wrote it, her name will be on it.
I also include guest reviews every now and then. These are sometimes done by my sister or mom, as they like to help out. Again, these are all noted within the post.
You should definitely follow Lauren, and there is an option in the Rafflecopter below to do that!  I've also included a link to her blog in case you don't care about entering my giveaway below and just want to go check her blog out:  Shooting Stars Mag.
Giveaway:
For my giveaway, you will have a choice of two prizes.  One is a book of up to $10 from The Book Depository, your choice!  The other choice is to pick 2 books from my giveaway piles below, but this one is only open if you are a winner from the US.  Here are the pictures to choose from:









 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cleaning Up My TBR With a Giveaway (US Only) - Down the TBR Hole #32

This meme was started by Lost in a Story.  Here is how it works:
  • Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?
Because I have so many to do, I'm going to try to do this weekly, and do 10 at a time. 


1.   The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn:
Is it possible...
That there exists an ancient mystery that holds the secret of America's future?
That this mystery lies behind everything from 9/11 to the collapse of the global economy?
That ancient harbingers of judgment are now manifesting in America?
That God is sending America a prophetic message of what is yet to come?

Before its end as a nation, there appeared in ancient Israel nine specific warnings and omens of national destruction – These same nine Harbingers are now manifesting in America with profound ramifications for America’s future and end-time prophecy.

Hidden in an ancient biblical prophecy from Isaiah, the mysteries revealed in The Harbinger are so precise that they foretell recent American events down to the exact days… the 3,000-year-old mystery that revealed the exact date of the stock market collapse of 2008… the ancient prophecy that was proclaimed from the floor of the US Senate and then came true…and more. The revelations are so specific that even the most hardened skeptic will find it hard to put down. Though it sounds like the plot of a Hollywood thriller – IT’S REAL.

The prophetic mysteries are factual but revealed through a riveting narrative the reader will find hard to put down. The Harbinger opens with the appearance of a man burdened with a message he has received from a mysterious figure called The Prophet. The Prophet has given him nine seals, each containing a message about America s future. As he tells of his encounters with the Prophet, from a skyscraper in New York City, to a rural mountaintop, to Capitol Hill, to Ground Zero, the mystery behind each seal is revealed. As the story unfolds, each revelation becomes another piece in a larger and larger puzzle, the ramifications of which are, even now, altering the course of America and the world.

 
My thoughts:
Eh, probably nothing I need to read today.

Verdict:  Toss



2.  Fragment by Warren Fahy:
In this powerhouse of suspense—as brilliantly imagined as Jurassic Park and The Ruins—scientists have made a startling discovery: a fragment of a lost continent, an island with an ecosystem unlike any they’ve seen before . . . an ecosystem that could topple ours like a house of cards.

The time is now. The place is the Trident, a long-range research vessel hired by the reality TV show Sealife. Aboard is a cast of ambitious young scientists. With a director dying for drama, tiny Henders Island might be just what the show needs. Until the first scientist sets foot on Henders—and the ultimate test of survival begins . . .

For when they reach the island’s shores, scientists are utterly unprepared for what they find—creatures unlike any ever recorded in natural history. This is not a lost world frozen in time, an island of mutants, or a lab where science has gone mad: this is the Earth as it might have looked after evolving on a separate path for half a billion years.Soon the scientists will stumble on something more shocking than anything humanity has ever encountered: because among the terrors of Henders Island, one life form defies any scientific theory—and must be saved at any cost. International Thriller Writers nominee Best First Novel


My thoughts:  
Eh, sounds like it might be good, but also not sure I'll ever get to it.

Verdict:Toss




3.  Enchanted by Alethea Kontis:
It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past—and hers?

 
My thoughts:  
I'm usually a big fan of fairy tale retellings, but I don't know if I'll ever get to this one. 

Verdict: Toss



4.  Austentatious by Alyssa Goodnight:
In this quirky, sexy novel set against the lively, music-filled backdrop of Austin, Texas, a young woman learns that romance can wreak havoc with even the best laid plans. . .


It started innocently enough. While browsing in one of Austin's funky little shops, Nicola James is intrigued by a blank vintage journal she finds hidden among a set of Jane Austen novels. Even though Nic is a straight-laced engineer, she's still a sucker for anything Austen-esque. But her enthusiasm quickly turns to disbelief once she starts writing in the journal--because somehow, it's writing her back. . .

Miss Nicola James will be sensible and indulge in a little romance. Those twelve tiny words hit Nic like a thunderbolt, as if her diary was channeling Austen herself! Itching for a bit of excitement, Nic decides to follow her "Fairy Jane's" advice. The result: a red-hot romance with a sexy Scottish musician who charms his way into Nic's heart in about five seconds flat.

Sean MacInnes is warm, funny, and happens to think Nic is the most desirable woman he's ever met. But a guy like Sean doesn't exactly fit into her Life Plan. With no one but Fairy Jane to guide her, Nic must choose between the life she thought she wanted--and the kind of happy ending she never saw coming. . ..

 
My thoughts:
Um, this sounds fun!

Verdict:  Keep



5.   Sadie Walker is Stranded by Madeleine Roux:
Sadie Walker fights for survival as the dead close in...

In the months since The Outbreak, Seattle has become a walled fortress - the Infected are kept at bay, and the survivors are trying to scrape back a life. But the city is rife with crime, religious cults and black-market dealings. And things are about to get much, much worse.

When a group of frustrated fanatics, the 'Repopulationists', destroy part of the wall, zombies start swarming the city. Sadie, devastated by the brutal kidnapping of her young nephew, must find him and get them both out before it's too late. But the only escape is by sea, and she's seen for herself the horrible fate of those who tried that route before...

  
My thoughts:
I enjoyed the first book, so I probably want to read this and see how the story finishes up.  Plus I like this author.

Verdict: Keep



6.  Reincarnate, Beloved by Loren Manns:
When Ana, an immortal, meets the reincarnation of the boy she once loved, and inadvertently killed, she must fight to save him from her sister, the Norse goddess of the underworld. And from the curse that dooms any boy who loves her to a painful death.


My thoughts:
Doesn't sound that original. 


Verdict: Toss




7.  Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick:
There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one of those stories.)

Jenna Lord’s first sixteen years were not exactly a fairytale. Her father is a controlling psycho and her mother is a drunk. She used to count on her older brother—until he shipped off to Afghanistan. And then, of course, there was the time she almost died in a fire.

There are stories where the monster gets the girl, and we all shed tears for his innocent victim. (This is not one of those stories either.)

Mitch Anderson is many things: A dedicated teacher and coach. A caring husband. A man with a certain... magnetism.

And there are stories where it’s hard to be sure who’s a prince and who’s a monster, who is a victim and who should live happily ever after. (These are the most interesting stories of all.)

Drowning Instinct is a novel of pain, deception, desperation, and love against the odds—and the rules.


My thoughts:  
I love this author, so I want to read all of her stuff.  Forgot about this one though!

Verdict:  Keep


 8.  Fire by William Esmont:
No one knows what caused the dead to rise. No one knows what caused them to attack the living. Fighting for their lives, scattered survivors find the attempted cure to be almost worse than the disease. In the twilight of a shattered civilization, the fate of humankind rests upon the actions of a handful of war-weary survivors. Driven to a scorched corner of the former United States, they alone hold the key to a global reawakening. Or the final epitaph for a dead planet.


My thoughts:
Nah, probably won't get to this one.


Verdict: Toss


9.  Attic Clowns  by Jeremy C. Shipp:
BEWARE THE CLOWNS IN THE ATTIC—LEST YOU BECOME ONE YOURSELF!

Bram Stoker Award nominee Jeremy C. Shipp spins 13 tales of horror and dark humor in this highly conceptual collection. Angels and demons, husbands and wives, tormented ghosts and an army of men made of soap—all of them trapped in attics of the mind, attics of heaven or hell, the attics we make for ourselves or with which we ensnare others.

Meet a paranoid astronaut whose jealousy drives him to extremes beyond murder…a miniature circus spawned from the mind of woman with too much control…the underling demon Globcow who desires redemption even more than the taste of human feet… Men, women, children, and things beyond imagination all interconnect in ATTIC CLOWNS, where laughter is only the prelude to the bizarre and terrible.


My thoughts:
Again, there was a time I loved short story collections like this.  Now, not that big of a deal for me.

Verdict:  Toss


10.  Survival of the Fittest:  The Last Hope for the Human Race by Michael Taylor:
One night, seven teenagers wake completely alone and in the dark. Their parents are gone, and it seems everyone on earth has disappeared as well. Worse, the electricity is off. Surrounded by darkness, their differences no longer matter; they are the sole survivors of an alien attack and the last hope for humanity. But in the black of night, can they outrun the hulking creatures with the glowing red eyes?

Priya is the exotic girl who says what she thinks. Will was a star athlete before the attack. They find Trevor and Aiyana, the twins; Alex and Ricardo, the tough guys; and finally, Lindsey, the innocent. Together, the seven of them are the last humans on earth-but are they really humans at all? They have no idea that the government has known of the incoming alien attack for decades; to prepare they created special children with very special abilities.

The chosen seven are part alien and part human, and they exist to fight off the otherworldly forces, threatening to conquer the planet. But with such differing personalities, will the seven be able to put their pride be-hind and work together? They must move beyond the grief of lost friends and family and find the strength to go on; if they don't, the world will die, taken over by monstrous creatures that can smell your fear.


My thoughts:
Might be good, but again, don't know when I'll get to it.

Verdict: Toss



Final Thoughts:
Keeping three again this week out of the ten, still more gone than kept!

Once again you can see that I may have dropped some, but you can also see how many I've added during the week as well because I'm also pointing out how many books are on my Want to Read list on Goodreads each week.  This week, after taking these 7 off, I have 3,162 books listed now, and last week I ended with 3,172. As my unpacking continues, I'm finding books to get rid of, not to mention a few that I'm reading now were on my Want to Read list, and so they've come off as well since I've read them or am reading them currently.

Have you read any of these?  Would you suggest I keep any I'm tossing?  And if you're inspired to do this on your blog, please feel free to join in and share a link in the comments, since it will also get you an extra entry into my giveaway at the bottom of this post.      
 


Giveaway:
Once again this is a US only giveaway, unless you are International and see a book here you really want and would be willing to pay for the difference in the shipping through Paypal or some other way.  You get to pick any two books from the pictures below, as long as they don't get traded away, or picked by last week's winner, and I will pick a surprise book from the piles to add to your choice.  As I mentioned above, unpacking is finding a lot of books to get rid of, so you have even more to pick from this week!  Here are your choices:   

2018 ARCs:



2017 ARCs:



I'm continuing to add in my early 2019 ARCs now.  You can pick one of your two choices from the picture below, the other book you pick needs to come from the pictures above.


And here are the older ones I've cleaned out as I unpack:

2010-2013 ARCs:


2014 ARCs:


2015-2016 ARCs:


Once again I'm going to let you pick two, along with me throwing in a surprise third book!  Just enter the Rafflecopter below.   Disclaimer:  Unfortunately, while I've only had it happen once, I'm going to have to make a statement like other giveaways I've seen on blogs that I am not responsible for lost mail.


  a Rafflecopter giveaway