Top Ten Books I'm Thankful For

Top Ten Tuesday is sponsored by The Broke and The Bookish.

I am going to choose books that for some reason either made me learn or feel something that I'll never forget and that I am thankful for whatever it was.  Books that really made something happen or change in my life.  I'll post a picture along with one sentence or so with each book to tell you why I'm thankful for that book.

 1.

I am thankful to this series because for a while, it brought me and one of my younger sisters really close.  So close that when she moved to New York City, I had to go visit her when the last movies were coming out, because we had the tradition of seeing them at the midnight premieres for each one.  It also led me to get my first tattoo, the cover of Twilight.

2.

I am thankful that I read this and then fell in love with JLA, and so then I had to sign up to go to the NOLA Storycon in 2016 so I could meet her, which meant I also decided to try to read books by the new authors that would be at that convention, which meant I fell in love with some of my now all time favorite authors like Samantha Young and Jay Crownover.

3.

This was the first book I read by Maggie Stiefvater, which made me fall in love with her books. Then, because I loved her books, I went to see her when she came on tour to my town, and I also ended up meeting and finding two more favorite authors:  Brenna Yovanoff and Tessa Gratton, because they happened to be with her on tour.  Because of that, when I got to go and see them all again at BEA one year, my picture of seeing them got picked by a publisher to put in a biography of Maggie, and now I have a published photo!

4.

This book was one of the first e-galleys I ever read from Netgalley.  I then looked up the author on Twitter and followed her, tweeting to tell her how much I loved her book. When I went to visit my sister in NYC as I mentioned above, she followed my tweets, and I asked if I could possibly meet her somewhere and get an autograph. She was so awesome that she did a crazy thing and met this crazy fan and we ended up going and getting a drink and talking for a long time!  It was one of the neatest experiences of my life!

5.

I read this book in college, while I was working on getting a degree in Earth Science Education.  I really remembered my earlier love of dinosaurs and fossils during this time.  My parents found an article in a newspaper about the museum where this paleontologist worked at the time, and that they let people come work on their dig, well, for a price.  My parents ended up paying for me to go spend a week there, as a college graduation present.  Another of the greatest moments of my life.  

6.

This series.  I just loved it so much!  I couldn't stop reading!  It is the reason I got my 2nd tattoo.  


7.

Okay, this might be a little silly of a "thank you", but this book gave me my all-time book boyfriend.  It was Daemon Black, who is till one of my top 10 all time, but Mal is # 1.


8.

My #2 all time book boyfriend is Nate, and this is another author I'm glad I read because of getting to meet her at NOLA StoryCon, because I thought she was another one of the coolest authors ever.


9.

I'm going to pick this one because it helped me to feel like I should get back to writing the romance I had started several years ago, as well as giving me the inspiration for the one I started last November that I need to finish!


10.

I'm going to pick this book because I loved it so much that I decided to read it with my group of students in the class that we had no curriculum for.  It is really one that I enjoyed getting in depth with them, and caused me to decide to go ahead and get certified to teach English, which in turn I think helped me with finally getting to be a school librarian.


So, can you think of any books that you are grateful for?

Can't Wait Wednesday #24 - Chaser (Dive Bar #3) by Kylie Scott

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Back with another sequel, and this time by one of my all-time favorite authors, the one who gave me my forever and always top book boyfriend, Mal Ericson, Kylie Scott.  While I didn't love the 2nd book in the Dive Bar series, Twist, as much as I loved the first one, Dirty, I still have high hopes for this third one.  You see, I love the Stage Dive series, but I don't love all of those boys the same, so it only makes sense that not all the guys in this series would grab me completely either. But anyway, here is the blurb for Chaser from Goodreads:

Given his well-earned bad boy reputation, Eric is having a tough time scoring.. When single Jean moves to town, she seems heaven sent by the sex gods. Only problem is, she not only wants nothing to do with him, but it turns out that she’s pregnant.

Starting over in a small town, Jean is determined to turn her wild lifestyle around and be the kind of mother she always wished she’d had. Since local bar owner and all round hottie, Eric Collins, is now determined to steer clear of her pregnant self, it should be easy. When she goes into labour during a snow storm and her car slides on some ice, it’s Eric who comes to the rescue.

There seems to be a bond between them now, but is it enough? And can Eric give up his manwhore ways to be the man Jean needs? 



Are you a Kylie Scott fan?  Does this sound like one you'd be interested in? What book are you eagerly awaiting this week? 

Review and Giveaway: Dangerous Rock (Dangerous Noise #3) by Crystal Kaswell

Book info:
Title:  Dangerous Rock
Author:  Crystal Kaswell
Series:  Dangerous Noise #3
Publication date: March 30th, 2017
Genres: New Adult, Romance

I’m married to a rock star.
And I don’t even know his last name.
Bella
There’s a tall, tattooed man in my bed.
Not any tall, tattooed man.
He’s a rock star.
A sex god.
And now he’s my husband.
Last night, I married Joel.
It’s ridiculous. I’m a good girl. I don’t get into trouble. I don’t look twice at bad boys.
I can’t stay married to a rock star.
But there’s something about Joel. Not just the way his green eyes light up when he smiles, or the way he makes me laugh, or the way he makes me shake with pleasure–
I’m not sure I can walk away.
Joel
Bella Chase is a challenge.
With the tight bun and the cute cardigan, she’s as prim and proper as they come.
My only plan for the night is getting her under me, screaming my name.
Filling her with so much pleasure she begs me to stop.
I didn’t plan on marrying her.
But now that she’s my wife, I’m not about to let her go.

Goodreads / Amazon

Review:
My rating:  5 stars
 
 I have been a big fan of Crystal Kaswell since I first downloaded one of her Sinful Serenade books for free on Amazon.  It then led to me having to download and read the rest in the series because I loved her writing so much.  You can read my reviews of the first series HERE.  I have to say that this book did not disappoint at all!  What I like about Kaswell's books is that even though they may be part of a series, you can pick them up at any book and still get into them.  While this is book three in the series, all that happens from me starting here, is that I know I need to now go back and find out  how the other couples, that are the other band members, got together.  I want to fall in love with those characters, even if some of them already were wonderful in this book that wasn't even their story.  

Again, as always, the sex scenes were steamy, the characters were definitely well-developed and made you feel for them.  I was also pleased for the link back to the original band, Sinful Serenade, and how they relate to the start and success of Dangerous Noise, the band in this series.  This book was about the drummer, Joel, and he was a sweetie.  I also love that the main character, Bella, was a huge Harry Potter fan, and that the two of them watched all the movies, that Joel totally accepted and encouraged her love of the books and movies.  While there was one sex scene that again is not my cup of tea, it was done in a way that it was still pretty steamy.  

I highly recommend Crystal Kaswell's Dangerous Noise series, as well as any of her other rock star romances.  They may be a bit of a formula, each member of the group for each book, but each story is really it's own characters and own plot.  Now, off to go find the ebooks of the other books in the series that are out, and I look forward to the final book in the series that will feature Mal.  Although it's not MY Mal, Mal Ericson from the Stage Dive series by Kylie Scott.  :-)  

Author Bio:

Crystal Kaswell writes scorching hot new adult romance. When she isn’t writing, she is chain drinking tea, binge watching Law and Order, practicing yoga, or debating which fictional character would be the best in bed. She lives in Portland, OR with her husband.
Sign up for her mailing list to get exclusive bonuses like deleted and alternate POV scenes.  http://www.crystalkaswell.com/subscribe/

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Audiobook Review: Dirty (Dive Bar #1) by Kylie Scott

Book info:
Title:  Dirty  
Author:  Kylie Scott
Series:  Dive Bar #1  
Genre:  Rock Star Romance
Published:  April 19th, 2016
Source:  Digital audiobook downloaded from public library
My rating:  5 stars

Once again I am blown away by Kylie Scott and her characters.  I love that this book features a character from the Stage Dive series, Vaughan.  My favorite part about that, is that means that one of  my all time favorite book boyfriends gets to  make an appearance, Mal Ericson.  Of course while he is there, he really does steal the story for me.  But anyway, this first book in this series totally brought me into this new world, and I can't wait to meet all the new characters, or find out what is going on with those characters we did meet.

The two main characters are Vaughan and Lydia.  When the story starts, Lydia has just ran out on her wedding after receiving a video of her fiance and his best friend/best man having sex.  She feels humiliated, because she honestly had no idea.  So she sneaks out of the house, and climbs over the fence into the neighbor's yard.  Once there, the only place she can think to hide is to go through a window that was left open on the little house where she's stumbled into the yard.  This window leads into the bathroom, and so as you can imagine, it is a small window, one that she has trouble fitting her wedding dress through.  When she falls in, she falls into a bathtub. And there she sits while trying to hide out until hopefully the people at the wedding stop looking for her.  Only, her luck runs out when the owner of the house gets home.  

Vaughan walks in and turns on the shower without realizing there is a girl in a wedding dress sitting in it.  Now, if you remember Vaughan from the last book in the Stage Dive series, Deep, he isn't shy about being naked in front of people.  Which, as well-endowed as he is said to be, that's probably no wonder.  Of course finding Lydia in his shower is a huge shock, and at first he's kind of ticked off.  But he's a good guy, something we also know from Deep.  So he lets Lydia stay and hide out.  Which works until her fiance and his family come knocking on his door.  

When Lydia is found by the wedding party, she has to explain and give away her fiance's secret to his parents.  Only, it seems as if maybe it isn't a surprise to them.  They had just thought he'd outgrown a phase.  And it turns out that his best friend is who sent the video to Lydia.  And now, the two men decide they are ready to be together.  Punches are thrown, many horrible words are said among the different characters, and the cops are even called.  Fortunately Vaughan is friends with the cop, and is able to convince them to let Lydia stay.  Soon Lydia must figure out whether she will take the family's offer to stay silent about the video and be paid off, or if she will spill the beans and get revenge.  Throughout this whole time she stays with Vaughan, and tries to figure out what to do with her life.  She and Vaughan definitely have a connection.  A physical attraction, and there is the temptation they must fight, each so sure that what they want for their life will not make for a good relationship between them long term.

As with the other books I've read by this author, the characters are all great!  Towards the end there is a point when Vaughan told a story, and it really was just hilarious the way he told it.  And honestly, there is something that really stood out to me and really impressed me with this book.  I don't want to feel like I'm preaching or telling anyone how to think, but my personal belief is that abortion is wrong.  And so when an event in this book happens, unprotected sex, instead of waiting to see what happens and then making a decision, they go get the morning after pill and take care of the issue right there.  Now, I also like that the story doesn't make it seem as taking that pill is just an easy thing, it talks about all the pain and other issues that come with it.  But I give the author kudos for bringing something like this into the story.  I really like the way she handled this situation.  Makes me even more excited to meet her at Apollycon in March!  And now, I'm stuck waiting till April for book two in this series, Twist. 

Now, I just have to wait until 

Audiobook Review: Deep (Stage Dive #4) by Kylie Scott

Book Info:
Title:  Deep  
Author:  Kylie Scott
Series:  Stage Dive #4  
Genre: Rock Star Romance
Published:  March 31st, 2015
Source:  Digital audiobook download from public library

This was the final book in this series, but as I discovered with the author's new series, Dive Bar, we will get to see these characters again, and follow up with some of the smaller part characters in this series.  

In this final book in the series, there is the last member of Stage Dive, Ben, and Anne Rollin's little sister, Lizzy.  Anne is Mal's girl, from Play.  Ben doesn't want to give into the attraction that he has with Lizzy, because she is basically Mal's little sister now. But then, one night, when they're in Vegas for a wedding, the two of them give in. And it is this one drunken night that leads to Lizzy getting pregnant.  She turns out not to be the only one of them that is pregnant. Turns out that Lena, Jimmy's girl from Lead, is also pregnant.  Well even though Ben doesn't want more with Lizzy, he likes his single rock and roll life the way it is, he invites her to go on tour with the band so that he can stay close to her.  But things go awry as you'd guess. She gets sick, they have issues dealing with each other, and so on.  

This author again has some of the best lines ever.  I have to share just a few.  

"Random attack sperm."
"Pretty sure both my heart and vagina would never forgive me."  
"Idiot men and their god damn sperm."  

But I have to admit that Ben is not my favorite of all the guys. While I enjoyed him in the other books as a side character, I do not like the way he was in this book.  He was worse than Jimmy in my opinion.  But this book was very emotional for sure.  Not only did I not care for Ben for a lot of the time, I definitely did not like his sister.  I need to go back and read/listen to the first book in the series again, because I know she figures into the story more and I don't remember it as much.  

Of course the pregnancy is a big part of the story, and it was good to read about that and see how it went.  Mal is of course Lizzy's brother-in-law now, but as usual, he steals the story for me.  Every part he's in makes me smile.  There was a lot of emotion in this story, and of course a lot of  humor.  We get to meet Vaughan, who is the love interest in Dirty, from the Dive Bar series.  He is a fun part of this story.  There are so many parts that I just wanted Lizzy to kick Ben out and show him how he was being a jerk, and that irritated me to no end.  

I think I have both complained about the characters in this book, as well as showed the most  hilarious lines, at least the ones I remembered to make note of.  I am a huge Kylie Scott fan now.  And I can't wait till Apollycon in March when I will get the chance to meet her!  

Audiobook Review: Lead (Stage Dive #3) by Kylie Scott

Book info:
Title:  Lead   
Author:  Kylie Scott
Series:  Stage Dive #3  
Genre:  Rock star NA romance
Published:  November 25th, 2014
Source:  Downloaded digital audio from public library

Once again I was not disappointed in a book by the author Kylie Scott.  I've enjoyed all her books so far, and while the second one, Play, was my favorite, none of them have not been good.  The first book, Lick, was one I read as a free ebook and enjoyed, although I do kind of want to go back and listen to it as an audiobook, not to mention listen for my favorite Malcolm in the book.  Because he is the reason I loved book 2, and in all the books I've read since, he still steals the show whenever his character is in a scene.  In fact, at 2% in, I was loving how Mal totally made the beginning perfect.  

This book is Jimmy and Lena's book.  Jimmy wasn't a member of the band that I had felt anything good for.  He'd been kind of a dick in the first two books, of course partly because he had been just out of rehab and had a pretty big chip on his shoulder.  Plus, lead singer, what else do you expect?  Lena got hired to be his sober companion/secretary.  While Lena is perfect in this position, she finds that she is definitely attracted physically to Jimmy.  But she knows he isn't interested in her, and she has to keep it professional.  When Jimmy finds out how she seems to feel about him, he goes about trying to help her get over him.  It includes setting her up on dates with other guys, including Ben, the last member of the band that is single, as well as Reece, the guy that had been Anne's boss/former crush in the last book.  Of course neither date worked out, many reasons, including the fact that Jimmy kind of sabotaged them both in a way.  Next Jimmy figures to get it out of her system, and his own, by having sex with her.  Which turns him into a normal jerk of a guy as you'd expect.  And at that point, Lena tries to find a new assistant for Jimmy, needing to get away from him.  But everyone, the other band members, and Jimmy, sabotage the meeting with the guy she's found that would be a perfect replacement.  Other than the fact that Jimmy does have feelings for Lena.  But we meet and learn more about Jimmy and Dave's mother.  And thanks to their mom Jimmy doesn't think he can love, or that anyone can love him.  So he'll have to figure out before it's too late if what he feels for Lean is love, or if he can live without her.

As I said, I still don't know that I ever really started to "like" Jimmy.  He's pretty much an ass the whole book.  But the sex scenes, once we actually got to them, were pretty good.  As I mentioned with Mal, every time he showed up I was smiling the whole time he was there.  Another great book by Kylie Scott, and definitely one to be recommended! 

Audiobook Review: Play (Stage Dive #2) by Kylie Scott

Book info:
Title:  Play  
Author:  Kylie Scott
Series:  Stage Dive #2  
Genre:  New Adult, Rock Star Romance
Published:  March 25th, 2014
Source:  Digital audiobook downloaded from public library

Okay, I am now totally in love with this author.  And to think it all started with a cheap/free e-book from back when I tried Kindle Unlimited for a month back in May. The first book, Lick, was good, and very entertaining and sexy, but I didn't LOVE the guy.  This book though, I have probably an all-time book boyfriend.  In fact, he is in a tie with Nate from Before Jamaica Lane by Samantha Young.  He might even have surpassed in how much I love him more than Nate.  Malcolm Ericson, or Mal for short, makes me laugh.  In fact, as I recently began listening to the next book after Play, and he was a big part of the beginning of the story, I was smiling like an idiot and just in love with the book from that moment on, even though the guy in the next book is really not that lovable to start with.   Each book in the Stage Dive series follows one of the guys in the band by the same name as the series.  Mal is the drummer.  Now, while I am usually interested in the blond guy in a group, they do describe Mal as having hair long enough to put in a pony tail, which I don't like.  But the guy on the cover, well, look at him, yeah.  Hair doesn't matter.  

The main character, besides Mal, is Anne.  The story is from her viewpoint, as all of them are I believe from the girl's viewpoint.  She just came home to find out her roommate, who already owed her money for rent and bills, has left, taken all the furniture, and just left Anne with no roommate, and no money.  Anne's best friend is a guy named Reece.  He's a bit of a manwhore, and keeps Anne in the friend zone.  Although Anne feels like some day, things will work out for the two of them to get together.  The day that Anne loses her roommate, her neighbor, Lauren decides that Anne should go to the party that Lauren is going with her boyfriend to.  It takes a bit to convince her, but Anne finally decides that since she is about to be broke and probably have to move to a smaller apartment, she may as well go enjoy a party.  Now, the party is Lauren's old roommate, Ev, who we met in the first book, and is now married to David, the lead guitarist of the band Stage Dive.  

Once there, Anne doesn't quite feel like she fits in at the party, and so she ends up out on the balcony of the condo apartment, talking on the phone to Reece.  She spills the whole story out to Reece.  What she doesn't know when she gets off the phone, is that also sitting on the balcony is one of the band members.  In fact, it is her favorite member, the one that she had posters of on her wall as a teenager.  He heard her conversation, and asks her about her situation, learns that she is out a roommate, and that it may cause her to have to move.  He tells her that she is too nice, lets people get away with too much.  He pushes her to the point that she yells at him, loud enough that the people inside the party hear her yelling at him.  Very embarrassed she heads inside, and ends up sitting on a couch, waiting for Lauren and her boyfriend to be ready to go.  Mal has since come in, and is now acting crazy.  Dancing on tables with women, being the goofy guy that we come to know pretty well, and that I came to love.  He's drunk now, and then out of nowhere he announces that he is moving in with Anne and that she is his girlfriend.  All while he's still got this girl dancing all over him.  One of the other band members, Ben, calls him on it, and the next thing we know, Mal is down professing his love to Anne, and pulling her off her chair so she ends up rolling on top of him on the floor.  

At this point, Ev comes over and tells Mal not to start with her friends.  So Anne is able to get away, shocked from her first experience with Mal.  She goes into work the next day, and tells Reece about her exciting celebrity encounter from the night before.  She ends up going home, only to find something strange, Mal is there.  Inside her apartment, shirtless, with all kinds of new furniture.  Turns out he has decided to move in to help her out.  And in return, he asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend.  He won't tell her why, just that he needs them to pretend. And it will only be pretend. There will be no sex, even though he tries to get her to commit to "touching time".  

Now, this book takes place over only about a week or so. Their relationship, definitely grows, to the point where they decide they need to give it a try as a real relationship.  But still, Mal is holding back, won't let Anne know what the issue is.  Until we get to meet his parents, and then, the story gets a little sad, although his parents are so awesome!  Anne's parents, not so much awesome.  In the end, Mal won't give Anne what she thinks is important, even while wanting her to give him all of her.  And it causes our big major conflict at the end.  

I cannot tell you how many parts of this book make me laugh.  The part when Mal's parents show up unannounced at Anne's apartment, and Mal has left the front door unlocked, so they come right in.  Now, this is very awkward, because Mal and Anne just happen to be in the bathtub making out.  Their first real time making out, Anne completely naked, while Mal is completely dressed because he just climbed in with her while she was taking a bath.  Then at the end, there is a total fight scene reminiscent of the fountain fight scene in the second Bridget Jones's Diary movie between Hugh Grant and Colin Firth.  At least reading/listening to it, made me feel that way.  

God, I just adore Mal.  Writing this review just makes me want to go re-read the book.  In fact, I keep it sitting on my coffee table so that I can pick it up and open to any part in the book.  This is probably going to be one of my all time favorite books.  Mal can be so crass, again with the bathtub scene and the fact that Anne waxes.  The first time he gives her oral sex, OMG!  Funny, yet still sexy!  Probably part of my love, is that some of his silliness reminds me of guys I used to hang out with.  I'm pretty sure I could write my own whole book about Mal.  But I'll stop now.  Whether you read any other book in this series, this one, this one is my favorite. 

Swoon Thursday #2 - Play (Stage Dive #2) by Kylie Scott

I hadn't planned to participate this week, but then, I fell in love with the book I just finished, and it was because of my newest book boyfriend, Mal Ericson.   First, here is how this works:

• From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

• Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

 Mal just made me laugh so much.  And really, some of what he says is maybe not "swoon-worthy" to some people. But, to me, it is so real, I mean I have known guys who said or did similar things to him.  I've picked one of the first silly, funny things that he said in the book, and warning, there is some foul language in, but I can't help it.  I love him.  I may have to share some other quotes on other weeks, if I don't meet another swoony boy before then.

Kylie Scott returns with the highly anticipated follow-up to international bestseller Lick.

Mal Ericson, drummer for the world famous rock band Stage Dive, needs to clean up his image fast—at least for a little while. Having a good girl on his arm should do the job just fine. Mal doesn't plan on this temporary fix becoming permanent, but he didn't count on finding the one right girl.

Anne Rollins never thought she'd ever meet the rock god who plastered her teenage bedroom walls—especially not under these circumstances. Anne has money problems. Big ones. But being paid to play the pretend girlfriend to a wild life-of-the-party drummer couldn't end well. No matter how hot he is. Or could it?



Mal chuckled some more.  "Anyways, things are tight between me and Anne.  I may as well stay."

The brunette turned her glare up to high beam.  My look was probably more confused.  Maybe he meant another Anne.  One that had a clue what the hell he was talking about.

"Your girl doesn't mind watching some chick crawling all over you?"  Ben gave me a raised brow.  "I need a girlfriend like that."

"Ah, fuck.  Good point.  Honestly, this whole monogamy thing.  It takes so much getting used to, man."  Mal set the distinctly cranky brunette away from him, the muscles in his arms flexing.  He deposited her gently back down on the floor.  "Apologies.  I'm sure you're very nice and all but my heart beats only for Anne."

The brunette threw a withering glance my way, flicked her hair, and turned to leave.  Ignoring her huffing, Ben caught the girl around the waist, pulling her onto his lap.  The girl's transfer of affections took all of a millisecond.  To be fair, Ben was a big burly guy.  Few would say no.

Mal threw himself at my feet.  I scuttled back in my chair in surprise.

"Forgive me, Anne!  I didn't mean to stray."

~p. 32-33