Stacking the Shelves (14)

 Stacking The Shelves, a weekly meme from Tynga's Reviews, where I write, and squee, about the books I've added to my physical and virtual shelves, what I've read, and what I'm planning to read

Be sure to enter my 2 giveaways  
Wait for You (ends 8/20) & Shark Bait (ends 8/24)

• Fate Changer by Katie Lee O'Guinn
• Fire by T.G. Ayer
• Element, part 1 by CM Doporto
• Love on the Brazos by Susan Leigh Carlton
• Wolf's Bane by Judith Post
• Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
• House of Slide Hotblood by Juliann Whicker
• Hourglass by Myra McEntire
• Palm Springs Heat by DC Thome
• Scorching Secrets by Kaitlyn Hoyt
• Witch in the Wind by Brenda M. Collins

Easy by Tammara Webber

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Come Hell or High Desire by Misty Dietz

To Catch a Princess by Caridad Pineiro

Dream Eyes by Jayne Ann Krentz
Won -- Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore (thanks so much Jaclyn - I adore the drawings she added -- & Rachel at Live to Read!)

*Book image property of Microsoft

The Last Hurrah Hop 8/18 - 8/24

The Lash Hurrah Hop (August 18-24) is hosted by Candace's Book Blog
This is all about those last days of summer, all the fun things you try to squeeze in before summer ends like camping, BBQ'ing, swimming and so much more. 

My prize: Shark Bait by Jenn Cooksey. Why Shark Bait? Taking place at the end of the summer we've got angsty first love, teenage espionage, an unfortunate encounter with red licorice, gads of musical references, kittens, and lots of time at the beach.

Previously homeschooled Camie Ramsey is being shoved into the shark-infested waters of public high school, where even helium filled, penguin bespeckled arm floaties likely won’t help keep her inexperienced, fifteen-year old head above water in that rip current of hormones and emotions.

Camie’s worldly wisdom might be severely lacking (i.e., the closest she’s come to being kissed was sitting too close to the TV whilst Jake Ryan leaned in to give Samantha that fateful 16th birthday kiss), but she does understand her only hope for survival is if she’s thrown some kind of “social” life preserver before she sinks like a freaking rock. However, what will her fate be when she endeavors to flag down the only lifeguard on duty, the enormously popular and ridiculously beautiful Tristan Daniels? The most sought after and virtually most unattainable guy in school who not only makes Camie’s heart flatline on a recurring basis, he’s also the one guy who seemingly doesn’t know she exists.

Feeling like an inept piece of chum that could ultimately be swallowed by Jaws, can Camie get Tristan to rescue her from floundering in the treacherous deep, or is she destined to be Shark Bait? (Blurb via Goodreads)

The fine print:
The prize is (1) ebook of Shark Bait by Jenn Cooksey delivered via Amazon
Must be able to receive Amazon Kindle ebooks (US only)
Must be 18+ years old or have parental permission
Winner will be notified by e-mail and will have 72 hours to respond or another winner will be selected

Check out my other giveaway - Wait for You by J Lynn ending 8/20

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This is a giveaway hop with 40+ blogs participating, be sure to visit all the blogs!

{NA Review} Easy by Tammara Webber

{NA Review} Easy by Tammara Webber

Rescued by a stranger.
Haunted by a secret
Sometimes, love isn’t easy…

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love. (Blurb via Goodreads)

{Details} Paperback, 310 pages. Published November 6th 2012 by Berkley Trade. Source: library

{Rating} 4/5

{Review} It's definitely dramatic, my heart was racing from the first page. It was so engrossing, the characters so interesting, that I couldn't put it down until I'd read the last sentence. I liked watching Jacqueline's growth as she recovers from heartbreak, as she reclaimed her name (the ex called her my Jackie, really?), reclaims her dream, learns how to stand up for herself.

And Lucas. Awesome, swoon worthy Lucas. Lucas, who watched her. Saw her. Saw the details that made up who she is. Who saved her, taught her self-defense, taught her how she can save herself. He encouraged her to pursue her dreams, supported her dreams. Go. Read it. 

{YA Review} My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

{YA Review} My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

"One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time."

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.

As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A transporting debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another.(Blurb via Goodreads)

{Details} Hardcover, 394 pages. Published June 14th 2012 by Dial Books For Young Readers. Source: library

{Rating} 3/5

{Review} I had high expectations about My Life Next Door, I'd read tons of glowing reviews, but my opinion was just 'eh'. It was okay. I felt bad for Samantha, having to live with her mother and her expectations, I felt Samantha's loneliness, her strained friendships and how she watched the Garretts next door - seeing all she wanted there the joy, spontaneity, messes and acceptance, just across the fence.

I liked watching the relationship between Samantha and Jase develop, seeing how they navigated all the firsts. And then, when they're all happy they're faced with an enormous roadblock to their relationship, there are warring loyalties and hard decisions to make. I liked the way Fitzpatrick handled things, it felt real and true to the characters and their growth throughout the book.

{Cover Reveal & Giveaway} Trust in Me by J Lynn

I'm so excited! Drum roll please...

It’s Wait for You as you’ve never seen it. Trust in Me lets you in on Cam’s side of the #1 New York Times Bestselling story.

Cameron Hamilton is used to getting what he wants, especially when it comes to women. But when Avery Morgansten comes crashing into his life – literally – he finally meets the one person who can resist his soulful baby blues. But Cam’s not ready to give up. He can’t get the feisty and intriguing girl out of his head.

Avery has secrets, secrets that keep her from admitting the feelings Cam knows she has for him. Will persistence (and some delicious homemade cookies) help him break down her barriers and gain her trust? Or will he be shut out of Avery's life, losing his first real shot at the kind of love that lasts forever?

Is it October 22nd yet? I can hardly wait.

And there's a giveaway thanks to HarperCollins
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Lovestruck Giveaway Hop

 Lovestruck Giveaway Hop (August 14-20) is hosted by Under The Covers Book Blog

Love-struck: (adjective) having a passionate or overwhelming feeling of love; smitten

I smitten with Cameron Hamilton. Cam from Wait for You by J. Lynn.

Cam. Swoon. 

Why am I smitten?

Let's start with his blue eyes.

“Sweet baby Jesus, Blue Eyes was…
He was gorgeous in all the ways that made girls do stupid things. He was tall, a good head or two taller than me and broad at the shoulders, but tapered at the waist. An athlete’s body—like a swimmer’s. Wavy black hair toppled over his forehead, brushing matching eyebrows. Broad cheekbones and wide, expressive lips completed the package created for girls to drool over. And with those sapphire-colored eyes, holy moley…” (location 65)

And what he can do with those wide, expressive lips...

“Warmth slid through my veins as my body tensed in a welcomed, delicious way.
My eyes fluttered shut as his lips brushed mine once and then twice, as if he was getting reacquainted with the feel of them. The slight, barely there touch was nerve racking.
Cam shifted his weight onto his left arm and with his other hand, he spread his fingers along my cheek. He placed a kiss to the corner of my lips and the other side before sliding his hand back around the nape of my neck. His lips moved along my jaw, trailing a fiery path to my ear. A shiver danced along my skin, eliciting a deep, husky chuckle from him. His lips pressed against the sensitive spot under my ear, and a moan crawled up my throat.
“Goodnight, Avery.”
And then he kissed me—kissed me like he’d had right before he’d left the night of our date. Kissed me like he was a man starving for oxygen and I was the only air he needed to breathe. The hand around my neck held me there, raised up on my elbows as his mouth devoured mine. And that was the only word I could use to accurately explained how he kissed me.
Cam devoured me.” (location 2916)

He bakes. And he cooks. And he woos. 

“I have cookies.”
“Cookies?” My brows rose.
“Yeah, and I made them. I’m quite the baker.”
For some reason, I couldn’t picture that. “You baked cookies?”
“I bake a lot of things, and I’m sure you’re dying to know all about those things. But tonight, it was chocolate and walnut cookies. They are the shit if I do say so myself.”(location 319)

&

“It’s the combination of walnut and chocolate. You mix that together and it’s like an explosion of sex in your mouth, but not as messy. The only thing better would be those teeny tiny Reese’s Cups. When the dough is warm, you plop those suckers in…. Anyway, you just need to try it. Take a small bite.” (location 414)

&   

“Well, to be honest, I was planning to woo you with my banana nut bread, but that shit ain’t happening now. So all I have left is my delicious eggs.” …
“It’s really good, but you’re not wooing me.”
“Oh, I’m wooing … It’s all about the stealth. You don’t realize it yet.” (location 1010)

The things he says, even when he's cocky.

“While the idea of taking you right now, against the wall, is enough to make me lose control, I want you to know that I’m serious. You’re not a hook up. You’re not a friend with benefits. You’re more than that to me.”
I closed my eyes, breathing heavily. “Well, that was…really sort of perfect.”
“I’m really sort of perfect … Everyone else knows that. You’re just a little slow on the uptake.” (location 3854)

&

“You were perfect.”
Cam dipped his mouth to mine. “Only because I was with you.”
“Don't you have anyone else to bother?"
"There are a shit ton of people that I could reward with my presence, but I chose you.” (location 1002)

And the perfect things he says: 

“I could stare at you for a lifetime. It would never grow old."
"Even when I'm old?"
"Even then.” (location 4989)

Cam is the guy who stays. Who sees all the bad in you, all the damaged bits, all the broken bits, and stays. Aren't you swooning?

Too bad he lives in a book. Wait for You by Jennifer L. Armentrout writing as J. Lynn

Some things are worth waiting for…

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

Some things are worth experiencing…

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet…

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for… (Blurb via Goodreads)

And have you heard? There's more Cam! Trust in Me (Wait for You #1.5) will be released in October 2013. It's Wait for You and never seen before scenes from Cam POV’s

The fine print:
The prize is (1) ebook of Wait for You by J Lynn delivered via Amazon
Must be able to receive Amazon Kindle ebooks (US only)
Must be 18+ years old or have parental permission
Winner will be notified by e-mail and will have 72 hours to respond or another winner will be selected

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This is a giveaway hop with 125+ blogs. Visit Under the Covers Book Blog for the rest of the blogs that are participating.

Waiting on Wednesday (14)

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

This week I'm waiting on: 

Tandem (Many-Worlds Triology #1) by Anna Jarzab

Everything repeats.
You. Your best friend. Every person you know.
Many worlds. Many lives--infinite possibilities.
Welcome to the multiverse.

Sixteen-year-old Sasha Lawson has only ever known one small, ordinary life. When she was young, she loved her grandfather's stories of parallel worlds inhabited by girls who looked like her but led totally different lives. Sasha never believed such worlds were real--until now, when she finds herself thrust into one against her will.

To prevent imminent war, Sasha must slip into the life of an alternate version of herself, a princess who has vanished on the eve of her arranged marriage. If Sasha succeeds in fooling everyone, she will be returned home; if she fails, she'll be trapped in another girl's life forever. As time runs out, Sasha finds herself torn between two worlds, two lives, and two young men vying for her love--one who knows her secret, and one who thinks she's someone she's not.

The first book in the Many-Worlds Trilogy, Tandem is a riveting saga of love and betrayal set in parallel universes in which nothing--and no one--is what it seems.

(Blurb via Goodreads)

Expected publication: October 8, 2013

What are you waiting on?