July Recap

This month I challenged myself to read as many to-review books as possible and I'm pretty happy with how many I managed to read.

Read and Reviewed:

Click on the cover to be sent to my review.

DNFs:

Quite a few this month...

Again click on the cover for my review.

Other Reviews:

I read this a few months ago but waited until close to the release date to post my review (click on the cover to read it).

Favourite Reads of the Month:

Just one this month...

What were your favourite reads of the month?

Book Blitz + Giveaway - Found in Us (Lost, #2) by Layla Hagen

Found in Us (Lost, #2) by Layla Hagen
Publication date: July 24th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

**This can be read as a STANDALONE. The second book in the Lost series tells Jessica and Parker’s story.**

All Jessica wants -as a college graduate — is to be a good girl. She landed the job of her dreams at a museum and is trying to eliminate temptations. No more short skirts (when she can help it). No wild parties. And no men.

She particularly excels at that last thing. . .

Until her path crosses Parker’s. Again. Jessica remembers the last time their paths crossed very well. She was left with a seriously bruised ego. She knows it would be best to avoid him altogether. But the charming Brit makes it hard for her to elude his electrifying pull. He is as irresistible as he is captivating.

And enigmatic.

Because underneath the sleek Armani suit and the sweet British accent that makes her crave his touch, Parker isn’t the perfect gentleman everyone thinks he is.

He’s exactly what Jessica doesn’t want, but desperately needs.
A bad, bad boy.

Goodreads

Purchase:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

----

AUTHOR BIO

My name is Layla Hagen and I am a New Adult Contemporary Romance author.
I fell in love with books when I was nine years old, and my love affair with stories continues even now, many years later.
I write romantic stories and can’t wait to share them with the world.
And I drink coffee. Lots of it, in case the photo didn’t make it obvious enough 

Author Links:

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Blitz-wide giveaway 

Open internationally

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review - A Calculated Life by Anne Charnock

Title: A Calculated Life

Author: Anne Charnock

Pages: 207

Publisher: 47North

Release date: 24th September 2013

Blurb from Goodreads:

Late in the twenty-first century, big business is booming and state institutions are thriving thanks to advances in genetic engineering, which have produced a compliant population free of addictions. Violent crime is a rarity.
Hyper-intelligent Jayna is a star performer at top predictive agency Mayhew McCline, where she forecasts economic and social trends. A brilliant mathematical modeler, she far outshines her co-workers, often correcting their work on the quiet. Her latest coup: finding a link between northeasterly winds and violent crime.
When a string of events contradicts her forecasts, Jayna suspects she needs more data and better intuition. She needs direct interactions with the rest of society. Bravely—and naively—she sets out to disrupt her strict routine and stumbles unwittingly into a world where her IQ is increasingly irrelevant…a place where human relationships and the complexity of life are difficult for her to decode. And as she experiments with taking risks, she crosses the line into corporate intrigue and disloyalty.
Can Jayna confront the question of what it means to live a “normal” life? Or has the possibility of a “normal” life already been eclipsed for everyone?

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

*I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to 47North and Anne Charnock*

2/5 stars

Jayna is a highly intelligent simulant and works for a prediction agency. 

In an attempt to shake up her usually strict routine and to associate better with her human colleagues, Jayna starts taking risks which could get her into serious trouble. 

Up to around 40% I enjoyed this book but then I started losing interest. 

Jayna was an alright protagonist and it was interesting to read from her point of view. 

Overall this was an okay read but I lost interest.

Book Blitz + Giveaway - The Perfect Boyfriend (Boyfriend, #2) by Renee Novelle

The Perfect Boyfriend (Boyfriend, #2) by Renee Novelle
Publication date: July 27th 2014
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

The Perfect Boyfriend picks up right where we left Reagan and Ian in The Boyfriend List.

As their friendship blossoms quickly into a steamy romance, Reagan and Ian have to learn to navigate their shifting relationship…and everything that entails. But their newfound bliss doesn’t come without a few unexpected challenges.

In the midst of realizing just how sweet the romance can be between them, and all the benefits of their new dynamic, Reagan is informed that her ideal situation has changed. Not only will she need to begin taking on more classes to speed up her graduation date, but she’ll also have to start looking for a job to supplement her fading income. Meanwhile, Ian has chosen to pull out of school once his father is diagnosed with a terminal illness in order to help manage the family business and spend time with him while he still can. But he wrestles with the guilt of leaving Reagan behind, and the pressure of his new responsibilities.

As the two meet their new challenges head-on, they’ll be forced to discover whether or not they’re as compatible as lovers as they were as friends. With their focus pulled in so many directions, will they have what it takes to keep a long distance relationship alive? Can Ian prove that he’s still be the perfect boyfriend, or will they fold to statistics under the growing tensions of their lives? Throw in some manipulative exes, a new boss with an inflated ego, and a co-worker from hell and the two have a recipe for either a fairy tale ending, or a complete disaster.

The Perfect Boyfriend is a New Adult Romance about trust, love, and discovering the true depths of personal strength.

Goodreads

Purchase:

Amazon US |  Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA 

 Amazon AU | iTunes | Barnes & Noble | Smashword

Book 1 is on sale!

----

AUTHOR BIO

Renee’ Novelle is preceded by a long line of published family members, including Pulitzer Prize nominated author and Poet Laureate of Kentucky Jesse Stuart.

As a child, Novelle was already gaining recognition for several of her works, and in her formative years, she continued this trend by earning local awards for her short stories and poems.

Inspired to cultivate her talent, Novelle pursued freelance journalism and has found placement of 75 of her pieces in both online and print publications since 2008. Additionally, she has written multiple screenplays, and contributed her savvy, effective writing style to many non-profit and for profit organizations. She launched several blogs over the years, which garnered international attention.

In 2013, Novelle returned to her first love – fiction. She writes psychological and paranormal thrillers, as well as contemporary fiction and new adult fiction. For a complete schedule of upcoming releases, please visit www.RSNovelle.com

Though she received her Bachelor’s of Science in Communication, Summa Cum Laude, she considers herself a constant student of the written word. She’s an avid reader, an enthusiastic quote poster, and rarely takes “no” as a final answer. She has an unhealthy obsession for theater, dance, music and art, and strongly believes that wine is simultaneously the beginning of, and resolution to, all of life’s problems. She believes in following dreams, and that in the end, you always end up where you're meant to be.

Author links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Excerpt:

The black Camaro was shimmering under the fading sunlight, fresh from a detailed washing earlier that day. Reagan reached for the handle to the passenger side door, as she had at least a dozen times before, but Ian put a hand up to stop her. Instead, he drew the door back himself, opening it in a chivalrous move that revealed something in the seat waiting for her - a slim, robin’s egg blue box wrapped with a crisp white bow.
“What’s this?” Reagan inquired excitedly after immediately recognizing the trademark packaging.
“I wanted to get you something special.” He said, smiling mischievously as he leaned down to retrieve the box and place it in her eager hands. “Something to remind you of what you mean to me, and how important this night is.”
Reagan eyed him suspiciously, but her fingers trembled as she pulled at the bow and opened the box. A tiny gasp of surprise emerged from her throat, and the familiar sting in her eyes returned as tears of joy pooled, threatening to spill down her cheeks. Blinking them back, she looked up at Ian then back down at the delicate silver bracelet that was stretched the length of the box. It was a dual silver chain, knotted sweetly around a silver infinity symbol.
“It’s beautiful.” She exclaimed, her voice the hushed whisper of a woman impressed.
“I want you to know that this is real for me.” He began as he removed the token from the box and began to clasp it around her right wrist. “This isn’t just another first date. This is the beginning of forever for you and me. And if you decide that’s not what you want down the road, that’s fine. But Reagan, my intentions aren’t just to find another short-term girlfriend. I want you, all of you, for as long as you’re willing to give me.”

Blitz-wide giveaway

Open internationally

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review - Dangerous by Shannon Hale

Title: Dangerous

Author: Shannon Hale

Pages: 417

Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens

Release date: 10th April 2014

Blurb from Goodreads:

Maisie Danger Brown needs excitement. When she wins a harmless-sounding competition to go to astronaut boot camp, that’s exactly what she gets . . . But she never imagined it would feature stumbling into a terrifying plot that kills her friends and might just kill her too. Now there’s no going back. Maisie has to live by her middle name if she wants to survive and she’ll need to be equally courageous to untangle the romance in her life too.

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

*I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange foran honest review. Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) and NetGalley*

1/5 stars (DNF)

DNF at 21%

Maisie Brown wants to be an astronaut so when she enters a sweepstakes to go to an astronaut boot camp she can't believe her luck. 

Things soon take a dark twist and Maisie will have to do everything she can to stay alive.

Unfortunately I couldn't get into this book - I just couldn't connect with the storyline and the romance annoyed me (how quickly it happened). 

One good thing about this book, I thought, was that the protagonist had a missing hand - a refreshing change.

Overall this wasn't for me.

 

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Authors I Own The Most Books From

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week it's Ten Authors I Own The Most Books From...

1. Jasper Fforde

He's my favourite author and is just amazing!

Here are some of his books...

2. Chris Wooding

A fantastic author.

Here are some of his books...

3. George R. R. Martin

4. J. R. R. Tolkien

5. J.K. Rowling

6. Lauren Kate

I haven't read all of the Fallen series yet but I'm planning to this summer (hopefully).

I wasn't a fan of Teardrop.

7. Christopher Paolini

 I haven't read the 4th book in the Inheritance Cycle yet but I'm planning to as I really like the series.

 

8. Becca Fitzpatrick

I love the Hush, Hush series and can't wait to read Black Ice.

9. Garth Nix

The Abhorsen series is sooo good!

10. Frankie Rose

Which author do you own the most books from?