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Sunday, May 19, 2019

V. E. SCHWAB GIVEAWAY WINNERS


And the lucky winners are... 

Thursday, May 16, 2019

I SPY THE BOY NEXT DOOR BY SAMANTHA ARMSTRONG REVIEW


I Spy the Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong
Release Date: May 25th 2019
Source: NetGalley ARC
Format: EBook
Pages: 254
Buy it: Amazon|B&N|Book Depository

Four p.m. spy sessions are the highlight of Mallory Taylor’s day. Observing the boy next door—one with a body and an attitude to match—has her perched beside her window so often it can't be healthy.

When she finally convinces her mom to let her go to public school, Mallory comes face to face with her neighbor, Troy Parker. And he makes it clear he wants nothing to do with her. His rejection awakens a newfound tenacity and maybe even a touch of recklessness. But when Troy starts to show up when she needs him the most, Mallory can’t help but wonder if there’s more to him than he’s let on.

Taking chances, breaking rules, and following her heart is all new to Mallory. And no one warned her just how fickle hearts can be. When she discovers that Troy isn’t at all the guy she imagined him to be, secrets rise to the surface that will change her life forever.

*This is a standalone mature YA/new adult contemporary romance.
 


        Mallory Taylor is a naive, homeschooled, virgin who spy's on the hot, tattooed, motorcycle-driving boy next door. This book was a total cliche taken from stories we have heard many times before. From Mean Girls, (the homeschool girl becoming friends with the edgy girl and the gay kid) to the bad boy fighter that is seen in so many stories. While all these tropes seem unoriginal, this story is executed fairly well with quite an original plot twist though it was predictable.
Wednesday, May 15, 2019

MISCHIEF AND THE MASTERS BY CHERISE SINCLAIR [MASTERS OF THE SHADOWLANDS #12] REVIEW


Mischief and the Masters by Cherise Sinclair
Release Date: November 15th 2016
Source: Purchased
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 436
Buy it: Amazon|B&N|Book Depository


She wants a short, sweet Master. One Master.

The two devastatingly dominant Drago cousins have other ideas.

Her life destroyed by a stalker, Uzuri Cheval starts anew in Tampa and joins the exclusive Shadowlands club. Unconvinced of her claims that she can overcome her fear of big men without help, Master Z gives her a time limit. And she is improving--until she hears the stalker is out of prison. Now her time limit is up, and the Masters will intervene, which is okay--as long as whoever helps her is short. Okay, sweet and gentle would be good, too.

But two Doms? Dangerously experienced and dauntingly powerful cousins? No way.

Having volunteered in every hellhole in the world, Dr. Alastair Drago is ready to settle down. Detective Max Drago has joined him and, once again, the cousins share everything. A house, lives, problems…and whatever submissive catches their interest. One mischievous submissive has definitely caught Alastair’s. However, having been burned by a woman, Max remains detached…until little mischief’s troubles turn deadly.

•• PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 ••

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

MIDNIGHT BLUE BY L.J. SHEN REVIEW


Midnight Blue by L.J. Shen
Release Date: January 4th 2018
Source: Purchased
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 338
Buy it: Amazon|B&N|Book Depository

From bestselling author L.J. Shen, comes a new, standalone, contemporary romance. 

It should have been easy.
I needed the money. He needed a babysitter to keep him from snorting himself to death.
I was cherry-picked especially for him. Responsible. Optimistic. Warm. Innocent.
The worst part is that I should have known better.
Alex Winslow. British rock star. Serial heartbreaker. Casanova with whiskey eyes.
“Don’t get near the devil in a leather jacket. He’ll chew you up and spit you out.”
Guess what? I didn’t listen.
I signed the contract.
World tour. Three months. Four Continents. One hundred shows.
My name is Indigo Bellamy, and I sold my soul to a tattooed god.
Problem was, my soul wasn’t enough for Alex Winslow. He ended up taking my body, too.
Then he took my heart.
Then he took my all.


•• PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 ••

        By now we all know that L.J. Shen writes the best the most incredible alpha assholes that you can't help but fall in love with. They have an edge to them that is shocking and sexy. It is her specialty so it is no surprise when we come across yet another in Midnight Blue. This has to be one of my favorite rockstar romances. As someone who fantasized about being the backstage lover to multiple rockstars and boyband members, this book fulfilled all my fantasies. A British bad-boy rockstar that is tortured, damaged and beautifully broken had me gushing with every word. Alex Winslow is brash, rude and incredibly arrogant, yet I melted once he opened his smart-ass mouth and told the world to go fuck itself. Midnight Blue had everything you could want in a rockstar romance novel. The ups and downs of an industry that feeds into celebrity gossip, the drugs and sex that all seem so gruff and dirty and the overdramatic musicians and management that surround an egotistical, entitled rockstar. Now throw in an unsuspecting girl to flip everything on its head and you've got yourself a great novel.

Monday, May 13, 2019

SCANDALOUS BY L.J. SHEN [SINNERS OF SAINT #3] REVIEW


Scandalous by L.J. Shen
Release Date: September 22nd 2017
Source: Purchased
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 315
Buy it: Amazon|B&N|Book Depository
They call him The Mute for a reason.
Hard, cold and calculated, he rarely speaks.
When he does, it’s with disdain.
When he does, his words aren’t meant for me.
When he does, my stomach flips and my world tilts on its axis.
He is thirty-three.
I am eighteen.
He’s a single dad and my father’s business partner.
I’m just a kid to him and his enemy’s daughter.
He’s emotionally unavailable.
And I am…feeling. Feeling things I shouldn’t feel for him.
Trent Rexroth is going to break my heart. The writing isn’t just on the wall, it’s inked on my soul.
And yet, I can’t stay away.
A scandal is the last thing my family needs. But a scandal is what we’re going to give them.
And oh, what beautiful chaos it will be


•• PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 ••

        How the hell does L.J. Shen manage to do it every single time? Although each of the Hotholes have the same defining characteristic, they all manage to bring something new to the table making each story more incising than the last. Scandalous is complex, emotionally riveting and an intricately plotted work of art. I always expect the unexpected with the Hotholes and this book did not disappoint, being both thought-provoking and guaranteed to steal your heart. What is different about this story is that the Hotholes are now grown and experienced, willing to make sacrifices for each other that they would have never made in book one.
        Trent Rexroth has always seemed like the most tame of the Hotholes, but that was only because he was quiet–– and you know what they say about the quiet ones. He was crude, straightforward, blunt and uncompromisingly himself. I was fascinated by every move he made, every word he spoke, and his thought process through it all got me all hot and bothered. How slowly he peeled himself back to reveal the complex, beautiful creature underneath. The only girl to hold Trent's heart thus far has been his daughter Luna, whose mother disappeared on them both without warning. Having a daughter that doesn't utter a word, Trent breaks out of his shell only for her, trying everything to make her feel comfortable. As far as his love life goes, it is nothing but raw, dirty, animalistic sex and thats it. No kissing. No flowers. Just hot, hedonistic fucking.
Sunday, May 12, 2019

AGAIN, BUT BETTER BY CHRISTINE RICCIO REVIEW


Again, but Better by L.J. Shen
Release Date: May 7th 2019
Source: Purchased
Format: Audiobook and Hardcover
Pages: 384
Buy it: Amazon|B&N|Book Depository

From one of the most followed booktubers today, comes Again, but Better, a story about second chances, discovering yourself, and being brave enough to try again.

Shane has been doing college all wrong. Pre-med, stellar grades, and happy parents…sounds ideal—but Shane's made zero friends, goes home every weekend, and romance…what’s that? 

Her life has been dorm, dining hall, class, repeat. Time's a ticking, and she needs a change—there's nothing like moving to a new country to really mix things up. Shane signs up for a semester abroad in London. She's going to right all her college mistakes: make friends, pursue boys, and find adventure! 

Easier said than done. She is soon faced with the complicated realities of living outside her bubble, and when self-doubt sneaks in, her new life starts to fall apart. 

Shane comes to find that, with the right amount of courage and determination one can conquer anything. Throw in some fate and a touch of magic—the possibilities are endless.


        Let me start this out by saying that I have an immense love and respect for Christine and her YouTube channel. For years as soon as I finished a book, I would scroll through her channel looking to see if she had a BookTalk about it. I love to way she is so emotional about the books she reads and how she can ramble on and on about a topic for ages straight from her head... but that doesn't necessarily translate well written down into a book. In short, Again, but Better needs to be written again, but better.

        This book was bad... and I mean BAD BAD. The amount of times my eyes literally rolled as I read this book, I'm fucking surprised they're not stuck there. Everything about this book made me cringe that it was almost unbearable to get through. I got the audiobook just so I could give it a fair chance, because physically reading the book made me want to throw it in the trash. I wanted to do anything else with my time besides read this book.

RUCKUS BY L.J. SHEN [SINNERS OF SAINTS #2] REVIEW

Ruckus by L.J. Shen
Release Date: May 23rd 2017
Source: Purchased
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 369
Buy it: Amazon|B&N|Book Depository
Rosie 

They say that life is a beautiful lie and death a painful truth. They're right. 
No one has ever made me feel more alive than the guy who serves as a constant reminder that my clock is ticking. 
He is my forbidden, shiny apple. 
The striking fallacy to my blunt, raw, truth. 
He is also my sister's ex-boyfriend. 
One thing you should know before you judge me; 
I saw him first. I craved him first. I loved him first. 
Eleven years later, he waltzed into my life, demanding a second chance. 
Dean Cole wants to be my bronze horseman. My white knight has finally arrived. Hopefully, he isn’t too late. 

Dean 

They say the brightest stars burn out the fastest. They’re right. 
She sets my mind on fire. 
All smart mouth, snarky attitude and a huge heart. 
In a world where everything is dull, she shines like fucking Sirius. 
Eleven years ago, fate tore us apart. 
This time, I dare it to try. 
Getting to her is a battlefield, but man, that’s why they call me Ruckus. 
Rosie LeBlanc is about to find out how hard I can fight. 
And conquering her will be the sweetest victory.


•• PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 ••

        I don't know how it is possible for me to fall even further down my L.J. Shen rabbit hole, but baby we are in too deep now. After reading Defy, Vicious and Pretty Reckless, there was a slow pattern emerging amongst Shen's male leads, but that all changed with Dean 'Ruckus' Cole. When we first meet Dean in Vicious, he is the fun-loving, quick to smile, anything to have a good time party boy of the 'Hotholes'. It would be easy to write him off as one dimensional, but in Ruckus you get to see the multifaceted character that is Dean Cole. A man with much more depth and darkness than the other hotholes.
Saturday, May 11, 2019

DEFY BY L.J. SHEN (SINNERS OF SAINTS #0.5) REVIEW

Defy by L.J. Shen
Release Date: October 18th 2016
Source: Purchased
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 165
Buy it: Amazon|B&N|Book Depository
Defy is a smutty, insta-love, insta-lust short novella. Defy is a prequel to Vicious (Sinners of Saint #1). It is recommended, but unnecessary, to read Defy before reading Vicious.

First included in Hot for Teacher Anthology: 19 Stories Filled with Lust and Love.

My name is Melody Greene, and I have a confession to make.
I slept with my student, a senior in high school.
Multiple times.
I had multiple orgasms.
In multiple positions.
I slept with my student and I enjoyed it.
I slept with my student and I’d do it all over again if I could turn back time.
My name is Melody Greene, and I got kicked out of my position as a teacher and did my walk of shame a la Cersei Lannister from the principal’s office, minutes after said principal threatened to call the cops on me.
My name is Melody Greene, and I did something bad because it made me feel good.
Here is why it was totally worth it.


•• PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 ••


        After enjoying Pretty Reckless and Vicious thoroughly I figured I had to read the story where it all came from. Melody Greene and Jaime Followhill are the prelude to all of our All Saints High's drama-filled and smutty stories. Jaime is your typical L.J. Shen love interest: one of the four hotholes, all-star football player, and the principle's son. And he just so happens to have the hots for his English teacher, Melody Greene.

Friday, May 10, 2019

VICIOUS BY L.J.SHEN (SINNERS OF SAINT #1) REVIEW




Vicious by L.J. Shen
Release Date: December 27th 2016
Source: Purchased
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 339
Buy it: Amazon|B&N|Book Depository
Emilia

They say love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances, and it’s true.The man who comes to me in my dreams also haunts me in my nightmares. He is a brilliant lawyer. A skilled criminal. A beautiful liar. A bully and a savior, a monster and a lover.

Ten years ago, he made me run away from the small town where we lived. Now, he came for me in New York, and he isn’t leaving until he takes me with him.

Vicious

She is a starving artist. Pretty and evasive like cherry blossom. Ten years ago, she barged into my life unannounced and turned everything upside down. She paid the price.

Emilia LeBlanc is completely off-limits, my best friend’s ex-girlfriend. The woman who knows my darkest secret, and the daughter of the cheap Help we hired to take care of our estate. That should deter me from chasing her, but it doesn’t. So she hates me. Big fucking deal. She better get used to me.



•• PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 ••


        I am now addicted to L.J. Shen books! If steamy angst is not your style, then I suggest ignoring my next few posts because I am hooked. And if these books ARE your style, I demand that you pick every single one immediately. If you're not into the whole asshole thing then you will probably be able to leave Vicious behind, but if you do, this is the most perfect asshole in all the books I have ever read. There is one aspect of Shen's writing I love and it's the fact that she is a master at writing an antihero. She takes us to the brink wondering if there is any way her character can redeem himself whilst making us fall head over heels in love with a cold, arrogant and vindictive bastard. We see this again in Barron Spencer (Vicious,) your typical All Saints High football star. They all seem so bad for you on paper, but yet they feel so SO SOOO GOOD.
Thursday, May 9, 2019

PRETTY RECKLESS BY L.J. SHEN REVIEW

Pretty Reckless by L.J. Shen
Release Date: April 21st 2019
Source: Purchased
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 360
Buy it: Amazon|B&N|Book Depository

From USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author L.J. Shen comes an intense, high school enemies-to-lovers romance with a twist. 


Penn 
They say revenge is a dish best served cold. I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me, and now my heart was completely iced. I took her first kiss. She took the only thing I loved. I was poor. She was rich. The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast. Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project. Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much. Yeah, baby girl, say it—I’m your foster brother. There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life, and she’s about to shell out some serious tears. Daria Followhill thinks she is THE queen. I’m about to prove to her that she’s nothing but a spoiled princess. 
Daria 
Everyone loves a good old unapologetic punk. But being a bitch? Oh, you get slammed for every snarky comment, cynical eye roll, and foot you put in your adversaries’ way. The thing about stiletto heels is that they make a hell of a dent when you walk all over the people who try to hurt you. In Penn Scully’s case, I pierced his heart until he bled out, then left it in a trash can on a bright summer day. Four years ago, he asked me to save all my firsts for him. Now he lives across the hall, and I want nothing more than to be his last everything. His parting words when he gave me his heart were that nothing in this world is free. Now? Now he is making me pay. 


•• PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 ••

        Angst, angst and did I mention angst? I devoured this book in one night and was left desperate for more. Pretty Reckless seemed to be every story imaginable wrapped into one. From enemies to lovers, to high school rivals, to not having a mother's love, this book covered it all. New Adult romance novels have become my new cup of tea and boy does L.J. Shen deliver.
Wednesday, May 8, 2019

BECOMING BY MICHELLE OBAMA REVIEW

Becoming by Michelle Obama
Release Date: November 13th 2018
Source: Purchased
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 426
Buy it: Amazon|B&N|Book Depository
In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African-American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. 

Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare. In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.


        It took me longer than I wanted to pick up this book, not because I did not want to, but because I wanted to sit down with just this book and nothing else. I wanted to have no distractions so that I could take in every word that Michelle Obama had to say. It is extremely important that this book has come out now not only because she is the former First Lady, but because it showcases her own accomplishments as a successful strong black woman in America. This book provides insight on Michelle's own private thoughts from everything ranging to her evolving romance with Barack to the painful transition to the current administration after the Obama's left the White House. I needed this dose of wisdom in a time like this when the world seems so bleak and I am uncertain what the future holds for myself, what the future holds for our society, it is nice to hear Michelle and Barack's optimism for the world.

       The one emotion that I felt throughout reading this book was hope. Michelle's heartfelt openness about her life thus far inspired me to keep moving. She describes how through this book she is "slaying the caricatures and stereotypes with my own words." And through this she reveals her qualities as well as her flaws, her triumphs and disappointments, her difficult compromises and forthrightness and all the lessons she has learned from this. How she failed the Bar Exam the first time she took it and how she should have seen it as a sign she did not want to become a lawyer, but instead retook the test because she did not want to fail. How she ended up leaving the profession anyways to do non-profit work, where her true passion was. Her words and dedication to her own progress was truly inspirational.

        There was one quote that stuck with me after I set this book down, “So many of us go through life with our stories hidden feeling ashamed or afraid when our whole truth doesn’t live up to some established ideal. We grow up with messages that tell us that there is only one way to be American. That if our skin is dark or our hips are wide, if we don’t experience love in a particular way, if we speak another language or come from another country then we don’t belong. That is until someone dares to start telling that story differently.” It inspires me to be the change that I want to see in the world. Growing up in New York, I was surrounded by diversity everywhere I went. But moving to Ohio for three years, I felt like I had gone backwards. Being the only person of color in a classroom, the only person of color on the floor of my dorm did not feel right. Having a racist and homophobic roommate became too much for me to handle, so I left. But I realize now that I should have stayed. I should not have let them win. But it felt like too much to do on my own. I never found my people who understood my struggles because they were going through it too. Michelle's book helped me to realize that it is okay to make these decisions for yourself. That things may seem chaotic right now, but things will work out. Just breathe and things will fall into place eventually.

I appreciated the way she captures how being a First Lady is not technically a job and she has no executive power but she has, as she describes, a “soft power” to influence and change through her speeches, her actions and her demeanor. Realizing that being a woman of color on the cover of a magazine or wearing garments from designers of color represented much more than what it seemed. When she talks about how women in the public eye always needed to be followed by a stylist, hairdresser and makeup artist. How it is "a built in fee for our societal double standard," where as Barack only had to wear a suit. She was aware of the responsibility and privileges of her position, but also demonstrates how she handles it with intelligence, strength and faith – and how her optimism is a form of faith.
     
        It is rare that a novel will change my life, but I know I will think about this book each and everyday of my life. I will aspire to be someone half as great as Michelle Obama. To find love and success in my career as she has is all a woman could dream of. I dare anyone to pick up this book and not feel inspired by her words. Though the role of First Lady is not technically a job, she treated it as such. Becoming by Michelle Obama gets 5 out of 5 stars from me!

What is your favorite memoir? Let me know in the comments down below.

Thanks Hons,
Lee Chand

AVENGERS: ENDGAME REVIEW


        “Part of the journey is the end.” So says Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame, the epic culmination of every Marvel Cinematic Universe entry that’s come before. After a seemingly endless journey, this movie does the impossible: brings closure. This is the end of one story, yet the beginning of so many others. If you read last months monthly consumptions where I talked about Avengers: Infinity War you would recall that it left me wanting more. Endgame is here to deliver where Infinity War failed. This movie pulled at my heart, yet had me laughing to the point where my stomach hurt. 

        The movie's three-hour-runtime flies by as the surviving characters try to find a way to undo the devastation created by Thanos. Both Robert Downy Jr. and Chris Evans give a performance of a lifetime in these films that is filled with a complete understanding of these characters after 10 years of embodying them. Chris Hemsworth has become one of the most vital elements in this franchise being able to perfectly balance comedy with soul-searching pathos. Marvel movies have become known for the wisecracks between characters, especially since Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarok and this movie was no different. You would think that because this is the end of the world as we know it, the sense of humor in these characters would be lost, but in fact it is heightened.

        While this movie is exhausting that is to be expected. We have come to the end of a saga, 10 years and 22 films later, we have made it! This movie had me cheering, crying, laughing and left me content as can be. 5 out of 5 stars!



THE REST OF THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM 
AVENGERS: ENDGAME
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME TRAILER TALK *SPOILERS*


WARNING THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: ENDGAME
Saturday, May 4, 2019

April 2019 | Monthly Consumptions

April was quite uneventful for me since I was extremely busy packing up my apartment and moving back to New York. I did watch a couple of things in my down time though.


The first thing I watched this month was Season 7 and then the NEW AND LAST SEASON OF GAME OF THRONES! This show is amazing and if you have not watched it yet...what are you doing. Hop on board and join the hype because it is well worth it. It is the first TV show that has truly felt like a book due to the character development and plot that occurs. We have had the time to watch these characters make decisions and it all comes down to this final season. This show is so intense and not for the faint of heart. What is making the show infinitely better for me are the live tweets and memes about the show. Especially the ones about Arya in episode 3 lmao. 5 out of 5 stars always from me!