Waiting on Wednesday | Come Back To Me | Mila Gray

Waiting on Wednesday

Come Back To Me • Mila Gray

Book cover Come Back To Me Mila Gray

In this heart-wrenching tale of love and loss, a young Marine and his best friend’s sister plunge into a forbidden love affair while he’s home on leave.

When a Marine Chaplain knocks on her door, Jessa’s heart breaks; someone she loves is dead. Killed in action, but is it Riley or Kit? Her brother or her boyfriend?

Three months earlier, Marine Kit Ryan finds himself back home on leave and dangerously drawn to his best friend Riley’s sister, Jessa: the one girl he can’t have. Exhausted from fighting his feelings, Kit finally gives in, and Jessa isn’t strong enough to resist diving headfirst into a passionate relationship.But what was just supposed to be a summer romance develops into something far greater than either of them expected. Jessa’s finally found the man of her dreams and Kit’s finally discovered there’s someone he’d sacrifice everything for. When it’s time for Kit to redeploy, neither one is ready to say goodbye. Jessa vows to wait for him and Kit promises to come home to her. No matter what. But as Jessa stands waiting for the Marine Chaplain to break her heart, she can’t help but feel that Kit has broken his promise.

Riley or Kit? Kit or Riley? Her brother or her boyfriend? Who’s coming home to her?

I always, ALWAYS will want to read books that feature anything military, you guys. ANYTHING ANYTIME. So seeing that COME BACK TO ME is about a Marine who comes home on leave and gets the FEELINGS for his best friend’s sister immediately puts this book on my radar. But yo: This twist? The “which Marine is dead?” thing? That’s probably going to be a heartbreaker. I’M IN.

Also, I love this cover. I love the smooch and the hand on her neck and all the things.

COME BACK TO ME comes out December 8, 2015 from Simon Pulse

Come Back To Me Mila Gray

Series Love | Leviathan | Scott Westerfeld

leviathan scott westerfeldFriends, I have been trying to review this awesome series by Scott Westerfeld since I finished listening to the audiobooks in quick succession last summer, but I’ve never been able to get the right words out for how much I loved them all. Maybe it was something to do with Alan Cumming’s narration (it was amazing). Maybe it was something to do with Deryn Sharp (one of the legit best characters EVER). Maybe it was the alternate history or the friendship between Alek and Deryn. All of those things together and more made this one of the best series I never thought I’d read but am so incredibly glad I did.

series love Leviathan Scott WesterfeldSeries Name: Leviathan

Author: Scott Westerfeld (web | twitter)

Publisher: Simon Pulse (print), Simon & Schuster Audio (audio)

Number of Books: 3

Titles: LEVIATHAN | BEHEMOTH | GOLIATH

series love Leviathan Scott WesterfeldScott Westerfeld’s series is a steampunk/alternate history retelling of World War I. Deryn Sharp is a young Scottish girl who wants to enlist in the Air Service, but has to pretend to be a boy to do so. Alek is Prince Aleksander of Austria-Hungary. He’s on the run from the Germans and he winds up crossing paths with Deryn. They travel the world together in an effort to stop the war and amazing things happen!

Also, important world-building note: the Germans are known as Clankers because they have engineered a vast and varied array of machines to help them win the war against the British, aka Darwinists, who rely on some pretty extraordinary natural evolution in their war effort (animals!). This AMAAAAZINGGG illustration by Keith Thompson helps:

Leviathan map Keith Thompson

Series love Leviathan Scott WesterfeldSo, quick little background: I don’t usually read steampunk. Couldn’t really tell you why, except that I’m not usually that into gears and cogs and machines etc., so I always put it off. One year at BEA, however, Scott Westerfeld was signing GOLIATH ARCs and my friend loved the series so I got one as well with the intention of starting the whole series. The alternate history angle appealed to me greatly, and my friend’s recommendation was enough for me. Fast forward to last summer. I still hadn’t gotten to this series like I’d planned. When I saw the audiobooks on Audible and noticed that Alan Cumming narrated them, I immediately used up some credits and got down to listening to them. BEST. DECISION.

Listening to an excellent audiobook of a great story is like getting an extra dose of awesomeness. There’s so much to love about this series. I’ll be honest: There were times when the mechanical things didn’t quite get me super excited, but I just really loved the story and the characters and the narration.

Deryn Sharp is amazing. I know I mentioned it already, but it’s really the truth. She’s smart and plucky and has some serious lady stones. She wants to join the Air Service, so she does, despite the danger she could be in if anyone discovered that she was a she. Deryn works her way into important roles on her airships through sheer determination and confidence. I love her beyond words.

Her friendship with Alek is also outstanding. They support each other and look out for one another and are loyal. Their relationship really is a wonderful friendship for most of this series, and even when it changes, it does so really organically and with a really strong foundation. Big fan of them.

Despite all of these awesome things, I have to give lots of credit for my enjoyment of these books to the narration. Alan Cumming is an outstanding narrator. He does amazing accents and voices, his delivery is perfect, and he really brought this outstandingly clever and interesting world to life. I want to listen to him read ALL THE THINGS.

Scott Westerfeld really knocked one out of the part with the Leviathan series, for me. The way he created this world that we kind of know but not was so impressive. I’m always impressed by alternate histories because, for me anyway, I’m always really wary of an author changing something willy nilly just because they can. And I guess authors can do that anyway. But even then, sometimes those things still ring false even in the context of the new history the author created. That never happens here. I really can’t recommend these books–and the audio in particular–enough. Three cheers for reading outside your comfort zone!

Book Review: The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

book cover for The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

Title: The Book of Broken Hearts
Author: Sarah Ockler (twitter | web)
Genre: Contemporary YA
Amazon | Goodreads
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release date: May 21, 2013
Source: Borrowed ARC

Summary: Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

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Book Review: Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Jessica Martinez, Carmen Bianchi, Jeremy King, Simon Pulse, Violin, Music, Competition, Guarneri,Chicago, Contemporary YA, Young Adult, Stradivarius, Classical music, symphony, drug use, Inderal, performance anxietyTitle: Virtuosity

Author: Jessica Martinez

Genre: Contemporary YA

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Published on: October 18, 2011

Challenge: Completely Contemporary Challenge

Source: Library

Summary: Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen’s whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn’t just hot…what if Jeremy is better?

Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can’t end well, but she just can’t stay away. Nobody else understands her–and riles her up–like he does. Still, she can’t trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what’s expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall….

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Book Review | The One That I Want | Jennifer Echols

Book Review | The One That I Want | Jennifer EcholsThe One That I Want by Jennifer Echols
Published by Simon Pulse on December 6, 2011
Genres: Contemporary YA, Relationships, Romance
Pages: 288
Format: eBook
Source: Bought it
AmazonBarnes & NobleGoodreads
four-stars

Gemma can’t believe her luck when the star football player starts flirting with her. Max is totally swoon-worthy, and even gets her quirky sense of humor. So when he asks out her so-called best friend Addison, Gemma’s heartbroken.

Then Addison pressures Gemma to join the date with one of Max’s friends. But the more time they all spend together, the harder Gemma falls for Max. She can’t help thinking that Max likes her back—it’s just too bad he’s already dating Addison. How can Gemma get the guy she wants without going after her best friend’s boyfriend?

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