Showcase Sunday #97

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme held by Books, Biscuits and Tea. It allows fellow bloggers to show off any books or bookish things they've compiled over the week.

So that thing about not buying so many books, is anyone really surprised about me failing? I'm not. The positive(this week) being the books I've purchased, except for one, are all ones I've previously or just read. So that's progress. I'm actually super excited for ALL the books this week. The NG ones are all ones that are anticipated 2016 releases. So that's a perfect excuse to request them; because I will read them. 

Purchased

The Deal(Off-Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy
The Mistake(Off-Campus #2) by Elle Kennedy

The Score(Off-Campus #3) by Elle Kennedy
Appealed(Legal Briefs #3) by Emma Chase

Frigid(Frigid #1) by Jennifer L Armentrout
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet(Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers

Netgalley

Review

Flamecaster(Shattered Realms #1) by Cinda Williams Chima
**Thanks so much to HCC Frenzy for sending this my way**

What did you guys get this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany

Weekly Wrap-Up January 23rd-29th

This week I managed to finish four books. All were physical books.


The Last Letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes *****
Well this guy has kind of had me in hangover since I finished it. I've read enough of Moyes books to expect the emotions but man this one can give Me Before You a shove. I sobbed like crazy person during Me Before You but this one was like every freakin' chapter. Such a beautiful heart wrenching story. Moyes can weave together different time lines and lives like no other. Wonderful.


Play On(Lewis Creek #1) by Michelle Smith ***.5
Play On is a very southern romantic contemporary. Austin has all that southern charm. He was a very nice guy. You know sweet as pie with that small side of mischief. Marisa I liked. But she's not memorable as a romantic interest. What I'll remember from her is the way Smith dealt with her depression. Which I thought was done realistically. It showed the rough patches. But also Marisa had that you don't have to understand it but you do have to get it attitude with Austin. And I thought yea, it's true. Unless you're experiencing something as complex as depression you probably will never understand exactly what the person is feeling. But as a loved one you would be expected to be able to love them and be there for them. So, well done. My problem was not totally being invested in their relationship. The great thing was that the side characters had shit going on that was fully explored and dealt with and one of those stories I was super invested in. I'm hoping they get a book of their own in the future. Overall, a pretty solid YA contemp with decent amount of baseball involved.


The Score(Off-Campus #3) by Elle Kennedy *****
Well I definitely wasn't expecting to say that Dean's book has been my favourite of the series; thus far. But it has. Dean was totally everything I expected him to be with a bit more of special. He's that straight up gorgeous guy who loves the ladies. But he was never an ass about it. He likes sex. I thought he was great. Allie also now one of my favourite ladies. She carried herself really confidently. She was also firm but never rude when it came to arguments or discussions. Yea, the romance was where they start off in a fling. I found them to have a fun dynamic. And it wasn't like Dean was anit-relationship; he just wasn't wanting to be in one, until Allie. I did not expect the story to take such a heart breaking turn. But it did, and although I kind of hate Elle Kennedy for doing that, in the end it really added some hardcore emotions and real life like moments to their relationship. Besides that, this book/series is really fun and addicting.


Frigid(Frigid #1) by Jennifer L Armentrout ****(re-read)
This was actually my first JLA book way back when. It definitely has all the crack like qualities all her books contain but I can definitely tell how much she's grown as a write. I also don't remember disliking Tanner. But man what an ass. For sure my least favourite of JLA's guys.

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What did you guys read this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany

Review: We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: January 19th, 2016
Pages: 464
Source: Publisher **I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
Rating: 4.5/5
Add to Goodreads

Henry Denton doesn’t know why the aliens chose to abduct him when he was thirteen, and he doesn’t know why they continue to steal him from his bed and take him aboard their ship. He doesn’t know why the world is going to end or why the aliens have offered him the opportunity to avert the impending disaster by pressing a big red button.

But they have. And they’ve only given him 144 days to make up his mind.

Since the suicide of his boyfriend, Jesse, Henry has been adrift. He’s become estranged from his best friend, started hooking up with his sworn enemy, and his family is oblivious to everything that’s going on around them. As far as Henry is concerned, a world without Jesse is a world he isn’t sure is worth saving. Until he meets Diego Vega, an artist with a secret past who forces Henry to question his beliefs, his place in the universe, and whether any of it really matters. But before Henry can save the world, he’s got to figure out how to save himself, and the aliens haven’t given him a button for that.


I've been sitting here for days saying, you gotta write this review, you gotta write this review. And I just couldn't . We Are the Ants is phenomenal in that it is essentially a potent yet subtle look at mental illness. It took me the whole book to realize that Henry getting abducted by aliens is purely a parallel for what's going on in his head. And yea that might be a spoiler but I also think I'm late to the game to catch onto things. Or maybe he was being abducted... Either way Henry had to decide if the world was worth saving and that triggered his views on his life and the world to be looked at more closely.

Unexpected tragedy has hit Henry which sends him into a downward spiral of grieve and blame. It's easy to see how dark thoughts like guilt can materialize and take hold of your life when you thought everything was perfect. And that's exactly how Henry copes with Jesse's suicide. Henry can't fathom missing the warning signs. But then again I'm sure Jesse knew how to hide them so he wouldn't hurt Henry. Which ultimately he did anyhow.

We Are the Ants does a realistic job of showing the affects of Jesse's death. His boyfriend, Henry and closest friend, Audrey are left devastated and confused. There's that stigma around suicide and how it's selfish. But not to Jesse(in this case) he was hurting and didn't want to hurt anymore. Again where I felt like this was done in a realistic way; Henry can't understand so confusion sweeps him into a black hole. Like with his toxic "relationship" with the popular guy. Who isn't out but has no problem bullying Henry in public and using him behind closed doors. Henry feels like he deserves this. This guy can be sweet and caring but when it's all in secret we all know how ultimately that end is looking terrible. It's heartbreaking.

Diego was a game changer. He comes into Henry's life not to save him but just to let him know the world is a beautiful place. Diego has his issues to work out too. It's just he's living for the moment not the past. And he's trying to show Henry the benefit of that. I loved seeing Henry's mood shift when he's around Diego. Yea there's that attraction there but friendship is certainly what they both need. And Diego being a friend helps Henry realize that he can't leave Audrey in the dark anymore as well. The blame game is an evil bastard.

Henry's internal struggles followed him home too. Of course. And We Are the Ants has that strong family dynamic. Yea, it's a little broken too. But that's how it goes in families. Henry's strong relationship with his mom, grandma and brother(who is quite insensitive yet caring; a very interesting guy to say the least) was something I felt gave him the desire to stay a float. He was bobbing under but he didn't want to let them down.

We Are the Ants was a poignant and smart read. It had Henry deciding the fate of the world with a bleak outlook. The world can be a shitty shitty place but if everyone's telling you they'd press the button to keep civilization alive then there's a reason why. Or maybe it was Henry's brain telling him not all hope is lost here; you can figure it out.

I was not sure what to expect upon diving into We Are the Ants. I saw aliens and emotions and a gay MC(all buzz words for) and was sold. Well I certainly got that and so much more. More than expected in the best way possible. We Are the Ants well done. Well done.


Happy reading!

Brittany

Review: Pucked Over by Helena Hunting

Pucked Over by Helena Hunting

Publisher: Helena Hunting
Publication Date: January 24th, 2016
Series: Pucked #3
Pages: 261
Source: Author **I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review**
Rating: 4.5/5
Add to Goodreads

Lily LeBlanc isn’t versed in the art of casual sex, but after seven years in an on-again, off-again relationship, she’s definitely willing to give it a shot. And who better to try it with than her best friend’s boyfriend’s best friend? What could possibly go wrong? Nothing at all.

NHL player, Randy Ballistic, lives up to his last name on the ice and in the bedroom. His best friend and teammate has recently given up the puck bunnies and traded them in for a real girlfriend. And she just happens to have a seriously feisty, extra-hot best friend on the rebound. Randy’s more than happy to be Lily’s spring board back into the dating scene.

Casual sex is only casual until those pesky things called emotions get involved. Once that happens, someone’s bound to gets pucked over.

Going into Pucked Over I knew I was in for a good but rough time. Lily was anything but docile in the previous book. The girl clearly has some balls(I had to go there). And like I've witnessed in the previous two books, these hockey players need a feisty women to um, calm them down. Yea, let's go with that. Randy "Balls" Ballistic is one hot hockey player. He definitely likes the ladies; Puck bunnies got their own Facebook page for him and everything.

Randy's first encounter with Lily was one for the ages. That whole day of their first meeting was way like an extreme and intense game of hockey. But it definitely set a bar. Because neither is over it. Enter Pucked Over.



Hunting can truly write a romcom. Well a much more dirtier version of the romcom. Nothing can beat the ridiculousness that is Violet in Pucked. But still, the situations, conversations and sexual encounters these characters have are gold. The shit they say(mostly Randy) to each during sex, before sex, after sex, over the phone, whenever sex is involved(90% of the time) is nothing but hilarious. How Hunting comes up with all this hilarious filth is beyond me. But I love her for it.

Homegirl also had me feeling super nostalgic and just happy. Lily is Canadian and a good portion of this book takes place not to far from where I live. And no it's not Toronto. Which would be the obvious choice. Nope, Hunting sets it in her hometown, which just makes it that more awesome to me. It's not often I get to read about my own backyard, somewhere I can pinpoint a lot of locations right on a map. I really felt like that enhanced my reading experience.

Characters are of course so well likable. Even though this is not a serious book, I hit a bit of higher emotional level with Lily because of her losing her dream in a sport. It hit home. But otherwise, the girl was feisty, snarky and kind of adorable. The whole thinking casual sex will be no problem is obviously going to be an epic fail from the start between these two. Emotions were already involved from the get go, but we'll just pretend that not to be true. Or so they do... Randy is that charming yet kind of goofy in a hot way guy(might also be because he's a built hockey player). He's seeing his teammates settling down, and subconsciously that's playing a part when Lily bursts into his life. Randy has some lingering hang-ups that cloud his perception on relationships. So although what him and Lily start is a relationship sans definition, he fails to see it as that. Behind their dirty moments, there are the sweet ones. I actually find Pucked Over to have to more adorable romance of the three books, thus far. 

I've been saying for a few years now that Hunting is favourite author of mine. She can go from some heavy romance in the Clipped Wings books to something light, sexy and hilarious with this series. I've done my job as a book pusher in the past, and I'm certainly still doing it now; I highly recommend checking out Pucked Over(or Pucked if you need to still start the series) for a really funny yet sexy book that will make you want to watch no matter your current stance on it.

amazon US| amazon CA| amazon UK| amazon AU| itunes| nook| kobo| google

Book 1 ON SALE

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Book 2 ON SALE

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Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She’s putting her degree in English Lit to good use by writing contemporary erotic romance. She is the author of Clipped Wings, her debut novel, and Inked Armor.

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Happy reading!

Brittany

Weekly Wrap-Up January 16th-22nd

So I failed at posting(writing) any of the reviews I was supposed to this week. So next week look out for a bunch of reviews.
But I did manage to read five books this week. All physical books; one re-read, one graphic novel and two ARC's.


The Return(Titan #1) by Jennifer L Armentrout *****(re-read)
Re-read in preparation for the sequel's release next month.


We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson ****.5
Review to come.


Giant Days Vol 1 ****
I find graphic novels hard to review. This one was a fun fast read about three friends just starting college. It was a good amount of humour, drama and angst. I thoroughly enjoyed the art style.


Starflight(Starflight #1) by Melissa Landers ****
Review to come.


Appealed(The Legal Briefs #3) by Emma Chase ****
Emma Chase is a fantastic romcom writer. She also can write from a male's POV like no one's business. These men are successful and beautiful which can put them on the cocky side of the spectrum. But that always makes for a fun and hilarious time. Brent was no different. He's self assured with a great sense of humour. I love how his missing leg doesn't stop him from being in better shape than most people. Kennedy was a spit fire. And their relationship eventually turns to super sweet; once their shared past gets cleared up. I know this is the end of the this series, but I'm hoping for it to be re-visited down the road. It's got an fantastic bunch of characters.

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What did you guys read this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany

Showcase Sunday #96

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme held by Books, Biscuits and Tea. It allows fellow bloggers to show off any books or bookish things they've compiled over the week.

Hola! How's it going? I absolutely love how not terribly winter like our winter is going. I hate winter but if I'm going to experience a winter than I'll take this one. Not awfully cold and not too much snow.
Got a hell of a lot of books this week. Mostly I was taking advantage of my discount at work a few more times before I no longer had it(sadly that day has come). I also grabbed a few books I've read and really needed physical copies of(the first four books); because that's how I do things. Has anyone watched The Expanse on SyFy? I really want to, but gotta read the book first. So I grabbed the box set of the first three books well my PVR helps me out on the TV side. I also am really trying to branch out with my reading this, so I grabbed a few James Rollins books because they sound like super cool page turners. Anyone read a Rollins book?

Purchased

Him(Him #1) by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

Built(Saints of Denver #1) by Jay Crownover

Leveled(Saints of Denver #0.5) by Jay Crownover

Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer

Amazonia by James Rollins

Ice Hunt by James Rollins

Ten Thousand Skies Above(Firebird #2) by Claudia Gray

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor

Truthwitch(The Witchlands #1) by Susan Dennard
The Queen of the Tearling(The Queen of the Tearling #1) by Erika Johansen

Alex + Ada Vol 3

Giant Days Vol 1

Surviving Ice(Burying Water #4) by K.A. Tucker

First Touch by Laurelin Paige

Blameless(Parasol Protectorate #3) by Gail Carriger

Then and Always by Dani Atkins

The Expanse #1, 2 & 3 by James S.A. Corey

E-Books Purchased

Kindle Freebies

Netgalley

For Review

**Thanks to the author, Helena Hunting for sending this my way**

Grabbed this from work and I'm so excited. I feel like I've been waiting years for this volume.

What did you guys get this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany

Weekly Wrap-Up January 9th-15th

This week I did a wee binge of a NA series(minus the last book). So I ended up reading four books. All of them being e-books.


The Year We Fell Down(The Ivy Years #1) by Sarina Bowen ***

I went into this book thinking it was going to be a hockey filled romance. And well hockey is there, it's not really prominent. Corey and Hartley do form a connection through hockey which was cute. I was really able to relate to Corey because of her sports injury. Although mine was nowhere as critical as hers it still stopped my playing career. Hartley I wasn't the biggest fan of. His need to prove himself through having a really superficial girlfriend was unappealing. Add in his cheesy nicknames for her and I was to busy rolling my eyes to really care. I did like his relationship with Corey(for the most part). The writing is more towards the cheesy side, which makes it a fun read.

The Year We Hid Away(The Ivy Years #2) by Sarina Bowen ***.5

This book is definitely a step up from The Year We Fell Down. Bridger and Scarlet's connection was really cute. For the most part I thoroughly enjoyed their romance. Bridger was a great character and that really came down to his love for his younger sister. He was so genuine and admiral. My biggest annoyance was that this book had another one of my most hated tropes; secret keeping breaking up to protect you shit. I. Hate. Them. Why must so romance books have one of those breakups? It just shows so much immaturity.


The Understatement of the Year(The Ivy Years #3) by Sarina Bowen ****
I think Bowen should write a lot more M/M romances as they are easily her best work. She's really good at creating the attraction between two jocks. There were definitely similarities to Him(a book she co-authored) were one guy is out and the other isn't but has fallen for his friend. But here it's a little more unsure as Graham has a past and fear of what his family will think if he is seen in a relationship with Rikker. I really adored both guys. Graham's confusion is relatable. Well Rikker is strong and patient. Just a really strong romance novel with a good bunch of hockey thrown in.


The Shameless Hour(The Ivy Years #4) by Sarina Bowen **
This series was getting better as it went on. And I thought Bella would be a character that I would love. That was not the case. Firstly the writing is so super cheesy and lacking any personality. And secondly the two MC's are boring. Bella was seemed so spunky and confident in the previous book. I thought this was going to a great role reversal where we have the women who likes sex and let's the shaming roll off of her. And a guy who is the "virgin". And yea we got that, but also not really. Bella is so quick to get her back up for anything and everything. She doesn't like when people judge her for her lifestyle yet she is quick to shame them for wanting a relationship. Rafe had his moments; he was sweet and genuine but his personality really took a back seat to Bella's problems. You guys know I hate the word baby as a term of endearment, well I find something I hate even more; hottie. What is that? It's so ugh. The Shameless Hour had it's moments but really it was a whole bunch of disappointment. I expected much better. 

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What did you guys read this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany