Tuesday 31 December 2013

Best of 2013!


 2013 has been my first full year of blogging and full of great books! So like 2012, my last post of 2013 will be a favourites posts! I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year!
Favourite Debut.
 
Favourite Series.

Favourite Start of Series

Favourite Standalone
 
Unexpected Favourite
 
Favourite All Around

Favourite Latecomer

The One I Should of Read Earlier!
 
Favourite End of Series
 
Favourite Sequel

What were your favourites of 2013?
Happy New Year!

Much Love!
Lettie
Xxxx

Monday 23 December 2013

Addicted for Now by Krista and Becca Ritchie.


He's addicted to booze. She's addicted to sex...staying sober is only half the battle.
No. More. Sex.
Those are the three words Lily Calloway fears the most. But Loren Hale is determined to be with Lily without enabling her dangerous compulsions. With their new living situation—sleeping in the same bed, for real, together—Lily has new battles. Like not jumping Lo’s bones every night. Not being consumed by sex and his body.
Loren plans to stay sober, to right all of his wrongs. So when someone threatens to expose Lily’s secret to her family and the public, he promises that he’ll do anything to protect her. But with old enemies surfacing, Lo has more at stake than his sobriety.
They will torment Lily until Lo breaks.
And his worst fear isn’t relapsing. He hears the end. He sees it. The one thing that could change everything. Just three words.
No. More. Us.


Thoughts!
Addicted for Now has a very unique and interesting storyline, the real battle with addiction starts in this book, Lily and Lo have lived in isolation and started to learn to control their addictions, now they have to learn to live together and function with their additions. I think this plotline is especially different and to an extent informative. Lily's sex addiction is confronted as an illness and treated as such, I liked how realistic her journey was and how informed it all seemed. Lily herself seemed to come across a lot better in this book, I had previously found her socially weak and a bit annoying! However in Addicted for Now I warmed to her. Lo's alcohol addiction is something people understand more, it was good to get into his head and see how he was approaching his personal addiction. Lo himself is a hard character to understand, he can be both cruel and malicious regardless of whether he is drunk or sober but his devotion towards Lily was amazing. I admired how determinedly he helped Lily and avoided enabling her, which honestly is a hard task as a recovering alcoholic twenty something guy. I think as he grew into his sobriety he did begin to see people as friends rather than acquaintances as well as making a few apologies for his past. I loved this character growth and look forward to seeing more of Lo.
The added fear of someone going public with all this information really upped the drama and made the side cast essential. I loved Rose, Daisy, Ryke and Connor in the first book but I enjoyed seeing them all together dealing with the addictions. Rose developed a lot as a character in this book, it was great to see her and Lo connecting through their devotion to Lily and I liked seeing more of her business and personal life. Connor was as always abrasive but loyal, his approach to tracking down the stalker was methodical and meticulous and his relationship with Rose is so intriguing! Daisy also showed a more vulnerable side in this book and I could feel the tension between her and Ryke rising. Ryke was again abrasive and harsh but he had mellowed towards Lily and was a great sobriety coach for Lo. I love how much he gets Lo and seems to almost pre-empt his actions. The stand out side character for me though was Lo's Dad. In the first book he seemed cruel and manipulative and while he retained those qualities it was clear how much he cared for both Lo and Lily. I think he was one of the only 'parents' to listen and take in to consideration Lo and Lily's feelings. I actually began to really like him!
Addicted for Now is obviously just a middle step in Lo and Lily's story but it is a complete story leaving questions and conflicts for further books while resolving
small interests and moving on their personal journeys.

Rating!

I love Lo and Lily's journey, relationship and complex lives. The side cast are all brilliant to read! I can't wait for more!

Have you read this series?
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx

Thursday 19 December 2013

The Temptation of Lila and Ethan by Jessica Sorensen.

On the surface, Lila Summers is flawless: good looks, expensive clothes, and a big, beautiful smile. But a dark past and even darker secrets are threatening to bubble over her perfect façade. She'll do anything to keep the emptiness inside hidden-which leads her into situations that always end badly. Whenever she hits bottom, there's only one person who's there to pull her out: Ethan Gregory.
Ethan set the rules a long time ago: he and Lila are just
friends. He doesn't do relationships. Although his tattooed, bad boy exterior is a far cry from Lila's pretty princess image, Ethan can't deny they have a deeper connection than he's used to. If he's not careful, he could be in serious danger of becoming attached-and he's learned the hard way that attachment only leads to heartbreak.
When Lila falls farther than she ever has before, can Ethan continue to help as a friend? Or is he also getting close to falling . . . for her?

Why?
I loved Ella and Micha's story but I found Lila and Ethan so intriguing! I've been waiting for their story for ages!

What I loved:
Lila- Lila was very different than what I expected. Ella sees as a nice, rich girl who is very into appearances and well behaved. However Lila was a much deeper and darker character who was more realistic. There was a lot under her shiny exterior. I admired her loyalty and dedication. I didn't expect her to be quite so complex but I really enjoyed reading her journey from rock bottom to normal. I loved how much her character grew and evolved, she became less materialistic and slowly learnt to let go of unhealthy elements in her life. I loved all her interaction with Ethan whether they were bantering, or arguing they were so fun to read.
Ethan- Ethan was a surprisingly mature and reasonably responsible guy. As Ella finds him annoying her portrayal was a lot different. Ethan was at his core a genuinely nice and caring guy, this was especially clear in how he dealt with Lila. He put so much time, effort and patience in to supporting her, going as far as to make himself uncomfortable for her benefit. I loved learning more about his background, it was interesting to say the least. The way he used a journal to make sense of his feelings really fitted in with his character as well as his drumming skills. I really loved how selfless he become and how he treated Lila.
Plot- As I've mentioned the plot really surprised and impressed me. Lila and Ethan despite financial differences had surprising similar and dark backgrounds which made the character driven plot so much more intriguing and layered than I had expected. I loved getting glimpses of Ella and Micha through Lila and Ethan's perspectives for a change especially in the lead up to their wedding. The character development and growth really made for a rich plot!


What I didn't love as much:
Lila's Parents- They were both absolutely awful selfish people. They created dangerous and destructive situations for their two daughters who could have avoided a lot of hardship if they had be given basic love and attention! Lila's Mum had obviously come from a poorer background which might have accounted for her especially callous perspective of those poorer than her. She was also quite clearly the driving force behind Lila's issues. I was quite intrigued by Lila's aunt who seemed like a decent person!

Rating!

Well worth the wait! I loved the complex and deep characters, the glimpses of Ella and Micha and the relationship between Lila and Ethan.

Don't forget to pre order the free novella of Lila and Ethan as well!

Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx

Tuesday 17 December 2013

Blog Tour: One Wild Night by Magan Vernon.

One Wild Night Can Change Everything
Valerie Wilder doesn’t do serious relationships. She also doesn’t usually wake up in Vegas next to a male stripper…
A male stripper who happens to be her new husband.
A quickie divorce seems like the answer, but the Nevada legal system doesn’t think so. When her new husband suggests flying back to Chicago with Valerie she accepts, wondering if one night in Vegas could turn into something much more.

Special guest post from Magan about that lovely cover!

So...you've seen this hot cover?

 
Did you know that the author went to the photo shoot and got to hang out with the cover models?
 
 
So what goes on behind the scenes at a shoot for book covers?
 
First...the author must check the male model's panty size. FOR RESEARCH.
 
 
Then the female and male models are introduced and look at each other seductively...
 
 
 
Then the photographer poses them for the author's enjoyment...ahem...I mean for the cover. THE COVER.
 


Even if that includes the male model laying on a cold bar top...



All in a hard day's work...



Magan Vernon would like to thank Kelsey Keeton from K Keeton Designs for dealing with her craziness and yelling "GRAB HIS PEE PEE" while she tried to pose the models. And a very special thanks to Walter Veale and Suzanne Smith who were the perfect Valerie and Wes!

About the Author!
Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the insurance capital of the world. When not writing she spends her time fighting over fake boyfriends via social media. You can find her online on
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaganVernon
Website: http://www.maganvernon.com



Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx

Saturday 14 December 2013

Festive Mini Reviews!

Mini reviews~ Sometimes I love a book but I just can't do a full review or I just back log reviews!


So many Christmas novellas around at the moment! They are perfect for getting you in the Christmas mood.

Christmas Catch

 
Two years ago, when Ivy Emerson bailed from the tiny fishing village she’d grown up in to go to Columbia, Sawyer McCallister was the only thing she was sad to leave behind, and she still didn’t look back. But when her mother guilts her into coming home for Christmas, she crashes headfirst into Sawyer, who’s also returned after being away.
Now that they’ve both been dragged back to Saltwater, Maine, they might just realize it’s where they belong. Together.
 
Thoughts!
Christmas Catch is such a perfect festive read. Ivy has finally headed back home for Christmas after avoiding it for years and who does she bump into but her high school sweetheart! I loved the familiarity between Sawyer and Ivy and how they were forced together by coincidence and family. I liked Ivy's family, her siblings seemed very different from her and her mum was so witty. I especially enjoyed the end!
 

 
A Season for Hope
Being dumped just before the holidays was my worst nightmare. I’d spent so many years thinking Preston Wright was the one for me that when he told me it was over, I thought I’d rather die than face the future.
I never expected someone like Judd Kohler to come crashing into my life. Literally. He was coming out. I was going in. My face got in the way. You get the picture. It was an accident. Running into him twice in one day, though? It started to feel like fate.
My mother always says Christmas is a magical time of year. A season for hope. All I know is that just when I thought I’d lost mine, hope somehow found its way back to me.
Just in time for Christmas.
Thoughts!
I quietly enjoyed the first instalment of the Fairhope series but I did not like Bailey! However she was much more understandable and likeable in this novella. To begin with I found her very naïve towards Preston, she seemed to hopelessly have faith in their relationship. Preston himself came off even worse, he seemed like a guy who had cheated on the girl he loved with Bailey and then just strung her along for years with no intention of the relationship really progressing allowing her to centre her whole world on him. This made Bailey's very dramatic reaction to their break up partially understandable although she was quite pathetic! I loved Judd I thought the way he pursued Bailey despite her obvious rebound issues was very well done. He seemed to be exactly what Bailey needed, he allowed her to be herself but was firm when she started to faltered. I really enjoyed this novella- in fact I ended up buying the next Fairhope book straight away!



I love Festive novellas, they are perfect for getting you in the Christmas mood!
Have you read any of the NA Christmas novellas?
 
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx

Thursday 12 December 2013

End of the Year 2013 #ReadingCram: TBR!

End of Year 2013 Read-a-Thon #ReadingCram is hosted by Jenny from Juliababyjen's Reading Room and Dana from Dana Square.
 
I'm enjoying this read-a-thon so far! I've got quite a large TBR.
 
  • Addicted for Now by Krista and Becca Ritchie.
  • The Moment we Began by Sarra Cannon.
  • If I Return by Sawyer Bennett.
  • Out of Line by Jen McLaughlin.
I'm hoping to read quite a few of these books and a good mix of paperback and eBooks!
 
What are you hoping to read?
 
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx

Monday 9 December 2013

End of the Year 2013 #ReadingCram. Sign Up!

End of Year 2013 Read-a-Thon #ReadingCram is hosted by Jenny from Juliababyjen's Reading Room and Dana from Dana Square
 
Such a great read-a-thon idea that I'm signing up late! I have a lot of 2013 tbr books to read etc. so this long read-a-thon should be perfect. I'm looking forward to the challenges!

Readathon Goals!
  • Read at least 10 books.
  • Including 3 'real' books.
  • Try to read books from TBRs.
  • Take part in as many challenges as possible!

TBR will be posted shortly.
Wish me luck!
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx

Saturday 7 December 2013

Over It by Sarah Billington: Blog Tour!

Teen Youtube song writing sensation Poppy Douglas's lead singer boyfriend Ty's been criss-crossing the country and living it up on tour for months while Poppy has been stuck in the boring suburbs, finishing out the school year.
But it's Summer now, and the best thing just happened: Poppy's royalties for writing the hit song The Kiss Off just came in. She's minted, and she knows just what she's going to blow it on.
Ty's band Academy of Lies are headlining a summer music festival, and Poppy is taking her girlfriends along for the best weekend of their lives. It's all organized: the weekend is going to be full of camping under the stars, backstage passes, VIP rooms and partying like rock stars, not to mention some long awaited one-on-one time with America's favourite front man.
Except, when someone drops out of the trip and Poppy takes the opportunity to mend a broken friendship, it doesn't quite go according to plan. And when she meets her boyfriend's BFF from another band, the paparazzi form their own totally wrong conclusions. There's also the matter of Ty's 'super fan' stalker, but the less said about her the better.
The biggest test of all comes in the form of an opportunity too good to pass up. But will insecurities and jealousy stand in Poppy's way? Can Poppy and Ty's relationship even survive it?
Life is about to get much more complicated for Poppy Douglas, but what can you expect when your boyfriend is a rock star?
 
I loved The Kiss Off so I jumped at the chance to join this tour! Unfortunately I didn't finish Over It in time to review it so enjoy this extract!
 
Extract
I walked barefoot in the shallows, my shoes in one hand, aloe vera bottle in the other. One thing could be said for the beach: best exfoliator ever.
Lost in my own thoughts, I wasn’t prepared for what happened next. I really should have been more alert.
“Hey there pretty lady.” A low, gruff voice growled in my ear and hands snaked around my waist from behind, trapping me to him. I screamed; screamed like I’d never screamed before and jerked away, but his arms tightened around me.
“Hey–hey–hey,” the man said, his beard brushing against my neck.
It wasn’t Ty; abort! The handsome stranger wasn’t Ty! I screamed again and suddenly his hand was over my mouth.
I was going to die. I was alone on the beach in the dark and I was going to die. I’d watched the crime channel, I knew this was how women ended up murdered and floating face down, or found stabbed to death in a lifeguard station.
“Get away from me!” My words came out muffled and quiet under his warm palm. His calloused fingers pressed against my cheek. My heart was in my throat, choking off my air supply. His hand clamped over my mouth wasn’t helping the breathing situation either.
“Just ssh, will you?”
“Let me go! Help!” I dug my elbow into the guy’s ribs and he doubled over with a groan. His arms went slack around me. I dashed thirty feet up the beach before I turned around to put a face to my attacker. You know. For the police sketch artist.
“Poppy, it’s me!”
It was a homeless man, or at least he looked homeless, in fisherman pants and a tattered army jacket. The beard was pulled down, hanging loose around his neck, and he pulled off the ratty trucker cap that had cast his face in shadow. His eyes were wide with urgency.
Wait, I knew that homeless man.
My heart beat extra hard for a second, adrenaline exploding through my system as I bent at the waist, breathing hard with relief.
“How did you sneak up on me?” I said. “How did I not hear you? Jesus, Ty!”
He laughed in surprise and rubbed his ribs. “Well that went down differently than I’d expected.”
“Really?” I asked. “Really. What did you expect?”
He was quiet for a moment. “I didn’t think it through enough, did I.
 
 

 

About Sarah Billington
Sarah Billington is an Australian writer and editor who likes to write stories with love,laughs, suspense and zombies. Sometimes all in the same story. Her favouritest thing to write about are those horrendously awkward moments that come with being a teenager. Or a human being. Sarah was extremely accident-prone and klutzy as a kid and teen, so her cup runneth over with experiences of horrendously awkward moments to draw from in her writing. Thankfully, she has grown out of her klutziness. Mostly. She is, however, still an embarrassment.
She loves a variety of random things, which include Swing Dancing, Ice Hockey, Roller Derby and is a bit obsessive about paranormal investigation shows and channel E!.

I love Ty and I can't wait to finish Over It!
Let me know if you're a fan too!
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxxx

Wednesday 4 December 2013

NetGalley November Wrap Up!

Hosted by Bookish Treasures, K.Books and A Daydreamer's Thoughts.

A month long push to read more of my NetGalley titles!

Goals!
Medium- 5-10 books. I managed 8! So solidly in the medium category.
Reveiws.  Whoops! Not so great on this front!
Twitter Chat. I couldn't make any of them!

I really enjoyed this NetGalley challenge.
I think it helped me get slightly on top of my NetGalley TBR!

How did you do?
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx

Tuesday 3 December 2013

For Real by Chelsea M. Cameron.

Two people. One fake relationship. What could go wrong?
When virgin Shannon Travers gets fed up with her friends demanding that she find a boyfriend, she enlists the help of tattooed, mohawk-rocking graphic design student Jett. He’s more than happy to play along with their Fake Relationship, including the Ten Rules of Fake Dating that control-freak Shannon comes up with. Even if he likes to violate them. Repeatedly.
But what happens when Fake Dating starts to feel… not fake anymore? Will Shannon be willing to let go and embrace the first thing in her life that’s ever felt REAL?

Why?
I loved Chelsea's Fall and Rise series and this blurb sounded fun!

Thoughts!
For Real is exactly what it sounds like, a fun light hearted read. The characters were witty and well written. Shannon was highly entertaining and relatable. I loved her approach to Fake Dating and how she knew when to stand up for herself in relation to her friends and Jett. Jett was once again an amazing male lead from Chelsea. I found him layered, mysterious and very realistic. I enjoyed all of his family drama and I loved how he treated Shannon, with the perfect amount of respect and humour. Together they made a realistic couple, I enjoyed how their relationship naturally progressed and I loved how easily they slotted into each other's lives. Javier and Hazel were complementary best friends. Javier balanced out Jett's maturity and quiet nature, I loved how protective he was of Jett and how perceptive he was. I look forward to reading more of him. Hazel I initially liked as Shannon and her were complete opposites but such good friends however she did make some rash and potentially dangerous choices on Shannon and was slightly oblivious to Shannon's feelings. I did find her witty, fun and I hope to see her pop up in future books. The plot was simple yet effective. Shannon's rules and their personal issues added depth to the Fake Relationship while their lack of experience made it a believable situation. I liked that almost all aspect's of the relationship were highly realistic and I loved Jett's origami skills. I look forward to the rest of the series!

Rating!

I loved the simple plot and the well written characters!

Have you read any of Chelsea's books?
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxxx

Monday 2 December 2013

November: A Review


Monthly Feature- rounds up all the books I've read, progress on challenges and monthly blogging goals!

November was quite a good blogging month! I can't believe how close to 2014, we are now.
November in Numbers!
Total posts= 16
Books read= 14
Reviews Posted= 5

 

What I read in November!


What I reviewed!
The Only One by Magan Vernon.
What I posted!
Stacking the Shelves~ November!
Confessions: Film before Book!
Embrace Blog Tour: Guest Post!
Blog Tour: Keep Me Still by Caisey Quinn.
Monster Readathon TBR!
NetGalley November Update!
The Monster Thons Sign Up!
October~ A Review.
Top Ten Tuesday: Sequels
NetGalley November
The 12 NAs of Christmas Release Day!
 
Did I achieve my goals?
Updating-
Whoops! Completely forgot to do this!
Diversity
Yay! One fairly diverse month of posts.
Reviews
5 not 7- so close!
Posts
Maybe 18 wasn't realistic, I did 16!
 
What I hope to achieve in December!
  • End of Year Updating- I want to update all my pages, do a challenge update post etc. as it's the end of 2013!
  • 2013 posts- I'm hoping and planning to do a small series of best of posts for the year.
  • Posts- I want to keep them diverse and at least 16.
How was your November?
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx

Sunday 1 December 2013

The Twelve Days of New Adult Giveaway Hop!

Hosted by the lovely Valerie of StuckInBooks!
This Hop starts December 1st and lasts until December 12th.
Time for a Christmassy giveaway! Once again you can win a £5 Amazon gift card or whatever £5 is wherever you are!

Christmassy books you could buy!
Falling by Jolene Perry.
Set in Alaska and a bit more wintery than Christmassy but snow=Christmas!
Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
The most Christmassy book I've read in years!

A Toast to the Good Times by Steph Campbell and Liz Reinhardt.
This takes place largely during the Christmas period and is a great lighthearted read!

Giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxxx

Saturday 30 November 2013

Stacking the Shelves~ November!

What is Stacking The Shelves all about?
Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
 
Welcome to my monthly round up! November was a bit of a book crazy month!

Borrowed Shelf!
 The Forever of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen~ Finally arrived my library!
The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore~ I'm really enjoying the Lorien series!
The Fall of Five~ I picked this one up ready.
Legend by Marie Lu~ One I've been wanting to read for awhile.
 
Actual Shelf!
This Is What Happy Looks Like
 

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith~ Jennifer always gets great reviews, looking forward to trying out her work!
 
Virtual Shelf!
 Thing I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally~ The one Hundred Oaks book I haven't read.
Out of Line by Jen McLauglin~ I couldn't resist the 49p bargain.
With Every Heartbeat by Melody Grace~ I preordered this and completely forgot about it until it downloaded to my Kindle!
The First Star to Fall by Diana Peterfreund~ I can't stop thinking about this series so I had to get this novella
 
Review Shelf!
NetGalley
 
 
Junk Miles by Liz Reinhardt~I love Liz's books so I requested this and Slow Twitch without thinking!
Slow Twitch by Liz Reinhardt~ ^
It Felt Like A Kiss by Sarra Manning~ I've reread Sarra's adult books over and over so another automatic request!
Just One Year by Gayle Forman~ I can finally pick Just One Day back up and finish this duo.
Out of Tune by Michelle D. Argyle~ Just liked the blurb!
Another Little Piece of my Heart by Tracey Martin~ ^
Before We Fall by Courtney Fall~ I always like the sound of Courtney's books hopefully I love this one!
Anything to Have You by Paige Harrison~ Paige Harrison has been on my TBR for years and this had a great blurb!
Blog Tours
Addicted For Now by Krista and Becca Ritchie~ I like the concept of this series, so I'm looking forward to this one.
Over It by Sarah Billington~ I really enjoyed The Kiss Off  so I'm looking forward to the sequel!
Drift by Steph Campbell and Liz Reinhardt~ Last Lengths book, I loved it!
 
Quite a good NetGalley haul- so many great authors and books!
What joined your shelves in November?
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx