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

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

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

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

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



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

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