Review: Triangles by Kimberly Ann Miller

Title: Triangle
Author: Kimberly Ann Miller
Published: June 18th 2013
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
My rating: 3 stars

A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong?

In the Bermuda Triangle—a lot.

Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who’s practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser’s suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she’s full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that these "alternate realities" could become permanent.

She just has to ask herself one question—how the hell is she going to get out of this mess?

While this book boasted some really interesting and unique ideas and concepts, I was unable to fully appreciate everything because I couldn't just say the same thing with its characters. I really had a hard time with the main character, Autumn. She had some issues and problems but it was awful how she was handling and how she kept on whining about her life. I understand that in order for the story to work her character has to be like that but I would probably like it more if the author tried harder to make us understand Autumn's line of thinking. 

Still there are things that I enjoyed in this book, mainly the alternate realities. I liked how the author thought of presenting different realities every each day with the things Autumn had been wishing only for her to realized that she didn't actually like them. It was what kept me on reading this, it was interesting to see how Autumn would react and handle things with each realities. I loved how the author made use of these alternate realities for Autumn to grow up, learn and see things in a different but much better ways. 

This book could have really been better. It has good materials, especially with that amazing concept of the Bermuda Triangle and alternate realities but I wished that we were able to get more connected with Autumn and in a much deeper level or at least, really understand her situation.

Overall, Triangle was a pretty decent read. Although a little improvement for the main character could have been made, the ideas and twists this book offers was still, I think, something you will enjoy reading about.

Thank you Spencer Hill Press for providing a copy of this book.

Cover Reveal: Running on Empty by Colette Ballard

Title: Running on Empty
Author: Colette Ballard
Expected Publication: November 15th 2013
Publisher: Tulip Romance (an imprint of Spencer Hill Press)

What does it feel like when you die—in those final moments? Do you feel the physical pain, or just the pain of your regrets? What does it feel like when you realize you can’t answer these questions because you’re not the victim?

You’re the killer.

River Daniels lives an ordinary life as a high school junior growing up in the confines of rural Texas until her boyfriend’s brutal attack leaves her both a murderer and a fugitive. When River’s closest girlfriends come to her aid, they make a hasty decision to not only help her, but leave their own troubled lives behind and join in her escape. The girls manage to elude police for months, but with every near-miss, River’s life spirals further out of control, until she finally hits rock bottom. Realizing she must stop endangering her friends and find evidence proving she acted in self-defense, the girls decide to make a risky move. River must face her ugly past and the one person she was protecting the night her world caved in, the guy she has loved for as long as she can remember.

Running on Empty is a debut novel for the newest imprint of Spencer Hill Press, Tulip Romance! The blurb sounds thrilling and intense though for some reason I find the thing about the girlfriends leaving their lives to help River a bit far-fetched but then I saw this,

which, I guess, is enough to convince me to give this book a try. Especially with a praise like this coming from one of my favorite contemporary author. Haha!

As for the cover, I think it's nice and  fits exactly what the book is all about.

*Giveaway is for US residents only

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Waiting on Wednesday (#30)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, that spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" is..

Title: Just One Year (Just One Day #2)

Author: Gayle Forman

Publisher: Dutton Children's

Expected Publication: October 15th 2013

After spending an amazing day and night together in Paris, Just One Year is Willem's story, picking up where Just One Day ended. His story of their year of quiet longing and near misses is a perfect counterpoint to Allyson's own as Willem undergoes a transformative journey, questioning his path, finding love, and ultimately, redefining himself.

Well, who doesn't want this?! When I look this up again in Goodreads I saw that I have this book on my to-read shelf since 2011! I didn't realize I have been really waiting for this book that long. Lol! Anyway, I really can't wait for this book to come out because I promise myself that I won't read Just One Day until the second book become available. But I am really itching to meet Willem and Allyson so October please hurry up. I can feel that this book will have the same success as Where She Went and I know Gayle Forman won't disappoint us. Haha!

Stacking the Shelves #7

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews as way to share all the great books you've received throughout the week.
Hi guys! Since I haven't done this meme for ages, what I'll be showing today are the books I have recently received, read and books I plan to read and review for this month. Check them out below.

I finally bought a paper back copy of The 5th Wave! I did it quite impulsively since I didn't know it was already available in our local book store so when I saw it, well there goes my money. Lol! Triangles and PODs are books I received from Spencer Hill Press last month but still wasn't able to review (sorry about that) but I'm currently reading Triangles now and I'm finding it pretty interesting, a review will hopefully be coming this week.

Shadows and Haze of the Rephaim Series by Paula Weston - I just finished this a week ago and totally loved it! You can see my review here. It's been a long time since the last time I read an angel book so I was really happy to find these jewels! Thanks Sam (Realm of Fiction) and Jasprit (The Readers' Den) for recommending this to me. First Grave on the Right and Second Grave on the Left are the first two books of the Charley Davidson Series by Darynda Jones. All I did while reading this book was laugh and laugh and laugh! Such a very funny and entertaining book. Mini reviews will be coming up probably this week. Left Drowning, this one has been recommended to me by Rachel over The Readers Den, honestly I'm quite scared to start this but Rachel assured me that all the tears a very worth it especially with how things turned out in the end, so let's see. Haha! Last, Of Beast and Beauty, this is my first book from this author and I've seen quite a number of amazing reviews for this book, hopefully this would work for me. 
*Did you notice there's only one contemporary read? Haha! I guess I'm taking a little break from them. So what books did you guys get for this week? Leave your links below so I could check them out too. :)

Series Review: Shadows (The Rephaim #1) and Haze (The Rephaim #2) by Paula Weston

Shadows (The Rephaim #1) Paula Weston July 2nd 2012 My rating: 4 stars

Haze (The Rephaim #2) Paula Weston May 22nd 2013 My rating: 4.5 stars

It has really been a very long time since the last time I started an angel book and I am really happy that when I finally decided to start one, a really fantastic and wonderfully written series was the one that landed on my lap. Rephaim was such an amazing series I definitely devoured in a very short time. I had a lot of fun reading this thrilling but beautiful world of half-angels Paula Weston created.
In Shadows, we were introduced to this intricate yet very interesting world of the Rephaim. The concept was intriguing especially with how Weston made of with the circumstances of Gabe's character. We learned as she learned, and it was a wonderful way for us to get a good grip of the story and the world but still continued to make us intrigued and curious throughout the book. This one had me sitting on the edge of my seat with all the thrilling and gripping action scenes, discoveries and revalations. The characters too were easily likable and interesting. While I think the first book is a lot more plot driven and is more focus on building a foundation, the main characters especially Gabe and Rafa certainly did left a very big and lasting impression on me. 
So on to the next book, Haze, which I think made me more obsessed with Gabe and Rafa. Haha.This sequel is a lot more focused now on the character development but still didn't lose on providing an exciting and intriguing plot line. I think what made me loved this more was because I finally found a much deeper connection with the characters which brought me more appreciation to them. Although I do think that there aren't that much action on this one than the first book, the focus on the characters, the growth and improvement, definitely made up for it. We were also finally introduced to this one character that was only being talked on the first book. And I was very to have finally met him and that he didn't end up to be on the bad side. 
Now, the ending did leave us on quite a predicament but for some reason it didn't quite bother me, I had my full trust on the characters and know that everything will be alright on the next book. Although I did feel a little disappointed since I wanted a lot more of alone time between Gabe and Rafa. Haha. :)
Overall, this series is absolutely now one of my favorite and best-read angel novels and I'd be definitely stalking this book and its author.  I highly recommend this. With all the angle books out there, I assure you this one is without a doubt a hit to your reading experience.

Review: Catching Liam (Good Girls Don't #1) by Sophie Bleu

Title: Catching Liam (Good Girls Don't #1)
Author: Sophie Bleu
Published: July 8th 2013
Publisher: Sophie Bleu
My rating: 4 stars

Twenty-one year-old Jillian Nichols only has one rule when it comes to boys: catch and release. Boy-catching isn't just a game for Jillian and her friends, it's a lifestyle. After all, boys might be good for a dance or a drink and certainly a little under-cover action of the scandalous variety, but expect much else and you're bound for heart ache.

So when her best friends and fellow boy catchers start dropping like flies junior year, Jillian is determined to keep boys in her bedroom and out of her heart. Until she meets Liam McAvoy, the kind of guy that sticks around to make waffles and who can't—or perhaps won't—take a hint.

Study abroad student Liam doesn't want to be another notch on Jillian's bedpost. Actually he has much more interesting ideas for Jillian and her bedposts, but his student visa's set expiration date means he can't promise her forever. That doesn't mean he's going to walk away from the challenge of discovering why Jillian is hell-bent at keeping people at a distance.

Before long, neither is sure who is catching who—or if they're playing for keeps. Jillian knows one thing though: falling in love will not only break the only rule of boy-catching, it could also break her heart.

From the influx of so many new-adult books the past months I'm really happy that I was able to find this little jewel and witnessed a really sweet and heartwarming contemporary story. Catching Liam was a fun and lighthearted read with enough emotional insight and depth that would definitely tug your heart strings and touch you. 

I was a little wary while reading this one especially after all my not so great experiences from this particular genre. But I'm glad to say that Sophie Blue manages to surprise me with how well she took things in this story. The characters were well developed, the plot was hilarious, romantic and touching, and the writing was surprisingly good. And I liked how this certain health condition was handled with knowledge and understanding. It isn't perfect but it has all what it takes for me to really like a contemporary novel. 

Jillian Nichols and Liam McAvoy were characters I really enjoyed reading about. They were easy characters to connect with and understand. Their relationship, although started in quite an unconventional way, grew naturally and genuinely. But with lots of swoon-worthy, giggle-inducing and steamy moments. 

Jillian's issues was something that saddened me and grab my heart and emotions especially with how hard she tried to hide it and how negatively it affected her thinking of self-worth. As the story progressed though, as her feelings with Liam developed and through his and her best friends' support she learned that she could face it together with them, with their help, with their love and care. 

And on to Liam, well I just have to say I second what JLA said about him in her review - definitely one of the swoon-worthiest male leads I'd ever read. Not just from his looks but from his overall characteristics - understanding, patient and very supportive. And did I mention he's a scot? Just imagine the accent. (Zachary Moore got himself some competition now on the kilt department. Haha.) 

The secondary characters too, I have to say, were well rounded especially Jess. Her friendship with Jillian was actually one of my favorite aspects in this book. It was very tender, heartwarming and amazing.

Quirky, sexy and fun but completely heartwarming. This book will definitely work out for those who enjoy contemporary reads without the worry of it being too stressing but with enough depth and insights that will still make you appreciate it in a deeper level. I recommend this. 

Review: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Title: The Distance Between Us
Author: Kasie West
Published: July 2nd 2013
Publisher: Harper Teen
My Rating: 4.5 stars

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

When was the last time I felt like this over a book? You know, the warm fuzzy feeling, all giggly and swoony and you felt like you were floating on the clouds from all the sweetness and cuteness of a story? That's exactly how I felt the entire time I was reading The Distance Between Us. I was practically high over all the adorable-ness of it and it's something I wouldn't really mind getting dose after dose. This book was just that fun and enjoyable.  

Caymen Meyers was a character I thought I would have a hard time liking. I thought her sarcasm would grate on my nerves and made her look like a judgmental, bitter and whinny girl. But turns out she just really has a dry humor which I eventually found funny and endearing. She has a strong and understanding personality. I loved how even with her mom's experience in love and with the rich people it didn't completely cloud her judgment on Xander and still let him in in her life. 

Xander on the other hand was a character that was really easy to like. I started a little cautious with his character thinking he would be some cocky, arrogant rich kid but nooo, he was the opposite! He was so nice, considerate and kind. I loved how he plans and thinks through their "career day" and makes sure that it was something Caymen would enjoy.

The development and the romantic build-up between the two was the best treat on this book. The process and the in-betweens from being friends to lovers were just so so adorable. I loved the morning hot chocolate, the sip-first-before-giving-it to Caymen, the questions, the "career days", Eddie's addictive muffins and all the other things they did as their feelings grew and develop. It was a little slow yet it made it a lot more genuine and sweet. 

The only complain I could probably give to this book was that I wish it was longer and the family thing had been elaborated more. Still, it was a very satisfying and pleasing read. Hopefully, there would be a sequel or a companion novel seeing as how the ending left enough room for it. Maybe we could start asking and emailing Kasie West for a next book? Haha.

This book will definitely be right up the alley of those who enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss, My Life Next Door, Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, From What I Remember and First Comes Love! This was such a fun, sweet and quirky read. I highly recommend this! :)