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Saturday, October 8, 2016

Dual Review: SEMPRE + SEMPRE:REDEMPTION


Confession: it took me a while to figure out what to call this post. I didn't think I should call it a series review since there are other books/novellas in the series (like Made—Corrado's story [which I la-la-la-loved dearly]). Most of my reviews are quite short too, so calling these 'mini reviews' didn't seem right either hah. So, I'm taking a page out of Siiri's genius book and doing a dual review! Warning: Be prepared for a lot of nonsensical flailing and gushing because I love these books so much. They were truly my perfect blend of drama and romance, with a hint of action and suspense!

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday (15)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine
for sharing upcoming releases we're highly anticipating.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Review: BUTTERFLY DREAMS by A. Meredith Walters

Title: Butterfly Dreams
Author: A. Meredith Walters
Standalone
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: November 24, 2015
She's waiting to die... Corin Thompson is paralyzed by her obsession with mortality. Having lost both of her parents, she is terrified by the idea that she too will die young, and she loses control at any sign of illness. But when Corin connects with someone who has survived a very real brush with death, she begins to see the world in a whole new way.

He's learning to live... As Corin struggles under the weight of her neuroses, Beckett Kingsley is attempting to rebuild a life that feels all too temporary. With the ever-present threat of heart failure never far from his mind, he just wants to make the most of whatever time he has left. And that means pursuing the girl he never expected to find.

Together, Corin and Beckett finally learn to let go of their fears and take solace in everyday pleasures. Who knows what the future holds? After all, nothing lasts forever—the only promise they have is right now.
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"Stop thinking about your life in increments. Seconds. Minutes. Days.
Look at the bigger picture and embrace whatever time you have."

Let's start with the cover because, you know I'm a sucker for the pretty ones. I love the blue and purple (my fave colors!), and that gorgeous font. The cover has a kind of hazy, dream-like feel to it that I find reflects the story well. I really, really enjoyed this book! Butterfly Dreams left me wanting to run outside to soak in the sun—happy to just be. It's inspiring and heart-warming. I wasn't the biggest fan of Corin but man, oh man, did I fall head over heels for Beckett.

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

On a personal note: this bluebird is flying the nest

Hello, how have you been? I've been neglecting my blog these past months... *hugs laptop and pets screen* I'M SORRY MY PRECIOUS. Life has engulfed me during my hiatus. Lots of boring stuff, to be honest. Work. Work. Work. *plays 'Heigh Ho' from Snow White and the Seven Drawfs* On a more fun note, I went pretty wild with my hair this summer! I went from black to silver/ ice lilac pastel which faded to a blonde, then to multi-colored streaks like a mermaid hah. Although I haven't posted anything, I've been sneaking around and blogging behind the scenes. I actually finished two/three reviews [Can you believe it?!?! *roars*] which I'm going to schedule later on. I'm going to stockpile some reviews since I'm so prone to last minute posts. NO MORE I SAY.

Now onto the reasoning behind this post's title. No, you can't get rid of me so easily ;). It's moving day for me! I'll be going into a four-year nursing program in a different city starting in September. Pro: I'll get to see my niece and nephew basically everyday. Con: I can't take Tidus with me so I won't see my fur-king as often. It's a huge step for me towards being more independent, so I'm quite nervous/proud/excited/scared. Luckily, my brother Michael and his family live in Sarnia. I'm just moving into their basement guestroom heheh. One of the hardest thing about moving away from home is deciding which books to leave behind and which to take with me. I've read about 10% of my ever-growing collection. How am I suppose to choose?? Addicted series books, check. Sempre duology, check. Under the Never Sky series and Maybe Someday, double check. Everything else is up in the air. Whether or not I get time to read anything besides textbooks is another story.

I'm hoping to post every now and then regardless of school. I've been preparing a few review posts and others so I won't go AWOL for as long as I did this summer. I have many blogs to stop by and get the 411 on as well. I haven't read much but I haven't stopped altogether so that's good, right? Jumping back and forth between NA/A and YA has helped. Getting deeper into the kpop hole and watching kdramas, plus catching up on tv shows, has not. I've been putting off ebooks for a bit too because I can't focus very well recently. I'm waiting for the mojo-lightning to strike again *looks up at the sky* COME AT ME. There's a very cute independent bookstore called The Book Keeper very close to my brother's place that I look forward to spending time in. I've already gotten my Lambton library card the last time I visited, so I'm all set hah. And they had so many romance books that weren't available in my hometown. Needless to say, I'll be spending a lot of time 'studying' there. Life update complete! Phew *wipes sweat*. Until next time xx

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Addicted Series Lovefest: In Which My Love For LiLo Becomes More Obvious, Maybe


SOME KIND OF PERFECT RELEASES IN TWO DAYS, YA'LL. It's hard to believe that it's been about two years since I fell head first into this wonderful world that is the Addicted series. Or that Krista and Becca have written ten amazing books in what, three years?! [I have no doubt that SKoP will have me in tears]. Not only is that a lot of books, but if you've read the Addicted series you know how massive these babies are. 'Tis proof of their superwriting powers!

Today, Fizzle Force bloggers around the world are celebrating Krista & Becca and sharing our love of all things Addicted series *twirls and dances* We're coming to the end of a spectacular era! Just thinking about the epilogue book makes me emotional.

What the Addicted Series Means to Me

My irl friends aren't big readers. Probably 90% of the time, I'm fangirling about a book to my cousin who has ever only read YA (and that's on the rare chance that she feels like reading). I needed an outlet for my thoughts and she was kind enough to take on my crazy hah. I'll never forget the day when Jenn and Lanie [I love you both dearly for this too] asked me if I was interested in helping with what is now known as Krista & Becca's Fizzle Force on fb. My first thought was OMG *self fist bump*. It was almost like being asked if I wanted to be one of the knights of the round table, you know? Part of a team, a book club, which I have always wanted to be a part of. There was finally a place for me to talk about my favorite series and characters without seeming over the top insane. Because the majority of the members are just as big a fan of these books as I am :'). 

I've also had the pleasure of meeting the sweetest readers on this planet because of the Addicted series. I swear, the Fizzle Force is made up of the nicest people ever!! Like Lily from Lily's Book Blog, Amy from Foxy Blogs, A. from FMA Book Reviews, Linda from Second Bite Book Reviews, Jasmine from The Reading Escape, to name a few. If you could imagine how excited and freaked out I was of becoming an admin, I was equally so when accepted into the loving arms of the Fizzle Reads girls, my OTP of Pain squad sisters. I had secretly stalked half of these girls *cough* Siiri, Sue, Sil and Zee *cough* for the longest time because of their fab blog and/or graphics heheh. Now, these four, plus Lisa, Jessi, Katie, Eri, Almera and Laura, are practically my sisters (you're stuck with me, sorry) who I love and hate for pushing so many cute books on me. Every day is brighter talking to anyone from this fandom. Thank you, Krista & Becca for writing these inspiring books and bringing us all together!

If ever there were a series to highlight the importance of being comfortable in your own skin, persevering through hardships and doing what you love, the Addicted series is THE BEST. I'm a sucker for romance. I like childhood friends to lovers stories. When I first read ATY, KTS, HF etc, I didn't expect to feel such a strong connection with the characters. I'm a huge fan of the NA genre but rarely have I read one with such depth in it's characters and story. The Addicted series is actually the first series that I've invested 110% of myself in. I wrote a tumblr post once about why I love the Addicted characters and after re-reading it now, I've realized how my reason for loving one character could easily apply to any of the others. I love them so much my heart hurts. It's thanks to the Addicted series that I've come to embrace myself and appreciate what I have. So, I'd also like to thank Krista & Becca for encouraging me to be me *hugs you both tightly*.

Most Fizzle Force darlings know that LiLo is my #1. I contemplated the idea of making a graphic for the lovefest but decided to do something new. It's a mash-up of two of my favorite things: LiLo and singing! Note: the only thing original about the clip you're going to hear are the lyrics hah. I've rewritten the first verse and chorus of  Taylor Swift's Style to explain a few of the reasons why LiLo is life and the Addicted series is basically my bible. I had a lot of fun writing this. Maybe one day I'll learn the piano score of the song and do a full cover but until then... voila, an acapella snippet of LiLo by moi! TEAM LILO FOREVER.



If you have not read the Addicted series yet, please, please, please give this story and these characters a chance. I promise you won't regret it. Addicted to You is free on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and iBook, so it's the perfect time to start because Some Kind of Perfect the epilogue book will be releasing on May 20th! Thanks for taking the time to read this little tidbit of my Addicted love.

Monday, March 7, 2016

Cover Reveal: ELASTIC HEARTS by Claire Contreras

Hello, hello! Popping in here to share [and flail over] the cover of Elastic Hearts, Victor's story, releasing at the end of the month. AIN'T IT BEAUTIFUL!? I absolutely love the square/collage look of the first two books. And though I was surprised at the change in cover designs, I am totally diggin' it *heart eyes*. I cannot wait to get my hands on this ahhhhhhhhhh!

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Title: Elastic Hearts
Author: Claire Contreras
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Series: Hearts #3
Release Date: March 30, 2016

goodreads

PREORDER:
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Victor Reuben.
Most sought out divorce attorney in LA.

Nicole Alessi.
Soon to be ex-wife of Hollywood's biggest star, Victor's latest client and his boss's daughter.

In such a high profile divorce, they can't afford any extra drama. Luckily, neither one of them has anything to hide. Unless you count the mind blowing sex they had...
Once...
Twice...
Three times all those years ago.

As long as they leave the past where it belongs. they'll be fine. But with her wearing those tight dresses and him giving her those heated glances, keeping their hands to themselves is proving to be more difficult than either one of them realized.

It won't be long before the paparazzi start to smell smoke, and where there's smoke...

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Claire Contreras graduated with her BA in Psychology from Florida International University. She lives in Miami, Florida with her husband, two little boys, and three dogs.

Her favorite past times are: daydreaming, writing, and reading.

She has been described as a random, sarcastic, crazy girl with no filter.

Life is short, and it's more bitter than sweet, so she tries to smile as often as her face allows. She enjoys stories with happy endings, because life is full of way too many unhappy ones.

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Thursday, January 14, 2016

Review: ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes

Title: Me Before You
Author: Jojo Moyes
Me Before You #1
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publication Date: July 30, 2013
Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than her tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex-Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair-bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel--and he is not interested in exploring a new one.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, Lou sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn't have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?
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"It has been the best six months of my entire life."

I am warning you, dear reader, that this review may contain spoilers. If like myself, you already have a sense of how this story will go (as I did after reading the synopsis of the sequel), or if you've read the book then go forth and read my jumbled emotions! Either way, this was an unforgettable read that everyone should give a chance. It's your choice whether to like it or not, of course.

Monday, January 4, 2016

Review: THIS LULLABY by Sarah Dessen

Title: This Lullaby
Author: Sarah Dessen
Standalone
Publisher: Speak
Publication Date: March 8, 2004
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She's got it all figured out.

Or does she? When it comes to relationships, Remy's got a whole set of rules.

Never get too serious. Never let him break your heart. And never, ever date a musician.

But then Remy meets Dexter, and the rules don't seem to apply anymore.

Could it be that she's starting to understand what all those love songs are about?
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"I had no illusions about love anymore. It came, it went, it left casualties or it didn't."

I enjoyed this one. Not as much as I did my first Sarah Dessen book but it was still good. Light and humorous. I just couldn't connect with the heroine unfortunately. But I absolutely loved Dexter and John Miller because these two are so adorable and quirky and hilarious. Truth Squad, Dexter's band, was the highlight of this book for me. Dexter's dog, Monkey, was also a hoot.