ARC Review: The Edge of Never (The Edge of Never, #1) by J.A. Redmerski

Title: The Edge of Never (The Edge of Never, #1)
Author: J.A. Redmerski
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: March 12, 2013

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

From Goodreads:

Sometimes life takes you off course . . .

THE EDGE OF NEVER

Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett thought she knew exactly where her life was going. But after a wild night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she shocks everyone-including herself-when she decides to leave the only life she's ever known and set out on her own. Grabbing her purse and her cell phone, Camryn boards a Greyhound bus ready to find herself. Instead, she finds Andrew Parrish.

Sexy and exciting, Andrew lives life like there is no tomorrow. He persuades Camryn to do things she never thought she would and shows her how to give in to her deepest, most forbidden desires. Soon he becomes the center of her daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But there is more to Andrew than Camryn realizes. Will his secret push them inseparably together-or destroy them forever?
Due to sexual content and language, this book is recommended for 17+ – Adult Contemporary Women’s – New Adult Fiction

My  Thoughts:

Oh my freaking god. These new adult titles I've been reading are killing me lately. I can't read one without ending up a sobbing mess by the end. I mean, really?! Does there have to be so much beautiful angst? My tear ducts are going to dry up and I'm going to have nothing left. Is it me maybe? Does anyone else get all weepy and cry gigantic ugly tears while reading these NA books? Are they all like this? Because if they are I need to invest in the Johnson and Johnson company. I mean for god's sake I just can't handle these body wreaking sobs anymore!

Alright. Rant over. For now. Back to the review.

So yeah, as you can tell this book got to me. It was angsty, oh yea it was angsty. Both hero and heroine had baggage and were going through some major emotional trauma. However, unlike many other books I've read, our main characters didn't dance around too much. Sure, they weren't exactly open and honest for awhile about how they felt about each other, but even so, it was one of those situations where they each seemed to know how the other felt, but both were too chicken shit to say anything. But this didn't mean there were other guys or gals getting in the way. This was a roadtrip and they met other people, but they were focused on each other even before they were together-together. And I loved that. (Sometimes the waffling back and forth and miscommunication in romance novels irks the hell outta me. I sometimes want to scream "enough already!" at my Nook. Thankfully, it didn't come to this with The Edge of Never.)

One of my favorite parts of this entire book was how the author brought these two together. Their time together on the road was beautiful. I loved how Andrew wanted to show Cam how to live. I also loved how he made her try new things, taking her out of her comfort zone and showing her it was okay to take a risk. Even if that risk was with her heart. There time in New Orleans was my favorite. Well, and the time they watched the rain. Oh, and when they were in Wafflehouse. And when Andrew beat the crap out the guy in the bathroom. Oh and in the bar too. And, oh wait, when...

I need to stop with the favorite parts or else I'll end up revealing everything. And besides, I think at this point you get the idea. The bottom line is, the author brought their road trip to life and made me want to hop onto a Greyhound and see where the road took me. (Though, I then remembered how cramped they were and how sick I used to get whenever I had to ride those things from Utica, New York to my aunt's house in Long Island -all while listening to my NKOTB tapes- and that fantasy crumbled really fast. Reality is definitely not as fun as that which we find in books.)

Now. I need to mention the end. Or, let's say the last 50 pages or so. I did not see that coming. Not until Andrew was talking to his mother did everything click into place and I had an "oh shit" moment. At that point I didn't know whether to keep reading or bang my Nook against my face until I lost consciousness. I didn't want to read the rest. I didn't want to see what I thought would happen, happen. But I also couldn't look away. I was a deer in the headlights and the car was driving right for me, and all I could do was stare.

When the truth came out, when Andrew spoke with his mom and everything clicked for me, that was also around the point when I started to cry. And it wasn't dainty, quiet tears with the occasional sniffle. Nope. It was the painful kind that you feel throughout your whole body. It wasn't pretty and by the end I looked like a hot mess with my mascara running all over the place and my hair standing on end from me yanking at it, berating the author for letting me get invested in these characters just to rip it all away. So.Not.Fair.

But thank god for the end; that is got turned around and didn't end the way I had convinced myself it would. Beause I would have been seriously pissed if it had. So when things turned, the tears weren't so ugly and painful and painful anymore. Nope, by then they were quiet, happy sobs while I grinned like an idiot.

Having said all the good about this book I do want to touch on a couple of issues I had. As you can see this was 3.5 stars. I liked it. I more than liked it in fact. But a couple things had me hanging back from a full 4 stars.

First, there were a few errors (editing) here and there, but nothing too extreme to distract me. It was more the teacher part of me that caught a couple things that had me cringing. It jarred me out of the story once or twice, but nothing serious. The only reason I bring it up is because I was surprised to see them in a GCP book. Usually their editing is spot on.  The second issue I had deals with the resolution. Don't get me wrong. I loved the ending and wouldn't want it to end any other way. But given what had happened and how we got to the end (and the severity of, well, everything!) it felt kind of rushed. One minute it was near tragedy, and the next, time jump. I wish there had been more time in between; more narrative of that point in both Cam and Andrew's life. Sure, it would have required another fifteen boxes of tissues but it wouldn't have felt like the ending was slapped together.

Other than that, I really enjoyed this read. And I have to say, usually reading in present tense grates on my nerves, but in this case it was done so well it didn't bother me at all. Now I'm going to read something funny and sweet with way less angst and definitely far fewer tears. I need a break. And then maybe I'll grab the second in this series, though by the blurb, that looks to be a freaking doozy too. *sighs at the inevitable*

Here are some purchase and info links: The Edge of Never via Amazon / The Edge of Never via BN / The Edge of Never at Goodreads

*I received this ARC from the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Book Review: Facade (Games, #2) by Nyrae Dawn

Title: Facade (Games, #2)
Author: Nyrae Dawn
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: July 2, 2013

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

From Goodreads:

Can love save them?

After her father commits a crime that shatters her family, eighteen-year-old Delaney Cross is tired of pretending everything is alright. Packing up her car, she sets out to find the people her father hurt. Her search leads her to places she's never been--and into the arms of Adrian Westfall.

To the outside world, Adrian is a sexy, charming ladies man. But his playboy persona is just an act. Secretly his soul is tortured by a memory too painful to share. Only Delaney seems to see through his façade to the real man underneath. And for the first time in his life, Adrian feels he can begin to open up about his past.

Together, Adrian and Delaney share a passionate, carefree love they never expected to find. Yet both still harbor their own secrets. When the dark truth is finally revealed, will it bring them closer together, or tear them apart forever?

My Thoughts:

I was really skeptical that the author could pull off Adrian as a hero.  After reading Charade I just could not see how he could be anything but a pot smoking player who partied all the time. I mean really, how could anyone turn Adrian Westfall, of all characters, into a hero?

After finishing this book, I can safely say that Ms. Dawn did it.

And I liked that she didn't hide Adrian's past. She made it clear that he had that past; the past of a guy who partied, smoked too much pot, drank way too much and wanted women for one thing, sex. There was no way that Adrian could just suddenly be some perfect hero after all that. And he wasn't. Adrian continued to make mistakes in this book. He continued to be a clueless ass at times. But he also had a damn good reason to be.

And that reason shattered me.

There aren't too many books that I can say this about. Most books I read and sure there is some angst and in some cases I might even shed some tears. But this. Oh this was so different. By the time the climax occurred in the book and what had been building throughout the narrative exploded I was already near tears. But when the truth came out, a truth that even I did not see coming, I was left sobbing. And not quiet tears. No. These were ugly tears and it actually hurt.

Not only was the story that touching and poignant that I couldn't control my emotions, it also brought home that everyone grieves in different ways and that sometimes people nearly destroy themselves before they finally see the light and climb out of that hole. And sadly, there are times, people don't climb out at all. We all have experienced it, or will. Grief is something none of us can escape. And in both Charade and now Facade, Ms. Dawn explores how love can be the antidote for that pain, if we let it. In Facade I wasn't prepared for the truth that Adrian let Laney, in on. The truth that had been keeping him locked inside himself for four long years. I was so shocked it broke me, and like Laney, I wanted to throw up. Losing someone the way Adrian did is hard for anyone. But losing someone who was connected to Adrian the way Ash was, well that is just is unfathomable and terrifying, both at the same time.

I cannot say this enough but of the NA books I've read so far, this author is by far one of the best that I've read. And in actuality, she has climbed up onto the top of my favorite author list, without regard to genre. her writing, her voice, the development of these characters and the narrative in which they live, is truly fantastic. The third book is due out in January of 2014 and I will be snapping that up to find out if Maddox finds his happily ever after.

If you want a book that is well written and has a complete story that will touch your very heart and soul, I recommend checking out this series. You don't have to read the first one (the about Cheyenne and Colt) but it's just as good as this. And yeah, I cried in that one too. But it was a different kind of crying in Charade. In this book the tears weren't for the inevitable happening. No, in this one, it was for the senseless loss that Adrian suffered and how badly I wanted to fix it all for him.

Have you read this book or the first in the series, Charade?  What did you think of the heart shattering truth we find out from Adrian? Were you as surprised as I was? Sound off in the comments with your thoughts on this book and/or series.

Here are the purchase and info links for the book:    Facade (The Games Series) via Amazon /
Facade (The Games Series) via BN  /  Facade (The Games Series) at Goodreads

*I received this ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

ARC August: Setting Goals to Tackle My Pile of ARCs

ARC August is a challenge for all of us reviwers out there who may have gotten a little bit behind in reading ARCs. Or, perhaps a lot behind. Don't worry. I won't judge. As Ocativa says on the ARC August post, "type up a post just saying you’re participating then add your link in the linky below! The post can be as detailed (how many ARC’s you have, etc.) or as simple as you want just make sure your mention this post so other people can join!"

And what does one get at the end of ARC August? Well, for one, the knowledge that your ARC to-be-read pile is smaller. And for two, the chance to win a $20 dollar gift card via Read, Sleep, Repeat.

So I'm joining up and this is my goal for the month:

Read and prepare reviews for 11 books and schedule for posting in either August or September, depending on release date.  

This goal, or set of goals rather, should ensure that I stay up to date with the ARCs I have to read and review and also that I not only read, but actually prepare the posts. The latter is the hardest part for me. It shouldn't be, since I make notes and highlights and all that while reading, but it is. My hope is that the ARC August Challenge will help me get on top of that! (Note: not all of these are ARCs. Some are earlier books in a series that I have the current book in ARC format for. By reading the ARC and preparing the review,, VOILA! My ARC pile decreases!)

Here is a sampling, but not all, of the books and ARCs I will be reading this month with the reviews *hopefully" going up in the months of August and September (again, depends on the release dates):





So, are you participating in ARC August? What are your goals for the months. Or do you want to join in? Click HERE to go to the post that explains the rules and don't forget to include the link to your goal post on that page!

The Sunday Post [5]: Reading, Writing, Reviewing & Veronica Mars!!

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. From Kimba's website, "this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. This is your news post, so personalize it! Include as much as you want or as little. Be creative, it can be a vlog or just a showcase of your goodies."

HEY YOU GUYS...... (Said in the best voice imitation I can muster a la Goonies):

VERONICA MARS IS BACK! 

I want to give a one fingered salute to all those "Suits" in the TV industry who cancelled the show way back in the day and thought there would never be life after the TV show. They clearly didn't realize the amazing, fantasical phenomenon show this was, and is. So, for all your trailer watching pleasure, here it is, a sneak peak for the movie (that I will probably see 5 times, at least, when it comes to theatres):

I am so seriously stoked for this movie I cannot even begin to explain it. This show, for me, brought back all the awesomeness that was Nancy Drew, Fear Street, the Christopher Pike books and everything that is awesome from my 80s/90s childhood, rolled it into one big pile, and then morphed it to meet the culture and reality of the 00s. Yes, it is that good. And also, Logan is my future husband. Just sayin'.

Alright, and now that I have done my fan-girling for the day, on to everything else I did this week:

BOOKS READ/REVIEWED:

I read one of the best books ever last week. I reviewed it for the blog and I literally have gushed about it all week. I even told the lady at the library who was going through the shelves with me at the book sale about it. And I don't like to talk to strangers; the introvert in me freaks out around strangers. But I did it, because seriously this book ROCKS! Here is the link to the post: Red (Transplanted Tales, #1) by Katie SeRine.

If you like UF with just the right amount of romance tossed in, read this book. It's not heavy on the steam, but there is enough tension between the two main characters to slice a knife through. And the twists and turns on the Fairy Tales...Just, seriously, check out my review and get this book!

Again, here I am with the fan-girling. What the heck is with me today?! Moving on...

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING:

Facade and The Edge of Never are up next and part of the ARC August Challenge I've decided to participate in. (Click on the link for more info on the challenge and see if you want to sign up!) I have a bunch of ARCs to read and my goal is to post 2 ARC reviews a week in the month of August until I get caught up and the TBR list gets smaller. Look for my ARC August goals post tomorrow for all the details!

STACKING THE SHELVES:

Please someone stop me. Check out yesterday's post, HERE to get a look at the damage. Let me know over there if you read any of the ones I got from the library and what you thought. There are a bunch of historicals. (It seems my library has a ton of those!)

ROW80:

ROW80 is the writing challenge, that, as the founder Kait Nolan puts it, "knows you have a life." You can check out the details HERE. I check in every Sunday (or try to!) to update my progress on my goals for this Round. So, here we go:

Write every day: Done. I didn't get a lot of writing in, but I wrote every day.
Review a minimum of one book here or on Goodreads: Done (see above for link!)
Blog once per week on something that isn't a book review or ROW80 update: Done. See my Stacking the Shelves post from yesterday. (Link is above!)Post Sunday ROW80 Update: Done
Continue Worksheets for WiP(s): In progress. I finished one and have moved on to the next. I'm loving these things!


I failed at Camp NaNo. *sighs* I'm disappointed in myself, but there is always November and 50K more words to tackle. As for my goals for next week, I'm adding the weekly goal of finishing my CP's book and sending it back with my comments to the list. Other than that, not much will change goal wise. I'm just going to keep on keeping on, as they say, and see what happens next week!

MOVING TO WORDPRESS:

As you can see from the header, I am in the midst of making the switch from blogger to Wordpress. I have a domain and am hosted (thanks Lauren for the recommendation!) but now I have to get into the meat of it all. I've been playing around with themes and widgets and plugins, and trying to get familiar with the WP interface and whatnot. I'm finding that customizing the theme is not so easy. I need to find some good tutorials or instructions on the web on how to do this. I know that I can do it, I just need to have something in front of me that walks me through the steps.

Has anyone else made the switch from blogger to WP? What was your experience? Any hints or tips that got you through the move?

AROUND THE WEB:

Here are some awesome ADS for reading/books that someone posted to on twitter earlier in the week. I love these!

I'll try to find some more links of interest next week. And speaking of next week, don't forget--Shark Week starts tonight!




So how'd you guys do this week? Is anyone else participating in ARC August? What about your writing goals: are you making progress on your goals or do you need to make some adjustments? Fill me in on what's going on with you in the comments!

Stacking the Shelves [5]

This meme was started by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  The link is to the official launch page that explains what Stacking the Shelves is all about and where to sign up.  Basically, it's a weekly meme where you post what you've bought, borrowed, and/or read, throughout the week. To quote Tynga, "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!"

Hello. My name is Kat, and I have a book addiction. I can't, however, say that I will make any attempt to slow down. Not when books are on sale. To pass up a deal would just be so wrong!

I must say, with deals and my mad bargains from the library book sale, I came in way under my weekly book budget. Also, and as a side note, I buy most of my ebooks in Nook format since my main reader is a Nook Color. Many of the ebooks I picked up this week were the same price at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I found this strange since usually Barnes & Noble doesn't price match their ebooks, but the last couple weeks I've noticed many of the sales on Amazon are also the same price at BN. Has anyone else noticed an uptick in BN sales to match Amazon's pricing?

Anyways, let's just jump right into what I took in this week, yeah? (Note: Links are to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.)

BOUGHT:

Always on My Mind (Sullivans #8) by Bella Andre is one of my fave series and it was 99 cents. A bunch of Caroline Linden's historical romances were also on sale and since I can't get these at the library, I snapped up the first in two of her series to see if I like them. One Night In London was 2.99 while A View To A Kiss was 1.99. The How To Series-3 Book Boxed Set was also on sale (I couldn't find the cover for this on GR but the link will take you to Amazon, as was Kaleb (Alluring Induglence, #1) by Nicole Edwards and Only Fear by Anne Marie Becker.



Reclaim My Heart by Donna Fasano was 99 cents.  Golden Eyes & Amber Eyes by Maya Banks are books that were recommended to me and have been on my TBR forever. Since I'm on a shifter kick (and I have a BN giftcard) I figured waht the heck! And this is the same reason I picked up Hour of the Lion by my favorite author (or at least one of my top three!) Cherise Sinclair.

And now, for the damage from the library sale. I won't do covers for these since that would make this post crazy long given how many I bought:

To Tame A Dangerous Lord by Nicole Jordan

When You Wish Upon A Duke by Isabella Bradford

A Rose In The Storm by Brenda Joyce

Almost A Scandal by Elizabeth Essex

The Pleasure of Your Kiss by Teresa Medeiros

Along Came A Duke by Elizabeth Boyle

And The Miss Ran Away With The Rake by Elizabeth Boyle

When A Scot Loves A Lady by Katharine Ashe

Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt

The Better to Hold You by Alisa Sheckley

Beguiling The Beauty by Sherry Thomas

Guilty Pleasures by Laura Lee Guhrke

Redwood Bend by Robyn Carr

Fire & Ice by Julie Garwood
Shadow Music by Julie Garwood
Blue Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas
And Then She Fell by Stephanie Laurens
My Rebellious Heart by Samantha James
Hot Pink by Susan Johnson

FOR REVIEW:

FREE:

That's it for me. In between all this book buying I have also begun moving to a self hosted WordPress blog. I've been researching forever about the pros and cons and the biggest pro was owning the content. The last thing I want to worry about is the Google Gods thinking my blog is spam and deleting it. This happened recently to several book blogger blogs. *shudders at the thought* It also helped that in doing the research I found that the cost was a lot less than I thought it would be. So because of the impending move I won't be doing  as many reviews for the next couple week. I will instead be trying to figure out how to customize themes and well, everything else that is Wordpress. *tries not to cry*

So how'd you guys do this week? Does anyone have any experience or tips on moving from blogger to Wordpress? I've been scouring the web looking for tutorials and such since I don't know a lot about code. (Though, I am anxious to learn.) Happy reading and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Book Review: Red (Transplanted Tales, #1) by Kate Serine

Title: Red (Transplanted Tales, #1)
Author: Katie SeRine
Publisher: Kensington Publishing
Publication Date: August 2, 2012

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

From Goodreads:

“My name is Tess Little. But everyone calls me Red.”

Once upon a time, a spell went awry, stranding Make Believe characters in the ordinary world. Since then, Tess “Red” Little—a/k/a Little Red Riding Hood—has worked as an Enforcer for the Chicago branch of the Fairytale Management Authority. But, consider yourself warned—she’s not just some waif with a basket of goodies. All grown up and with nothing to lose, a gun and combat boots is more her style. And Red’s new assignment threatens to be short on happily ever afters…

Someone is murdering transplanted Tales in gruesome fashion. The list of fictional characters capable of such grisly acts is short and includes more than one of Red’s old flames. And if that wasn’t bad enough, there’s another complication, in the form of sexy, enigmatic Nate Grimm, the FMA’s lead detective and part-time Reaper. Used to following her own rules and living life on the edge, Red has managed to avoid taking on a partner until now. But Nate’s dark side makes him perfect for a case like this. That is, if she can trust him. Because if there’s one thing Red knows for sure, it’s that believing in the wrong person can have big, bad consequences…


My Thoughts:

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I freaking loved this book. I'd heard this book was more UF than PNR and that the romance aspect was "lite". So I kept putting it off. Well, after reading, I just have to say that I'm clearly an idiot.

The main characters weren't all about ripping off each other's clothes (though you knew they both wanted to!) but holy moly this author can build sexual tension like nobody's business. And the story itself-the Tales being tranplanted to the Here and Now and what happened to all our favorite fairy tale and literary characters was superb. I nearly choked when I found out what Snow does in the Here and Now. And Nicky?! Loved that turn but I will say, what happened in Red, I balled my eyes out. That was absolutely heart-breaking. And Juliet (though, I wonder what happened to Romeo!?!). And we can;t forget about the Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella and her Prince Charming (Oh, what a jerk!) and the fairy godmother.

I can't wait to read the next installment of this series and find out about Lavender and Seth. My heart broke for both of them in the first book and I was seriously conflicted about who Seth should end up with. But Nate, well Nate was loyal, true and just awesome. Even if he is a Reaper. I loved their connection and when I found out the "true" story of Red and how she was cast out of her village I was really hoping that her savior was who he turned out to be. I think I even heaved a great big, satisfied sigh when it was confirmed.

Thank you to the author, Kate SeRine, for restoring my faith in Urban Fantasy and proving that UF can rock your world with a kick butt heroine who isn't afraid to be vulnerable AND have a smoking hot romance (and romantic tension) between the main characters.

To purchase this book or for more information, check out the links at:

or: Barnes & Noble / Goodreads 

*This book was a self-purchase. All opinions are my own*

The Sunday Post [4]: The Week In Review & A ROW80 Update

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. From Kimba's website, "this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. This is your news post, so personalize it! Include as much as you want or as little. Be creative, it can be a vlog or just a showcase of your goodies."

Look to the right of your screen. Do you see anything different?! You should. I finally found the Allegiant countdown widget that I'd been seeing and, the nerd in me, had to get it for the blog. You can get it HERE. Just click the html option and the code will pop up for you. I'm so happy I finally tracked it down. I just want to stare at it and will the release date to be sooner. *sighs* I need more Four.

Anyways, back to the task at hand which is a run down of the past week on the blog. My house-guests left Friday night and I can't say that I was sad to see them go. Thankfully I have about five more months until the next wave of guests stay at my house and that should be enough time for me to recover. All in all, it was a hectic week and honestly I didn't get much done in terms of writing though I did get quite a few reviews written and some reading in.

Books Read/Reviewed Last Week:

ARC Review: Lions, Tigers and Sexy Bears Oh My! by Candace Havens

ARC Review: The Silver Chain by Primula Bond

ARC Review: Luck of the Dragon by Susannah Scott

And on Goodreads, I did quick reviews of A Highlander's Touch by Karen Marie Moning,  His Risk To Take by Tessa Bailey and Charade by Nyrae Dawn.

(Note: I didn't read all of these books this week. Even I can't read that fast! LOL I'm just really behind on reviewing books.)

What I'm Currently Reading:

At the moment I don't have any books that I'm in the middle of. Big surprise, I know. But with my house-guests around I used last week to finish a bunch of books and book reviews instead of starting anything new.  This week I plan to start Facade, Red and Elite. (Not necessarily in that order though!)  

Stacking The Shelves:

It was another busy week in terms of book sales, deals and galleys that I just had to get. I also made a stop at the library so I took a couple books out there too. To see this week's book haul check out my Stacking the Shelves post.

ROW80

ROW80 is the writing challenge, that, as the founder Kait Nolan puts it, "knows you have a life." You can check out the details HERE.  I check in every Sunday (or try to!) to update my progress on my goals for this Round. So, here we go:

Write every day: I am so behind in writing and especially in Camp NaNo. At this point I don't have any hope of meeting my goal at the end of the month. This makes me sad but at the same time I would rather not rush the words. I won the challenge in April so I don't feel like a complete failure at least. And there is always November. *looks at glass half full*
Blog a minimum of one book review per week, here and/or on Goodreads: Check out my links above. :)
Blog once per week on something that isn't a book review or ROW80 update: I also completed this weekly goal. Once again it's my Stacking the Shelves post (see above). One of these weeks I won't get any new books and this will be a different post but until I can rein that in, well, it's Stacking the Shelves.
Post my Sunday ROW80 Update: Done!
Work on WiP Worksheets: This continues to be a work in progress

Next week the goals will remain the same. I finished reading/commenting on my CPs chapters so I will hopefully be sending that back today. (This was stalled while I was entertaining this week!) I'm also going to try and get some more words down. I need to reset my writing and really buckle down this week.

Lastly, and on a completely unrelated note, I've been trying to get through the shows I have recorded on my DVR. I've finally caught up on the Rizzoli and Isles episodes I hadn't watched (as in, all of them since I haven't been watching this season), now I just have to catch up on Once Upon A Time and Rookie Blue (I love Sam. I really want him and Andy together and this is why I've put off watching so far. If they don't sort their sh*t and get together for good, I'm going to pissed!) Also, Shark Week starts in the beginning of August! Even though it scares the crap out of me (and makes me glad I live in the center of New York state), I'll be watching.

How was your week? Did you take in any good books this week? And for those who are doing ROW80 and/or Camp NaNo, how're you doing with your goals? Do you tune in to Shark Week or have you watched any good shows of late? Sound off in the comments!

Stacking The Shelves [4]

This meme was started by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  The link is to the official launch page that explains what Stacking the Shelves is all about and where to sign up.  Basically, it's a weekly meme where you post what you've bought, borrowed, and/or read, throughout the week. To quote Tynga, "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!"

Another week is just about done so that means it's time for another Stacking The Shelves post. I'm not even going to try and say I've been "better" about buying books cause clearly, I haven't. But I do try to get most of the books I buy when they are on sale since, ya know, money doesn't grow on trees. And in doing so, I've once again managed to stay well within my book buying budget.  (Note: clicking on the images below should take you to the books Goodreads page, unless otherwise noted.)

Bought:

A bunch of the Entangled Brazen titles were on sale for 99 cents and these had been on one of my Goodreads TBR shelves for awhile now. The only one that wasn't 99 pennies was His Risk To Take. That was 1.99. 

Seven Nights In A Rogue's Bed by Anna Campbell was also on sale and I love a good histroical romance so I picked this up for 1.99.


I have the first in this series, Red, and the third, Along Came A Spider, I received as a galley (see below). So I will hopefully be getting to finishing this series soon.




I got these boxed sets for 99 cents each. Each one has about 5 novels in them and for that price it's worth it, Some of the titles are older romances (from the 90s and 00s) but some are more recent. Again, at 99 cents that beats the prices I could get them at the library's used booksale for. (Note: the image will take you to Barnes & Noble, not Goodreads)



Sold to the Sheikh was recommended to me and had been on my TBR for awhile. So when it went on sale for 99 cents i figured what the heck! 
I bought the first in this series, Sultry With A Twist, awhile ago for 99 cents so when the second when on sale for 99 cents as well, I snapped it up.  

For Review:

From the Library:

I've seen both readers and reviewers talk about these books and recommend them so when I saw them at the library I checked them out. I have a month to read them which should be plenty of time.

Freebies:

I am trying to be more discerning about what freebies I pick up because I have so many books to read that I really need to slow down.  So what did you pick up this week? Any good sales going on that I missed or new releases that you purchased? Let me know in the comments!