Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme hosted The Broke and the Bookish. There is a new topic for each week and the participating bloggers are invited to post their Top Ten lists on it.

Top Ten Book Turn-Offs

1. Cheating, especially when the author condones it. 

2. Love triangles, especially when it is obvious who will be picked eventually.

3. Unrealistic characters - I really hate it when characters turn out to be just stereotypical clichés.

7. When the author uses letters (hidden and then suddenly revealed) to explain a particular situation.  

10. Bad book cover - this is not exactly part of the story, but a bad cover can really put me off from buying and reading the book.

What are you turn-offs? Leave me a comment and I will stop by your TTT post to check them out!

Goodreads Blurb

There are three things you need to know about Elizabeth Finney: 1) She suffers from severe sarcastic syndrome, especially when she's unnerved, 2) No one unnerves her like Nico Manganiello, and 3) She knows how to knit.

Elizabeth Finney is almost always right about everything: the musical merits of Boy Bands are undervalued by society, “benefits” with human Ken-dolls are better without friendship, and the sun has set on her once in a lifetime chance for true love. But when Elizabeth’s plans for benefits without friendship are disarmed by the irritatingly charismatic and chauvinistic Nico Manganiello- her former nemesis- she finds herself struggling to maintain the electric fence around her heart while avoiding electrocution or, worse, falling in love.

My Review

Ms Reid loves big words and she is not afraid to use to them!

If you have read my blog before you  have probably come across Ms Reid's first novel in the Knitting in the City series, Neanderthal Seeks Human: A Smart Romance. I read, loved and reviewed the book when it released back in April. I keep recommending it, including it in different lists and rankings. All this took place while waiting patiently/or not for the next instalment in the series. 

Friend Without Benefits (FwoB) tells the story of Janie's best friend, Elizabeth and Nico. It was just as good as I expected - funny, smart and a bit serious and in short, a real pleasure to read. I didn't think that anyone can replace Sir Quinn McHotpants from my heart but Nico Manganiello simply stole my heart with the mix tape he prepared for Elizabeth. It is definitely one of the most romantic gestures I have read in while, if ever. Ms Reid has treated us to an amazing soundtrack to her novel. While I totally loved the songs Nico chose for Elizabeth, I totally understand her obsession with boy bands. I have to admit that I find her justification for liking them pretty solid and just because I also love me some boy band music, here my pick for this review (You can't go wrong with One Direction, right. Just ask my 6-year old niece :)))


Now, back to the serious part of this review.

The story was told from Elizabeth's POV and I really enjoyed her voice. She had some of Janie's quirkiness and a lot of her own style/weirdness. Her antics had me laughing, made me teary-eyed a few times and I also wanted to slap her sense into her on numerous occasions.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Nico, the perfect romantic hero - sexy, smart, successful. And not to forget, totally infuriating :) I feel for Elizabeth trying to resist his twinkling eyes and charming smile all the time - it is not an easy feat.  

The story of Elizabeth and Nico was a sort of second-chance-love story. They had an interesting, to say the least, history behind them. They both made mistakes as teenagers and hurt each other but I like how they grew up and evolved and at the present they are more or less grown up. Well, it took Elizabeth a little bit more time and incentive to act like a adult, and she finally did it, it was rather crazy than normal, but it was real and sincere.

We get to see more of the knitting club ladies in this book and to get to know them even better. They are a formidable force and great secondary characters. Speaking of secondary characters, Nico's mother and niece and his family as a whole were just wonderful and had a strong presence in the novel. 

I liked that Ms Reid introduced a more serious element in this novel - Nico's niece suffers from a rare disease. It adds another layer to the story making it something more than a fluffy romance.

A weakness in NSH for me was the lack of epilogue and the fact that I found Qunn's voice in the end in complete mismatch with his characters from the rest of the book. I am happy to say that FwoB has an epilogue, a great one and Nico's voice was very much true to his character - sexy, funny and a bit naughty.

I have just one complaint about this book which takes a half star from perfect rating - Nico speaking Italian. As fun and sexy as it was, I didn't understand everything, thus I couldn't fully enjoy it. I am aware that Elizabeth didn't understand Italian and she didn't care to, but still I think it would be better to have an English translation is included in some form.

In short, if you are looking for a funny, smart romance with great and a bit unconventional characters, I strongly recommend The Knitting in the City series. Neanderthal Seeks Human is currently on sale (0.99$ for US and 3.59$ for International buyers) until the release of Friends Without Benefits on 3 Oct. FwoB will be available for free on 8-10 Oct, so don't miss your chance to get it.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Author's links:
Facebook / Website / Twitter / Goodreads

My rating: 3.5 Stars

In the Moment by Olivia Jake - older hero and heroine romance, it is a rare find and this one is just released and sounds interesting - Amazon

Note: These were the correct prices/free books at the time of the publication of this post. Please, check them again before buying. I am only posting deals valid for international users, since I based in Bulgaria and very often some sales or free books on Amazon US are only available to US residents.

Follow me on Facebook to keep up to date with the latest freebies and sales I come across. Often they last only a short time and by the time a draft my post on Friday, many of them are no longer available.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules: 

• Grab your current read 

• Open to a random page 

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 

• Be careful not the include spoilers! 

• Share the title & author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers. 

I have modified them slightly for my Teasers. It will not be two sentences from a random page but two, usually more, sentences from the pages I have read so far that have struck me as most interesting, original or that I just happen to like a lot.

This week's teaser comes from Friends Without Benefits: An Unrequited Romance (Knitting in the City, #2) by Penny Reid. If you have read my blog before you surely know that I am a big fan of Ms Reid writing and I absolutely loved her first novel, Neanderthal Seeks Human. This is the second book in the series and it is just as fun and hilarious and just a little bit more serious as book one. I just finished an ARC of Friends Without Benefits and you can read my review of it next week. And because Ms Reid writing is rather unique as are her characters, I will share not one but two teasers :) 

"... It was one of those moments where my body ceased listening to my brain.

My brain said: Step away from the naughty hottie.

My body said: ... I like cookies."

"He considered me for a moment, trying to suppress a grin. He bit his top lip, obviously to keep from laughing. "I eye-twinkled at the reporter?""

Friends Without Benefits: An Unrequited Romance (Knitting in the City, #2) by Penny Reid

Synopsis:

Friends Without Benefits can be read as a standalone, is a full length 120k word novel, and is book #2 in the Knitting in the City Series. 

There are three things you need to know about Elizabeth Finney: 1) She suffers from severe sarcastic syndrome, especially when she's unnerved, 2) No one unnerves her like Nico Manganiello, and 3) She knows how to knit. 

Elizabeth Finney is almost always right about everything: the musical merits of Boy Bands are undervalued by society, “benefits” with human Ken-dolls are better without friendship, and the sun has set on her once in a lifetime chance for true love. But when Elizabeth’s plans for benefits without friendship are disarmed by the irritatingly charismatic and chauvinistic Nico Manganiello- her former nemesis- she finds herself struggling to maintain the electric fence around her heart while avoiding electrocution or, worse, falling in love.

Top Ten Best Sequels Ever 

The first five books on my list are sequels in the true sense of the word. They continue the story from the first book. The remaining five entries are also part of series but they tell the story of different characters.

Prodigy (Legend #2) by Marie Lu - I really enjoy this series and can't wait for the final book, Champion, coming on Nov 5.

Shooting Scars (TAT #2) by Karina Halle - This story just gets edgier, darker, sexier, more awesome with every next book.

Second Chance (First Comes Love #2) by Katie Kacvinsky - I loved the first book and the second just made things even better. Unfortunately, there is no info on the final book yet 

Fever series by Karen Marie Moning - I have included the whole series since I find it that very next book is better than the previous one and Shadowfever is the perfect ending of the story. 

Froi of the Exiles (Lumatere Chronicles #2) by Melina Marchetta - This one continues the story from book one, Finnickin of the Rock, but the focus is on different and new characters and it is just as good as the first and third books.

Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2) by Katie McGarry - I loved Pushing the Limits and finished Dare You To just last week. It is a good sequel which I enjoyed but didn't like it as much as book one.

Facade (Games #2) by Nyrae Dawn - I really think this book was better than book one, Charade. There is a lot of drama and angst and raw emotion and I am really looking forward to the next book in the series, Masquerade, coming in 2014. 

Instant Gratification (Wilder #2) by Jill Shalvis - I loved the whole series about the Wilder brothers. It is typical small town romance with likeable characters, witty dialogue and some sexy times.

Faking It (Losing It #2) by Cora Carmack - I loved book one, Faking It and I liked its sequel, Faking It. It is cute and fun, somewhat dramatic and predictable, still it was a nice, enjoyable read.

Have you read any of the books on my list, if so did you enjoy them as much as me? Leave me a comment and I be sure to check out your TTT list :)

Freebies:

In Stereo Where Available by Becky Anderson - It seems like a fun chick-lit romance so I added it to my never-ending TBR list - Amazon

Because of Lucy by Lisa Swallow - a recently released NA. The blurb was interesting it is set in the UK for a change - Amazon

Simon's Choice by Charlotte Castle - I have to admit that I am scared to read this but it seems worth it - Amazon Significance (Significance #1) by Shelly Crane - YA paranormal romance. It has some great reviews and is soon to be made into a movie - Amazon 

Follow me on Facebook to keep up to date with the latest freebies and sales I come across. Often they last only a short time and by the time a draft my post on Friday, many of them are no longer available. 

Title: On Every Street (The Artists Trilogy #0.5)
Author: Karina Halle
Date of publication: 9 March 2013
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Contemporary

Author's links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 4 stars

This 50K word (100+ pages) novella takes place six years before Sins & Needles. It can be read before or after Sins & Needles and may also be read as a standalone.




This is a prequel to Sins & Needles and tells the story of Ellie and Javier which happened six years before the events in Sins & Needles. It can be read before or after S&N or even as a standalone. I personally read it after S & N (following the order publication) and I think it works best in this way.

I liked On Every Street a lot but as much as S&N. It was written in the same engaging style and it carried the same vibe of raw emotions. Its focus was on issues of love and lust, revenge and forgiveness. I found it rather New Adult in nature, since both Ellie and Javier were very young and were in process of figuring out / accepting who they were. This was especially true for Ellie who made some very difficult choices trying to come to peace with her past and move on.

On the surface this was Javier's story, yet the book told us a lot about Ellie was well. I didn't particularly like who she was with Javier but I can relate to her desire to be with him, hence her acceptance of his ways. What we saw in this book was a much younger, more naive Ellie, just a young girl searching for her place in the world. Her relationship with Javier ultimately led the final loss of innocence for both of them.

The book did show why Javier acted the way he did in S&N but that still didn't endear him to me. Ellie started her relationship with him  for all the wrong reasons and based it on a lie, yet I think what he did to her was unforgivable, there are no excuses for his actions in my mind.

On Every Street is a must read for fans of Sins & Needles since it provides an essential background to the story and shows the Ellie and Javier in a different light, revealing yet another layer of their complex personalities.

PS: Since I am very much Team Camden in this series, one possible reason I didn't enjoy On Every Street as much as S & N is the fact that Camden was not present in it. Just saying :)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules: 

• Grab your current read 

• Open to a random page 

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 

• Be careful not the include spoilers! 

• Share the title & author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers. 

I have modified them slightly for my Teasers. It will not be two sentences from a random page but two, usually more, sentences from the pages I have read so far that have struck me as most interesting, original or that I just happen to like a lot.

This week I went back reading a YA book, something I haven't done in while and I am really enjoying it. My teaser comes from Dare You To by Katie McGarry. I loved her first book in the series, Pushing the Limits, which I read last year. I was hesitant to pick up book 2 which tells the story of Beth, who I really didn't like very much in PtL, but most of GR friends gave glowing reviews of Dare You To, besides I really like Ms McGarry writing, so I decided to give it a try. I can honestly say that now I see Beth in a new light and Ryan is just awesome. Check the blog later this week for my review of Dare You To. Here is the teaser itself:

"I'm Ryan Stone - ballplayer, jock, leader of the team. But Ryan Stone - writer? I chuckle to myself as I pick the paperwork up off the desk. All of it describes in detail how to continue to the next phase of the writing competition, how to win. Not once in my life have I backed down from a challenge."

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

Friends Without Benefits: An Unrequited Romance (Knitting in the City #2) by Penny Reid – I loved the first book in the series, Neanderthal Seeks Human (my review) and can't wait to read this one (release date - 8 Oct).

Bold Tricks (The Artists Trilogy #3) by Karina Halle – I really, really love this series so far (Sins & Needles - my review, One Every Street - review to come tomorrow, Shooting Scars - my review) and I am excited for the upcoming finale (release date - 15 Oct).

Finders Keepers (Lost and Found #3) by Nicole Williams - Same story here. I loved the first two books in the series and I am sure Garth's story will just as good (he is the bad guy after all, how am I not be excited).

Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth – It feels like I have been waiting for this one forever, I just NEED to read this asap (release date - 22 Oct)

Just One Year (Just One day #2) by Gayle Forman. I loved Ms Forman's If I Stay and Where She Went. I liked Just One Day but not as much as her first series. Still, I am curious to see how the story will end.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick - I have got an ARC and I am definitely reading it this fall. It's going to be my next read, most likely.

Unbound by Cara McKenna - Another ARC. I haven't read anything by Ms McKenna before but I have read some reviews of her work and I am curious about this one. It may be too much on the erotic side for me but I plan on giving it a try.

Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood 1) by J. R. Ward  - I have been meaning to try this series for some time now and I hope I will finally do it this fall.

Slave to Sensation (Psy-changling 1) by Nalini Singh. Same as the above. Paranormal romance is not my typical genre, but I like to try new things and there are some great reviews about both these series, so I think it is high time for me to try them and see what all the praise is about.

The Opportunist (Love Me with Lies 1) by Tarryn Fisher - Another series, this time contemporary romance. It was highly recommended to me by my GR friends and I am giving in and reading this, finally :)

I love hearing form you. If you comment with a link to your TTT post, I will make sure to stop by and check it!

Title: Shooting Scars (The Artists Trilogy #2)

Author: Karina Halle

Date of publication: 20 Aug 2013

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Contemporary

Author's links:

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Blurb

Sometimes the right choice can be the deadliest.

When Ellie Watt made the ultimate sacrifice for Camden McQueen, she never thought it would be easy. But walking away with her ex-lover, Javier Bernal, in order to ensure Camden’s safety has brought a whole new set of dangers. With Javier’s plans for Ellie growing more secretive by the moment, Ellie must find a way to stay ahead of the game before her past swallows her whole.

Meanwhile, Camden’s new life is short-lived. Fueled by revenge and pursued by authorities, he teams up with an unlikely partner in order to save Ellie. But as Camden toes the line between love and retribution, he realizes that in order to get back the woman he loves, he may have to lose himself in the process. He might just turn into the very man he’s hunting.

My Review

Title: Reckless (Renegates 1)

Author: Skye Jordan

Date of publication: 23 Aug 2013

Genre/themes: Contemporary Romance

Author's links:

Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 3.5 stars

Goodreads Blrurb

A couture wedding dress designer to the rich and famous, Lexi LaCroix’s image means everything. But crossing paths with a sexier-than-sin, bad-boy biker makes Lexi realize how much living she’s sacrificed for her success and one touch is all it takes to threaten her carefully choreographed life. When that touch fills far more than just Lexi’s physical needs, she finds herself torn between the career she needs and the bad-boy she craves.

Jax Chamberlin gave up the superficial life of acting for the thrill of running his own stunt company years ago. But a recent betrayal proves he’s still too close to the limelight to find a woman who doesn’t plan to use him as a stepping-stone to success. When the charming and mysterious Lexi offers him a totally anonymous hook-up during an out of town trip, Jax accepts. Only Lexi is more sextacular than charming, and Jax wants more.

But Lexi’s got a major hang-up over his renegade lifestyle, and Jax isn’t willing to change his ways. Especially not when he discovers who she really is. Because if she finds out his connections could catapult her to the top of her career, he’s afraid the fantasy woman he’s falling for might just end up like all the other gold-diggers. And this time, it’s not just his bad-boy reputation at risk, but his heart, too.

My Review

Reckless was a funny, steamy read which I really enjoyed. It is a cute romance set in the flashy world of Hollywood and bridal fashion for millionaires. The love story of Jax and Lexi had its fair share of obstacles, but fortunately lacked too much drama and angst.

The way the affair between Jax and Lexi happened from her getting his number to the scene at the fashion show in the end was rather unrealistic and improbable, yet I would just describe their story as the romance of dreams. For me this is a romance we all dream of - perfect people who gorgeous and smart, super rich and successful, meet and immediately share sizzling-hot chemistry and then fall head-over-heels madly in love. It is the perfect fairytale that doesn't happen in real life, yet one can always dream or read about in romance novels :)

The book has a very nice, light-hearted feel to it. It is quite a steamy read, coupled with funny banter between the characters and reading it just puts you in a feel-good, happy mood. There are some obstacles the characters need to overcome en route to their HEA, but they are nothing major, and ultimately love does conquer all. 

My main complaint with this book which defers me from giving it a higher rating is the writing. While I do like short, one-word sentences, they should only be used sparingly, for emphasis. When they are overused, they become distracting and annoying. As a whole the writing style felt simplistic and repetitive and at times it distracted me from the story itself. 

Although I love the happy ending for Jax and Lexi, I would have liked to read an epilogue, or chapter of them further along in the future as a more estalished couple. 

I am looking forward to the next instalment in the series, hoping that it will be about Wes (and Rubi?). I will also be really happy to see more of Jax and Lexi in the next book.

Burdern of Breath by Ann Minnett - It sounds like a heavy but ultimately optimistic read and has great reviews -  Amazon

Three short stories accompanying the Jason Mott's novel The Returned. They can be a good way to try this author before going for the novel.

The First - Amazon

The Sparrow - Amazon

The Choice - Amazon

Deals:

Neanderthal Seeks Human: A Smart Romance by Penny Reid - It is on sale for 3.59 (for International buyers) and 0.99 for US until the release of book 2 in the series, Friends Without Benefits, on 8 Oct 2013. It is a great romantic comedy and one of the best books for me this year - Amazon

Note: These were the correct prices/free books at the time of the publication of this post. Please, check them again before buying. I am only posting deals valid for international users, since I am based in Bulgaria and very often some sales or free books on Amazon US are only available to US residents.

Title: Louder Than Love

Author: Jessica Topper

Date of publication: 17 Sept 2013

Author's links:

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 4 stars

Goodreads Blurb

In this powerful debut novel, a young librarian grieves the loss of her husband...and discovers a love that defies classification.

It's been over three years since a train accident made a widow of Katrina Lewis, sending her and her young daughter Abbey back to the suburban town of her youth...the only place that still makes sense. Lauder Lake is the perfect place to hide and heal.

Recluse rocker Adrian "Digger" Graves survived the implosion of his music career, but his muse has long lain dormant. Until Kat hires him to play at her library—not on the basis of his hard rock credentials but rather, because of the obscure kids' TV jingle he wrote years ago. In a case of mistaken identity, Adrian stumbles into the lives of Kat and her comically lovable daughter.

Using tattoos as a timeline, Adrian unfurls his life for Kat. But as the courtship intensifies, it's unclear whose past looms larger: the widow's or the rocker's. Will their demons ever rest, or will they break these soul mates apart?

My Review

I was drawn to this book because it was a story of second chance at love and the hero is just my favourite type - a jaded former rock star. What I got while reading the book was so much more. It is a painfully beautiful story of love and loss, lightened by the innocence and wisdom of a four-year old girl. 

Some books start slow for me, but this one was exactly the opposite - it was too quick. I was given too much information in the beginning - on Kat's past, on her present, on all her friends - and I felt rushed to process it all. All the comparisons between her past in city and her present in the suburbs were a little confusing for me as a foreigner, but as I went on reading I began to appreciate them more as something that set Kat and Adrain apart and at the same time, brought them together. 

I liked Kat a lot and her daughter, even more, but my favourite character in the book was definitely Adrian. He was such a complex character, a tortured soul with heavy British accent, not really looking for a second chance, but ultimately finding it and totally deserving it. I loved everything about him - his rock music past (and future), his love for Kat and Abbey. 

I liked how the relationship between Kat (and Abbey) and Adrian progressed gradually. It felt natural and logical. There was great chemistry between them and find he sex scenes hot and very tastefully done without being explicit. 

A plot line which I didn't particularly like in the story was the lives of Kat's friends. They reminded me too much of the Desperate housewives TV series. They provided a background to Kat's present life in the suburbs but their own family dramas were superfluous to the main story. I really didn't like how Liz's behaviour in a certain situation was handled. It felt like the author condoned cheating or something close to it and I strongly disagree with that. 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not the include spoilers!
• Share the title & author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

I have modified them slightly for my Teasers. It will not be two sentences from a random page but two, usually more, sentences from the pages I have read so far that have struck me as most interesting, original or that I just happen to like a lot.

My teaser this week comes from Reckless (Renegades #1) by Skye Jordan. It is a rather hot, fun read where the worlds of movies and fashion collide. It is nothing overly dramtic or angst-filled for a change and I am really enjoying it. 

"Her nerves kicked up. She'd felt so capable when she was flirting with Jax. So sexy. So in control. Now, she felt inept. And incompetent. And ... reckless."

A couture wedding dress designer to the rich and famous, Lexi LaCroix’s image means everything. But crossing paths with a sexier-than-sin, bad-boy biker makes Lexi realize how much living she’s sacrificed for her success and one touch is all it takes to threaten her carefully choreographed life. When that touch fills far more than just Lexi’s physical needs, she finds herself torn between the career she needs and the bad-boy she craves.

Jax Chamberlin gave up the superficial life of acting for the thrill of running his own stunt company years ago. But a recent betrayal proves he’s still too close to the limelight to find a woman who doesn’t plan to use him as a stepping-stone to success. When the charming and mysterious Lexi offers him a totally anonymous hook-up during an out of town trip, Jax accepts. Only Lexi is more sextacular than charming, and Jax wants more.

But Lexi’s got a major hang-up over his renegade lifestyle, and Jax isn’t willing to change his ways. Especially not when he discovers who she really is. Because if she finds out his connections could catapult her to the top of her career, he’s afraid the fantasy woman he’s falling for might just end up like all the other gold-diggers. And this time, it’s not just his bad-boy reputation at risk, but his heart, too.