Stacking The Shelves / Showcase Sunday #44

Showcase Sunday is hosted by Vicky @Books, Biscuits, and Tea and Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and they both give bloggers the opportunity to share the books they have received in the past week.

I have started to share my favourite things of 2013. Check out my "best authors" post and enter to win your choice of the books mentioned :D http://www.bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/best-authors-of-2013.html I am also running a reading / blogging / writing challenge in 2014 that I would love for you to get involved in http://bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/introducing-2014-personal-challenge.html

 

This week I did not get ANY review books or any from NetGalley. I was too busy with Christmas really :P As usual if you click on the book cover you will be taken to the books Amazon page (or goodreads if it isn't yet on amazon).

 

Freebies

Only 2 freebies this week but both sound really good.

 

 

Bought

After receiving the paperback of Some Girls Bite for Christmas I decided to read it first and then went on to rereading my kindle editions of the later books in the series. I never got further than book 5 so I bought myself the 6th yesterday. Loving it so far!

 

 

Won

 

Paperback

Very excited to have received the signed paperback of Mine that I won in November :D

 

 

Gifts

 

Paperback

 

 

Other than The High Lord which my boyfriend got for me, all the other gifts are from my UKYA Book Blogger Secret Santa. Thank you whoever you are!

Stacking the Shelves / Showcase Sunday #38

Showcase Sunday is hosted by Vicky @Books, Biscuits, and Tea and Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and they both give bloggers the opportunity to share the books they have received in the past week.

 

Also NetGalley November has now started! If like me you have a big NetGalley tbr pile (or even if you don't) come and join us :D If you are looking to stack your shelves I am currently running a great giveaway. As always if you click on the book cover you will be taken to its Amazon page.

 

Review

I got some great books for review this week. World After by Susan Ee! Panic by Lauren Oliver! And Forgiveness and Permission, the latest book in a really interesting and absorbing series that I love!

 

Paperbacks

 

 

Ebooks

  

 

Netgalley

I may have caved and got a book from NetGalley

  earlier this week :P If you have a NetGalley addiction like me come and take part in NetGalley November!
 

 

Freebies

 

 I got a couple of great looking freebies this week. Entanglement is actually a book I have had my eye on for a while so I napped it up the second I saw that it was free. To get these books also just click on the image and you will be taken to Amazon.

 

 

Bought

 

I just bought the one book this week. I read the first book in this novella series recently as something I had got from netgalley. It was just ok but I wanted to reserve further judgement until I had read a little more of the series as each book is very short.

 

 

So what do you think? Are there any books you have read, plan to read or have just now caught your eye? Feel free to link to your Stacking the Shelves or equivalent post in the comments.

Review of Either Side of Midnight

FOR TODAY ONLY (26/10) THIS BOOK IS FREE ON AMAZON! GET IT HERE!

Synopsis

WHAT IF THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE TURNED INTO YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE?

When nineteen-year-old Naomi Stone is snatched from her husband at knifepoint on the night of their wedding and taken to a deserted cemetery, she knows her life is finished. Drugged and disorientated, she loses consciousness as she lies in an open grave with a gun to her head.

But the following day, she mysteriously awakes to find herself unharmed and secured to a bed. She's in a beautiful bedroom in a secluded cottage in open countryside. Only one person knows she’s there – the man in the balaclava who’s holding her, feeding her, revealing nothing. Naomi senses the unfolding of a plan. She should be on honeymoon in the Caribbean. Instead, she’s trapped with an emotionless psycho with no hope of escape . . . And his voice is chillingly familiar.

Who is he? What does he want? What's happened to her husband? Where is she? Will anyone find her before it's too late?
Review

Sometimes you read a book that is a breath of fresh air and is exactly what you were looking for but you didn’t even realise it. This perfectly sums up this book for me. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book but it absolutely blew me away. Either Side of Midnight is an incredible suspense novel that will keep you guessing throughout but gets even more amazing once the truth is revealed.

The book is told from multiple pov’s though the main focus by far is Naomi’s perspective and it also alternates between present time which is this confusion Naomi has woken up in and the year leading to that moment. This means there are two aspects to the story, Naomi’s bizarre kidnapping and the seemingly simple romance story of her starting at University and meeting the guy that will become her Husband.

Parts of this book are very much what you would expect in a typical New Adult romance novel but the rest is very unique. This book is far from being a typical NA!

I really loved Naomi. At the start she seems quite weak and gullible but she grows into this strong character who won’t let anyone mess with her. She ends up being the sort of character who plays with fire in the hope that those who have wronged her will get burned.

As for the rest of the characters, well, let’s just say I feel a mix of hatred and love and then leave it at that :P

Either Side of Midnight is perfect for readers who like books that will fuck with your mind. Fans of the Consequences series by Aleatha Romig in particular will love this book. A must read!

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, this has not affected my opinions or rating in any way.*

Try it for yourself! Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

 

Laura

Feature Friday - Guest Post by Selena Laurence (and get a free book!)

Feature Friday is a brand new item on Bookish Treasures. Every Friday I will be featuring an author through either an interview or a guest post. If you are interested in taking part please send me an email.

This week I am featuring Selena Laurence, an author of NA contemporary romance who is just about to release her newest book Camouflage which is a prequel to the awesome sounding Hidden (which is free for this weekend!).

 

Camouflage by Selena Laurence

Synopsis

Gabe Thompson enlisted to help out his buddy, but three years later he's 100% US military bad boy, serving in the desert of Afghanistan where the days are hot, but the nights are hotter.

Alexis Garcia is out to save the world. The University of Texas freshman has come to Afghanistan to do aid work with the United Nations. She's all about the peace, and she has no use for the camp's biggest, baddest, gun toting player.

But, sometimes camouflage is more than a color, and people aren't what they seem. When conflict develops not only between Gabe and Alexis, but also all around them, they're forced to look deeper, and what they find will rock their worlds and change their hearts forever.

Add it on Goodreads!

Get book 1 Hidden for FREE! Amazon | Amazon UK

Sex in NA by Selena Laurence

           There is a furor this week about sex in fiction and online sales. I’ll spare you the details, and this post isn’t really about that, but rather about the presence of sex, graphic and otherwise, in New Adult fiction.

            Most readers who are familiar with the term New Adult, know it refers to a genre of fiction about characters between (roughly) the ages of eighteen and twenty-four. These characters are necessarily, dealing with the types of issues new adults do – romantic relationships, higher education, jobs, family issues, finding out who they are in the world.

            The first popular novels categorized as New Adult were primarily contemporary romances, and often contained graphic sex. Because of that, some people believe all New Adult fiction contains high levels of sexual description, and that simply isn’t true. New Adult simply refers to the age of the protagonists and the types of issues they are working through.

            I am first and foremost, a romance writer. I also happen to love the New Adult genre and the age group. I might even be related to a couple of kids that age (no, I won’t tell you how old I am!). Thus, when I started to write New Adult novels, I knew there would be sex, and probably a lot of it. Why? Because it’s part of romantic love, and in the initial stages, it’s a big part.

            Some people might qualify the sex scenes in my books as “graphic,” but to me, particularly in my New Adult novels, what they are, is honest. I use the words that real people that age use, and I try to describe the acts as realistically as possible, because to me, that’s part of feeling what the characters feel, and part of what enables the reader to be IN the story. This isn’t the only way to portray sex in fiction – it’s just the way I prefer.

            What I don’t ever do is use sex gratuitously. In other words I don’t have sex scenes simply to get people to read my books. They serve a purpose, almost always as part of the act of falling in love, but sometimes as a way to show a character’s personal deficits – yeah, the hero in my newest release, Camouflaged, has a scene like that. It’s also not a way to explore the more, shall we say, unusual aspects of human psychology. I leave that to erotica writers. Let’s just say I’m not that creative!

            As readers, what do you look for in sex in fiction? Heat? Kink? Love? Tell me all about it. I’d love to hear your views!
 

About the Author

Selena Laurence lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and spends a hell of a lot of time at soccer games, on her laptop, and reading. She requires a Mocha Latte every day to function, keeps a goldendoodle at her feet most of the time, and has more kids than she knows what to do with. Her husband, Mr. Laurence, spends as much time as he can at the office and the gym in order to avoid the kids, the dog, the laptop and the reading, but he always shows up for the soccer games, and he makes a mean Mocha Latte.

Selena can help you Escape the Everyday at these online locations:

www.selenalaurence.com

Twitter: @selenalaurence

Facebook: SelenaLaurenceRomanceAuthor

Email: author@selenalaurence.com

Get it for free!

Stacking the Shelves / Showcase Sunday #34

Showcase Sunday is hosted by Vicky @Books, Biscuits, and Tea and Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and they both give bloggers the opportunity to share the books they have received in the past week.

 

I got quite a few freebies this week and I also bought more books than usual so this haul is on the bigger side. As always if you click on the book cover you will be taken to its Amazon page.

 

Review

 

Paperbacks

Thank you to Mira Ink for the amazing sounding dystopian novel Pawn and YA contemporary novel Crash Into You.

 

 

Ebooks

Both of the are romance novels by two fantastic authors you probably know under other names. Viv Daniels is the NA pen name for Diana Peterfreund and Karen Erikson is also known as NA author Monica Murphy. I can't wait to read these, thank you to Diana and Monica for the ecopies! 

 

One & Only

 

 

NetGalley/Edelweiss

 

I know, I know! I am supposed to be on a netgalley diet. These books were just too good to resist. If like me you have a terrible addiction to netgalley keep an eye out on my blog as a blogger friend and I are arranging a NetGalley November. 

 

 

Freebies

Ok so I got loads of freebies this week. However I do have a good reason. Kinda. I was having to browse the freebies to find a good read for the NA book club freebie book of the month (we chose Lengths) and I stumbled across all these great looking books in the process. I think most are still free so click on the covers to get the book from Amazon.

 

 

Bought

Ebooks

 

This week I read Killing Sarai and I was left wanting more. I was stuck in a bit of a rut with the books I already had so I bought (and read) all these dark romance novels. All are pretty awesome (but not suitable for under 18's!)

 

 

Paperbacks

 

This week I also bought the latest instalment in the House of Night series by P.C and Kristin Cast. I do still enjoy this series and this is the penultimate novel so I can't wait to read it.

 

 

So what do you think? Are there any books you have read, plan to read or have just now caught your eye? Feel free to link to your Stacking the Shelves or equivalent post in the comments.