Wednesday, February 13, 2013

What's on the Shortlist?

Currently Reading:


If You Stay (Beautifully Broken #1) by Courtney Cole

I am currently at 28%. The book is just getting to the good part, I can feel it. Plus they just unofficially started their relationship. The dynamic between Pax (the trust fun, bad boy, druggie) and Mila (good girl) is what dreams are made of. Their relationship has a rocky start as the first time that Mila even meets Pax, she is giving him CPR to save his life!

I haven't read anything by Courtney Cole before, but I am liking her writing style so far. I also have her novel Confessions of an Alli Cat (The Cougar Chronicles #1) on my TBR list and have been itching to read that one also.

Next Up on the TBR List:

1. Beautiful Bastard (Beautiful Bastard #1) by Christina Lauren
 This novel comes from the Twilight FanFic known as "The Office". I have heard lots of good things about the FanFic version of this and I am quite excited to see where this one goes. We again have a story of a wealthy executive and his intern. I am hoping this one lives up to the hype and doesn't leave a cliffhanger before the second book in the series Beautiful Stranger (Beautiful Bastard #2) comes out May 28th.

2. Caught Up In Us by Lauren Blakely
Another story of love broken and then possibly rekindled? I haven't seen many reviews on this one, but the blurb just pulled me in.

3. Hard to Resist by Shanora Williams
A story of a woman scorned and trying to rebuild her life in a new town. Then Nolan comes onto the scene and doesn't leave... This book is getting decent reviews and still only came out on the 11th.

4. Metamorphosis by Erin Noelle
I love the stories where a woman has to pick between guys, in this case it is three different guys before she loses them all.

Upcoming Releases to Read ASAP:

2/14/2013 - Waiting for You by Shey Stahl

2/28/2013 - The Redemption of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence #2) by Jessica Sorensen
I need the sequel to the brutal cliffhanger in The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence #1). I HAVE to know what happens!

3/1/2013 - Play With Me (With Me In Seattle #3) by Kristen Proby
Each one of these books has pulled me in and they just seem to be getting better! This one is about Meg & Will Montgomery! Will sounds so delicious just from all of the teasers we have been getting, plus he is an NFL player!!!

3/5/2013 - Reckless (Thoughtless #3) by S.C. Stephens
The third book in S.C. Stephen's Thoughtless series... Need I say more? If you haven't read Thoughtless (Thoughtless #1) & Effortless (Thoughtless #2), these are must reads - so get on it!

3/16/2013 - Façade (Games #2) by Nyrae Dawn
I wasn't expecting to LOVE Charade (Games #1) as much as I did, so I am eagerly (maybe not so eagerly) awaiting Adrian's story.







Review of Rush by Maya Banks


I just finished up reading Rush by Maya Banks last night. This is the first book in the Breathless series that focuses around 3 rich business partners: Gabe, Jace & Ash. There are three books planned for this series so far, each focusing on 1 of the 3 partners. This first book centers on the story of Gabe and Jace's sister, Mia. Mia has grown up without parents, so the three business partners have been the only family that she knows - three very overprotective brothers. Gabe has admired her from afar over the years, watching her grow into a beautiful woman. He finally takes a chance and propositions her with a contract outlining just what kind of relationship he is looking for.

Now I got on this romance novel bandwagon after reading Fifty Shades of Gray, and there have been many novels that tried to recreate the magic that is the Eva/Christian relationship. I don't think Maya Banks quite recreated it, but you can't help but see the similarities between the two novels once you get deeper into the story.

I must admit, I had a really rough time getting through the first 50-60% of the book. I just wasn't connecting with the characters and no matter how hard I tried, I just wasn't liking the dynamic between the two of them. Yes, we all love those overly possessive and jealous, rich, handsome as ever guys in our romance novels. We also love the super steamy sex scenes that are scattered throughout books like this, but we also have to feel a connection to the characters. Both characters just weren't pulling me into this one.

Then came the controversial Paris scene... I had read a few reviews that readers were very upset at the supposed "menage" scene that happens in Paris. I am not intending to spoil anything here, just wanting to give my opinion on the scene. First, I did not consider the scene menage. Second, it was a huge turning point for Gabe & Mia's relationship. This scene was a pivotal part of getting the couple's relationship where we all wanted it to go - a HEA! I was a little scared going into this book after reading the reviews that this scene might ruin the book for me. I wasn't a huge fan of the scene and I can tell why it would turn some people off, but I am happy with what happened as a result of the Paris scene.

Speaking of the result, this may have the best groveling/take me back story that I have ever read. I really enjoyed where Maya Banks took their story, because it could have gone a lot of different directions. I am also very excited that she ended Gabe & Mia's story with this book and didn't try to drag it out into a longer series.

When I first saw all of the hype for this series I was very much looking forward to getting my hands on Rush and it didn't disappoint. Overall, I would give this story a 3.5-4 stars out of 5. As I said, the story seemed a little long and drawn out until the halfway part. After that point though, I couldn't put it down!

Maya Banks even put a teaser at the end of this novel for the next in the series, Fever. Fever is Jace's story, which will surely be a entertaining as he isn't known for solid relationships. The teaser at the end definitely left me intrigued on where things will go with Jace & Bethany.


 
Also - just look at these covers for the next 2 books in the series, aren't they just beautiful? I love the look of this and I am glad it isn't a piece of jewelry LOL.

Book Releases Week of 02-10-2013

2/11/2013 - Hard to Resist by Shanora Williams

2/12/2013 - Trust in Me (Friends & Lovers #3) by Bethany Lopez
2/12/2013 - Beautiful Bastard (Beautiful Bastard #1) by Christina Lauren
2/12/2013 - Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett
2/12/2013 - The Submission of Alistair Ingram (Dolls & Doms #1) by Kelli Maine
2/12/2013 - Grounded (Up In The Air #3) by R.K. Lilley

2/14/2013 - Waiting For You by Shey Stahl

2/15/2013 - The Party (The Propostition Prequel) by Katie Ashley (Amazon Freebie Novella)

"The List" Updated 2-13-2013


I enjoy reading YA, NA, erotica, and romance novels, but I was frustrated by the lack of collaborative and accurate lists of when I could expect the next novels on my TBR list. I decided to put together my own Excel spreadsheet and keep track of everything on my own instead. It has definitely been a work in progress and I haven't had as much time to devote to it as I probably should, but here is the first crack at what we have unofficially deemed "The List".