Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Top Ten Books That Were Hard For Me To Read for Various Reasons


"Top Ten Tuesday" is an original featured post created at The Broke and the Bookish.
Top Ten Books That Were Hard For Me To Read for Various Reasons...The Good ones I kept turning the pages of, The Bad ones I finished out of curiosity and The Ugly ones I DNF'd.


The Bad ones I finished out of curiosity

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1. The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith- I stuck it out for the first few books however I have no clue why. I disliked the characters and the plot could not hold me. To be honest...I only started the books because I was watching the series and I became curious. Needless to say, I still watch the series. Faithful fan from day one, the books on the other hand are not for me. 

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2. Forget You by Jennifer Echols- I was in a strong YA Romance phase when I bought this one. I read it years ago and I don't recall much about the story line other then there being missing memory, a car accident and a HOT guy on crutches. I failed to connect with the heroine so in the end this book fell flat and I only finished it because I wanted to know the ending.

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3. Sweet Giselle by Karen Williams - THIS. BOOK. WAS. NOT. FOR. ME. It started good and took a major nose dive...It had vile things in it that turned my stomach. I can't even believe I finished it. Hard read? DEFINITELY.  And that's all I have to say about that. 




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4. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl - While an intriguing story that held my attention for over 400 plus pages. It had some very slow moments that would occasionally bore me. Hard read? Hell yeah. I only trucked through due to my curiosity but by the end I decided it was not worth me continuing the series. I'm glad it became a movie. The movie did NOT bore me.

The Ugly ones I DNF'd 


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5. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong - Sadly, even in my wolf loving PNR phase I just could not get with this book, the story did not hold me and it resulted in me calling it quits. Hard read? Yes. I DNF'd I it. I also tried the television series when it came on cable, but still it did NOTHING for me.
 
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 6. Splendor (Book #4 in Luxe series) - What a wonderful series by Anna Godbersen! I truly LOVED and thoroughly enjoyed each book in this series. Unfortunately the last book turned in to a BIG FAT DNF because some douche on Goodreads ruined the ending by failing to mark their review as a spoiler. Needless to say it was a hard read. So I decided to not finish out of pure anger of already having the answers I would seek out while reading.

The Good Ones I kept turning the pages of

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7. Moth To A Flame by Ashley Antoinette - So many things happened..So many emotions.. I had a hard time finishing this book because the author took a risk in her writing. A twist. and I never saw it coming. I enjoyed the book but when the BOOM HIT. I had a very very hard time getting over it.

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8. Taking Chances by Molly McAdams - I've gotta be honest this book took the fear factor out of me that's for damn sure. A hard read? Hell to the YES. It has a major twist. Yet, I found I was no longer afraid of the possibilities of what could go down in a book. It gave me an 'anything can happen out look' which I still carry to this very day.

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9. Avoiding Commitment by K.A. Linde - First of all I should just say that I love this series. Second I want to say that I HATE JACK. He and Lexi both made this book an extremely hard read for me. Not sure how I got through it without breaking heavy objects with the ability to shatter in to tiny pieces.

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10. Arsen by Mia Asher -  A hard read? Ummm..Yes. I mean really...when a book has a blurb like this

One glance was all it took…

I'm a cheater.
I'm a liar.
My whole life is a mess.

I love a man.
No, I love two men…
I think.

One makes love to me. The other sets me on fire.
One is my rock. The other is my kryptonite.

I'm broken, lost, and disgusted with myself.

But I can't stop. This is my story.
My broken love story.


Expect to have your heart ripped from it's chest cavity, okay.


Well, here is my list and trust me I down sized cause there are a few more but these were...Let's just say these were most memorable.

Tell me some of your
'Books That Were Hard For Me To Read for Various Reasons...'






Release Day Launch and Giveaway: The Resolution of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen


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The Resolution of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen


 Things are going good for Callie and Kayden. They’re still dealing with their past and the pain connected to it, but for the most part they’ve moved on. The biggest decision they have at the moment is what they want to do with their lives in the future. 
Eventually, though, the past catches up with them and they’re left facing tough choices. But Callie and Kayden learn that as long as they have each other, they can make it through just about anything. And in the end, they discover what they really want out of life.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18730274-the-resolution-of-callie-and-kayden?from_search=true

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“She’s just being nice,” Kayden says gazing down at me. His hair is ruffled and his jawline is scruffy and he looks so happy. “And it’s nice… that she wants to be so nice... it could be worse than an overnice mother.”
“Yeah, I know.” I sigh, knowing he’s right, that it could be worse, that I could have a mother like his mother. “I just wish she’d be just a little bit less embarrassing.” I raise my hand and make a pinching gesture with my fingers. “Maybe just a teeny tiny bit.”
“Yeah, I doubt that’s ever going to happen.” Kayden slips his shirt off and chucks it aside. His jeans ride low on his hips, giving me a view of his abs and chest that is crisscrossed with scars. “I did find it funny when she kept cracking jokes all through dinner about how she thinks we’re going to end up getting married.” He kneels down on the mattress, nudging my knees open with his knees until I spread open my legs for him.
“Oh God.” Shaking my head, I cover my face with my hands. “I’m glad you find it funny because I’m sure most guys would be running for their lives.”
The mattresses moves as he leans over me and puts a hand on each side of my head. I crack my fingers apart and look at him. He’s been so much happier since he put the past behind him. He seems to breathe freer, smile more, and it’s probably the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. “Well, just make sure you really want this,” I say as he moves one of my hands away from my eyes.  “Because you still have time to run.”
He shakes his head, his tongue slipping out of his mouth to wet his lips. “No running here,” he whispers in a raspy voice that I know only means one thing—he wants me. “Ever.” He moves my other hand away from my face then pins my arms above my head.
A while ago, the movement would have sent my heart soaring and not in a good way. But now… well, it freaking soars like a bird high up in the sky never wanting to return to land ever. It soars because it’s free. It soars for him.
“You want me,” I tease as he leans down to kiss me.
“You’re right,” he says. “And then I want to give you your present.”
“But you already gave me my present.” I pat my pocket where the tickets to the concert are that he gave me. He said it was for a redo of a night that should have been special, but he couldn’t give it to me then, but he was ready now to give me everything I deserve—his words not mine. My mom practically fainted when he said it. And me, well I think I fell in love with Kayden even more.
“Yeah, but that one was only the first part.” He kisses me, then softly bites my bottom lip before he leans back for air. “There’s more,” he breathes against my lips, coming in for another kiss. “But you have to wait.”
“Until when?” I wonder, my heart skipping a beat as his hands wander for the button of my jeans.
“Until we’re done with this.” He gives me a wicked smile as he flicks my button undone.



The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessica Sorensen, lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.





Buy Link for previous books in series
Book 1: The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden
Available from AmazonBarnes and Nobleand iTunes

Book 2: The Redemption of Callie and Kayden
Available from AmazonBarnes and Nobleand iTunes

Book 3: The Destiny of Violet and Luke
Available on AmazonBarnes and Noble and iTunes

Book 4: The Probability of Violet and Luke
Available on AmazoniTunesB&Nand Smashwords

Book 5: The Certainty of Violet and Luke 
Available on Amazon, iTunes, B&Nand Smashwords.

Preorder  Amazon, iTunes, B&N, and Smashwords.
 

$50.00 Amazon Gift Card




Release Day Blitz: All Things Pretty by M. Leighton

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We are so stoked to bring you the Release Day Launch for M. Leighton's ALL THINGS PRETTY! ALL THINGS PRETTY is a Contemporary Adult Romance and the third novel in M. Leighton’s Pretty Series. Sig's book is here!

All Things Pretty
 
Pretending to be something they’re not, afraid to trust anyone completely, destined to tear each other apart– this is the story of unlikely love and unbearable consequences.

Sig Locke is a cop. He was raised by a cop and all his brothers are cops. He bleeds blue, believes in right and wrong, and sees in black and white, never in shades of gray.

But that was before he met Tommi.

Tommi, with her long legs and bright green eyes, she captured Sig’s interest from the moment he saw her. Even after he discovered who she was–the girlfriend of a drug dealer, the beauty behind a criminal–he still found her utterly irresistible. What Sig doesn’t know, however, is that she has a secret even a cop can’t uncover.

Tommi Lawrence hasn’t had an easy life, and it only got more complicated the day she met Sig. She learned long ago that she can’t trust anyone. Her gut tells her that Sig is no exception, her heart tells her that he is. But that was before she found out his real identity.

Can love be forged in a fire of lies? Or will the truth destroy them both?
 
Her lips are still curved when she turns her attention back to me. Something about the moment hits me like a punch to the gut. I think for a second that I could stand here and stare at her, just enjoy her smile and her happiness for hours. Days, maybe. But I can’t. We can’t. So, instead, I brush a clump of mud from the end of her nose. “Have fun?”

“I did. Thank you. This was so good for him.”

“And you.”

“And me,” she concedes.

“You can be the real you around me anytime. I won’t tell a soul.”

“So you prefer this?”

“Oh, hell yeah! I don’t need glamorous. Or proper.”

“I’m not proper.”

“You forget that I heard your…expressiveness that day on the side of the road. And it didn’t consist of ‘darn’ or ‘golly gee’. But I haven’t heard anything like that come out of your mouth since then.”

“Ladies aren’t supposed to talk that way, according to Lance.”

“I don’t want a lady. I want a woman. One who knows her own mind. One who wears what she’s comfortable in, one who says what she’s thinking.” I take a step closer. I can’t help myself. Her scent draws me in. Even covered in mud, she smells like sexy sunshine. “I want the woman who kisses like she’s on fire and makes me feel like I’m the only one who can put her out.”

“Sig,” she begins.

I break in to cut her off. I know her objections. And I know how much I don’t want to hear them. “I’m just being honest. I’m not even touching you.”

Her eyes are glued to mine, a damn near irresistible gravity pulling us together. “It’s not like you can anyway. I mean, we’re in public. With my little brother. What could you possibly touch?”

I reach down and smear my hand in mud. With her eyes locked on mine, I reach between us and flatten my palm on her chest, right over her heart. “This. I’d touch this.”
 

Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iBooks ** Kobo

Author Photo
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, M. Leighton, is a native of Ohio. She relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she can be near the water all summer and miss the snow all winter. Possessed of an overactive imagination from early in her childhood, M. Leighton finally found an acceptable outlet for her fantastical visions: literary fiction. Having written over a dozen novels, these days M. Leighton enjoys letting her mind wander to more romantic settings with sexy Southern guys, much like the one she married and the ones you'll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren't roaming in that direction, she'll be riding horses, swimming in ponds and experiencing life on a ranch, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.
 
A note from M. Leighton: I love coffee and chocolate, even more so when they are combined. I'm convinced that one day they could be the basis for world peace. I also love the color red and am seriously considering dying my hair.
 
 
 
 

Read Pink 2014 Spotlight


Read Pink® in Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Support the Next Chapter in Innovative Research
 
Penguin Random House Marks Five-Year Partnership Milestone and $125,000
in Donations to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®

What’s black and white and pink all over?  The initiative by Penguin Random House called Read Pink® in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October)!
 
Today the scientific community has left behind the “one-size-fits-all” breast cancer treatment to emerge with targeted, more effective therapies. As a result, after remaining stagnant for more than 50 years, the death rate from breast cancer has decreased by 30 percent. The Read Pink® initiative by Penguin Random House is proud to be part of this exciting new chapter in the fight against breast cancer, supporting the bold research of The Breast Cancer Foundation® (BCRF), while leveraging its passionate readers to help increase awareness and education about the disease. This literary embrace of a life-saving cause has resulted in nearly 1.5 million best-selling novels shipped with Read Pink seals and information about BCRF across all five years of the promotion.
 
Penguin Random House is thrilled to partner once again this year with BCRF, as 91 cents of every dollar spent by BCRF is directed towards breast cancer research and awareness programs.
 
The $25,000 donation that Penguin Random House contributes, regardless of sales, provides vital funds to support the mission of BCRF.
 
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Penguin Random House’s Read Pink® editions, we are featuring a few participating authors and what Read Pink® means to them.
 
 
 
 
 
Beatriz Williams (2014 Read Pink® Spokesperson), A Hundred Summers

 
 
“Every life lost to breast cancer leaves behind a hole that can never be filled again: a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend, an aunt, a grandmother. I’m so grateful for organizations like The Breast Cancer Research Foundation for their efforts to find a cure for this devastating disease, and honored to support breast cancer awareness, detection, and research through Penguin’s READ PINK program in 2014. With your help, we can move closer to the day when breast cancer leaves behind only survivors.”
Karen White, The Time Between
“Since 1989, death rates from breast cancer have been decreasing due to earlier detection and improved treatment because of the efforts of organizations like The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Books have always been an important part of my life, and I am honored that my book will be part of Penguin’s Read Pink program that supports breast cancer awareness and research through reading. It is my greatest hope that through efforts like this we might find a cure within my lifetime.”
Nora Roberts, Sea Swept and The Witness
“To all the moms and daughters, wives and sisters, lovers and friends, Read Pink is here for you and yours. Help support breast cancer awareness and the strong, brave women who fight or will fight this disease and Read Pink in October.”
Catherine Anderson, Perfect Timing
“I am so delighted to be included in the Read Pink campaign again this year with Perfect Timing being featured, along with so many other great books, to raise funds for breast cancer research. I can remember when a diagnosis of breast cancer was often equivalent to a death sentence. Nowadays, the survival rates have increased greatly, and I personally know women who have prevailed over this terrible disease. Sadly, I’ve also known a few women who lost the battle. So I call upon all of you to join ranks with me and countless other women in a war to defeat breast cancer. ‘Read Pink! Buy books bearing the Read Pink logo as gifts for the women you love.’ By standing together as sisters, we have it within our power to make a huge difference!”
 
Jayne Ann Krentz, Dream Eyes
“This is the time of year when we celebrate the progress that has been made in the battle against breast cancer and acknowledge the work that lies ahead. No, we aren't there yet. There's a long way to go. The greatest weapon we have to fight this disease is research and research costs money. That is why this breast cancer awareness campaign is so important and why I am proud to participate.”
Marie Force, I Want to Hold Your Hand

“I’m so thrilled to be part of the Read Pink effort to help raise awareness and funding for breast cancer research. I hear frequently from romance readers who tell me my books and those of other romance authors have helped them get through breast cancer treatment. I want to hear from fewer of them in the future. I want to hear they took our books on fabulous vacations rather than treatments. Please Read Pink in October to support all the courageous women fighting this disease and to fund critical research. Thank you for Reading Pink!”
Full List of 2014 Participating Authors:
Jojo Moyes, The Last Letter from your Lover
Karen White, The Time Between
Nora Roberts, Sea Swept and The Witness
Jennifer Chiaverini, Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker
Beatriz Williams, A Hundred Summers
Wendy Wax, While We Were Watching Downton Abbey
Catherine Anderson, Perfect Timing
 
Marie Force, I Want to Hold Your Hand
Janet Chapman, The Heart of a Hero
Lisa Gardner, MacNamara’s Woman
Jayne Ann Krentz, Dream Eyes
 
Mark your calendars and remember to join in the conversation with @BerkleyRomance and @PenguinGroupUSA on Twitter in October.  Make sure to use the hashtag #ReadPink!
For more information about the Read Pink initiative and to view a complete list of the participating retail outlets, please visit penguin.com/readpink.
Read Pink® Blog Tour Schedule
Please support the blogs taking part in this special, Read Pink® Spotlight Tour!
 
October 1 – Exclusive guest post with spokesperson Beatriz Williams on LizandLisa.com
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