Book Haul #9

A book haul feature that shares items, such as books and swag, that I received within the week. 

This week was a good week for me, book wise at least :] <3

For Review:

In His Eyes Anthology (Stories from a Cute Guy) 

*UPDATE* This was sent to be my one of the Anthology authors, but I learned In His Eyes is free to read at Smashwords HERE in Kindle(.mobi), Epub, PDF, RTF and more! Go on and pick it up, You know you want to!

Received: 

Swag! (Includes a Signed If I Die by Rachel Vincent Bookmark, Signed Shadow Bound by Rachel Vincent Postcard and a The Hunger Games Bookmark) 

From my dear friend and fav,  Bailey @ Novel Nerd who I can never thank enough and who will never ever stop being so freakin' AWESOMESAUCE. Bailey totally rocks and I suggest you check out her blog because like her, it's out of this world! She's got a Blog Tour post up with an author interview and giveaway, her reviews are wicked cool and she has these Song the Week posts that I absolutely adore! <3

Won:

- The Iron Sword by Jocelyn A. Fox (won from Jena @ Shortie-Says, received from Jocelyn)

- The Fault in our Stars by John Green (won from Sash and Em)

- Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton (won from Rachel @ Fitkshun)

*Many many thanks to Jena, Jocelyn, Sash and Em and Rachel for the books <3 I absolutely love them and can't wait to start them! :)

Jocelyn was more than kind enough to personalize the signed copy of The Iron Sword she sent me :]

And an early Valentine's Day Gift from my boyfriend:

My very own KINDLE FIRE <3 :)

AND:

I won a $10 Amazon GC from Shelli (S.R. Johannes) during the On The Bright Side Twitter Launch Party which I used to get two ebooks for my Kindle fire:

Breathe and Because of Low by Abbi Glines =D <3

What's in your book haul?

REVIEW: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Published: 29 September 2011
Format: First Edition; Hardcover: 338 pages
GR Summary:
Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.


My Review:
Stephanie Perkins has done it again! First with Anna and the French Kiss. Now with Lola and the Boy Next Door. I fell in love with Anna and St. Clair last year. This time around, my heart exploded with so much love for Lola and Cricket. This book was absolutely out of this world, crazy amazing! She’s created a convincing, realistic love story that will have you more than infatuated. Her characters are more than likable, they’re downright lovable. They’re relatable and they just burst from the pages from the realism. Also, this book will have you laughing out loud from all the funny scenes and will have you smiling like an idiot in public places!



“I look at you, and I think about you, and ... I don't know. No one has ever confounded me the way you do.” 

Lola and the Boy Next Door was everything I hoped it would be and more. It had me  wonderstruck and left me completely dizzy with happiness. Stephanie Perkins knows how to write the best love story ever. Her writing is simple yet elegant, smooth and oh so flawless. Her writing is easy to read and will have you eating this book in one sitting. The pacing of the book was just perfect. Stephanie just knows how to build up the story and romance in her novels and she didn’t fail with Lola. I was completely and utterly enraptured and consumed by this book wholeheartedly.

I love how Stephanie took her time with Lola. I love the vivid descriptions and details that were woven into the story. I also love how she integrated the city of San Francisco into the book. She didn’t just make the city a setting or a background. It was a part of the story upfront.

I enjoyed all the secondary characters in Lola and the Boy Next Door. We only get some glimpses of them, but you really get to know them too. You really feel a connection with each and every character. You understand their joy and pain and sorrows and they’re everyday living. All of the characters in this book are astounding. I also liked how all of the secondary characters have this unique relationship with Lola. It’s so nice to see how she interacts differently with someone else.

“I don't believe in fashion. I believe in costume. Life is too short to be same person every day.” 

My most favorite has to be Lola. She was a wonderful main character. I love her love of costumes and her wicked awesome fashion sense. I absolutely loved her creativity. I love her confidence, and brilliance. I love her quirkiness and I love how she’s a rocker. I love her fascinating personality and her independence. I love how she loves her family and friends and the city she lives in. She’s literally her own person: original, unique and the one and only.

The. Best. Book. Boyfriend. Ever. is CRICKET BELL <3
I love him and adore him so so much. He’s cute, and kind and a little awkward but he’s oh so adorable. He’s intelligent, inventive and he has awesome fashion sense too. He’s the whole package and more. He’s a sweetheart and has a heart bigger than anyone I’ve ever read about in a character. And he loves so deeply, so strongly. You cannot help but fall in the love with this boy! You just can’t. He’s absolutely perfect in every every every way. 



“I know you aren't perfect. But it's a person's imperfections that make them perfect for someone else.” 

Lola and Cricket’s chemistry and connection is just breathtaking. They’re background story was very interesting and I loved the way Stephanie used that into the book. I believe Lola and Cricket were made for each other. The perfect perfect perfect fit. Their friendship and romance was just so real. In many of their scenes I felt my heart racing, felt the love in my heart swell. I couldn’t help but be giddy and smile and laugh at their banter and interactions.

I love Stephanie Perkins so much for placing Anna and St. Clair into the book oh so well. It was such a surprise to see old characters that I loved so much. It was great having them in this story. It made me realize how much I missed them both.



Lola and the Boy Next Door literally warms your heart from the inside and makes you melt with joy. It really touches the soul and I swear I was nearly in tears from the happiness that I couldn’t contain within myself. 



There’s plenty of sweet and swoon-worthy scenes that will make you go “aw!”  And the kissing scenes that will just make you gasp for more air. 



There’s just so much love in this book. You’ll close your eyes and hold this book close to your chest for a very long time after finishing the last page. You’ll even be tempted to reread it and relive it all over again :]



Overall, Lola and the Boy Next Door is the perfect story about first loves. It’s heartwarming, charming, genuine, cute and just lovely. This book is marvelously, unforgettably good.



“And if I'm the stars, Cricket Bell is entire galaxies.” 

Trust me when I say that this book will linger in your mind, heart and soul for a very long time.



My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!







Friday Finds #7

Friday Finds is a weekly meme hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading where you share books you have discovered or heard about during the past week.

My finds this week:

Perigee Moon by Tara Fuller
Goodreads Summary:
After a horrific fire claims the life of her mother, seventeen year old Rowan Bliss finds herself in the miniscule town of Ipswich, Massachusetts. It’s here that she meets Alex, a deliciously mysterious boy who holds the key to unlocking her family’s dark secret. 

As Rowan falls helplessly over the edge for Alex, the secrets that he insists on keeping refuse to be contained, and the truth that she uncovers challenges everything she has ever believed. Alex is a witch. And now he’s awakened something within her she never even knew existed. But out of all of this, the one thing Rowan won’t accept is the fact that Alex is destined to die. 

Now Rowan must unearth the buried power she harbors within to escape a deadly prophecy, defy the very laws of time, and prevent the hands of fate from taking yet another person she loves.

Renegade by J.A. Souders
Goodreads Summary:
Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law. 

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie. Her memories have been altered. Her mind and body aren’t under her own control. And the person she knows as Mother is a monster. 

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.


Did you find any good books this week?

REVIEW: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Title: The Goddess Test (Goddess Test #1)
Author: Aimee Carter
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Published: 9 April 2011
Format: First Edition; Paperback: 293 pages
GR Summary:
 It's always been just Kate and her mom--and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.
Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.
Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.


My Review:
I absolutely enjoyed and loved The Goddess Test! I thought it was fast-paced and more than an easy read. I love Greek mythology so much and Aimee Carter did not disappoint with the addition of it here. Everything that happened in the book was surprising and very entertaining. 



Kate’s mother is very sick and her last wish is to go back to her childhood home. Kate wants to make her mother happy and willingly moves despite having to start over again. This doesn’t trouble Kate much, but she’s afraid her mother won’t have much time left. She’s so afraid of losing her mother, so when she meets dark and mysterious Henry, she accepts his offer to be tested if it will keep her mother alive. Being the god of Underworld, Henry is looking for a queen and if Kate passes the tests, she’ll rule alongside Henry.

Aimee Carter sucked me into the world of The Goddess Test almost instantly. From the summary, it sounded like a regular story of a girl fighting to keep her mother alive, but there’s so much more to it. The added Greek mythology is crazy good. I love how Aimee Carter took the myth of Hades and Persephone and made it her own. The twist is super creative and very clever. It’s impossible not to get swept up by the story. 



I loved Kate’s relationship with her mom. I was able to relate to her in this aspect and I loved how close they were. It made me long for such a closeness. But I admire Kate for her inner strength. I know how hard and scary it is to lose someone you love so deeply. I thought it was brave of her to take the tests to keep her mother alive; to be with her longer.

I also loved Kate and Henry’s relationship. I loved how they slowly got to know each other throughout the tests. I loved how their relationship developed so beautifully. I thought it was really magical and sweet.  They’re connection was very endearing. I love Henry and Kate together. They are both amazing characters. 



I thought Henry was deliciously handsome. I adored him from the start. He seemed dark  and frightening at first, but he had such a wonderful personality. There’s so much more to him that just this powerful god of the Underworld. I loved how he really cared for Kate and did all he could do to help her. I really enjoyed that Aimee Carter made him this powerful being, but also made him seem human too.



The ending was probably my favorite part because I didn’t see it coming at all. It was so unexpected, but so amazing! I cannot wait until Goddess Interrupted comes out. I’m dying to get back into Kate and Henry’s world all over again. 



Overall, The Goddess Test was a wonderfully fun and highly gripping read. The story and mythology is original, different and oh so fascinating. The characters are interesting, well developed and very relatable. 



My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!