Book Haul #13

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

Here's what came in this week:

For Review:

Wicked Hungry by Teddy Jacobs

- I received an Kindle ebook copy of this book from the author for review. It sounds interesting and I thought I should give it a try! It's in a perspective of a male character and I rarely read those types, so hopefully this one will be good.

Won:

Evermore by Alyson Noel
Blue Moon by Alyson Noel
- Thank you so much to Janina @ Synchronized Reading. I've been dying to read this series and I now I have the first two books :) Make sure to check out Janina's blog. She's got awesome reviews and epic giveaways all the time <3

Three Signed Ten by Gretchen McNeil bookmarks! 

- Thanks so much Gretchen! I'm dying to read this book and now I have a bookmark to match <3

Bought:

Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn

- Kindle ebook that was on sale on Amazon. I really want to read this one since I read the short story from In His Eyes. Check out my review of In His Eyes!

Portrait of a Starter: An Unhidden Story by Lissa Price (Starters 0.5) 

- This is a prequel novella ebook of Lissa Price's Starters. It's in Michael's POV before the events of what happens in Starters. Its really short, about 20 pages. I had to get this because I loved Starters so much and I wanted to know what was going on in Michael's head. I already read this one and enjoyed it. Read my Starters review.

Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

- I finally got this book when I saw that it was only $2.99 as a Kindle ebook! :)

Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

- I've heard great things about this one so I convinced my boyfriend to buy me this book. LOL!

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg 

- I've been wanting this book long before it came out. I ordered this a month ago and finally it came!

Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

- I heard from JLA that Amazon was already shipping final copies of Pure so I decided to go ahead and use my free Prime Trial and two day shipping to get myself a final copy even if I have a signed ARC. I'm obsessed <3 but I love JLA :)

That's it for this week!

What's in your book haul?

REVIEW: Existence by Abbi Glines

Title: Existence (Existence Trilogy #1)
Author: Abbi Glines | Website
Publisher: Wild Child Publishing
Published: 13 December 2011
Format: ebook; 194 pages
GR Summary:

What happens when you're stalked by Death? You fall in love with him, of course.
Pagan Moore doesn't cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.
Seventeen year old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn't let them know she could see them, then they left her alone. Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he's dead.
Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done. He speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What she doesn't realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul at all.
He is Death and he's about to break all the rules.

My Review:
Abbi Glines has done it again! She has blown me away, even more so, for the second time with Existence. I never had a single doubt in my mind that this book would be amazing, because to be honest, it was more than amazing. Existence was absolutely spectacularly extraordinary. 



Abbi’s writing is so easy to read that it’s no wonder Existence became a definite page-turner. Existence became the type of book where I wanted to devour it one sitting, but simply savor it all at once. Abbi had me in her clutches from the first page and by the end I wanted nothing more than to stay and keep the story going.

The storyline to Existence is incredible. I thought it was different and refreshing. I enjoyed getting lost into Pagan and Dank’s supernatural world. Not only was Abbi able to give me chills in the best possible way, but she completely fascinated me with the creativity and oh so alluring story she built up in Existence.

Each of Abbi’s characters in Existence are very well developed. I got to know Pagan, Dank, Leif and the rest of the gang like they were my best friends. They each had their own separate personalities that were easily distinguishable and none of the characters were forgettable. Pagan, especially was relatable and I connected with her on a whole new level from other characters I have read about. I adore Pagan. I love her bravery and her selflessness. She’s nice, smart, witty and honorable.



Abbi evoked a lot of emotions out of me while I was reading Pagan’s story. I found myself laughing at all the silly moments with Pagan and Miranda and I also I felt Pagan’s pain, sorrow and her loneliness. I really understood Pagan and what she was going through when she felt so rejected.

What I love most about Existence is the romance. Abbi successfully delivers a heart-capturing story in this book. The love Pagan has for Dank is deep and endless. It’s strong and so uncontainable. Pagan and Dank are so perfect together, I couldn’t help but root for them all the way. What I also enjoyed was the fact that I completely fell for Leif too. I love how Leif and Dank are kind of like opposites, light and dark, normal and supernatural. Dank is funny, mysterious and sexy while Leif is cute, adorable and so caring. 



Overall, Existence is a highly addicting read filled with an irresistible, forbidden and passionate romance and an explosive ending that completely rocked my world. I’ll be counting the seconds until I get my hands on Predestined!



My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!








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Purchase Existence: Amazon
Check out Dank's song for Pagan <3 Yet You Stay

REVIEW: In His Eyes Anthology

Title: In His Eyes
Authors: S.R. Johannes, C.K. Bryant, Elle Strauss, Susan Kaye Quinn, Jessie Harrell, Magan Vernon, Lisa Nowak, Heather McCorkle, Ali Cross, Karen Amanda Hooper, Cory Putman Oakes, Laura Pauling, Stacey Wallace Benefiel, Katie Klein, Cheri Lasota, RaShelle Workman. (The Indelibles Blog)
Published: 14 February 2012
Format: Ebook

More Info on In His Eyes







My Review:
In His Eyes is a quick, easy and lovely read from the first short story to the last. The stories really warms your heart. It’s full of sweet moments of first loves and kisses and even moments of discovering love for the first time. 



I enjoyed every single story within the book. Each story was in the point of view of the male perspective which really surprised me. I always struggle to connect with male perspectives, but not this time around. Each male character had a unique voice some may have even captured my heart. These boys are surely swoon-worthy. It was a great idea for the authors to place the male character as the main point of view because it’s always nice to know what’s going on in their heads.

I also liked that none of the stories blended together. Not one story was the same and each story was completely different from each other. A few had paranormal aspects, some sci-fi and there was also a dystopian setting too. I enjoyed diving into a new adventure with every story. I was surprised to encounter aliens, gods, mermaids, spies and mind readers. Each story easily lures you in and because each story is quite short, you’re left wanting more of the characters and the story overall.

Some stories were a part of a series, an excerpt or prequels, so at times I was a little confused with the plot but this didn’t take out the overall enjoyment. Some of the stories really stuck with me so much that I decided that I couldn’t resist looking for more of the characters. I especially enjoyed Mind Games by Susan Kaye Quinn, In the Beginning by Katie Klein, Unspeakable by S.R. Johannes, By The Firelight by Elle Strauss and Before by Jessie Harrell. 



Overall, In His Eyes is fantastic collection of love stories that will surely make you smile.

My Rating: 

4 out of 5 stars

Waiting on Wednesday #12

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where you share an upcoming release that you're anticipating on reading.

I'm waiting on:

Flawed by Kate Avelynn
Expected Publication: July 10, 2012

Goodreads Summary: 
Sarah O’Brien is alive because of the pact she and her brother made twelve years ago—James will protect her from their violent father if she promises to never leave him. For years, she’s watched James destroy his life to save hers. If all he asks for in return is her affection, she’ll give it freely. 

Until, with a tiny kiss and a broken mind, he asks for more than she can give. 

Sam Donavon has been James’s best friend—and the boy Sarah’s had a crush on—for as long as she can remember. As their forbidden relationship deepens, Sarah knows she’s in trouble. Quiet, serious Sam has decided he’s going to save her. Neither of them realize James is far more unstable than her father ever was, or that he’s not about to let Sarah forget her half of the pact...

Why I'm Waiting?

1. Jena from Shortie-Says.
A lot of the books I have on my 'to-read' list are books Jena has either recommended or talked about on Twitter or featured on her blog. I have even purchased some books that she has mentioned previously (i.e. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, Touch by Jus Accardo, Brightest Kind of Darkness by P.T. Michelle) In other words, there hasn't been a book that she has mentioned that I wasn't interested in. Besides, Jena has impeccable taste. I don't think twice and add the books! Therefore, Flawed is up my alley. Thanks Jena <3 :)
Jena is celebrating her blog milestone of 1300 followers with a giveaway, enter here:
 http://www.shortie-says.com/2012/03/1300-followers-giveaway.html

2. The Book.
I love books that deal with dark and deep topics, such as this one. I'm a sucker for a book where you know bad stuff is going to happen, where there's this one bright spot, but crazy shit goes down anyway and then at the end you're so heart broken that you can't function for hours. I love that. When I get all emotional (crying or not) I KNOW that the book is made of gold. I have a feeling Flawed will be this.

3. Sarah O'Brien & Sam Donovan.
*sigh* I haven't even met Sam yet and I already love him. Plus forbidden relationships are totally my thing. They are exciting and exhilarating and downright epic. What's not to love? You can't go wrong with a boy who takes you out of the disaster that is your life (my boyfriend does this for me) so I can totes relate to Sarah and Sam <3 I can't wait to get lost in their romance.

Pre-order Flawed:
Amazon | B&N


What are you waiting on?