8/30/2017

Waiting On Wednesday #44 – Tower Of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

is a weekly event originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This meme is a place that spotlights upcoming releases that we´re eagerly anticipating with pure joy.

For whatever reason Jill is not blogging since August 2016 but her meme is still going on. Hope everything is ok and she will be back soon! Until then, I am joining Tressa at Wishful Endings and her meme Can´t-Wait Wednesday!

Okay, I haven´t read the ToG novels in a while and it will be in no time, that this book I picked for this week WoW will come out, but nonetheless, I am looking very much forward to it.

The last book I finished was Heir of Fire. Yes, I am a bit behind, and it bothers me, but life got in the way and so I guess I´ll have to re-read the third one and a bit catching up to do to get back in the loop with the plot and to fill the space until the next book about Aelin gets published *smile*

And, as I know me,  I could probably end up reading them all at once only to find myself then in the horrible hole while waiting for the next book to come out *lol* But who cares anyway, it is THE THRONE OF GLASS series we´re talking about, and so far, Sarah J. Maas has never disappointed me. So every time I have to wait for another book to come out, it was worth it!

Tower Of Dawn

Author Sarah J. Maas
Throne Of Glass Series #6
Publishing Date September 5, 2017
Publisher Bloomsbury
Format Hardcover
Goodreads

Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from killing a blow, but left his body broken. His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica – the stronghold of the southern continent´s mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them. But what they discover in Antica will change them both – and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined. 

And what are you waiting for? Let me know your thoughts about this one or leave me the link to your WoW and I check it out.

Happy reading & waiting on

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8/29/2017

Roar by Cora Carmack

I am thrilled – Cora Carmack you´ve done a TERRIFIC JOB! Holy moly this novel has it all: Emotions, great pictures, beautiful language and a heroine who rocks. I fell in love with the US cover the moment I saw it. And the cover of the German edition is as beautiful as the original one. You will see it, if you keep reading *smile* I simply had to have it and was very nervous about getting it because it turned out that this book was not only a hit on the market but also the most wanted and I was kind of late with my request – and summertime equal vacation time in addition.

Roar*

by Cora Carmack
Stormheart Series #1
Publisher Tor Teen on June 13, 2017
Genre Fantasy
Pages 384
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher

Goodreads

✶✶✶✶½

In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies within those who control them. Aurora Pavan comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world´s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora´s been groomed to be the perfect queen. She´s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she´s yet to show any trace of the magic she´ll need to protect her people. To keep her secret and save her crown, Auroa´s mother arranges for her to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom. At first, the prince seems like the perfect solution to all her problems. He´ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. But the more secrets Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. When she dons a disguise and sneaks out of the palace one night to spy on him, she stumbles upon a black market dealing in the very thing she lacks – storm magic. And the people selling it? They´re not Stormling. They´re storm hunters. Legend says that her ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. And when a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there´s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage. She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she´s brave enough. Challenge a tempest. Survive it. And you become its master.

Story

Aurora never really saw the outside world. Occasionally when she was riding her horse Honey, yes, but not how her people really live. Their sorrows are new to her although her mother the queen takes with her magic care of them. But all the dark places in her city she´s never seen with her own eyes. And she never knew that there are many more things in life. Some she never thought possible.

Style

The author has an incredibly beautiful way using words, building scenes, dialogues and showing the setting of her novel. Tornados, storms, thunder and so much more brings an atmosphere alive that I´ve rarely seen in other fantasy books. Cora Carmack uses her words with style, there is sometimes poetry to find in the pages that give everything the special something. And the way how she combines her figures, the magic, and the weather is simply great.

No loud tones even in the moments when a tornado is in a scene. But no matter what Aurora does, says or feels, you are haunted and touched by it in a very sensitive way.

Characters

Though Aurora has never really seen or discovered the world outside the palace, she is eager to find out more about it. Yes, her sense of inferiority is huge, but that doesn´t hold her back from making her plan become reality and do what she believes is best for her kingdom and her people. She is a beauty but doesn´t see herself that way. And she develops an incredible stubborn will to get what she wants. A real fighter I might say. And she can be badass if necessary. 

I was thrilled by her from page one and the more I read about her, the more I watched her change, become mature and reach out for her dreams the more I had the feeling that she was something special. Not only in the way she acted but also in the way she feels and thinks. Being brutal isn´t always the answer to everything and her instincts proof that to her again and again.

Conclusion

A great novel. Full of emotions, beautiful scenes, great characters and a plot that is not only fantasy and magic but so much more. Highly recommended.

Happy reading

*I read the German edition new release by Oetinger on May 22, 2017 

Cora Carmack

Cora Carmack has done a multitude of things in her life – boring jobs (retail), fun jobs (theatre), stressful job (teaching), and dream jobs (writing). Raised in a small Texas town, she now lives in New York City and Texas, and spends her time writing, traveling, and marathoning various television shows on Netflix. Her first book, Losing it, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, and her subsequent books were also hits.

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8/26/2017

Sag Kein Wort by Raphael Montes

Perfect Days, as the English edition is called, has a cover that fits totally. You can see it at the bottom of my review. But it was the cover of the German edition, that got me. Dark, fascinating, and with a hint of danger.

Sag Kein Wort*
Author Raphael Montes
Original Title Dias Perfeitos / Perfect Days
Publisher Limes on June 26, 2017
Genre Thriller
Pages 317
Format Paperback
Source Publisher
Goodreads

Téo is a loner. He lives with his paraplegic mother and her dog in Rio de Janeiro, he doesn´t have many friends, and the only time he feels honest human emotion is in the presence of his medical school cadaver – that is, until he meets Clarice. She´s almost his exact opposite: exotic, spontaneous, unafraid to speak her mind. An aspiring screenwriter, she´s working on a screenplay called Perfect Days about three friends who go on a road trip across Brazil in search of romance. Téo is obsessed. He begins to stalk her, first following her to her university, then to her home, and when she ultimately rejects him, he kidnaps her and they embark upon their very own twisted odyssey across Brazil, tracing the same route outlines in her screenplay. Through it all, Téo is certain that time is all he needs to prove to Clarice that they are made for each other. That time is all he needs to make her fall in love with him. But as the journey progresses, he digs himself deeper and deeper into a pit that he can´t get out of, stopping at nothing to ensure that no one gets in the way of their life together. 

Thoughts

A psychological thriller is exactly what you will get. A twisted, dark, dusky and very bloody piece of work with some unexpected turns and two main figures where I am still not sure which of them was more psychic.

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8/25/2017

Follow Friday #27 – Highlight August 2017

Launched by Sonja of A Bookshelf Full Of Sunshine, continued by FiktiveWelten with a new logo.

The blog action is for lively communication between bloggers, a good network and should be fun. Duration of the question: Friday to Thursday. Rules. No registration required.

This week the FF is all about our book highlight for August. I had it before and I have it again. Two books I can´t decide which one I want to highlight, so I give both the honor. Different genres though, but each very good in their own way.

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8/25/2017

Leave Me by Gayle Forman

After I had enjoyed her Young Adult novels so much, I was eager to see how an adult novel written by the author would be.

Leave Me*
Author Gayle Forman

Publisher Algonquin Books on September 6, 2016

Genre Novel

Pages 352

Format Hardcover 

Source Publisher

Goodreads

Surprised to discover that her recuperation seems to be an imposition on those who rely on her, Maribeth does the unthinkable: she packs a bag and leaves. But, as is often the case, once we get where we´re going we see our lives from a different perspective. Far from the demands of family and career and with the help of liberating new friendships, Maribeth is able to own up to secrets she has been keeping from herself and those she loves. 

Thoughts

I don´t know what I´ve expected of this novel, but I am sure that it wasn´t what I got in the end.

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8/24/2017

Die Goldene Stadt by Sabrina Janesch

Guess you could translate the title The Golden Town. A book about Peru, the Inca and their legendary gold and a man who never got his historic fame for discovering Machu Picchu first. Sounds confusing and interesting altogether?

Die Goldene Stadt*
Author Sabrina Janesch

Publisher Rowohlt Berlin on August 18, 2017

Genre Novel

Pages 539

Format Hardcover

Source Publisher

Goodreads

“How do you know it´s El Dorado when you find it?”, Singer asked abruptly. Berns let his papaya sink. Pepe looked now. Amusement rose in Berns. This question had never occurred to him; He was more than certain that the lost city of the Inca would tell him immediately and unequivocally. “I´ll see it”, Berns answered. El Dorado was built by people like me. That´s why people like me will find it.” (personal translation)

Thoughts

Right, it does. And exactly that was the reason for me, why I wanted to read this book. 

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8/23/2017

Die Wellington Saga - Verführung by Nacho Figueras & Jessica Whitman

Wild One, its original title, is again full of emotions, wonderful scenes and heart. I liked it even better than the first one, and that tells you something.

Die Wellington Saga - Verführung*
Author Nacho Figueras & Jessica Whitman

Die Wellington Saga #2

Original Title Wild One (The Polo Season)

Publisher Blanvalet on July 17, 2017

Genre Novel

Pages 366

Format Softcover

Source Publisher

Goodreads

Kat Parker thought she´d finally escaped being known as the housekeeper´s daughter in the class-obsessed polo town of Wellington, FL. With her first blockbuster screenplay, she´d become the Hollywood It girl – until with one flop suddenly she wasn´t. Heading home is her only option.
For Sebastian, everything in life has always come easily – wealth, sports, women. But the perennial party life is starting to feel a bit stale. Especially after meeting Kat. Her easy laughter and candid attitude make him aspire something more meaningful for the first time in his life. As Sebastian tells Kat stories of his grandmother Victoria, a woman who could be dripping in diamonds one moment and tearing up the polo field the next, Kat´s inspiration fires and soon the pair are back in Hollywood, working on a film together that could make or break both of their careers. And though the chemistry between the two is building, the film´s irresistible star has other ideas …

Thoughts

My joy was immense when I saw that this novel was on its way to my place. 

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8/23/2017

Waiting On Wednesday #43 – Licht In Tiefer Nacht (Come Sundown) by Nora Roberts

is a weekly event originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This meme is a place that spotlights upcoming releases that we´re eagerly anticipating with pure joy.

For whatever reason Jill is not blogging since August 2016 but her meme is still going on. Hope everything is ok and she will be back soon!


Until then, I am joining Tressa at Wishful Endings and her meme Can´t-Wait Wednesday!

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8/22/2017

The Heart Of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson

Not as good as the first book, but worth your time anyway. And a well-written sequel. There is drama in it, blood, cruelty and you´ll find friendship, loyalty, romance and what it means when an entire nation likes you. When I saw that the second book´s cover would be the same as the original edition shows, I was quite relieved. And what a wonderful story it contains. Wanna know more? Then keep reading *smile*

The Heart Of Betrayal*

by Mary E. Pearson
The Remnant Chronicles #2
Publisher Henry Holt and Co on July 7, 2015
Genre Children 14+
Pages 480
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher*

Goodreads

✶✶✶✶

Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape. Desperate to save her life, Lia´s erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komizar that she has the gift, and the Komizar´s interest in Lia is greater than anyone could have foreseen. Meanwhile, nothing is straightforward: There´s Rafe, who lied to Lia but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom Lia always believed to be barbarians. Now that she lives among them, however, she realizes that may be far from the truth. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her sense of self, Lia must make powerful choices that will affect her country … and her own destiny.

Story

Lia is now in Vendan and at the whim and will of the Komizar and his plans. His word is her command – at least that´s his wish. But Lia wouldn´t be Lia if she would oblige to him. She does, in a certain way, yes, but not if it doesn´t fit her own plans. All she wants is to live a free life, to decide what she wants to do when she wants to do it. Her gift is something she learned to live with. She still can´t really control it, but bit by bit she finds out to trust her gift and to read its signs. 

Style

Yes, this second book of the Remnant Chronicles wasn´t as much fun as I had with the first book. But life in the Sanctum is not boring at all. Danger, cruelty, blood and many intrigue men and women who only wait to do whatever it takes to reach their own goal – all that I found in this novel. And an end I am still thinking WTF?! 

Good, I am more than happy with what happened to the Komizar. I saw it long coming what Lia only started seeing when it was almost too late for her. But who will be the evil one in the next book? And what had happened with Kaden?

The fact, that I knew now during every chapter who the one was telling me the story, was a nice turn for the better. But I kind of missed it guessing who is now talking to me. And to see what Pauline was doing while Lia was fighting to stay alive in Vendan, was a nice addition to the main story.

Characters

The fight between Rafe and Kaden over Lia is as fresh as you can imagine and yet not new. Both lie, both fight for her love (and no, I am not telling who might win or already has her love – go and find that out for yourself) and both have their own plans. 

Whilst Kaden tries to keep Lia away from the Komizar´s greedy hands, Rafe does everything to make sure that the Komizar believes every word he says. Not easy when the hunger for more power, more fortune, and other things is guiding the mind of a ruthless and cold-blooded man.

And Aster, she is almost the best thing that happens to Lia in this book. What a great girl. 

Conclusion

In the end, I was shocked, happy and couldn´t believe what I just had read. That end, oh my! Many questions got answered, many new ones popped up and above all the big one: What about Kaden? I am so curious to find out how this all ends. Read.

Happy reading

  

*I read the German edition new release by One on May 26, 2017 

Mary E. Pearson

Mary E. Pearson is the author of bestselling, award-winning novels for teens. The Miles Between was named a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, and The Adoration of Jenna Fox was listed as a Bank Street Best Children´s Book of the Year, an IRA Young Adult Choice, NYPL Stuff for the Teen Age, and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. She is also the author of A Room on Lorelei Street, David v God, and Scribbler of Dreams. Pearson studied art at Long Beach State University, and worked as an artist before earning her teaching credential at San Diego State University. She writes full-time from her come in Carlsbad, California, where she lives with her husband and two dogs.

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8/19/2017

Kopf Aus, Herz An by Jo Watson

A nice cover that caught my attention in the literal last minute. When I placed my application for it, I never thought that I would get lucky.

Kopf Aus, Herz An* 

Author Jo Watson
Destination Love Series #1

Original Title Burning Moon

Publisher LYX on June 28, 2017

Genre Novel

Pages 314

Format Softcover

Source Publisher

Goodreads

Lilly's worst nightmare becomes true when her fiancé leaves her in front of the wedding ceremony. But instead of putting her head in the sand, she decides to pursue the honeymoon to Thailand anyway - alone. Still in the plane, she meets the attractive Damien, who with his tattoos and the spontaneous nature is actually exactly the kind man, around Lilly would otherwise make a large bow. But now that there's nothing she holds back, she lets her take her on a journey - a journey that shows her what it means to listen to his heart and not to his head.

Thoughts

As much as I like the cover of the German edition, but the novel itself turned out to be a nice story with an annoying main character.

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8/18/2017

Follow Friday #26 – ARC And Reviewer Copy

Launched by Sonja of A Bookshelf Full Of Sunshine, continued by FiktiveWelten with a new logo. The blog action is for lively communication between bloggers, a good network, and should be fun. Duration of the question: Friday to Thursday. Rules. No registration required.

This week the FF is all about ARC´s or Reviewer Copy and how I feel about them.  

If you want to know my thoughts about that question: keep reading *smile* At first, I want to tell you the difference between an ARC and a Reviewer Copy. An ARC is, what we bloggers call the format we can get from an author or the publisher (mostly) LONG BEFORE the actual book is available on the market. It often is an uncorrected paperback version with a sentence or a logo that classifies it clearly as an ARC and which shows the cover of the final book in a slightly different way.

A Reviewer Copy IS the same book you can buy in a bookstore. Only that it comes mostly directly from the publisher or a forum. It depends if I am taking part in a reading challenge or not. I am reviewing for almost ten years now and during all those years I haven´t spent one single dime for a book. All the books I read and reviewed I got for free from the publishers, and those I didn´t were gifts from friends and family. For years I saved a fortune and could still indulge my passion for books. Because let´s face it: Books aren´t cheap anymore. They cost money and even with the fact in mind, that every cent they cost is because of the printing, the paper, the editing, etc. etc., I am not always happy when I see how much a publisher wants to a hardcover edition. That doesn´t mean that I don´t buy books nowadays. I do, mostly US editions, but still, money is money, right? Besides that, since I am running my own blog and started to speak with the publishers and authors directly, I developed a different sight for the whole industry. Because that´s what it is. An industry. A business. I like being in contact with the authors, get to know what they thought or had planned when they came up with another plot for a new book. The joy I feel when I get a book and it comes with a lot of unexpected things like chocolate, reading signs, or a coffee mug. Just a few days ago I got an ARC with a lot of swag in the box.

And the feeling when you get quoted on the back of a book is simply heavenly! The picture below shows one of my quotes I wrote for a literature portal. I found it by accident in my local bookstore during a sunny Saturday morning a few years ago ...

So, yes, I am a huge fan of the reviewer copy. I am not that much of a fan when it comes to ARC´s. I don´t wanna go into details, but let´s say that I´ll always prefer the actual version of a printed book. I am honest about that. All in all, whether you are receiving an ARC or a reviewer´s copy, it is a great way for an author and the publisher to get the word about their product (because that´s what a book is, a product they´re selling) out into the open. So, no, I don´t wanna miss them at all. In fact, I appreciate them very much!

How is it about you?



Happy blogging & happy reading

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8/18/2017

Silver Linings by Debbie Macomber

Debbie Macomber simply knows how to entertain her readers. This novel is beautiful, emotional and still not kitschy or in any way too much. I am still in some sort of shock. There is so much heart, drama, and love in this novel and you can find on every page something you haven´t discovered yet. Right from the first page, you see the authors beautiful and unique writing-style and in combination with her way to describe things, even the worst ones, this book is going right through your heart.

Silver Linings*

by Debbie Macomber
Rose Harbor Series #4
Publisher Ballantine Books on August 11, 2015
Genre Novel
Pages 352
Format Hardcover
Source Library

Goodreads

✶✶✶✶½

Since opening the Rose Harbor Inn, Jo Marie Rose has grown closer to her handyman, Mark Taylor. Jo Marie and Mark are good friends – and are becoming something more – yet he still won´t reveal anything about his past. When Mark tells her that he´s moving out of town, Jo Marie is baffled. Just when she is starting to open herself up again to love, she feels once more that she is losing the man she cares about. And as she discovers the secret behind Mark´s decision to leave, she welcomes two visitors also seeking their own answers.
Best friends Kellie Crenshaw and Katie Gilroy have returned to Cedar Cove for their ten-year high school reunion, looking to face down old hurts and find a sense of closure. Kellie, known as Coco, wants to finally confront the boy who callously broke her heart. Katie, however, wishes to reconnect with her old boyfriend, James – the man she still loves and the one who got away. As Katie hopes for a second chance, Coco discovers that people can change – and both look to the exciting possibilities ahead.

Story

Jo Marie has to accept that Mark is going. She can´t understand why and he isn´t giving her any answers. And to know that she will now finally be completely on her own isn´t something she really wants. Through her two guests, Coco and Katie, she learns that not every goodbye in life really means goodbye. And those emotions, as overwhelming as they can sometimes be, are a beautiful thing and worth being treasured.

Style

I love the way how Debbie Macomber lets her figures show their feelings. How she describes the wonderful landscape of the town, how she puts emotions into words. There is such a power in everything, even the bad scenes. And with the pictures in mind, I have from watching the Cedar Cove series, I sometimes wish I could be actually there.

The author´s language is soft, sensitive and yet with power. Bad things and drama happen all the time, that´s nothing new. But in Silver Linings, you can go through all this with the knowledge that love is an even more powerful thing and that if you are able to open up to it, you might be vulnerable but also in a magical way safe.

Characters

Good, sometimes I think Mark is an idiot. Yes, I admit it I´ll never understand how that man ticks. But after reading this book I start to believe that no matter what he does and how he does it, he has a damn good reason why he does everything this way. He has a heart though he´s not showing it very often, has a unique way to handle other people dramas and to find a solution for it, but when it comes to Jo Marie and their relationship he is acting like a real moron. 

Jo Marie is nice, lovely and sweet as ever. Still thinking about her dead husband, still trying to get closer to Mark without having to leave her comfort zone. The talk she has with her mother about exactly that isn´t as good as she hoped it would be and the scene with Rich shows why. She is strong but still, has to find her new way.

Conclusion

I read this novel in one single swoop and was afterward in a state of shock. HOW can an author give such a beautiful novel such an end? Debbie Macomber, YOU ARE KILLING ME! I thought WTF when I turned the page and saw that there was nothing more …. Read!

Happy reading

*I read the German edition by Blanvalet on August 15, 2016  

Debbie Macomber

Debbie Macomber is the owner of the Victorian Tea Room and the yarn shop A Good Yarn, which was named after the store in her successful book Blossom Street. She is the author of Sweet Tomorrows, among many other books, and a leading voice in women´s fiction. Ten of her novels have reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller lists, and five of her beloved Christmas novels have been hit movies on the Hallmark Channel, including Mrs. Miracle and Mr. Miracle. Hallmark Channel also produced the original series Debbie Macomber´s Cedar Cove, based on Macomber´s Cedar Cove books. She has more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. Debbie Macomber, who likes to be a grandmother, lives with her husband Wayne in Port Orchard, Washington, where her novels play and spends the winter in Florida. 

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8/17/2017

Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven

This was the first book I read by the author. And it was worth every second I spend with it! Never had so much fun while reading an old story about love. Now, while waiting for the third one to come out (later this year) I am posting my review for the first Bad Romeo book *smile* Allowedly I read this book some time ago. Some looong time ago. But my enthusiasm hasn´t changed. I still can see those hilarious scenes, can hear the fantastic dialogues and have fun by just remembering them. The plot is old, now set up in a new environment, but the basics remain the same. Leisa Rayven has a very unique way to capture her reader´s hearts and those of her characters. 

Bad Romeo

by Leisa Rayven
The Starcrossed Series #1
Publisher St. Martin´s Griffin on December 23, 2014
Genre Novel
Pages 416
Format Softcover
Source Publisher

Goodreads

✶✶✶✶✶

While performing the greatest love story of all time, they discover one of their own… Cassie Taylor was just another acting student with big dreams at her prestigious performing arts college... then she met Ethan Holt. She was the good girl actress. He was the bad boy on campus. But one fated casting choice for Romeo and Juliet changed it all. Like the characters they were playing on stage, Cassie and Ethan´s epic romance seemed destined. Until it ended in tragedy when he shattered her heart. Now they´ve made it to Broadway where they´re reunited as romantic leads once again – and their passionate scenes force them to confront the heartbreaking lows and pulse-pounding highs of their intense college affair. For Ethan, losing Cassie was his biggest regret – and he´s determined to redeem himself. But for Cassie, even though Ethan was her first and only great love, he hurt her too much to ever be trusted again. The trouble is, working with him again reminds her that people who rub each other the wrong way often make the best sparks. And when it comes to love, sometimes it´s the things that aren´t good for us that are the most irresistible. 

Story

Cassie is finally free from her mother´s over-protectiveness and can do what she always wanted to do: Acting on stage and learning how to be a great actress. If only Ethan wouldn´t be a part of her class. With him she feels like in a free fall – and no net insight to catch her. Working with him, rehearsing with him is fun and pain at the same time. And when everything goes south with him, her pain and broken heart hurt more than anything else she´s ever experienced in her entire life. 

Style

Bad Romeo is a phenomenal great novel. Fabulous scenes, fantastic dialogues and two main figures who top it all. The author presents her story about Cassie and Ethan with a wide variety of words, has a language that makes you laugh and cry at the same time and has a writing style that you read with fast speed. I never felt so great entertained while reading a novel about Romeo and Juliet as I was while reading this book.

There is a director who gives absolutely dry comments to the hot and steamy things that are going on between Cassie and Ethan while rehearsing their scenes – screamingly funny. I had the time of my life reading this absolutely gorgeous and to the point written book.

Characters

Modern times don´t mean that feelings adjust to them – or that lovers have it nowadays easier as in past times. Nope! The emotional roller-coaster is the same, the things lovers have to face are only a bit more technical or more sophisticated but the rest? Stays the same. Heartbreaking, painful, passionate and everything you feel when it comes to loving someone and get hurt.

All the figures are in unison when it comes to their passion for the stage. But despite that, they couldn´t be more different. Cassie is a young woman who wants nothing more but to escape her mother who is a real control freak. She grew up in an overprotective environment and now the art school is her only way to get as far away from home as possible. Ethan is quite the opposite. He never felt like he belongs really to the family he grew up with. There has always been the feeling deep inside him, that he doesn´t deserve them, that he is in the wrong place. As light and easygoing Cassie is, the more complicated, dark and buttoned up is Ethan.  

Conclusion

This book is pure fun. Hilarious, with sexy scenes, to die for and I can say with all my heart: A must-read! The combination of a great language, incredible steamy scenes, hilarious dialogues and two main figures who teach you quite a lesson – nothing can compare to that. Fantastic!

Happy reading

The German edition (first cover edition) looks like this: 

Leisa Rayven

Leisa Rayven lives at the other end of the world, in Brisbane, Australia. Actually, she wanted to become an actress. "As a young woman, I often did not know where I belonged, it seemed to me easier to play different identities than develop my own identity. This is particularly true when you are suffering from a wild temperament, but actually shy and introverted.” Leisa Rayven is a freelance actor and producer and became famous beyond Broadway when one of her texts sparked a wave of enthusiasm with more than 2 million internet readers almost overnight. 

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8/16/2017

Waiting On Wednesday #42 – One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

is a weekly event originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This meme is a place that spotlights upcoming releases that we´re eagerly anticipating with pure joy. For whatever reason Jill is not blogging since August 2016 but her meme is still going on. Hope everything is ok and she will be back soon! Until then, I am joining Tressa at Wishful Endings and her meme Can´t-Wait Wednesday!

For some reason, I joined in the hype (as many of my fellow bloggers were calling it) to read the first book when it came out in Germany and while I was reading it, I knew that no matter what I need to read the second one as well.

The author´s style is dark, bloody, and cruel, and yet there is a tone in it that makes you turn the pages like they are feathers. You can´t get enough of the story about the three queens, it is a simple as that.

One Dark Throne

Author Kendare Blake
Three Dark Crowns #2
Publishing Date September 25, 2017
Publisher Penhaligon
Format Softcover
Goodreads

The battle for the crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail?

With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katherine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before – ones that put those around her in danger she can´t seem to prevent. Fennbirn´s deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other.

And what are you waiting for? Let me know your thoughts about this one or leave me the link to your WoW and I check it out.

Happy reading & waiting on

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8/16/2017

Sting by Sandra Brown

Sandra Brown is a guarantor of great thrillers. At least that´s the genre where I love her writing the most. Sting is no exception. From the start, you are in a game where you can only guess who´s the good guy and who´s bad. This thriller I enjoyed as an audiobook. And the narrator did a (mostly) great job. But I guess I´ll never like how it sounds when a female figure is read by a male narrator. Just not my case.

Sting

by Sandra Brown
Publisher Hachette Audio on August 16, 2016
Genre Thriller
Length 11 hours and 40 minutes
Narrator Stephen Lang
Format Audiobook
Source Audible

Goodreads

✶✶✶✶

When Jordie Bennet and Shaw Kinnard lock eyes across a disreputable backwater bar, something definitely sparks. Shaw gives off a dangerous vibe that makes men wary and inspires women to sit up and take notice. None feel that undercurrent more strongly than savvy businesswoman Jordie, who doesn´t belong in a seedy dive on the banks of a bayou. But here she is … and Shaw Kinnard is here to kill her. As Shaw and his partner take aim, Jordie is certain her time has come. But Shaw has other plans and abducts Jordie, hoping to get his hands on the $ 30 million her brother has stolen and, presumably, hidden. However, Shaw is not the only one looking for the fortune. Her brother´s ruthless boss and the FBI are after it as well. Now on the run from the feds and a notorious criminal, Jordie and Shaw must rely on their wits – and each other – to stay alive. Miles away from civilization and surrounded by swampland, the two play each other against their common enemies. Jordie´s only chance of survival is to outwit Shaw, but it soon becomes clear to Shaw that Jordie isn´t entirely trustworthy, either. Was she in on her brother´s scam, or is she an innocent pawn in a deadly vendetta? And just how valuable is her life to Shaw, her remorseless and manipulative captor? Burning for answers – and for each other – this unlikely pair ultimately makes a desperate move that could be their last.

Story

Jordie is in the hands of Shaw Kinnard, a criminal who wants to kill her. His real role in the case of her missing brother and his criminal boss is something she gets furious about, the second she gets to know the truth. And you better don´t piss off Jordie. Shaw learns his lesson the hard way and from that moment on he and Jordie are right in the middle of an evil plan. A plan where nothing is as it seems and one person turns out to be as unpredictable as hell.

Style

Sandra Brown uses again her blunt language that goes very close to being obscene and vulgar and still stays on a high level. She raises tension by changing scenes, showing things that turn out to be most important to the case and by using characters where you can´t tell who is good and who is bad. 

During one scene, I was even convinced that Jordie might be not the woman I thought she´d be. There are quite some twists in this thriller and with every minute I was listening I was sure that it couldn´t get any better. 

It could.

Narrator

Stephen Lang did a wonderful job. Okay, I wasn´t very fond of his voice when he spoke Jordie´s part. But despite that, it was beautiful to listen to him being all those various characters. I could really hear by the tone of his voice who was talking in a dialogue or acting at that minute. 

Characters

Don´t let yourself get fooled by the figures Sandra Brown created in Sting. Nothing is as it seems. None of them is what you want them to be. And Kinnard is a man you don´t want to have as your enemy.

Edgy, rough and yet with a style you wouldn´t expect in a man like him. He is smart as hell, thinks about anything and everything that could happen and he reads Jordie like an open book. I was very impressed by how he handled every situation, how he argued why he did this or that and how he and Jordie had to get along with each other. 

In the end, Sandra Brown got me, again. I never thought that one figure was the real evil, though the author gave during the plot a lot of hints.

Conclusion

Sting is a great thriller with an unpredictable ending. I never thought that that could happen and was totally surprised when I found out who the real bad guy was. The setting was perfect and wonderfully described by the author. For all Sandra Brown fans, a must-read. For those who shouldn´t know her yet, a great book to begin with.

Happy reading

Sandra Brown

Sandra Brown is the author of 63 New York Times bestsellers. Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into thirty-four languages. A lifelong Texan, Sandra Brown was born in Waco, grew up in Fort Worth and attended Texas Christian University, majoring in English. She is much in demand as a speaker and guest television hostess. Her episode on truTV´s Murder by the Book premiered the series in 2008. She appeared in 2010 on Investigation Discovery´s new series, Hardcover Mysteries. In 2009 Brown detoured from her thrillers to write Rainwater, a much acclaimed powerfully moving story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression. Brown holds an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University where she and her husband Michael Brown, have instituted the ELF, a scholarship annually awarded to a student pursuing a fiction-writing career. In 2008, she was named Thriller Master, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer´s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America´s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2011, she and four colleagues went on a week-long USO tour to Afghanistan, meeting with service members on numerous bases. Sandra is the past president of the Mystery Writers of America in 2012. She lives in Arlington, Texas, with her husband, Michael Brown.

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8/15/2017

Ein Sommergarten In Manhattan by Sarah Morgan

Another wonderful book by the author. This time the tone is a bit different, the theme another and yet you will find a lot of love, passion, desire and that it is worth to risk it all if true love is what you will get out of it on the other end.

Ein Sommergarten In Manhattan*
Author Sarah Morgan
From Manhattan With Love Series #2
Original Title Sunset In Central Park
Publisher Mira TB on June 12, 2017
Genre Novel
Pages 411
Format Paperback
Source Publisher
Goodreads

Love has never been a priority for garden designer Frankie Cole. After witnessing the fallout of her parents´ divorce, she´s seen the devastation an overload of emotion can cause. The only man she feels comfortable with is her friend Matt – but that´s strictly platonic. If only she found it easier to ignore the way he makes her heart race … Matt Walker has loved Frankie for years but, sensing how fragile she is beneath her feisty exterior, has always played it cool. But then he uncovers new depths to the girl he´s known forever and doesn´t want to wait a moment longer. He knows Frankie has secrets and has buried them deep, but can Matt persuade her to trust him with her heart and kiss him under the Manhattan sunset?

Thoughts

A disastrous divorce, a mother who is embarrassing her daughter every time they meet and a man who is patient as hell, what more do you want as the basis for a beautiful novel?

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8/11/2017

Follow Friday #25 – Blog Posts Per Week

Launched by Sonja of A Bookshelf Full Of Sunshine, continued by FiktiveWelten with a new logo.

The blog action is for lively communication between bloggers, a good network and should be fun. Duration of the question: Friday to Thursday. Rules. No registration required.

This week the FF is all about how often per week a blogger should post something and the always remaining question how many posts I read while visiting other blogs and how often I post on my own blog.

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8/09/2017

Waiting On Wednesday #41 – Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

is a weekly event originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This meme is a place that spotlights upcoming releases that we´re eagerly anticipating with pure joy. For whatever reason Jill is not blogging since August 2016 but her meme is still going on. Hope everything is ok and she will be back soon! Until then, I am joining Tressa at Wishful Endings and her meme Can´t-Wait Wednesday!

I haven´t done this in a while, since late March 2017, to be honest, and a lot of books I am waiting for are on my list now. Some of them are already out when this post will be published, so I am starting with an author who is completely new to me and his book that will come out in a bit.

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff caught my attention with its cover. The German edition (below the blurb) will have the same one, which I really appreciate.

I am looking forward to it already. I never read that author before and high-fantasy isn´t my usual genre, but over the past ten months I found myself reading more and more books from that corner of the book world. And here the cover made me curious. It is dark, mysterious and I heard so many great things and bad things about it, that my first impression already is: It will polarize its readers. Seems like this could become another book that you´ll either hate or love.

Nevernight

Author Jay Kristoff
The Nevernight Chronicle #1
Publishing Date August 24, 2017
Publisher Fischer Tor
Format Paperback

Goodreads

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family. Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father´s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father´s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined. Now, a sixteen-year-old Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic – the Read Church. Treachery and trials await her with the Church´s halls, and to fail is to die. But if she survives to initiation, Mia will be inducted among the chosen of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the only thing she desires. Revenge.

And what are you waiting for? Let me know your thoughts about this one or leave me the link to your WoW and I check it out.

Happy reading

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8/09/2017

Water & Air by Laura Kneidl

I got fascinated by the cover. All the blue, the gold and the decent trimming – looks gorgeous. On the photo and live. This is a novel about hope, change, love and the fight for the better. My first book by Laure Kneidl turned out to be something I didn´t expect at all. I expected a futuristic novel playing in a faraway future and where technology is part of the daily life – for everyone. Instead, it turned out to be novel where a very old-fashioned lifestyle is combined with the technical achievement we have today and where the earth has changed her face once and for all.

Water & Air*

by Laura Kneidl
Publisher Carlsen on March 3, 2017
Genre Children 14+
Pages 474
Format Softcover
Source Publisher

Goodreads

✶✶✶✶

Since the rise of sea levels, people live in domes under the water or in the air. With her eighteen years, Kenzie has never seen the sun and her life in the water colony is subject to strict standards. After all, she cannot stand it anymore and flees into an air colony to make a new start. But then she becomes the main suspect in a mysterious murder series and only Callum with the mysterious smile holds to her. But not only the two-threatened danger, even the fate of the entire colony is at stake. (personal translation by the reviewer) 

Story

Kenzie is, because of a medical problem she hides carefully, not able to fulfill her duties in the water colony the way she is supposed to do it. And with that fact in mind, she knows that she has to do something to have the chance of a long life. She flees to one of the air domes and wants to start all over again. But one person there wants her gone and within no time Kenzie finds herself right in the middle of a fight about life and death. 

Style

Laura Kneidl writes in a simple way and her tone is soft. There is a lot of action in this book and a lot of blood. The author describes the world of the air colony as a cold place where the people only think about themselves. The contrast to life in the water colony couldn´t be bigger. While people under the water surface live a simple and kind of medieval life where only some technical equipment is available to a few; the air colony is a world of luxury, colorful and quite the opposite of everything Kenzie knows. 

I enjoyed reading this book somehow, yes, but on the other hand, despite all the action and bloody scenes, I wasn´t really haunted by it. 

Characters

With Kenzie and Callum, the author has created main figures who are very impressive and convincing. They are just eighteen years old and yet they have responsibilities and things to deal with, others their age won´t even think of or dream of. 

Kenzie is a strong-willed, stubborn young woman who has a medical problem to deal with. Her way of doing so is leaving the colony she was born into and to fight for a better and longer life in one of the air colonies. She fights her enemies with intelligence, is a badass if necessary and though she has no clue who the rules and the life in the air colony really are. All she knows she knows out of books that are very old.

Conclusion

I enjoyed reading this book somehow, yes, but on the other hand, despite all the action and bloody scenes, I wasn´t really haunted by it. But consider, that the plot is based on a problem we´re facing today, with the rising of the sea level, this novel shows what could be if we don´t start to do something against it.  

Happy reading

*This book was, at the time this review was published, only available in the German language.

Deutsche Rezension

Stil

Laura Kneidls Sprachstil ist einfach und klingt oft etwas altmodisch. Die Geschichte selbst geht nicht in eine futuristische Zukunft, wo alles nur aus Stahl, Laserpistolen und Tablets besteht. Da werden Frauen zu Gebärmaschinen gemacht und besitzen im Grunde keinerlei Rechte. Da fühlt man sich beim Lesen regelrecht in die Steinzeit versetzt.

Der Tonfall ist, trotz aller Action und erschreckender Dinge die im Handlungsverlauf passieren, eher dumpf, ruhig und still. Die Geschichte ist einerseits spannend, was die Geschehnisse angeht, andererseits konnte sie mich aber auch nicht so ganz packen. Der ganze Roman liest sich, als ob das Mittelalter mit Tablets ausgestattet und weit in die Zukunft geschleudert worden ist, wo die Männer das absolute Sagen haben. Wer nicht spurt, wird verbannt. Die Erde, so wie sie heute existiert, mit all ihren Kontinenten, gibt es nicht mehr. Die Tatsache, dass die Meeresspiegel steigen, ist in diesem Roman bereits kalte Realität. Allerdings wird das im Verlauf des Buches mehr oder weniger zur Nebensache. 

Charaktere

Die Autorin hat starke Figuren kreiert, die durch ihre Probleme gut zu überzeugen wissen, aber auch Dinge erleben, die junge Menschen im gleichen Alter in der Gegenwart wohl nur vom Hörensagen kennen.

Kenzie hat ein medizinisches Problem, das im Grunde nicht tragisch ist, in ihrer Welt aber zum großen Problem wird. Aufgrund dessen kann sie ihren Pflichten als Frau in der Wasserkolonie nicht nachkommen. Sie hat diese Unzulänglichkeit zwar schon lange für sich akzeptiert, jedoch nicht die Tatsache, dass ihr andere vorschreiben wollen, was sie für den Rest ihres Lebens zu tun hat. Sie ist eine willensstarke junge Achtzehnjährige, die oftmals als störrisch und dickköpfig wahrgenommen wird und sich nur schwer anpassen kann – glaubt man den Ansichten ihres Großvaters.

Callum trägt mit seinen achtzehn Jahren schon eine riesige Verantwortung auf den Schultern. Die Sicherheit der Kolonie ist sein Revier und seine Familiengeschichte zeigt, wie wichtig die Sicherheit einer liebevollen und intakten Familie ist. Er hat das nie kennengelernt und stellt die Bedürfnisse der Luftkolonie stets vor seine eigenen. Doch mit Kenzies Auftauchen in seinem Leben ändern sich die Dinge. Gravierend.

Resultat

Irgendwie hat der letzte Pfiff gefehlt. Ja, es war im Großen und Ganzen Lesevergnügen. Aber keins, das mir auf lange Sicht im Gedächtnis haften wird. Hier kommt eine Welt zum Vorschein, die ich so nicht erleben möchte und in der trotz aller Probleme doch ein Fünkchen Hoffnung steckt.

Laura Kneidl

Laura Kneidl writes novels about audacious demons, rebellious hunters, stylish vampires and uniformed air born. She was born in Erlangen, Germany, in 1990 and developed early in her life a taste for everything supernatural. Inspired by numerous fantasy novels, she began working on her own book project in 2009, since then her daily life has been accompanied by books, cats, Pinterest and magic.

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