Waiting on Wednesday: From Ashes

Waiting On Wednesday #15!  "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week my pick is:

From Ashes by Molly McAdams

Expected Publication: Dec 11, 2012

Synopsis: When Cassidy Jameson's best friend Tyler took her to Texas with him when he left for college, she was expecting his cousin, their new roommate, to be a Stetson-wearing cowboy since his family owned a ranch; not this incredibly gorgeous guy with a husky Southern drawl that seemed to make the world stop whenever she looked at him. Because of her past, she's only ever trusted two men in her life, Tyler and her dad whom passed away when she was six. But there's something about Gage that draws her to him in a way she can't explain, only problem? He's always telling Tyler that he doesn't want Cassidy living there and sees her as nothing more than his little sister.
Gage Carson was excited his cousin Tyler was coming to live with, and go to college with him. When he'd called to ask if he could bring his friend Cassi with him, Gage didn't care. Gage had heard about this mysterious friend since they were kids and felt like he already knew her. Nothing would prepare him for watching her jump out of Ty's Jeep though. Not only was Cassi the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, but there was something about her that within seconds of meeting her, made Gage want to protect her, and make her his. Too bad Tyler made it a point to remind Gage on a daily basis that he was dating her and she was completely off limits.
For a year and a half, Gage and Cassidy dance around their feelings for each other as Tyler continues to keep them apart; until one day Tyler unknowingly pushes her right into Gage's arms. With Tyler unable to keep lying to them, they finally start a relationship both have been craving since their first meeting. But when an accident and disaster sends her back to Tyler and California, will Cassidy be able to come face to face with the demons from her past to live a life she and Gage deserve; or will the fact that she once again ran to Tyler be the final push that ends Cassidy and Gage for good?
Goodreads - Amazon - B&N

I haven't heard much about this book, I just happened to see it on  B&N.com and it sounds really good. What are  you waiting on? 

Book Blitz: Flee by Miranda Kavi

I can fly.

I have to keep it a secret.

Everything was fine, 

until I met him.

I can’t stay away…

Aurora Lockette has a supernatural ability she hides from the world. Gavyn Dhaval is a newly famous actor that shies away from the spotlight. When Aurora and Gavyn literally collide in a fender bender on her first day of law school, they are irresistibly drawn to each other.

When Aurora’s secret is revealed, she has no choice but to abandon Gavyn to go into hiding to escape the media frenzy. A secret society of gifted humans contacts her to warn of dark forces that seek to destroy her and everyone she loves.

Aurora must try to understand who and what she is while she fights to protect herself and her loved ones from a hidden, sinister force.

Available Now!

My Thoughts:
Flee was a really good and quick read. It was predictable in some parts, but had enough surprise left for me to discover. It had the appropriate amount of romance and action and suspense.

I enjoyed Aurora as a character, she seemed like a good person trying to make something of herself. And I loved her new friend Bree, they were definitely meant to be friends. I was sad at the end because they didn't say whether they stayed friends or not. I'll just assume they did.

I did enjoy the love interest and their romance. I felt that Aurora and Gavyn's love was kind of insta-love. They did go on a lot of dates, but it was a little quick for me.

I wish the author would have took a little bit more time to describe the "things" coming after her. Like why were they so scary. Why did they want her? Why did they chase her kind? It wasn't properly answered. You just knew that that's how it was.

I gave this book four stars. It was a good story, but wasn't amazing. I definitely recommend it.

Goodreads - Amazon - Paperback

A Little About the Author:
Miranda Kavi is a YA and Paranormal/Urban Fantasy author. She has worked as an attorney, an executive recruiter, and an assistant in a biological anthropology lab. She loves scary movies, museums, and is hopelessly addicted to chocolate. She lives in the Houston area with her husband and daughter.

Find Miranda:

Website - Twitter - Facebook - Goodreads

Is Flee on your tbr list?

My 2 Cents: Jenny Pox

"Avoid Her Like The Plague"

This will be my second 2 Cents post. I did the first on A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger. I'll link it here if you want to check it out. 

Since I'll be talking about all the crazy scenes, it will obviously have a lot of spoilers. I suggest not reading any farther if you haven't read the book. Even if you don't plan on reading it, I still don't think you should read this post, you'll see all the awesome scenes you missed and will probably want to read it :) If you want to read my review of this book with no spoilers: you can do that here. 

This is obviously my 2 cents on Jenny Pox. I'm not picking it apart, not harping on the writing or what the author did that I didn't like or anything like that. Just talking about what happened in the book that made me really think wow! Or something that I really want to talk about with other people, so I'm spilling it here. 

Did a Little Thrift Shopping

This is just a little haul. I did a little shopping at my thrift book store. I had a few credits to use up. I was really surprised that I found Such a Rush for only $5. They usually never have newer books, so I had to grab that. And The DaVinci Code was only $2, even though I haven't read Angels & Demons yet, I had to get it. Eventually I'll get the first and read them. 

A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers. 

When I was fourteen, I made a decision. If I was doomed to live in a trailer park next to an airport, I could complain about the smell of the jet fuel like my mom, I could drink myself to death over the noise like everybody else, or I could learn to fly.

Heaven Beach, South Carolina, is anything but, if you live at the low-rent end of town. All her life, Leah Jones has been the grown-up in her family, while her mother moves from boyfriend to boyfriend, letting any available money slip out of her hands. At school, they may diss Leah as trash, but she’s the one who negotiates with the landlord when the rent’s not paid. At fourteen, she’s the one who gets a job at the nearby airstrip.

But there’s one way Leah can escape reality. Saving every penny she can, she begs quiet Mr. Hall, who runs an aerial banner-advertising business at the airstrip and also offers flight lessons, to take her up just once. Leaving the trailer park far beneath her and swooping out over the sea is a rush greater than anything she’s ever experienced, and when Mr. Hall offers to give her cut-rate flight lessons, she feels ready to touch the sky.

By the time she’s a high school senior, Leah has become a good enough pilot that Mr. Hall offers her a job flying a banner plane. It seems like a dream come true . . . but turns out to be just as fleeting as any dream. Mr. Hall dies suddenly, leaving everything he owned in the hands of his teenage sons: golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson. And they’re determined to keep the banner planes flying.

Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business—until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers—and the consequences could be deadly.

[Goodreads - Amazon - B&N]

An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe. An astonishing truth concealed for centuries . . . unveiled at last.

While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.

[Goodreads - Amazon - B&N]

Book Review: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.
 
Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

**This book is intended for mature audiences**

My Thoughts:
So, finally my review of the infamous Fifty Shades of Grey... I've noticed that people either love this book or hate this book. And by love, I mean actually think it's one of the best books of 2012. And exactly the opposite for hate, dislikers really hate this book. They think it's a worthless piece of literature. I actually fall somewhere in the middle, but since you have to pick one side. I would say I actually did like this book, the others, not so much. But this is the review for the first book only, so I'll leave the other stuff out.

About the sex scenes... They are awkward, but Anastasia is an awkward person. And especially with how different her and Christian are, how could it have not been awkward?! To me, this is not 'erotica'... it's an adult romance book with kinda edgy sex and weird names for their private parts. But if you like a little of the kinky stuff, some of the sex when he ties her up and blind folds her is pretty hot in my opinion. Although nothing like Zane, which is some of the best/hottest erotica I've ever read. 

Let's talk about Miss Anastasia. Anastasia's feelings and emotions were very realistic, she said that no one had ever peaked her interest before. So she'd never had a boyfriend or brought a guy home or been in love. I thought it was cute the way she liked him and was instantly smitten by him. But the fact that she is in college and has never had a boyfriend -is crazy unrealistic. Could it happen? Sure. They are still pure woman in this world, who would rather focus on school and her future than stupid boys. But you would assume those girls are nerds with no friends, and are possibly not beautiful. But that's not the case with her, so it actually is quite unrealistic for me.

Let's talk about Christian. No doubt he acts weird and you obviously know that something is going on with him, but let's face it: He is "OH MY GOD" kind of hot! Love or hate the book- you still will probably be obsessed with Christian Grey! He's so mysterious and intense, but he does get annoying at times. Especially with how 'powerful' he is, or rather- thinks he is. Christian is pretty intimidating... So the fact that the first few sex scenes were really awkward was fine with me, I think it fit perfectly. I also loved to read their emails, aside from the few really serious ones, they made me smile. They would also have catchy, creative subject titles that they would change every email. It was adorable.

I'm sure most of you know by now, that this is in fact fan fiction. It is based off Twilight. At first I didn't see it, but after watching this video, I totally saw it. I recommend watching the video after reading the book as it does have spoilers. So, I read somewhere that for publication: the title was changed, and a little of the writing was also. When I started reading the book, I didn't know that it was fan fiction, so I'm treating it as a real book. It was published and that's what it is to me.

There's just something about the writing in this book that drove me crazy:

1. Her subconscious- it was overused, the way she would talk about what it was saying to her or how it was standing or posing or making facial expressions at her. It was like huh? Let's be realistic here. Yes it helps describe how her subconscious was trying to help her read certain situations and emotions, but it was all the time! 

2. Her inner goddess.. I was talking to my friend, who has read the books, and she says that the inner goddess and subconscious are different people. And I've read some reviews that said that they're the same. I honestly have no idea. She used both all the time. Maybe I just ran the two together. No sure. 

3. And the way she describes the sex scenes. She has weird names for their private parts. But it could just be me, I guess I'm more of a come right out and say the word kind of person. So it bugged me a little. 

I also used Fifty Shades for

one of my Swoon Thursdays.

You can see it here. 

[Goodreads - Amazon - B&N]

Did you read Fifty Shades?

Did you like it? Hate it?

Leave me a comment :)

And let's talk about it. 

Book Review: Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan

Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan

Book #1 - Paranormals Series

Eighteen-year-old Jenny Morton has a horrific secret: her touch spreads a deadly supernatural plague, the "Jenny pox." She lives by a single rule: Never touch anyone. A lifetime of avoiding any physical contact with others has made her isolated and painfully lonely in her small rural town. 

Then she meets the one boy she can touch. Jenny feels herself falling for Seth... but if she's going to be with him, Jenny must learn to use the deadly pox inside her to confront his ruthless and manipulative girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all. 

**Not recommended for readers under eighteen.**

My Thoughts:

Holy shizzz.. Wow. I really don't know where to begin. I stumbled upon this book when I was looking for books to read for Halloween, I think it was pretty high up on one list on Goodreads. So I looked it up and read some reviews. Everyone seemed to love it. And I saw that it was free for iPad, so I thought hey, why not?!

When I started reading the book, I was really intrigued. The story line and characters seemed pretty unique to begin with. Especially Jenny, I'd never read anything like this before. So I wasn't really sure what to expect, it was a little slow getting really into the story. The plot was slowly building. I'd say for me, it really picked up about half way through.

One thing I do wanna talk about is the graphic-ness in this book. I thought it was YA. I assumed it was, but apparently not, there were only a few sex scenes, but they were way to much for YA. So, that's just a little FYI if you're a young reader. And while doing this post and reading the synopsis again, I saw at the very bottom: *Not recommended for readers under eighteen.* So I've included it in this post just so you know. 

Now onto the characters, I liked Jenny, she seemed really nice and obviously quiet since she had no friends and was picked on all the time. But she was a very good daughter, she always tried to help her dad. And later on in the book she really shows a lot of strength and development. Her character pretty much did a 180, but only in the best of ways.

Since I read this for Halloween, I thought it would be violent and deathly. And in to beginning there's not, but toward the end. Wow. Everything sort of comes out. And then the very end. Like the last 20-30 pages. Like really?! Was anybody else really shocked at that? I was so confused for all of chapter 25, like what is gong on... But overall I liked it a lot. I gave it four stars on Goodreads. And I'll definitely be reading the other books in the series.

And just a little FYI, Jenny Pox is free on almost every e-reader except Nook.

[Apple, Kobo, Kindle, Nook, Sony, Smashwords]

[Goodreads - Amazon]

Have you read it?

Plan on reading it?

You should! It's free!

Read it for Halloween!

Have a wonderful day everyone!