Weekly Reading Update 7/15 - 7/21!

Another week, another update! As always, click the title for more information.

Man, with all the staff shortages at work, I’m exhausted! And alas, that doesn’t translate to quiet, relaxing nights at home - nope, I spend that night worrying about the next day. Also, Saturday was my birthday, so I might have had a few birthday celebrations, but the evenings out spent with friends and family was more than worth the lack of reading time. I wasn’t a total slouch, though!

I continued my obsession with Jill Sorenson by reading Passion and Peril (an anthology she wrote with Suzanne Brockmann), and Island Peril - a novella. The Suzanne Brockmann story was just so-so for me, but I loved Jill Sorenson’s story. Both the Passion and Peril, and the Island Peril stories were short - and I was blown away by how deep a story Jill Sorenson can write in so few pages. Only one book left in the Aftershock series (Backwoods!), and then that’s it. There is a spin-off series, so of course I’ll be checking that out as well!

Lynsay Sands is a long-time favorite author, and I got the chance to review her newest book, Lady Pirate, for Romance Reviews Today. This is actually a re-release, with the book originally coming out in 2001. It definitely holds up, though. Lynsay Sands has a great sense of humor, and it shows with her characters and the situations they get themselves in. She has a new Argeneau book coming out in a couple months - can’t wait! I love her historical romances, but her Argeneau series is my absolute favorite.

Somehow, in the middle of all the books I was reading to review, I managed to fit in two library books that were due - Missed Connections by Tamara Mataya and At Any Cost by Mandy Baxter. I greatly enjoyed both of these, but Missed Connections made it onto my wish-list, and Jack (the hero), added himself to my growing list of book boyfriends. But I’d recommend both to any contemporary romance fan that wants to try something new.

Finally, I also read Dirtiest Secret by J. Kenner. I actually read this on Sunday (the 17th), so that I could read and review Hottest Mess as part of J. Kenner’s blog tour. The first book moved a little slow for me, so it did take me some time - I took quite a few breaks. But man, the second book dives right in. I also attempted to read The Angel Knights by Mary Ting, a young adult paranormal novella - I had to DNF it. And as someone who loves angels, it hurt, let me tell you.

See you next week!

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Weekly Reading Update 7/8 - 7/14/16!

Another week, another update! As always, click the title for more information.

It feels like I have been super busy this week, but I’m not sure that’s really true. I think I’m just exhausted. We’re down five employees at work, so we’re all rushing at work to get everything done. Unfortunately, this means I’m worn out by the time I get home, and so I haven’t read too much. Mostly shorter books.

I finally read Driven by K. Bromberg. I’ve read another book by this a while ago, a later book in the series. I can see why people are so obsessed with it. I had to request the second book from the library, and I’m not sure how much longer I can stand to wait for it. There were quite a few moments where I wanted to shake both of the main characters, so they would come to their senses about each other. But in general, the first book has that tension that I enjoy so much in my romances.

I read a couple more Tor.com novellas. I’m working my way through all the ones my library system owns - I’m pretty addicted. I read Pieces of Hate by Tim Lebbon, as well as The Last Witness by K.J. Parker. Honestly, Pieces of Hate didn’t work for me. It’s a classic case of “great idea in theory, not so much in execution.” sigh. But The Last Witness was good. Not as amazing as some of the other novellas, but still a good read.

I’m still working my way through the Aftershock series by Jill Sorenson. Book three, Badlands, is Owen and Penny’s story, and I have been looking forward to this since book one! Just like the previous books in the series, this was another awesome romantic suspense, and one that immediately went on my wish-list upon finishing. I already have the next book, which is a quick novella in a book with another author. Honestly, I’m so eager to read Jill Sorenson’s story that I might just skip the other story in the book…

I finally got the chance to read Stuck-Up Suit by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward. I loved it! I can see why it got so much good press in the romance community. It was another instant wish-list book. And now I’m going to have to find what else these two authors have written together.

I read Someone Like You by Jennifer Gracen for Romance Reviews Today. It was a good read, I really liked it, but it took me forever to read because I had so much other stuff going on. Tossing in the titles of a few other quick reads from this week - Learning to Ride by Erin Knightley, Batman & Robin Eternal Volume 1 by Scott Snyder, and Dead Things by Stephen Blackmoore. I read Learning to Ride because I wanted to give one of those Bookshots novellas a chance.. But I hate James Patterson, so I refused to read one of his books. Luckily another couple authors joined in the trend. Batman & Robin Eternal was awesome, and I can’t wait for the next volume. And Dead Things was read for our paranormal book club at work - it was so good. Amazing character development and story, despite it being less than 300 pages.

See you next week!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Weekly Reading Update 6/03 - 6/09/16!

Another week, another update! As always, click the link for more info about each book!

It’s the first week of the library’s summer reading program, so I have gone a bit crazy. But hey - I need to rack up those points so my library can win a pizza party for staff! So let’s get started.

I was looking into the cast of The Defenders, a Marvel show that should be airing next year on Netflix - and I noticed they list the Iron Fist. This is a character I know almost nothing about, really. I haven’t even read comics where he’s been featured, at least not that I can remember. So I figured I’d give him a shot. I picked up The Immortal Iron Fist: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 by Matt Fraction. I have to say, I enjoyed it. I’d gladly read more - if I can find some more.

Next up, I finally picked up Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. This book made me ugly cry. I have to say, I always feel really betrayed when a book makes me cry, because I expect a happily-ever-after every time. Real life is depressing enough - I want happy fiction! But my cousin recommended it to me, and I needed a book that was adapted into a movie for two separate reading challenges, so I went with it. However, I can’t imagine myself ever reading this again. And I’m definitely waiting until the movie comes out on DVD before I watch it. I’m so not seeing it (and crying!) in the movie theatre!

For the library’s summer reading challenge, I have to read a book from our digital audiobook service, OneClickDigital. So I chose Doctor Who: Orbis, which features the Eighth Doctor.. One of my favorites! I was always so sad that he only had the movie, so imagine my excitement a few years ago when I discovered all the Eighth Doctor audio adventures. Unfortunately, they can be hard to come by in the U.S., and I don’t have the money to keep buying them. Thank goodness my library got some on OneClickDigital!

Next up was Freefall by Jill Sorenson. I reviewed a book by this author several months ago, and loved it. So I’m working my way through this series, which got some rave reviews. Book 1, Aftershock, was amazing. Freefall was just as exciting and suspenseful. I have to take breaks between each book, because otherwise I think Jill Sorenson might just give me a heart attack. That said, I’m super excited for the next book.

Lastly, I finished my week off with a graphic novel - Robin War by Tom King. This is the follow up to We Are Robin, which I thought was interesting.. But Robin War knocked it out of the park. I’m a fan of all the Batlings (my pet name for all the sidekicks), Nightwing (Dick Grayson) and Red Hood (Jason Todd) being my all-time favorites. I will admit that Red Robin (Tim Drake) really grew on me.

See you next week!

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Weekly Reading Update! 3/25-3/31/16

This was another week for graphic novels - mostly because I've been so busy that I didn't have much time for anything else.

I finally caught up on Red Hood and the Outlaws, reading both volumes 6 and 7. I was not happy with the ending of 7! Don't do that to me - I love this team, and I refuse to see them turn against each other. I'm not sure if this is the end for the series or not, but I really hope not.. I guess we'll see how it goes.

I also caught up on Aquaman and the Others, reading volume 2. This one was just okay, I prefer Aquaman's single title. It seems this volume comes after some big DC event that I didn't read, so it was more than a little confusing.

Finally, I read Aftershock by Jill Sorenson. Oh wow, was this amazing. I was on edge the entire time, and couldn't put it down - which was rough, considering I am currently dealing with vertigo and reading is not always easy/pleasurable. But this book definitely made it worth it. Check it out if you like Romantic Suspense. I can't wait for the next book to come in at the library!

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

REVIEW: "Against The Wall" by Jill Sorenson

Release Date: February 2nd, 2016

Type: New Adult Romance, Contemporary, Stand alone (kinda?), Tattooed Bad Boy, Art, He's a good bad guy - or maybe a bad good guy?

About the Book: Eric Hernandez is the bad boy of every schoolgirl’s fantasies—and every mother’s nightmares. But after serving time for manslaughter, he’s ready to turn his life around. He just needs a chance to prove himself as a professional tattoo artist. The one thing that keeps him going is the memory of the innocent beauty he loved and left behind.

Meghan Young’s world isn’t as perfect as it looks. The preacher’s daughter is living a lie, especially now that Eric is back. Tougher, harder, and sexier than ever, he might be the only person she can trust. But there’s no telling what he’ll do to protect her if he learns the truth, and that’s a risk Meghan won’t let him take. And yet, back in the arms of the troubled boy with the artist’s soul, Meghan can’t help surrendering to the man he’s become. [Description from Goodreads.com]

My Review: So wow. I just finished this one, and I have to say, I was blown away. This is my first book by author Jill Sorenson, but the name is definitely one I've seen around. And after reading "Against The Wall" - I'm ashamed it's taken me this long! There was so much right about this book. Eric's love of art felt real - not just something given to soften him up, or make him sympathetic. He had passion for art, and you could feel how humbled and grateful he was when anyone said he was good at it. 

This book was just so.. gritty and real. I love New Adult Romance, and contemporary romance in general - but so much feels like it happens in a dreamy, perfect world. "Against the Wall" is definitely rooted in reality, and you can see the consequences for every action they take - or in Eric's case, what he did in the past. If you want a darker contemporary romance read, "Against The Wall" should definitely be on your wishlist. 

What kept this book from being a full five stars was the ending. One of the big story arcs of the book was just left so open ended. It was given a one sentence brush off in the last chapter, and that's it. Definitely not enough! Not when it was so emotionally powerful. Since this novel slightly follows a previous book, titled "The Edge of Night," I'm hoping that maybe Kelsea might get her own story in the future - and the stalker on campus will be mentioned there. 

Before I finish out the review, I want to include my absolute favorite quote from the book. And a super high five to the author for writing this!

    ' "Let me give you a professional tip," Noah says. "When you don't amp up security in front of a building that has already been vandalized, in which female students are frequently targeted with rape threats, you're sending the mesage that their safety is not a priority." '

Cover Lovin': I don't think this cover does the book justice. There's nothing to make it pop, or to showcase the characters.

Recommendation: You need to love your men on the bad side, because Eric is far from a goody-two-shoes!

Final Rating: FOUR out of FIVE stars (4/5). Again, the stalker plot point that was thrown aside at the end kept this from being a full five stars. But trust me, even with that - this book is 100% amazing read. A great example of romance that is real and powerful. 

Make sure to pre-order your copy of "Against the Wall" today! You don't want to miss this one, trust me.

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Disclaimer: I received a free, advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks, Netgalley!