Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Will Make You Swoon

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they're particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish (and who isn't?). They're all about creating new lists including a little bit of everything and I've been meaning to participate for so long but always seemed to get behind. So here we are and hopefully you'll head over to their page and check out what everyone else put up for this week's Top Ten.

Romance will always be on the top of my list when anyone asks me what I like to read.  I'm fine if that files me away with all the other cliches about girls, because I can't help what I like, and that goes for my reading tastes as well.  I'm always going to love watching a romance bloom and unfold, seeing the characters discover their feelings for what they are and learn all the important things about their love interest as well as themselves throughout the adventure.  I love it all, and here are a few of my favorites.

Romantic Pick #1:  Just One Day (Just One Day, #1) by Gayle Forman

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels.

 

Romantic Pick #2: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

 

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

Romantic Pick #3:  Accordance (Significance, #2) by Shelly Crane

In the sequel, Maggie learns much more about all the strange things that happened to her, and has to face new ones. She rebels against it, but ultimately, must face it for her new families sake and maybe even her life. Bish went from being her biggest supporter to her biggest pain in the butt and Kyle's intentions to attract her interest may not be so innocent. Caleb and Maggie face many new obstacles together and fight to work through them but will one that should be a good thing be too much for Maggie to handle?

Romantic Pick #4:  Providence (Providence, #1) by Jamie McGuire

 

Struggling with her father's death, Nina meets Jared Ryel, presumably by chance. However it soon becomes clear that he knows more about her than even close friends. When her father's former associates begin following her in the dark, Nina learns that her father was not the man she thought he was, but a thief who stole from demons. In searching for the truth behind her father's death, she stumbles upon something she never expected, and something Hell wants, that only she holds the key for. Jared risks everything to keep the women he was born to save, by sharing the secret he was sworn to protect.

Romantic Pick #5:  Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1) by Jamie McGuire

 

INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE.

Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

 

Romantic Pick #6:  Promise (Soul Savers, #1) by Kristie Cook

 

First installment of award-winning author Kristie Cook's bestselling Soul Savers Series
Alexis Ames has a life full of promise...but not all promises can be kept.

When Alexis Ames is attacked by creatures that can't be real, she decides it's time she learns who she really is, with or without the help of her mother, who guards their family's secrets closely. After meeting the inhumanly attractive, multi-talented Tristan Knight, however, Alexis retreats behind her façade of normalcy...until she discovers he's not exactly normal either. Then their secrets begin to unravel.

Their union brings hope and promise to her family's secret society, the Angels' army, and to the future of mankind. But it also incites a dangerous pursuit by the enemy - Satan's minions and Tristan's creators. After all, Alexis and Tristan are a match made in Heaven and in Hell.

Romantic Pick #7:  Love Story by Jennifer Echols

She's writing about him. he's writing about her. And everybody is reading between the lines..
For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions--it's her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family's racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin's college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she's sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He's joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin's heart with longing. Now she's not just imagining what might have been. She's writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter. . . . except this story could come true.

 

Romantic Pick #8:  Song of the Moon (Artemis Lupine, #1) by Catherine Banks

 

What if you found out that there was another world inside your own? What if all of the things you thought made you weird, actually made you powerful? Artemis's life is changed forever when the mysterious man from her dreams, Ares, comes to claim her as his mate. The seventeen year old girl must find a way to adapt to her true life and accept her fate or run from it. She must overcome her fears and human ideals to give her self to the dangerous world, and man, that is her destiny.

Romantic Pick #9:  Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth

 

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

 

Romantic Pick #10:  Unearthly (Unearthly, #1) by Cynthia Hand

 

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

In My Mailbox (116)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board. I'm always picking up new books, because I never tire of reading, but the other thing I like about this meme is that it gives everyone an opportunity to check out what other book fanatics, bloggers, etc... got for themselves. I've gotten great recommendations from this meme and hope that keeps up in the future.

Here's what I got, what did you guys get this week?

For Review:

 

Origin (Lux, #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything.

But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on?

And will they even be together?

Just One Year (Just One Day, #2) by Gayle Forman

Just One Day. Just One Year. Just One Read.

Before you find out how their story ends, remember how it began....

When he opens his eyes, Willem doesn’t know where in the world he is—Prague or Dubrovnik or back in Amsterdam. All he knows is that he is once again alone, and that he needs to find a girl named Lulu. They shared one magical day in Paris, and something about that day—that girl—makes Willem wonder if they aren’t fated to be together. He travels all over the world, from Mexico to India, hoping to reconnect with her. But as months go by and Lulu remains elusive, Willem starts to question if the hand of fate is as strong as he’d thought. . . .

The romantic, emotional companion to Just One Day, this is a story of the choices we make and the accidents that happen—and the happiness we can find when the two intersect.



Allegiant (Divergent, #3) by Veronica Roth

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Character Names

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they're particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish (and who isn't?). They're all about creating new lists including a little bit of everything and I've been meaning to participate for so long but always seemed to get behind. So here we are and hopefully you'll head over to their page and check out what everyone else put up for this week's Top Ten.

So for this week's top ten post I was able to take the time and go back through some of the books I've read in the past and get reaquainted with the characters and more specifically, their names.  It was a ton of fun and I was able to remember all over again if there was one here or there that caught my interest right off the bat, or just struck me as a great addition by the author.  Here are ten of my favorites.

Favorite Character Name #1:  Lulu - Just One Day (Just One Day, #1) by Gayle Forman

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Favorite Character Name #2:  Suzume - The Darkest Minds (The Darkes Minds, #1) by Alexandra Bracken

 

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

Favorite Character Name #3:  Christian Van Lorten - Taste Test by Kelly Fiore

If you can grill it, smoke it, or fry it, Nora Henderson knows all about it. She’s been basting baby back ribs and pulling pork at her father’s barbeque joint since she was tall enough to reach the counter. When she’s accepted to Taste Test, a reality-television teen cooking competition, Nora can’t wait to leave her humble hometown behind, even if it means saying good-bye to her dad and her best friend, Billy. Once she’s on set, run-ins with her high-society roommate and the maddeningly handsome—not to mention talented—son of a famous chef, Christian Van Lorten, mean Nora must work even harder to prove herself. But as mysterious accidents plague the kitchen arena, protecting her heart from one annoyingly charming fellow contestant in particular becomes the least of her concerns. Someone is conducting real-life eliminations, and if Nora doesn’t figure out who, she could be next to get chopped for good.

With romance and intrigue as delectable as the winning recipes included in the story, this debut novel will be devoured by all.

 

Favorite Character Name #4:  Caia Ribeiro - Moon Spell (The Tale of Lunarmorte, #1) by Samantha Young

 

Enter a world of fierce wolves, stunning magic and romance...

It’s bad enough feeling different among the human crowd, but feeling different among wolves?

No one said returning to her pack would be easy, especially after ten years without them, but seventeen year old Caia Ribeiro is unprepared for the realities of the transition. Raised in a world where kids aren’t scared by bedtime tales of the bogeyman but by the real life threat of enemy supernaturals who might come creeping into their community to kill them in their sleep, Caia is used to the darkness; she’s used to the mystery and the intrigue of the ancient underworld war she’s bound to by chance of birth. What she’s having trouble with are pack members treating her with wary suspicion, the Elders tucking secrets behind their backs out of her sightline, and her young Alpha, Lucien, distracting her, with a dangerous attraction, from her decision to uncover the truth.

But as the saying goes ‘the truth will out’ and when it does, Caia will only have so long to prepare herself before the war comes pounding on their door threatening to destroy the safe, secret lives of the wolves… and the girl they protect.

Favorite Character Name #5:  Rain - The Color of Rain by Cori McCarthy

If there is one thing that seventeen-year-old Rain knows and knows well, it is survival. Caring for her little brother, Walker, who is "Touched," and losing the rest of her family to the same disease, Rain has long had to fend for herself on the bleak, dangerous streets of Earth City. When she looks to the stars, Rain sees escape and the only possible cure for Walker. And when a darkly handsome and mysterious captain named Johnny offers her passage to the Edge, Rain immediately boards his spaceship. Her only price: her "willingness."

The Void cloaks many secrets, and Rain quickly discovers that Johnny's ship serves as host for an underground slave trade for the Touched . . . and a prostitution ring for Johnny's girls. With hair as red as the bracelet that indicates her status on the ship, the feeling of being a marked target is not helpful in Rain's quest to escape. Even worse, Rain is unsure if she will be able to pay the costs of love, family, hope, and self-preservation.

With intergalactic twists and turns, Cori McCarthy's debut space thriller exists in an orbit of its own.

Favorite Character Name #6:  Four - Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

 

Favorite Character Name #7:  Daemon Black - Obsidian (Lux, #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

 

Favorite Character Name #8:  Ever Van Ruysdael - Ever (Ever, #1) by Jessa Russo

 

BOOK ONE in The EVER Trilogy

Seventeen-year-old Ever’s love life has been on hold for the past two years. She’s secretly in love with her best friend Frankie, and he’s completely oblivious.

Of course, it doesn't help that he’s dead, and waking up to his ghost every day has made moving on nearly impossible.

Frustrated and desperate for something real, Ever finds herself falling for her hot new neighbor Toby. His relaxed confidence is irresistible, and not just Ever knows it. But falling for Toby comes with a price that throws Ever’s life into a whirlwind of chaos and drama. More than hearts are on the line, and more than Ever will suffer.

Some girls lose their hearts to love.

Some girls lose their minds.

Ever Van Ruysdael could lose her soul.

 

Favorite Character Name #9:  Morpheus - Splintered (Splintered, #1) by A.G. Howard

 

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

 

Favorite Character Name #10:  Ronan - Isle of Night (The Watchers, #1) by Veronica Wolff

 

Is life offering fewer and fewer options? Then join the dead.

When Annelise meets dark and seductive Ronan, he promises her a new life-if she has the courage to chance the unknown. Now, she's whisked away to a mysterious island and pitted against other female recruits to become a Watcher-girls who are partnered with vampires and assist them in their missions. To survive and become a Watcher, Annelise has to beat out every other girl, but she's determined to do so, because to fail doesn't mean dishonor-it means death.

Countdown: October 2013 (4)

I've been excited to feature this month for countdowns for some time now. October is my birthday month, so I always look forward to seeing what books are going to be hitting the shelves throughout the thirty-one days that make up this calendar month. It's never a bad idea to have my birthday wish list ready for friends and family to draw from right? I've also always been a big fan of Halloween and getting dressed up and celebrating and marking the day with all the good fun that comes with it...and don't even get me started on pumpkin carving. The competition is pretty steep in my family and I've yet to come out on top, but it is a whole new year, and I'll have plenty of time to try and create a very impressive looking jack-o-lantern that will hopefully put my dad's to shame.

 

Countdown Pick #1:  Allegiant (Divergent, #3) by Veronica Roth (10/22/2013)

 

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

This needs no explanation as to why I added it to my countdown list.  I think pretty much everyone who hasn't been in hiding somewhere knows about this series and has fallen in love with it.  There isn't one person who I've recommended it to, that hasn't come back raving about it and wanting more!  I think it's safe to say that there isn't another book coming out this year that I have been more eager to read.

 

Countdown Pick #2:  Never Fade (The Darkest Minds, #2) by Alexandra Bracken (10/15/2013)

 

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster.

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flash drive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her.

As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

 

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this title and couldn't resist diving right in to see how things picked up after Bracken's series opener, The Darkest Minds.  Since I've already read the book and have a review schedule to go live around the release date, I don't want to say anything that might reveal anything.  All I will say is that this title and series are ones that you should read if you haven't already!

 

Countdown Pick #3:   Waterfell (The Aquarathi, #1) by Amalie Howard (10/29/2013)

 

THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE QUEEN

Nerissa Marin hides among teens in her human form, waiting for the day she can claim her birthright—the undersea kingdom stolen from her the day her father was murdered. Blending in is her best weapon—until her father's betrayer confronts Nerissa and challenges her to a battle to the death on Nerissa's upcoming birthday—the day she comes of age.

Amid danger and the heartbreak of her missing mother, falling for a human boy is the last thing Nerissa should do. But Lo Seavon breaches her defenses and somehow becomes the only person she can count on to help her desperate search for her mother, a prisoner of Nerissa's mortal enemy. Is Lo the linchpin that might win Nerissa back her crown? Or will this mortal boy become the weakness that destroys her?

I think its safe to say that unrequited and star-crossed love stories will be popular forever, and for very good reason.  They're irresistible to someone like me, who loves a good romance, and enjoys the happy endings that come after the pairs have fought so hard to be together.  I'm looking forward to seeing how this one pans out in October.

From Books to Movies

Everyone I'm sure can agree that when you find yourself a book you love you don't want it to end.  Saying goodbye (even knowing you can revisit these pages) to the unique worlds, wonderful characters, etc... is tough.  So I always worry that things will be changed, it can't do the original justice, the castings are never who I pictured, and the list goes on and on.  That's what goes through my head when I hear a favorite book of mine is going to hit the big screen.  But the bottom line though is that its another chance to visit a favorite book and hold on a little big longer.  The book will always win out, but I'm not going to complain about all the YA novels recently picked up for possible movie and TV transitions.  Are you?  Check out some of the potentials I'm looking forward to and let me know what you're counting down to hit the move theaters or TV screens.

Divergent

 

The first in Veronica Roth's trilogy is tentatively scheduled for release on March 21, 2014 so we've got less than a year to go!  Summit Entertainment picked this winner up and put Neil Burger in the director's seat.  He can take credit for films such as Limitless, The Lucky Ones, and The Illusionist for the director's role.  Filming was scheduled to start in April and to last around 60 days, most of which would be in the great city of Chicago.  Fans can look forward to Shailene Woodley as Tris, Theo James as Four, Kate Winslet as Jeanine Matthews, Jai Courtney as Eric and Maggie Q as Tori.  I'm still working out how I feel about the cast and trying to picture it all together, but I'll get there.  If you're not already, start following the movie on Instagram for sneak peek scenes from shooting and more posters like the Dauntless one at the right!

Ender's Game

 

This release will hit the big screens on November 1st in order to take advantage of the holiday ramp up, Summit Entertainment looks to have another potentially huge hit on their hands.  With Gavin Hood directing, you'll know him for X-Men Origins: Wolverine and I was super excited.  Asa Butterfield from Hugo, Abigail Breslin for Little Miss Sunshine and Harrison Ford...need I say more?  I've got my fingers crossed for some awesome visual effects, and with all the action going on throughout these pages, there's a huge potential for this film to be just out of this world...pun intended.  I know I'm also glad that while November might not be right around the corner it gives me plenty of time to FINALLY read this book.  I've been meaning to for so long and for one reason or another I kept pushing it to the side.  Now I have no more excuses left...I hate seeing a movie based on a book before I've ever read the book...bad form in my opinion.  I know I'll want to see this movie as soon as it comes out, so I've got a few months to bump it up on my TBR list and get cracking!  I mean how cool does this movie poster alone look?

 

 

Vampire Academy

 

With a title like Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters I wasn't sure what to think, and decided to hold off on judgement.  We can hope to see this release on Valentine's Day next year thanks to The Weinstein Co. who bought the U.S. rights.  They're more well known for movies with adult themes, like Silver Linings Playbook, but hopefully they're attempting to widen their repertoire and reach the highly popular teen audiences and the rest of us who devour these types of books.  Mark Waters will direct (you might know him from Mean Girls and 500 Days of Summer) and his brother Daniel Waters wrote alongside.  I've been a fan of his work from Heathers and can only hope he hasn't lost his magic touch.  Zoey Deutch, best known for Beautiful Creatures and Ringer will play Rose Hathaway, Danila Kozlovsky is set to play Dimitri Belikov, and Lucy Fry the sweet Lissa Dragomir.  I completely unfamiliar with Danila and Lucy, but the pictures I've seen haven't been far off what I've always pictured in my head so for now I'll hope for the best.  Either way I'm excited to see how this one transitions to the screen since it's been one of my favorite series for a long time.

 



If I Stay

 

How to describe how I feel about this one being made into a movie...it's too hard to put into words.  This is a book that was so moving and haunting that even after finishing the last pages I knew it would stay with me for a long time to come.  So while I know this one has been in and out of production since 2009, I'm still undecided if I'm excited to see it happen for real, or am I okay if it doesn't end up making the cut.  Dakota Fanning was originally slated to play Mia, but now it's said that Chloe Grace Moretz is rumored to have taken the role.  I enjoyed her in Dark Shadows and look forward to her playing Carrie...although I don't think anyone can hold a candle to Sissy Spacek in that role.  I'm hopeful that if R.J. Cutler (from the September Issue) will be in the director's chair that it's got potential...I hope.  I'd be even more optimistic if Gayle Forman herself would be put in a VERY big role as far as contributing to the screen play, etc...because than at least I'd feel some reassurance that they wouldn't stray too far from the masterpiece that she put together.

 

 

Incarceron

 

Amber Entertainment snagged the rights to Catherine Fischer's YA series and is helping to put this movie into motion.  Unfortunately after Fox 2000 dropped the rights to this film in 2012 there hasn't been much new information other than it being picked up and hopefully revamped shortly by Amber Entertainment.  There were rumors that Taylor Lautner and Emma Watson were going to be filling in the roles for the main characters, but those can now be classified as just that...rumors...or at least for the time being.  I've got no problem with Lautner, but honestly I can't see him in the role of Finn, so part of me hopes that whoever ends up playing this part will feel more right to fit the mold of the character I've got pictured in my head.  Only time will tell.

 



 

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

 





If the cast and the screenplay turn out as good as they've got the potential to, I think all the fans out there for this YA mega hit will be pleased.  With Stuart Beattie in the driver's seat of this screenplay after Universal picked up the rights, I got excited.  He's done great work with Collateral, and 30 Days of Night...a little dark, but I think a book like this will need someone who can tap into material like that.  And to top it all off we've got Joe Roth producing as of right now.  If you guys haven't seen Snow White and the Huntsman, or The Great and Powerful Oz, both of which are two of his masterpieces, get on that immediately.  I've got to admit that I'm feeling optimistic when it comes to this book hitting the big screen.  For some reason or another I can actually picture what it could be like, I can see the potential and hopefully with a great team, which they've already started putting together, a great cast will soon follow!

The Selection

 

Now we've ventured into the TV screens with this one.  Kiera Cass' hit series seems to know no bounds.  With the recent release of this series' sequel, The Elite, fans just can't seem to get enough.  The CW has a pilot for this series set to come out this year, still not sure when, but you know what that means....we've got no guarantees that it will keep coming back until the pilot and maybe the first couple episodes (if we're lucky) do well.  Only after receiving great ratings and all that other jazz that goes into deciding whether or not to keep a show gets factored in will we know if we'll see this baby stick around.  I took a look at the cast they have on IMDB.com and I'll admit that I'm wary.  I'm not sure how I feel about the people listed so far, all I can say is that just from their head shots...they're not at all what I was picturing for the characters they're slated to play...like....at all!  But they've got Alex Graves directing, and one of my favorite shows ever, The West Wing, is on his resume and that's all the endorsement I needed to put my absolute faith that he'll work his magic and do the best that can be done!

The Mortal Instruments

 

There was no way I was leaving this one off the list, but of course I wanted to save it for last.  With this baby hitting the big screen next month, I know everyone is just on the edge of their seat to see what awesomeness will translate into the movie theaters across the country.  The trailers alone just put a smile on my face because honestly, from what I've seen so far...they're nailing it!  At least all except for the casting of Jace...I'm not saying he won't do a great job, he's just not at all what I had pictured in my head...but that's my problem, lol.  With this being the first in the world-wide bestselling series, there's a ton of pressure on just about every aspect of this film, but I'm rooting for everyone to pull it off!  By leaps and bounds, so far my favorite casting decisions were found with Magnus Bane and Valentine Morgenstern...perfection in my opinion!  Perfection!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like More/Less Than I Actually Did

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish.  This feature was crated because they're particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish (and who isn't?).  They're all about creating new lists including a little bit of everything and I've been meaning to participate for so long but always seemed to get behind.  I've decided that's going to chance in the new year.  So here we are and hopefully you'll head over to their page and check out what everyone else put up for this week's Top Ten.

This was how my year kind of went.  There were more titles I read than normal that I wasn't sure about but thought I'd give them a shot anyways and was pleasantly surprised with what I found.  Here are a few of the books I'm talking about.

Surprise #1:  A Breath of Eyre (Unbound, #1) by Eve Marie Mont

In this stunning, imaginative novel, Eve Marie Mont transports her modern-day heroine into the life of Jane Eyre to create a mesmerizing story of love, longing, and finding your place in the world... Emma Townsend has always believed in stories-the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates. Perhaps it's because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn't come close to filling the void left by her mother's death. And her only romantic prospect-apart from a crush on her English teacher-is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma's confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre...

Reading of Jane's isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane's body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she's never known-and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane's story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own...

I was never a huge fan of Bronte's classic so I wasn't all that optimistic about this spin on the original but I was wrong.  Mont brought new life and light to a book I fear I may have misjudged.

Surprise #2:  Obsidian (Lux, #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy Internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don't kill him first, that is.

Who would have thought aliens could be sexy?  Not me, but I was wrong again.  I enjoyed this series opener so much I rushed to get the next two installments and I'm not waiting on the fourth to hit the shelves.

Surprise #3:  Ariel (The Ariel Saga, #1) by Aaron Patterson

All Airel ever wanted was to be normal, to disappear into the crowd. But bloodlines can produce surprises, like an incredible ability to heal. Then there’s Michael Alexander, the new guy in school, who is impossibly gorgeous…and captivated by her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she can hear the sound of pages turning, and another, older story being written. It is the story of an ancient family, of great warriors, of the Sword of Light, and the struggle against an evil so terrible, so far-reaching, that it threatens everything. Airel knew change would be an inevitable part of life. But can she hold on when murder and darkness begin to close in and take away everything she loves? Will she have what it takes when the truth is finally revealed?

Unfortunately I just couldn't get into this one.  I was super excited to start and was never able to keep that feeling going.  I'm not sure if it was the material or possibly just a reading funk that I fell into.  I'm considering going back to this one and trying to start over from scratch to see if I get a different result the second time around.

Surprise #4:  The Wrap-Up List by Steven Arnston

In this modern-day suburban town, one percent of all fatalities come about in the most peculiar way. Deaths—eight-foot-tall, silver-gray creatures—send a letter (“Dear So-and-So, your days are numbered”) to whomever is chosen for a departure, telling them to wrap up their lives and do the things they always wanted to do before they have to “depart.” When sixteen-year-old Gabriela receives her notice, she is, of course devastated. Will she kiss her crush Sylvester before it’s too late?

Friendship, first love, and fantasy artfully mesh in this magically realistic world that ultimately celebrates life.

Very skeptical to read about eight feet death escorts and wasn't sure I'd be able to take it seriously.  I was wrong and so glad to be. Arnston proved to be witty and fun and his story reflected all that and more.

Surprise #5:  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place. 

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. 

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune--and remarkable power--to whoever can unlock them. 

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved--that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig. 

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle. 

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt--among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life--and love--in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape. 

A world at stake. 
A quest for the ultimate prize. 
Are you ready?

I was asked to read and review this one long after it's release date and had never heard of it before that request.  For those reasons alone I didn't set the bar high but it blew my mind how quickly and how much I ended up enjoying this one.

Surprise #6:  Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Had seen the cover image around the blogosphere from time to time but never paid much attention to it.  Thank goodness I got my act together because now it's in my top five favorites of all time!

Surprise #7:  A Witch In Winter by Ruth Warburton

Anna Winterson doesn't know she's a witch and would probably mock you for believing in magic, but after moving to the small town of Winter with her father, she learns more than she ever wanted to about power. When Anna meets Seth, she is smitten, but when she enchants him to love her, she unwittingly amplifies a deadly conflict between two witch clans and splits her own heart in two. She wants to love Seth, to let him love her – but if it is her magic that's controlling his passion, then she is as monstrous as the witch clan who are trying to use her amazing powers for their own gain.

Although a perfect fit for the paranormal romance genre, A WITCH IN WINTER avoids fangs, excessive body hair and submissive female leads, and tells the heart-wrenching story of a couple meant to be together, but being forced apart. Seth is utterly irresistible and Anna is an empowered, proactive young woman with unimaginable magic inside her. This is fast-paced, sensuous writing with believable incantations inspired by Warburton's research into witchcraft legend and old English.

Can't explain it but this book and I just didn't click for some reason so I admitted defeat and raised the white flag about half way through.  I try not to ever do that because I honestly don't think it's fair and have read plenty of books that started out slower than I'd have liked but really picked up after the half way point.  But this time around I just didn't expect that to happen for me and this read.

Surprise #8:  Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Restless souls and empty hearts

Brooklyn can't sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca, died only a year ago, and now her friend Gabe has just died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca visiting her dreams.

Nico can't stop. He's always running, trying to escape the pain of losing his brother, Lucca. But when Lucca's ghost begins leaving messages, telling Nico to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.

As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest.

When I found out it was written in prose I cringed...literally.  But it didn't even take me the first couple of pages to know this would change my opinion of this style of writing and it did.  It was my first experience with Schroeder's work, but after falling in love with her writing I wasn't going to stop there, and now pick up everything of hers that hits the shelves.

Surprise #9:  The Forest of Hands and Teeth (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #1) by Carrie Ryan

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

Zombies are just not for me I guess.  Everyone seems to rave about this book and series so I was excited to start and then later let down when I didn't fly through the pages like I thought I would.  I think this time around though it was more a case of the expectations were set very high and possibly unrealistically.

Surprise #10:  Song of the Moon (Artemis Lupine, #1) by Catherine Banks

What if you found out that there was another world inside your own? What if all of the things you thought made you weird, actually made you powerful? 

Artemis's life is changed forever when the mysterious man from her dreams, Ares, comes to claim her as his mate. The seventeen year old girl must find a way to adapt to her true life and accept her fate or run from it. She must overcome her fears and human ideals to give her self to the dangerous world, and man, that is her destiny.

I judge the book by it's cover and figured it would be a bust to be honest.  But once again I was wrong and so glad to be!  I love this series and can't wait to read more from Catherine Banks.