Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Books Before I Became A Blogger

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.

I know it sounds silly, but it was hard to remember the titles I read before I started this blog outside of the classics and school assigned mandatory books.  I've fallen in love with the blogosphere and forget easily that I've only been at this for a few years now.

Favorite Pre-Blog Book #1:  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's witty comedy of manners--one of the most popular novels of all time--that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing-room intrigues. Renowned literary critic and historian George Saintsbury in 1894 declared it the "most perfect, the most characteristic, the most eminently quintessential of its author's works," and Eudora Welty in the twntieth century described it as "irresistible and as nearly flawless as any fiction could be."

It was the first book I fell head over heels in love with.  I'm aware that it makes me a horrible cliche, but Austen's writing was just ahead of her time and her characters feel like family members after so many re-reads.

Favorite Book Pre-Blog #2:  Twlight (Twilight, #1) by Stephanie Myers

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife-between desire and danger.Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.

A series for YA that I think shocked the system.  Harry Potter may have been adult friendly but still fell more into MG and so this series I think did a lot for showing everyone that great series can be found within the YA literature world and are ripe for the reading.  I also have to say that I think this series had a lot to do with the fact that now we're all lucky enough to see so many more YA books being turned into movies, who isn't excited about that?

Favorite Book Pre-Blog #3:  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1) by C.S. Lewis

When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy took their first steps into the world behind the magic wardrobe, little do they realise what adventures are about to unfold. And as the story of Narnia begins to unfold, so to does a classic tale that has enchanted readers of all ages for over half a century.

My dad read this and the rest of the series to me before bed for so long when I was little.  The witch terrified me, but this series and most especially this book really bring back great memories for me and even after all these years any time I see a copy or hear about the series I can't help but smile and think back to the good story times we had.

Favorite Book Pre-Blog #4:  The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) by Suzanne Collins

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. 

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. 

If she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

I later reviewed the series as a whole once the blog was up and running but I thank Collins for getting me excited about the dystopian genre.

Favorite Book Pre-Blog #5:  I Do, But I Don't (Crandell Sisters, #1) by Cara Lockwood

"She creates perfect days."In spite of her incorrigible curly hair, Lauren Crandell is a neat-freak and organizational guru, qualities that make her the perfect wedding planner. But when two weddings in one day go haywire, and hunky firefighter Nick Corona comes to the rescue -- twice -- Lauren realizes there are a few important details in her own life she hasn't been tending to since her divorce. Namely, her sex life.

"She lives lonely nights."

Sweet and sexy Nick seems hell-bent on fanning the flames between them, and Lauren definitely feels sparks flying. But she's scrambling to plan nuptials for her most challenging client yet -- a beautiful, cunning, and certifiable Psycho Bride. With the big day rapidly approaching, a series of misunderstandings, mishaps, and mistaken identities threatens to ruin not one, but two happily ever afters. But with her career and her love life on the line, the wedding planner just might learn that you can't plan "everything, " least of all true love.

Not YA but a hilarious read.  Its one of the first books I can actually remember laughing out loud at points while I was reading.

Favorite Book Pre-Blog #6:  Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

This Victorian bestseller, along with Braddon's other famous novel, Aurora Floyd, established her as the main rival of the master of the sensational novel, Wilkie Collins. A protest against the passive, insipid 19th-century heroine, Lady Audley was described by one critic of the time as "high-strung, full of passion, purpose, and movement." Her crime (the secret of the title) is shown to threaten the apparently respectable middle-class world of Victorian England.

A requirement for one of my literature classes in college and the mystery throughout the pages made the chore of mandatory reading under a very small time frame completely tolerable.

Favorite Book Pre-Blog #7:  P.S. I Love You by Cecila Ahern

A novel about holding on, letting go, and learning to love again.

Now in paperback, the endearing novel that captured readers' hearts and introduced a fresh new voice in women's fiction Cecelia Ahern.

Holly couldn't live without her husband Gerry, until the day she had to. They were the kind of young couple who could finish each other's sentences. When Gerry succumbs to a terminal illness and dies, 30-year-old Holly is set adrift, unable to pick up the pieces. But with the help of a series of letters her husband left her before he died and a little nudging from an eccentric assortment of family and friends, she learns to laugh, overcome her fears, and discover a world she never knew existed.

The kind of enchanting novel with cross-generational appeal that comes along once in a great while, PS, I Love You is a captivating love letter to the world!

Saw the movie before I knew it was a book.  Couldn't believe I did that so I decided to check the book out anyways and discovered, not surprisingly that I enjoyed it more than the movie.

Favorite Book Pre-Blog #8:  The Shack by Wm. Paul Young

Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his "Great Sadness," Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

If you've read this one you'll understand that it never leaves you.  I can't recommend it enough whether you're religious or not, it's a book worth taking the time to check out and see what's it all about.

Favorite Book Pre-Blog #9:  I'll Be Seeing You by Mary Higgins Clark

The murdered woman could have been her double. When reporter Meghan Collins sees the sheet-wrapped corpse in a New York City hospital, she feels as if she's staring into her own face. And Meghan has troubles enough already without this bizarre experience. Nine months ago, her much-loved father's car spun off a New York bridge. Now, investigators are saying that there's no trace of his car in the river, and they suspect he faked his own death. With frightening speed, links start to appear between Meghan's father and her dead lookalike. Meghan may be in danger herself, but she's determined to find the truth to the mystery. In a nightmare journey spiraling from New York to Connecticut to Arizona, Meghan finds that the truth can sometimes be deadly.

She's a machine and a staple in the literary world.  With so many books to choose from (and I did read a lot of them) I loved them all.  With her soap opera style of flashing from one scene and character to another...love it!

Favorite Book Pre-Blog #10:  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He's never worn a Cloak of Invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny cupboard under the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in ten years.

But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter.

Has anyone not read this series?

Countdown: September 2013

It's the month of beginnings...or at least that's how I've always looked at it.  It's a month when many schools open again and the new terms start.  For me at the job I currently work at it was the beginning of my contract and marks the time every year when modifications need to be made and changes get implemented.  It's also a great month for new reads.  It seems that Summer comes with a lot of great titles but I think a lot of September reads get passed over or overlooked because of all the craziness that tends to go on during this month.  Here are a few titles I've got my eye on that are releasing this September, and I'm sure you'll want to add them to your lists as well.

Countdown Pick #1:  The Coldest Girl In Coldtown by Holly Black (09/17/2013)

COLDTOWN WAS DANGEROUS, TANA KNEW. A GLAMOROUS CAGE, A PRISON FOR THE DAMNED AND ANYONE WHO WANTED TO PARTY WITH THEM.

Tana lived in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown's gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

Black's previous series have won her a spot in my opinion as a great author and one that's capable of taking readers on adventures their imaginations would never have thought to conjure up.  I can't wait to see what she has in store for her readers this time around.

Countdown Pick #2:  Thin Space by Jody Casella (09/10/2013)

Ever since the car accident that killed his twin brother, Marshall Windsor has been consumed with guilt and crippled by secrets of that fateful night. He has only one chance to make amends, to right his wrongs and set things right. He must find a Thin Space—a mythical point where the barrier between this world and the next is thin enough for a person to step through to the other side. 

But, when a new girl moves into the house next door, the same house Marsh is sure holds a thin space, she may be the key—or the unraveling of all his secrets.

As they get closer to finding a thin space—and closer to each other—Marsh must decide once and for all how far he’s willing to go to right the wrongs of the living…and the dead.

Goodreads has got a contest going on until the 30th for your chance to win one of 5 ARCs that they're giving away.  So hurry on over to the giveaway now and see if you'll be one of the lucky winners!

Countdown Pick #3:  The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman (09/10/2013)

They called it the killing day. Twelve people dead, all in the space of a few hours. Five murderers: neighbors, relatives, friends. All of them so normal. All of them seemingly harmless. All of them now dead by their own hand . . . except one. And that one has no answers to offer the shattered town. She doesn't even know why she killed—or whether she'll do it again.

Something is waking in the sleepy town of Oleander's, Kansas—something dark and hungry that lives in the flat earth and the open sky, in the vengeful hearts of upstanding citizens. As the town begins its descent into blood and madness, five survivors of the killing day are the only ones who can stop Oleander from destroying itself. Jule, the outsider at war with the world; West, the golden boy at war with himself; Daniel, desperate for a different life; Cass, who's not sure she deserves a life at all; and Ellie, who believes in sacrifice, fate, and in evil. Ellie, who always goes too far. They have nothing in common. They have nothing left to lose. And they have no way out. Which means they have no choice but to stand and fight, to face the darkness in their town—and in themselves.

In My Mailbox (88)

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:

Saved At Sunrise (Shadow Falls, #4.5) by C.C. Hunter (Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin)

Nestled deep in the woods, Shadow Falls is a secret camp where teens with supernatural powers learn to harness their abilities and live in the normal world.  But Shadow Falls is facing a problem that could finally expose them to the rest of the world.  Humans are showing up dead, and rogue vampires may be to blame. 

Camp resident Della Tsang, who’s still coming into her own vampire powers, is assigned to help find those responsible. If she succeeds, maybe she’ll even land her dream job: working for the F.R.U., the enforcers of the supernatural world.  But when she sees that her new partner is a hunky shapeshifter, things get complicated.  Steve, too gorgeous to be trusted and capable of seeing through her tough-as-nails exterior, knows just how to get under her skin.  And only hours into the mission, Della realizes rogue vampires aren’t the only threat she’s facing. If she’s ever going to complete her assignment, she’ll need his help…but learning to trust him will be her hardest challenge yet.

The Collector (Dante Walker, #1) by Victoria Scott (Thanks to Entangled Teen)

He makes good girls...bad. 

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

Books and Nail Polish

So today I've gotten myself a day off of work and it's a packed one at that.  My very best friend is getting married tomorrow and we've got a full schedule for the whole weekend.  Normally I wouldn't post this kind of non-book related kind of thing, but while she was making decisions and planning her wedding down to the last detail, one of the items on her list was what she wanted her bridal party to do with their nails.  It might sound silly but every last detail needs to be considered when it comes to your big day and she only asked that the girls where a neutral like polish on their hands so everything would blend well together.

This is not my first rodeo so to speak and when it comes to all these requests it's like second nature.  So I went through my polishes and found one I thought would be just right.  And guess what it's called??  Essie always has the cutest names for their polishes and when I came across this one I fell in love with not only the color but the name it went by:  Vanity Fairest!

The color's great and a very barely there healthy hue that any girl could wear, and the fact that it's been given a bookish title had me falling in love right there on the spot.  So cross your fingers that everything goes smoothly from the rehearsal and dinner to follow tonight as well as the big day!

Have a great weekend and as always Happy Reading!!!

Countdown: August 2013

August is always a little bittersweet for most of us because it means that Summer is wrapping up and coming to a close.  While I might not get my summers off like I used to in school I still get a little sad that the season is almost over, but also sometimes very excited that my favorite time of year, Fall is right around the corner. I most definitely am going to try to squeeze in one last weekend at the beach in August so that I can soak up all the sun and outdoor activities while I still can before it's time to put away my shorts and change them out for jeans and boots.  One thing that helps are the new and future releases that are scheduled to hit the shelves this time of year and the selection is totally great this year.  So many titles to choose from and I'm going to do my best to get in as much reading as I can while the weather is still warm.

Countdown Pick #1:  The Dark Between by Sonia Gensler (08/27/2013)

A supernatural romance about the powers that lie in the shadows of the mind, perfect for fans of Sarah Rees Brennan, Alyxandra Harvey, and Libba Bray.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Spiritualism and séances are all the rage—even in the scholarly town of Cambridge, England. While mediums dupe the grief-stricken, a group of local fringe scientists seeks to bridge the gap to the spirit world by investigating the dark corners of the human mind.

Each running from a shadowed past, Kate, Asher, and Elsie take refuge within the walls of Summerfield College. But their peace is soon shattered by the discovery of a dead body nearby. Is this the work of a flesh-and-blood villain, or is something otherworldly at play? This unlikely trio must illuminate what the scientists have not, and open a window to secrets taken to the grave—or risk joining the spirit world themselves. 

Who doesn't love a murder mystery?  And when romance is thrown into the mix that's always an added bonus for any read in my opinion.  Really looking forward to checking this title out.

Countdown Pick #2:  Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block (08/27/2013)

Seventeen-year-old Penelope (Pen) has lost everything—her home, her parents, and her ten-year-old brother. Like a female Odysseus in search of home, she navigates a dark world full of strange creatures, gathers companions and loses them, finds love and loses it, and faces her mortal enemy.

In her signature style, Francesca Lia Block has created a world that is beautiful in its destruction and as frightening as it is lovely. At the helm is Pen, a strong heroine who holds hope and love in her hands and refuses to be defeated.

How great is this cover? So creative and inventive that I had a hard time taking my eyes off of it.  All those details and the colors are perfect!  I'm anxious to see what Block has in store for her writers and so far I'm hearing very good things about this title.

Countdown Pick #3:  Gated by Amy Christine Parker (08/27/2013)

Do the gates keep the unchosen out or the chosen in?

In Mandrodage Meadows, life seems perfect. The members of this isolated suburban community have thrived under Pioneer, the charismatic leader who saved them from their sad, damaged lives. Lyla Hamilton and her parents are original members of the flock. They moved here following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, looking to escape the evil in the world. Now seventeen, Lyla knows certain facts are not to be questioned:

Pioneer is her leader.

Will is her Intended.

The end of the world is near.

Like Noah before him, Pioneer has been told of the imminent destruction of humanity. He says his chosen must arm themselves to fight off the unchosen people, who will surely seek refuge in the compound's underground fortress--the Silo.

Lyla loves her family and friends, but given the choice, she prefers painting to target practice. And lately she'd rather think about a certain boy outside the compound than plan for married life in the Silo with Will. But with the end of days drawing near, she will have to pick up a gun, take a side, and let everyone know where she stands.

First of all, this cover is scaring me like you wouldn't believe.  I'm not sure why it got to me like that, but it's freaking me out for sure.  Despite the cover that will haunt me, I'm loving the sound of this book's description and it sounds like a read I'll be on the edge of my seat with and staying up late into the night to finish.

Countdown Pick #4:  Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Between, #1) by April Genevieve Tucholke (08/20/2013)

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of Gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

A 2013 YA debut that was immediately added to my TBR and DAC list.  How could I not?  I can already see that I'll end up putting myself through sleepless nights due to the creepiness factor that often goes hand in hand with Gothic horror just because I'll want to see what happens with the romance angle.

Countdown Pick #5:  Canary by Rachele Alpine (08/01/2013)

Staying quiet will destroy her, but speaking up will destroy everyone.

Kate Franklin’s life changes for the better when her dad lands a job at Beacon Prep, an elite private school with one of the best basketball teams in the state. She begins to date a player on the team and quickly gets caught up in a world of idolatry and entitlement, learning that there are perks to being an athlete. 

But those perks also come with a price. Another player takes his power too far and Kate is assaulted at a party. Although she knows she should speak out, her dad’s vehemently against it and so, like a canary sent into a mine to test toxicity levels and protect miners, Kate alone breathes the poisonous secrets to protect her dad and the team. The world that Kate was once welcomed into is now her worst enemy, and she must decide whether to stay silent or expose the corruption, destroying her father’s career and bringing down a town’s heroes.

Canary is told in a mix of prose and verse.

Touch choices and decisions for sure, but the hard truths are never going to be easy to deal with.  I know this won't be a pleasant journey to witness but one where supporting the main character hugely!  I hope this debut author found some way for Kate to get a happy ending after everything she's forced to go through.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Characters I'd Crush On If I Were A Fictional Character

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.

Hasn't everyone crushed on a fictional character at one time or another while reading?  If you haven't, I don't know what you're reading, but it couldn't be the same books I read.  No matter the genre, some authors just know how to write a good male lead.  More times than I can count I've put down a book and wished there were more real guys out there like the characters I read about and here are just a few.

Crush #1:  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, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

I think he fit the mentor roll for me.  I loved how he looked out for Tris the whole way through even when it didn't seem like the case.

Crush #2:  Travis Maddox - Walking Disaster (Beautiful, #2) by Jamie McGuire

Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster. Can you love someone too much?
Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

Yep I like a bad boy and he plays the card to a T.  Now I'm saying I crushed on him while he was in boyfriend mode, not while he was sowing his wild oats, pre-Pigeon.  And I also chose to specify the second installment in the series instead of the first because I felt like we got a more a rounded view of who Travis really was in this version with his POV, and I liked him all the better for it.

Crush #3:  Caleb - Significance (Significance, #1) by Shelly Crane

Maggie is a seventeen year old girl who's had a bad year. She was smart and on track, but then her mom left, her dad is depressed, she's graduating - barely - and her boyfriend of almost three years dumped her for a college football scholarship. Lately she thinks life is all about hanging on by a thread and is gripping tight with everything she has.

Then she saves the life of Caleb and instantly knows there's something about him that's intriguing. But things change when they touch, sparks ignite. Literally.

They imprint with each other and she sees their future life together flash before her eyes. She learns that not only is she his soul mate, and can feel his heartbeat in her chest, but there is a whole other world of people with gifts and abilities that she never knew existed. She herself is experiencing supernatural changes unlike anything she's ever felt before and she needs the touch of his skin to survive.

Now, not only has her dad come out of his depression to be a father again, and a pain as well, but Caleb's enemies know he's imprinted and are after Maggie to stop them both from gaining their abilities and take her from him.

Can Caleb save her or will they be forced to live without each other after just finding one another?

He took on the role of a protector so quickly it made me melt.  I get the soul mate factor played a role in that but it was nice to see all the same.  His world shrunk down to making sure the woman he loved was happy and safe and welcomed into his family in a super big way.

Crush #4:  Dylan - Pulse (Pulse, #1) by Patrick Carman

From New York Times bestselling author Patrick Carman, a teen fantasy-adventure of epic proportions. In 2051, some teens have a “pulse,” the power to move objects with their minds. Compulsively readable, with thrilling action scenes and a tender love story.

The year is 2051, and the world is still recognizable. With the help of her mysterious classmate Dylan Gilmore, Faith Daniels discovers that she can move objects with her mind. This telekinetic ability is called a “pulse,” and Dylan has the talent, too.

In riveting action scenes, Faith demonstrates her ability to use her pulse against a group of telekinesis masters so powerful they will flatten their enemies by uprooting street lights, moving boulders, and changing the course of a hurtling hammer so that it becomes a deadly weapon. But even with great talent, the mind—and the heart—can be difficult to control. If Faith wants to join forces with Dylan and save the world, she’ll have to harness the power of both.

Patrick Carman’s Pulse trilogy is a stunning, action-filled triumph about the power of the mind—and the power of love.

He had a full plate and then some.  I think it was his patience and understanding above everything else that struck a cord with me.

Crush #5:  Morpheus - Splintered 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.

This guy was always one step ahead of everyone else.  Cool, calm, and super witty, I couldn't help being drawn in.  He's a charismatic character full of so much energy that just about everyone fell under his spell.

Crush #6:  Valek - Poison Study (Study, #1) by Maria V. Snyder

Choose: A quick death…Or slow poison...

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear...

Unbeatable?  Strong leadership qualities and a guy everyone respects for one reason or another.  His reputation preceded him wherever he went and still somehow his character maintained his confidence without becoming cocky and over impressed with himself.  Now that's attractive!

Crush #7:  Derek - Born At Midnight (Shadow Falls, #1) by C.C. Hunter

Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams, Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart. 

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

The nice guy that I hoped wouldn't finish last.  Not all "nice guys" do it for me but Derek was able to be genuine, sweet, protective, etc...without being a pushover at the same time.  He was honest to a fault and had no problem wearing his heart on his sleeve.  You have to give the guy credit for that.

Crush #8:  Ares - 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.

While he surely had his moments of arrogance and high handedness, it usually came from a good place.  He was the whole package and yeah, there's the whole he turns into a giant wolf thing, but whatever, right?  Authoritative, romantic, patient (most of the time), respected, handsome, etc...his good qualities far outweighed his bad ones.

Crush #9:  Hunter - 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.

An up and comer for sure.  Throughout this book Echols revealed piece by piece new sides of this leading man and I crushed hard.  He was just a guy trying to work his way up in the world because what he wanted more than anything was to better himself and not be stuck in a role just because of where he was born or defined by his financial status.  How can you not love that?

Crush #10:  Rhode - Infinite Days (Vampire Queen, #1) by Rebecca Maizel

“Throughout all my histories, I found no one I loved more than you... no one.”

Those were some of Rhode’s last words to me. The last time he would pronounce his love. The last time I would see his face.

It was the first time in 592 years I could take a breath. Lay in the sun. Taste.

Rhode sacrificed himself so I, Lenah Beaudonte, could be human again. So I could stop the blood lust. 

I never expected to fall in love with someone else that wasn’t Rhode.

But Justin was... daring. Exciting. More beautiful than I could dream.

I never expected to be sixteen again... then again, I never expected my past to come back and haunt me...

Not willing to let his evil nature win out...he proved his love for Lenah by giving his life in order to make her happy and to give her the chance at a new start.  Not many can be so selfless, right?  He didn't just see what was on the outside of things, but looked deeper and was smarter and better for it.  The opening quote in the book's description above, pretty much sums it all up and makes it impossible not to love him and wish he'd jump out of the fictitious pages and join our reality.

Countdown: July 2013 (4)

So July has always marked that middle point for me in the Summer where we're in the thick of it, I'm usually complaining about the heat and seeking shelter anywhere air conditioning can be found at full blast, and hopefully a vacation is in the works to give me a break from reality.  If a vacation hasn't been planned or is still a ways off, I always look to my books to get me through the high temperatures and regret that I no longer get my summers off, all part of being an adult and all that.  Not really what it's cracked up to be....this being responsible and productive bit.  So I'm always on the lookout for reads that I consider mini vacations, breaks from the bump and grind of every day life.  We've got fireworks, good BBQ foods, usually a few parties thrown and good reads all around!

Countdown Pick #1:  In Too Deep by Coert Vorheess (07/2013)

Annie Fleet, master scuba diver and history buff, knows she can’t fight her nerd status as a freshman at her Los Angeles private school. And she doesn’t care—except for the fact that her crush, Josh, thinks she’s more adorable than desirable. Annie is determined to set him straight on their school trip to Mexico. But her teacher has other plans: he needs Annie to help him find Cortez’s lost-long treasure.

Suddenly, Annie finds herself scuba diving in pitch-black waters, jetting to Hawaii with Josh, and hunting for the priceless Golden Jaguar. But Annie and Josh aren’t the only ones lured by the possibility of finding the greatest treasure ever lost at sea. Someone else wants the gold—and needs Annie dead. In deeper danger than she ever imagined, can Annie get the boy and find the Jaguar, or is she in over her head?

Critically-acclaimed author Coert Voorhees delivers breathtaking romance and non-stop action in his newest novel, the spirited and captivating In Too Deep.

Doesn't everyone hate and sympathize when someone ends up in the friend zone for someone they have feelings for?  I can already feel myself rooting for Annie to prove that she's more than just adorable and maybe her crush will eventually see her in a different light, that is if she can get herself out of the trouble she's facing first.

Countdown Pick #2:  OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu (07/23/2013)

When Bea meets Beck, she knows instantly that he's her kind of crazy. Sweet, strong, kinda-messed-up Beck understands her like no one else can. He makes her feel almost normal. He makes her feel like she could fall in love again. 

But despite her feelings for Beck, Bea can't stop thinking about someone else: a guy who is gorgeous and magnetic... and has no idea Bea even exists. But Bea knows a ton about him. She spends a lot of time watching him. She has a journal full of notes. Some might even say she's obsessed. 

Bea tells herself she's got it all under control, but this isn't a choice, it's a compulsion. The truth is, she's breaking down... and she might end up breaking her own heart.

Not sure what to say about this one or how I'm going to feel about the main character and her obsessive ways, but it's worth a shot right?

Countdown Pick #3:  Shadow of the Wolf by Tim Hall (07/04/2013)

So many tales have already been told of Robin Hood. Already he's the hero with a thousand faces. First, forget everything you've heard. Robin was no prince, and he was no dispossessed lord; he didn't fight in the Crusades; he never gave a penny to the poor.

His real name wasn't even Robin Hood. Marian called him that as a kind of joke. Sir Robin of the Hood. A name Robin would cling to when he was losing grip of everything else. Mind you, one thing you've heard is true. He was blind.

No, that's not right. Let me put that another way. Truer to say, Robin Hood didn't see with his eyes. In fact he was the only one who saw clearly in this place of illusion and lies.

The first book of the trilogy, Shadow of the Wolf, is set in Sherwood Forest in medieval England. In it, Tim Hall presents a Robin Hood more heroic and horrific than ever before: a fourteen-year-old, blind, ruthless assassin and elemental creature of the forest, hell-bent on a mission to avenge his father's death and the brutal abduction of his soul mate Marian. It is a breathtakingly original - and utterly compelling - retelling of the Robin Hood legend.

Oh My Goodness!  I can't even put it into words how much I want to read this book!  Why have I not heard of it until now?  The description speaks for itself, but you can bet that I'll be the first one to the store when this book hits the shelves!

Countdown Pick #4:  Dead Jealous by Sharon Jones (07/04/2013)

People think of Mother Nature as a gentle lady. They forget that she's also Death...Sixteen-year-old Poppy St John believes in quantum particles, not tarot cards, in Dawkins, not druids. Last summer, in a boating accident in the Lake District, Poppy had a brush with death. But the girl she finds face down in Scariswater hasn't been so lucky. As she fights to discover the truth behind what she believes is murder, Poppy is forced to concede that people and things are not always what they seem and, slipping ever deeper into a web of lies, jealousy and heart-stopping danger, she comes to realize - too late - that the one thing that can save her has been right there, all the time.

I'm not sure what to think of this one, or even what Poppy will find once she starts looking into the death of the girl she found at the bottom of the lake, but I know I want to read it.  The cover alone has me intrigued and while I'm not sure how Mother Nature plays into everything I'm eager to find out.

Countdown Pick #5:  Bubble World by Carol Snow (07/30/2013)

Freesia’s life is perfect. She lives on the beautiful tropical island of Agalinas, surrounded by idyllic weather, fancy dress shops, and peacocks who sing her favorite song to wake her up in the morning. She has so many outfits she could wear a different one every day for a year and not run out.

Lately things on the island may have been a bit flippy: sudden blackouts, students disappearing, even Freesia’s reflection looking slightly . . . off. But in Freesia’s experience, it’s better not to think about things like that too much.

Unfortunately for her, these signs are more than random blips in the universe. Freesia’s perfect bubble is about to pop.

Not sure what to think of this one especially after checking out the cover.  But after reading some early reviews and opinions on this read people have narrowed it down a bit as to what to expect.  I've been told it's a new take on dystopian literature which I'm all for checking out and while there may have been some predictable parts, it was still worth a read...so it's on the list.