Book Review: The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

Title: The Book of Ivy (The Book of Ivy #1)
Author: Amy Engel
Published: November 11th, 204
Publisher: Entangled: Teem
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Synopsis: After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual.
This year, it is my turn.
My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my soon-to-be husband—and restore the Westfall family to power.
But Bishop Lattimer is either a very skilled actor or he’s not the cruel, heartless boy my family warned me to expect. He might even be the one person in this world who truly understands me. But there is no escape from my fate. I am the only one who can restore the Westfall legacy.

Because Bishop must die. And I must be the one to kill him…

Book Review: Amour Amour by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Title: Amour Amour
Author: Krista Ritchie & Becca Ritchie
Publication Date: December 11th, 2014
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Synopsis: The best aerial technique won’t land 21-year-old Thora James her dream role in Amour—a sexy new acrobatic show on the Vegas strip. Thora knows she’s out of her element the second she meets Amour’s leading performer. Confident, charming and devilishly captivating, 26-year-old Nikolai Kotova lives up to his nickname as the “God of Russia.”
When Thora unknowingly walks into the crosshairs of Nikolai’s after-show, her audition process begins way too soon. Unprofessional. That’s what Nik calls their “non-existent” relationship. It’s not like Thora can avoid him. For one, they may be partners in the future--acrobatic partners, that is. But getting closer to Nik means diving deeper into sin city and into his dizzying world.
Thora wants to perform with him, but when someone like Nikolai attracts the spotlight wherever he goes—Thora fears that she’s destined to be just background to his spellbinding show.

5 Magical Stars!

Amour Amour Blog Tour --Interview + Giveaway

Hello everyone! Today, the Amour Amour blog tour has a stop here at Bookish Musings and I've got an interview with super authors, Krista & Becca Ritchie! It's my first time interviewing anyone and while I was nervous putting these questions together, I was incredibly excited too! If you know me, you should know I'm obsessed with the Addicted Series and at this point, Krista & Becca are one of my favourite authors that I'd read anything by to be honest. So, while I anxiously await the next book in the Addicted series, I'm glad we've got this stand-alone from the sisters to feed our withdrawals. 

Read on for the interview and then enter their amazing give-away at the end of this post!

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About the Book -Amour Amour

Love is a circus

"Every day,” he says lowly, “I hold a person’s life in my hands. The circus is based one-hundred percent off trust. I give it all to someone, and they give it all to me.”

The best aerial technique won’t land 21-year-old Thora James her dream role in Amour—a sexy new acrobatic show on the Vegas strip. Thora knows she’s out of her element the second she meets Amour’s leading performer. Confident, charming and devilishly captivating, 26-year-old Nikolai Kotova lives up to his nickname as the “God of Russia.”
When Thora unknowingly walks into the crosshairs of Nikolai’s after-show, her audition process begins way too soon. Unprofessional. That’s what Nik calls their “non-existent” relationship. It’s not like Thora can avoid him. For one, they may be partners in the future--acrobatic partners, that is. But getting closer to Nik means diving deeper into sin city and into his dizzying world.
Thora wants to perform with him, but when someone like Nikolai attracts the spotlight wherever he goes—Thora fears that she’s destined to be just background to his spellbinding show.

This sexy and exhilarating New Adult Romance can best be described as Cirque du Soleil meets the steamy, athletic romance of Center Stage.
*standalone & no love triangles—recommended for readers 18+ for mature content* 

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Be sure to check out all the Amour Amour tour stops here.

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Series Review: The Cahill Witch Chronicles

Titles: The Cahill Witch Chronicles -- Born Wicked | Star Cursed | Sisters' Fate
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Purchase: Book Depository | Amazon | Indigo.ca | Barnes&Noble
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Synopsis: Cate Cahill and her sisters are considered too eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship --or an early grave.
Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But she's only got a few weeks left before she must declare her choice between marriage or joining the female version of the Brothers, the Sisterhood.
However, after finding her mother's diary, she discovers that the Cahill girls are in grave danger. They aren't safe -not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood -not even from each other.
5 stars for the entire trilogy

Book Review: One Condition by Nova Raines

Title: One Condition (The Lust List: Kaidan Stone #1)
Author: Nova Raines
Publication Date: November 18th, 2014
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Synopsis: Hayley Wade's rock star dad partied himself into an early grave and left Hayley with a pile of dangerous debt. She plans to pay it off, but her drug-addled father wrote an impossible task into his will: to inherit his wealth, Hayley must steal back a family heirloom he lost to a gold digger. Kaidan Stone grew up surrounded by the world’s biggest stars, but never wanted to be in the limelight. When he makes The Lust List, he becomes America’s newest celebrity obsession overnight. 
After Kaidan saves Hayley from a run-in with the aggressive paparazzi, sparks fly, and she discovers the heirloom is in his California mansion. It’s the answer to all her problems…but she’ll have to betray Kaidan to get it.

November in Review

Reading
During November, I read 11 books. Here's brief thoughts on each. I'm a bit behind on reviews but I'll be doing some major catch up soon.

Addicted After All by Krista & Becca Ritchie ★★★★★  
I finished this on November 1st but I did include it in my October wrap-up. But here it is again.  I don't even need an excuse to talk about the Addicted Series because it's all I do anyways. A fantastic conclusion to Lily & Loren's story that's realistic yet satisfying.
Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan ★★★★
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It's about the family and friendship kind of love more than the romantic kind but it's such a delight anyway. The main character is hard to relate to because she's such a genius but Erin McCahan wrote her in such a way that I understood her and her thought process. In the end, this book totally made me smile.
Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren ★★★★
Another great read! While Sweet Filthy Boy might be my favourite in this series so far, DRT is a close one too. I really am enjoying this series. It's just so fun.
The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin ★★★
I'm still conflicted over this book. I think there's a huge part of me that's not satisfied but at the same time, I do love these characters and Michelle's writing. I think for now, I'm satisfied with the first two books in this series and I'll just not acknowledge this one until I have a better idea of how I feel.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman ★★★★★
Just One Year by Gayle Forman ★★★★★  
Just One Night by Gayle Forman ★★★★
I adore this series from start to finish. I'm going to be doing a full review of the series soon! There's such a great feel to this story and it's one of the best tales  about discovering yourself. Really, really a great read.

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter ★★★
At the time I was reading it, I was quite addicted to this book. Upon finishing it however, I didn't have a great urge to pick up the sequel right-away. That may be because I didn't really feel any sort of connection to the characters but it was a good read.
Everneath by Brodi Ashton ★★★
Again, it was quite addictive. I was so intrigued and mesmerized but I didn't feel any sort of overwhelming love by the end. The ending was quite emotional though and I cried, quite a bit.

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood ★★★★★
Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood ★★★★★
The Cahill Witch Chronicles is absolutely one of my new all-time favourites I can assure you. I'm reading the last book currently, and then I'll be doing a full series review. These two books were so so good! I don't understand why everyone hasn't read them yet. Heartbreaking romance, amazing sister relations, female empowerment undertones and females who take charge. Can't recommend it enough.

Watching
The list of shows to watch decreased because some were cancelled, and some I no longer had the energy to invest time in.

HTGAWM was fantastic. That finale blew my mind. I eagerly await its return so it can continue to blow my mind and so Alfie Enoch & Jack Falahee can be back on my tv screen.
The 100 continues to set new standards for cinematography and writing. Season 2 has already wrecked me in so many ways. Some of the best plot lines and characer development on tv I can confidently say.
Jane The Virgin provided me with weekly doses of cuteness. It's so fantastic and well-written. Jane and Rafael get my heart beating.
Arrow & The Flash continue to be brilliant.
The Mindy Project has really let me down this season though and I don't really feel like watching it.
Watched only 2 movies this month. Big Hero 6 & Mockingjay. Big Hero 6 was so cute and emotional. Truly wonderful. I think overall, it's a movie about dealing with gried and overcoming it and I think Disney handled it wonderfully. When it comes to Mockingjay, I can agree that it was powerful and moving. But I think they could have easily made the movie in 1 part instead of 2. Truth be told, nothing really happened in the movie but you could argue it set up the next.

That's all for November. I can't believe the end of the year is almost upon us already! I'm going to be blogging more often in January as I get some important tasks done with. Let me know if you guys had a favourite read or movie/tv show during November.

Anticipated 2015 YA Debuts

I know, I know. 2015 is less than two months away and I'm just being a pain reminding you of this fact. I've still got tons of books on my TBR for this year and I'm already thinking ahead.
Apart from all the sequels that obviously come out next year, there's also many new series/stand-alones by debut authors coming out. I love debut authors because there's always the possibility that one of them will become my new favourite author. So I thought I should talk about some anticipated Young Adult releases of 2015 by new authors that are already getting a lot of buzz in the book community and who've got intriguing premise. (Also, fun fact: basically everything is being marketed as a mix of Game of Thrones or Hunger Games)
I only chose 6 this time but believe me, my list is HUGE. Maybe I'll make this a series.

Red Queen (Red Queen Trilogy) by Victoria Aveyard is already one of the most anticipated and talked about releases of 2015. It's being published by Orion and releasing February 25th, It's marketed as "for fans of Divergent and The Hunger Games" but at this point, what isn't? Some readers have said it's Graceling meets The Selection but also similar to Red Rising? Others say "a high fantasy X-men dystopian". I don't know what to believe. You can check out the synopsis on goodreads but it doesn't reveal much to be honest. So I'm just excited to read this because of the rave reviews and that killer cover. I get tingles just looking at it.

My Heart and Other Blackholes by Jasmine Warga sounds like the book that will wreck me wholeheartedly. It deals with suicide but reviewers say that it does so in a sensitive yet humorous and hopeful way. Releasing February 10th by Harper Collins/Balzer+Bray, the novel is said to "perfect for fans of Jay Asher and Laurie Halse Anderson." After glimpsing through the wonderful reviews adn the 5-star ratings, I'm definitely adding this one to my must-read list.

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera is described as a unique confrontation of race, class and sexuality. I've been following Adam's reviews on goodreads for a while now and he seems like the coolest person. More Happy Than Not is pitched as the YA Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and follows a 16-year-old boy growing up in the Bronx. Check out the synopsis on goodreads because it does sound pretty incredible. It releases June 16th and is being published by Soho Teen. 

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir hasn't even been released yet, and Paramount has signed a 7 figure deal for movie production rights. Maggie Steifvater even says it, "This one will be popular". Wow, if that wasn't a lot to take in already! An Ember in the Ashes is said to have hints of ancient Rome and Hunger Games-like elements while someone else said Romeo and Juliet meets Game of Thrones. Sounds like a wonderful mix of dystopian, roman elements and fantasy. I'm excited for this because all I see are rave reviews. Seriously. I'm pretty it's going to be a series even though it's not mentioned on goodreads yet. Mark it on your calenders for April 28th, publishing via Razorbill. 

The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall sounds like it was written for me. I'm a huge fan of Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series and this sounds like everything and more I've ever wanted. Putnam Juvenile is releasing it January 13th and I think I'll pre-order it already. It just sounds really fun; A fast-paced international escapade, laced with adrenaline, glamour, and romance. I'm so excited! You can read the first 4 chapters already if you wish to here.

Vendetta(Blood for Blood) by Catherine Doyle didn't capture me in the synopsis right away but then a review mentioned it being Vampire Diaries meets The Godfather meets The Raven Boys. And I went and re-read the synopsis. WOW. I'm so intrigued!? It sounds so twisty and dark. Okay, so 1)there's 5 brothers, 2)rivalry between two families & 3)forbidden love. I want it all. Releases very very early 2015 so that's good news. It's being published by Chicken House Ltd. and releases January 1st, 2015.

Top 10 Books I Want to Re-Read

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic: Top Ten Books I want to Reread

I don't get a chance to reread as much as I like to. Usually if I do reread it's because I'm refreshing myself before a sequel or something. So these books are some that I would like to reread if I ever got the chance.

Monthly Recap: October 2014

I won't be redundant and say that I can't believe it's November already... but I guess I just did.

5 Reasons I love The Addicted Series

I didn't sign up for the Addicted After All promo tour cause I'm a noob who was swarmed in school work. But I had been thinking about this post for a while now, and with the release date for Addicted After All incredibly close, I thought I should share the reasons I love these books so much.

1. Lily Calloway

I haven't read any books with a female protagonist who's a sex addict before. Lily is a quiet and reserved person who's very shy so even there, she's not the stereotypical portrayal of a "sex addict" female we've come to expect. She's addicted to the high that comes with sex and the power she's associated with it. Lily's journey is no walk in the park -a realistic portrayal to dealing with any kind of addiction, which is why I still appreciate this series. She didn't just wake up one day and "get better". But without any spoilers, let's just say I'm incredibly proud of where she has ended up now.
A female sex addict also brings up great topics of debate like slut shaming and themes of feminism which are all portrayed wonderfully across the series in my opinion.

2. Krista & Becca
Krista and Becca recently just graduated from college themselves and so they're writing these characters as how real life early 20s adults actually are. I appreciate that Krista and Becca choose to challenge their characters and they showcase that these are flawed human beings who do have redeeming qualities -just like in real life! I really do think of them as super twins. As Hazel Grace says, frankly I'd even read their grocery lists at this point.
Stalking them on twitter and tumblr have become second nature to me at this point. Not to mention their pinterest.

3. The "TV Show" like feel

If dreams really do come true, then one of my biggest wishes would be to see this series as a television series. Each book really plays out like a season or an arc would on TV.
The Addicted Series can be compared to shows like Gossip Girl but tbh, that show became such a mess later. However, the elite world and clash with pop culture really does warrant the comparison.

4. The ROMANCE 
Okay, so there's three different romantic couples and story lines in the whole series if you do read the spin-offs (which you should!).

Lily and Lo's love story is emotional, raw and heart-(breaking/warming). They've enabled each others' respective addictions their whole life so the turn around is quite the rough journey. I cry just thinking about them.

Connor and Rose are side characters within Lily & Lo's books but they take center stage in Kiss the Sky and I'm sorry but I can't talk about them cause they're like THE OTP. Just know that they're both king and queen of my heart and the whole world tbh.
Ryke and Daisy are so dear to my heart because you see their relationship develop of the years and they don't actually become a couple until Hothouse Flower so I'd say A+ to KB for the development on this. Plus, they're just the horniest cutest ever.

5. The Characters

I just can't begin to describe how much I love these characters. At this point, I feel like they're so real that I almost look for Fizz products when I'm at the grocery store. 

The Calloway sisters are female characters that I love to read about and as a feminist, I endorse them wholeheartedly. They stick up for one another and they definitely understand that family always comes before everything else. Lily and Rose especially, have come so far in their relation. Daisy, even despite being the youngest, is loved by her sisters so much. 

I love the relation between Ryke and Lo. Ryke's patience when it comes to him and his love... just make me cry why don't you.

Then there's Connor Cobalt. I won't say much cause I did a whole freaking character spotlight on him. Aside from his brilliance and charm, his relation with all the gang makes me cry too. 

     His love for Rose. #Coballoway4life

     His bromance with Lo.

     His banter with Ryke. (Sometimes not so playful)

     His patience and caring attitude towards Lily.

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Go catch up before Addicted After All releases in like 2-ish days!!

Links:

Addicted Series Goodreads

Addicted to You Amazon

Addicted to You Kobo

Book Review: Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren

Title: Sweet Filthy Boy (Wild Seasons #1)
Author: Christina Lauren
Published: May 13th, 2014
Publisher: Gallery Books
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Synopsis: Mia Holland just graduated from college and is leaving for business school in the fall much to her father's pleasure but her despair. Her best friends, Lola & Harlow convince her to have fun for one weekend in Las Vegas.
Ansel Guillaume, a gorgeous French attorney, is also in Las Vegas with his friends, Finn & Oliver.
Ansel and Mia lose themselves in each other for one night, but their vegas hook up ends up in Mia making the wildest decision of  her life: she follows Ansel -her sweet, filthy fling -to France for the summer.

“I want to love all of my life as much as I love this night.”

I pretty much thought this book was close to perfect from start to finish. The only thing I might have been unhappy about was how I wanted more, more, and more about Mia & Ansel even after the end. Sweet, Filthy Boy starts off like several contemporary romances, with a hook-up in Vegas and a night that's kinda hard to recall because the character's were so drunk. Don't worry! It gets way way better! What happens in Vegas does not end up staying in Vegas because Mia ends up in France with Ansel for the summer!
Mia and Ansel are amazing together and reading about their journey as they tried to fit into each other's lives (set in the romantic backdrop of Paris!) made me so giddy. 

Book Review: Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Title: Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms #1)
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Published: January 1st 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
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Purchase: Amazon | Chapters | Audible | Book Depository | Barnes&Noble
Synopsis: In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. Centuries long hard-won peace between the three kingdoms; Limeros, Paelsia and Auronos is disturbed. The contrasting lives of four young individuals -Cleo, Jonas, Magnus and Lucia -gives us three different stories which intertwine to form one.
Falling Kingdoms is the first book in a six-part series.




My Rating on Goodreads: 5/5 for amazing plot, complex characters and nail-biting moments.

Series Review: Spirals of Bliss by Nina Lane

Title: Spiral of Bliss Series
Book 1: Arouse [Amazon, Kobo] Still FREE on both platforms! 
Book 2: Allure [Amazon, Kobo]
Book 3: Awaken [Amazon, Kobo]

Character Spotlight: Connor Cobalt

This feature was inspired by Jennifer's blog The Fluttering Heart Book Nest.
She features one male and female protagonist per month and basically fangirls over them. I couldn't resist joining in the fun. All credits to her for coming up with this post idea.

Today, I've chosen to spotlight the brilliant & charming Connor Cobalt 

(Quote from Kiss the Sky by Krista & Becca Ritchie)

Review: The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan

Title: The Hook Up (Game On #1)

Author: Kristen Callihan
Published: September 8th, 2014
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Purchase: Amazon | Kobo 

Synopsis: The rules: no kissing on the mouth, no staying the night, no telling anyone, and above all… No falling in love.

Anna Jones and Drew Baylor meet in their history of philosophy class. She has no interest in football; he's the star quarterback. And despite their attraction to each other, Anna uses their differences to keep them apart. Until the hook up. 

Ugh, I know what you're thinking. That cover.... Yes, I hate it too. But it is the only thing I do hate about this book. Take away the cover, and you have a perfect, swoon-worthy, addictive read. 

If you enjoy college setting New Adult books without the overly tragic backstory trope, you'll love this!

Review: The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Title: The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1)

Author: Mary E. Pearson
Published: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: Henry Holt - macmillan
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Purchase: Amazon | Chapters | Book Depository

Synopsis: The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.
On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive--and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her.
"The Kiss of Deception "is the first book in Mary E. Pearson's Remnant Chronicles.

One of my favourite female protagonists and brilliant writing execution