Top Ten Tuesday: Most Recently Added to My TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme 

created by The Broke and the Bookish.

*Clicking the book cover will take you to the GoodReads synopsis

Fuel the Fire - Krista & Becca Ritchie

Nowhere But Here - Katie McGarry

Just a Little Kiss - Renita Pizzitola

Pocketful of Sand - M. Leighton

Fisher's Light - Tara Sivec

What If - Rebecca Donovan

The Last Time We Say Goodbye - Cynthia Hand

After You - Jojo Moyes

Falling Into You - Jasinda Wilder

Falling Kingdoms - Morgan Rhodes

What have you recently added to your TBR? 

I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!

Book Haul: 01

So this book haul (or at least part of it) came about in an interesting way. To start with, I'll tell you about The Car Show Remuneration Act. It came about  a year or so ago. My husband is a "car guy" and he takes part in a lot of car shows - mostly local but sometimes not so local. Even for local shows he's gone pretty much all day. I'm fine with it. He's doing something he enjoys and I have some alone time to do as I please. But my husband decided he needed to do something to "make it up to me." And so was born The Car Show Remuneration Act. There are various levels but what it boils down to is that if he goes to a car show I get a book. :) Ranging from a Kindle version to a trade paperback to a hardcover and (the big one) two hardcovers. All dependent upon whether he gets a trophy, if I go with him, etc. He has quite the formula worked out! So two books from this haul are from recent car shows where he won trophies. Lucky for me he has an awesome car that gets a lot of attention... and a lot of love at the car shows!

The other three books came in a slightly different way. For weeks I've been saying I was going to clean out closet. Needed to be done, but... it was just one of those things I hadn't got around to yet. Last weekend I mentioned it (again) and my husband upped the ante by telling me for every 10 items of clothing I got rid of he'd buy me one book. Color me motivated! Thirty-four items later and my book haul was shaping up!

Beautiful Redemption by Jamie McGuire

I've read Beautiful Disaster, Walking Disaster and A Beautiful Wedding but have yet to start the Maddox Brothers series. I had issues with the Beautiful series , namely melodrama! Plus, Travis obviously had anger and jealousy issues and Abby - could she have been any more hot-cold with Travis? She put the poor guy through the emotional wringer. But I still found myself sucked it. And I enjoyed it enough to want to continue with the Maddox Brothers. I already have Beautiful Oblivion so Beautiful Redemption was next on the list.

Five Ways to Fall by K.A. Tucker

Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker was one of the best books I read last year. It was one of those that take you completely by surprise and are so much more than you were expecting. I'm looking forward to continuing on with the companion novels.

Reckless by S.C. Stephens

Another case of me gathering a entire series/trilogy before I've even read the first book. Reckless is the third book in an ongoing series. 

The Return by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Do I even need to give a reason for this one? I mean, it's Jennifer L. Armentrout, people! :) I adore her writing and will read everything she publishes. The Return is the first book in the Titan series, which is a spin-off from the completed Covenant series. (But can we just talk about the cover for a minute? Ugh, it's hideous! The original was so much better. I can't imagine why they changed it.)

The Days of Anna Madrigal by Armistead Maupin

The final book in the remarkable Tales of the City series. It all started 37 years ago and ends here. These characters feel like old friends and I'll be so sad to say goodbye.

So what was the last book you bought? Tell me in the comments... I'd love to hear!

Sweet by Tammara Webber: Teaser #1

Description

Pre-order on Amazon

I am *so* excited for this one! I've read both Easy and Breakable by 

Tammara Webber and was blown away by her amazing storytelling. 

Easy is from Jacqueline's POV and Breakable is from Lucas's, but Breakable 

is not just a retelling of the events from the first book. It's very much 

Lucas's story - his background and experiences before he met Jacqueline. 

I highly recommend both!

Less than a month to go until Sweet is released. The countdown is on!

Review: The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell

Find at: GoodReads | Amazon

I have a feeling of deja vu or maybe it's more like What the heck happened to one of my favorite authors? Last month it was Saving Grace by Jane Green (who up until recently was an auto-buy author for me). And now Lisa Jewell, as well? What happened to the charm from Thirtynothing and Vince & Joy and 31 Dream Street? Even The Making of Us and The Truth About Melody Browne, while dealing with dealing with more serious subject matter, retained the same warm, likability factor that I have always enjoyed from Jewell. Sadly, it was nowhere to be found here.

The House We Grew Up In is the story of the Bird family. Or, more accurately, the utter breakdown and dissolution of the Bird family. The book spans more than 20 years with a shifting timeline as details and truths are ever so slowly revealed. Layer upon layer is pulled away as the reader learns more about the past while also seeing the destruction of the character's present-day lives. For me, there was no connection with any of these sad and damaged people. The aftermath of a tragic event had ripple effects that continued to lap at their lives for years and years. Each had their own way of coping or, more accurately, not coping and it was this that took the family further and further apart from one another until the gulfs between them all seemed too wide to ever cross.

Not only did I not have any connection to any of the characters, but none were particularly likeable. I have no problem with unlikeable characters but it's difficult to truly invest in the story when you cannot elicit any true empathy for anyone. Each of them made horrible choices and bad decision after bad decision which made much of their drama feel self-created.

The House We Grew Up In deals with themes of grief and guilt and forgiveness and acceptance. A family saga that shows that family ties do not always bind but sometimes fray and fall apart. While this was an interesting look at family dynamics, ultimately it was just too dark for me and I found myself wishing for Jewell's lighter, less heavy handed tone that I have loved in the past.

Review: Kill Devil Hills by Sarah Darlington

I am *so* glad I read Kill Devil Hills! I was in the mood for a quick new adult/contemporary romance and this was a perfect pick.

Georgie has just returned home from a four month stay at a recovery facility after a suicide attempt. And she's still not sure if she regrets her actions.

Maybe holding everything in is part of the reason 

you feel so much pain. 

Noah cannot forget the night he found Georgie near death on the bathroom floor. The experience took her from his best friend's younger sister to someone he can't sop thinking about and has a fierce need to protect.

Maybe she'd always been this fucking adorable, and I'd just been 

the jackass who never bothered to notice. 

What I loved most about Kill Devil Hills is that both Georgie and Noah were such truly likable characters. Yes, they both had issues, but there was no melodrama. And Noah may have had the outward appearance of a bad boy, but there was no bad attitude to go with it. He was sweet and compassionate and protective and loving. Go ahead and swoon... I did.

"Of course I want you like that. But I'm trying to be a gentleman."

"Maybe I don't want you to be a gentleman," she whispered, 

so low I almost missed it." 

While the relationship did develop quickly, it still felt completely realistic. I loved that while there was some hesitation it wasn't long and drawn out. There was no angst here, just two people who found exactly what they needed in each other. Each accepted the other completely and built each other up. I loved that they each made such a positive impact on the others life.

He'd fought for me. 

We barely knew each other and he'd fought for me. 

Georgie didn't return home to a perfect life. She was still dealing with loss and grief and I liked how the author showed that Georgie continued to work on her mental well-being, using what she'd learned at the recovery facility. She also had a best friend and a boyfriend who had never once contacted her during her four month absence. She was forced to face the fact that neither relationship was what it once was or what she even wanted. This was very much a new beginning for Georgie.

Noah had spent so long living by his self-imposed rules of maintaining control and not letting anyone get too close. His past had shaped how was living today but with Georgie he found himself not only able to open up to her, but wanting to let down his walls and share his life with her. I loved that Noah was not the typical angry at the world bad boy, but instead was actually a sensitive man who had done his best to overcome his difficult childhood. I found myself wishing for a little more insight into his childhood/background. Vague references were made early on and he did finally share a little more information, but I still would have liked more.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the secondary characters. None felt cliched or cookie cutter and that was refreshing. I'm already looking forward to reading more about Ellie in the next Kill Devil Hills novel.

There were a few instance when the dialogue didn't quite ring true for me. But overall I loved the ease of the narrative and the way it flowed. And the dual POV was perfect. Being privy to Noah's thoughts as well as Georgie's was priceless.

My only complaint: at just barely 200 pages I was left wanting more of Georgie and Noah and their story.