WWW Wednesday #14 | July 11, 2018

WWW Wednesdays is a meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

Just answer three questions and share what you're reading.

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

    

 I'm at the 85% mark of The Simple Wild and I am so invested in these character's lives. I got a little emotional while reading last night *wipes away tears* and I'm getting really concerned about how the story will end. 

WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

 I finished The Impossibility of Us last week and it was such a great read. Even better than Upperman's first novel, Kissing Max Holden, which I thoroughly enjoyed. My review won't post until July 30th, in conjunction with the blog tour, but *spoiler alert* I loved it. :)  

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'LL READ NEXT?

          

I have no idea what I'll read next.
I'm not even sure what I feel like picking up so that leaves it wide open. 
I'm considering a couple options: 
The Raging Ones (a sci-fi ARC from my favorite writing duo)
Steadfast (#2 in the True North series)
Siege & Storm (#2 in the Grisha trilogy).
The Mistake (#2 in the Off Campus series)
Do we see a theme here? That perhaps I have a lot of series started? :) 
Which book should I read next?

What are you currently reading?
I wanna know! :)

Review: The One You Can't Forget by Roni Loren

The One You Can't Forget by Roni Loren

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: June 5, 2018

Format: eARC

Source: Sourcebooks and Edelweiss

Find it here: GoodReads

Most days Rebecca Lindt feels like an imposter...

The world admires her as a survivor. But that impression would crumble if people knew her secret. She didn't deserve to be the one who got away. But nothing can change the past, so she's thrown herself into her work. She can't dwell if she never slows down.

Wes Garrett is trying to get back on his feet after losing his dream restaurant, his money, and half his damn mind in a vicious divorce. But when he intervenes in a mugging and saves Rebecca―the attorney who helped his ex ruin him―his simple life gets complicated.

Their attraction is inconvenient and neither wants more than a fling. But when Rebecca's secret is put at risk, both discover they could lose everything, including what they never realized they needed: each other.

Rebecca works hard – both at her job and at putting up a façade. She appears to be a woman who has it all together and is in total control. In reality, Rebecca is still gripped by horror of a school shooting twelve years ago.

At work, she was the aggressive, confident lawyer. To her father’s friends, she was the studious, obedient daughter. To her friends, she was the practical, unemotional one. She was all those things and none of them, but those masks gave her a comfortable place to settle, a role she knew how to play.

Wes is a man who hit the bottom and is on the road to redemption. A talented chef who lost his restaurant in a bitter divorce, he’s now teaching an after-school cooking class for at-risk teens. Now sober, Wes is concentrating on starting over and rebuilding his life. A life that does not include the divorce attorney who helped strip him of all that he’d worked for.

Outwardly, Rebecca and Wes had nothing in common. But from a chance meeting, to a no-strings-attached affair, to a relationship that neither of them was looking for, I loved seeing these two characters come together. I appreciated how they slowly began to count on one another, become ingrained in each other’s lives, and provide the support and acceptance that they both needed so badly.

She hadn’t expected all the other sides to him. The mentor who had endless patience for troubled kids. The friend who held her after a panic attack and didn’t interrogate her about it. And the man who hadn’t been scared to tell her how he was feeling about what was going on between them.

In addition to Wes and Rebecca’s stories, there is a sub-plot concerning one of Wes’s students that took me by surprise and added such an emotional punch.

This second book in Loren’s latest series can be read as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend also reading The Ones Who Got Away. You don’t want to miss any part of this outstanding series. 

4/5 STARS

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is no way changes my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

The Sunday Post #112

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's a chance to share news - a post to recap the past week on your blog, 

showcase books and things we have received, and share news about what is

coming up on your blog in the week ahead. You can find the info here:

Sunday Post Meme

I haven't done a Sunday Post since mid-June and it feels good to be getting back to my regular schedule.

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who left such kind and supportive messages on the post about my father last week. Every single one was much appreciated. Thank you.

Have y'all seen the YA Title Generator? Epic Reads came up with it (as a promo for The Loneliest Girl in the Universe) and the results are so funny. Apparently my YA adventure title would be: The Friendliest Pirate in the Mansion. Sounds like some bizarre children's book. LOL What's your title?

  

Monday, July 2
Saying Goodbye: My Father

Tuesday, July 3
Top Ten Tuesday: Red, White & Blue Edition

Wednesday, July 4
WWW Wednesday #13

Friday, July 6
June Wrap-Up + Currently Reading

WHAT I FINISHED IN THE LAST WEEK:

       

The Impossibility of Us - Katy Upperman

Katy's second novel was even better than her first. I loved this story of total acceptance and sticking to what you believe in the face of obstacles.

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING: 

 The Simple Wild - K.A. Tucker 

I'm only about 15% in to this one but already enjoying it. Tucker has an amazing way of making me feel an emotional connection to her stories from the very start.

    

PHYSICAL BOOKS:

Roomies - Christina Lauren

KINDLE BOOKS:

The Smallest Part - Amy Harmon

eARCS FOR REVIEW:

Everything Under the Sun - Jessica Redmerski

How was your week? Any new books? Any news to share? 

I'd love to hear about it!

June Wrap-Up + Currently Reading

June was not a great month - reading or otherwise. 

And considering that I read only 5 books, there's not really enough to choose from to do my usual monthly Best In Books. But I still want to share what I read (because that's what we do, right? 😊) so here's a quick wrap-up of what I read in June.

  PURE (COVENANT #2) - JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT

3.75 STARS

It pains me to say, because it's JLA, but I'm still liking-not-loving the Covenant series. And it basically comes down to main character Alex. She continues to be reckless and impulsive, often putting herself and others at risk. And she acts like a brat around any authority figure. I love Seth, but Alex is pretty annoying. 

ONE SMALL THING - ERIN WATT

4.25 STARS

My favorite book of the month. I completely fell for Beth and Chase's stories - both separately and together. My heart hurt at the judgment and cruelty shown by others and for the pain it caused Beth and Chase. Beth was so relatable, sometimes self-absorbed, sometimes self-aware. And Chase broke my heart again and again, for the pain he'd caused, for the guilt he lived with, and for his hard-won wisdom. I didn't want this one to end.

THE FRAGILE ORDINARY - SAMANTHA YOUNG

3.25 STARS

I might have liked this one better had I not read it immediately after One Small Thing. But because I read them back to back, and because they are both YA contemporaries, I found myself constantly comparing them. Comet was a relatable character but I was never truly invested in the story. Likewise, Tobias was likable, and yet I never felt the connection between he and Comet. This was a nice enough story of a girl finding her own voice, but wasn't particularly memorable. 

TILL DEATH - JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT

4 STARS

I needed something different after two YA novels in a row (well, three counting Pure). And JLA's romantic suspense totally hit the spot. Till Death isn't going to win any literary awards but it was pure entertainment. I loved the mystery and suspense, I was totally on-board for the romance, and the story kept me turning pages because I had to know what was going to happen. Really enjoyed this one.  

THE BOY & HIS RIBBON (RIBBON DUET #1) - PEPPER WINTERS

4 STARS (??)

I finished this one almost two weeks ago and I'm still not quite sure what I think. I'm not sure if it was just the book, or if my state of mind at the time had something to do with it, but I honestly don't know how to sort out my feelings for this dark and angsty tale. There were elements that required suspension of disbelief, and at times it felt overly long... but at the same time I was completely enthralled by the story and by the evolution of Ren and Della's relationship. I adored Ren's maturity and selflessness and sacrifice and I'm anxious to continue with the next book. 

CURRENTLY READING

   

I love me some K.A. Tucker and her latest comes out in early August. I'm excited to be diving into this one!

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK IN JUNE?

WWW Wednesday #13 | July 4, 2018

WWW Wednesdays is a meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

Just answer three questions and share what you're reading.

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

    

 Still reading The Impossibility of Us. Yes it's been about 8 days now but there's been a lot going on and I've barely been reading the last two weeks. I really am enjoying Elise's story, and Mati is so gentle and precious. 

WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

 The last thing I finished was The Boy & His Ribbon (June 21). Bad time to read something rather dark and angsty and I think it put me in a bit of a reading slump.

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'LL READ NEXT?

        

Not totally sure what I'll pick up next but some escapism sounds pretty good. So I might just set aside my contemporaries for something a little different. I'm considering a couple options: The Raging Ones (sci-fi), Deity (#3 in the Covenant series), or Brave (final book in the Wicked trilogy). 

What are you currently reading?
I wanna know! :)