The Sunday Post #20

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

This has been the week of cell phone service issues. Always fun, yes? All of a sudden, for no apparent reason, I have no service at home. Everywhere else I'm golden. At home, no dice. I've talked to AT&T, I've talked to Apple Care, I've gone back to the Apple Store... and it's been a little slice of heaven (note heavy sarcasm) but nothing has changed. I knew there was a reason I've hung on to that old-fashioned thing called a landline! :) 

Tuesday, July 12: On Top Ten Tuesday I shared random facts about me. Most people gasped at my non-coffee drinking status (gasp! are you even human? how do you make it through a day?) and my lack of a sweet tooth (gasp! are you even human? how do you make it through a day? LOL) but it was fun to share. And I had a blast reading random facts from others who participated in TTT. 

Wednesday, July 13: Top 5 Wednesday's topic was books that left me wanting a sequel. I love me a good stand-alone, and yeah sometimes series carry on too long, but still... there are some books/series where I still want more.

 

  

Finished: 

All Broke Down (Rusk University #2) by Cora Carmack

I loved the audiobook re-read of Silas and Dylan's story.

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

This book was featured several times in Jennifer L. Armentrout's The Problem with Forever. It made me curious since I'd never read it as a child. The references to it in TPWF definitely make more sense now.

Current: 

Sweet (Contours of the Heart #3) by Tammara Webber

For some reason I'm not flying through this one like I did with Webber's Easy and Breakable. It's been a week and I'm at about the 65% mark. Still, I'm enjoying Boyce and Pearl's story.

All Played Out (Rusk University #3) by Cora Carmack

My audiobook re-read of the Rusk University series continues.

KINDLE: 

Where One Goes - B.N. Toler

Desperately Seeking Epic - B.N. Toler 

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

You know I want to hear about it! :)

Top 5 Wednesday: I Need a Sequel!

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at GingerReadsLainey.

Click HERE for a complete list of participants and future topics.

We all have them... books that ended and left us wanting and needing more. So this week's Top 5 Wednesday is about the books you wish had sequels. It can be a stand-alone or a series that ended but you still want more. Here are my picks:

THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN

Holly Black

Possibly the only stand-alone I've ever finished and immediately wished for a sequel. The ending was slightly open-ended but as far as I know there are no plans for a sequel. But I need to know what happened to Tana. 

And then there's Gavriel... 

ELEANOR & PARK

Rainbow Rowell

Yeah, I can imagine what Eleanor's postcard to Park said, and yeah, I can imagine a future for them, but I'm desperate to check in on these two precious souls and make sure they're okay.

UGLY LOVE

Colleen Hoover

Oh how I would love to revisit Miles and Tate a few years down the road and see what their life is like now.

I'LL MEET YOU THERE

Heather Demetrios

Josh and Sky's story ended on a hopeful note and was completely satisfying. But I would still like to have more. Their story made a huge impact on me and I continued to think about them long after I finished the book. 

OPPOSITION

Jennifer L. Armentrout

Anyone surprised at this one? :) I always want more Daemon Black in my life. If JLA kept writing I would keep reading. I do not tire of the Lux world. 

Or Daemon Black. 

Did I mention Daemon Black? 

What book (or series) do you wish had a sequel?

Top Ten Tuesday: Who, Me? (Random Facts About Me)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme 

created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday theme is random facts about ourselves. I never get tired of reading random facts about people, or those tags where everyone answers a bunch of random personal questions, so I'll be in heaven checking out all the Top Ten posts today. But before I dash off to immerse myself in random facts about everyone else, here are some random facts about me.

random fact #1

I loathe coffee. Always have. Don't like the taste, don't like the smell. The emphasis placed on coffee and the utter dependency on it makes me equal parts confused and amused. The only time you'll ever see me with a Starbucks cup in hand is when I'm enjoying the occasional chai tea latte (usually iced). But coffee? NEVER.

random fact #2

Next fact is that I have no sweet tooth. None. I can do without chocolate and candy and cake and ice cream... whatever. Very, very rarely I'll have a little something but usually - nope. Does nothing for me and I'd rather have something salty/savory. (Cheese and crackers for the win.)

random fact #3

I looove musical theater. Wicked is a favorite, Mamma Mia is fun... but Phantom... Phantom of the Opera holds a piece of my heart. I am totally enamored of the story and the show and I can totally geek out over it. One of my most surreal moments was sitting in Her Majesty's Theatre in London's West End watching the production of Phantom. Life. Made.

random fact #4

I'm a total morning person. Yes, I'm one of those people. And yes I know it can be a bit obnoxious. But I can't help it. My internal clock has me up and at 'em by 5:15 every morning, pretty much seven days a week. The flipside of this is that by 9 PM I am done. Lights out. See ya in 8 hours or so. I don't know how you night owls do it. 

random fact #5

I always review books *immediately* after finishing them. I'm already starting to formulate my thoughts into a review as I'm closing the book. Buuut, for some reason I've been totally slacking on this lately and it's weirding me out. I'm practically obsessive about reviewing but right now I'm about, um, fifteen books behind. Just thinking about is stressing me out so let's move on...

random fact #6

I am practically phobic when it comes to lizards. Like, lose-my-mind phobic. Unfortunately, here in Florida, the mean little freaks are everywhere so, yeah... I have to deal. 

random fact #7

I've been with the same company for almost 25 years. (Yeah, I started when I was about seven. 😉) For the last 12 of those years I've been the EA to the Board of Directors. I *love* my job. I work for three amazing people that I respect and admire, the atmosphere is usually fairly low-key, and I love what I do.  

random fact #8

So I'm not some child-hating shrew but I've never wanted kids of my own. Ever. I've always known that the motherhood thing was not for me. I love the freedom of picking up and going whenever we want, I love that my home is never messy and always peaceful, I love grown-up vacations and disposable income, and I get to be the star of my own life and not take a supporting role to a little human's needs. 😉 My stance is that to live in my house you must be able to fend for yourself - and that means no pets, no plants, no kids. #sorrynotsorry

random fact #9

I had a planned elopement. It didn't start out that way. But it didn't take long into the planning for me to realize that, while I wanted to be married, I cared nothing about a wedding. So we scrapped the wedding plans, told everyone we were going on vacation, and came back married. That was 17 years ago and I've never regretted doing it our way.

random fact #10

I rarely ever watch TV. On occasion I watch Game of Thrones with my husband but that's the extent of my TV watching. I have zero interest in reality shows (which seems to make up 90% of what's on) and there's nothing I'm interested enough in to follow week after week. I hate feeling tied to the TV. I don't have Netflix, don't own a DVR and I am completely out of the loop with what's on TV and popular. When people start talking about the latest episode of whatever I totally zone out. 💤💤💤

Can you relate to any of these?

Tell me a random fact about you... I wanna know! 😊

The Sunday Post #19

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

Happy weekend! Hope everyone had a great week. The big news here this week is hot, hot, and another big helping of scorching hot. It hit 100 degrees a couple days and it's just so miserable. Oh, and don't forget that lovely Florida humidity. Can we skip to winter, pretty please? But hey, by next weekend it's only going to be 94. Break out the sweaters and jackets!

Yesterday I had lunch with some family I hadn't seen in maybe 10 years and it was a little reunion of sorts. Me, my sisters and my mom got together with my two cousins and aunt (girls lunch!) and had such a great time. I'm so thankful to my cousin for taking the initiative to organize it.

Tuesday, July 5: Where Is The Love?
Top Ten Tuesday's theme was about books we enjoyed but have fewer than 2,000 GoodReads ratings. I was totally surprised at some on my list - and it was interesting to see what made everyone else's lists, too. (I still can't get over The Summer I Found You having less than 2,000 ratings. Ack!)

Wednesday, July 6: On Wednesday I took part in the cover reveal for Long Way Home, the next book in Katie McGarry's Thunder Road series. I adore this series and am so excited for this third book. January 31st seems sooo far away, though! *taps foot impatiently*

Thursday, July 7: I love That's What He Said Thursday's. I mean, any excuse to revisit some swoony quotes from some swoony guys, amiright? This past week it was Grant from Abbi Glines' Rosemary Beach series. Gotta love a guy who is willing to put it all out there and say what he feels. 

Friday, July 8: I got a little ranty in my review for This One Moment. It couldn't be helped. When a book contains not one, not two, but at least three annoying and overused tropes... one must rant. 

 

  

Finished: Swear on This Life by Renee Carlino 

Loved. This. Story.

Trust in Me (Wait for You #1.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

More Cam. Always more Cam.

Current: Sweet (Contours of the Heart #3) by Tammara Webber

Just started this yesterday and I can't wait to really get into it. 

All Broke Down (Rusk University #2) by Cora Carmack

My re-read of the Rusk University series continues - this time on audio. I'm not loving the narration of this one as much as All Lined Up (that one was perfection) but it's still so great to revisit these characters.

PHYSICAL BOOKS:

Up In Flames (Rosemary Beach #13) - Abbi Glines

Dream Chaser - Angie Stanton

Ink & Lies - S.L. Jennings

KINDLE: 

Say You'll Stay - Corinne Michaels

Paper Hearts - Claire Contreras 

Runes - Ednah Walters

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

Fill me in... I'd love to hear!

Review: This One Moment by Stina Lindenblatt

This One Moment by Stina Lindenblatt

Series: Pushing Limits #1

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 5, 2016

Format: e-book

Source: NetGalley

Find it here: GoodReads | Amazon

Synopsis

When Nolan Kincaid skipped town to chase the music career of his dreams, he knew he wouldn’t miss the reminders of his broken family—he wasn’t so sure he could forget the girl he left behind. Now his band is touring nonstop, the recording sessions go all night, and the groupies are crazed. But when he hears that Hailey Wilkins is in trouble, he drops everything.

Hailey thought she’d missed her chance with Nolan. Five years ago, the moment she realized she loved him was the moment he decided to leave. Now, when a brutal assault lands her in the ICU, Nolan flies straight to her bedside, acting like nothing’s changed. What’s a rock star like him doing, canceling shows and risking his record deal, just to nurse an old friend back to health? And why should Hailey believe he’ll stay this time?

With her attacker still at large, Nolan’s ready to rise to the occasion. He knows he let Hailey down once before, but he’s ready to give her everything, heart and soul—and he’ll fight for the chance to prove it.

My Thoughts

Nolan left his hometown five years ago and didn't look back. Or at least he tried not to. While pursuing his music career he never forgot the events that drove him away or the girl he left behind - his best friend Hailey who he'd been in love with for years. News that Hailey has been attacked and is in a coma has him returning to the place he has spent years avoiding. 

Hailey was heartbroken when Nolan left years ago and cut off all contact with her. Now he's back, just for her, but she knows it's only temporary so there's no point in getting attached. As Hailey struggles to remember the attack that left her comatose she also has to fight her feelings for Nolan because nothing can come of it, right?

Anyone who has been around here any length of time knows that my #1 bookish pet peeve is miscommunication - or lack of communication. And This One Moment is riddled with both. I lost track of how many times I wanted to beat my head against the wall - more like beat the characters heads against a wall - each and every time one of them didn't say how they were feeling or what they really meant. Or when one misinterpreted what the other was saying. (Minus 50 stars for my most hated trope.) 

Then there's the ages-old trope of a guy and girl in love but neither will tell the other because they're certain it's one-sided and they can't ruin the friendship. OMG, how many times have we all read this same story? (Minus 25 stars for a totally played-out trope.)

But it's not all about I-love-him/her-but-can-never-have-him/her. No, there's tragedy in Nolan's background concerning his family - only he can't remember the details of that terrible night, only the aftermath. Dissociative amnesia. And then there's Hailey assault that... you guessed it!... she can't remember. You heard me right - both main characters have a form of amnesia and cannot remember pivotal events. Amazing, no? That brings me to the climactic scene where the reason behind Hailey's attack is explained. And here's where the story really jumped the shark. The explanation was so ludicrous, so over the top unbelievable that I had to reread it several times and then read it out loud several times just to see if it made any more sense. (Spoiler alert: it didn't.) (Minus 25 stars for being so far-fetched that it blew any believability to smithereens.)

By my calculations we're now at -100 stars so you may be wondering why my rating is 2.5 stars. Here's why: I really liked these characters. Despite their issues, I genuinely liked Nolan and Hailey and wanted good things for them. Hailey was strong and independent and selfless. Nolan was kind and loving and protective without being a caveman. It's too bad their story was mired down by over the top drama.

2.5/5 Stars 

How do you feel about over the top drama and far-fetched plots?

Are you willing to go with it... or is it a deal-breaker?