Review of Once Every Never by Lesley Livingston

Title/Author: Once Every Never (Never #1) by Lesley Livingston
Publisher/Date published: Penguin, July 14th 2011
How I got this book: received it as a gift from the lovely Karin, thank you so much!! :D
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Clarinet Reid is a pretty typical teenager.

On the surface.

She's smart, but a bit of a slacker; outgoing, but just a little insecure; not exactly a mischief-maker, but trouble tends to find her wherever she goes.

Also? She unwittingly carries a centuries-old Druid Blood Curse running through her veins.

Now, with a single thoughtless act, what started off as the Summer Vacation in Dullsville suddenly spirals into a deadly race to find a stolen artifact, avert an explosive catastrophe, save a Celtic warrior princess, right a dreadful wrong that happened centuries before Clare was even born, and if there's still time, literally, maybe even get a date.

This is the kind of adventure that happens to a girl once every, never.

Guys, I totally adored Once Every Never and it's killing me that I can't get my hands on the sequel Every Never After!!! I was so lucky that I won Karin's giveaway and she let me pick this one, but now I'm DYING for the next book!!

I loved Clare, but I cannot get over the awful thing that is her full name: Clarinet. I mean, really? REALLY? Who names their daughter Clarinet?? That's just not.. I mean, SERIOUSLY? Ok, I just had to get that out of my system.
Clare is a lovely girl who travels to London with her best friend and meets again the boy who she thought was a nerd, but has in 5 years actually grown into his skin and is REALLY hot now! So I thought it was a bit superficial that's she into him now when she wouldn't give him a second glance the last time they met, but oh well, I was probably this superficial as well when I was 17. But she's a true friend and I feel that she grows as a person throughout this novel and everything that she experiences both in the past and in her own time.

And guys, I especially loved the friendship between Clare and Ali! I mean, these two are true friends and not frenemies, they genuinely look out for each other and are teasing each other, but you can feel the love shine through. And Ali is really smart, which is awesome! So I'm so excited that the next book will have her being the MC, now if only I could get it somewhere...

And the boy! Here's a swoony, smart, HOT nerd! I love that Lesley Livingston let Milo keep all of his nerdy qualities, but just had his looks be more droolworthy than they were 5 years ago. I like the moments when he takes charge. I also loved that he's just such an amazingly good guy! He's ready at a moment's notice to help out his cousin and her friend and I just have hardcore mushy feelings for Milo. He's my kind of guy.

So it was fun and at times heartbreaking to see Clare go back in time and discover what exactly was going on and how something that I thought got a lot of attention at the start (and I was wondering why) was actually relevant to the story. I did think that the 'villain' was a bit silly and he could have definitely been developed better. I could absolutely see this being turned into one of those feel-good movies!

I love that Once Every Never led me to a historical figure I know very little about: Boudicca, and I'm excited to do some research and find out more about her! Reading Once Every Never was a lot of fun with a sweet romance!

My rating: 4,5 stars

Made me crave: spinach salad with avocado

Review of The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Title/Author: The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1) by Graeme Simsion
Publisher/Date published: Simon & Schuster, October 1st 2013
How I got this book: bought it
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical — most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent — and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie — and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

Guys, I LOVED this book! It was so sweet and funny and just such a feel-good book, I was basically smiling pretty much the whole time I was reading it. I love books that make me smile.

Let me tell you first that I also have a lot of love for The Big Bang Theory and Don Tillman reminds me of Sheldon. And I adore Sheldon's quirks. And Don is actually a more friendly version than Sheldon, he's just also stuck in his routine and doesn't know how to deal with people and people don't know how to deal with him. But really, he's a true friend and a wonderful person and I love him. And he says things like 'In order to prevent further violence, I was forced to sit on him.' I snorted at that one.

I loved getting a glimpse into Don's mind, his brilliant mind, and how he has designed his life and the people he leaves his mark on. I loved how he deals with problems and how it gets him into even more trouble, like the one the quote comes from. He was funny without meaning to and I was just amazed by things like his Standardized Meal System and how it does make a lot of sense, but I wouldn't see myself implementing something like it. And then he goes and makes a questionnaire to find his ideal partner. And it's in the back of the book and it was just awesome.

And then there's Rosie, who is everything Don is NOT looking for in a woman: a smoker, late, vegetarian. She barges into his life and disrupts it and it actually turns out to be a perfect fit (ok, nobody really counts this as a spoiler, right?) and I loved them together! They dance and she makes Don step out of his comfort zone and risk his job to help her find her biological father and I think they just bring out the best in each other. And she doesn't try to change him in big ways, but accepts him, but just asks him to try something different. And it works while he stays true to himself.

I just totally loved the crap out of this book, it was smart, sweet and funny and simply amazing. I had never expected to love it this much, but I did and I'm so happy I decided to pick it up! Do yourself a favor and get in on this action, cause it is one of the best books I read in 2014!

My rating: 5+ stars

Review of Willowgrove by Kathleen Peacock

Title/Author: Willowgrove (Hemlock #3) by Kathleen Peacock
Publisher/Date published: Katherine Tegen Books, January 6th 2015
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Willowgrove is Kathleen Peacock's riveting conclusion to the Hemlock trilogy, a dark, romantic, paranormal suspense series that pits friendship against survival, and trust against love.

Ever since Mac's best friend, Amy, was murdered, Hemlock has been a dangerous place. But now that Mac, her boyfriend, Kyle, and Amy's ex, Jason, have investigated a mass breakout from Thornhill, a werewolf "rehabilitation" camp, the danger has only grown. Fear of the infection spreading is now at an all-time high, and anyone with a scar is suspected of being a wolf.

What makes Mac even more afraid, though, are the dark experiments that the warden of Thornhill was performing on wolves in a secret asylum called Willowgrove. Uncovering the truth about what happened may be the only way for Mac to save everyone she loves and end her nightmares for good.

***WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE SERIES***

I remember really enjoying Hemlock when I read it way back when it first came out. I remember thinking how werewolves weren't really my thing, but I was somehow still really liking Hemlock and it had surprised me. But picking up where we left off with that one a couple of weeks ago, first with reading Thornhill and then Hemlock, was a bit disappointing.

I don't mean to say these books were bad, because they're not and I did enjoy the story, but I think I built it up in my head and had all these high expectations that just were not met. Which is probably more my fault than anything the author did. But that's how I experienced this story. Willowgrove is a pretty gloomy read. It's dark and it's a dangerous world for werewolves and their friends/lovers. And it's scary how putting the werewolves in camps and experimenting on them reminds me off what went on during World War II. And you know, considering that we learn HOW werewolves came into existense, it's actually a pretty likely story and I can imagine something like that happening. Though I doubt we'd get werewolves out of it, but hey, who knows.

I like Mac, but not so much that I can see how she has both Kyle and Jason running around risking their lives for her. And a lot of other people as well. I also didn't feel a connection to her, I sometimes didn't understand the choices she made and this made me not be in the story as much as I would have wanted to.

But guys, I know I sound pretty negative and I'm not. Willowgrove and the whole Hemlock series is a decent series. It has some solid writing and an intriguing storyline and it's really something that I enjoyed reading. But I just didn't love it. Not as much as I thought I would. But towards the ending I did find myself wanting to stay awake so I could finish it, just so I'd know how it would end! And there were some dark things that went down in Willowgrove and I was left gaping at some of them, but it was a good ending to the series as a whole.

My rating: 3,5 stars

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Debut Novels For 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by my other blog: The Broke and the Bookish

So it's been a while since I did a TTT on my own blog instead of doing the list or collaborating on it for The Broke and the Bookish! But here goes:

1. The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace: this just sounds like my kind of fantasy and I love the cover and I just expect EPICNESS ok?

2. Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira: following advice from your favourite novels to get the boy you want to fall for you? SOUNDS AWESOME!

3. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard: I am in love with this cover! And I hear good things about it from one of my fantasy loving friends, so I'm definitely in.

4. The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall: a secret society. Racing across Europe. Masked balls. DO I NEED TO GO ON?

5. Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout: I do also read contemporary ;) And this sounds super cute!

6. A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas: a sleeping beauty retelling, OBVIOUSLY I'm in!

7. The Oathbreaker's Shadow by Amy McCulloch: this sounds EPIC and I love the idea of promises bound by knots and it's got a blurb by Robin Hobb, so I'm just gonna read this and hopefully love the crap out of it.

8. The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi: this has the potential to be utterly heartbreaking.

9. One of the Guys by Lisa Aldin: I love a good tomboy story and this sounds like it good make for some good fluffy entertainment and I need this in my life.

10. Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer: a book about friendship and second chances that I think could be really good!

So that's it for me, I just realised that I don't know all that much about debut novels for 2015, any you'd recommend adding to me TBR list?

A Belated Happy New Year and Goals for 2015 and Such

Hi guys! It's been a while. I guess that's kinda been my standard opening for about 6 months now, I've seriously been slacking on blogging.

But: HAPPY NEW YEAR! I know it's a bit late, but not any less heartfelt because of that. I hope all your dreams and goals will be realised this year and just lots of happiness for everyone!

Lookng Back on 2014

Bloggingwise: I completely failed. Especially during the last couple of months. And I would like to blame this on having zero time for blogging, but actually, I've had more time, but just every time I opened up a window to start a post, I was like 'meh' and drawing a blank and then I just got back to either watching one of my series on TV or reading or whatever I'd rather be doing at the moment. So I'm pretty behind on reviews, I have the impressive number of 78 books that still need a review that I've read in the last year. Go big or go home right? ;)
So I have been reading lots of review copies, but failing to post a review still doesn't really make it a success.
Also, I've been failing at commenting on other people's blogs.

Reading: I did pretty well as far as reading goes, I read 142 books in 2014, which is exactly the same number as in 2013 and considering I had 2 whole months off in 2013, I think I did pretty well this year. I've been trying to read more new-to-me authors and I've been looking into somewhat older fantasy books instead of the shiny new releases, because I want to know my favourite genre better and the books that have shaped it. Book club has forced me to step out of my comfort zone a bit at times, which was fun.

Personal Life: 2014 wasn't always an easy year for me, but it was full of good changes.
-We moved to a pretty new house which actually has room for my books and I am now the proud owner of a library, which is AMAZING and I can just sit on the floor of that room for hours and stare at my shelves. It also has a garden, which is just the best thing in the summer. And FLOOR HEATING, which is the best invention EVER as I'm not so cold all the time anymore. I'm just very thankful for my beautiful new home and while moving and selling the apartment we used to live in was pretty stressful, we're very happy with were we are now.

-I decided in February that I wanted to cut back on the hours I work, when it was time for the weekend, I was exhausted and didn't feel like doing stuff other than sit on the couch and I just felt like I didn't have time to do all the other things I love and would generally be a happier person if I worked a day less. And starting in September, I did just that and it's been wonderful. For 3 months, I had every Friday off and it just felt like a mini-vacation every week. I'm now working in the ER and my schedule is crazy, some weeks I work 8-16 hours and other weeks over 70 hours, with night shifts and weekend shifts and just no routine whatsoever in my schedule. But as I sometimes have 5 days in a row off now, I think I can figure it out.

-The boyfriend and I went to Morocco and Rome on vacation and both were amazing in their own way! It was also just nice to get away from everything for a while and just be together and enjoy life.

-I love how blogging has brought me my book club ladies and I'm so thankful to have Daphne, Debby and Mel in my life! These meet-ups once a month are one of my favourite nights of the month and they're just my kind of people. It's wonderful to have fellow book lovers in my life that I get to meet and geek out with and eat yummy food with and at times make a lot of noise with and scare the other restaurant patrons (a Secret Santa gift exchange will do this to you). Love you ladies!

-We got a cat! Our pretty kitty Zoë has been with us since August and she just makes our house a home. I love having her around and cuddling with her and just being a crazy cat mom taking ALL the pictures:

So while I was pretty stressed out a lot of times in 2014, mostly due to stuff related to my residency and the move and things with my family, a lot of good stuff happened and know I'm very blessed to have amazing people in my life and a wonderful home and a job that I love, sometimes it's just hard to actually feel all of that, but I'm getting to the point where I'm more relaxed and can just enjoy it.

Goals for 2015

-Get back to blogging. I've been slacking so much lately and this needs to change. I want to bring my need-review shelf back to below 10 books at all times, so I'll be trying to clear out the ones I still have on it with mini-reviews soon.

-Be a better blogger friend. I've also been failing at reading and commenting on other people's posts and I need to devote more time to being part of the blogosphere again!

-Request less on NetGalley and Edelweiss. I am so bad at control when it comes to hitting that request button on shiny books! But I really need to cut back on these, because of my next goal:

-Read the books I bought myself or received as gifts. I feel guilty when I take the time to read my own books because I have so many review copies and I really shouldn't, because I bought those with my own money or other people bought them for me and also I just want to read them because I was excited enough about them to shove money at a bookseller to get them and how else can I justify having them in my home and buying even more?

-Read some backlisted books besides all the shiny new releases. There's a reason there's so much love for some of those fantasy books that were published years ago and I want in on this.

-Continue/finish series. I'm so bad at actually sticking with a series once I've started it and I have an irrational fear of reading the last book in a series and I want to conquer this.

-Cut a teensy bit back on my book-hoarding tendencies. I have over 600 books that I haven't read that are sitting on my shelves, I think I need to cut back a little on buying them (completely is just not a realistic goal) and especially because I have 25 series that I haven't started the first book from, but I do own the whole series.

-Really live in the moment and not constantly worry about things I need to do or what could go wrong, but really just enjoy the good things while they're happening.

-Read a couple of books that have been turned into series/movies, so I can watch those and get in on the awesome. Also: start watching Downton Abbey. I think this will be a new addiction once I've started it.

For a girl who isn't really into making New Year's resolutions, I think this is a pretty big list ;) What are some of your goals for this year?

Review of Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas

Title/Author: Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas
Publisher/Date published: Harper Teen, December 9th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Top Five Things That Are Ruining Chloe’s Day

5) Working the 6:30 a.m. shift at GoodFoods Market

4) Crashing a cart into a customer’s car right in front of her snarky coworker Sammi

3) Trying to rock the “drowned rat” look after being caught in a snowstorm

2) Making zero progress with her crush, Tyson (see #3)

1) Being accused — along with her fellow teenage employees — of stealing upwards of $10,000

Chloe would rather be anywhere than locked in work jail (aka the break room) with five of her coworkers... even if one of them is Tyson. But if they can band together to clear their names, what looks like a total disaster might just make Chloe’s list of Top Ten Best Moments.

So I heard this was a little like The Breakfast Club before I started reading it and guys, it is and it is totally cute!

It's been a month since I read this and I'm still smiling when I think of Chloe's list-making tendencies, which are AWESOME and seriously, I had so much fun with their weird customer moments cause when I was in high school I worked at our local supermarket and some people have a weird combination of groceries. For real, I could tell you things I have seen that are just weird. Also, people are weird, which is awesome on its own.

I really liked Chloe and loved how she was crushing on Tyson and then I wanted to shake her cause she's not dealing with her diabetes and just I wanted to hug this girl, ok? She's adorable and I see things of myself in her and it was fun. I also liked the other employees, they were a nice set of people, and OMG the home-schooled boy whose name I can't remember was THE BEST. I think he has the biggest heart of the bunch.

I was a bit WTF at their manager making them stay after hours on Christmas Eve when he has zero evidence that one of them has stolen the money, I mean, I would have told our manager just what he could do with his accusations (or rather, I would stare at him menacingly until he got the message) and leave. Seriously, he can't just do that. But as there wouldn't be a story otherwise, I will let it slide just this once.

If you're in for a cute, quick, fun read, then Top Ten Clues You're Clueless is your book. Go forth and have fluffly moments.

My rating: 3,5 stars

Review of Return of the Bad Girl by Codi Gary

Title/Author: Return of the Bad Girl (Rock Canyon Romance #4) by Codi Gary
Publisher/Date published: Avon Impulse, December 30th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

Goodreads summary: Bad girls don't forgive.
Bad girls don't forget.
Bad girls don't fall in love.

Caroline Willis may be known for causing trouble, but she is NOT about to become homeless. So when she learns that her perfect apartment has been double-booked — to a dangerously hot bad boy — Caroline's bad-girl reputation comes out in full force. He may be sexy as sin, but she's not afraid of him... or his panty-melting smile.

Rock Canyon's got room for only one bad attitude — and Gabe Moriarty was here first. Still, starting over means playing it smart, so while sharing his new apartment is less than ideal, it's worth getting his dream business off the ground. Not to mention that it means shacking up with a sexy wild child. Caroline may be giving him the cold shoulder, but Gabe always was good at starting fires...

Caroline vows to keep things professional with Gabe, but as close quarters begin to ignite the sizzling chemistry between them, she's left wondering: Bad boy plus bad girl equals nothing but trouble... right?

I enjoyed Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars, the second book in this series and haven't read the other two yet, but I have to say that I wasn't much a fan of Return of the Bad Girl.

As I'm sitting typing this review, I'm not even all that sure why exactly I finished reading it, because I wasn't all that into the romance. Which is kinda the point of a romance novel, right? I think it might be due to the fact that Return of the Bad Girl has two adorable teeny tiny kittens in it and I'm a sucker for anything feline ever since we got a cat ourselves a couple of months ago. And as I was away from home all week, I craved a cat companion no matter if it was just a fictional one. Or two.

Caroline and Travis have both had a tough past and are both more than a little damaged by it. They both have scars and that feels right considering everything. The one thing that I can't figure out is why there's nothing about Travis' five years in prison in the book. I mean, it's mentioned, but that's it. Nothing about his experiences there, which felt off to me. I mean, that's a big part of your life and it's gonna shape you somehow.

I was wondering why their parents were so sucky, even if Caroline's father comes around after she confesses her big secret to him. She and her father should really learn to communicate better. And while I really liked the small town vibe in Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars, it really annoyed me in Return of the Bad Girl, because everyone was so judgmental and just plain mean. And how are there so many sleazeballs in such a tiny place?

But mostly the problem was that I wasn't feeling it. I wasn't feeling the romance and the drama and was a bit like yeah, maybe you shouldn't be together. Which is not what you want to be thinking when you should be rooting for a couple.

My rating: 1,5 stars