Love and Relativity by Rachael Wade: My Thoughts

Love and Relativity by Rachael Wade
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow! I liked this one so much I read it twice in a row! The author's note in the beginning of Love and Relativity instructs readers to first listen to the song "The Story" by Brandi Carlile before continuing further (the song being the inspiration for this story). I'm glad I was obedient! Not only was I introduced to a very talented musician (love the song!), I was able to understand the motives of the characters and why they did the things they did.

Emma Pierce and Jackson Taylor are one of my new favorite couples (I should make a list...). There are couples like Katy and Daemon (are mentioned in this story since some characters are reading JLA books...so cool!,) who bicker all the time and light each other (and readers) on fire. Then you have couples like Angel and Sara (Forever Mine-Moreno Brothers) who are so stinkin cute and sweet to each other you know they will be together forever. Emma and Jackson are a blend of both which made for a very sweet and moving story- dramatic but not unrealistic. The events and actions of the characters were believable and tasteful. There were a few times tho that I really wanted to smack Jackson upside the head for some decisions he made. I made allowances for Emma considering what she was dealing with but yeah, she could be a bit slow at times. Still, I love them both and if there was a possibility of their story continuing, I would read it in a heartbeat!

Full of love and heartbreak, betrayal and loyalty, and wrongs and forgiveness, Love and Relativity is a beautiful read that any New Adult lover is sure to enjoy. Happy reading!^.^

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Gamers by Thomas K. Carpenter: My Thoughts

Gamers by Thomas K. Carpenter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tron meets Scott Westerfeld's world of Uglies and has a blast!

Most virtual gaming stories follow the same script: people's minds are hooked up to machines while their bodies lay still and useless (think Matrix or Total Recall). Carpenter takes things to a whole new level; like upgrading from Wii to Xbox Kinect kind of level. Sitting on your butt (getting strikes in bowling just by flicking your wrist) will get you nowhere in LifeGame...unless you count 'dead' as a place to get to. Guaranteed? Not quite. That's the problem. No one knows where the losers of LifeGame go and through a chaotic and thrilling course of events, our MC Gabby is determined to find out.

Extremely creative and thoroughly entertaining, Gamers is a sure hit for science fiction and dystopian fans alike. With detailed world building and a steady pace, readers are able to immerse themselves in Carpenter's universe and hang on for the ride until the end...which is NOT the end. Thank goodness because I would not have been happy. That said, I very much recommend this book and have added the sequel, Frags, to my TBR pile. I usually do not recap or summarize a book since the authors/publishers have their own but reading some people's reviews, it seems the printed 'blurb' was not enough to pique their interest or that the story is very different than what is implied. For this reason, I have come up with a summary/blurb of my own, including a couple quotes and my two cents. Ahem:

Gabby's world is earth with a virtual layer; everything you see may or may not be real. Confusing huh?

Normally, the games painted over the objects that were already there. This one had painted over the whole world so she couldn't actually see what was there. Gabby had the sudden feeling that she was about to run into a wall and had to steel herself to take the next step.

Thomas Carpenter. Gamers (Kindle Locations 1841-1843). Thomas Carpenter.

Having the knowledge that you are blind doesn't make it any less unsettling. So what are they not seeing and why?

Day and night, Gabby is subjected to endless games to defeat and earn points. Points determine a persons' intelligence and usefulness in society. The education system is specifically geared towards improving one's success in the games.

"The first rule is what can be gamed can be improved. The second rule is that everything can be a game and the last rule is to never look backwards because the past is a game that's already been decided."

Thomas Carpenter. Gamers (Kindle Locations 99-100). Thomas Carpenter.

School is fueled by competition which makes for shallow and fake friendships. Having one true friend, Gabby will do anything to keep Zaela by her side; even if that means risking everything and hacking into the system to help Zaela stay ahead. After a suspicious and violating request is made by the LifeGame Integrity Engineers (LGIE), Gabby's dreams come to a halt. Enduring interrogations from the school Administrator and her parents, seeing a boy no one else can see, and following a group called the Frags into the unknown, Gabby doesn't know who to believe. As more characters are introduced, doubts of who to trust increase and panicked decisions are sure to be made. When Gabby and friends participate in the "Final Raid" to decide their future careers, she comes to realize that this is so much more than a game. If not played just right, Gabby wont get to live her dream life...or live at all. This is life. Welcome to the Gamers.

That was it. Any thoughts? Well I like it ^.^ I won an e-copy of Gamers through the Library Thing giveaway and spoke my true thoughts...or wrote them...typed them...I posted (there we go!) an honest review. Thank you Mr.Carpenter!

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Furthermore Release!

Happy release day! Furthermore is here and we are all so excited to share it with you.

Buy now for Kindle, Nook

, and Paperback

A first date, a lottery, treachery and deceit. Sometimes fate has other plans. Sometimes there’s more to tell.

In Furthermore, seventeen original stories take you on a journey through worlds here and beyond. From the depths of the earth to the embrace of the sea, your favorite series continue. Prequels, alternative views, and new scenes give readers a chance to experience more than originally told. Including stories from Rebekah Campbell, David Estes, Amber Garr, Karen Amanda Hooper, Stephanie Judice, and Leigh Michael.

The best part? In honor of those who lost the battle and those who continue to fight, all proceeds from this anthology will be donated to cancer research and support.

Find out more about your favorite characters from The Darkness Through the Light Series, The Dwellers Sage, The Syrenka Series, The Leila Marx Novels, The Kindrily Series, Saga of the Setti, and Annabelle’s Story.

And now for some teasers…

“Emily Jenkins, corrupting young men. What would people say?” He tutted at me and as if by magic, I spotted an elderly lady walking along the pavement, scrunching up her nose to stare at us. – Surprise Visitor (The Darkness Through the Light Series)

When I thought I might make her lips too swollen from my rough need of her, I pulled away. Those half-open dark eyes could’ve pulled me into Hell, and I would’ve gladly followed with a stupid smile on my face. - Jeremy’s Heart (Saga of the Setti)

Even when you know it’s the right thing to do, running away from home is never easy. They’re not good people. I can’t stay here anymore. – The Runaway-Tawni’s Story (The Dwellers Saga)

He smiled and my heart melted. One look like that and I second guessed every decision I made. – Rift (The Syrenka Series)

I had to entertain myself somehow, and being around these ridiculous humans made me homesick for a land I left centuries ago. – Human Resources (The Lelia Marx Novels)

This too shall pass. I mentally repeated it over and over, hoping Nathaniel’s injury wasn’t as bad as my crumbling heart made it out to be. – The Sound of Love (The Kindrily Series)

Perhaps the hardest thing to accept about one’s fate is that it can take years to unfold. But when it does, it’s worth every second, every breath, and every dream. – Fate (Annabelle’s Story)

GIVEAWAY TIME

Like what you see? Be sure to enter our giveaway! Win signed paperbacks, ebooks, and swag from all of the authors. Open internationally!

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Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi: My thoughts

So I posted this on Goodreads a bit ago and forgot to post on my blog...well here it is 0.0 Just a little something from my mind (if you would like the summary of the book, please click on picture)...

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kenji is awesome ^.^ He brought some much appreciated comic relief to the last third of the book. My only complaint is that Kenji was not introduced sooner. The dude cracked me up.

"We're here, and it's nighttime. So according to my calculations, we must not have done anything stupid."

There are seriously more funny quotes than that but it all would've been spoilers so yeah...Another character who had a British accent and an electrifying gift (>.<) had me laughing aloud when he said (I really hope this is not considered a spoiler):

"Right then. No touching." Leans in. Lowers his voice. "I have a bit of a problem with that myself, you know. Girls are always talking about electricity in their romance, but none are too happy to actually be electrocuted apparently. Bloody confusing, is what it is."

*snort*Ha! Anywho, I enjoyed the humor in this book and will be reading Unravel Me when it is released in February! I like Adam(well, sorta...he had to grow on me), Waren is a creep, and James is a sweetheart (I had a hard time picturing him as a ten year old with his dialogue...I kept thinking someone younger like around six or so...). What about the other characters (there are actually quite a few different people that have something to say)? I don't have any thought about them yet. I'm excited to see what becomes of everyone. Worth the read ^.^

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