Sunday Post #21 ~ Almost Spring...Break!

As y'all probably all know, the Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba @Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share my news from the week whether it be book, blog, or just life news. 

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I'm run ragged, y'all. ;) Between running the kids to high school musical pit orchestra (Berk), indoor percussion (Berk & Jax), attending book club,  and participating in reading and blogging and exercising challenges...I'm feeling winded. LOL This coming week, my MIL and Sky are both arriving so there will be frantic cleaning going on here. But I'm really looking forward to the visit!

Since I'm only getting ONE Sunday Post a month posted, I'm going to list books that made big impressions - positive or negative. :) So in the past month these books affected me: Red Rising by Pierce Brown, Bounty by Kristen Ashley, and Beauty from Pain of Georgia Cates all get the highest marks. Currently, I'm beta reading for Michelle Mankin and well as reading Rises the Night by Colleen Gleason. And in my ears is Your Irresistible Love by Layla Hagen.  

How is March treating y'all so far?!? :) 

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I have made it through the first 2 months of 2017 without having spent a penny on a book! Woohoo! I did acquired a couple of books that were FREE and by authors I've been wanting to read. Oh, and a boxset that was free and continued a series.

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2017 Challenges

#COYER Blackout - I finished up COYER having read 13 books

#2017NewRelease - 9 books

#2017HW - 2 (The Female of the Species is this month's assignment)

#Audiobook Challenge - 5 book
#authorluv - none yet

#BloggerShame - 4 book

Read All the Books - 2

#ShelfLove - 18books

My TBR List ~ March ~ Polling is Open!

My To-Be Read List is a meme hosted by Michelle @Because Reading. I think it's a fabulous idea because it gets y'all in the game and it helps me knock off some of the many, many books on my TBR list. You're more than welcome to join in the fun! I've included the basic rules below but you can click on the graphic above to hop over to Michelle's site where you can find all the details. 

Here's how it works:
On the first Saturday of each month, I will make a post with three books from my TBR List (these books can be already on your ereader or bookshelf OR books you might want to purchase) and add your link on the linky that will be provided on Michelle's post. Y'ALL will help me choose which book I will read next. The following Saturday, I will announce which book won. Then the last Saturday of the month, I'll post my review.

Fun, right?!?

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I'm continuing my quest, and working at one of my Bookish Resolutions to catch up on series (since I'm behind in 148 series) I'm once again having y'all decide which series I'm going to work at catching up on this month! :D

FYI, this will be my theme all year. And since I'm letting random.org choose from the list of series I'm behind in, you might see books show up more than once. ;)


Your Choices Are:


Embraced by Darkness
Riley Jenson #5

Synopsis
She's hunting a killer--and shattering every boundary she's ever known...

Part vamp, part werewolf, Riley Jenson plays by her own rules, whether it's her stormy love life or her job as a guardian. But when her family's alpha male demands that she solve the mystery of a vanished girl, Riley can feel a trap closing in around her. Because the job comes with a catch: if Riley fails, her own mother will die.

Now the stakes are raised, the hunt is on...and when more women vanish, Riley is caught between a lover who demands that she give up her work, a serial killer who knows no boundaries, and a club where humans and supernaturals mix--at their own peril. Thrust into a realm of seduction and violence unlike any she could have imagined, Riley has to battle to save everything she holds dear. But the ultimate hunt has only just begun...



The Duchess War
Brothers Sinister #1
(I started this series with #0.5, The Governess Affair)

Synopsis
Sometimes love is an accident.

Time time, it's a strategy.

Miss Minerva Lane is a quiet, bespectacled wallflower, and she wants to keep it that way. After all, the last time she was the center of attention, it ended badly--so badly that she changed her name to escape her scandalous past. Wallflowers may not be the prettiest of blooms, but at least they don't get trampled. So when a handsome duke comes to town, the last thing she wants is his attention.

But that is precisely what she gets.

Because Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, is not fooled. When Minnie figures out what he's up to, he realizes there is more to her than her spectacles and her quiet ways. And he's determined to lay her every secret bare before she can discover his. But this time, one shy miss may prove to be more than his match...




Crash into You
Pushing the Limits #3

Synopsis
The girl with straight A's and the perfect life--that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy family...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker - a guy she has no business even talking to. But after the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

The last thing Isaiah needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks. But when their shared love of street racing puts their lives in jeopardy, Isaiah and Rachel will have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.



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Review ~ Dare You To ~ Katie McGarry #BloggerShame, #COYER, #ShelfLove

Dare You To by Katie McGarry
Pushing the Limits #2
Release Date: May 28, 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley. I voluntarily provided a review.
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #BloggerShame, #COYER, #ShelfLove
Goodreads

Synopsis
Ryan lowers his lips to my eat. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to  touch me again...

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does...

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock -with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams - and his life - for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone too close is daring herself to want it all...

I cannot believe I let this languish, y'all. I'd totally forgotten I had it but I'm oh so glad I found it!

As a parent, Beth's story as well as Ryan's, broke my heart. I was a teen once (yeah, a looong time ago but still) and I remember how difficult is was - trying to figure out who you are and to define your place in the world. I'm watching my own children experiencing it. That neither Beth nor Ryan had the support behind them to make these decisions and help the transition to adulthood - yeah, heartbreaking. Things should have been looking up for Beth when her uncle took custody of her but she felt the weight of responsibility for her addict of a mother - something no child should ever have to endure. On top of that, she'd been removed from her normal and Beth has learned, the hard way, to never depend on anyone.

Enter Ryan. The perfect jock boy with the perfect life. He offers Beth a hand - okay, so it started as a dare - but Beth knows the score and that boys like him don't fall for girls like her. But Ryan's life isn't as perfect as it looks from the outside. His brother left and his parents barely speak. And his father has Ryan's life planned for him - nevermind it might not be what Ryan wants.

Watching as these two learn to trust and depend on each other was touching. Ryan had to work hard at chipping away Beth's wall. They both grew emotionally and figured out a few things about themselves in the process.

One trope I'm not fond of in YA is bad/neglectful/absentee parents but McGarry does it well, making the story so realistic and riveting. I felt for Beth and Ryan - understood where they were both coming from, and I wanted to hug them both as well as applaud their decisions and growth.

McGarry also built a great supporting cast and I enjoyed getting to see Noah and Echo again. I'm also eager to see some of the cast get their own story. I don't have the next in the series hiding, unfortunately, but I will be continuing this series soon. It's one I know my library carries. :)

Release Day Review ~ Rescued by the Wolf ~ Kristal Hollis (@KristalHollis) #201NewRelease

Rescued by the Wolf by Kristal Hollis
Wahyas of Walker's Run #2
Release Date: March 1, 2017
Genre: Adult, Paranormal Romance
Source: I received an ARC from the author. This did not affect my rating and I voluntarily provided a review.
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #2017NewRelease, Goodreads
Goodreads

Synopsis
She's not afraid to run with his wolf.

When a poacher killed his mate, Rafe Wyatt lost his future. While the Wahyas of Walker's Run have been pulling him back from the brink, he's certain he won't have another chance at love. That is, until Grace comes to town.

Grace Olsen is a woman without roots. That's exactly how she likes it, until a sojourn in a small, close-knit Appalachian community gives her a new vision of what home could be--and so does Rafe. He was supposed to be nothing more than a casual lover, just as wary of commitment as she is. When their raw attraction becomes something deeper, more complex, they could be looking at a new future together. But someone close to them both would rather see Grace dead than let her be with the man--and the wolf--she's grown to love.

I just might have enjoyed book #2 more than #1! Rescued by the Wolf employed two of my favorite tropes - that of the couple being adamantly opposed to becoming a couple AND second chance at romance. In this case, Rafe was more opposed while Grace would happily accept some no-strings sex. *wink* But the heart wants what the heart wants - and in Rafe's case, his wolf was in on the deal - so these two didn't stand a chance.

Both Grace and Rafe have suffered in past relationships. Both were married previously, both suffered traumatic loss. Therefore, neither is very keen on getting involved again. But an accident one night throws them into each others' paths. So, Rafe is Wahya and belongs to the Walker's Run pack, having been adopted by Doc when his own pack was wiped out. He was a little wild, almost feral, but has done a remarkable job of taming himself. Grace lives in the moment. I loved this about her - and Rafe did too. But she grew up a military kid, never able to put down roots. The closest she's come is her long-standing friendship with Cassie. Rafe and Grace are all wrong for one another and yet, so right.

Besides the romance, which was so compelling, there's an element of suspense created by some bitter feelings against Rafe. This only compounded my enjoyment of the story, giving the story that much more depth. I also enjoyed seeing pack dynamics, the loyalty among the members, as well as how this community of wolf shifters ensconces itself in a human community, there humans none-the-wiser. I also delighted in spending time with Brice and Cassie, the couple from Awakened by the Wolf, book #1. Brice and Rafe are best friends and Cassie and Grace are as well. This made for a sweet dynamic between the four, as Cassie and Brice look forward to the birth of their first child - something Grace and Rafe are involved in as godparents - but also revel in playing matchmakers with their respective best friends.

Maybe it was being already familiar with this world and the characters - I'm not sure - but I found Rescued by the Wolf a very fulfilling second entry in the series. And I'm excited about what's to come!

2017 #BookishResolutions Challenge Update ~ February

I'm once again participating in the Bookish Resolutions Challenge. This challenge is hosted by Michelle @Because Reading and Laura @ Trips Down Imagination Road. For complete details and to sign up, click the graphic above or here. 

**MY GOALS FOR 2017**

I've been moderately successful with the challenge the past 2 years but I think I've come up with some tweaks so that I'll be even more so in 2017. Mostly I'm making my goals more specific and therefore more quantifiable. :)

• Blogging Goals
• Comment back THREE times a week
• Visit TEN blogs a day
• Interact with 3 blog Facebook pages a day
• Link up my challenge posts on the last day of each month (or last day of month quarterly for those updating quarterly)
• Keep track of my progress on my calendar
• Reading Goals
• NO BOOK BUYING without a gift card (that was gifted!)
• Read TWO Netgalley reads per month
• Read (at least) TWO books I already own per month
• Read ONE book from a series I'm behind in per month
• Listen to TWO review books per month
• Read books my kids *need* me to read
• Born to Run (Jax)
• Death with Interruptions (Jax)
• Everything is Illuminated (Sky)
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Jax)
• School of Good and Evil (Berk)
• The Book Thief (Sky)
• The Lightning Thief (Berk)
• Keep track of my progress on my calendar and in my book journal
• Personal Goals
• Exercise FIVE days a week
• Keep a food/exercise journal
• Spend an hour daily writing/editing
• Clean up my Goodreads Shelves!
• Spend ONE day a month on a different hobby - paper crafting or knitting
• Keep track of my progress with writing/editing and crafting on my calendar

***Update***

• Blogging Goals
  I've done fairly well with my blogging goals this month. I've kept up with commenting back and that makes me incredibly happy! I've also done a relatively good job at making sure to visit 10 blogs a day although I did get behind one week because I was sick. :(  I've failed at interacting on Facebook though. I will try to do better with this goal in March. I know it helps us all get more views when there's more interaction on our Facebook pages. I've also kept up with linking reviews for challanges as well as keeping track of things in my planner. So overall, not too bad.

• Reading Goals
  I've made it another entire month without one-clicking a book! I did add a few *freebies* to my library but I've really been selective, only choosing those books and/or authors I've wanted to read for awhile. I also read two more Netgalley reads this month, Dare You To by Katie McGarry and Ten Reasons to Stay by Sabrina Jeffries. I also read a book from a series I am behind in - My TBR read for February, Charade by Nyrae Dawn. I have to say I'm loving using series I'm behind in for my TBR picks. :) I've completed two audio review books and am working on a third, so I accomplished this goal. (I finished Playboy Pilot by Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland and Highland Spy by Madeline Martin.) I didn't get any books read from my kids' request list, but I'm using my planner to keep track of these goals and it makes it easier to see what I have on tap. Again, overall not too bad.
• Personal Goals
  I've done well with some of my personal goals. I've managed to exercise at least 5 days a week and I'm using my fitbit to keep track of food and exercise. That's enormously helpful since it's essentially done for me. I do add in my food during the day to keep track of calories. And I'm rather proud to say I've lost almost 8 pounds! I also spent some time working at cleaning up my Goodreads shelves. I made some changes and will continue working at this although this morning I got to wondering if one change I made is really what I wanted to do. :/  I've failed completely at writing/editing and spending time on my other hobbies in February, which also means I failed at keeping track of these things in my planner since there was nothing to keep track of. The writing/editing...well, I actually did do a small amount of editing AND all this not writing actually sparked some ideas and I now know where I want to go to finish up my book. But I'm frustrated with myself over not writing. I will figure it out in March. I WILL!

So that's my update. How are y'all doing with your challenges?

Audio Review ~ The Danger of Desire ~ Sabrina Jeffries

The Danger of Desire by Sabrina Jeffries
Sinful Suitors #3
Narrated by: Beverley A. Crick
Release Date: November 22, 2016 (audio)
Genre: Adult, Historical Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy from Tantor Media
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Challenges: Audio Challenge, #ReadAlltheBooks, #ShelfLove
Goodreads

Synopsis
To root out the card cheat responsible for her brother's death, Miss Delia Trevor spends her evenings dancing her way through high society balls, and her late nights disguised as a young man gambling her way through London's gaming hells. Then one night, handsome Warren Corry, the Marquess of Knightford, a notorious member of St. George's Club, recognizes her. When he threatens to reveal her secret, she's determined to keep him from ruining her plans, even if it means playing a cat-and-mouse game with the enigmatic rakehell.

Warren knows the danger of her game, and he refuses to watch her lose everything while gaining justice for her late brother. But when she starts to delve beneath his carefully crafted facade, can he keep her at arm's length while still protecting her? Or will their hot desires explode into a love that transcends the secrets of their pasts?

The Danger of Desire served as my introduction to this series. I can only assume some of these characters have appeared in the previous books but I can say I was never lost. In fact, I came to adore all these characters but especially Warren and Delia.

Delia and Warren meet because Warren's cousin, Clarissa, who is know for her matchmaking, asks Warren to keep an eye on Delia. There is some concern over some of Delia's behavior but despite his reluctance, Warren agrees. He is shocked when he witnesses Delia's antics and sets about discerning the why behind her actions as well as trying to put a stop to them.

Of course this means Delia and Warren spend time together and develop a mutual attraction. They are both witty and forthright but Warren really admires that in Delia. They're also both loyal and would go to great lengths to protect those they love. One thing I greatly enjoyed was Delia's realization that she was guilty of the same offenses she lodged at Warren.

The mystery element of the story is well done and brought Warren and Delia together - Warren wanting to help Delia find her answers while protecting her. Both were keeping secrets and seeing the trust built between them, where they finally felt they could share, was heartwarming.

I quite enjoyed The Danger of Desire and am eager to read/listen to the other books in this series. I'm curious about Clarissa's story and now want Brilliana's and Lord Margrave's as well. Sabrina Jeffries delivers an engaging and entertaining story with a fun cast of characters.

Beverley A. Crick made it to my favorite narrator list with this one listen. She's incredible! Her range was perfect for this cast, both male and female. And with her chuckles and sobs, when called for, this more a dramatization than a narration. Crick made the story that much more engaging and I will certainly look for more books with her narration.

Mini Blog-Ahead & Take Control of Your TBR Challenge Sign Up Posts

In an effort to get ahead, and thus reduce my blogging stress AS WELL AS continue my efforts towards reading *all* those books I own, I'm participating in the Mini Blog-Ahead Challenge AND the Take Control of Your TBR Challenge during the month of March.

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I've decided to participate in the Mini Blog-Ahead Challenge hosted by Herding Cats & Burning Soup. It's only 15 days in length (March 1-15) but I really need to get as many posts completed and scheduled as I can simply for the stress relief! It is a joy to have posts scheduled, to know my blog is all set for those times I'm traveling (which will be quite a bit this summer) and when life throws things at me I'm not always prepared for. 

Here are the basic rules:

1. Challenge begins March 1 and ends March 15
2. Schedule an additional 15 posts during the challenge period
3. Any type of post counts.
4. The posts must be scheduled to go *live* after the end of the challenge period.

If y'all are interested in joining this challenge to get yourself ahead around your own blog, click the button for all the details!

I'm also joining in the fun that is the Take Control of your TBR Challenge hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer. Since the basic rule is to read books  put on your TBR shelf prior to March 1, 2017, it's a great way to get several books *off* my TBR shelf!

Here are the basic rules:

1. Link up! You don't have to have a blog to participate. Use your Goodreads account.
2. Create Goals/Updates/Results post (can be combined).
3. Challenge begins at midnight March 1 and ends at 11:59 p.m. March 31.
4. Read/listen to books from your TBR.
5. All books must have been released prior to March 1, 2017.
6. Post reviews to Goodreads or your blog, then link up.
7. You can combine events/challenges.
8. No novellas - page count must be over 100.
9. Use hashtag #TakeControlTBR.

If you'd like to join me in this challenge, click on the button for complete details.

My TBR List Review ~ February ~ Charade ~ Nyrae Dawn

My To-Be Read List is a meme hosted by Michelle @Because Reading. I think it's a fabulous idea because it gets y'all in the game and it helps me knock off some of the many, many books on my TBR list. You're more than welcome to join in the fun! I've included the basic rules below but you can click on the graphic above to hop over to Michelle's site where you can find all the details. 



Charade by Nyrae Dawn
Games #1
Release Date: October 22, 2012
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased on Nook
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: #COYER, #Goodreads #ShelfLove, #TravelingtotheTerminus
Goodreads


Synopsis
Nineteen-year-old Cheyenne tries to portray the perfect life to mask the memories of her past. Walking in on her boyfriend with another woman her freshman year in college threatens that picture of perfection.

Twenty-one-year-old Colt never wanted college and never expected to amount to anything, but when his mom's dying wish is for him to get his degree, he has no choice but to pretend it's what he wants too.

Cheyenne needs a fake boyfriend to get back at her ex and Colt needs cash to take care of his mom, so they strike a deal that helps them both. But what if Cheyenne's past isn't what she thought? Soon they're trading one charade for another--losing themselves in each other to forget about their pain. The more they play their game, the more it becomes the only thing they have that feels real.

Both Cheyenne and Colt know life is never easy, but neither of them expect the tragedy that threatens to end their charade and rip them apart forever.

I love the fake dating trope. I do. And Charade was a great execution of it. I'm thrilled I went back to the beginning for Cheyenne and Colt's story. I met them in Facade but their story was important.

Despite the title and the games these two engage in - both for their own reasons - there wasn't a lot of fun in this story. The banter between them was often fun though - both so snarky. But they were each dealing with demons from the past and present.

Both Cheyenne and Colt are standoffish - not letting anyone get close or really get to know them. But they each seemed to see straight to the heart of the other and while this left them feeling vulnerable - something neither liked - it also began to chip at the walls they'd each built. The falling wasn't something either intended and it was beautiful to see.

One thing I admired about this story was that both Cheyenne and Colt made decisions and began taking steps to resolve their issues themselves. They weren't "fixing" one another but they were inspired to "fix" themselves because of the feelings they'd developed. I was also, once again, quite impressed with the depth of the story and the emotions evoked, in so few pages. Dawn delivers a well-crafted story with complex, realistic characters. I'm eager to finish this trilogy.