Waiting On Wednesday ... Indecent

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is Indecent by Corinne Sullivan

Here is the Goodreads synopsis 

Shy, introverted Imogene Abney has always been fascinated by the elite world of prep schools, having secretly longed to attend one since she was a girl in Buffalo, New York. So, shortly after her college graduation, when she’s offered a teaching position at the Vandenberg School for Boys, an all-boys prep school in Westchester, New York, she immediately accepts, despite having little teaching experience—and very little experience with boys. 

When Imogene meets handsome, popular Adam Kipling a few weeks into her tenure there, a student who exudes charm and status and ease, she's immediately drawn to him. Who is this boy who flirts with her without fear of being caught? Who is this boy who seems immune to consequences and worry; a boy for whom the world will always provide?

As an obsessive, illicit affair begins between them, Imogene is so lost in the haze of first love that she's unable to recognize the danger she's in. The danger of losing her job. The danger of losing herself in the wrong person. The danger of being caught doing something possibly illegal and so indecent. 

Exploring issues of class, sex, and gender, this smart, sexy debut by Corinne Sullivan shatters the black-and- white nature of victimhood, taking a close look at blame and moral ambiguity. 

I was sold on this novel when I read the deal announcement and am so excited it has an official release date now! I am so curious about it because I think it will spark much debate, and be thought provoking. I am excited to maybe suggest it for one of my book clubs as I anticipate the discussion will be as intense as this book sounds.

The wait for this one is going to be excruciating as it does not come out until Spring 2018.

Expected release date - March 6, 2018

Another Postcard Release Day Blitz!

    

Brooklyn Hawk is an enigma. Highly sought after for her incredible voice, her talent shines bright in the studio. But a dark past and a secret she holds close to her heart keep her from permanently stepping into the limelight.

Until her favorite band offers her the chance to chase her dreams.

As the lead singer for rock sensation Stone Butterfly, Levi Matthews is wary of bringing in new talent. But he has heard just how amazing Brooklyn is and when the need for another singer arises, he’s confident that she is the perfect addition.

However, he doesn’t count on laying his heart at her feet.

But the world of music can be as dangerous as it is thrilling. Joining Stone Butterfly on tour was hard enough for Brooklyn, but when she finally succumbs to Levi’s charms, the rock ‘n’ roll life turns deadly.

Will Levi and Brooklyn keep their voices and their hearts entwined? Or will the music prove too hard to survive?  

GET YOUR COPY TODAY!

AMAZON US / AMAZON UK / AMAZON CA / AMAZON AU/ iBOOKS / B&N / KOBO

 

 

EXCERPT

Just inside the door, I put my hand on her arm to halt her exit. 

“Dinner?”

“Nope.”

“Lunch tomorrow?”

Brooklynn sighed and turned to walk away, but there was a smile flirting around her mouth. 

I grabbed her arm to stop her again, pulled her inside and shoved the door shut. Walking her backward, I crowded her up against a wall. Having caught her by surprise, she didn’t protest when I dove my fingers into her hair and angled her head. I didn’t give her any time for her mind to catch up, covering her mouth with my own. She gasped, and I took advantage of the moment, my tongue entering her mouth to lick and tangle with hers. I groaned at her taste, it was fucking incredible, and I knew I was instantly addicted. Her hands had been at her sides but they slowly crept up over my chest, to hold on to my shoulders as though they were the only thing holding her up. 

I combed my fingers through her hair and then they traveled down to splay across her back, pressing her body forward and flush with mine. Fuck, she felt good. My erection was on the brink of exploding, so hard it was almost painful to breathe. I had to stop before I reached a point of no return. I knew I could seduce her right out of her clothes at that moment, but she’d never forgive me. No, we’d fuck when she wanted it with a clear mind. I backed off of the kiss and then slowly withdrew completely. She was dazed and mussed up, looking like she’d just been thoroughly kissed. It was a look I hoped to see on her more often.

I cupped her face and waited until the fog dissipated from her chocolate orbs. “How about I cook you breakfast?” I grinned roguishly and winked.

“Are you kidding me?” she scoffed at my cheesy line.

I just shrugged and grinned. It was worth a shot.

 I’m a love of all things books, a hopeless romantic, and have always had a passion for writing. Between being a sappy romantic, my love of an HEA, my crazy imagination, and ok, let’s be real, my dirty mind, I fell easily into writing romance.

I’m a huge baseball fan and yet, a complete girly, girl. I’m an obsessive reader and have a slight (hahaha! Slight? Yeah, right) addiction to signed books.

I’m married to my very own book boyfriend, an alpha male with a sexy, sweet side. He is the best inspiration, my biggest supporter, and the love of my life. He is also incredibly patient and understanding about the fact that he has to fight the voices in my head for attention.

I hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoyed writing them!   

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*Blog Tour* The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord

I am thrilled to be kicking off the Canadian blog tour for Emery Lord's The Names They Gave Us. This incredible book will be in stores tomorrow and I am so excited to help celebrate its release.

As part of the tour we each got to ask Emery a question so be sure to stop by the other tour stops to see what everyone asked her (and, of course, more reviews of this wonderful novel).

My question for Emery was ...

Your books always make me think of summer. Since this one takes place at a summer camp, what books are on your summer camp reading list?

and her answer was ...

I actually haven’t read a TON of summer camp books. One that I thought was quiet and so thoughtful was BREAKFAST SERVED ANYTIME. This quote from it isn’t about summer camp, but isn’t it so great?

“I guess what I'm trying to say is that sometimes you can love a book not so much because of what it's about or what happens in it, but because it belongs to a certain time or person in your life- like you'll always remember where you were when you read it for the first time, or who gave it to you, or what season it was, or who you were before you read it and how you were different when it was over.” 

That is a fantastic quote, and now I immediately want to pick up Breakfast Served Anytime.

I also have an excerpt to share which hopefully makes you want to rush out and get yourself a copy when the bookstores open tomorrow.

The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord
Release Date -  May 16, 2017

Publisher Website - Raincoast Books
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 400 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**received for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Lucy Hansson was ready for a perfect summer with her boyfriend, working at her childhood Bible camp on the lake. But when her mom’s cancer reappears, Lucy falters—in faith, in love, and in her ability to cope. When her boyfriend “pauses” their relationship and her summer job switches to a different camp—one for troubled kids—Lucy isn’t sure how much more she can handle. Attempting to accept a new normal, Lucy slowly regains footing among her vibrant, diverse coworkers, Sundays with her mom, and a crush on a fellow counselor. But when long-hidden family secrets emerge, can Lucy set aside her problems and discover what grace really means?

When I first read the synopsis of Emery Lord's newest novel two things stayed with me - the word 'cancer' and the word 'religion'. Both are things that make me hesitant to pick up a novel. However, since it was Emery writing it, and she is an auto buy author for me, I knew I was going to take a chance with this one. This ended up being one of the best reading decisions I have ever made. The Names They Gave Us is a cancer book. It is also a book about religion. It also happens to be neither of these things. What you do have is a novel that is a mix of tears, summer, wishes on stars, perfectly made s'mores, and (obviously) more tears.

Cancer and religion are a large part of who Lucy is, but it is not all she is. There is a perfect balance between all the elements within the novel. There isn't too much of any one thing. As a result, Lucy is a well rounded, and well crafted character. Those concerned that cancer or religious elements may overshadow the story can rest assured that this is not the case. It is handed brilliantly, and only in relation to Lucy's experience with both of these things.  As her mom's cancer returns, her faith in the religion she has always sought solace in is shaken. Her journey through regaining some of that faith, and what form that may take, is threaded throughout the whole story but it isn't THE story. This really is a story of a girl learning to define things for herself at its heart. She is discovering who is she, and that will resonate with everyone.

Emery always crafts these incredible friendships as the core of her novels. She creates the kind of friendships that you wish to be part of. They tend to be established before the events of the novel and that has always made me a little envious of her characters. In Lucy we see someone who has not had those deep friendships either. We get to see her bond with people and create those lasting friendships. It is a friendship that is made from summer nights by the bonfire, secrets shared while drinking moonshine, and new experiences. It is one of the most satisfying elements of the story. I always finish Emery's novels thinking the friendships were even more important than the romance, and that is not always the case with contemporary novels. Her friendships are so complex and developed that they are a love story all on their own.

The romance is pretty swoon worthy though. It is perfectly paced with a friendship that builds to something more. It had me with the little moments they spend together where not much happens, except you can feel them growing closer. Music is a large part of what bonds them and it is the pulse for many of their most romantic moments. Emery always writes these wonderful love interests who are decent guys and it is something I am thankful for. Her novels have given very different examples of supportive, caring love interests which is such a great example for teens readers to have.

A novel that breaks your heart, but heals it too. A novel that will make you cry, but in a cathartic way. It is a story filled with hope, even when everything seems dark. Emery Lord has once again slayed me with her beautiful writing and characters. If you are a contemporary young adult reader and are not reading her novels you need to fix this immediately. She is consistently providing novels that have a strong emotional impact and just a little bit of magic within their pages. 

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews)

Only one arrival in my mailbox, but some new additions to my home that I am VERY excited about. First up.. I have new shelves!

My cat was a book eating monster when she was younger. I could not display anything. The last few months I have noticed she has zero interest in my books. She basically ignores them. I decided to test out getting some shelves and see how she reacts. I LOVE THEM!

I especially love having a place to display my Funko Pops. I am so happy with how they look and I cannot wait to decorate them more. 

I did get one new book this week. A huge thank you to Penguin Random House or this newest arrival. I am very excited to check out this mystery novel as I loved The Girl On The Train. 

Into The Water by Paula Hawkins (goodreads)

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

BOOK

Cover for The Becoming of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin (goodreads)

I loved the Mara Dyer trilogy fiercely, and was very excited when Michelle announced that she would be writing a sequel trilogy from Noah Shaw's point of view.

The cover was just released and it is as beautiful as the ones for original trilogy.

Stunning, right? I love that they have a similar tone and feel to the Mara covers, but are unique as well. I am so excited for this to be released, and have pre-ordered my copy!

Cover for Marissa Meyer's Renegades

I am so excited for this new series from Marissa Meyer and the cover is super fun!

A school for superheros and supervillains? Sounds amazing! I really like the comic book feel of the cover, it fits the description perfectly.

TV/MOVIE

iZombie renewed for season 4

The fact that this news caused me squeal with happiness should surprise nobody. I love this show, and feel it is so underrated. The cast is perfection and it has some of the smartest writing on television right now. It's so charming! Needless to say,  I am thrilled that Liv and the gang will be back for another season.

What are you obsessed with this week?

Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy

Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy
Release Date - May 9, 2017

Publisher Website - Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages - 432 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**received for an honest review from publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Ramona was only five years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever.

Since then, it’s been Ramona and her family against the world. Standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona is sure of three things: she likes girls, she’s fiercely devoted to her family, and she knows she’s destined for something bigger than the trailer she calls home in Eulogy, Mississippi. But juggling multiple jobs, her flaky mom, and her well-meaning but ineffectual dad forces her to be the adult of the family. Now, with her sister, Hattie, pregnant, responsibility weighs more heavily than ever.

The return of her childhood friend Freddie brings a welcome distraction. Ramona’s friendship with the former competitive swimmer picks up exactly where it left off, and soon he’s talked her into joining him for laps at the pool. But as Ramona falls in love with swimming, her feelings for Freddie begin to shift too, which is the last thing she expected. With her growing affection for Freddie making her question her sexual identity, Ramona begins to wonder if perhaps she likes girls and guys or if this new attraction is just a fluke. Either way, Ramona will discover that, for her, life and love are more fluid than they seem. 

I expect a few things from a Julie Murphy novel - great characters, a realistic tone, and some great romance. Ramona Blue is no exception. It may, in fact, be my favourite Julie Murphy novel for so many reasons.

Julie Murphy, once again, charms with a character who is larger than the novel that contains her. Ramona is character that is a joy to get to know. So much of her story is about growing and changing. It is about having those changes redefine how you see yourself. In Ramona's case it is everything from her sexuality, her role within her family dynamic, what she wants out of the future, and what she sees herself as being capable of. It's about opening her viewpoint to life outside her safe zone and not settling into the future she thought she was stuck with. She is a character that is effortless to root for. She is frustrating at times as you want her to see the potential within herself much sooner than she does. Her journey is made all the more poignant as her growth is the core of this story.

Ramona and her family are poor. Hurricane Katrina decimated their home and their lives and things never really got back on track for them. Ramona works multiple jobs just to help out her family and this speaks volumes about her character. I felt Julie Murphy did a fantastic job of showing what life after a severe weather incident could be like. The slow progress of rebuilding what you lost. The adjustment to new circumstances. The shifting definition of what is truly important. This background is vital to all of the characters, especially Ramona, as it makes them who they are. This is woven into the fabric of the story perfectly, and really is felt in all aspects of the story.

The other thing that Julie Murphy nails in this novel is the weight of expectation and responsibility. Ramona expects that her whole life will be lived in Eulogy. She expects that she'll always live in the trailer she lives in now. She expects she'll help her sister take care of the baby she is about to have. All of the create a feeling of responsibility that catches up to Ramona when she tries to do too much on her own. She feels unable to take any opportunities that may arise for herself, simply because she either feels it is a luxury she can't afford, or it is something she never thought of as being possible for herself.

Family is so important to this story. I am loving this new trend of having parents be so present and important to the story. Ramona's family means everything to her. She's willing to do anything to support and take care of them. She puts her family before herself a lot of the time in a very unselfish way. She doesn't feel burdened by it. It is something she is happy to do. Something she needs to do, even. This very loving family is presented as being imperfect but so filled with patience and understanding. Their bond will warm your heart, even if at times you wish Ramona would take care of herself as well.

There is some controversy surrounding this novel and the bisexual representation found within. While I cannot speak to the quality of the representation found within as I am not bisexual, I did read quite a few reviews written by bisexual reviewers. I urge you to read some of those reviews as plenty of them have smart, insightful things to say and seem to feel the representation found within was respectful. I understand the initial worry of Ramona falling for a boy and the potential for a problematic storyline where she is 'magically turned straight'. This is addressed in the novel, with Ramona even expressing that her relationship with Freddie doesn't mean she is not attracted to girls any longer. Everyone, I think, can relate to figuring out their sexuality and that is what this read like for me. It read as a girl discovering a new part of herself, which is something everyone can relate to, and this discovery does not discount all the other parts of herself that she's already claimed. If anything, the story presents the idea that it is okay to still be figuring out who you (in many ways and areas) and that you don't have to put a label on anything about yourself until you're ready to do so.

The romances in Julie Murphy's novels are always stellar and this is no exception. There is a history between Freddie and Ramona that instantly makes their friendship reignite when he moves back. That friendship is the perfect foundation for feelings to grow and turn into something more. The relationship, like everything else in this book, is complex. Nothing is easy or simple. There is a strong case made of offering patience within a relationship, and allowing the other person to grow and change. It does the same for forgiveness. I loved how supportive they were of each other, and how they accepted the other for who they are. It's a healthy portrayal of a relationship where communication is key.

Ramona Blue will delight fans of Julie Murphy's previous novels, and have them reading it in one sitting. A story of a girl finding her way in this messy, ever changing thing we call life. It is a serious contender for one of my top reads of the year, and I urge you to pick it up and give it a chance to charm you like it did me.

Waiting On Wednesday .... A Girl Like That

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena

Here is the Goodreads synopsis 

A timeless exploration of high-stakes romance, self-discovery, and the lengths we go to love and be loved. 

Sixteen-year-old Zarin Wadia is many things: a bright and vivacious student, an orphan, a risk taker. She’s also the kind of girl that parents warn their kids to stay away from: a troublemaker whose many romances are the subject of endless gossip at school.  You don't want to get involved with a girl like that, they say. So how is it that eighteen-year-old Porus Dumasia has only ever had eyes for her? And how did Zarin and Porus end up dead in a car together, crashed on the side of a highway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia? When the religious police arrive on the scene, everything everyone thought they knew about Zarin is questioned. And as her story is pieced together, told through multiple perspectives, it becomes clear that she was far more than just a girl like that. 

This beautifully written debut novel from Tanaz Bhathena reveals a rich and wonderful new world to readers. It tackles complicated issues of race, identity, class, and religion, and paints a portrait of teenage ambition, angst, and alienation that feels both inventive and universal.

This first caught my eye with that INCREDIBLE cover but the synopsis quickly caught my eye too. It sounds like it is going to be a great read.

The wait for this one is going to be lengthy as it not out until 2018.

Expected release date - February 27, 2018