Thursday, August 7, 2014

Thirsty Thursdays #7: Accidentally Sexy - non smutty sexy scene


"Thirsty Thursdays" is an original weekly feature where we highlight all that makes our mouth water in the world of books. Join us each week where we will pick either a quote, book cover, book boyfriend or kiss from our favorite books, that makes us all swoony. Please link back to us each week, we'd love for you to share what wets your whistle, as well!

We all know those scenes that are so innocently sweet and then those scenes that get our blood pumping and thinking about cold showers. Sometimes, they are one in the same. 


Swoon Quality: It was a brief encounter but it held so much weight and purpose. And there was touching.
I exited the kitchen and crossed the living room. On my way out the front door, I slammed into Braden, who was coming in.
"Shoot," I gasped, flying backward.
He grabbed hold of my arms, preventing me from falling. Something he would've never done pre-fence chat. He would've let me fall on my butt and then I would've tried to sweet his legs out from beneath him. Our eyes met for the briefest of moments and then he quickly released me. As if realizing he'd breached some unwritten rule, he grabbed my arm, bent down, and threw me over his shoulder.
Walking to the couch, he unceremoniously plopped me down on my back. "There. If you're going to fall on you butt," he said, his eyes twinkling as he said the word, "choose a better place."
Instinct taking over, my hand shot out and grabbed him by the wrist before he could walk away. this is where I would've placed a foot to his ribs or a head to his stomach and then felt like I had won. Instead, instinct didn't follow through and I froze, lying on my back on the couch, holding his wrist. It was strong and familiar. his skin was lighter than mine, and I studied the way my fingers looked against his skin. Disengage, my brain yelled, this is Braden, Gage's best friend, but my hand wouldn't open.
Why: It was sweet and painfully so. Their relationship was changing and with this one act, which leads to much more, showed that. It was different. It was small yet huge. Sexy without being in your face and sometimes that is just what you need.

Swoon Quality: Knowing she’s being watched while watching someone else.
“The giggling in the swimming pool rises in a shriek of laughter and then cuts off abruptly. Charlie hesitates and reluctantly pulls his lips from mine.
“What do you think they’re doing?” I ask. “Should we find out?”
Charlie pushes himself to his feet, then leans over to give me his hand. “Only if it’ll help convince you that swimsuits are optional.”
“Unlikely,” I say, but I follow him to the pool anyway. There are gaps in the fence, each about one inch wide. I squint into the gaps, but can’t make out entire people-just jumbled shapes. Charlie comes up behind me. Circling my waist with his arms, he starts to kiss my neck.
“I thought we were spying,” I whisper.
“Spies do this.”
Just beyond the fence a girl says something, but the wind snatches away her words. I lean in closer, pressing my eye against the largest gap. Brooklyn stands at the top of the plastic staircase leading into a hot tub, holding the stub of a cigarette between two fingers. Black swimsuit bottoms hang low on her hips, and she has a white tank top knotted above her waist. The tank top is wet and pasted to her skin in patches, making it easy to see she’s not wearing a bra.
“What are they doing?” Charlie whispers. I shush him, lifting a finger to my mouth. There’s a boy in the hot tub, too, his brown hair slicked up in wet spikes.
Thin lines of steam rise from the tub, mingling with the smoke from Brooklyn’s cigarette.
“Ever done it in a hot tub?” Brooklyn asks, her mouth curling. She’s wearing dark red lipstick that smudges across her cigarette. The boy stands, water dripping from his faded navy boxers. He grabs Brooklyn and spins her around.
I immediately recognize the light brown eyes, the cleft chin. Josh. Riley’s Josh.
I press my face closer to the fence. Josh sets Brooklyn back down and pulls her to his chest. She drops her cigarette into the water behind her, then lifts her face up to his. They kiss long and deep, and I blush even harder.
Brooklyn looks up, and her eyes find the exact spot in the fence where I’m watching. It’s like someone has touched an icy finger to the lowest part of my back and runs it up the length of my spine. She wraps her arms around Josh’s neck and kisses him again, possessively, her red-painted mouth masing against his teeth as she pulls him closer. The whole time, she never takes her eyes away from the fence. From me.
It’s like a dare. A challenge. I pull away from the fence and turn back to Charlie, feeling as though I’ve had the wind knocked out of me.”
Why:  First, I should say that this scene was probably not meant to be sexy, but rather stand as a show of character for Brooklyn. It is the only scene like this in the entire book. The book is *not* sexy. It is horror and violence filled. However, there was something about this scene that was so sexy to me. Up until this point I found nothing about Brooklyn’s character appealing, but something about the way Vega painted her here made her the tiniest bit girl-crush-worthy. Not to mention the peeping Tom thing. Sick? Maybe, but it worked for me.

What scenes do you find accidentally sexy?

Check out our Thirsty Thursdays tab for all our future Thursday topics!

Until Next Time!

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday #12


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

Last week I was so out of it that I forgot to even add a gif to the post! Shameful! But this week I think I have a better handle on things. Today is my mom's birthday, so that is something! But lets get to the book gifts we are waiting for.


Title: Fiendish
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Release Date: August 14, 2014


Clementine DeVore spent ten years trapped in a cellar, pinned down by willow roots, silenced and forgotten.
Now she’s out and determined to uncover who put her in that cellar and why.

When Clementine was a child, dangerous and inexplicable things started happening in New South Bend. The townsfolk blamed the fiendish people out in the Willows and burned their homes to the ground. But magic kept Clementine alive, walled up in the cellar for ten years, until a boy named Fisher sets her free. Back in the world, Clementine sets out to discover what happened all those years ago. But the truth gets muddled in her dangerous attraction to Fisher, the politics of New South Bend, and the Hollow, a fickle and terrifying place that seems increasingly temperamental ever since Clementine reemerged.

The creepy cover, the synopsis, everything about this says that this will be a book that keeps me up at night for one of two reasons, or maybe both.
1.) I'll be so entangled that I won't want to put it down.
OR
2.) I'll be creeped to the point that I don't want to close my eyes.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that both, one and two, are true.

Author: Alice Clayton
Release Date: September 2, 2014

Readers back for a third round of the bestselling Cocktail series will enjoy a madcap romantic comedy about bodice ripping and chest heaving, fiery passion and love everlasting. Plus a dash of paperwork filing and horseshi—wait, what?
By day, Viv Franklin designs software programs. By night, Vivian’s a secret romance-novel junkie who longs for a knight in shining armor, or a cowboy on a wild stallion, or a strapping firefighter to sweep her off her feet. And she gets to wear the bodice—don’t forget the bodice.
When a phone call brings news that she’s inherited a beautiful old home in Mendocino, California from a long-forgotten aunt, she moves her entire life across the country to embark on what she sees as a great, romance-novel-worthy adventure. But romance novels always have a twist, don’t they?
There’s a cowboy, one that ignites her loins. Because Cowboy Hank is totally loin-ignition worthy. But there’s also a librarian, Clark Barrow. And he calls her Vivian. Can tweed jackets and elbow patches compete with chaps and spurs? You bet your sweet cow pie.
In Screwdrivered, Alice Clayton pits Superman against Clark in a hilarious and hot battle that delights a swooning Viv/Vivian.

Also within this book, an answer to the question of the ages: Why ride a cowboy when you can ride a librarian?
I was already wanting to read this as soon as I finished Rusty Nailed but last night after going to the signing and hearing Alice read a little from it, I was hooked. I loved Viv from Rusty Nailed and I think hearing her own little love story will be amazing.

What has you waiting on the edge of your seat this week?

Until Next Time!


Guest Book Review: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (@GRRMspeaking)


A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R.R. Martin
Publication Date: August 6, 1996 (First published)
Published: Bantam Spectra
Reviewer: Ryan (Mr. Keira)

My Rating:

Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.
As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must … and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty.
The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday! Books I'd Give To Who Have Never Read Psychological thrillers & Science Fiction


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.
This week we picked different genres to highlight. Lets get down to it.

Psychological thrillers

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - Twisted. That's the only way to describe this book. I don't think there was a character in Sharp Objects that wasn't damaged. I couldn't put it down.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - I fell in love with Lisbeth Salander. The story itself was sadistic and creepy. For the first time I actually wanted a book I liked to end just so I could breathe.

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris - It's one of my favorite books and movies. It will toy with your mind the entire time.

Because She Loved Me by Mark Edwards - This book faked me out. There was suspense, but not much of it, because the entire time I thought I had it figured out then the author tossed in a twist that stunned me.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - Another Gillian Flynn book, but no one does "What's going on?!" better than her. Gone Girl wasn't at all what I was expecting. Out of all the books I've read this one probably shocked me most. Though, Sharp Objects is my favorite of hers.

Science Fiction

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick - This one is really cool cause it deals with androids. Not only that, it really makes you think about society as a whole and what makes us human.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer - People usually cast this to the side because it is Stephenie but I happen to think it is her best work so far. It combines romance and science fiction in a way that you aren't bogged down by the science.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - Heartbreaking story yet still has that science fiction element to keep it interesting.

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells - Don't watch the Tom Cruise movie. This is so much better and actually makes the aliens much creepier.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury - I had to read this and two other of the previous books for a science fiction class I took. I'm so glad I did because this was like a compilation of stories dealing with Mars. Some nice and some creepy as hell. Makes you wonder if this is where we are going soon.

Until Next Time!

Book Review and Giveaway: Rusty Nailed (Cocktail #2) by Alice Clayton (@alice_clayton)


Rusty Nailed (Cocktail #2) by Alice Clayton
Publication Date: June 24, 2014
Published: Gallery Books

My Rating:

In this sequel to Wallbanger, the second book in the Cocktail series, fan favorites Caroline and Simon negotiate the rollercoaster of their new relationship while house-sitting in San Francisco.
Playing house was never so much fun—or so confusing. With her boss on her honeymoon, Caroline’s working crazy long hours to keep the interior design company running—especially since she’s also the lead designer for the renovation of a gorgeous old hotel on Sausalito. So with her hotshot photographer boyfriend gallivanting all over the world for his job, she and Simon are heavy-duty into “absence makes the heart grow fonder” mode. Neither has any complaints about the great reunion sex, though! Then Simon decides he’s tired of so much travelling, and he’s suddenly home more. A lot more. And wanting Caroline home more, too. Though their friends’ romantic lives provide plenty of welcome distraction, eventually Caroline and Simon have to sort their relationship out. Neither wants “out of sight, out of mind,” but can they create their own happy mid-ground cliché?

Monday, August 4, 2014

Book Review: I Am the Weapon by Allen Zadoff (@allenzadoff)


I Am the Weapon (The Unknown Assassin #1) by Allen Zadoff
Publication Date: May 13, 2014
Published: Little Brown for Young Readers
Source: Netgalley

My Rating:
They needed the perfect assassin.
Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school in a new town under a new name, makes a few friends and doesn't stay long. Just long enough for someone to die -- of "natural causes." Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, moving on to the next target.

But when The Program assigns him to the mayor of New York City, things change. Somewhere deep inside, Boy Nobody is somebody: the kid he once was; the teen who wants normal things, like a real home and a girlfriend; a young man who wants out. And who just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program's mission.
In this action-packed series debut, author Allen Zadoff pens a page-turning thriller that is as thought-provoking as it is gripping, introducing an utterly original and unforgettable antihero.

Race to 150 Giveaway!


Like most bloggers we stop by our site at least once a day to see who has stopped by, check the comments, etc. We aren't necessarily looking for numbers, but when they're right there it's hard not to see them, and we've noticed that we've been sitting at the same follower count for a couple weeks. While we blog for our enjoyment, part of that is interacting with our followers, other bloggers, authors, and publishers. That said, in order to get feedback and further connect, we need readers! This giveaway is an attempt to draw some awesome new followers in, while also thanking those of you who have been dedicated to reading our posts before now.

How it works: Due to rafflecopter needing an end date for the giveaway it will run until the "ending" time. If at that time we have reached 150+ GFC followers three winners will be chosen - Gold, Silver, and Bronze. If not, a second rafflecopter will be posted, and so on until we have reached the 150.

Gold:
- Choice of any book that has been reviewed on site

- Tote from Strand Books



- Book necklace from lucie0ellen

Winner chooses color. Please note that as these necklaces are handmade and coming from the UK there will be a slight wait period. 

- Mug from Morning Sunshine Shop


- Zipper bookmark


*Due to the wait period for the necklace it will be shipped separately. 

Silver: 

- Choice of any book that has been reviewed on site

- 5 book related buttons from readnowsleeplater


- Zipper bookmark



Bronze:
- $10 Amazon Gift Card 

- Zipper bookmark 


Please make sure to check out our giveaway policy. If you have any questions we'll be happy to answer them. Don't forget to spread the word!

Thanks for participating and good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway