Waiting on Wednesday (#34)

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is:

Title: Gabriel's Redemption (Gabriel's Inferno #3)

Author: Sylvain Reynard

Expected Publication: December 3, 2013

Synopsis:

Professor Gabriel Emerson has left his position at the University of Toronto to embark on a new life with his beloved Julianne. Together, he’s confident that they can face any challenge. And he’s eager to become a father.

But Julianne’s graduate program threatens Gabriel’s plans, as the pressures of being a student become all consuming. When she is given the honor of presenting an academic lecture at Oxford, Gabriel is forced to confront her about the subject of her presentation – research that conflicts with his own. And in Oxford, several individuals from their past appear, including an old nemesis intent on humiliating Julia and exposing one of Gabriel’s darkest secrets.

In an effort to confront his remaining demons, Gabriel begins a quest to discover more about his biological parents, beginning a chain of events that has startling repercussions for himself, Julianne, and his hope of having a family.

Thoughts:

I've read the first two books and so far I liked both books. The author used a unique way of showing how love can flourish with both characters having difficult pasts. 

How about you? What's your Waiting on Wednesday? Link me.

BOOK REVIEW: Until I Break by M. Leighton

Publication Date: May 12, 2013

Synopsis:
Laura Drake is an author. She writes bestselling paranormal romances that continue to top the charts. She is sharp. She is confident. She is in control. 

And she doesn’t exist.

Samantha Jansen is the woman behind the wig, the woman most of the world doesn’t know exists. She is shy. She is insecure. She is nothing like her main character or her alter ego. She is scarred—deeply scarred—by a past she can’t let go of and a present she can’t make peace with.

Samantha’s dreams are consumed by one man, the broken hero from her books. Mason Strait is both her wildest fantasy and her most terrifying nightmare. 

When Samantha meets Alec Brand, a corporate consultant, it is as though Mason has come to life. Alec is handsome to a fault, as elegant as he is arrogant, and more intense than any man has a right to be.

Samantha is soon sucked into a world that mirrors the fiction she writes. Just like her main character, Daire Kirby, Samantha finds herself unable to resist the forbidden lure of Alec. And just like Daire, she also finds that she is faced with taking a chance on a man who could either set her free or destroy her.

The scale tilts toward destruction when Samantha finds out that Alec is as much a work of fiction as Mason. And he has scars of his own, scars that could ruin them both.

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Review:

Out of all the books I've read of M. Leighton, this is my least favorite one.I think the plot has it's potential but when I started reading the book, it was more complicated that what I expected.

This book is about two broken souls who found each other under the most unexpected circumstances. Sounds familiar?

Sam is an orphan. She experienced some gruesome childhood which she never gotten over. She had a hard time getting into relationships especially, the sexual matter. So with her foster sister's persistence, she went into therapy.

Alec is Mr. Mysterious. You will meet him in the beginning where he is described as gorgeous and with captivating eyes. It has taken some time for me to get to know him especially with his secret past. He's been haunted by it and he knows he can't resist his demons when he met Sam.

The book is narrated in two POVs,Sam and Alec's alternately every chapter. At the beginning, I think the flow of the story is a bit sloppy and predictable. But it definitely gotten better in the end.


Rating:

Memorable Quotes:

“Every person's worst fear-that no one will be able to love us in spite of our scars.”

“In love, sometimes what you fear is exactly what you need.” 

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Ninth book for

BOOK REVIEW: Tangled by Emma Chase

Publication Date: May 20, 2013

Synopsis:
Drew Evans is a winner. Handsome and arrogant, he makes multimillion dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. He has loyal friends and an indulgent family. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed? 

He’ll tell you he has the flu.

But we all know that’s not really true.

Katherine Brooks is brilliant, beautiful and ambitious. She refuses to let anything - or anyone - derail her path to success. When Kate is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating. 

Then, just when Drew is on the cusp of having everything he wants, his overblown confidence threatens to ruin it all. Will he be able untangle his feelings of lust and tenderness, frustration and fulfillment? Will he rise to the most important challenge of his life? 

Can Drew Evans win at love? 

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Review:

The book has been getting a lot of hype because of its swoon-worthy cover and plot. I’ve read some reviews about it and everytime, I’ve been wanting to read it ASAP. So when I got a hold of the book, I read it immediately.

Here’s the thing, it’s always been a fascination to me whenever a book is told in a guy’s POV. Maybe because I’m a girl, obviously, and it’s good to be in a guy’s head. I love,love Drew! He can be so twisted and ego-maniac but still good looking and oh so hot! I love how he can be so confident about himself and he’s oozing with ego and charisma.

The story is well, as you expected. Drew falling in love for the first time in his life to a girl, a woman who has a fiancé. Kate is an intelligent and talented woman. She's as competitive as Drew that their pairing is so hilarious, I love them! Drew definitely got a taste of his own medicine. I also love the supporting characters such as Drew's sister and niece. 

The book contains a lot of sex hot scenes and also a lot of hilarious scenes. I’m literally laughing my ass off throughout the book. Although at one point I’m having a chant of saying “stupid” to Drew because he is. Anyway, I love the book, it’s so fun and sexy! Definitely worth reading!

Rating:

Memorable Quotes:

“Women fall in love quicker than men. Easier and more often. But when guys fall? We go down harder. And when things go bad? When it's not us who ends it? We don't get to walk away.

We crawl.” 

“Did you know that if you put a frog in boiling water, he’ll jump out? But, if you put one in cold water and heat it slowly, he’ll stay in. And boil to death. He won’t even try to get out. He won’t even know he’s dying. Until it’s too late.

Men are a lot like frogs.” 

“Assume nothing. Even if you think you know everything. Even if you’re sure that you’re right. Get confirmation. That whole “ass” cliché about assuming? It’s right on the money. And if you’re not careful, it could end up costing you the best thing that’s ever going to happen to you.

And another thing—don’t get too comfortable. Take chances. Don’t be afraid to lay it on the line. Even if you’re happy. Even if you think life is happy. Even if you think life is freaking perfect” 

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Eighth book for

BOOK REVIEW: The Opportunist (Love Me With Lies #1) by Tarryn Fisher

Publication Date: November 14, 2011

Synopsis:

Olivia Kaspen has just discovered that her ex-boyfriend, Caleb Drake, has lost his memory. With an already lousy reputation for taking advantage of situations, Olivia must decide how far she is willing to go to get Caleb back. Wrestling to keep her true identity and their sordid past under wraps, Olivia’s greatest obstacle is Caleb’s wicked, new girlfriend; Leah Smith. It is a race to the finish as these two vipers engage in a vicious tug of war to possess a man who no longer remembers them. But, soon enough Olivia must face the consequences of her lies, and in the process discover that sometimes love falls short of redemption

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Review:

I don't know how to express in words what I felt about the book so just bare with me on my .gifs review.

My first reaction after reading the book:

Then:

And then:

Then:

I can't get over it!I just have to read other reviews to convince myself I'm not the only one who feels like this. 

So, that's all. Hopefully I helped you out. LOL.

Rating:

Memorable Quotes:

“You can only give your heart away once, after that, everything else will chase your first love.” 

“I think that after the first time you give your heart away, you never get it back. The rest of your life is just you pretending that you still have a heart."


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Seventh book for

BOOK REVIEW: On Dublin Street by Samantha Young (On Dublin Street #1)

Publication Date: August 31, 2012

Synopsis:

Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare…

Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.

Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.

But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to the very soul.

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Review:

I really thought the genre of the book is fantasy and not contemporary. My mistake again.

I find the book really good and entertaining despite the concept being usual and not that unique.

The book has a heartbreaking start which gave me instant empathy towards Jocelyn or Joss. She survived and lived her life independently without the help of others. She has her two bestfriends and that’s it. She has a hard time opening herself to others. So when she moves to another place, she meets Ellie, her new roommate. I shouldn’t fail to mention that this new roommate has a swoon-worthy brother named Braden. Oooh! I love all about him his beautiful and airy self. The spark between them can’t be denied so Braden made a proposition to have friends-with-benefits kind of relationship. And that’s where it all starts, the fun-bickering, the drama, the tears and the laughter.

I love how it was well written and how it progressed. I like how Joss and Braden changed through all that. And I especially love Ellie, Adam, and the therapist too! I like all the characters and I wish there’ll be another book about Joss and Braden because I find it too short! Seriously!

Well, I won’t give you much more details so just read it! Highly recommended!

Rating:

Memorable Quotes:

“Jealousy is a horrible thing. The pain of it is almost as consuming as heartbreak, and I would know because I was feeling both at the same time. I felt like someone had ripped open my chest with their bare hands, removed my heart and lungs, and replaced them with a bunch of rocks and stones.” 

“Regret,Joss. Regret does awful things to a person.”

MY FAVORITE:

"You're letting me go?"

He curled his upper lip, his expression painfully bitter as he took a step back from me. 

"Apparently... I never had a hold of you." He turned sharply, and without another word striding down the street into the dark.

Braden never once looked back and that was a good thing.

If he had, he'd have seen Jocelyn Butler crying real tears for the first time in a long time, and he would have known that I'd lied. And lied big. For anyone who saw me, knew they were watching a heart in the process of it breaking.

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Sixth book for

BOOK REVIEW: The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski (The Edge of Never #1)

Publication Date: November 15, 2012

Synopsis (Goodreads):
Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett thought she knew exactly where her life was going. But after a wild night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she shocks everyone-including herself-when she decides to leave the only life she's ever known and set out on her own. Grabbing her purse and her cell phone, Camryn boards a Greyhound bus ready to find herself. Instead, she finds Andrew Parrish.

Sexy and exciting, Andrew lives life like there is no tomorrow. He persuades Camryn to do things she never thought she would and shows her how to give in to her deepest, most forbidden desires. Soon he becomes the center of her daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But there is more to Andrew than Camryn realizes. Will his secret push them inseparably together-or destroy them forever?

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Review:

So here's the thing. I only have 3 hours of sleep and I decided to read just to tire my eyes out but instead of sleeping, I read and finished the book in no time! I was expecting that the book will give me an emotional ride but I didn't expect that I'll be shedding some tears from reading it. 

Okay. My book boyfriends are officially piling up! Another one to add is Andrew. I love how he can be effortlessly funny and endearing. I love his 'dirty mouth' and his wittiness. He's not afraid to LIVE his life and with that, he taught Cam to live hers.

I was pleasantly surprised with Cam. I've been expecting her to be innocent but it seems that's not the case. She's been having a lot of issues in her life that she decided to hit the road, take a bus and go nowhere. With that, she meets Andrew.

At first I think the storyline is far from happening in reality because Cam is an underage girl who decided to take on a roadtrip and her parents weren't even worried of her. I know, I know, her parents are negligent. I just can't help but compare it in our culture. If I were in her case, my parents will probably be hysterical if they haven't heard from me for 24 hours. Oh well. On second thought, maybe this kind of thing may happen in real life that I just don't know. 

I have to say the steamy scenes are just..wow!Love them! 

The book made me laugh and cry hard. SO if you want some good contemporary about taking a road to life and living in the now, this book s for you! Highly recommended!

Rating:

Memorable Quotes:

“Heart always wins out over the mind. The heart, although reckless and suicidal and a masochist all on its own, always gets its way.” 

“Just because one person's problem is less traumatic than another's doesn't mean they're required to hurt less” 

“I hate to say it, but shit really does happen. You just have to get over it. Beat the hell out of it by doing things that make you happy.” 

“I don’t think you ever really fall out of love with someone. I think when you fall in love, like true love, it’s love for life. All the rest is just experience and delusions.” 

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Fifth book for

BOOK REVIEW: Losing It by Cora Carmack (Losing It)

Publication Date: October 15, 2012

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

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Review:

I think this will be the shortest review I made since I started my blog. I don't really need a lot of words to describe how I feel about the books and I don't think I need much to convince you to read this!

I have ONE WORD for this book. HILARIOUS! It was so fun I was already laughing from reading the first chapter of the book!

Bliss is so effortlessly funny! She had her embarrassing moments that I even felt sorry for her.  Then there's Garrick. I can't help but be in love with him! Just his accent made me swoooooon!

If you want to have a light,fun and fast read, this one's for you! You'll finish this in one sitting that you even want more!

Rating:

Memorable Quote:

“Sometimes, it's the scary things in life that are the most worthwhile.” 

“Some relationships just end. Like a star, they burn bright and brilliant, and then nothing in particular goes wrong, they just reach their end. They burn out.” 

“I am in love with this burrito. I would marry it if I didn’t want to eat it so badly.” 

“The tragedy of true love,” Cade whispered.” 

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Fourth book for

BOOK REVIEW: Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines (Too Far #1)

Publication Date: December 14, 2012
Synopsis (Goodreads):

To want what you’re not supposed to have…

She is only nineteen.

She is his new stepfather’s daughter. 

She is still naïve and innocent due to spending the last three years taking care of her sick mother. 

But for twenty-four year old Rush Finlay, she is the only thing that has ever been off limits. His famous father’s guilt money, his mother’s desperation to win his love, and his charm are the three reasons he has never been told no.

Blaire Wynn left her small farmhouse in Alabama, after her mother passed away, to move in with her father and his new wife in their sprawling beach house along the Florida gulf coast. She isn’t prepared for the lifestyle change and she knows she’ll never fit into this world. Then there is her sexy stepbrother who her father leaves her with for the summer while he runs off to Paris with his wife. Rush is as spoiled as he is gorgeous. He is also getting under her skin. She knows he is anything but good for her and that he’ll never be faithful to anyone. He is jaded and has secrets Blaire knows she may never uncover but even knowing all of that…

Blaire just may have fallen too far.
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Review:

Wow! That was one hell of a cliff-hanger! With some tissues and puffy eyes, I can't tell you how much I want to read the next book now! I want Never Too Far, ASAP!!

I honestly didn't want the arrangement of Blaire and Rush. I even hated it all until I reached the last part of the book. I think that was the saving grace. So just read the last part. Haha! Just kidding. 

Blaire is as innocent as you could imagine. She has a very honest and true personality which I liked. She's tough and she knows how to handle guns, literally. I can't help but feel for her. Her mother died and she's left alone with no money and place to live in. Those people she expects to stay with her, left. I just can't imagine myself being on her shoes. If I were her, I would really lose myself. One thing that I just don't like is how fast she can be so attached to Rush. I know most adult contemporary books is like that but I just want some difference other than what's expected.

On the other hand, there's Rush. He's gorgeous as he can be but very mysterious. I can't understand him throughout the book except that last part. I really didn't get him at all. He's so hard to read that I wished he had his side of story. I want to be in his head and learn more about him.

I was really shocked on how the book ended. I was speechless! I didn't expect any of that from happening. I hate Rush for keeping a secret when it's Blaire's secret too. She has the right to know. They're so hard on Blaire I can't help but cry with her. 

If you want to be annoyed and cry some,try this one! An Adult Contemporary with a lot of secrets you definitely want to know!

Rating:

Memorable Quote:

“Everyone always says that love was enough. It wasn't. Not when your soul has been shattered.” 

“You want to know what happened? YOU happened Rush. That's what happened.” 

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Third book for

BOOK REVIEW: Waking up Married by Mira Lyn Kelly

Publication Date: December 1, 2012
Synopsis (Goodreads):
Her first thought: "Who are you?"

It's the morning after her cousin's bachelorette party in Vegas and Megan Scott wakes up with the mother of all hangovers. Even worse, she's in a stranger's penthouse having woken up with something else as well - a funny, arrogant, sexy...husband!

Up until now, finding even a boyfriend had seemed impossible - been there, got the broken heart, sworn off men for good. Then a few martinis with Carter...no, Connor Reed and she's gone from first meet to marriage in one night!

Megan wants a lawyer. But Connor's shocking bombshell?

"I don't want a divorce."

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Review:

Reading "Waking Up Married" was a fun experience. From the title itself, you'll know what to expect from the book. 

Megan learned to not trust men. So she planned on being pregnant through a donor and not have a husband, just a child. On the other hand, Connor is a successful man who had a hard time making commitments. He treats a relationship as a business, like a partnership rather than a relationship out of love.

Both characters have experienced heart breaks in their younger years so as they grew up, they had a hard time trusting themselves and other people.

I love the wittiness of the book, especially the first parts. It made me laugh and it really was all fun. Despite the book being predictable, I still liked it.

If you want an easy, fun read, try this one.

Kindle Edition is available in Amazon for FREE!

Rating:

Memorable Quote:

“A person couldn't make something last if it wasn't meant to, like a person couldn't be someone they weren't. And trying only prolonged the inevitable.” 


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Second book for