On Our Nightstand

On Our Nightstand is where we show the state of disarray our nightstand look holding all the books we are currently reading.

One night, I was halfway through a book when I knew I was going to finish it right then and there. So, before snuggling in for the night, I went ahead and grabbed my next TBR book and put it on my nightstand just so I didn't have to get up and get it.  I looked at my nightstand, which is just stack of pretty boxes, and had an idea. After talking about this with Nahomi, we're going to sharing, occasionally, how the towering books on our nightstands look with our readers.

I (Jenn) am currently reading Every Little Kiss by Kendra Leigh Castle, rereading (sporadically) Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas on my iPad, and I'm (re)reading aloud to my husband Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling.

Nahomi:
Nahomi is currently reading One Life by A.J. Pine on her phone (not pictured), she is going to start Soundless by Richelle Mead, and is reading all the books with her four-year old. 

(Nahomi's nightstand truly does scares me, though. It makes me nervous.)

How does your nightstand look?

Book Trailer: Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Hi there Swooners!

We are excited to share the book trailer for Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Oblivion is Obsidian's Daemon Black point of view.



Oblivion
(Lux #1.5)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: December 1, 2015
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Experience the epic love story of OBSIDIAN as told by its hero, Daemon Black…

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it.

And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are.

But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can't stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game.

Falling for Katy—a human—won't just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen...

About the author:

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
Author's Links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Book Trailer organized by: InkSlinger PR

Review: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas


Queen of Shadows
(Throne of Glass #4)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Source: Personal Copy
Review by: Jenn and Nahomi
Her destiny awaits. But first, vengeance…

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past…
,
She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her to regain her throne. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

Jenn's rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars
Nahomi's rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars
Our Overall Rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars

Jenn:
Queen of Shadows was everything I was expecting in a Sarah J Maas' book. It was filled with a vivid world, some amazing and complex characters, and writing that captures a reader's attention and doesn't let go until the last page. It a book that left me satisfied as well as drained with how the story unraveled. This book was perfection.

By the end of Heir of Fire, Celaena's has embraced her true identity and destiny. She knows she needs to return to Rifthold and face her past. When she returns to Rifthold in Queen of Shadows, Chaol has news to share with her and with it, set a crazy and risky plan in motion. What follows is Celaena/Aelin's usual badassery of taking charge of whatever situation.

Throughout the entirety of this book, I was one big ball of emotions. One page I was shaking my head at whatever Aelin had concocted, the next I was almost in tears and in fear for Dorian, then the following page I was worried about what Manon was getting herself into. The story telling in this series just amaze me with every book. The plot, the characters, their stories, they're so fascinating and mind blowing. Sarah manages to keep me surprised with how the plot plays out but every now and then, I learn something that had already been hinted at in a previous book. How Maas manage to keep all the plot points so intricately woven between each book, I'll never know. However, I love reading something and then seeing it come up later on and see how it comes into play in the bigger story arc.

This series hold some of my favorite characters and what I love about each and every one of them is how much growth and development they have all gone through. We meet Celaena in Throne of Glass and I found her to be selfish and scary but a badass. In Queen of Shadows, Aelin is still all those things but we've seen her grow up, be vulnerable, and learned her history. The same with Dorian, Chaol, Rowan, Manon, and Aedion. We are reintroduced to Lysandra and meet new characters like Nesryn and Elide. Each characters, we learn of their motivations and their secrets (some of them at least). Maas does character development so unbelievably well and in turn makes the reader all the more invested into the story.

Queen of Shadows was well worth stalking my mailman as well as ignoring the outside world while I read all 656 pages of its glory. Sarah J. Maas is queen and I will patiently await book five to be release.

Nahomi:
Let me begin by saying that Queen of Shadows spoke to me on so many different levels. The writing is superb and the plotting is unreal. I was speechless because Sarah J. Maas is a master of intricately weaving even the most minute detail into the storyline. I was completely immersed in this world and totally invested in all of the characters lives. By far this is definitely my favorite book of the series and overall one of my favorite books in general.

Ninety percent of the book is highlighted on my Kindle app because I love all of it! I don't want to get into details, but I will say that Queen of Shadows is incredibly fast paced. During certain parts of the story I was literally holding my breath because it was so suspenseful! Sarah J. Maas isn't afraid to put her characters through hell.  This in turn creates an honest portrayal of pain, angst, perseverance, and hope that is inspiring. I experienced the full range of emotions as I read the book and feel I came out the other side changed. I absolutely adore this book, series and its characters. I can't wait to see what Sarah J. Maas has in store for us next!

Waiting on Wednesday (#132)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spinethat spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Morning swooners!

This week pre-publication "can't wait to read" selection is:

Expected Release Date: November 24, 2015
Synopsis:
PAWN…CAPTIVE…QUEEN?

Kitty Doe is a Blackcoat rebel and a former captive with a deadly connection to the most powerful and dangerous man in the country, Prime Minister Daxton Hart. Forced to masquerade as Daxton's niece, Lila Hart, Kitty has helped the Blackcoats take back the prison known as Elsewhere. But Daxton has no intention of ceding his position of privilege—or letting Kitty expose his own masquerade. Not in these United States, where each person's rank means the difference between luxury and poverty, freedom and fear…and ultimately, between life and death.

To defeat the corrupt government, Kitty must expose Daxton's secret. Securing evidence will put others in jeopardy, including the boy she's loved forever and an ally she barely trusts. For months, Kitty's survival has hinged on playing a part. Now she must discover who she truly wants to be, and whether the new world she and the rebels are striving to create has a place in it for her after all.
I read the first book in the series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I haven't read Captive yet but now that Queen is releasing soon, I'll have to move it up my to-read list.

What are you "Waiting on?"

Review: Blood Promise by Richelle Mead


Blood Promise
(Vampire Academy #4)
Author: Richelle Mead
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Personal Copy
Review by: Jenn and Nahomi
Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.
The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?
Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

Jenn's rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars
Nahomi's rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars
Our Overall rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars

Jenn:
WELL. Let me tell you guys something. This book just about killed me. I was shocked and scared and worried and a host of other emotions. I didn't know what would happen next and I was just hoping for the best outcome. Richelle Mead completely outdid herself with this book and she knows how to play with her readers hearts because I was a wreck throughout it all.

Blood Promise follows Rose's journey into finding Dimitri and keeping their promise intact. Rose has to deal with her confusion and conflict of dealing with her thought and emotions towards what she needs to do. At the same time, she is torn in her decision of leaving Lissa back at St. Vladimir. Lissa has her own problems to deal with but, thankfully, she has Christian and Adrian to count on to help. We are introduced to Sydney Sage and to a host of new characters, several of which are very important later on.

Blood Promise is a journey full of heartache, hope, and resignation. Throughout Rose's whole journey of finding Dimitri, I experienced her grief and confusion right along side her. If I thought Richelle Mead had broken my heart in Shadow Kiss, this time she managed to take those mangled parts and set fire to any thoughts, hope, or dream I might have had of a good outcome. I was kept on the edge of my seat from beginning to end because I needed to know how it was going to end. And that ending! Good grief that ending just about gave me a heart attack. And I may or may not have flail. Just a tiny bit.

Oh Richelle, you slay me. I still don't know how I was coherent when I finished it.

Nahomi:
Holy Cannoli!! This book was heart wrenching for me. Oh the feels! I was on edge for the majority of the book. For starters I was mourning with Rose. Well, no... I think I was in denial in the beginning, but then I was definitely mourning because of a very specific loss. I totally understand Rose's decision and I was all for her going to do what she promised she would. I love that, although she was on a mission to accomplish something very important to her and Dimitri, she still took the time to find herself and come to terms with her life and what she wanted for the future.

Gah, I was so emotional throughout the entire book. With the sadness came an uncontrollable need to read as fast as I could to see what happened next. Then I was sooo freaking angry I looked like a crazy person shaking my head, waving my arms and cursing under my breath! Because honestly HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!?!?! I was truly upset for a number of reasons you'll have to read the book to find out.

Richelle Mead writes in a way that I find myself experiencing all of the feels along with the characters as I get lost in the pages of her stories. I love her writing style and characters. Blood Promise turned me into a giant mess of emotions but it hurt so good.


Quotes (#129)


Morning Swooners,
Life has been chaotic as of late in a lot of different ways. Woody's face pretty much sums up what I am feeling right now. On to our quotes, they always make me feel better.

"Your life is right now. It's not later. It's not in that time of retirement. It's not when the lover gets here. It's not when you've moved into the new house. It's not when you get the better job. Your life is right now. It will always be right now. You might as well decide to start enjoying your life right now, because it's not ever going to get better than right now—until it gets better right now...

"Maybe the hardest part of life is just having the courage to try."

“Scared is what you're feeling. Brave is what you're doing.”
~Emma Donoghue, Room

“Books are the air I breathe, so I don't notice the seasons.”

~Emma Donoghue

“Love - true love - is a precious thing. It is painful, uncomfortable, makes fools of us all, but it is what breathes meaning and color and purpose into our lives.”
~Kate Mosse, Sepulchre

“Some things in life are out of your control. You can make it a party or a tragedy.”
~Nora Roberts, Vision in White

“We are drawn to stories,” he says in a soft voice, “and every scar carries one.”
~Marie Lu, The Rose Society

I hope you have a lovely week. 

Stacking the Shelves (#26)

Stacking the Shelves, which is hosted by Team Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This mean you can include books you buy in a physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course, ebooks.

Well hi there, Pretty.

It been a while since we've done one of these posts. I can give you the long version and tell you why we fell off the face of the blogosphere when it came down to this meme, but I think I'll just let you see what books Nahomi and I got in the month of August/September.

We got these for review:
DARK WILD NIGHT by Christina Lauren
ROMANCING THE DARK IN THE CITY OF LIGHTS by Anne Jacobus
BREAKAWAY by Kat Spears
I actually have this in hardcover but I can't find the picture I took.

MAD ABOUT THE MAN by Tracy Anne Warren
ALL I WANT by Jill Shalvis
FALLING FOR DANGER by Chanel Cleeton
THE GREAT HUNT by Wendy Higgins
WHAT HAPPENS IN COLLEGE by Vanessa M. Knight
WHAT PRETTY GIRLS ARE MADE OF by Lindsay Jill Roth
ONE LIFE by A.J. Pine
And we purchased these beauty:
QUEEN OF SHADOWS by Sarah J. Maas
DIE ONCE MORE by Amy Plum
That's it for us today. We'll be doing these once a month so we'll see you the week before Thanksgiving!

Favorite Friday (#48) - Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines

Have a favorite book? Series? One that you've just read or are currently reading? Favorite Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Books and Swoons where we spotlight some of our Favorite Reads. Everyone is welcome to join. Just enter your information on the linky or leave us a comment!

This week pick is: Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines.


To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go…
Until Friday Night is such a wonderful story! I loved everything about it! Abbi Glines did a fantastic job with this story. I can't wait to see what happens next in this world.

About the author:


Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, and Existence series. She has a new YA series coming out in the fall of 2015 titled The Field Party Series . She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she was born in Alabama. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, shopping (major shoe and purse addiction), sneaking off to the movies alone, and listening to the drama in her teenagers lives while making mental notes on the good stuff to use later. Don’t judge.
Author's links: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

I hope you can join us in sharing and talking about some of your favorite reads. Book talk always make me happy. 

What are one of your favorite reads?

Review: First & Then by Emma Mills


First & Then
Author: Emma Mills
Release Date: October 13 , 2015
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Source: ALA AC 2015
Review by: Jenn
Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.

4.5 stars out of 5 stars


If you don't want to see the video, I'll just give you a quick rundown of what I talked about:

  • SOOO GOOD. 
  • Devon, our main character, has a wonderful story arc.
  • Foster, her quirky cousin, is the best.
  • I love how the love story plays out. It feel real and authentic. 
  • GO BUY AND READ THIS BOOK so I have someone to talk about it with.




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