Monday, February 23, 2015

Review Time #81

Shh! by Stacey Nash

Nineteen-year-old Olivia Dean has the perfect reputation, the perfect boyfriend, and an increasingly perfect CV. She has it all, until Christian breaks up with her in public, calling her out as a self-gratifying sexoholic: the kind that plays solo. But Olivia doesn’t masturbate all night — the only thing she does is sleep … right?

Now all the boys on campus seem to want her attention for the absolutely wrong reason — including resident hottie, Logan Hays. He's pulling out his best moves to gain her attention, so resisting his sexy charm is hard work. With rapidly slipping grades, a disturbingly lurid reputation and demanding parents, Olivia must discover the truth behind her rumoured sleeping problem. If she doesn't, the perfect life she's worked so hard for may slip away, including the one person who has Olivia breaking all her rules — Logan.

What do you do when you’re asleep?


I have been looking forward to this book for the past year when Stacey emailed me asking questions about how college and UNE is today. You see the college that this story is based around is the college I reside in when I'm at university, so naturally that made me excited for it and it contemporary romance/NA which I do love. I also could picture everything that Nash had described and know exactly what area of the college they were in. (Also it is super weird that I am writing this review in my college room).

Olivia is a nineteen-year-old arts/law student who currently has a perfect rep & is following all her parents demanding goals. That is until a college function when her boyfriend breaks up with her publicly and lets the whole college know what she does in her sleep. Being publicly broken up with and then telling the whole college that you masturbate while you sleep, something that you don't actually know, is probably the worst thing to happen.

Just stating a fact: Christian is a douche. Olivia tries and hides away from everyone all weekend, avoiding everyone. Come Monday for class and guess who she has class with; Logan. Logan witnessed the events that happened on Friday night a townie who used to go to Oxley the year before Olivia started. Logan on the outside seems like a bad guy on the outside but once he starts talking to Olivia you can see that he does care about others. 

Logan takes Olivia around some of the beautiful places around Armidale, to let he escape everything that is happening back at college. I really enjoyed reading about these places since I have visited them and walked around these areas. As the story goes on you come to understand that Logan is also hiding something, the reason why he took a year of uni. 

I liked how the characters changed throughout the novel, Olivia began to understand what was going on, started not caring about what others think of her and standing up to her parents. Logan started to let people in and help him with what was happening to him and his family. The minor characters of Savannah, Dane and Molly were what Olivia needed to help her out through what was going on and even though Dane was friends with Christian. 

Nash has created a NA story which deals with something that isn't done very much in both YA/NA dealing with a problem that some people may have. The building of the relationship between Olivia and Logan was by far my favorite part of the story and how they overcame different problems to get to where they were at the end of the story. Also I cannot wait for Wait! which is book two!

Thank you Stacey for letting me read Ssh! early and for including me in the acknowledgements! 

Rating: 4.5/5

Keely xx

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Review Time #80

Where the Road Takes Me by Jay McLean

Chloe has one plan for the future, and one plan only: the road. She’s made a promise to herself: don’t let anyone in, and don’t let anyone love her. She’s learned the hard way what happens if she breaks her rules. So she’s focused on being invisible and waiting until she can set out on the road—her dream of freedom, at least for a little while.

Blake Hunter is a basketball star who has it all—everything about him looks perfect to those on the other side of his protective walls. He can’t let anyone see the shattered pieces behind the flawless facade or else all his hopes and dreams will disappear.

One dark night throws Chloe and Blake together, changing everything for Blake. For Chloe, nothing changes: she has the road, and she’s focused on it. But when the so-called perfect boy starts to notice the invisible girl, they discover that sometimes with love, no one knows where the road may lead.


I loved this book, I spent probably 30% of the book crying & I'm sure many won't spend that much crying during the book but it was because one of issues that the main character goes through is something that as affected my family as well. 

Chloe is a foster kid after her mother and her mother's twin sister both past away from the same disease. She refuses to let anyone love her because she doesn't want them to go through the same situation that she went through as a child because she knows that she is going to get the same disease some stage her in her life. Blake is a basketball star who just wants a choice in what he can do after high school without his father trying to force him into the army like him. 

Until one night when Chloe is no longer invisible and Blake rescues her from an uncomfortable situation. As days go on Chloe and Blake start up a friendship which was interesting as Chloe doesn't want to let anyone in and Blake is popular where Chloe isn't. We also meet Josh who is Blake's best friend and is a teen dad, he was pretty amazing for what he has to deal with. 

Chloe wants to take off after graduation until no longer has a choice with what she could possibly face. Blake has no idea if he wants to go into the army or go to college to play basketball, they both are running away/trying avoid what is going to happen. 

I really enjoyed the way that this story was written and how it actually dealt dealing with the disease that affected the Chloe's family. It is different from McLean's other series More Than which I absolutely love and more YA than NA which is what her other series is. 

McLean has written a beautiful book which deals with a disease that affects many familys and how someone deals with the prospect of having the disease. You can't help but feel for Chloe and Blake as they go on their journey to graduate high school and what to do after it. 

Thank you to the author for the earc on netgalley.

Rating: 4.5/5

Keely xx

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Review Time #79

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal prison camp of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the survivors are missing and she is the most wanted person in London...

As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on the dreamwalker, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city's gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take centre stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner. Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided.


Where does one even begin to talk about this book? It was simply amazing with the character and world developments.

The Mime Order starts right where The Bone Season left of, Paige and the others escaping from Sheol I. But only a few manage to escape with their lives. Paige doesn't want to go back to the Seven Dials and work for Jaxon, which is understandable as he treats her like dirt. She wasn't returning until she became the most wanted person in Scion. 

Paige wants to tell everyone about the Rephaim and how to protect themselves against them. Calling for an unnatural assembly to the underlord, she is beat up by the underlord for her request. Everything is turned on its head when the underlord is found murdered. 

Okay enough about all that before I starting spoiling everything! The characters have grown when compared to The Bone Season Paige, Nick and Warden have all developed into better character. Nick! A small part of me loves to have Paige and Nick together even though we know Nick doesn't swing that way. Nick gets a love interest which was fantastic.

Warden, Warden, Warden how you have changed, in a good way. From Part II onwards I just loved having Warden in the story and what he uncovered since coming back from what he was doing at the end of The Bone Season. In The Mime Order we get a new side of Warden and it is flipping amazing. On the Rephaim subject we meet two new ones, who are interesting, I shall leave it at that. 

Paige, girl you are good making people hate you/want to kill you. That being said it was good to see a new side of Paige, the side where she is determined to change things and do a little bit of backstabbing if need. 

Part III will have you in a constant state of oh my freaking god. Not kidding I'm pretty sure I read Part III the quickest because I just had to know what was going on next, until there were no more pages to turn to, need book 3 now! Also the freaking plot twist at the end, like seriously did that happen? 

The Mime Order is the fantastic sequel to The Bone Season, since knowing that it is a 7 book series you can't help but fall in love with the world building and story lines that are being interwoven throughout the book. The Mime Order is a brilliantly written fantasy novel that you can't stop reading and have to know what happens next constantly because it has drawn you in so far that you cannot stop reading it. I absolutely loved it and cannot wait for book 3 now!

Thankyou very much to Bloomsbury Australia for providing this review copy!

Rating: 5/5

Keely xx

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Review Time #78

Mr Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham


The Neptune Grand has always been the seaside town’s ritziest hotel, despite the shady dealings and high-profile scandals that seem to follow its elite guests. When a woman claims that she was brutally assaulted in one of its rooms and left for dead by a staff member, the owners know that they have a potential powder keg on their hands. They turn to Veronica to disprove—or prove—the woman's story.

The case is a complicated mix of hard facts, mysterious occurrences, and uncooperative witnesses. The hotel refuses to turn over its reservation list and the victim won’t divulge who she was meeting that night. Add in the facts that the attack happened months ago, the victim’s memory is fuzzy, and there are holes in the hotel’s surveillance system, and Veronica has a convoluted mess on her hands. As she works to fill in the missing pieces, it becomes clear that someone is lying—but who? And why?


I'm back with another Veronica Mars review! Last time I hadn't watched the TV show and movie, but now that I have I am so addicted to the VMars world! 

Mr Kiss and Tell starts 6 months after the previous book ended. For those who have watched the Veronica Mars movie know why Eli is back in trouble wit the law, well we are finally get the outcome of that court case. There are two distinct story lines in this novel, the same why that Thomas did in the TV show. Eli and Kieth are working on discrediting the sheriff's department while Veronica is trying to find out who attacked Meg Manning's little sister Grace.

Grace Manning is a blast from the past for Veronica after everything that happened in high school with Meg and Duncan. Grace was attacked and left for dead, with no witness and only DNA evidence to figure out who did this to Grace, the sheriff's department aren't really interested in who did this to Grace. With Veronica on the case, she uncovers a secret which Grace doesn't want anyone to know. Veronica being Veronica keeps on digging until she finds more victims of the same attacker in different states.

Kieth, Cliff and Eli are working on Eli's civil case against the sheriff's department, trying to discredit them after what happened to both Kieth and Eli. This isn't the greatest time for the sheriff's department as it is an election year with another runner whom Kieth knew 35 years ago.

With both these cases going on Veronica has little time to spend with Logan, who has been back for 2 months now. After watching the TV show I was super glad for more Logan! Both having grown up since college, their relationship right now is a lot stronger. Mac! So glad that we got a lot of Mac, who had some family things come up again but none the less still awesome. Wallace I want you more than a chapter please!

Mr Kiss and Tell is a fantastic edition to the Veronica Mars franchise. Seeing how much Veronica has really grown since the TV show and how she still handles her cases in the same sort of way is great. The way that Thomas has taken Veronica Mars from the TV show to the movies and now the book series shows everyone how brilliant this franchise is. The mystery and characters who you love just draw you in for a ride that is Veronica Mars.

Thanks so much for Allen & Unwin for the review copy & the Veronica Mars addiction!

Rating: 4.5/5

Keely xx

Monday, February 2, 2015

January 2015 Wrap Up

Hey everyone! This month I only reviewed two books mainly because I didn't have internet for about two weeks, babysitting and I was reading non-review books. I head back to uni on the 20th of Feb so hopefully I shall be on top of the review books I have to read before I head back!

This months post:

Review books:
  • The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon
  • Mr Kiss & Tell by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham 
  • A Small Madness by Dianne Touchell
  • Soulprint by Megan Miranda
Bought books:
  • All Fall Down by Ally Carter
  • My Favourite Mistake by Chelsea M Cameron
  • The Queen's Choice by Cayla Kluver
E-Books:
  • Falling for Jillian by Kristen Proby
  • Forgotten by Catherine McKenzie
  • Forget Me Not by Stacey Nash
  • Dreaming of Love by Melissa Foster
  • The XOXO collection
  • Beautiful Redemption by Jamie McGuire 
  • Saving You by Kelly Elliott 
  • The Last Call by Alice Clayton
  • Make It Last by Megan Erickson 
  • Roomies by Lindy Zarr
  • Broken Promises by Kelly Elliott
I have also read 43/200 books for the year so far!

Keely xx