Crash Into You by Katie McGarry and Giveaway!

About the book

Crash Into You is the third book in the Pushing the Limits series by Katie McGarry. The book was published by Mira Ink on 26^th November and the book is 384 pages long. Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy for review.

Synopsis

Rachel Young does exactly as she’s expected. She gets straight As, wears the designer clothes that she’s supposed to and does whatever her mother says. But, Rachel is keeping secrets from both her parents and her protective brothers. The first secret involves her love of cars and the second involves a seventeen year old boy she has no business even knowing.

Isaiah Walker comes from the foster system and has no idea what a normal family looks like. The only things he knows are his best friends who are always there if he needs them. Isaiah is everything that Rachel’s parents would tell her to stay away from; he has tattoos and is constantly in trouble but he has the most amazing grey eyes that she cannot ignore.

Rachel and Isaiah have more in common than they could have imagined but could being from two different worlds keep them apart?

What I thought

I have absolutely loved the books in the Pushing the Limits series so far and Isaiah has been a character who has made me curious in previous books. I was so happy to see him get his own book and I couldn’t wait to see what he got up to.

The whole series follows a group of young people trying to survive the foster system and families with many problems. Isaiah is no exception. In this book, he isn’t really sure about where he is living but he does know that he wants to be a mechanic. He’s always had a massive love of cars and can’t imagine anything better than working with what he loves. Although Isaiah has a tough exterior with his tattoos, he is such a sweetheart deep down. It is clear that he cares about his friends more than anything and will do anything for those he loves.

Rachel, even though she comes from a wealthy family, has a terrible home life. She’s stuck living in the shadow of her dead sister and can’t seem to escape that. Her mother wants her to be a certain type of person but Rachel actually loves cars and has to keep it a secret mostly. When she takes part in a drag race, she has no idea what she’s getting herself into or who she is going to meet along the way.

Isaiah and Rachel were a fantastic couple. Although both characters come from different backgrounds, they have so much in common with their family problems. Isaiah and Rachel understand each other and they also have such a passion for cars. Isaiah can’t believe his luck when he meets Rachel. However, he knows that she’s way out of his league and should keep away… but he can’t. I really enjoyed watching the chemistry grow between these two characters but also watching them get to know one another better. The romance in this third Pushing the Limits novel was amazing.

I also really loved the plot. You can’t get much better than fast cars, racing and shady deals along the way. I found the plot to be extremely exciting throughout and there was a great mix between the street racing world and Rachel’s rich family and friends. Stereotypes are broken down and the characters surprised me many times.

While Crash Into You is pretty predictable, I didn’t mind one little bit. I quite liked knowing that the guy would get his girl but there is so much going on along the way to make the book more exciting.

The wonderful people at Mira kindly sent me and extra copy of Crash Into You to give away to my lovely readers. All you need to do is enter the form below. Giveaway is open to UK entrants only. Giveaway winner will be picked on 16th January and will have 48 hours to reply or another winner will be picked. 

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Haze by Paula Weston

About the book

Haze is the second book in the Rephaim series by Paula Weston. The book was published by Indigo on

Plot Synopsis

Gaby Winters had a pretty normal life living with her best friend and working in a library. The only problem she had was getting over her twin brother’s death. She didn’t think anything of the crazy dreams she was having until Rafa arrived and told her that everything was real. She is one of the Rephaim, a descendent from fallen angels. Since finding out who she really is, everything changed. Gaby knows that demons exist and that they’re coming for her. With a battle on her hands, finding out her brother might actually still be alive could alter everything she had planned on doing.

What I thought

The first book in this series, Shadows, was one of my all-time favourite angel books. I couldn’t put it down and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the sequel.

Haze begins where Shadows left off, with Gaby getting used to her new crazy life and realising that she doesn’t really know her true self at all. She’s constantly being told about the old her, the one she doesn’t remember and that person couldn’t be more different than who she is now. Gaby knows that there is a chance her brother is alive and she, along with Rafa, Jason, Maggie and Simon, will do anything to find him again. Although this does give the book an exciting and mysterious feel to it, there is more. This series has demons, numerous fights with awesome weapons involved and many, many secrets. Honestly, Haze is one of the most exciting books I have ever read due to how much is going on.

Australia isn’t a location used too much in young adult books and that was another reason for me loving this series. Paula Weston uses somewhere fresh and exciting but also as the setting isn’t typical, it makes it different. Australia isn’t the only setting though. The Rephaim are able to travel to any location by shifting there. The use of shifting throughout the book enables the location to change and for the plot to take unexpected turns at any moment.

Although the demons and the fights are exciting, Haze has something even better going for it. Gabe and fellow Rephaim Rafa have been inseparable since the first book due to her not knowing the dangers she faces and Rafa’s friendship with her brother. Since the beginning, there has been a fabulous sexual tension between Gabe and Rafa. Paula Weston doesn’t give much away between these two characters but littered through the pages of this book are sexy as hell smirks, tense moments and a connection that rivals any other. Gabe and Rafa’s romance does not take over the whole book though, unlike in some others, and instead makes for an interesting sub plot. Their connection adds to everything else in the story and makes it a whole lot more intense. I kept reading Haze waiting for something big to happen between them but Weston held out, making me want it even more.

Haze has characters that I deeply cared about, ones that I was hoping would do well throughout but it also has characters who I hated (because they’re pretty evil). There is a fantastic contrast between good and evil in this book and I really enjoyed reading about such diverse characters. Gaby especially was one of my favourites, along with Rafa of course. These two are very different but also very similar due to their backgrounds. Speaking of their backgrounds, this is what makes most of the characters so interesting. Gaby is this normal girl, or so she thinks, but she also has this past that she knows nothing about and finding out about that past is incredibly interesting.

Just like Shadows, I absolutely loved Haze. I stayed up until the early hours of the morning just so I could finish it in one sitting. Haze was also so much better than Shadows, which I didn’t think would be possible. Paula Weston certainly has a gift for writing and this series is seriously addictive.

The Pink Hotel by Anna Stothard and Giveaway

About the book

The Pink Hotel was first published on 18^th April 2011 by Alma Books. It is 300 pages long. Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy.

Plot Synopsis

After her estranged mother Lily dies, her seventeen year old daughter flies to Los Angeles from London for the funeral. After she manages to steal a suitcase full of letters, random items of clothing and photographs from her mother’s bedroom in a pink hotel, it sets her on a mission to find out more about who she really is. Spending the summer roaming around LA, Lily’s life is slowly revealed and her daughter begins to realise she is more like her than she once thought.

What I thought

This isn’t the usual sort of book that would be called young adult, but it is. I was looking forward to reading something a bit different.

Something quite strange about this book is that the protagonist never gets named. Maybe because it is told in the first person from the teenager’s perspective, who knows. Even though her name is never mentioned, she was a wonderful character to read about. Being left by her mother at the age of three had a massive impact on her life as she was left to be brought up by her father. She’s also not a girly girl at all and loves things such as football and getting into fights. The lack of a motherly figure in her life was so clear to see. Even though she never really knew her mother, I really liked that she still wanted to go to the funeral and to see what her mother was like.

For a girl her age, going all the way to LA on her own with no one there to greet her must have been quite a scary thing. Not only that, but it doesn’t seem as though any of her mother’s friends knew anything about her or that she even existed. Quickly, the book becomes a mystery novel as the daughter searches for information about her mother and to find out what her life was really liked. The mystery elements were written so well that it didn’t really come across as something to be solved. The daughter plods along throughout the book, going from one person to the next trying to find out certain things and carrying around a suitcase full of her dead mother’s belongings.

Anna Stothard brings in some amazing characters in The Pink Hotel. Lily led quite a strange and crazy life during her time and this meant knowing such a range of people. Although Lily is much younger than most of the people that Lily knew, she somehow manages to get in close with a few of them. I really liked the moments of the daughter getting to know the people in Lily’s life, even if they didn’t know anything about her. Characters include drunks, addicts and criminals who are all people so far from who the daughter is used to having to deal with. This brings out extreme changes in her character as she realises that she may be more like her mother.

The Pink Hotel is unlike any other book I have read. While the plot isn’t exciting in the traditional sense, I couldn’t stop reading. Stothard brings in a side of LA that is never really shown, she writes characters who you shouldn’t like but do and she also writes a very gripping story. If you’re looking for something a little different then this one would be worth a try. 

I'm also giving away a copy of this book as the publisher was nice enough to send me 2 copies! The giveaway is open to UK residents only and will run for 1 week. The winner has 48 hours to reply to the notifying email before another winner will be picked. 

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Giveaway: The Vincent Brothers by Abbi Glines

So, it appears that I somehow pre-ordered two copies of this book so I was slightly confused when I opened my Amazon package that came this morning. I can't be bothered to send one of them back now that I have them so I figured I would do a giveaway, especially as I loved the first book so much.

Here's the synopsis for The Vincent Brothers. 

Sawyer Vincent is still heartbroken over his breakup with Ashton Gray - made worse because he lost her to his brother - but Lana McDaniel thinks she might just have a cure. Lana's lived in her cousin Ashton's shadow all her life, but now she's taking the lead and is determined to make Sawyer her man. But can she be sure that Sawyer's not just using her to get back at Ashton? And what if Sawyer sees through her new sexy version of herself and discovers the shy, geeky girl she used to be?

The Vincent Brothers picks up where The Vincent Boys left off - with twice the fun, twice the excitement and twice the sexy.

Want to win a copy? Just enter below. The giveaway will last for a week and open to anyone in the UK. 



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Giveaway: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood. 1 Day Only!

Running for one day only, I'm able to give away one copy of Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood. Today is the last day of the blog tour and there are 2 other blogs giving you the chance to win a copy for yourself but the giveaways will only run for one day!  

Here's the synopsis of the book:

Everybody thinks Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship--or an early grave. Then Cate finds her mother's diary, and uncovers a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra. But if what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe--not even from each other.

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For more chances to win a copy, head over to the links below. These blogs are all giving a copy away today! 

www.yabookreads.com

www.thecaitfiles.blogspot.co.uk

You can also read the first chapter to get you started!

Giveaway: Beautiful Creatures Movie Companion

To celebrate #penguinchats and the upcoming chat with Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, Penguin have allowed me to giveaway a copy of the movie companion for Beautiful Creatures. I'm really excited to see this myself and will be going to see it as soon as it is released! 

Don't forget, the chat with Kami and Margaret will be taking place on Saturday 27th January at 8pm and it will be the very first #penguinchats. Don't forget to use the hashtag to get your questions seen! 

Here are some pictures of what you can win:

Entrants must live in the UK. The publisher will be sending out the prize once I have contacted them with postal information. A winner will be picked on 25th January. Good luck!

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Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass + UK ARC giveaway

About the book

Throne of Glass is the debut novel by Sarah J. Mass. It was published by Bloomsbury on 2^nd August and the book is 432 pages long. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy for review.

Plot

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

What I thought

Even though I was still on my blogging break when this was released, I had still managed to hear about it over Twitter. Throne of Glass sounded exactly like the kind of book I would love so I couldn’t wait to read it.

I loved protagonist Calaena. She has spent most of her life being an assassin… until the day she was caught, captured and sent to a slave mine. Being an assassin, it became quite clear that Calaena was someone not to mess with. I instantly loved how quick witted and clever she was and that she wasn’t afraid to say what she really meant. As the book went on, I only grew to like her more and more. The tournament she has been entered in meant getting to know that she kicked ass with all different kinds of weapons and was as tough as steel. At the same time though, Calaena manages to show her feminine side which was a nice touch.

While at the castle, Calaena grips the attention of two men; Prince Dorian and Chaol. I have my personal favourite of the two but I could see the attraction with both men. Dorian, to begin with came across as selfish and annoying but he grew on me throughout the book. As he spends time with Calaena, his personality comes through more and more and I could see that he was actually a really nice guy. However, Chaol was the one who did it for me. He was sweet and caring, even though he tried to hide that at all times. He doesn’t underestimate Calaena and in fact, he knows exactly what she is capable of and that scares him. I wish that I had gotten to see more of Chaol though outside of the training etc.

Secondary characters help to make this story even more interesting. As Calaena is taking part in a tournament, there are other competitors, some of which we get to know better and some that we don’t. Princess Nehemia provides some great scenes with Calaena and also getting to know more about her was fascinating. As she was from a different part of the world that Sarah J. Mass created, not much is known about her but some things are revealed throughout the story. There is also the King who again, not much is known about. I wanted to know more about him and why Calaena hates him so much but I think that this is something to come in the next book.

My only problem with this book was the pacing. At times, it felt like nothing at all was happening. Calaena spends a lot of time sitting around reading (that could never be truly bad) but it was quite boring to read about at times. I think that the time could have been put to better use by having Calaena spend more time with Chaol or if more had been explained about the world that she lives in. There were some quite exciting moments in there too though so it wasn’t all bad in regards to pacing. The plot was interesting and different though and I really enjoyed discovering this new world that had been created.

Throne of Glass is a fantastic debut novel and now I can’t wait to read the next instalment.

If you haven't read this one yet, I'm giving away a UK ARC. The giveaway is international but you must be a follower of the blog to enter. All information will only be used by me to contact the winner and will be deleted when the giveaway ends. A winner will be picked at random on 7th September and they will have 48 hours to reply before a different winner is chosen.