Emerge by S.E. Hall (Evolve Series)

I just finished Emerge by S.E. Hall. Like literally 5 minutes ago. I am so happy I waited to read this series because I really hate waiting for books to come out. I ordered this book back in July. It was just living in the cloud. A few days ago the author asked me to share the sale she was having on these books! How cool is that! Of course, I was honored to do so. So, since this book has been in my collection for months I figured I would read it and see what it's about. Of course, just because the author asked me to share the sale doesn't mean I would enjoy the book. I would be honest with my opinion as you already know. But WOW! I loved this book. It is one of my favs! Now, if you are not a huge fan of love triangles, this might not be for you. However, it is not one of those books where the girl just makes you mad and is going back and forth between guys. She is normal and so honest and straight forward. It is a love story mixed with comedy and real life. Well, except for rich millionaire men sweeping you off your feet. Really, both Evan and Dane are awesome guys. Both are totally book boyfriend material. But from the very beginning, I must say, I was team Dane all the way baby! I cant really give the story away. But here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

• "Um, Dane, have you been checking me out? I blush. "Only when I'm breathing."
• "What took us years to build, a strong foundation that withstood any element, has just suffered its first crack. It took a fraction of the time."
• ...Dane is a "go big or go home" guy apparently. 
• "Where is this town she comes from that's obviously filled with the dumbest bastards on the planet?"
• "Last chance, Disney. Once I get a taste, I'm coming after you with everything I've got."
• Game on, Evan.

OH! Laney describes her situation in this book like the Sweet Home Alabama movie. I agree! But what worries me is that in that movie I wanted Reese to stay with the country boy from her past and not the GQ guy from her present! Oh, the dilemma. Do I really hope Dane wins or can Evan still make a comeback? 

If you like Abbi Glines or Colleen Hoover you will love this series! Off I go to read the next book! 

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

OH HELL NO! That's what I have to say about this. WARNING: THIS IS NOT SPOILER FREE SO IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK YET AND DON'T WANT TO HAVE IT RUINED FOR YOU STOP READING NOW! 

OK, now that I said that. OMG! I am so sad! Why did she have to die?!?!?!?! I kept waiting for her to come back from the dead or something! I'm just shocked and sad. Poor Tobias! Why could they not live happily ever after fighting the world together? I am so stressed. Yes, there is a greater lesson from her dying and Tobias living as she would want him to. Yes, I understand that. But come on. I really wanted them both to be happy together, I think they deserved that much. I had so many other things to write about this book but the ending just killed me and know my brain and heart can't focus. Everything else seems so petty compared to this. I was so proud of Tris when she was going to let Caleb go and sacrifice himself. It was not like her. I should have known better! I have said this series reminds me of the Hunger Games and The Matrix combined. That is the one thing I HATED about the Matrix was that Neo died. HATED! Like, I do not watch that movie. (And the Matrix is one of my all time fav's)  I HATE it when an awesome character dies. It's like a part of me died with them.

So sad. :( 

"I fell in love with him. But I don't just stay with him by default as if there's no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me." 

Let's talk movies: The Host

While I am on my movie kick lets talk about The Host shall we. I tried reading the book, by Stephenie Meyer, but I could not get into it. I think I was still in my Twilight phase and could not share my brain with anything else at the time. This movie was really good! It had a good cast and a really good story line! I was impressed! I even shed a few tears! I saw the movie twice! Even Rey liked it so that will tell you that it wasn't a girly movie. I think this was one of the first movies or series to use the song Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. Really, if you want to make your show, episode or movie good-use this song. LOL! At least that's what happened after this movie. Overall, I say watch this movie!

Bold Tricks by Karina Halle

I just finished Karina Halle's Bold Tricks. It is the last book in the Artists Trilogy. What an exciting book! Can I just say how much I love Camden McQueen!?! He is such a stand up guy! This series would make a great movie. Action packed and always keeps you on your toes. Bad guys that you love to hate or hate to love? Camden is so a book boyfriend and what the heck so is Javier! I love pretty much anything that Karina Halle writes and each series is different. It is not limited to one genre. BUT, I will say, I did find a few moments where Camden reminded me of Dex for just a minute. Which is always a good thing! Since I love Dex from her other series, Experiment in Terror. Pretty much the only time I was reminded of Dex was when Camden and Ellie were talking about "needing a fix" and what fix really means. We all know how much Dex loved talking about the D. Do yourself a favor and read this series. It is a great, fast paced, action packed story full of awesomeness! 

Book 1- Sins and Needles

Book 1.5- On Every Street

Book 2- Shooting Scars

Book 3- On Every Street

I will say I have not read On Every Street yet. It is from when Ellie was with Javier and at the time I was not ready to love him that much yet. Will be reading that next though! 

This would be my Camden...

Let's talk Movies: Gravity

I have been on quite the movie kick lately haven't I? I was in some sort of writing slump but now have all this energy to write-thank you black coffee. I was a little skeptical to see this movie.I had a fear that it would just be Sandra Bullock in space and possibly George Clooney. If you have ever seen Open Water, then you know what I am referring to. Who wants to watch a movie with only one person in it for almost 2 hours stuck in a horrible situation? I will admit to watching Open Water 1 & 2, maybe I am a masochist? If you have the chance to watch Gravity in the theater, specifically IMAX 3D I totally recommend it. Since most of us will never go to space in our lifetime it does give us a beautiful visual. The 3D technology used in this film was top notch! I have never seen another 3D movie that felt so real and like the objects were really going to hit you. The story line did not disappoint either. I would not wait for DVD for this one. Unless you have a 60+ inch tv at home. :) 

Let's Talk Movies: Riddick

This is kind of late in coming. I saw this movie in mid September. I guess I didn't think to write about it at first. It is probably too late to tell you to save your money and wait for this one on DVD. I literally almost fell asleep in the theater multiple times during this movie. Yes,Vin Diesel is a hottie. No, that is not enough to keep you entertained with the movie. I'll admit, I have a fondness for him cause he reminds me of my fiancee a bit, but even that could not keep me awake. The story line is overplayed. How many times do you want to see people try to kill Vin Diesel and him escape?  I'll include some eye candy for the ladies and that should hold you over until it is available on DVD. :) 

Let's Talk Movies: Prisoners

A few weeks ago I saw Prisoners. Actually, I had to see it 2 times. Once with my friend then with my family. It is not one of those movies you may want to see twice at the theater but it was either re-watch Riddick or Prisoners. Prisoners it was! Now, even though there are super hotties in this move aka Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhal they are not necessarily hot in this movie. I went into the movie not knowing much about the plot. Wow it was an emotional ride. Talk about psychological thriller! Jake Gyllenhall looked like an ex gang member from ease L.A. Hugh Jackman looked like a lumberjack. OH! I almost forgot about Terrence Howard! His role in the movie was sooooooo funny! He was such a wimp! I could not even believe it! Plot summary: 2 little girls get kidnapped on Thanksgiving. 2 hours of movie trying to find them. The ending is SO frustrating. Since it is left open to interpretation I'm hoping that poor Hugh Jackman is ok. While this was a good movie, I'd say this is one you can watch on DVD instead of going to the theater. 

SO EXCITED!!!

Well, I just want to share how excited I am that an author, Aleatha Romig, read and shared my review of her books! And confirmed that yes we are on a first name basis! :) Seriously, it feels really cool to have someone acknowledge your writing about them or their characters or just in general. I write for myself and hopefully my friends and family might read it sometime. Maybe someone else out there with similar interests will read it. BUT when I write and share my thoughts it is with the expectation that it is for me alone. I am beyond excited when my friends read my blog let alone a stranger that doesn't know me or an AUTHOR! 

CONVICTED BY ALEATHA ROMIG

WOAH BABY! I did not realize how long I waited for this book until I read -no DEVOURED this book. Somehow, I forgot all the INTENSE emotions brought on by reading about Tony and Claire. This will be a spoiler free review! or Rant- I'm not sure if my thoughts will gather quick enough to form coherent sentences! One of my best friends always says "There are plots everywhere." That statement could not be more true in this series! There were so many plots that I almost lost track! This series reminds me of a lifetime movie-on crack! or V! (True Blood peeps you know what I mean!) 

If you have read my thoughts on the first two books in this series, Consequences and Truth, then you know this is a dark read and takes you to psychological places you never thought you would go. You learn a little about yourself in the process as you start to doubt your feelings.It is almost as if your heart and mind are at war with each other. As with the other books, Aleatha uses very powerful quotes at the beginning of each chapter! (Yeah, we're on a first name basis lol!) Not really BUT she was the first author to see and share my blog! And I do have a signed copy of the first 2 books. (Sorry, I'm too greedy to give those away.) Also, one of the chapter quotes was from NEW MOON! Talk about earning big brownie points Aleatha! Honestly, if you are emotionally strong enough to venture into something unknown and a little scary you need to read this series! One thing I will share is the theme of love. The heart is so resilient even when it seems it can break no more-it does, then mends itself back together. Love can be a very powerful thing. It is clearly proven in this series. Aleatha does not disappoint and Tony would be proud!


P.S. Tony is SOOOO on the book boyfriend list. Dang it! He is on the book husband list LOL. Phil can come in on the book boyfriend list since his loyalty is so superb. 

Just for Fun

I'm still going strong on my True Blood/ Sookie Stackhouse marathon. In catching up on the seasons of True Blood, (I'm ahead in the books) I came across this funny clip that I had to share!  Take a minute to watch this! Eric is SOOO HILARIOUS!!!!

Hello Sean Connery!

The other morning I woke up and on the TV was an old James Bond movie. In this particular one Sean Connery was playing 007. The thing is, it barely looked like the Sean Connery we know! This man was young, handsome, tall and tanned. But when he opened his mouth a familiar voice came out! Wow, I was surprised. I promptly googled Sean Connery and 007 and checked out images. Did you know Sean Connery is in his 80's?  He was very handsome! Like Gastby handsome. So this is just a Sean Connery acknowledgment post LOL! 

 

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

For the last 2 weeks I have been carrying this book around in my purse. It is a quick read, only 170 pages. I read it in 2 hours. This book was recommended to me by a good friend. At least she gave me the disclaimer that it was not a happy read. Actually she said "Don't read if if you feel depressed." LOL! Living Dead Girl is a story about a girl who was kidnapped and has been living with her captor for 5 years. It is categorized as a young adult book but I think it should be an adult book. It is a dark read. The poor girl is starved, sexually abused, beaten...It is just bad.  It is a great book and in the end, well, she realizes that she isn't a monster and she is finally free. I would recommend this book if you are in the mood to read something different and are not looking for a light-hearted read. OH! I have to mention that this is an actual hard cover book not an ebook! YAY!

Divergent & Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Well, it has been a while that I have actually read a book. Lately, I have been listening to the Sookie Stackhouse audiobooks. I am currently on the 4th one in that series. I recently saw the trailer for the Divergent movie and figured I should read the book. A few friends have recommended it to me. I think I was just tired of reading the same things. I'm waiting for a few releases this month and I think I have just not wanted to get into anything else. OK, back to business here. Let me start by saying that I LOVED these 2 books. The third book comes out on 10/22. BUMMER! At least it isn't that long of a wait. Yes it does have a Hunger Games vibe but it also has a Matrix vibe. Maybe it is all the simulation, altering reality and mind games. Either way I loved both Hunger Games and Matrix so this series was perfect for me. I wont say much about the story other than it was well written and keeps you going. I love the characters, Four and Tris, I just love them. Although they had their harsh moments I'm really happy there was not a whole book almost dedicated to them being apart-like New Moon. I hate that! Sometimes, I just want their love to keep them together. What is wrong with me! MUSH! Ok, go out and read this book. :)

P.S. This series makes my Favorites list! And Four is totally a book boyfriend!