Almost that time again...

Well my August (AKA 200 Follower Celebration) giveaway has ended, and it was absolutely fabulous that so many of you participated :). I've decided to do a giveaway every month ~ they're just plain fun and it's awesome to be able to spread the love of a book ~ that's one huge reason why this blog exists in the first place.

So, like last month, I'm going to put it up to a vote. These are going to be books that I've read, reviewed, and adored. Cast your choice, and by September 1st, the winning novel will be up for giveaway :).

The contestants are:

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

mm mm mm ~ this book will keep you up all night! 
*review here*

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

Fabulous and imaginative take on the story of Robin Hood ~ one of the best books I've read in 2012. 
*review here*

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

I couldn't say enough wonderful things about this book ~ intense read. 

*review here*

These are all at the top of my list of favorites, so which ever way you choose, I don't believe you'll be disappointed. :) All a bit different but all equally incredible. 

Cast your vote!

What book would you like to see in your mailbox in September?
	Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
	Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
	Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
pollcode.com free polls

Happy Reading Everyone :)

~ Keely ~

Men who should exist....

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by The Unread Reader.  Here, I am calling it the obvious "Men who should exist..." simply because some of these guys who should exist if there were any fairness in the world have the power to initiate real-time crushes, butterflies, nerves, sweaty palms and all.

So who would I pick? I'll go with my first instinct and say Travis from Jamie McGuire's Beautiful Disaster. He's absolutely got some screws loose in that hot-tempered head of his, but his passion, tattoos, and tough-guy persona got me hooked.

Totally how I pictured Travis ~ thanks Shadows. What can I say? I like my guys with a little ink. 

Happy Reading Everyone :)




~ Keely ~

WWW Wednesday

Merry Hump Day! I can't believe I even made it through the jingles of my alarm to get to this point this early in the morning... between a 13+ hour day at work and unusual trouble sleeping, coffee and kava are my best friends :)

Here's my WWW:

What are you currently reading? I'm hooked on anything Jamie McGuire these days. I'm reading Providence, a distinct novel of light and dark. 

What did you recently finish reading? I completed Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire in a record time of a day and a half... Like I said, I'm obsessed with this author right now.. Check out my review here.

What do you think you'll read next? Welllll... this is going to be a tough decision.. I might read Requiem, the second in the Providence series, but I also have Fire by Kristin Cashore in the mail (Check out my review of the first in that series, Graceling, here). 

Happy Reading Everyone :)

~ Keely ~ 

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I'm becoming a Jamie McGuire fan (I just posted a review of Beautiful Disaster - here), so I started reading another of her books, Providence. This is the first in a series, and I'm starting to see a trend as I seem to be getting less and less sleep with every page of McGuire's that I turn.

Here's my teaser:

"The attention turned to my hand. I balled it into a fist; I wouldn't give up my father's ring. Grahm seemed to notice my decision and they all took a step forward, preparing to take it from me. Four sets of malevolent eyes shifted in unison as a familiar voice growled from behind me."






Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~

Review: Beautiful Disaster

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’ apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This book literally kept me up all night~something which hasn't happened to me in a while. I thought I'd lost my 'reading mojo,' as someone so cleverly put it, but this book brought it back with a vengeance. I'd heard about it through a fellow book blogger, and so much was the gushing in the review, I had to give it a try. If was I was tired, had a headache, and was gulping down coffee as if my life depended on it the last couple of days, it was because of this book. It was so worth it.

Beautiful Disaster revolves around the unlikely, crazy, ecstatic, depressing, and sometimes psychotic relationship between Travis Maddox and Abby Abernathy. Travis has never had a problem getting girls, and he's never particularly wanted or needed them (except for a quick romp on his famous couch) until he met one girl who wouldn't give into his reputable charms. (That's how it always happens with guys like that right? They love a girl who won't put up with their crap and sees them for what they are.) However, Abby's not the innocent girl we expect and has a past that she's trying bury, a past that she's reminded of when she's with Travis, giving her contradicting feelings and causing her to constantly second guess their relationship.  

The intensity of the emotions in this book really put a strain on my nerves and patience, but as a glutton for punishment, I loved every minute of it. Travis and Abby are insane, individually and about each other, but no matter what happens, how big the fight, how impossible it seems, they always come to the conclusion that they belong together. The roller-coaster relationship of theirs is not lacking in love, but they still have a lot of growing to do and obstacles to overcome before they can come to the point where nothing can stop them. 

In some of the reviews I've read, I've heard there is too much violence, cursing, etc, etc... I thought that's what made this book real. People curse, they are essentially violent, they make huge mistakes, and are sometimes physical about releasing their anger. That's the reality of being human. We can't always control ourselves according to 'civilized' society. Travis's constantly flaring temper is huge part of what makes him who he is, what causes him to be the 'screw up' he believes himself to be, and it's up to Abby to love him anyway. That's what this book is about - loving someone for who they are, not trying to change or save them, but loving them without conditions. 

I wish I could say this book was an easy and light read - it's anything but that. It's an intense and extremely emotional ride from start to finish. One of the best and most realistic love stories I've ever read. 

Happy Reading Everyone :)

~ Keely ~

*Below are quotes I highlighted through my Kobo app. They are just few excerpts that made me laugh out loud or smile in that completely predictable girly way.* 

Kobo Highlights:

~America rolled down her window and spit out her gum. "You're so obvious. Why didn't you just roll in dog shit to make your outfit complete?"~

~"Hell yes, he's cute...in that preppy, missionary position kind of way."~

~"Jealous of what? The STD infested imbecile you're going to piss off in the morning?"~

~"It looks like Vegas threw up on a flock of vultures," America sneered.~

~"I know we're fucked up, all right? I'm impulsive, and hot-tempered, and you get under my skin like no one else. You act like you hate me one minute, and then you need me the next. I never get anything right and I don't deserve you...but I fucking love you, Abby. I love you more than I've loved anyone or anything, ever. When you're around, I don't need booze, or money, or the fighting, or the one-night stands...all I need is you. You're all I think about. You're all I dream about. You're all I want."~

~"It's dangerous to need someone that much. You're trying to save him and he's hoping  you can. You two are a disaster." ... I smiled at the ceiling. "It doesn't matter what or why it is. When it's good, Kara...it's beautiful."~