Waiting on Wednesday: To All the Boys I've Loved Before & What I Thought Was True

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

Summer time is way too far and yet most of my picks consists of these summer-reads, it's so irresistible to ignore these works of my favourite contemporary authors and I just couldn't help sharing it with y'all so without further ado here are my WoW picks this week (click title for the Goodreads page):

To All the Boys I've Loved Before 

by Jenny Han

Release date: April 22nd, 2014

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Pre-Order: Amazon | Book Depository

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

To every Belly-Conrad fan out there, we are getting another YA Contemporary read by Jenny Han! Who wouldn't want to read something about crushes? This takes me back to the memory of my first crush *giggles...ahem* I wouldn't miss this for the world. Another A+ is the cute cover. Love! Love! Love!

What I Thought Was True
by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Release date: April 15th, 2014

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

Pre-Order: Amazon | Book Depository

From the author of My Life Next Door comes a swoony summertime romance full of expectation and regret, humor and hard questions.
Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is.

A magnetic, push-me-pull-me romance with depth, this is for fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Deb Caletti.

Another summer read folks and it is written by one of my newest favourite authors, Huntley Fitzpatrick! My Life Next Door swept me off my feet and I bet that this is as swoon. Look at the cover *wipes drool off my face*.  STUNNING. Come to my hands already.

Review: Dirty Red (Love Me With Lies, #2) by Tarryn Fisher

Dirty Red (Love Me With Lies, #2) by Tarryn Fisher

Genre: NA Contemporary
Kindle Edition: 265 pages

Release Date: December 21st 2012

Purchase: Amazon

Dear Opportunist,

You thought you could take him from me, but you lost. Now, that he's mine I'll do anything to keep him. Do you doubt me? I have everything that was supposed to be yours. In case you were wondering; he doesn't ever think about you anymore. I won't let him go....ever.

Dirty Red

Leah Smith finally has everything she has ever wanted. Except she doesn't. Her marriage feels more like a loan than a lifelong commitment, and the image she has worked so hard to build is fraying before her eyes. With a new role and a past full of secrets, Leah must decide how far she is willing to go to keep what she has stolen.

Review

“Wow. Wow. HELL WOW!”

These were the words I utter after reading Dirty Red which was quite an intense, infuriating and brilliant read.  I almost hurl my phone on the wall every time Leah flips on her inner B-ness. It's good (and crazy) to finally be able to look on the point of view of the person who tries everything in her power to keep two people who love each other apart and mind you she was aggravating beyond imagination. I tried to give Leah her chance she---slightly---deserves because her actions might be just fruits of the difficulties she have suffered through her childhood but almost at every moment that I've made up my mind there'll be twists and exasperating things she'll do that would brought me back to keep her on the bad side. I've finally realized she deserved it after all (you'll know why when the bomb was dropped). She's a dirty fighter and she doesn't know how to set her boundaries between love and obsession plus she's full of insecurities. Well, if you're wondering she's not so bad most of the time...She seemed to have care, love and be thoughtful of another being especially when she have come to realize Estella's importance to her, as her mother. We were given glimpses of the good side of Leah and it's nice to know that underneath the personality she imposes her heart isn't all tainted black after all. Looking through her perspective of the past and the present may give us that impression.

I'm not a fan of Leah---I know most of us are---and there’s a LOT of things she had done which are really unforgivable but I hope in all of these things there is still something that could be saved. However, we’d all be certain that she isn't done yet with Caleb and Olivia.

Dirty Red is the sequel to the bestselling book by Tarryn Fisher, The Opportunist, which I highly recommend to you all if you haven't read yet because if you haven't then you are missing a lot! I never thought that this series could get more compelling and awesome.

Dirty Red is amazingly extraordinary and it completely blown me away.

Can I have the third book now, please? J

Favorite quote:

“Love is illogical. You fall into it like a manhole. 

Then you're just stuck. You die in love more than you live in love."

  

Author Bio

I would like to write a novel that every, single person loves, but not even J.K. Rowling could do that. Instead, I try to write stories that pull on people's emotions. I believe that sadness is the most powerful emotion, and swirled with regret the two become a dominating force. I love villains. Three of my favorites are Mother Gothel, Gaston and the Evil Queen who all suffered from a pretty wicked case of vanity (like me). I like to make these personality types the center of my stories.

Follow her on these sites: Website|| Goodreads || Twitter

Review: Tiger's Destiny by Colleen Houck

Tiger's Destiny (The Tiger Saga #4)

Paperback: 464

Release date: September 4th, 2012

Publisher: Splinter

Goodreads Rating: 4.47

Goodreads Summary: With three of the goddess Durga's quests behind them, only one prophecy now stands in the way of Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan breaking the tiger's curse.

 But the trio's greatest challenge awaits them: A life-endangering pursuit in search of Durga's final gift, the Rope of Fire, on the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal.  It's a race against time--and the evil sorcerer Lokesh--in this eagerly anticipated fourth volume in the bestselling Tiger's Curse series, which pits good against evil, tests the bonds of love and loyalty, and finally reveals the tigers' true destinies once and for all. 

A smart  phone tag code on the back cover links readers to the series website. 

Fourth installment of the Tiger Saga which set off on Ren and Kishan looking for Kelsey Hayes after Lokesh abducted her. This time new adventures, new alliances and different creatures to meet in the realm of fire were laid on Kelsey and her tigers' paths on their quest to unite the Damon Amulet and break the curse that was cast upon the princes. Phoenix, blood drinkers called Rakshasas and walking corpses are just some of the creatures you will meet that makes the story more enchanting. 

The last chapters of the book felt like this could pass as the final installment in the series because everything seemed to be perfect and the questions were now answered. I now wonder what to expect of the fifth book and I'm really excited. The tigers and Kelsey have fulfilled their destinies with heart wrenching sacrifices that changed not only their lives but also the people whom they love. There were no dull moments and it's truly a page-turner book, it has the kind of story you wanted to finish right away to know all the answers and yet when you near the last chapters you don't want it to end.

Beautifully written, extraordinary with invigorating characters full of fire in their spirit, action-packed,finding love and knowing that it is the only thing in the universe worth risking all for. Definitely must-read for everyone.

Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Catching Jordan

Paperback: 281

Release date: December 1st, 2011

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Goodreads Rating: 3.98

Goodreads Summary: What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starting position... suddenly she's hoping he'll see her as more than just a teammate.

First and foremost I like the cover of this book, with its vibrant and exquisite image of two persons walking hand in hand. To be honest some of the reasons why I read a book is when it captivated  my eyes but it doesn't mean that I rely too much on them. 


Catching Jordan isn't the typical Young Adult contemporary, it isn't the ordinary Boy-meets-Girl situation but instead it holds its own kind of romance with enough conflict and in my opinion I was pretty impressed on the romance part although it is quite obvious that Henry has hidden feelings for Jordan. I rarely read a book where best friends of the lead character gets an "Ever After" with them because most of the time they were just confidants or become rivals and there will always be some new boy/girl that'll be introduced whom the lead character is going to end up with so this book is new for me.
Plus Football fans would like to read this book because the story does not only revolves around love and conflicts but also on one of the famous sports, Football, which is Jordan's passion and her life. It added spice and uniqueness that makes it ain't lacklustre. 


Catching Jordan is a story of friendship, dreams, being strong despite the reasons that life gives you for you to let go and most of all...falling in love when you least expected it. I enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait for its movie. Great Book!

Review: Song of the Red Cloak by Chantel Acevedo

 

Song of the Red Cloak by Chantel Acevedo

Paperback: 312 pages

Release date: July 26th, 2011

Publisher: Createspace
Goodreads Rating: 4.47

Summary: Two spartan boys grow up together, and become inseparable friends. One is a prince of Sparta, destined to rule this ancient Greek state, the other a slave, or helot, who serves the young prince. In the harsh training camps, or agoges, where boys are groomed to become the great warriors of Spartan fame, their skills are honed and brutally tested. Only citizens may aspire to the warrior's red cloak, and one of the tests is the annual crypteia, or hunting of the helots.

 A beautiful and mysterious young Sibyl speaks of an uprising of the slaves. The oracles warn of a deadly  conflict between two ruling factions. Evil forces will challenge the two boys and test their loyalties, as secret truths about their own identities are revealed.

 It is fast-paced story from a third person view giving more space to explore its surroundings and weigh each character's personality well. 'Song of the Red Cloak' made an impression to me for pricking my anticipation of what's going to happen next, after that and the following events then it surprised me for its twists and turns on some of which I did never expect to happen.

The two boys---Galen and Prince Nikolas---are two different characters but their loyalty and friendship unites them showing us of what true friendship means that it's not about your family background, status in the society, good looks or how wealthy you are but it's about accepting your friends for who they are and looking beyond their flaws and trying to look through their heart. They were put to tests that would measure their loyalty and that would strengthen their character which intensifies the plot of the story.

I'm impressed with this book because in spite of the fact that it didn't deal with plenty of love story but only with enough to show that the boys are still young and are trying to look for the girl of their dreams is still interesting to me because Acevedo did not rely on making her novel wonderful out of too much love story instead she worked greatly on touching some facts about Sparta's history during its Golden days like the story of the two ruling families, Crypteia, Helots, Sibyls or seers, Ephors and many more that does not make the story dull and lacklustre but adventurous and excting! The story is just a cliffhanger so I'm keeping tabs on the latest updates for the second book on this trilogy which is entitled 'Song of Glass and Dust'. Thumbs Up! I highly recommend this to all YA Historical fiction fans who wants to discover new characters with different identities from Sparta. S'agapo!

I wanted to use this time to give a huge thanks to Chantel Acevedo for the signed copies of her book which I won from one of her contests. It's a great pleasure to to read your book. S'agapo! :)

To know more about Chantel Acevedo you can check out my Author Interview with her through this link: A Pre-Christmas Author Interview with Chantel Acevedo.

I'm completely smitten!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Hardcover: 352 pages

Release date: Sept. 27th, 2011

Publisher: Tor Teen/McMillan

Goodreads Summary: 

Debut novelist Kiki Hamilton takes readers from the gritty slums and glittering ballrooms of Victorian London to the beguiling but menacing Otherworld of the Fey in this spellbinding tale of romance, suspense, and danger. 

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…

 Why waiting for this book?

The story is quite interesting and I haven't read any books with faeries as the main characters so I'm really fascinated on wanting to read this one and the cover is also amazing, very mystical.