Cover Reveal: Make it Last - Bethany Lopez

Title: Make it Last (Friends & Lovers, #1)

Author: Bethany Lopez

Expected release date: November 12th 2012

Genre and Age Group: Contemporary New Adult

Cover Designer: Stephanie Mooney

Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours

In a small town, it's hard to recover from being dumped by your high school sweetheart. That's just what Briana has to do after Colin leaves her to follow his dreams. She focuses her energy into her friendships and the pursuit of her own goal of becoming a chef. Just when she finally feels like she's on the right path, he comes back to town.

Colin knew breaking up with Briana before leaving for college was the right thing to do. He was determined to leave small-town life behind forever, and that included his high school girlfriend. But when a sports injury puts him on the sidelines, he's forced to return home. Seeing Briana again brings back a lot of memories, and Colin wonders if he made the right decision. It doesn't take long for him to realize he wants her back, and this time, he wants to make it last.

About the author:
Bethany Lopez was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Michigan and San Antonio, Texas. She went to High School at Dearborn High, in Dearborn, Michigan, which is where she has set her Young Adult novel. She is married and has a blended family with five children. She is currently serving in the United States Air Force as a Recruiter in Los Angeles, California. She has always loved to read and write and has seen her dream realized by independently publishing her contemporary Young Adult series, Stories About Melissa. Ta Ta for Now!, xoxoxo, and Ciao are available now. Bethany is currently working on a Contemporary Fantasy YA and a Contemporary New Adult Trilogy.

Bethany Lopez | Facebook | Twitter

Book Review: What I Didn't Say - Keary Taylor

Title: What I Didn't Say

Author: Keary Taylor

Release Date: May 6th 2012

Publisher: Self-published

Pages: 326 (Kindle Edition)

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads

Getting drunk homecoming night your senior year is never a good idea, but Jake Hayes never expected it all to end with a car crash and a t-post embedded in his throat. 

His biggest regret about it all? What he never said to Samantha Shay. He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again. 

When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute. He also finds that his family isn't limited to his six brothers and sisters, that sometimes an entire island is watching out for you. And when he gets the chance to spend more time with Samantha, she'll help him learn that not being able to talk isn’t the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe, if she'll let him, Jake will finally tell her what he didn't say before, even if he can't actually say it.

When I started reading What I Didn't Say, I expected a light YA contemporary romance novel - even though I knew the protag would be struggling with speech loss - but what I got was a brilliant, thought-provoking, and inspirational story.

Jake Hayes had been in love with Sam Shay since he first saw her (freshman year, if my memory serves me right), but he kept it in him for years. Now in their senior year and drunk at a party, he finally decided to go tell her how he felt, so he and his two best friends began driving to Sam's house. Unfortunately, on their way there, they got in a car accident and when Jake woke up in the hospital, he had already lost his vocal chords, along with the chance to say everything he hadn't.

All of the characters in here were likable - well, except the antagonists. Jake had his low moments, but he actually handled his disability really well, looking at it more rationally than emotionally. I think at times when you can't really do anything to change the situation, you should just accept and live the best way you can with it, rather than look away and avoid it. His family was a big help, too; they were all loving, understanding, and supportive.

But what I didn't expect was Sam. I can't say anything without being spoiler-y, but I really didn't think she'd be in the story much other than being the main character's love interest. Anyway, I loved how brave and determined she was to live her life the way she wanted to. I also loved her "naughty moments" that made her even more real.

Like all the few other books I've read that were written in first person from a guy's POV, it was really fun to be in Jake's head. Despite the drunk driving bout, he was actually quite the good boy, involved in sports and careful about his grades, with solid plans for the future that, sadly, had to be trashed away because of the horrible accident.

I think the main lesson we can all learn from this book - heck, from the title alone - is to not put off the important things, that we should live everyday as if it were our last so we won't have anything to regret. And I surely don't regret reading What I Didn't Say.

MY FAVORITE PART was the uber sweet scene after their prom. Ah, love <3

RATING: 

(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)
 

Stacking the Shelves {1}: October 2012

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews, where we share recently bought, borrowed, won, and gifted books (print or ebooks)!

For now, I'll only be doing this meme on the first Saturday of every month because oftentimes, I buy books one at a time, thanks to my tiny allowance :(

Anyway, here are the books I got in October!

PRINT BOOKS:

Renegade (The Elysium Chronicles #1) by J.A. Souders (ARC) - Won (thanks Precious!)

Fury (The Fury Trilogy #1) by Elizabeth Miles - Bought
Finale (Hush, Hush #4) by Becca Fitzpatrick - Bought (Review)

 The Diviners (The Diviners #1) by Libba Bray - Bought (Review)
*not pictured* Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush #1) by Becca Fitzpatrick - Borrowed (Review)

EBOOKS: 

Stalk Me (The Keatyn Chronicles #1) by Jillian Dodd - from author for blog tour

Once Upon a Second Chance by Marian Vere - from publisher for blog tour

Shattered Illusions by Leigh Hershkovich - from author

From NetGalley:

Surrender (The Ferryman and the Flame #1) by Rhiannon Paille  What We Saw At Night by Jacquelyn Mitchard  Midnight City (Conquered Earth #1) by J. Barton Mitchell (Review)      UnEarthed by Rebecca Bloomer And All the Stars by Andrea K. Host  Entangled (Spellbound #1) by Nikki Jefford   SWAG:

 MIBF Swag - Won (thanks Louisse!)

Signed bookmarks from Abbi Glines 

Signed bookmark and bookplate from J.A. Souders (came with the ARC *points above*)

That's it! For November, I'll try to control my book-buying to save up for Christmas sales but I already bought one book yesterday lol!.

Feature and Follow Friday {4}

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. This week's featured blogs are Love, Literature, Art, and Reason and Fiction Predictions.

This week's question is: 

What is a deal breaker for you in a book? For example, do you abhor love triangles? Or can't deal with bad editing?

 

My answer:

First will have to be bad editing. This is one of the reasons why I tend to stay away from self-published books, but - though it rarely happens - it's even more annoying when I see it in traditionally-published ones. Also, terrible covers. I know, "Don't judge a book by its cover", but I can't help it! I love me some pretty visuals. Lastly, I hate slow pacing. As Kurt Vonnegut said, "Start as close to the end as possible".

 

If you follow, comment and I'll follow back! Happy Friday, everyone!  

Book Review: Finale - Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Finale (Hush, Hush #4)

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Release Date: October 23rd 2012

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Pages: 454 (hardcover)

Source: Bought

Goodreads

Will love conquer all? 

Nora and Patch thought their troubles were behind them. Hank is gone and they should be able to put his ugly vendetta to rest. But in Hank's absence, Nora has become the unwitting head of the Nephilim and must finish what Hank began. Which ultimately means destroying the fallen angels - destroying Patch. 

Nora will never let that happen, so she and Patch make a plan: lead everyone to believe they have broken up, and work the system from the inside. Nora will convince the Nephilim that they are making a mistake in fighting the fallen angels, and Patch will find out everything he can from the opposing side. They will end this war before it can even begin. 

But the best-laid plans often go awry. Nora is put through the paces in her new role and finds herself drawn to an addictive power she never anticipated. 

As the battle lines are drawn, Nora and Patch must confront the differences that have always been between them and either choose to ignore them or let them destroy the love they have always fought for.

Can I just say "THIS BOOK WAS FREAKING AWESOME. GO BUY IT. NOW." and be done with this review? No? Fine. But I must warn you that I'm writing this with all my feels.

Finale immediately followed the events in Silence. Nora, literally without getting a break, was thrust into the business of leading the Nephilim out of bondage with the fallen angels who possessed them during Cheshvan. At first, her only plan was to fulfill the oath she'd sworn to Hank so she and her mom wouldn't drop dead, but like the blurb said, the best-laid plans often go awry. 

And awry their plan went, alright. With old insecurities, new enemies, unforeseen betrayals, and shocking revelations, all I could imagine was a bleak ending. Let's just say it wasn't totally bleak, but not blinding bright, either.

Still, the ending's just one part of it. Finale had the best pace out of all the books in this series, methinks. Never a dull moment, just constant action all around. And when I say action, it's not just the myriad of events happening all at once, but also physical action, especially for Nora as she trained her human body to adapt to the capabilities that her new Nephilim identity offered. She ran miles, sweat rivers, and honed her mind-tricking skills - which she got so good at, she even tricked... *evil grin* Yeah, you really should just read this book.

One thing I didn't like was how Nora was still blinded by her hate for Dabria, which, as always, put her in some very sticky situations. Also, Patch became overprotective at times, but I think I'd have done the same if I were him. Or maybe I just love him too much to dislike anything he did. 

I also loved the interaction between the secondary characters, namely Marcie, Scott, Vee, and even Nora's mom. And if you've missed some characters from the previous books, don't worry because Becca wrote a roundup reunion in here.

One surprise and plot twist after another, Finale had me in its grip until the last page. (I did put it down after 300 pages, though, because I didn't want it to end yet.) Even if it's the last book, the mystery and suspense were still there. And yes, I cried tears of joy and relief. I might've hugged the book for a minute or two. Kissed it, even. So this is what it's like to finish a beloved series, huh ♥ 

MY FAVORITE PART was the one that made me cry. Would saying it's 'Detective Basso's gift to Nora' be too much of a spoiler? I hope not.

RATING:

Actually, how about a million out of five hearts?

(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)