I'm BAAAAAAACK!

Woot, woot! I got MARRIED on November 17th and it was awesomesauce!!! Everything went off without a hitch which NEVER seems to happen but I can say that we were completely and totally pleased with everything and it was the best night of my life! *happy dance*

After the wedding, we went on a week-long cruise to the Bahamas which was SUPER fun. It was so hard coming back to work this week! I've spent the past couple days trying to get back into the swing of things and I'm happy to say that I'm almost there. So be expecting more activity on the blog again, YAY! And as always, HAPPY HAPPY READING! *XOXO*

*REVIEW* Finale

Synopsis:

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.

Ohhhhh.M.G. Finale was everything I hoped it would be and was a fanTABulous ending to a truly beloved series. Becca Fitzpatrick pulls out all the stops as she wraps up the story of Nora, Patch, and the gang. Alliances are made, betrayals abound, twists and turns are around every corner, and impossible choices must be made. And, oh yeah... there's a whole LOT of Patch. What more could you possibly need?

Finale picks up right after Silence and Nora is still reeling from the choice Hank Millar forced upon her... newly Nephilim and tasked with leading Hank's army against the fallen angels, Nora has never been more conflicted. While she strives for peace and can't imagine eradicating the fallen angel race, especially considering her heart and soul belongs to a fallen angel, there's a large part of her that sympathizes with the Nephilim cause.

Enter Dante, Nora's sexy first lieutenant, and Nora finally begins to train and learn more about her Nephilim powers. Dante also introduces her to the dangerous and addictive devilcraft. As Nora becomes more involved in the Nephilim society, will she be able to ignore their desires for freedom, siding with Patch and the fallen angels? Or will her conscience become too great to bear? The powers of heaven and hell collide in the epic conclusion to the Hush, Hush series.

EEP! It is REALLY challenging to write a review when you desperately don't want to spoiler the book for others. I LOVED this book... and that's not to say that it was perfect cause rarely does a book achieve that status, but it was a perfect ending to this series and I can walk away from it now feeling content and very, very satisfied.

The greats: PATCH! Good lord, I love him. He has his flaws, sure, but his intentions come from such a great place. And the way he loves Nora? *swoon* I just adore him, he will go down as one of my fave lit boys ever. Then there's Scott. YAY Scott. I really, really like the way his character progressed over the series and I just love him.

More greats: The pacing, this story was HOPPING! I never felt bored and it was sooooo unbelievably hard to put the book down! I inhaled it in less than 2 days and considering I'm getting married in 2 days, that is REALLY saying something! And the ending? The ending! I loved it. Plenty of twists and turns and shocking revelations all lead up to one fabulous twist that just makes my heart smile.

The not-so-greats: I think Patch kind of took it overboard sometimes with the over-protectiveness. While it's one of his best traits as well, putting a tracking device on Nora was a bit much!! I could see a lot of readers having a problem with that but for me? Patch would still totally be worth it and could be my personal bodyguard ANY.DAY.OF.THE.WEEK. *ahem* Sorry. And then there's Marcie... oh, Marcie. EVERY single time I have tried to give this girl the benefit of the doubt, it's been thrown in my face! I'd really like to smack her.

Anywho... I could go on and on and on about this book but you REALLY owe it to yourself to READ THIS BOOK. Seriously. If Silence didn't quite do it for you, don't give up on this series! I think Finale was everything a fan of this series could hope for, and more. Read it. NOW! And enjoy... cause you will. *XOXO*

Waiting on Wednesday (32)

Synopsis:

There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends...and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

Expected publication date: April 16, 2013 by HarperTeen

Taken has definitely got me intrigued! And there's really something about that cover that just reels me in, I think it's the pretty colors and the contrast. Even though you're not supposed to, I TOTALLY judge a book by it's cover and this cover has me sold. Hope the book is as good as it sounds! What are YOU waiting for? Leave me a link and I'll check it out! *XOXO*

Teaser Tuesday: Finale

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading!

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
-Share two “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 and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser comes from Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick:

How to fulfill my promise to the archangels and my oath to Hank? I would lead Hank's army. To peace. Probably not what he had pictured while forcing me to swear the oath, but he wasn't around now to argue the details." pg. 35

And for my fellow Patch lovers out there, a quote from him somewhere in the book, not revealing a page number on this one! *wink*

"I feel your love, Nora. Inside me. It means everything to me. I wish I could feel you the same way you feel me, but I have your love. Nothing will ever outweigh that. Some people go their entire lives never feeling the emotions you've given me."

Awhhhhh. I just love me some Patch! Leave me a link to your teaser, I'd love to check it out! And as always, HAPPY READING! *XOXO*

*REVIEW* Silence

Synopsis:

WHEN SILENCE IS ALL THAT'S LEFT, CAN THE TRUTH FINALLY BE HEARD?

Nora Grey can't remember the past five months of her life. After the initial shock of waking up in a cemetery and being told that she has been missing for weeks - with no one knowing where she was or who she was with - she tried to get her life back on track. Go to school, hang out with her best friend, Vee, and dodge mom's creepy new boyfriend.

But there is this voice in the back of her head, an idea that she can almost reach out and touch. Visions of angel wings and unearthly creatures that have nothing to do with the life she knows.

And this unshakable feeling that a part of her is missing.

Then Nora crosses paths with a sexy stranger, whom she feels a mesmerizing connection to. He seems to hold all the answers...and her heart. Every minute she spends with him grows more and more intense until she realizes she could be falling in love. Again.

Silence is the third book in the Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick and it's another fabulous installment with Nora, Patch and the whole gang. While I didn't love it as much as the first two, it was still an extremely solid read and I'm super anxious to start Finale, the fourth and final book in the saga.

Silence picks up a couple months after the ending of Crescendo and Nora finds herself in an unusual circumstance--she's alone in a cemetary with no recollection how she arrived there. Turns out, she's lost 5 whole months of her life and no one seems to be in any huge rush to fill in the missing pieces.

In addition to the trauma of not remembering the kidnapping, Nora is plagued with what the doctors are telling her are hallucinations, but Nora gets the feeling that they may be something more--bits and pieces of her forgotten past. Enter a sexy stranger, Jev, who Nora has an immediate and intense reaction to and Nora is more confused than ever...

As events start to help Nora put the pieces back together, she slowly relearns the secrets of her past and the new horrors plaguing her future. Finding Patch again lends Nora the strength to face down her demons, but when the time comes to make a heartbreaking choice, a choice that could ruin everything, will Nora be able to sacrifice her heart for the lives of others? Be sure to buckle in for this one, plenty of twists and turns abound in this gripping third installment of the addicting Hush, Hush series.

YAYYYY! Love this series. Silence is another fabulous installment in the series and while I wasn't as in love with it as the others, I stil inhaled it and really enjoyed it. It dragged a little in the beginning and that was mostly from the fact that as readers, you want to snap Nora out of her memory loss because it's hard watching her re-learn things that as a reader, you're already privy to. It felt a little slow in parts because of that. I wanted the plot to jump ahead, but it couldn't get there until Nora had re-learned her lost knowledge. Once that started to happen though, the book sped ahead at warp speed and things really started to fall into place.

Something about this book that does not in ANY way disappoint is Patch. Ahhhhh, Patch. Back to perfect form after some baffling behavior in Crescendo. Patch is caring, protective, sexy as hell, and just plain awesomesauce in every moment. I want Patch! *whine* REALLY pleased with his character in this third book and cannot wait to see where the next (and final! *sniff*) book takes Patch and Nora, and the rest of the characters as well. I HIGHLY recommend this series to all because it's just that good. Enjoy! *XOXO*

TBR PILE Reading Challenge: October Update!

Well, I'm super late in getting this posted, but I'm getting married in 6 days so to say I'm super freakin' busy would be a teeny bit of an understatement, haha. Reading of course has been challenging, but I DID manage to get a book read for the challenge:

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

I so love this series! Reading Crescendo this month brings my challenge total up to 23 books. I don't know if I'm going to make my goal of 31-40 books but I'm not giving up hope yet! Hope you all are successful with your own reading goals and as always, HAPPY HAPPY READING! *XOXO*

*REVIEW* Touched

Synopsis:

Remy O’Malley heals people with touch—but every injury she cures becomes her own. Living in a household with an abusive stepfather, she has healed untold numbers of broken bones, burns,and bruises. And then one night her stepfather goes too far.

Being sent to live with her estranged father offers a clean start and she is eager to take it. Enter Asher Blackwell. Once a Protector of Healers, Asher sacrificed his senses to become immortal. Only by killing a Healer can a Protector recover their human senses. Falling in love is against the rules between these two enemies. Because Remy has the power to make Protectors human again, and when they find out, they’ll becoming for her—if Asher doesn’t kill her first.

OmiGOSH, I ADORE this book! I could NOT put it down, every time I tried, it ended up luring me right back in. There was something truly addicting about this book. It's got romance, supernatural powers, mystery, family drama, horrifying abuse, and uplifting hope. I want to re-read this book already and I JUST finished it!

Touched introduces us to Remy, a teenage girl living in an impossible situation. Remy's stepfather, Dean, is abusive and has been tormenting her and her mother for way too many years. Remy's secret talent of being able to heal others, and then herself, has kept her and her mother alive but one time, Dean goes too far...

Remy is sent to live with Ben, her estranged father, and his family. Even though she's hesitant at first, Remy soon begins to discover love, family, and trust for the first time. Remy also discovers Asher, an extremely gorgeous teenage boy who is hiding some major secrets of his own. As Remy becomes entangled with Asher and begins to learn his secrets, she makes shocking revelations about herself and her powers, secrets that could forever unbalance her world... secrets that could shatter the new life she has built for herself.

EEP! It's hard to write a review when you desperately don't want to spoiler anything! I so enjoyed this book though and would HATE to take that experience from someone else. Like I said above, I could NOT put this one down! Corrine Jackson weaves a highly entertaining tale full of all the best things about YA fiction. I have a feeling there will be some Twilight comparisons, but when isn't there comparisons?

The REALLY amazing things about this book: Remy. She's so strong! She's been through hell and back and has really learned to take care of herself. In fact, there were times when I wished she wasn't quite so independent! I feel so much for her and I want to find and stab Dean myself! What a CREEP! Anywho... another good: ASHER! *swoon* I just love him. He's got all the makings of a YA heartthrob. I also LOVE Remy's family... her dad, sister and stepmom welcome her with open arms and it's so touching to see them build a relationship with one another.

Would I recommend this book? UM, do I need air to live? Seriously. GET THIS BOOK. I read an ARC of it but you best believe I'll be buying my own copy when it releases later this month. November 27th. Put this on your calendar NOW! It's so amazing, you will love it! Enjoy! *XOXO*

Expected publication date: November 27, 2012 by Kensington Teen