My Reading Pile is a meme hosted by Rachel over at Fiktshun. Every I'll list all the books I've read in the past week and four books I plan on reading over the upcoming week. I hope you enjoy. (The picture above is from Fiktshun)
Last Week:
Read:
For Cleo Berry, the people dying of the Spanish Influenza in cities like New York and Philadelphia may as well be in another country--that's how far away they feel from the safety of Portland, Oregon. And then cases start being reported in the Pacific Northwest. Schools, churches, and theaters shut down. The entire city is thrust into survival mode--and into a panic. Headstrong and foolish, seventeen-year-old Cleo is determined to ride out the pandemic in the comfort of her own home, rather than in her quarantined boarding school dorms. But when the Red Cross pleads for volunteers, she can't ignore the call. As Cleo struggles to navigate the world around her, she is surprised by how much she finds herself caring about near-strangers. Strangers like Edmund, a handsome medical student and war vet. Strangers who could be gone tomorrow. And as the bodies begin to pile up, Cleo can't help but wonder: when will her own luck run out?
Riveting and well-researched, A Death-Struck Year is based on the real-life pandemic considered the most devastating in recorded world history. Readers will be captured by the suspenseful storytelling and the lingering questions of: what would I do for a neighbor? At what risk to myself?
An afterword explains the Spanish flu phenomenon, placing it within the historical context of the early 20th century. Source notes are extensive and interesting
I’m only twenty-one and already damaged goods. A slut. A failure. A disappointment to my picture-perfect family as long as I can remember. I called off my wedding to William Bailey, the only man who thought I was worth fixing. A year later, he’s marrying my sister. Unless I ask him not to…
“If you shatter, I’ll find you…”
But now there’s Asher Logan, a broken man who sees the fractures in my façade and doesn’t want to fix me at all. Asher wants me to stop hiding, to stop pretending. Asher wants to break down my walls. But that means letting him see my ugly secrets and forgiving him for his.
With my past weighing down on me, do I want the man who holds me together or the man who gives me permission to break?
~ ~
The last thing I remember is having drinks at Brady’s and trying to avoid eye-contact with my life-long crush—the gorgeous, unattainable Maximilian Hallowell. They tell me that was a year ago, but I have no memories of anything since then. What I do have is this ring on my finger that Max says he gave me, and this much-thinner body I’ve dreamed of most of my life. Aside from a case of retrograde amnesia, everything seems almost...perfect.
But the deeper I immerse myself into this new world of mine—planning a wedding to a man I don't remember dating, attempting to run a business I don't remember starting—the clearer it becomes that nothing is as it seems. Do I have the life I’ve always wanted or is it a facade propped up by secrets I don't even know I have?
I need answers before I marry Max, and the only person who seems to have them is the angry, tatted, sexy-as-sin rocker Nate Crane. And Nate wants me for himself.
~ ~
Lost in Me is not a standalone novel, as the story continues in Here and Now book two, FALL TO YOU, releasing in June.
A Death-Struck Year by Makiia Lucier
A deadly
pandemic, a budding romance, and the heartache of loss make for a
stunning coming-of-age teen debut about the struggle to survive during
the 1918 flu.For Cleo Berry, the people dying of the Spanish Influenza in cities like New York and Philadelphia may as well be in another country--that's how far away they feel from the safety of Portland, Oregon. And then cases start being reported in the Pacific Northwest. Schools, churches, and theaters shut down. The entire city is thrust into survival mode--and into a panic. Headstrong and foolish, seventeen-year-old Cleo is determined to ride out the pandemic in the comfort of her own home, rather than in her quarantined boarding school dorms. But when the Red Cross pleads for volunteers, she can't ignore the call. As Cleo struggles to navigate the world around her, she is surprised by how much she finds herself caring about near-strangers. Strangers like Edmund, a handsome medical student and war vet. Strangers who could be gone tomorrow. And as the bodies begin to pile up, Cleo can't help but wonder: when will her own luck run out?
Riveting and well-researched, A Death-Struck Year is based on the real-life pandemic considered the most devastating in recorded world history. Readers will be captured by the suspenseful storytelling and the lingering questions of: what would I do for a neighbor? At what risk to myself?
An afterword explains the Spanish flu phenomenon, placing it within the historical context of the early 20th century. Source notes are extensive and interesting
--------------------------------------------
I loved it! I can't wait to see what Makiia has in store for us. Her debut was awesome.
The Story of You and Me by Pamela DuMond
Recommended for New
Adult and Mature Young Adult Readers: She's driven to save her life.
He's haunted by breaking one. Some secrets are risky to share. But
nothing's more powerful than falling in love... Nineteen-year-old Sophie
has the kind of hope that makes her do weird things—like leave her
family and friends behind in her small hometown and travel thousands of
miles to a strange city—Los Angeles. She didn’t plan on getting into the
middle of a bar fight on the USCLA campus her first night in town. She
didn’t want to be rescued by twenty-one-year-old Alejandro, the hottest
guy she’s ever met. She has no time to fall for a guy because her stakes
are high—life and death. Sophie’s starting a promising, experimental
USCLA Medical study that could heal her debilitating disease. But
California’s filled with all kinds of alternative healers offering
medical miracles. When she ventures on her own to find them, she quickly
discovers that L.A.’s a tough city, with bad guys more than happy to
take advantage of her. She hires Alejandro to be her driver and her
bodyguard. Their journeys take them to sunny beaches, dicey ghettos,
campus hang-outs, gang-infested hoods and celebrity parties. And she
learns that healing doesn’t always come the way you think you need it.
Sophie’s healing is six-foot-two-inches tall, has stunning hazel eyes,
black, shiny hair and a rock solid chest that shelters her. Her healing
is a smart, gorgeous Alpha Boy with a killer sense of humor—Alejandro.
As they fall in love, she realizes Alejandro isn’t your typical college
party boy—he has a dangerous past. And Sophie isn’t the only one who
keeps secrets. A Story of Hope. A Story of Love. A Story of Redemption.
(HEA for Sophie and Alejandro.)
----------------------------------------
An interesting story. My review should be coming this week. Can't wait to tell you guys about it!
Unbreak Me (New Hope #1) by Lexi Ryan
“If you’re broken, I’ll fix you…”I’m only twenty-one and already damaged goods. A slut. A failure. A disappointment to my picture-perfect family as long as I can remember. I called off my wedding to William Bailey, the only man who thought I was worth fixing. A year later, he’s marrying my sister. Unless I ask him not to…
“If you shatter, I’ll find you…”
But now there’s Asher Logan, a broken man who sees the fractures in my façade and doesn’t want to fix me at all. Asher wants me to stop hiding, to stop pretending. Asher wants to break down my walls. But that means letting him see my ugly secrets and forgiving him for his.
With my past weighing down on me, do I want the man who holds me together or the man who gives me permission to break?
-------------------------------------------
I fell in love with Lexi Ryan's writing. Even though I've read the sequel novella and novel, Unbreak Me made me love Lexi's writing that much more. Check out my review, linked below.
Lost in Me (Here and Now #1) by Lexi Ryan
Lost in Me is the first
book in the Here and Now series, a spin-off of the New York Times and
USA Today bestselling New Hope series. This sexy amnesia love triangle
is intended for mature readers.~ ~
The last thing I remember is having drinks at Brady’s and trying to avoid eye-contact with my life-long crush—the gorgeous, unattainable Maximilian Hallowell. They tell me that was a year ago, but I have no memories of anything since then. What I do have is this ring on my finger that Max says he gave me, and this much-thinner body I’ve dreamed of most of my life. Aside from a case of retrograde amnesia, everything seems almost...perfect.
But the deeper I immerse myself into this new world of mine—planning a wedding to a man I don't remember dating, attempting to run a business I don't remember starting—the clearer it becomes that nothing is as it seems. Do I have the life I’ve always wanted or is it a facade propped up by secrets I don't even know I have?
I need answers before I marry Max, and the only person who seems to have them is the angry, tatted, sexy-as-sin rocker Nate Crane. And Nate wants me for himself.
~ ~
Lost in Me is not a standalone novel, as the story continues in Here and Now book two, FALL TO YOU, releasing in June.
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Oh my gosh. I need the sequel now!!!! Lexi is trying to torture readers ending it that way. I'm Team Nate. Review coming on Thursday.
Reviewed:
Upcoming Week:
Sadie White’s summer job is at the beach, but she won’t be working as a lifeguard. Since her mom is pregnant and refuses to work, Sadie will be taking over as a domestic servant for a wealthy family on a nearby island.
When the family arrives at their summer getaway, Sadie is surprised to learn that the owner of the house is Jax Stone, one of the hottest teen rockers in the world. If Sadie were normal—if she hadn’t spent her life raising her mother and taking care of the house—maybe she’d be excited about working for a rock star. But she’s not.
Even though Sadie isn’t impressed by Jax’s fame, he is drawn to her. Everything about Sadie fascinates Jax, but he fights his attraction: Relationships never work in his world, and as badly as he wants Sadie, he believes she deserves more. Yet as the summer stretches on, Jax’s passion leaves him breathless—and Sadie feels like the only source of oxygen.
Can their love overcome the disparity in their lifestyles? One breath at a time, they’re going to find out…
Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
A twisty story about love,
loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a
touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a
search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy’s journey leads her to a
mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers,
most of them runaways like her brothers. Wendy is instantly drawn to the
cove’s charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward
Pete's nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and
handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she's falling hard for Pete. A
radical reinvention of a classic, Second Star is an irresistible summer
romance about two young men who have yet to grow up--and the troubled
beauty trapped between them.
----------------------------
I have an ARC via Netgalley and I'm super excited to read it!
Wish I May (New Hope #2) by Lexi Ryan
I grew up wishing on
stars. My father taught me to believe...in destiny, in magic, in happily
ever after. Dreams were my scripture and the starry night sky was my
temple. Then Mom stopped believing, left him, and took us with her. At
the age of sixteen, I cashed in my dreams to pay the rent, pawned my
destiny to keep my sisters together. Now, seven years later, I'm
returning home, grieving the death of my mother, and settling my sisters
back into the life Mom threw away. I never intended to stay. I don't
want to deal with my father, who is so invested in the spiritual world
he forgets the physical. I don't want to face William Bailey, whose eyes
remind me of the girl I was, the things I've done, and the future I
lost. This would all be easier if Will hated me. As it is, I have to
hold my secrets close so they won't hurt him more than they've already
hurt me. But he wants to be in my life. He wants what I can't bring
myself to confess I sold. He wants me. I find myself looking to my stars
again...wondering if I dare one more wish.
-------------------------------
Reading Unbreak Me and Lost in Me made me want to re-read Wish I May. I need to write my review anyways, so a refresher is good.
Breathe (Sea Breeze #1) by Abbi Glines
In the shore
town of Sea Breeze, Sadie discovers that fame is nothing in the face of
passion. A steamy read from bestselling author Abbi Glines.Sadie White’s summer job is at the beach, but she won’t be working as a lifeguard. Since her mom is pregnant and refuses to work, Sadie will be taking over as a domestic servant for a wealthy family on a nearby island.
When the family arrives at their summer getaway, Sadie is surprised to learn that the owner of the house is Jax Stone, one of the hottest teen rockers in the world. If Sadie were normal—if she hadn’t spent her life raising her mother and taking care of the house—maybe she’d be excited about working for a rock star. But she’s not.
Even though Sadie isn’t impressed by Jax’s fame, he is drawn to her. Everything about Sadie fascinates Jax, but he fights his attraction: Relationships never work in his world, and as badly as he wants Sadie, he believes she deserves more. Yet as the summer stretches on, Jax’s passion leaves him breathless—and Sadie feels like the only source of oxygen.
Can their love overcome the disparity in their lifestyles? One breath at a time, they’re going to find out…
---------------------------------------
I was super excited to find this on sale at B&N for $1.99. I've read the self-published version, but I can't wait to read this version!!
Hothouse Flower (Calloway Sisters #2) by Krista and Becca Ritchie
Ryke Meadows, meet Daisy Calloway ... she’s all grown up.
Twenty-five-year-old Ryke Meadows knows he’s hard to love. With a billion-dollar inheritance, a track-star resume, and an alpha-male personality—he redefines the term likable asshole. But he’s not living to make friends. Or enemies. He just wants to free climb three of the toughest mountains in Yosemite without drama or interruption.
And then he receives a distressed call from a girl in Paris—a girl that he has never been allowed to have.
Daisy Calloway is eighteen. Finally. With her newfound independence, she can say goodbye to her overbearing mother and continue her modeling career. Next stop, Paris. Fashion Week begins with a bang, and Daisy uncovers the ugly reality of the industry. She wants to prove to her family that she can live on her own, but when everything spirals out of control, she turns to Ryke to keep her secrets.
As Daisy struggles to make sense of this new world and her freedom, she pushes the limits and fearlessly rides the edge. Ryke knows there’s deep hurt beneath every impulsive action. He must keep up with Daisy, and if he lets her go, her favorite motto—“live as if you’ll die today”—may just come true.
Twenty-five-year-old Ryke Meadows knows he’s hard to love. With a billion-dollar inheritance, a track-star resume, and an alpha-male personality—he redefines the term likable asshole. But he’s not living to make friends. Or enemies. He just wants to free climb three of the toughest mountains in Yosemite without drama or interruption.
And then he receives a distressed call from a girl in Paris—a girl that he has never been allowed to have.
Daisy Calloway is eighteen. Finally. With her newfound independence, she can say goodbye to her overbearing mother and continue her modeling career. Next stop, Paris. Fashion Week begins with a bang, and Daisy uncovers the ugly reality of the industry. She wants to prove to her family that she can live on her own, but when everything spirals out of control, she turns to Ryke to keep her secrets.
As Daisy struggles to make sense of this new world and her freedom, she pushes the limits and fearlessly rides the edge. Ryke knows there’s deep hurt beneath every impulsive action. He must keep up with Daisy, and if he lets her go, her favorite motto—“live as if you’ll die today”—may just come true.
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Unfortunately, I was unable to attain a review copy of Hothouse Flower. But that didn't stop me from picking it up the minute it was released. Daisy is an exciting character and I can't wait to see her relationship with Ryke bloom.
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