Review: Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks

Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks
Audio-Book Read by Kirsten Potter
Publisher: Tantor Media
Publication date: September 25th 2012.
My rating: 5 stars

Eveline Armstrong is fiercely loved and protected by her powerful clan, but outsiders consider her "touched." Beautiful, fey, with a level, intent gaze, she doesn't speak. No one, not even her family, knows that she cannot hear. Content with her life of seclusion, Eveline has taught herself to read lips and allows the outside world to view her as daft. But when an arranged marriage into a rival clan makes Graeme Montgomery her husband, Eveline accepts her duty-unprepared for the delights to come. Graeme is a rugged warrior with a voice so deep and powerful that his new bride can hear it, and hands and kisses so tender and skilled that he stirs her deepest passions. Graeme is intrigued by the mysterious Eveline, whose silent lips are ripe with temptation and whose bright, intelligent eyes can see into his soul. As intimacy deepens, he learns her secret. But when clan rivalries and dark deeds threaten the wife he has only begun to cherish, the Scottish warrior will move heaven and earth to save the woman who has awakened his heart to the beautiful song of a rare and magical love.

 Never Seduce a Scot was amazing and epic with a romance that turned me into a puddle of goo! I listened to the audio version, and the performer, Kirsten Potter, was perfection!! I’m supposed to save my audio books for my commute but there was no way I could stop listening to this mesmerizing story once I got home! I was up until 2am to finish.

The Montgomery’s and the Armstrong’s are enemy clans engaged in bitter feuding for ages. Being the largest and the most powerful clans in Scotland, the king forms a plan to unite them and stop their feud from weakening the kingdom. He decrees a marriage between the Laird of the Montgomery clan, Graeme, and the Laird’s daughter of the Armstrong clan, Eveline. Needless to say, this does not go over well, and the king only hopes they don’t kill each other at the wedding! Both clans acquiesce out of loyalty to the king and because if they don’t, the act of disobedience would be a death sentence for their clan.

Graeme hates the Armstrong’s but doesn’t hold this against an innocent woman. He’s not happy forcing this marriage, first and foremost because Eveline is an Armstrong but also because she’s reported to be “touched” or “daft.” How can he have a real marriage and heirs with such a woman?

For three long years Eveline has been carrying on a deception with her family. After a grave horse riding accident left her with a severe fever and unconscious for two weeks, she came out of it deaf but mentally sound. However, in order to avoid a marriage to Ian McHugh, a man who she was betrothed to against her wishes, she allows everyone to believe she’s mentally compromised. She has her reasons that we discover later, and I have to say, I would’ve done the same thing!

This story captivated and mesmerized me! I was on the edge of my seat, eager to find out how everything would work out! Both Graeme and Eveline captured my heart in their own way. Both were resolved to make the best out of an unwanted situation, but they didn’t count on the intense attraction and connection they would form. Each is an advocate for the other right from the beginning. I loved the fact there was zero frustration from either character, they made rational and reasonable decisions. *sighs in relief*

Oh my heart, this romance just filled my heart to bursting! There are so many swoon-worthy moments and also enough spice make your insides zing!

I can’t recommend this story enough, and I plan on reading the next in the series: Highlander Most Wanted. I’m a little nervous to pick it up, though because it seems like a much darker read.

Top Ten Tuesday #11: Books I've read in 2013 so far.

Is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where each week they post a new top ten list and ask fellow bloggers to share their lists on that topic.

Today's top ten topic is: Top Ten Books I've read in 2013 so far.

2013 has been an incredible reading year so far, that I once again had a tough time just sticking to ten books for this weeks post. 

Just One Day by Gayle Forman | If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin | The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

These three books became instant favourites as they left me in a complete mess in the best way possible. I remember staying up until the early hours just to find out how things would end and thinking about the book for days afterwards.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey | Angelfall by Susan Ee | The Gathering Dark by Leigh Bardugo

These three books had been receiving incredible hype from by blogging friends and I was extremely wary about jumping on the bandwagon. But I'm so glad that I gave these books a try, they simply blew me away and I can't wait for their follow up books.

You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle | Parallel by Lauren Miller | The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna

These three books I hadn't heard a lot about when I first went into them, so didn't really have any high expectations. But these books were breath-takingly beautiful.

Confessions of An Almost-Girlfriend by Louise Rozett | The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa | Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

These three books were just the best follow up books ever, I loved all first books in the series, but these books in my eyes just took things to a whole another level.

So that's my top ten twelve books that I've read in 2013 so far, did any of these books make it to your list too? Feel free to link me up with your own list in the comments below!

 

Review: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
Publisher: Puffin
Publication date: March 7th 2013.
My rating: 4.5 stars.

Out of the Easy is set against the vivid backdrop of 1950s New Orleans. Written by New York Times bestselling author Ruth Sepetys, this novel has something for everyone: love, mystery, murder, blackmail and warmth. Josie Moraine wants out of The Big Easy - she needs more than New Orleans can offer. Known locally as a brothel prostitute's daughter, she dreams of life at an elite college, far away from here. But then a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie caught between her ambition and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans is luring Josie deeper in as she searches for the truth, and temptation beckons at every turn.

Several of my friends for sometime had been encouraging me to pick up a book by Ruta Sepetys. I think with Between Shades of Gray I was terrified of being left in a complete mess, so I knew it would be safer to go with Out of the Easy first.

Ruta’s gorgeous writing is evident from just the first few pages; she pours her heart and soul into every single word. That you lulled in by its beautiful presence with such beautiful prose. I was expecting a beautiful story, and we did get this, but it’s also a story tinged with heartache and loss. Josie Moraine is a girl who deserves so much more, having a mother as a prostitute people tend to make judgemental assumptions about her before they even got to know the real Josie. The real Josie despite having an uphill struggle in life with a mother who never gives a damn and not knowing her father tries to make the best out of every situation. She is intelligent, pretty and fun and thanks to people looking out for her is just getting by. But Josie doesn’t want to just get by, she wants more from New Orleans and she knows she deserves it. But the only way this is possible is by leaving every bad memory, and the friends who helped her behind. She knows it’s a big step, she does have the money, but most of all courage to make it?

I adored Josie Moraine, with a sharp head on her shoulders unlike her mother, I wanted more for her. I know she had great friends which looked out for her, but she didn’t deserve the life she had, cleaning after clients the night after, running around cleaning her mother’s mess, or even hiding because of her mother’s mess. I’ve come across some right old mother’s in previous books, but Josie’s mother was a right old piece of work, she had no care for anyone but for herself, she was either off her face or caught up with some criminal. What mother in their right mind steals from their daughter and then runs off with her criminal boyfriend and then leaves their daughter to clear up the mess afterwards? I just wished that her mother had left sooner, instead of stumbling back into her life and messing up her life all over again. Josie’s mother was a bit like a tornado, she left a destruction of mess every time she left. So I was glad when Mr Hearne visited the bookshop where Josie worked at and gave her the wakeup call she needed. It was unfortunate that his circumstances led to Josie taking this big step. 

Poor Josie constantly had to face so many different battles. So I was grateful to the strong set of secondary characters that Josie had silently supporting her. Willie was one heck of a scary woman, but she was such a great judge of character, she knew how worthless Josie’s mother was and so in so many unspoken ways become a sort of surrogate mother to Josie. I liked how Willie was up to her eyeballs in her own business she had to take care of, but she was always alert to what was going on around her, even though no-one told her anything; she was always willing to help out in any way possible. And there was Cokie, Sadie and Jesse, three characters who also quickly became favourites alongside Willie. They weren’t in the best situations themselves, but had such generous hearts where Josie was concerned.

Out of the Easy was a novel that I normally wouldn’t have picked up, but I’m so glad that I did, as it is one of the most gorgeously written and memorable reads I have read in a long time. With the great impression Out of the Easy left with me, I think I need to find the courage to read Ruta’s Between Shades of Gray sometime soon too.

Showcase Sunday #29

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea. The aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week.

Thank you to Katie Kacvinsky, St. Martin's Press, YA Bound and Random House

Second Chance by Katie Kacvinsky | Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess | An Endless Summer by C.J Duggan | Red by Alison Cherry | How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

The last two weeks have been relatively quiet in terms of incoming books, but awesome nonetheless. I've had my eye on Endless Summer, Red and How My Summer went Up in Flames for sometime now, so was ecstatic to receive copies. And Brooklyn Girls had been receiving really favourable reveiws as of late from my blogging friends, that I couldn't hold back in requesting this one.

Over to Rachel and her goodies over the last two weeks.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing, Flux Books, Bloomsbury and Netgalley. 

 Left Drowning by Jessica Park | The Cutting Room Floor by Dawn Klehr | Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles.

Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout | Touch & Go by Lisa Gardner | About That Night by Julie James | Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks | Covet by J.R Ward.

Well, you can see I went little nuts with audio-books lately! Audible saw me coming and knows exactly how to tempt me. Throw a sale and a coupon at me and I’m hooked! I actually did get amazing deals for the books above. I logged into download a book and they said “hey, we haven’t seen you for a while here are some sale books for you.” That’s when I got Covet for $4.95. Then they sent me a coupon for $10 and an email with a bunch of audio books for $7.95. I bought three and then used my coupon so I ended up paying about $14 for the three! I’m so excited when I get a good deal. I keep trying to tell my husband how much money I’m saving by buying, unfortunately, my logic isn’t always apparent in his eyes! Go figure. 

I’m so excited about my review copies, Drowning by Jessica Park who wrote Flat-Out Love, one of my all-time favorite geeky romances! Simone Elkeles wrote Perfect Chemistry, Leaving Paradise and Return to Paradise *swoon* has a new read coming out!! I hope I love Wild Cards as much. The Cutting Room Floor sounds really suspenseful and creepy, and I’m giddy in anticipation! 

So once again we've had some great incoming books, if you posted a book haul of some sort, feel free to share a link with us in the comments and we'll be over as soon as we can to check it out!

Review: Jet by Jay Crownover

Jet by Jay Crownover
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication date: May 28th 2013.
My rating: 4 stars

With his tight leather pants and a sharp edge that makes him dangerous, Jet Keller is every girl’s rock and roll fantasy. But Ayden Cross is done walking on the wild side with bad boys. She doesn’t want to give in to the heat she sees in Jet’s dark, haunted eyes. She’s afraid of getting burned from the sparks of their spontaneous combustion, even as his touch sets her on fire.

Jet can’t resist the Southern Belle with mile-long legs in cowboy boots who defies his every expectation. Yet the closer he feels to Ayden, the less he seems to know her. While he’s tempted to get under her skin and undo her in every way, he knows firsthand what happens to two people with very different ideas about relationships.

Will the blaze burn into an enduring love. . . or will it consume their dreams and turn them to ashes? 

I loved Rule by Jay Crownover.  It was full of longing and unrequited love, a type of romance I can’t resist and Ms. Crownover got it just right for me.  When I heard she was writing a companion novel I was over the moon!  Jet did not disappoint!  

Ayden, seems like a sweet and wholesome Kentucky country-girl, but looks and packaging can be deceiving. Ayden is far from being an innocent even though that’s the image she wants to cultivate. She wants nothing to do with the previous life she led and doesn’t want the image her new friends have of her to tarnish.  She left all that behind when she came to Colorado to attend college.  That was her ticket out of her old life and she doesn’t want anything tempting her back into her old ways.  Her off-the-charts attraction to Jet has the danger signs flashing red, but her willpower is slowly weakening. 

I had waited forever for this boy, and had wanted him, coveted him for so long it felt like the longing was a living, breathing thing inside of me.*

Looks are deceiving when it comes to Jet, as well.  He looks like the typical bad-boy rocker, but underneath it all you’ll find a good friend with a big heart.  He has a passion for music but not all the notoriety and fame that goes with it.  He has no desire to lead an empty life filled with nothing but drugs, booze and woman.  This is the life his father craved, and often abandoned his mother and him for while he was growing up.  He’s tried to get over Ayden’s pull, but it’s like electricity sparking when they get together. 

Jet was a captivating combination of fiery chemistry, angsty push and pull, family drama, and a little bit of danger.  Jet and Ayden may look like opposites from the outside, but they had more in common in the way of family disappointment, so it was easy for them to relate and get each other.  Both of them faced the sad reality of having a parent that didn’t put them first.  There were obstacles along the way of their romance, and a few times I seriously wanted to strangle Ayden, but I knew it would all turn out.  Any frustration I felt was made insignificant when I got to the sweet parts!  

This man, who was all metal and tattoos that bled out anger and frustration, really had the softest and kindest heart I had ever encountered in my life. Now that I knew how easy it was to snap in half, I told myself it was going to be my job to take care of it from here on out.*

Jet’s story put a smile on my face and was a worthy companion to Rule.  I can’t wait to see what Ms. Crownover comes up with next! 

*Quotes taken from an uncorrected proof and may change in the final copy.