Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books on my TBR for Summer 2015

   

Top Ten Tuesday 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.

This weeks Top Ten Tuesday topic is: Top Ten Books on my TBR for Summer 2015.

I normally love making lists, but lately I haven't been really good at sticking to my tbr lists, so hopefully this time this post will give me the motivation to do so. 
 

 

These four books are four of my highly anticipated reads for the Summer, you could say I'm a sucker for emotional reads, as I know A Million Miles Away and After You will have me bawling my eyes out, but I have a feeling that these two books will be the sort of ones that I won't be able to stop thinking about for days afterwards either. With Burn I just need to know what the heck is going on, the year long wait has been excruciating, so I'm glad that there is just a a week to go before I have this pretty in my hands. And anything that Miranda Kenneally writes I will read, so I can't wait for her latest book.

These three books I will be hoping to read for the Summer of Series Challenge I'm really bad completing lists in general, but more so in completing series. so these are some series I have been putting off for far too long, and ones which I can't wait to finally start.

 

As you can probably tell by now I'm really bad at buying books on release date, but not reading them, so In the Afterlight and Isla and the Happily After are books I'm looking forward to tacking. And how long have we had to wait for Lair of Dreams? I'm just glad that I've finally got my hands on a copy, I can't wait to be back in this world once more.

So which books are you most excited about tackling this Summer? Link me up!

Review: Only a Promise by Mary Balogh

Only a Promise (The Survivors Club #5) by Mary Balogh
Publisher: Signet
Publication date: June 9th 2015
My rating:  4.5 stars 
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository 

 

Ralph Stockwood prides himself on being a leader, but when he convinced his friends to fight in the Napoleonic Wars, he never envisioned being the sole survivor. Racked with guilt over their deaths, Ralph must move on . . . and find a wife to secure an heir to his family's title and fortune.

Since her Seasons in London ended in disaster, Chloe Muirhead is resigned to spinsterhood. Driven by the need to escape her family, she takes refuge at the home of her mother's godmother, where she meets Ralph. He needs a wife. She wants a husband. So Chloe makes the outrageous suggestion to strike a bargain and get married. One condition: Ralph has to promise that he will never take her back to London. But circumstances change. And to Ralph, it was only a promise.

My Thoughts:

Chloe Muirhead chances at love have been dashed.  Disgraced through a family scandal she’s basically ineligible for marriage, and at the age of twenty-seven she’s well on her way to becoming a spinster. Staying with her mother’s godmother, the Duchess of Worthingham has provided a escape of sorts, out of sight and mind from London society.

Ralph Stockwood only wishes he was ineligible, because he has no desire to fall in love or form any emotional attachment.  His emotional scars from fighting in the Napoleonic War weighed him down with guilt, and for a time he didn’t even want to live, not feeling worthy.  Marrying and letting someone in doesn’t sound appealing at all, but as the heir to the Duke of Worthingham Ralph must provide an heir for the title.  With the current Duke, his grandfather, aging and ailing, he must find a wife soon. 

When Chloe hears of Ralph’s predicament, she makes an offer of marriage with no expectations of emotional ties or love from him.  She provides an heir, takes care of the house and Ralph can go on about with his life without much changing.  Oh, how naïve we can be, right? 

I adored Chloe! I admired her strength and courage, her determination to rely on herself to take what happiness she could from life and not to expect others to give it to her. She wasn’t bitter when Ralph was distant or pulled away after opening up to her, because she never expected him to in the first place. She counted every amount of tenderness he offered her as a happy surprise, but didn’t want to put too much stock in it and have her heart crushed by relying on it.

Ralph for his part was surprised when he found himself yearning for his wife and the affection and comfort she provided. Also, that he desired her; it didn’t really register how beautiful she was until right after they married. These feelings scared him:

And his very longing for the night, for her body, for her, had almost kept him away. For frankly he was a bit bewildered and more than a bit alarmed by his eagerness.

Ralph was happily surprised that Chloe enjoyed sex just as much as he did. It would be impossible not to form some emotional bond, not to fall in love when you allow someone in enough to enjoy sex on a regular basis, especially if you sleep with them, and grow attached to their presence in your bed every night.  Chloe and Ralph were sincerely good people and therefore saw the good in each other, and that admiration along with physical attraction inevitably turned into love, much as neither wanted to admit it.  Chloe and Ralph, with all their intentions of keeping at arm’s length emotionally, provided each other the support and motivation to face their fears and confront their individual baggage from the past.

For a beautiful historical romance that will tug at your heart, and fill you with joy, Mary Balogh’s Survivors’ Club series cannot be missed.  Only a Promise was a gradual build toward love, full of small steps forward and some occasional steps back.  Both the progress and the digression pulled at my emotions!  While the story is part of the Survivors’ Club series, it’s not necessary to read the other books to enjoy Only a Promise.  I did read Only Enchanting, the book previous, and completely loved it, though.

 

 Connect with Mary Balogh:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads

Blog Tour: The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi

Hi all, today as part of The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi Blog Tour hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club. But first here's a little about the book. 

Publisher: Harper Teen 
Publication Date: June 16th 2015
My rating: 3 stars 

A fun, romantic read, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Susane Colasanti! Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over a no-good ex-boyfriend. Graduate from high school without any more distractions. Move away from Orlando, Florida, where she’s lived her entire life. But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player who just moved to town—was never part of that plan. And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying “yes” to every crazy, fun thing they could think of. Then Matt abruptly left town, and he broke not only Ella’s heart but those of their best friends, too. So when he shows up a year later with a plan of his own—to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn’t sure whether Matt’s worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future. In alternating then and now chapters, debut author Lauren Gibaldi crafts a charming, romantic story of first loves, lifelong friendships, uncovered secrets, and, ultimately, finding out how to be brave.

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

The Night We Said Yes was a book about missed chances and making the best out of the opportunities you’re given.  I liked the idea of having one night where you said yes to everything no matter what. Ella hadn’t been through the best few months, the guy that she thought was the love of her life just upped and left with no explanation and no one could get a response out of him either. So when Matt turns up out of the blue, the night we said yes is definitely what Ella needs.

I really felt for Ella, she had the magical perfect sort of relationship with Matt that all girls dream of, but then when he unexpectedly skips town, Ella is left heartbroken. So when she finally sees him after what seems like ages later, Ella of course demands to know what happened. I’m glad that Ella was one of those girls that stood her ground, she had been treated in the worst possible worse way and so of course deserved answers. Also the Gibaldi flipped between chapters; between the here and now it was obvious that their relationship was one that just couldn’t be forgotten. And also I needed to know what Matt’s reason was, why did he think it was okay to leave town and Ella behind? To be honest I didn’t really buy Matt’s reason for leaving town, yes a lot of things had gone downhill for his family and their reputation, but he could have left some sort of explanation for Ella instead of coded messages which didn’t even make sense. But after getting to know Matt’s character more as the book progressed, I could understand why Ella fell for him in the first place and why she couldn’t switch her feelings for him either after everything that she’d been put through.

I adored learning about Ella and Matt’s relationship through the alternative here and now chapters, to be honest I loved the after chapters more, but at the same time I was dying to find out how things were going to go down in the now. Ella’s friends Jake and Meg also brought a lot of fun to the story too; they were more outgoing characters than Ella, so you never knew what you were getting when they would be around. Overall The Night We Said Yes, made me want to go out and live life to the fullest and to make the most of whatever life throws at me. 

GIVEAWAY

Details: Win an ARC of The Night We Said Yes and some swag (US Only)

Review: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

P.S I Still Love You by Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Younger Readers 
Publication Date: May 26th 2015
My rating: 4 stars 

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter. She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever. When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

I was thrilled when my copy of P.S. I Still Love You arrived early, as it was one of my highly anticipated reads of the year, I fell in love with the characters and Lara Jean’s story that Han’s created in To All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before. Also with so many questions I needed answering I couldn’t wait to be back with these characters once more.

I was dreading that things would not go the way that I’d hoped they would, but I was glad to get loads of Peter very early on, I was team Peter in To All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before and I had high hopes that Lara Jean and Peter would end up together in this one, Peter of course was his usual self, he was the charmer, but we also got to see a more of a vulnerable side to him at times, that I just didn’t want him to get hurt at all. But most of all I adored the lovable side that came through, how he was concerned about Lara Jean, and promised that things would be okay. At times he did slip up, but Peter was just the sort of guy that I could forgive in instances like these and of course I was so scared that things could go wrong that I wanted to keep Peter and Lara Jean together no matter what. Their relationship was a topsy -turvy one with Han hitting you with all the feels left right and centre, but it was one that I didn’t mind going through some of the heartache that I had to experience as this relationship was one of the best relationships I have come across. (highlight to view spoiler). However I have to admit that I did find myself slightly wavering with the introduction of this new character, things with Peter and Lara Jean could be super bumpy at times and then you had John Ambrose McLaren come along who actually got Lara Jean and had her back. I loved their games of Assassins; honestly John Ambrose McLaren was totally adorable! I knew however things ended it wasn’t fair how it would end for one of these guys. Although in my heart of hearts I wanted Peter and Lara Jean to be together, I didn’t want John Ambrose McLaren to get hurt in the process either.

I really like the growth that Lara Jean went through in this book, yes she was her usual inquisitive self, but she actually put her foot down when it came down to things that mattered to her. And I was appreciative of this, because even though it did cause some heartache, at least Lara Jean learnt when things when things became too much for her. Of course I loved the strong family vibes that came through this book once more, Lara Jean’s family was an absolute delight to be around, and I think Kitty also really came through for me in this book. I don’t think I really connected with her in the first book, but this time around I enjoyed her words of wisdom that she threw about and how she could brighten up a scene with her comments, it’s really hard to believe that she’s so young, as she too really came across as a mature character.

Although I didn’t end up loving P.S. I Still Love You as much as To All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before, this is a story that I would still highly recommend. Han has created characters that you will fall in love with and never want to let go. They are characters that will totally make your day when you need a quick pick me up. However I do recommend doing a lot of baking before picking this book up, as I was totally starving at the end of this with all the baking Lara Jean did!

Giveaway Hop: Jumping Genres in June

Hello lovelies! I here today with a Giveaway Hop hosted by the wonderful Valerie at Stuckinbooks.  For my stop I'm giving away $10 at either US Amazon or US Barnes & Noble or up to $10 at The Book Depository.  The giveaway is International as long as the Book Depository ships to your country. Have you ever been in a book reading slump? I find that sometimes switching genres is just the thing to inject some excitement back into my reads.  Mysteries are usually a good switch-up from straight romances.  Urban fantasy is another genre that usually perks my reading up as well. Here are some greats that I have loved:

(Click on cover for Goodreads link:)

     

      

I listed the first books in The Others, Mercy Thompson, and Kate Daniels series, but the whole series in each case is a total win!

Do you have any genres you'd like to try?  Let me know in the comments below.

 

 $10 at either US Amazon or US Barnes & Noble or up to $10 at The Book Depository.  The giveaway is International as long as the Book Depository ships to your country.  Click HERE for a complete list of countries. Fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win: