What the cat did....

So, you guys know I have a cat, and that he's evil... Look at what he did to my Catching Fire Book Jacket -.-

He also chew on some of my school books but those don't matter so, meh. Still, that cat is really close to becoming my dinner >.<

IMM #39

In My Mailbox

IMM is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren.

I haven't made an IMM in a while so I have a lot of books to show!

Won:

Special Thanks to Jennifer @Some Life It Paranormal for Starcrossed!!

Blog Tour:

 Already Reviewed Trying To Score - Review and Giveaway Here.

Borrowed:

The Slammed Series - Slammed & Point of Retreat - Are incredibly Good! I Highly Highly Recommend them! Review Later this week!

Bought

I'm 60% into this book and I am really liking it, I cannot wait to see how it ends!

That's what I got last May and so fer this June! Let me know what YOU got in your Mailbox, don't forget to leave a link :)

Trying to Score - Toni Aleo - Giveaway

Trying To Score by Toni Aleo

Date Released: April 11th 2012
Pages:  478 pages
Date Read: June 10, 2012
Format: pdf
Source: author

Summary:

Fallon Parker’s dream was to have her family’s wine company at the top of all wine magazines and to have a cellar of her own. After graduating from college, she has worked hard to make that dream a reality, even if that meant having a nonexistent love life. She had her chance at love and that was a bust, so she put everything into the wine company. After becoming the official sponsor of the Nashville Assassins, Fallon finally feels like everything is falling in place, that is until Lucas Brooks comes back into her life.

Lucas Brooks hates his life. He is lonely, he is sober, and he is angry. On the ice, when he’s not in the sin bin, he the leading scorer in the NHL but off the ice, he is a mess. He threw away the most important person in his life, and has regretted it ever since but when Lucas sees Fallon again after being traded to the Assassins; he is bound and determined to get her back. Even if she wants nothing to do with him.

The sexual tension between Fallon and Lucas is electrifying as Lucas tries to convince Fallon that he is a changed man. Fallon tries to resist Lucas, but it is so hard when all her body wants is his. But when Lucas finds out that Fallon has been keeping a huge secret from him, the game he is playing stops and penalties are called.

With new rules and new players on the ice, will Fallon and Lucas be able to work out their differences and work as a team or will they be left trying to score alone.

From Goodreads

My Review:

After reading Taking Shots - Assassins Book 1 - and loving it, I knew I just had to be a part of this tour! Even though I enjoyed Taking Shots a little bit more, I still enjoyed Trying too Score a lot.

Fallon and Lucas have had a long history together. Lucas and Fallon where once a couple but when Lucas left Fallon heartbroken she chose to run away and forget all about him - that is until life brings them back together. Lucas is a changed man and will do anything in his power to get Fallon back, but Fallon is also a different person, more determined and she will not let herself be fulled by Lucas again, especially since it is not only her heart on the line this time, there's something else, something that she has kept a secret for far too long.

What I didn't like much about the story: Fallon. What I liked more about the story: Fallon. Lol, I know this is confusing, but Fallon was sometimes such a headstrong and she constantly rejected Lucas just to protect her pride, even though this was a bit stressing it was also part of the fun, because she usually ended embarrassing herself and it just made Lucas try harder and set his mind on a new plan to get her back - which really was fun and sweet :)

It was a completely different story from Taking Shots, but still I enjoyed it a lot. There is really no need to read Taking Shots first, though I would suggest you do since you may get a few spoilers to the story. I have really enjoyed the work of Toni Aleo so far, and one thing that I have really learned from all her books: Communication is the key to a good relationship :3

My Review on Taking Shots.

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Taking Shots - Toni Aleo

Taking Shots by Toni Aleo

Date Released: October 5th 2011
Date Read: May 28, 2012
Format:  Kindle Edition
Source: Book Lending.com

Summary:

Elli Fisher has never thought she was good enough. Let it be her job, her weight, her love life, nothing, she was convinced she couldn’t do anything right. She had walked through life for the past six years in a daze, never thinking that life could be good again after the abuse she endured from her ex boyfriend. She is lonely, sad, and depressed, that is until she meets Shea Adler. After doing a promotional shoot for the NHL team, the Nashville Assassins, she meets the hunky hockey player who shoots a puck, shattering her world.
Shea Adler was tired of the life he was living outside of the rink. The girls, the money blowing, the drinking, everything had to stop and it all did when he met Eleanor Fisher. He had never met anyone like her. She is feisty, witty, shy, and simply gorgeous. When he laid eyes on her, it was as if he was taking the hardest hit of his life into the boards, and he had to have her.
Elli is a little skeptical of Shea, but he knows that they were meant to be together, and he needed her in his life. But Elli just doesn’t understand what Shea could see in her. She is overweight, loud, and not even that pretty, so why would someone so gorgeous and so amazing want to be with her? It seemed that no matter how hard she tried to shake Shea off, he wasn’t going anywhere, and for the first time Elli didn’t feel alone.
But could Elli throw her insecurities out the window and love Shea with everything inside of her? Or will she let a past relationship, and her family ruin any chance of her being happy?

Would Elli miss her shot at love?

From Goodreads

Not a YA Title

My Review:

After endless recommendations I finally got my hands on Taking Shots and I am really glad I did! Elli has had a tough life, I really felt bad for her, she went through so many things that were really not fair, such as problems with her health that caused her to gain a lot of weight and because of this she lost her job, her fiance and her self-esteem and ugh! What a crappy family she has! I Hate her Mother and I Hate her Sister! HATE!

A few year later Elli is in a healthy weight and it's doing good - her family is still crappy though. And in the middle of her new work as a photographer, she meets Shea Adler, famous hokey player and he has his eyes on her and it's determined to win her heart. Sadly, after years of reinforcement and bad situations, Elli cannot believe that someone like him would ever want to be with someone like her.

Elli had a lot of emotional issues, and it was really hard to watch her struggle through them, but it was understandable, when you've been broken to many times it's hard to accept that good things do come your way, and Shea was a good thing, luckily he can see this and he will prove to Elli that she is worth of so many things, including love.

Another thing I really loved about the book is that Elli is no model, she has no flawless body, she has curves and she is a HUMAN, she has insecurity like any woman has so it was really refreshing to read a book that has a real woman as the main character.

The only downside was near the ending, when Elli's family got on my nerves and all I wanted was to jump into the story and strangle her mother and sister, and I also wanted to strangle Elli for not strangling them herself x) Luckily I still got my Happy Ending :)

“I was trying to get over you! And it didn’t work. I was meant to walk on this earth with only you, I was meant to give only you every piece of me. I don’t want anyone but you. I love you.”

“That’s not what drew me to you, it was your eyes…and your ass.”

Featured :3

BFF Blogger Jennifer from Some Like it Paranormal featured me on her blog for the Feature and Follow Giveaway Hop!

So please be sure to check it out and Follow Her! She's such and amazing blogger and you can get a chance to win a book :D!

Thank you Jennifer <3

and also Thank you to Patrick at The Bookshelves for featuring me in his Follow Friday ♥ you can check it out here :)

Reason to Breathe - Rebecca Donovan

Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan

Date Released: May 10th 2011
Pages: 374 pages
Date Read: April 26, 2012
Format:  Kindle Edition
Source: Book Lending

Summary:

"No one tried to get involved with me, and I kept to myself. This was the place where everything was supposed to be safe and easy. How could Evan Mathews unravel my constant universe in just one day?"

He knows there’s something more to the girl sitting in the back of the class the moment he sees her. She’s beautiful, intelligent, and athletic – but she slips quietly through the crowded halls, trying not to exist. Determined to get to know the elusive girl, Evan soon discovers…

Emma Thomas is hiding a terrible secret.

Reason to Breathe is an electrifying page turner from start to finish, a unique tale of life-changing love, unspeakable cruelty, and one girl’s fragile grasp of hope.

From Goodreads

My Review:

It's kind of a funny story...

So, you know when you're in an exiting or scary situation in a book and you read like a maniac? your eyes travel through the page flying and more than reading you sorta guess the words, 'cause you just want to travel to the next page and know what happened? Yeah, well, that happened to me with the last chapter of this book, I was so anxious to see what was going to happen and then I read the last line. I was in shock and infuriated. How could this book end this way? What kind of story is this? I was so incredibly sad and crushed and mad. Then I went to goodreads and saw that the book was a series - Wait, what? how can a book that ended that way is a series? So I went back to read that last chapter and realized.... I read the last line wrong. EPIC FAIL.

LOL, turns out it did have some kind of happy ending x) after realizing my mistake I was again happy with the book. Now let me start my actual review:

Emma Thomas has had a tough life, her dad died years ago and her mother had troubles with addictions, with no one to take care of her she went to life with her uncle, but her aunt does not welcome her into her family and she is willing to make Emma's life as miserable as she can, hurting her in any way she can: emotional and physical.

When Evan arrives to town he wants to know more about Emma, who's a mystery for everyone at school - except her best friend - and he's determined to figure her out, but she is not willing to let them in, to protect herself and her nieces, and all the secrets she has to face everyday when she arrives home.

Following Emma's life was very frustrating and even painful, being a part of the tough life she had to endure, but you also see her begin to hope. At times it was also stressing to watch her push Evan and her friends away to protect herself, you understand why she's on her guard at all times, but you just can't help but wish that she'd loosen up a little bit more, let herself believe.

The end was, like I said before the ending was shocking - even without my bad reading x) If you like dramas and are willing to go through some stress I totally recommend it. It was an emotional roller coaster ride, a heartbreaking story and I am looking forward to reading the next book :)

“We were engaged in a very intricate dance of touching without touching, knowing without saying, and feeling without expressing. We were friends walking along a ledge, a very thin ledge - and I was too caught up in my heightened awareness of his existence to realize how close the ledge was to crumbling beneath my feet.”

I'm Baaaaaaaack ;)

After some excruciatingly long weeks of projects and exams I'm DONE! I have Officially finished my Freshman Year in College :3
The truth and what I learned?

Freedom - sounds awesome right? but the fact that mom and dad are not behind your back only means you gotta take care of yourself, which, in all honesty, it's not the best thing. for a few things yeah, but my mom used to remember me all the time I had to do my homework and when it was up to me to remember it... yeah, I failed quite a few times.

Responsibly - I had this idea that we were all gonna be irresponsible teenagers that liked to party... WRONG! it turned out that everyone was very competitive! they all got perfect scores! We are all actually worried about exams and we study together and stay late at school! [I was more carefree in High School]

The Good Times - yes, we did party a little bit, but what I most remember is staying up late studying with my friends or going to the local Starbucks with our laptops just hanging out and supposedly doing homework x)

All in all it was pretty awesome, One Year - Three More to Go.  Oh! and last but not least, you will be worried about fashion the first week of school, but the rest of the semester, I swear to you you will be rocking the homeless grandma look ;)

GIVEAWAY!

A Complete New Design for your Blog! 

I recently started my Design Blog and I start working on it this summer, so I'm starting with a giveaway! Right now my designs are only for Blogger users - sorry 'bout that!

NOTE: I forgot to add that this design can also include a Scrapbook Kit! - that is if the winner wants to use one, if you want a more minimalistic style that is totally up to the winner :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway