"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

        

 

 

The Infinite Sea

(The 5th Wave, #2)

by

Rick Yancey

 

Publication date:

September 16th, 2014

 

How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity. 

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race. 

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.

 

 

I really enjoyed The 5th Wave, despite the fact it reminded me a little of another older & favorite read. Then again, I have a thing for apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic/sci-fi stories, and Rick Yancey delivered a great one, so I'm looking forward to this sequel!

    

What are you waiting for this week?

  

Leave me your WoW links!

Title: Loving Mindy

Author: Karen Erickson

Series: Lone Pine Lake, #2.5

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC

   

Imprint: Bliss

   

Publication date: July 28th, 2014

  

  

My rating: 3.5 of 5

  

  

(Novella read on July 20th, 2014, from the review copy received from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.)

Summary:

  

He's the one who got away. She's the one he can't forget…

 

Mindy McKenzie’s day has gone from bad to worse. First, her ex whisked her kids away to attend his elopement, leaving her alone for the holidays. And then the man whose heart she broke years ago winds up on her doorstep — stranded. Josh Powers still has a body that can make her mouth water, but unfortunately, she’s sure she missed her chance with him.

 

Waiting out a storm with an attractive woman isn’t normally a bad thing. But when it’s the woman Josh Powers has never been able to get out of his head, it’s pure torture. Especially since he knows she’ll never feel the same way. Mindy is just as sexy and tempting as he remembers, but he can’t risk his heart a second time.

  

  

My Thoughts on the Novella:

   

Loving Mindy is part of the Lone Pine Lake series, and I really enjoyed the previous two books: Jane's Gift & Tempting Cameron. There's just something quite sweet & captivating about the characters & their stories in the series, and the novella Loving Mindy is another story like that.

 

I really liked both Mindy & Josh as characters, and I loved their friendship - the one they used to have before things went south, and the one that they seem to establish between them once again. I was interested about their story a.k.a their past, I really got to know the characters through it, and I was cheering them on in hope of them connecting once again, albeit this time in a different way.

That's all I'm going to say. The story was really sweet & fun, and it left me feeling all warm inside and happy. I can't wait to read the next Lone Pine Lake story. I'm hoping it will be a full-length one.

If you enjoy heartwarming contemporary romances, then Loving Mindy is the story for you & I highly recommend it!

 

 

 

Challenges:

2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

         

 

  

The Queen of Zombie Hearts

(The White Rabbit Chronicles, #3)

by

Gena Showalter

 Publication date:

September 30th, 2014

 

I have a plan.

We'll either destroy them for good, or they'll destroy us.

Either way, only one of us is walking away. 

Alice 'Ali' Bell thinks the worst is behind her. She's ready to take the next step with boyfriend Cole Holland, the leader of the zombie slayers; until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a sneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realizes that humans can be more dangerous than monsters; and the worst has only begun. 

As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she, too, can control the zombies and she isn't the girl she thought she was. She's connected to the woman responsible for killing and turning Cole's mother. How can their relationship endure? As secrets come to light, and more slayers are taken or killed, Ali will fight harder than ever to bring down Anima even sacrificing her own life for those she loves.

 

I adore Gena Showalter's books, and I especially adore this trilogy! The Queen of Zombie Hearts is the finale, so I can't wait to read it! I'm so excited, especially because I have no idea how the author will decide to wrap it up, though I'm crossing my fingers for an epic showdown ;)

  

 

What are you waiting for this week?

  

Leave me your WoW links!

Title: The One Safe Place

Author: Tania Unsworth

Publisher: Algonquin Books

Imprint: Algonquin Young Readers

Publication date: April 29th, 2014

 

My rating: 4 of 5

(Book read from July 2oth to July 22nd, 2014,  from the review copy received from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.)

Summary:

In this near-future dystopia with echoes of "The Giver" and "Among the Hidden," Tania Unsworth has created an unsettling page-turner fast-paced, smooth, filled with dread that's wholly satisfying and startlingly original.

Devin doesn't remember life before the world got hot; he has grown up farming the scorched earth with his grandfather in their remote valley. When his grandfather dies, Devin heads for the city. Once there, among the stark glass buildings, he finds scores of children, just like him, living alone on the streets. They tell him rumors of a place for abandoned children, with unlimited food and toys and the hope of finding a new family. But only the luckiest get there.

An act of kindness earns Devin an invitation to the home, but it s soon clear that it s no paradise. As Devin investigates the intimidating administrator and the zombie-like sickness that afflicts some children, he discovers the home s horrific true mission. The only real hope is escape, but the place is as secure as a fortress.

     

Fans of dystopian fiction and spine-chilling adventure will devour "The One Safe Place"; its haunting themes will resonate long after readers have turned the final page.

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

The One Safe Place is a beautiful & haunting story. It's one of those bittersweet tales, that will manage to surprise you, and leave you kinda hopeful for the future, even though you might doubt it at the beginning.

I got interested in the story and Devin as a character from the beginning of the book. This book is set in the future, and I'd say it's a mix of post-apocalyptic & dystopian, with a touch of mystery and adventure.

Overall, I rather enjoyed the story, and before it ended, I almost loved it. I guess I loved the way it made me feel when it was over.

Despite the predictability of it (I realised quite early what's going on in the Home), I still enjoyed the characters' adventure of finding out what exactly was happening, why & trying to find a way to save themselves.

I found all the characters quite likable, and before this book ended I adored all the children, and was rooting for them. This book made me laugh, made me smile, made me cry, and broke my heart, but it also filled me with hope, that's why I'm saying it was bittersweet.

I rather enjoyed the writing style, it definitely brought to life the story, the world & the characters, and I'm interested in reading more by Tania Unsworth.

If you enjoy futuristic stories that are just a little bit different, I recommend The One Safe Place.

 

 

Challenges: 

Summer Bookish Bingo

2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge

The High Summer Read-a-Thon is hosted by Michelle a.k.a The True Book Addict at her read-a-thon dedicated blog Seasons of Reading!

The read-a-thon started on Monday, July 21st at midnight CST and ends on Sunday, July 27th at 11:59 pm CST.

 

For more info & to join the read-a-thon, visit the post HERE.

   

For me & my time zone, as always, that means it starts on Monday, July 21st at 7 am & ends on Monday, July 28th at 6:59 am.
 

  

On Twitter we (read-a-thoners) will use the hashtag #HSreadathon.

 

What I'll be reading?

First I'm planning to finish these two previously started books:

 

...as for after, I'm hoping to read at least one more full-length novel, though I haven't decided which one. Whatever I'm in a mood for, though it just might be a romance - contemporary or historical.

I'll just update this post with my reading progress.

Also, I'm hoping to join the twitter chat, though it all depends if the time will work for me.

  

Happy reading everyone!
  
 

Wrap Up: 

To say that this read-a-thon for me was a failure it will be an understatement. At first it was fine. I finished the previously started book The One Safe Place and reviewed it, but then, suddenly, before I return to my other previously started read Undone, I fell into a reading & blogging slump. It was really unexpected, and unexplainable. it happened without any reason I can think of. I tried reading, but it just didn't work, so I gave up on the read-a-thon. Now, days later, nothing has changed, so I'm taking a break. I just hope that this time my reading slump won't be as long as last summer (and I hope this won't become an annual thing).

Title: Fanning the Flames

Author: Victoria Dahl

Series: Jackson: Girls' Night Out, #0.5)

Publisher: Harlequin HQN

Publication date: July 1st, 2014

My rating: 2 of 5

(Novella read on July 11th, 2014,  from the review copy received from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.)   

  

Summary:

Burning for you

Some men are off-limits. Close friends of your ex-husband, for instance. Or firefighters who work in the same building as you. Yet despite her best judgment, librarian Lauren Foster can't help noticing fire captain Jake Davis whenever he jogs by…shirtless. They've always been friends, but all it takes is one not-so-chance meeting at a local bar and one not-quite-innocent walk home to ignite a fierce, uncontrollable desire between them.
  

Widower Jake Davis has tried to ignore the spark he feels whenever Lauren's around, but once he sees her curves in a little black dress, there's no turning back. No matter how often she says she's all wrong for him, the sexy, outspoken divorcée is driving him wild in the best possible way. Maybe she's just blowing off steam. Or maybe he can convince her to fan these flames into something deeper, hotter and truer than they ever expected…
   

 

My Thoughts on the Novella:

 

 

I really wanted to enjoy Fanning the Flames, but I'm sorry to say that this story just didn't work for me. I usually enjoy stories when friends fall for each other, so I expected this to be the case. But, I just couldn't connect with the characters, or care about them at all. I didn't like or dislike them, I was just indifferent to them & the story itself, and I can't quite put my finger on why I felt that way.

It wasn't a bad story, but it wasn't good either. Sure, they had their friendship & chemistry going for them, but I just didn't care, so it wasn't a story for me. I always say that the connection or just fondness for the characters in a book plays a big part in the overall enjoyment of a story, and this novella for me was the perfect example of that.

That being said, I think I'll give the series another shot & read the first full-length novel.

 

 

 

Challenges: 

2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge