Teaser Tuesday #13 (July 07): Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Hello! Time for another teaser tuesday post! This meme is hosted by A Daily Rhythm.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) (I’m doing one) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


I’m currently reading a lot of books (5 to be exact) and it would be too much trouble for me to provide a teaser from each, so I’ll just be featuring a teaser from one of the books; Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover.

Ugly Love_bookcover“Do you?” he asks.
“Do I what?”
“Smoke.”
I shake my head. “Nope.”
“Good,” he says. We stare at the candy a little bit longer. He turns to face me, and I glance up at him. “Do you even want any candy, Tate?”
“Nope.”
He laughs. “Then I guess we should get back to the car.”
I agree with him, but neither of us moves.
He reaches down to my hand and touches it so softly it’s as if he’s aware he’s made of lava and I’m not. He grips two of my fingers, not even coming close to holding my entire hand, and give them a soft tug.


 

What do you think of this teaser? Have you read this book? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy reading!

-A

The Witches of BlackBrook by Tish Thawer | Book Review

(Witches of BlackBrook #1)

Published: June 23rd 2015

Synopsis:

Through space and time, sisters entwined. Lost then found, souls remain bound.

Three sisters escape the Salem witch trials when the eldest casts a spell that hurdles their souls forward through time. After centuries separated, fate has finally reunited them in the present day.

One the healer, one the teacher, and one the deceiver.

Will their reunion return their full powers, or end their souls journey forever?


The Witches of BlackBrook_bookcover
Add to Goodreads

My Rating:4 stars 4/5 (Really Good)

Book Information

Publisher: Amber Leaf Publishing

Genre(s): New Adult, Paranormal Romance

Page Count: 186

Format: e-book


Note: I received a free digital copy of this book thanks to Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Hi! Today I have a review on a book I really enjoyed, which is, as you can tell, The Witches of BlackBrook by Tish Thawer. I found it to be quite unique and very enjoyable, filled with suspense, Wiccan magic, and much more.

Quick Summary

Trin and her sister Kit has been looking for their youngest sister ever since they’ve been thrown forward into time by a spell cast by Trin. But something is blocking Trin from finding her, and everyone’s souls are in danger if she doesn’t find out how to defeat it. Will she be able to reunite with all her sisters, and overcome the darkness once and for all?

Plot

Maybe it’s just my lack of exposure to books with a similar plot line to this, but I found the plot to be quite different to other books I’ve read. What I loved most about the plot other than the obvious (Wiccan magic is so cool!) was the element of mystery and the theme of girl power. I found the story to be quite suspenseful, some parts were predictable, but there were lots of twists and turns to keep the story engaging.
One thing that really stood out to me was the lesser role of the main male character. You know how in most books, YA or NA, the male character often has a big role, and is focused on a lot? Well, in this book, the story was primarily led by Trin and other female characters. This is quite unique, I don’t find many books these days with this kind of thing, usually the male greatly impacts the plot in one way or another, right? While the main male character in the book did affect the story, he wasn’t some big hero that stole the attention from the females or anything. It was different, and I liked that. All in all, the plot was great; it was different, mysterious, and unique.

Characters

Trin was a great protagonist, I would say, however I do think she could’ve had a bit more personality. I don’t know, she didn’t seem as real to me as she could’ve been. That being said, she wasn’t annoying or anything, and I liked her, she was strong, willful and caring, and there wasn’t anything that I really disliked about her.

As for the other characters, I really liked them as well, especially the villain. I feel like the villain was really well done, I wish I could elaborate, but I don’t want to give away any spoilers. 😉 The supporting characters, like the male love interest, Jason, and his sister Caris, were also enjoyable, but I wish they were developed a bit more. There’s not much I can say about them, which is a clear indication to me that they need more development. However, their presence wasn’t bothersome or anything, and I didn’t dislike them.

Writing Style

I think the writing style was one of the things I liked most about this book apart from the plot. Tish Thawer incorporated scenes of both past and present quite smoothly and it added more background information about our main characters in a more unique and engaging fashion. I never got confused between past and present (partly due to the fact the characters’ name changes) and I loved learning more about the characters’ past. The book is written in third person POV, mostly from the perspective of our main character, Trin, but occasionally from supporting characters Caris and Jason. I think this suited the story, and was used to effectively create different scenes throughout the story

Overall…

This story was really good, full of captivating twists and turns. What really made me boost it up to 4 stars would be because it was so addicting! I always wanted to pick this up, and continue reading it. This book boasts of a story about love, hope, and most of all, strength in family and siblings. The characters were great to read about, and Tish Thawer was able to weave scenes from the past into the present flawlessly, enhancing the reader’s experience and understanding of the book. One thing I will mention though is that the romance kind of takes a back seat in this book, or isn’t much focused on. But this new-adult paranormal romance is one you do not want to miss if you’re into magic and witches, with a unique and enchanting story.

Do you want to eat this one? How about we meet in BlackBrook?

-A

Top 10 Tuesday #13 (July 07): Top Ten Hyped Books I’ve Never Read

Hello fellow bookworms! I’m back from my unofficial hiatus (you might’ve noticed I haven’t been interacting as much on my blog or on other blogs) with a Top Ten Tuesday post. This is a popular meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, today’s topic is ten hyped books I’ve never read. Now, I can basically use my list for books I want to read this summer, since those books are pretty hyped up (like We Were Liars, Extraordinary Means, etc.)—you can check out that list here—but I’m going to make another list, since heaven knows my list of to-read hyped books is endless! Book titles link to Goodreads, and you can hover over the cover to read the synopsis from Goodreads. So, in no particular order:

The Kiss of Deception_bookcover1. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

I really want to read this! Especially since the second book, The Heart of Betrayal, releases today. It just seems so interesting!

2. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab A Darker Shade final for Irene

Or anything by this author, like Vicious. I have A Darker Shade of Magic currently waiting on my shelf and I’ve heard such great things about it that I’m just itching to get to it.

The Wrath and the Dawn_bookcover3. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

I really hope I can read this book this month. Ever since it’s been released (and before!) I’ve heard so many things and it seems like a great book.

4. Gone Girl by Gillian FlynnGone Girl_bookcover

Another hyped up book! It also has a movie if I’m not mistaken, so I really want to read this to see what the hype is all about and then watch the movie. 😉

The Girl on the Train_bookcover5. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I’m trying not to sound too repetitive, but this book seems great! I’ve heard lots about it and it seems like a very intriguing thriller.

6. Red Queen by Victoria AveyardRed Queen_bookcover

I have my fingers crossed to read this book this month! If I can get past my review copies and other books, I will definitely be making time for this one. The cover, the synopsis, and all the great reviews has me intrigued!

Anna & the French Kiss_bookcover27. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Don’t kill me! I haven’t read this book or the series, BUT I do plan on reading it. Someday.

8. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover (or anything Colleen Hoover, really.)Ugly Love_bookcover

This book has been on my TBR for a while now, and I’m actually currently reading it! It still counts for this list, since I just started it today and am only at the beginning of it. 🙂 This book has been really hyped up, well, actually, basically all of Colleen Hoover’s books have been hyped up. So yeah.

A Game of Thrones_bookcover9. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

This is the first in a series, and has a TV show based off of it. To be honest, I’m not that interested in these books at this moment, but I will probably still read the series one day. It’s pretty hyped up, and what can I say? I like to know what the hype is all about. 😉

10. Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson (or Since You’ve Been Gone & Second Chance Summer)Amy & Roger's Epic Detour_bookcover

Morgan Matson’s books have been hyped up as well (obviously, since she’s on this list) and the most notable books I know that have been hyped up (I’m not sure whether or not she has other books written aside from these three, but oh well) are Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, Since You’ve Been Gone and Second Chance Summer. I really want to read all three of these!

 


Oh! I also forgot to add The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. I really want to read this one, I’ve heard wonderful things! And I also want to check out the movie, too.

The Book Thief_bookcover

So that’s it for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday! What hyped up books have you never read? Do we share any in common? Have you read any of these books? Let me know in the comments below or feel free to link your post!

Happy Tuesday!

-A