I'm Back!

Hey everyone. I know it's been a while since I updated, but i'm coming back! Graduate school dominated all of my time for a while, but I finally have a *bit* of time to read and catch up on reviews. 

Upcoming Reviews:

- Speechless by Hannah Harrington

- Starters by Lissa Price

- The List by Siobhan Vivian

Currently Reading:

- 52 Reasons to Hate my Father by Jessica Brody

Up Next:

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

If I Lie by Corrine Jackson

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Have y'all read any great books lately? Let me know!

Recommend A...(1)

Thanks for joining me for the first installment of "Recommend A...", a fun new meme created by Shanyn over at Chick Loves Lit. Shanyn will post a new prompt each week, and anyone interested in participating will post a book recommendation that follows said prompt. This week's is "Recommend a book with three words in the title".Not surprisingly, I couldn't choose just one :)

I recommend: 

1. The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder 

Why I love it: In The Day Before, Amber wants to spend one perfect day all alone at the beach, before life as she knows it changes forever. This was a fast read for me, because it was written in verse, but the story was so emotional and beautiful, and Lisa's writing is simple yet reaches right to the core of the reader's heart. I'd recommend this one to fans of contemporary, romance, family dynamics, verse writing, and beach settings.

2. Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

Why I love it: This series is just straight up FUN! Desi is a lovable character, and she gets to trade places with princesses from all over the world. What's not to love?! I read Princess for Hire during a very stressful part of the semester, and it was a great way to escape reality for a bit. If you're looking for a fun middle grade read, I highly recommend Princess for Hire. The final installment in the series will be out next month.

That's it for this week. Check back next week where I'll be recommending a book with a green cover. Should be fun!

In Honor by Jessi Kirby

In Honor

by Jessi Kirby

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date:May 8, 2012

Source:Bought

Challenge: Sophomore Challenge

Hours after her brother’s military funeral, Honor opens the last letter Finn ever sent. In her grief, she interprets his note as a final request and spontaneously decides to go to California to fulfill it.

Honor gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen Rusty in ages, but it’s obvious he is as arrogant and stubborn as ever—not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. Despite Honor’s better judgment, the two set off together on a voyage from Texas to California. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn’s memory—but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences - Goodreads

My thoughts

Ah, this book! THIS BOOK! Words can't adequately describe how much I love road trip books, especially when said road trip involves a greater purpose. I feel like I've been waiting to read In Honor practically forever, and I was not let down. 

 

I loved Honor. Her grief over losing her brother was so palpable, as he was essentially the most important person in her life. The way she dealt with her  grief over losing him felt so realistic. I could easily imagine myself jumping in a car and running away if I experienced what Honor had. I loved that she was adventurous and brave enough to just pick up and leave, and I'm glad that Rusty ended up being dragged along with her. Rusty acted like a total ass at times, it can't be denied, but his good qualities shined through. I don't know if y'all know this, but Rusty is based on Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights. Umm, can you say SWOON?!

Honor and Rusty's romance/friendship was definitely of the slow burn variety. While it was frustrating for me, it was incredibly realistic to the situation. Honor is grieving over her brother, so of course romance is going to have to take the backseat (ha!..bad roadtrip pun). 

 

Since this story takes place on the road, setting obviously plays a huge role. I would KILL to visit some of the spots that Honor and Rusty did. They sounded so incredibly gorgeous. On the other hand, you couldn't pay me to ride around in a car in TEXAS with no air conditioning. I'm sweating just thinking about it. You know a setting has been well described when you can picture yourself in it, and that's what In Honor did for me. 

 

Overall, I thought Jessi Kirby's sophomore novel was fantastic. It contains everything I love in a great story - likable characters, a bit of romance, a vivid setting, and a compelling plot. Do yourselves a favor and snag a copy. Check out Friday Night Lights while you're at it. You won't regret it :) 

I'd recommend In Honor to fans of:

road trips

big issues

snarky boys

fantastic settings

Friday Night Lights

adventure

Bout of Books Readathon!

Hey guys! I know things have been pretty quiet on my bog lately. I'm in graduate school and my workload has been CRAZY. Luckily, though, the semester just ended and I have six, count 'em SIX, weeks of freedom to rest and catch up on my TBR list. Soooo, what better way then participating in a read-a-thon? I'm very excited to be participating in Bout of Books 4.0, which runs from May 14th through May 20th. I have some awesome books in my TBR pile, and I'm ready to get started. I'll be updating on this post and through twitter (@stephlovescsd). Feel free to tweet and say hi! 

Goals:

Read 4 books or 1,200 pages

Possible Reading Material:

Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

In Honor by Jessi Kirby

Shine by Jeri Smith Ready

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

The Hero's Guide to Saving your Kingdom by Christopher Healy (on kindle)

maybe a book by Jennifer Echols? I've never read one of her's before

* If you have any other recommendations, please let me know! 

Daily Updates:

Monday:

Number of pages read today: 240

number of pages read total: 240

number of books read today: 1

number of books read total: 1

What I've read today: In Honor by Jessi Kirby

Tuesday:

Number of pages read today: 31

number of pages read total: 271

number of books read today: 0

number of books read total: 1

What I've read today:I Hunt Killers

Wednesday:

Number of pages read today: 245

number of pages read total: 516

number of books read today: 1

number of books read total: 2

What I've read today:Going too Far by Jennifer Echols

 

Thursday:

Number of pages read today: 281

number of pages read total: 797

number of books read today: 1

number of books read total: 3

What I've read today:The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway

Friday:

Number of pages read today: 274

number of pages read total: 1,071

number of books read today: 1

number of books read total: 4

What I've read today: Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar

Saturday:

Number of pages read today: 95

number of pages read total: 1,166

number of books read today: 0

number of books read total: 4

What I've read today:  95 pages in Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker

Sunday:

Number of pages read today:

number of pages read total:

number of books read today:

number of books read total:

What I've read today:

I've participated in many read-a-thons before & fell short of meeting my goals. I'm hoping to change that this time. If you're participating, let me know! Have fun everyone!

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Unraveling

by Elizabeth Norris

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date:April 24, 2012

Source: Reviewed ARC as part of southern book bloggers tour

Challenge: Debut Author Challenge

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming. - Goodreads

My thoughts

Unraveling, by debut author Elizabeth Norris, was such an exciting read! There was a bit of everything between the covers: a kick ass heroine, sci fi intrigue, romance, family drama, friendship, advanced technology, natural disasters, and the list goes on! I also loved that the authors labeled chapters using a countdown clock instead of regular old chapter titles - definitely added suspense to finding out what the "main event" was.

I loved every single character in Unraveling. They were also so interesting, and I really grew to care about each of them. 

Janelle - Oh Janelle, this girl was so fierce. I'd even go so far to say that she's as fearless as Tris from Divergent or Katniss from The Hunger Games. Even though Janelle has so much on her plate, she handles her burdens with grace. She constantly has to tend to a mother with OCD and an FBI agent father who buries himself in his work. From the time she was young, Janelle cared for her little brother, Jared, like a mother would. Her love for her father and brother was so apparent. Fantastic heroine all around.

Ben - Those of you who are into bad boys will totally fall for Ben. He has many secrets, and I can't wait for all of you to discover them. Needless to say, he was a very intriguing and fleshed out character. 

Janelle's dad - Yes, he's a hardass. Yes, he ran away from his problems by burying himself in FBI cases, but he was one of my characters. He was so protective of Janelle and Jared, and I could tell he would do anything to make his kids happy. 

The storyline in Unraveling moved fairly quickly, but I do think that the story could have been told in fewer pages. This is a 450 page book, guys! Nevertheless, the long length really didn't upset me, because I was so engrossed in the characters and finding out the "main event".  Plot twists jumped out at me left and right, and a couple of deaths hit me hard. I wasn't completely surprised by the ending, but the concept of the "main event" was definitely interesting, and it left my head spinning. It's hard to properly review this book without spoiling anything, so I'll leave it at that.

Overall, I feel that Unraveling was a fantastic debut! I connected with the characters, and the plotting kept me glued to the book. I just found out that a sequel will be coming out next year, and I can't wait!

I'd recommend Unraveling to fans of:

suspense

science fiction

romance 

complex family relationships

cool technology

Loved it

** I reviewed this title as part of the Southern Book Bloggers ARC tour!

Top 10 Favorite Book Covers of 2012 (so far)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the ladies at The Broke and the Bookish

This week's Top Ten Tuesday prompt is Top Ten Book Covers. I love highlighting new covers, so I'm going to focus on book covers for 2012 releases. 

 

1. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Released January 2, 2012

 Reason: The couple on the cover fit the descriptions of Hadley and Oliver quite perfectly, and I LOVE the color palette and font that they used. I'm listening to this one on audio right now. So cute!

2. Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

Released January 3, 2012

Reason: The cover is so pretty and sparkly in person, although I don't understand why they put a cookie on the cover instead of a cupcake. Is it just meant to be dough? Curious.

3. Fever by Lauren Destefano

Released February 22, 2012

Reason: The cover of Fever received some harsh criticism when it was revealed, but it completely matches the plot of the book. There is a reason that Rhine looks so drugged out, guys! A+ for matching the design to the actual story

4. Starters by Lissa Price

Will be released on March 13, 2012

Reason: This cover is just so unique and creepy. I must find out what's going on inside. I wonder if there's a reason they made the girl's eyes stand out? Hm.

5. The Selection by Kiera Cass

Will be released on April 24, 2012

Reason: I love the color of the dresses, and the typography matches the royal setting

6. Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Will be released on April 24, 2012

Reason: I'm reading Unraveling right now, and I can't wait to find out why there are multiple copies of the couple on the cover!

7. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Will be released on May 8, 2012

Reason: I love the color palette, font, and the way the lake is reflected in the background. As a fan of Morgan Matson, I am ridiculously excited for this book to come out!

8. For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Will be released on June 12, 2012

Reason: This cover is just gorgeous, and I love the night sky in the background

9. The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long

Will be released on August 16, 2012

 Reason: I love the girl's dress and am curious to see how much of an impact the forest in the background has on the story.

 

10. The Diviners by Libba Bray

Will be released on September 18, 2012

 Reason: Umm, it's Libba Bray!!! I can't wait to find out more about the meaning behind this cover.

So, those are my favorite covers of 2012 so far. What are yours? Please share!

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Incarnate

by Jodi Meadows

Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date:January 31, 2012

Source: Received from publisher in exchange for honest review

Challenge: Debut Author Challenge

New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all? 

- Goodreads 

My Thoughts

I've been fascinated by the concept of reincarnation since I was young, so I flipped when I first heard about Incarnate by Jodi Meadows. This debut novel did not disappoint.

Ana, our main character - My heart ached for Ana throughout most of the story. She was raised by an abusive, unloving mother, and as a result of that she possesses very little self worth at the beginning of the novel. The poor girl literally believes that her existence is a gigantic mistake. Luckily, Ana comes into her own as the story goes on. I loved seeing her turn into a strong young woman.

Sam - Sam was very sweet and obviously cared about Ana, but I didn't connect with him as a character. I still didn't feel like I knew him very well by the end of the book. Hopefully we'll find out more about Sam in the sequel

Romance - I seem to be one of the few, but the relationship between Ana and Sam didn't feel realistic to me. I didn't understand what connected them to each other so quickly. I know this book is considered a YA romance, but that aspect was my least favorite of the book.

Plot - The plot revolved around Ana discovering who she is and why she was incarnated. That is such a relatable concept. I think we have all sat down at one point and thought "hm, why was I really put on this world? What should I be doing with this?". The plot moved quickly and many adventures were had. Villains and mystical creatures popped out left and right. I loved it.

World Building - I felt that the ins and outs of reincarnation were covered quite well. I don't want to go into this on detail, because I feel that readers should discover the world bit by bit throughout the book.

Mystical Creatures - There were DRAGONS guys, DRAGONS! They were amazing. That is all.

While some aspects of Incarnate fell flat for me, I greatly enjoyed the novel as a whole. I can't wait to read the follow up next year!

I'd recommend Incarnate to fans of:
- Romance with NO love triangle

- utopian societies (different from dystopian)
- fantastic world building
- complex characters
- DRAGONS

I enjoyed the book and may read it again.

 

Dead to You by Lisa McMann

Dead to You

by Lisa McMann

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date:February 7, 2012

Source: Purchased on kindle

Challenge: none!

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a miracle... at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable..

My Thoughts

I felt like I was in a trance throughout my entire reading of LIsa McMann's newest, Dead to You. I was hooked from the very first sentence and just HAD to discover what the "unspeakable" event mentioned in the summary was. Luckily, this book is a short 255 pages, so I didn't have to spend much time biting my nails in suspense!

Our main character, Ethan, was abducted at the age of 7, while playing in the front yard with his little brother. Nine years go by with no new information, until BOOM he's returned to his parents, brother, and "replacement" sister. This is where our story really begins.  

I felt that the dynamic between Ethan and his family was incredibly realistic.Ethan's parents are absolutely elated that he has been returned to them, seemingly unharmed. His siblings, however, aren't as accepting. He soon wins over his adorable little sister, Gracie, whom he claims "replaced" him when he went missing. Unfortunately though, things aren't as easy with his younger brother, who is still holding on to a large amount of anger.

Ethan slowly settles in and tries to adjust to the reality of living with an actual family again, but things just don't feel right within the family. Tensions between certain family members reach scary heights, and I was left to wonder just what in the heck was going on. I had my suspicions, but honestly I hoped Ms. McMann would pull a punch that would truly shock me.

Unfortunately, though, this did not happen. I found the conclusion of Dead to You to be completely predictable, and I felt so very let down. I felt somewhat cheated once I closed the book. That being said, I would absolutely read a sequel if Ms. McMann chose to write one. Since Dead to You was written in first person, I truly felt connected to the characters by the time I read the last sentence, and I think I need to hear more of their story in order to feel closure about what happened in this book.

Even though the ending of Dead to You ruined what would have been a 5 star rating from me, Ms. McMann did an amazing job describing the emotions and adjustments that the family went through while trying to put their lives back together. Sensational and heartbreaking. I feel like crying just thinking about it. If you're looking for an emotional contemporary read with a big focus on family and just the right amount of suspense thrown in, give Dead to You a shot. I'd love to discuss!

Top Ten...err Five Vacations for Book Lovers

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the awesome ladies at The Broke and the Bookish.

Two of my biggest passions in life are reading and traveling. Since this week's TTT is a freebie post, I decided to combine these two great loves of mine. After pondering for a while, I came up with the Top Ten Vacations for Book Lovers. Of course, this list is just my opinion! If you know of other bookish vacations, please let me know! I can never have too many vacations to pine over and plan for the future!

1. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Orlando, FL

  Visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is an essential experience for all Harry Potter fans, both young and not so young. Where else can you actually tour the castle, buy candy from Honeydukes, taste authentic butter beer, visit Zonko's joke shop, choose a wand, and experience amazing rides all in one place?! I visited the Wizarding World on Thanksgiving day 2010, and it was MADNESS - pure MADNESS. Luckily, I was able to ride the key ride and walk around a bit, but I didn't get to tour any of the shops or get the full experience. I will definitely be going back!

2. New York City

There are so many amazing things for book lovers to do in NYC that I don't even know where to begin! 

-  If you want to rest in luxary while visiting the city, you might think about booking a room at The Library Hotel. Each floor of the hotel is based on a category of the Dewey Decimal System. 

- Stop by The Strand, an 18 MILE long bookstore! They have both new and rare books. I'd been to NYC twice before I learned about the strand. Now I want to go back ASAP so I can browse until I pass out.

- If you happen to visit the city in June and are a book blogger, you can attend Book Expo America ... and then tell me all about it!

3. Colorado Springs, CO 

Okay, so Colorado Springs doesn't actually have any major attractions for book lovers, BUT it is a gorgeous place to spend a weekend reading books. My boyfriend and I will be moving there next year, after I finish my master's degree.

4. London, England

• Tour the Sherlock Holmes Museum
• Stop by Shakespeare's Globe Theater
• Visit Waterstone's Bookstore in Piccadilly Circus. They carry over 150,000 titles! 
• Walk along Charring Cross Road, which is known for its wide array of used and specialty book stores. Sounds like the perfect street to me!

5. Prince Edward Island, Canada

www.winesofcanada.com

Ah, Prince Edward Island - home of Anne of Green Gables, the famous children's series by L.M. Montgomery. I didn't know about this wonderful series when I was a kid, but the audiobooks got me through some tough times as an adult. The scenery described sounded absolutely beautiful, and I'd love to visit PEI someday and see the sights for myself. 

• Visit Avonlea Village, a theme park or reenactment of sorts for fans of all things Anne
• Tour the Anne of Green Gables Museum
• Attend Anne of Green Gables - the Musical
• Stroll along the lake of shining waters

There are so many bookish travel spots that I'd love to talk about, but my head is pounding and I need to put away the computer :( Have you visited any of the vacation spots I mentioned? If so, please let me know! 

All photos found on We Heart It

Tempest by Julie Cross

Tempest

by Julie Cross

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: January 17, 2012

Source: Purchased

Challenge: 2012 Debut Author Challenge

The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.  - Goodreads

My Thoughts 

Are you looking for a book with three dimensional characters, action, romance, suspense, mystery, sadness, and more than a bit of science? Well then, Tempest may just be the book for you. Since Ms. Cross packed so much action into this 350 page thrill ride, I'm going to breakdown my feelings into different categories. I love categories and lists, you know.

Characters

Jackson - I freakin LOVED that the main character in Tempest is a college age guy. How often does that happen in YA books?! Jackson is a very complex character and is really struggling with his new ability to time travel. He feels lost and confused and doesn't know who he can trust with his secrets. This, and a couple of other issues that are explained later in the book, greatly affect how he interacts with his girlfriend Holly. The guy definitely has some emotional baggage and is afraid of vulnerability. That being said, Jackson comes into his own as the book progresses.  I loved reading  about his interactions with Holly and his twin sister, Courtney, in various time periods. Having the opportunity to read about them in different time periods gave me a better overall understanding of the characters.

Holly - Jackson's girlfriend; This girl is totally down to earth and has amazing gymnastics abilities. She's intelligent, brave, and won't take any BS from Jackson. I loved seeing the changes in her personality between 2009 and 2007. Her love for Jackson felt authentic, and I seriously just wanted to give her a hug and tell her they'd live happily ever after. I'd be friends with Holly in a heartbeat. 

Courtney - Jackson's twin sister and another character that I wanted to give a big hug (Is that creepy?). Some of the interactions between Jackson and Courtney made me shed a few tears. I don't want to say more for fear of spoiling the book for anyone, but suffice it to say that theirs is one my favorite sibling relationships ever. 

Jackson's dad - This man was an enigma throughout most of the book. I went back and forth on my opinion of him. The moments of tension that occurred between him and Jackson were palpable. So many emotions felt. I  saw many similarities, personality wise, between Jackson and his father. 

Adam - This guy is crazy smart. If I was a confused kid with the ability to time travel, I'd definitely want him on my side. Just sayin'. 

Plot

I'm not going to lie, at times the storyline was a bit hard to follow. This isn't because of Ms. Cross's writing skills, she's fantastic as far as I'm concerned. It was just difficult to keep up with which year we were in and which enemy we were facing in the particular moment. Who knows what about Jackson's abilities? Who does Jackson need to lie to in order to stay safe? Aside from these tiny nick pickings, I found the plot of Tempest to be intriguing and fast paced. The storyline was full of grey area. We never quite know who to trust or who is the real enemy. Maybe everyone is a bit of both?  Nevertheless, the ride to the future, past, and back is an exciting one for sure.

  

Romance 

Holly and Jackson went through plenty of turmoil throughout the book, but I was really rooting for them to make it. I enjoyed seeing their established relationship in 2009 vs their blooming relationship in 2007. I feel like there was more steam and passion during the time they spent together as 19 year olds, but I also loved watching them get to know each other in 2007. Their story is one with many conflicts, and I'll be interested in seeing how it plays out in the next two books. 

Science

There were many scientific explanations for the time travel that occurred. They were interesting, yes. Did I understand every single concept mentioned? Probably not. If you're a fan of science, you can totally geek out to the scientific details mentioned in Tempest. If not, sit back and enjoy the other great aspects of the book. 

Overall Impression

Tempest was amazing. I looked forward to reading it for months and am so glad I wasn't disappointed. There was truly never a moment of boredom while reading. My mind was constantly engaged with keeping up with the timeline and plot. I loved the characters and the relationships explored, both romantic and familial. I can't wait to see what happens in the next installment. 2013?! Hurry Please!!

This book has earned a spot on my "Favorites" shelf!