July RAK Wrap-Up

I Received:

Beauty From Pain by Georgia Cates & a $10 Amazon GC from Michelle @ Michelle Chew Writes

Crossing the Line by Katie McGarry from Stephanie @ Bookfever
Pivot Point by Kasie West & Callum & Harper by Fisher Amelie from Memrie @ Dark Angel Reader
The Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Robin Palmer from RJ @ RJ Does Books

I Sent:

Ink by Amanda Sun & Secret for a Song by S.K. Falls to Michelle @ Michelle Chew Writes
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness to Vonnie @ Vonnie's Reading Corner
The Farm by Emily McKay to RJ @ RJ Does Books
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen to Gabbi @ Book Breather


 Enchantment by Nikki Jefford, Forever by Lauren Burd, & Hopeless by Colleen Hoover to Memrie @ Dark Angel Reader


A BIG thank you to everyone who sent me books and to Isalys and Vanessa at Book Soulmates for hosting!!

{Review} Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Beautiful Disaster
by Jamie McGuire
Publisher: Atria Books 
Pages: 418
Source: Purchased
Available as of August 14, 2012
Read: October 2012
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

After so many recommendations to read Beautiful Disaster, I finally got a chance to read it. Jamie McGuire captured my heart with this emotional roller coaster that ended in anything but a disaster. 

The school womanizer has his sights set on Abby, the girl who left home to escape her father. She didn't expect to find a guy who would change her world, a guy so much like the father she's running away from. Will she take a chance and see what happens or will she close herself off and push him away?

I've never read a novel so explosive, so intense, so mesmerizing. I was sucked in from page one and devoured the book like I hadn't eaten in weeks. The relationship between Abby and Travis is one to root for because there are so many outside influences affecting what they are to each other. They are magnetic and tend to sizzle when around each other. To say this book is not a light read is an understatement. Its heavy, has lots of drinking, and some sex, but that's to be expected of a new adult book. It kept me on the edge of my seat, turning page after page, dying to know how it would end. It was fast-paced and I loved every word written and every emotion it evoked. I found myself happy, miserable, elated and pissed off. 

Overall, Beautiful Disaster is one of the most amazing books I've ever read. Those who are fans of Tammara Webber's Between the Lines series, Easy and Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits are sure to enjoy this breathtaking read. I highly recommend this one!

2013 TBR Pile Reading Challenge - July Wrap Up

Hi Everyone!!

It's time for the July wrap up.

I haven't been reading a whole lot this year, but I 

have finished 10 of my 21-30 books I wanted to read

 for this challenge.

Anyways, for everyone participating, this is where you get to link up your reviews and enter to win a book of your choice (up to $12 USD) from The Book Depository or Fishpond.com. This giveaway is open Internationally!!

Rules:

1. You must be a participant in this challenge to enter.

2. You can only use reviews you haven't used in prior giveaways.

3. Each entry will be daily. 

4. For Review entries: It must be a new review each time and if it has been used in a previous giveaway for the 2013 TBR Pile Challenge it is not valid and will be deleted. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beat the Heat Great Alaska Tank Top Contest

Is everyone excited for Reading Season?! Tank tops, flip flops, sunshine, and books. Does it get any better?



How about a trip to the Far North to kick some vampire butt?! Unless you happen to be crushing on a particular fanged foe. Oops. Is that against the rules?

WIN!

Now through August 15th

When you display the 'Beat the Heat' Aurora Sky button on your blog and/or Facebook, link back to the Aurora Sky page, Aurora Sky at goodreads, Aurora Sky on Amazon US, Amazon UK, on Nook, or on Kobo.



Ladies tank comes in size sm-xl. If the winner chooses a size that ends up not fitting, she will need to cover return shipping & sending costs for a size exchange. The prize will be mailed directly from Once in a Blue Moose gifts out of Anchorage.

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This contest brought to you by:

The most butt-kicking street team on the blogsophere.

{Review & Giveaway} The Parts I Remember by AK Mills

The Parts I Remember 
by AK Mills
Source: Purchased
Available as of March 1, 2013
Amazon 

Act first. Think never. Remember nothing.

Welcome to Kelly Rockport’s existence at Haysville University, where responsibility is just an elective. After all, fake IDs, alter egos, and one-night stands are all part of the college experience, right? So what if she blacks out from time to time? Memory is overrated.

When freshman year lasts about as long as a one-night stand and is quickly followed by the Year of the Blackout, Kelly projects junior year to be nothing shy of amazing. But as shots, beer, cocaine and men mesh together in an intoxicating haze, Kelly’s reckless ways get her into serious trouble. The only problem is, she can't remember what happened.

As she hovers along the edge of consciousness, Kelly forces herself to think past her pain to piece together the shards of her life. This is her story, told in her words: The Parts I Remember.

Throughout my time in college I met a lot of people like Kelly. I'm friends with a few and I've always wondered how exactly their life got to where they are now. AK Mills tells one intense story of how drinking isn't always fun and games.

This isn't your typical college story. This is the story of a girl who went to college and thought she was invincible because she got away with it so many times before. The girl who only cared about herself and having the time of her life. The girl who enjoyed trying to piece together her night the next morning. This is the story of a girl who lost everything one drunken night. The girl who doesn't remember.

I wholeheartedly enjoyed reading Kelly's story. She is this self-centered brat who is enabled by her sister, her friends, and the "randoms" in her life. Every time she gets away with one night of drunken debauchery she categorizes it as a win and it reinforces her belief that she doesn't have a problem.

In The Parts I Remember Kelly takes you through her life from high school to New Years Eve of her Junior year of college while flashing to the present, to the accident that lands her in the hospital. As always, I enjoyed the flashes because they worked really well to build the intensity. I wanted to know what happened, what caused the accident and, in a way, everything she's done, including things in high school, brought her to where she is now. We get to see how she has changed over time, how she became more self-centered and drank more. While I don't hate Kelly or think poorly of her because of her choices, I can't pity or feel bad for what life throws at her. I love that at some point a lesson had to be learned and it came in one fell swoop and took everything from her.

Overall, The Parts I Remember was an insightful read that had me wanting more. While this story had more adult themes, the content was more PG-13 and acceptable for a younger audience.

I'm here!! I'm here!!

I'm Back!!!

Well...almost.

After a two month blogging/reading hiatus I feel it's time to come back to my home here at Doodle's Book Blog. While I didn't read much while I was away I have recently picked up a ton of books. I'm slowly trying to catch up on the all the books I should have been reading for my 2013 goals. So in light of my recent return and my need to read more than the average person I bring you a giveaway!

This giveaway is all thanks to Appliances Online, a UK online appliance retailer. They have generously offered to provide one of my lovely followers with a $50 Amazon Gift Card. 

Open to US/CAN & UK

Ends July 21 @ Midnight EST

Giveaway Policy Applies!!

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Random Acts of Kindness - July

RAK is a monthly meme hosted by Book Soulmates.  

Join in on the fun here.

RAK is Random Acts of Kindness. Readers, blog or not, sign up with their wishlist and then look at other people's wishlists and send them a Random Act of Kindness. It is simple and easy. Here are the rules:

COMPLETE RULES RE-CAP:

Please read carefully & follow all rules!  Thank you!

• Only sign-up each month that you can participate (and by participate, we mean give as well as receive).
• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button (code can be found on the right sidebar of the Book Soulmates page).
• Create a wishlist (on Amazon, Goodreads, your blog, ect...) and post it in the Google Doc located in in each RAK post for the month.
• If you choose to do a RAK for someone, check out their wishlist and contact that blogger directly for their information.
• Once you receive a RAK, send us an email to [rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com] so that we can update the Google Doc.  IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEND EMAILS TO THIS ADDRESS!
• E-book participation is limited to files being gifted directly to a person from the e-book store. Amazon's Kindle Store is set up to allow this, as well as the Kobo store and Barnes & Noble for Nook as well.
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR RAK by making a "RAK Wrap-Up" post.  This post should include who you SENT gifts to as well as who you RECEIVED gifts from.

OPEN TO EVERYONE including all our International brethren!

Remember, there's always The Book Depository & Fishpond.
Both offer FREE shipping!

If you're feeling super kind this month and would like to send me a book, you can view my wishlist on my blog (short list) or on Amazon (long, frequently updated list).  If you want my highlighted, top 5, would love to get my hands on, books, here they are: