Review: Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown

Velvet Undercover
by Teri Brown
Publication Date: October 20, 2015




Samantha Donaldson’s family has always done its duty for the British Crown. In the midst of World War I, seventeen-year-old Sam follows in their footsteps, serving her country from the homefront as a Girl Guide and messenger for the intelligence organization MI5. After her father disappears on a diplomatic mission, she continues their studies of languages, high-level mathematics, and complex puzzles and codes, hoping to make him proud.

When Sam is asked to join the famed women’s spy group La Dame Blanche she’s torn—this could be the adventure she’s dreamed of, but how can she abandon her mother, who has already lost a husband to the war? But when her handlers reveal shocking news, Sam realizes there’s no way she can refuse the exciting and dangerous opportunity.

Her acceptance leads her straight into the heart of enemy territory on a mission to extract the most valuable British spy embedded in Germany, known to the members of LDB only as Velvet. Deep undercover within the court of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Samantha must navigate the labyrinthine palace and its many glamorous—and secretive—residents to complete her assignment. To make matters worse she finds herself forming a forbidden attraction to the enemy-a dangerously handsome German guard. In a place where personal politics are treacherously entangled in wartime policy, can Samantha discover the truth and find Velvet before it’s too late…for them both?

From author Teri Brown comes the thrilling story of one girl’s journey into a deadly world of spycraft and betrayal—with unforgettable consequences.

Review: When the Stars Align by Jeanette Grey

When the Stars Align
by Jeanette Grey
Published: September 1, 2015




Their passion burned hotter than the stars . . .

For Josephine "Jo" Kramer, nothing has ever been easy. When she earns a summer internship in Puerto Rico, working at one of the world's preeminent scientific facilities, she'll let nothing distract her. Not her own insecurities, not the arrogant scientists, and definitely not her tall, chiseled research partner, Adam.

For Adam McCay, physics is simple-it's women who are complicated. Especially brilliant, beautiful ones like Jo. From the moment they meet, he can feel the heat smoldering deep beneath her icy exterior. And Adam knows just what it will take to make Jo melt . . .

Under the endless stars of a tropical sky, Jo and Adam indulge their every desire. But as their internship comes to an end, their perfect island paradise is threatened. Was their time together a summer fling? Or is their passion hot enough to last the long winter nights?

September 2015 New Releases: Part 3

New Book Releases this September 2015

*cover image links to Goodreads*

Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy #1) by Rae Carson Published: September 22, 2015 The Book Depository Amazon ____________ Gold is in my blood, in my breath, even in the flecks in my eyes. Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more. She also has a secret. Leee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might muder for it. When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey. The acclaimed Rae Carson begins a sweeping new trilogy set in Gold Rush-era America, about a young woman with a powerful and dangerous gift.

SERIES REVIEW: Superlatives by Jennifer Echols

  

Superlatives

by Jennifer Echols

Published: May 20, 2014

Biggest Flirts

"Tia and Will’s lives get flipped upside down when they’re voted Yearbook’s Biggest Flirts in this sassy novel from the author of Endless Summer and The One That I Want."

September 2015 New Releases: Part 2

New Book Releases this September 2015

*cover image links to Goodreads*

Drift & Dagger by Kendall Kulper Published: September 8, 2015 The Book Depository Amazon ___________ I’ve always been a monster. And monsters destroy things. Things like magic and friendships and futures. Mal used to have a home, a best friend, and a secret. But he lost all three on the day Essie Roe exposed him as a blank. Blanks cannot be cursed or saved or killed by magic. And everyone is afraid of them—even Mal himself. Now Mal travels the world in search of dangerous and illegal magical relics, never stopping in any one place too long. When his partner in crime, Boone, hears of a legendary dagger that can steal magic, Mal knows he finally may have found a way to even the score with Essie. Crossing oceans and continents, Mal and Boone travel from Boston to Paris to Constantinople in search of the dagger. Finding it would mean riches, fame, and revenge—but only if Mal can control the monster inside him. Kendall Kulper weaves a vivid story of betrayal and determination—and the road to forgiveness—in this new adventure set in the world of Salt & Storm.

SERIES REVIEW: Castles Ever After (1, 2, 3) by Tessa Dare

  

Castles Ever After

Romancing the Duke | Say Yes to the Marquess | When a Scot Ties the Knot 

by Tessa Dare
Published: January 28, 2014

In the first in Tessa Dare's captivating Castles Ever After series, a mysterious fortress is the setting for an unlikely love . . .

September 2015 New Releases: Part 1

New Book Releases this September 2015

*cover image links to Goodreads*

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman Published: September 1, 2015 The Book Depository Amazon ____________ Revenge is worth its weight in gold. When hers father is murdered for a journal revealing the location of a hidden gold mine, eighteen-year-old Kate Thompson disguises herself as a boy and takes to the gritty plains looking for answers—and justice. What she finds are untrustworthy strangers, endless dust and heat, and a surprising band of allies, among them a young Apache girl and a pair of stubborn brothers who refuse to quit riding in her shadow. But as Kate gets closer to the secrets about her family, a startling truth becomes clear: some men will stop at nothing to get their hands on gold, and Kate’s quest for revenge may prove fatal.

Me and My Bookshelf (34): August Book Haul

This is where I feature the books I received, bought, gifted or won that are recently added to my physical shelf, which means no e-books and the like, and recount epic book hauling stories. It is usually posted on Saturdays.

Well, hello. I know it's a bit late but I was waiting for my last August purchase to arrive in the mail before I make this post and now that it's finally here.. book haul time!

So I got 15 books this August...

September TBR

Since I already completed my Goodreads Reading Challenge I figured it's time I attempt making a monthly TBR once again and try my best to follow it. I still haven't given up. I know life will only get busier for me starting this month until summer next year the reason why I am so glad I already reached my reading goal this 2015. So now I basically have a free reign over my reading pace and whatnot.

This September I'm going to include 10 titles in my TBR list but because I am a mood reader - the reason why I can never stick to a list - it's best I start loosely. So out of this 10 books I have to read AT LEAST half of it. And since I'm making a list within a list, preferably half of the books in each list.

Witchy Books

Aside from my Goodreads RC I also joined the 2015 Witches and Witchcraft Reading Challenge and so far I only read 1 book. LOL. But I still have plenty of time left this year to read 5 or more so it's okay.

August 2015 Reads + Monthly Recap

It's past 3AM now on the first day of September. My sister has exams in the morning so she made coffee in order to stay up late and study. She managed to make one sip, declared the coffee ineffective and promptly fell asleep. On the floor. And here I am, wide awake, happily drinking her coffee. She asked me to wake her up in five minutes. As if. This girl is so hard to wake.

Whatever. Let's move on to the recap part. So this August I read 14 books and 1 novella. I was hoping to read 18 - 20 and for a while it seemed possible especially when I was reading 1 book a day on the first week but as I have predicted, it was a very busy month and stuff besides reading and blogging had to be done eventually.