Leydy's Top Ten of 2013

Before saying goodbye to 2013, I would like to share my top ten picks of 2013. This was not easy, there is too many amazing books out there.. Also, I read Hopeless by Colleen Hoover in January but the book was published Dec. 2012... so this is why this book is not listed. (I am obsessed with Colleen, seriously, I am). Anyways, here is my list:

1. Making Faces by Amy Harmon - this book is pure perfection. I cried, I laughed, I am in love with these characters.

“True beauty, the kind that doesn't fade or wash off, takes time. It takes incredible endurance. It is the slow drip that creates the stalactite, the shaking of the Earth that creates mountains, the constant pounding of the waves that breaks up the rocks and smooths the rough edges. And from the violence, the furor, the raging of the winds, the roaring of the waters, something better emerges, something that would have otherwise never existed.
And so we endure. We have faith that there is purpose. We hope for things we can't see. We believe there are lessons in loss, power in love, and that we have within us the potential for a beauty so magnificent, our bodies can't contain it.”

2. The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson - I am devastated. This series is over. Such a bittersweet ending. I've never been so proud of a character as I am with Elisa. I feel like she's my kid, grown to this amazing woman. Let's not even begin with Hector... *sigh* what a gentleman. We need more men like him in real life.

“I think sometimes when we find love we pretend it away, or ignore it, or tell ourselves we’re imagining it. Because it is the most painful kind of hope there is.”

3. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo - I just cannot find words to express how I feel about this book. She blew my mind with her words. & Yeah, I am in love with Sturmhond.

“The Darkling will hunt you for the rest of your days."
"Then you and I will have something in common, won't we? Besides, I like to have powerful enemies. Makes me feel important."
Mal crossed his arms and considered the privateer. "I can't decide if you're crazy or stupid."
"I have so many good qualities," Sturmhond said. "It can be hard to choose.”

4. The Indigo Spell & The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead - I LOVE ADRIAN. I ADORE ADRIAN. Three words regarding Richelle - Such. A. Teaser! *sigh* Yet, I still love her.

“Because I can't help doing it," he said with a shrug. "And hey, if I keep loving you, maybe you'll eventually crack and love me too. Hell, I'm pretty sure you're already half in love with me."

It's really not even fair to everyone else.”

Yes, Adrian, why are you so perfect? Not fair. You ruin everyone else!

5. Vain by Fisher Amelie - This book took me by surprise. The first three chapter are insanely annoying, well the main character is. God I was hating her and I was about to give up. Thankfully, I kept going and I fell hard in love with this book. Such an extraordinary story about second chances. There was a purpose of you hating those chapters/main character, really. You really can see her life changing experience.

“No one can know sincere happiness, Sophie, without first having known sorrow. One can never appreciate the enormity and rareness of such a fiery bliss without seeing misery, however unfair that may be.”

6. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi - What else can I say besides being a sucker for Warner? *Waves Warner Flag* I will go down with this ship!

"I do want to be your friend." He says "I want to be your best friend in the entire world."
"I want so many things," he whispers. "I want your mind. Your strength. I want to be worth your time." His fingers graze the hem of my top and he says "I want this up." He tugs on the waist of my pants and says "I want these down." He touches the tips of his fingers to the sides of my body and says, "I want to feel your skin on fire. I want to feel your heart racing next to mine and I want to know it's racing because of me, because you want me. Because you never," he says, he breathes, "never want me to stop. I want every second. Every inch of you. I want all of it."
And I drop dead, all over the floor.
"Juliette."
I can't understand why I can still hear him speaking because I'm dead, I'm already dead, I've died over and over and over again.
He swallows, hard, his chest heaving, his words a breathless, shaky whisper when he says "I'm so-I'm so desperately in love with you-”

7. Champion by Marie Lu - HOLY MOTHER OF ALL ACTIONS! Just WOW. Marie Lu blew me away with all the actions going on! She broke me into pieces with the ending.

“Then Day reaches out and touches my hand with his. He encloses it in a handshake. And just like that, I am linked with him again, I feel the pulse of our bond and his- tory and love through our hands, like a wave of magic, the return of a long-lost friend. Of something meant to be. The feeling brings tears to my eyes. Perhaps we can take a step forward together.
“Hi,” he says. “I’m Daniel.”
“Hi,” I reply. “I’m June.”

8. The Program by Suzanne Young - This book will kill you softly then will put you back together to break you again. Yup, I think this is the best way to describe this book. I just can't get enough. I had the opportunity to read The Treatment... and I don't know how I survived. Really, this is an outstanding read.

“...some things are better left in the past. And true things are destined to repeat themselves.”

“If it's meant to be, you'll find each other again.”

“You know I'm never going to be able to not kiss you again, right?" he said. "For the rest of my life, every time I look at you, I'll have to kiss you.”

9. Tangled by Emma Chase - Emma is a winner. I have no idea how she did it... but she did an incredible job writing a male POV. I'd ROTFLMAO with this book.

“For God's sake, don't let her watch Cinderella. What kind of example is that? A mindless twit who can't even remember where she left her damn shoe, so she has to wait for some douchebag in tights to bring it to her? Give me a frigging break!”

“Newsflash, ladies: We can’t read your thoughts. And frankly, I’m not entirely sure I’d want to. The female mind is a scary place to be.”

“Women fall in love quicker than men. Easier and more often. But when guys fall? We go down harder. And when things go bad? When it's not us who ends it? We don't get to walk away.
We crawl.”

10. Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood - CLIFFHANGER! You cannot end a book like this! My emotions. My poor emotions. Seriously, what a witch! I need the next book!!!

“I can’t see any other reason he would shut down the bookshop, unless it was to help you somehow. He loves books.' She gives me a tiny, owlish smile. 'He must love you more.”

So this is my list! Don't forget to share your best read of 2013!

Also, don't forget to enter Top 12 books reviewed on OUaT for 2013! Click the picture to go to the post to enter.

Once Upon a Signing: My 2013 Memorable Book Signing Events

Today is the last day of the year. It's amazing how fast time flies and you don't even realize it! Well taking a look back at this year, I decided to share some pictures of my book events. I am so glad I have my friends that shares the same passion to share this memories

So I am a Twi-hard. I broke my ankle earlier this year, but that was not going to stop me from seeing Stephenie Meyer for the 5th times. I can never get tired of this lady. She literally changed my life. So here are some picture I have of her when she visited Books & Books, an indie book store in Miami. If you live in South Florida, I highly recommend this store!

The Host Tour - Stephenie Meyer

As I mentioned, I broke my ankle so I was in a wheel chair... So my cousin was sweet enough to wheel me. Well, these two decided to make a surprise appearance and while they were signing the poster, they pretty much signed my cousin's poster with my name. It was a funny moment, as you can see in their face expressions.

So she's Darling and you're Leydy. So my darling lady.

Isn't he adorable???

Book Reviews: The Crown of Embers & The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

The Crown of Embers
Fire and Thorns #2
Author: Rae Carson
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Released: September 18th 2012
Review Source: Personalized

In the sequel to the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, a seventeen-year-old princess turned war queen faces sorcery, adventure, untold power, and romance as she fulfills her epic destiny.

Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds. A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume in the Fire and Thorns trilogy.

After finishing The Girl of Fire and Thorns I was really excited to start this book. This is rare for me because when I first saw the cover of Fire and Thorns, I was not expending such a great story. I’m really am not a fan of fantasy but Rae Carson will capture your heart. She literally made a great impression.

In The Crown of Embers we continue the journey of Queen Elisa of Joya d’Arena. After the death of her husband, King Alejandro, Elisa encounters new responsibilities and she is conflicted to do the right thing. After all, she is only seventeen. Not only Elisa now has to take her role more serious, but she is still trying to learn more about her Godstone, the source of her powers.

Okay, enough about Elisa. To start with, I really didn’t like King Alejandro. He was such a jerk to Elisa, although at the end I felt bad for his death, but I was happy he was terminated (HA!). Hector. God, I adored him from the very beginning. He was such a sweetheart to Elisa even if his duty was to defend his king. He was a great friend to her since he met her and I was grateful that he was always trying to protect her. Now that Elisa is finally paying attention to Hector, I couldn’t help but do happy dances. In this book, my love him for just grew. God, he is such a gentleman!

I’m surprised to realize I enjoyed this sequel better than the first installment. It starts a bit slow, but honestly when it picks up, the action does not stop to the very end. And the ending is totally a “WTH! Where is the next page” moment. It will leave you shock. I highly recommend this series to everyone. A must read!

The Bitter Kingdom
Fire and Thorns #3
Author: Rae Carson
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Released: August 27th 2013
Review Source: Personalized

The epic conclusion to Rae Carson's Fire and Thorns trilogy. The seventeen-year-old sorcerer-queen will travel into the unknown realm of the enemy to win back her true love, save her country, and uncover the final secrets of her destiny. Elisa is a fugitive in her own country. Her enemies have stolen the man she loves in order to lure her to the gate of darkness. As she and her daring companions take one last quest into unknown enemy territory to save Hector, Elisa will face hardships she's never imagined. And she will discover secrets about herself and her world that could change the course of history. She must rise up as champion-a champion to those who have hated her most.

*Bow down to Rae Carson* Congratulation, you are officially in my "To Stalk Author list"!

The final installation of Fire and Thorns is AMAZING! Just WOW. An epic ending! Packed action, heartwarming and full of Lord Hector! Rae is brilliant and just freaking incredible. She surpassed all of my expectation for this trilogy. In my opinion, I don’t know how she did it, but this book is the best of all three.

The Bitter Kingdom follows the story of Elisa’s rescue journey after Hector is kidnapped by the Invierno Franco. She promised Hector she would rescue him and she is very determined to do so. No one can stop her, no one. Elisa learns to make hard decisions and I love how she learns become the leader she is destined to be.

Elisa, I am so proud of her. I literally cheer for her all the way. Her character growth is outstanding. She is truly a heroine. I just love how Rae started her character as a weak foolish child but now.... now she’s a grown wise woman. *wipes tears* I am so proud of her.

My God, Hector is such an adoring gentleman. His love for Elisa is beautiful. Rae literally ruins us for giving us high expectation toward real life men. He respects her, he listens to her, he guides her when needed, he protects her, challenges her… the list goes on and on and one. Hector is PERFECT!

Sorry Epic Reads gals, Hector is MINE =P

Everyone, this is a must read series! I dearly love these characters. The story is fantastic and magical. I am so happy I had the chance to meet Rae Carson, because I am a fan. She is absolutely one of my favorite authors. I cannot wait for her future trilogy!

BBB BLAST: The Lovers Duet & Rough Riders Series by Selene Chardou

Out From Under (The Lovers Duet #1)

Paperback, First, 350 pages

Published July 31st 2013 by Midnight Engel Press, LLC

Trista Lennon is strong, independent and only desires freedom. Freedom from the control of her parents, freedom from the motorcycle gangs she has had to put up with her whole life and freedom from a relationship that will trap her into the very life she has no wish to ever live.

The day before she’s supposed to leave for Stanford University to pursue her dreams, her world is shattered. After a tragedy that tears her family apart, Trey, her cousin, Talia, invites her to L.A. Her life is all the sudden Hollywood stars and sunshine, late nights and wild parties.

And then she meets him.

Linx Carter isn’t looking for a relationship. He survived a dysfunctional marriage with his childhood sweetheart, which produced two sons, an inability to trust women and a multitude of lies. He merely wants to recuperate from a rough, six month tour Winter’s Regret just completed with superstar band, Scarlet Fever, and enjoy a little peace and quiet.

Until he sees her.

Trista and Linx fight their attraction for one another like war on a battlefield.

She has a closetful of secrets and he would rather be single and pathetic than date a teenage girl who seems older than her years. However the passion between them is too much to resist and they realize in order to heal one another, they must destroy the walls they have constructed so tightly around their hearts.

COVER TALK

I am a visual person and the reason why I worked closely with my cover artist on this particular cover was because I wanted to convey two different characters and worlds colliding.

The woodsy background is very symbolic and important because the lead female character, Trista Lennon, grew up in the small town of Pine Bluff, Nevada, which is controlled by the Demon’s Bastards MC. Her oldest brother, Trey Lennon, is also a member of the outlaw Bastards charter club.

Linx Carter, the lead male character, is a bassist for Winter’s Regret, a very successful hard rock band, and the reason why he doesn’t face the camera was symbolic and important too. He always wants to go unnoticed even if he is covered by tats and fly underneath the radar.

The directness you see in Trista’s eyes is very symbolic of her character too. She faces everything head first and sometimes she speaks before she should but she is direct, very in your face and not scared of much but having a brother who is an MC member, I think her character act’s appropriate for what she has grown up around.

The cover is understated and very much opposite of the novel, which starts like a slow burn and then everything converges and the reader is taken on a wild ride they are not bound to forget any time soon.

I don’t consider this a woman’s novel at all. I think guys would definitely enjoy it too since the story is told from both of their point of views, which are very different from one another.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Too Deep (The Lovers Duet #2)

Paperback, First, 360 pages

Published October 7th 2013 by Midnight Engel Press, LLC

In too fast…

Trista Lennon-Carter received a phone call that will change her tranquil life with her husband, rock star Linx Carter, in the blink of an eye. All she knows is her brother, Trey, is either dead or being held against his will in Northern Ireland and despite him being the Demon’s Bastards’ Sergeant-at-Arms, he needs her help.

In too far…

To save Trey, Trista will have to take Linx back to the very place she grew up and the same place she’s wanted to escape from her entire life. She will also have to involve the very Motorcycle clubs she has no wish to deal with ever again. When it is a life or death situation, she would do anything to save the only family she has left.

In too deep…

The club life has become ingrained in Trista like a tattoo and to save her brother, she will be forced to become the person she most feared was a part of her all along: a vengeful, fearless murderer who will stop at nothing to save Trey. With her life and that of her husband’s at stake, will she survive the nightmare their world has become, or will it drag them back into the criminal cesspool she has finally managed to escape?

The stunning conclusion to The Lovers Duet, Trista and Linx’s journey will be one of strife, hardship and beyond the boundaries of anything they have ever had to face before. Will they be able to endure or will the past and their current present ruin their future happy ever after?

Book Review: Sia by Josh Grayson

Sia
Author: Josh Grayson
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: November 20th 2013
Review Source: NetGally

When seventeen-year-old Sia wakes up on a park bench, she has no idea who or where she is. Yet after a week of being homeless, she’s reunited with her family. At school, she’s powerful and popular. At home, she’s wealthy beyond her dreams. But she quickly realizes her perfect life is a lie. Her family is falling apart and her friends are snobby, cruel and plastic. Worse yet, she discovers she was the cruelest one. Mortified by her past, she embarks on a journey of redemption and falls for Kyle, the “geek” she once tormented. Yet all the time she wonders if, when her memories return, she’ll become the bully she was before…and if she’ll lose Kyle.

This is a story of girl that wakes up on a park bench and is not aware of anything around her. She is lost and she isn’t sure where she should head. The only thing that indicates her name is an iPod she is carrying. With nowhere to call home or someone to seek for, this girl becomes homeless. While seeking a spot to sleep under the bridge, Sia friends with a woman named Carol. This lady is very kind and noble and helps her out during this frightening night. As the days go along, Carol teaches her how to be kind no matter how cruel this world is. After eight days of being homeless, Sia is hit by a taxi and is reunited with her real family.

I found myself intrigued with this book because we learned that Sia was a very cruel person that didn’t have mercy upon anyone. Throughout her journey of being homeless, she learned to be a kind person. When she is finally reunited with her family and finally learns of her “old life”, Sia challenges herself to be that better person she learned to be. In the end, she teaches her parents to be kind as well.

This is a cute story that kept me entertained for few hours. It is well written with a solid storyline, although predictable. The author can indeed write. We learn that anyone can change, as long as you set your mind to. We also learn that money doesn’t buy happiness. This book can be read within hours, perfect for those “quick read” moments.

Book Highlight: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard

Title: The Forgotten Ones
Author: Laura Howard
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Series: The Danaan Trilogy #1
Published: April 28, 2013

Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

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Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

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