The Happy Bibliophile

First Thought: Is Jessica Sorensen trying to kill her readers with that terrible,terrible, mind-blowing and heart-wrenching CLIFFHANGER? Second Thought: I still can't believe that's the last page, and the last paragraph, the last sentence, and then period and then there came the author's note.WOW. At first, I was really curious because a LOT of readers complained about the major cliffy going on with this book, so I finally picked it up. I gotta say that this book is so ANGSTY!I've never seen a pair of teenagers deal with so much in their own respective lives. They can give Dean Holder and Sky Davis a run for their money. But what I loved about this story is the idea ofdoing things that are beyond one's comfort zone and living life like its supposed to be. "In the existence of our lives, there is a single coincidence that brings us together and for a moment, our hearts beat as one." The writing is beautiful. I'll give Jessica Sorensen kudos for that. It has an interesting start and the concept is engaging. Abuse is a common issue tackled on most New Adult novels and sometimes, it can getpretty tiring to deal with it, let alone read about it one story to another. However, I enjoyed reading about Callie and Kayden's story, told in dual POVs with flashbacks. "..that night you saved me, you changed something in me- you made me want to live." The characters are not hard to love. Kayden , despite being broken physically and emotionally, he acted like a guy with those kind of pain is supposed to. He gritted his teeth, tried to fight back and gave himself a chance. Callie is a little bit on the whiny side and I can't help but feel a bit irritated to her since she clearly wants somethingor someone but she lacked the nerves to do it even if her body is giving the signal to go farther. But I really tried tounderstand her, I suppose her winning light was when she finally trusted Kayden. Seth is the feisty bestfriend. He had issues but he is not super whiny about it. I even like Luke sincehe despises Kayden's ex, Daisy. The book is quite long, full of issues and there are no major character development YET, but the main characters grew out balls and I'm relieved to know that there might be improvement on their lives on the second book. The idea of "the List" is cute and I want to do one for myself. The ending is such a heartbreak and now I understand why readers want to dive into the next book.

Superman!!Review to follow. :)

"If there is one thing that I would ever hope to leave you with, it's the understanding that lovedoesn't have to last to matter." Oh My Gosh. Such a good read! I enjoyed reading this one, particularly because it is another "taboo" bookinvolving a student-teacher relationship but, and I totally mean BUT, if you are looking for a sexy steamy read on a cold night like the book cover quite suggests, then this is not for you. It was sweet but there are no real hardcore lovin'. Sorry folks.Anyway, let's get back to our lovely characters. I think I fell in love with Professor Benjamin Hugo Lawson. I want him for my birthday and for Christmas. For at least three succeeding years. Why?1.) He is good-looking. Kinda reminds us of Dr.Who.2.) He is a goddamn writer. And a hot teacher. And a poet.Okay, Okay, he's basically perfect. "He's like Edward Cullen. Minus the stalker vibe and creepy eyes and the whole thing about sparkling in the sun." Gemma Davies is a 50/50 character for me. 50% strong and independent while 50% whiny and meek. She suffered from a bad breakup and she doesn't want to give all of her heart yet again to another man. After being dragged literally by Brandon toa bar one night, she met Ben. The downside? INSTALUST. The exciting part? She found out he's the Creative Writing prof. Brandon is the best-est best gay friend ever. He is funny, weird, wise and loyal. I enjoyed reading his dialogues and banter with another member of the friendship triumvirate, Sacha. While B is loud and wild, Sacha is more on the shy, smart and artistic side. He may form the triumvirate, but he also wants to form another with Professor Ben and Gemma.The first few chapters were slooooww .. I am itching for something totally interesting to happen since this novel issans the sexy time. (Nah, I got my wish on the last few pages, I almost yelled: PLOT TWIST! or FINALLY.)I think this is more of Gemma's journey on forgiving mistakes that are not her fault and thinking of her future. She exhibitedfeelings of uncertainty and confusion most of the time. I'm glad that this one has HEA or else.. Terrible cliffy, though.

"Maybe it's not in the perfection of life that things make sense, but in the chaos." Ruin is a sweet read. I will admit, I did not like the first half of it because it has a weak start and the story line is quite predictable. However, there's the million dollar issues revolving each and every character and that made this book interesting for me. Each was constructed to represent a person's inner burden like illness, death, loss and change.It's not hard to relate well to the them. They made me feel and appreciate where they are all coming from. Kiersten Rowe is a feisty character with one hell of a clumsy innocent side. I found her thoughts and actions comical, hilarious to the point of laughing out loud and earning curious looks from peeps on the same room! I like her childish side trying to balance her dark side. Wes Michaels is totally swoon worthy. I love his caring personality and efforts to help Kiersten move on with her life.Battling cancer, he made time to make his "Lamb" appreciate life and learn to let go. He's also not bad as a badass footballplayer and heir to a million dollar business. Gabe , I have to say is/was my favorite. He is a head to toe, inside-out bad boy wanting to find change in himselfand forget his life of women, drugs and booze. He helped Kiersten a lot and for a moment, I actually thought that there would be a brewing love triangle- turns out Gabe just wanted to act like the badass big brother for both Kiersten and Lisa. Sometimes when we think God has written The End, what he really means is The Beginning." Now, the latter parts of the book was really good. Wes underwent surgery and Kiersten learned to forgive the past.It was all so swoon worthy with Wes helping her on her bucket list and him falling in love with her despite the uncertaintieson his future. The ending is a bit cliffy, I totally want to see and read more. Super Sweet.

"My name is Four." I say. "Call me 'Stiff' again and you and I will have a problem." My Reaction before reading this novella:My reaction while reading:Can you freaking believe it??!! Veronica granted Four fans greatest wish EVERYWHERE. It's like Christmas came so EARLY this year! Tobias Eaton is probably one of the most coveted, crushed-on, daydreamed-on male YA character today. His mysterious badass vibe made its first steamy appearance way back 2011 on [b:Divergent|13335037|Divergent (Divergent, #1)|Veronica Roth|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328559506s/13335037.jpg|13155899]. The first novella written in Four's perspective was [b:Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story|13615258|Free Four Tobias Tells the Story (Divergent, #1.5)|Veronica Roth|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1350838641s/13615258.jpg|19216323] in which he described his feelings when he first met Abnegation-transfer Tris Prior. In this new novella comprised of like 50 pages, Tobias Eaton told his story as an Abnegation-born and the rules he had to live by with his father. He is a good narrator and I can personally feel his pain and fears while telling his story. I can't help but hate Marcus for inflicting him pain and even thought he could condition Tobias's mind to stay on his faction. Readers will also have a look on his Dauntless initiation and how he came to be called 'Four'. (but we all know that, really.)I can't wait for the next novella. More Four!

HEART-BREAKING. "For the first time in a very long time, I felt alive." One man loves her but the other makes her feel. Cathy had the perfect life- perfect job and the perfect husband. Despite almost having it all, she feels empty and lonely. And then she met the one man that will set her world blazing - Arsen. Who will she choose? Her perfect loving husband or the playboy who consumes her?This is a really good story. I love how I disliked Cathy at first then grew to love her character. She have everything yet her depression got the best of her. After three miscarriages, she doesn't feel woman enough for herself and her husband. The optimism was strangling her and she's desperately lonely. I personally think that it's quite shallow to commit something as infidelity purely because of something she can't say to her husband. Hell girl. He's your partner for life! BUT, everything fell into place in the end. Ben Stanwood is one hell of a husband! I totally love him! He's perfect. My heart's breaking so much for him all throughout the story. He doesn't deserve any of it yet he accepted as much and still tried for Cathy. He's totally whipped. The story was told in three POVs and there are past and present narration. His thoughts are uber-cheesy and swoon-worthy. Arsen. Arsen. ARSEN. Well, I don't love the guy, I think he's a total douche. He's a spoiled man whore and disrespectful. He may be hot and his vocabulary consisted of dirty words not suitable inside the church but I did not feel anything tingly and sweet from him. I think his highlight moment was the epilogue. "William Shakespeare said that the eyes are the windows to your soul. When our eyes connect, I see danger and maybe something exciting. Something forbidden. Some basic instinct in me instantly recognizes that this man doesn't make love to a woman. He fucks her." Holy Guacamole. Despite not loving Arsen, I have to give it to him. The sexy scenes are totally steamy. Oh my God, the man is merciless.The latter chapters are heart-wrenching, Cathy got what she deserve and Arsen acted like a total douche without realizing it at first. A lot of things happened and they are quite shocking. But I am so glad that things worked out somehow, not for all of them, but at least the majority of the characters. It's something you can ponder on because it haunted my thoughts and find it hard to start another book! I need a second book here! "Arsen became the air I needed to breathe, but Ben was my lungs. What good would air be if I didn't have lungs to begin with?" Highly recommended.

What.A.Cliffhanger.Review to follow.

"I was in love with him. Dear God.. I was in love with a gigolo." For fans of [b:Tangled|16073738|Tangled (Tangled, #1)|Emma Chase|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1369159938s/16073738.jpg|21868234] and [b:Seduction and Snacks|15704001|Seduction and Snacks (Chocolate Lovers, #1)|Tara Sivec|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1371178840s/15704001.jpg|21365702], this one is for YOU. After reading a lot of heavily emotional books, this is like a breath of fresh air. And I know I have to leave those haunting issues behind and..That was FUN. Reese Randall really knows how to pick her guys. After turning over a fresh leaf and fleeing the state with a changed name, Reese wanted normal. Her psycho ex-boyfriend tried to kill her after all. She pursued college and lives with her notorious party animal cousin, Eva Mercer.What she doesn't need is another troublesome guy to turn her world upside down. Yet she found herself in the world of a gigolo named Mason Lowe who sells sex to unhappy wives like lollipops. But gigolo or not, he made my official list of Book Boyfriends. Not only is he sexy, he also loves his little sister and provide for his family the best that he can.I totally recommend this for the younger audience and cannot stomach [b:Damaged Goods|11520968|Damaged Goods|Lauren Gallagher|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1307408122s/11520968.jpg|16457981] though it's one of the best I've read this year. "He was going to walk right by us. Nothing but 10 feet of dead air was going to separate him from me. Dear Lord in heaven, please deliver me." Reese is a funny narrator. She can be girly, feisty, paranoid and sexy all at the same time. I love the light feel of this book. Sure, there are issues here and there but it's quite hard to feel any serious vibe especially when there is humor injected on conversations every now and then. There is a modern, updated feel going on here, injecting Harry Potter, Muse and AWOLNation as perfect examples. My only downside for this book is also my issue mentioned on [b:Damaged Goods|11520968|Damaged Goods|Lauren Gallagher|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1307408122s/11520968.jpg|16457981] where I questioned the possibility of finding another job that is acceptable to morality. Also, I found the "action-scene" slash confrontation of Reese, Mason and the psycho ex hilarious. Jeremy gave me the creeps when I first read about him. But, he is simply crazy. I love me some sequel or Mason's POV. The ending is a bit hanging and I would like to know what happens next.Such a FUN read!

"It's always nice being fancied. It's always nice being wanted. Even if it's by the wrong person.." She's 16 and never been kissed. He's going 18 and lonely. They have a troubled childhood and family comes first. They fell in love with each other- but they are brother and sister.WELL.. this is definitely one of those books that will haunt you forever. It is quite difficult to wrap my head around, and a bit painful to give thoughts about.So far, it is one of the most unique stories I've ever read, revolving around issues of family drama and incest. Yes. This is a book that can not be read by the weak of heart and narrow-minds. This is about an emotional turmoil of two teenagers trying to find themselves yet found it hard to do so because they are burdened with responsibilities way bigger for them to handle. Their father left them for another woman while their mother tries to relish stolen time. A parent who succumbed to booze, men and partying instead of putting together her family. I personally want to give the mom a bitchslap. It all boils down to bad parenting. Maya reminds me of Eve. Yes, the biblical Eve. She is this sweet, innocent girl who does the job of a mother better than the real one ever did. She tries to be sunshine and butterflies with her siblings especially to Lochan. She acted like Eve who tempted Adam to bite from the Forbidden fruit. Lochan is the very depiction of human suffering. He goes on life carrying a burden big for him and he has extreme fear of talking to other people outside his family. It's a fact about him that I found myself thinking of reasons why. I suppose it's a way of wearing a mask to hide his vulnerability or else he will fall apart. "An extremely, powerful depiction of a young man's inner turmoil, Lochan. This is a beautifully crafted story about suffering and the human psyche." That quote said by Lochan's English teacher gave the very summary of [b:Forbidden|7600924|Forbidden|Tabitha Suzuma|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1302655056s/7600924.jpg|10018976] in my opinion. I am not 100% honest if I say that I did not feel any ounce of awkwardness throughout reading this. This is a very sensitive issue and requires a wide span of open-mindedness.Once I did, I saw past the incest and realized that they did it because of necessity. They found solace and security with each other. They have to grow up fast. "I finally ceased lying to myself, ceased pretending it was just one kind of love I felt for him when in reality it was every kind of love possible." *Please cue in the tears* I quite deluded myself into thinking that I will get a happy ending on this one. It totally broke my heart and I found myself staring at the ceiling. The impact it left on me is a total mind fuck. It's twisted and hard to forget.But,

WOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHHHH. WOAH! Holy Sexual Frustration. WOW. That was one steamy read. This book should come with a warning like: Caution: Will leave you hot and bothered! or at least something like, Read at your risk.

Such an emotional book! "It's funny how when people change, you forget the way they used to be." A lot of things happened on this sequel. It was a whirlwind of romance, angst, family drama and uncertainties. I'm glad that this did not suffer from Middle Book Syndrome and that it answered a lot of questions from the first book. It took me on a journey to find more about the history of part-angels and Clara's family. "The first rule of Angel Club : You do not talk about Angel Club." Other part-angels made an appearance on this book and it was fun to read all about them and how they live among humans for such a long time. The knowledge about their nature and history made this ride exciting and intriguing at the same time. Fans of [b:Unearthly|7488244|Unearthly (Unearthly, #1)|Cynthia Hand|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1324782984s/7488244.jpg|9621771] will learn more about Maggie (Clara's mom) and her family. The true nature of Clara's father will also be revealed.And what's the real deal with Samjeeza? I am speculating a lot of twists from Maggie's revelation of her friendship with the Black Wing before. The Love Triangle is my favorite part. Torn between two great guys, death and her purpose, Clara was having the most intense part of her life. This did not totally open the waterworks but it's enough to make you shed a tear. It was so sad and full of angst.The ending was a sad cliffhanger especially for Tucker fans out there. I can't wait to start the final book.

"The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car." WOW. What a journey this had been. All the time I was reading this series, I admit that I can't help compare it with the Harry Potter ones. There are similarities on their plot but I can't say that it's a rip-off.I fell in love with Percy and the gang and I think that it was a good read after missing the anticipation I get every time I wait for the next Potter book.Percy in a lot of ways like Harry, caught between adolescence and a big responsibility. They both have friends who helped them a LOT and forces that will keep them alive throughout the series. What I love about this book is the drama behind the gods and their children. Somehow we always knew deep down that bad parenting and being absent on special occasions during childhood are reasons for rebellion. (it could happen in real life, right??) For the last time, Percy, Annabeth and Grover along with the demigods of Camp Half Blood and few other reinforcements of the Greek myth fight to save Olympus and the human race. The battle in Manhattan is exciting, dark and funny at times. I don't expect much from a middle grade book but this is as good as it gonna get. I'm not complaining. I think [a:Rick Riordan|15872|Rick Riordan|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1204641046p2/15872.jpg] did an amazing job.The characters are all essential, the lines are funny and your imagination will run wild. I was just a bit disappointed that Percy did not play the GREATEST role that can be given on any hero in the series, but it was a good plot twist anyway. Acceptable, is the right term. I have a feeling that this will be a series with no end, much like the ahem, ahem Mortal Instruments *cough.

So yeah. I totally agree with the others who read this: "The present was perfect and I was going to stay in it for as long as possible." Noah Stewart and Amanda Kelly have been bestfriends since birth. The one older than the other by a freakin' minute, they share their every thing together. At first, it'll seem like your typical I-fell-in-love-with-my-best friend story. 1. Telling each other everything. 2. Jealousy towards slutty girls. 3.Overprotective with one another. 4. Irrational need for each other.But no. It is so much more than that.[b:Present Perfect|17727279|Present Perfect|Alison G. Bailey|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1373291890s/17727279.jpg|24797497] will make you laugh, swoon, and feel frustration. Amanda or better known as "Tweet" is quite a frustrating character. I can't understand her logic through all of this. She can't help feeling jealous whenever Noah wanted to be another girl. Noah wanted to be with her, but she's too worried about the future to give them a chance. Hence, the title was born.The later parts are what I would call from now on as the killer parts .Noah and Tweet went on their separate ways, though they always seem to barge into each other's lives every now and then. Every encounter they had were intense, not in the sense of the bedroom intense, but they were emotionally-fueled and always ended up in fighting and then making up.Noah Stewart is officially on my book-boyfriend list now. There's something really sweet about him but at the same time, he's like most teenage boys who does "teenage boy stuff" that made Tweet's heart break into pieces every single time. Yet, who can blame him? He got rejected.Then, just when I thought they will finally be together, something bad happened again testing their friendship and love for each other. "Noah has 99.9% of my heart. The rest will always belong to a special boy who changed my life forever." Noah may be a hot piece of work, but Dalton Connor will always be my home boy. In the short time he spent on this book's pages, he catches my attention and may be my favorite character with the personality all throughout. I will not talk about the ending nor spoil if this book will have its HEA or not. Because no matter what, this book is an absolute must read. It's a real tear-jerker.

"I would like to believe in the dream of second chances.." WOW. This is full of angst and tear-filled emotions. Nastya Kashnikov experienced a lot of pain. No matter where she go, the past continues to haunt her. She thought that changing her name, clothes and attitude about life will help, but as she close her eyes, her dreams will always be dark and hopeless.Josh Bennett is like a death-magnet. Every one he ever loved died in a sequential pattern. Determined to stop people from dying around him, he swore he will never let anyone come close again. Not until she came. "Maybe I don't need to save her forever. Maybe I can't just save her right now, in this moment, and if I can do that, maybe it will save me and maybe that can be enough. " I fell in love with this book. There's something lonely and at the same time exhilarating with it. It's angsty, funny, dark and lonely all at the same time. The first part of the story made me just a teeny tiny bit exasperated with Nastya. She doesn't talk for an obvious reason and the real deal about it came on the later half. This story is too long and full of suspense. I cannot say that she is a little too dramatic to do the things she do just because of the past, but I can't blame her for her pain. It was tragic and confusing. I'd be mad too. But the latter chapters are the interesting ones. It's like a whirlwind of issues and emotions, it's hard to keep up with the characters and it'll make you feel helpless yet you can't put the book down. I guess my sadist/masochistic side came out because of this book. My heart broke. "I'd rather lose you if it means you'll be happy." I love all of the characters. I love the fact that they are all essential to the story. [a:Katja Millay|6466759|Katja Millay|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1346625628p2/6466759.jpg] made them so real, natural and important. They all have their faults and contributions. Even Leigh, the slut that she was, played something important in Josh's life.The ending is a real killer. I knew in that moment that I will either be having a hard time picking up a new book OR I terribly need a new book so I can forget about it. It's such a cliffhanger!But it was really sweet and I did not expect it. Honestly.

Semper Fidelis. W-O-W. I don't think I can write a proper review for this. This has been a very wonderful journey with Sebastian and Caroline. There are times that I giggled, rolled my eyes, felt scared and cried throughout the story.Ten years after the disastrous revelation about Sebastian and Caro's affair, they went their separate ways but never truly forgot about each other. Caroline finally achieved her dream of becoming a journalist and a pretty good one in fact, that she was sent to do correspondence over the war zones like Iraq and Afghanistan. Sebastian, on the other hand, enlisted on the US Marines and became a soldier/interpreter. "Why didn't you come back?" he sobbed. "I waited and waited for you, like I said I would, but you never came back. Why didn't you come back? I love you, I love you, I love you." Their reunion made me giggle like a little girl because it came as a shock for both of them. Especially when they are sure as hell to be shipped across the globe and into the line of fire.The steamy scenes will not be disappointment, that I assure. The time they spent together was really sweet and oh my gosh.. I am melting in my own puddle of swoon.I shipped them so hard.Well, now that Sebastian is older and sexier, I like him better than BETTER. He grew up a lot and I the dialogues he had before on the first book did not make an appearance, thank God. Caroline became stronger. Probably because she was not with her manipulative husband anymore and she established herself well. I admire her strong personality and patience. The first part was all about their road trip to one of the most romantic places in the entire world.The second half is their time on Afghanistan. "They say there are no atheists in foxholes. I say there are no atheists when you're begging God to keep alive the person you love." I am on a wicked roller coaster of emotions. I pulled an all nighter so I can finish this. My heart broke and I think I shed a tear or two. This is total mind fuckery. My head's throbbing with all the emotions [a:Jane Harvey-Berrick|6458246|Jane Harvey-Berrick|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1360422297p2/6458246.jpg] kept on throwing at me. I am pretty sure this is one of those books that will stay with you for all time. And for that, I totally congratulate her. The ending is a bit of a cliff hanger for me. I think I will agree with one of my GR friends that the ending deviated a little with what we are supposed to read from Caro and Sebastian. I wish there was more. I wish I know what happened next after the big thing. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who needs an emotional sexy read.

".. It had been an education, - a delicious, dangerous awakening." Do we choose who to love or love chooses us? This is a very beautiful book. I will not go as far as to say that this can be big and be a literary masterpiece, but, I just want to tell you guys that this book is wonderful in its own way.The story focuses on unhappily married Caroline Wilson and young Sebastian Hunter falling in lust and love and discover how they need to be with each other despite the infidelity issues and felony that might involve them. They knew each other way back when Sebastian was only 8 and Caroline is already 21. The age difference between the two of them is quite alarming in a way that the story is gonna have some serious shizzam if not on the middle, but definitely on the end.I am standing on the middle of the balance scale when it comes to Caroline. I am not sure if I like her or not. All I thought was she was stupid to marry at such a young age and put herself on such a loveless marriage. I have very strong feelings for her husband: HATE. I despise the man. He thinks he rules over her. Caro was treated more on the lines of servant and his personal whore.Sebastian. I love him. He is a strong character. His parents are complete douchebags. I admit that there are times I am rolling my eyes so hard because Caro kept on commenting that Sebastian is mature for his age, but the dialogues he speak is a bit childish in my opinion. He's like a child who was given a stick of lollipop for the first time. He is really eager with the sex. That I am saying. "I want you Caro. I want to make love to you. I want to make love to you forever." Nonetheless, the forbidden affair made me excited, especially on the parts I swear I think they're going to get caught! Significant places such as the car, bedroom, motel, beach and bathroom will never be the same again. Talk about intense loving. "Two long seconds ticked by as we stared at each other. I don't know who moved first, but suddenly we were tearing at each other's clothes." The ending.. hmm. I don't really know. 1.) There was a lot of FOUL language. 2.) I love Seb even more. 3.) Donna? I think she's going to play a very good role about this. Yet, she was quite speechless. 4.) Caroline. My heart broke for the woman who finally got everything then lose it in one effed up minute. Starting the second book. NOW.