STS #96 – Bought Borrowed and Bagged #46
Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tynga’s Reviews is all about the latest additions to your library – virtual or actual, with books that are bought, borrowed, won or ARCs you will be reading soon. Bought Borrowed and Bagged is a homage to to Barron’s Books and Baubles from Karen Marie Moning’s amazing Fever series, and is hosted by Braine over at Talk Supe. I went a little click-happy this past week, and I’m really excited for all these new goodies!
Netgalley ARCs:
The Japanese Lover – Isabel Allende
From internationally bestselling author Isabel Allende comes an exquisitely crafted love story and multigenerational epic that sweeps from present-day San Francisco to Poland and the United States during WWII.
In 1939, as Poland falls under the shadow of the Nazis and the world goes to war, young Alma Belasco’s parents send her away to live in safety with an aunt and uncle in their opulent mansion in San Francisco. There she meets Ichimei Fukuda, the son of the family’s Japanese gardener, and between them a tender love blossoms. Following Pearl Harbor, the two are cruelly pulled apart when Ichimei and his family – like thousands of Japanese Americans – are declared enemies by the US government and relocated to internment camps. Throughout their lifetimes, Alma and Ichimei reunite again and again, but theirs is a love they are forever forced to hide from the world. Decades later, Alma is nearing the end of her long and eventful life. Irina Bazili, a care worker struggling to come to terms with her own troubled past, meets the older woman and her grandson, Seth, at Lark House nursing home. As Irina and Seth forge a friendship, they become intrigued by a series of mysterious gifts and letters sent to Alma, and learn about Ichimei and this extraordinary secret passion that has endured for nearly seventy years.
Need – Joelle Charbonneau
“No one gets something for nothing. We all should know better.”
Teenagers at Wisconsin’s Nottawa High School are drawn deeper into a social networking site that promises to grant their every need . . . regardless of the consequences. Soon the site turns sinister, with simple pranks escalating to malicious crimes. The body count rises. In this chilling YA thriller, the author of the best-selling Testing trilogy examines not only the dark side of social media, but the dark side of human nature.
Bound in Darkness (Immortal Brothers #4) – Jacquelyn Frank
After drinking from the fountain of immortality along with his brothers, Maxum is condemned by the gods to be entombed in the earth. Even though he has now been granted a reprieve by day, each night he is buried anew, his rock-hard body immobilized, his bones crushed by the pressure. When he emerges, his body heals, but his spirit remains scarred. There is only one way for Maxum to be completely free: He must kill the god who cursed him.
The task will require tremendous power, so Maxum embarks on a quest to gather talismans to equip him for the battle. Then an earthy wench seduces him and steals one of his magical amulets, but he catches her. Finding herself between a rock and a hard place, she strikes a bargain. The beautiful and alluring Airianne is a skilled thief—and she can help him in his acquisition of the talismans. Will this stealthy seductress also try to steal his heart—or will their boldness end up getting them both buried?
Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
The Rules:
Don’t deceive me. Ever. Especially using my blindness. Especially in public.
Don’t help me unless I ask. Otherwise you’re just getting in my way or bothering me.
Don’t be weird. Seriously, other than having my eyes closed all the time, I’m just like you only smarter.
Parker Grant doesn’t need 20/20 vision to see right through you. That’s why she created the Rules: Don’t treat her any differently just because she’s blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. Just ask Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart.
When Scott suddenly reappears in her life after being gone for years, Parker knows there’s only one way to react-shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough on her mind already, like trying out for the track team (that’s right, her eyes don’t work but her legs still do), doling out tough-love advice to her painfully naive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn’t cried since her dad’s death three months ago. But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the more Parker learns about what really happened–both with Scott, and her dad–the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem. Maybe, just maybe, some Rules are meant to be broken.
Edelweiss ARCs:
Forsaken (The Secret Life of Amy Bensen #3) – Lisa Renee Jones
In this third book in the sexy, suspenseful “The Secret Life of Amy Bensen” series from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones, we meet Amy’s brother Chad—and the woman who either loves him or wants him dead.
Six years ago, Chad’s hunt for a dangerous treasure turned deadly when his family home was set on fire, his parents killed. Faking his and his sister Amy’s death to protect her from further retaliation, he set her up in a new life with a friend’s help, letting her believe he’d died.
But now the men who hired Chad to find the treasure have found him, imprisoning and torturing him to learn where it’s hidden. A dark-haired beauty named Gia helps him escape, promising him access to his worst enemy. And as he tries to unravel the deep secrets of the past, he starts falling for her…only to discover she’s not what she seems.
Unable to trust anyone, Chad focuses on only two things: protecting his sister Amy and getting revenge. Is love even possible in the midst of heartache?
ARCs directly from Author:
Immersed by Katie Hayoz
What if love turned you into a monster?
Forget petticoats and demure female behavior. Melusine Doré prefers armored corsets and knives and slays evil creatures for a living. The grim and gruesome don’t frighten her; she’ll take on a cyclops or a dragon and not even break a sweat. But when her rival, the charismatic Levi Cannon, comes to town, all her buried fears begin to surface. Melusine realizes she is in danger of something much more horrifying than facing blood-thirsty beasts – she’s in danger of falling in love. Because love alone has the power to reveal a secret terrible enough to completely shatter her world.
Set in the muddy streets of 1850s steampunk Chicago, Immersed by Katie Hayoz is a dark yet romantic fantastical romp. It is a stand-alone novella, but the first in a series of adventures that follow Melusine on her quest to rid the world of monsters…and her struggle to come to terms with every monstrous facet of herself.
Immersed is also part of the Falling in Deep Collection: From mermaids to sirens, Miami to Athens, dark paranormal romance to contemporary stories with steam, the fifteen award-winning and best-selling authors of the Falling in Deep Collection are bringing you mermaid tales like you’ve never seen before.
Kindle Freebies:
Torn Hearts (Hearts #1.5) – Claire Contreras
They were inseparable, their love was fierce, their loyalty unwavering… or so they thought…
Torn Hearts follows Mia and Jensen’s story in the beginning. Like many of our own stories, theirs is not complete. Once I am finished posting this prequel, I will give you the title of Mia and Jensen’s full length, standalone story, along with a release date for it.
Top Me Maybe? by Jay Northcote
Duncan has a secret fantasy, but is Tyler the right man for the job?
Tyler’s new policeman boyfriend, Duncan, is gorgeous. Tall, broad, and über-masculine, he’s the epitome of the dominant top—in appearance at least.
When they discuss their sexual fantasies, Duncan confesses to a secret desire that surprises Tyler. Luckily for Duncan, Tyler’s happy to oblige and is determined to give Duncan a night to remember.
Did you get some exciting-looking books this week? Remember to leave me your link so I can check out your Stacking the Shelves and or Bought, Borrowed and Bagged post, too 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! Have a spectacular Saturday.
So many great books, I´d like to read all of them! Her skinner solen i dag, og det er deilig med litt sommerfølelse etter alt regnet vi har hatt. I dag har minstejenta bursdag, men kommer ikke hjem før sent i kveld fordi hun har vært på speidertur i Russland siden 31 juli. Gjett om vi gleder oss til å se henne igjen. Ønsker deg en deilig lørdag 🙂
Ja, jeg er fornøyd med alle disse, gleder meg til å lese. Høres bra ut med litt sol, Anette, og jeg regner med dere gleder dere mer enn dere har gjort til noe annet nå som minstejenta kommer hjem igjen! Kos deg og ha en flott helg. Klemmer.
I have had Jacquelin Frank on my tbr list for the longest time, and I love the blurb. Hope you enjoy reading these.
Thanks, Renee, I hope I’ll enjoy all these new books as well 🙂
I certainly want to read Need at some point in the future. I’ll grab a paperback copy when the tbr goes down a bit! I’ll be interested to see what you thought of it. Have a good book week!
Thanks, Chuckles, you too!
Ooh, I like the look of Immersed! Hope you enjoy all these.
I’ve already read Immersed, Nikki, it was really good!
One day I’ll have to try a Frank book, I hope you’ll like them all
. happy reading!
Thanks Melliane, you too!
Not a lot for me this week. Not if I See You First sounds like it might be something different. I like that you give us the synopsis, since I haven’t heard of these authors and wouldn’t have necessarily gone to check them out myself unless there was an amazing cover.
Thanks, Elizabeth, I enjoy the blogs where the synopsis is shared, too, because it makes it easier to add more books to my own shelves 🙂
It actually sounds quite nice to not have added any books.
All your books look amazing Lexie. A lot of them are new to me. The only one that I have heard of is Need. Great stack of books this week.
Grace @ Books of Love
I agree, Grace, I really look forward to reading them 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
OOh nice! Seeing Need a lot today! But these are pretty much new to me reads elsewise! Hope you enjoy each and every one of them!
My STS will be up tomorrow, so be sure to stop by then!
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
Thanks, Jessica 🙂 Have a fantastic weekend!
What a great haul! They all look so good! I hope you enjoy your reading.
Thanks, Cindy, I hope they’ll all be good, too 🙂
I like the sounds of Immersed with the mix of steampunk and monsters. Happy reading 😉
Immersed was really good! It was so well written it didn’t really feel like a novella 🙂
So many great books! I picked up the first few books in Jacquelin Frank’s new series, but didn’t start reading them yet. Both Need and Immersed look like great reads.
Great haul! Happy Reading!!
Immersed was really good, Stacey, and I’m really looking forward to Need, too. I’ve read the first two in Frank’s series, I didn’t love them, but the mythology made me want to continue on.
I really want to read Need. It looks really good. I’m interested in Not if I See You First too. Great haul!
I’m really curious about Need, too, as I enjoyed Charbonneau’s other series 🙂 Thanks for stopping by Kim.
Great haul Lexxi! I actually just received my copy of Need from NetGalley 🙂 The premise sounds chilling, and I’ve been in the mood for a good thriller – I do hope it satisfies
Oh yes, Claudia, I hope we’ll both enjoy Need 🙂
Oh, Need sounds fantastic! I can’t wait to read your review. I hope you enjoy all of your books.
I’m very excited about it, Bea, and at the same time, I’m trying to keep my expectations in check 😀
Lots of good books! I got Need this week too, it looks fantastic!!
Enjoy reading them all!
WooHoo Heather! I hope we’ll both enjoy it 🙂
Top me maybe, he he ^^ But the one that interests me the most is Isabel Allende’s, I’d love to read it too 🙂 Have fun with your new books 😉
LOL Iza, it’s all your fault 😀
Oh great haul you got this week! Not if I See You First sounds pretty original with a blind main character! I am looking forward to ehar what you think of that one! I hope you’ll enjoy your new books!
I’ve recently read another novel with a blind main character, and that one was really good, Lola!
Looks like some great books! I’m intrigued by the blurb for The Japanese Lover. Happy reading!
I really enjoy Allende’s writing, Jennifer, and the fact that The Japanese Lover is set during WWII made it stand out even more to me when I requested it 🙂
Wow Lexxie! You picked up some really thought provoking and exciting novels. I’m looking forward to picking up The Japanese Lover and Not If I see You First. These look pretty good. Hope your weekend has been fab! Hugs…
I agree, Ro, they both look amazing 🙂
Twitter: talksupeblog
I bought Immersed! Will be featured next week, thanks again for that rec. And I love ALlende, I’m so tempted to request JL myself.
WooHoo Braine! I hope you’ll enjoy Immersed as much as I did 🙂
I was thinking of grabbing Need. I decided to hold off, since I am dying by ARCs at the moment (I have 13 at the moment, not including the 4 physical ARCs). I can’t wait to see your review for the book! It has a lot of potential!
I just can’t resist, Lyn… I keep requesting books from authors I’ve enjoyed all the time!
Bound In Darkness sounds good, hope you enjoy and have a great week.
Thanks, Brandi 🙂 You, too!
Twitter: Mollykatie112
These are all new to me. I think the Japanese Lover sounds like it would make for a good mini-series on television or a great read 🙂 Need sounded good too for a YA book. I will be interested in your reviews!
I think most of Allende’s books could be made into mini-series. Her writing is great, and her stories are usually original and a little strange 🙂
Awesome haul this week! I have an arc of NEED as well and I can’t wait to start reading it. It sounds pretty intense. Have an awesome week!
Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian
I hope we’ll both enjoy it, Krystianna 🙂
I’ve been seeing Need around a lot lately – I might need to check that one out!
You should, Nicole, I have a good feeling about it 🙂
Oh my, you certainly picked up some goodies this week, Lexxie! I’m particularly interested in Not If I See You First. It’s going on my tbr and I can’t wait to see what you think of it. 🙂 *BIG HUGS*
I know, I can’t wait to delve into this week’s haul, Brandee.
*BIG HUGS*
Not If I See You First and Need look super interesting, I hope you enjoy them and your other books and have a good week 🙂
Thanks, Lauren, I hope so too.
Oooh…. I hope Torn Hearts is still free… I need it!
Naomi @ Naomi’s Reading Palace