Books!

So 2012 was a good year for reading. I read 205 books and some of them were just absolutely breathtaking. I'm hoping 2013 is going to be the same in the quality of books. There are so many new authors out there that I just cannot recommend enough. So I'm going to mix it up a bit and tell you about some books I've read toward the end of the year and the beginning of the year.

If you want a sweeping, brilliant historical love story, then you must read this one. I fell in love with Tatiana and Alexander. Set in the backdrop of Hitler's invasion of Russia, you feel the cold, the hell, and the total destruction of Leningrad. Tatiana is considered a whisp of a girl, but she has a heart of steel and will do anything for love and her family. Falling in love with the same guy that her sister has been gushing about wasn't what she wanted to do, but then again, he fell in love with her too. However, as a soldier in the Russian army, he's away more than he is around. But everything he does, he does for Tatiana.

This book had me in tears and hoping for a happily ever after, but are there any in wars? Highly recommend!

This is one of those self-published, mature young adult, new adult genres that is rolling around out there. But what I liked about this book is the heart. Kacey was involved in a horrible accident several years ago that killed both her parents, her boyfriend and her best friend. Since then she and her sister (who was not in car) are shipped to their aunt and uncle's house. Kacey knows that she needs to get Olivia away from that house, so she takes her to Florida to start anew. At her new apartment she meets a young single mom and a hot, sexy neighbor.
Kacey starts to develop feelings for said neighbor and becomes good friends with the young mom. From there, Kacey must face her fears and her past. But everything is about to explode when sexy neighbor Trent isn't exactly who he says he is.

I loved this book so much and although Kacey's story ends, KA will be continuing on with Olivia's story. Looking forward to that one too.

Blaire Wynn mom has passed away and she has headed to her father's current wife's house. But there she meets her horrible step-brother, Rush and his sister. Rush's dad is a rock star, so the house is actually his. When Blaire shows up and her father is gone on vacation, she is treated quite rudely. While having a gorgeous stepbrother with a standoffish sister, Blaire realizes that things aren't as they seem. As her relationship with Rush grows, the secret of her life and the life around her is brought crashing down around her.

I've always had a hard time getting into Abbi's books. I really don't like the SEA BREEZE series. Just don't. Enjoyed THE VINCENT BROTHERS series. But this one really impressed me. Her writing is getting much stronger and the editing is much, much better.

Colleen Hoover is my new favorite author. Her writing is so strong and so on point. This book will give you goosebumps it's so good. As much as I loved her SLAMMED series (and there will be a third book!), this one is completely different. When Dean Holder sees Sky in a grocery store, he's sure that he knows her from somewhere, but cannot place it. When Sky informs him that she has never met him, he won't give up. Breaking down the walls that Sky has built up around her, Holder will do everything he can to get Sky to remember certain things from her past. And some things should very well stay there.

A brilliant story that reduced me to tears and had me shaking my fist at times. Sky and Holder are the couple to beat.

Oh such a provocative cover and title! But it's true! Caroline Reynold's lives next door to a wallbanger! And every night a new girl is brought over to her neighbor's apartment to apparently help bang the walls (wink wink). Poor Caroline has lost her 'O' and listening to her neighbor's sexual escapades night after night is not helping the cause. But it gets even worse when she meets said neighbor, Simon Parker. Of course he's gorgeous and she's only dressed in a very little nighty, because his wallbanging is keeping her up and causing her cat distress (best cat ever!). Alice Clayton writes with such humor and class that you can't help but love every character in the book. Especially Clive, the cat.

Can Simon help Caroline achieve the 'O' or is she destined to remain 'O'less? Obviously this book is for the mature crowd. But so worth it!

Every now and then, comes a book that completely blows you away. Yep, this one was it. Gorgeous cover and gorgeous story. Camryn needs to get away. She doesn't know where she's going, but she cannot stay in NC any longer, so she purchases a bus ticket to nowhere. However, when she runs into Andrew, her plans go awry.  As they start to learn about each other and where they are heading, love blooms. Andrew's dad is dying. Camryn's boyfriend was killed in a car accident, death is what brings these two together. But it may be short lived when Andrew ends up in the hospital and in a coma due to a brain tumor.

Oh this book causes UGLY tears. Just when you think you know everything, it throws a wrench into story and you haven't a clue where you're ending up. Just a fantastic story that I could read again and again.

This book had me in hysterics way too many times. I was laughing out loud so many times my 9 year old would tell me to stop! Even though it's comedy of errors, there is a story here. Claire is a college student when she drunkenly gives up her v-card to a complete stranger, and much to her dismay, after she leaves, never learns his name, she finds out she's pregnant. Skip forward to four years and with a 4 yo, a best friend who wants to open up a sex toy shop, Claire agrees, as long as she can open up a bakery/pastry/candy shop next door.

All Carter knows is the girl that took his heart smelled of chocolate. And for four years he's been searching for that girl. When a chance encounter brings him face to face with Claire, he doesn't remember her. Plus, he's drunk. Things get even worse, when he realizes he has a four year old son with a mouth like a truck driver. However, Carter will do anything and everything to make good to Claire and falling in love with her is just on that ticket.  The four year old is absolutely hysterical. The best friends are too funny that you will be laughing at every page. Tara Sivec can write comedy. There are two other books in the series, but I honestly though this one was the best.