Top Ten Tuesday - Back To School Freebie

Unfortunately I couldn't figure out a reasonable list for this freebie week but please everyone, do head over to The Broke And The Bookish and check out their list and those blogs who have submitted their Top Ten Tuesday this week.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish.

Inevitable Ascension - V.K McAllister



(Alternate cover)

Synopsis:

The innocent never waver from doing what’s right, even if it means drowning the world in fire.

Violina had been burned and betrayed by mankind ever since she sprang into existence. They named her a heretic and condemned her to a pit to live and die in agony. Though she sat stranded, starved and bloodied, she would not submit. Violina, the girl who had been mocked and hunted for rejecting the warped ideals of artificial authority, would lay down her own law.

Review:

I received the book in exchange of a honest review.

I have to say that I did get confused at times throughout the book because I was forgetting locations and names and such but I had really grown attached to Violina and Lux, I was from the start till the very end. I felt like I connected to them most because they are how I'd want to portray myself in their sort of scenario and their personalities slightly match mine.

The rest of the characters weren't very much my cup of tea but I think that's because of who they were portrayed as excluding Kza who although is portrayed a certain way was the only other character but the girls that really got my attention.

You are pretty much thrown into the action straight away and I really like that as there wasn't half a book leading up to some mediocre battle or something, it was right from the outset and was always nail biting when it came to the action.

To me I felt like the book had political undertones throughout but I was really loving the idea of a better world. I agreed with the aspirations and actions of both Violina and Lux although they did seem really reckless at times and sometimes irrational. 

The time travel was great, I loved how it worked, i liked how they acknowledged the butterfly effect.

The ending was definitely not what I was expecting, I admit I was really taken back by the ending as I was really hoping for something different but the end it got was shocking yet I loved it, it really bought the whole book to a great end and I wasn't at all dissapotined with anything.

I give it a 5/5 although I debated giving it a 4 due to the confusion I had at the beginning and at small moments throughout but I realised that was my fault and not the authors. 

I love the thought and outcome of the Husband and Wife duo working on books. This time around it produced a unique and thrilling read, spoken in one voice.

Here's the books new trailer. 



Writers Block

The thing is,it was all last minute. The empty document on my laptop was where a few 1000 words were supposed to lie and they had only have to be there for one more week. 

So I up and left my usual writing place and traveled to Ireland. I had been a few times but it's beauty just seemed to relax me almost immediately.

With only my laptop a small bag of clothes and essentials I wandered the streets taking them in as I searched for a place to stay. In between searching and discovering I found a small B&B which upon inquiry gave me their last room. 

The woman who handed me the key, tall and curvy, long brown hair and blue eyes was very gentle. Her hand was cold to touch but the contact only lasted seconds. 

The room was average for what you payed for and had a great view as the room was in the loft so it got a great view from the windows installed to give the room natural light.

Almost instantly upon opening my laptop and the document, beautyou poured out of me and traveled through my fingers across the keyboard and up onto the scrrent and before I take a break after 2 hours of uncontrollable but amazing writing, I hit 6000 words. 

I head down to pay for some sort of a meal to fill me, last me for a while as I write but I only find the woman who had handed me my key and escorted me to my room. She noticed me immediately and flashed a quick smile before a blush hit her face and she looked away.

"I was wondering where best to get some food from" I say confidently as I close the distance between the desk and me. She smiles as she looks up and stutters as she opens her mouth to speak.

"George is in the back, he can cover me, I'll show you." She smiles and I nod as it was for the best. She leaves the room for a minute or so before escorting me out of the B&B and down a series of roads.

Out the corner of my eye I catch her watching me, absorbing my form and even when I look at her in conversation she watches me contently. 

"Do you like what you see?" I finally smile to her as we sit down at a small restaurant she had recommended.

"It is not every day someone so breathtaking walks into a shabby B&B" she smiles handing over the menu before looking to her own. She was not embarrassed by her words, she meant them it was written all over her.

She herself was breathtaking, her skin pale and flawless as her dark hair hugged her neck ànd collarbone. Every now and then she would flare her nostrils which made me laugh inside.

The truth is she was as breathtaking as she claimed me to be.

Over food we discussed ourselves, our lives and hobbies and how we got to where we were. She watched with content as I told her my story and I watched her with admiration as she told hers. 

I settle the bill against her wishes of going halves and we begin walking back, but much slower now. Our arms swung as we walked, brushing eachothers gebtly from time to time. I hadn't got any idea on how I felt about her, she was beautiful and kind and intriguing, funny and intelligent but did that spell love?.

As we walked further and further we fell into silence but smiled when we locked eyes from time to time. She stumbled on a cobble which had risen from its place. She reached out to grab me as I instinctively grabbed ahold of her arm to stop her from falling. She blushed then, embarrassed by the near fall she had had. 

"You good?" I smile to her as she seems to flex her toes in her shoes.

"Yes thasks." She smiles and I loosen my grip on her arm and let her move more freely. It had left her with a slight limp as she walked but with each stepid we worked with it. Her grip moved down my upper arm, now on my forearm. Soon enough I had gotten the momo and pulled my arm out of her grip before taking her hand.

"You could have just said." I smirk as she blushes again as she nods.

"I guess I could have." She smiles 

"This was deffinetly what I needed to write my book." I think to myself. And in 15 minutes we turn onto the B&B road back to my new sanctuary. 

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I Stil Havent Read

So the original topic was 10 books owned before blogging that I still haven't read, well back in 2014 just before I started out this blog, I really didn't have many books beside the classic Harry Potter books and over 15 books by Jaqueline Wilson stored in a box. But now I have 62 books on my bookshelf alone which is at least 34 individual  authors. Its safe to say I have not read all 62 books on my shelf, maybe 41 of them but not all 62 so here on this list I'm going to list 10 books I have yet to read which will also include current reads, read for review eBooks and eBooks.

1. Eden Summer by Liz Flanagan (preview copy won from Maximumpopbooks competition)
2. Vampire Diaries 1&2  by L.J Smith 
3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
4. The Girl In The Red Coat by Kate Hamer
5. On The Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher
6. Always With Love by Giovanna Fletcher
7. Ravens Peak by Lincoln Cole
8. The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel
9. Inevitable Ascension by V.K.McAllister (Husband and Wife duo)
10. The Edge of Juniper by Lora Richardson

There are more books where they come from but maybe those are another list for another time?


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish

The Flight Of The Pickerings - John Grayson Heide

Synopsis:

Guy Pickering is a good man and good husband to his wife Dorothy who grows wackier every day with dementia. Guy sees the end coming and wants to be in control, but Life has other plans. His most private moments spiral out of control as a nosy neighbour intrudes, a rebellious teenage grandson shows up and finally a fame-hungry reporter spotlights them in front of a world-wide audience.

Filled with tender moments and comic twists, this book engages the reader in one family’s journey, a final voyage that all of us will take, sooner or later. The Flight of the Pickerings is a love story that touches on the right for self-determination while infusing deep humanity and humour.

Review:

John had contacted me with the request of a review and I was completely happy to oblige because the synopsis just seemed like such a great thing I couldn't say no. I begun reading it before I went on holiday but once getting back from my holiday I had been so out of routine and I had very little to no energy or motivation to do anything I had found it hard to push myself through the book although I had been really enjoying it. 3 weeks later though I managed to finish the book and I can honestly say I was very pleased with it.

Yes the book is based heavily around end of life issues but it isn't overly soppy and I really enjoyed how Guy always spoke of how he wanted to control the last moments of their lives as Dorothy was unable to. Throughout the book it switches between their current life and their experiences from when they were children and growing up knowing eachother. Doing this really helped me sympathise and adore both of the Pickerings because I could see how strong their relationship was and that either of them were happy to put their lives in the others hands if it came to it.

The rebellious teenager called Tory was really a great addition to the story, he wasn't fond of old people and lets be honest is antisocial but deep down he still adores his grandparents and when it comes down to it, that helps the story come to a great end.

I don't want to give away too much but finally Guy knows exactly what to do but it doesn't all go to plan, like always and it leads to a big end which is really an emotional one for me and took me a moment to absorb. I loved how the book explored every aspect of the characters lives from when they were young and first met all the way through to their current situation and spared no detail when it came to the amount of love they have for each other.

A great read with humour and bitter truth when it comes to facing end of life issues, I really admired the fact the book didn't ooze soppiness and all of that cheesiness which would have in my opinion ruined it for me. I really enjoyed the way John wrote the whole book, a dream made into a graceful funny and tender tale of the power of love and the elegance of the dance between Love and Death.

5/5 from me and a definite recommendation to anyone who really wants to witness the strength of years long love.

Aunt Edna’s Money

So aunt Edna and I weren't exactly best buddies but when the inevitable man dressed in black came to her door and knocked 3 times before being let in, Edna passed everything down to me. We all knew the end was close with her, she had recently been wanting more time with each of us separately and even then that was the first time I had seen her and spoken to her face to face in over 5 years.

I had heard stories about my Aunt Edna, some of them I could believe, others I could not, but even this moment now I could not believe her whole estate was mine. I had read her will and all the terms which included instructions on what to do so that wretched unlikable cousin of mine, Wilfred got none of it.

Meeting up with my aunt for the first time in over 5 years was nerve wrecking but all of those nerves simply melted away when we drank at a great little coffee shop and spoke of music and books. Even after all of the bad stories I had heard about the woman, she was the most likable person I had met and we clearly bonded. She had expressed her concern for her own health as she leant back arched over the table holding firmly to my hands, then she expressed her concern of Wilfred who she feared would do anything to take all she had once she had passed but against my wishes she dropped the subject quickly and got back to talking about books.

As I browsed the isles of the old bookstore we shared a love for days after her death, I couldn't help but think of wretched Wilfred and the rules in my aunts will. I run my fingers over the spines of many books, picking out those which caught my attention before adding them to my pile at the counter. by the time I was finished I had bought many hundreds of pounds worth of books but it was all in the name of inspiration and research.

You see my aunts wishes were to be cremated, and not only that, but her ashes mixed in with ink, which she believed I could use to create a masterpiece of a book manuscript with within a year, and now I browse the same bookstore, looking over a small crowd of people who had gathered for the unveiling of the book now available in store. The main characters name? Edna of course.

Once Taken (Riley Paige Mystery #2) - Black Pierce

Synopsis:

ONCE TAKEN is book #2 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with ONCE GONE (Book #1)--a free download with over 100 five star reviews!

Women are being murdered in upstate New York, their bodies found mysteriously hanging in chains. With the FBI called in, given the bizarre nature of the murders—and the lack of any clues—there is only one agent they can turn to: Special Agent Riley Paige.

Riley, reeling from her last case, is reluctant to take on a new one, since she is still convinced a former serial killer is out there, stalking her. She knows, though, that her ability to enter a serial killer’s mind and her obsessive nature is what will be needed to crack this case, and she just can’t refuse—even if it will push her over the edge.

Riley’s search takes her deep into a killer’s deluded mind as it leads her to orphanages, mental hospitals, prisons, all in an effort to understand the depth of his psychosis. Realizing she is up against a true psychopath, she knows time is short before he strikes again. But with her own job on the line and her own family a target, and with her fragile psyche collapsing, it may all be too much for her—and too late.

A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE TAKEN is book #2 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

Review:  MAY INCLUDE SPOILERS!! (you have been warned)

After reading Once Gone (Book #1) which is a free download, I was left wanting more from the best-selling series. Like the first, Once Taken (Book #2) was a page turner right from the beginning. I hadn't originally planned on buying the second in the series but when the first book ended on a huge cliffhanger, I just couldn't resist. 


Following on immediately after Once Gone, the prologue begins with a different character who we haven't actually met yet. His name is Jimmy Cole, and he is a tour guide on the Hudson River. They tell ghost stories until one of the passengers notices something off in the distance. Cole knows that they're drunk so he doesn't think anything of it, but when curiosity gets the better of him, he decides to investigate; only to come across a victim of the newest serial killer in this book. It also gives us an idea as to where the rest of the book is going to be set. 

Chapter one begins where Once Gone had left off; Special Agent Riley Paige finding pebbles inside her bed. We know from the first in the series that the pebbles played an important part in the book, affecting the mental state of both Riley and her friend Marie Sayles, who was also a survivor of the murderer (Peterson) who tortured both Riley and Marie. 

Firstly, Riley was spooked by a tapping on the door, only to go outside to find pebbles laid out in front of the door. It becomes suspicious when Marie had encountered the same thing, so fearing that their would-be-killer was still alive, it put them on a constant edge. When Riley finds the pebbles in her bed, she searches the whole house in case Peterson is in fact still alive. She believes that he is but everybody else thinks she was still paranoid. After phoning the FBI for a possible intrusion, they come to the conclusion that everything was safe but Riley insists that her daughter April stays with her father, Riley's ex-husband Ryan, so that she will be safe.

When the current situation is resolved, Riley takes her daughter on a trip to New York where they bond and you begin to see how special a mother/daughter relationship can actually be. After the previous dramas of Peterson, Riley is put back on involuntary leave but when her part Agent Lucy Vargas asks for her help, she cant help herself; showing us how determined Riley is in her job. It also shows how much April has begun to understand her mothers job because she doesn't mind when Riley takes the case again.

The beginning instantly grabs your attention, the action beginning as soon as the chapter starts which is one of the main factors in what kept me going throughout the rest of the book. 

It isn't as attention grabbing as the first but still extremely close. Once Riley goes back to work, most of the reactions are positive but others start to think she's losing her mind; obviously because she believes somebody is alive who everybody else is sure they killed. 
It makes you feel really sympathetic towards the main character, as the majority of the book is set from Riley's point of view, you really get an idea of what she has been through and also, what she thinks about the situation at hand. It's quite difficult to believe that she's paranoid which leaves you wanting the rest of the characters to believe her; for her own sake. 

Throughout the book, the point of view changes, sometimes being April; Riley's Daughter, other times being Peterson, Eugene (The newest Killer), Special Agent Bill Jeffreys (Her partner and also somebody she realises she's actually becoming attracted to.) but mainly the attention is on Riley. April is also given a lot of attention in this book because she is used as a way to get revenge on Riley. Fearing that her daughter is going to be killed, she begins to search for Peterson again, but this time she has the FBI on her side after convincing them that he is still alive. Bill refuses to let her look for Peterson on her own and knows that his marriage will be in even more jeopardy than it already is, but he knows that his best friend needs him. 

Throughout the search, the book remains even more attention grabbing, always switching from Riley, to April and then Riley again. It really starts to show how Riley is beginning to gain the love of her daughter again after being isolated from her for so many weeks. Also, like the first book, we are given flashbacks about how Riley was treated at the hands of Peterson, giving us an idea of what April may be going through but also showing how messed up Riley still is by the whole situation.

This book focuses on how Riley is trying to fix her personal life while battling with the ongoing cases that just never seem to end. It's a constant page turner, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm giving it a 4 out of 5.

Top Ten Tuesday - Favourite Authors

This topic was in fact the 16th topic ever of Top Ten Tuesday back in 2010 and as I missed out then, I wanted to make it the topic this Tuesday as part of Tope Ten Tuesday - Topic I want to revisit or cover.


1. Holly Smale, I know I say it a lot but she really is an incredible human. Her writing like every author gives me a new home to go to. She is also beautiful and very straight to the point when it comes to what she believes in.

2. Peter Monn, He's incredible too, just seeing his snapchats always cheer me up, much like Holly he doesn't beat around the bush when it comes to what he believes in.

3. Patrick Ness. A man of many stories and also a journalist (which is really cool by the way), A Monster Calls was also the first book of his I read, which blew me away and also stared my 9th ever post on this blog which was my 8th review back in July of 2014. Also his twitter feed is pretty much 56% of what I read per day.

4. J.R.R Tolkien, The man who gifted the world with books named The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings, amongst several others.

Then There's

• Ali Novak
• Amanda McKelt
• Darren Shan
• Giovanna Fletcher
• Carrie Hope Fletcher
• John Green
• Holly Bourne
• Thomas Hoobler
• Nicola Yoon
• Kat Spears
• Melody Fitzpatrick
• Marcy Lyn Curtis
• Mandy Mikulencak
• James Leck
• Tom Becker
• Lora Richardson
• David Levithan
• Jamie Blair
• Dawn Rae Miller
• Joseph Delaney
• Simon Mayo
• Matt Haig
• Markus Zusak
• Veronica Roth
• Rich Leder
• CJ Daugherty
• Lisa Williamson
• Jean Nicole Rivers
• Saundra Mitchell
• Dane Cobain
• J.K.Rowling
• Robert Lampros
• Eugene Lambert
• J.G.Clay
• Michael Israel Jarvis
• Chuck Grossart
• Charlaine Harris
• Adam Que
• Daniel Eagleton
• M.T.Miller

Every piece of work I've read from every author so far has been saved in a space in my heart, each other is sorted there too, no matter the impact they made on me, they are a favourite of mine.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hostedo by The Broke And The Bookish.

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I'd Buy Right This Second If Someone Handed Me A Fully Loaded Gift Card

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish