Joyous Reads

Saturday, June 2, 2012

In My Mailbox #36

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, which showcases the books we've purchased, borrowed and received in the mail this week. This is the 36th episode of HOARDERS, Books Edition.

I won a finished copy of Changeling by Philippa Gregory from Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I've read an ARC of this book and was absolutely taken by Ms. Gregory's writing. I was a fan to begin with anyway; but the fact that it's YA was a bonus. :)

Me and my bargain hunts!

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

(Great addition to my shelves since my first copies of these books are paperback.)

Indie Love!

Open Heart by Emlyn Chand

What a Boy Wants by Nyrae Dawn

(More Indie love on my Kindle!)

Bought some age-appropriate books this week. Lol!

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Juliet by Anne Fortier

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

The rest of my madness. Please remember that I didn't post my IMM last week, hence the incredible amount of books this week. But then again, none of my hauls have always been...er, normal so I guess it doesn't matter. :/

First Comes Love by Kate Kacvinsky (Absolutely loved this book!)
Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker
Taken by Storm (Raised by Wolves #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Fated by Alyson Noël
Eve of Destruction (Dark Eden #2) by Patrick Carman
Betrayed by Ednah Walters
Lost Code by Kevin Emerson
The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova
Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
Dreamless by Josephine Angelini
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore
Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen
Skin Deep by Lara Jarratt
A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont
Gabriel's Rapture by Sylvain Reynard
Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet
Fury (Mercy #4) by Rebecca Lim
Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross
Shift by Em Bailey
No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz

KINDLE!

Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas (Travises #1)

Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas (Travises #2)

Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas (Travises #3)

Atticus for the Undead by John Abramowitz

The Boy Who Sneaks in My Bedroom Window by Kirsty Moseley

Her Forbidden Hero by Laura Kaye

Forever Freed by Laura Kaye

Grasping at Eternity by Karen Amanda Hooper

What's in your mailbox?

Friday, June 1, 2012

Confessions of an Addict: May Madness

Hiya!

Welcome to my monthly recap.

May turned out to be a crazy busy month for me. But somehow, it didn't feel like it. I know I've read more books than usual but didn't post in-depth reviews on a lot of my reads this month.

I've discovered the work of Kristen Ashley , and oh boy, was I addicted, or what! I think I've read most of her novels in one week and she's written several. Her books are good enough for escaping purposes. Her blue print for characters are pretty much the same and her writing leaves a lot to be desired. But trust me on this, once you read one, you'll probably get addicted as well. That is, if you're a fan of take-charge males, romance and smut...lots of smut.

All in all, I've read 23 (!) books this month and reviewed 13 of them. I suck. What a lazy blogger! I promise to do better in June. Twenty three books represent sleepless nights, ignored housework, and just plain ridiculousness. You know what kills me? According to Goodreads, I'm still 10 books off the pace for my goal of 300 books for the year. So not fair. But I'm not worried. I've got a couple of weeks vacation time in July so I plan to live and breathe books for those two glorious weeks! Well, here's a breakdown of what I've read in May but just remember that I didn't post a review for half of them. If you have any questions regarding these books, feel free to harrass me either on the comments or on Twitter (@joyousreads).

Lady Luck by Kristen Ashley
The Gamble by Kristen Ashley
Thyla by Kate Gordon
Mystery Man by Kristen Ashley
Wild Man by Kristen Ashley
Law Man by Kristen Ashley
Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey
Knight by Kristen Ashley
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
Tempting the Best Man by J. Lynn
Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown
Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London
Changeling by Philippa Gregory
A Whole New Light by Sandra Brown
Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst
Dark Eden by Patrick Carman
Wanted by Heidi Ayarbe
Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley
Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
Whisper by Chrissie Keighery
Easy by Tammara Webber
Penmort Castle by Kristen Ashley

Incidentally, there were two books that I didn't finish as well: DARK COMPANION by Marta Acosta and SPECIAL FORCES: Soldiers Part I by Alexandr Voinov. Both books have some pretty disturbing scenes and themes that I couldn't handle. I will be posting my reasons sometime this month.

Average Rating for May: 3.03 out of 5 Stars
Recommended Reads from May: Hemlock, Changeling and Whisper.

Winner Announcement!

Tal Rejwan won a copy of City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare.

There are two on-going giveaways on the blog at the moment: Wanted by Heidi Ayarbe and Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris. Check them out!

I think that's about it for May. I have no plans for June and my self-imposed ban on requesting ARCs and E-galleys is still on-going. Don't ask me why this is way easier than a book-buying ban. It just is.

How was your May?