DAY 10 - The Best of 2014 Blog Hop - Our Favourite Reads Overall

We're hosting a 4-way Blog Hop and INTERNATIONAL Giveaway along with a few of our pals from No BS Book Reviews, Black Heart Reviews, and Reading is My Breathing. Be sure to visit all these amazing blogs during the blog hop and DON'T FORGET THE GIVEAWAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST!

This was the year of...

The Album by Ashley Pullo













Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover













Love, in English by Karina Halle












Bear Otter, and the Kid series by T.J. Klune














Temptation series by Ella Frank













Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma













Me Before You by Jojo Moyes













Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher













Coming Home by Priscilla Glenn













Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie McGuire

This Man by Jodi Ellen Malpas

BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY (click here!)

DAY 9: The Best of 2014 Blog Hop - Our Favourite Book Covers

We're hosting a 4-way Blog Hop and INTERNATIONAL Giveaway along with a few of our pals from No BS Book Reviews, Black Heart Reviews, and Reading is My Breathing. Check out the schedule, be sure to visit all these amazing blogs during the blog hop, and DON'T FORGET THE GIVEAWAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST!

Something about the following covers has me staring at them constantly, wishing I had the talent to make something look so pretty.

 

The Album by Ashley Pullo

Every time I see this cover, I'm brought back to happy childhood memories. The colours make me think of summer time and Popsicles, and when the biggest worry was how high you can go on the swing.

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

After I finished this story, I had to hide the paperback. The texture on the cover was too much for me to handle because of the way it tied into the story. But something that's painful can still be a favourite.

The Pact by Karina Halle

This cover reminds me of a Lana Del Ray song. There's always a desperate longing about them. Having finished The Pact with a few days of 2014 left to go, I can say that this is the perfect cover for this story

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma.

I know it didn't come out in 2014, but I read it for the first time this year, so I'm making it count. If or when you read this story, you'll know why the barbed-wire heart is the only thing that should ever be on the cover.

Love, in English by Karina Halle

BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY (click here!)

DAY 8: The Best of 2014 Blog Hop - Our Favourite Indie Books/Authors

We're hosting a 4-way Blog Hop and INTERNATIONAL Giveaway along with a few of our pals from No BS Book Reviews, Black Heart Reviews, and Reading is My Breathing. Check out the schedule, be sure to visit all these amazing blogs during the blog hop, and DON'T FORGET THE GIVEAWAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST!

Ella Frank and her Temptation series blew it out of the water for me this past year. It's M/M and it's so freaking hot that it has serious potential to cause a baby-boom. Logan and Tate have what most people can only dream about. Sure it's a book, but wouldn't it be nice if such carnal want actually exists?

What? The Bear, Otter, and the Kid series made my list yet again? Damn straight skippy. Now excuse me while I take a quick break and start re-reading this series so I can etch into memory every freaking morsel of what made this series one of the best I've ever read. T.J. Klune has become a automatic one-click for me.

This list needs Ashley Pullo. It needs her because she wrote The Album and The Ballad. It needs her because I know one day, she won't be 'indie' anymore and I want to be able to say I-knew-her-when...And when that day comes, the world will know that she has some serious chops in the writing department. Also, have you seen her rap to Salt-n-Pepa? Just look for the video and you'll get why my obsession runs so deep.

Coming Home by Priscilla Glenn was everything I wanted, exactly when I wanted it. She has somehow tapped into my psyche and knows exactly what to write and when to release it, which coincides with exactly when I need to read something from her.

I knew I was going to buy Love, in English before I even knew what it was about. All because of the cover. And then I actually read the book, and I was so taken aback that it was by the same author who wrote The Artists Trilogy. I think someone who is that versatile and has that much writing talent needs to be on a lot of 2014 'FAVOURITES' lists.

BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY (click here!)

DAY 7: The Best of 2014 Blog Hop - Our Favourite Book Moments

We're hosting a 4-way Blog Hop and INTERNATIONAL Giveaway along with a few of our pals - Stephanie and Brenna from No BS Book Reviews, Ali & Debbie from Black Heart Reviews, and Lucia from Reading is My Breathing. Check out the schedule, be sure to visit all these amazing blogs during the blog hop, and DON'T FORGET THE GIVEAWAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST!

• The dinner scene in Bear, Otter, and the Kid (by T.J. Klune) where Bear has too much to drink and ends up spilling his guts to Otter's family, and all the other people at the table. This was one of the funniest and genuine things I've ever read, and even though Bear is in love with Otter, I might have developed a non-reciprocated crush on Bear this very moment.

• The last few lines of Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie McGuire were a 'whoa'. I mean I suspected, but until that moment, it hadn't been confirmed. And then when I'm reading it, I decide I have to re-read it with this new information.

• When the lines in Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover became poetry again.

• Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. But Liis - What's your favourite moment of the book? The entire thing is my favourite moment.

• The scene in The Album by Ashly Pullo where Natalie writes her love letter to Zach and everything that follows. I'm still pissed at Ashley for it.

• When Tate and Logan talk on the phone that night, and nothing about it is just friends catching up. This scene in Try by Ella Frank WAS HOT!

BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY (click here!)

DAY 6: The Best of 2014 Blog Hop - Our Favourite Audiobooks

When I love something, I go a bit overboard with it. Listening to audiobooks is no exceptions. Some of these were released in 2014, others not. What they all have in common is that in 2014, I've probably listened to them at least 5 times each. They make putting the laundry away bearable. They make going for a two hour walk tolerable. And they definitely make the commute on the subway more interesting.

CHECK OUT THE SCHEDULE AND DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST!

I get giddy just thinking about On Dublin Street by Samantha Young, and the KICK ASS job that Paula Costello did narrating it - for me, she is Joss and Braden. And if you think you loved Braden and wanted to do all sorts of delightful things to him before, you need to hear what he would 'sound' like. You'll become so obsessed with what Paula has done to heighten the experience of this book that you might dedicate a 100+ comment Facebook post to her awesomeness. You'll make friends just by the mere mention of Paula Costello.







But this elite club of amazing narrators also has Emma Galvin in it. The moment I hear her say 'Chapter 1 - Red Flag' I go NUTS. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire is my book. The one that I've read so many times that I need 3 paperback reading copies because they've become to tattered from being constantly opened and closed. For me, Emma is Abby. She also has the voice to pull of Travis, which makes it sooooooo much better. I ran a half-marathon to it and it felt like nothing. I've listened to this audiobook more than 30 times, and it never gets old. Unfortunately, the moment I finish it, I have this desperate need to read Beautiful Disaster again. It's unfortunate because work, family, and life are also calling my name at the same time.




Eva and Gideon are HOT on paper. Now take a narrator like Jill Redfield, who brings these two characters from Sylvia Day's Crossfire series to life, and you're pretty much guaranteed to find yourself reaching for a fan because it suddenly feels twenty degrees warmer.







I have a thing for accents. If you have one, I'll stare at you with stars in my eyes, regardless if you're male or female. I have no shame. Rebekah Ross will be in for some awkward moments if I ever meet her, because I became OBSESSED with the audiobook for Thoughtless for the sole reason of what she did with Denny. S.C. Stephens brought us Kellan Kyle (to which I'm personally very thankful for) but Ms. Ross made me think twice about Denny. I know it's hard to believe, but I'm Team Denny every time I listen to this audiobook.

BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY (click here!)

DAY 5: The Best of 2014 Blog Hop - Our Favourite Book Boyfriends

CHECK OUT THE SCHEDULE AND DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST!

If you're trying to figure out my 'type' by this list alone, best of luck! Each of these guys is on this list because something about them made them one of my favourite book boyfriends of this past year!

Adam Ford - The Album by Ashley Pullo

Zach Parker - The Album by Ashley Pullo

Chris Brooks - The Album by Ashley Pullo

Miles Archer - Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Ridge - Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Jackson Rowe - Enjoy Your Stay (Sugartown #2) by Carmen Jenner

Logan Mitchell - Try by Ella Frank

Jesse Ward - This Man series by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Mateo Casalles - Love, in English & Love, in Spanish by Karina Halle

Nicholas - Painted Faces by L.H. Conway

Danny DeLuca - Coming Home by Priscilla Glenn

Deuce West - Undeniable by Madeline Sheehan (I re-read this book almost monthly and I still LOVE him!)

Trent Maddox - Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie McGuire

BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY (click here!)

DAY 4: The Best of 2014 Blog Hop - Our Favourite Romantic Reads

CHECK OUT THE SCHEDULE AND DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST!

My favourite 'Romantic Reads' of 2014...

Well, this list needs to have the two books that have LOVE in the title. So Love, in English, and the follow-up to Love, in Spanish make it as my favourites. I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I really like reading about flawed characters falling in love. And I really like when their stories are realistic and deal with the aftermath of their decisions to be on a relationship. These two books by Karina Halle were not an over-the-top oooey-gooey love-fest. They felt like a looking-glass into the lives of two people who are so madly in love with each other, that sometimes they make unwise decisions, yet believe in their love enough to know that they want to try everything before throwing in the towel.



I read the first version of The Ballad very early on in 2014. I actually read the books by Ashley Pullo out of order, so I already knew who Adam and Chloe were. The story I read was told in reverse so I knew their ending from the get-go. But what makes this one of my favourite 'Romantic Reads' of 2014 is how they fell in love and how they overcame 'life'. Romance to some might mean schedules date night, expensive dinners, or spontaneous flower deliveries for just-because days. Romance for me is being in love with a person after EVERYTHING. And Adam and Chloe went through a lot, if not EVERYTHING.








And now we have yet another appearance by T.J. Klune and the Bear, Otter, and the Kid series. If you've read books 1 & 2 and know what Bear and Otter went through to be together, you'd understand. If you read the 3rd book (The Art of Breathing), you know why The Kid's journey is also on this list.








This might be a surprise appearance to some, but Flat-Out Celeste by Jessica Park makes this list. I've been in love with Matt for a while now, and his appearance in this book does nothing to dissipate that. Though this books is really about Celeste's journey, Matt comes out swinging with the big guns and pulls off a real Say Anything 
moment. Be still me every-loving nerd heart (sigh).

BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY (click here!)