The Best Books Ever

I have been astounded by 2012 so far- there have been TONS of books that I have read and loved!  Here are a sampling of my favorites so far (in no particular order):                                    These are only a few that I have loved! GIVEAWAY!! I am giving away 3 of the books listed above: Underworld by Meg Cabot Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo Embrace by Jessica Shirvington And some awesome swag to 1 winner! Please US/ CA only (these are ARCs so I will be mailing them myself). Fill out the Rafflecopter below to win!   a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Welcome to Best Book Ever here at Short and Sweet Reviews!  This week, we're talking about our favorite trilogies!  I am a big fan of series when they're done right -- and there are some epic trilogies out there that do it very well!  Some of these stories can't be contained just to one book.  Here are our picks: My favourite ever trilogy has to be MEETING DESTINY , DESTINY'S REVENGE & DESTINY'S WRATH - these make up The Destiny Series by Nancy Straight. I first read Meeting Destiny when I was approached by Nancy asking if I would like to review it. Let me tell you, I am so glad I did. I read it in a day it was just so gods damn amazing!! I reached the end and felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest, stamped on and put back into my chest. I was so emotionally raw. I have never been touched by a book in that way in my entire life. I couldn't read anything for the next couple of days because each time I tried to start something new, I foun...

The Treachery of Beautiful Things By Ruth Long To be Published on August 16, 2012 Published by Dial Books Summary taken from Goodreads : A darkly compelling mix of romance, fairy tale, and suspense from a new voice in teen fiction The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.  The Cover:  If you didn't know this already- The Treachery of Beautiful Things has a very similar ...

The Last Princess By Galaxy Craze Published by Poppy Published on May 1, 2012 Source: Finished Copy from Publisher Summary taken from Goodreads : Happily ever after is a thing of the past. A series of natural disasters has decimated the earth. Cut off from the rest of the world, England is a dark place. The sun rarely shines, food is scarce, and groups of criminals roam the woods, searching for prey. The people are growing restless. When a ruthless revolutionary sets out to overthrow the crown, he makes the royal family his first target. Blood is shed in Buckingham Palace, and only sixteen-year-old Princess Eliza manages to escape. Determined to kill the man who destroyed her family, Eliza joins the enemy forces in disguise. She has nothing left to live for but revenge, until she meets someone who helps her remember how to hope—and to love—once more. Now she must risk everything to ensure that she not become... The Last Princess. The  Co...

Her Majesty's Will By David Blixt Published on April 23, 2012 Published by Sordelet Ink Source: Netgalley Summary from Goodreads : Before he was famous, he was a fugitive.  Before he wrote of humanity, he lived it.  Before he was the Bard of Avon, he was a spy. A very poor spy. England, 1586. Swept up in the skirts of a mysterious stranger, Will Shakespeare becomes entangled in a deadly and hilarious misadventure as he accidentally uncovers the Babington Plot, an attempt to murder Queen Elizabeth herself. Aided by the mercurial wit of Kit Marlowe, Will enters London for the first time, chased by rebels, spies, his own government, his past, and a bear.  Through it all he demonstrates his loyalty and genius, proving himself to be - HER MAJESTY'S WILL. My thoughts... Her Majesty's Will  takes what's generally considered a "lost" period in William Shakespeare's life and spins a wild tale of what, exactly, he could have been ...

Welcome to Best Book Ever here at Short and Sweet Reviews!  This week, we're talking about our favorite books that feature witches!  I'll be honest, I'm pretty stumped on this one... the only one I could think of was Harry Potter!  Fortunately, the rest of our wise, well-read BBE participants had plenty of choices -- and plenty of books for me to look up! The best book ever featuring witches for me is BEASTLY . While the story itself is a modern retelling of 'Beauty and the Beast,' the witch - Kendra - plays a pivotal role. Not only does she cast the spell on pretty boy Kyle Kingsbury, turning him into a beast, but she is actually involved in the process. I liked that she was developed more in this version than in others I've read (and though I haven't read it, now there's a novel just about Kendra!) Rebecca @ A Word's Worth My pick this week is... The Witches by Roald Dahl. Easy, right? This is one of my favorite childhood books, and on...

 Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore Once you've seen, you can't unsee. Everything changes when you've looked at the world through . . .Angel Eyes Brielle went to the city to chase her dreams and found tragedy instead. She's come home to shabby little Stratus, Oregon, to live with her grief and her guilt . . . and the incredible, numbing cold she can't seem to shake. Jake's the new guy at school. The boy next door with burning hands and an unbelievable gift that targets him for corruption. Something more than fate has brought them together. An evil bigger than both of them lurks in the shadows nearby, hiding in plain sight. Two angels stand guard, unsure what's going to happen. And a beauty brighter than Jake or Brielle has ever seen is calling them to join the battle in a realm where all human choices start. A realm that only angels and demons-and Brielle-can perceive. About Shannon:  Shannon is a wife and mother. A sister. A daughter. A ...

Hope Springs by Kim Cash Tate In a small community where everyone is holding tight to something, the biggest challenge may be learning to let go. Hope Springs, North Carolina, is the epitome of small town life-a place filled with quiet streets, a place where there's not a lot of change. Until three women suddenly find themselves planted there for a season. Janelle hasn't gone back to Hope Springs for family reunions since losing her husband. But when she arrives for Christmas and learns that her grandmother is gravely ill, she decides to extend the stay. It isn't long before she runs into her first love, and feelings that have been dormant for more than a decade are reawakened. Becca is finally on the trajectory she's longed for. Having been in the ministry trenches for years, she's been recruited as the newest speaker of a large Christian women's conference. But her husband feels called to become the pastor of his late father's chu...

Interrupted: A Life Beyond Words By Rachel Coker Published by Zondervan Published on March 6, 2012 Source: Finished Copy from Publisher Summary taken from Goodreads : Can love really heal all things? If Sam Carroll hadn't shown up, she might have been able to get to her mother in time. Instead, Allie Everly finds herself at a funeral, mourning the loss of her beloved mother. She is dealt another blow when, a few hours later, she is sent from Tennessee to Maine to become the daughter of Miss Beatrice Lovell, a prim woman with a faith Allie cannot accept. Poetry and letters written to her mother become the only things keeping Allie's heart from hardening completely. But then Sam arrives for the summer, and with him comes many confusing emotions, both toward him and the people around her. As World War II looms, Allie will be forced to decide whether hanging on to the past is worth losing her chance to be loved. The Cover: I really loved the...

Welcome to Best Book Ever here at Short and Sweet Reviews!  This week, we're talking about our favorite books with international settings -- anything set in a country other than the one you live in.  Below are our choices... don't forget to share yours in the comments! When I think of an international book, the first that comes to mind is Maureen Johnson’s 13 Little Blue Envelopes . I picked it up in a book store and before I knew it, I was sitting on a step and had read through a good chunk of it. Naturally, I had to buy it. The setup is both clever and moving, which sets the tone for the rest of the novel, which is often hilarious as much as it’s heartbreaking. Ginny’s Aunt Peg has died and sent her thirteen little blue envelopes with instructions that lead her across the globe on a mad tour through Europe. Shaken out of her comfort zone, Ginny makes new friends and becomes closer to her world-traveling, artist aunt through her letters, work, and the people and plac...